Worlds Beyond Number - WWW #26: The Conclave of the Witches of the Coven of Elders

Episode Date: May 9, 2024

The surviving members of the Coven of Elders gather in the Palace of the Wind and Stars for their conclave. Meanwhile, the gang says goodbye to a horse. Worlds Beyond Number is:Brennan Lee MulliganErika IshiiAabria IyengarLou Wilson and is produced, designed, and scored by Taylor Moore at Fortunate Horse with exquisite design and editing help from Jared OlsonSPECIAL THANKS TO: Tazer Army, Shannon, and Amanda Freberg!Transcript of this episode coming soon! You can find transcripts of all our episodes here, for free, on our Patreon.Our album art is by the great Corey BrickleySome additional ambient sound design comes from Michael Ghelfi Studios. You can get their sounds and music for your home games and VTT as well, which we enthusiastically recommend. 

This is the sound of worlds beyond number. Snow falls slow and heavy in the icy garden of frozen statues before the doors of the keep of the world's heart. As Amé and Sufi, the fox beside them slightly buried under snow, behold the sudden rush and arrival of Earthline astride a spirit horse, It's hoes glowing with sunlight and melting partially through the ice. Ursula, you in the last fractions of moments as your horse surged through the world of Umura,

flashing here and there between the near spirit and the physical world, you saw for a brief moment the valley of icy trees, ascending the mountain and suddenly appearing here in one of the many courtyards of the palace of the witch of wind and stars. and as Haliman, your steed, comes to a sudden stop, you behold your true friends! And it is cold. I take a running leap up into Erflon's arms, and I kiss him on the cheek. Oh, you're okay. I'm so sorry. Oh, God.

No, no. Where did you go? I went to see my family. What? What? Yes. This, so much. to talk about and I can't get down off this horse because I know my legs will not hold me.

So I'm just going to sit up here for a second. But it is, it's good to see you. It's good to see you both. Yeah. So glad you're okay and you came, you came. Who is this? Who is this? Hello?

Give me an animal handling check. 16. Uh, Halliman, as your hand goes up, puts a soft, warm. fuzzly nose into the palm of your hand. His breath is so warm. As his breath snorts out of his nostrils, and you feel it on your shoulders in your chest, this enormous white steed.

You feel that the warmth actually lingers a little bit longer on your chest than even your prestigitations did on your ascent to the witch's palace. Oh, I pull out an apple from my pack, and I press it to, I warm it up, and I hand it to him with both my palms. flat.

You see the sort of brushy, whiskery lips. Take the apple, and a little bit of warm slobber is left on your hand. And even that, you see, it quickly sort of evaporates. And you watch steam rise up from the saliva of the horse and stay steam, even in the cold air as it kind of mists away. Can I make an archa check on this horse? Because I would like to go and engage with it, but Ame is doing it. I'm still mad. Go ahead and I know, the call of the horse girl is too powerful.

You were just watching Suvi swallow every horse girl instinct to be like, no, I guess I just get to understand it. Give me an Arcana check. And Arcana is going to be less useful to you here than nature would be or probably another related skill. There's another intelligence skill you want to use, even if you're not proficient in it. But Arcana will give you some stuff here. I'll go nature.

Go nature, yeah. Terrible die roll. You fool. Nine. You look, I mean, you can tell that this is a horse not of this world. But looking at it, you see that it doesn't look like the horses of the empire. It doesn't look like an imperial horse. Imperial horses are trained for bravery, but they are trained for speed.

They're not, wizards don't tend to, like, run the front line on a horse back into melee. therefore tactical movement and, you know, and essentially like horse archery rather than like combat. This looks like a powerful, there's something about it where it even sort of, you're like, this is like a draft horse, which is not even a horse you would use for riding. It's like, and this is like for pulling a plow or something like that. But looks can be deceiving and it's, it, you can feel, you can see the like,

flurries of snow banks leading off from the courtyard along the mountainside. This thing clearly was leaping 100 foot or 200 foot jumps over chasms to get up the mountainside and arrive here. Give an apple. Give an apple. No. He's warm. Okay.

Oh. His name is Hollimont. He's a gift from Suvi's best friend, Orima. Ah! Of the reaching green? Yes. After I spent time with my family who I swear. I will tell you about.

I was on a recommendation from my sister, the Wizard's stripe, Kalaya, that I approached the near spirit, and it was there that Arima found me and introduced me to my new friend here. This is so sweet. I inclined my head to Hallamon, and I say thank you so much for bringing our true friend

back to us safely. We should, I'll lead him. I'll lead him and Ursulaan, you can stay. Thank you. My thighs are just shaky. I have a question. How close did Ursulaan and Holloman land to our sort of ice statue garden? And is there any material effect?

Like you mentioned the cobblestones being revealed. Is there anything happening to any of these ice scopes? I think you see that Hollimond is something. distance from the nearest ice sculpture. But your question doesn't strike you as being an unusual one. You like, ooh, there's, like, I think your wizardly sensibilities go, there's an interaction waiting there. Yeah.

But the cobblestones, there's writing on them? You look and see that the writing is less so, like, runic language as much as it is symbology. It is hearts and hands. there are like hands clasped emerging from vines, hearts. You see that there are rolling pins, grains, and fruits, things that are basically of the station of the witch of the world's heart. So it's a visual language.

It's a language of art and of the decorations of this place rather than full sentences. It seems that this place was created for this station. Suvi, give me a arcand, check. Like in 3.5, this would be like architecture and engineering. But I know that you have that kind of, you've just taken warp and weft. So give me an arcana check as you look at the keep. 16. As you're looking at the decorations here of this station that is being kept at the palace of the Witch of Wind and Stars,

I think you observe that this keep is one of the smallest and most humble. Yeah. Give me an insight check with that as well, actually. And you can do that with advantage because you succeeded on your architecture and engineer. 30-20. The decorations here in this place, there's a tremendous kindness for the Witch of Winden Stars to keep these halls as pure guest residences for these other witches that would probably only come here under dire circumstances. You know, Grandmother Wren's cottage didn't have keeps for all. of her other, she would have been like, I can make a bed for you in the corner.

You know, like that was, so it's like, it's not obviously a necessity. But looking at the smallness of the keep, I think on a dirty 20, you have to wonder if the smallness and humbleness is a kindness to a station that considers humility part of its domain. Right? Like, The witch of the world's heart is not humble as in small. It's the humility of we are in this together. It is the humility of not centering oneself, right? Yeah. But you also having met injury, wonder if she considers the smallness

and off to one-sidness of this keep to be a kindness herself. Yeah. Oh, and I guess along with that line, how would I compare this to where Suvie was dropped off? Tower of the Crescent Moon is actually... So this is at the edge of the past. palace. And it's set into the base of one of the peaks. So it's sort of like kind of eaten up by the mountain a little bit. Tower of the Crescent Moon is on an inner ring of towers around the central keep. Gotcha. And appears to be like adjoining the quarters of the Witch of Wind

and Stars herself. So you're like halfway in between Indry and Amé. I would say too that when you see Crescent Moon up on the top of that tower now that you're outside of it, you see an enormous icy crescent moon atop that tower. And you can see that there are two other towers like it, one of which has a massive gleaming full moon, and then the other one which has a sort of half moon. I was like a semicircle on it. So are you just going to be, where are you going to put the horse?

