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C1 Ep. 104 Recovered Kingdom Chapter Six
307 Plays6 years ago
The party takes advantage of the hospitality of their new friends, but old acquaintances make themselves known again! Will the party continue on to Xendrik, or will this detour be too good to pass up?
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, Charles Compton, The Kamm Family, and David Scrams.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sponsor Acknowledgment
00:00:01
Speaker
This show is brought to you by the generous donations of our show sponsors, Matt Lewis, Laura Pickron, Irene Villarito, Daryl Delaney, Nico Batson, Darren Katska, Ryan Royce, John Kerry, Jessica Smith, The Cam Family, Charles Compton, and David Scrams, as well as all of our generous patrons.
00:00:33
Speaker
D20 radio, your game is roll.
Vivid Dreams and Unusual Advice
00:00:52
Speaker
If while sleeping, you find your dreams to be especially vivid or recalling events in your past and you see a figure approach with many eyes all over his body. Begin to stab yourself for either you shall awaken or it was not a dream and you have done yourself a mercy. The teachings of Joshua
Hosts and Podcast Introduction
00:01:22
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.
Recap of Previous Episode
00:01:33
Speaker
Gentlemen, what happened last time? We made a Dex real mad. I mean, it's your cure. No, not we.
00:01:43
Speaker
Dex is scandalized by Jakir's treatment of him. Philip, as usual, is using the royal bee, so. Yeah, I play two characters. It's allowed. Bergh didn't make me mad.
00:01:55
Speaker
Now, uh, so yeah, Drakir was just a real butthole. We met a drow woman whose name I was asked in the discord today and I was like, I don't remember. Cause I don't.
Encounter with Drow Woman, Venera
00:02:06
Speaker
Uh, Venera. Venera. Like Panera. Like Vanessa. We're both just, we're both just replacing letters. Just let me choose the ones I want to.
00:02:15
Speaker
Uh, we're going to draw one in Venera. Uh, told us that there was a, oh, despite rescuing her, she does not like the surface dwellers.
Drow Camp's Philosophy and Location
00:02:24
Speaker
Nope. Um, but we, uh, she informed us that there was a drow settlement nearby. I guess, would you care of known? They were there. They will be there a little while. So I took it as trickier. This was information tutor care. Okay. That's what I thought.
00:02:39
Speaker
And so we, I mean, a bunch of things happened, but it hasn't released yet. So I don't remember them. I know that we, we ended up staying the night with the drow. Yep. This is a group of drow who have been painted by aberrations in some way. And they basically, this might be something I should say for the reviewed, but essentially be, since they're outcast, their new purpose is.
00:03:09
Speaker
Fight or die. But yeah, die. Die fighting. Die fighting. Kill, drow or die fight. No, not drow. Kill, aberrations or die fight. Not fight or die. Fight and die. Fight till death. Gotcha. Gotcha. Till death do you fight? There. I think we got it. That's what's on their crest though. Till death do us fight.
Camp Members and Interactions
00:03:28
Speaker
Their camp is on the on the edge of an old of an old elven city in Khyber. Which is infested with slot.
00:03:39
Speaker
yes which are not delicious leafy greens no that's that's that's just a weird pronounce that's salad um yeah and nice leafy salad um you also met uh taras who was the male guard of the camp and anushka demeter yes he the one that wanted to wanted to mess with
00:04:02
Speaker
Booyah. No, that was another one of them. We didn't. I don't think we got that guy. No, that's just a random. He just wanted to throw things at Booyah. Just a random jerk. My goblin in a can. And Anushka is the leader of the Besmirtni and she has head tentacles. So. Yeah.
00:04:22
Speaker
She looks like one of those Mass Effect aliens. I'm sorry for Mass Effect, yep. Yes, she does. The Black Asari just worked on it. I was thinking of Twilight because it's the only Star Wars thing I know. No, but it's more like they're just straight back from her head gathered at the back. They're not like the big ones, like the Twilight things.
Belashira's Dream Appearance
00:04:40
Speaker
That's how I interpret it. Thanks for letting me have that, Phillip. I appreciate it. You took away the one Star Wars thing you knew. But you know what? Jeff made a Star Wars reference, everyone. Claps, claps, claps. Star Wars reference. Well done, Jeff.
00:04:51
Speaker
I like how we act like that's an accomplishment. It is. It's a step I've leveled up. Yes. You've moved in the correct direction. I've shown Jeff a reference point for what a sorry head tentacles look like. So now we're all. Are they tentacles though? In Mass Effect? I've heard them called head tentacles in Mass Effect. I was just asking. Was this podcast about? I think so. Don't at me. Anyway, so you all are staying the night in the drug camp. That we are.
00:05:19
Speaker
Um, so, uh, obviously Drake here does not need to sleep. So, um, needs four hours of meditation.
Individual Vivid Dreams
00:05:27
Speaker
Is that right? Yep. Um, okay. So each of you lay your little heads down and it is not well, yes. Uh, prior to sitting down right now to record the episode, we have each individually sat down. Well, they have each individually sat down with me to record dream sequences, which are inserted now. I don't hear it.
00:05:52
Speaker
Barrick. You are falling asleep in the drought camp and you begin to have a very vivid dream of yourself and Vore
00:06:09
Speaker
You are quite a bit younger. Fan service here. Yes. You're quite a bit younger and you and Vore are undergoing sword training. Just this seems like a very familiar occurrence. Your joint sword trainer is standing nearby watching you all spar.
00:06:33
Speaker
So take a few swings. You are clearly the better swordsman than Vore. Sure. I know nobody would guess that based on all the evidence of the show. But you get in a particularly deft parry and kick to the midsection that causes Vore to kind of tumble.
00:06:56
Speaker
And you see him clench his fists. And you remember at this point in actual like in actuality, what for does is he lunged at you and tried to hit you in the face out of anger. This was one of the more tense moments between you and your half brother. But that's not what happens in the dream. What happens
Belashira's Offer and Dream Thieves
00:07:19
Speaker
in the dream is Voor slowly stands up facing away from you.
00:07:24
Speaker
And then you kind of start as you see an eye open on the back of Vore's neck. And you hear a voice come from Vore that says, hello, Barak. And the figure turns around to reveal that now Vore has turned into Belashira. Booyah. You've fallen asleep in the drought camp.
