Critical Role - The Rampart and Beyond | Age of Umbra Episode 4 Part 1

Episode Date: June 26, 2025

Part 1 Foes and friends await the group as they journey through the ruined landscape of the Halcyon Domain, destiny guiding their steps... 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 AGE OF UMBRASmall communities hold fast against the darkness of a dying world in Age of Umbra, a dark, survival fantasy 8-part Daggerheart mini-series with Game Master Matthew Mercer and players Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Travis Willingham. Death lurks around every corner, but five characters of the small community of Desperloch must band together to fight for hope for their community, risking it all for those they love. BEACONCurious 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. CREDITSKey Art & Character Art by Anthony Chong Jones | @robotpencilPlayer Miniatures by Hero ForgeSpecial thanks to Solar Simon DMMain Theme Song by Omar FadelSet Design by Shaun EllisSet Fabrication and Production Design by Noxweiler Berf Due to the improv nature of RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If hearing discussions of 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

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 presales, 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 a part of our community. Hey there, Critters! This is Ashley Johnson. And Tellus and Jeffy. 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 upbringings to embracing all the delightfully odd interests we still have today. We're covering so many 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, Matthew Mercer here, and you're listening to the podcast version of Age of Umbra,

a dark tale and campaign setting from our recently released tabletop RPG, Daggerheart, from Darrington Press. You don't need to know anything about the rules or system to enjoy the story, but if you're inspired to wanna play along, we have several short how to play resources we lovingly call

Get Your Sheet Together, available to watch right now on Beacon.tv and youtube.com slash Critical Role. This is part one of the episode right now, and part two arrives the following Tuesday. If you'd rather get instant and ad-free access to the full episode, consider becoming a Beacon member where you can watch bonus content like the cast discussing each episode and Critical Role cooldown, receive Critical Role shop discounts, including on Daggerheart, and much more. Sign up now at beacon.tv. And that should cover it. Now, let's dive into the adventure. Hello everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode of Age of Umbra. Yeah!

Before we jump into our episode tonight, we do have some announcements to get through. Liam, you're up. It's behind me, isn't it? Anyway, I got comic news, comic news. Vox Machina Origins, series one, is now releasing in print for the first time, versus digital only as single issues

complete with brand new glossy covers. Yay! Each issue will feature brand new cover art from artists like Francesco Francovilla, Duncan Fregredo, and Max Dunbar. Oh, he's going down for another one! No! See where Critical Role's first campaign

adventuring party began, and ask for it now at your friendly local comic shop. Awesome, thank you Liam. And with that. It began. I believe that concludes our announcements. So let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr The I'm going to try to get a little bit of a better view of the The The End Hello and welcome to this next session The End

Hello and welcome to this next session of The Age of Umbra. Where last we left off, your troop had left your village of Desperlok after the unfortunate corruption of your teenage friend, Aaron, caused her to transform into a terrifying, unfortunate corruption of your teenage friend, Arren, caused her to transform into a terrifying, umber-touched beast, which then snuffed the sacred pyre flame,

leaving Desperlok with only so much time to survive against the horrid dark, with the threat of an umbral wind some point in the near future. You are one of two troops sent out in search to confirm, oh no, women, a rumor. That blessed branches still might exist, unfound and unsparked.

The one that you were told to seek supposedly lies within the Barrow of Blind Repose. and unsparked, the one that you were told to seek. Supposedly lies within the Barrow of Blind Repose, the tomb of the heretic Saint Evaliar in the idle hollows north of the Astrofoundry beyond Amber Reach. You were granted a map, some provisions, and you trekked out into the wilds of the jungle. And when those trees began to subside

across the oceanside cliffs, past a raging river of a smashed bridge, until eventually you stepped onto the beginning of your trek across the Sunken Rampart, the massive, crumbling outer wall of what was once the exterior perimeter of Amberreach. Now the rising of the Ashen Sea since the apostasy, the ocean laps angrily against the base of this wall.

And the neighborhood that it once protected now lies deep under the waters. Pushing on into the night, and the neighborhood that it once protected now lies deep under the waters. Pushing on into the night with little light, but your conjured, aether-weaved flame guiding you forward, you push into the dark, the burning light of the sacred pyre of your destination, Vokoru, distant but present, a guiding light here in the shadow. So, hearing the sounds of crashing waves below,

a faint wind that blows in proximity, and the gentle rainfall that's continued to persist since earlier in the day, you are waterlogged, you are freezing, and every now and then you catch an errant sound, sourceless, that causes you to jump and continue forward. Who is leading this trek through the darkness to navigate the somewhat precarious rampart?

the somewhat precarious rampart. I don't think I have dark vision or anything. I have dark vision. August does. Come on, August. Do I get a bonus for dark vision or no? Dark vision just means there isn't a disadvantage to the attempt. I would like you to make an instinct roll for me

to navigate and perceive the safest path across this rampart of night. Don't kill us. I'm going to attempt, this is a kind of vague experience thing that I have, and this might be a good usage for it, but I feel like I would get some confidence because I absolutely am supposed to be here. That's your experience? Yeah. You can pass it off if you like.

That is delightfully vague. Yeah, you're welcome. It's more of a social thing, I just thought I'd try. Yeah, as a social thing, maybe. In this instance, I say it will not aid you. It's an escalation. Do you know who I am? That literally is, because I don't, who would my?

All right, here we go. You smash the door. I'm supposed to be here my? All right, here we go. He's back to the store. I'm supposed to be here. It's a... Eat the sandwich, I'm supposed to be here. Absolutely supposed to be here. Yeah. No worries.

What is it? It's instinct. Instinct. That's a crate. Okay. It sure is. Get that home. Fantastic. Great start. Ten to ten. What number you ten. Okay, ten to ten. Ten to ten.

So great. So take that hope, clear a stress. I'm taking that hope and clearing the stress. That makes life a lot easier. We should all get a hope. I feel like you keep taking my hopes. I agree. Yeah, and I should get a fear

every single time any of you will. Hey, let's not do that. Okay, okay, okay. I'm just saying, we balance the rules this week. All right, all right. Or we'll stick with that again. Okay. Okay. I'm just saying, we bounce the rules as we need. All right, all right. Or we'll stick with that, okay. Okay.

He he he. Thankfully, this side of the rampart isn't so heavily weathered by the terrible sundering of the land in the wake of the apostasy. And this initial portion of the rampart's walk is intact, the occasional fallen, crumbled bit. The two edges of the massive wall itself keeping that stone bridge between them,

where once a hollow interior of this wall allowed the old armies of Amberreach to move throughout to store things. And you manage to catch a few areas where the above stone platforms have tumbled inward, leaving a plummeting hole of 30, 40 feet below into what may be either ocean if it's filled, or just whatever hard stone lies below.

But you peer one, peer a second one, and eventually a large section that has collapsed inward, you make note of, and you all manage to maneuver around without issue. The evening draws on, and three more hours of going across this rampart, the rain is cold, the exhaustion sets in a bit. Do you push on? Gotta get to town. Gotta get to town. I gotta get to town. Okay. The exhaustion sets in a bit. Do you push on?

I'm gonna get to ten. Gotta get to ten. I'm gonna get to ten. Okay. I would like you to make another instinct roll for me. Come on, another crit. Double it up. Just crit it. 11 with hope.

Okay. You gain a hit. 11 with hope. Okay, you gain 11. But the rampart begins to grow slightly more precarious the further in you go. The tide seems to be rising. As what was once a gentle crashing of water becomes heavy waves.

Occasionally the spray of sea catches your cheek from the left-hand side, and part of your imagination wanders to imagine this wall being swallowed whole before you can get across. You don't catch it, because you're focused on the path ahead, but the rest of you here. Oh. but the rest of you here. SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT making hooting noises. TRAVIS and SAM and MATT making hooting noises.

Sorry. Is that your tummy? Yeah. I have some chestnuts. Just like that. Leaning at the bridge. That was behind you. Another one also behind you, but almost to the other ear.

That wasn't me. I think we're being followed. Should we turn and look? You turn around and it is dark. You have enough light to see immediately around you for about 15, 20 feet. A little further for you because of your dark vision. I was about to say, yeah.

We don't want to fight on this bridge. But that sound sounded like it was a few hundred feet, a thousand feet. You're uncertain in the distance, but it was not immediately nearby. Should we try and move faster? I think so. I think we move faster. Can we run?

Can we run? Can we run? Run! Run! It's the dark. No! Don't run in the dark. We're going to definitely move. I also do have a damage to.

Are you moving with haste, or are you carefully progressing? We should move with haste and take the chance because we are carrying a light. Yes. I can also, yeah. So. We're fucking standing out in the dark.

Let's go. All right, so I'm gonna ask for a group roll. Since you are navigating the dark, you are helming this group roll. Plus I'm an Ashley today again. So for this, so you'll roll last. This is going to be an agility roll across the group. And because it is raining,

the final roll will be made of disadvantage. Oh, so you subtract a d6? The final roll, I'll subtract a d6 from it. Can I spend a hope to add a d6 for myself? Add a hope, you cannot help yourself. You can't help yourself. You can't help your allies. This is not a fourth game. It does.

I'll also say I I get advantage, perceive details within darkness, advantage to hide, investigate, or perceive details, but this is not navigating. This is not slipping on the slick stone as you charge rapidly into the dark. Fair, fair. So, let's go around with the rest of you. Agility rolls, please.

I think I get advantage on this because of my steady Ridgeborn feature. No? This is not mountainous territory, necessarily. And I'd say in this instance, because you cannot see in the dark, I will not grant that advantage. Okay, great.

