Legends of Avantris - Beneath Dark Wings | Ep. 76 | A Chance in Hell: Part 2

Episode Date: February 11, 2026

Our heroes descend ever deeper into the infinite layers of the Abyss...   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/4rWoCt1IEmc?si=vez4hPMWON-EGRc-

Welcome to Legends of Aventress. I'm Capriccio de Cesto. You can call me Caprice, and you're listening to Beneath Dark Wings. Brazier is erupting in the flame, and suddenly the silhouettes start to shape and form as you see familiar faces, familiar silhouettes, moments in each of your lives or deep dark secrets, shadows that represent your deepest, darkest secrets. And for this prompt, I will allow to give you. narrative control as to what the shadows in the flame showcase. You may go in whatever order you'd like. Who wants to go first? I'm ready for everybody on the eyewall. Go ahead, yeah. Yeah. The shadows would begin to swirl and all of a sudden there would be kind of as they begin to settle, you would see like the shadows form a flat ground and outside of this on

On top of this flat ground, there would be what looks like a small building, like a small cottage home, perhaps. And it's all dark. The set pieces of this vision are all black from the shadow. And you would see from behind where the flame is, little windows of the, looking like the house is lit up from the inside. And outside of the house, there would be a tiny shadow figure that looks very much like Felix in a military. uniform. But again, it's just silhouettes. So it's the outline of what you can clearly tell to be Felix. No hat, no blue coat, but military uniform. Dagger in hand. Hand outstretched and raised to this small shadow cottage. And from the flame of the fire that is lighting up the scene inside these little lit up windows, you see people inside. And they appear to be trying to escape, trying to get out. The door won't open. The windows won't open. You can see, chaos inside. And from this tiny shadow Felix's hand,

a large shadow flame launches and begins to set the house on fire with the people inside. And a small tear rolls down the shadow Felix's face. It looks like it's flame. And the house will begin to burn as the people inside appear to be trying to escape and get out and they can't. and Felix looks ashamed. And you have heard of the extent of the horrific things that he had been put through, forced to do at the hand of the military.

But this is the first that you're getting in the glimpse of what happened as he was sent to eliminate the beast blanket. All those years ago. All those months and months, you know, years ago. And real Felix would cringe, physically recoil from this horrific memory, this secret that is not, not really so much a secret, but the details may have not been so clear.

And you would see him like almost like at his side, like reach for the Talengarde dagger and almost look to hide it and try to hide his shame as you can see, you know, more tears begin to well up in Felix's eyes as he's reliving one of these horrific moments of trying to eliminate East Blake from Corvacchio. And as soon as it finishes, the brazier, even brighter and more orange as it raises higher versus sin some of the low-hanging of vines that are hanging down above it. Would I have seen, would you have told me about that? You all would have known that this was something that he was forced to do and, you

know, I would have told you about how, you know, he discovered that he felt that it was not real and it was, you know, a whole thing that he was being lied about to do. I don't know how how in death the detail he would have told you. I don't know how in detail Felix would have told you. You'd have a general idea but I don't know if you'd seen it to that extent or I don't think you would have you would have told you maybe I wouldn't know the extent that you were literally like killing dozens of like innocent people. Yeah. And did we like do we all see that play out? Yeah. Yeah. Is it in the fire? It's in the fire. It's the shapes and the shadows in the fire.

You're staring into the flame and getting your vision You're seeing the things in the fire, and all of you are very clearly seeing this in the brazier of Sertrhus, the Prince of Heretics. Oh, Felix. Oh, it's terrible. Oh. Don't, don't say anything. No, don't. It's not your fault.

The eyes, the shrieking building, the building filled with the shrieking victims, and the small paper doll of Felix fade and burst once more. the numerous eyes that linger and flicker and dance along with the flame, the elongated, creeping shadows. Who's next? You had no choice. It wasn't you. I think a scene that you all are also aware of regarding Caprice's past would begin to take form and shape and swirling into a position you can see a very young Caprice in

a Galton Library, a vault deep underneath the ground running through a hallway with one of his family members, someone who had helped him get to this place, get this far, to

steal a page from a book that was the one trail of clues that he had put all of his focus on into finding out about his past, finding out why he was the way that he was and we'd watch as Shadow Caprice would race forward and accidentally trigger an

alarm accidentally trigger a security system that forces a gate down upon his cousin crushing most of his legs and stopping him and Caprice has an opportunity a choice to make, to run and save himself in the page to continue to pursue his goals or to help and chooses to run. Not even looking back, ignoring the screams of his family member. He would lie about that to his family until leaving Galtica. They would never know. Until he insinuated that that experience had happened once before.

you'd see the streams of tears running down Caprice's shadow face, but still having made the cowardly choice at that time. And you see this as the small paper doll version of young Caprice with the tail behind as the human cousin that stays in the center of the brazier, the gate, and you see now as it's reaching its hand out, calling for Caprice, calling as Caprice runs away, and as this happens, it gets smaller and smaller and smaller and shrinks into nothing

until the eye is returned once more. We all have regrets, Felix. Who's next? And we had just known that he went missing or whatever, like, wow. Did it look like he got killed? I guess I don't even know who preys says that. I would say that it wouldn't have been a mortal blow. It would have been, it wouldn't been, like, it would have been trapping his legs, not, not killing him.

And so the very alive and savable version of this would have been left because of Caprice's panic and inability to face his fears at that time and his obsession with what he felt was his destiny. A selfish act. It fades the eyes, linger, and then you see them dancing in the flames, seeing him, seeing how your secrets, knowing your secrets, the essence is seemingly empowering this brazier far more than even the Prince of Heretics expected. I would step up to the brazier and look into the flames. And in the smoke and the shadows, you would see a hillside of Kirstein start to form with small children running along the hillside. lots of little kids and a little blue girl following along,

them pushing her down and her crying and them running off playing. And then it would swirl again to the same girl in sort of a teenage, if there were a D&D equivalent of braces she'd be wearing them, going up to a young boy. handing him something and him laughing and turning away from her and leaving her. And then shadows swirling again and seeing Lofty about the way that she looks now, maybe a little bit younger, being loud and boisterous in a party singing and telling jokes and turning to leave, going out of a door to a quiet space and hanging her head.

and crying on her own. You see as the everything else fades from the shadows is this paper doll silhouette of the small girl crying, gets, everything fades away and it's just her alone, weeping, and it lingers there until it gets smaller and smaller and blinks and the eyes return to the flames. dancing and watching, knowing. Well, I have no secrets, so.

This is just happening, right? This is happening, yeah. It's not like you're offering it. Right. It is just appearing. I'm just giving you all the agency to decide what it would show. Something would have shown for me already

if I had seen. I don't have any secrets. Oh, look, it's Marcheard now, shadows. You will see the shadows whip and it'll be a familiar scene that everyone witnessed. It was... No. Hopefully it's not.

We'll see. It is the second battle with Makutu. Where it's... You see, you know, there's five of us. I can't remember if Herscher was there at that point, but if she was, she's there too. Yeah, she was. And, uh, standing there and Makutu is on his knees and his head is down. And you see these mouths sort of debating and talking about, uh, his fate if he should live or die.

And, uh, Toa is, is sort of firm in his belief that Mukutu, based on, uh, his crimes and, and what he has done that, um, he should be killed. And, you know, sort of firm and grim in his judgment, and he is willing to sort of carry it out. And you'll see his back with the party in the foreground, lift his totem and smash it down upon Mukutu's head. But then the perspective will turn around completely. Now looking up at his shadow face. Oh, that's cool. And almost an exaggerated gap in the in the shadow,

form a large, exaggerated grin, showing that he enjoyed and took some level of pleasure and glee in the execution of Makutu, and it wasn't just the grim Ned Stark-style, you know, carried the sword and carrying out the justice, almost sort of panting with a smile, and then the shadows would fade. That's exactly what it looks like. It looks similar almost two. to the arcane illustration of Jinks where like the sketchy drawing kind of draws the face over her face or like that. It almost looks like that of this,

then the flickering flames, as you see this grin go wider and wider on Toa's face as the ruined skull and the unhinged iron jaw, lower jaw of Makutu is there. And then it fades and once again burst into eyes. And there's one more. until one more vision. I'm not sure what we're supposed to do next

because I don't have any. An Iris will stare into the flames. Oh. And you'll see an oasis in Siket. Iris is sitting by a tree, writing, constantly looking up at a bunch of teenagers, roughly her age. And at first, it looks like she is staring at the boy

is the girls giggle around him. But it begins to become clear that there is one girl there that has Iris's eye. And she watches her. And then it shifts. And they're late at night, out in the oasis, talking and sharing their feelings. And Iris is more animated than she's ever been. A completely different to Baxi than the Iris that you know. Oh, what happens?

Then she's older and seated upon a throne in a temple. and there is man after man that comes in and her father yelling at her to choose a suitor, pick a suitor, carry on the line, and Iris refuses. Another night in the garden with this girl, they're older now, and they're closer. They lean in to share a kiss. The guards catch it. Then another night in the garden, and Iris is alone waiting and crying. girl never comes. Oh, no. And then a day, kneeling before the altar of Anubis, her heart closed off. The only place in her heart, a place for a god. Mm-hmm. The, you see Iris kneeling in this final vision, but despite the focus had we once been on Iris, she is so very very, you see Iris kneeling in this final vision. But despite the focus had been on Iris, she is so very small in the flames compared to the two enormous looming shadows of the statues of the Temple of Anubis that flank her, dwarfing her, looming large over her.

And it then swallows in together into a dark pit of shadow. and then burst into eyes, and you see the eyes swirl around, and you see four wings, a jagged beak, a crow, a man with one leg, one arm, and a cane, and then all of it swirls together in an enormous snake's jaw, four jaws, and then a second head with four more jaws, eight jaws in total, slither together and snap shut, consuming all of it, as the brazier, ignites and the orange flame burst forth and you feel its heat as it washes over you as the the you hear just a hiss as the fire then rages upwards brighter and brighter and brighter until it

nearly sets the canopy ablaze until finally peace returns power returns the satisfaction of a hungry meal, of a meal after you were utterly famished, after the ravenous for how long you have been hungry, to not just get a meal of such essence, but to get such a potent one. There is a glee in what the Prince of Heretics feels. and the shadows that had been cast slither into the flame and the brazier shrinks and shrinks and shrinks and then flickers out. You almost can see for a moment

as if the flick of that same color of red a moat and ash and ember drifts off perhaps to another temple in the jungle and all that remains is the noises of the jungle, the creatures in the temple, and you are left alone, not expecting what you've just experienced. Well, obvious, it flames lie. How do you know? Yeah.

It knows nothing. I didn't even give my essence. maybe just traveling around with us, you know? You should have just done what you did at that hospital. Yeah, yeah, next time I have a choice between anything and jacking off. I'll choose the

jacking. Holy shit. We got to end this. We got to end this thing. This evil, these demons, all of this. We've got to end it all. We will. I'm tired.

of all of this. I'm tired. Nothing we saw changes anything about who we are and the friends we are. That's right. It's a hard reminder, but we've come far. Makuta was a real dick. Even more than you all know, my whole life. It's not a defense. But I am glad he's dead.

Let me get it. Uh, Krupaug, before we grab the tongue and get out the fuck out of here? Is everyone okay? I would like to go. Who wants to grab the tongue? I'll get it. Yeah, not me this time. I just walk up and at this point it's like, I'm desensitized all of this.

And I just grab the tongue and like, I'm frustrated and angry and sweaty. Hick goes. Angry. Yeah, gross. And we've been traipsing around the jungle for hours. And I just, I pick up the tongue. And I make sure that it's what I'm looking at and what we're looking for. And I just kind of turn and I look to where Escher is sitting.

And I just start to walk towards him and the mouth of the temple. You do that. As soon as. Grupa. As soon as you grab the tongue. You realize that there's burning embers and coals in this brazier. And it flickers. You hear us very faintly.

You feel something, a presence. Not the same full presence of the Prince of Heretics, but something remains. And you see now that there's crackling in the embers. And rather than roaring brazier, that all can see you see that there's shadows moving in the embers that you can see crackling orange you see six strangers at a crossroads you see a man with an ox moving beckoning a drink is shared these strangers move towards the

beast plague villages and as As the man walks away, the six strangers behind, you see feathers disappear from his shape. And there's a man with long hair, the man you recognize as Milo's father. And you see the, you see time and time again, the feathers shift and the form shifts. and changes to a stranger here and there. The people enjoying a drink and then shifting and changing and changing into horrid beasts running through the woods. And see now 13 seals all around a shrieking,

wreaking God in chains. Every single step of a plan calculated. The end of this plan, salvation of the world, the cost enormous. Nothing was too far as long as the ends justified the means. And you see this so briefly. And until it fades. And you hear almost as a laugh of a hiss that then fades from your mind as you grab the tongue. So foolish. What? Can't believe it. What?

What are you talking about? It's so obvious now, but I was just so green back then. I didn't know anything. Why? Since the day that we met, Zern has been... behind every single thing that we've been involved with. He's been puppeting us from the very beginning. Do you remember that day that we all met?

The day that we saw the rest of them for the first time. At the crossroads, yes. And then that man with the cart and the drinks. The old guy? What was his name? Zulch. Zulch. Gajic Zulch.

It was the very same flask that I used for the goo. He shared some beer. Right, right, right in this very, very, very. It was him. It was who? Sir. Oh. What?

That was him? The traveling brewer guy with the ox? I went to reach for the tongue and in the embers. Just flicks of light, shadows and whispers. I saw it. I saw all of it. All these various different points in time and places and things and people. They were all him.

Different forms. Why would... Would you say his name was Zulch? Zulch, Gaudrick Zulch. Zulch! Jackie's actually right. Don't we not remember meeting... They came back.

They came back. Yeah, yeah. Zithrigose. It's so obvious. We should have known. I should have known. I couldn't have known. Nobody...

The High General. Nobody ever saw him that often. He was... Zer and Zulch. Zelik. Oh shit. What? This plan has been in motion for decades and decades, if not longer.

Think about the things that we've seen in the past, and all the things that we've read and found out. It's so much more far-reaching than that and depraved and desperate. I mean, the good news is that his plans kind of working so far. I mean, it's pretty good, right? I don't know. I don't know. For him, it's whatever it takes. Whatever it takes and whatever it took to stop all of this.

He can't even see it through. Because he needed to make sure that we would see it through. And we will. We'll put an end to all of this. It doesn't change anything. We'll finish his plan. And so part of the plan. I want to believe that Zern had the best.

intentions and mind but he's caused so much pain so much suffering as a consequence for everything in his wake and obviously we have to stop this we have to put it to rest once and for all but I I thought his plans started and ended with the chained God and that it was all done are you saying that he's known about all of this everything That he accounted even for B-Man and everything? Seems that way. Jeez.

He told us that he would not survive, and that we would have to carry on. It was his job to take care of the chain guard, and we would have to handle the rest. I don't know if he'd necessarily intended to turn into a horrible crow demon. But I'm sure he's at peace with it, given that, you know, whatever it takes and all. That's how I'm going to have to... I'm going to choose to look at it that way.

Why else would you be shown this in the coals here? It was almost like right at the end before the final light went out, hissing almost like a laughter. It was mocking us. Plan A turned out to be okay. We're all going to be all right. Now can we group hug? I would like that.

