Worlds Beyond Number - WWW #46: Their Sorrow is My Sorrow

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, and the dry stone no sound of water. When the dead tree bears the fruit of empire, it will all be this. You can't shake it. You can't shake me. Or the burning sky, or the blood, or the ink, or the ash. But there is a part of us that lives forever, and chances taken are rewarded. Stretch your legs, use the space, and I will show you your shadow at evening rising to meet you. I will show you fear in a handful of dust and freedom in the shadow of man. Deep breaths.RELEASE SCHEDULE UPDATE: My friends and lovers, the next episode of hit podcast Worlds Beyond Number, titled "The Battle of Twelvebrooks, Part 1" will come out on April 29th, and then the next episode two weeks after that, etc etc, until we finish Book 1. We're giving the whole release schedule a lil skooch up one week. Don't worry, we have a delightful replacement treat for you to shove in your head holes during the buffer week. Which head holes? Up to you, comrade. Choose wisely.SECOND UTILITY PARAGRAPH: Look, you really gotta hear the Twelvebrooks interlude, if you wanna get the most out of the next few eps. It's available on our patreon right now! It's very good, I SWEAR.Worlds Beyond Number is:Brennan Lee MulliganErika IshiiAabria IyengarLou Wilsonand is produced, designed, and scored by Taylor Moore at Fortunate Horse with exquisite design and editing help from Jared OlsonSPECIAL THANKS TO: Shannon and Amanda Freberg! Apologies to T.S. Eliot, sorry big dawg!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. A smugglers cave, less than a mile north of the city of 12 Brooks, under a dim orange sky of roiling clouds. On an ash and debris choked, dying river, we find Ursulaan, Suvi, and Ame reunited as, Yorin and his shapeshifters enter the cave. Oh, okay. Good energy.

Yeah, Sipi's going to immediately, like, embrace Ame as she's hugged. Well, I do want to know why Keen's dead, but first, I would love to introduce you to my old family friend, Yorin. Yorin. Yeah. Ami steps back from the hug that looks over at Yorin. Greetings. I'm Yorin. These are some of my shapeshifters.

So how did you meet each other? Are all the shapeshifters here? Are you here to help us? And I assume that he didn't, you know, it wasn't responsible for... How do you do that? Do what? What are you referring to? The shapeshifting.

Magic? Do you want it something more in depth than me saying magic? Um, well, I suppose you don't have to. have time for all of that because I did ask a lot of other questions. Yeah. My best friends. Oh, yes, I'm Ami. The Witch of the World's Heart.

Uh, well, the kid is, uh, delivered here to your fellowship once more. And it's my understanding that, when you see here, he nods to you, Ursula. You've come here in search of the children of the Grinot. That's correct. You have reason to believe there in 12 Brooks. I know they are. Then, we're here to help. That is good news.

What is this place, this cave? It's smugglers' old den. We have a map of the different sewers and irrigation ditches and hidden caves from the run runners back in the day. Apparently, Grandma Wren fucked a run runner. Good for her. I don't know why I hated you for so long. You're a hoot.

Sufi, how are you alive? Oh, that's fun. So, arrested? Yes. We were on the road back to Bracken. And then all of a sudden, all of the horses turned and jumped into. to the river, turned into animals, and tried to kill everyone. Oh, yeah, and I'm just going to turn to the shapeshifters.

Whichever one of you I rode, I'm sorry? You see that there's a guy in the back who goes, that's fine. Okay, cool. I felt weird about that for like a day, so thank you. I'm sorry. Killed all the wizards, tried to kill me, couldn't. I see you were in shrugs. Well, the kid's cheating, so that's why.

I'm very glad that I was compelled by my solemn vow to your parents. I would have been a shame for you to die in the dark water there, but survive she did, and it's my understanding that Skies agreed to come with you and see these children freed. You have maps leading into 12 Brooks, yes? Yes. Well, I think more than anything, Suve here needs to rest. She's been up all night prior to swimming down the river. We won't be able to get any further down the river than this.

It peters out a while away. It was already getting shallow. Have you managed to take a look up top and see what's going on in the landscape? No, I was going to do that before we rested. Oh, all right. Well, kid needs rest. We'll be all right. We can go and take a survey of the land if need be

And then come back and rest, but you know Is there any chance we can get the fox to Take a little peek? Uh, he needs some rest too as well He was very, very brave today Or yesterday, it's hard to tell here You know what? Honestly, same. I was in an underwater cave And then underwater.

You're underwater cave and what do you mean? You were underwater? Did you? Did you? Can you breathe like Ursula? Or, do you shape, shift? I was giving gills, but no other part of being able to be good underwater, and my skin feels terrible. I would love to lay down. Okay. When you've rested, we were able to take some of Keen's things

and would appreciate your knowledge on them. And Vandal is, he's going to be okay, but he was also very brave. Is very brave your code for almost dead? I hand her the spellbook. The fuck happened to the spine! Oh, I was helping a brave little warrior. I just opened the book to where the binding is cracked and would fall open. You see a slender rivulet of red ink at the broken base of the spine.