What's the plan with the horse? Hallie Mountain, are you with me for like good? Or was this just one trip? Your guess is as good as mine as to what that meant. Now, I will actually remind you that Ursulaan does, I believe, have speech of beast and leaf. Do I? I do. Proud World's Beyond Number tradition.

Well, I guess as Sufi asked that question, I will use speech of beast and leaf and kind of lean around Hollimund's face to kind of make to look into one of his eyes as best I can. Holliman. Is this a one-time? Is this a one-way trip? Or are we in it? Holliman shakes the bridle on his head as though he's trying to remove it. Sufi, can I use your shoulder?

Oh, yeah. I'm going to put way too much weight on Sufi as I hopped down off of Hollimont. and just stabilize myself and then go to remove the bridle. You remove the bridle from Holliman. Give me one more animal handling check. 19. Holliman kneels down and puts the long length of like the bridge of his snout and his forehead

up against your chest and presses into your chest in a comforting way, leaving a sort of warm imprint there. And you see that Holliman's walks into the snow and vanishes amongst the statues of the courtyard and fades from sight? The fox goes, he wasn't that great. You missed the best part

to see. The actual experience was actually quite unnerving. But I crossed the world in a matter of minutes. Really? Yeah. I was in a jungle recently. I was actually in Gouthma. What? Yes. Again, so much.

I don't know what... Suvi, how did you get here? It's so cold out here. Let's go inside. The fox turns and pads over to the door, and as the doors appear before you, do you go to open them? Yes, I'd like to...

I can see the little ornamentation that is Grandma the Run's work. Yeah, a little wicker charm with a red ribbon around it. Oh, what kind of charm is that? Give me a little insight check. 21. Looking at the charm, you get the sensation that this is an offering or a gift for any spirits that are within the area. And you see that there are some very small little like crumbs or pieces of some kind of candy inside the with the ribbon tied around it.

And you actually can see sort of the old little marks of frost of some of the ice fairies here. So you wonder if it was a almost like a little bird feeder. Like a little pine cone with peanut butter and seeds on it.

And it looks like it's both a kindness and an offering. And on a, you meet a 20, it's also a way to keep ice fairies. on the outside of the keep. Ooh, I love that. I'm going to dust it off a little bit

and use prostitution and mending to make it shiny and new, and I'm going to put some more saltwater taffy inside of it. Incredible. As you put new things into the charm behind you, I think, Ursula, your ears flick and you hear

of little flapping wings as new candy has been added to the charm. The witch of the world's heart keep opening the doors and proceeding through. You see a keep, unlike most of the palace, this keep quickly becomes made of stone and actually enters into the rest. So the exterior sort of covered in ice like the rest of the palace. But there is a squat sort of stone building here carved into the mountainside. And you see that there is a cold, unlit fireplace at the moment, but there are logs beside it. It's very, very frigid in here, but there are some carpets.

And you see that there is a small box of sort of tidy dishes and a kettle and a couple other little things that is clearly like a little tote that like Grandmother Wren left in this place of like things that were a hassle to bring each time. And you see that there are, it's very funny because the hall is small in relation to the palace. but quite large in relation to the cottage. And you see that in its grand kind of appointed luxury, there are some wide open doors that lead to some chambers and corridors, a staircase leading down presumably to the kitchens. And you see that there is some sort of like, not damage, but it looks like the stove was moved up the staircase into the great.

It basically looks like grandmother, was like, you can just see the story of it takes 15 minutes to get from a room I need to get to, to another room I need to get to. I'm bringing a bed and a stove and everything from this keep all to the fireplace, which is the one place that can't move. So there's a weird little stonehenge of like bed and sofa and chairs and logs and a stove and a standings like wash basin that all just sort of looks like a countenie. of furniture around the fireplace.

Hegelty-piggledy. Once inside, I set to work immediately, and even as we're talking, just sweeping the hearth, putting in the log, magicking up a fire and stoking it, cleaning things off, and I look around in cupboards

to see if there's any provisions with which I can make something hearty for us to eat. And as I'm doing it, uh, uh, welcome to the keep of the witch of the world's heart. While you are here,

uh, please consider it as your home as well. Suvie, while you're doing all that, like walked into the door, presidigitated the like snow and any like melt off of her and is just standing off to the side. And I think now that the like excitement of your arrival has passed,

you see the, like, coldness that she is affecting. Mm-hmm. That, like, there's no softening of that. She's, like, kind of remembered it more and is, uh, quiet and still. Sky, will you be staying here? No, I have my own apartments. Thank you. Oh.

Uh, Amai, is it all right if I stay here? Oh, of course. Okay. I really love that. Great. I have actually a few things. Um, and I'm just going to pull out some of the stuff I got from Colli. new boots, this for a coat.

It's amazing to have a coat that actually fits me. Yo, flip this coin. Tails. It's going to be tails. Watch. And I flip the coin. Tails. Flip it again. Is it just a poorly made coin? Just flip it one more time.

Flip it. Tails. All right. Now watch me flip it. Heads. Okay. Heads. Every time. If a mortal flips it, it's tails.

If a spirit flips it, it's heads. And I think there's that moment of, like, wanting to be a little mean and be like, that's a stupid thing. And then the, like, oh, a means of detection. And, like, the actual, like, secret, like, lateral uses for it. And then Suvie kind of swallows a snarky comment and just. quirks an eyebrow and nods. She stole it from the citadel. Ami, do you have any food?

Oh, yeah, I think I can actually, oh, there's some seasonings here too. Yeah, you see there's like some spices in the tote and a couple other things. There is no, it doesn't look like there's any ability to like, there's some flour, there are some things that keep essentially and especially in the cold that would keep well. but you see that there's a little note

that points somewhere and says eggs and you see it just points to a window and you can see that there's just a basket in the snow covered with a cloth and it looks like there's just some frozen they've got to be frozen solid so it's like it's slim pickings here at the North Pole folks

we got we got eggs we got potato we got um can we have a couple conversation so I can retire to my tower. Would you, would you like to, I can, I can make us supper? I'm fine. I arrived well-provisioned thanks to the Citadel, with a very pointed and slow look at the both of you. So is that, is that the means by which you traveled? We all could have, but you ran away.

Well, I can't lie, Suvie. by running away, I was able to reconnect with my sister. And aside from you two coming back into my life, there is no greater gift. I apologize. I made sure those wizards were safe. What wizards? The four wizards who had been using the conjuring. Oh.

They were caught up in it as well. But I was, I mean, I don't know what your experience in the... a tornado Catechism of your own creation? Is that the phrase you wanted? Yes. Sure. The cataclysm of our creation

was Amé, but mine was very interesting. I made it back to the cottage and I'm Oh, I'm so glad that you found her. Yes. But Suvia, I'm sorry. I was scared and I

suddenly inherited something that is a lot larger than me. And I think you know how that feels to have that kind of pressure weighing upon you from all of your obligations and how lives, many lives hang in the balance. But I'm sorry, and I promise I will never abandon you again. Sure. While I was in there, I met the man in black. What? Yes.

We walked together for, well, not together, but. I walked ahead of him for a moment. And he told me about how he met the two of you at Armay's house. Yeah. Through the door. Yes, through the door. But he very much wants to come back. He attacked Grandmother Wren.

