High Rollers DnD - Altheya: The Dragon Empire #2 | What's Yours is Mine (Part 1)

Episode Date: November 14, 2023

Classes are revealed as the team heads toward Blackrock Mine to apprehend some criminals! Support the High Rollers on Patreon and get early access to Podcast episodes, vods and more: www.patreon.com/HighRollers Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound, TCT Adventures (Solasta: Crown of the Magisters) and Jolene Khor! Check out Jolene Khor and all her wonderful work on High Rollers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1WX3ICiTmf4GpHwImnQMs6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pickaxe. We find ourselves in a village of Burnell, located in Northvale of Caldra, a region of volcanic, fertile soil, forested hills, dark, jagged mountains, and pleasant little villages as we find ourselves in. Our heroes, having arrived here, have, for their own purposes, their own journeys, have met. They have begun to introduce themselves to each other, but also the various peoples of Burnell. Some made friends that showed them around the town. Some enjoyed moments of quiet contemplation.

Others had dark dreams. But as they go about their business in the rising sun, the early morning markets, commotion is heard as soldiers arrive to announce that the road south has been closed as the Duke's armies search for criminals that have escaped into this land and are believed to be somewhere here in Burnell. With the roads blocked and knowledge that a force from the north from the great city of Kelskaris is on its way the party are locked in place something several of them would like to be a different scenario and so they are drafted into

assisting in locating and possibly capturing these criminals earning themselves a bounty and perhaps a duke's favor in return after investigating a few different avenues there are perhaps some ideas of where to go next but no concrete clues or evidence to follow. And that is where we begin this adventure. Oh, boy. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Are we picking up straight like how we finished with episode one? So, as a point,

what we saw at the end of episode one, remember, in a more cinematic sense, the characters not necessarily knowing exactly what they saw, what they heard. We did hear a sort of blood-curdling scream as the audience, but the player characters did not hear that. However, Xanthius and Gruffoth did indeed. picking up pretty much as Ophelia and her assistant, her servant Percival, are enjoying a lovely dance.

Unrobed. Mm-hmm. And yeah, we can pick up straight from there. Oh, never. Never that. You're really going to drop a D-glove this early into an episode? You never drop a D-glove. No.

Don't Google that, kids. I mean, last time I was sidling up to Gruff, looking in a small amount of horror at the skeleton dance that is currently happening right now to Gruff to say, Gruff, that's... That's a... She's... Is that what...

I'm guessing this isn't a normal kind of thing that happens. I'm from a very small village. I don't... I don't know. I have yet to see walking, living... I suppose I haven't. Walking, living bones. Much less dancing... Ophelia? Yes? What'selia? Yes? What's going on here? I'm repenting for the sin I have committed by... Sorry, Percival. Sorry.

Thank you. Thank you, Percival. I'm repenting by celebrating joy and passion for dance. Forgive me. I don't quite know the... Where was it you were from again? Osseous. Osseous.

I don't know the ways of your people or the land, but that's... Now, I don't want to sound judgmental. I don't want to offend you. I don't want to say the wrong thing. It's pretty weird. Well, I suppose some of your customs may be considered weird to me. And one of them being?

Well, that you have a steward by the looks who is living and who is assisting you. Oh no, to be clear, Gruff is no steward of mine. No? How does this work? What are you two? I was in need. Uh-huh. Gruff helped me. I see.

Contract closed. I see, see. Well, I don't know. You seem to still be in need of some aid. You still seem to tick the vulnerable box. Well, I don't know. You seem to still be in need of some aid. You still seem to tick the vulnerable box. Well, now, that's just rude. But maybe I am. But we're just helping each other, you see.

I see. But this... I mean, I don't know how people might look upon this. They can look upon it however they wish to. It's simply just a custom that I happen to take part in. For those of you who are from the Empire, the undead are not really a thing that is common here. Necromancy is not a common magical tradition in the Empire.

The beliefs of the dead within Ilmera, for those of you who are citizens and have grown up here, this is something you would have been taught by religious powers and factors and things like that. The belief is that when you die, if you are worthy enough, you will be chosen to ascend and become a divine saint, and you will join the two scions, the goddesses Melia and Pyrrhus, up in, you know, not the heavens, the heavens being stars and things like that, and you will join them, and then you will live on as basically an immortal protector, kind of like a god.

If you are not worthy, then you are reborn. Your soul is basically held until it can be reborn into a new body and a new life and then you are given a new chance to become worthy. The dead are typically, like the actual bodies are generally returned to the earth. So they are either buried or they are cremated and then ashes scattered, that sort of thing. It is, this would be, it's almost difficult to kind of comprehend really. Like this is, I mean, maybe it's just like it's in the image of a skeleton or something like that.

But like it is just a skeletal figure in these robes. It is, the undead are not like this terrifying thing that like, you know, there are armies of them in like traditional fantasy or something like that. This is just like- I mean, still walking bones yeah absolutely there's that macabreness to it in that that looks like it was probably a live person who was alive once and now they are just like in a robe and not speaking no i empty eye sockets but perfectly clean and

well preserved like there's no like grossness to the skeleton it's almost medical like it's just this pure skeletal form who was who was this this Percival? I don't know I'm unsure I could not tell you straight away you did not know him in life no life? No. Did this boy do something bad in his life? No, he did something very good. He was a worshipper of the grave father and has been blessed with the gift of reanimation. I see. So in your part of the world, if you're good, you come back to serve the living. Yes. Because we get to live a life of peace and prosperity in life.

So in death, we then repay that life that we've had by eternal servitude to the Great Father. In death. Is that what you expect will happen to you as well? I would like to ascend beyond that. Oh, and indeed, you already have begun that path. Unless you were to do something to dishonor the House of Blood,

you are already beyond Percival. Like, Percival was a very, it was a commoner, basically, or like a servant, and it's unlikely that they would have ascended further. You are already beyond that, because you've been given the title of sister, and you serve the House of Blood already. But you obviously have higher aspirations still. Ascension, yes, okay, we're on the same page now.

So over here, if you're worthy in life, you ascend to the stars. But if you're unworthy, you reanimate as a soldier in a horrible war. Interesting. So, I suppose, reanimation here is a punishment? Yes, it sounds rather unfortunate, actually,

and quite wasteful. Wasteful, right. But this Percival does everything you say? Yes. Does it ever speak out against? Speak? Does it speak? Can it speak? No. Does it ever refuse your orders?

No. It is merely their wish and purpose to serve. You? Me or whoever instructed, you know, another one. Say if another one were to take its place, they would be given the gift of eternal service also. Where do we start? It's an honour.

Well, I'm not one to tell someone that their belief in their honour is wrong. Oh, no. Don't get me wrong. It's what you believe, and I praise you for it. Skeleton. While you guys have this conversation,

I just want to check in with Rowan and Daisy, who I believe I've been speaking to. Having a lovely time. Adriana, the innkeeper, the wildcard innkeeper. You've been speaking to them, to her, you've got some answers. Rowan, you had retrieved your large longsword. I'm bringing that downstairs now. Yep.

Daintily. Good. Because it's very big and I don't want to, like, chip the walls or anything. Yeah, oh yeah, I mean you're used to carrying this around, you're used to going into you know settlements designed for you know normal sized folks. So yeah, you're carefully like maneuvering it through, carrying it like a, you know like a, cradling it like a father kind of protectively as you kind of maneuver through and making sure it doesn't bash into anything.

I'm ready. So I found out something interesting. Okay. Somewhat. kind of protectively as you kind of maneuver through and making sure it doesn't bash into anything. I'm ready. So I found out something interesting. Okay. Somewhat. Yes. Maybe, potentially, I don't know, it might be nothing. But apparently Marion has been quite stressed out and had a fight with the Reeve recently.

Oh no. So I'm thinking we should definitely talk to her. Yes, make her feel better or something. Yes, but also she might know something. But that, I like that you want to do that. That's very nice. I see, yes. Let's meet with the others.

Yes. And find Marian. Marian, yes, from the mines. Marian from the mines. Yeah, you guys make your way out. You leave the Peony Post, this lovely little quaint country inn that some of you have stayed at, Rowan, you guys make your way out, you leave the Peony Post, this lovely little quaint country inn that some of you have stayed at, Rowan, you've performed there.

It's on set at this point, right? Beginning to set, beginning to set. You guys had had a little bit of a day. Yeah, you guys had like woken up early, then all the commotion with all the guards, you were questioned, you've kind of done a little bit of investigation, like spoken to people. It's been a pretty fast-paced day, like it's kind of come and gone, all the questioning took a little bit longer than we probably played out in the game. Right. Otherwise it would be like an hour after everything happened.

You know, moving around has taken some time. But as you begin to kind of make your way out, you are immediately as you leave the building, you hear a kind of cough as you see a figure kind of leaning up against the wall almost waiting for you to leave as you see the black clad figure of Authorita Zaron Tekis who's sort of almost

just like leaning outside the inn and he sees the two of you go to leave. If I may have a moment of your time, please. Uh-huh. Yes. He smiles and it's unnerving. The Orcs of Othera, they are kind of regarded quite as heroes in a way. A long, long time ago, they suffered before they knew how to fight,

before anybody knew how to fight, before the Dragon Empress came and built the Empire, during the terrible Equinox War between the gods and the proto-magi, the orcs basically used themselves to shield other races from harm of the terrible creatures of the Bright Storm. And so they earned these scars

that are passed down through their bloodlines and glow with this slight magical light. And so they have this kind of reputation of protectors and warriors. Was that passed down through generations or was this orc there? No, no, no. It passes down. So it passes down. The scar almost like on a son or a daughter is inherited. The scars are genetic. Yeah, basically.

