High Rollers DnD - High Rollers: Aerois #64 | A Hawk's Dawn Holiday (Part 1)

Episode Date: March 23, 2020

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Starting point is 00:00:53 Hello, everyone. Welcome back to High Rollers, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast in the world of Erois, run by Dungeon Master Mark Sherlock-Humes, with me, Tom, playing Keelak Adkalad, the Cleric Wizard. I am Chris Trott. I'm playing Lucius Viren, Elowin Elanastro. And I am a High Elf Sorcerer. Hi, I'm Rhiannon.
Starting point is 00:01:09 I'm playing Sentry. I am a Guardian Paladin. Hi, I'm Katie. I'm playing Ayla, a Wild Elf Barbarian. And I'm Kim. I'm playing Nova, who is an Air Ganassi. And she is a Hexblade Warlock. Thanks to our regular sponsor, D&D Beyond, the official Dungeons & Dragons toolset.
Starting point is 00:01:23 Create your free account and speed up your campaigns today. Hello everybody and welcome back to High Rollers. The party have travelled with Sentry into the heart of Volcanos, an ancient volcano that hid a Solvin research facility. Here they found the Prime, the first guardian, and discovered the secret of the Prime Matrix, an ancient relic from the realm of the true gods. As Root Prime was no longer able to function or leave the facility, Sentry was asked to undergo a test to see if she was worthy to carry the Prime Matrix, and all of you accompanied her. Inside the Matrix, you fought against a creature that made your nightmares reality, and eventually,
Starting point is 00:02:25 with Sentry's encouragement and your own willpower, you all managed to succeed in defeating it, and Sentry ascended to become Sentinel Prime. But there was no time to celebrate as the volcano furiously erupted, and a desperate escape back through the facility, exhausted
Starting point is 00:02:41 and injured, nearly turned fatal for Nova. But you escaped, returned to your airship, the Storm Chaser, and now set sail to locate another piece of Nova's eternal weapon, Tiangong. Having rested for the night, many of you still injured or exhausted
Starting point is 00:02:57 from the trials of escaping the facility, Quill encounters a strange dream. Oh my god. There we go. Just as a reminder for everybody Quill encounters a strange dream. Oh my god. There we go. Just as a reminder for everybody, us playing remotely, this is a temporary measure. We will be back
Starting point is 00:03:14 to our studio for High Rollers as soon as we can be. This is a temporary measure. Thank you for supporting us and sticking with us as we try this out so we can keep playing D&D and you guys can keep watching us play D&D. It will be just like before. Sort of. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:03:30 Right. Tom, Quilek, Adkalar. Yes. You find yourself in Rosehall, a small village you encountered at the very beginnings of your adventures, effectively. You stand in a small watchtower looking out over the rolling green hills
Starting point is 00:03:49 and the still waters of the Rosewater Lake when you hear a very familiar young female voice from behind you. Quill! Quill! And as you turn, you see Vala, the young girl that you had basically rescued when you first started your adventures, and was later revealed to be the daughter of Calus Starbane and of Siaska as well. Yeah. And she stands before you.
Starting point is 00:04:17 She looks slightly different. She is dressed much more nobly, much more regally. She has, like, a long gown with, with like a trailing kind of like purple robe. Her hair is being cleaned and properly kind of styled. It has like small hair clips of a purple gemstone in it. But she looks facially no different. Same bright violet eyes kind of looking at you. And she, as she looks at you, she just says,
Starting point is 00:04:47 Quill, I don't have much time. Can you hear me? Is this working? I can hear you. Is it safe? I'm sure this is safe. Yes, yes, it is. I'm using... There's a machine that my father, I guess, uses to replicate this spell. But it's safe. There's nobody around. I made sure of it.
Starting point is 00:05:08 Okay, okay. As long as we can keep talking. Why are you contacting me now? This is the first time I've been able to get to the machine without anybody noticing. I think they're finally starting to accept that I'm not going to go anywhere, that I'm not going to cause trouble. And I wanted to make sure that you were all okay. Calus said that you were, i don't trust his i don't trust him like i wanted to make sure that you're all all right we're okay we're gathering a crew we've got an airship we're
Starting point is 00:05:35 building a resistance we're trying to save you okay that okay good not just me though there's i mean i there's so much going on i'm sure there's so many questions but before anything there might be some time but before anything and she kind of waves her hand and you see the watchtower around you begins to shift and change um and now you find yourself in a large crystalline black crystalline chamber very similar to the Starbane ships you've been on before. This one is not a particularly large chamber, but in the middle there is a ring of symbols
Starting point is 00:06:14 like these glowing arcane symbols. You can see that there are panels with lit up crystals and lit up glass panels and Valor is standing there and she points down at the symbol of circles like, Quill,
Starting point is 00:06:30 this spell that I'm using to contact you, you'll be able to remember this crystal clear, like perfectly. You need to memorize these symbols, Quill. This is the teleportation circle. It leads to his circle. It leads
Starting point is 00:06:45 to his flagship. It leads... He calls it the Tassadar. So if we build it ourselves... Oh, snap! If you can find... It's a spell. I think you... I don't know if you can learn it, but somebody will know it. You just have to use
Starting point is 00:07:01 these sequence of symbols, and then you can come here please come and get me, I want to come back to Erois we want you back, we will do this, we absolutely will thank you and she seems relieved, like she kind of lets her like a deep breath out of her system
Starting point is 00:07:18 like, you'll be able to remember the sequence but as soon as you wake up you have to write these down, okay this is the exact sequence um okay he won't know he won't know that you know this okay okay i'll do this i will okay thank you it's it's heavily guarded so i i can try if you can find a way to let me know when you're coming i'll try and find ways that I can keep guards away or something. Yes, yes, I will. We'll have to prepare.
Starting point is 00:07:49 When do you want this? Do you want us to come as soon as possible? She kind of looked like there's a moment where she's like, well, I know that there's probably a load of stuff going on, but it's not that I'm I'm not unsafe here. I think I'm OK, but I just want to I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be part of this. And she kind of gestures
Starting point is 00:08:10 around at the kind of interior of the ship itself. Okay. I don't want to just I don't want to be his his pawn or whatever he wants from me. I don't know. I understand. I obviously appreciate that. I understand.
Starting point is 00:08:27 We obviously appreciate that. We'll do whatever we can and try to be there as soon as possible, but I will let you know when we do find a way to use this circle. Okay, thank you, Quill. We've got some time. Is there anything you need to know, anything I can try and find out? Have you heard any of his plans, any idea of his intentions no no he doesn't he doesn't it's not that he doesn't trust me it's just that he it's strange he's not cruel he's not mean or anything like that if anything he's
Starting point is 00:09:07 he's not mean or anything like that if anything he's gentle but he he won't tell me anything he just tells me that when this is all over he can finally be at peace and we can you know he can teach me things and he'll show me the galaxy he'll show me the universe that's all he keeps saying is that once this is all over once this hadarar creature... I just know that that's... All he wants to do is destroy it. He must know of your connection to us still. He would know you're trying to contact us.
Starting point is 00:09:35 I don't think he'll give too much away. What about... What about Maximilian? He may be an ally. I did scry on him for a bit and I saw you talking to him. I know some Maximilian? He may be an ally. I did scry on him for a bit, and I saw you talking to him. I know Sir Maximilian, yes. Yeah, he's good.
Starting point is 00:09:51 He's kind. He's loyal to my father faultlessly. If it came down to a decision between helping me or helping him, I still feel that Max would choose his emperor. But he does look out for me and he he treats me kindly okay well at least you're safe but i will do whatever we can to to get to you as soon as we as we possibly can okay i know that my powers are getting stronger as well i can do things that i couldn't do before. He's taught me a lot about magic
Starting point is 00:10:25 and the nature of the universe, I guess. And every time I learn more, I just, I dunno, I there's like, I knew how to use these machines and I wouldn't have known that before. So if I learn anything else, I'll try and use it. Okay, okay. If you can work on that, I mean anything that you can learn to be a force against him. But once you join us, once
Starting point is 00:10:57 we take you out of there, that's going to bring down Calus. It's going to bring him down to Aroas. That will start the invasion proper. As far as I know, that's already happening, Quill. We opened the gateway. He has a way down to the planet.