Wow. Just stop. Do we need to switch now? Say it out loud, he's pointing to you. Just stop. Five with fear. Okay, so that's a minus one. Do we need to switch gears? Say it out loud, he's pointing to you. Just stop. Five with fear. Okay, so that's a minus one. Do we need fear and hope?

Does that? No, you don't gain fear and hope in a group. Nine. Only the final one does. Nine. Nine. Minus two. 17 with hope. Okay, that's a plus one.

16. Okay, that's a no bonus to your final roll. Roll an agility check for me. Oh, Matthew fucking Mercer! Minus six. What does he roll? Does a crit happen here? Does that work? Like a crit with fours? Crit happens.

Look at the confidence. Mathematically, you guys are busting shit up on this. Somewhere in the ether, there's a de Rolo going, well done, well done. I'll remember this. Can I just have some of that? Just a little. Do you want to trade dice? Do you want to trade? Can we trade fear dice? Yeah, we can trade fear dice.

Yeah, because maybe that'll happen. Actually, I'm not going to use your fear. I'm going to use my other fear dice. It's all uphill from here. As you all begin to pick up your pace, rushing through the night shadow, the majority of you not having much vision beyond what is barely immediately in front of you

as August pushes into the dark. You slide and slip, and there are a few moments where some of you almost begin to lose your footing, but your fellow allies reach out and grab your shoulder instead of you as you continue to run. Woo! Getting louder and louder, the flicker of the flame,

possibly being a beacon drawing something from the shadow in your direction, but you continue pushing on. You mark out and point out with as much volume as you feel is absolutely necessary to reach the ears of your allies with the quickness in which you're traveling to mark that hole, mark that gap there.

At a certain point, the wall comes to a stop, and there is a small stone bridge that it crosses to the other half of what looks like another buttressing wall on that side. And you stop before you all end up pummeling over the side, one after another, pushing into each other, but you stop it in time, August, and you carefully move across that bridge

and continue on to the adjacent wall, forward to the next segment of the sunken rampart. This goes on for another hour or so. Your lungs are starting to burn. The heat inside is almost, as much as it hurts, it's welcome in comparison to the freezing temperature of your extremities. And you're about half or so way across the rampart,

you hope, from what you recall, seeing the distance before the light of day left you. You can see the flame of Valkor is still ahead. Is it larger? It's hard to tell, but you press on. Woo! Louder still. Should we extinguish the flame and do it in the dark?

I'm going to extinguish the flame, but I'm going to just lead in the dark, since I can actually, I do have dark. Well, Daisy Chain, hands on shoulders. All right, this will lessen your pace. I'm gonna push Missy off the right part. I need you to make an instinct roll, a group roll one more time.

Actually, for this, because they're not able to really help you, because they can't see much in this space, this isn't gonna be a group roll one more time. Actually, for this, because they're not able to really help you, because they can't see much in this space, this isn't gonna be a group roll, this is just you rolling. And since it's instinct, I still can't use my advantage. He's absolutely supposed to be here. Not anymore, this doesn't make any sense with that.

I was making that. I know. Yeah, I know what I was thinking. Can I spend a hope? Whoa. To? To help him look for where we're supposed to go. You can spend a hope to give him an advantage, if you'd like. Yeah. May I? Yes, okay. It feels like it would be a good time.

Oh, you roll the hope, huh? I was like, it was almost, yeah. You want us to go first? Yeah, here we go. Two. That's okay, so two, that's 16 with hope. 16 with hope, okay, so take a hope. I'm full.

Here in the dark, without the light guiding you, you have sight, but the slickness of the rain is slowing you, and the further you press on, the rampart is crumbling more and more. Strongest at its base towards the mountains, now whole sections of it have fallen into the ocean, and you hear the splashing of the heavy waves, the promise of being crushed and lost,

drowned or worse beneath the waters that even your sight cannot match. You cross back over to the initial wall side as another bridge pulls across and a whole segment of the wall has fallen. You see now, a lot of these bridges have been built with newer materials, where whole segments and gaps in this wall

have been reconstructed and reinforced for travelers that wish to traverse this. And those of you who have traveled to and from Desperlok, pick up and remember traversing these bridges during lighter hours, because it's folly to attempt this at night. lighter hours, because it's folly to attempt this at night. You are about two thirds beyond the rampart as you hear it again.

Yarrgh! Yarrgh! Do we also hear anything like flapping of wings? Yes. No wings. Of splashing noises, like it's swimming. Do we hear any other context clues? Direction.

This is where the sound's coming from. Roll an instinct roll for me to see if you can take up any details beyond just the ever louder howling. About fucking time. Sorry. Thank you. You're welcome. 19 with hope. Yay! Take that hope.

Finally! Why does he have to go through that fear? Okay. Yeah. All right. Never again. You do not hear any wings beating against the sound of rain splashing against the stone surfaces and the crashing of waves.

It is very challenging to make out anything specific. But you do hear... Cough. Cough, cough, cough. Lock. A heavy impact that seems to be irregular. Irregular. And you also hear... a heavy impact that seems to be irregular. Irregular. And you also hear,

Grrr. Something's up here now. Grrr. Grrr. Grrr. Grrr. Does it sound like two? You hear two communicating.

You're not quite sure how far they are from you, but they're as loud as they've ever been. Clever girl. I'm gonna spend a far they are from you, but they're as loud as they've ever been. Clever girl. I'm gonna spend a fear. Uh-oh. As you reach close to where you imagine, there is one stretch of the rampart that for hundreds of feet is just gone.

It is completely washed away, and a long bridge has been built that hangs, and when the wind's blowing in particular, it is not safe to traverse. Thankfully, the wind is not as strong right now, but you know it's not that far ahead, Snicks. You can't be that far ahead. As you begin to recall and about to note this, there is another part of a small bridge that crosses over from one half the other side of the rampart, and as you rush up, you catch it just in time, August, along with Brixton noting what you hear,

that part of the stone bridge has fallen and collapsed. And you now reach an edge where there is nowhere to go, other than maybe a 25, 30 foot gap to the other side. And you also hear and you also hear an impact across the way of where you were. TRAVIS and SAM and TRAVIS And the ones that we heard before this, do they sound closer than they have before? Like the closest we've heard the noises? MATT They're probably somewhere within 100 to 50 feet of you now. MARISHA and ASHLEY It's about ten to 12 feet wide view now. How big is this platform that we're on, and is there any?

It's about 10 to 12 feet wide from side to side. I can't see across it, but we... You can barely see what little bit of light is breaking through the occasional clouds. You can see the outer shape, it's slick with the rain, and the reflection on it giving just the faintest of outlines. I do want some light. Whatever it is, they already know we're here.

But we're trying to get across this chasm, right? You also hear, as the wind picks up slightly, the wet creaking of heavy iron. I know what this is. We're on a foley stage of a movie, a movie editing place. There's like an elevator or like a chain bridge or something, we just can't see it. Do we see any type of chains affixed to the edge here

that drape down? It's dark, right? No chains, but as you're looking down and in front of you, it is pitch black except for what little bit of moonlight occasionally escapes through the clouds, and you hear the sound. It's not from below, it's from above. I'm gonna fly up as soon as I see.

You look over, you fly up? Yeah. As you fly up, your head almost hits something above you and you move out of the way, and you see there's a large, and you've seen these before. You'd forgotten about them in the rush here, but there are large arcing pieces of metal

where cages hang, human-sized cages. And as you float up into it, it's occupied, and you see a tiny little person inside staring back at you, their fingers entwined in the cage. Hello. Would you like to come to the table? What?

Oh, really? Oh, snap. Who's this now? Who is this mystery person? Who is this person? Who is this mystery person? Who is this person? Oh boy. Oh boy. What?

In a cage? Laura Bailey, if you would like to describe what August sees soaking wet inside this metal cage hanging above the rampart. You see in front of you a very small girl with pale white skin and pale white hair. Her dress looks nice, but is tattered. And she's looking at you very innocently. Hello? I have to warn you, it really hasn't been that long

since a young girl turned into a giant black ooze monster, so I'm going to be a bit careful right now. A young girl turned into a giant black ooze monster, so I'm going to be a bit careful right now. I'm not a giant ooze monster. We'll be the judge of that. How, what's your name? I'm Medelia. What's your name? August, pleasure.

We both start with A's. We do, why are you in a cage? Oh, well, a very holy man put us in here. Although I don't think he was very holy. Oh, my friend, he's in a cage too. Can you let us out? We're very hungry. August, who are you talking to up there? Do you have friends?

Yes, technically. Are you her friend? You're a light! What the fuck are you doing up there? Hold on. That's actually not true. You know there are monsters around here. We are well aware. Do you know how to get across, by any chance? Sure, if you let me out, I'll show you.

You have to let my me out, I'll show you. They're offering to... You have to let my friend out, too. They're offering to... If they're in the cage, you should probably ask why they're in there in the first place. Well, apparently a very holy man put them in there. A holy man? I mean, not that holy.

Oh, she's a tiny girl. Yes. I am a tiny girl. If they are considered heretics, then perhaps we should reconsider this. Well, I'm considered heretic technically, so. We could just leave them and keep going. Yeah.

Yes, yes, that's a good idea. I'm with some of you. Please don't, we haven't eaten in a long time. We don't have any food. What do you eat, people? No, food. How did you get in here? Look, mom put us in here.

