Critical Role - The Rampart and Beyond | Age of Umbra Episode 4 Part 2

Episode Date: July 1, 2025

Part 2 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 Cool Down. Think of it as our digital Critical Role land. Head on over to Beacon.tv to check it out for yourself and start a 7-day free trial. Thank you so much for your support, for being a podcast listener, and for being part of

our community. Hey there, Critters. This is Ashley Johnson. And Tellusin 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 WEIRDOES 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 part 2 of this episode of Age of Umbra, a dark tale and campaign setting from our recently released tabletop RPG Daggerheart from Darrington Press. If you haven't checked out part 1 yet, pause this now and head over there

first. Otherwise, let's return to our adventurers striving against the darkness in part two. And welcome back. So here as you rest on the outskirts of Vokoru, we take a short rest. So you have two of your downtime actions for your short rest.

Everyone's going with what? We'll go around the table here quickly. I will stay sentry watch, even though we have the guards above us, and I will clear my hit points. Okay. I decided to clear my hit points, and I was wanting to add armor, but I can't, because I had so much stress, so I got rid of my stress as well, since I get a long rest. Correct. With my...

Stuff. Is this long rest or short rest? This is a short rest. Except for her. I mean, if else want to prepare? I thought, yeah, we could do... I would love to learn a little from you, yes. What I do is I pull a little bit of thread out of my mouth.

It goes, it goes. I tie it off and I start wrapping it around my fingers. Do you have any extra thread? Jacob's like, it's a cat's cradle. Cat's cradle. So I bring it over. I thought you might like something to play with. Now flip it through, put your finger through the third one,

both sides, both sides, and pull apart. Cool. I can't, it's stuck. Okay, I'm gonna have to cut that one, I don't know how you did that. Oh, right. Both of you take two home? Yeah.

Awesome. Oh boy. Screeve. Well, I got seriously fucked up, so I'm going to fix my armor and my hit points. It's 1d4 plus one, is your tier one. So here we go for hit points. It's four. That's good. So I'm tier range. So here we go for hit points. It's four.

That's good. So I'm back to four. Here we go, armor. It's five, which, so I'm topped off. Great, breaks the net. I borrow some of August's. I repaired my armor and cleared my one hit point damage. You got it.

And you prepared and what else? The other thing I did was I fixed my armor. All right, there you go. I'm going to clear some stress. I did, and I'll prepare one hope as well. You got it, let's see what you can do. Well, I mean, you can prepare with multiple members of the party. But they haven't...

Oh, oh, with you two? You just prepare with one or more members of the party. You may each take two hopes. Okay, I will prepare with you and I will... I don't know if I have... I never understand anatomy. Do I have hoo I never understand anatomy. Do I have hooves for hands?

How do you throw a boomerang with hooves? You get so in the weeds on this every time. Fantasy for a decade. I don't. Just to note, you rest on the outskirts of Vokoru, not within the walls or within the heat, and safe comfort of their sacred pyre, which is far atop the tower.

So unless any of you wants to try and keep watch. I said I would. Yeah. Yeah? All right. All right, I made my roll. You can roll and decide to choose yours or mine. One d12? Yep. I'll take yours. All right. Mine's a four. I had a two. All right, mine's a four.

I had a two. Oh! Oh, that would've, yeah. I would've gotten to pull this guy out. As you all prepare and you rest, and there's a brief moment where you wonder if no representative will come, you glance up and see a few soldiers get a bit twitchy, looking over, aggressively in your direction.

One of them gnaws on a piece of old wood, and they all seem to be staring at this stone angel, some dark memory, some moment of mistrust. In that time period, you feel that your, your presence here is likely to be safe, short-lived. I gain two fear. And then as we continue to take a rest, I roll a 24 to gain that much fear as well, which is one.

Not great, but you know, it all helps. During this period of time, a trade representative comes up. You see a heavy set orc fella in his 30s or so, receding hair, pulled into a long ponytail at back, a skull-y tail, I don't know what you call it, wearing some leathers, and he has a small, looks like a leather-bound booklet to take note, where it's, hello friends, I'm Kagan. I'm supposed to be helping you get what you need before you head off.

What you looking for? MARISHA and MATT, as Kagan, Kagan. Aye, aye. I'm Brixton, Pire Keeper Brixton. Pire Keeper Brixton, aye. Mainly we are interested in information and aid, and maybe any small provisions to help us on our journey. We are attempting to make our way to the Barrow of Blind Repose, to the tomb of the heretic saint, Evaliar.

SAM and MARISHA and MATT. Evalar. Evalar. Evalar. I say it with confidence, and correctly. Of course. Powerkeeper, go. If you have any information from the scholars on what may lay ahead of us on this journey and at our final destination, that would be greatly appreciated.

I will check. In addition, our settlement is in deep need of aid if you could send your finest soldiers, even if it's just a handful, in any type of wares or protection or food and water. They just need to make it for a handful more weeks until we can come back with a blessed branch. And then I'm gonna pull out the warscythe,

the holy warscythe from the vaults and present it with revelry. All right, as you're saying this, right now it's like, honestly, we're strapped for materials and most of what we have has to stay in Tate. Perhaps this may sway your judgment. That's Old World Make. Yes.

Where'd you find this? We found it at the entrance to the monastery. It was sitting at the base of the old god, of a statue of the old god, Aratu. MATT. What monastery? TRAVIS. The Permanent Herald. MATT. The Luzol. Vault. MATT. Luzol monastery. Good, good, I'll take this back. I'll take calls for materials we can have to spare, and I'll be right back." He closes his book and darts back off

into the tower. Around this time, a short time later, a fisherman comes up with a couple fish at his side. Oh, Jesus. And he goes up next to you, and he goes, I got you some fish. Yeah, yeah. What you got? What I got? Yeah, yeah. So do you have a coin?

I have a... We start this game with a handful of coin, don't we? Yeah. I give him... some of a handful of fish. You give him one or two handfuls. I give him a handful of coin if you've got toys. He reaches over and takes a fish off the hook, glances over at the guards,

and holds a pouch under one fish and hands it to you as he receives one handful. This contains no toys yet, but it does contain two uses of snap powder. Which snap powder, it's consumable. You can heal one hit point by marking a stress. Yeah. That's exciting.

So you have the handful. I can give you the other fish. Better be a very good fish. I think you like it. Mm-hmm, okay. Takes the other fish off the hook and then a larger pouch curled underneath that's barely hidden by the fish. And he's like, hands it over to you

and you take it and he gives you a nod and darts off back into the woods. You better hope I like it. It's like Keith Richards talking to Jack Sparrow. All laugh. Within there are two things. One is a whistle carved and crafted from yellow bone that's about that long.

And then the other is a small glass vial that looks like it was cracked and repaired and within it is a somewhat thick, purplish substance that you've probably seen used by some of folks in your past known as heart curdle venom. Heart curdle venom. Yes. That sounds great.

Sounds good. Heart curdle, like venom that makes your blood curdle. That curdle, that's great. I walk over to Adelia and hold her in my hands. Which one, which one? That one. Oh, you guessed right. That's the one I imagined it was in. That's the one. Is it a whistle?

It is a whistle. I love whistles. It's a dog whistle. You blow it and the sound is unearthly. It's a... Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! is unearthly. It's... It's...

It's... It's... It's... It's like a two-tone trill that shifts. It's like a two-tone trill that shifts. You ever have two tones that are just slightly off at the same time and they seem to warp into each other? It's like two separate whistles that seem to shift into just a slightly off wave,

and all of the soldiers all go and look over. In fact, many people in the city all glance over from far up on multiple levels. That can be heard from quite some distance. Oops. Good to know. We could find you if we needed to find you. That can be heard from quite some distance. It's good to know. Hi. We could find you if we needed to find you. Oh, that's true.

