High Rollers DnD - High Rollers: Aerois #190 | The Terror in Terminus Keep (Part 1)

Episode Date: June 27, 2023

Nothing stands between the Stormchasers and their greatest foe as they break into the Far Realm to take down the God of Entropy, Hadar! 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, TCT Adventures (Solasta: Crown of the Magisters) and Jolene Khor! Check out Jolene Khor and all her wonderful work on High Rollers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1WX3ICiTmf4GpHwImnQMs6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Erois. It is the end. After a year of their adventures, having faced against tyrants and titans, having lost and loved, having made unexpected allies, and finding new family, the champions of Erois have reached the end.

On the wold of Entropis, a plain at the edge of the known universe, the champions arrived with the Valkyrian fleet and their own allies and fought to reach an ancient temple, the site of the breach point used to enter a far-realm prison called Terminus Keep. Before they could begin the ritual to enter, however, an old enemy revealed herself. Zarkira, a Hadar-infused magi of immense power, former friend of Calus Valkyrian, the magical scholar called Kira Zar Holloway. She struck the goddess Siaska with the god-slain poison and trapped Valar in a powerful spell, before summoning a Hadar-touched resurrected body,

the King of Gideon, Aratrades. With Calus fighting Aratrades alone, Siaska using all her power to suppress the poison, the champions fought against Zarkira alone, and this brutal battle of magical mastery and Hadar-touched strength nearly cost them dearly, as Kelek Ad-Koar was killed. at least for a moment, before Sentry, Calus and Aayla used the anti-entropy weapon Starbreaker to shatter Valor's prison, allowing the newly unleashed Goddess of Time to reserve, reverse the last few seconds and restore Quill to life. As Czarkira's fury turned to desperate fear, a final strike by Nova brought her down, reverting her to the humanoid form of

Kira Tsar Holloway, who begged and pleaded for her life, offering information and a promise to surrender as she feared death. Nova denied her plea, saying that she was too dangerous to keep alive, and with a final blow brought Tsar Kira the death she deserved and feared so desperately. blow brought Zarkira the death she deserved and feared so desperately. As the Valkyrian fleets and the champions' allies fight still, holding back the tides and swarms of Hadar's corrupted creatures and cultists, the champions begin to heal their injuries as Kallus and Siaska softly hold the unconscious recovering Valar, waiting for her to gain enough strength to press on. covering Vala, waiting for her to gain enough strength to press on. For whilst this battle is over, the Far Realm, Hadar, and the final steps in their adventure await them. And that, my friends, is where we pick up with this episode. The battle with Zarkira was moments ago.

Valar's eyes flutter awake. You hear a relieved sigh from Siaska and Kallus as Valar, regaining her strength, Zarkira is... what? And she begins to look around. Quill! Realising that everything is fine, she looks around and real the current situation before we continue just gonna throw it to each of you just give us a little what is your character doing what are they in this moment before this final step through into this thing. What is each character kind of doing

or paint a scene for us of what they might look like they're in the middle of doing. If anybody has any ideas and would like to go first, otherwise I'll pick you at random. Lucius would be trying to keep it all together, emotionally, physically, after seeing Quill go down but be raised again. He's just trying to push out all the worries and fears in his mind.

Is Lucius still wearing the Moonstell mask? Because you put that on when you were fighting Zarkiris, and you still have this elegant white and silver kind of mask that almost has like a crescent moon and eyes and, you know, just your eyes kind of peering out of this mask at the moment and i'm just um my prismatic mastery so my prismatic form is just slowly fading now and reducing back down just looking ahead at the big red star okay anyone else got an idea of what their character might be doing or a scene they would like to paint for us? I think Nova Tiangong will be out, but Nova is actually going to be fussing around Quill and under the guise of tinkering with your wing, making last minute adjustments and oiling it

and making sure it's tip top condition. I think it's okay, I think the wing is okay. No, no, no. It's slightly out of alignment. I just, look, I know when you fell, it just got crumpled. Let me just straighten it out. I don't remember falling. Just tell me what happened.

Hold it up like this. I'm holding it up. I'm holding it up. I'm holding it up. What happened? How did I... If it's okay for you to tell me, it's not hard for me to hear

because as far as I'm concerned, it didn't happen. She struck you with the spear and skewered you like a kebab. Like a kebab? Did you say that at the time? Did you say that Quill looks like a kebab? The thought went through my head. What's a kebab? It's a delicacy important, sir. Okay, okay. Like a stick through?

Yes. Okay. So as Nova is fussing over Quill. Yes, and Nova's giving the verbal diary while she's talking, because it's just the only way to keep her kind of focused. And focusing on the work as well, the scholarly work of adjusting the parts of the wing. And Quill is mainly, you know, this is an opportunity if you want to jump ahead maybe a little bit after Nova's done this, or something like that,

if you want to have a moment for just Quill. I mean, I would certainly take a moment to Doctor Strange meditate and try to determine all the visible futures and the million possibilities. How many in which do we win? Sadly, that power has been taken from you. It has.

I mean, I do have... But you can certainly be meditating. I do have portent. And I have, in fact, rolled my portent. And I have, in fact, rolled my portent. And I do, in fact, have a million. Would you like to tell people what results you got? I do, because I know people will then start begging me for that natural 20 I rolled, as well as a seven.

So at some point, I'm going to pull out a big dinger. So I like the idea of this. Just look at me and say, Tom, I want your dinger. I want your dinger right now. Terms of service. I want your dinger right now. Terms of service. Give me that dinger. And then whip out a seven. I do like the idea that because Portents represent

your kind of touch of divination magic and your ability as an oracle and see it, even without the Eye of the Storm, Zarkira kind of destroyed that artifact, that power that was given to you, but maybe there's... Maybe just having the Eye of the Storm for so long has unlocked something. Because yeah, maybe it's just your imagination, maybe you're just envisioning a future, but you begin to see these moments. Maybe a moment where one of your allies is struck down or is about to swing their weapon,

and just with a slight nudge, you know it will connect the right point. But those portents become these kind of manifestations, these visions. When I get back to Eros, I'm going to start sliding walls into holes and then predicting football results. Much like that Octocus. You've got to invent football first.

That's true. Can't let a good moment sit, can he? No, no. Well, speaking of, what about Ayla? What is Ayla doing? Probably just, kind of like Lucius, just staring towards the red star, but just like, there's still lightning crackling

in her hands and she's just like, she's gripping on the hammer, spinning it around in her hands, just like, just focused and waiting and thinking about what's to come next. She's not really thinking about what just happened. I like that visual of almost being up on the temple with this broken arch, looking at this just expanse of like gray dust planes.

And then up above you can see this space battle, this astral space battle, but then this big red star star and we just see this lone figure of like Ayla maybe Lucius off to the side both just staring up at it from these different angles it's very cool mental image and finally we come to Sentry what might Sentry be up to or paint us a scene of what Sentry is in this moment I think Sentry would be standing sort of towards the back of the group looking over everybody and quietly saying her oath as like an almost prayer to like keep them safe, just praying that we all get home and that the Matrix can give them the strength to return home

to a rose. Do you have that oath that you could remind us of what it is? Yeah. Tell us. For the glory of joy in dawn's new light, protect all hope from evil's blight. My might stands true till dark undone, till we are all, till all are one. By the light of the Matrix, let us return safe. Hear those words kind of pass over and you can hear the battle still raging around you. And it's been moments, you know, this has been This has been a few seconds, maybe a minute at most. But you know out there your allies are still fighting, you know the Valkyrian forces are fighting,

trying to just buy you time to get in, to go into this prison, this far realm, face down, perhaps the most powerful being in the universe. Valor will stand up, not shakily, more confident. Her strength quickly returned. My friends, I think I'm ready, but I can see that you are all tired and exhausted. I can give you a time, uh, moments. Enough time to regain your strength. I think you're going to need it. Will this affect your ability to get us to Nadal? No, it won't affect my ability to get us there.

And Mother and I have been talking. She'll talk to you more. It will take me a bit of time just to prepare the breach point. I think her and Father want to speak to you more. It will take me some... It will take me a bit of time just to prepare the breach point. I think her and Father want to speak to you about our plans going in, but... Once we get inside, I'm not going to be able to use much of my power to help you. I'm going to be mainly focused on protecting you from the Far Realm. So if I can do something now, I feel like now is the time.

