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C3 Episode 65 Pilgrimages & Infestation Chapter Eleven
238 Plays23 hours ago
It is time to leave Adderport
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Transcript
Introduction to Eberron Renewed
00:00:00
Speaker
D20 Radio, your game is rolled. www.d20radio.com
00:00:14
Speaker
da
00:00:23
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Eberron Renewed, an actual play podcast set in the Eberron campaign setting.
Meet the Team
00:00:30
Speaker
i'm your Game Master, Eric. I'm Mia. I'm Phillip.
00:00:34
Speaker
I'm Madison. I'm Jeff. And welcome to another episode. Folks, what happened last time? we learned ever so much. about bunker elaborate yeah bunkers and maybe we're listening to the origin story of the sovereign host Yes.
00:00:56
Speaker
And we bothered Harpoon and we ate some dinner and... ah It's his job. We're not bothering him.
00:01:07
Speaker
We seem to be finding ways to bother him. his body just because Just because it's his job. bos said him we're not You offer a lot of feedback to his workplace. Not necessarily to him, but to...
00:01:18
Speaker
Yeah, if anything, we were trying to free him from the shackles of the cheesiness of his job. By being like, hey, you don't have to say this to me, man. Just tell me what the food is. I'm one of those cool customers. Look, we we're still going to tip. I promise, they don't care how cool you are. They care how much you tip.
Mission at the Path Drivers Guild
00:01:37
Speaker
Period. So, Nyx, you also you all also initially went by the Path Drivers Guild to let Lashana know what was going on and that the weapon production has been stopped. She seemed satisfied and gave you all payment.
00:01:50
Speaker
And Nyx went back to the Past Drivers Guild after eating something to go get in some fist fights, leaving Valk, Selena, and Kaz in the Bridey Lantern.
00:02:04
Speaker
And we'll pick up there. So you all are seated. And yeah, you're you're at the tail end of your meal. I don't think I have much to say because if I remember correctly, I was also given two different alcohols.
00:02:19
Speaker
So that yeah we're going to focus on handling that. Yeah. I think it's just a matter of. settling the check and going to wherever we're staying. Are we staying at the Pathfinder's Guild for the night?
00:02:31
Speaker
Yeah, the Pathdrivers, yeah. Pathdrivers, yeah. Yep, you all still had... We all talked about, Jim. Yes, you all were offered shelter there. So, yeah, if you all don't have anything else to discuss, you can head back. As you walk in you see... i mean Philip, describe Nix's sparring opponent. 12 feet tall.
00:02:53
Speaker
I don't know, it's...
00:02:59
Speaker
Uh, Nyx has found a, a warforged who works for the path drivers and the, this really, this really suits because Nyx doesn't really have to worry about breaking bones.
00:03:15
Speaker
Like the, the ability of a warforged to repair their chassis is, is substantially substantially less traumatic than for a person. And so nis probably looks really beat up.
00:03:27
Speaker
Um, I would imagine. Her yeah knuckles are probably split. She's probably got a black eye, bloody nose. Her horns are elongated and there's a decidedly fiendish air to her ah by the time that anybody comes back.
00:03:43
Speaker
yeah But she's probably worked it out by then. Yeah. And there's a decent group of other members of the Path Drivers Guild. They're just hanging around the walls like the edge of the sparring pit. And they're they're they're not like rapturously watching the sparring, but they're definitely paying attention while they're chit-chatting as Nyx spars with this Warforge. So you all enter and and see Nyx exiting the sparring ring looking in this state that Philip just described her in.
00:04:11
Speaker
I don't know. I don't think that's a healthy way to cope. the I don't think that's a concern of Nixus. I would like there to be at least one fist-sized dent in the Warforge faceplate or something. Yeah, the Warforge has a pretty sizable dent in the faceplate. And then also in some of the spots... where their chassis isn't like airtight and you can see the the wood fibers underneath that makes up the muscle structure of warforged there's some tearing and some like it's been messed up there too like nix recognizes weak points and goes for those um so yeah and he's like working his shoulders he walks over to his buddies and starts talking them
00:04:55
Speaker
So the fight is finished when we walk in. okay okay I've said my piece. i think he doesn't necessarily disagree with you. i think there's a... some there's Kaz is unsure if this is just simply a mental exercise for Nix or a requirement of recovery for summoning a demon.
00:05:13
Speaker
And so I think Kaz, because the two times he's seen a happen or the two times Nix is like, I have to go fight someone. So that's not how she talks. But i love that that's Kaz's impression. her Yeah, Kaz is terrified. As much as he respects and likes Nix, he is terrified of really all three of you. He gives us up to Nix, I think.
00:05:29
Speaker
If there's like... like I'm assuming there's all like, I can get to Nick's no problem. I don't have to keep. Yeah. She's probably gone over to a basin of water and it's like washing the blood off her face. I think he goes. ah looks like he got a couple of good ones in on, on, on that guy.
00:05:46
Speaker
Are you feeling back to, are you okay? Are you you good? I'll be fine. Cass. Okay, great. Do you need anything? I can get you a bandage.
00:06:01
Speaker
Yeah, a rule of bandages would be would be excellent. Kaz starts looking around. Yeah, you you see a medic-like cabinet over in the corner that you go over and start looking through Kaz.
00:06:14
Speaker
Yeah. Is this for everyone? Is this like for the table? Can I just grab one and take it to my, I'm just gonna, and I take one and I take it first. Uh, yeah. A halfling standing nearby gives you a thumbs up says, yeah, it's a communal use. You got, I grabbed some sort of, you know, whatever.
00:06:32
Speaker
Salve is also there that one might put in the bandage or soak the bandage in for a moment. And I take it to Nick. So I'm like I don't, I'm gonna let you, I don't hear. Just starts wrapping wrapping her hand because her knuckles are split all to hell. She just punched a metal person a whole bunch. Right.
