Legends of Avantris - Icebound | Ep. 35 | Bitter Oaths

Episode Date: July 4, 2025

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Welcome to Legends of Aventress. I'm Barnabos Dred Wake and you're listening to Icebound. Here's what happened last time. Gather round. The bouquet throwing ceremony is about to commence. Ah, more of this. You can see the princess starting to arrive. But here you are just letting everything go along and refusing to take the name I have given you.

I'm going to find my poet. And then we're going to have a little chat. She holds great power. I don't think we could stand against her, even the four of us. But these people, I believe, are primed to turn against her. Everyone here except for those there in the lead, believe that they're saying goodbye in a fake way, that this was always the tradition.

But there's a grim determination that's kind of beset scrimm. Run, she whispers. And the parents turn and holding each other's hands stripped to dark into the dark woods. I close my eyes and up to this point I have not eaten at all. I focus. I can hear my stomach rumbling. I focus on the hunger and I close my eyes and I think inward.

And I would like to use my ninth level feature contact patron. Yes. If consumed, will these souls count? Will you come if called? Can you feel my hunger? Are you hungry? Then, graveyard jack, feast. Feast. Feast on them all.

He's done it. He's done it. They're away. Going, keep going. Did it get them? I love you. I love you so much. I, please, please. Guardian, please hear me. I am elder Rosemary Night Bloom of the shadow of Hale Cabal, and I beseech thee to join me, to join.

O'Kila, our tribe. I tried to tell it to keep going, do not stop. I just didn't. Did only... He didn't want to listen to me to a certain point, I guess... Didn't want to join us?

You know, a beast like that. You sort of a look at its eyes. It doesn't want a feast upon docile cattle. It wants to hunt. But you are free. And you may now restore your diminishing.

stage. Yes! Big fucking money. You walk away. There's no burial or ceremony. You imagine that they are perhaps totally consumed or gone,

but you do not see what ever it is that graveyard jack left of them. You continue to make your way through the woods back towards the district of the Shadowvale Cabal, thinking of what it will take to perhaps overcome.

this mercurial villain. It is the middle of the night. You find yourselves deep in the woods, far outside of Argentholm. You've just witnessed Scrimm's own guardian, or a curse, perhaps, consume the lives of four elves and individuals, members of the Shadow Vale Cabal at their request.

They ran into the forest and you can still remember the sounds of their screams ringing through your ears as you turn back and start the long trek, miles to walk back out through the forest, out through the trees, and into the Shadowvale Cabal's district. You're walking alongside the elder, the woman who is a leader or chief. or a mentor, matron of the Shadowvale Cabal, Elder Nightbloom, and the two newlyweds, just the remaining three of you and the four of you trekking and back through this path. You shared a few words with her just before they turned and started to make their way back, and now they're probably a few dozen feet in front of you, and you can see that

the Elder Nightbloom is consoling. the daughter and the son regarding the difficult challenge before them, not just the violence they just witnessed the loss of their parents, but also the mantle of responsibility that soon perhaps will be thrust upon their shoulders. For a long while, you walk in silence,

but eventually the feeling of crushed snow packing underneath your feet. You feel free to take this moment to speak again and digest, for lack of a better word, what you've just seen. What happens next is up to you. He gone. I think so, yeah, I think so.

How do you feel? I don't know. I don't feel more powerful. I don't feel good. I feel like I could taste the hot blood, running down my throat in my mouth. Do you feel different? Besides a little disturbed? No, no different.

Do you feel sated? I don't know, maybe. I feel like I haven't eaten all day, but then I remember the copper, metallic taste of blood. I feel like it's still there in the back of my throat. Oh, do you reckon that they regretted it in the end? Being torn apart like that, do they think it was going to be peaceful? Ah, did you have the screams?

Didn't sound peaceful. It sounded a lot like regret. And they were... No, you know, there are plenty of brave men. You know, I've encountered death cults on the various coasts. And sometimes they're involuntary responses of being torn apart by a beast. like that. That's...

But I've been worried that thing was gonna do to me since day one. Listen to it. Saw it. Ah, God. It is instinct. We cannot escape it. No matter how ready we may be. A mindful level.

No man or beast when the time truly comes. Goes peacefully. If they can help it. I want you guys to know, I tried to urge it on to keep going, to keep eating. Just stopped. I don't know. Maybe at the end of the day, it doesn't listen to me. Maybe it doesn't want to.

Maybe it has its own free will. I don't know. I tried. I really did. Even when I thought I was doing the wrong thing, there was a moment. Just a brief moment. But I regretted asking it those questions. But other than that, I...

I wanted it to happen. I could feel it. I could feel its hunger. How much it wanted to hunt? I liked it. Have no regret. For what you have done is just the beginning. What we can hope for now is that the home has more opportunities to feed.

And however gruesome. It's what they wanted. They begged for it. Whether they regret it or not at the very end, I can't believe that that entire religion is based around seeking that end. Every single one of those, even the little ones, even Little Mallow. He's striving to one day be torn apart by your beastie,

Mr. Stavisgotch. Let us not pretend. or expect that every victim of the hound will be willing in fact most will not and we don't even know how many fucking more we have to go goy many more if that is the peg we're putting our head on does the hair have a say when the eagle comes no it is it is it is it is It's fate. It will be the fate of many. Scores more, hundreds. Look, I'm not going to pretend. I'm going to sit here and pretend from my high chair that, you know,

I've killed people before. Even before all of this before Dracar. I'm sure we all have. For the most part, you know, we've all had some line of work that wasn't necessarily the most upright or upstanding. There was something different about this, I'm telling you. Tellin ya. I don't think that operating a T-shop might be... It's kind of sad. Just running a T-shop. Probably is not quite in the same vein as the three of us.

It's the T-shop owners you really got to look out for. Let's be serious here. I mean, if you, you know, the door was always open. I know that it's the quiet ones we've got to watch out for. Nice, that's true, I suppose. But I agree with your name. I think the ice seems to take its payment in blood. Leave this place.

There'll be many an opportunity to feed. Club is the most powerful substance in nature. The land craze it. You feel like you have any control. The tough one. When we were at that horrific lighthouse, I hate to bring that up. There was a moment where I thought it was listening to me. But how much of that was even real?

Where were we? What was how? Right? There's just no test. There's no evidence there, right? Then, tonight, it seemed to listen. Only to a point. Maybe it only feasts until it's full, and it has some sort of biology to it,

and it has to wait to eat again. Otherwise, if it were up to me, I would have urged it to keep going, and I would have, if it was listening, it would have, right? Maybe. I do not mean can you give it commands and have it obey you when it is here. I mean, can you call to it?

Can you summon it? I think I can. There was something in that moment where I knew that if I spoke to it, it would listen, it would call back and it did. Probably do it again. Maybe not, maybe not, you know, at the drop of a hat, but... It seems as though when you're going to... goes a line, the beast will come. And so the question is not how to control it, but what does it want?

Aye. Why, Mr. Yornear said blood, eh? Yes. Perhaps that's what it need. It needs to sense the blood. It needs to be drawn forth from the shadow by the blood. Aired tale of a sorcerer pirate king, filled holes of his ship with blood. went against a fleet ten times as strength.

Unleased the blood upon the sea. Conjured crackens from the deep. Victory that day. Culled forth with blood. Perhaps it's the same with your beastie. I know a hound is a little bit different than a crackin. But at the end of the day, they're all just hungry creatures. I think, I think.

Deep down, I get the feeling that, yeah, I could probably do it again. Maybe not right now. Tomorrow, the next day. Sure. Why not? It's worth a shot, right? What would have got in mind? You just... Just asking? What are you thinking? I have said it before, but war is coming. And my intention, my hope, my wish was that your hound would feast and ascend. and aid us in the coming war. But this was just several souls. It needs more.

And perhaps it needs time, but I worry we do not have this time. Even if it does feast and ascend, as you say, we can't count that it will stand with us. If truly it breaks free of whatever bond it has with Scrim, it could follow any call including its own but you you're near you I think have learned how to

to break the shackles the princess has put on those that call this land home we could bring a new army to bear against her the one that she built herself yes yes we must convince

our allies and bring them to bear under your banner. And I... And I... I don't know about you lot, but I am done

with the gentle words and shaking of hands and reverent fucking rituals. I now crave the same thing that beastie does. Now is the time for blood. Now is the time for death.

There's no chance. for parley any longer so let us be the first ones to shed and perhaps the island will come next but we have to be the ones to start it not in there's one thing we're not considering I know that the else told us that the contracts and something along the lines of some number of souls and then the the contract is fulfilled I got a bad feeling I got a real bad feeling about what happens when that contract completes. Might not be around to see the end of this. What do you believe will happen? What if it claims me? What if I'm the last soul?

Borgans done but eats me up. Oh, I know, that's nonsense. If you are the kind of person to bring in a thousand souls for something that craves that, wouldn't they want you to keep doing that job? Why would they then take you a little? off of this earth, when they could have more souls offered up on a bloody fucking bladder. I, I've been thinking about this for a very, very long time, Barnabos, a very long time.

And I hope that I don't outgrow my usefulness. All I'm telling you is that when that ogre tried to send me to ogre heaven, I didn't go to any heaven. I don't want to end up there again. You will be devoured. But I do not believe this to be so. I am not worried about us losing control over the house. I am not concerned about you being eaten as the 1,000th soul.

For I believe, this is why, this is why your fate has led you here in this moment in this place. And I believe you will not devour itself. For it is you, and you are in. I hope you're right. This place is rough. We might be toasted any minute, right? Tomorrow, one of us might bite the dust. So I'm in. I'm gonna lean into this thing.

I'm honest as power. Yes. All right, I'm gonna do the best I can here. But, you know, just... Just, if it gets away from me, an old Scrim just becomes, you know, dog chow one morning. Just don't be surprised.

We're here to stand with you against whatever comes next, Scrim. However you draw on that power, whatever happens, we'll face it together. And I don't think any of us fear death any longer

at this point. To your point, it's not so much the death I'm worried about. It's what might come after. Boy, I look forward to that for me. I'm sorry that you may not experience the same thing. The fiddler's green. But there's more I have to do here yet.

