Legends of Avantris - Beneath Dark Wings | Ep. 1 | It Begins at the Crossroads: Part 1

Episode Date: June 12, 2024

The party meets at the crossroads in a dangerous forest in a dark continent where there are rumors of a plague in a nearby village.   Gain access to an exclusive campaign, Shroud Over Saltmarsh, over on Patreon: https://legendsofavantris.com/patreon The Crooked Moon, a folk horror supplement for 5e, is available for preorder! Get the Crooked Moon at: https://thecrookedmoon.com/ Watch more D&D adventures in the world of Avantris live on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/legendsofavantris Check out our merch store: https://shop.legendsofavantris.com  Join our community on Discord: https://legendsofavantris.com/discord Watch our many campaigns on YouTube: https://legendsofavantris.com/youtube  All other links: https://linktr.ee/legendsofavantris   Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/0zVf9O7M2fI?si=ENXOumxpZunSFgIe

Welcome to Legends of Aventress. I'm Mikey Gilder, and you're listening to Beneath Dark Wings. We begin the campaign on the roads traversing through the clockwood, a sprawling, labyrinthian forest that stretches over much of Koravakia, the predominantly human nation on the continent of Striga. You've all made your way across the country for various reasons, but each of your respective paths point you towards the town of Kirstein. You all woke up to a gloomy morning on the road that turned into a gloomy afternoon.

Something you've gotten used to during your time in the area. The sky is overcast and the forest is relatively still. Occasionally the quiet is broken by the occasional roar or growl of far-off forest creature. Felix and Toa, you are on the road heading north. You feel like you're getting close to your destination. As you make your way through the woods, you see up on the road ahead what seems to be a crossroads. As you see this, you notice a pair of figures heading towards you

on the opposite side past the crossroads. And why don't we get a description of both your characters? Hi there, my name is Toa Kamenui. I am a Goliath Barbarian of the ancestral guardian variety and I'm from a chain of islands to the west of the southern continent of Chukh and kind of an islander tribe of Goliaths and I sailed here on my own quest where I went into this fellow and my best friend. My name is Felix Ackerman, and I don't want to give away too much about my character. Are we talking discussing class at this point?

Are we letting them know what we are? Yeah, sure. So I'm a wizard. I am a native member of Koravakia, born and raised. And former, I guess I'll, this is, you know, outside player knowledge, former ex-military member of the Korvakian army. And I am no one. And I am no longer a part of the army for, without spoilers, giving anything away.

And I met up with Toa and we're a long little journey. I don't want to say too much. I can't really say too much. Okay. You see two figures approaching the crossroads. I think you're watching. Hey, me. Do you see those two guys up there?

All right, Big T. You know the drill, buddy. We got to hide. We can't let these guys see us. All right. Same as always. Always. Let's go.

Come on. I pick them up. Am I curious? It's possible. So there is dense forests on either side of you as you head towards the crossroads. You've known that getting through the clockwood is a lot of the travel going through Coravakia. And so are you just kind of going to go into the forest cover and then approach the crossroads that way?

They're approaching us, right? They're approaching you on the other side. you on the other side of the crossroads heading. I think we should, I think, I think we should, we should, we should,

we should, we should, we should, we should, I don't want to kill these people, but, I'd rather not have to kill anyone. I agree,

I agree, but let's just, let's just, let's just lay low, as in since I've known you. Let's just lay low, and let's see if we can get an eye on. I think that's fair.

Well, to be fair, it's a crossroads up there, I think. Can I see that it's clearly across the, yes. Why don't we just wait till the pay? the crossroads and if they turn then maybe we can just keep going on the way. Do you know which way we're going at the crossroads? Are we making a right or a lift?

I haven't talked about this. I haven't been to Kirstein yet. You know this. I, but I have an idea where it is. I just, can we just hide please? It's fine, that's fine. So I'll just, you guys stop talking. You pick up the elex and add into the Morse cover and start approaching the crossroads. Can I get both of you to roll stealth check for me? Gladly. First type's role of the campaign. I'm gonna move it's up that. I roll an eight. Let me look at my numbers here. Eight, ladies and gentlemen, eight of them. Uh, it's just decks, straight decks.

Can you allow that post? Uh, stealth. Whatever, you self. Oh, my stealth, I'm sorry, plus three. So I got a, an 11, which is not great. Now I'm no manager anymore, I'm sure. I should have had my dice ready ago. I got, ooh, that's not great. I believe that it is a teen. A 10 and an 11. Well, what's a natural roll? Oh, seven. I think I have some days.

Okay. So you go off into the woods. Lufty and Iris. You're on the road heading south. And you feel like you're getting close to your destination. As you make your way through the woods, you see the road up ahead of you becomes a crossroads. As you see this, you notice a pair of figures heading towards you.

As you approach a little bit, you see one of the figures, They're very far, but you see one, the larger one, picks up the other one and dives into the forest. Iris, do you see what I see up there? Darling, I saw like a strange gray man pick up another man. Oh, handsome man that I see, and I know you saw some too. I wonder what they're doing. They're not close enough for me to see if they were handsome or not.

Well, you know, sometimes you have to guess. But I don't think they're interested in you. He picked the other one up and Delav into the bushes. Who knows what they're doing? Maybe they're doing in the bushes. Well, that's what I'm saying. You can carry descriptions.

Oh. Okay. So I'm playing Lufty. I'm in Air Genesee. And just a bubble of fun. That's all you get. Quiet. Hello, darling.

I'm playing Iris, and I am a nobility, of course, and I'm not a cat. But I am a tabxy. So, that's all you get. Don't be maddie, she's a very pretty kitty. Well, that's how my mother made me. Well, should we go check on them? Maybe they fell in a hole or something. Do we really want to get involved with it?

What else are we going to do? Let's go. I'm a little bored. Okay, let's go. Let's get. So we'll... Okay, you're walking just towards the crossroads. Hello, strange men that just dove into the bushes. So before you guys get there, Herja and Caprice. Oh my God! You are on the road heading east,

and you feel like you're getting close to your destination. As you make your way through the woods, you see the road up ahead becoming a crossroads. As you see this, you notice a pair of figures heading towards you. However, these don't seem to be... This doesn't seem to be a pair of humanoid. is one humanoid and seems to be a, what looks like an ox of some kind, beside him. And he's heading in an direction.

This is also a crossroads that we're approached. It's across the year. Oh, hey dear bud, I like your axe. They can't hear me. You know, all right. No, come on, let's go meet him. Come on, come on. Come on, come on, come on.

Come on, let's go. Yeah, across the room you would see. A rust-colored teethling with two broad horns coming across the head, mostly covered by the chest-length black, like mahogany hair that he has across his chest. He's adorned with a lot of different copper, like cheap copper jewelry. You see rings on his fingers, necklaces, maybe something on the ear, that sort of thing. His eyes are, of course, pupil-less with no irises. It's just midnight blue.

Wow. He's swaggered a little bit, very rail thin and yeah, I'd say that would be about a description of him. Yeah, Persia is slapping Caprice on the shoulder and dragging him along. Slightly taller than most, she stands about five foot tall. Stocky build, but stands taller than most. She's got Auburn hair, green eyes. She looks like she's been out in the sun a lot, super sunburn, kind of tan in some places, just really big, green, happy, go lucky pair of eyes.

If that's even a description to use, I don't know. I'll take it. Yeah. Sounds good. But she's heavily padded, lots of armor, and doesn't really know her own strength. So she's dragging along this tabaxy that she just recently met. Tifling. Sorry, you're the tabaxi.

Sorry, too many T-words. My dyslexias kick me in. I'm sorry. This is going to be a... He said, I'm a cat so many times. I'm a kid, I'm a kid, kid, kid, kid. Yeah, well, let's walk down the path and we'll make our introduction. Yeah, yeah, I suppose we should.

I mean, we can just sort of nod and then move along. It seems like what you do it across from. No, but I like their ox. I like ox. I like ice. Well, if there's any reason to stop, that's fine, but I would like to really keep going. We got a lot of doing here. Okay, I suppose we should.

All right, all right. All right. Well, uh, uh, let us know as we get close enough to say hello. in a, you know, meaningful way. Sounds good. Okay, so I'm going to kick it back to Toa and Felix. As you creep through the wood, you see the crossroads more clearly, and you see

each of the three additional roads beyond the one that you were traveling on. You see that the additional two roads, the ones heading east and west will also populate it. You see as as six figures arrives at the crossroads at about the same time. All of you see a what seems to be a human male. Seems to be about middle-aged with salt and pepper hair. He's, he seems to be unassuming, but on his back the strap, a very large great sword.

and he has a rope holding it, and he's tugging, kind of muttering to what looks to be just an ox, kind of a grayish black ox that is, that seems to be moving along for the most part, but not as quickly as this gentleman would prefer. And the three pairs arrive at the same time. Can I get some passive perceptions? So no, we're not on the road, though. Oh, pass of perception. Yeah, we're creeping up.

We're just barely in sight and just... 12. 11. Oh, mine's 14. Sorry. 16. 12. Oh, no, uh, 14. I guess I just have my head in my ass.

Why does mine so low? Mine's 11. You're used to being a Ranger. Yeah. Anyway. So as you all approach together, you see this meeting of, of I guess six individuals, including the ox. And with, as you arrive within shouting,

talking distance of each other, you, let me actually change this music, I don't know why this is like this. We're creeping though, right? I mean, we're- You're creeping. And so you're creeping and as you get to that, you hear loud snappings.

of twigs and branches off into the woods. From the southern road. Come on, keep it down. This is standard. We've done this before. Have you seen my feet? They're quite big. I also just want to say,

we talked about the picking up thing. It's an emergency situation only. Oh, fuck, this was an emergency. I mean, it's always urgent, but come on. Just every time you speak, it sounds like an emergency. I'm sorry. What I'm supposed to know? It's a real emergency.

We should have a code word. You're probably right. I'll try to be better. I'm sorry. All right. Okay, I'm fine. I'm sorry. just a bit clumsy.

Do I see them, like, talking in the woods? You hear, like, hushed voices. As you approach, all of you are basically converging together along with this human man and his ox, it seems, kind of tugging at it. He's kind of, like, muttering to it. Doesn't seem to be paying you guys too much mine. Now, I know you want to really introduce yourself,

but we don't have to do that every crossroads where we meet somebody. There's no emergency here. We can just walk through, sort of not our head, We can say hi, maybe, but you know, if they're not interested and they just want to walk on. You don't have to, you know, you're very social and it's fine, it's fine. But we can just continue on. Okay, but do you hear that talking off in the sidewoods over here?

Yeah. Maybe you should stand behind me because the last time that didn't work out too well. Are you sure you want to be peeking? Well, no, I'm not saying I'm going to be approaching, but I said you should probably stand behind me. Maybe we go talk to this ox and this person looks like he's struggling a little bit. I'm just saying I'm hearing some voices come from the side. Can you, do you speak ox? Well, no, but I have an ox back home.

Oh, well, you probably get along with the ox. I mean, I'm happy to go say hi. I'm just saying. Well, I'm talking. We're making all right, we got to go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

Let's stand behind me because I'm hearing some voices over here and I don't feel too good about it. There's a lot of twigs snapping and I'm just not about that. Let's go. All right, all right. That's fine. You see these, you see a T-Fling and a, uh, a dwarf kind of just talking, not as hush as they probably think they are,

about deliberating, staying, and saying hi. Meanwhile, you can hear what you assume to be the handsome, the handsome men that dove into the forest, as you see this older gentleman, middle-aged gentleman with the box. Didn't you run up to talk to them? So you were running... Yeah, we were running up towards them, because I had yelled, like, you know, why did you dive in there?

So you guys were very far away. You guys would have been out of shouting range as far as that goes. You just saw two figures and you basically just saw kind of more just like figures on the road that just dove into it. So you're your ways off and the roads you could see a lot of a long distance down into the woods. Okay. So can we see that me before peaking? Uh, make your perception check. Well, darling, you know...

Nine. I'm quite quick. I could get to them really easily. Yeah, you know. You know, you go and I'll shout at them. Well, don't you, can you like fly on clouds? I don't know. You're mainly air, don't you like, just anything like. I think I can float a little.

But it doesn't, it doesn't make you faster? Well, I'm pretty darn quick, but I don't know that I fly. But it doesn't make you faster than you are. No. I'll just fly. No, walk first. All right, I'm going to. Bye!

Oh my God, stop talking to them. Toa, I think we've been found. I'm going to use my feline agility. Hello. move 120 feet and like I'm sprinting and then I want to just kind of dive into where I think they would have been very like niddly kitty in the bushes okay so make a perfect point quickly I'll follow but as soon as I hear noise hello boys I'm I reached into my code one hand you said what perception uh 12 12 that's enough we suck we've been at this for weeks and we suck so we've been out this for weeks and we suck so

So, Iris, you hear where the twigger snapping voices are kind of talking, also not as quietly as they probably think they are. And you see an enormous shape, seems to be at least a good seven feet tall in the bushes trying to hide behind a tree that's about that big. I don't think they can see me. Remember, if I give you the word, you snap their necks. Oh, I'd rather not have to do that. We discussed this.

And Iris, you sprint using your feline agility to dash into the woods just kind of up in that business. And you hear kind of finally getting this gentleman's attention. Oh my goodness! And you just dive right into their business. Into our business? Yeah.

So I see the tree he's perched up against? He's like hiding behind. Okay, so I'm gonna immediately like, I'm immediately gonna get back back up on my two legs and I'm going to lean against the tree and kind of like whip my tail back and forth. Well, hello. Oh, Todd! Your God!

What are you? Hi. Did you hear us? I think everybody in the crossroad heard you. A few other people. Should I snap a nick now? Please don't snap her neck. I back up to create distance between wherever they are and where I'm at.

Good 10-20-. Good luck. Catch them, me. stay where I am. I just want to back up. I'll also have my big kind of my mall on my shoulder. As this happens,

you hear a voice shout and then you see the three of you see that's coming from the Abed gentleman, the human man that's staying there. If you would like to have a conversation, you could have it out here on the roads with the rest of us. I want to take a look at this person who has

appeared and just kind of inspect her for any kind of Korvakian symbols. Make an intelligence To see if I can see anything. Yeah. You can see it. She's right in your business. Oh, I roll too. That's bad.

You said intelligence check. Just straight up in. Yeah, straight up. Add proficiency, actually, because it's relating to... I think it's only a plus... Actually, do it. It's a plus... Do history. Okay.

Proficiency's two. Yeah. So I get an eight. An eight. So you're not quite sure where this feline creature would be from, but you get a good look over her entire outfit. It seems to be very exotic. You probably haven't seen anything

looking like this, any person wearing any outfit like this, much less a black cat humanoid person. I think she's an immediate threat. I'm not the threat at all. I just want to know why you dove into the bushes. We don't know what they could potentially be setting after us.

I realize you to hear it. us don't you move I think I think we're okay just be on guard well she says she's not a big I don't trust I'm not a why are you a big guy who is it who has his man not quite sure if they're cute or not Lofti but the strange and that talking is if I'm not standing right here so I'm gonna have caught up with her we can't trust anyone remember oh you're right okay we're trying to stay away from big guys and we think you may be big guys well so this is why we jumped off the ramped oh sweet boy we are women we are What are the best?

What is this? Why, all of a sudden, we haven't encountered anyone on the road in the lace like two weeks? That's the idea. Perhaps a few people, but then all of a sudden we're in the woods, and these people come in the woods. All right, listen, listen, we don't want any trouble. We want to be on our way. We don't, we're not asking for any trouble. Right.

Just let us go. Why? It's, I'm not getting into that now. Thank you. And I proceed to walk away. He is this, saucy one now? I know. I'm getting the feeling I might want to follow him.

I don't like being talked to like that to be quite honest with you. Toa, come along! Wait, hold on a minute. I would really like to talk to you. He's... And I'm like gonna flip my tail back and forth, but you're so interesting. It's... And we're not bad guys.

And he's big, he's a big one, huh? Hold on, hold on. So you're saying you're actually not big guys? No. No, I'm... Are you good guys? I'm a Tabaxi actually. You're Tibixie. Sure.

Would I know what a Tibixie is? Make an intelligence shark. It's not my strong seat. Ooh, not good. Probably a seven. No, a seven. I feel like this is going to be the campaign of low rolls. Because I don't think anyone rolled over a 10, yeah?

I don't think anyone's rolled over a 10, yeah. You hear that familiar voice. I assure you there are no bad guys out here. Are you a bad guy, Mr. Young Post? You look like you may be a bad guy, but I don't. I appreciate that I might look that way, but it's fine. My name is Capriccio Descesto. This is Sesto. This is my current companion.

Here's our avowice. Yeah, exactly right. And what's your name? I want to meet you. My name is Godric Zuch. Godric. Yes. Goddrich.

And this stubborn one, I think the only bad guy here is Lockhart here. Who is Dad? This one, and he points in the ox. Oh. He, Felix. Thank you. No names. Oh, you're right. I'm sorry. Hey, Steve.

Hey, Steve, I mean, no, you didn't hear it. You're not. We all love that. You can come out to the crossing. Come. Come. Come. Come. I'm not sure, darling. I actually think I like that one. I'm not really a fan of the... I don't know. Not really, I said what I want. There's many voices... I give what you want. I'm sorry, I'm a tabxy.

There's two... Tebaxia people, right? Is it not... There are from. They're just people. people are people too. I'm nobility so yeah. Is it like a does that mean that you're like a like a

you have lots of money? Is that what you mean? Or that you're like a noble creature? I've heard of like whales called like noble creatures. Did you just call me away? Luffy. You could be like quite work away? Luffy? Luffy, find a plant,

and fan me, darling. Find a plant frond and fan me please. My girl I will not stand for this insult. This insult. Then fan me faster, you're made of air. There's no reason that you shouldn't be fanning me now. Yes, I'm both noble in stature and noble in grace. Thank you very much.

I'm not sure I like him anymore. You know, I saw them from the world and I thought, hey, they look, yeah, okay, we're on a road a long time. This is the first ones that we see, so I say, but... This is a pretty weird situation. I saw another guy on football. I just turn and I start, oh, thank you. We're walking behind. We have money.

So yeah, Lucy and I are going to head towards the crossroads. She mentions the out. I'm sorry, too. You missed out on a good opportunity. We are a lot of fun. Good riddance. Goodbye, Felix. It was lovely to meet you.

That's not my name. Oh, sorry, Steve. Good opportunity. Steve. And you'll never know what we meant. That was really great what you did with your voice. We know the way to keep. To keep.

Okay, okay. Listen, listen. I, we can ask the man with the card for directions. I don't trust. Those two women. Let's just talk to the man. Find out where we need to go and we'll get out of you. Okay? Does he like the... We can still hear you.

If they tick us or break the necks, you'll burn them alive for it. Yeah, we'll burn them ash. Yeah, yeah. He's not going to burn them alive. There's no need for any such... I don't know what they're talking about. It's this very violent hurdle over here. Hey, you with the car.

I'm standing right over here. You do not need to shout at me. Okay, we're looking for cure stuff. So we're also looking for Kirsteisdye. Oh, you've got to be kidding. We know where Kierstein is if you want to follow us. Yeah, we're heading right there right now. Oh, not you.

I don't like this. Yeah, we've been standing here the whole time. We've all been standing the whole time. Yeah, I slapped the ox on the ass. It's a nice ox you got dear bud. Make an animal handling chequey disappears. Oh. That's, uh...

Okay, dear. Bad news. Oh. Shame. Okay. Over shame. Yeah, so that's a nice fat six there. Six. The ox lock heart goes

and starts like running off. I give him a hand and I try it also helps him with it. So you're going to make a quick, just a straight athletic check for me, please. Okay. Uh, 16. Okay. So both of you manage to get it up. to get it under control.

Oh, you are more troubles than you are what! And he finally, he's like, oh, shh, shh, shh, shh. I won't touch your butt anymore. I'm sorry about dad. I'm really sorry. Okay. Shh. It is not your fault.

He is very, very stubborn. He's more troubles than his bus. Oh, sure. Yeah, I have not seen an ox like this. You know, back home, they're a little more tamed than this, but yeah, yeah. Well, I'm here to help. What, what can I do for you? do for you what's going on bud oh I'm just passing through this way and it

turns like every single one of you is going in the same direction unfortunate coincidence it seems to be the case yeah are you also going to pierstein oh I I am actually heading from the direction of Kievstein I suppose but sure but I've not not been it is on my list so it is on my list but I am I'm heading the other way And if you are looking for Kirstein, it's the directions I came. Say you haven't seen any other dwarfs on this path in the last few weeks or so? No, I was not.

