D&D is For Nerds - State of Grace #2 Ser Grace Inquisitive

Episode Date: May 17, 2025

In the dungeons beneath Fairburn Point Ser Grace, the realms most celebrated adventurer, was forcefully bonded with an entity beyond mortal comprehension. For some such an incident would spell tragedy, for Ser Grace, however, he saw only opportunity. Now the wheels are in motion for something big, something terrifying. A thousand plans, two thousand eyes, and all requiring a personal touch.Such is the State of Grace.To find out how Ser Grace bonded with the Inky Black check out Search for A’Helm. To learn the history of Ser Grace you can listen to the Fall from Grace Trilogy: The Hag, The City, The Dungeon as well as the Tieffany and Pop campaign Return to Grace. Ser Grace last appeared in The Adventures of the Greyhill Free Company and to hear more about the happenings on at Fairburn Point you can listen to Cult & Worship and The Lonely Tower. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blink. So grace the city guard, waving travelers in and out of Fairburn Point, keeping tabs, making sure. Blink. So grace the wise woman, providing solace, lending a comforting ear, hearing all. Blink. So grace the adjudicator, making decisions so others don't have to, guiding the people. Blink.

Two thousand eyes, a thousand plans, and all requiring a personal touch. This is the state of grace. Obviously, we welcome you to Fairburn Point. And you are welcome to look through whatever information you need to look through. You're welcome to speak to whoever you need to speak to. We would like to leave a member of our court with you, just to make sure that everything is above board. Yes, that works just fine with us. Punchinello, it is a pleasure to meet you.

So I guess we do kind of a trade then. Yeah, yeah. It's, you are aware of Punchinello now on the gallant rider and Rodora now on the rowboat with Yearning as they row back. Fantastic. Yearning is probably a bit shabby as they row back. Fantastic. Yearning is probably a bit chatty on the row back. Yearning, you get an aura of, there's still kind of like a gauging. Yeah, sure.

But yearning doesn't seem to have. The Tenedei had a lot more tact than yearning does. Yeah, cool. All right. Yeah, you transfer back over to the boats. Well, the, of course, I would say that that was the first time that I rooted out a cult, but perhaps it will not be the last. Yes.

You realize you have not been paying attention at all to what he just said. And only the one? Well, of course, it was quite a large one. I have no doubt, I say, I look down, have I finished my mutton? Yeah, it looks like it's been 15, 20 minutes since you were last aware of this room. Dessert?

I say, shall we continue this? Of course, of course. They make a wonderful maple cake. While you were away, Patricia and Vailen Otvos has been, you can tell there is a carafe of wine which you were not aware of when you left. It is now nearly empty.

Okay, oh boy. You can see the only person who was quite clearly drunk is the Viscount. Okay, Ada hasn't been drinking? Ada has a half full glass in front of her. And more wine as I stand up to go and organize dessert. I would love more wine. This is perhaps the only wine outside of Hydaeus that I have ever enjoyed.

I like, you know, make a big show of that. Please let me tell you, speaking of gooseberry cults and gnome berry cults Yes, I Must tell you that the wines they made while it was obviously in service of ritual murders was of course of course Delicious as all they must be yeah, he's doing you're very quickly getting up to speed with what must have been happening. The Viscount is definitely taking credit for someone else's actions. Okay, all right.

Since you're such a connoisseur, in the wine cellar we have a much older, much nicer vintage. Would that interest you? Older vintage perhaps? Yes, well, let me organize dessert. And then if you keep talking to the Viscount here, I will go and I will acquire that older vintage for you. You exchange a glance with the patrician who quite clearly was the one,

as I don't know if I said this, but he quite clearly. He was the one who organized the wine. Yeah, organized the wine. Fantastic. I go into the kitchen, take a little pause for a second. Step the crunch sound as you get on the plate again, then I would like to Probably I guess I'm kind of gonna take this moment as a a bit of a breather while I go in a choir I'm assuming we do have a wine cellar. So yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna go and kind of it's like a like a moment

To make sure everything's okay, and I will go get an older, nicer wine to bring back. Do you have it brought up, sorry? Or do you directly go get it? I think I'm gonna go get it myself. Okay. Yeah, yeah. You stepped down into the darkness for perhaps the fifth time today. You are at the dig site.

Who are you? I'm Agit Shieldmold, Dwarven Archaeologist. And I'm sick of digging in this fucking tunnel. No, I'm not. I'm, I'm loving it. No, I get shield mold. I am a kind of middle-aged redheaded dwarven woman and I'm an archaeologist and I'm obviously also so grace.

