Dice Shame - 136 | 'Black & White & Red All Over'

Episode Date: May 19, 2022

Comedy, action and a whole lot of shaming come together in Dice Shame, an Actual Play Podcast of Storm King's Thunder by Wizards of the Coast! Join our GM Jo; her partner Harlan, his brother Alex & their best friends Justin and Rob as they tackle the daunting world of Faerun in this legendary adventure module!Dice Shame is a podcast that welcomes its audience to the gaming table. Like the games they play at home, they try not to take themselves too seriously. The show aims to be entertaining, inclusive, and irreverent, while still taking the rules (somewhat) seriously. Join us every Thursday morning for brand new episodes available on all major platforms including; Spotify, iTunes, Google Play and more! If you haven't checked it out yet... what are you waiting for?!?Content Warning: swearing, violence, horror, mental illness and suicide. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dorn and Kreloff. Please put me back in the hole. Stop right now. Are you a friend? He did it for much longer than me. Three months ago, I get you made a change. You wanted to put something down... Well, just to enjoy this little ride back.

Have you been down here a long time? But you didn't ask, did you? You didn't try to understand? No clue. Why are you here? I'm sorry, Krilov. You're sure that is what you desire? And Dorn, he was the reason I left my life behind. It's only room for two in here.

Can't you get out of here? I'll make it quick. Oh... That was some joke. There you are. Welcome back to Dice Shame. This is episode 136, black and white, and red all over. MVP this week is Gannon Bort, who recommended Dyshame to a friend saying that we had really good sound design,

great combat, and party dynamic. Thanks, Gannibort. This episode deals with some extreme. subject matter, including mentions of self-harm and suicide, a friendly reminder that content warnings are available in the show notes and that dice shame deals with some mature and admittedly immature subjects at times. There are many resources out there, including Suicide Prevention Lifeline.org, that we encourage anyone and everyone to visit. Remember, you are loved, and we love you. Anyway, shall we? Let's do this. Yes. Woo-hoo!

I feel like it's been a minute since we checked in, guys. How is everyone doing today? Oh, you know. All of you? Something to be said about mental health, right? What is there to be said, Alex? Well, he doesn't have the words, but he just thinks someone should say something. Something is to be said.

Something must be said. Is that saying he should be the someone? Somebody say something. Somebody should just say something. Alec not do word well. Alec do word well. Alec not do word well, but Alec try. Yeah.

It's been a while since you checked in. Yeah. I think though it's not for lack of trying. No. No, we constantly try to check in. Yeah, you tried to check in and we're just not having. I thought that was just the excuse to say we haven't done an intro in forever. So let's.

I don't want to talk about life. I want to talk about gaming. Just jump into the game. I don't want to talk about my life. Doren wants to talk. Alex is having a conversation with himself right now. What do you think? Dorn, are you okay?

You seem stressed, Doran. I'm not stressed. Today we've got Doren Iron Fist, a renowned soldier from the forgotten realms who's had a track record that some might say is not the greatest. Doran, how you feeling right? Thank you for joining us. Well, thanks for having me on the show, Rob. You know, it's a lot to be here. Hey, shut up.

I'm trying, okay? Points of the audience. You'll fucking kill you. I'll fucking kill you. Doran's a heel. Actually, I was surprised to find that Alex tweeted the other day. No, Doran tweeted. He remembered he had our count.

I realized I realized I'm going to start using my Twitter more first person. I'm just going to start tweeting things out that Doran is as Doran. How long will that last? Let's take bets. It lasted for two tweets, one of which is I have brothers and the other one I forget, but it was equally as profound. It was some random. He retweeted some other random. DM that none of us have contact

with for any other reason than I guess they're just a DM. Good. And you quoted them and responded to them about something. It was great. I'm going to look him up right now. That was wonderful. It's pretty good. It's funny though because I saw Rob I posted about it in the Discord and then Rob almost simultaneously did. And I was like, no, don't mention it to Alex because it'll scare him.

