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C3 Episode 80 Something Wicked Chapter One
303 Plays5 days ago
The party sets out on their next adventure
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Transcript
Introduction and Cast
00:00:04
Speaker
the Everon campaign setting. I am your Game
00:00:19
Speaker
Master, Eric. hello and welcome to eron renewed actual play podcast at thebra campaign setting i i your game master e I'm Mia.
Recap of Last Episode
00:00:30
Speaker
I'm Philip. I'm Madison. I'm Jeff. And welcome to another episode. Folks, what happened last time? Much talking. Downtime part two.
00:00:41
Speaker
And research.
00:00:45
Speaker
We've all checked, well, most of us have checked out books from the Forbidden Library. I see. Checked out is generous. Well, we don't really have a system set up. And also, who's forbidding the library? Vibes. yeah yeah
Nix's Concern about the Ritual
00:01:00
Speaker
vibes it's It's just a forbidding library. yeah ga Kaz has not gone to the library, but in his defense, that's true that's nerd stuff.
00:01:09
Speaker
That's true. No, Kaz is just hanging out at a newspaper where all the cool kids are. Yes!
00:01:17
Speaker
and hurting And hurting his friend's feelings. It's true. Oh, yeah. Right. that did That part did not get written down by Kaz because he has not processed it yet. Nix researched the ritual that maybe is what was done to her um based on some cryptic conversation with Acheron.
00:01:44
Speaker
and has learned that there is a ritual for the forging of a so a literal soul bound weapon, a soul that is destined to be forged into a weapon. which maybe is what someone tried to do to k Nix at some point. but the procedure requires the unmaking of one's identity.
00:02:04
Speaker
Inti. and So Nix is worried about that. Understandable. Also, we've learned that Javier has no fail safes for if we lose control. True. It's unfortunate, but it's not his job. Nope.
00:02:18
Speaker
Nick's made it to Lane his job. Yeah. I'm saying the Justice League did not handle it well when they found out that Batman had a kill switch for all of them. I'm not sure the group would have been super jazzed if Javier said, yes, I know exactly how to kill all of them.
00:02:29
Speaker
Valkass, though. like physically yeah Valkass. Nick's just wanting to be able to pick who doesn't. It's
Kaz's Discovery in the Forbidden Library
00:02:41
Speaker
based on who she thinks she'd have the hardest time killing. That's fair. So you all are still at the manor recovery. Is there anything anybody would like to do in terms of downtime? i know we've had a kind of a full episode of you all getting to do projects and stuff, but is there anything else lingering from last time that you all wanted to do? This would not be particularly apparent to anyone, but one of the rooms on the second floor, Nyx has, in the night, Nyx has basically gone...
00:03:11
Speaker
and drawn a whole bunch of silver flame focused ritual circles on the floor and is is basically kind of building a, theoretically a room she could lock herself in.
00:03:27
Speaker
Um, sure. That she would not be able to get out of. and She hopes. Okay. other I have to imagine if Kaz has heard rumblings of the forbidden open part of the library, he will have gone down there now, yes.
00:03:43
Speaker
Like, okay all of you guys went, I'm sure it was spoken about in public places, Kaz has headed to the forbidden part of the library now. Forboding part. Forboding part.
00:03:56
Speaker
Beyond the beaded curtain. Sure, but an adult. That's true. Is Kaz old enough for the forbidden library? there's a He actually gets stopped. There's a force field that stops him at the number. You shall not pass without a guardian. Okay.
00:04:10
Speaker
Kaz. I'm 17. I can watch rated R movies without parents' permission. Wait, I'm not yet. I'm 16. Shoot. because i say I thought you were 16. Did we have Kaz's birthday? out of here. get me We do need to figure out Kaz's birthday. Because he will make a thing about it.
00:04:28
Speaker
sheti ima Okay, Kaz, you are? What month it is based on our last holiday. We haven't had the little time, Joe. It's been a couple weeks, but... Let's see, it was Sun's Blessing. So what was the month for Sun's Blessing?
00:04:42
Speaker
think we're in the equivalent of April now, Okay, we'll check. Yeah, same. Sure.
00:04:49
Speaker
yeah saying un sure I bet it's gotten close. I know... I know what the start... The usual start date month is. It's Olarun, and I think that's like February.