You are descending in a elevator, essentially. It's a Gnomish invention that the dwarf and excavation team are using. There's a huge hole in what has been identified as a market district as part of the site. It is being called the Storja Ormi site. That is the kind of, it's believed to be the name of this settlement. Once long ago, the dwarven nation spread itself out in a event called the mass drift.

And as part of that many, many, many, many different dwarven settlements exist all over the world because of this. And a lot of them kind of got lost to time, this obviously being one of them. The Greyhill Free Company rediscovered this location, but as part of it, they reported some ancient elder evil that accidentally got released. Your archaeological team has been very, very worried about this entity. You've not seen it directly, but you have seen evidence of its passing. It looks like in the time it took the dig team to get here, it looks like the evil has gone in and out a few times.

Interesting. Okay. It looks like it keeps returning here. You're not currently sure if it is or isn't here. If it's here or if it's about to return. Okay. As part of that, there is the court wizard from Fairburn Point, I'm not currently sure if it is or isn't here. If it's here or if it's about to return, okay. As part of that, there is the court wizard from Fairburn Point, a very eccentric fellow by the name of Jinderbind the Howling Mad. Jinderbind is a human wizard.

He wears long straps of clothing, you might say. Cool. It looks like his clothing has been through a shredder. And it clings very tightly to his, no sorry, very loosely I mean, sorry. It clings very loosely to a very frail frame. Cool. He looks like a strong burst of wind would bowl him over.

He has a long white beard, which when he's working, he kind of throws over his shoulder to keep it out of the way. And he has two huge curly eyebrows. That rocks. Incidentally, now once again, you can decide how full of inky black he is. Just letting you know, his predecessor actually resisted your takeover. Tanya Gideon, she realized what you were doing

and who you are. So you had her. Yes, yeah, okay. And how did he take the... Well, you selected him. Okay, if I selected him, then I think he's not aggressively inky black. I think he would be in some way You know, there's a bit of influence there

But I think also it seems like a pretty cushy job for a wizard So yeah, I imagine he part of it is is almost like a silver moon style where he's like, well, you know I not that he necessarily believes in the cause but he's like, you know to be a court wizard is a pretty good gig So very opportunistic. Yeah. Yeah. I like that. Yeah Not really inky blacked, but he's like he might he might have taken the inky black willingly Yeah, kind of situation where he's like, yeah, I'll take a little bit get me in. It's good to be on the inside Yeah, well he had always been known as the howling mad for Yeah, well he had always been known as the howling mad for

He wasn't part of any of the many cults that infiltrated the court at Furburn point But he was kind of almost a mainstay at many strange events Okay, if you had a a ritual and you needed someone to perform a spell for it He often just made himself available to these people. Cool, cool, cool, cool. He was, yeah, he's very opportunistic. He's kind of an opportunistic kind of guy. All right. He's very willing to play the game. Anyway, also on the elevator as you descend down

is Director Gala Thronecaster, who is the manager of this site. She's the highest ranking member of the dig team. And Professor Nyla Breakbone, who is a archeologist who you are beginning to suspect is suspicious of the wizard. Okay, yeah, cool, interesting. What is your, so this dig team, it does need security,

and that's why the court wizard is here, to quote unquote, they think to provide security, you've sent him as like a, so you have like someone on the inn Absolutely, I imagine I would have sent him and then him through me would have inky blacked agate stone shield And that's how I would have become agate shield mode to infiltrate this archaeological dig Okay, was agate a fellow professor or a member of security team? You can kind of be in a position to work. I think she would have been like a professor. Yeah. Okay, cool.

Well, yeah, you may be Professor Nile Breakbone and you were- We were colleagues, yes, yeah, absolutely. Once kind of like friendly, but as part of the Inky Black process, you've become a bit distant and she's a bit weirded out by that. I come to, I suppose, in the the elevator you get that flurry of memories

A sub the dig team is very energetic and excited. They've made a new one. They've made a new discovery I'm gonna do uncovering They have uncovered a different you Do I know what it is or am I going down to see what it's still being decided what it is Someone is deciphering dwarven, the dwarven script. When the great drift happened, the dwarven script got many different variations. And each different settlement kind of had its own rules and grammatical language, sometimes even its own words.

So it can be a bit spotty. Every time a city is uncovered, it's essentially an entirely new process to translate the language. What's the name of my colleague professor? Your colleague professor is Nyla Breakbone. So Nyla, give me your theories. What are we talking about here? I am hesitant to say, but from... She's got in front of her some drawings that people have taken of the sigils.

