Legends of Avantris - Icebound | Ep. 30 | Hollowed Out

Episode Date: April 18, 2025

An unexpected but familiar evil must be confronted to discover the truth. Even if our heroes survive, what will they learn about the peoples of Argentholme and its ruler, the Princess of Wrath?   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/WXI5oXsx-Bg?si=TCAZL78qZpf2RRFM

Welcome to Legends of Evanthris. I am the one they call you're near, and this is Icebound. The ruins tell of what happened last time. It has come to my attention that you have found the human, the one you asked me of just before your hit fight. In the giant step. I understand that you have brought her here.

here and I would ask that you let her join her people under my wing. No. If we're really in danger, if if if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, just goodness is really saying that there's a whole army coming, don't we want the princess of rat to be ready to fight them? Doesn't she need her husband back to, to, to, to, to, to, to help us? I mean, I mean, am I crazy here? And I don't think she's giving her up in a season because what she wants with those humans is

not going to be fulfilled. So whatever she plans to do, she's going to do it to Daisy within that time. That's what I was saying. I don't like it. I doesn't sit right with me. I'm worried. And so if she's here in two days, we take her. And if she slips out in the middle of the night, then whatever happens to her is her choice and her life. With Secunda screaming in that box, someone's going to come. And the main goal of this entire horde of tribes is to bring him back and wage war across and then beyond. Something has pushed its way out and through this space. This orc was animated by some sort of primal magic, I am not sure.

This magic is unfamiliar to me as well, but... It's an underground tree. The side of a tree. We didn't see a tree growing up. It should be thousands of feet high to be the base of the trunk of a tree like this. Oh yeah, this tree's huge. What's going on? What's going on? Maybe something didn't break its way in, but something came out of the tree and, no, the glass was inside the cottage. I mean, that's right. This doesn't make sense. What if something broke into the tree? And then something broke out of the tree. How far does this wound, this whole go in the tree? I don't know. I'll find out.

Let's go in there. There are a number of different tunnels that connect to this sort of central hub. And you can see in the center with your dark vision or within the flickering light the stained sore of violence. You lose control of your body and something else steps in. A dark passenger walks into your body and looks through your eyes. Your is Barnabot's completely lucid and aware of this transformation and is full of fear banging at the door of windows of your mind trying to figure out. about what's going on.

And Barnabos, this spirit leaves you immediately after this attack. You stare down, looking down at what you've done. Looking at your hands, those are your hands. This is your anchor. That is Scrim. You have dealt this mighty blow. You've put all of your strength in this,

pushed and forced by this evil entity. When all of a sudden the pieces of this puzzle click into play, as you hear a scream that you've heard before. You find yourselves in the storied city of Argentholm, in the frigid depths of winter. Many thousands of peoples from all across Dracar call this conquered city their home. You too have found a kind of home here after being named and declaring failty for the Princess of Rath, the dragon who claims rule over the entire icy realm of Dracar. Rather than do the full written intro, I just wanted to sort of talk generally about the state

of things, sort of check in. What is happening? Where are you? What has been going on since you arrived in Argentholm? I have a list here, but I'd like to hear you say it. We have gotten to Argentholm and have dealt with the Princess of Wrath and in an effort to kind of find our space here and reclaim what we came to find. The hexature armament.

There you go. We have pledged, as you said, pledged fealty to the princess and we are now the ice-born. And we have our own house. And we have gone to investigate the orcs, the orc shamans in a different section of original. The Princess of Wrath asked you to speak after your naming a ritual with her.

And in those chambers, she granted you this letter that you took with you. Yes, to buy a week. To deliver to the chieftain. Yes, so that we would have a week of supplies and the ability to kind of care for our home. And all the people that fall under our banner, if we were to just simply deliver this letter,

we get there, and Scrimand Barnabas uncover that we can't find the chieftain, and underneath his home, there is a deep running root system that has led to some hideous monstrosity and outside of his home you're near and Tyshen encountered a some kind of risen an undead shambling a humanoid a nornia who should not be alive but was and it was only because you were able to spike it with I believe your hail, that you were, and then you smartly burned it to, turned into ash. It exploded into roots when we killed it, which is fascinating.

It's fascinating. That is fascinating. And then we made it under the hut into an opening, kind of like an opening cave, at which point we were struck once again by a familiar fear. I'll take it over here. And then my best friend Barnabos, shattered every bone in Scrib's body. Every bone.

And he's now just a bag of loose ground meat. In a skin sack. You did miss the best part, though, which is when you conquered all of the mole people. We have not seen any actual mole people yet. No, you came down into this. We didn't re-encounter one of his risen orcs in the tunnel. Yes.

That same thing, like, spidered out roots when we killed it. You came down the, it's cold and, dry down here. There's roots hanging down from the ceiling and you made your way in. I believe for the state of the game, one of you has a torch running currently? I'm creating fire. Oh, you're just holding fire. I was towards the front. Right. Holding fire. And that's to make sure that those of you who don't have the ability to see colorlessly, not great vision, dark vision being limited in the way that it is, but just to illuminate things. So all of your faces flickering, shadows against the wall. You can see

the map before you. It gives you a sense of the space that you're in. The fear that hit you just as you cross the threshold into this space for the sake of the game, each one of these cubes

is just dirt wall, like a column that goes from floor to ceiling. It's a tunnel. It's a tunnel. A network of tunnels. Exactly right. Do you want to show it off or not yet? I am totally comfortable showing it off. I can fit the whole thing on here.

Rich, can you erase your social security number? It's right there next to the time. Oh, fuck. Very funny. I thought Derek got that. That actually right to you. How do you want to do it. The problem is there's all this garbage over here.

Is the top of your staff over there? It seems to have broken off. Oh. What? He grabbed that from me because otherwise I'm going to drop it. No. No. It might have fallen on the ground.

Oh, snap. Yeah, I remember I. I hand sculpted the little... I don't know. I have this crab claw. Oh, my God. Well, now you have a new, now you have a new... Oh, we should put that on Barnabos.

Oh, yeah. It's like a perfect size of Barnabas. It's a behind you, maybe. Yeah. Just like... It's a bad place to have. Ooh, can you show off the Crab Claw? Because it's pretty...

It's pretty cool. So this is a system of tunnels. Yes. Yes. We're in a system of tunnels. And sort of looose. Honestly, I positioned you where I felt you were at the time. But if you want to rearrange, I think the only requirement is that the aura of fear hit you

just as you made your way through this squeezing tunnel into this larger hollow and that Barnabose would be within striking distance of... My understanding is that because we were in the back, right, because we were coming up from behind. Queenie was next. I think Barnabose was in the lead. I recall. And he turned around. Still lay me down, yeah. And killed Scrim.

I think we were kind of single fire. I would have been lighting the way. I think I was in, I think I was actually in the lead. Oh, maybe you were in the lead. I would have been next to the part of us. Not ahead of him. Let's not get crazy. But his scrim was behind.

But I'm covered in the blood of scrim. And I'm probably, you know, I don't know, back here. Yeah. What do you think? So that feel good? That chill runs down your spine just after the terrible violence of what Barnabos was inspired to do. The fear hits everyone and then washes through and away from you.

Barnabos, you suddenly come to in this terrible scene, realizing that you had lost herself. You were still totally aware of the actions you were taking. You didn't blank out or lose the time. You simply became powered by this entity. this malevolvement monstrosity, and it compelled you to take this terrible action against your ally, your good friend, your found family.

You hear all of you just as scrim crumples to the ground, the sound that you have, above all things, never wanted to hear ever again. This scream emanates from the shadows deep down in the depths of this hollow. What happens next is up to you. I need everyone to roll for a initial. Oh my God.

This is it. This is the roll. Crank those jams. I do have a question for you, Mike, though. I need to go, like, right in the middle. Hold on, let's get these rolls on camera. What it is? The penis, the penile one with the two legs. That's fucking huge.

Now, you just have to beat the monster and I have to maybe also be the monster. I would have cast First Strike as my reaction, so we have advantage on our initiative. Oh. Oh, and I have a meta of those watching. Andy and I had a little chat about how you roll initiative when you're unconscious.

I don't know. I don't know if I can be targeted by it. Would he be? Let's let Derek decide. If she cast first strike, does that apply to scrim? What is that? I'm on consciousness. It's still a creature.

Yeah, I don't know. It's still a creature. And for the same reason that I'm about to explain, rules is written in Dungeons and Dragons. Unconscious creatures do roll for initiative. That seemed a little bizarre to me, but rather than have Spring just go last by default, that was my suggestion. Andy will be rolling a D20 and taking the raw result. Yeah, no adding my time. However, I do believe that you benefit from the results of first.

I want to get all my daddy ones out now. Okay. Just a 13. which is nominous at all. Oh, wow. Oh, God. That's no hope. Okay. 20 to 30.

Oh, 23. 23. That's going to be... Oh, I got a... I got a 20... 22. 22. Let's go...

15 to 20? 19. 16. 16. An impactful year. I was feeling pretty good. That's going to be 1916. Then we're going to go with 10 to 15. I got a 13. This goes here. Shoot. We're all right. Oh, fuck. Not good. The scream occurs, and I want everyone to quickly make a perception check.

Oh. I just won't. Correct. Oh, fuck. 10. 25. 11. Perception, you say?

8. What was yours? 11. Queenie, you're the only person. All eyes turn towards the shadows, where the dim light from Tyshen's fire stops and the perimeter is made. Looking down deeper and deeper, maybe perhaps seeing a few features.

from those who enjoy dark vision, but you are the one who looks all around you, your keen awareness being what it is, and you turn and look down the hallway and you can see that the tunnel pushes into, the shadow pushes into where the fire would normally illuminate. You can see this darkling,

almost malevolent energy start to push in through the tunnel, and you're looking up at the roots in the ceiling, what would be brown, alive, roots seeking water curl up and blacken before a few flakes start to drift down before they are consumed in what looks like some magical darkness of some kind. You're the only one who perceives this, however. Would I have time to say anything?

On your turn. Barnabas, you're up. I will look down at what I've done. And I'll say, no, no, it's just damaged guilt. I don't know what came over me I will immediately uncork the clay healing potion that I have and lean down and just rip uh scrimms mouth open if there's any teeth left I'll try to be gentle of that and I'll pour in a greater healing potion as my turn as I use my bonus action to uh I'll kind of swell up a little bit my skin will sort of harden with shell and barnacles and sea life and salt water as I will rage. That is my turn. As I will, actually, I'll pour it in, and I am going to, as I rage, I'm going to use my movement to walk down, at least to this first precipice, to look down and

look, to make sure we're not in danger. I pick my, use my free obfix interaction to pull my, my anchor back up. Make a perception check. Okay. I'm going to, I don't know if you roll it or I roll it. It's 44 plus four. You can roll it. Okay. Hopefully it's pretty good. Oh, perception. All right, well, I already rolled this, so I can use twist. Nine. It's pretty good. Not bad.

Five, 11. We're in this. 15. Perfect. Fifteen points of healing. As I use my, I delete my healing potion. That's it. Your ears are ringing from the scream of this terrible monstrosity, this entity,

and you know what you are facing. You have fought this once, twice before. Younger and an elder, much more strong. an elder, much more stronger one, that you defeated way back on a river bed. However, you can't hear anything, you don't see anything. There appears to be no movement in front of you as you continue to advance.

As I turn. Yornear, you're up. What have you done? He'll him, Mr. Yornear! That thing from the ice is back. I know that scream. I know what I felt. It killed us once before.

The triad has prepared us for this moment. The rest should stand behind us. I will walk up to Scrim, and I will kneel down, and are you regaining consciousness at this point? I mean, I guess technically I'm awake, right? You get constantly back, yeah. He's sputtering. He's like coming to...

It's not, rules is written, mechanically, he's up, up, but in a lot of pain, you'd be like, not stunned, mechanical. Oh, are you dazed. We're stutter. Yeah, it dazed. As you're sputtering, I'll lean down and I'll put my hand on your chest, and I will cast cure wounds at a second level.

Let's go. And I will roll 2D. Eight, and I say, scream. We need you. Arise! Uh, and that is eight. 13 points of healing Not that's huge

Not terrible Great shape Bonus 15 13 Yeah most of 28 Not bad And then I think We're good

I don't think I'm going to Bonus action Let me just double check real quick Bonus action Bam bam bam I wasn't even concerned for a single second Actually no I will

By bonus action And then I will turn and start to peer into the darkness, and I don't have dark vision. So I'm just, like, getting ready. Trying to get between the monster and scrim, and I will, my staff from my hand, you'll see this frost start to pull down and up the staff as the kind of wooden branch spindles that make the top of my staff

fill with ice as I cast Shaleli. Oh, very nice. That's fucking good. That's my turn. Queenie. I am going to look towards Scrim, see that he's gotten as much help as he can get. And quite frankly, I really can't do anything. That's going to hook me.

And Queenie will cast Fables and create Fables. Seems good. Oh, nice. And that's my turn. Fables is. a good name, a good, a good, a good, a good, a good, a good, a good, a game, Fable is? Fable, yeah. Fable, yeah, Fable, too. Yeah, the original, Xbox.

Take a look here. Peter Malignam. Oh, there it is, that's cute. Mmm. What are your dark vision distances? Me, me, me, me. 60 feet? 60 feet?

Yeah, shades of grass, 60 feet. How much, um, 60? 60. What's the light distance on control flame? I think it's like 15 or 20. I was gonna guess 30, but I could be wrong. We all have different numbers. Oh, and then, sorry, on my turn, I would have, I have brain bog.

I would have also called out and let them know that there's something moving in the darkness behind. Okay, you hear Queenie's voice, and you all become aware that the tunnel is unnatural. Those of you with, I'll just change the DC. If you have 30 or 60, roll perception checks. and let me know what your dark vision is when you tell me your number. So for those of us without dark vision, are we disadvantaged?

Or do we don't? Disadvantage. So I'm lying there on the cavern floor in my head as I'm looking down the tunnel and I'm gonna see. I'm happy to do it at disadvantage if you think that's reasonable. No, you can take it.

