High Rollers DnD - High Rollers: Aerois #114 | Gods and Queens (Part 2)

Episode Date: June 10, 2021

The team travel with Valla to the Halls of Infinite Resplendence to meet her mother, Siaska. Also, Sentry receives a message about some travelling Guardians!  Grab your newest friend, Hug-Me-Quill, from https://freshmerch.fm/collections/high-rollers! Releasing at 4pm BST on Sunday 13th June! Limited supply, set your alarms! We're sponsored by D&D Beyond! The ultimate Dungeons and Dragons toolset. Clean up your dungeon delving life and speed up your games here: http://bit.ly/HRDNDBeyond2021 Support the High Rollers and get early access to podcast episodes (and more) on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/HighRollers Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Can you hear me? Quill responding. I read you loud and clear. Quill, a relative's your help. On the way. Quill plushie. The world's greatest cleric is now the world's greatest toy. Quill has it all. Golden messenger compass. I'll never lose my way. Hesper's gift. Quill has it all. Golden Messenger Compass.

I'll never lose my way. Hesper's gift, the Storm Eye. Wow. Spell slot burning action. Hell yeah. Dainty little chicken legs. Hang on a second. That's pretty rude.

And best of all, this bird's got a wing. Clear skies to all of the rowists. Not a flying toy. Get your Huggbee Quill Plus from an online store near you. Available at A-Plums, Toy Barn, and Fresh Mart. we come back in as a note as well if you're a first-time watcher if you've never watched before and and you're like i love dnd i can't wait for them to fight something maybe next week because i think this is going to be a very lore-heavy, discussion-y one.

We've just had some very big battles, but don't worry, there's plenty of those. So keep tuning in. I just also think that there's still plenty more to talk about, and I'm sure Kim has probably got a billion questions ready to go. I'm sure other people have got stuff they want to ask about.

When we come back in, having spoken to Danica, preparations are being made to secure of secure your quarters here against crying you still have you know hours before the spell runs out i think valor will kind of now that most of the other people that aren't involved have left she kind of looks and says now that now that we're not necessarily i know we're not alone but... I know this is going to be difficult. Especially for you, Sentry. But I feel like I need to talk to you a little about my father.

If you'll listen. Okay. Listen. This is going to... this is going to be hard and and i want you to understand this isn't the effect of any sort of spell i'm not uh brainwashed or anything like that but spending time with him there's more there's more to him than just this tyrant that we were all taught that he was on a rowist that century has seen in battle when he's with the others when he has to be the emperor he's this cold ruler who is honorable to an extent but rules with a nine fist but when it was just us when he was teaching me about my powers when he would tell me stories of the world before hadar i saw a different. I saw a man who was haunted by things that he's done. A man that was

tired. I caught him in moments where he looked like he was in pain, where he was anguished about something. I did a lot of research. I spoke to people that have served him for centuries some have served him for millennia there's some of the Eladrin who have known him or known the real him there's a lot of legends about Calus this idea of Calus Starbane of Emperor Valkyrian. The worlds have an idealized version of him, but it's built on some truths. I learned that he was a mortal. Well, he still is mortal, but he was normal once. He was just a soldier on a world called Gideon.

He, this is, I don't want you to feel insulted by this, but he wasn't that different to any of you. He was not an adventurer of sorts, a mercenary maybe. He would travel around. Back then, back before the Valkyrian Empire, back really before Hadar was a presence, Gideon was a world like a Roess.

It had enemies. The Orcs of Archon, the Eladrin of the Feywild, the demons of the various demonic fiendish worlds that existed, they all attacked Gideon or would invade it from time to time. Gideon would fight back.

My father was a soldier, a mercenary who would go and do that. And over time, you know, he found relics and he found spells and places of ancient power that made him stronger. And he began sort of accumulating these legends about him, stories and companions too. these legends about him. Stories and companions, too. There was an orc, a warrior poet that was some sort of exiled son of one of the great clans. There was an Eladrin spy,

a woman who was a sort of assassin that he befriended, and a Durgar, a smith, who forged his armor. They traveled around together, solving problems, fighting enemies, and he met a certain goddess disguised,

trying to learn more about the mortal world. I don't know the stories about Siaska and Kallus. He won't talk about it. But some others did. Apparently they were... It was like two people that belonged together. They laughed and joked and they fought and protected people. But it all changed, or it all started to change when Hadar attacked Gideon. I don't know if you know this, but Gideon,

my father's homeworld, was one of the first places Hadar attacked. Apparently, Kallus and Siaska had begun to discover that Hadar was influencing the world, that he could escape the Far Realm and influence things. And so he started attacking, and he targeted Gideon specifically. My father, with Takrok and Kalesa and Vano, they had forged alliances across all these different worlds. They had made peace treaties and convinced people to join forces with Gideon. But it wasn't like it is now. It was more... It was alliances of terms and conditions. When Gideon was attacked,

Kallus and Siaska asked for the Otherworlds to help them, but they withheld it. They wanted more supplies. They wanted my father's magitek. They wanted them to attack their enemies in exchange for helping protect Gideon. They delayed so long that Gideon was destroyed by Hadar my father saved as many people as he could Siaska my father and his companions they they saved as many people as they could but it wasn't

enough Gideon was destroyed and I think that's when things started to change and then I know that Alfheim I read about it Aayla this world of the elves I genuinely think that my father thought if one world has paid the cost then another can he saved all the people, he gave them new places

he tried to relocate them but I think that whatever happened between him and siasca was the final straw it changed him since then it's it's just like being a spiral he's just convinced himself that he must stop hadar no matter the cost and i know that there are a lot of truths a lot of stories about him even our own i know that we were told that he killed Siaska, but I'm convinced that there's more to it. It isn't just he killed her. The way that he won't speak about her, the way that he looks when I ask, something else happened.

