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C1 Ep. 115 Tales of the Ancients Chapter One
297 Plays5 years ago
This week on Eberron Renewed, the party finally travels south to the continent of Xendrik. But their destination proves to be elusive. join us as the attempt to navigate the treacherous deserts of Xendrik!
This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Nikko Batson, Charles Compton, The Kamm Family, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Emily Estella Scott, and Michael Clark.
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Transcript
Opening and Acknowledgements
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of John Kerry, Laura Pickron, Nico Batson, Elizabeth Clark, Darryl Delaney, Ryan Royce, Irene Villarito, The Cam Family, Charles Compton, Emily Estella Scott, Michael Clark, and David Scrams, as well as all of our generous patrons.
00:00:49
Speaker
Our kind loved this land once. In godlike, we reveled in our power here.
00:00:57
Speaker
We shared our secrets with the giants. We gifted them with wonder beyond their wildest dreams. We thought to create a paradise, but fate twists cruelly.
00:01:11
Speaker
The seeds we planted amongst the giants grew rank and malformed, until we had no choice but to weed them out and poison their roots. Now this scornful place is nothing, a stain upon Eberron's repose, a shadowed memory of better times, a constant reminder of our arrogance.
00:01:31
Speaker
If I had led the charge against the giants on that day, I would have destroyed them to the last and broken this accursed continent to pieces just to watch it crumble into the sea. But
Podcast Introduction and Recap
00:01:45
Speaker
the elders claim its purpose in the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. Baristokon, beacon of Sybaris
00:02:00
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Eberron Renewed, a D&D 5th edition actual play podcast set in the Eberron Campaign setting. I'm your dungeon master, Eric. And I'm Philip. I'm Randy. I'm Jeff. And welcome to another episode. Gentlemen, what happened last time? An amulet was stolen! It's true. I mean, that's correct. Uh, quote, suicide. Um...
00:02:23
Speaker
Some things tried to attack us and, uh, Barrick banished them because why wouldn't you? Um, and then we got our boat back, went on the boat, found out about a robbery and alleged suicide, but we know better. Uh, I'll let Barrick explain that a little more detail. Pretty sure Orianna killed the
Murder and Danger: Orianna and Beric's Pact
00:02:49
Speaker
A. Reedran ambassador.
00:02:51
Speaker
based on the fact that she was expressing frustration that there was no one for her to, that she wanted to go fight. She wanted to go fight the people who had done this to her and Barak did not really offer an option for that because Barak doesn't know which people need to be fought in Sharn specifically when it comes to the reedrants since presumably there are some reasonably innocent reedrants.
00:03:22
Speaker
Uh, so pretty sure. Can't confirm exactly, but pretty sure. Oriana snuck out in the night and went and murdered the red. And then, um, also one thing that we didn't really touch on in the previous, previously on, uh, Barrett got a new pact. Also true.
00:03:46
Speaker
Yes, a new pact was taken that warns Beric of danger. Beric now has spider sins. Yes. And that makes 12. There's only one more
Journey Over Zendrick: Jungle to Desert Transition
00:04:01
Speaker
out there. I believe. If I'm keeping track correctly. I'm not. I know.
00:04:10
Speaker
Um, okay. So you all are back on the ship. Uh, you all have been traveling for a couple of weeks, um, on borrowed time, doing a bit of a time jump. Um, your pact was the sword itself. So then 11 would be 12 total packs accounted for.
00:04:46
Speaker
Well, we'll do that admin. You can declare 12 it's fine. I'll just want my other room, please. So is 12 because I can throw it.
00:05:01
Speaker
Um, so yeah, you all been traveling for a few weeks. You are well over the mainland of Zendrick following barracks guidance in the direction towards, um, the spear of desert winds. Um, so, uh, a couple of days ago, uh, while you all were traveling, you saw the dense jungle canopy, uh, of Zendrick that you all had grown familiar with in your travels. Yep. Um, begin to break up.
00:05:29
Speaker
and morph into just a sprawling desert beneath you. It feels considerably hotter. You just hear Dex yell from the back of the boat, this place sucks. No talk about Booyah home. Sorry Booyah, but it sucks. I'm sure it was a great place to grow up for a young goblin, but as an adult who didn't have to grow up here,
00:06:00
Speaker
I like
Approaching the Spear of Desert Winds: Ship or Foot?
00:06:01
Speaker
growing up in Oklahoma, if I'm being really honest. I think it's fine, but I understand people coming here and being like, nah. So, Barrick, you feel like you all are getting rapidly closer to...
00:06:17
Speaker
to the spear. I will alert Jace to that. All right. Okay, so do you want me to head down closer to the ground and you just let me know when to drop you off? Do you want to head forward on foot just in case they're like, you don't want to be noticed? What's the plan? Stan? I don't
00:06:38
Speaker
Well, let me, let me speak to my companions and see what, what they would refer. The bear goes back and finds Dex and Booyah. So we're getting close and Jace can either take us in low and drop us off close, or we can try to approach on foot.
00:07:01
Speaker
Approaching on foot might allow for a more stealthy approach, but at the same time, I don't know if there's any personages. Stealthy from what? Right. I don't know if this is going to be a thing where it's a room full of traps or if there are guardians.
00:07:16
Speaker
How rapidly are we approaching it? Very rapidly. We'll be there within a matter of minutes. Traveling at the speed you're traveling at in the airship now, probably about 15 to 20 minutes on foot, it would take a little bit over an hour.