Yes. Well, it would seem, Amé, that you are... His problem is with the citadel. and the wizards of this world. A familiar chorus. Amé is seemingly the only thing keeping him from, or in some way, Amé, you are preventing him from, I guess maybe having his way with the Citadel.

What does that mean? What? We didn't talk for very long because it did feel like if we walked together that things, my life would be. reparably changed, but in the moments we did speak, it seems very much that Amé and the future of the citadel are tied together, as far as the man in black is concerned. We're screwed. Something about a dagger. Sufi, the citadel was in his example.

The dagger plunged into the world's heart. Hmm. Uh... Does that make any more since to you? I'm... It was only two days ago, but... He attacked Gremlin the Rennes at the grove. And he switched the...

No, I'm sorry, I'm still in the dark year. Do you trust him? Trust him to... Have told you the truth about the Wizards, the Citadel. a dagger in the world. I'm just getting so fucking tired. No. I do believe him.

Why? Because there was no malice in his voice. He did not seem to sway me. He was not attempting to sway me in any way. I told him that Amé was under my guardianship and that I cared for her. and he told me that he was coming for her. To help her or to remove her? To reach the citadel to attack the wizards?

Yes, that did the latter. Because he had sensed that there was a wizard in the home when he came to visit army. Hmm. And that they had already had her in their clutches. Though, of course, it was not. With that, I think he was inferring something that I do not believe is true. Okay.

But he continues on his path. When I touched the near spirit and metarema, I sensed he still walks toward us. And you trust him while understanding that he is on his way towards conflict with first. First, Ame, and then my home and family. I do believe him. Okay. I'm going to focus on one life-ending problem at a time. Thank you.

I will hustle over that and perhaps inquire as to more information that others might have about him. Suvie, you are here in the capacity as my advisor. What do I do? What do you know of the other witches here? Do you know anything of the case that they will make against you? No, I don't know why they are trying to eliminate this station, nor the other station which they would have to eliminate were mine to be disposed of. But I think that might be the key to it, discovering which of the other

domains stands to be destroyed should the witch of the world's heart also be destroyed. So you've found out nothing in your time of separation or your arrival here? I found out that the pendant that you wear was created

by your parents and grandmother Wren to shield you from spirits to protect their daughter. It has nothing to do with what we're doing here. Have you found out nothing of use? Amé.

You hear a knock at the door. Um, hello? I'll get the door. Hello? You open the door. There is a tiny, matchstick, thin, little girl

outside in the cold, shivering with an enormous wooden box filled with vegetables and food and some cuts of meat and provisions and all sorts of things. She has a thick scarf with so many moth-eaten holes in it, and then tiny little white leggings and little black buckled shoes that are completely what's the opposite? Pervious to the snow.

These things are so pervious, just shivering there. You see she has sort of warm brown skin, close cut hair, like a little pixie cut. and a little sort of big wool thing with a puff on the top of it, just shivering. Oh, my goodness, come in. Please, come in. Hello, I'm Amay, and this is the wizard's guy and Ursula. Begging your pardon, I'm so sorry to be in front of you. I am Neif, I am apprentice, to the witch of the wind and... To hers.

I've collected these free from the kitchens. They have collected for you from the kitchens. I, you're the, your... Stevie, snapped her jaw shut. She's just like, oh, no. You're the apprentice of... Like, the one, not what? Amay also snapped her jaw shut.

It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Neif, the apprentice, to the witch of the wind and stars. I... Uh, you... Are you about to die? No. You must be cold.

Please, come, come bring the box down. Oh, no, I'm sorry that I've shivered. There's no... There's no... This is frightfully rude. I... You see that she puts the provisions down. Hanging from her belt,

you see there is a little steel bristle brush and a, like, clanking iron pan for, like, sweeping up hearths. You see that she has... a little like collapsible telescoping poker that's also hanging from a wand on her belt. She, I don't think you've ever seen someone who looks, everything about her suggests susceptibility to the elements. Which elements? Any elements, any, all. Any and all elements. She looks like she would get hot. She looks like she would get cold. She looks like the wind would be bad. She looks like no wind would be bad.

Um, she goes, if there's anything else, I can retrieve for you in my duties to my, uh, mentor, my, the, my mistress, the wind of the wind, the wind of the wind. Can I make an investigation? Oh, my God. I also, I would like to do an insight. Oh, I don't want insight. I want an investigation check because I don't try. Like, there is a lot of meeting injury and feeling the effect and the feelings I feel about her and all of this.

Like, it reeks of illusion and I do not trust this energy. For Insight 24. Investigation 21. Insight? What you see is what you get. In terms of, in terms of she's, her inner truth is being worn perfectly on her face. you think that if this person was asked to deceive somebody, she would burst into tears. And Sufi, on your investigation, looking for, like, secrets or...

Illusion? Illusion, something like that. You're looking hard for an illusion. You don't see it. You don't see it. Huh. I... You've done such a wonderful job.

Thank you so much. we're going to make a hearty supper with this. May I send the invitation to you to stay for supper? Oh, that will not be necessary. Many of the other keeps require some tending to before the arrival of the fellow coven mates of my mistress. And so I must away quickly. The upkeep of the palace is given to me as my charge.

And you look at... The whole palace? Palace? So, Amay, in this moment, you remember all the chores you had to do in the cottage? That's incredible. Yeah, I flashed back. You know, you can see my mind goes elsewhere. I'm a thousand yards stare, remembering sweeping the hearth and slopping the pens and, you know, organizing the bookshelves and Nicholas the goat.

And then I snap back to it. In this time of many visitors, I imagine that your duties must have increased tenfold. May I, you seem cold, may I provide you with an additional scarf or perhaps a treat for your... Give me a persuasion check. Can I assist just sort of nodding along with a like. Every time Amme makes an offer, just like, yeah, please take it. We're going to call this a DC-25. DC-25?

Getting Neif to accept help is a DC-25 persuasion check. 22. You see that Neif looks at you and says, the stories of the kindness of the witch of the world's heart bring especially true in this moment. But no help is required for to accept. help would suggest that I needed it, which would be to suggest that I did not receive it. And so, therefore, I need not accept in this moment your help. And the offer of a treat

would imply that I deserved one. So thank you for your time. And you see that she goes, however, if I can be of any Houston, and you see already being in here with like the little fire that's going. You see she's already kind of warming up and just goes, however, if there are any tasks which you require that I could impart to you, and that would be for the betterment of your time here, then I am given leave to perform such duties for the guests of my mistress that they need done. Yes, actually, yes. I have more honeycakes I was going to put out later, but I don't want to walk all the way

back out to the Great Hall on my own. So if you could take some of them and please see the edges here, they're not quite as pretty as the other ones, if you could cut those off and you may take them if you wish and taste them to make sure that they are fine. She looks at you and goes, I will see it done. Thank you. Give me your scarf.

Yes, very well. Should it please you to have it, then not. all the hospitality of the Witch of the Wind and Stars and she hands the scarf to you would be yours to, if you want my scarf, I have to give it to you. And Suvie takes it without a word, and I think just, again,

now that she has that slightly faster, slightly optimized version of her mother's mending, she will just very quickly repair, like, the moth-eaten bits and the torn edges and, like, a bit of the fraying as she continues to stammer through, and as Amme explains the honeycake strat to get this child to eat,

and I will hand back the fixed scarf with. On second thought, I don't want it. Thank you. You see that she looks at the mended scarf. Looks incredibly grateful in this moment as this garment is now Fuller and Richard. and warmer. She looks up, and I think Suvie in this moment, you watch an opinion change in her head.

