High Rollers DnD - High Rollers: Aerois | #10 - The Thorns (Part 1)

Episode Date: September 24, 2018

The team have their invites to a dinner with the Brookstones, but something sinister is unfolding elsewhere in Rosehall! Huge thanks to our sponsors D&D Beyond and Brilliant. D&D Beyond is the official digital toolset for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. Use the code HIGHROLLING on D&D Beyond (http://bit.ly/dndbeyondhighrollers) to get 25% off all digital items (excluding the Legendary Bundle)! Brilliant.org helps you master concepts through fun, guided problem solving. D&D has a rich history of puzzles and problems, so boost your brain power with Brilliant! The first 200 users to follow our link (http://bit.ly/highrollersarebrilliant) will get 20% off an annual subscription! Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pickaxe. Ready for you. This episode is brought to you by Mazda. When you drive a Mazda, you'll find out why RSUVs won more 2024 IIHS top safety picks than any other brand as of June 2024. Find out what makes Mazda different at Mazda.ca. Hello and welcome to High Rollers, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast in the world of Erois. Run by Dungeon Master Markshark Humes, with me, Tom, playing Keelakad Kalar, the bard slash cleric. I am Chris Trott, I am playing Lucius Viren, Elowen Elanastro, and I am a High Elf Sorcerer. Hi, I'm Rhiannon, I'm playing Sentry, I am a Guardian Paladin.

And I'm Kim, I'm playing Nova, who is an Air Ganassi, and she is a Hexblade Warlock. Once again, a big thank you to our sponsors, D&D Beyond and Brilliant.org. Stick around for the end to hear more about those. We've got a dinner date with the Brookstone family. Hopefully it doesn't go awry. Hello, welcome back Let's do a recap of what happened on the last episode of Erois, High Rollers, the D&D show Brilliant Sometimes I just don't know where I'm going until I start talking episode of Erois High Rollers the D&D show brilliant

sometimes I just don't know where I'm going until I start talking and then I just awkwardly trail off yeah as I just did

the party who are currently looking for a name for their mercenary band oh yeah find themselves popular in town

when news of their newfound wealth gets out after being approached by several groups they decide to set up a charity to help the town in times of need. Sentry and Nova took Arval to Torval Blackhammer, the priest of Palador, and got his leg healed.

Finally, filling a promise with Arval promising to repay them once they can get back to Goldthrone. Nova asked the priest to teach her about a ritual for mending injuries, but Torval was uncertain as the ritual is knowledge given to him by his deity and through his training. He said he would think about it after a very successful attempt at persuasion. Lucius and Quill spent some time talking with Valor, a teenager that they met aboard the airship, who was being accompanied by two Siascan priests, Siasca priests and priestesses. They asked Valor about her magical abilities and her past,

siasca priests and priestesses um they asked valor about her magical abilities and her past revealing that she has little memory from before four or five years old and has more magical power than perhaps they initially thought later that evening brett brookstone a patriarchal figure that the party have been warned against visits them in the in the brazen heart and invites the group to dinner to help dispel the nasty rumors about him and his business in the town. We pick up pretty much straight afterwards. I believe that you guys had had a rest. You'd gone to sleep. You'd woken up fresh in the morning.

There is a note left for Nova, who was sharing her room with Ayla, which is a hastily written note on a scrap of paper which basically just reads probably something along the lines of spending wasting a bit too much time want to look into the wild elves will come find you guys

when I'm done, basically. Does she leave any gold for her room? No. Of course she doesn't. Of course she doesn't. You paid in advance. You paid'm done, basically. Does she leave any gold for her room? No. Of course she doesn't. No. Of course she doesn't. Can we pay in advance? You pay in advance, anyway, actually. So it's fine.

But yeah, so there's just like a little note which is basically in a very casual hand written to say, I'm gone. Bye. Bye. Yeah. The morning is cold, quite dreary. The clouds are quite thick.

The cold winter air blows through the town. But the inn itself is fairly warm and well insulated. So you awaken, you know, cozy against the chill air. I believe Lucius is on a room on your own. Quill is in a room, a solo room, but Century is just sat on a chair. Sat in a corner plugged in, yeah. Like, yeah. Yeah.

And yeah, you guys wake up and you have until the evening, basically. If there's anything you want to do. What time was it we were going to see the Brookstone boys? He said evening, like seven o'clock or something like that. Very vague. Okay. Well, they don't really have like, it's not like, oh, let me just check my phone. Let's do it at seven, book it into Google Calendar.

Yeah, Gcal. I mean, I'm very observant, so I know exactly what time. That's not true, that's a lie. I've just told you a lie. I've just lied to you all. You know it's probably around seven o'clock. You are expected for dinner. Okay.

So if there is anything you wanted to do? Around sundown. But if there's nothing, we can just skip ahead to that, it's up to you I guess the only thing is checking in with Torval As to whether or not he's okay with teaching Yeah, you can do that if you want Can I talk to the group first though? Yeah

I am not out of my room yet Okay It's just a quick chat When you do, breakfast is included in the cost of your rooms. There is fresh baked bread. How late?

You can get out when you want. We get bed and breakfast? Yeah. Nice. Wow. Lucius will have to be. It's things like eggs,

which obviously for Quill, they're like, eww. Eww. Freshly baked bread, grilled tomatoes um roasted potatoes kind of like a morning potato kind of thing with covered in herbs and salt um it's a it's a simple but hearty affair cool unless lucius has woken up he's going to lounge lazily in bed. You probably earned it. You can get up when you want. Nova, so far, it seems like it's just you downstairs

having risen early. Oh, come on. Early bird? If you want to be up... I don't think Nova's really a morning person. I feel like Quill and Century would easily be downstairs real quick. You wake up instantly Yeah it's like

Okay Let's go Bolt out of the room Crashing Oh one small thing to clarify So last time we played I mentioned there was a conversation with Nova About Tiangong Absorbing the properties of a magic item.

I mistakenly said Pact of the Blade. What I meant was Hexblade Warrior. It's effectively the same thing. It's a way that Nova can use magic weapons that the group finds without her having to lose the visual aesthetic of Tiangong. It's the same thing, basically. Because I am Pact of the Tome, but I am also a Hexblade Warlock. Yes, a little confusing, but it's the same thing. basically. Because I am Pact of the Tome. Yes. But I am also a Hexblade Warlock. Yes. A little confusing, but it's the same thing. So you can basically spend time.

And that's the point, actually. Nova would have been able to do that over time. Do you do that? That's what I wanted to talk to the group about. Okay, right. Perfect. Well, so you two are having breakfast downstairs. We're downstairs, yeah.

Great. I'm just... Just hot plate again. Hot plate for me, yeah. Yeah, okay. Just holding it. Holding it. Enjoying it. Enjoying it.

Enjoying how it feels. And Nova, I mean, how late do you want to, do you say you get up? Like mid-morning. Like what time? Give me a rough time.

10.35. Lucius still in, asleep? Still asleep. Yep, okay, perfect. He's awake, but he's like... So the breakfast is mainly, most people have already come. He's awake, but he's like... So the breakfast is mainly...

Most people have already come and taken the breakfast, but there's still a few things around. Carry on. Cool. Most of the breakfast is gone, but there's still something. Is he being lewd? Probably. I didn't even think Lucius was able to be lewd, to be honest.

