High Rollers DnD - Courier of Crownsteel (Part 2) | Altheya: The Dragon Empire #91

Episode Date: February 12, 2026

The champions recover from their fight and race over to a fallen Xantheus. Altheya: The Dragon Empire Campaign Setting begins in Q1 2026! Register interest and support the journey to release here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rollandplaypress/high-rollers-altheya-the-dragon-empire Can't wait for Part 2 of each episode? Join our Patreon to get early access EVERY week (+ a few other bonuses)! www.patreon.com/HighRollers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ _______________ Boost your Charisma with some HR merch! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://highrollersdnd.teemill.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Add official High Rollers Minis to your TTRPG collection here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://only-games.co/collections/high-rollers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bless your table with the Clever Toad Dice Set: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dispeldice.com/collections/high-rollers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Enhance your bath time experience with the official Altheya themed DiceBombs at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://geekyclean.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.highrollersdnd.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for all the latest HR News! Love the podcast? Give us a glittering 5 star review! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/high-rollers-dnd/id1401508198?see-all=reviews⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound, TCT Adventures (Solasta: Crown of the Magisters), Monument Studios and Jolene Khor! Check out Jolene Khor and all her wonderful work on High Rollers on Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/artist/1WX3ICiTmf4GpHwImnQMs6⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠v Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Medcan, live well for life. Medcan.com slash moments to get started. Welcome back to Altheir the Dragon Empire Part 2. Our heroes were battling against Yanaria the Embed, having defeated her first form as Yonaria the emissary. Her body then became infused with the power of sovereign, re-ignited, reborn as Unaria the Embed. A powerful figure with powerful attacks that quite honestly devastated much of the party, leaving them low on vital. vitality low on life, some of them even knocked out and at risk of death. Several of the holy warriors desperately wounded as well.

Meanwhile, as this battle was taking place, Xanthius opened up his runes, disabling the runic shield around the crown still shard, and attempted to contact sovereign. Not just contact, but to taunt, to reject, to insult this power, which had a grave consequence. before Zanthius could seal the runes and prevent interference once more, sovereign retaliated.

And that is where we begin this second part. As all of you having concluded this battle, the Holy Warriors busying themselves with the reliquaries and mourning the dead that they have lost, their two brothers in arms, brothers and sisters in arms, all of the rest of you noticed the absence of Zanthias. He has not come rushing into this battle as you would perhaps expect him to.

He does not appear to be flying in the air as he was when Daisy teleported the two of them away. Daisy, you very much aware that something must have happened for the haste spell to break. What do you do? I'm kind of like on the floor, still smouldering a little bit from the burning

and being wiped out. It's just kind of bleary-eyed coming to, like looking up. Zanthias, where is he? I will probably say something's wrong. The spell dropped, something's wrong, he's down. And I will immediately fly in the direction that I last saw Zantheus, because I've still got my wings for now. So I'll just fly.

This is all within seconds, you know, the battle's been going on. But yeah, Daisy, and you're not hasted, so it's 30 feet of movement. No, but I will dash. Okay. And I can probably get to him in, one turn because of the extra movement that I have. Two turns for you, it's 90 feet, because you can go 90 feet a turn

and he was 140 away. Oh, okay, okay. He was still 140 feet away. So you watch as Daisy rushes off. Ophelia, you've been attended to by the Holy Warriors who've patched you up, used like a healing solve on you. Oh, thank you. Can I reach your hand up to Gruff?

Gruff, I can take you to him immediately. Get me there, get me there now. I reach out a hand as I'm kind of like getting to my feet. Sure. And as soon as Gruff touched my hand, I'll dimension Doris to the location that Daisy is heading. Sure. Great. So arriving just before Daisy, you're going to arrive like six seconds later.

Gruff and Rowan. Rowan, your magic almost pulling you through the air, the land itself, almost becoming like wind. You appear as you see a still unmoving body of Xantheus. laying on the ground. I think RP wise, Rowan would collapse from the extra exertion of just coming back up and allow Gruff to step forward. Sure. I think immediately almost just falling out of the portal, I'd run next to Xanthius,

just grab him, just in my arms. Can you make a medicine check for me, please, Graf? Thirteen. It is not hard to tell that there is no pulse, that there is no more life left in Zanthius. Xanthius. Zanthius, you were the target of a power word, kill spell, and sovereign has chosen the ultimate form of punishment. Perhaps not realising the power that it holds, perhaps not understanding how fragile immortal life truly is. Zanthius, what do you believe in the afterlife? Do you believe in the teachings of the church of the Sions?

I mean, it's always been surrounding him, right? Growing up in Caldra and, you know, coming from Gildai, I suppose, as well, in some small way. Like, it's probably just the way things are in his mind. So it's not, like, devout as much as, like, yeah, this is... This is what happens. So when you felt that surge of power before you could shut the seal, the runes, which are not active currently as your body is currently dead,

the last thing you would have seen is you were flying up in the air and looking from you down below on the ground. A resplendent woman in a dark gown with this long white hair flowing behind her, but there is no face, only a skeleton. with a long bow drawn and a golden ribbon tied to the end. And you feel Death Ear, St. De Thier's gaze fall upon you. As Herrero pierces through your body as you become tethered to the world.

You begin to slowly fall down. As you see your own body, the saint looks at you. There is something different of you. So much draconic blood. The ancestors of the dragon. Almost wish to invite you to their realm. Where they go when they die, there is plainer corruption upon you, but it is not of a place, not one that claims souls anyway.

I can cut you loose from this tether. And you could ascend to where the dragon spirits reside. Or you can remain here to pass into a new life. As these words are being spoken, you see gruff and Rowan appear below you. You see Daisy flying along the landscape. Fidia just... Yeah, Phile would fly into a rage. Yeah, use her half movement and then sprint.

Close behind Daisy, basically, yeah. You connect people with their deaths, but do you see... the deaths that they have caused? I see all deaths here and Althea. It is my duty, my purpose, my role. And how many are on my shoulders? Because of all of this, because of Crownfall, because of sovereign,

because they send a gift and a war begins, how much death is on my shoulders? I have attended wars, boy. This is no war. But on your shoulders there are many deaths. You have slain bandits, cultists, assassins. But this? She sort of gestures back in the direction of the battle.

No, that is not upon your shoulder. Put too much on yourself. I ask again. The tether. Do you wish it to remain? For I have much to do and much of the world to see. I mean, I'm looking down at the group. Obviously, Rowan's like, falling over in exhaustion.

Gruff scoops up your body, almost holds it close tenderly. I know little of the dragon's afterlife, but I believe it to be a peaceful place. Or you could be reborn here, perhaps into a less troubled. God, man, I really want to... As that decision haunts you, we cut back to the living. Sotheus, please. I can't lose you. I can't lose another. Come on, boy.

Come back. And as he says that, Seren will settle on his shoulder, widen her wings, almost kind of trying to drape over the two of us. And tears will... he'll be crying. And there's those salty tears drip on your face.

