D&D is For Nerds - Jarren’s Outpost: EE #14 Sacrifice

Episode Date: April 26, 2025

The day is won. The dragon Damien Eaton slain. the city returned to its familiar state of controlled chaos. But at what cost? Perrwinkle O'Rourke is dead and in the wake of such destruction the city needs a leader more than ever. Leo Shadow, who always saw things for what they could be, not what they were, makes the ultimate sacrifice. And in the streets of Jarren's Outspost, along with his shadow, Gregg Piss enjoys square one. The city is safe, once again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaren's Outpost is a bustling city located in the nation of Goldcrest. A nation that nobody cared about until the king was slain by a bunch of adventurers. Unfortunately, adventurers did what adventurers do, and they didn't think of the consequences of killing a powerful tyrant, and they promptly left the citizens of Goldcrest to figure it out for themselves. For now, Jaren's Outpost is a melting pot of religions, criminals, politics and paranoia, with everyone keeping everyone else in check. But all that's about to change. Welcome to the enhanced edition of Jaren's Outpost.

Damien Eaton turns to face you three. Do you think this is over? I am worth a thousand of your armies! We're gonna forget the little army all around you because fuck they do not care about fighting this dragon. So, your little cleric buddy piss, rooted to the ground in fear, cannot move. Clara charges up next to you. I've got your back. Yeah Clara. Evelyn.

Come on, Evelyn. You got this. Evelyn shakes her head, holding her sword tight, says, I'm ready to die. I'm sad I'm not still full of souls. What a great moment to be like, I slit my own throat. There's only so many games we can end with you doing that. How many games end with your suicide you doing that? That's true. How many games end with your suicide?

Ah, two fucking many. It's always the right thing to do. Alright, Piss, you act first. Oh, I would like to cast Confusion on it. It's my last go of Confusion for the day and I doubt it'll work. It doesn't. You are not even able to overcome the creature's spell resistance. Some creatures, like dragons, are so powerfully charged magically

that when a spell attempts to affect them, it's just so much weaker than their natural magic. It just has a chance to not affect them. That's what happens here. You can move if you want. Uh, whatever. I'll move. I'll be behind the cleric He's not in this combat. Okay, you can move behind Clara or Evelyn. I'll do that Then I'll move by Clara then it is Clara and Evelyn's turn Clara casts some of her last magic All of you feel bolstered. You get bonuses to attacking damage. Sweet. All right. All right, Evelyn

You get bonuses to attacking damage. Sweet. Alright, alright, alright. Evelyn, screaming, charges forward. The eaten dragon tries to chomp at her. It grabs her, lifts her up and tosses her into the air. You can faintly hear from Evelyn... Ah! Ha ha ha ha ha! She comes down on the dragon with her sword. Evelyn's kind of amazing.

Evelyn's like this good mixture of dangerous and crazy. Like all religious zealots are. Is she on it now? She's on its back, slowly sliding down with her sword embedded in. That's awesome. Periwinkle. Alright, I drink my Resist Energy Acid potion and I've got that energy acid cloak thing. Pull out silver steel and just run at the fucking dragon.

Silver steel is white hot in your hands. Let's do this shit. I run, I run and I just jump at its gaping mouth. You reach the base of the dragon and begin trying to climb up. So as you climb up, you pass Evelyn on her way down. High five. Sub F. She smiles. What the fuck are they doing? Climb the dragon.

The dragon rolls over with you on it. It bites at you. Great. But it can't like... It can't get its massive war at you. Great. But it can't like... Nup, nup, nup, nup. It can't get its massive war at you. Two of its claws slash at you. It rends you apart with its claws.

Then two of its wings wrap around and bang, bang, slam into you. Then its tail... Fucking hell. Is it also hurting itself? Nah, it's like, it's not the same thing. Okay, you took all of its attacks. Fuck. Two claws, two wings, one of them.

Oh shit, a critical hit. It's alright. It's impossible to tell which blow is which. It's just like a hailstormorm but instead of water droplets, pain. You take 30 points of damage and when... At first you thought that the air had just left your lungs, but now you notice that the air will not return to your lungs. I've got a punctured lung. No, you've got a crushed trachea.

What does that mean? I can't breathe. Can't breathe. Shit. Why do I lose every turn? You don't lose anything. You just slowly suffocate. What's your constitution? Ah, pretty good. You got 12 rounds before you start suffocating. Alright. But the first time you fail, unconscious.

Then the next round, no save, dead. Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, unconscious, dead. That's 12 rounds away, though. Like that. Ah! Those 12 rounds are past like a... ..the blink of a cat's eye. LAUGHTER What if I do that with a cunt's mouse? Mm. Mm.

Leo. OK. Can I look around to see if there's anything I can grab from the fallen commanders? That'd be, like, too long. Well, then I'm going to try and run and sneak attack somehow while it's distracted. Sneak attack with a dagger. Ugh! My head.

The dragon's head slams into the dirt where you were, but a moment before. You're on the right side of it. You can sneak attack. With both daggers of venom and thundering. And I'm gonna use the venom. Just go nuts. Just go nuts. Anything I can just...

Your venom attack misses but your thundering attack hits. What's good against ass? What I need right now is a little bit of concentrated full moon that I can just... Blood blood blood blood blood. Guess what? now I'm I hate that voice. Can we make this fight just take another 33 days please? You deal 20 points of damage. The most damage anyone's dealt so far. Yeah. So your second blow stabs deep into a muscle the muscle makes one of its legs jerk and it hits itself with its own force.