00:07:41
Speaker
But on foot, it would take a little bit over an hour. In the desert. On foot in the desert. I mean, it was a bit over an hour. We're not going to, you're not going to starve to death in the desert. Not going to starve to death, but also the ship's still right there. It's going to suck. Let's just take the ship. Let's, let's take the ship. It's fine. I don't have a problem with that. I just, I just wanted to consult with you all about what, what the approach should be. We didn't want to make a decision on your behalf. I appreciate that. You know, it's desert. So, I mean, ship be seen probably long way away anyway.
00:08:10
Speaker
That's a fair point. We're probably already visible to it. Yeah, we got seen. We, if we're going to be seen, we have been seen. Yeah, that's fair. Well, uh, then get your things. It's about time. Okay. Dex gets his things. Barrett goes down, gets his things, gets his, gets the mask, fits the mask over his face, uh, pulls the hood on his jerkin up and then goes back to Jason. Okay.
00:08:40
Speaker
All right, so what's the what's the plan there, buddy? Eric is silent for a moment. And then you can take us in low and I will.
00:08:56
Speaker
point towards the location probably by this point. Yeah. It's there. Um, so as Jace begins to take the airship down closer to the sand, um, you're beginning to realize it's down, down, down. Yeah. So it's not leveling out the closer he gets down to the sand. Down under.
00:09:22
Speaker
I wish you all could have seen Jeff's face when Philip said that. A small piece of Jeff died here today. It was a quiet resignation. Yeah.
Desert Meeting: Orgev, Brasha, and False Intel
00:09:32
Speaker
So yeah, you quickly find yourself over it and Jace brings the ship to a stop at your behest and lowers it down to where you all can
00:09:55
Speaker
Okay, I have no idea what, if anything, we'll be guarding the weapon we're looking for, but keep, keep an eye out. Um, these things are powerful and that's usually means there's something else that wants them or wants to prevent us. So I don't know if something might attack the ship or anything like that, but be, and he's talking to Jason, the other people in our.
00:10:17
Speaker
make a safe descent on a rope ladder to the desert floor.
00:10:22
Speaker
Crew seems like the wrong term because only two of them are adults. I apologize. It's with us. And also, there is an implication that you pay a crew. That's also fair. I mean, they kind of just have a... We paid Charlie an endless per diem at this point. They need something. There's always money in the walls. There's always money in the airship.
00:10:53
Speaker
Uh, Eric, where is it? It's somewhere under the sand. How far? I don't know. Not miles. Not miles. Listen, I don't make the rules of how this works.
00:11:10
Speaker
Dex doesn't feel like digging right now. He's willing to, but he's gonna look... Can I look around and see if there is any... Is there any feature? Is there something that might look like it's some brush that's covering a hatch? An ancient temple. Or is there a temple or a ruin that would be an interesting... I just wanna dress like...
00:11:29
Speaker
There's no brush, like any features. So it's sand dunes, like there's different levels and stuff, but everything is sand. Give me your perception check as you're looking around, trying to look for features.
00:11:48
Speaker
That'll count. Uh, that is a 31. So as you're looking around, you do spot, um, as you're using your goggles and shield and shielding your eyes. Uh, and then you realize you should take them off since they're dark. Once you take them off and blink a few times, um, you see two figures moving on the horizon. Walking towards like
00:12:15
Speaker
parallel perpendicular to her. Okay. I point them out, say, fellas, look over there. Eric, I have no idea what you can and can't see anymore. But there's a couple of some things you do see two tiny blips. No, I don't know if they're a long way away. I can do this.
00:12:35
Speaker
I can do this at 60 feet. Okay, nevermind. Way out there. There's a couple of somethings moving. They don't seem to be paying us any mind yet. But they're we're not alone as alone as it seemed like we might be. Yeah, I'm here. I'm not gonna make you all make a logic check. Like, if they're close enough for you all to see them, then they saw your airship coming in. So are they moving towards us?
00:13:02
Speaker
They aren't. No. Uh, I don't know if they might be flanking with other people though. Let's just, let's just send the ship up. That's fair. Hey Jay, take her up. No. Okay. And you feel the ship lurch and it begins to rise up as the, um, the rings around it intensify. We're still on the ship. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Right.
00:13:31
Speaker
I just want to go up a bit, Ken, and I want to look around again. Do I see any more figures now that I know to be looking for things moving about how far away? You don't see any other figures. You just see these two from my better vantage point. Yeah. Okay. All right. Well, it looks like those are the only two I see. So I think maybe the three of us can head back down and get started on this thing.
00:13:54
Speaker
I suppose so. I don't really know what the next step is. I mean, I don't either. I suppose you do see the two figures begin to turn and they're, they seem to be walking in your direction now. All right. They're coming our way. Do we want to go down and make a greeting party? Let's wait for them there. Yes. So we go back. That's what I think we should get. Okay. And we clamor down there, the rope ladder. That's AJ staker of, and it just starts to go up.
00:14:26
Speaker
Um, so do you guys just want me to wait here hovering or can I go find somewhere to maybe a tall tree to dock so I can take a break? If you can find someplace to dock by all means, we'd like you to not go far. Well, yeah, I'll be, I'll, I'll stay within a 10 minute perimeter. That would be fair. That's fair.