19. 19? No twist. Oh, 19 plus six is 25. 25. 12. 12. As I squint in the darkness.

21. 21, six. And Queenie, you have dark vision? No, I rolled a disadvantage. Okay. I will say that Scrim and Barnabos, you're the only ones who can see beyond the threshold of the illuminating control flame. And you can see this black and white shape, this monstrous form that you recognize from your experience on the river. Suddenly move and dash just at the back and threshold here. It crosses from here to here and disappears behind this column before...

before you can do anything about, with that information. And that is all the monster does on its turn, presumably. Your Starboard! Taishin, you were up. It's the same monster from before. I befell those same effects, Barnabos. Uh, I will also turn and target scrim. I will do cure wounds also at a second hole.

Hot damn! Not bad, folks. Exactly immediate. 13 points of healing. That's fantastic. As I read two, two, sort of one, I'll have one flame in the palm of my hand, still in that bright orange flame. And as I turn to scrim, I'll summon a golden flame as I place it towards him in the fire, extends in a warming healing. I'm at half.

A flame burns across. I bet. Alright. I take it. And without, I will move, if I can get, can get here. Is that fair to say? Yeah. No problem. Earing on the side of caution, you make sure that your friend is okay, pouring as much magic as you can in the moment. Carrying your flame, you dash between your allies and swing behind one of these large

dirt walls, essentially, putting your back up against it and breathing heavy. Scrim. Oh, fuck. I think that all of a sudden I would come too and be like, ah, and I'll I will spend half my movement to stand up. And then while I'm still kind of like getting to my feet, I will just point to where I saw the thing to try to convey that I saw it move, not really able to get out any kind of words or full thoughts.

And I don't think I can have, what I'd like to do, if possible, is hold my action to wait till I see it again. to Hexblades curse it. Okay. I'm waiting to try to find it again and hold my action for my Hexblades curse. Okay. You spend your reaction and you are ready to, should that trigger occur, immediately curse this cursed creature.

Let's do this. Shambling from around the sides of the walls, you can see, Shambling from around the walls, you can see the undead bodies of yet more humanoid creatures. Three of them appear to be orcs, but one of them, they're just making out in the light, appears to be somewhat different. Perhaps another clan member or something along those lines. They've clearly used their movement to get this far and are starting to shamble towards the group of you. At the top of the action, you hear, I need everyone. to make a perception check.

Disadvantage still if you're no dark vision? No, this is for hearing. 22. Nine. Ooh, 21. Not going to hot tonight, folks. 26. 19 for me.

Oh, something over. 21. 21. Taishin, Yornear, Scrim, you are breathing heavy, but you can hear the sound of rustling. You can hear the sound of almost sort of like clinking of metal. You're starting to look at these creatures and seeing them shambled towards you and it's confusing,

but that's when you hear a voice cry out from the depths. It's Queenie's voice. You hear her speak out and the voice says, there's dead things in the water. It echoes and reverberates through the space and you hear this noise, this additional shock of fear twists around your spine and grasp to your heart as you hear this sound. Barnabos, it's the top of the round, you're up.

Just like the Yemen wheel. Real one will get that reference. Oh my gosh. I'm going to turn around and look at you, Yornear, and I'll say, it fears water, Mr. Yornear, conjure it up best you can, and I'm going to fucking thunder in the direction that I saw it coming. Okay. I believe it's here.

So I am going to try to go and look for it. I have 40 feet. That's 15, right? Yeah, yeah. 20. The red light of flame disappears and you walk in the shadows. You see the two creatures to your right, but you see there are walls and tunnels all around you.

Half-i movement. Do I see the creature? And how tall are the ceilings? 10 feet up. I would like to keep an eye on the ceiling as well. Okay. This is a nightmare. What is large? Large is 10 by 10.

Okay. 10 by 10. Make a, I'm going to ask you to make another perception check. I'm twisting five. I think that's a great idea. 25. 25. Very nice.

Well done. You see the foot of a creature that you recognize pointing out just from here as though it is facing in this direction. It appears unmoving still as the dead. I'm, I will, as crab claws will sprout out of, or crab legs will sprout out of my back, as I will start to climb along the walls here.

So the 21, 25, 20, 30, 35, 40. You turn and you are staring at the back of this creature. You recognize its huge clawed feet, the massive legs, the musculature, and you can see the horns almost touching into the roots, nearly getting But this creature has some additional changes, almost features. In addition to the ragged fur and the many mouths on the face of it, the musculature, the tall gaunt shape of it, you look and you see, let me make sure that I get this right.

Sinewy vines like musculature growing like a glowing with a sickly green that interweave between it. You can see it like hanging down almost from its wrist. and from like almost like chains hanging down from its wrists, and it appears totally still like a panther on a branch bow. Hello Beastie! It's here! Round two! And I'm going to make, if it's right here, I'm gonna attack. Go ahead. Natural 20.

Oh! I'm gonna wait to see what happens when I strike it the first time. As you swing forward, you lose your balance. As the anchor passes through this illusion, this strange shape, it goes through, and all of a sudden almost like dust and smoke, it evaporates and disappears. You've been tricked.

That's so cool. It's using illusion. Kim, you're always out. That's my turn. Oh, that's my turn. Queenie, you're alive. You are. Well, oh boy.

I, uh. Ufta, that would be a good word of folks. Yeah. I saw where Barnabos was, right? I mean, you saw, I went around here and then I'm yelling. Barnabose, I hope you're dexterous, but we gotta try something. And I'm gonna cast fairy fire on Barnabos.

You can, you need to move. Yeah, yeah, I can, I can move. It's 60 feet range. And I don't have to, yeah, yeah. And I don't even have to see you. You just have to be within range. Okay. Okay, here you go. Right here?

Yeah, I wanna cast it on you so that it moves. That's the other side. So I needed a Xterity Saving Throw, and if there's anything invisible in a 20 by 20-foot... Does it get our two bros over here? It is a 20-foot cube. Oh, I have it... Oh, cube. Yeah.

I think it goes around walls. It's just a question of whether... It depends on where she's putting... ...for a 20-foot cube. Well, well, if it starts on you, right? Fine. 10. No, it would get the first one.

If it starts here. Yeah, if you're doing here. Okay, I will roll for him. Actually, I don't know. Would I put you in the middle of it to see if there's anything around you? Well, does it stay on him? I don't know.

It doesn't move. Creatures affected by the fairy fire who are in it, then glow even if they leave the perimeter, I think. No, I think it might be a perimeter thing. It just marks them. Anybody who gets hit by the fairfire gets marked, but what Nikki's trying to decide is what area does she want to capture?

Got it. Yeah. You're gonna get your most bang for your bug doing it here. But, because this will basically kind of waste it. And it also sheds dim light around the creature. So as he moves, it will shed dim light. Maybe you just drop it here. Well, but the thing is, if I do it on you,

it will move with you, the light will. Not the initial effect, but the dim light will move with you. If I don't pass. If I don't pass. No, I mean, it says whether, I mean, the dim light is, I think, whether... I won't be affected by the United States. You're right.

I will actually just hold my action, and if anything comes into my line of sight, I'll attack it. Okay. You hold your action. It's in this moment that the sounds that Yorny or Scrim and Tycheon heard earlier, that clanking of metal becomes rapidly apparent, as you realize Barnabose that something is galloping straight through and from the center of the back.

Hmm? I haven't gone. Oh, I skipped you. My apologies, I went straight to Queenie. Go ahead. You should go, is the answer to your question. So I saw Barn and Boas ran run this way. I haven't seen anything else.

It's totally dark. I'm not gonna go out into the danger zone. Into the danger zone. So what I am going to do, I don't even think I should blow any, Can you move me back because I wouldn't have moved if I wasn't kept? How is scrim looking? I mean, I'm beat up.

I'm not, I don't look dead or bloodied. I'm beat up. A lot of magic has closed the wound that Barnabose gave him. I could use healing, but I don't need it. You know what I mean? You would see that I'm like, I'll beat up. I would turn and I'll say. Scream,

How do you feel? With that, I will stay on your shoulder, and I will cast cure wounds at a first level while we're sort of waiting. This is good. This is good. Eight points of healing. Yeah, big money. And then I will just basically stand, I will walk up to, I'm going to walk up to Tai Shed and I'll look at Ty Shed. Are you afraid?

You're near I am afraid. If, if, if, tides turn, and we need this, use it. And I will, I will reach into my, uh, my skins, and I will pull out this icy, uh, heart looking thing. Uh, and I will place it in your hand. And, uh, it's ash, made of ashy permafrost. Um, you will know how to use it when the time comes.

I believe the knowledge just kind of came to me. Yes. And holding this fills you with innate knowledge immediately. As soon as it hits your palm, the idea that should you raise it up and share it, the courage that's contained within could inspire others to shake off fear. Using an action, you'd be able to give people,

I believe, advantage on fear or even just wipe it away. It's advantage on fear, but the meta use of it is when everyone is, when people, are feared, you can use a bonus action to use it and give everyone a chance to re-roll the same. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can use them to re-roll. Let's go!

Yeah, yeah, man, that's a good item. That's really good. I look back at Jorner and I say, uh, fear cannot prevent death. It can only prevent life. Oh, sin. I'll nod and I will turn back. And I will, again, stand vigil in front of Queenie and Scrim. And just wait.

That's winter. You hear the sound of the galloping, getting closer and closer and closer. And with your dark vision, you can see that this creature is screaming straight through from the very back middle of this area. Basically where that square is, towards you. And as it comes into view, you recognize this entity, this strange creature of starvation and hunger and winter. you hear your own voice scream back at you now Lou looks afraid

as it races forward I'm a lot stronger than the last time we met oh what oh this is fucked up what is it it's chained down here oh my god

this is so crazy This is so fucked up. And it's gonna make an attack on you. Wow. I love that, Derek. That is awesome. That's very cool.

That's fucking sick, dude. It's going to be a, the lowest is gonna be a 20 to hit. I am, well, I am going to use my reaction. With my crab claw, it's my form of the beast tail. I'm going to try to parry it. Okay. So whatever I think I can parry, my AC-17, I'm going to roll a DA here and hope it's more than a three.

It's a six. So for one of the attacks, I will have a 23 AC. Okay. But for the other, I will have 17. Okay, so one of them will hit. That's going to be 21 piercing damage as this cloths scrapes across your chest. And you are larger, smaller, so I need you to make... My apologies.

21, you said? Yep, 21. Yeah, 21. Does piercing a necrotic matter? Oh, yes, it does see. The necratic matters, yeah. That's going to be three points of necrotic. Oh, okay.

And the rest is piercing. It's slashing at you. You can see the cold eyes that burn with malevolence, staring down at you with hatred. and hunger, and as it continues to slash. The first one, you're able to actually physically block it with your arm, and its claws. Reach back up, but the other arm is too fast,

and you feel the pain against your chest, and you can feel the hot blood running down your belly. It's used its movements and its action. Does it have a bonus action that it wants to use? No, it doesn't. Tyshen, you're up. Presumably, I'd hear that. Like, I'm behind you.

You would have heard, You would have heard the chain, certainly, and you would have heard Barnabos scream out, now look who's afraid. Bonapult, quick, wait, quick. Bonobos, I'm right behind you. And as I'll start to dash up, and as I do, both my palms will ignite in red flame.

And I'll fire out at a third level, scorching ray. Nice. Huge. Which will create, I think that'll, I think it creates four. See? It creates four, four orbs. Yeah, so to create four rays, I'll blast them all out.

What I'd like to do is I actually wanna target two of the rays at these guys back here, presuming I can see them. Okay. So I'll fire out. With the illumination being what it is, I would say that you could see them both. So as I'm running up, I'll just fire off

two rogue fire blasts it here, and then I'll send the remaining two right at the, right at the, monster in front of men. I think I wrote an attack for every single one. You do? The living torch that is Tishan races forward, and you all watch the shadows shift and move from the columns onto the floor and ceilings. So I hit this first guy here. Well, I don't know. I'm sorry. With the 22.

22 hits, what number? Number two. Okay. And then I, like a 10 for number one. Okay. The 10 does not hit. The 10 misses. And then I'll roll both rays on the... So a 22 on the monster and a 15 on the monster.

That misses. So roll one damage for two and one damage for the monster. This is the damage for two, which is seven, just seven. And then for the monster... 10. Oh, 10. And I'll use my elemental affinity on it to add four. Ooh.

I think four damage, just four raw damage. Sorry, let me, I need that again because I was juggling 14 plates. 14 for the Wendigntico. To the main monster, chained up. Seven points of damage to number two. Seven points to number two. Number two, you smash into it and flames rise up, catching some of its garments that had been wearing,

uneaten on fire. They sizzle and smoke, but it remains shambling towards you. It's clearly taken a significant amount of damage, however. And I will use two sorcery points to create, to Quicken, scorching Ray once again at a third level. Oh, wow. And send all four rays out of the monster. That's, okay.

The amazing magic that you, you all watch as Tyshen channels his inner zen and immediately erupts in flame, like a machine gun of rail gun shots almost. Oh yeah. Oh, that's a natural 20. Let's go! That's 18 to hit.

18 just hits. Oh! Two hit. One. Another one, a natural 20. I know. Okay. Oh, no.

These are. I may have jinks too. Yeah. Sometimes. It's the worst. It's okay. It's fine. And for inquiring minds, I did watch the episode

where Richie piloted Tyshev. That's very funny. There you go. Let's go. Yeah. Everyone, make sure you thank Rich and Chan. 6, 9, 11, 13. Oh, 17 points of damage on the second.

17 points of damage on the second one. I'm gonna have to actually do a little math here real quick. I think the first was 14. I like what I saw in chat. You race forward and you channel your inner Vigita and you just start flinging these beams left and right. Dirt is exploding. There are sparks going in all directions

and you can see this illumination. You can see that Barnabos is engaged in heavy melee with this creature already. They're already trading blows. However, every smash illuminates that dead face, these caribus with these multiple, nasty looking razor-sharp jaws. I would be afraid, but I'm overcome by all this on Bride of Rage!