Lashana's Offer and Vampirism
00:06:49
Speaker
as As this is all happening,
00:06:52
Speaker
Anybody that would look in that general look direction sees Lashana like sitting in the doorway of her office, kind of looking out into the common area. She's not right near you all, but she is kind of observing the the commotion. And you kind of maybe get the sense that she had been watching Nix's fight for a bit.
00:07:09
Speaker
Like she heard the the loud sounds of a fight, some of the cheering, and has not fully stepped out of her office, but is definitely watching. Will you remind me? I'm sorry, we didn't go over this part before we started recording.
00:07:22
Speaker
And I've forgotten in the month since we recorded it. We had to like, hey, maybe chill on the Manifest Destiny thing. I was going to ask if that was the gentrifier. So she is the head of the Path Drivers Guild. And yes, you all had that conversation. She said that they have worked cooperatively with a lot of Lizardfolk tribes. Just this one has been very aggressive. we so We said that we have no particular reason to believe it was...
00:07:47
Speaker
received in a way that will change anything. nothing that was kind of said We said what we felt we needed to say. I couldn't remember what the pushback on it was or if there wasn't. yeah Yeah. There wasn't really any pushback. It was just sort of like she here she heard us. yeah Right.
00:08:00
Speaker
And reminded us that the the tribal groups had accepted the non-negotiable, ungood terms that they were given by force. Yes. I'm reading a little into it. yeah Yes. she She said all of that. Yes.
00:08:14
Speaker
ah I know that's commentary, but commentaries are important. have my degree in commentaries. Especially in situations you have only just been made aware of. And actually, Lashana makes eye contact with Selena as you all are standing there. And she kind of does a gesture...
00:08:34
Speaker
calling Selena over and steps into her office. I think Selena will go. ah She'll look back at the group a little bit and then just kind of shrug and go over there. I'm not offering to go with you, so. I didn't figure anyone would want to go. i don't want to go.
00:08:49
Speaker
as you As you step into Lashana's office, she closes the door behind you and walks around her desk. She doesn't walk into anything, but she she definitely likes establishes a level of pipe privacy.
00:09:00
Speaker
Piracy. Not yet. Y'all are getting on the airship tomorrow morning for the for the level of piracy. um ah Pizza piracy. And she sits behind the desk and says, So, Selina.
00:09:14
Speaker
I'm begging you. I am glad that the mission went well, and I wanted a chance to talk with you about um she your father, Aelwen, before you left.
00:09:27
Speaker
to me Oh, I didn't realize that you knew my father. Yes, we actually go back quite a ways, back to the days on the continent, back home, when he worked as a diplomat there.
00:09:41
Speaker
Terrible business about what happened with you and your mother before you all fled. My condolences to your family. Thank you.
00:09:53
Speaker
How is his solution treating you? It's treating me well, as as well as it has been. Very good. Is your father doing well in Carnet?
00:10:06
Speaker
I haven't spoken to him in a while, but last I heard, yes. That's good. Is your brother still with him? Yes. Selina is not wanting to give very much information.
00:10:18
Speaker
why Why did you leave them? Just my understanding with knowing your father is that you and him were especially very close. If anybody was going to run off on adventures, I would have paid your brother to be that one.
00:10:31
Speaker
Yeah, he always was the more adventurous one, really. no i just I just felt like I needed a little space, needed some some time to be on my own.
00:10:44
Speaker
I understand that. I... You are aware of my associate Giselle that you all ran in into in Pella's Watch some time ago.
00:10:59
Speaker
And i wanted to, now that you are no longer as beholden to your father as it seemed that you were back in Arenal, we... offered him another solution to your mother and your ailment that is available to you still if the device in your chest begins causing you problems or loses its efficacy.
00:11:27
Speaker
There are other pathways available to you. Okay. What would those be? if Well, there is...
00:11:39
Speaker
Irinor, obviously, home is famous for the undying court and the ability to extend the lives of those they deem important in perpetuity using the power of Irian and that plane of eternal hope.
00:11:57
Speaker
But that magic comes with a cost in that some members of our race are two exposed to it, like your mother before you and like you.
00:12:10
Speaker
And so that magic can be too much for a body to handle. The Mabahan crystal was quite frankly, a genius stroke by your father to figure out that that would be a solution.
00:12:25
Speaker
and But there's a more permanent solution in some even more ancient magics before the Undying Court, where we relied on Mabahn magic as well to extend lives in perpetuity.
00:12:40
Speaker
I won't sugarcoat it with you, Selene, and there's a reason I wanted to talk to you alone. I'm talking about vampirism. Yes, i I got that. Wanted to make sure that we were all clear.
00:12:53
Speaker
Thank you. Okay. I'm not looking for alternative solutions at this time. That's fair. And your father did not want that life for your mother or for you.
00:13:08
Speaker
But wanted to let you know that that avenue is available to you should circumstances change. I appreciate you letting me know.
00:13:20
Speaker
Yes. And there are some benefits to it, but if you're not interested, I won't get into it, she says with a smile. Thank you. I'm not interested. All right. Well, enjoy your stay here, and i will let Velira know that you all will meet her at the sky dock outside of town in the morning.
00:13:39
Speaker
Sounds good. Thank you. thank She gestures to the door. Selina walks back to her group were real fast. We've only seen her at night, haven't we? Yeah, Selina rushes back and is like, you guys will not believe this. Awesome. We love an open book around here. Yeah.
00:13:59
Speaker
Oh yeah, I'm filling them in on everything. Nice. So, you all head up to your rooms as Selina is filling you in on the offer Lashana made. she's she Is she ah vampire?
00:14:15
Speaker
I guess so. Now that I think about it, we've only seen her at night. He said alone. That's okay. That's crazy. Right? I said no, obviously, but... Great call, Selina. Yeah.
00:14:31
Speaker
We have met an uncomfortable number of vampires. so It's just two. That is an uncomfortable number.
00:14:41
Speaker
yeah How many vampires are you comfortable with? In a room? there were fair these are two different nations that we've met vampires, right? Apparently they know each other. Because I know Giselle. Giselle lives in the context. Right. they're they They mind their own business, but they're fine.
