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Ep. 47 Goblin Trials - Bellum Draconis
126 Plays1 year ago
Episode 3 of 6 from our Goblin Mini Series.
Follow us on our Twitters - @FellowshipTable
Intro written and produced by Joseph McDade
Music kindly provided by Fesliyan Studios
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Transcript
Introduction to Fellowship of the Tabletop
00:00:00
Speaker
I hope good boy does that bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla
00:00:29
Speaker
you
00:00:45
Speaker
Hello
Character Introductions and Choices
00:00:46
Speaker
everyone and welcome to this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop, but I'm Draconis, we have our live play 5E D&D podcast set in the magical homebrew world of Aerith in the Kingdom of Sleeker. This is part three of the Goblin Adventures. My name is Mark and I'm the Dungeon Master and also with us this week's episode. We've got Casey who plays a goblin called Godboy. Hello!
00:01:02
Speaker
We've got Darren who plays a halfling called Bearer Terrence. Hello! We've got James who plays a goblin called Doric. Hello! Sarah who plays a goblin called Grona. Oh hello! And we've got Callum who plays a goblin called Musk.
00:01:19
Speaker
Bye! I mean, hello! Just before we started this, I did make a comment on, of course, it's classic Darren. I ask everyone to make goblins and he makes a halfling, so thank you. It's because I was fucking cheap. I wasn't paying D&D beyond a goblin.
00:01:35
Speaker
There you go. Thanks, D&D Beyond. Make it cheaper then. They should have had a sale on Goblins, that sort of shit. Hey, kind of like investing, kind of like the spirit of Ian. I have made for this one shot a character very, very quickly in the minutes before it was actually due to start. And that involves actually using what was free on D&D Beyond. And that unfortunately did not include Goblin. Sue me.
00:01:57
Speaker
See you, but we will kill your character. And eat him. And he will deserve it. 100%. 100%. So,
Recap of Hasselthorpe Manor Adventure
00:02:05
Speaker
we're going to jump straight back into where we were last time on the Goblin Adventures in Hasselthorpe Manor.
00:02:13
Speaker
At the last couple of episodes we had entered into the manor head first, knocking down the front doors, exploring the hallway, turning right and fighting at an infestation of large white spiders that crawled out of the crevices of the space, which could be some large kind of dining hall to the east of the mansion.
00:02:32
Speaker
after a hard-fought fight wherein Musk took the majority of the damage, and he kept himself unscathed. And Bluey's disguise was released, and we realized that Darren was a cheapskate. And actually, it's a halfling called Lyrotar-X, who is here to explore and take in information about the Alpha Clan and their ferocity, and its interest in the Nakavolo leader, Alpha.
00:02:58
Speaker
The party had taken scope of the situation and Grenard had received a found after some investigation, an incredibly rare amulet, a necklace, and also Godboy had accidentally stumbled upon a pair of glasses that gave advantage to specific investigation checks and also gave you darkvision, which was a lovely little piece of magic item I've seen written there.
00:03:24
Speaker
The episode finished with a creak and some dust falling from the floorboards above head. We find the majority of our party in the hallway. Grona still was currently searching through some of the bookcases and kind of cupboardry in the room next door. The majority of the party were in the central space. Before we do anything else, can I please just take everyone's passive perception
00:03:49
Speaker
That's always dodgy when you hear your DM ask that. So, um, have a quick check. Your passive perception. Um, and we'll just go around and just tell me what you got. Uh, so Joe Doric, what have you got for your passive? My passive perception is 12. 12. Thank you, Musk. 13. Nice. I have a higher perception than you. I don't know. Here we go. Oh, is that me? Yeah. Nine.
00:04:17
Speaker
That's more like it. Baratarix? 10. And Grunner? Also 10. 10. Cool, cool, cool. The fuck? Very much.
00:04:27
Speaker
How in the hell is Musk the most perceptive one of all? I have no clue. I generally don't know. There's so much about this campaign that makes no sense. No, but it's actually just noticing things, whereas intelligence is what to do with it. Just because you notice them doesn't mean you know what to do with it. It's like just being able to hear something. I'll just be going round up. I can imagine with Musk, it's the kind of thing he loves to point things out. He's walking,
Exploration of Hasselthorpe Manor
00:04:52
Speaker
hey, look at that.
00:04:53
Speaker
no idea what it means it just points to everything yeah like pointing out the spider room yeah look at that hidden trap yeah so and thank you thank you for that so we find the majority of us in this central room a number of
00:05:10
Speaker
Torches adorn the wall to the left, one to the right, and a large embers of a fire burn to the north, under almost the staircase, which leads shantily up towards the first story, or second story, if you're in America, of the Hasselthorpe manor. The space is strewn with the corpses of these spiders, and also with a lot of the rotted and overturned furniture, which once must have stood a symbol of the
00:05:40
Speaker
wealth of Hasselthorpe Manor but now speaks to its dismay and disarray. What would you like to do? Do we all hear the noise?
00:05:52
Speaker
Is that what you asked for, or passive? The people who heard it, and again, it's kind of location-based as well, the doric and musk, because it's at that end, kind of the north end of the space as well. Godboy and Bluey, perception was too low anyway. Sorry, your passives are too low anyway, but you two definitely heard a creak and a noise. Fair enough. I probably, as I hear, as Musk hears the creak, obviously the dust and maybe a little bit of wood splinters just fall, it's just kind of looking
00:06:22
Speaker
I think there's someone else in my house. Hello, who's there? If you're in a crew, Manta, say hello. It looks kind of yellow upstairs. The voice is muffled as it hits the dusty and cobweb filled space above you. There's no response. As you do pair up, it's just darkness. Do you think we should go and have a look?