00:07:51
Speaker
And you begin having a somewhat familiar dream. You find yourself in Goblin Village many years ago near a river. And you see your son down by the river collecting water. And he runs up to you and says, do not help.
00:08:20
Speaker
Oh, Dula, you always help. I help. So who you help now? What do you help for? I help. I help man get water out of the river. Man? And you kind of look up past Dula and you see a humanoid figure by the river holding a bucket of water and he waves to you and you begin to look and you see all these little eyes peeking beneath his kindness armor and he kind of
00:08:51
Speaker
waves you over and he bends down to scoop up some more water and he hands it to another goblin who begins to walk up. Dex, you fall asleep in the drought camp and you begin to dream. You're having a very vivid dream.
00:09:09
Speaker
that is familiar to you. You are sitting around a table in a small, modest house. You see three other changelings sitting at the table with you and a female changeling standing at a counter. Sure. Argument starts to spring up about the reedurance. Strint still being the one to say that they bring order, they bring peace.
00:09:37
Speaker
And because you've had this dream multiple times, you and Steen will go to turn to look at Connor. And instead of Connor, you see a familiar figure sitting there looking at you. Two eyes staring at you, but then also another eye peeks out from behind some kindness armor on his torso. He does.
History of Aberrations and Dream Thieves
00:10:01
Speaker
Oh, both.
00:10:05
Speaker
Okay, on the assumption this is still a dream, I wait to see what happens next. Strong and silent type, just how I like them. So, you're probably wondering what's going on. You were dead last time your companions did this, but sleeping next to places that
00:10:34
Speaker
the great war down here took place is problematic from time to time.
00:10:39
Speaker
causes very vivid dreams. It's a great war. The war between, you know him as the Dream Thieves. Right. And I mean, just any war that they've been involved in, it's one long continuous thing. So this particular staging round was with my people and the goblins.
00:11:06
Speaker
And based on the architecture and everything, it looks like this was also a staging ground in their first war against the giants, if I had to guess. And all of a sudden you realize as you're focusing on Bela Shira and he turns around and looks, now you're standing in the middle of the ruins. What is the war between your people and the goblins? Do your people have a name?
00:11:32
Speaker
Oh, we have a lot of names, a lot of ranks, typically known as aberrations. We're from another plane, plane of madness, if you couldn't guess. But me specifically, I'm a delk here. Interesting. And what does the war between the goblins and the aberrations
00:12:02
Speaker
Have to do with the dream things. The dream they use used us. Used the delk here. Yes. Convinced us to launch an invasion against Eberron. So that they could use our try to use our plane as a bridge. Because they can't get here from their right. Because of what the Giants did.
00:12:31
Speaker
Does this sound familiar? Yes, it's what they've been doing with my bar. But as soon as the war started to go against them, they cut and run. And try again somewhere else. Yep. How did the Giants cut them off in the first place? They used some very advanced weaponry. The name of legend is the Destiny Arms. So
00:13:01
Speaker
Yeah, that's, that's kind of why I'm here actually, because I, like I said, dreams get a little finicky. So I have a protective bubble. So my troops down here won't see weird things or attack each other in their sleep. So I'm kind of the, the Lord of dreams while you're here. Aberration stream. Yeah, we sleep. Interesting.
00:13:27
Speaker
Um, anyway, I want to help you. Why?
Belashira's Secret Offer
00:13:33
Speaker
Justice. Forgive me if that doesn't seem like it would be an important concept on a realm of madness. Vengeance. That seems to fit better. A sick sense of justice, however you want to cut it. I want the dream thieves to hurt and
00:13:59
Speaker
When it comes to accomplishing that my people are not organized or motivated enough, or frankly, intelligent enough when it comes to the rank and file, you've met them. Uh, and in terms of the drow trying, I mean, they already don't like me, but also any kind of gifts I would try to lead them to, they would just keep down here and try to kill my people, which is where you come in.
00:14:30
Speaker
Well, Booyah goes to investigate what this is all about. Hello, Booyah. How do you know Booyah? Who you? We met. Twice. I'm very hurt. Booyah, no. Or we met once, one time. See, you don't even know how many of them. We met one time. Down in the giant ruins.
00:15:01
Speaker
When Jakir went and tried to fight the dragon on his own, and somebody gave you the rest of the stones. Yes. Booyah, Booyah, Booyah. So underappreciated. Anyway, hi Booyah. How are you? Booyah, okay. What do you do here? Well, you're sleeping near, uh,
00:15:28
Speaker
areas that are influenced by the Great War that has come before. Wait, Booyah sleep? Yes. Booyah dream. So here's the thing, Booyah. My troops that you fought already, the Slod, the Gross People. They nasty. They also sleep, and they kind of dream, but I have a kind of productive ward around this area.
00:15:56
Speaker
Uh, so that they don't get silly in the head. So, um, the reason I'm here is I'm here to help you here to help. Yes. Okay. How, how help. So I get the sense that you all are headed back to Zendrick trying to stop the dream thieves.
00:16:27
Speaker
Okay. And, uh, I appreciate how coy you're being. That's, that's a nice touch. Um, anyway, one of the weapons that you need to defeat the dream leaves is in the ruins that you're right next to. Now here's the thing. You're a very discerning individual, very smart goblin.
00:16:53
Speaker
This is true. I know, which is why I'm here because I know your companions.
00:17:00
Speaker
If I came to them, they would never listen to me. Just because of the way I look, what Dracarys said about my people, they wouldn't buy it. So I'm coming to you. I'm gonna give them some vague clues that maybe they should go check out the ruins, like images of like Drow walking through there and stuff like that. So, but I need you to kind of nudge them in the right direction.
00:17:29
Speaker
Why? Well, why you help? Well, y'all have hard time trust because the dream thieves hurt my people. They used us like they're using the shadows now. Can I do an insight check? Sure. Or yeah, inside 17.
00:17:58
Speaker
You get the sense that he's telling the truth. He seems kind of like talking about this gets him riled up a little. I want justice for my people. Hello, Dex. What are you doing in here? Well,
00:18:20
Speaker
broad strokes protecting you, you're sleeping pretty close to a staging ground for the great war. And there's some weird dream thief magic still hanging around. So I have a protective bubble around this area for my people just so they're not messed with in the night. Why are you extending this courtesy to me? Well, I mean, you're in the bubble. So it's just
00:18:47
Speaker
happy happenstance, but also the reason I'm here in your childhood home.