Search for the Pyramid Entrance
00:14:47
Speaker
Well, that gets you back to the edge of the jungle. We find a tree. Uh, potentially we'll see off Charlie. Keep time. Fair enough.
00:14:55
Speaker
All right. As these figures approach. Yes. Am I getting any made a sore wood? Why don't you just float there if he takes his hand off the steering wheel? That's fair. You figured it'd be an anchor system. We've just so often played with airships where if the elemental like elemental dies, but surely I can idle. Yeah. So what is the otherwise that means he hasn't been sleeping.
00:15:22
Speaker
Yeah. For like three weeks and he's dead. He is dead, actually. You did not realize. Did you guys know that Jace is a ghost? That's very fascinating because it means dragon marks can last beyond death.
00:15:36
Speaker
These guys are approaching. Yes. Am I getting any more distinguishing anything from them as they get closer? One of them is considerably larger than the other as they get closer. Considerably larger than a medium sized entity? Still medium sized, just bigger and taller. Just the other.
00:15:53
Speaker
like Booyah's size or is he just, are they both humanoids? Are they both medium? I mean, one seems your size, the other one seems a couple feet taller. Okay. Gotcha. And then as they get closer, you see the sun begin to glint off of one of them and it shines silver. So
00:16:17
Speaker
I think we got a war forged on our hands here today. Can't tell about the other fella. Um, I know that doesn't really mean much other than, you know, if we get in a fight now, you know, who we're dealing with. That's good to know. I guess I can't tell about the other fella. He looks probably, I don't know, human half L something, you know, something boring.
00:16:49
Speaker
Um, yeah, the other one seems, uh, human. Uh, once they get close enough, um, you see that they're wearing, uh, they're both wearing wide brim boonies. Um, and, uh, it's a hat. Like, I guessed that. Okay. Um,
00:17:07
Speaker
I hope it's not offensive. No, it's not. It's just kidding. It's like a military brimmed hat instead of a cap. I was joking about these. They are both wearing, have you all ever seen the images of Inuits who had basically the equivalent of sunglasses, like they're the goggles with the really thin slits in them? Oh, yeah. Yeah, they're wearing those.
00:17:34
Speaker
and one is wearing light tan pants rolled up in a tunic and the other one is wearing long light blue robes with their booney hats and they both have walking sticks and large packs on their back.
00:17:48
Speaker
And they both stop once, like they were clearly trudging towards you because they saw your ship. So one of them definitely looks like a British explorer from a, from the 1930s. Yeah. I almost put him in a white pin tap, but decided against it. Um, Safari short.
00:18:05
Speaker
Is it the warforged in the rolled up? It's actually not a warforged. Once it gets closer and you can see the features, it's a dragonborn. Oh, is it a dragonborn in khaki shorts? No, the dragonborn is in the light blue robes. And the thief of joy. I'm sorry. And the human is in the rolled up tan pants and the tunic. And once you all get close enough to start recognizing these distinguishing features, they both stop and
00:18:32
Speaker
the human pulls up his goggles with just hilarious tan lines. Like their skin looks goofed up. And we have to stop meeting like this. I said, I say your, your majesty, uh, and, uh, dragon friend. What's his name? Barasha. Barasha would all be, what are you all doing here?
00:18:58
Speaker
That is an excellent question from us to you. Yeah. We're doing what we've been doing. Oh, well, um, you see, uh, funny story that, uh, we got some bad Intel from a giant. Well, one of us got some bad Intel and believed it from a giant. What were you trying to do? Well,
00:19:22
Speaker
You know, with the land near Stormreach being fertile ground for insurrection, fighting, re-idron chaos, Ondair was not friendly at all. We were hoping, we're still on the search for new Kaia, and this has clearly been a bust. We were told that there was some fertile
00:19:47
Speaker
land out here near a river that ran through the Zendric Desert and we've been out here for a few days, 20 days.
00:20:00
Speaker
Go onto our airship. Get some rest in a real bed. Water. Water, food. Out of the sun. Out of the sun. Into the boat. Yes, I do suppose that that might be agreeable. Where are you all going? What are you doing out here? I call, before they get any farther away, I call J-Spec. Well, they haven't left yet, so. Great. What are you doing? We are...
00:20:27
Speaker
looking for an artifact that has to do with the... How much did we tell them? How much did we explain to them about the whole thing they were in on the murder board meeting, right? The last time we saw them was before Stormreach. They have no idea what we're at. Right? Last time we saw them was Lucan.
00:20:48
Speaker
But yeah, the first time you met Lucan, well, you traveled back to Stormreach together. And then we met them again in Stormreach, briefly. When they were leaving the last site's office. That was the last time you saw them.
00:21:04
Speaker
Well, we're looking for a very old artifact and we know that there's somewhere beneath our feet right now there's a structure, a hope, a structure where the artifact is. We just don't really know quite how to get down there.
00:21:24
Speaker
Have you guys seen anything like a cave oat mouth or a dune hole or a big door? A dune hole, you say? Have you guys seen anything like a... A rune? Actually, some quicksand, but it looks like maybe it's got a false bottom, maybe it seems like maybe a portal. I'm just gonna let you keep going. How about a well? Have you seen a well, Doug, out here? No, no well.
00:21:53
Speaker
Just a big hole, maybe? Staircase. Escalator. The audience can't see me right now, but I have multiple times begun to try and speak, and that is actually happening in fiction that Orgev and Brash are trying to interject.
