Dice Shame - 2-89 | 'Feed the Dragon'

Episode Date: May 9, 2024

Imagine your best game of D&D. The shocks, the twists and turns, the moments that can’t be caught because you just had to be there. That’s Dice Shame.Join our DM Jo, her husband Harlan, their brother Alex & their best friends Rob and Alex as they experience those unmissable, gut-wrenching, heart-aching, joy-filled moments.This legendary AP releases a brand new episode every Thursday morning at 1:20 am!Content Warning: animal death, swearing, violence, claustrophobiaPart of the Rusty Quill Network Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Things got weird Wow, yeah This is really good What the hell did you guys do last night? Flowers of my mouth It's a good stick Who isn't like a good stick? We could swing back to Scarborough

After we're done Not that kind of weird All vented out I don't really know Well let's be clear I don't want to go against a dragon I don't really even want to be in front of a dragon It wouldn't feel right to send you guys out there

Mari You've been a great asset We don't owe Kellenvore But we do owe our friend Krayloth is lost Lost to this world and to the afterlife alike. Welcome back to Dice Shame. This is Season 2, episode 89, Feed the Dragon.

MVP this week is Nikki. Nikki's been hanging out on our Discord and live blogging their listen. They just finished episode 53 of season two, so they're almost caught up. Nikki, when you hear this, you are this week's MVP. Thanks, Nikki. All right, should we play some D&D?

Yeah. Woo! So I was watching YouTube YouTube last night in bed, like, you know, we often do as people's in this day and age. And, um, It was a video about, okay, so now you have a time machine and you're going to go back to the Middle Ages. And it was very interesting.

I only got about a quarter of the way through before I was like, okay, I'm too tired. And actually it was very interesting because they didn't have any, you know, like crime was sort of rampant unless he was talking about unless you were like part of this web of society that you kind of created, right? Like they didn't have the crime web. No, no, no. Like there was no crime if you were part of the crime. Then it was just life. Well, I mean, it didn't really web so much. which is ring.

I heard crime spider. What are we doing? More in the sense of... Madam Webb? You would be very, very, very easily picked out in a crowd if you went back in a time machine, like even tried to like... This blue hair are going to help. Not if you rolled yourself in shit.

No, but even if you did because they would say, you know, people would see you and they had no entertainment other than, you know... iPhones. They're themselves talking or music or whatever, playing games. I just thought it was very interesting, and it made me think about how, okay, in Dungeons and Dragons, you'd be walking down the road and all of us, you're getting attacked by a bunch of bands. You're like, what the hell? Why would that even happen? You're like, well, of course it wouldn't. Nothing else to do. Exactly. Anyways, it was just, it was interesting. It was just, it was interesting. Joe made that point many times with like how sore we stick out from crowds and stuff like that, being adventurers. Because we're not like constantly covered in shit and also with golden breastplates and like magic weapons. Yeah, and like also I think just being like a weird smattering of people, you've got like a tabaxia, Janassi, a half elf, and a dwarf, it's automatically just like, what the hell are you guys doing together? That screams adventuring party. I don't know. It's polyamory. Leave it alone.

In my version of D&D, there is a like a smattering everywhere. Like in, and I'm not to say that's canonical, but like in my mind when I picture Waterdeep, it's like those seeing eye pictures of like every different shape and type of person and you know. I mean, because I don't know, for me, that's what's always cool about D&D. Well, and I mean, Waterdeep is meant to be that city, right? Like, it's meant to be that cosmopolitan. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. I feel like there'd be areas you'd go to and you'd be like, and who are these? Like, I feel like we all had that moment going into Scarborough where it was like, is,

is it just going to be dwarves with like maybe like a couple of gnomes? We've seen gnomes. We've seen Tieflings. We've seen Svirf Neblin. Durragar. Lots of different race. We also saw deep ponies. But yeah, I don't know if they'd be able to pick me out of a crowd if I was back in time, Alex.

I would, I would roll myself in so much shit. You're so tall, Harley. I wouldn't walk tall. You're six foot five. Yeah. I'd walk small. First time I met you, I was like, damn. Me too.

Different reason. There's some things about growing up in a place with modern nutrition where food was not a scarcity that just makes people taller full of. it's just part of the modern condition. Turns out good nutrition lets you attain your full potential. I think the other thing too is I was looking at like old photos of like people from my family like great-grandparents and stuff.

Yes. Rimey-ass fuckers. They had those big tall hats on with like the bit of a veil that comes off. No. They didn't know the size of birds. And all I could think when I looked at them and like even my like my great-grandfather, I was like, damn. they looked like considerably older than I do now at like this age like looking at all

these pictures and I was like you know you're dealing with worst nutrition with world wars with all kinds of stuff and it just it just ages the shit out of we have skin care made of snail music like are we the ones are like oh man I look way younger than my grandpa did and someone's looking on being like sure you do honey I was going to say like I often especially as a a parent. I'm like, oh my God, like, you know, even these other parents around me, they're so old. And I'm like, oh, no, maybe not. Maybe it's just fucking that. I'm old, too, and I just can't see it. No one sees it. And then you see those people walking around and they're like, you know, and you're like, oh, you are not as young as you think. And then you're like, oh, wait a minute,

is that me now. Self old is invisible. That's exactly. I work with a 19 year old, so I feel old every day. Yeah. And they're probably looking you going, oh, my God. But they were even little people like, you know, 50 years ago. Like, yeah, just little. But like in terms of the shrinkage, right? Like I put on my granddad's hat and their little heads were like tiny little things. So do you think that was like scalable?