I would like to get out of here. All right. We'll get out of you. As soon as we grew pug, and I'm going to try to like that out of one. I'm still, like, holding the tongue. Because everyone's like pretty small or slight, right? Yeah, and so I'm just going to like try to everyone in my arms

because I probably have a seven and a half foot wingspan. Yeah? At least. You're able to do that. At least. Uh-huh. I love you guys. We love you too, Toll.

Love you, though. You're all my best friends. Yeah, and you're ours. Okay, Escher. Oh, is the snake still there hanging out? You now see that the coals have completely gone out, and the fire is now done. The smoke is all that's left.

And once Escher flies around, he kind of scans the temple in the jungle. He's keeping an eye out to the trees of any strange teradactals that'll snipe swoop him up, he then turns back in, and he looks at all of you, and he grabs the tongue. And he puts it in. We all shared secrets together back in Borovia. You were holding back. I mean, it's not a very pleasant thing to share, you know.

Yeah. Secret are a secret for a reason. I only share them when you really have to. They have also no fun. If what you say is true, boy, I thought I was smarter than he was. Perhaps this was all part of the plan. Me losing my daughter. Perhaps all of it.

Every time I think we've got him figured out, it's like he's yet again another ten steps ahead. Well, there's no use dwelling over ten. dead man. Let us get the fuck out of here. Are you already? Yeah. Nice.

Wait. I'm gonna run over like a balcony. If there's some way... Oh, you can see down all around this temple. Is Fangy still there? Fangy is still there. You see that Fangy is this huge beast as he is kind of he's leaning. He's now

kind of standing. His tails flipping back and forth as the heads are looking around. Can I walk out? do you? Like, I walk into gingerly from behind and I put my hand and I say, if you love him, you must set him free. And then I just, I just put my hand on your shoulder. I take three or four steps back and I let you, I like, give you space. Even though it normally doesn't do this, could I use thaumaturgy to boom Toa's voice? Absolutely. Absolutely. I'll walk up and I'll just, I'll just put my paw on Toa. Tell him how you feel.

Faye! It booms out and echoes. You see, I still have the mask on the birds. You actually see as where the snakes were coming back

and then as soon as you boom out, they all sitting away with the thomatergy as suddenly a thing gets up the two large heads looking up at you and his long club tail almost kind of wags as he looks up at you expectantly at this

masked face of its master seemingly. You can go now. This is goodbye. I won't see you again. You see both heads just washing it, washing you expectantly. It makes that noise.

It makes a kind of guttural vocalization of both. You know, kind of like the Diffla Dachus or whatever that eats Dennis Nedri. That kind of weird. It's a lot of sorts. Or the lizard from Revenge of the Sith. Yeah, kind of like a weird vocalization is they, it seems to be confused.

You need to go. Go on, get it. Make an animal handling check advantage because of the palmiturgy. Roughly what colors, Fanky. Whatever you want him to be. Customize them. Kind of like a white.

Bip my dino. 18. 18. With that, there's almost kind of like a dejected, like, and the kind of growling, and it then takes a step back, and then a step back, and it looks up at you with two heads and four eyes, and lets out a roar, a bellowing roar that shakes the jungle. All of the flying creatures and the, the strains long-tooth monkeys and everything else in the jungle immediately flee the vicinity, and you hear all the cacophony of the jungle as the roar bellows. and echoes through almost a farewell to you, Toa, until both give you one last lump, both heads, and Fangie turns, and with a slow stomp, he walks off into the jungle,

snapping the branches and... Oh, who? And under my breath, he fades away. I love you, Faggy. But it booms really loud. Yeah. Oh, no, you're so... How else you can stop now?

Goodbye. Iris will squeeze your arm. Do not be ashamed to tell something or someone that you love them. Sometimes you don't always get that chance. You're right. And I'm sorry, Iris.

About what happened? I'm not sure what you're talking about. All right. Let's go through that big spooky board. Good idea. It glows with this golden or not even a golden kind of a yellowish, orangish light as the portal opens,

and Escher looks around and says, Time to Journey to Bacard's Landing. This is not going to be pleasant. Bacar's Langdon. B-E-C-H-A-R-D, Bacard's Landing. Okay, his first name is Bacardie. John Luke?

And he steps through in his normal form. We follow. I'll pick the mask off right in my back and then go through. The heat that you thought in this jungle was already very hot. Oh, man. Gets even hotter. Volcano layer. It's a volcano layer.

As you see an enormous yellow, sickly yellow sun. above you, as you see cracked flatlands, as far as you can see, stretching around, there's a haze of mirage all around you. As the mirages are kind of dancing and shifting, as you see a desert, but not like dunes, a just like a completely flat, cracked soil desert. Badlands. Badlands. Exactly right. As, as, like, this, like, basically Death Valley, anachronistically,

as you see the, you feel the oppressive heat, and you hear the booming of thunder and the roiling of clouds, and although the sun is beating down, occasionally the land turns to darkness, and then turns bright again, as you see rolling thunderstorms

across these bad lights, as far as you can see, and you, see a one of these plumes, you know how when you can kind of see a storm that's passing and the sheets of rain are going down? Yeah. Yeah. You see that the rain is also this sickly yellow and where it passes over is this hissing, sizzling. Oh God. As if it's acid rain. Literally. And Escher looks at all of you and he says, this is the layer of because, The Buccard of the rotting husk.

Rotting hush. This used to be a sea. All of it was just an ocean? Yes. How is it possible? And what I've heard. And Bucard is the size of a mountain. Of course.

You should be hard to miss then, right? No, he is somewhere here. All you have to do is follow your nose. Hmm. And he is eternally eternally rotting, beached in this terrible place, never to return to the ocean. Eat in from the inside by parasites. It's not very pleasant.

No, it is not. Are any of these going to be pleasant or fun or goofy? We're in the worst layers of the abyss, Capricus. So it's all going to be better from here? Just once. Just once, I would like to have a little break in the middle, you know? Yeah, I know what you mean. Who's good at smelling?

Iris, Iris. You think just because I'm at a back, see, I'm good at smelling? Yes, well, I just think that you're a high wisdom person as well. So mechanically, if this was a perception, Yes, I would be good at that, but I imagine that there are multiple of us here that have the same score that I do. But Luffy doesn't need to breathe. Yeah, and I choose not to right now. I don't blame you, I wish I could.

But I have the weakest stomach of everybody. Breathe behind me. I'll do it. For anubis's sake. Oh, God. And I'll snake. Perception check. It's probably not a good choice.

Deception, you say? You have advantage because you're a kid, you're a K. No, I don't. 23. 23. You smell and you get bits of this. You can definitely smell the acid in the air. All of you can now as you hear the booming of these clouds as rain is,

acid rain is rolling across the badlands. And you smell a bit of the wind. wind that rolls off from the storm, the scent of briny, rotting flesh. And you immediately get the sense of the direction that it's coming from. And you see off, well, I'll keep that perception check, as you see off from the direction that it's coming, that all of the landscape around you at a certain point just entirely obscured by Mirage.

And finally, as you look to see the direction, you see an enormous dark shape through the mirage. that seems to be in the direction of where this stench on the wind is coming. Park shape on the horizon. Yeah? Yes, well, it's supposed to go. That's where the smell's coming from? Yes.

You're sure? Yes. She seems sure. Yeah. Well, let's get this over with. Yeah, because I can't hold my breath for it. And I forgot to mention when Certress had left and dissipated, you all got plus

two wisdom. Cologies for forgetting that. Something wisdom. Say some like flavorful ass shit about that, though. As you feel the prince, as when the flame erupted, you had seen the prince of heretics, perhaps the first

of the high priestess, the priests in this wisdom, especially empowered by the secrets you have fed, the essence you have fed it. You feel yourself as the flame had had cast its shadows upon you. You feel like they have left a lingering,

a lingering touch that you'll never, ever be able to shake. Wow. I feel like I am a little bit wiser. You too. Which makes me regret all of my past actions that much more. I can now see the error of my way so much closer. I couldn't try to convince that poor man that his penis was going to fall off.

We needed his key. Life can be hard sometimes. You know? I think I would need an 18 in order to feel regret about that. No? All right. Just throwing it out there. Let's go.

We let us proceed. You make your way. Yeah, let us proceed. And the heat, the heat is becomes oppressive. I would have taken off my, like, coat and, like, wrapped it up and stuck somewhere, rolled my sleeves up, leaving my gloves on, but like, I'm drenched in sweat. Yeah. It's awful. You are all drenched in sweat. It's basically like walking through a sauna. And it's more dry, it's a dry sauna as you're making your way through as yeah, as yeah.

The darkness from the clouds blocking out the sun. But miraculously, the you are able to avoid the acid storms that are raging until march and march and it's becoming incredibly oppressive as you finally see through the mirage

you had thought was a mountain in the distance but as the stench gets stronger and stronger you see as the landscape emerging from that mirage an enormous plume of a storm cloud above it

being pelted in acid rain, the enormous corpse of a fiendish whale. Whoa. I knew this is gonna be the whale guy. Bone protruding, that looking like spires of rock, what flesh seemingly being sloughed off by the acid rain, and as you approach, you see as it's getting darker and gloomier,

you suddenly see as it's getting darker and gloomier, you suddenly see as the clouds part and almost deliberately form a ring so that the sun beats down on this rotting carcass of this beached whale where, and you see the sizzling of the acid, and suddenly now the smoke from the baking sun of this, of this, this, this, this, that is that all it can do is lay rotting as it is simultaneously, it is, It is from back and forth and back and forth as you approach. You see it baking in the oppressive sun and then being pelted with acid rain.

As you make your way, I need everyone to make a Constitution saving throw against exhaustion. As you feel the oppressiveness. Instinct, you're not good. Do I have to roll against stinks since I'm holding my breath? No. But exhaustion is this. But the heat, I guess.

What's your constitution? Not bad, I got 25. Spaghetti oaks. I should have twisted it. Yeah, that's what I was gonna say to think about. 16. Against exhaustion. 16?

Okay. 22? 21? 15? 15? 14. 14. As you are going,

you are feeling so incredibly exhausted. Lofty, Toa, Iris. Damn. You all gain a level of exhaustion. Oh no. As the heat is so. unbelievably oppressive and as you approach you don't realize you feel like you would should have been closer by now as you but you realize just how massive this

thing is and you you get closer and closer until the point where there the entire you see this massive rising whale carcass beach the size of a mountain with now the storm of the acid rain eternally of it, above it. You feel like to get any closer, you're going to have to go through the acid rain. Oh, no.

Oh, God. What do you do about this? Oh, man. Whale! Yes, Toa. Very good, Toa. Good job, buddy. I'm so tired.

Yeah, it's okay. I am too. That's the biggest whale I've ever seen. Yeah, it's the size of a fucking mountain. And I've seen some pretty big whales. I believe it. That's probably true. How are we going to get there?

Well, I think we're going to have to find some way of sheltering ourselves and being mobile at the same time. I would probably take my coat back out and attempt to start by using it as like, at least until it starts to eat through the coat.

Yeah. But I would absolutely try to cover that, like, use that as an initial, because I'm looking at my spell list. I don't have anything that protects me from acid rain. Okay. Are we already in the acid rain? No, you're looking like it's coming towards you in order to proceed towards Picard, the rotting husk.

True to his name. Right. It's a little off-and-out. What I- Wait a minute. Wouldn't give for a folding boat at this time. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I don't know. You're thinking about ice cream soup?

What did you just say? No, no, no, before that, Caprice, could you say? They said, I really wish I had a folding boat. In Galctica, they have these amazing contraptions. You can put them right in your pocket, and then you say a command word, and the boat just pops right out.

It makes travel really easy without having to leave your boat at a dock. Well, but, I mean, isn't this just land, or is there water? It's all land. While you guys are having this conversation, you've noticed that Felix actually goes deep in thought, and he pulls out a spellbook, he does to flip through the pages.

It looks. He's reading He uh, you guys are going back and forth about boats and things. Do I feel as though this this acid rain is natural or like magical in nature? Uh, I would say it seems magical. I would pull out a piece of chalk. Yeah. You know, that I have just, you know, and I begin to draw a circle on the ground and, uh, I'm drawing little, you know, again, I'm making like a transmutation circle. Yeah. And it is, uh, it is, uh, it's a, It's a 10-foot radius transvestations.

It takes me some time to put it together. And as I'm kind of like muttering to myself, I looked at everybody and I say, I think I got it. I think I can protect this for a full hour. What? How? I've never done this before,

but this could be the culmination of everything that I've ever studied. This entire time, my whole life, I've been learning how to put together, magic, how to create it, how to make something of the weave. Occasionally, every once in a while, we've done some dispelling. We've gotten rid of the magic. I think I can undo it, reverse it, and get rid of magic.

What? But you've got to stay close to me, and we've only got about an hour. It'll protect us for a while. Are you ready? If you've read the book and Peggy created magic in seven days? Peggy? Is that a wizard? A famous wizard?

I'm not sure I saw it in the library once. It was written by a Bitsy. I'm not familiar with that text, but when we get done all this, maybe we can find a copy. Yes, if you're interested in how magic was created and how you can put it all together and potentially how to dispel it, then maybe that book would help. Well, I'll commit it to memory. Bipsey? I mean, I know a few songs by a musician named Bipsey.

She wrote books, too. I'm not sure if it's the same one. I think I saw the cover of that book, and it said wizard, but the wizards were in quotes. Yes, it's strange, wasn't it? It's very strange. Yeah, you think back to the book by the author Bits E. Cheese.

That's very nice. Bitsamina Entertainment Cheese. That's very fine. Bitsamina. Yes. All right. Wait, hold on. How will you do that?

What if the rain's not magical? Well, then it won't work. it'll leak through our clothes, then our skin, then our bones. Okay. Look, if we get in there and we realize that that's happening, I could probably stop the rain from hitting us for a short time, but I would need magic. Oh, that's a good point.

Well, I used to think of, please, you mentioned a boat. Well, I have a boat. Where? I know you're big, but, like, where are you fucking keeping that thing? And I'll lift up, I'll take this, like, the little card box that has my four figurines and I'll take out the little boat that sits amongst them. Remember this?

Were you missing for the petition? From a minute perspective, was Derek not there? Or maybe he just forgot? It's probable that I forgot. It's a little mini boat that the wind spirit gifted me. As part of this figurine said, I seem to say a word and it gets really big. That means it's magical.

That's so special to you, though. I don't want it to get ruined. Yeah, that's true. It won't get ruined because it's magic. That said, I don't want the skin that I have to live in to get ruined. Look, magic items are basically indestructible. I mean, look at my fucking fiddle. It's, as good as it looks on day one. Now, look at my fucking jacket.

Oh, Caprice, I didn't want to say anything, but I'm glad you noticed the jacket. I'm so sorry. I know it. I'm going to have to get a new jacket. Wait, wasn't it a veal? And all this is like, oh. You know, as I was getting the... 75 hours.

As I was getting the... the bottle of demon goo out, I changed, renamed Viole for the first time after five years. You're welcome. Look, I'm willing to try it if you guys are. This is some pretty serious magic that I've been keeping my back pocket for a while now. You should send in your resources. If we can just huddle underneath the boat, then we don't have to use any magic. We're acid-freeing all the way. Wouldn't the acid eat through the boat?

