High Rollers DnD - Altheya: The Dragon Empire #36 | The Long Road Ahead (Part 2)

Episode Date: September 19, 2024

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Join for just $4.99 a month. Savings may vary. Eligibility and member terms apply. Welcome back to Althea the Dragon Empire. Our party have had discussions about their future plans, where they want to travel to, what quests they wish to undertake, as well as visiting the local bounty board and notice board for any other opportunities that might arise on the way. They have purchased a thunder beast, a thunder lizard called Rodri. They've purchased a wagon,

and are basically making preparations to head out in perhaps tomorrow, but there is still a ritual to perform this evening, and any other business to finish off for today. Do thunder lizards come in different colors? Yeah. What one's this one? What color would you like it to be?

Rainbow? No. Give a shit then. Chrome. It's not chrome. Red, it's the biggest monster. It can be red, yeah, you can have him, you can be red. Yeah.

It's cauldron. It can be red and yellow. Yeah, it can be like, yeah. The word have him, you can be red. Yeah, it's cauldron. Maybe red and yellow. Yeah, it can be like red and yellow. The word Roger in my head is red. Yeah, red and yellow. He's red, he's got a racing stripe. Sure. Hell yeah. Hell yeah, like flames on the side.

Oh, he's got really low to the ground. Yeah, sure, fluorescent lighting underneath. He always goes, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Every time we stop, he's like, to a jump around and everything. Nice, Hot Roddry. Hot Roddry. Yes! Hot Roddry.

Yes! Hot Rodd. Hot Rodd. Oh! Yes! The Drag Race. The worst transformer ever. Oh!

Anyway. I doubt it is a name to start with, but here we are. Hot Rodd, he'll live forever. We'll see. What? Oh, God. Is there any other purchases you wish to make? We're just gonna kind of like speed things ahead, like you can have the wagon.

Yeah, what do you wanna do for that? So you can either buy pre-made trail rations, which are five silver pieces per day per person, all right? Or you can spend two silver a day to buy supplies that might feed the whole group, but it's gonna require things like cooking checks and stuff like that en route. You'll also be able to supplement it with foraging

and things like that to help increase your chances. That would be the better option. It's the more cost effective option, but there is a risk you might ruin it. What is the check you would make for cooking? It'd be intelligence based. And if you have proficiency, you can add your proficiency bonus.

Minus one. Yikes. Could it not be wisdom? No. But could it though? No. But what if I do like a- It could be.

No, it could be wisdom. What if I cook like salt bae? I'd say it has to be one of the two mental stats. It's either intelligence or wisdom, I'd say. If I salt bait it and make it a charisma check instead. No. It's like terrible food. Yeah, but everyone's like, yeah.

The presentation is alone. Yeah, you could do that. Ooh, it's all just rippling down his arm. That's great. This is worth 12,000 pounds. What if you've got a rat shed that lived on your head, and you put him under a hat? Can I buy a rat?

How much for a rat? A rat with cooking proficiency, who then can transfer it through you. If you can find a rat with a high wisdom or intelligence score and cooking proficiency, maybe, maybe you can make that work. Yeah, write that down, put it in the quest log. Me.

Find a rat. Find a rat. Yeah, here I am, write it down. A cooking rat. So, we don't, write it down. A cooking rat. So, we don't have to go into details, but if you guys just wanna spend once. I'll buy the fancy cooking provisions, I think. So like the actual trail ones.

Yeah. How many you buyin'? Five silver each. Someone do the math for me. Per day. 25 per day. 25 silver per day, and that's times. That's two and a half gold per day.

20. Two and a half gold per day, times 20. Wait, two and a half gold per day. Two and a half gold per day times 20. Wait, two and a half? 50 gold. 50? Yep. 50 gold? Yep.

Okay, taking it off. Wait. No, it's not that. Just... Just let it go. Huh? Just let it go. What?

Just bring it down. Someone just do the fucking maths for me! Yeah, it was perfect. I'm pretty sure it is. Two and a half gold times 10, 25, times two. 50, yeah, maybe 45. No. I mean, you wanna try and barter,

you can try and barter for sure. Rowan's not gonna barter. No. All right. And that's 20 days worth of rations, maybe? That's 20 days. We'll see if they last 20 days. Like, they are well preserved, so they might be all right.

They are gonna be pretty bland. You're not gonna get any bonuses or boons. Like, if one of you does eventually pick up, say, like, cooking proficiency or you wanna get good at it, you will, you know, be able to be like, I wanna, like, learn to make a cool dish that will give us, like, temporary hit points or, like, a bonus and stuff.

Wait, but we're taking the fancy ones. No, these are just, these are expensive, but that means you don't have to make any checks. They're just survival rations. So you don't have any cooking proficiency then? No. For some reason I presume you did. I'm a fisherman.

Yeah, but you also cooked the fish and stuff. Can I get a bonus when I make that specific fish stew with the right ingredients? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The one that Bliss taught you. Yeah, I normally factor that in when I make the DC law. So, yeah, yeah. Okay. The one that Bliss taught you. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I normally factor that in when I make the DC law.

So if we ever go fishing and I make that specific stew. Yeah, but we have more days of food for both us and Rodney. Yeah, we have more days of days, yeah. Than we intend to travel. I'm planning for a bad. You mean Hot Rod. Hot Rod, sorry, Hot Rod, yeah.

Yeah. You can call him Hot Rod if you want, yeah. Hell yeah. Give him a little nickname. I like the idea that he doesn't have flames, they look a bit like flames, but it's like a natural mottling, and if you squint it looks a bit like flames.

He's like yellow with like red. Can you see it? Can you see it? Kind of interesting, it's like fire-like. Hey, hey Rowan, ow. You know? It's hot. Any other things that you want to buy?

Any general supplies? Anything like that? Obviously anything more unique like potions that would probably roleplay. But if you just want to buy like player's handbook-y kind of adventuring gear, I'm not going to worry about that. A player's handbook?

I'd like to buy a player's handbook. I'd like to buy a player's handbook, please. Anything from the player's handbook? Oh wait, they've changed it recently. The new one has got... Not yet. We're not changed it recently. The new one has got not yet. We're not changing it yet. The new ones have got weird new things in there that I'm not too used to.

I like the illustrations. The illustrations are great. All right. I would like 50 foot of hempen rope. All right. No joke. Yep. That will cost you five gold. What? Oh, how many?

What? Five gold? Yep. A 50 foot of hempen rope. Yep. Remember, I increased the prices in, Arthur. Everything's priced. I'm one of those people.

Yep. Can I barter? I've got a miner's pick. You wanna trade that? So you go to the store, and you're like, I'll give you this miner's pick. You want to trade that? So you go to the store and you're like, I'll give you this miner's pick for that rope. This is after figuring it out. It means you're not going to have a miner's pick.

What if you need that miner's pick? Oh, God. If there's like a cave, you've got a difference. We are actually going to a cave, right? Is it not like a... It might be caves. I should keep the mining pick. He's so easily swayed.

I've also got a shovel, you want a shovel? I need that. Ophelia's got one. I need that. You can have my group. I've also got 50 feet. I'm pretty sure everyone's got rope. Yeah.

Bombs. What about torches? How is everyone for torches? I have four. I can see in real life. I can use my spell. That's also true. Do you have a hat or some sort of hat

that can hold a torch? So I think this would be, where would this be? I think this is in like, For some reason I thought you were gonna ask if you had a hat for a lizard. A place called like the Emerald Drake, I think there's a shop that's called like the Emerald Drake which sells like general supplies.

I don't think I ever created like who runs it, so I'm gonna find out now. The name is James. James. James. James. But it's spelled J-Y-A-M-E-S. Of course.

James. James. James. James. James is a young halfling boy, like man, like he's a young man, like in his 20s. Young man. He's like, like he's a young man, like in his 20s. Young man. He's like, so you want an at,

old's a torch. So I'm thinking right, I've got a mining pit. Not like an helmet, an at. An at. Oh, a helmet would be pretty good actually, thinking about it, cause I'm mining away, or in some sort of deep underground pit. Yeah.

