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World of Ae'oene Ep. 19: Steps or Sack? image

World of Ae'oene Ep. 19: Steps or Sack?

S1 E19 · World of Ae'oene: Stories of Legend
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45 Plays1 month ago

The party is split once again. Thalira stands in for Maeve at the meeting with Ambassador Bakti and takes a crash course in diplomacy. Meanwhile, Kaldin and Jellen are hot on Maeve's trail when they have an unexpected encounter with the Mortifer Pactum and the Cartel family. This leaves the party with one big question - Who is really behind the rifts, and why?

This show is written with adult audiences in mind and contains content that may not be suitable for younger listeners.

This episode has the following content warnings: Strong Language, General Violence

We'd love to hear your feedback! What worked, what didn't, and what do you want to hear more of? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Our cast:
- Curtiss Woosley as The GM   
- Rennie Armas as Kaldin  
- Sapheara as Maeve Strongheart
- Jack Baldwin as Jellen Ykalle  
- MJ Guenther as Thalira Grimstone Eku'Lanath

Additional Credits:
- Show graphics by Sentic GFX  
- Show editing Rennie Armas and MJ Guenther   
- Intro/Outro music composed by Ryan Muns, Owner/Operator of Eyes On The Moon Studios
- Music, Ambience, and & SFX purchased/licensed from Monument Studios, Adrian Von Ziegler, and Michael Ghelfi Studios (https://www.michaelghelfistudios.com).

Recommended
Transcript

Introduction and Episode Overview

00:00:01
Speaker
Destabilizing Foundations, Episode 19. The World of Eon contains stories with mature themes. Content warnings are in the episode description.

Host's Reflections and Aspirations

00:00:23
Speaker
it's It's wild to me that we are on session 20, episode 19. And before we every time before we start, I still get butterflies. It's crazy. know. Every episode.
00:00:34
Speaker
I get real excited too. Wild me. Wild me. you'd You'd think I'd be like, this is just another day in the office type of deal at this point, but no. No, it's exciting. Like, every time I get to do this, I keep thinking i am one step closer to being able to play D&D professionally and make a living off of it. Because that's just my dream. Just play D&D and do that for a living.
00:00:59
Speaker
What a fucking nerd. i know. Wouldn't that be the nicest thing in the world?

Comic-Con Stories and Gacha Game Passion

00:01:09
Speaker
Let's get started, shall we? Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to the World of Bound Stories of a Legend, episode 19. he We are so close to 20.
00:01:19
Speaker
We are still missing one of our cast members. I'm so sorry, guys. But we do have MJ. Say hi. Hello. Rennie. Jack.
00:01:32
Speaker
it going? How's going? So, forewarn, Renny and Jack, what what was the con you guys went to? Comic-Con in New Mexico.
00:01:43
Speaker
Which i I am so jealous of. Yeah, so, like, editor's note or whatever, forewarning, we're, like, fucking sick, dude.
00:01:59
Speaker
We're, like, fucking sick, dude. but oh Ugh. Con plague. Yeah, so, so sorry. But don't worry. The reason that Calden and Yellen sound sick is because they passed out together at Maeve's party and they got each other sick.
00:02:17
Speaker
So that's... Right, yeah. That's right. That's exactly it. They were busy cuddling and they got sick. Yeah, this also has allowed me to explore my passion for the Umamasume gacha game.
00:02:31
Speaker
I can't stop playing it. um I'm all about these yak Yakuza horse girls, man. They're Yakuza horse girls.
00:02:43
Speaker
Do you not know about this, Woos? don't either. have no idea what you're talking about, literally at all. I have no idea. So this is a horse girl game based off of actual Japanese racehorses. The thing is, like, all of the racehorses in Japan are owned by the Yakuza.
00:03:02
Speaker
ah So this game has to be extremely careful in the way that it represents these horse girls because of who owns the actual horses.
00:03:14
Speaker
So they're not sexualized at all. Really? That's kind crazy. There are some of them that Animal human things you'll ever see. Yeah. Where are all my my fine motion trainers at?
00:03:27
Speaker
Hell yeah. All right. Interesting facts. I didn't yeah i didn't have i didn't yeah know anything about that. That's kind of crazy. I was totally going to lead into something else as well. And i it's just now gone.
00:03:41
Speaker
It has been replaced by horse girls for sure. That's how they get you.
00:03:48
Speaker
tell they got me That's where it starts, dude. We were joking earlier because with Ren and and Jack both being sick, we was like, yeah, we can we can absolutely reschedule if y'all can't make it. And both of them were like, no, this is the thing we live for. Are you kidding me? And yeah, we love being here too.
00:04:08
Speaker
I am so excited about the story we're telling together. And I... I am in that rabbit hole constantly of what's next, what's next, what's next. I can't talk today, apparently, but.
00:04:20
Speaker
I can't wait for the day that we can play weekly because audience, you know that we release every other week, but we realistically end up playing and doing like two to four sessions within a short span of time and then having to take like a month off between sessions, which is really rough, ah to be honest with you. But we are just dying to get a consistent weekly meeting, which really is only going to happen the more of you that are listening. So make sure to share it with everybody that you think might love it. um Yeah, way to guilt trip everyone, Woos. I know, right? You like that? Do whatever it takes. Yeah. Whatever it takes. I just want to play D&D professionally and make a living off of it. So um help me make my dreams come true. Thanks.
00:05:01
Speaker
So what we do here is we add in the Sarah McLoughlin music in the arms of the angels. Yeah. yeah
00:05:18
Speaker
Oh, man. Okay. Well, let's ah let's go ahead and get and into this, guys. Let's do this. I'm so excited.

Recap and Investigation Setup

00:05:41
Speaker
So in episode 18, we left off with the group being split, not just two ways, but three ways, with Mave being gone, unknown, taken.
00:05:52
Speaker
Calden and Yellen took off in an investigation, taking them to the lighthouse in the Divinity District, going into the basement, an area that's devoted to Mordmeon. And some might say, although they'll refute it, that they are closely connected to the Mordifer Pactum.
00:06:09
Speaker
in which Yellen had identified two of the people that took Maeve to be associated with, led them through a portal, taking them to Trolf, finding that that was not place they should probably be, and instead going through one of the other four doors, ending up in Undor.
00:06:24
Speaker
Or at least they can assume so. We left Yellen and Kalden, as they were in the sewers there, finding a piece of burlap sack ripped on an upturned stone.
00:06:35
Speaker
Meanwhile, Talira, having gathered her things, talked with Sally, and understood that before she could join, somebody needs to represent Maeve at the meeting with Piara in the morning to discuss the events that happened at the ball.
00:06:49
Speaker
And that is where we will come back into the session, as...

Security Lapse Discussion at the Ball

00:06:53
Speaker
Thalira has entered the room with Anora Nighthall and Evelyn Gilram on the right side of the table to the left and right hand of the Lord.
00:07:01
Speaker
Fenlan, dried tear stains across his face, sitting at the table, looking a little bit out. Sally sitting down, and across from you all being Piara and her advisors, two Light Genasi to her right.
00:07:15
Speaker
and then a Fire Genasi and a Light Genasi to her left. You know these advisors based on the paper Sally had given you on information about the people that would be at this meeting.
00:07:26
Speaker
So you know of Enora, you know of Evelyn. You see Piara, the three Light Genasis being Betrizia, Raphael, and Bruno, and the Fire Genasi with a bright blue mohawk of flame, Galet Bras Antigua. seeing broach a little emblem on his clothes that matches a certain emblem that calden had found in varuth's cabin except instead of a crashing wave is instead a flame we enter into that meeting room as they all have stood stood to greet you and anora is the first to speak acting as a moderator a mediator here for this meeting
00:08:05
Speaker
Well, it seems everyone has arrived. We can all take a seat. There's the sounds of chairs scooting across the tiled floor, and everyone sits. This meeting was asked to be put together by Pihara Bhakti.
00:08:18
Speaker
We all know and we're all at the ball and the unfortunate incursion that happened during it in which Pihara Bhakti and Maeve Strongheart were attempted to be kidnapped through a portal to the primordial plane.
00:08:30
Speaker
We have talked with both parties and we understand that there was a security lapse in our anti-magic shields that protect from certain levels and wavelengths of the arcane.
00:08:43
Speaker
The Lord, while away and currently helping with matters regarding helping those wounded, does send his regards and his full apologies for that, and the City of Glory is willing to pay the necessary damages.
00:08:58
Speaker
Sally, at this point, speaks up. You could see that Sally was kind of looking at Fenlan waiting, and Fenlan's eyes still cast down at the table, his mind elsewhere. Well, the Roe family would like to give their apologies as well to and Ambassador Piara and her advisors.
00:09:13
Speaker
we We should have done a better job of checking over those things as well. We and Piara cuts her off. Damn right you should have done better. The Aethicrow have been a pain in our sides for far too long.
00:09:24
Speaker
I gave you all a list for this entire weekend of the potentials of enemies that could try to interrupt something. i We all, of course, thought it would have been during my inauguration, but...
00:09:35
Speaker
It was for the whole weekend. And this oversight will not be forgotten. And the fact that you even let a Kyanite tiefling in that room when they are known to to be one of the primary members of the Aethicru is beyond me. She looks at you at the end of that sentence, Talira.
00:09:50
Speaker
That kyanite tiefling tried to save your life. As did I. We heard about what was happening and we came here because we knew what the implications were.
00:10:02
Speaker
Please hold your accusations. With all due respect. I am actually so glad that you brought that up. The fact that you came there with, if I remember correctly, based on the information that was gathered yesterday by you, that you had came there with information that something was going to be happening.
00:10:19
Speaker
And yet you failed to deliver that information in time, and based on our notes here that the lovely World Union workers have given us, you entered into the facility with what appears to be a couple hours before the event happened, and yet nobody knew about it until right before it happened. Why was that?
00:10:37
Speaker
Why was that not something with a little bit more, i don know, gusto on, hey, people might die tonight? Oh, we tried. I'm glad you asked. I went up to the guard as soon as we heard what was happening to inform them. And he said, you know, I will pass that on to the correct authorities. So please hold your blame again towards us.
00:10:57
Speaker
We come here for peace. I understand that you have shit with the Aethercrow. I have no idea what they are up to. But you know what? Despite all of that, we tried. Yes, we didn't get here in time, and for that I am truly sorry.
00:11:14
Speaker
It happened to hurt one of my friends, too. But let's just get to the bottom of this shit, please. She looks over at Evelyn and Enora, as well as towards Fenlon and Sally. If what you say is true then, Talira, where was the failure, where was the breakdown in communication among your security team?
00:11:31
Speaker
Evelyn kind of puts his his face in his hand and ah Nora looks a little bit a little bit nervous at this. And you can see that Sally and Fenlyn, at this point Fenlyn has looked up and is a bit joined into the meeting

