High Rollers DnD - Sacred Ones (Part 1) | Altheya: The Dragon Empire #75

Episode Date: September 2, 2025

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Pickax. There you are, pushing your newborn baby in a stroller through the park. The first time out of the house in weeks. You have your Starbucks, venty, because, you know, sleep deprivation. You meet your best friend, she asks you how it's going, you immediately begin to laugh, then cry, then laugh cry, that's totally normal, right? She smiles, you hug, there's no one else you'd rather share this with. You know, three and a half hour sleep is more than enough.

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to Althea the Dragon Empire. Our heroes traveled out across the sea and dive beneath the deeps into the Blood Kelp Forest, a vast underground jungle that seems tied to the wicked power of Ojania, filled with dangers and threats, traversing through they encountered a minefield of poisonous sea urchins

and were chased by a terrifying face made of swirling, storming water. Gruffeth found a quiet moment and attempted to commune with nature, seeing visions in response to his questions, they revealed a path towards the shipwreck of the glory of Palladrax, a sunken warship that they currently seek. But they also learned of a settlement nearby, and choosing to investigate it, they found a strange turtle person being attacked by some of Coral Song's minions,

looking to aid their stranger. They engaged in battle, And that is where we begin today's episode. Welcome back, Chris Trott. I heard the whole thing. The whole thing. He was here the whole time. Yes, I was. So we find ourselves in the deeps of the blood kelp forest

far below the waves. You have following Gruthus vision, you are traveling towards this settlement. Not quite there yet, but just before you arrived, you encountered this capparin, a turtle person, battling a couple of Ojanja's elite soldiers, aboard their mounts, no less, a giant manterey and a giant shark. And you've engaged in battle.

There was a small net of Silmir or sort of little fairy mermaids that had been, were being captured by the deep children soldiers. but Gruffeth managed to free them and they have now been released and are also sort of aiding you as best they can. And that is where we jump back in and I believe we ended it at the top of a brand new round. I've got the initiative order here.

But before we do that, it is a D6 time from everybody, please, as it is fate time. Oh my God! Nope. I've been killing it with fate in the last year. Last episode you did really well. Did I too?

Two, that's a lovely dice for me. That reminds me. Oh, another one for me. Single. Five. Please don't confuse me. My silly little bimbo brain can only handle so much. Don't believe him, he'll come.

I'll tell you, so you know. Cinco. Five. Chris, drop. Cinco. Oh, eight. Wow. I didn't realize fate could go that eye.

Amazing. Three. Oh, I don't know. What's that? Tres. Tres. Yes! That's a dice for me, and then a dice roll from me.

A one. I love the health. Four to two. That's back up. I think what's my health? Not great. One I think. Well, I'm at 64 at the moment.

I don't think that's correct. I think I damaged you. Yeah, I think I- You were healed a lot. At one point I was down to 16, I know that much. And then I fell asleep and threw up. You got big heel. Okay.

You got a big heeled. You got quite a few heels. Maybe I am. I think you and Rowan had both taken a lot of damage in your journey of getting here, but there had been moments to offer healing and things like that. We got replenished.

Just like to heal on your face. And in this battle, you haven't really been attacked yet because they've mainly been engaged with you. They're really done, I think. But we are at the top of a round. He did amazing. Yeah. Remember when I rolled so many eights in a row?

Yeah. Tom rolled so many eights in a row. So many. You're welcome. That's how you play a source. That incredibly balanced spell sorceress burst. It's, oh, yeah, well, yeah, yeah. It's actually fine.

Right, Aphelia, you are up. Basically, all of you guys act before the bad guys, and it goes Ophelia, Rowan, Daisy, Grafzantheus. Okay. Ophelia, then rowing up on deck and then followed by Daisy. All right, I believe I'm currently raging. You are? Amazing.

So I am. And you have the giant Manta ray and one of these elite knights, who is quite badly injured. Amazing. So I am going to do a bite attack on this soldier and because I have half my hit points I get advantage on the bite attack so I'm going to rock and roll with that to start with ah it's why don't roll it on my book you have a whole box to be

rolled it on my book right that one's cocked we re-roll it in yeah yeah I guess a non-canon roll that's true 16 to hit 16 is not going for the soldier yeah is not enough I'm afraid his his his carpe deflex your fangs. Can I add a blest to that? You, yeah, so yeah, you add a D4 to it every time. Okay. You don't need to choose to do that.

You should just do that automatically. 18. 18. So that would hit. So you will hit, but I will use his reaction to use his toxin spine shield against you. So I need a dexterity saving throw from you and then we'll do your damage.

Okay, advantage because I can... Is you have advantage? 19. 19 is a success. So that is going to be half damage. So it would be 10 poison damage, half to five. Lovely job, Lear. But then your attack goes off.

Cool. So that is D4, and then I get an extra D6 from my blood points. Point. And I think that's everything. I've written all down last week. I think that's everything. So five, ten damage plus the rage, 12 damage.

12 points of damage. Now I'd like to add that back to my health, see if you play. So you bite into this creature and the blood kind of as you drink it in is exceedingly salty and bitter. It is exceptionally unpleasant.

Like the most strongest seafood briny taste to it with an immense saltiness, overpoweringly so I would say. Yeah, I feel like you just shudders at that. Oh, you taste disgusting. Agreed. Agreed. And I'll strike again with veracity.

Okay, second attack. You have no idea what you just agreed to. No, I don't know either. So if you had to add the bless, it's every attack. Every attack. Oh, 14. That wouldn't be 15. It's not enough, again, the catapus to flex the blow. Just put off by that horrible, salty blood taste.

It's really thrown me off. Yes, and we've been doing a lot of one-shots and things in between, so if people are a bit rusty on the rules, they might take us a minute, because we've had to learn a few up the systems. Too many rules. Yes. All right, Aphelia, all good. I'm going to stay in his melee range for now.

Okay, then Rowan, we shift to you, and then Daisy up next. I'm going to whip out my stone razor and give that good old whack. So you pull out this enormous, a great sword that you recently acquired from Agmox. And these creatures seem to almost recognize it. It kind of points a claw down towards you as you draw the blade. I'm going to true strike this as well. Okay.

So I'm going to use my spell. So you get to use your spell attack. Which is plus seven. Okay. Are you going for the mount or the rider? Doesn't matter. Nat one. It does matter, but...

I was going to go for the rider. Yeah, because we can assume you're swimming sort of 3D. This is like a 3D space. You can swim up a little bit. Yeah. So you swing that this creature, you know, trying to swing. First of all, also, keep in mind this is underwater. That attack would have been at disadvantage anyway.

I would say your bite would have been fine, and Veracity's fine because it's a piercing weapon. Yeah, yeah. Crossbow would have been good. Well, you try and swing the heavy blade at underwater. It's so hard to get the momentum necessary, and the creature just sort of... They're both slowed, though, right?

The shark is currently slowed. Gotcha. Cool. In which case, that's kind of it. I'm going to look back at Xanthius. Hi there. Shrug. And then two sums up,

and then two little energy bursts comes out of my thumb and into your eyeballs. Oh, okay. Arbana Conspiration. Yeah. Two little moats. Little moats. And they start circling above your head.

Some little row-row contact lenses. Yeah. Love that. Anything else on your turn? That's it. All right. So you get a D8. For stuff.

I am going to point my hand crossbow at the rider that Ophelia's next to. Okay, yeah. And I will take a shot. Yep. You are just within range of its minimum range because it is underwater, so I think beyond that it's going to struggle. A natural 20. That will hit. Sneaky-tacky because of here.