Either I've got my sword, which I'm holding. Yeah, I think miners have stuff like that. Miners have helmets, and they put like candles or lamps in them. You can get something like that. I don't have it, but the Blacksmiths, I could make, you could probably, I could sell you an helmet,

and I'll sell you a bracket, and like a lantern, and then you could go to the Blacksmiths Guild, and they put it together, right? Yeah, you can do something like that. Very good. I'm well up for that. Yeah? Oh, great. How much for the two bits?

Let me just consult one of them. What kind of lantern you want? You want, like, one that you can... Oh, I have a lantern! I've got a bullseye lantern. That's pretty big. I know, I've got a big head. All right, yeah, that sounds great. Well, I'll tell you what, for just the helmet and a bracket,

a gold, a gold piece. Amazing. Well, I'll tell you what, for just the helmet and a bracket, a gold, gold piece. Amazing. Well, I don't have that. Let me just ask my friends. Sorry, what's going on? I need a gold. Oh, what have you found? Specifically, 60 silver. 60 silver?

Have you found what? Why, what have you found? 10 feet of hempen rope? No, no, no. Oh, what is it? I feel it's got that. Oh, okay, well, I've got some, yes. Helmet, bracket, bullseye lantern, blacksmiths.

Sorry? Helmet light, the hat light. With the one you've already got? Oh. That's pretty big. What, to what? It's like a massive holding lantern that he's got. But why not just, do you need both hands?

Is he gonna put it on and just go, whoop? I always lose this thing, because I put it down when we start fighting or picking up other things, but if I have my hands free. Okay. Oh no, I mean it would be useful. Yeah, actually no, I don't think you do have that lantern.

I think you left it in the caves. Yeah, I don't think you ever picked it up. Can anyone give me the lantern? I don't have a lantern. I've never had one. I've never had one. I might need two gold then. A lantern, oh, more than a gold piece for a lantern.

How much is it, James? James, depends on what kind of lantern you want. You want one that you can like, hood, that's like, you can turn it off, but it stays lit. Oh, a hooded lantern. Or do you want like a bulls-eye one that's just all the time? What's the difference in cost?

Ooh, fight an extra five gold between the two. I'll go for the cheaper one, I guess, always on. Yeah, all right, yeah. Well, what if you accidentally nod and hood it? I don't want the... Oh, the balls, I see, right. You can change it, you can make it like a wide cone or very thin, but you can't turn it off.

That's pretty cool. The cheaper one. All right, that's five gold. And a bracket. All right, and an helmet. Six gold. That's not, no, that's five gold. And a bracket. All right. And a helmet. Six gold. That's not, no it's not. Has anyone spot me that? I'll pay it back.

I mean. I have platinum. Yeah. Can you take a platinum? Yeah. No, no, no. Can we have change? Yeah, of course you get change.

I'm not no thief. I'm not no sneaky thief. I have, you can have six. This is James we're talking about. James or the Verdant Drake. I'm not no thief. I'm not no sneaky thief. I have sick. This is James we're talking about. James or the verdant Drake? I'll give Vruan six points. We've got the change, it's okay.

James Drake, they call me. Yeah, and how do you spell Drake? Drake. D-R-A-K-E. What, are you an idiot? D-R-Y-A-K-E. Drake. James Drake.

What, you're saying there's something wrong with my name, James? No, of course not. I mean, come on, my name is Zanthius. Yeah, James is a very common name in Caldre. I know, I mean, people are mispronouncing Oregon all the time. Yeah.

So. Oregon? Exactly, yes. Don't know what he's talking about. Oregon. Either way. Sounds like a place. Six gold.

Sounds like a video game. Okay, takes that. I'll take the helmet, the bracket, and the oizon lantern. Hey! God bless you. Bless you. Thank you. Science bless you, James. I picked the helmet, the bracket, and the Oizon lantern. God bless you. Thank you. Science bless you, James.

Thank you. I'm allergic to Dummery. Is that a craft? Yeah, it's an herb. Right. Really God, time's gone. If you buy it, it's a plant. It points to like a plant, and on it is Dummery.

Why have you got it there? Because people buy it, don't they? Ugh. Sits my allergies off something ripe, Berber. Anyway, enjoy your elm, at Lantern. Thank you. Goodbye, James. Bye. Drake.

It's just Drake. Sorry. James of the Verdant Drake. Good. I now have to write down James. James Drake. Make sure you spell it right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, fucking hell. Accent. So, I'm going back to the blackness now. Yeah, so I saw a great world building like in the fancy naming tip, which was take a normal name, change one letter or add a letter. And honestly, yeah, it works really well.

Yeah, I did that, my original name was Oliver. Changed a few letters around, now I'm Xanthius. Right, you go and find a blacksmith, and in a day's time they will make you this ridiculous helmet lantern. It will, it may work, this, on this. It may work, we'll find out. It will work whether or not it stays on his head

and things like that. That's what I was worried about. Also, remember a lantern is filled with oil, like they use oil to burn. Jesus, go buy yourself. You get hit on the head, and maybe that oil goes all over you. We'll see, we'll see what happens.

I think I'm onto something. Or like what if something breathes fire on you, for example? Oh. Or someone casts a fire spell near me. It just explodes. Santhea's in her room just walking down the carpet and you just hear, poof. Right.

Anything else? You know what's happened. Yeah. Anything else? We've got food, we've got lighting. We've got hot rod. We've got loads of rope. We've got food, we've got lighting, we've got loads of rope, we have the wagon, we've got rod, knee, rodry.

Should we have a backup tent in case? Rowan carries, Rowan has a tent. You have two persons. Yeah, because only four of you can sleep in the wagon. We've got the ability to carry all of these things. And you have like bedrolls and blankets and stuff, like a bunch of, yeah, so you can fill the wagon with that basically. Okay.

I think we have everything we need for this travel. Great. We also have cooking utensils. Does anyone else need any potions or anything? Can't afford them. True. True debt. Spend all that money.

Quick rundown on potions, price again. Yeah, give me a minute. 200, 500. It depends, it depends on what you want. Oh no, wait. She died again. Yeah, well you can't buy those potions. Those potions are long gone. Oopsie doopsie.

Saved you from dying, no? It did. Oh no, they are in my database. Did run into a tree. They are in my other database. Put a new beam on it. So yeah, you can buy vitality potions. Vitality potions give you 2d4 plus two temporary hit points.

And some salves, right? They are 50 gold. The healing salve is 150 gold, has three uses, and during a short or long rest, you can apply the salve to yourself or another creature and make a medicine check. The creature regains hit points equal to 1d10 plus the medicine check result minus 10.

So it's like if you roll a 15, you take away 10, you add a five to it. I have a potion of vitality. Nice. The alchemy Aquiloze Alchemical here in Ashen's Rest also sells alchemical weapons oils for 75 gold. To bonus action, you coat one melee weapon or 10 pieces of ammunition, and for the next minute,

attacks using that weapon or ammunition deal a d4 of either fire cold or lightning damage. Oh yeah. Oh I guess... Was there any indication of what we would be up against? I haven't spoken to Obsidius yet. Might be able to get that info. Yeah I was just trying to remember if Emberissa said something. No I don't think she said anything specific. It would be in my... Just there might be bandits because of the Crown Steel stuff, for sure,

but nothing. Bandits do be hating lightning. And acid, and fire. Maybe. I'm going to buy five Vitality Potions. Wow. And distribute them amongst everyone. That will buy out Aquilo's store.

There will not be anything left of Vitality Potions. And that means that there probably won't be anything for several months while he makes more. Okay. That's 250. 250. Five Vitality Potions. I had one, but we used it. I have one, so you could buy four.

Yeah, just remember they are temporary hit points. So you won't... And they're a bonus action to drink. So they're good to drink if you're like, okay, this fight looks pretty rough, drink one of those. Means that you'll save yourself taking some damage. Okay. Okay, so everyone put down one Vitality Potion. I have.