It is Chris Trott. It's Chris Trott. Pure Chris Trott Pure filth So yeah So Sentry and Nova Are downstairs Rosalina is probably

Cleaning Along with Rel Realm Rel'd I can't remember her name It's in my document It's in my document

So cold I have that bit printed These NPCs There's so many of them I don't even name Half of them Whatever I did name it I just can't remember it I'm Mark Sorry You have an entire world We have bad bit printing. These NPCs, there's so many of them. I don't even name half of them, whatever. I did name it, I just can't remember it.

I'm Mark. Sorry, you have an entire world in your brain like I do. Is that the half-burned... Yeah, the half-elf girl with the burn on her face. I reckon Rel is probably not a main character or an arch-villain. Well, if they're that easy to forget. Oh, could she be? Yeah.

I mean, I don't want to metagame it, but... Right, I'm going to go downstairs. I was right! The thing is, none of us knew because we never asked. I know, I know. They're going about cleaning the town. But they'll pay you no mind if you're obviously having a private conversation. They'll just stick to themselves.

Good morning, friends! Hi, Nova! Hi! How are you doing this morning? Quill, hey. You look very happy. Well, it's! Hello. Hi, Nova! Hi! How are you doing this morning? Quill, hey. You look very happy. Well, it's the morning! Another day! Another glorious day!

Oh, good, okay. No, it's just- Winter wind. Shhh. How are you, Nova? I'm fine. Ayla's gone. What?

What do you mean? She left a note. She got bored. She left. Bored? Yeah. So we're going to meet the Brookstone guys without a big hammer. I'm not entirely

sure she was invited anyway. Oh, that's true. I don't think... Well, okay, fine. She wasn't around when Brett invited you. Didn't you say something as well about wild elves and Brookstones not getting on? Good point. It's probably a good idea that she's not there. Actually, I'm not sure how he feels about elves in general like maybe lucius being

there lucius is rich i'm not 100 comfortable with lucius being there myself i mean the thing is rich people have lots of friends oh actually maybe he knows his dad daddy maybe he knows daddy lucius how i don't know daddy Alanasto. He's popular. I knew who he was. I didn't. I know the family name. Well I mean I just assumed the Alanastos would have a Daddy Alanasto. Yeah he keeps going on about it. Anyway what? So I've been doing some studying on that hammer you gave me thank you very much. Okay, and we're giving it to the blacksmith.

The Gadwin's hammer. That's what it's... Well, that's what I was going to ask. So, I had that vision about Tiangong asking for the hammer for more power. And after studying... When? We literally did this at the end of the last episode. You told me about that, did you? Okay, cool.

Oh, yeah! I know it's been two weeks. It's been two weeks. These are the notes I wrote. Eros number nine. Eros number ten. Balance my notes. So glad you're invested in my game.

It was after you guys talked to Vala and you were talking about how she used Tiangong to get power. Oh, yes. And then I explained that I had a vision with Tiangong asking about the hammer. Okay. No, I did it so that we could recap because it's been two weeks. Yeah, okay. That's the recap. And then you, yeah, cool.

Right, get on with it! So I conducted an experiment. Okay. And I think I figured out that I can turn Tiangong into the hammer. And I think I figured out that I can turn Tiangong into the hammer. And I think I might be able to do this with other weapons as well. Right. So it's still Tiangong, but it's taken the shape of the hammer. And I can cast the spell, like heat metal and mend.

But then you'll be a sword down. Yes, but I'll be fighting with a hammer. But we have a hammer. Yes, no, we don't. She left. No, no, what was it? Gawain's hammer? Gadwin's hammer.

Gadwin's hammer. We've got that and we've got a sword. But do you know how to fight with a hammer? You swing it. Okay. That does accurately describe how you use a hammer, yes. Well, this is my question. You were very kind in you use the hammer, yes. Well, this is my question. You were very kind in lending me the hammer to figure out what it was Tianguo needed.

And I wanted to ask you if you wanted it back, or if you're okay for me to keep experimenting with it, or if we want to trade it, or what, because you found it, so it's your call. I mean, I didn't find it. Technically, Lucia's opened the chest with acid. Well, now I really don't know what to do. What do we do then? Well, I mean, if you want to use it to power up Tiangong, go ahead if you feel like that's the right choice. I just don't want to be presumptuous.

It's not presumptuous. My mum always said to share, unless it was in the case of her freshly baked winterberry cake, in which case it's everyone for themselves. But we should share. Well, I mean, we've done a lot for this town already. If we give the blacksmiths a hammer, all the better for them. But, I mean, we have to get something out of it. Okay, well, you just seem to be the unofficial leader of this group,

so I just wanted to ask you. I'm the what now? I don't know. You seem to be the most clued up one. No offence, century. What? You agree. I'm the what now? I don't know. You seem to be the most clued up one. No offense, Century. What? You agree? I'm clued up? I'm terrified, like all the time. I'm scared just having this conversation. Okay. Sorry.

No, no. I mean, I'm consistently on edge. If you want to use the hammer, then go ahead. I think the blacksmith would also appreciate it. Well, you make a decision. I don't know. I need an adult. You're an adult.

Okay. Here's the facts. The blacksmith, whose name is... Deysa. Deysa. She is in debt to the Brookstones. An unofficial debt because they gave her some dud iron. If she had the hammer, maybe she could repay that debt.

Then again, we're going to see them later anyway. So we could probably solve that there. Well, how about I just experiment with it a little bit and then we can decide before we leave if I give it back or give it to you or throw it down a well. How much do you trust your sword out of interest? Oh, incredibly.

Completely? Mm-hmm. I mean, it's demanding power. Yes. Most humanoids, creatures... Century. ...intelligent beings do. Sentry. Quill?

What do you think of the sword? Well, speaking as someone who uses a weapon, your weapon becomes a sort of extension of yourself as a person in a way. Does your shield talk to you? My shield doesn't talk to you. I mean, Echo sort of communicates. Aha! We would. We would, Echo sort of communicates. Whoop, whoop, whoop. Aha! We whoop. Whoop, whoop.

Whoop, whoop. Right. Floats back down. But I mean, the Echo is like a part of you. Tiangong is a separate sentience entirely to you. Okay. It's hard to explain. Because I can't explain it.

Oh, that's a good reason. But the second I found Tiangong, a bond was made, and it's like we're symbiotic. Okay. Remember when the elves took Tiangong? Yeah. I felt like a piece of me had been physically taken.

Now I saw that. Like a wing. Wow. She'd say that without any malice, I saw that. Like a wing. Wow. She'd say that without any malice, by the way. Just like really kind of like... Comes off. It's a good point. Very good point.

What do you want with the hammer? I'm so sick. Toss it in turning. Like I said, Quill, it was your hammer and you kindly lent it to me last night to run these experiments, so it's your choice. I don't want to take... I don't think it's my hammer.

I think it's the group's hammer, and if you feel like you'd get the best use out of it, then use the hammer. Okay. If that's what you want to do with it. Okay. Well, let me experiment with it a bit more, and then... So you hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

Are you in pyjamas? Pyjamas. A little hat with a bobble on the end. A little floppy hat. Where do you even get those from? Can you all keep it down, please? I'm trying to sleep. And I've got baggies under my eyes.

Cucumbers are good for that. Or ice. Cooling. It's around about 10.40am. Only 10.40am? Unbelievable. What? Smug little face. It's around about 1040 AM. Is it only 1040 AM? Unbelievable. What?

Smug little face. I mean, okay. We can leave. Fine, I'll stay. What are you talking about? This hammer! Oh, that one. Can I hold it up in front of Lucius's face?

Yeah, it's a beautiful, elegant, engraved hammer. I haven't used it yet. No, I know. It still looks the same as Gadwin's hammer. So, what about it? I can... You don't have to put it so closely. Sorry. I'm still focusing.

