High Rollers DnD - Kelscariss, City of Dragons | Altheya: The Dragon Empire #106

Episode Date: June 16, 2026

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ServiceNow's AI specialists get work done from start to finish. Cases get resolved, loops get closed. With ServiceNow, you can do the parts of your job you're best at and delegate the rest. To put AI to work for people, visit servicenow.com. Welcome back to Althea the Dragon Empire. Our heroes returned to Ash and Rest after their fateful encounter with Rexenath, Oregon on the outskirts of the Ash Hills. Once back home, Sister Ophelia Delrosa of the House of Blood of Osseus realizes that time has slipped away from them and an important function is set to take place in the capital city of Kelskaris in just a few days. The party make plans to travel there via juridic magic, courtesy of gruff the following day,

and in the interim, investigate how Rowan's new pet Gibson has been getting on in the tavern, as well as visit Lord Obsidious to inform him of their findings. After briefing the half-red, half-black draconic lord on the battle with Rex and what they learned, he speaks with Xanthius and Ophelia alone, entrusting them with a soul cage that contains the soul, of Nixir missed, a diadem spy who tried to ambush them not long ago. Now my friends is where we are going to pick up. You had returned to the tavern to Tyria's rest to make any last minute sort of plans and theories of what you wanted to do.

And then that is going to be where we take a long rest. And I imagine that following the next day, waiting on a sending stone to arrive by considerate Orgrim. you will then make your way to the capital city of Kalscarus. I should also mention, Riannon is not here. I forgot to mention this intro, but she will be returning. She's just away. I thought she just had invisibility up this whole time.

Yeah, I know, but I forgot to mention that she was. I ate her. I just glossed over. I don't want people thinking. You hate her or you ate her. Two very different things. Consumption. Okay, right, right, right.

Well, you are back in Tyree's Rest. You have returned. Is there anything you would like to do or any conversations you would like to have. Okay, Gruff, what do you need? Or long rest. Do you need me to, you said we were traveling through a tree, right? Oh yes, absolutely.

So do you need me to, like, open the tree? Do you need someone to cut into it, cut it down? I think we have an axe somewhere, somewhere, I think. There's an axe on Groff's back. I think Gruff has an axe. I didn't want to assume that I could use that one. Do you want to use that to cut down a tree? Do we need to cut down a tree?

Well, you've never used the spell, have you, Gruff, so you don't really know. I don't think, I think that's the opposite of what needs to happen. Wait, is this like Daisy's doors? What? I've not seen what? My doors, my... Yeah, when you... like that? Is it gonna be like that?

But with a tree? Possibly. Okay. I don't know. I've never done this before. It's gonna be a new experience for all of us. Okay, is it gonna hurt? I hope it doesn't make me feel sick. File that under I don't know.

I've never done this before. What do you know about this spell? That I've never done it before. Do you need anything for it? No. Do you think people get tree travel sick? Probably, almost certainly. I got giant travel sick.

I'm actually a little worried now. I don't think we should do it. Oh, bloody else. Well, we can't do the road because we'll be so late. I don't want to cut the tree down. We're not cutting the tree down. I need the tree. We simply must get to Kelskaris.

This is Ophelia, by the way. No, we have to get there. Sounds different, but I... Okay, well, sorry. The accent is throwing me. I thought Lucius was in the room. They're basically the same. We see the same.

It was actually a little bit, my young. Oh, daddy. That's exactly. Oh, Ophelia. I'm sorry, that's Aphelia. Grave daddy. Oh, grave daddy. Daddy.

Right, we're not cutting any trees down. I need the tree. Right, okay. Okay, okay. Right, but we also need bricks as well. Yes, where, have you, anyone, has anyone heard from bricks in the last, I don't know? I think, went around.

Mateo will be like, Fricks, the Dynastien. Yes. Yes, they have, they went away. When you guys left for the Ash Hills, okay. They headed out, out into the lands of Caldra. Yes.

We're gone three or four days. I thought they were dead. Oh, they. They came back, okay. Covered in blood. Several knoll heads on their belt. Oh, really? On her belt.

Really, really, yeah. I mean, but then, She said there's more of them out there and went back out again. Oh, so not, when was that? When did... Oh, that was like, probably about four or five days ago. They were gone for about three days

and then they came back and then they've gone back out again. So they might be back. I mean, maybe. If they're following a regular rotation of null killing, yes. It would be that you get paid per head that you bring back. So I think Vricks has probably taken that was the quest. Extremely seriously and is trying to... I think that Vrix is trying to...

Kill every knoll in culture. Yeah, that's Rick's. I don't think that she would know when to stop. No. I don't think stop is it an option? They didn't put a limit on the... They should have. They really should have...

It sounds like a daily and hopefully I'll wait for the Nol's to respawn. Yeah. It's a daily and what's all to be. Maybe we should give Ricks Ilkara Light Songs description. Well, until Ricks has to come against Hogger, the leader of the halls. Oh, yeah. That, you don't want to do that solo.

No. Well, actually, she already was going to go off ski on that one, but I asked her to involve us. Oh, you're right, that's it. Because I want to see justice to La Caritasils Sonsord. Sunsword. Spooned at one. I keep mixing up names.

I am really hoping there wasn't small print on the bottom of that knoll task, because if there was small prints saying with a maximum of this many nulls, then... Yeah, I would look it up, but I think it's in Ophelia. We're really unhappy. Vrix is very persuasive. Um, we're persuasive. Well, I suppose if they did come back,

they'd probably be at the forge, trying to hand in get paid. Well, since we're waiting for Concernard Orgrim to drop off this, uh, sending rock, I'll go pop down to the forge. I'll come with you. I'll just tee-pos in the corner. What's the T-P?

I'll come with you. I think we should just all go, maybe a nice little walk since we'd I don't have to walk to Cullis Starris because we're going through a tree. I'm going to go to the baths, I'm going to go to the Temple of the Rose and get myself all cleaned up. And then we'll go shopping and Kel Scaris. Yes, yes.

Yes. Come along, Percy. Percy and Ophelia go off to the temple, a house of the rose. Does he get polished? Percy, I imagine that they try not to reveal what Percy is wherever possible. Polished wings. Yeah. No, I think that he takes care of that itself.

He waxes himself. Daily. With that, you will make your way... Tom's like, no, come back. Don't know. Don't know. Back out. I want someone to wax my bones. Your bones? When you're dead, we'll make sure that your backbones get waxed.

Backbones? Ooh. It is, you... It's not a long journey. The forge is actually quite close to Torea's rest. The barracks, where the local town guard is... and the small army that the Duke commands as well, it functions out of.

You make your way there, and you don't see any trouble at the gate, but as you step up, you meet one of the same guards that you met before, Gruff, who just looks at you as like, are you here for the big bug woman? Oh. Because I really hope that you're here for your friend.

Oh, I suppose I am? How did you know? I didn't, but the last time I saw this one, we had the big bug woman here. Oh, Friggs did try and take every single bounty from the board. Yeah. Efficient.

We think that they've killed like 15 knolls. Why so upset? No, it's great. It's great that they've done it, but like they're currently having a chat with the commander. Oh, great. Perfect timing. They're getting paid. But yeah, like, I think that your friend

doesn't really understand that there's a little. limit, like there's only so many knolls in the area. Did you put that on the bounty? Well, it's not so much that there's a limit on the bounty. We think that she might have killed all of the nulls here. Isn't that a good thing? Yeah, absolutely.

But she keeps thinking that there's more knolls. Because of the... Do you remember that bandit conversation we had? Yes. How they had to be in... Oh, you're right. Yeah, no, the entire land is in chaos now. Well, I don't know about that.

Noles are horrific demonic creatures. True. but too much light in one land. Just throw it up the bounce. Well, maybe next time you put a bounty out, just put on it somewhere, limit two. No, no, we're quite happy. It's just that we might need your help

to explain to her that there's not any more nolls for her to go kill. Are you sure, though? Well, we don't know, but she's killed a lot of knolls. Right, leave it with me. All right. She might start heading for null younglings and we don't want that.

Or just like targeting things that she thinks are nulls. Knowledge. Null adjacent things are gonna... Yeah, particularly mangy-looking sort of like, you know, pets, you know. Or horses or something. Horses? Yeah. We need to speak to Vricks immediately.

No, you are led inside. You know, the guards all know you're the heroes of Ash and Rest. Your reputation precedes you. And you see chatting with the Marshal here. You see the hulking form of Vricks. There's, you know, half a dozen knoll heads just sort of have been dumped onto a very lovely wooden table covered with maps of the region.

And you can see a very, very exasperated marshal just sort of rubbing his temples just like, you have to understand. We can't keep you, we don't think, and you can just see he's like struggling to like think of how to explain this. and Vrix is like, I will return with more of these creatures. Very well.

And just holds out one of her little tiny hands. It picks up a large purse of coins. And he looks like he's about to say something and he's just like, never mind. As Vrix turns, ah, friends, jubilation, I am pleased to see you. Like you've been doing very well for yourself. Nulls are easy to keep. Yes, in small number.

Yes, some of them use magic and they are tricky, but I just kill them last, first. Right, good idea, good plan. Why are you looking at me when you say that? Magic users die first. Okay, okay. She's not wrong. Not wrong.

Yeah. I think Bricks has a plan for us just in case. Yeah. I'm always planning. Everyone is a potential rival. It looks like you've been very, very busy, Fricks. I have made much money. I can repay the low Oh, it wasn't a loan, it was a down payment.

Um, where you were coming from Has to Kilscaris. Ah, you wish to employ Vricks? Mm. Again? Again? It's the first time. Technically it would be the first time, but we just have... But you have already paid Fricks? No, but I paid you in advance.

The loan. It's not alone. Confusion. Ricks doesn't understand. Yeah, it gets a little bit more confusing as well, because turns out we don't actually need you to guard us on the loan. need you to guard us on a journey since the journey is gonna be through a tree very quickly and then straight there. So I guess...

It's in the city. Yeah, we're heading to Kelskaris. So... Friend Gruff gave gold for protection. Mm-hmm. For 12 days. Yes? Yes. You require, you wish to begin the 12 days now? Yes. Tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning. I thought that's today. We're going today. We're going to do. It is today. You know what? Well, technically you guys have... Well, it depends. I didn't actually say that you'd long rest it.

You could say that we long rested and this is the next day. We can say it. Well, let's say that. In exactly, let's say the moment a stone arrives in our possession. I want to get the most out of this. There's a lot of money.

So it's like maybe a half day today. I've got loads of stones on me. Oh no, I'm getting a stone so they can talk to obsidious. To be clear, Ricks will begin. today and in 12 days time, Vricks will no longer be guarding you. Yes. Timing is irrelevant. Okay.

Day begins when sun comes up, day ends when sun goes down. I agree. No, that's factual. I agree. Brick aside, what if, you know, we do it in a day and then... Do what in a day? Calscaris. We have a lot today.

You think we're going to be there in just one day? I thought we were going to pop there. I mean, there's three days. Just three days until the event. Ophelia's party. How long did I sleep for? Was it not three days? No.

Right. You see that... Apparently an hour. You see that as you're having that conversation, Vricks is like looking around and has clearly started guarding you already. And it's just like... Fantastic. Right.

What's the contingency here? Is there a sort of... Do you just attack anyone that is threatening to us? Or do you want to wait for us to give you like a code word? If people approach that seem dangerous, I will intercept them. Okay, who seems dangerous to you? Right now. Knowles for easy.

Right now. In this immediate vicinity. In this immediate vicinity. Points at a guard. Armoured, wielding weapons. Right, but he's an ally. Potential danger. No, but he knows us.

Okay. I think Xanthias's suggestion of a cold word is a good idea. You only wish me to act when code word is said. Confusion. Pekle. Doubt. If we say pickle. No, no, no, no.