Write it down. You keep two then. I have one brackets one Vitality Potion. Potion of Vitality. This is a custom item, yes. Yes, yeah. It's just, it's in there if you just search Vitality. This is a custom item, yes. Yes, yeah. It's just, it's in there, if you just search Vitality. Is it?

Yeah. Unless it's something that's... Does it say it does something different? When you drink this potion, it removes any exhaustion, your suffering and cures any disease or poison affecting you. Different item. Well, I've got a Potion of Vitality in my equipment,

it is not the right thing. Yeah. If you want it to use it, it's just something... Very rare. Yeah. This is not, it's very common. It's purple. Yeah. If you want it to use it, it's just very rare. Yeah. This is not, it's very common. It's purple. Yeah, it's common.

It's not. In terms of anything else to do, Bro's not gonna be in action rest for a while. Oh, he's gonna go the fucking... He needs to have a prophecy. Okay. And see Boulder for the last time. Aw.

It's true. Gotta see his point. It's just 10 minutes of bro. We don't have bro play any of it. Well, I have to do the toad. Of course. Yeah. You can go, so this will be just the few hours

before proper midnight when Ophelia has to do the ritual. This is like the last few hours. You make your way to the Clevertoad. It is busy. Lots of workers coming in for the day from the various guilds, enjoying a drink and some meat skewers that Kobolds happily do, their yakitori that they do here.

And yeah, you see Balder, he's working a door. It's like, ah, rolling. Ah! Yeah. Good to see you, you all right? How are you after the tournament? Oh, yeah, I got in a bit of trouble with Mum because I caused all that trouble.

So I'm not allowed out. I'm grounded, I've got to stay here. You've been a naughty Balder. Yeah. She said next year I might be able to go. You've been a naughty boulder. Yeah. She said next year I might be able to go. Oh, well it's one a year isn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're not missing anything.

I miss all the other tournaments. Oh, there's more? Over the year. Right. Yeah, yeah. That's the best one though isn't it? Yeah, and I've got to clean out the toilets. Oh.

Yeah, it's my punishment. It's all right, it's fair, it's fair. Mum's very fair. Well, we're gonna be gone for a bit, so. Where you going? We're going to a place called Ash Hill. Okay. And it's really dangerous and scary.

Nice. Yeah. Yeah. We're going on a badass adventure, actually. Yeah. Yeah, it's gonna be cool as hell. Yeah. I want a badass adventure actually. Yeah. Yeah, it's gonna be cool as hell. Yeah. So it might be gone for like a month. You can crush something!

Yeah. Nice. Maybe. We'll see. Okay, well, it's been good. I'm gonna go get- You're like, when he blinks, it's like one eye then the other.

Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha. Bloop. I'm gonna go get a prophecy now. It's gonna be the last one I do for a bit. I'm gonna miss you, brother. I'm gonna miss you, brother! It's the loudest hug. The hug heard around the world.

Just hands on flesh. Just feel it. Just scale. Every touch is just. Kuf, kuf, kuf. You enjoy a wonderful embrace with Barak Tarik, aka The Boulder. The Boulder. You can see that a few patrons glance over in their way.

Boulder sort of glares at them. They go back to the drink. But you enjoy a lovely embrace. And then you head over to the toad. A sad day. Hello toad. You place your coin. You pull the lever.

The music plays. I really milked the moment. The eyes open. They glow softly. Please be good, please be good, please be good. Roll a D100 for me. Ooh. Oh, this is new.

Well. Is it? 63. I'm making you roll it. 63, I'm making you roll it instead. Ooh. The destiny is in my hands. Roll another D100 for me. Oh.

25. We spent so much money at the Toad that they've upgraded it. Only one in a hundred is tomorrow, and that's the only way you can finish rolling. Ninety-one. Ninety-one. You... That's me.

...shall find power when you learn control, beware the stranger. And its eyes close. Oh my. Tomorrow. Its eyes open again, tomorrow. Gotta learn to do power. Gotta worry if the stranger went right. I put my hand to do power. Gotta worry if the stranger, all right. I put my hand on the glass.

Thank you clever toad for your prophecy. I'll be back in a month. Okay. You leave. Much to ponder. You head out there with your mind reeling from the strange prophecy. you're guided by. I'm going on an adventure.

All right. Okay. Two goldies dead, two goldies dies, I'll take that bet. You just hear the tarix betting over whether you're gonna live or not. But yeah, you ponder your mysterious prophecy from the Clevertoad as you make your way back to the Enticing Devil.

Oh, world, you're shaken. Those of you who are back at the Enticing Devil, Ophelia, you have been spending sort of the last few hours carving into the onyx the runes and sigils that you witnessed in your prayer, in your communication with the Gravefather. You take your some tools and you begin to affix that to the mirror itself, this large ornate mirror that you've purchased. You know that in the next part of the ritual you have to mix Tyria's

ashes with fresh blood. You know, you probably, personally, could have started a fire out in the gardens, you know, burnt the remains down as necessary. It would have taken some time, but you know, you've made that work, basically. What do you do for the fresh blood? I think Ophelia would just... Well, this is her ritual she's casting,

so I think she would make the sacrifice herself. Okay. Do the same as she did before with veracity, and just the hand still with the open scar. How much HP do you lose? How much do you bleed? And I will tell you if it is enough and it is not enough, I will ask you again how much you are going to cause.

Half. Which is? 24. 24? More than enough. You don't have to spend 25. By the time you've spent 10 HP, you feel that that's enough.

Like mixed in with the ash, you have created this kind of thick coagulated black paint. And as you begin to paint it onto the mirrored surface, the onyx and its runic symbols begin to softly glow. The onyx and its runic symbols begin to softly glow. That same spectral blue-green light that you have seen in the Grey Father's Domain and in the many times that you've interacted with necromantic magic.

The thickened mixture of blood and ash, as it coats the mirror, and ash as it coats the mirror. Initially, it just looks like a kind of smeared on liquid, but as soon as you finish, there is a flare of power in the runes. And instead of it being a mirrored surface covered in this paint, the mirrored surface instead turns like black glass.

No longer quite reflecting, still reflective, but not in the same way that a mirror, not like a polished steel silver mirror. This is like glass, but pitch black. The mirror itself leaning up against the shrine's wall. And you see that that soft glow of spectral energy remains within the ruins. And the hour approaches. Everyone is in the inn, those of you who are in the enticing devil, you feel Tyria's

presence sort of manifesting. Whilst the gardens, once you defeated the tree, the gardens felt more peaceful. The inn still has this haunting melancholy about it. And indeed, some of the shutters sort of ripple. Dut, that hideous scarred face, the one good eye staring out. She drifts down the stairs, making her way up and down the tables, almost like placing her hand on the bar, just feeling it for one last time. I'll do the mind thing so that she can speak if she wants to.

Sure, yeah. Give her the opportunity. Yeah. You would hear in your heads, thanks to Daisy's power, kind of connecting you all. We bought this place together. We thought that we would have a great future here. Cavon wanted to be rich. Together, we thought that we would have a great future here.

Cavon wanted to be rich. I just wanted to be happy, to have friends. But everything turned around so quickly. Life was like the rug was pulled out from under us. Just everything seemed to go wrong. Then he began to change. And that night, that horrible night, you see her form kind of flickers almost. She almost seems to resist losing control

of the thought of it all. She looks around. control of the thought of it all. She looks around. But I feel that this place is in good hands now. I'm ready. I'm ready for a new life somewhere else. And I don't ever want to feel weak again. She drifts over towards Ophelia, ready to follow.

Yeah, Ophelia will hold out her hand with the blood dripping down her hand. She reaches up and you can feel a gentle touch, but she's not, she's kind of hovering her hand there, but you feel like a connection, something. Not able to fully grasp the spectral hand before you. We are bound in blood, you and I. Blood was my beginning and blood was your end,

but we'll form a new life together. New life for you. I would like that. You lead her out of the inn. She glances around the garden, maybe takes a moment to sort of sit there and appreciate this place. You lead her out into the shrine. And now all of you now see this mirror where once it had been polished

silver now it is black glass and this dominant onyx gemstone set into the top of the ornate sort of design glowing with this spectral energy which almost seems to be spiraling out into the frame of the mirror itself but the black glass in the center does not change. And even when you look at it, you feel it should reflect more light than it does, which seems to draw it in and absorb it. Your reflections, vague as they are, seem not right. But you make your way inside.