00:06:50
Speaker
Well, I've got a guest. I don't want to be rude. That's true. Musk, as you turn back around to kind of address the rest of the party, I assume you kind of stood at the base of the stairs at this point. There's a light on the wall, a lit torch on the wall, just to your right, which stands near to you and is lit. I've always thought these lights were lit when you entered.
00:07:15
Speaker
What you notice is something odd to the flame. It's getting buffeted and pushed almost towards you like there's a wind or a breeze the other side pushing it.
00:07:27
Speaker
As this is happening, Beatrix slash Bluey has just got his notepad and is going, despite their obvious tendencies to savagery, that being in the presence of a house is making them adapt to processes of hospitality and wanting to be guest, even though the guest is quite clearly hostile. This is fascinating.
00:07:53
Speaker
Oh, Blue is doing his little... Oh, sorry, go on. No, I was just going to say, Godboy's going to start going up the stairs. No, no, are you sure? That's a good idea. Yeah, hang on. Hang on. Wait. Wait. I'm sorry, he stops on the third step. Wait. It's going to be a home alone paint can, isn't there? I'm also going to go towards this fire that's kind of...
00:08:20
Speaker
coming towards him and he's just going to go blowing at it.
00:08:28
Speaker
Sorry, this fire's a bit uneven, I'm trying to straighten it out. As you do that, the flame does every now and then kind of straighten up again and then kind of stands at kind of a 45 degree angle like it is in some kind of breeze, the breeze coming from the opposite side. From the opposite side, it's odd you just see a large bookshelf with a couple of overturned chairs and tables propped up against it. There's the door at the far end which could also be giving the breeze.
00:08:57
Speaker
Maskey, why are you blowing a wonky flame? I'm trying to straighten it out. Shall I help you or shall we just go up the stairs?
00:09:09
Speaker
Just help me, I don't want people to think Miles is a mess. Okay, and he's gonna come down the stairs and he's gonna blow on the other side. Two of these seem to be quite simple, yet the other two seem to be slightly more moody and purposeful and having more about them and seem to be looking at the other two who are currently blowing a flame with a degree of annoyance. Glance up to see if either Growner or
00:09:40
Speaker
durick are looking at me as i'm very loudly just noting these things down and no dorick would dorick dorick got durick now that my youth like oh i'm sorry dorick dorick dorick kind of has his um fingers pinched after the bridge of his nose at the moment as he's kind of witnessing what's going on with his current uh gobbling kin dorick is getting progressively more irritated with his fellow kin well if i look at groaner i'd notice
00:10:10
Speaker
Well, Grona was still in the other room, but when she heard them shouting up the stairs to the necromancers, she did come out and she is now looking at the two of them blowing on the candle, just with an expression of, why am I in a group with these two idiots?
00:10:30
Speaker
And how you would have entered the room, you would have, while you were in the corridor, you would have honed, and Grona is doing, and then this little halfling would have just appeared in the doorway peering at you to see what you're doing, with a notepad in hand.
Discovery of Hidden Passage
00:10:43
Speaker
Grona's just going to say under her breath, like, oh, we should have killed that one. Be careful about how you make notes around. This one is displaying tendencies toward murder.
00:10:57
Speaker
No, no, hang on a second. Now you said something about this flame being uneven. Could it be, perchance, that there are more secrets in this abode than might meet our goblin eye? You mean like a storage cupboard?
00:11:14
Speaker
Sure. A storage cupboard? I've got a pantry! If I may interject just for one second, I've not done too much work with fire in my time, but I think that flame is just doing what flames do, which is burning where the kindling is.
00:11:32
Speaker
I would suggest there's nothing particularly extraordinary about this flame, though the fact that you think there's someone upstairs, I do find extraordinary and somewhat terrifying. Should we pay our attention to that rather than that? Wait, wait, wait, wait. There's someone upstairs. How do you smell that? Well, there's both Gobbo and them, and Mask have said they think there's someone upstairs, yes. We heard a noise, but we shouted up
00:12:01
Speaker
And we asked if it was a necromancer. They didn't say anything. Yeah. It must not be then, obviously. Exactly! Callum. We decided to turn our attentions to this flickery thing. On that, go boy and... Musk, could you both give you perception checks, please? No, not. What did you get?
00:12:31
Speaker
Musk got a nine. And Godboy got 12. Okay, fair enough. Godboy, what you notice is you feel a breeze on the back of your neck. You're stood the other side of the candle, aren't you? Yeah.
00:12:45
Speaker
on the light blowing at it the opposite side and you feel a breeze on your neck on the left hand side closest to the wall almost like the breeze is coming through the wall or along the wall towards you and it's really like a thin stream of air and that's odd. I just felt something on my neck. What? I don't know like cold. Let me have a look.
00:13:12
Speaker
And Musky's going to walk behind Goboy and just try and have a look at the neck, just see who's editing there. I assume he would then feel the
Entering the Dark Room and Time Loop
00:13:23
Speaker
same thing on the back of his neck. Yes. There's something on the back of my neck now. I think it's moved. Grona, can you have a look at Musky's neck? Grona's going to roll her eyes and be like, what are they talking about now? And then kind of go over to humour them.
00:13:43
Speaker
Would she then be in a position to feel anything on her neck or is she not? Yes, this human centipede. You also feel the breeze on your neck and shoulder on the left-hand side closest to the wall as you kind of conga-line face the stairs, yes. Oh jings, they're actually right. You are now almost like shimmied up between this cabinet which sits behind you and the line of other three people in front of you in front of this flame and it
00:14:13
Speaker
This breeze is coming from behind the cabinet. It seems that the collective identity needs to form an opinion on whether something is happening or not, for three of these goblins now are affirming that they feel a breeze on their neck, not yet sure what the fourth is going to do. And as he says that, his eyes will just glance up and look at Dorit. Are you talking out loud this whole time, yeah, when you're writing these notes? Yes, yes. OK. Just checking.