Are you okay? An arcane torpor comes back to you, a feeling of a kind of roiling, deep slumber of deconstitating in order to reconstitute. Then I will take out my pen and just write in next to where I see that little rivulet. You're a real piece of shit. Thank you for taking care of them. Sorry, Sufi. I'm sorry for a lot of other things too. We all could use a rest right now.

I would rest easier if I got a chance to take in the landscape before morning. Do you want me to go with you? No, I can go alone. I'm just going to look and come back. Yoran looks at you and nods and says, for those of you here, it seems like you have secret ways into the city, the landscape's been pretty chewed up so I don't...

This map is faithful to a version of the city before this war broke out. So I would just be aware that there may be some hiccups or surprises. We're close enough that I may need to consider making myself

known to the sorceress houses, seizing the city. Remember, I'm behind my own lines right now. I don't remember, because I really don't know much about you, sir. Well, it's my understanding that you killed... You see, nods to yours, though, that you did battle with some shapeshifters in Abison.

Those were companions of mine. We've been busy here in the Shroud Mountains fighting the Empire. Whatever revelations you came to since Abison, wish they had been a few days earlier, But such is life, I suppose. Is there anything you wish to know? Which of the world's heart? Well, in my capacity as Amé of Toma, I want to know about your time of grandmother, Ren,

and I want to know about where you've been, and I want to know why your blood smells bad, I guess. I've got that one covered. Oh. Why don't we circle up? you go do what you need to do whatever questions I don't have coverage for you can absolutely assault him with

when he has sort of no bandwidth and desperately needs to sleep okay prime time he turns to depart he looks at his shape changers and says you should all remain here provide protection for the wizard sky and

Ami and he's going to walk up the bank with you Ursula great um and I think you and Suvie have a chance to interact in this moment. I'm very happy you were able to make your way from Keene. Suvie, I'm so sorry. You told me specifically. Don't do it, and I did it. I feel a pressure all the time to be good and to do the thing that's right.

And I think I tried to do the thing that was right for the spirit and for the town. But I didn't do the thing that was smart or clever. I promised that I will try to be more careful with my actions and also with my words. I'm really sorry. I think a lot of times I've been scared to tell you something. Me? Yeah. But I'm so approachable.

And at that, like, you see that as you were speaking, Suvi is immediately. Immediately exhaling, she was spinning up to have a hard conversation that she didn't want to have. Yeah. And instead is just going to actually grab you by the shoulder and, like, pull you into her. And she gives you a kiss on the top of the head. Thank you. It's been a very, ooh, a tough day. But I can't even imagine.

How are you? Do you need anything? from me now, oh, in this moment. Thank you. Sorry for the ways in which I have made it so difficult to have difficult conversations, to remain open, to things that I don't feel ready to hear because the course I am set on requires

a single-minded focus from me. me. I'll be more open. And like Ursulaan, and I'm sorry if I've made you feel like you have to pick your words so carefully that you'd rather not say anything at all. No, it wasn't, it wasn't just you. I think I was scared of hurt you or make you go away again. I don't ever want... Sometimes we get arrested. Yeah, and sometimes we fall into traps or trying to help a spirit. But we always find our way back. We'll always find my way back to you, Sufi. You'll never be rid of me.

That's what true friend means. I don't need anything except desperately to sleep. And if you see me pick up my spellbook, just don't. Don't let me do that. I need to rest so bad, like, I can smell colors. Okay. Then I'll wait to give you the thing that we also found on Keene.

Fucking thing? No, show me the thing. Ah! Why would you say that? No, no. Why would you tell me there's a thing to look at? Sleep time now. From Keene?

You stole stuff from, what is it? Just show me. Just show me. And then I'll know. Okay, when I can... You just get one look at it, but you're not allowed to do any magic about it. Okay.

Okay. Deal? I'm lying. Ah! Can I see it anyway. I pull out the glass disc from my pouch and carefully unwrap it. You like hold it out. Oh.

Ooh. This is fragile. Lingua Arcana. Hold on. And I try to like find enough light with like the candle that's lit. I don't know if we've gotten around building a fire. Yeah. Go ahead and give me an Arcana check.

Dirty 20. Yeah. This is. the language of a very powerful teleport spell. May I love you so much. Oh, I love you too. Stuff is my love language. This is great.

May I hold on to this? It's a teleporter. I don't know what it's going to do yet, and I know I would have to do more magic about it, but I did say I wasn't going to do that yet. Yeah. Well, I'll figure it out. Oh, yeah.

And this feels very good and useful. Oh, fuck you. Yes. How did he die? He was the worst. I don't even know. if you heard it because I can't tell when you were unconscious or if you were just sort of like

so angry you weren't really moving but he was disgusting he was a real sick of Suvi and he died horribly and I don't regret any part of that I love you so much so much good

good okay sleep you have to sleep yeah oh and just for the record all of them are very amazing especially that one guy that I wrote delightful horse. You. No, not like that.

