High Rollers DnD - Den of Heathens (Part 2) | Altheya: The Dragon Empire #74
Episode Date: August 21, 2025The party explore a den of heathens and make a plan to face off against Coralsong! 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/1WX3ICiTmf4GpHwImnQMs6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Pickax.
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have discovered a sea cave used by the cult of the bountiful net in their worship of Ojania
and have begun to make their way to investigate it. Having sent Serran on to search for any
signs of people sailing nearby or sailing off and leaving Sir Joran to repair the sunkist,
the party made their way down the coast into this cave. A few brush with some crude but
effective traps also led them into a worshipping chain.
with a shallow pool of water, which when disturbed seemed to signal something to a power elsewhere
as this pool of water became a sort of conduit for divination and transmutation magic,
animating a set of shark's teeth on the wall to attack Xantheus before it was promptly ruined by Ophelia and Rowan.
But through that pool, some scrying magic and also some enchantment.
effect seems to take hold
of some of the group. Enchantment.
Enchantment. I just need to say that.
Enchantment. Enchantment.
Dragon Age reference for you there.
That is
where we have left things off.
The party gruff, very quick thinking
and dispel magic failed, but
destroy water.
Managed to eliminate the water
in the pool, rendering the current
spell or effect moot.
However, that water will
likely return in time. Although,
very slowly.
It also destroyed all the water in my body.
Santhius is dead.
Can you do that?
No.
I believe it says in the spell
that it has been an open container,
not a...
What is a body if not an open container?
If it's not an open...
Body of water?
Also, would you really like...
If you guys can do that,
that means I can do that.
Yeah, but it'd be so easy
because we've got the...
Because it's like a 20-foot cube
I just catch all of you and be like,
well, you're all dead.
I close my mouth.
Is that Blight, though?
Like, Blake, dries you out.
Exactly, that's why Blight is an attack spell.
It's the desiccation spell.
Yes, it literally ends.
I'm going to dehydrate you, motherfucker.
Yes, but this is used on standing horse.
That's what it is.
I know, it's just the way you said.
It was quite funny.
So.
Motherfoko.
Dehydrate it.
You stand in this grim chapel used by the cult of Ojania.
The pool of water has been emptied.
There are still.
very minorly magical, magical touched strands of kelp
that have sort of flopped and now lay across the stone.
Yeah.
Which seemed to resonate with some sort of divine magic,
some sort of similar connection to what you sensed.
But I hand it back over to all of you.
Right, so are you saying there's a way to deconsecrate this?
Take the magic out.
Probably just ripping up all these plants and things,
but well, it might backfire.
I don't know how magic really works.
I do know how magic works.
I'm saying I don't know how this magic works.
But I feel like once the water comes back in,
the spell will be in full effect again.
And then probably trying to invade our minds,
sing a song, make us see things, you know?
Maybe.
Well, I think the problem is that she knows that we're here
and is probably maybe just going to come here instead.
Yes, but I want to make it so that no one else finds this
and does this again.
Well, if there's no choral song, then they won't be doing it again.
I'm going to reach out from one of the plants and try and yank it up.
Yeah, I mean, you just yank it.
Yeah.
I mean, as I said, the plants are minorly magical,
but it is not just them that is making this magical.
I don't know if that was not clear.
But yeah, you pull up some of these, like, red kelp ferns, like kelp fronds.
Pull them up there, wet, slimy.
They're a very deep crimson red, you know, with looking...
as if veins run through them,
as if they are blood-like.
No, put them down.
I was thinking, what if, is there a way we could maybe
contaminate this spell effect?
Maybe, I'm not sure what I'm thinking,
but maybe if we could find a way of enchanting it
in a way that doesn't make it a Jarnia-based.
It's...
Redirected.
Yes, redirected Janias.
magic elsewhere.
I don't think I have any magic that can do that.
Can we just smash it up?
We could just smash it up.
We could just leave.
Or that.
Block the entrance.
Never come back.
Take away the post.
Regular old cave.
With a slightly shorter entrance.
Rowan, can you smash this pool?
What are you trying to?
Because this is like carved into the ground.
This isn't like a bowl on top.
This is like carved into the ground itself.
Like, how would you destroy this natural kind of, you know, basin?
You could try and collapse like the ceiling or something like that.
But that's even, Rowan isn't that strong.
Let's remember that.
Like, he's only 13 strength.
He's not a big strong lad.
It's just a big boy.
Right.
Right, I think before this pool fills back up again.
That is going to take a long time, by the way.
Like, you've destroyed enough in it, so it will slowly trickle in.
It's not going to, like, suddenly,
full with water.
Probably take a day or maybe longer for it to fill back up to where it was.
You've got time.
Right, we have a look around, see what we can find.
Part of me is wondering if we take some of this profanity with us,
some of the prayer books or something like that.
A way to whapsper some in a connection with them again,
when we're ready in a place that isn't a crab bucket of a cave that we're stuck in.
Well, now I'm going to jar near everywhere. It's going to be a crab bucket.
Yes, but I'd rather fight her out on the open sea than in here.
Well, yes. No, not in the open sea. No, anywhere near the open sea.
Do you understand what I mean?
Not here.
I'd like it if people could just have a look around, see what you can gather up.
Maybe we take some of these things with us, a prayer book, or something like that.
Yes.
And by the saints and signs, if you feel like smashing things up, go ahead, this place is profane.
That it is. And gauche.
Oh yes, it really is.
So gosch.
So many carvings.
And we've already discussed that.
Dry blood. Disgusting.
It's all the plan.
I would like people to search cave to see if they find anything.
So, people can make an investigation check, but like?
Yeah.
We're also good at that.
Seven.
Would you like Mateo and Rowan to help?
It's two.
Rowan fails.
Mateo does have a plus three to us.
Natural 20.
10.
Natural one.
Best of us.
Every time.
Every fucking time.
I can't find anything.
All of you search around, you really,
there is also not much to find.
This place does not have many hidden bits and things like that.
The altar itself is just a sort of,
rough stone column with this, you know, divot,
you know, looks like it's for, you know, bleeding into
and things like that.
The pews themselves are roughly made.
There is not much to find here.
There are no prayer books.
There is no secret hidden element.
That is, until Mateo,
searching the sort of wooden frame
that the shark's jaws were hanging on to,
also I should have asked you exactly what you guys are searching but it's fine
Mateo is like running his hands along that and he's like oh I think I've
think I've got something actually and he taps like it's like a catch
on the back of this sort of board and you do hear a click
and some part of the back wall seems to like a seam appears
and he opens a secret door a hidden door
that was in there
Through the mountain
How did you find that?
I just looked at the wooden thing
And I thought maybe there's something
I thought maybe there was something hidden behind it or something
And I felt like a little latch
It's like in the stone
It's like a little button
And I pushed it and then that did that
Brilliant, brilliant job.
Well done, Boyo.
Yes, I know, I'm brilliant.
I'm clearly very much made out
for this adventure business.
Very much.
Like I think this is where I'm meant to be
Obviously, I'm destined to me.
Well, that's not changing any time soon.
No, I'm making notes as we go, so.
The door, it's only, it's popped open, but it's not fully opened, right?
Like, it's not, you know, swung open or anything like that.
It looks like it's just released from a catch,
and now you can see the seam, and it can be pulled open if you wish it to be.
I will pull it open.
Okay.
It doesn't lead into a tunnel.
It's more like a small antechamber or room behind it.
it, and as you sort of open it, you can see that there are, again, more sort of cult accoutrement,
which has been assembled here.
Say that again.
Acutremant.
There are more of those cloaks that you've seen.
There are stores of food, things that like the cult might keep down here, including what appears
to be a very...
very, very old ledger, like a book, like a huge tome with wax sealed pages.
You know, this is meant, it's almost like a captain's book, one that might a captain keep on a ship,
kept in these damp conditions.