Starting point is 00:11:14 I don't know much more than that, but I know he's up to something. He keeps going away for these long missions where he's gone for days at a time. And I know that he's going to Aroos to do that i know but it's not at the moment at the moment you're safe if we take you there's no turning back i just want you to be aware of this i know i know but i just it's the more i'm here the more
Starting point is 00:11:41 stuff he says makes sense and i don't want it to make sense. I want to be back with you and Lucius, and I want to be back on Erois. That's my home. It is. It is. We'll do whatever we can, as soon as we can. I've got it, Quill. And then
Starting point is 00:11:59 the whole dream just ends. And you just fall into a blank sleep. Am I able to memorize the uh no yeah so part of the spell itself is that when you wake up as everybody wakes up uh you recall that dream picture perfect like you can you can describe it down to the details um and yeah if you find like a parchment or something like that you can note down the symbols of the circle I've got some of that so you basically now you know the code sequence for a
Starting point is 00:12:32 teleportation circle that leads to the ship that Valor is on Starbane's ship yeah just the big one just the big main one we can just have a casual visit whenever hey sup dude how's it going how's your evil plans Yeah, just the big one. Just the big main one. It's fine. We can just have a casual visit whenever. Hey, dude. How's it going?
Starting point is 00:12:48 How's your evil plans? Yeah. Everybody else wakes up, so you have now completed another long rest, so you can lose another level of endurance. Exhaustion. Exhaustion, sorry. Yep. Anybody that had
Starting point is 00:13:04 one. Me. You complete a long rest as normal. The ship is currently... Three. I'm numero uno. I'm done. I'm clear. Perfect. Oh, we hoity-toity people
Starting point is 00:13:21 who have really good endurance. To be honest, Quill would have been as bad as Nova if you hadn't given them that potion. I think... Yeah, that's true. Yeah. I'll sacrifice you. Perfect.
Starting point is 00:13:36 Okay. So, yeah. So, you guys wake up. This ship is currently just over ocean. It's over open ocean at the moment as it is making its way in the vague direction of the sea between Gisela and Voxar.
Starting point is 00:13:49 The sea of broken swords, I believe it's called. Sea of broken swords. We've all got messenger rings on, haven't we? Lucius, did you take yours back? I took mine back, I'm pretty sure.
Starting point is 00:14:07 Sea of broken spears is the name of the sea between Popsar and Gisela Okay, in which case, I guess when everyone is up, I will messenger ring and say basically, recant the dream if I have a crystal clear imagination of it
Starting point is 00:14:23 then I'll retell it as best I can. In which case, I will say, we need a meeting urgently. I say we will meet at Captain's Quarters, straight away. Yes. Greylano? Doc?
Starting point is 00:14:42 Yes? Am I allowed to go to a captain's meeting yet she like looks at you sternly like hmm she kind of like takes your temperature and like you know measures like your pulse and things like that just generally looks over you as a doctor um she's like well yes you can go to the captain's quarters but this you're allowed out for brief periods of exercise, but nothing extraneous. You still need to keep resting as much as possible. Okay, Mom.
Starting point is 00:15:11 I mean, Doc. Don't ever call me that again. That is... She kind of lets out a little shudder. It's like, go on, get out. Okay, bye! Okay. Ugh. Ugh. okay bye okay cool should we all meet up then yes yep alright
Starting point is 00:15:31 let's go to the meeting I immediately grab Quill you saw Valor in a dream tell me everything tell me everything again quickly is she okay is she safe did she have a dagger did she have both of the daggers multiple daggers did she have any dagger? Did she have both of the daggers? Multiple daggers? Did she have any more of them? Was she defending herself?
Starting point is 00:15:48 She did not have any daggers that you saw. No daggers. God damn it. She has said that she is learning more magic by the day. However, at the same time, she is also understanding Kallus more and more. This isn't good.
Starting point is 00:16:03 She's being manipulated. She's being manipulated she's being manipulated either magically or he's just winning her over it makes sense i mean look she needs to be taken out of callous's ship but that means we need to build a teleportation circle. Okay. She told me the code. I know the way. We just need the circle. Oh, she's brilliant. Good job, Valor. She's doing
Starting point is 00:16:35 so well, but she needs to be with us. Okay, how do we do the circle thing? I'm on it. I'm ready. Let's go. Let's get her. Bring her home. I hate to point this out, but this is going to paint a giant target on our backs if we just get her now. Oh, you mean the one that's been there for quite a while already?
Starting point is 00:16:57 It's really, really in there. No offense, Ayla, but Kallus hasn't really been that bothered with us. I think we'd be dead if he was. But if we take his daughter now... That is true. Valor is the one thing that links us very strongly to Starbane. Okay. And Starbane must know that.
Starting point is 00:17:19 I'd hate to think we're walking into a trap, guys. Oh, it could definitely be a trap if it's his big headquarters like who knows what's on that ship targets and people and starbane be damned i want valor now you make a good point i don't know the limits of the spell they're using are they able to manipulate themselves that was vala i saw her she was she was speaking to me just like vala she looked like vala you can you can i'd say tom you can make an arcana check as well or kim if you do does nova know the spell i know the spell okay then yeah then nova knows it yeah um yeah uh i i if i could uh i i actually um
Starting point is 00:18:08 so i had a long think about things after we last talked about um you know carolus visiting me in my dreams and um i think i've learned the spell i i reverse engineered it and i think i've taught it to myself um so so you can get valor now go get Bella no I can talk to her in in dream in a dream I can I can cast a spell that no I have to be asleep to do it I mean yes so you can you can shape what's around you in the dream. So Quill, whatever environment you are in, she can shape that. She can also maybe make it that she's terrifying, monster. She can give you a nightmare.
Starting point is 00:19:01 Can Calus act as Vala? Yes. Yes. Maybe. um but i don't know act as valor yes yes maybe i um i could i could try like if tonight or when we sleep i could maybe cast the spell on one of you and and see if i could appear if i could change myself to look like whoever i want good idea i mean yes it's either way we have a way into his ship i would starbane give us that access he could obviously know when we're coming and just take us out the moment we arrive but i mean i would imagine his teleportation circles are very heavily guarded so yes we could teleport into a room full of guards. But you also said
Starting point is 00:19:47 that he doesn't seem that bothered about us just now. Why would he care right at this moment about us? Because we would have teleported right into a teleportation circle in the middle of his ship? Yes, but I mean why would he yeah, why would he lure us
Starting point is 00:20:04 there now? Why would he bother doing stop, why would he yeah why would he lure us there now why would he bother doing stop why would he bother being vala in quill's dreams to lure us there if he's not bothered about us unless he just got bored and just wanted to kill some people for funsies because you know that seems like the kind of guy he is. As a note, just for Kim, the dream spell, it doesn't have to be you that enters the dream. You can touch a creature and send them into the dream
Starting point is 00:20:34 to deliver a message instead. Yeah, I'm just reading now. I'm looking at the wording of like, the messenger can shape the environment. You can shape the environment. I don't think they can appear as a different creature i think it appears as a creature you can create other images though so surely
Starting point is 00:20:50 i can create an image of it doesn't say creatures for me like the wording the fact that it specifies environment objects landscapes but doesn't say you can appear as another creature to me suggests that you can't so and that's a hard rule i'm making with say you can appear as another creature to me suggests that you can't. And that's a hard rule I'm making.
Starting point is 00:21:08 With Dream, you can't make yourself look like somebody else. You could not have yourself. You could make yourself invisible and then make just a scary environment or monsters or things like that. But I don't think you can use it to make yourself appear as somebody else. Okay.
