Critical Role - The Onyx Spire | Age of Umbra: Sallowlands | Episode 2 Part 1

Episode Date: July 23, 2026

Part 1   Promises of safety unravel as the group seeks refuge within the towering stronghold of Oxudos...   DAGGERHEART: HOPE & FEAR Explore new Daggerheart content seen in Sallowlands with the first expansion for Daggerheart! Hope & Fear comes out August 25th and features new classes (Witch, Warlock, Assassin, Brawler), transformation cards, adversaries, campaign frames, and much more. Visit https://www.daggerheart.com/pre-order to learn more, or head directly to Critical Role shops to place your pre-order! US: https://shop.critrole.com UK: https://shop.critrole.co.uk EU: https://shop.critrole.eu AU: https://shop.critrole.com.au CA: https://canada.critrole.com   AGE OF UMBRA: SALLOWLANDS A group of outcasts and survivors brave blasted lands in search of answers in Age of Umbra: Sallowlands. This 6-part Daggerheart mini-series features Game Master Matthew Mercer and players Laura Bailey, Jennifer English, Abubakar Salim, Vico Ortiz, and Zachery Renauldo. They’ll form an unlikely band of companions, who venture off the beaten path in search of answers in the Sallowlands, a new region of the Halcyon Domain filled with cracked badlands, dangers, and awe-inspiring secrets. What fragile hopes dare they cling to in this story of desperation and survival? Learn more at https://critrole.com/umbra   BEACON Curious what happens when the camera turns off after an Age of Umbra episode? Watch the Cooldown episodes with the cast discussion after each episode, exclusively on Beacon! 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.   CREDITS See full cast and crew credits at https://critrole.com/sallowlands-credits/     Starring: Game Master Matthew Mercer | @matthewmercervo Jennifer English as Dillywin Hellekin | @jenniferjenglish Abubakar Salim as Mercy | @abubakarsalim Laura Bailey as Sister | @laurabaileyvo Zachery Renauldo as Alphonse | @zachthebold Vico Ortiz as Cagauma | @puertoricaninja   Art by: Key Art by Daniel Jiménez Villalba | @Danieljimenezvillalba Character Art by Strange House | @strange_house Sallowlands Map by Marco Bernardini Miniatures Painted by Keo Lacebal, Angela Basset, and Erik Lonnquist Main Theme Song by Omar Fadel Set Design by Shaun Ellis Set Fabrication and Production Design by Noxweiler Berf   FOLLOW CRITICAL ROLE! Website: https://www.critrole.com Newsletter: https://critrole.com/newsletter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalrole Twitter: https://twitter.com/criticalrole Instagram: https://instagram.com/critical_role TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@criticalrole   HEALTH & WELL-BEING Due to the improv nature of Critical Role and other RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If certain episodes or scenes become uncomfortable, we strongly suggest taking a break or skipping that particular episode. Your health and well-being is important to us and Psycom has a great list of international mental health resources, in case it’s useful: http://bit.ly/PsycomResources Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello, wayward adventurers. I'm Laura Bailey, and you're listening to the podcast version of Age of Umbra Salo Lans, a daggerheart mini-series of danger, dread, as well as delight and hope in the darkness. If this is your first entry point to dagger heart, you can find tons more resources on how to play and free downloads on daggerheart.com. Plus, you can pick up the game itself and tons of accessories at friendly local game stores and critical role shops. You're listening to part one of the episode right now, and Part 2 will arrive this upcoming Tuesday. Want instant and add free access to this full episode? Consider becoming a Beacon member, where you can watch bonus content, like the cast discussing each episode in Critical Role Cooldown, receive Critical Role shop discounts, including On Daggerheart, and much more.

Sign up now at beacon.tv. Now, let us return to our wayward band of Wanderers. Welcome. Now, before we get into tonight's episode, we do have some announcement. to get through. Now, we just had our Berlin live show last week, and the Early Access VOD is now on Beacon.tv. We're heading to Edinburgh next, with the Early Access VOD hitting Beacon on Tuesday, July 21st. And also in Berlin this week, our localization partner Pegasus Spiele held a fantastic dagger-heart gameplay event celebrating the launch of the German edition of the dagger-hardcore set.

We are so excited for more people to be able to play this game. And if you're in the States, San Diego Comic-Con will have dagger-hard games being played during July 23, all the way to the 26th, so see their event schedule for more details. Laura, what are you up to? We're so excited to be back in the Halcyon domain of the age of Umbra. You can rep Umbis with our new age of Umbra. Umby's dad hat, a black dad hat with umbis embroidered in a super cool heavy metal styles thought, blah, designed by Elena Harris. It's pretty sick. And we have a t-shirt

featuring art by Anthony Jones. AKA robot pencil. And for all your rollies needs, we've got a brand new duality dice set. These gorgeous rhombic d-12s come in contrasting colors and are designed to pair with your favorite dice instantly transforming them into Dagger Heart Ready duality dice. Go grab yours now at the Critical Roll Shops.

Also, Inside Editions is publishing the art and making of Dagger Heart. This deluxe art book is written by Kelly Knox and features exclusive interviews with the creators of Daggerheart, outlining the journey of the game from its origins through its launch. You'll find concept art, character sketches, designs left on the cutting room floor, and so much more. Pre-order the art and making of Daggerheart at Insighteditions.com

slash Daggerheart. Matthew? Well, that's all of our announcements for tonight, so let's get back into this episode of Age of Umbra, Salo Lam. Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Age of Umbra. Here we have a troop that has slowly come together on some interesting, familiar purpose, drawn to the south, to the long, dried lake bed that is now a dust-salt expanse,

known as this hallowlands. There, there are rumors and stories of a mysterious, vibrant, gargantial, metropolis that has appeared out of nowhere that seems to call to all those seeking hope the first true sign of something glorious in a century. And every enduring in this landscape to some degree has an opinion on what it means and what it promises. For your respective reasonings, you track together in that direction. passing through the rotten shallows,

the northern side of this sunken, dried, expanse of lake bed. These dotted marshlands themselves, filled with a foul stench and fume, rocking your senses as the bugs irritate you. You encountered a legendary entity from the old world, its mind broken from the loss of the old gods and a disconnect from its own reality. It tore through a troop,

of wandering templars and exemplars. You managed to sweep in in time to keep one alive, and in the midst of the fray, an odd connection from this elderly Galapah. Kagwama, opening yourself to be seemingly devoured by a terrifying creature. Instead, you found a moment of empathy and broke through its fractured presence.

and for a brief instant reminded it what it was. In its panic, it withdrew and left your troop safe. In that you had made seemingly an ally, the survivor, a Templar Bowen, a young and up-and-coming night of the Twilight Exemplars, the only survivor of his troop who requested your understanding as you helped him collect the bodies of his compatriots

and burn them before the soul blight could return them to a terrifying undead aftermath. A brief prayer was said, as you gathered your belongings, and continued to trek south towards the outer edge of the marsh. So here we pick up, I ask you, do you continue on? Do you wish to rest here? The night is fresh. The sun came to rest maybe in the past couple hours,

but it is night. Do we feel like it will come back once it regains its senses? I feel that just as I am shaken by our encounter, it will not come back at least for a few hours. I do believe we must rest. I'm worried about your arm and your shot wound. I'm fine. It's bleeding profusely. You have a hole through your chest.

I ain't got time to bleed. Poor badger's still got an arrow inside. Oh, oh, my badger. Let's rest. Yes. This large fire will probably be a great distraction. It'll bring many other creatures of the night around. We can use it to our advantage.

Yes. Temply byrangers. All right, so let us take a rest. So let us take a rest around the burning corpses of my companions. We can go a little. Just a little bit. It's like, no, if anything, it'll help bring me closure. You can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not.

But as you circle back from the initial trek, back to the low light crackle of the pyre, you all settle in for, is this sort of Short or a long rest? Short. Short. I was gonna say it all. Oh.

Wait, I'm kind of down for either. I'm not, the idea of a long rest doesn't really, it depends on how far we go from the fire, I feel. Yeah, I mean, do we know how far the journey is to the... You mean? The towers. The distance is hard to tell from just the low light and the travel you took.