They have really good pickles in Kelskaris. Oh, okay. And we're going to getting some. So, definitely not the word pickle. Or grapefruit. Even if you know someone, they can still pose a threat. Which is why when the threat appears. I will not attack threats immediately.

Oh, okay. Well, then that's fine. I will intercept them. But I don't think. I'm trying how to go over those, they're going to become hostile. No, but I am wary. That traveler, big cloak, suspicious, could be hiding weapons. It's like that scene in hot fuzz

where you see like an old man with like an overly like big cloak that's kind of like shuffling along. I think he does have a shotgun under that. To be fair, we've, we've had unsuspecting people in the past. Yes. Suddenly become a threat. So it's good that you're wary and on alert. And I look forward to these 12 days with you, Vrix.

Should we worry about that travel? I have this and pulls the gun, starts waving it. That's right, that's okay. Maybe put that down, don't point that at people. Thank you. People don't like it when you point that at them. Can I acquire more of the metal things that go in this? Yes, probably.

Excellent. I'm running low. Okay. Should we worry about that traveler, by the way, with a cloak? He did a very evil laugh and then scurried away. Yes. That's for the guards to worry about probably. And Bricks.

I'm not worried because Vrix isn't worried. They did not approach you. If they had, I would have intercepted them. I think we're going to be very relaxed. I think they were talking under their breath about summoning demons. But okay. I can't. Kid to me.

We can't solve everything yet. No, no, no. Speaking of solving everything, so you obviously killed a lot of nulls. Yes. Well done. Did you manage to complete any of the other bounties? No, I focused on null for now.

Okay. Easiest. Lowest effort required. Right, okay. Yeah. Good. Well, apparently you've killed all the knolls in the area. I doubt that.

Many knolls. Many fiends. Okay, but these people seem to have intelligence that says that there's no more knolls. These people, no intelligence. What was the marshal? No, I think that he's like, you've kind of walked out into the courtyard and sort of out in the sort of main central area.

Do not get me wrong. Soldiers of Caldra are brave. Keep good condition of equipment. Very important for soldiery. But not best. Not aware of many dangers. Did not consider Ricks a danger. Very foolish.

That's fair. That's fair. Could have killed Marshall in room. What? Well, I mean, that you are thinking about that is a concern. But anyway, it's good to have you. Marshall is old. Yeah.

Slow reflexes. Probably. Yeah. Well, there might be more knolls in other areas that then wander into this area in the future, so. Knowls come from vaults. Yes. Question. They do.

Many vaults, many places. Ricks has learned this. Votes sometimes just appear. Yes, they do. They do. Or knolls. That's true. That's true.

Never ending supply of knolls. Much money for Ricks. Fucking life hack. I think Caldra's gonna become bankrupt. Yeah. This is gonna be a... But safe as hell. Eventually, Noles will no longer be

of interests of Ricks. Nol's will become too weak to fight. Need bigger challenge. Perhaps fight other beasts. A means to an end. Just to repay. Exactly. Friends Rowan understands.

I understand. Get yourself back on your feet. Yes. Okay, well, like I said, that's a nice big clunky bag of gold coins. Well, like I said, we are just awaiting a delivery of a ascending stone, and then once we have that,

Groff will open a tree or something like that and we're gonna walk into it. Very well. Yes, Rowan. Roderys never seen the big city before. Are we taking Roderie? Can he fit through the tree? I don't think so.

I just want to see his eyes, you know, when he gazes upon the... Gelskaris. It's like showing a pig the stars. That's where you were last night. You weren't sleeping at all. No, I was showing pigs, the stars. Okay. I was going into livestock and holding them up to the sky.

Just watching their little faces, just not understanding it. The amazement. I like to imagine Rowan's eyes are identical. There's nothing, there's no understanding. It's beautiful every time. Well, have you been to Kel Scaris? Wait, did you travel through Kelskara? Did you go around?

I kind of skirted around Kelskiris. It was intimidating for me. Daisy, have you been there? No. Not once. No. Okay, I've been there once. So I know a thing or two about Kelskaris.

Yeah, you got really badly injured when you went there. And I remember very little of... the journey, so... Ricks had similar experience. Really? Friend Xanthius and Ricks, much alike. Except Vricks's strongest. Okay, all right, that's...

All right. You're gonna get hit first. For whatever reason, Vrix has to attack us. Okay. Magic users first. Yes. Good luck. Xanthius and friend gruff.

Very big threats. Oh. I'm a threat. Daisy also major threat. But feel that Daisy, can wait. Need to eliminate healer and magic use her first. Then Daisy.

Rowan, not much of a problem. Honestly, I would never lift a finger. Relish the thought of battling Sister Ophelia. Much fury in Sister Ophelia. That would be quite the battle. Yes. Glorious. Great, okay. Fricks is ready.

We're, like I said, not just waiting for one thing. Honestly, I've got so many stones you could borrow. You don't need one from obsidious. Magical stones, sending stones? All stones are magical. Does it actually intrinsically magical

or just like emotionally magical? I don't know what intrinsically means. Okay, well, okay, I would welcome any gifts, especially from you. I do have my favorite one here of the day. Of the day? Yeah, yeah, no, he, he collects someone's one's gravel path.

It's wet. Yep, I put it in my mouth. checks out. Okay. Yep, good stone. Okay, that's not how you brush your teeth. Is that how you check? Is it a good stone?

It's a good stone. You just check, he just... It's good mouth feel. Yep, that's a good stone. Yeah, yeah. Maybe I have been hanging around. I get too much. Too much.

We can cut that back a bit. I also just realized we haven't rolled fate yet just in case it comes up. Okay, watch this drive. Watch this drive. Oh my god, one. Oh, lovely. These are five.

These, look, these, run fable dice. Yeah. What'd you get? Five. Oh, nice. Sorry, I was just despairing gently. Three. Gently.

I was already picking up a red one. I like to imagine podcast listeners, when they hear let's roll fate, they just immediately turn it down. That is a two for you, three for me currently. You guys make your way back. I'm assuming to Tyrea's Rest. now accompanied by Vricks,

who has been paid in advance by Gruff for your bodyguarding duties. Amateur? Yeah. Is there anything you want us to get for Tarea's Rest while we're in Kelskary? Yes. If you can find more contracts for alcohol suppliers

or food suppliers, that sort of thing. Yeah, we walk across all the vineyards on the way back from the ash hills. Basically, anything that you can get to provide different sort of offerings and things like that as well. You should bring back something unique from Kelskaris to display. The problem is Kelskaris is just every... Well, it's also, I don't know...

We have the beautiful Golden Dragon figurehead that you got. Obviously, people do come to see it, but a lot of people here, they don't really know what it is. I don't feel it's necessarily bringing in a lot of custom on its own. So you might want to consider about finding a buyer for it and then using those funds to, I don't know, upgrades Tyreus Rest, I expand the building, add more whatever you want, really.

But I don't feel that the figurehead is doing as much as it could here. It is very nice. It looks great above the bar, but most people just see a big, a lot of people don't even realize it's real gold. They think it's all like, they just think it's decorative. I do worry about it being stolen all the time as well. It's very much real. I can taste it in the air.

Well, we do have, no, also space guard in this place. Yes, I mean, we do. We do have guards, and we have the alarms. and things like that, the spells that you put on. We did mostly employ them because of the goal. Yes, that's true. But if we get some good funds for that, we'll expand and have more reason for them to guard more of our property, I guess.

Daisy, could you do a couple of sketches? I was just about to say I'm going to do a sketch. Literally, I was literally about to say that. I'm going to do a drawing of the... The figurehead? Figurehead. Sure. I thought you were going to just...

I've got those, the masterwork arts, supplies from the Fayewield. I was them. Why don't you give me a role? You're gonna be able to do it, but I wanna see how good a replica of this picture is. Yeah, really, but do a role. This will be proficiency,

because you are proficient in art tools. And let's say dexterity, which is your good stat. So proficiency plus dex monifier. And you see how you- You want to put a flourish on it, acrobatics. My lips. Your feet. Inverted C.

Tozy, you need, or time. Should I use a fate? Up to you. Yeah. What else? You are going to create, you're going to have a drawing of this thing. I just want to see how good it could possibly be.

22. 22. Really, really, really good. Like a beautifully illustrated, rendered out, perfect sketch with a bit of color. The details are captured in a really, really good way. This is, like, a pretty good advertising. Like a historian or a scholar will probably recognize this as the figurehead of the glory of Paladrax.

Whereas somebody who's not versed in history will just be like, oh, that's a very fancy gold statue. And we'll still value it to some degree. Wow. I think we should frame this. That's not the problem. We can frame it if nobody takes it, but I want to take it to show. Once we've shown people, we could put this in the place of the figurehead. So we've always got a memory of it.

I could maybe make another one, though. You can just knock out another one of these? Well, not right now, but sometime. Phenomenal work. Because I remember it, so I can just... Membris. Memories, yeah. As Daisy's been sketching this,

I think that Sister Benedicta and Sister Malady, who have been sort of frequenting the tavern after resting, would stop by having known, because they were present when Afidea was like, you know, remembered that she had to go to this appointment, Um, Sister Benedicta, Malady is still looking very pale, still looking like she's recovering. Um, but Sister Benedict will be like, uh, uh, my friends, we were hoping that perhaps we could accompany you back to Kelskaris. We think that if you are heading there, and there is this matter

of these other siblings of yours, Xanthias, we would like to be present in the city should you need us, but also, um, Malady would like to report back to the ecliptic order and perhaps start using some of their resources to research and learn more of what we can. Would you be able to take us through your spell? Oh, yes, absolutely. I can do that. We have to go through within a minute,

and then it shuts, so as long as you squeeze in. So good. Hey, do you know anything about this spell? Turns to Malady. I will spend a point of fate. Boop. Nice. Got us a fate.

How you do it? Malady. It's okay if you don't. Yes, I know a little about it. Druidic magic is not my... It is not my specialty, but I primarily focus on arcane and divine magic. But as I understand it,

this spell, your magic, gruffeth, you connect with the spirit of the world, the spirit of the earth. The church of the Sion's, say that you connect to the echo of Althe, the deceased deity who gave up their body, gave up their essence to become our world. There are those who say Althe still remains, and I understand, Rowan, you have had your own encounters

with perhaps an essence or an echo, or perhaps even a living spirit of Althe. Yeah. Those who have performed this spell, which is very rare, there are not many powerful, powerful druids who are present within the empire. Places such as Erdas Kier and Ice Heart and Mistwald tend to have more of them. But I remember speaking to a scholar from Mistwald, and they said that what, there's this

foolish idea that the spell travels you through roots in the ground that all magically somehow tangled together. It's ridiculous theory. Oh, okay. No, instead this spell opens up a sort of dimensional rift, a portal to a demiplane. This demiplane, the scholar referred to as the dreaming forest, and through it, graph your memory of the location you wish to travel to, will sort of lead you to a place within this demiplane that you can then exit.

And that is what connects these trees and living places together. it is connected to Ulthé, though. I could not say how or why. But yes, as I understand it, you will encounter spirits. Some people encounter spirits of earth and trees and woods and rivers and things like that. I believe perhaps the two of you have in your past. There will, this is the dreaming forest is a place where many spirits live and reside. And they will be present within their location.

With the 29, I think she says. Now, one thing the scholar did tell me is that we should be very cautious not to make any noise when we are in the dreaming forest. Oh, okay. Because making noise can attract some sort of wicked presence. The scholar called them nightmares, and they can be drawn to sound within the dreaming forest.

Wait, how long are we going to be in the forest? I don't know. I've never traveled. I've never traveled. I'm quite looking forward to the experience, as it's not something that I've ever experienced before. But as I understand it, it should not be too long, certainly a lot shorter than us walking to Kelskaras.

But it is not instantaneous in a sense of for us, it will not feel instantaneous. But here, in the material plane, it will be instantaneous. No time will pass. Frick, did you catch that, by the way? I was not listening. No noise when we are in the dreaming forest. Very well. Forests full of predators.

