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Ch. 34 - The Consommé Before the Storm | Corrupting Presence
0 Playsin 1 hour
You ungrateful children will never know the hell I went through to birth this episode into existence... ahem, I mean community organizing is hungry work, we recommend soup or whatever.
Meet the cast:
Dungeon Master – Zach Meikle (IG: @zachabee)
Clay Campbell – Prima Zhao (IG: @primbdraws)
Faunalyn Vaydark – Shannon Meikle (IG: @sharsharbinks)
Glimki Treefellow – Jordan Johnsen (IG: @jordan_johnsen)
Edited by Zach Meikle
Follow the show:
Instagram: @bard_soup
TikTok: @bard_soup
Website: www.bardsoup.com
Music & Ambience
Children Happy Ukulele by Yurii Suprunenko from Pixabay (4:44)
The following songs are created by Alexander Nakarada (www.creatorchords.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Beyond the Horizon (0:00)
Evig Fred (6:01)
Dark Hollows (9:43)
Pathfinder (1:13:52)
The Longest Journey (1:16:57)
Fall Asleep (1:19:03)
Autumn Walk (1:37:22)
The Basset Hound (1:39:37)
Horizon Flare (2:17:53)
Emotionalism (no drums) (2:18:51)
Emotional Intro (2:20:58)
Better Times (2:23:03)
Additional music and ambience created by Tim Roven (www.tabletopaudio.com)
Prisoner Transport (16:43)
Escape from Shadow (26:33)
Field of Heroes (36:26)
Closing Time (47:08)
Protean Fields (58:35)
Russian Winter (1:48:06)
Thieves' Guild (1:56:12)
Lakeside Camp (1:59:20)
Ghost Ship (2:03:54)
Underground Lake (2:08:33)
The Orrery (2:22:25)
Sound Effects
Additional sounds provided by Pixabay
Recommended
Transcript
High School Football and Brighanocks' Victory
00:00:00
Speaker
Now, let's see, where were we? Ah yes, that's right. When we last left our heroes, they were experiencing the epic lows of high school football.
00:00:12
Speaker
Farnelin helped save the Brighanocks of Hearth Town from a mutated bear, and that was more or less the last good thing that happened.
Glimke's Failed Plot and Consequences
00:00:22
Speaker
Farnelon escorted her new acquaintance, a brigginoc named Booth, back with her to town, and while this was happening, Glimke learned that his plot to kill Fishhead Franny had failed.
00:00:34
Speaker
Franny promised that the blast powder he had sent to kill her would be coming back to see him very soon, and Glimke found himself in a sudden panic. He tried to explain to the leader of the Korak Mining Company, Boontar Strigamol, what he had done, and Soon learned that was a mistake, as Boontar fired him and threw him off the fifth floor balcony of the Green Sapphire
Farnalind's Diversion Attempt
00:00:59
Speaker
Hotel. Glimki limped off into the night and, after a brief panic attack, went to find the island's governor, Fyjra Fumata.
00:01:07
Speaker
He tried to get her to see reason, but she revealed that she did not care if the island thrived or burned, and had poor Glimki thrown into the nearby river.
00:01:19
Speaker
Farnalind snuck back into the city and also went to the Green Sapphire, where she attempted to create a diversion, leading dwarves out of the city back towards the mines. While it was partially successful, she continued to make a series of attempts to lie and ultimately poison her way up into Boontar's room, but was met with failure at every step. It turns out dwarves are very good at handling their narcotics.
Clay's Investigation into Governor's Fate
00:01:44
Speaker
At last, she was able to cajole her way into Boontar's office, where she decided to impersonate Franny herself, pretending to be possessed. She expressed a desire to renegotiate her relationship with Boontar, and insisted he send somebody to walk on her wheel for 50 years, thus fulfilling Fondland's existing contract with Fran.
Assassination Plot Uncovered
00:02:06
Speaker
Unlike Glimke, who was thrown off the balcony, Farnelind decided to jump for dramatic flair, but misjudged her magic rope's length and hit the ground hard. While all this was happening, Clay went back to the Glass Dragon to see the dragonborn glass artists.
00:02:22
Speaker
Hammer and Tongs, where they discussed the best way to motivate the people of the island. They told Clay if they could find decisive proof that something untowards had happened to the governor, then that might be enough to get the remaining artists to rise up in revolt.
00:02:38
Speaker
Eventually, the party reconvened in speakeasy artworks, and with the pressure of mourning fast approaching, they snuck back into Korak HQ and entered Buntar Strigomel's office once more. They inserted the three rings they'd forged and saw that each ring was actually a dial for a four-digit code.
00:02:56
Speaker
Klimke speculated that the number might be tied to the melting point of each metal, and after searching Buntar's personal library, they found the corresponding numbers and entered them into the safe.
00:03:07
Speaker
And at last it opened. Inside they found a collection of money and gems along with an emerald pen. But most importantly, they found a contract. A contract between the Korak Mining Company and Vankay Haven.
00:03:22
Speaker
An order of mysterious assassins. The contract promised the assassination and subsequent replacement of the island's governor. At long last, they had the information they needed to ignite the rebellion.
The Bard Soup Channel's Unique Segments
00:03:35
Speaker
But before the party could celebrate their victory, they were approached by the dwarven security officer, Captain Berkosi, thought to have been killed during the attempt on Fishhead Franny.
00:03:47
Speaker
You already said all that. Nope. Anyway, on the story.
00:04:09
Speaker
Come gather round, travelers, and sit on the stoop. We'll tell you a story about Batsu. Three lovable scamps in our traveling troop.
00:04:23
Speaker
We'll tell you a story about Batsu.
00:04:40
Speaker
It's souping time.
00:04:46
Speaker
G'day mates. You're watching the Bard Soup Channel Australia. Coming up next, it's another piping hole bowl of bard soup. But before that, we've got thoughts and prayers with Prima. Hi, I'm Prima. I play Clay Campbell.
00:05:01
Speaker
Nope, that's all. Afterwards, amen it's Glimke's Treehouse, hosted by Jordan. to late to to Today's letter of the day is C, which stands It stands for Christ.
00:05:15
Speaker
Well, hold on. God dang it. I'm Jordan Knight-Blake, the Linky Tree Fellow. If we bully him hard enough, he will go to heaven. And after that, late, late tonight, we've got Down Tin the Sewers Having Rat Sex with Shannon.
00:05:33
Speaker
What's up, everybody? we are going to have lots of rat sex today. But first, a word from our sponsors. Is your name Shannon Meikle and you play Faunal and Vaedark on a podcast? You might be entitled to financial compensation.
00:05:49
Speaker
and la la our sponsor is a class action
Explosive Confrontation with Captain Bercosi
00:05:53
Speaker
lawsuit. That's right. Hi, I'm Zach and you're watching the Bod Soup channel. And I'm drawing a soup bowl, but you can't say it.
00:06:04
Speaker
We join our heroes in Boontar Strigamol's office on the top floor of the Korak Mining Company HQ. In a few seconds time, a massive explosion will rip through the office, blasting glass across the courtyard surrounding the office.
00:06:21
Speaker
But we're going to turn back time. Da-da-da-da. Before the explosion goes off, I'm going to have everyone roll initiative.
00:06:32
Speaker
I will tell you right now, on Captain Bercosi's turn, he is going to explode. So you need to roll higher than him in initiative if you want a chance to do anything before that happens.
00:06:43
Speaker
Oh, fucking A. I rolled an 18, so. Oh, hell yeah. I thought it was a six, but it's actually a nine. That's a 13. I got a 17. Oh, pretty good rolls. First roll of a 10.
00:06:57
Speaker
Let's go. Looking good. I am not going to tell you what Captain Bercosi rolled. but we just all explode immediately.
00:07:09
Speaker
I will tell you that Clay is going first. Yay. yeah I would like to channel Divinity turn undead.
00:07:21
Speaker
Amazing. Tell me more about that. Clay sees this gross looking guy come in who i assume looks kind of like a zombie like she saw on Fish Head Franny's boat previously. yep He's got very glassy eyes. You can see in the dim.
00:07:41
Speaker
i don't think you guys put on lights per se. You all have dark vision, but you can see in the darkness that he's he's moving a little crooked. he's not He's not moving like he should be. Yeah, so she's going to hold, she's going to clutch the amulet that's around her neck and hold it out and cast her channel divinity. Okay.
00:08:03
Speaker
So that will be a wisdom save, yes? Yep. Oh, God. Clay, please tell me what happens when he fails his saving throw.
00:08:14
Speaker
Oh. Well, whatever he was about to do he must now turn around and try to get as far away as he can from me. Okay. And is that a permanent thing? For one minute or until it takes damage.
00:08:29
Speaker
Okay. And he can use his dash action each turn to get away. Amazing. Clay, anything else from you, I guess? Yeah, if I can use a bonus action on my turn, I'm going to Healing Word, Faunalyn.
00:08:43
Speaker
Can't argue with that. ah Faunalyn actively bleeding from her You can't avoid it forever. let's see what you get.
00:08:54
Speaker
You get six health back. Thank you. i am now at eight health. Yeah, you're so healthy. That was that wass a huge improvement. We're going to go to glim keye So can we see that he's rigged with explosives?
00:09:09
Speaker
Is it apparent? I will say he was wearing this large
Escape and Strategic Challenges
00:09:13
Speaker
jacket when you first met him, and he seems to be wearing it still. It looks damp. And as he says his line about nothing really stays dead, sometimes it doesn't take.
00:09:24
Speaker
The other version is from it. As he says his line about sometimes death not taking, he's going to pull open this jacket, and you see that his...
00:09:35
Speaker
legs and his upper torso are bound to a wooden keg that has replaced his abdomen. on Jesus.
00:09:47
Speaker
Gross! Ew! Okay, I see. Okay, how far is Faunelin from the door to the other room? Or is there two? They're connected by a hallway, and he is standing between... He's standing up in the doorway leading to that hallway. I'd say the three of you were standing like within five feet of each other. You were all kind of crowded around this table. Perhaps Clay stepped forward a foot or two just to... yeah turn him away but okay well i think glimki just is gonna shoulder up his shield and put himself between the party and the guy but staying within five feet of both of them okay or maybe like maybe i'll position myself right in front of faunelin because i know faunelin's hurting
00:10:32
Speaker
You do that, and then it's Faunilin's turn. He rolled an eight on his initiative. Oh wow, Oh my god. okay Yeah, Glimki's gonna yell at you though to just like stay behind me.
00:10:44
Speaker
I... I'm a fool and I love drama. Faunilin sees Clay turn this undead. She sees this magical reaction and she sees Glimki step in front of her and as he steps in front of her, she feels this moment of relief that someone is protecting her and then she sees the fluttering pink flowers in his hair.
00:11:05
Speaker
And she curses, as she curses, she is going run up and grab Glimki and try to drag him towards the window that the lock is broken on with her movement, bonus action to dash as far as she can go.
00:11:22
Speaker
Okay. I'll say you can move at half speed while dragging him. Glinky, do you resist? No. No. Well, no. As long as like, yeah, no, as long as we're staying next to each other, I think fine.
00:11:35
Speaker
And we'll say because you're dashing, you can move twice as far as you normally can, but you're moving half as fast as you normally can. So it bounces out to you moving about 30 feet away from Captain Bercosi. Okay. Okay.