Yeah. That's fucking... ...un. Unless you have anything else you want to do. You're good? No, that's it. That's it. I will start to approach. What's my movement? 30, probably.

I had to guess. 35. Wow. 5, 10, 15, 20, 20, 20, 30. You had 60 feet, and I believe you were holding onto hex, uh, hex, hex, uh, exclaim, it's fine. I'm still gonna just do... Because that was last round. It's all good.

I need to get within 30 feet to Hexblades curse it anyway. Just making sure. So I appreciate it. 5, 10, 15, 20, 20. Yeah, so I can go 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30-ish, like here. As long as I can see it from here, which I think is reasonable, it's within Hexblade curse. So I will have, like, steadied myself after getting more healing from you or near.

I'll, like, put my hand on, almost, like, on his leg. To, like, steady myself and say, Oh, God's damn it, is that a chain? Is that a fucking chain? They know it's down here! And I'm gonna like chase, run forward as I like kind of wave my hand through the air and like a stream of smoke will follow from my hand

as I hex blade curse this creature with my bonus action. And then after I complete this motion with my left hand, I hold up the brutal blade and from the tip two arcing Eldridge blasts will shoot at this creature. Okay. I'm gonna make two attacks against it from range. Oh, 18, I didn't get the 19, and the other one's gonna be a 15 to hit.

No, no, only the 19. So just the one will hit, I missed by one point for the crib, which sucks. But I'm gonna do three points of force damage. Three points. That's spectacular. Fury of the Small being what it is. Kling.

You do scream this out, and you can see that this chain has been wrapped once, maybe twice around the base of the spine of this creature, just above the pelvis. And then it continues to interlink and weave before hooking back on itself and finally coming to an anchor point. This creature is completely held by the chain

that wraps around it. That's my turn? Let's move in some minions. Ooh. Oh, I fucked up. Nope, nope, never mind. Plus four damage just a bonus to damage. damage rules. That doesn't include the actual to hit, doesn't it?

On the Hexblitz curse, it's just the damage. It just doesn't, it just does it plus two or plus three plus four, yeah, yeah, yeah. But no, not to hit, just a damage. Yes, correct. So it's seven damage, seven, fours three. Seven damage. So I need to remove an additional three four damage, so that takes me down to yeah, it's just the flat damage that it has. That's what I thought. And you crit on 19-0, I got to fucking eat. That's where I am. I would like the one that's closest to scrim to see if he can move to scrim. This guy? Yeah. Yeah. Wrong move, buddy. How about his movement?

His movement is going to be... Oh, but...pup, but...pahoo. ...to classic 30. Is that good? Yeah. And then the other one's gonna dash over to yore near. As soon as it gets in range, Queenie can loose an arrow. That's correct. Would you like to loose an arrow? He's way... As soon as he comes...

As soon as he rounds the corner. You're good. Yeah, I mean, this... You can definitely fucking say it's up. Yeah, yeah. No, I would. I would attack him. Okay. Number three. I'm gonna say, you said that as soon as it came into range,

would you like to shoot it before it gets close to your near? Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Okay. So put it there on the corner. That's where the arrow will loose. Hell yeah. Let's go.

I mean, I rolled a natural 18. Okay, you definitely hit. Go ahead and roll for damage. It gets there. Plenty. Right between the eyes. And it's just the one, right? Correct.

Because of reaction. Nine. Nine points of damage. What number took the damage? Three. Three, thank you. It takes it, and you do significant damage, but it continues to lumber forward,

and it reaches yornyer, clearly mindless and painless in its efforts to reach him. Both of these others are going to walk up to shamble forward towards Taishan. Oh. 30. 30, yeah. They can both reach.

They're gonna tear you. One attack for... Out of the damage. Scrim. Yeah. That's going to be a 22 hits. Sout of the bitch. I will allow it.

Eight points of flashing damage as it reaches forward with a bony hand and grips into your arm and just squeezes and you can feel the punctures of its fingers going into your arm. Two attacks on... on Taishen, the lowest one is going to be a 12th. The next one is gonna be an 18. 18 hits. Okay.

Minimum damage, you take four slashing damage as it knocks into you. They're both sort of lumbering towards you and clawing at you, seemingly under the command of this strange malevolent entity. That is the conclusion of the minions. The layer action passes us by, does it? Let's see.

Yeah, it's good song. What can I see here? You can probably see, like, just... I'm assuming these guys' antlers is like... Oh, no, this is all like cave form, right? Yeah, so... I just mean in terms of light. In terms of light?

I don't have dark vision. Oh, yeah. Well, this guy's on fire, so that's casting light. So you see light coming from this. Like 20 feet, me? It would be like the third act of the ritual. Where it's just like, it's firelight in the darkness and you can't really...

And deep shadows. Yeah, that's exactly what it would look like. That's right. What you, I would say, I would say that for your context, when the flaming scorching rays smashed into this creature, and when the Eldridge blasts smashed into this creature, what illumination came, you can see those like still moments of this creature flailing around, almost like a strobe light.

So you're aware of its position. Okay. If that gives you the context. For its layer action, It's going to pull back its arm, and you see the vine that is attached almost at the wrist. And it's going to, even though it is engaged with Barnabos, it's going to make an attack against Scrim. Don't like that. This thorny vine whips out, and it's going to have a 19 to hit.

I kick. Oh my gods. I cast shield. Yeah. Oh? That was wise. You put energy up into the air, and you realize that this whip would have wrapped around you and pulled you in closer towards the creature, and you would have been perhaps grappled by the effect,

in addition to being slashed by these terrible, massive thorns on the edge of these vines. But instead, all of that crumples into a spot before loosely swinging back and whipping into the creature. It gives you a nasty, like, growl. before turning and redoubling its efforts against Barnabos. Barnabos, you're up. Yeah, I'm coming for you, buddy, but it's on my terms, not yours. They're keeping this thing as a pet or a prisoner. Either way, we put it down.

And I'm just going to do the old one, two, skidoo. Maybe I'll get another natural 20. I don't, but I hit. I may not hit. 18. 18, I miss my second attack. Damn, dude. Six quick. That will be 912 plus 3.

15 points of bludgeoning damage. And I am going to knock it back five feet. Okay. You do that. And you slash into it with your anchor, this heavy, heavy iron weapon. and it reacts. It lets out this screaming whale and then.

I'm gonna get in between it and a scrim. You start to race forward, and as you get between it and scrimm, it uses an ability that you've seen it do once before, just before being pushed into the water. It turns into smoke. Oh, fuck. And evaporates, having been hit by a melee arranged attack,

it turned. However, the chain is still wriggling there in the dark space, and it disappears into the dark bay. God! This is the most fucked up fight you have ever made, Derek. It's gotta be something like magic chain. Oh, it's gotta be. You watch as the chain link, almost like a snake,

ripples back and you can hear it, clink, click, click, click, disappear into the depths as it seems to be preparing its next move. You're afraid, Beastie! That is my turn. You're near. Um, seeing this shambling undead orc, and it's so dark, and there's fire, and my eyes aren't adjusting.

Um, I, I turn, and I see my staff covered in ice. Please grant me the eyes of the hunter, the coming of the hunter, the strange, of the hunter. And you will see me grow maybe one or two feet tall. My taller. My fur will turn white. And you will see almost, if anyone can see me,

my eyes turn pitch black. And my teeth turn almost into fangs as I cast guardian of nature. What? Let's go. And I will choose the primal beast option. He turns into the tune. I love this spell. I am very tune-bock-coded right now.

I love that spell. That's one of my favorite spells. Your eyes are two chips of dirty eyes. Exactly right. As I turn to it. Yeah, but do you have a wall of flailing human hands? I don't. I now have...

You can't all be that cool. I now have dark vision up to 120 feet. Let's go, baby. And I'm gonna come in and attack this guy with my... Shaleigh. With my Shaleli. And I am advantaged.

That's gonna hit and then it's a D8. And because I am super bear strong now. Hold on, let me use my proper base here. If you know the song, you'll get a prize if you name up. Uh, he's one of these guys. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 points of force and let me just see. Let me just double check here. 14 points of spells, Shalili.

Bludgeoning in force, if it matters. It does not matter. You are able to fell the creature. I just need you to flip it around and keep it on the map. I need you to make a strength saving throw. Oh, it's kind of like... Oh, no. Yeah, it's root explosion.

Oh, no. Strength saving throw, hold on. Does this spell give me any kind of bonus against saving throws? Smene and mushroom. Yep, exactly, yep, yep, yep. Guardian of Nature. Do you think it's attack rolls? No, it does not. Okay.

What's the alien entangling hand? Three. Nine. You fail. I do fail. The entangling roots that burst out of this creature explode out, reaching the ceiling, digging into the ground, and wrapping themselves

all around you. You are restrained. Shit. And you take it. Take two points with slashing damage. Yep. That's what happens is the creature is taken from on death. I love that spell so much, though.

It's a great spell. Queenie, it is now your turn. Queenie is horrified. She's watching Taishen fighting these things with fire. Barnabos had been up in the middle of it, and she has seen this. has seen this before. As she looks towards Scrim, she's going to move forward to spaces and then around Yornear, just afraid of this thing, to the opposite side, like right in front of the guy.

You make your way just around the difficult terrain that you can see Yornear in a strange form struggling with. And that uses my movement, but then I'm going to bonus action rabbit hop to get directly next to Scrim, preventing any opportunity to attack. just in case even in this state it could attack me. All the while, Queenie is looking down at the ground shaking, one, two, scrim, I'm coming for you. Three, four, no more dying on the floor. And then once I get to him, I'm gonna cast Archer's Redoubt

on him. Yeah, okay. You now have an immovable, nearly invisible wall of bees around you, a barrier around you that grants you plus five bonus to your AC and dexterity saving throws. It's like a little turret and it's got the little window. And you can fire spells out.

There's a word for those slits on. The crenellitions. No, no, that's the top word. Ballastraria or balustaria. What is the word for A.C. and Dxon. You just gave me even more. You're the best.

You're like the blind archers from Samarai. The arrow loop, known as the Mertre. Treir-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-tout. I got you, but don't go dying on me now, not again. Uh. Thank you, Quinty. Thank you. They seem to be protecting you.

You feel much safer. You know, like, a range or anything I need to be aware of? I have to concentrate on it for 10 minutes. But there's no, like, if I get too far from you. It stays with you. Got it. So, I just have to touch you to cast it. Plan is on, baby.

My plan is full steam ahead. It's the monster. It is the monster's turn. Come get some. You big bitch. Not today! I got like a thousand to see. I'm fucking golden.

I got a spell slot in my back pocket with golden. Please tell me it vanishes and we can't find it because scrum will find it. You can see the chain moving slowly. The chain continues to pull around like this side and seems to be. making its way sort of in this general direction. To pour! I'm heavy. Oh, gosh, gosh.

And then I need to pick a good spot within 100 feet of it that can do like a 20 foot radius thing. Let's optimize. I mean, I think, yeah. Does it ignore all this stuff? Yeah, I mean, if you put it on that pillar thing, it could get four. Here I think it gets everybody.

Is it a 20 foot sphere? Is it 20 foot? Radio sphere. It is a 20 foot radius. Oh, right here would hit everyone. Yeah, right here. I got you, fan. That's everybody.

Yeah. 100%. Oh, yeah. All of a sudden, just like the ceiling has roots, all of a sudden, these grasping roots start to spray up, but they're not just twisting. Some of them are shooting up sharp in all directions and I need everyone to make a strength saving throw.

Oh, my. I'm advantage on those. You can't be fucking kidding. Give me plus five. Yeah, I can. I'm gonna take plus five. Give me five. This is Bologna.

Uh, strength? Yep. I don't need it. Oh, let's fucking go. All right, I had plus zero, but then I get plus five that gives me a 22. I'm gonna take three. That's gotta be good enough. I had 16 plus 5, 21.

21? Strength pros. Strength Bros. Sparobos, I'm sure it's fine. 15. 15. 15. 15.

Okay. You guys both are restrained. You're additional, you're double restrained. As these roots crunch up, and you also take the full amount of just nine. I roll very low piercing damage. Should we take half? And you both, yes, everyone else takes half. Just piercing damage.

However, four and a half. That area that we just laid out is difficult to rain. And you realize that moving three, it is going to cause you pain, like walking through a bram-law. Oh, yeah. So like this whole area. This like whole area. Exactly right.

Is it per step or just like- It's per five feet? How much we take? We don't know. You don't have to roll it. That's bad. That's bad. I will tell you now just for future turn planning,

it's a D6 to get out of the, per square that you walk in this difficult. So I should only have to go like three squares, right? Because like if it's all here, I can get out like, Yeah, it ends. And it's difficult to race. Yeah, it ends like right next to you guys. Taishin? I might not...

No, yeah. I will cast once again scorching ray, just at a second level. I'm gonna shoot two rays at this at number one. Okay. I'm gonna shoot one at number two. Okay. Those will all be disadvantaged. Be sure you're gonna back back up. But you could also probably fuck yourself very deeply if you do that.

I'm just trying to help. It's been a while. Meleys disadvantaged. Yeah. Spell attack. You might still hit. You might still hit, but... If you have a melee spell attack, that won't be a disadvantage. I mean, he does have face melting McGill- He's got face melting hands. I know you've got the one that you used to... Yeah, I got shocking grasp. My hand glows with an awesome power. It really does.

You do have burning hands. That one... Oh yeah, burning hands is not arranged. What was it that you used on the ogre who had the gladiator mask on and you like melted his face? Like suns, sunscorch? Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you want it, I mean... I've been able to do again, Derek. Alright? But just a battle during a sunny day would be really nice.

Um, I will... I will cast Dragon's breath on myself. Oh! At a fourth level. Uh, and I will breathe forward in Dragon Flame, in Dragon's Fire.

Just at these two. Both of them need to make the exterity savings throw, I believe? Correct. They both absolutely fail. Ooh. It's one and two. How much damage? 26 points of fire damage.