I mean, since there are dwarves occasionally, but I have not seen many traveling around lately. Okay, just thought I'd ask. Thank you so much, friend. What do you mean by lately? No, I mean, you occasionally see a dwarf and it blacks me sharp and you know, I'm not stereotyping, but... No, that's okay. I'm not offended by any means. I'm just wondering if you've seen one maybe in the last week or two. That's the last week or two. Maybe in one of the towns, but nothing that stuck out to me, I suppose.

What do you mean by one of the towns? Is it like Kirstein or is it another town? No, I've not been to Kirstein in a while, so no. Okay. Sorry, dude. Well, thanks Godrick. Your name was Godrick, right? Yes, it is Goddrich.

It's a pleasure to meet you. It is a great fortune to meet the Crossroads for all fours. for all four travelers for eight of us if you count this one and I don't seven of us to to meet here and I I have given you my name but I think I've only gotten the two of your name yeah the priest and her jia exactly right here's I and caprici yep caprici okay okay no actually it's uh caprice it's actually uh you never told me it was caprice you always told me it was capricci no capricio is my full name but I I go by Caprice.

Okay, well, friends don't lie, okay? Friends don't lie. You know, it's all right. It's fine. Caprici is fine or Caprice. We'll talk about this linear. That's fine. That's fine.

False pretense is don't work well. That would remember my intention. I thought I was very clear when I introduced myself. I was a pleasure to meet you. Capriccio de Sesto. I can call me Caprice. Well, maybe next time we go back through costumes, we can check your papers to make sure that your name is still correctly.

Because I could have sworn you said Caprici. I've got my papers right here. Take an insight check the entire scenario. I'm going to need a deliberate insight check. Like, what are you trying to discern? I just want to see, like, does this weird coincidence make me feel like, would it seem weird? Or, like...

I wouldn't say you need to pick somebody and, like, try to discern something for this incite check. Okay, I want to discern the cat. I want to discern the cat to see... Wait, the actual cat or the... No, no, no. I want to discern if Iris was kind of telling the truth and seemed like well-intentioned. Uh, 20 plus...

My boy. Was that a natty? It's not really... Big T, the rescue. Who! Skills is the one in the... That's why I let him carry me around by the way. What is the fucking?

What do you want to know? I just want to know if you were like well-intentioned. in your approach yeah yeah yeah I mean hey Steve at least that came to harass me all right listen I I trust you I trust you because I have to I'm going to Keerstein I don't care what the rest of these people do I'm going right and it's fine I'm just saying maybe perhaps we can if they're going to Keishstein and they're all good guys maybe we can kind of weave out of the good guys looking at them, I think you and I could take them easy.

If they'll turn out to be better, because we could probably kill them no problem. Right? I mean, that's a given. So, why don't we just in safer in numbers if they all end up being good guys? For now. What's the hot for now? For now. But if we have to go, we go.

Just give the coat word. First, what's the coat word? You seem on edge. These guys are really whispering. They're the wispery fuck. Hey, hey, what do you guys whispered about all the time? It's none of your business. Why are you stealing a tree?

Why don't you come on out? Why we're all talking over here? We're all friends. We're all friends. I mean, we still have to have our conversation. I kind of give him a, I give Towa here a little like, go ahead, and I stand at least one step behind him and kind of like behind him. Physically like, yeah.

Like, often it's like, I can see you guys, but he's clearly in front of me. You've got to go through him to get to me. I think it would help. I'm sorry. My name is Capriccio Desafee. Sestio, you can call me Caprice. It's a pleasure to meet you. How you doing? This is my very good friend. Heard you. How are you doing? What's your name?

Hey there, mate. I'm Thomas. And I'm from here. I'd like to make an inside check. Go ahead and make that inside check. I have not heard of this city name here. 16. Have you heard of here? Oh, boy. There's some strange names in this part of town. What do you mean?

Are you from the woods? Like from that tree? You are from here. You are hiding behind that tree. I got a 17. You say your name is Thomas? It's Thomas, yes, it's Thomas. Thomas of the tree is a bit.

And what's your last name, Thomas? Oh, the posthum has a starter? Thomas T Kirstar. Oh my goodness! I just feel like to put his hands his hands. I know it all I'm not to roll perception on that only because I want to know if he's like, not because I don't believe him because it makes me wonder if he could potentially be nobility.

Yeah, inside. Or like, I want to see if it seems like he's telling the truth because I would be intrigued if you were nobility. Felix is just shaking his. I whisper. Oh, that's the good one, right? Um, 24. 24. 24.

Did you have to roll deception all that? Oh, yeah. exception and disadvantage please. It's a five. He's like the place we're going. It's never really, it's a purely coincidence. It's kind of weird. Darling, is that similar to the way that you call Felix Steve?

That's just my stutter. He's clearly lying. He's clearly just absolutely lying. Look, okay, look, this is really starting to get one. The fact of the matter is this. We saw you jump into the bushes, you are not a discreet. You are not a discreet. We know that you lied, but that his name was Steve. It is actually Felix. Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Iris. I'm nobility. Good for you to know that. I love your jewelry. I forgot to intercourse you. Darling, I'm talking. I'm not. Shut up. Air. Breathe it in. Don't speak it out. Thank you. So we know that you're lying. We know that your name is obviously not Thomas of the trees or of Kyrstan. So this is how it's going to work. All right. We're going to stop being honest. with each other because I would like to get to Kirsteim and I would like to get there as soon as possible so that I do not have to travel with Lufthianne.

What you... Hold on, hold on. You don't want to travel with her anymore even though you're traveling with it presently. I'm petting the arks. Yes, that is she a bad guy? No, my father is overprotective. Come over here, do you.

Sure, what, what? You can tell me now if she's a big guy where I clearly like right next to her. Are you saying big guy? A big guy. I'm not the guy. He's clearly it's more than Yeah, we can tell you're big dear but you're gonna.

A beat bad guy. No, say. My name is Lofty and I am not a guy and I am not bad, though. She's not bad. She's notious. She's notious. She's just traveling a lot and she's very tired

because she's used to being snagled up in her bed and I have to take her on this. Yes, I know, but I thought that you are so special. I'm trying to tell some of that much like you. You shouldn't have to waste your beautiful. You know that my favorite thing in the world is talking to people about how much I dislike. Okay, so the longer we wait, you know, I really got to find my dad. So can we hurry this up?

Like, I'm trying to get to Kyrstein and y'all are wasting my time. So, darling, the roads right there. You could easily continue walking. Okay, well, if y'all are going to Kirstein, I'm going to meet you. So are we going to just follow them then? You okay with that? The one that slacks the back. I'm totally fine with that.

Godrick, it was a pleasure to meet you. I really appreciate it. If I see you wherever you are, then it's been a pleasure. Any tips on the road for the road? I would recommend traveling together. The roads are very dangerous. Maybe you can walk and talk, Steve, and you can stay in the back with your... It's Felix, actually.

Okay, Felix. It's Steve. It's Steve. I don't know. The name is unimportant. We can all go to Kirchstein together. Okay, well, my name is Hirzra. You know that now, and this is Caprici.

Caprici. You know, we have to have this conversation later, you know, I don't have time for this. But I think if you guys want to stay in the back, you stay in the back. We walk and talk, okay, I'm going to stay in the front, and we're going to go to Kierstein. Settled. I got it, I got a goal. I think this one is a good idea, let's go. What is it to say in the countryside, get it done?

Yeah, get a done. I like it. I like it. But don't you follow you. It likes to meet you, by the way. I love your jewelry. I've said that before, but I really like it. Oh, thank you.

Oh, you're awesome. Perfective health. But do you notice a lot of things? I like to think that I do, sure. Oh, it's unfortunate. So, let's follow. I lead the way to what I think is... Stay in the back.

Let me keep our wits about us. I'll be the same, old man. This whole thing has gone sideways. It was nice to meet you. I was going through all of you a drink. Oh, you know, I haven't had a day. You all seem very on edge. Well, we had a bit of a run in here

not long ago. What kind of drink? you got I have some very very delicious beer and he goes over to Lockhart and you see a large keg on the side of this oxy tie-along with some bags and the like and like a few side crates all wrapped in in various thicknesses of rope that you we're going to Kirsteim and I'm I'm what are they doing wrong that makes your beer so much better it is all in the fermentation process which is a family secret.

Ah. I've 180 at this point and I'm like the speed that I was going towards the road, I've 180 and I'm going back. I want to get a point of that. I am like eager. Well come I am offering a drink. Alien, don't stay long. Fill me up, bud.

She's only 25 feet. I should could sure use one. Two or five. Yeah. Well, I shouldn't go too far. Dad always warned me again. But you know, yeah no. Well, I mean it got your dad into that whole mess.

your dad into that whole man. Aren't all the hearty folk though? You can handle like two or three. Oh, I can handle a lot more than that, but I'm on the road and we got somewhere to be. This isn't like, you know, back home or we got our drinking competitions, what, you know, Oh, well, Lufty always wins our drinking competitions. Yeah. We can sit down and then, uh...

I like her. Yeah, we can have a bunch. She, I can tell right now, she's a bundle of fun. It's not very lady-like the way you drink, but she's a dwarf, so it's in her name. Yeah, well, you know, sometimes you're a lady and sometimes you just have a good time. So, he's fun. Yeah. I knew you would have a Traveller Stein with you and he grabs your mug and he fills it up.

You get a frothing mug of beer. He hands it over to you. Hello, this is the first one up. Anyone else? How much for the beer? No, forget about it. Like I said, it's... Oh, thank you, bud.

He's very good luck, a very positive omen to meet the brothels. It's got a good head. You want to try some? Well, I'll have you taken a sip? Well, I mean, I'm inspecting it first, but you're not on. I mean, good head is good head, but... Yeah, heard of the Susan side. Do I like it?

Do I like it? You drink it, and as soon as it hits your lips, you can tell that this tastes wildly different from any beer that you've ever had before. Your dwarven stature even makes you kind of question whether this is even beer, even though it tastes like very beer-like. And it takes you a second to kind of get used to it.

But then once you take the first couple of sips, you realize this is incredibly good. And it just, but although it tastes very unlike any beer that you ever had before. Oh, geez. Yeah, you're going to have to try this. This is something else. It starts off kind of weird, but yeah, yeah, nothing like I've ever anything I've had at home. But yeah, you should have the last sip. Here, I'll give you the last sip.

Oh, yeah. And now I'm going to get a refill. Really appreciate it. Thank you, Hurt. I would love to try. Okay, who has mugs? I have a few extra. I would like to see your mugs that you have. They are all wooden, nothing wrong.

No, thank you. I'll pass, but thank you, Dono. I love my bit. That is really nice. It's got tropical hop aromas with a slightly sweet malt notes and a bright and clean finish. You know, it's really, really sharp. None of those things, but... I can tell you, don't drink a lot of beer. Sorry, I was reading from the... Does this taste like any sing at here?

It's fine. completely the same reaction for you. You've had some of the best beer in the world. You would probably argue that the stuff that you've had experience making is better, but you would have, I would say that you would get a sense of respect for the quality of this. But you also kind of question, there's something that is making you question, is it really beer? Where are your friends? This is very interesting. Oh, I am from here. I'm from here. I have. been my whole family has been in Koravakia as long as I'm gonna have

you and Thomas are from here mm sounds like a lovely town yes are you from that's what I was saying I'm from here very well would anyone else like one Caprice would you like a full mug I'll take a second if we're just gonna drink here at the crossroads that's fine I'm I have a blast also I would be happy to take a mug thank you something what good fortune you've had to find a bar on the road huh yes Most of the time you just find Mavent portion.

The interesting thing is that I would be farther along the path had none of this happened. It's just to show. I concur a bit. You are never wrong. And I always listen to your wise, wise words. But except for when I told you not to follow me, just trigger, and yet you're still here.

Yes, but, you know, I can't tell myself because you're such a pretty kiddie. How did you guys get through customs? I'm changing my accent all of a sudden. It's really easy to do, yeah. It's quite easy. Every 15 minutes we're going to rotate that. It sounds very fade well to me.

It sounds very fair well. Here's what I'll say. If we all just sit down and have a brew right here in this sort of crossroads tavern for lack of a better word, we can get back onto the road sooner. I didn't want to sit here and talk to people. I want to roll. Why to sit? There's really nowhere to sit, right?

It's just dirt. I don't want to get it all over my linen rows. I wouldn't have it. I wouldn't have it and I would never want out. Why would we walk? I'm sure that this one could find you a suitable love to sit on. How many more hours of daylight are there left the two of you that are from here? Probably a good five or six Okay, so the important thing is that I only have five or six good hours of daylight left in which my gold can glint in the sun. So I need to be walking as much as possible between now and then. Yeah. She does like it with the gold is beaten. But can you drink and walk at the same time? I'm not drinking out of a wooden mug.

As long as it's not wooden. She okay? Understood. Can you fill up this flask for me? I don't know if it's got the same vitality when it's not in a mug but a flask is a flask. It's, we'll do the trick, so it's fine. Yeah, I don't know if you're just a flask. You're supposed to put beer in glass, but it tastes better in wood. There may have been a little brandy at the bottom, but I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm probably going to make it better, and I'm just going to like guzzle the entire thing down.

Same, same response. You're less versed with beer. You're probably more familiar to drinking with very fine wines, so it probably isn't quite your thing, but you get the same kind of sense of like, and you've had a few beers and it's not quite what you're expecting. Thank you. You're very welcome. Now the party is started. How about you two? I'm all right.

Steve tells me that all alcohol in this continent is is poisonous. Felix says that all alcohol on this continent is poisonous. I didn't say it in those words. No, you did, because drinking starts with D and deadly starts with D. So that means that something I would say. It's deadly. Steve, I don't know how I feel about you by your friend.

I took it the... I'm looking over my shoulder just constantly, and we're spending a lot of time out in the open. That's what I agree. Once you guys are done, we're going to go to Kish Town together, right? I don't even understand. Why are you guys so scared? We're just in a bit of hurry.

We've been traveling for quite a while, and we... Did you... Were you guys attacked by the undead? It was the undead, right? That we were attacked by. We were attacked. No, you're attacked by a campground. Oh, that's what it was.

Oh, I'm thinking not undead from something. Yeah. Were you guys attacked by... No, I'm sorry. Undead. Thank you, they all look the same. And this is it? Were you attacked by Kenku?

Uh, we have been... Is that why you're terrified? Because we were attacked by Ken Koo and it didn't really bother us. Our encounters are not, you know, really, it doesn't matter. It's really relevant. It's really irrelevant. We would just rather get to the town sooner rather than later versus just... What Big T said here, yeah.

Well, maybe you should pound a couple more of these so you can loosen the fuck up so we can get on the road. Got him. None. No, no. Thank you. wasting time we got a good you're telling me I'm ready to go do you want to take a couple to go no thank you thank you you're gonna let these people take you you you you wooden mugs I didn't I didn't I didn't even I would have my own back yes I

no travelers meet in the cross house down my beer and hand it back it's very well okay Dane you're not you're you're a little different than the the city boys at that that I met before. You're a lot more relaxed than most of the Kurovachians that I've met. No, they all mean well. We all mean well. I would like to say that most of us are trying to do the good thing. Unfortunately, I think that there are fewer people that are willing to stand up and do the good thing. That's for sure. If you would like to push back against what you've experienced and are alluding to...

Well, I've tried at the border. And you know, Caprici over here was like, well, I don't think you should be saying. That was not the situation. I said, look at my papers. For what? Like, I'm the only herja. Is there going to be another herzia anvil heart? I doubt it.

So I don't know. Are you hitting a Galtica at all? We've experienced some friction. No, not quite. I am, uh, I am heading back to Zentra. So, uh, Felix, it sounds like, they also knocked me. Just like, not me. Okay, so I've been, I've been watching.

and I don't think they're Korovakian, at least definitely not Korovacian. I'd be more than happy to tell you where I'm from. I'm really not interested in learning any more about any of you. Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality. You've been wonderful. You don't see any harm, but I've got to go. And I proceed to walk towards the direction. Shall we go new friends in a walk along with her to-in-law- Well, only if you tell me what your actual name is.

Your name is not Thomas I'm okay with calling him Thomas if he wants to be dishonest But I'm just a terrible liar But we're just trying to be careful Don't you know that bad guys are the ones that lie Well not always The big guys

If they're dealing with big guys But none of us are bad guys So that would make you the bad guys In this situation Because you're lying to honest people He is a she's the guy Is she right Felix? Are we the big guys? No we're not

To be a big guys We're not the bad guys You're the only two people to turn down free booze. Like, give me a break. Who does that, right? Nobody does that. Nobody does that. Dead guys, do that, huh?

Nobody does that. Come on, just have a group. It's all in the name of safety would be very safe, because this is a dangerous place. We don't need to explain ourselves, okay? Is he sick? Nobody's sick, all right? Is he sick?

Is that why you're carrying him into the bushes? Oh, my gosh. Oh, my God. He can't walk very much. Oh, he's such an asshole. Why are you like such an asshole? Oh. We were like, how could you even? Is it possible?

I really, I really don't have time for this. Can we just, my name is Towa. You guys already know, he spilled the beans earlier. I'm Felix. That's all you're getting. We're going to, we're going to Kirstein. I'm going now. I'm going.

No, my name is Tawa. And I'll be following him as well. So he's going to join us. But Tawa, we're going to follow you. Oh, look. It's safer in numbers. Do you like to carry people? Uh,

It depends what you mean by life. If he gets too far away, I want to follow after. Why were you carrying him if he's not sick? It's in case it's an emergency. We'll use the restroom quick. Yes, keep talking. I can take heart of beating, so if I can prevent any ham from him who can't take water beating, then I'm happy to do so.

It would be an emergency if I got dirt on the hem of my robes. Would you be willing to carry me? How much of an emergency? It would be an absolute emergency. I would probably have to kill Lufti. It depends. We're not best friends yet. I thought we were.

Perhaps at least not right yet, we just met. It took Felix and I at least a whole five minutes to become best friends. We've been talking for like 15. Well, it's now that I have one best friends, yeah. So can I be like a good friend? Well, now that I have one best friend, it's going to take much longer to get another best friend, is what I'm saying. It's diminishing returns. Exactly.

It's diminishing returns. Exactly what this guy said. My name is Godrick. Godrick, you're already more of a friend. then this one is I'm Toa. I'm not Thomas and I'm not from you. Well... You should watch after this one.

He seems a bit unhinged. He might... You seem like you have a good heart, Toa. You should make sure you do the right thing. He's a bit unhinged. This guy's fucking bonkers. No, he's fine. We're just trying to...

We're just trying to get to Kirschstein, okay? We hear that these very dangerous people about... Is there anything we can do for you, God, Bricky? We're nice enough to have to have. out some booze. I feel like I could trade you in song or I could flip you a silver. What do you want? Oh, what do you want? I will not take your silver. All I would ask is that you pass on such kindness that

they are not... People are less inclined these days with the world getting more dangerous, Korovacia and Striga and the world as a whole. So kind of a pay it forward type deal. Pay it forward and I wouldn't say no to a song. song? Ooh. I second that's, yeah.

I've walked off at this point to follow him. Okay, Kersia is trudging behind Felix. I went about my viol and I, uh, no, I'm not going to do this every time. What I'll say is I, uh, I play him a very somber melody, something that fits the, the mood of the, the hill. It's a slow moving red violin style piece, nothing that you would sing to, but just a, but just a, but tune. As soon as, can you just do a quick performance check for me? It would be my pleasure.

21. 21, okay. I'm sorry, what's 16 plus, yeah. 22. 16 plus seven is. 23. 23, okay. So as soon as the bow hits the viol,

you all hear this low somber song, but as he plays, it perfectly matches. matches the atmosphere, the gray sky, the dark forests on all sides. Herzia and even Felix can still hear it as he's kind of trudging off and behind you. And you look at Godret, and although he seems to be a... Your first impression would have been that he was kind of more of a salt of the earth kind guy bruise his own beer and you're not really sure what he's doing with the ox but he closes his eyes and his hands kind of rise into the air and he seemed almost become overwhelmed by the song

in a sense of the kind of person that you've seen and i would say that it'd probably be enough that it'd be surprising quality um in someone like like godrick really appreciated godrick uh if we ever meet on the path again my name is Caprice I really appreciated the the booths that's gonna make the rest of your name so much softer I really appreciate it thank you so much I hope we meet again I also hope that you said you were going to Zentra Xenra then then's that's not Zensrad but this Zentra Z-T-R-A it is you are obviously out of town it is the capital of Corovacia well I'm from across the body of water over here Gulf Day you know

I could tell Well, yeah, I mean, come on. Yeah, you got the kittens, you are not subtle. No, no, no, we do all right, we do all right. No, I do not mean that there's any offense. I apologize if it came out this time. No offense taken, no offense taken. I appreciate it.

