Critical Role - Oaths & Ash | Critical Role Indianapolis Live Show 2025 Part 1

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

Part 1 Dangerous forces gather as members of Bells Hells deal with their dark bargains and deadly debts mounting to be collected.Featuring the founding cast of Critical Role, Robbie Daymond, and Game Master Matthew Mercer; this show is our very first one-shot set in the world of Exandria and powered by Darrington Press’s roleplaying game: Daggerheart. DAGGERHEARTDaggerheart is OUT NOW! Visit https://daggerheart.com to learn more. Purchase your copy at friendly local game stores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores, or Critical Role shops:US: https://shop.critrole.comUK: https://shop.critrole.co.ukEU: https://shop.critrole.euAU: https://shop.critrole.com.auCA: https://canada.critrole.com BEACONWe’re excited to bring you even MORE with a Beacon membership! Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to the shows you love completely ad-free! You’ll receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord. Critical Role's 10-Year Anniversary Indianapolis Live Show took place on August 2nd, 2025 at the Fishers Event Center. Art by Linda Lithén || @LindaLithen  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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. This is Ashley Johnson. And Talison Jaffe.

And we're popping in here to talk about our new podcast on Beacon, Weird Kids. In this series, we're diving into our lives as former child actors, from unraveling our eccentric upbring to embracing all the delightfully odd interests we still have today. We're covering so much.

topics like antique toys, taxidermy, Japanese pop culture, and honestly, anything else we come up with. Weird Kids is available exclusively on Beacon. But good news, we're offering a one-month free trial on Beacon.tv so you can take a look before you become a member. Just use the code weirdos at beacon.tv to start the trial. You can also find fellow weirdos by following the series on our At the Weird Kids Pod Instagram and using the hashtag weird kids so to all the misfits outcasts and weirdos out there come take a seat at our table and celebrate all things unconventional nostalgic and wonderfully weird welcome to weird kids new episodes release every Tuesday hey there it's Liam O'Brien welcome to the critical role

podcast network we're stoked you're here and thanks for making our stories part of your day you're listening to part one of this episode right now and part two will arrive this upcoming Tuesday. If you'd rather listen to the full episode right now and without any ads, consider becoming a Beacon member. You'll receive access to exclusive content, discounts at all our online critical role shops,

exclusive pre-sales for live events, and much more. Start your seven-day free trial today at Beacon.tv. Well, that should cover it. Now let's dive into the adventure. Thank you. Ten years ago, eight people sat around a table to tell a story. A story that grew into a remarkable, life-changing thing. And that thing grew into another thing, but bigger and faster.

And that thing evolved into several other groundbreaking things, things that those eight people never could have imagined in their wildest, most synergistic dreams. I am one of those people. Hi, my name is Matthew Mercer. And I want to speak to you about our new tabletop RPG, Daggerhart. We are so deeply pleased with its reception and success, and we can't wait. to share all the magical things we have in store for you. From our Romanticy campaign frame,

the Homebrew Kit, our class pack Kickstarter, our upcoming partnerships with people like HeroForge, Legends of Aventrists, Dungeons and Daddies. And that's not all. Oh, oh, you're too kind. You're too kind. Interstage. Hello, I am Travis Willingham, CEO of Critical Role.

And one of these things that I want to speak to you about is Beacon, our glorious membership service. None of this could have been possible. could have been possible without the love of our glorious beacon bits, our seamless weird kids, our cool midsties, all our stellar friends at Stinky Dragon, all of you are Travis, Travis, we talked about this, this is supposed to be my thing. What the hell are you dressed as? Matthew, I'm the CEO.

That means I get to wear the white kicks in the turtle neck at the keynote. Well, I'm the chief creative officer, so I get to... Listen, Matthew, or should I call you Mark? Let's not turn this into a turtleneck measurement comparison thing, okay? We are just getting started. Yes, you see, in just a few brain-meltingly amazing months, we will be at Radio City Music Hall in New York City for Ford In Jester's Wedding. And in 2026, we have a tour.

totally bricked up slate of live shows. Coming to you all, starting with Atlanta in May. Berlin in Edinburgh in July. London in October. And finishing it out with Fort Worth in December. So please join us for a totally poor cleansing paradigm pulverizing, and pulverizing powerhouse of performances. But, Travis, her superlatives are better than ours.

I know, and she has like three turtlenecks. Yeah. That's correct. That is because, according to business science, I, Marisha Ray, the creative director of Critical Role, and the true alpha of this keynote address. But as the creative director.

And game director for Derrington Press. We are thrilled, thrilled, I tell you, about all of the announcements made this week. And we can't wait to share with you all what we have cooking up. But we were wondering if I'm sure that I'm sure that you're all wondering too. I'm sure you're all wondering, too. If we could ask Matthew about campaign four. So, hey Matthew, can you tell us about campaign four? You know, I'd love to crammy.

But how about instead I show you? Thank you. Now, now, I don't want you all to worry. Now, I don't want you all to worry. While I'm not GMing the next campaign, I will be a player in it. Forever DM no more! I will be playing alongside my favorite familiar faces and a number of newer ones that I cannot wait to reveal to you in the very near future.

It's exciting. Soon enough, trust me, it's sooner than you think. Okay, okay, okay, wait, wait, wait, so just to be clear, you're not GMing. No. Okay, wait, Chris and Jeremy, are you DMing? No. My stars, no. So if you're not DMing and you're not DMing, who's GMing?

Well, they actually happen to be in the building. You want me to bring them out? Well, Critters, let's bring to the stage the GM for campaign for Brennan Lee Mulligan. Thank you. 10 years. 10 years ago, I was a 10 years ago, I was a struggling improviser riddled with medical debt from my fucked up teeth.

But I was aware of this thing called Critical Role. I watched it. I loved it. The game, stories shared by these amazing friends. And I was lucky enough to meet working backstage on a little show called Um Actually. Meet Matt Mercer and I will never forget as long as I live. the kindness and the friendship that happened to form in that moment and has continued ever since. It is a privilege, an honor, and a gift. And if you guys are ready for your next epic adventure, make some noise!

So that's exciting. So that's exciting. We're so happy for all the things we have in store for you for the next 10 years to come. But please, enjoy the rest of your evening here amongst friends and family. And let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role. One by one we climb until we reach the top, two by two we fall. Will we meet our land or meet our destiny? Hold your breath and roll.

It's Thursday night. All ye critters come join us. It's time to continue our flight. There is magic and mystery who knows what will happen. what will happen he might but one thing's for sure we never give up on the fight from the healer to the renegade we all share the same goal adding more allies taking more chances hold your breath and roll it's there's day night All ye critters come join us, it's time to continue our life.

There is magic and mystery from darkness. Our friendship will rise. But one thing's for sure we never give up on the fight. Oh, get ready, it's Thursday night. Thank you. We love you too. Yes, the feeling is mutual. Especially you folks in the first row, you'll all get wet.

We're out here just to give us. We're out here just to give a couple announcements before we roll out the cast and get this show started. How does that sound? All right. Hell yeah. So first of all, please, please, please, please, please silence your cell phones. Second, no flash photography. Third, please do not post spoilers on the internet.

And finally, no call-outs because none of you know Daggerheart as well as Matthew Mercer. All right. Shall we bring them out? Are we good? Thumbs up? Yes. All right.

All right. Welcome to the stage, Ashley Johnson. Laura Bailey Thank you. William O'Brien. Talison Jaffe Sam Rieffey Robbie Damon!

Travis Willingham! Travis Willingham! Marisha Ray! And Matthew Merceray! And Matthew Mercerer! Break all so much. Thank you both. Oh, shit.

All right, friends. Well, first things first, give a little housekeeping here done, since this is Dagger Heart. I have eight players. That means I start the game with eight fear. Oh, wow. Hey, I didn't make up the rules.

Oh, wait, I kind of helped do that. So, I have a little housekeeping, too, in Daggerheart as a halfling, every session, every one in the first. the party gains a hope. Oh! Because Orem, best boy. La-de-da.

Weep. Weep. All right, then. Oh, my goodness. Where we last left off, having traveled to the island of Evaterina within the shattered teeth, in pursuit of the still-at-large mastermind

and villain Ludinus Deleth, bells, hells, and the might The mighty nine found themselves split between the physical world and a spiritual layer between realms. Their crews scattered, seeking answers. Divided as they may be, they found an ally in the mysterious Ethel Rivergold, a being who straddled both layers of reality,

with one crew climbing to the peak of the time-locked and sundered mountain and the other delving within its spiritual depths. Bell's Hells and the Mighty Nine discovered a nightmarish entity that was corrupting and spreading chaos from both realms. Upon the entity's destruction, the two separated Ethel Rivergolds became one and returned to their true form as the very spirit of the island. Both teams now restored and walking the physical realm once more. They now stand at the mountain peak staring up

into the dense clouds of the shattered teeth above, hoping to follow their lead towards Luddnesses hideaway, floating somewhere in the sky, just out of reach. So, Bell's Hells and Mighty Nine, what would you like to do? What? Do we need to take a long rest or something? I don't know, are we at that point?

I figure you've taken a rest at this point. We should get back to our ship. I mean, do you think the ships are still Combinder, you think there's two ships. I think there's probably one ship, but, I mean, we could... There's still a castle up there, right? Wait, there's clouds above. You know, at least from the scrawing that was done earlier that exists somewhere above the mountain, but...

I can fly up. Alone? Well, at least get a glance. I could also fly. That's fine. I'm going to care with that. All right. Yeah, that's totally cool. Yeah, that's totally cool.

I mean, we could all just start flying. I mean, it's... No, we need you. All right. Maybe you should do it. Oh, boy. So do any of you have the means of flying a group? Oh, right.

I do. I do have the means to fly. I'm gonna, oh shit. Wait. I am gonna make a spellcast roll to see if I can fly. All right. Oh my gosh.

First roll the night. Let's go. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Okay. Okay. Oh wait, that was a 20. I rolled a 20, my bad. Old habits.

Old habits. Oh, ha ha ha ha ha ha. Okay, so the total, ooh, that's so good. What you got? 26 total. With hope. Take that hope. Nice.