Gruff's gonna start singing. He's not strong. His voice breaks. And it's a song of the sea of the people we leave behind. Of the tide going out. The currents going away. But it is a song that finishes with

Come Back Home. Come back home to those who love you. And that's just as he finishes. as the song maybe Rowan joins in once he picks up the beat. Come back home. Daisy and Ophelia arrive as the song begins. Daisy will just take his... Anzanthes's hand and just hold it.

Ophelia would mirror Daisy, hold the other hand. Just, I can help you. You watch as Saren's unfolded wings, as gruff begins to sing. Are you doing anything, bro? As the song takes shape, Seren's wings begin to glow that kind of green, blue

color of the ocean of the surf and there will be a magical glow expands out with every wing beat and comes back down and as it comes back down it will spread the glow onto Xanthius fine

diamond dust begins to drift down as I believe you're going to cast revivify. But the choice is still Xanthicist. Death ear looks at all of this. Seems you have a third choice to make. As that tether, this golden ribbon that bind you to the earth, the diamond dust begins to crystallize it and that process begins to wind its way up the tether. But there is time to ask Saint Dethyre. to cut that tether and let you go.

Yeah, I think I'm probably like just sort of floating there, right? Like, I can almost feel my hand go one way. My hand, the other is like Daisy and Ophelia taking the hands, and I can feel these beads of tears hitting like the tunic and sort of growing it. And I'm looking at them confused. Like, how is it that they can mourn me? How is it that they can be sad for this?

This is, surely this is a blessing. And those sort of, the drops kind of spread. And I can see almost these ruins start to glow in them and probably some of this magical energy of the Revivify. I don't understand how they can still love me. St. Ethere, there's no emotion. this skeletal face, this beautiful circlet. She's almost like an Arthurian maiden

with this gown and this hair that's almost part-braided and falls behind her. The long bow now lowered her other hand, resting on the quiver at her belt. Ah, now love is something that I have come to know very well. For too, so many deaths that I have seen, there is so much love, much love in grief.

That is what grief is. Love that has no more place to go. Why they love you, how they love you. Those are questions. Yeah, I'm gonna turn in the air and look at that new tether that is pulling me back to my body. Crystallizing as it does, reaching up towards you. I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Saint Defeer. Never. It is a joy to see those who have such strong bonds left in this one.

To see those who still fight for a brighter future. She's looking at you when she says that. But with that, she turns and begins to drift and turns to mist and vanishes. Off to some other place. With one hand, a good hand, grab onto that tether and... A second that you do. You do. Yeah. You feel that diamond, almost cold, rush into your fingertips. And then you watch as Xanthius's eyes awakened and he is restored to one hit point. Having resisted

and returned from death. Oh boy, oh. I'm so sorry. You have nothing to apologize for. I have plenty to apologize for. Trust me. Oh, I was so stupid. I was just So stupid. Why did you come rushing here? The spell dropped. Something happened and you weren't flying back anymore. It dropped and we lost you for a bit, Santhias. I know, I saw Saint-Afir. Oh. What happened? You were on your way back. What happened? We sealed the crown steel. Nothing, there was nothing there.

Zanthias, you feel warmth as your body refus. the body reflectively reactivates the ruins as they form a seal back over the crown steel. I tried to break the seal. I tried to break its connection with me, sovereign's connection. It was stupid, I know, but I don't know. I don't think I fully broke from the lure

of the crown steel, I got angry, I got reckless. I, I, I taunted him, but I needed him to know that I'm not his anymore. I don't answer to him. I'm not under his control. You can't do it on your own, Xanthias. We're here to help you.

You don't need to face him by yourself. I know. But I was hoping to just send him a message to no longer treat me like one of his porn. like something he can send feeble gifts to and begin all of this. I don't know, I was being stupid, I know, but he decided to do whatever he did, and that's when I fell. But you all got here still, you all rushed over.

The creature is dead, the emissary. The crime stills locked away. And you cast a spell. Spell, I heard the song. It pulled me back. Oh, to wood. Welcome home, Xanthius. Thank you.

Has anything else happened on the... We've lost a few. But what's done is done, the crown steel is contained. The ember is gone. I'm sorry, I couldn't go back into that fight anymore. I saw it and it. Daisy teleported me away from it. If it wasn't for that, I don't know.

I would have tried to grab it again, and it would have made things so much worse. Rowan will catch up to the group now because he was kind of on the floor playing along with gruff. He'll put a hand, a gentle hand on gruff and look to Zanthis. Not so stupid then. You did the right thing, Zanthis.

As soon as you were away from there, you remembered yourself. You remembered that you didn't want that. As soon as we stepped away from that, as soon as we got away, you were clear-headed. You make the right choices. But that is a powerful substance.

Even Duke Ignarius can't be near it. So it's not your fault. But as soon as I stepped away, you all thought so well. You didn't have to worry about the person in the back that's slowly drifting away. You're able to focus and do what needed to be done without distractions.

We locked up three pieces of crown steel while you were on the battlefield. You were there for all three of those. It didn't do anything. Just got a little bit too close to one. The thing about a family, Antheus, we're not all there all the time. We're there for each other.

There's room to make mistakes. There's room to learn from them. We fall out. We fall in love again. We are there for each other. When have I been there for you? Despite all my efforts, when have I helped you?

Well, if you want to be some kind of way about it, you're the one who set me on my path when I was walking from Kelskaris. You gave me purpose. You gave me a focus. Is that the same for everyone else? You must have hit your head or something, Zanthis. You've forgotten all the times,

or we've banded together and helped each other. But to what? Including you. But to what purpose? If every purpose is to stop me from falling deeper into this hole, then I'm not helping you. You're helping me. Brown puts a finger on, Santhus.

I think that's quite. enough, don't you agree? Yes. And I'm just gonna bring him into a hug. I can talk, it's even harder to talk now. Tantius, sometimes the best things are left unsaid. We've made our peace. I'm happy to tackle hug you away from Crowsdale any time.

Yeah, you really did tackle. Yeah, sorry. Tentheus, can I show you something? And around her neck. Around her neck, Ophelia takes off a necklace that she made on St. Typhine's Day, and the engraving says, let them understand, and I give it to Xanthius. You are the one who understands me more than anyone else I've met here. You ground me, Xanthius.

I couldn't do any of what I do without you. You've always had my back. I'll always have yours, because you understand me. Sad enough reasons for you, Zanthias, because I think we could go on all. but really, the point is we care, and we're here, and we're a family, and we're not gonna leave you. You're important. I know, I'm sorry, I...

It's, I know I lose... You are important! I know, I keep losing my way. I keep trying to find a path again. I know, I know it's... It's hard to remember sometimes. sometimes with everything that's going on. All of this has taken place throughout most of the midday.

The sun is beginning its downward trend, not quite setting yet, but the skies are becoming a little more golden, a little more orange, a little bit more yellow. These blasted, damaged wild lands, but there is still nature around you, but you are in the middle of nowhere. As you have this tender moment, you can hear the sounds of prayers coming from the impact site. You can see the warriors and the siren, the paladins, the

holy knights of the sions have begun rituals to, perhaps mourn their dead, perhaps erase any remnant that remains of Yanaria. As you all gather together in this little moment, Stillness in the air. We should bury the fallen. Unless wish to take them back with us. You're gonna, this is you're heading back to rejoin everyone. Well, I'm talking to the group here. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, unless we, there's something about the Holy Order that wishes to perform a right or something. Depends, I think if there's energy of the emissary that somehow touched them. I don't know how they handle that. They might not want to bring. bring them back if that's the case or they have, they seem to have a lot of rituals, or maybe. I do. You'll also remember that there were no remains left as well.