00:15:04
Speaker
In a room, though, you should get concerned if there's like more than four or five, because then you're probably not going to make it out if they're Yeah. It's strategic ah Yeah, they get the doors and then usually the strongest one.
00:15:21
Speaker
just kind of... I've only seen it. You've met more lycanthropes than vampires at this point in the campaign also. So, I mean... That's true. Yeah, relative. I love either that's a super comfortable that either. either.
00:15:35
Speaker
And a lot more zombies. so So, we were allowed to kill those. You killed one of them, Lycanthropes? Yes. Anyway. Well... So anyway, that was my night.
00:15:47
Speaker
It just happened. That was, that was just like 10 minutes. That wasn't a whole night. That was just- I can't decide why that's her night now. yeah In five years, when I think of this night, it's not going to be Nick's Punch to Warforge. I'm going to bed. I have a headache.
00:16:04
Speaker
Yeah. i'm I'm out too. All right. So just so I'm clear on vampire things, since this is kind of her joy, does she have to ask to come into my room if she decides to- Oh, no.
00:16:17
Speaker
She owns this building. She does not need permission to enter any room in this building. I was not asking the god. i was asking my friend. Oh, sorry. I thought you were asking her. i think I believe she owns the business. Yeah, I think she can go where she wants. This is her establishment.
00:16:34
Speaker
I also don't know any vampires personally, so yeah. Yeah, I mean, you just don't make her angry and... I wish I'd done that before we saw a lot stuff. You don't have that much blood in comparison to other beings in the space, I wouldn't... i'm sure Yeah, I guess that's something I do not know the the ah sanguine biology What's your blood type? Do you know that?
00:17:00
Speaker
Oh, Kaz definitely doesn't know his blood types. I'm not sure that blood typeology is a thing, everyone. i Red? That is true. That would probably be a thing. Like, what color is your blood? Yeah, human. Verging on blue for Kaz. He's almost a blue blood. All right. Nick sleeps sitting up against guy. I was about to say, how does Nick sleep? Okay, about three hours into the night.
00:17:24
Speaker
Oh, good. Nothing happens and then you all get the range. I was about to say, I have four hit points. I don't know. Just for the record, I still have four hit points. No, we are we are entering full heal-up territory. You all you are are more than welcome.
00:17:40
Speaker
You are in a safe place. You get a full night's sleep. Good meals. Feels less safe than it did last time we stayed here. I'm not saying it is less safe, but it definitely feels less safe. She may be a vampire, but she was very polite the entire time. She was very respectful of the fact that I said don't want to be a vampire, so...
00:18:00
Speaker
She's an old family friend. Don't be judgy. I'm just saying it was a more comfortable place to stay when I didn't know it was run by a vampire. We're to have to work through that. bip Hey, real quick, since we're doing full Hekila stuff and I use some recoveries, how do you determine your max number of recoveries again? I will write these things down eventually.
00:18:24
Speaker
So max recoveries, I think is eight. I think it's just eight period. Okay. I think so. Cool. That's what I have. Then I am backed full of them. Okay, so in the morning, you all have been, as you come downstairs, ah there is gnome that is sitting Lashana's office.
00:18:42
Speaker
ah as you all come downstairs and they wave to you all and just basically say Valira is docked and ready to depart as soon as you all get there and she seemed really insistent that you all don't keep her waiting too long or else in her words I'll just bloody leave them so it's time to go um yeah sounds like it can we do we know the gnome that's not that's not our gnome I raised it this is not Dimitri no Oh, hello there. Welcome back.
00:19:15
Speaker
Punch it. Archie, are you so glad to see me again? No. You know, the way people say things. some of a deep I guess we do all know people who would probably start with, aren't you glad to see me again? now I think about it.
00:19:27
Speaker
Everybody knows those people.
00:19:30
Speaker
So are you all grabbing something quick at the Briony Lantern or y'all just headed straight out of town? I think it's best to leave. Right? To get left behind.
00:19:42
Speaker
Yeah. She means it. So. All right. So, as you all are leaving town, you go towards the the edge of the town that you all came in through initially.
Unexpected Bar Fight
00:19:54
Speaker
um And you hear quite a bit of noise coming through from one of the buildings. And you see a body get thrown out of a window. that is a dwarf that goes tumbling into the street and stands up and lets out a bellow as he starts running back towards the window. And then the jaguar shifter that you all saw when you first came into town leaps through the window and tackles the dwarf and they start brawling in the street. Nix walks politely around them.
00:20:22
Speaker
but that Yeah. Yeah. I got getting used to this. Not my problem of attitude. so As you all are walking, Kaz, right in front of your feet, a force bolt hits the dust, the the the mud of the road and like splatters up onto your pants.
00:20:40
Speaker
It wasn't shot at you. It's just, there's a lot of stuff happening in that building and a force bolt just came flying. What is the building? It's a bar. It's the local gunfight hall. It's the fighting business.
00:20:53
Speaker
I mean, I think I start to run. i don't sit there and dance like an old black and white cartoon. I'm out of there. So Kaz takes off sprinting down the mud rig. Nick sticks his hands out and like catches Kaz's shoulder. No, no.
00:21:06
Speaker
Walk like it's not a problem. Okay. It's far cooler. Does she look like she's winning? When Nick says it's far cooler, Kaz does everything he can to start moving slowly. He wants so badly to run.
00:21:21
Speaker
his His head is spinning around, but he's walking as slowly as Nix is. Does it look like she's winning? Who's winning? Does it look like she's winning? Nix? not Nix. The shifter. who' Oh, the shifter. The shifter's goofing up this. okay the The shifter's goofing up this dwarf. Big time.
00:21:43
Speaker
a sorry It is like eight, though. It is very crazy. It could be the same fight from last night. It's the end of the drinking of the drinking hours. and So it's just the right time for a bar fight.