Like were medieval like three foot, you know, four foot. They were all gnomes. But there's no way to. I mean, maybe the reason birds were drawn so disproportionately large is because people in the medieval inches were just that small. Like, fuck, man of seagulls here. But it's also, it's also that measuring wasn't consistent, right? Like, I was, no.

I saw this thing about Napoleon the other day. And part of how he got this reputation for being so short is the French inch was longer than the English inch. So he needed the best French inches to be, you know, whatever height he was. You mean they have smaller dicks? I'm five inches long. Yeah. England had vanity sizing at the time.

Yeah. It's like when you go to fucking Old Navy and it's like, oh, I'm a size two, but when I go to La Sonsa, I'm a size zero. Women's clothing is its own circle of hell. It's mysterious. I still like to believe in a magical medieval age when people were only two foot tall. All small. Game of Thrones, this is not. Yeah.

Well, although there is Peter Dinklage is in Game of Thrones. That's right. Accurate medieval representation of a human is Peter Dinklage? Is that the... Yes. Correct. Yeah, medieval human, which means that the character in Game of Thrones that Peter Dinklage is playing was really small. But I think in my mind, Dungeons and Dragons is like, you know, all the NPCs, they see a group of adventures coming over the hill.

And they don't go, oh, here come strangers. They go, okay, everybody, here come another group of D&D PCs. Everybody, give your best. Get the rest. I like to think it's like a continual in the background, you know? They're just waiting for us There's like craft services off to one side After you guys leave they like hydrate

And get ready for the next party You come through so they can give the same spiel Oh man I'm just imagining like they're coming Like they see you coming and they're like Oh my God they're here Guys hide the kids Things are about to go down

Oh no For you guys especially They're like this is bad I think on the like spectrum Of dangerous murder hobo parties I think we're pretty good Oh for sure No question.

Well, I don't think they're like, hide the kids from us. So I think they're like, hide the poison berries. No, no, no, no. It's just coincidentally, the day we show up, you know, that's when all the witches decide to roll into town or whatever. That's right. Thank God they did. It's not our fault per se.

This town has been untouched for thousands of years until. Yeah. Imagine if you didn't, though. Imagine if you had a DM who was so, like, true to the world that it's like, okay, you get to town and nothing. happens for seven weeks. Season three of Dyshame. Okay.

And now you have gout. Have you had fruit lately? Okay, all of you roll for scurvy. Oh, no. Oh, my God. Here's a segue. People love it when we do that. It's time to stop this conversation and play D&D now.

There's the segue. It's a D&D time. I'm tapping out now. Let's go. All right. Red-handed Robin. You awaken in Doreen Iron Fist's house in one of the guest bedrooms after a night of celebration. The smell of ash is still raw in the air.

It was only yesterday that Gautier committed arson, attempted murder, and was thwarted by Red's rovers. The room around you is still. It seems that Elister is still sleeping soundly, judging by his heavy breathing from the bed next to yours. Your belongings are where you left them, strewn in a wild disarray, that to anyone else would look random, but to you, well, you would notice any slight disturbance. As you begin outfitting yourself for the day, your eyes rest on the rings on your nightside table. The birdsong ring that Mari made for you. the ring of warding bond that you still wear out of habit

and the ring from the seer in water deep that allowed Kralath to speak with Captain Tranieros you've been maybe keeping that one on a chain or in your pocket I doubt that you'd be wearing it Yeah Red's kept it on a chain around his neck and as he puts it back on over his head he sort of pauses his eyes flick over to the window

to where the party was last night, remembering Turtle Doran and how Kralath was there the first time all that happened. And I think Red Kaps' hand around the ring

and just squeeze it to his chest. It might be time, old friend. The interior of the bedchamber where Jack and Mari sleep is absolutely unrecognizable. Nearly every surface of

every piece of furniture is clotted with thick leaves and vines and the dropped petals of flowers carpet the floor everywhere. What's going? Mari?

Jack, there are vines and leaves all around your person, almost as if you are in a cocoon. Ah, okay. Weird. Flowers of my mouth When did that happen Well, I don't know Did you do this?

Oh, did, no Was it me? Did I, did I inquiries? I mean, it could have been Like, my magic's been crazy lately Could have been, but was it like No, this is, it seems more, because green. This is real, this is real stuff.

No, no. Yeah, okay. Where's the door? Can you even see the door? Did you make the topiary? I don't think so. Did you, who did this? this. Oh my. I had some weird dreams last night. Yeah. I mean, oh my God. I can tell you it wasn't like this

when I went to bed and I think you were. Oh. Okay. And Marie's like patting around in herself and she's like, where's my dagger? Uh, where is it? Did I, did I, did I have it? Did I, where was I? My last memory is Turtle Doran. I remember carrying Doran and then I tucked, I tucked a turtle into bed and then I came to bed. And Doran under here somewhere? We would know. It only lasts like an hour, so he would be aware. I hope. Oh, God.