History and Strategy Against Dream Thieves
00:18:52
Speaker
Nice, by the way. All right, I'm here to help. All right, you've never been outright antagonistic to me. You've never, but you've also not tried to. I mean, if I were calling the giant ruins, somebody needed quite a few stones to appear.
00:19:17
Speaker
I mean, okay. You.
00:19:24
Speaker
You use the H word? No, there's some qualifying terms though. I did get real rocked up by a giant goblin aberration. I don't know what it was. Dex does. No, I'm really here to help because since you're in the bubble, I can't like hear your thoughts or anything. Don't think that, but word spoken out loud, I can hear.
00:19:49
Speaker
Um, and I get the sense that you and your compatriots are about to move on, um, towards Zendric. I mean, yeah, we're, we, we, yeah. Well, um, you should stick around and check out the ruins. The ones we're currently next to. Right. Yeah. Okay. Uh,
00:20:13
Speaker
Can I add? Staging ground, great war. Yes. The one we're prepping for. Dream things, right. Okay. So this place has been a staging ground a couple of times. The first time against the Giants, second time with an assist from my people versus the goblins. So yeah. All right. And I wanna help you kill him. I like that.
00:20:45
Speaker
Now, Barak, because you seem like a practical person, a realist, you understand things need to get done. I don't think anyone's ever called me a realist before. Also, I'm not entirely sure what that means to you. Well, basically.
00:21:09
Speaker
I'm going to also try to nudge your companions in the right direction, but I don't think if they knew the information was coming from me, they would trust it. Is that a fair, especially your half-brother? No, Dracure would not. And also, I imagine Dracure might try to stab you if you did try to take my information and go with it. Well, he has cause, doesn't he?
00:21:39
Speaker
I'm not going to justify what I have done, but it's a war for resources. What do you need? I mean, we require food. We require... But do you? Well, very little. And aren't... Are you not the creator, the shaper of aberrations?
00:22:10
Speaker
I have a certain level of influence, but I'm, I'm the Lord of eyes. So I'm more of a, I know things. I see things, uh, shaping, creating. That's not really my forte. But if these creatures you create that other aberrations create other delk here, if they need resources and there's a shortage of resources, couldn't you just stop?
00:22:39
Speaker
Well, wouldn't that end the bar? Well, I mean, aberrations can also procreate. We're not the sole source of new aberrations or mind flayers, things of that nature. They kind of have gone rogue lately. Anyway, I'm I'm not trying to justify my war down here. I'm trying to help your war up there. And you're asking me to do something that
00:23:08
Speaker
My half-brother will see as a betrayal. He doesn't know. May be a betrayal. There is a weapon in the runes that you're looking for.
Moral Dilemma of Belashira's Offer
00:23:24
Speaker
One of these arms of destiny? Yes. Now, I know just asking you to trust me outright is a fool's errand because I have done nothing to earn your trust.
00:23:39
Speaker
So if you keep the little secret, I can assist you at like the final stage, the last guardian standing in front of the door that leads to this weapon. I can eliminate them for you, but I need an act of good faith.
00:24:07
Speaker
Won't you appearing and eliminating this Guardian sort of defeat the effort at secrecy? Nobody will see me. Nobody will even know I was there. I'll just walk up and the Guardian will fall dead. Um...
00:24:28
Speaker
I mean, we can stage it to look like something if you want, but what's the nature of this guardian? Uh, it's, it's a, uh, a very powerful slot with some accompaniment. I can handle all of them for you. Um, they're my troops. So I have a certain level of influence. Couldn't you just tell them all to leave? I could clear the path for us.
00:24:54
Speaker
Um, I just, I need to know by that point that you haven't spilled the beans that I'm the one feeding you information. Cause this needs to get done. And I think you know that. And I think I'm asking for very little in return. We'll see. You are.
00:25:24
Speaker
Are you immortal? I imagine if somebody removed my head from my shoulders, that would probably impede my ability to conduct work, but I don't age. Sorry, that was really funny.
00:25:46
Speaker
I've not had, and there's no particular reason you'd know this unless you've been poking around in my head, which I don't take as an act of good faith. I haven't had much luck making deals with immortals. It seems that the thing that's asked is never just the thing that's asked.
00:26:15
Speaker
I mean, I can assure you that this is the first step to us having a mutually beneficial relationship. I know where the other weapons are, but I need to know that you're willing to work with me because I assure you
00:26:45
Speaker
If when you wake up, you turn to everybody and says Bella sheer, it came to me in a dream and told me that we have to go here into a ruin surrounded by his troops. They're probably not going to buy it. Well, I assume all the drow around me will kill me. That's also true.
00:27:07
Speaker
Here, I mean, if you look over there, we're, I know it seems like we teleported, but if you look around now, and as you look around, the ruins aren't ruins anymore. Their full fledged buildings look like the stone is fresh. I think you'll recognize that face over there that I personally have never seen before. So this is clearly historically accurate, and you see a group of drow walking with torches
00:27:32
Speaker
And one of them has a glaive strapped to his back and he turns to look over his shoulder facing towards you and you recognize the face of Lucan Osteroth. And then they turn a corner and walk into the city.
00:28:02
Speaker
I don't have the ability to poke around in your head and see what I want to see. My brother's objection to you
Shared Fight Against Dream Thieves
00:28:20
Speaker
stems from his belief that you have an interest and the genocide of his people.
00:28:33
Speaker
Is he wrong? It's complicated. I'm a smart person. We understand one justice people. So, but my people, I love them. They're not smart enough to pull this off.
00:28:54
Speaker
and Drakir's people, the Drow, I could try to get the weapon in their hands, but they're just gonna keep it down here and use it to kill my people. They're not gonna worry about what's going on on the surface. So that's where you and your companions come in. You, Beric and Dex. You can do something about this. But your people attack
00:29:20
Speaker
Us. Well, I don't have control over all my people and you're in our home. And any outsider that we've seen before that's coming to our home is trying to kill us. Well, you all know this too. So. I'm asking you to not tell your companions that I was here giving you this information. Because they won't do it.
