Transcript
Garrett: Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of Into the Malediction. Today is episode 20. And we're back to some lore. I am.
Garrett: One of your hosts, Garrett Vance, also known as Admiral Tater, joined by my fellow co -hosts, Alan and Nick.
m3rcier: Hey, I'm Alan, or Mercer.
Nick: Yeah, and I'm Nick, or Fetty315 in the discords.
Garrett: And today's episode is going to be on a couple of lore articles. Well, really, I guess one is like... uh, a lore mini article of letters, and the other one is a short story. the gays of moloch Uh,
Garrett: And then. to get us started off here we're going to talk about some news uh the big thing is updates to the Play Network. So if you go to your maladdiction .gg website and you go to Play Network and you log in.
Garrett: you'll find yourself in the hub. and You can navigate the hub by scrolling down. or click it on the little links above in the upper left, and it'll take you to... A world map showing the location of storage stocking malediction.
Garrett: And... upcoming events. And so this is pretty cool. You can register and stuff here and find places to play. And bye. And of course, the deck editor. is uh in the hub as well, I believe.
Garrett: All right. Alan. What do you got? You got three things here. Your turn.
m3rcier: Yeah, well, I mean, you skipped you skipped one. We do have a sponsor.
Garrett: I was going to do that after. Keep going. Keep going.
m3rcier: Oh, okay. ah So we're still running a giveaway. End of the Malediction and Mark Gaming. If you leave a comment. Hashtag card and your favorite card from the game on either Spotify or YouTube.
m3rcier: Because we are on YouTube now. Hurrah. You'll be entered in to win your choice of... ah A faction box is signed by Fabio and Nikki. or the Liana Seeker deck.
m3rcier: Uh, And then I did have words on this past weekend. There were six tournaments this past weekend. So a lot of events going on. I think this coming weekend there's... Another six going on.
m3rcier: to include my two co -hosts in their event. Okay. but at warzone we had six people Sigrid ended up winning it. ah And... i I mean, not much. It was a six -person event. We were right next to the Armada players, so I got to...
m3rcier: I got to answer a TO o call for a game that I'm not the judge for. Uh...
Garrett: Well done.
m3rcier: which was
Garrett: That's what I'm talking about.
m3rcier: Which was awesome. I didn't answer a rules question. I just walked over there and looked at them like they were stupid. And then they hollered at me because I didn't answer it. which I wasn't going to, but it was fun.
m3rcier: Uh... I actually got to play because we had an uneven number and we had an obscene amount of prize support because The sponsors at Warzone, each one of them gives $50 to $100 per game for prize support.
m3rcier: ah There's a law firm that I swear the price support they gave it was it was easily $200 worth of crap that law firm gave to every game. So it was fun.
Garrett: Yet.
m3rcier: But that's all I got.
Garrett: Awesome. I just want to say the the price where it's funny because it was like... It was not gaming related. Whatsoever it was just it was just like electronic stuff
m3rcier: Oh no. Yeah, we we had the ah The OP kit that I got. was the main price support. I had some 3D print it like. Everyone left with one of the alt units either the Alt -Teric Beast or the Alt -Priest. Everyone walked off with one of those.
m3rcier: ah But the loser... Got it in. Tire liter of vodka. I don't remember what brand it was because that's what the venue had they gave to us. and then a bunch of gift cards to random sponsors that were there or booths that were there. But the law firm guy, it was a backpack.
m3rcier: a nice backpack, a nice water bottle. Two electric fans. And. a charging battery pack for your phone that actually magnetizes to it It was just ridiculous what that law firm did.
Garrett: What? What? it What a funny thing. for a gaming event. Um... Speaking of gaming events, this weekend we've got the Bourbon City Brawl coming up here in Kentucky where we're going to do malediction demos.
Garrett: and have product available and everything. It'll be really fun. Nick is going to be doing that with me. running the demos. And then. There is a bunch of other tournaments this weekend, right, Alan?
m3rcier: who are you
m3rcier: There is. Are you giving bourbon away at the Bourbon City Brawl?
Garrett: i I think so. yeah I think there is bourbon. Yes. Free? I don't know. Free unknown.
m3rcier: I'd be very disappointed if there was not bourbon at the Bourbon City Brawl.
Garrett: Yeah, there'll be some
Nick: ah
m3rcier: ah Is that our what have our host has been doing? Where are we?
Garrett: Oh no, we had tournaments happening this weekend.
m3rcier: I'm gonna do that next.
Garrett: um
Nick: Yeah.
m3rcier: Oh yeah.
Nick: That is what we're doing though.
m3rcier: Yeah, there's... there There are six of them.
Garrett: It is, indeed.
m3rcier: we will Well, there's nine of them. Nine events that we have in our events thing for later. in the episode.
Garrett: Yeah, that's that's wild.
Nick: if Busy time.
Garrett: Okay. And then. ah Do we have a sponsor? like Well, yes. Yes, we do. I am the sponsor. Apple Tater. official malediction products. Uh. Pretty awesome. so We got we got flex rulers echo master trackers all the stuff to level up your game Check it out at AdmiralTaylor .com.
Garrett: And then we'll also be carrying some some product now. uh to events and i might put it online i'll see i'll see how we do All right. What are the hosts doing? um alan you working on something boring and nerdy
m3rcier: Yeah, I'm still trying to wrap up that. That, uh, status wall that I... I showed you a picture of, got a little bit more work on it. Um, And then...
m3rcier: It was extremely stupid, this. past 30 days and I signed up for The trials will be everlasting in September. I also signed up for the Arkansas online Armada tournament. And then I also signed up for the Battle of Endor Online TTS Tournament.
m3rcier: Uh... which I quickly found trying to play that many games every week. was stupid.
Garrett: Untenable.
m3rcier: ah Yes, it's been very difficult. so I played in the...
Garrett: Don't you have children?
m3rcier: silks I do. ah They like to play games too, so they come sitting there and play games while I'm playing stuff. but ah Yeah, I don't think I'm going to make this mistake again. i was That was too much.
m3rcier: Other than that, we're getting ready for the little craft fair the girls are going to do that I'm Actually pretty excited for because you know I get to do all the dad stuff and show him. business stuff and Then I get to tax them afterwards.
m3rcier: So...
Garrett: Amazing. Nick. what are you What are you doing? I know you're doing. But what are you doing?
Nick: Yeah, I was going to say, we work together every week on what we're doing. So, you know, I'm working on the Bourbon City Brawl. uh yeah we're gonna have some demo tables uh some learn to plays And. I mean you already said everything that we're doing there. so I'm not doing much else.
Garrett: Perfect.
Nick: um You know, we we have our our weekly get togethers with our friends at our local game store. Um, Other than that, that's that's the extent of my malediction.
Garrett: Awesome. uh yeah yeah that's basically what we're doing getting ready for stuff i i'm also doing a bunch of sponsored vendor stuff and it's just Whenever you go to these like conventions and these gaming things, there's so much background stuff that's going on.
Garrett: to make them actually happen. So big shout out to the the people in charge of Bourbon City Brawl.
m3rcier: yeah
Garrett: Put in a lot of effort, a lot of volunteer time. Ah.
m3rcier: all of the logistics.
Garrett: Yes. Okay, that is that is that. we're moving into the actual lore uh we're gonna start off with the uh seligian missives Two. And this is the call of the husk.
Garrett: Written by George Mann. So this one was more of a I i didn't But it's still good. I didn't like it as much as Mrs. One with the banter.
Garrett: between Vorendal and Merida. But this was still really interesting. insight into, you know. some stuff that happened in the malediction. in the past. Which which one of you want to take this?
Garrett: who's Who's going? Who's going first?
Garrett: Allen.
Nick: i Yeah.
Garrett: Alright, Nick. Nick's elected.
Nick: I was going to say, I can take this one.
m3rcier: He volunteered. He volunteered.
Nick: Yep.
Nick: ah Yeah, so like you said, it so this is a... you know segging miss missives So they're always going to be these kind of back and forth correspondences. uh, Here we are working with between Metrovius.
Nick: who is the record keeper of the right of law. And Leonidas. How are we saying this?
m3rcier: Leonidas.
Nick: Leonidas, you're right.
Garrett: Wait.
Nick: yeah ah That's...
m3rcier: Holy Nuggets!
Nick: Leonidas, the scribe of the right of honor. right so we get a couple titles you know help flesh out the bureaucracy of of the order here
Nick: And so as we get into this, these are going to be back and forth. Um, With me is two. Uh, we... Get a name drop of the saintly bureaucracy, which I love the concept of this, right?