00:14:41
Speaker
I'm, like, loud enough for us to hear you, or... If you're close enough, I would say yes, yeah. OK. We've got a mini DM here. Well, evidently, to the strange and soon-to-be-digested halfling in our party, there must be something behind. It's a breath of whoa from below in the depths of this house. Grona, maybe there's something behind you. See if it's hollow.
00:15:11
Speaker
It might be some sort of passageway or something. There's definitely a draft. Get it! Kill it! You kind of kill a draft, it's just like a wee breeze, like a wind. Kill the breeze!
00:15:33
Speaker
I think I actually would take out my sword and start to attack the bookcase even. Okay, roll to hit. I'm just going to concat it with the bludgeoning end of it. I really hope it falls on you and does the remaining hit points damage that you have left. Which I believe is not many. It definitely is not many and I can see it happening. That's a nine to hit the bookcase. Okay, yep. You hit the bookcase.
00:16:02
Speaker
roll damage. Oh god. I do 11 points of slashing damage. You smash into the side of this bookcase with a butt end of your weapon and like a badly formed I won't read the instructions IKEA self build at home it collapses sideways panels plinths and dust fly into the air and
00:16:30
Speaker
Your vision for a second is blocked and a loud crunch and thump and thwack of old, wet, mouldy wood kind of crumbles and collectively falls to the ground beneath you. Revealing behind it, a doorway. Well, that's one way of doing it. I knew it. Secretly shall not hold back the goblin eye. Well done, Mask. Yes, Mask. Thank you. Shall we go upstairs now?
00:17:02
Speaker
Yeah, we've still got the man upstairs or something. Just a second, just a second. You have just revealed a hidden doorway and you're going to walk right past it. Is that what's happening? Halfling, you didn't get a say here on what we do, right? No, I'm just an observer. I'm just an observer, but I'm observing that that's what you're about to do. I mean, sadly, you are correct on this occasion because I think we should maybe investigate this. But that doesn't mean that you should think you can tell us what to do.
00:17:32
Speaker
It doesn't mean anything, my friend. What was that? Are you mocking me? No, I'm trying to adopt the local... I'm going to just start pulling out my dagger as I say that.
00:17:48
Speaker
Yeah. I'm going to just back away, back towards the door, and then remember that I can't escape and go, nope, nope, nope. Definitely not mocking you. Just trying to assimilate into one of the team, one of the tribe. Right, well you are only one of us. And don't they forget it?
00:18:10
Speaker
I will not, definitely not forget it. Probably something I'm going to grant. I'm going to turn to this newly formed entrance where I go, oh, this must be the pantry. Maybe there's food inside. And I'm just going to stroll in. You must be careful you're still quite injured.
00:18:35
Speaker
Oh, yeah, looks down, his arms probably still got cuts and grazes on. Maybe some food will help. I'm strolling in, I'm strolling in. I think Godboy would be behind as well. Oh, how I envy their simpleton minds.
00:19:01
Speaker
I'm coming as well, and Daruk's going to follow them into the pantry. I will eventually walk past Grona, just very, very trepidly looking at her as I go. I'm still stroking my dagger as he's walking by and staring at him. His eyes will go wide, and then he'll just sheepishly damn it into the room. Very nice, very nice, very nice. OK, you're shifting guys in now.
00:19:30
Speaker
What you see on your approach, a couple of things happen in this room. Of course they do. As you walk past the entrance way, you feel the air shift and change. You almost notice that there's a fresher element of air here. Like it's not as old as part of the house compared to other parts of the house.
00:19:49
Speaker
What you see is a long dark room with shafts of moonlight stands before you. Tables upturned, a chest stands in front of a long standing ornate mirror with dust throughout the space and something urges you in. As you step into the room, the air crackles with an unsettling energy. Shadows dance with anotherworldly grace. A thunderous crack.
00:20:14
Speaker
through the room as a massive piece of masonry hurtles from the ceiling and threatening down to crush you all. Fear grips your heart as you scramble desperately dodging to get the cascading rubble. A cacophony of destruction drowns out your cries. Dust fills the air, obscuring your vision and choking your breath. Each moment is a maternity of impending doom. Could I please make you all there? We're familiar with the words, roll a dexterity saving throw, please. Ah, so this is how we're done. The ceiling is collapsing.
00:20:44
Speaker
Okay, hold your rolls. This is definitely how I die. And we'll see what we've got. So, Grona, what did you get? 15. Okay, thank you. Good boy, what did you get? 20. Thank you. Beatrix. I got an 8. Okay. Dorik, what did you get? I also got an 8.
00:21:13
Speaker
And, Musk, what'd you get? I got a seven. Okay. In an instant, Grona, Godboy, you dive out of the way, each either side of this horrific massive piece of masonry that's coming down. Doric, Bluey, and Musk, you are crushed to death.
00:21:38
Speaker
What?! What, I have 70... 74 points of damage. Yeah, I'm dead. That's about right. I like to think Musk has a slow-motion reaction to it, like... What?! I say, what are you looking at?!
00:21:55
Speaker
You feel the other two of you that are still alive. You feel something change as a pace. Obviously something changes. Three of people have just been killed instantly. Your heart beat races. You feel that there is something now pressing you forward, pushing you. Time is driving you forward or slowing you down. You're not really sure which, but something's not right here.