Pretty cool. I like that. And they slightly glow. It's just a Tom thing. Okay. They are, right? Scar's genetic? Anyway, carry on. Carry on.

But it just, he, so there is this, like, nobility, like, you know, the proud, like, jawline, the slight tusks poking up. But with the authorita with the black, you know, cloak and the scar down his neck and this furrowed brow, he has a very imposing figure. But he kind of smiles and this furrowed brow. He has very imposing figure, but he kind of smiles. He looks at you both and he will say,

how long have you known Xanthius Auragan? What? Oh. What's the time? It's been one sunset. I slept. It's been less sunset. I slept. It's been less than 24 hours, I think. He arrived in the town at the same time you did?

Yes. He was very tired. Really? Bless him. Thankfully we checked. Extremely tired or just normal? Pretty out of it, I'd say. He almost fell asleep at the dinner table. As if he'd been travelling for a long time. Something like that, I guess.

Yes, like he'd been running from something. That smile! I would just say that, Trot. Rowan would say that. That's how tired I'd be if I was running all day. See? Rowan would say that. That's how tired I'd be if I was running all day. Has he mentioned what his business is here in Bernal? I haven't asked. No.

We've barely had time. Do you know where he's from or where he may be going? Has he told you anything about himself? No, actually. I just spoke to him. I was gonna ask. Yeah. We just spoke to him. I was going to ask. Yeah. We were about to ask.

I mean, I was distracted. The bread here is really good, you see. And the oranges. So I was busy asking if he was done with his bread so I could have the leftovers. And then we forgot to ask. Grufford's been really good to him. I think they met on the road. He was tired, so Gruffudd helped.

But he said that he's the first person that he's helped, though, so I don't think they've known each other that long. Yeah, this is wonderful information, thank you. Why, is there some problem? I was just curious. When I asked Mr. Orogan about himself, he was just very nervous to speak to me.

I can have that impression. I was too. Yes, I can be a little intimidating. So I thought that perhaps I would ask you if you knew anything. If he mentions anything of where he's going or where he's from, please come and let me know. Obviously, I know that he's not one of these criminals we are looking for,

but obviously, being a Dragonborn, we want to make sure he is well looked after and protected. Oh, yeah, make sure he's safe. We have an extra mission on top of the current mission. Which we're working on. Thank you. We are bound by that duty. We will see it done.

The Duke will appreciate it, and my duty here is to enforce Imperial law and to make sure that all of our citizens are within the realms of our laws and order. Authoritor, thank you. He just nods. Please go about your business. Let's go about our business.

Okay. Well, we're just going to go to the wall. Yeah, that's what I meant. Yeah, you guys make your way there. Is it going to be like this all the time, Mark? Well, somebody made a deception check when they were speaking to the authoritor. Just every episode is going to be

just another really stressful day for me uh you buddy you knew what you were doing when you made your character i gave you very clear warnings about what you were doing um so you guys make your way out around you uh so yeah rowan and daisy because you because you guys make your way out, and yeah, I mean, you arrive, and you see Ophelia talking to Gruff and Xanthius. You see Percival, but robes back up, you know, the features hidden, and you arrive.

Okay. Rowan! Hello. Hello. I've got my sword. Wonderful, Amazing. Like I said, I hope this doesn't come to combat. Where are you going?

Well, I imagine we're going to the caves. Was that the plan? No, we... The orc, the Inquisitor, was asking... Really interested by you. Because he thinks that you might have been scared of him. You don't need to be scared of him. Sorry, he was asking about me?

Yeah. Yes. He would love to know. Specifically? So if you tell us everything about you, like where you're going, why you're going there, why you were so tired when you arrived. Where you're from.

Well, I explained to you. He really wants to know. I explained to you why I was so tired from the journey. I was traveling from Kelskaris. Yeah. And I'd run out of provisions, as I explained to you. I'm so sorry. I just performed. I'm sorry. The bread.

I'm tired. And that's why I was so tired traveling from Kelskaris. Well, that's fine. A simple mistake. He thinks you, no, but that's fine. He thinks you're scared of him. Oh, I was terrified, of course. I mean. Me too. Yeah, we said that. We said that we were too.

So it's just, if you see him, maybe you can say hi again. I. Tell him. Fill in the blanks that we missed. Sorry. We couldn't, we didn't tell him anything because we couldn't remember because of the songs and the brook.

Lack of brook. Percival is busy dusting down Ophelia where you were sort of like helping search around, just making sure, like cleaning your boots like you know Has like a little rag and he's cleaning your are you polishing your your beautiful leg armor and things like that as this conversation is taking place Is this gruff dude? Oh, he's put all that back on. We are unaware. Yeah, we are unaware Yeah, Daisy and Rowan have no idea. They can't see. How was the wall? Did you see anything interesting in the wall? Yeah excellent masonry joints.

So very stout, very sturdy. They sealed the wood against the rain. Good job, good construction work, you know? Nice. Just filthy. Why were we looking at the wall? To see if they might have used it to get in the night. Yes, there is some construction work

going on in that area, but I couldn't find anything that might indicate a means for people to enter or escape the village. Can I go and have a look at that area of construction? Yeah, you can, yeah. Can I just have a look and see if there's anything that I might see that suggests a kind of a code, or like... Okay, yeah. A thief. A thief. I can't. See that suggests a kind of a code or like okay. Yeah

Can't So The light is beginning to fade But there's enough that you can you have just enough time to kind of go out there and begin conducting this search The rest of you what are you gonna follow Daisy? Are you gonna head back into a little village? The last bit is just informing them of the conversation we had with Adriana about Marion having an argument

and being stressed recently. Something about money with the Reeve. So there's more to it, basically. Another letter. Are there any animals? I mean, yeah. This is the... Burnell sits on the very edge

of woodland that goes up into the hills. You know, there's a river. There's absolutely plenty of animals around here. They'd probably be quite spooked if a large group of people were nearby.

So they're certainly not within immediate eye shot. But you could go out and try and find an animal to speak to or something like that absolutely a lion with a pet yeah that's an amazing idea yeah would a lion have a pet human yeah yeah nice um are there any animals or birds or something near um where the family, Marion's family... The little cottage.

Had the smell and that kind of thing. Yeah, around the cottage and that area of the wall. So you'd be basically going with Daisy around to that back edge of the wall, right? And the rest of you are going to follow or...? Yeah, I'll just keep talking and then just actually following. Sure. Just talking. Is Cade still sort of?

No, he kind of walked off just before Ophelia revealed Percival. He had walked off. He'd gone back to basically join the gate guard. Any other town witnesses? No, you guys were outside the wall, so he had gone inside and started warning you. You guys were just, luckily, just outside of shot of anybody else. Like, it was very much a good timing. You make your way round and yeah, give me a perception check, Gruff.

And Daisy, you can give me a perception or investigation. Dirty 20. Dirty 20, all right. I'll come back to you in a second, see what Katie gets. Dirty. Dirty. Dirty 20. Dirty 20, all right. I'll come back to you in a second, see what Katie gets. Dirty. Dirty. Dirty 20.

Filthy. A plus one. Hell yeah. Oh, I got a 19. Dirty 20. Yay! Perfect. Gruff, you see that actually there's a collection of animals.

Like, there are quite a few birds that, like, dive down with the river, and they're trying to grab... There's probably a falcon or something that's flying down and trying to grab fish out of the river. It doesn't seem too perturbed by you guys moving around, because it can fly away. It's a little distance away, but you could go and find it. You also would probably notice that there are little...

I always loved in Avatar when they have the really weird animals and stuff like that that are very unique to the world. They'd probably be little ferret-like stoat creatures, but they have almost little jagged pieces of almost stone-like hide, and then they have little tufts of fur in between them. They're like little volcano ferrets, basically, or like little volcanic ferrets. I will come up with a cool name between them. They're like little volcano ferrets, basically. Or like little volcanic ferrets. I will come up with a cool name

for them. Stokano. Stokano. It's like a Pokemon. Yeah. Stokano. I mean, if it was Avatar, it'd be ferret stoat. Yeah, it'd be called like a ferret stoat or a fire stoat or something like that. Yeah. I will try and think of a cool name for them. But yeah, you see like a little

family of them like scurrying through the grass of like the hills, not too far away, like decent enough that they, like you've only just spotted them. They've probably got like a little burrow or a hole or something nearby near the edge of the river. And yeah, you see a spot of those guys. And then Daisy, you begin making your way down and around, not near the construction site,

but actually on a piece of the wall. Okay, yeah. Missed by the others because it's so small and it looks just like scrawlings. It looks like somebody's just scratched the wall absently. But you immediately recognize the kind of coded language that the criminals do tend to use. you've picked it up probably through your various travels um you've picked up this knowledge and you've learned to recognize signs of like okay

this village i shouldn't be in this area because this is somebody's kind of looking after this area and if i'm if i'm you know if i have to grab a coin purse i'm gonna get in trouble so i'm gonna avoid it you've kind of picked up these things, and your friends kind of helped you along as well. But yeah, you notice that this is the designation, and it's right behind, you can see the cottage, you can see the thatched roof cottage of Marion's house, and it's against basically the cottage wall. Like the section of the outer wall of the village

is pressed almost up against the cottage itself, and there is a section of the wooden planks that has this and it is basically um like uh it says on it sort of like the equivalent of like meeting like meeting place or like you know uh rendezvous kind of thing um and as you look at it because you rolled a dirty 20 is where you got a very good result it's not just that language you actually see that uh the board all of the other pieces of the wall are very very tightly packed in and are very heavily secured um you notice that there is a seam there's like a very well all the other parts of the wall it's much more rigid and secured and like filled in with like tar or like some sort of resin in between it this part is very clear and

you can almost think you can almost see like candlelight coming through it where it but there should be a wall there like it's it's you know like you shouldn't be able to like see in through this piece of the wall um uh yeah that's what you see um but groff did you want to do something with animals mark humes i know what you're doing like to uh cast speak with animals and speak to the little fire ferrets dope yes stoke kato i would like to say as well that you brought this upon yourself because the other day you were like, I'm surprised you didn't take Speak with Animals. I know.