Nick: that We.
m3rcier: Oh, who? Who wrote the article?
Nick: Oh, i oh i have the I'm so sorry. You're right.
Garrett: It's George Mann.
Nick: the ah
Garrett: We covered that. Don't worry. He's been called, George.
Nick: George. Okay. ah That was just moving on. I was getting into it. uh yes so we get We have this. brought to us by the Sentley Bureaucracy.
Nick: Which, and as I was saying, I love this idea of. of this very organized like governmental re really like, you know, the blend of the the theocracy, the blend of the government and the the church here.
Nick: So I want to know more about. about that.
Nick: These are...
Nick: Well, let's just get into this because...
Garrett: Yeah, let's get add into it.
Nick: ah Yeah.
Garrett: And Alan, I'm so sorry.
Nick: summarizing it is going to be.
Garrett: don't Don't forget to mute.
m3rcier: But what did I do?
Garrett: No, I was just hearing it a lot in the background.
m3rcier: Okay, sorry.
Garrett: Sorry. All right, Dick. I'm so sorry.
Nick: So... um Metrovius is sending Leonidas a collection of papers. basically documenting a unusual journal that they have recovered from the malediction. And so um
Garrett: And who recovered it?
Nick: Hey, sir. revealed to us that Sigryth is the one who recovered this during one of her incursions. and has brought it back. to the church. they are He is now sending it to be entered into records. Um,
Nick: Bye, Leonidas.
Nick: And... As we get into this. The first letter really is just kind of a... set dressing. It's just letting us know kind of the context that we're getting this letter.
Nick: But we get the kind of the... the overall focus of the story is the Poldarian Husk. which is interesting because now... i You know, we we play the game. You have the husks going back and forth. You don't think much about it.
Nick: But. It would make sense, I think, that... Husks themselves are almost like... Places of interest. and they they can be named they can be like Just more significant than just like, oh, it's. It's a husk where a relic is at. It would be something that would be.
Nick: studied and something that would be like sought after. once you kind of learn that something exists in that direction.
m3rcier: Oh, yeah, but this one's a... A myth no one's founded.
Nick: Right, right. Um, So, the legend of the Poldarian Husk. and we move in to Just the ramblings. Right.
Nick: So. Um,
Nick: The fragments of the journal. We'll go on and go on. And we're not going to read the whole thing here. uh obvious of course but As always, we recommend you go read it yourself. We have this very poetic.
Nick: fragment that is just written. from someone who is being pulled. deeper and deeper into the malediction in search of this husk.
Nick: so Um,
Garrett: Yeah, the ah the guy looking for it. is like under the assumption if he finds it it's going to be a incredibly powerful weapon
Nick: right Right. it's It's a legacy, I think, right? Is that what...
Garrett: Yes.
Nick: I'm trying to see if I find, yeah, Lost lost Legacy.
m3rcier: Yeah, it's a legacy.
Nick: ah So, you know.
Nick: um As we get into this, he is looking for the... Poldarian Husk. That has been lost. and is only said to have existed.
Nick: We have a name of just a couple of people tamale uh He is... ah Basically abandoning his family. this life that he left behind. uh, I...
Nick: read I read, I don't know about you guys. I read this much more of like, he's being coerced and not necessarily. He's like. Um, you know betting it all against the house right like he's not going looking for it because He is...
Nick: Like, oh, I have to find this thing. i kind of took this especially the way he's writing this to be much more like The husk has like... touched something about like even the existence of it has like corrupted him and he's being like pulled in that direction.
Garrett: Yeah, it's definitely... I always come back to what... Chago told us about the malediction, how it warps reality or whatever. And so when he when he's in the malediction looking for this thing, it's like... projecting itself into his mind.
Nick: So you know he he he speaks of this in such flowery language with the... he sees it in his dreams he feels like everything that happens to him on his journey is a sign that is pulling him in the right direction.
Nick: and you know the further and further he can push himself the more he'll be he'll be rewarded if he can just Find the husk.
Nick: And so we just get so much imagery. of his journey through the malediction. You know, just... The sand, you know stinging his cheeks as it blows across him uh sinking you know his his feet sinking into it as he walks forward the The glow of the sun.
Nick: above him as he's just pushing himself. Until eventually... Seeing. a husk. And then, of course, that's when he wakes up, right? that like This is all like a vision.
Nick: That he's just like I can I see it before me. I'm going the right way And this is what I have to do. The next fragment, next fragment.
Nick: Now I... That's pretty much it. Is that he just, he's...
Garrett: Yeah.
Nick: going to get there and he's going to retrieve this legacy. And that's kind of where it cuts off. because we don't know if he actually made it or not So it's him.
m3rcier: And we don't actually... I don't think we know who he is
Garrett: No, we
Nick: No, he's not.
m3rcier: You know his wife's name.
Nick: He's not. He's not named. There's there it's the Journal of a Madman. that was pulled into the malediction.
Garrett: But then we find yeah Leonidas. What we're calling him. has the same visions. Outside.
Nick: Yes. Yes.
Garrett: And back in.
Garrett: Asteris or wherever he's at. Dynas. Um... and So that guy's a secret? i'm calling it now right This guy's going to be a seeker, and this thing's going to be his legacy. And that's going to be released next year. I'm calling it. That's my prediction.
Nick: That's pretty cool. I like that.
Garrett: Because, I mean, why why make this article, right? I mean, other than it's just being cool, but it's like. We're still making a game here, so. I think these are some bread crumbs.
Nick: I mean, i do think it's I do think it's cool and I like the idea that like...
m3rcier: Yeah.
Nick: This this husk almost has a call like a siren call and so this whoever this you know madman was that was pulled into it wrote this journal the journal makes it back and now leonidas is going to be pulled to it in the same path of like just this madness that drives him forward and we'll never see him again. Right.
m3rcier: Yeah, so the The seeker was Pondar. Pondor, pondar. and his legacy is a blazing soul. And apparently he disappeared early on.
m3rcier: Uh... Once Seekers became a thing. So after Veloma. He disappeared. ah What I find suspicious here and I'd like to know more is Or...
m3rcier: Metrovius and We'll do it. Leonides. Leonidas, however you say it. I don't think they're actually friends Like, they sound friendly in these missives, but...
m3rcier: If they're actual friends, like if they know each other, Metrovius. should have known that giving these documents to Leonidas was going to cause him to go. Which means he's going to go die.
Garrett: Whoa.
m3rcier: i would not I would not give my friend some information that I know is going to drive him to walk into hell and get killed.
Garrett: I don't know, maybe they thought it would just be... Interesting. like stuff, you know?
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: like co -workers discussing letters and then he just and
Nick: ah so it sounds It sounds like a polite email. right uh but but at the same time at the same time maybe You know, we don't know if Metrovius read this journal or not.
Garrett: Yeah, and maybe when
Nick: And he wasn't affected by it.
Garrett: And maybe when Metrobius got Leonidas' letter back, he's like, whoa, bro. What are you talking about? we Calm down.
m3rcier: Yeah, maybe I should is I should not have sent you that stuff, but yeah.
Garrett: Yeah.
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: you know Now he's going off as a seeker.
Nick: I like the idea that there's no reply because when Metrovius received this letter,
Garrett: ah
Nick: from Leonidas and said like, yeah. When I get back, it'll be in triumph. The future, my friend is bright and glorious. And then he just is like, I need a carriage immediately.
Garrett: Yeah.
Nick: ah
Garrett: ah So cool. I like it. all right uh we have anything else you want to talk about that
m3rcier: I don't think so. So we know another legacy. We know another. I mean, he's a deceased seeker. But we know another secret. We know another legacy. ah We have the saintly bureaucracy that was... you know, name that we Don't really know what that is. Oh, we have a guess at it.
m3rcier: It's the the politicians within the Saintly order.
Garrett: Yeah. Okay.
m3rcier: And, that you know, a number of new characters.
Garrett: This is certainly bureaucracy.
m3rcier: what i What I just realized reading through this is Sigrath and Marlow. Or the two that, uh... Found it.
m3rcier: And...
Garrett: Yes.
m3rcier: Marlo, so did they find this on their way back out when they had the others when they had the spear?
Garrett: That's what I was
m3rcier: Or was this... Or was this a different expedition?
Garrett: i but I... I... don' it's It doesn't really say. um in my head since these happens i've read them so close to each other back and i think these came back in august i think we're kind of behind but I was like, yeah, they definitely just picked this thing up on the way back. but Who knows? Because I think...