No, it's magical. But if you jump into a If you jump into a pit of acid, regardless of what magical items you have on you, the acid will destroy those magical items. Yes, but we're gonna use it. Turn the boat upside down. Use it like a parasol. We'll all be underneath the... We won't get it... It'll be shelter. My point is that acid eats through magical items. It will eat through the boat. No, no, no, no, no. You would be dissolved and your magical items would float safely in the bottom of the people. I'm not sure how that is in most D&D worlds. I mean, is that true?

Yes. No, it's not. Yes, it is. Magical items are basically indestructible. That's not true. Everyone knows this. Nobody thinks that. A fit addition thing?

This is another instance of you not actually researching magic. I feel very confident. Hold on. I think we go with Felix's idea. He's a very capable wizard. He's very small. And Felix reads books. Surely we have something that we can test it.

The storm is wrong. Exactly. You start to feel some light drops and it's starting to hit your clothes and your hair and it's starting to hurt. Not any damage. Take this and let's just make it run for it. I look at all of you and I say, if that's the plan, get the circle. We have to be inside the circle?

Yes. What if we accidentally mess it up? Just stand next to me. It'll be fine. Don't kick the chalk around. I'm going to take my sweater out and put it over my head. Is nullifying magic, will it destroy our magic? No. It'll just suppress them.

Oh. What's everyone's speed? Six points of acid damage to everyone. As the acid rain starts to pick up, as it starts the clouds royal towards you. The moment it begins to hurry, I make sure everybody is in the circle with me. I have my dagger in my left hand. I kneeled down and I touch the ground at the center of this transgeutation circle. It glows an absolutely bright, brilliant, silver light. light, and for a brief moment we're encased in a silver orb that flashes, and then it vanishes as I cast anti-magic field.

Oh! At an eighth level, for one hour, it will nullify any sort of magic, and it moves the sphere moves with me. Yep. It says for areas of magic that the area of another spell or magical effects, such as Fireball can't extend into the sphere, if the magic overlaps into an area of magic, part of the area that has covered the sphere is suppressed. For example, the flames created by wall of fires,

blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, creating a gap in the wall if the overlap is large enough. I'm hoping that this acid rain will just hit the sphere and wash over it and not be able to penetrate this magical sphere as I am attempting to use everything I've learned to reverse engineer and create a sphere of anti-magic. You do that, and all of you with your innate magical power

suddenly feel suppressed. Oh. Less than. You feel like the connections that you once had are temporarily suppressed, not severed forever, but suppressed, as suddenly what the rain that had been pelting you, suddenly as soon as it hits this anti-magic shell, it fizzles and sizzles out.

And you, as if you have an invisible umbrella against this acid rain, as you hear now the... Phoenix! All around you, the bright heat of the sun is swallowed by the roiling clouds as the acid rain is pouring down all around you, but is falling along the shell.

I am concentrating very heavily, and even though I'm already very sweaty and moist, you can tell that I'm sweating more, because this is an eighth-level spell and it's taking a lot of my concentration and magic. Well done. We got about an hour. Awesome job.

I feel a little less lucky. And you look and you turn to me, and I'm still wearing the mask of Nimbonsi, which I've been wearing this entire time, and you can see a beard that is like pushed out from behind it. You see all these skin flakes. You can clearly see acne around the eye holes. I've just been wearing this the entire time.

Well, let's fucking go. What you're telling me is that you've been magically altering your appearance. It's beautiful. And you're actually disgusted with masks. My face, if I were to take this mask off, it would look like I just removed an arm cast. Ew. Shrevelled and stinky. Six weeks later.

That's good. Anyone needs the cast magic. Like lint. You have to let me know. Because I have to drop the sphere. You have to get outside of it before you can use your magic items or access, anything of that nature. I'll be sure to let you know, Felix.

I look at you, the bubble falters. I'm just trapped in. My concentration gets broken a little bit. Don't look at him. I shake my head. It's horrible. I focus on the stringer. What, you guys?

This way. I'm going to put an arm around. Felix and shield him from Chris's face. I can move at a speed of 30 feet. Focus on concentrating. Yeah. And I'll carry you. I'm gonna scoop up Felix, Caprice, and Iris if they'll let me,

if I'm strong enough. Yeah. And that's right. 22 strength. I can move. I get pulled up into your arms at this point. I've been looking at everything is going on panicking because there's no magic here.

As you scoop us up, I come very close eye to eye with Caprice and just start screaming. What is it? What is it? What is it? screaming. It's screaming. And I'll look at Lutti.

All right, Luffy. Let's go. Caprize. Caprice was like the Coomer Wojack. They're bloodshot off. The badge and the badge of here. A giant right arm. A shriveled left arm.

Wait, wait, wait, wait. You pick, and everyone, you run. You all. Yes. I know, wait, look. That is correct. That is accurate. Awful.

That is accurate. Horrible. Candy's broke. He broke. The bubble collapses when we all die. But as we die, I point at my magic items, which are not disintegrating. I told you. You run.

We're dashing. So at least I can go 80 feet per round and look that you can go faster than that, right? Yeah. I'll stay with you, though, obviously. So we're going 80, we're going 30% faster. You are sprinting across you. And there's times where the heat immediately returns and you're not being pelted

and you feel like if the soil, the cracked ground immediately dries from the heat of the sun. And then it rolls again, the darkness returns, and acid rain pelt you. And you're sprinting and sprinting and sprinting. And the stench is getting stronger and stronger.

And this massive bloated corpse is looming larger and larger. And you realize now that there's all, that there are things moving all over it. And you see that they seem to be these fiendish-looking crustacean-type creatures as they are skiering in and out between these large holes in its flesh.

And you see it's kind of this graying, bluish, greenish, all over it with some deep, dark, bruised color purples and reds. As you make your way through and the stench is so awful, and eventually you see that there is, you know, that there is thousands of feet of belly, where this massive whale, where there's a huge rib coming down around,

and there is a hole where you can shoot for if you're trying to enter this corpse. As you run towards it. If it's shelter, and it's the only shelter, 100%. It is shelter, yes, it is shelter. There is nothing else beyond this. As you see, the parasites that are around it seem to be unaffected by the acid rain.

As they are going and they're picking it at the whale, at Picard. And you sprint and sprint and sprint, and it is so awful. The stench gets so terrible. Right before you get there, I need everyone to make a Constitution saving throw. Okay.

Remember if you want to use a push or not. Against stank. How long? Do you think it took us to get there? I would say it would probably have taken like a half now. Okay. Because what I'll probably try to do, like, to keep it a little bit, is I'm going to keep the anti-magic field up.

Yeah. For the full duration, unless I absolutely have to drop it and just stand away from them so that they're not stuck in it and you don't want to be in it once we're in shelter safety. Oh, I got 19 for Constitution. 19? 21. 21?

22. 22? 20. 20? 11. Caprice. Are you, are you traveling? Are you...

I'm being carried by... by Toa next to a screaming Iris. What are you screaming about? I don't understand. It doesn't smell that bad. It doesn't you see the bad in the boss. And you can. Rurkey-

Rickie-ser-pkinson of the bad boys. Iris stops screaming as she's being plastered and vomit. And then the moment it stops, there's like a moment of horrified silence, and then she starts screaming. screaming again even louder. You are under the effects of Stinking Cloud for the next minute.

Of course. As you are retching and beuking behind your hands. As you finally managed to run, carrying your friends and Luffy, you running alongside Toa, as you, this, it's almost like a large doorway into this massive beast, and you see that it's kind of swaying slowly with the, roiling thunder clouds in the wind that's howling as the stench hits you.

Only Caprice is the only one who's not managed to hold it. He is puking of everything. And you manage to get your way in and suddenly the sound of the of the storms and the acid rain is behind you. It's a distant memory as it's this quiet, dark, strange feeling as you, you, step on squishy floor and in these strange network of tunnels bored

by presumably these parasites. Sweet Jesus. I got sick on myself. Stick on me too. I'm sorry. I couldn't get away from you. It was really hard to turn underneath Doha's massive archbred. Why do you have that incredibly long hair coming out of your chin?

What? Oh no. I forgot. I didn't realize. Don't look at me! Don't look at me. Dude off the thing. Do it off the thing. Do it off the thing.

I don't. We're in the... Are we in the... Yeah, we're on a cover. I've stepped ten feet away from you. And I just, I walk away. We all step ten feet away from you. As soon as the spirit leaves, like, I turn into, like, gorgeous caprice.

Even, like, the fear to throw up, like, and magically disappears. I look pristine again. Yeah, press a dissertation. Hey. Hey. Oh, hey. Clean is a wist. I will attempt to keep up the anti-magic field

for the remainder of the spells time unless I absolutely need to drop it in. If anybody needs safety for any reason, you can hop, you can just get with the 10 feet of me and be in the sphere. Word. You make your way through, and you hear, oh, mm, kind of like this awkward moaning and bellowing,

and the enormity of this thing, it shakes the entire space, that you're in, as you hear it echoing, and you occasionally hear skittering or movement of these strange parasites. They look like they have giant dark eye stalks and a clacking, foaming mandible that is constantly dripping with putrid foam, and they have eight pairs of crab-like claws, and they have eight pairs of legs. And they, as soon as you kind of catch one, as you're turning and you're moving through this space,

you see you might see one or two. And they're, you know, probably the size of an analog would be like the size of a dwarf or a gnome, like a small creature. As they see you and they skitter away. But you get the sense that they're lurking just around every corner as you make your way through this place. What do you all do as you are in this belly of the beast? It looks like Jabu,

Jabu in Ocarina of Time. Nice. Is there a way, is it obvious which way like the head would be, like his face? The sense you got, it's very impossible to tell. As far as this is, it looks like a carcass that's rib. You can kind of see was one side of it was the tail, when one was the head, it was very difficult to tell. But what I will say, as you get further into this,

almost as if you're expecting you hear a voice. Even with the anti-magic shell, you hear a voice. And it goes, Hurt. Hoot. Oh. That's awful. This poor thing isn't pain. I feel really bad now.

It's we're inside of it. We're inside of it. Would hurting it help maybe somehow? No, I think it's hurt. I can't... I can't expand the field. If I could, I could even temporarily cover the whole thing. I would. I'd try it, but I can't.

It's only about 10 feet in any direction. Maybe we can find a way to... I'd hate to say this. Put it out of its misery. I mean, it's being constantly bombarded by that... That rain. that rain. They must be an eternal torment. Yeah, and all these are these things eating it too.

If only we could take the giant real carcass and push it somewhere else. It's very funny. What? What? I was saying we could baby move it and then it's not constantly under the acid rain. How? How would we possibly do that? This is a carcass, so it's considered a undead.

Oh, sweet Jesus. Oh, is what hell? That's very interesting. I mean, it is a demon lord, but depending on what you're trying to do, I could hear it out. Well, just most healing spells don't work on undead. No, I would say it's not undead.

It is certainly not undead. It is a rotting carcass. But I would say that you don't even need to roll. Maybe this would probably unsettle you. It's worth of it seems to be a dead carcass, but there is life here. And it is, it seems to be, a fiendish, a fiendish type of flesh, but it seems to be that, although it's a rotting

carcass, you get the sense that it's kind of moving and reacting to you walking through these strange passageways bored by the parasites, and eventually you find a large chamber that may have been some sort of enormous organ that you look up and you can kind of see the ridges in the flash, and some of it is rotted, and some have been pockmarch with this. So... Well, I'm not sure what to do. All of the other ones have told us

what to do, and this is saying hurt. So maybe we're supposed to hurt ourselves. But if it's in pain, it might be saying it is hurt, and it doesn't want to hurt anymore. Or it wants to be hurt for some weird reason. Some people like that.

Oh, they do? Yes, Luft is one of them. What? What? Huh? I'm so glad you left that circle. Lufty and I, when we were traveling here on the ship, we played this slap game where we would smack each other.

Oh. I didn't like it better. That was just a silly game. We're not supposed to talk about it. Oh, is she enjoyed it? I didn't like the game very much because it hurt, but she seemed to like it a lot. Where did you smack each other? We have pillow fights and things.

Is it right in the face? Yes, sometimes. Smek right in the face, huh? Yes. Well, and my siblings, it went for a smack the bottom. My siblings, when they were younger, were quite disgusting, and they'd play this game where they'd spitted each other,

and they were trying to smack it out of the air. Ew. That is disgusting. It's actually something like my siblings did in real life. I didn't need to know. Kid and game. Dissue. It was so weird.

I never been to spake. Like a loogie? They would literally sit, like, facing each other, and they'd spit at each other, trying to smack your hair. And they'd do it for hours. But everyone loses. Like, I'm not thinking. There is no way in that game.

You get spit on or you get punched spit. The stupidest game I've ever seen in our life. I never played it. Oh, God. I don't want to play. Did you feel left out? No. Didn't have a name.

I don't slap spit. I don't know. Sounds a bit, spit goose. I got it. We can't go outside because of the acid rain in order to push this creature. But what if from the inside we tried to roll it, we could crawl up its ribs. And then if we could create enough inertia, we could get it out from underneath the rain. It's decaying currently.

We could roll it around. We could walk inside of it like a giant whale hamster ball. But it's really big. I don't think we're big enough to make it happen like that. I don't want too big. Why don't you hurt yourself? I don't want to do that. Why don't I turn into something really big?

If you had provided your essence in the last one like I asked you to, then all of that crap with those secrets would not have happened. So maybe you should have happened. You don't know what would have happened. Can you, that's what happened with the demon goo. If I put my essence into the brazier, the brazier, brazier, brazier, brazier, brazier. Brazier? Brazier. Brazier.

Brazier. Brazier? Like Frazier. Frazier. Yeah, thank you. Brazier. Thank you. We would have seen some weird shit.

Why? What is your essence? Why is it so potent? They didn't teach you any of this? They didn't teach you any of this. I don't want to be the... Don't want you to make, Caprice. All right, I'll do it.

I'll think my turtle and I'll smash myself. No! No! I think mechanically you're right. required to make two attacks. Roll the seven. When you take the action, you may attack you may attack. Seven plus 14 is what?

21. My AC is 21. Well, can't you choose to fail anyway? Can't save against yourself. I hit myself. Roll damage. Don't hitting yourself. 13 points of damage.

13. You take the damage. You smack in and it hurts very badly. There's actually a bit of blood. running up in your forehead and nothing happens. Well, there we go. That didn't do anything. Well, Lufty, you like that? Right. Not usually that hard, but...

Oh, Tawa. Oh, there's an imp climbing up my body. One of those little chittering insects. One of the parasites starts... Get a chrient. Get a chirozyk! It's a pugocyte. It's a pugocyte.

Move the dice. tower so we can get a better shot. Oh! She's standing up. She's standing our hind legs. She's trying to out. She can chill there. Well, that didn't work.

I don't think it should, and either we need a help or kill it. I don't think we're going to be able to kill it. And I still think we haven't fully rejected the hamster ball idea. We have fully projected the hamster ball idea. Why? Isn't it no way that's going to?