If you gather round just sit or lay down close your eyes as if you were going to rest or sleep I can only do this in a in a short radius so if you can get as close to me as possible yeah yeah if everyone kind of gathers around, maybe sat on the floor, or you can sort of get on your knees. I'm just going to take the mask off for this. Okay, so you take the mask off. And as you all gather around Valor, she will just hold her hands out,

and a kind of shimmering purple dome will encapsulate just enough of you and her, just extends wide enough to cover the group of you. And you feel, looking outside, it's like time has frozen outside this dome. And you feel your eyes grow heavy and weariness begin to sort of overcome you. Even those of you who don't sleep, you know, you feel like the Matrix sentry power you down. Aayla and Lucius, you trance as elves, but this feels something different. And in eight seconds, eight hours pass,

and you may all take a long rest. Thanks, Chris. God damn. You see Valor has to kind of maintain concentration. But you don't notice it. For all of you, you basically fall into a peaceful sleep. Almost like a cryostasis kind of thing. Or in a low-powered state in the Matrix.

Would you say Ayla's a snorer? Probably. You wouldn't know because you're also... Well, sounds like Ayla. No, just eight seconds of snoring. Eight hours of snoring in eight days. Well, she usually transits then. Did you say last episode that we got a hit point?

You did, yes. How much was it? Because mine's overrated. 20, because I went from 180 to 200. Yes, 20 bonus hit points. You got 20 bonus hit points. That's an epic boon. Oh yeah, I'll level 21, technically. Well, no such thing, but yeah.

20.8. 20.5. 10 for overridden? It is overridden. 20 to your maximum hit points. Make sure you add that. Nice. Also, in those 8 hours, because it's a long rest, we are going to assume that any items that chart recharge on dawn or a day are also regained. Basically, this is a full reset. Very, very cool. After that battle?

I'm very glad. How you get the save point before the boss room. There is no going back. Game, why are you giving us so much stuff? Game, how kind, Game. You all come through. For you it's been moments, not even a second. You just kind of almost feel yourself drift off

and then almost like you startle awake, and no time has really passed but you feel refreshed, you feel like your energy has been replenished, as if a day has almost passed for you, but it hasn't. Valor, the dome retreats into her heart, it kind of collapses like magic, she releases a breath, and collapses like magic. She releases a breath. I have to go and prepare the breach point now, the portal into the Terminus Keep. It will take me a few minutes. She kind of looks out to where everyone's fighting.

I'll try and do it as quickly as I can. And then she makes her way up onto the temple, up to the steps where the archway was. She kneels down and you begin to see like geometric runic sigils appearing on the ground in front of her as she begins to probe and try and find that point that she can split the rift between the planes open and allow you to travel into Terminus Keep.

Calus and Siaska walk over to you, hand in hand. Champions, we must talk about what is to come, the battle ahead. This will probably be our last chance once we enter Terminus Keep. I don't imagine Hadar will give us much chance to strategize. What information we have is limited. But we should discuss it now.

Siaska will sort of look to you all. It is almost impossible for any of us to destroy Hadar. We need to find a way to weaken him instead. If we can do that, we can escape the Far Realm and seal it again, this time making sure to keep vigilant over it, a mistake that I and my predecessors, other divine beings, have made in the past. But if we can weaken Hadar, find some way to perhaps take away the divine power he stole from the other divine beings long ago, he should not have the strength to break free of his prison once more. Hadar will know that Valar and I are protecting the rest of you. That we are interfering with

his powers over the Far Realm. Kallus will lean in. We must protect Valar and Siaska at all costs. That will be one of our primary objectives in this battle. We do not know what kind of powers or attacks Hadar will use. He will likely still strike at all of us as well, but we must make protecting Siaska and Valor a top priority. If they fall, if one of them should fall,

even for a moment, even if we are able to heal them or recover them, it will be unpleasant for us mortals in that place. Their barrier, their shielding is what will protect us. Hmm. Siaska will look at you. Neither Valar or I will be able to do much to assist you in this battle as we have previously. Even if we weren't using our powers to maintain this barrier, things like time and life, they do not work in the same way in the Far Realm, especially for divine beings. There are two ways that we can help, however. work in the same way in the far realm, especially for divine beings. There are two ways that we can help, however.

Small, minor things. The first is that we can conjure a dome of divine power that will shield you from some harm, but it will drain you of your stamina and energy to remain inside it too long. It will only be for a brief moment, and we can only conjure it around ourselves, but it should protect you from any danger. This ability is a player raid action. Oh! Called the Shield of Time and Space.

Okay. It will create a 10-foot radius dome around Siaska and Valor. If you are inside the dome, you will be protected from harm. Just... I'm not going to sell you any more than that. Okay.

You can use it at the start of any of your turns. Any of you can choose to use this, and it doesn't cost an action or a bonus act, you just use it at the start of any of your turns. Any of you can choose to use this, and it doesn't cost an action or a bonus attack. You just use it at the start of your turn. Oh, wow. It lasts until the start of that same player's next turn. It lasts a round. Whilst you are in the dome,

if you end your turn there, you gain a level of exhaustion, new exhaustion. So this is minus one to your attacks and ability checks and spell save DC. Okay. Not vanilla DM's guild. It takes time to recharge. One D3 plus one turns.

I will roll that. Okay. And I will tell you as Siaska and Valor when it is ready. You will basically get a Rivali's Gale is ready. We wouldn't know how long. We will not know until it is active again. I'm going to pass this. I'm going to pass this. I'm going to pass this over here to Katie.

But any of you can use that ability. Nice. At the start of your turn. Okay. We can also create short-lived portals within a few feet of us. Another location within the demiplane. You'll be able to strike through the portal or move through it as if the two spaces were connected.

I believe Nova Vija uses a similar spell called Arcane Gate. It functions in the same way, but it only lasts for the briefest moment, long enough for you to move through or make a few attacks, that is all. It will also, once the portal is closed, it will offer you some protective magic for some time.

This player raid action is called the Door of Stars. Basically, it is the Arcane Gate spell, however, it will only last until the end of the activating player's turn. So basically at the start of your turn you activate it, by the end of your turn it's gone. So it basically allows one player to either move somewhere or make attacks through it as well. When the portal ends, the player who activated it will gain 15 temporary hit points. This is also 1d3 plus 1 turns to recharge, and again you will not know until it is ready. I will also pass this over to you as your player raid action. Okay, cool. I will share these around with everyone in a second. How much time? 15.

Yes. You can also pass around the actual physical things as you need to. I don't exactly know how to weaken Hadar. I've thought about it for a very, very long time. But I'm limited in my own nature as a goddess. I am not a destroyer. It is not in my nature to end things in this way. I can only suggest that we search for a way to do it as we face him. I am certain that there

is a way to weaken Hadar's power. The divines who passed on the guardianship of this universe to me said that there was something, but ultimately they were not able to do it. This will fall to you to figure out. Calus will step forward. I will join you in this battle. However, I will not be able to take my Magitek armor or weapons inside. And in fact, if any of you carry Magitek devices, you will find that the entropic energy of Hadar will corrode it quickly.

You may only get one chance to use it before you do. I am a capable warrior, but without Magitek and my various devices, my powers are limited. But I will still stand by you. Siaska will sort of look to him and be like, well if you are going to join them perhaps it is best if you resemble your old self. And she holds out her hand and sort of on the ground I guess, or maybe in his arms, conjures a suit of knights' armour, really.

And it resembles what Calus would have worn a long time ago. And with it is a sword, a greatsword. And you see Calus kind of balk a little when he sees it, as if he recognises it, as if he remembers it. My old blade. And he picks up a sword, and it's this enchanted kind of great, proper kind of old school fancy knight stuff. He just looks at Siaska and sort of nods. I thought I destroyed it. You did. Luckily you have a goddess watching over you. Beautiful blade.

Thank you. It's called Calathris. It was my old... We saw many adventures. It suits you. Thank you. He will begin taking off the magitek armor, leaving his base layer on underneath. Alright. And then he begins putting on this, and it is enchanted, you can see that it has magical enchantments, but this is pure fantasy magikama, this is not magitek. And in fact he resembles more like the miniature that you've seen, with a more, kind of almost like shard plate from Stormlight. Yes. Dope.