00:05:01
Speaker
We were Sarindor, which is March. So now we're in... Trying to... E-Y-R-E. E-Y-R-E?
00:05:13
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, i always pronounced it air when it's at the end of that book. Yeah, air. Yeah. Yeah. Air. Looking at... If it's a one-to-one thing one-to-one ish, the 28th of Larvion would be Faris's birthday. So it will be Kaz's birthday. Nice. I'm writing it down even though there's absolutely no reason Nyx would know.
00:05:36
Speaker
As much as I'd like for it to be in Baracus because of the A team, I will... I have to write that down. Yeah, write that down. It's canon now. So what are you looking for, Cass? Are you just browsing the shelves? Are you trying to find something related to Thelanus stories? Honestly, I think now it's more about Boldray. It's more about, know we talked after the last recording, like we didn't get a chance to say it on the recording, but I want to before people think we didn't pick it up.
00:06:10
Speaker
We think, at least Philip and I do, that we talked about it, that Doldorn is now painted on the floor of our chapel. Like, that's who that was. bla i don't think Kaz is there yet, but he's definitely going to... prop Yeah, it's Boltre. He's looking at Boltre.
00:06:25
Speaker
Between the stuff happening in the chapel and the... Yeah. Okay, so you are browsing. Give me an intelligence roll. Uh-huh.
00:06:37
Speaker
And you can do your fey touched just because you're in tune with stories. You can add that to it. Great. That is going to be a 26. 26. twenty six 26. You could really put some bigger rolls out in this game.
00:06:52
Speaker
So you, Kaz, is wandering through the shelves. You find a beast rather old text.
00:07:05
Speaker
that has on its title, because Kaz is where the Boldray belongs to the Sovereign Host. And so you find a book that is titled Original Accounts and Origins of the Sovereign. the cover is scaly.
00:07:25
Speaker
okay Okay. 26. As Kaz flips through, just looking for the proper noun Boldray, you do find... You spot the name and you begin reading from where that picks up.
00:07:37
Speaker
And what strikes Kaz is according to this account, the sovereigns gained notoriety as members of the Draconic army in the war that broke the age of demons.
00:07:55
Speaker
And this account posits that they were dragons and any humanoid form that you may have, they may have been seen in is merely draconic shape shifting.
00:08:10
Speaker
And so this isn't, this seems to be an account of their great deeds during that war. Okay. Okay. Boldray is described as a copper dragon whose primary focus was accounting the losses of the war through song and remembering those that sacrificed their lives. And there are descriptions of her various humanoid features when she so chose to appear in that manner.
00:08:44
Speaker
Blonde hair, the very tall, fair, um and would appear as an Eladrin. And based on the description that you're reading, it at least ticks all the boxes of the Lady of Stories.
00:08:59
Speaker
Okay. Just for my own curiosity, as the son of a tailor, would I recognize this is actual dragon hide writing this book, or is it just decorative? It is actual dragon. Okay.
00:09:11
Speaker
yes Black dragon hide. honored The wording on the covers are engulfed. Because you know Mr. Panarius deals in fine leather goods. Sentent leather goods.
00:09:24
Speaker
the The name on the cover, the author is Vicksekt Wyatt Suleiman. Would you mind spelling that so I can put it into an anagram translator later? I'm just kidding. C-S-E-K Wyatt W-Y-A-T-T the Suleiman, S-U-L-E-I-M-A-N. I was right about the last two.
00:09:50
Speaker
Good and job. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. And Kaz probably hightails it out of that spooky part of the library.
00:10:03
Speaker
As soon as you turn around, it's, are you finding everything Wells? Yes. Quiet libraries. Cool. What else, Gain? Anything else? No. I don't think so. I don't think so.
00:10:15
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, Nyx is... Nyx is sitting in a safe room reading that book, trying to figure out what was done to her, and... maybe whether there's a way to stop it from happening some more. So that's kind of where Nyx is and what
Mission Briefing for Kyre
00:10:30
Speaker
she's up to.
00:10:32
Speaker
Cool. So... Then, the... Red light goes on. All right. We're going. Yep. So you all get to Javier's office and you see Aurora in there with Javier and Javier says, thank you all for coming.