Talira's Defense and Complex Alliances

00:11:42
Speaker
essentially. And they kind of look to ah Nora and Evelyn as well as their ball, sure, but they aren't from here, nor is the security team of Rothdare or the Roe family.
00:11:52
Speaker
And Evelyn leans over and whispers into Nora's ear for a moment and goes back, we will investigate where that breakdown of communication is. i am, Talira, I think was your name, I am very sorry that you have taken the brunt of some of the blame here. Obviously, it is not your fault, and if you did communicate that properly, that is on us.
00:12:11
Speaker
Ah. we We will look into this and we will get that fixed. And Piara, once again, I'm very sorry. Your apologies only go so far. And I'm not done with you. And she points back to you again, Talira. And at this point, the fire ganasi next to her speaks up. Before she speaks up, Talira says, Good, because I'm not done with you either.
00:12:30
Speaker
Galette, the fire ganasi with the mohawk, takes his hand and reaches out and kind of gently grabs Piara's and pulls it back. Galera, Piara told me so much about you and your struggles last night, and just how heroically you saved her and jumped into the portal. I must say, i am we are in your den.
00:12:47
Speaker
I did a little bit of digging on my own though. I find it interesting that you claim that your Kayanite friend, he is not a part of the Aethercrow. How much did you know about your friend?
00:12:59
Speaker
What I know of him, he tried to rescue or find. And Talira stiffens and looks directly at Piara was it Bruno the Fire Genasi?
00:13:11
Speaker
Galette is the Fire Genasi. Bruno is one of the other light genasis. Yep. looks at the others, and especially the one with that emblem, I know him because we were sent to investigate the murder of over thousands, if not thousands, of children missing from Orlonus and Nevoa for the past millennia. And do you know who I found was behind that? It was Zoril Gog, which I happen to know has beef with the Aether Crow, and that's why they were attempting to murder you tonight. So that is why I am not done with you. Understandable. And there is so much misinformation that has been thrown around. I understand why you'd feel it that way. But it seems to me that you do not know your friend all that well. The Ithacrow come from the Primordial Plane, our home plane, yes. Surely you know that. Well, do you happen to know that we did a little bit of digging and the portal to the Primordial Plane in Botryage? Well, your friend, I believe his name is Yellen.
00:14:05
Speaker
Was his actual name correct? That is correct. He happened to have passed through the primordial plane not very long ago. In fact, just in enough time to have made the trip from Boat Rios to here. It is conspicuous timing. He also was torn away into the primordial plane three years ago as a result of this investigation.
00:14:25
Speaker
Ooh, were you there? Did you see that happen? Maeve did. Hmm. And Maeve is... He looks around. Not here. Why is that? She is indisposed. And Piara speaks up. What's also funny is it also seems that last night, among all this confusion, guards, of course, haven't been taken away from the World Union and were around in limited manner. Somebody took the opportunity to break into my offices, my brand new offices that had just been organized to steal something very close to us. Do you happen to know anything about that?
00:14:54
Speaker
Would any of you? And she looks around the table. Any of you happen to know anything about that? Talira looks a little confused because she she doesn't know exactly what was taken. No, she does not. I forget. Kalden didn't tell her where he was either, did he?
00:15:11
Speaker
Kalden did tell you guys the stuff he found. Oh, okay. Okay, that's right. Because it was important information because he found out that you wouldn't know that she was part of the Zorogog if he hadn't told you what he found.
00:15:23
Speaker
Right. I thought we found out she was part of Zorogog when we overheard the Crystal Tiefling talking at in the sewers. They said that the zoro they couldn't allow the Zorogog to gain control of this like special location, but that didn't explicitly state that she was part of the Zorogog.
00:15:42
Speaker
a An assumption could be made, sure, but it wasn't. An assumption could be made, but there was no specific statement said that she is part of the Xerogog, which is why we're going to take her out.
00:15:55
Speaker
Right, yeah, okay. But Calden found a photograph of her with people with the emblem of the Xerogog, which he did also take.
00:16:06
Speaker
Gotcha. And you guys knew about the other kyanite tiefling that took a magical artifact because when Yellen saw him in the scrying or whatever, Kaladin said, that's the dude that I've let go Right, right, right, right. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:16:23
Speaker
So she can still look confused because several items were taken, but yeah, ah she is aware. i haven't been able to share with you guys everything that Kalden found out because I haven't been given all of the information yet that Kalden found out. I don't know who ah was supposed to do that. I totally forgot about that, i'm not gonna lie. but I totally really forgot about that information. Oh no It's okay, I've only reminded you a few times, so you're holding on me.
00:16:53
Speaker
but Shots fired. Oh no. Oh no. In my notes, ah things to do. Give Rennie information. quickly.
00:17:10
Speaker
it it it corrected Rennie to tennis, so I'm going to have to give tennis information. So, yeah, Talira, some some of that will be Talira truly confused, and then some of it will not be.
00:17:24
Speaker
um But she she definitely does look surprised, I will say that. What was missing? it It was a variety of things. Some books, a weapon that had been passed down, and a a box.
00:17:38
Speaker
And that's all I can say. But regardless, it's very important. And frankly, it is a disgrace, and turns to Evelyn and Enora again. It is a disgrace to Glory and the World Union, the fact that they let all of this happen in one night.
00:17:51
Speaker
To your brand new ambassador. Fenlyn finally speaks up, as he straightens his back, broadens his shoulders. While I agree this is an outrageous mistake on the side of the City of Glory, I need you to do me a favor and keep my love's friends out of your goddamn mouth.
00:18:09
Speaker
We have done and put on so much work to have put this all together and for you to just disgrace, frankly Maeve, by speaking this ill of her friends, the friends that she has been looking for for so many years, and to try to ruin that night and putting all the blame on them.
00:18:22
Speaker
Shame on you. Now, Onora and Evelyn, obviously you all have some fucking explaining to do, because we entrusted you with this massive event that we have have spent so much time and effort to put together to try to help such a good cause.
00:18:37
Speaker
So we will speak privately about that, because I'm i'm sorry, I'm getting a bit of emotional. There's been a lot that's happened today. ah yeah just need I need you all to give Talira and us some some some some space and some some forgiveness here. You are not the only people who have who are the victims of of this situation.
00:18:57
Speaker
When he says that Talira will, everybody else is seated. Has has Talira also sat down? Did we establish? Everybody sat when Anora. Okay, that's what I thought. yeah When he says that she wasn't the only victim, Talira will look to the others, excuse me, and she stands up and stands behind Fenlon.
00:19:21
Speaker
You can see, of the of the ambassadors here with Piara, Galette has sat there stoic and very calm, Demeterred, almost emotionless to a point the whole time, where you could see the other light ganasi here, Betrizia, Rafael and Bruno, had gotten...
00:19:42
Speaker
a bit nervous at certain points, or even angry. Piara, of course, already been known to be a hothead. You see that as—you almost saw her almost interrupt Fenlan at one point, especially with how aggressive he was for a moment, but when he softened, he—you can see Piara addresses this and softens as well.