Yeah. Dope. And, yeah, he places all this on. What this means for you guys is that Kallus will be joining you. Now, without his magitek and weakened from his battle against Aratrades, he is not as powerful as he was when you fought him. Classic trope of the villain when the party fight them, god, villain when they join the party.

It's like credit trigger all over again. However, I have a lot of stuff to manage. Oh, no. So. Oh, no. I'm going to ask you guys to use Calus from a mechanical combat standpoint if a fight happens. To make this fair,

when each of you has taken a turn as callous i'd like you to pass the character so you all have a chance to use it oh and seeing as somebody is the most excited yeah you're gonna have centuries his attacks and bonus actions are on the other side yeah flip that sheet over he's got another side entirely it's more because my writing is so massive to to be honest. Hey, give us a deet. Is it an action, a bonus action, or a free action to take the armor off? You'll find out on your turn. He basically can make, like I said, he's limited.

He can make two attacks. He can make two attacks, a turn with his sword. He can switch stances. If you remember his fight against him, he had these two defensive and aggressive stances he can take. And pretty much that's it. He doesn't have a lot of abilities his main thing that you might find useful is his kind of passive ability called knight of gideon which is any unspent movement if callus doesn't use all of his movement he can grant any leftover movement to an ally that he can see and hear so he's basically like him giving you

like a go move like tactics almost that's on his turn yeah so if he ends his turn let's say he moves only 15 feet on his turn, he would have 15 feet left over, he can grant that 15 feet of movement to somebody else. Very cool. That is a very useful ability. Yes, but that's his main thing, he's almost going to be acting almost like a tactician. But he is still, he's very chunky, he's got a lot of hit points. I think he has less than Ayla though, I can't remember, how much does Ayla have?

358. He has less than Ayla, but he's nearly, nearly, nearly. Okay. Oh, hang on. So wait, if I use heal, then I'd have to spend all of those on Calus and Ayla, and then none left for anyone else. Essentially. Mass heal, yeah.

Can we all promise that when we play as Calus, we shout out the name of the action as he does it? Well, I haven't given his attacks names. We'll make up some names. Calatheer is the name of his sword. Calatheer. I have interest. I'm trying to recall. I don't know if this was a Quill vision or an Everyone vision.

We saw Calus running around as a group of event with a group of adventurers a long long long time ago is this the i i don't know if that was a cool vision i did describe him rescuing zarkira he appeared in this armor but it was um that was that's for the audience it was long ago i think it might have been a siesta yeah we did have a little yeah then yes that would have been the same armor, it would have been the same armour and the same sword. No. There's also another thing, and I'm trying to remember who had this vision.

I believe it was Quill, who saw you all standing with three figures. On the storm chaser towards Hadar. Yeah, that was a long time ago. Seeing Valor, Siaska and Kallus, with Kallus in this armour. Because the figure that you saw wore armour, but it didn't look like Kallus''s armour it looked like this. That's dope.

Because also you didn't Valar is now older and she looks different to how she did then as well. Well done. Well done. A wonderful meal. Thank you. Compliments. Compliments to the chef. I am so curious. Compliments! Compliments to the chef. Compliments to the chef. If there are any questions, or if there are anything that we need to discuss, now is the time. We do not know what lies ahead of us in Terminus Keep, and we do not know what sort of strength and powers Hadar will wield against us. I imagine that much of what we saw Kira use, and what other Hadar spawn you've encountered. Entropic magic, draining life force, despair, affecting our minds.

These will all be its weapons of choice. Has anyone ever managed to strike a blow against Hadar itself before? Calus, not in my lifetime. Hadar was imprisoned before I began my story. Siasker will say I was too young. It was the divines who came before me who trapped Hadar within Terminus Keep and sent it into the Far Realm. There have been none. None have set foot in this place since then. Not even I. So we have no idea of his strengths or weaknesses, just what we know about the Hadassborn.

And what we know about the Hadassborn is... Nova? They use time magic, magic resistance, they banish people to other realms, illusions, fear and manipulation. Perfect. Thank you so much. If he somehow... and Aelis will say this to Calus, if he gets control of me, stop me from hurting any of these guys. You have to stop me.

I expect you to do the same for me as well, Aelis. I think that perhaps... Oh, Siaska. Our strengths are the only ones who can hold each other back. I don't want to hurt any of you guys, but... I don't want that to happen. I don't want that to happen, but he's done it before. Like, stuff that we fought before, it's happened,

and I can't, I'm weak to it. We know of ways to break you out. Well, yeah. Before you do that... But there's other ways. I feel that I may be able, it may take me a moment. If I have a moment, I can break myself out of mind control and that nature. I think a key thing to look for is teleporting people into other realms, like with the mirrors in the last fight with Zakhira, and we saw with Sentry previously as well.

You must remember that Terminus Keep has become Hadar's realm, it is part of the Far Realm. He has control over it. Our barrier will protect you from the worst of his powers, of its strength and its abilities, but he will be able to control this realm. He may be able to do things, send you to pockets of it, or change its environment, similar effects. Well, we will be the bastions in this strange realm, and I think our greatest strength will be looking after each other. No more Quilly dying. I would very much appreciate that, yeah. We have to look after each other in every moment and be reactive to it immediately.

Okay. Remember, our objective, we must protect Valor and Siaska, find a way to weaken Hadar, and then get it to the point that we can seal it, lock it away, make sure it cannot hurt anyone ever again. It won't. Right, storm chasers? Right.

Right. Sorry, is this a hands in the middle situation? I was going to do the salute thing, but then maybe we could do hands in the middle. Hands and wings in the middle. No, that's weird. Is that too weird? I can't see, huh? You all look dumb. Is that weird? Is that too weird? I can't see her. How does this look, Siaska? Siaska is like stifling a laugh.

And even Calus, like the corner of his mouth is kind of turned up a little bit. This feels really weird. I don't like it. Okay. My hands are really sweaty and my face is wet. You see Siaska... I think so. She doesn't sweat. In this moment.

Century does not sweat. If she could, she would. I feel like there's sweat. You would be sweating. You are absolutely sweating, could, she would. I feel like there's sweat. You would be sweating, yeah. You're absolutely sweating, Sentry, for sure. Siaska will kind of look at you all, kind of smiling. Even now, my children find hope.

She comes and takes your hands, joins them all in the middle, holding them like a, almost like a mother, kind of like bringing kids together, kind of like holding your hands all in the middle, almost like a mother, kind of like bringing kids together, kind of like holding your hands all in the middle of the defense. I love you, my children. I'm proud of you.

I'm ready. I just hear Valor call up from the temple. I can't hold this long, but as soon as you are able, I can open the rift. Okay. God knows how it's come down to us defending the world, but this is the way it is, I guess, so let's not die.

While our hands are still in the middle, I'll just put a finger on Lucius's ring. Spell storing ring. A claw, a claw. A claw on Lucius's spell storing ring. I'm gonna put a fifth level Cure Wounds on there. A claw. A claw. Unleashes a spell storing ring. I'm going to put a fifth level Cure Wounds on there. Mass Cure Wounds. Mass Cure Wounds, fifth level. Nice.

Spend the fifth level spot. I didn't realize the wording until I said it. All right, I'll poke Lucius' ring. See Valor desperately trying to hold this, you know, ready to open this portal. Let's do it. Let's save the universe. Let's just save the universe.

Save the universe? Just don't die, okay, nerds? Just don't. One, two, three, save the universe. Save the universe! I really am struggling to maintain this. Sorry, Valor! Clear skies.