You could ask... Yeah, Rowland. It's like, I'm... I was a little. the navigator actually another direction we're going, and as far as I can recall, I've not been, I've not returned from this northern direction before. I assume it's maybe if we keep pushing on the better part of the day. I think we should take a long rest. Okay. Yeah? Yeah. Sleep peacefully.

Yes. Yes. Away from the roaring fire of body. Okay. Yeah, I'm doubt for that if we all need along. Yeah. All right. Cool. Well, if we've decided that, then I'm going to search around the area and see if I can find any plants or herbs or anything that I know that are good for healing. Sure. I'd say go ahead and make either an instinct of knowledge roll for me if you don't mind to seek the environment if anything catches your eyes useful. 15?

15 with? With hope. With hope, great. Nice. Take a hope. You glance around and this marshland, especially this patch that you're exiting from, is kind of the last heavy bastion of the muck.

But in that area, a lot of unique life finds purchase in springs in new. On a nearby fallen log, it's like heavily moss-coated, itself, rotted within it. As you press upon it, elements of it crumble, just at the lightest push. But that heavy state of decay also brought around what's called Ivy Moss. It's this bright white patch of like gentle moss that only seems to

attach itself to and thrive on things on the very tail end of its decay cycle. I haven't seen this in so long. So you are some Ivy Moss, which you can, to consumable be complete to immediately gather a hope. Nice. Wow. Oh, look at that. It's hopeful, Moss. I'm going to flip this over there.

So you can take two downtime moves, if we're taking a long rest. Options include, you can tend to all your wounds, clear all your hit points, you can clear all of your stress, you can repair all of your armor, or you can prepare, which means you can gain a hope.

If you pair with somebody else, you gain two hope. Does anybody wish to keep watch? I would like to keep watch. Also, can prepare include asking questions? Of course, yeah. Beautiful. Can I prepare and keep watch? You can do those, and those will be your two moves.

Yes, she'll do that then. Two of the following moves, so we do two of those things. You do two of them, yes. I'm going to prepare. Except for you, we should do three because you're enough. Great. I'll prepare with anyone as well. I do want to know, are we staying by the fire? Are we outside of like the fire?

Because, like, do we have... I know what you, yeah. Because we would have campfire blindness to everything else that's around us. I would feel better if we were a little bit farther in the dark. Yeah. Okay, so we'll say that.

All right, so we'll withdraw from the crackle of the flames. It still sits over there as a nice draw and distraction. A little bit of warmth that does offer at this distance is welcoming, even though it doesn't present the safety of a sacred pyre. This smells a bit better further away. Also that. Yeah.

Yeah. Definitely. I'll prepare with you if you're preparing. Yeah. Sweet. All right. So you both gain two hope. Prepare with me.

Yeah. Would you mind preparing and asking questions to Bowen? Yeah. All right. I can do that. Asking questions doesn't take a move. You can just talk too. Just talk.

Great, fantastic. Cool. And then I have to keep watching, which means I have to roll a dice. Or are we still? We'll do that at the end. End of the long rest. Okay.

Jeez. Hi. So you all settle in for the night. You gather your comforts, those of you that carry some, the smell and scent of this marsh itself. You get as used to it as you can, but it still stings the inside of your nostrils. The occasional blowing of a gust of wind gets stronger, more kind of acrid sense. but there is still a calm to it, and the sound of the insects fades with the wind.

And it's just the seven of you, including Badger, kind of quietly looking into the dark or looking into each other as you find solace in your preparation. I do sit in front of you, mercy, and I'll reach forward and touch the talisman that I had given you earlier. It helped?

Yes. It did. And as you do that, you can see me also putting this bag of body parts that I was carrying with me and like kind of spying them open. I was like, do you mind? Do what you must? I begin using my knuckle blades

to tear open the flesh of an arm. As I pull the arm and put it on my weak arm, you see the fung will sort of begin eating the moisture of the flesh as my arm becomes back to itself. And I begin placing these different pieces of decayed meat on me and on my jaw. As my body absorbs its moisture and elements of death and life and comes back. to me looking very fresh. Yes. The magic sustains an unexpected benefit. It's wondrous.

A blessing and a curse. And I'm sorry, mercy for everything. There is nothing to be sorry about who gave me life purpose. As I reach forward, a small swirl of shadow It's going to come off my fingers and settle into the talisman that I gave you earlier. And I'm giving you three more. Chargers? Yes.

Amazing. Thank you. I kind of, as I take it in, I look to you. And I never asked, why were you traveling? When I went to home, they said you had left. My excitement, I only cared for. My goal, not yours, I never asked. Why were you traveling?

The sisters are falling still. They speak so little. Our home is not like this. We have no water. Nothing to sustain. We cannot help those who come to us. You were the last. I seek the city to find the magic.

Bring it home, although I do not know if it will work. Faith? Where does it come from? And you can see me looking at my hands. I do not know what these hands did before I became me. But something told me that I would have a... second chance, and with that second chance, I will do good. Hope comes from that. I'm gonna step away.

Kagwama, you're gonna take watch, correct? Yeah. You'll see Alphonse makes his way over to kind of watch the fire in the area around it as well. As he lines up, shoulder to shoulder to shoulder. shoulder with you as you as he gases into the burning bodies in the distance what you did today was incredibly dangerous you traveled across all of these lands doing what that I have always been rather afraid you can see Karama staring at the burning and a hint of a recent memory lingering in their eyes.

Oshah, she, she was really, really brave. And I had to destroy her body, just like young Bowen over here, is doping right now. And in her last moment, she... She believed in me. She believed that I had it in me to be brave, to face my own shadows as I face the shadows that hunt us. But I can't see.

She is now part of these shadows, and I loved her so much. So while I am scared, so very scared, of the shadows that hunt us, I also know she's there, loving me, the way that I loved her. So, if anything, she's the one pushing me to do this. As the fire illuminates my skull, you try to get a discernment of what I look like underneath it, and it falls into harsh shadow.

We take a moment to process kind of what you said. We've all lost someone in this world, Kagwama. Everyone I have met that endures this darkness has lost someone. But what you did back there, that is not how we save people from the Umbra. That thing, that creature, it's gone. corrupted. How many people has it killed since the old world? We had a chance to stop it. And now some other party, some other bandits, a company of marauders now have to face it. You didn't see what I saw. Was it the old world? If you want to see the product of the old world, look around.

I have no hope for what was before this. I have hope that one day mortal kind will adjust to what it is and not hold on to prayers, devotion, judgment, and realize this is the world. And so when something like that approaches me and I have the opportunity to save someone else's life down the line. I'll take the shot.

I stare deeply into this skull, this mask. It clearly is hiding something. And I sympathize. I can get it. And I say, Cannot. I refuse to die

and become the thing that hunts us. So I will stay alive. alive until I can figure something out that will cure this. And believe in the good, always even if it's hard. But I see you. I understand where you are coming from. And perhaps, perhaps this creature will hunt others. But right now,

It's not hunting us. I continue to stare into the crackling flames. Do you think they'll think the same thing? I think they will. Tell that to the burning bodies. And I'll make, uh, I'll turn around and start walking away. I stare at the burning bodies and thinking about OSHA. And how devastating it was to see her die,

to know that her soul was, regardless of all the attempts was going to join this umbra. And I looked to Dill and see the companion. I looked to Bowen. And I know this is hard. So I go over to Dill. How's your little fella over there? Dill, meanwhile, has been kind of on the tree tops and branches

listening to all of these conversations. and Dill goes over to you and kind of climbs on you Oh Look at you're so agile Right so it's a plus free And kind of holds on to you Looking straight into your eyes

And goes We really like what you did there And Skullman He doesn't have hope He just smells like grief sadness anger but you

you smell real different you smell you smell like there's some kind of excitement there I ain't I hadn't smelled that on anyone before thank you

I saw those prisms and that weird thing's eyes I ain't seen light like that before Me? I'm glad you did. I think something different is happening with us, lot.

I think... I don't know. The wind feels different on my back. The air, it's saying to me that... Maybe... Maybe things might go back to how they were. And you were we. And I'd like that.

