Critical Role - Ménagerie a Trois | Daggerheart | Open Beta

Episode Date: June 27, 2024

The Menagerie is back again! Join game master Matthew Mercer as he leads the cast of Critical Role through a LIVE One-Shot using the Daggerheart system! Though Daggerheart is still in Open Beta testi...ng, we hope this one-shot provides some insight for how the game can be played.Be sure to take a close look at the Change Log to get a sense of the updates, from major to minor: https://www.daggerheart.com/change-log Our Daggerheart Open Beta Playtest is now open! Sign up at https://www.daggerheart.com/ Please play often and submit your surveys at https://www.daggerheart.com/play Learn more at https://critrole.com/daggerheart-open-beta-playtest-is-live/ All Daggerheart Open Beta Playtest materials can be accessed via PDF on https://www.daggerheart.com/ and https://drivethrurpg.com.Daggerheart digital character creator and Nexus are also available virtually at https://app.demiplane.com/ Produced by Maxwell James Graphic Design by Bryan Weiss & Jordyn TorrenceDP by Michael SchmidtTD by Athena RossSound by Chris WillmottCURRENT DAGGERHEART CREDITS:Lead Game Designer: Spenser StarkeAdditional Game Designers: Rowan Hall, Matthew Mercer, Alex Teplitz, Michael UnderwoodAdditional Writing: Layla Adelman, Carlos Cisco, Felix Isaacs, Erin Roberts, Eugenio VargasCombat Wheelchair Design: Mark ThompsonDevelopmental Editor: Laura HirsbrunnerArchivist: Dani GageSenior RPG Producer: Elise RezendesJunior Games Producer: Alex TeplitzAdditional Production: Alex UboldiArt Director: Anthony JonesAssociate Art Director: Leesha HanniganPlaytest Program Coordinator: Brieger CreativeLead Graphic Design: Matt Paquette & Co.Additional Graphic Design: John Harper, Vee HendroConsultants: Daniel Delgado, Rue Dickey, Rob Hebert, James Mendez Hodes, David Lezzi, Erin Roberts, Christine Sandquist, Rogan Shannon, Mark ThompsonLead Concept Artist: Shaun EllisCartographer: Marco BernardiniArtists: Juan Salvador Almencion, Zoe Badini, Paul Scott Canavan, Kristina Carroll, Stephanie Cost, Nikki Dawes, Benjamin Ee, Geoffrey Ernault, Laura Galli, Juan Gutierrez, Leesha Hannigan, Hendry Iwanaga, Anthony Jones, Samantha Joanne Key, Priscilla Kim, Michael Lim, Linda Lithén, Samantha B. Lucas, Julia Metzger, Reiko Murakami, Jess Nguyen, Irina Nordsol, Tamara Osborn, Mike Pape, Simon Pape, Jen Pattison, Marzena Piwowar, Andreas Rocha, Ernanda Souza, Jenny Tan, Rafa Teruel, Mateusz Wilma

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey there, Critter podcast listeners! We have a special new membership service at Beacon.tv, where you get early access to all new podcast episodes, including Critical Role for the first time ever. Beacon members also get things like live event pre-sales, merch discounts, access to a private community Discord, and new exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown. Think of it as our digital Critical Role land.
Starting point is 00:00:27 Head on over to beacon.tv to check it out for yourself and start a seven-day free trial. Thank you so much for your support, for being a podcast listener, and for being part of our community. Hey there, Critters. We are so excited to share with you our brand new podcast from the world of Exandria, The Re-Slayer's Take. In this audio adventure, you'll be guided through the wild continent of Isilra, home to some of the most dangerous creatures. Here, the Slayer's Take is the most notorious monster hunting group in the realm.
Starting point is 00:01:02 But when previously slain creatures start returning from the grave, it's up to six misfit mercenaries to band together and re-slay these supernatural threats as the re-slayers take. So come follow along these audio escapades as the second coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria battle a growing undead army of dangerous creatures. The party is led by a duo of game masters, George Primavera and Nick Williams,
Starting point is 00:01:28 with the main cast including Jasmine Bular, Jasper William Cartwright, Caroline Lux, and Jasmine Xiong. Listen to new episodes every Monday anywhere you stream podcasts, or become a Beacon member and listen to the podcast two weeks early and uninterrupted by ads. Hello, spellcasters, sages, and spectators. I'm Ashley Johnson, and you're listening to watching Critical Role as it airs on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Pacific on twitch.tv slash critical role or youtube.com slash critical role. Twitch subscribers can watch the video on demand right away, or you can catch it the following Monday on YouTube.
Starting point is 00:02:25 As always, Critical Role will be available right here in podcast form on Thursdays, a week after the initial broadcast. And now, let's scry into the story and see what mysteries it holds for us, shall we? Hello, everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode of The Menagerie, where a bunch of us voice actors sit around and play the Daggerheart open beta. Bells Hells will return next week. We have our live show on Saturday this weekend, and for the sanity of production,
Starting point is 00:02:51 the rate of release and everything, we're taking our Daggerheart one shot tonight. Three shot now, I guess? Three shot? I guess it keeps going. But nevertheless, today we'll be playing Daggerheart version 1.4.2, a little light update that was released earlier this week,
Starting point is 00:03:07 but Bells Hells will be back next Thursday if we don't see you at the Greek on Saturday. But check out the changelog and download the new materials on daggerheart.com, and you can also watch the VOD of my Q&A with Spencer Stark, lead designer of the game, for a walkthrough of the updates and some questions that we took from the audience and our community. So be sure to let us know what you think
Starting point is 00:03:26 via our official surveys as you try out Daggerheart. We're getting closer and closer to finishing this wonderful thing, and it's already coming along so well, and we would love you to continue to help us shape that as you want to play it. So that is my quick intro. Travis, you have an announcement.
Starting point is 00:03:43 Oh yeah, the legend of Vox Bacchina is back, baby! It's out right now. You can watch all 12 episodes. No, I'm fucking with you. My heart jumped into my throat. I'm going to kill us all in this fucking beta! No, it's amazing. Season three premieres October 3rd.
Starting point is 00:04:04 This fall on Prime Video, you can check out a little sneak peek of our new opening titles. Did I get you two? Yeah, you first said it, and I was like, wait, what? Ashley Johnson. We got new opening titles. They're out there on the internets. Check them out. It's on our Instagram.
Starting point is 00:04:20 Now or during the break or whenever you want to see it. During the break. It'll be on the break, too. But it's really hot. New music from Neil Acri. Amazing stuff from Studio Rev. It's awesome. Season three is going to be baller.
Starting point is 00:04:31 Can't wait to show you what we've been doing. No! It's so good. It's so good, y'all. All righty. So Marisha. Yeah, as Matt, you kind of already covered it. We're doing Menagerie tonight
Starting point is 00:04:45 because we have the Greek show on Saturday, which is the 15th. So yes, Bell's Hells will return next Thursday. So if you can't catch it live at the Greek this Saturday, don't worry, June 20th, 7 p.m. Pacific on Twitch and YouTube we will have, what am I? Your nails are so horrible. You're casting, you're casting.
Starting point is 00:05:05 I'm getting them done tomorrow for the live show. But it doesn't matter. Yes. And beacon members. Three, four. Beacon members will get instant access to the VOD as well as we're going to try something new. We're doing a special live show edited version
Starting point is 00:05:23 that will be exclusive to Beacon. So basically it won't be in the overlay like you normally see us. It'll be a more cinematic cut, kind of like what the Candle Obscura live show was. Experimentation. So yes, you can check out that version. That's exclusive to Beacon members,
Starting point is 00:05:38 but regular version will be out as per usual, the usual time. And also we'll be doing a cooldown for it as well at the live show that Beacon members will get as well. Hey, good job, Sam! Yay! Good job! Rakshasa! Laura, we're up next. I'm up next.
Starting point is 00:05:58 Hey, guess what? What? We have merch. Well, I'll talk about this one first. I'm going out of order. But we have this. Are you wearing the merch? I'm wearing the merch! I was chilly, and this warmed me up. It's our Oracle of the Moon Tarot crew-neck sweatshirt. There's a gradient. There's a skeleton.
Starting point is 00:06:15 Ooh. Featuring art by Camille Lilium and additional design by Jordan Torrens. I love you, Jordan. Jordan, you're the best. In addition to that, we've also got this oracle, I don't know if I'm holding it the right way. Oracle of the Moon. Just cover up your face. Tarot blanket.
Starting point is 00:06:30 Oh, that's so rad. It's featuring card art by Camille, Lilium, and Frey, and additional art designed by Aaron Munroy. I love you, Aaron. Yay! I'm on the back. It's so cozy. It's really soft. Right? I'm going to order this at break. Yeah. Is that the hunger sacrifice card that you're wearing?
Starting point is 00:06:48 I'm wearing... Yep, it looks like hunger sacrifice. Oh yes, I am. Yeah, look at that. Also, you guys, guess what? What? At the Greek, if you're there, you might get to check out some sneaky peeky merch
Starting point is 00:07:03 that will be available in the merch booth, including this. No! Whoa! It's Laudna's dreaded balloon. Why don't you ever show me these furs? Sorry, B.E. This is going to be available next week,
Starting point is 00:07:19 but it'll be at the Greek. Dun-dun-dun-dun, it's by artist, no, that's a lie, scroll down a little bit. It's by artist Natalie Hall. I love you, Natalie. And then in addition to that, we also, okay, I love these. These are our half crew socks. I love our socks. We have more socks now. We've got Bell's Hell socks. We got Mighty Nein socks. We got Vox Magna socks. And we got ZR socks. And they come in a four pack. Da-da-da-da!
Starting point is 00:07:46 Are those a cotton blend? Feel them! They're so comfy! And the ones that are fat on the bottom. Oh, yes! These are good. They're really good socks. Elena Harris, artist. I love you, Elena.
Starting point is 00:07:56 Wait, do we need to keep these here? No, I'm going to steal these. I'm going to take these ones. These are great. Thank you, Laura. You're welcome. Ashley. Oh my gosh! I have an announcement to make.
Starting point is 00:08:07 Yeah, it's you! Okay, so we are thrilled that for Pride Month, we are, sorry, we are donating. Sorry, sorry, sorry. We are donating. I'm just really excited. He's a professional. He's got this. I'm right Wilmot.
Starting point is 00:08:21 We are donating 10% of all regular proceeds across all our shops to Outright International. So this does not include licensed products and products that already support charity, but everything else will help support this great organization. They are so awesome. Outright International is one of our longstanding partners at Critic Rural Foundation, which works to protect the rights of LGBTQIA plus people worldwide. So if any in the sh...
Starting point is 00:08:50 Oh. You got the words. You got this. Yeah, I know. If anything in the shop has caught your... I don't know, I'm really hot. If anything in the shop has caught your eye, now's a great time to check it out. Okay, I'm all done.
Starting point is 00:09:03 Wonderful. To check it out. Like a good neighbor. Thank you, actually. Well. That being the case, I think let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of... The Menagerie?
Starting point is 00:09:19 The Menage a Trois! It is the Menagerie, it is the episode. The Menagerie a Trois! So. Pretty cool, huh? Last we left off. Sorry. I was right. Oh, we're going straight in.
Starting point is 00:09:30 Oh yeah. Fucking pros over here. Sorry. Yeah, there's no opening titles, y'all. We go right in. The Menagerie. After encountering a strange new seed of the Seep, this strange, corrupting, magical darkness within the emerald sky. You were given a hint that the person who was responsible
Starting point is 00:09:50 for planting this within that vast, verdant forest was a figure that you recognized from your hometown, Bunny of Loelveil. You went to that town, the Red Crystal City of Sin, and there, within that space of boisterous commerce and play and debauchery, you found this figure, this Dyson figure, who told you under duress that the people that hired him to do this,
Starting point is 00:10:15 no personal reason, was the Croatoa family, Croatoa family, who are one of the various factions of power within the city, who own the casino and have other vested interests in some of the more small recent mine constructions. But you and the rest of your troop went to find out exactly who and why. You went through the sewers of the city,
Starting point is 00:10:42 busted through the wall into the hideout of the Croatoana family, and did battle with Mortimer himself, as well as his sister Gemma and a number of their compatriots. At a certain point, and the acquisition of a gem from around his throat, you fled back out whence you came,
Starting point is 00:10:59 as it seemed that help and backup was called by his sister Gemma. Most of you managed to get past it. Most of you. But unfortunately, Bunny and Sweet Pea were unable to traverse the Great Barricade, as in the barricade that is of great. Had to specify there.
Starting point is 00:11:22 Great barricade! You know. It's really good. And in trying to flee the other direction and dazzle the relatively angry cluster of goons following Mortimer, you are captured, knocked unconscious, and awoken a short time later, both of you tied to chairs
Starting point is 00:11:39 in that very same basement hideout where you did battle. There is the massive, corpulent, swollen frog form of Mortimer Crotona. Sits before you. The rest of you have fled back through the sewers, worried about what may be befalling your friends. So. Let's go ahead and first jump in with you four.
Starting point is 00:12:04 We're going to go in with Sir Dante, Jarlowe, Kexin, and Oppy. As you have now run down the waterlogged sewers, heading back towards where you came, you're huffing, you're running as hard as you can, splashing through, darting into the shadows, and as you all begin to collect towards the ladder
Starting point is 00:12:26 that led you down here initially, you begin to realize that your compatriots are not with you. Shit. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We're missing two. What do we do? What do we do? We leave him, okay. No, no, we don't!
Starting point is 00:12:40 It's time to cut bait, let's go. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We need a plan. Clearly, we're not leaving anyone behind. Do we go back in there? I don't think I'm even paying attention right, because this gem on a chain that I stole has got an arresting property to it.
Starting point is 00:12:59 Looking at it in front of you. I don't know, we need a plan. Okay, so we got to get them out of there. We could either go back the way we came, or we could go topside and try and find some kind of an entrance down the way we saw the goons come down. But that feels like a lot of backtracking.
Starting point is 00:13:14 They both feel like backtracking. Everything has to be backtracking. You left someone behind. Of course there's going to be some backtracking. You're right, you're right. We got to go back. What do you think, Zarlo? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:13:28 Okay. Oh! Wait, wait, wait, what are you putting that on for? Oh, too late. You put it on, and the magic pulses through the chain and across your neck, and the flash of history
Starting point is 00:13:42 or capability of this gem crosses into your mind. Oh! There are sheets. I'm going to read it out. Yeah. Above the table. Innervation gem. When you consume this gem,
Starting point is 00:13:58 you gain the following attributes until you choose to drop this form on your next rest. You're twice your size. Your strength, agility, and finesse rolls have advantage. Your physical attacks deal plus 1d10 damage. until you choose to drop this form on your next rest. You are twice your size. Your strength, agility, and finesse rolls have advantage. Your physical attacks deal plus 1d10 damage whenever you succeed on an action roll with hope. The GM gains a fear when this form drops.
Starting point is 00:14:15 You regurgitate the gem and roll a 1d6. On a five or six, the gem cracks and is no longer usable. I love it. Oh, it was his steroids. So. Yeah, just a little juicing? Right, so the tour. He could have gotten so big.
Starting point is 00:14:28 Froggy was juicing. He was juicing. I had a backup menu that he didn't get to use. Because you stole it before he could eat it. We didn't see him juicing. No! That was pre-juiced for him. That was pre-juiced for him. Wow.
Starting point is 00:14:39 You have his juice. That's good. You got the juice. That's really good, okay. Maybe we go back in there and you just eat it. All right, well. We don't know where the door is from. What if we make a trade? That's not a plan, though.
Starting point is 00:14:52 Well, if we figured out where the topside entrance is, we could say that we found the gem, which clearly they think it was stolen. They don't necessarily know it was us, and we could try and make a trade for our people. They probably think it was stolen. They don't necessarily know it was us. And we could try and make a trade for our people. They probably think it's us. They do. And we don't know where the door is.
Starting point is 00:15:09 We don't. Right. We do know where this door is. It's, yes, I suppose, but so do they. Which we just ran from. So our plan is to turn around and fuck shit up? Could be. The shortest distance between A and B is a straight line. We could go up and look for the door down.
Starting point is 00:15:27 Excuse you. But then all the guards and stuff are going to see us up there. Yeah, I mean, they got to die. Clearly, they know where we went, so they're probably going to be waiting for us at this secret door that is now not so secret. Like right there.
Starting point is 00:15:43 They know where we came from. I think it would be much sneakier to- Go up top? Up top. Let's try it. Right. All right. Let's see if we can figure this out. So we're going back to, from where we were,
Starting point is 00:15:56 do we think that that underground room was directly below roughly where the casino was? From as well as some of you knew the city, you were able to find that area and listen for the sound and the hollowness of that wall because it was where you assumed the casino was. So you do think it is directly beneath it. Also as a heads up, because we did level up to six between,
Starting point is 00:16:20 and this is open beta and we're trying things out, technically you wouldn't level up in the middle of action in the middle of the story, but fuck it, we're all level six now. And you know, whatever your loadout is, it's fine. So, because we're playing loosey-goosey and having fun with it. Mm-hmm. But, all right.
Starting point is 00:16:36 I'm a pill to burn stress, but yeah, to clear my stress, but that's a whole nother thing. Okay, Oppy, lead us back to the casino and charm your way into finding the door. All right. Let's go. Okay, Oppy, lead us back to the casino and charm your way into finding the door. All right. Let's go! I got this.
Starting point is 00:16:49 You got your magics? Huh? You got your magics! I got my magics! All right. Yeah. I hate this plan. I'm very excited. Can we navigate our way through the sewer back to the entrance that we used to come down?
Starting point is 00:17:01 Yeah, you guys had reached that entrance when you realized that your friends didn't follow suit. So you all climb up out of the sewer and back onto the nighttime glowing red streets of Lullvale as we come back to the subterranean basement of the casino. Bunny, Sweet Pea, the two of you are now tied to adjacent chairs, unable to move your hands or legs,
Starting point is 00:17:24 looking up in the dark, shattered interior of this basement space. There, the horrible briny breath of Mortimer Croatoana finds its way warmly across your faces as he skulks low and nearby, squatting his massive toed form. Hey! Oh. Ooh. and nearby, squatting his massive toed form.
Starting point is 00:17:56 Immediately ignores you. So who sends ya? What? Who sent you to come and try and kill us? Oh, no, no, nobody. Nobody. We didn't do that. Why'd you come here? You don't just stumble through the sewers
Starting point is 00:18:16 and bust open a wall and attack me and my family for no reason! Why? Ooh. We were, well, here's the thing. We were walking through the sewer, and then we saw this door, right? And we were like, oh, that seems really interesting.
Starting point is 00:18:38 We should check it out. And then we went in to it, and that's where you were. And then you attacked us, and we just didn't even know what was happening and that's why we tried to run away. Go ahead and make a presence roll for me with disadvantage to try and lie to him. Is that what you call presence when you're full of bullshit?
Starting point is 00:19:02 With disadvantage? Yes, because he's already been lied to a few times. How do I? Wait, I forget. I already forget how to do it with a disadvantage. Minus a d6? Correct. So you roll your Hope and Fear die, add it together, minus a d6. Roll high and roll low.
Starting point is 00:19:18 On the correct choice. Oh, oh. Okay, 12, 13, 10. With hope. With hope, so you get a hope. Ridiculous. There's a pause as the smile curls across your fungal lips.
Starting point is 00:19:40 Same with the question mark? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got lips. Yeah, you do. I got cutie little thin lips. Yeah. He just glares at you, inspecting your form. His large hand, without even staring at you,
Starting point is 00:19:54 reaches over and palms Bunny's head. Ooh! Jesus. And just gently begins to squeeze. Oh. Hey, mister. You know, we was just really curious. We just really want to know more about this
Starting point is 00:20:15 Seep business. Just as good Samaritans doing a good Samaritan thing. Good Samaritans. a Good Samaritan thing. Good Samaritans. That's what you are. Just wandering in and stabbing and lighting us on fire to be Good Samaritans. Well, no, you know, I just, I do really feel like, you know, that was self-defense. You know, you gotta, you gotta, you are a big, strong mister. I'm sure you know things about Samaritans. That was part of my business!
Starting point is 00:20:43 Yeah, we were, were too taking a nice, casual stroll in the sewers. Yeah, we didn't even mean to find you. Cut the bullshit, and let's be a little honest here. Sure. Why did you come here? Can I ask you a question, DM?
Starting point is 00:21:03 Yeah. How many people are in this room? Ah, so now you take in the space beyond him. You can see his sister, Gemma, is about 10 feet behind him. And at a quick glance in the low fire-lit chamber, you can see three other people, but your view is also only of this longer midroom. There are openings to each side.
Starting point is 00:21:22 The left goes into the main chamber with his big seat where you fought a lot of the battle before, and to the right leads into a small room with the stairs that lead up into what you assume is the casino above. Good man. Okay. Mortimer plus three people.
Starting point is 00:21:35 And a sister. And Jemma. Where is my amulet? Look, I really don't know what you're talking about with that part of it, but okay. So I was joking earlier. We were looking for you. Oh, see, now we're getting somewhere. Now, and he scoots real close to you,
Starting point is 00:22:02 still holding, still palming Bunny's head. His hand is large enough, the fingers wrap around it and touch the back of it, curling past the other side of his palm. She has a show later on tonight, so maybe just try not to mess up her hair too much. It's true, curtain calls in an hour. Answer the question.
Starting point is 00:22:22 Yes, so we were looking for you because of this seep stuff. What the fuck is seep? Seep is, I'm not exactly sure. It's like oozy and maybe like black and sometimes it's kind of gooey. You know, you know, it's that stuff at the bottom of the canyon that's making things all weird.
Starting point is 00:22:45 He kind of releases his grip on you for a second. Oh. Okay, I think I know what you're talking about, yeah. Yeah, you know, we're just doing our due diligence, you know. You weren't supposed to kind of get caught in the crossfires here. We were just trying to figure out some stuff about the seeps. Crossfire. You get caught up in the.
Starting point is 00:23:08 So you're looking for the seep, whatever's in there. The Downravine Mines. Okay, okay. Well, I'll tell you what. Since you both, this is your last night here on the world, why don't we trade? Why don't we have a little conversation here?
Starting point is 00:23:28 How about that? All right? I like trades. All right. You give me a little bit of information. Okay. Then I'll tell you what you're looking for. Okay. And then I'm going to ask you another question.
Starting point is 00:23:38 So it's kind of like truth or dare? Sure, we'll call it that. Okay. Truth and die. On so high stakes, I love it. I just don't know if I'm going to be very good at this, because I don't really know what we're doing, other than there's, like, Seep. Wait, you've never played Truth or Die?
Starting point is 00:24:01 Ooh. Ooh. Where's my amulet? You got that question right. I don't know. Next. That's true. Ooh! You then ran in, took it, and disappeared.
Starting point is 00:24:21 Where is he? Where can I find him? We don't know, because we're here! We're here with you! This feels like a very self-explanatory situation. How are we supposed to know? I don't have GPS or something connected to wherever your necklace is.
Starting point is 00:24:39 All right, she got nothing to offer me. That means you have no use to me. No, no, no, no, no, no. We, look, she's really sexy. It's true. I like how you guys have decided to be tied by your wrists in the front, and you're tied by your wrists in the back. I look like Trissky, so it makes sense.
Starting point is 00:24:59 Can I, GM, this whole time, be trying to pull my arms out of their bindings? be trying to pull my arms out of their bindings? And can I utilize Shibari Expert to help with that? Yes, you may. Okay. Yes. All right, so I'd say you can make, this would be an agility. So go ahead and make an agility roll for me, if you could.
Starting point is 00:25:27 But you can add, if you want to spend a hope, you can add your shibari expert experience to that. I will. All righty. Hang on, let me spend a hope. Mark it up right there. Yep. Oh wait, hang on, I got to do it. Wait, do we? Special card. I got so much hope to Yep. Oh wait, hang on, I got to do it. Wait, do we? Special card. I got so much hope to spend.
Starting point is 00:25:47 Oh no. Wait. Spend your hope. Can I spend a hope to help her? You are adjacent to her. Uh-huh. And I'm a sneaky little mushroom. You are indeed a sneaky little mushroom, yeah. And me and Opi oftentimes tried to get out of punishment
Starting point is 00:26:04 from our elders, so I was good at causing distractions. So are you going to distract? I'm helping her by distracting him. Okay, yeah, well, that's to go ahead and spend the hope. Water is thicker than blood, thank you very much. And that's for when me and Oppy are doing things together. Yeah, go ahead and spend the hope,
Starting point is 00:26:21 and then you can add a d6 to this. I can add a d6? That's good. Ooh! I'm so excited! Okay, 12, 14, 16, 20, two, 30, with fear. 30 with fear?
Starting point is 00:26:42 Yes. I love that you have these now, it's so cool. Elise built me these in a day. So cool. Shout out to you, Elise. So. You, as you are, explain how you're distracting him, if you don't mind.
Starting point is 00:26:59 So now that you asked us a question, do we get to ask you a question? Because I have so many. Like, you know your game upstairs? The one where you roll the dice with this... Is there any way? We don't get to trade questions until you answer mine. Oh, that makes sense.
Starting point is 00:27:17 Okay. Because I have so... Okay, yeah. You go first. Can I just kill them? As this is happening, you... pull your wrists out and manage to slightly loosen around your ankles. You're still holding it, but you are free of your bindings. Great. I'm still pretending like I'm bound.