And looking through it, it is, it is, it doesn't have a title on it,
but the first page is just the records and worship of the cult of the bountiful net.
and it goes back probably about 100, 100 and something years,
and it details the arrival of this cult into netting on sea.
It was begun by a deluded fisherman who talks about meeting these creatures of the sea
and that promised them rewards and riches, told them about Ojanja,
and ever since then it grew and grew until that became the Ogden v.
family who then kept this going they introduced the cambric family who were their longstanding friends
into it and it is a bloody history of sacrifice of heresy um and everything else uh the last few
pages though are what become of interest because they are written by merrick ogden and they speak of
and flicking through gruff you very quickly get the impression that this is not to say that they
are pretending or playing pretend would be a great affront to the murders and the the awful profane
rituals that they've performed here but they never once received anything back they they were
fulfilling these rituals believing it to be responsible for their villages prosperity for good
harvests of fish for everything else and if there were any bad harvests it was blamed on them not
being worshipful enough that they needed to kill more and sacrifice more and then the next year
what a surprise they got what they wanted it's very there is a story that it becomes very apparent
reading through but not but a few months ago roughly when sir joran said that these champions
began to cause problems merrick ogden reports that the sacred pool that his family had always gathered
around for their rituals that they prayed to, began to speak to him.
And a voice told him that riches and power would be his,
if he helped betray, if he offered up the sacrifice of the living
to Ajanya's servants, to Ajanya's champions.
And instructions were provided through this to set up a signal
to come here on a certain day
and he reports of meeting a figure
a hulking figure of armour like a crab
with a giant claw that it spoke to him
and told him that he would be rewarded
for offering up the living in exchange of in service basically
and this plan was hatched between Agamox and Merrick
to use the signal fire and the festival as a way
to gather everybody.
There is not much speak of choral song in all of this.
The voice was Agamox's voice that he heard.
It seems that the two of them were able to use this pool
as some sort of conduit to somewhere else.
Merrick reports in this book of seeing something
within the waters when he heard the voice.
He spoke of a...
He spoke of a forest of crimson kelp.
He spoke of a great ship sunken deep beneath the waves,
glanced at in passing visages.
And when the champion, when the Doomclaw came to him,
he had these gifts of this red frond, this fern
that he said would empower the pool
and enable it to be used to,
greater effect in the future, and that it was necessary for him to plant them for Agamox to use,
basically. So it seems that these, this, whatever this strange kelp is was part of what allowed
Agamox to maybe use this pool back. It looks like it was very much a one-way conduit until these
ferns were added, and then it could potentially be used as a two-way conduit.
Very cool.
But it's still going to take like a full day for that to be used,
for the water to come back in?
If you would like to try and use it, yeah.
And now I've taken the...
I've taken the kelp out of it.
All of it?
I just say it would remove, yeah.
Yeah.
It's for the best, though, to be honest.
Okay.
It could potentially be replanted.
You have drip, but you would probably have to use.
your own juridic magic to help it take root and revive it.
I could use great water and I'm like, no, I don't want to do this profane act.
Yeah.
But that's, but yeah, you have this wax, you know, ship's ledger,
which has been used as sort of the cult's diary.
And it looks like the purpose of this book, by the way,
is it is passed down from each head of the cult with instructions for the next,
you know, kind of like here are the rituals.
It's sort of, this is the sort of the hierophants chamber, you know, this is the high priests of the cult's chamber, where they are instructed in the sacred rituals and things.
Most of these rituals, though, is it's just chanting and, you know, bleeding livestock over the altar and offering up their remains to the pool.
And it's really quite mundane in a sense, horrible and profane, but there's no magic spell incantations or anything like that.
This is all very much just cultural belief.
And then seemingly something chose to make this place.
Perhaps it was the worship itself,
eventually blessed it with the power for the champions
or perhaps, Janja herself, to connect it to Coral Song and Agamox.
It just took a hundred years.
Yeah, I mean, it just seems to be that, yeah,
it didn't take any notice before then.
Right, I think we leave now.
We go back to the village.
I have no interest in re-engaging this pool.
I think there are other ways we can find Coral Song.
We have a clue here with this crimson kelp
and a sunken galleon.
But I certainly, it worries me
that we don't have psychic defences against Coral Song.
I don't wish to engage her here.
Seeing what the three of you, what happened to the three of you just now.
So I think we leave, we get back to the village.
Perhaps I'll hand over this book as evidence for the village.
Yes, I agreed, yes, and I do.
Whatever you think, Rafa, I'd like to leave here.
Santhia Stacey, Mateo.
Yes, I would quite like to leave, actually.
I don't think anyone wants to stay in this horrible, horrible.
terrible cave.
Zanthis, you've gone rather quiet.
I'm trying to go through my repertoire of spells
to see if I have anything that can
dissuade from the psychic effects.
But also, I'm thinking we need to be fast
and we need to find it and we want to kill the thing, right?
We have a connection right here.
Right? Am I insane?
We'll be fighting Coral Song in her territory, essentially.
I mean, the alternate place.
is we go looking for a sunken boat in a big ocean.
We're not going to find it,
unless what we send out some seeking spells
of some kind to look for this thing,
but we haven't seen this boat,
so that makes it more difficult.
And, um...
We do still have a lead with the Twin Peaks.
How far away is that?
A couple of days, sail.
Two, three days sail.
Do I hear...
So Jordan might know about some shipwrecks
that are around?
Do I hear anything from something?
Sarah and night.
It's probably not fully been an hour
yet. You're probably approaching it. It's getting close,
but it's not been a full hour yet, I don't think.
Probably like 45, 50 minutes.
But what if, Zanthius, we
reactivate this pool,
Coral Song appears again, and manages this time
to brainwash all of us.
There was something about the push
that was making you get towards the pool.
I didn't have a good feeling.
about what would have and if you touched it?
Um, I'm just trying to also come up with an idea
of what we could do in a few days on the sea
heading towards a new place to protect our mind from a song.
We've tried putting coffee beans in our ears before,
but this thing goes straight into our heads
and I don't want to put coffee beans on my brain.
I'm not reactivating this, Paul.
it will almost certainly involve blood.
I think we should leave the cave.
Yes.
I think we could talk about it on the way back
and we can have a think about good things to do
and also maybe, maybe some of the villagers,
I don't know, maybe they know about some shipwrecks
in the area and they have fishermen.
They might have been out near some shipwrecks
and then we can think about it.
But really, number one priority, leave.
Santhias, you have a very good point, and I understand it.
But to reactivate this pool, reading these records and looking around,
it will almost certainly involve some sort of sacrifice.
Yes, but we have given up a lot of blood already to one particular member of the party.
What's a little bit more to potentially kill Coralson?
Gruff will look up at the bones around.
We'll look at the record of sacrifices of livestock and bodies.
Yes, I'll do what everyone thinks is right,
but I'm also just going through my spell list as well.
I'm just trying to find protection from energy doesn't do shit for psychic.
I don't think any of us is anything particularly.
Let's get some fresh air. Let's get out of this place.
Worst case, if we can't find it,
another way, we know this is here, and we can maybe come back.
But probably not.
Hopefully not. Hopefully we find a better way.
This pool refill in a day anyway, so we can make a plan then.
As a last resort, we can come back.
You can maybe see, like, just trickles, like the tiniest amount of water
is beginning to form at the bottom.
Like, it's filling up very, very slowly.
It will take, yeah, a good, long time for it to replenish to what it was.
So on that, it would usher everyone out.
Usher everyone out.
Yeah.
You guys make your way back.
No threat of those poisonous spines.
When you emerge back out,
the water is now lapping the tops of that thing
where you shimmied along the side of the cave,
the tide sort of rising now.
And I'll say that with enough speed
and with careful instruction from Graff
and knowing to what you're footing this time,
you are able to kind of get back out onto the coast.