Garrett: cigarette goes in quite a bit.
m3rcier: Yeah, but we don't know how much Marlo. We know he went on one with her when he was, you know. He went in venture. And then he accompanied her to to get her brother back. but ah Don't know if he continued to stay with her.
m3rcier: So.
Garrett: Brother in quotations. um Awesome. Okay, guys, let's move on to the the main event here. the meat of the podcast, the potatoes. The gays.
Garrett: of Malik. This is by... Cave and Scott. Kevin Scott. Is this our first Cabot Scott article? We really should keep like.
m3rcier: Pretty sure it is
Nick: Yeah, I think so.
Garrett: Keep a list. It doesn't sound familiar. This is really well written. uh it had some pretty fun Uh... gripping like like little sentences uh because obviously we're not going to work read it word for word here so you should you should go back and read it But.
Garrett: ah This is cool. So this is... about the apprentices. Becoming mages in... I have a conclave. And so... It's a story that goes from Basically...
Garrett: you know being found and you're getting a mage to like study under And then. All the way to the point where you've got to go into the... Oracle with Moloch.
m3rcier: now ah But he failed to mention his. Uh, These are our boys. ah This is Bellamy Saratrin from... ah the by sword and by shield.
m3rcier: This is the story of the characters we met in that article for the first time.
Garrett: Yes.
Garrett: Yes. So this is before. And it even starts in... I a little bit of their childhood. which is really interesting Well, one of the one of the childhoods.
Garrett: So... uh alan uh to lead us off here
m3rcier: Okay, do we have a quote? Let me see. No, we don't have a quote.
Garrett: No quotes.
m3rcier: Oh, man. All right. So. Uh, Yes. It starts off with... ah Giving us a little bit of background on... Bellamy's because this is a story about Bellamy.
m3rcier: It gives us a little bit of information on his childhood. Came from a farming village out in the West for all they pulled their money together.
m3rcier: They sent him to Gateway. by himself, mind you. They just loaded him up on a... They gave their what? Teenage kid they put him on a wagon and sent him down the road to go become an apprentice
Garrett: Yeah, like all their money They're very poor. This is like a Hail Mary.
m3rcier: Yep.
Garrett: for the For the family.
m3rcier: And from early on, like you can tell, like the author makes it very clear that Bellamy is very. He's not confident in himself uh he's very lacks confidence.
m3rcier: Ah. Crusty because I... I've read this like three times trying to... Make sure I don't miss anything. But it actually, and it goes back and forth. Like, it is a... It does flashbacks, flash forwards.
m3rcier: It does everything. ah
Garrett: Yeah, because it opens with them. getting ready to face the trial. Right, where you go in and and draw your Leastrum for the Oracle and see if you're worthy.
m3rcier: Yeah.
m3rcier: Yep, they're standing in the antechamber, and it's him.
Garrett: Right.
m3rcier: Sarah Trent, who's their master, and then his best friend. Kalos. who we will learn about a little bit more as we work through the article. but Yeah, we we get more information on our our dear friend deb Bellamy.
m3rcier: We'll see. ka sarotin is it's This article just reinforces the fact that Seratrin is an a -hole. uh, but you know, I think we all knew that.
m3rcier: Yeah, and it was 14 or 15 is when they sent him off. Which is crazy to think about he had to ride from wherever he was to Gateway Then once he got to Gateway... you know it became very obvious that Uh,
m3rcier: He was going to be living on the streets unless he actually. Uh... became a uh an aspirant or an apprentice because He ain't got no money left and he's in a big city. He doesn't know what the hell to do because he's 15 years old.
m3rcier: But he gets picked up, not really picked up, but he gets ah found by Kalos. It was another scrawny little kid, but more of a street urchin thief.
Garrett: Yeah, he's trying to rob them Immediately.
m3rcier: Yep. Immediately tried to rob him, but then got caught.
Nick: Yep.
m3rcier: ah
Nick: It was like, eh, never mind.
m3rcier: So they just, you know... They work around, and we don't know the time hole here. the time frame here i'm pretty sure this all didn't happen in one day though the little meeting part.
m3rcier: I think they hung out for a little while. They got, you know, they became friends. ah But... At some point they... Uh, Stumble upon Sarah trend in his Either his ass knows his apprentice.
m3rcier: at the time. ah
Garrett: his ah His apprentice, Drin. What a name.
m3rcier: Yeah, Dren, D -R -E -N.
Garrett: Ha ha.
m3rcier: uh so they're watching him trying to figure out how you know how they can get his attention and this Apprentice who apparently is an idiot ah ended up dropping something. which Bellamy picks up.
m3rcier: Kalos. grabs it and, you know, Makes a big scene to give it back to the the master. ah And this is where serotrin... is definitely 100 % a -hole.
m3rcier: The Apprentice ah
Garrett: Well, well well Wow.
m3rcier: What? What?
Garrett: Whoa. I don't listen.
m3rcier: What?
Garrett: This is a valid crash out. He didn't just drop anything
m3rcier: No.
Garrett: Drin. This bubbling buffoon. Drops the key. to the laboratory.
m3rcier: Yeah.
Garrett: Okay.
m3rcier: But you still didn't have to gut him. And I say gut him down. He used a spell, probably Twin Flames. but
Garrett: he didn't He didn't gun him down.
m3rcier: Uh,
Garrett: He love tapped him.
m3rcier: Yes, he did
Garrett: He love tapped him.
m3rcier: Love Tafton with twin flames.
Garrett: he's He's crying afterwards. He's not dead. hes All he has to do is go work in the factories for like a couple decades.
m3rcier: No.
m3rcier: well Which means he's dead. So, yes, he he ah he dismissed his apprentice. His apprentice tried to run, so you know he knocked him down. He had Kalis and Bellamy go over there and pick up all the stuff. and from that point they were his aspirants.
m3rcier: And then a little bit later, we find out that they they did become his apprentices. Which is crazy because not only did he take those two on. But he had a... A third one that was an apprentice. He had three apprentices at work.
m3rcier: That means this guy... has some money. ah Because... He looks young. Or at least in By Sword and Shield we're told he looks young, so in this article he's got to be even younger.
m3rcier: But he has enough money to have three apprentices.
Garrett: He's competent. Okay. He knows what he's doing.
m3rcier: He must because he's definitely got some money.
Garrett: Let's go.
Garrett: He's locked in.
Nick: He's locked in.
m3rcier: he is He was locked in until he touched that spear. at which point he became a one -armed guy and then a dead guy.
Garrett: Listen. He messed with Siggy. Alright, it's a common mistake. He got smited.
Nick: This thing had little to do with it.
m3rcier: well Listen, he actually like put a hurtin' on Siggy, so I don't want to hear it.
Garrett: That's true. That's true. That's true. That's true.
Nick: ah
Garrett: if If you guys remember, I missed our our podcast for Sword and Shield.
Nick: Yep.
Nick: Oh, that's that's right.
Garrett: Yeah.
Nick: That's right. It was just me and Alan on that one.
Garrett: i didn' I didn't get to break it down in detail.
Nick: yeah I will say, though. Reading that one before reading this one. Um, kind of put a damper on like who seratron is within this story for me Because you kind of know how... It ends.
m3rcier: Oh yeah.
Nick: You know, I was like, oh, that's who that guy is.
m3rcier: Uh...
Nick: Right.
m3rcier: Oh, we we did get a... Another master. We know another master now. Master Valor. Apparently he runs the factories.
Nick: Yep.
m3rcier: ah And then that looks like twin flames artwork.
Nick: Yeah, for this There's also another master down in there. I'll edit. I don't think it's in this.
Garrett: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Nick: What's up?
Garrett: We're jumping ahead. Listen, listen. they meet we We meet Vin, right? That's her name.
Nick: Nope.
m3rcier: No, we haven't met Vey yet.
Garrett: Yes.
m3rcier: We haven't got there yet.
Nick: That's not yet.
Garrett: The vae, van, vae.
m3rcier: You're... You're you're you're jumping ahead.
Nick: You're jumping.
Garrett: What do you mean?
m3rcier: We're not to there yet. We're still we're still where the at the Twin Flames artwork. ah Where. Sertrin is like basically dressing down his... ah His former apprentice and telling him, you know what he's got to do and all that
Garrett: Yet. The moron that can't. carry books down the street.
m3rcier: Yeah, that one. All right, and then the next part is where we...
Garrett: Yeah.
m3rcier: We run into... The three apprentices, so Ve is the third apprentice. which Bye. It's, it's... Very missing.
