High Rollers DnD - River of Stars (Part 1) | Altheya: The Dragon Empire #61

Episode Date: April 29, 2025

The team has some hard questions and startling revelations about Xantheus! _______________ Boost your Charisma with some HR merch! ⁠https://highrollersdnd.teemill.com/⁠ Add official High Rollers Minis to your TTRPG collection here: ⁠https://only-games.co/collections/high-rollers⁠ Bless your table with the Clever Toad Dice Set: ⁠https://dispeldice.com/collections/high-rollers⁠ Enhance your bath time experience with the official Altheya themed DiceBombs at ⁠https://geekyclean.com/⁠! Check out ⁠https://www.highrollersdnd.com/⁠ for all the latest HR News! Love the podcast? Give us a glittering 5 star review! ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/high-rollers-dnd/id1401508198?see-all=reviews⁠ Support the High Rollers on Patreon and get early access to Podcast episodes, vods and more: ⁠www.patreon.com/HighRollers⁠ Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound, TCT Adventures (Solasta: Crown of the Magisters), Monument Studios and Jolene Khor! Check out Jolene Khor and all her wonderful work on High Rollers on Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/artist/1WX3ICiTmf4GpHwImnQMs6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey folks, Mark here and I wanted to do a little podcast shout out for anyone looking for more funny D&D adventures. I've been listening to Tales from the Stinky Dragon recently and wanted to recommend it. It's a show full of humour and heart with five amazing writers, comedians and voice actors like Gus Cirola from Red vs. Blue and Barbara Dunkelman from RWBY, and it's very accessible for folks even if they aren't D&D experts. I love their immersive sound design and original score,

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cheaper. www.fanatical.com slash pickaxe. Kaia's Prophecy is awesome, it's out now, I love it and you should check it out. Do you like cards? Do you like battling? Do you like games on Steam made by Yorick's cast of friendly people? You should check out Chai's Prophecy. It's available now. www.fanatical.com slash pickaxe. Welcome back to Arthaea, the Dragon Empire. The heroes of Ashen's Rest have escaped the proto-Majai vault known as the Prism. Though perhaps not in the way they had hoped or intended.

With Xanthius' unconscious, uncons... Unconscious, no you're right, carry on. With Xanthius' unconscious, following the events... No, it's unconscious. With Vermillion Oxenine, the party travelled through the Rustwell Woods but find their progress far easier than expected. The stroke of good luck reveals itself to be a pair of former fey beings, who were grateful for the party destroying the vault and provided them safe passage and rest. In this serene place, the party discussed recent events and the fate of their future.

Lady Silvilia also used her magic to heal Squire Pascal of the madness suffered under the Galowak. As the party continues this journey, they identify the various treasures they recovered from the vault and have many important decisions to make ahead of them. And that is where we are going to pick back up today. Hell yeah.

I believe that we had, there had been a decision made. Gruff had been offered two nature spirits to act as sort of, well, referred to as squires, but sort of nature spirits to accompany you. And you chose Leo, a hare spirit, who will be bound to your sanctuary once you can return to Ashen Rests.

No powers or benefits until the spirit is in the sanctuary back in Ashen's Rest, basically. Yes. Ashen. Can we talk to him before we get back? This is your last chance to do so. Just one. As once the power is, there will be a mechanical way for Leo to be summoned, but Leo will not be present

all the time, this is not like a, this isn't Pikachu riding around on a shoulder. How dare you? What? Yeah, this is a, I'm out. Oby Plus summoned. Hell.

I quit, bye. Yeah. God damn it. To be honest though, I'm kind of running out out. I quit. I quit. I quit. Bye. God damn it. To be honest though, I'm kind of running out of shoulders to put animals. Things on, yeah. I know that one's dead for now.

Just really quick though, Rhi is on the knife edge of laughing at a joke and I need to know what it is. No, it's my stupid spelling. I wrote gruff as a hair spirit in my notebook but I wrote the wrong kind of hair. Okay, okay, yeah. He's covered in hair. I'm covered, yeah. He's covered in hair.

I need to cover it in hair. He's very hairy. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know, he's an idiot. He's rather the hair spirit. But I believe we wrapped things up with Xanthus identifying the last of the magic items.

Yeah, I did. Which included a bizarre, something called a mutagenic adapter, which allows you to increase one stat at the cost of another with limited uses. For each stat, basically. Basically, yes. They're all sort of on the chain.

Yeah, Daisy's currently holding it. It's mine. But it's all like, strength will affect intelligence and vice versa. So if you increase your intelligence, your strength goes down. If you increase your strength, your intelligence goes down. Dex and Wisdom and then con and charisma are all paired up.

It's a color biro pen. Yeah. Yeah. Which I very much was aware of as I designed this item, I was like, they will liken it to a multicolored clicky pen, which if you're of a certain age in the UK. It did take all of about five seconds. Yes.

Yeah. Is it, can we do the thing like you did where you try and put two colors down at the same time and like jam it. You can certainly try. Might break it. And then you become the thing. From Jumpcom.

Rarrr! Brrrr! Rarrr! Yeah, we got a ton of loot out of this. Yes. Now some of that loot I should point out as well is, and we've sort of, we've touched on this in the past, such as the Necrotic Wood

that you guys got from the Haunted Tree and turned into the Black Heart for Percival. Some of these items are what I've called as like resources or reagents, so they might not have, you know, you can sell them, they'll have a value if you go and find somebody who buys that sort of thing, a mage or, you know, a trader who's interested in those kind of items, they'll have an intrinsic value. But if you wish, they may also be able to be used to turn into more customized magic items of something of your own design. Or at least, I would like to take this ephreet gauntlet and make a cool magic arm, and I'll be like,

cool, we can come up with a cool thing, it will do some sort of fire spell, or give you some sort of fire power. There's also an essence as well, right? To infuse something, wasn't it? Yes, so that's basically what some of these things are. So for example, the Afrique Gauntlet is a magic fire essence item, basically.

And what that means is you can design a magic item that has some sort of fire-based property. I see. And you can use that as the key component for that item, basically. Or you can just sell it. That is always an option as well. Now certain, some of these reagents,

like the Luxen Shards that we found for Daisy, Luxen is a very rare material from the Celestial Rums, from the Lucent Peaks, and it is normally used by Celestial Smiths and Siege Engine designers and mages in their stuff. You will need to find somebody who is knowledgeable of that art or that craft in order to use it in that way. So some of them might have prerequisites

and requirements to use. Okay, neat. But we do find ourselves in another one of these serene groves as you are resting for the second night. Perhaps only a few more hours, you know, a few more hours travel through the Rustwell Woods and you will be back at Colvell, the village that you left from many days ago now,

like nearly, nearly a week ago, as the amount of journeying you've been doing throughout the Rustwell Woods. But you do have one more sort of evening, if you will, in this very serene, very protected, very clearly you are safe here. None of the dangers of the Rustwale Woods, none of the foreign creatures or monsters

that you've all heard of will threaten you in this place. Whatever magic Lady Silvilia and Sir Vulpe offer seems to be a pretty powerful enough protection to ensure that you have good rest. With plenty of natural food, you don't need to worry about rations or anything in this place either. Fit?

Yes, that's the thing we roll. Yes. I get so wrapped up in my narrative description. Okay, watch this draw. You wanna start us off? I rolled a one. Ooh, dice for me. A dice for you.

Another dice for me, a two from Katie. Uno. Uno, another dice for me. I got a five. Yay. Cinco. Cinco. Oh, quattro.