00:11:47
Speaker
I, Fonelin is going to scream at Clay to also run. Just like, Clay, run, get out of here! And she is going to, with the remainder of her movement, try to jump out the window.
00:12:02
Speaker
Okay. Actually, I'm going to say you're out of movement. 60 feet! You're 30, because you're moving at half speed for dragging. 30, valid, valid. I validate you.
00:12:12
Speaker
Thank you. We'll say you're standing at the at the broken window that you previously broke the lock on. And you drag Glimke back. Captain Bercosi looks at you with dead eyes.
00:12:25
Speaker
And as this holy fear grips him, he stumbles back several feet out into the hallway. as his stomach starts to burn and glow white hot.
00:12:37
Speaker
god. And then he explodes. Oh, he does explode right away. Mm-hmm. For continuity's sake, and to keep the wonderful button from last episode, the glass blows out of the top floor, but you are far enough away that you do not take any damage from the explosion.
00:12:55
Speaker
Oh, hot damn. Okay. Nice, even me? but So all you had to do was step backwards? Nah, he would have run after you. Don't you worry. Dumbass! Glass powder is not that potent after all, I guess.
00:13:06
Speaker
Oh, I wish it had hit one of you. oh I wish you could see the number of D6 I'd be rolling. More than a fall off the off the hotel, I'll tell you that much. Whoa. Shards of glass go raining down onto the courtyard below, and you hear shouting as the guards on duty look up and see the top floor just...
00:13:26
Speaker
blown open. Magic groups slither forth and Funlyn wants to tie, like have the rope tie itself to something inside of the office, like at the window. She's going to say, okay guys, I have some experience jumping out this window.
00:13:40
Speaker
Do we want to go this way? Or we could hide in the building, but I imagine they'd root us out. No, I think you're right. But just to keep it keep in mind, that's one of the four people I sent to the ship.
00:13:51
Speaker
oh This one's on me, but I feel like there's going to be more of those things. That didn't seem like all the blast powder. Glimke, you would know that they went with two kegs of blast powder.
00:14:02
Speaker
Okay, so they we sent four guys. I imagine there are going to be some sort of returning strike force, and there's one more keg of powder. So there might be another, i don't know how else to describe it as a suicide bomber essentially is coming after us. Potentially. i don't know. when the show was about casual bestiality in the sewers beneath a fantasy Looney Tunes world and now we've got... It can still be that. It can still be that.
00:14:26
Speaker
Yeah. It still be that. Too late. Never too late. Okay, well, nonetheless, we might get cosploded out there, but we are going to get caught by guards in here, and I'm very wanted. Don't know about the two of you. Actually, i do know. Clay is also very wanted.
00:14:44
Speaker
Yeah, let's get out of here first. Okay, cool. We have everything from the safe, right? Just tucked
Rebellion Planning and Gathering Allies
00:14:50
Speaker
into our inventory. Yeah, we'll say you you lined your pockets with the coin. I'll say the scroll, the case, and the pen are still on the table. Okay, I swipe those and then I run towards them at the window.
00:15:01
Speaker
Kat, are you trying to be sneaky or fast as you climb down the exterior of this building? I'd say fast. I would say, oh, I was going to say sneaky because fast feels like we'll die more, but we can be fast.
00:15:16
Speaker
Sneaky feels like pointless because it already exploded. I don't know. I guess they're not looking for someone on the outside of the building. Okay, tiebreaker, Glimki. I think we go fast. don't know. Let's get the hell out of here. let's go fast.
00:15:29
Speaker
You guys will revive me if I die. Yeah, yeah. Yes, of course. Six health at a time? got it. For the third time in two days, Fondalyn jumps out of a window.
00:15:42
Speaker
It's just all getting to be a bit much, isn't it? It's a sloped wall, right? We just like gracefully glide down the wall. That's what I tried the first time and then I took like 20 falling damage. I'm still damaged from that wall. That's why I was low health.
00:15:55
Speaker
I haven't even healed from the first few times I fell in a window. Did everyone tell they're stealth modifiers? Well, I have disadvantage. I also have disadvantage. It's plus zero for me.
00:16:06
Speaker
Okay, so that means... i have a plus six. Okay. So for the disadvantage, Clay and Glimke get a minus five to their passive stealth as you attempt to just hurry down this building side via the magic rope.
00:16:22
Speaker
The guards who are looking around, looking up at the building, at the exact windows that y'all are sneaking out of, almost immediately... We'll say not quite immediately, like as you're like halfway down the building or like, you know, like the last of you's climbed out the window, you hear shouts, someone climbing out the window, them. I'm going to say we're going to roll initiative again. yeah How many guards? I'm just validating all your choices today.
00:16:47
Speaker
Thank you. We will say that there is maybe like a half dozen pull off to intercept you. Some are still like running inside to like get to the top.
00:16:58
Speaker
Okay. All right, easy. Nine. i rolled 10, so it's not under a 10, at least. Faunelin. 13 again. And the guards get a stinky ol' 19.
00:17:11
Speaker
nineteen Okay.
Battle Strategies and Escapes
00:17:14
Speaker
Like I said, a half dozen guards are going to run up. I'm going to say half of them have crossbows.
00:17:22
Speaker
The other half are carrying spears. The three with spears are going to attack with disadvantage at the distance. It would have been an 18 on the die, but instead it became a natural one for the first spear.
00:17:34
Speaker
And also, what's the order that you guys are climbing out the window? It's definitely Glimki and I first. If if any of Faunilin's residual momentum was carrying them, Glimki probably would have, like, but I specified that I stopped and tied the rope.
00:17:48
Speaker
Up to you guys. Although Fondolin's pretty gung-mo to go. I was going to say Fondolin kind of chocks Glimke in the window, but yeah. Yeah, I think that's fair. Like if you were dragging me out, I... That sounds reasonable. I'm going to say, given the order that you're climbing out, Fondolin and Glimke, the two spears clatter into the side of the building next to you, missing you. They're just too far away to land a accurate shot. And then Clay, a third guard, throws a spear at you.
00:18:13
Speaker
But it's just, you're you're just like impossibly far. Like you just, even with disadvantage, he just can't hit you. And he just throws the spear and it like, it goes halfway up the building and doesn't come close to hitting you. Three more though are going to pull out crossbows.
00:18:26
Speaker
Oh, okay. god dad We will call them light crossbows and they have a range of 80 by 320. So I'm going to say that Fondlin, it is a regular attack against you, a disadvantaged attack against Clay and Glimki.
00:18:46
Speaker
So Fondlin, miss. Crossbow bolt shatters against the side of the building. Glimke, a three and one miss. Crossbow sails up over the building into the night and clay, another nat one. Enjoy them while they last kids. The tides will turn. Yeah. Wow. we boom ba Projectiles sail through the night up at you, but they have not been able to find their mark yet.
00:19:13
Speaker
And we are going to go to the first of our friends funneling. We're friends. I don't really know what there is to do I mean, Fondalyn does have a ah short bow. So I guess while Fondalyn is sliding down the side of this building, she is going to arm up. Are you sliding are you climbing down with the rope?
00:19:38
Speaker
Okay, I'll climb down with the rope and I'll use my bonus action to dash down the rope. I think a shooting is way cooler though. and You can do it. You'll just have to make an acrobatics check when you hit the ground. Maybe take some damage.
00:19:48
Speaker
I want to slide. It's way slower. Are we like halfway now? We're like halfway down. Maybe clay is like a third. That's like half the dice. You've been here before.
00:20:00
Speaker
Easy peasy. Half the dice. Easy peasy. Yeah, Fondalyn lets go and starts sliding down the pyramid. Hell yeah. And from a ruff in her shirt, she pulls out this little collapsible bow that she shakes that pops to full size. And she... I've never gotten to describe where Fondalyn stores her arrows because she's not someone who carries around a quiver. She actually like...
00:20:19
Speaker
There's some feathers coming up from like the shoulders of her dress and it's actually like in the boning of her corset. She pulls out these very slender arrows and thereby plucks her dress a little, pulls a feather from the shoulder of her dress. I love that even on a stealth mission, Faunelon's wearing a dress.
00:20:34
Speaker
Always. No, she's incognito right I forgot. She's not dressed in her dress. She's dressed like a peasant. Delete all of that. Are you wearing a corset? She like plucks at her shoulder. Pants and a corset? It's just leather. She's like, what the hell? Then you remember you're actually wearing a quiver tonight.
00:20:55
Speaker
Yeah, literally, she like goes like reach in her skirts and she's like, oh my God, what? And then she has to go where things are normally kept and pulls out an arrow and she's going to loose one at one of the guards.
00:21:06
Speaker
That is a three. three? Well, that you don't need me to tell you. Well, all in, it's slightly more than a three, but it doesn't matter. Yeah, no, it doesn't. You go sliding down the building.
00:21:20
Speaker
what arrow sails through the air. It's hard to find your balance as you're sailing down the side of this building. And I am going to need you to make an acrobatics check as you hit the ground. That's a 19. 19. Okay.
00:21:35
Speaker
You are going to take an unfortunate six in the last
Formulating Plans Against Korak Company
00:21:39
Speaker
die. You are going to take 11 bludgeoning damage reduced to five. Ooh. The reduction really makes a big difference. i Yeah, that's huge.
00:21:49
Speaker
And you're going to see the three of the six guards, the three the through spears are going to pull shields and short swords out and start to like move towards you. Oh, okay.
00:22:02
Speaker
That's it for my turn. Okay. I don't know what people have in the tank. I'm excited to find out. Clay, tis your turn. How far am I from these guards?
00:22:13
Speaker
How tall is the building? How far do you need to be? is i don't want to do the trigonometry again. The building's roughly 60 feet to this window. you know, it's pyramidal. it's Oh, it's 60 feet? Okay, because I would like to stay around 60 feet distance from the Yeah, it's like probably a little bit more because we're dealing with hypotenuse, but we'll say you can like move use your movement to move down the rope.
00:22:36
Speaker
Yes. Climb down like next to the glimki. who I think I'm going to cast my Spiritual Weapon as a bonus action. Nice. It's 60 feet, so it's going to appear on the ground amongst the guards. Who do you want to go after? There are three with crossbows. And I know I said that they drew swords and shields, but for AC purposes, they won't do that until their turns. Okay. They all functionally have the same AC, but the ones with shields will have a slightly higher AC shortly.
00:23:02
Speaker
I'm going to go for the ones who will have a higher AC, but not yet. So the up the spears, guys. All right. 14 plus seven.
00:23:13
Speaker
<unk> meaty. That hits. Okay. And it is... oh That's bad. Okay. Six damage. Six damage. Okay. Yeah. You hit him for for six and bloody him. This mace appears in the air and just smacks him and he spins around and turns back and cracks his neck and looks up at you and points his sword up and then continues on his way towards Fondlin.
00:23:37
Speaker
I can't cast two leveled spells, but can I also do an action cantrip? Yes. Okay. Sacred flame is 60 feet and it is dex saving throw.
00:23:50
Speaker
Cool. Are you going after the same one? Yep.
00:23:54
Speaker
He gets a 12. It says dex 15. So he fails. Give me damage. My God, these D8s suck. That's three radiant damage.