Proposal to Hire Talira's Group

00:20:01
Speaker
I am sorry. You are correct. Obviously, I was not the only one who has tried to be taken, although i think we can all agree it's fairly obvious that I was the primary target. But you're right. I don't know Maeve well by any means. I just met her yesterday, but she was trying to be taken as well, and I can only assume it had some sort of effect on her since she's not here.
00:20:19
Speaker
She surprisingly reaches across the table and asks for Finlan's hand and looks at him. and i I'm very sorry. I should not have come at you and your group so harshly.
00:20:30
Speaker
And Galette, at this point, re-speaks up. Although we may have came across a little aggressive towards you and your friends, I do recommend maybe you learn a little bit more about your Kyanite friend.
00:20:41
Speaker
We will not forget this, and he is still a suspect in our eyes, but I think we can all agree there is a lack of evidence here, which is why we have a but proposal for you and your friends, um specifically you, Thalia.
00:20:53
Speaker
You seem capable. Patrizia leans forward and you can see she has like a booklet sitting on the table in front of her. As she moves, taking notice, everybody looking in her direction at this point, as she flips the booklet open, you can see her essentially braided hair with the light LED lights that that shine through are a a deep and dark purple, her eyes shining like a light Ganassi's does.
00:21:17
Speaker
She puts a hand on the booklet, pulls out a folded once sheet of parchment. takes it out and slides it across the table and sits it in front of where your seat is. Delira. As she speaks, we are prepared to hire you through the Adventurer's Guild. This is a fair and legal contract to do two things. One is to retrieve what was stolen.
00:21:36
Speaker
We can assume that... The Aether Crow were behind that, but if you can find it to be someone else, offer still stands. But because we assume it to be the Aether Crow, given the events of last night, it stands to reason that we could ask you to do two things at once, and the second being to prove our innocence. You had mentioned that in your investigations, you had deemed that the Zorulgog was involved in the killings of children, which is just blatantly false. But we would like a ah chance to prove prove that, because we understand that our word only goes so far. So, in the retrieval of our stolen items from the Ace of Crow, we would also like to hire you to find evidence that we are not at fault.
00:22:15
Speaker
And what happens if I find evidence that, if you were not at fault, perhaps someone else in Zor El Gog was? Well, and she looks to Enora and just, and kind of motions to where you're at, and Galat speaks up.
00:22:30
Speaker
Well, we are at the World Union, are we not? Bring it back here, and don't bring it to us then. Bring that information to the Union themselves, they can see fit on how to move forward. I am no diplomat.
00:22:41
Speaker
I think that is apparently obvious. I will not take a contract blatantly to clear someone's name. I will, however, take a contract to find the truth of what is going on.
00:22:56
Speaker
Patrizia reaches back over and pulls the parchment back to her side, and Piaris speaks out. I think that is fair. Give us the day and we'll make the corrections to the contract through the adventurer's guild. Keep it all legal. So when you have your full party ready, we can have it rewritten to your standard.
00:23:11
Speaker
And the box gets turned into the world union. I think the box should be returned to us since it was ours and stolen from us. What if Doril Gog is at fault? That doesn't change who the ownership of the item is.
00:23:23
Speaker
I will have to talk it over with my legal team. She doesn't have a legal team, but nobody knows that.
00:23:31
Speaker
Calden is her legal team. Oh my gosh. but You see that Piarra kind of looks back to her ambassadors and with an eye raised a little bit.
00:23:42
Speaker
Okay, I think that's fair. I don't think I have anything of need with your team as of this moment. and But she turns to Onor and Evelyn. If you two could stay, though, we have a lot to discuss. And Fenlyn, you as well.
00:23:55
Speaker
Because I believe that we now share some of the discrepancies with how things were handled. Fenlyn nods, and you can see at that point Fenlyn looks up to you, Galera, and turns around to where his mouth can't be seen by Yara's team, and just mouths to you find her.

Sewer Exploration and Clues

00:24:11
Speaker
Talira nods. Like, resolutely, she nods. Sally stands, and she curtsies. Thank you all very much for allowing us the time to speak. Have a good rest of your day.
00:24:21
Speaker
She opens the door in motions for you to follow. Talira squeezes Fenlin's shoulder as she turns around and follows Sally out. who That went better than I expected.
00:24:32
Speaker
Oh my gosh. That was good? You know, it could have gone a lot worse. I i i knew they had an offer for Maeve and you, I guess. I wasn't expecting a contract like that, though.
00:24:45
Speaker
Yeah, that got pushed onto the City of Glory. That was we avoided. So that was good. That was I think that was the best outcome we could hope for. Good. And Talira at this point, she is like shaking her hands out, pulling like hands through her hair like, I feel like that was shit.
00:25:04
Speaker
ah How do you do this all the time? Well, normally I do it with a lot less less sleep and stress. So practice, I'm usually not the one to do it, to be fair. It's usually Fenlan and i mean Maeve too, but Maeve, she's in those meetings and does well, but a lot of times she's really good after the meetings. That's where she really, that's where she really shines. Her and Fenlan are a great team, to be honest. They they work really well and in these dealings anyway. we We've got things to do. Where where where do you we need to go next? Where can I take you?
00:25:33
Speaker
I think I should go back and see if Kalvin and Yellen are back if they have any word. Good idea. Okay, I'll take you back to the apartment and follow me. you. And she begins to lead you back the way you guys came.
00:25:44
Speaker
In the meantime... Calden and Yellen, as we join back up with the two of you in the sewers where you had found the little rip piece of burlap sack going to the right, further into the sewers and away from the moonlight, you had seen the one pair of footprints coming from the left, which leads out of the sewers, you can assume, because it around the corner is where the moonlight comes from.
00:26:06
Speaker
I had listened back, and I don't believe you all had made a decision on where exactly we're going. I think we ended right there, if I remember correctly with you. Yeah, we ended at the sewers. like agree Yeah, I believe that is correct.
00:26:18
Speaker
So to start, my question for you is, do you follow to the right where the rip of the burlap sack was, or you do you go to the left where the footprints are? I was thinking probably sack. Footprints could be anyone.
00:26:30
Speaker
Yeah, s sack does sound good. Follow that sack. Follow that sack. Why?
00:26:42
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Give me one second. I'm so sorry.
00:26:49
Speaker
Dude, I feel so bad for Fenlan already. Preemptively for him getting dumped by Nafe. Oh god, I know. i feel so bad. I love him. The second he was like, you keep my wife's friends out of your goddamn mouth. I was like, oh shit.
00:27:08
Speaker
My boy. My boy. I ship. I ship. ah All right. So. You both take off further into the sewers, stopping to grab a piece of the burlap sack that was ripped on the upturned stone. Just to the left of the walking path is the very dirty and smelly water, of course.
00:27:26
Speaker
Pieces of of ice floating as the air is quite cold, and the thing keeping the water from freezing completely is the fact that it's flowing. As you continue to walk on, i can ah I can make the assumption that you all, you both are on edge of some sort.
00:27:43
Speaker
Obviously keeping a lookout for things actively rather than using a passive skill. So as you do this, if I could go ahead get a passive perception check from the both of you. Our passives?
00:27:54
Speaker
Sorry, active. An actual perception check, my volume. That makes more sense. I'm guessing you guys are actively checking, so give me your passives. Okay. Can.
00:28:06
Speaker
Okay, not the worst. gonna be at fourteen fourteen It's It's gonna be a 24. twenty four 24? good Good god God.
00:28:18
Speaker
A rolled 14 turns from not bad to pretty good when you have a plus 10. I would just like to say this is extremely important. very soon into getting to this very cold place. Calvin keeps little booties in his pack for Yana, for her little her little chicken feedies.
00:28:39
Speaker
And he put those on because he doesn't want her a little feedies to freeze. Yeah, he needs to protect his darling. So he did put those on very, very early.
00:28:50
Speaker
And because it's fucking cold, he put up his hood and his like face mask. I love it. So as you you put the booties on, you you're all wrapped up and you you continue down the sewers.
00:29:02
Speaker
As you're going such very good perception check, especially from Kalden, at one point you you see another another upturned stone as you are in a very old area of the city, wherever you're at.
00:29:14
Speaker
And you see in a small little, a little tiny piece of burlap sack again, and this time right after it, you see, a finally, a drag mark. And the drag mark isn't that it's cleared snow because the snow hasn't come in, it doesn't come in this far.
00:29:27
Speaker
You see, a the sewers begin to get more dusty and dirty the further you go in, so you start to see a little bit of drag mark as well as you start to see a set of three footprints. But also, after that last rip, you see just a small smear of blood.
00:29:40
Speaker
Does it smell like... Does it taste like Maeve's blood? Like, what we do with that? Are you tasting it? Does it taste like Maeve's blood? What the shit? Calvin weighs down and you just... Yum!
00:29:56
Speaker
yum Disgusting. It tastes like blood. He vomits. It just gives you the idea you're heading in the right direction. And as you continue on for a while, luckily it's become pretty obvious where these drag marks are. You go past a couple points where you could have turned and you don't have to because it's very easy to see exactly where they went.
00:30:15
Speaker
So following the path is... it it appears as if the people were extremely confident because they didn't try to hide it whatsoever. and Pretty soon, as it's very dark, the dragging path you see takes takes a slight turn into an alcove in the wall. You see that there's some missing stonework, and it's not like a right turn of that the sewer would make. It's like maybe a doorway, and you see that coming up.
00:30:39
Speaker
And with a 23 especially, you hear a snore and the crackling of a fire. Before we go in, Yellen is going to stop the two of them, and he's going to turn to Keldon.
00:30:52
Speaker
Calden, I know it would be foolish to ask you to not follow me into this again, so I'm not going to do that. What I am going to do is remind you that I guide souls and i find them.
00:31:08
Speaker
So please do not get lost somewhere I can't find you. Holy shit! What a fucking line. Dude! Why Yellen rizzing up everyone? What the fuck?
00:31:28
Speaker
Dude! Damn! is this a Is this a dating sim and Yellen is the deadest? Like everyone falling for Yellen here. Crazy. Absolutely crazy.
00:31:42
Speaker
Is...Keldon is pretty certain we're in Undor. yeah I mean, i would i would say you have a decent suspicion. Okay.
00:31:54
Speaker
If we are where I think we are, we may already be in danger. Yellen... He reaches into his pack and he pulls out the scroll that they bought and he holds it out to hand it to him.
00:32:10
Speaker
I think it's a better idea if you hold on to this. You know more about magic than me. I will make sure its job gets done. Thank you, Calvin.
00:32:21
Speaker
He takes it. And don't let anything distract you from finding Maeve. I'll do my best. Nods once, kind of okay.
00:32:33
Speaker
Okay, let's go. We should probably sneak. was just about to say, can I get a stealth trek from you guys as you round that corner?
00:32:43
Speaker
Oh, that's pretty good. 23. 17. Why am i not surprised? but Well, I rolled a seven. What do you want from me? Fucking rogues.
00:32:54
Speaker
I know, fucking rogues. But even yelling and coming with a 17, like just overall. That is just lucky, man.
00:33:02
Speaker
Don't you get disadvantage on your stealth rolls too? I do. I was lucky, man. Wow. Okay. That's yeah, that's impressive. So yeah, you were around the corner, Yellen, Kalden, the giant vampire chicken and booties.
00:33:14
Speaker
And you see, it's just like it's a little alcove into the stone. It's not a very big room. It's just enough. You see a few cots, you see a fire and there's a a little lowering from the middle of the ceiling with an opening that you can see the smoke filtering through.