It isn't too much longer,
maybe just by the time you reach the end of the cave,
you would hear Seren in your mind, Gruff,
just saying,
I did not see any boats or creatures, Gruffethe.
I have flown for as far as I can and returned when you asked,
but I have not seen anything this way.
They did not come west.
There's not been any travellers I have seen.
I saw some on the road,
but they were in wagons and looked like merchants.
Good girl.
Return to the village, netting on sea.
Return to Sojourn. We'll be back soon.
Yes, I will go to the old sailor.
One just carries on flying, having heard that in your mind.
The group of you make your way along the coast
navigating those slippery, wet rocks
until you reach the wooded trail
that leads back towards Nettigong Sea.
Yeah.
Yeah, we keep...
Yeah, yeah, we'd get back to Nang on Sea.
I'd tell them what Saren said as well.
I'd update you all on Sarah and not seeing nothing.
Seems that if Jameson took a boat, he did not go that direction.
You're right, though, Tom.
Protection from energy is a shit spell.
I was just looking at this.
It's a third level spell, concentration,
and he gives one person resistance to one type of damage.
Like third level.
It could be clutch in the right fight.
A lot of spells are very, very situational.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure, like, yeah, when...
Concentration as well.
That does think.
I did fire resistance on cam when he was, you know,
being chased by a, right, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And that helped.
I don't know if that was protection for energy though,
or it was like fire resistance.
No, it's the same thing, yeah, it's protection.
Third level, fuck.
Sorry, carry on, I got really absorbed.
It's very situational.
The right fight could be a game changer.
I had fairy fire in my arsenal the entire way through Lightfall.
I don't think I used to fucking once.
I was like, someone would be invisible.
Very fire is really good.
Fairify is good for not just the invisibility,
it's the advantage.
I think it's changed now, actually.
Anyway, anyway, yeah?
So leads, we have the kelp, we have a boat,
we've got the book, the ledger, great start.
I'd say, we've got people that know the sea very well.
I think we've got some good leads to go on.
Yeah, we do, I think.
And I don't know if Carlson's gonna come to us,
I think we will have to go too.
I don't imagine Carlson knows it, has any idea of where we are.
Didn't really know where Agamogs went.
Wouldn't you say she saw you in the conch or something?
Yes, but unless they're very good at Chio Gessor.
Well, yeah, but...
But did you not get the feeling that they were...
She was scrying on us and...
Yeah, but if she made a connection with you in the pool,
surely she would know where that pool is.
It might have just been communication alone, though.
I mean, generally, Xantheus, I mean, you...
I think you know how Scrying works, right?
You have access to that spell?
I guess I would.
I can't cast it.
Give me an alkanah check then.
Akana.
This is going to be huge.
Well, we got the feeling that she was watching.
They were watching us in our head.
Don't need feelings when you got in that 20s.
Fuck you.
17.
In 17's enough to know that I'm scrying,
she might have been able to see that cave.
She doesn't necessarily know where that cave is.
Yeah.
But she might.
She might.
We don't know how much she knows.
But generally the scrying spell
just allows you to see and hear.
here, wherever that part, around that personal location, right?
You don't necessarily know where that location is.
So you don't think that Corrosolone will necessarily know
where Netting on Sea is.
It sounds like as well that Merrick had mainly
communication with Agamox, so.
Can I retcon that I would have taken some of the kelp
with me, the kelp that I pulled out?
Am I allowed that?
I'm gonna say, that's a pretty big retcon say you didn't do it,
It's been quite a while now.
It's just annoying because I had it in my head,
and then I just realized I didn't say that.
Oh, it's in like, oh, you know,
because you said you pulled it out.
I'm assuming you put it in, like, your bag.
I'm assuming you have some with you.
Yeah.
But you don't want to have any with you.
No, I do.
Yeah, no, I would assume that you would have taken it
and put it in your inventory.
Yeah, like.
All right, okay.
When somebody, in a D&D game or a TGRB,
if somebody says, like, I take some of the blah,
I'm like, that's in your inventory now.
Like, it's got added.
There's like a little box,
and there's a little picture of some red kelp,
and that's in your inventory now.
You've pressed tabbed,
and you've highlighted all the interactibles.
It's probably so gross.
Yeah, well, that's why I assume, like...
Coffee cup of slime.
I take this slime.
Fucking coffee cup of slime.
Coffee cup of slime.
Unlidded coffee cup of...
That's solidified now.
It's like a resin.
Yeah.
It's pretty good.
It's pretty useful.
It's really hard.
There was a phase.
Nightwing will want it.
Is it like one of those alien...
egg toys when you leave it for too long and it was over.
All right, yes.
What are you guys doing about the situation?
What do you guys want to do?
Heading back to the village.
Mm-hmm.
Um-hmm.
Um...
Should chat to Sojourn, ask if Sejorin knows about any...
I've got a list, but it's really hard to say.
Sojourn about the shipwrecks.
Yes.
Maybe find out where this kelp goes.
Other than that, I don't know.
I think that's a good place to start.
Sister Ophelia.
Goody.
Can we go back to the...
Gigadad.
Yeah.
If you find Sir Joran,
it's only been an hour so he's not finished repairing
the SunKist or like fixing it up.
He's doing that thing on TikTok where he's like,
I'm an adult, but my mom's a superior adult.
That's what Sir Joran is.
He's like the next level up.
Yeah.
You make your way back.
He is still in the process of repairing it.
Maybe he's got some of the harpoons
He's reloading the balister.
You can see that he's in the middle of like patching the sails
where they got torn and things like that.
He'll look down and be like, ah, you're back.
How did it go?
Do you find anything useful?
Well, we definitely found another shrine.
And in it was pews and altar.
Quite a horrible one actually.
Sorry.
Not as nice as mine.
Giant shark's teeth animated to well take a bite out of.
Oh, that looks nasty.
What, the wound?
Oh, hasn't ripped my clothes, has it?
Only a little.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I don't have the money to replace this one.
I bought a load of backup.
I mean, it's mendingable.
Do you know what I mean?
It's like very, very minor.
I cast mending.
Yeah.
Can you do that on my sales?
That'll save a lot of time.
Oh, I can do, sure, yes, yeah.
That would save a hell of.
He's sewing them up.
Yeah, he's literally been sitting there sewing them,
and he sees you just magically go,
yeah, you know what?
There you go.
What?
Sorry, I just, I didn't even think about it before we left.
Good to know.
I mean, it sounds like, I mean, this shrine,
did you find anything useful, any clothes?
There was a pool of water in it,
planted with this crimson kelp and I'll bring it out to show.
It takes it.
We'll roll for him to see if he knows what this is.
Because it's not, his specialty isn't sort of like fauna
and stuff like that, he's a fighter.
Natural 20.
Judge, NPCs!
Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad.
Stop using this dagger hard dice for NPCs.
I don't like it when they get too many Nat-20s.
It makes me feel bad for you.
Like, you guys are meant to be the hero, it's not there.
I know you don't care.
We need all that we need.
No, the only other one I've got is this one.
That's the good one.
The moment Mateo was introduced to the campaign
is when the title dropped.
Yeah, finally.
The main character's here.
All of this was just preamble.
for Mateo, Sejorian takes this and he nods very sagely.
He's like, I know what this is.
It doesn't often come up because it's quite far down on the ocean floor,
but out near Twin Peak Isle,
surrounding the ocean floor around the bottom of the mountains,
you know, the aisles are just mountains, you know,
peaks of underwater mountains.
There is a place called Blood Kelp Forest.
A few divers and sailors like myself, we've heard of it.
Very few have seen it, but we know it's there.
Spreads out for miles, miles and miles.
It's like a fully underwater forest.
And it grows so tall and so thick that it's like a blanket,
like a carpet across the ocean floor.
And legend says, rumors say,
that there's plenty of creatures and children of Virginia.
and all sorts of lost sailors, lost ships, all of that.