Because I thought you'd like to make me do stupid voices and I went... You know what, you're right. I know. Now what's a ferret stoat going to sound like? We'll find out. First of all, I'm going to read the spell. So it lasts 10 minutes it is not concentration and it's also a ritual so you don't have to mark off a spell slot you can take

some time to cast this if you like you gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts for the duration the knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence but at minimum beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters including whether they can perceive or have perceived within the last past day. Spooky. There's a ferret right there. Brought themselves in.

You might be able to persuade the beast to perform a small favour for you at the GM's discretion. You're going to have a little chat? You approach cautiously. The little volcano ferrets, the little stoke ferrets, they seem very nervous. They're almost about to bolt.

I'm having food. I'm going to take some of my rations or something and taking it in front of me. What did you say? Hello there, little one. My name's Griff. I've got some food for you. Come on.

They kind of, there's a family of them, there's three of them, kind of like poke their heads around, little wiggly, ferret kind of bodies, little vulcan, you know, they've got these like little carapaces, like stony almost like hides, wiggle around and they sort of approach

and they look at each other. Hey, how many think of this, Carl? It seems pretty good. You should have some food. Yeah, I want the food. Let's get me the food. Okay. And they kind of, and they snatch the food out of your hand,

stuff it in their mouths. Slow down now, you don't want to give yourself a stomachache. I don't eat the food. Delicious! Thank you for taking the spell. Oh yeah! I love it! Is this your home? What'd you say? Is this your home? Thank you. The accent's throwing me off there.

No, we got our little warrens down there. Stay away. We might need subtitles for the stroke, okay, though? Seen anything strange in the last evening? Are you a big man? Are you a big lion? Apart from me. Apart from you. Oh, yeah.

There's all the middle men, they came by earlier. The sun up, when the sun was coming up. There was all the middle men. Before that, anything? Do you smell anything? Uh, you mean in the night? In the night. Oh, yeah, we heard it in the night.

A smell, yeah, yeah, yeah, smell, smell, smell. Yeah, it was a bad smell. A smell of sweaty, sweaty dwarf. Yeah, sweaty dwarf, sweaty dwarf, sweaty dwarf. And something else, a little chemical. It smelled like burning and smelled like strange. Which way did it go? Oh, it went up to the wall. Yeah, it went up to the wall, it went up to the wall.

Yeah, it went up to the wall. It went up to the wall. The garden and the oranges. And so it went into the garden with the oranges, or went out. Did it come into the village or out of the village? It went in. Interesting.

It did go into that house, Yon. If you turn around and you see Daisy just pointing at the wall and being like... Yeah, where that one is. The one with the hair and the red lady.

So just a dwarf? Bleh. That's the littlest ferret. I've been waiting for it to come out. It's been sat here for so long. You could have passed that off as the littlest ferret. No, it's just, it's nothing. It's just like it's been sat there.

Just smack him. Burt. The littlest ferret just burps, does it? I can't help it. I'm so sorry, everybody. It's just been like, as the intro began, I was like, oh no, I feel it in me. It's just been like as the intro began I was like oh no I feel it in me. It's been like trapped in there.

That's like half an hour it's been in there. Yeah. Now I've completely forgotten all the fur voices. Oh yeah. My little guy voices. No no no. there was more. There was a lady and there was a lizard, a big lizard.

Yeah. Do you know how long they stayed there? They came from the river. They came out of the river like fish and then they came up the hill and then they went through the wood and then they went into the big village village they went into the people village yeah and did they come back i don't know they didn't come back out to near us we we were in our house we were hunting we were hunting that little mice's in the grass yeah any good oh yeah we go get them little mice's we go again Any good cash?

Oh, yeah, we're going to get them little mice. We're going to get them. Thank you, little ones. You've done very well. You want some more bread? Bread, bread, bread, bread, bread. Bread, bread, bread, bread, bread. Bread, bread, bread, bread, bread.

Just swarm around. I'm so glad I picked this far. Yeah, me too. I mean, this is basically my entire playthrough of Warped. All I do is I speak with animals. I speak with the animals, I speak with the dead, and that's it. I'm going to need a lot of voices. Yeah, sorry about it.

I am not changing that spell. Well, you got it for ten minutes. Thank you. Yeah, so whilst Gruff is having that conversation down there. Is anyone observing Gruffeth just speaking to a bunch of people? We are observing this. I was very pleased with myself because I'd worked something out. So I was like...

Anybody who was observing Gruffith, Gruffith was speaking in his normal voice. Like, Gruffith was just talking to these things, but you would just, like, see them, like, squeaking, like, like, you know, and standing up on their hind legs. You don't hear them speak.

Only Gruffith hears them speak. He understands them. The rest of you just see these little ferrets looking at him. These little stat ferrets. Level one spell, right? Like it's not hugely uncommon to see that and just be like, whoa!

No, no, magic is, so like magic is common enough that like, yeah, somebody using an ability like this to talk to animals or something like that, it would be somewhat unusual maybe for some people. You'd be like, oh, wow, like Gruffydd knows magic. Okay, like, wow. But knowing magic isn't like a, it's not like, we're not in Middle-earth,

we're not in Game of Thrones where magic is kind of that uncommon. This is a bit more sort of like, yeah, people can use magic and stuff here. It's just more powerful magics tend to be quite rare. And obviously not everybody knows magic you do have to train or learn or be gifted with it basically it's not a common thing the question is Tom yes

did that look adorable to Xanthius? of course it did are you kidding me? yeah I think if it's I suppose I was going to say like yeah I wanted to jump in because like is there anything you want to do with like you've seen this thing,

like, are you doing anything now that you've found it, or? Can I try and listen at the gap in the wall and see if I hear anybody in there? Yeah, you do hear, you hear very muffled conversation between that elderly couple. You hear the old man that you heard earlier, like, Would you like more tea, dear? Yes, I'll have the biscuits. Yes, I can get them. I'll bring them over. Marion is quite late, isn't she?

She's normally back by now. I'm sure she's just working later, or perhaps she's having a drink at the tavern. And shuffling around, you kind of hear, and it's clearer than it should be. Okay, I'm going to call people over. Uh, hello? and shuffling around, you kind of hear, and it's clearer than it should be. Okay. I'm going to call people over. Hello?

Yes? There's a, um, this opens. What, this piece of the wall? Yes. How did we miss this? It says that it's a meeting place. Where? This little mark.

And to you it would just, yeah, it just looks like scrawlings. It doesn't look like text or language. How are we able to decipher this? I have a friend who knows it. It's fine. But this opens. How do we get it to open? Well, we would push on it, I suppose,

but I don't want to do that because I can hear the little old couple. They're talking about tea and biscuits. Yes, I can hear them. I mean, you did push on it, and it doesn't seem to budge. Like, you're not sure. That would probably require a bit more. This is the wall to the exterior. This is the village wall.

Oh, from the outside. This is the village wall from the outside, the defensive wall, the palisade wall. But the cottage is backed up right next to it. It's like, you know, like they've built the cottage right next to it. And you can see light coming through, so it's going straight into the cottage by... Seems to be, which it shouldn't do.

Rowan and Chris Trott are on different levels. I am saying nothing. Okay. So you think this is where they entered into the village, or escaped? Yeah, but I think that Marion's probably part of it. This is Marion's house. Well, if she's the foreman of the mine,

and that's where we believe that they are to be hiding, then it seems like that's who we're after. And you said she was angry because of money. Apparently. And then these other guys, the little lizard, he's like a thief. So if she's mad about money, he could be stealing money. He's in on it.

Maybe. Is this the point where I join you? Yeah. I don't know. The little ferrets. Oh, you spoke to the ferrets, I saw. You spoke to, that's amazing. What did they spoke to the ferrets. I saw. You spoke to the ferrets. That's amazing. What did they say?

They said a lot of things. They're hunting mice currently. Apparently there's a terrible mice problem. They're well fed. That's good. But they said that the dwarf, the human, the kobold, they were here. They went through this? They came through the river to where you said and they went into

the people village. Well, they went into this cottage at least. You said they went into the village afterwards. So they're here. Somewhere here. So they are in the town.

So... Also, they smelled of chemicals. Chemicals? Like, what kind of... Chemicals could they use? I mean, like, alchemy. Yeah, like of chemicals could they use? I mean, like,

alchemy, yeah. I mean, like, chemicals could mean a bunch of stuff. You know, alchemy is a thing here and stuff like that. Maybe the thief works with corrosive toxins

or something. Yeah. The other thing, this is a well-known thing again, most of you would know, but I think anybody who has... Xanthius would probably know this. Daisy would probably know this.