Starting point is 00:21:25 Well, that's reassuring. There you go. It was valid then. Right. Yeah. The fact that Nova knows the spell, I'm happy to just be like, yeah. Yeah, I'll retcon that. Imagine I just said that so that she wouldn't be able to hide herself.
Starting point is 00:21:39 So retcon that. Imagine I said that. Amazing. Dream. You should dream now. Why? I could I could message her.
Starting point is 00:21:49 You're not sleepy. You can message her. The thing is if she's not if she's not asleep I can't talk to her freely like this.
Starting point is 00:21:57 I can leave her a message for when she's asleep but she needs to sleep. Maybe it's sleepy time in Starbane. She might have a different time zone. We don't know. Are there time zones in space?
Starting point is 00:22:09 Exactly. I... Well, I think I'll focus... It's just terrifying at all times. And when we have previously been there, it has not gone well for us. So... That's coming from a space elf.
Starting point is 00:22:30 Don't even start with that no planet doesn't exist god okay gonzo okay i think you did raise a good point about painting a target on our backs we do have other things that we as much as i do want to see Valor right now, right now, immediately, we have to concern ourselves with the tasks at hand and not jeopardize our mission. However, we go and gather lots of weapons and then go in guns blazing when we've attached about 20 more guns to sentry because that's probably going to happen, let's be honest. attached about 20 more guns to sentry because that's probably going to happen, let's be honest. True. I think it might also be worth continuing our conversation with Vala and maybe strategizing
Starting point is 00:23:12 with her so that the time of teleportation she can do something her end to aid us. We can also do it before we go into the Valley of Storms. If we have the ability to get into the Valley of Storms. If we have the ability to get into the Valley of Storms, does Starbane have that power?
Starting point is 00:23:29 I mean, does this assume Starbane has all the power? Yeah. Johan said that he reported that there were Starbane forces there at the wall, but whether or not they actually got in, who knows? Didn't seem like they had gotten in yet, though.
Starting point is 00:23:44 I think they were there already before it got too bad but either way I mean it's been pretty bad for a while probably we need to we need to get a teleportation circle anyway on that note Quilek Adkalar
Starting point is 00:24:01 as a cleric of the god of magic if you wish to make an arcana check to know the details of how that spell works, I will allow it. Arcana, okay. Sure. Bam. 17. 17.
Starting point is 00:24:16 Yeah, easily enough. Teleportation Circle is a spell. Normally it can be learnt by those of a more scholarly magic nature, such as wizards or bards um or sorcerers so a sorcerer could learn it lucius could in theory learn this spell um it's a fifth it's fifth level um when you cast it you basically have to draw a it takes a minute to cast. You draw the symbols on the ground, and then you and up to... It opens a portal until the end of your next turn. So as many creatures as can go through it in like six seconds, basically,
Starting point is 00:24:55 can travel through it. You can make it permanent if you cast it in the same space every day for a year. And when you do it, you can actually create two of your own circle in it like you can create two of your own locations so you can basically like if say lucius learned the spell he could have like okay i'm gonna set a location which is the deck of the storm chaser and that's going to be a location the other one's going to be my base in gust haven and that's going to be another location and then you can learn more as you go. It does cost 50 GP,
Starting point is 00:25:28 which every time you cast a spell, you have to spend 50 gold. It requires rare chalks and inks infused with precious gems. I think I could learn it as well. It would be 50 times 365. Arcana Domain can also learn it, so Quill will also technically learn it at fifth
Starting point is 00:25:46 level um warlocks may be able to with some of their funky stuff but it's not normally on the spell list yeah yeah so i can learn it as part of book of ancient secrets nice it's not a ritual spell it's not a ritual spell so i don't know if you can oh yeah magic ritual sorry yeah yeah it's not a ritual it just just costs, it takes a minute. But both Lucius and Quill can eventually learn it when they can. Yeah, I do have fifth level spells, but I guess it's... Don't forget you've got the multi-class, so maybe you haven't actually learned it yet.
Starting point is 00:26:17 Right, okay. You might have fifth level slots, but you don't have fifth level spells. Oh, yeah. Or do you? I don't know. No, I don't. I've got fourth. There you go. So not yet. Or we could get a scroll.
Starting point is 00:26:32 Someone can make a scroll for us, right? Absolutely. You could definitely go and find somebody to make you a scroll of this. Anybody who can cast the spell could create a scroll of it. 100%. So we could try and find out in the next port. We're going to... Imixan.
Starting point is 00:26:47 Imixan, right? Did you want to go to Imixan? Because there was a conversation about going to the Hawkstone Archipelago as well. Because Oriah knows Hawkstone. I think we're going to Hawkstone because they had a port there so that they can refuel and everything
Starting point is 00:27:03 while we go and do Tiangong stuff. And they were going to give the crew a day off in the port. Well, you'll need the airship and the crew to go find the Tiangong Shard. Because the Tiangong Shard, as far as you know, is in the middle of the ocean. It's kind of like a stopgap. We can at least...
Starting point is 00:27:20 Yeah. But the other one is, Hawkstone will be closer than Imixan. Imixan is... It's like an en route. Yeah. Yeah, sorry one is Hawkstorm will be closer than Imixan. Imixan is like an en route. Yeah. Yeah, sorry, I got mixed up. I think that was priority place anyway. So, yeah, we'll do that.
Starting point is 00:27:31 That sounds good. Okay. How far away are we from that again? Any thoughts? You all good? I'm good, yeah. All good. Okay.
Starting point is 00:27:39 Hawkstorm sounds good. How far away is Hawkstorm in days? From your current location, maybe like three or four days. If you want to continue pursuing the Tiangong Shard, because you don't know exactly where that is,
Starting point is 00:27:56 it's going to require a couple of days of flying around and trying to locate it as best you can. You could speed that up by using the eye. If you've got spells like locate object, that might help. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. If we go to Hoxton, you can use the eye while we're there. I could use the eye now, and then in three to four days,
Starting point is 00:28:19 that's when I'll get a recharge. So I may as well use it now. So I guess while we're in this meeting, is there anything we need to know? Because I can find out. Now's the time to use the eye. How many wires has she got? Ayla, do you want to find out about your
Starting point is 00:28:40 elves? Nova, do you want to find out about the shard? Lucius, if we could look for uh for for valor again we've all got questions i guess yeah i have well two um one would be the exact location of the nearest shard and the other one is where is the world engine oh that be good but that's what Starbane's going for right true
Starting point is 00:29:10 would us knowing jeopardize us though would he come for us for that information he doesn't know about the eye he doesn't know but if we make it clear we're heading to somewhere if we change it clear we're heading to somewhere... He's tricksy. If we change our course, for example,
Starting point is 00:29:31 or he knows through our conversations or some sort of infiltrator that we're planning this sort of thing, like a pseudo-dragon or something... Where is he? I forgot about him. Yeah. What's he up to? Like, I know you guys, considering how distrustworthy of him you are, Where is he? I forgot about him. What's he up to?
Starting point is 00:29:48 You guys, considering how distrustworthy of him you are, Viz isn't in the room. You've probably got him locked in a store cupboard somewhere. He can't get in. Speaking of which, we should make sure that
Starting point is 00:30:03 our Dragonborn Friends Council are up to date on our discoveries. I think that would be beneficial for our relations to them and to build this trust and maybe a counter measure to Starbane's forces. Okay, but if we've locked the little shit in a cupboard, I don't think they're going to take too kindly to us in our updates. He's got a cushion. Have we put a cushion in there? Nova, just speak him. Otherwise they're going to keep talking about you. No, I like to think that while this is going on,
Starting point is 00:30:35 Nova is just quietly in the background. You want to go back to the dragonborn? The dragonborn who... Or we could message them. Just message them. Send them a message. Okay. I can do that.