You are very kind. I needed to hear that. Fox off. Bowen has walked away from this exchange. As you step away from the fire, you hear the approaching scraping of metal armor and the youthful Templar soldier, Bowen, kind of saddles up walking shoulder to shoulder with you as you walk. He's your friends, right?

Yeah. What's up with the big one? I... I just saw what he did, putting dead pieces in him. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to sell that to the exemplars. I don't wanna make a mistake here. I turn to look at him and I say,

you're a man of the faith, right? I. You believe in miracles? It's interesting. You see a brink. a break in his eyes and words stop in his throat at that question. Yeah, yeah, of course I do. That's what you'll tell him.

There's a city that erupts itself out of the ground and a moment. Pilgrimages made and now life given again, not a revenant, not a husk of a former person. A miracle. Glances back in the direction of mercy, is resting. Right. Right. And he kind of grabs his pendant and just kind of shuffles back off to kind of take his own space and sit facing out into the darkness of the marsh. So, an evening's rest and come to you lest there's any other business to engage in.

So, let me take your downtime moves if you haven't already. and someone took watch. So. So, aye, yoy. Just one D12, that's all you roll? Just one D12. It's one of these guys, right? All right.

All right. That's a good thing. Okay, okay, okay, I will, I will do mine. Want to take yours? Yes. Okay, what'd you roll? A 12. You're so good right now.

I'm so good. I'm rolling like, I should go to me. I should go to me and have to me. The night itself is. It's uncomfortable. There's a sickliness in your stomach just kind of spending an evening, breathing in this marsh. And we'll get to that shortly. I can't breathe. I'm dead.

I have like a tonne off. Shit. Foil again. It's not the most restful sleep, but it's functional. And you all wake up with that kind of ill sense in your stomach before the sun rises with the unspoken knowledge that you need to move. You gather your things and trek onward. First and foremost, I need all of you to make a strength reaction rule for me, please.

Okay. I thought something could happen with the 12. I thought something could happen. I thought it was 12, but something good happened. This is separate from the 12. Okay. seven. Oh, was it just one dice? It's both your hope and fear together, add them together and then... Oh, okay. Yeah, we just been really, really

long. I was going to say, like, what? We're just like, I mean, you do well. That's a 15. 15, okay? Yeah, then. Nine. Okay. Yeah, 12. Oh.

Okay. So, as you continue to move, most of you, the motions are sluggish. You are cruising and jumping from branch to branch, but the rest of you feel as pit in your stomach. All right. The rest of you get what's called a sickened die after spending an evening in the marshes here.

So go ahead and roll a D4. What's the worst number? Four. Four is bad. Four is bad. Four is bad. Oh, no. Awesome.

Oh, no. Three as well. God, dang it. One. Yeah, go long. Oh, dang. Keep that die on your sheet if you can. That's the penalty to all of your action rolls.

Oh, great. For the whole day or for how long? For the fumes that have seeped into your system by taking a long rest in the swamp. Rott, row. That's right. That's right. I really needed that. Whenever you would clear a hit point, you can decrease the value by one.

When you would clear a hit point. Correct. So take a health potion, a healing spell, anything like that. You can do that to reduce it for each hit point, and when it goes to zero, you're no longer ill. Okay, cool. Do you still get a hit point back as well?

Hold on. Or is it just like you do it to get rid of the sick end? Instead. Oh, wait, great. Okay, wait, hold up. So if we took a healing potion, then you could potentially heal all of those sickened things. Those count negative hit points against you,

but you don't actually mark any of it. Okay, got it, got, got, good, cool, cool, cool, I was like, do I have to do, okay, cool. Instead of healing a hit point, you can choose to reduce the die-by-one for per hit point healed. Got it. But once I'm healed, I can now go back to like HBs. Correct. Okay, cool. You can still do H-P instead. You just get the choice.

Okay. Up to you. Okay. So, do we need to have a hit point marked in order to clear it, or if just like, if you were to... No, you don't know. We could do healing spells right now. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not going to use that right now. That's really healous. But, okay. Okay.

Good to know. Good to know. that understand, that kind of glance between your troop that once again this landscape takes those who try and find solace, but you push on, you endure. You trek forward, southward, the gnarled trees and hanging rough, ragged and thick blankets of vine and moss kind of pushing past growing thinner and thinner

until the thick, dark, clouded skies above and the distant horizon begin to faintly light with the first signs of dawn. You've all, I've only just begun this journey, but it's already taking a toll. And it's that moment. A break in the distant horizon clouds, one that rarely happens in these lands occurs

as you watch the darkness crack open. And for some of you, the first time in years maybe, you can see the blues and pinks and oranges of a sunrise, a golden light that peers forth like a beam from across the distance and warms this edge of the marsh as you escape the rotten shallows. That warmth gives you a hint of renewal.

It also will also a little. lights with clarity, the base of the massive mountain sitting far to the south, one that you can maybe only see a third of, a half, before it vanishes into the clouds above, bigger than any mountain any of you have seen or heard of. And you can, in this momentary sunlight that pushes past the distant range, you swear you can see a faint halo of green illuminating this mountain. This indeed is something magical in the distance. All of you gain a hope.

From this positive omen of the 12 rolled on the lurking darkness. You see a hope from the prepare? Yeah, you want two hopes from the prepare. Oh my gosh, so much hope that I didn't even clock. Yay hope. Yay. With that, the clouds swallow, the sunrise, but the morning comes as you step

past the final sloshing bootfalls of the Martian enter, the sallow opens. Now before you, continuing to descend, rolling dunes of white and yellow powdered dust, dry salt and tumbled dirt, broken rocks pushing through, signs of sunken to ancient stone, and goodness knows what else calls these lands home. as you head towards the rising pillar that holds the Tower of Oxidus.

So, as part of traversing this region as you push forward, I'm going to go ahead and put a countdown of four on this. No. We've got like three already. The fun thing about exploration and traversal. Oh. So just four different successes or a means of counting this down before you reach the Tower of Oxytos.

Also, at the top of this, because there's a long rest, I get some fear. One for each of you. It gets so much. One for each of us. Yep. That's too much. And then. Three.

Four. Oh, my. Five. And then I get to add a D4 to that. No. Yep. We're fucked. Some just shy of Maxxie.

of Max fear. Right. Oh my God. Quick you, because I have a prayer, dice. Can I use that to heal this situation? Yeah. If the paradise allowed you to heal hit points, clear hit points?

It says, Breyer, you can spend any number to aid yourself or an ally within far range to reduce incoming damage, add to a roll's result after the role is made or gain hope equal to the result. So unfortunately, no, I'm clearing hit points. Well, well, well, well. That's all right. I tried.

That's all right. Good thought, though. Good thought. pushing into this dusty expanse. You can see Bowen kind of takes a heavy cloth from the earth and wraps it around his nose and mouth. As the winds begin to pick up, and you can feel the pelting of not painful,

but slight sting of dusts with these gusts as they hit you. As Bowen kind of looks over to the rest of you. I'd be warned that dust storms are not uncommon this part of the region, so if you have something at the ready, Just in case it comes, we have to hunker down. It's hard to push through. He just keeps kind of looking towards you

as he does so. You can see an expression that's not uncommon in recent years of you traversing a concern. If I see him doing it again, I felt my staff in front of him. Okay. I'll say about 10 more minutes of the sort of part of the journey before him kind of keeping an eye out

in the distance, kind of trying to watch over one of the nearby rising dunes of white-powder dust and glances back at the rest of you and kind of just gives a keen look, almost like he just lingers a bit. Faith comes in many forms. Are you afraid? I have many reasons to be afraid. I'm just... Do you think your veiled guard was beautiful? I don't know. I've never... You see like a... once again, the glimpse of the beginning. beginnings of an admission before it's pulled back. My faith is strong. My brothers and sisters, I'll do my best to find us safe passage among them. He kind of pushes on and continues his walking forward, this time looking back over his shoulder to you with almost like a pain confusion before continuing his step. Give the kid a break. I'll come over and kind of walk up beside you.