00:24:06
Speaker
Oh, you were so close to killing him, but sadly, like he like points his sword up at you and then you like point a finger back and his arm starts to burn with holy fire. he like pats it out and screams a little and then clears his throat.
00:24:22
Speaker
Glimke, it's going to be your turn. Okay, so so I can slide down as well? You can slide down. I will advise if you wish to slide, you'll have a chance to like attack this turn.
00:24:32
Speaker
However, there is a chance you will take damage, which that's fine why that's lie I don't need to warn you. I'm sliding! Okay, give me an acrobatics check.
00:24:49
Speaker
so fucking lucky. You don't know. guess you're going know now. It's not luck. It's skill. no now You take 8 bludgeoning damage, reduced to 4, and don't lose a petal.
00:25:04
Speaker
Oh, oh, oh, oh,
00:25:19
Speaker
if you don't take a certain amount of damage the pedals stay both you and falin are so squishy thiss time fuck me okay well i guess i can't fucking yeah you can you just can't get hit Glinky, climb back up here.
00:25:37
Speaker
Don't get too close. Well, I'm going to get within five feet of Faunolin. right I'm going to ready an action for if somebody comes into range to attack. Is that okay?
00:25:47
Speaker
Yeah, 100%. I guess that uses my reaction. Uh-oh. That'll be your action and then your subsequent re-action. right We'll gauge what happens. tod didda ah can i I'm going to use a bonus action to use one of my martial adept maneuvers. I'm going to use rally, so I'm going to call out to funnel in to get her shit together shake it off and you're going get five hit points so you get five temporary hit points that's cool and that's it just going to sit right here
00:26:18
Speaker
Okay, Glimki rolls down the the slide the side of the Korak HQ, tumbles to the ground, pulls himself up, sword and shield drawn, and gets next to Faunalyn as the guards close in.
00:26:30
Speaker
I'm going to say the three on the ground are going to start shooting up at clay. And you've moved down lower, so they are no longer at disadvantage.
00:26:42
Speaker
That is a four. That is 14 to hit.
Metal Constructs and Bridge Complications
00:26:47
Speaker
Doesn't hit. Okay. Do you have your shield included in your AC calculation currently?
00:26:53
Speaker
Oh, I don't know. Let me check. Because I would wager it might be difficult for you to be holding onto this rope, casting spells, and- That's fair. Okay. It was ticked off. So it's actually 14. So ok if it meets my AC, it hits.
00:27:09
Speaker
Yes. Okay. So we'll say this one hits you. And then a natural 20. Aww, what is that? Can i use a reaction? Yes, what's your reaction?
00:27:20
Speaker
Let me see, how far am I still from these guys? Like 60-ish. 60-ish. Okay, Warding Flare is 30 feet. Hellish Rebuke. Hellish Rebuke, okay.
00:27:31
Speaker
On the one who crits? Yes. Okay, what is that? Remind me. What save? a Dexterity saving throw. Okay, he's gonna fail.
00:27:42
Speaker
That's 19. 19 fire damage? Fire damage, yes. Oh, he just melts. It's Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. And he just bursts into flame and just like, is he's a pile of ash and two blinking eyeballs on the ground. And he holds up a sign that says, ouch, as his life is just immediately snuffed out. Do I still take crit damage though?
00:28:05
Speaker
Oh, you do. You definitely do. Yeah. The trigger is you take the damage from that attack. So before he dies, his friend hits you for five piercing damage. Okay. And he hits you for perfectly average 10 piercing damage.
00:28:24
Speaker
Okay. Okay. So you take 15 piercing damage as crossbow just like hits you in the arm and just like kind of temporarily pins it to the side of the wall and you just wrench it free. And you suddenly, you hear clay who's been like praying to Macrog and casting these spells suddenly speak something darker, something infernal. And this man just burst into flame and dies. The three that are on the ground are going to come towards you guys.
00:28:49
Speaker
Glimki, I'm going to give you a choice. I'm going to say both of them reach you around the same time. There is one that has been hit a couple of times by Clay's spiritual weapon, and the other two have not been
Evidence and Rallying Support for Rebellion
00:28:59
Speaker
touched. We should like to go after the guy who's been damaged.
00:29:01
Speaker
And I'll advise he like he looks pretty rough, and he sees like his friend burn up, and he like looks uncertain, but he sees the other two rushing forward and is like, all right, fine. And he charges in. do you want to hit the injured guy or someone uninjured?
00:29:13
Speaker
I would like to attack the injured guy. Are they all kind of like close to close to each other? like Relatively, yeah. I will say they're staying within five feet. They're like fanning out. Nice. Okay. Yeah. Let's hit this guy. Ah, hit him while they're down already. Hopefully that's good.
00:29:28
Speaker
16. 16 will hit. Let's go. Come on. sixteen will hit go Ooh, nice. Seven plus two, nine. Nine.
00:29:39
Speaker
This guy charges in. He looks uncertain. And as he does, that's uncertainty costs him as he's a little slow and you just dash in, cut him from shoulder to hip and he drops the ground.
00:29:51
Speaker
Nice. The other two are going to attack. One's going to attack you and one's going to attack Faunalyn. Shit. Not nice. We'll say gold for Glimki, bronze for Faunalyn.
00:30:02
Speaker
hu
00:30:06
Speaker
What is that? That is two polar opposites, two extremes. One of you gets a natural 20, the other gets a natural one. How did that? That's crazy. That's interesting. Okay, I know I used... ah Technically, I used my reaction, so i can't do... Ah, it's fine.
00:30:25
Speaker
Could I, however? you i know you said the two colors represent different people. Can I take the nat 20? My friend, it was always yours. Okay, good. Okay. Thanks for trying. Etigan.
00:30:39
Speaker
Oh yeah, Etigan! You're taking damage for two. You're taking damage for two. You You revive me. You can't revive Etigan. Shit! Maybe I can. Maybe I can.
00:30:49
Speaker
Glimki, you can't resist. You've got these protector instincts as... Faunalyn is exposed and this guard rushes in with a sword drawn and you step in front and you take the slash and as blood sprays across the cobblestone, a single petal falls and lands amongst it.
00:31:07
Speaker
You take nine slashing damage. Oh, fucking shit. Okay. And again, I'm sorry. We go top of the initiative with Faunalyn. There are two guards in front of you and Glinky next to you.
00:31:19
Speaker
All right, boys, I was going to try diplomacy, but it seems you're determined to die. And she is going to unsheathe her rapier and straight up slash one of them. And she should have sneak attack because an ally is within melee range.
00:31:34
Speaker
She will. so So cringe. I just said all that stuff. That's an eight to hit. and Aide is not gonna do it. That's so crazy. As you lunge out with the sword and he just has his shield up and it pings off of it. Your rapier bends a little in the middle and then unbends and he pushes you away.
00:31:55
Speaker
I'm so humiliated. Anything else? Yes, I'm going to use my bonus action to use my Master of Tactics ability. I'm going to give the help action to Clay, and I'm going to do it by calling out and advising Clay and being like, Glimki's getting the shit kicked out of him. Can you cover for him, please?
00:32:17
Speaker
As I see these petals flutter to the ground. Okay. Now I don't want to be a Tommy sucks, sucks, but let me just check the range. you Tommy sucks.
00:32:30
Speaker
I think it's 30 feet. It's a 30 foot range. I'm going to say clay is a little too far for that ability. Okay. You know, that's, that's benefits to theater. I'm on my way.
00:32:43
Speaker
One of the disadvantages of theater of the mind is you be doing shit and then the DM says, sorry, I imagined you too far away. Sorry. Unfortunately, as we've established, Clay is 60 feet away from y'all up on the side of this building slinging spells. But you can still use this ability Glimki if you would like.
00:33:02
Speaker
Yeah, Fondalyn, he's just stepped in front of her. Fondalyn swings, but as he steps in front of her, she has to accommodate her swing so as to not stab him, thereby missing her attack on the guard. See how I re-skinned that to be so dramatic? You blamed it on Glynky. Your failure was Glynky's failure. Yeah, it's Glynky's fault. That's cruel.
00:33:21
Speaker
Well, I never claimed to be a nice guy. protector thing is great, but maybe try preserving your own life also. Okay. And that is the help she gives him. And we're going to go to Clay up on the building.
00:33:35
Speaker
Four guards remain. None of them have been hit. I would like to slide down 30 feet. So I'm within 30 feet range. Okay, I will say a couple of things. The rope is still fastened to the windowsill. How long is the rope?
00:33:52
Speaker
The rope is 60 feet, I guess. So we'll say you can go to like the very end of the rope. You can slide down using your movement 30 feet. Your hand burns a little, but you know, you're resistant to fire. So you slide down to the edge of the rope and you're like now within 30. Awesome.
00:34:06
Speaker
That's all of my movement. And I would like to first make my spiritual weapon attack as a bonus action. Okay. Oh, that's the same thing as earlier. 14 plus seven.
00:34:20
Speaker
Sad will hit. Yay. Against one of the crossbow guys? Yeah, whoever is most threatening to Glimki right now, I guess. Well, that would be one of the guys with shields then. Yes.
00:34:31
Speaker
I'll go after one of the guys with shields. Okay, still hits. Okay. And that is an eight plus four. Twelve. Twelve damage. Yes.
00:34:42
Speaker
Glimki, you're still like reeling back from getting hit. You look over your shoulders, Fondlin yells at you. You turn back to look as a guard's head just shatters and he collapses to the ground dead in front of you. Nice.
00:34:55
Speaker
You're so clutch. Both the last two fights, you just like, cleaned up. We got the cleanup crew over here. There is like a funny like inversion like the cleric who gives a lot healing. Just a murder machine when they need to be. Yeah.
00:35:10
Speaker
Okay. I'm about to do some healing. Okay. um i cast I cast aid on both both you guys. Oh. Cool. So what is it? It's a 30 feet range.
00:35:22
Speaker
Choose up to three creatures. Can I choose myself also because I get three targets? Yep. You're a creature within range. Okay. So all of us, we get our hit point max goes up by five and we get our current hit points go up by five also.
00:35:35
Speaker
Amazing. So does that mean we heal five and we get five temps? No. So it means like if you were at five out of 10, you'd now be at 10 out of 15. Oh, okay. So I get to change my max.
00:35:46
Speaker
Yeah, i'd I would say just like, remember, if you get healed, like, remember, you can heal five over max right now. Okay, but we all heal five right Unless it's easy to change your max. But yeah, but you also gain five HP right now.
00:35:58
Speaker
Wow. Yes. because I'm looking amazing. you guys have brought me up to like over half my health. Wow. Speaking of amazing, is that it for Clay? Yep. That was my last second level spell for the day. Okay.
00:36:12
Speaker
You've done plenty. You've done great. Guard gets splatted and we go to Glimp Key. There is one guard still in front of you, two with crossbows shooting up at Clay. Okay. Well, I'm just going to, I guess I'm going to try hit the guy standing right in front of me.
00:36:26
Speaker
Go for it. Nope. No, I'm not. That's a 10.
00:36:31
Speaker
Clang. This guy's got his sword shield ready to go and he is not relenting. Okay, well, I can try one more thing because of my shield master feat here. I can try to shove him since I make an attack on him. So yeah, let's try that.
00:36:48
Speaker
Go for it. Okay, not bad.