Clear skies. A bard will retell us way better. Oh, yeah. You've got this, Valor. You guys make your way up to the temple, and when you are all in position with Calus and Siaska behind you, you watch as Valar spreads her palms,

forming this triangular-like shape with her hands, and as she does, the very air, and you've seen Valar do this a number of times, and it's always seemed mostly effortless. This time, it's like the energy, it's like something is holding the fabric of the worlds together. You can almost see like red threads or the edges of teeth biting trying to keep it pinched closed but Valor just no open and as she splits her hands one final time there is a tearing a ripping sound in their very

air itself and this purple triangular doorway opens callous go now as you all ushered through when you step through vala close behind, there is a moment where you stand in darkness. And you feel tendrils trying to get inside your minds. You hear whispers that grow louder and more violent, but you can't understand what they're saying. And your skin feels like it's bubbling and boiling and tearing itself apart for a brief few seconds you are not sure if this can be withstood and then in an

instant there is light golden purple light that surrounds you initially as a bubble and it grows out and out and out until it expands and goes beyond the walls that now surround you as Valar and Siaska conjure the demi-planar barrier that will protect you from the far realms of the Thorns. You stand in the foyer of a large keep, one that you might encounter on Eros. Old grey stone, wooden doors, sconces lit. The flames are too red, too crimson in their hue. The stone, as you look at it, as your eyes settle, the texture, the surface of the stone ripples and undulates like a pulse, like a heartbeat.

Now the corner of your eye, all of you at different points around this room, see that grey stone take on the form of a moored mouth. Welcome. Greetings. Guests. Vistas. These different mouths all say these different words as you catch them. And they seem to settle down. At your feet, a black mist is now seeping up from the cobblestone, the flagstones.

It doesn't go high, just above maybe your ankles. But it's icy cold. It's like something slithers and moves throughout it. A black, misty tendril curls up around your leg, Lucius. It dissipates quickly, like it's fog, but reaching for you. You guys are in Terminus Keep. Calus, calathea drawn, kind of moves to head, looking around. You can see that there are three doors and a corridor without a doorway leading out from this chamber.

The doors to the north, east and south, the corridor extends to the west. Siaska and Vala, you see their eyes closed, deep in concentration. You can see their hands kind of glow with that purple golden light that conjured that dome around you. Those of you who can use magic know that they are intensely concentrating, keeping this barrier up. It's unlikely they will be of much use. You can speak to them if you wish but they probably will not be able to give you more than short answers or they won't certainly be able to like do anything like an ability check or anything like that.

Calus however is, can he is you know you ask him what he wants to do if you want are they protecting us within this world or they literally bringing together physicality to insanity around us make an arcana check for me yeah make this a roll because i don't think this is this is powerful magic but lucius might be able to kind of piece it together what they're doing. 17. 17. You think that it's probably both. Terminus, you can see that this place exists here, but it's so thick with Hadar's magic that he could make this appear as anything he really wanted to.

They are giving it form, but they're like wrestling for control. It's like they both, Hadar and Siasaskra and vala both have hands on a rope and they're tugging and pulling to try and keep it there's something that you can navigate but at the same time they are also shielding you that that that feeling on your skin those whispers in your mind you don't think you could survive long without that shield protecting you here. This is not a place mortal minds were meant to ever tread in. And they are basically shielding you from the horrors that exist beyond Terminus Keep. That's so freaking cool.

Calus, you should move quickly. This were a castle that I constructed. He points to the larger doors. This would lead to a hallway, but it would be guarded. Normally keeps there are ways around. There are side corridors, passages, but I do not know what madness might be in this place. I now hand it over to you guys. Three corridors. Three doors, one corridor. Three doors, one corridor.

I could send Tiangong through instead to scout ahead. Okay. See if they can make any sense of it. So I'll summon Tiangong and then use that ability where I... Take their senses and things like that, where I transfer my consciousness through them. I'll just put a hand on Nova's shoulder while she's not in her body so that she knows that she's sick. You still have sensation of touch so you know Ayla's touching you. I'm just deaf and blind. There's a moment when your conscious transfers and your vision is filled with just a red light and you just hear a

it quickly fades as your consciousness takes form in the echo of tiangong well the kind of more full construct now as well you hear tiangong in your mind i do not feel right in this place this is not somewhere eternal we're ever meant to see. This makes no sense. I don't think this is something anyone was meant to see. Can you go forward? Yes. But I am afraid. Me too.

It's okay. We're here with you. Very well. Tiangong kind of steps up to one of these doors, opens it, and it seems to lead into another narrow stone corridor, like you might find in a castle. Short corridor, maybe find the staircase leading up. Tiangong goes down there, turns to the right, or you can go up the stairs.

They can go up the stairs. I think if they could go up the stairs? Yeah, they go up the stairs, kind of spiralling staircase, and then it loops to a corridor that seems to pass back over the room that you just came from. So they kind of switch back over where you've just come from. I guess, so I think they can go up to like a thousand...

Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any limits yet. It seems fine so far. So I guess they would just keep going. Yeah, when they walk down that corridor, Doesn't seem to be any limits yet. It seems fine so far. So I guess they would just keep going. When they walk down that corridor, those of you in the antechamber start hearing footsteps above you. Is that... Yeah, when you look up, there's an identical door on the ceiling, and Tiangong exits and is now walking on the ceiling above you.

Okay. We're ushering it, okay. It's going to be one of those. Right. I mean, as Tiangong, I'll stop and look. There's another door on the opposite side from this one. But if Tiangong looks, they can see. It's like you guys are on the scene.

Yeah, it's like looking up, yeah. I think Nova will just be mumbling to in Aayla's arms like this is really upsetting. I'm up but down but left but right. Okay, carry on to the door. Sure, moves up to the door. Is this now going across the room that you're in? Yeah. Gets the door, opens it and there there is just black void. And something reaches out and grabs Tiangong, pulls him in, and the connection ends as the echo is destroyed. I think now we'll just... Are you okay?

Did we see that happen? Because it was above us. You saw that door, right? If you're still looking up, Ayla, the ceiling shrinks down until the doors aren't there anymore. As if the ceiling just dropped down low enough that those doors are no longer there. I don't think it's going to matter which door we take. It's all going to get...

There was hands. They grabbed Tiangong. Yeah, this place is also filled with mares and eyes as well, so... The path that Tiangong just took is gone now, so whichever way we go, it's going to change. In that case, shall we just? Pick one. Go? Go. What does everyone's gut feel? Horrible. I'd like to-

Apart from the horrible- I need the bathroom. Not the bladder stuff, I meant the drive, the motive. I think I'm gonna be sick. A ceiling. Yeah, me too, actually, yes, I feel pretty sick. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but- But, forward. Yes, I feel pretty sick. Yeah. But, but... But... Forward.

Yes. That's my goal. March through the front door. Okay. You guys move up to that door. You open it, it leads into another long, straight corridor. Leads to another long, straight corridor. And are there any doors?

There's just one at the end. Just one long, endless stone passageway. And the sconces lay it all the way? Yeah, it goes all the way down. I mean, looking up into that hallway, is there us below on the other end? No, not on this end. Hmm.

We're primed to say to expect anything. Right. But this could be... This could go on forever. This could go on forever. Remember what Siaska told us. Hadar has the power to manipulate this place. Perhaps we cannot navigate it as we would a regular place.

Is there magic or is there something any of you can do to try and figure this out? Can you see things? I haven't seen Hadar within 30 feet before, have I? No. Not you. I can't use... I can't use Locate Creature.

Me and Sentry Hand. Yeah. Does Tiangong have True Sight? I don't think they have True Sight. I don't believe so. They had the one before that. Blind Sight. You can see.

I've got Prismatic Mastery. Don't forget, skill checks, if you just want to be like, can I make an Arcana check, can I make a perception check, you can absolutely just use your normal skills. I'm trying to figure out, because I've got Locate Object as well. Hang on, can I plot this out? Is there any logical sense to this? I could try and see if I can do a survival, but I... It's worth a shot, yeah. I'm just trying to figure out if...

Is there any object that is tied to Hadar? I don't know. Not really that we know of. Let Ayla roll this and then I'm going to jump in for something as well. 18. Total? 18 total? I think that even an 18, you kind of like check out the corridor tiangong went down before those stone stairs are gone it now just splits into a t-junction you walk a few steps down the corridor in front of you and you quickly realize that it just extends and it's almost like it waits until

your vision is clears and then it extends further there is no natural logic to this place um the rooms there's no like, oh, there has to be a supporting wall here. There has to be a this. Like this place can be whatever it wants to be. And you quickly realize that, Ayla, this is not natural. This is not a building. This is a place of magic, of creation.