Yeah, shipwrecks, that's another thing.
Aye, yeah, shipwrecks, they're easily, as the legends go,
there's plenty of ships that have been dragged under the water
and the kelper has grown over them,
hides them from view, can't be found.
A few famous ones, I think.
There's one in particular that I know.
He doesn't need to roll for this.
This is a story I would have just given you.
You're familiar, and he kind of like glances at Rowan when he says this.
You're all familiar with the war with the giants from centuries ago,
between the dragons and the giants, right?
A little.
It's long, long ago, after the empire's creation,
the dragons encountered the giants,
and the giants wanted land, the dragons wanted land,
and conflict occurred.
Giants live off on an aisle far away from here.
Unlike us, though, they seem to be able to cross the seas through brute force.
They fight off of Janja.
Jania still tries to stop them, but they seem to just be natural sailors, naturally good boat builders, shipbuilders.
Well, the Giants and the Dragons went to war for a long time.
During that war, many of the coastal provinces had to fend off attacks from
giants and we were not a we are not a seafaring empire so ships and things like that weren't
common we only have schooners like my sunkist and small coastal ships but after the war giants began
a few bronze dragons creators of you know creative and mine builders engineers architects that sort of thing
they got together and with the funding of the dragon the gold dragons of guildi
They built warships, the first imperial warships, first ever built.
Proper galleons, big ships, the kind that we rarely build
because half the time you send them out across the sea and they get destroyed.
I imagine Sisserafeele, you're from Osseus, right?
Yes.
I imagine you travelled on a similar-sized ship when you came here.
They're rare, even for your people, I think, as well.
It was magnificent.
Well, we have a few of those.
We've sent them over as diplomats to Osseus and I think Stridia and a few other places.
They're rare. Well, this one, this was the, what was its name? Glory of Palladrax, that was it,
named after the Bronze Dragon who designed it. It was a great ship, a mighty warship,
and it would go toe to toe with the giants, equipped with cannons of magic and the latest
creations of Gildi and the Suncrest Isles. But the giants, as I say, they are master seafarers,
They are warriors.
They had magics of their own and powerful strength.
And the glory was sunk, supposedly, off the coast of the Suncrest Isles.
Now, where exactly?
This was long ago, hundreds and centuries and centuries ago.
So the records from back then were not well kept.
The exact locations of these shipwrecks, very difficult to pinpoint.
There was always the rumor, always the theory,
that the glory went down near Twin Peaks mountain,
near Twin Peaks Isle and was swallowed up by the blood kelp.
So if you're looking, if there's a shipwreck you're looking for,
it might be that one.
It'd certainly be a big ship, not like any of these smaller ones like mine.
It'd be an actual big galleon.
Well, it's funny you should say that, but this...
We found this behind the altar.
And I'll show him there, but...
if you look at the last few pages
as were filled out by Merrick
and he mentions contact with Agamox
and finally about the time
that you reported the first disturbances
Agamomus
Put some tiny reading glasses
Agamox finally made contact
with Merrick
conjured this whole plan
for this festival and the sacrifice
he mentions seeing
a forest of Crimson Kelp
and a giant
sunken ship.
Ah, yes, I see, and I saw in the water
between the crimson fronds
a great ship
with a dragon at its head.
I think this may be the glory of Paladrax,
aren't they? I had a great
statue of the bronze dragon himself
at the front on the prow.
That's supposedly, anyway.
A statue made of gold.
I mean, one of the things that people...
The glory of Palladrax was equipped with magical weapons,
riches, you know, finely made arms and armor
created in dragon forges and enchanted by dragons themselves.
It was, you know, it's a treasure seekers and smugglers.
It's a bit of a legend to try and fire.
Oh, I can imagine, yes.
Well, it sounds like that's where we'll probably find
us our biggest lead at the moment.
Oh, so, yeah.
I mean, if this choral song was looking for a place to use as a bastion deep in the ocean,
the blood kelp forest would be an ideal place, and perhaps there is...
Plus a giant, giant ship.
Aye.
Well, and also, I mean, Ojanja hates the empire, she hates, you know, the living.
I mean, there's something poetic, isn't there, about using the carcass of a great ship of the empire as your bastion.
I think.
It's blasphemous as what it is.
Mm, it is.
It's surprising, though, at this point.
I mean, that sounds it.
The difficulty you'll find is,
I have no idea where the glory
would be within the blood kelp forest,
and as I said, it's miles and miles of
thick, dense underwater flora.
I mean, it's no different
to trekking through a great forest up here on land.
You said it was made of gold.
There was a golden dragon helm.
Mm.
Right.
Well, you're good of gold.
I can sniff gold.
Is that what you mean?
Can you sniff it underwater?
Can't say I've tried.
You also have to be fairly close.
I think I'll see it before I can smell it.
If I'm underwater...
Not necessarily.
Like if it's...
The nose two bumps against it.
It's gold.
Yeah.
Yeah, there it is.
Also, if I start sniffing stuff underwater,
I think that means I've started drowning.
I mean...
I've cast water.
There's always...
Do you want to try it now?
I mean, if they had any crown steal aboard that ship,
maybe you'll be able to...
Another way, I can sense it.
Maybe.
There's any fashion shows down there.
I've been invited, because I'm the best.
So drawing, I'll say, I can sell you out to where the blood kelp begins.
I mean, I know where that is.
It's about, you know, day and a half, two-day sale just on the near Twin Peak aisle.
It would make sense if she's attacked Twin Peak and Netting on Sea here.
there's easily accessible settlements,
but there's more in that area.
I mean, the blood kelp is vast.
There's always been strange rumors.
Apparently there are other creatures
of a Janja down there.
People have spotted, like, turtle men.
They say that they're a horrid creatures.
Fine, yes!
Yes!
All sorts of...
Are they anti-heroes in a half shell?
I don't, no, I don't.
I mean, they're meant to be beasts,
They're meant to be, you know, sailors and smugglers.
They spy them...
They spy them when they come up to rocky islands and things like that
and kill them, you know, fearing that they're creatures of Ojania.
But there's other things down there as well, you know.
Ejanja commands creatures like sharks and great deep squid
and, you know, all these sorts of beasts.
They'll be hiding amongst it.
But there may be other dangers as well.
Well, the information thus thought has been immensely valuable, Sir George.
Thank you.
It's only stories I've heard.
Like I said, if it wasn't for that book and what you found out,
I don't know if I'd be able to really help you beyond that.
Well, we have Mateo to thank for that.
Yes, my keen adventuring senses
detected that there was a secret chamber
hidden within the heretics den.
Yes, the heretics den.
And I sensed that there was more to it than meets the art.
My good night, ha ha.
He doesn't have glasses.
Nighterrant.
I'm talking to Sir Jorin.
Oh, okay, sorry.
I could see where you're looking.
Oh, burn.
Yes, yes, yes.
I mean, no, night errand, but I'm just wrong with Sir Jorin.
But yes, no, I sense that there was something afoot.
Ha ha, the keen adventuring senses.
Mateo the marvelous, Mateo the maestro.
No, we're talking.
Coordinates a sonnet as he coordinates a battle.
Well, we'll, well, well.
All right, we'll work, shall we'll work, should we, we'll work, should we, we'll work on the stairs.
What?
Mateo, how good is you all singing in your music?
I, I, I, he looks around.
Oh, Roman, would you mind getting me a pastry from the village?
Just for a second, my good friend.
Oh, yes, of course, Mateo, I don't mind.
He goes off.
Rowan's a lot better.
Like, he is so good.
Like, I honestly don't, I can't hold a candle to it.
Why can't you say that in front of him?
That's a rather nice thing to say in front of him.
Because it is a nice thing.
But I also feel that, you know, he's very, he plays himself down a bit.
And what I think he needs is he needs me to be a bit of a, like, an mentor figure to, like,
help build him up, you see.