Just as the shadowed moon of Malir, her soft, soft silvery light peaking out over Althea's night sky, the stars somewhat hidden by gentle wispy clouds, and of course the ever-present crown, its crumbling form, flaring with the occasional burst of red and black magic, its golden body broken apart, lingers.

It approaches the hour. Ophelia. Yeah, Ophelia will lead Tyria down towards the mirror at the end. And with her robes on, her ceremonial robes, she sort of glides across the floor with this ghostly figure next to her. And she takes Tyria's hands and hers at the front of the aisle

and addresses the Grey Father. Blessed Grey Father, please open the way so that Tyria may pass into your realm. Let her soul find tranquillity in your domain. Let her rage and power find a home in the House of Shadows. Harness her strength. Teach her the path and let her find glory in your eternal kingdom. Teach her the path and let her find glory in your eternal kingdom. Tyria, if you're ready, thank you for opening your heart. Go to him and be reborn. En shroudus sanctorum. As you speak those last two words with the prayer, the black glass ripples

like a pebble dropped into a lake and becomes clear but it does not reflect the inside of this shrine. You see someplace else entirely. A grand gothic cathedral dripping dripping with faint flickering candles and black stone. Silver, red tabards of color hung from vestibules and archways. And before the mirror itself you see a figure. A athletic, tall man. Dark, dark skin, shaven head, dressed in something not too dissimilar to what a priest at the Scions or Saints might wear,

but this time heavily dark colors. Deep reds, dark, dark blue, dark black, all kind of dripping around in this great silver chain of a holy symbol of a skull face in a circular disc, symbol of the Great Father. Behind this man stands three identical looking men, different skin tones, but all athletically built, all shaved

heads, their eyes masked by blindfolds, but you can see they carry swords and maces and armour as opposed to robes. The figure in front of the mirror opens his eyes. But there are not pupils or sockets, there is instead a sort of purple and green flame that's emerging from his eyes. And he speaks with a voice that is otherworldly. You are Sister Ophelia de la Russa of the House of Blood. Yes. And this is Tyria. Correct.

I am sorry for the harshness of your life, my dear. But allow me to be the first to tell you that in the Gravefather's domain, your eternal unlife shall be nothing like it. You will be welcomed here and safe. Sister Ophelia, I am High Deacon Mulgrain Gallows of the House of Shadows. Those of you watching, including Ophelia, can make a religion or arcana check for me.

Okay, religion or arcana. I'm bad at both. I'm equally good at both. Yep. But I'll call it arcana. I'd say, Ophelia, you don't need to make this check. I think you're gonna know who this is anyway. Seven.

And what his deal is. Okay, I got a 19, but I did an arcana check rather than religion. Yep, 19. If you want, I can also, Nim can probably help you identify this, Daisy. I rolled a 19. Yeah, okay.

That's zero, but Nim probably asked me. Yeah, it makes sense that Nim will probably give you the information on this. So whether this comes from Nim or your own knowledge. Rowan, what did you get, actually, just to... Eight. Okay, right, so the two, so Gruff and Rowan, you're not really sure, this just looks like a man,

maybe some sort of magic he's using. Xanthius, you can immediately tell... The voice is not that man's voice. That man is possessed. The physical human being you're talking to is not this Hydecan Mograine. Okay. That is a vessel. And the thing that is calling itself Heideken Mograine is a spirit inside him.

Okay. And for you, Daisy, Nim would basically tell you the same thing, that many of the Gravefathers, like lieutenants or leaders or, you know, military powers, some of them are very powerful spirits and specters that inhabit mortal bodies And Ophelia you Maybe have met or at least seen the countess interact with some other spirits like this

The house of shadows is primarily made of spectral undead, ghosts, wraiths, shadows, that sort of thing. But when they deal with the living, they will often possess a host in order to facilitate that meeting. And these hosts are willing. They are citizens of Osseous, who give themselves to the House of Shadows

to use as bodyments in exchange for payment or reward or, you know, safety of their family or whatever it happens to be, you know, whatever it is, in the same way that you and your family will vassals of the House of Blood and were expected to provide blood for the vampires and things like that. In the House of Shadows,

it is a physical body for them to use. And you suspect the fact that the man that you're talking to and these three warriors behind him, their similarities is likely a representation that Heideken Mograine uses all of them as his hosts and he maybe swaps them around and stuff like that. But he looks to you and repeats what he said. But he looks to you and repeats what he said.

Yes, the Gravefather is most pleased of you to welcome such a wondrous and beautiful new member of our home to us. Tyria deserves this. And we will make sure that she is well cared for here and becomes a great servant of the Gravefather. We will teach you much, young one. We will teach you to use these new powers

for something far greater than yourself, and you will find peace and joy and safety here. I have ushered in many undead into their ever life. I have served the Gravefather for centuries, and I know this journey well myself. Now, step through the Black Glass, and come to N'Kral. Come to the Black Cathedral.

Come home. Tyria stands. She looks. One last sort of reaches out, just... You feel a connection, not able to fully grasp it. You feel a connection there. able to fully grasp it. You feel a connection there. And all of you in your minds hear, thank you.

Thank you for giving me this. I will return one day to repay it. And with that, she drifts through, and you watch as she passes through the mirror and appears in front of the Heideken who embraces her and physically can touch her almost like the spirit within is allowing that connection to happen sort of wraps his arms around her in like a quite tender hug and then they gesture and you see spectral maidens sort of fly in, drift into the side

who sort of take Tyria's hands and they whisper and giggle and laugh and she drifts off to the side with them. The deacon turns back. The Gravefather wishes to reward you for this great service. What would you ask of him if you would have a choice? Um, oh, um, a reward... I... Um... Uh... I have a suggestion. Should you be overwhelmed by this graciousness? I am overwhelmed. My... strength...

Um... I don't... I don't... Forgive me, Heideken. There is nothing to forgive, my child. This is a great service, and it is... a considerable ask to put you in this position. If I may, he could grant you magical knowledge. As I understand it, you have only recently come to learn magic and its uses.

Yes, yes, when I was in the Greylands, I uncovered the knowledge of magic. Yes, it's all very new to me. Then it is within my power and under the Grey Father's blessing that I could grant you magical power. That would be an honor. And more rewards would be forthcoming if you continue to serve His Undead Majesty in this excellent way.

Oh, yes, yes, your great specter. That would be, that would be my highest honor. The kneel before me, child. Be the aneels. He steps up and he opens his hands and the man collapses back, caught by the bodyguards who immediately take him and actually place a hand over his eyes as something comes out of him.

A black, vaporous being with glowing red eyes in a shroud, in a shape that looks like your nightmares made real. It has the vaguest form of a man, but it is no living thing. As it reaches out, and from the mirror, from the black glass, a great spectral black hand reaches and grips Ophelia's mind,

grips onto your forehead, and you feel something transfer through. After a few moments, the hand withdraws and the amorphous shape flows back into the man. Ah. You have done well, child. May the blessings of the grave travel with you. Blessings of the Gravefather to you.

Thank you. And the black glass returns to its black shimmering form. Velia, as you have increased your piety towards the Gravefather by performing a great service, I'm gonna reward you with, you now know the Bane spell, and you can cast it once per day for free. Whoa! Free! Yep.

Amazing. So I'll figure out, I'll make a feat or something to give it to you, but just know that you have the Bane spell and you can cast it once per day for free. Oh, nice. Or you can use your spell slots. You know it, but you get a free card. That's very cool.

Holy shit. For once per day, was that? Yeah, once per day. That's cool. And yeah, you can lose Piety. If you do things to displease the Gravefather, he can take it away. And if you drop below three, you'll lose access to that power.

