Worlds Beyond Number - WWW #48: The Battle of Twelve Brooks Part 2

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

You are weightless and powerful. Whatever you were on the way to being, this can be done too. This world is a dream, yes. But whose?  It's time to go home.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! 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. Against an ash-choked sky, the wizard's steel, sword of the citadel, who is, for all intents in purposes, Suvi's mother, summons great and awe-inspiring workings of magic, and ends a bloodline in seconds, and Suvi stands there, watching her against her against. the sky with awe, shame, because I can't decide if I'm going to climb a fucking rope. Everything, the kindness I offered, is a balm to a wound that's far too big. My whole life, I've known that if I was not perfect in a moment of crisis, I would be lost, or the people that depend on me would be lost. I have no focus. I have no focus.

I can't even do the thing that can help them most. It's not that I don't want to climb the rope. I just don't know if whatever I am now, if I'm too shaken, what if I don't help? I have to help. but can't be who they need me to be. They've been begging, demanding that I see. And now that I do, I don't know if I'm capable of being the person that they need.

And I look up and I see her. My mother, the magic she wields, calls me. I made a promise to myself. as a child, that I would learn enough, that I would be capable of enough. So that this, whatever this is, it's folly to think that I can free a couple ink demons and snap a staff and be different about Yorin and his words is sort of take on the world that Maybe this is the dream. It's so sweet until you look around you and you have to ask whose fucking dream is this.

This is the worst thing I've ever seen. And I don't know how to, I don't know how to fight. Don't know how to run. And I feel like a little girl who doesn't have her mother to cling to anymore. Just freezing and watching. Does Sufi climb the rope? First hand. Reaching over, first foot, up again, off the ground, step by step.

The better dream. So the only way is putting one foot in front of the other. One hand reaching over the other. Step by step, grasp by grasp, through the ash under the orange light, fighting and pushing forward, climbing up the rope. finding focus where there is none. You receive the reward for your bravery, pitch black hole into the side of a castle,

crawling with those who intend to kill your friends. The reward for beginning the journey to the better world is not the better world. The reward for beginning the journey to the better world is every power of nightmare rallying itself against you. Ursula, moving further in to the darkness, you see this aqueduct below the castle is itself not as old as the original foundations of the castle. This is built into and of a catacombs of ancient kings when this was a stone fortress.

So even history here has its layers. However, the masonry of the aqueduct you walk through, the dried and desiccated algae on its walls. You hear honeycombs and thin, bricked over, or tiled over areas that you know cover entrances to the old catacombs. You see the mortar rotting within them. You feel like one solid push and you'd be able to move through. But it does create in front of you a aqueduct built into and through a sealed up dungeon. In essence, a honeycomb of twisting passageways in which, if it is to be believed, there must be some passage through to what you seek.

What do you do here in the dark? The silence allows Ursula to focus on the sound of his breathing and in reconnecting with his body after the... flash of emotions that overtook him outside. Ursulaan feels the pain caused by the explosion earlier looks to see that his cape is badly singed and is going to I think remove it while trying to get a sense of kind of making sure that everything is still intact and after doing that, it's going to produce the watch

and is going to kind of like a compass turn left and right to see how specific that forthhand can be. Go ahead and give me perception with advantage. 13. Watch points sealed up walls. There's something about the road and walking down it.

The way deeper into the castle is sealed and the watch cannot point a true path because the true path has not been made yet. No force has made the road to what you seek. I sluts the watch back into his pocket. It's just going to start moving deeper. Going up the rope and into the darkness, the fox by your side, what do you do? I think it's pitch black in here. Yeah. So I rub my hands together and light. blossoms forth.

Small, tiny ball, and I hold it forth. The fox looks up at you and says, do you want me to try to track him down? Yeah. Okay, uh, I'll, there'll be some distance between us. I'll try to move fast, but you'll feel like your way to me, right? Yes. Okay, boss, I'm on it.

Uh, the fox takes off as you walk in with your lamplit. I'd like a luck check from Ursulon and Amé in this moment. Ten for Ursula. Six for Arme. Okay. You venture into the catacombs. Moving farther and farther in. Ursula, you're up ahead, moving forward as fast as possible, and...

A big guy. Fox? Uh-huh. Amme came. Yeah, yeah, she's on her way. She can't see in the dark, so she had to get a light. Then we'll wait. You don't want to wait?

You got any rations from bracking on you? Ursulaan checks his kit. Yeah, there's like a heel of bread in there. Only the stuff they like. Bread. I'll wait. You keep going. Just drop some crumbs.