Stay quiet. Yes. Okay. Understood. Great. I'm struggling with the concept of time. Well, Rowan, as I understand it, you have quite a powerful item, your run stone. Yeah. And I'm speaking in conversation and overhearing conversations that you've had.

That you do not immediately. to immediately return to the place. It does not that you have a journey. You are on a boat, I think, or a river you said. It is similar to that. It is, to you, it will not feel instantaneous. But in terms of us in a material plane, it would be. Daisy, hand me a sheet of paper.

Rowan, imagine time. It's like a flat line. And if we fold it over like this and then put a pin through it, that's what we're doing. We're putting holes in time. Yes. Why would we do that? I don't know.

Puntering time. I don't know. Stabbing time. Or perhaps if you would rather see it this way, these spaces where we travel, whether it is the river of your runestone or the dreaming forest, they are not the material plane.

We are going through somewhere else, and that place, time flows differently to the material plane. It does not matter. The main thing is that you should be quiet when we are inside it. Yeah, speedy thing go in, speedy thing come out. So we run in really quickly.

No. No, I don't know, but also quietly. I think we're grossly overthinking this. Yeah. No entry, stay quiet, come out of tree, Kelskaris. Cicelia, looking resplendent and washed and perfumed and many other things returns with Percival. And it is not long after that that a very familiar, if grumpy dwarf arrives with a couple of guards

from the palace as well, Consider Orgram is a pretty important person Would not travel without his own bodyguards But sort of arrived Sort of looking at the refurbished inn You've done quite well with this place It's not as bad as I remember it being When we gave it to you

We've done it up quite well And it was haunted and there were no one did this before Well, I had heard that it was haunted Of course my lord did not believe such things Yeah Definitely was The tree came to life as well But you've done a top

A job. Clean up the garden. Done a wonderful job. Thank you. I believe that Lord Obsidious mentioned this. Was being so... Oh, yes. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. That is a story. It is a smooth... It's not like a grey stone. This would actually look like... Almost, you know, that lava rock? It kind of looks a little bit like that.

And it has been scorched with red runes. It's very obsidious-coded. Basically, it's a lot more jagged. It's not smooth. It's kind of got rough texture. and sort of lines and things like that on it, ridges and things like that. But yeah, this is a sending stone.

It functions exactly as the sending stone in D&D Beyond and Players' handbook. Once per day, you can cast the sending spell through it to the other stone. So you can send a message of 25 words or less. Great, perfect. Fantastic. So I can actually add that. I have added it.

There is an image attached to it and it's creepy. Yeah. It is pretty. See? It's like one, it's like a mouse on the stone, but the mouse has a mega brain. Weird, right? What?

People on the podcast listeners go look up sending stone. I've described it perfectly. It's a mouse with a gigabrain. That's not what this one looks like. This is a lava stone. It's like one of those rats. Cranium rats.

It looks like that. Maybe it's a different, maybe it's the wrong image. Well. Well, anyway, Alas doesn't look like that. Great. You'll be pleased to know. I'm glad.

Hello? Get the stone bag, please. I... The one he put in his mouth. I don't want it to be jealous around the other stone that you have now. Daisy of go. I dropped the stone a while back.

You are on your own. I've done this before. It was a huge mistake. I left it in the garden with the rest of the soil and stones out there. If it saw that sending stone, you were hanging out with it. Oh, no, absolutely.

I was thinking the same thing, but it's safe and sound with the other stone and dirt. You did the right thing. Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Yep. For Graf, I think that, like, you get, like, a little tug on your sort of, like, sleeve of your jacket and little spring hearts looking up.

Why does Rowan love Rock so much? Like, I like rocks. He loves them a lot. Well, everyone has something that they love a lot. But, like, I've spoken to, like, rocks, and they don't love rocks as much as Rowan loves Rocks. Like, he loves rocks the most of any living being that I've encountered in my eternal life. Well. Who's a good little rock?

You are? He's a very special, yes. He's very special. Very special. The rocks love him. They love him, but, like, he loves them a lot more. Like, the rocks love him, but he loves them way more than they love him. and that's fine

and we accept that and we just I love it yeah okay are you going away again I am sweet art that's okay I know you

I can't leave and you have to go places but I like being here with Uncle Mateo so good yeah it's nice I don't that little dinosaur was kind of mean

though well hopefully he shouldn't be given you too much problems if he does though and then I'll teach her like a little guessing from like his, um, Groff's training with Serra and Ira,

like a little kind of trick, you know, involves like, you know, a little tree and then, you know, a little hand signal and basically train, how to train. Sure. I think you, you start teaching spring hard that and she's like, oh, like this.

And she casts like animal French. Like, because she's a dryad. She still has, like, dryad powers. So, like, she's just like, beo! She's just like, little green magic goes on Gibson, and he loves her now. That would also work.

Okay. But he also loves meat. So. She like, she's like, I don't like touching that. That's fine. Maybe you could teach that to material. She gets a stick and, like, throws it and Gibson chases it after it. He likes that.

Okay. Right. Okay. You're a natural. You can see that she has grown a little bit. Like, I think as her tree is growing, because it's not been that long. It's only been a couple of weeks. But you can see that her tree that you planted is beginning to bloom a little bit more.

And it's like, there's like new branches and new growths. And that's being reflected in Springheart as well. Like, her hair is a lot fuller than it was. She has like little blossoms that are beginning to like bloom in different places. And it's kind of like matching. But it's also where she was like this traditional kind of, you know, drydy, golden wooden bark. It's beginning to look a lot more like the wintry tree that sort of you've planted. And so her skin is more like black and white and gray like a kind of ash or a birch tree.

And she's beginning to like, you know, the blooms aren't like pale pink. They're like a very pale whitish blue. and so she's actually beginning to adapt more to like the ice heart tree that she's part of now. But yeah, you definitely notice that she's slightly changing. Perfect. But with everybody assembled, it is, if you wish, you may go on your journey.

Okay, Gruff, I think that's everything. It's tree time. Right, okay, I didn't imagine doing this with everyone looking. We can turn around if you want. Give me a moment. But wait, we have a minute to get in, right? Mm-hmm. Once it's open, get through, be silent.

Get out the other side. Okay, do you wish me to carry? Brick says to Malady, I will be quite all right. This is Bricks, by the way. I have heard the name when you returned from the Azar Step. My sister sort of made sure that we kept an eye on this one. Well, they'll be keeping an eye on us because we've hired them to guard us.

I am not paid to protect the sickly one, or the large warrior. I don't think you'll need to. Ah, good. Yes, the mighty warrior woman is impressive. Very impressive. I would like to fight you, warrior woman. Benedict's like, thank you.

Yeah, it's a compliment. That is a complex. Well, thank you. Perhaps we could spa sometime. Perhaps. You begin to hear this very pleasing hum, like the kind of circadian like Brick's makes one very happy. Yes, sparring.

Okay, well, Mateo, if anything comes up, I guess try to find a way to send a message to us. We'll try and be back as quick as we can. Rome's got the giant stone so we can be back shortly. Right. What's up? I think I would literally have to send a courier and it would take a few days.

It would take a while. We didn't get none of those stones. We should, yes. We should have stones for everybody. Can you, Graff, can you like talk to Springheart or that rabbit telepathically? I mean, you've got a lot of people that can, like, talk to people in their heads.

I don't know that I can from that distance. Oh, that's a shame. Well, listen, I mean, yes, the worst thing, I mean, I guess I'll send a messenger or something like that if desperate. Okay, and I guess good luck with the usual running of the tavern. As I said, it's under control.

All fine. As I said, if you can find other suppliers to help bolster up our stock, because we just have very basic stock here, you know, it's not much at all. I haven't had the time I'm constantly running the place so I don't have time to go out and source, you know, new merchants, new vineyards and things like that. So if you can acquire anything like that while you're in the city,

and then, yes, potentially look at selling the figurehead and doing what you wish with the funds, I suppose. Fantastic. And as always, the moment you see Terram Dark Blade, shut down the door. Garrett has it. On lock, don't worry. Garrett has him on lock. Send everyone home immediately. It's fine.

Theresa knows them as well. Yes. Yes. Good. It's all away. Teresa, yes. Teresa's actually quite good at getting rid of him, I think. It's the new robes as well.

It's quite intimidating. Yes. Right. Well, Gruff, what does this look like when you cast Travel Via Plants? So I imagine actually it's not a confidence gruff that is casting this. I feel like he's kind of had this idea, learning it from Springheart maybe, and just trying to piece things together.

I think I've done this before. but he would start with this again where he takes a feather from Seren and uses it to draw an outline of a doorway in the trunk of the tree. And then Ashley maybe starts singing to himself. You know, a different song to one that you've heard before, but perhaps...

A travelling song. A travelling song, like when he sets out on his raft at the beginning of the day. Love that. And, yeah, I guess the power would come from him actually. Like, you see a faint accent, outline in the tree from where he drew the doorway with the feather, but then it would glow with the song as the song kind of maybe fills it and... As you reach that ending point of casting the spell, your song sort of echoes for a moment, you in your head, Graf, you feel this connection.

You feel your magic, connect with the earth, connect with the tree, and connect with something greater as well, which you touch when you cast some of your more powerful spells. and you hear a voice in your head. I hear the song. The dreamer welcomes the dreaming. Walk the path. Arrive to your next. And the door glows brightly and almost collapses in on itself. You almost hear like a creaking of wood.

As it kind of ripples like a lake, like a stone cast into a lake. and it ripples inwards. You don't see anything, it's opaque. You can't see where you're about to travel to. But you know that the spell is now active and everybody has to travel through it, basically. Yeah, who's the first to go through, is the question. I think probably myself, yeah.

So Gruff steps through first, and then who's following Gruff? I imagine Vricks is at the rear to sort of be the guard, sort of make sure that everybody gets through. Okay, go, go, go, but also, shush, shush, I'm going in. Okay, so Xanthias, then you two, and then Ophelia, and then the rest. You all make it through. And Gruff, when you kind of step out and you know that you've got others behind you, so you keep moving, you find yourself in this bizarre world.

It is a forest, but the trees almost seem to shift in hues and colors of greens and oranges and yellows and blues. their leaves and their branches almost sway as if alive and the leaves are prismatic, they ripple, they catch color. Through the air you see little butterflies, but then they become shapes and then they become a puff of clouds and then they become all these different things as if nothing here really has a formal shape.

The sky is the most beautiful, vibrant night sky that you can imagine. There is, you know, it's almost like an aurora borealis, but you can see stars amongst it all, and they glitter and they gleam, not just of that silvery white starlight, but of purple and yellow and orange and red and blue. It's multi-coloured hues as you step through,

and you are on a very tight, narrow woodland trail that then opens up into a small glade and you see dozens of trails all spread out. and you do feel maybe it's you imagine it almost like you see an ice dive and not your seren but you see like a very faint ice dive almost flying in a direction

and that's what you see and you kind of step through and as you will step through you will find yourself in this strange place so I think Gruff will make some signals with his hands wow

Yes. Antheist in the back of the head. I mean. So what signals are you doing? Because I didn't do that. Well, he actually, he uses common sign language. I think as well, Ice-Hartians would use this, you know, when they are out in the wilderness and stuff like that.

But it would be kind of like holding two fingers up, pointing forward in the direction that he saw the ice diver head. And so pretty simple one. You see Malady actually signs back to you, understood and seems to understand common-sign language as well. I can understand common-same. Yeah, I think Vrix does as well. Like, Vrix can also signal.

It's different though. Like, you get the impression that Vrix has kind of got, like, their own version of it, but it's similar enough that you can, yeah, it's kind of like a dialect. Frix has four hands. Yeah. That's what their two lower ones are used for,

like one of their primary uses is to sign with. Because again, it's maybe easier for them to sign emotions sometimes, then, you know, no facial experience. Me, Ron and Ophelia, I've got this. Thumbs up. Thumbs up. Percy also, thumbs up.