Poetry and Warnings in the Sewers

00:33:31
Speaker
And on one of the cots, you see a dark elf laying there, cozied up really, really good, but you can you can see his head and face taking a nap. You look around the room, you see a couple barrels. You can see there's a couple rations wrapped up on top of the barrel, as well as a a candle that's not lit.
00:33:48
Speaker
And there's a small table in the corner. Looks like there's a couple papers sprawled out on it with a pen or with an inkwell and pen. Pretty simple area. Is there anything written on the paper?
00:34:00
Speaker
17's pretty good. Yeah, I guess you can go look at it. i mean, even if he didn't, Calden would have. I know, but he spoke up about it, you know? Yeah, ah you go over there and very carefully try to kind of look through them, and you, surprisingly, you see the larger sheets of paper are full of poetry.
00:34:20
Speaker
It's not very good, but, you know, it's an attempt. But there's a smaller sheet of paper above it that's folded, and as you very carefully unfold it, you you see just the simple message.
00:34:34
Speaker
I'm struggling for the word. it be It says watch for... There's a different word for like a rescue team that I'm trying to think of, but it's not coming to my head. So we'll just go with that. Watch for rescue team.
00:34:45
Speaker
Is the poetry bad enough that we would like hold it up and laugh about it Possibly, to be honest. Nice. Yeah, and there's no, like, mark-outs and, like, replace. It looks like it was it was it was written very confidently, but it's it's just it's not it.
00:35:01
Speaker
Nice. Kalden Mald's loser.
00:35:10
Speaker
Is there anything else we can find within this space that points to him being complicit in specifically, in specifically Maeve's kidnapping?
00:35:22
Speaker
And it's just this one dude, right? That we see? that's That's all you can see in there, yeah. If you want to search his body, you could maybe try to find something else, but just around the area, it's a very simple... it looks like ah there's like a little outpost, essentially, like a somebody might be posted here to be on the lookout or to receive and transfer messages. Like it's very simple and it it's that way for a reason, type thing.
00:35:49
Speaker
I'm going to mind link with Yalan. I don't think I've done that yet today. um I'm going to search and see if I can find anything on his person. Ooh, okay.
00:36:01
Speaker
you have speak with dad um i believe i do actually all right just good to have in our back pocket you never know what's goingnna happen indeed i'm gonna go try and search his body i'm also gonna pull out one of my actual daggers ooh okay not the one that i painstakingly wipe down every single day just so that we're clear on that So I'm going to need a combo roll of both a secondary stealth check, because this is ah a specific thing you're doing, as well as an investigation, assuming that the stealth goes well.
00:36:35
Speaker
And not sleight of hand as well? Well, it depends on if you're trying to take anything. I guess, yeah, I guess sleight of hand would make sense, because if you're going to be looking, yeah. So let's do instead of the stealth, let's just slide a hand in investigation. That makes way more sense.
00:36:49
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, are you sure? Because I did roll 31 on the stealth.
00:36:56
Speaker
I'll keep that in mind as we roll the others. Definitely. 21 investigation. Okay. okay thirty on the slight of Oh what my God.
00:37:08
Speaker
Is there anything else you'd like me to roll? Oh my gosh. Okay. Just wait until we get higher levels. Calvin's going to start rolling like fifties. It's gonna be insane. It's gonna be so insane. Yeah, you you can you pick him up and roll him over and he doesn't wake up.
00:37:23
Speaker
You search his unconscious but very alive body. You find a couple spell components. We'll say you find a tuft of troll's hair, a a little bit of diamond dust, which is useful, and a small a small animal's bone in a little component pouch. You find a little notebook that when you open you see more bad poetry, and you find a sending stone.
00:37:45
Speaker
as well as if you want, you can find a couple of daggers as well. I missed most of that list because I was dying, but I did hear the notebook with more bad poetry and the sending stone, couple daggers, a bone and a few other spell components. You found a component like a component pouch with some spell components like a small annals bone, a little bit of diamond dust and troll's hair.
00:38:05
Speaker
I hope someone else wrote that down because I didn't. MJ looks to be appearing to be writing things down. I don't know if it's for that or not, but yeah Nope. I was organizing my dice.
00:38:19
Speaker
Like the dice goblin am. no right am Okay. i hold up the sending stone, forgetting momentarily that I can talk in his mind, and I just kind of like shrug like, what do you want to do with this?
00:38:33
Speaker
ah do you think he goes to? I don't know. We'd have to use it. Should we wake him up? Um, does this guy look particularly tough?
00:38:46
Speaker
Physically, he looks pretty scrawny, but you did find a component pouch. You can assume that he's a spellcaster of some sort. Maybe could be, you know, also a rogue. He has daggers, but it's hard to tell. He's he's wrapped up in a, you know, he's he's wrapped up in pretty heavy clothes. Obviously, it's very cold. So I feel like we could wake him up.
00:39:03
Speaker
Okay. So, I take one of my daggers and I hold it to his neck and I try to rouse him. heard okay Who are you? Hey, buddy. I think I'm going to ask questions.
00:39:21
Speaker
What you want? Are you familiar with the people who kidnapped a Maeve Strongheart recently with the Aethercrow? I don't know a bit by that name. What?
00:39:33
Speaker
All right. Blonde girl. Recently kidnapped. Aethercrow and... What is... i'm i keep blanking on the cult's name.
00:39:45
Speaker
The Zoro Dog. No. Oh. Necromancers. Oh, and the Mortifer Pactum. Right? Yeah. And the Mortifer Pactum. I both mentioned the Aethercrow and the Mortifer Pactum.
00:39:57
Speaker
You can see his eyes kind of jitter and look to the side. I press the dagger a little bit closer to his neck. I don't think silence will do you any good. yeah I might know a thing or two.
00:40:09
Speaker
Wonderful. Where are they now? They left. Went north. North. They went north. Very vast spans of distance that can be gone. Why don't we get a little bit more specific?
00:40:27
Speaker
I...
00:40:29
Speaker
it I don't know a lot. i I'm just a lookout for the Pactum. It's just a job, okay? Please, please don't kill me. Well, does the job pay very well?
00:40:42
Speaker
i'm i'm I'm hoping to move up. How about moving down? He kind of cocks his head a little bit at that. What? I press the dagger a little bit closer and it just starts to cut him a bit.
00:40:57
Speaker
Roll me an intimidation check. yeah that's so fair but With advantage, actually. Interestingly, intimidation not Kelvin's strongest suit. 15. DC wasn't super high, so you're good.
00:41:15
Speaker
a i really, I don't know much. They... the had a burlap sack. I was told to be on lookout for search rescue. ah Fell asleep. They went further into the city. they they They had a drop off point. i don't I don't know where. How recently were they here?
00:41:33
Speaker
um looks at his fire like his fire and how much like wood's left type of thing. A couple hours, maybe. And who does this reach?
00:41:45
Speaker
And he shows the the stone. My boss. Excellent, he should know more. Go ahead and not call him. Fuck. Okay.
00:41:55
Speaker
And if you make it obvious, obviously i will kill you. He like does a big swallow. Oh, careful, careful. Don't want to swallow too big right now. o He reaches his hand out for the sending stone.
00:42:09
Speaker
Boss, up check it in. This is... and don't have a name prepared for this guy. ah Would you think I was just going to go kill him immediately? but I just wasn't sure i was to need it, to be honest. didn't think about it. Harold. Hank.
00:42:25
Speaker
I was going to say Frank. Gerald. ah Boss, this is Frank. Just checking in, making sure the parcel was delivered. Fuck, are you checking in? Parcel delivered?
00:42:36
Speaker
You aren't a part of that supply line. You don't get to know that shit. He kind of, Frank looks it up at you like, what do I do? I give him a look like you figure it out. Yeah, bos they they they um left one of their weapons here. Was gonna go deliver it. but where Where would that location be?
00:42:57
Speaker
They can buy themselves another dagger. Stay where the fuck you are and keep a lookout like you're supposed to. Yep, yep, yes, yes, sir. Frank looks back up at you, eyes kind of wide and a little scared, like, but puts the stone down. I, I, I tried, I... Oh, that's disappointing.
00:43:12
Speaker
I take the stone back. um Well, in his head. Well, now what do we do? Well, I guess we head north for the most part and see if we find what we're looking for.
00:43:28
Speaker
What do we do with him? him up? um Yeah, sounds like a good plan. Did I see any rope on this guy or anywhere in his little?
00:43:38
Speaker
Yeah, you could probably find some. I would i would i would make it would it be an easy assumption to say members of this specific organization probably carry rope on them, especially if they're like, oh, I hate that. and on where to like Search and rescue, you know.
00:43:53
Speaker
and I hate that. That's how you phrase that.
00:43:58
Speaker
Knowing what I know.
00:44:02
Speaker
Alright, well fine, i'll I'll bring out the BDSM knots and I'm gonna tie this dude up. Don't ask me why Calvin knows those. Yeah, Yellen is like, why you tie like that?
00:44:13
Speaker
Just curious. so it's this The howling laugh that y'all are lucky was muted at BDSM knots.
00:44:27
Speaker
So he's going to tie this guy up. He's going to take like a cloth or something, kind of dab at the little bit of blood. he didn't cut him deep. It'll close in a second. It's fine. Right, right, right. cleans it up.
00:44:40
Speaker
he's not He's not an asshole, probably. Calvin, I mean. I don't know about Frank. Frank's an asshole. Frank might be an asshole. Definitely. Could be someone who's just lost on their way, you know?
00:44:51
Speaker
he's and he he's a He's a starving artist. If he had any amount of power, he'd be such an asshole. He's just bottom rung. He's a starving artist. Don't put that on us!
00:45:03
Speaker
We still have moral compass here. He's just, he's trying to make ends meet while he tries to make his his poetry career take off. Yeah, me too. I work three jobs.
00:45:14
Speaker
I don't sell my soul. That's fair. You know, that's fair. That's fair. Have you been given the opportunity to?
00:45:23
Speaker
i mean... I turned down some adult shows and opportunities because yes, I still do have a certain thing i will not do.
00:45:37
Speaker
Though everybody has a price, I will say that. Everybody has price. I know I've got one. But that's a story for another day that hopefully we don't ever have to get to. Yeah, very different podcast. um but So after you you successfully tie this guy up, obviously, do you gag him as well?
00:45:55
Speaker
I mean, if we're going BDSM, I'm like... Yeah, then he got to, right? Cool. Okay. ah Genuinely no shade to the BDSM community. I have no hate. So sorry. You guys are getting the brunt of this. so sorry.
00:46:09
Speaker
So do you all take off towards the north then? Yeah. I have taken the things that I found on him, by the way. Okay. Just want to make sure. Cool, cool. Yeah, we will actually skip forward in time just a little bit because as you head north trying to follow as many paths as you can, seeing any any sort of signs of a pro-lapse sack or just, you know, three sets of footprints, anything like that, it it takes you the majority of the day. You You are at this for quite some time, and frankly, the city that you think you're in is quite large.
00:46:40
Speaker
One of the oldest and largest cities in the world, as you seem to have a knack for going to at this point, and the the group does. And so after the whole day of of searching, trying to find clues, anything that could maybe be helpful, using some of your old rules and also just the passives that I know some of you guys have,
00:46:57
Speaker
You hear a whisper in the dark as you come come to an intersection in the sewer where it's a four-way intersection.