Something he won't talk about. I think she's the solution I think that if we want to stop Calus without a war Siaska's the true link I think she's the only one

that he'll listen to I just felt that you all should know this even though he's done terrible things even though I know I just felt that you all should know this. Even though he's done terrible things, even though I know he's this tyrant, I can't help but feel sorry for him. And I want to help him. We understand, Valor.

We've come to that realization ourselves. I believe Nova was the first. However, we're just like him, like you say, on our planet, trying to save it. Yeah. And the threat that is to that planet

has become him. I think, Lucius, yes, you're right. And this is why I wanted to come back to Erois, because he thinks that Erois is the only chance to destroy Hadar. And you know it. You said Quill's seen in the vision that it doesn't work. But he's convinced. But I think that Siasaska must have known a different way

and that knowledge is what something happened between them i don't know what but i think she's the key i think she knows another way to stop hadar but he's convinced that the world engine is the only way to do it and And so we need to convince him. We need to bring Siaska back somehow. This is why I wanted Hesper to tell us if he knew of a way to do that. Well, he did. His sacrifice was not just to save me, though much of it was. He also,

like I said, he is with Siaska now, and that's where all the other Titans need to be as well. And once they all join with her, then Siaska will come back, and will be able to impart all of this knowledge that hopefully she

has. Hopefully she has this other solution. I think she does. It's just getting the other Titans to agree to this. Some will be harder than others. Some we've spoken to personally. I was hoping that Hesper might, if that's the case, I mean, Hesper's the one who would have known, like, how to find them, what we need to do to stop them. But I mean, I know it might seem strange. We're taught that the Titans are our gods, but I've come to realize

that they're just, they're fragments of Siaska. They're elements of of her it's not like we're really killing them it's not like hespa's really gone he's just gone back to her do you know what i mean i do uh siaska's knowledge and siaska's strength and siaska's everything is in her children um and yes when all is returned, all those fragments, much like Tiangong, once all the fragments have returned, then, well, anyway, then Siaska will be

returned. Century, Aayla, I know that you guys are fighters you're warriors sentry you're a soldier you fought i mean you saw what callus did to arois before a lot of people died because of him i know that hearing what i've got to say you probably you probably don't agree and and you probably don't want it to be the case. I mean, how do you feel about it?

I don't really know what I'm asking here. I just need to know how you feel. It's difficult. Like Maximilian, I swore an oath I swore an oath to protect a young ward who I now know lives here on Aroas, she's safe and

while she's still here that oath still resides within me as my duty your father is a direct threat to her life to everybody on Aroas' life. If we can come to an agreement, if we can find a way to stop more bloodshed, then that would be the best way. I agree.

I really do think... I think there's a part of him. I don't think he wants, I don't think he wants to be a tyrant. I don't think he wants to attack these planets. He does it because he thinks he has to, because he thinks that's the only way to stop this greater threat. To stop this greater threat. I think if we can prove. If we can show him. That there's another path. I think. I think.

We can do this without. I think we can protect Arois. And we can protect. The empire that he's built. It's not perfect. But he's done good things. There are parts of the empire that work and there are parts that don't but

but i know it's cost a lot and i know that he's done unforgivable things i don't think he needs to be forgiven i i want to trust that he'll do the right thing, though. Vala, do you think there's any chance he has been corrupted by Hadar? There's a lot of talk about that. There are people, especially Zarkirisis people who try to insinuate that there's a lot of politics in the empire he rules through fear and through power and people constantly try and undermine him but i've spent a lot of time with him and i don't know if it's just these growing powers or if it's just naive belief but i don't think so i think that he's sacrificed too much i i think it's because of

his intentions i think hadar preys on those he corrupts those that intentionally consume that want power for their own benefit and And I don't think my father's ever wanted any of this. I think he's always just wanted to protect, but it's just become twisted by the things that he's had to sacrifice. But I don't think so. I don't know, Nova. I mean, maybe it's just wishful thinking. Maybe there are signs there that I can't see. But I don't want to believe it.

And I don't think it. But I'm not sure. I think what's important is like Sentry said we all here understand there is no black and white to it

there is only saving lives and we need to steer your father onto the correct path to save as many lives as we possibly can and i'd rather do it without bloodshed as well i believe vala you may be more of a pivotal part than you think i don't think it's all down to siasco i've tried i've been trying. I think that me being back in his life has opened that door. He won't step through it.

Not just by me, not just by... I think even if you tell him that Zakir is going to betray him, even if you tell him that the world engine won't work, I don't think he'll step through that door just yet. But it's open now. And I think that all of these things are reasons for him'll step through that door just yet but it's open now and i think that all of these things are reasons for him to step through it but i think without siasca he won't do it and even then even even if he does it's never gonna it's never gonna forgive the things that he's already done

it's never gonna undo all the bad things as well as the good things that he's done i don't think there's redemption i don't think he wants that i think that we just need to try and save as many people as we can now on both sides and i think that if we can get siaska and if you all of you and me and her if we all stand together to convince him i think he'll listen especially if what you said about zarkira is true i think that if she betrays him well i think that part of him will i think it will it will hurt him i think that that he doesn't trust very easily anymore and I don't think he trusts Akira but it will just be another person

another loss, another defeat but I think that if we're all there to offer him another path I think we can convince him I don't think any of us disagree and I believe that was our goal when we went to get you I'm glad

I just know that when the last Iol saw you he was this villain, this figure that existed in our legends this evil thing that came to our world and took Siaska away. I just needed, I guess I just wanted to know that, I'm glad that you can see him that way.

Yeah, we're on the same side on this one. I mean, when he took you away, away honestly we expected him to imprison you uh we expected no fatherly love of any kind to come from that man uh he's proven us wrong it's strange like you said i wouldn't have expected it but i mean it's hard love is such a strange word to it. I don't even know if he remembers how anymore. It's like... It's like love isn't a thing that he can remember. But he was...