00:21:59
Speaker
Why, that bar fight's been going on for 20 Just rotating participants. Yeah, you all make your way out of town and you have a bit of a walk to the makeshift skyport where you see Volaris standing at its base.
00:22:19
Speaker
He says, welcome, ready to go? Yes. yeah It was suggested that more importantly, you are. I most certainly am, yes. So thank you all for getting here as soon as you can. Let's get out of this godforsaken jungle.
00:22:35
Speaker
And she begins climbing up the skyboard. Do you all want to have any conversations on the journey home?
Exploring Nyx's Character
00:22:40
Speaker
I don't think so. I don't. i don't Nyx is... Nyx is staying Hey!
00:22:46
Speaker
Oh boy. So, all the players get to ask Philip a question about Nyx. Is this about Nyx or to Nyx? Am I answering this in-character am answering this out of character? I think it was about... it's It's like... Conceptually, information that would have just been shared yeah through conversation. So, you can answer in-character or out of character, Philip, depending on...
00:23:07
Speaker
What makes the most sense? Fair enough. Who would like to go first? Does Nyx have any friends she keeps in touch with? Something. Are there any, like, those sorts of relationships in Nyx's life? I don't think Nyx has the means to...
00:23:27
Speaker
like a method by which to keep in touch with was any of her yeah with any of her associates. but She definitely still has associates from being a black market smuggler.
00:23:42
Speaker
Presumably the people who were on her... prelude job are are still are still out. and And I still don't know what happened to that sword that caused all the trouble.
00:23:54
Speaker
And obviously we've met Glass Eye and Yvonne. So she she definitely has people that she t does she feels are reliable from her old life. And she definitely has people who she would have counted as friends from her old life.
00:24:12
Speaker
It's just that most of the people that she would count as friends, she'd either doesn't know where they are because they're criminal smugglers and that's an extremely nomadic job or they're from Relicor and she doesn't feel safe trying to get in touch with them.
00:24:31
Speaker
So there are definitely people out there that she would communicate with if she knew she could safely. maybe there are opportunities in the future of this campaign for fond reunions. Like that could happen. Potentially. Yeah. Sure. Just, just yeah try to get a beat on the kinds of relationships Nix has with anyone ever. Yeah, no, I mean, Yvonne is someone she was close to. it's just that circumstances have, have come between them. And she ah certainly has people from her, her smuggling life that she was close to, but you know,
00:25:01
Speaker
Being friends with other thieves, you know, has......diamocides. Okay. Who next? you When you're in a weird mood after you do the demon things and then you also just don't want to talk to us, but then you also kind of yell at us, do you want us to leave you alone?
00:25:24
Speaker
Or is that more of like a science silent like cry for help in which you actually want more presence and support? Just so I can kind of like gauge a reaction. Because I know sometimes when people are like that and you leave them alone, then they get more sad because nobody's actually saying that they're struggling. And then they struggle in silence. um And then other people actually just get mad. And I have pretty brittle bones. And I don't...
00:25:53
Speaker
pike a face time I got burned I don't- Phillip, I would love to hear Nyx's in character insert and yes the truth. Yeah, that you felt like a- Because they may not be- That's so good. When i touch Shabaraz for too long, for
00:26:14
Speaker
che but keep Great a volume, I suppose, maybe. i am speaking entirely experientially and not out of any sort of actual expertise. It feels very good. I feel more myself and more whole when I am letting that power course through me.
00:26:45
Speaker
than at any other time. And afterwards, but sometimes I am able to calm down and put it away.
00:26:57
Speaker
And sometimes I need to get drunk and angry. And sometimes I need che to to hurt something and to be hurt. What should you do in those circumstances? I i don't know what the answer to that question is.
00:27:17
Speaker
a wish I could give you a more useful answer. Don't. i don't know. What is more helpful? I'm not going to hurt you.
00:27:30
Speaker
On purpose. I'm sorry that I burned you. ah that was something totally unrelated. was just saying the last time. I did try to, like, put hand on your shoulder. did get burned. The scales heat up. I...
00:27:44
Speaker
Yeah, honestly, I should have known that, but it just wasn't... I didn't process at that time. but Technically, the question was not what should I do, it's what do you prefer? The isolation or the company? I don't like who I am in those moments, and I am better off working it out alone. it Okay.
00:28:05
Speaker
Truth, Eric asked for the truth. Nix is absolutely terrified. of, of that, of what she just said. Like the, the, the, what she just said is in essence true, but she is absolutely terrified of it.
00:28:19
Speaker
She's, she's absolutely terrified of the fact that she feels whole when she is channeling the energy of the plane of eternal warfare and slaughter.
00:28:35
Speaker
Like that, that, that fact absolutely terrifies her. And what she said is true. It's, she doesn't want anyone to, she doesn't want and see anyone to see her as a monster. to So.
00:28:56
Speaker
madison What is something that makes Nyx happy? Other than fighting, other than weapons, like other than those things that are so, you know, like core to Nyx right now.
00:29:07
Speaker
Like what is something, it can be like something tiny, whatever, just something that makes Nyx happy. As much as she, I mean, no one's, no one's done one in a way that would appeal to her, but as much as she puts it off, maybe in the months that we've known each other, you've caught some of this.
00:29:30
Speaker
the The little dinners and things, Nyx hasn't really had like dinner with a home-cooked meal and music and things like that um since she was orphaned.
00:29:48
Speaker
And so... that that sort of thing, those little homey comforts of someone playing music and especially like Thrain-ish food, which I think theoretically goes towards the spicy side of things. I can't remember, there's some book that says says with these things, but that kind of stuff probably makes her feel more connected to than that ah to this side of herself, to the side of herself that she is not afraid of and makes her feel more human. Heavy, philly filling, and spicy.
00:30:26
Speaker
Cool. Oh. I love world building. Drain typically serves their desserts earlier than normal in the meal because the sweetness of the desserts counteract the spicy nature of the main courses, so they're typically accompanying each other rather than two separate courses.