He saw the consequences last night of his gods leaving him. Something we all feel. I'll look at you, Mercy, and say, a lot of people, as I'm sure you'll know, will see you as an omen. Some may see you as a miracle, but for you, you decide what you are for them. There's a lot of conditions.

confusion here in the Salu lands because of that new city. You might want to use it to your advantage. You see me a sort of nod, almost like an inspirational blint of hope hits me with that idea in mind. I also kind of wrap something around my face as well as we kind of continue through this weird sand storm. Storm. Bowens looked back at you and you have a big smile. You're like, yeah. Yeah, no, I'm good. Interesting. So who would like to lead this first length of the journey

into the Sallow Open? I'm going to use my body as almost, because I'm quite a big guy, like almost as a shield, to help move us forward in a way. Yeah, okay, yeah. So everyone kind of falls into to almost align from position of the wind as it begins to pick up more and more.

So make a strength for. Sure. Maybe half of your little, just like a little half of it in my shell. 20, no, sorry, that's six. 18, 19, 19, minus one. 18. 18. Where is? Oh, sorry, hope.

Hope. Great, take that hope. Yeah. Hopeful giant. So. Indeed, everyone kind of lines up behind you, and for the next hour, hour and a half or so, you kind of put yourself up against each ridge as soon as a gust would hit and kind of buckle in

and lead alongside of everyone else. Clusters of dust kind of spray and hit, and your body in many places lost the sensation of pain, so it's no impact to you, but it keeps some of the other folks shielded, also keeps you on a higher vantage point as well to keep an eye out. There are, it's interesting, a number of darkened shapes and things that break up the pale expanse of just open, winding dunes and kind of broken, jagged, dry baddhlins. Two of them!

It's been too fierce since we've gotten this journey at least, but it becomes harder to see what some of these destinations are as the wind picks up stronger. and stronger and stronger. Before you look to your left as a shadow begins to creep over darker than the cloud cover ahead, a massive wall of roiling dust approaches at a speed that you came and clock at the moment. What do you do? Is there anywhere to take cover?

Do you want to look for it? That seems smart. Sure. Go ahead and roll an instinct roll for me. Oh, why did I say it? Okay. Can I use my notice of this. My, no, that's a dumb one.

Before you all, I'll give you, I'm a little bit more familiar with some of these areas, so I will, you know, maybe in my time going through many dust storms that I know, looking at the palette of colors where maybe something would be, I'll spend a hope to give you. Thank you. I literally have an experience called Dust to Dust, which has nothing to do with actual. Well, explaining me how you would use it. No, no, I'm serious. I'm serious. This is literally a dust storm.

So. Hmm. I feel like it has to do with death more than it does. Okay, fair. Oh, no. All right, so go ahead and roll the D6, add it to your check there. Um, does that count?

I guess it does, even though it landed off on the thing. That's really low, y'all. No. What do you roll? One. Oh, great. So eight, I have an eight total. Eight total.

With hope. With hope. Oh. Get that hope. Nice. I have an experience called Waste Wanderer that is literally about that. I'm sad you got in there first. That's all good.

Sorry. You know, I didn't think about the fact that I would be rolling for the other. I said the thing. It's with hope, though, right? So if something happens, you can go right in. I'll say for right now, as you begin to rush, you point to a couple of locations, some darker shapes or darker moments, some sort of distant amorphous landmarks across the white desert ahead of you,

that you begin to rush towards. But as I do, my veil that I always have over my face, like the wind is blowing so hard that it's like, ugh. Getting caught in your face with me. You point out to an area and trip over one of the dunes. The rest of you kind of like have to rush to catch up. You rush mercy to try and grab sister.

Write yourself, and as you do, you thought you would have had enough time here before it reached you. Oh, no. But you all glance ahead. Oh, shit. rapidly. Oh, the dust storm swallows all of your periphery, and you all try desperately to clean

together, not lose each other in this moment. Can I retracting? People can hold on to like my spikes? Sure. So you all kind of gather and to hold on best you can. I'm literally clinging onto Mercy. Like she's like underneath the swaddle that you've made for yourself. All of you, Marcus stresses the storm hits. During the panic, no of you. I'm stressed. I am.

A new sensation for some of you, as the heavy sweat on your skin suddenly gets thick with sand and dust and becomes like a caked exterior, that briefly guards you from the horrible pain of the ever expedient impact of this wall. So for the rest of this scene, all of you have disadvantage on your action rolls. Great.

And a negative. Oh, God. But you continue to push forward. Did you want to try and lead through this dust storm? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm always wondering. I know my shit. Let's go for it. So, okay.

I'm going to help you. Thank you. How do you help out? I am going to stick my staff into the ground just to like brace myself and let her hop up on the top of my head so she can see what she's doing. It's 11, oh, I'll just move the dice, actually. Oh, but it was 11 with Faye. Oh, no, wait, hold on.

Plus T plus T. Plus three. So plus five, it's a 16. Much better. That is a success. Yes. Yes. How much we have left one? No, two.

No, two. Oh, God. Great. So clutching in, you recall. seeing some of these landmarks that you would point out earlier, and you also, having been through some of these wastes, know that there are some broken ruins and large stone outcroppings that were once kind of lakebed formations.

You're not quite sure. They're kind of wild-looking. But they will help be a little bit of a guard from the heavy winds as you kind of, how do you gather the troops here to follow behind? I'm like, sat on Mercy's back, and I'm going to go, This way. And then Badger is like kind of trying to, like kind of failing, but like flapping and trying of herding you along, like,

while also sipping. Badger is like wings out on the sand. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like, it's like, try so open the wings, and just vanishing. And you just, you just, you just pinch Badger on the edge, you just have to like, pf.

Like a kite. Yeah. Slowly climbs back down and it's just clutching onto your shoulders and legs. But all of you have fallen behind Dillian, Dilley, you, it's been a minute since you've hit these specific part of the lands, but you're used to moving quick or used to keeping a grip, and you just start climbing down and up, and rest of you falling behind.

You see there's like a, you go onto the dark side of one of these dunes, which gives some protection from the storm, most of it kind of careening overhead, and you keep below. A lot of it is still pushing down, and you can feel the erosion, kind of changing the shape of the landscape with the storm. But you've also dealt with these in the past. You as well. And so between the two of you kind of working and you kind of helping keeping a grounding momentum between the rest of the troop, eventually you can see some of these shapes can approach. You see these large kind of curved spikes, these weird pockmarked stone rocks that kind of rise up and bend. They're curved towards the storm, but they're like they've been pusher eroded in a specific direction

over a long period of time, varying sizes and shapes, but you can get behind them and kind of gather yourselves for a breath where the sheer intensity of the storm is not punishing you continuously. This is very different than the Russell. I want some sealed, and I I think I, oh, goodness, my bones. I think I can perhaps get, crawl into these spikes and see if perhaps I can,

I can take a peek of where to, where to go next once this settles down. How does that sound? Sounds good. All right. Okay. Oh, boy, my joints. All right. So you climb up one of these rocks. best you can. What's your instinct? It's one, but I have sailing experience, so plus two.

Oh, so you're going to use your sailing experience. Yes, sirree. All right, spend that hope to add the roll. So I'll save for this, you climb up with the help of your friends. You get as high as you can, and the further up you go, this rock points up at its apex probably 50-ish feet. So it's a climb. You slip at a moment point and keep yourself there, but you're, you're hearty. You've got a grip, you're shaking, kind of like feel your shell rattling against the the stone, but slowly you get as high as you can.

And near the apex, you can start seeing some of the color of the clouds. The intensity of the wind is staying low to the land. And there are bursts in moments where you can almost make out the distant shapes. It's just finding the right moment to focus and utilizing that window to try and take in as much of the surrounding terrain as you can. So go ahead and make that instinct roll for me.

Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness, it's nine, ten, ten, Plus hope. With hope. Which one? Ten with hope. Is that? Wait. Yeah, no.

Eight, nine, plus ten. Plus one. Plus two. Two. Oh my gosh. So much stuff. Eight, plus one, nine, plus two, eleven, plus instinct. Twelve.

No, two. I have two instincts. 13. 13. 13. Was the difficulty. Oh. Yes.