I don't think the other three would. Kuldra, in the last sort of 20 years, has discovered basically a very rudimentary kind of black powder, like a kind of gunpowder. And it's being experimented with. Very early designs. Things like flintlock and wheelock pistols and rifles

are very rare, but are becoming this new thing and we're going to explore it. The age of tomorrow! Yeah, kind of. But it's becoming this thing because it is found here in the volcanic mountain ranges. It's like a fire powder, basically. Such crime, many naughtiness. So, yeah, chemicals.

That's the title of episode two. And that has that strong sulfuric kind of pungent kind of acrid smell to it as well. Did they say it smelled burning? Yeah, they said like a burning-y kind of like chemical.

I said chemical but they wouldn't know what that word is. They would have said like smells burn-y and like earth-y and things like that. They kind of give you

a range of like smells. We simply take the little ones, if they're willing, to the authoritor. And case closed. No, I don't think that's going to do it. These things. The little ferrets. The ones over there, the stokanos.

They've all gone. The ones that Groff was speaking to? Yeah, yes. Witnesses. Unless they can also speak with animals, much like Groff can, I don't think that'll be much use, unfortunately. A good idea, though. Good thinking. Thank you.

But, um... No. Oh. Okay. However, we now know that they came into the village through this hole. So that's useful. They can't fit through this gap. Apparently it opens. It must be very thin.

It will open, it's something. There's a way to get into this cottage. Can I grip it, the gap? My fingers won't go in? Fingers won't go in, maybe like the edge of a blade. I'll get my dagger out. Okay. Like this, I guess. I mean, you might do.

Do we want to go in here? I'm going to start prying it. Give me an athletics check. Okey-dokey. 19. No. 21. E.

Do... My dagger's not good. Well, it's more like you begin to pry, and you can definitely feel like there's enough of a gap that you can do it, but it's giving you some hefty weight, and you do feel something pop. The blade does bend dangerously. The dagger's pretty much bent at this point. It's salvageable, but you would need to take it to a

smith to repair this, basically. It's droopy. But it kind of pops out, and you hear the snap of a piece of white, like a kind of metal... That didn't sound good. Okay. Now Daisy.

It's now sort of a jar, like this section of the walls kind of come loose a little bit. Might be trapped. Stuck on the other side. Or trapped. These people are sneaky. Well, these things that you're reading, these symbols,

do they indicate a trap of any kind? No, it just says meeting. Meeting. Meeting place. Meeting place. Do you have any idea how we might be able to open this thing? Would I know, like, something that would be- You can make an investigation check. 18.

18. The fact that Rowan described that snapping of a wire, and you saw that it was wide enough for his dagger blade to go in, and he has managed to force it. And you think right now, after what Rowan did, you actually think he could probably pull it open, or anybody strong enough could maybe pull it open.

Because it sounds like he's broken whatever mechanism was holding it in place. You have a feeling that there was probably some sort of latch or wire or some sort of system where if you'd slid the blade up or down, it maybe would have unlocked it from the inside or something like that. I'm going to put his 90-degree dagger back in his sheath. It's sticking out of the side. You could, but the tomb will stick out. You're going to cut someone off.

Yeah, and it looks like it just won't shut properly again now. Like this section, it's just, yeah, it's open now. He's like broke it. Should we tell the guards about this? Yes. It is our duty as good citizens to report to the authorities. Yeah, find Cade. Cade, he should be back by the gate.

He's not too far. He was a guard that was accompanying us when we were investigating the war. Lovely guy. Okay. Really. Sure. Great guy.

Let's go ask Cade. Okay. Should we go fetch him? I'll go fetch him. Someone else go fetch him. I'll go fetch him. Thank you. All right.

Ophelia and Percival head off around to the front of the gate. Oh, crap. Hello. Tell the others. Oh, gruff. Hello. Tell the others. What? I'm whispering too gruff. You know, Ophelia's... I suppose.

I just, I'm wary. I don't know how people might react to that sort of thing. They should probably know, right? The boy-o accompanying the scary pointy lady. Percival. He's a bony boy-o. He's a skeleton. He needs food. He's skinny? Oh. No. Sorry. He's a skeleton. I mean, he's

an actual moving, walking, not talking, skeleton. Skeleton. Bones. As you have this discussion, we see Ophelia kind of make her way up. And you can see that Cade, this young half-elf man, 17, 18 really, a boy almost. Lad.

A lad. He's talking to a few of his friends. They're kind of like tired. They've been pretty much watching the gate all day. And they're sort of talking about like, I hope the captain sends someone to relieve us and swap us and, like, swap us over and stuff soon. You know, I want to go try and see what they've got to drink at the tavern, kind of idle soldiers chatter and stuff like that.

As you approach, a few of the soldiers kind of stand up straight and sort of look a bit concerned. Cade, who you had seen earlier, kind of is just like, oh, it was Sister Ophelia, wasn't it? Correct, yes, Cade. Yes, that's right, Private Cade. Can I help you? Have you and your companions found something?

May I borrow you for a quick word? Yes, yes, of course. And he kind of looks over. The other soldiers are like, yep, we'll cover the gate. And he's like, yeah, of course. And he kind of comes over to the side. What's the matter? I believe my companions may have found something. Oh, what?

A clue. Oh, wonderful. Here in the village, or? Yes. Oh, well, yeah, sure, take me to it. Come follow me. Okay. And you begin leading him out,

and he's like, isn't this where we searched this area earlier, isn't it? Have we found something new? Something unexpected. Oh, okay. And he makes his way round, and yeah, he comes across the four of you finishing up your conversation.

Hello! Shut up, shut up, she's coming. Kate walks round and is like, oh, apparently Sister Ophelia said that you found something? Yeah, there was some light coming through here. Oh, okay. And he sort of like goes over and he's like, oh, I can't, how do we, it's like

now, because now it's been pulled almost like slightly ajar by Rowan's bending of the blade. He's like, what is that? And he's examining it. He kind of presses on it. He's like, this moves. He's like, how did we miss this? This is, he's examining it, kind of looking all around. The authority needs to know about this, as does the

captain. I mean, this is a breach in the wall, but do you know where it leads? We haven't gotten that far yet, but I'm fairly certain it goes into the little old couple's house. I also have it on good authority by a couple of reliable eyewitnesses that they saw the three criminals mentioned coming in here last night. Where are these witnesses? People in the village? I'll find them. I get on all my hands and knees.

Here. Here, little stoat. What it is to say is Groff spoke with the animals of the region. Okay, yeah, I need to go get the captain and the authoritar at this. This is a little beyond me, but yes, absolutely. I will go and fetch them and bring them here immediately. Same. Do people in this area not listen to the animals? No. It's not a talent everybody has, I will say.

Not unexpected. Do they not trust the animals here? To be honest, it's not often that you're in a situation where you have to find murderers. With animals. often that you're in a situation where you have to find murderers with animals but animals birds in particular are very perceptive they they see everything it's a good point yeah i think it's more in a court of law the statement of animals doesn't really hold up i'll have you know that a parrot has given a witness statement i'm sure i'm sure

it has i'm sure it also did it in pho sure it has. It also did it in Phoenix Wright. I believe it did it in Phoenix Wright as well. I think there's actually some kind of parrot that is actually in witness protection because it knew names or something like that. One day. Incredible. Google it.

Amazing. It's out there. Would you like us to stay here, Kate, for the authoritarians? We need to show them this, yes, absolutely. It wasn't me that found it, so... It was a team effort, it's fine. Kate is running off. He's gone.

We've got to get the right people in on this. You're talking about animal witnesses and... Sweet boy is over his head. Yeah. You know what, it is getting late, though, so I might just go back to our paid-for room for the night. Well, no, because they're probably going to be out and about and doing the thieving and the murdering at night.

Are we continuing the investigation now? Yes. Sure, yeah. It's not that late. Not that late. It's only... Is it evening? Yeah, it's super early late. It's not that late. It's only, it's like, is it evening? Yeah, it's like super early evening, yeah.

Like, it's still crimson, like, the sun is setting, but it's still, it's not night time, night time. Okay? It's going to be difficult when it gets dark, is all I'm saying. Justice has not yet been served, Lord Xanthius. No, I agree. I just, I don't want to... These criminals have not yet been apprehended.

True. I call back to Gruffydd. I'm, like, in a bush. Gruffydd. Did they go this way? They went down into that warren there. Okay, can I? I mean, you certainly can make a perception check.

17. 17. 18. 18, you're peering into the darkness, like into this little warren, and you do just see this little pair of glowing eyes at the far end, sort of looking at you. I'm friendly. Yeah.

I get my loot out. Start plucking a nice tune. Yeah, you pluck a few notes. The little creature at the end of the tunnel, you can just about see its form, is sort of looking at you. It doesn't seem to...'s sort of, like, looking at you. Like, doesn't seem to... Yeah, it, like, is listening and looking at you. As I'm playing, I'm going to need you to be an eyewitness. If you could come with me, please.

You can hop on my shoulder if you like. Put a hand out. Do you have any food in the hand? Nope. It scurries back in the hand? Nope. It scurries back down the wall. Oh. Okay.

I understand. You're a big scary man, like, kind of reaching into his warren. Like, it's going to scare him. Unless you've got magic that can kind of compel them to speak with you or anything like that, then yeah.

Just doing rowing things. I tell you what, make an animal handling check. Make an animal handling check. Make an animal handling check. Twelve. Twelve, yeah. You go to sit your hand in it, it's just like... I understand.