And then four, moi. A five! We're even Stevens. I think this is exactly the same as last time. No, it was a tip way worse. Yeah, it was very... It did eventually, I think it started off this way. The last time I meant was the last time

that this exact thing happened. Yeah. Okay. Oh, yeah. Of course. Of course. But yeah, so this is an opportunity, if there is anything you would like to discuss or do or...

At some point, Rowan is going to unsubtly say to everyone but Xanthias. How unsubtle? Unsubtle. I think we should speak to Xanthius. How unsubtle. Unsubtle. I think we should speak to Xanthius about what we discussed while he was unconscious. Xanthius, hi.

Rowan wants to speak. Hi. I heard, yes. Hi, Xanthius. Yeah, I... Did you hear that? While I was unconscious, you had a conversation? I had to, do I need to make it?

When do you actually start this conversation? Am I rolling there? You know what, I'm leaving this one in you guys' hands. Are we roleplaying? Are we roleplaying right now? We're rolling. Okay. I was joking.

I think it's funny if Rowan. Okay. Right here, Rowan. You had a conversation while I was unconscious. Because we were worried about you. Yeah, we were worried. You were very unconscious. Oh, were worried about you. Yeah, we were worried. You were very unconscious, Cynthia. Oh, a conversation about me?

Yes. Yeah, you were. Lots of things happened, okay? Well, I heard. I spoke to Gruff a little bit about what happened in the vault. It was scary. It was scary for me, too.

I thought I was going to, you know. Die. Snuff it. Yes, snuff it. I suppose it's not... Be unalived. Yeah, I thought I unalived. Be life-adjacent. Yeah, I thought I dared D-X-X-D'd. I thought I... Underscore, underscore.

Sorry, is this not a new term? It's a relatively new term, I'm not sure I'm on board with it. OK. I'll add it to my list. Okay, add yeet and dab on the last two. Okay, I'll write it. While you're at it, skibbity my sigma, Riz Lord. Tom, this is my first warning. First warning.

Well, you're gonna get put a time out. But also, you need to get up on the lingo, grandad. That is not my first warning. Is your first warning first? Today. It's like my fifth. I don't know about today though. Almost got killed because you said it so much.

I watched that clip a lot. Yeah. It wasn't a one shot, it's fine. No, this isn't a one shot. I don't think it's as empty as... He's already fanned up as it is. Would be pretty funny if the wiki said Dead to Riz though.

No, we will never. Crispy will never write that. Yeah. Crispy will just close down the page for Xanthias. Okay. Sorry, what were we talking about? I had to tell you.

You almost died. I don't know. I was talking about you and... Yes, yeah. So we'll just take a minute. Groth caught me up on some of the things that happened. What do you want me to say? I think I know basically everything that occurred.

I know about obviously poor Percival saving us from escaping that place. The entire thing collapsing. A big white light. It came from...me? Yeah, that bit. We're worried. If it helps, I don't know what that was.

That doesn't help. Well, no, it doesn't. I know, but... But we want... I want to make it clear... Okay. ...that we're all here for you, Xanthius. Don't assume that this situation, where we almost didn't make it out

because of a big blinding light that came from yourself... Mm-hmm....is going to drive us away. Okay, I... We just wanna come up with a new plan. A new plan, I mean we can... Because we need to do that and then also... I'm just gonna do a case at this! I'm gonna give him a hug.

Okay, I'm gonna... You're out of time. Oh, no, okay, all of us, everyone's in, great. I cast my large. Does everyone get in on that? I don't know. Does everyone get in on that? I guess so, if we're all going in.

Every time this happens, Groff does join in, but he's very like, pat, pat. Just a pat, yeah. A manly pat. There's Ophelia. That's probably mostly... Well, that's the thing is like, Ophelia in the past has expressed perhaps a little bit of worry

and not maybe fear, but you know, there's definitely perhaps not as loving as easily understanding as Rowan and Daisy appear to be. Yeah, it's probably mostly Daisy and Rowan. I'll be honest, Stantius, I am a little apprehensive. I'm, like, trying to lean through Daisy's hair and... I just want to make my feelings clear that what happened back there was terrifying.

Oh, it was terrifying. And this is the first time it scared me. I... When was the last time? I probably know when it was terrifying for me too. And this is the first time you scared me. I... When was the last time? I probably know when it was. During the, um, Reclaimers situation. Oh, no, that makes sense. Um, I... I know it's not your fault, I know it's not something you can control, but...

Xanthias, I'm terrified. What if we're in the middle of a village or something and it goes off, you know, by association, knowing that something like that could happen, it could start a war between Osseous and Elmera. Ah! To subsideus, no. I don't...

He has the... The thing, the thing. He might do. There was no, the sneak thing that he put on me, the charm, that was invisible, wasn't it? Yeah. Okay. Well, invisible to naked eye.

I feel like we should stop hugging him now, it's kind of a bit awkward now. I'm trying to have a conversation. Sorry. Well, no, because I imagine Daisy only comes up to about here on Xanthias and then Rowan's too big, so you're like, head in the middle. Yeah.

I'm just passing. It's like a totem pole. I just want to be honest. I don't want to say that everything's going to be okay because we're all together. Like, there might be a situation where it might not be okay. because we're all together. Like, there might be a situation where it might not be okay. And I think learning to perhaps find a way

of controlling this might be more important at the minute than trying to figure out how we solve it. Daisy, you would hear in your head Nim's voice. It is rare that I agree with the follower of the Great Father, but I do agree with Sister Ophelia. But... Whatever this was, whatever that power was, there was something... divine about it.

But this power, if it is unchecked, could be dangerous. What kind of a person would we need to see, to work out what it is, if it's divine? If that, if what happened was from Xanthius and this crown steel, and occurred when a creature of that nature tried to take it out. I'm not really sure who or what could remove it. This is- Is there anyone we should avoid

going to see? I don't think obsidious is gonna be very understanding, and I don't know, I don't think obsidiasis can be very understanding and I don't know I don't I don't think the fae are ones to approach and those are the kind of the most powerful people that we know right now. I think whatever I think whatever it... Whatever is the case...

I don't think there will be an easy answer, or certainly not a quick one. It will likely take research, but... So much of my knowledge is limited. I... I do not know much beyond what my role in the war was. But if there is a place to find it, it will be here. The material plane is where the essences of all the realms gather. If there is a solution, it will either be here or in the hands of one of the greater planar powers. Daisy will just go, research!

What? What do you mean research? We should research. We've been mean research? We should research. Within researching, this is all research. Yeah, but it's new though, it's new. Because that's not happened before, so there's a new thing. There is one idea. But, and for the first time in a long time, Daisy,

you get the sense that Nim doesn't want to tell you the answer. Almost like a subconscious thought. They think it without realizing what they're saying, and then they stop. They stop themselves. Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?

Who is it? Who is it? Who is it? You can't go quiet! That's weird! Daisy, you're getting weirdly intense right now. Daisy. You're squeezing very tight.

You've got a serious grip going on. Yeah, this is a lot. Focusing research. Oh, I think it's Nym. There was something of the celestial in that light, but it was not of my realm, it was something different. There is only one creature, there are only, there is only one power I can think of that would be greater than a proto-magi's construct, servant. The planar powers themselves.

The leaders of the celestial legions. The great Great Father, the former or current ruling king and queen of the Feywield, perhaps one of the primordial dukes or duchesses, but they would, oh, Peakes forgive me, the Hellion throne, a being of that age and power, perhaps. Oh, that sounds kind of terrifying. I don't really want to go that route, but you know. Okay.