00:36:54
Speaker
He also got a 17 on the die and has a plus one. So he gets an 18. God damn it. Yeah, your shields bash into each other and there's a loud clanging.
00:37:05
Speaker
And this guy, this guy's heavy set. He's got a low center of gravity and he is pissed off as two of his friends have been cut down next to him. It is now the guard's turn. we're going to start with Clay up on the up on the side of the building. Two more crossbow bolts firing up at you.
00:37:22
Speaker
Oh, those are some pretty good rolls. I'm at 30 feet now, so I can use Warding Flare. Warding Flare? Is that a reaction? my reaction, yeah. Cool. That's pretty cool.
00:37:36
Speaker
You're just popping off. I looked at my character sheet for the first time. Prima, I don't want to like, I don't want to like gas you up too much. I just think if we could go back to like episode one and then this episode and compare like the first combat with this combat, it's just like, it's insane. You're like a D&D genius these days. I like, yeah, look at my a character sheet for once. Usually it's like not even open by the end of the session.
00:38:00
Speaker
Okay. When you are attacked by a creature than 30 feet of you that you can see, you can use your reaction and pose disadvantage on the attack roll before it hits or misses. Okay. one of them will be rolling with disadvantage though. Sound good? Yeah.
00:38:11
Speaker
Okay. One is going to hit with a 17, and the other one, who suddenly a light flashes up in their eyes, shoots off, and they get a four as their bolt just goes way out of the way. it actually goes back into the office, and you hear a scream from inside. Who who did hear? you will take, unfortunately, three piercing damage from this crossbow. Okay, that's fine. That's fine.
00:38:39
Speaker
That's them, and then the one that is still standing with the sword and shield. Glimki, knowing what you know Etigan, eti again and the number of petals remaining on your head, are you trying to still intercept these strikes?
00:38:59
Speaker
Uh, maybe not? No. I think I'll... I'm just gonna stay close, but I'm not gonna move up. With that in mind, I will say Shield bashes off of Shield, and I'm going to roll ah die on an odd roll. He attacks Faunalyn on an even roll. He attacks Glimke.
00:39:18
Speaker
He rolls a two and will attack Glimki. The dice want Etigan dead. Does the aid help Etigan in any way? Does extra HP increase the threshold?
00:39:29
Speaker
It does not, sadly. Yeah, tried. Glimki is a vessel, and each time he is jarred, a bit of Etigan's spirit leaks out and is lost.
00:39:40
Speaker
However, Glimki, does a 15 hit your armor class? Nope. Yes. Sturdy boy. Yes. His sword bounces off your shield, same as yours did to his.
00:39:52
Speaker
He grunts, wipes some sweat from his brow, and the fight goes on. Fondolin, it is your turn. Yeah. Fondolin gave aid to Glimki. I don't think he's had the chance. no he must have had the chance to use it yet.
00:40:07
Speaker
Did it come up? Oh, yeah. You didn't get the help roll with advantage. Oh, okay. So I can, i can roll again? Yeah, roll again. That could change everything. Okay. Let's see.
00:40:17
Speaker
Let's see. Let's see. Let's see. God fucking damn it. now twelve twelve not 12. 12. Not quite quite my my tempo. tempo Still doesn't hit. All right.
00:40:29
Speaker
Fodolin is a... going to use her bonus action again to try to help Glimki. And she's going to say, no, seriously, stop getting hit.
00:40:39
Speaker
And then she is going to step around Glimki and she's going to use her, she's going to use her action or her movement to kind of go around and stand almost on the other side of the bad guy. Because the idea is she's, she wants him to have to turn and like, look at her. Like she just wants him to stop paying attention to Glimki. So she's going to kind of run around a little and she's going to attack.
00:40:59
Speaker
with her rapier. Holy cannoli! That's a 12 to hit. I give you a plus two from the flank, but it's still not enough. What is up? That is so cringe. That's so cringe.
00:41:14
Speaker
That's a bonus action to help. That's a action to attack. And we are going to go to clay on the rooftop. Not quite top, but 30 feet off the ground-ish. Yes. How many guys are there left?
00:41:27
Speaker
There are two archers or two crossbowmen that are still firing up at you and one swordsman who is now flanked by Fondalyn and Gloomkey. Okay. Can I place 20-foot cube in a way that only hits the bad guys and not Fondalyn or Gloomkey?
00:41:43
Speaker
You could place a 20-foot cube that hits Faunalyn and all three bad guys. Yeah, I'm going to do it. It's fairy fire. So she can yeah save the dex save.
00:41:58
Speaker
Two crossbowmen. What's your spell save? 15. gets a 14, one gets 4, and then the other one gets a natural 20. The swordsman gets a natural 20. Okay, so the two crossbowmen and Faunalyn.
00:42:13
Speaker
Oh, well, I thought it was a natural one. but the light was just bouncing on it weird. It's actually a seven and I have a plus six to dex saves. So it's going to be a 13. 13 is not good enough though. So you and the two crossbowmen start glowing.
00:42:28
Speaker
Nice. So they shed dim light in a 10 foot radius. Yeah, I thought you might like it. And any attack roll against the affected creature has advantage if the attacker can see it.
00:42:42
Speaker
Nice. And they can't go invisible. And then I'm going to use my Spiritual Weapon to hit one of the crossbowmen. Cool. You can make that with the bonus from Fairy Fire.
00:42:54
Speaker
Yes, so it's advantage. Oh, which is not that great. 15 to hit? 15 hits. 11 force damage. 11 is enough to kill him. Ha! as He like looks down at his arms as they're like burning this like you know bright shades of blue and purple. And he's like, what the hells? As the mace comes sailing through the air and just sends him flying.
00:43:19
Speaker
he just sails like 20 feet back like and hits the ground it doesn't get up. There are two guards remaining. I would like to point out, not to make anyone feel bad, Clay has killed three guards, and the fourth one, Clay left them with two HP, and then Glimki finished them off. I'm trying. think of you need to wake up. Clay is really cool. What about it? Dangling above the fight instead of falling on the ground amidst it is better.
00:43:43
Speaker
And we're going to go to Glimke, speak of the devil. You have advantage and a plus two from the flank if you want to go after this guy. Okay, I just don't think I should attack this guy.
00:43:55
Speaker
I think maybe I should help Faunal in. For what it's worth, she's pretty healthy now. like She's gotten, think, like 11 points of healing in like the last... Yeah, I'm great. Okay, then I'm just going to try to protect her. So if I can take the dodge action and just move up next to her, i think that's what I can do.
00:44:15
Speaker
Okay, so you dodge and slide alongside next to Faunolin, and the guard will go unless you have a bonus action. No. Okay. In keeping with Faunolin's attempt to draw attention, he is going to attack her.
00:44:30
Speaker
Faunolin, does a 12 hit? No.
00:44:36
Speaker
Okay, enough said. He swings at you and you just dodge out of the way. because of the fairy fire, though. Oh, yes. Sorry. Well, I rolled worse on the second attack. Well, to be fair. He cuts through the air and you duck.
00:44:54
Speaker
And if you've been wearing your wig, it would have been chopped clean off. And instead, he just, yeah, he dodges out of the way and you are good. Let's do this one more time. Fonelin, it is your turn.
00:45:06
Speaker
I'm not going to attack. I'm going to say, drop your weapon. You need not die this day like your brethren. Give an intimidation roll. Intimidation. Mother!
00:45:18
Speaker
That is, rolled a two on the dice, so that's going to be a seven. He is like a rabid dog. He's just like, looks at his dead friends and just like, just growls at you. And there's like a bloodlust within him and he is not ready to stop.
00:45:34
Speaker
fighting. That's why they call me Mad Dog Carruthers! Whoa! I'm gonna say to, I'm gonna give the help action to Clay this time, who is now within range, and seeing that this foolhardy dwarf turned down my overshares of peace, I'm going to look at Clay and say, well then, put this dog down.
00:45:56
Speaker
That's my action. That's my turn. I figure my action was trying to persuade him. It was, yes. That is fondling. We go to clay. So which one is Mad Dog Carruthers? The swordsman. Okay, I'm going to smack him with... Mad Dog Carruthers.
00:46:11
Speaker
Wow, I keep rolling the same number. 14 plus 7 again for the spiritual weapon. That's going to hit. As it ever was. For another 12. Another 12 will be another kill. He says, I'll never die and I'll never stop...
00:46:27
Speaker
Yeah, I bonk him on the head with my spiritual weapon as a bonus action. And that was without Shifanolin's help. Can i try to make an intimidation to the last guard and get him to stand down?
00:46:43
Speaker
Sure. Drink an intimidation roll and we'll save with advantage.
00:46:48
Speaker
That's 17. He is going to put his hands up and the crossbow drops to the ground. And you hear several voices from the upstairs window say, what are you doing? Don't stop fighting.
00:47:03
Speaker
And you see up there's several guards. You don't have much time probably before they start rushing back down after you, but the fight has ended. Cool. Let's go. Let's get out of Is that again? Okay.
00:47:15
Speaker
Oh God. I, I don't, uh, Zach, how many pedals are left? Two. Two? That's not good. You've only got the two pedals. Okay, I don't really know what else we can do.
00:47:28
Speaker
I think we just gotta... think it's time, no? Like, we gotta, like, kick this thing off? Yes, was thinking that because, like, you can't take any more hits, really. Like, Etigan will die. and also, they're in disarray right now. And I just feel like if we don't proceed immediately while they're at the peak of their utmost chaos, then it just gives them time to like organize, you know? And if they're organized, that's really bad for us and they will kill us and all of our allies.
00:47:56
Speaker
Okay, yeah, that's what I'm thinking too, because if we just give them time to like figure out everything that just happened and then kind of get organized again, we'll have like lost this entire opportunity.
00:48:07
Speaker
Their HQ just got attacked and then suddenly there is a crowd of people with pitchforks at the gates. Like they'll have no idea what to do. But what about Etigan's heart? What about it? We still have to go to the mines and do the rebellion.
00:48:22
Speaker
Like, I feel like we should do the mines first. Save, ed because if, how do we start in rebellion when you're still like, you can't take any more hits. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, think we should like save Edigan and then maybe Edigan's able to help us with the rebellion? Yeah.
00:48:39
Speaker
mean, we have the proof now, so. So we go to the mines, we go to the mines now? No way. They just sent a bunch of security the mines, eh?
00:48:51
Speaker
Well, okay, we can't even go to the mines, right? Because we don't have... We need blast powder? shit, you have a blast powder. Because Boof said something about, like, the the tunnels are too narrow for us to get through.
00:49:02
Speaker
boo are you alright? And I'm going to feel around pockets for Boof. Boof here whole time. You see just a little bit of smoke coming out of your pocket. Never been better. Yeah. All right.
00:49:12
Speaker
Finally, like, snaps her fingers for the joint in her pocket. She's like, give it, give it. And should he pass it over, she would love to take a puff. That's a natural one. boof doesn't share his grass. Get your own.
00:49:26
Speaker
didn't really want to carry this wretched little selfish little it hoarding little withholding little brat around for much longer. Now, perhaps I wasn't clear. But y'all are too big to get to where you're trying to go.
00:49:40
Speaker
This place in the mines that you keep asking me about. There's some real tiny tunnels, too small for you, too small for dwarves. Just the right size for ol' boof, that's how I found it.