That is a fine success. As everyone sits still kind of recovering from the recent forays with these massive boss-like entities, the two sides of it, you watch his image and crackling with energy, rockets off into the clouds above, kind of vanishing into the gray. Imogen, as you cruise upward, the winds trying to batter you with the very field of your psychic energy buttresses them from your body, and you continue to push upward, upward, upward.

You hear like the breaking of a sound barrier, as she emerges from the darkened clouds up into a full, just freshly sunset sky. The blues and purples just beginning to vanish. and cascade beyond the horizon. You can see the rest of the cloud bank that seems to surround you at all angles to the infinite horizon.

And the shadow of two distant sky whales just barely cresting and breaching before, vanishing below. And maybe 200 feet above you, you see a rocky landmass just hovering there, locked in place through some unseen magic, and the outline of it looks like a small structure. Well, I really don't want to face him alone.

I'm going to fly back down because I think that's confirmation. Fair. All right, I'm going to go back down to the group. I don't want to die immediately. All right, his image in returns. I'm not going to land, though, because I want to keep my sight. Respect.

Okay. What'd you see? Way up, a rock with what looked like a small structure, a house maybe, sitting on it. It's so far in the sky. I heard skywills. Did you see Skywills? I did see. I saw a couple skywills.

Those things were terrifying. Yeah, they do. They're great. Okay. What kind of house was it? Was it white picket fence, sort of ranch style? Well, here's the thing. Start her home, fix it up, or what do we talk about?

How come you didn't see what exactly it was? Look, I just... I cast Zillow. Thank you. I didn't want to risk it, you know? It's still lewdness. Well, it seems like a likely place to start the next part of our journey here. But how is everyone feeling?

We just went through the ringer a bit the last few hours. I feel great. Just so invigorated. Yeah, feel great. Awesome. Ready to go. The adrenaline is running through my veins. To be honest, I feel also great, but

everything about me seems slightly different today. I don't know why, but like all of my I don't know, stats are just slightly... Yeah, like a little change. Yeah, but in a good way. Yeah, great. I think it's this place. I mean, the Shattered Teeth is

so weird. Yeah. I feel a little funny to you. Why not? Well, Bell's hell is. as you are sort of the Junior League at this point. Maybe you should wait here, and Mighty Nine will forge ahead. I think that's a good idea.

I mean, if you want to play it safe, you know, I don't want all of you to pass away. Who are you calling Junior? Yeah, I, what? I mean, you all literally just said you feel funny. I wasn't talking about you, Mr. Pockerbie. Never you, Mr. Pocker. That's right, baby.

I actually don't think he's wrong. I think we are the Junior League. Sorry. I mean, they're just amazing. Especially that, yesh, my God. Do you think you were spotted? Did you see any activity when you were up there? Listen, I can go back up.

I still have my flat actor. It hasn't worn. worn off or anything. No, let's just go. We know we're going up there anyway. We can use the clouds. It's a hell of it of a surprise. Ooh.

There were Skywales. Oh. Just something to be aware of. But how are we all going to get up there? I was wondering that myself. Are Skywales aggressive? You know what you've heard, at least. In a little bit of research you've done about the Shattered Teeth,

People don't take sky ships there because sky wells tend to destroy them. Oh. But you haven't heard any dangers of individuals or, you know, the smaller figures of the sky. I don't think... We should not ride a sky whale. I feel like I could tame a sky whale. I don't think you can tame a sky whale. Now I kind of want to ride a sky whale.

We're not riding sky whale. I was against it, so just now. Wait, is Ethel still here? Ethel's returned as the spirit of the island and is now a... a spectral elemental guardian, the very, very heart of the nature of this place. I'm going to kneel down and talk to the ground. Ethel, can you and all of your majesty? Bring a sky whale down and make friends with it because we need to get up to the sky.

Ethel, we helped you become whole. A spectral voice. A spectral voice finds your spirit, your mind, and your ears. Hello there. I appreciate what you've done for me, but, you know, just getting all the rest of these other Goliaths back out of their stone forms. And it's taken a bit of concentration. So if you don't mind, if you want to go ahead and get yourself one of them whales,

leave that to you. Well, look, we've got a lot of people who can fly. Maybe we just do a few runs. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Maybe you have any, like, means of mass transportation or... Oh, wait a minute. Wait just a minute.

Okay, wait. How far is this home? It's up to the clouds, probably close to just beyond a thousand feet or so. Like, would that be considered far range? That would be considered quite very far and only if you can even see it. Okay. I could get us about 500 feet of the way there.

I have the ability to make a gate that we could all walk through and get up to the side of the mountain and then go no fucking further. Oh, yeah. That feels good. All right, I could fly us up there. I could fly some people up there too. I'll take a ride.

I also could probably teleport half of us there, but I've never been, I've never seen it, so there's a chance we could go flying into the ocean as well. Oh, oh, I got an idea. Yes. I'll fly up. Grab something from there. Will that help you with a teleporting?

Yeah, that would help immeasurably. I'm still limited on how many people I can take it at time. I also do not have that character sheet in front of me at the moment. No, no, no. I lost that page of my spellbook. I've misplaced it. We can say, for the sake of brevity, between the various abilities you all have at your disposal,

that over the next... I don't know what you're talking about. Wait, wait. I can go three to four hours. I can totally work this out. I can definitely do it. Great. Let's go.

All right, one by one. I don't want to land on the dark side of the rock. Right. You know. Yeah, one by one we fly until we reach the top. That's how the song goes. That's stupid. I'm really, really, really strong.

I'm really strong. That's great. be no problem at all. I'll say, the those that are most dense of you, that might be a little challenging to get to the top of the floating island would likely be, not you for it, you're pretty light. Oh. Oh.

Oh. You need me to it. I'd say probably Brayas and Ashton. and Ashton. And Yasha. And maybe Yasha. All right. So I'm going to need three agility roles from you, Laura. All right. All right. Here's the thing. I feel like in my best experience of girl fail, I know the things that I'm going to suck at. So I think this is going to be something I'm going to suck at. Can I use my experience on that? I'll allow it. Yeah. You legitimately, you opened this with the fact that you're not strong. So definitely.

All right, cool, cool, cool, cool. So you could spend a hope. All right. I would start with me. All right, I'm starting with Ashton. Yeah. All right, everybody else is already up there. Don't worry about it.

All right, now I'm rolling. Okay. And I'm adding plus two, plus four. So it's a challenging flight for most folk. Oh, no. That's 12, 14, 18. Okay, needed a 15. Oh, great.

With fear, though. I'll say, huh? So the clouds themselves, while you can travel yourself and with a smaller individual, the heavy winds of kind of the storm-like movement of it still buffets you around. You have less of an issue breaking through the clouds with others, but with the heavy or more dense figures, it is a challenge. It's being tossed through elements of like a small tornado as you push through and you barely make it through the top with Ashton and you begin to gather your troop on the outer edge

kind of just below the actual lip of this island. You could roll again for me. You're made of just straight up rock. I'm going to give you my hammer, and if anyone starts to fall, they just have to press the button and spend a hope, and they'll be fine, as long as they hold on to it.

All right. I'll take this back down. It's pretty heavy and lopsided. You kind of like, muh. All right. Faster. Yep. Can you roll for Yasha, please.

Yasha. No problem. Okay, okay. Okay. That's really good. That's like at least 19 with hope. I just let her carry me like a baby. All right. I can do that. Yeah. Yeah. I could fly, but I don't want to. Sometimes it's just nice to be held. Can you read my mind? Oh, you can. Or you can. And as the final portion of this, let's go ahead and get Brayas and all of his majesty.

Yeah. Big boy. Grab me. Hold me tight. I'm just going to hold his horns and lift. Oh, God. Those are barely attached. This is great.

I rolled that's 16, 17, 17, 18, plus 4.22 with hope. Wow. Beautiful. Beautiful. Farming that hope out front. You'll need it. Uh-oh. I have a question.

Would those have counted as actions? Those last three heavy-duty ones? Okay. So you use three of your flight tokens. Yes. All right. So with that, your entire two troops have now come to land on this floating island here as the evening begins to take the sky.

You see a quaint cottage. It kind of definitely sits out of place up here, this high up in the sky, but it's a beautiful elven make. The architecture seems seamless, like it was crafted out of will than actual carving and construction. much to your chagrin, Chattney. No. But the door is open,

and there's a little bit of a flickering light source from within. How far back are we? Oh, you're probably about 70, 80 feet coming up over the lip to where the front of it is. There's a little garden that kind of sits around the outside. It's a beautiful little cottage in the middle of nowhere. Orm's going to look and listen for signs of life. Is an ostentation.

Am I getting any signs of life in this place, hearing? seeing anything? Go ahead and roll an instinct role for me. Instinct, right. And I'm going to use my Sentinel Shield's ability to add a D8 to that. And I'm going to spend a hope to use my experience eyes and ears to make sure that my perception stays swole.

You got it, let's go. So there's the roll. So it's with fear, 11, 15 plus. I'm at a total of 19 with fear because I am called the brave warrior. I gain hope anyway while you gain a fear. That's true. What? Awesome.

So glancing through, taking a moment to clarify, even in the low light, the flickering of fire and candle from within, a shape steps into the doorway. And indeed, you see what looks to be a slender figure. shadow just barely backlit by the fire within. And it just stands there, and like a cat that catches the light, its eyes just kind of flash in your direction,

and you know that it tracks you as well. I need you to take a stress, please. Oh. Hey, Widow gas, you got all of your Zemnian shit ready? Why, what do you see? Death. Death. Oh no.

What do you see? Should we like just go in? Should we just go in like guns blazing? Just like... Going in guns blazing? Do we have any guns? Do but do you... That's me flexing my pecks,

but I don't know how to do it, so I just am like this. Yeah, two of us will go in, no fucking problem. Do you think you guys were here? Probably. Yeah. You better assume. Okay, then we should all go. We shouldn't separate, we should all of us go in together.

Same time. I'm gonna go ahead in- Just charge. Do my patron's mantle and Marcus Rest to transform into my terrifying visage. Could you please describe what that transformation looks like, Lott? Yes, so you see, once again, this like, from the top of her head, you see it slowly, fade, almost like mist draping down at the top of a mountain. But in this instance, it is black

like a morning veil. And as it wipes past her face, her eyes go hollow. Her lips pull back against her mouth, and she becomes this undead sorceress supreme. Yes. Yes. That's me. By the might of Cedaract. Very well. Who is to enter this chamber? I'm going to run in and I'm going to scream. Fern Callaway! I'm kidding.