00:22:10
Speaker
The far end of the room you notice an atmosphere crackles with eerie energy and shivers your spine as you stand in the dust clears in the room. You notice six purple candles, their wax aged and brittle. A hushed silence envelops the chamber as a chilling whisper echoes in the background. A distant voice carried on an icy wind with an ominous flicker. These six candles, purple flames burst into life, casting a surreal glow across the room. What would you like to do?
00:22:38
Speaker
Hello? Are they just, just literally just crushed underneath a massive, like we can't see their bodies. We can't, huh. Splats, and we're talking just, just a thin film of blood that appears.
00:22:55
Speaker
Well, at least the halfling's dead, but the other two were all right. Oh, goggo, wait. It'll be all right, maybe. No, it's still coming back to me. And he's just gonna get in like a ball on the floor and he's just gonna cry. Oh, no. Oh, heartbreaking.
00:23:18
Speaker
I'm going to like half-heartedly kind of pat a cowboy on the shoulder because I really don't know what to do when people are crying. I was like, oh, they're there. Didn't they cry? Although I suppose three folk have just died, so maybe crying is a natural reaction. Is it somebody's birthday because there's candles? Oh, someone's died. I don't know what to do.
00:23:49
Speaker
It's very sad to die at a birthday party. Is it your birthday? No. Then what's going on? I don't quite know what's going on.
00:24:06
Speaker
So where are these candles? Are they candles at the opposite side of the room? Far end of the space, far end of the space. You can't really see them clearly on D&D Beyond, but it's past. There's a chest and a mirror just to kind of write as you turn around the space and then a cutremont of items thrown around the space as well. Chairs over turn, tables over turn. Much more of the same that you've seen in the previous two rooms as well. This place has been around for some time. Can I just ask Mark, on roll 20, is the map supposed to be blurry?
00:24:36
Speaker
No, yours might be loading. It's been like that forever. Shall I... Ah, sorry. Shall I refresh? Maybe re... Give it a refresh here, that helps clear it up. I'll try and theater the mind as much as I can. Well, I have to anyway, because all that listeners don't know what it looks like either, so I'll try where I can. The map isn't mapped so accurately. Yeah, so the candles are at the far end of the room. I guess I'll approach the candles and see... Can I investigate them?
00:25:06
Speaker
Yep, and the candles are sat on a really kind of on the floor, pretty much in a line. There's a small thin purple, like sheets, not sheet, but like a cloth that kind of covers underneath it, catching wax or something. It looks quite velvety and nice. And yeah, see these candles. So give me an investigation check. Sorry, I should have clicked that before. Oh, unnatural 20.
00:25:30
Speaker
nice okay these candles don't seem to burn from the wick though there is no wax they just there's there's an arcanic flame taking place here something has forced them to turn on these candles are all just for show they don't there's no there's no wax it looks like a candle but nothing is burning it could be an illusion it could be some form of arcanic magic these aren't normal candles
00:25:54
Speaker
I don't think this is a birthday party, go boy. Okay. These aren't your real candles. What do you mean? There's some sort of strange magic going on here. Shall I have a look? Or have you had a look? I'm a bit scared of getting any closer, to be honest. It could be, I don't know, whatever caused this ceiling to collapse.
00:26:24
Speaker
It might be related, I don't know. Can I roll a perception check? Yep, absolutely. That would be a 13. What are you trying to perceive? I'm trying to see if there's any other sign of life in the room. Yes, so as you walk past the main part of the room towards the north of the candles, you do notice there's some kind of
00:26:54
Speaker
something that draws your eye. This chest feels slightly different. It feels like almost it's watching you. There are no eyes, it looks like a chest for all intents and purposes, but there's something about it. And as you walk past the mirror, again, you saw a glimpse of your reflection. But aside from that, there was something, there's something, it feels like this is
00:27:14
Speaker
something is happening something is you're being watched in some way not nothing's kind of fitting in and then all of a sudden you feel this panic setting on both of you there's this panic and the walls stop to closing and closing and closing and closing and Growner shoots a threatening stare to Bellatrix and you enter the room the air feels cooler like this is part of a long
00:27:33
Speaker
part of a different time when this mansion was first built. You see a long dark room with shafted moonlight standing before you. You're still in your same order, so musky vented first, followed by a go boy, followed by everyone else in that line. I think we've grown at the back end there as well. Tables upturned, a chest standing. Can I shout out? Standing mirror. Can I say it? Something's happening. This has happened before.
00:28:00
Speaker
I've just got weird deja vu or something going on. As you step into the room, the air crackles with an unsettling energy. Shadows dance in otherworldly grace. A thunderous crack echoes from the room and a massive debris hurtles towards you. Could you all please make a dexterity saving throw? This is so amazing! Would I have time to shout out?
00:28:19
Speaker
plus two for the shout-out. So everyone, whatever you roll for your deck save, add two because you would have heard Growness say something just before that happened. I love how you're saying everyone when it's just Kayce. No, it's everyone, right? We're all back. Everyone's back.
00:28:37
Speaker
You all walk into the face. What? Yes. Yeah, you guys aren't dead, you're back. This is what happens when you don't pay attention, Dan. Yes, yes. I thought I was dead and I was just doing this. Darren, we're playing D&D, man. I'm alive? What the... So, same again. So, Doric, what'd you get? I got an 11 this time. Okay, Bluey. Sorry, Bella, 12, 12.
00:29:05
Speaker
Musk 23. Go boy. Eight. Grana. Sixteen.
00:29:17
Speaker
Blooby, you just cower back for a second. Sorry, I'm going to call you Blooby from now on because I can't do better. Blooby, you cower back for a second and cover your face up. Musk, you just kind of fall forward onto your head, touching forward. And Grona, you know exactly where this is going to fall. So you literally off to the side, as this thing falls, crushing to death, your boy, and Doric.
