Dice Shame - 55 | 'Witch Hunt'
Episode Date: October 29, 2020Tensions reach a boiling point as the party enters a town with a haunted past... Comedy, action and a whole lot of shaming come together in Dice Shame, an Actual Play Podcast of Storm King's Thunder b...y 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?!? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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So there's this thing I'm really worried about.
I think this is the type of place where we all want to stick together.
Hey, boy, come deliver this crate.
Let's not tell me or I'll shank you.
So you want to sleep three to a bed?
Of course.
Lion Shields and Costner.
Kevin Costner.
How you doing?
Welcome to the Weidhart Inn.
Everman Flo or something like that.
Amrath Malabar.
Ah, yeah.
There we go.
Nailed it, Doran.
I feel so much like we're walking into a trap.
Oh, yeah.
Don't worry.
You can kill anything.
Welcome back to Dice Shame, episode 55, witch hunt.
MVP this week is Damien Barry, who joined us recently on Facebook.
Damien's listening to us from the road in Australia.
Watch out for that kangaroo, David!
Today marks the one-year anniversary of Dice Shame.
This past year has been filled with love, excitement, growth, and a lot of bad roles.
Thank you to everyone who has given our little show a chance.
We are so excited to continue on and bring you plenty more.
If you enjoyed our show, please consider supporting us on Patreon as a way to continue to help us grow.
Thank you so much for joining us.
All right, shall we do this?
Yeah, let's do it.
To the show!
And we're live!
Hello, all.
Welcome to Episode 4th.
55 on Dice Shamed!
We went to Ice Wind Day.
We went through Bellyards.
We've been to Waterdeep.
The Tomb of Thorough Flamed Tum.
The Tomb of Thorold Flaming.
Another one.
Goldenfield.
And now we're
Buhbubbubbubbibu Buhbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb so dumb.
Ladies and gentlemen, your Dice Shame Troop here to present.
I picture us all running out on a stage
with their feet coming up real high.
You know how they do?
Yeah.
And the GM extraordinaire.
Joe, Joe, Joe.
I walk out, piecing the audience.
Oh, it's very good.
So cute.
All right, let's hop into the episode.
Let's do it.
Last week was left on a reaction from me
after Jack told me about his imp
that Kieran is not Kieran, but an imp.
Yeah, there's a...
And I want to jump right back in and give my, I guess, my actual reaction to all of that.
All right.
Honestly, I think Red's really not bothered about it at all.
Because he's like, it's a creature, whatever, but...
Yeah.
Look, it doesn't matter.
Whatever you did, I trust you, Jack.
If you did it, you did it for the right reason.
And it's no danger to ask, is it?
It shouldn't be.
I don't think so.
I don't know.
It's not a good plan.
Did you do it for a good reason?
No, I did it because I was scared and hopeless
and it seemed like a good idea at the time.
I think that's kind of the thing
that wizards fall down a whole lot.
Just look at what happened to Dazahn.
You're not Dazahn.
No yet.
Look, you did it because you were scared
and you felt hopeless, but you did it for a good reason.
And you told me, and that's important.
Look, you and I know now,
maybe we can be proactive.
Is there anything I can do to help
or make you feel better about your choice?
Just telling it, telling somebody felt good.
It's probably just good to be off your chest.
Yeah, let me think about it.
And I'll keep an eye on Orin and Kralath and see what I see.
And we can go from there.
Sounds good.
And then, yeah, I think we hug.
Of course we do, yeah.
And head back to camp.
Spit hug?
Yeah, yeah.
Spit hug.
And then on the way back, he's like, Red's like, so Kieran is not Kieran.
It's an imp.
Kieran's real name is Aglap, and they're kind of miserable, and I'm not really friendly
with them, but I'm calling them Kieran and making them stay as a raven just because it seems
easier.
Man, Kieran's going to be pissed.
What's up with them, then?
Where are they?
This one is definitely beyond my ability.
You know, I do have something for you, though.
Oh, and Jack, when we get back to the...
Once you've read this book, I'll answer to that other question.
But this is Asimar's Guide to the Fantastic.
It's a breezy, lighthearted, really easy read on illusion magic.
It's like the Nethri's Beginner's Guide to Illusions.
It's how they taught every wizard their first minor illusions,
just like you can do.
Your wiggly pictures, if you read this book, you will be better at them.
I promise you.
And it's really quite approachable for being a text from the Nethri's
Empire. Don't bend any pages. That's so cute. I'll try and like he takes it already sort of like
rough with the pages a little bit. This one's not giving me anything anyway and I hold up the big
dragon tome from Chaslov that I've like been trying to read for the past like 25 episodes. Oh,
it's like dog-eared and like there's stains all over it and there's tomato sauce on it. He's like,
I finished it, but frankly it wasn't very good. Here, you can have it.
Thank you, Red. It's stupid. At the end, he's he, he's, he just.
just moves to water deep.
And we head back to the others.
Um, cool.
Half a day's ride down the trail towards noanna's hold brings you to the edge of the high forest.
The fields around you are carpeted with frost.
The horse's breath is visible in thick plumes and the wood is dense and
dark. The largest building by far in Noanar's hold is the keep, nestled here among old pine
trees on a hilltop overlooking the sleepy village. The building has three stories, corner
turrets and rooftop battlements, but the windows are bricked up with stone. The entourage of
adventurers and horses all wind your way through the small village to a hunting lodge, grand and
well-maintained, nestled among low stone cottages and stables all sitting,
in the shadow of the keep.
Wow, I wonder why they bricked up all the windows.