GOOSE Stop hitting yourself, dickhead! GOOSE Piss! WILL So, um, inspire courage. Will that get the people out of the fear trance? GOOSE I'm so angry! WILL Excuse me, Adam, for making you look up rules! GOOSE It's like the first time we've made Adam actually have to look up rules.

WILL It's good! GOOSE Usually we're like,, we do a dance to impress him. You fail. Damn. Okay. Is he impressed? No. Aww.

He should be. It was a real good dance. Let me just roll. It wasn't. Damn. I'll go up to him and I will start playing. Yon dickhead, yon dickhead. Wait the fuck up.

Pfft. We're fighting a dragon, what needs to get got? Pfft. The cleric remains in his... state of fear torpor. Garbage. Goggles, also,

remains in his state of fear torpor. Well, that's right. Uh, and... And I guess your move action is to just move towards them? Yep. That's your turn. Cool. Sorry, Piers. Hey, look, that's life. And I guess your move action is to just move towards them. Yep. That's your turn. Cool. Sorry, Piers.

Hey look, that's life. Clara gets big. Like real big. That's good. Yeah, yeah. She expands in size, she gets that fiery halo, the light coming out of her eyes and mouth, and she charges. She grabs the dragon by its neck and punches it once.

I just remember it doesn't have a morning star. Ah, yes. She deals five damage. Ah! Pick up a weapon, you silly goose. Is it my turn, almost? It's Evelyn's turn, sorry. Evelyn gets to the bottom of the dragon, tears her sword out,

takes a couple steps back, and then swings as hard as she can. She sends the sword sailing into one of the dragon's eyes. Got him. Evelyn deals 48 points of damage. Alright, so Clara's like punching in the face. Yeah. She's big enough to like hold its head, yeah? Not really. She grabbed it but like her hand did not fit around its neck. It's still bigger than her.

Oh no, that's fair. She's big enough for her to like kind of grapple with its head. Up here, yeah. Hold its head steady. That's to Clara. Yeah. And now I'm gonna dunk-climb into this bitch's mouth. Clara grabs its lower jaw and wrenches it open. Whee! You leap into the dragon's mouth.

It swallows you whole. Am I in its belly? Or its gullet? They're in its neck. Awesome. Slowly being swallowed. Good. As this is happening...

Tree token. Grow a tree out of dragon's yoke. swallowed good as this is happening tree token girl mighty row tree and it was a mighty oak not a pissy little pine tree you take 11 points of damage in the first round that's a rock so does the dragon but the dragon doesn't die you don't die to hit points and breaks its throat open and you're safe. Eight hit points kills you. Hang on, so I'm either gonna kill the dragon and live or I'm gonna kill the dragon and die.

Yeah, pretty much. I'm pretty happy with those options. OK. I might just sit down. Can you pass these to Hans from Tom Plates? Oh, fuck no! I don't want to have to do stuff. Like, all of them? All of them. Just on the table.

What do I need? Less than? You need less than 8. You have a very small chance of living here. Yeah, it's tiny. I've actually got to roll all 1s. No, if there were...if 3 of them are 2s and one of them is a 1. If I roll a 6, I'm fucked. Yes.

I'm gonna die. Yes. The dragon's neck begins to bulge as if a tree, a tree that is 60 foot high, with a 40 foot diameter, is bulging out of it. Leaves are sticking out of the dragon's mouth. Its eyes are just up, up, up. The dragon's neck explodes in all directions.

Its head hits the ground. Its body hits the ground. In its place, a giant blood red tree stands slowly sliding off the top of the tree with bits and pieces of, at first you assume the dragon, but then you notice that's periwinkle's arm. That's one of periwinkle's feet. That's periwinkle's not head, but face. Every zombie that hasn't already been killed drops like a marionette with its strings cut. So one no chance of that being healed.

Clara turns around, starts vomiting. Evelyn grabs her and drags her to the gore, which she has been covered in, which you Leo have been covered in. Pierce you're fine. Is my shadow back? No. Why would it be back? I don't know.

I am so satisfied. Clara and Evelyn begin collecting your bits and when Clara turns around and says if if if we're fast enough I I can maybe save him. All right, what needs to be done? We need the dude. Clara, get us together! We need to get all his bits. Don't forget my dick. It's average.

It's not my great business. It's Great business a rousing cheer begins to to go up among everyone here Wiggle Wiggle man, it's just so touchy Your bits are collected a Stretchers brought out they put onto the stretcher and a tarp is thrown over them for decency and dignity's sake. And people fight to be a pallbearer.

Hey! You're led away with Clara still like... I don't know any of this. No, you are. You're somewhere else entirely. Underneath a red tree in a white void. Yeah, a gentle looking fair maiden sits next to you. She's lying down but feeding a sugar cube to a white horse. And you see a sword at her side.

You'd be the... I'd die, didn't I? She nods. You're communing with Lady Willow. Yeah. Would you like to go back? She says. Is that an option? Your friends wish you to come back. Well if, if that's an option I'll, I'll take it. She nods. Alright. God's real. Would you like to stay here for now? Yeah, I'll rest until I get dragged back, I suppose. Why am I so calm? Feel free to sleep. She turns back to the horse. Okay, I'll just finally rest.

I can rest. My watch is over. It isn't, but alright. For now. You close your eyes. While Periwinkle naps in the afterlife, his remains are brought back to the small chapel in Whitefort, the place where the sabres were. Clara is displeased by this but goes along with it.

She casts a spell over the remains. We have to wait a day. I can bring them back. It will cost a lot though Like what like money wise? No. No, um, I will require a great sacrifice from someone Evelyn Stands before the the um, she's grown on me Evelyn stands before the stern slab takes a, draws a sword and lays it before her. She says, take whatever you need.