She goes, thank you very much for returning such a humble garment to me, and should I find a scarf more becoming of a wizard of your station, I shall be sure to collect it and remit its custody to you. Deeply grateful, Neef. Yes. I actually would require your services in terms of updating me as to the arrival of the rest of my sisters and anything that I can do or any of any help that I can be as is befitting of my station in the conclave. please do

since you'll be coming back frequently please see that you're properly shod the bastard to get to the keep of the witch of the world's heart I oh actually do you want me to have different shoes Yes yes okay I'll see what I can do And you see she sort of like click her heels together bows And turns out with the new scarf

and the honeycakes and scurries out the door. I have not met this witch, but she seems to be no grandmother Wren. You explain. Yeah, Amé, what were all those sounds you just made? Yeah. Imagine the most attractive person that you've ever seen in your life. Like, you've... Right while you've been out in the world.

these senior fair share of... Attractive people, yeah. Yeah. Well, imagine that they were magically heightened, both literally to be tall and to be even more beautiful. Like any little flaws that you might have seen that person, it's just not fair. This woman is perfect and immaculate,

And she smells nice. And she is everything that you could possibly want. Like, it doesn't matter who you are. She's got it, baby. And she's just, she has this giant house full of people that are. And she can get even the most. a cold heart to melt and beat for her and her alone or something like that. She is equivalent to her surroundings, so Neath is a bit of a surprise.

All right. What the? Witches. Well, if there's no other information you have to share, and we don't have a plan yet, then I will excuse myself. I arrived here with a bit of a retinue of my own, so I needs must confer with them before the end of the night. Of course.

I'm glad you're safe. It's good to see you, Sufi. Thank you for coming back. Mm-hmm. What time are we meeting tomorrow? I'll keep you updated. I will send a message to your tower. Understood.

And with that, Suvie turns and moves back into the cold. As Suvie leaves, Ursula and Amme and the fox are left in the keep of the world's heart. The fox looks up at you, Ursulaan, and says, you met your family. I did. That's great. Tell me all about them. It was more than just your sister. Oh, my sister.

sister has been prolific, two husbands, three children. Those children have multiplied. It was incredible. Wow. For her. I mean, she's also quite old. 120 years. She tried to come after me, but came out first.

Spirit time bullshit. Truly. Oh, that's wonderful. And while we're doing this as we're chatting, I, whereas normally I would sit into a chair. I am stress baking right now. Making so many different layers of a cake and a stew and my shoulders are up to where my ears are

as I move around the kitchen. Just absolutely cannot let this relax. But I am, oh, I am. so happy. Yes. He's the youngest one, Roe, Ro. He actually cast his first spell while I was there. It was truly something incredible.

Oh, magic, of course, of course. Oh, that's wonderful. Amet, you look down also and see Ursulun's shield, which now has this beautiful painting upon it and gleams with a sort of magical light here softly in this space. Oh, yes, yes, the shield that you painted. Ah, yes. Something truly incredible. This, what I painted, is where Carlya lives.

What? The same tree. A red tree with blue fruit. Kalaya lives underneath this very tree. I mean, not this very tree, because I didn't know that that tree existed. But once I saw the tree, it was just remarkably similar to the one I had from. on. Well, that's...

And she said... I'm going to push it kind of into your face. She said that you would see something in it that I couldn't. I squint at it. What do I see? Because I've seen the shield before. I helped pick it out. And I have seen the drawings before.

But there's something different about it now. Well, you look at it and the kind of... care and crafty nature of witches, the magic of tending to and sewing and repairing and building and baking and making and crafting and all of the magic of the hand, the care and attention that is put into things to mend and care and make over time. The painting of the shield is exquisite, and you found this old prototype in Tulliver Mill they didn't end up going with that is a little bit more heraldric, a little bit more. sort of an older model that didn't look as military and looked a little bit more knightly, for lack of another word, that it didn't look right with the rest of the citadels. And the shields that they made it Tillover-Mill were for the creation of Shields to Mori, living shield spells that carry these sort of to protect as they go.

The surface of the shield is perfect. The painting, it's not the sort of beautiful but flat symbology of heraldry, which is telling you like a family and a name and a story. It passes that, but if your eye lingers on it for even more than a fraction of a second, it enchants you. It's clear that it is an illumination as from a fairy tale, the tree, the details of the leaves, the fruit, that all of it somehow. if Ursula holds this, he doesn't seem like how knights would have looked in the past, he would seem like a story of a knight. There would be something more mythic about it, just the illustration of this tree. And again, it's not gleaming, it's not flashy. It's just if you study it, you become a little enchanted by it.

When you look at the back of the shield, you see that the prototype nature of it is, it's bolted on the back to two kind of thin leather straps. And that's actually where your eyes go, which is you're like, oh, this is not fitted for Ursula. It's not like it's just too standard issue. You know, put your arm in here, hold the shield here. So the body of the shield and its magical face is flawless. And you go, oh, this is where it needs a little bit more love.

It needs to be fitted to Ursula. It needs to actually be made to his specifications. It needs to fit his wrist. It needs to have a handle that allows him to actually. wield it pretty effortlessly in battle. And I think that's where your mind goes. And I'll let Ami think on what kind of work she might want to do on that and what magical impacts that may have on this shield.

I'll say the two directions that you could possibly go in would be something. You can see that you're going to have to make a decision between something that makes the shield sturdier, like it's bolted down even more, or something that makes it a little bit lighter and easier for Ursula to move with it, which might mean that he can get a better mobility or reach while fighting it. So it's like, is it a tougher piece of equipment, or is it lighter and easier to wield? There, we're going to move to the Tower of the Crescent Moon. Sufi, you're moving through the palace of the witch of the wind and stars. Okay, if I've sort of lined up that my tower is like that inner ring close to like the main heart of this palace,

what if I get a little lost and just wander around and maybe, maybe just if I end up, finding injury? I think there's that thing of like, I'm walking back and I know in the back of my head I can find exactly where I need to go. But if I just kind of rock up

on a study or a very pretty wish, what could happen? Hell yeah. Go ahead and give me investigation. And I think I just want to see you beat your own passive investigation.

Okay, okay. Dang it. Okay. So you are walking through this space looking for injury. As you move, the palace is so beautiful. So many windows and courtyards. Many of the hallways are just pure white ice. And you're always sort of marveling at the presence of starlight and the torches.