Debating the Pyramid Entry: Dig or Find?
00:22:09
Speaker
Well, now that we did see some stone structures yesterday, yesterday, back
00:22:19
Speaker
He looks at the sun in that way. How sure are you? I'm sure that we saw it. How sure are you that it's that way? I'd say 85% sure. I'm 100% sure it's in that direction. 85% that it's that way.
00:22:43
Speaker
I like those odds. That's pretty good. Before we move on, I'd like us to have a pretty thorough search of the ground right about here. Sure. That'd be real foolish. We can turn around and there's a well right there we didn't notice.
00:23:02
Speaker
Well, listen, I mean, Orgev can stay on the ship, but while you all dig around, I'll go get some water and food in me and I can show you. I can lead you back that way. That ship can take us there. Fair enough. All right. Hey, Jace. Yeah, I was just about to take a nap. What's up?
00:23:22
Speaker
I'm real sorry. Uh, we, it's cool. Look, man, we just found some people out here in the desert and if we just leave them here in the desert, I mean, they're very capable people that they're probably just die. Yeah. And Jason, I mean, I'm not gonna split hairs. It's Prince or give down here. Are you familiar? Oh yeah. The, uh, deposed guy. Like, but that's not, I mean, that's not how I'd,
00:23:49
Speaker
Okay, we'd like we'd like you to bring the ship down so we can and we need to move to a different site. All right. So that you could potentially dock at even possibly. All right. On the ship comes back down rope lighter drops. First, we make a really careful search of the area. Right. I holler up to Charlie get these fellas some vittles and drinks.
00:24:16
Speaker
can come up with a food item. Uh, Zittles runs the gamut of all food items. Accurate. Um, okay. So they ascend the rope ladder. Um, and, uh, yeah, how do we need to go about making a thorough, like just sand kicking check, really looking around for stuff here. Uh, investigation. Okay.
00:24:50
Speaker
I have only a 13, so it's not great. 10. A 35 good? I rolled a natural 19. I don't know what to tell you.
00:25:03
Speaker
You gave me these things. So, yeah, Barrick and Boo-Yar kicking around the sand and... Max is like, push a stick down into the sand. Nope, nothing there. I don't know how to do this. Barrick has never been in a desert.
00:25:27
Speaker
So, yeah, Dex you're you're looking around and you're looking at the shape of the dunes and kind of how, because you know that there has to be a structure underneath you that houses this thing.
00:25:41
Speaker
And so you begin shuffling around the sand, poking down. And after a few times of really looking at the contours of the sand, you walk over a few feet to where a dune has come up rather sharply out of nowhere. And you climb up to the top of the dune and begin stabbing down. And after probably a dozen stabs or so, you begin to hear, like you hit something solid. And I yell, guys, I found a dune hole.
00:26:11
Speaker
Y'all, come here, come here, over here. Lee, come. Okay. Look, you laughed. But if you can think of a better way to describe this than dune hole. It doesn't appear to be a hole, does it? It's a hatch, right? You need to dig up sand. I said you've been digging. Okay. Well, I was yelling about dune holes. So after
00:26:33
Speaker
a good amount of digging, uh, probably about, uh, two and a half feet down. You feel stone underneath your hands. You mean brushing
Pyramid Entry Preparation
00:26:41
Speaker
it away. And then as you brush it further and further away, you realize that it is very heavily slanted stone that comes to a point that you're digging on top of. And you see that you can dig down further along the sides. Guys, I found a dude room and it's stone you say. Yes.
00:27:03
Speaker
Well, I know this, nothing around here is particularly flammable and this here fireball knife does a lot of damage. We might be able to put a hole right through this thing. Unless you want to dig down to the bottom of the building. I'm trying to think how we might be able to in any case. I don't really know how big this thing is. Right. That's what I'm saying. Yeah. Um,
00:27:31
Speaker
I do not know. Hold on. I'm sorry. I'm, I'm staring at my character sheet. I'm staring at my spells. I'm trying to think what can I do? No one's got shape stone or shape earth. Those are more druidy. I mean, I think stone shape is on the cleric list, but I don't know how high a level it is. So I don't think, I don't think I can do it regardless. It's not prepped. Right. Well,
00:27:58
Speaker
For Booyah, that's just a good night's rest. And then that's true. I mean, I can dimension door into it, but. Doing it in the blind, yeah, is real hazardous, yeah.
00:28:20
Speaker
I mean, does it give the impression like a normal sized roof or like a really? It's the top of the pyramid. A pyramid. A point of a pyramid. Oh, okay. I was thinking like a roof of some stone roof. It's pointy pointy. I'd like to make a history check to see. I don't know if I know anything about pyramids. Okay. It's in Drichian tombs.
00:28:48
Speaker
Well, the base is square and it's triangles, on triangles, on triangles. He knows so much about pyramids. Natural 20, modified 27. They had this awesome book at seminary. Beric was really into ancient, not Egypt.
00:29:08
Speaker
That absolutely tracks. I have a, I have a justifiable way of knowledge. Um, uh, if you will, uh, grant me. Um, so, uh, check out a lot of books about the ancient, I'm actually thinking that, um, like a lot of, I mean, if you have something cool, cool and narrative, please feel free. Um, so you're, you're staring at the point of this pyramid.