I hope that your oxka was calmed by my music. Make an animal handling trap. Ooh. Cool. Not at disadvantage because of that, at advantage because of that, because of your performance for it. At advantage? Yeah, because of your performance.

Damn, those dice are so heavy. Wow. Big type. A three seats. At least three seats. Give it a 19. A 19. You see Lockhart, who seemed to be kind of like on edge, seem to be eager to leave.

And occasionally Goddrip would have to kind of yank on the rope. He never let his hand go. You realize at this point. And then kind of as your song plays, you realize there's a little bit of calm in a in Lockhart's eyes, and then Goddrich stands up, and he says, come on, you big, oaf, let's go. Says, Svel, be kind, be well. And he heads off, where is he heading?

Probably, yes. Yeah, probably west. Sorry about that, Hergey. Should we try to catch up with the rest of the group? Do you want to just go on our own? I don't know, he keeps running off in front of me. Like it's some freaking joke to be out here in the woods by yourself.

After what we encountered. I mean, we did the same thing a little bit. I mean, you were already ready to go. I got small stubby legs compared to him. I can't handle it. I can't walk fast. You know, it's weird to walk a little slower than usual. Let's just mingle.

We can amble. We will find your dad. It's been days. We're eventually gonna catch up to him. I'm really worried about him. I know, I know. It was nice of that man to give us some booze. Maybe when I find dad, I'll give him what's in my,

skin. You know that that tapaxi drank my whole flask you normally just sort of take a you know that I'm stending right here I think he caught up to me I actually had thought that you had left my apologies I didn't say that we walk you're still with us he had walked he was trying to catch up yeah okay so they followed you're following I'm following him but I I'm 25 feet of movement so I'm like short stubby legs trying just for the sake of this we'll say we're all kind of like in the same vicinity or you probably hear each other but you're off in your pairs. I would stay. I would have said that if that had been the good

vibralized. So as a player, behind us. Yeah, wait, hold up. Maybe you want to get back to the back again. I don't know if you want to be in the front with your little, what are you wearing? What am I wearing? I am wearing normal, like, grayish pants, boots. I've got a blue, little overly large, like, fisherman's coat on and a red, like, jiffy cat.

Okay, well, that's not going to do. So you're going to get in the back, maybe behind your friend, Steve. No, you're the Steve. He's the Thomas. You should probably get behind me if you think you're going to be safe, because I'm really worried about you. At this point, I'm not... Safety is, while an utmost priority, we've wasted enough time,

and I'm going to continue. If you'd like to stay with me, I've got Toa. I'm not that worried. I'm trying, but I just can't walk fast enough. Can you just slow down a little bit? Fine. I will try. Thanks.

Did you hear what she said? You're the Steve to my Thomas. A band name that I've been thinking of this whole time. It's perfect. You guys in a band? The Steve. I just heard your music. Thank you.

It was quite sad but beautiful. Yes. I also play and I pull out for my pack a ukulele. You want a jam man? I always want a jam. Can you play in work? Absolutely. All right, let's do it.

Can you play in Cartwheel? I'm not that quite. skill gits, I just play on my sailing gym. Well, what do you want to play? Do you know anything? Do you both know the dwarf goes down to tavern? No? Why don't you just give me the cords?

How about the sneaky, sneaky elf? Everybody knows the sneaky, sneaky elf. Nobody knows the sneaky. The dwarf was that in the cavern. How does the snakey, snakey elf go? You haven't heard that one? I haven't heard that one. It's a sneaky, sneaky,

I'm trying to figure out the more connection. As they all start to play, I kind of look up to the sky and I say, Raycon can kill me. Is it G to D? Is it a GD? Well, put your finger right here. You got to do the power cord.

You haven't done the... Just give me the progression, and I'll just play it on. All right, right. And I'll just strum along. Both you make performance drinks. Gosh, I got that one song. The Raven Queen has forsaken me. Ten.

I do decent for Caprice. You do decent. It's not usually your style of music. The kind of goofy, like, like, children. It's too simple. This is like playing hot crust buns on a recorder. But Toa actually surprisingly picks it up quick, despite his fingers being like three times the size of yours. He's actually... Big strings.

He's actually... Yeah, he... I mean, his ukulele is certainly bigger than the standard one, but he's actually pretty dextra set it. And I would say that you'd be impressed up as a simple instrument. But, you know, for someone like Toa, he'd probably be impressed. That's really good, man. Good, good as well. Good as well. As the music starts to wind down, I just want to turn to the group and say, all right, listen, I'm okay with this, but I'm asking for one favor. You know my name now. Please don't repeat it.

Don't tell anyone who I am. Let's just move along as a group as kind strangers and not divulge any information needlessly. Is that okay? But why? Yeah. I'm just asking. Is it that hard? Yeah, that's very long of you to ask for favors.

I don't think it's that hard to. to just not tell people about me. Right. Just leave me out of the conversation. I'm not, I just, it's for safety. You've discussed this, it's for the best. I thought you weren't worried about safety because we'd spent so much time.

Are you looking for trouble? I'm always looking for trouble. We should not be here as some tow of this back. Well, let's just get to town and then we'll figure out what to do next. I'll just think if they, they're talking about some crazy shit they saw on the road. They might have some information. What kind of name do you want us to use and how much would you like to pay? I'm not paying you anything.

I don't think you understand what we're dealing with you. No, we don't because you won't tell us anything. You're just asking favors, but you're providing no information. You're trying to call him, Thomas. You're trying to call you Steve. You mentioned some things that you saw previously. I'm still creating a base note with my flail as like a tambourine as slowly as possible. I'm just staring.

Just take five. Just take five. Just take five. We're going to work on this. The whole point is that Yeah, we've seen some things on the road. This is a very, I mean, it's a little blooming, you know? It's not like Alpica where... You don't like this weather?

This is prime Kirsteine Weber. Nobody likes this weather. Corvaki. We all know that Kouravaki is dangerous, but it sounds like you saw something out of the ordinary. We saw something a little out of the ordinary, but what's it's not it's not necessarily a threat I mean it sounds like you're the one who feels like you're scared like you're like you're actually running from something I feel conflicted because I you know you're not giving me enough information so I I'm starting to freak out a little and wonder like maybe maybe you know the

Volstad nice isn't gonna work here so maybe I this is so difficult why does it always fall on the nobility to keep groups together It is a... Let me start by... Hello. Iris of the Sands, lovely to meet you. Is it a nice to meet you. Glamingham's disgusting. Iris of the Sands.

Felix. As I'm sure that you have heard... Norcalis. I'm speaking, darling. No, calyces. The family of the Sands are a very novel line of tobacco. In the deserts of Neckbet,

I, myself, in the daughter of the Pharaoh. which means I have a lot of money. You're the doctor of the pharaoh? Yes, darling. What's that? What is it? What is it like a king? A king?

Yes. You kind of told me about kings, didn't you? Yes, it's like the big powerful man guy. Correct. Like a chief didn't. Oh, I know all about those. Okay, so it's like... So he's the king.

He's the chief. So do you... Yes, sir. Are there kind of like lots of other chiefs or kings or whatever? He's the only one of our group. Yes, of the Sands, yes. Well, that's very impressive. And I'm one of his daughters.

Does he know that you're here right now? That's why she's here. He's very overprotective because he loves me so much. He loves me. But he also loves Lifty. Well, you know, but never as much as he loves, pretty pretty little. Oh, no, never as much. Of course not.

I mean, his daughter, of course not. But he was so much. Luffy, I'm talking about it. So he forced her to follow me. He said, oh, she'll protect him. I'm like, no, she really loved. She'll annoy me the entire time. Well, anyway, I was right, of course.

But anyway, that's why she's here. She's just an air Genesee. That's all that's important about her. On our way. I'm telling you're very unusual. What I've ever seen a Genasi before? Make a history try? Can I make one too?

Yeah. Not great, but locally a six. Nope. 14. I can't. 16. I would say that both of you, you more commonly because you live there,

when you would visit Galtaica, you would see the occasional Genasi, including including Air Genasi. Hmm. Well, I've never seen someone quite like you with the skin color in there. Yeah? Never. And you look very exotic. But your accent sounds like a bit of accents that I've noticed here, so...

Yeah, well, I'm from here. You are from here as well. Surprise! Do you two know each other? Do you know Felix? Do I know Felix? No, I don't... I don't know her. No, I just figure.

you're from the same place. And you should be so lucky. But aren't you also from here? Isn't that what you said? No, I'm not from here. I'm a terrible liar. That's exactly what I thought. So anyway, I was telling a story.

Luffy, why do you always do this? You take your attention to away from me. That's so rude that you took over her like that. I just can't believe it. You just kind of just... Now, wait a minute. She... Yes, Lufty, you speak.

She is a princess. So... She gets to know what she wants. So, shh. Oh, thank you. Is she? Good job, darling. She grows on me a little.

on me a little bit, day by day. But then she does that song and it all... It'll grow on YouTube. I'm assuming they were walking down. So, with that, we made our way through and obviously I helped her get in with my paperwork. Which made customs... Yes, it was a large boat. It was disgusting. It was. It was a breeze getting through customs, obviously. The men?

Can I gather them? Please don't. Thank you, darling. I'd like to hear it. Go ahead, look. It was this very impressive. We came and was a military man. Very handsome.

They stood up and they gave a full salute for this girl. Wait, what did you say? What? It was a man. You said military men. Yeah. The ones at the border. What kind of boat did you come in on?

A big one. It was one my father had commissioned and we just... We did very much the same. We came on a boat too. We had to pay passage from golf and back. No, no. It sounds like they were expecting you. respecting you. Were they expecting her? Well no darling I don't think they were actually expecting me

Remember they tried to make us walk through the like commoner line and I had to show them my paperwork showing that I was the daughter And since they felt really foolished well they were kind of asshole yeah I think we I think we went through the commoner line Because it took forever to get your custom Took for well I would I doubt it so the military does or does not know where you want Oh why would they know where I'm Christ. I literally, I told them, I said, excuse me, military boy,

but you are not on the same station to be questioning me and my whereabouts, and I stepped through the line. Yeah, she said that. So it sounds, before we jump to any conclusions, it sounds like she was just attracted to one of these military gents. Is it right? Is it right? Is it right?

Is it right? Well, I'm the daughter of Torvald-Amblehart from Valsad. How did you ever heard of him? No, but tell me. Maybe if I had said something, Caprici, maybe we could have gotten through customs faster. Is your... Is your father of Pharaoh as well?

Well, no, but he's a forger, a well-known across the north of Yorah. Oh, so no, you went in the right line then. Oh, well... Maybe next time you can get us a fast pass. Well, I'm... Probably not. It's hard enough getting this one. This sounds really difficult how you guys got here.

It was. took my boat and I just landed on the beach and not fly, but you can, well, not drive. What's the word, Capricchi? Sail a boat? I don't like... I can sail. I'm a bit of a sailor. I don't do much with boats. I don't like water. Is that why? I didn't see any lines. I just saw a beach and there were some cribs. Did you check in with anybody?

Did you let him know that you were there? I just, I just was walking up and I just walked on the beach and walked in. So you're... Yeah. He's my... but like illegal so is there well we couldn't have crossed that body of water you couldn't have possibly cross that body of water of water on something that you could like land on the beach yeah where do you come from because we came from

Baltica now is a bit of a journey I came from from my island it was a few weeks travel for surely you're on the water for how many weeks that's pretty pretty standard yeah I pick provisions I have a rain collector which is actually in D&D Beyond. I literally have one in my inventory. Is it on you right now? It's on me right now. I collect rainwater. If there's not a whole lot of rain, I can... He survived the Triss in his little pants and his shirt there. I met him once I was here.

Oh, okay. I just sailed up on my own boat. I landed on the beach. I buried my boat back from where I landed. from where I landed and I just walked in. What did you bury it with my shovel? What kind of metal was your shovel made of? Did it have any gems in it? I just think it was just a normal shovel. Did you put any, like, did you do a ritual?

To bury my boat? Yes. What? No, no. If you're going to bury something, you need to do a ritual. Why would I need to do a ritual to be a... A boat is not... Why would you, why would you put in all the effort to make a tomb,

Just to put a boat in there with nothing. Yeah. Hold on, so you're saying, what do I mean a tomb? I just buried my boat. I just didn't want people to steal it. You buried a boat? I just buried my... I'll leave it.

If I sail someplace new, I don't know what these people. Apparently, it's a small boat, and he was just trying to hide. So, okay, you buried your boat. Where is this island you came from? It's from far away. It's from, it's from off the west coast of chalk. Chalk? Chalk. Chalk.

Do I know where that is? make a history check? What I know. Same place. All of you make history check. 22. That's bad. Chalk.

I would say with your education advantage, Iros. 12. I got three, so I didn't know nothing. So you don't know anything about it. I would say both of you would have an you would have enough of an

education in geography to know that that chalk is a predominantly kind of tropical continent directly to the south of Yona and Trigga. So yeah, it's predominantly jungles and other tropical areas, and so you would both know that he's, that Toa is a good ways from home. To answer your question, no, I do not believe we have any kind of chat advantage or

inspiration in this campaign. No. No, sorry about that. We're not even doing inspiration because we're so good at R.P. Save it for the Fed. You guys have seen it. You guys have seen it. I don't need to. Watch that Faye.

Yeah, Inspiration. Watch that F-Chay. Yeah, come. Mondays for that. Come down, Monday's for it. So, okay, let me get this straight. You're from an island named Chach, which is... No, no, I'm from...

Did he say Chok or Chuck? I heard Chack. It's Chuck. I'm the Chuck as well. It's Chuck. I don't know how you pronounce it. I'm not from me. Well, I heard, I understand you.

It's just like a big jungle, all in these dinosaurs. There's all sorts of horrible things on there. Dinosaurs. I've never gone there. Chach. Yeah, Chuck. It sounds actually pretty amazing. Chuck.

So from what I know, Chuck is an island south of Yonah. It's C-H-A-A-C. It's a big, large continent. Very large continent. Yeah. To us off the coast. An island off the coast. To the east.

You've never been a lot for a week before you finally got to the beach. That's crazy. For weeks, yeah, sleep in my boat and I'll navigate with the stars. It was just an overnight for us. We just crossed the body of water there. I don't know what you could call it. And he's a inland sea. Inland sea.

I don't know. You guys were on a boat for weeks. It was a pretty, you would have been considerably faster than Toa. It was a lot, it still took you while because you were even farther than that he is. Say, do you guys know how much longer it is to Kirstein? I mean, I know it's on this general path,

but are we going to have to camp tonight, or are we going to actually make it before sundown? Yeah, but I have any idea? Make some general intelligence check. all sign. Same for me? Eight. Oh, yeah, yeah. You're with advantage. I know. You have two of my blues. I just don't have to suck it up.

What am I doing? What am I doing? No, two of my blues. Intelligence? At advantage, yeah. Oh, 11. What do you get? Felix? I got eight. An eight. It's hard to tell. I don't think you, do you ask, um, Gawdard? No, we did not. No, not how long it would be. He just said it was like this way.

Yeah, you're not, you're not really sure. You have the sense that you're getting closer, but exactly how far it just seems to be kind of forest on either side of you, off into the forest, kind of the path gets back to being a bit more windy. As you get it, and you occasionally, um, let me get everyone do a perception check, please. Passive or just regular roll? Let's roll for it. Wow.

That is going so curly. This is bad. This is unbelievable. I got a nine. Nine. It's perception on proficient. 9. 21. Both of you.

12. Both of you here, it becomes a bit more windy. And the forest, like I had said previously, in the intro of this campaign, it's a bit quieter than a lot of other forest that you've been in. And this is kind of a common staple for you that are familiar, and you are all used to it. And then both of you here kind of that you recognize You recognize this from that same evening that we discussed in our session zero,

this loud kind of roaring off in the distance. You're kind of used to like, you know, the beasts of the forest making noises. Motherfucker. But you hear kind of this loud, guttural roar that kind of echoes off. It seems to be faint, but the rest of you kind of are busy in conversation to hear only IRS and capriced. Do anyone know what the fuck that is? It sounded like some kind of beast.

What? Yeah, it sounded like a low, like guttural, you know. Didn't we hear that last time? Yeah, you heard it too when we were, yeah, when we were in the forest earlier. Yeah, there was just like, you didn't hear anything. It was clear as dead. I didn't hear it. No, I didn't hear it.

I mean, I could say it's a horn, but it was very creature. No, it definitely sounded like a creature. It was definitely a beast. For sure. Like a mean one or like a fine? It sounded like a fine. How far away? Well, it sounded like it was on the distance.

This has been like the second day that I've heard this, so it's probably out in the forest somewhere. We might be getting like an echo off of a mountain or something. I have no idea. I think we should make haste. We should move a little faster. Let's pick up a pace here. Well, I kind of, I want to go towards the sound

and be absolutely frank. Are you mad for what purpose? I don't want to find dad. I don't want to go towards dad, unless dad's there. I don't think dad makes that noise. You don't want to go find out what the fuck that is? No, I want to keep going to, to the city, I want to keep going to Kirstein

because that's what they said, maybe we could find it. Yeah, I think your friend has the right idea. You know, why run towards that? We'll make a run to the tavern in Kirsteim. Yeah, we could drink more. Yeah. And I'm sure they have beautiful lodgings in a launch city. I don't think that roaring is going to offer us

like a good news like Adrick did. Would you tell them about the lodgings? But, you know, let's go. What about the lodgings, Zem? As they're going to be great. Oh, I'm so excited. Yeah. Let's make haste then.

Okay. All right. We'll keep going. Okay. You all continue walking as the density of the trees gets a little bit more and more and more increased as you make your way. The path gets a little bit narrower, but comfortable enough that a group of six of you are able to traverse. conversation starts to die down a little bit as you're just kind of waiting for it to end and you notice that through the boughs of these large trees all around you the light starts to dim

as the bit of sunlight that you see through the gloomy overcast hates is kind of the oranges and purples of sunset as the sun sinks beneath the the horizon, darkness descends upon the forest and there's no sight of any potential, any potential immediate inn or hotel or anything like that. Have we passed the single house or farm on the road since we? No. You know that there are small little kind of villages and hamlets that have been kind of offshoots into the wood, but you have not encountered any since you've left that crossroads.

Well, it's getting late. I think we should make camp. Stay here together. Unless you want to walk through the night, which I think is a bad idea. No, I agree with you. I think we need to stop. I'm feeling very, very sad.

What can I do to make your day happier? Do you have a light guy? Look at him. I was having a conversation. Yes, I was. Do you have to be involved in everything that I was used? Oh my God. He's a good guy.

Yes, very good. Oh, my God. What can you know? What do you normally do to recreate? What do you normally do to re-trie? Do you have like a torch? A torch? You know, I don't have a torch on my very person.

I have one. I don't mind lending it. So I'm very upset because when the sun goes down, my gold's are shining. Well, maybe we don't use the torch for that. We can just start fire. Yes, I would love that. It's probably a bit harder.

Toad, do it to glitter. What if I were to do one of these? I can do it. with a class minor illusion and star-shaped diamonds of light start to shine off of every jeweled whoa I don't like fake sparkles I like it when it's real oh my apology if I ever thought what do you think I am question would I be able to if toller gathers fire would start a fire without issue I would say with fire bowl if you just cast it without causing like do you have rest of vegetation no it's not

my cantress. We did not take precedes. Did you say some... Teeth. But I mean, that's my question. This is more like a flavor, like how do Wizards War thing, right? I would be, it wouldn't be as like elegant as like kind of getting a sort of... It would be a huge kind of... Oh shit. That's dangerous, right? I don't want to do that. It's... It's not going to explode. It would just be a little less elegant, I guess.

It would be a little less kind of than the roaring fire. It was just really a fire. That's fine. Okay. He's gathered fire. What we would do, right? Right, then getting a star. Yeah. I mean, I'm a wizard.