Starting point is 00:27:37 Okay. Looks back. I'm sorry. Your little monkey friend. Yes. Where's he staying? I don't know. Where is he staying? I don't know. Where is he sleeping? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:27:48 If you don't give me an answer, I have nothing to give you, and I'll just kill you right now. Well, look, you know, mister, we were supposed to be at the curtain call at the Lily Lockett Lounge in an hour, so if you let us go, you know, he was probably going to help us in the show. He was at least going to watch, but I was going to offer him to see if he wanted to play the tambourine or something. Okay, so you'll have him at the Lily Locket now. Good to know. Yeah. All right, that's enough for me.
Starting point is 00:28:13 Your question? About the sea business. Yeah. Sure, why not? Well, see, me and my sisters, we were approached by this weird, eccentric, wealthy baron out of Champion's Crown. This fellow wanted to help us for a trade. He offered to help us expand our mining influence in the town if we helped him deliver
Starting point is 00:28:36 a weird stone-like package to the Emerald Sky. Oh. Now, we asked him why he wouldn't do it himself, but he said he wasn't welcome in such natural spaces. Kind of creepy, kind of... I don't give a shit, to be honest. He wasn't welcome in what kind of spaces? Natural spaces. Ooh!
Starting point is 00:28:53 Isn't every space a natural space? I don't fully understand. I don't fucking care! All right, all right, keep talking. Now, I wasn't interested in his whole business until he showed me that necklace, the one that your friend took. There was something enticing about it, and I really wanted it.
Starting point is 00:29:12 It was a beautiful gemstone. He said he'd give it to me as part of the deal, and he did. So we came to an agreement, so long as he showed us how he'd help our operations, that we'd go ahead and see that this thing was delivered into the Emerald Sky for whatever purpose he had for it. It was destroying the entire ecosystem. I don't care.
Starting point is 00:29:35 But he showed us this strange little black-purple gem, kind of a rough cut thing. He said, be patient. About a week later, the entirety of the Gulch Bottom mine had been shut down entirely. The most powerful and largest competitor of the red crystal mining here in this city
Starting point is 00:30:01 had a business. And it's been booming ever since. So he was good on his word, so we had to be good on ours. We found a schmuck who didn't have anything to lose. Dyson made him go off and do this for us. And it seems he told on us, so we'll make sure he's taken care of, too.
Starting point is 00:30:23 But I think that answers your question. I have one last question. What are your last words? Wait, why though? And you see him as he's reaching back for this nasty, gnarled-looking, jagged mace. And you see Jemma in the back is like, and all the people are starting to come inward
Starting point is 00:30:43 and more folks are starting to appear from the steps down. I want to cast Dark Cloud. Okay. So you go ahead and cast Dark Cloud. Do you have to roll for spell cast? I have to roll spell cast. All right, go for it.
Starting point is 00:30:54 Just ink fart. That's my instinct roll. I'm pretty sure. Can you add an expelience? Wait, do I instinct or finesse? Foundation? It's whatever you spellcast. Finesse! Finesse!
Starting point is 00:31:08 Go ahead and make a finesse roll for me. Okay, so that's these. Do you want to add anything to it? Yeah, can I add hope to it? No, I can't do that. It's better hope. To add an experience. Right, that's it, though.
Starting point is 00:31:22 This is not enough. This wouldn't count as sneaky. This is spellcasting abilities enough. Okay, so this it, though. This is not enough. This wouldn't count as sneaky as some of them. This is spellcasting abilities enough. Okay, so this is just bleak Luke. This one and this one. And then I go like this. Okay. Oh no, that face.
Starting point is 00:31:39 That does not succeed. You don't know. Is that with hope or fear? It's with fear, and it doesn't succeed. You don't know. Is that with hope or fear? It's with fear, and it doesn't succeed. I had to roll 15, and I rolled a 13. Okay. So, at this moment, you begin to try and move your fingers. They're still bound in the chair, and it's tough,
Starting point is 00:32:00 and the spell begins to curl around your hands. You could feel the energy going, but you're unable to completely coalesce it. As your body moves, as he was staring over to the side, grabbing the mace, he sees you wiggling and the magic begin to apparate. The black cloud begin to in the space. Oh no, you don't. Wham!
Starting point is 00:32:19 He hits you across the head with the mace. Immediately, blood spatters across the stone next to it. You take... No! That's gross! He doesn't give a shit. That's going to be 16 points of physical damage. Oh, not the toadstool!
Starting point is 00:32:36 Oh no, I can't even! Okay, I take some major damage there. So he's like, See, now I get to have fun! And he's going to lift up the mace again. After he hits, I'm just going to be like, oh, that's my cue, and release myself of the binds. Okay.
Starting point is 00:32:57 And then can I take the rope and wrap it around, whip it around his hand, since I am technically also a whip expert, to try and disarm him. You want to try and disarm the weapon? Sure. All right. So go ahead and for that, roll a finesse roll for me.
Starting point is 00:33:13 Yeah, I'm good at that. Can I... Well, that's, I guess, a damage dice thing. I'll go ahead and let go. Okay. Okay. Okay. Nine, 12, 14, 15, 17 with hope. 17 with hope?
Starting point is 00:33:35 Yeah, that'll succeed. So you get a hope from that and you wrap the whip around his hands as he pulls him upward and gets caught backwards. He tries to tear free, and as you withdraw the whip around his hands as he pulls them upward and gets caught backwards. He tries to tear free, and as you withdraw the whip, you pull the mace out of his hands and it hits the ground and scrapes to the floor next to you. It's kinky.
Starting point is 00:33:56 Whip my fan attack. Okay, go for it. Okay, okay, okay. That's a crit! That's a crit, okay. That's a crit! Wait, what happens? Do I do max damage? What happens?
Starting point is 00:34:16 I know, it's been a minute. So you do max damage, and then roll your damage dice on top of it. So I do, so that's a 3d8 with my proficiency. So that's 24. Plus a roll. Plus a roll of another 3d8. Wow.
Starting point is 00:34:32 Love that. I believe that's correct. Okay, okay. Wait, I wasn't prepared. Ah, shit, shit. Here we go, I'm good. Okay, so wait, 24 plus 28. 32.
Starting point is 00:34:53 39 points of damage. 39 points of damage, that's well over severe. So he takes three hit points, march. As you pull the mace from his hands, turn around and then whip him. Where are you striking him with the whip? Well, that was with, I did a whip to disarm and then I hit with my fan.
Starting point is 00:35:12 Oh, with the fans, okay, right. Yes. So it carves across the side of his head and it falls to his knees that snap as he puts his whole weight on them at the wrong direction. He yells out, hitting the ground, looks back at you. You can see one of his eyes is completely cut through and there's just like blood streaking down his face. His massive ribbit mouth is open. Kill him!
Starting point is 00:35:37 And she's still down. Can I shadow bind him now that he's on his knees? Sure. And he won't be able to stand up, right? He won't be able to move. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, can I try it?
Starting point is 00:35:49 Yeah, go ahead and roll. Make a spell, cast roll. And is anything else in close range? Very close range? In very close range to you or him? Of me? Of you, no, it's just him. Oh, yay. Of me? Of you? No, it's just him. Yay!
Starting point is 00:36:07 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. With hope. To when that succeeds. So she takes a hope, falls onto the ground after being smashed in the face by Bunny's fans as he's yelling at her and shouts, kill them. You still manage to now bring your hand to the side a little bit and finish the incantation. The shadow that fills most of this chamber,
Starting point is 00:36:26 the shadow that he's casting on the wall, suddenly spreads out and digs into the rock, like a tree taking root in a matter of seconds. And he's like, Not again! And he's just clutching his eyes shut right now. He's like, not again? No, it's so annoying, I kept doing that to him.
Starting point is 00:36:44 Oh, that's right, you did. Jemma on the back is like, Huh? Mortimer! Watching his eyes shut right now. You're saying, not again? No, it's so annoying. I kept doing that to him. Oh, that's right, you did. Jemma on the back is like, Huh? I'm Mortimer! Can I pick and pull and try to undo my binds? Yes, you can. Okay. So go ahead and roll an agility or finesse, your choice.
Starting point is 00:37:00 With advantage. Yes, because if you're picking pull. Yes. Okay. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, with fear. With fear, okay. So that does indeed succeed. You manage to rip out of your bindings
Starting point is 00:37:16 and both of you are now unbound from the chair. However, it's now my go. So I'm going to go ahead and spend two of these action tokens to get a fear, and then Mortimer, angrily, in his space, because he's a big guy and he's still close to both of you, is going to go ahead and the mace is gone, but he still has his cane sorted aside. He's going to reach out and grab it and pull the head of the cane off, like a katana. Samurai slash out, does an arc out towards you, since you're the one who gashed him last time. That's going to be 14 to hit?
Starting point is 00:37:53 Yeah, that hits. That hits you? Okay. So with that, this cane hit is a beefy one. He's very pissed. That's going to be 17 points of physical damage. Ew. Okay. Actually, I'm going to be using a fear off that one to do Watch Him Fall as part of that.
Starting point is 00:38:11 So it's actually against everyone within very close range, means it hits you both for that. Aw. Oh, you're so close. 17? Does it 14 hits you? Four, four, four, no, yeah. Yeah, yeah, so 17 points of physical damage to both of you.
Starting point is 00:38:24 I will... Wait, 17 minus eight drops it down to nine. My major threshold is nine. So that would still be a major? It would still be major. That's annoying. All my armor to drop it down to minor. Oh, at least you have armor to use. Okay, I'm going to use a lot of armor to drop it from 17 minor. Oh, at least you have armor to use.
Starting point is 00:38:45 Okay, I'm going to use a lot of armor to drop it from 17 down. Go for it. That's what it's there for. Do it. Yeah, I'll use three as well to drop it down to a minor. Okay. A minor or a minor? A minor. Not a minor.
Starting point is 00:39:01 I'm using a minor. Okay. Love you, Eddie. A minor. Not a minor. I'm using a minor. Okay. That was his activation there. And then in the back, the, you have. From the back? No, he's in the space there. He can't move and he's holding up the area to get to you guys.
Starting point is 00:39:22 So the rest of the group can't get to you right now because he's filling the area where you're held. But in the back, his sister was going to go ahead and fire with her scepter. So I'm going to activate her. She's going to roll and attack you. That's going to be a 12. It hits.
Starting point is 00:39:39 That hits, okay. You take, that's not a great roll, nine points of magic damage. Nine points. Sorry, I meant to say this, the previous one. I want to do Never Upstaged. Can I do that with this previous damage, since this is all one attack round?
Starting point is 00:39:59 Sure, yeah. Okay. I will drop it down to one more hit point. Spinning an armor. Never upstage when you attack, or sorry, when you mark one or more hit points from an attack, you may mark a stress, which I will do, to place a number of tokens on this card equal to the number of hit points you marked.
Starting point is 00:40:18 On your next attack, you may increase your proficiency by plus one for each token on this card, then clear all tokens. So could I give two tokens from that? Correct. Since I did? Okay. Great. I will do that and prep that for later. All right, and now you get struck with the scepter
Starting point is 00:40:36 for nine points of magic damage from Jemma, his sister in the back. Yes, sorry, I counted that. You did? Great. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, that finishes my go. The two of you are still in the midst of this fray now. He's locked to the ground
Starting point is 00:40:47 and he's blocking the walkway to where you guys are and you can see the rest of his thugs are starting to rush up to try and get to you. What are you doing? Do you want to get the fuck out of Dodge? Yeah, we should run away. Okay, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to grab Sweet Pea
Starting point is 00:41:07 and pull her in and be like, Where are you hurting us? And I'm going to try and do Recant on Mortimer. So he has to roll a reaction roll of 15. Okay. And I spend a hope to do that. That's a four, that's a failure. So he forgets the last minute of our conversation.
Starting point is 00:41:32 Ooh. Okay, okay. That's awesome! That's cool. Dang. I'm going to be like, what? Don't hurt us, that's so mean. We were never here, bamf, and teleport us out. Okay, okay.
Starting point is 00:41:48 Do you have to roll anything before it just happens? He rolls the reaction roll. That's so mean. That's awesome. That's so mean. So he's on the ground and goes like, like, up his one eye and goes like, what were we? What the fuck?
Starting point is 00:42:02 Who were you? And right as he's looking back at the thugs starting to rush in their weapons out in the gym, I'm going to be like Who are you? And right as he's looking back at the thugs starting to rush in their weapons out and you see Jemma be like, are you okay? You okay, brother? Go ahead and roll to see if you can teleport. I, oh yeah, I do have to roll.
Starting point is 00:42:15 Oh god! I do have to roll. Oh no! I can't help you. This is it. This is it. You can try and help if you can think of a way to help. You a spellcaster? I'm a spellcaster. Do you have any hope to spend?
Starting point is 00:42:26 I have so much hope to spend! This is what it's there for. I want to help her with a hope. How do you help her? Because I'm going to use my copycat skill and I'm going to also just follow her lead and be like, why? We're just sweet! I'm just a sweet little mushroom?
Starting point is 00:42:44 I was a sweet little mushroom. I was a sweet little mushroom! I don't know if you can apply the copycat skill. If you're just spending a hope to help, she just gets the d6. And I'm just going to spend a hope to help. Yeah. I mean, you can say you use your copycat for it, but usually your experience is helping roles you make.
Starting point is 00:42:59 Oh, well then shit. If you're just helping somebody, you just spend a hope to help them with a d6. I'm just narratively asking, how do you about with that? It's all good. Once again, still learning the system. I help her. I help her.
Starting point is 00:43:13 A bunny can feel Sweet Pea's magical essence and it helps enhance it. I'm going to help use my shadowy abilities and so it'll bamf us shadowy as we teleport. There we go. So you call the shadows in closer. The magical energy that you're used to calling
Starting point is 00:43:31 from the shadows helps to aid this moment. That was so many shakes to get a roll. Yeah, that was a wild roll, but it does succeed. I got a 12 and a one, but that is 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, plus three, which brings it to 20. And I needed to roll a 16. That is a success. I'm going for that.
Starting point is 00:43:55 With a hope. With a hope. With a hope, so you get a hope. All righty. So as you both clasp each other, whining towards Mortimer, as he just adjusts to the weirdness around him, reaches over and grabs for the mace, scrapes on the stone.
Starting point is 00:44:10 The rest of the thugs rushing in, you both vanish from the space. Where are you teleporting to? Yeah, I realize, too, it has modifiers, depending on how well I know the place. Mm-hmm. Which is at 2 health. Can we teleport to outside of the grate?
Starting point is 00:44:25 How far can you teleport? I feel like that's where we would go, right? Or maybe even, I know, but we would... Up here. Up to the casino? If your first spot is outside of the grate? I think it would be. The timing of all this, we would still be in the sewer.
Starting point is 00:44:38 Not outside the grate, but I want to be on that tunnel entrance that we came in, like on the cliff face where we even entered. Oh, the very beginning. Yes, before we went underground. We'll go there, I guess. Great, okay. So both of you appear now out in the night air.
Starting point is 00:44:59 Just within visual shot of Lullvale, past the rope bridge that goes across the open ravine and leading you to the exterior. You now have a beautiful view of the city. Lullvale. Well, I didn't want to be out, because we went down into the sewers, we went through the sewers, and then there was the grate.
Starting point is 00:45:17 Right. So I wanted to go to that entrance, which I don't think was that far outside. That's why I said at the beginning of the last adventure, I thought you meant that one was the city. No, no, no, entrance to the sewer. Entrance to the sewer, okay. You reloaded too far! Which, shit!
Starting point is 00:45:29 Later save. Next stop. Exactly. I'm systematic. Scum safe, scum safe, good. So as the, standing here in the middle of the alley side street of Lowell Vale, you can hear the familiar sound of nearby music
Starting point is 00:45:44 and laughter as people are now going about their business, and you both apparate. Still holding her. That went so well. I feel like they did so good. The sewer lid pushes aside, right as Zarlo's the first figure to step up. Look at that.
Starting point is 00:46:00 Oh, the fucking lot of you that are here, they're right in front of me. They found us already, ready for an attack. We are here, they're right in front of me. Oh god, they found us already! Ready for an attack! We're going to! No, shh! No! How did you? We were just looking behind and you weren't there,
Starting point is 00:46:14 and then you just. Was miraculous, and she got out of her ropes, and she teleported us. What ropes? Is she right ahead of us, or? We were in, we were tied up. We were tied up. It was very dramatic and kind of romantic in like a romance novel kind of way.
Starting point is 00:46:32 But he was moaning a lot. Whoa! Cool. And Mortimer was really angry. Oh. And? He's real mad you took his necklace. Yeah, ooh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:46:47 So how did you get out of there, then? And is he coming to kill me? Yes, but he might forget where we were because everything that you said, he's gonna forget. Above table, do you think you wiped out the mention of the show? Was that a minute before that? I feel like- Go ahead and roll a d20 for me.
Starting point is 00:47:04 Ooh. I'll say on a six plus, yes. On a six plus, yes, it wiped. It wiped memory. It was right on memory. Because that combat was pretty quick. That was super cocked. That landed on everything. 12!
Starting point is 00:47:16 Okay, all right. Yeah, you just managed to wipe out the last smidge of memory as you mentioned that bit of information. Yeah, you know, we did find out some good information, though, about who wanted to have all this seed business and spread it all over the world. That's great, let's walk and talk.
Starting point is 00:47:35 Let's walk and talk. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We can walk and not go to the facility. Do I need to get out of town so that I can live? No, I'm sure it's fine. Well, it's a crime, you know, it's a crime, a family, so there's many of them. Oh no, it's totally fine.
Starting point is 00:47:50 I totally, you know. Ooh, wait a minute. Let me see. Danger lurks everywhere. Plus, we have a show to get to, right? Yeah. This is a big opportunity for me. I can't miss it. Maybe you get rid of the necklace.
Starting point is 00:48:02 Oh my gosh, wait, no! Here, I'm going to switch this out. Can't, no! Here, I'm going to switch this out. Can't do that, lass. I'm going to switch this out. Yeah, and I'm going to, well, when we get to, I can make it to where they won't find us. Some casting stress?
Starting point is 00:48:17 If we just, you know, tuck away for a few minutes. Look, we got the informations. What do you mean? I just need a few minutes to focus. It takes a lot of focus. Should we do that now? Sure.
Starting point is 00:48:32 I don't argue with mushrooms in general. Let's get a couple blocks away and try and do a left and a right and a left to just get some distance? Sure. Okay. You step into a particularly pungent alleyway that comes to an end with a few piles of garbage and what looks to be somebody who either passed out
Starting point is 00:48:51 or hasn't woke up in a few days, but you're pretty sure you feel under the radar and have some time to prep what you're prepping. Okay, everybody gather around me in a circle. Are you touchable to me? Yeah. Okay, now everybody lick my head. What? Lick the top of my head.
Starting point is 00:49:13 Lick the top of your head? Lick the top of my head. It's how I cast my spells. Just lick the top. I'm just going to shoot my tongue out. Just keep your tongue on there. And as your tongues. We have to hold our tongue. Yeah, you have to touch. So we have to go circle around you, you say?
Starting point is 00:49:25 That's what I said, circle really close. Yeah, yeah, yeah, touch your nose. Just do it, just do it. We have to keep our tongues on your head? Keep your tongues on our head. This is going to be clipped out so quick. Get your fucking tongue out of your head. As everybody's licking my head.
Starting point is 00:49:42 Yeah. They're slowly, from their tongue down their body, everybody's going to start transforming and they're going to look not like themselves. What do we look like? What do we look like? Is there a certain type of people that is in Lil'Ville the most?
Starting point is 00:50:01 Oh, you know what we're going to look like? We're going to look like a bunch of sexy ladies that work at... The Lily Locker Lounge? Yeah. All righty. Oh, this will be even better when you back me up at the show. We're all sexy as fuck.
Starting point is 00:50:16 All righty. This is wild, you guys. Five sexy ladies licking a mushroom. Because it's fun, let's go around the table. Oppy, what does your sexy form look like? Oh, wow. So still blue. Mm-hmm.
Starting point is 00:50:33 The color of my skin tone didn't change, but just the biggest titties you ever did see. Yes. And just perfect little hourglass shape. And just perfect little hourglass shape. And I think- You stand up and show. I'm like, my body. No.
Starting point is 00:50:55 Deal with yourself, yeah. No. What is happening? Like a leather bustier. Yes. Long, dark hair. Still blue skin, yellow eyes. Gorgeous. So beautiful.
Starting point is 00:51:13 So hot. And little bloomers. Great. A little ruffly ones? A little ruffly ones. Hell yeah. And then thigh-high boots. All right, Jarlow. Oh, I thought I was waiting for Travis. No, I'm holding him last.
Starting point is 00:51:28 He's saving the best for last for me, Ted. I also get to be a sexy lady, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know, I get to use it. I'm a broad-shouldered dame, but I'm in a zip-up, skin-tight, black... That's a pleather, full-body outfit, and I have black hair that's pulled up tight into a ponytail that's swinging over the top
Starting point is 00:51:50 with very Dargoth makeup. Yo! Wow, Matrix. Perfect. All right, Zarlo. Oh yeah, I'm ready. I'm still a simia, but I'm a tall, lanky, I look more like a tamarin now,
Starting point is 00:52:04 and I have a big poof of orange fur, and I have a matching fur coat with feathers poking out on all sides, and there's very little under the coat. Wonderful. Sweet Pea? Oh, I also elongate, and my skin turns pink, and I turn into a fairy. I sprout wings, and I've got long, beautiful hot pink hair, and my whole outfit is gemstones and dangly, shaky bits. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Awesome. Asunante? I honestly just have to be classical.
Starting point is 00:52:46 So I'm going for whatever the turtle version of... Thank you so much, you just made me completely leave my run on that. The turtle version of Dolly Parton and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Great! Yes! Big blonde hair just doing the whole thing, and then a peach negligee that just sits
Starting point is 00:53:09 where it's supposed to, and then just nice mid-calf boots. Nice. And some gloves. Mid-calf. Oh, mid-calf. There's a guy standing on the side of the road, I like turtles. And bunny. Oh, honey, I know. You know, so like, you know what, you gotta show, how long does this last?
Starting point is 00:53:27 An hour. But I can do it again and just keep it going. No, this is great. You know, it'll probably time out perfectly, so we have this like transformation moment that's gonna blow the crowd's mind. So with that in mind, I kind of want to have like, like a little like black flapper bob,
Starting point is 00:53:43 like very like Catherine Zeta-Jones-esque. Nice. And her fans turn into the big, feathered showgirl fans. And then, yeah, she's going to be wearing a slinky, kind of going with the flapper vibe, like a little fringe, tiny micro dress. She's wearing a Bob Mackie.
Starting point is 00:54:08 She's having her Mackie moment. Amazing. Yeah. The fuck is a Bob Mackie? Fashion. People will know. We'll do black glittery. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have an addendum.
Starting point is 00:54:22 My new necklace looks amazing with my tits. Oh, yeah. Great. See, my tongue's still be numb, by the way. If it's normal. Okay. I don't know, I'm supposed to walk in these. They look so good off you.
Starting point is 00:54:37 I don't even know how my feet are fitting in these. Oh my god. They're just like... You're holding onto the outside of them. Yeah. Fucking all the shoes. Yeah. Oh my god.
Starting point is 00:54:55 All right, work it, girls. I need fan art of this immediately. Freshly transformed and confident that you're likely not to be followed by any surface, at least not by the family for particular reasons, you begin to walk through the night air, heading back towards the Lilylocket Lounge, where in due time, within the next hour,
Starting point is 00:55:18 your time on stage will transpire. As you step into the- Why is everyone looking at us and whistling? Because we're so hot! Every time I walk, I'm going to shift, so my boots go. Oh yeah. Stepping within the interior of the Lilylocket Lounge,
Starting point is 00:55:37 the atmosphere has become vibrant. People are swarmed in to pass their tickets over and be brought into the main chamber. You can see this is an evening performance that many, many denizens of the town are excited to arrive at. As you step within, you can see there are the various ushers and employees and some of the dancers who aren't performing tonight helping bring people to their seats and take tickets, and you can see the matron looking a bit nervously, asking around, and says,
Starting point is 00:56:10 You're not being recognized at First Gate. There's a little bit of a hubbub and a worry of where the full lineup is. Oh wait, who was the name of the doorman again? What was his name? Shit. I don't remember. It's been a minute. Hang on.
Starting point is 00:56:31 I'm going to go find the notes here. I didn't know anything. Wildcullens. Dyson, Roach, Wildcullens. Shit. I have whatever. I go up to, um... Give him a nickname. Ogden Brooms?
Starting point is 00:56:41 Yeah, sure, that's him. I go up to Ogden. That's the assistant to the matron, but you do see him present. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's the orc man. Psst, Harkonnen. It's me, it's Bunny.
Starting point is 00:56:53 I know, right? Boa. We found him. And the matron turns. Oh my goodness, look at you. I have this one over here that's a sweet pea to thank. It's part of the act.
Starting point is 00:57:09 People are going to, it's going to blow their minds because there's going to be a transformation moment in the middle. It's going to be incredible. It's going to be like a quick change, but better. I'm excited to see it. I didn't know you were going about and wandering abroad to collect an entire new troupe of performing girls. This is exquisite. I don't know if we have time to sign
Starting point is 00:57:32 them all up on the registry of our performers, but based on what we see tonight, perhaps there is room here on the docket. They're just going to jump on stage. They know exactly what to do. We've been rehearsing. It's going to be fantastic. I wasn't expecting an ensemble piece. Lafawna might be a little frustrated, as her backup dancers are part of her ensemble as well,
Starting point is 00:57:55 an ensemble into an ensemble. I'll talk to her and make sure that everything goes smoothly. Well, you know. You know, people are going to innovate. Times are going to change. She's going to have to keep up, you know. You know, people are going to innovate. Times are going to change. She's going to have to keep up, you know? Well, the green rooms should be cleared.