When the two warriors were struck down, everything just burned and being only their equipment behind. And there were no bodies to marry. Does anything else remain out there? No crown steel, obviously, but the emissary did They drop anything? Is there anything left in that crater? Uh, I'll be honest.

I kind of came straight here, so we should probably go have a look. I can keep my distance again just in case, but... There isn't any chrome steel there. They were using it to draw power from and there was none left. Okay. Um... Oh, it goes where I'm saying I've also like bolstered the rooms as well. Well, they seem to come back.

When you came back to life subconsciously, they almost seem to re-trigger. And what you know is, you know, perhaps it's a little different with powerful creatures like dragons, but with, you know, your friends and mortals, you know, they have to be exposed for some time before there's any lingering effect. So you don't think the short amount of time they were by the shards or by you should have affected them too badly. if at all. You make your way back over and you can see that

I imagine some warning is taking care of gathering up the Fawlands equipment saying prayers over them and they seem to be packing those up to return them, perhaps to their families or to the church. Sir Glory has

sort of been healed a little bit with salve and potion and is inspecting the three reliquaries which are laid out in the grass. All of their runes and wards glowing brightly these huge, long, heavy metal boxes engraved with holy symbols of knights and saints and everything all around them. Seems to be inspecting the three of them. The remaining warriors have their heads bowed and seem to be quiet.

John especially still seems to be suffering from whatever malady was placed upon him. That doesn't seem to have gone away, but is struggling through it. As you approach, Sir Morning will just look over. Is everything all right? Or you rushed off rather quickly. Or you know that you had to teleport yourself and Xanthius away. Is everything all right? We're okay now.

Thank you. There is not a look of suspicion, but perhaps an element of curiosity with Sir Morning. Like, still does not know why Xanthias and Daisy suddenly teleported away. Does not know what happened to Xanthius. And there is perhaps a... an inquisitive eye being cast in your direction. Is it known, just in general?

Do dragon-born suffer when they're close to Crown Steel? Not really, not more so. They, you know, I don't know if you wouldn't, if Daisy would know this out of game, it would be known that they are probably a little bit more prone to the allure of it, like being sort of like, oh yeah, I want that, you know. But I don't know if that would be very well known.

But it would probably somebody like Sir Morning and Soglori who have been sent to deal with Crownstil probably would have some knowledge of that. And it makes sense, right? Like Dragonborn and Half Dragon Blood. Just wondering if you could sort of lose that as a bit of a... Potentially. Like... I had to get out of there. Yeah.

Because it was a particularly pure piece of Crown Steelers. Absolutely. I mean, it's, you know, nobody... Like, they even told you guys, like, don't get too close to this stuff. Like, let us deal with it. So there could be... You could definitely play that angle. The reliquaries for you, Xantheus...

You know what's inside them, but you don't feel any draw to them. Like, it's, you can tell the crown steel is in there. You have that gold dragon sense of not only just the value and the metal in it, but also you have this other awareness that there is powerful crown steel present. Yeah. But it has no power over you. You don't feel any compulsion. You don't feel any draw to it or anything like that.

You can, you can barely sense its presence. It's, it's, like, hearing a song but several doors away has no allure to you. The impact zone, you definitely still feel a radiating presence, a presence of sovereign. Like the metal, the rock that's been impacted here, that has still spread a magical, not essence because that will give you a wrong word,

but a sort of magical field around the place like that's still suffused heavily with the power of sovereign here and the Anaria's presence, the portal's presence. You can almost still see a faint outline of where the portal was of magic, but it is dissipating. This will fade in time, this presence. Yes, true. Given that we've been to a place that's been infected with Krausto,

and it's gone into the rivers, it's affected the wildlife, the flora and fauna. Is there any indication that the impact site has gone deeper than that? Great question. I'd say you don't need to make a roll for this. If this was somebody else, I'd maybe make them for a roll for it, but you have this connection to the stone and the earth and everything around you. And just a little light touch on the grass for you, Ryan.

There's no rivers or anything underneath this site. You are fairly confident that in a day or two, the magic that is here will fade and dissipate and will not present that sort of threat. If the crown steel pieces had been left here, what I would say actually maybe, and maybe this is what Xanthus can sense, is those chunks of rock where the crown steel was.

So glory and certain so mourning and the Holy Warris have extracted the vast bulk majority of it, but there are slivers, there are like tiny shards and tiny pieces, crumbs of crown steel that have remained. And if, you know, animals probably will come along and consume those, it might kill them, but that's also how, like, monarchs, like certain creatures can be formed over time

because they feed on these tiny fragments or like, you know, if there's any particular seeds in the ground, they might become influenced by it and stuff like that. I could just pitch Xanthia's like, like, like a little lizard. I can just slap you again. Yeah.

Like a little anteater just snapling. Spock that. Yeah, snaflip. Rorn your appetite. But yeah, so that's the sort of only real threat. There's no water or anything. This isn't gonna be like the Ash Hills. The Ash Hills was like, they had piled up, you know,

dozens of pieces of crowns, so hundreds of piece of crown steel, put it into a water supply, and then over a long period of time that has suffused out and takes to the land. There's a battle site of. Yeah. Yeah, well, there's hundreds of pieces that had fallen and things like that, you know.

This is not to that degree. This is not like the Battle of the Ashok. shields. This is a one-time impact. And these things do happen all around Alfaire Crownfall. You know, it is rare, but it's not so rare that it's like, oh my God, it's like, oh, there's protocols and things from that of how to deal with it. In fact, on those protocols, you see that Sir Gloria is like, right, very well, we must, I know we are all hurt, we are all injured, but we should try and return these pieces to Ashton's Rest as soon as possible. We need to get them into the church and get them sent off to the, the ecclesiard,

Cliptic orders so they can be stored and properly secured. We have no idea what sort of Ned who else may come looking for the impact site. It is better that we get out of here as soon as possible. What? Not me. But of course, if you all need a moment of time, I think we all need at least some rest. And, you know, Ashton's rest is a few hours by Drake. By the time you make your way back to your drakes and head back, you're probably going to be getting back quite late in the evening at that point.

but doable. It's not like we're talking days of travel here. What would you guys like to do? Can we get back? Can we get back ASAP? How about a quick snack? I wouldn't mind quick snack. Just a little ration,

a little bolstering, some hydration, maybe some stretches, and then we'll get back on the drinks. Are you saying you've got blood? Ophelia, you have blood? Do you want some blood? Check your multiple giant. cars and bottles.

Hang on. I think that Nell would come over to you, Ophelia. And you can see that she's sort of pushed a cloaked figure sort of to the side. And we'll just say, Sister Ophelia, we are going to, we have decided, thank you for your aid in the battles. The Church of the Sions, we understand that you have an agreement with Duke Ignaria. As such, we have your... The church of Sions offering me?