That seems kind of strange.
How are you supposed to see anything?
Troll-proofing.
It's not a bad idea based on what we've experienced.
You think there's more trolls around here?
I don't know.
So, where do we got to deliver this box?
Lion Shields and Costner.
Kevin Costner.
Yeah.
I think we're supposed to give it to a man whose name I remember
named Amrath Mulnabar.
Man, I just know it's crap.
No, that's exactly it.
Amrath, Mulnabar.
Mulnabar.
Mulnabar.
Bingo.
Okay.
All right.
Well, let's take a look here.
And Kralath is just going to peer around, see if he can spot the Lion Shield Koster.
Yeah, there's one.
Of course there is.
There's always one.
Every town has one of those, like, mall maps.
You are here.
Lion Shield Koster, we've got a shield for you.
Yeah, free advertising.
Speaking of, you should get more diamond in town.
Oh, yes.
Definitely, yeah definitely.
FYP.
The Lion Shield Costner.
Welcome to Lion Shield Costa.
We've got Caltrops and there's a sale on, blah, blah, blah, blah.
I'm imagining like the tinned supermarket voice.
Anyway, you go in there, but that's not the guy.
Amrath, Moldabar is not the Lion Shield Castor guy.
Okay.
Well, I will buy some diamonds.
When we go inside, I yelled somebody, hey, do you know where Amrath is?
And the guy's like, what?
Amrath, Moldabar.
He's, like, digging through a pile of mannacles in the corner.
Moldabar.
She's in a pillory
Hey yo
And the pillory up there
No I mean like
There's just like
Loose crates of stuff
That they sell at Lion Shield Koster
And one of them's just like a big crate
I thought you meant there's like a dude in the center of town
No that's cooler
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
I don't even know what you're talking about
I can't turn my head
He just heckles people
We just want to find out where this dude is
Yeah I led you to an inn
And then you guys were like
I want to go to a different
Oh sorry that was
Redo this.
Yeah, I think we're going to head towards the inn.
Yeah, I mean, so I said you wind your way through the small village to a hunting lodge,
grand and well maintained, blah, blah, blah.
So you're standing in front of this hunting lodge.
Yeah, I think we get off our horses, leave the crate outside for the time being.
Does this look like a bigger city town type of?
This is much larger than calling horns, bigger than dawn glow, which was Nightstone earlier,
but not by much.
Okay, but Donblow got attacked.
So it's kind of got a same, same sort of thing.
It's got a keep.
Yeah, the keep is like up on a hill close to the woods.
Interesting.
You guys are still kind of in the shadow of all the trees.
All right, let's head inside this inn and see if we can't find that to contact.
What did you say the name was again, Jack?
Everman Flo or something like that.
Amrath Malabar.
Ah, yeah, there we go.
Nailed it, Doran.
And we head inside the inn.
Amritha Mulberry.
So this hunting lodge is gorgeous, all exposed ceiling beams.
It's like past noon, so there's some roaring fires lit, banquet tables.
There are impressive hunting trophies that line the walls here.
Stag antlers, taxidermied bears and wolves, stuffed ducks, pheasants mimicking flight overhead.
They're like strung up on wires.
Lanterns cast warm light over the hall.
And as you enter, a tall pile of white.
white towels floats by you and up the stairs, swiftly followed by a human man with dark skin
in a sapphire blue waistcoat. He catches sight of you from the corner of his eye,
spins on his heel, and smooths his hair back from his temples.
Ah, good afternoon, messieurs. My name is Avgor Fields Roy at your service.
Welcome to the White Heart Inn. And many thanks for your visit. How might I be of assistance
to you today?
Hello, I like you and your vigour.
And you as well, monsieur.
And I like your room service, and he points to the towels floating by.
Ah, these are my unseen servants.
You can't assume that I would be able to take care of this beautiful hunting lodge by myself.
Would you?
No, of course not.
Will you be staying here with us this evening?
Maybe.
We're just actually looking for the time being for a man named Amaranth Squabster.
Mulberry.
Amrith Mulnabar.
That's the one.
Yep, it's the one, same name.
Ah, Amrath Malnabar, yes.
He lives up in the keep, just up the hill.
I'm sure you saw the keep
when they are up coming to the lodge.
Yeah, we did.
What business do you have with Amrass?
Super secret business.
Oh, pardon me, I do not mean to be of any trouble.
That's all right, you can ask.
You keep your secrets?
That is the way of the hunting lodge.
It's just we don't know how important it is, you know?
You can't go around saying every delivery of saddles to everybody.
Oh, well, say no more, your secret is saved with me.
I would never say any more.
Those high-quality saddles in that box out front.
Doran, take over here.
I keep saying the wrong thing.
There are other people in the common room, which is just kind of down a little bit from where you guys are standing in the entryway.
There are three middle-aged human men sitting in armchairs around the heart.
hearth. They've got their feet propped up on
ottomans holding goblets of wine in their
hands. They're just kind of staring at the fire. They're not really
looking up at you, but they
are within hearing distance. If you guys were to scream about how
much gold you have, they might, you know, hear that.
Doran and I keep saying the wrong thing you take over. Oh, gosh.
Yeah, Doran's not going to take over talking.
Dorae just looks at you right. He's like, fuck you.
Do you guys have a kitchen here? Do I smell
some roast pheasant?
Oh, of course you do.
My unseen servants and I are making some lovely dinner,
and you'll be joining us, I'm sure.
I would love to try some of the local cuisine, something new.
Yes, certain.