00:49:51
Speaker
But it's not part of the main mine, I just found it after a small fissure opened up, so unless you got a way of shrinking down real tiny... I don't think you're, a you're going to be able to make it.
00:50:03
Speaker
So we can't even get in there. So we need to find, we need to reconnect with Callum. Oh my God. Okay. We did just send a bunch of security guards there, but the other trouble is we've done so much shit in the last 24 hours. The whole town is going to be out for us, you know?
00:50:21
Speaker
Hey, Boof, is there another way into the mines?
00:50:26
Speaker
Only way in is the only way out, through the main gate. Well, Lady Fondalyn, you sent all the guards there. What if you do the same thing and tell them that the headquarters has been attacked again and they need all the guards back here?
00:50:38
Speaker
i Last time I was there, i pretended to be Franny. and I um jumped out of a window, i don't really think I can just walk back in. i don't think that's advisable. Stop jumping out of windows.
00:50:53
Speaker
I did have one idea the other day. The other day I was forging, we need to get out of here. What are we doing? And Pornlin is just going to pull them and run. You look around, you're surrounded by guards. Oh, shit. Jonathan's gonna run. we ah Grab the guard that surrendered to us and just like shake him. Be like, open the gates for us.
00:51:14
Speaker
Perfect. Yeah. you You tug on the rope. It slides free. You slide down carefully and he runs over to the gates and just, he works real hard. We never discussed the exact mechanism by which the gates are open and closed. And guess what? We're not going to describe it today either. But he opens the gates and the three of you run off as guards are shouting from up above and within the courtyard.
00:51:36
Speaker
Can I get a group stealth roll? Oh no. I got a 22. Now how are you two clanky bastards? let me down? Okay, not bad. I got a 17 on the first one and a 15. That's pretty good.
00:51:50
Speaker
Oh, wow. got four. Fat four. Yeah, there it is. Fat four. That's okay. Two out of three succeeded and you managed to slip down into some alleys and avoid detection.
00:52:02
Speaker
And similar to how you crossed the bridge in the first place, you used the magic rope. Actually, we'll see like just guards abandon the bridge. You you get to the bridge and you see it's abandoned as the guards see the explosion go off on the upper floor of the HQ building and run away.
00:52:16
Speaker
And you manage to get back into the artist district without being stopped. Vis-a-vis actually they're the Boof of it all. I'm just, it's just code to me. Do you think Boof could just like take the flower to Ettingham for you?
00:52:28
Speaker
Because he can go, he can like fit in a little hole. That's his whole thing. Oh, okay. So like him just crawl through the the way that the Briganox just get into the mine?
00:52:39
Speaker
hey like He just takes the flower and he just goes. I don't know. I survive without you though, Kinky? I don't know. ah Zach? is it how Is there any way that I could tell if that's possible?
00:52:50
Speaker
Give me a nature check with advantage. ah twelve 12. 12. The flower is not just something that's like growing like it's not just something you've like put in your hair it is growing out of it it is growing out of you and i think you know that etigan's spirit is intertwined with yours That is why when you are injured, he feels it. He gets weaker.
00:53:20
Speaker
So it even if the flower could be plucked, his power does not rest within the within within the flower. It rests within you. Yeah, that makes sense. So we've got a lot of things to figure out.
00:53:32
Speaker
We need to figure out the blast powder thing for the mines. Callum's friends obviously deal went sideways, but they got some of the blast powder. So we need to reconnect with Callum and figure that whole situation out. So that means we have to go back to what is that place called? Manus? Manus. Manus. We have to go back to Manus and get the blast powder. And then also once we're there, this is a great time for me to give a little speechy speech and get the people raring to go. You know what I'm saying? You want to give to the speech? Yeah. I have to bring that up. True, because are the people in Manus that we want to fight in the Rebellion or aren aren't the people here?
00:54:04
Speaker
I think they're, yeah, right? Wait. The seed of the Rebellion is in Manus, but it needs to be planted in Onkyl.
00:54:15
Speaker
That's where the majority of the people live. That is where Korak's oppression is felt most acutely. That is where you will find the most potential allies outside of Calum and his gang.
00:54:26
Speaker
That's what i'm saying. We go back to the artist alley right now. We gather Baina and hammer and tongs and show them that solid proof.
00:54:37
Speaker
Where is Sapfiend? Did he come to Ankyil with us or is he in Manus? He stayed on the shores of the lake, last you heard. he had stayed behind while the four of you sailed back across the lake. Okay, so we go to Manus, which actually, which actually, okay, we go to Manus. It actually works because there's a few things I want to talk to Franny about. i know, I know, we're fighting right now. No, wait, it'll be fine. It'll be good. We're chill. I can handle that. And then we, like, coordinate with the rebels. She tried to blow us I can handle Franny.
00:55:10
Speaker
It's fine. ah And then we... so cu but It's actually good because we like regroup with the rebels in Manus and then we come back here. Glimki does the speech. Like we're we're coordinated. Glimki does the speech and we like rebel in earnest. Yeah. I just need to bring the evidence back to Hammer and Tongs and they said they would spread the word for us.
00:55:31
Speaker
Right. Oh. Okay. Do you want to do that now? And then, or, or like, I guess you should probably do that now before we go to Menace because then they'll have like time to circulate it. Yeah. They did say it would take some time.
00:55:42
Speaker
So I think the speech should definitely come after that. Okay. This is actually good because they're they're probably going to be looking for us knowing that we were just seen escaping. So it's actually a good time for us to like clear out of the city. Yeah, that's true. This is, it's all coming together. i see it. It's happening. And I think it's the only thing I'm struggling with is that like, I, this all sounds like, yes, this is the good thing to do, but like everything is popping off right now. It would be like such a good time, but I, I and totally understand. We need the time.
00:56:12
Speaker
We need the time. Yeah, and I need to lay low a little bit. If we have the Blast Powder. If we lose Ed again, then I don't know what we're gonna do. No, you're- No, guys right. That's That's so true. And they'll probably lock down the city, like, ASAP.
00:56:25
Speaker
Even more. So we should probably, like, get out before- before that happens. But I knew, like, I also kind of just want to do it and, like- know, know. We need Blast Powder. We can't get into the mines, though. Yeah, we need the Blast Powder. Stupid Blast Powder. It's okay. How hard can it be to get some Blast Powder? It's a mining town.
00:56:42
Speaker
yeah You're right. Although Grimki had the Blast Powder Dealer arrested, so I guess kind of hard now. Whoops. Remember your little corporate side quest? That was crazy. Okay, to Manus, to Manus. I mean, okay, wait. So, speakeasy.
00:56:55
Speaker
clay you're going have a conversation, and then we'll all go to Manus together? Yeah. Yes. So, you guys go get some rest. I will go speak to the artists first, and then also maybe crash at their place, and we meet up in the morning to go to Manus.
00:57:08
Speaker
Gamekeep, any complaints? You lie low especially. We don't know where Franny is going to pop out from. Stay away from all fish. Stay away from any sea creature, any seafood, any fish-related decor, any people that look slightly fishy.
00:57:27
Speaker
yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, I will. I'll be careful. Okay, good. Alright, see you guys in a bit, I guess. Glimke and Fawnelin return to Speakeasy Artworks. We'll say you take the key from Clay.
00:57:38
Speaker
You get inside, lie down for a much needed rest. It is it is very late, I will remind you. It's like probably 2, 3 in the morning. The two of you crash in your respective ways.
00:57:51
Speaker
And Clay, you hurry back to Artis Alley and get to the Glass Dragon. oh It's late at night now, like in the middle of the night. Extremely late, yes.
00:58:03
Speaker
I feel bad for bothering these people again. and knock on their door. yeah You knock and the lights stay off and nobody answers.
00:58:17
Speaker
Oh no. Are there any lights on any of the artists' like buildings along the street? On? I'd say there's some streetlights, but otherwise,
00:58:29
Speaker
no Change of plans. I'm going to go back to the artist's place and rest, and then I will try again in the morning. Perfect. You get back.
00:58:40
Speaker
You lie down. With the threat of danger looming mixed with the exhaustion of the last couple of days, does everybody sleep or slash trance?
00:58:53
Speaker
Do you keep watch? has a lock on it. Is Baynar there? She doesn't sleep here. She's got another place elsewhere in the city. How far is it from here to Manus? It's a half day, like four hours.
00:59:07
Speaker
Can we rec get a full rest and keep a watch? Yeah, it just adds like, you know, a little bit of time. Admittedly, like Fondalyn only needs four hours of sleep. So I'd say because she's an elf, you can each sleep six hours. Fondalyn can transfer for four hours. Like, you know you and Glynky can do a two hour watch. Fondalyn can do a four hour watch and you could get a full long rest. Booth can do the whole watch.
00:59:30
Speaker
He's uninjured. Yeah, Booth can keep a watch. If you want, he could chip in for sure. Oh man, i don't know if I'd trust Booth to keep a watch. Okay, well, I feel like maybe we should just take shifts. Yeah. Maybe Booth could watch for a little bit.
00:59:48
Speaker
Then maybe you and I can do do one each, Clay. Yeah. If you can help with our watch, then I would like to take a long rest. Okay. What is the watch order? We'll say Booth does two hours, Clay Glimki each do an hour, and then Fondelin does four.
01:00:05
Speaker
But what's the order? Ugh. Fonelin, Boof, Glimke, Clay. Okay. I'll do the last watch. Fonelin, Boof, Glimke, Clay. Fonelin, could you please give me a perception roll for the first four hours of the night?
01:00:20
Speaker
Sure. That is an 18. You hear footsteps in the night. Ugh. Boots on stone. And you pull back the curtain, you keep the lights off, and you glimpse out And you see that a buffed up regiment of guards has returned to the bridge. Because Speakeasy Artworks basically on the river. And you have a view of the bridge from where this building is positioned.
01:00:51
Speaker
And whatever... Opening there was, whatever distraction that you created with the explosion Korak HQ has been rectified and the bridges are once again under guard. kind of You wake up, Boof.
01:01:05
Speaker
you You nudge him and he he blinks awake and lights up. And I'm going to roll a percentile die to see if he stays awake during his shift.
01:01:16
Speaker
Glimke, you are surprised when a couple hours later you feel just like a little scratching on your cheek and you look over and Boof is like, hey man, I'm done.
01:01:28
Speaker
i did my shift. Come on. Get up. Get up. He's going kick you in the ear. Get up. Get up. Okay. Stop. whats What's up? Just the end of my... my johnny that's that's not the word i want to use all right mean my weed no my dick let me be clear oh man boof goes and climbs into the uh the cook pot above the fireplace and nothing bad will happen to him there i'm sure glimki give me a perception roll perception that is 18 18. off on the other side of the river
01:02:07
Speaker
It's faint at first. donng
01:02:15
Speaker
It gets louder over time. god to to And you look out as well. And you see a pair of these metal constructs that you have previously seen escorting wagons of materials from the mines approach the bridge.
01:02:36
Speaker
and stand at attention, one facing either direction. Okay, so these big metal construct things, are they like, is it like a mech? Like, are people piloting them? like How do they work?