Starting point is 00:58:12 You can take your time to prepare. We have only, and she pulls out a little pocket watch, only about 40-ish minutes until the performance begins, and you, a little over that time before your troop is to get on stage. So take the time to rest and be ready when you are. Oh, yes, Samael, it's been a while, and then she wanders off to go say hi to some other people
Starting point is 00:58:36 and begin doing the social butterfly thing before the performance. Do I need to point out that when you make your miraculous transformation, which I'm sure is going to be extraordinary, the rest of us are also going to make an extraordinary transformation that will be a little less enticing.
Starting point is 00:58:55 Does it have to work that way? Oh, I mean, we can, we can, we can, I can up it, I can re-up it when we go to the dressing room. Just bunny? And just make it. Transforms? Yeah, you can drop it if you want, I think.
Starting point is 00:59:10 Just make some promises you can't keep. You can end an effect when you want. Yeah, but I can end it on just you if I want. No, I think this is great, because here's my inspirations. I'm thinking that we do a little dance routine about our experience together. So when we transform, it's us as an adventuring troupe.
Starting point is 00:59:33 Is this going to be, you know, I think this is good because I think it's going to be, I'm all about. I need to be on stage for the performance? I mean, we are supposed to be doing something other than performing while we're here. This is fucking wild. We were just running from fucking gangsters. Yeah, there's the source of...
Starting point is 00:59:50 It's detectives, more or less. Yeah. The only thing is, Bunny, if we all transform back into ourselves, then they're going to know it's us again. Yeah, you have a point. Do you think there's any of that frog family here? Can I look around and see if there's that? Wait, you can cast it again?
Starting point is 01:00:06 Yeah. Okay. So part of the show, one of the dance moves is, we got to lick your head. Yeah, and then I just lay up and do something else. I just need a few minutes of silence to focus. So just shut up in the middle of the act. For a few minutes. And the lights go down.
Starting point is 01:00:23 Just a couple minutes of quiet, contemplation. Just a few minutes of licking my head. It's your avant-garde. I will say, though, unless we feel, by the way, can we say as we walked in talk, we filled, Sweet Pea and I filled everybody in on the information that we got.
Starting point is 01:00:41 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good stuff you got. You know, unless we feel that we got. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, good stuff. Good stuff you got. You know, unless we feel like we need more information, then maybe my performance could be a good distraction. We could also get the fuck out of Dodge as soon as the show is over. It's true, we should go down to the mines, right? Do we need to?
Starting point is 01:01:03 Should we split seats? I think we have to. Yeah to try to finish what we started. This is good for a break. That's what he said, there was a baron. From Champion's Crown? Crown? Before we get to the stage, if you guys want to, you can take a short rest to
Starting point is 01:01:23 put a little bit of downtime. As you have a little bit of time. Bottle service at the same time. you guys want to, you can take a short rest to a little bit of downtime. As you have a little bit of time. Bottle service at the same time. Ooh, that sounds great. Oh yeah, bottle service. Definitely, for the lead performers of the night, that can be arranged here at the Lilylock. And then maybe we can mingle a bit.
Starting point is 01:01:35 Choose two options below. So you could rearrange your loadout. You can just figure out what's in your vault and what's in your loadout, your five cards max in your loadout. And you can choose two of the options in them. You can choose tend to wounds, clear stress, repair armor, or you can gain two hope by preparing.
Starting point is 01:01:53 Oh man. Okay, okay, okay. All right. I'm going to tend to my wounds. I'm going to definitely tend to my wounds. All right, so that's a d4 to heal. Gets to do how many of these? Two of them. Two, okay.
Starting point is 01:02:06 You can tend to somebody else's wounds, too, if you don't need one else, somebody who's particularly hurt. Can you do one twice? That's an odd question. You may repeat the same action twice. Oh, excellent. Does anybody really fucking hurt?
Starting point is 01:02:18 I'm really fucking hurt. Are you going to heal us before I heal myself? Because I suck at it. I'm pretty hurt. I'm pretty hurt. I am, I am. Well, I heal myself? Because I suck at it. Right, let me, yeah, I am. Well, I'll only have two options. One, actually.
Starting point is 01:02:27 I'm trying to find something. Use your pencil. Uh-huh. Okay, well then I'm going to use this. Can you heal us before the short rest? I can heal you. Oh. Well. If you need it,
Starting point is 01:02:39 and I'm happy to. I'm one, two, three, four, five hit points in. Come here, darling, come here. And I zhuzh the side of your frill, right? And I think it just works. It does once per long rest, so this is mine for the day here, I'm doing it. Use an action and touch a creature
Starting point is 01:02:57 to clear two hit points or two stress. We'll clear the hit points because you're hurt. Thank you. That's two. Thank you. Then do for you for you. Okay, then I'll still use mine and take another one off. That's done for me. Okay. And I'll, when you're, say hello.
Starting point is 01:03:19 When you tend to wounds, you roll a d4? It's 1d4? 1d4, yeah. All right, all right. And the only way to clear stress is through short rests, or can you clear stress by spending a hope and clearing a stress? No. There's no other way. You clear stress by either this downtime action
Starting point is 01:03:32 during the rest, or if you roll a critical on any sort of action roll, you gain a hope and clear a stress. And certain abilities or spells in the game that are on some domain cards can also help you clear stress, like the heal spell that Sarla just used. But those are, you also have a stamina potion. If any of you have a stamina potion in your inventory,
Starting point is 01:03:52 the stamina potion can help you heal 1d4 stress as well. Oh, cool. I am, for myself, from a short rest of time, both sending to wounds and repairing armor, which I'm doing through my illusory fur coat while we wait. Oh, and the dogs are there still, too. Twix and Twix?
Starting point is 01:04:11 Oh, fuck. Twix and Twix are in there on either side of my boobies. Let's have what you call them. All right, I will. I'm repairing my armor. All righty. Yes. So yeah, you can clear 1d4 used slots.
Starting point is 01:04:27 I cleared a ton of stress. One, two, three. Hmm. Hmm. Oh. Hmm. And I will use some of my winnings from the casino to get bottle service for the lot of us.
Starting point is 01:04:44 So we are swimming in, what do you think they have here? Oh, anything you can imagine. I can imagine a lot. Then imagine something. I'll have some fruit and rum drinks. Ooh! Yeah. Oh yeah. Lots of little paper umbrellas.
Starting point is 01:04:58 Oh yeah, like a smattering of ones in the drinks and on the side in case you want to pick and choose. As well as some curly straws as part of it. I want more drinks than I can drink, and I can drink a lot. They bring you three trays that have the ice buckets in them for additional pre-mixed that you can go ahead and pour into your cup. It's designed to probably wreck customers and often aren't sent to the green room for performances, but you were very intent. There's a bit of liquid courage for you, for the noise.
Starting point is 01:05:31 As time passes on, you all take this rest until eventually the din of the audience falls to a hush and one of the other dancers comes by and goes, It's starting, get yourself ready. Should I re-up our disguise? Eden's up first. It's Eden, then you, and then it's Mafana. Look, you know, I am.
Starting point is 01:05:52 How long is Eden's act? I'm going to say normally five minutes. Okay. Do you all stay in or do you watch? What? Look, you know, we do need to find out some stuff about this wealthy baron. So, you know, maybe I can just take Sweepy and Kexin as my backup dancers. And then the rest of you can do crown works.
Starting point is 01:06:20 That's great. I think it's a brilliant idea. I do, too. That's, that's... It doesn't have to be you, Kex too. That's, that's... I do, too. It doesn't have to be you, Kex, and it's really anyone who's feeling inspired. Yeah, but I feel like, look how beautiful.
Starting point is 01:06:32 Does anybody have a really good presence? I do. You do have, oh. I would be happy to be a backup dancer, if necessary. Although, presence might be good for talking to people, too. It would. That's probably the most important. Yes.
Starting point is 01:06:45 I'm at your disposal, as always. Right before we go on, while Eden's doing her number, everybody's got to lick me. I did this intentionally. Don't think I don't know that. It's the most you bullshit I can imagine. So all of you quietly gather around Sweet Pea,
Starting point is 01:07:12 and for a few moments of silence, all extend your tongues against the cap of the mushroom. My disguised form also has a big hat on, so they can just lick my hat. Licking tap in the ass. Yeah, a few moments into it, the door comes open. All right, you're on deck! Shh.
Starting point is 01:07:34 I need silence. I'll mark a stress. So you mark a stress, and all of you reclaim your performance forms for those who need it, unless others are planning to take a different form. Is everybody happy with the way they look? I'm going to keep the same form. I'm very happy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 01:07:57 This is Grant. All righty. They look so good. Who's the performance troupe? I'm going to help. I am good on silks. Oh! Bunny, we have Sweet Pea. Who else?
Starting point is 01:08:11 Okay, well, I'll take Zarlo. Zarlo, okay. He's athletic. Do you want me working the crowd, or do you want me on stage? Well, if it's going that direction. Well, I feel like you're, oh. No, go ahead.
Starting point is 01:08:30 I was going to say, why don't you back me up? Because two backup dancers is weird. Three is just enough. All right, then I'm ready for it. How did I get here? All right. Well, Travis. Good drawing of math.
Starting point is 01:08:42 11 or 12 years ago. Oh. Creston and Offee are crowd working. So we're in the crowd, we're working the crowd. We're supposed to be a boot maker. All right. We'll do a good job. Because we feel like you've got this.
Starting point is 01:08:54 We've got a big crowd. We've got this. Who this wealthy baron is. I'll find this baron. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know what to do with my arms, so I'm just settling them on top of my tits. Okay. Is this how you do it? I think so. That looks natural. Yeah, it does?
Starting point is 01:09:14 Yeah. Turtle arms, I don't quite know. You know what, no, I will get rid of this. And you describe yourself as very boxy. Very boxy. All right. Very cruel. So that's why I appear. We're all the way up here for some reason.
Starting point is 01:09:30 It's the bustier. It's the Ren Faire shelf. It was the thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All righty. I will, before we go on, I will use... I will use Telepathy to open a line of mental communication with Kexen in case shit hits the fan and we need to.
Starting point is 01:09:50 Spy shit. You got it. The two of you are mentally bound and can converse telepathically. Yes. All right, so while the two of you exit the chamber to head into the crowd space, which, I mean, the seats are all sold,
Starting point is 01:10:02 so you'll be having to nestle in. They're not individual seats, they're long benches. They're really nice benches, but people are sitting across them, and there are three main sections of it that spread out into the theater. Is there a bar on the back? There is a bar in the main entryway to the theater,
Starting point is 01:10:20 but nothing in the actual room. Before we leave the dressing room, I'm going to cast, I'm going to spend a hope to activate a Phantom Retreat. Sure. Just in case. In case you got to run, you got to. All right, so you mark the space in the green room. Little glyph appears on the ground and then fades as it hides itself.
Starting point is 01:10:43 The troop, the four of, head to the backstage wings. There's a centralized wing chamber on each side of the stage. As you step out, you can already hear the music playing and this grinding sound that's like As you four get to the side, you can see the audience is cheering and clapping, and Eden, this amazing Qatari dancer's latest performance,
Starting point is 01:11:09 is coming to a close. You see her wearing this beautiful set of leather and metallic armor on the shoulders, incredible dark-looking makeup, and has a metal pair of underwear on, and has a mystical grinder, is shooting sparks off the front, into the front row of the audience
Starting point is 01:11:28 and showering everyone in the front with just an arc of glowing metal embers. Wow! People are like, whoa! They're catching them in the front row and she's just laughing going, Eden's a great warmup. A great warmup.
Starting point is 01:11:43 But it's definitely going for being the memorable show of the night, so it's already starting off strong. What are we doing? She is good. That bitch. All right. She sucks. What are we, how do we top that?
Starting point is 01:11:57 All right, so here's what we're going to do. We're going to start off by being sensuals, right? I'm going to use my Bigfeather fans. We're going to be soft and girly. Do whatever magic stuff you want to umph the whole thing. Then I'm going to transform and I'm going to go into my famous whip routine. Okay.
Starting point is 01:12:17 Just go along with it. I trust you. All right. Zarnal just starts stretching and one leg is up against his face, standing one-legged. All right. When we come on, You're going to be amazing. come and stand behind me, hide behind me.
Starting point is 01:12:33 Wait, we're doing the crowd work. Oh, not you. It's all right. You all line up behind me, and then I'll peel off and reveal that you're behind me. That's how we'll open, and then do something cool. So you're the're behind me. Okay. That's how we'll open, and then do something cool. So you're the starter. Yeah. And you'll introduce us to the crowd, or reveal us, right?
Starting point is 01:12:50 Okay. Left, right. Yes. The stage manager, who's there off to the side, she looks over and goes, Bonnie, Bonnie, what's the name of your ensemble? The Ménage à Trois. Good name. Goes over to the matron, who's off to the side waiting,
Starting point is 01:13:05 whispers in Matron Boa Adra's ear, she nods. Good name. As Eden finishes the performance, the grinder comes to a close. See the magical spinning metal rotary tool goes and flips and goes into the side pocket, almost like she's spinning a revolver into the side. Gives a wink to the front row.
Starting point is 01:13:24 Everyone erupts into applause and cheers as she gives a bow and then walks offstage with a wink to the front. A couple of shadow-dressed stagehands rush out and pull her supplies and the table that she had off, and begin to set up for the next performance by changing the background as the curtain comes to a close.
Starting point is 01:13:41 The matron, Adra, steps out. Ah, one final round of applause for Eden and her robust love of grinding. For our wondrous next act, we have a longstanding performer of our esteemed dancing populace. Oh my god.
Starting point is 01:14:08 A majestic traveler who has only just recently returned, our second returning dancer from abroad. And at this point, you hear. Like a, and you look off to the side and you can see all, the four of you can glance over and in a big pink robe with a massive fluff boa around the edges, like a full on Dita Von T's long set of robe, you see this mature, gorgeous fawn with this short blonde bob, these ears that curl up high,
Starting point is 01:14:46 these horns that curl outward, and you see her holding half of a cheese sandwich in one hand, and is just like, Hello, bunny. Oh my goodness, Mafana! Oh my goodness! It's an honor to be in your presence. I hope you like what I have planned.
Starting point is 01:15:08 I look forward to all of you wowing me and my performers. Uh-huh. And she walks offstage as the matron walks back. She's still fabulous. Places, places. Okay, so I line up and I bring out my...
Starting point is 01:15:35 I'm going to kind of, okay, so. Currently, my fans are big, fluffy, pink fans. Big, fluffy, pink ostrich feathers. And my Bob Mackie situation is also pink. And my black hair bob. And then we're going to do, it's going to be a thing. So I open the fans and I hit a pose and I have them lined up, perfectly hidden behind me.
Starting point is 01:16:01 Doing the pose exactly like you? Uh-huh. Okay. All right. That's you, too. Like her. Yep. Flair. I was in my mind palace, seeing it.
Starting point is 01:16:20 The white lights kick on as the curtain slows open and the music swells in immediately. What do you do, Bunny? Yeah. So you hear a jazzy horn start to play, and it's like, .
Starting point is 01:16:40 I do not have jazzy horn on my stream deck, so we're going to use our imagination, too. It's this slow, sultry horn, and Bunny, yeah, you need a little bit of a 10. Then she peeks her face through the feathers. Then as she does a jazz walk forward, Bunny! you see the other performers performers as you all,
Starting point is 01:17:07 you got to do left, then right, then left, then right. Uh-huh. And it starts off as this little sexy fan number, right? That's very showgirl, very sultry. Do any of us have fans, too, or we're just like... Jazz hands? You won't tell me. If I may, after you kick things off,
Starting point is 01:17:27 Zarlo, using the plus four strength and look mano hands, begins to almost somersault up a hanging silk in the middle of the stage, and is just hanging on by his tail to allow his thighs to swing around and take different poses and go upside down so that you guys have more room down below to dance. Great.
Starting point is 01:17:49 As you climb up the silk, you glance up and see the rope is mostly frayed halfway and it's only hanging by two threads. What do you do? Have I been sabotaged? It's Mopana! Oh, jeez.
Starting point is 01:18:06 Em, Em, what do I do? As you're spinning legs out, Akimbo. Are there, is it the only rope? You feel the rope go. Or are there other ropes? The Acme Jerk. Yeah. There are two other silks that aren't descended.
Starting point is 01:18:22 There's just the central silk at the moment. The others don't have a cue yet to descend, so they're just out of the actual stage framing, but they're up. All right. Well, it's going to go, so I'm going to swing forward and swing back and swing forward and hope it holds long enough,
Starting point is 01:18:39 and then I will somersault off and try to land in the splits. Make an agility check for me, please. Come on. In the splits. The an agility check for me, please. Come on. The definition of death drop. Yes! I know what that is. Yay!
Starting point is 01:18:54 All right, all right. So it's just the d12s plus agility. Is there anything else I can give myself that I'm forgetting? If you don't have an experience that you think will pertain, then no. Well, does Luckmaw No Hands, dismounting from a rope, help?
Starting point is 01:19:07 Well, Luckmaw, in this instance. I know! There we go, it's happening. It is a 16 with fear. 16 with fear, all right. And I'm very afraid. You pull back, and as you leap off, it detaches, but as you begin to, it detaches,
Starting point is 01:19:28 but the momentum you pull puts you outward, and your tail catches the silk above you. As you dangle, the whole audience gives a giant collective gasp, and then there's some light clapping down below. Split open my thighs and then hold the dogs. You're all right. You're all right. She has her dogs. She's got puppies, too!
Starting point is 01:19:49 And dogs. Oh, these dogs. Yeah. Uh-uh. All right. So the silk fell onto the stage. Swoosh, into the middle, and there was a gasp, and then everyone's like, oh, it's part of the show. Left and right. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:19:59 Where you both grab one side of the silk. Grab the silk and run to the other and do a flowy thing. And are starting to do a thing together with them. All right, as you both go skittering off to the side, you realize too late that there is a small oil slick on the edge of the stage. Guys, what the fuck? Oh my god.
Starting point is 01:20:13 100% that bitch. Yes. Oil slick? Is it oil? Yeah. Mario Kart shit next to it. Yep, yep. It's Atari 2600.
Starting point is 01:20:23 Some sort of a viscous fluid that's clear is on the wood stage, and the light just catches it as you're scooting towards it. Oh no! So I need you to make either an agility or a finesse roll. Okay. Your choice.
Starting point is 01:20:39 I will do a finesse roll. And I'm going to use one of my seaborne abilities and I'm going to add a fear thing that I got to add a extra thing to that. Okay. A plus one. Oh, oh, that's a crit! Ha ha ha! Yes! Double nines, baby! Hell yeah.
Starting point is 01:21:03 You rolled with fear earlier, right? Yes, yes. So I get to add a hope and lose distress? I just did so well. Yeah. That's slick. So as it comes towards you, you kind of, describe how you avoid this slippery part of the stage.
Starting point is 01:21:18 I don't avoid it, I go with it. Yes. And having watched the splits up above, I drop into a death drop and... So as you hit, you slide. I slide in. It sends you towards the front and the lip end of the stage, and you actually go off the front of the stage,
Starting point is 01:21:37 but you're holding one end of the silk, which Srdante's holding the other, and what first is a scare if you've got to slide off, instead, you get spun around across and over the front row as Ferdante swings you. Yep. You're in the front row.
Starting point is 01:21:53 All you see is just a collection of barely-lit faces going, as you scoot by and then back onto the stage, you catch her and both spin around and get back to your feet. Oh, I really want to be at this burlesque show. Yes. Seeing this, because I'm in tune with my performers, we're all in the same wavelength.
Starting point is 01:22:11 Seeing this as Sweet Pea flies out, I do a big flying jeté leap as I leap over the ribbon and Sweet Pea, and then land on the other side, working in sync with everybody. Fantastic. Go ahead and make an agility roll for me. All right, I can do that.
Starting point is 01:22:32 This is great. You got it. I got all this. Oh my god! Mysterious donut drop. Whoa. That is dangerous. It's a trap. I love you! Why, why, why come?
Starting point is 01:22:44 La la la, no need, oh my. Can I use my leap ability? I can easily leap up to close range across gaps or chasms without making an agility roll? Yeah, then yeah, do you want to make a roll then? Yeah, I don't make a roll because I'm a bunny and I do a little, I'm a faun that looks like a bunny. A faun. A faun-fawnee.
Starting point is 01:23:04 Or a pawnee. A pawnee. A faun-fawnee. A faun-fawnee. A faun-fawnee. Yep, not even have to roll, just make the leap, land amazing pose. It feels, most like the jazzy intro, a lot of this performance feels very avant-garde and improvised, but then the moments of slickness, the audience goes, oh no, this is all deeply rehearsed to look improvised,
Starting point is 01:23:24 which is an incredible skill. Fully rehearsed. Totally. Oppy, what are you contributing to this performance? Oh, I'm not in it. Oh, no, sorry. I'm out in the crowd. That's right. Then you finish it. Actually, each of you has gone and done some bit of this.
Starting point is 01:23:38 So Jante, you made an assist to the Sweet Pea. What's your personal? I'm now attempting to take the silk and use it as sort of, since you've finished up your flare move, I'm then pulling it in and are you? I'll spin out as you pull in. And then I'm doing just some wonderful ribbon work with it
Starting point is 01:23:57 and just moving and sort of accentuating everything the bunny's doing in the back, just moving it like a wonderful. You're putting it like between your legs? Yeah, okay, so I'm wrapping it for you. You have a floss? I have a floss. Okay.
Starting point is 01:24:09 I'll say go ahead and make a presence roll for me to pull off the maneuver with this silk in a way that both draws in the group's maneuvers as a whole and feels like it's a cohesive unit as opposed to you just showboating with this piece. Yeah, of course. I was going to say, because I would use, I have a skill for this,
Starting point is 01:24:25 but an experience for this, but it might be too much. Floshing. Which is Haughty and a Half-Shell. Oh, Haughty and a Half-Shell would definitely contribute to this. Yeah. This is what you're made for, bro. That's so true.
Starting point is 01:24:39 So spend a hope, and you can add your proficiency bonus to this. All right. Spend a hope, and you experience bonus. Sorry, yeah. All right, this always makes me nervous. That's, other than fear, it's pretty good. That's a 25 with fear.
Starting point is 01:24:59 25 with fear, okay. So you manage to pull off this fantastic display with the silk, almost wrapping it around you like a boa constrictor. It almost seems to have a flare of its own. And as you tether it around each of your friends on stage with you, it almost seems to work like a needle and thread,
Starting point is 01:25:20 tying all of their individual little perfunctory performances into one solid, odd, but enticing piece. As you come around the other side and as your dance begins to come to a crescendo, you hear this dozens, dozens, maybe hundreds of tiny little clacks. And this saint buzzing sound as you're all maneuvering and you see a whole cluster of ball bearings
Starting point is 01:25:52 just pour onto stage from underneath the back curtain. I need all of you to make a group action agility roll to avoid this. So who wants to be the leader of this action? Can I ask a question? Hmm? Oh, no. I can take a fear if I want to.
Starting point is 01:26:13 This action here is resulting from the fear roll. But thank you. Is there any kind of shadow on stage? Any kind of shadow? Uh-huh. I mean, there's the shadows you cast, but the bright lights on you, primarily outside of anything that you cast, there's nothing behind you, nothing around you.
Starting point is 01:26:31 But there are shadows. There are shadows. And technically, a bunch of really tiny ones. Is it possible to, as I see that start to happen, to spin around and hit the shadow of Bunny and disappear into the shadow? Yeah, I don't have that. Okay, I'm going to try to integrate it into the show.
Starting point is 01:26:52 I'll disappear into Bunny's shadow, and then I'm going to reappear under a table in front of the stage. Okay. So you go behind her, right as all these ball bearings scoot out, roll behind, and then just disappear from view. It's almost like you just wiped camera and then vanished.
Starting point is 01:27:12 It was like, and then you pull out. There's no table, but there are the long benches. Oh, great. And you peer underneath one of the front row long benches, and the people sitting there go, What? Get up and stand on the bench and make a show. In case anybody trips and falls,
Starting point is 01:27:27 I'll try to distract from that. Simultaneously, Zarlo's tamarin form, which is upside down, it has been for most of this time, seems to almost plummet down the length of this silt, but then stops short, held by tail and legs, and I reach out my hands and I grab Bonnie's hands and pull up with the tail just a few inches so that she can flex, floating in midair, holding her there, reach out my hands and I grab Bonnie's hands and pull up with a tail just a few inches
Starting point is 01:27:45 so that she can flex floating in midair, holding her there, and we start to twirl, spinning in a circle. Great. So the only person who is left to make a roll is you. I was going to say, unless, of course, you allow me to do a complex dance move where I go and backspin on my shell. On your shell, on ball bearings!
Starting point is 01:28:08 Let the ball bearings pass. Oh god. I'll allow that be the flavor for the agility roll. The flavor of the agility roll. You have to avoid it because this is from the fear that you rolled. Yes, of course. Go ahead and roll, and if you succeed in this,
Starting point is 01:28:18 then indeed, you are able to do just that. Yay! Oh my god. 13 with hope. 13 with hope. You, so you do manage to slide on them with your shell. The momentum that you carry makes it challenging to control the direction you go
Starting point is 01:28:41 once your shell hits the momentum. So you do full-on and you just go careening and spinning like in an arc around the stage. Roll a d20 for me. Waddley, that's hockey puck. Yeah. God, look at that woman and her cams!
Starting point is 01:28:56 Eight. Eight. You go offstage, beyond the curtain and out of view, and while you are all striking a finale pose as the music crescendos, you hear . SAM and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA,
Starting point is 01:29:17 SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, SAM and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, and LAURA, It's all fine. It's all fine. It's all fine. Is the audience here? Does the jazzy music cover it up?