And the ice fills itself with light so that like there'll be a lot. 100 foot long hallway with two torches in it that nonetheless is illuminated. Like the light of the torches gives itself to the ice and carries just enough of a glow. Like it's that weird thing of being in snow at night. It's all just illuminated enough, even if there's not that much torch fire. Moving through this space, every once in a while, you'll come across a room and suddenly see beautiful red and patterned carpets spread out and hanging chandeliers. you know, shelves adorned with trinkets and treasures. So every once in a while you'll go from Ice Palace to something that is so furnished

that for a moment it actually feels warm and welcoming. And that seems to be the way in which the palace shifts, that moments of icy solitude open into small nests and honeycombs of rich, warm caramel wood and deep red carpets and fires and brimals. razors, things that invite a sudden warmth and refinement away from the rest of the icy palace. And you also find in your journeys through going into the central keep, as you see the inner courtyards, beautiful evergreen trees, the first plant life that you've kind of seen here in this place. And you see that decorated in them are what can only be described as the ghosts of candles. shimmering little ethereal points that have small and spectral lights that do not catch the branches of the tree,

but they are nevertheless decorated with these soft little lights. And you can see almost out of the corner of your eye that maybe those lights are being held or those candles shouldered by small fairy folk that do not flitter or laugh like the ice fairies you've seen, but maybe something a little older or a little more somber. and then a trick of the light, a flurry of the snow, and their faces and forms are gone. You walk a little further in, looking for injury, and see coming up that there is a room with an enormous porcelain tub, steaming water coming out of it,

a blind set aside with a robe laid over it. There's clearly like a bath that's been drawn. here and you see in an icy corridor long hanging robes there must be a hundred gowns and robes of whites and reds and silvers and blues and all sorts of different colors and uh you see neaf walking out of that closet with five enormous scarves and she goes a mistress i'm sorry i'm so sorry i'm late. I'm so on my way. Wait. You're fine. You're good. Oh, you took that very seriously.

These are the warmest scarfs I can find that my mistress has laid out. If you want... Eve, thank you very much for all of your hard work. I don't need a scarf. I appreciate your diligence and I was trying to help in a way

that would bypass your well-understood resistances. Okay. If you, I, would you, um, it would be a tremendous honor to confer upon you a scarf so that I can have fulfilled each of the requests laid out for me. Understood.

Uh, and I'm going to just then quickly scan the scarves. Um, is there one? that would maybe, which one of those would match what injury was wearing today the most? There is a beautiful silver and blue scarf that is patterned. It almost looks like the patterning of like the eyes of a peacock's tail, but filigree with small sort of curling silvery leaves that end in these deep pools of like of sapphire and Robin's Egg blue throughout. and it's almost like a captivating, shimmering, metallic pattern to it.

And looking at it, you see it is like a quilted scarf almost, that it is like stuffed or something like that. So it's not made of yarn or like flat fabric, but it looks like a patterned quilted material. That one is lovely. Are you, okay, are you sure your mistress would not miss? that. Oh,

oh, um, the, nothing I do is done without the knowledge and, um, express desire of my mistress and therefore I would never, she, I don't,

I always ask her for everything, except when she says that that's not right. And so she knows that this is happening and is happy with me making sure that you are warm. Well, then I will take that one and consider us square. Thank you. And she hands the beautiful silver and blue scarf to you. Neif.

Do you know where the other wizards of the Citadel are being kept? Oh, they are in the Silver Rampart Chambers. Quite near the Tower of the Crescent Moon. I can bring you there if you wish. Oh, you seem busy and I kind of look back towards the bath. and hope to leave enough of a silence to try to get her to explain what's about to happen here, or what this is or what it's for. Oh, I am drawing a bath for my mistress with which to bathe after her studies are completed. And this is her wardrobe, which garments of which were made by magic,

made by magic. Suvi is warring with wanting to press and pry. More about injury, more about Neath. But there's also that sense of like, I don't want her to mistake the act of kindness earlier as a opening salvo to information garnering. Can I make an insight check on her to see, like, how she feels about this interaction?

Like, am I stressing her out by taking this time? Ah, 12. You're stressing her out a little bit, but she's an anxious kid. Okay. You also look at her and get the feeling that she is maybe actually like a little bit older than you thought. You think she's, she reads really, but she's probably about like 12 or 13 years old. Oh. Because she's a little bit tall, too.

She's like really, really matchstick skinny, but is tall here. And you wonder, like, how much this kid sleeps or eats here a little bit. And you see she goes, if whatever thou wish, I might. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Genuinely.

I will see myself home from here. Very well. From this place, if you have been in search of these scarves, which I'm sorry to not bring sooner, The fastest way would be the path through the court of the Evergreens, but if you wish to not be buffeted by the cold, by heading left from the door here, you will pass by the library of the stars, which will lead to the bridge across which will be lit by torchlight, and then just take a turn at the inner courtyard past the stone guardians of the outer wall, and that will lead you to the of the crescent moon. I think I've had enough of cold for tonight. I'll take the long way back. Thank you. You are very welcome.

And thank you for not liking my scarf. Have a good night move. She smiles, clicks her heels, bows, and you make your way out. Mm-hmm. What do you do on your way back to the Tower of the Crescent Moon? I think now that I have a... heading.

I'm going to let myself think about the day and allow myself to like, like kind of rewrapping myself in the frustration of the dance that had to be done, to be accepted into this place at all by the witches because of the way they feel about wizards and hearing and even through the relief of seeing Ursulaan safe and inhale again,

being reminded of Erema and his conversation with the scary, the actual scariest spirit, Suvi's ever witnessed through a door. Again, warning against the wizards. And just this sort of how much it feels like everyone versus Suvi and how much she has to like take care of what she needs to take care of. And I will head back specifically in search of that library.

Moving through the passageways away, from the bathing chamber. You see a pair of doors adorned with beautiful eight and sixteen pointed stars adorned in light and the doors open just a crack. And these doors are actually made of beautifully stained but still rough-hewn wood

with metal hinges atop them. and looking through the crack and open, you see one of the most beautiful chambers you have ever seen. It is built with sweeping and curving staircases through multiple levels with great wells and pools in the dome of an observatory, an enormous silver telescope that breaches through the heights,

You see the glass at the top of the dome revealing all of the majesty of the stars overhead that now glitter in companionship to that true fixed northern star. Out of the stairs and wells and landings, almost like a gallery or a grotto more than a library. It is like looking at the many concentric and overlapping gears of a library. watch in terms of the size of wells and the spiraling staircases that approach them in a strange and beautiful asymmetry that nevertheless has some pleasing geometry to it. And from each of the openings of the wells, does light emerge? Yeah, yes, yes, obviously yes, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. But I do on entering, there's not a universe. I, uh, Suvie would have

assume where she wouldn't, there wouldn't be a sense of like, I might be followed, I might be observed. So is there any sort of like scan I can do to see if there's like any like magic, like detection magic or a tail or something? Give me a perception check. 15. No one following you. Kind of step in, breathing heavily in that way of when you like first walk into like big old

world cathedrals and you're sort of overwhelmed by beauty. Suvi was raised in ostentatious surroundings, but I think this is truly the most beautiful thing she's ever seen. As you enter the room, you suddenly are able to see the ringed wall of the dome. The shelves of ice at the corner of the icy wall do not seem to go sideways, but they actually slamped up and away, almost like you, would store something kept in vast quantity, like the treats of a candy store, or coins in a vast arcadium, something miraculous and wondrous.

You see adorning these various shelves throughout surrounding this place, I'm going to ask you to describe from me what it looks like when you pull a star out of the sky and put a on a shelf. There's something like focusing about it. Like the act of a selection and placement gives illumination and specificities.