I could turn into a whale. How big of a whale? A full-sized whale. But then how would you walk like a hamster ball? I will climb up the... I'll stick to the reins. I'll climb up on the inside. I'll wedge myself into the side,

and I'll turn into a whale. And the weight will... Well, then it's just going to get like a quarter ton of whale. Thank you. You're just going... I mean... I'll do this a few times. Not even that.

Part of it is decompressing, and you're going to... expand into a whale and explode the whole thing. Oh. Are these like tight kind of? If we kill it. Some of the time it's a little bit tight when you need to crouch, but other times it kind of opens up,

depending on where you are. It's like certainly a fucking whale wouldn't fit in here comfortably, right? There are areas where you think that there might, you know, there's a large chamber. You imagine that there's probably some sort of chamber that would be a monstros type, monstro type operation.

It sounded like it was in a lot of pain. Maybe this is like the other one where Felix gave it its own back. Maybe we need to give it some life back and it will be able to move on its own. I'm not sure. Well, try healing. How much health does something like this need? Maybe it's just like a symbolic thing and, you know, the thought that counts. That's fair.

It's not like we solved the hunger for magic for Kabiri. He's still hungry for magic And he likes to watch Watch what? Everything We're going to have to have a long series of talks When we get home It's a lot to teach you

Well, I will Can you Well, I guess I can walk out of this thing And so I'll walk out of The bubble And suddenly you feel your connection to anuvus restored and not sure what kind of healing requires. I will do a test heal to see if it seems like it does anything.

And I will use cure wounds at first level, just to see if it does anything. You, yeah, roll healing. Eight, you place your hand over side of the wall, and you see that it's particularly been festering. And as you cast the healing magic, you see, you kind of hear as the flesh

starts to close up as it starts to get larger and larger and looks a little bit healthier as you see perhaps there's a large hole into another chamber and then that closes up with the flesh. Well, it healed it a little bit. It's working.

That's it sounds like. That's good. It hasn't said anything yet. Is that better? Also, do you have a part of a little child in you that we could get back for this if we did more of that?

You have such a way with words. They all only say one word. Except the OG. Well, either that wasn't enough or that's not the right thing. What don't you try now? I could try.

I can. I got to. healing. I got healing coming out the Wazoo. You're trying. Hold on. Wazoo? Yeah. Have you ever been to the Wazoo? No. I don't know what you're talking about. It's a great... It's a great menagerie in Galtica.

I've never been to Galtica, you know this. Oh yeah, I'm sorry. I always forget. I've always wanted to go to a zoo. It's... If you've ever been to the Waa, you've really seen something. This is the Waa, huh? Wow.

Wow. Wow. Do we think potiony or, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, you've ever been to be a... Bip-Bippity-Bobbitty boop-ty. Just usually... Yeah, probably Bip-Bip-Dibbidi-Bop-de-Boo-Di. Because I don't know where you're going to put the potion. Unless it's like that.

I'll cast Healing Word at first level. I will look for a spot that it looks especially sore. Yeah. But something at the scale of like... Because Healing Word doesn't close a huge wound. Yeah. I'm mostly trying to numb. I won't be able to do what irises.

That's her forte. But I will look for a spot where I can go, you know what, I might be able to smooth that whole thing over. Yeah. And with a few frets on my fiddle and a few arcane magical words, sung I will endeavor to heal. Yeah, roll healing. You feel like it works?

they will enjoy let me just double check my chah right now yeah yeah um eight points of the healing arts eight points as you you heal that and with both

of you having healed more you hear throughout and then you hear very slowly kind of booming within boom boom boom boomed out as like an enormous slow heartbeat of some kind.

Few out deeper into this beast. Based on that alone, does it seem like it needs a significant portion of healing? A moderate portion of healing? What I will say, mechanically. Could I medicine check? Make a medicine check

at advantage because you both put in this and you've done the research. And is it obvious to us that that thumping sound was not previously happening until these heals were... just didn't notice it. Or it's that slow. 25. 25. I would say

that you get the sense that just kind of triaging this sort of thing is not going to work unless you were able to probably get to the source or the heart of this thing and if there is some sort of thing afflicting it with the parasites,

you could do that or something like a regeneration that basically is dealt with on a creature basis throughout that I think is kind of the idea. Or just pumping cure wounds or whatever on different parts in this kind of, without finding the heart or the core of the beast.

Well, we've tried everything. I'm gonna masturbate. Tora, stop him. Break his hands. No, that was the plan B. Wasn't it? It was plan B in a different plane. We had a new set of plans on each plane we go to.

Maybe it's healing. Please don't jizzle on this poor whale. It's been through enough. If I, if I, well, no, no, you guys, all right, all right. I can do literally nothing to help here unless you want me to kick it. Do you have a healing kick? Do not. I have an anti-healing kick.

Anti-healing kick sounds, oh no, that's just back-to-kick. We are all each only damaged by six hit points, right? each of us. All right. Stand around me. I don't know if I can get close to you. Can you please put your pants back on? All the way down to your ankle.

He's telling you why he's all up. You're like that. I'm not waiting for a hurdle down. All the way down. It's all the way down while I stands at the urn. Do guys really do that? It's very rare, but absolutely you will occasionally once in a blue mood see somebody standing in a urinal with their genes all the way down their angles. Once a seat is a puddle of pitch.

On the ground and it is drop it right in there. Some people are weird, girls. I just don't get it. And if you do that, I'm sorry, I'm not calling you weird. I promise. I'm calling you out. Stop doing that. There's a whole fly.

You just do, anyway. I will need you to wait another 13 seconds before I. I can approach you. Why? Stinking cloud dissipates. All right. Let's go. I dropped the enemy magic field

if it's not already up, and I join the group. I step 10 feet towards Iris. I've never done this before. I am not sure if or how it will work, but it's a gift Nubis bestowed upon me to protect those that I love. And you told me to keep my pants on. What?

What? You can't keep going. You're doing great. Thank you. You still have that hair on your chin, that incredibly long, thick, curly one? No, I don't. Oh, the retractable iron.

That is almost worse. So the hair is actually just an exposed nerve. You say this is to die. If I do, maybe, Oh, my God. Ah! You pull it in... It retract. It retract.

You pull it and it just... I can't. Oh, God. There's something in the cell. Oh, this thing. I would like to die. No. Please, just stop being you for a moment.

Mm-hmm. I'm not sure how this will work. Or if it will work. But it's worth giving it a shot. Well, let's see how this goes. And Iris immediately starts swirling with sand and gold. Her eyes go completely white and then gold. She almost looks like Ang in his avatar state,

where she just starts glowing this brilliant light as Iris cast mass heel and does 700 points worth of healing to this whale, minus six points for each of us. so whatever that, because I'm bad at math. So 600, 660 points to the whale, and then 40 points to each of us. And we're all cured of all diseases and any effects that make us blinded or deafened, and we'll see if that does anything. But that's, yeah.

30 minus 700. So 100 minus 30 is 660. 670. Thank you. Oh, 670. But bazinga. And that is Iris's ninth level smells like. Yeah, 700 points of yield.

Big deals. Love not. Oh, wow. I was reading about that earlier today. And I said, 700 is a big number. It is a big number. But for something like this. Sure is.

Oh, I guess I'll take the six. You. Holy shit. Pretty big healing six points for each of us. Pretty good. Mm-hmm. You. I'm all healed up.

I feel great. Swirl with sand. That's startling. That's, you. How were they to lick his feet? That's so fucking funny. Dagnon's like licking Mikey's feet. That must have been horrifying.

Oh, it's the parasite. It's the Pugasite. It's the Pucosite. You channel the power of Anubis, and the sand swirls all around you and billows and spills and crashes over and begins to fill the different tears

and rots. rotting holes and rotting wounds of this whale as it spills out and fills and pushes all of you. And you realize now that the sand that begins to fill the wounds is serving almost like a, just like how the sand had rebirthed Iris after becoming the mummy, the mummy when facing Anka Tap. That it begins to shift and change and patch up the wounds and heal as it then floods down in all directions,

all the various rotting blood vessels and different organ systems as it fills out. You are then, the entire, you hear the, as you hear the thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump, is it booming out and you see, you feel a massive shake and shift as you are then spilling back out of the, whale as the sand is billowing out and the flesh is starting to reform.

Oh, my God. I need everyone to make a dexterity saving you an advantage as you are being pushed out. Damn, I'm like rolling my hot fire out of 23. We've all been rolling various ways. Yeah, this has been crazy. Dix-terity? 19? Yeah, that's insane.

Yeah, 25. 15? 15? 15? 29. It's this also level 17, please. Yeah. Yeah.

was enough, anyone get below 15? You all able, you are all able to dodge back and begin to run out of this as you see, the flesh is closing behind you. The sand is also spilling out, almost getting a life of its own now, as it's being tended, as it's doing what it must be, what must be done to heal this many hit points

to this massive creature as you hear a thump-thump, thump-thump, thump, thump, as you, all manage to burst out as you see that running with you, almost trying to survive in various different tunnels or chambers, you see dozens, hundreds of parasites trying to escape and then being crashed and swallowed by the sand as they're being consumed. It's like the 1999 masterpiece, The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weiss, as they're being consumed as you manage to run out. And once you burst out into the heat. You see now that this massive corpse of a whale is starting to patch up the deep, uh, rotting,

uh, bruised-colored flesh is starting to turn this deep, uh, purplish blue as the ribs are starting to get covered in flesh. All patched and as the golden sand is spreading over this entire mountain-sized whale as you all stand back and sand is pouring off of it and you start running. away and you realize that the acid rain, thankfully, is now dissipated as it's now just the oppressive heat baking this thing as you are running and suddenly in a, you hear a thump, thump, and in a massive burst, a plume, a geyser of sand erupts from the blowhole at the top of this corpse and sand spills out and crashes down. And you see glittering flecks of gold spilling out as it crashes down and it almost falls like rain,

it's soft, it's warm, but it's not oppressive. It almost blocks out the sun as the blowhole burst this geyser of sand and it falls on top of the bloating whale carcass, slowly healing it. As you realize that you see something amidst the sand of the gold, riding down, you see the torso, a small child-sized torso, as it falls down directly at your feet.

As Asher perks up, and you see as this thing shifts and shakes as being reformed by the sand, as you hear it groan as the heartbeat, thumb, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, as is getting more and more intense as you then see that the sand is starting to heal it, and the parasites that had been crawling

all over its heart all inside and out are being swept away as they're shriveling and dying, and in a after several moments have passed from this great healing spell, this incredibly impossibly powerful magic,

there's silence and quiet. And you see reform no longer rotting, in this place, an enormous, massive, fiendish-looking whale. Just beached.

No longer rotting. You can see far off in the distance, a large eye closed. Oh. And then it slowly opens, and you hear a rushing of water, and from the blowhole, water erupts,

and fills the sky and rather than rain, acid rain, now salty briny water pours down, coating these badlands as the rain gets more and more intense. You taste the salt of the sea,

as it erupts from the heart of Baccarre as it begins to seep into the cracks of the badlands and rise and rise and rise. And the cracks in the ground are, sealed by the seawater that is bursting out as

this thing is moving and groaning as Lifter, you feel you feel actually tugging up your buns trying to bat at two of you again. He's coming back up. He gives it a smack and it's getting back up

and then gets on to your hair as you realize now that there, that a couple corpses of the Parasites rush by you as this massive whale starts to move to one side and then another. And then as it moved back towards you, you see this water that's rising start to actually crests towards you and it reaches your knees. As you realize that the water is starting to flow back and forth.

And you feel like there's limited time as Escher's urging you to grab the body and get away so he can teleport. I'll follow what he's signaling to me and pick it up. and kind of book it, but also cradle this thing, because it feels more like serious than like the disembodied parts. Like this is like a child's body. Yeah, you know. Also, you run so much faster than us. You just disappeared.

Yeah, I'm just gone. You do that and you get away and while your friends, as the water starts to get up to your knees and then your hips as you're trying to get this entire, Badlands is filling with seawater faster than you could possibly imagine. As you see now, this fiendish-looking whale spurting and slapping its tail as the sea is returning, the parasite slain, as the, as Asher appears before you in his humanoid form, and he picks you up and he kisses you passionately. As he looks at you and he says,

You lefty. You knew exactly what I meant. You're getting pretty good out there. I'm down now. So you. As he hugs you again, and he grabs the, he very gingerly takes the body

while the rest of your friends are going, opens up a portal to the pocket dimension, sends it sailing through, and closes it until he opens up in this deep greenish, grayish portal opens as water is spilling in. Now it's up to like your waist height as the acid rain is gone.

The parasites are gone. The hot sun now is entirely blocked by the clouds of the storms of the sea as Escher opens the portal and jumps through. And you all join him. I presume. Yep.

You presume correctly. As I have, I'm running, I'm catching up or staying in pace with Iris on the way to the portal just before we pass through. Holy shit, that was fucking crazy. He's no longer a running. He's no longer a lot of you changed an obereth's entire fucking existence. Cool, right? I'll sort of turn back, and I genuinely felt bad about this whale.

This is the first time that I felt remotely like any sense of compassion for any of the obrethes. and I'll sort of smile and I'll sort of say like I hope you help us and then I'll jump through from a meta perspective like I know that we they're like they're Oberoths yeah like we don't know the extent of how

evil or like what they've done or like I mean we know a little bit about them and a little bit about their history but like not much really right I mean you know basically you know that the Oberas were from a universe that they effectively destroyed Yeah. That's why it's like this weird, like we felt bad for it, but we kind of know that they're like, they're like creatures of destruction and evil. Like, and like entropy and like. But you know that he's just clumsy.

But you know that they were all led by the Queen of Chaos. Yeah. And so like it's, you don't know of like who's following what. We don't know their deal is. Yeah. They're all chaotic. Yeah, I prefer the, it's all chaotic. And it's the idea where it's not super structured and they have this queen of chaos and the prince of demons or the, uh,

Interesting dynamic. I'm enjoying it. I just wanted to ask. Anyway, you spill out into a mountainous region that is looming with green plumes of smog, billowing out of strange structures made from stone and metal and metal and bone, as you hear the clanking of hammers and the churning of strange gears,

as you see this strange mountainous region that seems to have these almost, they look like, anachronistically like, factories of some kind, and strange buildings that are churning and belching up plumes of this acrid green smoke. And that's what you say. Escher is in his human form. I have all that. Very fucking well done, Iris. Holy shit.

Yes, that was incredible. Thank you. If we ever need it. Well, not today. That is imp hair all over my face. Yeah. Sorry, Toa hugged us pretty close there as we were running into the whale. Oh, that's your hair? No. No, no. No, no.

should we need to really David Raffa. I will do my best. Well, we're definitely going to have a long rest before we have to confront any nightmares. Sure, we think so. I certainly hope so. I'm not sure about that. I could use a nice bath, you know?

A nice long bath. Oh, a night in the temple. We'll take six points of psychic damage thinking about Debris' We all. Disgusting mask. Disgusting. Please stop.

Please. Yeah, the temple. Oh, that would be so nice. Yes, it would be lovely. You know, I could scrub. And as you feel, the water's, the salt water is still clean to you that have been emerged from Bacard, the rotting husk. You feel it kind of stay with you as you all enjoy Plus Two Constitution.

Oh, man. I'm still exhausted from the desert. My favorite part is watching my actual HP go up. I love plus two come. My AC win up by one. Interesting. Wow. I gained 17 hit points.