Okay. So if you ever displease him, you might lose that ability. But if you continue pleasing him, you'll gain more power and stuff like that as well. Cool. I will also tell you, displease him, you might lose that ability, but if you continue pleasing him, you'll gain more power and stuff like that as well. Cool. I will also tell you, as a group, eventually Tyria will return. That's what we were worried about.

She will return as a retainer to the party. Oh. She will come as a potential ally. Once she has learned to use her new powers and perhaps become a devout follower of the Gravefather, she will return to perhaps aid you at a suitably appropriate time. Okay.

Cool. Nice, oh man, what was the name of the spirit? Oh, Hydeacon Mograine Gallows. Mograine Gallows, that is such a cool like... And that will not likely be the last you hear of him. This mirror, which is called the Black Glass by the way. That's cool. I'll write you out a card for the Black Glass.

This one technically, like the party, it is bonded to Ophelia. Ophelia is the only one who can use it, but it will remain in the inn. The Black Glass is a magic item that can be upgraded. So right now, you can only contact the black cathedral in the Ossian capital of N'Kral. That's the only thing that this has a link to,

and only if the Heideken allows you to use it. So it's like, you have to basically be like, please Heideken, I wanna talk to you, and then if he wants to, he can accept the call. And at the moment, only undead can pass through it. So technically, passable can go through. Only undead can pass through. However, it can be upgraded to allow living

to travel through. Oh, don't throw a tree. We don't wanna do that. It can also be upgraded to connect to other places in Osseus. But you would need to, it's like a teleportation circle. You need to learn the sigil. So like the Countess, for example, you might be able to set one up in the home

of the House of Blood and stuff like that. Nice, that's awesome. Yeah, so these are like Ossian devices that are used quite commonly in Ossius, mostly by powerful undead. Very cool. But yeah. That's awesome, thank you.

Hell yeah. Man. Oh, I just, I don't know what it is. I can't explain what it is I loved about that Mo Green gallows guy. I think it's just like- Yeah, those vibes. When the, it's just like... His vibes.

Because he's got the guards there and it all makes sense as to why he has them there so he can catch the body, so he can escape. It's like, it's so well thought out. I love it. A small detail, just because it won't come up, but he routinely, rather than just using the same host, he has all four of them in his bodyguards and he rotates them, which one he inhabits.

So they have their lives and they can rest and stuff like that as well. And yeah, he used to be, he was a devout soldier in the very early days of Osseous. He is hundreds and hundreds of years old. And he became, yeah, he chose to become, rather than join, become a Death Knight in the House of Bone, he became a member of the House of Shadows

to help new undead adjust to their eternal lives. He's like a proper pastor. He's like a, you know, that's why he's the Heideken. So he basically welcomes a lot of the new undead into their ever life, as they call it. Very cool. I love the idea that there's four of them, because it's like, oh, not today.

Could you just, could you just bob today? Like, just not me. I did yesterday. They're all trained to fight blind as well, because one of the things is whilst they are not being possessed, he wants them to be blinded in their presence and stuff, and then why they cover their eyes as well.

Yeah. So they don't have a life while they're being like a possession, like while he's possessing them. That's cool. Kim wants to join this. Brother, Kim wants to join this. Speaks to the inner Goth. Yeah.

Correct. But yes. I can use Blade. Once per day and the But yes. I can use Blake. Once per day. Once per day. I'm pious, all of a sudden. The same will go, again, like that piety system applies to any sort of divine power or like warlock patron.

So if one of you decided I'm gonna be a really devout worshiper of, say, Malia or Pyres or something like that, same system works, like if you further a God's agenda and you get their attention, they will reward you with powers and stuff like that as you go as well. Same with any of the planar powers. For example, say like a very powerful devil or a demon or something like that,

you can do something similar as well. So it has to be actual legit gods rather than... Well no, because what makes a god? Worship Nim. Nim's like a lower level celestial, so it doesn't count. But like say one of the angelic commanders of the angelic legion, of the Seraphith legion, they would have the same thing.

The Gravefather is like the top of the food chain. Like he is the top of the Grey Lange planar power. So you would need to go to something similar. So like you are talking like the commander of the Angelic Army or the Helian Throne. The Helian Throne is another example of these kind of god-like beings. Not that one.

Not that one. The Helian Throne, you don't know, they might be legit. You don't know. Any of the elemental nobles and stuff as well. Lies become stories, stories become legends, legends become deific. I worship Borth Jorkinson. For fuck's sake.

Maybe Borth one day, with enough followers, if enough people believe in Borth. I don't think that's gonna happen. Plus, if he tried the Borths or the Jorkansons? The Borks. If he tried to give them any powers, he'd just Borth it. Yeah. The powers he gets at all points.

Be like a trickster god, but a really rubbish one. Yeah. Would the worship be throwing yourself down a ramp every day? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Reenacting the fall.

Oh, you headbutted another door frame. With that as well, by the way, as the situation with Tyria is now completed, that quest is complete. You will earn progress towards a level up. Don't level up just yet. You will earn progress towards a level up. You can solve it, yeah.

It's more that this was like a smaller quest, so it's like a build up to a thing. We solved it in a different way. You did solve it, absolutely. It's completely solved, but this is like part of a level up, basically. So if you complete a few up to a thing. We solved it in a different way. You did solve it, absolutely. It's completely solved, but this is like part of a level up basically. So if you complete a few more of things like that, then you'll get a level up.

Some bounty board stuff. Yeah, maybe. And gained a follower as a result of that. Part of what we took as a bonus. Eventually. When you will return from the shrine, I'm assuming that at least most of you, maybe Ophelia stays, but the rest of you,

when you return to the inn, there is a change in the air, a very noticeable change. Okay. It's still run down, still leaks, it's still a bit stinky, but that oppressive melancholy is no longer there. There is no longer that coldness that you didn't really notice properly until it was gone.

This place just feels quiet and abandoned. There's no feeling of sadness. There is not a sensation of being watched. Feeling uncomfortable here. It is now just a humble abandoned inn. It is now just a humble, abandoned inn. Well, Ron's still shaking from that whole thing. He really doesn't get on with all that at all. I mean, that's it.

The place is ours now. We have to... It's been passed over to us now. We have to do It's been passed over to us now. We have to do right by it, by Tyria. Gruff's gonna, well, they're kinda conversing, kinda get together five cups or whatever. And I don't know, at DM's discretion, like just pour a wee dram in each cup.

I don't know if he's been traveling with a little something in his flask or... I will allow it, but no more. You must purchase more if you wish more. That's the last drop of his little whiskey or brandy or whatever it happens to be. It probably makes sense that from Iceheart you'd have like a warming, like a brandy or a whiskey

or something to like warm you up kind of thing. Yeah, but the last of it. Yeah. You have to buy more. Yeah. The last drop of Iceheart. You have to buy more. Yeah. The last drop of ice heart whiskey passes it around to everybody. I think with that, one thing I'd quite like to propose

is a change of the name of this inn. The name comes with quite a lot of misery and blood, sorry, bad blood and, sorry, bad blood. And injustice, and... I think maybe we should honour Tyria. She was frightened of not making her mark in this world and only being remembered for the awful things that happened to her. So I was wondering if we should rename this Tyria's Rest.

Mm. Or Tyria's Rest. Or Tyria's, I don't know, something maybe Tyria's Respite or something like that. I don't know, but I wonder if naming it after her could be a way for people to remember her and come here and have good times. I like Tyria's Rest. It's lovely. Simple, but Tyria's rest. It's lovely.

Simple, but Tyria's a lovely name too. Gives that the focus of the name. I imagine as well as we repair this and maybe move on, I'm not saying we will, Rowan. Wait, wait, wait. But this can become a place for laughter, for friends coming in the evening to share a drop like we are now, preparing to move on to the next bit

as we are now. So a toast maybe to Tyria's rest. To Tyria's rest? To Tyria's rest. To Tyria's rest. And the next chapter. Yakkida. It says water. Whoa! Whoa!