01:02:49
Speaker
You don't know the mechanism by which they work. You know what? I'm going to say with an 18 that you hear the noise as they approach. And one of them crosses the bridge. The guards that are there stand to the side and it walks through and, you know, stands at the end.
01:03:06
Speaker
The other one turns around, like i said, facing the other direction. But I will say, as you see them approaching, there are two dwarves wearing robes who are walking alongside them.
01:03:17
Speaker
And they're going to step into a nearby building. and close the door behind them. And then the constructs just sort of post up and don't move beyond that point.
01:03:28
Speaker
And we go to Clay for the last hour of the night. Can I get a perception roll? Sure. Does Glidki tell me about those robots and everything? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:03:40
Speaker
Okay, Clay, there is these metal constructs guarding the bridge. I don't really know how they work, but it kind of looks like they're being controlled by some guys that are now hiding in that little shack.
01:03:55
Speaker
So maybe just keep an eye on that. Definitely. Maybe they'll come out of there or if they stay in there or whatever, then we'll we'll know. Yeah, I'll keep an eye out. You try to get some rest for the last hour. That's a nat 20 on my perception for 24. A nat 20. Nice.
01:04:12
Speaker
With a nat 20, I'm going to tell you two things. First, you keep a close eye on the constructs on either side of the bridge. They stand perfectly still like statues throughout the night.
01:04:29
Speaker
not a twitch of an arm, perfectly motionless. Second, you hear a rattling at the door.
01:04:40
Speaker
A second later, you hear the lock turn, and the door opens, and you see Baina Taurosi standing in the opening. oh She glances over and she sees you and says, Oh, sorry.
01:04:54
Speaker
hope I didn't wake you. I just couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come here and print off some more of the symbol and try and get distributed to some more folks, you know? Yeah, no, no. Please come in. This is your place. Thank you for letting us stay here.
01:05:09
Speaker
oh of course. a pull her in and like bolt the door behind her. Yeah, there's been some developments actually. We have some more solid evidence against the Korak company to kind of like fuel this rebellion.
01:05:24
Speaker
I think you'll bring a lot more people on board if you can help us with that. What do you mean? Um, can I do a quick insight roll? For sure. Yeah, I don't know why I feel suspicious of her right now. She just came in in the middle of the night. I don't know.
01:05:38
Speaker
It's like, I will say it's like it's early, early morning. It's probably like five or six. Like there's a brief glow as you see the astral pieces of pharaohs are starting to swirl in the sky and recongeal into a burning bird.
01:05:49
Speaker
But yeah, make that inside roll. I just want to see like no signs of outside influence over her and she's like trustworthy and not Korak robot or Franny robot. That's 14 plus 4, 18.
01:06:05
Speaker
18. Yeah, you like look her hard in the eyes. There was a glassiness to the eyes of Captain Bercosi as he tried to blow you up tonight. There was a mucusy element to him.
01:06:19
Speaker
You look her in the eyes. Her eyes are clear and sharp. She looks a little tired maybe, but it's pretty early in the morning. She doesn't have the weariness of those that are under the influence or...
01:06:31
Speaker
within the domain of Franny seem to carry. As for influence from Korak, that's harder to say. Maybe someone's bribed her or whatever, right? Like there's no way to ever know for sure, but she's acting normal.
01:06:47
Speaker
She's not doing anything other than being here, And being here, especially after the night you've had, other than that, she seems completely herself. Okay. Well, Clay's going to like shake off her paranoia and pull her to the side, light a lantern, pull out the the scroll, and show it to her.
01:07:09
Speaker
I don't know. You probably noticed like all those Korak guards on your way in. Or maybe, i don't know, heard some explosions earlier tonight. But we managed to retrieve this from Buntar's office.
01:07:26
Speaker
Here, take a look. Read this. And I show her the scroll with the contract. She reads through it. And as she does, tears begin to well up in her eyes.
01:07:40
Speaker
She has to push the scroll out of the way to avoid... ruining it as just yet tears stream down her face and sprinkle across the table and she she wipes them away and says oh that's terrible i knew knew she wouldn't have turned on us if there wasn't a good reason that's uh oh geez bloody korak Yeah, all these years you thought your governor had betrayed you and you guys were powerless to do anything against the Korak Company.
01:08:12
Speaker
But now that there is this truth, do you think more people, is there something you guys can do? Choose a new governor? Kick them off the island? I think we're going to do a lot more than just kick them. Yeah, burn them.
01:08:27
Speaker
who I was thinking punch, but yeah. yeah maybe Punch, kick, and burn. That's what I'm talking about. The old three piece. Give me a little bit of time. I think i'm right now I'm fighting mad.
01:08:42
Speaker
If I didn't know a little bit better, I'd try marching across that bridge right now. And I imagine there's a lot of folk here that feel the same way. Give it a little time.
01:08:53
Speaker
Let us get the people ready, and then when the time is right, you show them what you just showed me, and we'll kick these fuckers out.
01:09:04
Speaker
Good. That's what I want to hear. I think, are you close with Hammer and Tongs? Not close, but friendly. They've been a great help to us also and I've kind of brought them in on the rebellion as well.
01:09:17
Speaker
It was really late when we got back last night so I didn't want to disturb them but I really think they need to see this as well and help spread the word if you wanted to help. Maybe you could speak with them and work together.
01:09:30
Speaker
Of course. I'll head over right away. You keep that safe. That is yeah extremely important. Yeah. Maybe we can get Fonlin to help make some copies to have more in case something happens. But I think me and my friends were heading out to Manus in a couple hours in the morning to catch up with Callum and rally some allies there as well. So Okay.
01:09:57
Speaker
You do that. Give us a little time. maybe Maybe a week if you can spare it. And then we bring everyone together once they're once we see what we're working with, you know?
01:10:09
Speaker
Yeah. Thanks. Thank you for helping. Of course. Alright. She slides her chair back and gets up and gives you a big hug and says or be be safe now.
Bridge Crossing Strategies
01:10:24
Speaker
I'll see real soon. Thank you. You too. They've really increased the guard presence because we we did kind of kick up a storm on the other side of the bridge. So you be careful here as well. I don't want yeah we to get any of you guys in trouble.
01:10:39
Speaker
You betcha. I know how to go unavoided. Unavoided? Unnoticed. That's the I know how to go unnoticed. So hopefully you can say the same because, yeah, you don't need to get yourself killed for our island.
01:10:51
Speaker
It's not really our style. We'll be blasting our way through probably, but I'm happy to lead the charge. so i'm I'm sure. I'm sure. And she's going to let herself out.
01:11:03
Speaker
And I say, as the door closes, you latch it and Glimki and Faunalyn, you hear the the sound of the door latching and it wakes you from your slumber.
01:11:15
Speaker
You have completed a long rest and regain your spell slots and hit points. The only thing you're missing is some petals. Yeah. I catch both of them up on the conversation I just had and the fact that I didn't get to talk to him and tongs yet, but Bainal will probably do that for us.
01:11:35
Speaker
First things first, we've got to get over that freaking bridge. Do we have to go over the bridge to get to Manus? You don't. Oh, we don't? No. The gate... Oh. Manus is on this side of the river. Oh, sweet.
01:11:46
Speaker
So getting back in will be its own problem. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay, let's go right now. Enough dilly-dallying. And Glimki, you walk in the middle, okay? Clay at the front, you in the middle, me at the back, because you have precious cargo. Yeah, good thinking. Yes.
01:11:59
Speaker
I've rearranged my spells, and I've prepared one called Sanctuary, just in case. Ooh. Ooh, nice. Yes. Let's ah get to stepping.
01:12:10
Speaker
Is there specific things that Faunalyn, or any of you rather, really, I know Faunalyn kind of does. Is there anything specific you want to do in Manus?
Objectives in Manus and Spreading Propaganda
01:12:21
Speaker
Because I'm of two minds. One is like, I know, like, obviously, you want to, you got to get ahold of Callum, you got to, you know, obtain the blast powder. And then Faunalyn, there's also like the finalizing of the deal with Franny. Yeah.
01:12:33
Speaker
Do you want to roleplay like all of Manus and like going there and going back? We could also do a skills challenge for this week of like spreading propaganda, making preparations. And I think that is kind of my preference for how to do it. Just like get us through this week. It's hard to roleplay gathering allies.
01:12:50
Speaker
Yeah, let's do it. No, totally. I think this is like a montage moment where we're like showing. So basically, I'm going to say that each day is or like like one to two things can happen per day in the lead up to the kickstarting of the rebellion.
01:13:04
Speaker
Let's dive in. We are going to go Prima, Shannon, Jordan. So we are going to start with you, Prima and The following morning, after Baina heads out, the three of you depart.
01:13:17
Speaker
We'll say you walk along the riverbank and you pass by the other bridge, the Mosaic Bridge, and you see that it too has been reinforced with these metal constructs, these metal men standing guard, and you navigate your way out the gate.
01:13:33
Speaker
There's like some scrutiny, but they're not like, they're not searching bags of people even. at least, and you get on the road to Manus. And could you please tell me about something that you try to accomplish on your way there or on your way back or while
Rebellion Preparations and Symbolism
01:13:49
Speaker
you're there? Something about the journey or what you do in Manus? Yeah, since gathering allies and I assume there's going to be some big conflict.
01:14:00
Speaker
My medicine skill is my best one and I've not been using it. I want to roll that. I was thinking like preparing like healing supplies in case we get into another big battle where Fonulin like falls off another building.
01:14:13
Speaker
Something to help Bun Ki. Just preparing some supplies to hand out to like our rebellion allies also. Just like something helpful that weist. Amazing. You start preparing first aid kits. Yeah, exactly.
01:14:25
Speaker
I love that. I'm going to say you get to Manus then. The journey to Manus uneventful. The roads are clear. And there's a place called Lewin's Fish and Supply that you haven't been to in your previous visits. And you you go inside and you meet an older man, maybe his late 50s, by the name of Lewin Finlay. And he rents out fishing supplies, but you also get to talking with him and he's got like some old sails and stuff and he's got, you know, i'd like hooks from and and needles and threads, things that you would use for, you know, fishing boats, things to mend sails and a lot of it is transferable.
01:15:05
Speaker
to first aid kits. Maybe it's not the most hygienic thing in the world, but for a rebellion, maybe sometimes you have to cut some corners. Give me a medicine check as you try and build up a collection of healer's kits. Okay, I'm like infusing seaweed with Macrog's warming energy to make like salon pass. Stickers for people. Okay, my medicine is plus six.
01:15:34
Speaker
So I rolled 14, so it's a 20. 20. Amazing. You tell Lewin what... Your business is you give him the symbol and you tell him and he looks out at the cannery up the shore of the lake and you just see an anger and a resentment in his eyes and he sets off to help you and you to spend much of that day in Manus.
01:16:02
Speaker
tearing down old sails, cutting them into strips. He goes diving into the lake at one point and comes back with just like a bunch of seaweed and promises that it's got some medicinal properties and spends some time like drying it out and grinding it up.
01:16:15
Speaker
Maybe you use your fire to dry it out a bit. And he's got old tackle boxes that he just rips out the stuff inside of it and packs it with these makeshift healing supplies.
01:16:26
Speaker
And that is one success. And he gives you one of these healers kits for you to take with you and promises to distribute the rest to Callum or to find a way to bring them into the city before the rebellion begins. And I'm going to you give them like, you say like one week.