A man? You know, the worst thing is we're going to have to throw something. How close is it sounding? How do we open the gate? You listen and look over and about 30 feet behind, you see the shape moving out of one of the rampart, half-covered walls, what looks about the size of a large tiger, maybe a bit larger than that,

from what you can glance and see, its body and shoulders seem to be bulbous and almost like the back of a massive toad. And a tail whips and cracks into the stone behind, and the way its head's moving, it looks like it's sniffing in the air. August, whatever you're gonna do, do it first! The coin.

Me and Screeve can help you. How do we open the cage? Um, well, I think you need a key. Can you break a lock? Well, we're about to find out. Have you seen the bridge? Yes. I was on the bridge.

I'm gonna find whatever passes for a lock on this cage. There is, above at the very top of the iron, out of reach to the very apex, there is a massive metal bolt that is pushed through that holds the cage there, and there is an iron lock on it that is latched tight. It is heavy, thick iron that is rusted. Well, this'll be amusing.

If you get Screevout, he can probably help you. He's very good with locks. Which direction? Over there. She notes across the way, the other side of the rampart where the other secondary growl was coming from. We don't even know how far. About 30, 35 feet. Oh, I'll book over there. You're gonna fly, you're leaving.

He left us. He left us. He left us. No. You fly off to the other side and see a secondary cage dangling and hanging. There was a growl over there. You're fine.

I'm going to stand next to Idle. I left a light there. And draw my sword. The Veiled Gods are testing us. You are. And how far up are the cages? They're about 10 feet above you, maybe a little less than eight feet above, dangling.

I'm going to try to reach my arm up then and try to just see how I could maybe try to unhook or help. Reaching your hand up, you can reach the bottom of the cage, but it is a solid bottom of the cage. You would have to climb up onto it and then break or pull the lock, which you could attempt if you want to.

Okay, I reach my hand out. I'll do that. Oh, hello. You're going to try and break it? I'm going to hop up onto, bouncing off of Misty, I will hop up onto the cage and try to catch myself on it. Okay, so you leap up.

It's easy enough to do off of her back to catch onto the cage, and the cage immediately just swings a bit with momentum. SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and I am young. Is this the one at 30 feet close? What do you look like? I'm a goat man.

Oh yes, you have horns. I'm a little girl. Like a human girl? Okay. Yeah. I think he asked you already, you're not a dark shadowy ooze creature? LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and Cool.

I have a crowbar that was given to me. I'm going to try to, one hand hang on, one hand jam it in. And cry. I'm going to put my arms out and hold onto him so that he doesn't fall when he tries to do this. Are they cold? Your arms, your hands. Yes, I am very cold and wet. Ugh. But don't worry. All right, go ahead and make a strength roll for me, please.

Not my fort. That would be 17 with fear. 17 with fear. Where's mine? You jam it in once and it only gets partway in there. It rocks a little bit from the momentum. You pull back and the second time, slam it in and it gets just enough leverage.

You put your legs back against the side. You almost have to let go from where he's wedging himself in there. And as you, you pull and it snaps. The bolt bends and the cage lands onto the top of the rampart itself and rolls for a few feet. You have to back out of the way, and just in time. ASHLEY. I want to try to help it so she wouldn't get hurt.

MATT. Right. And you manage to do so. She doesn't get hurt, but the process and the expectation of this does mark a stress on you from the sudden impact of it in stopping the cage there. Across the way, you have floated up to the secondary cage, and here you see, indeed, another figure is awaiting, far taller than the first one you saw. If you wouldn't mind coming to the table.

Oh! Who is it? Who's it gonna be? Who's it gonna be? Could be anybody! I've got too much stuff. I've got too much stuff. I didn't bring my water.

So much stuff. I'd deal, Adelia? Adelia, Adil-diz-ia. Adelia. Adelia. Adelia. Wait, Adelia or Adelia? Adelia. Adelia and three. Adelia or Adelia? Adelia.

Adelia and Scree. Who's come over? Taliesin's character? Yes. August. August has come over? Red robe, red rider. Spider-Man has come over.

Something is standing in the cage, waking in the cage. Ah, Adelia. Oh no. Screeve. Screeve. That's my name, it's yours. SAM and MARISHA and LIAM and SAM and MARISHA and LIAM and SAM and LIAM and SAM and MARISHA and LIAM and SAM and LIAM and the cage impacts hard from some sort of unseen force. As it begins to rock back just out of your vision, you see a monstrous form of some panther or tiger-like entity that has leapt onto the cage

itself. The metal itself is almost bending down from the sheer weight of it and just an inch from your face as it comes by. You see its jaw open up. Where the eyes are, are just flesh film covered bulbs on the front and a massive red pink snout that is filled with teeth. Along the back of its shoulders, you can see all manner of heavy fur and spines that protrude from it. I'm going to pull a map out to show you the whole thing.

TRAVIS and SAM and LIAM, cheering, booing. LIAM, as Gryffindor, the man, says, Oh, August, it's a party in the house. Oh, Jesus. Oh, we got water! Oh, that's our cages! Okay, this makes perfect sense. Look at you guys in there. So. Oh, that's awesome. That's cool.

Yeah. We've got a room for everything. You have been pulled from this cage. And there you are. What a cool map. Okay, so I'm out of the cage. You are out of the cage at this point. As it fell and broke open, the front door swung open.

Man, this is awesome. Look at the white caps. What the hell? This is awesome. And you are right there trying to help you. Hello. This is so precarious. It is precarious, which is fun.

You're very big. The intent. I am very large. Right on this side. And you also just helped get her free and leaped off on that side. You're keeping up with Brixton. Mm-hmm.

I'm looking down the rampart, that thing turns your way away. I'm just gonna have more of my wings over Adelia. Just to protect from the rain. And here, August, is where you are currently floating. Yep, right there. Or yeah, more or less right next to the cage. On this cage.

Oh boy. What is that? Is this monstrous creature. One of two that has been hunting you. As you've been keeping an eye across the other path you've been coming from, heading this direction towards Valkorou, this is the one that's been stalking you from the other side. Oh boy.

Okay, this'll be fun. So friends, who would like to take an action first? Too close for me. I'll throw a Bolt Beacon. Throw a Bolt Beacon? Yeah. That's a close or far range? Far, please.

Yeah, definitely within range. Go ahead and make a roll for me. That is 14, 15, 16 on a spell cast roll with magic. That hits, yeah. Amazing. That'll light them up, makes them temporarily vulnerable until the condition is cleared, and that does, nice. Eight, ten, ten points of magic damage. That was with hope. With hope. With hope, yes, take that hope, great. Ten points of magic damage. That was with hope.

With hope. Yes, take that hope. Great. So ten points, you said? Yes. All righty. So as that beacon slams into that creature, as it's getting ready to pounce, it backs up for a second. The golden white flame that burns around it makes it suddenly a vibrant target in the middle of this shadow,

lights up the entirety of the slick stone around it, makes it suddenly a vibrant target in the middle of this shadow, lights up the entirety of the slick stone around it, and gives you a very immediate view of everything around. The water falls down 25, 30 feet into the crashing surf below where there are all manner of jagged rocks and fallen ruin, and the gap that lies between where you are and where you need to be as both of these beasts begin to slowly collide. MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA are talking at the same time. I was squaring up with Eidol, and so Brixton is going to run over, soar it out. All right. Yeah, you can travel to close the gap to nail it.

Haratu, redeem us! Yes! 17, 18, 19 with hope! There you go. Success! Go ahead and roll damage. Thank the Lord, maybe today will be my day. Okay, that's going to be eight, 12 physical damage. 12 physical damage, great. So it marks two hit points there. At the end of your turn, oh wait. 12 physical damage, I'm actually going to,

seeing it on the edge, I'm going to spend a hope. I'm gonna add a d6 to that and gore it with my tusk. Go for it. So I'm just going to go ahead and swing, and then I'm gonna basically head-bet forward with it. Yes, I can, I just have to spend a hope, and I haven't fucking had any. All right. For an additional...

Two damage. Two damage. That does mark another health point. But it's something. Great. I'm going to spend a fear to take the spotlight, even though you had succeeded on my end there. You can do that? Oh yeah, do that.

I just haven't had the necessary... Illegal. That is haven't had the necessary. Illegal. That is literally one of the things. Oh, I'm looking in the book right now. Go for it, I'm a GM Woods buddy. I'm a GM. That's a run-through between a TV

and toy commercial for a second. Yeah. You can do that? Yeah. I've been patient as we got through the rules here, but the GM can spend a few to jump in. Wait, wait, all of us should do it at the same time. One, two, three.

You can do that? And you can too, as the GM of us should do it at the same time. One, two, three. You can do that? And you can too, as the GM of the Game of Daggerhound. Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Toys R Us.

Ah! Ah! RG. As it lights up, all of you look over towards these two creatures and you recognize them, because you've run from these types before. Oh no. These are pain beasts. Oh no. Pain beasts and SAM and MATT and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and

You've delivered their flesh now, too. SAM and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and MARISHA and MATT and Isn't everything a pain beast? But that one that you've both marked in Slashdads angrily going to one, I'm going to spend a fear to remove its condition. It is no longer temporarily vulnerable. With my nightlight! I know. But as that one activates, it's going to go ahead and, oh, actually, that's a good point of order there,

so you did mark two more hit points. I'm also going to spend a fear to have a Tide Spine protrude towards you, Brixton, and you take 11 points of physical damage as you strike it with your weapon and the spines cut into your armor and push you to the ground with a burst of pain throughout your entire circle of attack. I'm going to into your armor and push you to the ground with a burst of pain

throughout your entire circle. I'm going to spend an armor to reduce it to one. You got it. Now, as its action, it's going to go ahead, I'm going to spend a fear to use its venomous tail against. Four fears this turn. Yeah, well, this is activation.