Ha ha ha! With that, the evening comes to a close. You may all long rest. Nice, I don't think that. The inn still disheveled, still having to sort of make do in the ruined rooms. But now, for the first time maybe, you all sleep very soundly here,

with the exception of maybe Ophelia, who is fine, but the rest of you, your dreams are untroubled and your rest is peaceful. And as morning comes, you all awaken to the sound of, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock at the door. Not it, someone else get that.

I'm not wearing any... I'll do it. Yeah, Gruff, you make your way down, you open the door, and you see a very sprightly, tiefling, tiefling courier, messenger. you open the door and you see a very sprightly, tiefling, a tifling courier, messenger. G'day, sir, I got a message for ya. From the Ducal Palace.

Groff grabs him. Ah! Does my hand go, is it? Make a tech roll, see if you grab this guy. He definitely doesn't want to get grabbed. An attack roll. His AC, yeah if you can grab this guy. He definitely doesn't want to get grabbed. An attack roll. His AC, yeah, would be like 15. Hold on, one of these in ages.

Unarmed, I'm guessing. Yep. Just to grab him, basically. It's an eight. An eight. He leaps out. He's like, whoa, what are you doing there? What's going on? I know what you're doing, boyo.

Delivering a message? Yes, the last one who came along turned out to be exactly who I didn't want it to be Was it was it Jeff? You know who you are Califrous Mr. I'm just like narrowing my eyes like did you just say Califrous I Don't know who that is come on out. I know you're in there. What are you talking about? You're a crazy man else's face. You're a crazy man I don't know who that is. Come on out, I know you're in there. What are you talking about?

You're a crazy man. Someone else's face. You're a crazy man. I'm gonna get out of here. He just drops the letter and he turns to run. I'll get you next time, Califras, you con man. He runs off down the street. So now we've got no ghost, but we've got the crazy,

crazy wild heart. But it's just gonna show up. Don't go to that house. And he comes to the door. Every messenger. Don't come back. I like stumble out of the door, like just putting on my clothes really quickly.

Groff, what's going on? I heard you say Caliphorus. Was that? Was that Charlton Caliphorus again, pretending to be a courier again. But you chased them off. Oh, I chased him right off. Good, good.

Well done. They just say they're a message from the palace though. We are expecting a message from the palace, to be fair. We were, yes. I expect Keeley Friis knows that. Did your hand go through the clothes? Did it, like, you know? Well, I tried to grab him, but I missed.

Okay, but I mean, they obviously said some kind of ominous, spooky sort of message, right? Ah, he called me a crazy man. Yeah, I heard that. That's when he was running away from you. And obviously transformed back into Caliphras's normal self, right? Oh no, he kept the skin on, the face that he was wearing.

So skin on. And a much more sinister element to believe in. He kept the skin on. He kept the skin on. The oar in the red came, Jesus. LAUGHTER It might have just been a messenger who was delivering a message from the palace that we expected. No, but he'd know that.

He probably tampered with it. Opened the message. Where is it? Yeah,'d probably tampered with it. Open the message. Where is it? Yeah, what does it say? It's on the floor. I'll pick it up. Yeah? So it's got the seal of the Duke Ignorius, a very fancy little letter envelope. Seems... seems in order. Open it up.

OK, make it... No, I'm joking. LAUGHTER You open it up, inside is a small note. I'm gonna... I'll take out my battered spectacles. Yeah, you put those on, and it simply reads... You open it up, inside is a small note. I'm gonna take out my battered spectacles. You put those on, and it simply reads, you are to attend Lord Obsidius at the earliest convenience at the Ducal Palace.

Present this to consider it all grim for entrance. All good. I don't. I read it out. That seems like what we were expecting. Yeah, I think you just terrified an innocent person. No, no, no, no, that's okay. I'm shaking it to see if it changes.

Well done, Gruff. Well done. Maybe there's like a hidden message here if I hold it up to the sun. Glitter bomb. Boom. Some manure drops now. His shit on our doorstep.

Make an investigation check, Gruff. 13. 13. 13, you pour over it, man. Caliphras is real tricksy, because there's nothing here. Tricksy, tricksy. Good to be on guard. Definitely good to be on guard.

He's using the dark arts again. Okay. The dark arts. Yeah. I don't think we're gonna get letters ever again. He's tampering with our mail and reading our messages, so he knows we're... We don't send mail. No, we don't think we're gonna get letters ever again. He's tampering with our mail and reading our messages, so he knows we're... We don't send mail.

No, we, yeah. No, when people send mail to us, he's reading it to know what we're up to. He's knowing our business. Okay. Ironoid old man. I don't trust that one. You know, I used to, way back when I was a kid,

there was a guy who used to stand out in his garden. And if anyone went into his garden, he would yell. Get off my lawn, he would say. Well, why are people going into his garden without his permission? They just, maybe if they were playing with the ball and it went in, they would just go in

and get it back and go out. Well, they could just ask him to pass the ball back. Yeah, but he wouldn't do it. So, either that or he would pick it up and smoosh it and then give it back to them. Like he would take the air out of it and give it back, you know, so that then they couldn't play anymore. There's a moment where Grosvj just,

chokes on himself, just stares into the middle distance, you see a little smile, he's like, right. That's what I do. I burst their balls. They're gonna be like that too. Okay, well, maybe someone else answers the door for a little bit. Well, you weren't getting out of bed.

Yeah, no, I don't get out of bed. I was the only one out of bed. You're young. Well, you weren't getting out of bed. Yeah, no, I don't get out of bed. I was the only one out of bed. You're youngins, you don't like getting out of bed. You know, there's a lot of mourning that you miss. He used to say this too. He said this too. As this conversation is happening, Rowan,

you were warned about a stranger. I spring up from behind the bar. Ah! I hit my head on the bar. Was that a stranger? It was the mailman. Beware! What do you mean? What do you mean, Rowan?

It was a mailman, we think, Gleefris. What was in that water? It was brandy. It's like a tiny bit of it as well. I had a crazy night last night, guys. I'm sorry about that. We had one drink together. Yeah, crazy night last night, guys. I'm sorry about that. Really, we had one drink together. Yeah, and I slept like a baby. Oh, right.

You slept on the floor. Yeah, behind the bar. Yeah, that's where you put babies. Why didn't, okay, sure. Beware the stranger. Beware the stranger. I did, I shook him while I tried to shake him. Good.

Slippery. The stranger's after us. What stranger, Caliphras? I don't know, because they to shake him. Good. Slippery. Strangers after us. What stranger? Caliphras? I don't know, because they're a stranger. Well, they're not a stranger to us. How do you know they're a stranger to me? Toad.

The final prophecy before our adventure begins. Good. Well thought. I will claim that power. What power? But I must learn to control it. Sorry? What was the full prophecy, exactly I must learn to control it. Sorry? What power?

What was the full prophecy exactly? I've said it all, just in reverse. Beware, oh, hang on, let me think back. Beware the stranger, you'll claim the power. What was it? He's looking into the distance in a really weird way right now. There are so many veins in his forehead.

Wee woo, wee woo. No idea. Good. How's Hot Rod? There are so many veins in his forehead. Wee woo, wee woo. Dun dun dun. Good. How's Hot Rod? Who? Hot Rod. Back at the stables because we collect him today. Oh.

Oh, because of the fire thing? The fire joke that I made? No, I'm just wondering how he is. I'm just wondering why you're calling him Hot Rod. Because he's fiery. Right. And you said, oh, and I laughed. I didn't, well, I completely forgot about that.

So, my assumption is, you are going to go to the Palace of Speed to Obsidius. Yes. Yes. Did we mark off the monies for the repairs and things already? I believe we did. I think we did. Yeah think that we sat down. You've taken that off your collective goal. I've got here to have the repairs.

Okay, nice, so that's all been paid for. So yeah, you can send word out, that's right, because you said like, we will let you know when it's safe to come and do the work. So you can send word to them. Open the front door, no! Yeah. Quick. By the time.