We watch this terrifying scene as Fern charges into the room into immediate bloodshed before it comes back to her, imagining this in her head and smiling. Paul Leroy Jenkins. I mean, I can go. I'm going too. It was good. Let's do this.

Ready? Are you really nice to people? Fuck, no. I'll be back, cop. You'll be a good cop. Okay, okay, okay, okay. We've got the numbers. We should just rush him.

All right, do it! One, two. Any second thoughts? Three! You all go charging towards this cottage. Open door, about wide enough to fit two people at a time. As you all come charging... Double file through the front door.

If you just went to the side, I can get through. He's way too big. Screaming into the fray, you all see standing in the middle. Ludinus de left holding a cup of tea. His blue and gold robes draped around him, his long platinum hair pressed back into the lower area where his hip hits his spine, and he just smiles as you enter. What do you do?

Yeah, bitch. Wait till we all get in. in here, you're dead. Hello. Hi, Luddiness. We found your house. Super cute up here. Lutinus smiles back. Welcome, friends.

It's very good to see. I am extremely grateful that you've helped usher in this new age. Those homes in particular. While not as complete or permanent as I may have wanted, a step towards irrevocable change and fate has been placed in the hand of mortals as a promise of a better tomorrow. You see, luminous while standing here

looks visibly different, a bit older even. His stature's a bit hunched. His skin, elephant, but showing wear and age. There is a tiredness to his physicality that doesn't match the bravado and unearned vigor that you've encountered in the past. Can I tell if he is illusory? Go ahead and make a, I'll say either a knowledge or an instinct role for me. I'll do instinct, and can I add... Maybe, let's see, what experience are going on to those.

Devilish instincts? Yeah, sure. Spend that help. Okay. You are a being that is attuned to all sorts of deceptive magic, and that bit of a mark on your spirit by Asmodius means that you have a pretty keen eye for that sort of magical deception. A nine with fear.

Cool. You throw up a little. Just a little, like you kind of choke a back. a little bit. It tastes like orange juice. You're like, I can't really see because I'm still stuck in the door. Yeah. But a chill washes over you because having seen this individual before, if you're not ready,

they could likely crush any number of you. Probably fall in the process, but what do you wish to do? Orum steps out from underneath Brace's legs and says, I don't buy it, and seedling extends out and I'm going to spend a stress to shoot a vine out at Ludeness's ankle to attempt to yank him towards us. Alrighty, go and spend that stress. Pulling seeding out the vines wrap, almost like emerging from your wrists in the outer part of your hand, like it's conjured to the blade, and as it spirals around the blade,

it shoots out to grapple and passes through his ankle. Yeah, uh-huh. Ludeness continues. I thought to accept the end of this turmoil struggle that this victory half measured as it may be, thanks to you, could very well be enough. I accepted my end as I sat here, watching you come to me, take whatever misguided vengeance you sought. But as I lay here with my tea, staring out into the very ether of Exandria, that's

The very ether I have studied and conquered for so long, I could see the lines of magic stir, change, something altogether ancient, yet absolutely newly born. What was begun with the lay binding of Ruedus has now awoken with the catathiosis and with the unraveling of old magic, new possibilities are born.

I could see this, studied weave of Arcana and the divine magics unfurl and be left raw, primordial, seeking shape. We not only freed our people from the tyranny of the gods, we opened the door to endless potential. I now wish to endure to understand and master these new magics and shepherd my new faithful in the wake of this new chapter to manifest what? is deserved. Perhaps we will meet again.

My hope is you will eventually accept the great deeds we have accomplished together and inherit the joy of your ambition. I hold you no ill, Will. In fact, I'm looking out for you. This is why no one wanted you in charge. Absolutely brick. Yeah, don't say all these things and be like,

Oh, thank you so much, and you did me a huge favor. Like, we're a part of your, like, machinations. Ford. Jester. Hi. Wow. Best wishes on your upcoming nuptials. Thank you.

Oh, no. That was coded in a threat. And he's very coded. If you wanted to come or... Oh, my... Jester. Juster. I'm just saying.

I still haven't even gotten an invitation. Oh, that's awkward. Do you want to come? Just another time! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Bell's Hells, I sense your fate stitcher has concerns to discuss with you. Best hurry to her. I have smelled souring oaths upon the wind as you approached.

Best reach out to your wind prince and see what she needs soon. Lutinus smiles And what a prick Your house is stupid Did he actually look older? He looked a bit older, yeah? How did he age so fast? Oh my God

Faye Wild You think he was there? I mean that's what makes sense He said Nana Mori, right? Yeah, he said there was like a sour smell or something, but maybe she just She kind of stinks. Something about oaths.

Something about oaths, souring. Oaths. Okay. Do any of you have Oaths? A chill runs down the back of your spine, Chedneypacopoepe. Ah! Sweet life.

I don't think any of you all made oaths with my Nana, right? I made something with her. Oh. What? What's her? You made some oats. I thought better of her.

Fern, I feel like you've made, like, at least half a dozen oaths. Yeah, it's kind of your thing. Practically, I think. Oh, that kind of is true, actually. But, I mean, whatever. Wait, he also said to check on Dorian. Do you think something's wrong with Dorian, too? Are we in trouble?

I don't know. It feels that felt like getting scolded. We should go there. Where? Animori or Dorian? Where's Dorian? Jester, do you think you could reach out blue to blue? I can certainly try.

Wow. Oh, boy. Hmm. I wonder if I have that ability. I didn't pick any cards for Jester. We can assume Jester can cast endings still because it is the very core of her personality. Right. You are a texter.

Yeah, I, yeah. Sorry. Okay, yeah, I'm going to send a message to Dorian. Hey, it's Jester. We were talking to lewdness, and he said you might be in trouble. I know, totally weird. But is anybody... Are you okay or in danger?

Nice. You did that real good. Don't come from my counting, she talked really fast. Dorian Storm, where do you find yourself at this moment? Oh, oh. Oh! What? Arms right here!

Close, close, you hear this, you hear this scream. You hear this sound, and you hear, ah, no, no, no, it's B flat, B flat, into the arpeggio, and then you're going to... That was the message back, you... I was focused on my art. He sounded like he was not in trouble, just preoccupied. You want me to try again? Yeah, Dorian!

Listen, I'm not a student. I'm Jester. We were with Luteness, and he said you were in trouble or something. I don't know, he might have said Nana Mory was in trouble. That's it! I don't know. It's Daggerheart, she gets an extra... Oh, yeah.

Right back, you're here. Oh, God, no, I'm all right. No, I'm all right. I'm just in rehearsal. We're doing a show soon. Swing by the Laughing Lamia. Oh, but they're doing a show at the Laughing Lamia. We should all go. That sounds fun.

Yeah. Uh, I, I have things to, to do. Not, not to say that sounds terrible. You don't go out of my show, it's a two-drink man, where we can get in for free. What could you possibly be busy with Caduceus? I, I, I have. gardening to do, uh, to wash my hair.

There's so much to you. What was that to you? Someone should find out what he was drinking. That could be important. Please don't let me go. Regardless, I think, I mean, either Ludeness was set in a trap or he was, I mean, of course he was set in the trap. But that still means that Dorian is in trouble, even if he doesn't know it yet.

What do you think? Are you okay if we stop and get Dorian before we go to the Fave? You just see Fern just, like, looking at things around the house and trying to take shit. Thanks. Are ships in working order down below? I can't. It's been a minute. Yeah, your ship was in order, yeah. Does Caleb have teleportation, though? He would.

Jester has sending. Yeah. But it's not the whole group I could take some of us to check in on him. Maybe I could send him to you. Oh, well, he's gonna miss curtain call, though. Right? If we do that? Maybe we go get Dorian and... And then you can get us to Nana Mori's.

Yeah. Yeah. Caleb, can you get us to the Laughan here? Yeah, that is located where again? Uh, jeez. In... It's Eman, buddy. I'm not very familiar with him.

That's true. Caleb would not be here. Oh shit, how will I get us there? I believe I have at this point visited Allura a number of times. Yeah, I think at the time, but you probably passed by Amman at the very least. I have a collection of pebbles from all across Exxandria. It's true you do. Well, who's going, then?

I'm going, personally. Bills Hills, I think should go get Dorian. I think so, too. Well, I don't know. What do you think, Ford? Should we, maybe the rest of Mighty Nine can keep investigating mootiness? Someone's got to take the ship back. Of course, yes.

We're not leaving our ship below. Why don't, uh... Just to throw it out there as an option. Rather than us, I love traveling across continents with you guys. We do it like every day. Like twice. But what if we just go to the Faye realm, you said, to visit Nanimori? Can't she just bring Dorian to you?

That's a possibility as well. All right, we'll pick something. Let's do that. That sounds far more efficient. That becomes someone else's problem. Let's get the Fate Stitcher Magic. That shit is on. Woo! Wait. Okay. All right. You guys, good luck. We'll be in contact.

You're going. Wait. Someone's got to take the dish back. No, no. No. How are we going to get to Nan Mori, though? Can you do it? I mean... Just call her or something. Nana!

I can't. I can't. Well? You do have a magical staff that once belonged to the illusion that just vanished that does have the means of transportation. You know what's so crazy? I have this magical staff. You're holding the staff of Dark Odyssey? No, that's you.

Sorry. I'm not holding it. Chetney's holding it. Oh, yeah. I have it, which makes no fucking sense. I literally asked Laura who had it last night. She said it was you. Yeah.

I have it. No, but didn't you? No, I do. You did. You took it. I didn't put that in my build though. Fuck! I have it and I can take a number of people with me.

Probably eight? That's all of us. That sounds right. Cool. I take out the staff. FIRE it up. All right. Do you have the item card?

I don't fucking know. Oh shit. Oh, shit, it's right here! Hey! Do you have the item card? Oh, look at all these that he put in here for us. Ten years, it's still a well-oiled machine. Yeah, you know.

Amazing. It carries eight charges, teleport, toss six of them. Two left over. That's great. Oh. What? Well, I gain a plus three to my Spellcast roll. Yep, let's do it.