Starting point is 01:29:26 Kind of. I end with a big enrapture moment, and that's when you see the pink slowly dissolve to black, to my black, leathery dominatrixy outfit as I'm using enrapture and my magic to hopefully distract. Okay, so when you cast Enrapture, it's a reaction roll or are you rolling against the targets? I roll against the targets. Okay, I'll say go ahead and make a roll
Starting point is 01:29:55 against the audience as a collective entity. Okay, it's a spell cast roll. Plus four for my presence. Okay, 13. 13, now the audience. Plus four. Come on. For my presence. Okay. 13. 13, now the audience. With hope. With hope. The audience has already been pretty enthralled by this. I'd say you managed to keep a lot of them enraptured.
Starting point is 01:30:19 What could have been a majestic ending is now a very good one. You mitigated some of it. I'm so disappointed. I know, it's so good. But the audience still cheers, there's still claps. The finale is glorious and well-appreciated. Everyone starts really getting into the energy
Starting point is 01:30:40 and vibe of this. A number of people give small standing ovations off to the side. Immediately, the stagehands rush off and start setting up for the next performance as the curtains come to a close. In the interim, the two of you. Yes. All of us.
Starting point is 01:30:54 What have you been up to? All right, I'm going to grab a tray before leaving, before we left out of the backstage. From all the drinks I have here for you. So I'm just going to walk around left out of the backstage. From all the drinks I have here for you. So I'm just going to walk around and pretend I'm a waiter here at this fine establishment and try to just listen in
Starting point is 01:31:13 and see if I can find anybody that looks like a rich baron. Okay. Or just listen in. Yeah. Go ahead and make an instinct roll for me, if you don't mind. Okay. Or just listen in. Yeah. Go ahead and make an instinct roll for me, if you don't mind. Okay. I'll make an instinct roll. Okay.
Starting point is 01:31:38 So we've got... 19 with hope. 19 with hope. 19 with hope. Yeah! So you take a hope. Okay. I mean, listening in and keeping an eye out, there's a lot of people that are dressed very well here. There could be a number of people that are maybe barons.
Starting point is 01:31:56 You haven't really met any barons in your time. You don't really know what a baron would look like other than probably a rich person. A few of these look like they're fairly wealthy and well-dressed. But based on what you had heard from Sweet Pea and Bunny earlier, the only conversation that really catches your attention,
Starting point is 01:32:11 though it does indeed catch your attention, are a couple of individuals complaining about how the closure of the Gulch Bottom Mine has stifled business frustratingly how the closure of the Gulchbottom Mine has stifled business frustratingly, and they can't seem to clear out the mine. You hear one person be like, off to the side,
Starting point is 01:32:34 It's getting extremely difficult to keep our partners at bay. We tell them that we're just taking stock of what we have and are dealing with a weather incident, but it's just not safe to go in there. And the individual goes, I understand, but nevertheless, we have to ensure that we get things rolling soon
Starting point is 01:32:58 or we're going to find ourselves in bankruptcy. That's what you pick up on a passing conversation. Okay. What are you up to? Miss Kexin? I'm not as subtle. You said they're benches, right? It's not individual chairs?
Starting point is 01:33:18 Correct. Like two to three people to a bench, usually. So I'm just picking a random bro and just walking through the room, excuse, excuse, excuse. Just trying to pick up conversation as I move. And then also going,
Starting point is 01:33:39 Champions Crown? Champions Crown! Oh! Oh! Mm! Just moving, trying to be as much of an obstacle in the crowd as I can be as I walk. Saying buzzwords.
Starting point is 01:33:56 Seeing who picks up on it. Seeing who turns their heads. Yeah. Okay, go ahead and make an instinct roll first to pick up any wayward conversation. That's a 15 with hope. 15 with hope, okay. Go ahead and take a hope. Listening around and saying what you're saying,
Starting point is 01:34:21 you do catch up someone muttering nearby as you bump into them, what you're saying, you do catch up someone muttering nearby as you bump into them. You're like, why is she talking about Champion's Crown? Obviously, it looks like she's not even from there. Good, good, good. Yeah, that's what I need. That's exactly what I need.
Starting point is 01:34:38 I start looking for Opie. Opie. Moo! I'll try and find Appi near the back. Okay. All right, you got anything? No! Oh, you're doing a whole voice.
Starting point is 01:34:55 Are you not doing a voice? No, I was just doing this. Oh, that makes sense. But you're really committing to the bit. No, and I was just... Aren't you a voice as well? Did you find out anything? No!
Starting point is 01:35:04 Well, yes, I did. Yes, I did. I did. There were some of these gentlemen over here to the side. We're talking about getting into these big eaves. Hey! They were saying that it's really hard to work in the mines, that they can't go down there because, you know, the seep.
Starting point is 01:35:26 Yeah, what was the name of the mine? It was the Gulch Mine. The Gulch Bottom Mine? Yeah. Oh, good. That was the one. That was the one that we're talking about. We should go tell the others. Well, they're in the middle of a show.
Starting point is 01:35:39 Is it going on or is it finished? This is happening while they're performing, and you're wandering around listening to the second part. How good are they? They are so good. We're not watching you, liar. No, sorry. Excuse, excuse, excuse.
Starting point is 01:35:58 In listening back in to those individuals that we're talking about, the mine, as the performance comes to a close, you also pick up one of them referring to, well, I'll check in with Foreman Clive. We'll see if the professor has what he needs and perhaps can notify us of how soon we can get back in there.
Starting point is 01:36:24 And the professor? Yeah. That sounds like a show from the 70s. Foreman Clive and the Professor. Probably grew up watching that on Nick at Night. It's my prog rock band. Yeah. I just got a name.
Starting point is 01:36:43 Foreman Clive. Great. And the professor. Good deal. Do you want to go sit with them and talk? You know, do a little flirting? Is that their names? I don't know. Yeah, let's go over.
Starting point is 01:36:57 Where are they? Point them out. Follow me. Okay. I don't know, I'm doing the walk where instead of opposite arms with legs, it's the same. In my thigh boots. In your thigh boots. It's amazing. It's so hard walking!
Starting point is 01:37:13 I've decided I also have a cat of nine tails for no reason. All right, now that you approached them directly, as opposed to just overheating, you can see one of them is a squat-looking dwarf gentleman with this massive handlebar mustache that curls almost back to his ears. His hair parted in the middle. It looks like a more muscular Pringles guy.
Starting point is 01:37:35 He is. Sitting down with his little button-up vest and overcoat with his chain on it. Just your feet. And to the right, you see this scrawny, older elf humanoid with a bit of a razor-thin gray goatee, almost like a John Waters. Just couldn't stop and went around the entire front. His hair is quaffed back into almost a lazy Wolverine flare. It comes up on the sides.
Starting point is 01:38:09 He's got small little spectacles at the end of his nose. He's dressed in a golden green suit, and they're both sitting next to each other. Good evening, gentlemen. Oh, well, I'm coming. I'll put two napkins down. What can I get you to drink? Usually they come with drink,
Starting point is 01:38:27 but the napkins is very, a lot of forethought. I appreciate that. Yes, it's just, some people are messy, and you look like you would be messy. Mm, excuse. It's bold, I don't get that very often. I appreciate that. I like a bold woman. What would you like?
Starting point is 01:38:46 The bold woman, I take the Cat of Nine Tails and I go. Ow! Oh! Excuse. And if I might ask, darling, what's your name? Tartar. Tartar? Tartar. Tartar? Tartar. Tartar.
Starting point is 01:39:07 Tintin. Tartar. Tartar. Well, are you busy this evening? Oh, excuse. Right. That could be arranged. If, you know, if you would like to also have a private moment with Tartar. Is this good news?
Starting point is 01:39:41 Mm, excuse. I don't recognize that accent. Where are you from, Tartar? Do you hit him again? No. Excuse? He gives an elbow nudge to his compatriot. I don't normally come this feisty
Starting point is 01:40:09 in the middle of a public space. And his companion, the help, is like, Well, this is making me a bit uncomfortable. I panic grab one of the drinks. I just chug it. Excuse! And I leave to go refill the drink while Poppy handles this. Two whiskeys for me and my compatriot, and he hands a little paper over. Let us know where my friend can find Tatar when the show is over. Oh yes, I will absolutely let you know.
Starting point is 01:40:45 Of course. What were your names, by the way? Just, what were your names? They both look a little... Careful. Make a presence roll for me. Okay. Oh, you get advantage with presence rolls. Oh, never to shrug off scrutiny, never mind.
Starting point is 01:41:04 Okay. Kind of scrutiny. If it ever gets to shrug off scrutiny. Never mind. Okay. Oh, kind of scrutiny. If it ever gets to that point, we'll get there. Ooh! Okay. That was annoying to see. We've got... That's where this goes. That was amazing.
Starting point is 01:41:19 19 again with hope. Great, take a hope. I'm Thomas, and my compatriot. Oh, I'm Uriyon, darling. The dwarf's meaty hand that's barely fitting through his sleeve grabs yours and pulls it in for a kiss. The hand is just so wet and slimy.
Starting point is 01:41:38 Is Urio Mr. Prungle? Is he the one who has the Mr. Prungle? Oh yeah, the big old Mr. Prungle mustache. Thomas and Mr. Pringle mustache? Thomas and Mr. Pringle. Thomas and Uriah. Uriah. Uriah.
Starting point is 01:41:49 Uriah. The irony of having a hat that couldn't fit into one of those cameras. Uriah. Uriah. With an N. You know what? He pulls back and his mustache is already immediately frothy. Ew. immediately just frothy. Ew!
Starting point is 01:42:07 Ew. That's from you. Let me... I know. Anyway. I will get back to you about some alone time with Tata and two whiskeys, correct? Oh. Indeed, indubitably. We'll be back.
Starting point is 01:42:29 I apologize, my friend. Oh, no need for apologies. Enjoy the show. In the meantime, as you all step off stage, the matron, Audra, is like, that was fantastic, well done. Please do stick around for the final curtain call. As she steps out, and for the final performance.
Starting point is 01:42:53 Wait! She's already stepped out onto the stage, and you see. I levitate her. I cast Levitate on her. On? I don't want her to break an ankle on the ball bearings. Oh, they've all been cleared by the stagehands between.
Starting point is 01:43:06 Oh, well then fuck it, she's on her own. Okay. As it's closed, the stagehands rush out, they clean everything, they bring out and wheel out this massive curved set of stairs that leads up 15 feet. And there's a fountain thing that's set towards the base of it
Starting point is 01:43:22 that's like a pool of water that sprays water out around it. They also put all these amazing silks up as well. They bring down the other two silks that weren't part of your performance. They come around the sides, and you can see the stagehands that set it all up rush off and take off their stagehand clothes. Now they're all in these dancer's garb as Mifana steps out, takes off her robe, and is wearing this incredible leather bustier with hooked horns that come up the front. She has this long, tattered robe
Starting point is 01:43:55 of weird chiffon-type material that flows as she walks, as she gets behind the stage and prepared. You all get to watch from the side as the matron addresses, and please enjoy for the night back here after a long time abroad, and hopefully for a residency for some time to come.
Starting point is 01:44:17 The world-renowned performer, Mofana. She steps offstage. The audience cheers for a bit and gets quiet. Curtains open. Lights kick on, and this mystical music begins to play around the chamber, like a massive brass band out of nowhere begins to blast the front row as she immediately goes into an amazing routine. Her five backup dancers spreading around and all throwing left and right various performing pieces. The choreography is stunning already at the base.
Starting point is 01:44:50 Is she up the stairs or is she? She's not up the stairs yet. They're just performing around the stage. Okay. For some reason, I'm suddenly suspicious. I want to keep an eye to see if anything looks dangerous on stage. Suddenly suspicious?
Starting point is 01:45:04 Well, I'm curious. I'm going to be keeping an eye to see if anything looks dangerous on stage. Something like suspicious? Well, I'm curious. I'm going to be keeping an eye out. I just want to see if anything looks like it also has a little sabotage, just in case. Oh, like it wasn't her? If it wasn't her, yeah. Make a present, oh sorry, an instinct roll for me, please. Instinct roll, yes.
Starting point is 01:45:24 That's 18 with fear. 18 with fear. The intensity of looking around the stage as you're glancing forward, you get near the curtain to try and inspect. As one of the dancers swings wide and gives you a stare, as you do, you recoil immediately, almost getting caught by it.
Starting point is 01:45:43 You do take a stress from the passing by this performance, but you do feel pretty confident. The areas where they were placed, where the slick was, they've already been cleaned up by the same stagehands that changed into her backup dancers. And you feel pretty confident that most of the things that are said on the stage don't have any immediate signs of damage.
Starting point is 01:46:08 Interesting. The staircase that got wheeled out, is it hollow or was it solid? I mean, it was only moved by two people, so it seems like it's likely hollow, but structurally sound enough to take a singular faun to its top for a finale. Okay. You watch as the two silks, not get picked up by two of the dancers, begin doing a trading silk, almost like a trapeze on the silk scenario,
Starting point is 01:46:33 where they both use momentum to spin and twirl and they come around and then switch sides and then carry off into another bit of momentum, their legs wide. She's singing and throwing magical confetti into the air as she does so. She strolls out and leaps off the front of the stage and throwing magical confetti into the air as she does so. She strolls out and leaps off the front of the stage and goes through the front of the audience as it does the other
Starting point is 01:46:49 dancers come on stage into a five-point performance array as they go left to right. Then eventually they curl around. One of them pulls the cloth off the top of the water. She then cartwheels back up onto the stage and lands on her feet, still singing, doesn't even miss a beat. The other backup dancers begin to fan out and you watch as they pull out their own fans and Mafana, within her robe, pulls out two beautiful gilded fans that immediately burst into flames at the silence.
Starting point is 01:47:21 She begins to fire flame dance as she sings, this amazing fire dance with them. I could do that. I know, I could do that. There's a permit issue with that, I'm pretty sure. I know, I know, I know. I don't want to be a fire hazard. The audience is enraptured.
Starting point is 01:47:38 As it eventually builds to this incredible, musical, energetic crescendo, the dancers all spread off into different rows, and one by one, they bow as she continues singing, as she takes off the armor and the bustier she had, which comes down to this beautiful, silk, sparkly slip that drags long behind her. It tumbles out from underneath and goes into a train
Starting point is 01:48:00 that wasn't there for most of the dance. Now she steps up the stairs. I am going to Shadow Step, and I'm going to bamf out underneath the steps. Okay. You appear within the hollow steps. She's like up inside. It's pretty tight, but you're there.
Starting point is 01:48:16 And you can hear that. As I hear her get higher and higher, I'm just going to hit the side of the step. Make a strength roll for me. higher and higher, I'm just going to hit the side of the staff. Make a strength roll for me. I'm going to use this. I'm going to add my last fear additional thing. I've got nothing to add to this. So it's just going to be that and this.
Starting point is 01:48:39 Laura Bailey, the warfarin that you are. Okay. 13 with fear. 13 with fear, okay. So. I just need a little jostle. You jostle it, and you hear her, as she's in the process of singing, she's like, And you won't ever know the hap-
Starting point is 01:49:13 You hear the whole audience in a heavy gasp as you, all of a sudden, the intensity of not knowing if you just killed her or not hits you. I'm not a fan of retreat. You take a stress. Okay, I take another stress. Yes, you do. Oh, Jesus. That's too stressful now. I'm going to spend a hope.
Starting point is 01:49:25 And you gain a hope from that roll. I'm going to spend a hope. And you gain a hope from that roll. I'm going to spend a hope. The music stops. And I'm going to instantly phantom retreat back to the green room. All right, you appear back at the green room. The rest of you just watched as Sweet Pea vanished, and a moment later, the staircase shifts.
Starting point is 01:49:41 Mephanna just ass over tea kettle. The dress becomes just a Sonic the Hedgehog spin ball of silk as she twirls down, hits the ground, skids out a bit, full-on spread eagle on the side, dazed, a little blood trickling down her head, and the backup dancers go, Ta-da! There's a couple of claps.
Starting point is 01:50:07 Is she moving? She gets back up and is like, and gives a big bow. And she does the bow. I'll go, Mm, more fun, huh? And I'll cast Timelock as she's bent over. As being an inanimate object, what do you cast on?
Starting point is 01:50:23 Oh, it has to be an inanimate object. Never mind, I on? Oh, it has to be an inanimate object. Never mind, I won't do it. The bustier, the bustier. The bustier, the bustier. The Horden bustier. Sure. Well, she took off the Horden bustier. Aww, man.
Starting point is 01:50:34 But she has bracelets on, she has, I will say, because she's a little disheveled, you do see the wig line. Yes! The wig line, that's good. Even line. Yes! The wig line is good. Even better. She goes into a bow. Way worse.
Starting point is 01:50:50 And stays there. She can't come up with a bow? That's hilarious. Why is she not getting up? What is going on? Help me! Help me! Help me! She's shouting out, the backup dancers that come over and they all try and lift her up.
Starting point is 01:51:13 The audience is getting up and looking strange over there. Now, it's them trying to roll against your... If they make a move against it, they have to make a spell cast roll against them to retain the spell. All right, so make a spell cast roll for me. We're going to try and pull her free. Oh, that's not very good.
Starting point is 01:51:30 Nine with hope. No, they rolled a 12. So you do, poof, pull her free. The wig comes up and is off kilter now at this point. She goes and huffs offstage rapidly, and right as she gets to the edge, a hand stops her, as it's the matron, Audra, who goes,
Starting point is 01:51:49 Quite the performance, dear. Time for curtain call. Performers, please, to the stage. You watch as Eden steps out, the rest of the backup dancers gather around. Do you all join as well? Yes. The whole company, right?
Starting point is 01:52:03 Yeah. Why sweet pea? Oh! Do you all join as well? Yes. Whole company, right? Yeah. Why sweet pea? Why? Oh. Should I come back? No. I already saw you, right? Wait, didn't you go back to the green room? I went to the green room. Can I just come join?
Starting point is 01:52:15 No, no, no. Sure, I'll wander out and see that curtain call's happening. Okay, so as everyone scoots out there, it's like all the performance, the two performance troops in Eden all gather, and then a moment later, this little slightly lagging figure arrives.
Starting point is 01:52:33 Thank you all so much for coming to this quite memorable and unexpected display of Proud Falls and Follies mixed with some fantastic, worldly, experimental dance routines. The athleticism on display tonight has been quite unforeseen. Anyway, please, Eden, our fantastic grinding Qatari,
Starting point is 01:53:02 as she gives a big bow, the audience cheers and claps. To Bunny and the Ménage a Trois, audience loudly claps and cheers. And our main performance is from abroad, Mafana! And Mafana gets the wig right, looks out, and the audience is cheering a little bit.
Starting point is 01:53:26 You see people are starting to get up a little bit and grumble. They cheered for me more. They cheered for me more. You see the matron walks offstage. Thank you all so much for coming. Good night. As she steps off and-
Starting point is 01:53:35 I cast a block on Mufana's foot. Do you? Do it! On her shoe? On her shoe? No. She goes, I get off the stage! She looks back.
Starting point is 01:53:47 Does she see you? Oh no. Well, she sees you moving something behind your head. I am done with this! Looks at her backup dancers. Get them! And you watch the backup dancers all kind of, all right, and then begin to encircle around her.
Starting point is 01:54:10 And the audience that was about to leave, all of a sudden turned back and began to get back to their seat. As the matron from offstage goes, what's going on? And now you just have. You just started a fight. A fight, oh my god.
Starting point is 01:54:22 Sexy fight! The four of them. And the five backup dancers and Nirvana now squaring off here in center stage. Oh! That's so cool! Oh yes! This is the best, Emma! I didn't dare to hope, and it's true!
Starting point is 01:54:44 Oh my god! This is so cool! What the hell, Fjord? Oh my gosh. He's ready for anything, at any time. Look at the eyes! You knew we were going to be I knew there was a chance
Starting point is 01:54:59 you guys were going to be little shits. Oh my god. Oh my god. Do I smile, literally? And so we'll come back after break and see how this unfolds. Oh my god. Oh no, let me take my earrings off! See you in a few minutes.
Starting point is 01:55:19 Why, hello there. This is Critical Role's resident art dad, also known as Liam O'Brien. We are continuously amazed at the artwork this community creates. That's why each Thursday at 8 a.m. Pacific, we share a curated gallery of submitted fan art over on CritRole.com. If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, visit CritRole.com slash submit. And thank you to all of the incredible artists who share their talents with us week after week. And welcome back. All right, so as we left off here,
Starting point is 01:55:55 as we have the stage performance here with the audience before us, over here we have, still in their general forms, we have Kekin slash Tata and Oppi over here in their shows. I'm using this fern mini to represent Mafana because it seems fitting.
Starting point is 01:56:15 This is her backup dance troupe over here after taking a bow. The rest of you are scattered here in this bit. But in this aggressive point where the audience has stopped and looked forward, I'm going to use one fear to get two action tokens, and I'm going to spend those two action tokens and that fear to have Mafahn be like, Catch them, please!
Starting point is 01:56:38 And point over. And the backup dancers are going to use Choreographed Ensemble. So they get to choose a target and activate all of them within a close range of you, which I think is all of them. How fucking serious do these dancers look as a physical threat?
Starting point is 01:56:55 Have you ever met a dancer? You'll find out in a minute, sir. We're fucked. Oh, they all charge you, Bunny? They all move in on Bunny. Very powerful legs. Whoa, whoa, whoa. They all move in on Bunny. Very powerful legs. Whoa, whoa, whoa. They make one shared attack roll. One shared attack roll. That is going to be a 14.
Starting point is 01:57:11 Does that beat your evasion? Yeah. All right. So on a success, they deal six physical damage each. That's five of them together, so you take 30 points of physical damage. Whoa! What? Okay, wait, it's 30?
Starting point is 01:57:24 Yeah, they all rush towards you and do a giant spinning maneuver, like a wonderful ensemble piece, and as they do, you get pummeled as they turn. From all sides. As they all come to a landing flourish, you fall to your knees, feeling this whirlwind of impacts
Starting point is 01:57:41 that immediately bloodies your face. Yep, fantastic. Fucking here for it. It's great, let's fucking go. I'm going to take two armor to drop it down to just major damage. All right. Boom, boom.
Starting point is 01:57:58 Because my severe, and then also, okay. When you manage to place an armor token on the counter, next thing you make your super-danger move, put it on the card and then clear all tokens. You have any token or any other token when you take a long clear without much stress. Okay, so it's the next attack, which I don't think I've done an attack since I did.
Starting point is 01:58:14 Anyway, whatever. I take two hit points. You do. Yeah. All righty. Who wants to go? I! Ooh, wait. Are there any shadows next to me?
Starting point is 01:58:29 I mean, the curtains cast shadows. Behind here cast shadows. I'm going to run over to the shadow next to me and behind that curtain. All right. And I bamf out. And I'm going to bamf out behind Mifana and move forward.
Starting point is 01:58:44 Shoo, shunk. Over here? Yeah. I'm marking a stress. I'm almost out of my stress. All righty. Shunk, shunk. Move forward. And I'm going to, I'm coming from hidden, because when you come out of the shadow, you're hidden. Correct.
Starting point is 01:58:56 So I successfully position myself. Oh god, another stress. Jeez Louise. You're fast. It's fine. Vroom, vroom. I'm going to put her in a chokehold! Okay. I'm going to use my staff
Starting point is 01:59:09 and put it over and pull her into me. All righty, so go ahead and roll for that chokehold. Do I have to roll for it? What's it say? You can use an action to mark a stress and pull them into a chokehold. Oh, so you just pull them into it immediately. I just do it. You do it.
Starting point is 01:59:23 And now she's vulnerable. All righty, so as she's pointing at the troop, grinning at the beatdown that she watched Bunny get, out of nowhere, emerging from the shadows, the tiny little sneaky mushroom. Except I'm not a sneaky mushroom, I'm a sexy pink fairy. That's right.
Starting point is 01:59:37 Sneaky little sexy pink fairy is now pulling her back and holding her by the throat. Fantastic. If that's what's happening, I'm going to rush forward to what I see happening. I'm going to use Deadly Focus to apply all my focus towards this target. Towards Mufana?
Starting point is 01:59:58 Towards Mufana. All right. So that just adds plus one to my proficiency. You got it. So I am going to call off the Brute Squad and I'm going to, as only Dolly Parton can, just give a full smack hard across the face. Sure. All right, so go ahead and roll for that attack.
Starting point is 02:00:21 That would be, I'm just going to use my, I think, grappler, since I would just be using that as just a go for it. Now she is vulnerable. Yes, so. She's vulnerable. So you get to go ahead and add a d6 to it. Okay, so that's. Is it temporarily vulnerable or just vulnerable?
Starting point is 02:00:38 As long as I have her in the chokehold. How do you get out of the chokehold? That's a good question, Matt. Let me see. Every attack roll against them while they're vulnerable from your chokehold adds 2d6 to the damage roll. Which is pretty cool.
Starting point is 02:00:53 You add 2d6 to the damage roll. Okay, so that'll be two d6. 1d6 to the actual attack and then 2d6 to the attack. Okay, 1d6 for the actual attack. And I'm just going to use. Temporarily vulnerable, but I don't know. Okay, temporarily means I can, okay. I know how to get rid of it. Okay. All right. I can spend a fear, too, and a going to use it. Temporarily vulnerable, but I don't know. Okay, temporarily means I can, okay. I know how to get rid of it. Okay.
Starting point is 02:01:05 All right. I can spend a fear, too, and a condition. Got it. That was all over the place, and it was a terrible roll. That's 16 with fear? 16 with fear. Oh wait, plus, I'm using my lower thing, so the finesse.