We have got to. I'm not getting any sleep tonight. And as to me as to me as making your bed. She's like doing the thing where she's like telling half weird anecdotes about like stuff that she's noticed from the shape changers. And also just being like, oh yeah. Also talked to Yorin. And he's not responsible for my parents' death and like Steele's been lying about basically

everything. Stuff that you all said before. So like, of course, of course. Such a meandering, wild, eclectic conversation of important pieces of the story and feelings about what I experienced and what Suve's revelations were like also with, you know, speculations about how do they, but how do they, like, do you think they're shapeshifting when they. No, no, for sure. They have to be right. So, like, you've got to, you've got to fuck as an animal, but then, like, as a person, God, we got to get one. Hold on.

Lahana. Lahana turns around to gaze over at you. Okay. Are we in a place now where you feel comfortable with a less serious conversation? Potentially. I don't. Can I do an inside check on her? Does she like me yet?

16. 16? Yeah. Hard to say. I think that, I think on a 16, you can't tell if it's a cultural, if it's like, is she being playful? Maybe in her culture, dead impassive glares are playful. Is she, you know, I think there's, I think there's a degree of, of unfamiliarity that obscures her intention in this moment as she looks at you. Great.

But yeah, I don't think you... It's not going to stop me. Yeah, yeah, go for it. Okay. No, we're great. So do you fuck as animals when you shape shift? Would you? Yes.

She smiles and goes, for the most part, anything that you would want to do, you'd want to do from a human perspective. And the gear tends to make that better. Oh. that's great. Yeah. You try it a couple times and then you go, oh, there's a reason that...

Yeah. Okay. Thank you so much. That question comes up. It's almost always the first question to come up before we have the ceremony where we take on our first shape. Because that usually happens when you're around 13. And so that's... Oh, my God.

You can have a ceremony and you can choose to do that? There's a, it's a, you know, when you're a really little kid, you go like, am I going to be able fly, am I going to be able to swim? Yeah. How do you keep from crashing? How do you keep from da-da-da-da? Yeah. And then right before the ceremony, there's usually a much more hushed, embarrassed conversation.

That's really funny. My dad told me that if I did anything in that shape that you get stuck in it. I can't believe that that's true. That just sounds like a... No, it's something you say to your kid. He said it as a joke. He said it because he was messing with me. but yeah.

That's fun. Well, I'm going to keep guard. What? Okay. Well, there's a... Outside on the riverbank. Gray ash chokes the riverbanks. Purcellan is you ascend to the top with Yoran and look out over a landscape.

Over the western edge of 12 brooks. an oil slick painted on the underside of the clouds is burning. Much like the flame on the underside of a log, it is not tall and dramatic because it's not stretching up into the clouds. In that way where you look at the bottom of a log and there's a ripple, a small ripple of flame, you see rippling flame on the underside of a two-mile stretch of clouds seeking to go up and it cannot. Underneath that orange light, you see shapes of giants that have to be a hundred.

Dark, many-legged monstrosities is the only way to describe them, that shift from side to side ever so slightly, but due to their enormity, these shifts move them a score. of feet in any direction at a shifting of their weight in wind that carries gray ash across a destroyed within your field of vision in the miles in all directions that you can see there's probably two dozen skeletal remains of imperial skieships you see massive carcasses of these things that are the size of craft but you see the carrion birds crawling over these many-legged flesh behemoths, eyeless and featureless, but with some sort of skeletal structure? These walking flesh vehicles are rotting on the ground,

covered in ash, being picked apart by birds under the dim light cast over the landscape from a burning sky. In the city of 12 Brooks, you can pinpoint a number of gem-like gleams of purple and green light and a shimmering diamond blue cascade of prism light only reflected at strange angle. sort of like if you took a 16-faceted, sided diamond, and removed all of the flat planes to just keep the angles and then transpose them into a gem-like light. And even then, it's not constant. It flickers and pulses, so you kind of get the outline of a diamond shape

being projected over the city of 12 Brooks from an old castle. 12 brooks as a city used to be this beautiful waterfall mid-sized city in this region where the waterfall hit the edge of an old castle from hundreds of years ago. During Sir Curran's time, there was a Lord's Castle here.

And the castle oversaw the expansion of a big city that are a medium-sized city that was sort of a place for musicians to come and celebrate. The brooks of 12 brooks are these irrigated, falling brooks. frog statues all throughout the town, frog gargoyles. You're too far away to see any of this. You just sort of see the image of the castle that project that prism of light down towards a massive crater that you recognize as a cracked and waterless lake. There is sort of a graveyard of boats piled up from where the water vanished as they crashed into each other at the mouth of 12 brooks where the water meets the lake. You see some construct at attention under that perimeter within 12th Brooks.