To each of them? To each of them. They crumpled down to the ground. Nice. And you, because you're using fire, may remove the tokens from the board. Oh, good. Oh.

Oh, nice. Um, uh, Barnabos, where is it? And I'll try and, I'm gonna try and move towards Barnabos, because that's the last place I'm near the monster. Do you're gonna. We just have to figure out what squares you need to take damage to move through. Yeah, all right, so it's about, so hold on.

In order to get everyone, it had to be here. It's a lot for, for Tyshire. So to get to Barnabos, you're going to take 3D6 damage. 3D6? It's 1D6. No, you're... Yeah. Yeah.

It's a lot. Yeah. You have a far way to go to get to Barnos, unfortunately. I mean, there's nowhere. Where else I go? There's nowhere else. Two, three, four. You would basically take four and then you're out.

According to my expert eyeball, four spaces, 46 damage. Can I even move that far? It's all, and it's all difficult to... It's all the terrain, so I don't only move here. That would be three. All right, maybe I don't run through all those ones. You could all... You could run through the people you just burned

and start to get around. You can try to go this way. This would get you out almost immediately. You could also run to Queenie and take more damage. Yeah. All right, all right. Yeah, I'm going to try and work around, seeing all the thorns pop up and come this way.

Five, seven, and a half. Yeah, I would say that that breaks you free. You were not restrained, so you're free from the action. This is probably as far as I get. If one. Take 1D6. Yeah, just to get off your square. And what I've seen, when I hit it with the breath of fire,

when I've seen that, anything happened to the thorns? Oh, when you destroyed the two orcs stuff now? Yeah, like, they're all engulfed in flames. Like, if I was in that section of thorn, would have, like, would I've seen anything happen? Are you asking if the thorns that you were entangled with that were destroyed? Yeah, or, like, did the ground that they catch flame where they started to burn away?

Do I get the sense like hitting it with fire would start to remove these spots? You do get that sense. You get the sense that it can be burned away, that things that are in the fire would be burned also. And you also get the sense that the undead orcs that you just destroyed did not burst into thorns because you used fire to destroy them. Okay. All right. I have all that sense.

It's grim. With Barnabas yelling to the port and me seeing that you, chain moving, am I, would it be reasonable to assume that I'd be able to think that I'd be able to find it over this direction? It would be reasonable. How many D6 am I taking? One, two, three, four. Or no, me three. How? I mean, three. To get to fucking here? I would say three. I would say three. And it's difficult to rain and there is also a guy. I'm gonna take an opportunity deck. Okay. I yelled a barnabose. I was kind of moving around that I yield a barnabose that I can find.

It's already difficult terrain if I just like pass the room, right? Oh. I don't know you could pass. No, you can't pass through enemies. Yeah. So it'll be one and a half, two. It says three squares technically, four. I'm out there.

Oh, one typical terrain you can't even get. Well, what's your speed? Oh, wait. If he's a size smaller, can he move through it? Or no, is that not a thing? I wouldn't say that's the thing. Okay, got it. That is two sizes small.

Halflings get the special. That's right. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. I think. 15 that's fucked yeah any take your shit on damage fuck the thing is I don't even need to see it I need to see a square that's five feet from it and I can't let's take a

look new plan that's very unfortunate it's a different creature yeah all right I'm just going to make an attack with green flame blade on it that sucks it's 19 to hit it plus a bazillion so it's gonna be one d8 fire damage plus a bunch of D4s thank you old minimum damage One, two, three. Two, three. One, two, three, plus four is seven. Piercing damage, plus three fire damage.

And I only get one melee attack, unfortunately. Okay. What does that look like? The flame will light as I slashed this creature. Okay. So your blade cuts through the air and it like slashes the... No, the... Oh, the creature is on fire. My apologies. I light this bitch on fire.

You're attacking this. The ork, not the, okay. Now I'm gonna give him that bad HP back. What number is it? What number is it? Four. Four, that was ten points of damage. It lives.

You're so numberish. Damn. Numerish. Yeah, that's all I can do. There's no point in me moving. You are surrounded by a cage of thorny bramble-like roots that have reached up from the ground. You're able to still move dexterously, not you're restrained.

but you're engaged in combat. It's struggling to find a way to continue to defend yourself against this horrific monster. Bonus action, I will drink a potion. Oh my god, these dice are awful. One, two, three, four. I six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. That's my turn.

Unfortunate. There's only one minion left, and it's to attack Scrim. I think only a national 20 can hit it. It does not get a natural 20. So it slams into the, um, and you can see the bees almost take this like ripple effect and then reshape and form before it continues to pound on the door that Queenie has created for you. That's the

minions turn. Lair's turn. In the corner of my eye I thought you were doing this at me for some reason. That was very weird. Ewoo. Ewoo. No, he's just playing with a little doll necklace. The necromanic energy that sizzles in this place, the same energy from this creature creates the hair on the back of your head or on your body wherever to stand. And you're near, as restrained as you are, you are horrified to see that the creature that you fell, having not been burned, comes back.

to animation and stands up right in front of you. Oh, my God. By the triad. Lombard of us. You're up. Oh. I am going to, I'm in it.

How far do I have to go? You're right at the end of it. You're right at the end of it. I think I am. Yeah. You're the very outer edge. So you just have one square. One square.

So that's ten That's ten we'll say And you take one D6 piercing damage Okay Ten So you take one so I guess zero because it's piercing Let's fucking go I think I'm in my arranging in here Yeah I'd say stuff

Yeah because he's in with these He's technically those fours yeah Oh my boys he's not gonna get away As I am going to Uh Does he is he Does he look like he's there in front of me As much as the other one did.

Okay. Two tats. That's two 19s. Two 19s and then a 19, so 20-something plus 19. So the both of those hit. Okay. Five plus

four. Five plus ten. Twelve, twenty, and then 26. Twenty-six points of damage. and over two attacks.

And you're able to do all of this damage and it wails and screams and spit flies from its monster mouth, but it turns at you and looks at you with a cold glare and its mouth opens and you hear Scrimm's voice yell back out at you. I am not, I am the fury, I am the small. I remember what I said there. But it takes it and that, and that,

That is your near's turn. Good luck, brother. We are. We're in all sorts of Feltel areas over here. That was the worst scrim impression I've ever done. I thought you did great. It was fantastic. Sounds just like me.

No, it didn't. Can I smell where this is? With your new guardian nature? With my primal bear... Powerful bear mode. Oh, I didn't do a thing. Okay. Make a perception check.

15. The entire space has this accurate smell of undeath. But predators, and in your predatorial form, can smell the direction of blood. And with the damage that Barnabos has just inflicted, I think that you would sense the warmth and the iron of that blood in the direction that Barnabos is currently in. Do I feel like this would take an action to get out of? I've got the stat block right here. Usually it's escape DC blank.

It's escape DC blank, but this will not require an action. Oh. A creature, a creature restrained by the plants may make a strength check at the start of their turn to free itself. Oh, yeah. It's free me. I'm gonna try to, I'm twisting. I'm twisting. I'm twisting.

One, two, three, four, five. Five. Uh, okay. These are rep dice, I'm not gonna use them. Nope. Boom. Very good. Nice.

Plenty. 24. 24 freeze, yeah. No, that's not enough. You, um, yeah, you absolutely thrust your arms out and the, um, uh, dry roots break and are brittle, uh, crashing all around you. You are, you feel like you can get away. I will all yell out to Taishan, to Taishan. Taishan, you must burn them.

I will hunt the beast. And I'm gonna go. I'm gonna start stopping, one, two. You're gonna take a lot of damage moving through that. Yeah, I would not go that one, unless you just wanna say, fuck it. What's your movement? It's all difficult for a half. Okay, you will take 76 damage to move that way.

Are you comfortable with that? Jesus. Will I? Derek? Will I? Or am I a land druid for the first time in history? I use my feature land stride. Moving through non-magical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement. These are branches. Are they magical? Ugh. You know what? You know what? I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit. This is the only time in this campaign that you're going to be able to benefit from this goddamn future. non-logical plants without being slowed and without taking damage if they have thorns, spines,

are a similar hazard. I also have advantage on saving throes against plants that are magically created or manipulated to impede movement, such as those created by the entangle spell. Land Druids, folks. Landruids, everybody. There he is, ladies and gentlemen. I got advantage on them. You race through, and you are somehow able to hopscotch your way through all of the brambles and thorns without issue. You just crashed through it. All of you watch an amazement as bowling paul through pins the wood flies in all directions, and Yornear is off racing forward. And so two opportunity attacks,

so that is a thing that they choose to do. Yeah, they're hungry for blood. That one's going to hit, and, yeah, the other one will take its shot. Does a 18 hit? Yes, it does. Okay, both of them are going to hit. Pass. And you take...

Pass. You race past them, ignoring their... blows, but still taking 10 points of slashing damage as they pummel into you, but you are a predator now, and you have one single goal in mind. And as I get about here, I am going to I'll start sort of growling and slavering, and as I get closer, my bare form will get bigger and bigger as I physically transform into a bear with my wild shape. Ooh!

I am now a bear. I'm not quite a polar bear. I'm the size of a brown bear, but I look like a polar bear. You're a polar bear. I'm a polar bear. You are an animal that exists only to kill. Great turn.

Queenie. Thank you. I'm going to roll to try and get out of my restraint. Can I use twists? Yes. Five, please. Plus five. Uh-oh. No.

No, I don't. I don't. So I will just turn towards the one behind me and shoot arrows at it. 21. Hold on. Let me make sure that's what it is. Yeah, it is. 21 and 25 to hit.

Number three. That hits. My bees are also going to sting it. So. Dang. Oh, number three. 27 points of. 27 points of damage is more than enough.

It explodes into thorns as your arrows and bees do their work. It falls to the ground. Or rather, it suspends itself as it once again grows with strange primal energy. The Monsters' Team. It is the Monsters' turn. is the monster's turn. It was the monster's turn. We're enjoying a nice bedford with it.

It was a very great tavern. He's going to use. That's for the fact of me, giant monster. This creature is going to use its bonus action to once again turn into darkness, into mist, and effectively take the disengage action. It is going to run and turn disappearing. Tell me, you coward! This is berry enough. Oh, that's pretty berry.

Yeah, that's got. I forgot we had a bullet mini. That's very cool. For me, please. Run forward to the type of patrol of the and gets. That's far. I just can't get eyes on. That was its bonus action, and it used its action to dash.

I think that was well more than its 40 feet of movement. So that was its turn. Tishan, you're up. I will run forward. 15, 20, 25, 30, and I will also dash. This is front. You would see the creature. I have no dark vision.

But you've got control flame. It's just as you start to round the bend, you would see the hint of its musculature and vines here on the corner. I keep going away from it. Well, it started on this square, so it'd be too far. But I'll shout out it. It's over this way. Back where you were!

But I'll run, I will dash running forward and get here. And I will quicken spell once again my, what's called? I think Firebolt, not Firebolt. My scorching ray just at a second level. And I will try and shoot this hearing, remembering what you're gonna about if I see this back there as roots. You were very wise to do this. I will shoot one I had some fucked up shit coming and I will fucking go. Not anymore if I go. I mean on our DM and I'll shoot two rays here.

And I will also call out is this is this a Yorna Dillo? I think that's way bigger. I didn't realize you had a Yorna Dillo huh? Because I'm gonna take so much more damage than I think I need to Oh, I'm just counting four from Melendos. Yeah, but it had to at least get this square for sure, because that's where Ty Shen was right here. I don't know, that's tough. I feel like I'm taking more than I should if I run straight out.

Oh, maybe I did too far this way. Oh, yeah, no, it's too far that in that direction. Yeah, way too far. Yeah, bring that back one square. Yeah, that's closer to where I'm picturing it. Um, I rolled two natural ones. Oh my gosh. The first one and I rolled a 16, so a 24 to hit the back. 24. You may remove it from the- Damn it!

Eight points of fire damage. Okay. I'm going to ask you to roll a D-20 and, yep, it's a death-saving throw for the vines that are all here. Because even though you miss, I want to see if you ignite the entanglement. you need a ten or higher. They do not inflame. I'd also like to call out just as I'm running up to this face. Barnabos, if you get to the source of its chain,

you might be able to reel it in. Cripple its movement. Oh, that's pretty smart. That's what I say. One more giant sea monster. That's very sexy. Let's go with Skrim's turn. Yeah.

So to get around this guy, would it be 15 to go angle, angle? Correct. It would be 15 feet of movement and 2D6. So I'll spend 15 feet of movement and take 2D6. Oh, you got it. Oh, sorry, no, go ahead. I didn't look. Seven. Apologies. You're fine.

Oh, so that's... Then I'm gonna take an attack of opportunity as I spend another five feet to get out. Natural 1. No, he, oh, it doesn't matter anyway. His reaction is used because he, Opportunity Tech. That's right. Oh, that's right. Well, it doesn't matter any of a good call.

Good game. So that's 20. This is difficult to be still, right? I don't know, I thought it was to get out of here. If not, then it's another 10. Well, while you're in here, right? So that's one and a half, that's three squares. Well, yeah, so this was 15, right?

You're saying that'd be 30. So then that's what I'm saying. Oh, it's 30 to get to where you are. Are you saying, It could be 15 for him to move this one square through difficult terrain. It's one and a half. I thought it was going to be. Yes, yes, because this is 15 normally.

So then 30 feet of movement is here. It's not 15. No, no, it's 7.5. So this is 15. Right. This is 15. Yes, you're good. Yeah.

And then now this would be, this, this would be only one square because you're leaving it. Yeah. Yeah. That's why I said, five. So you're at 35 feet of movement. Yeah. It's 30 and then five. Yep, 35.

Difficult terrain, folks. Yeah, so you're good. What a fun, highly tactical game this has turned out to me. 15. No, it's not enough. Still not enough. That's unfortunate. Oh boy. I attack this guy to green flame blade before I leave his presence. Okay.

I believe that's number four. Yeah, that's gonna be a... You don't pump the jams? Less like tavern. Oh, weird. Why is this happening? 15 to hit the zombie? Why is this in here?