Yes, you have allies there. Yep. Gruff is also right next to it as well. I'm an octopus. It's true. You are an octopus. Doesn't matter, you're still a friendly octopus to me. Just a big octopusus.

Can you cook and eat droids? I wouldn't try it. They would turn back into a person. Yeah. 21 points of damage. 21 points of damage. The crossbow flies under the water, pressurized, launching forward like a little torpedo

and rips through this already badly injured Knight's Carapus. as you watch that blue, dark blood spray out of the back of the wound as that is enough to finish them off. They were very badly hurt from the previous rounds. Very dope. However, their Manta ray flies into a rage at their master being slain. Oh, dear.

Oops. And I was just going to tuck myself around the side of this rocky out-cropping. Closer to Xanthius. Yeah, that's about it. About there? Okay, all right. If you are done, Daisy? Yeah, because I can't do my bonus.

I can't do blades and stuff. No, you have to attack with your main blade, so then bonus action one with it, even with Nick, because of the type of attack. Gruff, then, followed by Xanthus. I'm a big octopus. I'm going to try and attack the Manta ray. Yes.

With my tent to killers. Okay. Certainly it's a tender hit, though. A 10 is not enough, I'm afraid to say. Do I, so I get extra attack as a... You can do it again. Thingy, as a druid, because of the class you gave me. Yes, that applies to your attacks.

It would depend on the monster stat block. So if the monster doesn't have multi-attack, then you do not have multi-attack. Then you do not. So you can do it as gruff, but it's different when you're in the different. You use the physical statlock. It's stupid, I've got eight tentacles. I should have eight attacks.

Well, take it up with Wizard of the Coast. I'll add it to my list. Good. Well, you can't take it to Jeremy or Chris anymore, unfortunately. They don't work there anymore. Well, also, they've got to order against me. Yeah. So, yeah, that is, so that's your action gruff, unfortunately.

Is there anything else you'd like to do? Who has blessed, by the way? I believe the fairies put it on Ophelia Gruff and the Turtle Man. Yeah, it's the people over there. Oh, yeah. And there was fairy fire on that guy. There is very far on that one, which I believe only affects the shark. I think he passed his saving throw.

I can roll a D4 for the attack roll. Yeah, you get to add a D4 to the attack roll. Four, so 14? 14 is not enough still, unfortunately. Your technical whips through the air. The Manta ray is quite agile and nimble and does float through the air. I just got an idea of an octopus just pinwheeling and it's just like slats, slap, slap, slap. Well, I mean, that is what you do.

It's just that it contributes to one single. It was so quick. Yeah. All right. Gruff, if you're done, we go to Sandhys. Last time, I did a pretty bang and sorcerer's burst and it only makes sense I'd do that again.

It can only go as well. It can only go as well. And I'm going to do it to the rider of this dolphin boy next to Rowan. Okay. And I'm going to do, I don't know what, psychic damage? You choose? Yes.

fairy fire on it, so does that... I believe that... I can't... I think only the shark failed at saving throw against the fairy fire. Yeah, the shark does. Yes, the shark has... So you have advantage against it, on attack rolls against it. Actually, I'll do a... I'll do a chromatic orb against the shark top. Against the shark? Against the shark.

If I have advantage on it, then I'll... On the what? Crob. Crob. Sorry, I'm going to Crobb real quick. And this is... I'm like you guys just shorten everything you possibly can, even when it doesn't need to be shortened. Bloint.

A. F. Corkan. How would you shorten Kim? Hit me with that chromatic orb, boy. Yeah, this time it's Thunder, because I can't choose. Okay. Psychic. Chromatic orb, that's a natural 20. Oh, I want to get anyway, that's,

there you go, natural 20 against the shark. Natural 20. That is 3D8 of undie damage. Three. So, and Chromatic orb is different now, don't forget as well. Yeah, it is. So remember the ruling for crits on it, though. Because the ruling is like if you roll eights,

you get to chain the orb, I think, right? If you roll the same number on the wall more D8. So, because I do crunchy crits, which doesn't interact with that rule very well, because it means that if you crit, you automatically bounce it. It's on this next set of dice that if you get the same digits,

then you get to bounce it. Do you use your bardic? Oh. Bardic is on attack roll. You can't add it to damage. You can do a con saving throw. Oh, as in like, spend. That's if he spends it on the attack roll.

He then gets to add. I'll do it on the next on the pilot of the shark. Because you add it to the attack roll. Shark is dead for sure. And I'm gonna roll two of the same numbers. This is a certain type of bar that can add it to the damage roll specifically. I roll three eight.

Oh my god. So it's gonna bounce, it's gonna chain. And everyone was saying that some people play Zanthius a little bit better. Well I'm back, motherfucker. I mean, that is back with three eight. So that's, so it's, So it would have already been maxed once already,

so that's 1624, 24, 48 to the shark. And it chains, which I will use Bardicom. So hang on, 48. That's insane. That nearly killed. Like the shark is up, but it is looking bad. Hell? Okay.

And then you have to make another attack roll against the rider, I think, Cromaticorp. Yes, I do. Which is going to use Bardicon. Which is my Bardicon, which is the DA. I don't have advantage on this. I don't have advantage. that's 16 plus 8.

Is a hit, yep. 3D8. This is thunder damage though, right? Yeah. His coral armour that you've seen before is going to want in resistance. Can I change it? Don't think you can change it once you chain it,

I don't think. Yeah, it doesn't say it locks, but it also doesn't say that you can change it, so I'm just going to say it's still thunder. I think it would make sense that it's, because it's the same orb, it just bounces the damage out. Don't count it to your total damage.

We need a con save to see if that adds. Yes, okay. Oh, it doesn't chain, unfortunately, but that's 11 on the thunder. A con save from the bardic. Is it more thunder damage that this does? Okay, I'll do this now and then I'll just half all of it. 15 to beat.

15, yeah, he passes, that's 13, 18, sorry. So it doesn't get used at all. Yes. Cool. So it would be five thunder damage. Five thunder, doesn't chain. That's still, that's like, it's almost like an underwater implosion, right?

Like this chromatic orb flies, it strikes the side of the shark, this thunderous energy ripples through the air. The reverberation tears the side of the shark apart. You know, you see it almost like a giant invisible bludgeon impacts it on the side, shattering ribs. Blood streams him out between its mouth.

It's clearly badly injured. The rider on top kind of, you know, brings his body in, and that coral armor seems to absorb a lot. of the thunderous energy as he seems the desperate state of his mount. Cool. Good job, Tom.

Hey, if you want to get rid of a shark, you just kind of bop on the head. I think 48 damage of thunder damage is a pretty good bob. Were this just a wild shark, yes, but this is a trained beast of war. Oh, a truck. Its rider is more in command of it. Anything else you would like to do, Santhia?

I will go back up and start. stand next to Daisy. Oh, okay. Why is that? Perfect. All right, my turn. I am gonna have the rider of the giant shark. I'm gonna spend a fate point

to have them use rush attack, which spurs their shark mount, flying basically through Rowan, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. Yeah, line attack. It's pretty rough, I suppose. And the shark makes a bite attack against each creature it moves through, basically.

Wow. So, Rowan, do you have all of your hit points? No. I have advantage. Okay. That is going to be a 19 total. Yes. That will hit.

Damn. Damn. Damn. 27 piercing down. seven piercing damage. Oh my god. Daisy, do you have all of your hit points? Does it avoid attack of all right?

So you've taken damage, I have advantage. Does it avoid attack of opportunity as well doing this? It does, yes. Ah, yes. It's a special move that the rider can do. That is gonna be 16 to hit you, Daisy. Just. Ah, bum.