I'm not gonna reach my pack and grab my flint and be like, and it means I can get all those big, big logs. We don't need to leave that star stuff. Yeah, we'll get it up. We'll get a good one going. So I go around and I just pick like big logs. I'm just used to hit just blowing the hell out

of whatever I collect and just get it going. And are we doing this in the road? Or would you like to move off in the woods? Yes, we're gonna find a nice clearing in the woods. Wow, I feel like, Steve. I'm surprised you want to have a fire, given a security water. It's just the Felix.

We need the warmth. We need the light source. We need to be aware of our surroundings. Thank you, Gus Felix. I really appreciate it. Just Felix maybe drop the just. It's Felix. My name is Felix.

Well, I'm so glad that you've decided to open up and share me the group. I really appreciate it. I give him a kind of beady-eyed, like, you know, I'm watching you, pal, kind of look. And I don't say anything, and I wait for Toe to bring back the firewood. Okay, Toe and make a survival check for me.

I think I'm proficient in it. Ooh, but I roll the three. It's not. What the best. Ooh, a seven. A seven. A seven. You struggle to find any, any, a lot of good firewoods.

There's kind of these awkward logs. There aren't as dry as you'd like, which will make it a bit more difficult. So Felix, you're, I guess, you're going to use a firebolt on it. Yeah. All right, everybody. Just stand back for a minute, please. And so it'll take you probably like two times, like, and you're like, and it kind of like, uh. Smokes a lot. But burricks kind of smokes and light and it's like godd, like Toa did it again like he couldn't put me in dry wood

I wind up again and give it one more for times the charm It finally and everyone kind of steps back a little bit as the logs that are less than ideal that Toa put in in a little bit of a camp It erupt and you then have a crackling fire a little like approaching a bonfire but not quite Not bad. Yeah. Just look, it's a big fireballs on Felix. He's pretty impressive. You have to make me feel better about my not-so-ardial firebush.

No, no, that wasn't the goal. That wasn't the... You did good. You did good, all right? Thank you. I appreciate it. It's fine. I tried my beast. Thank you. Yeah. Bless the Lord with no temple.

My jewelry is shining. I wanted to do. Who is the Lord with no temple? Oh, no. Oh, my apologies. I did not know that thought that was the place. Caprici, I hope they don't think that I'm your bodyguard or that you're my bodyguard. I genuinely don't think they think that.

Strange. I think she's helping her and he's helping him. No, she's definitely not helping. She's hindering more than she's helping. She doesn't mean that. This is a team effort here. Okay, I just want to go out on the limb and say that while he, maybe the muscle, I'm the brains and we make a good team work and that's all that matters. Okay, there's nobody over the other here.

I owe my life to this guy and that's about. all there is to it. We are we are well-rounded. We're really important. I agree. It is. So we all have some friends. He has others and we kind of cover each other's bases. It would pretty well.

Yeah, we just met like in a city. I was there leaving from dad and you were there and that's how we, that's our effort, that's our team effort. Yeah, we met, we met across the city. We met across away. So it sounds like you two already knew each other. Yeah, we are old friends. No.

Yeah. I would love to hear how you met. They'll dare not speak when you speak. I'm really tired. I don't want to talk about it. You can give him permission to speak. Lutti. I don't know Lufty.

If he ever says that to you ever, I don't want to look at his asshole. I'm sorry. I heard. If you ever share him, tell that, you know that that's not the truth. Let them do their thing. They've got strange customs. No, anyway, I'm tired, Lufty.

You tell him. Yeah, well. I'm laying out my bed roll by the fire and just like letting them argue. Big Daddy Kitty. She talks about it. You do not call my father, Big Daddy Kitty.

Sorry. Big Daddy Kitty. You remember the thing about him and I, you know, I'm very good at swarling the parties and doing the different things for him and, you know, for her mama and her very handsome older brother.

Okay, so I got something I need to share and thank you. Thank you. Thanks. And I, you know, Steve, Felix, whoever you are, this may come to relieve you of your anxieties, but I and I slam my flail into the ground by the campfire and I slap it on the most flat part on the upper side since it's a flail. So this is Dakota, okay? She's my flail. She's going to protect us. I'll tell you how. She's going to let us know if everything bad comes in within 30 feet of her flail, of her.

This is my flail. This is Dakota. It's a pleasure of it? Dakota, yeah. My dad made her for me. She's very special. He's don't touch it. It's very sharp.

It's very dangerous. Wait a minute. Are you saying that this flail has magical properties to it? Yeah, I told you. My dad is the best known forger. in the northern part of Yona. And you're not going to let me see it. Well, no, it's mine.

So why would I let you touch it? I don't want to keep it. You seem like you wouldn't be able to lift it. I don't want to lift it. I just want to look at it. I just like to inspect it a little closer. You're looking at it now. I'm showing you Dakota.

Look with your eyes. And I just want to get a little closer to inspect it. I just want to see it a little bit. He's good with magic. It sounds like it's miserable. I think that's what he's getting it. No, I'm telling you it's magical. May I just touch it a little bit.

Why don't you have heard something of yours in order to my, you know, sort of... Yeah, let me touch your fireballs if you want to touch my Dakota. That might be... It doesn't work like that. Well, then I'm... The deal is off. You know, I just met you.

I don't want you touch in my but... But do you know how it worked? I mean, how does it work? How does it... I'm telling... You interrupted me. I was about to tell you. I was similar to how you interrupted Loufde you

and she was telling our story. Okay, I'm telling you about something that's very important to saving your lives, okay? It's a... I'm not concerned. I'm not concerned. The Lord upon the mountain will make sure my life is. And if any of you die,

can easily just pull you back from the other side, so it's not really a problem. Well, that's great. I'm sure it's fantastic. I'm sorry, why? You can actually do it? I'm interested in the detection magic that is potentially

imbuned in your weapon. Well, you can look at it, you can sit next to it. If you touch it, I'll fucking punch you. So don't do that. Is there any way I can expect the weapon without touching it? Yeah, make an investigation check

by looking at it, yeah. I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you. Finally, I'm not touching you. I've rolled a decent number. I got a 15. Let me look at my investigation here. 21 total. 21 total. I would say with that role, you kind of take a look at it, and you've seen magical embeuming of weapons in your past,

and you get the sense that this is a weapon of warning that it's been created for Persia that will alert, basically, if any danger happen, why don't you explain how worse that? Yeah. So, yeah, slap. This is Dakota, like I said. If you sleep within 30 feet of her, she'll let you know if anything bad is coming our way. So you'll get woken instantly. You know, I don't have to run around and get your asses up if something, some shit hits the fan, all right?

She's going to let you know. This is incredible. It's going to happen in your heads and in your mind you're going to be told to wake up and you're just going to do it. I see. So does she speak? Well, she speaks to me. It's like we have a, we have a bond. I've seen, I've seen something like this once or twice.

this is quite a bit of good luck on our part. Isn't how paranoid you are? This is perfect. Paranoid's a little strong. I think it's warranted. I think it might be fair paranoia, but it might be, it was the definition of paranoia

that it's unwarranted. I'm not quite sure. Felix is the definition of paranoia that it's unwarranted. We'll revisit that. The point is that this is quite... So the reason why I'm explaining it... Me too.

Me too. I honestly don't know. The reason why I'm explaining it for Steve. here and for Iris is like in case you decide that you want to have her build you a tree house and go sleep in it for the night or if you decide that you want to sleep on the other side at the freaking cavern for all I care she's not going to be able to wake you up so I suggest that you sleep within 30 feet of her to make sure that we're all safe for the night we all get some good rest and we can head on tomorrow morning to um um Kirsteim and uh slap

that's fine it's gonna be all right I don't sleep well anyway but I suppose this will help me rest a bit easier. It's a bit better. Yeah, dad made it for me whenever I went out away from home, so rest assured, no malintanget, right? Just gonna let us know. I appreciate it. You will.

I'd love to hear the list. I don't think we need to talk about the story anymore. I don't... Don't listen. We're going to speak private. Hold on, and I turn. I really turn... Did my father ever make me any other?

I don't know. He probably intended to, though. He just left too soon? Maybe. I bet that's what he left. You would never have left. You never would have left me leave that one. And he had the money to do it.

Yeah, your father loves you. You know this? He would have told you. Actually, can I just tell a question right from the table? You can write it down. I would say, if you would want to whisper it, I think the players will know that like to separate the stuff. I'll wait.

Okay. You can just pass notes. It's a lot. Text. Just you can't mobilize it. It's fine. It's okay. I guess we're entering sleep.

I'll ask everyone if they want a song or anything or, you know. Yeah. Fuck me up. I'm not sure what that is. Very friendly. I'll say. I just walk down on my bed roll and I just cross my life. Any of this.

I'm going to spread down Iris' bedroll and mine at like a respectable distance away from hers and pop along to whatever he decides to play. Oh, I play a very slow rendition than Hanson's Mbop. I'm gonna try to type this out. Just boogoo-it. And it just continues in this way, a nursery-style mood, just ready to sleep, and eventually I passed on myself. Okay. I'm staying awake. Okay.

I'm not going to just, you know, lay down and go to sleep among strangers. Not going to happen. is going to stay up and pray to him your best. Okay. I'm going to go straight to sleep. So I'm going to talk to Big T and say basically like, hey, I'm going to watch for a few hours and I'll wake you up and

take some turn up. Hey. We know and go away. The weapon will do its job. I believe that. But, you know, that they're sweet. We can just smit these people. Right.

Rest easy. I'm going to get some sleep. I'll wake you up soon. I appreciate that just let me know. And I go to sleep. So Iris and Felix are watch. For a couple hours at least. Okay.

Well, the iris is awake. Yeah. Iris is awake. You're praying to anubis. You're doing your standard evening routine, praying to your God in the standard way that you do. You finish up and however long it would take you to normally do that. And are you going to go to bed after? Yeah.

So I'm going to go to my bed roll where Lufty had put it. I'm going to put it on top of Lufty and then I'm going to curl up on top of her and the bed roll and go to sleep. Okay. So as you're curling up, I'm going to do both Felix and Iris to make reception check for me. Amazing. That's so clever. 22.

That's count. 22. Felix. Can you please do a perception? Yeah. Rolled a 15. And my over at 19, 20. 19.

I would say both of you as you're kind of curling up your like your hands are in. Yeah. Meeting. Like arching my back and pushing in her. You're arching your back and you're needing, and so apparently you are a cat, and you're needing a possible to get away from. It's possible.

You're needing Luffy's back and both of you start, you hear a loud, guttural roar, but far closer than any, that you had heard previously. And then you wait a second, and then you hear what sounds like screaming of a voice of some kind of humanoid down the road heading east. Is that the direction we were heading towards?

And would that wake us up or no? I immediately nudged Toa. So I continue to like mead into her and then I just kind of curl over and put my face like right on cheek to cheek and I go, there's somebody dying in the woods. You can't go, darling. And Tatoa, Tatea, I very urgently whispered, it's the same,

it's the same thing we heard before the growling, but someone's in danger. So I think it's, somebody's actually dying. Potentially, yes. Let's go. We should wake up the rest of the room.

Some use, Dakota was. Dakota, you've been slucking on the chung. I walk over to Caprice, and I give him a little kick. Hey, hey, buddy. Yeah, fuck you. What are you on? That thing you heard.

The growling, the roar, I think it's eating someone. You heard the growling. And a human scream. Did it sound like a guttural, like, bull style? Just wake up your companion. We need to go. Heard you. Hey, hur, hey, hey, oh, hey, hey, oh, why?

Okay, what? When is that? Your weapon didn't kick off for distant animals. That's because he's a long ways away. It's closer than it was before. The point is that there may be danger for someone who's nearby. If you'll wake up and grab your Dakota, we can also. How far away does the screaming sound?

It would say probably close, but like hundreds of feet down the road in the direction that we're having. Okay, then I'll just real quick, basically shouting to tell, but they're within hearing distance of, of, it's the direction we're meant to go, it's down the way, we should at least check it out, someone could be in danger. Let's go, of course. So we start to go. We start to go.

Yeah, we're gonna pack up. Okay, you pack up, you put out the fire and then I want, is everyone aware of, whether or not they have dark vision and how that all works. I am aware. Yeah, dark vision. Okay. I'm just a human. I would, I guess, immediately just light a lantern.

And just running. I have torches in my backpack. I mean, like, that's part of the adventures pack. Right. So, I think this side of the table has dark vision, this side doesn't. Yeah. Yeah. She does not.

Yeah. So this side does it. That works out well. So Toa immediately, as Felix is putting out the fire, yet you can use Frost Bell or whatever. frost bell or whatever you have, basically quickly put out the fire and tow a lights

a lantern and are you all heading in that direction? We are for sure. Lofti. There is someone dying in the woods. Do we hold on the knot? Here, I know a trick. Up and Adam, up and Adam, Adam, up and Adam, up and Adam Adam, up and Adam Adam, up and Adam, up and Adam.

You immediately see me arch my back and all my hair stands on end. I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'm sorry, It's just, it's the only way that I know to get someone up real fast. It's really frustrating. What are we doing? There's somebody in danger. I was talking to you.

I was waking you up. We need to leave. Grab a hold of my tail. You can't see in the dark. Let's go. Why? Because you can't see in the dark. No, no, no.

Why are we awake? There is someone die. Do you see what I mean when I say she's a hindrance more than a help? I appreciate that and I'm already following. I'm following. Yeah, so we are going to just move away so they're not so loud. and then back to see? Men of action.

Oh, Looney, grab my tan, let's go. So you run up. I would say both of your head, then the two of you, then the two of you, you are running, running. Toa is trying to hold the lantern. Yeah, I'm up in the lantern.

Which is, I would assume, projecting the 15-foot cone of light, or however that works. Yeah. Yeah, you are running, and you hear this, You hear screaming it louder, Oh, God, help me, help me!

And you hear the voice of what sounds like a male, how far away? Middle-aged, coming just around the bend of the forest. Probably, maybe like 150 feet down along the way. And tow it, both of you are in front? Yeah. So both of you notice as you're running, all of you would hear as soon as kind of the voice is

he's kind of stopped screaming and starts panting and is just breathing loud. You can hear how labor his breathing is. You hear from a little bit further away what sounds like, and it sounds like just the gnashing, growling, roaring, and it almost sounds bestial, but it's hard to tell.

It almost sounds like it's people that are doing it. And the second that you're all running, you see a bit of movement from around the bend in the forest toad. And you see a human man with pale skin. His eyes are bloodshot wide with fear. He looks ghost, white, horrified, screaming. Please help me! And he's running and he sees you. and he almost doesn't register you as he's sprinting.

He heads directly in your direction. He's probably about 50 feet away at this point. You still got legs. Come towards my voice. And as you're off, what's wrong? What's wrong? As you're running ahead, you start to see that there is a sign just barely off that points in a direction off with an offshoot of the path. The path splits one heading in the direction of your heading,

but one that splits off deeper into the forest. and then you see a number of shapes running towards you. On twos or fours? On twos. But hunched over, they seem to be humanoid, and they are running at him. They almost look like just normal humans, a mix of men and women.

But as they get quickly into Choa's torchlight, you see that these seem to be human, but covered in a thick black hair, two small, horns protruding, their eyes completely red as they are rushing at you. How close is the guy? He's probably getting almost like direct, probably like 20 feet away at this point. I'm gonna cast sanctuary on him.

I was just about to do that. Okay. So how did that work? I cast sanctuary on him as a bonus action and for one minute, anything that tries to target him has to roll with save or target something else. Okay, so as soon as you see this man, he is just sprinting. He kind of stumbles a little bit in the road, and you cast sanctuary on him. This kind of golden gleaming light kind of shimmers over him just briefly.

One of these beasts sprints after kind of gets close as he stumbles, raises a claw, a hand against him. And you see now that where nails are are these thick black claws, and he is going to make an attack and make a whiz-saving throw and fail. And it stumbles and it's frothing. at the mouth and you get a better sense of the look of this creature. This seems to be, like I said, almost like a human, but covered in that black

fur, and he stumbles forward, not really realizing why this creature didn't sink its claws into it, and he sprints towards you. You see the thundering of running footsteps as eight of these figures.

Nashing. Go ahead. Do I recognize these creatures? make an intelligence check with advantage. Can I see any of this? Oh, too dark. 24. 24. This looks very familiar to you, but it looks very real.

Okay. And you can kind of see that you see kind of the fail of the attack of one of these creatures attempt to attack him as Iris cast sanctuary on him. And as this man sprits towards you. and it sprits towards you, like just completely horrified. All of them start to these eight figures, kind of pause for a moment, almost stopped by the torchlight shocked, and then they see the whole lot of you,

and they lunge you attack. I need everyone to furnish it, please. Oh, who! Thank you. Oh, my God. Oh, baby. Oh, my God. 22.

Delix with a big roll. A six. Finally rolling well. This podcast is brought to you by our Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of Aventress and gain access to tons of exclusive perks, including a monthly movie night and a weekly Patreon exclusive campaign set on the high seas, shroud over salt marsh.

You can also go to the crooked moon.com to pick up your own copy of our first published supplement, The Crooked Moon, a folk horror tone for Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. And don't forget to snag all of the extra goodies like dice, miniatures, plushies, a tarot deck, and more. Thank you. Okay, so I need 20 to 25 initiative, please. Oh, you beat me by one, 22. 23.

Iris, then we have Felix. Okay, I need 15 to 20. 15. 15 is Lufting. Anybody else, 10 to 15? Oh, 14, sorry. 10 and 15, anybody else? Perj and toe, what do you get?

Nine. Six. Okay. Six. So both of them are that. And then, okay, they are going to roll hot dog. It's almost like we're playing D&D. We are playing D&D, ladies and gentlemen.

And let me see. The end of that. I just noticed your shirt, Mikey, it looks. Awesome. Thank you so much. Oh, you changed out of your pack these ones? Yeah, I did, I did, I did. 23?

Okay. Iris, you are up first. I am going to see which one is within, they're all within 60 feet of pain. Yeah. So for number four, he's the one I can probably see the easiest. I'm going to told the dead. Okay, told the dead. Got it.

I'm going to roll. And so it's a wisdom save. Okay. That's a 16. Yeah, it beats it. So he's going to take half the damage. Got it. So it's going to be three points of damage. Three points of damage. You all hear this

kind of, it sounds distant but very up close. This gong that kind of rings out. And you see one of them start to clutch its ears and it's frothing, its eyes are red and vicious. And so that's number four? Three points of damage. Okay, three points of damage. Okay, it is clutching its ears.

It takes a little bit of damage. With that, it is their turn. So they are going to sprint up. And I am just going to run up here. They're gonna go up here. Five, six, one, two, three, four, five, six. One, two, three, four, five, six. Okay, they are sprinting at you.

There is going to be one attack against the guy but he's going to have sanctuaries. He's going to roll a with saving throw. And he's going to fail horrifically once again. He's trying to attack him. And he's frothing viciously. then we're going to get one attack on Felix, one attack on Caprice, one on Herger, one on Toa.

So we have Felix's going now. That is going to, as they lean forward, as they're sprinting forward, they stick their head down. They're little black horn that they're trying to ram into you. Is this like human? They're basically human, but covered in this black fur with small black horns they are trying to ram into you. And I feel like you managed to dodge out of the way.

And this one misses you, as one is going to go for Toa, and you managed to dodge this one. Caprice coming at you, and that is going to be a natural one. It stumbles forward, and I am rolling like shit. Yala. And then that is going to be at Herja, and that is going to be a full miss. As the others are going to all sprint up.

Could you, Kelsey, move. The rest are going to sprint all the way up to in front of Toa. Yeah, in that little spot. The other three are going to move to the guy. Yeah, so that one, and then he's going to move up. Like in here? Or next to him. Yeah, next to him that way.

Yep, great. And they are all as... This is important. Real quick, is this his occupied space right there? Yes. Okay, because it matters. Yes, it does. And so they are now fully in Toa's torchlighting.

Toa's torchlight as he has his weapon after just dodging this human way that seems to be just filled with this blood loss and you can kind of see this this just like this savagery in their eye it looks as if like any kind of sense of of humanness and what seems to be human is completely gone. Okay that is Felix's turn. All right as a free action am I allowed to peel my coat jacket back and whistle and call Beatrice out? I was would say yeah that's the bonus action okay as a bonus action yeah that's how you can pull her out a she's summoned she's been summoned yes yes yes stays close all right

a small uh spect for bluebird appears from my uh vest and is is floating near me what the fuck is that it's a thing um so then then i am going to cast uh as my action flaming sphere right here okay um we can use a dye just to Yeah. That's going to be one of my spell slots. Four side up. This looks like not working. I'm getting like API errors left and right.