And if he knows that I'm not as good as him, I think that's going to sort of diminish his faith in me.
I think he would still have faith.
Everyone has faith in everybody.
But not in the same way.
I think he needs someone to look up to.
Do you know what I mean?
Xanthius, you know what I'm getting at.
Yeah, I know exactly what I'm talking about.
If I, I think that, you know, it's a little white lie,
a little, you know, in fact, it's not even a lie.
I'm just not telling him.
That's different.
He's just like pretty good.
I'm pretty good.
Don't get me wrong.
I'm pretty good.
I've got the gift of the gab.
Yeah, but much better.
You know, very good at talking to people.
But as a performer, Rowan's a lot bloody better.
He really is.
Well, I'm just wondering if there's a way you can assist him.
I wonder...
I could certainly help assist, absolutely.
I'm not sure how well I could play and sing underwater.
I just wonder if Rowan could actually be part of the key
to battling chor or song.
Well, now, I don't want to speak for Rowan,
but I know a few talented bards who have magic like Rowan does.
I'm a bard, but I can't use magic.
But I've known, from the...
story is that there are a few bards who have the ability to counter charm individuals.
I don't know if Rowan knows he can do that, but he probably can.
It's very valuable information, Mattel.
No, I'm just saying.
What is my trying to tell us here?
Let me just remind myself if this is true or not.
We did that thing you down like.
Yes, I'm almost certain that bards of a man.
The magical nature.
No, the thing he did with the Gallowack
was just play a louder noise.
Yes, yes.
I don't think there was any magical effect
to play there.
He has learned it all since then.
You know, there's a famous story.
In fact, I think, Gufford, you would have known it.
You've told me that Sir Isabel is one of your favorite stories.
Oh, absolutely.
Well, Sir Isabel's companion,
exactly.
Her companion, her wife, the bard, who traveled with her,
there's a part of the famous story.
It's not in the sonnet, but it's one of the other stories
of Sir Isabel.
They were beset by harpies,
vaultsbourne, who have these enchanting voices
that lure people to their deaths
and into dangerous situations.
Out in the mist wall, they linger up in trees,
lead you into quicksand and pits and all this kind of thing.
And when they heard the song,
Sir Isabel's mind was caught,
but her companions was not.
And so she began to sing and play
and managed to lure Sir Isabel out of the charming song
song that was taking place.
But also, it may be possible if one is frightened
that this music could also be countermanded
by Rowan's performance.
Useful, right?
But maybe Rowan can't do it, because why wouldn't he have done it yet?
The poor boy is not even here to defend himself.
But he is a very good performance.
But Trump is a very good.
Extraordinary.
Extraordinary.
He does have the assistance of the loose as well,
Sotonuto, obviously, of course.
You know, he's learned a lot recently.
He has learned a lot.
Yeah, like since the Gallowach.
He's learned so much.
I feel like I've gained access to much higher levels
of the circle of spells since we started our adventure.
So he's got wings.
But you know, I'm, the barns that I've heard this,
the barns that I've heard the story on.
Right, yes.
I mean, were I to say that, you know,
you know how the academia
Kelskaris has its circles.
Oh, but I am weirdly aware of this.
Oh, everyone is, everyone knows about the circles of the academia.
There is, yes, yes, yeah.
I think they've heard of someone having the, in the third.
Oh, so they could cast spells of a third power.
Hmm.
I recall stumbling of part, yes, when I was in Kelskaris, I think that the
bards I've heard, who can do this power.
They normally have access to the fourth circle of spell casting.
So, and I think Rowan has actually got access
to the fifth circle, and he's had that,
he got that recently, so it's been a while
that he might have been able to do this.
Now I'm not fully aware on how Rowan's magics manifest themselves.
Oh my God.
Or how quickly, I'm not certain on how quickly
bards are able to transform their magical energies, you know.
No, no, I would, how would I know?
I don't know.
These stories are times.
I'm no bard.
Maybe it's similar to mine in that once the spells are available to them,
it's locked in.
Well, this isn't a spell.
This is an ability that all magical bars have access to.
I see.
Yes, I was just using the spells thing as a way of you knowing
sort of what level of experience a bard might have.
So what you're saying is this is something that Rowan can just do.
Yes, yes.
Any time he wants.
I'm almost certain that they are able to do it any time they want.
Obviously, they would need to be quite reactive to do it.
I see, okay.
But I don't think there's a limitation on how often.
I mean, Roent's very reactive in general.
Whenever we were quite, he's very reactive.
For podcast listeners, Kim's written a very strongly worded note
and John Trott's death.
In red pen.
In red pen.
To be fair to him, I see he have to letters from over here.
To be fair to him, the conversation of trying to block
the psychic energies of Coral Song's chant
started today when he was not here.
Yes, that's very true.
How many times have you encountered since,
oh, I don't know, seventh level,
creatures that charm off right in here.
What level were we when we fought the Galawhack?
Pretty sure you were seventh level.
Yeah.
Cool, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, it has only occurred,
has only really occurred once.
When did you go in the vault?
Oh, that was eight level, isn't it?
I'm tempted to say, I think that was eighth level.
I'm tempted to say we leveled up from the vault,
And then we leveled up from the last fight.
So we were probably seven.
Unless we've leveled up twice since then.
I don't know, there's a whole wiki for this shit.
We did do a double level up.
We did a double level up after.
Oh, I think you double leveled up after the vault.
Yeah, it's.
So there is, we might have skipped.
We might have, okay, in that case,
it might be, he might be safe.
He might be right.
Yeah, we might have skipped over it a little bit.
So there is a universe in which this might be
double level up did throw him off, he forgot he got it.
He needs to know.
I think that he has not realized he has this ability.
But that is why Mateo is here.
That is why Mateo is the best of us.
I'm just saying, I've heard stories.
That's all.
Your stories are very valuable, though.
I'm something of a collector.
It's just a shame that Rowan has that cold,
so he hasn't really been speaking much.
I'm sure.
I got you.
This one, and this, I didn't know which one you'd
So I got you this one and this one.
This one smells a bit fishy, so I don't recommend it.
I don't have the fish, don't get away from it.
I'll have that one later.
You have that one.
I don't really like seafood.
Hachoo!
Hachoo!
Yeah, I think I've had my fair share of fish.
Yeah, seafood is not appealing to me anymore.
It's not, uh, it's not a, it's not really,
not even a succulent lobster.
No, not after all of the dung claw, everything.
No.
I don't think I would.
You didn't look at that claw and think,
How juicy meat claw then.
After the firewall, that would have fed our village.
But then it decomposed, so I was like, that's gross.
But I was thinking, I bet that's a meaty claw
with butter and pepper, oh.
See then you've ruined it, you've cooked it and put stuff on it.
I was a bit more preoccupied it.
You've cooked it.
I was a bit more preoccupied by how he's crushing these deaths.
Oh, hallo, halloo, y'alloozy sweet.
Like that teenage boy I ripped his neck out of.
Oh, God.
Sorry, what?
During the fight, there was that horrible boy who was stabbing me
and I just tore his throat out.
Oh.
Whilst we're on the subject, by the way,
have you got a check on exactly how much
Blood Veracity has drank?
Have you got a...
I do have a note.
I have made a note.
It was 40-something.
I think it might be 43, yes.
Okay, good to know.
Bloints.
Bloints.
Yes.
Although bloints are different.
Bloints are a class resource.
But I just need to say that.
Loins is a good word to say.
Only say it when it's relevant.
It's a fun word.
Points.
So with all of this, what is your thoughts?
What is your plan?
We have a couple of days.
We can get some rest, recoup our resources.
We sail today.
Sail.
A couple of days.
Well, I'll just say, it's a journey.
Oh, I see, yes, yes.
We have a, it's a journey to get there,
so we need to.
I.
Can train.
Who do you learn?
There's not much room for training on this ship.
It's only a small ship, remember.