No, we simply did not wish to disturb your remains. You've saved them for them. Well this is Percy, they're basically like they've moved Percy out of the way. Oh, you just run off and left Percy. So they've sort of gone like... Oh, thought you're giving me a body tail. Oh, yeah. We would not do such a thing.

However, your companion, servant, homoculus, whatever it is. Because apparently the right athlete. Thank you. They helped in the battle, and so we have moved their remains to the side, and we shall overlook this monstrosity. His name is Percy. Say his name. The remains.

Percy. I'll return to your person. Quite enough. Thank you. Sort of nods and awkwardly looks. And you can see Sir Glory, sort of watching all of this out of the corner of her eye, like just gives a knell a nod and then sort of glare.

Not glares, but like looks in your direction. Like, yes, you and your foul heresy. We will overlook it this time. I suppose I don't mind if I perform my rights then while we take a minute. If you were to do so out of our view, that would be appreciated. Come on, Percy.

What if I do them very loudly but out of view? We would prefer that you did them quiet. Oh, wow, look at this common enemy. We all defeated together. Wow, great job everybody. And everyone involved, including Percival. Yes, they sort of nod their heads. But you can see that they are very clearly uncomfortable.

Because I think for the most part, they could just ignore, like, be like, Percy is a, like, that's a warrior. They've brought another warrior with them, it's totally fine. But then as, like, Percy collapsed and his hood falls back, and it's very clearly an animated skeleton. They're like, we can't pretend that this isn't here anymore. She's run off, she's left her unholy skeleton here.

What the fuck do we do with it? And they've sort of been like, right, just fold its cloak over it and put it over there. And Nell obviously drew the short straw and had to, like, deal with it. And you can tell that they are so uncomfortable around Percy. do not like being around Percy. But yeah, I think that this idea of common enemy, they're like, look, we'll put that aside.

Go do your foul magic elsewhere. We'll overlook it this time. Thank you for your assistance. Yes, thank you for your assistance in the battle. Percy Rise! You see, Nell is just sort of like, oh God, I'm going to walk away. Is that what you say? Is that how you do it? He has risen.

Arise, Percy arise. So glory is just daggers, just like, oh, how dare you. We ask you one thing and you're like not doing it. Meanwhile. Oh, he's for secret, who is very powerful? If you would like to take a short rest, you may. Pass me, Percy's sheet actually. Daisy.

That's right. Rowan goes into a satchel and fishes out a really flat and folded quasson from Latoffin. Quasson? A last one. Oh, are you sure? Yeah. Do you want to share it? I've got my own.

Oh, okay, thank you. Don't tell you others. I will tell anyone. There's crumbs everywhere. I'm sure, breasting hard. I spend four of his hit dice to peel him up. Thank you very much. I'm not going to spend more, though.

I'll find my pencil back. Oh, yeah, sorry, stealing. Yeah, he's going to choose to spend about four of his hit dice as part. And that's kind of the ritual that you're doing. It's like you enable him to do that, basically. I spent a bunch already. Yeah. We'll kind of say that that's going to be like your mechanic for bringing Percy.

back is you can spend an hour-long ritual and then he can spend hit dice to replenish his energy. I can't spend all of them because he's about 29, I think he's at 29 HP or would I doubt? Yeah, 29, yeah. Do you want him to spend more? No, I should be fine.

29's fine. Okay. We're just going to straight back after this. Yeah. Nice. I am completely out of short rest. Same. Hit, hit dice now. I'm spaffed.

Okay. I'm fully spaffed. Um, I will look at the night, Sir Morning, Sir Glory. Would you like to spend some time honoring those that fell in the battle? We have done so already, and it is a shame. It is deeply tragic that whatever foul magic afflicted them and is currently afflicting poor John seems to have reduced their remains to nothing.

I believe that I've examined John, and this... curse of some form, magical disease, I'm not quite sure what to call it, it afflicts the soul, and if one should be drained of their vitality, it consumes the body and kills you instantaneously. I've not ever heard of anything like this, and the reports that we have had of other emissaries, this is new to us. But we've gathered their things and perform some prayers, and tonight at the temple, we will mourn them properly. We hope that one of the speaker of secrets will be able to remove this affliction from John

once we can get him back. I believe that powerful healing magic, restoration magic can undo this. Yes, yes, we have had time. We have had time to mourn. You used the same terminology when you refer to Ophelia's magic, foul magic. You must understand that in the Church of the Science,

we have been taught... No, I do not understand. one of these foul magics helped you win this fight today. It would behoove you to re-evaluate what is truly evil in this world. It's not a matter of evil necessarily. In the church, Ophelia and the land of Osceas willingly give themselves to the Great Father. That is a deal that their kingdom has struck with that power.

The Church of the Sions believes that the Great Father is using those souls to his own end. Yes, Aphelia is a great warrior, and we gladly accept her expertise and her skills in this battle. But I am still afraid. To her face? He turns to Ophelia and says that, like he says that to Ophelia. But once Ophelia turns away, she is a heretic in your eyes. I fear for her soul. I am afraid that the Grave father is bestowing Ophelia power and demanding worship.

in exchange for something that should not be taken in the way that it is. That Ophelia's soul belongs here on Allfea to be reborn, to have the chance of being worthy to become a saint as we all have. It is my belief and it is my church's belief that these powers, the Plainar Powers, the Graefar, the Lords of the Primal Isles, the Arch the Fay, all of them, we have nothing but resources to them. And they manipulate us, they trick us, they offer us power

to get our souls, to become warriors in their war. So yes, I consider the Grave Father's magic foul, yes. I understand your point, though, and I am grateful for Sister Ophelia's help in defeating what I would say is a greater evil. Sovereign crown steel is a greater threat. It is a much more visceral physical threat. But I still believe the Gravefather is a threat to Ophelia's soul.

And I apologize, Sister Ophelia. That is my belief, as you are entitled to yours. Oh, thank you, and I don't need you to fear for my soul. My soul is perfectly fine. May be the case, but I'm afraid that I cannot help it. I will always be afraid for yours and for many others who I feel like being misled. In the same way that I would, were I to see a merchant cheating someone on the street out of their coin.

I feel the same way. My religion is not a cheat. As you believe it. As I know it. That is your choice to make. I will not interfere it. I will not try and tell you or persuade you from otherwise. But I am allowed my opinion as well, am I not.

He's ruined. If you want my help, if you want our help. I am grateful for it. And I don't need your opinion. Then I will keep it to myself in the future. Thank you. You are welcome. Thank you, Xantheus.

Rowan catches himself nodding in agreement. And then it's like... That's how the church of the science is it? Anyway. You just got so much sass today. The thing as well is like, I think at the same way that they don't really want to talk about Percy and like, you know, someone has only really talked about it. The only reason he's talking about this is because Xantheus sort of...

Amped it. And, like, Sir Glory, we know that Sir Glory is a bit of a bitch and, like, it has been issued with her fear. At the same time, there are the occasional glances in Daisy's direction because they all saw the celestial wings and the celestial magic and everything take over Daisy. And again, it's kind of like the, we're not going to talk about this right now because we just did a good thing and we're just going to leave it at that.