I'm afraid. We all die. It is inevitable. But not before that fucking white bitch queen. She'll die first. Even if I die one moment later. Let us end. of this before that time comes.

Aye. It is late. We must rest. You especially. That's at home. You continue making your way through the dark forest. It's already past midnight and it was a six mile trek to that secluded place that you made your hound. And returning to the cursed glade, you uh...

recognize that it is quite sleepy. Decorations lie to the side, some having been cleaned up, others left till morning. The wedding that you had participated in has calmed. It seems that this is not an all-night affair,

that once the procession leaves, everyone understands that the celebration is over and have found their way back to their own hearths to ponder the events, or perhaps find what sleep they can, especially knowing that it was a celebration under the watchful eye of the oppressive princess of wrath. It's here that you catch up with Elder Nightbloom and

the young couple, and she turns to the four of you. Thank you again. You for what you have done. Be here if you need us. The time will come when we will need you, all of you. Anyone who can fight Anyone who can weave spells We'll need all of it Even the lesser of us

Are trained in some magic Can fight if we need to Even if our numbers are very limited And we will be much stronger For having fed One of our God's guardians This night

Yeah I was gonna say Save your thanks If you want to repay us Get us more souls. We will have to arrange another night like this one. But I can spread the word quietly, discreetly, and

your hound will be hungrier for more. Here's hoping. If you know any other houses that you believe would seek to turn against the princess, we would see their bonds shackled and draw them to our cause. The spirit callers, the wayfarers, even the dwarves that dwell beneath us in the under ice. All of them are, all of them have some reason.

They might feel anger towards the princess. Use that, and you may find an ally. Thank you for setting us free. I know not how many more years I have with my tribe. I not. I do not know how many more. Days or weeks I have, but you are here. I would ask you one more favor.

See after the newlyweds. They are going to be quite alone, perhaps not as alone as I was. When my betrothed left me, chose to exile himself, leave and go somewhere else in Dracar, I know not. He refused to live under the reign of the princess. I stayed. They will need more support. Not just each other. I fear that there are hard days ahead. Noe. Harder than you can imagine. We said this before. Prepare your people for blood. Wait for a sign. If we must rally, we will be at your side. The matron of this tribe nods and bids farewell.

She is clearly very tired. The couple is nowhere to be seen, and you're left there in the square all alone as she makes her way back to her abode. Have strong allies in these else. I'm less confident in the others, but we must try. After what she did to the Spirit Walkers, I would imagine they would join us readily. I think there's hate here. This whole fucking place reeks of hate doesn't know.

I think they all hate her, she hates them. I think all we have to do is just, we let it out, strike a match, and this powder tail's going to blow. She may yet still have some of these tribes truly believe in her. The warrior Goliaths seem to stand with. her readily. I don't think we can turn everyone against her. I know. I know the chieftain's type. I suppose the former wife of the chieftain before I cut his fucking head of. I think even she can be swayed. She has more hate than the rest of them combined. All we need

to do is just give it a little nudge toward the direction of the princess and she'll Turn her hate there. Surely. Some of these peoples found out that they were eating their own. Might sway even the most staunch supporters. It may. Whatever happens, we have to try. You're continuing to make your way out and through the main path,

the thoroughfare that leads into the cursed glade, and you pass a familiar spot. It is where you initially met and found the, pig known as Wilbur. For like the better word, you turn and you look, and they're sleeping in the small kennel,

for like of the better word, is Wilbur. Big pen? Sleeping, snoring. Peacefully, calmly. Don't know it's no time. I believe I... I open this kennel. I'm digging him. You walk over and you

start to wake up the pig, and he sort of blinks and immediately recognizes your scent and... Come, Wilbur. Is a miracle you still live? You may not be so lucky again. Join us, please. He seems tired.

Are you guiding him, attempting to coerce him out of his sleeping sleep? Yes, yes, you must join us. Your wisdom and your strength. You are ice-born, I can tell. Please, join us. He will be safer. If there are any others of your kin,

that you would like to bring as well. Please motion to them and we will free them from their pens. Bring them along with us. You are stealing the pig of some poor elven pig keeper, but make an animal handling check. I don't care. Fuck these elves. I think that's a twist this.

You got a pre-pre-ed-eat. Yeah, she's ahead of time. We only have seven. Oh, fuck. It's worth it. 12. 12. That's enough.

of you watch Wilbur as he starts to waddle forward, and he reaches the gate and then sort of looks down at the gate and looks back up at you and you feel quite a bit of hesitation, not sure why you are trying to guide him out in the middle of the night in this way. And yeah, if it helps. So because I'm a fear bulb, I can communicate to animals and plants and I do have advantage on Chrisma checks

to influence them. Why don't you roll that advantage? Oh my gosh. It's not technically Christmas, but I think it counts. There we go. That is a 19. A 19. Easy money.

I will say that understanding the meaning of your words and remembering the adventure that you went on, the kinship, the companionship that you were able to provide, Wilbur, as opposed to the forceful coercion of the princess to find her truffle, he starts to hop forward, and you feel that he'll follow you wherever you. wherever you may go, his feet leaving little tiny imprints in the snow. I actually want everyone to make a perception check. Oh. Oh shit.

Can you pass me some dice over there? Oh, I should crush that. 16 plus 6. 17. Oh, it's a 7. Oh, 17. Oh, 17. Perception, 11.

11. We know pretty well. Everyone's focused on Wilbur. Scrim, perhaps it's because of your experience tonight. You're keeping your eyes around the corners and looking in the shadows. Just sort of making sure you're not being observed. And it's becoming very obvious that there is not just a flurry of snow coming down, but these snowflakes are getting thicker and thicker.

You can see even just after, you know, moments after Wilbur left his little home, that a sheet of snow has already started to collect on his back. You can, brushing off of your shoulder, it seems that the weather is getting worse. And you make this connection while everyone is distracted by Yornear's passion for the wise pig known as Wilbur. So I just noticed that the weather is getting worse. Okay.

I wouldn't say anything. I would just... So the four of you start to make your way out of the cursed glade. Back to the main road that leads back. back to your district. And as you start to make your way, you can see, even though the weather is getting hazier, even though the weather is getting much rougher, you can hear and see two things. In the distance, you can see where the biting bastion should be. It's almost completely obscured by the foggy snow in all directions.

You can perceive light, an orange glow almost, a tremendous number of torches, and you can see a thin band of a trail leading across the bridge that goes to that castle forest out to the main road. You can hear also very faintly over the wind of the snow some form of communication. War drums.

The sound of this beating and rhythmic sound, these low drums that you've heard multiple times during your naming ceremony, they're rising up and up and up. And the street immediately around you, other than snow, appears to be completely empty as you continue to make your way down

and through to the district, to your own district where you currently call home with the ogres. The dragon prepared. for war. Gosh, already? I mean, like, right now? She's already drawing forces to her?

No, I am. She was just a guess at the wedding, was it just an intimidation tactic? Before marshalling her forces. What are the chances she found out what we're up to? I mean, if she heard us, would she not have struck us down at the weddings? Why not, right?

Perhaps to keep us in line. She wants to make a show of force, So we cease what we're doing. So you think she knows? You think she's all over this? There is very little she doesn't know. Damn it. But we must hope that she does not know everything.

Well, maybe this is perhaps normal in the city, and then it's just a regular communication. I'm going to look around to see if there's anyone that I can see that seems to be like a native or irregular of this city. Make a perception check. You must remember, we've only been here, I think four days? That is pretty good.

You're on day, hold on. 20. I think only four days. You're entering your 10th day. Okay, okay. You're entering your 10th day, which is in D&D a long time. That's true. Yeah, that's true.

Yeah, that's true. I have all sort of ritual here. It could be something normal. What did you get? 20. 20. You scan the torches and you can see that not all of them have arrived at the biting bastion.

And so you follow, you let your eyes fall. follow the path in the direction of where you are supposed to be heading, your own district. And you can see very faintly a few dancing lights. Clearly a squad or contingent of these Frosthammer cobalts are making their way towards you, making their way around the lake and following up, listening to and following the sound of the beating drums.

Well, let's just ask one of these groups of little cobalds. They might know. I will pursue. You make your way forward and in minutes you are able to cross paths with what are very evidently guards, classic enforcers of the Argent Holmes armies that the Prince's command. And they appear to be just racing past you. They don't even look at you as they are holding their torches. Oh, any much, men!

I have a question. I am the chieftain of the ice-bound cast. They slow down and one of them steps forward. What do you want? Well, I would, first, I want you to show some respect to one of the chiefsons of the city. Secondly, I'd like to know what's the meaning of these drums and where are you headed? We're new in this city and we don't understand what's going on. You should get back to your home.

The drums, the princess is issuing commands. She is asking us to assemble. Oh, us? Should you say that we go to our own? The frost hammers. O ye the frost hammers Are you gathering all your kin And in the biking bastion

Do you know what for Have you heard any rumors around I'm sure there's plenty of rumors around the guards There always are You got any gold? I'll wave at someone to give them gold I look around I'm reaching to my pocket

And I pull out a single gold piece And I say I hold it up just a little bit Just so that it glints in the torchlight And I put it back on And under my arm and I say, but listen, this is my last gold piece. All right, you can't tell any one way

you got this from, you understand? This Cobold is, um, uh, looks excited, uh, shocked even. And he turns, I didn't think they'd have any gold. Just the one piece. That's it. It's the final one. There's no more. You know where it all goes.

Yes. I've been keeping this one sewn in the lining of my underbreeches for a year now. The princess will honor us. with this gold. Well, you can tell her that you found it somewhere as long as you don't tell her that you found it from me. Understood? I'll do it for a gold piece.

No, but now you're going to tell us the gusset before he gives you the coin. You understand. I've already established a single call. You didn't have to repeat yourself. What is wrong with these people? Get to talking. Hey, get to talking! He looks over in his friend.