There was kindness. There was patience. But there was also, every time he looked at me, it looked like he was in pain. It was strange. He's a man that spent countless years leading a cruel army

on a goal to destroy the most evil thing he can imagine. I can understand how that would change him, how it would characterize him. That's all he is now. There is definitely something else there. How do we convince, how that would change him. That would characterize him. That's all he is now. There is definitely something else there. How do we convince, how do we change him back to who he used to be?

Show him the thing that he used to love. That one emotion he suppressed this whole time. Not just that, but I think we need to show him that there's another path to victory. A path that doesn't involve sacrifice i think all this time war if there's anything i've learned from the empire it's that war is just endless sacrifices sacrifices for what you want to protect your people to protect your home somebody has to pay the price and i think we need to find a way that nobody has to pay a price that's what we need to convince him and show him that thing show him siasca i don't know if i should call a mother i don't think that's right i think that i have some of her power but i think we just yeah

fella from what i've learned i've gone please that's right you go nova just i just this is probably a big question do you want to see siaska Do you want to see Siaska? Uh, well that's... How is that possible? She's the cradle, right? We found... We found a part of her here on Aroas. Wow.

Uh, well... Yeah. I would. Quill? Uh, well, uh, yes, I mean, we can take you to the halls of infinite resplendence

where her sarcophagus resides. Um, not just Siaska, but Hesper too. Um, hopefully her sarcophagus resides. Not just Siaska, but Hesper too. Hopefully you'll be able to gleam something from that, but you will see her in some form.

I'd really like that. I mean, we can go now. It's just... Do we want to go now? Why not? I'm coming with you. If the princess is going, I am going. I feel that's

directly in conflict with what Danica suggested, but... He's with us. Nobody's going to see where we're going. We're not walking out and about. We're in a place that no one's been to. True. Checking the book

to Horizon, I don't think I can. You could teleport circle though but obviously you wouldn't be back in these chambers I know it's a risk but I'd really like to okay okay if everyone is ready we can go right now okay okay

if everyone is ready we can go right now sure alright I will plane shift to the halls of infinite resplendence cool

once again this giant column of prismatic multicoloured light engulfs all of you and you feel yourselves almost like shot up into the air kind of pulled directly upwards at rapid speeds and then almost in an instant way quicker because you're on basically in a shorter distance you land back in this pristine white super reflective corridor, this chapel that seems to just extend in multiple directions infinitely. Just this grand cathedral that seems to extend forever and ever and ever. And at the heart of it, in front of you, a large crystal-like sarcophagus from which a great light projects up into

the air. And you now notice two things. One, there is a halfling woman just sat by the sarcophagus strumming a lyre. The other one is that there is a very distinct breeze.

It's light, it's pleasant, but this wind constantly swirls around the sarcophagus now. Hmm. Huh. Isn't that interesting, Quill? Why is that there? Why is that there?

Did you say breeze? Did you say breeze? Yeah, like a gust of wind. Okay, okay. When you guys arrive, everyone's sort of like looking around shocked. You see the little halfling figure kind of looks up, same sort of like curly,

probably blonde this time, her hair color, almost like big bouncy blonde curls. She's wearing a different outfit. This one appears to be almost like a traveling minstrel with like brightly colored cloths. And she's got this lyre, but this is the titan or goddess, Sayana, the song heart. She just looks up and smiles.

It's good to see you all again. You too. And we have brought with us this time uh vala uh this one doesn't need any introductions key like adkala i don't know if i don't know if sister or cousin is the right word but certainly well connected and she gets up and kind of steps over and sort of takes valor's hands valor is just like looking around in awe max is like there are tears like in max's eyes he's just just in awe of this place she uh sayana kind of steps up she takes vala's hands uh and then cups her face uh and it's just like well don't you look familiar come on she takes her hands tugs her along

rest of you will follow i'm assuming as she's led up to the sarcophagus. Yep. I want to get all up in that wind. Yeah. The air fizzles around you. It's crisp, like the air on a mountaintop. A little cold, but not unpleasantly so. Refreshing.

You feel almost like any fog or confusion in your mind seems lifted when you step close the gems on the wayfinder guide quill light up again including the one back to horizon wow okay when you get close Sayana kind of

is pulling Valor along and she's like i know that she's technically asleep but i think she'll be very excited that you're visiting types her up and you see vala's like hesitant like vala can see it and she's almost hesitating to look in uh lucius will go up and gently put a hand on her back it's okay Bella we're all here with you it's just you know the

Yusef and Corrin were priests of Siasco I grew up in a convent it's just knowing that that's her you know that feeling that you have right now that's the feeling

we have when we saw you again. Enjoy it. Damn you, Chris Trott. Got him. What a line. It got me. It got me. Valor steps up to it.

She looks in. Here's something you weren't expecting there. Oh. There is Valor's hair. This dark hair begins to glow and turn into that nebula of color once again as she gets close. And this similar nebulous glow seems to begin emanating from inside the sarcophagus vala seems to almost before your eyes maybe another year two years of age just seems to like fill her body in a form like you just see this kind of glow spread over her her hair grows a little bit longer it kind of flares out and she begins to kind of glow with that same purple

energy that she once had she looks in you all here in your heads thank you for letting me see her. And you just watch as the hair sort of drifts down and settles back into place. But now, where Valor's hair used to almost just be this pure black, like calluses, now, when you look at it, in certain light, you see little stars shimmering all over the hair. She's here. I could hear her. I know. I... The other gods. Oh, the Titans. Oh, Sayana, there's something wrong with them.

With the rest of them. I know. I'm glad that you all came by. I've come to realize, I know I'm not Hesper, but I've looked into it. Atalicus, Zephir Kallara they're all something's wrong with them I don't know if it's just their waning power

but they've all become twisted Kallara's she's convinced that there's no hope left for Aroes. She thinks now the best thing for her to do is to just take everyone into the afterlife.