I should have just said playing. Sorry, it's been playing, I didn't do the thing where it stays inside the... Yeah. 15 to hit the zombie? That's very annoying. I think 15 to hit the zombie? It hits.

Another three fire damage, but a total of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. 13 total damage, spirit, it's fire. That's exactly its maximum hit points. It goes down, and I needed to make a strength saving throw. It got to kill by fire. No, I got killed by fire. Then it just, it just ignites and goes down.

Very nice. Let's go. Then I'll use my last five to get out, and that is my turn. Oh, okay. Fuck you. Especially, fuck you. I just gotta fucking put eyes on this thing. This is crazy.

Stribs not here. It's Andy right now. Walking from the darkness, you see an undead goliath. Walking from this side, you can see curling around the edge. Two more. A small undead car. Oh, no. Ooh, a minotaur.

Oh, which one's a minotaur? This guy with the horns. Exactly right. They advance and begin to creep towards you in their shambly undead manner, and that brings us to the lair action. You hear a voice cry out. You hear Yornear's voice. It is not your time yet.

This podcast is brought to you by our Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of Aventris 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 tome 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. In this moment, you hear a sound to your left, Tishan, the cracking of bones, the scraping of sinew, and you watch in horror as the two zombies that shamble next to you

fall apart and then shuffle together and begin to reassemble in a disgusting menagerie. I need you to remove those two tokens for me. You son of a gun. You're gonna have them all come together. Phase two. Oh, man. Oh, what?

The father's your creature made of their bones and the head of the Minotaur combined, race forward, like a dog. It gets down onto its hind legs and starts to look at you as though it is ready to pounce. Uncle Lorbo. Now you may go Barnabus. That was very funny.

Barnbus, you're up. Jim to business, come on. I can't even get to him, right? One, five, ten, fifteen, twenty. Yeah, this thing is crazy. What about the diagonal? One, two, three and a half, five. I mean if you're dashing. Six and a half. How much speed do you have?

40. The problem with dashing to it is all it does is put him in range and then it runs away against. Seven and a half. Well, if you only say the only is hit by an attack. Oh, no, I'm gonna go here. I'm gonna go here. Oh. I'm just one is. What I'm saying he's going to fucked up.

I am running this way, and I, listening to Tai Shen, oh, now that's a smart Ardham, Mr. Fire Blossom, and I'm only good rubber elmsman, and I am going to see the chain on the ground, presuming it is there. Absolutely, let's fucking go. I'm going to, if I can use my Stowe weapon as my free object, you know, option.

I press Z and all over it. Do this and then you're driving magnetized to your back. Is X to sit down? It's X to sit down. Don't accidentally press X. Just like sit down in the middle of the fight. I can tread from behind. And I'm going to use my action, if I may,

to grab the chain and pull as much as I possibly can. End over fist. Tend over fist. Give me 10 feet, baby. Just get him 10 feet. Come on. Okay. And he's grappled. How much pulling?

How much pulling can you do? Are sea monsters this guy's reel-in? He's the strongest man on the planet. Reeling is all on reeling and sea monsters. He's literally all about. That's his right character. Yeah, come on. He's a land druid and he reels in monsters.

He's never going to get to do this. They're never going to get to do this again, Derek. You built this fight for them. Let him reel the monster. 100%. Okay. 100%. This is free.

This is free. I'm gonna say it's not for it's free it's a part it's his vehicle he's got vehicle we're gonna do a strength contest if you succeed you pull it all the way to you oh my god this guy is made of bones and cobwebs he has no strength if you fail I you're still gonna pull it a five feet ten no no five is very generous win win don't you're probably you're probably advantaged on athletic contest but probably no twists right it's gotta be I think I'm gonna use five twist anyway. Oh, you're gonna use them. Okay. Fuck yeah, fuck this guy. Yeah, let's get this guy in.

They're nicer than me. I wouldn't look. Let's get this guy in. Athletics, he said? Yep. Thank God. Athletics is, hold on. You mung-go.

Now, this guy's toast. Shut your mouth. It's up there. I mean, I feel like there's no way Barnabos doesn't win just because it's right. 30, yes. 30. 30.

You, hand over hand, these are chunky, huge chains. You're able to, you're able to, you're able to, Every time you pull it forward, put your hand into the loop of the next chain before you pull it, crunch, crunch, crunch, and you're able to pull this creature towards you. It scrapes and reels and tries to dig away from you,

but you hold fast, your heels digging into the ground. It's screaming all time. And you're able to pull, ah, ha, ha, ha, and it's screaming and, uh, breaking away from you, but you are able to get it and it is, so, when it realizes it's lost this battle. It turns to you with a renewed fury. I pulled an acre as much heavier than you, Beastie.

I love that. And that's my turn. That is a good, that's a turn. I'm starting to believe Trothack the Shark Puncher! And I'm not letting him go. I am just holding him. Okay. Here.

I'll consider him grappled, to be honest. I mean, he is grappled by the chain. Yorineer. Fuck him up! Can I smell where he is? Make a perception check. I'm screaming. I gave it to you for 15.

I gave it to you for 15 last time. I think that that still is going to. It's key, key bare senses. Now you have this. Sure. Keen smell. 100%. 16 plus 8.

Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. The natural roll. Got you there. Go. Good, good, good, go, go, go, go. That's very funny. I'm going to time.

You will squeeze through one, with your size being what it is. If you wanted to go through. through those spaces you could squeeze. I'm gonna go this way. Okay. Because I think I can pass for my allies for free. Okay. Yes, you can.

And the thorns mean nothing to you. Exactly. I just talk over this door. The thorns are laughing there. So let me just count. So if I'm here, right, so that's one, two and a half, three, uh, four, five, six, seven, eight. I'm gonna just lumber.

And I'm just gonna, lumber up here. Actually, I'm gonna get here because I have 50 feet, so I'm just gonna give my friends some... Bears are fast. Well, they're 40, but I still have my primal thing. Maintaining concentration. Let's go. Let's go. And I am going to lumber at it and rear up onto my hind legs and come in with two attacks. Rock and roll? Let's see here. Ground bear. All right, I'm gonna give this guy the fucking business.

Okay, multi-attack. Technically it's one bite and one claw. But because I have primal savage or not whatever, force of nature, what's it called? Guardian of Nature. I'm advantage with strength attacks. Let's go. Uh-oh.

We hit just a certain. 13? Misses. Okay. I'm gonna come in with, oh, because I'm using the RET die. That's why. That's why. Let me do that one.

Can't do that. Switch to, right or die. Oh my god. That's better. That's a 19. That hits. So my claw attack will hit. Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven,

twelve points of magical slashing damage. It's pretty good. Okay. You do that, and you feel that you have damaged it. Okay. Queenie. I'm going to attempt to get out of the grapple. Add to us.

You want? I think I'm okay. I got a 20, I believe. Hell yeah, you're going. You are finally able to, you don't break the branches, but you're able to find the spot that your butt fits through. And you squeeze out and you're able to finally reemerge, seeing the crushed path that Yorne has left behind.

It's still relatively dangerous, but you are now have free movement. You're no longer restrained. I'm going to move my full movement towards Tyshen, because I should be able to see him, I believe. Oh, yeah, definitely, yeah. That's gonna be 3D6 on the way out. Actually, because I'm a Ranger, it's the first time I ever get to do this,

I'm gonna use Landstriad. Oh my God. Oh, really? Yeah, no, I have Landstride too. You do? Okay. How does that work? So I just do that.

You just go? Yeah, it's not even a bonus action. It just happens. It's a passive ability? Yeah, yeah, no. You let's go, Rangers. You hop off the two walls and then land down. 2530 would get you

between being true. Hell yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's good. Just fucking go. And then, could I be able to see him with no dark vision? This guy? Oh, wait, I would, I mean, I don't think so.

At this point, because of, are you still controlling flame? I would say I'm definitely not like, you know. If you've been holding the flame and like using it to like do this and like that sort of thing, then I would say that there's still enough illumination that you can see it. Yeah, that's what I've been doing.

Yeah, exactly right. Then I'm going to use both of my actions or to attack. Okay. Oh yeah, I can't use that one. It's too big. A natural one and a 19. I have 15 points of damage. 15 points of damage.

Thank you. Let me do that real quick. because I can definitely do math in my head real good. The two arrows land true and stick out of the sides of it. It continues to struggle and resist Barnabos's mighty touch, but he's able to keep him where he is. He's trapped, and that's his turn. Let me see what I can do in this situation.

I'm going nowhere. It's actively restrained. Wrong fucking alley. You can never break the chain And if you don't love me now It's extremely important now that he can't like miss out of the chain You know what I mean? From the beginning, oh well I know what has to be magical change

Your anti-Screamable Yeah please not anymore Uh three rounds is all you get bitch I'm coming for that ass now Grim dies button My die move The creature is going to not use its action to attempt to break free from Barnabos, but instead get down on all fours almost.

And this time it lets loose a scream. A scream's so powerful, you recognize this to be the same scream that could break your hearing to cause deafness in you. I think I'm okay with that. Is that calm? It screams out. screams out in this enclosed space. I need everybody to make a wisdom saving throw.

Wisdom, I'm twisting five. I'm good at this. Take five out. What is the worst that happens from deafness in this game? I'm trying to think like, I don't think it affects me. There are like some features and spells where you can't hear it. I think I'm okay.

I don't think I care. Oh, that's pretty good actually. I also rolled really when I got a 19 anyway. 26. 19th. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that one snuck up on me, Derek. It scared me real bit.

Thank you. 10. God damn it. I rolled two. You don't need to hear to be a bear to eat people. Yeah, I'm fine. Yeah, it's the bear that's definitely. That's right.

That's right. Queenie? I got a 15. 15. Barnabos, Scrim, you are able to recognize as it hunkers down in this moment that you need to cover your ears, but everyone else is so engaged in combat

that they are struck by this massive blow. They are each, everyone takes two point of thunder damage and Taishen, Queenie, and Yorne, you are now deafened in this moment. How many thunder damage did you say? Two. I'm good. You said two points?

Two points, yeah. Two points. Tyshin. Hey, everybody! This is awesome. It's that high-pitched wean after a grenade goes off in a war movie. We just can't catch a break.

I will drop concentration. on Dragon's Breath. And I will blast two colors of flame forward at this spot. Okay. Wall of fire that extends to you. Beautiful. Nice. Facing this way, cutting off that.

The illumination is brilliant. Your eyes all have to adjust as suddenly this wall of fire exists. Looking at it even hurts, given how adjusted to the darkness you are. But the creature can just it. continues to hunker down. Take your turn?

It will take, I think, 5D8. Oh. 5D8. Wait, when you just has spelled this, 5D8 to each creature that ends its turn within 10 feet of that side of the wall or inside of this. So, it won't take any damage yet. No, its turn would need to add, right? Yeah. I think so.

And then I will once again quicken spell. Nice. And I will turn and blast my last third level slot using a scorching ray at the giant creature on my left. Not capable of hearing what I'm saying. And I'll roll for each... I'll just roll all these. It's four rays. Oh, no. That's unfortunate, dude. Well, these maybe two here. Yeah, for sure. 23 and 18. Absolutely. Yep. All right.

Love that. Nice. So, four. I'm still reeling from, I'm like, ooh. 10, 14 points of fire damage as a couple of arcing... 10? 14. 14, thank you. Okay, again, it is hit by this fire. You know that each round it would be almost rejuvenating. The vines would continue to grow, but because you are hitting it with fire over and over and over again, you are suppressing that innate feature

of this terrible entity, and that's a good turn. Scream. I move 20 feet forward. I use my relentless hex to teleport behind it 30 feet. and I'll make two attacks. I no longer have the plus AC from Quentin. Oh, you leave the archer's

right. I take out cheap fire cracker-hoppers. That's very funny. Those are very distracting too. You leave the archer's redoubt? No, she lost concentration. Thank you. I got a natural one on my concentration.

That's devastating. Yeah, that's unfortunate. Both will hit, neither will be crits. I'm not pushing away. Yeah. Well, I'm concentrating on this now, so. Does it start of my turn? Just when you take damage.

Oh, okay. Oh, okay. I don't think you did. I think you're good. Why, I took Thunder damage. 18, a damage over two attacks plus nine from Fury of the Small will be 27. Let's go.

Points of damage over two attacks. 27? 27. And, oh, just kidding, 27, 28, 29, 30, 301, 32, 33, 33, 34, 35, because I forgot to apply my extra. Oh, Jesus, 35. Very nice. One moment. I'll just readjust this here. Because it is plus four to damage rolls on both of those and additionally.

It is still struggling against this creature, and it is screaming up into the air, and you take it by surprise. Your teleport being what it is, you're able to slash into its Achilles heel, into its cap. I'm going. I'm going. You're going against the long back hind legs of this creature and do you do significant damage. It's not like it's bleeding or anything, but muscle tears away. Vines spill out. You can see shards of bone going in all directions.

That's my turn. That's it. That's all I got. I'm saving my last spell slot. All right. The bone ward jumps forward 20 feet directly at you, Tyshan, through the flames. Be cool, man. With its vicious lunge, it makes an attack.

Imagine a scary man. Oh, it would be from the gates of hell. A bone demon from the gates of hell. Oh my God. You're watching, you created this wall of fire and you know that fire is bad for these things, but it is fearless. It jumps forward and manages to grab,

23 to head? Does it take damage passing through the wall? Yeah, I'll definitely take damage. I was gonna say it's got to right. But it's also gonna hit me. Well, it might just, well, if we're lucky, it'll just We'll see, it might ignite. It's extra fire to fire damage.

It'll just incinerate. It's fine. It'll burn right up. I see. It's like taking up. The bare claw is inevitable. It's pretty good. Two eight.

That's good. He's up. That's a seven. No. Oh, that's a seven. That was a seven. That was an eight. I saw.

Yeah. 16, 23. Oh, yeah. 24 damage as it passes through the wall. 24 points of damage. Nice. With two remaining hit points, it flies forward. I'm sorry.