Like, there is very clearly this, like, we're going to pretend that everything is okay. Just leave. Yeah. But there's definitely like some looks. It's the same as last time. We do some magical amazing thing and then immediately they're just like,

hmm, you're not quite like us. That sucks. That's not at all. But if that's the way Zanthia sees it, but that's... I'm pretty sure you antagonize that response out of it. No, well, they were like staring at it. It is freshly on the back of Aphelia,

not alone, sure, pulling Xanthius back into life. Like, it's... Also, exactly what Ophelia said. Zanthius always has her back. and you've just seen these people criticize her religion. Yeah. Of course, Antheist is going to feel protective.

But that doesn't mean that Sir Morning's argument isn't kind of a fair argument as well. Like, you know, it's like... Yeah, it's fair. Yeah. It's two sides of the same coin, yeah. Affiliate, like, for Aphelia, you don't believe that you're being scammed out of your soul.

You've willingly given it. Ossius is great. You love your religion. Great Father saved your life. It's all good, baby. These guys are just, you know, they're like Christians. They're like, no, I have to save your soul. You know, like...

You're going to hell. Oh, don't worry. Get bikey. The time is coming. So. Their days are numbered. You enjoy a short rest. Is the plan to begin making your way back?

Yes. Yeah. You believe so, yeah. Okay. You mount your drakes, you return back to the ruined keep. You begin making your way back. Can I please have a perception check from everybody? Ooh.

You may, and also, if you roll lower, than your passive perception, you can use your passive perception instead. Oh. Oh. I rolled lower than my passive. My passive perception is 19. I rolled lower than my passive.

Okay. No, actually, no, I got 18, yeah. Okay. Yeah, my passive is 19. Okay, so 19, 18, 18, 14. I didn't roll lower than my passive perception. I got a nine. What? What? What?

What? You don't have to have you in the room. Oh, it's a look. Well, you're looking so well. Going slow, buddy. I think Zanthia needs glasses. 22. Precipresent check.

Can you raise your passive perception by getting glasses? No. Okay. Because passive perception isn't just about eyesight. It's about other senses. Not mind-science. Everybody who got above 16, because I didn't roll very well.

Oh, they would have had advantage. Ooh. Ooh. You got a 22. Yeah. Anybody else get higher than 20? Oh, Ophelia. As you are making your way back,

you are passing through a small woodland on the outskirts of, you know, we're talking about maybe an hour, two hours outside of Ashton's rest on your route to the impact site, one that you traveled through before. You're making your way through. It is getting dark at this point. You know, the sun has set,

and so darkness is falling now, but you're not that far out. You're going to be back well within sort of mid-evening. But, Ophelia, your heightened, damp-ear senses. I mean, it's that little trace of, there's blood in the air. Not your blood, not the blood of the nights.

You can hear your ears twitch. Out there in the woods up ahead, there are people waiting. And you get the sense of, this is an ambush. You have this immediate sense that you are about to be ambushed in this woodland.

Yeah, I think knowing that, Ophelia will immediately activate her rage as like a signal to everyone else. So as you're riding along, you sort of, you see Ophelia, like her hair begins to almost flare out. She tenses her muscles. You glimpse in the tree line.

A series of, like, crossbows sort of levied in your direction and another figure who's a bit more well-heaval but you can see that there are several figures on the tree line, sort of poised, ready to strike. And you're the only one who's seen them. Everybody else is riding blithely.

I say, everybody, crossbows, everybody, move, get down, run, now! Do you do anything else on your turn? I'm just steer my Drake in a just pivot and go back in the other direction. So try and get into like some cover in the woods. Okay. There is a flurry of crossbow bolts. Okay. that look like they're trying to take down your drakes.

No. No, my, what gruff? Yeah, what gross is. This is Sir Greal's Drake. Yeah. Oh, shit. Oh, no. Obsidian, like one of the bolts hits obsidian,

excuse me, not today. Ophelia, you managed to pull yours at the last second, so one of these crossbow boats goes flying by. Because you call that that warning as well, so Morning and Sir Glory, who were writing a little bit ahead. they pull up as they, they're like, trap as they see that a razor thin wire

has been spread across the tree line in front of you that would have taken out the drakes. Oh my God. Two of the drakes, I think that probably Nells and Knaz, their drakes are struck and go down. As they kind of like stumble and pull that. as you guys are immediately ambushed. Before we roll initiative though, a voice is going to call out.

What? A voice is gonna call out and just say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, now, now, now, now. Let's not all get hasty here. Let me speak with them first. Let me speak with them first. Hello there, Xanthias. And you recognize this voice.

No. Oh, for fuck's sake. How do I recognize the voice? You know this voice quite well, because you spent quite a long time in their tailor shop. This is Knicks a Mist. Oh, you. As this dark, this simple tailor.

Black Dragonborn, still kind of keeping a degree of cover, will just say, now now, now, now, now. There's no need for the five of you, Xanthias. You and your friends, nothing to do. You can walk away from this. You can make up whatever story you like, Say that these holy knights ran off with the crown still, say that they all got killed, that you had to,

you were the big heroes, you saved the day. Whatever it is, we just want the crown steep. That's all we want, you can walk away. Jesus. You are, now I should make it very, very clear that you have been very, very useful to us, Cynthia. And our client, we considered our business complete. You did exactly what you were supposed to,

and the organization is quite happy with the way that our business conducted. Now, the fact that you have not delivered that package is not our business. So we are quite happy to keep our business arrangement with you the way it is. In fact, you've proven very valuable to us. We've been giving your father information, and we would like to continue doing so. But I'm afraid we both know that these holy knights are not going to walk away from that crown steel So let's not make this a bloodbath We know you're weakened from fighting the creature

We watch the whole thing So just walk away I'm giving you that you five this opportunity to walk away now And make up whatever story you like Oh, you fool You can't say that to Sir Gruffeth Knighterent Well a knight errant isn't quite a knight I think that Sir Gruffeth

could do a lot of good with his life, but he can't do a lot of good if he's dead. I cast masculine wounds. Okay. Okay, roll it up. And I think that is going to be an initiative role after that. Of all the people. These guys have been waiting for you this entire time.

That makes sense. We knew our flight path. It makes sense. He did. Yeah. Should have taken it from Hashem. Are they common bandits, you know. Press X to doubt.

I'm going to use my battle medic to re-roll my ones. Okay. You do have two points of fate as well. You can apply that healing to one extra person. Oh, my God. He's up. Oh, yeah. Forget that he was up.

Yeah, remember? Percy up. The loud ritual. 25 points of healing. Damn. Who is the lowest? I'm assuming you're healing your group first. Yeah, so I'm at a big heel.

36. I'm only six points out from max. Oh. Five. So I'm good now. How much should I say I said 25, right? Yeah. I think you're probably the lowest.

I will use a point of fate to give myself an extra eight. Okay. And then so glory so mourning, which one of them is the worst? I would say some morning is currently the most injured. Both Harry and Canara are also badly injured as well. I'm gonna have to go for some morning, I'm afraid. And that'll be my sixth, so that's 25 to some morning. 25 to some morning, that's great.