I would like to copy, who has the nicest sound of writing
and the fastest writing speed?
Probably Aphelia.
Oh, probably, yeah, probably Daisy.
She's an artist.
Yeah, no, you're right, that does make sense.
Mateo's like...
Probably Mateo, actually.
No, as in like, I'm a writer.
But you write...
Like, one of you two, please just copy the last few minutes.
I have...
It's fine, Daisy can do it.
I have parchment and the tools!
Thank you.
Daisy, please could you copy, transcribe these last few pages?
Yeah?
Maybe the bits with the notes on the Kelp Forest and that.
On it.
I wish to give the book to the village as part of evidence of this cult here.
I suggest we say our goodbyes to Carla.
Daisy, I don't know if there's anything you want to say to it or anything like that.
That she should come and stay in Ashin'Rest.
I have thoughts about that.
The thoughts being everybody in their dog knows
that we live in that Tyria's rest
and all sorts are attracted to it.
Good and bad.
We don't have to live in the inn.
There's no space at the inn.
I just think if someone's trying to be anonymous,
it might not be the best place for her.
But at the same time, bartender.
I did write a note and wave need meat.
She keeps leaving notes.
I keep leaving notes.
I love a note.
Why are you leaving notes?
I just like leaving notes.
What, with our address?
With our home address, everywhere.
Yes.
Well, because I thought I would be able to curtail some business.
Yeah, I'm actually worried for when
Sothea's goes back next.
He is, yeah, yeah, yeah.
He put himself in the newspaper.
Yeah, but they know that's, you know, yeah.
And now imperators from ways meet no, as well.
No, authorities.
Authorities.
Imperators are probably much scary.
Or it's a Cardwell.
That's the next level is imperative.
No.
I was just hoping I could maybe get another, you know,
business has been quite slow lately.
What's happened has happened.
What I'm saying is,
Forrest's no our address.
Other people know our address.
Is it really somewhere we want to send someone
who is trying to be anonymous?
No.
Fine.
We could send her to Ashen's rest,
but perhaps not.
not to her in, at least not when we're not there.
Fine.
And she need help, she may need help.
Valid points.
You could send her to Ashen's rest.
I just think that this little island is probably not the best.
Her, her.
Because she's not going to have any help if anyone comes after her.
Also, there's a lot of attention that's about to come this way.
Yeah, authorities are going to be coming here soon anyway, and then also,
If she was to be found here, she's completely on her own.
There's plenty of people in Ashton's rest
where she can have people to help.
That's why I said.
Maybe send it to Ashen's Rest,
but not Tyree is in without us.
Okay.
Can I, in my head also,
I'm gonna transcribe these pages from the book,
but I also want to like ask Nim to just like memorize,
if there's anything visual, like any kind of...
Not in the book.
There's symbols.
I can memorize the symbols, little one,
but I'm more, maps it's easier,
but words and things like that,
I'm afraid my memory is not so good,
but the map that you showed me, I can memorize that,
but there's not much,
even in this description of this blood kelp forest,
this Merrick does not speak of too many landmarks
and things like, it seems like just glimpses of it.
There's not much really there, but I will do my best.
Yeah, it's mainly like a journal,
it's not so much like diagram
and stuff.
I didn't expect it to be like an X here,
but I just wanted to keep a little bit
while the rest of the journal.
Yes, for sure, it's not forgotten.
Yeah, absolutely.
How long did Sir John say it would need to repair the rest of the show?
Well, with Xenthius having zipped up the magically zipped up the sales,
he's just like, I'll be ready to go in about an hour.
Right, you heard an hour to.
What I'll do is I'll get her put out a little bit ways to ready to go,
and then you just come by, tell me when you're ready.
An hour to conclude our business here, and then we sail.
Perfect.
We will not be late.
Ophelia, no snacking.
Oh, God.
Definitely no snacking.
I'm staying right here.
I've got nothing to do here.
I've got no one's big to.
I'm not going anywhere.
I'm going to chain myself to the boat, in fact.
Why don't you come on board the boat and help me get her ready?
That's true.
And chain myself onto the deck of the boat.
Much better plan.
I leave him in your care for now.
That's fine.
I'll put him to work.
Come on, lad.
I'm a working boy.
Those soft hands.
No.
Let's get some calluses on those soft hands.
No, you don't.
You've got farmer's hands.
I mean, this hand is the exact opposite of soft.
No, I think like, sojourn would be like,
no, they're not soft hands.
Those are farmer's hands.
I've seen farmer's hands before.
Right, come with me.
And he'll get you, like, you know,
doing all the ropes and all the lines.
I meant the crown steel hand.
I meant the crown steel hand.
I wish to clarify.
You've clarified.
I wasn't listening.
You open to work.
Yeah, what's everyone else doing?
What are we doing?
Well, yeah, my suggestion was to talk to Kala.
I will talk to...
Is there anything you need to talk to?
I guess Kala and the Otter Lady,
because they were gathering evidence for...
I mean, the evidence is all being gathered.
Like, don't worry about that.
That's all been gathered.
No point giving them the book then.
I mean, you can give them a book if you want,
but that's literally not even a conversation.
That's going to be you give them the book.
Here is more evidence.
Here is more evidence.
Done.
Yeah, we did good.
Yeah.
You did good.
Well done.
Mateo will actually go around and it seems like you kind of catch him.
He runs, he's like, I'll be back in an hour.
And you see him, like, talking to, like, all the survivors and, like, writing stuff down.
And he's, like, getting their accounts and, like, what they remember of, like, the battle and things like that.
Because it looks like he's trying to get, like, things that he can reference and things like that.
So he's kind of collecting information.
Roman will probably stay with Sejorin and Xanthius.
Yeah, so Carla, you...
find in the inn
and it looks like she's packing up
like it looks like she's done like she's
already made the decision she's not going to stay here
in Netting on City
and so she'll just be like oh hello
did you find anything at that cave or where
you were going? Oh yeah another shrine
horrible blood everywhere
oh good lovely
paintings in blood
why not
a pool on the floor which
then became magic and
we were being scried on I think
by potentially the other champion
So, you know, horrible things, horrible things.
So, yeah, maybe I might just give you guys a wide berth
until all of this is resolved.
Oh, I won't be so.
We got a good lead on where she might be, though.
Okay.
Which is in the blood kelp forest.
That sounds delightful.
All good things.
So we're going to go there, I think.
But I wanted to find out where you're going.
I don't know.
I'm not staying here.
I'm going to leave most of the stuff.
I'm literally just packing up my personal things.
I've spoken to a couple of people in town.
I think that the town is going to...
I'm selling it at far less than what I paid for it.
Apparently, you know, they said that they were going to see
what they could make from selling off Merrick's belongings
and things like that, but I'm going to sell it to them for cheap.
They're going to buy it as a sort of community in.
So they're going to sort of have the town is going to.
to own it.
And then, yeah, I'm going to, I don't know,
I can't go back to Brassus, but maybe Zenith
or maybe it's time to go to a different province altogether again.
Caldra.
Passions were.
Listen, the problem is, is it sounds like you've already done a lot.
And I'll be honest, Daisy, I'm worried that if this,
if that hunter hears about you,
and they come looking for you,
if they find me as well,
I don't know if I'll survive that again.
Okay, but hear me out.
Right.
Can't go somewhere
where you don't have people
who can also fight for you.
Wow.
You need to go somewhere,
and if it's not there, then that's fine,
but you need to go somewhere
where there's competent fighters to also help.
Wow.
And there's us and there's dragons,
and stuff in Asht's rest, and that's helpful.
Well, I would, yeah, maybe.
I mean, there's the big, there's Ferros,
the city in the culture, you know,
the sort of capital I was thinking of going there.
It's a big place, I can just become another face
and another name.
Ferris is quite nice.
Yeah, there's lots of nice places around there,
but at least you wouldn't be so far away
that we wouldn't be able to help you.