12 Brooks is not a walled city, but you see that there are large barricades. Many places in the outer city of 12 Brooks have been completely demolished. But still, that rubble has been quickly used by the imperial forces there to barricade roads. And 12th Brooks has all these waterways that you can see. are covered by bridges. The very thing that's going to save 12 Brooks is also the very thing that is now putting it in jeopardy. The depletion of the riverways

that's going to allow imperial forces to get here to break the siege also means that the brooks that were partially making the city more defensible, now the empire has barricades, but ways around them through the dry brook channels. Outside the city,

there are multi-horned rhinoceri, slightly larger than elephants, that in addition to the horns on their noses, also have them curling up from their brow as well. Huge jeweled palankeens on their back. Endless tents of sorceress soldiers, bright orange, blue and yellow, all of these rich colors of the houses of Gothmi. completely covered in gray ash. You see the flags of three different houses. You see the symbol of Bahadhi here and two other sorceress symbols.

In the far distance, you see with decreased invisibility because as the ash blows at a far distance, it becomes almost like a sandstorm where you can't see the horizon here, but you can see the smudge of those massive fleshcraft like moving and patrolling the supply lines farther to the west. And you see several points of light, one of them, a lone sorcerer hanging in the sky,

eight miles away, so radiant that you can see them through the ash storm. Yorin stands at your side, surveying the ruin around the crumbling remains of 12 Brooks. The fruits of empire. If they keep getting their way, This is not the dream, the arch magi, of the citadel, nor of the great lords and ladies of the conterranot. But that they don't want the other to have their dream, they're happy to settle for this. I think Ursula has stopped breathing and feels every individual hair on his body stand up. Uh, Norson is going to point to the multi-legged living craft.

It does help to know that they have a name. When you see them and you don't know what they're called, almost hope that you'd die of something else before they get to you. Those are dreadnots of the house Kashif. That's what they're called. That's what they are. From their carcasses out here in the wasteland, They can be brought low.

Don't freeze. And he claps you hard on the back, and says, and remember to breathe. You said you knew sorcerers here. Yeah. Roundsa, the House of Light, and Kashif are the flashcrafters. You swam here, right? I did. Do you see the giant at the bottom of the...

Yes, with the lens. The arcane. Yes, yes, yes, yes. So that was a harpoon gun from an imperial... sky ship and that was a Shohoron which are that giant was a human that was a

what the sorcerers of house Kashif work the magic of flesh and the phrase who work the magic of flesh I think there's a

chill that goes through Ursulaan that he that feels of the spirit. Yourn feels it palpitate in this moment. I have referred to what I practice as a gift. I think there is something, I think there is something good about receiving a gift yourself, rather than inheriting it.

The spirits that gave their gifts to the great sorcerers of old. some did not know where that gift would end up. The sorcerers of House Kashif. And you see that Yorne sort of lists to one side, gets a far away look in his eye. He says, in the distant route, the ones that don't know what the house is. Everyone who's ever looked up at their banner with pride, just because it flew over the grain house where they brought their barley, I want them dead.

Long ago was the first of the great houses. to pass a law calling for the capture and death of shapeshifters. So in Gothamai, shapechangers are forced to fight. Have always been. Ruslan feels that energy so white, so stable, and the frequency gets higher, as he feels himself get angry for the first time in days. Oh, that is not right.

Not right. You see that Yorin nods, and as he lowers his head in defeat, he swells in size, so he goes from a man standing tall to a massive garland crouched down with his head hanging low. Your true form? Or is the other? How you see yourself? He reaches out a massive clawed hand, knotted with thick green hide,

are veined with iron, and could tear through the wooden hull of a sky ship. You can tell it the full extension of his arm span, it's probably like 25 feet wide. And he wraps a whole hand around you and lets it lightly on your back. this massive claw. And he just goes,

I have learned of Suvi's parents. And their goals? It was that the game would not exist at all. I don't know a way to end it to see up here. I'm going to open up my divine sense and see if I can't certain firefly. Behind you, down by the water, you see a minute glow.

I've seen everything I need to see. sea up here. I'm going to go down to the water. Make sure that we got everything out of our craft. He turns to you and says, towards the sorceress encampment. Gerselon stands a moment, watching him go, looking to the fire in the clouds, strange little diamond shape, piece of arcane above the city, then descends. Head down towards the water, see the fire fly. Take to the wing and sort of lazily fly out over the water. You hear a noise from upriver.

In the distance, small light. There is a ferry moving downstream, a wide, broad watercraft, and at the front of it, a ferryman with a long pole. Behind the ferryman's head, there is a globe. of glass with a small opening, a slick of sugar water. And the firefly moves towards the globe to join its brethren. Fireflies illuminate casting the man's face in shadow. As he approaches on his ferry, pulls up the pole, leans it across his back.

As the fairy slows, but still in the figure in black, regards you for. from the ferry, just to a post of the craft, takes a wide-brimmed hat, and puts it on his head. Smiles, you saw my boat. Lucio's fairy. To some, the rivers are roads, brother Ursula. Been on my mind. Supposedly in this part of the world, you are part of a trio. Those worshipped and looked to.