Let's make a Spellcast roll. Let's go to Nana Mori's. All right. Does anyone want to help with this roll? Yeah. Yeah. Yes, may I help by using my favor? My favor.

Well, it's a hope to help an ally. Yeah, I'll spend a hope. Yeah, go for it. So you get to roll a D6 to add that with advantage. I'm sure I won't need it. I need it. I need it. I'm kidding.

I'm going to give advantage because I have a lot of hope. Okay, fair. So as you hold the staff aloft, Imogen comes over and helps channel her psychic energy into your incantation. The staff's ruins begin to glow along the side. The tip of it begins to sparkle with energy, like a faint purple blue. And what did you roll? I rolled 24 plus 3 because I know it well, so 27 with hope. Great, take that hope.

Nice. As it finishes crackling bells, hell, you feel yourself sucked into the center of that crackling bolt of energy, almost like gravity begins to tug your head towards the ground. You feel yourself plummeting forward like you suddenly lost all sense of balance. A vertigo sensation swallows you as you all fall through some spectral tunnel for just a half a second before you all step down trying to catch yourself like you, you know, your leg caught you before you actually stumbled, but now you're no longer on the island. They didn't even say goodbye. This is why they're not invited to the wedding. I thought we were going to get a night at the cabaret. As we come to the dark forests of the pharaoh, here in the familiar swamp-like

expanse that surrounds the tree known as ligament manner. Bells hells you step into the sloshy marsh. and immediately recognize a strange change. There are tents set up through this marsh, like small mobile military encampments. At a quick glance, as you step down, you can see a handful of armored figures just kind of walking through. There's a small fire settled off the side.

It looks like a small, mobile military unit of some kind. Fern, have you ever seen this ever? Never. Would we recognize any of the insignia or any... Or the armor? You recognize the shape of the design of the armor itself. This is an unseely military troop. Like those folks with the faceless doggies?

I don't like those things. No, this is bad. Shit, we should have gotten Dorian. We should have got Dorian first. I knew it. I think it wasn't my idea. It was yours. I'm not here. I'm, I hide. I'd like for you to roll finesse for me to attempt to hide. Okay, that's really good.

Oh, no, it's not. 17 with hope. 17 with hope? All right, take that hope. As you duck into the underbrush nearby, a bit of the muck sloshing over. over you, which briefly kind of covers the bright spots of white that would immediately make you visible to the surrounding muck. You feel fairly hidden, regardless of the stature that you normally hold. What would the rest of you like to do? Do I have any sense? Could I use, like, my arcane sense, where I can sense the presence

of magical people and objects to see if I can sense nanomori? You can, yeah, you can go ahead and try and, like, release your consciousness outward. Ligament Manor is a bit further into the brush, like it's maybe about 300 or so feet into the middle of the swamp ahead. You kind of landed in the outskirts of it to where this encampment is. So as you kind of feel that stretch out further and further, you can sense other magical fay beings. There are dozens, if not hunched out the trees, small little nodes of magical creatures that call this place home. You can sense what looks like slightly ghostly orbs that just kind of float through the air, like little sentinels, little magical objects that search and perhaps reveal those that they don't want sneaking upon their grounds.

But you do get a sense of the ligament manner, and there are a number of entities within. One of them could very well be an animori, a strong source of fay magic. I think Nanamori is in Ligament Manor, but she's not alone. Can we be sneaky and get over there? Can we get past these people? These orbs? Wow. Okay.

It's this tough guys apparently got the... We could try to sneak around them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's do it. That's smart. Very well. Yeah. So this will be a group stealth role. That seems stupid.

We should send one person. That seems real dumb. Oh, have you been asleep? Are you awake now? Listen, I'm fucking old, okay? Really? I couldn't tell you. You look great.

I need a nap every once in a while. I'm going to spend a fear. You begin to hear this strange reverberating bark in the distance. And you begin to hear this strange kind of bane sound, a familiar sense. the odd faceless sentinel dogs that were once guarding the secondary Malius Key. There's somewhere in the wood behind where you are and getting closer.

What are you all doing? We can't stay here. We are moving. We gotta go. Group stealth check this. Backing up into the bush, Orum pulls out his sending stone and says, Babe, I don't know if your show's done soon.

We're with Nautamori. Gonna try to grab you soon, be ready. And sink into the shrubs. I'm Babe, right? Just making sure. This is still my 818 number, right? Deep cut. So who is helming this group action role?

I could do it. I could helm it. It's babe, boy. Yes. Let's go. All right. So, before you roll, Fern, I need everyone else to make a finesse roll. Okay.

Good boy. Can I spend an experience to help with this or no? No, you're all making a reaction roll. So these are not give you fear or hope. These are just your reaction rules. All right, that's a plus one. What you got? What you got?

18, that's a plus two. 14 with hope. It's a minus one. Ashton. 13. Minus one. Yeah, 18 with hope. It's a plus one.

21. That's a plus two. All right, Fern, I need you to make a finesse roll and you get plus two from the group. Okay. And any experiences you want to add to it, you can spend a hope if you'd like to. Yeah, I'll spend a hope.

What are you blind to it? I'm going to apply favor. Okay, so being connected with the Fay realm itself, you almost kind of will the surrounding foliage to bend and shift around you and your troop. Okay. Oh, that's not good. Wait, wait. What was it?

Well, it's okay. It's not terrible. 16 with fear. That's with the plus two? That is with the plus two. And my favorite. Okay. What do you roll?

I rolled an 11 with fear and a one with hope. Okay, but that's 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Oh, sorry, sorry, 17. 18, 19. I forgot my finesse. 19. Okay, that is a success. Great.

Great. Thank you. But that was the fear you said? Yes. Delicious. Ugh. I'm numb, no, no, no. Eat it up.

Carefully, you all begin to trek down into the underbrush, and you watch it kind of spin and curl around you. You feel nettles and vines, almost pull and tug at you. At first setting you off and on edge until you realize they're thickening and covering your passage. The actual swamp itself is seeming to rise above your headline and is keeping you hidden. I'm so short.

Pressing onward, you begin to push through the densest part of the tree line here in the middle of the marsh until eventually you break through and can see the massive tree that is ligament manner. This incredible, thick canopy that rises up 100, 200 feet. You see dozens upon dozens of flickering lantern lights from just beyond the leaves that dangle like this incredible dreamlike weeping willow. And then stationed just outside of the main door, you see four unsealy guards that are set right there. You've made your way to the outside of Ligament Manor,

but you're not sure you could stealth pass to them without getting about in the middle of the open. How far away are they? I'd say they're about 30 feet from you right now. Is that close range? That would be close range, yeah. Okay. Okay.

Did you say they were on our level or above? You're down below in the underbrush. I see they're a little bit above, kind of just standing on the sides of the doorway, the steps that lead up into the ligament manner proper. I am going to try hypnotic shimmer on the four guards. Okay. So I'm going to enter their minds and create like hypnotic state amongst all of them, try to stun them while we run past.

Let's go. All right. So go ahead and make a spellcast roll against them. If I could believe that's for all the targets in that range. Yes. All right. Oh, God. That's a creak, create.

Nice! Hell yeah. So take that hope, clear a stress if you need to. Now, if you wouldn't mind describing what they see through their eyes. It's a brief flash where they feel a tug on their minds and all the soldiers kind of shift their head tension in your direction. Your whole group suddenly feels like that shock of sweat across your shoulders and down your back as you feel like you've been spotted. But what do they see? They think they see 10, 20,

Faye realm bunnies, like weird little creatures, but like move as a herd, stop in front of them, look up, laugh at them, and then keep moving along. The rest of you watch as these four unseely guards, well-armored, well-armed, and looking like they would be the escort to someone of importance. Just look down and start. chuckling to each other and pointing at nothing that's there,

and acting a little drunk oddly, as their heads kind of cock at the side and they are unaware of your presence. The bunnies are just slightly off, and all of them mark a stress, because they all get a stress point. As they laugh turns into a shudder, and you watch as they kind of gather up a little bit,

almost reaching for their weapons, feeling a little offset by what this strange omen might be. The rest of you walk past them, completely unnoticed, and within the manor itself. Sweet. Yes, yes, yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Now, continuing upward, you come to a familiar space here in the manner. There is the kind of central region where the tiki bar is set, all the number of like glowing lanterns that dangle, the bit of music that plays from the crystal, and the off-putting appearance of a stretched face. on a frame that's set against a far wall. But there, in this kind of lounge area that she keeps and hosts,

you see an Annamori sitting with a rather large-looking fruity, teaky cocktail. Her monstrous, hag-like form itself kind of hunched down in a cozy, comfy chair. Her elongated neck with her horse-like white hair draped over its extended space, her black-sunkened eyes with the beady little lights that she keeps for pupils. seems to sit loudly on the straw as her secondary head that lies buried in her torso itself. Goes, I want some. She kind of pulls and gives it the straw too. Sitting across from her, you see a robed figure of beautiful gray skin, a lithe appearance,

a gentle kind of helmed piece, like a circlet that's set on top of it. And what looks to be vestments of some station. They have a shoulder mantle that curls up on the sides. This is a figure of relative importance, it seems, in the Ceeley's hierarchy. I would like Fern, if you don't mind, make a knowledge role for me. Oh, okay. It's Fern's specialty.

It's my specialty. That's cucked. Okay, so we've got Fifteen with hope. Fifteen with hope. Okay. You do not know this figure personally. You can see a bit of like the purple hair that extends from underneath the helmet. But you do gather they are a delegate of the sun's shadow,

which means they represent the voice of the potentate seminar, which is the head of the unsealing. They who walk unseen. This is business of the highest of the unsealing court. And you all can hear them conversing. The potentate opens up. We hold claim by blood in the wake of the sorrow Lord Zathouda's presumed demise to his progeny.