00:10:53
Speaker
We have a situation brewing here in Kyre that I think would be a good use of your all skillset to investigate and figure out what's going on and how to prevent it. The dus bullet points version of what's going on. Sorry, I'm getting my map pulled up so I can make sure I'm getting all the nouns right.
00:11:16
Speaker
To the south, did um, in the dancing forest, there had been reports of people going missing. Loggers, even some mean families that were just trekking through the ah woods, which on its surface People get lost in the woods all the time, but there have been spines of unusual fauna coming out of the forest and higher uptick of dire creatures, dire boars.
00:11:49
Speaker
They also have spotted some like mega fauna, like a extremely large squirrel. ah And then lastly, and this is what really is it burrowing?
00:12:03
Speaker
Please. No. There have been some unusual accounts of creatures being able to burrow through the earth with without explanation. So that's what perched my ears up and thought this seems to be Milamania was what was going on last time, um up in the hardwood forest. And so seems like this may be the case here. is who up baby So we obviously want the people to stop disappearing.
00:12:28
Speaker
We want to make sure that people are safe from the dire creatures. And also we want to locate where people are disappearing to and where these creatures are coming through. Because this seems to be more than just a manifest zone. And Aurora chimes and says, which Lemania, as you all may recall from the last briefing that we had before that particular job,
Preparation and Strategy
00:12:50
Speaker
Lamania is one of the most notable planes when it comes to people slipping through the cracks. Any initial questions or thoughts? Is it the entire dancing forest or just from one particular sonade Most accounts have people from the city Balinor's Dance, um which is on the northeast corner of the dancing forest.
00:13:22
Speaker
People disappearing in that region. Also, some people from Jart, which is also on the eastern edge of the forest. So, seems to be eastern, northeastern area.
00:13:33
Speaker
um No reports of people going missing missing from Gaineton or Sayru, which is south and west, respectively. Is my map according to?
00:13:45
Speaker
No, it's not. I'm just dumb. You're not dumb. I think now Valk is visibly uncomfortable. More so than normal. Say...
00:13:59
Speaker
Something keep in mind that given the nature of where people are slipping through that Thankfully, Lamania is a plane where time passes concurrently with time on the material plane based on all measurements that we have. So if you all do step through at some point, you won't come back and have a notable amount of time that has gone by. If you are able.
00:14:27
Speaker
to find the missing people, that would be ideal. But not going to ask you all to go traipsing into another plane.
00:14:39
Speaker
Do we have a list? Or do we just know that people are... that Nobody has sent me a census of those who've gone missing. Just that there are accounts.
00:14:50
Speaker
If you all were to go by Balinor's dance before heading into the forest, I imagine they can give you a list. I don't know what their communication with Jarp is like, but maybe they've shared information. but Okay. A Valk's just going to leave to prepare. Without announcing it?
00:15:07
Speaker
Without announcing Oh my goodness. Interesting. What's going on? Aurora does say not to stop Valk, but just continuing the briefing.
00:15:19
Speaker
Something else to note is that, um, We do know that if you were to go through the Twilight Forest is home to some tribes of lycanthropes who escaped to Lamania during the Silver Crusade.
00:15:35
Speaker
um So you may encounter some of them, although it seems that their curse behaves differently in Lamania, which Philip can't shake his head at me for because this is canon. I bet he still can.
00:15:47
Speaker
I already did. sos So just be mindful that you may encounter some of them. Although, um importantly, for our purposes, bites from lycanthropes do not transfer the purse in Lamania. That is something that has been proven. Not sure why, but anything else? Questions? Thoughts?
00:16:12
Speaker
Probably should have some, but I cannot think of any questions about this. The questions guy has left over. There is a lightning rail from Kalazart down to Jark, which then you could take the road to Balanora's Dance if you want to swing by there, or you can just head into the dancing forest from Jark. I mean, lightning rail to Jark makes the most sense, I assume.
00:16:31
Speaker
That is also in the Southern region of the nation. So also be mindful. You might run into hobgoblins or turn it all elves while you're down there. So just be careful.
00:16:42
Speaker
Both of them are dang, both of those groups are fairly dangerous, especially in wartime. Um, the hobgoblins at least take prisoners. So, okay. Well, uh, so make your preparation. Yes. Go ahead, Kaz.