00:29:50
Speaker
Is that I mean, especially Drake here. We all know how they feel. And if you if you keep the secret, you don't tell anybody that I was here. I will. There there's a very powerful slot standing watch in front of the door that leads to this weapon. I'll I'll make sure they're gone if you keep my secret. I'll help you, but I won't be seen.
00:30:25
Speaker
Okay. But they'd be mad. They find out. They won't find out. But we need weapon and you make sure not be there. You help us. We help you make sense. Booyah. Okay. Well, I'll see you soon. And your eyes open. You kind of look around in your back in the drought camp awake.
00:30:56
Speaker
I just hope Booyah hadn't just been had. Okay, so we should stick around. The people in the ruins don't seem to lack me. I don't know how much access I'll have. Well, I mean, no, not where the Drowers sleep.
00:31:13
Speaker
they're removed from it you go down the cliff face into the ruins okay yeah they're trying to get in there too but i'm sure they would take the help as long as you don't tell them that the information came from me that's also part of the thing is i've come to you because you seem to have the least screwballs moral hangups about me um i mean i i think it's
00:31:36
Speaker
All I'm trying to say is I get the sense that if Drakir, Beric, possibly Booyah, he's on a journey right now. If they were to. Oh, you just mean like with us, he's on quite a journey. Well, no, I mean, like he's he's trying to get better, leave his old ways behind him. Old Booyah would have. I understand. Leaned on him. I understand. Anyway, we both seem a little chaotic and
00:32:06
Speaker
I'm coming to you because I get the sense that you will be the most receptive to the information coming from me. Whereas if Dracure were to know, he would try to stab me and you and your family, I think.
00:32:26
Speaker
So I'm giving them vague visions in their dream. Well, Berrigan, Booyah, Trickier doesn't dream. I'm giving them vague visions to guide them in a direction towards the ruins. Right. And you're just straight out coming to me and saying, hoping you can... Right. You're saying spend some time in the ruins. That's still vague. There's a weapon. One of the weapons we need? Yes. Well, there we
Visions and Tactical Advice
00:32:47
Speaker
go. I do like your style currently. So there are four total weapons. Right.
00:32:54
Speaker
And this is a gesture of good faith. You already have one of the weapons that you need. Jerkier has it. Right. Wait, the Vorable Sword? No, the Flame Sword. Flame Sword, right out of the course. Oh yeah, I did know that. So this one is called the Glaive of Darkest Depths.
00:33:13
Speaker
They were really great at naming. Um, so I disagree. I've got notes. Um, so anyway, uh, that's there. You get that. And then I can give you all the means to track down the other ones, but I want this gesture of good faith in the form of you holding up your end of the bargain. My end of the bargain being don't tell them that I gave you the information.
00:33:38
Speaker
And in addition to helping you in the future, uh, there's a death slot and some of his Goombas hanging out right in front of the door, where the weapon is. Uh, if you get to a certain point in the city and you still have not, I'm not going to tell you when, cause then you might wait and then wait. Oh, by the way. Um, but at a certain point, if you still haven't spilled the beans, I will ensure that they are not there guarding the door when you all arrive. And I can't tell anybody because they won't trust it.
00:34:07
Speaker
I mean, I, well, okay. Drakir won't. Booyah will tell Drakir. That's a non-starter. I might be able to talk to Beric. I don't know. I, I would rather not risk it. Fair enough. Um, you know, how do you think the large drow community would react if they knew that you're hearing everything they say? Probably poorly. Yeah.
00:34:33
Speaker
Just just thinking out loud. I mean, honestly, the the slaughter, simple beings and this staging ground isn't really worth it. We're probably going to be pulling out soon anyway. But there were resources here that we needed. So we're gathering them and then we'll move on. Now, are these resources for the fight against the dream thieves or for the fight against the drow? No, when I say resources, I mean food.
00:35:00
Speaker
Oh, sure. Yeah. You know what? I almost asked, what do you eat? But I've decided that you would rather not know ignorance in this case is bliss. I don't need to eat much, but the slot. Yeah, you don't want to know. Yeah, I saw it. I saw what's inside of them. Too long ago. Looks better coming out. Monster. All right. If all the drought were to leave Kyber tomorrow. We wouldn't kill another drought.
00:35:30
Speaker
And why do you need to kill the Drow who live in Khyber? Well, they kill us and we kill them and it goes back and forth to the point where neither side can remember who fired the first shot. I thought you were effectively immortal, so it seems like you should have a pretty good memory of these things.
00:35:51
Speaker
Well, but I obviously wasn't there. I mean, I do see things, but a lot of times it's the person's perception of something. If I were to go back to that moment and take the aberrant's eye, probably tell a different story than the drow's eye. Couldn't you stop it? Couldn't you just choose not to kill any more drow?
00:36:21
Speaker
let them have their city back. To defend his people?
00:36:42
Speaker
What if the mind flayers did it to eat brains? Well, that's their food. Right. That's hunting drow. That's different from defending your people. I'm not defending. If I go hunting for deer, I'm not defending myself from them. I mean, people eat bear, boar, plenty of predators get eaten. Yes, but in that case, it's not the hunter who's defending himself in most cases.
00:37:07
Speaker
Eric, I didn't come here to talk ideologies. I just want you to- No one ever wants to talk ideology with me. I just, it goes on so long. Listen, I'm just trying to help you. I want to do what you are suggesting, because as you point out, it is to my benefit. And if it is also to yours, I suppose that's how it is.
00:37:37
Speaker
I can also, if this goes as to plain, as I have laid out, I can provide you the means of not only, anybody, I could tell you right now where the other ones are, but that's just vague, like, hey, go to this place and look in this area. I can give you the means to sense them, to know where they are. But I need to sign a good faith first. And I'm giving you one. And you already have one of them.
00:38:07
Speaker
So you'll be at 50%. I expect more of a reaction. You already have one. I thought we were told that. Well, it was like vague. Okay. I mean, you can, you can act like you already know and just. I'm sorry. No, please. I mean, I, the idea of you stealing his thunder is also wonderful. So, I mean, just however you want to play it. Well, that, that much has been implied to me already.
00:38:37
Speaker
Something greater than you. I saw it. I need some way. I need some way that this helps my brother's people.
00:39:10
Speaker
Well, if, if the dream thieves invade, they're going to kill everybody. My people, your people, they don't care. I mean, it's the, the Corey that's, that's their name. The, the Corey seek to escape their realm and take over another one.