What it happened is I'd taken the screenshot about a half an hour earlier and then got distracted and then you posted it. It was like, oh fuck, I had that screenshot. I was going to post it. it but you beat me to it because I got it well and and I didn't want to but you can't confront Alex with it he's like a he's like a little chipmunk he'd just run back in the hiding the minute you were like hey are you tweeting he'd be like what no and then he would never tweet and here we are let me ask you Alan Alan let me ask you it's a mix between Alex and Doran Alan Jeff you say I had brothers you know like you're accusing

someone it's like the second part of a conversation there's so many layers to this. I had brothers you know. Imagine Doran with a smartphone. The kinds of things he would be looking up at all times. Constantly asking Jack, how to work? How can our eyes be real if we can't see them in mirrors? I do wonder if Doran would be

a doom scroller. Like if he would just be glued to it, just taking in all of the news of the Giants got another one. Doran would be a conspiracy theorist. Well, it's got to be true. Jack, no, look it says right here. Who's the Got horse tranquilized. Who's the source for that, though?

Who paid for that tweet? Doesn't matter, Jack. It says it. They wouldn't lie about this stuff. It's real. Oh, God. I think I know that person. That wasn't exactly Doran's voice.

That was like the guy from work. It doesn't matter where you work. The guy from work is there with that voice. That guy. But I feel like Doran would be a nicer version of that guy. Like, I don't think he'd be just, you know, the guy from work. The guy from work. You know the guy.

Alex is that guy. It would be tempered with, hey, Jack, how do I send it a motion? What are you trying to send? I don't know. It's like an egg plant. Someone sent me an eggplant. What do I send back? Nottiegoblins.com.

Hey, Dorn, let me borrow your phone. Okay, but don't swipe left. I have pictures on there. You don't want to see. There's just like 85 pictures of an axe, the same picture over and over there. No, it's the axe. Yeah, it's the axe. The camera roll.

With, like, different angles and, like, different filters. It's just the pictures of his axe. Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, that was a really good one. Or it's just selfies with the axe. It's like me and Ork Splitter, here we are at. Aw, I like that. Here we are at Niagara Falls.

Yeah. Niagara Falls. That's good. It's a good point. It's a good topic, you know, actually. So like, do you guys have, do you guys have, like, Twitter accounts, right? Each of you? Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Do you have one or two? or more? Oh, I have like four or five. I have two. Does anybody have like in character accounts?

Yes. Yeah, I have one for red. Okay. And then I have one for Malavalin. And then I managed the one for Dyshame and Invictus and then I have one for myself. So I guess five is like... Yes.

Twitter is great. But I think we should turn our attention to the world of Fyroon. The crypt opens with Kraloth's spell of silence washing over you And you each decide to descend into the darkness While the barbarians sleep all around you What's your marching order, folks?

At this point, I think I would probably go first Because I think without their armor I probably have the best to be hit Because I have an 18, your ACs would be much, much lower. we go down there, Kralov is going to cast aid as a level four, and everybody's going to get 15 extra hit points to their maximum. Cool. Jack Stoes the rod of the Von and Dodd back in the bag of holding, and gets ready to go.

All right. Yeah, and Red will skulk down. He'll sneak down as well, but he'll take the lead. You descend into the ground on this tight corridor, this staircase. Red, you're in the lead. You hear a strange voice from a head of. you down the staircase. Tell me, is it night or day?

And Red just holds up a hand to not say anything. And he, like, puts it to his lips. And he points at Jack and then points to his own head. Let's send a message. He knows this look, you know, kind of like... I don't have that spell anymore. Oh, you fuck. I haven't had it for, like, five levels.

Fair enough. He can write a long-ass letter. I could, man. I know what Jack would say. Is Jack, like, nodding? Yeah, he's nodding. He's got a thought. And Red, like, kind of holds his hands up as if to say, okay, have it at it.

It takes like a half step back and then, you know, points for Jack to say something. It depends where in the world you're standing. Who's asking? And what season is it? I mean, it's pretty cold outside, but. So trepidious. Yeah. Beware, my friends, step lightly.

Lest you not return to the surface. are you a friend and crayloff speaks out of turn i i don't know what i am well maybe we can help you find out who are you come closer and see all right and crayloff takes a brazen step forward red tries to stop you but i think there's like a sickly curiosity in red too he kind of like half steps forward to be like But then he's like, if anyone's going to do it, it's the guy who's going to get back up. That's fair. Kralath, you proceed down? Yeah, I move forward and I pull out my mace, which shines light all around me, and I pull up my glasses, my goggles.