That's what you were like, how much was it? I don't know. I was like, I was like, we're right on the cusp here. With hope? With hope. With hope. So. That sickness, man.

I want you to describe to me what you see from on top of that rock and what faithful memory holds this as the place you need to traverse. I remember from this morning that beautiful sunrise. I see a little bit of light and a glimpse of the of the city, of the tower. Oh, I see the tower again. It's quite far. The sand might have gotten us a little bit off track,

but we are so close. We're so close! You also track down and see maybe two miles at the path, these like kind of larger, kind of rock dunes with, you know, just barely able to make up of the details, it looks almost like a caravan. Like there, you see tents that are locked down and withstanding the storm, best you can tell.

It looks, you don't get me to kick up much more detail from this distance than only because you're up so high and you're all up with hope. Yay. Caravan before the tower, like. On the path there. On the path to the tower. I see. signs of potential life.

I see, uh, I see some tents. I see, I see that some people, I don't see people, but I do, I do see that perhaps there are potentially people inside these, these tents. How do we feel about approaching them? 80 feet in the air? Yeah. Abrogates!

Oh, wow! What? She sees a tart. They see a tart. What? What? Um, I, uh, I climb down very slowly. I'm coming! Meanwhile, Dillie, like, runs up to go to the thing. And then passes the information on just the same time.

Amazing. I said that. Oh, okay. Bowen's with us, right? Absolutely. I don't know if they'd be like, and the sand clears and, Boets gone. Oh, God.

Bowen is like clushed on the rock there and has a shield up to protect himself and is like keeping an eye out. Hearing the shouting, laying stuff back, can't see anything from this son. What'd you say? Thank you. Something caravad, we're going there.

Very well. What kind of tense could withstand this? I mean, if they're built for this terrain, I imagine they lock it down pretty heavy. Have you seen a caravan? Have you seen a caravan? near your tower? This was my first journey beyond the tower. Oh, buddy.

So, and I've only been north. I think then I'm going to once given the direction, just push through, I think, again, using the same tactic as we did before. I might go actually up to Bowen and ask for the shield. So I kind of go over and sort of, may I use your shield? Yeah. Yeah, sure. He hands it over to you. Kind of my hand sort of clasp over it. Thank you.

There's a moment of resistance before he kind of sets it free, kind of still looking up at you. It's not judgment. It's just grasping with what answers he has. It's the best way you can read it. Yeah, and I sort of bowing up right about my head. I'm like, thank you. Stay close. And I like raised this sheet.

up with like one arm pretty easily and kind of tell everyone to sort of like follow me. Mercy, I'll tap you on the shoulder. I'll grab onto your shoulders as the wind blows around us. I'll hand you my rope and then I'll try to extend the rope so that we can all have something to hold on to so we don't get lost or anything like that. Yeah. Yeah, mattress at the end. Yeah, that's right. Fantastic. Fantastic.

I'll say for this because it's the center of the story. Because it's in the center of the storm, this is less strength-based, and this is more finesse. This is controlling the wind with the shield at your front. Yeah. So make a finesse roll. All right, you got it, you got it, you got it.

So. Nope. Do you the rope give me like anything? Yeah, gave you advantage. Yeah, thank you, Matt. Oh, shit. Well, are we still rolling with disadvantage because of the storm?

Yeah. Oh, we're rolling at disabundage. So we go to minus like, Minus a D6. That is fucked up, bro. That is fucked up, bro. It's in your crevishes, dude. I don't know.

Can I give you advantage? Can I give him advantage and get me so hopeful for you? How do you want to help? I'm going to say, you are a protector. You're made for this. What? You're so big. What?

All right. Okay. Oh, you got a two. What are you got? You know you roll it. Oh, okay, I rolled it. I did, I got to four. All right, so that is.

Hello, it's fine. This one's. Okay. 14. 14? With. Oh, with hope. Yay!

Take the hope. Yes. Oh, I love you, Peppledy. On. I'm telling you. You'd be out here like, I'm telling you. Pushing through this storm using the direction

of Caguamah's specific instruction, you guiding them along the paths for the safest way through the dunes, you keeping an eye and helping the team conically push behind where you have your shield up there, and you trudge on for another 35, 40 minutes. Jesus. It's a slow, arduous climb through,

but it's already challenging terrain the up and down of a dense sand dust dune and broken land expanse, before eventually you come upon a number of shaded tents that are deeply locked down. They're low set except for one larger tent. And these are hardy, they are fixed. Whoever put these here are used to this landscape,

and these are built to withstand. Are there any symbols, any like the way the tents are made, anything that we would know about this caravan group at all. Is there any indication? Make a knowledge roll for me if you don't know. Actually, what is your knowledge? My knowledge is plus zero. Plus zero? Make a knowledge roll. Okay. But we are also, we both know it. So maybe if someone else has higher knowledge, do you have higher knowledge? Absolutely not. Okay, I'll roll it. Great. But we're not sick. Yeah. Can I think of that and then be like, chilly?

I'm the worst stomachache right now and there's sand in my eyes. I'm also going to use my... Are we just all shitting our pants as we are. I'm like, this is because I've got badger here and he's really stinky so like, you know, I'm just used to this kind of thing. I'm going to use my experience of you smell like

to use my sense of smell to find out if there's anything dangerous or dodgy going on. Or familiar or anything. She's great. Smells like sand. She's tossed. So. I was like shit.

Shit. Why am I rolling so badly? 9.11 with fear. I haven't rolled with hope once yet. No. No. No. The wind is quite strong.

You do not pick up any sense that are familiar as it blows anything by. You can see the shape of what looks like an ox, a beast of burden that is like on the ground, still affixed to a wagon that just kind of mm-hmm, it's kind of keeping itself settled in for the storm and you see shapes of other horses and other large oxen-like beasts.

Yeah, indeed, this is a mobile community of just looking at what few tents that are here, a few dozen immediately at proximity, and you can't see much farther beyond that because of the storm. The storm looks like it's starting to thin, but you can't pick up any particular sense. And with that,

a brief little instance. Look a sun in my really big eyes. We need to get you some goggles. I really need them. The storm passes by. You catch yourself, the clouded skies above. One of the oxen kind of gets up, shakes itself off, dushes, off the side.

Other beasts kind of rise up around it. With a better view, there are a few dozen tents. This is like a setup here. Just where we should have fucking rusted. And we don't swim water. And dead people. Yeah, burning the bodies. I automatically sort of seeing this go like to back away just because of my previous experiences of dealing with like people, caravans, community.

I kind of look, I look to you and say, I will find somewhere to. Be safe. You may all go inside and I just bolt away. Badger, go after him, keeping company. You bolt back

as you turn to run on the upper hill where you just wear, where you immediately look up into the silhouette of a hooded and cloaked figure standing there staring down at you. with what looks to be a long bow, partially knocked, just looking. I try and go the other direction.

You see their face itself swaddled with a thick scarf, obscuring most of their features, but their eyes looking over as you shift. Their arrow knocks and pulls tight in a, don't move. They're not firing, but they're definitely giving you the familiar look of stop. The rest of you, you all watch, he turns out and does this, you also notice.

Those of you have higher instinct, other shapes begin to pull off of the nearby dunes, some emerging from the tents, maybe 13 or so in the immediate proximity, emerging with patchwork, kind of cobbled armor, leather. Some of them just exposed, sunburnt skin, all men. manner of bright reds to dark browns, all spectrum of human to orc, to dwarf,

to a ragged-looking elf, with weapons of different makes. No real clear uniformity to what's been wielded or shown here. One massive, kind of ogre-ish-looking giant figure himself, with a large kind of gray pony tail that just juts off the top of a balded head that kind of flows with the remembrance of the wind. A singular eye that sits in the middle of his skull right there with these massive kind of arm blades that are attached to these braces and the sides that are currently folded back and kind of steps out and goes, Can I have you? What are you here for?

We were seeking refuge from the storm, but it's past, and therefore so shall we. No quite yet. Snaps, and you watch as number of figures on these dunes raise their arrows up and point them, the other figures pulled their blades out, not aggressively, but just showing them now, various hammers and hooked maces and such.