00:29:38
Speaker
You see the space in front of you. Candles crackle at the far end and eerie energy sends a shiver up your spine in the far end of the room. You notice six purple candles. Their wax aged and brittle. A hushed stillness envelops the chamber and a chilling whisper echoes in the background like a distant voice carried in an icy wind. With an ominous flicker, the candles burst into a vibrant flame, casting a surreal glow across the room. What would you four like to do?
00:30:02
Speaker
Good boy! What is happening?! Everybody, just calm down! This has happened! I can't calm down! I'm just being killed and I'm not dead and I'm dead! What is happening?! Do they have the knowledge that they died before? Yes. Oh, they do have the knowledge. Okay. Oh yeah, I died. That was painful. That hurt a lot. That hurt more than the spiders.
00:30:31
Speaker
I'm a good boy! Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe. Cheer up, you! Something is isn't he, right here. What happened? I died, I'm back, now good boy's gone. And the fancy man's gone as well. I don't really know what happened. Something caused this room to reset. And different ones of us died this time. But I don't know why.
00:31:01
Speaker
What did you do to make the room reset? Because I was dead and now I'm not dead and I think if you do that again we might actually all be able to get out of the way of it this time and then maybe none of us will be dead and that would be fabulous. I didn't really know what I did so I was just looking at the candles. I don't know if God really did something. Candles.
00:31:22
Speaker
I'm going to go to the candle. No, no, don't taste that. I'll say as he goes to reach out. I'm walking towards them, but I'm literally just staring intently at the candles now. You see six very, very bright purple flamed candles sat on the floor on a purple piece of material at the far end of the room. You also passed a chest, obviously, and then the mirror and all the other furniture that's in the space to get to it as well. Look at a poker candle.
00:31:51
Speaker
It just kind of rocks a little bit and then keeps rocking longer than you'd expect and then very suddenly comes to a halt and the flame continues. I'm out of ideas. Wait, hang on. What if I did this?
00:32:14
Speaker
I was gonna try and blow it out. Again, like I did with the fire in the earring, I was gonna be big, big breath and go... Not any specific candle, just the closest one. Can you just pick one though, just for argument's sake? I'll go for the middle one. The middle one, there are six candles. I'll go for... Okay. That's a musk response. I'll go for the middle one. And there's your intro, folks. Okay, going from the left inwards, I shall go for number four.
00:32:44
Speaker
So from the left, the fourth one. From the left going inwards, yes, number four. Okay, you extinguish it, nothing happens. Wait, wait, wait, wait. I have an idea. I have an idea.
00:32:56
Speaker
turn and just try and run to the door that they came in and just start pulling at it. Amazing, so as you sprint to the door you manage to walk out and Grona shoots a threatening stare to Bellatrix and enters into the room. The air feels colder like this part of an older part of the mansion. A long dark room with shaft and moonlight stands before you, tables upturned, a chance just stands in front
00:33:16
Speaker
Oh, not again! Dust on the door. Time creeps back and on again. As you step into the room, the air crackles with unsettling energy. Materiny falls from the ceiling. Could you obviously make a dexterity saving throw? I would just like to point out, if Gobbo... No, not Gobbo. If Musk has any idea that this is deja vu going off, I'm going to try and dive, push Gobbo out of the way. Aww. That's nice. We'll take the deck save. Are we adding ending to it this time?
00:33:46
Speaker
Has anyone said anything? So I said, oh, not again. Fair. I think, um, if we have memory of it as well, then surely we'd have a good idea. But I think James, unfortunately, all you've experienced is step splat, step splat.
00:34:06
Speaker
So unfortunately, because everyone else has survived and figured out, hang on a minute, this is some kind of repeating thing. Everyone except you can have a plus two to their deck save. Okay, fair. Apart from you, because I don't think, like a newborn baby, you haven't had the time to cognitively understand what the fuck is happening here. If that's okay. So a deck save from everyone again. We'll go up there. Grunner? I think I might be splatting this time. 12. Okay, go boy. 18.
00:34:36
Speaker
Okay, Musk. 21. Blumey. With the plus two from you, 18. Doric. And I rolled a 16 this time. Which would be 18 with the plus two from Mark. I don't get a plus two. He doesn't get a plus. Oh yeah, of course.
00:34:53
Speaker
What happens this time is, as you step into the room, there is a moment of clarity for many of you, and you all managed to almost do a grid in the previous one, which is to size this massive bit of masonry as it falls down from the roof. James, for you, it's more by chance. You happen to be as
00:35:10
Speaker
A go boy who stood next to you steps out of the way, he acts and he shoulder barges you, which knocks you onto the floor and accidentally stops you from getting hit by the masonry. You're all alive. You look and fire into the room. The atmosphere crackles with an eerie energy. It sets six purple candles burst into flame. Their wax aged in brittle hushed stillness envelops the chamber and there is a distant voice carried on an icy wind.
Solving the Riddle and Puzzle Loop
00:35:33
Speaker
You see a chest in front of a mirror and these six candles are a light on the floor to the north. What would you like to do?
00:35:38
Speaker
What the hell was that? It's alright. Stay party and then I don't know what. You're okay now though. What sort of tumultuous limbo is this? And I'm very confused as well. Bluey's not stopped running. He's now sprinting back towards the door once more here. Can I like clothesline him?
00:36:02
Speaker
Two down break again. Roll to hip. This is a grapple. Are you grabbing him or are you just... I guess this is an unarmed strike if it's just a close line. Yeah, close line. Go with an unarmed strike. Honestly, Bluey does a flip in the air. Unnatural 20 again. Yeah, that hits. I do zero damage with an unarmed strike.