No, for sure. But it's the thing, it's expensive to do my turn out of order because it costs an additional fear to do that. Inside of us all there are four wolves. That's going to be 11 to hit you, Brixton? Yes. All right. So as it rears back, it flexes its hind legs

and its tail, which you just saw whipping in the shadow, all of a sudden arcs overhead, has these two massive jag, curved points to it, almost like a scorpion stinger. It sinks into the back of your shoulders, and you take 13 points of physical damage. Okay. That's a bigger strike.

And you are poisoned until you heal a hit point. Until I heal a hit point. You feel it course through your body and as you buckle to one knee, you have disadvantage on all action while you're poisoned. I'm gonna once again drop, is that if I take damage or I'm just poisoned regardless? You're just, you're poisoned now until you heal a hit point.

I just didn't know if I reduced it down to zero damage, if that would negate that. You're poisoned now, until you heal. I just didn't know if I reduced it down to zero damage, if that would negate that. No, the poison still goes into your system. Okay. I will drop another armor. Well, here, I'll tell you what. Since you're negating the damage, if you were to negate it entirely, then I would allow it. That would logically make sense to negate the poison. MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and That's what guardians can do.

That's what guardians can do. Because I can spin two to drop it all the way down. So as it strikes into the back of your armor, you crumble into a ball and let the majority of the plate catch it. It pierces it and it scratches the top of your neck, not enough to actually pierce the flesh, and you feel the venom fill the back of the chest plate, but it doesn't inject into your torso. MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA are talking at the same time. who wants to go next? I would really like to, yeah, I was going to say, we've got to open that cage. Well, since no one knows what I look like, I'll take this chance.

Yes, please. There is a gaunt, gaunt motherfucker inside this cage, all bent up in a pretzel like I am now, with scraggly white hair, one side shaved, wrapped in leather and black cloth strips all over his body, except for a big diamond titty window right here. There is a silver ring threaded through the flesh

of his chest, and arms are bare in there, a little ring, silver rings in his flesh there as well. And he starts banging his hands on the inside of the cage. You see there's little black gloves or something, but you hear metal hitting metal and he says, Hiccatee, hiccatee, hiccatee, hiccatee! And I will use Enrapture and make a spell cast roll on the pain beast to draw its attention towards me. Oh, that's 15 with fear. 15 with fear.

Oh no, no, no! Alrighty, so that is a success. Wait, is the ring pierced through your chest, or is it under the skin? Threaded, threaded, threaded. So you can see metal, flesh, metal. Oh! That's cool.

Love it. That's awesome. And as he sees it looking like growling, and he just sticks a pinky under his. Oh jeez. Oh my. The beast is hanging onto the cage there as you're staring at it.

Like it's face was looking over towards August who's flying in the air and you see it was getting ready to leap off the cage towards him. You begin to clatter and let that kind of magical weave through your words. I just radiate weird. All the kiddies love Screeve. I wish they would play with it.

As an rapture, it just focuses on you. On me, it blots out everything else. And it is going to attempt to pierce its tail through the holes in the cage at you. I'm going to spend a few times to do that. He's not making it to the end. Go. That's going to be an 18 to hit you. I'm going to spend a few points on that. Go. That's going to be an 18 to hit you. Oh, that hits me very well. I will use one of my armor for five seconds.

Well, let's see what damage you take first. Oh, yes, yes, yes. That is going to be ten points of physical damage. Ten? Oh. Yes, I'll use, so that would go to major damage, but I will stick up my arm, and the iron claw on one side will take that and rips away some of my armor. So I will mark an armor and take one of your poison. You got it.

But you are now poisoned as well. So you heal a hit point. Shh. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you.

Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you.

Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. That's a crit on you. Crit of 20. that's a natural 20.

Whoa! That's a crit on you. Crit on me! Crit on me is a crit on you! What are you trying to do, August? I'm trying to do a thing that I can maybe make you reroll. I'm just trying to find it again. Yeah, it's a wizard thing.

Let's see, here it is. I forgotender. Not Willing Ally is the other one. Oh god, I can't find it. Shit. If I can't find it. It's a thing I have where I can make Yuri roll. I'm just trying to figure out where it is. God damn it. Not Slumber, not arcane barrage, not telepathy. Don't use it, I want to take this. Okay, take it then, fuck. Yeah, at this point I'm not sure where it is, so you can't find it. All right, so that's going to be 18 points of physical damage on you, and I need you to make a strength reaction roll for me.

You got it. Strength reaction roll. I'm gonna burn an armor to drop that down to minor damage. Now I've got it. Strength reaction roll plus two. 17, 18, I'm sorry, 18, 19, 20, dirty 20 with strength. Great. With hope.

With hope, as a reaction roll. Sorry. That's cool, it swipes you and you feel your body, the sheer force of its impact cause you to slide against the slick stone. It's attempting to sweep you off of the wall. And you just take your halberd and dig it onto the opposite side of the wall.

Catch yourself and hold on. The impact, not enough to send you over the edge. More little help! That's my activation. I'm gonna open the cage, for god's sake, since it's been driving me insane. Sorry. That's okay.

I'm going to fly over to that cage, I'm going to take my wand, my little sewing needle, get it right into that, into the lock, and I'm going to cast, I'm gonna just put an ice spike right in there, I'm going to drop a little tear in there back up about a couple feet, and then from internally. Go ahead and roll for spell cast. Thank you, spooky Spider-Man.

That is 18 fear. Okay, that is enough to break the lock. The lock shatters, ice out of it for a second. The iron holds from the ice, almost like filling the gaps and for a moment holding the cage itself before the ice shatters and the cage impacts on the edge. It would tumble off with you in it if the beast wasn't holding onto it and focused on you. And so while the cage goes, the beast holds on you with the front of the claws't holding onto it and focused on you. And so while the cage goes,

the beast holds on you with the front of the claws and just clutches and keeps you there as the back of the cage opens on the opposite side and you step out of it. SAM and TALIESIN and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and Let's see what you got. Hooray, Scree! Scree! Watch their tails, they're a little sticky. And with that, Screed is freed.

Yay! Hashtag freescreed. I love this, Liam. I love this for you. What do you mean? All right. Since that was with fear, I don't know how long this sweater's going to last. Yeah, yeah, yeah. this beast is immediately going to activate, since you knocked it out of the cage,

since you rolled with fear, or you rolled with fear to get it back. And it's focused on me. It is. It's going to go ahead and attempt to sweep you. Is that Titty Diamond? Can I ask a rule question? Yes, you may.

Once a day, according to this card, I can mark a stress to make it mark a stress as well. You can if you want to. I would like to do that. Sure enough. Hurt yourself to hurt to. I would like to do that. Sure enough. Hurt yourself to hurt it? Uh-huh. Nice. That'll be that one there, actually.

Okay, that being. Can we see what type, what manner of creature Screev is? Screev, from the best you can tell, at this distance. I mean, we can't see, but. Human. Okay, okay. But he is scrunched down and is sort of mimicking the pain beast's stance on the ground and just wiggling his butt, looking at it.

And you're also a human, a creepy little human girl. Scream, does a 14 hit you? Wow, why yes it does. Oh yeah. I don't like it. And so for that, it strikes you for 10 or even 12, 13 points of physical damage. As a heavy claw, whomp, whomps into your shoulder. And as the claw digs in, it

also tries to push you off the side. So 13 points hits my severe damage threshold. So I will lose even more of the wraps around my gantt little bony body. That's two armor down. I take two hit points of damage. Pretty fucked up. Jesus. I need you to make a strength reaction roll. Come on. And because we have a full table now, we can also put out these little things.

You can put these out here to know who's taking a turn. That's an 11 with fear. So it's a reaction roll, so no fear or hope gained, but that is a failure. God damn it. You escape from the cage, and just as you get out there and it's focused on you intently, it swats you. You watch as Screeve, across the way, steps free from the cage, curls around, and then gets knocked off the edge and into the darkened rain, plummets, poisoned down. Oh, you're poisoned too? That's great.

Into the water, a massive column of sea foam and water, it just knocked up into the air. Jack Knight. Amazing. No, Scream, Violet will save you! And I throw my doll after him. The doll. Scream, save Violet!

Violet! And Scream goes to swim to retrieve the doll. It's a pants labored show. I know, I love it. I'm going to spend another fear to activate the other pain beast, and then it's going to mark a stress to pounce. That pain beast on that side is going to leap up into the air onto the top of the bent iron, and pounce downward towards you. The largest visible threat on that platform. ASHLEY and SAM and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and ASHLEY and MATT and SAM and ASHLEY and SAM and ASHLEY and MATT and SAM and For that, it's going to attack you. Ooh, that's a natural 19. This is not an umbra-touched beast, so

it is not a crit. But that is still going to be a 21 to hit you. Yes, it hits. For that pounce, you take seven points of physical damage. Okay, I'm going to use an armor to take that down. Okay, and you need to mark a stress as it grapples and pushes you to the ground from its heavy weight and you are knocked and try and pull away your wings, pinned against the ground as it's holding you there. So that finishes my activation. Who wants to go next? You were raring something. Just seeing someone fall off a ledge brings back painful memories of watching a dear friend of mine fall.