I am, you're going to take one moment. Oh no. Oh no. Oh oh. 15 piercing damage plus four necrotic damage as it bites into you with its sickly undead jaws. I also need you to make a strength saving throw. I think that's reasonable.

Yeah. That's enough. If you've been knocked prone, you imagine it would have been able to take an additional attack action. Whoa! But you are able to stay on your feet despite the pain of the bite, and you realize that this creature, however weakened it may be, is stills coming after you.

It's trying to eat me like groceries! Oh God. We've got full circle, yeah. That's right. Tithes are over trying to eat. Oh no, no, no, no. The booty eating becomes the booty eater. It's going to cover for ass!

You're right, though. That's right. Why do you think I teleported that? Screw she rolls up. All I can stay is hungry for groceries. It's like an all you can eat buffet back here. Turning. No. No.

It's the layer. It's got no, no, no, it's not turning at all. It's staying, I'm just saying. It teleports 800 feet away. You hear a voice. Another voice from the other side of the space. You hear a guttural sound. A voice you've only heard once before

your naming ritual. Oh. The voice of the chieftain of the Spirit Keepers. Spirit caller gray wind yells out. And those of you who are still struggling may not turn to hear him, but you recognize the sound of the voice. As your ears, as your ears pop,

you're able to suddenly hear the rush of air, the sound of combat all around you, and the vines immediately grow limp and fall to the dirt path. The bone morgue in front of you de-animates and sinks to the ground. You hear this bellowing voice, Don't you kill her! Don't you kill her!

Don't you kill her! You hear this screaming as he's racing forward, dashing into the space, clearly mad with fear and fright. You hear this voice. Behind, you hear a secondary voice. What is this? What is this place? What is this hollow?

And that is the turn of Spirit Collar Greywind. Barnabost. You hear the sound of him. Don't you kill her. Don't you let my Thalara die? Whoever this was, it ain't her no more. And while holding the chain, my hands are, my hands are full with the chain,

two crab legs will peer up and pierce forward to make two attacks. I'm gonna make recklessly. We're just gonna call... You get your ground on that to make tokens. So we're just gonna call that green wind. And that'd be, uh... That'll be a natural twice.

Oh! Got to give it up. That'll be natural. Got to give it up. I might not even have to go. This is, it might be over. Oh, no, actually, these are, hold on. These are D8s.

Whoops, sorry. I'm used to my... So that'll be 3D8 for the cret, I think, right? And then one... Double a dice. It would be double the dice, yeah. And brutal critical. I get an extra dice for brute for d'is.

Oh, you should two extra dice at this point is one. Well, and it should double all dice, right? It doubles the dice. It's the first attack, yeah. So that's 2D8 from the double. So your normal attack is a D8. 1D8 now. Okay.

So then crit is 3D8. Yep, 3D8. Okay, okay. Plus another one. Alright. Uh, 10, 19, uh, plus 8. plus eight. Crank those jams, Derek.

Oh, yes. 27. 33 points of piercing damage. 33. As the crab legs shoot past my head and both pierce into this beast. The creature yells out, shrieks out in pain, and then turn your claws still in the

side of this beast turns towards spirit caller gray wind and you hear another voice, a voice you've not heard before, cry out. You hear a feminine voice. After my last. You're in here, you're up. What in the hell? What does it mean? I'm a bear. I attack twice. That's right. Fight. 18? 18? Barely hits. Claw!

Hits again. Okay, I'm sorry, let me go back to Extras Brown Bear, even though I'm Chunebot coded right now. Okay, let me just do... It's 1D8 plus 2D6 plus 1D6. You know what? I forgot to roll the extra force damage last attack.

That's fine. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen points of magical slashing in force. You continue to maul this creature. It is surrounded now. It is continuing to shriek out in pain every time you hit it, almost like a whimpering dog, but it is continuing to lock eyes with the Orchieftain, and it's repeating this phrase, After my last, after my last, after my last,

this mimicry identical each single time. Queenie, you're up. I would move backwards, 20 spaces, or 20 feet, yeah. You run 2,000 feet. No, just into that little hook. Just to clarify, the voices are coming from the tunnel we came in, going out of. You can see the two tokens that I made there.

They're on the board. Sorry, I missed that. And the voice after my last is the same mimicry. voice that's coming from the herald of fear. Got it. The herald of fear. Got it. And then I would just fire two arrows at the one in front of Tyshen. I think, did you say that guy? The, the, the, the, the warg beast dropped. It stopped animating in the chieftain's presence. Oh, I see, I see. Oh. So he's one of those three fears. Yeah, I'll just shoot them at the Herald of Fear instead.

a 16 and a 26. The 26 hits. No, stop, you don't understand. Fuck you, buddy. 11 points of damage. 11 points of damage. He's not in my plan. This creature weakens stumbling

under the blow of your arrow, and it starts to look like it's falling apart. You've seen this happen once before on the edge of a pond at the bottom of a water, fall. It is looking like it is on the edge of death. Oh, we're good. Tyshin's gonna finish this guy. We understand enough. And I'll cast scorching red.

Well, Moser gets a good first, though. Oh, sorry, I thought. Oh, well, he's looking about that. I feel like I could picture it where you put your foot down, and this flame comes up, and then you sweep your leg around and go to a horse stance. When your leg shoots across, the wool ones. Oh, yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

Shoot and then a killer, and then as your leg moves, the wall full. 10,000%. It's gonna use its bonus action to essentially turn to this same smoky mist. But even in its incorporeal form, you know that the chain is still somehow bound to this creature. And so it's flickering.

You can see the arms and the faces all flying around this massive tornado of smoke. And it is going to use its action to try and break free from you. I need an athletics contest. Good luck. Where's it going to go? I'm advantaged. Where's you go?

Are you going nowhere? I'm gonna use, should I use Twess? Just in case I fucking. Bartobos is dog walking this motherfucker right now. Yeah. I'm using Flack Twist. Yeah. We got them.

You can't let this guy go. We got them. I'm glad I did. I'm glad I did. 22, 27. 18. Oh. I'm rolling really poorly for its athletics.

That is a plus eight, and it's just not getting it. So you are able to hold it free. It is, it's, it's, it's, it's, scrambling around and the herald of fear. Fear? Fear? I actually picture you have in the anchor standing down to the ground in the chain link.

Showing fear. It is a desperate creature on the verge. Tyshen. Now it is your turn. And I cast scorching Ray. A fourth level. Yeah. Good final fourth level on the spell slot.

And I will try and hit it. five times. I would do it. I will do it five times. What's there you probably? Golden. That's a natural. Okay, Spear Walker. You got them. Okay. A couple of those. And we'll just do this twice.

Burn baby burn. Disco Inferno. Is it now in its deer form currently? It's not smoke anymore, or is it still smoke? Um, it tends. attempted to, it's a combination. It's that tornado of like arms. It's almost like that silly cartoon moment when two creatures fight and you have like the,

oh, oh, the Tasmanian. Yeah, Tasmanian Devil. As it is being hit by the rays, it is losing its incorporeality. It's stalker form. So we can still shoot it. Right. And it is being hit again and again.

Because it's not, it's almost like its own form of dark invisibility. Oh, hell yeah, dude. No, he smoked him. This has toast. This guy's, this guy. 54 points of fire damage. I did use...

Oh, so close. The powered spell, the meta-magic. Well done. That's not a sorcery point. That's a lot of damage! I think he used it. It had 11 hit points. How do you want to do this?

I want to leap up in the air and in a twirl, like start, like a sweeping kick and two strong punches drawing the fire out of the wall. fire out of the wall that's still in existence and like massive blasts of flame or just firing out of the fireball inside like pocketing it. It um is pummeled by these flame attacks and it brings it down it struggles to come back up and then it is smashed down again it is struggling it reaches up an arm but all of a sudden the cold lights and the sockets the dead empty sockets of this skull face go out and it falls down and suddenly you are all enveloped in silence until you hear a cry.

No! I will immediately turn and lumber up to them between, try to get between Queenie and Ty Shen before they get to us. The chieftain that you recognize from the naming ritual falls, has fallen to his knees, slumping his hands down against the ground. He is looking, eyes unblinking, shock, having let out this scream, you can see tears running down his face. And just behind him, over his shoulder, you can see the face of another orc, an older

ork, another shaman like the other spirit callers, standing there looking horrified, confused, a mixture of emotions that's hard to read. Sorry, go ahead. Does there appear to be anything left of this creature besides the skull that you mentioned? Yes. While I see that you're holding this creature off, I look at Barnabas, and I'm panting heavily,

and I say, good job, buddy. And I go into my pack, and I pull out a bonfire candle, and I place it down. and I light the bond. Don't you do it! Don't you burn her! You ignite it. And...

Fuck you too, pal. The fire begins to extend out. And in this moment, the chieftain seems to come back to his mind, come back awake. Seeing that you're taking this further step towards destroying this entity, he stands up and he attempts to race past Yorneur

to try to reach the bonfire candle before it is too late. Yeah, I'm focused on doing this and I'm banking on Yornear and my friends and Barnabos protecting me while I just get up my flint and steel and calmly dexterously light this candle. I'm going to rear up and bat him out of the way if I can. Let's make a acrobatics or athletics check to see if he can like race around you. I'm I guess you would be using it. I'm non-letfully attacking with my cause. Okay. I would also would have been moving back to engage with him. As seen it, Yorne's

is taking up basically the size of this, but I'd be trying to get on his side to shore up. 20. Yeah, that hips. Three to hit. He races forward. He races forward. He continues past you, presumably, if he can pass through you.

I, I, yeah. Both of you may enjoy attacks of opportunity as this wailing orc. I had 16 damage to him. to him. Stamp forward. Thank you. I mean, he can, if he wants to attempt to kind of get past me, we can, you know.

I wouldn't say I'm his enemy per se, but I'm a giant pair. And you fill up the tunnel. It's definitely opposition. Let me see what he's got. Yeah. You just go around. I mean, we're not an initiative anymore.

We're not an initiative anymore. That is, you're like, as a bear, you're like, ha ha ha ha ha. That's very funny. It's like a kitchen island. It's a game of pawn. We're not. Let me drop the map.

You don't know. It's weird. Is it magical damage? Technically, yes, because I am magically transformed, and the damage from that effect is, yes. So it is magical, but it's not like, enhanced. You're surprised by the...

Oh, wait, actually, no it is. Hold on. Another six points of four still works. Is that 22? Is that 22? We're going to drop this chief in really good. So, just, just, I will say that instead of him rushing past you, that you slash at him, and he bounds against the side of the wall and crumples down into the side. His beautiful furs, the various totems on his, the various totems on him.

his, on him, the ruins that hang from him. He reminds you of yorneur by his very appearance, but not by his demeanor, because he is a broken man. He is, he crumbles, and you can see that he is watching as the fire continues to grow. I was like, here this guy,

hit the wall and then hit the ground. It's whoosh. Ah, yeah, that should do it. I take a few steps back. You hear, crying, not like, sobbing, but a shaking and a, Thalar, Zazar.

The other orc does not race forward. He takes a few steps forward. What has happened here? Your chieftain was keeping an abomination in his basement. We are here on the orders of the princess. We have a letter to deliver. Mr. Yarnier.

And I will drop it. My hands are probably bloody and like wrong from holding it. And I will just kind of rub them together. The times that the link would have moved back and forth would pinched you and done terrible work. And the crab legs will go back into my person as I will return to normal and I made, raid drops. And I'll just calmly step forward to join my friends and wait for the letter to be delivered.

I am the chieftain of the Iceborn clan. Do I have the letter? I thought you did the letter. Yeah, it's going to give it to you. Well, it's inside my finger flash. Yeah, I would say that it is destroyed. It just can't stand up on that terrain being what it is. I would not shift out immediately. I would want to, having the understanding and the intelligence and wisdom of Yornear with effectively the D&D version of Tren rage, this is primal beast. I am, and being upset about the situation,

I'm just going to almost like growl and try to protect scrim to make sure that this abomination gets burned and tired. It is continuing to a light. I'm taking my hat off. I'm fanning the flames. And you can see that scrimm is tending to the flames as you are listening to the chieftain. The orc looks up at your form

and into the eyes of each of you. How did you find this place? Front door was open. We followed the abominations from above. Spirit Walker, why do you have this chained? down here. Yes, chieftain. What have you done? What have you done to invite undeth here? You invited me here. You invited me here. I volunteered. Perhaps a meal for his precious beast, say? Is that what you did to the other horks? Those that have turned?

Shambling horrors. spirit caller Greywind, and he is just sobbing, watching the flames continue to spread. He seems almost comatose. He's unable to process your voice. He's only here to continue to watch that. The other orc speaks up. I am Borak.

You said you were here to deliver a letter? to the Spirit Walker here. Our friend the bear carries it. We can't give it to you quite yet until Grimney... All right, come on. Come on, you're not talking up. Come on. Until my advisor Grimnear decides not to be a bear.

But in the meantime, we should take it upon ourselves to present this traitor to the princess. Bork looks around at everything that's happened. He's looking at the damage. He's taking everything in, and he seems to be a few steps ahead of you. He looks at the chieftain who doesn't seem to hear the words, but Bork says them anyway. Sweet Shircul, whose only sin was a distractible nature, whose work suffered only because he was in the midst of a courtship with your own cousin. And Lash, her magic still recovering from the fever that nearly took her life last winter.

you called them to feed this perversion of your wife's flesh. How could you have done this? How could you have allowed such a perversion of nature to continue to exist? To feed on your own people! He's spitting and showering hate towards the chieftain in this moment, and you just hear the words reverberating. All of it visible due to the flames of the engulfed entity that is now starting to simmer into coals.

If he's very clearly, like, crumpled and comatose, and I don't feel like he's going to make a dash for Scrimmer of the corpse, I will, you will see this bear sort of reduce and glow with this bright, light blue glow, and I will turn back to Yornear, still covered in fur, and then that will fade as well. As I return back to my... Alright, well done, well done. Brave. Do you speak, for your clan now? I'll say to. The second.