Starting point is 02:01:22 17 with fear. 17 chest hits. All righty. All right right, so that's a... 17 just hits? 17 just hits. One, two, three. She's got a lot of evasion. One, two, three, four.
Starting point is 02:01:34 She's a dancer. A renowned celebrity dancer. And then you add a d6 to? Two d6. Okay, so that'll be three more d6 after these rolls. Go for it. All right. Now.
Starting point is 02:01:49 Before you do that. Okay. Because I just remembered something. Before you roll that, roll a d6 for me. Four. She has a reaction ability called Distracting Beauty. When a creature makes an attack roll within close range of Mothana, they have disadvantage on their attack.
Starting point is 02:02:08 So technically, that extra d6 you rolled earlier, technically, it would have canceled out the d6 you did. So I wouldn't have hit. Oh no! So your attack missed. Oh my god. You would just miss that. So as you're rearing up to strike in the chokehold, you go to strike towards her,
Starting point is 02:02:20 and she catches you with that look. Not in the face, right? Like the perfect cheekbones, and you just go wide like, how could I possibly hit? Not in the face, right? The perfect cheekbones and you just go wide like, how could I possibly hit? Not in the face. Oh, goddammit. She also weaponizes the male gaze. Or really, the any gaze.
Starting point is 02:02:36 Yeah. Weaponize the gaze. She weaponizes the gaze. So that does bring it to a failure, which then brings it to me. Yes. I'm going to me. Yes. I'm going to go ahead and... Happy Pride!
Starting point is 02:02:51 All right. I'm going to go ahead and activate Mafana and one of the... Actually, I'm going to hold on to one of the other action tokens there. I'm going to activate Mafana. She's going to go ahead and use Kiss of Confusion. So while she's still holed there,
Starting point is 02:03:04 she's going to use Kiss of Confusion. So while she's still hold there, she's going to glance over at... Hmm. Let's see. No, actually, she's going to hold off on that. Instead, I'm going to use those two things to activate the backup dancers again for a choreographed ensemble dance. She's going to hold off on that. No, actually, she's going to hold off on that. Instead, I'm going to use those two things to activate the backup dancers again for a choreographed ensemble again on Bunny.
Starting point is 02:03:32 Again! I haven't done anything. You were too hot. Too hot. That's going to be a 13 to hit. Yes. I'm going to use my prayer diatribe, my prayers and my holy presence
Starting point is 02:03:45 to subtract four from their attack. That makes it to a nine. Does that beat your attack? Miss! So, that's rad. So as you concentrate in a moment and call upon the holy divine guidance of your goddess. Find religion! The ensemble goes into a spin
Starting point is 02:04:03 and as they all bring their hands up into a lifted three-point swirl, you duck down and they all scrape their knuckles against each other and ow! Landing. Don't do that. But miss you entirely. And on the tail end of that, if I may.
Starting point is 02:04:18 You may. I'll use my divine wielder ability, spirit weapon, when I have a melee weapon equipped, which I do, I can send it out flying, right? And I'm going to throw it towards this mini here without the shirt on, Ali, there, right? Yeah. And I'm going to simultaneously
Starting point is 02:04:34 run the opposite side of the circle, grab a silk and spin around, and I'm going to spend a stress to target an additional target so the axe is going to hit the first two in that circle, careening around Bunny's head, hitting those first two people, and then I will meet my axe at the other side of the circle and catch it after it goes. You got it. You mark that stress and then go ahead and lob that forward. Right there's the stress.
Starting point is 02:04:58 Roll the attack. And I add four crystals to that. Here we go. Seven of those, 12. 16 with hope. 16 succeeds. Go ahead and roll damage. That's two of them. Yep. So that's 3d10. Where's my 10s?
Starting point is 02:05:12 I'll do it three times. Three, 11. Oh, that's a low roll. That's a low roll, 12. 12, that's fine. Both of them knocked on the ground immediately. They only have one hit point. They're minions.
Starting point is 02:05:27 So they both and then fall on the ground unconscious. Okay. Fantastic. That finishes your go. All right, I'll go. What you got, Api? All right, I'm going to step forward and I'm going to see Mufana and just put my hand out
Starting point is 02:05:42 and I'm going to Unleash Chaos. All right. So. What's the range on that? That is far range. Far range, so yeah, you could. Can I join? Far range would be, yeah, she's in range from there. You can move forward if you want,
Starting point is 02:05:57 or you can stay put, your call. I will stay put because I kind of want, if there's a way to even back up so nobody can see that it's coming from me. Excuse me. No. We can certainly try. I mean, Unleashing Chaos is pretty obvious. Unleashing Chaos is pretty outwardly aggressive.
Starting point is 02:06:12 I have three tokens that are equal to my spell cast trait for the card. So I'm going to use all three of those to roll 3d10s. Roll to see if you hit first. Oh yeah, you're right. That's kind of important. I believe that's what it says, right? Spellcast roll against the target?
Starting point is 02:06:27 You can make Spellcast roll against the target. You got it. Is it against Malphana? Yes. Okay. Now you are far, you are out of her range, and she is currently choke hold, so you do have advantage on the attack roll. So add a d6 to it.
Starting point is 02:06:37 Ooh! Okay. So she is vulnerable. Okay, okay. So we got 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. 19 with fear.
Starting point is 02:06:55 19 with fear is a success, but I will take that fear. Okay. And you get to add 2d6 to your attack. Woo! Okay, so I got 2d6 and 3d10s? Correct. All in one day. Badass.
Starting point is 02:07:09 All right, all right. Where are my d10s? Those look like the little diamonds. R and R. Here's one. R and R. Not a jointy one. That's what I need. I don't think I have any d10s. Okay, so we've got... No, I don't. 10, 11, 13.
Starting point is 02:07:26 I mean, two more D10s. 13 plus 23. 23. Plus five, 28. 28, that's a major wound on Mufana. She marks two hit points. Yes! Describe how the Unleashed Chaos looks from the side of the audience. What does everyone else see? So they just see,
Starting point is 02:07:49 they just hear a scream of just like, like a banshee scream. Okay. And it just sort of, it's just like a circle of just sounds, like, what am I thinking of? Like sound waves? Okay. So it's like Outward? Yes.
Starting point is 02:08:04 So it's like spreading out and impacts Mufana. As you see it coming, so you move Mufana to be your shield as it strikes into her. Her body shakes from the impact, unable to even dodge out of the way from your chokehold, and takes the brunt of the impact. I am also going to spend a stress
Starting point is 02:08:23 to hit an additional target because of my Primal Origin Foundation. Oh, because you can do that, yeah? Yes, so, and hit whoever else is up in her troop. All right, so a third member of the ensemble goes down from the impact, just blasts it off the side of it. The curtain blows back for a second
Starting point is 02:08:42 before finding itself at rest. All right, that finishes your go, because your roll with fear, it comes to me. Yes. Actually, I would take a roll from that there. So top of this, first I'm going to spend a fear to end the chokehold. So that condition, as long as she breaks free angrily, I'm going to go ahead and, let's see here.
Starting point is 02:09:06 I'm going to activate an action on Mafana. She breaks free. She'll say, Don't you stand there! Which is an action she uses. She gets to mark a stress to restore one hit point to a number of backup dancers equal to her unmarked stress, which is five. Oh my god.
Starting point is 02:09:23 So each backup dancer gets back. Oh my god. So each backup dancer gets back up. Oh my god. Yeah. Okay, okay, okay. She's going to maneuver back this way to get behind them. And they all immediately activate and they're all going to unleash again on. She just moved?
Starting point is 02:09:41 She did. I'm going to use Attack of Opportunity. Because you can do that as a warrior, yeah. Go for it. Make an agility reaction roll. So that would be, come on. Ooh, nine, 10, 12? 12 is not a hit, unfortunately.
Starting point is 02:09:57 No, but I'll take that hope. Go for it. They're all going to go ahead and unleash on you. Okay. One more time. Gosh, bunny. I know. That's a six. I have something to do ahead and unleash on you. Okay. One more time. Gosh, bunny. I know. That's a six. I have something to do, but I haven't. Oh, miss!
Starting point is 02:10:08 They rolled a natural three. Okay. They all get up. Three of them are woozy, and they go, come on, get it together, friends! And they all grab and have to lift them up, but as they do, they're still messing the synchronicity of their choreography,
Starting point is 02:10:20 and as they all go into a low lifting, almost like a pyramid formation, trying to crumble down on top of you, you sidestep and hit the ground without issue, and then reform back up into their defensive position. Yeah, being a dancer, I pick up on their choreography, and I'm just like, oh, I see what we're doing.
Starting point is 02:10:40 So it's like, you know in showgirl routines, how they'll be around the girl in the middle and then she'll come down and then come back up with the flourish. Bunny does that and she's like, Oh, I see what we're doing. Then she comes down and I'm going to do Rune Circle around me.
Starting point is 02:10:58 So I spin and you just see these magical runes blast out. I'm going to burn my Never Upstaged points to add two proficiency to that. So any creatures in melee range of this circle or who enter take 4d12 damage with this boost. 4d12? Yes, because I'm adding two from Never Upstaged.
Starting point is 02:11:25 Now, do you roll to cast the spell, or does it just happen? It says, use an action to mark a stress, so I need to do that. Bam. And I create a magic circle on the ground around it. Oh yeah, it just happens. I think it just happens.
Starting point is 02:11:40 All right, so go ahead and roll. That one's cocked. Okay, okay. Oh wait, do I add my spell proficiency to this, or is it just? No, it's just the damage of the spell, I'm pretty sure. Just the damage to the spell. Okay, so that is...
Starting point is 02:11:58 It will tell you to roll with proficiency if it did, but... 24. 28 damage. Ooh! You just clear them all out, leaving this runic circle there, as they're all just now laying out, unconscious, in a semicircle around you.
Starting point is 02:12:18 They're all just groaning at their own pace. I really want to know what the runic circle is. You don't have to answer now, but at some point, I really need to know what the Runic Circle is. You don't have to answer now, but at some point, I really need to know what actually is your Runic Circle. It's a booby. Does it follow you as you move, or does it stay stationary? I believe it stays stationary.
Starting point is 02:12:35 Okay. So it's just three circles. Because I cast it on the ground. Right. Cool. All right, and you're staying put? I guess for now, because they keep taking damage if they are in it, and they are pushed out of the circle at the end of their action.
Starting point is 02:12:56 But it's at the end of their action. At the end of their action, they're pushed out. If they run into it, you mean. Yes. I'll say they get pushed out when they take the damage. That's how it works. Okay. They all get scattered out across the stage.
Starting point is 02:13:06 All right, does that finish your go? Who's up next? Anyone? I think you haven't gone yet. Can Kexin run towards the stage, and then I'll use Arcane Door to disappear and reappear close to where Mafana is. It's within far range. Far range, yeah, you can definitely get over here. Right near her.
Starting point is 02:13:25 So I make a spell cast roll to see if that works. Actually, from where you were, far range. Well, you moved up. But you ran forward, yeah. Yeah, you can do that. Beautiful. That is a 19 with hope. 19 with hope, take a hope. Beautiful.
Starting point is 02:13:41 And then once I land there, can I use a shape materi- I'm going to put my hand on the ground. Okay. Like I'm taking a knee in front of her and touch the ground. Then I'll say, mind the trap door. And I will shape material to create a door in the floor right underneath her feet.
Starting point is 02:13:59 Oh! That's awesome! Okay. Ooh. Okay. Okay, I will give her a reaction roll That's awesome! Okay. Ooh. Okay. Yes! Okay. I will give her a reaction roll to this to try and avoid the trapdoor. I'll roll this out here in the open because it's fun.
Starting point is 02:14:14 That is a 12. What is your spell? I'll say go ahead and roll your own reaction roll. I won't consider this a hope or anything just to see where it's at. 15. 15, no, she fails. 19, actually, yeah.
Starting point is 02:14:27 Yeah, there you go. So she turns to you. What do you mean? Full on cartoon, like, and falls and vanishes below into the ground. I'll go ahead and put a little dark circle there as to where the hole in the ground is, and you just hear.
Starting point is 02:14:44 Oh! Hot Dad steps up, turns back to everyone. S'cuse. S'cuse. I'll say for that maneuver, go ahead and roll a d8 for me. A d8. This'll be just the physical damage she takes
Starting point is 02:14:58 from the falling impact through the trapdoor. I can identify a d8 and let's play the real. Eight. Yeah, all right, she takes another Eight. Eight, yeah, all right. She takes another hit point into the ground. All righty, that was pretty slick. Who's up next? So wait, is she gone?
Starting point is 02:15:12 She's gone through the stage. She's in the underbelly. Underbelly? Yes, she is. So what happens when you max out your stress? When you max out your stress, you are considered vulnerable. Let her cry, Uncle.
Starting point is 02:15:24 I've maxed out my stress. Then you are considered your stress, you are considered vulnerable. Let her cry, uncle. I've maxed out my stress. Then you are considered vulnerable. And if you take any stress damage. Wait, you still have one left, don't you? No, I don't. That's wrong. I have maxed out my stress. So yes, you are vulnerable until you bring any stress back.
Starting point is 02:15:38 All rolls against you have advantage. And if you take any stress damage, one or more, you take a hit point instead. Does anybody have a potion for that? Yes, I have a potion, so I can do that. If you want to, yeah. Yeah, I'll take it. Go ahead and take a stamina potion. Take a stamina potion, and then what do I do?
Starting point is 02:15:52 You roll 1d4 and you clear that one stress. Oh, amazing. Big money. Yes! Slick. One more, baby. No longer vulnerable. Wow, well, they're all down. Should we run? Actually, you know what?
Starting point is 02:16:07 I'm going to spend two of these here to gain a fear. I'm going to spend that fear to take my GM action now, and I'm going to activate Mifana. She's down. Activate Mifana. It's like Minority Report. She's going to leap back up out of this. No!
Starting point is 02:16:24 Like, you! Girl! Ta-ta. Ta-ta. Ta-ta! Is going to step back towards the backstage area and say, what are you doing? Don't you stand there!
Starting point is 02:16:42 And she can use that action. She's going to do a thing? To get these, all of these, to get back up. She marks another stress. Well, she marks the stress. Actually, she can only get four up because she... For what? She only has four unmarked stress,
Starting point is 02:16:56 so only these four can get up. Oh, it's based on her stress. So does she pull up on stress? No, no, she... Just to cement one stress. Yeah, so every time she uses it, she marks the stress and she can only get up a number of people based on stress? No, no, she, yeah. So every time she uses it, she marks the stress and she can only get up a number of people
Starting point is 02:17:08 based on how many unmarked stress she has. She got full people up, which would tell you she has four stress left. A lot of creatures in encounters, sometimes maxing out their stress can prevent them from using abilities like this. But they're going to now activate as part of the Don't Just Stand there.
Starting point is 02:17:23 And they're all going to go ahead. I don't have any more points to use that. So now they're all just going to activate and come in for individual swings on. Ta-ta! This one's just going to hit you. The three of them are going to swarm you, since you're the one who knocked her through the floor.
Starting point is 02:17:40 The one that's going against you, Zarlo, is going to be a natural 20. Oh! Now mind you, Zarlo, is going to be a natural 20. Oh! Now mind you, it's a backup dancer. It's a minion. It doesn't have any dice rolls for damage. It's just a six physical damage. I'll say as a crit, you take 12 points of physical damage. 12 points of physical damage.
Starting point is 02:17:57 I will use my prayer die to help myself, which will get it below major damage, and I'll take minor damage instead. So one hit point to you. But I can take an armor instead, correct? Yes, you can. All right. So Glances off my armor. One more prayer die down.
Starting point is 02:18:12 And that is, they're all going to attack Kexin, correct? The three other ones are, yeah. So Kexin, against you, we have a 20 to hit. Not a natural 20, but a 20. Whoa, yeah, that hits. That's six points of physical damage. Okay. That is yeah, that hits. That's six points of physical damage. Okay. That is a 13 to hit.
Starting point is 02:18:28 Yes, that, of course, it hits. Six points of physical damage. Okay. And then nine to hit. Wait, I have this School of War. As long as I have two hope, I can add my spellcasting trait to my evasion. So with my knowledge, plus four, it makes it 12.
Starting point is 02:18:47 Oh, so it misses. Yeah, third one misses. First strike goes wild, but you take six points and then six points. Great. Minor and minor. All right, so that's two hit point marks on you. That finishes their activation. Who's up next? I'm going to burn two armor slots and negate all of them.
Starting point is 02:19:00 Negate it? You got it. I'm going to turn towards Mufana and say, I just take the loss already, will you, Garline? And I'll throw out my axe and let the handle conquer in the forehead. She's within close range, yeah. All right, and I don't get her dili that affects her. The gaze is not weaponized because I'm not in melee.
Starting point is 02:19:19 No, it's not in melee. It's within close range. Close range. When you're close enough to see her face, the beauty distracts you. Gaze weaponized. Indeed. Gaze is indeed weaponized. So go ahead and make your attack roll.
Starting point is 02:19:31 Let's go, Gaze. So reduce it by a d6. By a d6. All right. So first I'll do the positive number and then I'll subtract for that. Well, that's pretty good. See, it's 20 minus 6.
Starting point is 02:19:47 14 total. 14? Misses. Oh, you bitch! You lob it, and she does the full-on Madeline Kahn and Young Frankenstein, just goes, and ducks it as it passes by. So that does miss and go wide. Oh, I didn't read through my shit fast enough. I could add a a prayer die.
Starting point is 02:20:05 I let it miss, I let it miss. Okay, okay. Was that with hope or fear? Hope. So you get a hope. However, it does come back to me. I do have one activation token. I know this is the back and forth.
Starting point is 02:20:15 No, no, no, back and forth. She is going to... Hmm. Yeah, seeing what you're capable of as you bring your axe back and she looks at you and goes, Oh, please, be as sweet to you, I don't you. And she's going to go ahead and use her Kiss of Confusion against you.
Starting point is 02:20:35 She casts this subtle spell under her breath as she looks towards you and blows a kiss in your direction. You need to make an instinct reaction roll for me. Instinct, how do I do that? You just make an instinct roll, but it doesn't, I'll give you hope. Hope and fear don't matter, it's just the number.
Starting point is 02:20:53 Right, right, right, right. Hope and fear don't matter. I don't want to. It's a crit. Both 12s. That's a success! 27 total. Dang!
Starting point is 02:21:03 Now mind you, this is a reaction roll, so you don't get hope or stress back, but you automatically succeed on that. Your shit is busted! She got... Ah! She screams, actually, emotionally hurt by that. All the confidence just crumbles in an instant.
Starting point is 02:21:18 Oh no. Where is she? That's right here. Oh, she moved. And she's going to go running offstage. Oh! Oh! Oh! Wait, really? Should we run?
Starting point is 02:21:30 I'm going to take a... I'm going to try and see if I can get a look on her. I'm going to move towards the back of the stage, and can I see where she is? Step over that guy. Oh yeah. From here, you can see where she is, yeah. You step over into this entrance to it, and you can see her charging is? Step over that guy. Oh yeah. From here, you can see where she is, yeah. You can step over into this entrance to it and you can see her charging off, trying to exit.
Starting point is 02:21:48 Oh yeah, I'm just going to pull around that other side. I just need visual because I'm going to use my grappler. So I can back up a bit. I want to get her back on stage. I'm so sorry, dear, but they're demanding another curtain call. Encore, I say! And I point fire with Dramatic Flare.
Starting point is 02:22:06 That is the Dramatic Flare, so spend the hope. He will over-talk everything! That's so good. And I'm going to use my grafter. It's my favorite. Three. I don't know. I love it.
Starting point is 02:22:16 It's like an overwritten comic book. Why are you just talking? Oh, I'm just going to finish winding up this toy when I put it down. Just wait. Then you get to add your experience to that. Yeah, and I have no advantage, but that's okay. There's no way to get myself in there.
Starting point is 02:22:36 Did you range on that close? It is close. Then you have disadvantage because of her beauty. So you get to make your roll with your bonuses and then reduce it by a d6. All right. You can do it, Sir Dante. I hope so.
Starting point is 02:22:50 Turtle power. This is, well... It's a 13. 13, unfortunately, misses. It goes wide. I do get my hope back. Sticks on you, you do get your hope back. Yeah. For this weird shite.
Starting point is 02:23:07 All right. You're doing great. Returning to her turn now, since you failed the roll, she's going to spend that and turn back to you and be like, Well, maybe you're a discerning eye who appreciates women of beauty. Does another kiss under her breath, and she casts this incantation with her fingers. You see this glow of magical energy
Starting point is 02:23:29 blows in your direction. I need you to make an instinct reaction roll. Does she have nails? She has long-ass nails. Oh yeah, like big old awesome acrylics that are like, we'll say they have the rhinestones at the tip. Rolling like ass. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 02:23:40 Are they squares? Are they coffins? Yeah. Are they stilettos or coffins? I am rolling so badly, that's a six. That's a six. You find yourself, as you pull back the grappler, she looks towards you, blows you this kiss,
Starting point is 02:23:57 and for a second, you feel awful for how you've attacked her, and this aggression enters your mind for those that have turned you against such a beautiful creature, you spin around and throw your grappler instead at Zarlo. Oh! I need you to go ahead and make an attack roll
Starting point is 02:24:12 with your grappler. Okay. That's, wow, best roll I've had all night. 14 with hope. 14 with hope? 14 with hope. What's your evasion? That's, wow, best roll I've had all night. 14 with hope. 14 with hope? 14 with hope. What's your evasion? I, well, you can use this spent dice value to reduce any add to it.
Starting point is 02:24:34 Oh, no, it doesn't, so he gets me. All right, so go ahead and roll your cards. Is Zarlo very close to me or too far, or farther than that? I can't tell from here. Zarlo? Yeah. Zarlo would be considered, yeah, very close. Like within, because that's melee and it's very close.
Starting point is 02:24:48 Can I use Arcane Deflection to protect Zarlo from mine own ally? You can, yeah. Ooh! Yes. So as you throw the grappler out, arching towards you, Zarlo, you see it opening like the bladed mouth that it is in your direction. Suddenly, this arcane shield blasts up
Starting point is 02:25:07 and deflects it off to the side. Excuse. I'm going to squeeze the fucking, every drop out of this thing. All right. Hey, buddy. That's one's proof. I'm going to use the stress to flip out a card. I'll spend a hop, too.
Starting point is 02:25:22 Is she connected to the Seeper? Is she just a bitch? I'm pretty sure she's just a, I don't know. You know, I don't know anything anymore, but she is for sure a bitch. But we could just try and get the fuck out of here. Yeah, yeah. If we don't, you know.
Starting point is 02:25:40 How about this? Yeah. I'm going to do Hypnotic Shimmer. So I'm going to take my fans and I spin them around on my fingers. And when I do this waves of glitter, hit everything in close range. So is that all the backup dancers? So all the backup dancers.
Starting point is 02:26:02 And I do a spellcasting roll, and on a success, they're stunned. Okay. Then maybe we can get the fuck out of here. Go for it. Okay, hang on. On a success, make a spellcast roll, so that's plus four to whatever I roll here.
Starting point is 02:26:18 Can I add to show my attention? Cri- It doesn't fucking matter! No! Y'all don't know what's up! The second that I was like, go flat out, but I don't. All right, so you get a hope and clear stress. That's a fucking A! No! Y'all! Oh, stop! The second that I was like, go flat out, but don't. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:26:26 All right, so you gain hope and clear stress. Oh yes, that's right. Oh yes, that's right! So as you craft this hypnotic shimmer, the energy sparkles across the stage. How do you describe your hypnotic shimmer? It's like technicolor waves of glitter. So it goes, it's like RGB pulsing as it
Starting point is 02:26:53 just fans out and just hits everybody. People get glitter in their eyes and they're like, ah, ah! As the backup dancers get hit with it and as the pulse of it's they all just instinctively just start dancing. They're all just like four cage dancers, just on their own without a cage
Starting point is 02:27:09 in the middle of the stage. Yes, yeah. Everyone in the audience has been watching. Everyone got up to run and then stayed to watch. As this happens, you watch as the matron, Abra, steps out of the front and goes like, And I'm so glad you all stayed for our magnificent, unexpected encore performance.
Starting point is 02:27:27 A fantastic display from both teams of their own physical aptitude and ability to make you believe in their conflict. Ash turns back, get the fuck out of here right now. Yeah, so they're all stunned. They can't move or act, so let's go. Great. All right, at this point,
Starting point is 02:27:44 Thank you, thank you. Mafana has scattered off into the hallways of the event move or act, so let's go. Great. All right, at this point, Mufana has scattered off into the hallways of the event. The other side. That sounds good. All right. On her way. Thank you. Thank you.
Starting point is 02:27:58 Great, Matt. Great. That was so much fun. Just a little bunch of you. With the conflict at an end, Mofana gone, her compatriots locked on stage for the time being in a dancing trance. The rest of the audience is still in the throes
Starting point is 02:28:13 of cheers and conversations and debate about how unique and real that battle really felt. Someone was talking about how, I think I saw blood on many of them, and someone else was like, oh, I've seen how they do those squibs. It was really easy. It was too red. It wasn't real.
Starting point is 02:28:27 Like, they're just. No, that was fake. Yeah, it was obviously scripted. Oh, wow. Yeah. But as you all dart off into the stage, you can see Eden's like, that was a magnificent performance. I mean, that was incredible for all of you.
Starting point is 02:28:42 Where are you going? You were really great, too. I love your grinding. Oh, thanks. Wow. I could come by and give you a lesson sometime, if you like. That was sure. Do we have another engagement? Oh, yeah, later. Of course, of course, you all have fun.