Yes. A sound in the darkness. Every monster. I'm going to take your string. That's true. And tie it on the whistle and put it around my neck. Whistle. Thank you, Scree.

Eventually, Keegan returns. Thank you, Scree. Eventually, Keegan returns. Thank you. For this fine offer, we can supply you with food for the rest of your journey. As well as something that might help you along this as well, and hands you a note that he scribbles on and passes it over to you. This is a, you are passing over a holy relic from the Old World and you, in trade, get information and a... It's a recipe for a minor stamina potion.

Whoa! As a downtime move, you can use the bone of a sizable creature to craft a minor stamina potion. Whoa! As a downtime move, you can use the bone of a sizable creature to craft a minor stamina potion. Oh, good. That's awesome. And paprika. That's awesome. As a downtime move, so short rest or long rest? Yeah, you just use a move.

You just have to have a bone to do it. Sarantra. To craft a stamina potion. With MSG. I would like to keep my bones inside of me. You're a different story. to get to the At least, you don't have to worry about scrounging for food on the journey there. The journey back? Who knows? Go, go, go, go, go, go, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat. The other scrap you get, and based on your request, we went to one of our faithful who looked up on what you had

and this is what they said to deliver. And hands you another note that he tears out of his book. Is this about Edlire? This says, in the years after the apostasy, Evliyaar rose as a holy warrior without sight, but instead, supposed vision of the path the gods took when they left. It was said her smile gave a golden glow.

And her face, it says in quotes, her face is the threshold to salvation. A following began to gather around her in the wake of the gods' absence. And her promise of following the gods to their heavenly realms beyond this domain. The following began to grow to where the grand ordinance that remained behind didn't like them

drawing the flock from their faith. And thus she was branded a heretic by the remaining ordinance and executed. Her eyes and face removed and her body sealed within the tomb you speak of. The branch was laid with her in hopes of keeping her corrupt spirit bound away. So she was a rough end to that one. SAM and LIAM and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and a golden glow to her smile.

SAM and MARISHA and SAM and Scavenger Hunt. That doesn't mean anything to me. I'm just thinking of the glowing rock that we found in the skull. Oh, the Valorstone? The Valorstone. What was she named a heretic for? Because she was gathering a following. Oh, the Valorstone? The Valorstone. What was she named a heretic for?

Because she was gathering, following... After the old gods departed. Yeah. To follow the... The Grand Ordinance were the most holy of priests and cardinals and faith-based leaders of Emberreach, who were part of the God King Othedius' council and court. And to have a young woman step from obscurity and in the midst of this chaos offer a path of divinity

and draw their flock from them, that was not allowed. It's the Romans executing Jesus Christ kind of a vibe. Don't know who that is. Well, I'm Mauritius. You know, biblically accurate angels. Yeah, fair enough. Jean-Doc. Okay.

Late to rest with a Blessed Branch to keep her soul bound, basically. Okay, cool, got it, great. And then any word of them sending aid or soldiers to Desperlok. You already see about 10 soldiers who are currently armoring up. And Keegan Deed says that,

with this and takes the war scythe from you, this is a mighty gift, and for that, aid will be sent. A number of parcels and some soldiers to support two Desperlok. No promise of how long and should things begin to downturn. For their safety, they will return. However, with good faith, may us enduring be at each other's sight. Gives a nod and backs up and heads back inside,

clutching this incredible ancient weapon, wraps it over with some cloth, binds it, and hands it over to a couple other soldiers, and they all enter through the gate, which then closes behind them. The soldiers turn back and wait expectantly for you to leave. He was very nice once you gave him something.

You should have given the bearen something. Maybe if you showed the bearen the wartype. They didn't give us the time of day, did they? No, they're not nice. They are not nice. You're correct. Are we sure we want to keep traveling with this child? Yes, please. I would rather keep them than send them off

and have them describe us and tell every passing person what we look like and what we're doing. Are you heretics? Should we cut off your face? I mean, I suppose it would depend on who you asked if we were heretics or not. And I'd hold you all right with this? More than Marry her.

Strength in numbers, some other cliche. Yes, we all know how our last adventure went when we involved a child. That's my worry, but. We can't leave her here. I guess very quick introductions as we walk and talk. Mm-hmm. I'm Brixton.

Hello, Brixton. Hi. Skriev. I've heard. Yes. Nice to meet you, Skriev. I'm Adelia Pruitt. So nice to meet you. This is Violet Pruitt. So nice to meet you. This is Violet Pruitt.

You have a last name. Yes. Those are rare. Is it? I don't have a last name. You had a title, though. I do have a title. Fancy.

I'm Eidol. This is Misty. Hi Misty. Hello. I like that you're made of stone is Misty. Hi Misty. Hello. I like that you're made of stone, I think that's very cool. I like your doll. Thank you. And you come from where? Again. I... I come from...

Alanda, nanda. Alanda, nanda. I, um... I found my way to this for... I was a... a floating spirit for some time. You said you were something before? Do you remember what that was? I do not. Like one of the floating spirits around the water? Yes. And then I found my way here, pulled down into this. My friend August here awoke the stone

and I somehow slipped into it, but I have many memories of it. We are a moaning spirit. Did you moan a lot? I don't feel like I did. I don't feel like I did. Maybe I did. Oh. Trying, I don't know. I don't feel like I did. I don't feel like I did. Maybe I did. Oh.

Trying, I don't know. I don't think I did. No. She makes beautiful music, though. She is a relic in herself. I do, I make music. What kind of music? Oh, it sounds...

I've never really heard anything like it. Do you play an instrument? Well, the wings are my instrument. And I also have many boops, many boobs. And play us a ditty. All right, I'll play a ditty. I'll play us a titty. I'll play us a titty.

You know what I'll do is. SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA laugh. SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA laugh. TRAVIS and SAM and LAURA laugh. SAM and LAURA laugh. I am going to do a rally song. You hear she fully spreads her wings out, and as her wings bristle in the wind, it almost sounds like wind chimes, but also almost like when you play on a keyboard and it's the synth pad that it's all the angels singing,

it's a four of them to a key. It just sounds sort of otherworldly, but beautiful and relaxing. singing, puts four of them to a key. It just sounds sort of otherworldly, but beautiful and relaxing. And you all gain a d6. To add to an action roll, a reaction roll, a damage roll, or to clear a number of stress equal to the dice result. Screechers stares at you, and then rolls around

some assaulting, and then stands up and stares at you. And then rolls around some more, and then stares at you. Fascinating. Thank you, you are too. Thank you. Need more wings. What about you, you're awfully quiet. Just my mind on the journey ahead.

Oh, yes. Known each other for a long time, have you? A few months. Vickie, Steve's. Friends, partners, family. How'd you categorize it? Traveling companions. Survivors.

We know what that's like. Very well. And then, as Misty said, this is August. We've met. And... Very dashing with that hat. That is the Valiant Snicks. I mean, thank you for that. Yeah, I'm Snicks.

I'm not Valiant. He's the deadliest among us. He's extremely brave. So brave. I can run really fast, but when we're gonna need to, because we're heading into the screaming forest, and it's bad, it's true. Show me, run to that tree.

Okay. 30 yards. I run to that tree. Pretty quickly. How did you break your horn? How did I break my horn? Oh, well, it's dangerous out there in the wastes. Come back to the tree. Oh.

Ah. Ah. New Year? I was attacked. Sorry, I just got to catch my breath. Charlie goats? Sure. You got hamster? I don't know how little animals work. Goat streak?

I don't know how animals work. You got hamster decaying. SAM and MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and time out there, but it's... But he has felled many beasts. So many. Many by accident, if I'm being honest. I mean, I was just trying to get away, and they just kind of died. Felled or felt? Deadly kick. Felled. Killed. Felt or felled? Felled. Felled.

I can't tell the difference. What are you saying? Felled. Do you touch beasts? No teeth. We move on. All right. We move on. All right, trekking through the dense forest forward, what path do you take? The screaming forest.