Really heals him up. They've had a short rest, so they have got a little bit of their spell energy back as well. All right, what are we looking at initiative wise? Oh, I got a very low. Not low. 10. So 10 for Zan. I've got a seven.

Oh, no, I'm in seven. Same as the previous battle. Fidia got 19, Percy got four. Percy four. Okay. 18 for days. Oh, okay. Okay, let me roll up all of these.

I got a three. Oh my God. I'm old and I'm tired and I just healed you kids. Yeah, so the only personal reaction Act fast, but the person saw it coming. Well, I'm Daisy, sorry. The rogue. You're already up in, you've already teleported behind them,

nothing personnel. I think that you have caught these criminals. Nixir is at least prepared for you, but the rest of them don't appear to be. Although actually saying that with their bonus, they're still going quicker than Gras and Bursey. I'm tired. I think the-

I've had to resurrect a boy. Yeah, you don't want. Yeah, the Holy Warriors with you are. Sorry, I'm not pulling my fucking weight. So morning is like mid and glory is mid. Fucking landed the final blow on the embered. So. Oh, gruff's so slow.

You're gonna be. I didn't know you sucked so much in this game. I take back my resurrect. No. Just don't do the next one. Yeah. Theater of the mind combat. So you have a long forested path.

We're going to divide that into two sections. Basically, you're going to have the front and the back. So they're currently in the sort of front zone of the road. And then on either side, you have dense woodland as well, right? So you can kind of dive into that for cover. There's about, I would say, I'm going to say there's about 30 feet between you and them currently. You're going to say I was about 30 people. No.

You don't know how many of them there are. Like, there was a few crossbow belts that shot out. And Nixon missed is the only one who's kind of part. revealed themselves and they've got quite a lot of cover from you currently. But that's kind of theater of mind. They're about 30 feet away. You don't know, Ophelia's the only one who's seen them currently. The rest of them are all very, very well hidden in the woods.

Nixir is about 30 feet away. And then, yeah, you just said you've got this gap between you. You will remember that there is this long trip wire that's been spread across the road midpoint as well. So, for example, if you go running down there and you don't make any precautions to avoid it, you might check up on that. So...

Those are one across the tree line, right? It's... Yeah, but it's the tree line that goes across the path, right? So it is to catch the drakes as they came running past, basically. And it is like a razor wire. It's not like just a normal trip wire.

It's like... Or drakes. Yeah, it's pretty nasty. I think that you will just hear a like... Oh, dear. We have... Kill them. Like, just...

We have to take the crown steel. The diadem won't allow us to fail here. and you will just hear Nixir will give the sort of order and then you see them pull out one of these rare that you've seen in shops and things like that before a Dragon Fire rifle basically like a black powder rifle and they're going to and you will hear Nixir say the same thing

healers first and gruff this is a shot directly at you oh three shots in fact 22 on the first Yes. Oh, that's going to miss. 11 on the second. That's going to be a 28 on the third. Yes.

A yes. I will roll as damage. Why not? Where's my D-10? Where are they? And knaves. These knaves. How dare they?

Naves. Jack and apes. The first one, the first shot, Gruffeth, is going to be 13 points of piercing damage. Bang. followed by another 13 points of piercing damage. So 26 in total. One of the shots you managed to deflect

with these bullets kind of slam into you from this rapid fire dragon fire rifle. And then they will, as a bonus action, they will basically take cover and place themselves up against the tree, giving themselves our... They're painful and everything. They do appear to be,

it's almost like they were preparing for this ambush. Standing next to trees. Then we go to... Oh no. Geez. Oh no. I'm going to the forest down. Ophelia's going to just

sprint towards Nix. Just full on sprint. On your drake? No. Dismount the drain. Okay. I'm going to... Can I like set the Drake free?

Just off you go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just jump off of it and he will... These are trained like drakes as well, so they're going to go off, but they're not going to go off too far. Yeah. You know.

And Ophelia will run up the path, like using the trees, like running sideways. I was gonna say, because I was about to ask you for a saving throw, but yeah, so you jump up on the trees and almost jumping from tree to tree with your spider climb to avoid this thing,

amazing, very cool. But you're gonna go directly for Nix. To Nix, to show these bandits, like they're on the wrong fucking side. Sure, sure, sure. And reckless attack with veracity. Uh, for advantage, that is, 19, 29, 29, right?

25 to hit. 25, I can't reposte there, so that will hit. Repost. Repost. Repost. Repost. Repost.

Repost. With my crotic as well. Okay, so seven. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 damage on the first strike. 13 points of damage. You sort of clash blades. He has, you can see that the end of this long dragon rifle, Helmast has like a bayonet and tries to like deflect.

He's like, Sister Ophelia, please, you could just walk away, this isn't any of your business. No, I almost died for this crown still. We're gonna die from you too. Uh, 17. Uh, 24 to hit on the second strike. I still can't do anything about that. Damn.

Uh, cool. I'm gonna use my blood point as well for an extra D6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 15, 17, 18, damage on the second, strike. Okay, God damn. Yeah. You, this time you actually, he kind of managed to deflect the first one and then you get like a long scraping across.

Yeah. We weren't trying to kill you. We just want the crown sit. I was trying to give you a chance to walk away. My chance is gone. gone. Foul. Yeah, that's Ophelia's turn. Okay. After Ophelia, it is Daisy. Can I go into the trees to run around the trip wire? I want to basically go into the trees and try and find one of the, whoever is hiding in the forest. Yeah. I basically want to sneak up on them and use sort of my skills to try and... Sure, so you'll need to give me a perception check to see if you

and locate them. As they have not fully attacked yet, they are still quite well hidden. You begin to sneak through, kind of, Ellie, in The Last of Us, you're kind of creeping through the tree line looking for them. You can hear movement, but every time you go to where there's a sound, you don't find anybody just yet.

You still have your action though. Can I, could I peek out, take a shot at Nixar with Parheelian? Sure, I would say, because where they're fighting, I will give Nixir a little bit of cover because you're kind of like sneaking around trying to find the other guys and they're a bit further back fighting Ophelia but I'll just give them that partial cover. 25. Will still hit even with the cover. And Ophelia's up against them so we'll get to. Mm-hmm. Dood-do-du-du-du-du-du-do.

Uh-oh. I rolled really well 32. My God. Radiant damage. Yeah, you, this, as they're fighting you, this black Dragon, one, impeccably well, You can see that underneath their fine tunic is, you know, a fine chain-mail shirt. They seem to have all sorts of, like, pouches and devices on their belt. They've got, like, a black hood that's almost coming over their scales and their horns.

And as you're fighting them and they're trying to negotiate with you, just this blast of radiant arrow just slams into the side of them. Just like, kill Daisy! And just kind of calls out, like, the one with the bow, you idiots. and it's just calling out to whoever their allies seem to be around them. Can I bone a section high? You can, give me a stealth roll please. Hang on, wait, no math, I'm being terrible.

22. 22, okay, good to know. I'm afraid that Sir Glory is next and this might dampen your stealth as well, but Sir Glory will just sort of brings her Drake up and it's just like, cowards fighting in the night. you face a holy knight of Pyrus, Lady of the Sun, and we'll hold up her great axe and cast daylight.