What do you need from us? Clara says, what sacrifice I require is something dear. I don't know what will be taken, but it will have a heavy toll on you, Evelyn. Evelyn nods and says, I am ready. Clara says, well, you can get up. I need to do it tomorrow. Would it be easier if it was spread out over a few of us? No, I don't have that.

I've used too much magic today. I'm casting a low level spell to preserve the corpse and allow me to cast the spell I require tomorrow. I think what Leo meant is, like, the sacrifice, because you spread that out of the temple, people make it not as bad. No. I'm not offering myself, I'm just clarifying.

The sacrifice must be painful for someone. Yeah, right. I don't know what we'll be taking. It could be something as, well, mundane, perhaps, I should say, as your sight, or something as complex as your childhood. Whoa. Imagine that, just take your childhood away.

What do you remember? Oh, just I'm 20. I'm just 20 and then it's now. It could be a great many different things. Right. Evelyn nods and says, I'm ready for this. Evelyn, you barely know the man. I swore an oath. I'm his friend. I'm gonna for this. Evelyn, you barely know the man. I swore an oath.

I'm his friend. I'm gonna go to the Cape. As you, like, try to move away, Evelyn still gazing at Leo, puts her hand down and stops you. You're going nowhere. Alright. You wait right here. I'll get me shadow back eventually, tell you what.

Mm-hm. Why do you even shadow back eventually, tell you what. Mm-hmm. Why do you even come back with us, she says. I don't know, it was where the crowd was going. LAUGHTER Yeah, I think you would. I'm trying to leave now, but she won't let me. Don't you have mixed messages? No, Adam is asking, why did you even go with them? I probably wouldn't have, to be honest.

Alright. Well... HE MUMBLES Cool, I'm at the keep. Good. Alright, you begin the long search for your shadows. Let's say your soul. You already got that. Also, you are not doing soul searching.

That's not the P.E.A.S. way. If you find your shadow, you will have come out of this missing really only an eye and a lung. I'm back to square one. Pretty good. It's good. Sure, square one. Grank, It's good. Sure, square one. Grank piss hit par and that's all it needs.

Are you gonna put your shadow back on? That I'll figure out a way. Just do the Peter Pan like sew it to the back of your ankles. Oh fuck, I don't even want to consider that. Um, okay, so are you gonna like talk her down or stare her down? Cause Evelyn like is not backing down. I'll talk her down and be like, Evelyn you swore an oath, but this town needs you more than it probably needs me. Perhaps I misjudged you little one.

Most people do. She gets up. A day passes. In that time, Pierce. Oi. In among the looting of the castle, which goggles largely supervises. So looting is in... Well, stuff is stolen, but a lot of it will find its way back to the town guard or people who need it.

You find in the dungeons where the other shadows were kept, no, the people were kept, you find your shadow. It's chained to a wall. If I... It looks up at you. Oi. This is a fucking to-do we found ourselves in. It shrugs. Fuck Pob you had, do you know how to get back on me? It shrugs. Fuck.

Well, I'll crack you out and we'll sort you out at the pub, yeah? Thumbs up. I like now that Greg Piss's shadow can act independently of Greg Piss. I'll crack it out. It takes a while, but eventually your shadow is free. Sick. Well... It walks on the floor next to you.

Or on walls as it needs. We'll head to the pub and figure out what our next move is. The next day, Leo, Piers, and everyone else in and around Jaren's Outpost wakes to a new day, a new dawn. Just as battle reconvenes somewhere far, far away. Battles? A different battle. O'Rourke, you're in an army larger than you have ever seen. Maybe a hundred million deep. You didn't know that there were that many people, period.

A hundred million is a number you can barely comprehend. You're shoulder to shoulder and you can hear the distant sounds of combat. Everyone standing among you looks to be some man or lady of nobility. They're all knights or paladins or clerics or... Yeah, I feel out of place here. I'm just a brawler from the streets. Men of honor and great fortitude and courage. Yep, definitely out of place. Well, I've got honor. I don't have a title. Great, great fortitude in coverage. I've got honor. I don't have a title.

He's got soul, but you're not a soldier. You're scared, disorientated. You don't know what's happening. And then you hear a gentle but firm voice calling out. Not just to you, but to everyone. But you feel it resonating within your very being. Have heart. Keep fighting. Push! Push!

You turn around and larger than life, far larger than you could imagine, is Lady Willow. Oh, definitely dead. You've seen interpretations of her in and among her palins back back in Jaren's outpost. The pictures simply don't do her justice. She's a knight astride a white Pegasus wielding a lance and you can see that she is ready for combat. She swoops down and a massive outstretched claw perhaps of a dragon or some other foul beast tries to swat at her. Dragon or some other foul beast tries to swat at her you have a brief moment of panic or fear despite yourself But she deftly dodges the blow and continues onwards you're in the fight the good fight It is like this purgatory. This is your afterlife

So I don't so I spent my whole life Fighting I died Fighting then you get to fight some more. And get to spend eternity fighting. Bring it on. LAUGHTER This is like all of Periwinkle's Christmases came at once. Slowly, everything begins to speed up around you,

and you realise everything had been moving in almost slow motion. But now the fight continues in earnest, and you realize everything had been moving in almost slow motion. But now the fight continues in earnest and you are among it. You remember perhaps some snippets of conversation, things that you'd heard from Chief Priestess Clara and also from the Sabres commander Evelyn Plain. That Lady Willow is locked in combat for all of eternity with her opposite a god by the name of Lord Oakflesh. He sounds like a fun guy. Sick name though.