You want to know what I think, Xanthius? What? I think you instinctively called upon your powers to destroy evil. You think the light was from me or from the... You were attacked. Yes. In a manner of speaking. I suppose.

And you defended yourself. I mean, it stopped itself from being taken from me, which is definitely something I wanted to happen. None of us got harmed. True. What was that? There's a lot of people are in this. Oh, yeah.

Maybe. In Zanthias's head, you hear it. Is this thing on? What is it, Gruff? Oh, yeah, he's still there. I say out loud. Maybe not out loud, lad. Just something you mentioned yesterday. Are you OK if we bring up this figure you saw in a vision or something?

You mentioned it yesterday. I'm now doing the same concentration face that Daisy does. I'm waving a hand in front of his face. Hang on, hang on. Just nod. Shake your head. Nod. A nod.

Does he say nod? Nod! And then I'll say back, but not now. I'm looking around, there's probably a camp full of... I mean, all the woodsmen, the farmers, Sister Valesa and Thera-Val are all the woodsmen, the farmers, Sister Valesa and Theravala are all sort of around. And they're like, you can tell that they're trying not to listen in, but it's kind of hard.

So they're like, oh, what a lovely berry, yum yum. Like, they're awkwardly trying to like, talk amongst themselves. Graf, you and Daisy would definitely pick up, like, you don't, you don't think this is like intentional spying, but you can see that, like, as you're all talking amongst yourselves, like, Sister Valessa is definitely, like, listening.

Like, she's hearing everything. Um, not saying I think, but like but she's kind of, you know, just can see that look of somebody who's taking it in. We are so bad at this. When have we ever been good at it? Remember in Ashen's Rest when we just decided to have a conversation in like a village green when everyone was walking around and we were like,

mm, Cranstale, blah, blah, blah. I know it's a separate tournament. Yeah. Oh my God, when we go back, is Xanthes' face gonna be on the catwalk in a paper? Not wanted. Not wanted. Not wanted. Desired.

Desired. Say pray. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. I have notes about certain things. I will say, just on that, and I know it's separate to this, my favorite instance of that is actually in the Warhammer game where we played,

where you guys openly talked about a very illogical take on Xanthes in front of a little halfling tour guide who was like, cool, I'm in the Warhammer game where we played, where you guys openly talked about a very illogical take on that in front of a little halfling tour guide who was like, cool, I'm in the scheme now, give me my cut. And it was just, and you guys were like, fuck! Zimby just also turns around and be like, we could just kill you. Yeah, she was like, you could.

But if I get away, you're in fucking trouble. It's just very funny to me. Anyway, going back to the moment. We've done this a lot. We're very special. I think your crown steel... Sure. Is defending you.

Are you sure it's not... It's not necessarily... Imprisoning? What do you mean? Do I get a sense that it was the crown steel or if it was Xanthias from Nim? Does Nim get a sense that it was the crown steelel or if it was Xanthias from Nim? Does Nim get a sense that it was the Crownsteel itself or was it the power from Xanthias?

I'm gonna have you roll a d20 for Nim's arcane, arcana roll, to see if Nim would know. Do you know his arcana? Natural 20? Oh my god. Ah! Ah! This story, man. I know! to see if Nim would know. Do you know his archival? Natural 20? Oh my god! Oh my god! Ah!

This story, man! I know! All the things! Hell yeah. Nim, you sort of ask that question. And Nim, who is really just this non-binary kind of presence in your body, but you've had moments where you've seen flashes

of memories, Nym's memories. And for a minute, Daisy, your vision just goes white, to that blinding white that you saw in the protomach I thought. It cuts back to it. This was a nat 20. I think it was, yeah. You see.

Do you need to whisper something to me or something? Or do you wanna give it to me? Oh, that would be better. I think it was, yeah. You see. Do you need to whisper something to me or something? Or do you want to give it to me? Oh, that would be better. I think actually everybody, no, I think everybody but Katie leave. Oh! What about Tom? Why do you say that?

Yeah, no, Tom. Tom doesn't notice, because Anthea says he doesn't notice. I don't know, I blanked out. All right. All right. Just go out there for a second and plug your ears. All right. Remember, tap your ears.

I'll shoot really low, don't worry. Don't do that. My voice appears to through everything. We'll be back in a minute. Be back in a minute. Plug your ears. Ah! Hello.

Hello. That's good time natural 20. What happens is you and Nim, Nim sort of flashes back to that moment and everything around you stops and you are pulled back into that memory. This mental bond, whatever it is that allows Nim and you to connect to the minds of the others around you

is turned inward now. And now that symbiotic spirit within you and your mind link together. And it's like you're back in that moment in a frozen second of time. And you see the vault, you see Vermilion Oxanine up on the platform, you see Xanthias's body hovered in front of them as the surgery, seeing this back from your perspective. You see Gruff and Rowan and all the others around you all frozen. And then that light begins to glow from Xanthias.

And it becomes brighter and brighter, but Nim, being a creature of celestial light, sees more than you could. And she sees as Xanthias' body, as he's laying there in pain, as this thing is being pulled from him. You and you alone see Xanthius' eyes open. And they are not Xanthius' eyes. They are gold and black and something from elsewhere is pulled into him. The crown still glows and his body snaps and grabs familiar ox's nines tendrils, rips them up, holds them up, all in this blinding moment. And then you just see, he raises his hand and blasts him away. And you see a broken crown of light around his head,

and then the body relaxes and goes, and as if the power's suddenly drained out of him, and Xanthias collapses to the floor. So it looked like something else was in his... Nim will say to you, of him and Xanthias collapses to the floor. So it looked like something else was in his. Nim will say to you, that celestial presence that I felt, it is something that is spoken of.

And I know of your history, that of Sovereign. Sovereign came to the Celestial Legions, to the heads of our Celestial Legion, and they trained Sovereign came to the Celestial Legions, to the heads of our Celestial Legion, and they trained Sovereign. They gave Sovereign power, and they gave him a gift. They gave him wings of light. Sovereign carried Cel celestial power in him, and I don't think that was

Xanthias that did that. I think for a second Sovereign possessed his body and used his own power to destroy the Prudimajor. and used his own power to destroy the Brutal Magi. Sovereign didn't want it to take the crown still from him. Okay, that's crazy. And with that, you come back and that's what Nim has. That's your natural 20. Okay, you guys are good. That's very interesting. You've been fighting out there?

We did a couple of fights. I could hear some shuffling around going on out there. They were kicking each other. We were out there just like... Right into each other. All of you... That was awful. You all see Daisy do that thing

where like Daisy's talking to Nim. It was like internal and just completely oblivious to what's happening at the place. I think Daisy's probably like pacing, like just beside the group. She's not like interacting with the group. She's just in her own little pacing world. And then she just stops.

Wait, Gruff, if Daisy's in a conversation with Nim right now, how are you talking to me? You're hearing your mind. Oh, this little thing they put on my chest. Oh, you're using that? Okay, good. Okay, cool. That's fine. That's great. It's quite fun, actually. I just don't like when people use things that are in their chests.

I don't know, but it seems... Like, everyone's phased out right now. Yeah, I think they're all thinking really hard about something. And I'm still hugging Xanthias. Yeah, I really wish you'd let me go. Oh, right, you can speak. It's getting weirdly sweaty in here. What's happening?