We're to start digging for Doran, hoping he's not like completely entombed. Yeah, trying to like find my dagger on my person and start to hack away at some of these vines to at least clear a path. Yeah. For Mari and I to, you know, get together without a tree limb in the way. Yeah, Mari's digging around. She pulls her, pulls the moonsicle out of her. bag and starts trying to like hack at the plants around her because there's this thick, thick just vegetation everywhere and she's got a suspicion as to what might have caused it because

there's a there is one thing in her life that that does cause plants to bloom other than just her. As you mow your way through the undergrowth together Jack and Mari you come across something. At the base of the foot of both of your beds, Mari, your dagger, sprig, has been embedded in the floorboards about half an inch. It looks like maybe it had fallen or else someone slammed it there in a fit of rage, but directly beside it, Jack. Your arcane focus has been until this point a mixture of things, correct? Yeah, he

splits his time between the Spell Guard sphere, his mom gave him and DeZan's wand that he got up in... These artifacts that you are so familiar with are changed. Uh-oh. They are directly beside this dagger, and it seems like

something has happened overnight to your arcane focus. And it's probably something to do with everything else that's happened in the room. Maybe it's both our faults, if we want to look at it. Yeah, I'm really hoping we didn't get in a knife fight last night. You tell me if I...

I'm not cut up. Are you cut up? I think I'm not feeling it. No, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine. I think the long rest has done me well. Do you want to grab the dagger and I'll see if I can wrestle this stuff up off the ground

and at least they'll be separate and not doing more growing? Yeah, and Mari pries it out of the floor and can just... see there's like this spray of petals that comes with it as she pulls it out and sort of checks on the she doesn't touch the wand because there's this sort of there's this feeling of not really knowing how to use one she's never really worked with a wand she has a quarterstaff but this feels different and uh let's let's jack handle that because jack starts wrenching at the wand and the leaves and vines around it are almost intertwined until it's like you've got to you know go back to the next node to start cutting away at stuff until

he's got this like big long stick with the wand and the ore ball like interwoven in it with these vines and things growing around it oh boy well it's disconnected at least yeah yeah i i it's like when you're trying to find firewood and your testing branches to find out whether something is alive or dead you know trying to figure out how far is this plant life contained within in the magic of your focus and like the more prodding you do the more it seems like you're holding something that would approximate a staff now yeah uh they might just be like this now i don't i don't know that i want to untangle them any further than this just lest it go yeah i i'm i'm sorry i didn't i didn't really no i mean yeah i i put them right next to your knife that was stuck

into the floor boy that could just as well but uh can i can i just take a small look at it. Please. Can we get out of here first, though? Yes, yes. And Mari slips the dagger back into his holder and hacks away with the sickle.

Two or three big heaves with both our elbows against the door and spill out into Doreen's hallway. Just flowers shut everywhere. He just sees. You fall out, and red is in the hallway as well. He's like shutting his door, which is like adjacent, but he looks past to see. And he's like, what the hell did you guys do last night?

Your guess is as good as mine. Wow. Yeah. He's got weird. Oh. Oh. Say no more. Say no more.

Not that kind of weird. I'll let Elester know. He wasn't buried under there somewhere, too, was he? Oh. Oh, all three of you in there, eh? Okay. All right. It was a party.

Then Turtle Dorn just crawls out from the foliage. He's been eating plants this whole time. Just one multiple at a time. Tree Star Good morning you two You look like you had quite the bender Uh well Yeah but

Yeah What are you holding there Jack That's not your usual Well wait a minute Sort of it is Yeah You can see Desan's wand

Kind of is in this part And between the branches And leaves up here There's an orb Yeah It needs a little bit of shaping By a master woodworker I don't know if we know

Any of those around here Looks like a big lollipop That's kind of nice It's like a big Lollipop. It's sort of got that vibe. Like, I can see a staff in here, for sure. Yeah, yeah, my, uh, my, my, my, my, my dagger and Jack's wand, apparently together, uh, freaked

out last night. Had a party. Yeah, they partied. We fell asleep and, oh, they got frisky. Yeah, they, they went nuts and clearly. Well, I can help you with that, Jack. I mean, take a look at it. Uh, yeah, Jack, Jack hands over his new big branch.

It's like when you find a good stick. You just know it's a good. stick. It's a good stick. Oh, yeah. It's a good stick. Who doesn't like a good stick? Oh, it's beautiful. I don't know if I would bother shaping too much off it. It looks quite elegant. Yeah, I think it takes some getting used to,

but, uh... I mean, look, the natural vibe kind of works for you, but if you want, I could help trim a little bit off here and there. I think probably a little smoothing around wouldn't hurt, you know. Sure. It's been a while since I got to work on some

nice wood. Can I see? it, Jack? Just for a second? Yeah, please. Here, I... Red throws it to you. She catches it. It's a magic item.

It's not going to break. Javlin. Piercees her right through the heart. Oh, God. That was a risk I was willing to take. I roll with my sharpshooter advantage when I threw it. Straight for the jugular. Pins Mari to the wall.

What does the magic feel like? It's the real, it's a real sense of like there's a flowing, there's a cycle to it. You can definitely feel that like all of those natural cycles of like rain and then water pools and collects and evaporates and you can sort of feel the magic ebbing in this thing between the wand, collecting in the sphere, eventually evaporating through the rest of the branches to gather in the wand again and fall down towards the sphere. It's sort of, there's like a circulation inside it. Cool. Tingly like a like a rain stick. She hands it back. A rain stick lollipop. Hey, that's what you should name it. I'll think about that.