You watch as the foliage begins to fade. The leaves begin to die away, and instead, a landscape of tall, gnarled, twisted trees of extended, leafless branches, like ever-reaching clawed hands, reaching towards a heaven that will never come for them. It is still and it is silent, and the ground itself is spongy with moss

and multicolored fungus. Along the coast to the right, The elf is spongy with moss and multicolored fungus. Along the coast to the right, there is the water, where much of the sunken outskirts of the old amber reach sits beneath the water. What do you do? I would say, so that we don't go off on a squiggly line amongst all these trees, if we can keep the shoreline to our right as we move north, we'll at least know we're making the right headway towards the Reach.

Yes, and that way the spirits can keep us company. The what? There's lots of spirits in the water. In the water? Is that what they're hearing out? Yes, I hear them moaning all the time. Really? Yes.

I wonder if I was ever in there. Moaning. How long have you been in your stone? More, maybe six months or so. Been awake for about six months. Yes. It might have been you. I might have heard you.

You probably heard me before. Wow. That's very neat. If you want to go into the forest, the trees talk to us. Oh. You two specifically? No, everyone.

You'll hear it too. Where have you been all this time that you're so anxious? There are worse things in the Screaming Forest. August, is that true? The Hive. The trees speak to you. You deserve this. I was not allowed out when we were in the Hive. The only time I've actually ever been in the forest was when we were in the hive. The only time I've actually ever been in the forest

was when we were running. Was it from the Screaming Forest or more specifically from beneath it? So not a good place. Not at all. Well then, even further, want to stick to the eastern shore. Yes, I would suggest we avoid it.

We hug the shoreline. Okay. You deviate from the forest thick, and instead head towards the shore. This now, the midday, midafternoon light, as you break from the thickest parts of the Screaming Forest, you can see the glass-like water as it sits. That's not the water, it's the mist that hangs.

The waves still push in and out, but you can only hear them, not see them. The thick mist hangs over the water, and the way the light hits it, it leaves this pale, ghostly blue glow that just kind of floats across the surface. The closer you get to the shore, it almost seems like the sunlight chokes in proximity,

and you can see the tops of ancient buildings, crumbled towers, and strange shapes moving. Dozens, hundreds of tiny little wisps, flickers, light blue shapes moving. Ghosts. This is a haunted bay. And you watch as they drift through the mist. Do you wish to move stealthily or quickly?

TRAVIS, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, as Jester, would be better. Stealthily, then. Who is helming the stealth for this group? Screef is very sneaky. Sneaky. Feel free. All right, Screef. Before you roll, I would like everybody else here to roll finesse for me. This is a reaction roll, so no hope or fear gained.

Snicks. Seven. Minus one. No hope or fear gained. Snicks. Seven. Minus one. No hope or fear. August. 14. 14. Minus two. Wow, that's high. 15. 15 is the average.

17. 17, minus one. Five. Minus two. Eight. Minus three. 16. Five. Minus two. Eight. Minus three. 16. 16.

So whatever you rolled, minus two. Well, it's a four and a four, so I guess it's a two and a two. Dang. It's crits. It's crits. That's a lot of crits. You guys have been critting a lot.

It happens. We're crits. Yeah. You guys have been critting a lot. It happens. We're cousins. Yeah. Yeah. Keep low,

quiet, and push along the outskirts. The ghosts wander near the shore. A few coast beyond the mists itself, but the mist rides with them and pours onto the outskirts of the forest. You find yourself pushed against the treeline as you stay low amongst the moss and fungus,

and you get glances of some of these spirits. Sallow-looking way wayfish civilians. Women's eyes white, their hair drifting like underwater. Their mouths agape and stretched. Hands reaching for any semblance of warmth. You see children drifting, turning, their expressions stretching

before they into mist as well. You look beneath the water as you get close for just a moment, and you can see what looks like hands, skeletal, reaching through the water, or is it just kelp? Plant life, it's hard to tell. Or is it just kelp? Plant life, it's hard to tell. The mist causes it all to shift and stretch,

but the ghosts don't take notice. You push ahead. The day has grown long for some who have not rested and others who have been exposed. Since a short rest and a long rest was taken at Balcoru, I need you all to mark a stress as you're starting to grow tired without a night's sleep. However,

the Screaming Forest. You are not in the dense center. Instead, you are keeping to the far outskirts along the side. Now it seems the water seems to push into. What was the dried core of it is now just a thick marsh. And you can see the water of the bay spills into small streams of brackish water,

where that low mist gently flows through. As you do, you hear a sound. A sound that you took in the past to mean the trees were talking. It sounds like a low hum. Do you hear it? TRAVIS and SAM and LAURA and SAM and LAURA and SAM and That's the talking you mentioned? Singing, can you hear it? There we go. That's the talking you mentioned?

Singing, can you hear it? Trying to look above, I am looking. Make an instinct roll for me, please. Yeah, I've heard that sound before. Don't think those are the trees. August usually does that. When he flies. That's a ten with hope. Something, something. Ten with hope. The hope. Something, something.

The hive, something, something. You gain a hope, but you don't see anything in the vicinity, and you hear it again. A second source, not far away. What do we do, August? What do we do? They're going to tear from the sky, kill anything that comes at us.

You don't see anything, but you are on the cusp of the waters here with the ghost still pondering out. What do you do? Do we run or do we hide? We hide. Hide? I don't know. Can I use my also my slyborn to have advantage on finding a safe place for us to hide? Usually in the fort, like the trees or the terrain

or maybe the underbrush. Yeah, if you'd like to, go ahead and roll a finesse roll for me with advantage to see if you can find some safe place for you all to batten down. 11, 17, minus one. 16 with fear. With fear. Okay. Oh, look at all that fear,

he's gone. It's been worse. Gathering the rest of the troupe and taking a quick cue from Eidol, you pull them aside. Right now, the brush is thin near the water, but it gets a bit thicker, just a ways into it. You pull away from the haunted edge to not draw the attention from the spirits

that stalk and haunt the edge. In doing so, you push just fairly, ever so gently deeper into the forest. But here there is dense undergrowth beneath the trees. And amongst where this murky water pours, there are raised hills and little pressing areas where you can hide in alcoves amongst the multicolored yellow and orange moss.

And you all push into there, and the buzz gets quieter. SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT hum. LIAM and SAM and MATT screeming, rocking in his crouch and tugging at the ring in his chest. SAM and MARISHA and As you're sitting there, breathing as slowly and carefully as you can, you hear boop. It sounds cute.

You glance over into the moss to your left, that yellow and orange moss, a little dark eye opens up and it peeks through to you and you see a little, like a mushroom crest, maybe about a foot and a half across and a little dark eye and another that opens up and it pulls forward, looking to you with a cocked head. LAURA and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and LAURA

Hello, friend. Oh. MATT and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and withdraw slightly back into that alcove and just stares at you. We didn't mean to disturb. We're just keeping our heads down for a minute. keeping our heads down for a minute.

Rrrr. Hello, I'm... Oh, hi. Does anyone speak mushroom? Hello. Do you want to play? Oh, that's a mischievous. What's your name? Oh. I try to pet it.

You reach and scratch its head a little bit, and it's kind of spongy and soft. And it kind of leans a little into it, one of those little black beady eyes kind of blinks a little bit. Scratch her brain. Oh, she's got a little bit, and it's spongy and soft, and it leans a little into it, one of its little black beady eyes blinks a little bit. Scratching its brain.

SAM and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and MARISHA and you hear, and you see from the nearby moss, a few others kind of like, blink, blink. Blink, blink, and they all kind of, Oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink, oink. Kind of communicating a bit. SAM and MARISHA and SAM and I stand behind Brixton and SAM and MATT and SAM and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and SAM and MATT and SAM 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 SAM and MATT and SAM and feet tall, a little taller than you even, as they like, brrr, and the one that you were scritching steps forward a little closer.