Tense Confrontation and Combat

00:47:03
Speaker
You hear a whisper in the dark to the right and for just a second maybe it was a flame, some sort of source of yellowish orange light just for a flash of a second coming from the left.
00:47:13
Speaker
What did we hear? we couldn't make out exactly what the words were, just a whisper of some sort. You could tell it was it was somebody talking. You could tell that at least. And there's... it's not wall there, right? There's like... we could walk down the wall. you're at a four-way intersection in the sewers.
00:47:29
Speaker
I should check that out. You want me to follow behind? Maybe keep a distance. All right. I'm gonna try and quickly sneak. Okay, you quickly move move towards the direction of the the sound you heard, thinking in a whisper, and very quickly at the edge of your vision, you you see a group of three people, maybe, hooded, hard to make out any features, but you can see they're all brandishing weapons, and they're all low, attempting to sneak, moving towards you guys.
00:47:58
Speaker
Moving in our direction then? Correct. And just as a reminder, the glint of light that you saw had come from the left where you went to the right currently. What? I thought... Oh, I thought that those were the same.
00:48:09
Speaker
Sorry. Nope, that's all good. Okay. I'm gonna... Okay, so we have three individuals trying to sneak up upon us. Shall we just confront them or keep going?
00:48:22
Speaker
Well, they could have information. That could take us where we need to go. True. Kinda have the jump on them right now. Well then that's sees the easy opportunity. Alright. Okay. What's their formation?
00:48:34
Speaker
Two in front, one in back. Cool. I'm going to chuck three daggers at the guy in the back. Nice. Give me some rolls to hit. Absolutely. Wouldn't it be so fun if his hit points were low enough that I just killed him?
00:48:48
Speaker
And they don't even notice, because he's in the back. Anyway, I have to hit though.
00:48:55
Speaker
Not great. So 19, 13, and 27. 19, 13, and 27. The 13 misses, but the other two definitely hit. Give me some damage for those as you throw.
00:49:11
Speaker
This one's gonna be sneak. These are your mental daggers, correct? Yes. Yeah. And Yellen, what are you doing as Kalden lets loose the first attack? I will, against someone he's not attacking, i will cast Blight.
00:49:26
Speaker
Ooh, that's a save I gotta make, right? Yeah, Constitution. It's very rude that it automatically adds my sneak attack damage, because it makes it look very good.
00:49:37
Speaker
But then it's like, actually, it was seven. That's a natural one, Yellen. Ooh. Um, 35 damage total. 35 damage.
00:49:49
Speaker
Shit! This is very good sneak attack. It was better sneak attack on the second one since it automatically added it, but the actual damage was seven. How rude. So rude of it to tell me that.
00:50:03
Speaker
That's 38 damage from Blight. 38. Oh my God. Y'all are insane. Don't piss off, Kalden and Yellen. No kidding. Oh my gosh.
00:50:15
Speaker
So the mental daggers hit the guy in the back as you as suddenly you hear a cry, the guy to your left. um What does the blight look like, Yellen? Can you describe exactly what happens with that spell?
00:50:30
Speaker
Yeah, so it looks almost like a like a necrosis, like sickness that starts to kind of like burn its way through the skin a little bit. And it just kind of is peeling itself away.
00:50:42
Speaker
Oh, that's terrible. Okay. as As he starts, like, almost gurgling out in pain, and the last guy yells out, they know we're here! Get them! As suddenly you hear the sound of three others behind you now rushing towards as they begin to sprint. Let me get an initiative from both of you real quick.
00:51:01
Speaker
Guess we'll die. All right cleric initiative time. Let's go. i get advantage on this now. Yippee! Dude, I rolled terribly on that too. Oh my god.
00:51:12
Speaker
I got a two. Two is yelling. initiative. Yep. And 15 for Calvin. Nope. Okay, that gives me a thing to go by here. Okay.
00:51:23
Speaker
dun did it dun done did it dun du du Battle music begins. As you had gotten the surprise attack, the the two, they're not dead, but they are very wounded as you see them trying to recover and getting back up on their feet as the third of that group. And then the the three, the very sudden sprinting steps of three people rushing in behind you. Kaladin, you are up first.
00:51:44
Speaker
And you are on about a 10-foot-wide path. Water on the other side of that 10-foot path of the sewer water, and then a wall on both sides, and the ceiling's about 10 feet high.
00:51:55
Speaker
So fairly narrow we're going to climb to the ceiling, because maybe i can freak him out by just being on the ceiling. Are you just you're just spider climbing up there? That's crazy. Yeah.
00:52:08
Speaker
I love it. I love it. Look, I'm a distance rogue. I like to be away. How bad off does the guy look that I attacked? Fairly, fairly bad. ah I would consider him in old D&D terms, bloodied.
00:52:22
Speaker
Would I? Well, okay. I guess I'll just try and hit him with all three and see what happens. Okay. As you climb to the ceiling, you send out a couple more mental daggers. i'm it's it Your attacks are hard to like try to get a description for, because they're literally invisible. Like, they're just... I imagine that if you had true sight,
00:52:49
Speaker
what you would be seeing is just basically this like coalescence of magical energy, and not really in any shape specifically at all. It just kind of like comes together and he pushes it.
00:53:06
Speaker
Gotcha. The way that he and envisions it so that he can like get himself to actually take control of the magic, because he still needs to be able to visualize something to get it to work the way he wants.
00:53:21
Speaker
He pulls on the the old like weapons training his dad tried to put him through unsuccessfully when he was younger. When sword fighting didn't work, he tried to teach him like throwing daggers.
00:53:34
Speaker
And so he envisions a dagger in his mind and then does that movement. But obviously it doesn't actually look like that. Right. I like that though. Two of them potentially hit. One was a 15, one was a 19.
00:53:48
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. They actually, they both end up hitting. Okay. Third one was a 12, so that didn't hit. No, that does definitely not hit. As you spider climb up the wall, looking like a hu looking like you're straight out of a horror movie, you get up to the ceiling and you shoot your hands out three times, two of them finding placement invisibly into that last guy in the back. What's the damage we're looking at here? 17.
00:54:10
Speaker
seventeen 17 total damage. Not- I rolled all ones for the first one. Dang, that sucks. Not enough to kill him, but you do see as he, he like clutches at himself in ah in a variety of areas and his head is just pounding as he screams out again, incapacitated for just to just a moment. And that's the end of my turn.
00:54:28
Speaker
Okay, as I put them on my notes, quote unquote bad guys. As these members of the Mortifer Pactum now approach to assault all of you, or all of you, the two of you, you see as a couple of ah the ones that you're closest to, the two in front, the one of with Blight recovers enough to make the dash forward with the other as they try to attack you physically with the dice, but from behind you, they're still far enough away. you Instead of them dashing forward to get you there too far away, they throw their daggers as you're going to be assaulted with daggers from both sides.
00:54:59
Speaker
And frankly... You as in me, as in Kalden? I was just about to say, as frankly, with Kalden having gone to the ceiling, yeah all the attacks are going to Yellen. I'm so sorry, Yellen. No, I was ready.
00:55:10
Speaker
i was born this. have a higher con than me, though, so... Let's see. So you're looking at... addict to you Two dagger attacks from each one. Okay. 26, 10, 11. Another 26. That'll do it.