Jack's burlesque name Oh no Rainstick lollipop On the stage Assless chapped That is his assless chap's name Assless coat Yes yes

At this moment Alistair opens the door To the commotion in the hallway rubbing his eyes Morning Morning Morning buddy Hello

She's the piles of flowers How you feel in today I have a headache Yeah I figured breakfast will help. I wanted to talk to everybody a little bit thinking about Kralath last night with that party. We'll talk downstairs, but yeah, let's go downstairs

and Red picks up the turtle that's been crawling out of their room. Come on, Doran. I swear the magic should have worn off by now. That's concerned. God, it's been acting weird everywhere, though. It's hard to... Red hands downstairs to the breakfast table, and he puts Turtle Dorn right across from him.

All right, Turtle Dorn. What do you want? for breakfast. It's at that moment where Doran stumbles out in this sort of like haggie hangover look. What the hell are you doing with the turtle there red? What the hell are you doing not as a turtle? Whose turtle is that? That's the funniest part to me. Murray picks it up and like takes the turtle outside like oh no. Hold on, hold on. Cast removed thing on it first. What if it's another druidic turtle? There's already posters outside like lost turtle.

If found. Where is Maurice? Turtle has been in family longer than dwarves. I think this is just a turtle. Yeah, but how do you know it's just a turtle? Don't just put it out and Red takes it back and he's like, oh, what's your name, friend?

And he like looks at the turtle's eyes. Talk to it, Mari. It could be in need of help. Marie pours up a cup of coffee and she sort of looks over and looks at this turtle. It gives her a blank stare and she snaps her fingers and a little light pops up and she goes to the turtle and she goes,

Hey, are you a turtle? How fucking dare you put me back in the lagoon? Okay. I swear to God. What's his name? By all of the fires in all of the places, I will bring down such devastation to your family. She's such a pretty turtle.

Guys, I think the turtles did not have a good night in the forest that I accidentally created. Did she have a little sleepy tummy? Are you happy? You go like red comes down? Now it's like, yeah, thinking it's like the nicest little thing. Red, no. Yes, you're so cute. Starts like rubbing the top of her head.

The turtle just like quietly looks at you, Red. You're good turtle. Good turtle. Just give me your address and I'll cart you back home. I'm sorry. I thought you were my friend. Oh, he has an address? Eat shit.

Red, I have to say, this turtle is kind of an asshole. So. Aw, he fits right in. Yeah. Come here, buddy. Red picks him back up. It's okay. My widow.

turtle friend. His little turtle legs just struggle weekly against... Where does he go? The lagoon? Yeah. I'll take him there. The, yeah, the turtle. The turtle says that he lives somewhere in the lagoon, so maybe if you bring him back there and watch your fingers, because I think he might go for them. Sure. And Red walks out with the turtle.

Sorry, man. Five minutes later, he comes back. His fingers all bleeding. Everything's fine. The turtle is definitely alive, and it's definitely back where it belongs. And don't check the trash to the next of the house. Anyway, how did everyone sleep? If I go into your bag of holding and there's a turtle, I swear to God.

Don't go into the bag of holding, it's fine. Anyone want turtle soup? I mean, soup? Oh, my God. Unrelated. Doran sort of watches this all kind of unfold as he calmly brews coffee and tea at the stove and sort of looks on at Mari and Red and then kind of tilts his head over to Jack and he says, how did you sleep? You know, um, better than I have in a while. I had a good

chat with Red, feel a little more grounded this morning, uh, had a couple of things clicked together as I was sort of meditating, falling asleep and, um, apparently got out enough to not notice the Jumanji take over, uh, my bedroom. So, oh, what's a Jamanji? Yeah, uh, Doran, do you have like a, like a house cleaner who comes by or something? It's like a hedge witch. Oh, what are you, Jack? All of a sudden? House clean is?

I mean, I'm not doing it. I'm sure it won't be a problem. Maybe. Maybe we could chip in something for your mom to hire someone because that bedroom over there is, it's interesting. Did you shit on it? No. Alistair raises a cool eyebrow at you across the table, Mari.

Yeah. She just sort of, she raises both of her eyebrows back and then sort of like nod to the hallway where there's still just like flowers pouring out of this room. The hallway looks like a wedding wandered through. Who wants breakfast? I'm cooking. And Red pulls out his signed copy of Mugdool's cookbook. Starts flipping two pages.

Yeah. Ah, we'll find something fun in here. Oh, yeah. I'm starving over here. I could eat a whole bear. Yeah, I'm hungry. How about this one? It's called Tartier.

Ta-tier. Meat pie. Slams the book. Who wants it for breakfast? Could be breakfast. Give it a shot, Red. Cool. Red stands up and ties an apron around his waist and starts, like, going towards the stove

and rustling through cupboards and you hear pans all. And he's competent. He's nowhere near a good cook, but his jerky is off the charts. Good. It just occurred to me that, like, the house has been burned the day before. Yeah, so it's like... That was yesterday's problem. This place is so...

All the covers are like a little crispy. I don't even need to use the oven. I'll just use that fire on the corner. Oh, geez. I forgot about that one. I feel like Doreen has enough friends and acquaintances that people came by and helped out yesterday. Yeah, good point. Yeah.