Brrr. Brrr. I don't trust it as much anymore. It reaches for your doll. Don't reach for Violet. Violet is very shy. Could we give it something else? And it charges you.

You need to put a map down. That's right! Oh, okay, I'm sorry, I hate noises! I hate this forest. I hate this forest, I hate this place. Those noises! My peck just seized out. I'm looking your way, and you're making noises.

Tagger, Tagger. Eww! Hello, creepy forest! Oh, fun trees. So, well, yeah, yeah. Hello, creepy forest. Whoa. Funtries. So, while you are all keeping under this alcove on the side here. Cool. God, it's great.

Look at the sponge. I love it. I bet those. This is perched. Yeah. Yeah, the trees. Oh yeah, there are. This is a tree.

Oh, little mushroom dudes. Another come around. Look at these. It's coming to hug you. They're so cute. Are we fighting a bunch of fun girls? Oh, they're so cute. They we fighting a bunch of fungrills? Oh, they're so cute. They're not that fun.

Real please. So, with my beginning to this combat based on the fear that you had rolled to hide here, the mushroom right there activates and lunges towards you. Oh no. Activates fungi? That's cute. Come on.

Actually, I'm gonna spend a fear and I'm going to use the group attack. Oh, great. And so all three of these are going to move into there, into there. Uh oh. Into there, and all of them, with an unnatural speed, dart towards you, and all three of them

make a group attack against Adily. Oh, uh-oh. That is going to be a 12? 11. Oh, that does hit you, okay. So you take six points of physical damage. Okay. That's, I'm, okay. So you take six points of physical damage. Okay.

I'm okay. I'm going to activate my Rune Ward. I'm gonna spend a hope. Okay. To diminish that damage. Okay, by how much? By 1d8. Go ahead and roll 1d8. Oh, I haven't used it.

I was gonna mark them, but I have not a reason. So 1d8. Go ahead and roll 1d8. Oh, I haven't used it. I was going to mark them, but I have, not a reason. So 1d8. All right. Sevens! So I don't take any damage. Indeed. All right. I'm going to spend another fear.

Thank you, Grandfather! As you watch, the hill above you seems to shake as the moss that's hanging over this overhang hangs slightly. As all those three fungus figures, after they withdraw from the strike, the magic pushing them back from your rune ward, they go, And you hear, Is it daddy? No! Is it mommy? What is that sound? Why are you able to do that?

As the very alcove you were hiding under seems to shift and come to life, as it maneuvers and Fucking Vader! That's so cool! as it maneuvers and is going to I'm going to spend a fear for the You know what? I'm going to spend a fear to do Funky Backup. Funky Backup! It's going to conjure two more fungus.

They all pull out bases. They all pull out bases. Both of these fungus immediately are summoned and activate. One's coming at you, Screeve, and one's coming at you, Misty. One against you, Screeve, that's only going to be a seven. That doesn't work. Against you, Misty, that's going to be a 13. That hits. That hits. You take two points of physical damage.

Those are the worst. Ooh, and I've already mentioned, you reduced the damage, but they did strike you. You both mark an armor slot. As their touch is caustic and begins to burn through your armor. Ooh! If they touch you at all? They touch you at all. So I can't use my armor then? You can use it, if you have an additional one you can, but you just lose a slot.

Because I only have one armor, which I was going to use to get rid of it. It's gone before you can use it. Got it, okay. So you take a hit point. So I take a hit point, that's okay. You only ever have one armor slot? No, I have three, but I decided to get rid of stress and clear and get rid of it.

That's going to end my activation. What do you want to do? I leap at the first one that was attacking Adelia, claws out, and I will just try to land on its chest with my weight and roll it into the bog. You didn't say the rules of the game! That is a 12 with hope. 12 with hope? That definitely just hits. So you gain a hope and go ahead and roll damage. Okay, okay, okay. Okay, where's my eight plus three? That is six points.

That's six points? Demage. All right. You go ahead and completely bicep that fungus. It gets wrecked and scattered. The other fungus goes, I hold up muck, cover claws, you. All right, who else wants to go?

I will roll unnecessarily between the big guy and one of the little ones just to get on the other side of him, like behind him if I can. You can get there. Yep, and I will swing my halberd above my head and you'll see it glow with divine energy and I'll cast Spirit Weapon. And I'll mark a stress to be able to start swinging,

building up the momentum and then boof, boof, boof, boof. It'll swing along the ground and aim at the legs of both the little guy and the big. You got it, roll an attack. Sweet, here we go. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You got it, roll an attack. Sweet, here we go.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. That is a 15, 16, 17 to hit. Hope or fear? With hope. Hope, take that, hope, and that is a success. Go ahead and roll damage. Beautiful. That'll hit both of them.

Four, d10, plus two. Six, seven, eight. Eight physical damage. Where's the halberd? Slice it through. The halberd completely destroys the recently conjured fungus and then sticks into the large rot lord. And it barely carves through its body

before returning to your hand, and where you cut, spores just out. And you watch the spores are filling the air around. No immediate effect, but this air does smell a little strange. TRAVIS and SAM and MARISHA and MATT and TRAVIS I'll take two steps back as the spores fell out just out of like, oh god. Last time that happened, a girl died. MATT and TRAVIS That finishes your go. Who's up next? follow in Eidol's tumble, and I will tumble and get between this fungus dude and the rot lord. SAM and MATT and SAM and MARISHA and MATT and MARISHA and SAM and SAM and

SAM and MARISHA and SAM and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and SAM and I'll wait, I'll wait. That might be a bad idea, but I'll wait for now. And I'm going to attack. First, the big one. Yep, that's good. That's going to be 17 with hope. That'll hit. Nice. And what I want to do is I want to take, I want to spend a hope to do Whirlwind, and I want to hit everything else that is within very close range.

Very close range. That would be this one here as well. That one doesn't reach the other one. You are unfortunately just out of range. Are you sure? Are you sure? I will measure the just out of range. Are you sure? Are you sure? I will measure the hell out of this. Just under.

Okay. Is 11 damage to the big boy? Or just, yeah. 11 damage to the big guy? March to hit points. And then the other guy takes half damage. Okay. He is... Oh, nice.

Gattar, you are tearing through these fungus. And then can I also step back just a little bit, maybe, kind of next to... To Screeve? You got it. All righty. So that finishes your go? Yes. Who wants to activate next? Where's, did you hit the one that was attacking Delia?

Did you want to go, Scanlan? Seeing that my shield is now gone and I'm exposed, I will leap up onto the top of the thing, get away. Then once up there, I will do a barrel roll. Yeah! Yeah! Three in a row! But not move, just stand.

Perfect. And then I feel like we should try to keep it in place, so I'm going to cast Vicious Entangle. Yes, yes, yes. On the thing. I will cast a spell. On the Rot Lord? On the Rot Lord, and I'm gonna use your d6

to add to this. Yes, don't forget you have a d6 to add to things. 17, but with fear. SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and and the Rottlord. SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and the Rottlord. And I'm going to use your d6 to add to this. 17. But with fear. That is a success, though.

That's okay. We had a pretty good run. Yep. Pretty good run. All right, so you go ahead and restrain him. Go ahead and roll damage for the ten. Ooh, I rolled an eight, so that's nine damage, plus I will mark a stress to mark it with my ranger focus. MATT. You got it. All right.

SAM. That's it. MATT. All right. As it comes back to me, first I will spend a fear. TRAVIS. You don't have to. MARISHA. Yeah. Come on, no, the commotion! Just a distant sound of the trees talking seems to be louder. Activating the Rot Lord here, first I'm going to spend a fear to get rid of its Restrain. Or you can see, actually it doesn't need to because you're in melee. So it's going to go ahead and instead attempt to envelop you.

