Critical Role - C3E90 Mission Improbable

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

Bells Hells split the party in order to take on two different missions to prove themselves to the Volition, but as the stakes rise, so does the danger... Twitch Subscribers and YouTube Members gain instant access to VODs of our shows like Critical Role, 4-Sided Dive, Candela Obscura, and Exandria Unlimited. But don't worry: 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 and YouTube Members also gain access to our official custom emote set and subscriber badges. "It's Thursday Night (Critical Role Theme Song)" by Peter Habib and Sam RiegelOriginal Music by Omar Fadel, Hexany Audio, Ghiya Rushidat, Karam Salem, Neal Acree, and Colm R. McGuinness"Welcome to Marquet" Art Theme by Colm McGuinnessAdditional Music by Universal Production Music, Epidemic Sounds, and 5 AlarmCharacter Art by Hannah FriederichsAnimated Introduction by Kamille Areopagita, Kevin Areopagita, Mark Adams and Peggy Shi 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

Here at Critical Role, we love telling stories and making narratives come to life, which is why we're so excited to share that we're bringing a new semi-improvised fiction podcast into the Critical Role fold with our show, Midst. Journey to the small desert town of Stationary Hill on the planet Midst and follow the intertwined lives of three complicated antiheroes as they deal with unsolved murders, cult brainwashing, supernatural darkness, and, oh yeah, their moons suddenly falling from the sky. Ugh, freaking moons, they're so unreliable these days. The story's created by an extremely talented group of friends known as Third Person.

These playfully omniscient, fourth-wall-breaking narrators describe all the action, play every character, and take an unorthodox approach to storytelling that really makes the experience come alive. Look to the Midstle of the Week, that means Wednesdays, for new weekly episodes at midst.co, your favorite podcast app, or Critical Role's YouTube channel. We hope you enjoy this amazing story as much as we do. Hi there, this is Taliesin Jaffe, and welcome to the podcast version of The Critical Role Show. If you would like to watch the stream as it airs, you can tune in on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Pacific at twitch.tv slash criticalrole,

or at youtube.com slash criticalrole. The video-on-demand versions are immediately available for our Twitch subscribers or on YouTube the following Mondays at 12 p.m. Pacific. Podcast episodes are right here on the Critical Role Podcast Network on Thursdays one week after the initial broadcast. Now that you know all that, let's head into today's adventure. Hello, everybody, and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons. Woo! Ah, boo. Mm-hmm. Before we get into our session for tonight, we have some quick announcements to get through,

including with our first sponsor of the evening, NordVPN. Sam, take it away. NordVPN, the fastest VPN on the planet, offering amazing features like enjoying your favorite streaming content anywhere in the world, a dark web monitor that guards your online accounts, and most important, NordVPN can foil scams and malware with threat protection. You would not believe how easy it is to be tricked these days.

You never know when it's gonna happen. What is that? I don't know. Okay, I don't know what. What is that? I don't know. What is that? Fire! Fire alarm! Get out! Fire alarm! Everybody go! Fire! Fire! Oh jeez. Save Mr. Two. They bought it! See how easy it is to trick people? That's what I was talking about.

And that's why everyone needs to download and install NordVPN, to protect your devices from tricksters like me. Okay, now that the ad's done and I've got all the cameras to myself, I can spill any secret about anyone at the table. Like Matt. Okay, Matt pretends to be all nice and sweet with his hair and his good looks, but when the cameras are off,

ho, ho, ho, he is actually, okay, actually, he's actually kind and wonderful. But that's a bad example. But Taliesin, ho, ho, Taliesin. Okay, sometimes when he's a Burning Man, he likes to take new burners under his wing and make sure that they're safe and comfortable. That's also terrible. Terrible gossip. Let me think.

Uh, fuck. You know what? I'll mess with Laura's dice. Oh, she's gonna hate it. She's gonna hate it. She's gonna, she's gonna fucking, she, I can't do it. She sends me funny TikToks all the time and it's the highlight of my day and I look forward to her texts. This is so hard, I want to roast them, but the truth is they're my best friends and I love them very much, okay? But just don't tell them I said that, okay? Act like I spilled some nasty, scandalous tea about them, okay? Promise me. Promise me.

Regal! What? Regal! What are you doing in here? Nothing! What are you telling the audience while we're out of the room? Nothing! Nothing!

You'll never find out. But you will find the NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com slash critical role and get an extra four months. Try it risk-free now to get a 30-day money-back guarantee. Deal details. Two-year plan plus four extra months. Matt, pack to you. Okay. What the hell was that? Okay, thank you, Sam.

What was that? Sorry, that was a false alarm. Did he come back? It was a false alarm. Oh, oh, oh. It was a false alarm, apparently. What even was it, Sam? It was a false alarm! Don't trust your ears.

Is there a world alarm for real? More of the worlds up here. All righty, well, for our second sponsor tonight, coming straight from the pages of the land of Exandria, we have two pairs of adventurers that have arrived in the universe's collectible card game! Yay! Who would win in a fight?

Vex? Vax? Jester? Nott? I don't know, but you can figure it out by fighting it out in the Critical Role Challenger adventure series, Vox Machina, and Critical Role Challenger Series Mighty Nein, available now at your local game store. For more information, go to uvsgames.com slash Critical Role. It's really fun. You get to go watch a video of me and Liam playing, and I'm going to be dragging Marisha into a game at home as soon as we have a moment of free time that she wants to. Yeah!

Kick his ass, Marisha! a game at home as soon as we have a moment of free time that she wants to. Kick his ass, Marisha. Kick his ass. I put them all in sleeves, and I have them organized, and I have their own little deck boxes. Anyway. They also have cool art play mats on them. These are really, really pretty little mats. They're awesome. They gave me a bunch. I've been playing them. Oh, wow.

See, I did. Actually, can I save them? Because I've been wanting a new mat for my computer. Great, great. I'm going to keep these on the side. Laura, go ahead. Your turn. I've played it like 20 times at home.

I have stuff. I have a shirt. I'm on the merch side. It's weird over here. It is weird, right? Oh yeah, it is weird! It's our Belle's Hells design, but now it's on a lightweight hoodie.

Which you can wear it in the summer, you know? You can wear it in the spring. In the fall, you can layer it. When it gets cold on the beach. Art by Brian Wise. Amazing. It's available, I didn't read that part yet. It's available in the U.S., Canada, UK, and the EU. EU?

EU! Awesome, thank you so much, Laura. Marisha, you're nice. I have announcements, too. The VOD for the second episode of Kindle Obscura, Circle of the Crimson Mirror is now available on Twitch and YouTube as the investigations of this eclectic circle

take them to a masquerade auction with a grim task. I should have read it at least once beforehand, but I didn't. Check it out! It's the darkest part. Awesome. It's the darkest part. Well, is that fancy? Oh, it got real fancy.

It got fancy! This shit got crazy. Taliesin lived his best spooky life. Oh, it got real fancy. It got weird. This shit got crazy. Taliesin lived his best spooky life. Oh, it's beautiful. Taliesin shines. I had some fun on that one, that episode. It's like one of your best characters. Taliesin has normal hair.

That's true. If you want to see my normal hair. It is, when I saw the picture, I was like, what's wrong? Oh, he has normal hair. Yeah, I grew it out. I stopped calling him for a while. All the cast photos went up. We had people being like, who's this cast member? Here's my pitch to our audience. It's my favorite thing that Taliesin has done after Percy. Ooh! You did text me that.

High praise. You did text me that. It's good. Shit! Yeah, Leo's a vibe. But Sir Dante. Sir Dante is a different vibe, but they're in definitely the same family.

It's the same character. We have four announcements! We have announcements! What do we do? Also, thank you so much to everyone who has helped us so far play Test Dagger Heart. Yay! Thank you, Travis. Genuinely, it's an invaluable part

of the development process, and we've just loved getting to see all the creative ways that you've made characters, you've made worlds, you've made stories together, and broken the system in all of its beautiful ways that it can be broken so we can fix it and make it back even better for the next update and the eventual release. But if you haven't had a chance to try it out yet, you can go to daggerheart.com for the latest materials and information about it. So please, be sure to tell us what you think

through our official surveys, because that official channel is what we use to go ahead and look at all the feedback. Send any messages to us online. We won't look at those, but the official surveys, we will obsess over them. So yeah. I think that concludes our announcement.

Oh man, we're going to split up! We're going to split up! Let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role. Oh man! Critical. 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 plight. 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. 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! Welcome back. So last we left off, Bell's Hell is deep inside the moon of Ruidus, into the crux of the main core of its long-hidden civilization, the capital city of Kraviris. Here in Vetera Kraviris, the subterranean mass of this metropolis, you have made allies with the Volition, the resistance force that has long fought against the Weavemind and the Imperium that rules over pretty much all living sentient beings here on the moon.

They've been discussing their plans, many of which are all to transpire today. The initial one being a sabotage detonation of their core digging tunnel beneath the glass pillar that marks the center of the city. That distraction setting off multiple other tracks. You have decided to split and be part of two of these four missions, with the individuals here planning to be part of the demolition crew alongside Ira Wendigoth, the Nightmare King himself, and this crew on this side being part of a search and rescue mission for a spire operative for the Volition that has gone missing.

As you've gathered your materials, you've requested some of the general notes, as well as whether things might be pertinent to Everoa, the individual you're seeking, this Bormoda scientist working among the various engineers. You've gathered your things. You've had an invisibility and seen invisibility cast on most of you. I have mine.

Yeah, so you've got that possibility, though casting that will drop your invisibility. Oh fuck. Well, now it even gets more exciting. Exactly. I'd say at this point, as we go ahead and watch the two groups diverge, let's hop in first.

Oh, that's right, we're invisible, but we still wave. We saw each other as we left. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's hop in with, I'm going to roll for it. Let's see who starts first. We already deviated a little bit. One, two, three, four, five, six. Like a septum.

All right, yeah, one, two. All right, so we're going to jump in with the bombing mission. Oh, you guys are dead! Let's go! We're dead! Let's go! Oh no. Come on, Team Bomb.

All of you somewhat cloaked underneath the seeming illusion that the Nightmare King had placed you under. We have a curious looking crew here. We have the standing Greyford Quantica here. We have a Vormoto traveling, kind of squat, skitter herself, and a tiny Mycete who is following along

as Ira has taken on the form of one of the thought eaters. Just a sneaky little mysete? Just a sneaky little mysete, that's all you want. Aw. But as you scatter away from one of the hidden exits of the current safe house that the Volition uses, you enter the outskirts of the region of the city known as the Sprawl Grotto.

Here, as you look about, there is just, especially from a near ground floor level, an endless, almost MC Escher-like maze of streets and stairs and stone walkways that weave and twist into each other. Buildings popping out at almost odd, angular directions, built upon themselves, and it just, it's beautiful as it is also a bit intimidating.

But Ira takes notice of all of you processing the expanse before you and turns around, glancing at all of you. Do not worry, friends, just stay close and follow. If you see anything strange, speak up. Well, you'll see a lot of things that are strange. Anything that seems threatening. All right. You're not going to leave us to die like your other,

the group you just tried this with, right? Oh, I didn't leave them to die like your other, the group you just tried this with, right? Oh, I didn't leave them to die. They just happened to die. And then I left. It's an important distinction. Sure, sure. Well, just don't do that either, okay? No promises.

And begins to glide away as you begin to follow suit behind, stepping into the bustling streets around you. You can look around and see there are families walking around with bundles of, looks like either farmed or traded, bartered for fungus and vegetation. You go by and see the small crafting huts

and tents that are set up. It's a unique mirror to the Exandria life you're used to, because a lot of it seems a very unique interpretation of familiar, I'll say familiarity, but familiar things in the daily life that you're familiar with. You see people pulling beasts of burden through, Wakors being pushed along, dragging carts behind them.

They're heavy, breathing in low, guttural growls, just echoing across the street, the dust getting kicked up underneath your feet, that slight layer of red that comes and settles as it does. The lanterns themselves, the beautiful glowing blue shifting and pulsing with the movement of the nearby populace. You find one Ryloran beggar that comes up

with himself looking quite destitute, that emerges and puts their hand out. And within, it'd be going straight to you, actually, Fearne. You hear in your mind, Please, tools or anything. Oh, oh, yes. Just a moment. I will take out some shit.

You've got lots of stuff. I got some shit. You've got lots of stuff. Need some help there, Fearne? As you're looking, Ira goes, and just glares at the beggar who just darts back off into the shadow. And Ira adjusts. You don't have to be so rude like that.

What did you just get mad at them for? Act the part. Is everyone here a dick? No, but if we're officials, if we're trying to not raise suspicion of your traveling with me. All right. Dicks. Well, I'll take out some change and just All right. Dicks. We're dicks today?

I'll still take out some change and just try to make his lot of hand check. Reverse steal. Looks like you're not throwing change on the ground. I'm just trying to, oh, natural 20. That was the most casual natural 20. Oh, natural 20. Close. That was the most casual natural 20. Oh, natural 20. Ding!

As the beggar, frustratingly, sneaks away and watches most of your crew begin to vanish, and looks down, and what do they see in their hand? They see you asked for tools. I gave them a little hairpin. I know it's not really... It may work for something, I don't know. It's really strong. Sorry. You have to take a look at it. Look back over to the thought eater mystic visage that Ira has and shrinks away, but gives a nod of acceptance and thank you.

Okay, bye, I'm going to go be mean. You just gave that guy an alien artifact, by the way. I was just hoping you'd. Oh yeah, that's true. Well, you know. Yeah, it's super cool. Yeah, it's pretty cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The metal's hard to come by here. Yeah, the metal's hard to come by.

Okay, good. Just putting that out there. You can hear, as you cluster around Ira's movement, though the mystic image that he carries, a taller-than-usual mystic, which definitely catches a few eyes, but you get the sense there's not much that can be done about that to a certain point, is unarmed and carrying no extra provisions. You do hear the occasional shift and clank of the explosive materials that he's hidden within this satchel that hangs on his back. You notice it. Thankfully, no one really gets close enough to a mystic of this sort of dress that is walking the

standard streets of the Sprawl Grotto. You do notice that as you move, there's a wedge that begins to form amongst the crowd, everyone keeping a wide berth and a nod of reverence as the four of you pass by. There is definitely a heavily enforced classist structure within this city, with the higher rungs going to the mystics and the psychically gifted of the Rylorian. Psst, Ira.

Just so I can act the part, I can't talk, right? Do not talk. Okay. Just be obnoxiously cute. Well, just while no one's looking here, maybe we should carry one of the bombs in case we get to the target before you do. Great idea, great idea.

We'll distribute in a safe place, but we should not do that in the middle of the street. Okay, okay. Hey, by the way, what is the target? What are we blowing up? Oh boy. There are a few opportunities here. I have not been to this particularly fresh tunnel,

so we are looking for either the signs of a central weight-loading pillar or a place of extreme weakness in the structure that could bring down the majority of the tunnel, or perhaps the source of their actual dig and destroy their means of digging further in this and perhaps other places unless they have something ready or repair it within a short time.

So keep your eyes peeled. All right. Eyes are peeled. Eyes are peeled. Shifting on and following the paths, it's almost dizzying as some of the walkways, what you would see as standard streets, and these splits in two different directions and rises, like small foot bridges that go over other buildings and then want to weave back down to a separate street. It has this almost... If it wasn't static, it looks like it's built with momentum. If you were to go

through it quickly, it would look like it's organic in the own way that the streets flow and move. You get the sense that a lot of the architecture is inspired on the dreams they experience. Many dreams themselves are also very odd and amorphous. Some of that is captured in the layout of the city. At certain moments, the way that streets tend to bank and turn as they shift around,

you begin to question really which way is up, especially being underground as long as you are. And if any of you were prone to vertigo, you would begin to feel it kick in around this time a little bit. But you continue on. You begin to hear the distant echo of numerous barking sounds,

these odd throaty calls. As you come around one bend, Ira says, Stay close. Do you hear those throaty calls? I do. Okay. Earlier, when you gave that hairpin away, you should have said it was a gift from Chetney Claws.

So we can start the legend. You know what, if it comes up again, or if I see them again for some weird reason, I'll tell them that was from Chetney Claws. How many Chetney Claws do you have? I have probably hundreds. Oh my gosh. I don't know.

They all just stick into my head. Are you two going to do your, like, or no, are you going to do your rock thing? If I have to. Okay. I don't know yet, I don't know yet. What is your thing that you do now? Well, we'll have to wait and see, won't we? Oh boy. It's a surprise.

Continuing on, as you come over this large rising crest, you can see the dull white glow of the central glass pillar with that shift of green and teal and blue that sparkles throughout it. It's even larger when you're sitting towards the base of it. You have a hard time grasping the scope and scale of it amongst the buildings, because the further in you go, it doesn't seem to get that much larger while other buildings pass by. It is incredible the size of this massive vein of Ruidian glass. Amongst the core of it, too, you can see the dark spots, almost like sunspots against the star, where the structures that are built into and through it emerge.

The center of that being the Arx Kenium. And beneath that, as the massive stronghold twists down and shifts, you can see the rising towers that do eventually become the Colloquium of Candescence, where you know your friends are on their way towards. And you think a little thought for the success of their mission. But the animalistic sounds get louder, and as you come past that one large land bridge

that comes over a wall, you can see below, what you can only describe as beast pits. There's these massive paddocks that sit around some smaller military barracks. You can see a number of avadons that are all armored and kept. You can see some of them have reins. Some of them have weapons affixed to their back. You can see there are clusters of metal netted-in slithers that are almost like when you bring up fish off the side of a boat. They're kept within a large net, a dome, a Thunderdome-esque type that keeps them from burrowing away. You can hear the cracking of a whip or some sort of a disciplinary device as

Rylorans and soldier armor are in the process of working with and training. You can glance down and see these terrifying-looking insect entities that are 15 feet tall, if not larger, themselves. They have these massive mantis-like claws and this long crested head that comes up into multiple spikes, reminiscent of the Ryloran head crest, but even wider and jagged at the edges. It has all these tiny legs, and you can see them affixed with their own sets of armor and straps. There are, on a few of them, multiple Ryloran that are climbing and holding them. These are massive siege creatures of some kind.

Four bucks. Fearne, make a perception check for me, if you don't mind. 18. 18, okay. You glance over and a couple things you notice. One, these massive insect creatures, the shape and size of the head

is reminiscent of the skull that you saw above the glassworks when you first got to the city of Kerveris. There was a particular skull that you were told to look for. And the Vidalch was the creature. And now this is your first time seeing an actual live Vidalch and you can see a number of them that are being prepared for some sort of battle.

What are you saying? Or travel. Vidalch. Second thing you notice is on one rocky precipice that sits near one section of the heavy barracks with some sort of siege defense weaponry attached to it, chained to this pointed crest is massively folded wings that are curled in, and you see a creature

that is sleeping. A familiar sight, as you see the resting gargantuan form of Glomglut, the fey dragon that the Sorrowlord took as their mount. Foggy dragon. To the moon? To the moon? I mean, I know.

And I can't fly my birdie from an airport out. Steal it right now. Steal it! Oh my god, we could steal it. Take one at a time. We could steal a dragon. You could. That wasn't my first option, I'm not sure.

Might as well give it a try. What? Marisha. Wow. How dare! This is a children's show. Adult children. As quick as you notice it, you watch it fidget.

Its head comes up for a second and it looks over the beast pits around it and you instinctually recoil in fear that maybe it noticed you, but it just seems to be bothered by some of the nearby sounds, and gives this sound out that echoes, and the beasts get quiet for a second.

You see all the workers look up towards it, readjusts, one turns over on its other side in bed, and then curls back to sleep. With that, Ira glides you all off this path and underneath what looks like a small briefset tunnel that comes towards the base of the prime pillar that sits in the center of Creverus. There, you can see there are four structures that are currently manned by a mixture of soldiers and miners. What looks to be a fresh excavation tunnel

that's about 30 feet wide and about 20 to 25 feet tall, itself heavily reinforced in a dome that descends towards the rocky, heavy base before the glass of the central pillar begins to shoot upward. Ira leans into the rest of you and says, This is the entrance to our target. So let's do our best to stay close.

Talk only when necessary. And if anything goes sideways, creatively find ways to do away with unwanted curiosities. Come. As he glides towards the entryway, and the three of you begin to follow, we're going to come to this trooper right here. Oh shit.

Oh my god. Oh my god. Okay, okay. Fixing my notes. Dee my god. Okay. I'm fixing my notes. Deez, deez, deez. Deez, deez. We're in chaos. Team Invisibility. Team Infiltration.

Indeed. Both, either. Take your pick. Invisible Infiltration. Invisiltration. Invisiltration? I squared. There it is. As you trek away from the separate exit that you were pointed towards,

you emerge into a separate part of the city and begin to, you know at least the direction of the target and you got a sight of it before you left from the overwatch position of the safe house crystalline wall, but the trek in getting there is a little bit up to you, since this is unfamiliar. So we're on city streets at this point?

You're on some part of the street level of where the Esher roads can begin to emerge to join with the Sprawlgrotto. Sprawgrock? Yeah, the Praggrockrottle. Praggrockrottle? I want to go to there. Alan Parsons all day, hell yeah.

Who is leading this search? Is it just the four of us, or are we being accompanied by anybody else? We have no accompaniment on our own. It's just us. You're the only team of four that are invisible and able to make this journey. Well, we need to head towards the giant tower,

because that's where the Colloquium of Condescence is going to be, right? You were pointed to where the Colloquium is. You were guided where on the massive glass pillar it resides. So you know what it looks like from a distance, and you know the basic direction from where you are. Just getting from point A to point B is going to be its own journey. Can we see each other? We can see each other. We can see Chet. Chet can't see us.

Correct. The three of us can see each other. We can also see Chet. I've got my hand on Orm's back. Oh, that's right. Okay. Just hold on. Cool.

He didn't take the mark. No, I didn't take the mark of the beast, okay? No one's going to live here. That doesn't stack. No. What's your survival? What would this be, survival? What would this be?

Investigation? Investigation, perception? For this, it would be either investigation or survival, I'd say. Because part of it is figuring out the flow of the city or naturally following the flow of the rock and shifting inside of the castle. So the choice is yours.

All right, then how about, Chet, you lead the way, since you seem confident, we can see where you're going. Yeah, I'll put my hand on your shoulder, Pops. You go first. Oh, invisible hands touching me. Oops, sorry, I'm going to go higher. Ah! All right, investigation'm going to go higher. Yeah!

All right, investigation or survival, your call. Okay, investigation, please. 16. 16, okay. You feel fairly confident that you can find a short-ish path to your destination, and you begin to trek that way. As you move through the streets, to be unseen, unheard, you can find a short-ish path to your destination and you begin to trek that way. As you move through the streets, to be unseen, unheard,

I'd like a group stealth check from the four of you, please. How busy are the streets? As you begin to enter, their parts are not as busy and others are quite busy. You begin to see, well, let's go ahead and roll and I'll tell you what you see on the way. We don't want to. Oh my god.