It's a, sorry, Uncovered was a door which had sigils written all around it. If I had to guess, I would say this is perhaps protective seals, warding. You as part of your team's research through here, you discovered there was a, the king of this settlement had died defending the entryway. And this is a commonly known thing. There is a magic to intention. Yeah, okay, yeah, sure. The king died trying to seal this place, either from within or from without. Something was trying to pass through the entrance and his death, his sacrifice there, created a magical barrier,

which, when the Greyhill Free Company- They broke it and then, yes, sure. As adventurers love to do, they claim it was Cobalt, but you have not actually found evidence that Cobalt had ever been here. So you're a bit like, yeah, okay, it was Cobalt. Are we imagining that that's the seal the company broke? Or a new seal? Well, I couldn't imagine that the company delved this far down. We didn't see any evidence of them.

She leans out, you maybe also have some papers, she flips some of your notes and then gestures to... That's right, yes, of course. Your hands, brush for a brief moment, and then the entity that you are dwelling, Agate Shieldmold, has a flash of memories that are irrelevant to Sir Grace. Dumped. The memories are. You were once perhaps more than friends.

That is no longer the case. Yeah, yeah, okay, cool. It's good to know. That's a complicated extra layer to this. Yeah, you're kind of, the level of control you have means that you have to do always a little bit of suppression of who this person once was.

Yes, yeah, of course. All right, I squashed that bubble down. The section there, she points to a part of of a part of a piece of paper a map Where you tracked because you needed a closer count of this you tracked everywhere the Greyhill free company Adventurers were yeah, you see they made you know They're way down a certain part and then they stayed yeah side guard room and then made their way back up essentially They didn't get that far down. So, or at least we have found no evidence. So we assume we're the first people to discover this.

So we're imagining two entities. The one that's already released and then perhaps a second one. Well, what we're thinking is that perhaps the entity has been coming and going. So it could be the same entity, but it's still in here. The question is, why? Yeah, what's it got in here that it needs to return to? Does it need to return so that it might gain more, you know, energy or power so that it can then leave again? Very interesting. You are also aware that there are reports

that when the entity was released all it did was Attack druids. Yeah, it's sort and killed druids Interesting. So that's just in the back of in the back of a shit. Yeah, I get head. Yeah, it's like Oh, if this thing specifically hate hate, it's very interesting. What's the plan then? I say, I mean, you know, they say don't break seals, but if we're to learn anything, well, and the interest of academic curiosity, the translation is still ongoing, but we're thinking perhaps the seal was broken quite some time ago. Their magic weakens over time and perhaps the protective layer, perhaps it was disturbed by something.

Certainly, she flips some more pages for you and gestures to you. There was a, this is well known, there was a war between two cities, this being one of them. The other city, who you, there, you've still not found them yet. They sent an incursion down into here which is why the There's this hole above the market area. Yeah, it was how the Okay perhaps

Something got knocked loose in the battle or perhaps they were hiding something down here a weapon No, I hadn't thought of that. I think when Agate Shieldmold says weapon, there is a hunger there that would not have been in her voice prior to being Inky Blacked. You make your way down the in the market area. There's many different

passages that lead off to other parts of the city, but there's one huge passage, which is essentially a tunnel that leads down to where they were digging. You travel down that tunnel, you hop into a mine cart, which once ferried ore, but now has been by the dig team,

repurposed to ferry people up and down, because it's quite a trip to get there. So you make your way down in the cart, and you come to this newly discovered doorway. As I described before, it's a huge door. There's over it carved into the stone around it is some sort of message or maybe a sign or something. You're not 100% sure.

And the door itself is made out of heavy stone. The stone is, you can see, inlaid with some other material. Yeah, okay. There's another, like a metal in it. Can I determine what that metal is? You shave some off. You'd have like a whole field testing. Yes, I shave it off, like apply chemicals to it, you know, hold it up to the light, that kind of thing. Yeah.

You're able to determine that it's a, what do they call it? When two alloy. Yeah, it's an alloy. It's made out of silver and it's made out of adamantine. It's mixed together. Silver and adamantine can be found near each other. But it's rare to find a... No, this is on purpose.

Someone has come along and made this alloy. I go over to Nyla. Well, as an alloy combined. Look, I don't want to do this, I say, but the court wizard, you know, if anybody's gonna know the function or the reason that our ancestors might have done this, it'll be him. Nyla Breakbone looks away from you and she looks,

the director, thronecaster and the court wizard are conversing with each other. The director you are aware is, she like is kind of involved in the arche, well, not kind of involved, sorry. She is involved in the archeological scene. What I mean is she's not like a tenured professor like you. No, yeah, yeah, sure.