When we last were together, you spoke for purpose. I did While we were at the edge of Hallaker Forest We met a family That begged us Not to take their children Because they had come to understand That children were being taken

And I have never known a feeling Like the one I felt in that place But there was nowhere else in the world That I was meant to be That wasn't breaking the shackles and undoing the binds of those children. It's all I've thought about. Their sorrow has become mine,

and I can think of nothing else. Any other feeling has been a moment, something passing, before I again imagine them in cages, held against their will. Ursula, give me a perception check. Natural 20.

As you speak, the wind, finds its voice and for a moment conspires as if on the edge of darkness in the face of horror a distant dawn cries out to be unleashed. New sun would rise is on its way. Wide wings open and unfurling. Clean water and bright skies. Breaking of chains, the unfastening.

the unfastening of bonds. On a nap 20 perception, feel the weight of responsibility and purpose. That weight, time, not pushing down on you, like the great force of wind-filling-wings. Of responsibility is not a burden.

It is that which allows one to soar. On a Nat 20 perception, Black's face, and just a crescent of the edge of his eye, which is the most you have ever seen, and see it wide in recognition, not of the enormity of what you are, but the enormity of what you could choose. On a Nat 20 perception, you may ask me any questions you wish about the man in black, yourself. and this moment in space and time. First of the man in black, I have seen him in many forms. Are any of them his true form? And if they are not, does a true form exist in this world somewhere? Echoes of Yorin's statement come back.

Cannot change your shape until you realize they are all your true form. the nature of spirit that reveals itself to you in this moment, as certainly as the hardness of stone, the movement of wind, is that the forms of the man in black are facets of a diamond, the trees of a forest. They are faces of a truth. No less true in the world. each and every instance for representing but not being the whole. The man in black's true form does not lie in this world, but rather in the spirit. And it may be that his true form, much like the center of a diamond, can only ever be seen through its facets, that you will never see his true form, but maybe one day you will understand it. Of this present moment in time, with regard to the path it lays before Ursula, will you tell me

who is the most powerful entity that physically stands between here and Ursula, freeing the children of the Grinot. At the edge of the spirit, all wind and air, all root and stem, the whisper of branches, the chirping of crickets, the sahn of birds,

far distant from this ash and wasteland, reaches you beyond the ruin in this place, connected as you are, in any depth of horror and despair, still in your spirit to all things. a force moves to interpose itself between you and these children. The forces that now exist between you and it are overcomable, and the one that comes is not.

Your greatest opponent is time. And of myself. Once upon a time, a cub in a forest found a mushroom, and everything that has followed since then has been your story. Of quests and honor, of shame and failure, of wizards and witches, the world of Amora has unfolded itself to you.

And you have always been Ursula. Even when you have been bare, the strongest man in Silbury. You wear more than one. I wonder if you have seen every facet of your own. beholding the man in black who has held his breath since the dawn of time and who calls you his brother, you feel the vastness of breath that avails itself to you. But wings only soar when they are spread wide. Great quests come with great burden, even if that burden lifts us up rather than pushes us down.

and I think you feel yourself standing in the threshold of a doorway with great power calling itself to your need. The heartbreak and the tragedy, Ursula, is that the ability to do what you want requires you to name what you want, requires you to choose who to be. When you dedicate yourself to something, you dream of a world and stand. any chance at all of making it possible but it means something to choose a dream and there is a heartbreak and a sorrow in the choosing of a path the moment of great decision awaits before you and on that nat 20 perception the man in black regards you understanding that a spirit before him may choose to go from being

a wild one to a one of the wild may go from being the cub of the great bear to being the spirit of something. Ursulaan you feel power and potential rimming and you feel the ability for it to wait there in reserve but All things flow. The wind rises and subsides, and the power that has been called to you in this moment will fade unless it is named. Rises in all direction as a wind rips down through the riverbed,

water and ash spraying in all directions. Throughout the river, you hear, of something breaking, in all the vessels. And you see the fixtures of the vessels unspooled. The anchor chains, all of their links snap and fling to the side, smashing into the rocks of the riverbank. Breathe clean air here as water rushes past you.

The reflection of that water, and the reflection of the light of the now swinging glass globe. The man in black's cape unfurling around him and sort of reaching off past the reach of his hand, he beholds a spirit of freedom, be called a decision. To even become aware of who you really are is a form of change,

maybe the most potent because it's not really a transformation. The greatest change is actually catching up with yourself, realizing who you've been. And in this moment, you realize, too, that the freedom that you mean is and mighty, and you remember the shining on the armor of those knights. Freedom is a virtue. It is something like and of the world of honor.