I don't know, what'd you get? Natural 20 for a third. Ooh! I got a natural one for a natural one. Now you have advantage on this because you're invisible. Yes! Oh, I did roll advantage, thought I did it wrong, natural 20.

Oh shit, okay. Dang! Yeah, invisibility gives you advantage. Come on, you guys, two more and we win the game. I rolled a two. Fuck you! You did twice as well. Get out. I did.

Get out and cut back in. Reboot. That is a 100% improvement. That is, actually. That is. I rolled a 13. Okay, okay. So a two for a...

I'm myself this high. For an eight for me! Okay, that's, you know, better than a one. So two natural 20s. The two crits certainly helped. As you begin to weave through the very alleyways and discovering areas where they come to in rapid and unnecessary close,

clambering over roofs to get to the next area and get a viewpoint. You have a couple of close calls of nudging something or knocking something over and people look, but nobody seems to reach out or spend too much time investigating this far out into the city. There's enough going on. With enough going on, you begin to pick out what is going on in a lot of places. The people of the city are indeed packing. You can see a lot of structures and buildings, places of business are picking up their banners. You can see people are loading up carts. You can see Wukors and other, even Avedons that have been trained are being loaded up with goods. Not for an immediate bit of movement, but you can see Wukors and other Avedons that have been trained are being loaded up with goods. Not for an immediate bit of movement, but you can see people making the steps of an eventual

relocation. Among them, you see all manner of Imperium soldiers, warriors, both being guides to the populace there. Not in an aggressive way to the Rylorans, and occasionally to a dismissive way to some of the other species, but guiding everyone to answer any questions, keep people organized. You also notice as you're traversing through here, there are numerous bands of mycete clusters of them that are coming up from various small tunnels on the outskirts of these various pathways. They are bundling masses of multicolored fungus, some that looks like it's been dried and folded, and some that looks fresh and somewhat moist and vibrant, and it's blues and purples and reds. You see clusters of the same spongy fungus tree material you saw growing on the surface that was being harvested as well.

They look like veins and cowlars. Yeah. These are being placed into large collections. There is quite a bit of business going around the city all around, and everything seems to be building towards an energy of many leaving. Yes, Jett. Thanks. Are they gingerly carrying the fungus, or are they roughly throwing it and collecting it together, or is it more? It's ginger. They're pretty ginger in their approach to most all activity that you've seen. I'm not talking hay bales, though. They're moving with purpose.

They're being sweet? Yeah. Maybe treating it with a little delicacy. It could be. But you do also notice some of the soldiers come up and give them demands and guide them in different areas, and they just continue to follow orders. You get the sense that the myseteer are either also under Imperium control, or at least are used to just following whatever seems like the whims of those around them. I loved it. What's the demeanor, the vibe check of the people who are not Imperium? Are they looking haggard?

Do they look put out? Or is it just someone getting ready to move from one house to another? You begin further out in the city, and from the outskirts of the Sprawlgrotto, what you do see, the soldier presence is minimal, and most people look like they're in some level of just above

squalor. Not quite as bad as some of the people that you saw on the top side, but it is definitely, they don't have a whole lot to pick up and move, and so they're just slowly putting it together while still taking care of their families and checking in on each other. Occasionally you hear the screech of an unseen flying creature ahead, and you can see them look a little nervously and then continuing whatever business they're doing for the day. A lot of it is people just going about their lives, just with a little bit of that odd energy of something is coming and they're getting ready for it. I wonder what kind of a timeline they've been given.

What do you reckon, weeks? Not many. No, I don't even think weeks anymore. Might be something to ask when we finish this. When we're not invisible? Yeah. What about that ball? I've got a proxy on this side of the table.

Trisha's gone. What is it? Do I see? You notice the glow itself is now pointing towards the center of the glass pillar, the prime pillar, in the direction of the arc's canyon. That's where we're going. Still down or more? Kind of central to it.

Where you're heading is towards the base. So she's moved up, right? So she's up. She's further up in the major stronghold in the center of the building. Oh! She's with the weave mind. Do we see on our path, as we're going,

do I see the music hall anywhere? We'll make a perception check as we're traveling along do I see the music hall anywhere? We'll make a perception check as we're traveling along. Go for it. Got a woven music grand hall. Yes. Looks like a big shell. I don't see it.

Jeez Louise, it's because you're sitting next to me. There's also a lot. It's a very, very, you know, it's a fresh, unique, and busy place. And so there's just so much to see. From a distance, parts of it look almost like an anthill with the people shifting through the different elements and the blinking of the lantern lights.

It's almost hypnotizing and you have to catch yourself and keep pushing forward. You also begin to hear the sound of music. And that perks your ear. And as you follow it for a moment, no music call, but you do see what looks like a pair of Quanticas and a Ryloran in normal, a bit ragged clothing with a handful of instruments that are just playing music on the side of the street together, just having a miniature jam session. This little bit of art, this little spark, and the side of the street together, just having a miniature jam session. This little bit of art, this little spark. And the instruments look familiar,

but not quite the ones you're used to. One of them almost resembles a luter guitar, but it has a backward bend to it and he plucks from the front like this. You see another one that has this long didgeridoo, but he's played a flute with the finger flaps, like, and has this really bassy. Awesome.

And it creates a very, very new sound to you. And it adds an element of jovialness to this otherwise intense atmosphere. Super surreal. Does it seem like the people on the street are... The people on the street! The people on the street are enjoying the sound of music? Are anybody stopping and watching the jam session?

Yeah, a few people stop and listen in and then go on their work. You see these, you see an Uppermoto child and a Rhinelorn child that are curled behind what looks to be a half-filled box by some odd herbalist set up there. They're both just watching and listening in. It's just this little slice of life here in the moment

that feels nice amongst the rest of the tension that's been there. Is there anything in the air? Anything patrolling creatures, caves on the surface? Anything above us that we might need to be tracking or thinking about? You mentioned flying creatures. I mean, I'm always looking for things

that are going to kill us, but I roll balls. You did? I did. 18. 15 for me. You don't see anything patrolling. Get the other side. Thank you. You don't see anything patrolling, but glancing up in some of the cleft and crevice-like shadows along

parts of the ceiling, you occasionally see something shift, like a wing that flexes a bit and then goes back, and you get the sense that there are probably a number of subterranean flying beasts here that nestle up within those areas. You don't know if they're patrolling or they're just part of the natural ecology. Got it. Do we see an obvious path downward? Well, because of you guiding them with your investigation, you do bring them

to an area where the city begins to build up even further. The standard homesteads and rough and tumble stone buildings and hut-like structures that made the outskirts of the Sprawl Grotto begin to give way to larger, more refined buildings. And here, the populace begins to be less diverse and more primarily Ryloran. And you begin to see them dressed a little better.

You begin to see a sense of adornment and accessorizing that uses a lot of the Ruidian glass, that uses a lot of precious metals that are fairly uncommon in the outskirts of the city, as well as a stronger military presence. This area is more heavily patrolled. And definitely there is a noticeable division the further in you go from the people that are closer

to the Weavemind and its vision than those that are not. You know, it makes me wonder. Hmm? The Rylorans think this highly of themselves. How are they going to do when they're plopped in the middle of Exandria? And they're not top dogs anymore. Well, they are pretty powerful. At least a lot of them.

So, they may be top dogs. Seem to like their... systems. I mean, not a lot of people reading each other's thoughts or able to enter each other's thoughts in Exandria, so. I don't know, just makes me wonder. Speaking of, does it seem like

any of the Rylorans that we pass can sense our thoughts, can sense that something's around that they can't see? Make an insight check for me. I also farted, but I just felt bad for four of them. I was trying to play it off. That was a 400-year-old one. Jeez. Did you see that shit, shitty shit?

I did, I did. Speaking of the calamity. The first one was a two, though. So that would be a seven. Seven. Kind of hard to tell. 200 would be pretty good. You've learned a bit about their mannerisms

as creatures, as entities, as people, but you're uncertain if you're able to pick up any sort of vibe or physical acknowledgment of you passing by. We're not going to have any d20s by the end of this. Yeah. It's definitely the dice and not you. Oh!

Whose are these? I don't know, I just found them. That one's mine. That's cool. That one's mine. You got some more, perfect. I don't know if they're... Nope. Nope. What the fuck?

That one's out. We're managing to stay away from trafficked areas. We're... I'm sorry. With you leading and being the sneaky bitch that you are. Don't proceed with me. Oh yeah. What were you going to say, Orym?

I forgot. I think that if their intentions were on the up and up, there would be open communication going in two directions that wouldn't just drop out of the sky. You mean the Rhyborans in Alexandria? Yes, I was hearkening back before Chet and Spar, which distracted me. But it's very possible. You know, they have no communication outside of lewdness. You know, all that they know of us.

All that they know of us. You're such a dick, Chet. It's very hard to concentrate on our conversation. We can see you. We can see you. It's not dispersing. I'm not looking at you, but I can smell you. Hard to get rid of, just like me. You were talking about the brutality of cast systems. Continue.

Sorry, he cast Incan Cloud. Constitution saves all around. Homeless Ghast passed. Let's keep looking. All right. Another 15 or so minutes of skirting through the shadows before you find a break in the more upscale neighborhoods that you've been skittering through. And here you come upon that gap

that sits beneath the large and winding walkways. There you can see the distant beast pits and hear the barking and calling of the various creatures that are being prepared for what is to come soon. You also can see here at the base of the incredibly immense prime pillar, the stronghold that is the Arx Creonum, embedded in and spiraling around the exterior.

You get the sense that it's probably built into, to some degree, but much of it that sits outside is impressive in its own right. And Orym, you, focusing in and looking, can see a couple of things moving around. And with just a brief little bit of focus, you can see there are Rylorans, mystics that are just floating around. The exterior, just flying around?

Just moving from level to level. How high above is the nearest of those? 600 feet. 600 feet. Oh! 600 feet. And I know that we're looking through, I'm sure I can't see to the very unhindered, my sight doesn't go to the top of this cavern,

but looking through holes, through different Escher stairs and bridges and stuff, how high do we guesstimate that this pillar goes? Quarter mile. Quarter mile? This is a very large- Right, it's like Grand Canyon-sized scale. Yeah.

Wow. All right. Is there a footpath that would lead us anywhere near, even at the base, the exterior of this main pillar? We're trying to get to the colloquium, right? Which you saw at a distance, and now as you get close, you follow the towers of the colloquium that eventually curl up and merge with the bottom

of the Ark's canyon. You can see the actual Hall of Higher Learning just off to the right-hand side of the pillar, the way you're looking at it now. It looks more like a castle of shaped rock and marble, probably about 200 feet up at its bulk. Then some of the towers rise up to connect with and meet the base of the central stronghold of the pillar. You can see winding stairways and other scattered buildings rising up from the entrance, creating... It's almost like each structure is a wasp nest

built into the side of this glass pillar. From a distance, it looks rough and grown, and as you get close, you can see the refined details of the architecture. This odd mingling of organic and refinement of mortals. You can see there's balconies that sit all along the edges of this, so there's different sections

and different portions of the colloquium, have their own unique personality to it. You eventually rotate around and can see the entrance where there are two massive 10-foot bronze doors that mark the prime entrance. Currently guarded by six armored Rhinowyrn soldiers. Six.

Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. And on that arc around, any other anthill entrances that are smaller out of the way, higher up? Windows. Yeah, right. Anything that could be flown to by those of us who can fly?

Well, there are numerous balconies. There are numerous balconies that sit along this. You can't quite get enough detail at this distance. If they're enclosed or there are doors involved, when you get closer, you can go ahead and look for such specifics. But yeah, there are numerous entrances beyond just the main entrance. They're just tall. It would be a climb or a flight to get there. You have a... I could spider climb and maybe bring someone, someone with me on my back. Do you have to cast spider climb, though?

I do. So you could cast spider climb, then I could recast invisibility on both of us. So that you could get up there without being seen. You can climb and you can fly, but... Sure, but I wouldn't be able to do it while I was invisible. So if you cast Spider Climb,

I can at least recast invisibility on you so that you can get up. Are you all right using your spell like that? What do you mean? I just don't want you to feel like it's a waste. If I do anything... Shit. It's the end. It was nice.

She touched me. Before we roll out the front door. Aw! We get to sit in it. Girlfriend. Those two 10-foot bronze doors, the six guards that are guarding them, are they within 10 feet of the doors?

Are they down a set of stairs? Is there a gap between them and the doors? There are two Ryloren hulks, the ones that are the massively muscular, taller, brutish ones. Some are juggernauts and other types within the military. There are two of them that sit about five feet in front of the doors. Five feet. There are four other standard Rylorens, all as you get a decent glance, and Orym can definitely see their details from as far away with your incredible passive perception.

They all carry variations of glass weaponry as well. And are they also five feet within the door? No, no, sorry. They are almost like a flying V down two different staircases that curl up and merge at the top. So there's the two at the top, and then there's two more, and then two more. And the door is shut. From what you can tell, it is shut, yes.

If we even tried to get near them, all their weapons would light up for me. Those weapons light up when I get close. Those weapons are currently lit. Because they are also near other ones, yes. Okay, that's good. I can take care of the two big guys and get us through the door. It's the other five I'm worried about. How about we try, as we get closer, let's look at if we can get up to a balcony. Take care of them how?

I'll distract them and pick the door and we could get in, but I'm worried about the other five maybe hearing us or something as we go by. So if we could sneak in, that'd be better. It's a solid fucking door, too, right? It's not like... Correct. I mean, it has carving in it, it has designs. You can't quite make out the specifics of it from a distance, but it's...

Right, it's an important structure. We're in the middle of the moon. It's not that impressive. How much can they know about doors? What do you think is the likelihood of somebody coming in and out soon, though? If someone comes out or goes in soon, then maybe we could just

just sneak up, sneak by. I mean, if we luck out and that happens, amazing. If not, then I think we should try to climb to the balcony. Okay. So maybe we can. Do you have a climbing plan of attack? Well, she's got an immovable rod. We've got some rope.

She climbs up, clicks it. We all climb up the side. Go see the rope. That's great. But. Does anybody have the ability to do it? Can we do a little, spend 10 or 15 minutes trying to move around, do a full sweep all the way around? Is it dark? Is it well-lit everywhere?

Yeah, like a little casing reconnect? I mean, there are, around the base of it, there are a number of military structures that are scattered about. There are, around the base of it, there are a number of military structures that are scattered about. There are, around the base of the pillar, wider gaps and roads than further in. There's almost an intentionally built, reverent distance to the central pillar

between a lot of the architecture. Most of what sits around the base seems to be either an extension. Oh my god. An extension of the... What is that? I don't even know anymore. What is that?

It's a good smolder, though. I like it. That is so good. Is that from? What is that from? I don't even fucking know. It's good. Looks like you're wearing a nuclear bomb going on. It looks like you were in a romance novel or something.

Was that when you were the pizza delivery guy in that short film? Somebody save me. I think that's exactly what that is. No, no. That's old. No, that was from the Geeky USA movie where I was a burnout. Oh my, yeah, that's right.

Anyway, regardless. Your jawline looks really nice. Yeah, it's all been downhill since then. This is a glow. Look what nine years of streaming have done to me. Oh! Just made you handsome. He looks like his brows are so close together.

Yeah. Just keep your pecs apart. He's imploding. Okay, okay. So reverence in between the structures. Sorry. Okay, back in now. I got pulled out of my med space. So wide reverential space around the base.

Correct. There are nooks and crannies between where rocks and stones, because the pillar doesn't just rise out of the ground. There is an element of the eroded rock and stone over time that's built along the base to give a gradual incline to where the structures are built out of and merge around the pillar itself. To go completely around the pillar would be like an hour. It's not longer. It's a massive.

But there's little crevices that we could hide in. To a certain extent, yeah. Maybe you could drop the rope down a little irregularity. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just to ask you, the crevices in between the structures, there's no exposed part of the column where you could move in between buildings and actually reach the column, the blue glass.

You could, but to where the structures themselves are built into it solidly, any other space where it's just natural rock that is that goes up to it. Still there, like the base of a tooth. Correct, yeah. You could get to it, but you'd be out in the open. But if you're invisible, not a huge deal, but you could definitely do that, yeah.

Okay. I want to touch the column. We will, Chet. Will we? We're going to balconies and stuff. We're going to touch the column. All right going to balconies and stuff. We're going to touch the colloquium. All right. Balconies and stuff. All right.

As we get closer, can we keep eyes open for balconies we could reach with a spider climb? Sure, there are a number. There's a few things you notice. The lowest balcony, not far from the entryway and where you're standing on the outskirts of the colloquium, is about 60 or so feet up. They're all about maybe 50 feet apart, and they're all situated among

different sections of towers that emerge from it. It has that weird castle parapet, but they're like a pipe structure. They're built outward and then up, and then come to an end where there's a visual point, and that's where a balcony sits., and then come to an end where there's a visual point, and that's where a balcony sits. There's occasionally a small balcony along where that tower rises. It looks like a massive pipe organ in how the Eclothian rises up on the side.

Many of them stop and become their own little sentinel perches or overlooks for the beautiful, you can imagine the view would be incredible from up there, and then a handful of them continue upward and then connect with the central stronghold of the Arx Canium. How long has this been? How long have we been on this little train? Creonium, I keep saying it wrong. Sorry.

Creonium? Yeah, Arx Creonium. Creonium? Creonium. Okay. That's on my head. Creonium. How long has it been since we set off? Since we got our invisibility spell?

You rolled decently. I'd say it's been probably about 35 to 40 minutes. Okay, so we're halfway through it. Flirty minutes. Did you say flirty minutes? I did. Yeah. Well, maybe we should just do this now, because if we wait to try and see if the door's open.

I think it's a solid option. It's better than taking the door head on. Yeah, go for it. You'll also notice. Oh shit. This is fine. What looked like a solid pillar of glass from a far distance, as you get close,

there's texture to it. And the closer you get, you can see, the majority of it is just solid pillar, but there are little branches, it looks like. Tiny little, either individual or clustered bits of glass that reach out like branches of a tree. You can see elements of it growing through parts of the structure, or the structure was built around it. So it might help us to climb.

At a certain point. The lowest ones are about 30, 40 feet up. Okay. They're disparate. It's not like hair on the back of a hand, necessarily, but it is a unique kind of... Interesting. So it's not smooth. No. The closer you get, the more detail that comes out of it. You can see there are parts of it that sprout off on a smaller scale. When I say smaller scale, I mean like, you know, 50 feet long to 150 feet long,

kind of almost coming out the side and branching out a little bit. Like glass, you said? Looks like it's made of the same glass material with that dull light that just emanates from it. Do they feel like crystals, or are they, like you said, like branches? We'd have to get over there.

What if it's part of Pred, like you said, like branches? We'd have to get over there. Yeah. What if it's like part of Predathos' brain, these crystals? It's like his brain growing into the hive mind. That's a very interesting idea. And Matt, his face is very blank right now, almost seemingly intentional, like he doesn't mind. That's the poker face, that's the one. Yeah, he doesn't give us nothing.

Should we move over towards the balcony and if we can get close enough to the column? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll see what it feels like. All right. As you trek up to the shadowed edge, we come back to the screw here. Oh no!

Far back, boy. Okay, okay. Get your shit together. I don't. Jesus, Jesus. We're doing little mini time jumps here as we go, too. So, Ira, unchallenged upon arrival to the outside of this excavation entrance,

other Rylorn and Quantica soldiers step aside and let you pass within. You can see now, the illusion that you've been placed in, the equipment and armor that you're wearing is very much in line with the number of the other soldiers that are looking over this excavation. There is a moment of them where they might have looked for any sort of recognition,

but the presence of a mystic in the attire that Ira has taken as a guise sets them to not look too much into it. But you begin to press into this large tunnel and you can see there's the rough stone elements of it. And then the further in you go, it looks like it's been shaped, smoothed over. Not too dissimilar to when magically stone is worked or retooled.

It looks like a lot of the interior structure of this tunnel, once it's been dug into, has then been almost like when you would fire over sand to make a glass to give it structure. The stone here has been smoothed and hardened to become a structurally sound tunnel. Sure. There are pockets where tools and materials

are set off to the side. There are occasionally passing miners, and you can see heavy carts that are coming up that are containing the loose red and brown rock and shale that has been excavating from below, as well as clusters, broken bits of glass dust and chunks of glass that have been either found or broken or dragged out from their source.

And you can see numerous of these carts being carried out. And the massive piles that sat on the outside, you can see them moving this in sections and chunks. But you continue to push in further. No one's stopping us, no one's looking at us funny? No, not at the moment. Is it all worked? All the stone has been worked,

or are parts of it still in process? Parts of it are still in process. It's not like the whole thing is solidly done that way, but any area where it would be, I'd say every 30 or so feet, there's a 10-foot section that is worked over like that to make sure that it... It's better than building a wood brace

when they don't have wood as a very prominent resource here. Gotcha. You eventually begin to notice that the mining population grows thicker. As the tunnel, and it goes down in an intentional direction. This isn't a meandering mine shaft where they're just looking for ore veins willy-nilly. This has a very specific direction and is descending at a pretty standard decline. The carving of the tunnel, its shape, is imperfect, meaning it isn't a central worm bore tunnel,

or at least if it was, it's been expanded in places and it's given it a slightly uneven width at times. But you do see the mining population begins to become more dense. You can hear chatter of the various species that call Ruidus home, themselves carrying various tools for mining and digging recovery. You can see there are different piles set on the outside of what looks like a small resting area and another soldier barracks that has been makeshifted and built here. Some of these piles have ore that have been recovered. You can see there's silver or iron. Precious metals and things that you don't see much of here

have been recovered as part of this excavation and are being set aside for use for the Imperium. You also see within to the right-hand side, the makeshift barracks, all of these separate alcoves and tunnels that are brought into the wall that have themselves stone doors have been placed. You can see chairs and benches that have been built out of the ground, out of the stone.

Like break rooms? It looks like break rooms or resting spaces. There are about three dozen different soldiers, pretty much specifically Ruidian, or not Ruidian, sorry. Frylorn. Frylorn, thank you, of different varieties that are watching over this excavation.

There is definitely an officiousness to which they walk around. Boy. I think to Ashton and Fearne, if we can get in there and do this, how do we get out? How do we run? Well.

Can you turn us into gnats or something? I mean, I could try. I haven't really thought that far ahead yet. Okay. But that's going to be important when it comes down to it. Maybe think of our escape plan, I guess, I guess is what. I mean. I feel like we really thought that far ahead yet. Okay. But that's going to be before it comes down to it. Maybe think of our escape plan, I guess. I guess is what.

I mean. I feel like we're getting ahead of ourselves there. We're just going to need a way out, because Ira's not going to. No, he doesn't give a shit about us. Yeah. Well, we'll find out. All right, okay. Just think about it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm thinking about it. Hey, Ira. Yes? How much further are we going down? As far as we need. I've not been to this tunnel before. We'll know when we get there. Okay, I don't love that, but I'm sure.

At which moment, immediately, Iren goes, and turns to the side, and you see two Ryloren soldiers with decorated shoulder armor approaching quietly and they stare in Ira's direction. Ira stares back and they nod and give a hand wave. Ira gives a nod and looks back at the rest of you and goes, Oh boy, follow me. What, what, what, what?