So it's within 60 feet, and then it has a five-foot radius. It's a five-foot diameter sphere that appears in an unoccupied space of your choice. Last for the duration, any creature that ends its turn within five feet, the sphere, they take 2D6 damage on a failed save, and half as much on a successful. Okay. Okay, you open your coat and say, you do a little bit of a whistle, and immediately Beatrice flies out. All of you would just see this little bluebird with an orange stomach, just fly out. It kind of appears in this kind of this shimmering energy color, and then just materialize as a regular bluebird.

And immediately, Felix extends his... No, I have to reach into my coat. You have to reach into your coat, and then I cast a spell. reaching your coat, you grab something, and out of his hand, a sphere, fire illuminates the road, and appears, and sort of swirl, swirl, swirl, kind of singeing potentially these beasts that are attacking you. So it sounds like I have to wait for them to end their turn

and I don't do any damage to this rock. Correct. Okay. Lifted your own. Okay, so I'm holding on to Iris's tail, and I'm gonna pull her back and say, Your papa's not going to lie, because we have to go. And I'm gonna try to pull her backwards with me

and like flip positions with her. Okay. Why don't you make a quick, make, and just an athletic chef to see if you can pull her back far enough. Ooh. Acrobatics or athletics? Athletics.

You're yanking her. Are you sure it's not acrobatics? Not jumpy to move her, I would say it's an acrobatics. What if I jump and like leapfrog her? We'll say it's epileptic. You're a ganking. That's a four. You are tugging on her tail or her arm,

and you're not able to get the strength and kind of move her at all, unfortunately. Okay. So... You can still move. Yeah, so I guess... That's my action, though, was pulling her. Okay.

Attemptive to do you. So, I guess, realizing that I cannot move her, I'm just going to move in front of her and use a key point to use patient defense. Okay. You channel your training and you put up your hands and you are ready to defend yourself and IRIS. Okay, it is Capric's turn. Holy hell. I skid to a stop on my heels and I back up 30 feet.

Right here. I want five, ten. You can move through my. Well, it's what. It's two spaces. Remember, you are in. He will take an opportunity. He will be able to talk about that. Will I? He's got a guy. He's diagonal to you. Oh shit. Well, if he's in range, I'll pull my rapier out and I'll stab him. Well, in that case.

Okay. With my rapier, I'll go in for an attack. Do you do? And that's going to totally succeed without issue. Eight? Nope. Okay. Oh, gosh, for my bonus action.

Who hasn't gone yet? You guys haven't gone yet? Her, you got this. And you have a farted consideration. It's going to follow. Here's a six. It's caught inspiring. You can add it to whatever kind of rule you want

in the next 10 minutes. Okay, cool. So with a flourish, your cape kind of billows in the wind as you draw your rapier and go in for a stab. It's frothing, mouth, and horrific appearance kind of puts you on edge for a second, and you stumble and you miss with your rapier. But you manage to inspire Herja a little bit.

Your convincing words of encouragement. Okay, Herger, you're up. Persia is going to make a flail attack against that nearest god, werewolf thing on the left. Okay. I believe that's a 100. I want to, I will not use Bardic inspiration on that. I'm just going to save that,

but I will use my bonus action to cast Thunder smite on my weapon for my next turn. Okay, so you sweetly, you sweetly. you swing your flail, you swing Dakota, and these creatures are surprisingly light as they dodge out of the way of your flails, it swings through the air. But as soon as you finish, you say a prayer to Morden

and you hear a kind of a slight crackling of thunder as your, is it how much, is the thunder slight? Yeah. Thunder coming from the mace, the flail itself, as you should see kind of this cloudy substance, kind of appear around the head of the flame. Okay, totally wrong. I'll stay where I am.

Which one is like, I guess they're all around the guy. So I'm going to kind of, I'm there, I'm going to drop my linton on the ground. Okay. With the just free object. Yeah, dropping it as free object. I drop that, and I kind of grab my mall

in two hands, and I kind of like, I basically spread my feet apart and kind of like, do like a stance or a little bit, and like do like a bit of a super short tribal chant to like rage. Okay. Um, bonus accent.

And he did the bar. And I kind of like get focused and I'm getting too like a more of a battle focus trance and I'm gonna go in and come down with my mall on top of number three. Got it. Ooh, it's all of great. All of that.

All of that. It's not the best. Uh, it is a, it's gonna miss. It's four, five, six, seven. Yeah. 8, 9, actually, hold on, how do you see, is it equipment? Do you see?

No, it's not an equipment? Were you trying to see your weapon? Yeah, my actions. Yeah, so 10. Is there any special effects that come with your age, your trance? If I hit them. Okay, so you see Charlotte drop. Can I actually make a quick deck check to see if it breaks when you drop?

Yes. My goal is to set it on the ground, but I got him 21, so. 21, okay, so you manage to drop in and place it down just. just long enough. And you see Toa chant out these words very quickly, and he kind of this calm comes over him, and then this furious battle determination, and he swings. Unfortunately, these creatures, you've seen them dodge all of your attacks so far, and this one is no different. He misses as his mall, swings through smashing a branch off of a tree nearby, and sending it splintering. Okay, with that, top of the Radar Cyrus.

I am going to cast spiritual weapon. Okay. And I am going to cast it, and that's my bonus action. Yep. So it is 60 foot range, 20 feet. So would I be able to get these guys? It's like put it. It can be on any space because it's spiritual. Yeah, so I can put it here.

You can put it on top of them. Yes. Okay, so I'm going to put it on top of him. So it's going to be a radiant, like, turquoise and gold crook and flail. Okay. that appear spinning and doing damage to them. Sorry, I'm just... Makes one attack.

But it doesn't... It has the opportunity to make an attack as it's summoned. Oh, so it can attack now. Yes. Okay. When it summons, so you see a glowing golden into this turquoise light. Natural 20. Natural 20.

A crook, which is kind of a hook kind of small shepherd's staff, and a flail, but this being a long stick, with three hanging cylindrical objects, kind of wrapped in these strange neck-bession design that you haven't seen before, almost fused together as one item, smash into one of these creatures? 16 damage.

Damn. 16 damage to number four, the same one you're attacked? Which one? Number one. Number one, okay. 16 damage as they smash smashes into its face.

You see a few teeth fly out. Blood is streaming down its face. It looks at you at this thing. I doesn't know what to think of it. It is very angry. Is it like red blood? Like normal blood? Yeah.

It's just this normal red blood. It is very vicious and angry. And then for my actual action, I want to use Pull the Dead on number four because I've already hit him. Okay. Number four? With saving from.

With saving from. That is going to fail. Okay. And because he's already damaged, just the one D12 instead of the one. be four. And so that will be nine. Nine points of damage. Okay. You can't hear that familiar gong.

As this time, it's not, and it's trying to shove its claws into its ears. You kind of see it pierced his ear drum as blood is gutted out. It is viciously furious. Oh, no, it's their turn. Okay, so they are going to now move in and spread out of the finder. And so we are going to get, uh, it's going to go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then they're just going to fan out here because they have shit to a tap.

So we are going to get, uh, the one, two, three. And it should be facing the, uh, okay. Like this. Yeah. So that is where they're going to, to, uh, move. No, because mine six isn't anywhere near the gen. And they're,

They seem to pain our mind. There's going to be an attack against Iris. These are kind of thunder dice. And 16 misses Iris, right? Yes. As they run to bash in with their head, misses Iris. And so then we are going to get Toa. That's going to be 16 that's also going to miss.

As I can't hit shit. Okay. This one is going to attack Lufty and it is going to get a a neat team that is going to hit. It's a huge protection to you. Dodge thing. What is it? Oh, how does that work?

How does it work? It doesn't mean. Disadvantage? Patient defense, yeah. You have to roll disadvantage. Oh. They take you the dodge. Yeah, I don't actually know.

You see when it looks like it's about to attack you and you manage to swipe out your arm deflecting its head as its little horns kind of dodge right, you dodge right past it as it runs past you. So you defend yourself. That's balance. Okay. So that was one on, on, we're gonna get one on Caprice.

and that is going to miss horrifically. Okay, I can't roll for shit. And one on Felix. That is going to be 9 plus 3. That's going to be 12. Oh, my God. I think that's... It's misses. No. And then

we are going to get... Just a delicate flower. Oh, and then one is going to attack Herja. Yes. And that is going to be... That is also going to miss as you managed to block it with your shield. And so then we are going...

We have two that are going to make WIS saving throws in order to see if they can attack this guy. And what's the WIS saving throw on that for Sanctuary? Sanctuary 14. 14. Highest is at 13. Both fail. Once again, another round you manage to be dodging all of this is the DMA is really

horrifically low. And I need to jail all these dice. OK, Felix, they took. I was saying it works out about two have ended within five feet of the sphere. So they have to make a DC-14 debt. saving throw and I'll roll 2d6. Okay, that's a 19 and a 7. All right so the one fails and we'll take full seven points of damage the one passes and we'll take half of seven. Okay, got it. What numbers are those two? That is five and three. Okay.

Depending on between we'll say three took the full seven and then three. Five to the straight. Okay, so the, they kind of let out this aurora pain as this flame spins faster and faster and you start to see it starting to send the flesh and burning the hair this horrific stench hits your nostril as the hair starts to burn and the odor from that is just horrific okay so it says as a bonus action I can move the sphere and if I ram something then it must make that it takes the it does the same thing and has to make the same throw yeah so my question is can I just move it into them again or do I need to move it into a different

like set of creatures I don't that's my question you can move it into any adjacent square. So if I just move it this direction, does it count as ramming these two guys? I think it needs to be on their space. I mean, it's 30 feet. So I mean, I'll worry about the distance. I'm just curious what it actually.

Just hit one guy? I mean, it was one guy. Okay, and then from there on out, anybody who ends there. It's a matter of adjacency because it's such a hot flaming ball. Okay. Then I'll just move the sphere trying to move into number two here to deal another 2D6.

Six damage. And then you make it. deck saving throw, I fail. Six damage, whatever is that? Yeah. So that's my bonus action. I'll get that a moat up very soon. As my action, I'm just going to cast Firebolt on number three right here. How much damage was that, sorry. It was six points of damage to number two. Okay. And then for Firebolt, the hit is plus six and I roll 1D10.

So I'm just going to roll a D20. Yep. I got a nine. Nine plus what? Six. Toad, no, no, nine total. Oh yeah, it never fails. So the Fireball flies off into the forest, hits a tree, starts a flip. Flay a little bit in him. And then can I just have my familiar harass number three, the one that Toa was trying to attack?

Okay, yeah, yeah. So Beatrice, I'll point Beatrice. Yeah, Peter, so Beatrice, give him advantage. ...and kind of get into the face of one of these and try to distract and to give Toil advantage. I give her a whistle. I say, to pin tape, there was a little blooper. And you see a little little bit of flying. Can we get a little mini to represent her?

Yes. I only have dice. I feel bad. bad. My D8 will be Beatrice. You're up. Can't you get a Cremie? I do. What? Do you do the little cremee? Yeah, we do. Yeah, let's see, let's see Screamy. But we have, we have Loombeye up there.

Yeah, her base is gigantic. Her base is fine. That's massive. This is crummy. There you go. The Premi is now a beautiful little bluebird. You're not, though. Your turn for us. My turn. Harassing number three. Okay, so number seven was the one that made it in attack on me. And you said it was like kind of running by me? Or just trying to butt you and you just don't do it.

Okay. Someone was out. Oh, you girls's goat! You gloves, goat! And I'm gonna kind of smack at it and make an armed attack on it. Number seven there? Yeah, on number seven. Okay. 12 plus six is 18. 18.

That hits. Nice. One, I don't have a D4. Yes. I'm sorry, it's a D-C. No, it's a D-C. No, it's a D-4. Okay.

Three plus four, seven. Seven points of damage. smash your fist into the face of number seven for four points of damage, right? Yep. Four points of damage. Last turn. Okay, you just punch it in the face. And with that, it's a good piece of turn.

That's a fantastic thing. I will look at number four. There. And I will whisper at it. Hey, look at your face. Look at everything that, that's going on right here. You're a mess.

No one's ever loved you. No one's ever... Deg. That's vicious. Wow. I'm not mad. I'm just very disappointed. Dissent whispers will be my

first level enchantment that I cast on him. He has to make a wisdom saving throw against 14. He succeeds. He succeeds. Yeah. Motherfucker. This is really good whispers now.

I try. I'm gonna work on my whispers. And for my bonus action, I will turn to Toa. You know, you did really good there. You did really good with the Eucolalea earlier. I was really impressed. Oh, thanks, man. I appreciate it. I feel quite a bit bitter now. You should feel a little inspired as well.

So you feel inspired as you whisper that. This creature seemed to be just so caught up in its own furious blood rage that it doesn't really seem to notice the magic that you're trying to, that you're trying to bestow. Okay, Herger, you're up. Try and do my play.

I'm trying to do my phone. Let's go. Fucking Nat 1 again! I can't do it! Oh, my Lord. This is my second Nat 1. Dakota is resisting. She's pissed that she didn't notice the... Yeah, Dakota's upset. I'm just gonna...

You're gonna split her into North and Soft. We're warming up. We're warming up. Getting worse. Yeah. Okay. Concentrating on that, so that's my turn. Okay.

You swing, the thunderous enchantment, you swing it around a second. It smashes through. Once again, it dodges out of the way. Dakota is not quite fighting perks yet, but the enchantment is still on there, ready to go. And with that, it is Toa's turn. I'm going to use an a tick on... Let's see. I'm going to use an attack on the guy right in front of me.

And I have advantage, right? And you have Barton's first. If you need it. So it's and it happens 14, well plus whatever. So yeah, so 20. And then I'm going to roll 8. 2D6. So five, sorry.

Let me just, I'm just trying to read. Actions. So, sorry, go ahead. I was as he connects, I just yell, out of Hawaii. Five, six, seven, eight, nine. And then rage is 10, 11 damage. to number one? To number three.

11 points of damage? Yep. Okay. You're, is it a Tiki or it's a big mall, but like he used his massive Tiki designed hammer and smashes it into the chest of this beast and it spurts up blood all over him as it's kind of, it's in here a loud crack, but it is furiously looking

and just trying to, trying to murder all of you. Iris, you're up. I am going to use my guy to beat on number six again. Okay, your bonus action. The crook and flail smashes or attempts to smash into this guy. Yeah, and it's, oh, I make a spell attack for it, sorry.

I remember what's the saving throw. No, no, it won't. It attempts, it flies through the air over its head. And then I'm going to cast Bain. Bain? Bain. You, you, you, you. I'm going to pass Bain on these three right here.

Okay. Six, eight and nine, I think. Okay. And so they, anytime they want to make an attack roll or saving throw, they have to roll a D4 and subtract the number from their attack roller saving throw, but they have to make a charisma save to see if it's not. Yeah. Okay, charisma save.

So on, okay, one. So the one directly next to Grico there is going to succeed. Against 14. Against 14. 9, 8, and 5. 14. 9. Whatever was next to Grico, succeeded. The one in front of them failed. And then this is going to be a 13. That fails. So those two fail. So those two have to make a charisma saving. No, so they already did that. They already did that. So anytime they roll an attack roll or a saving throw, they have to roll a D4 and subtract that number from the order.

Okay, so the one next to this human man, fleeing for his life, has been too petrified to move as he sees these strangers all of a sudden come to his rescue. As you channel the dark power of inside the sarcophagus of Anubis and deep within pyramids, and this darkness kind of spreads out and one of the man is to resist it seemingly, but you see that some of them start to walk up a little bit from this magic.

And it's their turn now. And with that, I think they're all going to... I think they're just going to stay there and just wail away here. Actually, you're here, right? Lifting? Okay. As the guy moves it all? Not yet. He will not. Okay.

And I think that they're all just going to just make a bunch of fucking attacks on you guys. And there's kind of... Now that they've caught up to you, they're just... just viciously smashing their face, swiping with their claws. And so we're going to have, we're just going to go down the line here. We're going to have Lofti.

And that is going to be a, do you still have page in defense? 16. It's only one time, I think. It hits. The whole turn. Do you use it your last turn? Yeah, I took a dodge

when the last attack you made. So that means it's over it. You haven't gone since. I did, but I didn't use. Yeah, I didn't use. No, it's going to any of it. So. Is it hit?

It's gonna hit. I'm gonna impose disadvantage with my shield. Okay. That's my reaction since she's within five feet of the middle. Okay. And it is still going to hit. Oh. So you see Herja stick out your shield trying to block it,

but this is too fat. It swipes you with its claw. It is going to do, it is going to do how much damage here. It is going to do eight points of slashing damage. First damage. Yes. Yes. This is fucking suck.

And then we're going to go. get an attack on we're going to get an attack on Toa here and that's going to be a natural 20 on Toa as she's going to swipe into you

dealing. Nat 20? Yeah. Which one? To To Toa. 12 points of slashing damage. Oh that's not too great. I'm resistant because I'm angry. I'm really angry. I'm focused. So that's six. Oh shit, I'll get me I would like to focus.

And then one is going to make an attack on Persia. And that is going to hit. Wow, I'm rolling better this turn. That's going to be seven points of slashing damage. And this is this thick black claws slice into a weak spot in armor. And then we are going to get one attack on Iris. And that is going to fail. You manage to block you.

Do you have a buckler? Yeah, the little shield. You manage to block it with your little shield. And then one is going to get on Capricio. and that is going to be, that is going to slice into your clothing. Can I cutting words? Thanks for the follow. What is that?

Cutting words is one of those abilities that I can use to adjust the, so I would like to do that. How does it work? It's one of my bardic inspiration, so you have to subtract 1D6 from what you actually rolled, and then if it's less than the ACF misses. But in the flavor of the moment, I look at him and it looks like, He looks like he's fighting a weak spot. spot in your leather armor and he just go

and he's just suddenly stumbled and the slight was enough the magic of the weed was enough to guide his hand away from you. It's the worst feeling in the world no no he rolls he rolls it.

And then still have your impression. Finally I gave you one. Felix once slicing with his cloth and manages to slash you across the chest and it's going to deal 7. of slashing damage.

That's a lot of my health. And then, once again, these two beasts who have been chasing this one guy, this one human, who's kind of, he's stumbled to the ground. You are, the number six, who did that one attack? I'm confused. I just want to make sure that these guys are getting there. Bain. Oh, I'm sorry.

Bain on, oh, how does Bain work? So they have to roll a D4 and subtract that. Oh, I may not have Felix. And I don't get Felix. Hey! So, um, as one is a lot, is a lot. attacking, oh, wait, no. Six and... Oh, never mind, never mind.

Never mind. So it does... The two that have Bain are trying to attack the dude. Oh, okay, cool. Yeah, sorry. Sorry. So I'm taking the seven. You're taking seven. Sorry. So the two that are, they're desperately, they're both sanction, he sanctuated still. Yes. So they are desperately trying to attack while

basically resisting against them and two layers of protection from Mnuvus effectively. And so saving throws on wisdom, 14. The first one passes, the second one fails. But remember, six has the, both of them have bane.

And so he's going to get a four and just miss. He's a man is able to actually make an attack finally on this guy. And then all of a sudden, just and his claw is almost kind of constrained by, you start to see kind of black, smoky, tendrils, almost like kind of mummy

bindings, kind of keep, uh, kind of keep, uh, yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm the king of flavor here. And, and it's a flip town. Yeah, if you're in the vancels. Someone needs to Photoshop you on this. Two tickets to favorite town. Um, and I believe that's all of their terms.

Okay. And the, now it is what's his face's turn. Stranger Joe. The, these two ended, or I'm sorry, one, two, three ended within five feet of the sphere. And so, oh yeah. And so did Joe. Yeah, but I don't have him get hurt because of skull spells. Oh, okay.

Okay. Oh, nice. So, uh, snaps, dogs. So Felix, you see this, this orb turning its flame shoot out. And Toa, you see this flame kind of retract as soon as it spins towards you and you're not being burned. Thanks, Wim. It's a big.