00:36:27
Speaker
That's fine. Okay, here you go. This is why you do no damage. As you clothesline him, he flips one, he flips 360. You catch him perfectly on the neck. He flips right and lands back on his feet again. Oh, what a sell. Okay, go anybody.
00:36:47
Speaker
move. But I've got my glasses and I'm going to do an investigation check because I think there might be some hidden messages or something symbols in here. Okay. Yep. Give me an investigation check with advantage, please think. For once. I don't think I'm the only one who knows what's going on in the room. With advantage.
00:37:14
Speaker
Jesus! Oh god! Oh no! That's a nine. There are no kind of hidden signs at all. I can see it just looks like a normal room. A normal ancient haunted magical room. No, it's just a very haunted room with purple candles. Well, that's been here before. I've experienced, not this, but I've experienced situations where I've had to get out of places before.
00:37:41
Speaker
And I'm just going to see if there is anything in here that might suggest how we make all the dying stop. Is there anything that I can see? Wow, do you want to borrow my glasses? Why not? Just try that. Yes, thank you. I'll put those on. Oh, good to see me now. I'll take those off.
00:38:04
Speaker
Okay, I'm going to look specifically at the ceiling at the walls to see if there's any kind of trigger point that seems to be like stopping some kind of trap. Okay, yeah, give me an investigation check, please. If you kept my glasses on, you'd get advantage. Not without you. Oh. Because it's only for hidden messages and deciphering. That's an 11.
00:38:26
Speaker
You look around and first you think there is a little nugget of something that could be like a trip wire or something that might trick, set something off. You realize it's just a fallen piece of cobwebery that hangs. Cobwebery, that's not a word, but it should be cobweb that hangs down against the Western wall. Unfortunately, there's nothing there you can just say. Well, look at us all in the mirror. We can make funny faces.
00:38:51
Speaker
He's just going to start doing some funny tongue movements in the mirror, yeah. Godboy's going to cry. Have you gone to the mirror? Yeah. If Godboy starts doing that, I think musk would quite quickly follow and just start posing in front of the mirror. Just all muscular type of thing. Perhaps, perhaps.
00:39:05
Speaker
There is something that we need, a bit more of an archaic, arca- ar- there! Arcanic approach to going. Doric is going to use one of his spell slots and cast Detect Magic. It's going to be in a 30-foot range around him. If there's anything that has a remote amount of arcane energy to it, it's going to appear highlighted for Doric, or like a faint aura coming from an object or a person itself. Okay, the entire room lights up. Everything.
00:39:35
Speaker
you have to tell him the class of magic as well whether it's transmutation whether it's illusion whether it's necromancy necrotic you have to tell him the type of magic he detects as well thank you will lots lots of magics
00:39:51
Speaker
Oh, it can be more than one, it can be more than one. Oh, by the graceful planes of the Earth. Consider it's an overwhelming of everything. Just whilst the other two, sorry, I've looked in the mirror, so yeah, everything gives off this iconic glow of just like a cacophony of magic. There's no one discernible type that just seems to hit you from every single angle, every single type seems to be hitting you with this. As you look in the mirror, the ornate dusty mirror dimly lit room,
00:40:16
Speaker
your reflection of posing muscle poses, merges with the aged class and something catches your right, a subtle movement, a flicker of movement within the reflection. You watch as a figure of a tall, ethereal being materializes in the front of your eyes. The form is graceful, yet enigmatic, draped in flowing robes that seem to shift and blend with the shadows. With a voice that resonates with an otherworldly quality, the figure speaks its words laced with a riddle-like enigma. Not so low, but doubled makes one. Doubled again for a second.
00:40:46
Speaker
time creeps back and on again. Growner shoots a threatening stare to Bellatrix and enters the room. The air feels colder and this is a newer part of the mansion, not quite as old. A long dark room with shafts and moonlight stand before you, tables up turned, a chest sounds in front of a mirror, which is covered in dust, dust throughout the space, something urges you in. As you step into the room, the air crackles with an unsettling energy. Shallots dance with an otherworldly grow to thunderous crack and masonry floors from over the ceiling. Could everyone make a dexterity saving throw please? Could you please repeat that lovely little riddly thing?
00:41:16
Speaker
He didn't finish it, not solo, but doubled, makes one. Double again for second. And then he took a breath in and then everything reset. Okay, I still didn't get that. Is the plus two for knowing that it's coming still relevant, right? At the moment, we'll be in fourth iteration. At the moment, yes. Yes, sorry, yes. Yeah, yeah, so plus two for everyone now. Doric, what'd you get? I rolled a 19. I keep blowing.
00:41:45
Speaker
14. Musk? 7. Good boy. 17. Grana? 21.
00:41:54
Speaker
Musk. As I die, I want to die just still doing a heroic muscle pose. That's all I'm saying. Splat. And suddenly, what's the name of the dude? Johnny... English? Johnny Bravo. Johnny Bravo. One, two, three. Damn, I'm pretty. And then instantly gets crushed. Everyone else steps out of the way. I imagine, you know, it's still with that kind of energy. It's still a massive dust plume that hits up into the air.
00:42:23
Speaker
You notice the candles at the far end, the six purple candles burst into flames. You hear the chilling whisper, the echoes in the background, like this invoices character in an icy wind. The four of you are alive. What would you like to do? At this time, Bluey... This is what it feels like. As these characters start to talk, Bluey's just going to go... And run up the candle from just start knocking them all over and blowing them out and jumping on them in the fear. That is stupid alone, you bloody bastard room!