They fight for the souls of all those who have died in combat, good and evil. Well, I've died, that sounds like a cause that I could absolutely get behind. I get to punch things forever, and it's a noble punch. As you fight, you see the souls passing across the battlefield. You struggle to try and capture as many as possible, to send them on their way to heaven, and your opposites do that for hell. Oh. Am I still in Be armor or am I in some like...

You're in B armor. Is it like, oh that's amazing, so I can pop those gauntlets with no repercussions because I'm dead. No. I was about to ask Adam, so they're fighting and they're sending them what? Ghosts can die. Oh, sorry, ghosts can die. So if I die again do

I go to another fight? No then it's gone. There's nothing after this. Oh that die just felt so empty inside. So hang on he's always fighting. So in the afterlife it's basically just a second chance it's not like the end it's just like basically an extra go. So he's fighting the opposite army and this is like the devil effectively if you if you die in that fight die if you re die again you go as a ghost and you're like well I hope my side wins yes okay although the fight is it harder to kill me I guess now that I'm dead yes but they're also stronger Sorry. Actually, it doesn't really... Oh no, I don't need the bloody... I've got my sword. So, Silver Steel is not with you.

Silver Steel, a magical weapon, or like a weapon that has a soul of its own. Could not travel so long... There's a soul bonded to that sword. Hang on, hang on. You just took that real blasé. Excuse me? I mean, like, I assume a magic. Silver Steel had a soul. It's got a soul inside it.

Another figure dominates in this fight. This figure has no army to speak of, but from just their presence and their appearance, you can tell they are also a god. Is this Oak Flesh? No, it's a dwarven knight in heavyset armor. His armor carries no insignia of allegiance or anything like that. And you get this powerful, it's hard to describe what neutrality feels like.

Oh yeah, no, I've seen future armor, I know what neutrality is. But he strides through the fight and you see him adjudicating over it. Okay so this is a heaven, I'm currently in a cosmic battle for the souls of the world between a warlord warrior princess queen god woman, a guy whose name is Lord Oakflesh which is like the devil if he was also a warlordlord being adjudicated by a fair but malevolent dwarf not malevolent okay just a fair strict but fair strict but fair so like your your grade four teacher version yes all right a high school principal a PE teacher no no no my teachers Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, my pay teachers would just shit. Oh. So... Yes. Yes. So, they're the... Oak Flank.

OK, now, I... Alright, so you've got your gym teacher versus what? Your lit teacher. And your principal's adjudicating, is it? Yeah, yeah. Bring it on. Bring it on. You're fighting across some hell-blasted landscape, but as the fight continues, you realise you're moving from plane to plane.

Sometimes you're underwater and the fight becomes three-dimensional, like a...you know how the ants will collect with each other? Yeah, yeah. That, but a war. We become like a whole person. Like a Voltron. Like a Voltron. Not like a Voltron. HE LAUGHS More like a power engine. Like a Voltron. Not like a Voltron! More like a power engine. Like a Voltron!

Not like a Voltron! Like ants building one sort of figure to take out more ants of another figure. No, no, when ants fall in the water they all collect together because they can... Yeah and form the Volt... and form an ant-tron. So I'm an ant-tron? You get sucked into hell. Am I... am I... goodbye. I mean sometimes you are fighting in hell so yeah. Do I have I made any friends?

You find Saturday in among them. Yay! Saturday, Saturday, Saturday. You and Saturday like clasp arms as old comrades. It's a shame I have to see you here but at least we're here together. We have fought well, we have died well, let us fight well again. And hopefully we will die well again too.

He laughs. Hopefully not. Did you know that's the end? You only get one extra chance. So I'm just fighting for days over different lands. Do we have any, is there any rests? Is there any- In Among the Combat, you learn that once a year or once a cosmic or a year based on the material

world, Sir Blakewood, the Dwarven Knight, will call for a temporary truce and for but one day you may relax. So then I can go home? Like Halloween it? Like ghost periwinkles? So then I can go home? Like, Halloween it? Like, ghost periwinkles? Uh, no. You're a ghost. You don't know how to return to the material world. A thousand years pass for you in the time it takes for you two to wake up. Am I lying in bed with...? A thousand years and you had one evening. Yes.

I spent it drinking. I might have spent it worrying, maybe waking up every moment and going to Clara and be like, what's going to happen? It's going to be cool. O'Rourke's body has been taken and interred at Fort White. I wanted to ask a lot of questions. If a grade school would ask the questions of a priest, would you be like, so what happened?

Who are you asking, Clara or... She's the one that said she would be performing the ritual. Yes. It's like, so what's going to happen? You said you like? To bring someone back from the dead, a price must be paid, and it will be terrible. While I am sworn under the human pantheon,

I will have to petition Lady Willow for a rock sold back. I do not know if she will require something or if she will ask you to proffer something okay and what what happens to the city if it doesn't work if a rocks gone who's well a rock named knows clear successor so I couldn't so what we're just gonna be back to square one where one back to square one minus Damien eatenon. Square one's alright. How would you like a king with a very big cock? That would inspire the people. They will sing songs of my cock and leadership. I wouldn't say square one. Look at what we've

accomplished. The gnomes have been evacuated and are safe. Their weapon is gone. Damien Eaton has been slain. The blood cult is gone. Does it really be pretty tree just in the middle of a field? That's true. There's a pretty tree, but the... The people aren't afraid of the dark anymore. That's true. That's not square one.