And I say, show yourself. As you take a few more steps down these stairs, the light from your mace illuminates, the head and shoulder. of a creature that emerges from the stone wall to your left. It's hunched and hanging in misery. The creature's skin is gray and dusty looking, but when it turns its head and its gaze catches your face, you find yourself staring into eyes as shiny and polished as gems, deep and red and unblinking like rubies.

The expression is a mask of misery. there you are creepy hello there have you been down here a long time yes well um it's nice to meet you my name is crayloth back there is red jack doran and um we're hoping you can help us find something but um yeah i'm curious uh what's your name what's your story many years ago I entered this cavern to retrieve any valuables kept here. Barbarian tribes, such as these, do often raid and kill merchant caravans, and I was in need, as I am certain you also are. I'm stealthy, but not stealthy enough by far.

And as punishment I was melded into the rock here in the deep place. It's misery. I suspect it is the same magic that keeps me from starvation and losing my mind from loneliness. I tell myself stories to keep the time. Would you like to hear one? Yes, please. Come closer. And Kralov seemingly completely unafraid steps closer to this sad being against the wall. It looks deeply into your face. It's unblinking, featureless, red eyes shining in the mace light.

An elderly woman on her deathbed called for her three daughters to tend her illness. But they lived so far flung that by the time they arrived, there was just a little time left. She told her daughters to fetch her a gourd, one of a veraerabre. one of a variety that only grew down in the valley. On their way to fetch the gourd, the daughters dredged up old quarrels from the years, revisited their differences, and found that they had grown apart

to such an extent that no true binds between them existed except for their shared blood. So bitterly they quarreled that the road on which they walked grew weary of the conflict, It revolted, curling away from the pastoral valley, shuddering, quaking, and growing, stretching into a strange new forest, and they ended up hopelessly lost. They were unable to complete even a simple request because their perceived differences had transformed into the landscape and changed it forever.

The elderly woman died alone in her home, comforted only by, by the memories of her progeny, as they had been when they were children, united and innocent. Do you like my story? Hmm. Yes, Red says for the first time, like at the far end of the hall.

It echoes down, reaching this creature, who just stares up at you in misery. It's a story about strife between, people who have a duty to get along and a duty to perform but their individual differences don't allow

them to work together yes I have a request please name it call it a favor I've been here in the dark for so long

please kill me you're sure that is what you desire above all death doesn't bring about peace all the time what do you mean you know we could just set you free I mean can't you get out of here the creature just shakes its head I mean it's been stuck down here so long I mean we're we don't want to get stuck either and you want to get out why not just leave with us I'm not sure that's possible I think Red walks forward and stands beside Kralath.

Why did you tell us that story? I have many stories, and I think some people need to hear stories. Why did you think we needed to hear that one? Call it intuition. If she wants to die, she should be allowed to die. No, it isn't the only way. Death isn't the only answer, even if you were suffering greatly. It's not about being the only answer.

It's about being her choice. Do you really want to die? The creature seems to gain a little bit of strength from your question. Yes. Then it doesn't matter what we think or what we could offer or even how you feel about it, Kralath. She has every right to end her life, and I'd be happy to do it for her. Yeah, figures.

What? Nothing? No, you just said figures. No, no, let's not start a quarrel right here. You're pretty practiced at it, I guess. Practice at what? Killing someone? The slightest provocation, ready to drop of a hat.

Somebody asks, you're there. My man. And you think that brings me pleasure? That ending is... I have no idea. I have no idea what it brings you. I'm not even sure you know what it brings you. You're just a thing you're practiced at.

That's all. And that makes me a villain. It makes me bad. I'd say that. Well, why did you say it? You clearly felt it necessary to say something in this moment when it's not about us. Yep. So what made that important for you to say?

What made it so important that you just couldn't wait? There's something eating at you. Because I'm no more practiced a killer than Doran. He did it for much longer than me. But I guess in your eyes, the reason he did it was fine. And I'm no more practiced than the reason you hired me, which was to keep you safe. from people who might want to do you harm. So really, it's just about what?