01:16:43
Speaker
Like it's going to be a week from today, things kick off. Meet in Padera Square, which is that big central courtyard in the artist district where the church that you previously had discussed is located.
01:16:55
Speaker
And that's a success. and we're going to go down to Faunelin. Cool! So I think one of the ways that I contribute to the Rebellion in the intervening week is I take to sewing, like meeting up with people who who have agreed to be part of the Rebellion, and I take to sewing on the inside of their cloak using some scrap fabric, the symbol of the Rebellion. And then when the time comes and they wish to bear the symbol, they can flip their cloaks around. i was very inspired by Clay in the office because I think it's equally important to, it's important that people look
01:17:29
Speaker
the part too. Fawnalyn believes you've got to look the part as much as act the part. And just as an aside, I would like to have a quick visit with Franny while I'm here, but I don't think now's the time for that. We can do the skills challenge. That's dangerous. You tried to us Okay. Think about that. I don't have beef with her. You're the one who tried to explode her. God, my friends are so embarrassing.
01:17:49
Speaker
My question for you, Fawnalyn, is are you going to see her before the Korak representatives arrive? Yes, but not like the second I get to Manus. I think like they're scheduled to get there a week out. Fauniline would go like five days out. Okay. So we will we will touch in on that at some point shortly.
01:18:09
Speaker
What are you envisioning for your skill here? Are you thinking sleight of hand or something else? I mean, I have a proficiency with ah with Weaver's tools. I was kind of just thinking to do like proficiency check with my Weaver's tools. So we'll do a dexterity and you can add your proficiency modifier.
01:18:25
Speaker
Lovely. That is a 24. The dice are heating up at a critical moment. Excellent. You do that. You will say this is like a little bit and in the future. Like you said, you go to different meetings. Meetings are starting to happen at night.
01:18:41
Speaker
Little groups of five, maybe seven, 10 people at most in various art studios and cellars
Blast Powder Acquisition and Ally Introduction
01:18:49
Speaker
and attics and... You have this design and you start embroidering cloaks with it and people know what's going on, what the plan is.
01:19:01
Speaker
Klimki, what is a thing you do? Okay, so I think I, yeah, we need to find Callum and and the blast powder. Okay. Investigation then or something else? i mean, we have a method of contacting Calum, right?
01:19:18
Speaker
It's to go to the pub. Or I guess it's not really. It's just like waiting for him to buy us a drink. It's not really a method of contacting him. investigation yeah give me give me an investigation and i think i'm going to like extrapolate this out to like not just like finding callum and the blast powder but also probably like going back to the city and determining the best means of using it like just like looking for structural structures that you could you know attack and i got a 12 12 was the dc oh okay all right
01:19:51
Speaker
You and Callum meet up. Rint Tokay, the gecko lizard folk bartender, says, excuse me, mate, I brought you your drink.
01:20:01
Speaker
And the curtain that divides the bar from the back room, you see it's pulled open and Callum just smiles and waves at you. and the two of you meet up and he takes you down into the cellar and he introduces you to two of his companions that you briefly saw, one of whom tried to light you on fire.
01:20:21
Speaker
They are Mersk Dormin. He is a half-orc and you find out that he is a veteran. He fought in the last Trine War, which is a Thing that in 34 episodes now, I guess the previous 33, we did not discuss at all. It was this larger regional conflict to the west of Erdeneen in this area known as the Trinelands, which are these three nations that used to be one and then many, many, many centuries ago underwent a civil war and split and every so often they wind up fighting each other. the last one around 20 years ago, the last flare up, and he fought in that and lost his leg.
01:21:00
Speaker
And the other is a Emerald Edelman, who is this young human woman. She's got blonde hair and pointy incisors and she was the one who threw the torch on you and she apologizes profusely.
01:21:11
Speaker
And Callum points at the kegs of wine and points at three of them that are red and you are informed that stuff that you found out in the meantime through your time as Geronimo T. Gates, most likely, but they were spotted during the exchange.
01:21:28
Speaker
It seems like Korak knew about the exchange, but that Eden's stick was not, did not set them up. And he was caught and they don't know what happened to him, but they managed to escape with three of the five promised kegs. They managed to lay low for a little bit and then hide them in a wagon coming back to Manus and got here without trouble. And they've been trying to just like scheme and Callum's extremely excited about what you've been doing and the progress you've made. And the two of you return to Onkel and start looking for...
01:22:03
Speaker
potential blast sites out of my own curiosity is there anywhere in particular i have two questions one is there are any specific buildings or sites bridges other structures the governor's mansion whatever that you are leaning towards as potential targets and then the second one is do you mention the potential need for some blast powder to access that chamber in the mines that boof told you about Yeah, okay, so what I'm thinking is i want to see if there are any places along the river under all of those key bridges that maybe we could stash some of the explosive powder.
01:22:48
Speaker
and i don't know i'm gonna have to ask callum to like help me out with this because he's got the gots of blast powder from his friends but we're gonna need some for maybe blowing up the bridges and then yeah i guess like getting another one to take to the mines Is that going be something that I need to roll persuasion for? No persuasion roll necessary. You have earned this success well in advance.
Artistic Mobilization and Recruitment
01:23:15
Speaker
He looks at the flower in your hair, sees that it's down to two petals, and immediately says, of course, yeah, if you think if you think it'll help bring back Etigan.
01:23:26
Speaker
Honestly, that's almost as important as getting rid of Korak, because I think if he goes, I don't know if the island's going to get better, even if we get rid of the dwarves. And we are going to go back to Clay.
01:23:39
Speaker
It is back to you. We will say you probably are back in Onkyl at this point. You return to the city. A few days have passed since the return trip to Manus. Unless there's more in Manus you want to do, that's totally fine.
01:23:52
Speaker
But what happens next? I guess she'll just go around the artist alley and just help like try to convince them to join the cause and just like mingle and kind of like get to know them a bit.
01:24:06
Speaker
Yeah, i just try to like gather up some enthusiasm, see who is like capable of fighting also and like trying to help some of the more vulnerable people like prepare in case Korak retaliates, just like arming up the artist alley, I guess.
01:24:26
Speaker
Okay. It's like preparing for war. feels kind of scary. Yeah. That sounds like a persuasion to me, unless there's another angle that you were thinking of. Persuasion's good.
01:24:37
Speaker
I can do persuasion. Let's do persuasion. Oh, that's not as good. That's a 12. Okay. is unfortunately not quite enough. Can I guidance myself?
01:24:49
Speaker
I mean, this is like multiple conversations over the course of multiple yeah meetings, you know? So I do think like before each of these meetings, if Clay said a quick prayer to McCrogh and then like, like maybe you're not around to like bless Glimke while he's looking at bridges, you know, and like trying to find bombing sites, you're always going to be able to like bless yourself. So I'm going to say, sure.
01:25:10
Speaker
I think in this case it makes sense. So go ahead and add that D4. It's just a one. So it's now a 13. It's probably not enough. The DC was 13 for this one. Whoa! That's crazy. are so... Wow.
01:25:25
Speaker
That keeps happening to us Yeah. Yeah. You are dancing on a knife's edge of success and failure. And I'm going to say the success here is twofold. You managed to find people.
01:25:37
Speaker
Bane is talking to people. Hammer and Tongs are talking to people. You're introduced into other, for lack of a better word, leaders within the community. There is a man who you met on the street. He walks with a limp.
01:25:48
Speaker
His name is Barksdale Stormare. And you find out, you try and recruit him one day. Like, Hammer and Tongs bring you to meet him, and they bring you into this fantastic art gallery that's at the end of Artist's Alley. It's like this glass dome. It's multi-stories.
01:26:03
Speaker
Barksdale is quick to tell you that it was, at one point, the tallest building in Onkiel before the dwarves moved in and built the HQ and the green sapphire and some of the other industrial plants.
01:26:16
Speaker
He's this very gregarious individual who is, is just like, he's, he's pretentious, but not in an annoying way. Like, there's an earnestness behind his demeanor that you're like, okay.
01:26:29
Speaker
There's another version of of this guy out there that you just hate. But this version of this guy, like, you kind of like him. And you find out that he was the one who gave Callum and his friends the money to buy the blast powder in the first place. He tells you that on maybe your second or third meeting. And... He has people over for under the premise of art showings, and you see some truly beautiful art, but it's also a chance for people to hear about the rebellion and hear about the plan and to prepare for war.
01:26:59
Speaker
The other facet of the success is that you manage to find the right people. Because as this thing grows, by necessity you need to bring more people in.
01:27:11
Speaker
But that also opens you up to risk. A plant, someone who's been bribed, someone who's just not convinced, someone who's just untrustworthy.
01:27:22
Speaker
For the time being, it seems like news is spreading, but it doesn't seem like Korak's caught on to what you are building. Very clutch guidance. Yeah.
01:27:33
Speaker
We are going to go back to Fonelin. wo Boop, boop. Okay, the blasting powder is taken care of. We're spreading the word. i want to... I don't know. What do you guys think? What still needs doing?
01:27:46
Speaker
We kind of got it covered. Weapons. Weapons. Yeah. wow Oh, weapons. Where are we going to get weapons? The dragonborns have their breath weapon. i don't know everyone else what else they have. Okay.
01:28:02
Speaker
Oh, you know what you should do? You should write some letters coming from like upper management or something. Genius. Okay, perfect. Yeah, like disturb their panic men. That will be my other thing. Yes, that's a great idea.
01:28:16
Speaker
I really like the idea of interfering with his workforce.
Disruption within Korak's Ranks
01:28:21
Speaker
ok So I am going to write a ton of fraudulent letters that are like firing people, notifying people that they will not be paid, notifying people that their performance review has been extremely negative and like they simply have to. He knows that they worked 80 hours last week, but they simply have to work harder. and I also want to forge some notes that seem like letters that are like I want to pick some extremely common names and then have it be just like a short little note from Boontar that's like, John is shit at his job, complete embarrassment, and make it seem like the way Boontar speaks about his employees is like derogatory and unkind. And then anytime anyone is going to the city, i give them
01:29:06
Speaker
like, handful of letters. And I say, like, drop these in mailboxes, scatter these notes on the street, leave these where people will find them, and just start inundating the dwarf people with these, like, notes that undermine their confidence. It's like the allies flying over German villages and like dropping pamphlets. Yes. Similar vibe.
01:29:30
Speaker
Okay. I'm going to say, i'm not going to tell you the number, but it is going to be a slightly higher DC. It's going to be higher risk, higher reward. Yeah. So would you say this is a roll with your forgery kit?
01:29:44
Speaker
I would say it is a roll with my forgery kit. Okay, so we will say you're proficient and I think it's less the sleight of hand element. I do think it's the deception element. So we will say like you can add your charisma rather than your dexterity.
01:29:57
Speaker
I would way rather add dexterity, but that's fine. you ok if you Sorry, I thought that was a a boon. You can also make it dexterity. i'm trying to give you I was trying to give you the better of the two. I'm an awkward little guy, but I'm very dexterous. that makes sense. You're a rogue. I sometimes forget that you're a rogue because of how you conduct yourself. Because never do rogue stuff. Yeah. yeah you Okay, I'm going to put the mic on the dice so you can hear it roll.