00:39:40
Speaker
And they feed off of dreams. So your people have the most vivid dreams. The children of Eberron. So it would benefit your brother's people to not be slaughtered by a race far more powerful than my people. Maybe not me.
00:40:09
Speaker
My brother's people don't dream. They're still going to die. And you just get to go on. Killing Drow. Well, I mean, there's still a certain level of influence that they have over my realm, too. So if let's say they were defeated, we could return home potentially.
00:40:38
Speaker
Why can't you go home? They prevent you from going home? Well, because they were trying to use our plane as a bridge, your people got creative and clever and set up like the Giants did, set up a way to where our plane can't access this plane anymore. And how did they do that?
00:41:05
Speaker
Who did it? Uh, have an interest in, you know, blocking planes up as it were. That's fair. Uh, the orcs, you're going to want to go to it's a West on dare. What do they call it now? Eldian reaches. That's it. But anyway, I need to know where in the ruins.
00:41:28
Speaker
Um, it's in the, uh, there's a big, uh, central, like, it looks like a chapel. Um, it's the biggest building right here in the center. Any kind of points and you see a big spire. Uh, it doesn't look like this anymore. Cause obviously we're going back in time the longer this conversation goes. Um, but you look back over there, there's a bridge over a river of lava that's still there.
00:41:51
Speaker
Um, then you'll come through this little city district. Uh, there's a mining platform thing you're going to have to cross over. Um, and then here on the steps and then into the spider and on the steps is where the guardian will be. And I'll get rid of them as long as you hold up our end. All right. Well,
00:42:21
Speaker
I guess we'll see what the morning brings then. Great. See you soon.
Post-Dream Discussion
00:42:29
Speaker
And then your eyes open and you're back in the drought camp. I'm going to take on faith that what you're saying is true.
00:42:49
Speaker
This time I don't trust you. That's fair. I haven't done anything during it. Um, but I want to think that you're not, we're not important enough to you to set a trap in the ruins.
00:43:12
Speaker
You're not a threat to me or my people. I mean, yeah, you've killed some of us, but widespread. No, I would rather see you all succeed in your current mission than die because your current mission will have a sense of justice for me.
00:43:31
Speaker
What does that mean? The dream tease manipulated my people and used our plane as a bridge, convinced us to invade. Right, that was y'all. And now, because of the actions of some orcs towards the end of that war, me and my people can't go home. So, I'm a little salty. Man, I'd be willing to. Yeah, maybe after this is all over,
00:43:59
Speaker
Maybe we find a way to get you home and get those drought and just chill out. Uh, I mean, drought chilling out is not something that I've seen in their character, but well, you are awful to them. We are. Yes, but they're also awful to us. It's a war. I saw a movie not too long ago that really oversimplified that sort of thing. I hate oversimplifications. Yeah. We're bad people. I would argue they're bad people.
00:44:26
Speaker
Oh, you're not gonna get any pushback on that for me. Drakir, I've taken a shine to, but I don't think they're good. Oh, I speak under comment. I heard what him and the lady drought were saying about you all. What were they saying about us? I'm calling you a pet, basically. Well, I heard him say strato sometimes. You know that word. Yeah. Whatever. Okay. I will get us
00:44:56
Speaker
into the ruins. I mean, if you want to corroborate the story that they have, just say that you got some visions of you saw a weapon down there, a glaive, saw some drow with torches walking through the city, that kind of stuff. Yeah, standard vision. All right. Oh, the drought that you're going to want to mention, I threw this into bear extreme. Lucan, the vampire. Yeah, he was the one carrying the glaive into the city. So that'll sync up.
00:45:22
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. You know what? That right there. So he knows something about Lucan and I know Glaive. Yeah. Well, he saw the Glaive also. Booyah just got vague. I didn't figure Booyah would remember hard facts. So I just gave him a general idea in this direction. You might have chosen the wrong person to give the hard facts to.
00:45:39
Speaker
It's a short term. You're just gonna start when you wake up. I'm not worried about two weeks from now. You can forget it all by then. The problem is I'm unable to ride while in a dream. Otherwise... Whoa. My accent just went east a couple hundred miles. Otherwise, I'd do to clean up. So, are we... And once you all get in there, I'll find a way to...
00:46:06
Speaker
further relay messages in terms of where the rest of the destiny arms. That's what they're called. Destiny arms are. All right.
00:46:17
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Now, when we get this glaive, who gets this glaive?
Planning to Explore Ruins
00:46:25
Speaker
It's for you. Okay. To use against the dream thieves. That is you're going to need stones. Oh, buddy. I mean, we got stones. Cool. Got it. We need to be charged. Yeah. We can take care of that too. Um,
00:46:43
Speaker
to that information, say that you saw, I don't think this was in the dream I gave to Barrick. Say that you saw one of the red stones in the glade that Lucan was carrying. All right. Yeah, sure. Just so that it makes sense that you would know that information. Let me say this. I'm gonna do this. If you're trying to double cross me,
00:47:13
Speaker
the drow will hear about the fact that you know everything they've said here for how long you've been here longer than them probably oh yeah i mean they arrived a couple weeks ago all right because they're not gonna like that and they might really not like me either when i say it yeah i mean but this stick gets real bright i can run okay well
00:47:38
Speaker
It's about time for morning, so I will see you soon. I mean, I hope you're gonna be there. Not physically, like I'll- Oh, you'll see me soon. No, I'll find a way to contact you after you've gotten the glaive to point you in the direction of the next thing. That's what I just said. Now that- Now that- Are you gonna remember any of this when you wake up? I'm sorry, go again. And you wake up.
00:48:03
Speaker
And you're awake. Will you please put the 90s dream sequence sound effects? If I can find it, I will.
00:48:11
Speaker
And if all of you could imagine your vision getting hazy around the edges. It's like you're looking through water. Yeah. Imagine somebody rub Vaseline on the camera lens around the edges. It has a term like from photo editing by camera where it is now. You're right. It has a term. There's a term I used to know when I did photo editing and I can't remember what it is now. How about that? The old Vassen rub.
00:48:36
Speaker
Well, well, folks, we had a good run. Welcome to the last episode. And it was a bad podcast. And Eric put the nail in the coffin. OK, so suddenly you're awake. So all three of you wake up. It is I mean, you all feel rested. So what?