Starting point is 00:30:52 Nova, what are you thinking? I can see the cogs turning in your little brain. You know, all the current events that happened. I kind of feel like the little dragon has probably sussed a few things out. I don't feel very happy going anywhere near
Starting point is 00:31:18 Dragonbornsville. Because I think they might kill me. You? I because I think they might kill me. You? I, I, I, I, because I talked to the ILS and Starbane! Right, but... You know, the big thing they hate. But, all things considered, hopefully the pseudo-dragon understands what you've done.
Starting point is 00:31:40 Yeah, but we destroyed it. It's fine. The pseudo-dragon is a spy. I doubt that that thing has the depth of emotion and complexity to understand that I am not an agent of Starbane. I was trying to get Starbane to help the world and join us. All he's
Starting point is 00:31:57 going to be like is like, hey, that blue thing's talking to Starbane. Oh, she's going to do Starbane. And she'll make the ship blow up. Starbane. Oh, she's gonna do the Starbane. And she made the ship blow up. The pseudodragons don't know our purpose. They're our allies. The pseudodragon is a tool for them
Starting point is 00:32:13 to trust us. If we show behind its back and throw it off the ship. You mean the tiny thing that we put in a cupboard? That's reporting back to all of them. Top notch. It could well be. I'm sure if they had a problem
Starting point is 00:32:27 it would have been spoken. Yes. I think ultimately I'm so dead. us hiding the pseudodragon from the dragonborn is also a dangerous thing to do and may make us look far more...
Starting point is 00:32:39 What if we just killed the thing and told them it died in a horrible, horrible unalleged accident? No, no. What? That's a solution, right? No, because if we
Starting point is 00:32:51 kill it, they will not trust us ever again. No, we won't say that we killed it. We'll just say that Starbean killed it. While you are having this conversation, everyone, Lucius, you hear a voice in your everyone, Lucius, you hear a voice in your head. Oh, here we go.
Starting point is 00:33:08 Lucius, you hear a softly spoken female elven voice. Master Elinasto, Sky Prince Aradan will attend a meeting of leaders in five weeks in Horizon. He requests you join him. Regards, Magister Luminara. It is the sending spell. You may reply with 25 words or less. Lucius, why did you just glaze over like that? We're not talking in the thing right now.
Starting point is 00:33:36 It's not what's happening. Prince Aradan, we will do our very best to attend this crucial meeting in five weeks hope all is well
Starting point is 00:33:54 love Lucy's Lucy's 22 22 there was three left but you don't have to finish it fantastic kiss kiss kiss you can kiss kiss kiss 22 22 there was 3 left but you don't have to finish it fantastic kiss kiss kiss kiss hug kiss I just had a message from Gustaven
Starting point is 00:34:14 that Prince Aradan will be holding an important meeting attending a meeting well that's where the Dragonborn are going to be so perfect in 5 weeks Attending a meeting. Well, that's where the dragonborn are going to be. So perfect. Oh, perfect. That's where a lot of people are going to be.
Starting point is 00:34:29 Five weeks? That's plenty of time to kill the dragon and pretend it was an accident. No, who contacted you? No, not killing the dragon. There's some... It's a beautiful voice. It's lovely. Right, okay.
Starting point is 00:34:44 Can I just say I'm holding it now? That meeting's getting attacked.. It's lovely. Right, okay. Okay. Can I just say I'm holding it now? That meeting's getting attacked. That meeting's getting attacked. It's not my fault. I'm not saying, I'm not reporting anything. I'm not telling anyone nothing. Don't tell me anything about it. Put all the leaders in one place. Stop that information out of my brain hole.
Starting point is 00:34:57 But that meeting's absolutely getting attacked. All those leaders are dying. Yeah, pretty much. Call it now. Then at least we'll have a head start right it couldn't possibly the forces are on the way already forces are on the way already i i live in a place that is on a main road with lots of ambulances. Sorry. No, it's good for the team. I'm sure if all of the most prestigious leaders are attending a single meeting, it will have the best defences known to a rowist.
Starting point is 00:35:36 Mm-hmm. I'm sorry, we just came out of a simulation where we saw the attack on Solven from a big spaceship coming from space. What defences does a rowist have that from a big spaceship coming from space. What defenses does a rowers have that stops a big spaceship coming from space and just going The cradle.
Starting point is 00:35:51 The cradle stops that happening. And what was Starbane doing? Laughing gleefully. What did he specifically ask Nova to help him do? Bring down the cradle. When are you going to get to that, Nova?
Starting point is 00:36:06 Get on that. Starbane's waiting for us. Hurry up. I just got to talk to the dragon about that. Let me just talk to the dragon about that first. You know, hey, dragon. I'm dead. We're all dead.
Starting point is 00:36:20 Dead, dead. Everyone's dead. So, to recap. Go to port Get everyone happy Find a Tiangong Shard Valley of Storms Save Nova
Starting point is 00:36:30 Attend this meeting Don't die Kill the dragon Save Valor Not kill the Save Valor Okay Okay
Starting point is 00:36:38 I appreciate who Saved the world And now what about the eye I've got two questions I can ask back to the topic at hand okay Quill if no one else wants to
Starting point is 00:36:53 use the eye for any reason I suggest looking at the events Nova gave two two things Nova gave two questions I think I'm going to need a bit of time to process the whole
Starting point is 00:37:03 planet thing and I feel like Nova's probably got I think I'm going to need a bit of time to process the whole planet thing. And I feel like Nova's probably got more pressing questions than any of us. But Lucius, anything to add? One more to add, and you can make an executive decision, Quill. Or everybody, as a democracy. I'm not a strict captain. Anyway, show the meeting. I'm not a strict captain. Anyway,
Starting point is 00:37:27 show the meeting. See the meeting itself. Ooh. Will the meeting in five weeks get attacked by Starbane from the sky because he's brought down the cradle, man? Nova, I think you might need to go back to the medical bay. You're stressing yourself out, and I think you need to recover, okay?
Starting point is 00:37:47 Just deep breaths. You're all stressing me out by not taking me seriously. We're taking you very seriously, but us, our elevated emotions, will not help our executive decisions. I don't trust anyone. I don't particularly want to see the dragons again. They've got a very big dragon. They do, but they're also our strongest allies so far.
Starting point is 00:38:11 True. That is also true. What have they done to help us? Yeah, I was going to say that. They've lost their airspace without killing us. They also fought Starbane for like 100 years before you were born, while Sentry was still alive. I might have been alive,
Starting point is 00:38:28 we don't know. It's true. Yeah, that's true. You might have been. We know nothing! So Quill, two charges. What do you want to do? Okay, world engine, find the shard. However, I do know locate object,
Starting point is 00:38:44 so I don't think we need to use the eye for that uh i think yeah because i it might work i could use my special tiang bing uh tiang bane oh no that's what i didn't mean to happen he's infiltrating he's coming starving on the brain star brain ayla Ayla I will always save the card for you if you need it if you want to find out about anything just please let me know Sentry
Starting point is 00:39:12 I appreciate that okay Sentry my brain do you want to know anything about the prime about being the prime I'm still trying to digest it all myself. So when I'm ready, I'll let you know.
Starting point is 00:39:31 Okay. Where is the World Engine located? Okay, just going for it, eh? Oh, okay. Crap. Big plays. Okay. If I ask quickly, he can't
Starting point is 00:39:50 think fast enough. Mark Humes, here's the thing, here's the thing, Tom. I reserve the right to say, like, that's a great question, Tom. I will answer it next week. Okay, okay. But I can answer this one. I'm just thinking of the exact details because you only
Starting point is 00:40:05 get to see a brief glimpse and i guess this would be more close to the scrying spell than looking at the past or the future because you're asking where is it currently where is the world engine located is what you asked so it's actually the more present uh version of using the eye. So, I'm just going to quickly have a look at the scrying spell. Yeah, the real world engine was the friends we made along the way. Do we need to put our hands together and go Go planet!