People should do what they want. Ursulaan just, I think, honestly, cracks a smile. Fox looks up at you. Smiles back in the dark, looking up the fangs of a little tiny red-orange predator smiling, and just goes, You want to know something, Ursula? What is that, Fox? Terrible secret.

Is that true? Yeah, I haven't told anybody. But are you about to tell me? Oh, yeah. Wow, a great kindness. He looks to the right. He looks to the left. He looks up at you, raises his eyebrows, and goes,

I think we're about to win. Oh, Fox, Fox, Fox. I'm going to humor you. for just a moment. Win what? You think there's a big ham on the other end of this? Yeah. Well, I wasn't ready for you to say we were going to win something.

I sort of meant win like we were going to win. You know, like, it's not a concept I grasp super firmly, but I love, remember at the Ace of Wands in Port Talon, there was those tables down there, and when it stopped rolling, people would be like, oh, no! And then that meant they lost, and then some, like, only once or twice someone would go, ah!

And that was like, ah, I won! You believe we're about to feel that way. Did they get hams? I thought that just feeling happy was the thing. Do they get to feel, were they feeling happy because of the ham? Or are they feeling happy because they won? Hmm. I think you've asked a very philosophical question, Fox. Okay.

I think in some part it is the material goods they've won that gives them joy. But I believe it's also that they think the universe is on their side. Many future hams. Exactly. The beginning of a lifetime of big hams. Oh, that could make you act crazy. Fox, I'm going to continue. but I'll leave a trailer but it comes for you to follow.

You got it. I'll be here. I think at that point I've closed some distance. I think a light turns around the corner and the fox turns around and looks at you and says, boss! Hello? Big hams.

Where are there hams? In the future. We've agreed that future hands. Things feel like they are on our side. Oh, yes. And so it it feels like there's ham. in our future. Wow. You two have a language all your own.

Snakes in the river, hams in the future. Let's get going. Let us. Suvi, into the dark. I would love an investigation check from you. 19. Okay. You begin to follow. Feel Ursula must have traveled down here. You feel the potency of that high artifice men. magic overhead, the purple and green gem. And you can sense in arcane sensibility, the presence of nearby wizard craft. Many wizards are in this castle right now. On a 19, I believe that you follow not any clues or tracking, but simply the path that makes the most sense for Ursulaan to have tread.

You don't see any of the walls broken down, and so you think Ursulaan will continue forward into the heart of the castle, and that is where you travel to. Ursulon and Amé, I'll need a perception check from you as well, or anything else you would do to attempt to discover what you seek. Only an eight. 24. Okay. Let's go.

Okay. Amé, you walk by one of those sealed up sections of wall. Sort of the new brick that has been put up to seal the old cat. And from that sealed up wall, there emanates a chill draft. Anything different here. As you go to put your hand in the wall, I will need a dexterity saving through. Difficulty of eight. Your hand goes up and you do not fall as your hand goes through the wall as immaterial as vapor.

Oh, a illusory wall. Strange. Does it feel like it's of the wizards or something older? Is it... On 24, this feels like wizard craft to you. Oh, wizards definitely did this. Look? I think it's worth investigating, but we should proceed with caution.

We should leave something so that Sufi knows that we're going this way. Ruslan takes out the heel of bread, leave some crumbs behind. Both of you step through the illusory wall. You walk through. You come to a chamber of the aqua, You see a massive bronze statue of a bullfrog. You see that it sits on a giant lily pad surrounded with the bows of fiddles and it would look like some small gatherings of thumb pianos and various small kind of folk instruments in this place.

Blue light issues from a single diamond set into its lips from where, which hangs a threaded ribbon of paper with lingua arcana written all over it. As you look further down the tunnel, you see another point of blue light. And farther away down that, you see that there is what looks like another statue of a bullfrog. You begin to wonder how extemporaneous or imprompt to silence's spell was. there appears to be preparation hidden in the bottom of the castle. Arcane spellwork interposed with these statues of the great spirit that has now been unmade. Sufi, I'm going to need another investigation check from you, and you can roll with advantage.

25. You stop at a small scattering of breadcrumbs and feel a draft coming from a wall. There's no universe in which they didn't go down that hallway, and I stepped through. Sufi, you step into the hall and behold Ursulaan and Ame investigating a statue at the end of the hallway. I'm going to wait for like three seconds to see if someone on the shorter side runs up and touches something. Ursulaan sees it and is fully ready to restrain Amme. Ursulaan and Amé go ahead and give me perception checks. 10.