Quivik and I think that she has assembled enough gold. Perhaps this will be the last piece she needs. Oh, wouldn't that be quite the event for you? If you were able to toss in the final piece, surely you'd be risen up to some great high standard. A commander will lead us to greatness.

Okay, and where'd you find this gold piece? I found it on the ground. I mean, what happens once she collects all the gold pieces? Of course, the frost hammer must know that. Her prince will arrive. Her prince who will lead us to greatness. Aye, the prince arrives this very evening. How about that?

That is what I think would happen. Give him the gold piece. I flick it so that it does a nice, beautiful spin in a high arc directly at him. He claps his hands and then grabs his spear, and you can see him push it into, they don't have much in the way of armor, but he finds a pocket and it disappears. Lucky find that one. Lucky find. Good to your home safely.

Prepare yourself for the next summoning. We must go. They turn and they immediately start to make their way, carrying their torches into the snowy night. Well, maybe this isn't about us after all. Or maybe it is. Hard to say. Who can tell?

Summoning? The creature she summoned before, the chieftain's moot. This is all strange witchcraft. I frankly don't think that she has any idea what powers she's meddling with. Let's go check on the ogres. We may need to... We may need to account for...

For Daisy and for Queenie. They may be in danger now. We thought we had more time. I don't know. I don't know. I thought we'd have more time, too. I don't know. I don't know.

We're not prepared yet to storm the bastion. We should go home, maybe take stock of things, figure out our next move, been... Oh, it's late. Oh, yeah. Yeah, there's... This changes everything.

Does it? How does it not, Mr. Yornear? We go to war one way or another. Oh, that's true, but I thought that we at least had a handful of days. To find allies. To parley. We have to think about what comes next as well. If she's truly capable of summoning that creature,

Her, Whisper Fang, that monster she can bring to bear, any of her forces that'll stand with her, even if we bring our own army, this place becomes a graveyard. And then what happens? Then the metal men led by Secundus come through, reclaim the Hexertr armament, and your vision is realized. None of it will matter if we kill the princess. This is all we need to do. If the ogres can survive long enough for us to take her down, then this is over. I?

Just like the Goliaths, if we can end her, the tribes will fall in line. Oe'y to show of strike. Then we'll have an army at our hands. Every day we can get every tribe. Every tribe we can master just increases the odds. There is still a chance. We are still fated to be here, and to do this, and to enter, we must try. All right.

Let's get back. Let's get our things. Have an ointz meal. And see if there isn't total chaos with the ogres. And I would say that you were walking. Right. You are feeling the chill. perhaps less so, Barnabos, perhaps less so with your many furs, you're near, but even you both recognize that the temperature is dropping this night.

Oh, shit. And you push through that cold to eventually reach your own district. You see the familiar house there at the front of the main path, and the windows are glowing. Someone has been keeping a fire for you therein. And you pushed your way through the main path. The grocery doors feeling the intense and pleasurable warmth of the interior. And you find on the inside standing right in front of you a figure, a large figure, a figure you very familiar with. It's Manning. He turns and he looks at the four of you and he goes, back you are. Oh, you haven't turned anyone else in a soup, have you?

No. Are you sure about that? Mani is sorry. Or any other kind of food. We have food. No people in the food, though. No, no people. Penny understands that was not what you wanted.

It has been discussed. All of us have discussed what happened, and we will do better for the... For the tribe. How are the family and loved ones of the ogre that sacrifice himself by trying to bring down the demon, Lord known as Whisper Fang? We all have great sorrow for the loss of another ogre.

Very few of us left. We will make more ogres as fast as we can. Oh, you very well. In hard times, in times of war, you need to make more ogres as fast as you can. That is nice thinking, nice, sharp thinking, Manny. Mani smart. Do what you must to survive.

And how quickly can you make ogres? You see his brown Don't answer that. Don't answer that. Remind me, when we went to Whisper Fang and the other ogre got absolutely cooked, was Manny with us?

Yeah. Yes. Okay. That's what I thought. What was that? What was that? Tuck? I think it was...

It was a TAC. Tuck might have been the name of the It was like a mook. He was a red shirt. I thought it was like, Ooku. It was Uco. It was a red shirt.

TACC was the ogre that you rode Slate on from a... We wouldn't have sacrificed taxed. You're thinking of mustard seeds. Taksana. Yeah. Okay. Owee.

Send our respects again to Uco's family and say that he will sail the seas with Trothack, the shark puncher, and the great ogre heaven afterlife. I will tell him. Oh, yeah.

And I have something for you. Oh. I cannot undo what happened. I cannot bring back this poet, but he was not entirely destroyed. We saw you butchered him like a sight of beef. He reaches down and to the side of the table, you can see folded clothes. And on top of that, you can see what is very clearly a book, a tone. He picks it up between his hands and he extends it out to the four of you.

His belongings, his things. I recognize that. The poet when we were at the chieftain's moot. He was writing in that. We need to make sure that no one ever sees us with those things. Who knows about this, man? That's going to be really bad. The ogres, me, and the ogres.

That's all right. That's already too many, two ogres too much. And the poet, well, no, he's dead. Barnabas, man. the book Burn to be close Thank you I was gonna say the same thing

Yonia, geez You already got to fire going Mani, well done I just completely yeated then He looks back at you with shock but he is in this moment trying to be

to own his responsibility to own what happened and he sort of nods grimly and what can Ogre do for the tribe to do better? How can we, we are there for you if we need to be. You need to fortify every single one of the buildings. Make sure that there is a constant watch around the clock, you understand. Make sure that everyone is armed, man, woman, child.

if they can swing a club, they can swing a piece of sharpen wood and don't let anyone inside that tries to get in. No one in buildings or in district. In buildings, we'll say that people can pass through, perhaps, but keep an eye on them. If they're not supposed to be there,

just keep an eye on them. Yeah, we can't buy the district. And try to remember to see where they came from and where they're going. Try to mark it down whatever markings he can muster. We will be on guard. We will multiply and defend.

Oh, yeah. Just make sure that you don't get so busy multiplying that you leave your watch post. And you let infiltrators get in while you're infiltrating and getting in. Dear God, they're going to literally get caught with their pants down. Man, he doesn't wear pants.

We will not do both at the same time. I'm. That is your chieftain's order. Just protect each other. Stay vigilant, stay sharp. There may be dark, violent, bloody days ahead. It may even start this very night. Don't be caught unawares.

I will inform the others. The other ogres will be eager to do right. For Uco. For Uco. May his name never be forgotten. Never. Not once. No good.

No one. He starts to cry and he runs out. God. I'm never going to get that sight of his flesh peeling away from his bones like a banana peel. Oh, Lord. Anyway. You find yourselves alone. He closes the, he opens and closes the door.

It's like that scene in, um, uh, uh, the, not the hated eight hateful eight it's like that scene in the hateful eight well they have to bang the door shut every time every time the door opens this burst of wind and flurry of snow cascades into the space but as soon as it's closed if someone's poisoned the coffee Derek I will kill you oh yeah

in the game in their game uh I don't make a constitution statement uh you find yourselves Back in your resident having enjoyed for what it's worth the festivities of the day of wedding vows of love and of course the difficult end that came at its conclusion I'm gonna do an immediate inventory of the pantry I'm gonna see he said that there was food I wanted to just double check whatever that is and last time they made food it was a real big problem So I'm going to do a full inventory of the pantry, full inventory of the kitchen.

You know that they are, that they had brought many stores of food in exchange for some of your earlier deeds. So there are still the same accoutre maul that you're used to from the days prior. There are classic eggs. If there's any new meats, I'm going to throw it out that I'm not aware of, that I don't know what it is. Oh, I'm inspecting, yeah. You expect that after, even the debris of the stew that you tipped over that was the poet has been cleaned up. Got it. Right?

These ogres, they clearly have tried to correct their ways and you don't find anything out of place or out of sorts. When you put your hand on the equivalent of a schmason jar, it's turned at the exact angle that you left it at. So you feel extremely comfortable and familiar with the food in the restaurant. With that, I'm going to. Especially given the begin meal we were served, I will immediately start cooking up the heartiest, meatiest, fattiest meal that I can possibly muster, especially given the long hike that we've done.

We've done, you know, was it, 12 miles round trip? 12 miles, not including the mile or two that it would have taken to get from your district to the curse glade. You stood all day, you danced. That's hours. You experienced, right? You were tired. Your legs are exhausted.

Your bodies and minds and souls are all depleted from what would have been a very long day. So, yeah, I will very much throw as much meat as I possibly can into that. And having worked up an appetite and I'll just get cooking while they do what they're doing. And because chat was very kind to remind me, you immediately recognize that Wilburth found the warmest spot on the couch right adjacent to the hearth. just jumps up. It takes him a few hops to finally get the momentum necessary, but then he circles and almost

like a dog. Curls up as best a pig can, especially one of his age next to the roaring fire. I will sit down in one of the closest chair is and recognizing presumably that this is the book the poet was

writing in. He told you about this book. Detailing the story of the Princess of Ratt. He, he, When you were networking at the end of the name-calling ceremony, you'll recall that the poet mentioned his fascination with the story of the princess, that she was his muse, and that he recognized that he was a bit of a... Simp? A fern. Simp.