Bound by birth by Moonquil's script to play their part in events unrealized, now freed from such obligations in a false wake of the Red Moon. Fern Zathuda remains bound by life, power, and potential to the unsealy court. The potentate seminar is aware you lay claim to the young Zathuda, fate stitcher, conflicting covenant granted by the late Sorrowlord's concubine. The potentate wishes to assure you that such promises do not supersede the unseal's claim to the rude is born child. Annamori pipes in with another long sip.

on her tiki drink. The court misunderstands. Fern is an asset of particular interest, one I have placed significant investment into. My merit of time given, guidance granted, an essence marked upon her. The agreement I have with her other progenitor holds binding weight by virtue of unfinished,

business. The court may hold a claim, but a claim that cannot be called until this interim agreement has come to a close. The delegate speaks up. And how long do you propose this agreement to last more again? That is privileged information between myself and Thurne's mother, at which point they both stop and turn and notice the arrival of your troop. sort of, start, like, touching the wall, just, like, picking it something. Art seems the being of which we speak has arisen and arrived. Yes, hello. Annamori stands up.

My sweet fern. What's going on? We're having a conversation. You are a conversation. a woman of your own mind and your own choices. And there's a bit of a tangle. We have to untangle, if you will. Okay.

Isn't that right, delicate? Delia. Indeed. And who's the rest of you present, if I might ask? Orum's full three-foot-three steps out in front of Fern and on Hilt. Fern Squad. Oh, but where's your cute little blue boy? Sheen.

Actually, could you help us get him here? Yeah, we actually wanted to see. We were coming to you to see if you could bring him here. Yes, that would be great. She snaps her fingers and, suddenly. Doria. Honestly, that is what it feels like in real life.

Doreen Storm, what do they see as you arrive instantly and unexpectedly? Yeah, what was he saying in that second on the other side? You were late on the downbeat, Jimothy. Huh? You're just having a whiplash moment? Yes. What do I see? You are suddenly standing in the middle of a darkly lit treehouse of dark nightmare proportions.

Sure. Meet like dank dive tiki bar. You've dabbled here at the Ligmat Manor before, and you've kind of taken in, takes a moment for you to realize where you are. But you are next to Bell's Hells, next to Nana Mori, and a bunch of intense-looking, unseely armored figures. Unseely? Yeah.

Right in front of me? Yeah. Power push. Go ahead and make a roll for me. It's a dogcast roll, baby. Oh, that one is, 17 on the dice. It's a 3.20. A 20 with hope or fear.

With hope or fear, fear. That's the bad one, but it's true. That's true. It's okay. Okay, you succeed at this. So, is there damage? There is, unfortunately. Go ahead and roll, baby.

Okay. Good. Four. And they all get pushed to, they get pushed to very far range. All right. So. No, sorry, far range, far range. The two guards that are sitting aside from the delegate

are blown backward. up into the dangling tree and vine of the manor and get wrapped in it, and you watch as they kind of look, they look dazed and near unconscious from the blast. The delegate gets also knocked back, but then catches their hand on the ground and skids across the dirt, kind of three-point landing anime style, like, before standing up on the far, far back of the tree line and pulls their double-ended, bladed staff out and says, What is this business?

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Don't hurt him. You see the other hand is reaching for a horn. Oh, no. What are we doing? Are we fighting? I don't know what's happening. It's not in rehearsal. Vine shoots out.

Seedling. All right, so that's a... Grabbing the horn. All right, so go ahead and market the distrust. It's 15 feet if they don't want to lose it. All right, let's see if we can make the roll on this. That's a natural 17, unfortunately. The vine attempts to wrap around the horn,

but pulls it free and it snaps the middle of the air, pulling the horn up to its lips. No, listen, listen, listen. Can I, just wait a second. Obviously, he was surprised. He doesn't know what's going on. We're not here to make trouble. I need you to make a presence wall.

Okay. Can I add my silver tongue experience? You may, spend that hope, girl. All right. Come on. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay. Oh, wait, no, wait.

Can I burn a hope to help? Can I burn a hope to help? Unfortunately, I have to do that before the roll. Oh, God. Okay. Seven plus five is 12, 13, 14, 15. The figure looks at you. As the horn rings out, you begin to hear the sound of rustling armor in the distance and the rushing of many, many unseely soldiers towards the manor.

Shit, I'm going to use premonition. Oh, so soon. I know. In this moment, the armored soldiers rushing in, weapons drawn, the bloodshed that ensues, the chaos and destruction, sinks away into the middle of Imogen's eye as a vision she had just a moment ago. There we see the delegate reaching back for the horn, and we're brought back to that moment in time. And you have the opportunity now to make a different choice. Just her or everybody?

But that is spent. Oh, God! Okay. Wait, is it just her or everybody has the chance to? It's just you. That's cool. That's so badass. Okay. Okay. In that case, I'm going to try telekinesis.

Okay. Go ahead and make a spell cast roll against the target. Come on. Can I help? You can? How do you help her with this? I would like to use one of my experiences. She's very capable.

All right. Well. To add to this in just add to this and just be like, do something, I love you. Please do something, please, please, stop it, please. That's all good. So as an instance, you use experiences to help your roles, but you can, you spend a hope to help somebody else

and they just get to add a D6. Then I will do that. But we'll flavor it as that experience. I love it. All right, so get to add a D6 to that role. That was a crit! Oh! Yes!

Yes! All right. So what do you, so you're casting it on him or the horn? The horn. The horn is ripped out of the delegate's hand, and it drifts over immediately and floats in the space around. Awesome. Yeah, I'll loosen his grip. The delegate stands there with its blade and its hand and kind of, look, do what you might. I am but one of many. I'm here representing, my lord. I mean, that's practically permission. Can we do what we like?

I, can I look at Nana Mori? Like, I just kind of want to look at her. Actually, can I look at her and then use my voice of dread to speak in her head? Yes, you do you want us to kill these men, or would that be really bad? My dear, that would actually be quite bad. All right. I have an arrangement with the unseely that's been unbroken for, well, years don't really mean much here in the face. around. So let's just, let's try and keep it civil and conversational. There are laws and

contracts to discuss that go a bit stronger than just our words and conflict. Okay, all right, all right. So he just kind of turned to everybody. We should keep it chill, keep it gone. Nana. The deli goes, could you please drop my soldiers? Nana, Mori goes, but of course. She puts her hand up and she watches the tree, vines kind of lower, the whole like canopy shifts until the soldier just kind of get dropped to the ground, and they're just unconscious for the moment.

The vines recoil back up into the tree. Nanomori sits and sips. Now, my third, they have a claim on you from birth, Well, I didn't have any say in this. That's the thing about birthright claims you were a bit young at the time. Cool. But everybody here is about making deals, right? Yes.

We don't want any conflict. We just want our friend. Surely we can work something out. May I ask what? What is, what do you want? The Delika goes. You are birthright and blood property of the Unseley Court. You're an entity in which much magical investment and power and potential has been granted.

And there is a number of visions, omens, oracles of our court have seen of your greatness under our banner. And we wish to claim that potential. Together, there is so much. could do. That's stupid. She's an adult. What are you going to do? Agreed. How are you the second most punchable face I've seen today? This has been going so shit. Then it goes, I know it's difficult, Fern, but it's complicated. Yes, but Nana Morrie, you're like, you're like the queen of deals in doing a little bloop, bloop, bloop on little strings. Like, can't you do something? She kind of leans to and says, Seminars.

a little more powerful than I am. Oh, God. I'm just trying to keep things civil. Or I'm in trouble. So they're just going to take Fern? No, they can't until we resolve... Well, let's see. Fern, come here.

All right. She takes your hand and leads you over. She reaches into a pouch and takes a bit of kind of gravelly silver dust silver dust and kind of scatters it around you, almost like in a haphazard triangle. As it hits the ground, color begins to shift upward, and you all watch as Fern's form seems to almost become colorful, like her aura begins to be given a prismatic look. You can see within her like the dark greens and shadows of the kind of dark fay influence.

from Morrigan. And you can see the tethers of her spirit. Her actual soul seems to have vines that grow and curl, that match that of the ligament manner. But you can also see a portion of her soul and her spiritual aura that has a dark, purple, and black, and seems to bear the unique insignia magic of the unsealy court. You can see the dullest of moonlight behind it and coloration that seems to be. almost reach and drift towards the delegate and its soldiers.

You also see a small fleck of icy blue that marks a shoulder where cold mist seems to filter off of it. I try to blow it off. It kind of curls away slightly. But a good portion of the torso also burns a bright, fiery red where flame and black coals seem to mix with a strange infernal insignia burned into it. And Edomori goes, my goodness, Furn,

you've let a few people take claim on your soul, haven't you? I mean, I'm just, I'm really good at making friends. So, oops. Sponsors on a race car driver. The other like it goes, we lay claim to her in completeness. There is a section of her soul missing. And you look over to where that icy bit is. And indeed, there is a part of her soul that is gone.

It just has a frozen exterior. Hi, Rick. And then Amory goes, Fern, my dear, where did that piece of your soul go? Oh. I think I'm pretty sure that part was like a dread pirate situation. And I think, I think you took a little bit of my soul.

She reaches up and kind of caresses your cheek for a minute and touches the center of your forehead, and both your eyes and hers kind of glow white for a moment. As she pulls her finger away, she goes, Oh, interesting, you're a naughty girl friend. She draws a finger in the air, and it almost seems like turning an invisible doorknob and then plucks. And as she does, you watch as cold mist seems to billow out from her fingertips. And you watch as a hand seems to reach out, grasp hers, skeletal and dark. And she pulls from the very ether itself, what looks to be a dwarven skeleton in captain's garb and hat.

squat, thick with glowing yellow flames for eyes, platinum teeth and a tattered captain's coat. You all see before you the dread captain Erlu Novus of the crimson abyss who steps out and goes,

Ah, do I owe this great joy of this beautiful sight before me? And then I'm going So already a flirt, I can see why you made it to you. Yeah. The captain switches around. Oh, familiar faces.

Hello. Were you just, were you like on her the whole time? I'm confused. Were you just like in my shoulder the whole time? I was reading a book in the captain's quarters of my ghost ship. And the strange hand came out. I mean, if a strange hand appears, you take it. Sure.

I can't argue that. I agree. Earn, your DMs are so stacked. You're going to have every hookup in a room soon. This is a nightmare. I love it. The captain steps forward to you. The leather's creaking, the sound of bones clattering as it steps,

and takes your hand, You sweet, wonderful mistress, kisses your hand. It freezes leaving frost across your knuckles and says, Steps forward, it says, Your spark of heat has kept me warm in the night. And you see, he pulls the coat open. There's a tiny little flame that flickers in the rib cage. It's your shoulder.