So I think this place glows and somehow the shadows increase everywhere else as is as if to say like yes there is everything everywhere but here is where you've chosen and it's like it's just like this beautiful pinpoint and highlight and I think maybe

like the detail in and around, everything becomes a little more ornate and a little brighter, as if being rendered in real time and being given, like, increasing layers of definition to, like, the place that you have shown attention to. Stars adorning the shelves like gems, but no gem is ever this bright. Gems just reflect light, and these emit it, these somehow shame the brightest diamonds you have ever seen as you walk into this space. and you watch as your form produces at first a thousand shadows.

Each one dimmed by the light of some other star that is, it's almost like each shadow you produced is instantly banished by the light of some other star. Like you are in some flickering shadow puppet play that can never gain enough shadow to truly begin in earnest as you walk into this place. It is one of the most enchanting places you've ever been to, and you are of the citadel itself, the home of magic in Umura. What do you do as you enter this space and see these shelves filled with stars that also have upon them silvery plaques that you see written ancient words in a language that you comprehend, not the lingua arcana, but you comprehend us being

the names in an ancient northern tongue of constellations. And there's some, there's some points while looking at these shelves and these stars, something that feels

the most like everything Suve's ever loved or cared about. Like it sparks her curiosity. and joy in a way that seems so divorced from all of the context, and it's just, she just feels overwhelmed with the gift of it. Like, yes, she's here to try to protect Ame and defend herself against the witches that seek to do Ame harm and clearly don't like the wizards of this. But it feels like even in this just this first day or night,

the kindness that's been shown and the beauty. beauty that she's suddenly in. I feel overwhelmed. And I want to, like, give a gift, but I am so uncomfortable with kindness or showing emotion. It feels like weakness, but I, there's just this, like, overwhelming, tender feeling. And, yeah, I want to reach for the little music box in my pocket and leave it as a and she'll find it later,

but I just want to tuck it away somewhere. So when she finds it, maybe, I don't know, I just want her to, I just want to give something. As you look into the wells and the light coming from them, you see that each well goes 100 feet into the earth and is lined with red velvet-lined icy cupboards that contain some, that the vast majority of, of the stars kept in this place are actually in these wells that fall deep into the earth.

That apparently the shelves on the wall here, this is like the workbench of the wind of the wind and stars. And the deep archives are within this two dozen some odd wells that populate this vast observatory dome with its massive silvery telescope in the center that is itself the size of like a small tower. And as you go moving from the stairs, there are a million little cupboards and crannies. There are places where a staircase moves sort of narrowly between two wells that abut each other. There are many small and off-to-the-side places, railings and steps and wells and shelves that you could find a little quiet corner of. Yeah, I think I want to go high up and behind some little trick of like architecture, a little alcove. And just open up the little music box and tuck it behind. You open the music box, the silver dancer in its center.

The cracked and welded mirror in the lining of the lid, stow it away. In this moment, do you linger in this space or do you leave? This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. and I don't understand it and I think those are the two most those are the two biggest pulls on Suvi that trigger her curiosity

and what she might want for herself and what she would do but as ever duty will pull me away from the thing I want if I'm caught lingering I don't know what will happen maybe I never get to come back

so I'll leave now and hope I get to return later. You linger, not at all. You give yourself the moments that it takes you to stride across the room and depart from this place. In the keep of the witch of the world's heart, Ame is beholding a shield of the citadel transformed by the artistry of a wild one. In this moment, Amé, are you describing to Ursula on what you see as the work that? that the shield requires. So I have the shield flip, um, paint side down and I'm sort of tinkering with it.

And for right now, I, with your permission, of course. Of course. Um, and I'm, so I'm right now, I'm popping the rivets out in order to, for the straps. And I ask, well, we, we can make it so that you can hold it in it's sturdier or, or quicker and lighter. And I, I, I have to say that I...

Your style seems much more suited to it being lighter and give you some agility and so you can tackle more people. I like that. Yes, let's do that. Okay. And so I have leather scraps. I look around to see what I have. I definitely have artisans tools with me.

and I am going to craft so that these straps are more suited to Ursulon's size of his arms. But I'd like to see if I can make it so they can conform to his glamored form as well. I think you can weaving some enchantments. You find a little bobbin of thick thread and your leather working tool. to be able to make the straps fit to the bolts of the shield. And I think there is some thread from Grandmother Wren's Cottage that you've carried here that you know can be spun in such a way that it follows the comings and goings of the spirits themselves. It is a glamored thread.

And with some quick work in this way, you are able to craft the shield such that it follows the natural movements of Solon's arm, no matter how long that arm might be in the moment of its wielding. As I work, I hum to myself. I think about the summer that we spent together and the rough housing and the tumbling around, the joy in that. And I think about how Grandmother Wren would occasionally take in if there were a little spirits and, you know, things that are not quite human in the woods, bringing them in and sometimes patching them up and giving them a little gift to go along their way with, and I weave that

into it with the threads. Ursula, your shield is a plus three magical shield. Okay. And with the ability woven into it by the witch of the world's heart, as a bonus action, you may extend that plus three bonus away from yourself to an ally within five feet of you. So you would keep the plus two from the shield itself and the ally would receive the plus three magical bonus of the shield. Should you or the ally move farther than five feet away from each other, the bonus would return to the shield and the person wielding it. Okay.

Done! I take it and put my arm, the unglamored arm through it, and I draw wave breaker. And I, you know, carefully wave them around, not waving around, but, you know, a few strikes. Feels good. Yes. It really kind of feel the length and kind of the comfort that Ame has woven into it and my ability to bring it both across myself. away from myself. It's really also that the, like, where the straps are puts your forearm right in the center of gravity of where the shield moves east is.

You're not high up on the shield so that as you move it, kind of the pointed tip of the kite shield swings around wildly. It's like you're using your shoulder and back to lift the weight of the shield that comes up on top of your arm where you have the most control of it as it moves. It's just nice and sense. and goes exactly where you want it to go. And even holding your arm at full extension, it doesn't wobble or shift its angle.

And it is heavy, but not uncomfortably so. In that moment watching you, the fire glinting off of that remarkable shield, catching on the end of Wavebreaker as it swings through the air, hearing the wind and the snow howling outside. It's like the illustration on the shield. It's not like a hearkening back to an old time. You are the idea of a night.

Can't help but tear up a little. Ursula kind of brings, you know, after kind of enjoying the feeling of and the comfort of now having both a sword and shield that feel truly as though they are his is going to notice your tears Seath, wave breaker, but keep the shield out and extend it.

Kind of bring you in, kind of bringing you in with his right arm and bringing the shield behind you in his left. And just hold you. And in that moment, my shoulders drop and I let out of breath that I didn't know I'd been holding, and I don't... It's just...

It's not even sad tears. It's just... I've been holding in a lot, and I... I'm just really happy you're here. Of course. You know, I know we've been traveling a lot under my title being a protector of, you know, the wizard, sky.

But I would also offer my services to you, Amé. Oh, I'll take it. I need all the protection I can get right now. There it is. Well, just so it's not protector, protector, I will be protector of the wist sky and guardian of the witch of the world's heart. Ooh, I like that quite a lot. Thank you. Well, you and your heart are under my guardianship.