Close up? You notice him now following in step with the two other soldiers that approached and heading towards the barracks. Are we linked up with him? We can't talk to him. Mm-mm. Shit. Shit.

I guess we just go. We just go. We can talk to each other. Should we just let him go in by himself? No, no, we don't even know where we're going. Okay. You shift into the nearest entryway, which is a half-circle, 10-foot opening in this rock wall.

As you step inside, the immediate smell hits you of an incense or tobacco-type smell. You can see there is a handful of vanguard soldiers wearing the vanguard guard, but they're armored up a little bit. One of them has a heavy tobacco pipe and is currently smoking in the corner. Looks to be a human, an older soldier vibe.

Most of the other soldiers in here are all very much standing to attention, and there's a stillness to the chamber for the most part. You hear hushed conversation from a chamber beyond as Ira steps up into the entryway to the right. You can't quite see what's in there, and he just stands there and nods. As you come around the corner and look within,

there is another mystic across the way. There are a number of well-armored soldiers that surround the perimeter of the inside of this chamber. Over a central table, you see a dark- dark armored figure. His facial hair has grown a bit unkempt, and even at a glance, his discomfort at being here is apparent. He is in the process of conversing with a figure you've never seen before,

but cannot be ignored, across the table from him. Flanked by two Avedon beasts that are curled up at the side themselves with these massive golden-ringed neck armor adornments, as well as spiked shoulders, and their open, eyeless mouth growls as they preen themselves on the floor. Both of them flank their master.

You see a massive Ryloran Hulk in smooth, polished mask of dark iron that sits on his face. His entire face is encased in this pointed, black, smooth mask. Reminds me of a predator mask sort of vibe. Cool. You see he is wearing incredibly intricate, bladed body armor. It looks

like a graphite-colored metal with tusks and bladed edges that are woven in and shoot out to the sides. You can see the armor itself is adorned with long, ragged strips of black and red dyed leather that seems to tear and get rough before it touches the ground. Zathura looks tiny by comparison. Zathura still stands at probably a solid six and a half, seven feet. This hulk probably at full height is about ten feet or so. What?! And is leaning on the table. and they are both having an intense, or at least what you assumed now to be a very important figure is having a very intense,

quiet stare at Zathura before Zathura goes, You greatly hate this whole mind-speak. soul, mind speak. You see him huff for a minute and just stares. The figure continues to glare and slams its fist into the table. The two, Avedon's like, get up and stare. The entity runs its fingers over the neck of the one that stood to attention,

almost like it's petting one of its companions. As it stares back, its expressionless iron mask looking back towards the Sorrowlord. Jesus. It gives a nod, and it turns around. Both of them stand up and linger for a second as it leaves for the exit to pass in your direction. One of the beasts looking back at the Sorrowlord,

the other one following behind it. Zathura stands there, arms crossed, almost looking a bit out of his element here. Wow. The last thing you hear from the Sorrowlord towards his face, he goes, What thy will might be, Sunderlord, the vanguard will see it through. What thy will might be, Sunderlord,

the vanguard will see it through. He says through gritted teeth and a bit of a sour scowl. Sunderlord, I mean. The Sunder King. You've heard before, previously. You've heard the Sunder King? The Sunder King, Cruuth. Oh, right. Oh!

Oh, and? Is it the same person? Same Sunder person? The Sunder King Cruuth. Ugh, right. Oh! Oh, and? The Intruder of the Virgin? Is it the same person? Same person? We don't know. You get the sense this may be the Sunder King Cruuth, the head of the Dominion Cruuth. Iron will, because he's got the iron mask. Okay, okay.

Ooh, he's the big guy in charge. If we can take him down. And pull it off his whole thing. Sunder Lord? You got to do it. Sunder King. Sunder King. I misspoke. Sunder King was the go do it. Sunderking. Sunderking. If I misspoke. Sunderking was the intent, sorry. Sunder.

Sunder. Sunder! Sunderkruth! As he steps from the room and you see him, he has to dip down to go through the entryway and Ira there, as the mystic, drifts back and gives an acknowledging nod. The Sundered King doesn't even pay any attention to Ira, and the rest of you are but ants in the presence. It is a presence. There is

just a vibration in the air as he walks by. You look through the strips of leather that are wide, two-inch strips that dangle past where the mantle. You can see the arms flow through easily, so he has no restriction in movement. Through the glimmers of it, of his massive arms, you can see numerous weapons that are sheathed at his sides. You see mace and a massive saber, and he is surrounded with weapons. This is cool. The two Avedons that follow him behind in their own unique ceremonial armor growl.

They're massive in their own right, but even next to him, they're about the size of a large dog. As you all step back, one of them kind of. It seems to be taking a particular interest in your direction. Good boy. You got a treat or something?

Good boy, good boy. Don't you have any baked goods left? Oh, I might. I do. Yeah, what do they eat? Hello, hello, sir. I'm just bending down. Are you talking to us from a half mile away?

Yeah, so he's walked by. The Sunderlord has passed and is exiting. One of the Abadons has gone with him. The other has slowed and is full-mass. Yes, yes. I'm just trying to remain in. It's your dog, dude. Yeah. I have a little dark chocolate to dogs like that. I mean, and now we're done. Dog, dude. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I like when you put their shoulders. I add a little dark chocolate to dogs like that. Oh, maybe they can eat it, I don't know. What about grapes? I gave him some chocolate. I gave him some chocolate grapes. I'll break off a little piece of dark chocolate and just throw it at him.

It follows it with its head. SAM and LAURA, goes over and sniffs it. A little bit of spittle on the ground. You can see this thick, viscous saliva coats the area where it was. It turns back around. Go get your daddy. Go get your daddy.

He's waiting for you. Oh god. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh god. The other soldiers around are wide-eyed. The various Rylor and their black shark eyes just circles. As you get the sense, this isn't the first time

they've seen someone be checked by one of his entities. What are you doing? Well, I don't know. Can you talk to animals? I can, but do I want to start talking? I was told specifically don't talk. I could talk to a two, but won't that bring attention to us?

Maybe better you than me, since I don't, I'm not supposed to talk. Speak with animals. Okay, so you quietly cast Speak with Animals on yourself. Oh god. Is this a dumb thing to do right now? Who knows?

Why is it so, it looks so wet. That's gross. Oh no! Ew! That's the same thing! Boo! Boys, sit here and pat it off the bed. Not even a little. Oh, why? Ew! That's the same one! Boo! Boo! Not even a little. Oh, that face is, uh. Don't care.

We're going to get banned. I'm going to add to it. Oh! Weirdo. I'm going to get you, let me get you. Now I know why. So what are you doing? You cast Speak of the Animals on yourself?

That's very visual, isn't it? Okay, you can disguise it. Is it verbal, somatic, material? very visual, isn't it? Okay, you disguise it, you're fine. Is it verbal, somatic, material? Verbal, somatic. Okay, so no material components. So you have a physicality to it. If you want to make a sleight of hand check to see if you can mask the movements.

Okay, I'll do that. You did not look at me. No. Gross. 13. 13, okay. Uh-oh. Okay, no one seems to pay particular mind at the moment.

You finish casting the spell, using the shape of the Abaddon that's now coming towards your, my seat friend to your left, you cast the spell. What are you doing? I'm just going to say, hey, go get your daddy. Go get your daddy. He's waiting for you, do you see him?

It turns around. Its massive, open, rounded mouth just filled with teeth. You're just a big old boy. Oh my goodness. Oh. Make a persuasion or an animal handling check, if you'd like. Oh.

Oh. Five persuasion. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The whole plan is just this. It would just be animal handling, except for the fact that you can talk to it. 13. 13.

Yeah. It goes like. What's the matter? What you want? What you looking for? You hungry? This guttural sound comes out of it, and you recognize it as saying, I smell dinner. Different meat.

New meat. Want new meat. I don't know where you're going to find this new meat. This new meat isn't in here. I think the new meat is Want new meat. I don't know where you're going to find this new meat. This new meat isn't in here. I think the new meat is way out there. That's what I smell it too, which is crazy. It's way out there. Yeah, yeah.

Huh? She starts smelling the air around you. Okay, guys, guys, I don't know what to do. I think this is the end. What did he, I don't know what to do. I think this is, I think this is. What did he say to you? What did he say to you? He said that he smells new meat, and I'm pretty sure that's us.

I don't have any meat on me. I'm going to. No. I have some old. I think we're the meat. We're the meat. I have some old griffin. On you? I do. In the hole or in your pocket? It's in my normal bag,

not in the hole. The stash is real fat. It's really old. It might be way too old. I'm going to say you don't have Griffin in your pocket. No. You have a slimy stain that sits at the bottom of your pocket. It's pretty gross, let's be honest.

Yeah, I was going through a trap by Leather. Ooh, yeah, no. Yeah, yeah. Oh, wow. I'll throw that out later. Next long rest. Don't be rude. Go find the new meat.

It's in the other space. Leave here. I'm sorry. I'll do something. You're a good boy. Your words don't seem to be strong enough to quell its interest. Okay, I will cast Speak With Animals.

Oh boy. Shit! Fuck these things up. Jesus. I'm sorry I failed. Where it's at, like a hat. Can this stack? This can stack. So I'll cast Speak With Animals, give it a second, and then I'm going to cast, on top of that, Command. Right? Yeah. past, on top of that, command.

Right? Yeah. You'll know you did it, but. It's a dog. It's not a dog. Why is he looking like that? Okay. I have none of that. Let me look at the spell first. Okay. Speak one word, and we can go, a creature I can see within range,

wisdom saving throw, or it has to follow the command. Hmm. It is currently right up in your face, in a very Ripley in Alien 3, like the entity's mouth is right there. So good. You said you're casting? I'm a good part of it.

Either command or fast friends. Let's see, what has the better chance of working? Is fast friends on animals, too, or just people? It is if you can talk to them, probably. Where is fast friends? Where is it? I know I prepared it. I always prepare it. There it is. I'll do fast friends.

Okay. Wisdom save 16. All right. Choose one humanoid. Oh fuck! Within range. Where does that say that? The second test. Well then I'll do command.

Which command to a creature that you can see within range, indeed. And it can understand your language because you have to speak with animals. Correct. What do you command it to do? Oh boy. Shoo. Scram. Scram's good.

Scram! Please! Just get, get! Now, are you saying this in common? Nope, in its language. All right. It's wisdom save? Command is wisdom 16.

Got it. Like you're whispering it. That's a 12. Oh, thank god. As it rears back, it looks like it's about to pounce on this poor Bormoda that it feels a bit focused towards. It suddenly looks up at you.

It leaps out and charges out of the door. Gets about 30 or so feet before it turns around in your direction. The spell faded and goes. Ira, we got to get out of here, buddy. You see Ira going like, you need to bring his hands up and you hear a voice go.

It shatters the air like a thunder strike. And immediately the creature darts off, catching up to its Pulse Papa. Good job, good job, good job. It almost dragged one of you with it. It was about to pull you out like a toy. Woo! Ding, ding, ding. Oh boy. It's about to pull you out like a toy. Woo! Ding-ding-ding-ding!

Oh boy. At which point, Ira's hands go down, gives a nod, and then one of the soldiers who's present is looking at you with a concerned look. Because you just went, You also just cast a spell. I did, for sure. Without trying to hide it, as I'm hiding in my seat.

As it glances at you, Ira lifts over. Do not worry, you saw nothing. Aw. Yes! Yes! Come on, Ira! The figure goes, and just starts walking a patrol. Oh.

It makes the Matt Mercer smile? Oh. I really want a scone. That returns back to you three. We need to keep moving. As you all shift out of the barracks, back into the center part of the tunnel, and on your path, you can hear the soldiers

that are gathering up and following behind the Sunder King as he heads up from the path you came. As the Sunderlord exits out of the barracks behind you, puts his helmet on and turns to one of the other nearby Ryloran soldiers and goes, What are you looking at? Get back to work! But I cut that head from your shoulders.

And the soldiers nod and begin to go back to their posts. The miners start picking up their pace and the Sire Lord just begins walking and looking about the current business around you as the four of you begin to slowly head further and further down the tunnel. You make it over to the roof. Holy shit.

Oh my god. You got brain bubbles yet? This is crazy. It's fun. You skitter over into one of the nearby shady portions of where some of the heavier rock and stone is broken. The erosion hasn't fully filled the gaps there. There's enough room for maybe one and a half people to really hide in the shadow for a moment.

We should hide in the shadow, you and I, Laudna. All right. Get in the crevice. If we look up, do we see a balcony above us, anything close by? Perception check for me. Can I ask? When you look up, do you see anything? I wanted to ask if I saw any fuckers up there, but is it peeling up so you can't see

what's above on top of these? They're a little like outer cup. Yeah, they're just like, you know. Right. The rusty trombone is what I'm doing. And even on the walk from the out, so it's a big empty space, you said. Yeah. Even on the outer edge,

when you're furthest back, you still can't see. It's cupped, if you will, from my vision. If you go all the way back, you can probably see into some of the lower balconies. Okay. All right. I'm going to quietly skitter as far out as I can and avoid any fucking individuals and see if I can see anyone up there

before we send Laudna up. You got it. Mm, that's not great either. Come on, guys. That's 18. 18, okay. That's not terrible. I expect it's terrible. The four lowest balconies that are equidistant from the ground across the entirety of the colloquium,

you can see two of them are occupied. You can also see a number of them are occupied. You're not sure if they're by people who are sentinels keeping watch, or if they're students or employees or people that have purpose within this particular structure, but you do see not the balcony on the furthest left that's closest to the shadow, but the one next to it is unoccupied. Okay, so I pitter-pat back and then steer them away from the one that has someone above.

I can't tell for sure, but this is our best bet. Was there a balcony between that one and another? Was it that way? So there's one and there's two, and then there's one in the middle. What about above it? Was there a... I only have myself to blame. I'm a boy.

All right. Adults. Guys, this is my favorite terrain. It goes straight up there. Sometimes it leans to one direction. I'm used to high differential. Jesus. You're only plotting the outside. You have to get in there, too.

You have to figure something out. There's more to this plan. Okay, so that's the balcony we're going to. Yes. Not the one closest to you, but the next one beyond it. Okay. So stop. Okay, so how much? How far up is that? How far away from us is that about?

At an angle, it's about 80 or 90 feet from you. How much rope do you have? You got a 50-footer. I think I got a 50-footer, too. Yeah, same. Okay, so great. All right. So that should be enough. Do a little loopy loop. Put it up and over Laudna.

It disappears as soon as it's on her, right? Mm-hmm. Okay. Does it? Well, let me check. I'm sure that's a funny one. I mean, you're wearing it. It's like 100 feet. You would be wearing the rope on your...

Right, that's true. On your hip. Let me look into it. And the target is, anything the target is wearing or carrying is invisible as long as it's on the target. Correct, yeah. So yeah, it does advantage, it stays invisible between you passing it over.

The whole 100 feet length of rope? As long as she's clutching it, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So what we've got to do is you, we've got to tuck into this little nook. Go real fast. The minute you cast Spider Climb,

I'm going to cast Invisibility on the both of us again. Because if I cast Invisibility on her, then I'll turn invisible. Invisibility. All right. But I'm going to rely on you to tell me as soon as nobody can see above or around. That's what I'm on look at. I'm just looking in every direction.

Yep. You keep an eye, watching people, the handful of soldiers that are walking the perimeter of the open space here. It's almost like a war valley. It's intentionally likely open like this, whether it be for reference. It's also to ensure that anything tries to storm,

they're wide open before they get anywhere near the base. So you keep an eye out, watch for the patterns of those that are closely doing the perimeter, the ones that are guarding the front entrance, as well as the occasional shifting of those that are moving from balcony to balcony. Nothing changes on the balcony of intent. And you find the right moment to go ahead and give them a signal. You go ahead and cast Spider Clam. For that brief instant that you appear in that shadow, you also appear next to her to cast your spell. You're casting it at third level to get both of you? Yes. Okay. You both vanish immediately, but you feel yourself now able to adhere to the terrain

around you. Give us one half of the rope. Otherwise we won't be able to keep it where we are. Okay, so you have two links of rope tied together. No, I have the end of the rope, and she's going to climb. I've already tied two together. This one's here, yeah, okay. Yes, yes, yes. It's 100 feet of rope. Okay, so as it unwinds, just so you're aware,

it becomes no longer carried by you as an object. It becomes something that you're just holding onto. Yeah, so we're trying to keep it tucked into a crevice. To this wedge. Right. So that as it unravels, try to keep it in crevices. Totally. Yeah. Okay.

I would like for you to make a dexterity check for me. So I have advantage on dex? Actually, as long as one of us is holding the bottom of the rope, it should stay. It should, but... There's a difference between an item that you carry on your person and an item you're holding. In It should, but. There's a difference between an item that you carry on your person and an item you're holding.

When you're holding a length of rope, the spell affects it, but the minute enough rope unwinds away from you, it becomes something you're holding, like a part of the terrain. That's how I interpret it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I have it more. I think I did.

Yeah, you did, you gave her advantage. Yes. So I still have advantage, I have advantage because you gave me an enhancement. But also your spider clam, right? Yeah, but she gives it, yes. I don't think that gives her advantage on the history. This is maneuver the rope through the various cracks

and imperfections and folded bits of shadow along the exterior building. Okay, okay. No. No, no, no. What's the matter with you? What in the fuck? What are you doing? What? What is this? I'm Marisha.

You know what that is? That's a crit, because you rolled it on both of them. Oh yeah. That's a crit in Daggerheard. Oh no, is it two-two? How? Oh no. Roll two twos. Two twos. Two twos. Two twos. So-twos. Two-twos. Two-twos.

So that's great, so that's great. What can I do here? What can I do? You're just apologizing. Apologize. You're doing it. Do you have modifiers or what? Yeah, five, so that brings me to a five. To a five.

So as you clamber up the side, you wind the rope into these little, you find little notches and imperfect edges that hold the rope and it's working out pretty well, actually. And you get it situated, and you get halfway to the balcony, and you're like, you got this, you got this. And as you're paying attention to the balcony,

making sure that nobody's up there and you're holding the rope, the rest of you notice the rope just appear. It came untangled from one of the corners, which then the weight of that pulled another, and the whole rope just came off of now and it's just this long, bowing rope. It's just hanging there now.

Does anybody see it? You don't see anybody yet. Laudna, go back and grab it. Go back and grab the rope. Two to three feet out from the structure? Can I reach it and bring it back in? Can she climb back down and gather it up again? If you want to.

I'll do that. Okay. You go ahead and regather it. You want to attempt it again? It's a higher DC, go for it. Well, theoretically. This one is the advantage dice. Okay, you roll yours. You only learned your way not to do it.

The perfect moment has been lost. But it's not impossible still. However, patrols are now starting to close around. Go for it. Son of a bitch. I've got advantage. I'll run out of time. Okay, okay, okay, okay. That's a 15, so 18.

Okay. 18. You get up there, and as you tangle most of it up, you get to the edge of the balcony and clamber over the edge and get the rope affixed up there. You have your rod. You click it, and it clicks in place. Half of the rope comes dislodged and is now visible just from the balcony to the midsection.

Shit. Okay. If we climb, as we go up the rope, does it disappear as we climb it? Are you collecting it as you go? Whoever's last will be collecting it. We can certainly give it a shot. Let's go. We can certainly try. We've all got to try.

Okay, so I'll go second. Okay. Or no. Yeah, I'll go second, so if I fall, you'll catch me, right? Me? You're invisible. They'll still see me. I'll try. I'll go second, so if I fall, you'll catch me, right? Me? You're invisible. They'll still see me. I'll catch you. Okay, you won't see me if I fall, Chet.

You motherfucker. I'll catch you. Yeah, I got you. Trusted me. I got you, crack. Trusted. All right. I'll try to start finding aids.

Just make a noise on the way down. All right. It's all right, I just feel better. I'd like you to make an athletics check for me. Athletics. It's not a terribly difficult climb, but it is a singular rope at an angle, basically up the side of a building.

You're Batman-ing this. Up the chain! Like Adam West Batman-ing this. Up the chain! Like Adam West Batman-ing this. You're like. Oh yeah, oh yeah. That one time that I said pause. Reverse repelling. Okay.

No straight ups. Able to deliver dialogue. Okay. And it's easy. Easy peasy, love is crazy. Come on. 16. 16. The adrenaline pumping through your body,

your ears as the moment happens, you begin to scurry up that rope as quickly as you can, and you manage to, without much of an issue, maybe a little bit of winded breath at the end of your arms, a little sore and tired, but you get over the edge of the balcony and meet alongside Laudna. There at the top, you can see there are two doors

that mark the interior. It's about six feet back from the flushness of the wall, the balcony itself, also going about five feet out from the front, so you have about 10 feet of space here that you can occupy, but the doors are closed. The minute I get up there, I start looking around to see if anybody is looking at the rope. Okay, make a perception check for me.

Do you have a, does she have the, do they have the full effect to see invisibility, like as it pertains to things that would otherwise be hidden? Like wards or, okay. Anything else that would be seen from seeing invisibility that they have?

No, I don't think anybody can see the rope. Nobody sees it. All right, you feel good. You're going out? I feel really good about it. I'm still looking. Why? Yeah. Why? I'll go. Because you're sitting together. That's why I checked for him. Why? Yeah. Why? I'll go. Because you're sitting together.

That's why I checked for him. Wow. That's true! What's the height of the rope? Did we guess? No one says so. It's about, the balcony itself is about 60 or so feet up, but it's at an angle from where you're at, so since you're missing

the closest balcony, so it's about 80, 90 feet away from you. Okay, I make sure that seedling is easy to get out if anything goes wrong, and I start to call 18. Great. Following suit in Imogen's path, you climb up the rope rapidly. The last little bit, you do a pull and then leap

and then land on top of the balcony next to your two other companions. Don't worry, nobody can see shit. Is that true? I'm feeling really good about this. We're doing great. Yeah. We're doing great.

That is a 30. All right. You do see one patrol of two Ryloran soldiers that are approaching with a bit of intent. Down on the ground? Yeah, on the ground, about maybe 100 or so feet off. Chetney, you got company coming. They're going to be there in 20 seconds.

So I'm coming up the rope, off the chain! 19. 19. The only way that a 400-year-old gnome can scurry, you rapidly climb up this rope. No legs! No legs! You're gathering as you go? Yep.

Maybe little legs. I hated you in gym class. Because of both the activities, it takes a little longer than just a straight climb, but as you get most of the way up there, the rope takes into the spell. And as you get over the edge, you watch as the two other soldiers approach.

One of them's looking around. As soon as Chetney clears, I unclick the... The rod. The rod. Put it back on my person. Back up. The one glances about. The other one gets a heavy elbow to the side. It's a big sigh, and they both begin to walk off

and continue back on their original path. Can we go home now. Okay, there's a door in front of us, right? How's that look, Chet? Traps? Piece of cake. I'm sure it's not. Can I check for traps?