A deer? A friend of yours that was a deer? My sweet baby, my Whomper. So I'm going to pull out the crowbar and my rope and quickly tie it and latch it onto the cage, if I can, and I'm going to jump after Screev. Okay. For that, I'm going to say you can roll agility or finesse, your choice. Agility, please. All right, I'm going to jump down and try to find him. 17 with hope. SAM and LIAM and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and and then swing down. You manage to catch your feet on one of the nearby rocks and just barely step onto this partially collapsed platform where you catch onto a part of it. You're still holding the rope and Screeve is in the water. Dove below, just as you get there, has gone out of sight.

SAM and LIAM, in unison, scream. SAM and LIAM, in unison, scream. Screeve emerges, clutching in the water. SAM and LIAM, in unison, scream. SAM and LIAM, in unison, scream. You get a hoof to the jaw real fast, holding a waterlogged dog. I'm a pilot! Take my hand?

Ew. What? Ew. Careful. Our hands clasp and you see really rough-looking, jagged, rusty iron claws protruding from the gloves or claws strapped to his hand. Oh, they're not part of you. No, they're a weapon.

Oh, okay, good, good, good. And so you pull Screeve out of the water and up onto this diagonal partially collapsed platform with the rope still in your hand. Good, because I'm a badass. Can you climb? Come on, in the water's fine. Are there shadows around us?

Oh, there's much shadow. What little bit of moonlight is coming through is coming from that direction, so there is shadow all around this place. You watch as I go like this with the doll in hand, and I fall backward into a shadow, and suddenly roll out from behind Misty's shadow up on the ramparts. Nice. And creep around, and I come very servile to Adelia and hold up Violet. Thank you for saving Screeve.

I hit the boat. I throw them into the water. Are you ready to play? Yes, let's play. Let's play. All right, who else is activation is? It's still your go. Do you want to play?

I'm going to look at the kitty cat in front of me, and I'm going to unleash a little chaos on it. All right, let's go. Well, that's spell cast roll. Ooh, that's 21 with hope. Take that hope and that is a success. Roll your damage. Definitely sleeping in the other room tonight.

And I'm going to mark a stress to attack both of the creatures with that roll. Okay. The range is for fog, correct? Yes. You can get the other one as well. Yay! Okay, so I'm going to roll my damage, which is, how do I do this?

I'm going to use both of my chaos points, and that's detents. That's cocked, that was cocked. That's a one. That's a four, so five, seven points of damage to both of them. Seven points to both of them. Both of these fire out. Impact. You guys watch as this little girl clutching her waterlogged doll. Describe how you unleash chaos, please. Oh, I turn Violet around and I hold it up, and from its porcelain eyes, magic shoots out of it.

These purplish, crackling bolts arc out and blast this creature in the face, and you watch as it withdraws and clutches under the edge, almost slipping on the rain, its back leg slipping off a piece of broken rock. Another arc spins off across the way and finds the other pain beast that is currently holding onto the cage that Screeve had been freed from. As it turns around and releases the cage and gets on its alvores, it takes the blast to the chest and arcs through. LAURA and MATT, in unison, say, that one's your pet. SAM and LIAM, in unison, pet. He's so far away. You two haven't gone in a minute.

Yes. What would you like to do? Okay, I will... Whoa. Okay, I'm going to use my Wild Flame and I'm going to try to attack the beast right in front of me. All right, go for it.

ASHLEY. Okay. Come on. Oh, that was so high on my fear die. ASHLEY. Okay, that is 16 with fear. MATT. That is a success with fear. So go ahead and roll damage for that die. ASHLEY. Right. I know. That's eight points of damage. MATT. Eight points of damage. Misty, how do you want to do? SAM and ASHLEY. Ooh! ASHLEY. All right, seeing this young girl and that, I am going am just going to sort of move a little bit in front of the little girl and sort of put my hands out and just let the flames come out.

And also, I will mark a stress because the flames for my hand, which I am at full stress now. So I am now vulnerable. MATT and SAM and MATT and ASHLEY and SAM and ASHLEY and MATT and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and MATT and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and MATT and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and MATT and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and

ASHLEY and MATT and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and MATT and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and MATT and

ASHLEY and ASHLEY and MATT and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and MATT and That was eight points of damage. Yeah, sorry, you destroyed it. It gets blasted off. You watch as the pain beast flies off and splashes into the water. You see it tries to scramble up,

but is not a strong swimmer, as eventually the surf below takes it into darkness. As you say sorry, the other beast across the way is going to mark a stress to pounce. It gets to leap far range. Oh yeah. Over to this side once more. So the enrapture for you lasts for how long? Oh. Temporarily. Fix on you narrowing the field of vision,

drawing out any sound, but your voice. Okay, so it's just temporarily. Temporarily. I'm gonna spend a fear to get rid of the enrapture. Sure. And so it's gonna focus on you as part of that pounce. So as it leaps across to come and strike you, so I actually roll that properly,

that's going to be a 12 to hit. That hits, okay. And then you, from the pounce, take seven points of physical damage. Okay, I'm going to use an armor to take that down. And as part of the pounce, you mark a stress. Because you are fully stressed, you mark a hit point. That you cannot reduce with armor.

MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and Can I at least just move closer to Eidol so I'm a little bit more in the fray? It happens real quick. Yeah, if you'd like to. So you move up towards Eidol here. What else would you like to do? Were you going to do anything? Oh, sure. I was going to say,? I'm not sure what.

Oh, sure. I was going to say, I've got a thing if you're not. Yeah, I'm going to walk over to the really tall spike that's on the rampart. I'm just going to put my chin on it now that Adelia and Screaver are here, and I'm just going to hit my head. See you guys later. How do you want to do this? Actually, now that Brixton's right here, I'm going to use my Sparing Touch to heal two hit points, because you're still poisoned, right?

No, I reduced the damage all the way until you take it. I'm good, thank you, though. Based on how much space there is between Misty and, uh, who is this? Screeve. Screeve, oh! Can I run between them or is it pretty stacked up there? Right now it's pretty crowded. That whole platform is cluttered.

So you'd have to either get to the other side where there's a little bit of platform, but that's going to be an acrobatic defeat. I'm going to stay right here. Brixton will lean over the edge and just go, Snakes! Snakes! Do I see Snakes? You see in the little bit of light that's down there,

that rope that you had fixed is still arcing down in there, clutching it on the lower platform, looking up at you, rain spattering on his shape. The hand that touched Screeve, I'm just washing it in the water. Are you okay? Did you say you have snacks? No, Snicks is the bravest of all of us.

Hold up a second. He's our guide. He's the one who triumphantly and heroically leaps after your friend. Did you just say I'm your guide? Your guide, our guide. Oh, guide, guide, okay. Anything else you want to do with your turnbicks? No. All right, go for it, August.

I'm just going to sort of hover my way to, just to get close, literally close to that beast. This fucking map is baller. I'm going to try something new. And I'm going to take the needle, my little needle one, and I'm going to, instead of using the point to start the thread, I'm actually gonna loop it through the little hole at the back.

Tie it up, and I'm going to send the needle and thread flying at that beast with an arcane barrage that I'm going to spend six hope for. Six hope? Oh my god. Let's go. She's already powered up. Yeah, six hope. 10.

I've never been that hopeful. 15. 22 points. 22 points of magical damage. That is a severe hit on that pain beast. It marks three hit points. 22 points of magical damage. That is a severe hit on that pain beast that marks three hit points. The needle goes, and then pulls tight as all the thread

just kind of slices. You see it like, its lower half like slides off. For a minute you think it might be dead before it's clogged, catch, and it rears back up and kind of holds itself on the edge. Its head curls back and over, staring at you. I'm going to spend a fear to activate. Out of turn as a GM move. And it's going to go ahead and mark a stress. And it's going to count you for that hit. Oh, in the air? Yep. That's going to be a 20 to hit.

That hit, actually, yeah, that hits. All right, so you take ten points of physical damage. I'm going to use an armor to mark that to zero. Okay, mark of stress. As it leaps in the air, grabs you, and yanks you from the sky into the surf and stones below. Both you and the beast on impact take damage. Go ahead and roll a d8 for me.

TALIESIN and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and SAM and Nice. I'm so excited. This is great. Seven. Seven. You both take seven physical damage. Oh, wow. It marks a hit point. Can I spend an armor for that as well? If you want to, if you have it.

I have it. Take zero. All right. Your armor takes the heavy impact. You are basically thrust against one of the jagged rocks, but that new armor that you received barely saves your life when you imagine it would have been a very messy impact.

But now the beast is pounced on top of you and is like, getting ready to go for the throat. It is back to you. Who wants to go? I'll go. I skitter across Misty's back. You feel me crawling on you, and I go right back down into the shadow that I came out of and pop up. And the shadows near, are they in the water, or are they? They are on a stone right next to the water. Oh, is there, I can't see from here, is there land nearby? There is land underneath this ruin. It's pretty precarious from here. Yeah, it's hard to see.

No, instead I'm going to come up from the shadow underneath the pain beast. That helps you for a minute for perspective. Ooh. Oh, I see. I'll come out of that hole in the rock there, and I'll spend a stress to do that, and I'm cloaked, and I'm just going to lunge onto its back and start stabbing. That is a very low roll. That's a nine of fear. Nine of fear is going to fail. As you curl out from the shadow.

Wait, I'm a human. When you fail a roll that you lie, no, wait, one of your experiences is boo, motherfucker. So this does involve one of my experiences, so the roll is up to a ten, which probably doesn't save it. So, just so you know, you spend a hope to add an experience to a roll before you make the roll. Oh, all right, then I'm fucked.