It goes like, you've wandered into Stiggs Company. Stig's. Steve. He goes, and as such, you don't leave without a conversation. I look at both of you. Steig. You know, Stieg? Do we know Stig? Do we know Stig?

You've heard of Stig's company. I, excuse me. Who speaks? Well now. What's your name? Me. I'm only asking questions here. My name's Ferroch,

a non-associate to Miss Steech. She was taking a nap. She likes it when it stole me. You understand, right? Yeah, yeah. Edra, right? Edra, yeah. Have you mad, the mistress?

Um, a long, long time ago. Good, and you know how this works? Put your things on the ground and we see what's useful. I turned back around to the team. I, a long time ago, traveled with these people. They don't seem to remember me, but they are, from what I last remember, quite ethical raiders.

They won't attack, but they do love attack. If there's anything you have that you don't really care for, just... So whenever your shoulder's like, Well, to talk, she says. Just, at least from what I remember, it's been quite some time. I don't know if the leader now has changed a little bit of the rules and agreements, but yes, I hope they will let us passage. Okay.

You could have my torch. I've got glowy eyes, so I don't need him anyway. Put it in the ground. Watch, I guess he points the blade like, sticks out out of the front, and kind of uses it like a pointer. I'll- I'll-bord-boil.

Take a handful of gold and toss it. Kind of like, gives you an odd look for the gold. It says, looks over to Bowen. It's not a sum of you got there. Fote on a boil. He's like, throws his shield, throws his helmet onto it, and kind of like begrudgingly, starts taking off his heavy plate armor.

It's like, oh, no. Poor Bowen. Could you help me assist in that? It's so, yeah. Are they implying that they want us to give them everything or just like a thing? We just give a thing. A thing? I don't know.

Well, yeah, I'll take out a big vial of, I think. I think I have some kind of creature's blood on me. And I'll throw it in the middle and I'll kind of just look up to see if that is enough to this Farrock fellow. And as you turn back to this other like kind of skulky-looking dwarf fella, very gaunt, kind of pointed features, patchy mustache that's like missing a big old gash where you could see a scar across. It was like, that's a nice skull you got there, boy.

You want the rest of your friends to Be kind in there. Generous offerings. Scowl's not for sale. Thanks, though. I'll look at you honestly. Throw something in. You can have one of my little bat, Scows.

There you go. This was my old friend. I just wanted him to have more adventures. But if you look after him, I'll give him to you. Um... I kind of... from back like this tattered book. And there's like a sadness as I kind of place it in the middle.

The various archers like re-knock their arrows tightly, building attention to the air here as the other figures have their weapons now a little more defensively splayed. The central large tent flap opens, And you see stepping out a massive half giant, half-org woman. You see, she also has a singular eye, but it is a deep, deep red color to it. Long black hair that's in these multiple braids

that are weaved in with metallic rings of brass and bronze. See, she wears this very dented breastplate, but like it has like hand-painted designs of it of multicolors and like a shoulder cloak that blows behind her in the breeze. She steps over to what you thought was like a, just a hitching post for one of the nearby Beasts of Burden. You now realize it's a blade.

It is a very dark, weathered metal, two-handed blade. She pulls it out and kind of uses it almost like a walking stick as she approaches, looking down to all of you, even a little bit down to you. She's about a couple inches taller than you. Nice. She looks over. I casually, very gently pull the hood a slightly, just ever so slightly, hoping that I might not be fully recognized.

You start saying this. Way there, Fass. This is how you all made your way on this, Steve's company today. Let's see what offerings you bring. She glances over. No, that there be slim pekins, huh? Well, Stimpeakins, get slim peckons.

Snaps the finger and somebody comes over and unrolls a satchel with a bunch of other interesting looking items. And you see they start laying out things of equal worth. It's like, I guess we aren't going to get too much trade on today, I will. Hmm. Other traitors. The other traitors! Hedra!

Eat are traitors? to do business. There's a pitch involved. There's something like that. I think. I want to. Here's a long of old. You can have one of my bird beaks.

It's funny. Suddenly all their tones be changing when you mention that this isn't some sort of a shedown. You should make this known before. Oh, my fault you don't know about Steve's company. But now you know. you do. So now you spread the world so other people don't have the same problems as you are. Yeah. Edra. Kagwama looks up ever so slightly.

Who be using my first name? Oh, Edra. Oh, look, it's the total tag. Are you still alive? I'm not quite sure. Oh no. My shell has really Really taking a number of hits, but it's good to see you. It is a thing to see you too. Anyway, Storm's done. He got business to do. What you're looking for.

They lay out a handful of odd objects. All right. You see. There is an odd cluster of, looks like polished wood, metal hinges. and folded fabric. And it just looks like a pile of junk, but with intentional construction.

It's just kind of haphazard and kind of janky-looking. You also see what looks like a bronze-ish cylinder a bit dinged up, but a beautiful make if a little like weathered and a hint of kind of black oil at the edges. And looks like a piece of

of dirty glass on one end. There is what looks to be a very kind of ragged looking bow that is settled on one edge of this mat. It looks like it's been broken or splintered in multiple places, but it still kind of holds a form to it. And there is a scroll set here on this. So what you're trading for me? I think.

Happy I don't fucking know. I know there was something because the people that had them previously seemed to be unhappy to see them go missing. Interested in the school. Kind of wanted to know what it says. I think it's the recipe book. Goes ahead and lifts it up, opens it up. Hands it over to somebody else.

It's a recipe. Tarasibi. Oh, for, um, looks like some sort of a recovery, uh, uh, oil or, uh, liquid. You should get that. You should get that. I still feel a little nauseous. An eyeglass. She reaches down, holds it up.

The eye can look, beep-p-p-p-p. Oh, yeah, her book. Yeah. I do say it is, but I do say it is, but. It's not really seen too far. Excuse me. And it extends. This is not for sale.

Why nobody tell me this how I'll be working? Then we just kind of like, backs away a little bit. Hmm. Side my people sometimes be not the best to be informing their mistress, okay. Shink, shing some butt. It's a nightglass. Throw a bag down.

Dilliam, you use a bow. a bow, so does that look nice? I don't know. No. Oh, all right. No, it looks rubbish. One's made out of bird bones. Loads bear. Maybe that one's magic. How do you know? I don't.

Can I look at it? Do I feel any magic coming off of it? Make a knowledge roll for me, if you don't mind. Ooh, can I add my experience eye of noot, toe of frog? Sure. I love that. So very fun. Oh, that's a crit. Oh, dang.

Oh my God. Take that hope, clear that stress. Oh, sweet. I get a hope back. It's interesting. You kind of lean forward in the boat. It looks kind of busted. Like the wood, normally it would be solid. This looks like it's been cracked and splintered out

in multiple places, like a branch that's been left to just be weathered over time. But the string is very toned, and you almost like, like go and pull the string for a bit, and the bow bends without issue, and where most bows would break at even just the slightest bit of tension with what it currently looks like. So it's fairly hardy with a crit.

You can see where the edges of the bow meet the string. There's, the only part that's not wood are these metallic caps, and the metallic caps themselves seem to have some sort of a scrolling on the edge. And you watch as it kind of bends back, The scrolling seems to flicker slightly. What do you think, sister?

Do you think it's better than my bird bone? I think you could string your bird bone with that. But I will take do. And what's the other thing, the bunch of cloth? That there is a major invention. See this right outside of old well down there and there's an old fella that likes to be putting stuff together. And he was real, real unhappy to see it go,

promised it had a lot of promise for the future. We don't know how it works, though. Into this thing and point to you. Yeah, you're, you're too big. That's true. Based off of like, yeah, what I'm looking at or what they're describing, can I discern what it is? Like what it...

It looks like a, like a, like a, Like a pile of junk. If you want to make a, if you want to really like take a minute and it's making a knowledge roll. Yeah, can I, can I, can I hold it? Shown and it kind of takes it. It's like, it's maybe about this big and it's like heavily folded onto itself, but it's also like bits of cloth falling from it. Kind of like.