00:29:34
Speaker
and you're trying to, like all three of you are trying to like think and all of a sudden you feel your belt begin to vibrate as you realize that Erebus can just talk to me.
00:29:51
Speaker
He gets excited. So you hear a voice in your head go, wait, I remember this. I remember this. Wait. You remember this? I remember this place. No, I've never been here. What do you remember about it? Do you remember how to get in?
00:30:10
Speaker
I know that there is a, oh, and you feel an intense amount of concentration. And then all of a sudden the world goes black for you, Barak. And you find yourself standing and you're looking from the point in which you exist in this world, but there's no longer sand below you. You're above the pyramid and you can see
00:30:40
Speaker
There was a time when this pyramid obviously wasn't buried in sand. And you see some figures walking into the pyramid carrying various equipments and things like that. And then time begins to speed up. Are they giants? Is it a giant pyramid? You see elves walking in.
00:31:09
Speaker
You also, as they're walking in, they're walking in at an intense pace. And you also see like light refracting around you and like explosions, like colorful explosions, as you see dragons flying through the air all around you. And you also see magical energy flying up from the ground at the dragons. So a lot of stuff's going on and these elves are booking it. And
00:31:39
Speaker
they like time begins to speed up as they are it looks like stone shaping a basically a tunnel that is above ground and some others are walking behind them seeming to manipulate the wind and they're stirring up sand and sand is just piling up behind them and you see them
00:32:03
Speaker
basically create a upward slope tunnel that eventually gets buried in sand in the direction that Baratia was pointing you in. But the entire height of the pyramid, you would guess, is about 700 feet. It's a very tall pyramid built by giants. So, I mean, presumably,
00:32:29
Speaker
You could blow a hole and try to get down in there, or you could go the direction Barretia suggested. I heard this remembers this place. And then you snap back to reality. Oh, there goes gravity. There's an entrance. There's an entrance in the direction that Barretia said. If we can think of a way to just go down
00:32:58
Speaker
There is also an entrance on the pyramid itself, but it's perhaps 700 feet below us. Let's take a walk. 700 feet. I'm not digging. I dug two and a half feet. That's what I'm saying. If we could find a way to do it without just digging, I mean, we're not going to be, it's sand. We're not going to be able to dig a 700 foot town hole. Trying to blow a hole in the roof though, is a possibility. Yeah, but then we're just 700
Navigating Pyramid Traps with Barak's Vision
00:33:20
Speaker
feet. We don't know where it is. Potentially straight up air. We don't know.
00:33:26
Speaker
I feel like we should go to the ruins, the entrance layer. That's fine. All right. Brasha, you saw how far of a walk are we talking? Do we need to get the ship or can we just have hustle over there? Um, I mean, Brasha said that they saw it yesterday, granted they aren't at a hundred percent. Um, so you're thinking you could get there probably in six hours. Hey, let's take the ship. Let's take the ship. Yes.
00:33:53
Speaker
Um, so you all get back on the deck. Um, and of course, I'm sorry. Appreciate your, you're being very accommodating right now. Uh, you know, it's part of the, part of the job. You just, uh, um, as it stands, there's no particular reason if it, if it causes you to have to exert yourself, that you have to take the ship up. We could just go that way at the altitude that we're at. Fair enough. Yeah. We can do that.
00:34:25
Speaker
You all get on deck and you see the lovely table that is at the center of your deck now. I know it. I like that idea. Brash and Orgever sitting there. Charlie has put some stew in front of them. A good hot stew is arrested from your time in the desert.
00:34:45
Speaker
Well, that's how you properly regulate your body's temperature is you put something hot in there so it thinks it's hot so it naturally cools down. I mean, I wouldn't have voiced God. I'm gonna actually believe you on that one. No, construction workers in India drink hot tea on site. I just don't think they drink iced tea in India. Well, but anyway, it's science. I'm not sure it is.
00:35:09
Speaker
So anyway, it might not be science, but it is 10 p.m. So move this along. Oh, my sweet summer child. We are not. We're about halfway. I know. So, yeah, you all take off in the ship. Brasha asks, I'm assuming that you're heading down. Yeah, we're going to go in. Yeah, it's playing. Mind attack along.
00:35:36
Speaker
I mean, you're more, right? I mean, you're more than welcome to, to join us. Listen, I've been, and he kind of looks over his shoulder at, or you have like babysitting for quite some time. And honestly, the train fight probably last time I had genuine fun. So.
00:36:00
Speaker
If you don't mind, we almost died. That's not true. We did that. Draconis almost died. That's right. A delayed effort. Eric looks over at Dex and says, look, this is fine. I don't have any problem with actually coming along. I'm sure he'll be great help to us. But when word gets out that he's coming with us, she's going to demand that she also come.
00:36:30
Speaker
And you get to talk her out of it. Well, that sucks. Uh, Rasha, here's the thing. I don't know. Like I say, I'm more than happy to have Rasha along and I expect she'll be extremely useful. Right. Just telling you we're setting a precedent and you have to talk her down.
00:36:56
Speaker
Merrick goes back to guiding Jason. Merrick, why can't she come? She's strong, she's good, she's willing, and she's ready. She's as ready as we were when we started, that's for sure. And I mean that both from a skill and mental bearing standpoint.