She's well liked, it turns out. Yeah. Red, as you bumble around the kitchen, the apron that you're wearing is one of those Mother's Day presents. And it's got like little Doran's hand stitched on it. And Gorin's hand stitched on it And Lauren's hand stitched on it So it's got like three little handprints On the front of the apron

And then Red's handprint now Just like in like ketchup her Barbecue sauce Grease Yeah I mean Doran I feel like you probably Poked your head in on your mom She's still sleeping late

You know elderly people sometimes need a little extra Especially after the whole What she's been through It's been an ordeal What do you guys think we should get up to your day. I mean, I suppose we could go into town. Dern starts listing off the things that they could, like, do around Scarborough,

sort of like putting aside anybody else's thoughts or considerations, sort of assuming that we're just going to hang around town for the next week or whatever. Oh, I don't know. Doren, Red says, with his, like, back to the table. Kind of picture, like the oven being right next to the, you know, like a cook's kitchen. You know, it's not like a dining room kitchen type scenario. And he's like, ah, you know, I was thinking last night

and especially during the party a lot about Kralath I know Jackspin as well I feel like with us being so close to Clary and I don't know we kind of owe it to to figure something out about him Well yeah I mean it was at least

Like I'm not even sure how much Mari knows about this Yeah who's Krayloth Well Kralath was our adventuring companion Before Mari He was also picked up by

cloud giant, and told that he was also part of the ordaining. He was from a sect of from a thousand years old, where he left his soul in a jar guarded by Clarion, and when he came back, he didn't know who he was, and slowly over time he ended up, well, passing away through different means, but I think we kind of owe it to him, or at least we did owe it to him, to, I think, let his soul free, maybe? Well, and it's not even him, it's the whole of the Eternal Order. set their souls aside so they could go to Borovia and, you know, eliminate the undead there. It's sort of a tragedy they're all sealed away in this dragon's hoard. Yeah, he was sort of like

this soulless knight warrior that ventured around with us. And, you know, we say he died, but he sort of was reacquainted with his, well, maybe, I don't really know. Look, the long and short of it is there are a bunch of jars with the souls of the knights of the Eternal Order and Kualath was one of them. And I think we owe it to him and them to find a way to get to those jars and release them, I suppose. I was going through my pack before I went to bed trying to write letters and stuff. And I'd found this one that we found on the cultists that talked about them trying to get Clarion's eggs. And I thought the cultists maybe were working for Clarion, but that's not necessarily the case. They could just be after eggs. I don't know what that does for us other than there's

cultists already stealing and rile in this dragon up. Yeah. And I mean, weren't you say in Dorn, they wiped out half a scarborough like a century ago? Well, yeah, but that was like, yeah, a long, long time ago. And I guess what I'm saying is how would we go about finding these soul shells? And Red comes back to the table and, like, puts down five plates. And, like, it's a crude version of a tortier. You know, like, he's cooked the meat and he's done onions.

And it's fine. It's palatable. maybe a little dry. The crust is like sliced bread pounded into the pie shell type thing. But the flavors are there and you can see there's like this moment as Red puts them all down this like flicker of like insecurity on his eyebrows.

He's like, I know. Crayloff, funnily enough, he was always the one who cooked. But bon appetit. And Red turns back around. It goes to the oven to like not be able to see people eating. And Doran just, he scarves it down and, and it comments, this is really good.

I love the, the, the meatiness of it. Oh, very tasty red. Oh, that's not that, it's not that, it's nothing. And Red smiles and comes back over with his own dish and sits back down at the head of table. Well, and, you know, to speak to that, how to find them, I think I might have an idea and a solution. and red takes the necklace off with the ring on it and he sort of holds it out in front of him he says this was crayloth's ring it allows the wearer to see the captain of the knights of the

eternal order essentially one of crayloth's leaders and he would probably know where they were kept. Mind you, it was a couple thousand years ago, so might have to blow off his dusty brain. Well, I don't know. This sort of seems like it could be a sort of a dangerous mission, and he sort of looks at red, then he looks at Jack, and then he sort of gives this weird look at Mary, and he's like,

sort of waiting for an answer, maybe even provoking for an answer. Like, I picture all three of us are sitting kind of now at one side of the table, you suddenly realize that like Jack and Doran and Red are like, you know, they're all like agreed on this. And Mari so far has just kind of been enjoying her torchier. Throwing a lot of new information.

Observing. Alistair is like silently eating this piece of torchier and chewing thoughtfully. And he looks up at you read and he just gives a nod like good, good breakfast. And then. Thanks. And then he puts his fork down and he looks around to everyone at the table. So Mari, joined your group after Kralov died, right?

Do you think he would have wanted to have been revived like you did for me? Oh, no, no. Well, definitely not. Marys quietly stirring her coffee. So it's hard to say because he was cursed in a way that his life continued beyond death, not reincarnated, but, you know, transformed. into a being of the undead. It wasn't a great scene

for anyone to be in and I think Kralath recognized that and, uh... No, I don't think he would have, Ellister. Yeah. He chose to more or less end his own life.

But there is also a big difference between your situation and his, Elister. And I'm not trying to say that either one is great because I understand that probably feel differently about things, but, you know, Krayloth, he didn't have a soul at the end. Look, Kralath was somebody who essentially put his life on the line a thousand years before we met him.