He didn't belong in Dracar, but he was happy to be here because he had gotten his voice back, and he was writing. He seemed very covetous of the not sharing. We're not willing to read that poetry. But you find yourself curious enough to start flipping through those pages. I'm going to start reading like quickly thinking that he may be detailing stories, looking for anything that stands out in terms of like something I could learn about the princess that we may be able to use to our advantage, especially with how the night is going. So I'll take whatever much time it takes to kind of like read I mean I don't know how like massive it is

I'm assuming this is a thick tome this was a wordy bitch he was verbose in his writing and so it's I will say that you when you flip to the middle you're like I'm 14 chapters into the plot and I don't know where I am so you flip to the front and it becomes obvious very quickly this was a tome a book that he started writing once he arrived in Dracar. And he starts to talk a little bit about being in Carcanos, that that was his

continent of origin, that he came from a bronze dragon born city called Cujath, which was on a river, and that he was playing very much the Sater, and that he angered the king of the city, and that

by sleeping with his wife, and of course, it starts getting very lewd, and apparently, by magic, he He was exiled sent, transported to the other side of the world, or at least to Dharcar, and plopped into the wilderness where he would surely die had he not been collected by some of the princess's forces. And so being found, found himself under her protection, under her wing, so to speak. For whatever reason, she seemed to immediately take a kinship or a liking.

to him and gave him free reign. He didn't need to be a part of a tribe. He could go and do as he pleased. You continue reading this book, and it's just page after page of these almost journal entries, but written in a very dense prose, almost like a poem. As you continue to flip through, you also get a sense of what you are looking for. Why don't you go ahead and make an intelligence check for me? Or if you can justify another role that you feel is how Taishen would approach a book, I would hear that argument.

I suppose there's really just reading them. I suppose I could. I waffled on 19 for one second before it landed on one. So that's a two. It's a two. It's not so much that it's a failure so much as it is the time. The amount of time that it takes you with the two is that you can't seem to find the information you need. You need to actually go back and because of the denseness of this writing style, read page after page after page.

Eventually you reach chapters where he's talking to the Goliaths, to the Stormfist Legion, learning about their ways. He describes their belief in a war god Titan, and that they believe the princess is a vengeful avatar prophesized to return his into being. That there were Goliath disagreed with this cake, and that they left or fled Drakar to warmer climes. You read a little bit about the elves and that they don't believe that there's any godliness there or that the, The dragon is merely an apex predator of the land of Drakar, a manifestation of source of the brutality of this land. But you, and continuing to pass forward, you learn a little bit more about the orcs belief. They teach that the Princess of Wrath is a manifestation of the weather, the cold, the blizzards of the world, of nature. appeasing her means respecting nature

and that calming her is like harnessing a storm you continue and reading through the you learn a little bit about the other two tribes that you've gotten to know very little about the Iron Vane Brotherhood and the Horned Wayfarers, the dwarves and minotars of this realm Oh yeah The Princes of Wrath for the Dwarves is an affirmation that the surface

world is not their concern that the rage of the winter above is not something they should deal with, that gold keeps the peace, but ensures that she does not interfere with dwarven matters. And the minotars, they believe that the princess of wrath is an avatar of death. The center of the labyrinth, so to speak, the end of wandering, succumbing to the cold, a force meant to be outrun.

Wow. His notes, as you go through, His take, ultimately, is an observation more than it is a myth or a theory, the way that it's being written almost like an epic through this tome as you continue to read. You get these conflicting notes of information. He recognizes another human. He recognizes that even as flawless as she appears, and she has an ass that won't quit. Excuse me? He chose a human form.

He chose a human form. He chose a human form for himself, for herself, that she, even though she can transform into this unbelievable magical being, that that face for herself, for lack of a better word, that form may be a choice, maybe something that she's decided to present to the world. And that there's a kinship there. And that's part of what intrigues him about her story. Oh, God's tight shit. That part about the ass, those pages are stuck together. You realize that pages are stuck together from blood. I don't know how much you articulate this, but that's what you would glean over the course of the hour or so that you would sit down and sort of meditate and read chunks and sections and start putting together this extremely dense.

This is the book the poet was writing about. The Princess of Wrath. I was hoping to find something in here we could use as leverage to beseech her, or even a weakness in her, the castle itself, that may help us strike at her. All it's helped me to figure so far is that it seems like half of the tribes worship her as a god, and half can't stand her. Ah, but I think I can dig deeper. I think with this, I might be able to find out more.

I think he knew more than he put in this book. It was always strange to me that she took a human so close into her, under her wings, into the bastion, though she doesn't seem to treat them with reverence except for the poet. I'm going to try something. and I don't know how it's going to work but if it gives us more information it may help us

especially if something happens tonight but it may help us face her wait right right right you're saying you don't think that the poet is a human I don't know he writes as though he is but he says that he was born in another dragon born city

a human raised at least and made his way here. To be clear from the picture of the story, that was just how he arrived at Trachar. He found himself in a city of Chkujaf, a bronze dragon-born city. He's a human. He's wandering Carcanos.

He's a wayfarer. I didn't make that clear enough. I thought he was born there. No, no, no, he wasn't born there. So his origins is that you know very purely that he is definitely a human from birth to now. No, I don't think that's the case. Why did you get that from what I said?

No, to be very clear, I understand that he's human. I'm saying that he's... I'm commenting on the fact that you said that he holds... Shields him in regards to the humans he doesn't. Is human plus? Is he not actually human? Is he a liar? Suddenly died like a human. They know that the princess chooses a human form

for her visage when she shapeshifts. So perhaps she just has a preference. For him. Only him. Oh, just for the human form. You think that she knew what he was writing? about her ass. Good question.

Did it actually say that? Oh, it's what's Mr. Fireblossom said? It's hard to tell. The writing on that page is smudge. I'm still not going to verify it. The pages are gross. Oh, we got about five minutes until chow. Taijan, you're being coy. Thank you. The entire poem is littered with extremely rich physical descriptions of the princess.

She couldn't have known. I mean, it's gross. in here. I mean, he paints a word picture. Tyssin, you mind if I just take it? Oh, my God! Whoa! This is pornographic in nature. No, it does something to you. It does something.

It's hard to read. Why did you stop me, Tyshan? We must bond the book. We must be caught with this. From a certain point of view, that's what I was thinking, but with a different outcome. Give me just one moment and let me see if I can learn more.

Please. I'll sit on the floor away from like the chair, like a table or anything. I'll just sit and kind of like a little bit open area and I'll place the book down in front of me. And I'll meditate with my fists pushed together for a moment. And then emanating from between them, I'll start to ignite But not, not like, aggressively. You'll just start to see a flame come out from my palms. But it burns with the golden light of the golden flame.

And I'll place my hands out and onto the book, and it'll spread out, and it'll begin engulf the leather bindings and the pages. As I cast legend lore at a fifth level. No fucking way. level. And this will take 10 minutes. Holy smokes. But I'm gonna use the golden flame of Fujiao.

And I have to name or describe a famous person, place, or object. The spell brings to your mind a brief summary of the significant lore about that famous thing as described. The lore might consist of important details, amusing revelations, or even secret lore that has never been wildly known. The more information you already know about the thing, the more precise and detailed the information you receive. information you receive is. So I would guess at this point with my almost biblical knowledge of the Princess of Rath. As I focus on the Princess of Rath, I would, I cast Legend Lord. Holy shit. Counter spell. No. That's very funny, Derek. Maddie, how could you?

Mani, so good. Of course. Counter spell. You focus in and you go to that whole spiritual place within yourself, that place that you have kept sacred for as long as you could have, and you feel this swell of the inheritance that Fujiao bestowed upon you, this ability to see beyond, this wisdom, and you focus on the princess, and you think about all of these conflicting stories, all these pieces that are a puzzle to you and to your companion,

looking, seeking, hoping that you might be able to find a path forward, find a way to survive. And all of you start to see a change, a shift all around you. Not just within Tyshen, but you recognize this. It casts its way through the walls, through the windows. You start to see these sheets of a golden light start to push in, almost is starting to envelop you and Taishen as the tome itself starts to glow. Tishen lifts up briefly from the ground as he cultivates this unbelievable power within,

within, levitating just inches from the ground and starting to pull up. The three of you start to feel this very familiar sensation, not something that you've experienced once here on Raqar, but twice. Once when you shared each other, other stories on the long trek across the ice sheet when you so desperately were trying to survive as you first when you first arrived and found yourself ice found and again when you were confronting the elder brain sophilus and the ship the nautoloid ship you were consumed by this aurora by this this curtain of magic and blinking you begin to fall into what feels like a dream

This podcast is brought to you by our Patreon. Become a patron today at patreon.com slash legends of Evantris and gain access to tons of exclusive perks, including a monthly movie night and a weekly Patreon exclusive campaign set on the high seas, Shrout over Saltmarsh. 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. We're in a waking dream seemingly. I don't know if waking dream is the way that I would describe it. It's a dreamlike experience. You've experienced this once before when you were in the Aurora, as the land itself seemingly showed each other, your companion's lives.

You remember experiencing your own life, Barnabos, in the curtains of magic as you were. were consumed and taken through the story, telling over a campfire one night, experiencing Taishen's story, watching him in his valley and meeting Fuzhou. You remember experiencing Yornear's backstory. This is very much the same,

and through the power of Taishin's magic, you were being pulled back in time, centuries of time, and you find yourself, looking around, you find yourself, in a forest. You are clearly somewhere in northern Dracar. It's hard to place exactly where, but there are mountains in all directions.

It is clearly a very rocky, hilly area, these massive tall trees all covered with snow. And you've been transported here, and you are looking at your companions. You're no longer cooking, Barnabos. You're no longer sitting next to Wilbur. Scrim, Taishen. You are all looking into each other's faces, and all of a sudden, you realize that you've

been pulled to see something, to learn perhaps a little bit more about the princess through Taishan's magic. In the distance, you can hear the crackling of wood. You can hear the sound. You can see the glow of what is clearly some sort of large fire. What do you do next? Do we have, like, awareness that this is like, like, was you or your justice? in the living room or whatever.

Yeah. His mind is transported and like, or did we like, would we be, whoa! Know that this is the effects of the spell? You understand that it's the effects of your magic, that you've sort of harnessed and pulled your friends, called them to this place, to find answers, to find more knowledge regarding the princess.

That is what you were focused. on, you're not, you weren't focused on this particular place or location, but you seem to have been pulled by the, by this magic that you have invoked and called your friends along with you. You're no longer standing in your residence. You're no longer standing in front of the cooking meat. You're no longer sitting there. You seem to be wholly there, but teleported almost, for lack of the better word. And we've experienced something similar to this before. Yes, exactly right. So we're not completely like,

you know, fish out of water. You know that you have agency in these moments. In the same way that when you were describing your story to your friend, Scrib, you remember that you told the tale of the person that you conned and then, of course, meeting that strange creature.