Sure, make an investigation check for me. 24. 24. It does not appear to be trapped. It does appear to be locked. Can I... I can't pop him twice. Could I fix the lock, please?

Yes, you may. Go ahead and roll a dexterity check, adding your proficiency for lockfix. Oh, no slidings. Or no advantage, okay. 22, 22, 27. 27. With ease. This wasn't an easy lock, but you've spent your time breaking and entering.

Within a 20-second foray with the tumblers, door opens up. Reveal your secrets. Immediately, you can see inside, it looks like a study chamber. There are three different tables that have comfortable-looking chairs set towards them. It looks like this would be an area where someone would bring books or bring other materials to come and do study work,

independent research. It has a college vibe to it, to a certain degree. As the door cracks, can I use my wolfy nose just to make sure that nobody actually could be in here? Do I detect any scents that I've picked up since being on the moon? Make a perception check. Ooh, I forgot to listen through the door.

17. 17. You don't smell any one here, but there is a unique smell in your immediate vicinity coming from the small satchel of materials that you were given when you left the safe house. Oh. We should probably look at that. Yeah, the satchel, what?

Should we get inside first? What materials? Let's get inside then. They requested the letters and notes and anything that might pertain to... I'm a girl. Oh, maybe you can pick up the scent. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's get inside, let's get inside

and then shut the door. Very quietly shut the door. Open up the satchel. As soon as you yeah, yeah. Let's get inside. Let's get inside and then shut the door. Close the door. Very quietly, close the door. Open up the satchel. As soon as you open it up, there's a burst of movement, and something leaps and skitters out. Oh my god, it's the thing! You see.

It's her butt hurt! Her butt hurts! It's her assy-toe! You see a small, thin saitha. It has one vibrant, blue, clouded eye, one that's a dark brown. As it closes, it goes. Oh my gosh, have you been in here the whole time? I'm so sorry. It took you long enough.

We didn't know they didn't tell us there was anything living in it. They're just talking to nothing. Well, you know we're invisible. There's four of us here, we're friends. What? Can you see? You can see us, can you? Can you see us? What are you?

It's just, it's not focusing on anything. We're friends of Evarola. We're going to help. Oh wait, can you use your eyeglass and hold it up to its eye? I think they have to activate it. Oh, okay. Also, it's invisible when you're holding it.

Yeah, we're trying to find Everola. We know she went missing. Everola, yes, she's my paramour, though. You're helping. Yeah, we're helping. You're helping. What's your name? My name is Gona.

Gona. Okay, Gona. Gona. When was the last time you saw Everola? God, why didn't we do this before we fucking left? I thought it was a bunch of letters. Yeah, me too, me too. When they took her beneath the bay.

Beneath the bay? What's the bay? I can't whisper in your ear. The engineering bay. Oh yes the bay. What's the bay? I can't whisper. The engineering bay. Oh yes, that's right. Where she was working. Do you know the way? I can.

Yes. Great. Oh shit, I got to see. You two are connected, aren't you? Yes. Would you be able to sense her if you were close? She's still alive. Oh my gosh. Well, we're going to get all of us out of here,

so how are we going to do this? I can cast again and cast on... Wait, if Gona is in our clothing, does Gona go invisible? Gona, it was not visible inside the bag, and then once Gona emerged from the bag, became visible. So you assume if there is an object that you are wearing that contains Gona, she will also go invisible.

Okay, great. She can hang out in my little... Oh, you have in your birdhouse! My get hurt. Okay, great. You can, she can hang out in my little, in my little. Oh, you have in your birdhouse? My birdhouse. In your soul. Yes. I don't know what that is. Oh, here, Gona, I'm going to hold my hands out. I'm touching your face.

Here, just hold my hand, okay. You're in my hands, and I'm going to hold you up. Now, the minute she crawls into your hands, she can see you. She's now aware of part of this. Is she invisible? Does that mean she's invisible as long as I'm holding her? Yeah. Oh, great!

So she can just chill on our shoulders so she can see what she's doing. Oh, that's great. That's good. Also, Pate could have made an absolute horror scene in there. Oh, yeah, so maybe it's best. He's a single bachelor, you know. Like curls into your shirt. Okay.

All right. Now, do you know your way around this building? We are, yeah. Watches, she looks around the chamber inside. We are somewhere in the study chambers. That means we go past the development hall and the engineering bay should be beneath that. Amazing.

Great. Which way? It's out to that door. They point to the only other exit from the chamber that's on the opposite side of the balcony. We have a guide! Trishy Scrabble. Trishy Scrabble, above you. Oh god, I hate this.

And you're, how long am I going to be invisible for? You guys just re-upped. We have an, let me double check. How long is my invisibility? I mean, you said 40 minutes before. It is an hour, okay. We've got five or 10 minutes left for me. Okay. Yeah.

I'll say with all the climbing and everything, it's probably about 10 to 15 minutes left. Let's just try to move quickly, then. All right, as soon as that time is up, I'll tuck into a corner and have to recast it fourth level. Oh no, because you can do it yourself. So I'll do another third on us as soon as it's been about 10 minutes.

Okay. Will I be able to sense? Will he be able to sense when it's like flickering? Yeah, I'd say you can feel the magic beginning to fade. If you cast it again, you also lose her. So it'd have to be fourth level to get all three of you. Motherfucker!

Well, let's just move quick. All right. We'll cross that bridge before we get there. Can we cast it on two people? I think he's just a solo. Okay, that's a move quick. All right. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Can we cast it on two people? I think he's just a solo kid. That's a special will. But as you come to the exterior door, Gona decided and goes,

All right. I think I know where we are. Curls up next to your ear. I'll tell you where to go. Okay. I'll follow G where to go. Okay. I'll follow Gowna's directions. Okay. Is there anybody around?

Yeah, looking, listening. As you slowly open the door and peer beyond, we're going to come back to this room here. Oh, we're jumping back. We're jumping back. We're back to Reg'ra. We're like down there. I think so.

We're on the bottom of the big shaft, right? Like the big, the prime. You are beneath. We're beneath the prime. The entryway seems to go along the exterior. You guys are there up in the shafty bits. Yes. Okay, okay, okay.

If it were like, just a sense of scope, if it were nine inches tall in scale, are they at like four and a half? The entire pillar? Yeah. I can't tell if you're fucking with me or if you're being serious. No, like are they,

do we have any sense of where they are? It's like a quarter mile up. Oh shit. And we're like 70 feet up, right? Yeah, so they're very much towards the bottom. Very much close to the bottom. Correct, and both of you are probably... I just saw.

You both have probably climbed now about 200 or more feet below the surface, near the bottom of the pillar. Okay. But as you trek past, the sound of immediate mining But as you trek past, the sound of immediate mining and the clustered remnants of the body of workers

down here thins a bit, as you come to what looks to be a wall, a hard wall, a breach wall of thick, smooth stone. It looks like it was physically erected to reinforce the interior of the structure and is smoothed around it, but also as a blast boundary, almost like they've learned a bit

from the previous attempt. Oh. It appears quite thick. There is a singular, ground-hinged, garage-like door that looks like it would go inward. It's about 12 to 15 feet wide, so it looks like there's an entryway that comes down to let something large travel through,

or a cluster of people to travel through. But it does appear to be sealed. Sealed or closed? You can check. As long as I'm not going to get stopped by Ira, I'm going to check with him. Can I take a look? Ira gives a nod.

At this breach door, there are only three current soldiers that are keeping watch, and they watch as you approach. They don't question. It looks like the presence of the mystic definitely adds an air of don't bother, and most folks upon watching bow and keep to their own business while you step alongside as the accompaniment.

Are we going inside? Well, there's nothing we can't open yet. I'm going to start taking a look around. Do I see a mechanism? Do I see anything that looks, or is it just, have they decided to lock this off because things are now moving at speed? You can make a perception

or investigation check, if you'd like. I may actually, just to make this a little easier, your perception and investigation is fabulous, correct? Fearne? It's great. So I can assist you. I'm, in my head, going to have, Fearne, can you come take a look at this? And then out loud.

Yes. So. Yes. And yes. I'm also going to have Mr. pop Mr. out. Okay, a flaming monkey. No, he's not a flaming monkey. He's the... Oh, the Psyduck, right. Yes, he's the Psyduck.

So I'm going to have him out. He was already out. He's already been out with you. He's already been out. Let me just mark that. I was like, if you're popping him out, he wouldn't be under the illusion, but he's been there the whole time.

I'm sorry. Mission over. Okay. I'm going to help. Snake? Snake? Look around, try to see if it's been sealed or if it's just closed off. Go for it. Okay. Ooh!

Okay. Investigation, perception? Either. Yeah, either one of those two. There are different facets you can find with either. 24. 24, and this is? Perception. Perception? Either. Yeah, either one of those two. Different facets you can find with either. 24. 24, and this is? Perception.

Perception. Glancing around here, you feel pretty confident. You do not see any mechanism or pulley or any device that opens it from this side. It also does appear to be quite thick and quite closed. Ira. What's the plan here? Are we trying to get in here?

I'm going to go back and go to Ira and genuflect. Ira presses into your hands. They got this up faster than I thought they would. Most of the reinforcement of this tunnel thus far has been less than exemplary. Besides, if they have this closed on this side, whatever they're using to dig might be beyond this. What are we doing up here? I can bring myself there and maybe one other

on the opposing side, but that's the extent of my ability. Well? Ashton, can you? I could do it, but it would make some noise and I can't bring it. I can make a hole, but it will be very loud. Very loud. Very loud. I could make a hole, and I don't think it would be as loud.

It will be small. Ira shifts forward and looks to the others there intently. And one of them looks back and nods and looks back at the other, and the three of them nod, and they all begin to walk up from where you came. Ira turns back and says, I've sent them to retrieve me some materials, so we have a few minutes.

Oh, great. But they also cannot open it, because they are told to ensure something doesn't happen, like we're plotting, and it can only be opened from the other side. All right. What's your plan? Well, now we can make noise, right? They're gone.

So you could go under, or I have Stone Shape. Stone Shape might. But it's only five feet, so if this stone wall is thicker than five feet, I won't be able to get through it. I know, that's the thing, I could have Mr., I could Dimension Door with Mr., but again, that's 15 feet. I could try to tunnel, is the floor stone as well?

I guess everything's stone. Everything around here is smoothed stone. So I could just go under it, like I'm making a little, like digging a little tunnel, like a skunk does under the- We don't have the hole. Who has the hole?

I don't remember if I or Laura has the hole anymore. I think you have the hole. I think I have the hole. I don't think the hole will do that, though. All right, last question. I can do it also with the staff. I can cast Pass also with the staff. I can cast Pass Wall with the staff and make a hole in the door.

I think that's a great fucking idea. Then there's a hole, right? Then there's a hole. Yes, but then you can stone shape back five feet of the door if we make the door small. But the door is metal, not stone. No, the door is stone, but it's deeply solid, smooth stone.

Oh! We don't know how deep it is, right? Correct. But as long as we can get all the way through, then you just have to make a couple feet of stone. No one's going to kick that. As long as it looks like what it did before, it should be fine, right?

Sure. Sure. Do you want to do that? Yes, let me just see. Double check. I'm going to just check my spells. Stone shape lasts for how long? It's permanent. Is it just a one thing?

You shape the stone. The stone is shaped, and as long as the door is not too big, and we're willing to. Yeah, stone shape is instantaneous, and it is permanent. So as long as that path, we can get from one side of this door to the other and you can Stone Shape to put the stone back

where it came from. Okay. All right then. Before I do this, before I waste both things, we could just go under the door. I could just make a thing that goes under it, but we don't know how thick the door is. The door can't be more than five feet thick. That's crazy, right? Right?

Well, we don't have to fill in the whole door anyway. We just have to fill in a little bit. I will say, it's definitely built to be a breach wall against explosives. So it could be very thick. All right, all right, all right. I'm casting Passwall with the Staff of Dark Odyssey. All righty. All right, all right.

Good idea, good idea. All right, cool. So it can up to five feet wide, eight feet tall, and 20 feet deep. So you just, are you making a door? Are you carving? I would say just, we want a tunnel, just not too big so that you can just use as much stone shape to fill it in as possible.

Up and near. A five by five, you know, hole, but 20 feet long. Okay. So you focus on it, and the solid, smooth stone boundary before you, just this tunnel opens up right there.

As you glance through, it's about 15 feet thick. Ho ho ho ho! They built this to ensure that something wasn't going to get through it. But indeed, it exits the opposite side. It is a cartoon tunnel at this point. Okay. So. Wait, does the tunnel, his tunnel disappear

once we're, once the spell is over? The openings disappear when it's done. Oh, so you don't have to dispel it? It lasts for an hour. But you can dispel it. Or you can end it prematurely. So once we're all through, just dispel it. Great, go, go. Go, go, go. Wait, wait, wait. I don't know if somebody's going to say it. I'm just going to prematurely. So once we're all through, just dispel it. Great, go, go.

Go, go, go, go, go, go. I don't know if somebody's going to say it. I'm just going to say this. I'm just going to say this. We do have to escape, but probably we can open the door from the other side when it's time to escape. Yes, it'll be fine.

Okay, okay. It'll be fine? Okay, okay, yeah. Sure, sure, we'll be fine. As you all dart through this opening, through the temporary tunnel 15 feet through you, emerge from the opposite side, and the dull lantern light that has accompanied you along the way of this tunnel becomes nearly nonexistent.

It is almost a complete shadow on the opposite side, just the dull blue glow of some distant lanterns that are further in that haven't quite been triggered by your presence to alight. But as you've all stepped through the opposite side, along with Ira, you can leave it open or you could close it behind you. I think I'll close it behind me.

Do we need some light, actually? Is it an hour? It's an hour, but if they come back in two minutes and see a big hole. That is a thing you could do with stone shapes, you could stone shape it and keep it up. That's what I was saying. But when we get to the other side of the tunnel, I'm going to, oh.

Yeah, if you're discussing this, Ivor goes, I believe I can handle this. He's going to go ahead and cast an illusory spell, and as he does, the surface of both sides seem to remain. He says, now it's our little secret. Oh, we're back to spooky now.

Yeah! Wake me out, you man. Even though it's low light over here, low light, dim light? Can I just look around and see? Is there a way to open this door if we needed to, to let the blast out to cause more damage? From this side, what you do see is that

the garage door that comes down, there are chained attachments that pull it up and through. So there's actually a contraption on the ceiling above it where it maintains it. There is a heavy metal wench that pulls it up there. It looks like it's been built in to hold it there. And on this side, there is a lever

that opens and closes that. Good to know. Any reason why I shouldn't light up a lantern down here? I don't think so. Let's keep it interesting. Touche. All right, I'm going to light up a little, since no one has magic lights as far as I know. I do, I do, but it might look weird

coming from a little fung, fung, this guy. Ira extends his hand and you watch as this little spark begins to spark and then this will-o-wisp looking dull blue flame just flickers in the air in front of him and he just walks with it, drifting about five feet in front of him. I don't even know why I bother.

I'm going to shit back. Tick. You continue down, and this side of the tunnel gets a lot rougher. This one seems like it's been recently dug through since the blast door was finished, and it looks like they've pushed beyond it in recent days, even.

A few things. One, the Beyond the the breach wall, the tunnel begins to... There are elements of erosion that are put into it where something is pushed past and pressed into the nearby rock without reinforcement. You don't see the same smoothed tunnel braces, thank you, brain, built up on the sides of the wall. tunnel braces.

Thank you, brain. Built up on the sides of the wall. You do also hear a distant grinding sound echoing further down, and as you approach, the nearby lanterns glow. As you walk past, they diminish. These look like they're nailed into the wall by these long pikes that keep them held and dangling there, but they're

much more sparse. You can see, as it begins to light up and the light that Ira carries, you see refracting little glows. There are elements of glass that now begin to emerge from the wall, almost like wayward crystals, almost like parts that have grown through or have been here for a long time that have been unearthed, some of which have been broken past, like something has drilled into and through them, and you can see where it's jagged and broken, and there's glass dust and bits of rough glass rock

across the ground mixed with the loose gravel and dirt. Okay, okay. Does it look like the glass that my weapon is made out of? It all appears to be the same Rudean glass. Mm. Okay. You hear the heavy grinding sound as it gets louder and louder until you curve around the edge of the corner to the right-hand side,

and through this rough-hewn space, the elements of glass that it's curved and pushed into the excavation, it becomes more and more prevalent. It's burrowing now into the base of the pillar beneath where the cavern ends. You can see there's a large portion of the wall that is just now broken glass. The grinding sound is now met with the sound of some sort of a hum. And the glow and grinding that pulls your attention

down the end of this hallway. And you do see the end of this excavation. There are a handful of Ryloran figures that are manning a machine, a contraption that has some sort of a black exhaust that kind of pours out the sides of it, the smell that kind of fills the space here. that has some sort of a black exhaust that pours out the sides of it. The smell that fills the space here.

It's reminiscent of a burning oil, but also has the smell after a lightning strike. And as it grinds and burrows in, you can hear that horrible whining sound of metal hitting glass, and it's having a hard time. You can't tell at this brief instant if it's moving at all, but the sound is now starting to really pierce your ears. Lancing down the way, you begin to take in exactly who's ahead of you. You see the massive device. It's about eight feet wide.

It looks like it's on some sort of rollers, and there's a massive handle where a hulk is pushing it into the wall, and it's just kind of just grinding into it. You can see bits of the stone are crumbling away behind it into just destroyed gravel

and bits of glass are shearing off and spinning around the room. Keeping watch beyond that, stone or crumbling away behind it into destroyed gravel and bits of glass are shearing off and spinning around the room. Keeping watch beyond that, you see there are two other small, simply dressed but officious-looking Rylorn that are currently holding the sides of this device, almost keeping tabs on it and making sure that it functions properly. There is one that has a little more special Imperium army Dominion of Cruth armor that is just keeping watch down the tunnel in your direction.

Three Rylorans and a Hulk? Mm-hmm. But one of those Rylorans is fancier. One Rylorans has a fancy vibe. But it's not the Sunder King. No, no, no. Okay. It's a standard size. Does that third one look like a Thawdeater?

No. We've never seen this kind of clothing before? You've seen it in members of the Dominion of Cruth. You know what, I would say yes. You've seen this armor, the closest equivalent of it would be the one that you saw in the Glassworks, that you briefly convinced you were one of its children. Okay.

Oh, it's okay. Feels like a while. Yeah. And that's all that's down here? That's all you see in this portion of the tunnel, yes. Okay. Ira. Ira? Yes? What are you, what's the plan?

Are we going up and? We could just set them down around here. Set them down? The explosives? Yeah. Do you think this is close enough? Maybe a bit closer, just to ensure everything goes. Okay, I have a wild idea.

What if we say, you know, like, hey, we're going to work on the machine. We were told that we needed to repair. Like we'll repair people? We needed to repair, good job. To three telepaths. Well. Yeah. You know, and then we can make sure

that the boom boom is right at the source. They might be able to alert others, though. I don't know how far. Well, you might know how far they can think. I like this idea. I know, but you're also right, because there is a lot of them that could alert. But then also, well.

How far are we from them? And they have not seen us yet. You do not think they've seen you yet. You just barely saw her in the corner and are holding just as the turn goes into the main tunnel. Okay. How big are these bombs?

Ira puts his hand on the shoulder and pulls the currently illusion-cloaked package from the side and sets it down. As he does, you see it appear on the shoulder and pulls the currently illusion-cloaked package from the side and sets it down. As he does, you see it appear on the ground. It is a heavy camping backpack, full-on large thing on the back. As he opens up the top and pulls it out, you can see there's elements of arcane cores

that you've encountered in Vassaris that power a lot of the devices there and a number of the devices that you've encountered in Vassariss that power a lot of the devices there, and a number of the devices that you've seen Ira build. They're affixed to materials, rough-looking, clay-like materials that are mashed into it. You can see there are runes dug both into the material and placed around metal bands that hold it all together. Each one weighs about 30 or so pounds,

and it looks like he has six of them. Ooh, nice. Were you planning on using all of these down here? We're saving some for later. Okay, got it. Go big or go home. We've got to wipe this off the moon. Are these like a light it and throw it

type of a bomb or a timer type of a thing? You set a period of time. Okay, okay. We got to get them closer, though, I assume. Mm-mm. What were you going to do if we weren't here? Well, if you weren't here, I was going to walk down here

and try and take them all under my mind's sway and have them turn around while I set them, and then walked out and blew it all up. That's a great idea. Pretty good plan. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's just give it a try, I guess. Sure, it worked well last time for me. I'm sure the same thing will happen.

They'll just walk right out. Would it be easier to put them to sleep since there's no, the door's not open at the moment? Do we have that sort of ability? To a certain degree, I might be able to send some of them into a slumber. Are you going to need some help? The door, I figure probably makes some things problematic.

I guess it's looking to see who we can put on our side for a bit. Stay close. Stay close, all right. Or if you wish to stay unseen in case someone slips away. One of you want to stay back, or both of you? I've got some charming things, too. You're persuasive.

So should I go up there? I don't know. I'm going to go up there. Do you have any charming-type spells? Yeah. Okay. I do. So do I. I do. Somebody's got to play safety. I'll play safety.

All right. Anything walks by that I don't recognize, I will hit it until it sits down. Okay. Go, team. Sports. All right, so you're staying back and I'm going to go. What does he mean by staying back? We'll come with you.

Very well. Should you need help? I'm playing catch. Let's go destroy something beautiful. That's a little bit intense, but okay. As you all begin to glide down towards the horrible grinding sound at the end of this hallway, turning around the corner,

you can see some of the watch look over in your direction and raise a hand, and the machine grinds to a stop. The Hulk keeps pushing, and the other one's had to, and he turns up and looks around as the mystic and his companions approaches. From there, we're going to come to you.

Ah, Jesus. Reminding me you can call me or something. When we come back from a break. So three hours has passed. Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're taking a break. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We're taking a break now. We're taking a break. We're taking a break. I realize it's two hours now, so I'm going to go ahead and take a break now and we'll come back to you guys when we return. Damn it. I'm going to throw in my lollipop.

We have more in the lobby. The lobby pop. We're going to do fine. Lobby pop. We'll be fine. We'll be fine. Indeed. We'll see you all here shortly before then, wherever this split chaos continues.

See you in a minute. Bye. Oh, hey there. Laura Bailey here to tell you all about the glorious goods we create inspired by our stories. Our stores are filled with the basics, like character-inspired T-shirts, dice sets, and pins, as well as more specialty items like fancy jackets,

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Speaking of which, let's get back to the story. Welcome back. So, over here, the folks who have been sneaking into the colloquium, stepping into the hallway and looking out to each side, it looks to be, at the moment, empty. The sighter, Gona, glances back. I will show you the way.

I will whisper it to you. You continue where it needs to be. Wait, before we go, should we re-up now? We should. We're in a room before we continue on. You're right, you're right. It's only ten more minutes. Yeah. All right, okay. right. It's only 10 more minutes. Yeah. All right, okay.

Let's step back into the room. Right before we go out. Hey, Chet, do you want to take any of these books from in here? I mean, it's not like there's any texts that we have on Exandria. Books? Books about what? Oh, oh. We're in a study, right?