00:37:25
Speaker
Understand you you care for her and you want her to be safe. I get that But is that the only reason you don't think she should go? Well, yeah, I think we've got ready to fight maybe have this bad place very danger Eric Turns a little bit over his shoulder So the mask is visible again and it says
00:37:57
Speaker
I can't take it if she dies. Understood. You're not wrong. She is ready. Hey, I understand it. I'm not questioning your desire for her not to go. I just wanted to know if there was something beyond your unable to
Exploring the Pyramid's History
00:38:21
Speaker
take it if she dies. And that's a valid reason. I don't want you to think that I think less of you because that's why you don't want her coming. Believe me.
00:38:27
Speaker
And if she does decide that because Brasha is going... Brasha's a grown man and we have no sway over him. If he wants to go, he's coming. I will say though, to him, I'll say, hey, Brasha? Yeah. Look, I get that you're very strong and tough and
00:38:52
Speaker
Dragonborn, Hardy. All those things are true. You've been in the desert for 20 days. And we don't know what we're going to face down there. Are you sure you're up to? Are you sure you're ready? I mean, we've we've had exposure, but we've had water. We've had water. We've had food. Sort of like we were on death's door. We were just tired. Well, all right. Convince me.
00:39:24
Speaker
I mean, what am I gonna say? I'm not your mom. It's Ryder Dydex. Maybe somehow we keep secret, Hiko. Maybe... I mean... Maybe somehow she knows... Are you all having this conversation in front of Barasha or no? Barak has walked off to guide Jay Stewart. We're going.
00:39:43
Speaker
We, I mean, I've, I kind of hollered out to Brasha, but not loudly, like just enough to be like, Hey, good. I've even walked back over to it, but no, they are too separate. Brasha didn't hear anything that, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, Barak and I said, well, this is just. Dex and Booyah talking then. Yeah. Maybe some way he sneak off, join us meet up. Maybe she know, find out. I mean, maybe she find out.
00:40:15
Speaker
I got no problem with him jumping off the boat and going with us and if she tries to this thus Booyah began playing a dangerous game I'm not gonna here's the thing. I'm not gonna go tell her hey Barash is going and you can We're up here making the active decision that we need to go do this and Barash is coming and we don't feel the need To tell Charlie or Cassian or Orianna what we're doing for various different reasons
00:40:43
Speaker
If she finds out while we're gone, she finds out while we're gone, I'll handle the blow up. Probably not going to like it. I'm probably going to end up getting hit with something. But I've been killed yet, except that one time. If she's if Booyah thinks she show up, Booyah do best. Stay close, her. OK, OK.
00:41:08
Speaker
So anyway, are we there yet? Yes, you have you have gotten there. So, yeah, you all reach the entryway that Brax mentioned. It is literally a small outcropping of stone that you see at this point. And there's still like it's still filled with sand like there's going to be some element of getting past that. But yeah, that's what you see. So are we ready to go?
00:41:37
Speaker
Yeah, let's go down. I think so. Alright, start climbing down. Actually, you know what? I'll go down last. You go down first. Okay. As you all begin, well, Barash wouldn't change before he said, Are you all ready to go? He's now wearing his chainmail and his armor and he's got his shield and his scimitar and he's ready to rock. So
00:42:06
Speaker
Uh, yeah, he follows you all down. So, um, give me, uh, investigation checks on this little outcropping a stone to try and figure out what's going on. I felt Jason, once we're all down, he needs to get high enough that a drop from the bottom of the rope ladder would seem too dangerous to risk. Okay. Hoping that was a seven. Cause if she decides to just come down after us. Yeah. What are we doing? Investigation? Yeah. 30.
00:42:36
Speaker
35. 35? Yes. That's two with my one on the die. Oh, you got a one. A natural one. Interesting. Picked it up because maybe that's a seven, but no. It's got that little... Okay, I'm gonna put that in my pocket. Hold on to it. Okay, so... Now hold on. I had a natural 20 a while ago.
00:43:05
Speaker
Yeah, that's a luxury we don't enjoy. That's a DM luxury to put them in the pocket. That's right.
Guardian Sarcophagi: Ready to Attack
00:43:11
Speaker
Not complaining. That's just the fact. We didn't use mine. So it cancels out my one. Looks like they used mine and ended up attacking us. What's your natural 20? I don't know, elemental breaks free. Okay, and it punches you.
00:43:26
Speaker
Um, anyway, um, so yeah, with your 30, um, you are able to, uh, grab your, uh, your ribbon weave stick and you, uh, you find the fulcrum point and kind of push it and you feel some wood break and give way as
00:43:52
Speaker
That's Randy's one. Guess who's using the weapons I give you now. So the sand kind of breaks away and falls down and you see it roll down these stairs into darkness.
00:44:15
Speaker
I guess. And you feel this tepid stale ale rush past you. Smells like stale white whale. If I slide like what? White whale.
00:44:36
Speaker
If I throw my goggles on, can I see down any farther? Yeah, I mean, that gives you darkvision up to 60 feet. It does. I'm just asking, is it still petering out because I've got... Yeah, I mean, there's just there's clearly no light sources down there. So you can you can walk, but there actually can't see in the dark. That is correct. This could be difficult. Does our cleric have a light cantrip or something?