Borek. Borek. Borek. I am an old man. I came down here following the chieftain after we heard a terrible scream. But I came to the home to say goodbye. I was to be an ex-exam.

I was trying to protect my family. I was going to leave because we were not able to make a quota. Your ex- Quater that that man there set for all of us. Your exile would have lasted mere moments. I'll pull the letter out and I'll pass it to him. I'll put my, I'll jump up and put my hand in front of it. I'll grab my, I'll take it back.

We were ordered to get it. it to him. Whether he's comatose or not, we don't give that to anyone else. We will be breaking that deal that we made. We were ordered to give it to him, not to make sure he read it. Miss Marge is right. Grimnear. We were ordered to give it to the leader. And he's still the leader. To Graywin. She says something else. We can wait until someone takes his place. What is your name? I am called many things. You may call me Grimmyr. This is Queenie March.

This is Scrim, Stabbiscotch, Tyshire, Fireblossom. I am chief of the Iceborn Barnabost, Dredwake. You are right, Queenie. This is still a spirit caller. Let him read it before us all. Allowed. I'll just like set it on in his lap or something. I'll lean down and I'll set the letter on his person.

That wakes him up. As you set the letter down in front of him, his eyes finally move away and down to the letter. He stares at it, and you can hear the sound of his tears hit the paper envelope, the parchment. And he picks it up and sort of looks at it. And then instead of opening it or reading it,

he looks up. She was going to heal. I was so close to saving her. So close. I just needed more time. Who was going to save her? I, Zilog,

Greywind, Spirit Caller, was going to heal her to bring my love back. You took that from me. There is no healing such an abomination. She knew me. She knew me still. She spoke words at me.

She would never attack. We read books. Everyone was safe. Everyone was safe. Everyone. The people you brought down here and fed to her were not safe. Nothing you did. was going to bring her back.

Bork chimes in, agreeing. Condition. She was gone. You tamed a wild beast with scraps of food. It was not your wife down here. I just needed more time. More time. I understand what you did, Greywind.

I know what it's like to lose a lover. To lose someone dear to you, than anyone in the entirety of this world. It does terrible things in the mind and turns you mad. But this is abomination. There's no coming back from this. He says nothing. Read.

Don't make me ask twice, Grayland. Make a persuasion check. Or intimidation, your choice. How is my persuasion higher? Well, 27. Oh, ooh. That's enough. Oh, wait, no.

Sorry, this is Jericho's. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. How does that keep happening? I'm so sorry. Have you been playing Jericho this whole time? How do you do so much damage? Yeah.

22. All the sight. 22. 22. What in the hell? Shit. I'm like, plus nine. Damn, Barreve.

Why is my character cheat orange? Well, Garge, Mr. Grigman. Well, garge, Mr. Grigman. Don't have such a spooky monster down here. 22. He looks up at you, and you can see that he's trying to, like, bite back, but underneath your intimidating frame and your blood-covered shape, he shrinks a bit, and then unfolds the parchment and reads. Gray Wind, I understand you find yourself a few laborers short of late. I have sent these five our newest neighbors to assist you with your quota

and collect a supply of wood for themselves. Note that they are all to be sent home safely and shall only be used for labor. Signed, Princess of Rath. Wow, wow, wow. Guess that's called off, right? Ha ha. No, we still will be taking our wood.

and we will labor to help your people, but not you. What did she think you would do with us aside from put us to work? Did she know? Yeah, she is the reason. My wife is like this. Changes things now, doesn't it? State what you mean. How?

Borek chimes in. For half a year? For half a year? Your wife has been sick. Explain. when not enough wood was being produced. The princess and I spoke. I promise much,

but we were not able to keep up. It's why I have the quota. It's why people are sent to exile for not meeting it. The weakest of us comes down here while I try to fix her. She, instead of punishing me, invited my wife to dinner. She punished her.

It is a curse for one of the greatest taboos, an unbreakable curse. What spirits do you call? What magics did you hope you could use to reverse such a fate? To remove the curse, to find her spirit from beyond, wherever that creature may have taken it so that it could go

and be one with nature so that it was not lost forever and now that chance is gone. He stands up. He doesn't dust himself off. He just stands weakly staring forward at the very softly glowing embers now

that you stand in front of Scrim. I'll feel a little bit. What choice did we have? We did the best thing for your wife that we could have. There is no coming back. She lied to you. And in your blind grief, you believed her, I do not fault you for that.

I would have done the same. But you now must account for what you've done. And you must accept that she is gone. If there was anything left of her, we have freed it. But more so, we have purged the plague of that abominable creature from the land. But what now? The princess caused this to happen if she knew of its acts. Would she unmake him as Spirit Walker chieftain?

Borg chimes in. The people of the spiritkeepers were already dissatisfied with this chieftain's rule. For months he's told us that his wife was sick, and yet others went to exile, not her. And now knowing this undeath has been brought to our people, this sinister act, four of our own have gone missing over the many months, and it looks like, as I love you, have Took more. How do your people deal with? Treason.

When the circle learns of this, this is beyond some minor infraction. A chieftain would rule and choose exile or death. In this case, I do not think exile is an option. Then I defer to you and your people how you deal with this current. First. So, we should move to more welcoming accommodations and bring what's happened here to your inner circle. Before we do, what say you of the rule of the princess? Are you speaking to Borek?

This was an evil act. A punishment. Our people will know of this, but what can you do against such power? I just can't believe that the princess would allow something so dangerous to be hanging out down here. I mean, that's crazy to me, right? I'm not the only one, right? That seems something not adding up here, right? Makes no sense.

She would have this down here, cutting through her own people. I could run through the whole district and beyond. Terrible act. Your people are starving. They are exiled, but your people are strong and noble. Without a chieftain, I advise that you raise the banner of the iceborne. Rally under a strong leader that will keep you fed and keep you protected. And when the time comes, free you from your servitude.

That will be up to us to decide. I do not know if we can, under her rain, fall under your banner. Because of this. And he pushes the shoulder of Gray Wind and pulls free the token, the medallion that binds the spirit keepers with the Princess of Wrath. It swings there hanging, twisting. The next in line was Zylog's nephew, Ketura. He is young. There's more. This hollow should not be here.

We've overworked the land. There probably holes like this underlie. the trees all over the circle. We cannot repair it and provide enough fuel for the city at the same time. There are hard times to come. Aye, winter is here, and far more terrible things are coming. You decide who leads you now. We have no say, I would like to go home now. We'll be taking our wood. You've done labor enough for that. I think so. I think so.

I will walk past them and start to leave. I'll follow my chieftain. I'll reignite the light. You watch and you hear the footsteps of Spirit Caller Greywind, the current, but probably short-lived chieftain of this tribe, and he walks up to the circle of ash that once was, this herald of wrath.

And he leans down and pushes his hand through the charred, blackened bones and the ash that lies on the floor there until he finds something. He pulls out a small object. You recognize this to be like the hearts that you carry. He brings it up to his nose and smells after my last. Bork stays with him as the five of you make your way through this squeezing tunnel to the basement, climbing up the few stairs, and out into daylight.

It's cold still, but the sky is overcast, bright, and light sheds through an orchard that, if you didn't know better, looks verdant, beautiful. You find yourselves outside of the home, perhaps former home, of Chieftain Spirit Caller Zylog Greywind, being effectively held prisoner by Borik waiting for next steps,

but you are free to do what you like, knowing that you have earned the wood that, was promised by the Princess of Wrath in her letter. What do you do? I'm just going to say it. Pardon my French. What the fuck are we supposed to do now?

We get our wood. She promised us credits for food or some shit. And then we got to go see her. We've got to ask her about this. We're going to pretend like it didn't happen. And even if we do ask her, she's going to be like, yeah, I did it. What are you going to do about it? And we're going to be like, holy shit.

This is fucking crazy. Raises two additional questions. as well. If she did this to him for not meeting a quota, wants to say she hasn't done this to others or something much worse. And, if she has, what does she do to us if we don't prove our worth quickly? What kind of crazy maniac is running this place? She's unhinged! We can't let this happen! This is nuts! And if she can change a... a spirit keeper into such a form,

she has power we haven't yet even begun to see! The land has hardened her. She lacks any sense of mercy. No mercy and no compassion. But to do that to someone's true love, to do that as a guest at dinner. That is abomination. Any chance there was of us leaving this place without her head,

head is gone. Do you think she banished her own husband? Somebody did that to her? I don't know. I have a feeling whatever her husband did. He deserved what he got. For what purpose could gold near ore or metal, how can it reverse or undo or free?

What has happened to him? It's a jinx, it's a curse, ain't it? It's a curse, ain't it? Used to draw upon some unbelievably powerful ritual magics. There is no hope for her, even if she can behead something as powerful as Akundas. You know, it's really ruined my day. I'm not surprised that she did this. to him. What is she said since the moment that we met her? She talks about snuffing out weakness

and what makes someone more weak than love. That is well said, Miss Marge. I understood I didn't like it, but I came to understand when she killed the captain. He wouldn't have made it. It was a cold mercy. Yes. But this, this is, this is brutal cruelty. This was punishment. This was wrath. It was beyond wrath. Wrath.

The land is strong. The land can be harsh. The land has wrathful force, but the land is not treacherous. To trick. someone to commit such a taboo. This is evil. Beyond the strength or wrath of nature.

So, uh, what are we thinking here? I mean, like, we're biding our time until we can, you know, take it on head on, or what's the deal here? Slide in, you know, in the middle of the night and give her the old red smile? What do we think of it? She might be too powerful to fight, but I think that if she can do this to her own people, We under no circumstances can let her unlock the power of the Exeter armament.

She'd be entirely unstoppable. She'd make this land into whatever she sees fit. Whatever it takes. And look, I'm not saying that somewhere around here she's got goblins and rabbit folk and dragon kin and whatever the hell you two are chained up, but we shouldn't need anything that she offers us. That's crazy! We already have. I'm gonna bank on that she doesn't have any goblins or rabbit, fold, or dragon,

or whatever the hell you two are chained up somewhere, turn them into meat pies. I suppose that that at least is an advantage of what we have is there's Sersav is gone. I hate to play the politics of the small folk, but we must use this to our advantage. We must gain the favor of the orcs. If they do not raise the banner of the iceborne, we must find some way to solidify our alliance. Maybe they do not need to raise it publicly. They will have a hard time harvesting the wood that they have.

They'll have to tend to the land. They can't do both. The ogres want for something to do. Currently, we have nothing for them. we could send them here to the spirit keepers. The spirit keepers could focus on healing the land and the ogres through strength of arm could reap the lumber. Maybe we could increase their output. We could take a cut of lumber and dramatically increase the fuel that they could use to keep the city moving.

At least in the short term. Yes. Yes. this could gain their favor and without us I do not see how they meet their quota I hate to speak of it

but I believe we must put an end to I look at Barnabos Whisper Fang Are you for real right now? You're being serious? It is impossible To ignore The truth

That Tai Shen speaks if she unlocks the secrets of the artifact it will be impossible for any of us to stop her

that's why we might just be better off putting an end finally someone's seeing sense putting an end to whisperfang putting an end to the research

that was well at the very least will slow her down right I mean she really put it yourself in a banana cart problem. And when the metal men come for the Exeter armament, we give it to them and tell them to leave. They go back where they came from.

And we leave as gods for a second land. That would be nice. I'm a little over this place. I do not believe it will be so simple. And based on what I have seen, on

my visions, there is some form of doom that comes to this land and beyond. I am not sure if it is the metal men that wish to do this, or if it is her, or something, or someone else entirely, but we were given

a spirit quest to retrieve it. And so I plan to do so. Either way, you're, triad gave you three options. You tell Odin to ready for blood. He knows. We'll rally the ogres. We'll anyone who wishes

to put their strength to work and earn reward fair pay. We'll be able to come here and collect wood with the orcs. There are not enough trees. We must venture for

from the city plan a small workforce to collect lumber and bring it back if I am understanding what the orcs were saying they seem to have means to grow the trees at an expedient rate but they couldn't grow them and reap them at the same time with the corruption that lay beneath the ground they may be able to grow them unhindered now but I think the the multitude of trees is their problem. We just help them reap. This whole time basically since talking to him and once I walk past I would have realized that I was like very tightly gripping my shell the entire time. And I'll let out of breath and I'll put it away. I'll take out my pipe. I'll put in some

tobacco from my my bag and light it and go over to Mr. Fireblossom. So uh, I think we're done here. Oh thank you. That's why I was gonna suggest. We're done. We're done. But you go collect, we can go collect our food credit, right? We're good, we can go back to where we're all stationed, right? And then come up with the next plan about figuring out where old whisper fang is. Right? How does that sound everybody? Doing all right? Back home. Okay, Barnabost though, I'm going on your shoulders, you owe me. My bones and organs are basically pudding. And tonight I want an extra portion. I want more alcohol in the morning I want extra fresh biscuits. You want me one pal, come on.

I did give you a right wall up didn't I? So you're gonna carry me out of hell? Maybe you'll tuck me in tonight and sing me one of those lovely sea songs that you always sing. I would consider that a fair trade. I think that's pretty even. All I can say you're a little lucky that my, uh, my elbow's a little stiff. I wouldn't consider myself lucky. Anyways, I'm ready.

to go we'll gather the supplies that we need and we will see what the young lady has decided perhaps if we can establish some sort of logging cam i am not a logger i am not a mountaineer i am out of my depth but perhaps that's a way we can build a base of operations away from the city away from from the winged creatures. God. I'm gonna get Yorneur to write me a doctor's note. If you think Mr. Yornear, that assassinating whisperfang is our path forward,

only do not specialize in coward's implements. I do not wish to commit a treachery in the same vein as she does, but we must do what is required. to prevent the end of all things. Do you have some spell that can do this? I must consult the weird. I knew you would.

Scale of one to ten, one of the chances we need this to look like an accident. She will know either way. Right. Queenie. Yeah. What was the nature of the divination that followed you?