Great. You step forward, and like I said, you kind of enter this glade. And the rest of you, this is very much like, you know, it's almost like very, a little bit like Sandman Dreamlands, like looking around, there's almost like you see like dust picked up. It almost looks like dirt, but it sparkles and glitters as it passes through on some unfelt wind. Like you don't feel or hear any.

wind, but clearly something is blowing through this place. And out in the trees, kind of like the Fay Wild, you see very weird creatures. You see a kind of large, feline-like creature that has, you know, six eyes and a big, wide, grinning mouth, and it turns its head and rolls over and then seems to melt into the tree branch and then flow upwards. Like, you know, there are birds here that look like they have wings and bodies, but then they have the head of a lion, you know, very strange, weird creatures. You see a little rabbit riding a snail

just sort of tips a hat to you and then continues on down one of the other paths. And as you kind of step forward, you seem to be following this path graph, but in that large open glade, emerging from the tree line, you see a humanoid shape figure. They are dressed almost like in a kind of like a gilly suit,

but you think it's actually their body, where they have this like giant sort of, you know, mantle of like grass and furs and leaves growing out of them. They have a large conical hat that completely covers their eyes and nose. So you just see, and the mouth in the face, it's a little uncanny valley. It's like somebody has dreamed a human face.

and kind of gotten it a little bit wrong. But they kind of step forward, and you can see they're holding like a quarterstaff. They've got like a bow on their back. Their legs are like very, very thin, and they have these like pointed pixie-like leaf shoes that they're wearing. And they sort of step forward and nod and bow in your direction,

and they start to gesture and sign, and it's sign language as well. And Gruffin and Daisy, you would recognize that they sign welcome travelers. Oh, I'd sign back. Greetings. You? May I ask your name?

Eh? They almost seem to like, their shoulders go up, like they're laughing, but there's no sound. They just like this. And then they sign, we have no names. But I am water rushes past stones in a river. Oh, that's beautiful. You are travellers.

Yes, that's so. On our way to Helscaris. Do you know the way? I saw this way, and I'll point to where the ice diver went. I will follow you, but you follow the path before you. Make no sound and sort of gestures to all of your companions. You must tell them, no sound, or the nightmares will come. come for you. The dreamer dreams. We walk through their land, but others, they come. They will find.

But I am your guide. Come. Thank you for your guidance. And I'll sign to Daisy and say, Daisy, can you... Oh, I'll activate. Yeah. I guess I can't include everybody. I won't include graph because I can sign to you. Yeah. And Malady and Frick. also don't need it because they've under, they've just listened to all that.

So I will include Benedicta, Rowan, Xanthius and Ophelia. Just don't speak, just don't say anything wise. Is someone listening to me? Just don't speak. Hi, this is me, it's Daisy in your head. Don't speak out loud. They were signing to Gruff. They're good.

Their guide. As you're having this telepathic communication, as you are having these, like, thoughts, you begin to almost see like bubbles emerging from your ears and your heads that sort of, Daisy, they flow out of you and to anybody that you're speaking with they almost flow out.

And some of the things, like, when you say like gruff, you begin to see like little images of gruff sort of come away from the chain of bubbles. What you said about me? And the guide immediately is like, stop, stop. Thoughts are loud, not here. Okay, I'll drop the communication. And you get the impression that, like, in this space, your thoughts,

if they're communicated between each other, like, it's no different to speaking here, basically. Which is why they all sign and don't. We're just in our heads, just, Dizzy? Dizzy! It's fine if you're thinking to yourself, but when you project it to somebody else, it's like it's being heard.

And that's why, like, you saw, like, these images. There is a moment where, like, the guide, like, kind of tells everybody, like, get low, like kind of draws you into the bushes. And you see a dark, huge shape. You get the impression of some sort of winged bird or beast, and it flies overhead, and it is so dark, so black,

that it absorbs any light. And it is cold as it flies over. And as Rowan gasps, you see this elongated, beak like open and fanged sort of teeth within its jaw and a single red orb like opens on its and it looks around to where you gasp Rowan and it begins looking around you will stay silent. Silence can be ricks as like readying weapons like looking up at this thing and then it takes off and flies away. Thumb down. Thumbs down.

After that little moment, this new experience, it actually doesn't take very long. You're following this path for to you graph, I would say it feels like maybe 30 minutes, an hour, somewhere in that region. But, you know, and there's many twists and turns. And you constantly have, like, you see the little ice diver on a tree and then it will fly off down the pathway. And it's leading you. And it's leading you. The trees make way.

At points, they almost break away. become like stone ruins of places of old ancient ruins but then some of them look like buildings in caldress some of them remind you of different places maybe the caravans of the azar step like you begin to kind of see just this amalgamation of places some of which you don't recognize at all but daisy nim in your head will say that is the monastery that is where i was trained from the Lucent Peaks and you see that, you know, she is looking up to you what almost looks like these kind of, um, yeah, what's it called?

Like the Giants Causeway kind of like, like kind of shaped kind of things, but it's a massive building made out of them. And it almost seems to glow with a radiance. Um, and Nim recognizes it something from the Lucent Peaks. Um, you see Benedicta like, uh, like points to Malady. You see what maybe looks like an orphanage or something like that. like some quite run-down building in a big city. And it's all nestled amongst these bizarre prismatic trees.

But eventually you come. And as you enter a glade, there is a large, to you it would look like a... I wrote this down, actually. It's an ecruous pine tree, from named after the village of Echruis in Ice Heart. and it is kind of like a classic kind of like wintry tree like a pine tree you know thorns and things like that but it's massive

and the ice diver is just sat on it and you begin to see the outline of the door that you first carved begins to as you approach water rushes past stones in the river will sign we have arrived you have travelled through the dream go on your way and I'll sign back thank you for your company we will always go

travelers through the dream. You are not meant to be here, but Althe has granted you passage. I'm honored for the privilege. You are a grove warden. You are a protector. She will always, or sorry, they will always grant you access as long as you stay true

to this power, to your respect of the world. Always. And they just nod, gesture. the portal opens and Gruff steps through. The rest of you follow and you are snapped back to reality and in fact you're met with this a bit of an icy, you know, similar to Gruff Sanctuary or if you ever step in there,

like the temperature kind of drops quite suddenly from the warm, you know, late autumn day in Caldra. Ooh, you suddenly find yourself a bit chilly, daisy, your skin, goosebumps and prickles as you find yourselves on the other side of a large Icarus pine tree, which is part of a grand park. You see a couple of very frightened-looking citizens who are dressed in a similar way to gruff,

but a little bit more less rugged, a little bit more put together, a little bit more cosmopolitan version of ice-heart culture. And they seem to be... In fact, I imagine that actually there's like a pond and they're ice skating on it. you sort of see people are sat on the bed and they're like, they turn around like, oh my gosh, like these group of people have just come out of a tree

and like there's this big sort of sudden shock as you all kind of step through. And a couple of them go scattering running. Holding my breath for most of that. Oh. That was scary, yeah. But also mesmerizing. It was a lot. That was a lot to take in.

Is everyone here? Does everyone make it okay? I believe so. Vrix was the last to follow us. That was incredible. What a place. Absolutely beautiful space, wasn't it? And I caught what they said to you.

I mean, that was... I think that we'd just pass through a God's dream. What? Is that what I was saying? I said the dreamer dreams. That's what the guide was saying. And Althe gave you permission to travel through their dream. As a Grove warden, I've never been called that before. Ooh, Grove warden.

An ancient term for people like you who use Doritic magic. but also have martial prowess, an ancient term from long, long ago. You can add that to your introductions. Oh, I suppose so. Yes. Well, either way, we have been through a very sacred space. That was quite the honour, I think.

Yes, it was. It was magical. I mean, literally, but... Is this the tree you recognised? Oh, yes. So as you start looking around, Zay. as you look up, you're in this beautiful, not quite like super, like there is snow, but it's not like freezing cold. Very much like Gruff Sanctuary, you have the idea that magic is kind of

keeping this park in a certain state. But when you look up, you kind of look up past the park and you can see buildings begin to rise. But also stretching across the skyline, you see a floating magical bridge effectively that stretches far into the distance. and you recognize them as the sky bridges of Kelskaris. They are ways of moving between districts, far distant districts. So... And there is a hustle and bustle in the air as well.

You can hear the sounds of the city outside of this park. Yes. And within the... You went from really, really quiet to really, really... It's very loud here. Like I said, it's busy here. Busy here. But we're here. This is definitely Kelskaris, though. See those? The sky bridges? Oh, wow. This is the Ice Heart District, right?

So we must be, I don't have a map or anything. I don't know where this is in relation to where we need to get to. I don't think you ever would have come to Frost Hill because this is like in a very far parts of way you travel. So this is, imagine like a circle. Yeah. And Frost Hill would be, I'm trying to think of it on your side. It's kind of like the 11 o'clock, like sort of 10, 11 o'clock on a clock face, basically.

North, northwest. Yes, yes. So, and it's like a trivial pursuit piece. It's like wedges, right? Sure. And so you're in that section there. And you kind of looking behind you, you also see that Frost Hill is actually built onto a slightly elevated hill, like, where the land was. So it does sort of rise up behind you. The park seems to be at the base of the hill and sort of rises up, you know, where you can see at the very top, you know, you can see rows and rows of buildings kind of curved around like ribs on a rib cage.

And then one large high street sort of leads its way up. And at the top, you know, you've seen the Dominus Ignarum. Imagine, it's similar to the Domino's Ignarum, but instead of rounded domes and beautiful tiled roofs, it is glassy, ice-like spired towers. It is, you know, very frozen, Elsa's Castle from Frozen kind of vibes to it. But with, you know, penance and banners of blue and silver and white, kind of fluttering and hung from windowsills and things like that.

like that. And this place is bustling. Like that main street that you're looking at that goes up the hill is full of people making their way up and down. Definitely it. Definitely, definitely it, unless this is still part of that dream. Kelskaris. We're finally in Kelskaris. I'm overwhelmed.

It's a lot. I'm overstimulated. You can see that a couple of people have like run off. And you actually see two very beautifully armored guards trimmed in white and silver are making their way in your direction. You there, you there, stop, stop.

Yes, okay, no, we are here peacefully. We just... You see, like, they've got, like, their hands. I think that they would carry spears in the Ice Heart District, Worm Guard. One of them is, she seems to be in charge. She's slightly older, maybe, in, like, her 40s, and she is a ram wild heart.

So she has, like, curling ram horns, she has, like, very fluffy white hair sort of all around her body. She has, like, a sort of, like, slightly flattened, sort of blackened nose, more humanoid, but with a little bit more animal traits than expected. And then the guy next to her is just a human. But he looks like an ice-heartian. He looks like ice-hard. So he has that slightly darker skin for one of the humans.

You can see that, like, he's kind of got, like, a very thin mustache that he's grown. And they just sort of point in and say, like, you, what, where on earth did you come from? You're not supposed, you can't enter the city this way? Well, are we not? We didn't know that, sorry. What are you doing trying to break into Kelskaris? Who are you? What's your business? Okay, we are the heroes of Ashen Rest.

Ash and Rest in Caldra. Caldrens? What are you doing here in the Ice Hard? Why are you doing in Frosthill? Well, it's the only tree that Groffeth here. Tree? Recognise. And we travelled through the tree, magically. They sort of look at each other.

Well, give me a persuasion role. That's real. Yeah, yeah. That's why it's persuasion. not deception. 23. 23. The ram woman sort of looks and you hear the human's like, well, I don't know, Sergeant. I mean,

the people did say they came out the tree magically. Well, yes, I gathered that, Geran. You've asked those people, the ones running away, they saw it. I don't doubt that you didn't come through a tree, but why, you're supposed to go through the city gates so that you can be recorded. We have to record visitors to the city. We have to know who's coming and going.