Natural 20. Hey! You look here and see Amit, quite unusually, the stone behind the statue is smooth shale. It's one of the only large pieces of stone work you've seen. The wall is completely smooth. behind the statue of the frog. On that 20, is there any other question you have about this space? Oh, on the 22, you turn to see Sufi at the end of the hallway.

Didn't touch anything. No, I am a model of restraint. Ursula's going to turn to Sufi. Thank you for coming. I'm sorry for making you think I ever wouldn't. But thank you for letting me choose. I choose to be here. I'm glad.

This means a great deal to me. and I wouldn't want to do it without you. Why is this wall? There's something strange about it, and it's not like the others. She blinks and cast detect magic. Ambient transmutation, and there's a residue of a pretty consistent stream of transmutation effects on the wall about human size, about human size and height in the area behind the wall. Go ahead and get me an Arcana check. 22.

You recognize the residue from... This is a constant source of mischief from more senior but still young mages at the Citadel. That's the residue of the passwall spell. The mages that move through this space, passwell allows you to pass through relatively thinner, smaller walls. It is a spell by which a wizard makes their body momentarily immaterial to pass through solid objects as if a specter.

Okay, I know, I know what this is. The space was created. The children will be through there, but because the space was created, there is no way to get there other than to pass through that wall. I don't have the magic to do it, but that means we're not going to find a door. Hmm. Uh, Ursulaan is going to, like, I think, more intently focuses divine sense on the wall. wall. Very little spiritual energy comes back to you from that wall. I think you feel hackles raise. There's a sense of dishonesty, a trap. You look at that diamond and that bullfrog. It's identical to that

other statue down the hall. These statues were built in mimicry of sacred places kept by the Grinot. And they were built in. in a foundry to make a trap. And this is all sacrilege. There is something here, like a knife being plunged into the heart of the world. And you remember the man who said that to you. I don't have any item or thing that gives me,

gives me the ability to grant you what you asked. But my heart is telling me that this was made by Some clever person who thought they could recreate, that which is very real, to take advantage of the spirit. Yes, these are statues. Spirits come when they're called, when they're fed, and capitulated to. Put enough of them here. You draw it in. Amé. I'm going to look at this row of statues.

He said there's a row of them? The tunnel continues to another statue, yeah. I'm going to indicate with my head that I'm going to move down towards the other statue and I go examine it. Great. Give me another luck check. 18. Okay, great. You move down through that space.

You get to the next statue. I don't touch it. You don't touch it. I put my hands behind my back and I nod meaningfully at my friends. You look down here. You see, this one has a normal wall of masonry. It doesn't appear to have a changed wall behind it.

So as uniform as it is with the other one, it appears to be in a different chamber down here in the aqueduct. I will say partway through the passageway here, you do see another one of those sealed-up catacomb entrances that, for better or worse, doesn't have a draft coming out of it. It looks to be like a genuine sealed-up place, kind of a moldering patch in the wall, but it's in this deeper heart of the castle down here.

How moldering is it? Pretty moldering. The mortar is like chipped and cracking apart and the bricks look old and porous. Could we get through that wall and break our way into that room from the side? Do you think? Potentially. I place my hand on the moldering wall next to the shale one. Mm-hmm. Can it give way with just a push? or will it take something sturdier?

It'll take something dirtier, but it's not strong. Okay, Ursulaan? Yes. Can you help me get through this wall? Talk to me. Oh, I think that we might be able to push down this wall and access this chamber from the other side. Okay, powerful mages moved through these walls.

So powerful mages are guarding one ever is on the other side. are you ready for what happens when you push through the wall? As ready as I'll ever be. This is a trap. This was a trap for a great spirit who might still be back there or whatever vestige of him is behind there and is being guarded by powerful wizards.

Spirits are underestimate. Wizards, with time we win. This was a plan long in the making. and perfectly execute it. Do I get a sense we could chip away at the wall? Maybe not take the whole thing down, but create a hole small enough to care. Remove a brick? Yeah, potentially.

I'm going to get out my builder's knife. Okay, great. And I think work, just an element of the mortar, not a full push, but just something where I sense it's weak. Give me a tool check, difficulty 15. 19 on the die. Hell yeah. You remove a brick. As you do, you feel something click in your watch. O'SLON takes it out. You look with your dark vision through the hole in the wall and see an ancient catacomb lined with spaces for the honored dead.