Okay. I figured out that Tiangong can basically absorb this hammer and turn into it. Why on earth would you want to do that? absorb this hammer and turn into it. Why on earth would you want to do that? Because then when I fight, I can cast mending and heat metal and hit people in the face with a hammer. Oh.

And also probably do some small architectural jobs like banging nails. What does your sword do otherwise? Talk to me. Okay, let's stop the talking thing and make it heat metal. That's far more appropriate. But I think I might be able to make Tiangong do the same for other weapons as well.

Oh, like a spear? Yes. And a crossbow? Yes. And a dagger? Yes. And a mace? Yes.

Okay, okay, okay. So can it absorb multiple weapons at once and you just call upon them when you wish? I don't think so. I'm not sure. It's all a bit fuzzy at this point. You don't know. Do you really need it?

Well, no, but I just thought it would be interesting. It's an experiment. Yes, I mean, I don't have any problem with it. But that's what I was asking Quill, because it was technically Quill's hammer, because he had it, and I wanted to ask if it was okay for me to keep it, or if he wanted it back, or he suggested giving it to Deysa. I don't know.

Oh, the blacksmith. Yes. Well, she'd like that, wouldn't she? That's what I mean. I personally don't see why we should be one sword down and one hammer up, even though we've got a sword and a hammer already. Do you know what I mean? Mm-hmm.

Okay. That's fair. Well, we can give Deysa the hammer. Incidentally, didn't we pick up some wyvern leather? Yes, I've got it actually. Couldn't Deysa make a suit of armor out of that? Yes. How about we give Deysa

the hammer and she makes some stuff for us? For free. For free. Or it's just enhanced because it's got heat metal and whatnot. That could be good because then the group would benefit. Exactly. Rather than you bludgeoning people to death with a hammer. I mean, technically the group could benefit from that as well. you bludgeoning people to death with a hammer. I mean, technically

the group could benefit from that as well. But you could also slice them to death. That's very true. In which case, I say Deysa. However... Vote is... Wait. One last... I hold my hand up with Lucius. But before you vote for Deysa, I know I'm

swapping sides consistently, but didn't you say Tiangong was asking you for the hammer? Yes, and we experimented last night. Tiangong seemed happy, showed this new power to me. Well, why don't you ask Tiangong now what it wants to do? Okay. Oh, no. Are you trying to focus on Tiangong?

Yeah. There is, you get the sense, there's no words, there's no communication, but there is just still this kind of longing, like this need to feed, and it's hungry for the hammer.

Bit crown-rindy. Hungry. That's what you get from it. Okay. Hunger. So I don't know if this is just Tiangong or if I'm currently influencing it, but hungry is the word I'm getting. Hungry.

Mm. Hungry? Hungry like it hasn't had power in a while? It would like to try with the hammer. Well, that's what I'm... So is it hungry like it hasn't had power in a while and it's diminishing? Or is it hungry like it's hungry for power

in a very evil, terrifying way? I don't think it's evil. Hungry doesn't really... Okay, two seconds. Now, if I'm hungry, get very grounded it doesn't you get the sense that in its current state tiangong can't really convey it's not like it's talking to you sometimes you'll hear words but you you've never really been able to have conversations or ask it things before it's generally like when you need power it gives you power when occasionally you have these visions where you get a word or two words at most but yeah you just get this sense that it's hungry to be honest i can't really clarify the situation

tiangong doesn't really speak to me i can't have conversations with him her it won them if you gave tiangong the hammer would you be can't have conversations with him, her, it, one, them. If you gave Tiangong the hammer, would you be able to have conversations with it? I don't know. That's the thing. I think, as unofficial leader of the group, we had a vote. He's the most responsible. We had a vote. But I didn't put my hand up. I vote for you as an official leader. Oh good Kind of hoping you would vote against it then it was a majority vote. Oh

Okay Does that mean I have to come up with a name? Yes, I'm gonna look at the bulletin board while you're talking Okay, one off the bulletin board Do what you want with the hammer if you want to feed Tiangong bulletin board. Do what you want with the hammer. If you want to feed Tiangong, then great. Deysa would also appreciate it, definitely. But we've already done plenty

for the town. Maybe I could feed the hammer, but then spit it back out for Deysa. Ew. It can also regurgitate its own... What is it? Arakokra? So, Lucius when you head over

to the button board you can see that the piece of paper that had been put up previously for name suggestions a couple more have been added

there's a lot around the there's a lot which are kind of you know along the vein of the Fallen Five or the

you know the various other kind of names around that none of them really strike out there's a couple that strike out uh the rose petals uh is one uh the fallen thorns is another one um the uh there was another really good descendant the descendants uh the sparrow blades uh there's this one the broken sky but that doesn't seem very relevant at all. It doesn't even make sense.

It doesn't make sense. How can you break a sky? There was another one as well. There's a really good one that was Crash something, but I can't remember it. Crash Bandicoot? Crash Team Racing? No, it was not either of those.

It was not any of those. It was something to do with Crash. But yeah, there's a bunch of different suggestions down on the board. But yeah, so Nova, what's the plan? You've now had at least 10-15 minute conversation where Quill has made

no actual confirmed point. He's simply suggested the same two things. I've pretty consistently said that it's up to Nova. Yeah, there you go. So it's your choice. What would you like to do? It will take you about an hour. I would like to fuse with the hammer, please. Okay, and you're going to do that here? Or do you like to do? It will take you about an hour. I would like to fuse with

the hammer, please. Okay, and you're going to do that here? Or do you want to go upstairs? I should probably do it in private. Okay, you're going to go up to your room? That's disgusting. Yeah. Okay. So for the next hour, you meditate. You have Ganren's hammer and you place Tiangong next to it. And

when you close your eyes, you feel yourself surrounded by blackness which then slowly begins to fill with stars you let these visions just come to you not creating them in your imagination but rather as if somebody's providing the images for you you get the sense that similar sensation of moving through the dark above, through space, and this growing coldness. But you then also begin to feel a light and a warmth begin to fill the space. You now see a little bit more around you.

There is an interior with glowing green lines, similar to the shuttle that you saw before. You hear faint voices, but none of them you can really make out. Dark steel, black metal, and the stars moving past. You see Tiangong, this long blade, in the middle of a glass canister, power leeching from it into the shuttlecraft itself. And then when your eyes open, you just feel a sensation and hear, good. And the hammer is gone, but Tiangong has shrunk down to about the size of a long dagger,

like a long blade, like a long knife. You can see some of the etchwork that was on the hammer is now engraved into Tiangong's blade, but otherwise it still retains similar properties, and you now believe that it possesses the same abilities and powers as Gadwin's hammer. So I don't know if I've already put it on a sheet. I added it, yeah, but I haven't know if I've already put it on a sheet.

I added it, yeah, but I haven't wielded it. Okay, so if you wield it, then basically that counts as Tiangong. It counts as your packed weapon, so you can even select it. Yeah, you see that? I can probably quickly do that as well, by the way. I got it. You got it? If you said it was packed weapon.

Yep. Sorry, not packed weapon. Hexblade. Hex weapon, yep. Hex weapon, nice. Perfect. Yeah yeah so now yeah it's it's it still looks like tiangong but like a shorter wider blade dwarven runes and engravings along the actual blade you know middle itself the fulcrum i think

um yeah and it still appears the same but shorter and the hammer is gone it's not a hammer no this is a smaller blade so i'm just going to look at it and be like, fascinating. Not what I expected. And then just start furiously writing notes about the whole thing. Okay. Perfect. Bam.