Oh, I hear it. Oh, yes.
He gets down and puts his head against your stuff.
Oh, 30s?
Yes, very hungry, of course.
Well, why don't we make the delivery first?
Who knows? Maybe the keep has a big banquet waiting for us.
Yeah, what did you guys sit outside?
I just wanted to have a quick word with Mr. Philroy for a second.
I would say certainly don't go out at night, that's for sure.
Why is that?
Oh, well, it's just not done.
It's not what?
It's not done around these parts.
It's not what?
You should stay inside.
What does he mean?
What do you mean done?
The going out of doors.
What?
Like it's incomplete?
Let's go finish our delivery and we'll come back, great.
I'll explain it then.
I will prepare a room for you.
How many rooms would you like?
I, uh, how many, how many beds in a room?
As many as you like, I can push them down the hallway myself.
Oh, my, you're...
Make a room full of beds.
So very accommodating.
We'll just need, and I'm looking around on my companions, one room with two big beds?
There's six of you.
Yes.
So you want to sleep three to a bed.
Sorry, what you're telling me.
Doran is in charge of sleeping accommodations.
You just assigned the beds door, and I can't wait to see where we're sleeping tonight.
Doren, you've got that one.
This is an easy thing.
You're responsible enough.
Doran's bed and everyone else's bed.
You're putting me in charge?
Well, I'll stay here then.
You guys go and deliver the package.
All right, let's go do this.
Mr. Philroy.
Ah, yes.
You know, Noonar's hold is a bit of a destination,
and, you know, we're nobles from water deep.
You know, they do tell wild stories about the hunts around here.
Is that...
Ah, yes.
Well, we have three such no bells here.
Keep my voice low so that they don't go over here,
but just there in the common room.
And they do this sort of hunting?
Like, there might be one happening soon?
Oh, well, they told me they are planning to head out this evening.
Wow.
That's good to know.
Thank you.
Of course.
Do you think they'd be interested in others joining them,
or is that you didn't get the sense there?
They seem like kind of surly fellows.
you know.
All right.
Thank you.
At your service.
He makes like a very grand bow.
Yeah.
Are you staying behind, Doran?
Yeah, I am.
Cool.
Yeah.
So he heads up the stairs with you, Doran.
And he's like the whole way jabbering at you, just like pointing out different pheasants that were killed by different notables, different like historical figures who had been through the last 300 years.
You know what I mean?
He's like going on about this place.
And I think Doran's just eating it all up.
And he's like totally enthralled being a warrior, a soldier, you know, not a hunter, but certainly
seeing in the finesse of hunting versus the gore of battle, you know, where heads are lobbed off
versus, you know, taxidermy, which is very nice.
There's no scar.
Artistic.
Yeah.
And Avgar, although he's a little bit over the top, he's also like the consummate toast.
Like you look to your left.
he's showing you some intricate chandelier made of antlers
and then when you look back you're holding a sniffer of brandy
you don't even remember it having been placed in your hand
so yeah he takes you on a tour of the establishment
and the different rooms and he allows you to pick
where you guys will be staying the night
meanwhile our party heads out to the keep
so there's this thing I'm really worried about
I told you guys the stories about this place
and I don't know how to
True they are, they're just the stories, but I think I got a really weird vibe, and they, like, hunt people here.
Hunting humans?
Yeah, I think so.
No.
And I think those three guys in the lodge, I think they're planning and doing it tonight.
What?
I mean, the stories go that they have these wild parties where they a whole bunch of guests go and hunt each other, because that's the most dangerous game, and, you know, some people don't come back from here.
It got so bad that people quit coming, and then it fell on hard times.
But, you know, that's just the story.
It looks like it's doing at least as good as Nightstone was.
Wait, so you think that these people in there, these nobles, are hunting people tonight?
I don't know.
He said don't go out at night and that those three were going on a hunt tonight.
In the same sentence, in a place that's known for going to hunt people, I feel nervous about it.
That seems a bit crazy.
I mean, maybe it's just a ghost story or like a bad thing they tell travelers to scare them off.
I don't know.
And Kualov starts laughing, chuckling to himself and shaking his head.
He says, well,
Well, I guess we now know why he didn't want to deliver his own saddles.
That's what I was just going to say.
I didn't even think about that.
I was just about to say there must be a reason that they didn't want to interact with the keep, which means we should be very smart.
Oh, that's a good point.
Hey, boy, come deliver this crate.
Hey, aren't you the little boy from Amphail?
What?
I'm the mayor.
A mayor of this place, too.
Guys, look at him again.
Cool.
Mayor of here, too.
I feel like at this moment
when you guys are talking about
the human hunting,
Avgar Philroy is like,
and this is where we keep
the real trophies or whatever
and it's like, all these stuffed dwarves.
No mention of human trophies,
unfortunately.
No, eh?
Okay, okay.
But seriously, Red does say,
maybe you have a point there,
Kralath.
Maybe he didn't want to deliver them here
not just because it's ill repute,
but because maybe they're looking
for quote-end-unquote,
volunteers to be captives tonight.
Look, I, Rob, come on.
Look, Rob, come on. Look, Jack, I apologize
if this seems a little bit doubting, but it's possible
that this isn't currently running. Didn't you say it was like a couple hundred
years ago it was active? Well, I mean, it's, they've been telling the stories
about it for that long. If it was a story that happened once 200 years ago,
it wouldn't live on for 200 years. Right. Well, maybe
we should ditch these and get someone else to carry them up to the keep.
Maybe, Orrin, we just got to be careful about sleepwalking tonight, I guess, is the...