And rough tackles. Word! By the time you get back, the inn will be repaired and refurbished as you desired. Yeah. You make your way to the Dominus Ignara. You make your way back up the Familiar Street. It is early.

It is early, so there's really only guards and very early rises. you know, bakers and people getting their shops ready and things like that. Few people kind of getting their breakfast. And you make your way to the entrance to the people palace and present your letter to a sort of very mildly irritated considerate Aldrim who's-

When's he not? Good morning, considerate! Good morning, young lady. I am assuming you are here responding to Lord Obsidius's invitation. Yes, we have the letter, if that, I mean- Yes. Lord Obsidius is waiting.

I will take you to see him. Thank you. Please make sure you show the proper respect. Oh, we will. Very good. Come with me. Well, strokes his big beard, and he leads you down. He's like barking.

He takes you to a part of the palace you guys haven't been to before. You don't go into the central audience chamber, you actually go down one of the side passages, which is all designed for the Ilkir, the non-dragon attendants of the family, and you make your way down a side passageway and up a very tall spiral staircase

to an adjacent building, which has another one of these large domes, but is a bit smaller, and leads you into a chamber, which you can tell immediately is Obsidius' sort of private chambers. You can see that it is a curved bookcase wall stuffed with tomes and scrolls and bits and pieces

here and there. There's a large sort of dais-like object which has like a model of like a flat map of Ulfeia. And it has like a metal rings which chart the movement of the crown and of Malia and Pyrrhus, you know, a little astronomy sort of like little lab. You can see a little alchemical station, but the large space in the middle is kept clear.

There is a large sort of plush series of rugs and carpets and pillows for a dragon to basically lie upon if they needed to. But there is no full dragon form there this morning. Instead, dressed in a rather simple, plain, black and red robe, sat in a large, overstuffed, quite worn and ratty looking armchair. You see Obsidius, he's kind of dark skinned,

the black dreadlocks kind of like tinted with red in his robe and he's just floating like a book and he's turning the pages with magic as he's reading. He's just sort of very intently stroking his chin and then flicking the pages. And then every now and then he gestures to the side and pulls like apples or fruit from a nearby bowl to him and then he eats them as he's consuming all of that.

Consider it, Orgrim would announce you as you kind of arrive. Lord Obsidius, your guests, the adventurers are here. The morons. Obsidius, your guests, the adventurers are here. The morons. The adventurers are here at your request. Shall I fetch you anything, my lords? Do you require refreshments? Should I bring refreshments for them?

Sort of very distasteful, and Obsidius is like, no, Orgrim, it is fine. I will speak with them, it should not take too long. Go back to your duties, shut the door, please. As Orgrim's like, very good, my lord, very good. Lord Obsidius, thank you for seeing two of us. I'm serious, lord. There we go, okay.

Obsidius, so, hello again. Yes, hello again. Yes, hello again, Xanthius. We thought it appropriate, of course, my friends here are aware of the situation between us, Obsidius, we thought it appropriate that- Can everyone else make an insight check for me please? With pleasure. Fake dice please.

Yeah, sure, yeah, throw them in. Why not? Sort it, yeah, fake dice me. Sure. 23. 23. I insight him. 17. 17.

19. 19. All three, apart from Daisy, one who's just la la la happily like, ooh, nice dragon man. I'm just looking at the nice room. It's a lovely room. There's artwork, there's paintings, it's lovely, lovely room.

All of you, every time Xanthius just says Obsidius and doesn't use his title, there is this kind of bemused annoyance of, and you can see Obsidius sort of very carefully taking Xanthius in. He is greatly annoyed that Xanthius is not using his tone, but is also not outwardly reacting to it, for whatever reason, you don't know. so not outwardly reacting to it, for whatever reason you don't know.

My friends here are aware of the situation between us, and felt it appropriate to let you know, I know that you can track me, can see where I am, can sense irregularities in my magic, should a situation arise. Good. And you are all aware of what Xanthius carries. To the best of our abilities, Lord Obsidius.

How long have you all known about the Crownsteel? Since we've been in Ashen's rest. No, it wasn't. It was a little bit after that, wasn't it? Yeah, no, it wasn't. It's not that long. Not as soon as we arrived, but it became apparent when you couldn't hide it any longer from us.

Curious. Did you know that typically, and he sort of begins examining his learning talents. I'm gonna start shaking. Did you know that typically, crown steel, its corruption does not affect the one simply carrying it, it affects all beings around them for some time. No. No.

I know that. A radius effect. It appears that Xanthias' magic is keeping it contained for now, but it is interesting that such a potent resource is contained by whatever magic Xanthius possesses. You should be wary. contained by whatever magic Xanthias possesses. You should be wary. Should it become unbound, or should Xanthias' protective magic fail, you, anyone who is near to Crownsteel,

if you spend enough time near it, you will begin to feel its effects. But, protected by this runic magic. Yes. Obsidius managed to identify this particular shard as unbelievably pure compared to maybe some holy crown steel. The purest, but it is of an exceptional quality, yes.

So, the effects of which are particularly dangerous, though contained. But also highly sought after. And it is my understanding you wrote in your message you gave to Algrim that you intend to assist my half-sister with a matter, yes? Yes. I know of the matter of which you speak. You are headed to try and find Sir Eldrach and the shield.

That is correct. That will take you into the Ash Hills. A dangerous circumstance. That is, yeah. Yes, my dear. Hi, I was just wondering if there's any danger of Xanthias being around that and maybe losing himself? Yes, of course.

Do you remember this metal when Galvasar and the traitors consumed it. It does not simply grant them more power and corrupt their bodies, it also corrupts their mind. They craved it. There have been reports that those who possess Crownsteel, those who ingest it, they become dependent on it.

It is an addiction one must fulfill if one does not obtain more of it. Xanthias' case is unique, for the metal is bound to him, but yet he does not feel all of its effects. But the Ash Hills, the battles that were fought there, many of the traitorous dragons were slain above it. Their bodies fell, their bodies rotted. In some cases, the crown still was recovered.

In many cases, small fragments of it, pieces of it were lost centuries ago. Now, such fragments may have been recovered, gathered, stolen, but also they may have made their way into the soil. The Ash Hills are a desolate place. I fear that the entire place is under the effects of corruption.

Yeah. Further to that question, thank you, my lord. You're most welcome. What signs should we look out for if we were to be, start to become affected? If what's protecting Xanthias's Crown Steel, if that was to start leaking out, what are the initial signs that we should look for? Well, little one, if you intend to head to the Ash Hills, it is not merely the Crown

Steel Xanthias carries. You should be cautious of encountering Crown Steel out in the hills itself. You may come across it in caves or in the earth, or perhaps embedded into creatures. Some creatures consume it without realizing it. We often, there are often bounties, and we are sent knights out to slay such creatures. They become warped and corrupted, mutated by it. You should be cautious of all of this as well,

but yes, there are signs. You will encounter physical symptoms, headaches, weakness, illness, nightmares and dreams, that sort of thing. You will also perhaps notice physical changes. You have seen Xanthias's arm, I take it. That is one potential manifestation. I do not know exactly what may happen, but it mutates flesh and body.

Be aware of any changes to yourself. Minor levels of corruption can be reversed in time. If one is absent from Crownsteel, if one has proper magical treatments, it can be undone, but when we reach, in Xanthias' case, it is bedded into him, it would be very difficult for us to undo it. It would simply return. But for the rest of you, should you become corrupted or infected, it can be undone, but only in the earliest stages. If you allow the corruption to build, to spread, to take over, you may be beyond help, unfortunately. Oh, that's good.

You will also find that maybe your mind will begin to alter and shift. You may find yourself more aggressive, more capricious. You may find yourself more greedy or suspicious of others, paranoid. It plays tricks on my mind. So be cautious. I will not advise you against heading to the Ashilts, however.