Sorry, Gruff was using the Gruff thing to speak to me in my head. Is this the little thing you're in? Are you sure you should be using that? Probably not, but you know, at my age. I mean, what's the worst? Can you speak to, there's no one to speak to, right? I mean, what's the worst... Can you speak to...

There's no one to speak to, right? In my mind, using the device. A Vermillion Orc, so whatever your name was, he's still here. There is silence. Yeah, there's absolutely nothing. Just like a dial-up tone or like static or... What's a dial-up tone? I don't know. I don't know why I say these things.

But yeah, no, the item still functions, you are still vulnerable to psychic damage, you still have access to those cantrips, but there is no greater connection to it. Let me tell you, like, you stopping that fight was so good because I was really worried about a million-oxid thingamajiggy just like blasting growth with psychic. Oh yeah, yeah, big psychic attack. Because all he was was psychic damage,

and I'm just there being like, hey, I'm vulnerable, and I'm also right in front of you, hi. So thank you. So anyway, you're welcome. My brain was gonna dribble out my ears. Mm. That's really cool. Wish that were me.

Daisy's quiet, she's just not saying anything anymore. But I, Athebia, just to- She's just not going near Xanthias as well. Just to pick up on what you said before, I'm sorry that I'm scaring you, but... No, no, don't apologize. It's not about... This isn't about you. It's about the Crown Steel.

Well, yes, but you being scared, it's a good thing. If something like that happens again, I think I can trust in you to do the right thing. What do you mean by that? You're talking about a war between Osseous and Elmira. That war only happens if you declare it. that war only happens if you declare it.

You don't have to do that if I'm not a problem anymore. Do not suggest what I think you're suggesting, Xanthius. It's... If it goes too far, it's only natural it will happen, right? I'm not saying it will happen, I'm just saying... You can't put that on me. I'm not saying it will happen, I'm just saying... You can't put that on me. I'm not putting on specifically you, I just... If you're scared, be scared. If I'm scared, I will just run away.

I wouldn't hurt you. I know you want to fix this, and I know you want to solve this. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you before that becomes a reality. But what if... the Xanthius you know is no longer the Xanthius that's there?

I'm hoping it won't get to that point. I'm just hoping that some preparations are put in place for if it gets to that point. Not specifically by you. I'm just saying being scared is a good thing. I don't want this to get worse and worse and for people to accept that this is just normal now. It was tough for us to accept that you drink human blood. But we do.

But it goes no further than that. I hope. But if things get worse, react to it, is what I'm saying. If... React to it... is what I'm saying. If... If the proto-magi couldn't destroy that, Sathius, what plan can we put in place that would?

We're not powerful beings. We're just us. We do need a plan, we do. Yes, I'm putting a lot of stock into the idea that there is an alternative somewhere out there. But I don't know what it is. I didn't know what it is, what it was two months ago, and then we had a slither of an idea,

and it led us to the vault. Maybe something new will come up again. Maybe. Hoping that something else comes up. Yeah, the vault sucked, honestly. The vault was awful. And we've got... There's so many things we could try. This is just the first one, you know?

The... second, yes, but... If you would like a little bit of world knowledge that might sort of help guide certain things. All of you from Ilmera, sorry everyone but Ophelia, you would know that the Bronze Dragons are sort of masters of arcane magic and they have many magic schools and wizards and scholars who live in the Suncrest Isles, who are very knowledgeable about magical related things. You also know that Kelskaaris, being the sort of melting pot, the capital of the empire,

will have many talented and powerful individuals there as well. Those are the kind of places. If you would like something more esoteric as a solution, the silver dragons are actually known as great oracles and prophets of the future. It could be that seeking their aid might be able to lead you in a direction, you know, asking one of the great silver dragon oracles, how do we fix this?

What's my dragon? They may be able to do that. Likewise, as I said, like the Suncrest Isles might have a scholar who knows more about these kinds of things or a powerful mage who may be able to help. have a scholar who knows more about these kinds of things or a powerful mage who may be able to help. And then you know that in Kelskaris, there is a society of people who study the vaults, who may be able to know more. It may also be other elements,

perhaps more criminal elements, who know about crown steel. It is an illegal substance. If anybody's gonna know how to acquire it and what to do with it and everything else. Is that the stead? I say nothing. And bronze dragons.

Yes. Where are they? The Suncrest Isles. Which is south of Caldor basically, it's on the coast. In fact I believe Gruff already has a sort of destination in mind in Suncrest Isles as well. And a wave meet. Yes. Yes. Yes.

So there are places still to explore and seek answers from. I guess that's where Rowan's optimism comes from. Yeah. He knows it. We've only really spoken to like three people. This is probably somewhat of a, not retcon as such, but a go back in time. Yeah.

I probably would have inspected the Crownsteel sometime between now and when we left the vault. Is there anything odd about it? I think you said that other people saw a glow. There's a very slight glow. The arms come up. The arms come up, yeah. And there's a faint glow.

The runes that are holding it in place, are they any different? Or do they look more vivid or do they look broken? No, they don't look broken. Not right now. They look like they always have. If anything, your runes are stronger as your magic, and that's really more a representation

of as you are growing in level, your magic is growing, your runes are doing a good job of containing it, and there's more of them, they're more complex, but you don't feel any sort of strain, you don't feel that they're not breaking or bending against the country. Yeah, they haven't done like an emergency,

like, oh, it's been broken once before, let's double layer, double glaze this thing. So there is a glow, those gold veins that run through the ground still have this light about them that wasn't there before. Yeah. The Bronze Dragons. Yes.

Were they helping Kaldra with the fight against Galvassar? So across the Empire, during the Oriath Insurrection, the fight against Galvassar, lots of dragons from different provinces joined Galvassar. There were a couple who just absolutely didn't. Mistwald didn't, the Green Dragons just didn't. Most of the Silver Dragons didn't, the green dragons just didn't. Most of the silver dragons didn't, maybe one or two did. But generally from all of the other provinces, even a red dragon also joined Galvassar.

There was a red dragon who joined Galvassar and was corrupted. They were the draconic lord far to the south near Emberford. But some of the bronze Dragons did, yes. Bronze Dragons are masters of arcane knowledge, they're very powerful in arcane magic, and obviously Crownsteel enhances magic. Some of them were lured to that growth of power, right?

But not all, not all were. There was no, even in Gilder, even in the Gold Dragon province, not all the Gold Dragons joined Galvassar. It was a proper kind of, there were exiled Gold Dragons who fled Gildai because they didn't join Galvassar and he was gonna kill them.

So they fled and joined the Empress and they are now the Gold Dragons who now rule Gildai. It was also like the green dragons were particularly resistant to it as well, weren't they? Because they're resistant to the lure of it, because their ambition is more about, their ambition is all dedicated to protecting life. So really, Cairne still didn't have much of a sway over them.

So none of them joined Galvus. They're also probably less likely to know how to do anything about crowns. True, but yeah. Very powerful healers, but yes. about Crowns of Dupre. That's true, but yeah. Very powerful healers, but yes. I think Rowan would, pondering this lore.

Well, for Rowan specifically, there's a completely other alien option. The giants. The giants of your people, of the Yotni, like that you are descended from, they live on an isle far away from the Draconic Empire. They are relatively separate. They were once enemies of the Dragon Empire,

but then became allies in time. They actually helped fight back against Galvasar. And they had runic magic that could slay dragons, that is very powerful and is kind of their own thing. Like, giant's magic is kind of separate to the magic that's taught in the Dragon Empire. So there is also, you know, as a complete Hail Mary, maybe a Giant will know, or a Giant may be able to help,

like in the Isle of Giants. All right, everyone sit down. Yeah, I've been, okay. Have a little seat. Okay. Let's think this through, okay? Okay. Let's think, we have to do something about this.