She's, they've all secured themselves in their own demiplanes. They're all hiding themselves away preparing. Atelicus thinks that only the strong on Arois should survive. He's gathered all of the beast folk to him. He's planning on

attacking people in Erois, trying to cull out the weak so that only the strong survive. Zephir is just... She's just become wild, tempestuous. She can't be controlled anymore.

She just is attacking anything that comes by, wanting to have one last hurrah before it all ends. Valena's hidden away in her forges. We don't know what she's doing, but she's building something. her forges we don't know what she's doing but she's building something and is there any way we can locate them vala looks up i i think i can but it's going to take me time my powers i think they've secured themselves in their demi planes and a titan with divine energy like that

well they can basically stop anybody accessing it we can't plane shift there we can't teleport there but i think my power it's not the same as theirs i've got elements the magic that that callous the magic that my father's gathered over these millennia, it's different. I think I can punch a hole in their demiplanes. I think I could get us through, but it will take me time. I think I can learn to do it. They reach in individual domains,

sort of spheres of influence. Imagine like a beast has a lair, a lair that it creates its own traps that it it creates its own pathways in it's sort of like that but made from metaphysical magic i think i can bust a hole in them and take us in there but once we're inside you'll have to fight the vestige of whatever remains of each of the titans if we do that that should free their energy to return to Siaska Syanna here is still

her, I think that she'll just give up her power when the time is right but until then she's keeping the halls of infinite resplendence functional uh huh until then she's keeping the halls of infinite resplendence functional uh-huh dnd time i fucking love it titan focused mini dungeons yeah yeah

yeah we're doing raids there boys domains of dread someone been inspired recently names of titans uh maybe not as large as those i think that maybe not as large as those you'd be sort of uh yeah i think that you know valor would explain it as they've created these these pocket spaces um you know they could vary in size one could be the size of a mountain one could be you know a house or a tower or something like that like the titans have this ability to create these spaces for themselves the halls of infinite resplendence is basically a manifestation of siaska's ability to do that

um but she obviously allows people to come and go the titans these titans seemingly have gone mad and locked themselves off so cool if you want to restore siaska you're gonna have to yeah go in there and maybe not fight them uh you know yeah i think it's like I think that I mean Italicus and Zephir I think that I think you're going to have to fight them but Calara's driven by grief there may be a way that we can convince Calara to return to Siasca

maybe Valena too but I think Italicus and Zephir are going to have to fight and I'll need time is there one that you would like me to focus on first I can begin trying to tune to wherever they may be

Italicus is going to plan to attack people we can't let that happen Zephira and Italicus will attack people I think yeah that's what the beast folk were perhaps coming to us about remember they asked to

speak with us we should talk to them we should talk to them before we go yeah would you like to try and focus on the telekis first then i think he poses a great danger but he will be a powerful enemy too i think they all will uh but i mean we've come this far. If anything, think of Atelicus as... He'll likely be your biggest physical challenge in terms of... Atelicus is the fury of animals, the fury of nature itself. I wouldn't expect too much magic from Atelicus, but a fight, a difficult fight, likely with beasts and creatures of his own to command. Yeah, but we have a delight that's empowered by Thor.

So, you know, we have a Hulk. So, what of Siaska? For every god we return, every titan we return, does her power increase, or is she just who she is until she's free again? I think that there is an element of power returning with each titan. Siaska's spirit was split when she created her children, the Titans, but the cradle still contains much of her essence. I think that almost more, if we can return the Titans,

there may even be a chance that if all of the Titans return to Siaska, she may even reform earlier than expected. This may cause the cradle to return to collapse but it means that we may get Siaska back sooner than the current rate that the cradle's failing well that would catch them off guard that's for sure more importantly

if we hope to try and convince my father the sooner the better the less of a the less battles the less conflict there is before then the better we'll have to inform danica of these new plans there's no doubt yes she'll want to arm us and put us somewhere on Eros but if we show that this is a greater purpose that could end all things

without bloodshed then hopefully she can see the sense in that we should still work on those other plans when we have time this will take me some time this could take me months to try and locate each domain

it's like searching for a needle in a haystack you know there's so much magic in a rowis it's difficult to pinpoint exactly which space they're hiding in can you focus on these things without starving we'd now have sarkira to worry about we don't know what she could do at what time we need to gather strength gather the guardians gather whoever we can i can talk to the the other wild elves see what we can see what we can come up with definitely think of all these things you'll have time between these domains between me locating each divine i think you'll have time to pursue these goals for certain. Lucius?

Will you be able to focus on these things aboard an airship? I think so. I don't think I need to be here. I think now that... I don't know, whatever just happened between me and... me and Mother... I think that I can do it anywhere. She said Mother. She said Mother. me and mother I think that I can do it anywhere she said mother she said mother I think that there are things about me that Siaska didn't tell

Calus I think she told him a way to create me but I don't think she gave him all the details I don't think even he realises just how connected Siaska and I are. Well, hopefully one day he'll find out. We can use that against him.

In a convincing sense, I mean, of course. Unless he's going to sacrifice another world just because he feels like he has to you know because then i'll punch him in the face several times yeah no offense sorry vala knows your dad also no i mean he deserves there's uh it's a it's very complicated but yes still i don't want us to keep away from horizon too much longer. I worry that if Danicum comes looking and we're all missing, that will cause issues. Well, can I ask something of you? Of course, anything.