She puts a hand on your... She kneels down because she has to put a hand, I am the only one here. To put a hand on your shoulder. She kneels down, puts a hand on your shoulder and says, a thousand men live and die and wonder if they changed the world at any point. You don't have to worry that. Neither do I, but I'm still fighting, so I don't know. I just hope we don't fail. You see a long road ahead of us. I see the same road't fail you see a long road ahead of us I see the same road, but I see a long road behind us We've come this far. I kind of nod and be like, okay and and haven't have have a sneaky smoke But like not like, you know trying to hide it this time out in the open proud because it's a relaxing one Out in the open, proud, because this is a relaxing one. That's character development.

I was just about to say... We did it! HE LAUGHS This campaign began with the character assertion, can a man smoke for comfort and in public? And I feel like we've answered that. Dindies4Nerds proudly advocating comfort smoking. HE LAUGHS This is the first smoke that I've had where someone isn't actively trying to kill me. D head to Castle White. What are you doing, Piss? Would you like to come? There's gonna be like a big ceremony.

Everyone knows what's happening in the city. Everyone knows what's happened and what's happening. You actually, you know, maybe you in the after festivities, you're going from tavern to tavern and you hear a lot of people telling a lot of tales about what happened. There's a like the last fight, a lot of people were there for. So everyone knows that a rock saved the city. Everyone's a, like... The last fight, a lot of people were there for, so everyone knows that O'Rourke saved the city. Everyone's cheersing to his name.

But in the lead-up to that, a lot of the events that you were kind of heavily involved in, there's a lot of people being like, oh, yeah, and then this happened in the vault, and you're like, no, they locked me in the vault. I don't remember what... After you tried to betray us. Am I painted as a hero or a villain by the people, Adam? Oh, no. People say about you

what they've always said about you, Greg Pierce. Nothing's changed for you. Oh, well, that's fine, then. LAUGHTER That's what I was looking for, frankly. You're actually a head. Yeah. Yeah, if anything. Do you have any debts? No. No, I'm clean. Do I?

I don't know if killing all the people who you owe money counts as coming out clean no debts Exactly kill the head of the quiet knives and they'll tell you for the full this they're gonna come back for that Not at all. Do I know that so I know the resurrection ceremony is planned. Yes Oh, do I just know tomorrow evening? Oh, well, I might swing by If it's on the way, right? Yeah The what feels like the entire town has turned out for this. The streets aligned with people. It's so thick that just normal business has to shut down past 6pm. Everyone or like

there's a lot of people I should say with candles lit candles approaching Fort White. They stop at the falls to the fort. They don't actually go in. You could could try to get in, though, if you wanted to. Hmm... Nah. I'm good. You may be, though... You're just gonna wait outside. Yeah. Well, I'm assuming that I'll find out one way or the other.

I feel like by the end we weren't out, like, you know. It's not the kind of thing where we came out of it like, we did it, we're basties for us. We fought alongside one another in an uneasy alliance. Yeah, I did try to kill you when you were where at though Frankly, I'm happy to just wait But you didn't kill it I feel like that's something that Greg Pierce basically should have said No That's a classic Greg Tiss thing.

That's true. Maybe I'll go inside. We were best of friends. Oh, I didn't see what was happening. I'll have a sticky bake. Alright, as you're approaching, you see a procession. The procession has our Chief Priestess, Clara. It has Leo in it, Gragia, O'R'Rock's kids, Sweat Buttons and Sweat Rock.

Yes. Maybe Grook Grook as well. Oh, she's good. Ian would be there, I assume. Yeah, all of the... Except for the days that are with you, the entire week is there. Poor Grook Grook. No Grook Grook should, you know, watch her son die before she does.

It's hard running Grook Grook out. Well,, watch her son die before she does. Dad, run a Grook Grook out of this. Well, to be honest, for half-walks, it's pretty common. Yeah, well, that's true. Grook Grook and Graggy are both wearing black shawls and drapes, and you can hear soft weeping from Grook Grook. Oh, man. Are they just, like, walking amongst the crowd?

No, they're...people are partying to allow them through. I'll just part. I don't want to join the procession or anything. They're bringing a coffin with them. They're little family like they're in my honour as well? Mmm, not in the procession. Okay, not fair. Probably not. There's a bunch of members of the town guard though, like anyone that you knew has turned

up for this ceremony. Do you want to...? I'd nod my head to Leo as he passes, but I won't join the procession. You probably weren't invited to be honest. I wasn't invited and also like, I just don't want to be on display. Alright, cool. They get to the... You got your shadows though, that's pretty good.

My shadows here, plus that's a bit weird if I join and my shadow joins behind me. Your shadow skulks behind you. Because it's a 3D thing now, it tries to remain hidden. That's probably a good thing. Which isn't that hard for it. It's night. Oh, that's true. And... So with the whole day, basically. So what was happening during the whole day?

There's celebrations throughout the city, but no one you knew was celebrating, because no one you knew didn't also feel dist feel destroyed at O'Rourke's passing. Yeah, and everyone I knew was kind of gone. My death was badass, alright? So then I spend this sort of day, maybe I drop by, grab gear and see the kids, and maybe just go, like, a tour around...

..world ports...a tour around Jaren's outpost, go back to Little Tigalai, seeing how fucked up it is. Oh, man, it's all destruction. It's all, like... It's not even bittersweet. It's all just bitter. Post-World War II is what I would describe Tigal... Little Tigal Eye is looking at it. What's the blitz? Can I get a coffee somewhere?