Put your fear back, Matt, because you pushed it over. That's right. I'm just letting you know. No, I appreciate that. All right, so that comes to you. That is going to be 17 to hit you? 17 to hit? yeah, okay. Okay. The Rot Lord reaches out with its massive arms. As you look now, the clusters of fungus around it have discoloration of all types and sorts,

but things hang and shift and move as it does, and you notice that parts of its body are comprised of other bodies. There are at least four other humanoid corpses that arms and legs dangle from its limbs or partially or slowly being consumed and sent back to the nature around it from within, of which it grabs August and pulls you into its form.

You immediately mark a stress. Yeah. Does the arm that grabs August look like Caduceus' clay? Yeah. Oh, that's not nice. Well, you're enveloped. Yeah.

You must mark an additional stress every time you make an action roll. Oh no. You're only freed when it takes severe damage. So that's a scenario there. It's going to use a reaction, Fear Spores, when a creature within close range. Actually, no, sorry, that doesn't come in yet. Never mind. MARISHA and SAM and MATT and MARISHA and MATT and MARISHA and Fear Spores?

That'll be later. Fear Spores! That'll be later. May I? I'm upset. So that is going to be that. I'm going to burn another fear to activate the other two fungus that are present and burn a fear to do their group action. They're both going to cluster up and swarm onto close movement in on you. TRAVIS and LAURA and MATT and MARISHA and SAM and MATT and SAM and MARISHA and SAM and SAM and

again. Give them Violet! That's going to be a 15 to hit. movement in on you. I deal you. Again? I deal you. Give him Violet! That's going to be a 15 to hit. That hits. Sacrifice the dog. That's going to be four points of physical damage to you. Four points?

Well, I'll sleep better. I'm going to spend a hope to use my Rune Ward again. Okay, go for it. That's a pretty good ability. Yes, it is. Eight! I don't take any damage. You don't take any damage. That is cool. You do burn an armor slot from its cost of his entry. That's my activation.

All right. I am going to Wild Flame on Rotlord and two of the other creatures. By the way, this is the timer on the approaching sound. I'm going to paste it up there for you guys to see. It's on a three. I'm also going to use my rally die. So if we maybe negate this quickly, we could still continue hiding. Is that the vibe?

Maybe. Should we do a group thing? Tag team-y? Tag team. Might be a bad idea. To the big guy? To the big boy. That'd be nice.

Well, we also need to do a severe damage in order to get him out. So, yes. Well, we also need to do a severe damage in order to get him out. So, yes please. Let me try to do a... Who are you tag teaming with? Are you tag teaming or are you trying something? I was gonna do a Wild Flame and tried it

because I can get two people, but that's only 2d6, so I don't know if that would end up being severe for Brot Lord, so we should team up. Well, I think you can still do Wild Flame and then maybe team up. I'll do a tag team with you. Yeah? Yeah. Do you want to spend your hope or mine?

I'll spend my hope. All right, so maybe we can, yeah. All right, so what are you both doing? All right, I was thinking of Wild Flame. Which is a melee attack against the Rottlord? Yeah, so I will have to move up, thank you. Yeah, you can get there, yeah. So you leap over this fungus and land here next to it. Brixton, you come in close, both of you tangling up

toe-to-toe with the Rot Lord. As I see Misty start to conjure the flame, my focus starts to get a little enraptured as I start to see the flame of the pyre and start thinking about everything that happens. And then I start repeating my order born value. The strongest steel must first be tempered by the flame. The strongest steel must first be tempered by the flame.

I'm gonna take my greatsword and run it, or technically my falchion, and run it through your flame. Whoa! Sick. Two, okay. And then I'm gonna use my order born value to roll a d20 as my hope die. Whoa.

So I put one over, I put my flame hand over. You both charge in, go ahead and roll your attacks. Ugh! Ooh, are you fucking serious? No, look, look, look! And I rolled it when I touched it. Look! Oh, no, no, I thought that was, never mind, that mine was blind. Shit. Why are you re-rolling?

It was caught. Somehow your dice always get done. Yeah, it wasn't what I wanted it to be, so I rerolled it. Do you have a good roll? No. Can I add my d6 from her? What do you mean? That you gave me?

Yeah. Or her empower power? Yeah, that's what it's there for. Okay. That's much better. Okay. 16. 11. 16?

11. With? Hope. With hope. With hope. That is a success. So you both gain a hope from that? I rolled a... It doesn't matter. No, you both take her roll.

I'm going to take my roll. So you're both going to hope in the success of both of your rolled damage. I know, I shouldn't have. We haven't done a team up yet. Okay. Okay. 12 damage. Six damage to three creatures. Can I pump them all into the Rot Lord? Well, three creatures in melee with you. Okay. If you look at what it says. So only one of them is in melee to hit the Rot Lord, unfortunately.

Is that what it says? Within melee range. Correct, which is right next to you. Okay. Which currently, to get to help out with this to hit the Rotlord, you have to get out of range of the other two mushrooms. So you can only hit the Rotlord with this. Okay, that's fine. Great. So that's a total of six damage.

It's a total of six damage. Plus 12. Plus 12. That's 18 points of damage, which is its damage threshold for Sivir. Yay! So it takes three hit points, and you watch as August gets spilled out onto the ground. Lordy, that was tight. Can I grab him and push him behind me? Sure, he's where he stands now.

So you pull him off to the side and he's right there. Scream. Look at the hole it left. Let's play. Should we make it bigger? Yeah. I sink into the water. What? It's dark, I assume. It's? Yeah. I sink into the water. What?

It's dark, I assume. It's murky. I'm going to, okay. No, it's not, okay. Then I... It's between shadow and water. I'm just making sure that we're working with balance. Okay, okay.

Then I will just charge. I'll set you up, and we're going to tag team. I'm going to spend three hope on my end. I was going to say, if you want to try and hide within the water to do this. Yes, I do. I'll allow you, I'll roll a finesse roll to see if you can effectively hide in it.

Do I, does, hmm, okay. It's murky, but it's not like impossible to see. Finesse roll. It is a 16 with fear. Okay, so you do manage to hide and slink beneath the water. Okay. But it does come to me when you do that. Great.

There's the challenge. So we can't do our thing, okay. Not in the moment. Okay. So this is how the fight for it goes. So I've disappeared. So you disappear and you are now hidden, or in this instance, cloaked within the water.

Between worlds, yep. Kind of shifting into shadow, preparing for it. But in that moment, the wrought lord, from a moment of inspiration and anger of losing its current meal, begins to charge. I'm gonna go ahead and, let's see. Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and have it attempt to envelop you. Okay.

The giant? It's not gonna be a very good snack. It's gonna certainly try. That is gonna be 11. That just hits. Okay. I can't believe I ate the whole thing. You are enveloped by the Rock Lord with Ant-Body.

Oh, in a rockaday. Yeah. Yeah. Within Marca-day. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Within, mark of stress. Okay. And you are within its form. The moths are going to burn a fear,

while this counts down to a two. And the two other fungus are going to activate, and they're going to both, like a group attack, against you. Aren't I gone? Is he hiding? Oh no, yeah, you're vanished from this section. So instead,

Yay! Instead it's going to be against, yeah, you, because you're right there. Okay. Everyone else went away. My dress is all holy now. It else went away. LAURA and SAM and LAURA laughing. I duck and roll. They don't hit me. I do a sub-assault. That's my activation. Who would like to go? Well, they were saying that you can't interfere. Yes, now you can take it.

I fly up out of the water under its grundle and start clawing my way up and tearing away with my little mini iron claws. Ah, and then have you no decency! I start at the grundle and I move up its belly and I go, and I can see stone. Girl, now! And I do a barrel roll into the water. Do a barrel roll! Barrel roll! Barrel ride off.

So this is the tag team? Yeah, this is our tag team. This is me opening up its underbelly so that it... I'm gonna unleash chaos into its belly. Let's go! I make Violet do a barrel roll. And then I send magic from her eyes. Oh my god!