Yeah, I just got a nice little chuck of hit points. Actually, everyone should have gotten 17 hit points. We did. That's how math works. Yeah, yeah. Got it. I didn't get 17 hit points. You should have.

Why didn't? Why didn't you? I don't know. That doesn't make any sense. You didn't. You should have. You didn't. You didn't.

I didn't. It didn't. It hit two. Yep. Returned. Yep. And then back out. Now you should have 156 like me.

Well, I guess it worked. Good job. It works, you know. Funny. Escher looks over the landscapes and says, this is not pleasant, certainly, but not nearly as bad as the previous. These are the flesh-forges. soldiers.

The flesh forges? Yes. Oh, that sounds awful. And this is the layer of Uyghus. The layer of what? Dweggis. The Chrysalis Prince.

Duwyrgous? Dweirgis. Dweigeth. D-W-I-E-R-G-L. Guys, you guys, you guys are to weird Gus? I'm just going to write. Dway-G-G-G-O-M-M-M-O-M-M-M-O-M-M-M-M-O-M-M-M-M-M-A. The weird guise.

D weird guise. I can just inventive my own names. My name is the chrysalis prince. They call me the Duh. The crystallus prince. Yep. Okay.

The chrysalis prince. And we're in the flesh. Forges. Which I'm assuming does not sound like something good. Like something. It sounds like

golem-y stuff, right? Like animating flesh? Not another forgery. Yeah, this is where they make demons. So are they forging flesh or are they using flesh to forge? That's a good question. Both. They are forging demons.

They are forging tenari. They've used the power of the Chrysalis Prince, these Tanare, to reproduce, take the corrupt immortal souls or the immortal demon souls, and turn them into demons, legions. If our plan, now that this has gone off, so much better, I hate to admit, than I expected. That's right there. That we may be able to restore the Chrysalis Prince,

and he might be able to take care of this domain and use these forges. to create an army against Pizzou I'm lucky you see his name it is weird what you say it are you sure that it has to be three times of succession

unless it's in a song because it's really freaking me out so this weird guess he uh what is he into how do you know hurting helping anything else

after the betrayal of the Tenari they broke him down into his chrysalis state. He's eternally cocooned, but he may be able to be reforged. Oh. And they used his own forges to create more of them.

The servants rose up against their masters. As I believe you saw on the visions you experienced before you met, me. Well, how do we find him? Here. This one is less mysterious. That is the Grand Forge there, and he points up and you see this massive factory-looking structure made from bone and stone and metal is rising up and there's billows of smoke. And he looks at you and says, but these This is populated by true demons. They have an operation here.

You may not have to fight your way through. You may be able to talk your way through. But as long as you can get to the Chrysalis Prince and allow him to be reforged, you may be able to reclaim control and all of these demons will be bound to him once. more. All right. It's just through there. Up on top of that mountain, yes.

Get ready to preach to talk. I'm always ready to talk. That's my secret. Are you going to go in looking like that? Iris might have a cream for that. What? For your acne. What acne? I haven't had acne in months.

Months, you say. Yeah. Ever since we saw the cloud giant, cleared right up. Remarkable. You're right, you know, I have not seen it since the Cleop Child. I'm going to go into my bat form, and I will be cursing the fact that I will not be able to talk to myself. So, we should disguise ourselves, is that what you're saying? That is what I would suggest. If you appear as simply mortals, why wouldn't they descend upon you rip your souls from your bodies and just, you? use them to create more demons.

It's a good question. Why wouldn't they do that? That's what I was... I was... Oh, I'm with you. I'm with you. Sorry, I'm sure. How should we disguise ourselves like? Oh, shit.

I don't know. Is it like gross stuff on the ground? There's a whole bunch of stuff all over the place. You can get creative. I'm going to turn into a bat now. I do not want to be seen. There are eyes, and although the crystallists Prince has been

reduced in state as Bacquard had. They still are able to see. They still have eyes and ears in their own layers of the abyss. Oh, I haven't prepared this guy's self in months. Oh, I have my mask.

Hold on. It doesn't look very demon-y. Just one minute. Hold on. Oh, we can hold on, Caprice. We're just one minute. Oh, just hope we can wait, yeah, we're holding. Oh, okay. I thought maybe I could do it, but I can't.

You don't have like a mass polymorph? How disappointing? I got like some sort of mass polymorph or... Well, that would be, uh... That would be possible, but into what? That would be able to bypass these, uh... You know, the stronghold. What about five, like, gross bugs?

Or six, I guess. I don't know. I mean, I could. Well, we don't need to polymorph Escher. He's a bat now. I suppose we could all become bats. But that seems like a lot of power for... We can just talk our way through

by putting on some of these bones. But if we all become... Well, I'll leave it up to you. We could just put on some of these bones. I feel like we could just put on these bones. Let's just do bones. That sounds fun. We never do bones anymore.

Yes. You're a mess. Bonds and Mars He could do Bones I could do Bones I mean my mask is kind of like a school

sort of thing I have nothing against Bones I even came up with a name since the last time we did Bones I thought I could go

by Bonnie Bones I love that for you Thank you Boney Bones I feel like we don't do names when we do Bones Should we all have

a Bones I think we should do names yes Oh They don't have to be B names, but they should be bony. Well, mine was going to have bone in it too. Well, it should. It's okay.

Go ahead. What is it? I was going to be bone skull. Okay. I love that for you. That's great. I think I should be Mr. Bones, aka the lesser demon formerly known as Mr. Osteoporosis.

That seems really long. That's very long. But that's the point. I love that. It's a real backstory. and we're going to need that kind of commitment. Yeah, and think about all the or the or the others we've met. They've had crazy names.

That's true. Nobody's just like Chuck or Gary. It's a lot shorter in a Bissell. Do you remember the last time we played Bones and we let Caprice be the game master? Yeah. And you took us through the penis temple and how it kept going from floppy to erect and we kept having to make dexterous shaving throws.

Yeah. Areas, what the fuck are you talking about? The last week... Oh, you didn't play with us. You went to bed early. Oh. You set up really late one night, playing bones. You missed Cock Palace. I'm sorry. Wait, was it bones, a Cock Palace?

Well, we were playing bones because you rolled the bones. Oh, I thought you were playing Twilight Empire. We were playing Twilight Imperium. We played that, too. I was the game master. You would have started? and Thars Dune would have escaped before you finish that first four-round. And every time we had to resolve an encounter, we had to play one game of knife monopoly.

To make it through Cox-Hallis. The rules of that Knife-Moply. You don't know about knife-molol? Yeah, you play Knife Monopoly. Yeah. No, she didn't. Oh, yeah, you didn't play Knife. Was that she was making alchemy? Yes, it was.

Presumably. I mean, I don't know what you were doing. She was making something. Were you making a larger point about penis temple? No, I'm just asking you if you remember it. I do. Yes, that's all. I'm going to be Barry Bones. I thought you did a great job as the Game Master.

Thank you. But I felt like we all just used our own names and having Bones names is a great idea. So we have Mr. Bones, Barry Bones. Boney Bones. You only got half of it. Bones Scott, aka the lesser demon formerly known as Mr. Osteoporosis. Oh, I'm never going to remember that, Felix.

And your Bones Scott? Could I just call you, I'm Bones, I'm Bones, Loftie, what are you going to be? I think I want to go with like Billy Bones because Billy is kind of androgynous. Oh, I do like that. Is it with N.Y or an I.e? I like that. That's good. So we have

say the whole thing. I'll go in this direction. Say the whole thing. Otherwise they're not going to know your best friend. Oh, and. Best demon friends for Elshed Elshed can't speak for himself, so we should just call him batty bones. Oh, batty bones. Wait, please, what was your name again?

Barry. So we have berry bones, bealy bones, Bonnie Bones, Bone Scott, and Mr. Bones, A.K.A. the lesser demon prince formerly known as osteoporosis? Perfect. I got it! You did it. Oh! Berry Bones. Yes.

You are a musician, yes? Yeah. What song would encounter? absolute berry bones. So many come to mind, why do you ask? Because you're a musician. Yeah.

And if we're going to play these characters and this demon can sense it and they want you to perform a song quintessential to bury bones, I want to go to bed. What if we're like a skeleton band? Like some sort of cool bone band. I like the skeleton band.

All of us are in a band? We're all one band, yes. Skeleton band. What can I play? I don't think we need to play anything. He's going to walk through and act like we were a band. I've always wanted to learn how to play an instrument.

I never had any time. Oh, it's like a cool, like rock and roll, heavy metal band. I don't know if you... I'm going to string a few strings, like, the length of my spoon to form, like, a giant bass. Yes, it's amazing. Classic. Can I be the screamer?

The what? You know, the screamer. Is that? What do you mean a screamer? It's just a person in the band who screams. Yeah, so Caprice would sing and then ran. I'd go really loudly. I like that.

I think that fits our sound. And that's all. It's all right, little maggot that I found on the floor. Is that like, you know, that song that goes, You know, I'm a screamer. And I say water do. And I say, yeah, that one. Yes.

What I didn't. I'm fine with whatever, I guess. It can be the screamer, then I need to be something else. You can be the screamer. screamer? The screamer, it's fine. Toa doesn't look like he wants me to be the screamer. No, you can be the screamer.

I'll just, you know. Did you want to be the screamer? No, no. I'm not, frankly, a fan of, you know. Toa, I mean... Of vocals that sound like cookie monster or pteraductrils, just not really more thing. Bone Scott plays ukulele.

All right. What do you play? Okay, but... I made a bass out of my spoon. That's actually very clever. I can't really play, but I look good, do it. There you go. Yes, but what about Mr. Bones, formerly known as the lesser demon,

formerly known as Mr. Asteropros. Yes. Thank you. Is it Mr. Osteopiose? Yes. Oh, Mr. I missed the Mr. The second Mr.

Do you also play an instrument? No, I mean, I'll have to just pretend or lie. Well, what are you going to pretend or lie about playing? I don't know the drums, the tambourines, something easy. Drums. Do you have drums or a tambourine? No, but I can just, You know, who carries a drum kid around?

Just I have this dolphin? Wait, wait. I have this dulcima for some reason that I put in my pack and have been carrying this entire campaign. You've got the femurs, but that's why we're headed to the Fledge, Fleshforge, to craft a new drum. A new drum kid. Stretchy's top skin, right? As long as I don't have to play it. I mean, I can make it up and try to fake it, but it probably won't sound good.

Look, if you have to play it, just do this. Yeah. And make it look like you're playing. I'll minor a leeching the rest. Done. I can, I've got enough hand-eye coordination to at least present. So this is perfect. So we have a drummer, a ukulele player, a vocalist, a bassist, and a screamer. Done.

And a maggot. Here's the thing. My ukulele doesn't really have kind of a hardcore metal sound. So when I play, you have to make it sound like I have an active humbucker pickup. Okay. What did you say? And that I'm using the bridge pickup and not the neck picket. This is very important.

I mean, you don't have to come a mess. A humbuck up? A humbuger? It's obvious, right? Yeah. If you're gonna make one choice. And it has to be a humbucker, no single coil. It's not very metal at all.

I speak so many languages and I'm so lost. Well, music requires a lot of study feelings. You don't know what I'm talking about that? Oh, I walked into that one. I walked right into that one. Got him. All right, so, well, we have a band, we have names, but we don't have a band name. Hmm.

Band of Bones This seems a little odd to notes Okay, your name is Barry Bones Yeah, and your name is Bonnie Bones Yes, I know, but I came up with it first, you copied me I thought we were all doing the alliteration thing That's not fair Wait, are you like B-A-R-R-R-Y

B-A-R-R-Y? Like Barry Barry B-A B-A Yeah Okay, I thought maybe you're doing a pun like you Barry Bones Oh, that's very fun,

Shit, I didn't think of that. Oh, no, you should definitely be, B-U-R-O-B-R, I'm changing it now. And it's still pronounced exactly the same. The world ended 10 minutes ago. Oh, fuck. I don't know, because we're in a different rise of dimension.

The world is dead, we lost. We have to find joy somewhere. Yeah, you're right. Oh. Um, let me think about it, hold on. Mm-hmm. Oh, done. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. What are you thinking about? We're brainstorming band names so that we have our story straight when we sell this outrageous lie in three seconds. The final four sessions of any dark wings have to the final eight sessions. What if we call ourselves the catacombing? What we have to go on tour. The catacomb kids? Yeah.

I like that a lot, actually. The catacomb kids. Doesn't have to necessarily be a pun for some of anachronistic... punk rock. We're not really into that. How about Boney and the Jets? My personal favorite of what you just mentioned is My Chemical Bone Man's.

My Chemical Bone Man's was great. It's a bit of... It's a bit. It's a bit. Like he says, a little too punk rock. Like punk pop. How about the rolling bones? Dumb. All right. I don't think of words.

The rolling bones. It's right here. It's right in front of us. It was right in front of us. And Mike even said that the structure we looked upon was made of bone and stone. And we didn't fucking put that together, the rolling bones. All right. Maro Smith.

That's good. I changed my name. No, Barry's too good. Yeah, you have to be, you have to be Barry. What's Bone Scott all about? You can be Merrill Smith. No, that's a band name. That's a band name.

But Smith is also a last name. No, it's not, it's too long. I like everybody's names. I like everybody's. I like everybody. All right. And no one at this table gets that reference. It makes me very sad.

I'm sorry. Bon Scott was the original lead singer of ACDC before he passed away from alcohol poisoning in 1980. Three, two. Wow. Well, you can keep phone spot. I'm not like a change if no one gets it. Well, now we all get it.

You explained it? We all get it. No, it's not. So everyone's dressed now, right? We all look like our bony self. Yeah, this whole time we've been like, what are you doing? We've created a fan.

No, I'm kidding. I would say that we would be trying to disguise ourselves in some sort of fashion, you know, and that led us off on a tangent of coming up with bone fake names. Iris would have pulled out her makeup kit, which she obviously uses every day and, like, take in the coal eyeliner that she has and put dark eyeliner on everybody

and really like glam rocked everybody up. Oh, what about fiends of the bone mage? Yeah, pretty good. Yeah, I would be doing that. I would, if you're applying makeup to everyone, I would line up and allow you to do that to me and try to make us look like as, I guess, undead, you know, fiendish,

you know, like we belong here to some degree and we're going to try to pass it off. You guys just stay in the back, okay? All they need to do is get some vague idea of what you look like. I'll point at you. I'll say your names. I'll explain that we're here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'll try to hide my face a little bit. I can make myself look like this, and I hit my head, and I just look fucking awful. But I look like some sort of a bone demon, not disgusting the way that I look without my mask. We look months. What is that one band where they all, like, dress up? like demons and stuff. Kiss. No, Guar, is that what they're called?

Oh, I know you're thinking, yeah. Yeah, we look like a combination of when Sam and Frodo disguises themselves as a dorks. Combined with Azog from the Hobbit films before they decided to replace the costume or CGI. And it's totally covered in, I think, right? Isn't it covered in like bone armor and stuff? Oh, yeah, yeah.

So that's what we, that's what we're wearing. I'm gonna stay bone, Scott. You should. Yeah, you should. That was your first choice. As good as Marrow's what is will be the rolling bones, because that's very good, too.