Maximilian, can you help him see some sense give him some calm some guidance Lucius he's always going to see me as Calus's daughter, as the Empress as the Princess he'll do anything I ask him to

that's always the problem he's a knight to him, his honour, his oath means everything. I don't think it's for me to really convince him. I think he needs someone who can understand what that means. I don't know if I can to me an oath is just words that you say I don't think of it in the same way he does alright

hopefully if he follows us follows you it'll come to him he's stood like back where you guys first entered and he's just just staring at the floor now he's not really moved

yeah my sentry uh you can definitely help i think i told him before that he could speak to you um i don't think he will uh i think you need to speak to him. You share an oath very similar to his, and you both have a very deep understanding, just on very different sides. Not only that, you don't need to use just words. Let's prove it to him by going to Giselle. Show him what you're capable of. Your oath. Okay. and show him what you're capable of your oath

okay okay okay yeah that'll work okay um and before we head back to horizon the book is charged by the way thank you uh asper um sayana thank you for tending to this place while i mean we can't obviously um when you do decide to uh rejoin siaska please let us be here. You bring so much joy to all of us. With the rest of my siblings all in their various states, I feel that I should be the last. Just in case, I need to make sure that

this place is protected. But also, here I can still hear the prayers of people on Erois. I can still hear them asking for my aid. I can still share with them my spells, their magic. I fear if I go too far, if I rejoin Siasca, they may have a time, if I do that too early,

there'll be a time where they'll lose those things. I think, honestly, Kelek, you may be the last priest of Hesper who can still use their magic. The rest may find that it's diminished in some way. Well, hopefully they find solace in other things. Maybe in you.

I'll do my best. But please, yes, guide the Titans to the right place. I'll do what best. But please, yes, guide the Titans to the right place. I'll do what I can, but yes, I think that right now, well, I do, I believe that Kalara and Valena, you may still be able to reach them through words, but it will be difficult. You may need to prove to them in some way

what they believe is untrue. But Nitellicus and Zephir, well, you need to go and beat some sense into them. They've always been pretty thick-headed, the two of them. Zephir is, no one can tell her what to do, and Nitellicus, he's just too stubborn. Stubborn like the trees and the rocks. Pretty sure he's got one for a brain. Right, okay. Punch his tree brain.

We can do that. Well, I can't. It's my favorite thing to do. Punch people in the face. Hit them really hard with a hammer. Usually knocks some sense into them. Indeed. In that case,

should we go back to Horizon, inform Danica of the new plan? Maybe speak with the beast folk. Get that city moving. Yeah, definitely. Could I just have a moment with you, Sayana,

just really quick, privately? Yeah, of course. I mean, there's not much privacy in these halls, and she gestures. There's, like, nowhere to go. It's just this big open space. Hey, team, look over there! I was gonna point, like,

just that way. The book recharges when I come back here uh like we could just head back then i come and get you uh it's okay we could just stand over there and not teleport too many times because it's kind of weird it does make me feel rainbowy yeah also lovely big assumption there tom hazel that i've given you one free recharge and you're like, I'm just going to do this every time. It's the halls of infinite resplendence. Infinite, sure.

There's the term infinite? How can I help you? She's grinning at you like an aunt when she looks at you. A's just like yeah yes yeah nova's already like bright purple and she mumbles something just like mumble mumble mumble mumble bless you you know i am called the song heart for a reason. Emotion, love tend to be pretty big domains of mine. You care a lot about her, don't you?

You want to help her. She's great. Yeah. She's everything I'm not. And I want to be. Lucia, stop listening. I wasn't. I know a little.

I can read your heart. So I know a little. The extent of this curse. I'll need to see her here before I can... I may not be able to break it. But I'll tell you this.

Sometimes... Sometimes these things... They can't be broken. Sometimes it's just things that people need to learn to live with. They need people to love them for who they are. It can't be fixed.

But I'll try. Thank you. I'm okay with her. This is how I met her, and this is how I know her. But as much as I keep trying to tell her she's perfect the way she is, I know this is what she wants. And if it's what she wants, I'm okay with that.

That's what I want. So, yeah. Well spoken. I'll bring her here. Thank you, Sayona. Can I have a hug? I really need a hug. There's a lot of emotions today. Of course you can. She's a halfling, so she only comes up

to your chat. She like... She's a halfling, so she only comes up to like, you know, your chat. Like, she's even smaller than Nova. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, good. She's got a hug. She's not going to try and hug us anymore, guys. It's all good.

Panic over. I was worried. It's about Zalia. It's all okay. I'm assuming Nova returned. Thank you. Yeah. Right.

Quill, by the way, Quill heard everything because he can read lips so quill knew everything in that conversation i wasn't looking i was peaking okay i read everything if you could bring up observant feet i was i was gonna be like oh okay weird i got it all i got it all yeah perfect well uh yeah nova and nova returns sayana takes her vigil back up next to the sarcophagus um vala comes down and i think she's she's the first one to go to max um and when he when she approaches he like snaps back up into bodyguard mode like he kind of stands up straight military posture and sort of like looks he you can see that like he's wiped like

you can still see like little streaks around his eyes and stuff but he's kind of keep he's like goes back as if nothing's changed and he just like nods his head kneels your highness are you ready to leave this place i am perfect in that case back to horizon and uh let's go yeah wayfinder's book transports you guys back you arrive no harm no foul cool nobody knew nobody nobody know nobody's gonna know on a guitar okay so um i mean the next plan obviously is the city of glass

for sentry and the guardians that's that's that's a given uh but we should definitely speak with the beast folk we should update danica on the plan and uh is there anything else i'm missing nova i'd like to send a message to Talia please why would you send a message to Talia I'm not the best

at reading people but I'm reading certain things from this. What do you mean? No. No way. No. Nope. Nothing to do with talking to the goddess of love and then wanting to send a message to someone. I didn't hear that at all. Absolutely not. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Well, you know exactly what I'd like to say. Thank you. Yes, I will send a message. But, I mean, I'm not so good with... See, I send messages. I don't write them as such. So if you could just tell me what you want to send. Yeah, just let him know through us.