She's more of a, more works in management. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So pit boss. You two are the authorities at the dig site. You're the ones who are the scholars who kind of know everything. You know that Nyla Breakbone has been very cagey about giving information to throne cast yeah because She doesn't like how throne cast sharing everything with the court. Yeah She feels very protective of this information and you perhaps once shared this Not anymore not anymore Yeah, I know I say I know but I don't know where they have done that. And I'm gonna hazard a guess you don't either.

All right, all right, all right. That's all we'll ask. I imagine I've said this quite a few times. Oh yeah, you have been pushing this relationship to, well, it's been, it hit the breaking point a while back. Agate, if she could cry, would be crying every time she encountered, every time she worked with Nila.

For me. Oh, you bastard. Nila nods and the two of you wonder over and explain your findings. Yeah. Jindabind stroking his beard, gender bind, gender bind stroking his beard, which is a habit that you once found annoying.

Now you have no opinion. Yeah, I don't care what he's doing. Stroking his beard. Hmm, well, many reasons that this could be. Perhaps silver has protective properties and adamantine also, but different types. Silver is of course protective magically, and some might say even protects from things like disease and such.

Adamantine is just physically strong, so an alloy of the two could be used in a spell quite well to keep seal and whatnot. You wouldn't know how to break a seal like that would you? Oh well perhaps I could if I had translation. Jinderbind, constant, is always asking for more information. You get the impression that he, and he does, half of his wizard book is just secrets, essentially, he loves collecting information. You get the impression not for, well, sorry,

you don't get the impression, you know. He collects these as almost little pieces of blackmail that he plans on using later. Awesome. Well, we'll get back to that. And then I'd like turn away with Naila. And do we have like the rest of the team? Is there other people here? There are excavators here and there's some other, you wouldn't call them, they wouldn't

be professors, but more students. No one is knowledgeable as you. Who's working in the translation? Is that just me and Nila? There's some students working on it, but they, once again, wouldn't know as much as you. Well, I'll go over to the translation and I'll- It's a little table set up.

They have a lantern so that you can see what you're working on, because dark vision doesn't allow seeing written word like that. Yeah, I'll go over and approach the students. How goes it? One of the students looking around gives you a solemn shake of his head. I, mom, I'm very sorry, but there's an annoying hurdle here.

There's a, well, I mean, we're slowly working on it, but every symbol is meant very literally. There's not a lot of room for, well, you'd think that everything being literal, it would be easier to translate, but a symbol could mean, you know, the symbol of water could mean something esoteric. Yeah, I see. Like a movement or passage or ice even. But when they use the water symbol, they mean only water. But that means they need a separate symbol for ice. To explain every other concept.

It'd take either a genius or an idiot to translate this. And that's a little reference to Treestump being able to... Treestump, who perfectly translated every land. Fuck, that's so funny. You, regretfully, are not aware that Treestump can perfectly translate this. That's right, she's back at the castle. Fuck! Should've said, who are you?

You have that resource! God damn it. Actually, did you... Well, that's a great question. Did you inky black Treestump? Uh, yes, but slowly. Slowly. Slowly, so she's still...

The same way I did it to Agate, the same way I did it, she's not just inky black. She is. It's a just inky black. She is it's a slow corruption Over time well How's the host? Call it highs highs Yeah You looking at as soon as he's describing that you're because you're a little bit aware of Every single entity that you're connected to in the dark dingy cell that tree stump currently resides in she sits bolt upright

Mm-hmm. I use agate's eyes. Yeah form tree stumps brain the Language I need translated you immediately translate. It's a Tail that takes the form or turns itself into essentially a sealing spell. In a distant village, an envious monster named Zephyr caused discord by feeding off villagers' jealousy. One brave child, Mira, discovered a magical mirror that reflected true contentment. Using the mirror, Mira confronted Zephyr, And as the monster gazed into it, its envy dissolved and vanished, leaving the village in harmony once more.

And the sigils create a seal of contentment. You'd think that when the seal was active, it didn't actually form a barrier, it just made the monster quiet. Okay, so the monster now is without the seal is agitated. Yeah. Interesting. Would we need to break this seal or do anything with the seal to get deeper into the... You're not sure the seal is actually still active. Still active, yeah.