In that hour, or I guess in the time leading up if we're not doing anything else, could I, outside of RP, just talk to a load of dudes and say, hey, what do you think of Brett Brookstone?

Yeah, absolutely. You want to go around and speak absolutely. And just see the general feeling around him. You want to go around and speak to the locals and get the general vibe on Brett Brookstone. Hey, guess who's a VIP? Got myself a meal with the Bookstone boys. Make me... What do you think of that?

Hey, if you're going... Are you trying to, like, schmooze? You're kind of like, oh, blah, blah, blah. Like, what do you think? Are you trying to be, like, cunning? Or are you just outright just saying, look, tell me what you know about... Yeah, just what do you think of this tell me what you know about. Yeah.

Tell me what you think. What do you think of this guy? Persuasion check. Okay. Bam. That is super cocked. That was super cocked. Bam.

Oh, persuasion. 19. 19. So, yeah, quite a lot of people open up and it seems that most of the people in town are aware of the good work that the group's been doing, the charity that has been set up, that sort of thing. And they're more than happy to talk to you. The opinion is mixed, but leans towards that Brett Brookstone is a pretty selfish man. He cares about him and his family.

He runs the mine, like there's a big mine out in the Ironweald near the town, that he, you kind of get a little bit of his backstory, that he was basically, he was a pretty, he came from a very poor family okay and he worked really hard his family owned a small farm that was completely ravaged by wild elves like several years when he was you know a teenager the farm was completely wiped out it was it was they couldn't save anything and the family lost everything um he lost his parents quite quickly after that due to illness in the winter. But since then, he has worked and worked and worked, scraping and saving all of his money.

And then he happened to basically strike lucky. He went and bought a bunch of mining equipment and he found iron deposits out in the iron world. And he set up a basic mine. From that, he's made a ton of coin he's employed people around the village and he has very much he respects people that are willing to work hard but he doesn't really care about where they come from he employs a lot of people that are like drunkards or have had trouble in the past people that have kind of committed petty crimes um but as long as they work hard for him, he doesn't really care.

He has a big family. He has six kids and his wife, and they live in a pretty nice house over by the Einwild. He doesn't like wild elves, but that isn't that surprising given his past. He's generally seen as a little bit selfish, but generally, you know generally not a bad guy. Nobody's ever had trouble with him. They've normally had trouble with his workers.

They can be known to cause trouble around town. Normally, though, as soon as it gets reported, they stop misbehaving, or at least for a while. Oh, okay. So that's the vibe and the information you get with that check. I think he's a good guy. I think I've just come out of that. I'm convinced. Okay.

Fetcher it. Fetcher it. Yes? I've got some notes from the bulletin board. I've torn it. Oh, okay. Look, we've got some rose petals. Nice. This is the name for our group. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah.

Our band, our troupe. Rose petals. Nice. I mean, that works our group. Okay. Yeah. Yeah our band our troupe Rose petals. Nice. I mean that works for you You're kind of made out of a plant. Yeah, right. It doesn't really sum up all of us though I don't consider myself a rose more like an orchid Yeah, I guess yeah Quill is probably something that eats plants rather than is a rose. Oh, look, there's flight trap things. Yes. I've seen those, yeah.

Carnivorous, yes. Anyway, there's more than just rose petals. There's sparrow blades. I like that one. Which I don't know if that's offensive to quill, because a sparrow is a different kind of birdie. And he, I don't know, he's an aracocra. But it's also the name of the ship.

Oh, yes. That's very clever. I didn't think of that. Oh, that's wonderful. Yeah. Okay, that's nice. It's not really sure how the people of the town

knew that, but somehow it's on the list. Who knew? Word spread so quickly. The last one is descendants. I don't know where we're descended from. I assume it's about my daddy.

Probably, or when we fell. Descendant from Elinasto. Oh, yeah, you certainly did, yeah. Yes, well, we didn't all. I wish you all were siblings. That'd be funny, wouldn't it? We'd all have far more money. Anyway, those are the options.

The other ones are a bit rubbish. Okay. I think we should take this back and do a little, do a votey. A votey are a bit rubbish. Okay. I think we should take this back and do a little, do a votey. A votey? A votey. Yes, and our leader Quill, if it's a standoff, will make the final decision. Okay.

Where is he, by the way? I don't know. Bruce is leader! She comes up. Yes, dear, hello. Have you seen Quill? I saw him heading out into the town when I was getting some supplies. He was asking the locals about Brookstone. Oh, fair enough.

The charity. Yes. How's that going? Is it established? Have you set it up? I have put the money away safely. And what I have had, I've asked people around the town to, you know, come and tell me what they want it for. And I am writing down everything that they say. And then I will go through the list and I will try and prioritize, which I feel is more

benefit to everyone. That's very nice. Very businessy. Well, yes, it is a lot of money. We need to make sure that it is not wasted. Do you have enough? Do you want some more? I mean, we will not say no, but you have already given a lot.

If you want, Mr. Elinesto, please. Here you go. That's very kind of you. Thank you so much. 20 gold. Yep. You're going to give 20 gold? Yep. I have more gold than you.

What, now? You have more than 10 platinum, 2 gold? Is that it? 10 platinum? No. That's 102. Yeah, you have way more than me. How much have you got?

I've got 25 gold. 878. I'm guessing because you're... I have the slush fund. Yeah. You've been gathering all of the crap, like the stuff that you've sold and stuff like that. I see.

Everyone mocks me for losing. You're the second losing. So technically, some of that money is everybody's. So, yeah. Thank you, Rosalina, you're doing very well. Thank you very much, Mr. Alonastor. He's very kind of you. Thank you so much. But Rosalina, you've been so kind. Is there

anywhere I can help you around the tavern at all? Oh, my dear, no, you are paying us guests, of course not. You are guests here. No, no, no, no, no, no. Yes, of course. Myself and Reld and Yusef and Corinne are all helping me. It's all fine. Do not worry.

Okay, no problem. I am only... I wish... I would love to offer your other friends who are staying in the barn more comfortable accommodation, but I have to run my business. Otherwise, I'll have everyone in here asking me to stay and... I could ask orville to stay with me now that ayla's gone if you wanted to i'm sure mr dagos would love that i'm not there he is not you're not there sorry i don't know you are in the room i'm just thinking it's kim sorry uh yeah yeah she's just like no no no by no means

you are guests you are paying you have done so much for the town, I would not dream of asking you to help around the town. I have managed long and fine, it is fine. This is not my first time running a business. I am used to hard work. Trust me, this is much easier than my old job, so my old business. Okay. Okay, I'll probably, like, come back now. Ah, Mr. Quill!

I'm talking to someone, it's just like, yes, I'll... You've got, like, farmer... Farmer, no, it'd probably've got like farmer, farmer, no, it'd probably be a lady farmer, this one. It'd probably be, you know, like her name is probably Kendra.

Kendra. Kendra. Kendra. Well, I'm probably like, well, yeah, I mean, and that's, well, I mean, we've never had any problems with Mr. Brookstone, but.

Well, okay. It's good to know at least. Well, as I said, the charity is there for you. I have no more money to give. I swear you do. I'll speak to Miss Rosalina and we'll pitch in for the new fence around the farm. Fantastic.

Thank you, Mr. Quill. Goodbye. Oh, Rosalina! Yes, come here. Okay. Charity? Yes, fine. Come to my office. Thank you. It's happening. If you need anything, ask her out. She will Rosalina. Yes, come here. Okay. Charity. Yes, fine. Come to my office. Thank you. It's happening. If you need anything, ask her out. She will provide for you.