Yeah, of course, Master Jack.
Maybe you should cast a ward on my door.
I don't know how magic works, but if you might just put a magic spell, and then I will stay in my bed.
Hmm. Right. Or maybe you could have Kieran watch them.
Yeah.
Now that you mentioned this, maybe we should go back and get Doran.
I think this is the type of place
where we all want to stick together.
They're like putting an apple in Doran's mouth
and like tying into this bit.
But he doesn't even get it.
He's like, oh, this apple's really nice guy.
Oh, you don't need to tie me up.
That's all right.
I'm comfy as it is.
If anyone's going to be okay, it'll be Doran.
I'll go send Kieran to hang out with him
so we'll know if anything happens.
And let's go drop off these boxes
and the sooner we can get together,
the sooner we're...
Yeah, all right.
What I'll do then is it'll just describe
because we left as I was going to prepare the bedroom.
And I do.
It's like I've chosen the big corner master room and there's like four beds and I've pushed them all together into one big bed.
And there's like, you know, fresh flowers and like a burning fire and a hearth.
Avgar's like, I think this will be wonderful.
Yeah.
I love the idea that Doran is accidentally amazing at like Feng Shui and bedroom planning.
He's like, well, let's just toss this.
he, like, touches the curtain, and it, like, falls in this perfect way.
And the dude's like, I've never seen such skill.
And he's, like, arranging flowers.
But just also that Doran's idea of, like, the perfect dwarven, you know, way for everybody
just sleeps together in the same big bed.
It's all warm in family and nothing's.
It's all good.
Oh, man.
I love to think, like, a family of dwarfs is, like, a bunch of puppies that just, like, all
sleep on top of each other.
Yeah.
So cute.
I get to be the bottom dwarf tonight.
That's the peak position.
I'm going to be, I'm going to be Papa Dwarf tonight.
Oh, I just love it.
This brings there so many good memories.
Roll over, and they all roll over and the dwarf falls out.
So I guess you're taking at least true Stephen.
Yeah, true Stephen.
True Stephen and us will approach on foot.
Yeah, but you don't need to take the other horses.
No.
Okay.
So Red, Kraloth, Jack, Oren, and B.
I don't mind if O'Rour.
Orrin and B stay, and they're the ones tending the horses while Doran's taking care of the room accomplishment.
Orrin B, you stay here.
We're going to bring True Stephen in this crate up to the keep.
All right, Dad.
So Jack Red and Kralath, you get True Stephen and the crate, and you travel through the windy trails of this village.
The sun is, like, sinking a little bit on the horizon.
It's probably like 4 p.m. or something coming up on dinner time.
and you travel out to where the pine trees of the high forest begin,
where the keep is nestled overlooking the village.
There are some heavy-looking wooden doors on the ground floor
that face out towards the village of Noyanar's hold.
And as you approach this huge keep,
you see all of the windows are all bricked up.
It's kind of foreboding.
You also notice that one of the corner rooftop turrets has partially collapsed.
So this place has not only been kind of boarded up, but is also an ill repair.
I mean, I'm not one to give too much to ghost stories, but if anywhere was a murder castle.
Yeah, you're telling me.
Is there a gate?
Nope.
Just these big oaken doors.
I feel so much like we're walking into a trap.
Oh, yeah.
Let's knock on the doors.
You knock on the doors?
Absolutely.
So like a minute after you knock, a little eye slit appearing right at like halfling and dwarf height opens up in these oaken doors.
And a pair of old, weathered, kind of milky, suspicious eyes looks out at you from the slit.
What do you want?
No one sees the wizard.
Not no way, not know how.
Basically.
Delivery from calling horns.
Calling horns.
It's calling horns.
It's a town.
Yeah.
What are you bringing?
A delivery.
Saddles.
Oh, that too.
For the hunt?
Saddles, yeah, yeah.
Okay.
Just hold on a minute.
The slit closes.
You don't know.
It's for the hunt.
Play it cool, man.
I just want to see what they'd say, yeah.
And then the cranking of machinery opens one of the oaken doors enough to permit a five-foot entrance.
He's like, okay, you can just put them here in the foyer.
Quick, quick, quick.
And Crayloff pulls it off of the thing.
Is everything okay?
What do you mean?
Don't ask questions.
I think I'll wait outside on the bridge as they bring,
we don't know how it need to go in.
Okay.
I'll leave the horse in with Craylath helping me unload.
Crayloth, as you straighten up from dropping the crate
on the dusty flagstone of the Keeps entryway,
you peer past the strange castellan into a dimly lit room beyond.
Two silver candelabras covered with cobwebs sit atop a once grand feasting table.
Behind which five high-backed chairs are regally spaced,
and in each chair in dark and rotted finery sits a corpse,
their flesh dry and waxy, clinging to bone.
In the flickering candlelight you watch with horror
as one of the corpses picks up a chalice,
appearing to offer a toast to its neighbor who reciprocates
the raspy sound of its laughter echoing through the banquet hall.
No, that's no good.
Uh-uh, uh-uh.
So we see the party now standing in the doorway of the entry hall to the keep of Noanar's hold, backlit by the setting sun.
Kralath, you're just a few feet into the interior of the keep.
Jack stands silhouetted in the doorway, and red is outside on the pathway hung low with pine branches and carpeted with needles.
Just whistling, like, it would appear that the dark rumors are at least partially true.
It looks for all the world that the rotted corpses of the hunt lords of Noanar's hold city.
in a banquet hall beyond you,
some 120 feet away from you,
Kralath, at a dining table,
dimly lit by candlelight and draped with
spider webs, and they seem
to be quietly talking to one another.