Let's go, roll your attacks, please. Oh, we both roll, and then we take the better of the two. I'm gonna add the d6 that she gave me as well. I have a 17 with hope. Oh, good. Woo hoo! Woo hoo! I got 17 with hope as well!

But I added a one. That's 18 with hope for both of you. Go ahead and roll your damage. All right, and I'm coming from Cloaked now, so I'm under my distress. I'm going to Mark of Stress. I'm going to Unleash Chaos. Oh, no, I can just unleash my cast. Six plus the sneak. That's 11 for me. Four, 12, and then I'm going to Mark of Stress to double the damage of my eight here, so that's 16

plus four, that's 20 damage. That is a severe wound. 31. 31 points of damage. 31? Together. Together? Doesn't double its severe, but it's close. So that is three hit point wounds on it, to the rot lord, which spits out your friend there.

Oh, goodness. I'm not getting to use my engulf ability. That makes me sad. For now. All right, that finishes your activation. More? They succeeded, so it's up to you guys. Let's do it. We're going to also do a tag team. Let's go!

Yeah, burn all your hope against a very important enemy. We can get this done. Why are you saying it like that? Why are you saying it like that? It's fun. Look at his head, he's huge, he's got corpses for limbs. There's spores in the air! Wait, I have a question.

Yeah. Do you each spend three hopes to do the tag team? Just three persons, one of you. And you got one back, right? Oh, and you get one back if you succeed. We both roll with hope, so we... Nice. Are you also attacking the grundle?

I'm also attacking the grundle. After you. I'll do a quick barrel roll. It kind of hurt. the grundle. I'll do a quick barrel roll. This time, I will rear back with my boomerang, and instead of throwing it at the beast, I will throw it at August. SAM and TALIESIN and SAM and SAM and TALIESIN I take my needle, and I fire the thread, and I grab it, and I start to swing it in a long arc and then reel it in it, just double the speed as this thing normally moves right into it.

Go ahead and roll your attacks. Mine's 17 with hope. Mine's 19 with fear, so 17 with hope is probably better to go. Let's do 17 with hope. I agree. 17 with hope? That's what I would do. I think so. Okay, that succeeds.

Okay, okay, okay. We hit with a 16, so. And I'm gonna use your die to add to my damage. I am also going to mark a stress to double my damage. So you don't have to say ahead of time that you're adding the d6? You can do it after you roll. I think that's your bardic ability, right?

So you can, I think, pass it for direct. And we all have that from you, right? Yeah think that's your bardic ability, right? You can, I think, as you interactively. And we all have that from you, yeah. What's it say for the rally die? What's it say for the rally die? A PC can spend their rally die to roll it, adding the result to their action roll, reaction roll, damage roll,

or to clear a number of stress equal to the result. At the end of each session, clear all unspent rally dice. Okay, so I mean, for the purposes of this, I'd say you can apply it to a roll beforehand. Beforehand, okay. I feel like I remember where the money could do it. Clear in beta. Seven.

But also, everyone gets it, and it's pretty good. So that's 22? 22 total points of damage. 22 points of damage? How do you both want to do this? Oh! The boob rank circles. Three tag teams in a row is gnarly. It circles several times, and then at some point it goes back to your hand, and we both pull to slice. Goat and spider undefeated.

I pull with my Cloven Hoof hands. And then I Barrel Roll. And then we both Barrow Roll. As you carve through it, the spores spill out and it falls and sinks into the swamp, the brackish water beginning to slowly let it dissolve as it returns to the land from whence it came. There still are two fungus up. Oh, it doesn't go with him? No. I'm going to shoot out a returning blade.

Go for it. I haven't used this yet. Let's use it, roll an attack. Okay. All right, that's not a lot. Wait, am I adding, I'm not adding presence or anything, I guess. Oh, proficiency, I'm adding my proficiency? Nope, that's something else. Finesse, plus one, ten, with hope. Oh, proficiency, I'm adding my proficiency? Nope, that's something else. Finesse, plus one.

Ten, with hope. That misses, unfortunately. Okay, that's okay. You gain a hope. That's okay, that's okay, but I gain a hope. I'm going to turn and hit the little guy, oh. Hold on, because she failed, it returns to you. Oh, shit. But I rolled with hope.

Yeah? But I still failed, so you're good. Yeah. I don't gain a hope, I don't gain a fear for it, but it still returns to me. I get turns here too, you guys. So as it returns to me, I'm going to first activate one of these fungi, who's going to dart forward on this end and attack you, who just struck out at their friends.

That's gonna be 13 to hit. All right. I am your shield. I am your shield! How close? You are. Yeah, you're within very close. I have a ability and a thing that I say.

So you take two points of physical damage. Huh? You take two points of physical damage. I will remove it. All right, and you also burn an armor slot on top of that. It's the caustic fungus. What happens if your armor's, like, all your slots are gone?

It just means you can't. It just means you just take the damage as it is. You can't reduce it. I'm gonna spend my last fear at that point to call once more on this landscape's funky backup. And two more fungus arises. Funky backup. We could run from there.'s funky backup. And two more fungus arrives. One from there. Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce.

Maybe we should run at this point. I think we should run. Oh, also, we're down to the count of one because of your failure on that one. More failure. That's a good one. That feels terrible. Sorry, sorry.

It's, I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean it that way. I didn't mean it that way. I know, that is my nightmare. It's all your fault. You didn't study for the trip. No. I just go to the bathroom. Why am I in pants on? Why am I naked?

Those two immediately activate, and they're going to come after you. That is going to be a natural one. We got to roll away. There you go, perfect. The other one's going to come once again for you. That's going to be a 12. That hits. My stupid dress is all destroyed. Two points of physical damage. I'll use a Prayer Die to reduce the damage.

No damage. Oh, holy man. Real holy man. He still has an armor slam. But no damage to you. Thank you. Do you barrel roll to her? No.

That finishes my activation, and I'm out of fear. You're out of fear. You're out of fear. Who's going? I turn around and I hit the thing that tried to hit me with Violet. I'm just gonna smack it with Violet. Go for it, roll for an attack. It's just a little super duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper duper du That's 14 with fear. 14 with fear. That does hit.

Okay. Go ahead and roll damage. Five points of damage. Five points of damage. This fungus gets blasted away. I feel like each time you get a fear, you just shit with a cackle. Here we go.

Here we go. Oh no. The heavy buzz gets louder and louder. You begin to panic as you see two shapes fly in overhead, two large sets of wings. You see these odd hornet-like creatures coasting overhead. The shadow is there at first. You're like, oh, they're like large bees or hornets, but you see legs dangling and arms and long, pointed, proboscis faces as they... You know these to be hive collectors. And they've taken note of your presence as they... arrive on the field. It's air activation.

MARISHA and SAM and MARISHA and LAURA and SAM and MARISHA and Some carboniferous shit. No, I rolled a fear. Oh, that's right, you did. Yeah. Oh, well, no. On my turn... field. It's air activation. MARISHA and MATT and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and MARISHA and MATT and very fast. They can fly. We fight. All right. I am, I suppose my first thing I'm going to do is, where am I? I'm going to try and get some cover in the corner. I'm going to sit near you. I'm going to run past you. I'm going to give you

some armor. I'm going to give you a temporary armor point. You can do that? I can. I'm adding this to my little move. It's called, where'd it go? I'm going to cast Tava's armor really quickly and take some thread and fix your dress a little bit as I run by. You have one temporary armor point. I'm going to back up and I'm going to hit the one up top with an ice spike. The other direction. Not quite that far, but almost. And then I'm going to back up here? No, the other direction. This way. Yeah, not quite that far, but almost. Okay. Yeah, like there.

And then I'm going to hit the one up top with an ice spike. Fungus or the collector? The collector. Okay, let's go. Hopping it straight up. That is a ice spike. That's a, oh please don't fuck this up. That's 13 with hope.