There's no logic. Yeah. As Ayla is trying to track that down, Sentry and Lucius. Ooh. Sentry. Hello. You hear a voice.

It doesn't come from a mouth in the stone. It is just in the air, as if it is in your mind. Nobody else but Sentry hears this. We meet again. It's been some time. Nobody else but Sentry hears this. We meet again. It's been some time. Though I feel you have encountered something similar to me not so long ago.

Tell me, Guardian, does your matrix remind you of the last time you were here? Of how badly Root failed? Stop playing tricks. Lead us straight to you. But I've been bored for a very long time. This is the first time I've had guests in so very long. Aren't I due a little entertainment? Before you get a chance to respond, Lucius, you hear a voice in your mind.

Such a tragedy. Endings are difficult things, I know this. I know that, for mortals especially, losing life is torturous. We connected, you and I. From that moment, you and your friends connected with that part of me. I felt you for so long. Felt what lurks in that heart. I have someone here who wishes to speak with you. What? Do you say that out loud? On your mind?

No, I say it out loud instinctively. She died not far from here. Caretaker. So motherly. I don't want you to deprive you of those moments with her. Stop it. Do you want to see her? No.

This is a question from your DM. Is that a lie or a truth? He definitely wants to see her. Can you make a deception check? Sure. That's a natural one. It begins. You can't hide your heart from me, Lucius.

She wants to see you. She was devastated. You weren't there at her end. I can make that happen, I can give you a chance to speak with her. I don't believe you. You're trying to unravel me. Meanwhile, what's everyone else doing? I mean, can we hear like, I mean you heard Lucius go, or what was it you said like yeah

what but Sentry because Sentry has the faceplate as well like Sentry's just unless you would you would you say anything out loud I probably would have said that

yeah lead us straight to you yeah like out loud yeah okay so yeah you guys hear those you can see that at their feet that mist

there are coils of tentacles just wrapped around their ankles or their legs they don't even seem to notice them but the rest of you Quill especially you pick up that this mist their coils of tentacles just wrapped around their ankles or their legs. They don't even seem to notice them. But the rest of you, Quill especially, you pick up that this mist has kind of clatched onto them. We need to keep moving. Lucius, sentry? I'm okay. He's trying to get in. Okay.

Let's keep moving. This corridor isn't the right way. It just keeps going. Can I do an arcana check to try and check the magic? Absolutely you can, yeah. In fact I'm going to give you advantage on this, Nova, because you have experience with portals and plane and transplanar travel and stuff like that. So yeah, I'm going to give you advantage on this Arcana, based on your background and the journey that you've had. That is 17. 17. These things aren't going to be super high. Um, this place is, yeah, building on what Aayla's figured out through her, like, natural ability to navigate a space,

you apply the metaphysical aspect of it. And if Hadar is able to control it and change it in this way, if he doesn't want you to find him, he can make this very difficult. He can keep swapping things around, looping you around. You need to find a way to either punch through whatever he is doing and find where he really is and try and track him down and then punch through, or find some sort of clue, something that will guide you around these illusions, around these changing corridors and things like that. You see, you hear Calus out loud just be like,

silence, wretch. He's obviously being spoken to as well. Lucius, as your friends are kind of looking around, trying to figure things out, the mist begins to rise and take shape. It takes the shape of an older female elf dressed in leather. I stand back.

She reaches out almost towards you and you hear Norfyr's voice. Lucius, it's not really you. He's got me. He took me when I died. Help. Does everybody see that figure or is it just Lucius? Just Lucius I'm afraid. Give me something. Something that I know. It's just you. She starts singing a nursery rhyme that she sang to you when you were little.

No, please. Don't let it be you. Blue sky, blue sky, chase away the clouds. I step forward a little bit. Blue sky, blue sky, chase away the clouds. I'd step forward a little bit. Can you make a wisdom save for me? With disadvantage. Yeah, yeah I can, Mark. Just Rhiannon, this is cool!

So that's a nine plus one, ten. Alright, come back to you in a minute. Century. I'll leave you to cook. You see a figure take form in the mist. It takes the form of a tall stalwart guardian warrior. Familiar to the one you found trapped in a cave. Brute. Younger, as much as you can tell.

Not quite, still a prime. You can see the matrix in their chest. But the mist-like figure is almost fighting a battle that you can't see. You don't hear anything, but you feel anguish and guilt. So many guardians dying, and Root can't save them. And then something grips and pulls and an arm is broken away. Something grabs the leg and rips it from Root's body as he stumbles, but still trying to fight with the sword in one hand. This was the fate of your predecessor. Do you really think you can do any better?

You were just a thrown-away protector. You failed that family. Do you think you can save everyone else? You're a monster. We will destroy you. You can't destroy an end, Sentinel Prime. Ends come for us all. As Root is shattered. No! What's the rest of you guys doing?

Is that out loud? Yep. Same with Lucius. You hear everything hear, like, the, please don't, like, you hear everything these guys are saying out loud. Who are you talking to? Stop it. Snap out of it. He's in my head. Yeah, does it help?

Yeah, I'd say, like, you were aware, like, you're not being compelled. Like, that wisdom save, by the way, for Lucius is just this gut-wrenching feeling, like, that is norfiz soul it's not an illusion she died in the veil her soul was consumed by hadar that is her as far you believe that's why it's a wisdom save right like you think that that is real might be might not be you don't know um but you're not under any compulsion like you don't As far... You believe. That's why it's a wisdom save, right? Like, you think that that is real.

Might be. Might not be. You don't know. But you're not under any compulsion. Like, you don't feel compelled. Apart from your own characters feeling that compulsion, there is no magical influence here. You see Calus just, like, looking at him. He's like, I have faced far worse horrors than you can ever show me, Hadar.

We have fought for a millennia. I know what I'm here to do. He looks, Calus looks to Nova, Quill, and Aayla, kind of seeing what sentry and Aayla is like. Try and figure out a way. Is there something, anything we can do? We need, there are two ways. We either, we punch our way through, or we find an anchor, a connection,

something we can use as a guide. Something physical, maybe. A physical part that represents Hadar. Valor will just say, I can't use... I can't breach again. You'll have to... If you need to create a way through this place, I can't breach again. You'll have to... If you need to create a way through this place, I can't do it. He's in our heads.

Can we use that as a connection? If he's already reached us, can we use that to reach him? It's an idea, because you're anchored, right? You're connected to him. I mean, is the voice telling you where to go? Is it trying to allude to a particular place? It's just showing me things, telling me that we can't do this, but he's there.

Same with Lucius. He's got us somehow. Is there anything magical that we can do? I can locate... To show this place. I daren't look at this place in true sight. I've got a really crazy idea, but I don't think it'll work. So while you guys are debating and having a think, Lucius, Norfid vanishes.

It's kind of taken away from you as she's like mid-song. I can give you time with her. Of everyone here, I know that you have suffered. Endings don't have to be painful Lucius. I can make it peaceful. I can give you centuries with her before I end everything. You can enjoy a time, Connect in ways you will not dream of. I can give you time. Just embrace me. Accept my message.

You've heard it, haven't you? You know what I'm trying to do. I know all too well what you're trying to do, Hadar. And part of me really wants it. Give in. I struggle. What has struggling got you? Murdered family?

Lost Norfair? Is there much left to fight for? Is there much left to fight for? You see that tendril of mist forms like a hand reaching out to you. Maybe not. I'm gonna reach out to it. And fingers just about to touch. I'm gonna go reach out to touch it. And then turn on Prismatic Mastery to see if I can see a thread as to where that goes. Grungy Truesight, right?

Yeah. I would like you to roll a d20 and add your Charisma modifier. Just the modifier. So plus... yeah, whatever it is normally. Plus five. Plus five. d20 plus five. 24. 19. A big roll?

It was a big roll. A big roll. It was a big one, yeah. A big boy roll. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your fingers touch this hand. You do, however, immediately, as you touch it, feel something sap away at your life force. You're going to take 20 points of necrotic damage, and you gain a doom token.