Amrath Molnabar,
dwarven castellan of the keep, is getting
irritated that you've not left yet.
He's prying loose the top of the wooden crate.
I say once again,
the terms of your work order are fulfilled.
Now make yourself scarce.
And Kralath is
really shocked, frankly.
He hasn't really seen that much undead in the past couple months.
And so for someone who's so...
He talks a big game.
He talks a big game.
He's so righteous.
I think that in this moment, actually seeing them in a position of power,
he's just kind of at a loss for words and he just nods and steps out of the keep.
This is also kind of meta-justin being like,
I don't want Kralov to start too much shit right now.
So that's smart, though.
Additionally, you're missing, like, your bravest warrior, like...
Yeah, I'm just outside the door.
No, but Doran.
Doran is like...
The one who wants to sleep together in a puppy pile is the bravest warrior.
It's not going to stop us.
No, but he's got his axe that makes it impossible for you guys to be afraid when he's
within a certain distance from you, right?
And now he's gone.
I love that.
Yeah, I love that.
It's like, and we're missing, we can't fight them now.
We're missing our brave.
Davis warrior snap cut to Doran looking at the bed.
Fluffing the pillows.
Plumping pillows, yeah.
Homemaking stuff, making sure there's candles everywhere.
The axe is in the corner.
He's just talking to it.
Do you think they'll like this?
I wonder maybe Red should sleep here.
And Grilof can sleep here.
Springer the little bit of lavender on their pillows.
There's pulperia in the bathroom.
Got to get some chocolates for the pillows.
Before Jack leaves the doorway,
he's definitely going to try and size up these corpses moving in the background.
Just to get a sense of, can he figure out if they're intelligent, what kind of magic animates them?
Are they, you know, zombies, are they whites like the one we saw in Ice Wind Dale?
Are they some other sort that he's never encountered or heard of before?
These look to be very similar to the creature that you saw in Ice Wind, Dale.
Oh, really?
Yeah.
So they do look intelligent.
And have they seen me?
No, they don't seem to be interacting with you.
They're kind of preoccupied with their own feasting.
Yeah.
Yeah, Kralath is in a bit of a blur, and he nods to Amrath and kind of stumbles out the door and shakes his head.
And, you know, the birds are chirping out there and he sees Red and Jack, and he just kind of has this blank expression.
Everything all right?
Either I just had another vision or the rumors of this place are true.
I saw them too.
So you guys are all sort of on the outside of the keep?
Yeah.
So Amrath walks forward and he starts to shut the door.
Are you going to be okay in there, Amrath?
I've served the hunt lords for centuries.
And he closes the door.
We need to, we need to, we need to stop them.
We need to put them to their end.
Tell them, Vor will not stay.
Hold on.
I'm clearly missing something.
What are you talking about?
I will conjure a little image of the corpses having suffered.
in my hand with a minor illusion and just showed Red what we saw.
Cool.
These are undead abominations, Red.
These are dead people that have been brought back to life to serve evil motivations.
Jack, didn't you say that this place was once a place where they hunted people?
You think they're still doing it?
I mean, that's the rumor.
And with all the like, don't go out at night talk around here, I wouldn't mind going back to
be near Doran and B and the rest of them.
Maybe we shouldn't split up.
I just feel like that ends badly.
Good idea.
But we also shouldn't just stay in the hotel.
We've got to go out.
We've got to put an end to this.
You're not wrong.
Let's regroup.
Back at the White Heart Inn.
Inkeeper Avgar, Philroy is leading Doran B and Oren back down the main staircase.
And he's finishing up some tirade about the finer points of creating a realistically taxidermy duck.
And how to like keep the feathers.
like nice from collecting this he's like it is important to spread them with just a light
detergent just every so often to keep the plumage bright it really makes a difference i'm sure you
can tell oh it's it's incredible i mean just the the questions that go through my mind like
how do you get all the blood off of everything i mean obviously when you hack the head off these
creatures to put them on the wall it doesn't it spray blood all over the place i mean i think
Is there, there's a little bit less a hacking, Master Doran, more so of just a very light murder.
Oh, okay, well, I guess, I suppose everybody has their own, has their own way of, uh, of, uh, maming, so.
And Oren is like, so you, you take the insides out and then you put sawdust, oh, and he's sort of like blanches a little bit.
I'm sure that sawdust has probably got a lot of flavor, hey, hey, Oren?
And as we all return to the high-ceilinged common room, which is just fucking bursting with stuffed bears and armchairs and stuff, if you recall, you see the three men from before, the other guests who are staying at the hunting lodge right now.
They've got a bunch of their equipment all laid out on one of the larger dining tables, and they're like checking it all out, tightening straps, polishing rapiers, and packing them away into their haversacks and getting all set up to go.
They've all got goblets of drink in front of them or in their hands, and their faces are just kind of somewhat flushed.
And that's when our other friends come in.
So the party is reunited.
And it feels so good.
And I feel like maybe just before these three enter, Doran's got a beer.
And he starts to converse and kind of chit-chat with these other adventures.
Sure.
So Doran's just starting up a conversation when Kralath read and Jack.
enter the front doors of the Whiteheart in.
And you're sure that we need to stop them?
I just...
Here they are now.
These are my companions.
Oh, hello.
This is Red.
That's me.
And the really tall one there, that's Kralath.
And this is Magic Jack.
He is just so...
He's like Magic Mike.
How you doing?