Nick: I think.
m3rcier: not misleading oh wait no there's not vey in this part yet
Nick: No, as I say, it's it's... So all confusion aside, if you're listening to this and you have not read this story. This story is a lot of flashbacks and flash -forwards. Uh,
m3rcier: Yeah.
Nick: So the timing is really hard to keep straight.
Garrett: Yeah, it's like I'm watching HBO here.
m3rcier: Yeah, so at the start of it, it's when they... Became aspirants at the end of the article. It's a decade later So this next section... Where they have the... the mercenary artwork This is while they're still aspirants It's a flashback to when they were aspirants for serotrin, not necessarily as apprentices yet.
m3rcier: they had He had them stealing things, sabotaging other masters. you know Doing all the... the normal stuff that he can't do.
m3rcier: Then we flash back to the antechamber where... He and Kaelas are standing. Uh... And that's where we get introduced to, or at least. They bring up they.
m3rcier: which was the third apprentice for Saratran. And apparently... both Calus and Bellamy's love interest.
Garrett: Love triangle.
m3rcier: Yup. uh so there's a little bit of
Garrett: Spicy.
m3rcier: little bit of back and forth where uh, Sarah Tran and Bellamy and Kalis are all talking in the antechamber. Uh... But then it goes into a flashback of...
m3rcier: one of the trials that Sarah Trim put them in, which was He gave them a little bit. of last from each. I think he turned all the lights in the room off and then he let a baby Taric beast into the room with them.
m3rcier: ah and they had to defeat it. well Well, the boys weren't all that great. It killed they. before they killed it.
Garrett: Well... Well, hold on. here I mean, Bellamy is the one who really dropped the ball here. all right couldn't couldn't get his smoke going
m3rcier: uh, He couldn't get his dagger going, but Kalos could have you know been faster too.
Garrett: He had it.
Garrett: I mean, he justs listen, the therapy is pretty fast, all right? It's got speed eight, right?
Nick: ah
m3rcier: ah
Garrett: First off...
Nick: There's speed 10 actually.
Garrett: Speed 10. Thank you. See? Alright.
m3rcier: Hmm.
Garrett: Uh,
m3rcier: Hey, listen, it just he just didn't get there. They he should have but did a better bet for initiative.
Garrett: Yeah, but... Before we... do that. The story is really confusing. a little bit because of the flash for flashback i think all these flashbacks are happening. to Bellamy because he's going into the chamber. And I think it's it's part of the...
Garrett: It's part of the the test, the trial. I guess. It's like dealing with these flashbacks in the chamber, perhaps.
m3rcier: yeah i think Yeah, I think he is in the chamber when he's having most of these flashbacks.
Garrett: Yeah, this is all happening. on It's like the most... ah Trauma. induced parts of his life happening. for before his eyes. And it's like, Moloch is like,
m3rcier: Being resurfaced.
Garrett: is looking at his his... worthiness or soul or whatever.
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: through this through this lens
Nick: And I do want to say too, it's an interesting, there's a detail in there. That's thrown out. um how bellamy makes a comment or kind of an internal comment. of how it's strange how the more you use the Astrum...
Nick: the more like simple facts like escape your mind like he you know his he mentions like his own age right He doesn't know how old he is because like he's been using the Astrum now and he doesn't...
Nick: That. concept of time is like lost to him And so I want...
m3rcier: yeah They're not sure how long they've been apprentices.
Nick: I wonder if like the flashback flash forward. like aspect of the story is also like really like an exaggeration of like even for a mage. of the Conclave, it's like...
Nick: The more useless the last room, the less time makes sense to you.
Garrett: Yeah. I like that. I like that a lot. It's just everything's jumbled up in your head.
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: It's like doing drugs. Essentially. Uh...
Garrett: Okay. So. Where we at? Where we at? Where at?
m3rcier: yeah but it's like, At this...
Garrett: We're in the... Oh, it listen, we're tight in the tarot beast. Alright.
m3rcier: Yes, they're tech or they've. They were attacked by the Taric Beast, who kills Vay, and then... Kalos and Bellamy managed to kill it. However, as Garrett pointed out... At this point, Bellamy is extremely unconfident.
m3rcier: Uh... He seems like he's knowledgeable in... Like he knows what to do He just can't perform. Like, he's not even able to form the live stream into a dagger.
m3rcier: Kalos does it for him. ah So... He seems like of the three apprentices, like he's the low. the low one on the totem pole. Like he's crappy. And then we do find out about another master here.
m3rcier: They stole a scroll of transposition from Master Triaden in the Amblus archive. and and in one of these flashbacks that's happening.
Garrett: Yeah, and killed him.
m3rcier: Oh, they did kill him too. Yeah.
Garrett: Yeah, they so they stuck a last rip sword right through his right through his heart
m3rcier: They killed another master.
Garrett: It's pretty baller.
m3rcier: Uh...
Nick: ah
m3rcier: Seratron, Seratron, Seratron. ah Let's see. <unk> Ve ends up dying, as we've talked about.
Garrett: If they get smoked. see it her neck gets Her neck gets ripped out. Just just some brutal stuff here. It's great.
m3rcier: Yeah. And Zeratrin doesn't even look at her. It just has a behigagen dragger out. And we do find out that Kalos and... Uh... Bella may never speak her name again either after that. So it's kind of, you know, she got killed. she's They're done. No one no one recalls her.
Garrett: Well, I think that's a little bit alike. Trying to deal with the... the the ptsd of the situation right
m3rcier: I don't know. Maybe, but also like the fact that no one no one talks about her.
Garrett: they They loved her.
m3rcier: They did, but then they just never talked about her again. They didn't do anything. like
Garrett: Well, yeah, they don't they don't want they don't want to upset or whatever his name is.
m3rcier: Yeah, I think the Livestream is corrupting them a little bit too.
Garrett: <unk> We'll see about that later on here. We'll see about that. All right. All right, buddy.
m3rcier: ah But yeah, so they're you know he's going through all these flashbacks. you know, being tested by the The, uh... The Oracle. There's actually some... Pretty cool artwork of him at the end. ah But do we want to get into the the the last part of it? I mean it it's this article is long and it's a lot of like forward and flashback, so it's hard to Cover it in any sensible thing unless you're reading it
Garrett: Well, I mean... Essentially. Essentially, you know. it It just goes through like, hey. like over the like the decade or whatever they're doing this the 10 15 20 years of studying in their PhD graduate program.
Garrett: uh, They're doing a lot of crime. They're doing a lot of murder. uh, not It doesn't sound like very much research. It just sounds like a lot of crime and murder, which is just right up Saritan's Alley.
Garrett: he's just He's getting it done, man. uh, He is. He is making progress. Getting masters killed. Getting stuff. He's getting Leastrum. He's just working up a debt.
Garrett: All right. Yeah, debt from his boys there. They got to repay. Ah. But yeah, eventually it's it swings back. It swings back.
Garrett: to the the Oracle Chamber itself, right? Uh... He goes in. And he's like, he's got some like so words he's got. to mutter. Right.
Garrett: uh they must be important words or so or something or like They've made the words up and everyone just says them anyways. I don't know if Mala cares. He's like, why do these guys always say these stupid things? They come in here. Because really he's more interested in your actual worthiness as a mage.
Garrett: Ah. But then, like, that's that's when things get really real. And I guess the other idea that I really like is the fact that there's a gallery. of all the other mages like looking down and watching this like it's a spectate All right.
m3rcier: Yeah, all the masters watching them.
Nick: Now it makes it makes it's a like a theater
m3rcier: Kind of like in... a
Garrett: Yes.
Nick: Yeah.
m3rcier: In the Hunger Games, when you have all of the... ah Tributes. auditioning that's essentially what it's like
Nick: I was. I was thinking more like operating theaters and like surgery. uh where You you um perform. surgeries with like Obviously, you know, the the already established surgeons watching.
m3rcier: Oh, actually. so I'm reading through the part where he's like. conversing with the oracle
Garrett: Yeah.
m3rcier: ah he is aware that Moloch is one with the Oracle. Don't know if that's a... i mean i don't know if that's a common thing that all of them find out when they go through it. The only two that we are 100 % sure of are Polinor and...
m3rcier: Bellamy now.
Garrett: And, I mean, probably the laundry on those, too.
m3rcier: Yeah, that's because Paul remember probably told her though
Garrett: Let's figure it.
Nick: I...
Garrett: Right.
Nick: well and I wonder if maybe that is a common thing that like when you go through it. you realize like Moloch is part of because we do we know. as like the readers. that every vestige the like Everlasting Soul is still like tied to it.
Nick: So it would make sense, right, that Moloch would still kind of... Be there. But I think Paul Noor's like unique thing is he knows that it's broken or something's wrong with it. Right.
Nick: So like.
m3rcier: Yeah. Oh. Oh, I'm gonna love this this little what is it one Two, three, four, five. it's six sentences i'm gonna read this part of it So this is a little bit after where he's... you know He's still having some flashbacks while he's standing in front of it. but It says...
m3rcier: He is a master now. a seeker. strong. his fear full and his gaze clear. There is no confusion. No distraction. They have traveled to the malediction.
m3rcier: Seratron's vampiris on his hand. Oh, what did I say? He's a seeker. He's using Sertran's Vambris because that was a legacy. Oh man.
Garrett: woe
m3rcier: it's no longer conjecture.
Garrett: Yeah. I also also wanted to point out.
m3rcier: Yeah.
Garrett: I forgot about this. but this i I should have highlighted this earlier. the When they're training to get up to this point, they they fought a barrow defiler.
m3rcier: Mm hmm.
Garrett: and killed it.
Nick: Oh yeah, yeah.
Garrett: They killed it with it with its own shovel. into its heart, which is which is awesome.
Nick: I love, yeah, that was a really cool little detail.
Garrett: And then Kayla says something really boring, like saves a child from a collapsed wall.
m3rcier: yeah Oh, and I'm going to read this part. Because, you know, but this city buried deep beyond the wall Galdron's Wall. uh It's like nothing we've ever seen before. The building's twisted.
m3rcier: Towers like melted wax. melted flesh.
m3rcier: Just do it. A little bit of breadcrumb there.
Garrett: Wait, where's what part is that referencing to? Where are we at?
m3rcier: ah yeah You'll find out later.
Garrett: Uh...
m3rcier: just It's a breadcrumb.
Garrett: No, I don't need the bread truck. I'm asking where it was.
m3rcier: Oh, where it is? It's like a few lines down past the... ah
m3rcier: through discipline where he's hollering at Moloch, telling him, you know, I'm a master at giving me my stuff.
Garrett: Yeah.
m3rcier: It's somewhere down in there.
Garrett: oh that's the other thing that's the other thing when he's in there also the dead people are talking to him. right
m3rcier: Yes.
Garrett: This is where we find out Jaren is officially dead. on the factory floor. Uh, and talking to him. I'm not sure why Dren gets to talk to him, but whatever. We don't even know if these people are real, right? Because we don't know how souls work here.
Garrett: But then Vey is there.
m3rcier: Oh. Someone's microphone.
Garrett: and We're going to blame Nick. So, Vey and Dren are talking to him. and so it's basically anybody he's killed seems to be able to whisper to him in the uh the chamber itself. but in the In the middle of it, when in the the the last one's dancing around him. Or whatever.
Garrett: the He looks over and sees Kalos and Kalos like turns into this horrid thing with like fangs and and teeth and stuff. and uh And as this abomination leaps towards him.
Garrett: ah Bellamy. creates and acts. out of the Astrum. And. cuts off his head. Uh... And so when I was reading that, I was like, wait, is Kale in there with him? But no, it's just, ah it's a vision.
Garrett: And... This is where kaos or Bellamy's like... Okay, well, I pass. I'm a master. But also, he knows that Kalos is going to die if he goes in here and does it. And this this is where things just kind of...
Garrett: it kind of fall off, just absolutely start escalating here. um Nick. You haven't got to talk a lot. Tell us what happens next.
Nick: Yeah, so... um I said man, this part. was really kind of upsetting, honestly.
Garrett: Yeah.
Nick: Um...
Garrett: ah
Nick: so Yeah, so Bellamy has this vision. He sees all this happening. So he tries to stop Kalos. Uh, And Kaelas is not having it.
Nick: So Bellamy... like he uses his like And I don't know if this is like a brand new control of Leastrum, but he like flies with Leastrum. right like He just like shoots himself up to the gallery.
Garrett: whoa Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're jumping too far ahead. Calm down.
Nick: But.
Garrett: so Roll back.
Nick: Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Garrett: Roll back. Roll back.
Nick: The um... yeah They get in a fight. They get in a fight, and Kalos...
Nick: I think I've, man.
Garrett: Listen.
Nick: I'm trying to scroll through the script and...
Garrett: i'm jump I'm jumping. i got i got Okay, I'm taking it. i'm I'm jumping in.
Nick: ah
Garrett: I'm jumping in. Listen. He comes out. Without any good reasoning. He says, yo, Kalis. If you go in there, you're gonna die. And chaos is like, what are you talking about?
Garrett: Shut up.
m3rcier: yeah he's
Garrett: I'm going in.
m3rcier: He's a master now, by the way. He he passed the gays.
Garrett: Yeah, like...
m3rcier: So he's now a master when he goes back out.
Garrett: That to be clear, Bellamy. Has always. relied on Kayla's to get him there. All right? and so like
m3rcier: Yeah.
Garrett: On paper, Kayla should be. the guy becoming the master. And now Bellamy. has the Go. to come out of there and tell his friend who has helped him for who knows how long.
Garrett: that nah bro if you go in they're gonna die Doesn't give any reasons. And then... On top of all of that. Bellamy's like, Hey, Cal. Don't go in there. just ripping open a new wound Because Cal...
Garrett: Was in love with they. And they were an item. And then... Bellamy cheats. With they. On Cal.
m3rcier: We don't know that. Yeah, we don't know that.
Garrett: Yes we do.
m3rcier: No, we don't.
Garrett: Yes we do.
m3rcier: It does not say that.
Nick: they They does say it was a mistake. I'm in love with Cal.
Garrett: Yes! That is right. So now, not only has he told him, nah, bro, you're going to die if you go in there. You can't go in. And then he rubs salt the wound about that. brutal.
Garrett: brutal.
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: And just, it just shuts up.
m3rcier: What was it?
Nick: Yeah.
m3rcier: He has reasoning.
Garrett: It just. What?
m3rcier: He was told while he was in his trial. While he was doing his gaze, that if cows went in there, he would die.
Garrett: i what Was he told?
m3rcier: So he's trying to he's trying to save his friend.
Nick: Well, it was a you It was a vision, right? It was a vision.
m3rcier: Yes.
Nick: um and yeah i got that i've scrolled too far down that's why i was That was awful of it.
Garrett: I'm saying. I'm saying Bellamy is responsible.
Nick: Um,
Garrett: He has created the he he created the situation that the vision is showing him.
Nick: But it's a... It's classic multiverse. like um like storytelling right like time travel where it's like
Garrett: Yes.
Nick: oh you see a vision it's like oh no i'm going to prevent that vision And then by trying to prevent it, you cause it.
Garrett: Yes.
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: he killed his friend,
Nick: it's
Garrett: And because of his inaction, he also killed Vey. Everything is false. And he killed Drin. because he picked up the coin.
Nick: Hey. Uh...
m3rcier: but he didn't He didn't kill Dryn. Dryn died because... of what he and Kalis did.
Garrett: And Dren is incompetent.
Nick: No, man.
Garrett: However, it all comes back to our boy Bellamy here.
Nick: It is kind of.
Garrett: If he hadn't have picked it up. He would have been fine
Nick: None of this would have happened.
m3rcier: ah youre you You were putting everything on him.
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: It's true.
Nick: I mean, if you want to if you want to really do that logic, then Dren killed Vey.
m3rcier: But...
Nick: Like...
Garrett: No.
Nick: No.
Garrett: No, I'm not doing that that. No, that doesn't work. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. Drain wasn't there.
Nick: it does Yeah, yeah, yeah.
m3rcier: It does.
Garrett: All right, listen.
Nick: Um, Right.
Garrett: get Okay, go Nick, go. I'm sorry, go.
Nick: Yeah, yeah. um Yeah, so... no it so we have this really back and forth which it it is really heart -wrenching too because Like Kalos throughout the entire story has been like.
Nick: Um, I was really kind of confused because the very first like paragraph we get with Kayla's introduction in this story was like he was kind of. like maybe a little cocky.
Nick: And you don't really know who he is in relation to Bellamy. So you're kind of like, is he like a cocky rival? like And then. immediately goes into like no he's actually bellamy's like only friend in the world
Garrett: and looks out for him.
Nick: Yeah, and so you have all this...
Garrett: Like legit. like
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: Like he... as a brother, loves. His boy Bellamy.
Nick: So they have this back and forth and like. you know. Kalos is ready to go in and do his trial. Bellamy is like, now you're going to die. And he just takes it as. personal insult.
Nick: ah to be like, why, why? Now that you've done it... You're telling me I can't do it. And I'm the one who got you here. So it's like, why would you, why would you say this to me?
Nick: You know, you owe me so much you don't even understand. And so Kalos just blows him off.
Garrett: Fair.
Nick: And.
Garrett: Valid.
Nick: You know. No, it's I think it's very valid, which is why it's so tragic, because he just blows them off, pushes past them, and he goes through the doors, and it even has the line that says, like, nothing in Slagia can open those doors once they close.
Nick: Yeah. Yeah. so
Garrett: Brutal. brutal but yeah and okay now you can talk about how he flies
Nick: Yeah. Yeah. So, um, that Yeah, was i was I was like one paragraph, I think.
Garrett: Okay.
Nick: like down. So. uh
Garrett: He spit, he spit.
Nick: Bellamy.
Garrett: He spins one echo.
Nick: He spends one echo, and he... Lassner strides himself up to the gallery. Uh... And he flies up there and he goes to straight to Sertrin. And he's just like. You know what?
Nick: Like, cause you know, at that point he's like, I saw like a vision. He's like, you know, what's going to happen. You must know what's going to happen. And searching's just like... You know, what do you like?
Nick: i didn't I didn't train you to act this way. You need to compose yourself. But Bellamy's like, beyond it. And he's just like, no, he's like, no, but you know what's going to happen. Like, he's not going to survive the trials.
Nick: And so... they turn like in the gallery and you see calus enter like the the Moloch Oracle, and try he starts... Like. thrashing out at the Leastrum and like...
Nick: Demanding. it to concede to him. Right. Because we we got Bellamy's like. very much like reciting the phrase and like speaking kind of with malik and and being dominant, but in a calm way But then, like, you know, Bellamy is seeing Kalos.
Nick: lashing out and and just...
Garrett: Crashing. crashing out. He's tilting.
Nick: Crashing out hard, yeah He's yeah, exactly. He's tilted. Exactly. And even Sarah is kind of like interesting. He's like, he's usually so composed. He's like, I wonder what.
Nick: could possibly have set him off. to to act this way and then like you're just like bellamy is just like oh my god Like. I, and then we, let yeah, literally the line, like, you know, he has the the whisper from Faye in his head and it's just like, you did this.
Garrett: ah
Nick: Okay. Oh my God. So.
m3rcier: It's a live stream.
Nick: It's yeah, it's just this like so you see And then we get the kind of a flashback where. again another flashback where he's you know sarah turner's reciting to to all of his apprentices it's like Moloch will test you.
Nick: You must never respond in anger. Right. And so it's just like, and then you, you jump back to the present. It's just like, and then you see Kayla's like. angrily lashing out at the at his trial.
Nick: Oh. Tragic.
Garrett: Yeah, Malik definitely, the vision he had to see was Bellamy and his girl, Vay. Or Vess, whatever your name is, Vey.
Nick: Babe.
Garrett: They.
Nick: Yep.
Garrett: Yeah, that's what that's what happened. he had He showed him that. He's like, nah.
Nick: Well, and, you know, I wonder if that's maybe, so you know, that's something he didn't have to be seen. Like maybe that's something he knew. And. in the back of his mind was like, You know what? Life's hard. We all in this together.
Nick: And then like that moment. sets him off right like it's like no like you don't even understand Like. How dare you at this point now try to stop me after everything else you've done?
Garrett: Yep.
Nick: Right? oh man it's just like it's just so many layers there's so many layers here
Garrett: I love it Uh,
Nick: very well but I will say, very well written. The way the flashbacks are... are written in This specific order to give you the story. As like. it becomes contextual.
Garrett: Yeah. The climax is wild. the ah And then what does he turn into?
Nick: Yeah, so.
Garrett: This is the... This is the best part.
Nick: Alan, do you want to jump? I know you were really excited about this.
m3rcier: Yeah, so So... ah the gate or the Oracle instead of like Fitting lash from around him or whatever because we're not they don't describe Bellamy's what's physically going on there, but they do describe Kalos's.
m3rcier: ah it's like a blast of the ice room so like the Oracle focuses him and just drenches him, bathes him, overwhelms him in the ice room. burning away his ah robes.
m3rcier: and causing his body to swell and his bones break and reform. And we are introduced to... at least one way that a spellbound bohegogen is created.
m3rcier: Failed apprentices.
Nick: Tragic.
Garrett: crafted by Moloch himself.
Garrett: You know that Saritan.
m3rcier: so
Garrett: Sarah Trin. definitely went down to the the bohesion market and picked up that one for sure
m3rcier: He even comments when he's talking to Bellamy. He's like Sargent nods as if he understands. I know how you feel. Very disappointing. All of that wasted lives from I should have known.
Nick: What a waste. Yeah, what a waste.
m3rcier: It's like, oh, God damn, dude. You're like, you spent 10 years with this kid and he just died. And all you have to say is. I'm disappointed.
Garrett: I mean, listen, he spent a lot of last year on him. Alright.
m3rcier: o But yeah, it's so we i mean we got a lot of... ah A lot of lore. We know how the Obahegians are at least created in one way.
m3rcier: ah There's a lot going on here. And it's a second story with Bellamy in it. I mean... Come on. like we We know he's going to be a character, guys.
m3rcier: I mean he is already is a character, but we know he'll be a character in the game at some point.
Garrett: um Obviously, he's a secret. I also want a special edition. Uh... Kalos? Spellbound by Heejin. Named character.
m3rcier: but
Nick: No.
Nick: Dude.
m3rcier: Yes, give us a ah unique bohegian.
Nick: Too soon dude.
Garrett: Dude.
Garrett: Uh, Yes, I want that. That'd be hilarious. um cool that was a great story i really enjoyed it
Nick: It was very good.
Garrett: Oh.
Nick: Yes.
m3rcier: It was.
Garrett: I'm really excited.
m3rcier: Go go read it.
Garrett: cause So now we're definitely going to get...
m3rcier: because it
Garrett: A Legion one and a Primal one. uh For sure, right?
m3rcier: I don't know, maybe
Garrett: For sure. I'm excited for that.
Nick: And I will say the final art piece in this article. is, like... Ah. It's like a wallpa wallpaper -worthy, I think.
Garrett: Oh, yeah.
Nick: ah like read the Read the story.
Garrett: out.
Nick: That final art piece really hits.
Garrett: Yeah, all the all the souls behind him.
Nick: Yeah.
Garrett: Screaming at him.
Nick: ah
Nick: man
m3rcier: right ah
Garrett: its awesome Well, cool guys. ah All right. I got to look back for my script, script, script, script.
m3rcier: Yeah, the next one. We we don't have our little... ah Jingle because I'm on an app. I'm not at my... I'm at my home computer.
Garrett: Oh, don't worry. I got it. I got it. I got it. Community spotlight, community spotlight. are You're welcome.
m3rcier: Okay, well we don't we you don't have to pay Jason for this one then
Garrett: Nope.
Nick: that was
m3rcier: Alright.
Nick: He'll be so, he'll be devastated.
Garrett: but
m3rcier: Don't even think he knows that he's he you know that He hasn't told us we owe him royalties yet, so.
Garrett: No, he's definitely not listening to this. That's for sure.
m3rcier: All right, so this week our community spotlight is going to be the Northern Colorado Strike Team. ah They enter the malediction. at the nerd store on tuesday evenings from 5 30 to 8 30.
m3rcier: Uh, There are two heralds. Crimson Wrath or Alan. and then ogreforge or lee Those are the two heralds for that area. Okay.
m3rcier: ah When I put all this together, their last event was a Peyton take on August 11th, and they had 15 people there.
Garrett: I am so jealous.
m3rcier: up
Garrett: How did they get these numbers? This is fantastic. Well done.
m3rcier: and for a paint intake too.
Garrett: Yeah.
m3rcier: I've had zero luck with paint intakes because I haven't tried because I'm... Not a good painter. but And then they have they're in their fifth week starting Tuesday. So tomorrow from when we recorded this.
m3rcier: of their achievement league, which ICE. stole wholesale from them. Alan sent me the thing. And we started ours, we're in week two of it, or this will be week three.
m3rcier: ah But there's it's a little thing that Alan made. It's got 20 achievements on it. Agile. do them you check them off and then each achievement you get is a raffle entry towards some Prize pool stuff they have in the raffle, which we're doing the same thing in our area uh but yeah if you if you want that achievement if you're a herald or just someone else in the community It is on the official Discord. Just ping Crimson Wraith and ask him for it and he will give it to you.
Garrett: Awesome. Well, huge shout out and thanks for the ideas for the Northern Colorado Strike team. And... Alan. Crimson Wraith, and Lee Ogreforge. Thanks, guys. uh okay moving on moving on coaster or gold we don't have the jingle and i don't remember the lines of the song
m3rcier: Bravo. Bravo. Insert jingle here.
Garrett: Inserted. Great. Coaster or gold. All right, Alan.
Garrett: What's yours?
m3rcier: All right, mine is... The Duskwood Prowler That is my ah my card.
Garrett: Uh -oh, we got we got static.
m3rcier: Before I tell you...
Garrett: Hold on, hold on. Static, static happening, Nick.
Nick: I can't. How is it me? It can't be me.
Garrett: I don't know what to do.
Nick: I know it's always me, but like I'm not touching anything, I swear.
m3rcier: Okay.
Garrett: I believe you.
m3rcier: Yeah, we believe you.
Nick: Is that better?
Garrett: Yes, I think so.
m3rcier: Yes, now it is
Garrett: Anyways, Alan, what do you got? Who you doing?
m3rcier: Yeah, so I did the Duskwood Prowler who I'm trying to get
Garrett: how I know what you're about to say, and how dare you.
m3rcier: What? What? What do you mean how? I'm not going to tell y 'all what I think it is. I want to hear y 'all's first, and then I'll tell y 'all what I think it is.
Garrett: it's gold
Nick: i
m3rcier: Gold.
Nick: Oh, man. I...
Garrett: It's GO!
Nick: I gotta agree. I think it's gold, man. I love Dustwood Prowler.
Garrett: you did 8 inch speed, it's nimble, it's got ambush, 4 -2 -4, this thing is awesome.
Nick: I will say we may we may be biased because Garrett's been running a Vorondal deck for like three weeks.
m3rcier: Okay, see y 'all.
Nick: Uh...
Garrett: And this thing is a menace.
Nick: And get it. Getting the free move, free attack. on the prowler with the legacy is like just i mean Chef's kiss.
Garrett: All right, what do you got, Alan? What are you going to say?
m3rcier: damn
Garrett: What are you gonna say?
m3rcier: i was so I was hoping one of y 'all would say coaster because I think it's gold too, but I'm going to go with coaster.
Garrett: No.
Nick: okay
m3rcier: ah Because one of us has to... One of us has to dissent. Wilson. Ambush 2, like... You have to be able to attack a guy that hasn't exhausted. And guess what? I'm going to activate my unit before you, hopefully. I don't know. There's no, it's fallen. So it works. I don't know. There's no way to justify coaster on this.
Garrett: ah
Nick: ah
m3rcier: Yeah.
Garrett: Got him.
Nick: You could say it's only got like, what, 10 health?
Garrett: Got him.
Nick: 12 health?
m3rcier: Yeah. I mean, he's got 12 and 12, so, you know. But if it hits... And it gets ambushed off. It's doing six damage. And then it's nibble, so it can just run away if it needs to. Or... If you... If you want to get it out of danger and you want to use a spell, it can always run away even while it's engaged.
m3rcier: So you could Vorinhall. Legacy. And get it out of. uh danger if you need to Nibble is an underrated keyword, in my opinion.
Garrett: It's awesome.
m3rcier: So I'm still going to stick with coaster because one of us has to dissent. It's just it's very hard to justify calling that car to coaster.
Nick: ah
Garrett: Alright. Next. Nick.
Nick: Yeah, so... This week. all And I want to double check the script, make sure that you guys are prepared for what I'm going to say. Yeah. So this week. uh I decided to talk about the reckless researcher.
Nick: And.
m3rcier: What's hard?
Nick: um Similar to Alan, I want to hear you what you guys say first.
Garrett: I mean...
m3rcier: ah This car just crashed.
Garrett: I mean it. it's awful i'm sorry i don't listen i don't want to call it trash somebody worked really hard on it
Nick: Yeah. I think we all agree. Yeah.
Garrett: Okay. It's too expensive.
m3rcier: I mean it has good lore text.
Garrett: It's too expensive Alright.
Nick: yeah It's... I, so... I built a Morita. like, control exhaustion deck. And it was all about maximizing. blank.
Nick: Cursed Leather G. Tragedy of the Wronged and dark bindings and i looked at this card and i was like ah Like I have such better ways of doing what this card does.
Nick: It's not worth six Echo. So... um Overwhelmed for 2AP. Performance range attack, if it... If the defender is... Um, This unit's ranker lower, which is a Leader Basic.
Nick: you exhaust the defender. That's okay. That's pretty cool. I like it overwhelmed. It's an interesting keyword This unit has a range of four.
Garrett: Yeah. Immediately falls apart right there. That's a really weird number to pick.
Nick: like Yeah. Like if it was maybe if it was. ah And i I can kind of get it because it has like the tentacle arm and like Spellbound Devourer has a range of four. I guess.
Nick: Um, But like, give if it like range eight, you know, like, let me.
Garrett: At. At least six. At least six.
Nick: At least... Yeah, you're just asking me to use 2 AP to use Overwhelm. I can't move and attack.
m3rcier: Yeah, and it's also like Yeah, you're exhausting. your opponent's card, but in order for you to... To do that, you... you did have to exhaust this guy and you don't have to hit you just have to attack So even if you hit her graze or critical graze, it still exhausts the defender. but Uh...
Nick: Like.
m3rcier: I'm not sure me spending six echo and an activation is worth exhausting one of your cards.
Garrett: okay
Nick: i i feel like maybe like the intention was like this unit is sitting on the Starcast Hall Terrain, and you're playing with Liena. and you play the Astrum Stride for free, and it gets to move for free, and then makes an attack at four inches. and get has spell strike because of the legacy and then you can exhaust the unit and i guess if all of those things were to happen it's like that's really good But like if you're not doing all of those things, I just don't know what you're doing with this card
m3rcier: It's a coaster. we don't We don't have to justify ourselves. It's a coaster.
Nick: Yeah. Yeah, so I i i've yeah i got had a softball this week. That was ah that was my – That's my coaster.
Garrett: right Alright, well, I'm... This is... My decision making here. might be very poor. but I'm going to say it. I'm gonna say. The Akenzan Shieldmage.
Garrett: The seven point. elite Conclave unit. with Resistance and Protection 1. is a coaster.
Garrett: I'm saying it's a coaster.
Nick: That's a hard. That's a hard position to defend there, Garrett.
Garrett: I would say it's a coaster because...
m3rcier: Cause why?
Garrett: You don't need it. You don't need the seven point unit to do this. You've got your... You're Kalos, Bahij, Majin or whatever. Spellbound.
m3rcier: They don't have resistance.
Garrett: they like They have protection, too.
m3rcier: And they don't have range eight.
Garrett: They have protection too.
m3rcier: Good. Who cares? They don't have resistance. I resist.
Garrett: And they're two points.
m3rcier: And your damage is nothing.
Garrett: And they're two points.
m3rcier: Did you know... Do you know how good the shield mage is in Laudriel's list?
Garrett: And now. You have other things. to replace your Shield Mage with.
m3rcier: Meh. Silverage is better. Resistance is awesome.
Garrett: It's seven points. And there's only two of them.
Nick: Ah, man. I don't know. Resistance is hard.
Nick: It's... Resistance is such a good ability. Because it's just like... it's It's always on. It's a passive ability. One less damage every every source. I can... I can agree that seven's a lot.
Nick: for a lot of Conclave decks.
Garrett: Spend your seven echo on other things.
Nick: Yeah. I can agree, it's a lot. Especially when you you can put like ah ah a
Nick: in your deck to kind of do some of this Um, And that might be enough, you know, for certain decks and certain games and matchups, that might be enough. Uh, I don't know if I would say Shieldmage is gold, but i i just I can't believe it would be a coaster.
Garrett: i
Garrett: Well, if there's not a there's not a ah middle option.
m3rcier: Yeah, it's because... Because Garrett.
Garrett: You guys guys gave me coaster gold. Alright, this thing is picked heavily.
m3rcier: It's it's gold
Garrett: It's picked heavily. I'm saying. They should get some other cards a chance instead of the seven point guy.
m3rcier: It's cold. It's cold.
Garrett: I.
Nick: a
m3rcier: got You gotta pick.
Garrett: Listen.
m3rcier: You gotta pick.
Garrett: It's coaster.
m3rcier: You can't waffle. You got to pick.