Did you know that? Have you just been pulling double duty this whole time? Fern, is this the kind of dude you're into? I mean, I'm into all of it, to be honest. Okay. I just never know when it's going to hit me. Oh, um, what, what is going on? Why is he here? That is good question. Why am I here? The delegate goes, so it appears that Miss Fern

Zathuda has... Calais? Just, I'm just correcting you because that's actually not my last name. Furn has promised elements of her soul, her immortal being, two figures that are in breach of pre-existing contracts. So you've been brought here to surrender your agreement. So we might bring this to a close. What if I don't want to surrender the agreement? Are you going to let that happen, pirate captain, seriously?

The captain goes, respectfully whoever this is, Whoever this individual is, I decline. Our agreement was fair and square. And I rather enjoy this fragment of word on cold haunted nights. Besides, my spirit endures under the binds of the Stryph Emperor. Will and word, so your fragment technically lies under the claim of the Stryph Emperor. And as such, under its protection. The delegate goes, really?

Who are you? Just a warm body. I mean, you better bring him here too. I mean, you better bring him here too. Oh, this is just contract law, the one shot. I'm so excited. I did a bad. We were there.

We're all into your fragment. It's pretty cool. The colors that still flow through, the Delia goes, well, all right, contracts written. There is superseded by initial birthright claim. I think there are magics in specialists that could untangle this in our favor. Fern, you'll have to come at us. No.

Don't trust him. No. Murray, you watch as Morgan goes, Actually, delegate. There's still one other matter here to untangle. And you watch, she kind of flicks her finger in the direction of your flaming shoulder and it, like, kind of sparks. of sparks.

What is, what is this one dear? Hot boy. That's right. Oh boy. That's our pal Tavon. Is he have something to say about it? Probably. You should bring it.

Would you like me to call him? Mystery date number three. He'll come whenever I call him. Well, I figured now would be the time, dear. Oh, I can't wait for this. I'm gonna kiss the tattoo that is on my finger that he left. As the kiss hits your hand, the room suddenly jumps about 20 degrees.

The light becomes more burnished red, And behind you, a fiery doorway suddenly burns itself in the center of the chamber. You watch as one red-hoofed leg is followed by a second one. And now the kind of black robe adorned, rippling, red-muscled form of Tevin Klask emerges. wings gently folded across his massive shoulders, his blade strapped across his back, his mane of black and gray hair and beard settled there with his yellow eyes burst in.

As he steps forward, Fern, my dear. Tell me, what is it you call me for? I want you to kill all of these people. Except my friend. Thank you. Maybe that's not a good idea. J.K., J.K.

He reaches back for his blade, and you watch as the delegate puts a hand up, and you see the faintest bit of a symbol beginning to appear that some of you may have recognized in previous encounters to be the beginnings of a banishment. At which point, Nandemore puts a hand up and goes like, Not in my house. I just rearranged the furniture for proper feng shui, and it would take me hours to get it back to where we'll.

was. Your guests of my home act like it. The delegate puts its hand down. Tevin puts his hand off a blade. This is an unexpected gathering of friends. What's the conversation here, my love? Well, okay, just to give you like the quick rundown, um, apparently there's like a birthright situation with the unsealing.

cord with me, but I also have kind of a little bit of a deal with you, a little bit of a deal with this guy over here, and I guess it's just muddling the contract quite a bit. The captain goes, you made a deal with this devil. The devil goes, no, she made a deal with the devil. You watch his horns flare in between the horns, the symbol of the Lord of Hell's Osmodius, flashes. It's a black flame. Uh-huh. Soup's conflicted right now.

I mean, he's super cool, but that's not, I can't be here right now. I immediately sort of hide behind Dorian. Captain Cole, I meet a hot boy. You guys have so much in common. I'm so excited. Yeah, I'm hiding behind Dorian's shirt. And I'm going to go, what the fuck is happening? I don't know.

No, I'm pretty sure this isn't even all of them. Fern might have some more dudes in there. Meanwhile, Loddena is just making a couple of cocktails at the bar, and she hands went off to Chetney. Do you have any popcorn back there? I think I do. We'll be right back. Shit is getting lit.

Orum whispers to Ash and to Imogen. and bolder parchment shears? Is there like a five symbol version of that? Because it's gonna get complicated. If anyone can make it work, it's fern. You think it's important to mention that I got in there first? That might be a valid tree.

I genuinely think it is. I kind of think you should. Yeah. Oh my God. You never forget. I think you should. Did you? Chendee, are you stepping up to make a claim?

Yes. Yes. How do you do this, Chutney? How would you like to claim this? I step up and I take out my wood chisel and I slice myself from the thigh and you start to see these wolf legs just so I can get a little bit taller but normal ched is up top and I say hello fine gentlemen I don't know how old you are but I've been around since the beginning of time.

Not really. And she never forgets her first. Wasn't the first? Oh. Not by a long shot. But it was great. Yeah. Really love the, I mean.

You just kind of see the legs. I'll take that drink back. I'm going to spend a fear. You hear the sound of soldiers beginning to gather on the outside of the Linguit Manor. They're not entering, but the place is now being heavily fortified from the outside, as it seems like the Unsele's claim

is being pressed unspoken. You also watch as Nenamori goes, My dear, you also have back here. And she taps the back of your neck as a bit of the flame of the elemental titan that sits within your spirit flickers up as well. And the delegate goes,

My goodness! The primordials also have a claim, don't they? Oh, it's like that? Well, Fern, you do have some sort. saying this of all of these paths, which would you yourself speak to lean, my dear? My own. Am I not able to do that?

The delegate goes, Your will is your own, but these contracts are bound by ancient magic and will. These are the binds that hold the world together. And you belong to the unseely. You watch as the captain goes, Well, I mean only if I can keep my spark, please. Let him keep his spark. Then I'm always like,

Ah, you see, but birthright or not, she belongs with us, with her true family, with her true family, but mainly me. Uh, Tevin goes, well, my will, and as such as is as Maudius's, our claim is marked with more than simple contract. But infernal right, the Lord of the Hill's dominion offer in offered soul. It's unbreakable and all-consuming. None can speak the cosmic law better than the devils of contractual agency. them sorted out. As Tevin grabs Fern from behind and pulls her into the portal and they both

foo! No, no! No! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! What do I do?

What are you supposed to... Do you want to try and resist his grasp? Yes. All right. Yes, I will try. I need you to make a strength action. action roll for me. LOL.

Can I help? I was going to help if you'd like to. Whatever you can help if you'd like to. I'm going to go to grab and pull. I'm going to make that jump to grab. So go ahead and mark a hope. Yeah. Add a D6 to her strength role.

I'm going to spend a fear to use his infernal might experience. I'm adding a plus six. Adding a plus six to it. Okay. Ashton's going to roll it. I rolled it. You roll it? Yeah.

Five. Okay. Okay. No. Awful. So I did roll with hope. That's good. Take a hope. So we've got five minus one for strength, which takes me to four,

plus five, which is nine. Nine. Nine. Yeah. Oh, nine. We're the bells hells, never mind. Try as you might. With hellish speed and a flash,

Fern Calloway is gone and the gateway shuts. You stand in ligament manner with your friend in the center of this conversation. Gone. I scream out for Orem. Well, that's happening. That's the last thing you hear before it shuts. Suddenly, the Delia goes, what is this outrage? All the other guards start rushing in.

The captain's like, well, that's not fair. You're not supposed to take. There was a conversation there. Oh, quick, let's make a porno. It worked before. It can't hurt. I mean, it can. The argument begins to brim around here, Xan Amori, puts her hand out, and says,

Fern is a big girl, and she can make her own choices and deal with her business. This argument will be settled when she's plucked from her predicament. I can try and search where she is and open a gateway near there. Can you all find her? Stop them, bring her back. Yeah. Yes. Stop them in time before bending their infernal law to supersede all existing laws.

Unfortunately, the forte of the devils. Enchutny. Oof. Oof. The room grows dark and you find your yourself down a long, stretched hallway. At the other side, the darkened shape of Nana Mori slowly lumbers towards you.

And the voice echoing in your mind from all sides, threatening to shadow your skull from the inside, says, you are mine, Chetney. I've given you what you wished. And now you will save my charge. If you fail, you will adorn my garden till the end End of time. You wanted this.

Fuck around. Look around, find out. Nanamori, you chose wisely. The vision collapses, and she goes, Thatta boy. We might just need a little help getting there. I can handle that. Delegates like, well, we'll wait outside.

We'll reach out to the potentate and we'll bring the rest of our army to bear. And if Fern has not returned within the next two Exandrian days, we'll go after her ourselves. Anyway, where he goes, welcome. I'll just keep making drinks, then. The rest of you, let's get to it. She claps twice, like a clapers built into her manner. And you watch as that drifting kind of sense of aura that was still kind of remaining behind

where Fern was, a bit of that flame spark seems to shift in space, almost like it's trying to find her. And it's almost like watching a strange ethereal map of the planes, kind of forming in space, like a strange electric sphere. And as the flame finally flashes, like it found a point. unravels, and a smaller, kind of crackling, somewhat unstable doorway opens, and she goes, hurry, hurry! Wait, I don't know if I should go with you. I, I sort of, I made a deal with Asmodius as well,

one that I broke, and so I think that everyone down there would want me dead, or... You got a protection of another god with you now, right? The traveler? Yeah, that one. Right, but I've never seen. seen him actually protect anyone or do anything useful at all. I mean, there's lots of dicks and graffiti, but I haven't actually seen what he can do. Are you believing enough? I believe in the dicks.

I mean, I guess maybe this is a test of my faith, a test of my new faith in the traveler. If I really believe I should let chaos rain. I just don't, I just don't want to hold you guys back and... You only help us, Preas. Plus, we have your back. Really? I mean, yeah, as long as you don't slow us down. All right, then... All right, then follow me in, and we will go get our fern back.