All right, we're feeling ready enough for this. We're just going to get into that flesh forge. We're going to find Dwebis, Dweigus. Hey, yo, Dwebis. You think Dweeas. Come out, come out. Dwebis.

We're going to help him out, and he's going to flesh forge us to destiny. I found this little maggot. Yeah, he's... Can I keep it? Oh, my God. No, you may not. Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, Joe. You're not allowed to keep the maggot, Iris. Why not? Because we couldn't keep Fangie. But Fangie was, like, gigantic, and this little maggots very small. We can't do it. Yeah, but you don't know what the little maggots

going to turn into. What if it's something horrible? It's snoring. Yeah, I know it is very cute. And actually, you do see, like, strange maggots and caterpillar-looking things kind of crawling around. Like grubs?

Grubs, yeah. Definitely grubs around. And you actually see that there are demons, like down in this valley. There's going back and forth. They're pushing these big carts. And you see there's a loud buzzing around, and you see there's insectoid demons flying around.

And this is a really, like, horrifying, like, elders' place. But compared to, like, the rotting stench whales, like, yeah, you know. The small maggot is going to end up, like, the saddest episode of Teen Titans ever with the fire and Silpy. Yep. No. Oh, no. You can keep it for the illusion, for this deception, and then once we have to go back through the portal, you're going to leave the grub here.

We could name her grubby. Yes. You have to name it. You fucking, you fuck. What? It's really cute. You don't like to blame grubby? I've thought really hard about that.

It's hard as I'm not about fangy. I don't fucking, you fuck. Don't fucking name you fuck. Because we can't leave grubby. Why did we name it? It's awfulness. It was just a suggestion. It was a suggestion.

We've already had a heartfelt goodbye scene to an animal. Shit. Let's go, Ben. Bone, Scott, I'm disappointed in you. I know. I'm disappointed that I missed Bone Jersey. Asher to teleport's back and he looks at all of you. It was your alibi.

What do you mean alibi? Do you even know how the Tenari? Do you know how the demons operate what the rules are? I figured we'd walk up and they'd be like, what have you been doing? And I would say murdering. And they'd be like, yeah, I mean, high fives all around. And then I would say, we're here to make a drum made out of flesh. And they would say, we came to the right place.

That's metal to strike is what they'd say. Come on, man. That's fucking sick. That's fucking sick. Mike, is this how you expected the session ago? You see that the bones that you have, he's like, well, give yourself spikes on your head. Oh, and then if anyone asks you, you are babau demons. Babau demons, yes.

Oh. Yes, they are the, they're usually assassins and recruiters, so a band, I don't know. That's what I got. We're recruiting. Because if you... music. If they think you are bone devils, it'll be blood in some... Remember when you went to... Go to the movie

theater and they always played citizen soldier by three doors down to recruit for the military? All right, that's all you get. That's what we're doing. So we know that we are supposed to be demons on devils. Yes. We would not make that mistake. I would make sure we don't make that mistake.

There you go. And you're going to need to back me up. If we have to speak abyssal. Yeah. Then you're the only one here who can do that. You can't do. I mean, in addition to myself. That's fine. I'll help.

Who can back me up. As you all are applying, finishing applying your costumes, whatever makeup, you have plenty of icky, goofy stuff, whatever you want creatively. But as soon as you finish putting the horn on your head and the skull and kind of being covered, I need everyone to make a deception check. I'm twisting. Goopsy's all our twists. And I'm going to teach the other one phrase that they can say just in case.

Oh, wow. Middle of the road. I need this. You said deception. Yeah, I've got plus two. I'm going to get up a threat. I'm feeling good. I've been rolling an absolute hot fire. Hell, yeah. I'm going to be exhausted. Who else is exhausted?

Oh, shit. Everybody but me and Caprice, I think. We all have to roll at a disadvantage. Unless the mass heel gets rid of exhaustion. I don't think it does. Natural fucking 20 for 22. 22? Oh.

I just. I can't be stopped right now. Do you get that twist if you want. I got a 19 person. No, I can't. I'm only two good rolls like me. A team. 10?

A team. Okay. 28. Okay. Jeez. 27. 27 for lifting, okay. This is just for general making your way through the flesh

for us. Oh, six. Six. Okay. You all finished dogging your costumes. and... I put my horn instead of on my head, I put it on grubby. Okay. You have a grub.

Oh, grubby. And you... It's dripping good. Make your way to the Grand Forge. Is that what you're doing? Yeah, absolutely. We beeline it. You make your way through, and you see all manner of demons working. There are some that are in...

You see mining operations going through... You see great buildings of forging and industry. You see all manner of demons, these buzzing long proboscis-fus-fus fly demons. You see enormous hulking orangutan-looking demons. You see packs and packs of these small baboon-looking demons, moving around in packs off and doing manual labor. You see strange demons that look like they're just a mass. of eyes and teeth.

You see that there are demons of all varieties going about. You see some that are very large, almost toad-like humanoid demons, as they are all doing various jobs throughout, very clearly hard at work with the big pillowing, billowing plumes of smoke all around you,

this toxic green, acrid smoke. And you manage to make your way around. and you make your way down this main road, you try to act incognito, but Grubby has the horn that was on Iris's costume. Oh, Grubby, don't fuck this up. You look so cute with your horn, Grubby.

You see that there is a group of small demons, small horn demons that look a little bit, scaly with kind of big bug eyes. And they kind of have small, almost like small butterfly wings or moth wings. As well, it's like long tails. A lot of these things definitely, even though they're kind of mostly toad or mostly baboon or orangutan, all of these kind of have a vibe, the aesthetics of moss and butterflies or caterpillars or grubs.

And you make your way through and suddenly you see up ahead of you. You hear as a verifiable mob of small-horned demons run towards you as they have these small little spears they're very clearly dripping with like this acrid venom

as they run up and you recognize this type of demon. You had murdered several of them in Pale Knight's Castle and Ardalen. And, and, and,

and, and you see that they are running up to you, and they're shouting out, especially pointing towards Iris. And they start approaching you in a hurried march.

What do you all do? As they're getting closer, can Caprice and I understand what they're saying? Oh, me too. Anyone who can understand Abyssal Roll perception. Middle of the road.

That was dumb. 21. Dirty 20. Seven. The two of you, you can hear, boom devils! Hey, boom devils! The devils!

As they all run up, and they have spears, and they're running around. You can see that there's a bunch of different these closets kind of out and about and around, and you'd made your way past, you'd made your way through the valley, you'd seen them. And you see that there is about 12 of these closets.

as they have their things. One of them is a little bit bigger. He's got even bigger eyes. He's got little... The little... Even small, like, fuzzy antenna is coming up from his head. And he says...

What are boom devils? We're not bone devils? We're not bowed demons. Can't you tell the difference, you fucking idiot? Speaking of a sudden, Jeff. He's upset with myself. Oh shit. Deception, you say? Yeah.

If only D&E Beyond would let me scroll up. I rolled a seven, so 25. I got a five for insight. What are you doing here? We don't really get much about on this plane. We've journeyed a long way. Making our way to the flesh forges, where we're going to forge some flesh.

We're part of a band. Yeah, this is our screamer. That's body bones. I'm Barry Bones. It's not spelled how you think. We have other various names. as well. I would happily tell them to you if you're interested, but I'm not sure if you are, given that you're holding your spear up in a menacing manner, which makes me feel threatened.

I am interested. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is Bone Scott. I'm Bone Scott. I do Bone King! This is Mr. Bones, the lesser demon formerly known as Mr. osteoporosis. Chica, chica, yeah. And this is purely bones.

We're not related, but we have the same. last names. Except for him, he's changed this. Now, no, no, now I do have to see my last thing. Well, you know, but we were all born with the business. Previously. You changed it, too, and we were all born with us. This is where we're like,

but all I tell on, I was to hear, I'll be like, my name is Scott. Oh, yeah, you're on my skin. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's his first name. We let him in, but, you know.

We let him in, because he has a metal ukulele. Sounds different than you think. Are you gonna let us through, or are we gonna have to throw down, little Jim? Toa, I think Caprice needs help. He's brandishing his thing, are you ready? He loves at you and said like,

Those are really odd, demon names. I told you we journeyed far. They're very normal. What are normal demon names to you? Gassanaz, Brownman, Drithton, Scytharov, Bugler now, that kind of thing. Kyle!

That sounds really... That sounds really... He's really... Oh, well, Kyle, I don't mind Kyle. I lost my backs up a bully. No, I swear they're demons. He's the star demon. I'm the space demon.

She's the cat demon. She's the fox demon. And he's the demon demon. Muh, oh, wow. Make a group deception tag. All right. Only three of us need to succeed. I'm doing a fantastic.

Okay, we're just drove it being the screamer. At disadvantage? No, no, no, no. Oh, geez. I got an 18, 18. Oh, shit. Deception, you say? Yeah.

Seven. 11. Oh, I'm sorry. You said for deception? Deception. I apologize. I got an 11. What? Yeah.

Well, I can't inspire you now. No, I know. I fucked up. I'm... I had an 11. I got in love. Sorry. All that.

Plus zero wisdom for Quasins. Well, I rolled a 19, and I got a 37, so maybe I can pull some at a little extra weight. I don't know. I got an eight. Yeah, we're fun. I rolled the two for insight. And he's like, okay, call it.

And he turns around. And they all huddle. We're doing all right. But we're going to have to step up our game a little bit. Do you want to offer to perform for them? I will happily offer to perform for them. I haven't understood a word he said. No, that's because you don't speak abyssal.

I just want to do reinforce. They were demons. It's going well. It's going fine. Oh, good. We're going to be fine. Yeah, we're going to be all right. But so are we going to perform if we need to perform?

I've got a great song lined up. You just follow my lead and we'll be golden. All right. I start pretending to tune my spoon. As I said, we're a band. We're called the Rolling Bones. And we're trying to flesh craft a drum. You're gonna get in the way of artistic mastery.

Yeah, all right, of our musician dreams. That's what you're gonna do? Make your persuasion check of advantage. Uh, persuasion 36. Yes. What are you supposed to go. 36, damn. Reliable talent, jack-and-all-trades, yada, yeah, yeah.

All right. Well, I guess that makes sense. But we gotta escort you. If you're new to the flesh forges, we gotta take you to the taskmaster. And then you can prove your band if you are who you say you are. That would be fine.

That would be fine. However, before we see the taskmaster, can I ask you a favor? A favor between you and me? I don't know your name, but you seem really trustworthy. And you have one of those trusting faces, you know? My name is Othtoff. Othotthoff? Ohthtoff.

Okay. Not Othothothothoft, or bone othos or anything like that? No, we don't have a bone theme here. Not Othoff, the Gosst. Bones are usually. the devil thing. Well, you haven't talked to a Babau demon, now have you?

I got me. Wait, which demon lord do you serve? I immediately try to recall if I would know if the Babau have any kind of demon lord if I would have read about that at all.

I would say make an archa check. You got this. Plus 12. Nice. 27. 27. You know that all demon types are used generally by all demon lords.

And that's why the ones that had worshiped Baphimet look kind of more bull-like, and these guys look a bit more bug-like. And so it really depends. And I would say that you could try is that there are an infinite number of layers in the abyss. So you can just try to make one up. I would try to recall a name. Again, if I would have read any names in the books, I would try to recall the first one that came to my brain and just shout it out.

and hope that either they'd never heard of it or that I just guessed correctly. Look at the big brain on brand. Make another Akonishuk. One more. Demon Prince Marrow Smith. 31. 31. You think for a moment.

The 19 roll. You think for a moment, I can't believe this, you realize that there is a demon prince of undeth. Named Orcus. and who has his skull for her head. And he's all about bones and boneitis. I like, I shuffle up next to Le Caprice and, like, over his shoulder. I look over and I say an abysal. Orcus.

Orcus. Yeah. You heard of him, right? Oh, really? Orcus's people don't usually come here. I am so sorry. No, no. Othcough, that's fine.

You had no idea. Oh, please don't. Please don't tell the dance of the dance of cheese. And the rolling bones. Osca's getting it. The Rolling Bones. Athok's favorite band. Right?

That's why we're asking, before we go and see the taskmaster and take care of all of the formalities, this is our first visit here. We would love, love to check out Dwergus and see his eternal torment before we had to get to them to business. You know, a little pleasure first. What do you think? Make your Sweden check. At advantage. It's a little more.

Because you mentioned, what do you think? They're both 19, so fucking 37. He looks at you and says, Oh, well, if you're on special business from Orcus. Oh, and absolutely. I mean, that does sound like something he'd kind of be into. Yeah, I mean, the taskmaster is right there in the flesh forters. I mean, he's at the heart of it with his chrysalis.

I don't know if you've ever been. I can give you a tour around. if you want. I don't know when you're in. Maybe we can stop and get a bite or something. You're telling me that the taskmaster is already right there with the Chrysalis himself? Yeah. Great. We'll be able to kill two birds with one stone and I like killing more than one thing at the same time. Awesome. Thanks off Toss. Leave the way. All the claws go. They're all high-fiving. All right. And they say, okay, this We'll go to the Grand Forge.

We're gonna go to the Grand Forge. Yeah. Follow us. It's working. It's working. Follow us. And I shambled behind. I can't have to get to sing my song. I'm a demon. Okay, yeah, no, this way. And they start like shouting out and you hear this

as these horrible mutated baboon-like demons that are just a little bit bigger than the clauses, all ride up, and they all kind of have these weird, like built-in bones, like chrysalis saddles, and they all hop on these strange demons, and they say, follow us! As they all ride out on these strange, kind of like simian-like mounts

that are horribly demonic as they lead you through this town. Occasionally, you'll see a very large, fly-like creature with a huge pointed proboscis look down at you, and then the main closet kind of gives a signal and you continue

on your way. As you make your way to the Grand Forge, huge plumes of smoke are billowing out and the massive forge is ahead of you. The gates are open, they're not closed as there's crates of weapons and armors being

rolled out and you see that there are chambers that are open on all sides as strange new demons go shrieking into the night. And you make your way as it's like this bright green glow from within. And you see that there are two guards as there are their massive hulking orangutan gorilla-looking creatures. As they lean forward as they go as you would hear who speak abyssal.

Jesus, And basically, you would hear a conversation, obviously back and forth about not expecting any visitors from any other layers. But as soon as they mention Orcus, the beasts, the guards get out of the way and they guide you through. And you see enormous ceilings and strange glowing

and you hear shrieking and cackling as bursts as certain smaller creatures are thrown into pits and screaming as they melt and they're deformed and they are a rise as new mindless demons. You see creatures chained up

to the wall and experimented on. You see that there are some sort of like flesh amalgams of various different pieces being put together and turned and forged into new things. As you see this massive operation and eventually you are

brought to a grand audience hall after a grand staircase that opens up and you see that there is a green crystallis symbol on the door. The door opens and you see a massive pit that's blazing with this green energy and all around it is

it looks like it's built the forge that the forge that Torvald had made to reforge the bottom of the seven parts but a fiendish demonic version of that and glowing green with this massive pit of molten energy. And you see that hanging above it

are chained up in the center of the room looks like a huge sickly green cocoon as it's hanging and swaying by the chins hanging over the forges. And you see that there are strange there are strange things dropping into the forge as if these demons are utilizing the power

of the power of the Chrysalis Prince in order to fuel the rest of the forge. And you realize now that all of this strange molten green power that is pooling at the center had all of these grooves where it all flowed into the various different forges of the throughout the factory that you're in. And at the center, you see an enormous demon that is going about businesses.