Through there, this place that was disrupted to build the original aqueducts, you see your wall. Watch and it's forthhand now see as a pathway. Suvi, you see a hole in the wall. Okay. And I need to know what's happened. Skitters through. Suvie, you send your vision into task. Moving down through the catacombs,

task moves and finds another opening where bricks have naturally fallen in the interior chamber. a deep water chamber where six massive aqueducts come to fill in the chamber from on high that of course now is no more no water no water rushes through here you see a massive steel of this water chamber you've seen chambers like this before in great cities or in marvelous buildings where The flow of water comes in from sluice's way on high to potentially fill up a large chamber. The ceiling is some 50 feet up above the ground. The steel cage at the bottom is wrought of refined spell steel.

You see pontoons around the base of it. At one point, this floated on water that was present here and is no longer. The doors of this cage are locked. once, twice, thrice spells placed over them. You see multiple members of the Azure Battalion stationed at the bottom here. You see a staircase rising up, the sort of steel staircase rising up to a steel platform near one of the aqueduct entrances. And within that cage, you see fourscore heads pressed together in the dark.

with a distant, thunderous, of an explosion. A whimper arises from the children here, some of whom are as young as five years old. The oldest, somewhere near early adolescents, go to comfort them. Huddling together, you see that in the cold and dank

of this strange and hideous chamber, these children of the Grinot wait for the inevitable, as even their guards do not know what to do with them. Now that wonders have been worked, you see the lingua arcana inscribed on the walls of this chamber. Your theory, exactly accurate, with one small addendum. A plan was flawlessly executed. The trap was laid. it just wasn't for you. And here in this space, these children of the Grinot

await the fate that a block of cheese awaits after the mouse has been caught in the great bullfrog in as many appellations as could be found inscribed by wizards of the citadel here in this place for the working of magic that was witnessed

by those soldiers you met in Bracken for silence to come and paint the final stroke of this great and mighty spell. The children here to be rescued by the spirit looks out from an opening seven or eight bricks having fallen out of the catacombs some, let's call it 30 feet up on the side of the chamber as you look down and see frightened azure battalion soldiers. You see one of them says we're going to die down here. You know that right. We're going to die down here in this pit. you see another one says our orders are to stay here and secure the chamber once the citadel is done

with the ritual and you see the other battalion soldier says they are done with the ritual they're done with them we need to get away and you see that another azure battalion soldier says well we can't we can't we can't get away and gestures to the children and you see that uh the panicking soldier turns on him and says are you stupid what what you know how to open in that fucking lock? You want to drown down here with them? Or die in the rubble when the castle falls? Let's get out of here.

Or at least go join our brethren on the front lines. For God's sake, they've forgotten about us down in this pit. Let's go. And you see that the other Azure Battalion says, we can't just go. And once again, gestures like he doesn't even understand what he means at the children in the cage here. Most panicked soldier wheels on the one that he

keeps gesturing to the children and goes, these are your kids? Are these your kids here? Well, you got a problem. They've been here for a while, right? What's your problem? And you see the soldier backs off and says, I just think if we're going to leave, we got a, we got a soldier that has not spoken appears behind that soldier and clubs him over the back of the head unconscious, looks at the panicking one and says, you're right, we're leaving. Kill the kids. What do you do? I pull my vision out of task. They're going to kill the kids now. Ursulaan physically runs through the wall with everything in his spirit. You Kool-Aid man through the wall, barrel, no role necessary. Powerful legs, you feel your breath behind you. This is your call and nothing will hold you back and those children will be free. Cool!

Stone scatters. you roll initiative. 16. 16. Ame. You see Ursulaan is sailing out in mid-air through the chamber

and all of you can leap out with him if you wish. Yes, I leap out as well into the passage. Ursula, leaping forward, you and Ame each take five points of falling damage as you sail and land hard on the stone of the basin.

Ursula, five ready actions are coming right for you. Four, Holtz of flame. Hit the front of your shield. One strikes true underneath for 16 points of damage on a critical hit. As you take that fire. Where did it come from?

It came from that most panicked soldier in the front. I hold his gaze. I say, go. Go now. These children are no longer any business of yours. Join your comrades, run to your homes. But whatever you do, you have to leave. Give me persuasion with disadvantage.

19. You speak plainly in this moment. It is not their turn. They've used their reactions firing on you leaping into this space. Ursula, that is your turn. I think Ursula gives out one last roar and disappears. You vanish. The children in the H.R. are all looking up, shocked, amazed.