Oh, they're back! Doom! Do they work the same way we know? Potentially. You don't know nothing. These tokens, by the way, represent a crushing despair. They are not physically manifested. You don't know nothing. These tokens, by the way, represent a kind of crushing despair. They are not physically manifested. You can't see this. This is something in, like, you know,

but also like, maybe like it's also kind of energy that's breaking your body down. It's kind of like a mixture of psychic and necrotic, right? But you grip it. This isn't, you don't, this was offering almost like a gentle thing. But you grip it. This isn't, you don't, this was offering almost like a gentle thing, and you grab. Fine then, Hadar. Let's have this.

You feel resistance, but not anger. But with your Prismatic Mastery active, suddenly you don't just see the thread, and there is a red line, kind of like a ribbon more than a thread. It weaves and flows and floats, and it passes through walls, not through corridors, but through walls, and it seems to be pulling in a direction.

And whilst you have this grip, you can feel that connection, but you also, with true sight, see this place for what it is. And it's... the walls are not grey stone. you also, with true sight, see this place for what it is. And it's, the walls are not gray stone. They're red fiber. The doors are mouths with teeth. The mist is oil dripping around you, coiling up as unseen things reach for it. And there are no walls or ceilings.

Instead, you see nothing but that black void and swirling red and gray tendrils and the red star. That light coating everything here in light. And you see that out there in the black, there are things. Old things. Things that Hadar fears, things that Hadar has made allies of, things that are older

than anything else. Sleeping, slumbering, some of them half awake like a lid, barely open. And when you feel that gaze, it terrifies you. But, with this thread, and it costs you eight sorcery points for a mastery, six. With the expenditure of that resource, you know how to find Hadar in this place. The only problem is it takes you through, to a you it looks like red fibrous muscle, but to everyone else it is literally taking you

through walls, not doorways or hallways. It's like going through the door and actually through the floor, and it's kind of moving and swirling around, but it is a path, and you know that if you can follow it, it will take you to Hadar. Everyone, quickly. I haven't got long. I don't know how long I have.

But I can see the way through. I need strength. I need power. There. I smash the wall. Okay. I'll rage and smash the wall. Sure. Doesn't even take a check because we know you can't fail at less than 25.

The hammer crackling with thunder, sunders the stone. To you, Lucius, it's like a gaping wound of blood. And that blood fills into the oil and coats you. And it covers everything. It covers Aayla. And then that blood seems to reach out like it's made of tiny arms and teeth. Almost like it's alive. It's horrifying. But to the rest of you, it's made of tiny arms and teeth, almost like it's alive. It's horrifying, but to the rest of you, it's just broken rubble and stone.

And yeah, beyond, there is a tunnel, and it seems to follow that ribbon that Lucius is pointing towards, but then the ribbon goes into the ground. It's like a short ways distance, maybe a few feet, and then it goes down. But Aayla, you just, whoosh, smashes through. Lucius is just gripping his head and his hair.

He's like, please, just follow me quickly. There's no... You can see... I mean, it's more that there's no pain, but, like, seeing this horror around you. No, he's terrified. That's what he's representing. You hear that voice.

Come. Come to me. Soon. You can see her soon. He's like just whispering. It's nice. It's calming. Anyway.

But for Sentry and Calus, the voice immediately stopped. No more visions. Calus looks. Hadara's focused on Lucius. Let's not make his sacrifice in vain. He'll move up to that next point. And with some of his light, Aayla brings the sword down, Hadara's focused on Lucius. Let's not make his sacrifice in vain. He'll move up to that next point, and with some of his Aayla,

he brings the sword down, caving in the stone, and it drops down into another room, like a circular room, as if these were all connected in the most random, weird angles. Like, he even carves it. It's not even straight down.

It's like at an angle, but as you look into the room, it's like it's a vertical drop into a perfectly centralized chamber. And that ribbon then floats down and begins to flow through the wall again. What do you guys see? I'm going wherever Lucius is telling me. Yeah, I mean, because we can see Lucius's eyes,

all these different colors. Yeah, you see this incredible prism. Incredible prism, yeah, you do, yeah. I think throughout the entire journey with Aayla and Kalos basically smashing the way through, I'd be reassuring Lucius. So when we get to the next point, you've broken like two of these kind of walls down. I mean, it takes great effort to do this. Like it's a smash through.

If you repeat, if somebody else does it, if Aayla does this again, it's going to be a con save. And if you fail, you gain exhaustion. Because it is like Kalos and Aayla, although although they smash it it's like draining physically of their stamina um at least to begin with i would be reassuring lucius that we're all still here and like i guess trying to get him to focus on the ribbon but also know that because with true sight you can still see us right yes and he sees you in these resplendent forms as well. Like he sees Quill surrounded by holy golden light, the winds carrying feathers around him.

Sentry appearing as not just like in her like true primal, what's it called, your primal champion form? Elder. Yeah, just coated in gold and radiating light and warmth and appearing even taller and stronger than she does. Nova and Tiangong, almost their forms overlapping, but now there are two more. Harmony and Shansara, like the four of them, blend and merge. And around them is just this nebula of a galaxy that spins and wraps around them like a scarf or a ribbon kind of coalescing around them. And Aayla is just clouds and the storm and you can almost see and hear animals howling behind her,

this primal fury and callous, just almost nothing but for a faint shadow of something in his chest, golden light, but it's rescinded, hidden. But. Yeah, I mean yeah it's I know he's not making any checks if I need to give him resistance

or whatever like okay that's good to know just so we'll say that basically you're keeping like you know you keep that on him

if you need to make a save keep him locked into this world even though what he's seeing is not this world we'll basically say that if you have to make a saving throw at any point

Lucius you have a d4 as long as Quill is maintained. Sweet. Sweet. Alright. I just don't know how this would work. But I want to help Lucius, because I can see Lucius is suffering and struggling with this. It's almost like glancing up.

So I would want to help him and reassure him. And I'm not entirely sure how this would work, but Nova would, you know, touch, like hold his hand and say, you're not alone in this. Let me carry this burden with you. Share it with me. And I almost want to use the magic of Thalia, the gift that Thalia gave me, the bracelet, that has compelled Jewel in it.

I almost want to try and get Hadar to latch his attention on myself and Tiangong and Shansara and Harmony and try and just give it to him. You're going to allow it, but there's going to be a chance. It's going to be Hadar resisting it. So what is Compelled Jewel? It's normally a charisma saving throw I believe wisdom saving throw wisdom saving throw okay roll to two oh it's Lucius you feel because it's more what you're seeing around you but you hear that voice but Nova

you do as you touch his hand that red ribbon you begin to see it it kind of coils out it's soft it's gentle and then it stabs into your hand and rips through the flesh and there's no physical damage but you feel it and it's now getting in your hand and rips through the flesh. And there's no physical damage, but you feel it. And it's now getting in your veins and it's trying to go up your... And it hurts, only in your mind. There's no physical damage. You do take 20 psychic damage.

And a doom token. A doom. Doom, doom, doom. A doom. Doomie, doomie, doom. Oh. Anything for you, buddy. Hello, Nova.

We meet. Trying to help dear Lucius. He doesn't need to be helped. I'm going to help him. I'm going to reunite him with Norfin and give him the end that he so desperately craves. You're too scared of it, aren't you? You've seen that piece. You know what I can take away.

With that, if there is a saving throw, I'll have you both make it, and you will split the damage. So rather than Lucius taking all damage, it will be split between Nova. Can I see where this ribbon ends now? No. No, okay. You are basically helping Lucius carry the burden, but only because he's the one with Truesight. Only he can see it. So, you've got through two of these barriers.

You don't know how many more there are to go. Aayla has done one. Kalos has done one. Can the sentry activate Starbreaker? Exhaustion level? Yep. And then what? Just smash through? Just smash through any of them.

You don't need to use any special powers. You're strong enough as well. I'm not going to have you guys roll on this. So what are the new exhaustion rules? Minus one to attacks, minus one to ability checks, and minus one to spell save DCs per level of exhaustion. Right. cool. So, Sentry, yeah, you smash down the next one.

Three down. And physical force. Like, you can see, though, that that one maybe took a bit more effort. Like, A, let's smash through the first one pretty easily. Calus destroyed the second one. But that one, Sentry, it's like the wall was twice as thick. And you kind of, maybe two strikes or maybe you had to kind of like dig through it

with your hands to make it wide enough. Like Hadar is almost strengthening each of these points. I don't want to make it too easy. You hear in your voice sentry. So three down. Was it a wisdom? No, you don't have to worry about anything just yet.