Starting point is 00:40:35 No, this is a particularly unique version of scrying, because scrying normally only affects a creature, but you can do it on a thing as well, because of the eye, the way that the eye works. Okay. So. It does say a creature for scrying. but you can do it on a thing as well because of the way that the eye works. Okay, so... It does say a creature for scrying. Yes, it does.
Starting point is 00:40:52 That's why I'm saying this is kind of a special version of scrying. This isn't just... If you were doing this on a creature, let's say if you wanted to say how is Valor or what is Maximilian up to, we would use the rules for the scrying spell because you're asking about a place or an object in the current timeline, then it's just an alternative version of it.
Starting point is 00:41:11 So we see Quill's eye, your vision clouds Quill, as it has done many times now, and you see a flash of lightning, and then your vision begins to accelerate very quickly from the airship and you see it pass down and down across the ocean
Starting point is 00:41:34 and at high speeds you accelerate at a rapid pace. You're not quite sure where you are. You pass through the maelstrom which is caused by Italicus' spear when he sundered the Eros, the continent. you pass through these howling winds and swirling waters and you come to a series of islands um not in the middle of the maelstrom far beyond a place that you know would be the starfall archipelago and one of the islands there there is a grand temple um an ancient temple from long ago from
Starting point is 00:42:09 when arois was first populated by the gods and the prime races constructed there to honor the gods themselves and this temple isn't just made of stone but it is made of pure light. It is resplendent and radiant. And as you enter into its halls, it seems to stretch on forever in multiple directions. You see rooms upon rooms upon rooms, this infinite halls and corridors. And then suddenly your vision turns and you see in a central chamber, there is a beam of light that seems to extend from basically what appears to be, I guess, like a stone sarcophagus.
Starting point is 00:42:53 And this beam of light goes up into the cradle and it seems to tether the cradle to Erois. But your vision goes down beyond past the sarcophagus, through the earth itself, deep down through layers of magma and earth and stone until it reaches the very core of the planet where you can see that built around is a metal sphere as large as perhaps, you know, the greatest city that you can dream of. This huge metallic sphere full of arcane symbols and glyphs and energies. And it beats like a heart. Or like an engine. It kind of rotates and turns and beats. And it is what is giving Erois life itself. And then the vision
Starting point is 00:43:40 sucks back and you are back in the present. And my head explodes. Quill's head explodes. Nice. Quill is dead. Rip. He's not dead. It's in the center of
Starting point is 00:43:55 Erois, the world engine. I saw it. I saw the halls of infinite resplendence too. I think I saw Siaska. I saw Siaska's sarc's sarcophagus i think it was tethering the the cradle in the starfall archipelago that's our first place to go if we're looking for looking for the world engine i think okay never say that again out loud i won't. Sorry, I have to get it out of my head. I have to get it out of my head.
Starting point is 00:44:28 He was just so excited. He was so excited. Okay. The visions vanish quickly in my mind, and by that I mean my memory is awful. But we know more than Starbane does. We're one ahead. And this is the most important piece of information we have
Starting point is 00:44:47 and we must hold it as precious as we hold Valor okay but I think Starbane does know because when I spoke to the ILS I asked the ILS how would you destroy the cradle and it said about
Starting point is 00:45:02 destroying the hall of infinite Resplendence. I told you this, Quill. So if there's a way to the core from there... It's through the halls. It's through there. I said to you, Quill, to warn Hesper... But it doesn't mean the cradle is the strongest in that area. It must be.
Starting point is 00:45:22 If that's the tethering point, then the cradle has to be the strongest there. I'm trying desperately as Kim the player to remember if Tom spoke of a vision he had from Hesper. Tom, did you
Starting point is 00:45:40 tell people of the vision you had from Hesper? Because I don't want to metagame this, where he saw a quarrel between all the gods in the Hall of Resplendence. Yeah, I'm sure I did. I did, yeah. I think I also warned Hesper of Italicus. Okay.
Starting point is 00:45:56 Yeah, you did. Remember that? Yeah. Because if the gods are going to fight amongst themselves and possibly destroy themselves, then what's leaving the Hall of Resplendence guarded from Starbane? Good question. But yeah, I think we all know exactly as much as each other, I think, at this point. But yeah, I did warn Hesper about Italicus as well.
Starting point is 00:46:23 I don't think we should operate under the illusion that that place is safe and that Starbane doesn't know its importance or that it's key to doing what he wants to do, which is probably bring down the cradle and take the world engine and, I don't know, fly it into Hedar or something. But we can't devalue the importance of that knowledge. We know where it is now. We know where the halls are. I'm just saying we can't be naive enough to think that we have one up on starbane
Starting point is 00:46:49 we're on a level playing field maybe we're catching up behind yeah but we're catching up eventually we're catching up i like that attitude yeah that's good. I think our morale is as important as knowing the fact that we feel we can do something we have to hold strong to, even if it's futile.
Starting point is 00:47:18 What else have we got? I'm bleeding out of just one ear, so I have room for another question. What's inside the world engine? Maybe, I don't know. I mean, obviously, there's Lucius's question of what's going to happen at the meeting. Is Starbane going to attack? But also, I mean, my question would be, why is the world engine crucial to destroying Hadar?
Starting point is 00:47:43 That's the thing I can't figure out, is this engine, this relic that's created life, that's created a whole planet, what is it about that that Starbane believes is going to destroy Hadar? Is he going to harness the power? Is he going to fly a rover into Hadar? Does life destroy Hadar? Does life kill what cannot live?
Starting point is 00:48:07 How can you kill that which does not live? Hadar might be the polar opposite of what the world engine is. The world engine is life. It's the world. It creates worlds. Hadar
Starting point is 00:48:22 swallows them. What if Starbane is working with Hadar and wants to feed Hadar the world engine well there's also that possibility as well then the world engine is a very big snack great big snack
Starting point is 00:48:39 I mean you've got the question Quill anyone else I mean yeah I suppose I did want to I mean, you've got the question, Quill. Anyone else? I mean, yeah, I suppose. I did want to ask about Hadar. Ask about Hadar? What did you want to ask? I wanted to ask Harold about Hadar because she has that direct link to Hadar, right?
Starting point is 00:48:59 Do I want to save a question for her? Will that kill me? That'll kill me, wouldn't it? That would legit kill me. I would die. Crystal skull! I reveal nothing. Ask your question or
Starting point is 00:49:11 do something else. Anyone else? While I've got the charge. I think you don't need more questions. Just throw it at me. Yeah. You've got a bunch of questions. It's just what you want to do, bud. I've forgotten all the questions what were the questions like oh my god so it's either what's going to happen at the meeting in five
Starting point is 00:49:32 weeks or i'll do that one what is about well hang on let the others like explain what the other options are yeah i think it was down to the two because if we're going to use locate item and other boogie woogie foul as to find Tiangong, then it's between what's going to happen at this meeting at five weeks or what is it about the World Engine that will destroy
Starting point is 00:49:52 Hidalgo? Calus wants, yeah. What does Calus want with the World Engine? Yeah, what does Calus plan to do with the World Engine? I'll do... Oh, God. Alright. What does Calistar Bane want to do with the world engine?
Starting point is 00:50:09 Boom. Question asked. You watch Quill, your vision clouds another flash of thunder. Oh god, okay. And you feel your sight traveling back through the ages.