It like darts off, and when you pull your hand back, it kind of comes around and peers again, but definitely was clearly spooked by you reaching into the warren. The marshals are very scary, I understand. May I impart some wisdom upon you? Please. Creatures of this world are very food motivated. I can understand that too.

So next time, offer some food. Orange. Maybe some orange. Generally find that grain and seeds work quite well. Thank you. Bread. Good knowledge. Bread. I like my hours.

Yeah, I like it too, I like it. No, I liked it. I say, I repeat it because I like it. Unfortunately, our eyewitnesses have run away. Apparently, they won't treat animals as eyewitnesses here. Ridiculous. Terrible state of the world. Right.

No wonder. No wonder murders are happening. They don't trust animals. Yet dragons are leading us. Exactly. Whoa. Are we saying that, yeah, I was going to say, are we saying that dragons are like animals in this world? All animals. Yeah, nice.

That's what Rowan's saying. I'm definitely an animal, look at me. I'm a giant man. Where do we draw the line? Are you all just standing by the gate waiting for the Captain and the Authorita? Yeah, after a few moments, Cade returns with Captain Lucas Ficarro and Authorita Telkia as well, as they make their way back. Techis, sorry, Authorita Techis.

They make their way back, and you see Techis immediately glances around, eyes focused a little bit on Xanthias, as well as sister Ophelia, like kind of darting between the two of you. The captain looks around. Hi again. Ah, hello, my good friends. Private Cade here says that you've found something.

There's a breach in the wall here. You see the captain goes up to it, tests it. The authority is like, Captain, a moment. And he kind of examines it. Does not seem to be any sort of trap or anything. I think it's safe. And then the captain pulls. And as he does with whatever Rowan did,

having disabled whatever locking mechanism was here, you do see this kind of tight, almost like wire cabling, like this kind of very thin bands of wire twisted to form this really thick thing has basically been pulled and yanked, and the pittance that it was attached to have been pulled free from the wood. But you also see masonry. You see stone has been broken away and then rebuilt, and it pulls enough just about for a human-sized

or a dwarf-sized person to squeeze through into this tight space that seems to lead into a little sort of store cupboard. And it's only at the bottom. It's like you pull it away, and at the very bottom of the wall, there's this little crawl space. And it seems to lead into a cellar,

like a little wine cellar, basically, or a little cellar at the bottom of the wall there's like this little crawl space um and it seems to lead into a cellar like a little wine cellar basically or a little kind of like cellar at the bottom of the cottage um and it kind of pulls it aside and they peer in and it seems to lead down into this like little cellar basically at the bottom of the house so we believe this might be how they gained access to the village um at least from the outside uh it would make sense yes indeed uh it definitely makes sense to do that but it means as well that this was built specifically to allow people to enter. It means that somebody within the village knew that they were coming or allowed them, told them about this method to enter. We also have a couple of eyewitnesses that confirmed the three criminals were here last night.

They do not wish to speak. End. These eyewitnesses, we would need them to, we would need them to come and make a statement. Who are they? Members of the town, of the village, of the guard? No man's. They're a family.

Do I? It's a family of Stoatferrets. They live down there in the bottom of the garden. The authoritor kind of quirks an eyebrow at you. Stood ferrets. Aye. Eyewitnesses. Aye. I was speaking to them just now.

They reported a smell of burning. He jots that down. The authoritor does jot down, like, things. Well, useful information. I have known a few authoritors who have magic that can allow them to communicate with the beasts and things like that. It is useful in investigations, but unfortunately it cannot be used as any sort of evidence.

But it's proof that the three were here. It is not proof, it is a good lead. Oh, and it does also align with what we heard earlier from the people you were speaking to in the garden with the orange trees. They spoke of a smell as well. A little old people?

What was it? Sweaty smell? Sweaty, earthy, musky. The urn is of very all-useful information. It is just simply a case of animals, in my understanding of other authorities who have dealt with it, they would not distinguish between, say if there

had been another wild heart, another lion wild heart here, they would have a difficulty distinguishing between the two of you. No, they said a human, a dwarf, and a lizard. There are many humans and dwarves. With a lizard? That is a different thing, but which human and dwarf, it could be easily argued. There is no... The one that's entering through the wall.

Smelling a burning. Yes. I believe you are missing my point. Most definitely. The people who live here, the man and the woman who live here said that they smelled burning and that there was a commotion in the evening.

This building is how they've entered the village. We will need to take the people who live here into questioning. Oh, well. They are potentially complicit in it. They didn't seem like they knew me. Does not matter. Whether or not you think that they are involved,

their house has allowed these criminals to enter the village. Captain, we need to arrest them now. Well, this is also just that, this is where Marion lives, I think. Then this Marion, the foreman of the mine, I believe. Yes. When do they finish working?

Yeah, when do they finish? They should have, it's sunset, so they should have sunned down, so they should be coming back. They should have been back by now. Oh. But the authoritar will say, like, we will also send word out for them to be taken into custody as well. Sounds like they are the conspirator.

And the captain will look and say, I have to, this is the authoritor's position. They are the one who gets to make this final decision. I'm sorry. Private Cade, please, you and your men, take the owners of this building into custody. What if that gives them the heads up that then they need to move on? They go to bedder? They do go to bed early. What if that gives them the heads up

and they need to move on? They go to bed early, they do go to bed early. But what if we follow Marion and see if one of them leads us to them? We will begin to dispatch some troops up to the mine. Absolutely, we will go out first at first light. It up to the mine, absolutely. We will go out first at first light. It is to travel through the woods this late at night, but we will also begin to search and see if they have returned to the town. Yes?

Thieves like darkness and they'll probably do all of this overnight. And if they know that you're looking for them, they'll probably disappear. All right, well then we will go. What do you suggest, my dear? I suggest we don't stop now. All right. We will begin, I will have torches and lanterns dispersed. We will begin searching and combing through the woods and the trees and heading up to the mine.

They'll see us coming. We will need light to see. I don't. Oh yeah. I just say that Marion likes to go to the tavern as well. We will put out, we will search the entire village for any sight of this woman. Would it be best if you sent out people that they don't recognize as soldiers looking for them?

I will clarify what I told you earlier. If you wish to go and pursue these criminals and go and claim the bounty for yourself, that would be very wise. I will send out a force, we will gather up the residents of this cottage, we will search the cottage, that will take a number of my men, but I will send the rest out to begin making their way up to the mine. If you wish to claim the bounty in the Duke's favor, you might want to head up there first." It's a race. I start running. No, no, no!

Only if you want to. The Authoritor is already just immediately, like, the Authoritor looks like he's going to go into this, like, climb space and start searching around. Like, he's like, I'm going to investigate in here, see if there's any clues or information. Perhaps they've left some things behind that we can use. And the captain just nods. You see him crawl into this space and begin rummaging around in this basement, basically. I feel bad for the little old lady and the little old man. If it helps, I genuinely don't believe that the people residing in this place knew about this entrance. Then they should have nothing to fear from our questions.

Okay, well... It could be culpable in a murder, so... In which case, justice must be served. Okay. Just can't help but feel bad. Hey, this is the nature of it. You bring in a judge to basically enforce law. But yeah, you hear him and the captain is like,

I will go round up my men and begin preparing to head up into the mines. It will take us a little bit of time to organize people. If you want to put yourselves at risk, if the bounty and the Duke's favor is something that you value, then I would suggest being our vanguard. Perhaps you can capture them before any more harm can be done.

This is a Kim question about Gruffstuff. Yeah. Gruffstuff. Would the Duke be of the level that he can swear in knights? He would to his service. You wouldn't be joining, like he can't swear you into another order, but it would be into his specific service.

It's a gruff, having a duke's favor would be pretty. I mean, it would be a great thing to have for anybody. Like this would be, to have a duke think of you favorably or a duchess or any draconic noble is always a good thing in this world. Like this is, you know, to have that on your side, Ophelia, for you, this would be a great step in your ambitions. For Xanthius, I mean, this could still be a useful ally. This could be a way of you getting resources or supplies. That gold will certainly be useful useful ally. This could be a way of you getting resources or supplies. That gold will certainly be useful to you, like,

on your travels, if you need to employ people to help you with the things you're looking for. For Daisy, it could just simply mean, like, having a favor in the pocket to cash in at a later time. It's never going to be a bad thing to have it. And if there is a bounty, that means that there will be a gold reward for them as well. You don't know

how much yet. Obviously, the gold reward but a duke's favor, it's a known thing that that's like a, is that a rarity or is that like a? Yeah, it's like being in good terms with a very powerful and influential person. Like this isn't like a physical favor that you can be like, I can have whatever I want.

You had an IOU. Yeah, it's more like, oh, they did this thing for me. Oh, they helped me with this problem. Oh, I absolutely am gonna think of them favorably and want to... Recognition. Recognition, yeah. Sweet. Thank you. Well, Rowan, I suppose if we are one step ahead in this instance... I'm a little further off.

Okay. I'm kind of... Come on! I'm essentially walking on the spot. Are you truly so gold motivated, Rowan? No. The favor? Honor.

Honor? The Duke has given. So the favor, is that what you're after? Are you truly so gold-motivated, Rowan? No. The favour? Honour. Honour? The Duke has given. So the favour, is that what you're after? No, no. Well, yes. Well, but also the honour. We agreed that we would help. We did?

I want to help the best. Okay. I want to help the best. I love it. I can't argue with that. It would get the investigation over quicker, if we don't know. It would help you.