00:45:03
Speaker
I don't think so. Well, we never need blood. And he pulls out a light rod and shakes it. Exactly. I always, those ones that do light, I will always think of just crack it and shake it. All right. Well, some of the ornate design on the front of his shield has some like loops and stuff. And so he just shoves it in the front of his shield and just
00:45:31
Speaker
I'm going to go down about 20 feet and then check for traps. Okay. About 20 feet. Checking is which one? Investigation. 32. 32. So yeah, you're looking and you do actually spot a little thin tripwire that you can attempt to disarm with sleight of hand, I believe is the check.
00:46:02
Speaker
14 okay yeah you're able to cut the line uh safely without setting off the trap um and you are able to continue down further on i i will say that that investigation check was high enough to where for the rest of the staircase you don't need to stop and check like you you know there before we go in barracks has been watching the ship
00:46:27
Speaker
Well, he I mean, Dex told Jace to get high enough to where a jump would be potentially lethal. So it's just hovering up there. OK. No little specs on the horizon. No. I can't decide if that seems more suspicious. She didn't at any point come out, come out from the hold to make an attempt to come with us. It's even more concerning because there's no winning with this. I mean, she didn't come, though, and we need to get down there. That's fair.
00:46:58
Speaker
All right. Well, let's go. So I'm down. I'm already down the stairs. Don't worry. I already took care of the first trap. You guys want to follow now and go down the stairs. OK. So after a fair amount of descent, in fact, about 700 feet down, who's dissenting?
00:47:23
Speaker
Anyway. You all reach the leveling out point. And with Brash's light source in Ural's dark vision, you see ornate designs on the walls depicting what appears, it's very much like your vision of the decimation of the giants at the hand of the dragon.
00:47:49
Speaker
dragons and them just utterly destroying the giant civilization and the elves and everything in their wake. It's clear that something occurred that caused the dragons to view the giants as enough of a threat to where they had to topple their whole civilization essentially. Absolutely destroys the still slightly happy part of Varric.
00:48:18
Speaker
that while he can see the shape of the world right now,
Conclusion and Credits
00:48:21
Speaker
none of these carvings or reliefs or wall paintings are visible to him. The most shocking thing about that was that there was still some happy place in Barrick. Not anymore.
00:48:37
Speaker
I mean, I don't know if the functional difference you could feel them and they are like carvings. Yeah. But Berwick has been blind for a few weeks. I don't think he's, you know, reasonable. I don't think it's reasonable for me to say he's, he's braille proficient or able to interpret that level of. Yep. Dex would be willing to narrate what you're touching as you run your hands along it. So you can start getting a familiarity with that. Berwick is not going to ask him to do that. Berwick is going to just endure.
00:49:07
Speaker
If I'm going to take advantage of your friend's largess, then... Good talk. I bet my mic didn't pick up any of that. But Dex does describe to Beric the car rings, the boss relief as we move.
00:49:30
Speaker
There's not a choice. There's a single tunnel. Yeah. I mean, it is, it is a singular tunnel. Okay. I do want to do another trap check before we move much further. Just cause at a certain point, Eric says, you know, it's impressive. They built this tunnel according to Erebus in the very moment in which their civilization was being attacked by the dragons. And they still took time.
00:49:55
Speaker
memorial. To memorialize it in art. I mean, very impressive. Is it possible they came back? Is this possible? I don't know. Encartilator. It's very impressive. Yeah.
00:50:14
Speaker
You are able to walk a bit ahead while you're describing all of this and you see a point where two of the dragon heads come out from the wall and are kind of perched up and pointing down.
00:50:27
Speaker
Um, looks very cool. You're describing it and then you stop and look and you see your foot resting without having put weight on it on a raised up tile on the floor. And you bring it back and slide a hand check to disable the trap. Oh yeah.
00:50:43
Speaker
17, 21, 21. So yeah, you're able to grab a Python out of your pack and you just get it running low on those. I'm not going to tell him that you have mine. Tink, Tink. And you wedge it underneath the tile to where it's impossible to
00:51:03
Speaker
to push it down. They're like a copper each. So yeah, they're nothing special. I just only had I have a finite amount. Yeah. Also, your average adventurer has an event has a whole bunch of them on him. We've killed a lot of people who at least count as your average adventurer. So surely we can just have been scavenging pythons. We never lose ever. I know. Sure looted Lucas body. You're the worst. You never loot. So fancy ring of his.
00:51:31
Speaker
That's true. So yeah, you are continuing along. Barash vocalizes this. He's looking at all of this. It's like, it's incredible, isn't it? Makes you wonder what the Giants did to raise the ire of the dragons. We haven't gained any information about that, right?
00:52:01
Speaker
We know that the Kabarin, some helped the giants against the dragons and others just took advantage of it, but Booyah got a vision.
00:52:09
Speaker
of four giants wielding weapons that match the description of the Destiny arms and using them in such a way to where like an intense and insane amount of magical energy was just unleashed. Against the quarry. Yes. Except I don't know what the giant's role was against the quarry and also against the... But that's the only action of a scale that might even draw the attention of the dragons that you're aware of.
00:52:41
Speaker
Probably our opinion of the dragons is quite low. It seemed to just be marauding, as far as we can tell. Right. Sure. Do you verbalize that to Brasha? No. And I've only ever seen one dragon in person, and he stole something from us, put a hole in our boat. Yeah, and the spirit of another dragon was a real jerk. Yep.
00:53:09
Speaker
So all of our experience with dragons has been they're either sadistic or thieves. Or they provide you with gaudy but effective armor. Provide is not the word I would use. It literally became a provision once it was skinned off his back. Anyway, are any of you going to respond to what Brash said?