So it's only three points of damage and then you have a DC 14 deck save for one, three of the guys. Um, so for two, three and five. So for three, he succeeds. He takes how much, he takes one point of damage? Yeah, that's up. Okay. Two is going to succeed. That's going to be one point of damage. And then that is going to be failed for the next one. Five. Yeah, number five is going to take three points.

Yep. So three points of damage is the fire swirls and burns them. And so with that it is Felix is actually your turn. Oh, the guy doesn't need to go? What is it? I thought the guy was going. Oh, he's going to go. Yeah. So he is going to just desperately try to pick himself back up and just squeeze through you he's gonna disengage and he is going to get as far as he can through the rest of you is he a 30 feet can he like squeeze through here yeah so 5 10 15 20 25 30 well so he can do look let's say it's like half actually one two he's not worried about disengaging he's just

gonna sprint through you guys and he's gonna take all those opportunity attacks okay so that's how many that's wisdom saving those yeah he's gonna have to take with yayish uh yeah he's gonna sprint he's just gonna go back behind there. And so we'll say that he's going to take three opportunity attacks. So number three is disadvantaged because I hit him. He's marked by... Okay. So number three

is disadvantage. So we're going to do just with saving throws across the board. Is he's a nine both have Bain? With saving throw. So six and six fails, nine. He succeeds. He's going to be, he's going to make the attack and I have to roll a D4. A D4. That is going to cause him

to miss as he misses so both of those and then the one in front of him is a disadvantage he's gonna make the Wiz saving throw he's going to fail the Wiz saving throw and then one two and then actually those two are also

going to make attacks so they're going to have to see if they can pass fails the Whitsaving throw that's a season with saving throw that's the one next to Felix there what number is that is he to see any kind of any additional so he didn't move through us then

he moved through them no he moved he threw them, but he was in that spot, so he went through to do that spot. He used he was in three, five, eight, six, and one. Yeah. So one is the last one. He passes with a saving throw. Is there any other effects on him? Okay. He's a lot of effects where he seems like a lot.

And that is, that is going to hit. And we're going to see how much damage that does. And it's going to, he's so fearful for his life to manage to dodge and between it managed to scrape along the side as the claws sink in. But he clashes and looks us out of yelp with pain.

As he pushes through the rest of you, he manages to keep on sprinting now. He's looking pretty rough, though. And, okay, with that, Felix is Aquitius. Okay, let's see here. So, Beatrice is still good attacking number three. Or just, you know, distracting. Helping. Yeah, helping.

The sphere, I'm not going to. going to move. I'm just going to try to firebolt number eight right in front of me. Got it. I made sure I got my spells. Where I'm at here. Okay, so it's just a firebolt. Um, 13? 13.

That hits. All right, 1 D10. Okay. Is this a 10? What's here? 10. A 1. A 1.

Yeah. So you cast out your hand, kind of, once again, his hand goes beneath his cloak, his other hand shoots a firebolt. It singes some of the hair on the shoulder to number one? Number eight. Number eight. That takes one point of damage. Okay, it sends just a little bit of a skin.

Okay, Lifty, you're up. Okay, so number seven, who's still near me, I'm gonna make another unarmed attack on him. Okay. It's pretty bad. 12? 12, that misses. Fortune him. You can you use a bonus action again, right?

Yeah, so I don't have to land an attack. No, no, as long as you use the attack action, then you can come back in with the second. So then I'll use another key point and do three of blows. I make two more attacks. Got it. His smelly goat ass. That's terrible. Six, I mean, ten.

There we go. 19. 19. 19 that hits. Come on big damage, you. Hey. Six damage. Six damage.

Six damage. You manage once again clocked in the face. Yes. 6-8 is the number what? 7. 7. 6. As you smash into, just remember, you do have a quarterstaff, so right? And that?

Yeah. Okay. I just want to make sure that I forgot where we left off with that weapon. Yeah. I know. I know. The freaks you're up. She wants to punch.

I don't really want the bunch. I will. Who in the party is looking rough besides the, uh, the guy who is anonymous and just ran through us. Who's looking right? I don't think anyone's been hurt by much. I'm bleeding. I took a hit, but I'm all right.

I mean, I took a hit, but I'm also me. All right. As I swing down with my rapier to take another strike at the person just in front of me, I, uh, Hey, hey, guy, you're gonna be, you're gonna be all right. That'll be my healing word. That's said, throw, um, three, seven points of healing in his direction. Seven points of healing. Is that straight, that all right word heals up. You

see his wounds close up a little bit. And then 19 to hit. Hits. And then we'll do, that's fine. Ten damages of piercings. To who? Two? Two. Four. Ten damages of these of piercing. Okay. So you see your, you heal his wounds a little bit. Use your bar with magic. And then your rapier, swipes forward your cape, finally billows in the wind, and it finally finds Furtz, pierces into its side. He spits up blood on you. He's looking very, very weak.

And with that, it's Ferdes' turn. All right. Persia is going to attack the same person for her left again, hopefully. There we go. Let's see, 19 to hit. 19 hits. All right.

She is, let's say, D8 for the flail, and she's got thunderstrike on it. So it needs to make a... Nope, that's all player excels. Whoops. There you go. Deal an extra... It fails. It fails.

It fails. It's strength-saving throw. Then it's pushed back 10 feet and knock prone. So I do one D. and then 2d6. Just seven it's knocked back? No, the one that's right. Right next to it, yeah.

So it's one that you were touching. So can it get knocked into the woods? Is that how that works? Yeah. Knock back 10 feet, now it's prone. Okay. So I'm going to roll damage. We'll know it's pretty.

Oh, nice. So it's going to take 10 gorgeting. Okay. And then it's going to take 2D6 Thunder. Five. Dungda. It takes nine Thunder Dunder. Thunder damage.

Nine thunder damage. Nine thunder damage. Number seven. So finally, her just swings Dakota, her flail. It smacks across the face. You hear a loud crack of thunder as the neck has a sickening crack as the eyes, the blood, red fury of the eyes kind of goes out, as its body is burst back, smacks against a tree, 10 feet into the woods and crumbles to the ground down.

First ball! The 19 damage. All right, fuck yeah. All right, so I'm gonna move up to this one, yeah, right there. Yep, five feet. And then that was my action. So I still have bonus action, technically, right? Yeah.

I'm going to, that's just a minute to do my turn. Toa, you're up. It's almost as if a blacksmith hammer just struck an anvil that was very impressive. And I hit the, I hit number three. Number three. Still, she had the advantage. Oh, she helped, did she help the, still. I haven't moved, I have moved,

when I roll the first time? Yeah, I don't know. A six plus a, six, 12? 12, no. No, misses. You're, despite Beatrice kind of flapping in and kind of distracting this creature, it still manages to dodge out of the way.

You miss, it's pretty dark. And with that, it is, I just turn. Okay, so my spiritual weapon is going to hit number eight again. Okay. And that would be a lot. 17 plus some. And say, next. And say, next.

I'm not already spiritual weapon or one. 11. 11. Okay. Damages number eight. And then I'm going to... Smashes into them. Then I'm going to toll the dead number four.

Okay. And that's a wisdom save. Got it. Twelve plus 12. So it fails. Okay. It's already damaged. So it wouldn't be 12.

Six. Six. Six points of game. To number four? Yep. To number four? Okay. So as you hear the loud, gone again, you hear the, it sticks both of its fingers into its ears and its eyes start bleeding as its ears bleed as it rips off its own face, as it scrumples to the ground, death.

Oh, which one was that? Which one? Which one? No, sorry. No, no. No. That was violent. Yeah.

That's the one I've been attacking this entire time. Okay. Good God. With that it's their turn. And so... And I'm just going to make sure... I can do damage, y'all. Got it.

I just got a hit first. Then I'll wreck piece. It's going to run up here, run up here, run up here, run up here. Run up here. I feel like I should not be in front of line. And... Oh, I forgot to min. and you should probably get out of here, Felix.

I haven't wanted to take any opportunity attacks. I haven't been able to disengage. With that, it is going to get, we're going to get one attack on Herja. Okay. And that is going to hit, so that's going to deal seven points of slashing damage and it slashes you with its long black claws.

Which one is that? Number two. Yeah, number two. And one is going to attack I mean, not Felix. What do you call it? Toa, missing horribly. And then one directly next to is going to see Beatrice is kind of flapping around.

Is going to make an attack on Beatrice. I don't know. I don't know how much he has. That is going to miss as it is. And so, what is it? What's already seeing? I honestly have no idea. Oh.

That was the one thing that we like kind of talked about, but we didn't like camera after. the test. So if it hits, it hits, but it doesn't hit. Okay, it's a 10. So it's slices, it just minutes to fly up a little bit as, I add it to my notes. Okay. That, and then we're going to get one attack on Felix. It's important to know which numbers, because six and nine have Bain. Six, wait, those two? These two have, okay, so that one is going to make an attack on Felix, the one with Bane.

That's going to be quite a lot, but I'll do the Bain. D4? Yeah. It's still going to hit. You kind of see the Mummy Tendip, the Vandot, Tendels trying to constrain it, is going to slice in. D.Lang, oh wow, four points of slashing damage. And... So, slashing.

What was that on? That was on Felix. So... Which one's Felix? The banners. Oh, God. Sorry. Can't do anything about it.

Uh... Another... Not close enough. Yeah. Another one is... Is there a space between Felix and Caprice? No. Okay, so that one's going to attack Caprice?

Number six? Yeah. Okay, that one also has Bain. Okay? And he's just going to fail horrifically, the one with Bain, and he's going to miss horribly. And then finally, one on Iris. Number one.

That is going to also miss. So you may as block it with your blockler. Okay. And then take the damage from this flame sphere? It would be two. and three if they fail there. Two fails. Three succeeds.

That is eight points I rolled. Okay. Nice. Yeah, not bad. Makes up without one. Who failed? Was eight points total, so one of them takes four, one of them takes eight.

We were the two that are in- Number two and three. Two, oh, so three. So two is being singed and three, the flaming sphere is spinning, spinning, spinning, and the flames were to gulf him as It engulfs kind of boil, his eyes kind of pop out and boil as he collapses to the ground dead. Same.

Ooh, da. Yes. Okay. Nice to. Nice, sir. I'll just send, I'll tell Beatrice to go after number six over here. Just to distract or whoever is attacking him, we'll get some extra help. I'm using my bonus action to move the flame sphere over here to hit number eight.

Okay. Is that what that is? Number eight. Right in the back there. Six total points of damage, DC. Got it. Okay. Dex? 14. Dax, that's going to be an 11.

So that's a fail. Number eight takes six points of damage. Nice. And then I'll double at number eight with a fire bolt. Okay. So the flame warbs slammed in and burning as this orb is singeing its skin

with black hair, fire bolt, arcs off into the forest. Come on, feel. It's getting shit together. You're up. Okay, so I want to pull out my quarter stuff, which is flavored as a Brewer's spoon. Okay.

Is that an action or a bunks? No, you can use your attack and basically pull it out as part of your attack. Oh, great. Well, in that case. So move and strike. Yeah, I'm going to move first. So I basically want to try to move between... Caprice.

Caprice. Okay, I was forgetting who's who now. I would say you could move beside them, but I don't need to be able to push them apart. You know what I'm saying? You can move through them, and then you could like... You can move like... Now we're in athletics, Jack. check. I'm pretty quick. I'll just move

around them. Yeah. Okay, so I will move around and pull and pull out my spoon and make a whack attack. So a blue one is like a big wooden like a really long wood. It's like a long yeah it's basically a long staff but the end is like a paddle. Sort of

it's a like what your mom would use to make to a spaghetti. Oh, okay. Oh, I know what you do about the big old spaghetti spoon. So I'll make an attack with Forget about it. That's why you're the bard. Yeah.

Okay, so that is 17. Yes. Mm-hmm. Six. It's 10 damage. To whom? Number one. 10 damage.

So you pull, without your staff, your brewer's food, bring it down hard. You get out a crack as the skull kind of fractures and its eyes kind of roll around, its wild, vicious red eyes and it collapses. Dumb. Is it dead? Yeah, fine.

Is it dead? I think took so much. I'm just unconscious. All right. That's a key in the idea. Okay. With that, it is a Christian. That was really, really well done.

I congratulate you on your effort. Please take inspiration for this purpose. Oh. The last time? Yeah, that's the thing. Mechanically, you have a D6. You can add it to an ability or an attack role or a safety pro.

In any kind of a . I will start singing, I promise. I'm warming up. Um, and, uh, looking at this guy in front of me, uh, you know, you're a lot like your friend here. You're a mess, you're a mess. Nobody ever loved you. Look at your eyes.

They look like the devil's dick. Dissant whispers. But sure stream, everybody. That's gonna like me fail. Oh, it's gonna fail? Oh, it's gonna fail. Hallelujah. All right, uh, it takes 3D6 damage.

Oh, shit. Can I have maybe six for a moment? Three, six. Yeah, three, four, five. Wow. And it must use its reaction, if available, to move its maximum speed away from me. Okay, so what number is that?

That was the one that's underneath the Bellatrix or whatever her name is. Number six. The only one that's undamaged. The only one that's undamaged. So it takes five points of damage. Yeah, and then just fucking hail. This is kind of clutching its head as the whispers obviously are doing its work, and his eyes are wild and frothing, its mouth is frothing,

and it's going to try to run away from you. And it just, just said it in the opposite direction of, it's gonna run off into the woods. All right. What's its speed? It is going to, its speed is 30. Oh, one, two, three, four, five, six. Is that?

7, 8. 7.8? Yeah. Jesus. And that would trigger opportunity attacks, wouldn't it? No. It says to be on their turn.

They have to be in control. Oh, no. Well, they have to use their own movement. They push your opportunity attacks. They can't really like eight control. We'll just say that it's your turn and then we'll come back. Perfect. And, uh, Hershey, you're up.

Uh, full attack against that guy in front of me. Okay. Yay, that hits. So they'll have to use in that inspiration just yet. I know, I still have it. That's going to be a 23. 20 minutes? I'm going to use a first level divine Smitarino

to do another 2D8 radiant damage to it. So that's 3D8 damage total. So it's going to take nine bludgeoning. To whom? To the one in front of me I can't see. That six? Two.

Two. Okay. And then it's going to take 15 points of radiant damage. points of radiant damage. Okay, so... Is it a fiend or undead? It is neither. Okay. So the the flail glows of this molten orange almost as it's coming out of the forge. The power of Moradin is it glows and it smashes down. The bludgeoning may cause its bones to crack as the radiant magic causes its flesh to sin and its head spins around once again and it

tumbles to the ground. Go! Totally, you're up. Put that bitch over. Can I move? Can I move up to the next one? 15. I want to move up to the next one. Yeah, that's fine.

That's fine. Yeah, just be diagonally. Can you stand in the space of the last dead person? Yeah, just a typical terrain. And I will just end my turn there. Is this your actual mini? It's one that. Andrew has five.

Yeah, it's not like the actual. I'm going to go up here. Okay. Dwarf. And I will attack number five. Okay. I should knock that over. I can move it.

No, no, you're not. You don't have two. Oh, I'm an idiot. Six. Seven, seven, nine. Three. Hadwell. Two.

To. Tyler. I hate my life. What's the damage. This is why wizards are tough. Obviously, but it's going to take some talk. Your moles swings across catching in the back. You're allowed crack and it stumbles forward.

It's looking very weak. Okay. Iris, you're up. I am going to use my spiritual weapon to attack number eight again. Okay. 17 plus stuff. Seven. Seven points of damage to number what?

Number eight. Oh shit, barely. So the spiritual weapon smashes into it, the critical weapon smashes into it, the crook and flail together acting as one. And it's, you hear a lot of crack as the neck snaps and it collapses to the ground, done. Anubis has deemed it you all time. And then I'm going to Toll Dead on number five.

Alright, okay, get it. And not do anything. Okay. Oh, I got a roll, right? Roll the dead. Oh, yeah, not me. It's a wisdom saving throw. That is going to succeed, though. So you hear the kind of distant gong, but it seemed as if the beast is stealing it.

against that. So with that it is who's turn? Monsters. One's monsters. Who's alive? Or dude. You've got two dudes here. No, eight dead. Oh, he died? Yeah, just killed eight. All right. Five is over here in the middle of some five. Five is the only one alive. So it's just five. Six. Six is running for a life. So he's going to sprint back towards Toa. Towards Toa. Towards Toa, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then one is going to, that was the one that was the one that was the one. that was on, I'll just have to attack

the attack so it's going to attack. So it's the only five. Six is going to attack and it's going to hit Herja. That is going to

deal nine points of slashing damage. Five is the one next to Horsja. And then, yeah, five. And then Choa

is going to make a butt attack against you that is going to hit as well. Six has Bain. Six has Bane. So five attacks me?

That is going to be Bain. Five attacked Hersia, six is attacking you. Bain. Five was disadvantaged.

19 plus five it's still going to hit with Bain. Five with disadvantage. Sorry. On her job. That is going to miss then. So it's going to miss her job.

On Toa, though, you're going to get hit for five points of damage. He's so mad at us. He's going to throw a fucking dragon out. Okay, so they, so both, I can't read that number, six and five ended within the sphere. Okay. Nine damage. Nine damage.

Both fail. Both fail. So five and six. Five and six. Yep. Five gets completely incinerated as he falls to the ground dead, and six is very singed. Then I'm going to use, I'm going to just cast ice knife.

Okay. At level one on the remaining number six. So this is a roll. Oh, no, it's an attack save of Dex 14. Oh. I create a chart of ice and flinging at one creature with the range. Yeah, he would take minus one D. On a hit.

Oh, it's on a hit. Oh, that's a few. So he failed. Okay, so it hit. So it's 1D10 piercing damage. Okay. And then the target, oh, and then the target in each creature with the 5 feet must succeed on dexterity saving throw. There's nobody else around, so. Except for Tera.

Right, which is... Nine. Nine points of damage? Nice. Nice. Ice knife. Ice knife. How do this?

Oh, baby. I want to just aim for ice knife straight between the eyes, just knock them back and send them down. That's it. Just right between the eyes. So, as is for all, it's so focused on Toa after managing to bash him with his horns, the Ice Knight, it kind of rears head, and as soon as it holds his head back up, the Ice Knife slices through directly between the eyes, sinking in, and explodes his head rupturing as ice shards erupt out Toa. Please make whatever check you need to make.

It is... Is it Dix chick? I'm a vintage stone lives. What kind of check? Yes, dexterity saving throw. Dix Dixenny's saving throw. A Dix saving throw? I don't know if you want to be checking those dicks, I'll tell you.

You don't kick Dix? I'll check Dix all the time. I'm in vintage, uh, ooh, so bad, uh, 11. All right, so you fail and take TG6 cold damage. I'm sorry! Are you can't any other spell sculpt for that? No, it's Contoration. That last is seven points.

Seven points. Are you trying to go to a toe up? But then the... And then I run over to him and I'm like, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's all right, you're checking dicks. I'm pretty good at Dix Chit. And so the quiet returns to the town,

or rather to the path here, and all of the bea-hul humanoids collapsed. I whip around and I checked to see what's up with our dude. Okay. Before he goes that, Maybe Shatose is all. I am going to put my arms out and I'm going to say, Lord Anubis, God of judgment, thank you for seeing

safely through this attack. Present my allies with your radiance, and I'm going to cast prayer healing whenever. Okay. So you're running over as- It's 2D8 plus my spellcasting mod. So you feel this kind of golden light, bask.

You bask in this light as your wounds start to feel up. As Caprice, you're running over to the guy who as soon as he was free and had all of you guys in between him and the beast, he kind of stumbled to the ground again and was clutching his head and his eyes are wide and just kind of muttering to himself.

Hey, dude, how are you feeling? Are you all right? What's going on back there? Where are you from? My name is Caprice. You may have heard me. You may not have, but are you heard? Do you need D.D. You need healing? What's going up? He looks and- He just healed 16 points, so I would hope.

Oh, yeah. What's the range on that? It is 30 feet. 30 feet. So, yeah, I would say, yeah, 30 feet. So he is healed up, and so you see that he's wounded, but he is not even kind of focusing on that. Make a medicine check on them. That's a, is that a ritual?

Um, no. No. Thirteen. Just the cast time. Thirteen? Thirteen. The cast time is instantaneous. You...

No. Oh, so duration, it's cast time is 10 minutes. You get his... Okay, so he's... So if he's running away. So, no, he's standing right there. So basically, she's channeling this, and he still has this wound then. And so he's looking and he says, he doesn't even see to notice kind of the blood that's oozing out of his wound. And he's kind of clutching his head, and he's looking around.