Sure. So, what's the best thing we can do? Give or no? Not talk about it in front of other people. Oh! Yeah, we could take a seat. My voice carries so much. It really does.

Even when you cover your ears, it pierces right through. I don't know what it is. Daisy, can you do one of those things in our heads? It doesn't include all of us, though. Valesa, I'm looking at Xanthias. Yes? Damn it. What were you trying to do?

Did you need something? This was my normal talking voice. Oh, okay, no, okay. Sorry, Valesa. That is all right. We're just talking about you. Okay, no, okay. Sorry, Valesa. That is all right. We're just talking about you. Yes, I gathered. Let's just.

It's a way of seeing. Maybe we should just not talk about anything until we are just alone at home or something. Or we could use your... I can't include everyone, Rowan. Oh, well, that's fine. I'll stay out. We'll just go for the first one.

But then how do we know your ideas? You're the one with the idea. How? I don't think Chris Trott realised that. Where could this Trott end and Rowan begin? Very blurred line. A rare Chris Trott 8 intelligence. Yeah.

No, no, as we've established, Chris Trott is Taravangian. Sometimes he has a 6 intelligence, sometimes he has a 20 intelligence. Yeah. Okay. All over the deck. Um, okay.

All right, well, I've got some ideas. We could just move Birdo away. We should just talk about our home. Okay. You can literally go home. Like, you can go to Colville, do the stuff you need to, go to Ashen's Rest, and then you're in your own inn where you're nice and all private.

I think we should listen to Daisy. Someone's listening to me? Well, I mean... Oh, cool. Yeah, yeah, we should go home. Okay, yeah, we could just... We're very out in the open, and no matter where we go, there's gonna be something, and someone might hear,

and I think we should just wait. Let's accompany everyone back to Corkville, make sure they're all safe, then take Squire Pascal back to Ashendhrust, and then we have... Sister Velesa will come over to the group. No, where we going? Yeah, she'll go there.

And she'll sort of sit down. So pretty. And she'll be like, I do want to just let you all know that, unfortunately, being a priestess of the Mother of Secrets, I am used to listening into things. Right, the Mother of Secrets, I am used to listening into things. Right, the Mother of Secrets. Secrets are very sacred to the teachings of Maylir.

Anything I have heard, and Therruval as well. Therruval is dedicated. It is between me. And there's one in this person and this person. The others, I would say like the normal commoners are do not want to know what you guys, they're like la la la la la, we don't wanna hear it. Take care of stuff.

But these two definitely, and she would just say, what has been said and what I have overheard is between me and the moon, but between me and my goddess. It will not reach any lips beyond that. It is very sacred to keep those secrets. What Melia chooses to do with those secrets, I cannot say.

I cannot say. Thank you. It was very reassuring. Mm-hmm. Just want to let you know that, as I can see that there is some concern. This is a little bit, a little bit of concern. A heckin' concern. Oh.

So did you introduce yourself as the Mother of Secrets, or, because I was unconscious at the time. My goddess Melia, she is known as the Mother of Secrets. I see, okay, okay, okay. We knew that, we did know that. I was unconscious when that. No, no, we didn't know that in the world. Oh, I see, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you remember, because I see, okay, okay, okay. We knew that, we did know that. I was unconscious when that. No, no, we knew that in the world. Oh, I see, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, you remember, I actually know, Xantheus didn't go to the service up at the cathedral. I did, I burned a... Oh, there you go, so you would know that. I think you actually have the slip that I burned. I do. May there already know. You didn't go, that's right, yeah, so.

You can't get my secrets! That's what I wrote. Maybe we should all just have some food and... Have some food. We should go home! What is happening? The vault has been unlocked. Volume control, D.

Sorry. In a voice, inside voice. We'll go home. I don't wanna go home. Let's sleep and go home. Go to Colville. Looking bad to sleep on. This moss, though, is pretty comfy.

I quite like it, absolutely. Sleep does wonders for the mind. I will leave Go to Colville. Looking good to sleep on. This moss though is pretty comfy. I quite like it. Sleep does wonders for the mind. I will leave you to your business. And she'll sort of like, she'll go, I think like, but she definitely turns and like nods at you all and smiles and then makes her way back over to Theravall. And you can see she goes into prayer,

like she brings out her holy symbol and starts praying. Am I going to sleep now? Sure, now you guys can have a long rest. Quizquaz. Quizquaz. How close are we to the Galowax Slayer from here? Two days from Colville. You remember it was two days travel north of Colville

to get to the Galowax Slayer. Strange question. You know what had loads of bones, Rie? The whole area in front of the vault. And they've got to be the right bones. I was just thinking that the other day. I was like, you know where I had loads of bones? Literally the area we popped out in.

Yeah, that's very true. But yes, it would be two days north of Colton. Two days from, okay, cool. Unless, I would say you could. Lady Sylvilia and Sir Volpes are present in this space. You could, if they are powerful enough to grant you safe passage between here and thing,

you could ask them about, could you take us closer to this place? Like, as fae are known to shorten the distance between places, but you would need to ask a small favor. From the fae,? From the Fae. Oh, not the Fae! Enemy of the Great Father. You're the first one to say you're not the Fae.

He's got a nice little ribbon. It doesn't come off. No, the Trixie Secrets. They can't be trusted. Too fickle. Yes, too fickle. Would make it easier, though. It would make it easier. Would make it easier though. It would make it easier.

Oh. Otherwise, I assume you guys take a long rest. I'm pondering sleep. Sure. Daisy's gonna put her blanket. She's just gonna be sitting cross-legged on the floor. She's gonna put the blanket over her completely. So like bundled up?

Yeah, just like a tent. She's just made herself a little one person tent. And then she's gonna connect in her mind to Gruff. Oh, I love Gruff. Okay. I was gonna come over and talk to you anyway. Um... Gruff, Gruff.

Should we leave? No. Leave again. I could leave again, yeah, okay. Hello, Daisy. Is there anyone else on this? No. Rowan? No, no, just. Hello, Daisy. Is anyone else on this? No. Rowan?

No, no, just you. Just you. Nim might have noticed some stuff about the thing in the vault and the light and the stuff and certainly us. Okay, is Nim in the room with us now? Nim's always in the room. Right, okay. Would you like me to speak to Graff?

Maybe, but I'm having a conflicted time, Gruff, because I know some things, but I don't know if I should go straight to Xanthius with it. I don't know if I should tell you, I don't know if I should tell everyone except Xanthius, I don't know if I should just go and tell Xanthius and tell the Xanthius, and I'm having a really bad day. Deep breath.

Slow it down. Natural 20. What have you done, dude? Slow it down. There's some stuff and it's really powerful and it's always worse than I thought and it's worse than everyone thought and I don't know what to name.

But maybe we should just go home and maybe we should talk about it as a group. Do I talk about it as a group or do I tell you no? No. Does not. Should I talk about it as a group or should I talk to Gru no? No. Does nothing. Should I talk about it as a griff or should I talk to Gruff no? I think you should tell Gruff.

Tell Gruff! And then at least Gruff can help you make the decision. I cannot help you make this decision. I just love the idea that we're having this conversation like across the campfire and just. I'm under a blanket, you cannot see my face at all. I just love the idea that Daisy just did that incredible turn that you just did to me with the crazy eyes.