It would help you. It would help me greatly. You two don't want to be here, I can tell. We'd like to move on. We'd like to move on from this place, and from this investigation, to be honest. Little Duke's favor makes it sweeter. Also, the quicker that you bring in these criminals,

if you can bring them in alive, you might be able to help the older couple who have been embroiled in this. You might be able to help prove their innocence and stuff like that. Or not necessarily prove their innocence. The authority doesn't believe that, like... They don't believe that the old couple

murdered anybody or anything like that. Yeah. But it might be able to help prove that they have no association or Marian might be the only one involved and will take the blame. But doing it will probably help speed things along as Zanthia says, for sure.

Right to great wrong. Right to great wrong? I'm very much into righting great wrongs. So, to the mines then. To the mines! Before we go, if this does turn into a fight, obviously Rowan has his long sword, you've got your staff there, and a shield too.

Is that a dagger? It looks very ornate, but maybe you can use it. I also have a short sword. And a short sword. And the longbow. It was just hidden in the fold of her skirt. Character art is not an expression of everything you carry upon you, you know, for sure.

Yes, before we start getting those kind of messages. Technically there's no shield in Graf's heart. Technically. Doesn't matter. I just wanna make sure that everyone can hold their own, so to speak. We'll see. I get my bent dagger out and start trying to pull. I'm gonna ask you this question. You want to grip the blade of your dagger and start trying to pull. I'm going to ask you this question.

You want to grip the blade of your dagger and start trying to bend it back into place. Okay, make an athletics check for me. Don't de-glove yourself. I've got no fingers. A Percival. A Percival. Athletics.

18. 18. You do manage to kind of bend it back vaguely straight. There's like a, you know straight there's like a you know there's like you know because you said that this wasn't

curved swords no it's more like because it was like if this is the blade of the dagger it was like this you know it's like

it's like bent it back like this but it's also like this is not an extremely well made dagger like if this was forged super like forged steel

you would not be bending it with your bare hands. This is like a pretty, yeah. It's probably a very simple metal. But yeah, it's still no good, yeah. But I'm also going to say that you kind of stop before you end up slicing your hand on it or anything like that.

Or snapping it, I think. Ready. On to the mines. To the mines! Okay. You guys start making your way. It is a little bit of a trek, and you will be travelling through the night to get there.

Because it is a good few hours to basically try and reach there. Oh, I didn't realise how far it was. Yeah, they left early in the morning. Oh, just to... Because I don't realise how far it was. Yeah, they left early in the morning and went back at night. Oh, just to... Because I don't think I actually have any darkvision. No. Is it... Could we have... Because I

have changed a lot of the species and ancestries. Do dragonborn normally have? I don't know, but not in all further. In fact, the only races that have true, true darkvision, I believe, are I think Wild Hearts get it. If not, you need to check, because I don't know if it's put it on there.

So I've got low lightvision. Low lightvision is what I have. So I can ignore the penalties for dim light. Yes, I've changed it. Ha, ha, ha! So I thought that Dyingborn did, but because I don't, and now that we're wandering into the darkness,

could I have asked for a torch or a lantern that the guards were handing out? I'd say you can have a torch. Okay, cool. I'll give you a torch, just a normal torch. I have a torch. I have a torch already. There you go.

But yeah, so there's no... I spent a few minutes asking for a torch before realising I have one. A lot of ancestries don't have dark vision as they normally do in 5e. They've got something called low light vision, which is they see really well in low light conditions. Only a few races, I believe, only dark elves and the Duener Durga have true dark vision because they live in perpetual dark.

Modified rules. What an exciting journey for all. It's almost like every race in the game shouldn't have darkvision, so darkness is actually a thing. Yeah. And there's reason to cast spells that give it to you and stuff. Why can't I find that on my...

It would be in senses. I don't believe you have it. Or features and traits, if you have something. Yeah, I definitely don't. I have it. You do? Of traits. Yeah, I definitely don't. I have it. You do?

Mm-hmm. Of course you do. She is the dark. I am the dark. Well, with Ophelia's nature, she does have it. Yeah. But for most of us, we're gonna need to torch it up. I've got my bullseye lantern.

Perfect, yeah. Bullseye lantern. Yeah. A what? You guys light all these up and you begin making your way through the woods. It is dark. And this is a very small, minor journey.

Right. You're gonna be traveling through the woods. To the vine. Actually, no, it's only a few miles. A vine! A minor journey. Minor journey. Oh, oh, that went far.

That went too far. I'm not going to have you make a roll for this because it isn't too far from Burnell. And there is, well, there will be for longer journeys. Taking a little bit from the Middle Earth stuff that we did, I've been using some of those rules. But for this one, there are enough trails and well-worn roads that lead up to Blackrock Mine that you don't necessarily need to make any sort of checks for this one, there are enough trails and well-worn roads that lead up to Blackrock Mine that you don't necessarily need to make any sort of checks for this.

Okay. Good to know. It's a new path. You arrive. You will be arriving at night, though. You begin winding your way up through the woods and along the roads, following a little bit of the path of the Black Rock River and then diverting off as you begin to see trails

and signs of wagons, heavy wagons, that have come and gone many, many times up and down this route. And as you eventually reach, and you're kind of winding up into the hills, the big jagged mountains behind you, but as the sun sets fully, as Pyrus's fortress falls down below the rest um uh on the horizon uh the fortress of melia the moon begins to rise

this small it's a very small moon here on alfea um bright silver this beautiful silvery light silver this beautiful silvery light that just peaks up on the corner and begins to rise and for all of you this would not be an uncommon sight but for the audience one thing that we've not sort of described in this world as you've been going about your business is throughout all of this as the sun and the moon begin to rotate, we also see, travelling across the horizon and coming more into view, but having only shifted slightly since this morning, another celestial body. We see this broken moon, a larger moon,

not somewhere between the sun and the small silver moon of melee but this broken shape the moon that is being pulled apart ever so slightly bits of it crumbling and breaking away just looming it has this faint golden red light and these black cracks woven across its surface and you would all know this to be the crown this is uh the moon in which uh for the ilmerans this is the moon in which the creator deity the sovereign sovereign was bound to after they uh went were overcome with grief and rage and tried to basically annihilate everything in the bright storm for ophelia uh the sovereign name you still know uh but they were not the creator uh they were an enemy uh they were a fool uh that the grave father basically banished and sealed

in this same in this you know the grave father was not one of imprisoned them in this in this moon um uh for for basically provoking the proto-magi and basically having to resolve that issue basically um so it's a different thing for you but similar similar concepts um and that has always been sort of lurking in the background during the day it's a little harder to see in the sky but at night, the glow of it is a lot more intense and you can see it. But the sun and moon basically always keeping this ever-watchful vigil.

But it's been breaking and crumbling for as long as we've known. It's not like a new thing. No, no, no. There are scholars, those of you who are particularly scholarly or educated, there are scholars who track how much it's breaking apart. And apparently everything's fine. The church, the Scion church.

Everything's fine. The church of the Scions tell you that there's no need to worry. It's all good. It's all fine. The church is fine. Yeah, yeah, that's right. I'm never going to second guess them. It's all being kept well intact.

Can I just say, like, of the lore that you've let us read, the crown and sovereign is some of my favourite stuff I've ever read. Like, I was reading it like, oh, yes, Mark, more! All to that dripping out as the episodes proceed. And it is... Dripping out. Dripping out. Drip it will.

And there is the crown the crown moves slowly over Ulfea it does pass across the entire world so Osseus knows the crown

and it goes through phases where it seems to kind of be in certain areas more than others but it takes a very long time to move and so the sun and the moon

keep this ever watchful vigil on it but it does slowly move across the sky but during the day harder to see at night a bit more visible um so we see that sort of looming in the background in the sky it's pretty big um you know like we are the best visual reference i can give you and you'll forgive me if you've not played it or like know it sonic event but like i think you'll get it no i don't know that when he blows up the moon yeah when he blows up shut up oh boy in uh world of warcraft when you

see draenor up in it and you see the broken world that you know when you look at that like in outlines that basically it's like that like it's quite big very very noticeable but yeah oh that was basically right. Sure. Very dim in the day. Eggman did well. That's no moon. You make your way along the trails, along the roads, weaving your way through forests, climbing up into the hills as these, the dips and peaks of these hills kind of rise all around you,

the roads weaving and curving through them all. Eventually, you come out into a clearing and you can see that as the hills become more rocky you begin to see kind of shapes taking form and you see very faint dim lights lanterns may be lit in the distance and as you get draw closer and closer you begin to see the telltale signs of the miners' trade. You see quarried stone, you see not tracks, but you see like heavy, deep ruts where wagons laden with rock and materials have been dragged and moved around. And as you approach, you begin to see what you think just in the darkness. You can just make out the shape of the mine entrance itself. shape of the mine entrance itself. And as you begin to approach, you hear screaming,

echoing as if from a great distance. And then eventually, as you draw closer and closer, you begin to see the wagons themselves. You see you see barrels you see chests and crates laid out in front of the mine entrance and as you do this burst of movement from the creator from the uh entrance erupts especially in the lantern light of uh rowan's hooded lantern which casts this big wide cone of light um stumbling into like almost blinking take some of them stunned for a minute you see miners rushing out they're coming, they're coming they begin charging forward towards you and you see

something skittering behind them as it rushes forward several of the miners, some of them trip and fall some of them actually blinded by your light row and trip and stumble over things they didn't see as they're running out into the light. Trying to fumble my...