You were a cub and a wild one, and yes, wild ones are free. The fox would chew his paw off to get out of a trap, but you would chew your paw off to get the world out of a trap. When you were a child, you hid your breath in honor, and when you say their sorrow is my sorrow, and in yourself take up the cause of freedom, you know a truer peace of the honor of the world

than you have ever felt before. There are sorcerers in the ashen wasteland, and wizards in the sky who believe in a word that they call freedom, but by which they mean power, the freedom to control. Your freedom is full bellies for everyone. Play and chase and trust.

For truly, while any yet are captured, when Ursulaan realizes the power he has come into and that his identity is now wrapped in and of freedom and its cause amongst all beings what images and sights and senses what feelings come to his mind in this moment of assuming his true nature amongst the wreckage and ruin of this landscape In Ocelon's mind play memories of his earliest days at the feet of the great bear. And the choice that he and his siblings had to rest, to play, to eat, to chase. That choice should exist for all.

Far distant laughter and song and play and the riverbed fills with song again. Clean, clear water rushes through the stones towards 12 brooks. Still not filling up the riverbed, but you hear something distant. The spirit world has been hurt, and spirits are answering the call. Somewhere in the world of spirits, your siblings are still marching, lowers his cap, and nods in deference to you in this moment, and, uh, level up to level five. And choose your subclass. Let's go!

Woo! Man in black looks to you and you see that he does not have his sword on his belt. Brother Ursula, tread carefully around the heart of Hallaker Forest. Did you dread then? I did not, but I traveled with those who do. Your cause will fail. So with you is not strong enough to see the great work done. You will not.

I have hope. and my hope leads me to stand beside them. And my cause lends me to let them make that choice for themselves. The man in black looks at your implacability in this moment, and looks, for the first time in a long age, the king of night sees a smudge of distant light on the eastern horizon. Hope. Avoid me.

A measure of a few days. Had your friends taken up this new banner earlier, you might be my champion, little light on the edge of his cheek as a smile rises. I see that you are great indeed. And it is as it should be that this task was chosen for your own sake and your own cause. You've already provided me with much,

and I would not ask for more. that a certain kind of freedom has been placed in and around you honored here in this moment, as you have assumed this great station here before the king of night. The lantern of the man in black fades as he wins his way back up the Lithuan River. His path to 12 Brooks broken. by the subsiding of the stream itself. You look up and see the entrance to the smuggler's cave. An enormous lion and a huge buffalo rest at the entrance to the smuggler's cave,

looking down as you approach up the riverbank and nod at your approach. Past them goes to find a place to sleep beside his friends before the dauntary. day ahead. You sleep. Suvi and Ame, we can compress time here a little bit. So you guys are going to have your long rest. And you are also going to be able to, I think,

Ami, if you want to create those tokens. Yes, I will. That may give you the time you need to complete, because you were halfway done, I believe, with counterspell. Yeah! So go ahead and we'll bring those difficulties down by five. So now it's five.

of 10, 20. Oh, sorry, 10, 15, 20. So rolling with advantage because task is out. Cool. 10 completes the transcription. 15 completes it and pre-prepreatres it. And then 20 does it in half the time. Perfect. 15 on the die. Hey! We've done it. So waiting in your own spellbook, though, you cannot cast them are fireball and counterspell. By the way, this completely tracks with D&D leveling up processes because the moment you level up, you just have two spells in your spellbook. So we're just kind of narrative.

We did it. We did it. We narratively played through it. I love it. I love alignment. So there's a moment while Ursulaan is still snoozing that, Amme, you see yourself side by side as Suvi spreads out arcane tracts and treatises

with a tiny mirrored spider skittering to and fro. This is task. Wait, did we not meet it? It happened, but I didn't know that he was... Hello? This task, I stole him from the music box. We are friends. Well, he stole himself from the music box.

We're friends now. Task projects the word hello onto the ground. By the way, it's in very clearly CV's font. I think, or like handwriting, I think we've done a bunch of like normal things to say and like CV's written him out. So task has some pre-prepared response. It's very like Ouija board, like, yes, no, a full thing of letters, so you start to put it together.

Well, it's a pleasure to continue your acquaintance task. And as Suvi lays out her papers and scrolls and inks, Amay sits and stitches, brings out the gold thread that she got from the keep of the world's heart. heart and a little needle and she starts sewing. What are you working on? Well, I was thinking that it seems like you've learned a couple of things from your time with the witches and maybe you might want a little something to hold on to that might help you with that later on. Wait, you're making something for me?

Mm-hmm. A token. Oh, thank you. And Amme stitches into a glove, delicate golden needlework of a grasping glove. She remembers the spells that have protected her when she'd reached out both in a bit of friendship and in retribution. And she wants Suvi's very clever hands to have that ability as well. That's very kind. A token of witches' grasp.

Incredible. This does not consume a spell slot. It is a, it just firmly gives you the ability to cast a spell as if Amay was casting it. But also, it's an important thing, too, because even if you decide not to use it, you're holding on to it. And I think that, well, not to brag, but I think holding a token from a witch is something that... It means something. It means something deeper. I still have the bracelet you gave me.