Starting point is 00:50:27 It travels deep into the past, away from Erois as your vision pans out to just a speck of light as you travel through the universe. And you come. And you come. Your vision clears in a... On the bridge of a Valkyrian Empire starship. It is empty, save for two figures. One is Calus, looking ageless as he has when you've met him before in black powered armor with a long sword shaped very much like tiangong but now fully like almost complete um various shards it is in a complete state but silent next to him no he doesn't know he doesn't have tiangong that's a correction he has he has a
Starting point is 00:51:26 weapon he has like a long black sword with a kind of like red energy around the sides but it's not tiangong i've got to get my timeline straight next to him you see the most incredible figure figure being you have ever seen her skin is like the night sky completely covered in stars and nebulas her hair ignores gravity and just floats around her kind of spilling out and is the color of the cradle itself and she wears a white robe and hovers slightly off the ground. They are staring out of this huge kind of viewscreen window from the ship onto a planet. A beautiful green planet with blue oceans that seems, for the most part, exactly like Erois. And they are conversing. And they are arguing. Siaska turns to him and says,
Starting point is 00:52:28 You cannot do this, Kallus. You cannot do this. I understand that we have to fight Hadar, but this is a step I cannot follow you in. Kallus looks at her pleadingly, and you can see that there is sorrow and anguish in his voice. It's like, please, Siaska, you must understand, this is it. This is how we defeat Hadar once and for all. We take that device and we... He cannot consume that much energy. It will destroy him. It is a planet of people, of living beings, Kallus. Will you just destroy it?
Starting point is 00:53:07 What will happen to them? I can take them to their new home. We can give them place within the empire. You would kill millions of them. You would destroy their home for a chance. You don't even know if it will work, Kallus. It will work. It has to work. You know the other option, Calus. We know the way that we can fight him. Why will you not let me go? No, I will not let you. You will not make that sacrifice. We have a weapon here, in that planet, now.
Starting point is 00:53:36 We take it, we weaponize it, and we send it into the Far Realm, and we destroy Hadar once and for all. I will not speak of this again. And the vision fades. Messenger ring. Messenger ring. Starbomb
Starting point is 00:53:52 spurring it out to everyone. I saw Siaska and Starbane talking. He wants to weaponize the world engine to use against Hadar. It's too much energy for him to consume. It will destroy him, but we know that we remove a world engine from use against Hadar. It's too much energy for him to consume. It will destroy him, but we know that we remove a world engine from the planet
Starting point is 00:54:08 and the planet dies. That's why he wants a Rois. Will it destroy Hadar, though? Or is that just what Starbane believes? Siaska wasn't sure. She thought it might, but she had an idea, an
Starting point is 00:54:23 alternative way to fight him. But, I never got to hear it. Sounds like we've got another question now. For those new charges. Would we get an answer, though? He can see the past. I could ask about Siaska's plan
Starting point is 00:54:41 to fight Hadar, rather than Starbane's. Why don't we ask Siaska's plan to fight Hadar rather than Starbane's why don't we ask Siaska how we know where the world engine is we know where the cradle thread leads if we can find a way to the halls of resplendence
Starting point is 00:55:00 maybe that's an option but there is there has to be an alternative otherwise the only way to stop Hadar is by killing Aroas and we can't have that
Starting point is 00:55:14 and it's not a certainty it's not a certainty it's not exactly so we have to find out this other way. Indeed. And maybe we... Maybe we could convince Starbane.
Starting point is 00:55:36 I feel like if even Siaska couldn't convince him, we're not going to get much of a... We're not going to get there. It's either that or face his forces. Did Siaska look like Valor? Or Valor look like Siaska? Siaska would look like a goddess,
Starting point is 00:55:53 Quill. I mean, it's hard, like, you've seen Hesper in your visions, and Hesper still looks like a mortal person, albeit, like, an angelic one. Siaska looked like... I mean, she was made of galaxies and stars it wasn't just that she had like dark skin
Starting point is 00:56:09 that was like you know that was painted it she was made of the universe itself it was like looking at a completely alien being um yeah it was for the first time in that vision you saw what a true divinity was.
Starting point is 00:56:26 There were definitely elements there that reminded you of Valor, but it was more in just, like, the shape of her body and her face, the way that she spoke, the way that she kind of looked at, like, it was more like a personal thing rather than her physical appearance. Looking at the two of them side by side and seeing the way that like there was a look of genuine love and care and when he even when he was angry it came from a defensive place you could see that callus and siasca to debt together you can see how valor would be there you know from there yeah okay okay cool um well anyway that's that's that's
Starting point is 00:57:09 that's that's my charge is gone but soon they will regain and again i'm always of use to you if you need it if you need an answer answer. Ava. What did that planet do? There is a realization, Quill, that you know that that vision was thousands of years in the past. The planet that they were looking at, if it had the world engine in it, must have been
Starting point is 00:57:37 Alfheim. You've seen it. Oh, shit! With your intelligence and the way that thingy works, it has to be it was alfheim before that was a planet that was destroyed i see so before so okay here's a timeline so that was them looking at alfheim under my desk for a while. Kallus took the world engine from Alfheim, destroying it. No, but then Siaska took it, went to Erois,
Starting point is 00:58:10 planted it there, hit it deep from Kallus, made the cradle to stop him from getting to it. Okay. Oh! Quill, this raises a question. Oh my god, rain moment! This raises a question I'm not sure is too sensitive for Ayla right now, but... I'm tough, it's fine.
Starting point is 00:58:28 Ayla's not thousands of years old. As far as Ayla knows... I mean, he spoke of rehoming citizens from the planet, so maybe he rehomed the elves. Or, well, when I spoke to the ILS, the ILS spoke of cloning.
Starting point is 00:58:52 You know, Starbane uses cloning technology. I would guess that's kind of what we saw a bit of on Aegis V. Maybe there's more out there. Yeah, I definitely... I mean, if you talk to when we talk to Maximilian the things that Starbane has shown me that the ILS has talked about
Starting point is 00:59:11 he talked about rehoming entire civilizations I don't yes Alfheim might be gone but I definitely think there's more of you and I gesture towards Ayla out there there must be yeah There's more of you, and I gesture towards Ayla, out there. There must be.
Starting point is 00:59:27 Yeah. I mean, why are you here, Ayla? That's a very good question. I have no clue. But that's what I'm saying. You're right. You're dead. You are here.
Starting point is 00:59:43 Yeah, but the wild elves that I grew up around weren't like me. Why am I the only one there? And that's something we have to figure out. But I don't think that just because the planet's gone, I don't think your race is gone. Just makes me super special and delightful, right? If I'm the only one. Exactly.
Starting point is 01:00:06 Positive spins on planet death. There is a knock. There is a knock at the captain's quarter slash meeting room. Yes? It's Oriya, Captain. Just wanted to see
Starting point is 01:00:21 if they had an update on our destination. I still have us just heading out to the Sea of Broken Spears, if we still intend to search for Nova's missing piece of her sword. Come in, Uriah. Don't speak through the door. You're more than welcome. She comes in. Yes, we're still heading for Hawke's Dawn Archipelago. Well, we are now at the situation, Captain, where if we wish to go to the major port city in the Hawks Dawn,
Starting point is 01:00:51 we will need to divert off. Otherwise, we head towards the Sea of Broken Spears. We are now at the point where if we want to go searching for the Tiangong piece, we must decide that. Or if you wish to go to port, we must decide that. Right. Let's go to port, we must decide that. Right. Let's go to port. Nova's still a bit tired. We have
Starting point is 01:01:12 supplies, but the sooner we can dock, the better. Then we shall head to the port. Okay. I believe it is called Porta Sovrano in the Hawkstone Archipelago. It's the only place with an airship dock.
Starting point is 01:01:28 There are some other settlements, but they are not really accessible easily for an airship. Right. And what are their laws and regulations for airship flying into their territory? Well, they're not the Dragonborn. They don't really have anything there. It's been some time since i've been back to uh these kinds of places as you know i didn't have a ship for a long time um but the last time i was there uh porter sovrano is ruled it's it's an independent city it doesn't the hawkstone archipelago doesn't have a central government. It doesn't have a ruler. It doesn't have a government or an army.
Starting point is 01:02:07 It's a collection of independent settlements. The port is run by an individual called Duke Leon, a human man. I've never met him, but I believe that he has a chance for wine and sword fighting and making lots of money, which is what the Hawkstone Archipelago is quite good at. Right. Can you do me a favor? Can you do me a favor, Araya?