00:30:43
Speaker
big Fun facts. I think we should adopt that here. leave probably also responsible for ah Nix is probably also responsible for the for books going missing from the library that are like trashy romance novels or something like that. um Did you say trashy romance novels?
00:31:04
Speaker
Yeah. Love it. Yes. Okay, and the last thing in the hot seat that I want to start adopting, if I can remember, is I have my big table of Eberron
Nyx's Conflict with Undead Warfare
00:31:14
Speaker
factions. So my contribution is i'm going to roll on that and then ask what Nyx's opinion is on that particular entity in the world, just to kind of get a sense of Nyx's thoughts on the geopolitical nature of the world. And I rolled Karnath. So what are Nyx's thoughts on the nation of Karnath?
00:31:29
Speaker
at this stage in the war and its Ranish background and everything like yeah what's this stage in the war we're pretty late in the war has Caius like repudiated the Emerald Claw yet I think so but let me check uh yes yeah the the order the Emerald Claw and the Blood of Will military orders have been disbanded and become outlaw organizations Caius hasn't fully come of age yet to take control over Karnath. That'll be in a couple more years.
00:32:03
Speaker
ah So his aunt Marana is currently the regent. Right. So I would say this is like there's there's a slightly complex answer to this. On the one one part of Nyx,
00:32:15
Speaker
absolutely thinks that turning your war dead into zombies is just the most sensible thing you could possibly do.
00:32:26
Speaker
um they're just They're just bodies, and so why not animate them and use them for manual labor and to fill out your armies and things like that? like that That's just like the most obvious sensible solution ever and she really hates how much sense that makes to her and so her outward view of Karnath is it's it's absolutely disgusting the the use of the undead in war the way that this makes war even more brutal than it than it already is even more unnecessarily gruesome than it already is and and probably is somehow about disrespect for the done like she has a whole lot of like just
00:33:08
Speaker
half worked out opinions that are about Karna that compensate for the fact that it really bothers her how much sense it makes. Okay. You all find the airship after a a couple days travel slowing and Valira says, well, this is your stop. So feel free to take the ladder down and it's been a pleasure.
00:33:33
Speaker
Maybe we'll see each other again sometime. It has stopped moving. what i just take Tuck and roll. tucking roll yeah yeah go i think We're not stopping. It feels like we move faster so we get farther down the ladder. Is is the ladder invisible again?
00:33:47
Speaker
No, they they have to descend an invisible ladder. Yeah. Okay. That was for the dramatics of it all. Because somebody's going to die. It does look crazy because as you get down past the ship, the ladder is visible. But if you look up, the ship is still cloaked. So it just looks like a rope ladder to nowhere. it checks out. So you all head to the front door of Athelhapton Manor. And just as you get within two feet of it, it swings open.
00:34:13
Speaker
And I'll get... Welcome back, says and madams. How was your adventure this time? it was a real peach. Conflicting. um Very good. Master Javier is in his office awaiting your arrival, and he stands aside and swings the door for everyone.
00:34:31
Speaker
Do these really feel like preset dialogue options? Are sure he's alive? No, are not. We are not sure of that.
00:34:43
Speaker
Apologies, sir. Didn't know he could hear me. Is that why he's so freaked out about the light on the second floor? yeah He'll turn to dust. yeah yeah I mean, the intimation is that Javier has is expecting us to go and debrief with him right now.
Mission Debrief at Athelhapton Manor
00:35:00
Speaker
Yeah. right yeah I suppose we don't even put our stuff down. we Javier's behind his desk in his office in a light blue button-down with suspenders and a pair of slacks on.
00:35:14
Speaker
His hair looks a little disheveled, like he's not as put together as you normally see him. He says, great to see you all again. ahead and take a seat and fill me in.
00:35:25
Speaker
How'd go? we down pause We did what we were set to do. We disabled the for a forge that was...
00:35:36
Speaker
creating Zoriad influenced weapons that were being sold too
00:35:45
Speaker
lizard folk in exchange for their young. Yikes. Okay. Do you have a sense of, like, who was doing the forging and why and how they got the means to do so?
00:35:56
Speaker
The group of dwarves? Yes. Cultists of some kind. The dwarven cult? That they... Nyx is trying to watch Valk in this moment to see whether Valk wants to be presented as... Well, Valk understands more about this than any of the rest of us because Valk had brief conversations with the with the object of worship of this cult, but Nyx doesn't know whether Valk wants to tell Javier that. It's probably this weird like, every long pause Nyx looks at Valk for a beat and then goes back to talking like, yeah. I don't know why I'm being looked at. Look, because Kaz is carrying on his bosses. The spider-faced horse.
00:36:36
Speaker
Oh yeah, all the dwarves. Dwarves seem to be worshipping spiders or or at least something to do with them. Oh, the bug lady.
00:36:47
Speaker
Yeah. Yes. It took me like a real life minute. Javier looked that from his notepad. Oh, that was that was me. Okay. Oh, understood. Yeah. I was like don't tell me the spiders were incidental in the last awkward.
00:37:02
Speaker
I was like, it was just the dwarves and one of them had like a lady voles like wedding gift. I don't understand what you're looking at. How can a conversation with a dog camp? Give me a second. um I believe by our last session we had upgraded her to the hot bug lady for the right Yes. She sounds hot, can't confirm. oh I did get visual. You did see her. You saw visual.
00:37:27
Speaker
Was she hot? Keeps my to myself. Was she hot for a doctor? I mean, and I don't know what a doctor's into, but by modern Western beauty standards, aside from the fact that her dress was made from bugs, yes, she was very attractive.
00:37:42
Speaker
many Many would call her a hot bug lady. I feel like a very common theme if people have been paying attention is Valken's very powerful women. feel like that's just... That's just me and me. It's not subtle. Yeah, there is that... I can't find her name because I i wrote too much. oh man, i don't remember I didn't remember that we got her name.