You can't just... I'm Rowan. Pleasure to me. meet you. And this is Santis. Yes, yes. Wait, wait, hold on, hold on. She gets out like a notebook and she takes out like a pencil and she's like, right, let's start this again. Yes, what do you need to know?

Your names and your business in the city. I'm Rowan. Rowan. And our business... Just Rowan, no surname? Just Rowan. And our business is Tyrea's rest, but it's not in the city. What?

Oh. I think they mean why are we in the city. Oh. We have a variety of reasons. I'm here to see a knight from the Order of the Louis Lowellowns. What's your name? My name is Griffith of Tremoro. Oh, Tremor? You're an ice-hearted.

I probably should have guessed by your attire. All right. That seems to like, the guy is like, oh, hello, ice-heart. He's like, oh, this is fine. The ram woman's a little still suspicious, and she's like, Gruffeth of Tremorow, Knight. Oh, knight-errant. Not right yet.

She writes it down. Very soon to be a night, though. All right, knight-errant, and you're here to see, what's the name of your contact? We will be checking all of this. At least the central district will. Sir fordering. Forge-hand. Fordering forge hand.

All right. And is there a particular place in the city that you're going? I'll be going to the beach house of the coil. Peach house and the coil. What about you? Do you have a place to stay? Are you travelling with your friend? I'm travelling for leisure with Griffith.

at the peach house as well. And you, Dragonborn, you said your name was Xanthus. Zanthias, yep, Oregon. Hero of Ashen Rest, loyal vassal of Duke Ignarius, and... Oregon? That's one of the major gold dragon hosts. Yeah. All right, get recorded.

You might have seen me in the newspaper. Yeah, anyway, loyal vassal of Duke Ignorius. and co-owner of Tyree is Rest in Ashen Rest. You should go sometime. We've got a statue there. Show them a statue in a bit. And shopping. Just here for shopping.

Primarily. You, young woman? Daisy Thistleheart. So much for stealth. And hiding from your father. I'm just traveling with my companions. So you'll be traveling with the same... Yes.

We can find you at the same place? Oh, yeah. We'll all be staying together. And also, my friend, Ophelia here has a party that she would... Sister Ophelia de La Rosa of the House of Blood, an absolute pleasure. I'm here for an important function at the Ossian embassy.

I'm an ambassador for the Austrian Empire. That is way above my pay grade, but yes, fine. I'm writing all this down. Malady is like, Sister Superior Malady and Sister Superior Benedicta of the Church of the Sion. And you just see she looks, looks at their tabards,

way above my pig grade. Looks at Vricks. Malking, I am Vricks. Oh, Vricks is our bodyguard. Yes. I'm on employment. You see, Vricks, by the way, was like when these guys were running up,

like, Vricks had got the howled out and was like ready, and then sort of was like ready to engage them, but then has relaxed since. She writes all of this down. So I write. I will transfer this to the Central Department. If you return to the city,

you can't just teleport into the city. We have to record everybody. You are going to panic citizens if you do this. Right, absolutely. Yes, I have. We were on a bit of a time limit. Cisterophilia needs to attend this function. I don't care, but in the future,

either find a tree outside of the city and then come in through the gates or find some other method. Are we safe to travel Kelskaris freely? Yes. I'm not safe, I mean, you know. Is this your first time in the city? Well, no, yes, but some of us, yes.

Right, all right. I've only been to the Caldron District, so have I? Was it? I think you can't remember where you went in the city. You remember walking the path of ascension, which is the big main street that leads to the central.

of the city, and then your memory becomes very disjointed. Yeah, fair enough. Which is actually something in your notes that you sent to me. You were like, try and remember, and I don't think. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. She sort of looks around, systemality, and it's like, we are very fortunate, but I think an explanation for our friends

as we will be departing. Right, well, yes, you are free to move about the city, but there's some things you should know. Okay. All of the districts have their own division of the wormguard. we are the authority, we have ultimate authority in the city, we stop you, answer our questions,

do what we say. Got it. The central district, which covers the coil, the central district, and the path of ascension is separate to the individual districts. So we all have our own different thing.

There are the sky bridges, she points up at the large floating bridges. You can use those to travel between the districts, but there's a toll. So you have to pay to use them, but it's a lot quicker. Moving through the city is pretty slow. The streets are pretty big.

busy and you basically have to go out of the district around the coil to get to the district you want to go to so it takes some time okay you can if you've got a lot of money you can hire carriages or you know even a griffon carriage to take you if you need to go somewhere uh in terms of the city streets beware of pickpockets things like that we do have crime in the city we make sure that we try and crack down on anything matthew series but we have bricks that is a i'm you're smart to bring a bodyguard uh very smart to bring a bodyguard apart from that, yeah, you are free to go anywhere. Obviously, the Central District, the Imperial Palace,

you obviously can't just wander in unless you have appointments and things like that. The academia, there are parts of it which are open to the public. Stay to those areas. All of the usual... It's very obvious stuff, right? It's very, very obvious stuff. Do you have any questions?

Do you have any recommendations? That was my question, too. I can recommend some places here in Frosthill, but I don't really go out into the other parts of the city. I mainly live and work here. How close are we to the Erdis Kyr District? Nightwatch. Nightwalk, sorry. You're in luck, I think.

So she sort of points if it was a circle, she points to where 12 o'clock would be. That's brass bellows. It's the brass district. After that is Nightwalk, which is the Black Dragon District. So it's number one on the clock? Yeah, if you were to think of it. It's like one and two on a clock, basically.

And that's where the Yossian embassy is. That's where... No. The Yossian embassy is in the central district. I don't know why I thought it was a nerds care. No, I think that it's... Varys is hosting it at somebody else's estate, the event. But I do want to go to the embassy as well.

Okay, fantastic. Okay, there's that then. If you're looking... I mean, you said if you're a cauldron and you want to visit the Burnbart District, that's next door to us on the other side. Okay. So sort of on the sort of seven to eightish kind of angle.

So Burnbright and Brassbellows, they're not like districts of regions. They're just like their own places. So they are basically like, yeah, they are districts that represent, say, Caldra or Suncrest Isles. But they have their own names and they kind of have their own culture. It's kind of like Chinatown or like, you know, little career and stuff. Little Italy. It's kind of they have every. culture condensed into that place.

And then that's where, you know, most of the citizens of Caldra, if they come to Kelskaris, they'll live and work in that area. But they might also work in some of the, what's kind of called the shared spaces, the coil, the Path of Ascension, the Central District. A lot of the kind of like city infrastructure tends to be in those places

because it's shared by everybody. Got it. But then each of the districts have their own sort of mini culture and mini-laws and mini-rules. They're kind of like their own little pocketed embassies, if you want to think of them that way, well. Oh, so it's not like a unified sort of government running the entire thing.

It is, but it's like they, it's like, uh, all of the districts have counselors, and then they all have like, there is like a city council that then decides everything together. Got it. It's a lot of politics. There's a lot of arguing. Yes. And then you have, the Imperial Palace has the governance for the empire as a whole.

Got it. So you kind of, like, Kalscarus is kind of like its own little pocket of politics as well. But yeah, the Imperial Palace is where like the elder arch dragons, you know, they decide on. everything in the major empire, whereas, yeah, and then the city council decide on everything with Kelskareas, basically. Okay.

Politics. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. Excited. You said recommendations. I mean, if you're staying here in Frosthill, everybody loves to go to devotions. It's like a little hot chocolate coffee restaurant kind of place. Okay.

Sounds incredible. Yes. It's very, very popular with tourists. As I understand, it's a bruntlet. The most famous is devotions in Calhoun City. It's kind of a big, big famous place up in there. Okay. If you are looking for an inn, my personal recommendation is the Jalstrom Longhouse.

And Ugruff would know, yeah, a longhouse. It's been probably styled on the traditional long house. So low ceilings, but sort of indented floor, one floor, one story, very cozy, bit smoky, but very cozy. Yeah, fire pits and that kind of stuff. And then if you're looking to do a bit of shopping, Halfbourne Street, it's like a street market that runs every other day and she points, it's the third spine that goes to the left.

Third spine, right, okay, fantastic. If I see the exit, I've gone too far. Yes, if you make your way up to the Dominus, you've gone far, wait too far. Got it, that makes sense. Oh, I thought so, yeah. We saw devotions in our one shop. You did? You did, indeed, because you started that in Calon City. Yeah.

So it's like a little mini-satellite version of devotion. They're doing so well. Yes. Are there any breweries or distilleries? Here in Frost Hill, I mean, I'm certain that there's probably mead distilleries and places like that around. Probably folks who make all sorts of alcohol, vodka's and things like that. Yeah. I couldn't tell you them, I don't work.

We should ask for the inns, because they'll have a supply. They'll certainly have more of that. have more of that. But as I said, Kelskaris is a big city. I don't know what you... It is big. Sounds like you need to go to the embassy

and if you're heading to the coil, that's where a lot of shops and places to visit are anyway, so... Fantastic. Well, we won't keep you from... Just keep in mind that, you know, any big displays of magic are going to draw attention.

Oh, yes. The one god... Never again. Yeah. Well... Be careful. Yes. Okay.

Fantastic. And just to be clear, I will be reporting all of this to the Central District so there will be a record of you guys. Okay, great. I saw the way you looked at me earlier, by the way. Oregon, no relation. Yeah, okay.

All right, well, I will see you around. Thank you very much for all your information. Take care. Be on your best behavior. Do they salute here or? You're not soldiers, you don't need to say. Okay, I won't. I just, we just get...

Just say bye. Bye. Thank you for your time, we're leaving. I just nod. And the two guards are to resume their patrol, it seems. I handled that pretty well. I think he said a lot of words. Well, I was nervous.

Yeah, are you trying to keep a low profile year, just so I know he was supposed to do that in Ash and press, though. Yeah. He's in the newspaper. Yes, perhaps the name Oregon does not need to be set out loud. It's Oregon, but... That's what I said, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah.

I guess I'm misheard. Same thing, sounds the same thing. I thought so, yeah. They're gonna know we're here, I'm here anyway, because I'm traveling with you guys. Keelik. Like the moment they see Gruppeth or Rowan or Daisy or Ophelia and that we're attending some party,

your name is part of my name. So either way, it's also gonna be worse if I just don't give them a last name or come up with a fake one. And... I didn't give a last name. Oh. Not everybody has last names.

Fricks doesn't have a last name. I do have a last name. Rix is, Ricks the Reforged. What is your last name, Rowan? It's Rowan. Rowan. He's not. He's doing that lying thing again.

I genuinely wasn't sure if he was lying. I was like, do I have to write down that his name is Rowan, Rowan? Is he doing a Super Mario Brothers thing of like Mario, Mario, Luigi Mario? His last name is your name. boat. No, that didn't work for me. Okay, sorry. Don't write that one down in the notes up.

Malady and Benedict didn't give surnames. No. Sister Superior is, I think they get away with it. It's also their tabards clearly identify them as the ecliptic order, and it's like those guards were like, we're not fucking we don't want any of that heat. Just do the men and black flash thing

is trying to be. So our priority is this function. Yes. Well, I was going to say I don't really want to go straight there. I haven't bought a dress, I need to look my best. In what, three days anyway?

Yes, yes, yes. I would like to visit the embassy, but we'll see. We've got three days. Okay, maybe we should just get situated. Find a place to stay. Maybe check out the breweries, maybe, I don't know, just see the sites.

We've got time. I'm immediately going to the coil. Graff has a contact. I'm immediately going there. So you... Okay, well, that was the last time we ever saw Graf again. Especially in this mess.