In the telling of that story, everyone was there with you, even though that wasn't true when you first experienced. It was an experience, it was like a re-memory, an echo of a memory that you were able to explore and look around With complete freedom this vision I believe we're in the memories of the princess At least that's who I focused on when I sought the truth Mr. Fireblossom you did this

Take the words right out of my mouth I shan you were able to harness the Aurora It wasn't my intention to bring us all here like this. I thought maybe just I could unveil deeper meaning in the poet's book, but so much more power responded when I called out than I expected, and now we're here like we have been before. I think we walk this path and we try and find her

and experience her life as we did when we shared each other. you don't suppose that she knows that we're here, do you? Well, when we had those experiences, we all were in them together. And she herself was not pulled in. I don't think so.

When I cast this magic. But it's hope that this is fate itself showing us what we need to see. Although she does have a strong tie to the last, And if this is the land itself, then there is always a chance. Only let us make sure we're not alone. And I'm going to just kind of look around, maybe like tap into my primal instincts as the instincts of the senses of the sea and try to just see if there's any kind of...

Anyone with us. Do I feel a presence? Like lurking. Lurking. Steering at us. You are using a feature or are you using some sort of senses but I don't know what it does You have a sense of Trepidation certainly you have a sense of The sound of struggle is in the distance you can hear what is clearly and that same sound of

Struggle is in the distance you can hear what is clearly the calling of voices now and that same sound the the the the that same sound the the the that almost like a loud campfire. But because there are bows that are on fire, there's clearly a great amount of timber, cracking and popping, just beyond the stretch of trees where you've found yourself and your allies. There's, all we can do is go towards the fire.

Yes, for the fire. Let's go. You start to make your way, and as you make your way forward, you see what looks like a hut beside a snow-covered rock formation, and it's burning. Two bodies are smashed to pieces outside. Jesus. You see on the right another building, caved in, bits of splintered wood and blood smeared across the side of it.

And ahead of you now, what looks like a shape moving, and you hear grunting. You see the shape of a humanoid, massive bulging muscles, a long beard hanging down as he wields a massive hammer, smashing over and over and over again. What looks like it would have been the face of some large barbarian-like man, bits of skull and brain are scattered about. His face is horribly disfigured, horribly misshapen. His muscles are massive, a giant of a man.

You made me do this! He smashes down again. You made me do this! And standing just nearby is a young woman with Auburn hair that you don't recognize watching from the flickering shadows. And this man just keeps smashing down again. You make me. You made me do this.

You will make me do this. He's smashing. And that's what confronts you as you make your way in part through the trees to find the burning buildings. Is it clear that this man was the frosty figure that we saw on that dibby naming ritual day? Make a insight check. And for game state. Oh my God.

I just want to know. I want to find out the full. number. The vignettes that we experience as players. That's meta. That's meta. We have not experienced our characters have never experienced that before. I just wanted to make sure that we're maintaining that game state.

That's correct. Because Mikey unrecognizes this place, the Barnabost is not. Right, correct. That's very correct. Thank you for saying that out loud. I know the 20, plus 5 is 25. With a 25. This is clearly a human. You recognize even in the flickering shadows that

this is a man. The Titan that you saw during your name-calling day, the thing that was summoned was you know, two dozen feet tall and had very similar features and you suddenly thinking of the beard that fell from his face. This is not a gray beard, but it reminds you of the same hair. The disfigured face sparks of familiarity in you and you strongly suspect that this is somehow that same giant that you saw before. And did we ever learn his name? Did she, does anyone remember if she said his name?

You mean, like, during the moot? During the naming series. We have heard the name. I don't know if she did. I can tell you. We've heard the name Costa Chi. We have several times. Derricks can't confirm to, to make sure.

But what you are in character? No, no, I don't know if it was in character. I don't know if she may have just said, like, my love. Yes. I'll bring you back. I don't think it was in character. So, Kasa she was in the vignette. I think Kasa Shiaz

always been in the vignettes. I think. I'm with Mace on this one. Just how'd. I'm like, I'm a little sure. I'm 51% that she said like my love or my husband when she went to summon him. A little sure, eh?

Just a little. Hmm. Ooh. The, uh, words that resonating. in your mind, Yornear, and anyone else who's making this connection of Kaskatchee comes to you.

The final words just before he shattered into ice and fell to the stone floor of the biting bastion. Onward then to conquest, to dominion, to an empire where the warmth of the sun is but a distant memory. Rise all

and claim this world as your own in the name of Kaskatchee, the Prince of wrath. That's right. I knew it. Okay. I knew it. It is him. It is cast kukchi. Why did you say it like that? That sort of a he said. Say cool whip. Cool, quick.

You're saying it weird. He was a large giant. Summoned in flame. This is but a man. Perhaps the visage that we saw that day was an amplification of his form. The princess called out to him as A lover? That would mean that, could this be her? Does not look like her. Perhaps a former wife or before the princess came to be. We have our weapons and Akushaimon.

Sorry to ask so many clarifying questions. No, that's a great question. It's important. That is a very good question. Yeah, you would be equipped in this particular moment. with what you were, what you had on you, or what you would be familiar with when you were pulled from the...

I wouldn't have my anchor or anything. I would say... Because I was like cooking. Yeah, I don't want to break the immersion, but I feel like I could summon the brutal blade. Because I never care. Yeah. I just whip it into existence.

You could summon the brutal blade. I forgot I had an apron. You know what I mean? And a mixing bowl. You know what I mean? I have some... But Barbos got slippers on. No, no.

I think that it's almost like the Matrix. It's the, the, the, the, the image you have of yourself. Okay. That's cool. I like that. I like that. And so,

how you view yourself. Your nest includes your anchor in my opinion. And I don't, we've never really talked about it. Do you just carry that fucking thing? Like, it's always this on your shoulder? Do you have like a,

a heavy thing that you put it on your... I think the netting that I have is very sturdy that is able to carry it for like long distances. Yeah. So if it's on your back or wherever you, if it's in your hands right now, then you feel it in the same way that Yornear has two mammothusks and staff.

That's right. I'm going to grab my anchor and in a defensive but like cautious staff as I see this guy absolutely going bananas smashing the skull. And I'll kind of, I'll pause a little bit as I will step forward unsure of what's real and what's not.

Do you perceive us? He turns, it whips around. Oh shit. And he suppose you do. He looks at you. Who are you? Why do you tread here? And you hear the voice of this younger, smaller, diminutive woman, turn. What, what, what are you doing? Who are you? How have you found us? I look at Tysan. We're just travelers.

We were just seeking... Oh shit. We were seeking the shelter from the cold. You come, look at you. What? Who I have never seen creatures like you here? Well, you've not traveled everywhere, have you? We are the Norval tribe. We will not be threatened. We mean you no harm.

We're not threatening you. We mean you no harm. Who is threatening you lying in the snow in a pool of blood and gore? What do they do to earn your eye or so? He spits. And you can see that he's not uninjured himself. He's clearly been in a hard fight, and blood hits the white snow as his spit lands with a tap. And he looks down at the body.

This was my father. And this is my mother and my sister. You hear another voice, that same woman, she walks up. Custan, please, calm down, calm down, please. You have to understand, this has all been... It happened very suddenly. Please, please. If you'll just go, if you'll just go, leave us, leave us. Who is this?

And I'll notion to the woman. Um, she starts to speak up, but is interrupted by Kastan. This is sickness. A worthless woman made me kill my father. I should kill you too. Why is it her fault? You're the one holding the hammer, man. All my life I've been pushed around.

Her words invoked my rage. It is your fault. I know, Costan. I did the same thing to my father, although I never had a sister, and I wasn't the one to bring an end to my mother. And I tell you, your rage will bring you nothing but despair, regret, and won't feel the whole inside of you now. But do not blame.

mere woman for your decision. I live with what I did. You will have to live with what you've done here. Oh. I will live with it happily. I hated them. I'm glad their God. Glad all of them.

My mother and my sister. And I will kill you too, Sigdis. You brought them here. I can see it in their eyes. He runs over to her, and he grabs her. No, I swear, I didn't. I didn't, I swear, I swear, I swear, please, you have to understand. And he throws her to the ground and he starts to lift up his massive mining hammer,

this huge giant hammer and he starts to swing down. I am frozen. I make no motion to save this woman. If anyone tries to stop this, I will reach a handout. Yeah, I don't move. I'm watching this happen. I don't even try to stop this. I am going to lunge forward

and attempt to use my mega anchor to coolly catch his hammer if I may in the crop and then swing it back as I do or maybe throw my anchor down in front of the blow of the hammer as I'm going to try to use my bestial speed and my barbarian shit that I have I don't know and I'm raging

I'm covered in saltwater and particles immediately as I lunge forward I would reflexively throw my hands up and begin to glow with fame. But if Yorner would move to stop me, I would put an arm out, right? I would pause, I would pause for a moment, think about something and stop. Okay. I am very, I, Barnabos is looking like he's a little affected personally by what he's witnessing. Yeah.

And he's suddenly not thinking in terms of we're on a vision quest here. And he sees someone who perhaps reminds him of his mother and his mother's husband and his father. And I think that he is just, and he sees perhaps what he may have been or may have become. And as he lunges forward. How fast do you do this? I mean, I have 40 speed. And I would dash. I guess I can't, I don't know, depending on this.

He's agile. It's pretty agile. Make a, I don't know, acrobatics check or something. Athletic. This is something to, something to. Oh, you're trying to decide if you want to try to do something? I'm trying to decide if this is, like, fast enough where your ear would, like, think to react enough to, like, stop you in this way.

I rolled an actual one. Oh. So with athletics is nine. I would say this is almost like an initiative roll. Like, that, that's effective. Oh, initiative. I'm advantage. I'm in initial rules. I have a dark vision.

13, then. I have a dark vision. I have dark vision. Initiative? 20. Okay. Whoa. I need a word as this happens. You reach forward. You hesitate, paralyzed.