Okay. Yes. Come in. I'm hoping that they give more to the charity than they take. A lot of people are asking for stuff, but not really. Do they need more money? Well, no, we do not give any more money. We have that group fund.

I know, but. Once daddy comes back, we can just replenish all of the funding. Have you heard anything? I hear lots of things. From Daddy? Oh, no. Okay. Not yet.

Still holding out. We're going to Goldthrone, aren't we? Well, I suppose. He's not going to come to a little quaint town like this, is he? No, true. Is he going to be in Goldthrone? Is he going to be in Goldthrone? Below him.

Below him, yes. No. He'd send some sort of escort or, you know, some employee

or a messenger or something. He wouldn't come personally to see... How would he spend the effort? He's got so much important affairs.

You're his son and you crashed in a ship and you just survived the bitter world. Oh yeah, that's a good point. He might be emotionally invested. Yes, possibly.

Are you not? Huh? Emotionally invested? Yes. On the brink of collapse at all times. Smiling it off, Bertie. That's good to know. Do you want some money?

No. Okay. How much money have you given away today? 20 gold. How? Who? How? When? Who? Rosalina, charity. Oh, I suppose that's okay. That goes to everyone, I suppose.

How much have you got left? How have you got any money? This much. And I had shown him 10 platinum coins and two gold pieces. Wow, that's... more than I expected actually. Yeah. I've got way less than that. It's not for his pittance.

Is it? Yes. I've got twenty-five. Well, I started with thousands. Thousands?! Yes. You did. I started with a thousand.

How much of that did you lose in your, the thing that we lost? I didn't have thousands. I had thousands. You probably had a thousand before you got in the thing that we lost? We didn't have thousands. Thousands? You probably had thousands before you got on the airship to Imikzan and then you spent it slowly. I think you had like two, three hundred when we started the campaign. A thousand. And if we go to see, let's say we take you back to Daddy, will you just get this money back? Will you just be...

Oh, I'm sure, yes. How much? There must be some cap, some limit. You have so much money. Yes, but, you know, we earn a lot too. That's true, I suppose. Anyway, anyway, I just went around town speaking to a lot of people about Brett Brookstone and a lot of people about Brett Brookstone. And, I mean, honestly, I'll start this off with, what do you think of him, Century? Can I, in this point, have just wandered down and just like,

I haven't said anything, I'm just like, I'm just suddenly there. Yeah, Nova's there. Hey, Nova! Hi, Wade Beck. Hi, Yukio. Hi, Wade. Hi. Hi, Yukio. Hi, Wade. Hello. Hi.

I mean, he's been causing the town a lot of trouble. I know that's not directly him, but I can't help but feel like as a person who's responsible for a large proportion of what happens in the town, I just don't know. I don't know. I just, I don't trust him. I don't trust him. You know, I want to, you know, it's, I want to, I want you guys to be safe and protected. And I don't know. I don't, I don't, I don't know. I don't know. I just, I don't get a good vibe from him. What I heard from the town is that any time a worker of his has been reported doing wrong, he fixes it immediately, or as soon as he can.

But it never goes for good. It always comes back. Okay. Everybody's got a bad story, and it's always about Brett. It's always about Brett and the Brookstone boys. Fair enough. So what do we do tonight then? I mean, we're going to meet them and their entire family and there's four of us and however many of them,

there's at least seven, eight of them. If they're all there, at least eight of them. We haven't done anything wrong. Why would they attack us? I mean, I don't know. He has power in this town and we've just come into the place, and people seem to like us a lot more than they like him. Did they say that?

Well, no, but if I was a powerful megalomaniac in a big mining industry, and five people wandered in and became the... More like eight people, actually. But yes. Eight? With Yusef and Karin and Vala and Arvel. Yeah. Well, yeah.

That's nine. We're a big group. High five. I fake it. But I... You probably wouldn't even know what I hope for. I'm not wearing my silk gloves yet. Wow.

You're like, who knew? High five. Mage hand. I guess you probably wouldn't even know what a high five is. I'm not wearing my silk gloves yet. Oh, wow. You're like, oh, no, no, no. High five. Mage hand. Air ganassi. Mage hand, yeah. So what's the plan? Are you going to stick around?

Are you going to talk more? What are we going to do? Are you going to take Arvel with you? I'm going to take Arvel with us, I suppose. Is he all healed up? He was there when Brett invited you. Yeah. Okay, but he's fine. His legs are good. Totally healed up he was there when Brett invited you yeah okay but he's fine

his legs are good totally healed up yeah no like repercussions at all Arvo's a good businessman as well he has a good perspective

I think he'll be good to bring along true and he was invited yeah okay so anything you want to do

last question or are we just going to jump ahead because if you're just going to stand around let's go what do you want to do names you want to go no oh What do you want to do?

The names do the names okay names for the group and he's gonna rose petals rose Let's go sparrow blades sparrow. I like that one sparrow, but I don't understand sparrow blades. Yeah, the ship we crashed on oh But that's someone else's ship like but I feel like we should carry their memory with us Oh, but that's someone else's ship But I feel like we should carry their memory with us Oh yeah, but he might build another ship Called the Sparrow Blades And then he might be a bad person And then, who knows, our name might get dragged through the mud Okay

I mean, it's just a ship How about Daddy's Kiddies? What? Daddy's Boys was another one written on the piece of paper Daddy's Kiddies? A bit weird Oh, Nerva! Daddy's boys was another one written on the piece of paper. Daddy's kiddies? I mean... A bit weird. Oh, Nerva!

Yes? How's Tiangong? It's fine. Did you do it? Yes, and I'll hold up my... Oh, he's got a long blue dagger. That's not a hammer. That's a lot smaller.

Yeah, I don't really know what happened there. Has it lost its power? No, it's still got like heat metal and the mending one. But it doesn't bludgeon. No, it stabs. Mark, help her out. I mean, yeah, it's a dagger. It would be stabbing.

Yeah. Well, is it still hungry? I don't know. Like I said, I can't really have conversations. It's not like a... Well, yeah, but you can, you know... You sensed it's hungry. I did, but nothing happened.

Okay. What happens if you... Now? Nothing. Yeah, still the same thing, but rather than being hungry there is a kind of content for now I'm getting a sense that

Tiangong's content That's nice I just broke my mini It's fine, we can fix it It can be glued So it's content now What happens if it gets hungry again? I don't know

What happens if we can't feed it? What't know. Well, then we feed it. And what happens if we can't feed it? Well, if we don't have anything to feed it? I could feed you it. Can you do that? To you? You to it? Yes.

You can feed me Tiangong? No, I'm messing with you. Okay. I thought that was a threat that you'd stab me with it. I'd never threaten you. Okay, that's good. Because it would work. You're like a big brother to me.

Aww. That's actually... Big birdie brother. It was the nicest thing until then he started speaking. But you are a birdie brother. I know, but I feel like he just says words. Kim, I just have to quickly, I'll have to update it. It didn't have the plus one to hit and damage bonus,

so that's been added now. Okay, thank you. So it also has a plus one to hit as well as the spells. Good old D&D beyond. Was there any other names? Yep. Did you send any?

No, they're all rubbish. What about the Fallen Thorns? There's this one here. Fallen Thorns. That just sounds like, you know, if Thorns had just died and wilted off a plant. But I mean, we're in Rosehall. Actually, speaking of, rose petals.