You don't like where I'm being pointed, who I'm attacking? I just don't understand. Why? I don't understand you, Red. I don't understand you, and I'm trying to figure it out. You don't make any sense. What do you want to understand, then? Ask, because I thought we dealt with this last night at the fire,

but clearly you didn't have enough to say then. Guys, guys, come on. The only way I can rationalize it is that you are so divorced from your actions on anyone else in the world that taking a life is as easy as taking someone's art on the wall

on the way out like there's just no thought of the consequences of why or where or how that it would be so easy to hundreds of people just because someone asked you to like I don't get it

why do you assume that why do you assume it was ever easy because it doesn't make any other sense it only makes sense that it must be easy to kill someone for me that's the only reason someone could be that you wouldn't think about it

you wouldn't think about the impact of your actions on anyone else I don't understand that the only way that you could see me being an assassin is because it must be easy for me to kill somebody? That because I did it, I'm remorseless about the deaths on me? Are you remorseless for those you've killed? No, I don't like it one bit. And yet, it's so easy for you to assume, for all you know of me, that all of those deaths underneath me were easy, that all of those deaths were just things I did.

I have no idea. But you didn't ask, did you? You didn't try to understand. You made your judgment. You stood there as you've always stood there. Judging others. Judging that family back at Don Glow or whatever it's called now because of your action. Judging the others in your party for who they are and who they decide to be.

But never for a second. Taking responsibility and saying, well, you know what? Maybe you need to stop judging people. If you claim to be someone who seeks knowledge and information, maybe you should start by learning about me before. you move so quickly to judgment. I've tried. Have you?

There's not a single question answered. Not to me. That's fine. I get it. Oil and water. We got a thing you do. No, you're not trying to find out, Jack. You stood there last night without a single question on your mouth because you've already made up your mind. Because if you really wanted to know, you would have asked last night. You would have said, but why, where, how, then. And sure.

I don't care. we've got to stop. I'm losing the thread in this tunnel. I don't want to yell surrounded by barbarians for the 10 minutes until that silent spell runs out and we're wasting our breath here. But I do want to know. Like, I know why I'm here. Like, I couldn't, I could not go back to Waterdeep.

I've got that kind of rotten brain where I could try sleeping next to the man I love and he'd be a scarecrow and the bed would feel like glass. And I'd had to get up in the middle of the night and try and solve a problem, but what's the fuck's going on with the church of lethander or some other. mystery. I just need to know. I couldn't, I could not be comfortable. That's why I'm here. I got to figure out why some giant from the clouds had our name on his lips and said we were going to change the world. I couldn't stop, but I have no clue. Why are you here? What do you want from life? What is your, like, why? Why are you doing this? What drives you here? Why don't you go

try and be truthfully your daughter about who you are and build a life there? Why is this what you picked three months ago i get you made a change you wanted to put something down you made a friend dorin he's lovely why why why are we here now why what what are you doing here why hold on why am i here yeah what what what moves you the same reason that you're here you just said it we we are not friends of family we've all been stuck in this boat together and and frankly jack agree with what you're saying and you have all these connections to the real world and honestly i question the same thing about you because the truth is i like crayloth and i like doran and the three of us tend to get along but if you have such a problem with us with

with his religion and my past and hell you've had your share of outs with doran then why are you here because if it wasn't for the ordnain i don't think you would be yeah Crailth and I were friends before all this And Doran, he was the reason I left my life behind But you've said so many times that you don't want to be here How many times, how many nights you've talked about being at home with Torin Have you had one of us say we wish we were somewhere else? I think you're projecting, I think you're asking yourself really

Because you're the only one here that wishes he were anywhere else Anyway I guess we'll all think about that then. I guess if you got nothing else to lose, why would you pick this? That's fine. Doran, myself, and Kraloth, literally all have nothing else to lose. You're the only one with everything. I think you should consider your own question, Jack, because honestly, you don't want to be here. You really don't. I don't want to, but I don't have a choice. That's my point. I couldn't not. Look, it doesn't matter.

Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen, stop right now. Listen, we do have a lot that we have to discuss, but now is not the time or the place to do it. Let's pull ourselves together here and focus on what we're doing. We came here for a mission and for a task. Let's do that. And quite honestly, let's put this person out of their misery. You know, it's sad enough that they've been stuck down here for years. They can't do it themselves.

My God. But, I mean, they've asked. It would be dishonorable. to reject that request. Yeah, I agree. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Kralath. No, it's fine.

I'll make it quick. And he draws his sylvan dagger walks up and draws the blade across the creature's neck. And as you do, Red, instead of killing the creature, red, your dagger slides through its neck,

and then it evaporates, dissolves into air, an illusion. Huh. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. What? The hell. Well, yeah.

Oh. That was some joke. I think the horn's this way. A lot of wasted time and wasted conversation down here. Well, it's never wasted conversation, I guess. I mean. It's not like we're using up speaking slots every time we talk. Free action, I think.

The stairs continue down into a small chamber. And as you descend, you see that there are some items in this chamber. Some skeletal remains, some stone jars, and a tusk. It looks like what we're looking for. Red throws the portable hole in the wall. Let's take a look at it quick, just to... Get a sense of it. Now, it doesn't look like we're all going to be able to fit in the hole after we leave.

So, how true. Rock paper, scissors. We're going to have to find another way out. Don't put me back in the hole. No, don't put me back in the hole. No. Please put me back in the hole. Please put me back in the hole.

The tusk is probably from a mammoth, and it's been engraved with images of giants battling dragons. along its length. It seems to be cracked irreparably, ancient. Probably weighs at least 200, 250 pounds. Even the one we were riding the other day didn't have a test like this. Wow.

Hmm. Incredible. That is something. Holy moly. What else is in here? Incredible. What else is in here? Krayloff looks around

and all the other stuff that's in here. Is there anything glowing? Nothing's glowing. Nope. No, right. But you got some stone jars and some skeletal remains. Cool jars, though. You can put a lot of spices in here.

I don't know if they're very clean, Kralov. That one has a pigeon's eyes. Do you open it up? No. Red pulls out the cloth, throws it on the wall. All right, can someone help me carry this bad boy back into the hole? Yeah, yep. Definitely.

I'll leave it to the two with the backs. Yeah, here we go. Let's go, Doran. On three. One, two. Oh, three. Oh, wait. Sorry.

I thought you were going to do three. I'm grunted. I did. I'm sorry. All right. The mammoth tusk disappears with a clatter into this hole, and it looks like there's just enough room for maybe two of you. And in fact, like we walk it in.

Yeah, we walk it in. You know what? Okay. Why don't we just stay in here and you two carry us out? I guess it wouldn't be fair of red to... Just close it up. Just like, just like, we're like talking in there. Yeah, that actually wasn't as heavy as I thought it was.

Anyway, so there's... It's only room for two in here. I don't think there's enough room in this hole for all three of you. Maybe two. Who wants to go in and who wants to climb up with me? Well... And Kralov sits in. Well...

Takes a bite of an apple. Yeah. Nobody knows where he's getting all these apples from. He's always got an apple. I don't bother to ask. It's a weird magical power he's picked up recently. Can I have one of those apples? I mean, he does have summoned food and water, doesn't he?

I love the idea that Doran climbs in and sits on Kralas lap and the two of them enjoy apples together. Yeah, here, have a bite. Oh, here. You know, we'll just enjoy this little ride back. And he pulls out his wine skin. I think I pick up a corner of the hole and hand it to red. Whole corner. Like you're folding a blanket together?

Oh, yeah. And Red takes it sort of begrudgingly. Thanks. Fold it up with them inside. Let's get out of here. Yeah. Red starts walking back out. Yeah, I mean, Jack's carefully trying to follow everyone

or Red's footsteps to get out of here without like slipping up and fucking up now, you know. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Why don't you push that side? I'll push this side. Sure. Ah! Okay, I've got to close the altar back up. Compared to the darkness of this tomb, the moonlight is almost dazzling.

And no one seems to be awake yet. Your progress is unmarked by the barbarians. Do you want me to help you down or whether you, like, I can, I don't want to carry you. No, no, just. I got it. I got it. It's 10 feet, but okay, I'll go down first. Jack climbs down.