You are just watching this happen, Scrim, but you are a man of action, feeling compelled. Feeling a resonance in this moment, given the relationship you have with Patriciside. And you have, You race forward and you, I need you to make-

You lay her out, brute! Actually, I'm gonna roll initiative instead of having you roll for this. Oh my. I get a 14. And so I would say that you have the initiative. You can reach Kustan and you are able to block the blow or attack or- I'm not attacking him, I am throwing my anchor in a way that would attempt to parry this blow. Okay, I would say that that's successful.

It's almost like an attack. You are able to at least get between the hammer as it comes swinging down and as much strength, something that you take great pride in perhaps, as you have your ability to wield this massive anger at anchor, you feel the slam and you all hear it ring out as metal hits metal, and this clang vibrates through your body, Barnabot, and he's stopped,

And he immediately turns and you can see the hate and rage in this disfigured face as Kostan locks eyes with you. Don't you stop me. Don't you stop me. I'll kill you too. Oh, you don't want to be killing me. I'm not even here right now. What do you mean? What do you mean you're not here? Take a walk, Kostan. There's nothing here for you. Look at what you've done. Walk into the cold, into the solitude. He looks like he's about to lunge and attempt to do to you what he's done to his family when a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

And the young woman pulls him, don't, please, don't hurt anymore, don't hurt anyone, we'll be okay. She's pulling herself up and rubbing. his shoulders, trying to calm this beast of a man and trying to soothe him. It's nothing. You can forget them. They aren't here.

Just pretend they aren't here. Please, please. Just pretend. We can go. We can go. I'll marry you. It'll be just you and I. Custan and Cigness. Together, we'll be okay. We'll be together forever. Son's getting to bring me. Farm of both.

Stand down. Remember why we are here? I don't know why we're here. I was making stakes. Stand down! Your Ninn, for now, I think he needs this. I care not what he needs. This is what the world needs.

His actions can have no effect to. That's what I was gonna say. Think about last time. Things didn't play out the way that they really happened in our world. It was completely different. Our actions might not have any effect here. He can't change the past. But we can learn what happened.

This is our one chance. I wish to not throw away this opportunity. Fine. I gave you your one chance, young lady. You made your choice. I will respect that. Maybe you're right, Mr. Yornear. Everyone has a choice.

And you've made yours, young lady. I hope you don't regret it. And I'll keep my anchor back up and I'll take a few steps back. She strokes the hair of Kastan, this long, barbarian-like hair, and pets the side of his beard. We have to go and bury your mother and daughter. We have to go. We don't have any issue with them, right?

Just Just Come on Stupid woman You may be right I do not wish to see your faces again Don't come back here Never again

The hammer down it Smashes into the ground With a heavy thud And he turns And he starts to make his way back Towards the burning buildings Clearly distracted or deflected

His rage now focused on the grief of what's happened. And you're left for what a moment with the young woman. I do not know where you came from, but I'm asking you to leave, please. Just, just go. You came in an awkward time. Will you stay? Stay for, for what? Do you care not for your life? Of course I care for my life. I care very much. Do you not think that he's just going to threatened to kill you again another time, and what if it happens? Why choose to stay here with a man so violent? Murdered those he presumably cared for right in front of you.

He has had a hard life. He looks the way that he looks. He's strong. I owe him my life. He saved me. And I would do very well with him. he is willing to do what it takes to survive. Why did he say that you were the one who suggested he murder his family?

It was his father who ordered him to do it. I got here too late. I told him. I told him it was him. His father who spoke the words commanded him, that it wasn't his fault. That it wasn't their fault. A clumsy accident.

You can see the... The flames. I wanted him to take his revenge. Oh, you're not... I'm sure what he needs. I'm sure. I will... I will tend to him. We'll have a good life.

But please, wherever you came from, don't stay here. The Norville tribe will not welcome you as friends. We will move on. now. We're always moving on. We're wayfares. You won't see us again. Very well. She turns and starts to make her way up through the snow towards the flames that are roaring higher than ever and smell of smoke-filling your nostrils. And as you start to look at each other to perhaps discuss your next steps, you feel that push of fate. The curtains start to to pull and fold around you,

and you are shown more of this young woman's life. Signaz, she called herself. You see this human woman, Mary, you do see her eventually form that bond with Kastan. And despite the fact that they had this violent incident, she stays with him and she's loyal to him. She believes that her word, is her bond. And you watch as the Norval tribe, as insular, and as closed off from the rest of

Rekar as they are, begin to have fight after fight, little skirmishes here and there. You watch as she lives her life and Kostan becomes this commander of men, commander of not just the Norval tribe, but fighting this impossible force that you come to learn as the Silver Dominion. Kostan becomes a war chief, and the tide turns, they are having loss after loss, after loss. So you just can do nothing, helpless as she is, but watch. And the curtains continue to pull you and shift you through time as you watch year after year unfold before you. You gain these glimpses, this understanding of the path that this young woman is on. when you are suddenly pulled into a new space.

And I'm going to change the music. Thank you. The Earth again. And you find yourself in what is not a forest-covered mountain, but in a perhaps much higher up above the snowline, fog-covered mountains all around. You recognize that you must be deep, deep in the mountain range known as the spine of Trafal.

Farther south, a space that you've traveled under, that you've observed from afar as you traveled along the ice sheet, and again back down south towards Argentholm. You see a stout building. You see that it is almost made of what looked like bones, its mouth almost yawning open, and that is where you find yourself as you suddenly land, having experienced these visions and having been transported.

What feels like moments later, perhaps years later in time. In the spine, the mountains, know this place. How can you be so sure? You've been up here. We've been in the...

That was the mountain chain that we did the whole... You've been pretty high up, but you, you... Because of the low, and you would especially recognize the low amount of vegetation here, this is deeper within the spine than you've ever ventured.

Not right here, but we've been in this man. Mountain range. This is very high. What could this have to do with the princess? Perhaps it has to do with him

again. Kastan? Yes. We've seen him become a warlord during the snows. You hear the sound of footsteps and the trudging of feet, the crunching of snow,

and you can see what is clearly a much older Kostan and Signa following closely behind as they march forward. Kastan still has that massive mining hammer clutched in his hands, and he is pushing forward, trudging, brutally forward towards this hut,

and Sigdis is doing her best with his broad strides to sort of keep up, almost at a jog. They are in plain sight, but neither of them lock eyes with you. Neither of them even seem to perceive you and they're walking at this point now

coming directly at you it would be impossible to miss they continue walking and you can hear Sigda's sort of whispering to Kostan begging him not to go forward with his plan and paying no attention to any of the four

of you you step to the side and you feel like they could have passed right through you as they walk beyond the four of you and in through the mouth of this hut that is almost wedged into the side of the rock formation that you find yourself standing on. You'll be able to see us this time.

I suppose I was telling the truth that she wouldn't see us again. Can we just like follow along? I just figure out where they're going. This is why we're here, is it not Mr. Yornear? Yes, let us follow, but you do not know what will happen. They may see us at some point, So, Be rabbi.

You had a very unsettling feeling in this place. I don't know why. We're seeing any of this. Does the hut look familiar in any way? That's a good question. Make a... I don't think you've seen this specific hut. No, I just mean like...

But I do think that there's a check that... Right, right. I think that there's a... And your ears live such a long life and been told so many stories and knows so much about this sort of... this realm that I think perhaps an arcana check makes sense. 19.

Nice. Nice. So with the 19, you look at the hut and its walls are made of bones, small bones. It is, they're bleached white from the passage of time. It bulges. And you can see the tendril of smoke, and you immediately have an association with the witches in the wood. the hags in the woods, the idea of traveling to this solitary space to find somebody who delves into magic all by themselves for years on end,

living unnaturally long lives and having many secrets, rare secrets that they covet and keep only for themselves, you would have a pretty thorough understanding of not this particular hut, not this particular being, but you would have a pretty thorough understanding of not this particular being, but you would have a pretty thorough understanding of not this particular would have that parallel in mind, as you've heard those stories shared in Mamu, certainly. Do we, like, feel as if we're in the presence of, like, dark magic? It's, like, bright day. It is, it isn't snowing. There's, there's a blue sky with, with puffy white clouds, and yet you feel a shadow when you look at the space. It is, it is, it is a strange sensation to, uh, uh, look into the dark opening of that doorway and feel like you should not go in there.

That is not a place that one wants to play. Oh, geez. I won't say anything. I'll just sort of have like this knowing look on my face as I just without a word, begin to walk and follow him into the hut. You watch his Yornear starts to make his way. He'll follow him.

And he has to duck down in order to make his way into the space. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of incense and wood smoke and must. The walls are lying. with dried plants and roots and hanging jars and contents hidden beneath layers of dust. No sources of light are evident in this space, and yet your eyes immediately adjust somehow as though you can see everything, as though in a dream.

Then you see Kostan and you see Sigdis sitting there on their knees before this wide metal basin that's churning with water, bubbling and moving almost as though it has a... its own thought, its own mind. And you hear a voice echoing all around you. It doesn't seem to be coming from anyone. You look, hoping to see where this person might be, but instead it just seems to be coming from all directions. Welcome, children.

Children seeking power like birds chirp for food. Custan steps forward from just behind you. Re seek your aid, witch. What happens next? I'm not going to repeat it, is you witness the experience of Kostan bargaining with this strange woman in the woods, the woman in the mountains, the woman in the hut. You witness as he promises gold and he promises treasures, he promises land, he promises power. She says that she's not interested in any of those things. But she does agree to grant him strength and power and immortality.

She tells him he'll be a champion. And you watch as his body transforms, rippling, cutting open, his muscles bursting through his skin. The scream of Cygdus as she watches her husband of however many years fall down and collapse and her own horror. She speaks again, in three days' time he will be reborn as my deathless asses. my cost kachee. She screams. Our fates are intertwined. I have never strayed from his side. We are bound

together forever. Husband and wife, just as we're bound to those who depend upon us. And the basin seems to listen to these words as she screams. She doesn't get a response. She picks up the body of Kastan

and in her panic, in her stress and her fear, pulls him, pulls him through the door, trudgingly past the four of you as you watch this scene unfold. And then you hear the voice again. And you four, there in the cornered shadows of the in between. What do you seek, little ones? We seek truth. We seek knowledge.