Yes, unfortunately, yes. So, as you leap out of the shadows onto this creature's back, you realize at this moment that along its back are all manner of these gnarled spines, these long, protruded bits of pointed bone, and as you grab, you feel the pain of it pressing against your chest, and it tenses its back and they all extend. This one is going to... you know what, I'm going to say the spines sink into you and you pull back right as its tail spins around to strike you from the other side. I'm going to spend a fear to use its venomous tail on you again. That's cocked. That's going to be 12 to hit you.

MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and That's going to be 12 to hit you. Oh, that's right, you're poisoned, so you do disadvantage too, right? Well, my evasion is 12, so yeah, that is. Oh, it just barely hits you. Oh no! Okay.

Oh no! Death roll, death roll! That is going to be seven points of physical damage to you from the tail. Seven points. You're already poisoned, so it does not. So that's major. I will use my last bit of armor. It strikes through all the leather on my back and rips it as it razors down through and cuts and then jabs into me. So that brings it down to

minor damage. So you still take a hit point. And August sees me clinging onto the things back and the tail goes, and Screeves is going, oh jeez. MATT and SAM and TALIESIN, and Vex, and Vex. MATT and TALIESIN, and Vex. Back to you all. who wants to go? I'm close, but you're related to him, maybe? I don't know. I'll attack him. It's up to you. I can go, you can go.

You can go. All right, gripping the rope, I'm going to use my Caprine Leap? What does Caprine even mean? Anyway, I'm going to leap. I'm going to Goat Boy leap over onto the... Caprine even mean? Anyway, I'm gonna leap. I'm gonna goat boy leap over onto the. Goat line. Okay, great. My goat leap. I'm gonna leap onto its back and just come down swinging. Come on.

Smashing into it. Third howdy doody doody. Come on, Boomerang. Go towards under its back. Go ahead and roll your attack. Okay. I'm gonna spend a hope to give myself advantage. I can do that. Nope. No, you can't. I can't get a hope. I'll spend a hope to do that. attack. SAM and LAURA and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and and SAM and

and SAM and and SAM and and and and and and and

and and and and and and and and

and and and and and and MATT, You hear that as you go to leap, and instead of going directly towards you, leap towards the outer wall and parkour run across it, and then leap down weapon-ready. This way, it's more of a down-controlled angle than a Hail Mary leap. SAM, Okay. Oh my god, a million. 25, but with fear. MATT Okay, that is a success. Go ahead and roll damage. Okay, and I will burn, I will mark a stress to add my kick to this attack. All right.

He's gonna kill this thing. Of course he is. 12, 13. He is. 13 points of damage. That marks two hit points on it. As you sink your weapon deep into its back, it spins around its face towards you as you're clutching on it as you sink your weapon deep into its back. It spins around its face towards you as

you clutch it on it. It tries to shake you off. You're hanging onto its spine. SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and

and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM and SAM other people with it? Or would I be able to hold onto them? I'm holding on. Yeah, I don't know. I'd love to kick it towards the water, yes. So with that, you kick it off into the water this way. Oh, kick it good. It's now in the drink, barely trying to hold and reach out for the rock as you now land on the

small platform next to August. When a pain beast comes along, you must kick it. Oh my god. What did Sneaks hit with? What was the roll that... That was a 20... That's a super high roll. Yeah, very high roll. But that was with fear.

That returns to the pain beast as it begins to swim up, climb the edge of the stonework here. Oh no. And is going to... Am I holding on? I know, it's Greavesill holding on. No, when he kicked it, you kicked it off both of you into the water. It is going to leap back down to where it was,

and this one is going to... Man, it's got a lot of targets there, but you're the one that just kicked it off, so it's gonna come for you. Yeah, bring it. It's instinct angry. Ooh, it's gonna be 21 to hit. Yeah, sure. All right, I'm gonna mark a, no, it's fully stressed out,

so it can't do that pounce. It's just gonna go ahead and make a claw swipe towards you. It's gonna be 10 to hit. It misses. It misses you. Nice. You watch, it's hurt heavily, it swipe towards you. It's going to be, you can tend to hit. It misses. It misses you. You watch, it's hurt heavily, it swings towards you and catches itself, and it's starting to look off,

and it's going to use the rest of its movement to leap up to the top of this wall, and it's starting to turn to escape the fray, realizing that it's turned the tide against it. It is now your activation. I skipped my thing last time, so since I'm up here and I don't have to move, I'll just throw another bolt beacon down there.

Yeah, let's go. Go for it. That is 11, 12, 13, 14 to hit. That hits. With hope. With hope. Take a hope and go ahead and roll damage. That just hits. That's a d8. Two, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11. 11 points of magic damage.

Come on. How do you want to do it? Yay! Yay! I'll just see it jump up and say, and the bolt beacon will fire out and light it up and just start to burn it from toe up to head. You catch it in the middle of the air

as it leaps towards the wall. As you fire off, it impacts it halfway through the air and you watch as it folds. As opposed to a landing graceful pounce into a stop, it tumbles into ash and burns away from divine fire. You're all left there and quiet and silence with two strange figures amongst you. Goodbye, Kitties. You were great fun. Is Violet all right? She's a little waterlogged, but she's okay.

Snicks! Yeah? Toss me the rope, I'll help you up. The rope is attached to the cage. Plus, I think we're going that way. Oh yeah. I can grab the edge of the rope and bring it to the other side. Oh yeah, that's a great idea.

I just jump off the rampart. Can you do that? Yeah. We're heading to Vokoro. We're going to... SAM and TRAVIS and SAM and LAURA and SAM and SAM and We're going to Vokoro. Screeve, come up here. You're too far. Coming, dear. One moment. I'm going to swim this time. And start to climb my way up, sticking iron claws into stone to help me climb to the top.

We're actually going where Screeve was. We're going that way. Which way are we supposed to go? We're traveling that way. I jumped off the rampart and into the water. Oh, you're going in the water? Yeah. Because we're going to climb up and go over there. Are you sure it's terrible that way? Pretty sure. Because I'm going to climb up and get over there. Are you sure it's terrible that way? Is there another way?

Another way, where are you going? To get to the other side? Well, sure you can get to the other side, but what's on the other side that you want to be at? It's all terrible over there. Volkora. Oh, yes, it's terrible over there. Why, what's wrong with Volkora? Don't you think there's another place you'd want to be?

Well, there is another place we want to be. Where's that? Is it the Screaming Forest, because we know that place well? Well, we're gonna go through there, too. Who all are our own lords? But we're gonna continue north, keep pushing forward. Have you heard of the Barrow of Blind Rapose?

That one's new to me. What is it? It's in the Idle Hollows. We're looking. We're on a sacred mission, you see. Oh, a sacred mission. The Astral Foundry. North of the Astral Foundry. Oh, the Astral Foundry, yes, of course.

I know all about it. Don't you know all about it? Oh yes, we know all about it. Do they know all about it? Oh yes, we know all about it. Do they know all about it? Go ahead and make a presence roll, and you make an instinct roll. Okay. Okay.

Do I get hope or fear on this one? Yes, because you really want to initiate it. Okay, so that is with hope, that is 14 with hope. Oh, I rolled 13 with fear. Oh. I don't know what rolled 13 with fear. Oh. I don't know what you're talking about. Okay, well, we're looking for any information we have. Well, we've got nothing better to do.

Do you like friends? The road ahead is treacherous. Ooh. We've already lost one little girl. Well, she was more of like a teenager, to be honest. How old was she? Teenager. Was she older than me?

I'm almost a teenager. She was older than you. Oh. Well, I'm better then. Plus I'm human, I don't change into a monster. I promise. SAM and LIAM and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LIAM It's debatable. SAM and LAURA and SAM and LIAM Are you two brother and sister? SAM and LAURA and SAM and LIAM Ew.

SAM and LIAM That's weird. SAM and LAURA and SAM and LIAM No. SAM and LIAM Boyfriend and girlfriend? SAM and LAURA and SAM and LIAM Ew. SAM and LIAM That's weird. SAM and LIAM I don't know. SAM and LAURA and SAM and LIAM This is Grieve. He's my pet. I found him in the ruins. We sort of found each other. That's the Mattis family bullshit.

Somehow that's significantly less weird. We're old friends. Are you old friends? Do you like new friends? We love new friends, especially if they can give us a leg up on where it seems you came from. Beyond the Reach. Yes, but specifically Vokuro. Oh, yes, it's a town. There's a lot of trading there. People are very mean.

They don't like magic. We would love not to go the way we've just come if we are going through the Screaming Forest. Do you know another way? Not good ones. Wait, how long have you both known each other? What's it been? A little less than a year? I had just turned eight, and I'm not ten yet.

You're nine. I'm nine. That's a correction. So you met here on the rampart? Oh no. We're both city kids, so to speak. Metaphorically, I'm not a kid. Who locked you in those cages? Child at heart. The Enlightened. They're very evil.

The Enlightened. Do we know about the Enlightened? You have no idea. Cool. You said they called you heretics? SAM and MARISHA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and MARISHA and if we're being honest. The holy men? Mm-hmm. We're from inside the Amber Reach, originally city rats, sort of in different ways, similar somehow. I'm not a city rat. We are not fans of killing people.