It sounds like a good central place to be. Yes, the coil will give you access to all of the districts as well as the central. Myself and my sister will head to the central chambers. It's the primary building for the worm guard, for the authorities, that sort of thing. It's in the central district. Should you need us? The ecliptic order has, well, the ecliptic order can be found in two places. The central chambers as well as the cathedral basilica.

Cathedral Basilica? Of the sun, yes. Cathedral Basilica of the Sun and Moon is technically it's fine. But everyone just calls it the Cathedral Basilica. Okay, great. If we were to rent a room or a house or something up in the Central, that's probably going to look like expensive. Central you would be difficult to rent or find a place. There may be inns or private houses to hire.

The coil or the path of ascension, you would be far better at finding a place there, unless you have allies in the city who may have accommodations for you. Hey, Amberissa. Embarissa. She did say. It was an offer made. But yes, the central district would be difficult for you to acquire accommodations in. But the path of ascension, the coil will be cheaper.

Path of Ascension will be more expensive, but more luxurious. Aphelia, stop it. Stop making that face. But we have to look our best. I'm sounding more like James. You are sounding like James. You are. Jesse.

Well, we can go shopping later. Both are the icons. We can go shopping later, get the ad bits, and be ready for your party. You can prepare for trouble then. We should make it double. We should, we should. Miaf, that's right.

No, Ruff should say that. Oh, damn, I'm sorry, I took it. I'm sorry, I'm ruined it. You to let me, but, you know, you just, once you get going, you don't stop. I know, I'm like a flywheel. There is this, so it may be worthwhile you guys trying to find somebody

or ask around for places that you can shop and get recommendations and things like that. If we did want to... I should make it clear. This city is enormous. So that idea of like we're just going to go wandering and find a place will take so much time

and there's no guarantee you'll find somewhere good. This is the kind of city where like you really want to get recommendations or like go and ask like, okay, where can we go to get this? Or where can you recommend that we can go to get this and stuff? How long approximately? does it take to, if we were to travel, like just literally walk from the central to the edge of the ice-hot district.

So, basically, generally, moving across a district, like exploring, going to a place within a district, depending on where it is, can take you up to about 30 minutes, right? Like, to go walk through a district. Moving from district to district, basically, it depends on how far away it is from your current district. So, for example, to go from Frosthill to go to Volt Watch, which is the Gold Dragon District, which is basically opposite each other,

it will take you about an hour to make your way, because you have to go out onto the coil, round the coil, and then into Vault Watch, basically. Now, if you use the Skybridges, they cut that time down immensely. And the Skybridges tend to do the crossing, like the furthest districts from each other, but there are some that like join adjacent ones as well. They generally cut the journey down to about 10 minutes. Okay.

But you have to pay a toll per person to use them, and it's one way toll as well. You can hire a carriage. You get a land carriage. It goes faster and it's cheaper, or you can get a Griffin and fly carriage, and that is way, way faster, but more expensive. So it really depends on where you want to go.

Damn. So to go from, I would say, to go from Ice Heart into the coil and the Central District, it's gonna be like 10 minutes because you're, you can just, it's connected to it, basically.

Yeah. Gruff, well, all of this conversation, look, Gruff is, like, he's spotted a sign that says, he's like, he's. He's on his way. Well, he's, he's kind of trying to go, but just, like. Statement.

Friend, Graffeth wishes to leave. Graff, he's been very agitated and eager to go very quick. Well, this is important to me. You know, this is the last test for me. We have time, it's okay. We'll go just now, though. We'll do this first.

I know where I'm going. I'm going to be taking in a site. This is exciting for everyone. I'm going that way. All right, well, we're going to take... So I imagine, yeah, Gruff is leading the way and there's no time for sightseeing. Like, Gruff is like head down,

straight to where you need to go. I'm going that way. But you do need to try and find this place because you don't know where it is, Gruff. Daisy, look at that short. That looks so... Do you want to give me... Come back, make a note.

I don't make a note. I'll make a note. Give me a... Give me a either survival or perception, I would allow. to try and... past any bakeries. Who? You may very well do it.

12. 12. It is going to take you some time. That's with a plus eight. It's going to take you some time. What if we ask some people along the way with that help? You certainly could try to, yeah. So you make your way out of the Ice Heart District.

It doesn't take you very long. You're actually quite close to the main gate leading into the district that connects to the coil. And you begin to explore this like circular ring road, but it's wide, it's full of shops on the other side, it is bustling. Sound things is whiny. Yeah, you do in fact, there are multiple like independent

little bakeries and like sweet shops, butchers, delis, you know, you find all these kinds of places. The coil seems to be more suited to the residents who live here, So it's like lots of food places, a little cafe. You actually go past a, you see quite a large Tooms & Co printing house store, which seems to be like a kind of chief branch. And that seems to sell like all the local things. There's the clarion for sale outside.

But it's mainly the coil is more about like the people that live here. There's also a lot of like residential townhouses. Sort of the front row of all the buildings, it's all like shops and cafes. and then behind them in the sort of narrow streets that sort of go behind, those all tend to be like, you know, quite tall, like three-floor townhouses, probably have like apartments or like, you know, places, tenement buildings, that sort of thing. So it's very, very busy and packed in, it's very, very tight. As you move out into the coil, it is very difficult not to take in that the centre of the city

is this gorgeous, you know, you see these ancient, beautiful, architectural buildings, you can see the academia and its great gleaming towers, you know, with domes and spires and ruins glittering across them. You know, it's like looking at like the, it's like looking at like Harvard, these beautiful like, you know, Oxford, these beautiful university buildings,

but on a grander scale, carved draconic statues and figurines, you see... She's hissing as he goes past. Yeah, you should have declared that to the guard that you were here to do a murder. I'm here for revenge. Yeah.

Just a little murder of. would catch glimpses of the cathedral basilica, which has this enormous, almost like, ossuary-type decoration at the top that simulates the sun and the moving around Althea, basically. And it's this, again, it's like looking at, you know, St. Peter's in the Vatican and stuff. It's this grand, gorgeous, you know, multi-tiered, multi-roomed thing.

And it rises up above all of these other houses like it's there. But above it all, floating in the sky above the center of the city, visible from anywhere you go, is the new imperial palace. It sort of rises up with a jagged, sort of rocky underbase. But you can see that bridges and platforms have been carved out of it that connect to these grand spires. and you see dragons flying up from the city to then go up into the palace. You see Griffin carriages flying up, you know, important people going about their business. It is a hub of activity, but it is the most grand, magical thing you have ever, ever, ever seen. But those of you who know your history know that below it, untouched, nobody is allowed to build on that site,

nobody is allowed to touch it. there is this carved out dome, which is where the previous Imperial Palace stood, which is where the Empress died. And above that, the new Imperial Palace floats. Traveling around through the coil gruff, you do not know where you're going, and you get lost, you try and ask people for directions,

but people are just going about their business. They're too busy, and you're a bit too awkward, and then you don't want to trouble anybody. But if somebody wanted to be a bit more forceful, and like kind of step in or like speak to a shop owner or something like that. We absolutely could. Vendiz, ask, ask someone, ask someone.

I'll ask someone in this bakery. You're really, you really, yeah. Where to go. Okay, ding-dong, hello. This bakery is called Buns of Fun. Buns of Fun, that is a wonderful name. Writing that down. Oh, God.

Funs. Hello, hello, hello, we are looking for. There is a very large, large, jolly man with the most enormous curly mustache. He is wearing like a chef's pettisserie hat. Hello. Hello, hi. Hello there, my friends.

Hello, welcome. We are new arrivals in Kelsgars and we are looking. Your new arrivals? Yes. Then you must have one of my sticky buns. I simply must. I mean, they're offering grafts. Well, they do need to be paid for.

Yeah, well, we are going to pay for them. So we were gonna get food anyway. So, um, great. Sticky buns, one for our silver piece each? Fantastic. Graff? Wait, no, I have seven silver. Oh, one, two, three, four.

Counts, Parsi, counts Ophelia, six, seven bricks. Seven silver pieces. And that is me. And Percy won't eat his, so I'll eat that one. That's true. You are more than welcome to it, Daisy. Yes. We are, thank you by the way.

Thank you. This smell of bread is just... It's bread, it's cinnamon, it's, it's, you know, spices, it's sugar, you kind of smell. I should be paid for this smell. There's a beautiful, it's like a French patisserie. It's like beautiful like glass cabinets. You see like cakes and eclares,

you see buns. On the back there's just rows of baguettes and loafs and you can feel the heat coming from the back kitchen where there is obviously an oven going and that beautiful smell of fresh, freshly baked bread. What are we doing, you cast me? Directions. As I said, we are looking for

Oh my god. Why this iron. Oh, okay. You're sticky bun, we'll get directions. Okay, we're looking for directions to, Gruff. The peach house in the coil. The peach house in the coil.

The peach house? The peach house. Hmm, you did buy my sticky buns. Yes, was that saying? Such house. I think that is school, maybe. I have heard, I think. Yes, I think I know roughly where it is.

It is closest to the brass bellows. Brash bellows is near close to that side. Probably, I think, yes, it was an old workshop, and it was, I remember, I remember, because the, yes, yes, yes, yes, the counselor for brass bellows funded to have it turned into orphanage and school. Yes, that's what it is.

But yes, I direct you to it, and this jolly man gives you directions in that vague, you know. Yes, you go this way, and then you turn down, then you want to look on the left-hand side, and it's behind the streets. It'll be around there somewhere. And if we're leaving Kelskirts, we've gone too far. Got it. Hello?

Is the gold piece. Can I have ten sticky buns? Yes? That's going to be all of my sticky buns. In this bag, please. Oh, I don't think thou fit. Oh. They will.

All right. Oh, it's a magic bag. All the sticky buns go. Magic bag. He's got the guy from Frozen, the U-hoo. He's got that energy. As soon as you said it, I was like, he's him. But yeah, by the way, the sticky buns are incredible.

It's like a thick, like, frosted glazing on the top. It's soft and moist and chewing. Ricks is holding, has got her smaller hand because still has the halberd and the gun in her main hands. But has the small hand, but you just see his like, like kind of like lick it, like, it's kind of like a beetle with like nibble at food. Statement, this is delicious.

Excellent. Gruff, what's wrong? You've barely touched your sticky bottle. Magic fact. Ribling. I'm actually dribbling. Are you going to finish that? Oh my God.

Because we can finish that. Have you heard of per chance? a place called Latte Fun in Ashenrest? No? Have you ever been to Ashen Rest? No? Would you... Are you interested in selling your wares in Ashen Rest?

Like shipping them to it? I suppose. I mean, the problem with baked goods is they don't last too long on the travel? That's right. I mean, I would be, but I don't think that they would last very long. Can you travel through a tree? No. Ah, oh well.

Okay, well... I don't have a magic bag. Oh, magic bag. We will... We will be back. You certainly are welcome if you're staying in Kelskaris, please come on by. Do you have any recommendations of nice places to stay in the coil?

Oh, nice places to stay in the coil. Well, a lot of travellers do come by this way. I mean, I'm looking, I mean, you've clearly got some gold and money, and you say, I imagine the path of ascension would be more suitable, but if you would like an inn on the coil. Or on Path of Ascension, I mean, I must say I'm not really familiar with too many of the inns here. Are there any houses we could rent for a few nights, maybe?

It's not really my place to say. You want to probably, there will be, I mean, you'd probably have to head to the sort of central chambers for something like that to see if there are apartments to rent and things like that. But keep your eyes out. I'm sure you'll find some nice places. I can't recommend one. Okay, fair enough. Okay. What is this? Lack of information.

Give us one set of directions. Well, he's in the wrong district. We did buy your sticky button. We bought your sticky button. So it might be that I haven't come up with the name of an end because I might have expected you to stay somewhere else. It's fine. I've got an idea of Kalscarus in my head.

We arrived at Frost Hill and then it's brass. And then it's Erdas Kier. Nightwalk? Night walk. All of the districts have their own name. Then it's something, then Goldwatch. and Goldwatch, what's the something? And then where's this our stage?