Are there any books in here? Yeah. So the study, it's a place for bringing research here, but there are no books necessarily present. It's more of a general use, quiet room. Got it, got it, got it, got it. All right, I will cast at 4th-level. Chet, can you re-up yourself?

Hey, I'll drop Invisibility, or I'll let it fall, and then I'll let it go, and I'll go, I feel strange. I'll like, Terminator 2, pull Chetney's hand off and there's just a big werewolf claw underneath. Oh god! It's pretty good. It is pretty good. I'll finish transforming into a sexy ass wolf.

A sexy ass wolf. And then I'll cast Invisibility, or I will activate the monocle. You do hear footsteps coming. Oh shit! Oh shit! Fourth level, Invisibility. I'll activate the monocle and see Invisibility

and cast Invisibility. See Invisibility! See Invisibility! So you have seen Invisibility and you're invisible. The rest of you have about 10 more minutes of seeing Invisibility left. Oh, right. Oh!

Oh! That was a thing. I thought that was a thing. Yeah, but there was visibility left. Oh, right. Oh! Oh! That was a thing. I thought that was... That was a thing. Yeah, but there was no help in that, so. We're just going to hold hands. You can still see invisible for 10 more minutes. Yeah. All right, let's move. Were you being facetious

when you said we heard someone coming? Well, let's go. No. The Saito screamed at the Saito. I think hug the wall, someone's coming. Should we get in the hallway? We should get in the hallway. Is the door shut? Go, go, go. You shut the door behind you, yeah,

and you peeked out, and so you hear footsteps coming. Oh, so the door is open? I went like this and looked out because everyone was freaking the fuck out, and I wanted to see if I heard anything, and I did heard something. Yeah, back to the wall. Back to the wall.

Okay, so you're all back in the room. You get to the wall. A brief time passes before the door opens, Back to the wall. Okay, so you're all back in the room. You get to the wall. A brief time passes before the door opens and you see a Kwanaka in longer robes, older-looking fellow. Looks like a pair of ruby and glass spectacles that are polished at the end of his nose.

They sit right about there as he leans in. Hello? Winston. No, I'm just kidding. Dude, terrified me as a kid. I'm 100%. A train filled with heads everywhere. Like, what the hell?

Ernie Hudson, baby. All right. Door closes. Wait. Good. Minute and a half. Okay. Of being able to see each other. You hear in your ear,

Is your friend okay? Oh, no, never, but. I'm sorry to hear that. Yeah. Me too. We'll complete this mission in his honor. Anyway, to the right. To the right.

All right, I want to make a group stealth check with advantage because of the invisibility, please. Okay, come on. Come on! We got this, I'm good, I'm good. Oh my god. Yep. That's a d12, that is a d12.

I've been wanting to roll it. The whole night. To be fair, it almost did. I rolled better than you did on the plan. Ha ha ha. We should just start over. Should we start over? Just take it from the top, yeah.

All right, Marisha, what'd you got? Okay. 14 total. Okay. Okay. It's okay. 18 total. Okay. It's already 20. All righty. 24.

Okay. I'll just dream of two legit numbers. 17 total. My math sucks. 17 total. Oh my god. He did something. He did something! He did something! Huh? He touched something behind the screen. What?

What? You follow the path down that hall, down a set of stairs. You get to the bottom, and the hallway before you opens in three different paths. You can see there are a few other robed figures. You see some Ryloran that are just walking down the hall, one pathway, you see one soldier who's coming from right to left.

Gornos says, To the left. Gornos says, To the left. Wait for the soldier to pass, then go where they came from. To the left? Mm-hmm. You wait for him to pass by,

and you all scurry. That path is the two distant Rylor and step into another doorway out of sight. What is the floor like? Is it stone? Is it carpeted? Is there anything that's, or is it just stone? It's not carpeted. Most everything here is shaped from stone,

magically or psychically. Some of them have rougher areas, but this place is a very nice structure. It looks like everything has been intentionally shaped and made through will and magic. Is it more smooth or? It's still angular in the hallways, like different corner edges.

But if you look at close to the texture, it has a little bit of a more natural, smooth stone texture than a straight wall. Yeah, there's no brick edges. Everything is built and shaped from the stone as a pure thing. But heading down the hall, it eventually heads to another left-right split and then one spiral stone

staircase, a tight one that heads downward. Gones, down the staircase. Got it. Quickly. You're so helpful, Gones. I'm happy to help. You head down to the bottom of the staircase, and right at the bottom, closing off the walkway up there, are two Rylor and hulks, armored in the soldier garb of the Dominion of Kruth.

Essentially, two blockades preventing you from entering the chamber. Gond goes, Sorry. You're all at the bottom of the staircase, looking at the back, the muscular and armored backs of these two hulks. So down the stairs, and they've got their backs to us? Correct. They're essentially guarding other people from getting to the staircase, looking at the back, the muscular and armored backs of these two hulks. So down the stairs and they've got their backs to us? Correct, they're essentially guarding other people from getting to the staircase,

and you are on the back side of them. We go and said, sorry? Yeah. Just because they ran us into a couple hulks. How close together are they? They're shoulder to shoulder. Oh. I got this.

So their legs are apart, then. There's a gap at their legs? Yeah, probably a solid foot and a half between at the base, based on their size and scope. A gap above the door? They're pretty tightly in there. There's about a six-inch gap

from where the top of their heads and shoulders are to the ceiling that's in this chamber. And the stairs here are big enough, must be, to accommodate their massive feet? This staircase is not. They probably came down here through a different means. Okay. What do you have in mind? Toys make the world go round. I'll reach into my little pouch and I'll take out two toys that I have worked on. One is a

little wooden wolf that hinges at the waist, and when you set it down, it creates a little bit of movement. Another one is a spiral stick with a carve going along the side of it that's got wooden marbles that spin in it. I will, like fucking Batman, just throw them both on the floor in front of both of the giants. As you throw it through their legs and they scatter the ground in front, they both and one of them pulls up a fist and they both glance down. What's the DC on this? Oh jeez. Come on.

Five. Come on. I've been waiting for this moment. I've been waiting. The DC on this. 15 wisdom saving throw. 15 wisdom saving throw. Please, please, please. It's a natural nine.

That's kind of like a coin toss. And a natural one. Okay. Let's go. So they are distracted for one. And a natural one. Okay. Let's go. So they are distracted for one minute. Oh god. All right. So both of them immediately reach down. One grabs one and picks it up.

The other's like, what? Sees the other one and goes for it and picks it up, and they both go and just start looking it over and messing with it. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go. Yes, check. But carefully, carefully, so we're going under their sacks. They moved away because they had to bend down. Yeah, a little bit of a gap has presented itself Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go I respond in it. As we go by, I very lightly whisper,

Z-Pop. Oh my god. Perfect. Going down this hall, you pass by a number of open doorways. You glance into them as you do, but Gona says, keep going. Looking into the sides, you can see they're

either sleeping quarters or general resting social quarters, but you see vanguard members in here, people wearing the vanguard robes, some look like they're in the process of playing a card game or going through whatever they brought from home to try to remind them. They're not comfortable in these chambers. They're not incredibly well decorated. They're just

standard rooms. You just give quick glances as you go by and see them sitting in the space. It's the mingling of both the vanguard figures and the Ryloren figures and the current truce they hold and still that odd tension and gulf between them, culturally. Question. Do we get the sense that now that we're in here, are we in, we're not inside the glass spire, are we? You don't think so. Everything you've seen is stone at the moment. Okay, okay.

Also, can we see each other anymore? Currently, you still can. You guys have been moving pretty rapidly since you left that chamber. Okay. You continue down for a bit, and then it curves to the left and chamber. Okay. You continue down for a bit, and then it curves to the left and continues onward. As you do, you can see out of the wall,

an element of that glass is breaking through the wall. It looks like it's breaking through and into the ceiling to where about a quarter of the chamber is obfuscated by just this lower part of a branch of glass. That's branching off of what we think is that giant pillar. Yeah. You imagine. The direction would make sense if it's to the left of you.

And did this building, this location, the Colloquium of Candescence, go all the way around? Not all the way around, but just a section of it that's built onto it. All right. Yeah, only the Arx Creonum goes all the way around? Not all the way around, but just a section of it is built onto it. All right. Yeah, only the arc's creonum goes all the way around. It is like a spiral up it. Okay, okay. How far away is that section of glass

that's breaching into the room? 20 feet ahead of you. You can get around it easy. It doesn't block the path. I'll be right back. I walk over to it, and I want to put a hand on it, and I want to use G hand on it, and I want to use groom psychometry. Yes.

And just see what I can feel off of this giant pillar of glass that's the focal point of this area. Go ahead and roll for that. Okay. Mystery advantage to recall information about fey fiends or undead. Recall information about a darker past surrounding an object

or your touching or location you're present. Ah, it's only a 14. Only a 14. Yeah. You concentrate and focus and you get flashes, flashes of red, like a red filter over images, just in your mind. You see stone crushing. You see feelings of

anger and hunger, and you feel a brief moment of aloneness and that's all. Okay. and you feel a brief moment of aloneness, and that's all. Okay. All right, let's keep going. Continuing along this way, you go past and you can see it hasn't grown through the stone. The stone has been built around it.

It looks like some buildings will be built around a tree or a structure. This looks like the entirety of this was built on and around any existing protrusions. So either these branches have grown over time and they've accompanied them, or the branches have always been there. You continue down the hall curvature at this point. Previously it was straight hallways, now it seems like it's following the slight curve of one edge of the glass pillar. Are we level or are we?

You're level as you're going. It's the best you can tell. Then it begins to descend a pair of stairs, one that goes straight down in front and one that goes to the left. Gornad goes, Let me see. I think it's to the left. I think it's to the left.

I think it's to the left. Okay. All right, to the left. Oh. Trishy Scrabble. Okay, okay, Trishy Scrabble. Trishy Scrabble. Okay. All right. And it doesn't look like it's moved at all.

It's just hanging, stationary. Best you can tell, it's not a perfect GPS. You can get the general distance, it's still above you to a degree. Oh yeah, center of the pool, that's right. You head down the left staircase and it switchbacks twice and you can smell the air shifting a bit here.

Chet! Something about the moon. It's lower pressure. There's a chemically scent that mixes in the air. As you come down the third stair switchback, it leads into a smaller chamber. And here, you can see there are two R'hllor

that are currently sitting at two different tables, and they have instruments. It looks like metal and stone instruments that have various knobs on them, and they are in the process of inspecting samples of some kind. It's like a semi-arcane laboratory. Elements of it seem more rudimentary

than what you've seen in higher places of Arcana, but then other elements seem quite high-tech, and it's a unique mixture of the two. Does it look like there are stairs that continue down beyond this chamber? This chamber, it's about a 20 by 30 foot room, and there's some decoration and there's a couple shelves that have some things upon them,

some different types and shapes of Uridian glass. You can see there are jars that contain dark liquid and things that hang in them of different sizes and colorations. And there is an open archway on the opposite side of the room that enters into a larger chamber. On the inside there, you can see there is a long table,

what looks to be an extended, smaller chamber beyond that, too. A shine of a smooth glass surface within, and then another opening that leads to a further chamber beyond that. It looks like this is a cavalcade of laboratory rooms, if you will. Yeah, I think.

What did Gonas say? They took her beneath the bay? The engineering bay. Do we see any signs or anything that show where the engineering bay would be? There's no signs in here, but Gonas says, This is the bay. Okay.

This is the bay. And is there a stair step? I don't know. There is. bay. And is there a stair step? I don't know. When they took her, they said they were going to hold her below. Hold her below. Should we try the other stairwell, then? We can.

In this room, can we look for anything that we've seen near that Malleus Key, like green glass, more of that Aeorian-looking tech, anything that would jog our memory from... Make a perception check. Based off what we've seen before. Nope. Can I go up and look at one of the jars?

I'm not going to touch it. I just want to look. There's two individuals in there working. There's two individuals that are working and sitting at two different tables, facing away from you, and they're currently called into their work. I can't do it. 18.

18. On the far, far chamber, not the next one over, but the one beyond that where they're just open archways that lead into each, and the faint lights that's there, you can see there, on one table, it looks like there is a similar device, at least in coloration and design,

as the one that you had procured from that contained box when you first arrived at Gravyrus. But it's large, right? This one looks like it's a smaller piece. Would it fit in the Bag of Holding? Ah, no, it's a little bit too large for that. I mean, I'm stretched the limits of what can be fit into a bag of holding before.

I will say you can certainly try. I wouldn't do that. But I might go over and look at it and see if... I don't even think we looked at it that close. Is there anything I could pull off of it or a piece of it that I could take that wouldn't make noise? And if not, then I would just leave it alone.

Do you want to go inspect it? Yeah. Is it in the same room with the two workers? No, it's two rooms over from now. It's through two archways. All right. Are you all going in? Through two archways.

Yeah. These last couple of minutes where we can still see each other, and we're still going off of our same stealth at the moment? Correct. And just so we have it, so room we are in has two Red Lorrens in it. There's a stairwell going down from there.

It goes down, but also two more chambers. And two archways into two other rooms. Well, you came down this triple switchback, and it leads to this. You can go back up, and there's a second stairway that goes in another direction. Oh, so this one comes down to here. There are no stairs that go down from here.

There might be further on. It might be further on, but from where you are now, the two paths that you could have taken, this one led to this bay. Got it. Yeah, worth it to see what the hell they're doing. So we should head. We'll quietly go to the archway,

but inspect the archway for any sort of traps or runes or anything with my Chronicle of Invisibility. Okay. So you glance around as you see within some of these jars as you pass under the first archway on the shelf, you can see within these different chemicals,

there's organisms. Some of them look like they're very young, like fetal even, that are just arranged and labeled. Any labels that we can read? You do not recognize the language. I've got my runic eyes. You do, actually.

All right, so. What does that mean? What does that mean? Tell me what your runic eyes say. Rip do, actually. All right, so. What does that mean? What does that mean? Tell me what your runic eyes say. Ripley, Ripley, Ripley, Ripley. Yeah. It's all you and a three-fitter. Yeah.

One of them says, primary zinc input failure. And the next one says. Zinc? Yeah. Another one says, use of strong psychic influence at second stage ruined brainstem. Failed. And you see these are all different

kind of experimental reminders. You don't know how old they are or how recent they are, but you get the sense quickly that a lot of the things that are collected here are essentially older experiments within the Engineering Bay that have been kept for historical and research purposes. Are they trying to grow this?

Yeah, well, they remember they there's bioengineering being done. That's how the Hulks are created. And how the Weavemind is probably still alive. And they probably have been making beasts of burden. Do they look like Ryloren fetuses? Right, or any of the people that we've met? Yeah. Make a nature check for me.

A nature check. Nature's not great. You know what we know, I've been just rolling. It looks so good, you guys. This is the one, though. Ugh, it's so good. Yeah, I rolled an 18 for 19 total. Hey, that's great.

Do any of them look like that? Kind of, actually. Yeah. Oh, that's so sad. It's that it's see, actually. Yeah. Oh, so sad. It's like it's seeping so wide. Yeah, it's so sad. Did he walk into a book? Is that a thing that he can wean?

His ween spell out. Oh. Oh, the seep strikes again. Some of them look like they could be Rylor, and these are biologies you're unfamiliar with at those stages of development. Some of them look otherwise. You see one that looks Bormodro.

You see one that looks like it's another beast, maybe an Avedon, you're not sure. But it looks like there's a wide range of different biological experimentation that has gone on in here. That chemical smell is strong. As you pass beyond the archway into the next chamber, you can see there's other tables set around

and there is a massive alchemical contraption to the left-hand side in the corner. There is a monstrously-sized, 15 feet across, Rudian glass tube with an imperfect surface on it that warps the shape of it, and a thick green brown liquid that fills the inside in the shadow of something that is...

Is it moving? At the moment, no. You just see a shadow of shapes, almost spider-like, and its weird, odd limbs is just set in this liquid. So rough for a Luke Skywalker bath, right? Like that size. Yeah, about 15 feet across and about 12 to 15 feet tall. Yeah. You know, when I heard Engineering Bay, I pictured engines.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. What, why? I don't know. It's right there in the main. Biological engine. Okay, so big tube with something, with murky green-brown water, so it's hard to see through it.

All right, any labels on that one? No labels on that one. And that's the only thing, that's the main thing in this room? Main thing in this room, to your left. On the right, you can see a couple of other chairs set up at the side. There is one Bormodo researcher that's currently

in the process of gathering a few bits of leather that have writing on them, like thin sheets, and rolls them up and starts walking over towards the glass and crosses in front of you all, and you step back as it passes by. It has a fur-necked collar around its back, and it inspects and looks in the glass and starts checking some of the glass instruments

to your left, leaving an opening in the next chamber. All right, all right, all right. Yeah, let's go into that third one. I go into this like, I can sense she's around here. Keep going. She's not in this tube, is she? What if she's in the tube?

I don't know, we'll find out. Actually, just before we leave, I don't think this will hit, but Hunter's Bane for fey fiends or undead, can I just feel out towards the tube and see if anything happens? Is that a spell? Nope. Yeah, it's just a sense.

So you try and sense for me that no undead. Okay. No fey, no fiends. Well, check those off. Let's keep going. Stepping through into the next room, this is the largest of the rooms you've been in. This has numerous tables

with all sorts of equipment on them. You can see small creatures set into smaller alchemical vials and tubes that are affixed to walls above. There are numerous experiments going on here. You can see a number of other caged tubes. You can see there's the glass and the metal around them. The one you previously saw had metal casing on it. These also have a natural metal cage around the outside of the glass. They're almost like large pills, if you will. You can see what looks to be

a Ryloran shape in one of them. You look at another and it looks like something smaller that's growing weird and off. You see on one table, there is a body that is just open. And you see a Ryloren is currently in the process of reaching and essentially... Autopsy. Autopsying this figure, this massive burly figure.

You recognize the scars on the face where a mask was once affixed. This is a Judicator that is currently being pulled apart and researched within the laboratory. A Judicator? Oh shit. Alien autopsy. Oh shit.

Whoa, wait. Whoa. That was an adjudicator dweller. Yeah, they dragged. Oh, well, that's right, because all the rump They came to try to stop it. So they took a prisoner of war and brought the religious beefcake here

and cut him open. Because all the Vasselheim ships got rocked. Oh my god. Damn. Oh my god. Damn. Oh my gah! There are two other Eiloran figures in here that are overseeing. You see one that has the heavy, chained head adornment

of a mystic that is gliding a little bit off the ground and inspecting the space. You see another one that is the long, thin, shrike-like body and has on its side three glass blades, one on each side and one across its back that dangle and swing with it. They're all keeping watch.

On the left-hand side, you see one more glass tube. On the one side of it, there's a structure. It looks almost like an orrery, but it's a halfway-open, artistic rendition of a red sphere. You can see layers, it's been cut in half, and you get a quick glance. This is likely a theoretical interpretation of Ruidus. It's a diorama of Ruidus. You can see there's pockets of caverns strewn throughout and certain things are marked.

What you do notice is the center of it is teal. Teal. The glass is teal. There is a glass core to this. And a number of these pillars pierce out in the crust in certain ways. So we see glimpses of some sort of mass

at the center of this diorama. How big is the mass compared to the total size of the moon? A big-deck cobstopper. Yeah. It looks to be a... If it's about this large. If it's nine inches. It's about the size of a fist.

So it's a fair core. That's like 40% of the mass, maybe? 30 to 40%. Tight, tight, tight, tight, tight, tight, tight. And how... Okay. All right. This is a theoretical representation of who it is.

It is. But the liquid tube next to it catches your attention as well, as you see floating within it what looks to be the shadowed shape of a female Bormodo. Fuck. Of course. Who is floating in the vat. In a vat, okay.

Can you hear in your ear, go, Nego. No. Okay. She's still alive. I can sense her. We have to get her out. Shit. In Gona's head, I say,

Trust, just keep quiet. We're going to get her out. I promise. We're going to come to you guys. Oh! Oh! Oh, that felt bad. We need to leave this world to start again. Oh! Oh, that felt bad. As you step out and approach this device.

Just before we step out and approach, I'm just going to quickly, just quickly just bind with these two folks. Just do a little sympathetic bind. You got it, okay. As you bind them and step out, the initial sentinel steps and approaches and begins to head towards the mystic. A little more bold than some of the others have been,

but definitely, nothing aggressive, but most everyone else has shown a reverence, mostly, towards the mystic. This one cocks ahead out of curiosity and approaches. Ira steps forward and begins to gesture like he's speaking towards it. Moves a hand this way, moves a hand this way, and releases it.

Could I have you three roll d20s for me, please? He's staying back. Right. Just a d20. Just roll him d20s, no big deal. Five. 16. Eight.

Eight. So you were rolling for the saving throws for these figures. Oh. Oh, for them? Yeah. Oh, oh good. And actually, there's only going to be one more. So there's two engineers and the juggernaut and the one that's posted.

Why don't you roll again? Roll one more. Maybe you'll do badly this time, please. Three. Perfect. Ask and we shall see. So the two engineers that are on the sides of the structure turn over and look towards Ira. The one that he's talking to also looks over and nods.

Actually, let me check one more statistic on this one here. No, that would be over here. Just say the word. Statistic. Just say the word and tell me when you need one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll keep you posted. We're just... Okay, yeah, yeah.

Looks like there's... And the three of those figures immediately nod and leave their post and begin to walk up the tunnel. Oh, that was easy. As Ira turns and gestures that direction. So how many are, there's two left. There's one left. There's one left. The juggernaut, the Juggernaut, which goes.

Of course, the Juggernaut. Shit. Can you do something there, Fearne? And approaches, looking confused, and gets up close to Ira. Ira begins to gesture incredibly intensely towards this figure. Why don't you roll another d20 for me, if you don't mind?

Uh-oh. He's casting it again. Natural 20. Stop it! Was that for, that was for that? That was for the bad guy. You rolled it for the bad guy? Why? Why did you roll it for the bad guy? He told me to! It's his fault!

This was not for charm. Self-inflicted. This was not for charm. Self-inflicted. It's not for charm, this is for a dominate. And so Ira goes and releases this spell towards it and the Juggernaut goes. Uh-oh. Charm. Come on! Now, I'm going to check one thing.

Charm! You may not be able to. Well, it's a different person. Checking the charm. Charm. Charm! You may not be able to. Well, it's a different person. Chicken and charm! Charm. Charm. Charm. Charm. Charm. Charm. Pleasure. Pleasure. We should do this instead. Okay, no, I mean,

you can still attempt to charm it if you'd like to. You can do it, Fjord. You got it. Sam, roll another d20 for me. We believe in you! Oh, shit, Sam! 14. 14, what's your DC? 18. That would be a total of 16.

Oh! Oh, dude. So. She's so charming. It brings its fists back. And right as it does so, you release the spell, and it looks towards you, and still continues to bring its fists back towards Ira. What do you do?