That's what's being done under the blanket. Like dramatic gopher. We as the audience get a cut off inside the blanket, like with a, not a flashlight, but the dagger with light like a flashlight. That's pretty much what's happening. I see the head turn, I see the head turn on the blanket. Right, are you looking at me right now?

I think so, I don't know. Right, okay. Daisy. Hello. In your own words, what happened? Do I tell you what all these people around the table are doing? I'm happy to.

It's your choice. We can step out, we can step out. If it'll make things easier. I really wanna know, however, if it's still like your thing that you know, it would be cool if Gruff knows, it makes sense that we don't. I think so, because I think the conflict

that Daisy's having. Will! They don't need me, they just wanna go get Kit Kats. Can you get me a Kit Kat when you guys come back in? We're not sponsored. Easy stream. When you come back in, bring me in a Kit Kat.

Don't have to give them other answers. Give them a few seconds. Buh-duh-bee-duh-bee-duh-bee-duh-bee. No fighting. They're gonna fight. Well, see, this is a conflict. It's because Daisy, on her own, is freaking out, because she's like, I have this information, I don't know whether

to go to Xanthia's with it, and I don't know whether to tell someone, but she needs to tell someone, and Gruff is the responsible adult in the room. Don't know how that happened. Yeah, basically. Nim is encouraging you to tell Gruff. Nim, can you tell Gruff I'm just gonna hyperventilate for a while? You tell it better, I don't really understand. There's a lot going on tell Gruff. Nim, can you tell Gruff I'm just gonna hyperventilate for a while?

You tell it better, I don't really understand. There's a lot going on, Gruff. Is this the first time you've heard Nim? Yeah, maybe, I think so. I think so. Oh, maybe you've heard Nim very briefly. Very briefly. But not in depth.

You get the sense of another presence joining your mind. This one, far older than Daisy, and gives you, reminds you of a warrior of a tracker of somebody who like you has spent time in harsh places carries themselves with a weight that Daisy does not as this other presence fills your mind. There was a moment. I am from the Lucent Peaks. I am a moment. I am from the Lucent Peaks. I am a celestial.

And the light that blinded you all. It was celestial in nature, part of it at least. And that allowed me to see an outline of something. As that creature, the servant of the protomagai, attempted to take the crown still from Xanthias' chest, another power filled Xanthias from not here. His eyes turned black, red, and gold, and his demeanor changed.

It was no longer Xanthias, and he pulled the creature's claws away from his body, and with his other hand he stretched it out, and that is what destroyed Oxenine and the Vault. There was a broken crown of light surrounding his head. So I told Daisy, Sovereign was a power. It visited all of the planar realms and the Celestials, my commanders, the commanders of the Celestial Legion, they trained Sovereign. They gave Sovereign wings of light as a gift,

something that not all of the planar realms did. Sovereign bears celestial power within it, within them. I think it was a part of sovereign itself that took over Xanthias and did that. Through the ground still. And did that. Through the ground still. You see, that just makes it really, really, really, really scary, Graff, and I don't really know what to do about it. That light did remind me of the Bright Storm.

So, it's kind of worse than we thought, and I don't know if dragons of any colour in the world are gonna help, because that's... that's a lot. Daisy, I'm gonna ask Nim a question if that's okay. Yeah, go ahead. Nim... Do you know of what forms sovereign may take? No.

No, you must realise, Sir Gruffydd. I was a soldier, a low-ranking soldier at that, and... when Sovereign was touring the plains, when Sovereign came to this place to build the Material Plane, I was fighting in endless wars against the Twinpits, against the Fae, against the Greylands. I was sent to whatever field of battle my commander sent me to. I know very little about Sovereign, beyond what I've told you now.

Your gods, Pyris, Malia, I'll say they would know more than I. So I feel like we have a bit of research that we need to do, but I don't know whether I should tell Xantheus this, or if I should tell Rowan, or if I should tell Ophelia. I don't know what the next step is, but that's... I suspect that Xantheus knows. Not, maybe not directly. He doesn't seem to know if it was him or the Crownsteel.

I think he knows something in his art of arts. Do we talk to him? Do we tell the others? Do we have a big... Let's go home and have a big conversation in the inn? I don't... I think that's what it's going to have to be because we cannot talk about this on the road. Nope.

Can you give me a religion role, please, Gruff? You have fate. I will fate. OK. Religion have fate. I will fate. Okay. Religion. Yes. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.

19 total. Not the full amount, but I'll give you some. It would be very unlikely, in all the stories that you've been taught and the things that you know from the church for a being like sovereign, a God, a true God, it couldn't have been all of that. It would have been a fraction,

a splinter of sovereign's power that maybe, like a cleric almost, like channels a brief moment in their deity, perhaps not in this case with Xanthias from what Nim's describing, it doesn't sound like it was a conscious decision, but that crown still gave a connection for a sliver of that power to enter and then temporarily. And it may be what caused Xanthius

to go to become unconscious for so long, was the effort that it required, that maybe damaged him to do that, basically. So I think, just Kim to Mark, what I was thinking of was Xanthius mentioning that he saw a cloaked figure. So he asked Nim that because he's like, was that an avatar of Sovereign visiting him?

Fortunately, Nim wouldn't know on that. And I think with that, also you wouldn't necessarily know, but I mean, the gods do appear in visages, in dreams, in visions. Pyres and Malia, I mean, Valesa. Malia appeared to the Nalunari and made a bargain with their whole race, their whole species, and was like, I will undo this curse if you become my followers,

if you become my worshipers and my worshippers only. And she, the goddess, came down and appeared before them. Now sovereign, if sovereign's trapped up in the crown, probably can't do that. Yeah. But maybe something about the crown still can help him manifest. Use that as a best solution. Yeah. Connection. Oh bloody hell. Um, I think, Oh, bloody hell. Um, I think... Now, Daisy, I'm gonna need you to be brave, OK? Mm-hm. I'm really brave. We will talk to everyone about this.

I feel, like, ten times better now that you know, because I knew for ten minutes that I nearly exploded. I need you to be brave, Byzantius. I am. I want to fix it. I want to fix it all. But I just... I want to find the best way to go about it, because if we go researching the wrong thing, then it's pointless. Because we know stuff now that we didn't know

10 minutes ago. Daisy, you've done a really good thing here. Nim, thank you. What you've done is invaluable. It was my duty to be on watch. I remain on watch to this day. And Nim, I meant what I said when Daisy first introduced you to us.

You saved her when she needed, when a child needed saving. If it had been my choice, Sir Gruffydd, I would not have made the bond so young. But she needed me and I needed saving. If it had been my choice, Sir Gruffydd, I would not have made the bond so young. But she needed me and I needed her. I would have lost myself had it not been the case. Well, for that, you'll forever have my thanks and my gratitude. And you will, and Daisy and you all will have my protection.

Thank you, Gruff. Thank you, Dave. I'm just gonna stand in the blanket now, right there. You'll be all right, Grav. Thank you, dear. I'm just going to stand under the blanket and everything. You'll be all right, little one. I'll just... I'll cancel the thing if you want, and you can go to sleep, but I feel better now that someone else knows, because it's not just on me, and we'll fix it, it's fine. A burden shared is a burden halved.

Exactly. I like this one. Yeah. Yeah. They're good. Are you guys good to bring them? Children! Yeah, yeah, they're good. Are you guys good to bring them? Children. Yeah, I can hear them fighting out there. Yeah, they're fighting. Come in. Oh, we're good.