Starting point is 02:28:55 You continue down the stairs, and as the next door opens, you watch as Limon DiCello steps out with a crutch. He goes like, oh my god, all of you were incredible out there. I was really sad I wasn't on stage, but I am so relieved that I was taken off in respect to allowing you all shine.
Starting point is 02:29:13 What a performance. Hey, real quick, we got to run. You know, we're really doing something else. You're not staying for the after party? Well... No! No, no, no! We're so busy!
Starting point is 02:29:25 I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You know what, maybe later. Well, it goes pretty late. Oh, well, maybe we'll go a little late. Arby! What? We'll see, we'll see. We'll put a pin in it. We'll see how we do the rest of the night.
Starting point is 02:29:38 I like a little veil. This night has range. I'm just wondering, can you point me in the direction of where I might find a Foreman Clive and his professor? Foreman Clive, he's come in here a couple of times. Doesn't he work down at the ravine front mine yard there? Goldspot? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 02:30:01 I think that's where we earned his coin. He's kind of a big shot when it comes to the miners down there, I suppose. Easy to find the mine? I mean, it's been closed for a bit, but it's easy to find. Point us in the right direction. I mean, you know where it is, and you do.
Starting point is 02:30:14 It's hard to miss. It's the largest mining operation in the ravine right beneath Loval. There are a number of side entrances, but there is one major mining where the initial and largest entrance is. There's a whole series of buildings and an equipment yard that's locked down
Starting point is 02:30:31 where the bulk of their work is. It's also where the Seep, where you both had met, was not that far from and where it seems to have at least emanated from that space. All right. You got any doit on him? You know anything? Not particularly. I know he's ticklish behind his elbow.
Starting point is 02:30:52 Ooh! All right, that's good to know. Okay, I love you so much. Love you, too. Have some champagne for me. Oh, I will. She goes back to the rest of the audience, and as you step by into the hallway, as people are starting to head out
Starting point is 02:31:09 into the main entryway where the bars are, you hear the chatter and talking, you do see four figures dressed in the garb of the Croatoana. We're still in. Yeah, except for Bunny. All except for Bunny. But they are in the process of pushing through the crowd
Starting point is 02:31:28 and are looking. Before we leave backstage, those ball bearings, are they around anywhere that got swept up? Oh yeah, there was a handful of them off the side of the stage, and some of them that were kind of... I'm going to scoop them up and put them in a spot.
Starting point is 02:31:41 Yeah, yeah. So you got a few handfuls of ball bearings that you managed to quickly grab and pocket. Heck yeah. I open the fan and block my face as we get the fuck out of Dodge. Okay. I'll say go ahead and make either an agility
Starting point is 02:31:55 or a presence roll on your end. It's not a very difficult one, and I'll give you advantage on it. Okay. To just get through without any sort of, not being noticed even in the slightest. Are we moving through any doors? You are. You're pushing through
Starting point is 02:32:10 the now slightly growing crowd of people that are pushing into the main entryway to the exit front doors. There are two main doors that leave the front of the establishment. The one that's closest to you is in the left-hand side of the theater. If I'm moving through a door,
Starting point is 02:32:24 I might use. We're in a clock to make sure it can't open. I'm going to switch out and get stealth expertise in my vault right now. What the fuck? So that I can do that. You got it. What? You crit again? What? You crit again?
Starting point is 02:32:37 Take another hope? I crit again! Double time! That's amazing. What the fuck? Hollywood Park. No, there's a casino right here. I was about to say, yeah. All right, so you just clear another stress, take another hope. We'll be rich.
Starting point is 02:32:47 All right. So yeah, so you scoot through. A few people leave with you. The bulk of the crowd is still behind you as you all step out into the cold, mid-evening air. It's now pushing closer to midnight, especially with all their unbunctiousness around the performance for the night.
Starting point is 02:33:03 You close the doors behind you, and Kexin, you go ahead and whip around, and you touch the side of the door, which immediately flickers with a series of runes that spiral out, set in, and then fade, and the door just stays closed. You hear a voice behind be like, The door's, go around the other way.
Starting point is 02:33:20 People start adjusting accordingly, like shopping at Ralph's late at night when they close one of the doors. It's annoying. Oh, the shopping cart's in front of it. Yeah. The car's over there! But you guys are now out into the main streets of Lullvale,
Starting point is 02:33:36 pretty certain that for the time being, you're not being tailed. Right. Let's head to the mine. Let's do it, Gulch Bottom Mines. To the mines! All right. To the bottoms.
Starting point is 02:33:44 You all skitter out. Let's get to the bottom of this gulch! Weaving through the streets until you come to the outskirts. A little ways off from the rope bridge that leads across the ravine into the main city, there is the cliffside precipice that then leads into a number of switchback walkways
Starting point is 02:34:01 and staircases that descend down. There are a couple of rope-based elevators that do descend on wenches, but it looks like they're closed up for the night. They aren't expecting a lot of foot traffic into the ravine during this late hour. So you can descend down the switchback staircases and eventually lead you deeper in.
Starting point is 02:34:19 You can see there's little platforms along the way that contain supplies, sacks of a ground cement-type material, as well as some simple mining tools that look like they've been damaged and are waiting to be brought up for repair. But eventually you come to the base of the Gulch. And down here you can see the deep red-brown earth
Starting point is 02:34:42 and dirt mingles with the broken shale from the mining operation and the beautiful red crystals that all glow throughout the bottom and interior of the space. You can see that a lot of them are mined and broken and pulled forth, but there are a number of them that are still left with enough distance that they still give off their general glowing red light to make
Starting point is 02:35:05 the space not completely swallowed in darkness. So there has been some forethought to not fully mining everything that's around this gulch bottom mine territory. Heading down and following the pathway towards the main opening of the mine that you recall, you can see the numerous mine buildings that are out there. There's about a dozen or so that are scattered across. There are fences put up, there are signs. There are two figures patrolling the exterior, but there's no work going on inside.
Starting point is 02:35:37 It is just dark within that ground and all the bits of machinery, all the mine carts, everything is, and you recall, kind of working around the clock. They had shifts moving so that they were always going, and that bustle was part of the allure of the success. It represented the progress and prosperity of Loa Vale. And seeing it close the first time when you first met
Starting point is 02:35:59 was disconcerting. Now returning to this quite some time later and seeing it's still dark, it feels sad. But as you begin to approach as a team, the first patrolling figure looks over and approaches. It's not a heavily armored guard. This looks like an orcish fellow with a leather tunic. It looks like he has a bandolier of daggers and a chain put to the side. Doesn't look like he's aggressive.
Starting point is 02:36:28 He just looks like he's a little rough and tumble, but has a smile as he comes up to approach you. He has this flop of brown hair that looks like Leon Kennedy. Leon Kennedy. Such a visual. Do we all still look like beautiful women, or has that passed? Oh, has it been over an hour since?
Starting point is 02:36:47 Roll a d20 for me, Laerry. On a nine or lower, Don't take this away from Laura. it drops as soon as you approach. Awesome. Nine or lower. Come on. 19, baby!
Starting point is 02:36:59 Hell yeah. So it's still going. It's gay. German dominatrix club look. Evening, ladies. It's Bolo Vermeer. Can I help you? You're wandering a bit far
Starting point is 02:37:11 from the night's festivities of this hour. You been out drinking? Mm-hmm. Do you want a little nipper? Looks over her shoulder. I mean, if you're offered. I just so happen to have a flask, I do. And I do. Because I have, as a Wonderborn,
Starting point is 02:37:31 in my pneumatic pack, I add, once per session, you can spend a hope to reach into your pack and pull out a common item that is useful to the situation. Oh, that's cool! Hell yeah. Right, so there goes one hope, and I pull out a little bit of booze, useful to the situation. Oh, that's cool! Hell yeah. Right, so there goes one hope,
Starting point is 02:37:47 and I pull out a little bit of booze, and I share it with these gentlemen. Takes a sip. It's like a slightly smoky port. It's delicious. Great. Smoky port, yeah. He's like,
Starting point is 02:38:03 I haven't had a sip of something like this since I was 19. Drinking ages are a little younger here in Lowville. Comes all the way from the Emerald Grove, actually. Wow. That's a rare import. Oh, appreciate that. Thank you, lass. Give him a wink. Do you have anywhere around here
Starting point is 02:38:27 that could give us a little privacy? What are you looking to do? I don't know. Can we get into the mines? You don't want to get into the mines, Little Miss. It's real dangerous in there. What do you mean? It's just a mine. I think she's suggesting we just want to get out of the open. I mean, there's a...
Starting point is 02:38:58 Make a presence roll for me. But I'm going to give you advantage, because of the boos that you gave, all presence rolls against him are pretty much at advantage during this encounter. Okay, great. I'm going to add my fear from before. Okay, here we go. Oh. Well, that was really good. 28 with hope. Woo! Take that hope. Okay.
Starting point is 02:39:27 Yeah, we can talk. There's a couple of sheds that have been in disuse, just stored spaces if you wanted to get into a place not quite so out in the elements. Just give me about 20 seconds. He looks at the other patrolmen, goes around the corner, he's like, Yeah, all right, come on in. Pulls out his key ring and unlocks the outer gate
Starting point is 02:39:46 and leads you all into the inside of the... Can't wait no more. You got to follow Parkins. Inside of the mine perimeter wall, perimeter fence. Being hot is awesome! Uh-huh, we call it pretty privilege. Just. Oh. What the, isn't it?
Starting point is 02:40:08 You don't have to tell me. Turns around. Oh, you're all? We work as a team. Mm. Mm. Roll to answers. All right.
Starting point is 02:40:29 He goes off towards the shed and is adjusting his collar a bit and unbuttons the top of the thing a little bit and goes to the door and unlocks it and turns around. So anyway. You know, it's a hard gig down here. This time of the Low Vale, it's a little quiet. It's a little lonely.
Starting point is 02:40:54 So it's nice to have a little bit of chatter. And that pose, like, hit him with time lock. Which part of him? Oh yeah, it's just, oh, it's not the person! His little bracelet? Does he have a bracelet on? Does he have any bracelet gloves? Oh yeah, no, he's got probably some metal bracers on. Yeah, if he's posted up on the wall,
Starting point is 02:41:10 it'll lock something up there, just like. So what do you, what's? What's going on? I'm asking you, do you want to get inside? Yeah. Yeah. I just start walking off. Lead the way. Head on in.
Starting point is 02:41:28 What's wrong? Lead the way. I follow Kexen. Wait, where are you going? Where's the getting? Oh, real quick, is there a foreman's quarters? Foreman's over there. He's going to start. Okay, great. He's going to try and pull free from your,
Starting point is 02:41:48 go ahead and roll your spell cast. 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. 22 with Fear. With Fear, all right. You release, or you concentrate on this spell. I rolled a natural 20. And so as you concentrate, he goes, What happened?
Starting point is 02:42:12 I don't know. I must have put my hand on something sticky. That sequence catches you off guard, and as he goes, all right, well, wherever you're going, well, I guess if you don't want to go in there, I'll find another one. He continues along with you, and you're like,
Starting point is 02:42:24 shit, you take a stress. Okay. Oh, that's so good, though. He rolled so high. He's like, ah. Worth it. He takes his bracer off. He's like, I got to get this thing looked at. Are we trying to find the foreman
Starting point is 02:42:37 or are we just trying to get into the mine? Well, because this, okay, above table talk. Above table talk. Above table talk. It was the wealthy baron of the mining operations with the red crystal mines. Well, it was a wealthy baron that wanted, that shut down these mines for the Croatoana family. And Croatoana family said that this mine shut down
Starting point is 02:43:03 after a couple of weeks of him taking the deal. So there's probably seep happening in these mines. In this mine, yeah. So if we just go on in, because they're saying it's dangerous, there's something shitty that's in the mine. So if we just go to the mine, we're going to find the source.
Starting point is 02:43:17 We can locate the seep. The seep. Right? So yeah, we don't need the former? We don't really need to talk to anyone. Wall of flame. No. All right, ladies, are you ready? Ah! Let's go.
Starting point is 02:43:32 How about you go in there and you just get ready for us, because we've got a show for you. Take it all off, and then we're going to come in. Just tell us when you're ready. I'm not even having a conversation. No. It's extremely forward. I don't normally do this kind of thing.
Starting point is 02:43:51 Lucky day. Make a presence roll for me with advantage. Oh god. Are there any other, did we see anyone patrolling that has eyes on us? There was another person patrolling the exterior that doesn't have eyes on you yet. He's just finishing his rotation on the other side
Starting point is 02:44:07 and is probably coming back shortly. 22 with fear. 22 with fear. All right, I'll take that fear. Ha ha! Thank you, this is the best, as I remember it. So he goes, and under his breath, he's like,
Starting point is 02:44:22 I never thought it would happen to me. Yeah, yeah, all right, let me. Boy confession. Yeah. I never thought it would happen to me. Ladies, yeah, just a moment. Let me go set the mood. It's not very romantic in there, so just give me a couple minutes to clean up.
Starting point is 02:44:43 He goes like a quick jog back to the room and opens the door and closes it behind him carefully. And you immediately hear door locks in with time lock. You hear rummaging inside and moving things around as he's like, I'll do runic lock instead of time lock because that's harder to open.
Starting point is 02:45:03 Yeah. You got it. Runic lock on the door.ock, because that's harder to open. Yeah. You got it. Runic lock on the door. It locks in. And then we just go. All right. I was ready to seduce him. Oh well.
Starting point is 02:45:18 I have an experience called Flick My No Hands. I did finish Last Encounter with two action sounds. Before I did that, I converted them into a fear. Just so I have hands. We're back on track. I did finish the last encounter with two action summs. Before I did that, I converted them into a figure, just so I have that. That's what you do with leftover action times. Experience for re-fronts. All right. So, you all begin to approach
Starting point is 02:45:38 the exterior of the mines proper. As you step through your footfalls, finding the crunchy bits of loose shale and pebbles and stonework, the occasional skittering and scattering of dust skinks catch your eye. You notice dust skinks to be these semi-translucent lizard, little gecko-like spirits that flits through some of the internal rock areas of these mountains, and they skitter off in a bit and turn back and look at you with these bright, glowing turquoise eyes before they get. Ooh, I like them.
Starting point is 02:46:06 It's beautiful, and they light the space around them slightly. You eventually step into the dark interior of the mines and there is no light. It is pitch black. I'm going to activate a Phantom Retreat right here. All right. Beginning of the mine. I can also cast Prestidigitation to illuminate a room, which I assume is just a small area around us. So describe to me how your light apparates.
Starting point is 02:46:36 The shell on my back opens up for the wings that are underneath, and they start to and they glow bug. Oh, cool! So it hits a splash of light. That's so cute! What color is the light? Yeah. And they start to and they glow bug. Oh, cool! So it hits a splash of light on the floor. That's so cute! What color's the light?
Starting point is 02:46:50 It's slightly yellowish green. All right. The whole room around Kexin glows around. And stepping in, you can see the in- Staring at your ass as we walk. Right then, it drops. Then it drops. Aw, we're normal again.
Starting point is 02:47:15 Damn! But here, the very massive entrance, this well-mined cavern, you can see all the braces that are set up inside, as well as the numerous abandoned mine carts that have varying degrees of separate, loosely gentle ore veins or chunks of crystal. But much like how you saw a little bit as you were stepping in, now you can see where the red crystal does glow within, the faintest bit of glows, most of it's gone. So there's very little interior light to here. And some of them, as you begin to walk
Starting point is 02:47:50 by and the light around Hexum begins to evaporate, there are crystals present in this room, but they do not glow. Instead, the normal pinkish-red color of the crystal seems to be more of a faded gray, with almost a darker interior to it. So say it. It looks a little seepy. It's so ee-pee-ous. It's so seepy. It's so seedy.
Starting point is 02:48:17 It's so seedy. It's an ominous vibe. Uh-huh. Your vibe is ominous. Can I kick out the wings and I'll fly up a little bit so the light starts to spread a little bit, but it also helps me see. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:48:33 The dust cascades out on all sides as you're picking up wind and picking up, it lights the space. And you can see the chains that are connected to help both hold and shift large pieces of machinery that sit off to the sides. There are multiple tunners. There are multiple tunners.
Starting point is 02:48:52 Multiple tunnels that begin to divide and snake off in different directions. And as the sound of your flight picks up, you also notice more of the dust skins skittering out of the different shadowed corners and either finding somewhere to hide or exiting the cavern entirely. But there are four different paths you can take.
Starting point is 02:49:12 Is a fork in front of us, like A, B, C, D? You see one fork, and then that fork divides into three different paths. So it's one large one here, a large one here, and then that large one scatters off. Coming up to that first fork, can I use Reveal? And if anything is hidden within close range,
Starting point is 02:49:29 this roll would succeed against it and it is no longer hidden? Sure. That's a 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, with Hope. With Hope? All right, so you take a Hope. You cast Reveal. Nothing hidden is revealed within range to you. Yeah.
Starting point is 02:49:50 Is there an area of one of the tunnels that looks darker and more ominous than the other ones? They all look fairly dark and ominous. Go ahead and make an instinct roll for me. Ow, that was a sharp dice. They're your dice. I know! 11, 12, 13, 14. 14. 14 with fear.
Starting point is 02:50:17 With fear, all right. The air inside the cavern itself, the temperature seems to drop almost suddenly. It catches you all off guard as you feel the chills run up your spine as I take a fear. You do pick up a bit of a scent, though. It's a combination of wet iron and rot.
Starting point is 02:50:47 And you, looking at the two different directions, there's the large singular tunnel that goes and the one that divides multiple times. It seems stronger in the singular tunnel to the left. We should go that way. Go towards the stinky. We should go towards the stinky. Okay.
Starting point is 02:51:03 Stinky is seat stinky. Okay. Stinky as sepia. Mm. Continuing down this path for a few more moments, you come to an area that looks like it was a rest spot. There are a handful of tables and chairs and looks to be a place for miners that were finished in one area or taking a break. The tunnel opens a bit and allows them a place to sit
Starting point is 02:51:28 and rest, drink water, prepare. But the table is shattered. You can see the portions of the well manicured and braced wall have taken some damage and it's cracked and part of it has collapsed. There's signs of violence or struggle, and you see a body of what looks to be a very well-armed figure that is currently half-crushed under stone.
Starting point is 02:51:58 Oh, the foreman? No. Can we see it? Yeah, you go ahead and inspect. You have no idea if it's a foreman or not, but the figure looks like it was, it doesn't look like any of the guards who are watching the mine, and this individual is fairly well armed for being a miner. If you get a little close to it, and the body itself is quite decomposed.
Starting point is 02:52:22 The drier air in here, in spite of the smell, it's mummified a bit so that skin's pulled tight against the skull. You can see the eyes are now gone. And the vacant sockets are there. The features look like it might have been a firbolg. You can make out elements of the now leathered ears that hang down, but very, very fine armor, as well as what looks to be a strange, it's like a vial, but it's mostly leather with a glass cap with a little metal ring at the top that holds it in. We should definitely take that.
Starting point is 02:53:09 But I'm going to reach forward and I'm going to touch his cheek and I'm going to do a death connection. Ooh, what? Which is something that I can do as a fun girl. What? Ooh. Cool. So I'm going to take a stress
Starting point is 02:53:25 so I can extract one memory related to a specific event. So I'm going to try to see what it was that killed him. All right. As you concentrate on this withered fear bulb, you recall the final moments and your vision pulls into the same darkened interior, but torch in front. You see a vision of three other miners walking scared behind this figure. You see
Starting point is 02:53:58 them now fully healthy, this big mane of black hair that goes down the back, as well as a long beard that comes to a point for the goatee. You all right? I'm fine. A Van Dyke sort of chin beard. Nice armor, spiked and bladed in ways. This figure, you get the sense, was probably hired to come and see what was happening. The miners are pointing, and they traverse further into the cavern. You can see where the crystals are no longer
Starting point is 02:54:33 any sign of red coloration, but they're all just these gray, lifeless crystals that emerge from the parts of the mine that were still being pushed into. There is a heavy roar and multiple roars. The miners go fleeing and running. The figure looks up and you see this pale bluish glow, not unlike the dust skinks that were scattering through,
Starting point is 02:55:01 but larger, as multiple heads emerge from the shadow, biting in his direction. And he sees this, turns and runs. And as he runs, another snaps past and he dodges out of the way. Another one, he spins and tries to strike it with a blade. It misses wide. He carves into another and manages to cleave one of its heads off.
Starting point is 02:55:22 And he feels a little more confident as he watches the head regrow itself. Oh shit. At which point he turns to run as the wall next to him cracks and crumbles into darkness. Oh shit. You guys, it's like this giant creature that can regrow its heads.
Starting point is 02:55:44 Heads? Yeah, regrow its heads. Heads? Yeah, there's multiple heads, and it glows blue. Was it cute? It looks scary. I'm going to take that vial around its neck. Should we leave? It's not too late to go to the casino. I actually think it genuinely is too late
Starting point is 02:56:04 to go to the casino, I think ever at this point. Aren't they open 24-7? They mess with the lighting so you can never tell what time it is. They probably already sketched us and put us on the walls. Yeah, I was going to say, we're probably blacklisted. We'll say the armor is actually quite nice as well. Oh, ooh, he's got really fancy armor on.
Starting point is 02:56:20 Does anybody want it? I would be very curious about such a thing. I'm not sure. Let's get him naked. In a tactful way. Does anybody want it? I would be very curious about such a thing. I'm not cool. Let's get him naked. An attacked foal. Loot that body. Loot that body. Just lying there, right? It's just lying there.
Starting point is 02:56:36 So it takes a little bit to rob this crushed corpse, but you do find a usable set of spiked armor plating. Spiked armor. Armor? Ooh, who wears armor plating? I mean, not I. Can, what does it do? Do you do attack, Kexin? There you go, turtle. Become Shredder.
Starting point is 02:57:00 Let's see. Wow. Base armor's at six.. Base armor score six. Me and I have won. Do it, do it. Do it. Get naked! I suppose it just changes. I'm not Koyashi. Get naked, Zerdante.
Starting point is 02:57:17 Get naked, Zerdante. Yeah, I just lose a point of evasion, but my base armor score is nuts. That's great. I will take it. Yeah! Babies! All right. Do I?
Starting point is 02:57:33 What a conundrum. You're lying! And Shredder became the turtle? We am become Shredder. You either die a turtle or live long enough to become Shredder. I'm trying to do math, you assholes. Yeah, I just get and I put this thing on and I try and get it so that the cape does not catch on the spikes. It looks really good.
Starting point is 02:58:01 It's a work. I like it. It's a good look. It a work. I like it. It's a good look. It smells awful. I can't tell. Great. Have you ever smelled a turtle before? No. I've never smelled that. Wow. Yeah, I was waiting for that.
Starting point is 02:58:28 Okay, do we press forward? Going in. After waiting for Sir Dante to finish donning his new stinky armor. Sir Dante, yeah, there we are. Eventually, you begin. How's people's HP, by the way? Does anyone need healing? No problem.
Starting point is 02:58:38 I mean, now is the time. If anyone needs a little judging, I can help someone. I have a lot of stress. I can help with use the time. If anyone needs a little judging, I can help someone. I have a lot of stress. I can help with that as well. With one person, it could be you. But I don't, I already took your ability before. Why not you again? But he took a lot of hits before.
Starting point is 02:58:56 Whoever's most in need. Who's got more than two stress marks? How much stress you got there? I got five stress. Let's clear the stress. Four. So because I have a specialization as a Divine Wielder, I can a second time use Sparing Touch,
Starting point is 02:59:11 and now we can clear you a two stress. You can. And that's the end of my Sparing Touch. You got it. And before we go in, I will, as he's clearing stress, Bunny is just like, you know, let's just do a little group meditation.
Starting point is 02:59:29 And I do a little like, Hmmmm. And me and close allies heal one hit point. Yay! So if you are down one, just heal one. Amazing! All right. Who's leading the step forward into the narrowing caverns before you?
Starting point is 02:59:54 Uh. All right. Nothing like a glowing target in the dark. Right. Kexen is you. That's why Batman has Rob. We think there's a big lizard down here. We're pretty sure.
Starting point is 03:00:08 It's like Robat. I'm going to eat this necklace, is what I'm going to do. Okay. Yeah, you are. Pop this Jolly Rancher. You got it. Into my mouth. Because it says you consume it, and then later I regurgitate it. Yeah. So Zarlo grows
Starting point is 03:00:21 eight feet tall. And it's yoked out. We'll use this as your mini for now. Yeah! Let's go Donkey Kong! Yeah, you know it. I'm pretty sure you know that. Do do do do do do.
Starting point is 03:00:36 Goro! Great, yeah, you know that shit. All right. Pushing forward, the tunnel narrows for a bit. You can see other side tunnels that are partially collapsed and others that wander off deep into the mine, but the smell, the strong smell just gets stronger and stronger, leading you further in. The crystals themselves, dull gray ashen, almost have this sorrowful feeling and energy to them, and it gets progressively colder and colder.
Starting point is 03:01:10 Stepping through, the chamber opens up a bit and you can see other tunnels that move off in different places, but the rocks themselves have fallen as well. And that's when the smell in here is extremely acrid. You glance through and there are all these different clusters of ashen crystals scattered throughout the room. There is one in the far back as your light comes across
Starting point is 03:01:34 that you can see within the crystal, this black mass that seems to be within it pulsing and moving, not unlike the seep abscess that you had encountered in the Emerald Sky. You can see where the crystal has somewhat cracked the blackened tendrils, almost like tentacles or veins that are emerging, just slightly move like weird feelers
Starting point is 03:02:04 of an urchin in the ocean. What do you do? Do we see any creatures around? Any glowing? Make an instinct roll for me. Ah! Whoa, okay. 20 with fear. 20 with fear. 20 with fear.