That unfortunately misses. It does. You gain a hope, but your eyes spike in the panic as you release the spell. You instinctually know the arcana to release this manipulation of the Aetherwave, but just seeing the collector in front of you, you release it a little too soon and it shatters against the stone right beneath it. Immediately it, vwoom, vwoom, and it gives you a turn of the look, almost like it recognized you. Fuck.

Shit. That's going to come to my activation. The Hoth Collector is going to vwoom, vwoom, down to you. Uh-oh. Yep. Down, get down. I'm going to spend a fear. No, you know what, actually, I'm going to have it Mark of Stress, and

it's going to attempt to throw a tangle net on you. It pulls from its back. At a closer look, you can see it is definitely a humanoid hornet-type entity, but it has straps and small collections on its side, and it pulls from it this small bound collection of what looks like tangled rope before it unfurls it and throws it your direction. That's going to be a 14 to hit? Yes. Yep, yep, I'm holding off.

Oh, wait. No, I'm sorry. This is on your end. I don't know if this is. You need to make an agility reaction roll for it. I need to make an agility reaction roll for me. I need to make an agility reaction roll. Okay. Can I spend a hope? Please? Help?

With a reaction roll in this instance, I'm gonna say probably no. Okay. Do the fungus dudes look afraid of these hive collectors? Or are they just like, meh? I can tell. Do the fungus people look afraid of the hive collectors or are they like, meh, another day in the forest?

They don't seem to note its presence at all, actually, practically. All right. Okay, that's pretty good. That's 22 with hope. 22 is his success. The net goes wide and you manage to duck out of the way and it pulls it back with a rope and it doesn't seem to have much of an effect.

I'm going to spend a fear to activate this one over here. Vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom, vroom, who's going to rush and fly up at this point above. Uh-oh. And it's going to attempt to, it's gonna mark a stress as well, and it's going to throw its tangle net down at you. I need you to make an agility reaction roll, please.

No problem. Heads up, Idle! 10, 11, 12. 12 with hope. 14. 12 with hope, I mean, it's a reaction roll, so no hope. Oh, it is a reaction roll. That's okay, but that does not succeed.

No! The net falls and wraps you. You are restrained and vulnerable until you succeed to escape the net as an action roll on your turn. Okay. Restraint and vulnerable. That's my activation. It smells weird in here.

Real quick, I am going to go unstoppable. Now it's time. Unstoppable! Unstoppable! No! And I'm going to real quickly do a barrel roll in between these two fungus guys. Yep, right there is great. I'll get next to Screev. You got it. And then I'm going to attack one of the fungus guys

and probably do a whirlwind, but let's see if I hit. That's good, that's gonna be 18 with hope. 18 with hope succeeds. And I will do whirlwind, so I'll get a hope and do a whirlwind to hit both of them. You got it. And that is going to be, that's good, that is going to be 13 damage.

13 damage, yeah, that succeeds. Nice. You carve through both of those fungus, clearing the battlefield, both of them. You see it almost like as I carve through with my blade, and it almost like goes slow motion for a second as the spores sparkle. Cool.

In the air as an anime moment. And then I'm going to, I don't want to get too far. I'm going to shift a little bit towards Misty. Okay. A little split the difference. I'll be on the front side of her and also not too far from Idle either. All right, there you go. All right, that finishes your girl. Who wants to activate? May I turn over to the hornet that's near August? And I'm just wings out. I start to bristle in the

wind again, and I'm going to cast Epic Song, and I have to get up to close range. Or am I, is that okay? You are within the target? Yeah, because I'm going to go to this one. You are, yeah, you're just. Barely in close range of your target. All right, so I am going to do Epic Song, and that will be temporarily vulnerable.

Okay. So for that, this hive collector be temporarily vulnerable. Okay. So for that, this hive collector has become vulnerable. Ooh, okay, okay. Nice. Okay. Nice. Anything else you wanna do in your turn? So that just happens automatically as part of the ability. That just happens automatically. What does it mean when they're vulnerable?

Attacks, or action rolls against them have advantage. Oh great. Add that d6, naturally. Mm-hmm. Since we're sitting here and I just saw that happen, action rolls against them have advantage. Oh great. Add that d6, naturally. Mm-hmm. Since we're sitting here and I just saw that happen, I'm going to cast Arcane Barrage again and wind my needle with some thread and cast it out at that...

The one in front of you? At the one, yeah, the ten. All right, how much hope do you want to spend for this? I'm gonna spend one, two, three, four. I'm gonna spend four hope. Whoa. Whew. Big spender. That's 19 points of damage.

19 points of damage. That is definitely a severe three hit points marked on the hive collector. And then I'm going to back up a bit. Barrel back? Yeah, I'm going to back up to there. Got it. All right, so that finishes your go. Do you have a follow-up now? Do I have a follow-up? Do you? That's what you wanted to do while he was taking his turn? But if you're good, somebody else can go while you're figuring out.

Screef is itching. Yeah, roll over to Eidol. Eidol, out of there, under the net, say, listen, I can get you out of here, but if I do, you can owe me a favor. Okay, favor sounds good, favor sounds good. Start slicing away at the net with my claws. So I'm attacking the net to get Eidol out. So in this instance, to pull the net off, it is a strength or agility action roll to cut him free. So in theory, you're attacking it, but you're rolling a strength or agility action roll to try and do so. Yes.

Can I give him hope? If you want to spend a hope to aid your friend, yes. I will give you the most awesome favor. Hold on tight. Friend might be pushing it. Oh, you know. Ooh, I'm going. Yes, you did. I'm giving you the most awesome favor. Hold on, I thought. Friend might be pushing it. No, you know. Ooh, I'm going, oh, you gave me hope? Yep, d6.

That's a d6? Well, just to clarify, you don't give someone hope, you spend hope to help your friend. I spent hope. Correct. Right, and I rolled a six. Just because you want to make sure everyone understands. No, but Claytree, no, but Claytree, yeah, yeah.

So it's with fear, but it's a two, nine plus ten, 16, because I have a plus one for agility. 16 is a success, the net is gone off. They're so moldy. The idol is freely put into. Oh my god. I grab you by the side of the head and I twist your ears a little bit, go,

I'll tell you later, and I might have drawn a little bit of blood with a claw. Woo! He's piercing, that hurt. On my activation, this Hive Collector is going to fly down and attempt to strike you with its Sleeping Sting. Sleeping Sting.

That's going to be a 16 to hit. Oh, yeah. All right, you take... Ooh! Nine points of physical damage. Nine points, okay, that's major damage. I'll let my armor take. If I reduce it to two, will it help you at all?

Nine, it depends on how much you reduce it. Only two. Oh, two? No. Okay. All right, so I sacrifice an armor. I take one hit point. You take one hit point.

And I need you to make an instinct reaction roll. Come on. Oh. It's an instinct, you say? Yes. 18 with a hope. 18 with a and SAM and LIAM laughing. SAM and LIAM laughing. It's instinct, you say? Yes. 18 with a hope. 18 with a hope.

Oh, good. As the proboscis stabs into you from above, you shrug off the wound and your armor took some of it, but the puncture wound's still there and you feel something into your body. But you've been poked and prodded and filled with all manner of nasty, caustic things, and you just shrug off its effect.

That's what I'm talking about! That's it. Picks back up and dives back into the air. It keeps us there. I'm going to spend the other fear to activate the other one that is vulnerable. It's going to fly up to here, and it's going to take a dive strike with you with its sleep sting on you. Well, I'm just hanging out, I'm just out here just hanging out barrel rolling. That's gonna be another 16 to hit.

But it hits. Yep. You take, that's gonna be six, no sorry, five plus three, eight points of physical damage. That's going to be six, no sorry, five plus three, eight points of physical damage. That's major damage. I will mark off an armor, sacrificing an armor, and I'll take one.