Yeah. If you tell us each individually, then we'll make sure Quill gets it. Make sure it's a good message. I'm uncomfortable and I'm walking away. Aayla's just going to walk. You're all the worst. You're all the worst. You're all the best and the worst. I'm uncomfortable and I'm walking away Ayla's just gonna walk Ayla leaves You're all the worst

You're all the best and the worst Yeah that makes sense I'll just scribble something and I'll hand it to Quill Okay I'll scribble something and I'll hand it to Quill Essentially it'll be along the lines of Like you know our pet names for each other. And like,

I have found a way. You have pet names now? Interesting. Shut up. You'll never know what they are. You have to. I have found a way. You have to.

I have, I have found someone. I have found someone who can possibly break the curse. Can you come to, I don't know, I guess, Can you come to... I don't know. I guess, can you come to Gustave? Where are we? Horizon? But then Horizon's gonna move, so I don't know.

I mean, we can go to Gustave. Yeah, okay. I need to take you somewhere. We'll be in touch soon. Kiss, kiss, kiss. Okay. The message you would get in response quill is something like um probably the first line is like pet names question like pet names interesting uh you can take me any place if there could be a wink emoji in text form there would be

JK JK unless sounds good we'll miss the kids referring to her snakes um yeah uh can't can't take the twin star the message you get back is basically like she she can't fly the twin star they're still working on it and stuff like that um but the storm chaser is preparing to head to horizon like we can have like a string of messages um storm chaser is basically gonna fly to horizon and try and meet up with you guys oh string of messages is ascending anything in the past one nova has to pay for yeah well okay i made your way i made your wing yeah i'll just take the wing back then

she doesn't pay she doesn't pay um but yeah the extent of it is basically storm chase is going to come to horizon. She could travel with them or you could come to Gustaven, but the Twinstar Astral Ship is locked in Gustaven for the time being. I mean, when I get the message...

When I get the message of Nova, I look at it and look at Lucius. What did she say? And then back and I send the message, get the message in response, and start writing it down, but I'm, like, leaning it towards Lucius, like... Lucius' wide

eyes staring at it. This is so naughty. Naughty. Here's a response. It's for you. Is that for me? Thank you. Here's a response Is that for me? It's for you Is that for me? Yep, I'm following

Thank you No problem Bright purple Yep No problem Nice Hey, what do we do now? Beasties? Beast folks? yeah danica first maybe yeah again i feel that there's no point in role-playing

the scene now because you're just basically gonna kill danica what you've just found out right danica doesn't really have her eyes and she's like she's like she doesn't really care well it's this i mean she's very pragmatic danica being like this extremely powerful sorceress is just like good to know i'm gonna continue taking us to just sell because that sounds like what we're immediately doing that's the immediate i think the only thing she would say is if we can find if you can if these if the titans are turning against us you are the only ones who can stop it even me i i am i can't really leave horizon i'm strong enough to fight them but i need to stay here to protect the city you are the only ones who could stop them if they are turning against us if we have to fight valkyrian and our own gods we're in trouble you need to stop them if you need if i can help you do that so be

it likewise if you can find a way if we can negotiate with callous in any way to stop this from happening i say do it whatever it is we can't afford a long battle we can't afford a war it won't go in our favor very well. We can defend our world, but we would lose a war of attrition. So let's do what we can. Alright? Alright. Sounds good. Thanks, Danico. I will...

If you need me in the future, I will be moving the ship most... for several hours a day. So, try not to bother me with anything unless it's very important please let's loud and clear stop updating your stuff thanks uh and then she you know every time you meet her by the way she only like you've only ever seen her wear formal wear once for the summit the rest of the time it's basically just like a really plain very loose red robe like a wizard's robe with this

golden mantle that's it um and then she's just yeah very pragmatic and everything uh it's very strong red cloak golden mantle pajamas red dress red dress for a golden mantle but it's a very casual dress um sounds it and uh yeah uh so you go and do that uh the beast folk again you've kind of already got the details they yeah basically they were going to tell you the same thing a telekis has been uh what they tell you and i think sanna would be the one sanna and uh what's the leader of the rabbit folks name i've lost all my notes on the summit it's like a mile away king bunny two seconds 13 no i've got it i found him uh nana gray tail uh nana gray tail would communicate with you so the three that you met before were warren keeper nana gray tail who's

the speaker for the rabbit beast folk grove maiden maya do storm who's the speaker for the rabbit beast folk grove maiden Maya Dewstorm who's the speaker for the elk folk she communicates with hand signals she doesn't speak out loud and then packmaster Hargan Greycloud they meet with you and Nana Greytail is like yes

she confirms what you've learnt about Artelicus there are many different beast tribes. Several of them, the bear, many of the others, they have all vanished from our world. We knew that they were close to Atelicus. The larger predators, with the exception of the wolves, have come under Atelicusicus's control i want to say

they've become wild much more bestial than they've ever been aggressive frighteningly so we believe that the elk and the rabbit folk were abandoned left because italicus now sees us as weak he created us long ago but we are we are not hunters we are not fighters the wolves are stubborn independent even they wouldn't bow to atelicus's desires freely and so he has abandoned them as well but the others all the other beast tribes mass under him we do not know where he has hidden them, but we know that through messages and dreams, he has become violent. He wishes to attack what he perceives as weakness

and leave Aroas strong to fend off the invaders. He believes that this is the only way to ensure Aroas' survival. the only way to ensure Eros' survival. Oh. Well, we are currently in the process of trying to find exactly where Metallicus is, but if

you have any inclination at all, that would greatly help us. He won't speak to us anymore. We have lost that connection to him if perhaps maybe if you were to find a surviving beast folk who is not of our clans perhaps but they may they may know or may have been told but from what i understand the realm of the gods is not a place that one can simply travel to one must be invited