Oh no, Volt Watch is after Night Walk. And then Storm Arch is after Volt Watch. And you have the path of ascension. How many segments are there? Districts. Four, five, six. Seven districts. And then the path of ascension is between

Miss River and Storm Arch in the city gates. You know what? I'm just gonna delete this. I'm gonna buy a map. Okay, I don't have them here. Oh, that's okay. That's okay. We'll find some, it's fine.

Thank you for all your help and... Gustavo is always happy to serve his sticky buns. Okay, thank you very much. And have a nice day. Thumbs up, okay. All right. I know that one. There you go.

There you go. With, I got us some food. With those directions. Gruff, you take off. Impatient with these shenanigans. I've been outside the door for the last five minutes. This is not shenan... We're getting directions.

We got you directions. And fruit. This is you exact opposite of shenanigans. Make your way. And, yeah, drawing closer to the Brassbellers district, where you can see the bronze dragons, their love of magic and curiosity, you begin to see more bookshops, scribes, academic supplies, alchemy shops, all that kind of thing,

begin to make their way. But you don't necessarily go into Brass Bellas. You stay on the coil and sort of connect to the back streets sort of in between the districts. or in between sort of where the coil and the districts are. And, yeah, following the directions, you make your way into some back streets. And you, yeah, this is definitely more residential and maybe not necessarily poor, but definitely not a wealthy area. You see that, like, it's very pleasant.

People are, like, hanging washing out of their windows. You know, it's very tightly near, and it looks like there are many apartments that the washing lines are kind of stretched across, and neighbors kind of share that between each other. You maybe see a couple of kids carrying a leather, shaped ball with like spikes on it to look like a dragon's egg and it's kind of tatty and they're sort of ha ha ha and they're like throwing it to each other and sort of running around until you eventually come into a sort of wider open room would have once maybe been a marketplace and there is a very

large building once would have been a workshop or an artisan workshop but it's been converted into a beautiful home sort of a split building you know the workshop and then a sort of you know little townhouse home. And you see that there is a sign has just a peach with maybe like a little starburst behind it kind of thing. And it just says the peach house.

And you can hear the sounds of children inside, like, you know, shouting, hollering, laughing, that sort of thing. And yeah, that's, you arrive at your destination. Ghorraf, do you think that maybe this is the wrong suggestion? Because why are their children? Well, I'm a bit baffled myself.

I expected something a bit more like, I thought it would be headquarters or something. Yeah. What was the name of your, the person who hits me? Sephora Ring Forge and. Right. Well, that explains it's a workshop. It is like you can kind of step in.

Maybe he's in that bit and it just happens to be connected. Could be. You don't have to accompany me. You want to go shopping and know that. No, no, we're going to come with you. You didn't come with me last time. But no, please don't feel like you have to accompany me here. I'm just going to...

Statement, I am body... Datsy's crying. Statement, Daisy is crying. Daisy's always crying. No, that's not true. Daisy's always sleeping. Oh, sorry, you're the one who's always crying. No, I'm always whining.

Rowan's always crying. That is actually true. Statement, I am bodyguard. I must come with friend Griffith. Oh, I actually imagined you'd be more bodyguard and Zanthius. What? That's secure it, too. Friend Gruff is the one that hired Fricks.

Rob, would you like us to wait outside or would you like us to come with you? Just... They are very loud in there. I'm quite loud. Please don't embarrass me. Oh, I never embarrass you. I'm not going to say it. Would you like a rock in this trying time?

Oh, I've got the rock that you gave me. Yeah. On the first day that we met. Oh, good. I did, too. That's good. Also... You didn't keep yours.

I didn't keep ruined. I mean... What? I don't own rocks. Good point. Kim? This was going to say something? I was going to say Gruff's the one that embarrasses us.

I saw Groff dancing the other day and it was rough. It was all headmerews. movements, so it was like the body wasn't doing anything. It was crazy. Were you spying on Graff in Gruff's private time? Also, when was, yeah, is this canon? I don't know, I'm just saying things. Yeah, he's just feeling silence.

I was hoping for a yes and, but all I got was a no shut up. Well, it's like, I just don't remember gruff dancing at any point. There's a lot of off time. Well, I guess so. It's got no time for dance. He only knows work. Oh, right, okay. Well, if you want us to go in, we can stand very quietly.

We've just done quiet. We have. We were very good at it. Very practiced. Right, okay, I'll go out to the door. Yeah, so there's, it looks like there are two doors. There's the door that goes into sort of the townhouse section, and then there is a side door that goes into the workshop area. Or what, you know, could have once been a workshop area.

Probably that bit. Sure. Probably more comfortable, the more, I guess, professional looking. So you go up to the door to the workshop area. You open it, and you open it. and it is not a workshop. In fact, what you see is a classroom. Series of desks, a bunch of kids sort of like turn suddenly

like to look at you in surprise. But you see that sort of at the door, at the sort of head of the classroom, is a very old-looking dwarf. White hair, sort of puffed out, a little bit Albert Einstein-y, but then the beard is like very neatly, primed, braided, beautiful ornaments.

There is Earth-Skin. sort of poking out quite jagged chunks, not really worked out of the side, most of the side of his left side of his face, right side of his face, sorry. And you see that like two of his whole fingers have like completely turned to probably iron. And you can see that there is a cane

as he very stiffly has, what you imagine is a completely iron leg on his right side. It looks like most of his right side is being transformed currently. And kids turn around like, huh? and then you're just sort of stood there and you hear the dwarf be like,

ah, oh, oh, yes, well, listen, all right, everyone, you've got your assignments, you've got your work today, I want you to read through chapters four and five of the history of the empire, this is actually a guest of mine, I'm going to go have a private conversation with him, when I come back, I expect the reading to be done, and you just hear a sort of like, yes, Professor, and the kids all sort of begin to do their work.

And you see the dwarf sort of cycle, one minute, hobbles his way over, like, comes over and it's like, well, let's just shut the door. I'm sorry for interrupting. No. No. No, no, it's right. You must be gruffet of tremor.

Pleasure, bold boy, pleasure, pleasure, pleasure, pleasure. So, well, formerly, professor fordering fordhammer. But now, I guess, just so. Well, I guess, sir, fordering forgehammer. I'm still not quite used to the night thing. Oh, sorry, who's a forgehammer? a forehand. Forge hand, yes.

Sorry. Forge's hand. Oh, right. So, oh. Used a hammer. Used a hand. Professor and now a knight. Yes, yes.

Former professor of the academia. Professor of history and metallurgy. Do you know, no. Do you know what, Brockton? His eyes keep narrow at any time the academic that can't like to do. But you must be Knight Aaron,

Gruffeth. I was told to expect you by Sir Joran and Dame Norichelle Ah yes I've had the pleasure of their company so far And they set two of my tasks Yes, yes, I've been, oh, don't worry my boy I've been told all about them, told all about them Yes, quite an extensive report from Sir Joran and Dame Norichelle

No, you've been quite the talk of the order Oh, really? The talk of the order, my boy, quite the talk of the order, yes I didn't really know when to expect you and I realize that, gosh, we don't have any sort of system to let me know that you were coming or anything, but I tell you what, it's fortunate that you've come now because it's very, very fortunate indeed.

Oh, okay, right. Good chatter about me. Yes, oh, yes, oh yes, brave, bold, strong of body, strong of mind, defeated champions of evil, purged the land of corruption. And flicked through the big, you know, I'd be taking about all of gruffes, accomplishments. Are these your companions?

Oh, yes. This is Daisy Thessalat. Hi. Pleasure to meet you young. Pleasure to meet you young, sir. This is Xanthius. My dear boy, pleasure, pleasure, pleasure. Lovely to meet you, sir. Zanthius, I think, like, your gold dragon sense, like, he's reaching the stage where so much of his body is iron that you're actually almost getting a value.

Like, you're almost like, you know, you're going to sell this guy. Well, it's getting to that point right where he's really succumbing to the earth. I'm really testing my don't embarrass yourself, Samson. Lovely to meet you. I can't wait to sell you. But he sort of shakes your hand, goes around. Oh, hello. This is Rowan Rowan.

Rowan. Nice to meet you, Rowan. This is a good one. And this is Cicerofilia delorosa. Delighted pleasure. Pleasure. It sort of shakes his hand dress. What about you, my dear fellow, looks at Percy.

Oh, this is Percy. a sister of failure's assistant. Yes, a skeletal hand comes out. Oh, my goodness. I think you've lost a bit of skin on them. I'm not a whole. He's sort of like nudges. No, I'm very familiar with the, I mean,

the House of Blood is an Ossian, I believe. Yes, yes, yes, yes. And you have your servants. Yes, we do. And so, well, it's not a pleasure. And, my goodness, a dynastian. Hello there. Oh, sorry, a pleasured greeting.

Nice to meet. you. Pleasured greeting. Frick's reforged. This one communicates well. Yes. I thought that would be rude if we did that. No, I do not know how to read your strange flesh face. Yeah, we do have strange flesh face. I do not know what emotions you feel. Stop having such a strange flesh face. Sorry, I wish I was more like Percy. Yeah, yeah. Well, pleasure to meet you. Would you care for some tea or something? Oh, that would go great with a sticky button. Oh, sticky bun. You want a sticky bun? I would love a sticky bun.

Well, I've got a sticky bun. Oh, I haven't eaten mine. You can have mine. Oh, no, you should eat yours. Come on. You need to keep your energy up, young man. Right, on we go. And he sort of leads you into the townhouse bit.

Sort of takes a key out of his pocket, unlocks it, steps in. And you see that this is, you know, downstairs is kind of like a living space. There's an attached kitchen. And then stairs that lead up. There's maybe like a closed door which has a plaque on it, which is, I would say Sir Fordring's room on it or something like that. Sir Fordring's study, I think. But then the stairs go up, and judging by, like, the outside,

you imagine that there's just lots of bedrooms, basically, on the next two floors. But he sort of, like, leads you into the living space, goes over to the kitchen. And you can see that he's definitely, like, struggling with, like, his metal fingers, but he's kind of adapted and, you know, probably uses a little bit of magic to, like, mage hand a pot of tea and sort of pours it out

and gets everything brewed and ready. In fact, actually, he would also conjure an unseen servant. You see him cast a spell, and he's just like, tea, tea, prepare tea, and the sort of ghostly apparition sort of moves everything over. He sits you down his end, right, well, tea and sticky ban. It was a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Hopefully the students will do their reading, even if they don't do it. I was going to say, as we're moving away, can Rowan glance back at the classroom.

Well, he shut the door behind him, so, like, actually, like you... No, no, no, no. It's like an old workshop. As the teacher gets further away. Well, I think actually it does end. I think that these guys actually seem to be pretty well behaved. These ones do. Well.

Oh, no. So, Grufford. Knight-errant Gruffeth. As I said, I've heard all about you from Dame Norah Kell. You traveled into Ash Hills, was it? put a stop to a cult of sovereign crown steel, helped redeem fallen knight. Oh, yes, Sir Elchik.

And then with Sir Joran, travelled across the waves to defeat two champions, two monsters who threatened the lives of civilians all across the Suncrest Isles, dived beneath the waves to stop a terrible evil. very impressive stuff. Stuff of knights, stuff of heroes.

How do you think you've done? Oh, I think I've done well. My companions here have, you know, helped me greatly, like I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without them. Oh, we all have, you know, part of being a knight is knowing to pick your companions and, you know, very few knights

accomplish their great deeds alone. I mean, Sir Isabel had, you know, had her companions, and everything else. So you think you've done well? I think I've done my duty. And what of the tenants? Oh, I think about them every day.

Good. You know, especially that first one about protecting the meek and firm and vulnerable. I think that there is no doubt that you've certainly accomplished that. I think I'd like to think that I've brought hope and comfort to those in need.