So insightful.
You'll have to excuse me.
I have some preparations to do.
Oh, of course, of course.
And Red sort of gives Krilloth an interesting eye and turns to Jack,
sort of like with a knowing, raised eyebrow.
I'm Rand Tharl.
This is Marthen and Lesric.
Deervos, we are brothers.
Oh.
Of Neverwinter.
How lovely.
Traveling with friends and family, I'll tell you,
it really makes it just makes it all worth it, you know,
and this just brings joy to my heart.
I love these three.
Well, and those two over there.
and I point over to Oren and B.
Before Jack and I head over, I just sort of turn it Jack
and I just say, let's just keep what we found out
under wraps for a moment
until we talk to these guys.
Yeah, I think they're out to hiding people.
Let's just find out as much as we can.
Let's play dumb.
It's something I'm really good at.
And Jack and I head over to join in Doran and the brothers.
So what sort of adventure are you three off to?
Well, we're here to hunt some hill giants.
I hear they make great sports.
So, yes, we're just ready to head out and leave now.
Can I roll insight on him?
Sure.
I already shamed Megan.
Did I name a new dye?
No, you didn't.
I'm going to name this die the Weber's.
The Weber's.
For a great old one, Patreon supporter, Michael and Brianna Webber.
Aw.
Nice.
Welcome to the game, Weber's.
Welcome to the game.
Here we go, Insightrope.
No pressure.
Long time Invictus people there.
That was a seven.
So not great, not a great start.
They're warming up.
out of the bottom, which brings my total to 12.
Okay, not a one.
They seem a little bit on edge.
Do I get the impression that they're deceiving us in any way or?
Nope.
Doren's ears perk up at the words hill giant.
Oh, yes.
They are certainly sport, I guess you could say.
Just, you know, be careful.
What you got there?
What are you using?
And I'm looking at the rapiers and.
A rapier for hill giants.
Oh, I don't know.
What other weapons is Doran looking at here that they've got spread out on the table?
They have a couple of crossbows.
Okay.
It's like nice looking weaponry, but definitely doesn't look battle-hearted.
Say, Rantharrel, what's your experience here with hunting giants?
I'm curious.
Well, you know, I've been out on the hunt many times with my family.
Most of it is just hunting mundane woodland creatures, of course.
But we thought it would be good sport, take on a giant the three of us, you know, bonding experience.
Yes, yes, of course, of course.
And what drove you to suddenly decide to start hunting giants?
Well, we thought we might.
And then he looks over at his brothers who are both giving him like a, no, not right now kind of look.
He's like, it just occurred to us.
So you're aware that, you know, hill giants have a remarkably adept.
sense of smell.
No, I wasn't aware of that at all.
Oh, well, they can smell you coming from a mile away.
They're going to smell all these.
You don't realize you're talking to the Nightstone Four then, do you?
We've just taken out a whole hive of hill giants.
You don't say.
Regale us with your tales of heroism.
Well, now, now, before we get any further into this detailed conversation,
I am curious.
I really would like to know what has prompted this, what has pushed you?
And I'd even like to persuade.
You can roll persuasion, sure.
Maybe even intimidate?
Well, no.
No.
It's not tell me or I'll shank you.
So that's going to be a 14.
Yeah, the guy is like, well, you know, sometimes a little friendly competition between blood relatives is sporting.
Oh, I see.
So you've got family that's previously hunted a giant.
Is that the case?
Just between my brothers and I, a little bit of good-natured, shall we say, a bet?
Ah, interesting.
Well, is it family only?
Maybe we'd like in on this bet.
Unless you don't want to stand up to the Nightstone Four.
I mean, we'd happily, you know, and the Red sort of pulls out a bit of gold from the bag of holding.
You know, rolls it between his fingers.
And the innkeeper comes by at this point, he's like, gentlemen, I must really just emphasize the importance of you not at all going out at nighttime, okay?
I thought that I made this quite clear earlier.
Now, these three men, these nobles, they are a little bit, they have motives, I suppose.
Some kind of bet I overheard gentlemen, and I understand that you are very interested
in this whole giant hunting thing or whatever it is, but I must say, just as the proprietor
of the Whiteheart Inn, that it is very dangerous outside.
Oh, we understand and we appreciate it, but, you know, I think a friendly wager between friends who are here for The Hunt.
What kind of dangers? Can you expand on that a little bit? I bet if you gave us a little context would be really helpful. We're certainly not from here.
Do you know anything about the area?
Just about the spooky stories about hunt lords and things.
Yes, well, Zay, ride at night, and the hunt is well.
Doran just would like to observe the three brothers.
What's their reaction like?
Are they aware of the hunt?
Are they oblivious to it?
Are they looking scared, looking confident?
A role insight.
Okay.
Oh, fuck, a natural one.
Come on!
They're too tall for you to see properly.
And Rantharl, who's the man that you've been speaking with mostly?
He's got like a slick back, brown long ponytail.
And he sort of tosses it over his shoulder.
and he's like...
Cool.
Really, I understand that there's some danger,
and that's why we intend to be out of the inn before nightfall.
So if you would please, not hold us up any further.
We have some preparations to see to,
and he downs the rest of his wine.
I mean, I'm liking where Doran is leading on this, too,
and I kind of want to drop the bullshit and turn to the boys
and be like, look, we're all here for the same reason.
Let's cut the bullshit.
You're here to hunt, aren't you?
You can try to persuade him again.
25.
Whoa.
He looks deep in your eyes, Red, and he says,
please, this is a family affair.