Starting point is 03:02:28 All right. As you all enter and begin looking around the chamber, you point out that abscess as you glance to see any sign of a creature. As you look up, you look to see something shift above, and that blue glow begins to emanate as the slumbering entity becomes aware of your presence and slams into the ground,
Starting point is 03:02:54 separating you and the two separate groups in the center of the chamber. Oh no. As you see it slams onto the floor, its heavy, multi-ton weight hitting the ground. The multiple long necks emerge as some sort of heavily mutated dust skink that has these long heads, four in total, that all re-rupt.
Starting point is 03:03:15 LAURA and LAURA and LAURA and LAURA and LAURA. LAURA and LAURA and LAURA and LAURA and LAURA and LAURA. Oh! Let me go ahead and get the other one. Yeah! Did I tell you go ahead and get the other one. Yeah! Who's the man? Did I tell you guys when I saw the memory that it re-grew its heads?
Starting point is 03:03:31 Yes. Okay, okay, okay. It re-grew its heads, yeah. Okay, great, great. While he gets the map, Bunny is going to crack her pants. Oh shit. Be like, just like Sir Dante said,
Starting point is 03:03:45 it's time for an encore! I'm going to give a rally die to this. I did say that, didn't I? You did say that, but you said it in a much longer way. It's very fast. Whoa! Whoa!
Starting point is 03:03:58 Whoa! Chill, man, chill! It's so much bigger than I thought it was! What the hell? That's beautiful. That's where that is? I like the red lights. Crazy. So everyone gets a d6.
Starting point is 03:04:09 Oh, oh, for what? I'm rallying everybody. For anything? Yes, this is your rally die that you can use for anything. Anyone who takes a rally die can also choose to either gain a hope or clear a stress. Oh!
Starting point is 03:04:27 Amazing. Can we choose that at any time? When you receive the rally die, when you receive it, so now. So I can do, and we still get the dice? 100%. 100%! 100%, so you get a d6. Amazing.
Starting point is 03:04:44 The rally dice, you can use this by adding it to an action roll, a reaction roll, a damage roll. Fuck yes. Or clearing stress. It's my D&D. Oh! What? Ah! You're level six!
Starting point is 03:04:58 It's a d8! Woo! Even better! It increases to a d8 when you reach level five. Yes. No doubt. Even better. So you get a d8 when you reach level five. Yes. No doubt. Even better. So you get a d8 that you can use whenever you want. So. I have a d8.
Starting point is 03:05:10 Whoa! Do you want a d8? As it slams into the ground, scattering you to different sides as part of the fear reaction there, I'm going to go ahead and spend a fear. No! To immediately get you two things there to activate the...
Starting point is 03:05:25 Oh shit. Rat row. A creature in question, as of yet unnamed, unidentified, multi-headed fuckface. Boy, oh boy, oh boy. As the Seep Hydra. By the way, this is the crystal that you saw
Starting point is 03:05:42 the abscess sitting within. The Seep Hydra is going to go ahead and activate, well, first it has its ability called Relentless, which means it can activate an X number of times, which X is the number of heads the Hydra has. It can activate four times this turn. That that being the case, I activated it twice there, so we get to make two attacks against, let's see, in a close range. It's going to go ahead and first,
Starting point is 03:06:15 it's going to strike you, Oppy. Okay. Then it's going to strike at you, Zarlo. All right, you're actually this dude. Yeah. So it's going to be against Oppy and Zarlo. All right, you're actually this dude. Yeah. So it's going to be against Oppy and Zarlo. Both get a strike from the Seep Hydra. That's going to be 13 against you, Zarlo.
Starting point is 03:06:38 13 will hit. I will... So I take major damage, yeah. I take major damage. Well, now it takes to hit. No, no, no, just to hit. To hit, all right. Damage is going to be 12 points of physical damage. 12? Oh, it's right on my major damage.
Starting point is 03:06:55 Yeah, I take two, I'm going to go to armor. All right, so reducing that down? Yeah. All right. Fucking up me armor. And then, Offee? That's going to be a 12 to hit. That hits! All right. Did it do you a minor or take it out completely?
Starting point is 03:07:09 It was a major damage. You take 12 points of physical damage. Okay, so. My armor, not my hit points. I will do that. All right. No, but did it bring your damage? Your armor reduces.
Starting point is 03:07:21 So you would still take a minor hit point. But you would just go down one? So if I, how's it work? So if you have a- So if you spend an armor, you reduce the damage by your armor score. Oh, so I spend one. Yeah. And what's- Taking it down to 11,
Starting point is 03:07:36 so I take one hit point down. Yes. Thank you, everybody. But your armor is a one, or what's your armor? It's your armor score. Nine. So that would take it from a 12 down to a? To a three. To a three. To a three? Yeah, you reduce it by the armor score.
Starting point is 03:07:49 I still take one. Yeah, you still take a hit point, but just that's going to keep my. Minus nine, minus nine. Correct, yeah. He's got some good armor. Yeah. Serves him, making worse than his armor. All right, it's going to spend a secondary fear
Starting point is 03:08:04 to get two of these back. It only used two of its heads, right? Instead of all four? Correct. Okay. Going to spend the other two to use Terrifying Chorus. All the heads at once. You're going to scream. The whole room quakes.
Starting point is 03:08:18 You all cover your ears and fall to your knees. All of you lose two hope. Whoa! Whoa, whoa! How dare! Can I? Is this? All of you lose two hope. Whoa! Whoa, whoa! How dare! Can I? Is this? Mm-mm-mm.
Starting point is 03:08:30 Is this a spell or magical effect that is taking place? No. It's just a scream. It's just a yell. It's just a really shitty song. But that's going to finish my go. Who goes first? Oh.
Starting point is 03:08:43 Let's piss this fucking bastard out! We're going to get it on like Donkey Kong! I'm just going to take a swipe at it to see how much I can hurt it. So with my new- You're moving to melee? Do you want to move anywhere? Nah, that seems dangerous for the moment, so I'm going to stay back and I'm going to chuck
Starting point is 03:09:02 my tiny little axe. But I get a plus 10 for damage if I hit. That's if I hit. A d10, yeah. Yeah. So, but there's no advantage or anything for the attack roll. It's just the attack roll.
Starting point is 03:09:15 That is total balls. So five of those, mm-hmm. Do I want to do anything for this? I don't think I do. I think I'm just going to take the loss. My tiny ax is so small that I'm not used to throwing it. And it goes between two heads. It's so small.
Starting point is 03:09:36 Little help? All right. So that finishes your go. That brings it to me, because of the failed roll. The hydra is now going to? Oh, and you get a fear, because that's what you rolled with fear. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll take that.
Starting point is 03:09:50 I will spend one of those fear to convert that into two action tokens, and then I will activate three hydra heads from where it stands. Damn! Yikes! So all of a sudden, as it's going to go ahead and stand there in the center, it's primed in its position
Starting point is 03:10:04 because it can reach all of you. It's going to go ahead and stand there in the center, it's primed in its position because it can reach all of you. It's going to go ahead and just take three quick strikes in a row. That's going to bring us to... It's not too worried about you. It's going to go... Actually, it's going to go all three right here. It's just going to...
Starting point is 03:10:18 It's going to be against you, Sir Dante. That's going to be a 15 to hit. That hits. You take 14 points of physical damage. 14. I'm going to spend an armor and bring that down to a six and just take the one HP. I'm also, I do have a thing called Retaliation.
Starting point is 03:10:42 So I'm going to mark a stress and I am in, am I melee with him or I'm not? You are not. Oh, nevermind, I'm not doing that. Melee, melee, melee. Against you, Bunny, that's going to be a seven. Miss. You manage to dodge it the way
Starting point is 03:11:00 it is not quite quick enough to catch you on your feet. And then against you again, Oppy, that's going to be a 15 to hit. That hits. You take 20 points of physical damage. Ooh! All right. All right, I'm going to use some armors.
Starting point is 03:11:14 Do it. Some armor slots. So that was 20, you said? Yes. Let's see. Soak up that damage with your armor slots. You'd have to use all of your armor in order to get. So maybe we'll just take it.
Starting point is 03:11:34 All right, nevermind. I'm just going to take it. All right, go for it. Because that would be all. All right, that finishes the jam's move. Who's up? All right, first I'm going to, you know, as I crack my fans,
Starting point is 03:11:43 it creates a little rhythm that you hear and it starts bouncing off the cave wall and it's like and I play an epic song and I make it vulnerable. Okay. Sick. I know. Whatever you want to do.
Starting point is 03:12:01 I say this marks it as vulnerable here. You stay where you are. Yeah, I'm going to do a little, will you pitch it? Are you ready, Bunny? Yes, I stay ready. Here we go. I'm going to spend three hope. Was it an action to do that, or just an ability? It's da-ba-da-ba-da, ba-da-ba-da-ba-da.
Starting point is 03:12:19 Describe what you're paying. You can use an action. I use an action. You use an action, all right. Got it, thank you for that. So I'm spending three hope so that we can do a tag team attack. Go for it.
Starting point is 03:12:28 So I'm going to take out my whip and I'm going to crack it and start almost like a ringleader. I'm going to be like, over here, you little beastie. Hell yeah. I crack it to get attention and I'm almost shielding Dante until he's ready.
Starting point is 03:12:41 You got it. I'm going to run around the side as it comes in and Trying to bait it this way. Takes a look at you. Over here? No, no, we were hoping it was baiting towards her, so I'm going to jump over the head and try and just take a nice big
Starting point is 03:12:54 plummeting attack around its neck, just around her, so I end up on the other side of that group. Over here? Yes. You got it. All right. It's not worth throwing Dramatic Flare at that. Perfect, all right. So both of worth throwing Dramatic Flare at that. Perfect, all right. So both of you can go ahead and make your rolls.
Starting point is 03:13:07 Yeah, as I distract it and it swings, as soon as he goes, then I'm going to come down with a fan. Got it, so go ahead and roll, both of you. This is, okay, I get a couple things out of this. I use a d20 for my hope die. You do. Which is cool. And then, yeah, and then I also have that,
Starting point is 03:13:25 I'm going to add this one. Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. 24 for me. With? Hope. Okay. I'm at 26 with fear, so we might do 24 with hope. Might be the better way to go.
Starting point is 03:13:46 I'm good with that. All right, 24 with hope, that is success. You both take a hope on that, and go ahead and roll your damage and add it together. Yes! Whole garden. Meet me in the garden. Whole garden.
Starting point is 03:14:01 Oh my god. Okay. Do I get anything else? More of that. Okay, but. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. 12 damage for me. 12 plus.
Starting point is 03:14:18 10, 29, 10, 19, 20, 1, 22, 23, 24, 25. Big whammies! 25. No. 25, so 37 20, 1.2, something. Big whammies. 25. No. So 37 points of damage. That is exactly its severe threshold. Ooh! So it takes three.
Starting point is 03:14:34 37? 37 is its severe? Yeah. Damn. So it takes three hit points are marked on that hit. Okay, that's great. Good job, guys. Great job. And it was vulnerable. And you cut one of its heads off. Oh, yes!
Starting point is 03:14:46 You carve it, and one of the four heads hits the ground like, Yeah! Glowing, the glowing blue energy. Does anyone have fire? Y'all, burn it before it goes back. Here's my question. Were both those physical attacks, right?
Starting point is 03:14:59 Yes. Okay, cool. I'm also going to, since I did actually, I did the hop over the neck, came down with the sword as the fan came through, if I actually have an interesting attack, I do actually get to mark them a stress, if I'm willing to take a stress.
Starting point is 03:15:18 Mark a stress on them? Yep. All right, yeah, go for it. So they take a stress. They take a stress, indeed. Amazing. All righty. What does vulnerable mean when the creature's vulnerable again? It means you add a d6 to your attack rolls. To everybody gets it?
Starting point is 03:15:30 We all add a d6 to our attack rolls. Yeah, when a target is vulnerable, all attacks against it have a plus a d6. An additional d6, that's good to know. I did not do that. Not the best. I'm going to step back into Zarlo's shadow and then bamf out behind the beastie.
Starting point is 03:15:46 So I'm technically hidden as I bamf out. Over here? Yeah, that's a stress point. And. Shadow would be here, facing with the light that Zarlo's giving off. Sure, and then I'll run forward. I'm technically hidden, so I'm going to run forward
Starting point is 03:16:01 and attack it with advantage. Go for it. Right, when I was hidden, I attack with advantage? Yes. Yep, so go ahead and roll your attack and add a DCs. And then that is plus three for proficiency? Mm-hmm. Okay. Or plus three for your,
Starting point is 03:16:19 whatever attribute you're adding to it, whenever you're, the proficiency's the damage you deal. Oh, oh, oh. So that would be instinct. Yeah, so three. Okay. And then... Can I add anything else to this?
Starting point is 03:16:34 You got that die to the bunny? I know, I want to add the die to the bunny because I'm afraid I'm going to miss him. Oh, and I'm going to use a hope. Okay. To add to damage. Oh, for sneak attack? to use a hope. Okay. To add to damage. Oh, for sneak attack? For that, yeah. Yeah, okay.
Starting point is 03:16:49 Did you add a plus six because he's vulnerable? Or d6, she did. I, that's for damage. But I haven't done the damage. No, no, it's just a hit. Just a hit. Oh. Oh, then I did need to use this eight if I'd have known that.
Starting point is 03:17:05 I did the same thing. Just take one of them out. What'd you roll on the eight? Take the eight out and then I'd have known that. Mm. I did the same thing. Just take one of them out. What'd you roll on the eight? Take the eight out and then I'll add another six. Sure. Okay. Then, okay. Yeah. Okay, so that's 21, 22, 23, 24.
Starting point is 03:17:19 So you added a d6 to it already? Yeah, but that's from a sneak attack. Sneak attack, you add the d6 to damage. But I roll with advantage. Right, okay, yeah. When I come out of sneak attack. Sorry. So you have advantage out of that, which means the advantage that you already had wouldn't have added an extra d6.
Starting point is 03:17:33 You just have advantage. You can't have advantage multiple times. Got it. So yeah, so you should add the six. Okay, okay. Sorry, I was trying to figure out the dice here. That's okay, that's okay. 21, 27, 28, 29, 30.
Starting point is 03:17:45 Oh yeah, you hit. With hope. You hit so hard with hope. So hard. The weird dusk kink hydra creature, after its first head gets cut off, it recoils, the neck is writhing in the air, and you appear, rush around the corner from the shadow, and just, what's your weapon?
Starting point is 03:18:06 I have a quarterstaff. A quarterstaff. And you just crack it, but you crack it right where one of its discs was herniated from the mutation and it just goes. Okay. Go ahead and roll damage. You add the d6 here for sneak attack. So that's when I add my d6 and I did a hope
Starting point is 03:18:20 so I get another d6. Correct. And then I can add Bunny's d8 this time. Yep. Okay, and then I do 3d10. Ooh. Nice. D10.
Starting point is 03:18:32 Wait, I can't find, it's fine, I'll just add another one. Okay, and then my proficiency thingies. Oh, that's shit! Nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Okay, 17. 18, 19, 27. 27 points damage, that is a major wound. It takes two more hit points. Okay, okay, 19, 27. 27 points damage, that is a major wound. It takes two more hit points. Okay, okay, okay, okay.
Starting point is 03:19:08 You cut off a secondary head, or more like you hit it in the back in a way. Yeah, I'm trying to hit it in the back. That's why I bammed behind, because I don't want it to take off a head. I was trying to hit its spine. Right, you hit the spine, and as it rears back, as a reaction, I was back, as a reaction,
Starting point is 03:19:26 What if I hit it so hard its bosoms come flying out? As a reaction, after that first head was cut off, it rears back and that gives Sir Dante an opening who reactionarily cuts off a secondary head. Nice. Oh, not amazing. That's two less attacks that it can make with its head. Okay, great. I want to jump in with something I should have started with to help you all.
Starting point is 03:19:44 Zone of protection. Whoa. I'm going to add my rally die, for feck's sake. Okay, I just make it 16. Zone of protection on a success. Once per long rest, you can designate a point within far range of you, underneath the skink's ass. And a visible zone of protection for my allies within close range, which is why I put it underneath the skink's ass, in a visible zone of protection for my allies
Starting point is 03:20:06 within close range, which is why I put it under the skink, I place a d8 out, and every time one of you gets hit, you minus what's on the die from the damage. So the first person to partake gets eight minused, then the next person seven. How big's the zone? It's close range, so shooting out to everyone
Starting point is 03:20:25 centered on the skin. So that entire area there? Yeah. Nice. Cool. All right, so yeah. Close range is gonna be most of it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Should've led with it.
Starting point is 03:20:33 That's great. Cool. All righty. Can I kick up with my wings and I'm gonna burn two stress to change out a Book of Typhar for the Book of Exada. Did you make a roll for that, Zerlo? Or is it just happens? I did make aar for the Book of Exodda. Did you make a roll for that, Zerlo?
Starting point is 03:20:46 Or is it just happens? I did make a roll for it. Right, thank you. Oh, and it's with hope. Yep, there you go, take a hope. So with the Book of Typhar, I'm gonna kick up using my wings and fly up towards this thing with now two of its heads chopped off.
Starting point is 03:21:00 Yeah. And I'm gonna use Wild Flame to make a spell cast roll against up to three enemies in melee range of me. Flame erupts from my hand, dealing 2d6 magic damage and the stress and need that I succeed against. Go for it. Okay. Carverize those back. Just in case it's like a hydra.
Starting point is 03:21:16 He's well read, he's read about monsters and stuff. Okay, plus four, 16. So 20 with Fear. 20 with Fear, that hits. That definitely succeeds. Okay, and School of War, now with my School of War specialization, I deal 2d10 extra damage on an attack roll with Fear. Correct. Okay.
Starting point is 03:21:40 So yeah. Oh, great. He does more damage when he succeeds with Fear. Oh, nice. Mo damage when I'm scared. So that's 14 extra damage on top of 2d6. 14, 24. 24 points of damage plus four, 28 points of damage. 28 points of damage?
Starting point is 03:22:01 To three different targets? Dang, all right. To three different targets? Dang, all right. To three different targets? It says against up to three enemies in melee range of you. Oh, does that count as multiple heads? No, because it's still one creature. Gotcha. But you do burn off a third head.
Starting point is 03:22:18 Yes! So the third head smolders and cracks away as the ashen, charcoaled head drops off the stump as it pulls away the blackened exterior of it, still present. There's just the one snapping head now. Got it. That finish your turn? Yes, it does. All right, that brings it to me.
Starting point is 03:22:35 I'm going to go ahead and activate Spend a Fear to use, that was magic damage? Yes, spell cast roll. Okay. Yeah, 2d6 magic damage. Yeah, spell cast roll. Okay. Yeah, 2d6 magic damage. Yeah, so. And he marks his stress. That's true.
Starting point is 03:22:51 Okay, so. And he marks his stress, yeah. Yes. So because that was magic damage, he is dazed. Oh! And confused, bro. Hey! See you at the moon tower. Right, all right, all right.
Starting point is 03:23:03 Let me see. You're not cooler if you did. I am going to spend a fear to remove the vulnerable condition. Shit. No longer vulnerable. Aw. It's not a thing.
Starting point is 03:23:14 But it's dazed. While dazed, it cannot use its own regeneration ability. Sweet. But it's now immune to magic damage until it's no longer dazed. Immune to magic damage. Until it's no longer dazed. Immune to magic damage. Until it's no longer dazed. So while it's dazed, it's immune. I will activate the Crystal Seep Abscess over here.
Starting point is 03:23:31 Hey! It will use its action to use Regeneration Pulse. So while it can't regenerate itself, the pulse, the Seep, through and through all the crystals that are ashen around also flash black. As it does, the hydra regains a hit point and regenerates a head. This little quartzite pimple.
Starting point is 03:23:52 Okay, that's good. Now the hydra's going to use, now that has two heads, I'm going to take both of those to attack twice with the hydra. With this, it's going to turn and both strikes are on you. Oh no. First attack is going to be 15 to hit. 15 hits.
Starting point is 03:24:12 You take 25 points of physical damage. Whoa! Minus eight because of zone of protection. Yep. 25 minus eight, so 17. And I'll burn an armor to make that 11. No, I won't burn an armor, because it's all the fucking same. Okay, so that's major damage.
Starting point is 03:24:30 Okay. Wait, did you drop him down? I did. Actually, I'll burn two, and then I'll get it to one. All right. And that is a natural 20. Damn! What happens with my zone of protection?
Starting point is 03:24:45 It still reduces the damage, but the damage is going to be maxed and then a dice roll. Oh, that was a hit. Oye, oye. I'm ready. My body's ready. Oh, he's making the face. Yeah, he's going to do a lot. I can't do that. I can't do that.
Starting point is 03:24:57 You take 51 points of damage. Minus seven. Right. Minus seven, minus seven. Minus seven. Because if it doubles seven, minus seven. Minus seven. Because if it doubles the severe. Which is four hit points. 44, right? Holy heck.
Starting point is 03:25:12 What's your severe? 44, 26. So it doesn't double it. Yeah, no, no. Barely. That's going to save you. 26 minus seven. Jeez Louise. What do you mean 26 minus seven? Because his zone of protection thing that he did.
Starting point is 03:25:23 No, he knocked it down seven. So from the 54. 51, right? Yeah. So 40. Right, so that'd be three hit points onto you. Ooh! 44 minus six, 12, 18. Help, math!
Starting point is 03:25:41 Whoa. Help. Help. Help. Help. Shit. 26. Oh, that makes exactly three hit points. Okay.
Starting point is 03:25:51 I'm going to burn those three. Okay. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. That finishes my GM turn. I'm going to burn my last armor, actually, to make it a major damage. There you go. Now I'm out of armor.
Starting point is 03:26:03 Okay. Fuuuuh! Shit, shit. You're out of armor and you have three hit points. And the weekly top 40! I got three more hit points, I'm fine. Somebody got to maybe go over and attack that crystal or something.
Starting point is 03:26:15 Yeah. He's still dazed. For the time being, yeah. So maybe magic people focus on the crystal. Actually, at the end of his turn, sorry. They show me the Hydra activates, and we roll the dice real fast. Well, actually, at the end of his turn, sorry. They show me the Hydra activates, and we roll the dice real fast. Everyone, boys, Matthew.
Starting point is 03:26:28 No, that's an eight. No longer dazed. Oh! But no longer immune to magic damage, at least. All right, so who wants to go next? Okay. Yeah? You haven't gone yet? Okay, no. So I'm going to spend, I'm spending a stress to replenish my Unleash Chaos tokens.
Starting point is 03:26:44 You got it. And I am going to make my way over to the crystal. Over here? Yes. I want to try to, yeah, let me try to get, well, I don't know if I want to be close to the crystals. Whatever. That's great. I'm going to stay right there.
Starting point is 03:27:06 Matt, you can put me up in front of the mouth because I was right up in his biz on that little platform if you want to. Yeah, sure. So you flap up here. That's right, I was, yeah. Yeah, go for it. And I am going to Unleash Chaos yet again on the crystal, the Seep.
Starting point is 03:27:21 Yep, against the crystal Seep, Abscess. Go ahead and roll an attack. Okay, okay, okay, the Seep. Yep, against the crystal Seep, Abscess. Go ahead and roll an attack. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay. Come on. Come on, come on, come on. Ooh, all right. So 13 with hope.
Starting point is 03:27:41 13 with hope, you take a hope. That just misses. Oh, damn, wait! a hope. That is, that just misses. Oh! Damn, wait! You have your rally die. Wait! Your rally die! Wait, okay, wait.
Starting point is 03:27:51 That just misses? Right. Okay, but I'm going to use my rally die? Yeah, got it. It just needs one point, so it's an auto. It's plus seven, so. So that plus seven on that? Yeah. That definitely hits.
Starting point is 03:28:02 Go ahead and roll damage. Okay, so. Yeah, yeah, that's what the rally die's for. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so. Can I use your d10 again? Yeah, go for it. Here you go. Okay, thank you. It does say you can add it to the results
Starting point is 03:28:15 of an action roll, so I think you can add it retroactively. You can add it. Generally, it's like you roll and then you add it before I confirm whether or not it succeeds or not. But we're learning it here, so I'm being wibbly-wobbly. Before you confirm. Yeah, so it's like, I'm going to spend it. And then I tell you.
Starting point is 03:28:30 That's another eight. 17. Nine. Oh, seven plus nine, 26. 26. 26. Plus. 29. 29 points of damage. That's a major wound to the Crystal Seat of Absence.
Starting point is 03:28:39 It takes two hit points. It's going to use its reaction, Protective Burrow. Oh! What? It's going under. It's going to use its reaction, Protective Burrow. Oh! What? It's going under! It's going under! This crystal crumbles into nothing, and the abscess vanishes within. All the other crystals around pulse with darkness,
Starting point is 03:28:55 and you still feel its presence. You get the sense it's in one of these crystals. It could be anywhere. Oh, sneaky, sneaky. It's a sneaky crystal. Hogarth! It's a sneaky little crystal. Sneaky little crystal.
Starting point is 03:29:08 But we don't immediately see it. It's going to be like a... To be forward with this, whenever anybody just breaks a crystal, roll a d6 on a four plus. It's in that crystal. Okay. I'm going to jump in with a helping hand.
Starting point is 03:29:21 I'm going to jump up by kicks and say, Come here, you wee feckingin' chitinous bastard! And I'll do healing hands. Five. I don't make the, I don't roll high enough, but I still, so it's not as good, but you heal one hit point, one stress. I'll take it. I'll take both of those.