And as they do, they swarm forward and they are, as I said, some of them manage to keep running, but several of them trip and fall. Oh boy. Oh no. We got a battle map on our hands. So the ones that

keep running, they like run beyond us, they're actually just. They're coming towards you. Okay, they're not ahead of us yet. Yep. I'm buying. Scuttering behind them, pouring out. What is it?

I'm reusing some old minis, but I will describe them in a moment slightly differently. Some running along the walls, some running along the ceiling. You begin to see figures emerging. Aw, they spooky. I'm not a big fan of skittering. Yeah, skittering's not a good word.

That's a great word, though. It is a great word. Gross. It's great. It's a good descriptor. But we also have to show off what you guys have. Here we come! Oh, Minnie! Here we come! So I Minnie! Here we come! So I'd like to try,

you might be able to reach these a bit easier. Can you lay them out facing towards the PTZ at the very front? A big reveal. So we can get some lovely images of them. Of course, if you are listening right now, our social media is the best place to see these bad boys. I will be posting them on social media

so you guys can see them. We have tried to accurately pose our characters as closely to our illustration and the artwork as possible. Mark has done a wonderful job in painting these as well. Just for reference, for those of you who can see them, these miniatures are a larger scale than other D&D miniatures, so they are more noticeable on the battle map,

so you'll be able to see them a lot easier. We're not just giants. easier um we're not just giants no they're not just giants it is done purposely so that it's easier to find the pcs and know who's doing good and they're all color coded and they are all colors gorgeous but yeah imagine that you are on this long strip there is uh you know almost like over maybe 100 feet or so to the mine entrance these miners miners are rushing towards you. You have trees flanking either side of you. You see a few rocky outcroppings,

crates and barrels and wagons all along the way as you see these creatures scuttering. In the lantern light, you know, you're trying to now put it out, Rowan. So you only catch a brief glimpse of the things that are pouring out, chasing the miners, but they almost look like, you know, on four limbs, but they're not legs.

They're like digging talon-like claws. You see these kind of reptilian bodies mixed with this kind of carapace, like an armadillo. There's almost a xenomorph element to them as they kind of scutter forwards. These big jaws, four legs, there's almost a xenomorph element to them as they kind of scutter forwards. These big jaws, four legs, but these huge jaws that like open up, no eyes, but these kind of,

their legs are just points, like razor sharp points, and then they have a second set of minor, little tiny arms on their chest that have almost scoop-like hands. And they are chasing after them. For ice cream. Yeah, for ice cream. Three of the minors are like trip, stumble,

like are running slowly because it looks like they're injured and fall. Two more are like running past. And they look like they're just about to run past you basically. They are just screaming for their lives. Run, flee, get the guard help, help these monsters, monsters, vault spawns, I don't know what they are. They're screaming like at you. And at this point, you know what the words are.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Let's roll initiative. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Let's roll initiative! Yeah! Okay.

Oh, no. Long rollers. Long rollers! Not bad, not bad, not bad. Where we are on the map now is at? You are going to be basically on the edge of the map, running into the field of battle, basically. If you guys want to arrange yourselves in an order and turn around to face the correct direction. I'm probably near the front.

You were cone-lighting. Behind Rowan. Yeah, that's fine. I'd be near the front. Was it everyone that had torches? I had a torch as well. You have a torch in your inventory, you can have a torch lit. Ophelia, where are you at?

I will be near the back. Daisy? Yeah. Like there? Yeah. Yeah, bring me across. Could Sam be behind me? I will dismiss Percival when my time comes.

Turn comes around. Fair enough. Oh, you dismiss. Dismiss? Well, like, say to him, like, you know, wait behind you and stuff like that. He does it, he has like, Percival has a short sword, like, wait behind you and stuff like that. He has, like, the person who has a short sword, like, tucked into his robe, like monk belt. But, you know, he's not trained for combat.

He's not a combat. He's a precious boy. Not yet, he's not. Delicate. We'll teach him the way of the blade. All right, so if I can get initiatives from Rowan. I've got a six plus a whole whopping one. Seven.

Seven? Sorry. Gruffudd. Twelve. Twelve. Daisy. Fourteen. For Daisy.

Xanthius. I also got a 12. What's your deck score? I will do it automatically. Higher than yours. Ophelia. Thirteen. Thirteen.

Perfect. The miners, if I forget them please, the miners will be going on initiative. I will try and add this. On initiative four. Oh, so last. So I will add this as an entry. Miners, initiative four. I have an AC of 11. So we're against.

Currently, one, two, three, 4 Skidding Boys. Yes? That we can see. That we can see. And there are three miners collapsed. Well, not collapsed, fallen over. Right. So yeah, you see this before you. As I said, the light is dimming. Right now, the only light you have is your light sources. Anything beyond the range of your light sources will have basically you'll be treated as blind it's kind of

in the darkness we'll describe the scene and you can see it for the purposes of visual acuity uh but for the most part i believe uh you will have a 20 foot radius on a torch okay with another 20 feet of dim light um so there's no other light sources even at the moment oh actually no that's true so at the mine entrance uh there will be two hanging lanterns right in front of the mine entrance okay so there is light there yeah i'd say a cool spot yeah small spots man we're gonna have to monitor light a lot more which is cool i'm into it yeah it's just radius or like with the bullseye lantern it's a cone and stuff like that that's how good those minis look they look great good looking minis. Thank you, Chris Trott, for printing them as well. That's a very good print job. It's a good work.

Right, so. With that. Just lots and lots of paper. Sacked. Daisy, you are going to be the first up to act this time. Come on, girl. Go get them. Okay. So, at the moment, everything's still a little bit further away.

And Daisy's probably just scared. I mean, you certainly, yeah. I mean, like, these things are all running. They're chasing after these miners. But, yeah, you're quite far away. So, what I'm going to do as my action, I will cast the Light Cantrip on my dagger, which is on my hip. I'll pull it out and cast the light cantrip on it.

What does it look like when Daisy casts a spell? It's very golden light. Just like internal. Very golden light. Maybe her eyes glow a little bit gold momentarily. And yeah, then it'll- Then this dagger just kind of emits this light, basically. Yeah. Okay. And then, I'm trying to work out how far I am from...

Yeah. Yeah. What? Light cantrip. Yeah. Is that a thing? Yeah. I know that's a thing.

I know it's a thing. I'm gonna move to here. George, be quick. I'm a movement creature. Ah, the secrets! I saw them. I saw them all. I've read everything.

I need a DM assistant to connect. Someone move Daisy. If you pass halfway then I can fade that way. Thank you. Behind this wagon. I'm just going to duck down and go, for now. I'll draw my short sword and I've got my

dagger with the light cantrip so I can have some light. So you're holding that and you're offhand and you've got your short sword in the other hand. Are you, and so you're just ducking down for a bit of cover? Ducking down for now, because she's a bit scared and she's just seen something. Are you actively trying to hide or are you? Yeah, sure, why not? Let's try and hide.

It's gonna be a bit difficult because you are carrying a glowing light with you. You are. True. You can try it. I'll try it. It's just gonna be harder. I'm gonna add a secret, like, penalty, basically.

Okay. Secrets. So give me a stealth check. Nine plus seven. 16. That. Okay, all right, I will note that down okay

wow proficient I know but seven there is unfortunately so I think that for this like as you're trying to hide you probably

like you know holding this light emitting dagger you sort of wedge it behind your back or like in like the folds of your skirt

to try and dampen the light there is still a glow coming out, but you are like ducked down behind the barrels and behind this wagon trying to hide as best you can. She basically wants to prepare herself for the inevitable. Sure. And have light when she needs it.

When she needs it. Ophelia. Ophelia will ask Percival to go and hide behind that big tree over on the right. Yep. He's D4 as Percival. Oh, it's all right, yeah, no, don't worry about Percival. We don't need to put Percival to go and hide behind that big tree over on the right. Yep. He's D4 as Percival. Oh, it's all right. Yeah, no, don't worry about it.

We don't need to put Percival down. He's a safe boy. Yeah, he'll be all right. He'll be okay. Okay. Don't need to worry about him. It's perfectly into my hands. I know, it's so good.

Not yet. I think, like, in this fight, Percival's not in any threat. Okay, so he's fine. Yeah. All right. In other fights, he probably will be, but not in this one. All right. And then Ophelia will take her crimson gauntlet

with the red gem, and she will grasp her whip with that hand, pull it out and just say, "'Crimson runs in every man, woman, and person, "'and all shall sleep within the grave!' And then she'll be bathed in a red light as she rages." Oh! Ah!

Excuse me. All righty. That's class. So we watch as this red light engulfs Ophelia. The gem on the gauntlet, because you had already manifested the whip, right? It's already been out. So the gem, you actually see this gauntleted hand,

this piece of armor. and there is a socket where a gem should be but it's just this red whip now you know holding it and the whip as as ophelia pulls it free and this red light quips it's like the whip drips oh red crimson dripping from it and he watches her eyes flare. As she opens her mouth, you see these pointed, sharp teeth. As, yeah, her, like, body almost, like... And, like, her reactions, like, her body now moves lightning quick. Yeah, do you want to, like, move...

Where do you want to move to? Or, like, do you want to... I'll move forward. How much have we moved? 35 feet forward? 35? Okay. I think. Makes sense.

Just check and make sure. Where are we? Sorry, it's been a while. We're at the top. Probably drag up, yeah. Oh, there it is. 35, yeah. Yep, 35. So that was your action, so you've bonus actioned.