Okay. You might need actually a court wizard to detect that. Okay. Well, I read that out loud. I say those words. I think I've cracked it. I just, you know, we were thinking to be translating this, you know, more in line with dwarven nonlinear C,

but actually it's more like a combination of dwarven nonlinear C dash EA and dwarven nonlinear F. This is the seal, it was a sale of contentment. That was making the monster content and now it's agitated. But do we need to do anything with it to get deeper in to... I look at Nyla, we might have to ask him again. Unless you can figure it out. Looking at Nyla, you can see there's a kind of a bit of shock on her face.

You realize a little bit too late because you maybe were a bit, so Grace, you were a bit excited actually at the sudden realization, wait, I have a resource for this. Yeah, wait, I can use this. You, when I say you, I mean Agate definitely did not have the capability. This is not something Agate has been ever able to show proficiency with. So Nyla seems very shocked at you just suddenly being like, I can read this. Is she going to say anything about it? She remains silent.

The silence is deafening. So, Grace, there is no one here in the wine cellar. No one comes to drink here anymore. Okay. I grab a wine. I'm kind of not really looking. I just grab a wine and then I'll return to the dining room and I will sit down and I'll pour the glasses as well. Okay. And has the dessert arrived and finished by this point? You were gone quite some time, yes, Sir Grace.

Dessert, you can see, has already come and gone. As you come back with the wine, the patrician, patrician Vailor Nothfoss turns back and says, ah, Sir Grace. Of course, I presume that the court found in favor. Yes, yes, they did. Thank you very much. that the court found in favor. Yes, yes, they did. Thank you very much. I apologize for my absence,

but I did manage to collect the wine, I say. You sit down, you can see the patrician is probably at this point drunk enough that whatever lie, sorry, the petition, the Viscount, whatever lie the patrician, Vailen Otfos came up with seems to- It's just breeze past okay fantastic So grace mm-hmm just like you you ignore Ada

Okay, is it a nighttime like are we are we in the evening it is kind of yeah, okay? Would it be bedtime or is it just sort of like you could? This is a funny thing to say you could make an argument for bed An argument could be made for bed. Maybe that's actually a bad idea Well, I'm very sorry. I missed dessert, but shall we retire to the smoking room perhaps for a cigar and I believe I have a nice brandy in there that we could partake in. Your quote unquote charm offensive seems to be working with the Viscount. He stands up.

I would love to enjoy a smoking pot perhaps. Do you have, do they have tobacco here? Do we have tobacco? He's- Yeah. Is he kind of making fun of me or? Well, not making fun, but it's like a power play again? It doesn't feel like a power. Well, I mean he just

Inherently looks down on any yeah isn't high day. Yeah, okay. He might genuinely be like oh Oh, do they get water out here like clean water? Well, it might not be to the quality that you're used to but yes, we do have some No lead on Zen, lead on. I put like an arm around him and I will walk him to the smoking room. Well, the patrician obviously comes with, Ada is also coming with? Yes, I would say so. Okay.

The more I can keep her with me and not doing her job, the better for me. She gathers up her papers and books and whatnot. Honestly, now that the, uh, the, the dignitary is not, he's sourced. Um, I turn around to Ada, those books, I mean, are you sure you wouldn't like them taken to a room or something like that? I, you know, I just hate to see you carrying them like this. It's gotta be exhausting. Um, we have a room prepared. I mean, we can take those books there this second. Uh, maybe the-

I'm sure that the Viscount wouldn't mind at this point. Ada, drop the books. I like turn back to it like, there you go. And I just see you carrying them and it just seems so exhausting. Maybe these ones, she says, she drops the vast majority of what she's carrying, but she still holds onto enough that it's quite a lot.

She's still holding onto it. Well, I'll take the victory. I click my fingers and some inky black fella comes and takes the... The patrician turns to you and maybe for a moan, oh no, ehh, right, yeah. Patrician Valen Otmos turns to you and says, I could see them secured. That would be wonderful, Petrushin. There's an implication of like, do you want me to look at them?

Yes, absolutely. I try to intern. It would be amazing if you could take care of them for Adol. I will, of course. He snaps his heels without any sound of metallic. I returned back to to Inglisius. Good help. It's hard to find. Vailen Otmos goes with the papers quite clearly with the intent on flipping through them to try and check to see what they know about you.

What they're looking for, what they know already. Yeah. Just any information we can glean from that. You, the Viscount and Ada head to the smoking. Once we arrive, I imagine I have like a little kind of like a mixing station, you know? Yeah, yeah. That kind of like a little, what do you call it? Is a name for it. But one of those little stations where I have like a little brandy, you know, a fine dwarven brandy, let's say. Crack it open, pour it into three glasses, place them down on the tables, and then I'll open a box of Dragonborn cigars. Dragonborn cigars?