What were you doing? Were you scooting around on the carpet? I imagined you guys like puppy or like kids like scooting your butts. We got bored. You scooted on your butt, didn't you? It's hard to know how much noise you're making when you're here to come in.

Woo! Oh my god, my ears are actually numb. My little ear things are hurting. Yeah, oh I'm sorry. Your ears are sweaty. Sorry. That's okay. Oh.

Hell yeah. I'm sure that'll work just fine. I'm using the red pen. Oh, that's the important pen. Big N. The red pen means stuff to cut out of the episode. Redacted. So yeah, no, you resume this conversation.

Well, we're going to, yeah. Rowan's going to sleep. Sure, OK. Everyone go to bed. We're all bedding up. We're like a massage table. Yes, the hole in it. We've got the face hole,

Rowan digs out a face hole out of the moss and then just sleeps face down. Right, the only problem there is then you've still got your face in a hole in the ground, there's nothing below you. The thing with a massage table is you have air underneath you can breathe. It was fucking dead.

It was like, please suffocate me in the moss. It drills like a, please suffocate for the moths. It drills like a, you bend hole for air. Poo. No, I just wake up. Sure. Every night again. Daisy's gonna just tip on her side and then roll the rest of the blanket and sort of half burrito.

A half burrito this time? Oh, it's serious. Yeah, because I was in a tent. It's all traumatized. Yeah. You all take a long rest. Nice, okay. I don't think you need to mark up. No, we didn't.

And I just need to re-roll some stuff. Dawn comes, you have food. Good for it. Fuck you. A new dawn day. Dawn arrives. It you. Dawn arrives. A new dawn days. Dawn arrives. Still doesn't matter. A new dawn days.

A new dawn days. And you are within a few hours of Colville. Like within a few hours of travel you will reach Colville. Lady Sylvia and Sir Volpes will, often they'll just be quiet and it's kind, there is an element here of, like, you get the impression they kind of watched you guys sleep.

They just sort of stood on the corner. And like, they're like foxes and hares are sort of gathered around them like a little core and there was music playing, but they're also just sometimes they'll just be utterly silent and just watching you guys. Daisy probably would have scooted close to the music so that Nim could hear the music.

Sure. She was asleep. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe like Daisy wakes up and there's actually like a little, a pixie who's like half falling asleep but won't stop playing and then sees you wake up and is like, good. Pfft.

And then just falls asleep. Did you have to play that the whole time? You didn't have to play the whole time. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Actually, I'm going to need Mark's leaf. And what does... I can never leave, I'm God. Well, okay. Let's kill God. And... Groff would offer to brush her hair. Oh, that'd be so lovely, Groff.

Thank you. It's looking a bit ratty. I just thought, you know, obviously, we will get Percival back, but, you know, I know it helps you, and you know. I'm not very practiced on it, but I can give it a go. Give it a go? You're more than welcome, Gruff, here you go. Sorry.

I can help! Yeah, the more the merrier. There's a twig, I think. I can't get it out. It's been a really awkward angle. I get a dexterity roll from Gruff with advantage, thanks to Daisy. Both of you have very ringlet hair and fur.

No, Ophelia's hair's straight. Yeah. That's what I mean. Dex. Yeah, but Daisy actually knows how to do hair things more than Gruff. I guess not. Do I want to fate this? Do you? No, I'll live with my decisions.

I roll a nine plus one. Oh, 10. It's nowhere near as good as Percy does it. It's like, ah, ah, ah, ah. I'm trying to be down. And he's trying to pin it, and it's not working. The brushing is fine. Yeah.

The pinning is. The styling and everything else. I think it's like, Gruff, imagine, like, it would just be... And then when Ophelia gets out, like, the full kit... Yeah, you're like, oh, the bobby pins and all that, yeah. What's that? What's that? What's that? Gruff... Would you ever have brushed her hair?

The other one? The other one? So there's a memory as you're sat down, Ophelia's sat down before you, and again, your sort of memory flashes back to a very dark kind of, sort of earth-floored, wooden sort of structure. There's a fire burning, ice and frost all outside,

and you hear just like a little girl humming like a tune, probably the ballad of Sir Isabel. She's got little balls. Holding it and you're brushing the hair from behind and then that snaps back to you with a filia here. This kind of reminds me of when Percy was first trying to learn to do my hair. It takes a little bit of practice. There's like a braid that goes kind of this way

and you have to pin it up there. I think you've kind of got it. It's a little... Yeah, I can kind of feel it. It's a little loose, but I think there's a vague idea, OK? OK, I'm... I think it's there. I don't really know how to do the... We say one over, one over, one under. I just never really got the hang of that.

I'm good at brushing. I can tell, yes. It's the next bit. It's a little bit, it takes a little bit of practice, but I think you've got the right idea. It doesn't feel too, too bad. Everything's in the right place, I think. Well, last time I did this, well, there wasn't so many pins and ornamentation. When was the last time you did this? Oh, there wasn't so many pins and ornamentation. When was the last time you did this?

Oh, um... back in NYSAT. Oh! Ooh! Ooh! Who was the lucky lady? My wife. Oh, yay!

Of course it was my wife. Oh, amazing! Tell me more about your wife. I loved everything you told me before. Are there any more stories? Oh. How did everything you told me before. Any more stories? How did you- Gross telling stories! I wanna hear the stories.

Bop. I would like to hear the story. Stories! Sanctius wakes up from bed. That noise was perfect. Sanctius wakes up, his hair is obviously perfect. Perfect Anakin. Yeah. It'sinate sorcery at work. Daisy's hair is not perfect in the morning, it's like...

Yeah. Story time. If you don't want to, I can interrupt it. If you don't want to tell a story, Grub. Let Kim decide how much she can pull out of her bottom. Okay. Right, let's go. Oh, how did we meet? How did I meet the love of my life?

Good point. I should make a note of this. HE LAUGHS Well, as you know, I'm a fisherman and, you know, it's not an easy life. You know, we go out early in the morning and we spend a lot of time on the seas and, you know, obviously, my first... I don't know if love is the right word,

but my kinship was with my birds. You have to train them from when they hatch and, you know, they're really part of your success. Anyway, I became quite a good fisherman. But what's a fisherman without someone who can sell their catch? That's how our village put themselves on the map, was we had a lot of traders and we sold a lot and mostly fish. Well, Ceredwen, when she was in storytelling, because that was her main, that was her main, she was helping me sell the fish at the market

to the traders and oh, she has the gift of the gab. When I tell you, prettiest woman in the village and every trader knew as well, they would come from around, they'd be like like I want to see Kerrigan because oh to stare upon her her curls her eyes her smile she makes you feel really good you know really good and her laugh oh like music and that's how we that's how we properly met that's how we properly met of That's how we properly met. Of course, I was always enchanted with her

when she was doing her storytelling. No one could capture your art like her in a cold, dark night. She would really bring a real warmth to it, you know. Some people can tell a story. She made that story live in your head, in your heart. But her selling my fish, I was away. I was away from me to speak to her.

Eventually, took a few gulps. And the rest, they say, is history. Oh! Daisy's just like, eee! I'm not surprised you you got the prettiest girl in the village, Grog. You're so nightly and brave and you're so strong. I'm not surprised.

Oh, no way. When did we go back? Oh. It's a very long way north. Oh, we'll find a way. I don't know if you'd enjoy it. I don't know if this boyo would enjoy the temperatures. It's okay, I can resist all the cold.