Unless you would want to do something specific. So there is another... Yeah, the ribbon leads to... This one looks like a pair of gates, but metal locked solid gates. And it seems to lead through those. Don't worry, guys, it's my turn now. Just shoulder body. I'm gonna take your word for it. to lead through those. Don't worry, guys, it's my turn now. Shoulder-bump.

Let me in! I mean, I'll... What do you want to try? Flame it. Okay, you just want to try and blast it with magic? Sure. Okay. Make a roll damage for me.

It's not hard to hit. It's a gate. Can't really miss it. It makes a dex save. How dexed is a gate?'t really miss it it makes a deck save assume it fails uh i think i'd be using um dancing lights to almost like put a target yeah where the ribbon exactly is yeah that's good yeah um i what was that like 20 where'd that go 22 22 points of radiant damage uh not that's great for a cat first First time, yeah, you... The gates blast. You see the bars twist and bend with the holy magic,

but it doesn't break open. Clearly reinforced. Now getting stronger and stronger. At this point, Lucius, now that there has been a failed attempt to break through, I need you and Nova to make... This would be... I'll roll a d3 for myself

to see which kind of save it's going to be. Well, that's nice that you can choose. This will be psychic damage. I'll roll a d3 for myself and see which kind of save it's going to be. Well, that's nice that you can choose. This will be psychic damage. This will be intelligence. Oh, good. Do I get the d4? No, Quill just used his action to cast Guiding... It's a concentration thing, resistance.

Oh, is it concentration? In that case, yes, you do. Thanks, man. I thought it was something you had to keep applying each turn. I'll use my Lucius then. Alright, so yeah, intelligent saving throw. Plus a d4 for Lucius, no d4 for Nova. So you get a plus 3 from your... Plus 3 from Sentry.

14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20? Is a failure. Oh, I failed. 12 plus 0. No, plus zero. All right. Five blood. Yeah, because you were splitting the damage, it would have been 20 psychic damage to Lucius. It's now 10 each.

Are you sure about this, Nova? Of course I am. I'm with you until the end. What does the gate look like to me right now? Oh, the gate is not a gate at all. It's bones and teeth and tentacles. Just merged together like a mouth that's been sort of grated over with with more bone if it's a gate can i try and like not smash through it but try

and actually pry it apart can there will still be a con save but it'll be an easy it'll be a fairly easy one to begin with like you're not going to tire out that quickly but yep just quills like weak yeah yeah athletics check no that's true actually yeah cool has weakened it as well. Athletics check. No, that's true, actually. Yeah, Quill has weakened it. You can't get lower than 25, right? No. So we know it works. Can you make a con save for me, please? DC 10.

So I don't think you can even fail it. 13 plus 13. So yeah, you kind of... Rips it open. For Lucius, it's like she just rips the bone and it breaks and shudders, but then the bone pools blood, like empty gums,

and it just pools into a river. That fucked me up the most. That Aether kind of breaks it up for you. You feel... What's the gate, man? Nova and Lucius, that ribbon's getting close. You can almost begin to make out a hand

holding that ribbon gently. Like a child holding the string of a balloon. Just holding it. It's just faint in the distance. You can't see it, but you can sense it. We're very close now. We have to be so careful. Hang in there.

I will attempt another. And you get cast. It's going to smash through. This time he has to make a constitution saving throw. Can you make one for me, Rhi, as you have his character sheet? He has a plus three as well, right? He has quite, he has plus 13, I think, on his con save. Plus five. We'll go along, because it has saving throws along, if you trace your finger.

Oh, yep, yep. So 13, 19, plus three, 20. Doesn't get exhausted. Poor man. The DC was high at that time, it was 15. It's gonna go up each time. So yeah, Calus breaks through this next one, kind of shatters the stone,

and you see now it leads into a staircase. It goes up into almost like a grand manor hall. And this fine staircase that leads up, and the ribbon trails up, towards a beautiful gilded golden door. But to Lucius, the stairs are... bodies. Overlaid. Like corpses conjoined together to form a staircase

of their hunched backs and that gilded doorway is a giant almost black void we'll go to it good recall

good reference but yeah so the rest of you kind of follow up, and there is this final doorway. I'm definitely, Lucius is definitely recoiling at the idea of going up these stairs. There's almost like, you're hearing like Hadar's whispers,

like, yeah, soon, come, come. There's something else, and it's not speaking, but it's like a breathing or a rumble, and it's far out there. But if that thing wakes, it will shatter your mind. I think to try and help, because I can feel Lucius's hand tightening in my hand. I feel his pulse.

I would start just almost in that very Nova way, just rambling, and I'm rambling and trying to say every positive memory that we've had together, you know, sitting on the deck of the Storm Chaser, just feeling the breeze, you know, going to the spa day, you know, when we were in Gusthaven, you showing us around, seeing Lucius and Aradan at that final feast together,

happy and just yourselves, and seeing you reunited with your sister. And Nova would just be, again, just rambling, rambling, rambling, all these, trying to fill every single positive memory, almost trying to speak over, knowing she probably can't, but just trying to give you another source of noise to listen to.

Shut the fuck up. It's not that Nova... Thanks, bud. Thank you so much, bud. I'm trying to say you're a fucking light hero. You've got to let me. We've had too much serious RP. He has to get a joke now.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not that Nova's voice is louder than Hadar's, but Hadar's voice isn't louder than Nova's either. This is purely down to you, Chris Trott, what you think Lucius, like, how you think... Would that help Lucius or not? Because right now, there's nothing compelling you to be afraid. There's nothing causing you physical harm.

This is just, like, this horror of being in this place and this feeling, this kind of connection in your mind. It's just So messed up. Yeah. But yeah, I think that grounds him for sure. And he's trying to focus on the visuals of seeing the champions of Eros in all their resplendent true vision

that we can overcome this, that we have to get past this. And so that gives Lucius the strength to go up. These spines of bloated, corpsey bodies. All right, you see this one final door. For the rest of you, it appears like a gilded golden door, but for Lucius, it is a black void. What do you guys do? I assume you know this, but it's not a door.

I don't need you to tell me anything right now, though, buddy. I'm just gonna, no, I'm just gonna hit the door. Well, hang on, what is, what are you seeing? All the other paths we took, there were physical barriers, bones, fibrous tissues, mouths, things to break. This is a void, there's nothing there. But we have to get through somehow.

Try something else first other than your bodies. Maybe the hammer, but... Maybe, is there a thing? It may not be a physical thing. You also, Lucius, you are free to act as well. Like, even though you have this connection, if you want to do spells or make checks, you still absolutely can.

Don't feel like you're just locked into being the guide on this. You can actively participate as well. Same as you, Nova. Calus will just say, I'm afraid that without my magitek, I have few powers. Just raw strength. Perhaps there is... You say there's a void, Lucius? There's enough darkness, perhaps light?

There's something else as well. There's more than Hadar in this realm. Siasco kind of is like, yes, they are ancient things in a sleep. Hadar is the only one awake. They cannot hurt you, Lucius. They are here and they are terrible, but... What if we wake them? They have been slumbering for a long time. If we wake them, there is little we can do. But Hadar is something we can affect.

Right. Try not to think about it. I know they're terrifying, I know. I've heard many stories about this place, but they are not our concern right now. Okay. stories about this place, but they are not our concern right now. Okay. Century, Quill, Light, Divine Power, Nova, Magic, perhaps? A portal? I have to see the other side. I can't create one unless I can see the other side. Can you try and vision it? All I have is strength, so if you don't want me to use

cat, then I can't use. We'll act if we need to, but. Can you see the other side of this? There's nothing there. I can get closer and have a look. Peer my head in. Can I use my divine sense? Yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.

It's detects what, from my me? Detects good and evil. Until the end of your next turn, you can sense that anything affected by the Hallows' Spell will know the location of any Celestial Fiend or undead within sixty feet that isn't behind your old cover. Well, gods. This god in particular has a limits of the range of divine sense, because their aura is strong enough that beyond this door to you, a god awaits. The aura of this celestial creature is strong enough that it can only be a divine being. It is likely Hadar. It's him. He's there. What we have to do is go up those stairs and we meet him. So we are walking through this void, this gate that we can see but void. I just put my dancing lights through the door.