There are other hulking, laboring demons, or smaller working demons. You see that it's talking to two of these flies that then buzz out. And you see as it is, it almost looks like a fiendish goat-like creature with two huge arms and two huge crab claws. as it also has these big bug eyes and antennae and it's this horrible abomination, and it just stinks in here. As you see these closets are ahead of you, and as soon as you enter,

the taskmaster looks at you and is very clearly upset, and he calls out, no one's supposed to be here. And you see that the... I'm going to roll something for the closets. The lead closet immediately goes white. Oh, no. If he could. And he goes...

I do... B... Bid... August. And he... ...he lumbered forward. And... He says...

You need to say. He says... Spit it out already! And... And the little closet is looking up his eyes are filled with tears. They're here from August. They're a band or something. Please, I mean, they wanted to see him.

Make an acrobatics check. 15. 15. As you begin to step forward, you see that this closet, Othtoff, is terrified as the huge crab claw immediately snatches him up. His eyes are bulging as he's being crushed and he's thrown into the pit,

the massive pit of green. And he was, uh, sizzles and there's horrible soul stuff pop, pop, pop, like, out. And the other closets immediately, uh,

bolt and they turn as they run as, he calls out, um, he calls out to one of the, there's a large fly demon. The last one in this chamber, who's, clinging to the wall and he says

make sure to escape and it buzzes out after them and the door's close oh I mean that was pretty metal that was the story of Othos everything's fine Caprice has this under control okay he knows we're demons

we're demons I will I will step forward a second time and look the taskmaster into the eye and you'll hear my voice boom out. in common. Well, no, Mikey understood that though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes, no, I didn't know. Hi. Well done killing the closet.

You make a great taskmaster. Hey pal. We are the Rolling Bones, and we come as representatives from Orcus. And we are here specifically to see Dwergus, for we are to put a great show on here. A show for who? What does Orcus want around here? We need to create a drum. A drum that allows us to play our best song.

And we will perform a premiere of it here, a debut. However, we, uh, we need privacy to forge it and privacy to set up the show. Make a exception check. Oh, natural 20. Oh, yeah. I got a 25. Wow. I got a 38.

Oh, dear. Fucking Orcus. Huh. And you, a concert for Orcas? What the fuck? We're making demons here. We're on a schedule, we're on a timeline. We understand that this is a large ask, a favor. Orcus will not forget this great deed

that you have done this day. If you want, I'm happy to play a little taste of what the rest of your demons have to share in when you gather them all here after we've had, a little privacy to forge the drum that my drum player needs. And if this is an arrangement we're settling, then this is

going to be granting us the power of undeath and more I'm sure your master would be very pleased to accept this gift that would allow us to hit our timetables even more efficiently here let me give you just a quick taste

of what you and your your your uh uh demon friends have it have it have in store make a persuasion check straight that's cocked that's just cocked

21 oh wow oh I thought that was a 3 he steps back and he still was a little skeptical but he steps back and he says all right convince me

now the magic that we have to share with this song is not going to take effect until we have a full Bam. However, I'll start to sing. I can feel it coming in the air tonight. Oh, Lord. And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life. Oh, Lord.

Can you feel it coming in the air? And I sing as much of the songs I need to to get to the drum moment. And then I go, but... But... Now, imagine that on... Unless you're skinned. It's just... It's just... It's going crazy with the femurs, and there's nothing to hit on.

You see, without that one moment. The song is lost. All the magic is gone. Make a performance check in advantage. Sorry, Daddy. Poor Dagger. Uh, 30. Wow. Um...

It's chocolate. He looks at you. And he kind of narrows his eyes. And he says, all right, I'm going to need it. Right, you know, that orc is, and his legions are going to make good on their end of the bargain. Yeah. All right. You mean I need a sign, or do you sign?

I'm happy to produce the documents that you require. That's what you're asking. Yes. Just one moment, and I will fetch them from our document keeper. Deception check. No. Who? Fucking, outer space again.

Hold on. 17 plus 18 is 35. It's 27. Ah, man. It's possible for him to beat me. And he says, all right, hurry up, I don't got much time. We can't have these fordustrapt. It's a much longer.

I'll race over to the rest of the group. All right. I've almost got him out of here, and then we're going to have all the privacy we need in order to do what we need to do. I just need to quickly create some, like, abyssalite documents or something just to prove that Orchus has sent us in order to share his undead magic. Okay, fine. Let's whip something up.

And then if we can just get that crystals open and explain what's going on with the P-Man, I think we'll be out of here. We'll be done. We'll buy what we need this to do. This is very complicated and I'm very confused. Just hang in there. It's gonna get easier, I promise.

All right. Okay, I've got paper. I'm ready to play it too. Right here. I think I've got a quilt. Yeah, I've got a quilt. Okay, hold on. Just make it look as as official as possible.

Okay, what do you want to tell me? What I, I, I, orcus, I have sent the rolling bones. including Bonnie Bone, Billy Bone, Bone Scott, Mr. Bones of Lesser Demon, formerly known as Mr. Ospremonist, and Barry Bones, to perform the magic necessary in order to share the undefth through song, but it can only be performed with a full band in front of Dweigis, the crystallid prince, at the flesh forges. Got it! And to make it look like it was signed by Orcus. So...

Would you like to use some of the maggots? wax to see it. Did he spill berry right? I got it, I got it. Squeeze it out. And we need a little stamp or something. Oh, we use the maggots paw. Oh, genius.

This looks really fucking official. Good job, maggot. Turn around having gotten everyone's help. Hey, there you go. We found it. Make a deception check at advantage because you were assisted. Wow. 28.

I think I'm bestable. Not enough. All right. Oh, wow, you got this notarized by Hugelof type stuff. Oh, you are fancy and official. It's the only way to do it. It's very funny. All right.

He rolls it up, and you see that he takes his, he takes his one, his arm that isn't a crab claw as he a a claw emerges and he stabs his wrist

as Icor pours out and he puts it on his finger on his claw and then he signs some sort of strange name and he folds it up and it hisses and bubbles and it gives it back to you.

Thank you. And you know that's binding. I mean, yeah. That's my... Who doesn't have a good bind? Now we As I said, we need an hour with the fleshfords is in here, and we need an hour with Wirgis to make sure that the show is as good as it possibly can be.

And when those doors open again, you and the rest of the demons can all enter and share in the promise of undead magic. Necromancy. You got one hour. And he walks out and the door slammed behind him. Okay. Holy shit. We've got about an hour.

But we got to figure out how to wake up or break out this criminal. Let's explain to him what's going on and get him to come to our side. We've got one hour to do that. Otherwise, we have the entire fucking layer of the abyss coming down on our next. We'll fail. We'll just have to get a portal out of here. I'm sure once we explain what's going on to this Obroth, he'll start raising an army against the P-Man.

They will. And it'll be a huge benefit to what we're willing to do. Yeah, but how do we wake him up? I don't know. Can we just cut open the little sack? No. I'm going to fall out. My concern is that the way to benefit him is to let him finish his metamorphosis.

If we pierce it now... Do we know how long it's going to take? No, but maybe we can help facilitate and foster that metamorphosis. Do you have sack gross? What if we... What if we played in my song? Don't they say it like music and help plants grow faster or something? Maybe it works for a giant...

It's at this moment that you all hear a voice now that the taskmaster is gone. As the chrysalis pulses with green energy. What is it mean? Dweiris knows what's up. He knows we're here. He knows we're here to help. Rebirth? I don't know what it means, but that's what we gotta do.

All those little creatures in the forge they were going. being thrown into the whatever, and then being turned into something else. Maybe we put the crystallus in the vat of, whatever that is, goo. Whoa, that's extreme. I mean, we either fuck it up really bad or it works really quick.

I would look up to where this giant crystallus is hanging from these chains to see where the chains go up onto the ceiling to see if there's any kind of like a mechanical winch system to like physically lower him down or if he's just affixed to the ceiling suspended. He's affixed to the ceiling suspended as if trying to prevent him from going into the...

Right, the forge. We need to try something else, like, we need to find something else to throw in there. And I look at Grubby. No! I look at Toa, recognition in my eyes. You don't mean. I mean, there's no one else. We're totally alone.

No. But Grubby could come back as something beautiful. A beautiful grubberfly. No. A grubblefly. I would prefer to go. into that vat before I'd put grubby in there. You've only known grubby for like...

And you only knew that two-headed T-Rex thing for a second. How dare you say that? How dare you insinuate we throw grubby into a vat of goo? I mean... Given how long it took us to walk here. Iris has technically known grubby longer than you knew. Let's be realistic. Look at grubby.

He's in a fight to the gods. He's a genetic mistake. Yeah. We can't. You shouldn't be able to put your finger under the chin of a creature and have it be perfectly balanced. That's just... I'm just saying it might... It might be worth the show.

We're going to split the fandom. The Fangie versus Grubby in fighting is going to get so real. Faggy Grubby Dawn of Justice. Oh, God. And listen to what else else? Grubby looks at you. looks at you with big eyes that kind of go up in different directions. Yeah, he kind of roll in his head. They kind of roll in his head, and they roll back, and they look at you with the sense of knowing and acceptance.

I'm glad that you know and accept that I will not put you in a vat of goo. You all safe here, Grubby. Caprice, would you like to go in? I'm not going in. Grubby's looking at you like, it's my time now. Yeah. Grubby is not. I am kind of getting like, kill me vibes. No. I can't.

Andy is looking at this punk and actually living this moment. I just want everyone to know why the laughter is so strong. Dachnie's first. Yeah, well. Not every grubby survives at first adventure. Grubby, where do you want to go? Do you want to go in the goo? Do you want to go in your goo?

What do you say to? Are you saying that? Yes, but in my voice. I'm tickling what I imagine would be grubby's jig. It blinks up on you. It does actually not look dissimilar to Starfires. What? Can we make grubby roll for it?

Grubby can roll. Roll for what? To see if Grubby wants to go in the goo. Come here. Oh, gruby wants to go. Grubby got a three. Grubby has a plus 20 to sacrifice. So Grubby, you see, as you were talking to Grubby, it kind of looks at you, doesn't

understand what you're saying. Very clear. And it looks at the goo. And it's kind of like, Grubby, please don't leap from my arms into the goo. It's trying to inch towards the goo. It was what it was born for. Grubby, please. Hiress.

Grubby needs to offend. to transform. This is just the life that they have here. It's what it's meant to do. It is a re-shirt. Shut up all of you. Brother, if you want to go in the goo, leap from my arms into the goo. I'll let you go.

You're usually letting it. As soon as you let, like, let go at all. Gobs like, go ahead and be like, like, TikTok up by Duck Adam. It's like, say, Doug Adam. He's going for its first swim. And then the Dukes T-T-T-T-O. I'm so sorry. They're scared.

And you see his Grubby lands with a plop, and with the green, like, flesh, begins to inch towards the large forge. Grubby. It's going to be okay, Iris. Shut up. Don't talk to me. Grubby will be reborn.

Don't talk to me. Better. You can do it, grubby. We'll see you soon. Grubby inches towards, and eventually, with no sense of preservation, like a lemon. Justin falls in.

head. It's like when the shoe goes under the dip and it looks like dropping a beef weldington off a hotel balcony. As it falls and it hits the goo

and suddenly as soon as it hits the goo, Grubby's eyes go wide and from its grub-like mouth it bursts this strange of green substance that begins to then wrap around it as it sinks into the bubbling green forge as he sinks below the surface.

You see the eyes being covered in the strange green cocoon as he goes on you. Yeah, and he does the, a little arm comes down. A turbanator, I pulled the terbiator. Oh, shit. And then the green stuff, Salsa begins to bubble and bubble. And suddenly, you see a. fiendish, demonic, pug-eyed butterfly demon. A puckerfly.

A puckerfly demon flies around, and it flies through the room, circles around the huge crystallus, as you see that although this demon looks like a full ascended demon, it's buzzing cacophonously, it sounds almost like it's a trying that you, that it's almost unbearable to listen to. It reminds you of obnox ob and his swarm. He flies around with these

abute, it's, it's, it's silently hideous and beautiful. It's like the end of Dr. Doolittle with the moth, the moth and, uh, this demonic butterfly moth. And it flies in front of you, Iris. And

you see it's, it has a long proboscis with the between the, uh, fiendish curled antennas. And it goes, and you all hear I will never forget you, mother. Oh! Dag me.

You're a level two pucker fly now. You're a level duck. You're leveled up. Oh, my God. I will use minor allusion to whisper in Iris's ear. Everything, almost like one of those translation ear pieces. You see it like international and bass. conferences.

Babelfish. Yeah, I'll babelfish translate everything that is being said. Oh, sweet grubby. I was born to fly. You're so right you were, darling. Goodbye, I must fly in the sky. I'll miss you. You let me have known if you need anything.

Pugry in the sky. I can fly in the sky. I can play like to side. Oh, enjoy the boy. And you see as grubby in its new form. There's a large open holes outside. holes outside where these new demons forged. What a bob. Flies out and takes off into the sky, reborn into a beautiful, demonic, Casmey demon.

Are you a powerful? What a Casme demon. Who are you good little d'emps. I'm really glad I picked up that little grub. All of all the grubs, you know. That was the one I chose. That was grubby. you made a choice and that grub ascended to another level.

Why was its eyes so crooked? I don't know. I don't know enough about demonology to answer that question. That's just how demon god made it. Do you think as it gets older, its eyes will straighten out? No. I think it got worse. Yeah.

Yeah. I imagine that at level three that they just point backwards up from the top of the back of the skull and then eventually they cross around and it just goes like that as you level up over and over demon's nice I love the fact that it was like that with its crooked little eyes and it smashed face yeah it's thirst for blood you did a really special and a hard thing you did a hard thing but a special thing and we did some rebirth huh what do you think twergis are we we square did did anything happened to the chrysalis or was it simply this was just simply a beautiful demonic nature display.

This is a beautiful flesh forging in the, the chrysalis prince in the flesh forge. It was showcasing the power of this flesh forge. We absolutely have to dunk them. So how are we going to get it down? I might be able to melt the chains. I've got shatter. I may be able to pop a few chains.

Get on it, boys. If I'm for one of them and you shatter another and if somebody can long range get the third, maybe we're good. That's what I'm picturing like, three coming to like a round and clasp around it. It's like way about it. Holy shit.

It's not that pretty high. I mean it goes down to like right towards, yeah. I was picturing it like 100 feet up. It's high up, but the chains go down, attach to the wall here, and they attach up as well. I see. I know we were really invested and distracted with Iris's thing with grubby.

But that's just calling my thing. We have one minute left to get this done. Let's fucking move. Um, I will. Um, how far up? Is it? I want to cast disintegrate on the chains to like to fucking melt the chain. That's a six level.

Yeah, I don't waste anything. How far up are, is like the closest chain? I would say it's close enough in range spell. Okay. I will... Go ahead. Or... What are you doing, Rush?