Bonus action. Moved. Moved. Action. What would you like to do? You could dash or you could, you know, prepare. I'll dash forward and intercept. Another 35.

Yep. Five, ten,ved. Action. What would you like to do? You could dash or you could, you know, prepare. I'll dash forward, intercept. Another 35. Yep. Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty, five. About another 30ish feet from the very close.

You're getting close to the first kind of downed guard, the guard that's tripped over. He sees you rushing forward. The other two see you just run past them lightning quick. And they're just panicked and screaming, running for the others. Help us, help us! Monsters, monsters! Pointing back as you rush up towards these things.

All right. Nice, nice, nice. Yeah. Okay. That was a lot, wasn't it? Are you actually emitting a red light, or is that? Was that just like? It was a red light, there was a red light, yeah. Is there still one?

Can be. It's up to you. Yeah? Sure. Awesome. So there is still this kind of red light clinging to Ophelia. It's like a heartbeat pulsing. Of course it's like a heartbeat.

Unless she rushes up. That is an evil. We have Gruff and then Xanthias on deck. Do you know what we just need though? We just need some music to start playing, some metal music. As you're rolling your theme tune, just following you around. Oh my god. Well, Gruffeth, there are innocent people in the path of violence and danger.

So yeah, I guess without you know, without a question, he would also shout, protect the vulnerable and start running forward. He would dash as well. So 25 plus 25 is 50. So just behind Ophelia. Okay. And then... Five. Yeah. Can I be slightly to the right of Ophelia? Is that... yeah? Yeah. And as I do so, I would like to invoke the power of Oak and Thorn. Bonus action.

As my bonus action. So I guess you see as like Gruff without a question and a heartbeat and seeing these miners being chased would just start running after Ophelion as he does I guess I how would it work his body starts changing and grows and out of his body comes ash and oak and thorn as he almost solidifies but he's still mobile yeah so I almost creates armor like it kind of builds this nightly looking armor almost and then it grows into these spikes of like woods and things like that still with leave like leaves almost like it's sprouting fresh buds and things like that. Still with leaves, almost like it's sprouting fresh buds

and things like that. And I'm assuming you pull your shield from your back as well with your staff in the other hand as you dash forward. As yeah, you watch as the primal energy of the land itself seems to flow into Gruff and then yeah, mold itself and grow from his body into this wooden protective armor, this layer of like, you know, power, basically, as he rushes forward.

And to the miners, like, I mean, I don't know if they're listening because they're kind of probably in a world of panic, but he would just be shouting at them, to me, to me. Cool. Yeah. Definitely. So he's like, the ones who are like, you've run past are like so focused on running away. They're just, they're just running. But the three that have fallen down,

you can see them scrabbling, looking up in hope as the two of you, both Gruff and Ophelia, rush forward, one glowing in red light, the other one now emboldened by this magic-looking wooden armor, like a ray of hope. They see, like, oh, we're going to be saved, you know, as they rush forward. Xanthius? I would like to run forward 30 feet

to catch up with everyone else. Yelling to the... At least the miners are running towards us to stand behind us and help us fight against these things. Give me an intimidation check.

On them? Yeah. Okay. Intimidation. Yeah, because you're being quite forceful with like stand and fight kind of things. It looked cock, yeah. Cocked.

Cocked. Cocked. It looked cocked. No, no, no, no, no, no. Intimidation, that's a 21. 21. They like, yeah, like as Xanthius in this regal, draconic voice, almost, like, stand and fight, they kind of stop and look.

Well, stop. Yeah, well, no, they, like, take a moment, and they're holding these picks, and they're like, we can't, we tried, and then, but, like, seeing you, they're like, oh, and they kind of turn, like, you know, like, maybe we can, like, you know, maybe we can, like, you know, seeing this rush of aid. It was definitely a stand behind us.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And as an action, I don't know if, was that like an action bonus, action type? It was just you yelling. As an action, I want to cast a spell. Ooh! You've got spells. I have spells. And I want to cast a spell. Ooh! You've got spells. I have spells.

And I want to cast Mage Armor to give myself 13 AC. That's a first level spell. Which I almost... Almost these twisting symbols and shapes coat my body and around my chest, shoulders and arms. These geometric forms rotating and spinning until eventually they slow to a stop and then fade into basically invisible. Nothing. Almost a force field protecting against hits. And that will be pretty much my turn. I almost want to... I don't know if it's a bonus action thing.

I almost want to wave my torch as a sort of means to get the attention of these boys. I don't know if this is an action thing. I cannot do it. You can start waving your torch around, yeah. Whether or not these creatures will be affected by it, you just have no idea. Okay. And also, because I haven't spent resource,

you notice across maybe my left arm, these runes begin to glow, and a slight illumination, and it's the same sort of effect that you saw as in the mage armor, but it's directly etched onto my skin, almost interwoven with some of my scales. Slowly twisting, impossible shapes appear

on at least one of my arms. Are you expending a thing to generate? If I don't spend them, it happens for free. Does it? Oh. Okay. I believe so. I thought it was the other way around.

I thought it was when you spend them. When you spend? Where then you charge it. I'll have a read of it. You have a read of it as we get into the next turn. Because also, we do have to take a break in a minute, but I'm going to take the monster's turn very quickly first. Oh, here we go.

Yeah. You watch as these skittering creatures I'm gonna have to take a break in a minute, but I'm gonna take the monster's turn very quickly first. Here we go. Yeah. You watch as these skittering creatures rush out, and they do begin to sort of pounce on the fallen miners. Some of them do anyway. Some of them come rushing out. 30, 35. In.

Dash. You know, this one's going to tell the miner, this one's going to dash. One of them, of the pack of four, rushes towards an open chest on the table. It looks like the miners, maybe some of their finds from the day, it looks like they're building up a chest, depositing raw chunks of what looks like minerals, things like that.

So you may be some, or Ophelia, you and Gruff are the only ones really able to see this in detail. It looks like the chest is full of things. The creature leaps onto this chest and begins scooping the gold and iron ore within this chest into its mouth and eats it. Just vanishes. Okay.

The other three begin their barrage against the miners themselves. Each of the miners is going to take five points of damage. So that's all three of the ones who are down. Oh dear. You watch as blood sprays and spurts as these creatures tear into them with their gnashing teeth and their ripping talons

as they do so. And then you begin to see other shapes at the head of the tongue. Oh! No one level two, right? Two more appear in the head of the tongue. Five, no, okay, no. Six, yeah.

We go to Rowan. Rowan is panicking, but he's like, mm, okay. Oh, he's like okay he's going to move 30 and looking at all the creatures and the one that's consuming the gold in particular

he slams his hands together which causes the geometric veins on his arms to pulse with a blue energy, and he pulls his hands apart, creating an image, I reckon, by that tree on the far right side. Oh!

Like next to it on the ground. A big pile of gold. Fantastic. All right, I'll put a little default on that. Silent image. Silent image. Nice! Fantastic stuff, love it. All right, I'll put a little default down there. Silent image. Silent image. Nice. Fantastic stuff.

Love it. So yeah, and you watch as this glittering pile of gold emerges. And as they do, you see the two closest to it currently chomping on these miners who have fallen, who are trying to shield themselves. Their heads snap to the gold almost immediately. They cock their heads and twist them um but they do seem intrigued i believe with some image a creature when it interacts with it can make an investigation check to determine it's an illusion i believe physical interaction with

it reveals it to be an illusion because you can pass otherwise a creature can make an investigation check to see if it's an illusion yeah save d. Whatever. Yeah, it will be on their turn if they do that anyway, because they'll have to divert their attention towards it, but they definitely seem drawed immediately. Cool. They're just turned towards it. With that, the very last thing I'm going to do, the miners, the three that fall up, do manage to stand

up, but you can see they are badly hurt. Badly hurt. This one in the back is glancing, there are more, they're coming! As he turns, the other two kind of turning, trying to feebly bring their picks up. They are gonna try and take some swings.

One of them hits, the other one will sadly miss. One of the creatures, this one, the furthest one closest to Ophelia and Gruff, we're gonna crawl that creature A, I'm gonna work backwards. A, A, A, A, A, A, A. Is gonna take three points of damage, just from this miner as he kind of like swings

his clumsy pick as he does so. Nothing, yeah. The other two that you called to, Xanthius, are gonna kind of form up behind Gruff. Seeing this warrior and Ophelia stand forward, they're gonna kind of like, we're with you! And they kind of like shuffle up, but they're not going to take any action. They're just going to kind of ready themselves defensively.

They're going to take the dodge action, still cowled and intimidated by these creatures, but maybe they're pulling themselves to the fight. And with that, that is going to be where we end. Is that the end of the turn? That is the end of the round, yeah. I want to apologise. I'm playing a new class.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. So, sorry, the way it works is I can use a bonus action to spend a resource to do that. Yes, you can spend a sorcery point. Shall I do that? Because I had a bonus action. Yes, you do, yeah. It's a sorcery point. Indeed, I am a sorcerer.

What's that? A sorcerer. But it means I have two of those runes. You have two charged runes. I do. Yes, so you watch as these shapes begin to glow up. Yes, you spend a sorcery point. Is the audience yet picking up what I'm putting down?

Putting down. With that, that is gonna be the end of part one. Oh. Thank you so much for joining us. We will join us again after a short break as we come back for part two. Ooh you so much for joining us. We will join us again after a short break as we come back for part two. Ooh! Combat!

Bye!