Something is happening. They don't know what. They look afraid. and that is going to be the soldiers. Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah. If you'll allow. Yeah.

If they do not turn, the minute they have the moment, it will be a second level divine smite on, or I will move to strike the one who struck me. Hell yeah. You see the one in the front, lowers his staff at Amé and says, Surrender, on your knees. Fucking world. It's on.

Go ahead, take your attack with advantage. Does a 13 hit. A 13 hits. You sense that you may not need to use smite on these guys. I'm going to use smite on the first one anyway. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Great.

15 points of damage? Decapitated. Your sword. Wavebreaker is the first thing to materialize from invisibility as he screams at the witch of the world's heart. His scream is choked off in blood in his throat as his head leaves his shoulder. That is your first attack. I'll wheel around on anyone who still has a staff raised.

There's the unconscious one, and the remaining four do. Great. 19 on the die. Twelve points of damage. And sword comes around, slashing through the ribs, spilling blood across the court, dead. Two soldiers dead in one round. It is their turn.

Only three are left standing. I'm going to ask you for another persuasion check with advantage. non-verbal. But just give me a precision with advantage, trying to beat a 20. 14 plus 6 for a dirty 20. A. Ah, Ame.

As Ursulaan emerges from hiding, a clearly a spirit, the wind has kicked up in here. As Ursulaan takes the one leading the threat against you and severes his head from his shoulders, he has survived the fall.

He has survived a mortal blow to the chest of arcane flame, wheels around on three soldiers. With a seeming certainty that this battle will resolve against their favor, the soldiers turn to look at you. What expression do they see on your face? It's an odd expression of almost serenity, but gold in my eyes that flashes are clearly inhuman.

They run. They run as fast as they can. They run for the step, drop their staves, scramble as fast as they can. Ursula, you can get an attack of opportunity on them if you would like. They're not with it. Ursulaan, you turn and see the children of the Grinot, looking up at you. The spirit whose gift they carry is gone from this world, and with it, the hope that they would ever see an honored friend again. You have proved them wrong with wonder, filled, be plucked so deeply from the pit of despair.

and of fear. What do they see and what do you do? Ursulaan sheaths his sword to the children and begins to approach the cage. You see a massive, locked arcane, the cleverness and craft of the citadel binding these children here as you approach. I kneel down. My name is Ursulaan. I've come to bring you home. The children step forward, looking to each other, speaking in to Roy, back and forth.

Ursula, Ursula, Ursula, Ursula, Ursula. Perhaps the smallest child here in Imperial goes, Thank you, Ursula. Looking at the lock before that magic twist. I think Ursulaan grabs the lock in his. hands. And again, that white, clear sense channels from his chest into his fingertips, and he wrenches it open. Um, Suvi and Amé, both of you are buffeted backward by the power of the wind. You hear distant song and the shrieks of children playing. For a moment, the children of the Grinot,

Feel the spirits of children marching under a great bear, the freedom of play and song and chase. Wild wind, the wind of rushing through tall fields of grass under open sky, the feel of deep forest glades, and the sprinting of paws upon mossy surfaces. That lock shatters. And as it does, the spell flees in terror of the spirit of freedom. before it. The door

not only flings open but flings such that it twists and peels the spell steel back, wrenching the cage apart like a mighty beast clawing open of fruit to get the treasure inside.

The cage is unmade, the lock shattered, and the children rush forward. The small ones unthinkingly and from a place of such deep intuition that it can barely be said to be a conscious choice cling to your legs for safety as the others help corral and speak in Toroy to the other children you don't understand their

language but you understand what they are saying the spirits have come to guide us home suvi and ame is there anything you do in this space now with ursula here the children are Freit, but you are in a deep pit, and you watch as those Azure Battalion soldiers flee up through the aqueduct towards the activity in the rest of the castle. Sufi is immediately taking off behind those battalion soldiers. There was that moment of hesitation. Can't let it get out. I'm going to run them down. Sufi tears off after the Azure Battalion. Amé and Ursula. With the children here, what do you say? What do you do? What do you do? I immediately take a look at the door on the cage.

Could it be fitted with a knob? No. We have to press on. We need to find a door. Your eyes are better than mine. If you lead, I can keep them in line. All right. We go up. Much more slowly than your companion.

You make your way up as you get to the top of the gate here. Ursula, the wind kicks up again suddenly in this space. From the shadows. For a moment, it looks like a massive heron, like a water bird. And so then you see steps and bows in front of you, looking up and goes, Yes, my name is Ursulaan. I am Karar, the heron spirit. These waters have vanished from this place.