00:16:56
Speaker
Oh, Actually, no, this was a question of out of character. Lightning rail means we would be... First off, remind me, have we already gone to the bunker that is yeah that it's just south of us in Geyer?
00:17:10
Speaker
I don't i' have a version where we've checked them off. That was the first one. Okay. Then, never mind. i need to check them off on my new... When I imported
Valk's Social Awareness
00:17:20
Speaker
the image into my notes app that I'm using, it cleared my edits. So I need to go back through and check off the ones that we've gone to.
00:17:27
Speaker
Curse you, Obsidian. Curses. Anyway, that that with that being answered that way, Kaz probably doesn't have anything to say. Okay. Well then, ah go ahead and make your preparations for the mission, and I will arrange transport.
00:17:42
Speaker
Let's shoot for two days. Would that be enough time to make preparations? Yes, I think so. Okay. Well, then. Dismissed. Go. I don't like the way he says that. announce that you're leaving, huh?
00:17:56
Speaker
Kaz leaves. the Same. Yeah. Okay. What do you all go do to prepare? Let's... Did he give us a name of the an organization we were working with down there at this time? I didn't i didn't catch it if he did.
00:18:12
Speaker
I may even look at the maps and stuff. Nope, Javier did not arrange for you to work with anyone on this next mission. I have a pigeon turret question. Okay. It's a favorite kind of question. What's the reloading mechanism? Yeah.
00:18:29
Speaker
How many pigeons can we spare? no Must my missive be sent to where we are heading? Could I send one to the town I cannot remember of the last time that we dealt with new and interesting animals in the forest and say, hey, do you guys have a brother branch down in Jarp or Balinor's Dance or something like that?
00:18:54
Speaker
Would that be an appropriate use of the pigeon turret? Or... There were guilds, right? it was Yes, there were guilds. Woodcutters Guild and Leatherworkers Guild. Or, potentially also, the kind Druid woman, if she knows someone down there, would actually be more in line of what I'm thinking.
00:19:14
Speaker
Peek behind the curtain. I have abandoned my previous notes, and I'm just keeping my Kaz-centered notes, so I don't know where I put um It's in here somewhere. I always have to find it.
00:19:25
Speaker
Ashdown Hollow is the name of the town. Alandra Velos is the druid that was there. i think it would be interesting to send, because we ended on good terms with her, right? Like we were able to kind of solve the problem without crossing her.
00:19:41
Speaker
Yeah. You didn't. You didn't goof up the tree. didn' Yeah. deep Deep root remains in Ashdod Hollow. so Also, apparently a child of deep root is growing in our in our lawn, right? That's all for sure. Oh yeah. right Forgot about that.
00:20:01
Speaker
so like So my question is, as opposed to sending something to where we are heading, could I so use the Pigeon Turret to send a message to her to potentially let someone, if there is someone down near Jarp or Balador's that's Dancing Forest area that she is aligned with, and then use that, get the same material advantage of, you know, the thing? Yeah.
00:20:26
Speaker
Sure. Sick. can do that. So? So he just sends a message saying, hey, we've been kind of called to a similar situation in some ways to what we dealt with in Ashdown Hollow.
00:20:39
Speaker
We would love to be able to deal with it with the same respect we were able to in your town. Do you know anyone there? And if so, could you send word ahead of us that we are trying to do good? yeah and then do you roll a random icon? Yeah. I'm just trying to find, I can never remember where this stinking document is.
00:21:04
Speaker
that is the headquarters upgrade list. I'm looking at mine that you sent us if you'd like for me to tell you something. Here it is. Found it. Okay.
00:21:23
Speaker
Okay, yeah i will I will roll, or go and roll a d12 for me, Jeff. Yes, sir. That's a natural one. ah one which on my table is the sea princess.
00:21:35
Speaker
i don't know how it is on yours. That's not my the master table. That is the Arcane Congress. Son of a bitch. good. It is a positive relationship. It's a positive relationship with the Arcane Congress.
00:21:51
Speaker
I'm just saying. Kaz and Demetrius. Demetrius out there. I knew you were going to it. you going to say it. I'm not going to that to you or to my adventure.