00:55:28
Speaker
That's two natural 20s, by the way, in a row, or so far. Then an 8. No, that's not going to hit either. Those two nat 20s are going to make up for all the other misses. What the fuck? And then a 21. 21 does hit, yeah. 15, God, 17. it's going to fucking die. We're going to fucking die. 17 does hit, yeah.
00:55:46
Speaker
Okay, four hit with two of them being natural 20s. Let me do the damage here for you real quick. As you get six daggers thrown at you from behind you. Technically, actually, all of those were supposed to be at advantage.
00:55:59
Speaker
So i should i should I should technically reroll them. A 17 hit. What is your AC? 16. Why is your AC lower than thousands? Why?
00:56:11
Speaker
ah Don't you have heavy armor? I've got a half plate on. I have medium armor. Fuck. Yeah, they're they're supposed to be an advantage. I'm to re-roll for a couple of the ones that missed.
00:56:25
Speaker
Fuck. 14, 25, 10, and Okay, so two two more hit. There we right So two natural 20s, four hits normally.
00:56:41
Speaker
Let me calculate all this damage here real quick.
00:56:45
Speaker
I'm missing Talira right about now.
00:56:49
Speaker
In nomine patria et viria.
00:57:00
Speaker
like cue that ever after ah scene of the the bishop and the the bride just blubbering on her way to the inevitable. Yeah.
00:57:11
Speaker
Two of those were critical, right? Two of them were, and I'm not, I'm doing those next. I'm going to use a signal at death's door to make that not critical as a reaction.
00:57:22
Speaker
For one of them? Yeah, yeah, for one. I can't do it for both. okay so what Okay, so in that case... That is... 32 damage for all the ones that are not critical.
00:57:38
Speaker
That's piercing, obviously. And then for the one that is critical... 10 damage for the one that that hit with a crit. Alright. Or actually, no no, sorry, I only doubled dice. That would actually only be... I rolled 1 on the dice on that one.
00:57:52
Speaker
So that's 6. Oh. Okay. yeah So that's the total amount of damage. As you literally have six daggers from the back, four from the front. The ones from the front are holding a dagger in each hand and literally just come out to just physically melee stab you as the ones from the back are thrown.
00:58:06
Speaker
As you, they all, so many of them find home as you all of a sudden find that you are bleeding out of many new holes that have been added to your body. As Kaladin, you're on the ceiling and look down to just hear a clap. What the fuck? Clashing of metal as obviously several of these daggers bounce off his half plate and an eruption of Yellen, essentially V5, erupted right underneath you as you went to the ceiling. Yellen! I'm going to summon my elemental.
00:58:33
Speaker
Yes, let's go! i fucking love that guy. so I'm going to use that ability. For the audience, describe what that looks like again for us. Yeah, so the tattoo on Yellen's arm kind of pulsates and the skin on it grooves up like it's ah stones creating a little m labyrinth along the tattoo along his arm.
00:58:53
Speaker
And the elemental rises from the ground, kind of pulls itself up out of the stonework. Fuck yeah. I forgot about Yana. I don't have a sheet for Yana yet.
00:59:05
Speaker
I do not have a stat sheet for Yana. Oh, that's unfortunate. I can... do Can I find something real quick? The abyssal chicken. Yo, what the fuck is this thing? Okay, so actually actually, yeah, it kind of is close enough.
00:59:19
Speaker
I'll send this to you. This is use this for today. Okay. Cool. Okay, back in the scene as your elemental rises back. If I remember correctly, his his voice is audible for everyone, right? It's not just in your head.
00:59:32
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, you look fucked up. Don't have time to only talk about it. Just back to back. Okay. He is yours to control during your turn, so go go for it.
00:59:44
Speaker
All right. So first things first, I'm going to have him attack the guys that are coming from behind us. Okay. And he'll do his slam attacks.
00:59:56
Speaker
Nice. At 26 for the first one. Yeah, that hits.
01:00:03
Speaker
Absolutely, that hits. And then a 22 for the second one. Yeah, yeah that definitely also hits. As you're rolling damage, also think about what does it look like as as this giant stone elemental, not giant, but this this large stone elemental rises out of the ground and goes forward to slam the assassins that have approached you from behind. 13 points of damage from the first one, and then...
01:00:28
Speaker
17 points of damage from the second. And I imagine he pulls himself out of the ground, like almost from underneath the bricks. And we're in like a sewer, right? Like one side of us is the water and then it's the walkway in the wall.
01:00:42
Speaker
Correct. Yep. Yeah. I imagine he like sticks his arm into the walkway and then one, the other into the wall. And he kind of pulls up a bunch of the ah the stones and whatever other kind of things are in there and kind of like slams them up and down like a battle rope. at a gym. Oh, hell yeah. So one of the assassins approaching from your end takes all this damage is the other two dive out of the way, obviously falling to the ground and then getting hit by quite a bit of bludgeoning damage. I think it was a total of 30. Do you have anything else on your turn since you've controlled him?
01:01:14
Speaker
I think it's an action to summon him, I believe. So I think that's it for me for now. Okay. Well, back to Kalvin's turn. So are we saying that we just kind of skipped Yana the first round since I didn't have her stuff?
01:01:27
Speaker
Yeah, we'll just be easiest. Then I'm gonna have her like jump in, literally, and go after the dude that I've been attacking and um she's gonna try and rip his throat out. Hell yeah.
01:01:42
Speaker
Okay. Serrated beak coming at you. Yeah. Note to add some serrated clucks. yeah Yeah, right. Serrated glucks. In my head, whenever I think of Yana attacking with her beak, I don't know why, but the sound that fills my brain every time is the sound of a chainsaw.
01:02:00
Speaker
that is That is not canonical. No, it's not, but that's what that's what my head hears. Every time that she goes to like attack her and whatnot over with a vam of vampire chicken, I just hear that chainsaw.
01:02:11
Speaker
like That's so not what that would be, but like also, I kind of like it. So 13 plus six, that's 19 to hit. 19 to hit definitely hits. What is the minimum damage you could roll? She rolled an eight.
01:02:25
Speaker
Yeah, that's enough. What does look like as Yana runs up and rips out the throat of this of this assassin who's been struggling from the start? There's this giant ass chicken that for some reason they were ignoring. She leaps up over Yellen's head and lands on this dude and just bites into his neck and rips it.
01:02:46
Speaker
With the sound of a chainsaw running the whole time. I'm kidding. No. No. Not with that. Awesome. As his throat is literally ripped out of his neck, blood spurting out and the the scream getting cut off very shortly by the sound of of just gurgling of liquid blood.
01:03:04
Speaker
Yum. Indeed, is there anything else? As one assassin of the six is down, anything else on Yana's turn are we moving into Kalvin's? I think she just gets the one, right? I believe that is true. She's done movement and action. So, Kalden is then gonna turn to the dude who is pretty severely burned from the blight, and he's gonna throw his attacks at that guy.
01:03:26
Speaker
Okay. Give me some rolls to hit that I know are probably gonna hit majority of them. Let me hold that. There's an 11, 26, and 19. Okay, hold the 11. I'm gonna see if I can fix that and make it hit.
01:03:42
Speaker
Oh. Hell yeah. And a 19. I changed it to a 19 with one of my psionic dice. Nice. Very nice. Okay. They yeah they definitely all hit.