00:48:59
Speaker
I'll explain. It's not. It's too much of a departure. So we get all of our hit at the office. We're just going to change the name of this to reference cast. That's why I said I tried not to. I didn't want to make a thing out of it. If this was a friends episode, it'd be the one with all the asides.
00:49:23
Speaker
Okay. So, um, you all feel well, well rested. So it's presumably morning ish, whatever time it was that you went to sleep, it is eight hours after that underground. So yeah. Um, I, I needed to roll for my knife charges. Okay. So any expended, um, spell slots are, um, regained hit points, hit points, uh, half your hit total hit dice. So if you use less than half, then you're full again.
00:49:54
Speaker
Um, so, uh, yeah, here, I guess I should ask, what have you been doing in the four hours that you were not meditating?
00:50:02
Speaker
Well, uh, for four hours at Dracure pictures himself killing aberrations, um, as a swarm of meditation. Um, and in the other four hours, uh, Dracure sits still with a stern look on his face, which is exactly what he's doing from the outside when he is meditating. So it isn't always physically indistinct from his meditation pose. Okay.
00:50:29
Speaker
also what he does a lot of the time just just just ambiently okay so didn't try to train that tiger any I said he training of his Stratos
00:50:42
Speaker
That's right. Yes. He also expends the spell slot to maintain the Stratos wild tiger underground in a cave. I don't think it would last long. There's a bunch of drow in us around. Yeah. If it really wacky. Um, so, uh, yeah, you all are awake. Uh, what do you do? So, um, Barrick.
00:51:12
Speaker
Uh, as we're beginning to sort of pack up, uh, Barrick says quietly, there's something I need to explain once we get clear of the camp, but I don't think it's a wise idea to explain it while we're still here. Um, would it surprise you to say that I also have something
00:51:42
Speaker
It would surprise me if I said that. Yes. Hmm. You asked if it would surprise me to say, Oh, it was prize. You have asked it. What did surprise? Here's the thing. Don't let this blow your hair back. Uh, but I also would like to talk as we get away from game. Oh, that make three. All right. All right. Um,
00:52:13
Speaker
I propose we make our way away from this drow camp in, uh, that direction. Quiet stratus. Says you're here walking back over and beginning to sling his pack on all of that.
00:52:34
Speaker
as you're approaching in the mouth cave. The what? The mouth cave. You know the mouth cave. There's a mouth cave? That's where we put those delicious cookies that Laura sent us. Thank you, Laura. It's the Cave of Wonders in Aladdin.
00:52:51
Speaker
That was not mentioned as a feature of this place. Entering the cave mouth. Re-entering the camp. Venera is entering, carrying a sloth head by some loose skin and throws it on the ground. It's like, are you having trouble with your stratos? It leaves them for a few minutes. You know, they get confused. And this is all an under comment. Yeah, I know.
00:53:19
Speaker
forget their place but no it is controlled you're well done thank you yes um only took one trophy seems cumbersome to bring all of them of course kill they patrol the force log well done yes you should come sometime well i have things to take back to my tribe but perhaps when i have finished i will return very well where will you go now i think we will continue on our way
00:53:50
Speaker
Okay. Well, if you are ever disformed by an aberrant, feel free to come and join us. Very well. Good hunting. Good hunting. And she continues into the camp.
00:54:09
Speaker
We should leave this place quickly. I do not think you will maintain your pretense very much longer. I mean, you never told us what we were doing. We had to suss it out on our own. Well, none of you are especially stupid. So I thought that perhaps you could apply context to all understanding. Not especially. Do you have plenty of context to know what's happening?
00:54:37
Speaker
says the robot in the.
00:54:40
Speaker
That's the goblin who knows about Drow. Yeah. Every time Booyah talks now, I just imagine that faint metallic echo. All right. Well, here's the thing. Are we are we far enough away that we can chatter in harsh. You were strato, so you were left near the entrance of the cave. There's obviously a guard out front. Let us go. And trickier begins leading you out. Oh, hang on. Hang on. Hang on. Does it need to happen right now?
00:55:09
Speaker
Well, I don't want to go farther out. Well, I guess we can walk out and go back in. I don't know who this guard is going to walk out and come back into the camp. You need to do something here.
00:55:21
Speaker
All right, point of order. This is not gonna ruin anything, I don't think, because we all had enough similarity in our dreams, right, that I can say, where is... Where are the elf ruins? Yeah, am I mistaken as to where the elf ruins are? You are up on a cliff, essentially, looking down over them, so you would need to leave. I thought they were deeper into the cave. No, no, no. That's why I... Okay. Now we're on board. Cool. Erase all that stuff where I sound like an idiot.
00:55:51
Speaker
I feel like that was your fault. Oh, yeah I'm not upset. I'm ahead of him anyway
00:56:08
Speaker
So we leave. Yeah, we leave. We head on presumably out the other the cave is in a camp. I'm sorry. The camp is in a cave. Yes. So we go out of the cave and begin moving right further on. So like we're not backtracking back the way we can. Yes, exactly. OK.
00:56:23
Speaker
So we get a ways out. Okay. As you pass by out of the cave, you see that the guard on duty is a drow with long white hair tied up in a knot. But when he looks at you to kind of nod, you see that he has, instead of a mouth, mind flayer tentacles. And he goes, whoa! Friends!
00:56:52
Speaker
All right. I mean, you brought it up. So you want to go first? Um, because we were out of earshot and everything. Well, I know where one of the, uh, giant weapons we're looking for is. I know where one of the giant weapons we're looking for is. Do all of you know that it's in the city?
00:57:12
Speaker
down there. Well, yes, that's it. Yeah. Yes. It's supposed to be weapon in ruins. And you all know it. It's in the ruins of a big spire. I did not know a spire. Right. Well, it's in the ruins of a big spire and I we have a are we still kind of overlooking the city? Yeah, you can see. Can I you see a river of lava? I'm circling the backside. Can I super impose my memory over the way things are now reasonably well?
00:57:39
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. So I point to the big, well, what's left of the big tower. Yeah. I don't know how much was left of the big tower. It's pretty much in the center of the city. Like, um, how much of a tower is it now? It's pretty well reduced to like the, the, you see the big open circle where I aspire would have been with stairs leading to nowhere. Right. That's where we need to go.