I think if this hunter shows up,
whatever the distance is gonna be too late.
She'll look at you, give me a persuasion role, Daisy.
To see if you can convince her they're going to Ashen's race.
Right. All right.
Sure.
I don't have good persuasion, so.
Recognize this music.
17.
Cedaldery.
17.
I'm going to say she will look you and be like,
I'll think about it.
I think I'll either go to Ferros
or maybe I'll go and check out this Ash and Rest.
If you need us, you know where we are.
Yes.
You know where our bases.
It's going to take me a while to get out there anyway.
I'm sure you guys fly or go through portals or something.
So you'll probably get there before I do.
But I'll see what options there are in Ferros.
See if there's any small businesses being sold that I can take up.
see what I can afford housewise.
If there aren't any good options there,
maybe I'll come over to Ashton's rest.
But I'm worried, I'm worried about you,
worried about, I mean, even us here,
like, we made a big show of us being here.
And if that, I mean, that hunter, if it finds out,
it will be on our trail.
Every time you use your powers,
every time I use our power, like my powers,
It's like a signal flare to these things.
But I'll think about it.
I would rather be somewhere with people
that I know I can count on than being alone.
Well, you can count on us and you know where we are.
But I understand that you also need to do what's best for you.
But we would like to have you close
so that we can help when we are home,
which turns out actually we're not home that often.
But you know what I mean.
I do know what you mean. Thank you.
And I think before I go, I will connect telepathically
because I want to let NIM and her, I forget.
Sabarial.
Subveri.
It is...
Sabriel.
Sabriel.
Yeah.
Subruing.
A sabriel.
A sabriel.
I will let them talk.
Yeah, and you...
Just so that, because they don't get to talk.
No, exactly.
And there is, you get the sense, you don't hear the conversation
because I think NIM actually kind of has like almost like a private conversation.
You and, you and Carla are sort of just stood there having to be quiet,
letting these inner voices talk to each other without hearing it.
But you get the sense they have a fairly long conversation.
And at the end of it, NIM will say into your mind,
I have convinced Asabriel to encourage Carla to come to Ashen's rest.
I am wary of the Yeager as well, but I think if we have to fight it,
I would much rather fight it with Asabriel with us.
Me too.
Whether that is you or them, I think alone we would be at far greater risk.
There is also another matter, little one.
Remember what that servant of the primal isles, that caliphress.
The other green one, yep.
There is another like us,
the one that they said was being held somewhere.
Mm-hmm.
Could be that Carla and Asabriel.
Asabriel would want to help us, I think.
I was thinking the same.
I think it would be good to have as many of us as we can.
There is one thing the Legion taught me
that I do not regret learning.
It is that we are stronger together,
and it would be far better to have more soldiers
standing beside us than alone.
Agreed.
And especially now that we are not, we, me and you,
we're not alone now anyway.
So we, more people, all good.
So I definitely want to make sure that she stays safe.
And Asabriel, they were a siege gunner,
but perhaps if we can find this smith to work Luxon,
Asabriel also is talented in that regard.
They may be able to help us more as well.
But yes, I have spoken with them, they agree.
So.
Good.
Yeah, well that will leave it to you guys then.
Anything else, any other business?
Business.
If not.
Well, Rhee has been looking very confused
slash concerned, slash pained.
Like you just found something in your character.
She's writing a note.
I just, you know, I checked in on Rie
and I heard the words whispered like,
I'm thinking of doing something, but it's a little bit profane.
Oh, I thought you were looking in your character sheet
and you found a feature that was like,
you can block psychic attacks as well.
No.
What are you doing over there, bud?
There are a town that don't have a god right now.
They do, they've got Saint-Talan.
Well.
And they were visited by them directly.
Well.
What grass and minds, hearts and minds, hearts and minds.
I do have a whole church of bodies up there waiting to work.
I know. It'd be so good.
They don't have a guard.
I don't have a guard.
You know who could guard them?
Probably ghosts.
The ghosts are gone.
That's true.
Just bones then.
It's just bones.
Big shark head. Bring that back.
What we're thinking?
A sermon?
Not really, not a sermon.
Okay, so I'm thinking...
I have unseen servant.
So, I was just going to be like, as we're leaving or whatever, bye-bye,
just cast a little unseen servant, just be like, you know,
just like, you know, can I put like a little skull on him
and a robe on him and then standing at the edge of the docks
and then as we're like saying bye-bye, be all like,
hey, by the way, the Greyfather thinks you're all cool,
peace out as we're going away, you know?
You know, just...
In those words?
So the Unseen servant could hold a scobeyed.
with a cloak attached to it
and hold it up as if it was hovering there.
Because the Unseen Seventh is invisible.
Yeah.
So you could do that.
Yeah.
And then your plan is to have it hover at the docks.
Yeah.
And then you to say something as you leave.
Yeah.
Traumatized group of people.
Yeah.
But I don't have to do it.
It's just...
Does it feel...
Well, my... Okay, here's my question.
It sounds like all of your companions are gathering,
ready to head out on a sojourn ship.
Yeah.
What would Ophelia like to do?
Does Ophelia get on the ship?
I think we have everything in order now, right?
We can head off.
Yes.
Just three-day travel.
Very much. I got my... I got what I needed.
We don't go into the deep ocean
because we'll get attacked by more of those things.
So we just stay along the coast, right? We can do that.
So Jerome will say, well, we can't head out into the deep ocean.
My schooner won't take us too far out,
but we will have to cross the gulf between the coast.
here in the Twimpi Giles, so we will be crossing deep sea.
Okay, but we could stay as close to the coast as we can, right?
Not to reach the Twin P Giles.
Likely to face more of those things, but that's fine.
Potentially. I mean, the creatures of a Janja and, you know,
you get, we're as likely to run into pirates, smugglers, that sort of thing.
It's also very possible we won't have any difficulties in this area.
This is a very well-patrolled part of the Suncrustiles.
It's just these champions which are causing problems.
Okay.
Maybe, unless they specifically try and find us,
I imagine we might be all right.
But we'll see.
We were attacked on the way here.
It's not impossible, we'll be attacked again.
So be prepared, be ready.
But we're all here.
We're not going anywhere.
I target the chain at my belt.
I'm not going anywhere.
No delays.
Grasst them giving one last look up at the church.
Yeah, it's on the cliff side.
You can see it from the coast.
It's very picturesque.
in the daylight.
Yeah, he's probably got his pipe out.
He's just having one last look.
I feel that cold touch on your shoulder.
And he'll just give a nod.
You remember what you've promised, so.
Yeah, does Ophelia join the ship?
Ophelia joins the ship.
Okay.
I made a promise to gruff.
Okay.
I'm going to be a good girl.
Okay, but it wasn't your plan as we were departing anyway?
Yeah, but I made a promise to gruff to not be a silly.
It's all right if we're already departing.
I know.
You make your way out.
Characterness.
And you say...
I'm made a promise.
An oath.
The sunkiss sets off across the sea.
And you are not troubled for at least a day and a half as you sail.
You may all take a long rest.
What?
I can recover my one spell slot.
I spent about six.
You travel across the ocean wall.
And for the most part, the journey is uneventful.
It is on the sort of afternoon of the second day
as you are drawing closer, so drawing, I'll say, like,
not too far now, look, help forest isn't too far from us.
When Xanthius.
Oh, here we go.
You will receive ascending spell.
Oh, fuck night, just look, dude, just...
Daddy's calling.
Which daddy?
I'm gonna keep this float.
There are so, I've got three daddies that can call me.
I'm one of them sovereign.
No, I'm a four daddy.
Daddy, sovereign wouldn't send a sending spell.
Three of them hate me.
It would just be all up in your head.
Four.
What?
Daddy cool.
I don't think it's gonna be a cool daddy.
Daddy not cool.
Am I a cool, daddy?