Vampire Chicken's Lethal Assistance

01:03:56
Speaker
29 damage. 29 damage. Good Lord.
01:04:01
Speaker
Yeah. He is just a, he is he looks like he's on the brink of death. And I'm actually going to drop down to the ground. Okay. And that's me. So Kalden is going to be very close to Yana now.
01:04:12
Speaker
right as you drop down, landing next to Yana as she has hopped off of the, hopped off the dead body and taken like a defensive stance to, to her father, essentially. Is there anything else Calvin wants to do with his turn?
01:04:25
Speaker
Or can, rather? Nope, that's me. Okay, as the bad guys, the five assassins that are left, the one looking on the brink of death, the one having been thrown and taken damage from the stone elemental, they all recover and gear up to come at you all with another round of attacks.
01:04:44
Speaker
They're all pretty simple, not going to lie to you. es i think I think everyone here as well as the audience can understand. They've got daggers, they're assassins, they they're going to come stab you. um Let me give you all a series of rolls as now that you've dropped down from the ceiling, Yana shown herself to be obviously aggressive. The attacks are not obviously all going to yell at at this point.
01:05:04
Speaker
The two that were behind behind you all see, or the three rather, see the stone elemental and see that they make a quick assumption that their daggers probably aren't going to to be able to do a lot of damage to this. So they skirt around the back of the stone elemental, not leaving its melee, trying not to leave its melee range, but if need be, we'll throw daggers once again as those three are going to attack Yellen and then the other two will be attacking you, Keldum.
01:05:30
Speaker
First one there, Yellen, is a 23. Second is a 6, and third is a 21. 21 and 23 will hit. 22, 12, and 23.
01:05:41
Speaker
Which ones are for Kaldun? The last two? The 12 and the 23? No, those are from those are all from the three that were behind you. Each each assassin makes two attacks. Okay, so those are all for Yellen. Oh, i'm sorry, say that one more time. I also thought they were going to Kaldun.
01:05:55
Speaker
Two of them would hit. It was 22 and like an 11 and then 23. Okay, cool. So a total four would hit you, which is going to be a total of 25 piercing damage. All right.
01:06:06
Speaker
As you have, from the three behind you, they try to circumvent around, trying to dance around your stone elemental as he is attempting to attack them, hitting one of them fairly well, but six more daggers come your way, four of them managing to find home as the other two left standing assassins from in front of you that you had seen originally have now turned to you, Kalden, as you had dropped next to Yana.
01:06:25
Speaker
And they are going to come up and attempt to spar with you trying to get their daggers in. And you got a 21, a 14, a 9, and an 8. Okay, one of those hit.
01:06:37
Speaker
Oh no. That'll be 8. Ooh, max damage. 8 piercing damage from the one that managed find home. right. So I'm going to half that to 4. Okay, as you're trading blows, the two of them coming up on either side of you, they're trading blows, looking like an anime scene as it's a flurry of fists and weapons. As the one seems to find home, how do you manage to have that damage as it looks like it's about to hit you?
01:07:03
Speaker
As it's coming for, i think he's probably going for somewhere more vital, like my neck. Absolutely. But I dodge to the side a little bit more, so mostly just like grazes. Nice, very nice.
01:07:15
Speaker
Narrowly avoids the carotid artery. Would've sucked. Would've sucked indeed. That is their turn. We are to the top of the turn order with Yana and, or sorry, sort of that the to the bottom of the turn order with Yellen.
01:07:27
Speaker
All right. I'm going to cast Cure Wounds on myself at third level. Okay. So 68 plus four. All right, it wasn't great, but that's 19 points back.
01:07:41
Speaker
And then i will have my elemental do two more slam attacks on these guys. Nice. Give me some rolls to hit and give me some descriptions. All right. So that's a 16 on the first one. 25 on the second.
01:07:55
Speaker
Yeah, that definitely is. Absolutely. Hell yeah.
01:08:01
Speaker
I can hear so many dice hitting the table. Oh no. So that's 17 and then 15. Okay. Instead of slamming into the walls this time, he's ah like, that's hard to describe. I'm thinking sends ripples through the ground, aiming mostly for the knees.
01:08:17
Speaker
Nice. Okay. So as the as the ground, as he sticks his fist into the ground and pulls it up, sending stone flying at these assassins, keeping it low, trying to knock knock them prone, hitting their knees, managed to find the same one who is trying to recover again, knocking him down to the point he he is now bloodied with with broken knees. Not looking good.
01:08:36
Speaker
As he is, I will go ahead and give you the extra in the fact that he is now permanently prone as his legs are broken. Very nice. Nice. Yeah, that's it for me. I just hold my shield up get ready for the next one. All right, Calvin and Yana.
01:08:49
Speaker
Okay, describe for me what the scene looks like at this moment. As you are in the sewer, water on one side, you have the 10-foot, fairly narrow pathway that you all have been walking around. You had been ambushed from both sides. As you drop down, the two that are still left alive are right in front of you and Yana.
01:09:04
Speaker
And if you're looking on a battlefield, it's that's the five feet mark. They are in melee as you had just traded blows. Behind your back, as if you're back-to-back, is Yellen, who just healed himself with his stone elemental in front of him about 10 feet, doing its best to target some of these assassins as they are weaving in and around the stone golem, trying to attack Yellen himself.
01:09:21
Speaker
So I say to Yellen, in his mind, see if we can keep the broken one alive. And then i guess I'm gonna try and hit at least once more to the dude who should really be dead by now with his skin melted off.
01:09:35
Speaker
Yeah, he's he's on the brink of of death. I mean, he's hes he's not looking good. Does a 14 hit? It just misses. Okay, so i'm gonna I'm gonna hit him instead. Okay.
01:09:51
Speaker
Literally just. Oh, nevermind. That's a seven. So what'd I say? 14? Yep. yep Yeah. Plus seven to that. So. Sheesh. And then that's going to be nine. How's he looking after that?
01:10:04
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Describe, describe his death for sure. Okay. He's right there with us. So I guess I'm just going to act like I had a real dagger in my hand and just like stab him in the chest with it.
01:10:18
Speaker
And it just does the psychic damage instead. Nice. I love that. it just He just crumples. and No blood doesn't spurt out anything like that. just crumples. Finally, finally death taking him as it should have about six seconds ago. It's it's honestly a relief for him at this point.
01:10:37
Speaker
Now you said there's another guy over there near us who's still alive? Yes, the last of the three of the original three you had seen. So I think in one fluid motion, I'm going to hit this guy and then swing back around and chuck a couple more at the other guy.
01:10:54
Speaker
Hell yeah. Okay. Roll me some hits for that one. Nat 20, baby. Boom. And 19. And 19. This guy has not taken any damage yet.
01:11:06
Speaker
So roll damage. Well, he's going to fucking take damage now. Damn right, damn right. As you spin around and you you make the motion as if you're chucking daggers like you normally do. How much pain is he gonna be in? Let me see this damage.
01:11:23
Speaker
twenty three total here Nice. ah love the idea as you as you put your hand as if you were stabbing him, the dude crumbles and as he's crumbling, you're pulling your hand away, spinning to then throw another one to the dude coming up on your flank, hitting them and immediately making him stop for a moment as he clutches with it clutches into pain as Yana is reaching down to a pun huck pluck the body as it's crumbling.
01:11:50
Speaker
to pluck at the now dead body as it's as it's crumbling Oh, she's not going after that. She's going after the guy coming after us that Kaladin just attacked also. So she's going to hit as well.
01:12:01
Speaker
Ooh, let's see it. And she's really liking going for that neck muscle. That's like real tasty there, she just found out. She hadn't bit anyone's neck before and now she might have a taste for it.
01:12:12
Speaker
Good or bad. That's scary. That's scary. The real vampire in the vampire chicken. Oh no, you're right. i didn't even think about that. Oh God. Oh God.
01:12:24
Speaker
next Okay, remind me what I'm... Okay, d twenty
01:12:31
Speaker
Okay, 17 plus six. Guessing that hits. Absolutely.