Oh, it's very cold. If you get him a new outfit for it, I'm sure he'd be fine. I have been going through. Probably would have to be simple though. None of this flashy stuff. Oh, they don't like flashy and cauldron up there? But I've really seen up there.

Maybe we could get that nice dragon fella in Ashen's Rest to- Obsidius? Make no- Oh, Nix. Nix him. The tailor. I think that there should be at some point some investment made in some sort of like

shirt of mending for Xanthias, where you just put it, you hold it together and it re-mends. I actually have mending, can I just use that? I think on this one, because it was just plain cut, yeah. The other time it's been incinerated. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In that case I have used mending to repair this one.

Yeah. Anyway, sorry. I mean, I'd be more than happy to travel up there and see more of Gruff. I, listen, you said this and other people have said all these nice things about me. I'm just an humble man. There's nothing really special about me.

I try and I put one paw in front of the other. I don't necessarily get things right and I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. But I just, I try my best. There really is nothing special to me. There's, you know... It's the modesty as well that just... It is. There really is nothing special to me. There's, you know. It's the modesty as well that just- It is, it really is. Just paints the whole picture, Gruffydd.

Your true knight. I would say though, if there is one jewel in the north, it's my Kerrigan. And I would love for you to meet her. She would love to meet you. And she would make all of you feel so special, you know? And obviously I'd love you to meet the rest as well. The whole village.

The whole village. As you have been telling the story, Gruff, Lady Sylvia and Sir Volpes have sort of drifted closer and they've been listening intently as well as you have told. And you would hear like, you would hear her say, a beautiful story told, Sir Knight. Thank you for this gift. We hope our hospitality has borne you safely

to where you need be. And they look at Ophelia. It is, it wounds my heart to see one who has such appreciation for beauty and life to serve one who cares only for death. and life to serve one who cares only for death. See, everybody makes this assumption about the Grey Father. Okay?

I understand. The skulls, the visage, yes. It can look very ghostly, but it's through death that we learn to appreciate life. It's not, we don't just destroy, we don't kill, we don't create these horrible images that you paint us to create. We celebrate life and all of its glorious visages and facets, it's not, we don't celebrate death. We don't celebrate death.

She looks at you and... Ophelia... You tell me how Ophelia, but this isn't a look of aggression or anything like that. She looks at you with pity and says... You poor thing. To have been fed these lies, to be told, to be taught, and yet to know nothing of the one that you serve. You forget I have known your lord for eons,

longer than a thousand of your lifetimes, we have seen the death that he brings. And I promise you one thing, there is nothing beautiful or full of life about him. And then they leave. Motherf- Yeah, they better do. I am so glad they're gone.

I am so glad they're gone. This is why you can't trust the Fae. In one hand, they offer you salvation and peace and comfort, and the other, they mock you. They, they cast their little spells and they weave their little secrets, they tell their little lies.

So Leo just sort of sits next to Gruff like. Mm. I'm just gonna reach out and pat him on the shoulder. Like. I cannot wait to get back to Ashen Rest, get back in my comfy bed, and bring Percy back and get off this rotten trail. I've had enough.

Home time! Yeah, let's, let's, um... Time for home. Well, about that time. Well! Well, well. Everybody does her. Well, about that time. Whelp! Whelp! Whelp! Everybody does the slapping the thigh thing.

Yeah. Sorry, I had to get it in after this beautiful bit of thing. But you guys leave, and sure enough, within a few hours, you see the outskirts, you hear the rushing of the Ruby River, you see the log, logging company, the Strong Read logging company, the Strong Read Logging Company, busy at work. And as you begin approaching, the group that you've been traveling with,

especially the woodsmen and the farmers, they rush. As soon as they see their home, their energy quadruples, and they're literally running back. Probably dragging Kristoff, who's the gentleman who's a little bit out of time in this place. You can see that there's a bit more hesitation dragging Kristoff, who's the gentleman who's a little bit out of time in this place. You can see that there's a bit more hesitation

with Kristoff, but the others are like, come on, it'll be all right, you need to meet your grandson, they're kinda like, come on, come on, we can't wait to tell them. And they all sort of rush ahead. And they easily outpace you and get ahead, and you can already hear cheering and crying,

but in a good, happy crying kind of way as people are being reunited up ahead of you. The two farmers and their son eventually pivot off to start heading back to their home, just praising thanks upon thanks to you guys as well, leaving you just with Sister Valesa and Theravar the Durgar, who's still hobbling along in his sort of homemade crutch, maybe occasionally using the wheelchair for a few hours

as Rowan provides it. But you quickly see that all of Colville is like gathered up basically as they're sort of heralding this triumphant return of people that they thought dead. In some cases, people that they thought died 70 odd years ago. As yeah, you arrive back in Colville. You see Reeve Alwin Dell, the dwarf,

like, oh yeah, it's the most auspicious day! Sort of trying to make it like he's somehow done this in some form, or like, not maybe trying to take credit, but is like trying to be seen the one like being the most celebratory about it. Very swiftly being ignored by most people in the town. You see the large, bare like form of Osa Strongreed kind of slapping the woodsman on the back,

probably like literally slaps one in the face, like calling him an idiot, like, you idiot, I told you not to go off into the woods at night and what do you do? You get drunk and you go off, ugh, and just like completely despairing, but then brings him into a big hug, like, you stupid idiot, I'm glad you're alive,

like, and kind of throws him around. And when they see all of you, just the crowd erupts into cheers, hug like, you stupid idiot, I'm glad you're alive, and kind of throws him around. And when they see all of you, just the crowd erupts into cheers, you know? And the woodsmen, the rest of you point, them, they're the one, they saved us! They saved us from the proto-merchandise from the vault! We would have been, who knows what would have happened to us? And they're making up all these crazy stories of like,

they were gonna turn me into a jelly! They were gonna eat me! They're just like, they literally saved us from into a jelly. They were gonna eat me. They're just like, they literally saved us from the worst possible things in the world. And there's this huge kind of cheer as you guys make your way back to town. You see Charity, the Tiefling, and his family outside the tavern sort of giving you a tip of the hat.

And you can see, and then he sends off his boy and very quickly from around the corner, a big lumbering beast. The boy is back. As you see, Rodgerie is brought around and sort of makes a, I guess like I said, make like a kind of like little trumpeting noise. Like an excited noise when he sees you all

and kind of boom boom boom boom, especially comes up to Rowan especially and Gruff and is like, grrr, grrr, grrr, grrr, kind of like rubs his snout all over you guys, yeah. You really have to like hold him as he pushes you back. He's pretty strong. Yeah, you know when a big dog

like goes for you and you're just like, grrr, grrr, grrr. Gruff, I can't hold him. He's so big. Grrr, grrr, grrr. Grrr, grrr, grrr. Oh, okay, okay. Oh.

Watch your ears. Makes me look like a little snuffman, guys. Go on. Lindt. Oh. Eats that upuffman, guys. Lindt. Eats out. Old sausage. And yeah, you guys return to Colville to great success. I think that is where we're going to take our break. Take a little five minute break there.

I think that's a fitting point. If there is any business you want to wrap up here in Colville, and then we'll quickly scoot on back to Ashen's Rest. Maybe. Get scooted. With a little diversion, I don't know. Is somebody making a little side trek from here? I don't know.

I don't know, maybe, maybe, maybe. All right, we'll find out. We'll see you after the break. Nice. See you in part two. Bye. Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, baby. news and reviews for the past 20 years. On everything from Xbox, PC, Switch, and PlayStation. Sony's dead.

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