16, 26, 26, 26, 26, do you wanna uncanny dodge it? Do you wanna uncanny dodge it, don't forget? Yes. So you can use your reaction to half that, so go 13. Yes, thank you. Just a reminder, because it's been a while.

Xanthius, do you have all of your hit points? No. Check this out. That is 25. Oh, that's pretty high. I'm in the shock, but it can only do, yeah, it's pretty bad. Yeah, 12.

I'm like pissing out. Okay, only 21, you got hit for the least damage. Oh, nice. And then the rider spins around and will, I mean, you just did that terrible attack, Xanthius. So he's going to throw a harpoon at you. Yeah? Hapoon!

I want to catch the harpoon and throw it back. 15. That does hit, damn. Does you hit? I could, but I like spell slots. Okay. I know, who am I? Well, that's going to be 13 piercing damage, and can I get a strength saving?

Oh, I didn't know there'd be more to it. Oh, it's the same as the other dose. Oh, strength save, 16. 16, it's actually enough. So he throws this harpoon, which has this, like, bound, you know, seaweed-like rope attached to it. It strikes you, but you manage to dislodge it

before he yanks it back, scorpion style. Get over here! You are not pulled 20 feet towards him. Oh. But that is going to be his turn. The Mantrae in a frenzy, is just going to attack the closest targets it can. I will have it make one attack against each of you.

Gruff, Turtle Man and Ophelia. OctoGruff, OctoGruff, that is an 18 to hit you. Yes, that will hit you in your squiddy form. Octopus, please. Sure. Good. There's a difference. Five points of damage.

Not much. Turtle Man. It's an actual one, misses. Oh, an a feeder, two. So on the Stinger for a seven. So yeah, just kind of thrashes around, agitated. And that is gonna bring me to Turtle Man, who is the last to act. You know how the Manta Ray had three attacks?

Yeah? Yeah, that's kind of bullshit, isn't it? It should have turned into a Manta ray. Yeah, it's right there. So easy. Manta hugging kids. I don't think they have stints. He misses the giant scorpion, unfortunately.

You can see he basically cast Shaleli on his sort of spear-y staff thing and tries to strike it, but it's not striking him, unfortunately. Actually, there is something I could have done. It's better than a Manta Ray as a reaction, but I chant because it's well past my time. Yeah, well past, I'm afraid. But it is the, I will say as well,

it looks like the rider on the shark when he did that rushing attack through everybody he is saying like he is flying off in a direction like he looks like he is about ready to flee well oh he is encouraging his mouth to get out of here basically so he just decided to do that on the way out as a a little leaving present to try and continue so we go to Aphelia on top of a brand new round cool yeah Aphelia is going to reckless strike this Manta ray and try and get rid of it yeah it's excellent 17 to hit it will hit

Amazing. So with veracity, I'm going to strike out towards it. Try and pierce its little heart. I should say as well, that shark was what you did, the sorceress burst damage, which is why it's so badly injured. So it took that and the crit chromatical. Wow. It's just about still standing. Damn.

Did you basically just done that all on your own? Yeah. Hell yeah. Well, that's on the attack roll, not damage. So that was a 9-10 damage. 10 points of damage with grassy first strike. And then I have advantage on the second one. Mm-hmm.

You have advantage on the first one as well, which is reckless, right? Yeah. Yeah. So 18 plus 7. Oh, easily hits. Again, uh, 7-9 damage that time. Are you adding your range damage?

Yeah, that's all right damage. I will add a D6 though of blood bloint. bloint to that one. So that was, is that nine, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, totally. 15, nice. The Mantrae is looking very badly hurt, but it's bloodied.

You can see that from its multiple wounds, it seems to be grow more sluggish, more defensive, kind of flapping its enormous, sort of wing-like membranes defensively. Anything else, Ophelia? If that would go to Rowan, then Daisy. I might, hmm, I'll attempt to go after the little sharp Lucky guys, he's riding away.

Just to chase him down. Yeah, I'm gonna go after, I'm gonna dis- You are the speediest. You can't disengage because you attack. I'm gonna risky and go after the shot-line. The Mantrae will try make an attack against you with the Stinger with advantage, because you reckless. That is gonna be 23.

That'll hit. So that is gonna be 10 points of piercing, which you half. Five. And then 14 points. poison damage from its stinger. Are you, do you have resistance to poison? So it's just the 14, so yeah. 14 plus 5.

19. 19. Cool. And then you swim over here. Yeah, I'm gonna annoy him. Sure, yeah, you swim up next to an engaging melee range. Perfect, all right, then we go to Rowan, then Daisy. Thank you for doing that.

I know it gets me. I'm going to un-equip my stone razor and equip my stone razor and equip light crossbow. Okay, and give a little shot to the rider. Okay. And I'm gonna nail it with a natural 20. Here we go, watch this drive. Natural 20.

Love it. It actually is. Oh my God, it is. Oh my God. It actually is. I love that. It actually is. See when people call it and then get...

You just have to believe. Like, when you guys rock bandits because you don't believe. I believe every time. Yeah. Yeah. I believe in the heart of the dice. from Yugi, that that's what you have to do.

Well, it's a hit, it's a crit. You definitely hit. So max damage on the D8, plus another D8. So nine points. So another nine on top of the eight? Nope. So nine total. I got a roll of one.

Oh. So it's nine. Oh, so you don't add a modifier. You have no Dex modifier. Hell no. So just nine damage. Okay. So this crossbow thuds into like the back of the elite soldiers,

carapus, like crab-like head. And it's obviously embedded, but a claw just kind of reaches and like pulls the arrow out as he looks in your direction. A critical blow, but not one that seems to have upset him too greatly. Well, anything else on your turn? The attack had like a fold charge-up animation and everything. It looked awesome. You did a big spin and then...

I mean, nine damage. Ow! Ow! Adam! Adam! I can't believe you've done this. I'm going to... ...hean word myself.

If I can do that. Yeah? That's a good idea. Do you have cure wounds or any healing word? Yeah, cure wounds is an action. I've just done that. Oh, that's right, yes. So if you want a healing word as bonus action.

Yeah, you can do. So I will... Healing word myself just to... What level? Second level. I will leave you to do that while I move on to Daisy. That's fine. I'll allow it.

Hello. Now just fudge the numbers. I'm going to crossbow. And crossbow, the rider? The rider, yeah. Okay. I'll leave the shark to you. For Xanthias.

Since you seem to be an expert at that. I'm looking more bloodthirsty than the shark does. Oh my gosh. I should also point out, when I moved it, by the way, I did half its movement for the slow. It could have gone up to 60 feet without that. Oh, my gosh. It would have been off the map of getting away, basically.

24 to hit. 24 will hit the rider. That's a lot of dice. Sink attack, dude. 29 damage. Go on, you can't get any points of damage. I rolled two sixes under five. I mean, again, like the cross per bolt

this time finds far more purchase than Row and stuff. maybe wedging itself in between some of these plates. And you see the creature like wince and twist its body around in pain, but it is not yet bloodied. Oh, wow. Well, this one hadn't really been hurt before. It suffered a little bit of damage from the, I believe, the sorceress burst, but yeah, this one is not too badly damaged.

And so it kind of winces and grunts, but it's still up. I'm afraid that is all I have. Would you like to move? No. I'm fine where I am. Okay. In that case, we go to Gruff. I will swim on over if you wish to attack.

We've already used this reaction. Well, okay. Actually, I'll move 15 that way. This way? Yeah. 15 luck here. Like further diagonal up this way. Oh, up this way.

Yeah. So 5, 10, 50. Thank you all. With Gruff, you swim next to Ophelia? Yeah. And I'm gonna try and twat the rider. Okay, yeah. Natural 20.