Starting point is 01:02:38 Yes. Obviously set sail for Hawkstone port, but also inform the crew that we shall be arriving shortly and that they have free reign of the town so long as they return
Starting point is 01:02:53 sober and ready to get back on the airship and attain our goals a few days after. Of course, how long do you wish, do you want any of the crew to remain to guard the ship, or are we just letting them all out?
Starting point is 01:03:10 A rotation, so we have some people. Yes, of course. Kamara will be able to draft that, so. Great. In which case, yes, let them have at it, but you know, knowing that they're going back to work. Well, we'll have them on a daily rotation, so we'll have some folks on going back to work well we'll have them on a daily rotation so
Starting point is 01:03:25 we'll have some folks on the ship um and then we'll rotate them out um also as a reminder if you did want to hire any more crew these kinds of places are good places to keep an eye out for individuals that you may wish to bring on board right uh we'll keep an eye out for sure how's our capacity and we've still got some spare rooms, and obviously we did sadly lose a member of the Wolfpack, so there is some room. I don't want to tread on any dangerous territory. I've spoken with Kamara, but the fact is that we're a hand down.
Starting point is 01:04:01 People may have to do extra work. We will need to find at least one other person. Right. Then we'll do so with the utmost respect. Thank you. Yes. All right. I'm good to it. And she makes her way out. And you can hear her calling out orders and things like that.
Starting point is 01:04:18 Great. As long as the crew are sworn to secrecy, I think you made them very aware of that in the last speech you gave. We can't have them spreading out information across this town. Kamara runs a tight ship with her crew and I trust her and I trust Howard and I trust the rest of them.
Starting point is 01:04:39 So they should be good. As long as there's no gambling debts at the end of this short stay we should be okay should be okay in which case this is also a good time for all of us don't forget we've been through a lot ourselves maybe it's time for us to
Starting point is 01:04:54 unwind I agree how does one do that yeah you punch things I assume but in a legal and safe manner that doesn't rustle the town How does one do that? Yeah. You punch things, I assume. I do. But in a legal and safe manner that doesn't rustle the town. Okay?
Starting point is 01:05:10 Boring. There's probably a fight pit somewhere. Maybe. Who knows? It's a town of prosperity by the sounds of it. There's probably money to be made on fights. Maybe. Yeah. Who made on fights. Maybe. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:05:27 Who knows? Maybe there's spell clash. Who knows? I want some tokens. Oh. Oh. They've definitely expired. Oh, Kelly's dressed. It's just such a long time ago.
Starting point is 01:05:44 Well, the ship begins making its way You have three days What goes down? You tell me Can I Can I find a blacksmith? Well you're not there yet
Starting point is 01:05:57 You've got three days You've got three days before you arrive So what are you doing for three days? You're just literally everyday resting. I've still got three levels of exhaustion. Is it worth us trying to contact Valor some more?
Starting point is 01:06:13 Yeah. Do you want to cast sending spells or dream? I can't cast dream but I can do sending. Do what you want. So yeah, we could. I'm looking forward to what you know. Actually, no, that's too close. It's too close to Cass.
Starting point is 01:06:33 Hey, I can talk to Starbane. Does anyone want me to talk to Starbane? I'll talk to Starbane. Not really. I feel like I don't really care how he's doing right now. I don't really want to know how his day is. You know what? He has to use a machine to cast Dream.
Starting point is 01:06:51 I don't. I just want to point that out. See? I'm just better than Starbane. Exactly. Go Nova. We could look for someone who could either cast Teleportation Circle for us or some means to learn to cast it or even just scroll.
Starting point is 01:07:07 That's true. But we're on a ship. You can also look for more crew. This is when you get there. You have three days before then. Yeah, we're on the ship. Is anybody thinking three days? I think Aayla will probably just after the
Starting point is 01:07:23 horrible dream-like sequence where our fears came true she'd probably spend some more time working out than usual like some more time trying to keep herself keep herself strong and ready um and just check in on nova every now and then and maybe occasionally like go into nova's little library because she's not there right now and try and pick up a few books and see if she can learn anything about space elves and
Starting point is 01:07:52 stuff. But like, when no one else is around. Yeah, sure. Why don't you make a just make a history check for me. Just to represent your absent research. That's so sweet.
Starting point is 01:08:12 Ooh. So what was that? I'll take the first one. What's the role? It's doing two roles, yeah. It's just doing two roles. I'll take the first one. Sadly, you spend some time
Starting point is 01:08:23 at Nova's small collection of books that she's accumulated on the ship most of them aren't going to really cover enough information to like really provide you with any benefits um yeah just not enough to give you anything i mean there's there's i mean the i think that what's more likely with ayla is there are tons of things that could have been interesting but they're not related to the things that you care about, so you don't bother learning them. You don't see really any references. I like the fact that she learned a bigger word
Starting point is 01:08:51 than she would usually use. Sure, you can decide that though. Drop into conversation at some point. What word did you learn? That's up to Katie. Can you read out the rolls for podcast listeners it was a 7 so yeah
Starting point is 01:09:09 it messed it up it rolled it twice but also with advantage no it's because you told us to roll on you told us to set that up it's fine you rolled bad that's the fact of the matter I rolled bad is the fact
Starting point is 01:09:24 cool anything else You rolled bad. That's the fact of the matter. I rolled bad is the fact. Yeah. Cool. Anything else? Anyone else? Sentry? Sentry, you'll probably check him with Herald. Herald is in a very bad way. Herald is in a very bad way.
Starting point is 01:09:40 When you go down to find her... Look her over. She is technically in the medbay, but there's not really anything Grey Lano can do, so she's basically just kind of sat in a chair. One arm has been melted beyond the elbow, so it's kind of melted at the bicep. The other and her leg has been melted up to the knee. The lava just completely demolished the limbs um and then she
Starting point is 01:10:06 still has her broken melted wings as well from when you fought her the first time so she can't move about on her own she can use a crutch to kind of vaguely get about but being a garden she doesn't guardian she doesn't really need to move around that much anyway um she doesn't need like food and drink so she doesn't bother getting up to like go to the mess she doesn't need to use the bathrooms or the privy or anything like that so she's mainly just been sat there in very quietly um and it's only been like a day anyway since you guys got back um but when you come in there she kind of like looks up and kind of registers a moment and she tries to stand up but obviously can't. Forgive me, Prime.
Starting point is 01:10:46 I'm not really able to get up. No need to get up, Harold. You stay sitting down, it's okay. I just came to see how you were getting on. We're making way for port soon, so I was going to see if maybe we can try and get you fixed up somewhere. Try and get you ready to go.
Starting point is 01:11:01 That is far kinder than I deserve, Prime. I would like at least to be able to walk. There is something I want to do once I can walk again. I feel that I must complete the task of which I was originally assigned. But also, you are now the Prime.
Starting point is 01:11:23 You have a future for our race. but so many will not know what you can accomplish there are so many guardians and i know this because i led them to me in my darker moments there are guardians out there who are fading who need hope to need need to know that there is a chance for survival you have such a great task i know that you have a mission beyond just the prime matrix that you and your companions are fighting against a force that very few will be able to stand against you cannot afford the time to go and visit and gather guardians yourself and that is my purpose i want to go to the cities to the towns to the villages where our people are find them gather them in a place and then contact you to let you know where they are so you can visit them when you have when you when you can so that you can visit them when you can, so that you can take their sentience into the Prime Matrix.