Seek salvation. Careful, you want to hear. What do you seek? Is she here? Can see us. Each of you who are not meant to be here? What would you give for salvation? Very old.

I would give anything for the salvation of my home. You've seen the price she can wrecked Yornear? I suspect that you will give much Yorneur. Man from your... That is you. Yes. And who are you? My name is not important.

You have seen what I am capable of. You have seen, and you can see the black gem still twisting and spiraling in the middle of this basin. One that suddenly was enveloped by a smaller skull, and dealt by a skull, indelped by a skull, and dealt by a skull, and dealt with a skull. I have gotten what I want.

I have gotten much. And I will have very much more when perhaps we see each other again. The girl, have you seen her fate? Or the woman at this point, I guess. Yes, the woman. Her fate is cloudy. I see. Do you believe this deal will end well

for him. For my cast, Kachie? Yes. No. It will end well for me. But he is too arrogant. To know what he has bargained for. We do not know if this is a shadow.

What has come? Or if I am speaking with you. If you remain in Drecourt, we can find you. if you wish us to I will be waiting at what cost what cost can we possibly give you

think upon what you want I cannot grant it here but looking into your hearts see that fate has much in mind for you and that means a great deal just get out of here I don't like this place you've seen what this has to show up

Here, we move on. We'll be waiting. I am very patient. I will see you again. I feel it in my wants. As do I at Taishin's request. I'm out. I'm really, I do the black spot and I'm spinning.

I'm watching from the door. Yeah. I'm not on your news. I'm not on your news. I, as soon as we get out of the heart, if I, if my spice bump I'm grabbing fistfuls of salt, and I am just like, I am heating it everywhere, I'm throwing it back

in the direction that I came. You each turn, hey, you pile through the door, and instead of being confronted by the mountains all around you, you push through, and suddenly you realize that your, your hands are chained. You suddenly realize that your legs are bound by manacles, by iron. You push, and you run into it.

into each other, one into the other, pushing into each other's backs. And looking down at your hands, you realize that these are not the hands of a Triton or of a goblin. These are not dragon board hands. You're looking at human hands. You're no longer in the mountains at all.

You're somewhere else entirely. You're looking around and you see trees and you realize that you are being pushed, forced, by Silver Dragonborn towards what looks like a bloody stump. No transformative visions. You suddenly feel yourself being pulled, pushed along, prodded by the Silver Dragonborn who flank your left and right,

and you realize that you are in a chain of the four of you. And in front of you, what is clearly the woman that you've come to know as Sigdis, this, and you're being pushed and forced along, keep moving, keep moving, and you're being forced. And also in chains? She's also in chanced. She's also enchanged. And you can hear her cries.

Please, we, we, we, we, we understand. We, we didn't do anything. We, we, don't kill us, don't kill us. You've already gotten, you've already gotten my husband. You've already gotten him. Everything is over. You've won. You've won. There's no reason to take our lives. Is it just the five of us? Or they're more... Okay, so we're a Jim Gang of five.

I look at my companions who no longer look like themselves. What do I see? You see what looks like a humanified barnabose. A.U? You all get A.U. You've made a terrible mistake. Are we in school out of uniforms? It's very alien and strange to see that, but all of you looking around, you can look into each other's eyes, eyes that you've looked into during the worst of times when you thought that you could die, your brothers in this found family, and you can see the soul of Yornear in one set. You can see the soul of Tyshen and another. You can see in the slightly shorter human eyes of Scrim. It's almost like a character. but you get a sense immediately that you are with your companions and heading towards what is very clearly an execution site. Humans always is cold.

That's right. You immediately feel the biting cold. Are we dressed for the elements? You would still be dressed in Norvald tribe, Norvald's tribe guard, right? And you've clearly been hiking for some time, but for you, Barnabon. The distance is 60 feet. No, for you, Barnabos. For you, Barnabos.

This is the first time you've had the cold, like, let in by your body. You feel betrayed by this transformation. What is this, then? We're... First, I can see us, then they can't, and we're not ourselves anymore. Say this.

What has happened to Kostan? Kastan? He... He was fighting. He was fighting and he was doing very well. We were turning the tide and he vanished. He was in the middle of decimating their forces, and something happened.

Ah, magic is very strong, little one. And you hear one of the sounds of the guard. Your husband was not killed, but sent away, sent somewhere away by our most powerful mages. We are the silver dominion, and we have one. So we know of the empire that existed on this continent. Yeah, that she like wiped out.

And we, because we didn't experience, okay, so the side story stuff is also not us. It's like when we were the guards, right, we don't know about that. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You're right, yeah. We never saw the emperor die, we never saw any of that, right, right, right. But we did see, we've seen all the ruins of silver dragon board from the very beginning. Yes. Where they had massive, like, portals and everything was written in Dragonborn.

I promise I will never do nonlinear storytelling again. I think that if we just take a step to like, I just want to make sure that I understand. It's also just been a long time. It's been a long time. Yeah, yeah. That's why it's tough. And so I guess my question is, is it safe to assume

what our characters feel like this, that the, this even predates the empire, and that the silver dominium or the silver dominion and this battle could be the beginnings of them taking over to come. and starting their empire. You feel that this is the silver dominion that the ghosts that you talked to spoke of, that this is the empire, that this is the group of silver dragon-born that you know very well, the princes of wrath ultimately destroyed and killed all of them in her wrath.

Yes, okay. So I guess my point is that this really puts a point on just how, long ago, Kostan and sickness and all them lived as humans. Absolutely. It was really fun a long time. You would know that it's centuries because if the Silver Dominion is here, then the story that you've been experiencing, watching this young woman, watching her husband, Kostan become Kaskatchee and become this war commander, watching all of these pieces come together,

you suddenly put the puzzle together and go, oh shit, this was before the death of those druids that you met on the mountain. This was before the destruction of the... Argentholm, the city that you've been inhabiting. This is before all of that by centuries, perhaps millennial. Right. You only will internalize that.

You are all pushed and forced into a line, and immediately one of the Silver Dragonborn turns and pulls a massive axe, an executioner's axe. This is not an axe that is used in battle. is an axe with a long, wide blade that bends and turns in to a flat side just specifically so that it can come down and land almost like a guillotine. God, I hope that this hurts.

That's quick. You see, Sanchong, Mr. Staviskech, or whatever your human name is. I'm sorry that we failed. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. If I could do anything, I would, but I think this is the end. You hear the words of Sigdis looking into your eyes. She's looking at you as though you were friends,

as though you are perhaps the last of those who she would call the Norvald tribe. If this is the end, we shall die with armor and grace. And we knew that we did everything we could. Before I go, I must ask, where did you send our war chief? Does he live still? One of them steps forward and laughs heartily as he disconnects your chains from the rest of the group. Who cares? And he pulls you and starts to roughly push you towards the stump. We will feast in the great mead halls of old in this night.

Our ancestors are smiling down at us, Dragonborn. Can you say the same? Jekar belongs to the Norvald. You watch as the one that you would know as your near is pushed down to the stump. And the silver dragonborn carrying this executioner's axe doesn't ceremoniously even ask for last words. turns to the rest of you and he says, you'll be next.

He lifts up his axe and he swings down and there's a heavy thud. Yornyer, you have the experience of feeling your head, leave your neck. That's a weird feeling. It is a terrible feeling. Does my experience in this realm end?

No, your consciousness continues to persist. And... Oh, jeez. What is happening? The moment, the moment that the blade connects, you no longer feel a part of this body. You feel like you're watching those other visions,

almost a passenger in this moment. You don't feel the pain of death. You feel that you've been disconnected, and you realize that you are almost blinking, watching almost like an ethereal spirit in this moment. So all of a sudden I'm Fearbug, you're near, and there's a 6'5 human with long red hair with his head. That's right.

The head tumbles forward. and you all watch this in horror as the blood blood uh... Black is for that. Who's next on the... Who's next to the Charlie Blonde? And uh... Is it Barnabas somehow? Obviously for being such a vocal...

You're getting more than that to kill a Norvald. You're disconnected and you are pulled forward, Barnabas, as you are stumbled. You're literally bragged. No. You're a big human. And you're in your uniform. What are they going to do? Cut his head off? You're pulled forward and you are shoved to your knees.

And what are we going to do? What are we going to do? Not Bonobos. Scrim, it's okay. We just have to let it play out. Okay, all right. All right, all right. All right. And I'm like muttering to myself as I watch this happen. And you are not given any last words. Instead, you just hear a grunt and you feel a thud. As the two of you see the body of Barnabos go very,

very still, and you can hear the sound of his heart pumping blood as his head rolls into the Spide! By the nine! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, God, Tyshanna, I wanna get it's over with. I'm never casting this fellow again. Welcome, Barnabos. We alive? Are we dead?

We are we, and they are dead. They were not us. I hope Toyshan never cast this spell again. I believe that if scrim collects our heads and escapes and puts them on the platform, resurrects us. That's very funny. No. No.

Damn you! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. We did everything that we could. We fought. I'm just gonna like kind of take a few steps forward and again, like, muttering myself like, I just hope this is quick. I just hope this is quick. And, like, you know. Yeah, what you would do in the final moments of one's mortal life, you do. And you scramble, but you are pulled from the ground and forced over to this stump.

After watching the body of Barnabos get unceremoniously pulled and thrown into a pile alongside other soldiers, presumably allies of stigness. As soon as my head is, I guess, put on this chopping block forcefully, As my head slams with the chopping block, I'm gonna look up at our captors. I'm gonna say, what is that? Who knows that? Never should have come here. The blade comes down with a heavy thwack and lands, and your head rolls to the ground,

and suddenly you find yourself blinking, looking at the Force Ghost-style version. Barnazzi was in there. Okay, what? Everything is fine. You are okay. You are alive. We're like the brothers from the Stardust movie. Oh, yeah.