Or through the void for me. And see what happens. They vanish. As soon as it touches. It's just like it disappears into nothing. So it's an illusion. It's not really there. Well, I'm seeing it as it truly is. Oh, that's true. You have true sight, right?

Yeah. As the dancing light hits that void, you would get the sense that it is, there is a flash of almost like planar teleportation magic. Like it is teleported somewhere else. You don't know where, but it is not beyond the space like in front of you. Like this doorway is like a portal blocking the passage.

We need to dispel this, whatever this is. This is another trick. I can't dispel. I guess I can't see. I'm also happy to allow, like, creative stuff, like the Divine Sense or, like, any other class abilities if you want to get creative. Well, it's just I can't see what lucius can see but i want to

identify if this is something reasonably dispellable um i'd say lucius can can tell you that this is yeah this is something that could be dispelled it is some sort of magic it is some sort of magical barrier it could dispelled. Perhaps there is other ways of removing it. Divine power, blast of radiant energy. You don't know. You don't know, but it is certainly magical. Um, okay. I can try hustling another sacred flame at it. Um, just seeing where that goes towards this gate. Yeah, roll the damage for me.

Uh, this time... Just seeing where that goes towards this gate. Yeah, roll the damage for me. This time, it is 19. 19 points of damage? The light of the sacred flame, the feathers of golden light that Quill fires at this thing, burns away. And those of you who see the door, it's like the door rusts where the sacred flame strikes it. It's like the door rusts. Not completely. The darkness is being burnt rusts. Not completely. The darkness is being burnt away, but not completely.

As it does, I need both Lucius and Nova to make another... Let's find out what kind of saving throw. This time it would be a charisma saving throw. Are you still concentrating, bro? I would say, yeah. He can still give you a default for the purposes of this. It lasts for a minute. Yeah, and he can keep reapplying it.

Like, we're kind of not going in rounds here, so... 18. That's right. 23. 23 is a success, 18 is a fail. This means, Nova, you will take 10 points of damage, but Lucius will take none. This is working. It's okay. Is it magic?

Light? Radiance. Radiance. The opposite of darkness. Okay. I have okay. Do magic. Light. Radiance. Radiance. The opposite of darkness. Okay. I have radiance, I'm sorry. I can blind smite it.

Mid-century. Just straight up smite. Okay. Starbreaker. If you want to. Okay. Listen, I'm throwing it over to you guys. There's no judgements here.

You guys tell me what you want to do. Feel free, you can just let Quill sit there and gantrip it, or, like, if you want to whack it as well, like, absolutely. Do you want to double sunbeam it? Double sunbeam? Yeah. In the middle of that. Oh, it's cool, though, isn't it?

It's cool as hell. Yeah, let's do it. Double sunbeam. I'll throw a... one of my cantrips firebolt. I'll chromatic control that to radiant. Okay, well, let's do that first. Because I'm in prismatic master.

Yeah, let's do that first, Because I'm in Prismatic Mastery. Yeah, let's do that first, because I think these two are still like, do we double-sub-beep? Double-sub-beep-beep-beep-beep? Not sure. Like this. We're just yet to connect in the middle. It's not hard to hit, so just roll the damage for me. Very well. Do you know how I feel, too, if you're doing that at a wedding?

Pretty sure you do. Yeah. Probably, yeah. Oh. You don't need to roll to hit, it's just the damage. It's a 19. 19 points of damage. It strikes and again you see more of the door corrode and the light burn away but not quite fully enough to destroy it but it is nearly, nearly broken. I need

you and Nova to make another saving throw and this time it is... Once again, do it. A wisdom saving throw. How busy was? 20. 20's a failure I'm afraid. Yeah was he was? 20. 20's a failure, I'm afraid. Yeah, I failed as well. Alright, it's gonna be 20 divided by 2.

10 points of psychic damage to you each. Just one final blow. Oh, one final? We probably should double sunbeam then. Let's not do the double sunbeam if we're that close. If you could hurry! Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, on it. Sacred flame. Sure. With that, I'm not gonna have you roll the yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. On it. Sacred flame. Sure.

With that, I'm not going to have you roll the damage because it was pretty close. With that sacred flame, the golden feathers, they strike the door, and that last bit of gold rusts and corrodes, and the whole door just breaks into dust. The void that you saw, Lucius, now becomes reality. The void dispelledpelled and for the first

time you see actual stone so did the rest of you short corridor it seems to lead up to what appears to be a bridge with two columns with torches on either side of it just ahead can't see much beyond that bridge, beyond those columns. Too dark, too distant. But you see this narrow corridor. And for Lucius, you know that... Sorry, there is a pair of doors, actually. The corridor leads to a pair of red doors. The doors are covered in that same red fibrous material that Lucius has been seeing, but you can now all see it. And it kind of coats these double doors at the end of this corridor.

Is the door doing, still whispering? No, no, it has gone silent. And as you see those doors, in fact, that ribbon in your hand turns to nothing. And that sensation in your mind evaporates. The last thing you probably both hear. Welcome. Are you okay, Lucius? Yes. Thank you.

Can I heal Lucius and Nova with Lay on Hands? You can do whatever you guys like at this point. I'd like to leave. Yeah, let's go McDonald's. 40, I'm down. 40, you're down. Is there a McDonald's near me? I'm down 50.

50, so 90. Are you sure? Yeah, yeah. Are you sure? You're gonna heal them both up to full with 90 of your Lay on Hands? Damn. Okay, thanks, Mama. How many have you got? Ten, I think.

Yep. Yep. Ten left. Most of the Lay on Hands. But puts them back up to full. So, just before we go to break, I'm assuming you would all like to go through those doors. Yep. Yeah. We don't want to, but we will. I don't want the cliffhanger to be we're in a corridor.

Yeah, exactly. Every Arois fan's worst nightmare. Oh, God. It was the final thing. It's a corridor. As you move through the corridor, you push open these red doors covered in this fibrous, blood-like sinew.

They open freely. You see that beyond them is a bridge. Two lantern columns, each with a sconce of red flame. But that bridge leads into a

void expanse. There are no more walls. There is no ground. There is no sky. Just that swirling nebulous red and grey pattern. You can see that stretched out beyond the bridge are chunks of a broken stone structure. Some float in the air, one seems to be be larger a kind of central platform and above it all the red just this faint pinprick of red light up in the nothing up amongst the swirling red just this tiny red dot but you feel it. With that. Oh, the map's getting revealed. Reveal, reveal. Is that one of the table falls?

He just flicked a single switch there, and I can see a red dot. Oh! Yes! Custom background! Oh, it's full of... Oh, look at this! Oh, my God! Hell yeah! I just removed that one. I had them set up in a very specific thing, my God. Oh, hell yeah. I just removed that one.

I have them very set up in a very specific thing. So, yeah. Like that? Oh. Okay. Yes. You've been busy with foam. I have.

If you would also like to, if somebody else, we'll do it in the break, actually. I'll fix that in the break. Okay. As you all step through, you walk through the doors, you know that that door and that corridor that you just came from is no longer there. There is no escaping this chamber. The red tiny bit of light begins to move.

It falls down like a drop of blood falls and as it does it takes form takes a shape graceful it descends slowly like a dancer gentle foot landing on the ground as its huge, muscular, humanoid-shaped body kind of rises up. You see... it's... has no identifiable gender or form, but it is naked or just raw in its flesh. Its head has one large mouth, but no eyes, just a skull scored and marked with

divots and canyons in its face, but just this wide, rictus mouth, in which you can see a darkness so deep and black, it almost tries to pull you in. Its chest, you see, flexes for a moment, and then it almost rolls up to reveal another mouth inside its belly, and behind that mouth is that same endless void of darkness as hadar hell yes that's cool oh my image is on patreon for podcast listeners and Patreon for podcast listeners.

Oh, that's horrible. That's awesome. Welcome, my dear guests. Thank you. What a delightful meal you've brought me. And with that, we will go to break. Oh! Yeah! That was the best! See you in part two.

See you in part two. That is it for part one, we will see you in part two. No. Oh, bye. Bye. Thank you.