00:22:03
Speaker
Okay, so Kaz has a positive relationship with and a contact of Alondra in Jark from the Arcane Congress. And just to remind the table, I am happy to take both suggestions and reminders that that exists because I am bad at that part of this. All right, what are other folks doing to Pratt? That is back in the botanical garden. and Okay. Okay.
00:22:31
Speaker
And there is a resistance that I get to choose. I have a question. I have already said on record that Valk is from South Kyre, and we specifically joked about this specific area.
00:22:50
Speaker
Yes. So would I know, i would assume either poison or psychic, would I know which one would be most useful? e i mean, that maybe he has some little freaks in there doing stuff in the forest. I don't know why.
00:23:08
Speaker
Doing what in the forest? the fire Fire damage. Maybe they just have bad vibes. They have negative energy. i don't know. Poison would definitely be the the greater threat in this area. I assume so. so So we are doing poison resistance. Okay.
00:23:24
Speaker
for the group just be like and a very suspicious looking like gel. And Val, she's just like, just, just ease this when we get there. Yeah. Nyx is going to be in the armory. She's going to make an armor rune. And I have rolled the random rune effect, which is the bearer of the rune is going to be able to take their first rally of the battle they use the rune in as a quick action instead of as a full action.
00:24:00
Speaker
Nice. I hear you giving that two. So I believe the only person who Nyx has not made one for is Selina. ah I don't think anybody's used theirs up yet. So Nyx, Kaz.
00:24:14
Speaker
Does that not go away at the end of the arc? No, it's there until use it. I keep waiting for the big fight where I need it and thank God I didn't use it on the way we ran away from. Fair. come ah So this makes a lot of sense, given given the last conversation with Nyx. The next with Selina. Nyx will come find Selina during the... probably on the second day, because she needs time to work on it.
00:24:39
Speaker
And what... she said I just... I've been working on something. You... You were a lot of very...
00:24:51
Speaker
flowy sleeves. It's true. She, uh, she takes out a, a bracer, but just a, a van brace that goes around her forearm.
00:25:03
Speaker
It's, it is in a very light, metal so as to not clash with the very fashion conscious, uh, Selena.
00:25:17
Speaker
couldn Selena appreciates that. And it has a, has a rune etched into it, uh, that probably doesn't go with the rest of the look because the runes that Nyx knows how to use are, are very sort of jagged looking, but otherwise he i know you don't wear armor, but this will make you a bit more durable for a short duration should you activate it.
00:25:47
Speaker
And basically what this will do is for the duration of the battle that you activate this in, you'll get a plus one to your AC and you can use the first rally that you use in that battle as a quick action rather than as a full action.
00:26:00
Speaker
Awesome. Thank you. i appreciate it. Yes. Great. We'll use one more person. Selena will prep in the map room. Classic.
00:26:12
Speaker
Yeah. I like prepping in there. So she'll familiarize herself with that area. Alrighty. So any last conversations or preparations, like narrative preparations? Obviously you've used your mechanical preparations, but anything else you want to do with the day and a half that you still have?
00:26:34
Speaker
It doesn't stop doing stuff. Next is extremely, Nick is extremely anxious and the way that she shows this is by not stopping doing anything.
00:26:45
Speaker
And so Nyx is either down in the forge or she is working forms in the big empty room that she has created on the second floor. just keeps herself constantly busy and moving until it's time to I think if we have the book, if that becomes relevant, how long, ah how long it would be the lightning rail trip be?
00:27:08
Speaker
Oh, good question. This one.
00:27:15
Speaker
It is a good question. Eric, have I shared you the interactive map that I found? I don't think so. need to show you the interactive maps that think I said the trip to Starr last year took a day and a half. Is that right? I don't regime remember.
00:27:31
Speaker
Certainly not long. Looks like it's about 300 miles. Lightning rolls go 30 miles an hour. that right? I'm remembering that correctly. Yep. 30 miles an hour.
00:27:43
Speaker
So 10 hours. All right. Do we have any long stops? We're hitting couple of big, row big, I'm not trying to create more time, but we have no no you're good at least one big city between us. Yeah. There would be a, probably about an hour later in making.