Victory and Pursuit of Fleeing Enemies

01:12:40
Speaker
after taking now 36 damage in that round, the dude pauses for a second and clutches him himself before looking looking up at you and knowing that it's he's pretty much going to have to go out fighting or he could try to run away.
01:12:53
Speaker
He could try to run away. is at this point, as he goes to take a step back, he pulls a sending stone out of his pocket. Code Red, we're getting fucked. Can he speak after getting his throat just like dug into by this giant chicken?
01:13:09
Speaker
Barely. Code Red.
01:13:14
Speaker
Barely. it's It doesn't come out great. And he is going to turn around and try to run away. So if you'd like an opportunity attack, both you and Yana can get one. Yeah, I think Yana's gonna go ahead and do that. What is eight? Another 17. Nice.
01:13:30
Speaker
nice Six. Ooh, much worse roll. Seven. okay Okay. She goes for his Achilles heel. She goes to she goes ah to try to stop him, essentially trying to get that one last hit, and it does manage him to hit him in his thighs as he yeah like lurches forward, having to catch himself for a moment, and is now limping away.
01:13:51
Speaker
The other bad guys, there is the one that is and completely prone with legs broken. He is going to try to throw his daggers, and the other two are going to also react in the same way, having seen everything that's happening, see the cries of their comrades in the guide starting limp away, and they will ah also try to leave, but they will try to leave knowing that there's an earth animal mantle sitting right here, and generally, in a lot of times,
01:14:10
Speaker
They may or may not like water depending on what kind they are They are going to dive into the water. That will give Yellen if you want your Earth Elemental half opportunity to attack one of them, you can. Yeah, I'll go ahead and do an opportunity attack.
01:14:22
Speaker
that's no That's a 10. Yeah, that definitely does not hit. And the dude that's prone has no other choice, so he is going to throw his two daggers at you. His last remaining two. That is a 23 and a 13. One of those hits.
01:14:34
Speaker
Okay, and that's gonna be a total max damage again. That's a total of eight piercing. Easy. As another dagger has found a found a spot in between your half play and is is sticking out of you again. I like hopped down so that they would start targeting Kaladin too instead of just yelling and then I've taken four damage.
01:14:53
Speaker
Listen, they I attacked you. They rolled terribly against you. And then you have the damage I did get. He's a fucking rogue. That's right. Yeah. And that's going to be their turn.
01:15:04
Speaker
The two have jumped into the water and are swimming away. One is limping away on the other side. Yellen, it is your turn. We're about at the end of the combat. The one that's limping away, is he closer to me or my elemental?
01:15:15
Speaker
The one that's limping away is on the opposite side. It's on the opposite side of you and limping away from Kalden. Oh, I gotcha. I gotcha. How close am I to the ones that have jumped into the water?
01:15:26
Speaker
At this point, probably like 15, 20 feet. I'm going to cast Ice Knife on them. ain't getting away that easy. That's a natural 20. Hell yeah. Hell yeah.
01:15:38
Speaker
what What I can only assume is is roughly the end of combat. with For a natural 20 there to finish it off, i will I will let you tell me how do you want to do this. Okay, ah yeah.
01:15:49
Speaker
So Yellen hits one of them in the thigh with the ice knife. And I imagine instead of like bursting into ice, it like just freezes the water around them, almost making like a little blockage.
01:16:02
Speaker
Nice, very nice. So one it it manages to freeze the water around the one as the second one continues to swim off, looks back and and looks back for just a second, but continues to leave his comrade as he is fending for himself.
01:16:15
Speaker
As you now have one captured in ice completely frozen, one knocked prone, barely alive, and another one limping away down the other side pretty slowly. That is end of initiative.

Interrogation and Mysterious Voice

01:16:25
Speaker
All right, cool. Yana's going to jump on the guy limping away and finish him off.
01:16:29
Speaker
and this chainsaw just goes crazy. and
01:16:40
Speaker
Yana's having a great time. You might have stuttered at something terrible. Yeah, Yana's learned something new about herself that Calvin is maybe concerned about. Blood? It's supposed to be eggs, dude. You're supposed to like eggs. Blood?
01:16:57
Speaker
Oh, no. need to write this in the book. Probably need to write this in the book. New behavior noted. Do not use them to fight. I repeat, do not use them to fight.
01:17:09
Speaker
Fantastic. That guy's taken care of fairly quickly as Yana is going crazy about 20 feet away. Look, in her defense, he attacked dad. Yeah, that's right. That's right. So I'm going to go check out this broken dude.
01:17:23
Speaker
Yep. Maybe tie him up so he can't get to more daggers. How many daggers does he have on him? He's thrown a lot. That was the last one. Yeah, that was the last one he'd thrown. I said that, yeah. Yeah, I suppose we better talk that guy, figure it out.
01:17:38
Speaker
Oh, my legs. I can't feel my legs. with Yeah, that's a bummer. I don't think they'll ever work again. What? What? Calvin comes over and, like, crouches in front of him. So, uh, what you doing here? I... Fuck. Failing.
01:17:52
Speaker
Failing's what I'm doing. Oh, my... We can be a little bit more descriptive than that. Oh, why is it so cold? Oh, I think you're dying, honey.
01:18:04
Speaker
Oh, no. As his eyes kind of gloss over for a moment, not completely dying, but going into going even further into shock, your voice emanate.
01:18:16
Speaker
And, Calden, you recognize the voice. It's voice you haven't heard in a long time. In fact, it's a voice that never really necessarily had, if I remember correctly, really talked to you. You just overheard.
01:18:27
Speaker
what raar We can't have you spilling our secrets. As you hear an eccentric old lady's voice just kind of fill the area, not from any specific point. You watch as just blood kind of slowly starts to spill out of his neck from what would have been ah ah such a fine cut that you wouldn't have noticed it.
01:18:46
Speaker
And he starts to grrr.

Cliffhanger Ending and Dock Scene

01:18:48
Speaker
good And his blood just starts spilling out of his neck. Bitch. I'm gonna cast Spare the Dying on him if I can.
01:18:59
Speaker
Okay, go for it. Yeah, I'm gonna do that.
01:19:04
Speaker
Well, I never thought I would have seen you back in the city. oh What a treat. Why don't you come and visit me? I might help. Hold on. I don't think you have a choice, though.
01:19:16
Speaker
oh And then the world goes black for both of you. What?
01:19:23
Speaker
Well, ladies and gentlemen... Thank you so much for joining us for just a lovely episode 19, right? Yes. We're having a little bit of technical difficulties at the end. Hope you guys enjoyed it, and we will... And I'm sorry to just put another cliffhanger for you. Just the worst. No, you're not.
01:19:40
Speaker
But regardless, we'll see you next time for episode 20. See you then. Bye.
01:19:55
Speaker
We would like to thank our cast, myself, Curtis Woosley as the GM, MJ Gunther as Talira Grimstone at Kulanathi, Saphira as Maeve Strongheart, Renny Armas as Kalden, and Jack Baldwin as Yalin Yakal.
01:20:07
Speaker
Additional thanks to Scentic GFX for our graphics, to MJ and Renny here for our show editing, and our intro and outro music composed by Ryan Moons, owner-operator of Eyes on the Moon Studios.
01:20:26
Speaker
I'm going to go to the episode.
01:21:08
Speaker
Just a bit ago, and not too far from where we just left our friends in the sewers, lies the coast of the city of Undor. The bay in which the ships that transport come to dock is outlined with large spires of rock breaking the rough sea's wake, allowing for a somewhat calm in comparison body of water for the ships to dock.
01:21:30
Speaker
And speaking of this dock, a wide-holed ship, obviously meant for cargo and made with expert craftsmanship, masterfully glides into the dock as large ropes are thrown around the posts.
01:21:43
Speaker
Soon the gangplank drops, and a man that stands out among the crowd begins to walk down. as surrounding him are rough and tumble sailors donning ponchos and trench coats and dirty boots as they stomp and splash through not just the water but the slush as it mixes with snow and ash creating the dark landscape of the city.
01:22:04
Speaker
You see this man stands out among these sailors as he appears in the opposite. As surprisingly as he walks down the cane plank in his perfectly polished shoes in the mist of the sea blowing across his face and the ash falling from the sky, he gives no mind, wearing a suit and tie, slicked back black hair with a perfect white stripe to accent his aesthetic.
01:22:27
Speaker
And to his side, a man that never leaves in a butler's uniform and a bald As he steps off the gangplank, onto the dock, down the dock, and into the city, he takes a couple steps in, his eyes go wide as he freezes for a moment, and then quickly sticks his hand into his pocket, bringing out a small gemstone, humming with magic.
01:22:49
Speaker
As he comes to this realization, the only words that escape his lips. He came home. And just as quickly as he had the time to ponder this, he very quickly snapped out of it, turned to the butleress' side, putting a hand on his shoulder.
01:23:06
Speaker
Gather the spawn now. We are not going to miss this opportunity. Quickly go. And with inhuman speed, the butler does indeed quickly disappear into the city.