Goddamp, well, not God. Betray her, damn it? Something doesn't have a nice ring. Anyway, do this and we'll go. As Nanymori says, good luck in the wastes of Diabolos. Before they go, Orum Ars is stored out of the whole room and says,

this isn't over by a long shot. We'll settle this later. You heard the woman, she said no pickles. Before I go through, I say, I'm a demon hunter. What a devil hunter. Nana Morris is... Beyond the wastes of Diabolos

lies the enclave of infernal edict. That is likely where they're going to tangle her in this contract. Go quickly. I can't keep it open much longer. Let's go, let's go, we go. Wait, did anybody write down what Nanamori just said?

Infernal of the eternal edict, Diablo. Sure. Dick. Dix. Dix, got it. You all leap through this portal, and you thought was warm in the presence of Tevin Class

is now an unbearable heat that surrounds you at all sides. You see around you a torn and broken landscape red stone crags, sharp shale and obsidian glass blades jutting from beneath. Snaking flows of glowing orange rivers slip slowly through the landscape. Their molten rock currently, ominously pushing through this very helm. The sky is a black clouded swirl that feels like a roiling thunderstorm without rain. of bright red lightning, ch-ch-ch-ch-thru at an uncomfortable consistency,

occasionally striking the blasted landscape. And you begin to realize where these pires of obsidian glass come from. As one strikes not but 400 feet away from you with a... Welcome to the wastes of Diabolos. I like the vibe. Yeah, it's really cool. I spent most of my adult life trying to get down here, and now I'm here, and it's really cool.

Right? Yeah. But no, no. We're the good guys, and we're here on a job. Can anyone locate Fern or sense where she is? Or which direction to go? Not me. I can sense magical creatures around us, but... Ormal bound up and leap onto the top of your head, Brayas, and try to scan the horizon for anything that...

Looks like what Nana Mori said? Yeah. Yeah, anything that stands out from the hellscape before us. Very good. May I? I don't know where I am in this yet, but if they're following my path, can I leave little pellet poos for them to find? Fern, I would love for you, too. So, Fern, as Tevin has pulled you through,

as you attempt to resist, the minute you touch down, you find extremely heavy infernal chains wrap around and bind you tightly. You're unable to even move enough of your arms to cast any magic and the attempt to transform into any sort of beast form

to shuck them seems to be held at bay. As heaven carries you under one arm, and begins to charge in a direction and says, Do no worry, my dear. In due time, you will be ours through and through. It is so hot. Could I just get like an ice water or something? Whatever you want when this is done, Love.

Okay. I just start putting out little poop hells. You do? Coming back to the rest of Bell's house, Orham, I would like for you to make an instinct role to seek out any sign of Fern in the path she might have taken. All of us or just Orham? But I'm gonna help him by boosting him

a little higher and higher on my horns. Yeah, go ahead and mark that hope. So I'm gonna spend a hope myself to use my experience. eyes and ears and of course the sentinel shield aids in this as well okay oh very low roll on the initial dice very low roll on the sentinel shield what about your advantage six yeah I'm getting there I'm getting there then it's plus eight gets me to 14 and here comes the advantage 20 with the advantage which was so I'm like on one foot balancing on the top

of your horn while you extend up on your doing calf races for me. Of course. Are those little shits? 20 is what you needed. You literally. There was going to be a lot of wandering and some other things if you hadn't.

You see what looks at the tiniest little cocoa pebble. Like a like a cocoa puff more likely. Yeah, a little cocoa pot. Yeah. You rush up and you kind of grab it and, oh, yeah, you know what that is. No, no, no, no, you're an expert tracker. You have to smell it, taste it, figure out what it is.

Could be anything. That's real bad. It's growing on me. Now, just so you know. It's like lucky charms. It's hallucin of you. Yeah, it is. Now, wait, was that with Hope or with fear?

That was with shit. I think it was, I'm going to, let's just say fear. I think it was fear. So you get a fear, but I still get a hope because of my build. Okay. Well, that does tick down the trekking to the enclave progress counter by one. So it goes from a six to a five as you're working towards getting to the enclave. So I will spend a fear that I just would have gotten from you.

As you begin to follow this trail, your mind begins to wander. Orum, and the very presence of this landscape begins to cause you to remember things. Good things, Bob. It's loud in hell. What's going on down there? Orim, I need you to make an instinct reaction roll for me, please. Instinct reaction roll, okay. That is 14 with hope.

Okay, so no hope. You don't gain hope, it's a reaction roll. That is a failure. Oh, oh, no. Which is good to know. I have a question about the game. In my two wills, one mind feature. Is that only for actions, or can I take that

for a reaction role as well? What does it say? Let's not go. Is this action? I was just hoping I could maybe maybe Maybe. Laura Bailey, your way through this. You're fucking haggling right now.

You know. Yeah. Okay. Sorry. Yeah, the exultant class hope feature will not help them in this scenario. All right, right, right. All right, but so Orham. Don't you have any K-pop you can use?

I know. Orim, we're going to be gold, baby. Don't worry about it. Describe to me a past guilt that begins to creep into your mind. Oh, shit. A memory that you hope not rear itself at this time.

I think of how much it hurt to watch Bordor die. And even though I knew sacrifices had to be made to reach the road we walked I'll never forget the look on his face in those final moments. The cost.

As you consider this guilt and this memory, not wandering off track but kind of slowing your steps for a moment, I need you to mark a stress as it consumes your thought. I'm going to spend another fear because you failed a roll for Lightning of the Damned. At this moment, the rest of you kind of look over towards Orm and see his pace slow. And as his kind of focus comes back,

he watches his hair begins to stand up. A bolt of red lightning strikes down and slams into the ground near you. Repudiate. Okay. I am lightning. I'm gonna try to stop this spell and it's a fact. Yeah.

Okay. Okay. Doria, are you doing something? You listen to me. You pulled me from a wonderfully smoky, beautifully fun tabored into hell. And you're trying to electrocute my boyfriend, not a chance. I'm gonna try.

Let's give it a shot. Go ahead and roll. So I can interrupt any magical effect actively taking place. Great, you have to roll. to see higher than the difficulty of it. Anything you want to add to that, or anybody want to help before that happens? I'll help with my experience.

I remember your mom. All right, so you mark a hope to help your friend flavoring it with the memory of whose mom in particular. Arum's. Incredible. So add a D6 to that role. Come out. I'm gonna need it.

13. 16. Plus the six? Yes. Ah. You had your spellcast modifier to and everything? Yes. Oh. Oh.

Unfortunately, as you try to capture this lightning in time, the hellish bolt is too quick. And your reputation just glances off of its flash. Orum, I need you to make an agility reaction, please. Which, because of my Zephyr armor, I do an advantage. You do. Aren't you on top of Brayas right now? I sure am.

How's it going up there? Hey, Gah, Gah, Gag, Gag, Gag, Gag, Gag, Gag, you do have rubber on the back on bottom of your hooves, right? Make an agility reaction roll. Yeah. 23 with hope. You don't get a hope in that, though. This is reaction. Mine's in 19.

Okay. Both of you succeed. So you both only take six points of magic damage. And you don't have to mark an armor slot. So that just fizzles. For me, this fizzles out on the armor. It does not even make it through. If you take it.

So it's the, it's one armor. Okay, so, meaning because you succeeded, it would have otherwise just marked an armor slot automatically. Now you just take six points magic damage, which means you take one hit point unless you spend an armor slot to reduce it. You got. The rest of you watch as this bolt of lightning strikes down,

slamming next to both Orman Brayas. You both dodge out of the way, just sometimes just catch some of the electrical field and you can smell kind of that sulfurous ozone combination in the air as lightning still arcs the sky above. This is a dangerous space to traverse. Orham pulls himself up on top of Brace's head and looks like the little kid from Jurassic Park.

Watch your step, everybody. Seeing how glassy-eyed and bummed he looks, I'll just sort of reach up and pat him on the side there and say, hey, hey, I know it's already tough, but we're going to find her. She's going to be okay. and I will use lean on me. You're literally leaning on me.

When you fail in action, I can console you, and you'll clear two stress. Travel on, traveler. All right, so following this path of cocoa puffs, through the Hellscape, you come upon what looks to be a river, of slow-moving lava. It is burning through and is about 20, 30 feet across in places.

How do you traverse it? A lava river? Yeah. I can fly, y'all. Yeah, we already did that. Yeah, well. Can't just do it again. Unless somebody's got a Bampf in power.

You said how far across? About 20, 30 foot, places. I'll say the shortest distance you can find is 20 feet. I flee jump across. across spending the stress. All right, you watch the orm just to the other side. Good for you.

It's super easy. I'll take that ride. All right, I'm gonna, I'm gonna try to fly. Okay, go ahead and roll for fly. Okay, that is, oh, that's good. 20, with hope. With hope, take that hope. That is going to mark the progress meter down two.

Is that a good thing? That's a good thing. That's a good thing. Okay. This is your travel towards Fern. All right. I'm gonna go one by one and fly them across a lava river except for Brayas. I have to make an agility.

No, because there's no immediate like wind thrashing you at all sides. So with that cast, you're able to shepherd and ferry the rest of your troop across this field. Pushing on further through the wastes of Diabolos, you can see this mountain scape that gets closer and closer. closer. And you see large, dark spires that rise up throughout. There is a small stronghold or city on the horizon that marks kind of close to the direction of where this kind of path of little nuggets continues to lead you. But you also see the shape of winged entities. cycling above, dozens. You're uncertain the size at this distance,

but there are many sentinels that are watching from above. And you figure any further travel has the opportunity to be spotted. Is there anything about the geography that would help us sneak by? There are a number of rock outcroppings and large obelisks that have pushed up naturally from the ground as well as occasional like carved stone obelisk. that rise 12, 15 feet in the air with all manner of infernal sigils in them. I mean, I guess we could try and kind of shadow to shadow,

hop along. I'm all right with that. All right. If we stick to the shadows, I might be able to do something to help us a little bit. Okay. Do you want to lead a stealth group role? Yes. I will use...

Can I use... add my shadow manipulator ability to make everything a little bit darker, a little bit grimy, kind of take the shadow as we jump and add that role. Yeah, so you could spend a hope and add that to the role. But before we get to your role, I'd like everyone else to make a finesse roll. Let me please. A finesse reaction role. So no hope or fear gained on this one. Hey. All right. Imogen. 14. 14. Okay. That's Minus one. Nine.

Minus two. 24. Minus one. 24? 24? I'm sorry, actually, 25. Sorry, I'm counting them. Oh, well, I'm not.