00:28:03
Speaker
Okay. So no, I think you'd wait till after i was going to say Kaz's thought now is that, you know, he's young enough that he can probably do this and still recover. Okay.
00:28:14
Speaker
He's going to try at least one time during their homestays to stay up all night with his eyes on the chapel from his room. oh okay But i now that I think about that, I think he would wait until they were back.
00:28:25
Speaker
Things happen when they come back, not before they leave, and it's already happened. So i don't i i i thanks for the math, but I don't know that I need to know it anymore. I think things happen while we're gone.
00:28:38
Speaker
I think that's likely the case, but but yeah, he's going to stay up. yeah So I don't think he'll stay up tonight, but he plans to stay up at least one full night every time they're home with his eyeballs glued to the chapel.
00:28:51
Speaker
and I assume we'll roll to see if he actually stays up or falls asleep sitting in his window. and I'll tell you what, if it's a constitution check, he probably doesn't stay up. So knowing that the night before you all leave or when you get back?
00:29:03
Speaker
I think way I'm going to save it until we get back. The more I thought about it while we were doing math and wireless, he probably... It's already happened for this. Like, don't think it's happened twice in one homestay. At least not without some major events happening in between. Okay.
00:29:19
Speaker
And Cass does not consider library expansion a major event? Selena does. When we find a snack bar, let me know. Alrighty. The ping pong room.
00:29:30
Speaker
Javier informs you all that your tickets have been purchased for the morning. Not that morning. a little Eberron humor for the table.
Train Ride Suspicion and Defense
00:29:40
Speaker
Oh, I know.
00:29:42
Speaker
Thank you, Madison. So, yeah, you all head into town to Kalazart to load up on the train. And you all take off.
00:29:55
Speaker
We need to do... Another time rounds of the hot seat. Everyone's gone. It's true.
00:30:05
Speaker
It's going based on location on my screen. That's a one, which means Valk is in the hot seat. Isaac always means. It's not. It's it's categorically 25% of the time. Every time it has to be rolling.
00:30:19
Speaker
Oh, man. The first time. was like I was so much better answering a question than I have to come up with a good one. mom i I know. I know. Whoever would like to ask a question first. There you go. You can give them a second. I know. I know. I'm not saying chop chop. I'm just saying don't wait for me to call it.
00:30:39
Speaker
Do Valk's personae have their own names as well as appearances or names?
00:30:51
Speaker
Do they remain Valk regardless of the form Valk is wearing? Yes. Yes, they have their own names. I'm sorry. I asked that in a way that did not...
00:31:02
Speaker
No, you you answered it in a correct way. The answer is just yes. In the sense that if you are aware that it's Valk, that it's just Valk. But it is a separate identity per persona.
00:31:18
Speaker
So if they were to appear as like Lady Valk in an area, then people would address them as a different name.
00:31:29
Speaker
Okay. But Valk would still respond to you. and And it has been a few days. just this this is This is not part of Hotsie, but it's been a few days. How does Valk appear to us as we depart?
00:31:42
Speaker
I was about to ask that. I think Valk still has not changed back. Okay. So Valk is still Lady Valk.
00:31:52
Speaker
Does Valk have a favorite form? His original form? Okay. Yeah. one that The one that he appears as the most often. Okay. He tries to be authentic, even though it is extremely off-putting.
00:32:06
Speaker
Valk aware of his... aware of his like, how do i say this? I mean, look i was going to say social awkwardness. I don't think that's unfair.
00:32:19
Speaker
Is Val, how, how aware is Val of it and unwilling to change and how much of it is like, this is who I am. And it's, I i am comfortable enough that I don't care if you're comfortable with me, I guess would be the question.
00:32:33
Speaker
Val grew up. in a home where this is this is ah loaded. yeah Because of what changelings have gone through, I don't know if that's canon or not, his particular group of changelings are more unwilling to assimilate.
00:32:55
Speaker
So clearly he knows that it is generally off-putting to the masses to just have an unchanged changeling, but In a way, he doesn't care.
00:33:12
Speaker
and its it like it's not going to personally affect him. But if it is making enough people uncomfortable, then he will change to not disturb the peace. Okay. Yeah. See, that wasn't so bad. I mean, this time i was somewhat prepared.