Oh my god. Yes. The day of crits has arrived. It's here. I can't do the math on this. So what's your normal damage is not? My normal damage is 2d6 plus 3. 2d6 plus 3.

So just roll that and then add 12. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. So 12 plus 9. 21. 21. And he is grappled and restrained. Oh shit. Nice one.

Very nice. You wrap them up. That's probably why the octopus doesn't have multi-attacks because it can do that. So you kind of wrap this rider up, this knight. Does the shark keep going and he just stays on? No, no, because he's kind of got these like reins around the shark, like the same of that blood kelp, like knotted rope.

And it's like wrapped around his like clawed hand. And he's like riding it properly like he's kind of controlling it. And the shark will kind of like is now aware that something grabbed its master and is, you know, but it's unable to help, basically. So it's probably gonna, it's like thrashing around. I also get one D8 from Primal Strike. Oh.

So it can be. Does that apply to your wild shape? Yes. Perfect. Yeah. So you can add a D8 of damage. Well, in fact, it'll be eight plus another D8. Plus six. Plus an eight, so 14 more damage.

And that can be. So with that, you don't need to, that is enough as you crush the life out. Oh my God. Yeah, it's like you got him down to he had, He had... It is elemental, so I don't know. What kind of elemental damage do you do big?

I have to choose. Oh, this will change things, weren't it? Yeah. Choose thunder. I'm not choosing thunder. I've learned from someone else. Choose fire. I don't have fire.

I think it's cold lightning. I'll go for ice. Cold fire, light. Oh, I can do fire. Cold fire lightning thunder. Well, I warn you now, fire underwater is automatically halved. Yeah. I'll go, thunder will twat.

me. Thunder won't. I'll try you, but they'll be resistant to it. But they're resistant. Lightning Mike. Lightning Mike. Cold. I think it's resistant.

It's cold to, I think it's cold to both resistant to. Yeah, I think. So I'll go cold, but it's probably. It is unfortunately resistant. It's a deep nature coming from the deep sea is resistant. So what was the total of the, it was 8 plus 14, it was fun, so half to seven. So wait, we're avoiding lightning because of the assumption that it changed out. It overcharged the armour.

And then they go there on, right. Thunder and lightning, the coral seems to have some sort of affinity to. Okay. And yeah, unfortunately, cold, it is naturally resistant to it. And fire underwater. Doesn't do as much. Unfortunately, your options for elements

were a little limited there. But, well, unfortunately, because of that resistance, it is still up, but you can see that Gruff has got this thing and it is on the verge of death. It is badly, badly weakened. But you are now wrapped around at Gruff, holding it in place. It cannot move, and I'd say because it's restraint,

it cannot command the shark. It can't force the shark to move. It's like he can't gesture enough for the shark to go, basically. The shark could in theory choose to act on its own movement, but it will be limited. All right, if you're done, Gruff, we move to Xanthias. I want to swim around to the front of the shark,

place a hand on its forehead to try and soothe it and then use shocking grasp. Oh my God! Do they. Calm down. Calm, calm, calm. Yeah, absolutely. So you swim around,

moving into a melee range with it. Yeah, but... Sure. Unnatural 20. Unnatural 20 is enough to hit the shark. 2D8, this is lightning. Is it? Yes, it is.

Eight lightning damage. Eight lightning damage. And it cannot make opportunity attack. It's still not enough, just barely as you place your hand against it. Lightning spreads out, causing this hideous burn over one of its eyes, you know, half of its face, its side blood is pouring out of its mouth, but this creature, ferocious as they are, it will not die easy. This thing is enormous, it is tenacious,

and it still is lost in a blood frenzy at this point. God damn it, I don't have a bonus action to do any damage. Unless. J.K. on left. No, a flame blade doesn't count. Unless I conjure a flame blade holding it in such a position that it conjures into it. Oh, do you really want to do that

because then that lets me do that to you guys in the future? Pretty cool. Let's just cast it above your stomach and instantly kill you. Didn't Kylo Ren do that? Yeah, that's it. You can get Kylo Ren.

He did what? I know what I have to do. I don't have the strength to do it. I'll just swim back. Do a big rotation. It can't take reactions He can't. He can't, he's strange He has a disadvantage

Was I in melee range of him? I would say to be in melee range of like touching the shark He has because he has like a long harpoon I'll do whatever the... You can stay in melee with him with him I'll do whatever the swimming version of a moon walk away is Well he has a disadvantage But he's up next time might as well try and make

the attack of opportunity With his whoapoon Um, that's gonna miss, that's only a nine. I got a third in the first roll. What would I have rolled? Yeah, I would have hit if not for the disadvantage. Exactly as planned. Exactly as planned.

All right, bad guys go. Um, does the creature just try and break free? Does the soldier try and just break free? Or does he just try and attack gruff? Disadvantage. He would have disadvantage, but if he can do enough damage, he might force you out of octopus form and then... He can but try.

He can but try. Sorry. Yeah. I still have 10 HP, so. Yeah. Do you know what? He is going to make two disadvantage attacks against Gruffus. Jinkster.

So I think that's not going to hit. My lowest was a 16 on the claw attack. AC 11. Oh, so it does hit, of course, because it's the Octopus AC. That is going to be 11 points of slashing damage from his claw. And then I think he's going to shield. Can we do that, grappled? Yeah.

You guys can still attack when you're grappled and restrained. Shield bash. He has disadvantage. It's like pressing the shield up against gruff and its toxin spines. And it's in my little squishy bit. Yeah. You know, because like I am quite vulnerable, like, you know. Little octopus organs.

Yeah. Well, look, I mean, with the disadvantage, it's only a 10, so it's actually you've wrapped him too tight. You can't strike you. So you're just like, just like crushing him you could ink him why not but then it means everyone else will have to roll the the shark is going to I'd say the shark can't attack a gruff because it can't reach up and like bite gruff so it'll go for the

nearest available target which I think is going to be Ophelia you do have all of your hit points yep okay that is going to be oh like oh where is it that's 26 yeah gody shit uh that is gonna be eight plus oh not too bad uh only 17 piercing damage so half 16 8 so take eight in total round down nice can i hellish rebuke as a reaction oh can it's it'll be resisting because it's claim well it might be quartered if it passes it saving three all right do you see 13 save see if you play uh now it's slowed right so i think it has disadvantage on dexterity saving throws, or minus two or something like that,

to dexterity saving throws. Yeah. Look it up, please. My memory is not that good. Chris Trutz reading, he's reading the spell. To AC and Dex saving throws. There you go, minus two. Oh, I can't take reactions anyway.

Oh, I can't take reactions anyway. Dex saving throw, minus two. Natural one. 2G10 fire damage, halved. Halved, yes. 16 on both of those, so eight fire damage. Eight points of fire damage is enough. It had four hit points left.

So as it tries to, as it bites into you, Ophelia, you let this kind of dark, roiling, black flame of the grave kind of, you know, emerge out from you. It engulfs going into its mouth and its eyes, and the wounds are just too great at this point, and the shark is. defeated. Dope.

Cooked. Tasty. Delicious. Leaving the soldier floating mid-air. Still wrapped up in Octopus gruff, octogruff's clutches. You have, however, abandoned poor turtle man to this giant Manta ray.

You've got this turtle guy! The Manta ray makes three attacks against him. Oh my god, he's dead. That first core hit. second claw misses, stinger misses. That's all right. That's lucky. I'm on yours side.