He says, They altered. Were these your friends? What's going on? They were villagers that came from forest. Am I able to hear him? I was making sure that Toa was okay. Make a certain check, you're pretty far up there. He's whispering this.

I'm still coming on the ground. Ooh, not very good. Um, nine? No. Okay. Did you see, did you see what made them go all crazy like that? Were they always this way and... No, they weren't this way. No, no, they were, they were just normal.

Tonight, they... all of a sudden they were mad and then the bees came from the fort. I think they're still there. I think there's still villages in there. Um, if I checked Toa, are you all right? I think I'm fine. I'll be alright. I think she's doing something that'll make me feel cord to be bitter. We should go talk to, I'm going to talk to that guy, right?

So I'll make my way over and just look at you guys. And I'm still just standing there chanting. I'm going to follow. Simultaneously, I'm going to run up to Iris and like, oh, Shiza, and then kiss her face. Are you okay? I'm okay. Are you all okay? I'm taking it as I'm. I'm just chanting trying to pretend that she's not doing this to me.

I look at Caprice and Hersia and I say, what's, what, what is he said? I'm not with him, I'm sorry. Caprice, what did he say? Oh, well, my good friend here, he's apparently from a nearby town or village. I didn't quite get all the information, but, but he did say that these guys, they turned, they sort of came out of nowhere. That's basically as far as we've gotten so far. Where did you say you're from?

I'm from Miss Crow's crossing Miss Crow's crossing And he points at the sign That's that's standing At this crossing of This fork in the road And you said that they turned Yeah, what do you mean they turned

They weren't always They would always like that They turned and the beast The beast came out of the forest And they're doing horrible things there now I ran. How long? How long is this going on?

It just happened. And I ran. I should have stayed to help the children, the children. Do you think that they could still be people in danger currently? No, no. If there were children, they're... No, they're still in there. I just ran because I'm a coward.

I apologize. What kind of beast? A beast. They look like goats and bulls. and bulls, they came from the forest, they came from the woods as soon as, as soon as these, my friends, turned to those. So there were different beasts than these beasts. Yes, they looked far worse than those. So there are more beasts and they're nearby, and they're children in danger?

He points down the road towards the fourth or the direction you're not heading, but deeper off to the right. up to the right. We should go kill some beasts. Wait, wait. Tell what, we discussed this. This is, I've seen this before, but this, but this, but it's different. If there were children in that village, they're probably already gone. Do we, were the other people, was there any kind of defense? Is there any way that anyone would still be alive? Before I saw them hiding and running, I don't know.

It's just, I'm saying, if it's a whole village, there might still be a chance. Okay, stop. Can I look through the bodies and see if you, they're like what what is what is it that they turned into have I seen this before do they have any markings make an investigation and your inspiration last 10 minutes nine nine you you poke around and you kind of dig around their bodies and you you they seem to be what you would have guessed would have just been normal human folk and the only thing that's different at least from what

you can tell on their bodies is, is there's a, there's this thick coarse black hair all over them, even the women that were, that were viciously attacking. As you, as you pry open the eyes, they're still horrifically bloodshot and there's kind of this wildness to them, even, even dead and life having been extinguished. And there's a, there, and the only beyond that is just those two black horns, but it's hard to be on those markings as they seem as if there's no kind of like bites or anything else. The wounds that you've all inflicted upon them is really the only external. All right. I think we have to go check out that village, but there's a lot to unpack here. I have reason to believe that the people who are after me are behind this. This is bad. This is

much worse than I had imagined. We haven't encountered anything that was real like this. It was an illusion up until now. This seems very real. You feel like you know a lot about what's going on here. You've seen these things before? It's... All right.

Let's clear the area. Let's get safe. I haven't had a chance to rest. It's late. I don't even know what time it is, how dark it's been. But... Has it been 10 minutes? Did you say I'm done casting? Oh, I would say at this point. something triggers and you feel kind of this.

And it's kind of glowing, golden and turquoise light rains over you and you feel your wounds heal up. And then you kind of see down at the random stranger, and it seems to close up. He seems to pay no mind, though. He is kind of rocking, holding his head back and forth. Let's try to secure an area and maybe I can attempt to explain. I don't know much.

I am not staying with this guy if he's behind this. We have to go. No, I'm actually quite intrigued. He's crazy. This isn't my fault. I'm trying to stop it. I don't believe him. It sounds like he dreamed up.

These crazy goats and they came out in the woods and got us. I'm closing all their eyes and saying a prayer to murder and for each one. And trying to move the bodies off the road. You didn't create these things? Did you? God, God's no. I don't believe him. But you think that these are the people that are after you?

I do. Why? We've definitely got to go. Am I healed? You killed 16. I just turn. I just turn. No, to,

wait! I got to go back to the camp. I got to go grab my viol and someone's got to put that fire out. The fire is, it fires out. I mean, fire safety is really important. The fire was out. I put the fire out before we took off.

You did the time to put the fire out? I spell. I still got to go back for my viol. That's fine. We need to secure the area. We need to pick up our things. And we need to make sure that we're okay. Give me a chance to explain.

Can we reconvene in five minutes? Yeah, someone was to say... You're running to take care of our friend. When he's your trying to stop, man, we'll turn. I shouted after him. We'll go check the village, but please let me... People in danger. It may be already too late.

Let's just secure our things and we'll talk. The Lord upon the mountain ushers those into death when it's their time. So if they are already dead, then it was his will. What? I'm already walking back. I'm starting to follow him quietly. I'm just going to wait until we reach him. Okay, me too. Churching the area, keeping my eyes open.

Persia, you managed to kind of drag all the bodies over and kind of put them in a line a little off the road in the kind of in the brush by the forest just to get them out of the way, and you say a prayer to Moradin, and Caprice goes back and fetches his viol, and manages to kind of clean up the rest of of camp. You've cleaned up camp, you packed up everything, everything that you had left and ready to go, the guy that you had saved.

Was I the only person who returned to camp and grabbed everything? So I'm grabbing everybody's thing? Did, uh, I took myself? Hersia, herzia went. Oh, thank you. I need some help. I appreciate it. I'll give you more packs that I carry myself. I take it. So, you all arrive back, the body is all kind of laid out and the guy is still kind of of clutching his head just just just just just for just horrified mortified uh still kind of muttering to himself like i apologize i'm so sorry huh has anyone know what this guy's name is yet

no i haven't bothered to ask him hey what's what's what's your name pal friend champ what's what what what i'm trying to get to know you i'm trying to understand where you're coming from i'm i'm amen i'm amen amen yes i ran i'm I'm sorry. Nice to meet you, Amin and I ran. My name's Capricio de Sessio. You can also call me Caprice. You may or may not have heard of me.

He's saying you in your mind at this point. Okay. Should we go into town? Do you think that there's still danger there? Do you think there are still people alive there? Yeah, probably, I don't know. What are you going to do with yourself? I read.

What are you going to do with yourself? I'm going to run. I'm going to keep going. I want to go back. You don't think you can take it. to Miss Crow's crossing? You don't think you could take us that. You're trying to hell that route.

It's not far. Well, why do you come with us? Come on, can we just go? Look, he's terrified. Just let him go. Like, I healed him. Anubis has obviously not dinged it's his time. Let him escape.

I mean, you're free to escape if you want to go, but you could also come with us. You just saw us and turn these guys into mincemeat. Look, I don't want him to keep healing him because he's like crying and shaking during combat. You know, as his friend, you might be able to distinction. What, cry harder?

No, it's a terrible idea. Let him go. Goodbye. It was nice meeting you. It's up to you. Don't listen to this cat, all right? I'm not a cat. Where do you plan on going?

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Is anyone alive in the village? We're going to go find out, and we can come back here and meet you if you want. What are you going to do, and then I can help you figure out? Just please try to say anyone else. Okay. Well.

Should we want to stay? Yeah, so... Absolutely not. We cannot split up at this point. We must stick together. Where are you going? We do have to go to this town to check for survivors. I can't in good faith not know.

There's a very low chance that anyone survive, but we have to find out. I need more information. I take out a javelin for my pack and I give it to him. Yeah. And I say, okay, so I need you to... You're going to be okay. Now you put like a firm arm on his shoulder.

We're going to go find your friends. We'll come back if you want. Meet you here. Maybe you can hide in the bushes, in the woods, be safe. Don't start any fires. Don't, you know, don't attract too much attention. We can back and let you know what we see. And then maybe if it's not safe for you to go back, we come and get you.

How about that? Grabbing in, naughty, those. Okay. It's gonna be all right, Eamon. I'm here, Ja, and this is my party. Do y'all can introduce yourselves? Do you guys hear it? We were a party now.

Yeah, I don't know if I'd call it a party. But I'm not hurt. Yeah, this kind of sucks. So, I'm gonna talk to talk. That's not okay? Toa, just wait for you as well. Yeah, now that was a party. Well, I just guide him towards, like, the woods to the side

where it looks a little bit more covered and try to find him a nice, area that looks a little safer than the rest away from the bodies. Hopefully if I'm saying... He takes it and he's in, please save him. Please, they're still alive.

I'm sure someone has to still be alive. I know that the bodies have already been examined, but very specifically I want to look at the bodies of the dead red-eyed creature men and see if I think they're going to return to life and if they need to be burned in any way before then.

Make an archana check. Yeah, that's the one. I'll see him do that and kind of like nudge one with my toe. 15. 15. There's nothing that makes you think that they would, but it's hard to tell. Be careful. These guys look like they're not coming back to life.

Let's go on down to Cross Cossackson. I, we can walk and talk, I guess. Is everyone ready to go? Do you want to go there? Oh, yes. I'd love to see this. Why? Which is why?

It sounds gross. There's nothing gross about death. Death is natural. You heard the man walking for, walking for, right? So, you're all continued down. All right, now this... Earlier I asked you all to just do one thing, and that's don't tell anyone that you saw me or what my name is. Your name's Steve, I know.

I remember that very specifically. I still plan on telling anybody you ask me that your name is Felix. This is serious. I know, and I'm serious about it. The Corvacian military is looking for me. All right? I'm AWOL. I left. I'm ex-military.

No, your name is Felix. I'm gone. All right. There's this disease, something, that's been spreading across Corvacia, and we were in charge of controlling it. They call it beast plague. You were in the Corvacian military?

I was, yes. You don't look like someone who's been in a little, you know, she's goodish. Also, what's going on with your boyfriend? It's a familiar, I'm a wizard. It's a companion, it protects me. She, her name is Beatrice. I mean, I don't, what do you, a familiar? How familiar do you get?

It's a very, it's a, just a, it's a magical being, conjured, if you will. She can't. It's a magical pet. She's more than a pitch. She's the person almost. She's a member of our team. Correct. She's just like one of us.

She can fly around. She's very sweet. Felix can look through her eyes and scared around. It's very useful. Why don't you do that right now and look at the dog of the cat? We can. I need to explain first. I can do that, but I'm vulnerable

when I do. It's why I've got tea here he looks out for me but listen this this beast play all right just to hold up that you would know that you weren't responsible for spreading a hundred percent they already asked me I said I'm not responsible for this I I did not do this I we were we were responsible for controlling it we were trying to keep it in check but one thing led to another and I discovered that it wasn't real this is it was all an illusion the all of these people who had been rounded up and it wasn't real.

It seems to me as though the military had been doing something to... I don't know why they would need to lie about this, but I saw superiors, my commanding officers, essentially holding someone captive and it was an illusion. But what we just saw was real. You have to understand that none of this makes any sense to me now. I was on the run. I wanted to get to the bottom of why the military

would need to fake something so horrible as this plague. But now I'm encountering that this is potentially real. I don't know what to believe anymore. All I know is that at this point, you all know who I am, and if they find us, they'll kill us all. Well, they can try. Let me ask you this.

You left the military, Were they like, great See ya, see ya Bye No, I tried to escape and get as Far of a head start as I could But they knew they knew that I was running They're looking for me

But you're a deserterter of what you're saying Yes, unfortunately I didn't have a choice You don't understand No no no if the military in Koravaki It's great and beast like that I'm totally with you, I believe too My entire life up to this point is

Essentially a lie They have my brother they've they've they've they've they've rolled into to these villages absolutely slaughtered anyone who they thought had beast plague and they've been taking the children jeez that's why any of these children that this this poor that that poor deranged fellow mentioned they're gone the kina gone and i don't i don't know what they're doing with them and they have my brother he could be dead i don't know but i have to get to the bottom of this and and all i know is that they're If they get their hands on me, they're going to kill me. I know too much.

And now, unfortunately, all of you do too. Dude, does everyone in the Korobaki military know this? I mean, the people of the customs were just like, yeah, no, come on in. I don't think the average person is aware. I was a part of a special group of people in charge of controlling this plague, and I know that this goes up, high up. I don't know. but all I know is that this is way bigger than just me

and all I want to do is get to the bot, get some closure and find my brother. Were you guys heading to Kirstein to investigate this place? To find more information, I told Toa as much as I could that I felt was safe, but now it's out there now. Leeds, it's the first stop on many. I'm trying to get as much information as I can without them knowing where I am. It's not like ground zero, though, right? Not to my knowledge, no.

But, I mean, this is widespread, but you have to understand that I've been approaching this from a thing that doesn't actually exist until now. Now I don't know what to do. I have a small polishing rag in my hand. And how do you catch this blade? Again, until now, it was all an illusion. I don't know.

That's why I'm saying we need to be careful with these bodies. How do you know that it was an illusion? I have the ability to potentially detect certain types of magic. They had a captured specimen. I saw this. The specimen was in a cage. We don't do that. We eliminate them.

I thought it was odd, and I did some thing and discovered that it was all just an illusion. Which led me to believe that up until this point, all of this wanton slaughter has been just that. We've been killing innocence. And I don't know why. So I left. It was a horrible. domination. What did we come across Capricci on the way here? Wasn't it like a

bandit group of undead? You know it sounded a lot similar to this. They weren't as ravenous, you know, they were a little stiffer I would say, but very, very, very similar. Can I remember more specifically what kind of, you know that the creatures that attacked you were like plants. They weren't, oh, I thought they were undoneous, sorry. They were, they were plant, They were plant creatures that seemed to have been affected by some sort of blight or affliction of some. I remember now. Exactly right. Yeah.

What he said. What I said through him. Well, he still thought they weren't undead. They were just a bunch of scary plants trying to pull us down. I mean, they were affected with something. I don't know if that's the same thing that's affecting these people maybe. It seems like that thing kind of, yeah, blind life. The military referred to this as beast plague.

I don't know what kind of connection there may or may not be. Maybe they said yeast and you just didn't... That, I... No, I... I've been doing with this for a while. It was definitely... Beast. With the B... Bravo.

Why do they keep your brother? Oh, we're going to change. I don't know. How old is your brother? Oh, shit. Give me a second. Is your brother a kid? He's younger than I am.

He's six years younger? Nine years younger? He's 13. So we said, oh, so he's almost 12 years, 13. He's significantly younger than I. Do you think he was taken because he's a child, and you said children have gone missing? Or like, how young are these kids that are being taken?

They're all between a certain age frame, but yes, once the beast plague had been deemed to be eliminated, the military was rounding up the children. Okay, so it sounds like they're not taking people. I mean, I assumed it was to make sure they were safe for anoculation or something like that. How could I have known that this was all fake? Caprici, dad wasn't taken by these people. It's Caprice.

Please. It's so caprice. It's not even like a little bit caprici. Okay, I'm sorry, but for real. Sounds like Dad was not taken by these people because he's not a kid. Listen, I'm working off of imperfect knowledge. I don't have all of the information. I can only tell you what I saw.

I haven't particularly seen them round up. Most of the adults were slaughtered, it wasn't. But this guy mentioned that there were actual beasts like cow and goat beasts. Well, until now... Have you heard of anything like that? Was there any connection that previous sort of business? I'm not sure. The point is we need to scour the village for potential survivors

and maybe even clues, but I'm worried it's going to be nothing but carnage when we get there. Luffy, darling, do you think father would be impressed if I help with this? No, I think he'd be impressed if you scurring it off, safe as can be to Kirstein. Well, the great thing about you saying that is that I don't think you're right to have anything, so I think he would be impressed. Yeah, I think you should go. Yeah, yeah. I need to time out for a second.

That was a misstep. Because this dynamic that you guys had to be is just fucking happening. I just don't see that. Yeah, like a round of applause for this incredible dynamic that's going on. Are you guys watching the entire party? I don't know if you're going to keep in mind anybody who's watching, the groups, the two of us, the two of them and the two of them, we don't know anything about each other as our... We have been completely tight-lid, secretive about everything. So this is the first we've all seen each other do this and I'm blown away by the two of them.

That's all I'm saying. It's like, yeah, it's top watch. So yes, I'm all for it, so I think it's great to have to let us go. So. Oh, Lufty, my father paid you to come with us. Let's go. We're already on our way, Dave. Yes.

We're walking to the, we're walking to the, Well, while we were- Mrs. Crows. Wait, is it Mist Crow? Missed Crow. Missed, Mrs. Crows. Mist. Oh, no.

Like a misty. Like a Missed. Not Mrs. Crow. No, not like an unmarried growth process. It's just missed. Is it been? Like a Missy.

It was a crossing of a mist crow. Got it. Okay. So a misting... Like, you missed the bus? Like, calling, you're made. I think we should... I should scour this potential village for clues and then we can head to Kirsteim. But I can't leave any kind of stone unturned.

And if the men that are looking for you are there, we could break the necks and then we could be done. We will have to. Then let's go. Let's hurry. Can we just like start to sprint? Does someone who seems to be so kind? You really like breaking people's neck.

Yeah, you're really up with a break in a neck. We plan things. We plan about snapping necks. We haven't had to really do it too much yet. But I'm fine killing big people. Have you ever snapped a neck? I'm not sure I've snipped a neck before. Probably when I hit them with my big Hammem totem mace thing.

Sure. I slap a bit out of back and I say, this definitely snap a lot of necks. Well, we could go back up and you could practice. I mean, it's basically like they're dead, but the cartilage is all there. No, we're not. We're not going to do that. Just keep on moving. That's gross.

We also don't know how this thing, if it is real, spreads. You're going to spread the plague. Oh, yeah, don't touch them. Don't touch them. It's fucking dumb. So, wait a minute. So we don't know how it spreads, and you just armed the man

that could potentially be caring and is going to turn into like a crazy goat man and come running at us with a javelin? That's a good point. Well, yeah, I don't want to leave him by himself. He looked completely terrified. But he could turn. I think once he calms down,

he can give us some more information. He does. So why don't you go back to us and snap Amon's next? We might turn. I don't know. I don't think that's a good idea. So many of us were attacked, are we saying that because he was scratched a little bit, that he's going to turn into this beast?

I mean, a lot of us were scratched. No one ever touched me because for some reason... I felt bad at bad hitting him and he might calm down and give us more information when we come back to get him. I mean, if he turns, you guys can kill him if you want and give me my javelin back, but... What if I turn? I think it down a javelin there. Oh, that would be lovely, because then we could kill you. And I could have my life back.

It's pretty brutal. Well, that's pretty mean. But honest. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you do have redeeming qualities. You're all so honest. That's not working.

Yes, yes, I do. Can we continue? I don't look at and fur. I don't. You do. I don't. I've never worn it outside of my own. That's what they mean.

Well, yes. I'm so glad you noticed. I preened this morning. How much farther is this crowscrossing? I'm gonna like 50 minutes. I just start like picking up the piece. I just start like running. So I imagine you're being a little bit cautious.

I'm just told us. So could I please get a reception chat from all of you? Group reception check. Group reception. Ugh. Nothing downstairs because it smells really good. I don't know. Dagney.

No. No. I know. I got hurt with a little chef hat. Oh my God. Jesus, my. Dagney is doing the cooking not being cooked. I got a 17.

Drop my pencil. Like, 13. What is it? 15. I thought they take a master class. 11. 14.

18. Okay. So as you walk, you start to see through the woods The path is turning off, curving off to your right, and you start to hear crackling of fire as you see glowing through the trees ahead. The darkness is kind of being illuminated through the forest as the path is still curving, so it's hard for you to get a look.