Oh, yes. You know, 60 foot, 40 feet of pure bright light, just, um, completely stripping them of their advantage on stealth currently, um, which reduces their current stealth check. Any of you who have a passive perception of 15 or higher can now see shapes,

sort of like shadows and like things like that, that give away the position. There's about six of them, it looks like, and they were kind of all. scattered around as they're scattered on either side of the tree line. I can't see them. Oh, no. Yeah, that's true.

You could have had the barrage on your stuff. I look at the day line. We could just take your current role with the daylight instead if you'd like. How am I moving so fast in the sky? It's the same role. It's the same role. So there you go. But that is going to be her whole turn and just be like,

Warriors of Pirates, warriors and pyrus, warrants the signs, do not let these cars take the ground steel. Attack! And just claws out. Yeah. If I roll under a 10 on my dice, which I did, I can add a net, so it'll count as a 10,

so it's actually 24. 24, okay, perfect. We then go to, B.BuBah, Bha, Bha. Yeah, Sir Morning, so Mourning can see one of these rogues hiding in the shadows, rides the Drake over, Wham, wham, two strikes.

First one is a hit. I'm not on the break, second one is a hit. But just a, Oh, and then they're, they're radiant damage as well. When these guys actually hit, they do quite a lot. That is going to be, oh, not with rolls like that, though. Oh, rolls like these, who need to get it?

15, 24, which is enough to take out one of the, so these two strikes with this silvery great sword, takes out one of these assailants or assassins, pirates cutthroats, charges in and takes out one of them on these. let's say on the left-hand side. So there's two on the left-hand side, three on the right-hand side, and the Knicks are missed.

We then go to Santhias. So they just said out loud that they work for my father, right? No. Diadem, they said. He said, diadem, they said, he said the client. We've spoken to your father.

They did say, yeah, we've been talking to your father. Yeah. Might be a freelance job. Probably. Um, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm. What the fuck? I would like to,

because I have used my sorcery points to regain some spells. Third level, no, yes, third level spell. Can I, where to go? There it is. It's a second level spell. I'm going to cast it a higher level. Can I cast a whole person on Nixir?

Wait, so I should also point out I've had a conversation with Tom, and based on that conversation and my own decisions as well. Maybe not for this week, but for next week, I'm going to be changing some spells because we both agree that whole person, the whole monster is very dumb.

I also think charm person and charm monster is very dumb. It's just the specific. So annoying. What is a humanoid? But also, they've changed it in 2024 rules. Things like goblins aren't humanoid anymore. So you can't even use those spells on those things.

I don't think I've ever seen any of those spells works. It's not a humanoid anymore. Fuck all. He's a feign out. Goblins are feignal. But they are humanoid. I agree it's very stupid. So I'm changing it.

that there will just be a charm and now a stasis spell that's going to affect everything, but it has some balancing elements to it. But for now, however, also... These guys are humanoid. They are humanoid. These are 100% humanoid. But, yes, I will cast hold person,

which is a wisdom saving throw. Yes. Let's pop a mage rage as well. Sorry, I should have done that first. Sure. So my spell save DC is 17 wisdom. Who you cast in this off? And anyone else or just Nixon?

Oh, I get a second target. Oh, I can't see him. You can't. Just cast it at the base level. I can't. I have to do it third because I don't have to cut slots for it. Sure. I'll cast on Daisy.

No, I don't. Sure. You'll regret. That is a failure. Fantastic. I think as you're fighting this thing, you see that the wounds he's taken from you and Daisy, Nixir is reaching towards some sort of bomb

or something on his belt and he's almost glancing like, okay, need to get the fuck out of here. This ambush hasn't worked. Raises it up and then as runes appear all over his body locking him in place. Ophelia don't kill them, take care of the rest. Uh, and... Nice. That's me for now.

I want to keep hold of this spell. Um, and keep, yeah, keep Nixra alive. Okay. The rest, unnamed NPCs. Wait. Honestly, out of all the GMs I've ever been GM. Yeah. Could I use a fate to do a... to do a bargain, please.

Sure, well, tell me what it is first, we'll decide if we even need. Well, no need. You're gonna give it to me. Okay. So, what I'd like to do is give my Drake an action. Okay. That action would be to break the wire on one side.

Okay. With their claw. Okay. With the other action, Rowan's action, he's going to use animating performance on the wire. Oh. And use it to lacerate people. Oh my God! Oh my God.

I mean, that's brutal. It's so cool, bro. So your animating performance, because you have the dancing weapon is that a separate ability to your animated performance. No, that is what that is. That is the same thing. Yeah, so you can turn that into the weapon.

Yeah, absolutely, yeah. It becomes the weapon. Yeah, absolutely. So I'd say that you kind of leap off the drake, you command the drake. That will be the point of fate, basically. Yeah, absolutely you do that. The drake goes over and, like, claws at this wire snapping it.

And then you, Yeah, like a guitar string. Yeah. I'm going to weave it and make it thrust people like a needle. Oh! Is that like the cutthroats? Yeah, go for it. Jesus.

What shall I? Jesus Christ. A lot of things recently, actually. I'm going to add extra damage to this. Natural 20. So what kind of damage does it do? I guess it, um, well. It should say, isn't it?

Either slashing or piercing, or piercing, right? Surely, well, no, we'll change the damage type, but I want to know, like, dice-wise how we'll. how much it does. Facinging. You know, like D8, what are we talking? Oh, D1D10 plus my profession. Plus proficiency, okay.

So yeah, so 10, so it's gonna be 10 plus your proficiency. So what's that? 13, right? 13, plus another D10. 14? 13. Is it any four? That's three.

Oh, plus four. Okay, so 14, so 14 plus another D 10. Take this. Thank you. 10. So 2024, I'm gonna say, because this is like a slashing, this is like a garot wire, like this is a razor wire.

Oh my God, I've ever had someone. And so do another, so I'd say I'm gonna add another D6 of damage so that becomes another six points of damage. So 30 plus another D6 because it's a crit. Christ. This would normally just be adding an extra D6 bucket. So 34 points of damage. Yeah, you pierce through one of these bandits like chests,

like, like, like, lawn, It launches out like a springed coil and just, phth-haw-h-h-h-h-h-hers-up tears up his insides as it kind of yanks itself freak. Oh no, my God. I pull it out. Nixir, Nica, what do we fucking do? Are you your turn, Rowan? Yeah, I'm gonna end it there.

You're gonna end it there? I think I'm good. Nell, John, Knaar and Harry all draw their blades. No, these fucking scum are trying to steal the ground still. They're like, charge! And they charge in, following up on the side with Roan, these two like, oh my God, what just happened? And then these holy warriors come charging in.

Two hits, natural 20 from John. Then a natural one from John. Knaar, two hits. Now, two hits. Two hits. Oh my God. These two, they just tear the last two up. They just charge it.

Because like, you know, fighting, like the crown fall and yeah, they were a little bit out of their league. Fighting these guys though, this is what Holy Worry's are meant to do with like shields and spears and swords and maces. They tear in, almost fueled by the loss of their friends, not willing to let this crown steal go. They just charge in, fucking die them scum, kind of begin carving them up as they do so.