Does it look wrapped? Parts of it? Oh, all right. It looks. I'll hold it out to the light. Minus your sick dice. Oh, awesome. Yeah, no, great.

Thank you. And what am I rolling with this? This one? Knowledge. Oh, great, okay. So four? Four, cool. You have no idea what this is.

You don't know if it functions as needed. You don't know if it's a hidden gem in the rough. It looks like there is intent there. The metal joints there do kind of like shift. There are joints and locks in them. I'll take it. All right. I see you on with a keen eye for special stuff.

All right, this is a special stuff. Whatever it is a special. Thanks. How many can we take? Well, see what you had to trade for you. I see there's a couple coins on the table. We see there's Batsko. You're welcome. You see there's a vital. Is that blood? It's life essence. Using it correctly. You can do many great things if you just I just believe. I'm really right. Debbie. It's not a whole lot to trade for maybe one of these things.

I perhaps have something that might bring you some comfort and perhaps some memories from the past. Now why pretend I won't want that, huh? Kagual Ma goes and rummages through their bag and pulls out this like, like, this like bird-like puppet. Yes, that sounds like. Do you remember?

Back. I know. I know when I first met you, you were just two. But you had such strength in your eyes. And I see you now. You've grown so much to be such. Your eye. Your eye.

But it was two, when she was little. I'm sorry about you. You see like two of the other members of the band, like, shit, you see, she said two. We as remember how you named Mr. Beeks. You see all the rest of the company kind of like leaning in. I need you to make a presents roll.

Yes, I do. Oh, God, I'm sweaty. I'm gonna be presents. This one. They'll help if they want to, but otherwise. Oh, oh, oh, oh. I do. I'm gonna, okay, I'm gonna do presents,

and I'm also gonna do my experience for dad jokes. And be like, do remember when I said, what did the ocean say to the beach? Is that 16 plus two. Oh no, okay, one second. Okay, okay, okay, math first. 10 plus 6 is 16, plus 2 is 18, plus 1 is 19,

minus 3. 16. Thank you. With hope. Ha ha! ha! Just take that hope. As Edra Stieg's glares at you, for her one eye begins to well up. What is happening?

Oh, man. I don't forgot about Mr. Beeks. I don't forgot was you that brought him to me. Around other scumers go, what? There ain't a lot of joy out here in the Shadowlands these days, but could you show me? Could you bring Mr. Beeks to life for me? Oh God.

Go on what's in their little... Oh my God. Very, very, very. very much. Oh, I missed you too, Mr. Brees. Oh, I always adored your beautiful humor and your leadership skills. There isn't many people out here who actually care about a ethical trading. And you always, you always find a way to find equity. We run about my cold for a reason. I learned that from you. I learned that from you.

Proud of you. Massive, meaty hand. I. Throwing the bird we gotta do. For at least two of them. But you, you kept me great company. And now it's in your company. Stakes company. I got the voice right, get it right. I get it right. I was like, no, I don't. Get it right. Get it right. What three pieces you want?

What's Bowens look like during all this? Bowen's just going, does just mean I can keep my stuff? Oh, honey, we don't be wearing any of that with these implies around here. They're able to kill us on set. Three things just for the bird? Not just any bird.

Not just any birds. I'm not being down on a lot. Big Sam. Damn, okay. It's brought great comfort, and these are really trying times. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sad I didn't get to know him more, he seemed great. It was a good time.

You should be sad. But that's how to roll out here in the salon, yeah. Right. Well, I think we should take the bow. The bow, the scroll. Yes, that's the scroll. I guess it's between the eyeglass and a pile of junk. It's not just a pile of chunk.

Yeah, I'll look down, I'll nod, and I'll gently place it. It seems so important. It will, but if it's meant to be, fate will have us meet again. You can take the eyeglass. I don't think we need it. I don't think we need an eyeglass. We know where we're going. I've got my big eyes.

I like then rescind. No, you are right. We don't need that eye class. We clearly need that eye class. I like move one of the hinges. Yeah. He's been having a hard day. He should have the pilot's chocolate. With him of it. Okay.

Well then, that is a fair trade. Very good. Folks didn't have much to give and that's in your better interests. Any more than that, we're just taking it. But, you know, take something, leave something. You gave, we gave. We both take you. That's how the Steve's company operate. So take care of, it sells where you're off too.

Looks over Bowen. If you follow in this one, y'all step in the whole's trouble. And heads back into her tent. Other folks lower their bows and start just going about their business. Okay. She was a good one.

I'm like looking at you like, what secrets do you have? Like you're like talking to, Talking to monsters and calming them. It's like, okay. What can I say? I just. Amazing.

We're gonna armor on. Who are you people? We don't know. Sherey. I'm gonna pick up that bow though and hand it to you. Funky. Grab that scroll. Yeah.

I'm gonna point out the little things on the end of the street. Yeah, the metal bits. What's it say? What is it say? Right, well, I'm not sure. Is it enchanted string or is it enchanted bow? What is it?

Nice. So you can, in theory, if you want to, take those bits off and with a little bit of time, affix it to your bow and your bow gets that ability. Oh. So you can keep your bow, but you can get that feature. I was going to say, because there's some bits that I don't want. Right.

Because one goes further. But what have we got? 2D6 plus 6. Can I add that? I don't know how it works. You can choose to keep your current bow stats or that bow stats, but you can flavor it as keeping the same boat. So it's up to you.

You could trade or not. I don't know. What is it? What is it? Right. Explain what you're saying. Meaning you can keep your current bows, traits altogether.

Or you can replace it with this one, but from a narrative standpoint, make it seem like you've just made your old bow with this new feature. That way you still keep the flavor of your old bow. Did you have an enchanted bow already? No. Is this enchanted?

Oh, it is magic? Yeah. What does that mean? It's volleyed. So you can spend a hope to target a group of creatures within range. Targets you succeed against take half damage. Oh, I'll take it. So you do extra damage.

Yeah, you do more. You can choose to hit a single target, or you can spend that to hit many targets in an area for half damage. You send an arrow that splinters into a volley. Oh, take it. I'll take it. Thanks. All good. You're a great enabler.

Okay. Take a little peek at this scroll situation. It's a tattered but fairly comprehensive breakdown of local herbs as well as somewhat dark means of utilizing what's referred to as Vite as a core component to craft healing salves and healing tonics within some some of the sketches in there you realize Vite,

oh, that's just, that's just blood, just as fresh blood. But you can utilize it to craft minor health potions if you have any interest during a downtime. And I will take the pile of shit. Matt, my stat block, please? I'm a steplock from the pile of junk and garbage. I mean, you can fuss with it if you want to right now.

It's not really operable. Help is only for one person, right? I think we should. I go to passing glance during the puppet exchange. And I'll hold up this thing and I go, do you have any idea what this is? I kind of come to you and I guess with all of my kind of weird gear

that I self put on it, I like tap it. Sweet, amazing. And I'm like, no. And is there anything I can actually like look at this thing to try and decipher, not necessarily a use for it, but like almost, like an invention, like a creative invention to it. I'll say the two of you, like you have some ingenuity in general

from just your experience of survival and the numerous pursuits that you've begun to step towards in your recent years here in the Salo Lands. You yourself a creature of unexpected renewal and a mind that instinctually comes at things from outside the box. The two of you begin fidgeting with this pile of junk for a number of minutes, as a few other members of the company walk by and be like,

good luck, brothers. And just keep on walking. Don't listen to long. You find this one like kind of brass ringed portion that's like caught on something. And it looks like it should twist, but it's stuck. And there's like springs inside. There's like almost like subtle clockwork or something

on the inside. You can't quite tell from this perspective, but you both kind of together, brace it and pull. And when you pull hard enough, it unfolds. The cloth that's been draped, she goes taut, and it looks like a makeshift bird

made of wood with metal joints and like sails under it almost. Oh, wow. I, you know what, can I, can I take it and find, like, throw it. But what I'll do is, I kind of, as this opens, I look back at you and the rope that you be used earlier,

I'm going to just tie it to one of the, like, maybe like one of the legs of this thing or the thing. And I'm going to walk towards, like, an open space, hoping that maybe the wind of the last sandstorm that has passed we're getting like dredges of and kind of feel it and throw this bird, but hold onto the rope, just to kind of almost see what happens. Yeah. As the winds begin to pick up a little bit subtly

from the tail end to the previous dust storm, you give it a chuck. The rest of you watch as other company members kind of are watching this whole thing silently as you throw it and it takes up for a second, before drifting down, it catches another burst of wind. It's not going up, but it's definitely a very metered descent with the wind before it comes to rest,

and you withdraw it. And there's a chorus of, you fucking kidding me! And it's like, I told you, yo my God! It's like, fuh. And like, when I felt that, with the, how taught was the, can I check the weight, essentially, of like, of, of, of, of, of, from the rope? Like, was it quite strong? It seems that, I mean, the pole isn't necessarily strong.