That's going to be eight points of damage. Let's find the new Jeremy Crawford and go there and... The Tollman manages to dodge and weave avoiding the stinger in one of the bites of its mandibles, but the last mandible digs deep and you can see this caper in is badly. wounded, barely staying conscious, but is still alive at least for now. With that, the hope of escape failing does not look like this guy's going to be able to get away quick enough. Ophelia. Yes, Ophelia shall strike at this guy once again. You have an advantage

automatically because he is restrained. Amazing. I'm going to use Veracity's blood drainability on this one. Okay. So you're going to do an empowered bite through Veracity. Yes. 1522 to hit amazing so D4 but no use Verasti's damage but you just get to do the effect of either draining the health or add it to the sword full damage D8 13 14 15 damage 15 bloint or no bloint I'll stick a bloint on just for fun 15 why not full damage on that one as well wow 21 what was that 18 23 15 plus whatever you rolled brain has gone 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, yeah, 21, you're right. 21. You watch as his last remaining, how many hit points?

Four hit points that he had. But yeah, you still get the full 21 to Veresti. Do you want to help heal or? I will put that into the sword. Oh, you get both. So you can heal, you can heal and you add it to the tally. Yes, I will heal with that as well. I think it has a salty blood sort now.

So, 43, so that's 21. So 63, blue. Veracity has now. Excellent. So sort of reaching down in between octogruff's tentacles, you plunge Veracity as you watch the sort of musculature and organic components beneath the hardened carapace kind of shrivel and wither as this creature is fully slain.

Incredible. And then I will pivot around, move back towards the Mantrae and do the same. I can't believe it. believe it. Recklessly. We're about to see a triple kill. Uh, 19 plus seven.

The previous turn to hit the Manterrey. Oh, right, yes. Oh yeah, that's right, yeah. Sorry, what was that, Aphelia? 26 to hit the Manterrey. So, dear, and again, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and a point.

Nine, ten, eleven, two, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, fifteen damage to the Manta ray. Holy shit. Looking very, very, very, very. rough again the Mantrae hadn't really been injured before but yes you you strike with Veracity and cause another deep gash along it it just thrashing in this mad panic at this point I think that might be enough to break it out of its sort of frenzy and it might try and run away but before then it is Rowan then

Daze Rowan is going to look at Manta ray and then pry open its mind with Disson Wispos. Ooh. So, a wisdom saving throw, please. 15. 6. Yep. Yep, yep. It is Manta Ray.

It is not wisest of creatures. No. Have you seen their mouth? They just always look like they're smiling. They do. This one doesn't look like that. It's got horrible, like, fangs. Is it the other way around?

Yeah. Yeah, it always looks sad. It's full of teeth. Nine points. Psychic damage. Enough. You watch as this creature, kind of in this mad thrash,

begins to panic and look around, it goes to swim away, but something in its mind just snaps, and the creature is slayed. Sweet! And with that we drop out of initiative, everybody, as these kind of floating corpses. You watch as the hardened carapace of the soldiers kind of sinks them down,

but both the Manta ray and the sharks sort of flip over and begin to slowly drift upwards there. their blood leaking out. If I'm still holding on to him, though. Oh yeah, you can keep holding him if you want. Can I rifle through his pockets and stuff? I mean, you might not have to do this. This creature has no pockets.

It was carrying a sort of harpoon made of this kind of darkened coral. Where pray to tell. Would they keep their biscuits? Huh? Where would they keep their biscuits? That's pretty per show. That they don't have pockets.

They don't eat biscuits. What the hell do they? They need pockets for some. something. Where do they keep their stuff? They don't have any stuff. He has a harpoon. All their spare pens. Weirdly, doesn't need pens. They got a bad deal from a jania.

Yeah, a bad deal. They've got gills, though. Come to the mainland, we have pockets. Do you imagine the revolution that's right? I'd shove so much junk in there. And suffocate yourself. I need this later. It's very unbride for Rianna, who somehow runs out of space of everything.

your home, your table here, I roll this. My car. Your car. Don't look at my car. But yeah, you, yeah, literally just has its weapons on it. It doesn't really have any other belongings. That coral that does all the nice stuff, that's embedded into it, isn't it? So they've shaped it into, yeah, it's like grown into their carapace, basically.

It's like molded into it. You can break it off, but as Xanthus found, it kind of loses potency once it's kind of broken away. I guess can I take the harpoon and shield and just octopus-y-waggle it around like you know Sorry, say that again? No, my brain caught up with it The shield is... The shield is basically like a hardened starfish

It's not like a shield as you would know it And it's covered in these like toxic spines That you've seen, similar to the sea urchin ones It does look difficult to wield Like, it almost looks like you would probably need to, like, know how to use it, or you'd be at risk of poisoning yourself. Maybe not, then. But the harpoon itself is just a...

It basically functions as a pike or, like, a reach, like a one-handed, like, long spear, basically. It does not appear to be magical. It is just made of a sort of hardened coral. That's a really nice, Griffith. Octograph. Blub, blub. you, anybody who looks over,

if you're being the closest, you see the capparin, who kind of like a, you know, a giant sea turtle, but has a bandolier of these kind of big gourds and has various sort of trinkets and accoutrement or strapped over their body. He sort of flat sort of gestures and swims down to the rock

and you can see he's holding his sideway, he's being stung by that stinger and the claw and things like that. and he looks pretty weak, but he begins to weave a very simple healing spell and he's like sealing the wound and pulls up one of the gourds, pulls it up to his mouth, flips something up,

and seems to breathe in air and then sort of locks the gourd and then hangs it back off of his belt. And he, you see he very warily with his big sort of three-fingered hand will make a series of gestures at you. that are completely lost on you. And then, I can comprehend languages.

Sure, what's it do? Read out the spell. For the duration, you understand the literal meaning of any language that you hear or see signed. Okay, oh wow. Yeah, so that would absolutely work then. If it can work on visual sign language, then yeah, you could cast that.

You don't need it though, I understand Elvis. I just nudge row and just like, point to the tell, just like, I don't, I don't. You can still talk to help pathically. I don't, I don't know what he's saying. Can you help? He's, I think he's hurt.

Yes, he's saying the following. Do you cast comprehensive language? Yeah, okay, Markov's spell slot. Yeah, you see, he does this signed language, which you come to understand is some sort of developed communication for this particular species or ancestry. And he is, he basically is saying to you, who are you? Why are you here? Why did you help me? Why did you help the Silmir?

I don't know if I can respond to it, I can just comprehend. Yeah. So Graf has common sign language. So I think I said last time, like there's some summaries, but because it's like this three finger that is different, you get like a vague sense, but you're not sure you could use that to communicate back. to them. Okay. You cannot understand me, but if we go to, how do I explain this to them? You see he kind of tries to, he like touches his mouth.

This isn't signed, this is like just charades at this point. I'm gonna charades back. As best I can. He touches his mouth and then points in the direction to Gruff, you know, the settlement. He points that way, and then he points at you to himself, and then gestures towards the sound. I'll do thumbs up to that. He kind of pokes his hand. He wants us to go with him.

He doesn't know that I understand him because I don't know how to respond, but I'm figuring out what they're saying. He sort of puts his dominant sort of finger up in a similar gesture. You get the sense he doesn't understand what this means. Like, he doesn't know what thumbs up means. to a very generic point at myself and then my ear and then point at his mouse uh he signs at you you understand me the thumb up does this mean yes thumb up he does this back to you now like he's like yes nailed it but if it meant no uh so you like he's like and you see he signs it like and you see he signs it like excellent follow me to my village

I will be able to speak with you there I cannot speak in the water Rowan ponderes for a second thumbs up he thumbs up right back he loves this this is great he's like excellent are this the Silmir around yeah so the Silber so during the fight

they sort of scattered and they went and hid in amongst some of the flora that you can see Why are we shortening stuff? Huh? You're always shortening words. It's weird. I know. Flourna.