00:38:07
Speaker
We did, but I thought... I said a name and then Eric made a face... so i don't know if You know what the dwarves were referring to her as.
00:38:19
Speaker
Oh, okay. that Which was Lady Fernia Onatar? Oh, yes. okay yeah But then you saw that name used elsewhere in the temple. And so, from a male statue, right?
00:38:32
Speaker
No, a female statue. that's right But also, Fernia is a plane of existence, so we're missing things. That's true. Great. Yeah, there was like a weird Soria bug lady entity. She started talking me.
00:38:52
Speaker
I'm fine though. What did she say? Something like, I'll get you eventually.
00:39:03
Speaker
Not yet. Hand your little dog. you so it I mean, I'm fine. I'm not concerned. For the record, I'm concerned. Yeah. We have a Zoriat incident with terrifying spiders that crawled under skin. anna And you had a very powerful, I'm going to write hot in parentheses because that doesn't seem relevant, but it was part of the report. to Bug lady.
00:39:32
Speaker
Yes. Speaking to you. In my mind. tell and I was actually, I feel like semi-transported mentally into a different plane. I don't know if I said that part. It was, a yes, it was obvious. oh You were not with us. yeah it It need not be set.
00:39:51
Speaker
Well, I need to associate often, so I don't know if it was like a normal one. ah That's fair. fair. <unk>s good point I mean, I can't tell them. not here. i don't know. Okay. So there are reports of very powerful entities associated with Zoriat that if one is in your head, Valk, then you don't need to be concerned.
00:40:18
Speaker
I can be concerned for both of us. So, I mean,
00:40:24
Speaker
Okay, I have some contacts I can reach out to for more information about bug women associated with Zoriap to see if i can get any information. Those are weird contacts. mean, I don't like to deny. Why do you? and they Well, it's... They're actually, I guess at this point, they'd be considered a rival rather than a contact.
00:40:46
Speaker
ah But they're on the other side of the continent, so we don't need to worry about it yet. Okay, cool. Our boss has offs we don't know about. There's a group of Druids called the gatekeepers whose whole job is keeping Zoriat influences out of the material plane through a certain lens. You could say that we are stepping on their toes.
00:41:06
Speaker
Some of them have said that outright, including this person, but we go way back. I should at least be able to have a conversation with them. You're in charge of this organization, but I'm just going to put this out there. I think all of us are comfortable with handing all Zoriat business to that druidic organization. That would be fine.
00:41:28
Speaker
Technically, that would include me physically. Nope. You're not business. Yeah, they are not aware of Valk being a member of the team, and I would love to keep it that way. so But noted Nix, and honestly, most most people, if they have a Zoriat-related problem, are going to go to the Gatekeepers first. This just so happened to be something that fell in our lap because of Valk, ironically, their contact with Giselle, who passed our information on to Lashana.
00:41:57
Speaker
Yeah. that That's okay. Let's talk
Revelation of Lashana's Vampirism
00:42:01
Speaker
about that. Yeah. It's all you. Lashana kind of offered to make me a vampire. i said no, but that was ah an interesting conversation. So it was your entire night.
00:42:13
Speaker
That was my night. Sounds like a long conversation. Okay. So Lashana offered to make you a vampire. You said no. Yeah, that that was pretty much it.
00:42:26
Speaker
You don't seem as surprised as we were. I mean, I knew based on your report that Giselle is a vampire.
00:42:35
Speaker
Vampires tend to have, vampires tend to network with each other. So it I'm not certain that Lashana is a vampire, but not surprising that she is.
00:42:51
Speaker
But here's the thing. That would have been useful to know. And Javier stops for a second since his writing implement down. I try to do my best to not send you all in overly cocked into a situation. If I knew that Lashana was a vampire, Nyx, I absolutely would have shared that information with you.
00:43:08
Speaker
I did not want you all going into the situation thinking she was a vampire or concerned that she was a vampire if she wasn't. I also would not have sent you into a situation where I thought that a vampire was going to overtly attack you. Lashana runs a guild in Adderport, is an established presence.
00:43:28
Speaker
If she hunted people for sports or just for the hells of it, then she would not be in the position she's in now. But feedback heard, processed, and noted. Hendrick tells me that... Sorry, go ahead.
00:43:44
Speaker
No, no, no, please go ahead. I just realized we haven't mentioned the bunker yet, but we can save that for what you're... Go ahead. According to the map that Hendrick has, there was a bunker nearby where you were headed. Any news on that?
00:43:57
Speaker
We found it. no Yeah. Anything notable? You can say that. Please say more. This is the best report. I'm working on it. Kaz is always a little gaz is almost as scared as Jeff of saying the wrong thing. debunk the the The recording this time, and we have the shard. like over the key You can't do anything with it, but we have it again, right?
00:44:17
Speaker
Do we treat you and keep that? Yes, we can. Thank you. the The message in the shard this time spoke a lot of members of the sovereign host seemingly before they were that.
00:44:33
Speaker
We seem to be hearing a story about them and them at war with it's something and and not doing great in said war based on okay urgency and fear.
00:44:46
Speaker
it Sometimes allied with dragons. That was at least a dragon mentioned in the most recent one. And also they talked about my girlfriend, Kaz doesn't say, or wife, baby mama. I don't know yet. it's Inclusivity.
00:44:59
Speaker
Keep your options open. Yeah. but think do you Do you recall which sovereigns specifically? And I know the players. I do. okay cool.
00:45:10
Speaker
I wrote them all down. Arian Onatar, who at various points in our journey we saw referred to as ph Fernia Onatar.
00:45:22
Speaker
I don't know... about that, Elodra, and I'm extrapolating, we heard someone being referred to as Cole, and I assume Koran. think that is all.
00:45:35
Speaker
I think Baldrè only showed up in the visions, so Nix does not mention Baldrè. Okay. Also a silver dragon named Miriam. Seems like a very, probably an alias.