I feel that it would be unkind of me to my half-sister. She is greatly concerned for Ser Eldrach, and I would not trust many others on this quest. You have proven yourselves loyal, capable, brave. If anyone should be able to assist Ser Eldrach, I imagine it will be you. But do be cautious. The Ash Hills themselves, I know that there was a...

a green dragon from Mistwald. A lady. She wanted to visit the Ash Hills, sending a survey team. They had hopes of assisting the land, returning it, stopping whatever blight is affecting it. I have not heard from them, however. They may be in the area, may prove to be useful allies, should you be there. They may even ask for your aid.

It may coincide with what has happened with Ser Eldraac. I do not know. The Ash Hills are a prosperous place. There are many mines, gemstones to be found there, but in the state that they are in now, it is quite dangerous. Many of the beasts and animals there are either corrupted or mildly tainted by the aura that is there. Was there anything else you wish to know?

Um, do you believe I might be able to sense the effects of nearby crown steel myself? Or will the reaction be more subtle? It will be subtle. It depends on the purity. If it is high quality and pure, you may feel it a stronger, almost subconscious draw towards it. I imagine that you yourself, Xanthius, will not notice it too much. You may feel yourself drifting in a certain direction

or a strange curiosity to explore somewhere nearby. The others, however, if you watch for Xanthius, if he suddenly becomes interested in a direction or a place, it may be indicating that Crownsteel is nearby. His body, his mind will crave it, even if he himself does not realise it. Is that the draconic side of me or? That is a mixture of the draconic side and the magical side.

Crownsteel affects those with magical talents or magical blood most strongly, but we are also those most adept at not succumbing. Should a mortal say, you, Rowan, were you to ingest crown steel? I would never, Lord Obsidius. I know. Please, a mere hypothetical. Okay, what was that?

A pretend question. If you were to ingest it, it is exceedingly toxic to those who do not have magical blood. You may find that it will kill you. Just simply the process of ingesting it or holding it even can prove fatal to some. I need some gloves.

Be warned, things such as gloves and clothing will offer you no protection. If you store it in an airtight metal container, that will reduce the effectiveness of the Crownsteel. But, and whatever you do, do not place Crownste steel into a magical container. There are, there are devices that create extra dimensional spaces, do not place

crown steel into them. It is exceptionally dangerous to do so. Now I want to do so. Now I wanna do it. Oh. Ha ha ha. But that's. Okay. Be cautious.

But also, do if you find any of the metal and you feel that you have a safe way of extracting it, if you bring it to me, and you feel that you have a safe way of extracting it. If you bring it to me, I will ensure it is properly destroyed. I would not trust it in the hands of many others. And if it is left there, it will become, it will likely be found by bandits or scavengers or miners or some such, or animals will consume it and cause problems down the line. I hope that whatever Sir Eldrach is involved with

is not too serious and that you are able to find him easily. He is dragonborn, so he too may be drawn to crown steel. Thank you for your insight and for your understanding, Lord Obsidius. You are most welcome, Sister Ophelia, delegate of Osseus. I trust that your efforts and your freedom to preach is going well.

Oh, very well, thank you, yes. It pleases me. I have often found sometimes the church's rather restrictive and dogmatic approach to the world is limiting. It is refreshing to see my father encouraging more free-thinking and entrepreneurial individuals. Well, please extend my thanks to your father, and of course to you, my door is always open

if you wish to partake in a sermon or two. It's not a sermon, but I am very interested in your land's skill in necromancy. It is a school of magic that is often seen with an eye of doubt here. I fear that it is a powerful magical school, but I'm afraid that I am not one for gods and religious sermons, but I'm always happy to discuss necromancy with you. Oh, well I'll be willing to share.

Also, I've heard that Erdys Kheer is also very learned in necromancy. Yes, the Black Dragons, they have a natural connection to it. In the same way that we, cauldrons, the Red Dragons, have an affinity for fire and evocation, I am very blessed to have a Black Dragon mother, and she has taught me much of necromancy and shadow magic, as we call it. Fascinating. I'd love to see more

and talk to you about this more. Oh, perhaps if I can find the time. But the rest of you are well, I take it. And your new knightly vows, Sir Gruffydd, Knight Errant Gruffydd, how does that fare? They are everything that I followed before. And I will follow them to my core. I'm pleased to hear it.

If you do find a way to help Xanthius, I know that he mentioned that you spoke about that. Then we would help, of course. I am, yes, of course. Yes, of course. I am researching the proto-magi vaults. I do believe that that may be one, the clearest path to assisting Xanthius.

The proto-magi were incredible in their knowledge of magic and their skill. There are no spells or techniques I know of to remove the crown still, or to even disable this protective magic of Xanthias'. But the proto-magi were known to have, some of their vaults have displayed what we call anti-magic, fields that negate magical effects.

Such a field may lower the defenses around Xanthius's chest and allow the crown still to be extracted, though you would need someone of great medical skill to be on hand to ensure that he is not injured. Of course, non-magical skill for the anti-magic field would prevent any magical healing. But yes, I believe that that may be our best path forward for now.

If I learn of anything else, I will, of course, let you all know. I am entrusting you all, as I do, to keep an eye on Master Oregon. Graff is really good at daring that. Yes, I would expect no less of a night errant. He is my ward, and as you may know, one of the first tenets of the Order of the Loyal Hounds

is protect the meek, the vulnerable, and the infirm. And I will protect him, even if that means I have to protect him from himself. Be warned, Grothoth of Tremorro. That sorcerer is neither meek, infirm, or vulnerable. There is a great power within that metal shard, a metal power that now courses through Xanthius' butt veins. Well, I appreciate the compliment, Obsidius. I nudge Xanthius.

It's Lord Obsidius. That's what I said, wasn't it? No. No. Oh, my apologies, Lord Obsidius. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Oh! You are a most interesting one. I believe that you should speak with my sister before you leave, but note that with my sister before you leave. But note that my spell will inform me should you use the metal.

But if it is outside of Ashenrest, if your life depends on it, do not hesitate. It is better that you are alive than dead. Sorry, I feel like I misread that one. Do not hesitate. To use the metal should you have to. Would that not just- Not in this region.

Okay, yes. Understood. That's Mark saying, you can still use your cool thing. Yeah. Like, I'm not gonna like, be like, instantly you're dead. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, he's, yeah, it's a case of, yeah, just don't use it here.

Yeah, fair enough. He'll kill me if I use it here. He'll just know about it if I use it outside. Yeah, he'll know if you've used it a lot. Anyway, and if I keep using it outside, then he's probably gonna be like, well, something's gone real fucking wrong. Yeah.

Okay, fair enough. With that, we're already over. That is gonna be it for today's episode. Yeah, next time. Next time to Emberissa and head off. And then get off, yeah, I was gonna say, and then head off. And then get off.

Get off. Fuck, yeah, how come Matt and it nearly happened to me? No, it's not as bad. It's not as bad, it's nowhere near as bad. Like, no, don't worry, I'm aware. Time will come. I like to think also, there's a, Come.

For Xantheus. Yeah, you already done it. I like to imagine also, there's a, there's, Come. For Xanthius, Yeah, you already done it. I like to imagine as well, for Xanthius, he was in his head like saying Lord Obsidius that entire time, but like that crown steal part of him was like, No. Fuck the dragons, these guys suck, like,

their hierarchy. You're better than them, yeah. Yeah, so there's almost like a, yeah, that is what I was saying, wasn't it? Sure. Like something twisting it maybe that he didn't even realize. Yeah, anyway.

With that, we are going to head off. That's gonna be it. We're gonna head out. That's gonna be the end of the episode. Thank you so much for joining us. We will see you next week, but in the meantime, we're gonna see some of you at High Rollers Live at the Adelphi Theatre in two days.

My god. So we will be back this Sunday after. We have every plan to do a regular episode, I believe. Yes. So yeah, we will see you then. Take care. We love ya. Bye bye.

Bye. Bye now. Bye bye. Hey, do you like roleplaying games? Well, you should check out Mystery Quest. It's an actual play podcast where we focus on all kinds of indie TTRPGs with a rolling cast of special guests. You can find us anywhere where you get your podcasts. I'll see you there.