Yeah, no. No-one's serving coffee. Damn. Could've had some half-or coffee in my place, but you left, so... Half-or coffee is just beer. LAUGHTER And? It's, like with ground up caffeine, and not like actually ground up, just crushed beans in the hands of an orc. You gotta do it by hand, otherwise it's not orcish coffee.

This is good. I'll go around the Jaren's Outpost to kind of like, yeah, see how it's all going, kind of like, maybe go to the docks and be like, yeah. Potential one lost to a... The docks are still kind of an issue, cos the Orcish tribe hasn't properly been expelled yet. Ah, I thought we got them. Oh, then I don't go near the docks.

They've been broken, but they're still... Well, it's kind of like... It's like the Quiet Knife situation. Yeah. They've lost their leader, they're a rudderless ship, they still exist. I don't want to see the horrors of Jaren's outposts be like we need a leader Fuck this this place is still fucked It's a doctor still largely a no-go zone

But there are no go zone because people are just like best not not because they're like you orks might attack us Okay, the orks do look properly properly crippled. I'm gonna be sending like a little silent. Goodbye to good old meat pie properly properly crippled. I'm going to be sending back a little silent goodbye to good old meat pie. Rest in peace, meat pie. Write a letter to Flipcham. Write several letters to Flipcham, scrunch them all up, realise I can't say anything good because I'm bad with words and just don't. And then head to the procession.

Cool. Okay. At the gates to Fort White, you're met by Pallet and Commander Plane and a bunch of her higher commanders. She nods dutifully to Clara, who nods dutifully back. And the procession passes by. They step aside so that the procession can pass them by. But Plane stops you, Leo. She kneels down, looks you eye to eye and says,

last chance, I could take your place. You could, but... Should be a much better fighter in the 2,000-year battle I'm currently still in. I'm amazing at fighting, all right? Just because I'm small. You fuck. Actually, you were really the only one to survive that gun attack.

Yeah. Yeah. Um... Look, yeah, you could, but if things fuck up, this town needs a leader, and you're in a better position than anyone else here. What happens if a rock doesn't come back, and the person that goes and offers that dies, gets maimed, loses their mind, anything. What happens then when you are no longer leading the Sabers? Plain.

I remember when you first came here, and we discussed with a Rourke about converting. Super happy about that, wasn't I? And you told me that I was presenting you with a lose-lose situation. Yes. Do you lose situation. Yes. Do you remember that? Yes. If he pats you once again on the shoulder, gets up and turns around and walks away. There.

In Fort White, there is a small chapel. As you progress through towards the chapel, people start breaking off because there's only so many people can fit in the chapel itself. It goes from friends and associates to friends to close friends to basically just family and people who need to be there when you get to the chapel itself. So that's why Piss isn't in the chapel.

Piss didn't make it past the Fort wall. Yes. I watched the procession go by. You can try to stay with them if you want. I'll stay with them until I can't anymore. You get within the walls of Fort White where a bunch of the town guard that didn't really know O'Rourke but just members of the town guard are. As you approach the doors to the fort itself, a paladin holds up a gauntlet in hand and

says that's far enough. Understood, well I'll find out right though while I'm here. An announcement will far enough. Understood. Well, I'll find out, right, though, while I'm here. An announcement will be made. Alright. Can I go back into the crowd and start taking odds? LAUGHTER Oh, Greg Pistol, the variant. What side do you take?

Pfff... Alright, well, I know Leo's doing a swap, right? Do I? I don't know, and I think you actually have had a chance to discuss it. Nah, yeah, you went and got your shadow back, I think. Yeah, I did. Right. He's a high level cleric.

Can I take both bats? That is the definition of always bet on pits, is betting both. I bet both. Alright, you try. Surely I'll be net zero. That is the definition of always bet on piss is betting both Surely I'll be net zero Different Gonna give the wrong odds Wow you are not a statistician nor are you a cleric you do not know what a fair odds That's why you're so much dead is because you're a terrible gambler Because of luck you just suck at it truly Pierce, you are reverting to square one.

LAUGHTER You will finish this campaign in the exact same position that you started it, and thus the cycle of Pierce continues. It's an aurora bora piss. For an hour, Clara is moving about the chapel, splashing holy water on the floor. She burns a fig leaf over O'Rourke's body, and you hear her the entire time muttering under her breath. You try to catch what she's saying, and you get snippets of the prayer. It sounds like a chant. Lady Willow, fair as fair, bring our beloved back to us.

Lady Willow, fair and strong, return our champion once more. Lines like that over and over again. Finally, at the end of the hour, after she's burnt the fig leaf, splashed holy water around, she's maybe like gathered, collected some of O'Rourke's personal items and laid them about him. And then she places a hand over O'Rourke's eyes and over O'Rourke's heart, and she begins to name deeds that he did in life. She says where he was born, where he grew up, when

he joined the town guard, when he married, when his first child was born, when his second child was born, just any deeds that she can conjure forth and she's probably, well... Like we did this in the dark, we did this and then a year and put a tree in a dragon's mouth. Clara gives a bit of a stylized stint to it as well. It sounds a bit rose tinted to you, Leo. Fair enough. It is nonetheless touching. You can tell that it comes from a place of love from Clara and a place of love,

deep love and understanding from Borok's family. Clara makes eye contact with you Leo Leo step forward kneel before the altar please Lady Willow Perry Winkle O'Rourke was taken before his time we offer this sacrifice please Please bring him back to us. Oh. Leo, everything goes dark. You're in a blank, empty void. Uh-oh. Oh no. Slowly, the world begins to materialize around you.

You get these weird smells. You can hear these strange things. And it's like looking through translucent glass. Everything is just splotches of color at first, like a painting almost. Slowly, your vision begins to focus in and you slowly understand what's happening. You are in the middle of a fight.