That was his purpose. He set out in his life to become a knight of the eternal order, and in that he succeeded. The long and short of it is we were the epilogue of his life. You know, what we experienced, what became jazz. Jack and Mize and Doran's most important thing they probably will ever do was really only the tail end of Kraloth's great adventure. And that's the best way to think of it, and that's how I thought of it, honestly, and that's what made it much easier to move on from it. And on that note, Alistair, you, you have barely started your adventure, whether it be with us or with your

automaton's back in Loudwater. You know, you still have your adventure, Alistair. It's completely different circumstances. Well, thank you for the explanation, I guess. Not that it makes it any easier. It definitely doesn't make it easier, I guess, for the people he left behind. No. I mean, as to that, I haven't really decided what I'm going to do with myself in the coming weeks and years, but if you'll have me, I'll come with you.

Yeah. On this next quest. I mean, we'd love it. Have you? Dorn sort of looks at red. Red kind of also has a bit of a hesitancy. I mean, look, Alistair, I think I can speak for myself, and I would imagine everyone else here when I say that we genuinely love you being here.

I also think that, you know, there's a great deal of danger, and I don't know how I feel if something would have happened to you again. I don't know. Well, I mean, Jack picks away at his pie and sort of before looking up at Alistair's. I mean, we don't need to make any decisions yet. We don't really even know what the next steps are. Yeah, I certainly don't look forward to stand in front of another dragon any time soon. The last time was more than enough.

So, you know, I guess we'll have to just feel it out and see what this, you know, see what it looks like. Well, I mean, this is feeling it out. I say, I want to speak to Treneros after breakfast, and depending on what he says, you know, if he gives us the location of where the souls are, I think we should have there. And Mari puts her spoon down, and she, like, looks over at Ellister and is like, I joined this group not knowing what to expect, and I still spend a lot of time trying to figure out what comes next, and it has been an interesting transition from my life before to my life now. And as to what will come next, I don't know. I can't say it will be easy if you

follow along. But when it comes to your friend, and she gestures at Red and Jack and Doran, whatever you guys want to do, I support it. The chance to say goodbye to someone is a gift. And if you have that ability to take it, then I think you should. If you ask me, hell, Mari, you've been a great asset. I can't see any other reason why we, why we would say no to another person help us on our mission, especially if we're going up a dragon's dragon. Well, let's be clear, I don't want to go against a dragon. I don't, I don't really even want to be in front of a dragon. Well, I mean, I

if this is what you think is the best to do, then I'll come with, but I have to admit, I am terrified of the concept of coming up against a dragon. Well, look, we don't have to do this, or at least not all of us, have to do this.

I want to be crystal clear here. Doran, Jack, and myself have a duty to the All-Father or whoever is behind this ordaining in some way as far as we feel we have a duty. This is not in any way related to that. This is very much something that I feel responsible for in some way, especially now that we're here. And I can't speak for Jack. I assume he feels the same way. And I can't speak for Doran. I

assume he feels the same way. Absolutely. Of course I'm in. All right. Marie, there's no pressure. We could swing back to Scarborough after we're done. there's no pressure for you to do this I know I know that it'd be fine if I stayed but I would feel wrong if I didn't come with because

even though I don't know Kralath and I don't have the same history that you guys do I it wouldn't feel right to send you guys out there without as much help as you can get but things could get tough oh okay then I'll leave then

well but you know Mari, you've said it a few times. You have. You've said it's been tough. And I have to be honest, Marie. I know that you are capable, but I also know that you carry a great weight with some of these things. I hear you in the hesitancy in your voice and some of the difficulties that we've had to face. And I guess I need to know if you can have our back when it really counts. If you can be there, I know you're capable. But I worry sometimes. times, if I can count on you the way I could count on Doran or even Jack. Mari takes a sort of moment just to kind of reflect a little bit on everything that's been

happening because it has, she's witnessed a lot more in the past couple of weeks than she has in her entire life. But she looks at red and she goes, I'll admit that I have definitely been scared and it's gotten the better of me in a couple situations. But before I met you guys, I had never really ever been involved in any sort of fight like this, whether small or in any sort of larger context. And as every day goes by, a little more of that fear kind of ebbs away. and there's this sense of purpose that I've found again, that I didn't, that I was kind of searching for, I guess, in a sense as I've been on the road. And I want to believe that, yeah, when it comes down to it in those moments where you would

need me the most that I would come through because I think I will. So in the same way that you're asking me for this, I just have to ask you. if you trust me. And Red thinks for a second, and you can see there's like, almost a bit of hesitation. Like he opens his mouth for a second. And then he stops and he locks eyes with you, Mari, and he sees the like cold, violet gaze of your eyes. And this kind of realization washes over him and he nods. I believe you.

I trust you. I know you would. Well, then we couldn't. do without you. So I, I'm, I'm thankful for that. Thank you, Red. Doren looks over at Mari and gives a sort of a congratulatory nod. I mean, you didn't mention the tortilla being any good, but that's fine. The tortilla is good, I'm not, I'm not absolutely. That's great. It was a valued effort for, for a quick breakfast. Oh, an effort. Oh, I see. Okay. Well, it's quick breakfast, I suppose. Contrary to Red's first impression, Jack's plate is clean. And he's asking for

for a second piece, and there's a moment you can see him wave his hand and whisper something under his breath and then start eating it, and just the pure bliss on his face with every bite that he takes of it is just something else to see. What? What did you just do?