All the way from Reachcliff. Oh, his interest seems peaked. I open the cigar box and I pull one out, maybe I'll even put it in his mouth and strike a match and light it myself. You know, they say that dragons, they are terrible farmers, but I found the plants they grow to be exclusively tasty.

He says, and he doth stick cigar. Yeah, I light my own and then I'll proffer one to Ador as well. Ador? Um, no thanks, I don't smoke. Oh, a million apologies. Brandy? Um, no thank you. You, as you will lea- no? Well, I don't smoke. Oh, a million apologies. Brandi? Uh, no thank you. You, as you elite... No? Well, I don't know. So, Grace, I mean, you have been very attentive to, or thinking about Ada, probably because you see her a little bit as a threat.

Yes, yeah, yeah. But, so Grace, I think, is also the sort of person to kind of see the help as being... Yes, absolutely. ...very beneath him in a lot of ways. So do you think her glass remained half full when you came back? She actually hasn't been really drinking. No. Is that something you would have noticed?

Yes, I think so. Okay, well when you offer the brandy, you see she puts up her hand and shakes her head, and you get the distinct impression she's trying to keep her wits about her. It's a very fine brandy, I say. It's even just a brandy I say. Even just a sip, it's an incredible quality.

Oh, perhaps another night. Of course. Of course. Well, I wish there was some other way that I could, you know, I'm sure you're full from dessert but perhaps a chocolate or something like that or a tea? A tea would be nice. Okay, yeah, well we'll have a tea arranged. Thank you.

Yeah, oh you're welcome, you're welcome. I'll leave, I guess, and go, or you know what, I'll just, I will have to, for the illusion, I have to leave. It'd be weird if people just showed up with tea. Yeah. That's something you need to remind yourself. Yeah, I do, I do.

I step out into the corridor, and I guess I can walk down it a little bit so they can hear my footsteps recede, send the... Well, it's already been sent. And then I turn around and come back and rejoin them. The heady scent of a Reachcliff cigar assaults you as you step back into the room. It is very powerful, very strong, but it's not strong enough to cancel out the incense permeating off the high priest. You're, you, you shift again into a new form. Who are you? I am captain Morlock brush. I am a hobgoblin, a captain of a, I imagine a sort of envoy

of from fair burn point, like, like a like a person in a position of high standing. Maybe like a captain in the gate guard? Yes, yeah, yeah. Absolutely, captain of the gate guard, more like a tall, imposing hobgoblin man. Dressed very nicely, very well. Standing next to you is, as I said, the high priest. Her name unknown. Yeah, she's just the high priest.

It was once, a long time ago, it was once custom that... So the high priest is, they're kind of like in charge of a large region. They're kind of like a Lord equivalent in the hierarchy of the church. They are only superseded by king-priests. And it used to be a thing back in the day, because the clergy were seen as supposedly to separate themselves from the physical and become more in commune with the divine. As you achieved certain ranks, you would lose parts of your name. It's a very old custom that isn't done anymore, but this high priest is more a part of her cult.

She is also in charge of one of the many cults. Fabulous. The permeate, the permeate, yeah, fair burn point. She says that it's part of worship of gnomes and penia, but in reality it's because... It's something far darker, yeah, yeah. How in control of her are you? Doesn't sound like I need to be, well...

You have commandeered, like I said, you've... Commandeered the cult kind of, yeah. Yeah, many of the cults have been brought into your sphere of influence, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for her to also see you as a god. Yes. Do I think that she is the kind of authoritative figure within her cult that if she were to ever decide that I am no longer this divine figure, that her cult and her influence could

be a threat? It could be, yeah. And she's probably a bit inky black. A little, just a little bit. Just a little bit, just a touch. She's got a droplet in her, you know? Yeah, no worries. She is a, in a similar way to your Master of Masks, she's a very tall woman, but she wears a head to floor veil

that completely obscures her visage and features. She has two different forms of this, or two different veils that she wears for different events, shall we say. She has a white one that looks, it's got a very, like, almost wedding dress appearance to it that she wears day to day. But then at night for certain events, she has a more, I mean, her current one is quite formal, but she has an even more formal black one that she likes to wear.

Sick. Even with the little amount of influence that you have over her, you actually have no idea what she looks like. Underneath the veil is truly a mystery. Absolute mystery, yeah, fantastic. Do I not even know if she's human, is it? Like that level of...