Oh, I don't like to kill people either. I've only done it a couple times and only when I was really threatened. That sounds reasonable. Why were you headed? Why were you captured, I guess? What exactly did you do wrong? Well, it's just been the two of us for a while,

trying to get by, looking to play. The holy man Sanctifer was his name. Yes, he wanted us to believe, he said. Although I think he just wanted people to not believe us. Yes, we went on a bit of a hike out of town and we went to the water side and there was a big hullabaloo. There was a big sermon on the mounds, you know, lots of light and razzle dazzle. It was really fun. Quite a show.

That sounds amazing. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And then at night we didn't go to sleep because so often we don't go to sleep, do we? Mm-hmm. No. And we saw Sancta for, mm-hmm, throwing some sacks into the water. I think they were the people he converted. throwing some sacks into the water.

I think they were the people he converted. We saw them being taken in his show, and then I think he was killing them. It was sort of like a magic act. So we were going to tell people. Like a ritual? Maybe he was trying to appease the old gods. He told us he could send us on to them,

to join them and be safe from this place. That's silly. The gods probably still walk amongst us. You think so? You think so? Have you seen them? What do they look like? We have a reason to believe

that they might still have a presence here. What are the reasons? We have reasons. I... Are you an angel? Oh, no. We had a creature on our tree that looked like you, but it was just a door. Not like Violet.

It looked like me? Mm-hmm. And what was its purpose? Decoration. I feel like I have some memories because I... this wasn't my original body. Oh. I just was pulled into it, but I do have memories and I feel like I might have been a decoration or this body might have been a decoration. Do you have legs? I don't think so.

I think I just float. Can I check? Do you have legs? Oh, it's interesting. We were asking about this before. We were asking before if I pooed. Do you? She gravels.

I do have legs. Like a deer. Or a goat. She cements if she's had tacos. Yes. That's it. I'm Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I'm gonna spend a fear.

No. I like the stress. Bit of slurry, if you will. Wait, I'm so sorry if this is a little bit forward, but what happened to your parents? Oh, well, father went off with a silly elf man. And I didn't see what happened to mother or auntie or my brothers and sisters. But I didn't think it was going to be nice.

So that's why I hid. And you were left all alone. All alone. Isn't it quite sad? But then we found each other... underneath. Underneath what? The city.

Oh. You just went under and had some fun? Just found each other. Wow. He's been besties friend ever since. It sounds like you both have so much fun, each other. Wow. We've been besties friends ever since. It sounds like you both have so much fun. We do. And this was in Vokoro? No, no, no.

Amber Reach. In Amber Reach. Do you know what that is? Yes, I do. Have you been there? No, I've only seen it from afar. I've been there. Yeah.

He's been everywhere. I have. Are you from there? No, no, I'm not from there, but I've been through it a few times, He's been everywhere. I have. Are you from there? No, no, I'm not from there, but I've been through it a few times, and I even had a girlfriend there, for once. Oh, yes. A real one?

I mean, yes, she's real. Cool. I hate to impose, but we are still out in the rain in the middle of the night. I forgot I jumped off. I would love to get more answers, but we really should keep moving before we attract more visitors. We have to head to O'Corell. Our settlement is in grave danger. What's your settlement? Desperate luck. Oh. We haven't been there. We are. Our settlement is in grave danger. What's your settlement?

Desperlok. Oh. Oh, we haven't been there. Is it fun? Uh-uh. No. Are there toys? Yes. There's some toys.

A few? Yes, there are. Well, let's go to Desperlok. Well, we can't. We have to go the long way around. We have to go to Vokoro first. Okay. You see our sacred pyre, it's been extinguished. That's the mission that we're on.

Oh dear. And we need aid from Volkoro. Oh. It will be fun where we're going. It's an adventure. You guys like fun adventures, right? I love it. How long have you been in these cages? where we're going. It's an adventure. You guys like fun adventures, right? I love it.

How long have you been in these cages? Lost track a little bit, longer than a week. Yeah, let's walk and talk. We're walking and talking. Do you have any food? I don't eat. Does anyone else here have any food? Got some juniper berries and some uncooked meat.

Got a little food. I'll take some uncooked meat. All right, here. It's mostly grass. Do you have any food? I've climbed up on the rampart. I'm getting up on the other side now. Get away from these motherfuckers.

You're already to... We're already, I assume we're making our way. We do have a few, like, chestnuts. Do you like chestnuts? Thank you. So, a little bit surely, you all, with the aid of each other, get to the other side of the Rampart Walkway

and eventually come to the end of this portion of the stone for the final element of this trek. This part of the Sunken Ramparts are gone, other than the long, swinging bridge that closes that gap. As you all step across, the wind is just strong enough to where it continuously sways. The railings, the rope and cable at times, weathered and snapped.

And there are moments where you have to get low on all four and push forward for fear of sliding off. The rain isn't helping either, but slowly you push on. Who is helming this last leg of the journey? I believe one of our new friends should. I can't see shit. Doesn't matter, neither can we.

Let's go. All right. I will say for you, this would be a finesse or instinct roll, but before you roll, this is a group check, so I'd like you to choose if it's finesse or instinct roll. But before you roll, this is a group check. So I'd like you to choose if it's finesse or instinct for you. For me, it's finesse.

All right, I need everybody else to roll finesse for me. This is a reaction roll, so no one gains any hope. Start to turn across Vokari's position. Oh, oh, that's a crit. Oh, me too! Great. Four sixes, let me get it! That's great. Four sixes, the beast has been summoned.

Plus two? Two sixes, I got two nines. 15 minus one. Nice. 14. Double nine. 14. Plus one?

Eight. Zero? Six. Minus one? Four. Roll finesse, minus two. Are crits didn't help? I rolled already.

Everybody else rolled. Six. Minus one. Four. Roll finesse, minus two. Are crits didn't help? I rolled already. Everybody else, I'm. So minus the two, I get a 12 with hope. A 12 with hope, you take a hope. That is above the 10 you needed to traverse this bridge before it got really, really bad.

Wow. Do we start with a hope? Is that how it works? You start with two. You start with two hopes. Oh, you do? Yes. Fill them up. So, it is long into the night.

You were both, not just exhausted and spent from the weather and being left in these cages for as long as you have, but in having not really eaten or had fresh water to drink other than what rain you could catch for a while, the rest of you just beaten by the recent events the past few days, you begin to reach the outskirts of the final leg

of the returned sunken rampart, and you can see the sacred pyre burning close. Just as the day begins to light and you realize it's dawn, you've pushed through the entirety of the night. The local foliage begins to grow denser, and the forest begins to rise to consume this portion beyond the water's edge. As you step away from the ashen seas

and the marsh that claims the majority of this valley, you step into thick, wooded region. And now you have Vok'ruh in sight, as slowly the day begins to brighten. I'm tired. I scoop you up, piggyback ride. The rain begins to subside, and you can now see the city itself,

familiar to some who have been before, but for some of you a first time taking it in. Wukoru is a multi-tiered city built into one of the grand watchtowers that was once here on the perimeter wall of Amber Reach. It is a vertical city built of multiple layers and staircases that rise up, and all manner of homesteads are built onto these platforms

and around this massive watchtower and along the top of the wall that extends out from it. And at the very peak of it is where its sacred pyre burns bright, like a high torch amongst the shadow. You see dozens, hundreds of people across the multiple layers running about their business. You begin to get somewhat close, and you can hear the rivers moving by.

A lot of the water that traverses out from the valley and spills into the ashen Seas comes through. You can see small docks built. There are boats latched and chained to the side. And a few folks that have gathered baskets and bow and arrow over a shoulder, either out in a hunt or checking the perimeter. I, your approach, and the first one that sees you, runs off towards the city.

LAURA and SAM and LAURA laughing. SAM and SAM are people in the city. They don't open the doors for anybody, so how did you guys get in the last time you were here? Yes, thank you. Do you remember how you snuck in? Was there a secret tunnel hole? It wasn't by the front door. It was more off on the north side of the city when we came in. We don't want to go all the way around there You said we're like at the gates. We're approaching. Yeah, you're approaching approaching the gates

You can hear the distant sound of voices Shouting giving orders to each side It's a bustle that is welcome given the Challenge of the past 24 hours practically of travel. I'd say 18 hours for some of you. I'm going to pull up my hood and spruce up my vestments a little bit, try and look presentable.

About five minutes since that person darted off and have passed, and you've seen other people darting towards the outer side of Vokoru's reinforced exterior gate. And you watch as dozens of soldiers begin to line across the top of the wall rampart that looks down, the one part that you can easily see at the base of the rising spire city.

Two dozen, three dozen, and they all line up shoulder to shoulder as you begin to break past the tree line into the open 150 foot break in the forest to the base of the rampart wall in the city itself, and as you break the treeline, you hear four or five voices in chorus go, Stop! Stop! Stop! And you watch as each one of those folk on the rampart knock arrows and point them in your direction. We stop. in your direction. Rissa. We come in peace.

We hail from Desperlok. I am Pirekeeper Brixton. Our settlement is in grave need of aid. We have lost our sacred flame. Please, may we speak to your leaders? SAM and MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and The Barons. We need to speak to The Barons.

Thank you. Make a presence action roll for me, please. I'm going to spend a hope to help her by reminding her The Barons' names are Travis and Lotho. And just some other quick details about the city that she used. We seek Travis and Lotho. We are friends. And then, hmm, hmm, can I, can I use, sorry?

I'm already helping you. Can I use my order born value? You are, but I need this to, you know what, no, I'll wait, I'll wait. Okay. Don't, oh, you're gonna run for me. No, you can do it, you can do it. Doesn't matter to me.