We felt the wind of a great spirit of freedom approaching. Do you require assistance in this way to find a means of escape? Yes. We have a plan, but we need help keeping the children. Do you speak to Roy? He says something and nods his head in the language you don't speak. Understood. Please help me corral the children. I'm going to help my friend.

We are going to discover. We only need a door. I know of a door. right this way. And you see he points in a direction outside of the aqueduct chamber here. Suvi, you are peeling off as fast as you can after the Azure Battalion swiftly, swiftly, swiftly. Go ahead and give me athletics. Twelve. Twelve.

Taking off after them, trying to run them down. You see them peeling around a corner. But you can see that corner leads to a larger column. where you think you'll get a clear line of sight on them. As you turn around the corner, I am going to need a dexterity saving throw from you. 18. You rush around the corner past a lit torch. As your shadow, which is behind you, catches up with you, you know, moving past a source of light, it eventually is right next to you.

As it comes right next to you, your shadow turns, reaches out, and attempts to grab your throat and slam back. you into the wall, and you duck quickly tumbling under and past the light as the shadows of this place do, in fact, betray you. Behind you, you hear a voice saying, surrender and sworn steps from the shadows. Huh, that's the first time in a while. I didn't hear you coming. You're under arrest. He is going to advance towards you, uh, and call out. Soldiers. Form up. And you hear boots coming from the direction that the Azure Battalion has just run in.

And he is going to reach out and cast a whole person at you. Give me a wisdom saving throw. Your body seizes. In paralysis, he steps forward, sliding manacles from his belt. Give me an inside check. Twelve. Paralyzed as you are, there is trives. tremendous pain as he slams your arms behind your back,

manacles you, reaches to his belt, a necklace around your neck, goes, and a gorgeous, gilded tongue, filigreed. He jams into your mouth, attached to the chain, as you feel the lingua arcana written on the golden shape, bind your mouth shut. You look at him and he hits you with a message can't trip. My question, exactly.

Ursula, Amé, you get to the top with these children. As you get up here to the top, Amé, you see that Kahar is running alongside Ursula and says, what's your plan of egress? How did you plan to get the children out of here? I have a doorknob that can create a portal to another safe. place for them. We'll put them through and then remove the door knob. And then the three of us will, we'll exit elsewhere. Very well. You need a door? Yes. All right. This way, this way. Follow me. And he begins to rush off with you into the castle. Are there anything that you guys are doing

as you're shepherding the kids along? Do I have any idea of soldiers or movement within the castle? Yes, many. Many and much. What's closest? Give me a perception check. 15. 15. You hear activity straight ahead. You see that Kahar is pointing in the direction of a nearby door,

and he is pointing right to where you hear soldiers' footsteps, like a lot of activity. Do you have a plan about how to avoid the soldiers that are right ahead of us? Oh, soldiers right ahead of us? Yes. Sorry, yes. This, oh, sorry. Then we better go this way. Oh, you don't.

And you see that he points to the right. Can I inside check? Yeah, give me an inside check. 18 on the die plus seven for 25. 25. Amé, you see a very frightened heron spirit who appeared in the moment of Ursulon's triumph, who was trying to help you find a door.

He appeared right as the children were freed, and he's looking around. He looks confused. You see him go like, left or right, if I might just want to flip a coin. There's a... On a 25 insight check, Amé, he's offering so much help.

And I think you remember some... He says, like, we might as well flip a coin going left and right. You remember that Ursula had a magic coin. I have actually a few things. And I'm just going to pull out some of the stuff I got from Kalaya. Flip the...

this coin. And I flip the coin. Tails. Every time. If a mortal flips it, it's tails. If a spirit flips it, it's heads. She stole it from the citadel. Ercelon, you have a coin. Oh, and you have a knife that can lead us to an exit? Um, yes. Do you bring out your gifts? Uh, I've produced the knife in the coin. Here, take them. Children,

This way, this way. What does the knife say? Do you spin it? Yes. The knife points to the right. Here, flip this. He flips it. Tails, we go left.

Excellent. You go on ahead. You see, he says, well, let's all go together. Quickly, this way. You see, the Carr has flipped the coin. It has landed on tails, and he is prepared to go left.