Yeah, the cult that she was a part of, which has no name, the entire thing is about becoming nothing. Cool. And part of that, she is not even aware of what's underneath the veil She is becoming slowly nothing god damn. Okay, so where are we currently you are? Oh, sorry? Yeah, you're walking through it's a place called typically. It's a place called for bridges. It's a place where there are Okay, yes, I know creative. We're in a place. So are four bridges. Four bridges, okay. Yes, I know, creatively enough.

The place is nice, they named it Four Times. Now, the dragons are very isolationist creatures. They don't like to mingle much aside from sometimes very small groups. And if a couple come together, it's like a way of raising children. Sure, yeah, okay. But dragons, even when they are raising children, they typically stay together just long enough for the dragon to reach maturity. And then they're off again. And then they separate again.

Okay, interesting. There is, aside from that, things like this, a genu-kishan, or great meeting. Genu-kishan. So there are many different types of genu Kishjan or Great Meetings. They can range in scale from essentially, I mean, this is very, they're uncommon normally, but they can be two dragons or they can go all the way up to like hundreds. The largest ever Genu Kishjan is held at Dragon's Peak, but that one is held... Extremely rarely, like...

Within living memory, it might have been held once. Yeah, okay. This one is only large enough for the dragons that live in and around Fairburn Point. The dragons in this area you have literally no influence or knowledge of. Yes. They are such powerful magical entities that you are actually a little worried about, with one exception. You are very worried about influencing. There was not really a dragon anymore, but there was a dragon that lived in Fairburn Point.

You just kind of had... We took quick, made mincemeat of that dragon. You just had to do something about that dragon. They would have noticed otherwise. But it's the only time you've ever done something like this. At Four Bridges, there is a, slowly a kind of marquee or a series of marquees are being set up, places for dragons to habit kind of comfortably

and converse with each other. It's all very informal right now. There's no like, you don't know really why this has been called. And it doesn't seem like there's a goal right now. It kind of seems more like a, it feels almost like a party is happening. Interesting.

As you approach the space, you can see there are dragons, and there's a lot of cobalts here. The place is thick with cobalts. You can see some dragons, probably the metallic ones, and all the cobalts are quite clearly laborers, working, doing stuff. The chromatic dragons seem to be either resting on their laurels, or just assuming they're the ones who brought the most kobolds

Is there a place for non-dragonoids like anywhere? There isn't because the genu kissjan is for dragons only the only reason you're allowed here And you're expecting this to happen at any moment, is there is an old treaties between Kandor and the dragons that live within Kandor that should a high priest desire, they can come and pay a gold tithe to attend the meeting. You are expecting kind of at any moment. For somebody to come along and yeah. Gold please. Where's the money?

Yeah. Classic dragons. As you're approaching, as you're, sorry, as you enter the space, some of the dragons seem to be kind of giving you and the high priests a little bit of a side eye. They're not sure exactly what's going on. A lot of these, like I said, they're very isolationist. While they would know this rule, they probably don't know that you are with the High Priest. Okay, can I grab a nearby cobble? Sure. I just grab him and pick him up by his shirt. Can I help you? He took that in his stride. That's awesome. I am Captain Morlock Brush, representing the High Priest of Kandor. We wish to pay the tithe.

I'll be right back. I drop him. He does take that in stride. He just got it. He runs off. No one's really approaching you. No one's saying anything, but you feel the eyes of all the dragons specifically in the area. Some of them, when you approach, they

kind of stop talking. They don't seem to want to... It feels like you're harsh on the vibe right now. I'm really just hoping none of them can sense the inky black within us. That's really what's on the forefront of a Morloc brush, i.e. Sir Grace, i.e. the inky black's mind. You do get the feeling of suspicion, but you don't know if that's just because- Just because we're not dragons. Yeah, yeah.

After a little time, you see a gold dragon approach you. He appears to be making a beeline for, actually, no, wait, you, fuck, you see the cobalt that you grab in front of the dragon. And you can see the cobalt's given like a little tug on the, well, he's not wearing clothes so he's just kind of like- Just grabbing his scales.

Right there, right there, right there. The dragon, as he approaches, he sits, dragon, he sits like a cat does. Yeah, of course. Yeah. With that kind of body. So he sits as a cat does in front of you. Who are you? I am Captain Morlock Brush.

I am the High Priest. The gold dragon looks at the two of you. Right. We wish to attend the Gino Kiss John. Ah, yes. The gold dragon turns and appears to be gesturing for a kobold to be of assistance. In fact, several kobolds are of assistance. A slew, maybe like eight whole kobolds bring a dragon-sized leather book up to this gold

dragon? Yes, of course. leather book up to this gold dragon. Yes, of course. I am Ratan the Shameful. It's a pleasure. He starts flipping through the book. I from like somewhere within my clothes pull out whatever the tithe was.