Cocked. Okay. This is good, this is good. 16, 17, 18, minus one, so 17 with hope. 17 with hope, take that hope. There's a bit of discussion. And you watch as amongst the ranks, brushing past them,

a ragged-looking male elf, dark red hair with two streaks of gray that comb through them. You see one ear is torn off on one side, just the other pointed ear peeking through. Scars across his chin. He has a spear at one side and a golden tarnished breastplate,

as well as a rough brown cloak that looks muddy and dirty, and he steps forward with intention towards you. You're held from Despiloc, you say? Yes. And you've lost your pyre. How did this occur? One of our members of our settlement got infected with Umbra.

We tried to save her, but it was too late. Unfortunately, she turned and in the chaos, completely decimated the rest of the Pirate Keepers and extinguished the flame. They've taken two steps back and raised a hand and you watch as all the bows and arrows tense back. We are not infected. Please, we have been traveling tirelessly through the night. What assurances do we have that you are not also infected? It would have shown up already.

Turns and looks at you, and the eyes go wide. have shown up already. MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and the eyes go wide. You bring a cursed vessel to our city. She's not cursed. I am not cursed. She's a relic of the old ones. Do not listen to her, close your ears. And you watch as the soldiers,

like the ones that had the arrows, not loosen them and make cloth and wrap it around their head. They did tell us that you should be shifty. We forgot about that. What about that? Uh, I mean. I do have, because I am highborn.

Did you want to shit the bed some more? I have advantage on rolls. I mean. To consort with nobles, negotiate prices, or leverage our reputation to get what we want. All right, so what do you say in your defense as the entirety of this armed force seems to be shocked as you step from the trees with the rest of your troupe as you speaking,

and all react in a fearful and defensive manner. Please. Our home will cease to exist if you do not help us today. We are not infected. None of us are here to hurt you. we just seek aid, please. We know that the barons of Vokoro value and covet the relics of the olden days. We have an offering, if you will hear us out. Why do we have to break the capsize?

Go ahead and roll your presence roll with advantage. Okay. I tilt my mouth to Adelia, who's over my shoulder, your presence roll with advantage. Okay. I tilt my mouth to Adelia's, I look over my shoulder and just say, I don't know what's going on, but it's exciting. I hold up Violet and Nott. All right, red rub. Okay, that's 15 with fear.

Okay. With advantage? Oh, I didn't do advantage, I didn't do advantage. Wait, advantage is with, oh, or I roll again? Is it d6? You just add a d6 to what you rolled. That's right, that's right, I know. Okay.

I know. One. 16. 16. 16, okay. You hear a crack of thunder in the northwestern direction from a heavier storm that seems to threaten the deeper valley. As people turn their head, some of them look at each other. It's a gnomon. It's a gnomon, don't trust her. The front soldier puts a hand up. We have had dealings with your crafted type before, and the madness spread to a number of our people, so this will be to the Baron to decide.

Puts the hand down and the weapons lower slightly. The tension level has decreased. And the immediacy of their intent to attack you has to, seems to have been quelled for the moment. But he turns and heads back to the rest of the armed soldiers and defenders of Vokorun. A brief quiet moment passes as you begin to make eye contact in the silence with many of these soldiers, and you see people from all walks of life,

human, elf, dwarf, halfling, and all sorts of other strange, human-like, but shadow-touched folk, scarred, sallow, scared. It's a locomotive you recognize. It's the desperation of the enduring. Like anyone, they wish to protect what they love and what they care for. And as you've known at the perimeter walls of Desperlok, often that means being careful with who you let past. It's about then the soldier line breaks, and you see as an older female elf, herself, beautiful for her age, a bit of a neck waddle that hangs down below there, piercing green eyes,

and her hair curls in a dark auburn color. Her hood is back and she has a mantle beneath a tattered cloak that seems to be very well kept a little bit of a brown-hauburn color. Her hood is back and she has a mantle beneath, a tattered cloak that seems to be very well kept and likely of the old world. As such, fine filigree is challenging to recreate with the tools and knowledge of the modern times. You know this to be barren, Lothar Sharris.

We have been notified that you seek to join us for rest and trade under the auspice of a fallen pyre. You walk with a vessel that claims to be free of the umbra's touch. Strange, motley figures indeed. Hi, yes, I've been here before. I briefly saw you in the past, but I've delivered and traded with your people before. There's a fine gentleman who lives here named Minius Ty. I'm sure he can vouch

for me. Minius Ty has been dead for three weeks. Yes! "'Minius TIE has been dead for three weeks.'" SAM and MARISHA and LIAM laugh. SAM and MARISHA and LIAM laugh. All right. To erase that, yeah. Not needed. "'You can rest at the perimeter of this wall.

"'You will receive the protection of our guard, but you are not permitted entry. We will send traders to represent our interests, to barter with you at the perimeter. With all due respect, bartering is not our primary, primary objective here. We need aid. Aid and information.

And some food and water? And food? That's not the point! I just said that that's not the primary point. We need aid! We're offering you aid, safety to rest. Whatever you can spare to give, we can give in turn. But this community stands because we do not let strangers waltz into our door. SAM and MARISHA and SAM and ASHLEY and MATT and SAM and ASHLEY and MATT and ASHLEY and ASHLEY and I guess we'll just take the win. Well, here's, I could wait outside. I am a statuette, is what I do. I can wait out here and you all could go. I think we're all gonna wait.

We're all gonna wait. I think we're not allowed inside because of me. I think that extends to all of us now. It's okay, well, waiting at the gate is better than waiting out in the wilds, right? 100 percent. SAM and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and and the baron turns and returns to the inside. I need to sleep anyway. Sure.

The soldiers lax a little bit, and the intensity of the guard that was set upon the wall at your approach begins to scatter a bit, going about the rest of their patrols, but still, a solid 10 or so of them remain stationed, eyes locked on your troop. There are a few other armed guards that stay at the base gate and the open, or the door that would open into the interior

and the stairs that lead into the many levels of the city. You are given the benefit of seeking information, seeking goods, seeking what you need for your journey through the trade representative that is to be sent, but you have not earned the trust to enter the city itself. SAM and LIAM and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and SAM and Did you say there was full traffic out here, or it's just us? but you have not earned the trust to enter the city itself. Sure. Did you say there was foot traffic out here or it's just us?

There is occasional foot traffic, hunters, others that head towards the docks, they keep a wide berth from you all, but a number of the people here still have to harvest from the land, whether that be hunter gathering, fishing on the nearby rivers or off the ocean shore. Others seem to be going about

whatever business they're doing day to day. It is still a bustling community. Do I see anyone wandering around who looks a little skeevy? Oh, make a, game-recognized game, right? Make an instinct roll for me. Oh, it's a crit. Ooh!

Double files. So you get to clear stress and gain a hope on that one. All right. You, keeping an eye out across the folks that are wandering around, the soldiers are all pretty much, their proximity to the city and proximity to each other means that they're all pretty stoic and intent on their position. You do see one fisherman who had two fishing rods

over his shoulder in a basket, as well as a blade at his side, who was heavily cloaked and saw you guys as you first approached and kept a wide berth, hasn't crept far away and instead circled around and is just hiding in the nearby brush, watching whatever transpires here. He looks like he believes he's unnoticed,

but he doesn't leave your vision. Right. I'll be back, love. And I'm gonna wander out to that bush, and I'm going to start to take a leak next to it. You see it gets lower and tucks into the brush. Hello, buddy boy. Good spot you've got here. I was gathering acorns. Mind the splash. No business, no problem I was gathering acorns. Mind the splash.

No business, no problem, just gathering acorns. Right, right, acorns, acorns. I saw you had a bit of fish on you as well. What, you trying to get fish, yeah? Are you trying to get fish? You don't have any fish on you? No, it's early. Oh, I was looking to buy.

I have a little coin for fish. I have a lot of coin for friends. You know, by any chance, no alternative means of entering the city besides the front door, do you? I am a slyborn and have advantage on roles to negotiate with criminals, detect lies, or find a safe place to hide.

MATT and SAM and MATT make a presence roll for you. LIAM and LIAM make a presence roll for you. LIAM and SAM make a presence roll for you. LIAM and SAM make a presence roll for you. LIAM and SAM make a presence roll for you. LIAM and SAM make a presence roll for you. LIAM and SAM make a presence roll for you. LIAM and SAM make a presence roll for you.

LIAM and SAM make a presence roll for you. That's really good. That's 21 with hope. 21 with hope? I got the dagger heart symbol. Take that hope. Yeah. He goes, all due respect, I don't trust any of you to get into the city further than I would,

but I got contacts, I could sneak out some special things if you need. SAM and a fine alternate medicinal substance for a quick fix. Bit of rapid grasp of attention and focus. Oh. I'll take a taste of that. Oh, let me, let me get a few fish for tried, and then I'll see what I can stick, yeah.

Oh, will you do me a favor? Yeah. In addition to the powder, if you have access to the powder, if you have access to any toys, literally toys. Take some of the second to grasp. Okay. Okay. I'm a big fan of ball and cup, but any will do.

Ball and cup. What a classic. I just got the DLC for that. It's just a cup and cup. Slowly draws out of the bush, stands up about ten feet away with the fishing rod over his shoulder, and just walks back towards the nearby river but gives you a wink over the shoulder as he does so. And I shake it and put it away As he returns the guard watching you all can take a short rest here while you wait for them to send their trade representative

And we're gonna take a short rest here as we take a quick break We'll be back here in a few minutes to pick up from here. See you in a second That's a wrap for part one of this podcast episode. Part two will land here the Tuesday after this episode at 5am 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.