And I need you to make an instinct reaction. Instinct reaction roll. 14. 14, that's a success. You manage to resist whatever its proboscis is trying to affect you with, and then it flies back up into the air. Man.

Can't get to him. That's my guess. Oh! I look up at them flying, and I'm going to see them as the most beautiful fairies that I read in my storybooks. That's you. That's you. And I'm going to use my experience,

I'm gonna spend a hope to use my experience pure imagination. Love it. What is that? It's the skill of disassociating. Yeah. Wow. We're all very good at it. And then I'm gonna unleash some chaos on the one of disassociating. Yeah. Wow. We're all hearing good at it.

And then I'm going to unleash some chaos on the one in front of me. It's 20-25. The one that's vulnerable. Do you still have your chaos things on it? Yeah, I spent a stress to get them back. Stress to refill it? You got it. Let's go. Actually, I don't think that's out of range, so I'll do the one that's... Is it out of range?

How far can it go? Far. Far for you. Yeah. Yeah, it's... I'll say, yeah, from you there, it's within range. Okay, great, then I will hit. I'll go for that one. Okay, so you're rolling the hit,

you do have advantage against it because it is vulnerable. Okay, great. Let's go. Ooh. Okay. Mm-hmm. 15, 16, 16, and then I add my instinct. 18 with hope. With hope, you take a hope, and that is a success.

Go ahead and roll your damage for your. Oh, and 19, because I got my experience point on there too. That's true. All right, and so I'm going to try to hit it with both of my chaos points. Let's go. Oh, that's a 10. I can't use that. Oh, wait, they're both at ten. Oh, that was a nine. A nine and an eight. That's 17. 17. That's above its severe threshold. That's three hit points on that collector. It's looking

like it's having a rough go. It glances back at the other one and glances back at it, and they both nod. That finishes your activation. It's still on your guys rough go. It glances back at the other one and glances back at it, and they both nod. That finishes your activation. It's still on your guys' go. LAURA and SAM and MARISHA and LAURA and SAM and MARISHA and To refill it? No! To double one of my damage dice! Ooh! It's already at severe.

I don't know if it'll do any more damage. Oh, it won't do anything because it won't double that. It probably won't push it across. Okay, then fuck it, I'm not going to do that. Okay, fair. Who else wants to go? I'm right next to this spore guy who's just sort of been... He hasn't noticed me. He's just hanging out, yeah.

The destruction of the Rot Lord makes it kind of like... Wait, can I hit an additional target with one of my stress points? I can do that. Let me see, what does it say on there specifically? I can spend a stress point to hit an additional target. Yeah, it says after making the attack. I just wanted to make sure you had to choose before or after. So yeah, you can totally do that. Go for it.

Okay, I'm going to Mark of Stress, and I'm going to hit the other one. Okay. You've already made the attack, so the hit doesn't do the same damage. Yeah, so'm going to Mark of Stress and I'm going to hit the other one. Okay, they've already made the attacks. The hits it does the same damage. Yeah, so I do the damage. It does the same damage? Yes. Yes! Oh wow, I love that.

That is such a cool move. So the other one takes a heavy hit as well. Popping in after. Yes. Popping in after. All right, now, if you'd like to activate. I'm going to try to boomerang off his head and I will slash. popping in after. All right, now, if you'd like to activate. I'm going to try to boomerang off his head.

And I will slash, oh no, 18 with fear, sorry. No. That's okay, that is a success. Okay, I'm gonna try to lop off his head with my boomerang and then put his mushroom cap on my head so that from above maybe he thinks I'm just a little mushroom guy. You sever the head and then throw it onto your head to try and hide it. Go ahead and make a presence action roll to see if you can try and quickly plaster yourself off as one of the caustic fungus. 13 with hope. But I had already rolled a fear before that.

I know, but just a scenario there. All right, so as far as you know, you're hiding well with a fungus on your head. They'll never expect me. 13, this dives down to strike there again. SAM and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT and SAM and MATT 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 A 13 is my evasion? It hits. That hits. That's going to be eight points of physical damage to you. Oh, that's major. I'll mark off another armor, making it a minor. A minor!

And I need you to make an instinct reaction. Instinct reaction. As it pulls back. 17. Man, you guys As it pulls back. 17. 17, man, you guys are rolling real good on this. I can't get to him. Oh god. Oh!

And everyone dies. Oh, no! Oh! There we go. Oh, thank you. I'll do this, right. This one's gonna fly back over this way a little bit. Whoa!

Whoa! Fuck it. Yelling when I do bit. Whoa! Oh! Fuck it. Yelling when I do it. Oh! Does it stress you out? I had a fear every time you do it. Oh yeah. Oh my god.

Stop yelling. Stop yelling. Ah! Have you called a surgeon? I'm not ready. I'm not ready. I'll spend the fear to activate this one. Stop!

It's going to swoop down to strike. Yep, yep. Oh, natural 16, that's going to be an 18 to hit. And it's going to swoop down to strike. Yep, yep. Oh, natural 16, that's gonna be an 18 to hit. And it's gonna do a fly-by. Okay. God damn it. So you take. Yep, yep.

Roll to five again, eight points of physical damage. I need you to make an instinct roll for me. All right, that's one, and then an instinct roll. Where's my kids? Come on, don't fuck around. Ooh, that's good. That's a 20. You resisted as well.

Sorry. I'm having a rough go this round. Sorry, Matt. Why are you apologizing? You guys are rolling great. Oh, I'm sad. Let's let him have one. Yeah.

Yeah. Trust me, you don't allow me to. But nevertheless, it's your guys' go. How far away are we from the one that seems to be flying away? You are currently, he's just under far range. Just under far range, okay. Over the far range. Let's see, let's, I think I can summon the nice spike above him and drop it. Do I need a ground

to summon a nice spike or no? Does it say within far range? Far range. No, you just summon it in the air and throw it at him. Okay, I'm just gonna hop up, I'm gonna fly up just enough to try and drop a, pick a little tear and try and drop an ice spike down that. Go for it. Roll for the attack. I should have used my spineless coward experience to hide better.

Uh-huh. Well, that's 16 with fear. That's a success. And so that is, I expect to get a fun one. That's a d6. I dropped it. Not great. That's actually the vulnerable one too. I think the vulnerability tag came off of it. So that definitely hit, doesn't do anything,

but you just would have hit. Okay. so it definitely hit, doesn't do anything, but you just would've hit. Okay. Yeah, honestly, I only did three points of damage. Okay, so that marks a hit point. Is he still up, or? Yeah. Fuck. Barely. That finishes your go.

It does, shit. For mine, this one's going to activate and... Oh no, it flew away? For mine, this one's going to activate and vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv This is bad. This is very, very bad. My bad. Silence settles in for a minute, and the buzzing of their wings vroom. tapers off to the familiar quiet of the screaming forest until the wind picks up slightly. And as it does, the trees shift and rattle.

It is what sounds like the mingling of whispers. SAM and MARISHA and MATT and MARISHA and MATT and SAM and as the branches scrape and turn, like a cricket's legs, create this awful, unsettling sound surrounding you. But whatever is going to happen next, you know you have to move, because something knows you're here.

So we run. Fast. Fast. Run. Charging northward as hard as you can in hopes that you can traverse the length of this forest before something else dangerous finds you. We'll pick up there at the top of the next episode.

Oh my god. Oh, Laura Lee, and welcome to the Age of Umbra. Yay! Yeah! This is so fun! You guys are so cool. This is so fun. It was a lot of fun.

Your name was Steve, right? Yes. But thank you so much for joining us. We love you very much, and is it Thursday yet? Oh man! And we finished up this episode. Thanks for coming along on this wild journey with us. If you liked the adventure, consider leaving a review on your podcast platform of choice. We are always looking for new critters to share our stories with,

and your review may help a new batch of wayward adventurers discover the show. See you next time.