Like, it doesn't have a lot of pull behind it forcefully, but it seems like when you threw it in an arc and gave it a tug, it held pretty well. Yeah. I'm wondering, I think where my head is, it's like, it's almost, I kind of look to you and I'm like, I wonder if this contraption can slow descent of one light enough. And I kind of look to Dilley,

perhaps or a fun child's play toy. As I'm pulling this thing up. And am I aware, as I saw it open with us pulling that thing, am I aware of folding it back in place? You have no idea. Okay, right. It's just this massive. How big is it?

Well, the wings span from end to end with it unfolded is about, say, 10 or so feet, from end to end. But then the actual body of it is about four feet. So it's like far wider than it is long. With one long, thin tail that kind of goes behind that kind of acts as a rudder. And the wings on it just kind of act almost like parachutes slightly as much as they do wings. So it's more or less like a glider shoot. Yeah. Do you want me to have a go? I can jump. Yeah, sure.

No problem. Keep hold the end of that rope. All right. Yeah, I'll look at you, and I'll look at the contraption. I go, I think we were supposed to deploy this while falling, and now we have to hold it in all of its enormity and the rest of the time we wanted for. Dillie, would you please demonstrate it on top of a dude?

You can't hold it back to you. No. I don't think it was supposed to be. It's a one-time thing. It's a one-time thing. Oh, no. What if we just lug it around? No, see strong enough. Yeah, that's fine.

We're like a shield on your back. Yeah. Like you have wings. Yeah, exactly. Oh, like mine, I've got my bat wings and now you've got your wings. There we go. We're both together that way. That's beautiful.

Beautiful. Okay. Yeah, if you want to jump, I mean, the The wind's taken up. Did he get someone? Bro me up in the air! I got to pick you up and I just yop you. I'm like,

who go all the way. No! And you are just gliding on this thing. It's a very slow descent, especially with your weight on this, it's carrying, and you all, it's like watching a bird circling ahead, much like those carrion birds earlier.

I start pulling it down. I start pulling it down when you say that. I realize and think about what it could be marking, I like pull you. Fair. Withdraw it and indeed, like, it comes back down. It's, you know, fairly lightweight, and it seems fairly sturdy. And for you, you were barely much weight on it at all. So, I reckon, if any one of us wanted to do it, maybe not you, Mercy. But... Oh, I am terrified of heights, but I do my best. It seemed quite fun, though. I have a great time. Can I do it again?

Imagine having the eyeglass while up there. Run back. Throwing gold. Okay. You do notice that the company is in the process of pulling up their tents, and they're starting to repack to continue wherever their next journey would be. But the midday sun still blop like clouds, but brings a bit of necessary warmth to it, the break after the storm,

It seems like now would be a good time to continue your track. And you're not that terribly far away. You have one mark left on the journey countdown. To go to the tower? Yeah, to the tower. And you can see it here. It's not too far off to where you can make out this mass. The spire-like mesa, that is the long-eroded island

that once sat in the middle of this massive lake. at first glance as to how anyone even gets up or down from there. But from this point, you can see there are structures around its base. It looks like battlements, walls, towers, and all manner of small holes or balconies carved into the rock. You get the quick sense that there are likely pathways through this pillar that holds the tower itself. But among that also you see many groups moving around its base.

As you begin this track, you see Bowen kind of notably, like getting a bit dry mouth before kind of glancing over to the rest of you. So you're a very unique lot, definitely. is it you wanton here at the tower. I'm interested in knowing if there's any sign of the prophet. Oxidose? Yes. If we could perhaps have an audience with him.

Oh, I'm just a lowly temple. I'm not even a full example on that myself, so I don't know how much aid I can offer there. I've not seen oxytose myself, and nobody been living at the tower my whole life. You might want to have a strong reason. If you're making these miracles again, make a miracle, make them believe something.

I think they keep oxytose very safe, you know, if he's even still around. He's around. Oh, and what was your company's mission? And are you worried about returning? I was sent as the accompanying Templar. This is part of my ride of passage to becoming a full night with this troop.

We were traveling north to Edrhodo before the bird found us in our return. We've been gone for a few months. We were seeking texts of Xanthalos that were rumored to heralds and prophecy surrounding Jereida and their doctrine. But unfortunately, such texts. They were already taken by a wandering evangelist

of the Orford's smile, far to the north, and the current leadership of Adrodo has cast off the faith of the failed gods entirely. So they just gave it away. So we found it away. Nothing. Henry returned empty-handed, only to be slaughtered. So I'm not excited to deliver this information

to any of the Archons. What's up this city that you're looking for? A chance of renewal. A chance of peace. Glanders off to the tall, darkened shape of the tower. Peace. Come on. Who wants to see to this last leg of the journey?

Real quick, you said Adrodo? Adrodo. Edrodo. And what are the names of the texts again? Xanthalos, as he mentioned, and there were texts. So Xanthalos, you would know specifically, is the failed god of empathy and obsession. The symbol of Xanthalos

commonly is an engraving of a lotus flower. I'm happy to bounce along, leaping as I, leaping as I look about where the path goes, looking for little pockets of shelter, guiding us to the tower doors. All right. You could make, make an instinct, pardon me,

an instinct roll, and just, but boom, sometimes, body's gonna body. Make an instinct or a knowledge roll, Your choice. Instinct. All right. That's correct.

Yes. Oh, geez. Yes. Take a hope and mark a stress away. Gee, go for it. Learning the mechanics. Thank you. I keep forgetting something.

With flying colors at this point, there are two chasms that wind through this portion of the sands, and they tend to be abrupt when they approach. It's almost like you realize the dune is slipping before you're already starting to slip at the dune. with the dune. But you see this coming a mile away. Without an issue, you guide the folks around. And you remember what makes a lot of these chasms, because you see far off movement beneath one of them, something shifting under the ground, almost causing the dunes to change shape and formation as it does so. But thankfully, you chose the northern trek on the opposite end and entirely avoid, whatever this might have been. Stepping closer still the midday gray sky framing the black monolith of this rising destination before you. You can now see kind of off the edges of this beautiful obsidian in silver Gothic cathedral-like tower.

There are numerous chains and winches that dangle off to the side. and what look to be platforms or cages that are slowly rising up or going down off of it, with figures inside, people traversing rapidly from the tower itself to the ground through these controlled elevator-like, uniquely terrifying means of travel. Among these various kind of balcony outcroppings from the actual rock pillar that holds it itself, you see ballista fixed. At its base, you see numerous towers that rise up with what look to be Templars

or soldiers there at the ready with crossbows and long bows. There are small soldiers kind of patrolling around. This is an encampment. This is a militaristic boundary around the tower itself. You also look up as you get glances of more light, more detail

as you draw ever closer. There are aspects of this tower that shift in color. You see rows of green. And you realize that there's, it looks almost like forests growing on some of the levels of this Gothic tower. A lot of interesting things happening here with the Tower of Oxides. And you also recognize that as you can make out

these details upon your approach, others, have made the details out of yours. As a company of about 20 armored soldiers is marching straight for you. That's where I'd take a break. That's a wrap for part one of this podcast episode. Part two will land here the Tuesday after this episode at 5 a.m. Pacific,

and we'll pick up this story right where we left off. Until next time, keep the Umbra at bay, and we'll be back for more of this adventure before you know it. Thank you.