Starting point is 01:12:27 Otherwise, I feel that our race is too spread out, our race is too divided. We need to find those who have not long left and bring them to you, or make them easier for you to find. That should be my purpose. It should be my penance. Harold, that's amazing. That's such a noble thing for you to find. That should be my purpose. It should be my penance. Harold, that's amazing. That's such a noble thing for you to do, and I
Starting point is 01:12:50 agree. That's an amazing thing. We can do so much good with more of us out there in the field looking. That's so helpful. We'll get you fixed up. We'll get you ready to go. I am grateful to you,
Starting point is 01:13:06 Prime. Without you, I would have likely ended my existence alone, with no hope. But now, having seen you take on the mantle of the Prime Matrix, I know that
Starting point is 01:13:21 there are so many of us out there who will fade. But now they have hope. I am just glad that I can be a part of this. I owe so much to you, Harold. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have found the City of Glass, we wouldn't have got to Volcanos. Without you, I would surely have died. We need to help each other, Harold. I believe that you would have found your way to the Prime, no matter what.
Starting point is 01:13:50 No way. Not without you, Herald. I needed you. Well, with that, we must simply disagree. She kind of, like, half smiles. But you can see that, like, the fact that, like, she's still in pain. Like, she's still suffered quite a lot. But, yeah, she kind of smiles softly and just kind of brings a hand up to the chest. I place a hand on her shoulder and just say, thank you, Harold, for everything.
Starting point is 01:14:20 Thank you. You're an amazing companion. And you are my prime and she just passed ahead yeah nice yeah
Starting point is 01:14:32 cool this goddamn music aww I know he's loving it he's loving it um Trotson's in charge of the music
Starting point is 01:14:39 by the way yeah I'm in charge of everything he's in charge of everything yeah um in terms of uh fixing up Herald by the way. Yeah. I'm in charge of everything. He's in charge of everything. In terms of fixing up Herald, by the way, Rhiannon,
Starting point is 01:14:48 fashioning a very basic leg for her wouldn't be too complicated. You just don't really have the supplies on the ship to do it. So, but yeah, finding a blacksmith in the port town or any sort of skilled
Starting point is 01:15:03 artisan, they'll be able to create, like, a basic leg and maybe even, like, a basic arm for her. It's not like creating something like a wing for Quill, which is a very complicated limb with, you know, different parts to it. Yeah, I'm just saying if you were to look at doing it. But the thing with Herald is, like, her arm, you could just replace with, like, a sword. Like, you could literally just give her, like,
Starting point is 01:15:28 a bladed hand, and then give her a leg, and she'd still be able to, like, function and do everything as necessary. Awesome. Yeah. But yeah, you wouldn't be able to give her, like, a fully working appendage, sadly. Yeah. That's cool. Yeah. Cool.
Starting point is 01:15:44 Anything else from anyone else that's about it yeah okay well in that case yeah three days go past the time on the ship is quiet and reserved I think that
Starting point is 01:16:02 the only other thing which I think would probably happen is Century, you're currently bound with Helios, right? I am, yeah. Yeah, so I think he would probably manifest himself, because he has been quiet for some time, but perhaps maybe when you're just on your own, so it's just you in your room quietly,
Starting point is 01:16:21 or when there's a quiet moment. And he would just manifest himself like kind of the golden cape kind of like reforming into the lion, Leonine man as he joins you for a quiet moment and is just like I'm not sure whether to address you still as Sentry or by your new title
Starting point is 01:16:40 Address you by Sentry that's fine, I'm still getting used to the new one You will need to accept people calling you it title. I've addressed you by centuries, that's fine. I'm still getting used to the new one. You will need to accept people calling you it. You have clearly become a symbol amongst your kind. It reminds me of how we saw
Starting point is 01:16:54 Tiangong and Pasadar and the other leaders. You are a symbol, a symbol of hope to them. I guess that yes, that is true. It symbol of hope to them. I guess that, yes, that is true. It's a lot to take in, Helios, I'll admit. It's a lot.
Starting point is 01:17:13 If I, may I offer some advice? Please do. Please do. Embrace it. Do not be so quick to dismiss it. Dismiss their praise or dismiss their reverence for you. Because doing so gives them hope. If I were to meet Tiangong when he is
Starting point is 01:17:32 when they are fully formed I would be respectful and it would give me comfort to do so. Okay. We are beings you and I the guardians in the Eterna. We are different to these other beings.
Starting point is 01:17:52 We are not, we will not technically age. We can be killed only by destruction. We will not fade as time goes by. We place importance in different things. Some is to honor, to duty, to loyalty. To others it is purpose. I am grateful to have spent time, to have seen the sacrifices you and your kind have been willing to make.
Starting point is 01:18:25 The others I still do not fully understand. I think that they are reckless. I think that they are perhaps a little naive. But there is a deep sense of wisdom and a deep sense of understanding with you. I just wish to offer that piece of advice. Thank you. It's really appreciated. You've always been such a guiding light to me, Helios.
Starting point is 01:18:56 I really, really appreciate it. I find myself at a crossroads sometimes. I find myself at a crossroads sometimes I wish to seek my people but now I understand that you and your companions fight for a greater purpose I am still not sure what I should do but for the time being
Starting point is 01:19:18 I will continue to support as long as you're here then I'll always honour your way of life and your meanings to support. As long as you're here, then I'll always honor your way of life and your meanings, your teachings, and your guidance. I always try to fight with honor when you're by my side. I have noticed,
Starting point is 01:19:35 and it is appreciated. You are a true champion. I am proud to work with you. I'm proud to work with you in Eterna. It's a great honor. I am proud to work with you. I'm proud to work with you in Eterna. It's a great honour. I am but a simple soldier. Nah, you're more than that.
Starting point is 01:19:54 Just remember, do not be so quick to dismiss their reverence. And with that, he kind of forms back into the cloak. This very royal mantle. It is this kind of furred into the cloak. This very royal mantle is this kind of third collar and golden cape. It adds a kind of very royal slash iconic element.
Starting point is 01:20:14 Yeah. Apart from that... On my shoulder. Yeah. You can sense the kind of warmth there. He can communicate, but you just get a sense of, yeah, he's pleased um no uh i think everyone else uh nova hi um as you are resting you do get the sense that as the ship is over these ocean open waters and you know that there is another shard of Tiangong close by, there is a sense of eagerness that comes from your current form of Tiangong.
Starting point is 01:20:53 There is a kind of, not quite hope, but a pensiveness, a kind of eager anticipation. a pensiveness, a kind of like eager, um, anticipation, um, wanting a sense of wanting to be complete. Yeah. Complete, um, to be able to communicate more as well. You sense it almost like an element of frustration there. Um, and you know, that somewhere, you know, maybe a day, maybe more, maybe less nearby, there is a shard somewhere um within grasp and there's just this quiet moment where you can sense that coming from the blade as you lay there but with that we try and send comforting thoughts back yeah and you can you have that two-way communication, like it is received and acknowledged, but more in a kind of like, you know, grateful matter rather than sort of like endearment.
Starting point is 01:21:52 But after that, three days, the airship encounters no difficulties as you come into what is, yeah, effectively, yeah, a series of islands. You can see them approaching. Let's see if I can actually add a map here. I can take off the level of exhaustion
Starting point is 01:22:16 then. Yes, you can, yeah. Hooray! Hang on. It's gone. You have three long rests, so basically... No more exhaustion
Starting point is 01:22:29 for anybody. She's back to normal. Woo! Everyone's healthy. Everyone's awake. Ready to go. Ready to go. But this is Hawk's Dawn Archipelago, right?
Starting point is 01:22:46 Yes. Port Soprano. Yeah, and I'm trying to put an image into all 20 at the moment for you guys. While Mark's fiddling with that, I just remembered where I heard Tassadar before. He's one of the Eternal Triumvirate.
Starting point is 01:23:02 He is. He's one of Tiangong's buds. Oh, sweet! It was bothering me for ages. I was like, why do I know that? And I'm like, yeah, I've been flicking through my notebook. He's one of the triumvirate. Oh, cool. There you go.
Starting point is 01:23:18 So, if you flick over to roll 20, you should now see the story of the violence. Oh, wow. Amazing. So, as the ship sails in um in fact actually let's take a break let's take the break there and then when we come back i will describe uh the hawkstone archipelago and your nice we finally arrive in a new new place yeah cool Thank you.

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