Oh, because he's only charmed for you. Yeah. He thinks you're a friend. Hey, hey, I'll hop in front of Ira. As a poor mordo. You're going to hop in front of Ira? Okay, I'm going to say, roll a dexterity saving throw to see if you can get in there

before the juggernaut makes contact with Ira. Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure, sure, sure. Okay. This is the Jim Henson side of the table. Okay. That's good. 19. 19, okay.

You see this happening as Ira's pulling back again, ready to prepare some other spell as you dart in and wedge yourself in the front of the way. As you do, the Juggernaut stops with his fist and looks down at you like, and you yourself in the front of the way. As you do, the juggernaut stops with his fists and looks down at you. You hear in your head, What? I do not think this is what it's supposed to be.

Oh, but it is. You need to do what he told you to do, because he told you to leave, I'm pretty sure. He told you to leave. In your head. Listen. I know you're doing your job, but we came down here because we had to do something.

He regards you as an ally, but the conflicting orders are challenging. Would you roll a persuasion check for me, please? Okay. Mom promoter. Easy. Persuasion? Okay. Mom Bor-Moto. Easy. Persuasion? Okay.

This is also a Bor-Moto giving commands, friendly as the spell may be to a juggernaut. 22. 22. 22. The juggernaut releases the tension in the fingers and the alarm's dropped at the side. We're all friends here, we're all friends here. Gives a nod to you.

Walks past you, walks past Ira and gives Ira this long look, like the, I don't trust this. And then continues walking after the others. How far away have they gone? Like out of sight? Out of sight. Whoa!

That's awesome. I see them. I assume I see them walking. You do. They're coming up your way. All right, I back to the side and then walk over to where they are. And I'm going to very quietly walk to see what, like just watch to see what the heck they're going to do. You continue down, and as you do,

the juggernaut comes up behind the initial wave of them as it approaches and looks over towards you as it lumbers past. Just make a deception check for me. It's not a terribly high DC. Yeah, it's me, though. But I'm... It's hardly fair.

You're so charismatic. Hardly fair. Deception check, really? Okay. Come on. Beat a 10. Oh fuck, no, that's not possible. Are you kidding? What'd you get? I got a three. Oh!

You got a draw of five? Yeah. Oh boy. I got a negative two to deception. I'm going to double to check on Ashton and the Juggernaut. So this is a little out of sight, because they perved around the corner here, as you sent them off and warned him. At this point, Ira is rapidly pulling out the explosives and is handing them to you and is dancing about like it's the dance of the Sugar Pump Flare. He's like,

Keep it professional, Ira. He goes and places one underneath the device, spider crawls underneath, affixes one to the back Yeah. All right. Keep it professional, Amrah. Keep it professional. Places one underneath the device, like a spider crawls underneath, affixes one to the back, crawls back on top. How big is the device? Wide? 8G? Wide.

It's probably about, I'd say, 10 feet-ish from side to side. Or, sorry, from front to back, and about eight or so feet from side to side. And at the front, there is this massive, ragged-looking drill that has been burrowing into the chamber. We're a mean one. I don't want to do anything, man.

I just stay out. It's okay. I'll just say to Ira, before you trigger it, just tell me, because I'm going to help. Guys, I may have a problem. I think it would not be best for us to trigger it while we're in the chamber. Whoa! Okay.

Wait, but what's the trigger time? How much time do we have? Haven't said it yet. Okay. He didn't answer my question. That's fine. Ashton, are you doing okay? No, I'm getting high.

The general approaches and looms over you, kind of looking down. you hear in your head, Who are you with? I'm with them. He grabs your throat and lifts you up against the stone and gets real close to inspect you. Who is them? The other figures have walked towards the blast doors

and stop and turn and are intrigued by this. Stop, stop. Guys, I need some help. Okay. I'm going to start walking toward, yeah. I'm going to start walking back. What time should I send? One minute. No.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. He goes and starts like. You haven't started it yet, though, have you? I just started it. Oh shit! You told me one minute. I said it for one minute,

but I haven't started yet, Jesus! We got to get the fuck out of here! I misunderstood! Then let's go, come on! You watch him flurry, almost like multiple arms out of him as he just goes and sets them all rapidly and turns around smiling, and he's like, shit!

Bomb this, bomb this! So they're all set, right? The majority of them are, yes. Five of the six of them, yeah. I'm going to cast Silence on the whole thing. Okay. So you cast Silence on this area, and you're holding it. All right.

I'm running back towards the actions. You do? We need the distraction. You're supposed to be the distraction to kick everything off. Cool, cool, cool. For this entire plan. For multiple plans. For multiple plans. Okay.

Oh, fuck. So. So, what about the thing? You realize that the entire, we're so fucked. But it can't, it's going to make some noise. It can't just explode and then? We'll find out. How long does the silent range?

Not far. How long does it make silence? 20 feet. Okay. Yeah, how does sound does it, if the? Let's not overthink it. We'll see, we'll see. Yeah, my minute hourglass is not silent. Sound the thing that's been in my house for a minute. Fuck the minute hourglass, if the, Let's not overthink it. We'll see, we'll see. Yeah, my minute hourglass is not sound. It'll still be

a minute hourglass, man. Stuff getting stuck. Here, here. I'll just make a timer on my phone. It'll still make noise, just not in 20 feet. It's fun. In the midst of this being kind of wibbly wobbly timey, I'm just going to set a three minute timer to activate it as the one minute.

Okay, did, um. What are you doing? Did, did. Three minutes. Why can't I talk? Ira, did he set all six of them? Five of the six. Five of the six. So there's one of them that we still have.

Well, they're all placed. It's scary. He just only set five of them before you stopped them. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I'm going to send a message to you guys. We have 50 seconds to get out of here. Why? Why? I'm close. Why did you set them already?

I didn't hear, Ira, there was a misunderstanding. I'm going to fucking, I don't know what else to do. Can they hear me, too? Yeah, I imagine you can. Oh, you can send it to us. Yeah, sure. We have 50 seconds left before this thing blows. All right.

So as you both come around the corner, Ira rapidly behind you, you see Ashton being held against the wall. Ira goes, Ah, not much we can do about that. Is going to go ahead and... In regards to... I don't know. Ashton.

Ashton? Is going to go ahead and cast Polymorph on the Juggernaut. Oh! Roll another d20 for me. Great. and cast Polymorph on the juggernaut. Roll another d24. Nice. 11. 11. The juggernaut shrinks down into a snail,

and immediately you're released on that point. The other guard's like, and Ira says, Sorry, we need you to check the machine back there. It's acting up. They all look to Ira and keep running. They're confused by it. All three of them run back towards the machine, yeah.

Perfect. You all just go in. Going into a run. Full speed. I'm going to rage just to see what the fuck happens to you. Fuck yes! Nice! Ira reaches up and grabs the handle. Oh my god. And the garage door opens.

Great. It's like, we're going to take everything down. Stay close, children. And almost reaches out and sweeps you up in his hands as you all run together. I also hit the time point of my, so I have a walking speed of 80 feet right now if I want to take it.

Okay. So I'm pulling everyone. Okay, so Iris says, take whoever you think is slowest if I want to take it. Okay. So I'm pulling everyone. Okay, so as Ira says, take whoever you think is slowest, I'll take the other. Got you. Yeah. Whoa! All right.

As all of a sudden you're grabbed by Ashton, and both of you are cruising at an incredible speed up this tunnel, Ira's just gently running with you, like, so. No beef. It's nice to spend this time with all of you. I know, it's been a little fun. It's been a little exciting. I think it's great.

I think it's a little weird that you said those with such a short amount of time. I'll keep it. Keeps it interesting, does it not? Well, sure. I wouldn't worry too much. I mean, we only have so much time anyway. Do you mean like in the general sense of life?

Whatever you want it to be. You're both shooting past people and guards and soldiers are like, what the fuck is happening? You start getting their weapons to follow and you're just darting and running and running and running and running and running. It's like a Sonic the Hedgehog moment

as you're just cruising through, putting everything and dragging them. And at that point, Oh! and at that point, you hear this massive rumble in the ground and then it just gets louder and louder and louder, like a freight train just cruising up the way. You see this white light coming in and it says, I guess it's time.

What? It takes you and holds you and right as the flames erupt, you both, in the dimension doors, you both to the surface. Oh. And you and holds you. Right as the flames erupt, you both need to mention doors you both to the surface. Oh. You arrive on top and he's like, we need to keep still running. You'll see why.

As you both continue to cruise, You knew it. You left us. The ground begins to erupt for a second. It bulges beneath you and you both get thrown up a few feet before it begins to sink below. The entirety of the ground above this entire tunnel detonates from underneath and then falls into its own cavernous space.

I need you to make a strength saving throw. Which one? Who? Fearne. Whoa, whoa, wait! Sam and Taliesin rolled that save. Minus two, it's a minus two. I have a running speed right now of 160 feet. It's on nuke!

But I know I'm going as full, I have an emergency from me, but I don't have an emergency. So you, as it begins to fall down, you get pulled into the collapsing ground that's falling in from the impact of the explosion and begin to seep in. You see Ira running the opposite direction, spinning around and seeing you begin to fall within.

He goes, Come on, babe. Don't be a dick. I'm just trying to get out of this. He's going to go ahead and, he's going to use the fifth-level slide, he's going to cast Wall of Force, and he's going to create a wall of nearly invisible energy

that appears right there on the ground next to you. And you can reach up and grab it, and it's leverage that's not slipping like a quicksand, and you manage to get yourself up onto the wall. You get up onto the wall and look, and you don't see him anywhere. You're on your own. Okay.

Shit. Is anybody there? Hello? Ashton? The two of you who are running, you can hear the rumble going. Is it getting faster and faster? It's getting faster and faster, and you can hear the distant screams.

Ow! People just were flashing out as the flames and blaster catching up behind the tunnel. What are you doing? No! You have a plan? Because I have one thing I can do, but I'm just faster. It went up, it went up! The flames and blaster catching up behind the tunnel. What are you doing? No! You have a plan? Because I have one thing I can do, but I'm just fast.

I'm very fast right now. Incineration screens? And I'm going to... I'm going to give you a boon, a bonded blessing, so you get a d6 on some roll that's coming up. All right. Let's go faster. I'm also going to activate the Shard of Timur,

because fuck it, we're at that point. Yeah. So I'm super fucking fast, and I'm burning through all my shit, and I'm going to try and get into the rock. I'm starting to shark my way through the rock. Okay, so you begin to move into it, carrying FCG on the outside of the rock as you do.

The flames are now catching up as the explosion is tearing through this tunnel behind. As you pass by the barracks, and you see, as people are emerging, to look and see what's happening, and the look of fear and horror in their expression in the moment that they realize that this is the last moment of their life.

Oh, jeez. Got anything? Stone shape. Were you okay? Not yet. I don't have shields or anything. You teleport anything. I can teleport 30 feet.

Can you banish? I can banish again. Yeah, but then you're stuck in that one spot. If that's everything. For a minute. Hold on. And then reemerge, buried. Yeah, yeah, buried. Three-quarters covered in the mist. He takes your chance.

Ira! So, sorry, we are in a rock tunnel now that you made? You're in the walls. No, he's in the wall. You're being dragged on the outside of the wall. I can't put you in the wall. Still inside the tunnel. So you're still inside the cavern. But it moves real fast. The landscape behind you is brightening,

and you can see you're moments away from being hit by the blast. I don't know what to do. I don't either. I'm going to move you real fast. I don't have a traveling shield spell that I can throw up. We need to teleport. We do not need a shield.

Can you get in the hole? Do you have the staff? What hole? Yeah, but you'd have to lay it out. There's not enough time. Actually, I'm really fucking fast. Well, no, that's, oh shit. Hold on.

You don't have the teleport staff, right? I used four of the charges already to open a pass wall. Shit. Can you open a pass wall again? I, yes, but to where? Into the rock? So you're there while explosions go? You might get buried.

You might get buried. Oh, oh. Is there anything flat anywhere around us? I mean, yeah, the floor is smooth stone. Can I use some of my fucking crazy-ass speed, some of the speed to flash, unroll the fucking hole, throw him in, and just drag it with me? Or is that insane?

Drag the hole behind you? I'll tell you what. Put him in the hole and then pick it up. I'll tell you what. Unroll, throw him in, roll it out. I need you to roll, if you want to do this, I need you to make a dexterity check for me. Oh, this is going to be all of them.

Oh, you know what? I have one thing I can do. Maybe you should to roll, if you want to do this, I need you to make a dexterity check for me. Oh, this is going to be all of the 20. I have one thing I can do. Maybe you should. No, no, no. Divine intervention. Try it! Try it! Do it first!

Otherwise he's rolling to throw you in a hole as he's going 180 miles an hour. I will reach out to the change bringer. Is this a d100? It's a d100. You need to roll under your level. Come on, change bringer. Is this a d100? It's a d100. You got to roll under your level. Come on, change bringer. Which is a 12.

Come on, change bringer. Change bringer. Come on, the Grudge. I believe. This could be so cool. Please fucking work. Please fucking work. Please change bringer.

52. Here beyond the boundaries, placed by divinity, the change bringer tries, she might, to come to your aid, doesn't hear your call in these flashing moments of absolute disaster. As you cling onto your coin, time seeming to slow in the moments. Ashton, what are you doing?

I was going to start going through that because that apparently... I need you to roll a dexterity check. It's going to be just a dexterity check. Oh shit. Do I? Can I sense? But he gave you a six. He gave you an extra two.

I'm going hard. All right, so what do we get? You're up on the surface, Fearne. Yeah, you're safe. You're nowhere near. Okay, dex check. You can talk to them mentally. So to put this in context here. That's it?

The blast is going to hit you. The strength of the roll is going to determine how much damage you both take. Oh my god. I love it. Wow. Bring it. All right. I love it.

Here we go. Come on, don't fuck around. All right, all right. All right. You threw an anchor on the table. Yes, I did. 20. 20, okay. an anchor on the table. Yes, I did. 20. 20, okay. So that halves the damage.

All right. That's great, we're fine. So before the flames get to you, you can just begin to see the exit portion of this carved mineshaft entrance beginning to come into view as it brightens up behind. But before the heat even gets to you, the blast comes, and view as it brightens up behind. But before the heat even gets to you, the blast comes and right as it impacts, you're thrown down into a hole

as Ashton also tries to pull into the side and you both, you both take half the impact of it before it blows you both out of the cavern. So the hole protects you for a second, but then it also carries you out of the hole. I need you to make a strength check to see if you can hold onto that hole and carry it with you. Strength check. We're losing forever, aren't we?

Strength check. There's a lot of stuff in that hole. That's okay. Shit's happening. It would stay where it's unfurled unless he pulls it. You can leave it if you want to. I'll also say I have a... I don't know if it helps that I cannot be knocked prone or otherwise right now. I know it's crazy or if that helps anything. I'm going to say it doesn't knock you prone, but you can still be pushed and you can still be blown away.

Okay, yes. It's a plus six? I mean, no, I'm so sorry. It's a strength check. Yes. It's a strength check. You're raging, aren't you? I am raging. Isn't that an advantage on strength? It is. It is an advantage on strength.

I'm also, since I'm Mort, my strength is much higher. You got it. Let's see what happens. You got a d6. Come on, motherfucker. I'm going to use the d6. That's not bad.

That could be worse. 16. That's not bad, It could be worse. 16. That's not bad, that could be worse. 16, you... I'll say that you just barely hold onto it. Oh. Like, 15, 16 was kind of the limit where I was setting it. I suppose as fuck.

16, I think you barely keep onto it, but you lose some of the contents of the interior as you pull it free from the blast that knocks you both out. That's fine. None of our dead bodies. We'll get to figure out what else it is. However, you both take half damage. Let me roll ahead and roll that. Woof!

That's a really shitty roll, but that's only part of it. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. Is it? That's a lot of damage. Shitty roll, shitty roll. It's even more. That's so many dice that he's rolling. This is dice damage. It's a nuclear explosion.

Those are some big bombs. Some MOABs in there. He's still rolling! Why did he put five down? One would have done the whole thing. Oh well, it's because we're about to find out why. He's going to take the whole city. No fucking wonder the other six people he took with him last time fucking died.

Jeez Louise. I have a weird feeling. That is so many! Hold on! I'm going to do math. I'm doing math, I'm doing math. I'm at half damage. Half of 2,000. Oh my god.

He's laughing. Yeah. This is more than the keyless points. He's laughing? Yeah. This is more than the keyless push. This is 158 force damage. Halved. Which is then, hold on. 178 halved is 79, which I also halved because it's force damage, correct?

It is force damage, which is not halved. You're fine. 79 damage. Both of you take 79 points of force damage, and you are both cannoned. Oh, which does not get halved. Okay. You're fine. 79 damage. Both of you take 79 points of force damage and you are both like, cannoned. Yeah, potato. Out of his head, like full on, like, thrown at a massive arc, along with bits and pieces of other Ryloran soldiers.

That's just a blast, you got to land next. Oh boy. Like full on skip on the ground. Ball with the balls and balls and balls! Yeah! Holy shit. You can hear, I'm just, we're in the air! Yelling. 25 points of bludgeoning damage to each of you.

Oh shit. Have to. Oh shit. Have to. What did you just say? 25 points of bludgeoning. That's about it. As you both. 104. That's 13 points of damage to me? Yes. All right.

Are you all right? I'm good. No, you're not. Two points. No, we're good, we're good, we're good. Two points. The rest of the sound rocks the interior.

And as the sound itself is deafening, both of you, your vision, your hearing is shot for the moment. You are both officially dazed, stunned for a short time, while Fearne, you hear it coming and try to protect yourself best you can. When the blast comes through again, the whole ground shifts, but you're still on the force wall, and you watch rock just up around you, the wall catching it. This series of explosions coming after each other are causing different detonations, and that force wall is the only thing

that's keeping you from being pulled back under or being blown by the shrapnel that's now flying by the force wall in different directions. You're just surfing over chaos right now. What, are you still there? Ash? It hurts, but yes. MCG? Sort of. You hear a fucking scream.

The screech comes through the sky. Oh, here comes the blow dragon! You hear all manner of beasts barking and cawing and screaming at the sounds, but that one familiar shriek that you once heard through the skies of the Fey Realm as you attempted to escape after the first Malleus Key interaction,

you know that Glomglut is awakened and unhappy. We're going to come back to you guys. Oh, so as you're in this room, looking at all these things, looking at the chamber, noticing that your target is within this massive case, you hear them say, it's going to blow in a minute, and you look at each other curiously, trying to figure out what to do. What do you do?

Can we get in close? Because I imagine if it happens, they're going to exit the room, right? Right, there's no other exits out of this third chamber. Only way out is the way we came in. So as you come in, on the right-hand side, there is another archway that leads to a different direction. Different entirely. Yeah.

Can I go over to that archway and just look and see does the archway lead to stairs or another room beyond? This one looks like it leads up. Are we in danger where we are? We don't know. You in danger, girl. Yeah.

I would have seen so, but... We got to get this person out of the tube, right? I thought that that was going to be a distraction so that we could get him out of the tube. We're going to find out. I'm going to go over. Shh! The whole room suddenly quakes, and you hear the blast explosion echo through the chamber,

bouncing off all the stone walls of the massive cavern beneath here. It sounds like an earthquake. The whole room shifts for a second, and you see dust and rock fall. Everyone in the room grabs it. Glass instruments fall over and shatter in places. The various scientists and engineers get up

and look around, some of them get under the table. The Ryloran mystic on the far end looks around and shifts to look in the direction of the stairs that lead up. Did the vat break in all of that action? Or is it still just? It is cracked. Okay.

I'm going to run at it and... Can I also run up the stairs? And from the stairwell, can I shout down, It's not greater invisibility. Everyone evacuate now! An invisible voice just shouts down the stairs to that room. Sure, make a deception check. Come on, come on.

It is not a terribly high DC in this moment. Everyone evacuate now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 21. Yes! 21. Both of the current engineers that are hiding look out and hear that and grab their shit, grab their notes, and quickly start running up the stairs past them. The mystic lets them go by and is like,

it looks like it's far more intelligent than some of the other entities here and is trying to sense what's happening. Did that clear out the room except for the mystic? It cleared out the room except for the mystic and the one that's carrying the three blades, the shrike, which is currently going to the other side and is helping check in on the other two engineers.

And it's three chambers connected by arches? Correct. And they've gone into the other? If it helps, I can give you a visual. Yeah! This visual is brought to you by WizKids Minis. Now you can have your own brumestone-embedded hovering horror. The Shademother is sure to turn a few stomachs,

and the box mini is available for pre-order. Check it out at wizkids.io slash in. Shade of Isles! This is now open there. And the cage is where, no, where is? So this is where, there's some of the other vials along the way. This is the main vial you saw on the left, the large one.

This is where she is, and this is where the Ruidus structure is. So we have the Shrike is currently over here. We came in from that way, right? We came in from this way, and that's the other exit. The Shrike is currently over here. We came in from that way, right? We came in from this way, and that's the other exit. The mystic is in the middle of the chamber here. We have the two other Ryloran researchers

that are currently checking in with this fellow here. The others have scattered out that direction. You are all currently invisible, clustered over here. Except for me, I was in the stairwell. Oh right, yeah, you're up here. In the werewolf form, I'll give you this guy. Oh yeah, werewolf form, thank you.

So they've all been distracted that way. Chet's up here. We're heading out this way, we hope. Correct. Who all looks like they're staying around versus who's leaving? I mean, this one is the only one that's still staying around, and it looks like it's...

It looks like it does not want to leave the important things that are in this chamber unwatched. This is an attack. It's just a thing. Unsettling presence. Okay, unsettling presence. It should make me go un-visible. It doesn't. Okay.

So as you emanate this dark atmosphere around you, you watch as the mystic, like... Gives that sick vibe of like, I should leave, actually. Well, it definitely is unsettled. It would take more actions to try and force it to leave, if you want to be creative about it. Technically has a disadvantage.

On the next saving throw. On its next saving throw. Correct. Orym is going to stealth tiptoe over to here to be about 10 feet away from the mystic behind it. I want you to roll a stealth check for me. At advantage, because invisible, right? Indeed.

Natural 20. Yes! Without issue, you peer behind it at the ready. I know, I know, I ready, blade out, and we're all mentally connected, and I'm just waiting, if I have to, go to town. You got it. Okay, okay, okay, hold on, hold on, hold on. Hold on, hold on.

That would only be like 10 seconds. Are we going to try to attack this mystic and then get out? I could try to take them down in one go if you guys give me the go-ahead. What if I... Both of these have now left. Okay.

What's with the shrike? The shrike is returning into the chamber. Yeah, don't worry. I have a thing that's a saving throw against it, so what if I hit it and then you, what if we say now, and then we release at the same time? Yes. Do it.

Okay. Is the shrike leaving? I'm going to back up against the wall, so anything that is coming through any of the other doors, the shrike is. If the shrike came back in, can I also creep back in? Sure. The shrike came back in. Does the shrike look like it's gathering the mystic to leave, Oh, the Shrike is. And if the Shrike came back in, can I also creep back in? Sure. Oh, the Shrike came back in. Does the Shrike look like it's gathering the mystic to leave, or is the Shrike like?