One of the biggest fights. Oh boy. You have ever seen. There must be a hundred million bodies just crammed together in this one battlefield. Welcome to my world, Shadow. And I'm so little. I know, you're just gonna get stomped. Oh my god! A shadow passes over you. You look up and see a beautiful woman in armor, a stride of white Pegasus.

She glances down at you and you feel, you can tell that she is singling you out specifically. She says nothing, but continues flying across the battlefield and dives down. You hear her clatter among troops. Alright, I got my daggers with me here? You draw your daggers. Cool, can I start like making a beeline towards her? Yeah, sure. You rally. A bunch of troops move with you. They rally towards Lady Willow.

Alright. A rock. You feel a tugging. Oh shit. At your, somewhere just above your, just above your solar plexus. You feel this strong powerful tugging. Do I have the opportunity to turn to Saturday and be like. Do you feel this? Saturday says what? Excuse me?

You've kind of got this vague idea that you can hear Clara's voice. Chief Priestess Clara, she's calling out to you. You can go to her if you want. Saturday, I think I have to go. Saturday turns to you, but his eyes don't focus on you. They focus straight through you. You are slowly, you you realize becoming translucent and transparent to your own ghost senses

And you imagine that that Saturday actually can't see you because he calls out a rock a roll His voice becomes distant Clarice very strong or very bad your chest feels awful You feel like you've been wrung out and then stretched out. You come back, you're alive. Your heart beats for the first time in what feels like forever.

Centered. Thousands of years. Thousands of years, Adam. I believe. Last time my heart beat. Time felt strange as a ghost. It feels stranger now that you Time felt strange as a ghost. It feels stranger now that you have the memories as a human. Orc, I should say. You're in the chapel. You come back just in time to see the crushing damage

that was dealt to you by being trapped in a dragon's throat when a great oak tree appeared. That is just completely healing over as you come back. Whoa... I've had worse. Clara's standing there. Your family are all around you. Gragia breaks down next to you. You hear Grook-Grook quietly crying, but...

She's happy? Well, yeah, happy tears, but to see her crying is, like, kind of a big deal, which is why she has the shawl over her face. Yeah, not fair. I don't look at Grak-Grak because it's disrespectful to look at your Grak-Grak when she's having emotions. Gragir doesn't care. She throws back her shawl and grabs you. She's sobbing into your shoulder. I love you too. Jess got crushed by Dragon. Still be crushed. Still be crushed. Love you though. Love you. It hurts. It hurts a lot. I love you so much.

You hear her in between sobs, whisper into your ear, harden up! No, it looked fair. I don't think I just died or anything, but to be honest, that's a fair criticism. I should be taking this much better. Buttons and Sweat Rock call out almost in unison, Daddy!

Oh, there's my girls! They also crush, you know, nothing better than a family crush. Yeah. Uh, to stand up, I guess. The small chapel around the small chapel is filled with everyone who is close to you. Leo is standing near the altar, swaying slightly. His eyes are closed and you can see wisps of smoke coming out of his mouth smoke monster

Is this the true purgatory like the island Leo collapses make me Clara who was she cradles Leo? But you can't she obscures him so you can't see I try to move my family What what happened why am I back The last thing I remember was I wait Did we win slowly what happened is explained to you after Damien Eaton was slain the town guard with some assistance from the lightsabers were able to bring Jaren's outpost kind of to a Just a little bit more organized chaos Yes The organized chaos that Jaren's outpost is thrive done

The blood cult has been all but wiped out with a lot of the high ranking members captured and naming names Do I know what happened vis-a-vis my bricks resurrection? Yeah, what's going on there? And why am I in a battle What's all that about Clara picked up Leo's form and moved over to Commander Plane and they're both looking him over, whispering to themselves. They're like kind of in a corner of the room. No one's really paying them any mind. Excuse me friends and family, I need to find out what happened to him. And I go over to those two. Drag you out. How am I go over to those two. What's going on?

I have my back. Oh, she comes with okay fair enough Just dragging them two kids on your legs. Maybe buttons and swear. I've also as well like one on each leg. Yeah Yeah, I'm gonna daddy go again. It was more of the militia. I figured my family gonna follow me everywhere I was on one arm. They know they understand they let you pass what happened. How am I back? Well, why is Leo on the floor? On one arm. They know they understand they let you What happened? How am I back? Well, why is Leo on the floor? plane steps around Clara and with none of Clara's characteristic Tacked says a sacrifice needed to be made you remember waking up

I assume under the command of Lady Willow. I thought that fight for 5,000 years. Well, Leo, I think took your place. Oh, he's an idiot. He's going to die. You know you can die when you're dead. I learned that when I got over there. You can die twice. Again, I'm not that incompetent a fighter. Rest in peace.

His soul. So many slights, so I just feel them. Clara, Clara puts a hand on you, a steady a steadying hand and says Leo's body has remained behind But Lady Willow has put a presence in it He's possessed Plane shakes her head not exactly. I've seen this before He's what sometimes referred to as a revenant an an undead creature brought to exact justice in the world. I could get behind that.

I like things that like justice. Plane slowly sets Leo down, and Leo's eyes are open now. They're blindingly white, and slowly smoke wafts out of his mouth. Cool. He stands up under his own power. You guys just have a damn Terminator, son. Leo?

Leo doesn't respond. Cool. Leo is... Leo is gone. This vessel is filled with Lady Willow's presence, Plane says. It is an undead creature that will seek out and destroy evil where it exists.