00:33:32
Speaker
Okay. So you all load up on the train and you're, you begin to take off Javier once again, scrum for you all to have your own, like, like sleeping quarters. If you all want to sleep on the, the train, but you also have access to the nicer dining cart and not the first class gone now, but whatever business the class you have access to.
00:33:57
Speaker
ten So You all see sitting around
00:34:06
Speaker
elf man who is reading the newspaper, uh, the Kyra, not the Kalzart cry, unfortunately. He seems to be, uh, coming from Esten.
00:34:18
Speaker
So he's reading one of the more, uh, reputable and larger newspapers. Right. He is probably. There you go. He is probably like six foot six, like pretty, pretty tall.
00:34:35
Speaker
Lanky, um, dark, dark hair and me very pale skin with like really sharp features, very prominent cheekbones, sharp ears.
00:34:46
Speaker
He is sitting by himself. You see a and lean bronze-skinned elf sitting with, um, Slater, you would immediately clock a, a, an elf who is wearing a full face mask that has like etchings of a skull on the front of it. And you would recognize this as being a very specific order of reigning monk.
00:35:19
Speaker
ah You can see their eyes. The only thing you can see if through their mask are their eyes, which are complete like milky white and pupil-less. You also see a human. This is at another table.
00:35:30
Speaker
A human woman with pretty prominent scars across the left side of her face and a prosthetic arm. um And she is chatting with a another human who is also pretty pale and gaunt, um, and wearing robes, a priestess of the blood of bowl. So they're chap. You also see a gnome archeologist sitting nearby and he is reading a book.
00:35:56
Speaker
He has some spectacles on and how do we know he's an archeologist visibly? Visibly. What, what about him screams archeology? He's got one of those hats on. He's wearing cargo shorts and a pith hat.
00:36:08
Speaker
He's got a whip on his belt. leather jacketst So many vest pockets. but Honestly, what a simple question. you Yeah. Okay. So you all begin the train ride.
00:36:20
Speaker
Philip, roll a d12 for me. Two. Okay. First part of your journey goes without instant. Jeff, roll a d12 for me.
00:36:32
Speaker
Twelve. Okay. Everyone can give wisdom-based check to notice something. That is... cultureture sorry A wisdom?
00:36:45
Speaker
Yes. That's a natural 20 plus 10, 30.
00:36:56
Speaker
assuming no backgrounds are relevant out here. If you have a background that you think would be relevant, you can apply it. It's to visually notice. Thank Yeah, it's probably too big. 20, 24 if privilege mischief counts.
00:37:13
Speaker
you You give it to me sometimes for noticing stuff, so I have to try. I'm going to overkill with paranormal investigator. No, unfortunately. Although, Selina, given the context of what you're trying to notice, I will let you apply Daughter of a Diplomat.
00:37:28
Speaker
Okay, cool. ah So, 28. Okay, so Selena and Valk. um I mean, we can just chop this up to positional seating at the table that you all are at.
00:37:40
Speaker
um You see the... i
00:37:48
Speaker
The bronze-skinned elf get up and go to the washroom. And on their way back, they have also, as they step up, donned a mask ah with a skull painted on it.
00:38:09
Speaker
Wasn't the bronze-skinned elf the one with the mask? No, they were sitting with another elf that had the mask. Oh, there were two. Okay. Yes, there were two. Sorry. And...
00:38:21
Speaker
He walks up on their way back behind the table with the woman with the prosthetic arm and a priestess. And Valk and Selene, you spot it quick enough to where if you want to intercede, you can. But you see the Bronzegid elf begin to pull their scimitar out of their sheep in an offensive maneuver.
00:38:49
Speaker
oh no Is there a countdown from 10? Is there any way i could interrupt and almost make the scimitar get stuck?
00:39:02
Speaker
Sure. Given the occultist. Yes. So. Selena would have been like starting to get up at that point too. Okay. You all can act concurrently. So once we resolve Valk's action, we'll also see what Selena's doing at the same time.
00:39:18
Speaker
So, Valk, interrupt action. This is adjacent to, like, your combat actions. Most of your spells are intelligence-based. All of your spells are intelligence-based, at least on the initial roll. So, yeah, give me a intelligence plus level against their mental defense. I'm decaffeinated for math. Hold on.