Oh. Does it still smell like lilacs? It absolutely does not, because I've worn it for 14 years. Oh. Oh, God, don't sniff it. No, don't say it. Alex seems like takes her hand, like give it. Don't smell it. I don't smell what I smell like.

Ugh. Thank you. Ursula, would you mind if I added a little... Something to your shield? Uh, yeah, uh, of course. Um, hand you the ship. I sketch a little fox's face on the inside that the reminder of...

His friend might help Ursulaan with protecting those he loves, and you gain sanctuary as a token in that little doodle. So you can ward a creature within range against attack. Ursulaan is always so good at shielding others, but this is Ame's little way of helping him. So it doesn't consume all of his energy and magic, because Lord knows he's given enough of it for her already. Thank you, Amé. It's beautiful.

After watching Amé work for a little bit, especially she's sketching The Fox, Sui's going to like pull some sheets from her spellbook and write out two long missives. Task is nowhere near this, so it's clearly not like academic or wizardly work. And then she folds them and seals them with blue wax. and then I'm going to pull out the other two vials, Cyril and Enzo.

And Uncle... Oh, I know, it's not great to Uncork, two at the same time. Uncork both Enzo and Cyril at the same time. Our brother has been slain. I have composed a ballad of the death of Vandal. Oh, he's not dead. He's just sleeping. He's in the book?

I will have to amend my poem I was wrong I thought he died Do you think it will be as well received If he is merely badly injured Absolutely Sleep rhymes with deep Oh

Hmm I use the word sleep But not at the end of any lines Oh Are you going to do it Replace sleep with deep No perform The poem

Oh yes I shall Hark and a van Were you asleep? Go, but you go back to sleep. I started pushing Ursula on. I got woken up to look at this sketch, I demand a poem. I never get to finish my ballads. Oh, it's a ballad.

Okay, I am going back to sleep. Hark and avail ye the tale of vandal. Of great might though the size of a sandal. He who braved the castle walls and loved to say stuff like cock and paws. Suvi It was beautiful That's verse one of 874

As As he goes Of Suv Suvi's just Looking at Amme Going please Please may I stop him Please for the

Just silently Like I beg of you Cross rhymes with ass Okay Well I don't like I don't like this I don't

Gentlemen Yes mistress Yes mistress I need you both to do something for me, and then we need to have a discussion about what happens after. Very well. I have a letter for each of you to deliver. Cyril, you're going to give a note to Sworn.

You have to find him, and then you can tell him your whole ballad to Vandal. He's going to want to hear all of it. Very well. I shall hunt high and low for the wizard sworn, therein to deliver my mistress's missive. Thanks. And after that, about the whole mistress thing. Mm-hmm.

What do you want to be? Published. Was that the right answer? No, it's a good dream. Do you think? Do you know anybody? I, I'm going to. Is there anybody who's accepting queries?

Interestingly enough, I'm telling you the entire truth. I've never sought poetry. or the publishing of it, so I don't know anyone. And I might not be the best fit for you. More of a prose person. More. Definitely more of a non-fiction girly. Ooh.

Yeah, rough. I know. I'm sorry. Sworn? I hear he loves a sonnet. A-B-A-B. There you go. You can stay with him if you want after you deliver the letter.

Or you can. destroy your own bottle and choose your own way. You feel a profundity, ridiculous, e-gargoil looks up, and holds his bottle, which you realize you've never seen one of them do. Hold it from the outside. If we do him. Yeah. Except, will you nuff without attendant or service without me?

Coffee from now happened today. And I think the worst thing I can think of is not offering people their best chance. Cyril takes the missive for sworn and tenderly wraps it, tying a tiny piece of twine around it and putting it into his own bottle for safekeeping. He turns to look at you

and as he does, there is a blue gleam in his eyes, and you see something. Ursulaan lying next to you sees as well, and Ursula just recently has the power to describe, which is all of the space of spirit behind Cyril, just as each blade of grass with a tiny spirit of its own, through their eyes can be seen the wholeness of the living world, the plants and creatures of its wild places.

And though Cyril is diminutive and, in the classical sense, a grotesque, a gargoyle, an accidental byproduct of the wonderful workings of the great citadel. Through his eyes, you see the vastness of a love for language and the written word of poetry and song, of the desire to capture in some degree of permanence great truths and passions. even in this comical creature is some corner of the great and beautiful truth of your world kept. Thank you, Wizard's Guy. I will see it done. And though it is my own to use as I wish, I hope what I do in my freedom gives you cause for comfort and joy for pride and purpose.

that you would know happiness from what I pursue in this wide world. Thank you for everything. I don't think I said that enough. You are very strange. Not many wizards like this have I ever known. Thank you of the wizard sky that I have ever met. Get out of here. Goodbye.

And as he left, a hand he raised in silent voice a gestured praise that lights the way for all her days glory, honor, the sky to blaze.