He says, Okay, so he has turned his back on me? Yes, he has. Okay, at that point, I hit him with sleep. Go ahead and roll your D8. 40 points. 40 points. With 35 hit points,

Ah, Khahar strides forward. The second that he turns his back to lead the way, Amay, grabs him by the neck and shakes him. You shake the heron disguise off of this man. Herons eat frogs. And as he moves forward, there is the strongest herbal scent of deep chamomile and wild pine, just an intoxicating sleepy brew of flour and herb as boom, this Citadel Wizard collapses to the ground put to sleep by a witch who had his number. which is the world's heart.

Your suspicion has rewarded you and your cunning has just saved the children of the Greno. Let's go. Barreling to the right, the antler dagger is exactly the tool you need by the shortest possible path spinning the antler dagger.

You find in a servant's quarter of the old castle a simple door towards a bedroom, towards a servant's bedroom. All right. Ursulun, help me out with this? Yeah. Children, everyone, into the bedroom, into the bedroom.

Everyone, you see, the fox goes in and says, you are about to meet several people. An anxious child who unbelievably is a witch. A goat who's also a doctor. A very busy woman who's also a bee. A scarecrow who thinks he's so cute. The children are going to pour into this room together. Ame, I am going to need this craft check,

And we are going to roll a luck check in this moment. It takes 10 minutes to install this. You do not want a 1 through 4. If this takes 10 minutes, would I have time upstairs? I want to try to like Pratfall in order to give task cover? Yes. To slip back and get back to Amay and Erzala. No role necessary.

Task with some great deal of sorrow, it will be said. and you see the task as he vanishes on the floor in only your sight turns and momentarily endangers his critical mission to spin his little head at you and vanish into the shadows. Ami, you're getting to help action from Ursula on here. You are installing these doorknobs as fast as you possibly can. Uh, 19. You work as fast as you can.

No one has ever installed a... door knob with the stakes this high, and your hands are careful and sure, as your beloved true friend Suvi said. Slow is smooth, smooth as fast. All right. Um, I quickly scrawl a note on some loose paper, and I hand it to one of the older children. Thank you. Where are we going? Tutoma. Where? To Toma. Where? To Toma. Oh, okay. Um, okay. You'll be all right.

Neef will take care of you. Okay. And you open the door and suddenly it is a beautiful afternoon in the cottage, a completely different time of day. Gorgeous sunlight. Um, and you hear off in the kitchen, Summer is a coming in for me sing, go. Neef! Ames!

There's a bunch of children coming through. Please take care of them. They have a note for you. I have to go. Please guard the door. Do not let anybody come after these children. You see that the children rush forward into the space, and you see that one of them, again, these children have known only fears.

They rush into the hallway and take a moment. And you see that there's one young girl who smacks the oldest boy there on the arm. And she goes, And she turns around, the children in the hallway turn to look at you, Ursula, you, Ami. You see all of them do a deep, bow-legged bow, like the legs of a frog, nod their heads. Amé returns this bow-legged bow. May the spirits keep you. You will be home soon.

You see that they smile, and the littlest kid looks. over it, Neif in the kitchen and goes, Snacks! And you see the kids rush off towards the kitchen, just ravenously hungry. Neif goes, all right, I'll put out a spread. Aye, aye, aye, aye.

And you close the door, and as you open it again without speaking the password, so now putting the Lion Knocker there means you can open it and have access to the hallway again and be in the castle again. You see that, TASC skitters into the room.

Ask, we're Suvi. An image of Suvi being dragged to the top of the castle by sworn surrounded by imperial soldiers. Suvi, you are dragged to the top of the castle. You arrive, parapets, overlooking everything. You've been in the belly of this castle for some time. You look out, fire and ruin, distantly. A few dreadnots. beat as much of a retreat as they can

Imperial ships Gunning down on them The light of the tower prevails At the top of the parapet Wizards at the ready Amongst them silver Viral rope ladder descends Sort of the citadel

Whispers in your ear It turns to regard Silver and sworn The mission was a success To Archmage Apprentice Sky Is credit for the this victory given. Be tears for the wizard's sky! From the small skeletal crew of wizards herein gathered on this parapet does the cheer go up, wasting away on the winds of ash. As the

imperial army busies itself, first and foremost, with running down every last member of the army of Gouthmi that they can hear, she turns to look at you in the moment of this tales creation. They're here in the castle. Can I... Less for steel, I need a... Can I make an insight check on this group gathered?