I guess you're from ice hop.
I'm the coolest.
Yeah, you're the coolest dad.
I mean, yeah.
Temperature wise, you are cool.
The coolest.
He didn't say anything else about the non-temperature.
He's, he's warming around.
I'm ignoring that.
Yeah.
Xanthius, Obsidius's voice.
Oh!
Fuck you do.
Calls into your mind.
He's writing kill Oesidius on his list again.
Kill, obsidious.
Yeah.
Xanthius.
Were you arrested?
Were you arrested?
I have just returned to Wavemeat.
What happened?
An authoritor is making bold claims.
I will have to deal with him.
25 words, you may respond if you wish.
Oh, last time I didn't answer him, he teleported me.
Yeah, that's true.
Yeah, you got it.
Okay.
It has, I've been tracking this, by the way.
It has been now about three days since you left Wave Meet.
And he has not, I would not have heard what had happened until he returned.
Like, dude, so I left you for like a day, man.
What happened?
There is, there is a, like, the voice.
The voice in your head is calm,
but you can tell there is this level of like.
He's restraining himself.
Fucking watch.
Like Groff had a very similar reaction.
And this is the only time when it wasn't my fault.
It was right.
It's up to you what you say, you have 25 words.
And I also don't want to just be like,
Ophelia, hungry, throw chair, almost kill man.
teleport, that walk up wall to roof,
they come back, got arrested, me too.
Authoritor knows.
Can you find a better way to say that?
However, now there is a part of me that is,
the authoritor is making bold claims,
but in a town where there is,
because of Gruff's, the sort of deal that was made,
is going to be claims,
are going to be against heavy opposition
from official sources, right?
So there is almost a...
So there's a good shot,
and like, the way, like,
with what obsidious,
obsidious doesn't, isn't saying, like,
like, this is fucking bad,
like, you know, blah, blah,
they're accusing you of this.
Like, stop me from killing this dude.
Basically.
I mean, well, or...
Dealing with them.
Or, like, I'm going to fucking deal with them.
Like, we can't have this
an information getting out.
Like, you and I are sort of in this together now.
Like, this is now on you.
Keep in mind, nobody but Xanthius hears this message as well.
Ophelia just dying inside a little bit.
Yeah, because now I'm just trying to recall
the exact circumstances in which we left Wave Me.
Not good.
No, not good at all, no, not at all.
Not welcome.
But like, so what you would know from what Graf told you and what you witnessed,
or what you remember specifically is the commander got you out,
you knew that they, the commander and the authoritor were at odds with each other.
Yes.
Gruff used some sort of favor or promise or something
to make this commander do that
and they were not fucking happy about it,
but that the authoritor was enraged
that you were being let out
and clearly this commander has the sway
to let you get away.
Now, what you know about society
is that authorita probably works in this region.
What's that?
We do live in a society.
an authoritar
their
authorities generally are one of the few people
who have powers to trump dragons
if they can levy charges against them
but it's very difficult because dragons
often just employ better authorities
in the court case basically
so they can often get away with stuff right
but this authorita is one of the few people
that could genuinely cause trouble
but if it's being opposed
by this like prominent commander
and the local duchess is on her side
then this authoritative probably won't have much power here,
but what if that authorita were to go somewhere else?
And what you don't know is that authorita knows exactly where you live.
No, that's true, I don't know that.
Yeah, I don't know where we live.
It was a certain...
A certain note was left at the scene of the crime.
Ophelia literally just told us about that.
So yeah, so if Xanthius wants to put two and two together,
There is also a part of me that the entire circumstance by which we were arrested was ultimately...
Bogus.
Bogus was a farce.
Well, it wasn't a farce.
There was grounds for an arrest.
It's just you were not guilty.
You weren't guilty of assault and murder.
Two of the three that were arrested were 100% innocent.
Yes, but that doesn't mean that you weren't suspicious.
Like, the authorities and the guards have the right to detain you.
if they think that you are guilty of a crime.
They've not charged you.
No.
What's the charge?
What is the charge?
Well, the charge at the time was...
Nafili was enjoying a meal.
And they thought that you were tampering
with an investigation by lying to the police,
by lying to the guards.
But ultimately, they were innocent,
so I wasn't tampering.
No.
But your charge was different.
Because they found out that you had crown steel.
Your charge was guilty in possession of crowns deal.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yes.
But how are they going to tell that story
when they get to the situation?
Let's say the authoritle me to drag.
Well, that still sounds very speculative,
and you can speculate on that.
What I would like to know is,
what are you telling obsidious?
There's a cool down above my head.
It's ticking away.
And I'm using the most of my time here.
Okay.
I feel like it.
Do you know what?
I know it's not in the spell,
but I think that after a certain period of time
you can't respond anymore, I think.
I think that that's a...
Let me just check.
2024 rules.
I think that's true.
Do you want a week to think about it?
It's really just a question.
No, I want him to answer it now.
It's really just a question of,
do, does, do I,
there's two paths.
Obsidious deals with the authoritor.
Obsidious doesn't deal with the authoritor.
We don't know about it.
Zanthius's call.
This is interesting.
It's been added to the 2024 sending.
Upon receiving the message,
Upon receiving the message,
a creature can block their ability
to reach it again with this before for eight hours.
If you're trying to send another message during that time,
you learn that you are blocked.
You can literally block.
So Xantheists could be like,
no block.
And just block obsidious
from using sending again.
It can do it after eight hours.
It does also say here,
the creature hears the message in its mind
recognizes a like manner immediately.
And can answer in a like manner immediately.
So I need a response now.
And then it's just like, sorry, too late.
I will let you have a, uh, minute, but anything more than that.
Like, we're not waiting until next week.
I want one now, and then we're going to end the episode.
So I couldn't even, like, say to everyone the messages it's going in.
I respond with...
You say this, my guy.
You say this, my guy.
This is, this is like, this is pivotal for my character,
whereas, like, an authoritoris.
I genuinely thought that was part of the response.
You're the guy, and then you, yeah, yeah.
Like, this is, do I let the authority,
like, if Obsidius do, fucking Christ.
What would Zantheis do?
Don't think, don't think about any of the rest,
just what would Zanthius?
A very proud Zanthius.
Yeah.
What would be in character for Zanthius in that moment?
I also need to fucking put it into 25 pissing, shitting,
dicking words.
I'm going to use, I'm going to use, oh, weird,
I can now use more words, and I write an essay.
Well, here's what happened.
The thing is, Kim, I know you want the episode to end
because we want to go home,
but I don't want him to have a whole week to think about this.
I want him to respond now.
In order to, with the knowledge of the sending spell,
I'll just open up the dialogue by saying,
Obsidious.
Now I have a lot of time to figure out what my next word is going to be.
No.
Send me again, bro.
Obsidious.
Start a new message thread.
Um.
Uh.
Obsidious.
Again.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Obsidious.
Yes.
However.
flawed.
Find the commander
and...
Oh my hat?
10?
You've got 15 left.
And...
And...
15 left.
And...
And...
I can cry about it, dude.
Don't give a shit.
I can try it about it.
I don't.
Shit.
No.
No?
Find a commander and
they will explain.
Authoritor is in over their head.
You got six left.
You don't have to use it.
and no one will listen.
Bitch.
Two left.
Two them.
Two left.
With that, we will end today's episode.
Fuck this, dude.
That was a good reply.
I think it makes sense to the commander.
And you've said,
authorities in over their head,
no one will listen to them, is what you've said.
You didn't call them a name or anything?
No.
We will see if he sends you another sending spell next week.
And canonically, that was instant.
Instantaneous.
Yeah, he just dropped that shit, like, bam.
Bam.
I've solved the problem.
With that.
That quick.
That is the end of today's episode.
Thank you so much for joining us, everybody.
We will see you next time for more high-rollers.
Take care.
Bye.
Bye.
Thank you.