00:39:42
Speaker
I'm jealous. That is a one teeth four earth 24 is enough to beat the mental defense. Okay. So you were just trying to stop?
00:39:53
Speaker
Yeah, i want to I want it to be stuck enough to buy enough time to, like, gesture to everyone else, like, there is going to be an incident. If it just and doesn't come out, that's also fine.
00:40:06
Speaker
Permanently. Who knows what happened? No, I'm fine with you. Basically, what it looks like is, let's say for the sake of the visual, there's like sunlight coming in through the windows of the train car and you have kind of the dust particles like going through the light.
00:40:23
Speaker
And then in a bubble around this sword and the else are, you see the sword freeze and all of like the dust motes in the sunlight are also frozen around. Like time itself has stopped around ah the arm.
00:40:40
Speaker
Flashier than intended. Well, Selena, what do what do you do at the same time this is happening? ah So I think Selena would stand up and at least put her hand on her sword that she has, but at the same time, at least motion to Nyx, probably. Okay. Because I think she would want Nyx to be aware of the situation. But I don't think she would go. thanks I think Selena standing up and putting her hand on her weapon would would draw Nyx's attention from, don't know, probably reading.
00:41:12
Speaker
I think once Selina saw the sword freeze, though, she would probably like take a second. I don't think she would continue going over there at that point.
00:41:23
Speaker
All right. You hear the masked, the one that was originally in the mask with the white eyes. I can't believe I put them both in masks, so now I can't just say the masked one. ah Idiot. um so Maybe their masks are made of different material.
00:41:38
Speaker
Yeah. Sure. The one in the... The first one was gold. I don't think you described the material of the the one that just put on. They stepped into the washroom area.
00:41:49
Speaker
They're not wearing a physical mask. They have painted the image of the skull on their face. So one's wearing a face paint, one's wearing a mask. The one in the mask... stands up and looks at selena directly and says told you i recognized her we need initiative all right eight e he he's 17. nix 12 selena 18. kaz oh it's low hold please schliffman it's five plus whatever i had
00:42:27
Speaker
Sorry, I forgot to roll my cleric invocation. I was doing that. 11. All right, let me get all mine rolled real quick. The snack cart has just arrived in in front of the bench that Kaz and Nyx are sitting on. I meant 12. I imagine it doesn't change anything.
00:42:44
Speaker
It's... and I mean, it ties you with Nyx at the very least. I was gonna say, know. Yeah. Good grief. Can I roll better? That'd be nice. It would not be.
00:42:55
Speaker
It would not be nice. absolutely quiet all of you there we go only one of my initiative rolls was in the double digits as well so this across the board oh everybody wants the uh the tea cakes and also distracted three three of these npcs that i've described as being involved in this conflict all rolled the same initiative oh like the number came out the same and Three out of the four are lower than Valk, so you all aren't that stacked against. but
00:43:29
Speaker
Yeah, hell. Hey, what else? Valk doesn't like her in first. Oh, Selina is also the highest. Well, no. Selina's higher than Valk. He's bit better.
00:43:44
Speaker
Okay, the initiative order is the woman with the prosthetic arm, Selena, Vout, the one with the face paint, the one with the mask, the lady in the robes, Nix and Kaz.
00:44:01
Speaker
So with the first turn, the woman prosthetic arm is going to, you'll find out next episode. he goes if you want to be part of got it we got to leave my cliffhanger. and need to feed for my initiative.
00:44:15
Speaker
Thank you all so much for listening. If you want to be part of the conversation starting this episode, you can head on over to our discord, the link to which you can find in the show notes to this podcast. We also have a YouTube channel, youtube.com slash epantheon. If you want to watch some TTRPG related videos, you can do so over there. Philip.
00:44:33
Speaker
On YouTube and Spotify, you can also find Tales from the Laughing Tree where we have another actual play called Blades and Banners. It's Pirates and Eberron. Indeed. We also have a Patreon, patreon.com slash epantheon.
00:44:46
Speaker
If you want to financially support the show, you can do so over there. Thank you all so much for listening. I've been your Game Master, Eric. Mia. I'm Mia. I'm Philip.
00:44:56
Speaker
I'm Madison. I'm Jeff. We will see you at Star Wars.