and atelicus offers no invitation to those they consider as weak yeah yeah yeah well yeah i mean yeah we uh we have ways we have ways it's fine uh but we come to you because well with the beast folk with so many of them under his command we cannot we cannot defend Aroas as we are we must be reunited and I feel that as long as Atelicus holds the yoke over so many of us we are of little aid

if we were to be freed from Atelicus' control then I believe the beast folk would do everything they can that's our aim she nods that's it unless there's anything else any questions

nope oh not really okay hey Sana how you doing yeah doing okay doing all right just boring bodyguard shit she just kind of like looks and

smiles and i didn't think you'd remember her voice she's one of the very few generic californian voices i do so easy to remember um as you guys are as you finish up with the beast walkers um some horizon guards uh come and find you this is uh you know several hours in uh they come and find you in this specifically they're looking for century they're looking for they're asking for sentinel prime uh when they arrive uh rain who is your kind of liaison who is helping you during the summit um uh is with them ah sentinel prime i i wanted to find you i've had uh there most of the guardians that we have here in horizon uh left several days ago traveling to just before you all arrived for the summit they left heading for this city of glass after apparently speaking with some herald who

had arrived here several of them have arrived with there are reports of three perhaps four guardians arriving in the city whilst you were away on your mission or whatever it is i thought i should let you know they do seem to be a strange lot they have been asking trying to locate um century they called you uh asking where you were where where you could be found. But they were keeping themselves rather hidden. I have reports of them wearing long cloaks, only travelling at night, very mysterious sorts. We're not even sure how they got into Horizon. I've had my guards trying to find them, but they seem to have vanished.

Do you know anything about this? Interesting. I've met guardians in the past that would know me as sentry hmm curious i'll have to go find out where they've gone what what do they look like what what kind of statue cloaked tall quite muscular from what i remember our reports they looked formidable but they've avoided any sort of confrontation with guards um we really only have reports from citizenship they seem to patrol the mid-tier of the city at night uh so far nobody really knows who you are they don't know that you're here in

the citadel so most people haven't been able to provide any direct answers to where you can be located uh but i thought i should let you know and also check in to see if you knew who these individuals were. It is the fact that they bypassed our own security which has me most alarmed. Yeah, that's unusual. I'll help you look. I can help you go check it out.

Please, yes. I'm curious as well. This is... I think we are though. Well, perhaps if you were to make your way down into the mid-city in the evening, you may be able to locate them if you ask around for them. They may even find you if people know that you are there. Of course.

Yeah. Well, I'll be happy to assist. Thank you. I just wanted to check in with you and make sure that we were on the same page. Thank you. Thank you for letting me know. You're welcome. Makes his way off.

What are you thinking, Sentry? Well, remember Callie's rest. Remember the guardians there. That's what I was thinking. It could also be the other. Tractor?

Oh, no one's going to say it, Breeze. Yes, Breeze. I'll say it. Let's keep it as light. I'm just saying it's a possibility. I'm ready if it is him. I mean, if Breeze has come

to us, then easy, right? Why would he come to us, then easy, right? Why would he come to us? I mean, it's Sentinel Prime. He was seeking eternal life. He was seeking power.

He also took many lives trying to do that. Either way, could be good news, could be bad news. Yeah, let's hope for good news and not another moral quandary yes that would be good okay we should prepare for the worst though just yes yeah sure in that case let's try to go to a place in the mid-city that's uh not heavily populated in the evening just in case. Yeah. And hopefully they'll find you.

I don't know. Do you just send out a beacon? I mean, Sentry stands out. Like, Sentry, as we've proven many times, is not stealthy. Sentry is the beacon. Not to mention they found their way to the Citadel without any other knowledge. They know

where Sentry is. Guardians are all connected. Our matrixes are somehow connected to one another. Should we try and find them? I'm really curious now. I'm super curious. I'm so curious. I too. You can head down there this evening.

Yeah. Valor? Yeah. What are your plans? Yeah, Valor's still with you in the Citadel. Valor's Yeah. What are your plans? Yeah, if Valor is still with you in the Citadel, Valor's like, I don't believe it's good. I want to stay with Max. I know that this Danica said he's not to leave, but also I'm worried about him. Also, my magic has grown strong, but I'm still,

I'm not a fighter. If there is any trouble, my magic is very, I mean... Focus on the Demiplane. Yes. I have an ideaplane i have an idea i have an idea halla and max just chill out here just you know feel at home not at risk from any emperor or anything then we should go into town find out who the guardians are and bonus bring Arvel back with us. Bring him back. Lovely. Yeah. That would be wonderful.

I'd love to see Arvel again. Although I don't think he might... I don't think he'll recognize me. He might need to assure him it's definitely me. No, he will. He will. It's Arvel. It's Arvel.

Yeah. Yeah. He'll know. He has a great memory. He remembered this armor. I mean, look at Quill. He remembered Quill. That can't be at Quill. You remembered Quill. That can't be the same.

It is. It really is. Wow. It actually helped us. Me. Help me. Anyway, he'll remember you. Sure. Let's go see those

guardians. I'm in a sing-song mood. I'm in such a good mood all of a sudden. You guys, Valorant, let's stay here. It's just you guys. No NPCs for once. There's no NPCs to follow you around. But I have to play as well as everyone else. Then I would like to fast forward, please.

You guys travel down into the city. And yeah, evening begins to descend. You know, the sun's setting and everything else casting a rising shadow. Magical lights like Horizon has lots of magical flames, like these lanterns in the street that just burst into flames and create light for everybody. The mid tier of the city is it's not incredibly densely packed. There's still many shops and buildings, apartments and things like that all scattered around the place.