00:42:50
Speaker
Which candle do you hit first? The first one. On the left or the right? Yeah, that's fine. Whichever one he... Yeah, cool. Grownish hates a threatening stare to Bluey and enters the room. You feel the air cooler, like this is a newer part of the mansion. A long dark room of shafts have gone that stand before you. The tables are upturned. A chest stands in front of a standing mirror with dust upon it. Dust upon dust would throw out the space. Something urges you in. Time creeps back and on again. As you step into the room, a thunderous crack echoes through the massive debris as it hurtles towards you. Could everyone, everyone please make a dexterity saving throw. Fucking fucking fuck.
00:43:22
Speaker
Are we assuming the two's there until you tell us otherwise now? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Last time I was going to say, I would like to start counting to see if it's a timer, but that was way quicker this time, I think. Yeah, well, it's obviously... No, sorry. Doric? 23. Blimey? 20. Thank you. Musk? 24. Good boy? Natural 20 plus 4.
00:43:51
Speaker
G-Grona? Twenty-one. Cool, we're all alive. Get out of the way. I imagine some of you now are like quite adept at it. Walk and just step out of the way naturally. You know exactly where it's going before. Everyone's alive, dust in the air, candles at the far end of the room, burst into flames. There's harsh chillness, voices on the air, like carried in a icy wind. What do you want to do? Nobody move! Yeah, didn't you do that again? I've got an idea. Nobody hit me.
00:44:21
Speaker
I've got an idea, I think. I'm not sure what an idea is. You know, at the moment, I will take anything, Musk. There's something fizzing in your brain. It's kind of like... Like a headache with pictures. Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Love the future I'm referencing. I'll take anything. All right, Musk. What's your idea? Okay.
00:44:51
Speaker
I'm just gonna take my sword, I'm gonna smash the mirror. Probably gonna go horribly wrong, I can appreciate that.
00:45:00
Speaker
This is what I'm trying. I'm just going to mirror my dexterity scene. The mirror crumbles and crashes to you. And as you look at the broken form of the mirror out of one small corner of a piece that still remains there, you see the figure that you had once seen like a lifetime ago now speak to you. You can see the head of it kind of shake slowly and disappear. Hello. As he disappears from view.
00:45:29
Speaker
My brain hurts. What was he saying before? Before we died the last time or was it the last time before that? Something about being solo and then muffing and doubling and I don't know.
00:45:46
Speaker
It was some mathematical thing. I couldn't follow it. Wait a second. This figure was speaking to you. Yes. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. So low and then doubling, you say. Something to do with that. Yeah. Did we all hear it or just the two that were posing in the mirror? Just the two that were posing. Oh no. The two idiots.
00:46:10
Speaker
How dare you! Why haven't you mentioned this? Tell us what it said! What do you mean? We died a couple of times in between! Erm... Yeah, I... Yes, but there would be important information, wouldn't it? He'll look at the other two goblins who haven't had it. I take it that... Tell them this is important information! It sounds important. Whether we can get anything useful out of them might be a different matter. I can't remember everything you said. See, something about soloing and then doubling it.
00:46:40
Speaker
But I remember there being a number in there as well, because it equalled one. Mark, now that the... I love Musk. Mark, can you kill Alpha? So we did it by Musk.
00:46:57
Speaker
Okay, Mark, now that the mirror has been shattered, are the candles still there? Nothing else has changed apart from that. The mirror has been smashed. The chest that stands in front of the mirror is still there. None of the furniture has moved. The candles are still lit. The space still feels as cold and as airy as it did. You can still hear the whispers. Nothing else has changed. The mirror has just smashed. Can we get into that chesty thing? I can cry.
00:47:26
Speaker
I was going to cry and open the chest. It's quite odd that none of us have tried that yet, yes. Well, we kept dying. Yes, I was rather hoping not to experience dying as much as I have tonight. This is my pantry. Maybe there's food in the chest. You should know, Musk. I know, but...
00:47:46
Speaker
I don't. So we're letting Musk open the chest here. There's nothing stopping. Looks like I'm opening the chest to kill myself. The lid of the chest is incredibly heavy. Strangely so. Could you give me a strength check, please? Yes. An athletics check. An athletics check.
00:48:11
Speaker
Like other roles we've done in Belanger Chronicles before, guys, if you want to... Oh, sorry, you wouldn't know this, actually. James, actually, maybe not. I roll an aid check thing, so if you want to help it, you roll, and if you pass a DC, then it adds a certain amount to the roll as a plus four or plus six depending on the role. So there's always that as an option as well. What did you get? My athletics was 15.
00:48:33
Speaker
Okay, you managed a prize to get your hands into the gap of this and slowly pull this chest open. And as he gets to about 45 degrees open, you notice something strange happened to your fingers. They've gone and all that's left of these bloody stumps on both your hands with a sickening crack, the list, the chest of the lid bursts open, revealing a row of jagged teeth that protrude from within.
00:48:53
Speaker
The mouth opens wide, emitting a garble of echo. I fell for it! Spending a shiver down your spine, saliva-like drool drips down its gnashing teeth, sizzling upon contact with a floor like acidic droplets. This once inanimate object now thrashes and writhes, and it absolutely chomps into the middle of your chest, ripping out your heart in one click as your corpse falls to the ground. It then, with a beastial fury and haunting chorus, just hoof, hoof, hoof, hoof, just moves forward like Batman. Break it, break it, break it, break it. Straight across.
00:49:22
Speaker
smashes into the warming opposite side, pauses for a second and then just spins round and all you see is the chest normal like it was before but with a slight goblin hue to the outside. So did it just the mask for all of us? No, mask! Oh no, not again! That was horrific! I didn't even know I knew that one!