Red sort of nods and says, fair enough then.
And he turns back towards Jack and the innkeeper.
Doran shakes the hand.
He looks at Marathon, and he turns and says,
well, good luck then.
After, of course, they kind of try and dismiss them
because they're trying to get out of the door.
Yeah, he'll shake your hand.
You'll want to aim for their neck.
Thanks.
And watch out for boulders.
Good luck.
Okay.
Those things hurt.
Kralath, you went upstairs.
Yes.
For a little while.
What have you been up to?
So Kralath went into the room and he saw the bed and didn't think much of it.
Walked over to a little table underneath the window and he glanced outside the window as he started to pull out different materials, material components.
And he starts setting them out very methodically on the table.
He even pulls out his night goggles.
He begins, like, you know, pouring ingredients into one another and preparing salves and...
Oh, getting ready.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
But he's just starting, he's doing preparation things.
Getting into vampire hunter mode.
Oh, I really like that, actually.
It's a mirrored image from downstairs what the three nobles are up to.
And then upstairs, Kralath by himself is getting ready, too.
Yeah.
For his own kind of a hunt.
Then he glances out the window.
The sun is setting and they're like crows come off.
Some of the pine trees outside and just make a flurry of noise.
Sun's going down.
With that, I wrap up the rest of my items.
I put them on my belt.
I nod to myself.
I get up, grab my things, and head back downstairs.
Doran turns around after the three leave and he heads back up to the bar and he says to Philroy,
Holding up his small cup, he says,
So have you got anything bigger than just these small cups?
I'd really like to quench my thirst here.
If you don't mind, then he kind of scrambles up on top of the bar stool.
Oh, my apologies, Master Doran.
Allow me.
One moment.
And he retrieves a large goblet for you.
A soup bowl.
It's like a chalice.
This is much better.
Fill it to the rim, will you?
A soup bowl.
More of that same brandy?
No, no, no.
Give me some mead.
And he points to a big barrel tipped on its side.
He gives you a half bow and then sweeps the goblet away.
And I'll join Dorn at the bar as well.
Sure, yeah.
And Kralath has come downstairs now too.
So I say to Avgar, so.
Loop, lop.
Wiping the big frothy mustache for my face.
What exactly does this hunt entail?
I know you've been warning us.
Dorn, I want to show you something.
I don't.
And just for a moment to try.
and catch his attention in the middle of drinking beer and hanging out at the bar,
like nothing's going on.
I just want to show him the picture of the five, like, undead creatures drinking wine
and pretending nothing's going on in this castle.
Oh.
Doran, this is what shook Kralath, and it's not all bullshit.
Whoa.
Avgar's, like, polishing silverware, sort of idly,
and he looked out the window at the setting sun and turns back to you, Dorn.
Well, the reason that I tell you to see.
stay in the lodge at night is for your own safety, as I say. The land around Nuanar's
hold is haunted by the spirits of dead hunters. With a clunk, Kraloth puts his
armored forearms on the bar and listens intently. Yeah, gauntleted heavy fists.
Yeah. As your friend says, there are terrible rumors, you see, about what happened here
many hundreds of years ago. And they are true, largely. We have a storied past here at the
Whiteheart Inn. So the locals stay indoors. They do not want to be troubled by the ghosts of the past.
Ghosts. What happens to the people who go out? I myself do not know because I stay inside. But you hear
moans and howls sometimes in the darkness. It is enough to make any sane man go.
crazy. But that could be
anything, Doran says,
kind of taking another swig
and wiping his lip and trying to
convince himself. There's really
nothing to be afraid of.
That could be the little
wild dogs that run around
it could be birds.
It could be children
screaming at home, wanting milk.
The axe head that's like
poking up over one of your shoulders
is like, don't worry, you can kill
anything. No.
Oh, Ork, Splitter.
Don't worry, you can kill anything, is the best catchphrase.
You mentioned stories.
Humorous with one of these.
I suppose I can regale you with a tale or two of the hunt lords of Noanna's hold.
Two hundred years ago, his village was established at the base of the high forest,
as a place where nobles come to find a way into the woods.
Well, being that they are...
Occasionally the greedy sort, sometimes it happens that they want to hunt the most dangerous game, as it were, each other.
And then he looks from one to another of you.
It came to pass that the lords who own the holdings of land in this area decided that they would take up a more permanent residence here.
And the five hunt lords established the keep here in Noana's.
hold.
So you're saying that these hunt lords are like the wardens of what goes on between people
who hunt themselves.
Yes, they are retired now, and they don't wish to be disturbed.
Do they ever come into the end?
No, they stay in their castle.
And so I guess the rules say, you can't bust into somebody's house and kill them.
You have to be part of the hunt outside.
Exact him all.
With a clunk, he sets aside all of his polished silverware.
Well, Doreen kind of spins on his chair towards the...
Wee!
Cute.
Well, I mean, it sounds like it's something that we don't want to trifle with.
There's really no reason for us to go out on night, I suppose.
I jumped down from the stool and walk towards the fireplace.
You don't happen to have a map of this town, would you?
He slides a pamphlet across the bar at you.
It's like, no matter is hold.
Welcome to the hunt.
Exactly.
The glossy full color.
Well, thank you very much.
We have a lot, I guess, to sort of discuss.
And I pick up my drink and gesture over to the fireplace
where maybe the four of us could talk about
how the hell we want to handle this.
I picture there's like a group of big comfortable leather chairs
with horns sticking out of them and stuff.
Exactly.
Gaston style.