I will... Are there any like hammers in this forge? Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, there's all sorts of hammers and strange devices and implements. I will grab one of the large, like, sledge hammer-looking things. and I'm going to 1984 Applecommer. Yeah.

Yeah. I let it go out of the chains. Wow. It's a long time. Okay. What are you doing? Shatter? Yeah.

I'm just going to play a focused discordant chord to try and shatter. What song are you going to play as your band while you are freeing Dweigus? Freebird? The Chrysalis Prince.

Free bone. On my bone. That's as funners I got. I have no songs prepared for today. I will sing, and it's discordant. It probably still beside me. Yes, thank you. Thank you.

Made of stone. I guess I'll say, does it look like it could be broken wins? Without him, I'm lonely. Mechanically like 15 damage, or does it require a little more? I feel like if you do something impressive and impress me, It is 1032. So I feel like that'll probably work because it's fun and creative.

I point my finger at the chain, and much like I've cast a cinderade before, an orange orb appears that took my finger, and this almost molten lava beam shoots to hit the chain. And it is 10D6 plus 40 damage. Roll damage for me. As this will basically, this determines, as where Felix unleashes so much raw arcane magic,

that it makes the other chains weak. It splashes out and spills onto the other chains, weakening them for the rest of you. Toa, please make an attack roll. I'm gonna roll off real. With the Apple commercial hammer. Six, I get to re-roll ones. That's the gonna keep the second one, so that's 12,

plus six is 18. Ugh, 28, 39, 40. 20. 81 points. Okay, 70 points of damage. If 20 hits. Yeah. I upcast my second level

shatter to fifth and do 27 points of With leading Felix's disintegrate that weakens the other chains. They're all glowing hot. You play a discordant song a tune as

the chain shatter and there's one chain hanging the chrysalis swings down, smashing into the wall. You already hear blaring of horns. Something is wrong. The spells that are warding this are going off. And there's one more chain holding up. And Toa, you run up and you swing the hammer.

It's glowing molten hot from the disintegrate. Flies in, shatters it. And with a sickening plop, the massive chrysalis plunges into the forge, slowly sinking, slowly, slowly sinking. And as you see the chrysalis completely descend, you see the very top crack. And immediately the Ford bubbles and spills over. And you hear screaming all throughout the Grand Forge

as the bubbling soul stuff starts to get higher and higher and lash up and all of the grooves. that are pouring out, begin to erupt, seemingly perhaps controlled by Dweigus, the Chrysalis Prince, as if it is attacking the workers, or the taskmasters and the workers of this place. As the, as you hear screaming, as you hear these loud alarms, the whole room is flashing with this green alert light, as the Ford is bubbling up, you are all blasted with a wave of heat from this great forge.

And you all enjoy. Oh. He said enjoy, but it's the bad way. What was the last stat that you guys haven't gotten? Chop. You all feel a blast of of rejuvenating, rebirthing power as at the top of each of your turns,

you gain 10 temporary headpoints. Oh my God. Whoa. And at top of each turn? Yeah. Clash. I need to put that in the notes. Yep.

I will write that down. I will forget. As you are filled with this energy. However, the lashing soul stuff in the fort is getting hot and everything is going crazy. Escher, um, uh,

Escher looks and you see now that broken from the, uh, as the, The whole forward is starting to come down. There is a, from all the various chests on the wall, one falls to the ground and clatters. And directly before you, you see a small left arm of a child. And Escher is trying the bat at two of you,

Lofti, and grabbing on your hair and grabbing it. And you can do that. I will follow his directions. Okay. The doors are closed momentarily, but you hear a loud slant. against the door from the other side as the whole the whole chamber the forges is a shaking shit oh I don't think we have very much time left we got to go we either wait for

this thing come out of the crystal show explain what's going on or we leave we and it'll figure it out Louf do we have the arm yeah I have the arm we can go any time should we wait we we let's wait for the last possible second is there a way we can like hide somewhere or or or you get the sense that this is going to overflow and kill all of you. We gotta go there! Let's no wait!

Esha! How do you leave? I assumed Escher would zip us out. He can't be seen by the dude. Oh shit. Oh, shit. They have to get the luck out of here. Oh.

One moment. Are there multiple ways out? There are, there's the large holes at the very top of this large roof where Grubby had flown out of up. Had flown out up. Is there a place in the space where we would be able to- Fully Grumpy had stayed to carry us out? Exit through the hole.

Like if we stood in one spot, would we all be able to, like, shoot up in a straight line? How big was Grubby? Grubby was a medium-sized creature. After the transformation? Yes, I have a whole long. Let me just double-check. Actually, you know, he's a large-sized creature.

It's like a size of a- And call your child as as you, you, the door splinters open and you see the taskmaster he is angry and he's vicious and he is each of his hands has a huge

blade, a jagged blade two crab claws as he says, I know you weren't from organs as suddenly a flash of wings as his skull is pierced by a proboscis as you see as if he's grown a pair of Grubby!

And as grubby clings to his back and sucks out his demon brain, with gore and viscera dripping from his proboscis, you see that the Tasmus'r stumbled forward and collapses into the goo and is completely consumed. You see now the utter chaos. All of the demons are being swallowed by this strange green molten material that seems to be controlled by Duirgus now, as people are screaming, falling. into it. It's like when Gollum fell into

Mountain Doom as these creatures are all falling. Yes, spoiler for Lord of the Rings. And you see Grubby fly forward says, you must leave. If behind where the taskmaster was just coming, there is no

it's not like completely full of Soul Forge goo at the moment and there's like a pathway out. I would say we just run out the way we came in through this door. If that seems like there's a pathway forward You get the sense that it will require, in order to get out of this ford while it's starting to kind of come down or come alive, you will need to make a dexterity saving throw, just one to see what happens. I'm okay with that, but I would try to, if he didn't have an army behind him, I would try to make it out through the door now that Grubby has given us an opening. I can also get us through the hole in the ceiling.

How? I can reverse gravity. Okay. We need a fallout. But only on us or will everything be reversed? Well, technically it'll be a zone of reversal. So anyone who jumps in would be very unintuitive. For us, it'll just feel like falling horribly.

Can it get us all the way through? Yes, there's no, there's no height limit to gravity. I could summon a giant scarab to fly us out. It's a couple hundred feet. It's a cube. Will it fit through the hole? I don't know. I think it's like a giant cylinder.

The Ford is bubbling. up. So technically it's a 100 foot high cylinder centered on a point within... So if it's more than 100 feet we can fly out. We would be able to fly out. I mean, we would probably... We would reach whatever speed we would hit and we would go, woo!

Would a giant scarab fit through the hole? A giant scarab? Yes, I could summon my giant scarab, and it flies out. I thought we would all just be able to stand there and just like beam up, but I don't understand my own spells because I don't study. I'm going to take my staff I'm gonna summon my giant scarab. You said a giant scarab.

It is about the same size as Grubby as they're flying there and Grubby is now flapping his wings hovering in front of you, almost waiting for a command as this happens. We, in front of the scarab or or scarab and grubby, we can all fly out. Come on Grubby, get us. And with that Grubby flies forward,

snatches up Iris and whoever else would like to go. As the scarab takes the rest of the of you. You're all able to climb aboard and get grabbed by grubby as the flapping of the wings. Being a demon is really cacophonous and horrible, but it's charming.

It's saving your life. As you fly out of the hole as the force erupts and burst as you have this boon from Dwergens and you fly out of the hole as the grand fort is erupting in this green light. And you see across the entire plane as far as you can see the

mountains, the rivers of this green stuff. are lashing out. Demons are being consumed and swallowed and destroyed. And you see that in this stuff, they're all screaming and being re-forged, and being reborn into new things all under the behest of the flesh forger.

As soon as you get higher and higher and higher, far away from the Grand Forge, you feel Escher immediately turn and say, oh, that was a close one, He says, this is going to be far worse, as he extends a portal, and it is nearly pitch black, as, but this deep, deep blue, as he leaps in, as the rest of you are able to leap in, and Grubby stops with you and says, I will stay here. Goodbye, Grubby.

Goodbye, mother. I will never forget. you. I love you, son. I love you, Mama. Mama. And then I'll jump through the portal. You leap out and he sees at you with bug eyes, and then you see as the portal's closing behind you, that he flies away from the devastation and destruction elsewhere to the plane. Where else? You don't know.

And immediately, you realize that you are passing through the magical chaotic magics of the abyss. And you... Remember when Dagnie saved the day? I will never forget. I will never forget. Degney's the best Dengi player there is. Degney rolled a three and still saved the day.

That's how powerful she is. You... Inhale. And water fills your lungs. Oh, oh. All of you are drowning. You are in... You are in the abyss, yes, but you are in the crushing depths of the ocean.

Can I hold my breath or no? You held your breath and all of you inhale. And although your lungs are filled with water, you feel you're sputtering as you can't even see your companions on either side of you. You feel like you're dying. The crushing pressure is smashing your head. and you feel your lungs feeling and feeling and feeling there is no air left but suddenly you feel like you are no longer drowning you feel like you were meant to be in these depths that you are meant to breathe this water and suddenly you feel

like you don't need lungs why not have gills you were meant to be down here and and you feel as being in this place, suddenly you hadn't realized that you're, from your necks you had grown gills. As you can suddenly see in the dark, and you all see that there's a film over each of your eyeballs. Oh, no. Oh, no.

As the crushing depths of a deep, frigid ocean is all around you. Escher floats before you. in this vampire form and he says, This is what I don't know what to expect. This is the layer I know least about. What is it? Where are we?

Its name is the shadow sea. There. This is the only way that we'll get to the Queen of Chaos. There are no more portals until we deal with her. This shadow sea. leads directly to the steaming fen where she resides. But this layers master is one of secrets and ancient forgotten knowledge. Even that forgotten and unknown by the fallen angel of the four winds.

I know not what to expect. But I know there is a piece of my little bat here. Her entrails. Oh, just like floating around. around somewhere. Do you think these are going to be permanent? I hope they are. I do not know.

I guess they could be kind of useful, but I feel like if they're demon gills, I don't know if I want to keep them. Oh, I guess you mean beyond this, this layer of the abyss? No, I, oh no, I don't want to lose them while we're here. I just mean... Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I see what you're right. Yeah. Yeah.

Who? The Queen of Chaos, you say? The Queen of Chaos is our final query. But before that, we must deal with the Prince of the Depths. Dagon. I know that he whispers in her ear. He whispers in Obok's ear as well.

well, and he even fooled for Zuzu to think he was an ally. But no matter what happens, he cannot be trusted. Great of the depth. Do you think he's gonna join our side like everyone else? If what I know is true, he joins no side but his own, just like all of these demons. Then maybe we can convince this thing that there's a reason to fight. self-interested reason, right? But that is for you to decide.

He clearly has granted you a passage in his realm. I do not need to breathe. I do not have gills. But you all have changed. You're right. I am going to get out of sight. And in a moment, he is a little bird bat swimming. And he, not only does he not hide, he doesn't hide on your hair.

He kind of tries to squirm and get in your. your clothes to get completely out of sight. As your clothes are all kind of billowing. And you, despite being in the depth of the water, you realize his voice is, it's booming out. It's kind of like the Aquaman film. Oh, yeah. Oh, the motion.

And we're able to converse without issue, right? Like we're gonna talk to each other. Right. Starring Willem Daphow. Oh, yeah. That's because he's from a place called foe, is my understanding. Oh, actually.

was, what was it, Mike? What was your really funny thing from the break? No, it was... Won't you are to friend. Yeah, won't you are different? Instead of will I am defal. 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. You all are floating in the shadow scene. I'm floored. As the gills that have grown suddenly, the filmy, your eyes, you feel a bit larger in your head. there's a film that goes across. You can speak with clarity down in the crushing depths. And the more that you're in here, the moments passing,

what had felt like your head was going to explode atop your body, and that you were going to freeze the death, suddenly you become extremely well adapted. Well, he allowed us to be here, so he shouldn't be too hard to find, right? No, I would think that he would want us to find him. This is amazing. Felix, look.

An ice swimming like pretty fast? Yeah. Are we webby? Do we got webs? You do. You do have webs. Thanks, dude. Felix, look, I'm 40% fish.

Yeah, I can see that tall. My fur keeps getting sucked into my neck giddles. Oh. You're a catfish, you're a rockfish. Oh, that's amazing. You're a blowfish. Because of air, right? Yes, air to not see 100%.

That's really good. That's very funny. You're a clownfish. You're a clownfish! But yeah, is there a dogfish is good. Okay, what's Felix? I don't know, I'm just a born old human. There's a parrot fish.

I'm trying to think of like Beatrice. I was trying to think if there was some kind of like crazy... What's the blue dory fish? That's just like, oh, I can't remember what it's called. Yeah. I mean like a fire. A fire. You're a piece of fire, coral.

I'll think on it. Yeah, that's fine. I'm just coral. I look around. You're coral fish. I'm a coral fish. Is it vague depths in all directions or do I see features looking at the floor?

Make a certain check a disadvantage. Uh, 24. You look around and initially you would not be able to tell. But you start to get a sense inherently. you look up and you realize what you had thought was down is actually up. And you realize down as you orient yourself

and you see there's a tiny bit of light difference here in the depths. Far, far, far, far up and you realize now that you look down as you've, now that you've oriented yourself and that deep, deep, deep below, the depths continue

and it becomes even more pitch black in the abyss. I think I think we're going to find this Dagon character. We're going to have to head to the depth all the way down to the bottom. Yeah. All right. I'm with you guys.

Woo-hoo! Oh my God, this is amazing. I love it. I'm not even paying attention. Yeah. I will lead the gang towards where I suspect to go. He said it's down. I fall.

Oh, oh, don't leave. You swim. And you swim. And you swim. And you have no, no idea how long you've been swimming. Could be five minutes, could be five hours. But you aren't getting tired and you're drawn forward and it gets completely dark. You, every period that passes gets darker and darker.

And suddenly you realize you can barely see the friends all around you. And then you can no longer see anything but your own hands. hands, webbed, and then you cannot even see that. And then suddenly, when you feel like you can't even see anything beyond pitch blackness, you see far down below you a moat of light just stays there, unmoving. Do you continue towards it? I think I would. And we all, we all feel alone.

Everything is completely pitch black. Yeah, I would head towards the source of light. Yeah. Hey, Perg. I will also head towards the light. Even if I am feeling alone, I know that they are likely just by my side. Should I be able to find illumination?

I will follow as well. You dive deeper and deeper and deeper. And the light gets larger and larger and larger and larger and larger. And your eyes get wider and suddenly you see your friends once more

as the light from this light in the darkness is casting on all of you. And as you see it, it almost beckons to you. It almost calls you forward invitingly. It's like where you were meant to be. You dive deeper

and get closer and closer and closer and suddenly in the light, you see something inside of it. As you see a set, it's kind of wriggling together, and it's hard to make out, and you see entrails, innards at the center of the light.

Far off, and you know that this is where you're supposed to be. Escher squarms beneath your clothing as he even feels that as you swim deeper, and deeper and suddenly the light is huge, enormous before you. And you stare into that enchantment in the light, and you hear a deep, guttural voice say a single thing. Feast. And that's what we're on the session. There it is. There it is. There it is. Well done, Michael. Well done, Michael. He knows that it was coming too. Oh, yeah.

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