00:49:54
Speaker
I didn't know a lot of things until tonight, I'm afraid, young boy. Bowie is just frozen in fear. Right, so we know... Don't you touch the candles? No. Don't you touch the chest? Yes. Something about mass. I think... I think there must be something with these candles. I think actually... And just as you say that, sorry, just as you say that, something with these candles, something happens.
00:50:25
Speaker
Growner shoots a threatening step at Bluey and you enter the room. Well, this is what I was hoping for. Like this part of the mansion is newer than the rest. A long dark woman shafts with moonlight stand before you, tables up to end her chest, stands in front of her mirror. You can all rose egg saves now you know what's coming. The dust upon dust throughout the space, something urges you in, time creeps back and on again. As you step into the room, crack, falls, DC, check. Doric. 18. Thank you, Bluey, this is still plus two. 28. Thank you, Musk. 23. Go boy. 10.
00:50:56
Speaker
i got a 21 again the third time in a row nice you are yet to die she's good oh yeah i thought i'd die but i thought a 12 would kill me and it didn't it's just been reset uh go boy i think is your mid weep and moan for the corpse like you just get crushed
00:51:15
Speaker
as the rest of you are alive. Musk, your last memory is being eaten chest first from this, by the chest, from your chest, chest to chest in front of you. I like that. But if you're back, what do you want? Are the candles lighting the flames? At the far end, six candles lit. The mirror has returned to its full form. The chest is back in front of the mirror like it was previously. Everything has gone back to how it was before. What would you like to do? Can I go straight to the mirror?
00:51:44
Speaker
Yep, absolutely. See if I can hear this message. So somebody who understands English might hear it this time. So as you approach the dusty mirror, thinly-lit room, reflection merges to the aged glass. However, something catches your eye, a subtle movement of flicker from the reflection. You're watching all as a figure of a tall, ethereal bearing, materialized in the front of your eyes, face shrouded in mystery. Its form graceful yet enigmatic, flowing rose that seemed to shift and blend with the shadows. Its face is obscured, wrapped in a hood that conceals its features, adding an air of mystery.
00:52:14
Speaker
With a voice that resonates with an otherworldly quality, the figure speaks its words laced with ruddle like enigma. Not solo, but doubled makes one. Doubled again for second. Death begets death. Life begets life. Dancing with night. Snuffed out ends strife. Strife. Strife. Strife. The ears. The words hang on the air. The figure's voice fades away leading you to ponder. And the figure.
00:52:44
Speaker
disappears into shadow, really nothing, but you're probably slightly perplexed goblin face, staring back into the old mirror. Okay, so I can't quite remember it all, but it was something like, not so little but doubled makes one, doubled again for second, death begets death, life begets life, dancing with something, snuffed out, something something. So. You got a good chunk of it. It was very confusing.
00:53:12
Speaker
Oh, I do understand why you didn't quite get that. The snuffed out bit must mean these candles. So it's something about odds and evens, right? That's what we have to do. Oh no, it's mass. Good boy.
00:53:32
Speaker
Good boy's dead. Good boy's dead and we'll remain dead until we either restart this cycle or we figure our way out. Now, I think, how many times have we died? How many times has this happened? Six or seven? Six. Six. I believe six. Six. So that makes that an even, yes? An even amount. Aye. Let's blow out an even amount of candles and see what happens. We'll blow out number six.
00:54:02
Speaker
all right surely it's like one can like this the the vigil is talking about one of the specific candles maybe but i uh can a little candle then the six well the third candles the middle candle or the fourth one and we're on the even one why don't we just you've done the fourth one i've hit them all that's not worked it's called i broke a mirror that worked
00:54:29
Speaker
Oh, that didn't work. If solo makes doubled, wouldn't that make the second one? Perhaps we should try the second candle to begin with. It says not solo but doubled makes one. So how can doubling something make one? And then double again. I can't even ask. If you double the one, that makes two and then double again would make four. So perhaps we begin with two and four.
00:54:56
Speaker
Why? We already did four though, did we not? I did four! I'll just go and hit the second candle and blow it out. Nothing happens. The candle is extinguished. Wait, wait, wait. We haven't repeated. Somebody, no, but that had... Someone else blew out a candle and nothing happened, I'm sure. Okay, we'll try number four now. And Doric is going to go over and extinguish the fourth candle. And as you take a deep breath in,
00:55:29
Speaker
That's where we're going to leave it for this week. We spent an hour on this one thing.
Session Reflections and Conclusion
00:55:35
Speaker
We should have gone upstairs. I wish we were better at riddles. This is the most fun I've had at just doing nothing.
00:55:45
Speaker
everyone's reaction that when three of us just died or it's just like oh yeah i thought i was done but i died yeah i think it was a big chunk of food you clearly thought you were done because you didn't realize when you were back alive again so that was perfect
00:56:01
Speaker
We have video and generally I just see Darren looking down and you can tell him who's on his phone. I'm dead. Fine. It's hard to feel too sad about a character that you literally manifested like two seconds before the campaign started. He's growing on me though. He's growing on me. He won't do any more growing when we kill him at the end of the news. That's his little escapade.
00:56:26
Speaker
If you wish to find out about the type of growing that we managed to do on the fellowship of the table pop, emotionally, spiritually, physically, however it is. Very good fellowship of the equal pop. Equal pop. You can follow us equal biggily on Twitter handles. I'm at DarrenPage06. Casey's at... Unicorn Crit. Totally forgot.
00:56:49
Speaker
Yeah, Callum is at. TheD20Gamer. James is at. Chappy Dice Roll. Any questions you have for Sarah, you can send in the form of cryptic abuse to natural20will. And our fantabulous DM is at. HastyDrollDM. Till next time, guys.