00:45:49
Speaker
It's a cute name. Okay. but Very odd. There in this narrative, there are some who seem to have gone rogue I don't know that we heard their names or not. It's very difficult to tell because we're not—we're not seeing images, right? We're just hearing voices? This time you saw, like, vague forms, but yes. Okay. and Yeah.
00:46:12
Speaker
We're not seeing clear images, just hearing voices. But there was some conversation about a rogue mission. i don't know if I'm jumping ahead to something with the Dark Six there.
00:46:24
Speaker
Black spires for harvesting the dead seem to be used by the enemy in this story who have learned to cage the afterlife, whatever that means. And there is an argument about whether not to use entropy against the overlords. All right. Well, any, I'm open to any commentary or editorializing based on the messages that you all have heard so far, now that you've heard three of them.
00:46:51
Speaker
Any thoughts counting that initial first one that you also seems like something strange happened very long time ago. I understand that's trite, but yeah, I see that it is interesting academically at the moment. I don't see what it has to do with us. yeah
Dimitri's Blackmail and Bunker Secrets
00:47:11
Speaker
The only interesting thread to pull on, it would seem is the fact that one of the names, the surname is The God.
00:47:24
Speaker
The given name is a plane. Yes. Don't know what that means yet. Well, hopefully we can still afford opportunities for y'all to dig deeper, but... Good.
00:47:39
Speaker
Anything else of note happen on the mission that I should know about before we call this mission? Yeah. We're not the only ones chasing the bunkers anymore. We don't necessarily know that. they're not the only ones aware of the bunkers. aware That's much better. So when we were there, we saw an old contact of mine, Dimitri. Okay.
00:48:09
Speaker
And we had similar we had similar interests in the location. so we just worked with him. is Who is Dimitri with? Dimitri was at the Arcane Congress.
00:48:26
Speaker
but So he's generally aware of the Arcane Congress. And also we might want to just double, triple check that the scribe that he put for us is not a thing. Yeah. So he saw, he saw Kaz recognize Kaz on some like the, like minor alert list of extra planar worries also.
00:48:58
Speaker
kind of a runaway. So then we got cornered. I was worried about that. And blackmailed. And then... But I mean, I guess that kind of solved itself.
00:49:12
Speaker
Technically. And then he also saw the bunker.
00:49:18
Speaker
Technically. First name was Dimitri. What's his last name? Valk? Valk?
00:49:25
Speaker
I don't care to remember that much information about him. Medvedev. Meyer Worm. Meyer. The name I made. I remember it. I just wanted Javier to verbalize. Okay.
00:49:39
Speaker
Demetri Meyer Worm, Harking Congress. Yeah. i'll I'll see what I can find out about him. Won't be hard to do that. And see. he seems like quite a public figure. Yes. He's so sure.
00:49:50
Speaker
Nyx's face has gone entirely blank. She is. Well, I mean... There are concerns about reporting and the information that was gathered. He... mean, here's the deal. If he blackmailed one of my agents while...
00:50:05
Speaker
you all were out on a mission working cooperatively with him, then that is a conversation that I need to be having with his superiors at the Ark in Congress. So any more details that you're willing to share with me about the nature of the black male would be helpful in this conversation. Obviously not sharing any sensitive information, but just for my own edification. He threatened my freedom for information about my time in Thelanus and when I told him I didn't know much about my time in Thelanus.
00:50:29
Speaker
Um, got inside my head and we learned together about my last moments in Thalannis when I was kicked out of it by my wife's okay We got it. This seems to have been a very productive mission for all. Wife? You know exactly as much as I do ah the nature of that relationship. That cannot be true. I know one word right now. You know as much as I feel comfortable sharing right now about the nature of that relationship.
00:51:01
Speaker
I know that upset an Archfey, and using the context of some of the things that she said, we had a deeper relationship than me just be being her subordinate.
00:51:16
Speaker
We may have had a child together. I have some reading and thinking to do. Okay. This is a great report. And her name was, sure her name was also the name of, maybe she was, okay, hang on.
00:51:31
Speaker
I actually have this written down. Give me a moment. Somewhere in the 600 pages of this spreadsheet has become because of all these tables and stuff. of Where did I type this? i I just love the visual of Selena sitting in the back while conversation is not being opening a canister. I was really hoping a commercial level. She's like, I said my vampire thing. Yeah. Selena's back there like, seems like my stuff isn't that weird anymore, huh?
00:52:04
Speaker
I guess that's why but I don't, I don't boldrate, but I can't. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Did she have another name? No, the other name I learned was the name of the guy. yeah Oh, the Forgotten Prince. The Forgotten Prince. I wrote down porcelain mask and the conversation and everything.
00:52:20
Speaker
I wrote down that I feel a swirl of powerful emotions, including love and hate, but I did not write down Forgotten Prince.
00:52:27
Speaker
I think I just... I say that much of the recollection. I was talking to another... Denizen of Thaladas, the Forgotten Prince, when the Lady of Stories, who I assume I've already said that to Javier at some point, that the Lady of Stories is a big part of my time at Thaladas. Lady of Stories came in upset with me. And... Do you mention that you were an ancient man?
00:52:53
Speaker
I think I have definitely mentioned in the past that I aged in Thelonis. Like we have seen that, that was in the box. I don't know that i I make a point to bring it up this time. That was extremely old though.
00:53:04
Speaker
Okay. i'll just I mean, I'll say I was old, but I won't be like, I was 10,000 years old, I think. Yeah. 16 year old. Yeah. 50 seemed ancient to a 16 year old.
00:53:17
Speaker
Okay. all right. So Dimitri Meyer one, threatened Kaz to take him in and exchange for information. Then when you said no, he invaded your mind, learned the information, extracted it.
00:53:32
Speaker
You got to see it too. And then also he stayed with you all long enough to learn about the bunker. I suppose I need to be clear. the The seeing into my mind was with permission on condition of not being taken in. The invaded feels like it was without.