Yeah. I mean that's such a... Is this working? Is this... Oh shit. Twenty-one. Silver... Knows what you said

to him. Sworn is... without Cyril's letter. And you see simply disappointed. Steele looks at you with a mixture of certainty, resoluteness, pride,

a smile like you're not well. And things are going to get. better. Unable to speak, this feels like lying to injury. People want to underestimate you. You let them. So I stand. I shake off the anxiety and fear and resignation and stand proud. And to her question, I nod. Slowly hoping that I've bought enough time. I'm going to do my best to buy enough time for them to get out. I know how long the doorknobs take. You see that Steele nods and turns to the wizard's slate.

You see Slate walks off into the castle. Steele says, it's time to go home. I think with that, she just, and there is a tear. There's relief, this dream. Whatever I was on the way to being can be done to. Do I have a link, a mental link with, task at all? Or is the distance too far? No, you haven't missed. You have a mental link with task.

Okay. Wherever task is now, uh, actively projecting, uh, slate walking. As Ursulaan and Amé, you take off down the hall as fast as you can, task in the immediacy of you walking, taking your first steps down the hallway, task projects Suvee going aboard the epiphany. It's done. And the way, wizard slate marching into the castle. And then if I can chase it with five words, this is a trap. Run. Amé and Erslan, what do you do?

I'm not sure there's anything left for us to do here, Amé. I said I wouldn't leave her again. I said there's always a way. If we're clever enough, we can go after them. Amé, give me an insight check. Natural 20. Oh, fuck, fuck. Buckle up, everybody.

Fucking buckle up. Watch what happens now. Amé, you're the bridge between worlds. You have to be. You have to find the right answer. You have to be kind and you have to be cunning. You have to be suspicious and you have to do the right thing. Ursulans' quest, his purpose, his mission, is to protect the children of the Grinot.

You have not yet disassembled the door. Let me be clear. Through that door are 80 hungry, frightened children who, yes, have Neath, but they do not have their guardian. That is where Ursulaan's heart lies. Your other true friend has just been carried aboard a ship. You have seen Sufi work create magic. You have seen Ursulaan bend steel with the power of the spirit. Are you not a true witch is magic not yours?

You promised You wouldn't abandon Suvi again But those children need Ursula. He has his mission He came here to do one thing And that was save them The children need their great spirit You go

And you? I'll follow you later With Suvi And are you Amai You close the door Leaving these doorknobs here Means that a wizard can find them

They can break it They can find a way to break the enchantment Ursulaan is safely through As you step through Ursula, you feel spirit, Phil Wren's cottage, and you look down at children on a carpet as frightened as you were the first time you were there. They look up and smile. You are going to bring them home.

Your mother's hand. Look at these doorknobbs. You might not have another ten minutes to set them up, but you can't leave them here. What an impossible choice. should you analyze and think about what is right to do here in this moment? Fox looks up. What do you want to do, boss?

We go get Suvi. Yeah! He does a little flip. Amay, you break the doorknobs off the door and push them back in your bag. You are not going to leave this trap here. Give me an investigation check with advantage right now as you rush out of here. 17. Rushing through here as fast as you can.

Servant's quarter. servants quarters, these are the people, the people that keep a castle running, the people unseen, common folk. You run by, and as funny as it is, you see rolling pins, you see thatch, you see the work of kitchens. Behind you, you hear armored steps. Friends, your presence is requested by the sword of the citadel. Where are you hiding, friends? Ami, you rush into a kitchen. Wide, shattered wind looking out over ash and wasteland, and you see in the distance the epiphany headed south for the citadel vanishing into orange clouds. I look around. There's a hearth. Where there's a hearth, there is a broom. As Slate rounds the corner looking to you with a counterspell at the ready, ready for combat. She smiles.

Amé. Pleasure seeing you here. Is your friend bear around? I stand by the hearth. Calm, serene. In front of a simple black hawthorn stick with twigs, strapped to it with leather. And in the wood grain, she feels knots, grooves.

The twigs, I can smell from here. It's like cinnamon. It's like autumn. It's like home. There is exactly where he needs to be. And so am I. I take a running leap out the window. You grab the broom and in craft beyond any wizard's ability to counter.

You seize this servant of the counter. The name of whose maker you do not know. Perhaps in the long years of Ame, wish of Toma. She will never know because a broom does not serve for glory. It serves for the world's heart because every hearth needs a sweeping and every witch needs to fly. Ami, I'd like you to level up to level five if you'd be so kind. Let's go! You stride the broom.

You feel yourself weightless, powerful. Faster than the ship before you. Taking off. Box pokes his head out. That was Lou Wilson as Ursulon, Erica Ishii as Amay, Abria Ayangar as Suvi, and Brennan Lee Mulligan, as everyone and everything else. World's 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.