Do you call? How am I supposed to know? Kind of look like an eyeball? thing. It's circular. It moved. Oh yeah. Did it hover? Sure. It wasn't crawling on the ground. I didn't have legs. You say it looked like an eye of Akers from World of Warcraft. I don't even know what that is. How am I of Kilrog? Not even know what that is. That's hot words, guys. Killrog was an or, was he not. Oh! Oh, pretty young. She has eyes and.

years everywhere. It would be nice to have a location we could meet out from under her thumb, but there would be risk. There's always risk. Perhaps there's a way we can gain his trust. Should we do so? Maybe we can come to understand the research the progress he's made so far. Possibly solve what he's not been able to. When we get back to our home, as much of a home as it can be, no matter what happens, all five of us need to hide how we feel about the young lady, especially you, Mr. Stabascar. What do you think I'm going to do? The princess of wrath is smarter than I thought. I sailed with a cap'n once who wouldn't take married man.

men with sweethearts at home because he said love is the death of duty and she knows that full well that's how she got Graywind to commit abomination she will use that against us we have to prepare to not be hampered by that what we love those whom we love and we must prepare to let go of whatever whatever we must to ensure that our vision quest is successful. Let me be real clear, Abadabas. I got one goal, and one goal only. And it's to get off this God's forsaken continent.

All right? Whatever it takes, I'm going to do it. If it requires following his plan and his future sight and talking to the gods, then so be it. Nothing else is getting in my way. I'm going home. And that means whatever the young lady decides that she wishes to stay with her people, wishes to leave.

We act like it makes no difference to us either way. Shed all earthly desires. That she may not use them against us. We never learned how to do that, Mr. Foyer Blossom. I never did. All right. Let's get our wood and get the fuck out of here. You, I find the wood guy.

Find the wood guy. We were the wood vendor. No, you- Animal Crossing pick it up. There's a giant wheat. You just like run over it. Four ogres who come to just take it all back for us. You actually make your way down the path.

How much wood do we get? Can you tell us the amount in ogres? Yeah, you get... Exactly, one whole lot of ogres. You have 677 ogres worth of wood. That's a lot of wood. Whoa! There's a lot of fucking what.

And you know this because when you cross back into the center of the circle, this district, you find your way sort of back to civilization, away from the quieter orchard that the chieftain called home. More bustling streets, people still laboring intensely. You can see them using plant growth to try and push the trees to their very limits. You can see them working with animals. You can smell the dried meat being produced, all of the butchery happening all around you. The sound of very strange for a group of druids like this industry almost. But towards the front, you remember passing a storage area where there would be a lot

of the large cut timber that would be used. used for fuel or shipped to the marketplace. And with that in mind, the five of you make your way. And it's there that you find 677 over's worth of wood. This is ridiculous. But you also spy two other features. There are a group of cobalts that have assembled there. Cart after cart after cart.

There to transport the wood, seemingly waiting to bring the wood onto the cart. And a number of orcs are sort of having a conversation with them talking back and forth, just sort of seemingly like negotiating. And that is what confronts you as you reach the wood guy. We are the Iceborn clan, the Princess of Rapp, has decreed that we shall take our allotment of wood. Iceborne, I thought you were named the Icebound cast. Oh, you were informed wrong. We are the iceborne, and I will ask that you not repeat such lies.

Ice born. Yes, it says castaways here. We are to help you transport the wood that you helped produce. Well, thank you. I thank you. We'll take our allowment now, please. A younger orc steps forward. I'm responsible for this, I'm responsible for the, the uh the the the the the the the the the the the storage of the wood here i'm i'm responsible uh you

what did you do to earn this wood you're just taking it with the cobalts we we need this to to fuel the city we have done a great service but we are not at liberty to speak on the orders of the princess herself well as um as uh you can tell that this is a perhaps a pre-teen 11 or 12-year-old ork. Are you put in charge of this space? Are you the nephew of Graywin? I am. Caterall!

Couturel. You're going to speak more... You're going to need to speak more confidently than that boy. Stand up straight, you're slouching. He actually does stand up. straight for a moment. They go, hey, hey, when you speak, speak from your, don't speak from your head, speak from your chest. Your belly, put some oomph into it. Answer my question. Well, you're getting better. You will be chief this evening. Uh-oh. That's a little ominous. There, bottom those, pump the brakes a little. What do you mean? Are you ready to

take on such an important engrave and honored mantle. To be clear, that's not a threat. Control gray wind. Ready. Now answer my question. Chief, don't or no, I... We destroyed the abomination that was corrupting your orchards and hampering the growth of all of the trees and plants that you've been trying in vain.

to foster here. We are responsible for the rejuvenation that will come. We were sat by the princess. I am not here to parley with a child, although I appreciate your earnestness. We will take our wood now. In this moment, a voice chimes from behind, and you hear the voice of Borick.

Turning, you see that he is alone. He's not standing with xylac, but he speaks out. Cedural, I'll explain, but they've earned their wood. You can rest easy. We have much to discuss about your future, boy. All right. 677, ogres of wood for you. Can you believe this guy?

Thank you, lad. And an extra parting bit of wisdom. A captain's orders are only as effective as the power of his lungs. Learn how to bellow, lad. Speak up. I will. All right. We'll take our wood now. The cobales make fast work of loading the timber onto the carts. They were ready to make sure that you had ample supply of fuel, at least for the foreseeable future.

And they begin to, knowing where you live, almost without order, turn and start to make their way, these guards of the Frosthammer clan towards the southeast and towards the district that you call home. As you walk behind them, watching them making sure that they are continuing on their path, having said goodbye to the spirit keepers, turning behind you, you look and you can see Borek pass the artifact that binds their clan with the Princess of Wrath into the hands of the boy, and you know that he has learned the news of what has happened to his uncle. The journey is a quiet one as you listen to the sound of wheels rotating and squeaking and pulling, keeping your distance from the cobalds, watching and waiting to arrive home to continue to process what your next move may be.

And as they arrive in and start to distribute that timber, that fuel that will be so essential to the survival of your new tribe, you see someone hunkered down on the stoop of the building that you would call home this first one of the first few buildings and you recognize it to be Nim Rodel the elf of the the Cavalas we don't call him that anymore oh all right oh oh hello there what was he's name mr. Nimrodel. Nimrodel. How are you this following winter day? Nymrodel is my first name. My last name is Yoran.

Mr. Yoran. I'm so glad to have caught you. I'm so glad. Is everything good? How is your day? What do you think? No, things are not good. Why not?

That's too long to explain. It's another day that ends in Y, that's for sure. Do you bring bad news? Do any of the days in adventurers end in Y? Good question. I don't know, it's a better thing, okay? Just roll with it. Yorne here, what were you saying?

Do you bring your omens? I bring good tidings, I bring blessed news. No, there's no way. Go ahead, spit it out. Thank you, Triad. I don't believe it, I don't believe it. Nope, no, no. Our leader, Elder Nightbloom asked me to hand-deliver you

these invitations. We are all very much hoping that you accept them. It is a very special wedding. The elders' town are owned. Choose and Replacement is marrying, so it would be a particularly celebratory evening. And he turns and pulls out a satchel. One for you.

Oh, wow. One for you here. This is nice. All right. Yes, just pass them down. Here you go. What is this roseberry? Yes, yes, yes.

Oh, wow, it is. Here you are. I'm just gonna bump into the microphone. Oh, this invitation smells lovely. I did not know Argent home had they trade your droves. Trader Joe is one of the most famous of the market. The market trader in all the lines.

He's very, very savvy. He has those big one-pound chocolate bars. They're delicious. Should we open this now or wait until we're in price? Well, I already did. We're there. So, oh, no, you can open them now. Please, please, please, please.

In just a few days. You will be able to attend the ceremony. But before you do, I ask that you would join me as guests at my tavern. We're having a welcome evening dinner, a welcome dinner, the evening prior to the wedding. And Elder Nightblood will be there, and I will be there cooking food, and the parents of the betrothes. They would very much like to meet you. Most raises a good question. It says, invites you to celebrate a wedding ceremony of her chosen successor.

Is that me right? She's finally gonna die? Uh, her chosen successor. Just, just, just, just chosen successor. She's been that for, for ages. It's, that's, that's, it's, it's, it sounds like a, uh, uh, a one in instantaneous. It's not happening during the ceremony, gosh. I, I'm making sure you understand what I'm saying.

If she has a successor, mm-hmm, she's getting her wish then, right? Uh, her, her, her heir as chieftain, uh, chief tess, chief test, chief test, chiefton, chiefton, chiefton. I don't know You tell us, Jackass. Not my custom Well, she's our elder We don't expect her to pass any time soon It is her responsibility

To pass in her own good time However, it is critical That you join us for the welcome dinner We have much business to discuss What is going on with these lyrics? You sing this at a wedding? Oh, yes! What kind of wedding do you people have?

It is a marvelous event one filled with tradition. The gods have dined on you? Flesh is tattered, bones left, shattered, pieces scattered, hunted and gathered, farewell, wood fair? Holy crap, she's right. This is fucked up. What kind of horrific song is this? Is this a wetner of funeral? This is our religion. This is what we believe. I'm sorry. My bad. Thank you.

Again, not to make this all about me, but, you know, that's me all right. Am I going to get some answers? Are we going to talk? about some things because you know I have some unfinished business. We gotta memorize this song because it says bring your strong voices to call to the gods and see off all our four of our fortunate beloved contented. Yes, we will all be seen. I can sing off key. Well, this is the welcome dinner's purpose, is to plan and talk and to speak about important

unfinished business and make sure that we are all aligned. I just want to give you a fair warning. The last time we practiced something ahead of time, things went to shit real quick. I would like I would like to ask why I say he's done you can answer

that's the whole question why not join us for a dinner to do uh I got a paper cut he's he looks around and I need you to make an inside check this guy's being a real

scrim how did it so small every time I was digging off fingers and it cuts me 21 because I have 20 decks paper bats talking around the business that he wants to address. We'll be able to speak honestly with one another in the privacy of my establishment. And I will be preparing honey and sage,

wonderful preparing food inspired. Just for all of you, I'd be happy to make any introductions that you might desire. I'm sure our peoples can find an abundance of common business and interests. All right. We'll go. Well, hold on.

I just have one question. Before we decide, all right? Are you making the soup? And I want you to think real hard, because that's gonna change our answer. I'm not making soup. We'll be there. This is not a soup kind of deal.

After the day that we've had, I think, a nice, hot meal, and a good drink with friends, and new, perhaps allies, and the elder and the old and new. I can't get out of this rosemary. Would be advantage. Speaking of food, though, do you know who's catering this thing? The wedding?

Yeah. The families, of course. They're, they're... Not the Princess Arrasse. That's beneath her. No, no, she will be attending the wedding, of course. Like, she has attended all prior, but she is an honored guest, as will the five of you be, of course.

All right. Are we going now or is that this evening? It is tomorrow evening. Tomorrow evening, all right. I'll eat some time to freshen up. Do we have to wear anything special, or is this all right? I'm covered in, like, mud and blood.

He finally takes in your appearance. Oh. I have caught you a bad time. Have you ever thought about putting this on some facacha? Ah, this is delicious, ah! What is facaa? Oh! I can't get up. You smell this yawning?

It's delicious. Ah. We're a little road weary. I think we just. You just need to go inside. I'll get out of your hair, I understand. I'm so sorry to have. I'm just glad I caught you. Consider mark us down for check for yes.

Is there a beef option? It just says here of protein. Oh, wow, what a sleep in this and baited it. Do you need more of this? Like a whole tub of it? You can have mine. It's from my personal garden. Scrim.

Yes. Is it really? Why would you put this on one of the vassals? Oh, that's very funny. Oh, yeah, that's a common mix-up. You know what I mean? That's a mistake. My mistake.

It is also a rhyme, a sort of play on herbs. The elder Nightbloom. Her first name is rosemary. Oh, well that's nice. There is a vassal in our cairn in Faccata. Is that true? They should meet. Make a deception trick.

Oh, I don't know. I'm assuming that one of them's gotta be new faciecha. It's a beautiful name. 17. Oh. There may or may not have been a vassal named Ficcacha. All right, you will forgive our weariness and shortness. I'll be on my way.

I just want to extend the invitation. Please, it is very important that you come. Thank you. Uh... Enjoy the rosemary. Oh, we will. Bring more. I will. And we'll be there.

Absolutely, thank you. We will see you at the wedding. God, I can't know how good this smells. And also the dinner and the wedding. And he starts to make his way walking out. He was in high spirits for someone who was asking for death like yesterday. I thought when he said there was really good news, he was going to say, I'm going to die. Oh, yes, what I thought, too.

You know, I would have put every gold piece I had on it. But instead, we're gonna be singing a song about whatever the hell this is. Well, some of us would be singing. Religion don't make no sense to me. I'm gonna be honest with you. I do not see what you are saying. Mine just says, someone's got a wedding. I wonder who.

Someone's got a wedding, I wonder who just over and over again. Are we singing different songs? Yeah, I'm gonna be honest. Oh, wait. Oh, there's a good. I got worded there for a second. I was worried Catherine. Goodness. Well, let's survey the state of our mighty tribe. Surely we're not walking in a complete disaster. All right, let's see.

Readying yourselves, you do not go into your domicile? You instead continue down the street to survey your I think we'll stop by the domicile to freshen up and then we'll survey the ogres. With the thought of the ogres in your mind, push your way into space. And it is there that you are confronted with the living room, this sort of living area that you've come to grow familiar with over the past few days. Standing there, making sure she's not out of sight, certainly,

but standing there with a pack over one of her shoulders is Daisy. And she finally sees the five of you, and looks at each of you very seriously. And that is where we'll end tonight's session. Oh. Tunt, ton, ton. Wow.

I fucking love Rosemary. This is so delightful. That's from my personal garden. Well, what is I was? I was wondering if that's really. This is a lot of money, and I love it. I'm a big fan. Well done, Derek.

Thanks, you. That was great. Well done, series. That boss was unreal. That was a lot of fun. That was an amazing boss event. That was an amazing session. Thank you so much for listening to the Legends of Aventras podcast.

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