Careful. Climbs down under his knees and slides butt first down the side of a... 1D4 bludgeoning damage. It's a bicycle you get bump. It's still a little bit padded. We're fine.

You did great. There's another climb down. I'll beat you down there, I suppose. I got it. We'll just get this. Red's like awkwardly holding his hand out, but like retracting it, but like holding his hand out,

like kind of like a toddler going down the slide. You know, you don't want to touch, but you also want them to be their own. I just want to make the sleeping down here. All right. Quiet. Let's get up a rope. And yeah, I think we move across the snow around the sleeping people to the bottom of the rope. So, 250 feet up. You got this. You want to go first a second.

I better go first. Right. Maybe 10 feet off the ground. Jack, like, pauses for a minute to catch his breath and is like, just like that roof and Rasselantar. I never climbed this quiet. Yeah. Yeah. Rassalantar. And Red remembers that. That was the roof that Jack and him first repaired their big sever. A hundred and something episodes ago.

Yeah. It's still a while. I wish she had some pixie dust now. Red says as he climbs behind. Yeah, the only pixie dust I have now makes a big noise, and that's not going to be good for this. I feel like a little bit up, Red sort of says, you know, it's not easy.

It wasn't easy, none of it. I just wanted to clarify, you know, you, you mentioned down there that, and I, I guess I never made it clear, but every one of the people that I, that I, you know, killed, it just wasn't easy, okay? I felt them all. There's a moment Jack tries to, like, look back at you and also continue. climbing up and his hand misses the rope and he's thrown just enough off balance that his like top goes heavy off the one side which swings the whole rope out and he's like tumbling down and he reaches out because he's sure Red's going to grab him and like there's this moment I'm looking at you and Red grabs you instinctively immediately and heartily one of those heroes like

where they grab by the movie wrist grab yeah and panting I got you don't worry I got you thanks and we climb the rest of the way up and i think jack sort of swings his ass onto the under the ground just above and like lays flat ass back on the earth for a second just to like feel solid ground underneath him and red comes up too i uh sorry i guess i just assume everybody's got as much going on in their head as i do and uh no i'm sorry i should have told you all. Way, way sooner. We've been through enough that I should have known that this would come back and did in a stupid way. If we can't trust each other, then what do we have? Not enough to get this done, that's for sure. No, we don't. Look, Jack, I, uh, I love you. You're a

brother to me, and you always will be, and I think that's, I think that's part of the reason why I was embarrassed by this but you can always trust me no I appreciate that I appreciate the reminder I know I can get caught up in the in the trying to fit all the puzzle pieces together in my head of just everything that that sometimes I make the deepest darkest story up and and can't help but see the forest for the trees. Yeah. Harlan and Rob, you guys both get inspirations. Inspiring.

Da-da. Good job. Infernal puzzle box, buddies. Yeah, there's that shine in our eyes. Yeah. That, that, yeah. Oh, fuck. We got to get off.

They still got a minute. They still got a minute. They still got a minute. Far too long. What the hell are you guys doing out here? Making Snow Angels? Thank you once again to our wonderful Patreon supporters. Christopher Ryan Evans, Alexander Reed, Merlin, Mitchell Cadwell, Michael and Brianna Webber,

Brian Blass, Heather Nichols, Colin Burkhart, Daniel, Teresmith Blass, Doug, Gray, Jackie and Rain, creature, Stephen Lovett, Jessica Orrett, Jonah, Jonah, Melanie Cheyne, Lars, and Mari Kaneski. See you soon. Mmm. Mm. Did you want some of this wine? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, here. Can I have another bite of your apple? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got plenty. Don't worry about it. Yeah. You ever, I heard that if you eat these apple seeds. Then, um, um, you'll grow a tree in your stomach.

Yeah, that's true. That's true. Yeah, I thought so. That's why I don't normally eat apples because I'm afraid of it. Yeah. You know, if you do grow an apple tree in your stomach, I think at the same time, you know, like, that's kind of an advantage. I mean, you'd never be hungry again. You'd always have apples to eat.

And they'd be in your stomach. I mean, the odds are in my favor for growing one. Oh, my God. Mm-hmm. Thank you.