We are in Rosehall. We are in Rosehall. Yes, we won't be for long, right? We don't want to be known by a tiny little town. What if we just wait until something defines us? Yeah. Okay. Maybe at the time we feel right.

Until then... You don't need to. It was just a thing of like, if you... Yeah. Until then, we are just the ones that did the charity in Rosehall. Nova and the quarks. Quarks? Hmm. What's a quark?

It's a star thing. Oh. It's pretty. Quillinesto tree. What's that? It's an amalgamation of us. Wait. Oh.

Quillinesto. Where's the. Quill-a-nest. Where's the... Quill-ver-nest-a. Oh, Quill-ver-nest-tria. Yes. Quill-ver-nest-tria. Quill-ver-nest-tria. Quill-ver-nest-tria.

Quill-ver-nest-tria-lia. Quill-ver-nest-tria-lia. Australia. Who's the thought? Anyway, let's go. Australia. I'd like to? Anyway, let's go. Australia. I'd like to see someone spell it. Okay.

Do we want to get the... This is Kim asking. Do we want to get the wyvern stuff made into armor? Oh, yeah. I think we'll deliver it with the intention of her making something out of it. Right. So when you go to do that,

I don't want to roleplay. Let's get to the dinner party. I'd like to crack on, please. But what she says to you, Deysa says that she can turn it into a suit of leather armor. Leather, studded leather, or hide armor. It will cost

400 gold and take two weeks to make. However, when it's made, it will give the property, and this is out of character knowledge, but it would give the property of you would ignore the first five points of poison damage that person takes. So the first five points of poison damage from an attack, you would ignore, and this is out of character knowledge, but it would give the property of you would ignore the first five points of poison damage that person takes. So the first five points of poison damage from an attack you would ignore.

It's not resistance, because that would apply like that would half any damage. This would just ignore the first five points of poison damage. We do have steel ingots as well. Yeah, those are worth I think I estimated them to be about, they're worth about

50 GP each. I have 100 gold. Well, I can take the 400 out of the slush. I've got three steel bars. But it's two weeks, so I don't want to stay. Deysa is happy

to send them to Goldthrone. She can deliver it to Goldthrone. It's quite a niche trait, really. Poison. How much would it be to sell? Once made, it would be worth probably more than the 400 gold it costs to make it,

because you're providing the raw materials. It would probably be worth about, say, 700 gold. You'd make a 300 gold profit on it. It's nearly double. Might be worth just doing. Yeah. It's a good investment. We're businessmen now.

Yeah. It will be worth just doing. Yeah. It's a good investment. We're businessmen now. Yeah. It will cost Deza to make it will cost 400 to make including her fees. But yeah, it's your it's your wine and leather if you're willing to do that. I think in that case we would sell the steel as well. So you've got three of them. 150. So you'd need to pay another

250. Right. Yes. Yeah. Bird in the band of business boiks. That's what's his name. Sorry, what's a boik? It's a gender neutral term. Oh. Do you want your mic to buzz in?

Just a second. I'm just going to fix it in here. All right, Steve's fixing Trot's mic. Right, so who's paying the 250? You paid that? Come out the funds. So I'll pay 250, and then you pay the ingots and the leather. So remove the ingots.

Should we just say get it sent to Arvel's? Yes, she's happy to do that. She can send it up to Arvel's trading company. Cool, money removed. In that case, up next. Is that all fixed? We'll find out. Okay.

In that case, we'll get... Do you want it made of studded leather? She recommends you have it made of studded leather armor. Whatever she suggests. Okay. Yeah. She's the expert. Mm-hmm.

Cool. So I guess now we'll get Arvel. You get, like, lunch, and you can get Arvel and, you know, and then head up. Oh, we're getting lunch? Let's roleplay that. We're about to. Okay, we'll get... If you would like to role play lunch, Tom Hazel,

you're more than welcome to. Om nom nom nom nom. For podcast listeners, I've just been given the crazed look of a DM that doesn't want me to do something. I want you to have fun, Tom Hazel. This is fun! In all joking,

I'm more than happy... You guys can do whatever you want. What's on the menu? Every single item. If you want to look at the menu, I can get that out for you. I'd like to split the party by just leaving. We all go off on separate adventures. Can you tell me you're not doing that?

I'm going to get my list up. No, we're not doing it. Right, we're getting Arvel. We are heading up to Brookstone. Do we need to spruce up? Montage! Yeah! Sorry, Mark. Just polishing century. You can absolutely pay for

like, Rosalina has a bath. You can pay to have baths and things like that. I would be doing that anyway. Okay. Just for the hot water and things like that, it's like a silver piece just for her to prepare a hot bath individually because the water needs to be heated.

I've paid for that. Okay. So anybody who wants a bath, you can have a bath. There are soaps. She actually has things like perfumes and oils which are all in the bath.

Any bath salts? She can pour in, it's not salt but it's like an alchemical mixture which gives it the smell of rose water. It kind of turns it pink and there's rose, crushed rose petals and things.

Got quite dense bones. So enough salt for me to float in water. Because I like the feeling. There is no salt. No salt. What? I have lotions, I have oils, but no salt. Oh, that's a shame. Okay. How do we start roleplaying this? Just have the bar, we'll get Arvul, we'll go to the manor!

But if you want to spruce up you can, I'm assuming you do that? I absolutely spruce up. Do you have any metal polish? Ah, we, yes, I'm sure Deysa can provide it. I do not have it here, but Deysa can probably polish, yes. Fantastic, can I buy some? Doesn't my room have a bath? No, there's one bath for the inn. It's like a separate room that you pay for, basically.

Bath room. I'll bath myself. Yeah, you can go to Deysa and she'll polish you up. Just sit there. She's like... Literally, she just sits there with her wire brush and stuff like that, cleaning you up. Takes care of your chain mail as well,

which has probably been a little bit rusted and stuff from misuse. Is that a paid service? Can I pay for it? Deysa will do it for free. Because she's interested in working on a Guardian. It she's like c3p at the end of empire oil bath uh but it's actually it's desa and her son she has a teenage son that do it like they work together and kind of clean you up at the end of the day um yeah just before the dinner okay so you all do that when you head over to brett brostone's, it's nearing, it's twilight.

The sun has gone down. The stars are beginning to shine overhead. You can see the cradle, this kind of multicolored band of light. And his house is a kind of large townhouse out on the outskirts of the town, nearest to the Ironweald itself. So you can hear the sounds of the forest. You can hear animals. You can hear, like, the wind rustling through the trees.

And Brookstone's not quite a manor, but it's a very large house. You can see there's a large barn. It's got multiple rooms, a little porch on the front. And as you go up, Arvel kind of goes with you and just at the front door, gives it a knock. Hello, buddy. We'll see if your intuition is sound I'm just saying this is what I think

and the door is opened and you see Brookstone there he's wearing a loose tunic shirt a pair of you know slack trousers

leather belt boots and he smiles he's like my friends welcome welcome please come in come in

do you have any coats or cloaks I can take for you there we go thank you very much he hangs it on like a it's like a deer like loads of deer horns made into like a coat rack that he hangs it up on there's a bit of fabric on the back

don't put it on the collar please otherwise it'll make a mark we'll do we'll do he hangs it up properly I'll be keeping my cloak it covers the of course if you wish to. No, just after it's there. Please come on through. I hope that you're going to enjoy the cooking this evening.

Gemma's been working on it all day. Come on through to the pantry, the parlor. And he takes you through in a nice wooden kind of corridor, various rooms splitting off, and he leads you into a large parlor room where there is a table, a large dining table set up. It's probably got enough spaces for like eight or nine people. It's massive.