Is it like something extremely ceremonial? Like one gold face? You're not actually sure. You don't have the treaties in front of you. You just are aware of the treaties. So you've probably taken- Hope we've won enough gold. Yeah.

You've taken, I would say maybe a thousand gold. Hoping that that at least is enough. You must, the gold tithe is based on, he looks around, Ratten the Shameful looks around, the number of dragons present. Okay. Not including cobbles, I say. You see his first impulse is to say,

we don't count cobbles. But he instead says, not counting cobbles. It will be 632 gold. I pull out the, I guess that'd be so much gold that we'd probably have it on like a trolley or something. Maybe on a mule. Maybe, I think that, I think a thousand gold

could be a backpack if you had like nothing else. Well then I open my backpack and I pull out the sack of gold and then I say Perhaps you could have one of your cobalt sort through it To get the correct amount. Rotten gestures and some cobalt begins, they attack it like raccoons attack a bin Literally they push the bag One of them crawls inside I'm imagining like a hiking backpack,

the sort of stiff frame. They push it over, scramble in, and start kicking through it. And 632 gold is counted out and taken from the money, which is then given back to you. I re-hosted the backpack. You are, of course, welcome to see proceedings. I had a question though. You are, of course, welcome to see proceedings. I had a question though. Who is the Lord of Fairburn Point currently?

Sir Grace is current regent. Sir Grace. Who? Famed adventurer? Right. Perhaps you recall him and his companions. I'm sorry, I- The Necro Wizard?

At that, the gold dragon gives a little start. Oh! Yes. Right. Is Sir Grace attending? No, he could not make it. The high priest is the attendant this year. The gold dragon looks very confused by what you said. Confused that Sir Grace isn't here.

Sir Grace is an enemy of the Necro Wizard. Yes. And is not attending. Yes, you are correct again. Is this meeting in some way related to the Necro Wizard? We were unaware of the specific nature of this particular. Yes. It is a trial Hmm Captain Molok brush Agate shield mold

Agate shield mold, punchinello, the Sir Grace tendril and Sir Grace all stop in the middle of whatever they were doing. The Necro Wizard, we do not know why, but was trying to capture Draconic blood. We are here to form a council to try him for his crimes. I, as Morloc Brush, compose myself. Well that will make for a most interesting genukisjon. Yes. Well, did you have a statement from Sir Grace? We were not aware that a statement would be necessary. Right.

We were not aware of the nature of the Geno Kiss John. Oh. Right. I hope that's not a problem. No. I... Everything you have told me is news. I'm... forgive me. I only knew of the Necro Wizard as his crimes against our kind. Yes. Do I know about his crimes against- I probably would. He just told you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You get the impression that Ratten the Shameful, like, everything to do with Ser- maybe this is really hard for Ser Grace to believe, but Ratten the Shameful doesn't know really what's going on in Fairburn Point, has never heard of Ser Grace- It is kind of pissing him off. the shameful doesn't know really what's going on in Fairbone Point has never heard of Sir Grace. It is kind of pissing him off. Has never heard of the Necro Wizard. They probably what's happened is you've arrived.

You've been like, Oh, I'm here representing Sir Grace essentially. And Sir Grace, Oh, you know, the Slayer of the Necro Wizard and the Dragon's like, Oh, you're here for the Necro Wizard. Oh, you knew about that. And then when they're like, no, he's like, what? Why would you not? So why did you just show up? Yeah, yes.

So Grace and the Necro Wizard had many encounters, but we were not aware that this was, perhaps if we were aware, we would have sent more representatives. I believe it was Sir Grace's understanding that the NecroWizard was in fact dead. Is this not the case? No.

And how long has the NecroWizard been active? In total, I don't- I mean, prior to his most recent slaying. This has been Maybe two three months Okay, he gives he gives you probably a date, but it's in an it's in a black calendar. You don't know Yeah, sure sure it's in the draconic calendar, which really only dragons. Yes is of no Okay, huh? And you've actually wait you have an archaeologist. Yes. Yes, as of no... Okay. Huh. Actually, wait, you have an archaeologist.

Yes, yeah, I was gonna say. Okay. Um... So, across all of your... Spreading the information out across everyone you're in. Agate Shieldmold's mind pings at like... That is the exact... The same date that he just gave you is the exact date you got Inky Blacked. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha You