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Ep. 15 The One Where We Befriend Boars
161 Plays4 years ago
Strangers approach. Elven travelers seeking shelter. Will they have any answers for Gwen as she is looking for any thread that leads to her father? Continuing through the wilds has proven a daunting experience. Tricks and turns that leave our Hired Swords dismayed but not so discouraged they cannot carry on. Onward, to the Stone Mountains!
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Transcript
Into the Forest
00:00:13
Speaker
previously on the Hired Swords. Far from Wild Hill and deep into the forest of the wilds, our Hired Swords find themselves watched by eyes in the woods, any manner of fiend or fowl waiting, stalking. Our swords continue against the odds. Before long, the thunder of a crashing storm roars overhead. Wendellin calls to the forest with a plead of shelter.
00:00:44
Speaker
As trees and branches warp and bend, there are strangers approaching. Who goes there?
Encounter with the Elves
00:01:22
Speaker
You're listening to the Hired Swords. Now with 30% more flavor, text,
00:01:42
Speaker
Okay so the evening has, as the evening came you guys made contact with, you had just started resting and you made contact with a group of elves who were pretty obviously a few scouts and a spellcaster of some kind with very natural kind of
00:02:05
Speaker
items that he was wearing. A couple of the scouts are female and there's a couple male, it seems. They kind of don't seem to distinguish. It's kind of easy to tell just looking at them, but they're all wearing kind of the same thing and have their hair the same way, facial tattoos, different things.
00:02:28
Speaker
microphone rumble, different things on different kind of shapes and stuff, making up the tattoos on their faces and necks and and arms. But they are there. They're standing there in the one spellcaster who's he's got his staff at the tip that it
00:02:43
Speaker
top edge of it is just glowing with bright light. So he asked you what you were doing, you know, this far in the woods. And and thanks. And he says, I thank you for allowing us to join you in your shelter.
00:02:59
Speaker
Oh, that's plenty fine. We were just travelers passing through trying to get to the other side of these crazy, crazy forests. Yes, this is not a place most will travel through. And he looks to the side and he speaks in Elvish to the other four. Gwen, I know you speak
Elven Perceptions
00:03:25
Speaker
Elvish. Anybody else?
00:03:27
Speaker
Okay. Not me. So Gwen and Jox are, you hear him as he speaks to them. He's translating for them what Krigs is saying. So he said in Elvish and you realize his speech is not broken when he speaks in Elvish like it is when he speaks in common. Then he just says, these are just travelers who are passing through the forest. And they kind of look at each other and say, oh, I see, I see. And he looks back to you and he says, what is your business through the forest?
00:03:57
Speaker
Well, we came here from a little town over over way trying to get back home. I am a dwarf from the stone mountains trying to get back where I reside with my companions here.
00:04:13
Speaker
Ah, yes, many dwarf in stone mountains. Well, you, I wish not stay long. We must go, but I hope that rain stops soon. Then we should be able to go then. That sounds fine. You're more than welcome to rest here while the rain continues.
00:04:45
Speaker
Thank you, he says. Go ahead, Gwen. So when they entered, Gwen fell from the tree as a snake and turned back into herself. But while she's listening and translating, she asked them, what are you doing here specifically?
A Mission Revealed
00:05:06
Speaker
In common or elvish? Elvish. Okay.
00:05:10
Speaker
So Joxer understands that. He looks at you and he nods and he says, we're just sent for, well, he's speaking Elvish. So he says, we were sent to scout. We are looking for some ruins that many of our people have given up on, but we believe they exist out here and we're trying to find them. What kind of ruins?
00:05:37
Speaker
Some say this is where the first elf found his way to this plane. There are others who just say it was a sacrificial place when those of our kind used to kill their own for their gods, but we believe there is power there. We're seeking it. Do I possibly know without asking him what this place is called? Yeah.
00:06:03
Speaker
Yeah, it is—you've heard of the—of ruins somewhere. He says that they are—this is rumored to be called the radix of the arcane, which is the birthplace or the cradle. So this is something you know is what it is. That's what we're saying is you—you remember the term the radix of the arcane, which is the birthplace or the cradle of magic, basically.
00:06:33
Speaker
That's one of the things they say this is. The legend is that most of the magic in this world came from the Feywild. Those with Fey ancestry were born out of this radix of the arcane and came from here.
00:06:58
Speaker
You've never heard anyone say anything about where they think it is. This is the first you've ever heard anybody say anything about, you know, oh, we think it's here in the wilds, we're searching for it, but that's what these guys are saying.
Concerns of Diminishing Magic
00:07:13
Speaker
Right, Dex. Oh. And you think it's here. It only makes sense, he says. I guess it would.
00:07:26
Speaker
The, some of the most magical creatures in our land are here. That's why our tribe settled here generations ago. And that's why they just stopped looking, but not us. We're still seeking. I'm afraid that the other, I feel like most of the magic here is fading.
00:07:50
Speaker
The people of Wild Hill do hunts, and I fortunately am to blame as well, but I... Most of the greats have died here, and I feel like the magic here is dying as well. I wish you luck on this venture, but I... I just... You might be out of luck.
00:08:16
Speaker
Devin leans over to Craig's and he says, I think I heard them say the word cow's milk. I think they're looking for a cow's milk. I'm not sure. My elevation really laps by the tree after mildly. It just, uh, oh, cow's milk. Of course.
00:08:37
Speaker
Okay. He says to Gwen, he looks at the rest of you and he says, Apologies. I don't speak common well. Please. And he looks at Gwendolyn and he says,
00:08:53
Speaker
help me. He goes back to Elvish and he says, we have known of hunters. We've yet to see any. We know of the city, Wild Hill. We've never been. We live north in what many call the untouched lands. We very rarely venture from there. We don't get visitors. It's very wild. You think it's wild here.
00:09:23
Speaker
It's very wild there, and we like it that way. We live there ourselves with several other tribes, not many anymore. Most have left and found their way to the city and changed the way they live, but we are here. As we seek, we feel that we can bring many of our kind back to the knowledge of where we
00:09:46
Speaker
Were born if we can find this this radix we can find it this cradle of magic we hope to as as as you speak of the great ones we've
00:10:01
Speaker
He looks at the others and he says, we've sensed that there are fewer who have been touched by the Feywild in these places. We hope that when we find the radix, it allows us to repopulate and start again, start afresh, even if maybe it allows us to journey into the Fey.
Boar Attack and Befriending
00:10:28
Speaker
We will see.
00:10:30
Speaker
Um, as he's talking, does he seem trustworthy? Make an insight check. Okay. Oh no. Two plus four, six.
00:10:45
Speaker
Yeah, he does. I mean, he seems to you like he's just really you are just feel like you're getting just this so much information right now and not necessarily answers to questions, but leads to help you find maybe the right questions to ask and
00:11:06
Speaker
so you don't really care if he's telling the truth or not you're you kind of you you just really hope that he is but you can't you can't sense either way jocks are from a distance might do another insight check on his own
00:11:21
Speaker
Okay. You look at them all squinty eyed and make your insight check. Oh yeah. That's a, that's not going to happen. That's a seven. Okay. Three plus four. That's great. Yeah. Yeah. So he, um, he definitely doesn't have a.
00:11:44
Speaker
He seems sincere, but you don't know how to read him, especially in the way he's kind of going back and forth between the two languages, and the stuff he's talking about just sounds like more storybook stuff, and you're like, well, I've seen a few storybook things, but this little trip here, but come on, man.
00:12:06
Speaker
Meanwhile, the rain is just pouring down and everyone's feet are just covered in rain. They seem to be standing there like it's no problem to them. So I'm going to walk over and actually walk up to the group and then say something along the lines of allow me to dry you off and look over at Davin and Wink because I saw this earlier.
00:12:36
Speaker
And then I'm going to use press digitization and start kind of drying off what I can see, at least, you know, not, not, it can't really help with the feet equals, but all of my tricks, uh, the four, the four behind.
00:12:55
Speaker
this main one here kind of look at each other and look at their clothes and like and they give you a nod like a thank you nod and a couple of them you can hear them in Elvish say thank you and the the other one the the kind of one that seems like maybe the leader he
00:13:13
Speaker
He kind of, he looks at you and he says, uh, well, uh, at least it costs you little to, and this is an elvish, it costs you little. It's a good thing for, it will be short-lived. We must leave soon. Uh, before you go, uh, Gwendolyn rushes to her bag and offers three to find the journal. Okay.
00:13:41
Speaker
brings it over. She goes, I apologize for how this looks, but I, do you know anything of Almanora before you go? Um, he looks at you with a very confused look and he looks at the map. He says, this is incomplete. I know it was my father's and I, I just, it got destroyed.
00:14:11
Speaker
I found it later on, that I couldn't save it. Well, I'm sorry, but I know the tales of Valman Nora. I suppose we are both seeking something that others have said cannot be found.
00:14:34
Speaker
I guess you're right. I'm sorry to just jump to that. I just, you're the first elf in a while that I've seen and that knows tales of magical places. I just, I had hope. He says, I don't know how you heard the story, but. My father, he lived there. He lived there.
00:15:02
Speaker
He did. It was just chaotic. Okay, well, for the way I have heard of the Almenora, they are not a place, they are a people. What?
00:15:19
Speaker
They are no menorah is not a place. It is a people. At least the tales I have heard. I don't know it's stories are stories. Perhaps a story told in a city involves a city and a story told among my people has a different what context I suppose. I see Gwendolyn like
00:15:46
Speaker
She's kind of upset by this news. Her search for this place is just now grown exponentially. Thank you. Yes, well, I will ask the land and the trees to give you safe journey, safe passage. I will, if I may, all of you, and he switches to common now, all of you, if I may,
00:16:17
Speaker
Pay close attention to the trees. As you travel out of the forest, the bark on the north side, the bark on the north side will always be lighter than the bark on the south. As you leave this forest there, that may help speed you along your way, I hope. That sounds like some good information. Thank you very much.
00:16:47
Speaker
Of course. We are travelers just as you.
Turning Foes into Allies
00:16:51
Speaker
I don't know. I hope he looks at Craig's and he says, I hope you find
00:16:57
Speaker
Your people. He looks at Gwendolyn and in Elvish he changes to Elvish and says, I wish you best on your search of Almanora or the Almanora, whatever it may be. She shakes his head. He puts his hand out of the shelter and notices and you all kind of notice now after kind of being drawn into this conversation and losing interest for a little bit of what's happening around you, you notice that the rain has just kind of changed into a
00:17:27
Speaker
more than a drizzle, just a steady rainfall and they turn and the scouts kind of go out and they each kind of take positions out near the trees, in the trees and the other lights his staff up again and he says, I'm glad we ran into you, not only for the shelter, but
00:17:50
Speaker
It has been many days with no sight of anything positive, so we are glad to see you. Please, be kind to this forest. It is our home, and turns and starts to walk away. ALICE DABINSKY Dabin just kind of waves, and he looks around and everybody says, I have no idea what any of that was about. ALICE Craig just shrugs.
00:18:19
Speaker
Gwendolyn puts the journal back in the bag and just turns it back into a snake and goes and sulks up into the street. Yeah, Joxer's just gonna say be safe and then go back to his casks. Okay.
00:18:34
Speaker
All right, so you're all able to- Go ahead. I'm going to continue my watch, I guess, if it's still night. Yeah, it is. Yeah, that was probably half hour, 40 minute conversation as they continue on their way after the rain seems to have led up after a couple hours total of heavy rainfall. It's real muddy and the water's still pouring downhill towards you from assuming you're starting to climb uphill a little bit towards this mountain range.
00:19:03
Speaker
so the water's just pouring down through your campsite. But you're able to find a place to settle in as you were going to and rest. Craig, as you do your watch, who do you have go to second watch? This time, because I am just trying to keep their mind off of things, I try to get Gwen's attention for second watch. Okay.
00:19:33
Speaker
So you look up at a snake up in the tree? Yeah, and I say... She hears it. She just stares at him and she slithers down. I can take watch. Thank you. Go sleep. Okay. Okay.
00:19:56
Speaker
So Gwendolyn, you take watch and as you are looking out, the rain kind of goes back and forth between steady rain and barely anything and then steady rain again until finally the sky starts to turn a purplish red as the sun starts to rise and the clouds and stuff and you keep watch.
00:20:21
Speaker
through the rest of the night with nothing interesting happening. And the next morning, you guys awaken and are able to do as you wish. And it's a cloudy, cloudy day, but you're at least seem to be out of the bulk of the thick canopy of the forest to where you've got some sunlight now. There's no more rain, water kind of washing down, right?
00:20:51
Speaker
No, well, not really. No, it's pretty muddy, but there's, yeah, there's no gushing torrential, you know, small river rapids anymore. Cassie and Joxer feel a little bit safer about laying down his portable hull and moving his casts back in. Yeah, not filling it with water.
00:21:10
Speaker
Cool okay yeah so you're able to do that really easy and it's kinda like you got a little drippage going on like you would put a bucket under it you know in a roof but nothing significant. My things and get ready for leaving.
00:21:30
Speaker
Gwendolyn goes back and hugs the tree again and just in a sad tone is just like, good morning. Um, thank you for the shelter. And I asked them to re to go back to the way they were. Okay. Uh, so you, you're going to catch that spell again. Yeah.
00:21:51
Speaker
Okay. So they start to retract back after you cast a spell and ask them. And in the, in the sounds of the retract, you just hear all these, all these, uh, voices almost of the creaking of the branches saying, thank you, or you're welcome. I mean, so you're welcome. You're welcome. You're welcome. And it's all this crazy. I can't make like, I can't make branch sounds with my mouth. Come on. I did my best. I would expect you. What?
00:22:21
Speaker
It was better than I was expecting it to be. Oh, okay, good. So yeah, you just hear all these little branches, the creaking, in the creaking you're hearing, you know, just their gratitude for you being grateful and thankful and for the hug. Thank you. Make a nature check as that happens.
00:22:43
Speaker
8 plus 7. That's good. 15. Yeah, you kind of know this. 13, sorry. It's OK. You needed to beat a 10, so.
Boars as Mounts
00:22:54
Speaker
You kind of know this already, but this has kind of been the first time you've seen how trees are basically like a hive mind, right? And they all kind of are one and communicate with each other. And these definitely give you that vibe, and that's kind of how they seemed to communicate with you. And when you hugged one, you hugged all of them, that kind of thing. And it makes you feel warm and squishy inside. You like that. Oh, my heart. Yeah.
00:23:24
Speaker
Yeah. It makes her a little happy. She is still sulking. Okay. At the bark on the trees, find the lighter end and kind of point say, well, I guess we had that way. Awesome. Let's carry north, north, northeast towards the, towards the mountains. And, uh, I need someone once again to roll that D 20 roll that beautiful random table roll for me. My turn.
00:23:54
Speaker
A 19. No, no, it's a natural 20. I said my turn and then rolled a natural 20. Oh. Buh-bye. Oh. Theoc. So with the tip you got from these elves and your number one, probably just desire to get out of this forest after this is day five that you're entering, right, in this forest.
00:24:21
Speaker
My question, how many days is it since Tolliver at this point? This is day six.
00:24:33
Speaker
All of a sudden, you do the cha-cha. Yeah. All right, let's go. So day five in the woods, day six, I believe it's day six since you saw the fortune teller. So you're moving through now the forest, but I was, you've made your way now
00:24:57
Speaker
downtown two days. Yeah, thank you. Making your way. You've made your way two days worth of journey through the woods in this on this day successfully navigating your way with it. Like I said, with the tip you got from the from the the elves and and your desire to get through this and Krigs is Krigs. I need you now as as you guys are making it towards the getting towards the the kind of crests of these mountains.
00:25:26
Speaker
Go ahead and make a survival check for me with advantage. Okay. My survival is one plus one.
00:25:38
Speaker
That's a natural 20. No way, man. Two in a row. I found my... I would take a picture right now. Are those way to die? Is that way to die? No, I have found Old Faithful. I haven't used this d20 in a while, but I found Old Faithful. Yeah, two times in a row. What are the odds? Literally, I don't know how to do that. Actually, it's my third d20 tonight, but two in a row is pretty big.
00:26:06
Speaker
My third not 20. Anyways, not 20. So 21 would be my survival check with advantage.
00:26:14
Speaker
21 okay so you you're able to you start looking through the woods and and you're getting towards like i said the crest of this hill and you you are you now can see where there is a trail developing again
00:26:37
Speaker
It is bringing to your recollection the kind of, it's starting to look like the kind of mass movement of a pretty large group of people through the woods. Like when you've taken a company of soldiers through the woods
00:26:58
Speaker
This is kind of the wear and tear here looks like it or what's here looks like it has been a long time since it happened. But you can tell the growth the tree growth is low. It's getting lower the trees that are here are half the height of these other trees that are around or less. And you're noticing a somebody somebody used this area here.
00:27:20
Speaker
As some sort of resource in the past as we're walking and it's it's getting more and more obvious that that's the case as you walk through this day of travel that that is really covering the distance of a couple days because of your your like I said that the tip you got and stuff.
00:27:36
Speaker
So, you're seeing that the woods are much more thinned out now, the forest is, and as you go into the setting of the sun, the final day, you're actually able to see the peaks of the mountains in the far distance, and you know tomorrow will make it to the base of those mountains, and it is becoming dusk at this point.
00:28:04
Speaker
How much further could we get before it's officially like nightfall? Obviously we can't make it this, this night to the mountains. Um, I mean, if you traveled through the night, you'd probably make it by morning you feel like, but yeah, you could, you could travel probably.
00:28:22
Speaker
probably a few more hours, three, four more, or no, probably three, four more hours to midnight. It's going to be nighttime in about an hour, like full on dark. I'm just going to look around to the party and be like, God, is there some familiar peaks over there, friends? Is it? Familiar peaks. What else do they say?
00:28:47
Speaker
Stone mountains, quite the history in my family. We come from these parts. We're nearing, not too close, still a ways, but this is where I was raised. Oh, so your family's here? Quite possibly, at least some of them. Well, I mean, I suppose we could travel a little bit further tonight, but either way, it looks like we're camping here before we hit the base of the mountains.
00:29:17
Speaker
I would be fine to camp here if you would like a rest after the tumultuous forests we've been through. My only question is, is it more dangerous here or at the edge of the forest? These areas, from what I can recall of them, they definitely seem well traveled. It appears there was at least maybe a company of soldiers or
00:29:46
Speaker
Some individuals have been here. I can't imagine it would be too unsafe in this area. Just from looking around in my surroundings, I assume that this would be as good as places any. Sounds good. Then we should take camp and travel in the morning. Sounds good to me.
00:30:07
Speaker
Okay, you make camp here. You do, everybody does your normal stuff.
Journey to the Stone Mountains
00:30:11
Speaker
We need any tree hitting rolls or anything? No, I, uh, Krigs is not feeling as if he's at a place to be worthy to do that at this point. Uh, Joczer is going to start like prepping water, but it's, it's, it's going to be a while before we, okay. And then he's gonna just go back to,
00:30:33
Speaker
Um, I, I think in that, uh, aspect, he'll probably take first watch. Okay. Great. So Jockster takes first watch and, uh, but, uh, you'll take first watch, but Craig's is not sleeping. He is struggling to sleep. Okay. His impending seventh day is, uh, he's just kind of looking around unsure.
00:31:03
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. All right. So roll a d20 for me. Yeah, it is an 11. Okay. Make a perception check for me. That's a three, a two plus one. Okay. So.
00:31:25
Speaker
Joxer is keeping watch. Krigs is just sitting up. Davin and Gwen, I suppose, I assume you guys are sleeping? Fast sleep. Okay. She's got Daelin, one arm. She's just lying on the ground. Okay. Sleep. Perfect. Tell me again what your role was for perception. My perception role was two plus one. Oh, yeah, yeah, three. Okay. Yeah.
00:31:56
Speaker
Two plus one. Yeah. I math. Well, I math good. Awesome. So, so jocks are your, you are sitting, watching Krigs Galder. Krigs, why don't you go ahead? Actually, Krigs, what's your passive perception? Not great, Bob. Hold on. Not great, Bob. Where is it on this stupid stupid level? 11.
00:32:26
Speaker
My perception is 11, passive. Okay. So, mercy, mercy. How's this going to go down? So, you're sitting, Krigs, thinking, struggling, worrying, Gwyn is sleeping, Davin was out like a light immediately, and suddenly, out of nowhere,
00:32:47
Speaker
out from under a couple a little cove of cove I don't know if that's the word a couple of trees suddenly out pops this giant boar huge snout big tusks it it lowers its head you see you see it just as it comes out of the darkness joxer and makes contact with you
00:33:10
Speaker
and it just comes at you and smacks you with a charge attack
00:33:23
Speaker
So let's roll that attack. That is a plus five. It rolls a eight. I'm gonna say that don't hit. I'm gonna say that don't hit. It rolled a 20 and it stealth check, but no, you didn't see it coming, but it didn't hurt you. So yeah, it slams. It slams. It's coming right at you and you're able to kind of turn and sideswipe and it runs past you and turns towards you.
00:33:48
Speaker
again and then right then another one comes out from behind the trees over here behind you and as I make it visible it comes out and does the same thing charges in at you and tries to hit you
00:34:07
Speaker
they are somehow aggravated and they are coming at they're coming after you this one rolled a three as well so that's an eight so both of them miss their initial charge attacks on you and time to roll initiative oh boy welcome to a random night time encounter with the hired swords jocks are rolled a 10
00:34:34
Speaker
I rolled a 19, but I'm negative one of my initiatives. So 18. 18 for Krigs. Davin. It is a total of five. Five for Davin. 10 for Jackson. That's right. You said 10. Gwen. Uh, I am also a 19. 19, man. You guys. Well, you're going to be, I'm an 18, so. You're like, we haven't fought in days. Let's do this. Not Davin. He's just, he's still sound asleep. Yeah. Davin's dreaming sweetly.
00:35:05
Speaker
or one bore to descending. Okay, now I got to get the boars in here. Oh my lord, this is going to be a fun battle. Three words, one of them was worse. No.
00:35:22
Speaker
Okay, so we are gonna go with Gwendolyn starting the party after you've been awakened by the sound of these two boars charging at Joxer. Joxer are able to dip, dive, duck, and dodge out of the way, but they are big and hairy and gross and smelly, and they have zeroed right in on you guys. What shall you do? On the boar to his left, I'm gonna cast Animal Friendship.
00:35:53
Speaker
Nice. All right. Let me convince the beast that I mean it no harm. Okay. Is that a save kind of thing for the beast? If the beast intelligent is for hire the spell fails Otherwise the beast must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or be charmed by my spell Well six minus two for wisdom gives it a four is I assume that fails Yeah
00:36:18
Speaker
All right. So this boar is now charged in a jar. And it looks up at you and you stand up and you cast your spell and it's four is four succeeds. What four failed. It's saving check. Yes. The boar failed. It's saving throw is what I was saying. Okay. Okay. You didn't fail the boar failed. What level did you cast the spell at?
00:36:48
Speaker
You succeeded. Um, I casted a level one. I'll be honest. Okay. I can lie right now and say three, but I won't do that. No, I'm sorry. I sorry if that was confusing. No, it is. It is definitely looking at you with, it is not going to harm you. Um, and, uh, so that means that, yeah, it will not, it will not attack you. Uh, what else would you like to do Gwendolyn on your turn?
00:37:17
Speaker
Um, I'm going to try to move towards it. Okay. And reach an arm out and say, it's, it's, it's, it's okay. And I tried to read it. Um, just talking to it being like, uh, are you, are you hungry?
00:37:41
Speaker
And it digs its nose down in the ground and just big tufts of dirt start coming up. Is that your whole turn? Okay. Quigs. I'm going to take a couple of seconds before I do anything and see if they're still like coming in hot.
00:38:00
Speaker
The one over by Joxer definitely is. The other one that Gwendolyn has been talking to is still agitated, obviously agitated, but it's giving its full attention to Gwendolyn right now it seems, and it's not acting with hostility towards her. So the one by Joxer though is definitely still looking dangerous. All right.
00:38:29
Speaker
I don't really have anything that's not just straight up attacking right off the bat. I am going to... I'm going to cast Shield of Faith on Joxer. I am going to...
00:38:52
Speaker
Place one hand my my bound hand right hand I'm gonna place it just on like the middle of his back and I'm gonna say brace brace for this boy and a light is gonna kind of pulsate from my chest on my arm and like into the back of joxer and You'll see him kind of glow for half a second. He'll get plus two bonus to his AC and
00:39:18
Speaker
Awesome. And that'll be all for my turn. I'm going to kind of just hold off before I attack. Okay, great. Okay, so that takes us now to Joxer with your shield of faith. So Joxer sees the animal to my left kind of calmed or soothed to an extent, and then gets this unusual surge of light through the back of his chest.
00:39:48
Speaker
And, uh, yeah, it takes a second and then looks at the other, uh, the other, um, animal and thinks, uh, I need to delay and he's going to try to grapple. Um,
00:40:03
Speaker
the oh the the bore so I believe so yeah straight grapple this bore okay strength check all right so yeah it's contesting so let's uh let's see you first you say it first and that's one luck die for me oh these guys don't have one of those okay you beat his ten so
00:40:31
Speaker
You somehow, you grab hold of this creature and you wrap your arms around him and you're holding him there, right? Holding him still in front of you, you have him grapple. At that point, I just kind of look over at Gwen and it's like, again, and real huffy. That's like the most I can say. Yeah, yeah.
00:40:54
Speaker
All right. So that's all that's your whole turn then. So, uh, the bore that you are grappling now is, uh, hanging on to you or you're hanging on to it. And it has a turn now. Uh, let me double check here with a grapple. Do I, what is it to get out, try to get out? Just, is that my action? That's what I'm trying to figure out. To break a grapple is an action, but it is an action disadvantage, right?
00:41:23
Speaker
I don't even think it's disadvantage. Honestly, I think that's restrained. I think it's just my speed is zero. Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Okay. So it will, as you have it grappled, it's going to sling its head up and try to slam one of its tusks down on top of you with an attack. This attack is plus five and it's a 15 plus five is a dirty 20.
00:41:45
Speaker
That will hit. So that'll hit you. Yeah. Well, two still. Yeah. Plus two plus my ring of protection. So still still still. All right. 2d6 plus three is a four, five, six, seven slashing damage from them. They're tusks and that one is that one has expended its entire turn with a little poke at your body there. So.
00:42:14
Speaker
He said seven damage seven. Oh, you got it. Seven damage. Yeah. I just did it. Oh, you did it. Same time as me. Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm used to playing with people who don't know. I have to, uh, Devin, your turn. Oh, um, Devin is not sure exactly what he should do in this moment. Okay. Uh, he is going to, um,
00:42:39
Speaker
He's going to cast spiritual weapon as a bonus action, and he's going to put it right behind the one that's attacking Joxer, but he's not going to have an attack. It's just going to appear and be ready to go. Okay. What does your spiritual weapon look like? It looks like just one of their tusks. Actually, it looks like both of their tusks just not attached to anything, just kind of floating there in the air. Okay. It's copying the boar's look. Okay, cool. And so those are in place. And does he have anything else that he can really do?
00:43:08
Speaker
Not really. So he's, he's just going to back up a little bit and get out of the range of these things. So he's going to back up about 15 feet. All right. So you cast this, your spell and this big tusk appears, uh, next to the creature. And, um, I have put the first tusk that came up on my search here. The fact that you have a tusk already on roll 20 is perfect. It's got like pictures of like pinups on it, but whatever.
00:43:31
Speaker
Uh, so you can control that you have control. So when you want to move it, you can put it where you'd like, uh, on the map there. So it's, it's appeared. What is that where you wanted to, where you said you wanted it to be right behind the boar. So the boar is between jockser and this giant kind of almost ethereal, but solid looking tusk that's hanging behind, just kind of floating there behind the creature.
00:43:59
Speaker
this boar. Now the other boar has a turn and it is going to, Gwendolyn, this is the boar's turn, but I'm going to have you make a check, animal handling check with advantage because of your charm on it, on this picture, to basically help determine what its reaction is going to be to what you did on your turn.
00:44:27
Speaker
14 plus seven. That's good. Your animal handling is a plus seven. Oh, yeah. Man, I once played with a barbarian who wished his animal handling was that good. Tried to tame every stupid beast they came up against even when we went to hell and they fought like hell dog things. He's like, this would be cool. Anyway, so you, yeah, you are, you have this thing
00:44:54
Speaker
almost literally, if you had some food, it would be literally eating out of the palm of your hand as it kind of backs up and it turns its attention completely away from Krigs and Joxer and it kind of nudges you with its nose and is sniffing around you trying to find something to eat. Gwendolyn, it is your turn. Hello. Hang on a minute.
00:45:20
Speaker
pull some of the trail mix out of my bag, leave it to the boar, and I whisper back to him, do you think you can get your friend over here? Okay. All right. Are you able to talk to, you can speak with animals willy nilly, right? Uh, yeah. You can. So it definitely understands you. Yeah. Okay, cool. So you are that cool, Gwendolyn.
00:45:49
Speaker
Oh yeah, you posted a speech of the wood, that's right. I knew there was something, I couldn't remember what it was. I couldn't remember if it was a spell or just a passive ability. All right, so it definitely, its eyes look at you like, I shouldn't be able to understand this creature, but I do. And it looks over at its friend understanding what you said to it. And that's it, that's all that you get from it at this point. Krigs, we're up to you now. Oh boy.
00:46:19
Speaker
Just kill everything, ruin everything. Gwen's working real hard here, guys. Working real hard to find a peaceful way out of this. What else do I got that I can even do that's worth it? I am going to...
00:46:44
Speaker
No, okay. What I'm going to do is go into my mess kit and see if I have any kind of like in my pack. I'm just going to scrounge my pack for any kind of food and try to present it to the other one in anticipation that we're going to get something out of it while jocks are still grappling and everything.
00:47:09
Speaker
Okay, so you're gonna hold you're gonna hold food like up to the mouth of this boy Like I'm trying to feed this thing like come on, man. Yeah. Gotcha. Gotcha. Okay So that's it so jocks are at you now, buddy I Just imagine like it's been like what each each rounds like eight to twelve I don't remember but
00:47:32
Speaker
Um, yeah. Yeah. So, so is it? Yeah. Yeah. So, so I just imagine I just got like slightly impaled by, by this, uh, this tusk. And then I, I watch, uh, Gwendolyn pull out food and talk nicely to a boar just like pull out like something from his pack. And I'm like, why? Um,
00:48:00
Speaker
Craig is so used to just like bashing. He's like, he doesn't know what to do in a control animal situation. So he's like pulling out random bits of scraps and like, Oh God, I got a food. I like food. Everything. Food, right? Uh, it. Okay. Just mimic it. Yeah. And, uh, it, it, Oh God. Okay. So I.
00:48:29
Speaker
I just, I look over at like Gwen a little, a little terrified in the moment, but I'm just going to try to bolster my strength and hold, hold it down or just, I'm going to wait, wait out this turn. Okay. Okay. With, with my grapple. Great.
00:48:51
Speaker
Okay. That'll work. And basically like, if, uh, anytime. Right. I'm gonna.
00:49:04
Speaker
Okay. So the, this boar as, uh, it is, it is being grappled by jocks or all, all it can really think about is it wants to get out. Uh, and, but it, it's struggling with you jocks or make it contest that strength again. So as it, as it tries to get out, I already rolled, you rolled too. So 15.
00:49:29
Speaker
Okay. You got a four total. So, uh, it, uh, you still got it. You're still hanging on to it. Uh, it, uh, it tried real hard to fight free. It's, it's kind of sniffing it's, uh, it's way smelling whatever the guy behind you might be carrying. It smells some, it smells something interesting. Davin, it's your turn. Um, Davin kind of looks around at everybody and says, what is going on here? Um,
00:50:00
Speaker
He just dropped his hands to the side and just shrugs. That's it. He's not. He don't know. Okay. That's your turn. You're going to shrug. Uh, yeah. Let's use my action to shrug. Well, I thought that was a bonus action. Hold on, hold on. Oh, okay. No, you can use the second shrug. Yeah.
00:50:23
Speaker
All right. When to do an additional shrug. Sorry. Don't get second wind. Okay. Yeah. That's all I'm doing is I'm just 10, 10 source through points for us. An extra shrug. One shrug. That's right. Or the, the other bore now, uh, it, uh, just
00:50:44
Speaker
like that communicating and the boar that has jocks or lifts its head and looks over at the boar like it's been calling out to it. You don't know what effect that's going to have, but the boars are communicating with each other, Gwendolyn.
00:51:07
Speaker
Hello, and I offer more trail mix. And I'm like, add it to the second one. Okay, it's... Make another animal handling check. This one, though, is not with advantage. You'd haven't cast a spell on this one. And are you going to move yourself around to... Yes. Let me roll real quick. Okay.
00:51:31
Speaker
Oh no, seven, three plus seven, 10. That's 10 for animal handling check. Okay. This one is pretty angry. It was pretty angry. What would that be a role against? Okay.
00:51:52
Speaker
I moved myself in between the other on the other side of the the board that I'm handling and Jock say if you can ease up
00:52:05
Speaker
Okay. The thing doesn't want to eat out of your hand. It seems, it's kind of like nudging your hand, like nosing at it with its snout, but it's more aggressive than you would like at the moment. What it's doing is, would you like to do anything else with maybe a bonus action? You've kind of moved and done an action, but. No. Okay. Krigs.
00:52:32
Speaker
Uh, so it's still raging. It's still in a grapple with Joxer, I'm assuming at this point. All right, for my turn, I am going to, I guess, mimic Gwyn and come around to the side of Joxer right by this boar in a very calm and soothing way and present it with my table scraps. Even more so like... Make an animal handling check.
00:53:00
Speaker
That's really trying not to kill these enemies. I'm seeing one of the elves, like Liv Tyler from Lord of the Rings, carefully handling this animal, and then Conan the Barbarian, Arnold Schwarzenegger, watching closely and trying to mimic her copy of what she's doing. I rolled and rolled 20.
00:53:27
Speaker
And I got an- You rolled a what? I rolled and rolled 20 and I got a nine. You got a nine? Okay. It's making, it's trying to see here. Okay. So you reach forward, you're watching Gwen and you're like, okay, okay, I got this. I can do this. And you reach your hand out and the thing just bucks its head up and turns around away from Gwendolyn towards you and smacks your hand and all the food you had in your hand flies out and it just-
00:53:56
Speaker
Like squeals at you this jocksers turn Turn I put both of my fists to my side discussed like well, that was not nice
00:54:09
Speaker
Well, it rolled an 18 against your 9 to try to... But it is a rude boar. It's a rude boar. Yeah, so at this point, Joxer is kind of losing a little confidence in a little bit. So he's going to expend a key point as a bonus action to disengage
00:54:39
Speaker
And and then kind of bend down as he lets go of the husks or however, you know, I'm holding on to it and tap my legs and cast jump. And I'm going to jump into the tree that is right next to us. OK. Yeah, big tree right kind of behind you. I'm just I'm just going to I'm going to jump right over.
00:55:05
Speaker
Because it's three times my jump speed and I already have double jumps. Yeah. I just get up there. Have I ever seen you? You wouldn't have because it's a newer. Well, you've never. No, no, I'm lying. You would have. This one came from my patron. Okay. Nice. Make sure that I've seen you make that jump before because otherwise I'm falling on my butt like what the heck just happened.
00:55:36
Speaker
He goes full like go-go gadget Springs and just borrowing up into the tree. I don't know. Maybe nobody hears oh, yeah Okay, yeah, so yeah This is really funny because my brother literally went on a boar hunt ended up a tree with
00:56:01
Speaker
This is something that happened to my brother in real life. He climbed a tree to get away from boars on a wild boar hunt. And here it's happening in Dungeons and Dragons. I'm just going to yell, you guys got this.
00:56:17
Speaker
A feet away, suckers! The second boar is now his attention at Krigs, and he's been released. He's still not pacified, so he's just gonna make his normal attack with the tusks at Krigs' Galdor. All Krigs tried to do was give it a little feeding, but he rolled an 11. That's not gonna hit, and as he swipes at me, I'm just gonna slap him on the face and say, bad boy.
00:56:44
Speaker
Okay. All right. Make another animal handling check. Okay. I will. Davens looks like, what is going on here? A little bit different kind of handling, right? 15. Oh man. That spun on that 20 for a while.
00:57:00
Speaker
All right, with its four, you slap it on the nose as it tries to bite at you and it kind of shakes its head and looks up at you and its eyes go from this like ragey kind of like glaze over look to this just like
00:57:18
Speaker
It's like confused, like what's just happened? Like it's, you've just started to maybe train this thing. Like you just taught it to not, not snap at you. I point to the ground and say sit. You say sit. Okay. It does not sit. Davin, it's your turn. And then I just, I shrug and say I tried. Did you take a bonus action to shrug too? Yeah, bonus action, then I'm going to action surge and I'm going to shrug again and be like, all right, go ahead. Okay.
00:57:49
Speaker
David is thoroughly confused by this entire thing and what the heck is going on. He's not in any way prepared for this sort of situation.
00:57:59
Speaker
So he's going to move to his left about 10 feet so he can get a good angle in view of everything. And then he's going to sit on the ground and cross his arms and just kind of watch and laugh. Okay. Perfect. That's having his watch. Yeah. Right. Just in case, just in case everyone needs to go. He's crossing it and everything.
00:58:22
Speaker
All right. He's sitting there, crisscross applesauce, as they say. The boar now that is friends with Gwendolyn is just eating, just munching away at whatever you want to give it and nudging you and it full on is in love with you now. So congratulations. You got like 24 hours of this if you want it. We'll go to your turn, Gwendolyn. I try to speak to the other boar.
00:58:52
Speaker
I don't want to have to cast a spell on you. Todd, can you possibly talk to your friend here? I named the first board Todd. That's amazing. I just pulled out the name Todd, like we all already knew that.
00:59:18
Speaker
So good. Okay. Todd, the wild boar. Todd, the giant wild boar. I start to pet the second boar. Okay. Make that animal handling check with advantage because you have Todd on your side.
00:59:34
Speaker
Because of your face. Because of your faith in Todd. 16 plus 7. That's high. That's really high. 23. You can do all things with Todd who's shrinking too. You can do all things through Todd. You can do the strength of Todd. Let go. Let go and let Todd.
00:59:59
Speaker
Boy, the 1 a.m. giggles have hit it, kicked in. Okay. So, so you successful. You put your hand on this one's head and it is, it is starting to calm down. You're kind of getting, the sun's getting real low. That whole thing's kind of started with this bore. You're starting to settle it down between. Did you say name it Revus? Yeah. So we can have Todd and Revus. Revus take the meal.
01:00:27
Speaker
There you go. That's the son of Todd. Yeah, you've got him calmed down. He's not charmed by any means. Between not getting the aggressive pheromones and posture from its friend here, Craig's confusing it with a smack on the head after it's unsuccessful at hurting him.
01:00:56
Speaker
And then seeing some dude just like jump out of the way like a rat like a jackrabbit or over Jack for that matter. Yeah, they're so springy. And then, then you start treating it with kindness and it's like, wait, whoa, okay, I like this one. I like this thing. And so it's settling down now a little bit.
01:01:20
Speaker
And you kind of have a couple, you have a couple giant wild boars just kind of eating out of the palm of your hand for the moment. See guys, it wasn't that hard. Speak for yourself.
01:01:37
Speaker
Well, what do we do with them as they snort and kind of grunting at you? They're just saying you just kind of you can sense their what they're meaning and they're meaning more more more more I lay out more trail mix. I have quite a hunger Do they look starved? No, no, no, no, they didn't know that was my next thought Yes, yes, they are get to the mountains real quickly
01:02:07
Speaker
They are. One of you could fit on. They're like the size of a horse. I mean, I'm small. You could probably fit two on each one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gwen's got charm on one of them for 24 hours. The other one is still a full on wild animal though. I mean, I can charm the other one, but if you want to ride a wild boar. I think Davin and I might be
01:02:34
Speaker
I don't know. Maybe you should ride the wild one because you can at least talk to it. And the other one will just follow along. You're just like full on Radagast right now, aren't you? Yeah. Go nuts. Cause my idea was one person on each board and then me possibly transforming into something that can run with it. You know what? I've got an idea. You tell me that.
01:03:05
Speaker
Well, we'll see. See if they're willing to be ridden first. Uh, I've been down. Todd, Dan, do you think you can help us? We need to make it to the mountain. I promise you more food. But can you get us there? More, more, more, more, more. Both of them. I side I am. Especially Todd.
01:03:42
Speaker
So maybe see if you can climb aboard and if they'll be cool with it. You can see the stat block on this if you want. There's a very low intelligence.
01:03:54
Speaker
Um, I'm going to try to get on Dan, which is the second board that I've named for like a 1980 stock exchange building. Let me try this and, um, I gently Pat Dan on top of the head and I just try to climb a board.
01:04:21
Speaker
Make an animal handling check. You're gonna have to check. 3 plus 7. 10. Oh man. This one rolled an 11 minus 3. So you succeeded. Oh my god.
01:04:40
Speaker
So you're able to climb up on top of this giant boar onto its back. And it is it doesn't love it. I mean, it doesn't. It's it's really like just trying to settle settle itself, kind of get used to to the weight of something and nothing's ever sat on top of its back before. So it's it's trying to figure that out. You have a hard time kind of finding something grip. So you're having a grip. It's it's it's tufts of fur back on the back of its neck.
01:05:09
Speaker
But yeah, you're sitting up high, uh, not real high. You know, you're, you're probably, your feet are probably three, four feet of up off the ground. So it feels pretty good there, but you're, you're, you're riding a wild boar. For some reason, because D and Jocs are at this point jumps at least off the tree.
01:05:30
Speaker
Okay. Jocks or hops down, foot behind Todd and Todd kind of comes over to you, Todd, Todd, Todd walks over to Gwendolyn and it's, he's full on like nudging your, your leg and your hand trying to get
01:05:53
Speaker
Um, trying to get something out of your hand, hoping you have more food. More, more, more. You'll get more when we get there. Get there more.
01:06:13
Speaker
Well, can you guys fit on as well? Joxer pulls, like I'll pull out a little bit of food that I have in my little pack and kind of offer it to Todd. Okay. Okay. You can start to feed Todd. Gwendolyn, are you going to do anything to try to help Joxer be successful at its charming or his handling of Todd?
01:06:40
Speaker
Um, uh, I'm going to try. I want to tell Todd he's a friend. He, he, he has more as well. Okay. So that'll, that'll count as the help action for you. Joxer, if you want to make a check for animal handling with advantage, you're up here and okay. And that was absolutely needed. That was a 13, 14 with my one. Okay.
01:07:08
Speaker
Oh man, 12 minus three, that's so funny. Every time I roll, it's like, it beats it, but it minuses. So yeah, so you're able to feel like you've got to, you're able to pet this, like a domesticated animal that's acting. And you can, if you're trying to climb up, you know, now, you feel like now might be the time you feel a piece, a piece come over the animal if you near it. So I'll jump on and then look at the other two and we
01:07:39
Speaker
So if we're, if we're doing this, we need one on each. Is there enough room to have fit two people on each one? I think you can. Yeah. Not paying attention to Craig's at this point. Okay. Not paying attention to Craig's. He can't see me. I'm behind the other boar, but yeah, he, he can't see me. Okay. Well, Craig's pick your poison. I don't answer. You just see me kind of chanting something under my breath. Okay.
01:08:09
Speaker
All right. I'll, I guess I'll move over and I'll try and, uh, calmly hop up, uh, behind jockser on the, on Todd. Okay. Uh, you're, you're able to do that. It's, it's settled into somebody riding it at this point.
01:08:23
Speaker
Uh, as you hop on board this whole time while you guys have been settling things, um, Craig's is going to have the hand that he's been placing against the tree, seemingly praying to the wilds. Uh, he is going to complete his cast of fine steed. Nice. So.
01:08:48
Speaker
He casts Find Steed. Praying to the wilds and praying specifically a prayer of penance and attempting to summon an elk. Gwendolyn's very happy right now. Just want to put that out there. Nice. Gwendolyn is pleased. Gwendolyn is hippy.
01:09:15
Speaker
I'm so hippy. So hippy. You're sad all day. It's reference. I get that.
01:09:22
Speaker
You get that reference? Men in tights. Yeah, well done. Men in tights. A lot of people would get that. I'm saying. Yeah, successfully, Krigs' Galdor casts a spell and this elk appears. This elk is beautiful, first of all. It just comes running from out of the woods and you hear it galloping towards you as Krigs' Galdor finishes casting the spell. It's a spirit. And it does, yeah, it doesn't look
01:09:50
Speaker
like a normal elk as it is. Go ahead, Craig, describe what you want your elk to look like fully. You recognize this elk. It is hopefully the spirit of the great elk. Yeah. And the more tech needed.
01:10:12
Speaker
Oh, what? And then the boards. Uh, no. Yeah. Now, now, now, how large is this? Is it normal size or as large as it was? Fairly normal sized, but you can tell it has the same antlers, at least as just a beautiful, elegant stack on its head. Yeah.
01:10:37
Speaker
Yes, very large, beautiful beast. It is kind of ethereal looking. It's kind of got a green hue to it and shimmers a little bit and its antlers are gigantic. They go back as far as its body does. It's all the way to its hindquarters, so to speak.
01:11:00
Speaker
I don't know the nature of it per se, but it's either celestial fey or fiend. I'm assuming either celestial or fey spirit. This is a fey spirit for sure.
01:11:14
Speaker
unusually intelligent and has a long lasting bond with me. As it runs up to Krigs, it bends its front leg down and lowers its head and invites you on to ride it. I climb aboard its back and just hold onto the antlers.
01:11:38
Speaker
Nice. So you all in the midst of the night, by the way, it, this was a night roll. So it is currently.
01:11:47
Speaker
nighttime. You guys all get your steeds, your mounts, and you are able to ride into the night towards the base of the stone mountains. If you would like to go ahead and leave now, you can do so. Absolutely. Yeah. All right. I would say you ride off into the sunset, but sunrise. Yeah. Yep. So that's where we'll leave it today.
01:12:13
Speaker
God, are you kidding me? It's seven days. Seven days? Seven days? Seven days?
01:12:36
Speaker
Thank you for listening to this episodic installment of the Hired Swords. If you liked our show, tell a friend about us. If you really liked our show, tell the world and leave a review. If you want to keep up with us and get all the behind the scenes goofs and gaffs, you can find us on Twitter and Facebook at the Hired Swords. Again, thank you for listening. We'll see you next time in the wilds.