The above, on the far side of the wall, there is a mounted stag's head. You can see that there is a longbow in like a framed case, a set of quivered arrows. There is a large axe like a woodcutter's axe that's been hung up on the side as well um all sorts of like pelts and furs and sort of things kind of draped over chairs and that thing's real hunter's lodge kind of vibe um and sat at the table very pristinely dressed nice little uh, all in like clean shirts or a pretty dress. You see that there are four children. Yep. Four children. There are three boys, one of whom looks to probably be about 16. The other two are probably around 10. And then a young girl who looks maybe about eight or nine,

all sat down very pristinely, very politely at the far end of the table, serving, cutting through like a large suckled pig is a woman. She's very small. She's much smaller than than Brett, who is this huge bulking figure. But she's got a very pretty face, very nice dress, hair tied up. And she's got these big mitts on and she's kind of carving through the thing. And she's just like, well, welcome welcome friends, please come and sit down. And she kind of claps her hands, Sandy, why don't you get our guests a drink

and is there anything you'd like? Water or beers or anything like that? Just water. Of course, of course. For yourselves, water is water as well.

Well, usually I'd have red wine with red meat, so just... Well... However, I don't like stains on my lips, so I'll have red wine with red meat, such as... Well... However, I don't like stains on my lips, so I'll have white, please. Well, Brett is just like, I will... I'll tell you what, Sammy, Sammy, and he gestures to the one of the boys, puts some coin in his hand,

why don't you run along down to Rosalina's, go buy a white wine for the friend, a bottle. I'll buy one? Yes, we don't... We're not wine drinkers, I'm afraid. Oh, you should be. It's delightful. Well, I will share a glass with you, friend. Go on, Sammy, off you go. We're not wine drinkers, I'm afraid Oh, you should be, it's delightful Well, I will share a glass with you, friend

Go on, Sammy, off you go We're not sharing the glass, though, are we? No, we have plenty of those And the little boy is like, he gets up and he sets his way off down to the thing How very kind Well, it's my pleasure, you are guests, after all And if there's one thing we can do properly in Rose Hall, it's hospitality Now, please, take a seat

We'll get the drinks ready and Gemma will serve up some delightful food in the meantime. Well, you probably know me. I'm Brad Brookstone. It's a pleasure to have you all here. And he points to his, I'll introduce the family. This is my wife, Gemma, the loveliest thing in all the land. And he kind of gives her like a wink and she kind of titters and like, stop it, Brad, you're embarrassing.

Goes to sorting out the food uh there's two of my boys uh that's dent and will sammy's just run off down to fetch the gentleman his drink uh one of my other sons my eldest uh finn he's uh he's working at the mine tonight i'm afraid uh we're hard workers here in the family and uh just because we have guests doesn't give them no reason to take the night off. This here is Sander. This is one of my little girls and then Fila

is the other. She's off working tonight as well. She's a god up in my mind. Big family. Yes, I've been blessed. I've been very

mightily blessed. A wonderful family with a wonderful life. It's been quite a pleasure. And that's us. That's the Brookstones. Please introduce yourselves. Arvo kind of looks up.

He's like, oh, well, real kind of your friend, Arvo Dagus of Dagus Trade Emporium up in Goldthrone. It's a pleasure to meet a fellow businessman. I've heard of the Brookstone family before. I believe I've dealt with a few of your suppliers very pleased to accept the invitation thank you very much, this is a lovely house and a lovely meal and he sits down and gets a beer

what about the rest of you? who's going to? oh, well, lovely to meet everyone I am Keelakad Kalar you can see the kids are like holy moly this is a bird man. And I am an

Arakokra. But my friends call me Quill, so please. I call him Birdie. He calls me Birdie. The kids are like, you say that. Well, Quill, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've never had the pleasure of meeting an

Arakokra before. Obviously, I've heard of your kind. Messengers, I believe. Flying all over at Roest. What a life that must be. Yes, all over. I've never had the pleasure of meeting such an esteemed hunter. Oh, well, it's a little family tradition we have. You know, the Ironweald is a dangerous place,

so I try and make sure me and the whole family know how to handle ourselves out there if we need to. I mean, I hope, oh my goodness, I feel terrible. Hopefully no apologies. These are all ground-based critters. Good. I don't know if that makes a difference. I was about to say, are there any birds of prey? There are no birds.

There are no birds. They're all very much woodland creatures. Probably the most terrific one, you'd probably notice this, very much woodland creatures uh probably the most terrific one you'd probably notice this uh there is a large like multi-eyed spider's head that has been stuffed and kind of like put on a little pedestal in the corner lovely but it's enormous like it's it's probably about this big this head um the creature it came from must have been huge. Wow, okay. Jeez. Were all of these hunted in the iron rails? Yes, yes.

All of these, everything here is me and the boys, or me and Fela have killed. It's just been sort of a family tradition, like I said. I used to make a lot of, well, back in the days before I found the mine, I used to do a lot of hunting down the woods, selling pelts to the traders, that sort of thing, to the Dale Geld. Picked up a bit of a knack for it, but tried to pass that on to the family. But there's a lot of dangerous critters out there. There's giant elks, dire wolves.

Oh, the iron-wheeled spiders are the worst. Tough as hide that you can imagine. Parts of iron shining through their little chitinous skin. Yes, friend. I didn't mean to be rude. Yes, of course. Quite put off my appetite now.

Oh, my. Yes. Surrounded by dead creatures and talking about cutting them up and whatnot. Well. A little queasy.

I'm sorry, friend. I can assure you that this succulent pig is not from the iron wheel this is good whole rose hall farmer's stock one of the tastiest meats you'll ever have excellent and it is it the the cooking looks exquisite it looks like it has been slaved over and like really you know presented well there is a thick kind of sticky marinade over the pig that's just turned like the crackling has just turned firm and bubbled.

The vegetables all have been slow roasted, covered in a hard salt. I'm so hungry right now. And you can see that the wife, Gemma, is very proud as she's serving out these plates to you all. But anyway, what about the rest of you? Can I just be really formal and just stand up straight? Again, the kids' eyes are like, Birdman and a robot.

Thank you for having us in your home. It's very kind of you. I am Sentry, Guardian of Solven. They nod, and Brett kind of is like, Thank you very much. I do hope that Tanak can help dispel some of your suspicions and concerns, my friend. Having such

a esteemed figure such as a guardian, of course, I've told the children many stories, and they kind of like get excited eyes about the guardians of old, the ancient warriors that fought against the Starbane's forces. So we are most pleased to have you amongst us today.

I've heard of the legendary fighting skill of your people. Have you done much hunting before? No, not a lot, no. I was mainly an interior guardian, so I was placed within the palace walls. A palace? My goodness! Wow, what a story, what a story.

What a story. You'll have to tell us all about it. What about the rest of you? Introductions? Yeah, I'll stand up and be like, Hi, I'm Nova. Nice to meet you, Mr. Brookstone. Well, obviously we met.

Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brookstone. This looks amazing. It's been ages since I've had a good home-cooked family meal. Oh, thank you, dear. Thank you so much. If I can help you with anything, just let me know. No, no, no. You are guests in our home.

You sit there and you enjoy this meal. It's my pleasure to put this on for people that have done so much to help the town. And she kind of is just like, we've heard all the stories of you going around helping. And Brett was telling me about this new charity fund. It's just the most wonderful thing I can think of. What a lovely gesture to the town, especially a small little out of the way place like this. No, no, no. You sit there, dear. You sit there and you just enjoy, please. And she just goes kind of finishes off the final preparations.