Garrett: It's coaster. coaster
Nick: Yeah, no, you're right. You're right. But okay. If I'm playing laundry, I'm taking. I'm taking a... True Stone Exemplar over Shieldmage.
m3rcier: Taking both of them. What do you think the deck is?
Nick: ah that' That is too many.
Garrett: Facts. No! What?
m3rcier: It got both of them.
Nick: That is too many seven -cost units, man.
Garrett: There's no No.
m3rcier: No, hell no, it's not.
Nick: ah
m3rcier: You know what's great about it? I played a game with Londrell, the deck that has... Both Shield Mages and Bow of True Stones. Round one. I drew all four of them.
m3rcier: Guess what I have now?
Nick: Bid.
Garrett: ah
m3rcier: I have fucking, I have good bid cards. I've got i've got one of each on the field and then I've got bid cards out the wazoo. Uh, Hell yeah, and they like to stand next to each other.
Nick: ah Yeah, I could see that, yeah.
m3rcier: it's
Nick: But I don't know. I think I might actually side with Garrett on this.
m3rcier: Oh, oh, oh.
Nick: Bend coaster.
Garrett: Yes. What a win.
Nick: I don't. I don't know if I like, I don't like shield mages enough just to pay seven for them.
Garrett: What a win.
m3rcier: Ah.
m3rcier: Oh, that's because y 'all aren't Laundrielle players, which, to be fair, I understand.
Garrett: i know I know for a fact. is I would get absolutely flamed on like critical grades for this take.
Nick: Let's...
Garrett: Just absolutely flamed.
m3rcier: I mean, that's that's the purpose of the coaster of gold. It's to be... ah You know. Sometimes we're right. A lot of the times we're going to be wrong.
Nick: Well, and and I'll also say my experience as a Conclave player is playing Morita and like a couple of games as Liana. So... Bye. My experience with blue cards is...
Nick: you know. Very specific.
m3rcier: yeah I don't think I'd use the Shieldmage in Polinor, but definitely with Laundrielle.
m3rcier: okay
Garrett: Man, Laundry House has so much better options.
m3rcier: All right, are we going to move on to our next one?
Garrett: Chill, Mage. Alright, sorry. What did you say?
m3rcier: are we Are we done with the coaster of gold?
Garrett: Yeah, it's fine. All right. Coaster of gold is done. All right.
m3rcier: i but wait That segment has an intro and an outro? Wow, okay.
Garrett: It does now. Events. Events.
Nick: Ladies and gents, it's time for events.
Garrett: do you Do you think... Wow, that's good. Do you think people listen to all these or do they just turn the podcast off now?
m3rcier: I don't know. Some of them probably listen. Hey, if you listen, and leave a comment. If you don't listen... Well, if you listen don't leave it either way leave a comment or don't leave a comment We'll take it both ways.
Nick: Also leave a comment.
Garrett: Because...
Garrett: Because if they don't... Listen. They don't get to hear our extremely awkward outro.
m3rcier: It's not awkward. It's it's a patented. It it gets used and stuff. outro.
Garrett: Does it get views? That's what we're trying to do here. where I'm encouraging people to keep listening.
m3rcier: ah But that's not listening is not the same as a view.
Garrett: Alan. Allen. Alan. events started go
m3rcier: All right ah Well, our number one ah number one event is October 3rd.
Garrett: Yeah.
m3rcier: We have Harold Fetty running demos and learn -to -plays.
Garrett: Eddie.
m3rcier: At the Bourbon City Brawl. I said Betty because that's how I typed it in there.
Garrett: ah
m3rcier: Listen, I don't know how to say it correctly.
Nick: Who's that guy? That sounds pretty cool.
m3rcier: that i I think I misspelled it too, right? Or did I actually spell it correctly?
Nick: now I think you you spelled it right.
m3rcier: Oh, okay.
Garrett: There's numbers on the end.
Nick: How about put three?
Garrett: It sounds weird without the numbers.
Nick: Yeah, 53 -15 at the end there.
m3rcier: You look at it put 35 because in my mind I was like, it's it's fatty 35
Nick: 35. five. Yeah.
m3rcier: ah But yeah.
Garrett: Uh... all right Then what?
m3rcier: Bourbon City Brawl.
Garrett: Then what do we got?
m3rcier: And then this weekend. ah because we're recording this on Monday. It'll hopefully come out on Tuesday, if not Wednesday. ah But on Saturday or Sunday, we start the Veloma Grand Championship.
m3rcier: which is a five Swiss round. online event. ah running from October 4th to November 7th. The price report consists of... $50.
m3rcier: Store credit to the Malediction Online store. for the winner. and then second ah And second and third both get $25 to Admiral Taters. garrett's uh store for malediction items and i think garrett correct me but
Garrett: Good night. Did I agree to that?
m3rcier: Are we giving the winner?
Garrett: I remember that.
m3rcier: 25 -2? Yeah, you did it to Discord.
Garrett: I'm taking it back. No, I'm just kidding. ah Yeah, yeah, yeah. So 75 total, 25 to each.
m3rcier: Okay, so 25 to each of the top three and then the winner also gets $50. for the malediction store. So ah good prizes that also don't require shipping. That's good. I like that.
m3rcier: Uh, And then November 7th in Oklahoma, so more Oklahoma. Herald Father Nature is running a three -round clash event. He has dubbed it the Cowboy Cup, so I love that.
m3rcier: ah September 29th, so tomorrow. Uh, Husks of Asgard at Asgard.
m3rcier: some city in Germany that I'm not going to try and pronounce that because I don't want to offend the people that live there.
Garrett: It's a Schaffenberg.
m3rcier: It's a...
Garrett: That sounds good.
m3rcier: There you go.
Garrett: enough um
m3rcier: It's ah it's a one -round event, so... ah I know what they're doing. I did it too. They're doing a one round tournament so that they can get the achievements to get the alt models.
Nick: Oh, yeah I didn't even think about that.
m3rcier: wasn't
Nick: That's genius.
m3rcier: Uh, I may or may not have did that for art. the past two weeks for our open play also.
Nick: ah
Garrett: Man, Nick, what kind of Harold are you, man?
Nick: man I know, these innovators out there.
Garrett: All these loopholes. Jason, we need to clear these up.
m3rcier: No. They're not loopholes. Jason's aware of them. They set it up like that. We're just taking advantage of it.
Nick: Yeah, people are playing the game.
m3rcier: ah but that's That's tomorrow night. And then September 30th, Harold. Kim Cole. ah at Marauder Games in Lodz, Poland. Poland.
m3rcier: ah We'll have a three round clash event. Which... That's Wednesday evening then. Three rounds on a Wednesday evening. I would like to see some video of that.
m3rcier: Not because I don't think it's possible, but that's a lot of games in one night.
Garrett: Dude. The. Posers. Poles are savages, all right? They know what they're doing.
m3rcier: Yeah, ah yeah they they swept the Armada thing that one year, a couple years back. All right, and then October 2nd. It's October incursion in.
m3rcier: Burgess Hill, United Kingdom. It's a three round clash event. I couldn't find any info on who the Herald was. so i'm not sure if it's victus or cyrath those are the only two heralds i know in the uk but Neither one of them were running it, so there must be... Another unknown herald or a store is running it?
m3rcier: October 3rd, Harold Ogurkin from our Northern Colorado people. He's running a three -round clash event in Thornton, Colorado. at Do Gooder Games. uh,
m3rcier: Newcastle Uh... UK at Northern Alliance Games, Victus Drake is running three rounds on October 4th. And then at...
m3rcier: How do you say that name? ah Tell Geet. In Germany? Does that sound right? Okay?
Garrett: It's okay.
m3rcier: Oh.
Garrett: Talgete?
m3rcier: Out. Yeah.
Nick: Tiltay? Tiltay? Yeah.
m3rcier: So October 3rd, Harold Dryminster is running a three -round clash event.
Garrett: Who knows?
m3rcier: And. Telgit, Germany. so ah Those are our nine events. I'm almost certain. uh Those within that nine is the six that are going to go on this weekend which is pretty impressive. We had six tournaments this past weekend. and We'll have roughly...
m3rcier: Five to six this coming weekend. so Definitely a lot of... ah Malediction going on right now.
Garrett: Yeah, that's wild. uh Awesome. Okay, guys. Well, I'm tired of talking. so Thank you everyone for listening to our awesome podcast. I've been Garrett.
m3rcier: I've been Alan.
Nick: And this has been Nick.
Garrett: Ugh, finally. Alright, goodbye.
m3rcier: Bye.
Nick: See you.