But this place has a bit more room than the lower city. There's a bit more like open alleyways and open, not alleyways, like streets and plazas and things like that. You begin kind of searching around. You travel around asking people

if they've seen Guardians. You kind of, you know, people are like, no, I haven't seen a couple of Guardians the last few days ago, blah, blah, blah. But Quill, as night falls and you're kind of moving on, trying to kind of you know people are like no i haven't seen you a couple of guardians the last few days ago blah blah blah but quill as night falls and you're kind of moving on trying to kind of locate these things you with your super high passive perception will notice you are being followed that there are uh three figures um following you in the shadows they

are keeping themselves hidden okay i'll message century and say okay i i'm not certain but i think someone or three people are following us so maybe this is a time to move to quieter places just in case okay good plan okay so yeah you guys like lead them into i'll give you a couple of choices you could have have a dead-end alleyway. You could have an open plaza. You could have just a street, like an empty street. Sentry's choice. Let's go for an empty street.

Empty street? Okay. You lead them down to an empty street, getting late in the evening now. Most people have retreated to taverns or to bars or restaurants or to homes um and uh you know the streets are now pretty quiet um just a few of these lanterns on either side um you maybe can see guards patrolling off in the distance but certainly you know uh ways out um and uh yeah you kind of you know begin heading down the street and you know do you stop

do you wait for these people like quill they're kind of they're down the street, and do you stop? Do you wait for these people? Quill, they're following and they're getting closer, but they're still kind of keeping themselves hidden. You get the impression that they're trying to make sure that this isn't some sort of trick or an illusion or something like that. I don't know. I'm just following Sentry, I think.

Did we have a chance to have a short rest at any point? No. Have you had a long rest or a short rest? What about when we went to the resplendent? Do we feel really rejuvenated from there? We've been sitting doing nothing for a while. I believe a short rest, we can definitely say that

your conversations with Valor and all of that constitutes a short rest. And I will say that the Halls of Infinite Resplendence will have recharged your spell slots. It's a long rest. But any other features that you get from a long rest, I think, haven't come back. You haven't technically had a long rest yet. So spell slots.

So you can spend hit dice. You can spend hit dice. You get all your short rest stuff back. And any classes that use spell slots, you get those back those back obviously nova gets them back on a short rest anyway um nice but any other abilities so you can spend hit dice and stuff like that we'll do that though we'll leave that for a minute uh because i just want to hear century what do you want to do you want to like pause like lure them out you call out to them what do you want to do i think uh sentry sentry will turn around knowing we're in a safe place and uh you'll call out i am sentinel prime whoever's following us make yourselves known give me one second here.

He's making a battle map. I probably would have cast Invisibility on people, like, if we had the thing, so... That's why I was asking about star slots. Who did you cast Invisibility on? I mean, I guess Quill's speaking to Sentry, so I guess the three of us so nova lucius ayla okay you guys have regular invisibility on when you call out century ah at last we have found you sentinel prime emerging from the shadows these three figures these guardians look much it's very odd they're

wearing cloaks that hang off them which implies that they're maybe sort of like seven feet tall and quite wide but as they step out of the shadows sensing that there's nobody else around the the cloaks kind of fall away from their forms. Where guardians are built from metal and stone and have wood and vines and leaves built into them, these look like guardians, but all the natural parts, the wood,

the vines, the leaves, are gone. Now, these sort of pulsing, red, muscular fibers kind of fill a similar place, but they still look skeletal, like their bodies have had all the sort of like organs and muscles taken out, but now they're connected by these like red fibers.

They're still metal and stone, but now they look skeletal, almost construct, purely construct-like. And each of their eyes, instead of having the sort of ambers or purples or like blues of other guardians, they simply have red, glowing, single eye, two eyes, four eyes, whatever it happens to be. And they look out. We have been searching for you, Sentinel Prime. We are told

that you are carrying something of great value to Overlord Voracitor. Who? Who? Overlord Voracitor? Who's that? Who? Who's that? Who?

Do you ask? Do you say, who is that? I'll ask, yeah. Who is this Lord Veratitar you follow? He was once known by another name. But now, our true master has given him a new one.

You once called him Breeze, but now an overlord. He has shown us the true path. We are not guardians anymore. We are greater. Our destiny is greater. We do not need to be protectors of this weak, material, organic world. Now, we are the Dominators. And that's where we're going to end this episode. Oh, fuck!

We're the Dominators? Dominators. I want to join their team. When I saw you, you said, cool. You're the Lord of the Rings. The Decepticons. I'm the Dominators versus Sentinel Prime. Holy shit, we got shit. Oh, my God. I've made my influences with the guardians and sentry very clear from the start I don't know what to tell you if it's not clear. Hell yeah. I was like, FYI, if it's not clear, these guys are 100% Hadar-touched.

Like, you guys have faced enough enemies, they are- these guys are Hadar minions now. I just think that's hilarious that you have something that Overlord Fur has- who? Is that you? I don't even know you! I mean, also, I had strings, but now I'm free. Yes! Visually, I want you guys to imagine Ultron, but also the Geth from Mass Effect. Like, very skeletal, like, empty chest cavities and like,

grains of red, glowing red shit in them and stuff like that. Holy crap. Maybe a little influenced by the fact that i just beat emmy too and i love legion i was just like yeah i want the guardians to look like oh what if i did this um yeah that's it i can't wait to kick all of their asses yeah oh yeah yeah oh yeah uh honestly to give them like as they throw off their cloaks, by the way, all three of them have different builds. So you can see, like, one of them has, like, four arms

and, like, has, like, all chunky bits. One of them looks much more light than the other one. It's this big, kind of, like, chunky-looking very Transformers-esque, like, they look like they have these individual, kind of, unique forms kind of thing. Does Sentry recognise any of them? Just out of curiosity. For now, no.

But maybe next week. Yeah. Yeah, fair enough. When big old Breeze boy comes rolling around. I will say none of them are Breeze, but please call him by his new name, Overlord Veracitor. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Veracitor.

No, no, noitor Can we not confuse him with Nova's mom now please like can we put that to rest That might be another thing I did wonder Veracitor Thank you.