The heart glows bright here in this keep, for though you have come here in the face of dire danger. You are not as alone as you were when you arrived. Does not come here in the darkness of the far north, but after rest, huddled under firs in the cold, you awake in the same scintillating darkness with drifts of snow alighting on the cold ice outside. Time does not move here. There is some relationship to eternity in this place, that is not reflected by the passing of the seasons.

The wizard's sky, our friend Suvi, awakens in the Tower of the Crescent Moon, as beautifully appointed, cold and beautiful as the mistress of this palace, and Ursulaan and Amme awake in the humble keep of the world's heart. Each of you receives a knock at your door, at the keep of the world's heart, the apprentice Neif, and at the Tower of the Crescent Moon, the bear Costa. informing you that within the hour, the arrival of the Coven of Elders will be presaged. I'm going to look at Neef. Do they all get here at one time?

Oh, I don't know if they are all traveling together. Hakea is quite venerable, and I believe may be coming in the company of Grimor. and um, um, um, Marara, uh, I'm so sorry I said her name. Never mind. I don't know. She'll get, it's whenever she gets here is perfect. I, I, look over at Nief and I, like, put my hand at the middle. I'm like, squeezing my hand and being like, what is that? Can she do that? What is that? What is that? Oh, you didn't, oh, no. What is that? What is that? Is she going to do that to me? What is that? What is that? Amay was looking for a cup of tea.

I'm going to get Amay a cup of tea. Oh, that's my job. I'll do that. No, no. Please. No. All right, will you come in and help me? Yes, yes. She comes inside.

I mean extra junk, please. It's going to go bad. Okay, I'll eat it. That's my job. And Costa at your tower, Suvisa. The arrival of the governor of elders is imminent, wizard sky. Thank you. Are there any places that would be obviously off limits to a Wizard of the Citadel

who seeks to not overextend her welcome here? Within the chambers of the coven itself, only those members of the coven are permitted. Only familiars are welcome. Understood. Thank you. as he walks, give me an Arcana check. 25. You've researched this a little bit, and you don't believe that decisions will be made in the moment of the...

Like, you look at... Citadel has information on witches and sort of thing... You don't know if it's true about the Covenant of Elders, but in general, you believe that you being here as an advisor would not be... something that would have been welcomed if decisions were introduced and made in absence of any talk with advisors. So you think it might be a situation where even though there's a private room where only the covenant of elders can meet, that essentially it's like they will convene there and break.

It's a conference. Yes. That's the vibe you're getting. That makes sense. As you all emerge to the Great Hall, you see a door that had previously been closed. is now opened and you see an enormous room. And in this icy palace, it means something to say that this room is cold. It is a tall circular room that goes all the way up

and is perfectly straight in its circular walls up until it's already like a hundred feet up. And then it curves slightly into a dome at the very top and opens to the low. and opens to the light of the stars overhead. And you realize that that meeting point is directly under the Northern Star that illuminates just the top of a platform with five seats on it. And that the rest of the room that is not spot lit by the Northern Star falls away into a dark, deep blue of the ice in shadow. That chamber put aside, the great hall is here as Amé and Ursulaan and Suvi convene in this place.

Seeing also nearby, there is Neif setting to the fire. It looks like that sort of meeting chamber is not where people are being directed. It's the big fireplace that Amé first came to in the palace that has a table laid. There is feasting upon it. You see, there are sweets and roasts and welcoming things. mulled cider, the rich smell of cinnamon and spice. All of that is here laid out on this table as you all convene with straw and your fellow wizards.

And Neif is here as well, Costa nearby, but you do not see injury yet. I definitely think I'm hanging back and am in just sort of light conversation with the other wizards. Just doing the sort of check-in of like, do you feel safe? how are we all doing as a group? Like not saying anything interesting and they're just sort of doing the like middle school lunchroom

kind of clocking you two as you come in and then finishing up a conversation before coming over. I'm gonna be line it for food. And cider. And is the cider hot? Ooh, it's toasty. Sufi, have you had this?

Amé, have you had this? Oh, yes. It's very good. Oh, yes. I'm going to pull out a chair and just sit down. The fox leaps up onto your lap and is like, this is where it's at. Break a sausage in half? Take a bite of that.

What spice is that? That's cayenne. Yes. He's harmed. It's a flea. Lurry of snow, a small, silvery door opens, and injury emerges. I'm going to need a wisdom-saving throw from Ursula. Join me, brother.

Only a 13. Injury emerges. You have like a sausage link hanging out of your... It's like you are in the midst of this feast. And injury emerges. Her eyes alight on you. And you see that she says, Ursula

Welcome to my home Wish of the winded stars My, my My Ruslan, you may finish your mouth full The Ursula Of course I

Not even making eye contact with him No look I passed him a napkin A injury walks over smiling In a beautiful jeweled hand You see that There are three rings. She has one on a thumb, one on the middle finger, and one on the pinky, each of which connect with a beautiful bejeweled chain to a bracelet around her wrist.

She lays this hand upon you. You see that each fingernail has a deep coat of blue paint on it, studded with the finest cut diamonds so small in size, in patterns of stars and snowflake on her fingernails. and she lays that hand on your shoulder and says, let us have a formal introduction at a later time. My sisters are about to arrive. It will be done.

She turns and says, Costa, the door. Polar bear over the end of the hall opens the doors. Suddenly you hear it. Approaching the door is not a figure, not even several. A horde. forth from the freezing snow roaring into these snarling at each other as they take here rolling a leopard leaped forward as a full-maned lion roars on its announcement their jaws are soaked with blood as though they have freshly killed and you see also in their number flying suddenly flittering through the snow everywhere they touch blooming suddenly with some form of plant life that seems to grow even in the icy ground. Fairfolk, little green fairies, blossoms of rose upon their head.

And you see a core group of figures emerging in the howling, snarling, growling, roaring pack of chasing animals. Their center. Black woman with hair bedecked by moss and vine, a wide-brimmed hat, her venerable eyes. Her venerable eyes look forward with a pulse of green light that casts the entire world. Wherever she looks becomes verdant. She gazes at the ground and a carpet of moss grows in front of her. To her left, holding a hand and helping her to walk is a man composed of living wood. The grain of the wood is the grain of his muscles.

that stand open, and he has a massive axe across his back. Ursula, you immediately recognize a fellow wild one. This is a spirit that walks the world. His head is smooth and grained wood with two long pointed ears of carved wood. Set into his eyes are fiery jasper stones, semi-precious stones, and a strong jaw as this warrior approaches, this oaken combatant. he helps Hekaya of the Woodland Green. And to her right is a woman that I'm going to need a wisdom-saving throw from all of you right now in this moment.

You can't look at these wishes. You can't look at witches. Oh, no. 12. Seven. Twenty-one. Ames at work. Yeah.

Professional. I'm working, guys. Hakea, the central figure, this ancient woman who approaches. You see, her dress is shifting bark and moss as she walks. She accepts the physical help from her warrior that you can see is clearly part of her retinue, this tree warrior. And you see, her familiar around her shoulders is an ancient, powerful serpent. This enormous, beautiful constrictor that even as she takes help, walk, You see the weight of this enormous serpent fills her with resolve and strength as she moves forward as its tongue flicks the cold air.

You see that to her right, also lending her a hand, is the woman that all of you have just made your wisdom save against. I'm also going to need constitution saves from everybody. 18. 22. 8. Both of you, as Hakea enters this space, pollen and the smell of blossoms fills the air. It is her presence in this icy place. You realize you haven't really, other than the cider, you haven't been able to smell anything here.