Jack, is your magic back? Well, I felt something, and I wanted to try it, and it, it worked. Let's get another piece of pie in front of you. Let me try something. I sure I have lots more and Red gets up and like with his back to the oven

he takes the piece that he was enjoying and like cuts the part he bit off and puts on a new plate so that he could share with Jack without having to and he goes like I made a little extra wonderful no that's that's perfect and Jack closes his eyes for a second

he puts his hand on this new staff that he's got beside him and he mumbles a word under his breath and waves his hand and then he holds the staff and it waves that over the cut little piece of tortier, and it becomes just the most perfect blueberry pie. It looks like blueberry pie.

It sounds like blueberry pie when you scrape a fork over it. And when you take a bite of it, it is just the most delicious thing you've ever eaten. Wow. How did you do that? Huh. Uh, magic? Hey.

That snow. Jack. But like meta, is that? Create food and water? What was that? That's prestidigitation and improved minor illusion at the same time because prestidigation changes what it tastes like and minor illusion changes what it looks like and what it sounds like,

but not what it feels like. So wait, so it changes the taste, but it doesn't change the taste. Yeah. But it doesn't change the food. No. So like texture wise, if you go crazy, texture wise it can be weird. Because in my mind when I read, okay, chill warm or flavor, a cubic foot of non-living matter for an hour to, you know, to me,

flavor was raw, sorry. Your tummy knows the difference, but no other part of it. It's so weird to think about that you would be able to taste blueberry pie, but as you're swallowing it, it's like meat. If you were lactose intolerant and it was cheesecake, you would still know. I mean, this would just be the best spell, the best spell ever, right? Because you could be eating veggies all the time and they taste like fucking pizza. That's such a seven-year-old thing to say.

They're all chicken nuggets now. Chicken nuggy. Chicken nuggy. Wow, Jack, that's amazing. I just kind of had been cooking in the back of my mind, and this morning is the first time I felt clear-headed enough to try it. It just kind of snapped in place. Well, there you go.

All you needed, and Red Light puts a hand on the staff. It's a night of heavy drinking. Maybe a good chat with a friend, too. Had to help a little. Aw, and Red Light kind of smiles. Although I don't remember our chat being good It's funny because that's the second time You were like we had a good chat last night

I was like I feel like that was a bad Have you never had a chat like that Where you're just feeling so like shit And you vent it all out and you feel a million pounds later But I guess from Red's perspective You just like vented at him And he's like I'm going to bed now You're like a great chat last night

When I yelled at Red To Jack's mind All vented out It's done he's got he feels grounded now he feels like he's got a like he's still got problems but they don't feel insurmountable we had a heart to heart you fucker he's like drunkenly sitting in a chair yelling at me i don't think he swore my boyfriend hates me what's happening it was just really funny to smash cut to that scene from being like yeah you piece of shit how dare you lie as the last

slice of pie disappears from this baking dish jack your practiced i recognizes that this is no ordinary piece of crockery. This is an object da. Oh. Whoa. Hey, let's see that pan just for a second, Red. Oh, this one? Sure.

Jack, it's okay. I'll wash it. I found it when we were adventuring in the Gnomish stronghold, and I figured I would just pull it out and use it here. Did you? Yeah, it had a bunch of rings on it. Yeah, what do I know about this? This is more than 100 years old.

That's for damn sure. Jack, what's the deal? Oh, it's just, I mean, look at it. It's, it's, it's, if you are going to make a pie dish out of silver, you couldn't do better than that. It's, uh, you know, some real craftsmanship went into it. That's all. It just caught my eye. It belongs in a museum.

It's just a dish, Jack. This particular dish is made by an artisan, Jack, whose name you are familiar with. Ooh. This piece of porcelain was created by, an artist, Anastasia Stufios, and it's like is hardly ever replicated. The designs on the base of this piece of crockery imprint themselves into the bottom of the pastry, whatever it is that you cook. And so these meticulous, concentric circles and whorls and patterns are all like imbued into everything that you eat.

It's really kind of a whimsical piece. Other than sort of being Anastasia's signature whorls, do they have any other references or connections to anything else? Or they're just sort of that's that artists. If you look long enough at any of these pieces, at any of her porcelain work, the images resolve into a second image. It's like a magic eye almost where like the abstract becomes representational. Jack's like, give me that pie tin

and just crosses his eyes and stares at it and tries to get it to pop for way too long. Jack, you okay there? Yeah, yeah, no, I'm just, there's a thing. Can I have my pie plate back now? One sec. I haven't finished eating it.