It looks like it's stepping in. They're both looking at each other and having a conversation quietly. Worry about the mystic. I got the Shrike. Okay. So you move up against the wall back this way? Yeah, it doesn't super matter. Okay, and I'm going to say to Orym.

Huh? What do you want to be? Technically, I still have Spider Climb up, so I'll get up and skitter into the ceiling. You got it. You're going to Ring Girl all the way? I'm going to Ring Girl. Yeah, no. I got you.

Okay. Make a stealth check for me, please. Yes, sir. I'm going to say to Orym, now. And so he attacks at the same time I do this. 26. Okay. Also unnoticed. Amongst all the chaos, they have very little perception to pick up anything that's immediately in their vicinity when they're worried about the great expanse

around them. It looks like they're both calming, except for the echoing explosion. It looks like there's not a follow-up at the moment. They're both having that conversation. The moment that they're distracted with each other and in each other's mind, you call now. So who all's going and what are you doing? I am releasing a 6th-level psychic lance at the mystic. Okay.

Shit just about so pear-shaped. Mm-hmm. Let's get over this one. It's sedative. There it is. Got it, great. All righty, so it's an intelligence saving throw? But at disadvantage, because?

Because of me. Indeed. Which is good, because the first roll was a natural 20. No. I'm not even joking. Fuck. That's going to be 14. All right. Yes! Unsettling presence for the win on that one.

So it's incapacitated, and that is 9d6 damage. Ooh! One, two, three, four, five. Get it, get it, get it. Six. Seven. This is funny. This is its incapacitation at the moment. Five, six, seven. This is its incapacitation at the moment.

Okay, seven. Are you kidding me? 12, 17, 21, 24, plus... Five, so 20. 29? Yeah. 29 points of psychic damage to it. It's like, immediately as the lance strikes into its brain,

you watch its eyes go wide and psychic energies flare out of it with that purplish glow from the bolts that streak up your arms. It was floating, and then it falls to its feet and to its knees, and it looks like it's clutching the sides of its head for the time being. What are you doing? His arm's already running, and his eyes go a deep green, and all three of you see little black blooms start to grow up around this thing's neck and head. That's the first visual, definite visual

for other people besides me. Hex, and I'm going to make a tripping attack. Go for it. It's incapacitated, so what does that mean? Capacitate means it doesn't have any actions or reaction. Great. That is a 26 to hit. Oh, that definitely hits. Okay.

Four is nine plus six is 11. And it's a tripping attack, 11, so it's another... I'm rolling mine. That's 21 points of damage, and it has to make a strength save against... Oh no, it fails. Okay, so it's on the ground. It's on the ground. It is now prone. Now attacks are at advantage, correct?

Yes, they are. Okay, here we go. 18 to hit. Hits or? Oh yeah. Okay. Actually, 18 to hit? No, 18 just misses. Just misses, okay.

Even with advantage, yeah. Okay. Just misses. Second attack is a 27 to hit. That hits. Hexed is nine, so 15. I'm going to make it a, I'm just going to dump a superior to die in it anyway,

so that's 15 plus, that's 18 total. All righty. That was three. Yep. Action surge. You got it. Come on. Natural 20. Yo! Let's go, let's go! How much damage is that?

Huh? How much damage is that? I didn't get there yet. On the last one? On the natural 20. I haven't rolled it yet. I didn't do the damage yet On the last one? On the natural 20. I haven't rolled it yet. I didn't do the damage yet. Okay, go for it. 34, 24, 7, 14 to 28 plus six is 34.

Can you add a spear? Yes! So Orym comes running up, flowers blooming on this thing. He cuts it in the leg and it falls down to one knee. He goes back to slash it in the neck, but it falls down to the ground and he course corrects and jams it into the back of its neck, slices away and viscera spatters the glass next to me.

And then I change my grip. I let go of the sword and grab it and then go into this being's gut. I lift up, up, up, up, up, and drop it into the table. Yes! And right as it falls, I'm across the room and I am looking straight at Orym in his face as he's doing all of that.

He meets your gaze and bolts. Five, 10, 15, 20, and begins to attack the shrike. Whoa! Which he can do, yeah. He has the movement to do that. With your action surge, yeah. Yep. 27 to hit.

That hits. Nope. Fuck. Oh, and I can't move the hex yet, right? No. No. So that is, so I should roll that again. I should, okay, so it's a single d6, two plus six is eight. Let's dump a superiority die. Let's try tripping attack. Let's try a tripping attack.

I like it. So 12 total. It has to beat the 17 strength. 17 strength. Four, no. Four down to the ground. That's right. That's my bet.

That's almost a natural 20. 19 to hit. All right, it's the last attack, right? Yes. 19 does not hit. Oh, and it slashes along the ground. As you slash against it, as it falls to its side after the first hit, you see it flicker its hand up and the three blades that hang in its side

suddenly lift off of its waist and spin and deflect your blade out of the way. And while it's on the ground, like trying to crawl away from you, it's cyclically surrounding itself with three glass blades that are just kind of. I scream in my mind, somebody get this one! I'm going to hit it with a bane to set up Chet.

All righty. Saving throw on this one is, that's going to be a natural 18. With plus... Charisma throw? Charisma? Just 18. Son of a bitch! But he is on the ground.

All right. Chet! It's hot. I will reach out and I will use Blood Curse of Binding, which makes his speed 0, and he can't take any reactions with my bonus action. Okay. Is there a save on that one? It is... Get the fuck out of here. What is this capture a quick note shit for? Yes, it is... Where is it? Constitution. Get the fuck out of here. What is this capture a quick note shit for? Yes, it is... Where is it?

Constitution. There we go. Oh, strength saving throw, DC 15. DC 15. No, does not make that. Yes. Amazing. So speed is zero, can't take any reactions. It starts to crawl away,

and all of a sudden, as it reaches its hand out, you watch the shadows from the ground pull it down, and it's being held to the ground by its own weird shadow and the blood that's ground pull it down. It's being held to the ground by its own weird shadow and the blood that's pouring out of it. Seems to be sticking into the stone. From behind me, I'll pull out that new scythe with the blue glass on it. Now that he's prone, these attacks will have advantage, right? Yes.

I'll take two swings. Do you want to dart up onto this structure here, or do you want to go around here, if you want? Well, I can't see any structures. You're not quite melee there. There is a little brazier-type structure here. I don't want to stand on the brazier! I'll go around. Okay.

You know what? I'm going to stand on the brazier. People are getting blown up around here. Heavy metal. I'm sure it's terrible. It's going to destroy. All right, go for it. That is a... That's a 22 to hit for the first one. Okay. And the second one. 22 just hits.

Just hits. Oh god. Whoa. 15 plus 11, 26. 26 hits, yeah. Amazing, 26 plus seven. Shush. Yeah. 17 plus two is 19 for the first one.

Oh god. Because it does an extra two to hit and two to damage on. Yeah. Creatures for the second ability, yeah. And 17 points of damage on the second one. You got it. More blood streaks across the back

as it's trying to move and it can't. Okay, that finishes the surprise round. Everyone now roll initiative. Yes. What a fucking surprise round. Yeah, that's what we were talking about. That was a great surprise round. Holy fuck, y'all.

All righty. 25 to 20? 20, 18 plus three. 21. What's your dex? 21 for me, too. Plus three. What's your statistic?

16. You have the same. Rollies! Let's go. Yeah, rollies are the DM! Natural 17. Oh, wow. So wait, he's going first? Going first, then Imogen.

20 to 15? 21. 19. Oh, sorry, 21. All right, so we have Chet. Imogen, Chet, and Orym. All right. Hey, y'all, we're doing all right! 14 with 11. All right. That was some impressive team work.

And then what'd you roll? 19. So its speed is zero, and it's like on the ground, which means it can't get up. It has to remain prone. Yeah. That's good. It is going to, as a bonus action, it's going to go ahead and shift its teleconnected blades. Over here.

Whoa. Three of them? Oh no, he's going to try to wake up that thingy. Yep. Release Kong. He's going to try to wake up the bad guy in the tooth. Dr. Connors. And it's going to try to wake up the bad guy in the tooth. Dr. Connors. Just lie on it. And it's going to use its action

to make an attack with each of them against it. Oh no. 25 hits. That's cocked paper. 28 hits. And 29 hits. Wow, he rolled really, really high on all those. That's going to be 2d10 damage each hit. First one's going to be 9, 19, 13.

What? This is great. I'm having a fucking ball. It's going sideways. The blade's all freaking spitting in the air as they go over. He's reaching out and controlling them. The blades. The glass cracks, cracks, shatters. The liquid, the thick, green, brackish liquid just spills out into the ground. Chunks and shards of glass just spread out with it. I'm glad I'm on the razor now. You watch this large shape onto the ground with a heavy, thick thud and slide.

That's un... You can see immediately what looks like a thick carapace of some kind on the ground. That then begins to unfurl as the... No! No. Uh-uh. Uh-uh. Is this a thingy? It can't get up right there. There are... No. No. Is this a thingy?

It can't get up right there. There are a bunch of blades. It can't stand up. Oh, what is that? What is that? You can't put that there! That is so much bigger than I thought it was! It has a tube?

There's a bunch of crazy shit. As the adolescent and unfinished Vidalch is released from its chamber. That's a Vidalch!. The adolescent and unfinished Vidalch is released from its chamber. That's a Vidalch! Adolescent Vidalch. I have a CD from that. You saw some of them. That's an adolescent! It's got a flutter's permit.

It's going to roll its initiative order now. Dolce! Which is at the bottom. All right. It rolled a two. Still a plus six at the end, but yeah, it's... Plus four, sorry. All right, so that brings us,

that finishes the Blade Baron's turn. Imogen, you're up, Chetney, you're on deck. Uh-huh. Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. Got that, Jep. Let's go, casters. Let's go, casters!

I'm sorry. I just had to check out that one thing and see what I was doing. One moment, please. I know. We're at're thinking. We're thinking. No, I don't like that. Okay. One, sorry, one more second. I just have to read this out. Do you want Chet to go and we come back to you? No, I don't! You know it's rough when Matt's getting passive aggressive.

I know, I'm sorry, Matthew. No, maybe it's impressive. I'm like, look at me, he's next to the initiative board. Chet, it just scared me. It's all good, I'm sorry, Matthew. No, maybe it's impressive. I'm like, look at me, he's next to the initiative order. Shit, it just scared me. It's all good. I'm not trying to pressure you. I'm trying to give you more time if you wanted it. No, okay. Everybody else says that.

What you got? I'm going to, I'm going to... I am going to? Hold on, no. Okay. It's a 20-foot radius. Going to Clench. It's a 28-foot radius. Chetney, you're up. So I'm going to aim it.

I'm going to come out so I can see what I'm doing. Okay. You hear the shattering sound and you come out of the corner and go, Oh god! Oh god! Can I do a 20-foot radius that gets the thingy and the shrike without getting Chet? From there, you can certainly, yeah, you can do that. Okay.

God, I forget how big a 20-foot radius is. Okay. It's a big old. I've never cast this before, and my hair's just going to go like flare out, and it's going to look like slow motion for a second. As I force my hands forward, and I'm going to cast Synaptic Static.

Ooh, okay. What is that? 20-foot radius. Has he done that before? No. Each creature in this sphere must make an intelligent saving throw. Does it remain or is it just an instant? Instantaneous. Okay, so it's both of them. Instantaneous.

All right, intelligent saving throw? Yes. Blade Baron fails. Great. Un All right. Intelligence saving throw? Yes. Blade Baron fails. Great. Unfinished Vidalge fails as well. Great. Yeah, yeah, yeah. With all of its modifiers in, it rolled a two. Great. Each of them take 8d6 psychic damage.

Yep. Oh boy. Oh boy. Four, one, two, three, four. Why did I roll like shit? Okay, 10, 20, 25 points. Above average. 25 points of psychic damage.

Okay. And for a minute, they both have muddled thoughts. During that time, it rolls a d6 and subtracts the number rolled from all attack rolls and ability checks. Oh shit! That's cool. As well as its constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on anything.

Whoa! That's rad. That's fucking sick. And it has to make an intelligence saving throw at the end of each turn. You try and shake it? Yes. You got it. Okay. As the. So describe how this static looks like as it bursts and emerges. It bursts. It goes out in a shock of pink lightning and then comes down to a small little

sphere and then bursts out again. As it tears past them, you watch the blade baron, who's starting to try and get its... Oh, does it get to try and save against? Did you just do it for the one round on the binding? Yeah, it's just one round. Okay, cool. Got you. So he's just starting to get up before it hits and it falls to the ground, clutching the sides of its head, rolling on the ground. The creature is starting to get up its claws and you blast it. You see now as it pulls back, you get a little better look at its body. It has these massive front mantis-like

blades that come out. It has half dozen to a dozen of smaller blade-like legs that it curls on, that all around, its jaws open wide. You can see that long crest where the Vidalge skull that you once saw now is a smaller version of it here. The ones that you saw out in the middle of the beast pits, who are even larger than this one and being readied as war and siege beasts, this one is now starting to, if anything, you heard it and it's waking up. But it's still muddled.

It's pretty good. It's pretty good. It's my world, it's my world. Y'all got to get the Cronenberg out of there. All right, Chetney. Minus d6 on all its attacks and saving points. You're up with Orem on deck. Sick him, Dad. I will leap off of my brazier, wall, perch, whatever.

Meow! And I will, actually, I'll use my bonus action from here to cast a Blood Curse of Bloated Agony on this thing that just fell out of this fucking jar. I'm going to use my bonus action to regain a spell with my sorcery points. Okay, go for it. There is no save on it. For the duration, the creature has disadvantage

on strength and dex checks. It takes 1d8 necrotic damage, so it makes more than one attack on its turn. I will come up with the scythe and take two more swings, both at advantage because it's prone still. Both of them are prone, yeah. On which one, the Ley Baron?

The big creature, natural 20 on the first. Yeah! Yeah! Hey! All those dexed 20. Second one is an 18, which with this scythe is also a crit on a... All right! All those dashed. The second one is an 18, which with this scythe is also a crit on a...

So those are two crits. Two crits in a row! Come on! Boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop! Get a chance! Well, actually, here's the roll of first crit. Scythe might shatter. Yeah.

Oh, that's right, I got to roll, that's right. Roll of first crit damage. It would still deliver the pain, right? 16, 17. So 17 doubled is 34? Well, you double it and then add your modifier. Oh, sorry, yeah. So it would be... Jesus, let me start over again. 7 plus 2. Right, so 9, 18, plus 7, 26. Yeah, 25.

25, sorry. Another 25 points of damage on him. Now go ahead and roll a d10 for me. Or sorry, d20. Is it a d20 and then on a one through what it shatters? One through six, I believe. 18. 18, so the first strike goes through.

As you go to swing, you feel the blade almost vibrate and resonate with the psychic energy that's all around this space, especially as the whole city itself lights up and you're this close to the central glass pillar. It just brightens as you carve through one section of its armor, spin it around, and it's weightless in your grasp. You go for the second strike. Go ahead and roll damage on the second crit. Good lord almighty. Okay. This is also a crit. 17, 9, 18, plus 7. Same thing, 25. 25.

It's the exact same number. And then I got to roll another. Yep, another d20. One, two, six. It's a four! Oh! No! So as you swing back with the second strike, describe to me how it shatters.

No! Wait, wait, wait! Can I silvery barb that? Would you? I don't know. Don't, don't do it. Say it. No? Okay. That's super temporary.

I hit it once, it makes amazing purchases. I slice down the second time, the amazing horror makes it shiver, and I just shank it off of a rib, and it's like. It just echoes and shadows everywhere. Hell yeah. Uh.

Uh! All right, that finishes your go, Chetney. And I will use the rest of my movement, actually, considering he's still prone. Five, 10, I'll. I'm going to put myself on the other side of the scarab guy. Over here?

Actually, more towards Orym. Okay, over here, you mean? Yeah, like right. I'm going to go right. Got it, yeah. They all failed. You got it. All right. So yeah, you didn't leave the scarab.

Even though it's prone, it can still make an attack of opportunity, but it has a 10-foot reach on those blades. I was asking, are attacks of opportunity out because of the mind fuckery? Laura, doesn't prevent reactions. She gets a minus d6 to all the attacks. Gotcha, okay.

Yeah, it's not incapacitating. Orym, you're up. Okay, that's a lot of non-deaths. Little Orym crouches down and then leaps, leaving dark little petals skittering behind him and lands on the shrike. Still prone, so we've got a 27 to hit. That'll be... Oh, bonus action, hex on him. Okay, so you move that over?

Mm-hmm. You got it. Four, so that's 10 damage. Second attack, I'm going to re-roll my natural one for a 29 to hit. These are sneak attacks. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. Nine to the guy on the ground, the scarob, and four sneak attack damage to the creature that came out of the tube. I never remember sneak attack. That's okay. All right, Worm? I never remember sneaking it. That's okay.

All right, Orym. 15 damage on the second. That's a 29 to hit. All right, 15. And I will reroll to one just to see if I get a 20. I know I've hit. I didn't. That's a 29 to hit.

Six, seven, that is 13 damage on the final. 13 damage on the blade baron. How do you want to do that? Do the claw on the queen of proof! So I just land on his chest and go right into the chest, and he struggles against it, so I pull the sword out and bring it down against his neck and then slash one way, and his head just goes

to the side, and then I bring the sword, back it down, and stick it lands right in the eye, planted into the ground. Right as you finish that, you hear as the three psychic blades that were being held aloft all just plummet to the ground. Yeah. Fucking awesome. I stand and fling the blood off of the blade, and boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. He's a big guy.

He is a big guy. In all the chaos, is there anyone out there? Do we know? You don't know. I have no idea. We got to get this thing out and let him through the stairs of the way. Yeah.

He might not be able to follow us if he's big enough. I can try and hold if you guys will grab him. I could also command him to stay. You also still have a cracked target. Yeah, we got to get that out. Yeah, that's what I mean. We got to grab him.

Before she turns into one of those things. Ah! Okay. For now, I'm just going to move and I'm going to stand in front of Imogen. You got it. And that's the end. Okay. Finishing your go, that brings us to Laudna.

Yeah, that's an interesting point. Does this thing look big enough to where if we move through any of these tunnels, it will be able to follow us? I feel like the minis are more of an option. These doorways, as opposed to the tiny staircase we went to, are meant to house hulks. Sure, they got to get it out of here eventually.

This creature does have a segmented body where it looks like it could likely travel. Okay, that's fine. That's all I need to know. I am on the ceiling. I'm going to as I skitter across. Oh god. Can this thing be afeard of me?

Afeard? Anything can be afeard of you. I'm getting my brows. I'm just running around here to do damage. Except for things that you need to fear. I know. Let's just go for damage. I'm going to skitter.

Tickety-tickety-tick. All right, same place, or are you moving over where? I'll move just a tidbit closer to it, but not much. That's good. Utilizing the blood and the blood maledict that Chet already laid out, I'm going to reach out. You can see my eyes go dark as the blood veins through the floor and reaches up. I'm going to cast Blight on it. Yes! Aw, nice. That's a constitution saving throw, which it has minus d6 on it, because of the static. Blight.

The total is two, but I rolled a two, minus two, and then plus two, plus two. Incredible, that's Bane, that is not Blight. I hit the wrong thing. There we go. So 8d8. 8d8. Make a lot of damage to it. Let's go, let's do this. Let's go, ba-ball, and da-ba-ball.

Two things, one, two, three, four, five. It's so satisfying. Six, seven. Make sure face cavities. And da-ba-ball. And da-ba-ball. And da-ba-ball. And da-ba-ball.

Just roll one twice. Don't roll one twice. Let's go higher than 32, come on. Fuck, I see you know how this is fun. Big numbers, big numbers, above average. Big money, big money, big money, big money.. Let's go higher than 32, come on. Big numbers, big numbers, above average. Big money, big money, big money, big money. No whammies. Over 32, come on.

It's fair, okay. 10, 17, 17, shit, 19, 23. Plus. Roll one more. Shake it up good. 23, 23. Plus you roll one more. Shake it up good. 23, 25.

20, you guys did 25 damage, 25 damage, 25 damage. Yeah, you're right! That's kind of awesome. I will awaken a spell. Okay. To Eldritch Blaze. That's what the warlock does with the swords, sir. That's what we do here.

Okay. Now, it's prone on the ground, so you have disadvantage in these attacks. That is correct. Which means the way I've been rolling, which is bad. That's not going to, well, I don't know, maybe, shit. It's big don't know, maybe. Shit.

It's big. 14. Misses. That one's big. That one was almost a lot better than what it was. 19? 19 just hits. Okay. Just hits. Okay.

Just hits. Just hits. Oh my god. Why? Why am I here today? Why did I show up? I knew I should have come this way. We're going! No.

Six. Six damage? I rolled a one. That was the hit, or that was damage? Damage. Oh, got you. So six, all right. Howdy-dur-dur-dur-dur. All righty. Howdy-dur-dur-dur-dur-dur. All right, so that was two attacks?

Yeah. Don't you have a third for Eldritch Blast at this level? Oh, you do. Yes. I knew that. I was just about to do it. I was just testing you. I know, it's fresher at 12.

That's much better. That hits, that's a 28. That definitely hits. Go ahead and roll damage. Come on, let me do anything better than what I've been doing. Yes. Okay. 10 damage? 10 damage, all righty. All right, does that finish your turn?

Yeah. It is now the Unfinished Fidulch's turn. It gets up. Unfinished Fidulch. Oh god. They're never really finished. They're just abandoned. It gets back up on its feet. You see as it stands up, it gets to its strength point and some of its armor falls off. And you see parts of it are still melting.

It looks like it, best way I can describe it, it wasn't fully finished being cooked. And you see as it starts rushing towards you, it has an odd, both days from your spell, but also it looks extremely dangerous, but is also degenerating quickly. Okay, that's good. It's going to dart off to the side

and leap over you, Chet. And go for Laudna? It's going to land where Laudna is. I'm going to move you here, just to reference. It's going to in the middle of all of you. He's going to open the... Oh no.

It's going to fart all of you. He's going to open the... Oh no. It's going to fart on all of us. Is going to multi-attack. It's going to make five scythe claw. Oh! Oh no, actually, I can choose either of these two. It's going to make two mandible attacks and three scythe claw attacks. Would you like fries with that?

I would, actually, yeah. We're going to go with the scythe claws first. So three of those. I'm going to do one against each of you, because now it's going berserk. actually, yeah. We're going to go with the scythe of claws first. That's a three of those. I'm going to do one against each of you, because now it's going berserk. Yeah, yeah. So against you, Chetney. Oh, that rolled off the table.

That's going to be, ooh! With a negative six, with a d6? Oh yeah, negative d6. With a d6, whichever rolled a six, that brings it to 23. Holy shit, yes, then. I rolled a natural 18 on that attack. Oh my god.

That's a big board. So you get hit with the first scythe attack, which deals 22 points of slashing damage. It doesn't half. Reduced to 11. Thank you. Against you and Joram. That's a big swing, y'all. Natural 17.