It's too cold. And as Hakea comes in, it is suddenly moss and growth and growing things. Amé, you get like sleepy as Hakea enters the room. of its powerful drowsiness. You grew up in places this verdant, and I think, Suvi, you're just like on it enough to not get that. You both look at the woman who, like a young and loving niece, is helping Hakea move.

Her bare feet drenched in blood and in pointed claws. She wears the furs of dears she has slain with her bare teeth and claw. her hands end in monstrous talons hooked like those of a bear. And you see that the hide of a deer's head with massive antlers extends like a crown upon her head. Blood runs from her mouth. The soot of black soil stains everything from her nose upward so that the top of her head is like charred, black, the rest of her skin, like dull white, flecked with dirt and soil. She sleeps on the earth.

Blood runs from her mouth down in between her breasts. It runs along the inside of her leg. It pools at her feet. The animals cavort in front of her. Suvi and Ursula, you look at her and she meets your gaze, knowing you not to be witches. If you run in her presence, she is good. given to kill you. And no magical law

will stop her from doing so. Yeah, partially. She has furs over her torso. One breast is exposed. They cover down over her waist. But for the most part, she seems, like she's wearing this one deer hide, essentially, and then a couple other furs that sort of surround her.

Her left hand is extended to help Hakea walk, and her right hand, that again, end in these enormous claws. And you see that even her legs, she's powerfully muscular. As she smiles, two enormous canine fangs extend from her mouth. Her right hand covers the knees of a tiny little girl with a ragged mop of hair that sits on her shoulder with an arm clutched sort of like around the antlers.

And you see this little girl who must be her apprentice is similarly fang and feral and wears just a little fur loincloth and smiles as blood gushes out. She's holding on with her teeth to just a fresh heart that is hanging out of her teeth as she sort of shoes on it, grinning absent-mindedly. I don't know if Suve's ever felt fear divorced from status or authority or magical prowess. Like this is prey fear. and she is frozen. The scream of a hawk circles in through the cold as the last one in of this hoard.

The hawk you see is Gromor's familiar as it turns and alights on one of her antlers. You see this pack of animals, some 50 strong that come in here. There is one large wolf that steps up, takes the form of a man that begins to follow. And you see he himself, as he takes the form of a man, is sort of fully naked in this moment,

accepts a rag from one of the beasts that comes up one of the panthers, ties it around himself for some small modesty and then walks barefoot into this place, grinning. He looks at you, Ursulaan, with this wild look of like, we should fight. Ursulaan is just gripping the sausage. split in half, but the fox. The fox looks horrified,

sausage in his mouth, and you see it leans over to you and goes, you can take him. Let's not even have the conversation, Fox. You see, you see this wolfman stalks behind Grimor and her apprentice, and the one last spirit you see here is a group of fireflies emerge from Hakea's mossy robes. And you see that one of the firemen, Fireflies turns into this beautiful woman, like jet black skin, eyes that are just bioluminescent firefly. She has this enormous staff on her back that is this like natural piece of wood carved with various ruins and holding onto stones hanging from leather cords.

And you see another spirit. So two wild ones. There's like this basically firefly woman who is now where, wearing her glamour in front of you, and the tree spirit who is not wearing his glamour, both walk with Hecaya into this place as they approach. The wild hunt and the woodland green have come to the conclave of the coven of elders. Approaches looks at you, Amé.

Oh, the world's heart. I realize that I have been staring. this entire time. Mouth completely open. My tongue almost frozen, like frostbitten. I stopped my mouth shut and shake myself too,

and I rise. And I gritty deeply. And I say, Hakaya of the Woodland Green, it is an honor and a pleasure to meet you. and to bear witness to your entire retinue. Honor, honor.

And that's all she says. And you see, Grimor turns to you. Grimor of the wild hunt. I had long hoped to meet you. It is an absolute honor and pleasure to meet you and your apprentice. Akshah. And you see the little girl. She goes the heart, pulls at the heart, and strings and meat and blood rip in her teeth.

She goes, and swallows down the chunk. She goes, hi. Hello. Grimora looks at you and says, May I ask something on first meeting? You may. She reaches up with an incredibly dirty hand claws, Claw's hand, question mark, puts your chin in the crook in between her index finger and thumb and says, can I see your teeth?

I open my mouth, not in a grin. I know that that is considered a threat display sometimes. But I open my mouth. you see that she puts her nose. The smell of Hakea and her retinue is, it's like sleepy, gorgeous moss and roses, wonderful plant, lie down on the moss and go to bed. When she gets close enough,

Grimor smells crazy. It's like, it's like, ooh, that's the worst B.O. I've ever smelled. And it's also a, smell that normally you would associate with like powerful musky unwashed body but when you smell it it's like getting electrocuted in the nose and makes you want to run it makes you go like oh the killer of me the like the thing the world made to kill me this is the smell of it and you've smelled it and this is your only chance it's your only chance you better run and then another part of your

brain says don't run and then another part says if you don't run you're dead um and And she puts her whole nose in your open mouth and smells deeply of the inside of your mouth and goes, my teeth too. I would never presume to seek such a favor. But if you wish to offer that invitation, absolutely. I want you to know how strong I am. And she opens her mouth and smiles, back of her throat still stained with blood. I take a good, long look into her eyes.

I let my gaze dart down to her mouth, the fangs, the dripping blood. And I flick my gaze back to meet hers. And I say, yours is a strength that is ancient and undeniable. I would have never asked to see it because I trust that you and the station of the Witch of the Wild Hunt has that strength. But thank you for offering it to me.

You see, go ahead and give me a persuasion check here. This is 25. She looks around, man, she stinks. And she leans in really close and whispers in your ear. Very kind of you. You. It's just a little joke. I was going to try to lick your nose.

And you see that she stalks off towards the table. And as she does so, a lot of the other spirits are saying how, like, you see that Costa is speaking to the wolf man, that the sort of tree warriors, they've sort of formed a little group of like the three of them talking. It's sort of like, these people all know each other. They've had relationships for a long time. They see each other. So Ursula and Suvi, you're kind of feeling like, oh, oh,

It's my first year at fucking Witchcon, you know. There's free existing relationships here. And as they all begin to talk and rumble and growl and the various predators begin to lie down and rest or feast on the things on the table, you hear the crow calls from the council chambers of the coven of elders. Seated already on her throne, you see a woman, dressed in robes, deeper and more black than darkest night, a hundred points, sharp as needles emerging in a crown of spikes,

emerging from the back of a head adorned with a completely blank white mask, arms longer, disproportionate to her already towering form, ending in gloved claws like needles, tapping on the arms of her throne. Marara, which of the waning moon, turns her head, and without movement from the blank, motionless form, of her mask, says, I think it is time for our conclave to begin.

That was Lou Wilson as Ursulon, Erica Ishii, as Amay, Abrea Ayn Gar, as Suvi, and Brennan Lee Mulligan, as everyone and everything else. Worlds Beyond Number is edited, designed, and scored by Taylor Moore at Fortunate Horse, with additional sound designed from Michael Gelfy Studios. For even more like this, join us on our Patreon. We'll see you there.