I mean, just be careful with it, Red. That thing's an antique. Everything's a fucking antique around here. Well, look, I'm going to speak to Treneros, and, well, you know what, there's no time like the present. And Red stands up and takes his apron off and tosses it onto his chair and he pulls the ring off the necklace and slides it on right

there in the kitchen as you slip the ring on your finger red you are gripped momentarily by a breath of chill air and then like exhaling into the winter a ghostly figure appears immediately intent on you It prowls steadily forward, its heavy plate armor caked in grave dirt. The green light burning in its eye sockets, insistent and piercing. The Lord Captain Sikul Treneiros, head of the Knights of the Eternal Order, grips the hilt of his long sword of a skeletal hand. It has been many days since my presence has been distilled enough to speak with a living. I languish and on death, blasphemous.

cursed what could you require of me red-handed Robin Hey Trenneros has it hanging I guess surely told me

um look uh I uh I apologize for taking so long before speaking to you again it's it's been a long time to travel up this way but um I guess

uh well we want to do what Kraloft couldn't I suppose we aim to head to where Clarion guards your souls

and we aim to release them but we don't know the way if you are willing to fulfill this quest to liberate the souls of the knights of the eternal order you would do us

a great service and honor the will of Kelimvor in the same act. It would be a glorious thing, a valuable thing for a commoner to accomplish. You would do this? He says he'd be happy if we did it. Yes, yes. We aim to do it through any means necessary.

We don't owe Kellenvore, but we do owe our friend. And we want to do it for him. Kralath is lost to this world. to the afterlife alike. His essence wanders this plain, restless, untethered, to set him on his final path into righteousness. Yes, you must find the soul repository. Well, we're going to need your help.

Whereabouts is it? We're currently in Scarborough. You are very close. He says we're very close. For it is here in the Great Peaks, we carved a chapel to Kellenvore. He says it's in a chapel. A chapel?

A place to prepare for our divine mission. This was nigh on a thousand years ago by the reckoning of time as it passes in Ferroon. The vault is guarded by a silver dragon called a clarion. The eternal order paid dearly for her services in guarding our precious souls while we braved the demiplane. but I fear that her allegiance has shifted in the centuries that have passed insubstantial as I am and he holds up a hand and looks through it

at you in this kitchen I have been unable to speak with her and have only been afforded rare glimpses of the creature she has become of what she has done to our sanctum things have changed much. Cross the dawn pass and travel to the southern ranges of the Grey Peak Mountains to where the sun rises between two equal peaks.

From there, I will guide you to the sole repository. Make haste. He says cross the dawn paths between the peaks, and he'd guide us from there. That seems doable. Do you know where the dawn pass is? Oh, yeah. Now on to other matters. Have you thought more about our deal?

You must go... And Red pulls off the ring. Yeah, so that's how we go, and that's where we'll leave, and then he'll give us more directions from there. Red sort of jittery sits back down. Well, what did he say? To cross the dawn path? Yeah, down path threw it between the two peaks,

and that's a chapel, and that he's... I'm all very angry, as he's always been. Yeah, anyway, so, I mean, look, there's no reason that we would come back to Scarborough again, Doran. I mean, obviously, in the future, but... Well, yeah, I mean, at some point I will come back, but, you know, I understand that if we are going down to the southern pass, then why would we come right back up, especially if it leads off to, you know, where we're going next? Well, I mean, after that, I suppose we'd want to head back to Water Dee, maybe. for a bit of, or an hour for a day.

And then, oh, well, I mean, Alistair, are you coming along? You know, we could see where this whole adventuring thing takes me. He, like, stretches his shoulders a little bit. I don't know. I'm kind of starting to like it a little bit. Well, and then I guess after that, I suppose, it's back to the Giants. Yeah. We want to still take on them.

Well, we got three more strongholds to hunt down in the... Look, it's a conversation for Waterdeep. I just... Maybe we can have that. I didn't want to forget that that's the bigger picture. They're terrorizing the sword coast and we can help. Listen, why don't we spend the day in town, gather some supplies? We'll be able to, you know, rest up a bit more.

I mean, the last couple of days have been pretty busy. I'll get a chance to say goodbye my mother. Then we'll take off first thing tomorrow. Yeah. Marie's looking at the hall. She's like, uh, yeah. We got a little. work to do to clean up the room. Jack, you want to go help me clear out that space? Yeah, no, let's

do it. Sure, it works for me. We'll spend a few days here and then head out when we're feeling good and fresh. Perfect. And so with your plans settled, you begin your final preparations before you leave Scarborough. Thank you to our wonderful patrons, Adam Frye, Afflicted Adina, Aizu Yuckei, Alison Wrights, Merlin, Anne, Atholagoff, Axel, Barry Ginette, Casey, Cetel Lee Wilson, Sherry Rose Anderson, Christopher, Colin Burckhart, Crow, Daniel, Dippity, Flynn, Gareth Bradshaw, Haley, Haley, Haley, Hap of the Mox, J.D, Joy Robinson, Julie Holderman, Jury, K-R, K-M, Cade, Lasagna, Last Ruth on the left, Leader J, Liz.

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Or with your automaton's back in loudwater. You know, you have so much... Play with your little toys back home. Oh, they're called automaton's. No, they are. I'm just being a shit. Oh, don't be shitty. Ellis is right there. I don't have to cut it if I don't want to.

I get to keep all the shittiness. You know, it's true. Not Jack's favorite character anymore, I! It's the real shame of not taking a dramatically different voice when I play Jack. That's true. I've really opened myself up in a way that I hadn't. I'm just kidding. Obviously, this is just red.

Because I don't want you to feel. Oh, I don't want you to feel. Alex. Marlins coming out, like, just being like, by the way. Are you as committed to this podcast? No, but I want to be clear. It sounds like blueberry pie when you scrape a fork over it. Um, blueberry pie, yo!