I love that not even one full turn into this. Next is like, I like me. Oh yeah, no. Six seconds. Six seconds of time. I'm just imagining Rowan in the middle, like you are, recoiling from using this thing. And as you pull it back, you decapitate someone else.

Oh, no. Two of these bandits are going to flee. They're like the two that are on the Cyberdicermort morning are just gonna basically, they're like, fuck this. They're gonna move out into the woods and they're gonna make a stealth check to try and basically hide again. Yeah.

Through the eyes. Okay. I'm gonna flossin. Um. Come on. One of them. One of them is doing an absolutely terrible job of hiding. So it's like moved about 30 feet into the woods

and is like crouched behind like a thing, but there's shadow from the daylight spell is still. The other one has vanished. None of you see the other one as they follow their piss trail. God you don't believe what I just saw. Percy. Percy! Yeah, he's seen.

So there's this one guy who's not hidden is the only one that Percy gets here, apart from Nixon is. Oh, Percy have to charging in one guy. He's just gonna fuck him up. Golf swing with the hook star. Okay. Am I not hit, 12?

12 does not hit, unfortunately. It's stuck in a treat. But yeah, maybe a skeleton charging this man will make him think otherwise. And then Graf's a good point. So, who's left? There's one guy that you can see that person's fighting. And then, Poof.

I love how Groff just went, heel, and then just stood and went, watch this. And then he's in Nixir is being, It's paralyzed, immediately screaming. I'm just going to sigh, slide off my Drake, walk forward. Yep. Puff on my pipe. I'd like to think that that's happening.

As we're all doing our things, Gruff's just... I thought he's just insulted me. That is one of the most brutal things. The fact you got a Nat 20 on that move against some chump cutthroat. It's like... I'm just gonna nod at Nixir. Yeah, who's paralyzed, can't do anything. And I'm gonna tie them up.

Okay, so just take the moment to like bind them in. Can you give me a, uh, no, I'd say that you can just tie them up. It'll be a basic DC if they wanna try and escape the ones, basically. So yeah, you just get your own pattern, you slowly just start tying them up. Just take my own time. Yeah. And I'm not saying a fucking thing. I'm just giving them a look.

That's disappointing. And I give him a nod. I get to make a same throw at the end of your turn right. It doesn't matter. I failed it. Cool. Just give him a pal on the back. At this point, the one guy who's escaped, he's hidden.

None of you can see this guy. His stealth is pretty damn high. We're probably get away. Hungry for blood. The guy that's left, the one that Percy's currently attacking, immediately, like, you guys can just go and wipe him out. Like, there's no chance of it. He's crawling along the ground.

So I think we'll... We'll call that. Hello. He chose to hide right beside me. Yeah. I like, it's so distracted by Percy, and then Daisy just comes up like Ellie and the last of us just plunging the knife into his neck.

Ah, ah. Oh my God. Gras, smoking his pipe in the middle of it. They're just like drinking the blood. Okay, none of that. The knights won't allow that. The knights see you going to drink them. They're going to get involved.

But with that, you mix a juice box. He's tied up, literally cannot do anything. So glory, so morning will come up and disarm Nixir, take the rifle, take the bombs, take like daggers, pulls out several knives, and we'll just probably say, you are under arrest for crimes against the church and crimes against Duke Ignorius. I was such a fan of your work.

Do you keep the spell on him as long as you can? Yeah. Yeah, okay, yeah. So I'll say that like, for it, last like a minute, I think. Yeah, I think so, yeah. So for a whole minute, he's just can't say anything. Probably gets bound to Sir Morning's Drake as well, so they come over, you know, Sir Morning is like, thank you,

Knight-Erant. I'll take it from here, slams him onto the Drake, ties him again to the saddle. Huh? You won me a fashion competition. Which put you in the newspaper. Why? Zabdius, before we go any further,

what were they talking about? They said that you... Beat me. Deception, Jay, please. I do not know. Who is my mother? Your memory of this clue. I think you misheard them.

Give me a deception. I don't have a father. What is my deception? Okay. Great roll. Can I re-roll? Can I re-roll? As a fellow? You can re-roll if it's, you know.

Yeah, sure. Okay, that's basically the same. Um, 26. It's like, I must have misheard him. I failed the insight role. I failed the insight role. It's been a long day. It's just like...

Very long day. I thought I heard him say something about doing something with... doing business with your father or something. It's been a very long day for all of us. I think we need to get back to the city as fast as we can. Yes, we will interrogate him with the Duke's men and find out anything he knows. So this after what we've just done was like a complete m-wom.

Yep. I'll get the garage. So here's the thing. Sometimes the narrative demands certain actions, even if I know as a GM that those actions are doomed to fail. Like, there was a chance if Ophelia hadn't seen them and I got off all their advantage shots because they would have had advantage, they do sneak attack-style damage

when they hit, they probably could have done a lot of damage to you guys and you're quite weakened. as soon as Ophelia knew that the ambush was coming, as soon as I whiffed a bunch of their attack roles, I was like, this is probably done. And then fucking Geroot boy, and the, you know, you two just, like, between Ophelia and Daisy doing like 60 odd damage

to Nixir like right away, yeah, it was done. But sometimes the narrative of these things, like this has been in the works for a while, like Nixir has been like following what's going on, knew that the Crownfall was happening. Well, put that one a bed, do we? And with that, we will bring this episode to a close. Oh, that was crazy.

I'd appreciate the smoke break. Yeah, yeah, yeah. To whose Drake did they get tight? So mornings. So morning. Okay. All right. I have some other good news.

I know it's not been that long. Are you guys a love a lot? Oh, shit. Oh, my God. That would be the day. You did get a vessel of sovereign. You defeated an emissary of sovereign. Oh, God.

You challenged. sovereign directly in Xantheus's case and overcame it. You did sass. Good and proper. So you can handle that next time. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's an interesting choice. But we are, yeah, we are also in the point where

trying to wrap up some of these story elements. Excuse me? Yeah, trying to wrap up some of these story bits. But again, there are still many problems still to come. There is a sibling potentially arriving in Ashton's rest. That's what I was expecting with the ambush. Not quite yet. But also perhaps then we'll still be some fallout and aftermath from this particular endeavor.

Awesome, Skyrim. Or Moro Wind or Arena. Well, we really knew Vegas this one. Still some trouble on the horizon. However, all three pieces of crown steel secured. Horizon wasn't made by... With that, we bring this episode to a close. An emotional roller coaster, many ups and downs.

An epic final confrontation, a heartfelt touching moment. And then a nice, easy win. Yeah, it was. A pallet cleanser. A little palate cleanser. A little amuse brooch. A horror show. Yes.

Or perhaps a little sweet dessert after the main meal. A creme brule. A lovely creme brulee. Well, that's my process smoking, you know. That's no small thing. A creme brulee or a lovely cheese bowl. Compliments to the deemis-sou. A tebram-sum-sum.

Cigar. With that, everybody, thank you so much for joining us. That's gonna be the end of the episode. We'll see you next time. Bye.