Starting point is 03:29:43 Okay, so you did not succeed on the? It was with hope, but it wasn't high enough, according to the rules. If I had succeeded on the roll, we would've gotten two hit points and two stress. Totally. But it was low, so it was one hit point and one stress. Okay, but because it's still a failed roll,
Starting point is 03:29:58 it still comes to me. All right, all right. So that finishes your go. Great. On my activation here, I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to activate the Hydra. I'm going to spend the sphere to do it. Sorry, question.
Starting point is 03:30:14 Yes. Because of the gem I ate, it says your strength, agility, and finesse rolls have advantage. Since my spellcasting modifier is strength, would that be an advantage, that roll? Because of this rule, your strength? my spellcasting modifier strength, would that be an advantage to that roll? Because of this rule, your strength? It would be, yeah. Nah.
Starting point is 03:30:35 Good try, good try, good try. But spending that fear off the activation, it can now regenerate since it's no longer dazed, so it's going to heal two hit points. Dang. Yeah! We got to break crystals. And it regrows a third head. longer dazed, so it's going to heal two hit points. Dang. Oh, no! We got to break crystals. And it regrows a third head.
Starting point is 03:30:48 Oh, fuck. Okay. And wherever the crystal is, it's going to activate. It's going to use Regeneration Pulse to heal a hit point on the hydra. Shit. What do you see if I try to find the new crystal? And it regrows its fourth head.
Starting point is 03:31:00 Just hit crystals and you will die. If we break a crystal, there's a chance we'll hit the sixth thing. That finishes my activation. Who's next? Well, fuck this. I'm turning. Yeah. I'm turning. Do you want to go?
Starting point is 03:31:11 No, I was going to just hit some crystals. I'm going to hit crystals. I'm going to do the same thing at the same time. We're going to run and hit crystals. We're going to hit crystals. Ah, I'm going to hit that one. So you're going to this one here? Sure.
Starting point is 03:31:22 I'll run farther away. How about the one right behind? There? Sure. Okay. You rush up there. All right. Who wants to roll for what first? I'll go!
Starting point is 03:31:36 Oh, it's close. It was close to another crit, but it's not. Maddy, would you put my monkey by the bog? Here? Thanks, yeah. You got it. Four. so wait, that's... Did you say daddy? 12, 14. 15, 16?
Starting point is 03:31:51 16 hits. Hits, okay. Go ahead and roll damage. If you want to roll for an attack as well, since you guys are doing this at the same time. Come on. 16 with what, though? With what? Oh, with fear.
Starting point is 03:32:08 God, thank you. With fear. I'm going to add my rally die. So, pulled up on that, actually. Oh, I'm not here, just kidding. I'm adding my rally die. Okay. Seven, ten, 15 damage. 15 damage. That is a minor wound. It takes a hit point.
Starting point is 03:32:24 Or actually, no, this is a hit, sorry, this is a minor wound. It takes a hit point. Or actually, no, this is the hit, sorry, this is to hit the crystal. Now roll a d6 to see if it's there. So and if four up, it's there? Four up, it's there, yeah. Come on. Four! Four. Wow.
Starting point is 03:32:39 Well, technically, the crystal is still there. Oh no, it shatters the crystal, it takes the damage, and then it's going to use its reaction to disseminate into other crystals. So the seed takes the damage. Protect the burrows again, but it does take another hit point. Okay, okay, okay.
Starting point is 03:32:51 If you didn't find it, you'd send it back under the ground. Correct, you found it and did damage. So it is taking hit points every time we do it. So now maybe you're lucky. Yeah, after the hydra gets to go now. Now it comes to my go. With the fear I got from that,
Starting point is 03:33:05 I'm going to go ahead and spend that fear to get two more action tokens. I'm going to activate the hydra three times to do its attack with its heads. Run away, you bitch. That's going to be... Give me three attacks on you. Yeah!
Starting point is 03:33:25 Oh no! We've gone for one! Oh no! We're good, we're good, we're good, we're good. He's got no, he tore through his armor, man. Yeah, yeah. He's the chewiest target. Oh no!
Starting point is 03:33:35 All right, that's a natural one. Oh! Hey! Natural one. We're third of the way there. All right, that's going to be 14 to hit. It hits. All right. that's going to be 14 to hit. 14 to hit. All right. No!
Starting point is 03:33:47 What if I use a prayer die to minus four from it? Does 10 hit? Down to 10. 10 misses. Done. All right, so that's two misses. Because I've got my spellcasting trait to add to my evasion because of School of War.
Starting point is 03:34:04 That's true. And then that's going to be another 12 to hit you. a spellcasting trait to add to my evasion because of School of War. That's true. And then that's going to be another 12 to hit you. 12 is my evasion. So that does hit you. Okay. All right, so you take 22 points of physical damage. Whoa! Minus six.
Starting point is 03:34:17 Minus six. Because of the zone of protection. Yep. Great. So that brings it to a 16. Beautiful, I'll take it. Nice. That finishes my activation. Who's up? I'll take it. Nice. That finishes my activation. Who's up? I hit a crystal.
Starting point is 03:34:27 All right, this is going to move over here a little bit. Shift around. This space. I'm attacking a crystal. Go for it, roll for the attack. Slick, that was awesome. And then I add my proficiency. No. No.
Starting point is 03:34:42 Proficiency is for damage. I roll my instinct, three plus. No. Proficiency's for damage. I roll my instinct. Three plus three. So eight plus five. Eight plus five, 13. Plus three is 16. 16 would hit the crystal. Go ahead and roll a d6 for me.
Starting point is 03:34:58 Six. Six, all right. So that is striking the abscess. So go ahead and roll damage for that. Okay. Three d10. Nice. Plus three, and I'm going to add these as well. Go for it. That's one, two, three.
Starting point is 03:35:15 Okay. Okay, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. 19. That is going to be a minor wound on it. It takes another hit point. The crystal is shattered and the abscess submerges once more and scatters somewhere to another crystal in the space.
Starting point is 03:35:35 Okay, okay, okay, okay. Could I please go before I get squished? Yeah. Amazing. Getting rocked. Can I use my action to mark a stress? That was with hope, by the way. Thank you. Mark a stress, and I'm going to create
Starting point is 03:35:48 a temporary wall of magical flame between two points within far range. Can I tuck it in the corner on these big crystals and run it right by Zarlo? Yes, Zarlo straight into whatever the hell that thing is. So bisecting it. How far do you want it? Just into the corner as much as possible,
Starting point is 03:36:09 but not getting into, yeah, that's great. Right, so it's in this space here. Yeah, is there any way to do it so it's like this? Oh, like this, yeah. Yeah, so we can hit these big boys down here. Yeah, sure. Take those out of the equation. Spell cast.
Starting point is 03:36:30 Nope, no spell casting roll. It does take 4d10 damage. Which is dumb, because I was hoping to roll some magic. Do you roll for attack on the hydra for that? No, it says just use an action to mark a stress, create a temporal wall of magical flame. Oh great, and then? Anything passes through it makes 40, 10 magic damage.
Starting point is 03:36:48 All right. Which it hasn't moved through it, but it's in it, so we'll just wait for now. I'd say when it moves or on its activation, I'll go ahead and use it. Great, I'll hold those dice right there then. Okay, great, that's it. That's my, oh, and can I get the fuck out of there?
Starting point is 03:37:03 Yeah, if you want to. I know I'll take an attack of opportunity, but it sucks being out there. There's no attacks of opportunity in this system. Oh! Unless you have it as part of a class feed. I dig it. Whoa!
Starting point is 03:37:14 I'm going to go hide in the corner. Over here? Got it. Okay. Actually, I'm on a line with him. Was he on any line and stuff? I'll just stay back there. Okay, protect me, see me. All right, that finishes your go. Who's up next? I'd like to try something, if it's okay. What's stuff? I'll just stay back there. Okay. Protect me, Simian. All right, that finishes your go. Who's up next?
Starting point is 03:37:26 I'd like to try something if it's okay. What's up? Go for it, Zola. You have to tell me if this is possible, because it seems like a lot, but I have one prayer die left that I'd like to, I can use on my own hope. I'm maxing out my hope. I have, at 5th-level, I have Smite.
Starting point is 03:37:39 Spend three hope to charge up a powerful Smite on the next successful attack. Double your proficiency on the damage roll. And I say, hey, green machine, be my sword! And I run over and pick up Sir Dante, and I want to combo attack. Yeah. And I want to attack this thing with the turtle.
Starting point is 03:37:58 So you're going to move over and then fastball special him? Yeah. Hell yeah. Great. That's spiky armor, it's great. Yep. All right, so both of you go ahead and roll your attacks for your respective weapons, but you get to have advantage on yours because of your size.
Starting point is 03:38:13 Okay. Mine is a presence attack. 20 for me. 20 with? Fear. All right. You definitely are, yeah, you're definitely better than mine. Mine was terrible. So 20 with? Fear. All right. You definitely, yeah, you're definitely better than mine. Mine was terrible.
Starting point is 03:38:26 So 20 with fear. So that succeeds, and because you are your roge form, when you succeed on an action roll, I gain a fear. All right, that's true. I get two fear for that. But that does indeed hit. So both of you guys go ahead and roll your damage and add them together.
Starting point is 03:38:41 So I am doubling my proficiency, which is four, which is eight, plus, because of the size, I had an additional d10, so it's 9d10 for me currently. That is correct. Wow. Dang! Wow. That's insane. Woo-woo! Four, five.
Starting point is 03:39:03 This is rad. Six. Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo! Nine. Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo! It's insane. Four, five. This is rad. Six. This doesn't count. Six, seven, eight, nine. Two, three, four. Stop! Jesus Christ. We're inspiring him. He's like, I'm fucking Irish.
Starting point is 03:39:18 38, 38, 48, 48, 52, 57. Plus 25. For me, plus 25. Sheesh! That's 82. What? That doubled it! 77 to 82, yeah.
Starting point is 03:39:36 That doubles, that's four hit points. Woohoo! So I grab Dante by the waist. He's got his blade in his hand, and I just pick him up and he's my sword. Holy shit. You wield Sir Dante, who is wielding his own weapon. That is fantastic.
Starting point is 03:39:57 With a stab and a cut through, it's a double cleave into this entity. Just. One of its head just goes flying through, it's a double cleave into this entity. One of its head just goes flying and vanishes into the back of the chamber. Let's let me, have you let go of me, or are you holding on? Well, put me in melee range with the damn thing.
Starting point is 03:40:16 I think I did it. You both would probably move up to do that anyway. All righty. Fantastic. That finishes your go. Done. That comes back to me with a fear. All right, I got some points here to spend. It's going to spend a fear to regenerate. It heals two of those hit points and gets its head back. It's one activation there, and the other three are going to activate. With that, it's going to go ahead and...
Starting point is 03:40:47 Damn. It's going to move. Is it going to move? It is. Because first, I'm going to take a little swing at it. You do. I'll follow up with my Wall of Fire afterwards. Trap of Opportunity? All right, try to sleep me, make an attack.
Starting point is 03:41:04 Make an agility reaction roll, excuse me. Let's just try to find my stuff. Agility reaction roll. So. Agility reaction roll against their, I don't make it, it's nine. No, unfortunately. Goes wide.
Starting point is 03:41:22 Does it matter on the, no, it's a reaction roll. 37 points of fire damage. 37. 4d10 plus your rally. It's severe. That takes off a secondary, head gets burned off. It only has two heads at the moment. And it only had two more of those,
Starting point is 03:41:38 so I'm going to activate both those heads. Does it happen to destroy those crystals at all? Not the same. Unfortunately, the crystals are immune to manual damage. Boo! Oh! Good to know. Or the ones that it's not in. Okay.
Starting point is 03:41:52 So you know what? No, actually, to that point then, go ahead and roll a d6 for each of these crystals. Because now that was the part that was exposed earlier when you hit it, but now it's hiding within the crystals. How many are there? And this would be two. Come on, come on. Killed a sea. Two and a three. Two and a three? What's that in there How many are there? This would be two. Come on, come on.
Starting point is 03:42:05 Killed a sea. Two and a three. Two and a three? It's not in there. No. It was worth the randomization of it, though. What about those crystals destroyed? These crystals, I'd say These big, giant bamboos? are destroyed. Those tatas.
Starting point is 03:42:17 If I've got the... Tatas. Is it still your run? It is. Okay. So he took that damage. One of the heads burned off. It only has two heads at the moment. It's going to activate both those heads and it's coming for you again.
Starting point is 03:42:27 It's in the corner? Yep. Really? Well, it can hit everything in close range, too. Because of you, I learned a prayer. Wow. Texan is out of my zone of protection now because it doesn't move with the Hydroid. It is on is spot. Yeah! Yeah! Oh my god!
Starting point is 03:42:45 Oh my god! I'm excited! I don't know why he came over here! Ah! 22? Yeah, okay. Okay. Oh, it's so high.
Starting point is 03:42:56 15, 20 points of physical damage. Oh yeah, okay. Oh my god. Oh no. And the next hit. My last two hit points. Going to be... I feel like this is Chetney, just like a.
Starting point is 03:43:09 18. Hits. For... He's trying to kill your ass. 23 points of physical damage. Oh! No! Now, well, here's the thing.
Starting point is 03:43:20 Now we come to a death move. You have three choices here. You can either Blaze of Glory, where you get to immediately take an action that's an auto-critical success, but Kexin is dead. Or you could avoid death and face consequences. You just turn unconscious until you are healed, and then you roll a fear die to see
Starting point is 03:43:40 if you perhaps lose a permanent hope slot, but you're out of the fight until healed. Or you could risk it all and just roll your duality dice. If the hope is higher, you stay on your feet, you clear hit points and stress equal to the number that you rolled. And if a crit is rolled, you stay on your feet and clear all of it.
Starting point is 03:43:59 Or if your fear is higher, you die immediately. What do you want to do here? The last one. Gamble. Gamble! Gamble! My spells don't do anything powerful enough that a crit would really make it exciting. Just the ones that I have selected aren't there.
Starting point is 03:44:13 So 2d12, my duality does. You just roll them and tell me which one's higher. How does it work again? Do you just have to? It's just rollies against yourself. Fear, he dies. Hope, he gets up. Ta-ta, ta-ta. Oh my god. It's a 12 with hope.
Starting point is 03:44:31 Ooh! An 11 and a one. Ooh! So Kexin stays up, and because you rolled a 12 on the hope die, you clear 12 hit points and stress. Whoa! 12 hit points and stress. Whoa! 12 hit points and stress?
Starting point is 03:44:47 Yeah. You stay on your feet and you clear HP and or stress equal to the number rolled. So you have 12 points you can distribute to heal between the stress and your hit points. Great. That is wild. That brings you to the next round.
Starting point is 03:45:04 So Travis. Yes. Or Kexton. Describe to me how you get knocked to the edge of death, pull yourself free, and come back stronger than you were. The snapping jaws lift you up and slam you into the ground. A second one grabs, and as they both bite into your shoulder,
Starting point is 03:45:27 you hear something crack, and the darkness begins to tunnel vision your expression. In that moment, what do you see? What do you think? I hear my family's voice in my head saying, Be the one. Make a name for the family. And I go.
Starting point is 03:45:45 I fly forward with my pincers and they jam into the beast's belly. And for some reason, I could. I start sucking life out of the beast. Invigorated. My wings. Vampire. With a new bright light. And nobody saw it. My wink. With a new bright light.
Starting point is 03:46:08 And nobody saw it. Yeah, I'm over here in my corner. Hexen driven by memory of the family. Yep, obviously. All right, that finishes its go. Who's up? I would love to take a nice little cartwheel tumble to get around the fire and head towards that crystal
Starting point is 03:46:25 that I can see right before me. Right here? Yes. I just want to take the one to my right. Oh, here? That one. And I just want to take a nice, wonderful slash at it. Do it. All right. There's one of your least favorite things.
Starting point is 03:46:39 Yeah, man. I'll hold a T2. Yes. That is a Witch's Witch. Oh, I'm trying to remember which is which. Oh yes, that's right. It's a 21. Yeah, I know. Is that right?
Starting point is 03:46:56 Or which one did you have as hope? Technically, this one is hope, but I fucked up the run, so, but it's okay. Yeah. So 21 with? Yeah, I rolled the wrong turn die. With hope. 21 with hope, but it's okay. Yeah. So 21 with? Yeah, I rolled the wrong turn die. With hope. 21 with hope.
Starting point is 03:47:08 Okay, so take the hope. That is a hit, so go ahead and roll a d6. I should start using these, because it's more easy. All right, and let's... That's my own damn fault. Wait, did you do the fire yet? Where's the d8s? I did.
Starting point is 03:47:23 So did it stay up when you died? Well, he didn't die. He didn't die. Behind. D8, D8. Yeah, and that's the instance with that, is you stay on your feet. You basically, before you fully go under, you like. Jeez, that's such a gamble.
Starting point is 03:47:35 It is. That's a gamble. It's a high reward, but high risk. Yes, yes. And that's a... Oh, that went over to the toast. Seven, eight, nine, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
Starting point is 03:47:51 Just 20. Okay, would you roll on the d6? Oh, I didn't roll the d6 yet. That's a five. Five, that would be it. So that will be the final hit point. You strike the crystal, and it cracks a little bit, and you feel something twitch within, trying to recoil.
Starting point is 03:48:09 In that moment, you push with all your might, and you divide the crystal as it cracks in the center. The abscess itself, bleeding out black ichor, as you jam your blade into it, you feel it shudder, and then begin to liquefy and pour out the sides of the broken crystal. The abscess destroys you. Yes! I have nothing really to say.
Starting point is 03:48:30 This is just disgusting. This is just disgusting. You're disgusting. The hydra begins to screech and roil. You watch as its glowing, mutated form, the corners of its body begin to turn that kind of ash and gray color. It can no longer regenerate.
Starting point is 03:48:49 Oh, great. And it is vulnerable. Ooh! Yeah, yeah. I turn around to Zarlo, and I say, hey, give me a boost, and I want to do a combo attack with Zarlo. Go for it. Going up? Going up. Give me a boost! And I want to do a combo attack with Zarlo.
Starting point is 03:49:06 Go for it. Going up. Going up! So I imagine, you know, like a cheerleader basket toss? Oh, sure. You take me and you launch me into the air. I'm going to send you like a javelin. Oh, all right! Come here, lass!
Starting point is 03:49:20 And I take my fans, and I have both my fans, I'm going to put them together so it's like this 180 flying blade, and I'm just going to and nosedive into it. Hell yeah. Just a pizza slicer with bunny ears. Yep. Awesome.
Starting point is 03:49:37 All right, both of you guys go ahead and roll. You have advantage on the rolls, so you should add a d6 to it. Right, right, right. Because it is vulnerable. 24 with fear for me. Okay, it. Right, right, right. Is it a Disbonerable? 24 with fear for me. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. There we go.
Starting point is 03:49:50 Ooh, well, that one's cocked. Okay. Okay. That is going to be 18 with hope. Which do you prefer, 18 with hope? Or 24 with fear? 24 with fear. I don't remember what we needed to make. I don't remember what it was.
Starting point is 03:50:08 I feel like it's over 20. I do, too, so let's take the 24 with fear. Let's do 24 with fear. Okay, 24 with fear. That gives me a fear, which I'll take. And we add up our damage. And that's a success. Because it is a success for you, I get another fear. All right. I'm sorry I fucked up.
Starting point is 03:50:21 But it's okay, we already made the call. Yep. I forgot to add my abilities. Yeah, you got to remember that. But nevertheless, we already chose. Go ahead and roll your damage and add them together. I rolled three 10s. Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo! On my five 10s. Yes, dude.
Starting point is 03:50:35 Okay, you're going to do the eight here. 36 total. I rolled real bad. 10 total. 10 total. 10 total. 46, all told. 46. How do you want to do this?
Starting point is 03:50:48 Oh! Yeah! Well, all I'm doing is sending you on your way. Yes, yes, yes. You tell me how it gets fucked up. Fuck it up to the tempo, girl! The two heads that are still functional turn back to try and snap at you with the air.
Starting point is 03:51:03 What do you do? So yeah, I have my two fans. And you know that moment with Trinity in the Matrix where she's flying through the window and she turns? And she turns? Yes! It's like that.
Starting point is 03:51:17 Fuck yes. And they're like, corn screws. Yeah, makes no sense. Like, wait, what? Why did you do that? It didn't then and it does it now. No. And the blade's like a really wide drool. Yes, yes, it just goes like through it.
Starting point is 03:51:32 With the Seep Abscess destroyed, the actual form of the hydra is quite unstable, and as you impact, it seems to bend and rip, and you tear through, and you feel many things moving around you as you pull and emerge the other side, landing, catching yourself, blade out. Yes.
Starting point is 03:51:49 What little bit of blood there is, you scatter off, immaculate, untouched by the gore within. Gorgeous. As the body collapses onto the ground, as it does, you watch the body tear apart, and hundreds of dust skinks emerge from the inside and just scatter. Oh!
Starting point is 03:52:04 Frightened? You've got to be in this. Frightened? They were cute. They're not cute anymore. No, no, no, I don't like it. I don't like it. You freed them. Yeah.
Starting point is 03:52:11 Do you hear a little old, like, beep, beep? It's like, oogie boogie. A little bit, yeah. Whoa! Mom? Whoa, whoa. Mama. I'm the boogie man.
Starting point is 03:52:22 As you take a moment to breathe, you can already see the faintest bit of red glow beginning to gently return to some of the nearby crystals as the localized source of Seep has been destroyed. The scattered blue glow of the various Duskings vanishing into the darkness of the caverns. But it looks like, for now,
Starting point is 03:52:47 this particular source, the second source of recently set up in Seep has been annihilated. The Kroatona family is going to be so pissed. We're going to have to probably lay low for a while. This night had everything. Amphibian mafia. It had a fantastical magical burlesque. It had spy shit.
Starting point is 03:53:16 We seduced some poor chump and threw him in a shed. And then this. Which, by the way, as you guys emerge from the cave, like talking about this, the door, he's like, I don't know how I locked myself in there. Oh. Who are you? I'm so sorry, can I help you?
Starting point is 03:53:32 Just in his briefs, ready for action. Oh yeah, no, he's, he's, he's, he's. Nakers. Naked. Yeah. Have a good night! Hello? Yeah, because we're. Where's the ghouls?
Starting point is 03:53:43 Oh. They were waiting for you. Yeah, they got tired. As long as they could. They left. They couldn't get back in. It was six. It was locked. Oh shit. But instead,
Starting point is 03:53:53 I found these friends. Hello. And we took care of your seat problem. You were sleeping. We had a wild time. We killed a big thing. That's fine, whatever. Like, oh. We missed it. We have wild toy. That's fine, whatever. Like, oh. We missed it.
Starting point is 03:54:08 It's the worst. My cell phone died. Oh. Oh man. All right, well, have a good night. And he walks in and closes the door behind him. Not even realizing that he doesn't know who you are. Doesn't know how he got in here.
Starting point is 03:54:27 Come on over, my friends are coming over. Where are you? Okay, we're going to sleep. Shit. Nobody. No! Nobody go in that shed. Last thing you hear is, you're never going to believe me.
Starting point is 03:54:40 Yeah. As the door closes. But here, as you recover from a harrowing experience in the near demise of your friend Kexin, this source of sleep destroyed, this strange, mysterious baron still exists out there, the one who masterminded these various seeds of corruption throughout the world.
Starting point is 03:55:04 And the one note you have is you seem to hail from a location not far from here. Notice the Champion's Crown, a city of great commerce and great competitive battle for glory. So maybe we'll do that another story. Oh! We'll end that here tonight for this third,
Starting point is 03:55:26 this menage a trois. Menage a trois. For the menagerie. As part of this Daggerheart open beta. Thank you so much for hanging with us. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Great job, man. That was chaos.
Starting point is 03:55:37 Yay! That was so much fun. That was so much fun. I never thought this would happen to me. Yeah. And I was right. Can we all do a last roll to do a gamble? Yeah, I'm into it.
Starting point is 03:55:50 To see if we would live or die? To see if we would live or die? Live or die. Death roll. Death roll. Who would live to tell your story? I lived, three to three. I lived, baby!
Starting point is 03:55:57 I would die. I'm alive! It would have been great knowing y'all. Oh, I would live. These rolls, these dice, three to three. That was cool, though. Two dead. I died. Four to three. Dead, which would have. These rolls, these dice, three, three alive, two dead. I like four to two. Dead, which would have been real awkward.
Starting point is 03:56:08 Ooh! Oh my goodness. Well, who knows? Maybe we'll have a chance to continue the story in the future or try other characters and other things. We got some fun. We have so much cool shit with Daggerheart. And to that point, thank you all so much for watching.
Starting point is 03:56:30 If you haven't had a chance to dig into this game, you can download all the materials of the open beta right now at daggerheart.com. And if you have already and continue to do so, thank you so much for helping us make this game better and better. Sincerely, all of your feedback and submissions to the surveys, both as players and GMs,
Starting point is 03:56:48 have been astronomically important and have helped make this just that much colder with each step. We're zeroing in on getting this to its final form in the months to come. So if you haven't had a chance to test it out yet and you want to get us your feedback, now's the time to do it.
Starting point is 03:57:08 So please do. But thank you all so very, very much. We'll see some of you live at the Greek this Saturday. Or Bells Hells Chaos. It's a win. But nevertheless, we love you very much. And is it Thursday yet? Good night.
Starting point is 03:57:29 Thank you for listening to Critical Role. If you've enjoyed the adventure, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast. Your insight can really help support the show by bringing new critters into the fold. Until next time, dear critters, adventure awaits!

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