What? Yeah. I love that movie. I call Mark Strong. That's a good movie. Oh, he's the best one. That's a good movie. That's that.

It was uncomfortable. These soldiers step forward in a line and instead of reaching for you. They grab Sigdis and pull her free. You find yourself left alone as you watch them start to pull her body towards the stump. Signais, what is it you wanted

for this land? She turns and she looks and she said, all we ever fought for was our freedom, our freedom to be ourselves, to live our own lives. Not underneath the... A noble quest. You did everything

you could. She is, shattered and you can see that she's lost everything in this moment and you can see the seething hatred that she has when she looks at the world around her even even you to an extent in this moment for for having her not not enough strength she she just likes so much of herself and her her world that you can see the red in her eyes as she is forced and pushed down into a position to be executed. And you're shocked to see the blade come up, realizing that this was sort of what you asked for as Ticheng. The legend of the Princess of Wrath has somehow led you to this moment. And you watch as the blade swings down and...

Sigtus' head flies free and rolls down, rolls a few feet away, and her head stills and comes to rest. And you watch her body go completely still. And shrugging, the soldiers start to pull her body and throw it into the pile. The head lulled amongst with your friends and they start to approach you when suddenly there is a crackling sound. A shit. strange thing happens where the snow of the ground starts to almost rise up and lift into the sky, not falling down, but suspending, and then shifting and starting to move upward in this direction. And you look as lines are almost traced around the stump, this circular pattern, an arm almost

in the snow starts to crackle, huge juts of ice start to shish, shi-shazz-s-h-s-h-h-s-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h as it crashes through the ground, almost hitting you, making one of the soldiers stumble. A second arm comes crackling out of the center nexus point, a third, a fourth, a fifth, a six, and you realize that in a massive span of 30, 40, 50 feet wide, a snowflake almost.

has imprinted itself made of translucent ice, and it shatters. And there's this massive explosion as you realize that you are staring at a young, but still massive and powerful ice dragon. The Princess of Rath rises from this shattered ice and is born into the space of the execution site. Roaring.

Roaring. All of a sudden, her wings unfurl and you realize you were staring at the moment that the princess of wrath was born. The spirit, the spark of Signa's having been extinguished, has been rebirthed into this dragon. And she uses her talents immediately. A talon comes swinging down and one of the soldiers is caught by it, torn to ribbons, pulled into pieces, legs going in this direction, arms going in the other. The executioner looks up in screams in terror

as she slams down another arm and crushes him, completely splattering him, guts and viscera and gore going in all directions. I start running. As best you can in fetters. I'm like Iro and chains. You all witness this. Those of you who don't feel like running

as she tears the remaining soldiers into ribbons. she realizes she can breathe and pours forth a massive frozen breath that completely shatters a bunch of trees killing you instantly as she in her blind rage clashes out in all directions and then spirals into the air on a path of revenge that would last for decades.

Damn. Oh, hey, guys. Why you finally made it? It was her. Did the body disappear when she was reborn? Oh. Or when it was like transmogrified into the dragon? I would say that the body did disappear.

The head and the body. It is extremely clear that by some force, by some fate, a fate that the voice in the hut could not perceive, something reached down or some magic of the land or some transformative power saw all the rage and Cygna's heart in this moment, and she was reborn as this dragon. How dissimilar is it from when my own form

as a humanoid shifts into a creature? Is that same kind of the body almost like primally shifts? There's this shift in warp. I would say that it is a bit dissimilar. This doesn't seem like primal magic to you. Got it. This feels a bit arcane. Arcane.

Okay. Yeah. That's very important. That's very important. Let's human Let's do this Oh yeah explains her appreciation

Her lover Turned to The witch in the mountains Lost himself Was killed, banished Whatever happened to him The rest of her people captured

Executed in front of her Until she herself Killed and changed I've never seen anything like that How does you human even become a dragon The woman is powerful. In the mountains. Yes.

The witch of the hedge. She took up her husband's wrath, hatred and vengeance, that's for sure. She learned absolutely nothing. It is a natural state. She became, and she has never stopped being. That wrathful, the wrathful creature, it is in her nature. The silver dominion is destroyed. You are pulled through time as you continue to watch the dragon who would become known as the princess of wrath,

find and destroy and find and destroy. Hunting, at a certain point she is finding these leaves. legions, these contingents, these soldiers, these battlements, she's going from group to group to group and is unstoppable in her rage with such great strength, with such great flight, with such great magic that suffuses her being, she becomes a predator, and they are the prey. What Koskichi may have been able to achieve had he not been banished, she is able to, and she crushes them again and again and again and again. You see her make her way to the capital city of Argentholm, this shining beautiful city, a city at the height of its own civilization.

And she swims around it, crushing buildings with her great weight, crushing buildings with her anger made manifest, and eventually confronting the self-declared emperor of the silver dominion. there at the top of the biting bastion and slaying him as well. You see personal guards. You do see four personal guards. Oh, Chuck, this is really rough, guys. I can't believe we're going to see the end of empire. I guess all vampires do fall.

But Chuck, I was hoping it wouldn't be in my lifetime. Thank you. Thank you. Four small figures disappear into what is clearly a platform that falls like an elevator. Perfect. I mean, we got to tell the full story. That's canon now.

Full circle, baby. We're back. Aside from those four that she never finds, she goes beyond the rank and file of the Silver Dominion. She goes beyond that and starts finding any creature that might call itself Silver Drag. and I'm born. Destroying towns.

She, what will eventually be the ice sheet that you cross is dotted with fishing villages of people who wouldn't necessarily have put themselves in harm's way or ever wanted to be a part of the oppression that that civilization represented, and yet she kills them all the same. You even recognize briefly a flash of the river where the druids themselves would be killed, and the ones that you would call friends on the mountaintop, those. spirits when she can find no more and she believes the silver dominion and all silver dragon born across Ricard to be finally slaying she finds the top of a

mountain and shifts and you see that same transformation occurred she shrinks and becomes human again but this is not the demure short shrunken shape of of Signa, as you knew her with her Auburn hair. Now she has a different body entirely, tall and flexible and lean and muscled in a way that is impossible. Her hair has changed color. Her eyes have changed color. She is as shocked as you are to find herself in this shape. Oh.

Hmm. But weary, she rests. and she goes into a long slumber. Years pass as the Princess of Wrath sleeps, dormant. Spent from her energy, she has no purpose, and she spends a long time not eating, just letting the magic pull herself deeper and deeper into the land until you witness her found by white cobalds, trekking and journeying across her car,

almost perhaps by chance or perhaps looking for that strange ice dragon of myth. And she is worshipped as a goddess when she is awoken. This is the group that would eventually become known as the ivory clutch, and you can recognize their wings and see that they are almost certainly the ancestors of the one known as whisperfang. Over the centuries, she gathers the peoples of Dracar and binds them using the same magic that she witnessed that she eventually would capture of the woman in the hut, this long basin. The name binding ritual that you yourself performed at Whisper Fang's instruction,

this strengthens and emboldens her, and you witness her do that as well. She brings those people to Argent Homb, rebuilds, demands their loyalty and their gold. You realize, now, making the connection to having witnessed the agreement that Kastan made and became Kaskatchee, not for a thousand, thousand, thousand gold would I do this? And you realize that is the reason why gold is so kind. coveted in the Argentholm. You see yourselves ice-bound. Catch up to present day.

And you see yourselves, you realize, she came, she took barrels of your gold and left. She did? Tilled the captain, too. She killed the captain and abandoned you to see if you could survive in her car. And of course, months later, through the innate relationship she has with her car, through the powers that she has siphoned from the many tribes, and peoples of the world, she feels the sudden presence of an ottoid ship break into the atmosphere

and she goes to slay it. She takes the hexature armature for herself and she immediately moves to recruit the ogres and humans of that world, realizing that there are humans again, Indrakar for the first time since, well, aside from one poet who happened to show up, she takes special interest in the humans, seeing herself in them and a future where humans could once again thrive and Rhaqar. You watch and are especially interested to see that she is journeying, flying through the clouds when she recognizes another being

and you realize this is the confrontation moment where she confronts Secundus. Oh. He has been wandering the mountains. He has with him, Ketrostin, and she lands. to threaten anyone who would bring war or to evaluate this creature in the same way.

And of course, the battle that happens afterwards is tremendous. The actual confrontation, it looks like Sikundas might actually overcome her in the end. But she is, despite being wounded, able to crush him and tear his head free from his body, leaving his body, which turns to a magical yellow light that drifts into the distance like dust. She holds the head up, and she pulls Katrastin to his feet and disappears off back to the biting bastion with them.

You witness all of these things until eventually you, yourselves, arrive at Argentholm. You earn the right to become a tribe through trial by combat. undergo the same naming ritual as the other chiefs and tribes. You watch as they use the hex- Ice-born, ice-born, ice-born. You watch as they use the hexature armament to present a vision of Koskichi during the naming ritual. You watch as Whisper Fang tells,

tells the princess of a hiding human, someone that he has observed with his arcane eye. and through his arcane sight and watches as the Princess of Wrath demands her return so that she might join the other humans that she's collecting. Eventually, you see, of course, also the other side of the story.

Two days ago, as recent as this in your vision, Queenie and Daisy joining the Princess of Rath. We see them reunite with the vassals. She takes them, and you get a sense that the vassals are being well taken care of therein, that they have fine comforts, Even if they are captive, they have a gilded cage of sorts, being treated almost royally within one of the palatial chambers of that strange castle fortress.

Sometime in the last day, you see Queenie and Daisy, it's hard to make out exactly what's being heard. You see the two of them are standing before what is a great arch, arch, or archway. And you see Whisper Fang is standing there demanding. something. Queenie is clearly stressed and trying to argue, but the princess has Daisy in her clutches, pulling her up and towards her. And that's for one tonight's session. I'm going to cliffhanger. It's exactly midnight. It's perfect time. Oh, my God.

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