24, I'm wrong. Critical for 24. Phenomenal. We're out of zero on that. Dorian? 13. It's a minus one. 11.

All right, so. Okay. Lotna, it's a minus two on your final rule. Minus two, my final, okay, as the group is darting and rushing from shadowed corner to rock outcropping to small dip and kind of passable crevasse. Okay, I would like to,

so I'm gonna do my shadow manipulator, but can I also spend a point of favor to add a little bit of Delilah's essence and use my shadow sphere of influence? Yes, you may. All right, so that's gonna add plus six, to this role with a minus two. Can I...

Can I... I had a hope to give her advantage? You're part of the group role in this one, so you're already kind of... All right. So, as you pull that essence from within, you all watch as the center of Lodna's ribcage seems to glow from within, this purple pulse,

and you hear this faintest cry. Shut, shut, shut. As you pluck power from your currently caged patron, Did you eat a burrito before? It's that cheeky drink I had it. Oh, that's right. All right. All right, it's going to be this plus four.

Come on, come on, mother. All right. That's going to be 13. That's going to be 13 with fear. See, now this could be a time that you could use your... Premonition. Your two wills, one mind. Two wills, one mind.

Just reminding you, I'm gonna use two wheels, one, mine. What does that do you? I was like, I already used Remenition, Matt. Okay, two wheels and one mine. I'm gonna spend three hope. Ooh. And I'm gonna make a roll in addition to you,

and if I roll better, then we can use that one instead. Okay. Wait, what did you roll 13? Yes. Does she get to add all the bonuses that I have with the shadow stuff? No. Can I add a prayer dice to her role?

Can we throw everything we have of this? We're throwing everything at it. I have a small wash station. I can't add anything to that. Like a kitchen seat. I rolled a 13. Oh, but that's kind of room out. That's kind of cute.

You know what? Two 13s, two 13s is a crit. Together, me and you, we made a crit. That's right. You girl failed together. Oh, that's true. Can I use my girl fail experience? Oh, no, but I could use my tether.

My tether experience. Gotta use it before the war. Fucking hell. Yeah, we are in fucking hell. Yeah. It was a good try. But it's a dangerous landscape as you dart between these spaces. You see one heavy shadow behind one of these large, sculpted black obelisks with these

with these devilish runes along the side, and as you rush out in the open behind it, the sigils begin to light up. And a column of fire begins to surround it. Everyone in the group takes 12 points of magic damage. Oh! As magical hellfire engulfs your troop. Okay, I'm going to burn in armor for that.

Me too. I'm going to use a shrug it off, and I'm going to mark a stress, and then make it go away. You take no damage, Ashton, because, you know, hellfire be damned. You're a being of rock and fire at this point. Rock. Fuck. Now, as you all begin to shake off this column of hellfire, you hear the shrieking sounds of airborne devils that have caught glance of this trigger. gliff ending into head your direction, what do you do? Oh, uh... Run!

Is there so right or are we running? Yes. Can we run? You can. This would be a group agility role. Who wants to helm the run here? Oh, boy. I use the experience.

I remember your dad. Well, first off, who's helming this? The run? The run. I'm flying. I could, you know, kind of lead. Sure, all right, do you want to start? You want to help this?

All right, so you're the leader of this group role. I need everybody to make agility reaction rolls. Oh, man. Oh, this is the fun stuff. What the heck? I rolled the same damn thing. All right, Brayas. 13.

Minus 1. 11. Minus 2. 8. Oh, my God. 22. Okay, minus 2. 18. Minus 1.

18. 0. All right. So, Imogen, just it's a straight role for you with agility. All right. All right. Can I, I'm really trying to work my way to work this experience in. Can I use my God-Eater experience? Listen, here's my... Get it, get it. Because I've seen worse... I've seen worse than this. I'm not intimidated by it.

I'm keeping my cool. I love that, yeah. You've become bound and host to the devourer of the pantheon. What's a little hellscape sprint? Yeah. Go for it. Spend that hope and add that bonus.

All right, all right, all right, all right. My little soda, pop. 11 plus 4 is 15 plus 3 is 18 with hope. 18 is the difficulty of this. environment. So gain that hope. And that is a success with hope, which brings the counter to one, that you are on the cusp of arriving.

The devils are giving chase, but you are faster than they can be. And as you begin to still use the landscape to your advantage, you're not fully hidden, but they get scattered a bit before you go on to your next sprint. And using Imogen's guidance, you also kind of have this field between Lodinus shadow and and her psychic imagery almost like casting nearby illusions instinctually by her presence. It seems that sight almost seems to glance off your movement at places, and you begin to see some of these large,

winding towers and chain-wrapped structures that mark the enclave's approach. But you do not see Fern yet in sight, and it is a large number of structures. At this point, the pellet trail has gone cold. I might try something insane. I might try something insane. I like trying things that are insane.

I am going, I want to try a meditative prayer to commort since there is a, the primordials do have a claim to show us the way to save one of their own. I would like to spend a hope to use one of my experiences. You in particular, Fern. All right. Here, I'll let you pick for this. Which of the traits do you feel best

represents how you're connecting with your shard of a primal type? Honestly, instinct. I'll allow that. All right, so burning a hope. It's cool that all of you are jumping to help here. I'll give you a... We did a lot, Talison.

I'll give you a prayer dice for this. You get a plus two. Ooh. Thank you very much. See, the new guy's helping. Way to show up. Roll the damn dice. Can he also get help before he?

Too late. It's too late? Too late. He just rolled. He just rolled the dice. Everyone had tons of time. 10, 9, 10. 15 with hope?

Unfortunately, that does not mean the difficulty. You gain a hope. Did you add in the prayer die? Is that adding the prayer die? Are we looking at, you said we're looking at several structures and we're not sure which one is? There is, it looks like a bunch of towers and stronghold buildings made of dark stone

and black obsidian, polished and carved, are all built into and around this mountain scape. And you know this was the direction that was being traveled, just the trail ran cold. As you sit there in focus and try and gain connection with this spark within you, this spark within Fern, and hope that that could be a beacon of

direction and path. The rest of you, watch as the sky above begins to glow. I'm going to spend a fear and a bolt slams into the ground where you are, Ash, and I need you to make an agility reaction roll for me, please. Okay. All right. That's a...

That's 15. Unfortunately, that is a failure. Really? Okay. You take 18 points of magic damage, and I need you to mark an armor slot for me. I'll take that armor slot and take... I take one hit point, but I'm going to use that to clear stress,

so, you know, all that's cool. All right. All right. That marks one HP. This is going great. No, if we're going to, if I'm really going to have faith in the traveler, he's got to have faith in me too. I'm going to spend three hope and cast divination to seek out the guidance of the traveler. I'm going to quickly scrawl on the ground a dick onto like a rock or something.

Now, mind you, you're a very talented artist. This isn't just a simple scrawling. There's crosshatching. Yeah. There's a visible vein. It's... I'm going to do the thing. Yeah, a stifling where you sort of do this

and give it some extra shave. Tap the brush. Tap the brush. And a little green for the traveler, too. I love that. All right. And it's on a rock. Yeah, it's a green dick.

There'll be a child, Travis. You've never seen a green dick before. You were Ford. I have. There's a surprising number of green dicks in this group, actually. I'm going to cast divination and reach out to the traveler and ask him for guidance to point us in the right direction using the means that he knows best. So, this wang.

As you, as you finish this amazing, finish this amazing rock phallus. What is the phrase you used to call out to the traveler for aid? What do you say? Traveler, I've known only evil my whole life, but now I'm ready for a new path, one of trickery and chaos.

Traveler, I beseech you to guide my rod. in the truest direction to find what it wants most, fern. You look ridiculous. As you point in a direction like that, two green-robed arms appear on the outside of yours, almost like the clay scene in green. the clay scene in ghost. And just helps guide your hands down to this rock

and a voice whispered into your ear says, oh, sweet boy, all you had to do was ass. I believe she's somewhere around that way. And you see like you move the rock to point a certain direction. You look up and you see like a little fiery flare and a little purple flecking light in the distance, just a short jaunt away just over a hill. I'll pick it up like a divining rod

and I'll let it guide me there. Follow me, everyone. He's onto something. Good luck, horn boy. You turn around to see what figure that was and there's nothing present. He is real. Follow me, everyone.

I've got an inclination. I'll consider that an automatic success. Oh man, rock out with your cock out. It's not that hard. As you all begin to rush, the sound of those shrieking devils getting closer and closer, you head over that hill

and down into almost like a courtyard on the outside of this winding tower. You see around that rising bits of rock and bits of black stone that spill out bursts of molten rock seem to emerge and break through the ground in spaces. As the rock rises upward, almost like carved steps and large red spikes, you can see at the very top this purple glow that seems to fill the face of a black-crowned devil

that is holding a long scroll and reading aloud. You see the purple glow from the scroll itself, and you see next to it on the tower, arms crossed, is Tevin, kind of looking down, on the ground at the base of this area, a massive devilish gate with other obsidian pillars, chained to it in the sides. And down in the front of this courtyard, kind of keeping guard, are two gargantuan devils. You see one is feral and beast-like. You see it carries a massive, terrifying, a hooked axe, and itself a long gnarled snout with sharp teeth and a massive mane. The other You see clad in devilish spiked armor, thinner but with large wide wings, curled horns, multiple eyes across its face and snarling teeth that drip a black saliva. It carries with it a large red burning lash, a whip that looks like it could be easily 40, 50, 60 feet long as it kind of curls in the ground and they both look on the horizon and see you approach.

for there in the center of this courtyard, you see standing, Fern Calloway, devilish chains wrapped around her, pinning her to the ground. Fern, you were brought here, and these devil guards were set up to keep watch over your judgment as they begin to comb through your choices, through your agreements, your infractions. and what could be a balance of them weaving through infernal law to take claim on your soul combined with how much sin from the hells you might carry? And that's what we'll return after our break.

I want to hit a thing. Hang tight for a few minutes. We'll see you guys shortly. That's a wrap for part one of this podcast episode. Part two will end here. this upcoming Tuesday at 5 a.m. Pacific, and we'll pick up this story right where we left off. We'll see you soon, and thank you for listening.