That was just being dyslexic. Thanks, Tom. I know, I got you again. Thanks. No, they're sort of playing in amongst that. You can see that they sort of hid during the battle, and now they sort of pop their heads out, and they're like, he-he-he-h-ch-thus.

Kind of flying around, or swimming around each other, really. These giant clown-fish, very brightly-colored-style tails. They look a little bit sort of like underwater fairies. You can see they have gills, they have big, long, elongated ears. Their hair is the color of, like, not seaweed, more like underwater plants. So it has those weird, like little, like little nodules and like fronds and things like that. Sort of got like almost axelotal traits to them as well. Just like the little fronds, like antennas and things.

and they're sort of like giggling and they start to go up to you gruff because you're the one of rescuing but also you're an octopus and they start you know kind of like and they make little ink clouds

themselves around you and then they sort of like prod you like you're not a real octopus we know you're not really we saw you before we can tell you're not really an octopus I ink ah he can ink he can ink

and then they do the same thing again but they make their ink look like shapes and they make them like look like seashells or they make them look like they might probably copy like one of your like Rowan's face they make their ink look like a silly caricature of like Rowan's face and they are just like whipping around this is like you know they are on high on a sugar high or a caffeine high like they never stop moving like they're just constantly flying around they speak to each other unlike the Caparin they're They can speak out loud and you can hear them perfectly clearly.

Like when they speak, it's almost like their voices somehow being carried by the water. And they giggle and laugh. But they also speak in a language that now Rowan would understand. They're speaking in some sort of, some sort of Faye language. And they're just like, new friends, new friends. And they're just like kind of giggling and playing with each other. I think they like us a lot. Yuga, Yuga, and then they go over to the Kaeparin, who they seem to be calling Yuga.

and they're like, Yuga, Yuga, can we take them? Let's keep them, let's keep them. We want to keep them as pets. And you see the turtle signs back at them like, they are not pets, they are land walkers. We should be careful. We should, I do not know if we can trust them yet. How are you spelling his name?

Y-U-U-U-G-A. Fuck sakes. This is why I ask, because Marple did you only put one U? Yes. Weirdly. Now it looks like a W-U-U-G-A. It's weird how you always shorten names.

I add apostrophes and double letters. I don't shorten names. I'm just dyslexic and sometimes I merge them. I will relay that Yuga is, A, their name, and be that they're wary of us, so don't do anything sudden or weird. Duh. Or aggressive.

Yeah, he sort of takes a minute, he's like, Little ones, sacred, he would say sacred ones, sacred ones, please, please, sacred ones. We must go, we must return. I wish to make sure you are safe. We cannot have the children of Ojania take you again. And they're like, oh, we want to play. And he just is like, no, no, please, sacred ones.

We need you at the shrine. And they sort of are like, oh, fine, kind of swim around him. And then they'll sort of be like, come on, come on. They sort of gesture like, follow me, follow me, to all of you. And he will take off and begin to swim. You can see, very adept, natural swim speed just makes his way through the water as you follow, I'm assuming. You swim on for a little ways. Sadly, the Rowans, what were they called?

Rudders. Rudders. The magic recreation fades at this point, and you are resulted to swimming naturally, which does impair you a little bit, that's slow you down. Now, without that, increased swim speed. but you are led through the blood cal which you notice begins to grow thinner as you get closer towards this settlement it's still present but it is not as overbearing as it is everywhere else and you begin to see other underwater life and flora has grown in its place almost as if it somehow has the strength to fight back

against this oppressive species of plant. And instead, bright colors, oranges, blues, yellows, pinks begin to fill as you find these hills, these underwater hills made of coral and rock, perhaps part of the mountain scape that becomes eventually Twin Peak Isle. You are led into these, which are covered in these beautiful underwater, almost you get the impression almost like gardens. There are little stone structures, almost like little arches, kind of housing certain species of underwater plant altogether.

And you can't help but think of, you know, the Duke's Gardens or like a well-maintained farm plot or something like that as you get to see them spread out over the hills. And you are led down into a natural cave and swim through. It becomes quite tight, especially for Rowan at points, but you manage to make your way through. And eventually you see that the tunnel sort of goes upwards and you see the surface of the water break.

There are multiple little tunnels that spill off, but it becomes a large open underground cave, basically, with an air pocket inside. When you emerge, you see a large cavern with tunnels leading off to it built into the sort of hollowed out section of this mountain or hills or whatever they are and you see not many maybe six more of these capperin very simple giant like shell like structures that have been turned into houses almost like giant spiral snail shells that have been like carved out and you know curtains drawn over them and things like that um no fires

but you do notice, like, racks of seaweed being dried, fish, you know, being laid out as there is this sudden stunned silence as you breach water. The little Silmir, the fairies, they don't go on land. They sort of poke their heads up and sort of like chatter and laugh and then swim off into little channels that seem to flow out and go further into this cave complex and heading deeper into this settlement. As you breach the water, the turtle, the caperine, theuga, will turn to you and sort of, hello, I do not often speak your language. So please forgive me if I speak wrongly. But thank you for your help. People, they rescued me from Ojania's soldiers. I have come to offer them hospitality, as is right, by the great mother.

I do hope that you will all behave. No violence here. We have no quarrel with Land-Walker. Please, we are not children of Ojania. We are not Ojania. It sort of looks. And you can see that that's a very loaded statement, almost rehearsed.

You know, you get the sense that this is something that these Caprin probably encounter a lot, that they are mistaken for monsters of Ojania. And you can tell that there is aware of, there is a fear here of all of you. So I think it was as we come out of the water, I'll obviously bob up as a giant octopus. But then as I slither onto the land,

I'll turn back into... Shake myself off. Like, you know, in beauty and base, when he shakes himself on the child. And it becomes really puffy. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Hello, my name is Graf.

There is. Grafith of Tremoro. I just want to speak on behalf of everyone here. We come in peace, and we come in peace, We respect your hospitality and your customer, and we too are here to fight the forces of Ojania. Mm, good, this is good. Many of your kind mistake us for her servants.

Many Kaeparin have been killed by the people of your world. So we are wary, but you helped me and you helped the sacred ones. that is a task, that is a duty, that I must, a kindness, that I must repay. Hello. I am Yuga, and this is Purporea, our home. Okay, I need to spell that one. P-U-R, P-U-R-E-A.

Pur-P-U-R. E-A. Sorry, P-U-R, P-U-R-E-A. Perporea. Thank you. Perporea. If you prefer, there are not many of us here. We do not have much to offer, but at least this place is protected against Ojanja and her children. You are safe to rest if you need to.

We have food, but I do not know. if land walkers can eat what we eat, but maybe you can. There is clean water and air. How do you breathe beneath the waves? Well, some of us, some on us, we can cast magics that allow us to breathe underwater. Ah, yes, yes.

You have mother's blessing. You can conjure her blessings. Oh, I'll say. You see all of the caprons, of like, they pull their heads into their shells and like go on their knees and like bow down basically. And you hear them all chon, aren't they? And then they stand back up again.

And you see, Yuga nods his head. Sacred mother, yes. That's how my magic works. She, I suppose, my magic works through the matter. You nods his head, then you, and you place like a big three fingered hand on your shoulder. you are welcome here, Griffith. If you are a child of the great mother, you are welcome.