Especially to the villages that were affected by the... Most certainly. The champions of Oaxanya. Most certainly. What about the third, attendant? Well, I mean, I've tried to pass on the wisdom of age. But a lot of people don't really... Listen, Gruff is desperately avoiding the glances and these.

Why fucking me? Well, you know, I was a professor at the academia before I became a knight, and now I find myself returning to teaching once again. Unfortunately, Kelskiris is a lot of orphans, a lot of displaced children. Also, sometimes children who just don't fit in in their home districts, or perhaps in their homelands who get sent here. You know, it was always hardest teaching the elders, the elder ones, the elder students,

because they think they know everything. It's very hard to mould their minds once people get to talk. for a certain age. Very difficult to teach them. But the young, much easier. Not always easy, but easier. I think you have proven without a doubt that you are a brave, capable warrior

who does the right thing, brings hope to those that is the hopeless. But it is that third tenant that I feel you need to be tested on. So I do have something a little different. As I said, you've come at a very good time, Griffith. Now, are we all finished our tea and sticky bun? Mm-hmm.

Excellent. We're going on a little trip. Oh, I'm a bit nervous, so, no, wait, I haven't. Okay, I'll save that for later. We're going to go on a little trip. Come on, come with me. Oh, okay. Okay.

And it takes you out. As this conversation keeps going on, Gros' face is getting more and more worried and concerned. His eyebrow has gone up. It has not gone down. takes you out, leads you back behind the Peach House, down a couple of streets, and into what is effectively a sort of wide, it's not really a park, it's like a dirt, sort of, you know, field, you know, very small, not a big field, but like a dirt. I think I know what's going to happen.

And you see, you're going to write a book. You see that this dirt field, two crude sort of sticks with hoops like circle like sort of hoops have been placed at either end and there is a gaggle of about 11 14 to 16 year olds and they're sort of like kicking kicking dirt and sort of like swinging their legs

and surfordering it's like what you're supposed to be practicing you lot come on it's not long until the first game and they're just like and they sort of like begin muttering and he's like Well, no, now I know you're all a bit disartened after Coach Hammerstone quit. But don't worry, I've got you a new coach. And he sort of looks at you.

All right, everyone, this is knight-errant Gruffeth of Trey Morrow, Gruffeth. This is the Ascension Alleycats. They are a team of Hatchball, a Hatchball junior team. And I would like you to help them. Me. Yes? I'd like you to help them. They've got three games left in the current season.

They have to win at least one to make it into the final exhibition day on founding day. The Empress's founding day. It means a lot to them. They don't have a lot. A lot of them are orphans. Some of them are shy, awkward children. But this sport, this game has brought them all together. And there's a chance that if they don't make it to the exhibition, They won't be able to play next year. I would like you to take over as coach,

and then I will speak to you after that exhibition day. And I'll make my decision after then. That's my test to you. Do I have to fight someone? No, no. You have to... You are the coach. You don't play.

You don't get involved. You teach them. Help them win. I'll win. I protect them. No. They're meek and vulnerable and firm. Right, everyone, gather around, come and meet your coach.

And you see... The Fordering will go up to the children, but gives you a minute to chat with Gruff. Gruff, you need to stand tall. They're looking very concerned right now, scared. I think they need a leader. Close your mouth. Close your mouth. Lower that eyebrow.

No, that's angry. That's angry. Don't look angry. But that's... But that's perplexed. Not like that. Toothy. Toothy.

Like you're leading us, talk to these kids. I don't know the first thing about children. I'm terrible with children. Think about it like battle tactics, like you're telling us how to fight, but it's them. You don't listen to me. I sometimes do. Say it like you mean it.

First rule of children, don't treat them like children. Treat them like you would treat Xanthias if he was misbehaving. Yeah, well, no, because that's sometimes cruel. Um, okay. Um, you see you need to, sir, Fordering is like bringing them over. I don't know the first thing about sports. There is a gaggle.

We'll learn. We'll learn. Teenagers. They are 14 to 16 years old. And they are looking at. Cool kids. So Fordering introduces them one at a time. He points to a tiny halfling girl. She's got like Wendy's style like red braids,

freckles across her cheeks. And she has just got like the dirtiest, angriest look. She's wearing, like, little overalls that are, like, completely stained and torn, like bruised knees, big, heavy boots. And he points with, this is Pippa. Show hello, Pippa.

Hi, how you doing? You're our new coach. You better be good. And she just stares daggers at you. Every time, gruff over, grozum, cough, gau. He points to a quite retunned, um, dwarven boy. You can see that his earth skin hasn't even started coming through yet.

He has, like, neat hair kind of, like, tied back. This is Guntrum. Guntrum, say hello. He sort of just nods awkwardly at you. Beron, and a quite tall boy, you know, you definitely can tell this as a young yacht near. But he hunches, so he doesn't look as tall as he could. He's kind of, like, holding his arms around him.

he's hunched really small, doesn't say anything, but sort of like nods at you. You can see, and it is also a fire yacht near. So actually their hair like flickers like flames a little bit. They've got very reddish skin, things like that. Oh, yes, this is, well, we call them poorly, and you see a young goblin that has, like, brown hair. You have no idea if it's a boy or a girl.

They just, like, look at you with big, wide yellow eyes. and they say something in Goblin. I know Goblin. Oh, you speak... How do you... We've been through this. We have actually been through this. I don't know why you would speak Goblin.

There was a Goblin merchant in Tramoru. There you go. Very rare, but you do speak Goblin. And yeah, says in Goblin... Fuck, I forgot that you speak Goblin. The whole thing was going to be that you don't know. They'd speak very broken common. Unfortunately, they don't speak Goblin either.

I think actually, okay, so they wouldn't know... They don't know that you speak Goblins, so they speak in Broken Common initially. And they just look at you and go like, Polly Love Hatchball. That's all they say. They points next at a young Suncrest Isles dragon-born boy with brass,

dragon-born traits, with little horns and a little flickering ruin in the middle of them, like the bronze dragons. This is Emil, and he just sort of is like, hello, nice to meet you. Tristan, a human boy. You can see where's like a necklace of the Saints and Sions.

Sions be with you, Coach, and seems to be very polite and sort of like... These are nice kids. These are nice kids. Some of them are. Some of them are. Pippa went to bite me. The next one points along.

You see the most like flamboyant cauldron boy wearing beautiful like reds like the latest fashions like long flicked sort of like blonde hair. He's like, this is Davian. Yes, Davian.

A pleasure, coach. And it's like examining his nails and sort of just like, you know. Like, you see, like, peppery. It's an asshole. Yeah. What's that? Who's this jerk ward?

Literally, that kind of vibe, right? This is Athana, and you see a half elf girl. she is like dressed in like all black like the hair is pulled over hey very gothic venora this is a dwarf girl but you can see that she's basically wearing like a mask

and like a heavy scarf around her face and doesn't say anything but just sort of like nods in your direction and is very like awkwardly like looking around her and stuff Oh yes This is Hawkins The most like confident Cat Wild Heart Boy So like a little Mikote

Like where the ears He's actually wearing like a uniform Like a hatchball uniform And he's kind of like very cockily stood there He's just like I hope you're better than the last guy Gruff Because these guys are a bunch of losers

When it comes to hatchball But luckily you've got me And just sort of like Kind of throws the ball up in the air and catches it. Very, like, very, very confident. I think that he also is, like, he probably thumbs Emil and Tristan,

the sort of more gentle-looking boys, especially with these two. Like, he's, like, really quite negative towards them in general. And then finally, we have our archkeeper, Barnabas. And you see a bear wild-hot, but not a human bear-wild heart, like a bear man.

But he's a bear boy. and he's very big. He's very retunned, quite overweight for his age, but he's like, he's just very awkward, and he's like, awkward, and you can tell that he's not healthy in the slightest. Like, he's probably out of breath

from walking over to talk to you. But he's a bear boy. You know, he's like the littlest bear out of the three bears, but it's just like blown up, basically. You could say the biggest bear from the back. Yeah, exactly, yeah. This is your team, and that's where we're going to end today's session. Okay.

Now, as a little thing before we quit on this, one thing that I would like to do, and I'll have to ask Reid this separately, but I would like the other players at the table, would you like to pick a player? Because I would like to have you play. How many? How many? Did you? 11.

11. But you guys will play, like... We can't play, like, two each. You could do, but I think, like, focus on one, and then I'll sort of jump in, because, like, some of them are quite quiet and stuff like that, but if you would like to... Because I do want to have it that, like,

if we're doing a lot with Gruff, like, training these guys, like, to keep you guys involved, I want you guys to play some of them. Absolutely, 100%. So, is there anyone that speaks to any of you in particular? Oh, we can discuss it. I can give you the links. I've got two ends.

Yeah, sure. I like to pick. all of them. It's either Barnabas or Davian. Yes, I mean, Davian's very lus coded. Yeah, and I could tap into that

quite easily. But also you could swap it up, right? That's true. I'm leaning emo girl or... Yeah, I wonder. Goblin. Oh, holy, golly. I thought you were going to say PIPPA.

Yeah, I think I was going to say PIPA. Okay. Well, once you've decided... Yeah, I need to... All right, we can tell you about, yeah, I'll do the list. because I need to get it from re anyway. But the idea will be that, yeah, the idea of this

is that we will be jumping, sort of like, we'll be doing some stuff with Gruff, like basically like practice and then maybe a match, and then there'll be several days before the next one. So that will be like our chance do stuff with Ophelia, stuff with like Zan, do bits of pieces. So it's going to be something that we jump back and forward to. But also every day, you will have to set out Graph.

You're going to have to come up with like... My three point. How many days are you training? What's the goal of each training session I want you to think? about like what you're teaching them, everything else. First of all, I need to learn the game. The game is very simple. It is basically a mixture between rugby and football.

It is a major of those. I know those. It's pretty simple. You have the archkeeper who's the goalie. You have five defenders and five strikers. The defenders can't go into the other half of the pitch. The strikers can. Same on the other team.

And the idea is that basically you throw the hatchball through the gate, basically. And that scores a point. you are allowed to tackle but not like injure so it's like proper like grappling tackle get the ball things like interceptions like if the ball is on the ground and somebody picks it up it's kind of you then carry on with it on your team.

Pass the ball forward? Yes you can pass the ball forward and all that. Is there an offside rule? I don't know. The defenders can't cross the other side's like that's the offside rule. And when does a tiny little glittering thing fly onto the matter? Never because that's a really shit.

That's a really shit rule of a shit writer of a terrible writer who doesn't understand how sports were. But yes. But yeah, hatchball, very, very simple game. Get wrecked. Fictional sports. Yeah, get wrecked.

Turf bitch. Anyway, is that how you really feel? No, no, no, no, no. Moving on. Moving on, that is going to be hatchball. And that is your team, the Ascension Alley Cats, as they technically represent the path of ascension, not the choir.

Right. and yeah, they will be facing off. There is a team for each district, which will be determined on how good they are. You've certainly got some characters in there that you're going to have to deal with. Real characters. I should also make it clear,

they've given them all traits, but they all have elements to them. They have reasons as a way that they are. How do I teach these kids? How do I get through to them? Also, this is Kelskaris. You're in Kelskaris. We did it.

Awesome, yeah. Well, we are going to bring the episode to an end here. It is a shorter episode, which is why we didn't do a break, everybody. Well, bumper episode in one part. Yes, bumper episode, one part, basically. So we are, that is the end of the episode, and we will see you next time. Oh, so exciting to being Kelskogers, I love it. Take care, everybody. We'll see you next time.

Bye-bye. See ya. See ya. Hi, I'm Simon. I'm Gie, and I'm Boof. Have you heard about Pickax's hit new old movie podcast? Yom! We each have a list of six films we want to share. Every week, we roll a dice to randomly pick which one we watch and discuss.

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