I was wiping a single tear with a napkin it's okay we did that out of the kindness of our hearts i'm gonna stand up i am lucid virion eloine elenasto of the elenastos in gustaven now i have heard of the elenastos of course you are. You help manufacture the, um, something to do with Ethereum cages of some sort. Correct. Very crucial component for century. Quite the, uh,

quite the rich family, is what I'm aware of. Well, I wouldn't say such. Yes. Well, again, what an esteemed guest to have in the Brookstone family. Now, please, children, what do you say? And at this point, Sammy the young boy has come back. He's got a bottle of wine.

He's a bit out of breath. Here you go, Dad. And he's just like, thank you, son. Excellent work. And then he pops the cork and finds glasses and pours wine, hands it to you. Is that you holding it? It tastes.

Well, I was just about to make the same suggestion Toast, he raises his glass with a tall beer, to make a new friends and to all the great work you've done here in the town And stopping Brookstone people from beating others up There is an awkward silence

Give me Are you saying that as a Genuine naive thing Yeah there's no malice Behind it There is a moment where the air Catches Looks at you

Eyes you a little bit Well indeed Whatever We'll definitely deal with any such troublemakers won't we children we know what happens to people that

misbehave in daddy's company and they're like yes papa and he's just like clinks glasses lovely what happens to

those who misbehave Lucius yes yeah um nothing goes wrong

it is a lovely dinner. The food is delicious. It is clearly cooked with care and attention. Brett generally entertains you with stories. He kind of tells you a little bit about how he made his money, you know, how hot, you know, his life. Without Ayla there, there's one, the only thing which kind of comes up,

he doesn't even seem to mind Lucius. He talks about how he admires the Sky Cities, how he'd love to visit them one day. He talks about, you know, the only thing which kind of comes up, he doesn't even seem to mind Lucius. Like he talks about how he admires the Sky Cities, how he'd love to visit them one day. He talks about, you know, the majesty of it. The kids ask a million questions to a view. The only thing is he's near the end. He's just like, now I must admit, I once had a very troubled past with wild elves

and I'm kind of somewhat glad that your other friend couldn't make it. I still find it very difficult to be in their presence. I can't help but think of my mother and father who I lost quite tragically but I do wish

you all seem a good sort and I just be careful with wild elves. They can be a savage group. They don't care much for hard work. They just take what they want. I'm sure that your friend has been a stalwart ally

in battle and such, but y'all should just be careful. I don't mean to be rude, but my nanny always used to say, judge one by the one and not by the all. Sounds like a very wise woman. I don't know what it means, but I think

it applies in this scenario. It does. It does. Like I said, I just, I hope y'all are careful. We've had our run-ins already and almost died. They are. They are dangerous people. Didn't we quit?

We did, Lucius, yes. He's our unofficial leader. Really? Apparently. Oh, the leader of this little mercenary band. Well, mercenary isn't really what we'd call it. Would we? Mercenaries? What do you do as a group?

You're more help people. Treasure hunters? Helpers? Help people, yeah. I mean, so far we've... Go to some marathons. I'm just a voyager. Exploring. Noting.

Oh, good. I probably spent most of the dinner party playing with his daughter. Yeah? Yeah, she's actually quite bookish. You can see that she's very much interested in your books. She asks you what books you've got on you and what ones you're reading. She seems to be quite learned. Yeah, for Nova, just being back in a family situation yeah the boys are

very boisterous the boys are kind of constantly like fighting and shoving each other and Brett's always telling them to pack it in and when he does they pay attention but then they quickly turn back to squabbling anything else throughout yeah when he kind of is a little stricter with the kids do any of us notice i think that sounds like an insight check fear in the kids eyes like a yeah sure inside check i think or if you're looking for like like if you're looking for body language yeah no inside would be inside yeah i guess we're all kind of passively doing that anyway yeah no yeah i mean yeah like if you want to be like if you want to be like throughout this the two of you are, like, super paying attention to what's going on,

then, yeah, you can just tell me what your passive is. I think we're all ready for something to go wrong. Make a roll, and if it's lower than your passive, then we'll just use your passive. I'm just having a little bit of time playing with the kids. Yeah, it's lower than mine. Mine's 13. Okay, so what's your passive? It's 13? Yeah.

Okay, well... I've got 16. And what's your passive inside? 13. Okay, so 16, okay. I've got 16 as well. 16. Okay. I got 16. And what's your passive insight? Okay, so 16. Okay. So 16. So there is a look in the kid's eyes in as much as any strict father, but you definitely notice that when Brett says jump, these kids jump.

Like this is a family that he rules. But it does not seem to be an unkind rule. There is genuine love between him and his children and him and his wife um when he talks about his hardships you don't get the sense that he's lying about them you can you can tell by the way that he talks and the way that his manner is is that this is a guy who worked his way up from the bottom and has kind of developed himself into the self-made man that he is today when he talks a little bit about isla and the wild elves he's very much repressing a lot of anger you get the sense that like in him advising

you to be careful he's really holding back from saying what he feels um you get the sense that whatever he wants to say he's forcefully not doing that he's saying what he thinks is more polite um but yeah uh apart from that unless there's anything else you want to talk about or say or ask the dinner goes well uh a dessert of a treacle cake is emerged oh my god um near the end as you're kind of finishing up jemma begins taking the plates away uh there is a knock at the door. Brett stands up. He's like, excuse me, friends.

Goes to it, opens it, and you hear a familiar voice. You recognize it as the field marshal, Merrick's, that you met before. And he just goes, evening, Brett. Are the travelers here? I need to speak to them. He's like, well, of course, Merrick. Is something wrong? I need to speak with the others He's like, well, of course, Merrick. Is something wrong? I need to speak with the others, please.

He's like, please, come in, come in. And you see Merrick, this field marshal, and you can see he's wearing his armor. He's wearing scale mail. Crossbow is slung at his back, and he has a long sword at his side. Is that more than normal? Yeah, when you saw him,

he was wearing, like, farmer's clothes. He was just having dinner. He comes in. Sorry to interrupt your pleasant evening. Dabbing. I need to... Dabbing with a napkin, not dabbing. With a napkin, yeah. You need to come with me.

Something's happened back at the Brazen Heart. The Brazen Heart? Yes. I'm afraid it's probably better I talk on the way. This isn't a conversation to have during a dinner. Well, in that case, I'm sorry to cut the evening short, Brett. Oh, he looks over, he's like, Merrick, is everything all right? He's just like, I'll talk to you later, Brett.

I may need to come and ask you some questions. If you wouldn't mind coming with me. Yes, certainly, of course. And you are, if you leave, Brett is just like, well, thank you, friends. I'm sorry to have the evening ended this way. If anything's wrong and you need my help, please come and speak to me.

You are most hospitable, and we very much appreciate your... Thank you very much. Your, uh... Goodbye. Goodbye. To go. Yes, thank you, friends. And you are led back to the Brazen Heart,

where there is a gathered crowd. It's probably about nine o'clock, I mean, a few hours since you left, and there is a gathered crowd around the inn, around the stables. Oh, what? At the back. As you begin to make your way through,

Merrick is like, Merrick calls out, Guards, come on, clear the area. We can't have these people around. Start asking questions and you can see several of the locals are being pulled away by the harvest guard and ask questions. And as the crowds begin to part is when you see the blood splatters

all across the ground. And you see two lifeless bodies. What? And that's where we're going to take a break. Whoa! and you see two lifeless bodies. What? Oh, God. God, no way. And that's where we're going to take a break. Whoa! See you later.

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