But you see that there are things burning deeper into the forest as the smell of smoke hits your nostrils. be aware for any potential military members don't engage in less necessary okay what is your what is your false identity then so we should all agree on a name obviously are we going to say Steve and your Thomas

is that we're going to go with they're not looking for me I don't think they know who I am well they might they might see they might know if they've been tracking them literally anything other than my name I don't care what you called me oh they're not going to believe us if each of us start saying something else oh yes

his name is Barbara Let's call him Steve Stevenson. What about Steve? What about Steve Stevens? It's a little shorter. Steve Stevens, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but I suppose that's fine. You know what? How about this?

If they ask me who you are, I will direct them to you. And then you can answer their questions for them because, you know, I'm not really that great at lying, so I think we should go. Just don't, we don't talk to anyone needlessly. Let's just stay low. Let's take a look around and we'll get the hell out of here. Onwards we go.

You continue onwards. You curve around the glowing embers. You start to see, although the night is dark, the tree cover and the same familiar gloom, makes it difficult to see kind of any moonlight, and the moon is on its waning. It's almost a new moon. It's not quite, not a whole lot of light, but as you get closer, the sky starts to glow with the glow of the glow of the fire. light and you start to see smoke that you would smell, now you can start to see billowing up above the trees. As you walk, you curve around and you finally see the main drag of the street into a town.

You see buildings that dot this town covered, or a light and flame. A lot of it, some structures torn down, you see I imagine that you pause as soon as you be able to see this and you see the occasional body litter the street but for this kind of devastation it's not quite as much blood bloodshed on the on the on the streets as you might expect for a town and you realize is you know it's a small but enough of a population that seems to be eerily quiet draft of movement so I'm gonna do something a little different that I've done.

Oh, different. We're all the being half. No. I don't like change. So I have a map of the town. Got it. The forest starts to dissipate and clearing. As a town emerges, the main,

let me just kind of pull this back a little bit just to make sure. So you emerge, you're here coming along, you're about a little back here. And I apologize for the blood stain on my nail. It's gross. I don't know. Yeah, I thought you did that on purpose.

Like a blood blister? No, I smashed my finger in a door. And that'll be there for you here. So, why would you do that? You know, I just thought it was a real dumb move, Mike. It was the front door, too. So it wasn't even like a door he was on familiar. So let's use this just to kind of represent where we are, maybe, just like little grico.

Use a little grico. So we're coming into this town. There's like a house here, a house there, a house there. So you see that these, this not of houses, however many it is, you see that these seem to be farmhouses, you know, were kind of modest little cottages. All of them are burning to some degree. They're not, like, it's not a massive inferno, but there are burning. Some of the walls have been knocked down. Some, it's shocking that for, you know, how quickly this, the Amen, rather, had said

that it all happened for these, the sheer strength to burst some of the, you know, how quickly this, the, to these walls and structures seem to have been a lot. You see pens on some of them as if where you would keep livestock. All of them are empty. All of them are empty. Any sign of like corpses in the pens? You're just kind of seeing right ahead.

And so like the pens right ahead, you're able to kind of get a good look. And I'm using the same perception roll as kind of for what you guys all just roll. And I'd say you be able to see that. And you're able to see the street. You see like a one or two corpses in the road, but it seems eerily quiet. I want to head to the front of the group and use my divine sense,

excuse me, 60 feet of things that are not behind total cover to see if I can find any celestial fiends are undead within the area. What's the range on that? 60 feet. You do not, you channel the power of Moradin as the Dwarman God kind of gives you the power to sense these strange creatures and you get a sense. Something gets a blip on your radar. Where at? There is a blip directly next to you.

Right on Felix. Is that Beatrice? Yes. That I'm feeling. It's exciting. You notice the sense that there's a small, you're getting the sense of a little bluebird on your shoulder. It's the truth, it's actual, everything is not as satisfactory as you prefer.

You're okay. Let's keep going. So I get this for six seconds. So as long as six seconds are up, I just want to get it. The only thing that triggers is. Be a Bafist. What do we smell on like this? the smoke? Is it like standard like wood and stuff burning or do we smell like flesh?

You start to smell why don't you make, give me a perception check. It's like you would smell the individual. It does smoke. 15? It smells like that me cooking downstairs. You smell and you know you see in combat and it doesn't sound, doesn't smell fleshing. It seems like a lot of this is just the burning of structure of wood and and mostly wood. These road structures seem to be primarily made of wood logs probably from the same forest that from the clockwood that you're in. And does not seem to be super like a mass burning corpses.

What about like tracks on the path that we're walking? Is there like a mad dash out of town or like any kind of tracks that would show people moving around trying to get away from this? I bet you give me a survival track. Yeah, dog. So can you show me, are you this moving in the town and you kind of staying? No, I think we should keep walking. I would immediately, like, if I see corpses in the road, I would, like, run up to them and, like, make sure that they're alive.

I think as a group, we're definitely moving through. Yeah. Even if he's running ahead of it. 13. I would kind of like hustle just to kind of see, like, if they're alive, see what killed them. Okay. So you go up. Lufty, you're looking for tracks as Tawa.

You go up to the first corpse. I need an investigation check from you. As Toa is investigating this body, you look down in the tracks, you're seeing that there is a high concentration of what seemed to be foot of boot prints or shoe prints of humans. You kind of get the sense of the ruckus that chased Aeman and all of the boots. But you notice that there is,

there are human footprints, but you also notice something, it's not that difficult to see. Hoof prints. And some of these hoof prints seem to be far larger than any standard stock animal that you've encountered. I'll tell you what, those aren't ox prints. Yeah You'll look like you know an axe No, I know my axes Would I have seen any of these prints in previous

Excursions Make an Just make a history check We'll say it's a history check I've got a 12 I'm an investigation I got a 12 As Felix thinks

You do not recognize anything From your experiences In investigating the beach Blake as as as as as you've told the party. Toa you are you investigate to the bodies one is a young woman and you see that there's one not too far it seems to be an older older man and they have each of them have have have a a few more wounds that are probably necessary to do the trick. And you get the sense that there are slashes from these thick black claws.

And you do, however, notice that each of them have the wound. You're not sure a wind delivered, but from an enormous, like, gash as if it was delivered by some sort of huge. weapon. Are there any weapons on the ground that I can see? No, I think that'd be pretty obvious. Okay. There's no weapons, right? Well, these two are dead. Well, let's keep going. Let's try

to find some kind of survivors. Should we just yell and say, hello, for your life? Probably not in case there are military ties. Yeah, I don't want to draw attention to us if we can avoid it. I've had their to sneak around. Do the homes look like residences, or do they start returning to shops over time?

for the most part these seem to be residences you do see like a shop but it seems to be a shop that was like a residence was part of it these are people that basically lived where they weren't sure sure okay I want to zigzag between the homes if it doesn't look like it's completely engulfed in flame just to see if I can find any survivors inside that have or trying to escape why don't you just make a quick investigation check and is anyone going to assist her well I think we would probably all just sort of like kind of slowly so that we're not living a ton of noise, but still checking for survivors.

So make it an advantage. We'll just say, yeah, all of you stealth, just make an advantage as an investigation. 11 for investigation, and then you want stealth? Yeah. 15. 16. 17. 6. 10.

14. You find fortunately no survivors. You listen out. It seems you poke your head in, and there do not seem to be any corpses. Just burning. Just burning wood, some walls knocked out

almost as if by, just knocked down by some kind of brute force. I would like to inspect the bodies to see if it looks like any of the blows were delivered after death. Yeah, I'll say, because you're a great cleric, that you can make an investigation with advantage. A medicine check.

Why don't we do the medicine check? 23. 23. I will say that it seems as if the it seems as if the massive gashes from the weapon were delivered after death. Does it look like looking at it, does it look like, oh, they died and then it was delivered or does it look like it was delivered a while after death? These C-Bings are fresh bodies, whether it was like wanton, just kind of just savage,

just for the sake of the brutality of it, you can't be sure. But it seemed as if these bodies were torn apart by claws and gore marks of horns of various sizes. Was there just one slash in each body? One massive, yeah, massive gash in each one. Can we get an idea of, like, how many people would have been in this town? From the number of houses that you can see, you would probably get the sense that it was probably virgin. on around at least 100, but it's hard to tell. It's kind of a hotel, but like, given the density of the houses, making the intelligence

check. Basically, I'm trying to, like, look at, like, the group we saw plus dead body, as plus what we think. It doesn't look like the entire town was out there with you. What did you tell me to do? Intelligence? Yeah. Felix.

Oh, I'm sorry. Steve. Yeah. Probably, like, from your guess, but it's hard for you to tell at this point. Could you can look at this body? Sure. All of these, um, all of these slashes. and things were done when it was alive.

This large one in the body seems to have been done after death. Does it look like something that would have been done by a military weapon? When we discussed, we didn't actually talk about the way the military culled. We didn't discuss

that. I checked my notes. It was all done from our age. So, I can still all in spells. Why don't you make an investigation check with advantage, given your knowledge? Pretty good. 23.

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. This is far larger than any kind of standard sanctioned sword or any kind of blade. This is not, this isn't Kovacian, not military.

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this. Do you think that the growling and the howling that we were hearing from that beast animal the last two days that this could be it that came through here? My concern is that there's more than just that. looking at this, now I could be wrong and you're strange,

oh, everything was terrifying, let's jump into the bushes. Attitude might be affecting me a little bit and lack asleep. However, my concern is this, that this animal that you've been hearing tore up these people and something smashed them in the chest to prevent them from turning into that handle, since we did not smash that guy in the chest, but instead gave him a javelin, that he will be running into town soon as one of those animals with a javelin in hand. I'm probably wrong. Well, it's just one of them, not he, but at least we took care of the other ones.

It's possible, I don't know. I just find it very strange that they have this massive mark here. You're right. And it was done after they had done. It was almost as if it was intentional. Yeah. Or it could have just been some very large, like Oga, or... What are large things, Luffy?

He's pretty to be. No, I'm talking about him. Right. Well, anyway, something like his size is like smashing it just for fun. It could be. Yeah. Sometimes you naggy, it's not. mad, they smash things.

Yeah. Are you as small as she is? Back to back, both of you. I want to see who's smaller. You find you're about the same height. About the same, yeah. You're about the same, you find that the dwarf... I'm really like petite.

Yeah, yeah, are about the height. The interesting thing about that is I'm doing a study currently to find out if height is relative to how obnoxious you are. And currently, my studies are finding that's true. Thank you all for looking at this. Okay, well, sorry I'm obnoxious, but I don't think that needs to be said right now with all these dead people around. I think that's pretty rude. So maybe we should keep going and see if we can find shit by-mer.

No, you should just tell me I was rude. I didn't hear, you know, I got some mud in my ear when we was fighting, and it's like, I must have too, because I could have sworn that's what she'd said. Yeah, probably this is a mud. I don't think that's true. Can we please press up? Sure. Would you like to do it if everybody's dead? We need to keep looking.

There's just... Keep looking, there's still a whole lot of town. Do you need to find anything, anything that could be a potential... Yeah, I want to keep pressing forward. If this town is totally empty, then we can just make our bed to you tonight. It's kind of what I was thinking, actually. Exactly right. Where were you planning on making bed when everything's on fire?

You're not that house. Well, if he has the ability to put down fire so quickly, we can just... Oh, yeah. I'm gonna need a margin order. I'm... I'm gonna be in the front. I'm gonna be at the very back. You want to stay in front of me?

I'll be right behind you, I promise. I'll stay in the wrong. I won't hit you with any ice this time. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. She fixed me right up. I'm warm enough. I need to do the full perception checks, please. Who? Tank.

Both. Tanks. Tanks. Nats. So two. Eleven plus, let's see what my perception is. 15. 15.

15, okay. Okay, so you press onward. Sure. You see more and more buildings As you see that the road starts to split I need to see what you're doing that you see You get to a split in the road As you see that one veers north

And the other veers straight ahead And you kind of get the sense from out ahead that the one ahead goes into a graveyard of some variety. And Toa, Urgesa, you don't hear this, but Toa, you hear kind of very faintly the gnashing and stomping around up in the, in the direction of what sounds like of the graveyard. Which direction? Straight ahead. Toward the graveyard.

Right there. and the right kind of veers off to the rest of the tower you can kind of see. And you hear kind of gnashing and stopping, you hear loud crack and crumbling of stone, and this kind of far off on your ear, and you hear kind of what sounds very kind of like the kind of cry of some kind of animal. Hold on again. I think I hear the big guys from the head. Then why are we stupid? Let's go, come on, come on. And I kind of briskly move everyone forward.

I stick close to top. Yeah. And try to get a look to see what's making that sound. Okay. So you'll keep your stealth checks. I hang back. Okay. You hang back. The two of you press on. And you walk forward, trying to be as selfie as you can,

you start to see that there are, that it kind of starts to get darker as you realize that the buildings and things, that are burning and they're getting a lot of light are behind you and you get further and further kind of into this forest clearing with a graveyard. It starts to get darker and eerier. You hear and then the rest of you at this point here, the smashing of stone, the stomping of some kind of footsteps and what sounds like and then you all kind of hear this and it sounds like this terrific guttural approximation of, oh, it sounds like a goat.

And you, as you, both of you kind of lead the way, you, you turn around and you see up ahead on a little hill three shapes, almost cloaked in darkness, but kind of lit slightly by the, by the, by the, by the, the flickering with the firelight behind you. These are considerably larger than, larger enough than the humans that you faced. These are humanoid in a sense that they have two arms, two legs, are bipedal.

But you see two horns similar, but these are huge dark horns going up. You see a face stretched out, covered in hair, long ears. And they're bigger than normal humans? They're, I would say bigger than normal humans. They're like massive, like the size of it's like a huge ogre or something. But like bigger than normal humans. Long, shaggy legs ending in hooves.

Legs, unlike any human leg that you've seen. And you can see that there are the crumbling, ruins, smash of some sorts of statues in this graveyard as you see that they seem to be building something. From where I'm standing with my stone cutting ability, am I close enough to kind of see what they're building? Make a perception check. Add proficiency with what ability? Stone cutting. Plus four history checks regarding stonework. But double proficiency. I don't know. I'll say you can just add a proficiency to this. How about that?

For protection? Yeah. 15. 15. As you approach, both of both of you and tell are in the front, so you would be able to see this as you get closer. And I'm assuming, I don't know how far back you're going to hang, but you're able to see kind of on top of this, you see that the gray order kind of built onto a hill in this forest clearing. And at the top, you see the remnants of the statues, you can see that you hear the like,

and you see as if they are erupting some sort of table or some sort of altar. And we just see the three of them? They're free. Is one look like they're bigger, smaller, different colors than the other? They all seem to be this shaggy, dark with the lighting, and they just look at these dark creatures. So turn around and whisper what I see for the rest of them. This can't be happening.

I don't understand how these things are real. Have you seen these creatures that that creature before? No, this is, this is, it's as if this plague is a real thing and it's advanced or something. I don't know what that is. I just, I don't know what to believe anymore. Are these monsters what are causing the plague? Like, what we saw was, it was a little different

than these cool creatures, right? I know they had horns, they had horns. So it's like mini versions of what we're seeing? Like human-wide? So I'll say that it's obvious to tell that... The connected? That whatever you saw looked like they had the sprouting of black horns and they were hairy, but they were still very clearly human.

Okay. But had turned them to something else. These look very, very inhuman of any variety beyond beyond having two arms and two legs and a head. Would it remind me of any specific animal? Anologue? They look like goats. Goats.

I would think all of you would know what a goat looks like. They look like... Fusses is this goat? Excuse me. Can we see, like, from where I'm standing, could I see, like, if there's any significance to where they're building this altar structure? Depends in the distance.

Oh, you have night vision, right? We don't. We don't. Oh, yeah. So you guys can't see shit. I can't see. There's some light from the burning buildings, I assume. Yeah, some light.

Yeah. So you guys can barely. see shit. So I heard you would be able to make out make out most of... And we're hanging out in the back. Yeah. Yeah, so you guys can see a little bit better where you're hanging on kind of the back, so you're just kind of letting the two bulky ones stand in front. Should we lure them

out here where we can fight them? Or should we keep watching? Can I hear her how far back we're? I guess it depends on how far back you stayed. I have no idea. I would say that you're able to like, you're staying tight. It's like being in the back. You're still in a tight unit. I would say creeping

I could provide a distraction and go to one direction. You guys could go in and see what's going on, and I could maybe bolt off or something like that. I don't know. Hershey, are you able to determine the distance from where, about, give or take? How far are they for me? I would say they're probably a good 100 feet

for you to stay back and feel comfortable. That's within range. I can do that. How many are there? There's three. Oh, there are many people there, though. Not that I saw. As long as they don't notice, why don't we just continue?

Because I don't know if I feel comfortable with them erecting this altar. That's a good idea. We don't know what they're doing with the altar. I mean, they steal most of the whole village to explore. We don't know if there still could be some survivors. What if we go to the rest of the village, we come back and they're gone? Or maybe this altar gets erected and some bad juju comes out of it. Or they flank us and we're in a vulnerable position.

I suppose we could, but given, it doesn't feel right. If you want to kill these guys, I will certainly help. Well, I mean, I haven't seen them do anything. They're making something. They've ignored all the bodies in the village. I mean, they must be aware that something nefarious is happening. Perhaps they're trying to heal it. It could be the reason why everything was happening here.

It could be the reason, and it could also be. They could be like us just investigating and checking it out. I mean, he also has horns, and I'm not killing him for having them. No, but they're fuzzy and, you know, it's terrifying looking. know those people were rabid, they're attacking us, and he wasn't attacking us when we met him. Yes, but neither are these creatures. I'm just saying I'm not one to dole out death to those that are not positive.

It's justified for. Well, let's go have a conversation. Why don't I go have a conversation with them, and we'll see what happened. Go for it. I would love to watch. No, that's a terrible idea. We've just got attacked by a bunch of weird goat-type humans. But they weren't these things.

Now they're a gigantic goat-type monsters. I 100% agree that they're almost certainly going to be big guys. However, what I'll say is we should go and we should have a conversation with them. He referenced I get to goat monsters. These are probably... But how do we know that he wasn't a bad person?

Or a big guy? We don't. I mean, we don't know, but he seems... What if he was leading us to this town to attempt to attack them so that they would kill us? He seemed entirely genuine to me. You don't know. This is because he fucking throw a shit in a box? I don't know. You don't know what you did.

You made some insane decision. I just, in my heart and soul, I believe he was telling the truth. I mean, I believe the guy, too, despite not rolling in any direction whatsoever. However, what I'll say is, we know that they, their bodies lying in the streets. These guys can't have just decided, like, to hang out here because they must have heard something or seen something. They're buildings on fire in sight. in watching the bill while they're arguing just to see if anything else develops.

I want to know what they're up to and what they're up to might... Then why don't you go talk to them? I'm on my way. Thank you very kindly. I appreciate it and I'm starting to walk says to go up. I'm going to have guidance on him as he walks. So right before that happens, as the two members of the party

who rolled the lowest stealth checks decided to argue about what they were. Hey, I don't have one. and 16. They were arguing. Arguing about what it was, you kind of, as Caprice says,

I'm going to go talk to him when he starts. He takes a step, and you're casting guidance. Yeah, it's blessed to feel the power. You go ahead and do that. You hear, and you see all, you especially see all three figures turn in your direction. And you see all, each of the, at their side at this point, pulls up a horrific looking, like, bleated weapon and starts

stopping in your direction. This horrific guttural language shout out to them. Do I recognize the language? Oh yeah, what's the language? I have like 30 hours. Who speaks abyssal? I might. Hold on. I gave it up. I'm such an idiot. Naito-Draconic too. Oh, I don't speak abyssal.

How do you find that? I speak celestial, common, draconic, elvish, nominish, primordial, and silum. Wow. Primordial is not prominent. Doesn't, don't you speak abyssal? No, in my session zero, I did, but I fucked it up.

So you don't know that it's a Bissell, so just banish that from your face. You hear a quah, come on. And then they, all three start walking down, and then and they start shouting at each other and they point directly at your direction. Oh, fuck.

And then they start just galloping on their hooves, running, wielding these huge, horrific, bladed weapons, almost like a combination between a sword and an axe, and they are coming directly at you. I mean, they're going to roll initiative. Oh, no.

So three horrific goat monstrosities are, uh, are rocketing towards. Thank you so much for listening to the Legends of Aventures podcast. We hope you enjoyed the session. If you want even more campaigns to listen to, become a member of our Patreon at the Pearl Dolphin Tier or Higher to unlock Shroud over Salt Marsh, a patron exclusive campaign set on the high seas.

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