Come, come, and he will gesture to all of you to make your way inside. Cool. It's nice to finally be dry. Yeah, it's damp because this is like an underwater cave basically, and it is a pocket of air. still damp, but it is that sort of sudden relief of, you could always feel the presence of the pressure of being deep under the water. You could feel the cold. It was quite chilly. So there is a sort of relief being out of the water here. Your movements suddenly don't feel so heavy,

so sluggish, so slow. You notice that the channels, there are probably more of the little Silmir, the little mermaids, than there are of the capparin. You maybe only see maybe two or three more capparin as you're sort of led deeper into the caverns. You don't imagine that there couldn't be more than ten in this entire settlement, but the little fairies, they seem to be everywhere. You find like little lagoons, like little caverns with like little pools and they pull themselves up on the rocks and you can hear music. They seem to be singing to each other in this strange, fay-like language.

They giggle and splash and play games. They have a sort of dried-out sea urchin, like probably a... sort of like a puffer fish, like a deceased puff of fish, and they've made it into a ball, and they're, like, throwing it and, like, splashing it around with each other and stuff. But they are tiny, you know, they're, you know, probably, you know, sort of 14 inches tall.

You know, they're like little Barbies, basically, but these little clown tails. And they're just sort of splashing around and singing and seem to just be having a good time. You come across in one lagoon, a number of them are tending to a garden of underwater, and you can see them all conjuring druidic magic and sort of encouraging it to grow

and nurturing it and caring for it. You find that, like, many of them keep pet underwater animals. You find, like, deep-sea crabs that have been, like, dressed up, like, little seaweed bows and, like, painted colors with, like, dyes and things like that. And they're, like, feeding them and, like, showing them off to each other. And, you know, like, little kids showing off their favorite dolls

or, you know, a stuffed toy. but it's like an actual crab and he's like wriggling and, you know, clicking his little, little claws. And they're like, look, Mr. Pinchy! And they're kind of showing off to each other and stuff. Pinchie. Yeah.

And you find pockets of these little Silnirs everywhere. But Yuga takes you further and further in until you reach a very beautiful cavern with geodes. Not anything precious, but sort of just crystals, quartz and the like, just kind of scattered around it. And you can see there are, it would be like a dried shell, but it's been lit like incense,

and it's letting off this pungent, very deep, earthy aroma, but they've been left as sort of almost like this as a shrine. And you can see that all of these offerings, and there are carved, like in the stone itself, has been carved to resemble this great turtle person, a female turtle person who's much larger than all the others blessing, giving blessings and raising crops, and, you know, it doesn't take much for those who you especially gruff, see that this is obviously an interpretation of Ulfay.

And right at the back of the chamber, where all of the worship is sort of guiding you towards all the light and everything else, you know, there are little sort of glowing shells that you almost bioluminescent algae and stuff like that's been used as lighting. It points to the back wall where in the wall of the cave itself, there is this tiny, sliver of a greenish metal, like a natural vein of ore, that seems to glow with a dull, greenish yellow light. And all around the cave, growth of moss and underwater plants has bloomed around it. And it's small, but any of you who are intrinsically magical, so I'd say probably like Xantheus, Graf and Rowan,

although Daisy and Ophina you do have some magic of your own, it's not necessarily internal. It's like being given to you or it's been granted from him. But for Xanthus, Rowan and Graff, you immediately can tell that this vein of metal has a natural sort of magic to it. And yeah, and it seems to be the culmination

of this settlement's like temple effect. and you see Yuga goes up to it, pulls his neck in, goes on his little feet, and he bows down in front of it, and you hear him whispering in, no, he wouldn't say anything, he would sign it because that's their own language rather than speaking yours. He signs, and Rowan, you would understand it, to be a prayer to the mother. Thank you for sending these people to save me, to save the sacred ones. Thank you for protecting this village. please help us against Ajunya's champions. So it offers this little prayer to the vein of metal, basically.

So is it like a completely untouched vein of... Not being touched. So there's nothing else been made out of it as whatever. They have left it as natural. Like they, you can, I'd say exactly, you don't even need to make a check for this. They clearly worship it. Yeah, yeah.

And you get the impression that, like, to mine it would be, you know, like, you know, they treat it as sacred. Yeah, it'd be blasphemous to me. But no, it's only a tight, it's like an errant natural vein. Like, you don't see anything else in the cavern to indicate that there's more of this stuff. And you've never seen, none of you have ever seen

a metal like this before. This is not, you've not even heard about a metal like this before in the empire. Uranium. That's it. Can you all make a con the same for me, actually, claims? You know, I'm feeling hot. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I think Rowan will actually see this happening and then go kneel down next to them. Oh, okay. And knowing what they just signed, offer a similar one. Thank you, Althe, for crossing our paths with these people. And we hope together we will defeat O'Jania. Can you roll a charisma? Just roll, not a saving through, just D20 plus charisma. Prisma for me, please, Rowan.

Okay. Yeah. I wrote a three plus three. You don't believe six. You offer this prayer and you do, it's strange, you almost can feel a tingling along those patterns on your arms, as if something of this vein of metal

and whatever magic or process the proto-maggi whatever was involved in that, there's something, but you're not, you can't, it's fleeting. And like, as soon as you become aware of it, it's almost like it goes away. There was definitely something at work there. I just get up after a church. Yeah, yeah, you offer the prayer and Yuga kind of looks at you, these big sort of, you know, totalizing nods his head. I give a thumbs up.

He responds with the thumb. up as well, like, yes. But yeah, he would say, this is our heart of our day. This is our temple. It blesses this place. It keeps Ojania's influence away. It helps the sacred ones thrive.

They found this place. They were here, but you have seen them. They are like children. They do not know. to care for themselves. So we come here to be their guardians and to care for this beautiful place. It is wonderful, and I can see its potency as well,

how much it brings life to the area. Yes, this is the blood of mother hardened now, but her blood makes things grow. It helps us grow. There are so few Kaparin left. Many of us, when we have children, they struggle. We bring them here and they grow stronger and quickly as well. It helps the land grow.

It fights back against the, you have seen the blood of Ojanya that grows everywhere in this place. It was not always this way, but over time it has. has taken over. My great, great ancestors tell us that long ago it was but a small patch closest to the mountain. But now it is spreading. But this place is kept protected thanks to the blood of mother. We're actually down here searching for one of the champions of Ojania. Ah, the singer.

Corlsong. song. I do not know this name, but there is only one that you could be hunting. She is taken a great what is your word for the thing it sails on the top of the ship? A ship. Yes, she has taken this ship broken ship and uses it as her lair. And she sends her soldiers out. They have been trying to to capture the sacred ones wherever they can. I fear that in my prayers to Ulthe, she has warned me that this singer is doing something. He's performing some profane right that is very bad.

But the Caparin, we are not strong enough to stop her. But a few of the sacred ones, they do not understand this danger. They go out to play, to explore, and I try and chase them to find them. And that is when the soldiers, the shark rider and the others, they found them. And when to take them back to the singer. Well, it seems as though she's also sending her forces out to capture land walkers as well. There's been attacks on the surface and reports of people being dragged into the ocean.

Ojania is the enemy of all. We are united in this. We've already slain one of her champions, actually. His eyes go wide. The doom claw, Agamox. Yes, the great claw. We knew of him. But he did not...

He seemed not interested in the sacred ones or beneath the waves. He was concerned with Landwalkers, so we leave him to that business. As far as Poporea is concerned, the business of Landwalkers is not ours. But it seems that perhaps that was naive of us to believe. We thought that if Ajanya's interest was with with you, then perhaps we would be left alone, but then the sacred ones started to be taken. Well, I know where she is, Althei told me, has told me where she is.