My greatest and most important poem, farewell, she flies off. Oh, that was very nice. Oh, hold on, don't talk. I got to do this one more time. Oh, God. Ends out. Less floored. Same thing.

I have some notes on Cyril's own. Okay, there we go, and we're back. Hey, bud. Mm-hmm. I need you to deliver this to the Wizard Silver, who you have delivered a message to you before from me. You'll find him with the forces marching in Reedport and on the road to hear. Very well, mistress.

From there. Your will is your own and your bottle is yours. Understood. Thank you for everything, including the ways in which you wanted desperately to help and created more work for me by adding inaccuracies in the marginalia of my work. Wizard, Sky.

Would you trust me to break my bottle before my final task is rendered? I am a demon, you know, so I would not fault you your distrust. I gotta trust someone. Why not you? He smiles, long nose and long ears and long claws and band-aid legs. He shatters it. And you see, Inzo stands up. Two foot, four foot, six feet.

tall, a true demon. Might I add some final inaccuracies that I feel may age? You're bigger? You know that black in the writings of the citadel and that my form was somewhat constricted by the enclosure in which I was kept? We should have done this a while ago. I owe you an apology.

I owe you some spellcraft. And I like gesture to my book. It's sitting on the ground. It flies to my hand and I open it to a blank page. he lays a hand on it and from his hand spreads one of the most complex, gorgeous, calligraphic runes you have ever seen in an encryption of the lingua archana like you have never seen before. And he is going to cast non-detection on your spellbook. And as it leaps one to the other, he begins to point first at a flap of white silk.

on Ame's robe at the bottom of Ursulaan's boots as he lies on the ground, and he covers you and all of your known belongings with glyphs of non-detection. Inaccuracy, marginalia, errata, instances by which miscategorization can be seen as a benefit when the librarians are not to be trusted. Oh, friend, I wish we would have had more chances to talk like this. Chances taken are rewarded. Your trust and faith given in the face of some risk. I too am glad for the strangeness of the wizard sky. His calligraphy is gorgeous.

Yeah, it's very nice. It was the right thing to do. Gotten rid. Almost everything that was lent to me. I think you have more than enough that is already yours. Massive gar. Yorin does not. shed his shape instead pushing through the opening much larger than it and pulling himself

into the cavern hulking over you here of the essence now I've spoken to Kashif and Roundsa the houses Bahadhi they are moving you must move at once let go going back to the sluice you see Yorin doesn't waste any time looking for a key he pulls the gate off the stone look at all you six to the sky The rest with us into the carbon. Six of the shape changers take to the wing, massive eagles, birds of prey, and you see that the others, Yorin drops down into a medium-sized creature.

He takes the form of an enormous wolf, and the rest of them get small enough to go through the passageways and begin to tear off. I'm going to need you guys to make a group investigation check. That's a natural one for your girl. Oh, we're back. We're so back. We're so back.

14. 19. 19. Okay. On a 14, which will be our group check roll, you make your way down through the tunnels. Moving through, you are in a sewer way here, moving alone. Stone Mason rework. Long ago, storm drain.

You see, it's been dry for a while. It's not even, it's, to be this dry in this place, the water has truly been sucked out of the landscape. On a 14, you have a hard choice to make. The war and battle that has rocked the landscape here has suffered a collapse in one of the tunnels. The collapse ahead of you is the fastest route to 12 Brooks. Looking at the collapse, you see an image up at the top of a little bit of that orange light. breaking in, meaning that this tunnel got close enough to the surface that when something hit up above, it collapsed the tunnel. You're not sure how much land there is, but you know by the nature of the

collapse that some distance ahead, the tunnel opens back up, directly leading you into 12 brooks. So here's the devil's bargain you have to make. This is the smuggler's path in, and the smuggler's path continues in one track, getting you deep into the heart. of 12 Brooks. If you peel off from here and work your way back to go through another gate, the sewer is going to lead you to the outskirts of the city. So yeah, you'll avoid being in the open air, but you'll be deposited potentially outside of the empire's defenses. So the bargain you're making here is a short sprint across open landscape to get back to the shore bet, or staying away from open air and danger,

but depositing you at the beginning of way more problems at the edge of 12 Brooks. What do you do in this moment? I think Ursula moves to take the riskier option. Amé also instinctively goes for the direct route, but looks back at Suvi. Risk it. Let's go. As you begin to scramble up towards the light, that it's got to come back down so the tunnel's got to open up somewhere through the rubble um you climb up and you see uh yoran behind you with the other shape changers you get to the top of the rubble

suvi ame ursillan the fox you stand up orange light massive legs as tentacles extend from a kashif dreadnought barreling down on me the light the light of 12 brooks as goutthmi pushes to take the city pants there those last soldiers of empire and in this moment that was lou wilson as ursalan erika ishii as ame aubriah iangar as suvi and brennan lea mulligan as everyone and everything else world's beyond number is edited designed and scored by taylor moore at fortunate horse with additional sound design from Michael Gelfi Studios. For even more like this,

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