I'm gonna deputise this, uh... This, uh, revenant. I still am commander of the, uh, town guard, I'm pretty sure. Right? Yeah, yeah. Leo's body opens its mouth and it says in 1,000 different languages at once. That's upsetting. Ha-ha!

Cool! Thank you, O'Rourke. I will do justice. Okay, but... Is there a shade of grey justice? I will do justice. Good, yeah, good, good, good, good, good, good, good, good. Clara? Yeah, yeah?

Clara shrugs. She seems a bit, like, perturbed at the situation. Clara continues. I believe this might not necessarily be the end of Leo, though. Meaning? One day a year, there will be a break from the fighting, and perhaps Lady Willow will allow Leo's soul to return to his body. I like those odds.

Do we know what day that would be? Can we work that out? I need to thank him. It's the same day every year. I want to sit down and thank him for Bringing me back. Why did he bring me back? Why did why did Leo why did all of you? Clara says We need you the town needs you Leo knew that as well Jaren's outpost needs a solid leader and you are

The best person to fill the job. Hmph. Not trying. What do I do now? Lead. An announcement needs to be made that your resurrection was successful. I can do that. How do I...? There's a balcony here.

You can wander out onto the balcony. Oh, boy. The town is turned up to see this I want to tend to Greg here because I imagine that Periwinkles good at like leaning people into battle and stuff, but terrible the public speaking. I'm a little bit nervous What do I do has all Kings of Tana? Yeah, yeah Greg here says be yourself There's a whole film about it. Yeah. Yeah Greg here says be yourself

I won't punch anybody though Just be honest she says all right, I go out onto the balcony fuck But also good And applause ripples outwards through all of Jaren's outposts. People are cheering, waving, throwing, like, you know, throwing their hats into the air in celebration. Candles are being waved. You notice that a lot of people have candles.

They're, like... It's a small fire going on across the town. You can see the lines of candles stretching off in all the different streets away from you. Every street is lit up as if it were daytime. This is alive? You probably don't hear peace. It's just like he takes 20 different voices.

Gragia wanders out next to you and holds up both of her hands for silence. Eventually the crowd dies down and you can be heard. Uh... Hi. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Periwinkle. Oh boy. Everyone knows who you are. Oh yeah.

Thanks for coming out here today. This town has been through a lot. More than it should have gone through. But if you'll let me, I want to help us get this town back to, you know, being the place that we could be proud of. I've bled for this city. I'm sure some of you out here have bled for this city and it deserves our, you know, deserves our love and respect. Tell them we'll fight well. We're gonna fight well. Or we're gonna die trying.

The crowd erupts into applause. Plane steps out on your other side, puts a hand on your shoulder and says, what are your orders? Orders? How would you like us to proceed? We need to fix the damaged areas. How bad? I assume that the fight was catastrophic. He walked with you back off the balcony.

People are still applauding. You can hear it inside. It's deafening. Yeah, we need to rebuild the city. And, um... A member of the town guard has taken out, like, a little clay scribe thing and is taking down notes. I guess I'm now the commander of the town?

What am I? Well, traditionally, the commander of the town watch has been referred to as the commander of the town watch, but you're also the governor. El Presidente. Um, Goggle says, what do you want to be called? Periwinkle O'Rourke's, fine for me. Alright, you're the first periwinkle.

LAUGHTER Lord, king, baron? Periwinkle's just fine. Describe, like, looks at Goggles. Goggles nudges him and says, write it down. LAUGHTER He writes it down. Alright, so I want...

The fine Periwinkle. Who's with me? Well, Plain Clara, everyone's with you. Everyone's with me. Alright, so we want... The fine periwinkle. Who's with me? Well, Plain, Clara, everyone's with you. Everyone's with me. Alright, so we need to basically... Leo's wandering behind you. So Leo will be my deputy because I can keep tabs on him and I want to know when he comes back and we can do justice. Goggles, you and Ian are now the two highest ranking members of the town guard as captains. One of you will be to lead the city restoration project.

The other one will be to ensure that those stinking sure-foot stand trial for their crimes against this city. And my family. And your family. Plain can lead the judiciary. Plain nods. Clara, you can be part of the city restoration project. I know you care about this city and you want to see it rebuilt and the people protected. Thank you. I do love this city. I think that's it. I think we just need to get to work.

It's going to be a long, long journey back, but we'll get there. Greg Pearson, it becomes quickly apparent as people come to you with their little ticket stubs that for some reason you gave a lot different odds than you frankly remember giving and now you're in a lot of problems. I'm at the front of the like guard house, you like the wall, yeah? The Fort White. How high is the wall? And to be 20 feet Jack and if I got a boost from my shadow I could get up No, probably not. Oh, you could try. Yeah. Alright, let's give that a go. Give me a boost

This is your fault What did you do? You shadow as he gives you a shove up you whisper back. What did you do? Your shadow, as he gives you a shove up, you whisper back, what did you do? Your shadow just shrugs. You manage to climb onto the other side of the... Can I hoist my shadow up with my hand? Oh, your shadow just walks through.

Oh, right, yeah, right. On the other side, there's a bunch of paladins from the Whitesabers here, but none of them pay you too much money. I put my hands in my pockets and someone will be like, Frown's getting antsy. LAUGHTER Don't know what that's gonna be. Oh, boy.

Alright, Greg Fiss, you escape for now. Scarper. Scarper into the city. Scarper. And with that, for the first time in a long, long time, Jaren's Outpost is at peace. Thank you for listening to the enhanced edition of Jaren's Outpost. All editing and sound design by Sean Allen.