So we intend to go there and to challenge her. I know she has a great creature, some sort of ill. You see his eyes go wide with fear and he sort of shrinks into his shell a little bit. Yes, the great devourer. Oh. The Great Devereux, what a great name. If there's anything you can tell us that could aid us in our fight? That beast has lived for longer than my generation,

many generations before. My great-grandfather's time, it was a number of warriors, capparin warriors. They set out to hunt it and slay it, but they could not. but it was too powerful. So they begged Ulthe, and Orthe showed them the location of, what would you call it, poison? A flower that when made, could be made into a poison.

Not enough to kill the great serpent, but to put it to sleep for many, many years, many, tides. But, Ojania, our champion, the singer, walk it with a song, and now it serves her. It is a great thing. It can lure people. It will appear like a loved one or a parent or sacred ones in danger. It will make you think, you see things that are not real. It lures you to it and then hound. and when she were inside its great belly nor there is little hope for you. Interesting. We've encountered that phenomenon before.

Ah. Seeing the things that loved ones, well, I saw something that I liked in a pool. Yes. So maybe that was the magic of the serpent and not Coral Song herself. I could not answer this, but I know only of the stories

of the great devourer, the great serpent. Do you know where we could find this flower, perhaps, or... I guess, I can show it to you. I can... There may be some of the elders may remember the stories passed down to us of how to make it into the poison. But it would be difficult to deliver. It cost many caperine lives to use it the first time. But, yes, we can show it to you.

It is not far from here. Because perhaps if we could send it to sleep, that would be a great boon for us. Yes. And is there anything about Coral song herself that you know? Our main concern is we don't know how to stop her influence over us with her song. We only devote ourselves to the great mother. Some caparin, even with their faith, even some caparin have fallen under her spell. The sacred ones seem able to resist it.

Though they love music, something about her songs does not reach them. But it is hard for us to get them to answer questions so distracted by the wonders of the world as they are. They are innocent and blessed with not these concerns. They do not see the danger as we do. But, no, we have tried to avoid her. We do not travel near the great ship. I know that she can command great power. They have been particularly interested in the coral of the storms.

When there is a great storm above the waves, they seem to, the coral draws down its power and stores it. And she seems to have great knowledge. of this. I have seen their soldiers. You fought them. They know how to use this coral to protect themselves, but the singer, she knows how to use it in other ways, I think, as well, to call forth its power when it is needed. Hmm. Hmm. This is all very helpful. Thank you. Is it okay if we rest here? Of course. Yes, we can bring you food and if there is anything else that you need

we will try to provide I think it best perhaps if I who speak with me the others they will be a feared of you so speak with me and I will fetch what you need I must rest myself

and you can see he like touches very sore he's healed like he's not gonna he's not in danger of dying but you can still see he's walking a bit slowly and like it kind of winces every now and then as he's moving around. Is it all right if perhaps I speak to some of the sacred ones and see if I can ask them?

You may certainly try, gruff, child of Ulthé, a warrior of Ulthé, you may try. But as I said, they are challenging sometimes. But yes, yes, you are free, free. I ask only that you try to give my people great, breaths between you what is this word in space you keep distance

and space from my people they will not they will be afraid but I will assure them that you mean no harm but yes walk wonder that is you are I leave you to it I will go and speak with my people now we will fetch you food and

perhaps find we have some trinkets of land walkers that maybe will help you or you can eat We are not sure, but we will find what we can. We are most gracious for your hospitality. I will leave you here in the heart of mother then. And you see he sort of like limps his way back using his gnarled.

It's kind of like a piece of like underwater. I guess it might be, might even look like like the core of like a great bit of like underwater tree or like a big branch of like a coral or something like that, but it's been shaped into like this spear stuff. and he sort of limps his way back the way you came, leaving you all in this cavern alone temporarily. How's everyone feeling?

Not too bad, I could be better. Just trying to wring all this water out of my hair. Salt's going to make it go crispy. It's probably okay for us to rest here for some time. Zanthias, that incense you add. Remind me what it does again? Yes. it regained spell slots.

I think it's a set amount for a group of people. Swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe, swipe. To, in a short rest, there it is. Spell slot restoration, four levels divided. So we could do one spell slot each. Well, four of us could do one each. Yeah, you could do one first level slot each, or you could do one person get a fourth level back,

one person get a third level back. And then what was a heroic short rest? So it's five minutes, and you take a normal short rest, but you don't need to spend an hour doing it. It's just a five-minute thing. Because I could really do with some spell slots back, but they're long.

Yes. I mean, you could take a long rest, but that's going to be like eight hours and... You can take the incense. I don't need spells lots. I've got tons. Billions, in fact. I've lost some first and a second and two-thirds.

And a four. I lost a fifth, two thirds and two second. I can work with this though, I think. I also can restore with sorcery points, so I'm fine. I'd feel happier if I had some fifth. Bayfith. I can't get you a fifth, I can get you a fourth. Final offer.

Yeah. I don't need fourth, I need third. Fifth. I've got five, three three, two, two. I can give you a four. I can give you four. It's up to four levels, right? So you could get a third and a first,

or you could get a third and Rowan can get a first back, you know, and you just divide it as you want to. Or two-twos. Or three-one. Or four-zero. There's so many combinations. I'll have all of a five. I'll have all of a five.

You've got a bunch of other potions. You can try those now. Nope. Why? You know, when are you going to use them? Anyone out here selling scrolls? Under the water. If I touch that mel.

I'll say refresh me. I don't think they'll like you. to touch it. Can you do what you want? I mean, it is, I will say that this vein of metal is definitely something that you've never seen before. Like it is, it is, that you can feel this immediate sort of energy from it.

And it is very small, it's like a thin vein of this metal. But it's enough that you can definitely feel something from it. How close of green is the same emanation glow from my geometric pattern. I would say it's not the same green. The vein has a more deep emerald green, whereas you've kind of got that more sort of cerulean kind of like pale green, don't you?

This is more like a deep emerald green, and there's a hint of yellow about its energy as well. It's very alpha, it's very earthy, it's very primal, that you get the sense from it. Is it possible to spend my short rest hour, like, meditating, in front of the... Yeah, I mean, you can spend a short rest, yeah, absolutely, yeah. I'm not gonna give you any extra spells to let's back,

just so you know, you're not getting... I was actually more, I was more thinking... But for the RP, absolutely. Yeah, and like, I just want to try and connect. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, you could use the incense if you... No, the incense exists. You can use it, yeah, let's...

You might as well use it, right? Otherwise it's just gonna sit in an inventory and never get used. Maybe we just... Especially if Zanthius is fine, like, that, That's one person out. If you guys want to share stuff, that seems like a good plan. Well, maybe we can work it out on the break exactly what we do. Yes, we are due for a break.

So let's do that now. I'm assuming you're all taking a short rest. So do your short rest. You can spend your hit dice, all of that kind of good stuff. And when we come back from the break, we'll jump back into it. Post short rest. Neat-o. All righty.

Well, we'll see you all in about five minutes, everybody. Take care. Enjoy a fan art video. It's not a new one. enjoy it anyway. And we'll see you in part two. Take care. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Hi. I'm Dan Marr, host of the Conversions podcast where I invite the talented, inventive and uncompromising minds behind some of your favourite and soon-to-be-favorant indie games to talk about what they do best. On each episode, I invite two members of the indie community, many of whom will be meeting for the very first time to share their journeys, their formative experiences, their successes and failures, their advice for aspiring indie devs, and no doubt lots of unrelated Waffle 2.

I mean, this is a podcast after all. If this sounds like your cup of gin, then subscribe to the convergence podcast from wherever you choose to ethically source your podcasts.