00:58:00
Speaker
I mean, I was all prepared to put out all this compelling evidence, uh, things about glaives and, and, and, and red stones and Lucan. I don't know anything about red stones. Oh yeah, it was red stone glaive when I saw it. It's a red stone glaive. Interesting.
00:58:17
Speaker
It's a redstone glaive. The redstone in the glaive are stones. There we go. Sorry. I, I'm just learning how to use this mouse. Um, and, uh, so, uh, yeah, but apparently you're pretty much sold and I thought you were going to be my hardest sell. So let's go. What does Drake here think about all this talk? What are you talking about? All right. Well, we have these things called dreams.
00:58:47
Speaker
Yes. Uh, I have heard of them. Occasionally there are, uh, prophetic moments in these dreams. This is normal. No, it's not normal. That's why it's particularly, uh, a big deal that all three of us had something similar in the dreams last night near this place. I see. Which make Booyah wonder what if, what if trap? Yes. That does seem.
00:59:17
Speaker
I mean, what if trap, but what if not? We have, there are four weapons on this continent. They're all in the continent, right? Yes, that was the information you were given. Four weapons on this continent that we need. All right. We got one. We do. We got one. We do. That's what I learned. Your sword. This is the first anyone has informed me of this. Well, buckle up, buddy, because I got some news for you.
00:59:49
Speaker
Let, let us, let us take it as, um, and if then proposal flames, if then proposal, if, if the rest of the vision is right and there is a glaive down there in that spire that, uh, Berg just pointed to, then we must assume the rest of my vision was right.
01:00:11
Speaker
And your flame sword is one of the four giant, no, dream thief slaying weapons. It is a dream thief slaying weapon. They're called quarry.
01:00:24
Speaker
I'm sorry, what? They're called Quarry. No, that's what they're called. I learned that. Right, I didn't know that. Jeff knows that and says it too much. They're called Quarry. Yes, that's what I learned. And you would know the name of the plane Delcor. Yeah, as in Delcor, they're plane Quarry.
01:00:42
Speaker
the the
01:01:01
Speaker
Yeah, it was. Can we clarify our meaning of glaive? Because it's a Philip, the medieval weapons person has one picture when you say yours is a pole arm, right? Yes. But people who play World of Warcraft have a very different picture when I say when people say glaive. And can we also start pronouncing it up to glaive? Please no. Is it a pole arm? Please tell me it's that kind of. Yeah, it's an actual glaive. It's not not a blizzard glaive. No.
01:01:31
Speaker
Cool. Okay. I'm happy about that. Proceeding. Marker. Done. Uh, yeah. So in my vision, Luke and Osteroth triumphantly walking through these, this city, I almost said ruins, but they were not ruins then with this glaive with a red stone in the hilt. Half. Half. Pardon me. That's right.
01:01:57
Speaker
I don't know where it was. I don't either. You saw it in the blade. It's a blade. I was I was vague with I didn't see the redstone at all with a redstone in the blade. Now, do I believe the weapon is still there? Yes. Do I believe the stone is still there? That seems less likely. But if we need to let I mean. It has never been previously mentioned that Drakere's fire that the flame tongue longsword has a stone
01:02:27
Speaker
No, but back when you all first saw it, when the giant was wielding it, it has a slot for a stone. Okay. Oh, that's right. You're right. It did. I remember that. I knew it. I mean, it's not, it's not a perfect thing on this show. Yeah. Let's not act like.
01:02:46
Speaker
Not a whole lot of see, see, uh, issue 54 kind of stuff in this show. Uh, and, uh, I don't know. I didn't know where, where it was. You guess, I know it's current rest in place. Yes. What do you got to add? Cause we both had, I mean, here didn't know about the sword. We didn't know what the name is. Maybe there's something you got that we didn't. You sure we want to go do this. Yes.
01:03:15
Speaker
Is there some reason you think we need not? I think we need be very careful. I think we need go make sure weapon there. But we are say we should be very careful because you know bad things. We must be careful about bad things like slot. There are going to be bad things regardless of which path we take.
01:03:38
Speaker
only one of us who did not have a vision of this item is also the only one of us who can cast locate object. I didn't have a vision of it, but I didn't see it. Can you also cast locate object? Booyah, here's the thing. There is a chance that 25% of of what we're doing right now is down there. We got to take it.
01:04:09
Speaker
And the four of us, well, I mean, if trickier comes, the four of us have fought things before and it's gone bad and it's gone good, but we're all still here. And we have good cause we help. I mean, yeah. We help everybody in the world too. One might argue we have best cause.
01:04:33
Speaker
So I understand trepidation. I have it too often. No, Booyah willing go. Booyah think should go. Need to go check out. Just need to be careful. Extra careful. I agree. Considering our enemies are people who manipulate dreams.
01:04:55
Speaker
And all of this information came to us in a dream. I was concerned about somebody bringing that up. It is entirely possible. I was correct. And this is a trap, but I, I do think that the opportunity is too great to simply pass up. We'd be here. Yeah. I mean, if it is a trap boy, it was a good one. Yeah. I mean, it's not one we can turn down. So onward and downward. I believe so.
01:05:25
Speaker
Okay.
Strategy to Cross Lava River
01:05:27
Speaker
Um, so, uh, everyone give me a survival check to try and find a safe path down into the bowl of this large cavern. 22 10. I'm not leaning. 20 for your cure.
01:05:52
Speaker
less barbaric, I'm quite sure. Okay. Booyah and Drakir are able to find where it appears there may have been stairs like carved into the stone a long time ago, but there's just enough left to where you all can kind of slowly make your way down.
01:06:14
Speaker
into the bowl where the city is located but it takes you probably to travel down the 70 to 90 feet probably takes you all about 30 to 45 minutes just taking it extra safe and slow
01:06:33
Speaker
Once you all get down there, you all were able to see this from the outset, but there is a river of lava flowing near this city, and there is a large bridge going over it about 120 feet to your left. How wide is the river? The river is a number of feet.
01:07:02
Speaker
equaling the letter of feet, a distance of, um, it's about, you're working on that Matthew Mercer time filler skill. Um, I would say the river total is about 70 to 80 feet wide. Okay. That's a lot of lava. I didn't see the bridge.