Yeah, and now, of course, like,
I will just go check on the unseen servants.
They are making your dinner.
I assume you will be staying for dinner.
Yes, of course.
Food sounds delicious.
A few moments, and he leaves.
Jack, how do you feel about all this?
I don't love at all, knowing that these ghost stories are true.
That's very unsettling.
But really, Kralat, it looks like you're ready to go to war, and I'll back that play.
Krayloth is distantly gazing into the fire.
I feel like Doren's also just staring into the fire with deep thought.
And then not really addressing what Jack says.
He says, you're Raven.
Would you be able to make them observe, spy on the keep, see what comes in, what goes out?
Yeah, as good as done.
Kieran, why don't you go take a look at that keep?
Make sure nobody's coming in or out.
Yes, master.
I shiver a little bit.
And I opened the pamphlet, and I spread it out in front of all of us.
And it's like Disney.
It's like, welcome to the hunt.
You are here.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, big cartoon letters.
It's like a cotton candy stand.
Make sure you register with the hunt lords before.
Yeah.
It must be this tall to hunt.
That's right.
If you have a fast pass, you can go straight to the top of the hunt.
No, but interestingly, it does show a trailhead that leads into the high forest,
just to the southeast of town.
And red points to it.
Well, that's where we need to go.
Why are we bothering with this?
It's been a hundred years these undead hunt lords have been wardening over the people who come here to kill themselves.
Do we really want to interfere?
And Kralov gives Red a level stare and says,
they're abominations
and they are doing evil deeds
they must be extinguished
We let the other guy go
Deson's friend
Yeah
I don't know
Guys this is
I just think maybe we should have a
sincere discussion about what sort of fight we want to get into
Kralath I understand your motivated
Killies abominations but let's not forget
that we're here to help reshape the ordaining
The giants are our goal
It is not just motivated
It is my sworn duty to put an end to all undead whenever I find them.
This is an oath that I have made to the Knights of the Eternal Order, and I am not going to back down from my oath.
Really? You don't back down from your oaths. Does this mean that you're a trustworthy companion, Kraloff?
What is that supposed to mean?
You know exactly what that's supposed to mean.
B shoots you a look.
We're either talking about it or we're not red. Put it all on the table or don't.
And Red shakes his head.
Look, all I'm saying is
The undead is Krayloft's goal,
not ours, as a party.
Lathander's light should be brought to the darkest places.
Yeah, but pick and choosy,
because we didn't do it with Dizan.
We didn't do it with Dizan
because Dizan was Jack's friend.
But his undent companion wasn't.
Being a person in this world is messy
and hard, and you can't always
make the right choices.
But there's an opportunity
to save three fools' lives tonight.
Maybe we could take it.
Well, hold on.
They came here because they want to kill each other.
That's what I've got.
Jack, you said that nobles come here to hunt between themselves to end decisions.
That means these three entered into agreement beyond us.
They decided to come here so that only one would leave.
You think stepping in is going to stop that?
It's only going to delay the process.
They'll leave this place, stand in the middle of the woods, and shoot each other three ways.
And Doran sits his goblet down and he turns to the three of you and he says,
what could we possibly do here in this town that's going to stop what's been happening for hundreds of years already
even if we go out and we slaughter and put those foul undead creatures back to the rightful place beneath the grave
is it really going to stop this hunt from continuing and even if it does so what people are still going to want to kill each other
Kerylath, what's your plan? What do you want to do?
Whether or not the hunt continues, he addresses Doran, after these undeader vanquished,
that is beyond the purview of Kellenvore. I do not mind in the slightest whether or not the
townsfolk want to slaughter each other. What I care about is that there are abominations that are
doing their evil traditions for their own sick benefits. We put an end to that. If the people want
to continue afterwards, that's their own ridiculous prerogative.
I don't know. I don't think it's our fight. And Red sort of sits back in his chair.
Maybe not yours, Red, but it's definitely mine. And while I do have an oath to this party,
I also have an oath to my God, and I am going to uphold it. Whether or not you're back in me,
that's up to you. We can't foster hope in one tiny town with a horrible tradition. How can we change
all of the giant's ordaining.
This is a test for what the
Nightstone 4 can really do.
If it is a test, then it should be a test
of what the Knight Stone 4 should
do, and it should not be
walking off the path that we are meant to
be on to fulfill selfish
requests. Then you
get a good night's sleep, Red. I'm going to do what
Kralov wants. Selfish or
selfless? Frankly, I agree with
Red tonight, and I don't
think it's our fight, and I think we
should just stay in and head into the
For us tomorrow.
Kralath, I'm ready when you are.
Well, then, that's your decision to make.
I hope you enjoy yourselves here.
The Kralath stands and begins making his way to the door.
Is this really happening?
Yes.
Good luck, Kralath.
Jack stands up and follows him.
Sort of looks over his shoulder back at Red and Doran, and I'll message you if we need anything.
Doran looks a little bit shocked that...
You can't be serious.
You two are going to leave?
You're not, you're not, you don't need anything from my bag before you go, do you?
And Krayloth stops at the door, his shoulders going up slightly.
And then he turns back a little too quickly and he says, actually, you know what?
Speaking of, he reaches into his backpack.
I pull out the wooden wheat carving that red gave me when I was feeling down right after Golden Fields.
And I look at it for a second.
And then I say, you can throw this in there.
It'll just weigh me down.
And he tosses it to red, turns around, and walks out the door.
Grayloff, too cold.
But what am I supposed to do?
I don't necessarily believe in what he's doing.
Or maybe I'm just upset.
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