Misses riposte. Hold on, no, natural 17. Oh. Plus his bonus. And it rolled at minus four, so we'll put. Hold on, natural 17. Oh. Plus his bonus. And it rolled at minus four, so we'll put it to 27, minus four, 23. Oh, well that certainly hits. Okay.

It rolled really good on these two attacks. Yeah, this is good. Not great on the damage. Take nine points of slashing damage. Yes, sir. Then against you, rolled really shitty. That's going to be a 14 minus two to 12. Yay! Which misses you. Rolled really shitty. That's going to be a 14, minus two to 12.

Yay! Which misses you. Angrily, it's going to follow it up with a razor mandible against you. Angrily? Yep. That's going to be a 14, minus five. It's because the first two were so nasty. Yeah, that spell has saved your ass. Don't roll 29. It's covered in goo. It can't.

It's going to use ahead and use its last mandible attack on you, Orym. Well, it's held a lot of attacks. It does. Five. So that's going to be 24 minus two, 22. That does hit. That's hit. Orym, you take 19 points of slashing damage.

Oh, this would be piercing damage, actually. And then, because it's mandible. No, wait. Take that back. I rolled the wrong dice for that one. I was rolling the dice for the other attack. This one would be 12 points of slashing damage and seven points of acid damage from its mandibles that bite into you. Then it finishes its turn by using Corroding Spit. Corroding Spit! Corroding Spit? Corroding Spit! Corroding Spit? Yep, Acid Spit. That's gross.

Oh, Dexamyl. They didn't put any fluoride in the tube. Sprays, both of you, I need you to both make dexterity saving throws for me, please. It thinks I'm its mummy. It's raining. Manilow. It's the main character.

It's raining. Barry Manilow. 16. Both of you got 16. You both succeed, so you only take half damage, so eight points of acid damage to each of you. Okay. That finishes its turn. At the end of its turn, you see part of it fall off. It loses an attack, it loses some of its AC, and its speed is reduced. Each turn, it gets worse and worse. Great, so we can outrun it. Is that because of your spell? It just wasn't done. It's just falling apart once it's out of the chamber.

Dang. All right, top of the round. Imogen, you're up with Chet Yandak. You got to get that thing. Get that girl out of the cage. I want to hold your memory. Was she also in the cage that had a glass thing? She was, yeah. Oh yeah, okay. She was held aloft and liquid.

Okay. Do the boons ever exist anymore? Nope. Just, oh god. Sam is only taking a pinch this time. Which, by the way, you glance over and you can see that Gona is currently holding onto the side and is slamming the glass.

Oh, she's awake! The small cyta. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Going in, yeah, going in. It's not doing anything, but she's trying desperately to break the glass to get to her. Imogen, what do you got?

She's a man. I'm going to, I'm just going to stick with what I know, and I'm going to reach up and try to lightning bolt straight through its body. Okay, yeah, you go ahead and arc down. Feel the presence. It's interesting. As you begin to cast your spell, you start noticing now, whenever you unleash one of these spells, all the different chunks and pieces of glass within this laboratory all light up in unison as you release this spell.

When Imogen does it, yeah. It's all resonant to the psychic magic around you. This is a fourth-level lightning bolt. Fourth-level lightning bolt. It's a dexter to the psychic magic around you. This is a 4th-level lightning bolt. 4th-level lightning bolt. It's a dexterity saving throw for it. It has a really nice dex saving throw bonus, but rolled a natural one. Oh, great. So definite fail. That's 9d6.

This is the other side of my good rolls. They're finally coming back to haunt me. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. When a man is a fool. I'm going to stop rolling. That was good. Terrible. Double woman. 10, 16, 18, plus five.

18 plus five is? Five is 23. Not good. 23. 23 points of damage. The bolt strikes through it. It shrieks and slams into the stone behind, parts of its body and a couple of its small legs fall off of it and slam into the ground and continue to twitch, but

separately from it. Do you want to stay put? I am going to quicken a spell, and I'm going to inflict wounds. No, that's first level. I am going to Shocking Grasp it. You got it. Do you roll to hit, or does it roll to save on that? I roll to hit. 20. 20? That definitely hits. Its AC is now 17. Okay. That's 3d8 damage. Oh, that's great. 15 plus three? No, 15 plus six? My bad. It's 21.

21. It's talking real bad, y'all. All right. Did that finish your turn? You going to stay put? It's going to attack me if I back up. Probably. Then I'll just stay where I am and hope that everybody else finishes it off. You got it, Chetney, you're up. With my bonus action, I'm going to reach up with my werewolf claws, I'm going to rip my ears off.

Ah! And flames take their place. That's cool. I'll use my Crimson Rite. That is my favorite Crimson Rite description I've ever heard. What the fuck? Come on, that's three swipes. What the fuck? Go on, then. Three swipes against the fucking...

Wait, what did Gona... Two swipes, technically, because you used your bonus action. Oh, I did, Shani. I'm just the two. That's okay. Did Gona see that? Huh? It's getting worse. Yeah.

Hey, Gona's like, Cool. Really high perception. Nine plus... It's only 19 to hit on the first one. Oh, that's right. It sees down 17. Amazing. Second one. 16 plus 10 is 26.

Kill it, kill it, come on. Kill it, kill it, kill it! Kill it, kill it, kill it, kill it. Oh, I didn't roll the crimson. Kill it, kill it, kill it. Four plus five, four, 16. 16 points of damage on the first one. Minus four to me. And the second one is... Yes, eight. Eight, six. 14, plus four.

18. That one. How do you want to do it? Yay! Amazing! Fire-eared werewolf Chetney walks up and perfectly, he does one swipe up the sternum and then reaches in and grabs the rib cage and goes . Oh!

All over the legs. It's, as you pierce your claws into it, you expect hard resistance, but some of its carapaces become soft as it's beginning to disintegrate. It's pushing into and you pull apart and it pulls open like a zipper. You watch as all of the necessary contents of its torso just out. It's still standing. Its rigid structure is still there and it goes like.

I'm eating a little bit. It dies on its feet. the feet collapse a bit, and the hardened structure of its outer shell holds it up while the soft parts just liquefy and hit the ground. Does it have a particular taste to its gore? Yeah, very Pine-Sol-y. SAM and LAURA, SAM and LAURA,

I mean, look where it was. We got to get her out. All right, so what's the plan? What's the plan? Yeah, I run over and start doing what I almost did earlier and I slash at the glass. Okay. Slash at the glass. We'll say you don't have to roll for many attacks here.

It's already damaged in between the bludgeoning. It takes you just 10 seconds or so to eventually bash into it before the glass breaks and she emerges from it. It's like the tubes and chains that hold her up begin to pull and detach as you grab her and lift her up. Is she awake? She's barely conscious, but is awake.

Okay. Healing? Oh yeah, healing potion. Can we do it? Or anybody got a thing to give her a little boost? Do you have any healing? I could do a Wither and Bloom. Okay. Does she have some dice that she can roll?

I'll say so. Not a whole lot, but how many can she spend? The equivalent of a short rest? Okay, yeah. You hang on. Hang on. It's been in roll one of its own hit. One hit dice? You regain a number of hit points equal to the roll, plus my spellcasting ability modifier. Okay, so it's six plus. So it's whatever she has plus five. Plus five, so 11. All right.

So she heals up 11 points. All right. Yeah. So she's like, Everola, we got to get you out of here. Now. Can you walk? I don't know. I haven't walked in days. Let's try to... Her legs are a little jelly,

and she's trying to take a step. They're not jelly, but she's having a hard time keeping her weight on it. Chet, can you help? Yeah, can you carry? No, I'm actually going to grab the mystic. How big and tall is the mystic? At full height, probably about seven foot,

but then it has hunches and hovers. I'm going to take its arm and I'm going to put its arm over my shoulder and pick him up like I'm helping him out, and I'll be like, we got to get out of here. Okay, I was just going to turn us all invisible, but. Oh.

Pfft. Good idea. Yeah, maybe you can help Evarola, though. I can get all of us at a high level, yeah. While they do that, I'm going to skitter down, skitter down to the shelf with all the little fetuses. Yeah. And I'm going to swipe for you.

Oh, oh, and the'm going to swipe for you. Oh, oh, and the thing! I actually will take the Bag of Holding and try and fit the piece of Aeorian tech. Yeah, the big. I will try and put it in the Bag of Holding. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Come on.

Make a strength check for me. Okay, I'm in my wolf form. I understand. Can I get advantage? Yeah, you get advantage when you're in your wolf form. Okay, all right, if you say so. Yeah. How big is the Ruidus model?

I mean, the sphere's about that big. Oh! It's part of a larger device in its base, but the main port is about that big. Can I grab the sphere? Can I get it on my back? Yeah, you can do that. Okay, I'm going to hold this.

Natural 17 plus four for a 21. 21. You push, push, and you can, it resists and stretches barely. You're afraid it might rip and destroy the device before it fits in. Okay. I skitter over Chetney and go,

had these two, and slip a few fetus bottles. There you go. Okay. You got some air tech and some fetus bottles. Great. In all that chaos, I can't remember if any of us have ever seen a Judicator's face. Is the mask on the Judicator right now? The mask is off.

Off? What do we see? It is a mess of flesh and muscle. It's like they pulled it off. The eyes are gone. Which is where the mask is. It's almost like a heavy branding burn. You don't know if it's been done post. Yeah, or before. Does it look like a metal mask was burned,

fused, seared onto flesh? The shape of the wound is perfectly the shape of where the mask sits on the face. Ooh! What the fuck, Vasselheim? We got questions. Fucked up. Do we see the mask?

Inside edition. Mask is not around. Vasselheim. Okay. I'm going to cast Sixth--level invisibility on all of us so we can get up and out of here. Damn. Okay. That 6-level gets five people.

It would, yeah. Yeah. You're also hearing the sound of footsteps approaching and other folks scattering about, checking in on stuff. As we start to, we are moving, we are moving. I'm going to check in. Fenn? FCG, how's it going? Is everyone all right? As we start to, we are moving, we are moving. I'm going to check in. Fun. FCG, how's it going?

Is everyone all right? It's about this moment that you are now saying, like... Letters? Yeah. Ash? We're okay. Ow! Sort of. I'm going to cast 4th-level Cure Wounds on Ashton.

Do I, am I, do I know where I am? Do I know where I am? Do I know where I am? Make a perception check. Fourth-level cure wounds. Where am I? 20. 20, thank you. We're here. All right.

Fourth-level cure wounds on myself. 26. You glance around and you can see there's smoke billowing up from the outside of the now-collapsed mine. There's flames that have emerged and things are on fire. Banners are burning from the outside of that space. People are screaming and soldiers are looking around. It looks like bits of rock and rubble that were fired out of it with your friends. Also impacted nearby

residential buildings on the upscale, rather, neighborhood that surrounds the outside of the pillar. You hear the screech again of gloamglad that's flying overhead. You triangulate where you are, looking at the wreckage of where the entrance to the mine was. You now know where you are as you still sit over this wall of force. Okay. So I'm pretty far from where I think they are underneath? You're, I mean, when you got plucked up by Ira, they were traveling fast and got hundreds of feet away, so they got flung even further.

So they're probably a good 500 or more feet away from where you are. Okay. Are you sure? Yep. All right. I'm just going to try to run to where I think that they would be. I'm going to just describe what I'm seeing. What are we seeing?

Right now, stars, you're both deeply stunned by this. You're just starting to come to, the only reason you could hear what they're saying is because it's directly into your brain, because right now your hearing doesn't work. You just hear this high-pitched ring. As you glance around the space, the pain and the aching in your bodies,

you see the wreckage and smoke around you. You see people trying to pull others out of the wreckage. It's tough to know exactly where you are and where you got thrown. All you can see is the massive pillar that marks, the massive glass center column of the city that marks a perpetual landmark, and some approach

gaining a sense of where you are. So we can see the pillar, and everything else around us is just smoke and... You can see the pillar, and you can see flames, and you can see rock, and you can see soldiers moving around. Let's get away from the pillar, right? Yep.

So we'll just go away from it. Yeah, I'm throwing you on my back and I'm moving as best I can and I'm keeping my eye out for anything that might hit. You rolled high enough perception where you can, now you still all have Seeming on you. So you can see the direction of where the flames were and everything.

You rolled 26, is what you said? Yeah. It goes. It takes you a little bit of time, but you begin to pick up the illusory images of the two of them, but by then, they've also moved far beyond. You guys both are traveling at pretty much

the same speed away, and they're not catching up to you. You think it's them. You just. I'm just running to what I think it's them. I'm just trying to find out. I'm going to roll a d20 for me. I can't. No, I'm kidding. Roll a d20.

I don't want it. On an 11 plus? I'm scared. On an 11 plus? Actually, just tell me if it's an 11 plus. 16. 16. You rush up to a Quantica, and my seat darting away from the wreckage. There you are!

You both suddenly are surprised by a familiar voice. It's us. Big fucking hug. Oh god, oh god! Oh god, oh god! You're okay, you're okay, you're okay, you're okay! Let's be sort of survived. Fuck. Run. Yeah, you're okay, you're okay! Fuck! Run. Yeah, where?

Now, Fearne, it's about this time that you notice that the red glow around her is brightening. Uh-oh. Simultaneously, you feel this red glow around you brightening. It's worse. And through both of your minds, you hear this high-pitched scream.

That's a good one. This earth-shattering scream of fury and horror. And then with that, the scream is gone. What are you doing? Did it affect them? Male voice, female voice? Even through my circlet, I still got it.

You felt it. It wasn't in your mind directly. You just felt it. I just felt rage. Did it seem familiar? Maybe. Imogen! You've heard a lot of screams in your days. I heard it, I? Maybe. Imogen?

Yeah. You've heard a lot of screams in your days. I heard it, I heard it. Heard what? We got to get out of here now. There was a scream, I just want to make sure it wasn't her. Make your way back. Female voice. To the hideout.

Is it still there? I'm going to look around and see if I can see any landmarks that haven't been destroyed. Make perception check. I am going to grab Ashton's hand. 21. Don't let me float away, please.

Gotcha. Okay, 21. You look around and you can see a bunch of things in the area. You make out loosely the pattern of roads that look semi-familiar when you first came here. Iroh's nowhere to be seen, but you gather the entry point

to the inner circle of this city that you came through and you start heading that direction, at which point you see this another detonation from across the way, this blast of bright energy with a pinkish tone. You see the top of a shell-shaped building explode and chunks of it fly out and stop and float in space. Immediately, you see, just like a bullet of a gun,

this singular lavender streak of power and energy that enters and lifts and floats in the sky. You glance up and Imogen is up in the sky and escaped this. What are you doing? Oh shit, that? We're not out yet, though. We're making our way out.

Treshi, Scrabble! Treshi, Scrabble! Treshi? Shusha, shusha, shusha. It is moving. Moving where? Moving down? Moving down. We got to go, we got to go, we got to go. We can see it, too?

Yeah, she's holding it there. We're invisible. We're not underground anymore? We've reached surface? No, actually, you don't see it, because you've probably all lost your sight at this point. No, you all can't see invisibility. I tell, I tell,

Otohan, she's moving down. We gotta go! We're moving up, and she's moving down. We gotta go, we gotta go. Yeah, we're running. We're coming up through the stairs and trying to retrace our steps back from where we came, although we did, it's a different staircase. I'm keeping this out.

But as though Everowa would know how to get out. True. She's guiding you a little bit. She's like, and she says back the way you guys came. She's like, that's the only way from this point. Fuck. Yeah, let's go. All right, all right.

Yeah, go the way we came. Okay, as you head back towards that area, you can see now soldiers are starting to swarm in. The way is partially blocked. If you want to, you could go ahead and try and make acrobatics checks to dodge past the cluster of soldiers here as a group acrobatics check

to not bump into any as you're rushing through. Okay. Okay. Now, whoever's holding Everoa rolls with a disadvantage because you're having to help her through it as well. Give her to me right now. Okay. Because it's acrobatics.

Okay, okay, okay. All right, all right. So is it disadvantage? Disadvantage for you, yeah. Come on, you guys. Okay, okay. Natural one, which I'll reroll. Ooh! Halflings.

All right, what have you got, Chetney? 14. 14, okay. Coward. 20. 20? Sorry. It's all right. Oryard. 20. 20? Sorry. It's all right. Orym? 20.

20? 17. 17. You all squeeze through, like you're making your way through a football field and just dodging past them. It's, you dart through as people are rushing through and crossing past hallways,

you eventually squeeze past and find the spiral staircase that leads you back up to where some of the other levels were. At which point, Evarua goes to point down the exit that she knows, and down that way, it's filled with soldiers. They're starting to lock off perimeters and exits. I'm going to work. Is that down that hallway that we came into?

No, no, that's the one towards the entrance that she was guiding you. You can try and go back the way you came, or you can try and find another path. There's the way in front that she guided you, there's the way to the right where you came from, there's the left. So the way she wanted to go is not an option. It's blocked.

Correct. It's full up. I mean, you could give it a shot if you had some creative means of doing so, but. Should we use here to give it distraction? Ah, fuck. Give me the way to distract. We don't, do we? No, we should go the way we came.

If it's less blocked than the way she wanted to go. Okay. All right, let's try. Or try and find one of these offshoot balconies and just go for it. Yeah, right? Is there an offshoot balcony? Well, there's a lane that would lead to it. If we're peeking in doors as we go, I can try to follow us down. There's this passage

which we abandoned, and then there's a brand new passage without soldiers in it, correct? Correct, yeah, this is a whole different area. Yeah. You guys are up in a different floor. But our choices are clear passage and soldier passage. Well, there's two clear passages in the soldiers, the three-way. To the right is where you came from,

the left you have not been and don't know anything about, and it seems that Everoa, who is not a natural denizen that knows the space, she was put in a place and was only kept to what she was supposed to be focusing on. And the one exit that she does know towards the front is currently filled with-

Let's go to the left. Let's go to the left, let's go to the left. That's how, yeah. Okay. All right, you dart to the left and lead past. There are multiple open doors along the way and you can see there are vanguard members getting up and gathering their stuff.

You can see there's people that are just hiding, blankets over them, scared. Some of the younger vanguard members that are cut off guard by the chaos, and you see fears taking hold within those who aren't ready for conflict or chaos. Continuing down the hallway, it comes to another staircase that goes down below

or turns right. As we're going by, any of those rooms that were open with people inside of them, did we see any balconies pass through? No, these are all inside the Citadel, if you will. We don't need to go deeper. We need to go up to get back out, right? Maybe. There are different balconies.

You're not quite sure. You got to take it. We're going this way. Okay. Yes. So we're going straight. We're not going down. I think so. I mean, we're turning, not going down, right? Still the same direction. Same level or up. Okay.

Okay. All right. So you all dart past to the right-hand side, continuing down that way. As you rush down, you can see two hulks darting past across the walk. They're like bounding past.

As you both stop and let them go, wait a beat, continue on through. As you go past this T-intersection, you look both right and left, and you can see more people are coming. The places are starting to swell and swarm with soldiers. Anything with light? Anywhere light coming through windows?

Not a whole lot of light here underground. Oh, fuck. So we got to get up, got to go up. I mean, underground at all. We're just trying to find a balcony. Right. You continue past the way, and you come to a T-intersection here, as opposed to a cross-intersection,

where it comes to an end. Left, you can see there's one doorway to the right that is open. And you see one sheepish vanguard figure looks out and then closes the door behind them. And to the right, it looks like it continues on and then turns to the right to a curve that goes back into the Citadel. We should open that door.

Yeah. Maybe there's a balcony that way. Yeah. Okay. You all go to that door, you go ahead and grab it, and it's held closed, but not by a lock. It's like somebody's holding it on the other side. Fuck that shit, yank it. Yeah. Strength check. Okay.

112, 17. 17. You take it open and you watch as this younger vanguard half-elf character stumbles back, hits the ground and is like, you can see the fear in his eyes. Looks very much out of his depth,

but sees nothing beyond the door and is just waiting for something to come and get him. Is there a balcony in this room? There is a balcony across the way. Yeah, if we just go right around. Yeah, just ignore him. Yeah, don't even give him a second across the way. Yeah, if we just go right around. Yeah, just ignore him. Yeah, I'm going in a second, I think. Okay, you all shift around, darting past,

and you seem like hearing footsteps, but not really knowing where it's coming from, and goes and pulls under this rough-looking chair and digs halfway underneath and holds carefully to himself. You all dart up to the doors that are partially open to the exterior balcony. As you emerge, you step out to the edge and you look.

It's only about eight, 10 feet of balcony width to where the edge is. And it's a good 70 to 100 foot drop from where you stand. You can see the city all around you. We just do a regular, we just tie it to something real. Repel down. Right at this point, you see the explosion at the top of a building,

the rocks filtering out and hovering for a minute. Oh, now we're catching up. You're now catching up, and you see the streak of pink lavender energy up into the air, and you immediately know the source of the scream that you heard earlier. It was her, it was my...

And she was going to be all right. What are you doing? We're going to get the rope out. Rope, rope, rope. We're going to turn on the balcony and we're going to run out. Tied a piece of furniture in the room with Scared Vanguard member. Okay.

And drop. You all drop down, getting the rope to the ground. Other soldiers are gathering. Two of them see the rope and rush up to it, confused. You guys just continue on. Just keep going, I'll leave it. It's gone. That's good rope!

All right. One of them tugs and pulls on it, calls over some others. They all start rushing up and one of them starts climbing it up, starts giving commands to go see who came up through that area, and they're investigating. Nothing.

But as you all scatter off towards the outer open ring to begin to merge with the rest of the surrounding populated buildings that hit the outer outskirts of this region, you see that purple flame flickering in the air. And in both of your heads, you just hear the phrase, Did she know?

No. We're going to end there. What do you mean, did she know? Did she know? Oh no! We'll pick up from there next week. Mom hates you, man. Oh, yes, we do. You mean,. Mom hates you, man. You little lesbian.

You wait, I mean, I mean, I mean. I gave her warning. I said I told her to run. I told her to run in the dream, I told her. You told her, you told her, you told her, you told her. Could mean lots of things. Oh yeah, that kicked off a lot of things. That means there was an assassination attempt

against her that failed. That's what on the screen was. Which we knew was going to happen, which means there's probably some dead Volition members for sure, like we told them. Oh no! Wait, wasn't Rashina going to do that one? Yeah. You know, Rashina and or... Gastomo. Gastomo

were going to be part of that. We told them! It was Gastomo! We tried to tell them and she got all bitchy. There was also a rescue mission for the Strife Vector. Yeah. All right, all right. We'll see what happens. Okay, okay, okay.

We'll have to maybe learn some of these answers next time. No! No, let's not now! On another edition. Indeed. Let's just play a little bit of Monogram. I know. Soon enough, soon enough. Can we all meet up right now and talk about it?

I promise. Okay, okay, okay. Thank you all, I'm excited for the next one. Shit's getting crazy. Thank we all meet up right now? Soon enough. I promise. Okay, okay, okay. All right. Thank you all. I'm excited for the next one. Shit's getting crazy. Thank you all so much for joining us. We love you very much, and is it Thursday yet? No!

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