00:53:32
Speaker
I mean, I don't know that Beric would necessarily go to the level of saying, because the Giants drove off the quarry, the dragons destroyed them. I don't know if that's the connection Beric would make. I would assume Beric feels like we must be missing some part of the puzzle. I think Dex might say something, just something effective. From what we've heard and learned, the Giants were kind of
00:53:56
Speaker
messing with all sorts of stuff they ought not to have been. You know, extra planar stuff, heavy magic stuff. Something eventually just must have caught the sour side of the dragons and decided to nip it in the bud, as it were. As Orgev and I have been combing this continent, trying to find anything to resemble a home.
00:54:23
Speaker
Uh, you, you see these, these things, all the, the place that I was, that you all rescued me from. Like it's clear the giants were the civilization on this continent. And I mean, the equivalent of some might say humanity in Corvair and they were just destroyed beyond repair.
00:54:52
Speaker
It's horrifying. And this is all while you all are walking. So. It is. Empires don't last. Science. Goblins. Gallifar. It's weird to think about.
00:55:22
Speaker
The scary thing, in most cases, that's going to take you down is the thing that comes after you. But ultimately, the most dangerous force is the one that came before all of us. And when you run afoul of the dragons, they'll rise back up and claim what they want. Yeah. Disconcerting in its own way.
00:55:52
Speaker
Anyway, I checked for traps. Pretty well. For the 30. 30. Okay, you're hitting the point at the end of the tunnel. You the the relief has shifted from the war to the I mean,
00:56:12
Speaker
Just the decimation of the Giants like there's no longer dragons in the carvings or anything It you see depictions of like the the buffoonish hill Giants and the the shell of what they once were fire Giants You actually don't see any I mean you there was a certain type of giant that Booyah you've seen in your visions and that you've seen in carvings and things like that Giants that towered over all other Giants
00:56:42
Speaker
Um, so tall that you might say their, their head would reach the clouds, uh, that you've never seen or heard of in modernity. Uh, has decided to call them cloud giants. Yeah. Um, so, um, but the, they are no longer present on this end of the hallway. So, um,
00:57:07
Speaker
Yeah, but your check for traps you do not find any traps as the it's clear that that you are now at the entryway of the pyramid proper.
00:57:19
Speaker
So you all continue to press forward. You find yourself in the first chamber and you see just one door ahead of you. This is clearly the anti-chamber leading into the structure proper. And you all see four sarcophagi.
00:57:48
Speaker
uh in this room that have uh reliefs of what appear to be elven figures uh with weapons and um words uh elvish carved into the side of the sarcophagi any of you speak elvish i do i do remember what i speak
00:58:16
Speaker
Yes, I speak Elvish. So all of you, not Brescia. Brescia does not speak Elvish. Read the word guardian. Hopefully out loud. And that says guardian. There we go. I see we all look at the different ones. Not looking at any of them. Barak sees the shapes there, but he can't read. Actually, the writing is. Oh.
00:58:44
Speaker
You can see. Hooray. And you also see. Don't. You don't see the sarcophagi. You are able to use that plus two initiative bonus to good use because you see the figures like begin to thrust up as these magical outline skeletons burst out of the top of the sarcophagi. Immediately turn to dust because they're exposed to oxygen. No, that's not how D&D works.
00:59:10
Speaker
Either D&D, both the writers of Game of Thrones and... End of episode. Thank you all so much for listening. If you want to be part of the conversation, head on over to the Facebook group, the Geek Pantheon. We also have a Twitter and Instagram at the Geek Pantheon.
00:59:27
Speaker
It's been a while since we've done this, so I just want to give a big thank you to Josh Boyd, who back in the day created Barasha. It's been a fun character to role-play. If you enjoy the show and would like to join our Patreon community, you can head over to patreon.com slash thegeekpantheon to join over there. We have a really fun Discord that people seem to have fun in, inexplicably. Josh wishes Barasha had been in khaki shorts.
00:59:55
Speaker
And if you all listened last week, everyone reviewed. The questions that we take are from our wonderful patrons. So if you would like to get your questions on the show and answered in reviewed, that is one of the ways that you can do it. We are also proudly part of the D20 radio podcasting network with all kinds of amazing shows, such as the Order 66 podcast, the original podcast on the network where GM Chris, GM Dave, and GM Phil talk all things FFG Star Wars role playing.
01:00:24
Speaker
They've been going for a decade strong now and if you like Star Wars and you like role-playing and you want to learn more about it, then go give them a listen over at d20radio.com underneath the podcast tab where you can find our shows, their show, and all the other shows on the network. And I can speak to the fact that you don't have to like Star Wars or RPGs. I like RPGs.
01:00:44
Speaker
to like that show because they're just like, Chris and they're just good guys to listen to. They're fun. You probably want to like RPGs. I mean, if you're listening to us right now, you like RPGs. So it's not like we have to sell you. That presumably is true. Otherwise you are a family member related to us.
01:01:00
Speaker
Your family's like, no one in my family. Certainly not. My family is not listening to this. Anyway, Randy is about to turn into a pumpkin across the table for me, so we are going to call it a night. Thank you all so much for listening. Once again, I'm your dungeon master, Eric. I'm Philip. I'm Randy. I'm a pumpkin. We'll see you next time.