00:53:53
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. I'm still not happy it happened. I want to be clear, but it seemed like the only option. I think I remember. I don't really know if being under duress is considered fully. Yeah, Jeff agrees with me. No, I mean, just the long short of it if if the threat that he was giving to you is that I am going to abduct you and take you back to the Arcane Congress, if you don't do what I say right now, then that's unacceptable. And that'll be the crux of it.
00:54:21
Speaker
It was we need to figure out he needs to have some information for his report that has to include Kaz because all of us were listed. And if we said no, and we killed him, then we would all be scryed.
00:54:38
Speaker
And permanently tracked. Okay. Yeah, I don't think he was a full report or a partial report. Yeah, he I misspoke. He didn't give the impression he was going to try to abduct me because i don't think that that could have happened. It was, if you try to stop any of this, you will be... There will be no rest or escape for you. Yeah.
00:55:00
Speaker
So full report with the truth, is a partial report with the information he could extract. And then if we kill them, then we were going to be tracked and hunted down. Okay.
00:55:12
Speaker
All right. i have a lot of letters to send, it would seem. So, good work. Thank you all. i Did Lashana give you all the payment before you left? Or is she sending that to me?
00:55:25
Speaker
I will hold out the bag of money. I'm assuming I took it. Yes. Javier opens it up and pulls out a handful and divvies it up on the desk and slides it to you all. It's like 35 gold pieces each. v well Plus the 25 we got from saving the ship.
00:55:48
Speaker
Practically rolling in it. Seven gold. The rest will go to doing some upgrades and ah along with, still feels weird to call him Barnaby, along with the money that we got from the Pella's watch job, ah should be able to get a stable built out here within the next month with some horses.
Balancing Mission Secrecy and Recruitment
00:56:09
Speaker
Yay. All right. Dismissed. Go rest up and clean up. I i think i pull I pull Javier aside for a second. or after As everyone's leaving, I turn it around. and like hey, you have like 30 seconds?
00:56:20
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Okay. I'm just unclear here. You guys need to get this on paper. It feels like what we're doing needs to not be particularly public knowledge. And yet also I'm in charge of recruiting. How does the one dance upon that razor thin line here?
00:56:40
Speaker
We obviously want to attract clients. So what we're doing does not need to be covert. Like people should know that if they have problems with extra planar issues, whether that's manifest zones, entities from other planes, things like that, the lighthouse is the place to go.
00:57:00
Speaker
Right. Basically, we ain't afraid of no ghosts. Exactly. got mixed it out The things that we find out on those jobs. Javier almost said, I trust you use your discretion. And then Eric remembered he Kaz is 16. And he would absolutely not say that to a 16 year old. Things where the information could get people hurt.
00:57:18
Speaker
You should not share. ah Obviously, things related to your teammates directly or our contacts. Don't go around telling people Lashana is a vampire.
00:57:29
Speaker
Don't go. Yeah. So far, I'm sure he's he javi was probably seen in the papers the little bit of information that gave about like what happened to Pella's watch, like the the amount I'm disseminating. So.
00:57:40
Speaker
So you can extol the deeds done by you and your team and talk about the good stuff that you are doing out in the field from a broad standpoint. And then as you develop contacts, as you get to know people, I trust you over time to learn when it would be appropriate to drip create information.
00:58:02
Speaker
Don't do it out of the gate. Take time getting to know people. And when you feel them start to pull back or slow down on their willingness to help you, give them a little something to keep them enticed.
00:58:13
Speaker
Like fishing. Did your dad ever take you fishing, Kaz? We weren't really that kind of good group of guys. Let's rip our back. We can go fishing. Maybe you and I will go have a catch and then go put a line in the river. Go fish the piddle. Let's go fish the piddle.
00:58:30
Speaker
difference No, my dad mostly took me to like state events and made me be quiet and but watch things. Bummer. Okay. Bell. Listen, your childhood sucked anyways. Yeah, man.
00:58:45
Speaker
Just think of it like that, though. You're trying to keep people on the hook. You're trying to keep them interested in talking to you so that when you need something from them, you can get it from them.
00:58:54
Speaker
Got it And also, don't be afraid to lie to people. Like, that's part of Shadow Master work is being able to tell lies. You're recruiting spies. And some people, you are going to start down the path of recruiting them. And then you're going to realize they have greater loyalty to another organization.
00:59:11
Speaker
Somebody like Dimitri, we should absolutely not bring into our network because he will always favor the Arcane Congress above us. Yeah, man. No joke. I'm going to do such a good job of keeping track of all my lies. May I recommend journaling? Have a notebook, write down the lies that you make.
00:59:28
Speaker
And Javier gestures to his, gestures to a bookshelf behind him that you are just now realizing is exclusively journals. And there's probably you won just as lies. lies. Yeah. What says lies I told two Kazimier?
00:59:42
Speaker
He's discreetly reaches for and flips through and is like, yes. Yeah. Kaz, I know you'd volunteered for this job, but I trust you to do this job. If I didn't trust you to do it, I would have told you to pick something else.
00:59:54
Speaker
Or I would have guided you to do the job. Nope. Yeah, no. Okay, i just I just needed some clarification. All right. Yeah, thank you. Absolutely. Good work. so And we will call it an episode there.
01:00:06
Speaker
Thank you all so much for listening. If you want to be part of the conversation surrounding this episode, check out the link to the Discord in the show notes. ah Excuse me. We also have YouTube channel youtube.com slash the GeekPantion. If you want to watch some TTRPG-related content, I make it over there. Philip.
01:00:22
Speaker
on YouTube and Spotify. You can also find the Tales from the Laughing Tree where we have another actual play called Blades and Banners. It's Pirates in Eberron. Indeed. also have a Patreon. Patreon.com slash the Geek Bantheon if you want to financially support the show. You can do so over there. Thank you all so much for watching. I've been your Game Master, Eric.
01:00:40
Speaker
I'm Mia. I'm Phillip. I'm Madison. I'm Jeff. And I said watching because I went into UT mode. You only listen. Goodbye.