01:07:23
Speaker
Yes. Is anything on the bridge? Yes. What is on the bridge? There are four slot on the bridge. There are four slot on the bridge. And because slot come in a helpful color coding scheme, there are two red and two green. Blue or the... No, green were the casters, weren't they? Yes. Okay. Dex would remember. You have not encountered red ones yet. Right. We almost did. Yeah. Seven days from now.
01:07:52
Speaker
I don't even resolve that. Who cured you? Who? Yeah. Cued me. Cued me? Cued me. Cued him. Cued you. Yeah. Cured. Cured. Bad Joe. It's a bad thought. It's a dumb show. So you all have not been seen by the slide. We like the Muppets. What's wrong with it?
01:08:11
Speaker
Muppets have a ridiculous... I was being Jamie Lee Curtis in Trading Places. I was being the chef off of the Muppets. Y'all from Sweden. Anyway, apologies to all of our Swedish listeners. On behalf of Jim Henson, I mean... On behalf of us. Cut all of this. Can't be racist. It's a bully character. Anyway...
01:08:39
Speaker
So it's not even late. We got an early start. OK. OK. So this is not seeing you. OK. Maybe we just tell them go away. They let us go through. So just so we're aware that we have options, we can try to kill the slide. I can just get some of us across the bridge through teleportation. But I don't know if we can get the rest of us across the bridge. How wide is the bridge?
01:09:09
Speaker
The bridge is, I mean over 100 feet. How wide? Oh, how wide? I want to know if this would be a single file fight. Oh no, the bridge is 30 feet wide. They're just standing there? They're clearly guarding it. They're keeping the arch. Okay, I would like to... I mean you can just tell me no. No. Okay, wait a second though.
01:09:40
Speaker
Can I see any other potential means of crossing this lake of lava? Is there a place where it narrows considerably? Is it possible there's another bridge? No, this is actually a narrow point in the lava bridge or in the lava river. There's also a lava bridge. You see a couple other bridges that are broken, but the points are wider. It seems that this one is still standing because it was the most narrow bridge and the weathers of time did not kill it.
01:10:10
Speaker
Are all the Slod looking the same direction? Are they looking back towards the city? Or are they all looking out? No, they're looking out. They're not looking towards the city. All right. Booyah have idea. Oh, okay. Booyah have, he pulls out his deck of illusions. Maybe Booyah take card and throw somewhere to distract. Somehow that may help.
01:10:37
Speaker
No, yeah, I like it. Uh, I was thinking at least we get drop on how many can you, you can take one other person, two other people, one other person. Yeah. Okay. What if you and Drake here, BAMF over there, you come at them from behind. If you're stealthy enough, you might get some good wax in on them.
01:11:04
Speaker
Surprise around. Right. Uh, they turn around, see you mean, but we all come up from the other side and then we've got them pincered. And, uh, I mean, I like your illusion idea. Maybe you take deck with, and they see you come and whatever come out of deck and they run other way off bridge. Then we go across. No problem. Also good.
01:11:33
Speaker
And you know what you can, you can, you can, uh, pass without traces, right? Yes. So that make it even easier, potentially after they're distracted for
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
01:11:42
Speaker
us to get across. Yes. And again, if we just want to try to distract them with an illusion and then do some passes out of trace, sneaky, sneaky moves. Uh, cause here's the thing, I'll get across. Um, I could also make us invisible for an hour.
01:12:02
Speaker
That sound like a good idea. We haven't had occasion to use it since the, um, goodness, since the fight and the, at the dinner with the white Raven. Oh, that's right. My goodness. Oh, the good old days world was different. Uh, anyway. Yeah. Uh, I think that's, you can make all four of us. I can make two of us, but I believed her care can, I can make three of us, but I believed her care can make himself invisible as well. That's correct. All right. So how's this for our game plan?
01:12:33
Speaker
get invisible over here. We get closer. We throw out an illusion. Might it not be wiser to simply try to sneak past them? How wide did you see the bridge was? Uh, 60 feet.
01:12:51
Speaker
Yeah, I guess we can just then maybe and maybe throw illusion. They have to. Sure. And you recall that in the cave cave, they were able to detect magic. So if they say a Tyrannosaurus appear out of thin air, that might just might just immediately investigate it and make them more cautious. That is true. Well, we also we didn't really see evidence of that. You told us. Never mind.
01:13:16
Speaker
that they're super dumb. I believe Booyah can enhance our stealth. Yes. To make us quieter. So invisible and quieter. Yeah. That's a good plan. All right. So, um,
01:13:32
Speaker
Both of these things last an hour, I think. So while Booyah casts Pass Without Trace, Barak reaches over and touches both Booyah and Dex, and shadows just sort of seep out of his hands and around both of them, and their forms sort of just fade. Drakir.
01:13:57
Speaker
reaches in and accesses the umbra as he does sometimes in his form, just sort of becomes covered with this sort of inky flowing shadow. And then gradually it seems to sort of shift and morph and take on the colors of things around until he is indistinguishable from the background. And Booyah takes out some burned leaf and crunches up some ashes and casts pass without trace.
01:14:23
Speaker
End of episode. Dex farts. Thank you all so much for listening. We have pizza on the brain. 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're also on Twitter and Instagram at the Geek Pantheon. If you like what we do and like to see it done just a little bit better, consider hanging over to patreon.com slash the Geek Pantheon to join our amazing Patreon community. We have a really fun discord with a lot of fun people.
01:14:53
Speaker
And we also do a monthly hangout for a certain tier where you just get to chill with some of us for like an hour and talk about whatever online.
01:15:02
Speaker
Well, yes, you don't get to come come over and hang out. Sorry. I'm going to set the right expectation. That's fair. That's fair. Also, one last thing. We are probably part of the D20 radio network of podcasts. And if you want to head on over to D20 radio dot com slash podcast, you can find all the other awesome podcasts on the network, such as the Dice Pool podcast.
01:15:23
Speaker
If you like playing tabletop role-playing games and like a focus on the narrative as opposed to the mechanical crunch, then you will love the system of Genesis. The Dice Pool podcast covers everything Genesis from building specializations to telling compelling stories to even doing cool games like Setting Roulette. So go check them out over at d20radio.com slash podcasts along with all the other awesome podcasts on our network.
01:15:49
Speaker
Thank you all once again so much for listening. Once again, I'm your dungeon master, Eric. I'm Philip. I'm Randy. I'm only here for the pizza. We'll see you next time.