01:30:19
Speaker
Did you get that? Was it crispy? Didn't come through at all. No, didn't hear it. well, heard it and it was crispy and it was the crisp sound of a delightful and charming 23 the morning. 17 6 is 23.
01:30:34
Speaker
Okay. Please say the DC was 25. It was not 25. It was high. It was not that high. That is a success. It makes a little bit of difficulty for Clay, but a couple things happen.
01:30:46
Speaker
Rumors spread of infighting, inefficiencies, lowered morale. Some of the letters are discarded as junk mail, as deception, maybe later on, especially in the week. But early on,
01:31:03
Speaker
It causes chaos. It also causes a few defections. Holy... And this is where it causes difficulty for Clay, where suddenly some of these meetings, people are like, hey, I met a dwarf at a bar.
01:31:18
Speaker
He seems like he wants to come over to our side. And you have to really be careful. The meetings are starting to gain some attention. And it's probably only a matter of time until somebody nefarious infiltrates your ranks.
01:31:32
Speaker
Hmm. I will also say, at one of these meetings that Clay attends, Hammer and Tongs are there, some other newly joined members of the Rebellion, the Etta gang, gather, and they're talking about plans, and they're talking about how to break through the bridge and get to the other side, and how to storm Korak HQ, and how to seize control of the refinery facility.
01:31:58
Speaker
All these things, right? And there is a knock at the door, and everyone freezes. and it opens up, you open it up, and a dwarf with red hair and a, many would say ugly face, is standing there with a couple of artists, and... This is Terry. he says, Hi, my name's Terry.
01:32:20
Speaker
Ah, yes! Terry! And he's brought in, and you find out that he was found with drugs, and he was supposed to be hung a few days ago, but...
01:32:33
Speaker
After the former head of security, a man named Geronimo T. Gates, was thrown off of the green sapphire, they decided to reopen Terry's case and ensure it was up to snuff, that it was by the books, and they determined that there was insufficient evidence to hang
Transport Cart and Illusory Script
01:32:52
Speaker
him.
01:32:52
Speaker
So he he was saved, but it left a bad taste in his mouth that his company that he's dedicated decades to was willing to hang him on on on ah on a whim. on a chaotic whim and he wishes to join the rebellion that he's started to hear about and we are going to cut to the man who would have had Terry executed Glimke no that man died he was thrown off balcony and died yeah Toronto T-Grid no longer exists and we'll never know what T stood for yeah we won't ever.
01:33:32
Speaker
Unless you subscribe to the Patreon. Oh my. Just a list of T names. Which doesn't exist. Shit, now we gotta launch a Patreon before this episode comes out.
01:33:44
Speaker
I would love to be able to figure out how we get a transport cart or caravan that we can we can Trojan horse these guys. Amazing. Yeah, I think there are two more obvious routes, and perhaps there's some unobvious ones that I'm not seeing. But I think you could probably steal one, or you could try and build one. Like, try and copy the design.
01:34:07
Speaker
Dude, we're recruiting a bunch of artists. I think we're going to have a very easy time. case Stealing. yeah oh lord We're going to build one.
01:34:23
Speaker
Okay. And we're going to make it look so legit because we're artists. Amazing. Can I give guidance on this one? It's appropriate thematically. Roll a percentile for me. On a 1 to 50, then you are available when Glimke is working on this plan. On a 51 to 100, you are taking care of other business.
01:34:46
Speaker
That's 12. 12. Wow, wow, wow. Okay. Yes, you can give guidance to Glimki. He tells you about the plan and you come by and you start just like praying to Macrog and putting hands on hands on artists. Yes. What are we envisioning here? This feels like a carpenter's a carpenter's supplies type of check, unless you've got a different skill that you would like to try and convince me of.
01:35:10
Speaker
Hmm.
01:35:12
Speaker
No, that feels right. okay Are you proficient with carpenter supplies? Nope. But one of the artists must be, right? Is there a skill he can use to persuade them to help?
01:35:23
Speaker
Yeah, I'm going to say you can make a strength roll. And then because you're being helped, I will say you can roll this with advantage because there's just like a bunch of artists working together on this at this point. Some of your previous roles have succeeded enough that you've got, you're not working alone. It's not just the three of you and Callum anymore. It's all coming together.
01:35:44
Speaker
And then you can also add a d four from clay. Thank God I had advantage. And a d4. And a d4. Wow. So my first roll was a five, but my second was 21 plus two. 23. It is simultaneously harder and easier than maybe you were thinking.
01:36:09
Speaker
At the end of the day, it is just a cart. It's not like they've got a super unique design. They're utilitarian. They're dwarven. Perhaps if this was a rebellion in an elven kingdom, and this was a cart that was sung into existence, grown from a tree itself, maybe it would be harder to replicate.
01:36:25
Speaker
But this is a covered wagon with a Korak logo on each side, and with the artists you have assembled, you are you want to say that out loud? That's very funny.
01:36:40
Speaker
I was just picturing the struggle is actually asking a bunch of artists to basically design the Cybertruck. 100% yeah yeah yeah it's it's a wooden cyber truck yeah it just like kills your creativity actually yeah uh 20 people defect afterwards but uh no you have you have a a wagon and we are going to do one more round as we approach the final days leading up to the start of the rebellion so yeah we're going to back to clay for one last round
01:37:17
Speaker
Not really related to the skills check, but sometime during this week, I want to look at the emerald pen I got from the safe and just see it's something special. Yes, it is a pen. Perhaps you try, you know what I'm going to say you can decide who gets the pen at whatever point.
01:37:35
Speaker
But you, one night, you come back to Baina's place, you come back to Speakeasy Artworks, and Fawn Lynn is sitting up late and just looking, you know, not exactly tired, but just like massaging her hands. She's been writing forged letters all day. And as she's doing so, her quill snaps.
01:37:52
Speaker
And it's probably like she throws on the ground. is There's like a pile of broken quills because she's just been writing furiously for days. And you remember, oh, wait, I have one. And you pull out this emerald pen and it's got, yeah, like I said, the the pen is tipped with an emerald nib. And finally, you take it and you just try to test the, just like the heft of it. And without putting any ink on it, run it along the page and it creates a line.
01:38:21
Speaker
And specifically, it creates a line that only you see. This is an emerald pen. It is a wondrous, uncommon item.
01:38:33
Speaker
The pen is tipped with an emerald nib and requires no ink to write. While holding this pen, you can cast Illusory Script at will, requiring no material components. And to tell you what Illusory Script does, it is a spell that you write on parchment, paper, or some other suitable writing material, and imbued with a potent illusion that lasts for the duration.
01:38:54
Speaker
The duration being 10 days. To you and any creatures you designate when you cast the spell, the writing appears normal, written in your hand, and conveys whatever meaning you intended when you wrote the text.
01:39:07
Speaker
To all others, the writing appears as if it were written in an unknown or magical script that is unintelligible. Alternatively, you can cause the writing to appear to be an entirely different message, written in a different hand and language, though language must be one you know.
01:39:20
Speaker
Wow. That's cool. That's awesome. You have emerald pen. Oh, Zach doesn't give out magic items. Joke's on you. Every 10 episodes, he gives you a thing that you can write letters with or heat small volumes of water with.
01:39:33
Speaker
Or a rope that you're probably regretting. Yes. Fonulin writes Boontart effin' sucks, like in an in the invisible ink, and then draws a little middle finger and then hands it back to Clay and is like, oh, it's really cool.
01:39:46
Speaker
You could write some really sophisticated stuff with that. oh imagine the art you could make. I draw a picture of Strigmarole sucking a dick. What does Fonulin see? What does Fonulin see?
01:39:59
Speaker
you tell me How does the pen work? We don't know. It's a mystery. hey You spend a lot of time drawing penises and Buntar Strygmol various combinations trying to figure out the properties of this pen how the limits of it. feel like these two chocolate heads would be like, okay, I'm going to draw something. Try to guess what I draw based on my hand. And then like nine out of ten times, it's it's just a dick. Like nine out of ten, before we're even done drawing, the other one's like, that's a penis. It's like, yeah, yeah, it is. You got me.
01:40:29
Speaker
Oh, it's a banana. Is that an oblong squash? What is that? and then later they see Glimki and they're like, Glimki, we found a magic pen and it forces you to draw penises. Sick. That's great.
01:40:43
Speaker
It's really fun. You can make it invisible, but nine out of ten things you draw will be a dick. yeah I wonder how this will come into play. Only good, I'm sure.
01:40:55
Speaker
Do you use the pen for any of your forgeries? And if you do, how do you apply it? What a fascinating question. Yeah, I want to start disguising in a lot of the letters with the invisible ink and how I want it to look is like just barely legible, just enough that people might clue in that there's a hidden message.
01:41:18
Speaker
And if they're clever, they might pass it over flame or look at it more closely, put something on the paper to be able to read it more legibly. And what it boils down to is Boontar is trading our lives to a sea hag.
01:41:32
Speaker
It is him who should walk. If you are reading this, justice cannot be done until he serves the sentences that he gave to all of us. Like, coded messages as if there's this hidden current within the current of not just we need rise up, but also this specific form of justice, tying into the fact that he has been doing this inhumane thing, which is literally sending ah away his men like their lives mean nothing to go serve deals that he brokers.
01:42:01
Speaker
Okay. I love it. And yeah. I was going to a lot of dicks. Of course. I was thinking you could use the pen too to make him sign like documents that he thinks are one thing, but then when you spell the illusion are actually like him signing away like all his rights.
01:42:21
Speaker
Okay. um Cool. That is cool. I'm assuming that's how they fit did in the first place, right? Yeah. I guess with the governor. Finaline is not going to you send this one yet. She keeps it for herself. But she takes that idea that Clay gives her and she uses the pen before handing it back to Clay.
01:42:41
Speaker
And she writes contract. Keep using it. She writes a contract that negotiates... some kind of preliminary piece, something very straightforward, something that would be easy to sign off on, something like, we will cease demonstrations provided that you ah you restore access to the East Bridge, like a super easy trade-off.
01:43:02
Speaker
But beneath it with the hidden ink, she writes, I, the here signed, willingly take on the debts of any living person who has bartered with the entity known as Fishhead Franny.
01:43:15
Speaker
I will serve this time, however long it may be, until the time has passed or until I die, which shall never be by my own hand. And lines up so that the signature is like in a similar place. And she's like, she knows that's a big swing, but she's going to fold up that letter and tuck it into her, into her corset and she will keep that with her.
01:43:36
Speaker
because there may be a time for it. What a good idea. Man! also, she just, run you she's like, She is quite a pep talk at some time she's at some point. She's like, you know, Clay, you're an idea machine. Do you know that? You're just a genius.
01:43:49
Speaker
Man, what did i even do before I knew you guys? Actually, I did very well before I knew you guys. I infiltrated a rich household and lived lavishly and I never once almost got killed. But still, you're very competent, Clay. That was excellent.
01:44:03
Speaker
Thanks. I feel the creative juices flowing here. Not only an artist of art, but also an artist of subterfuge, treachery, scheming. McCrogh You've heard of scam artists. Get ready for scheme artists. Patron of the forge and perhaps forgery.
01:44:23
Speaker
and No, that's blasphemy probably. Oh, sorry. Okay, you're right. You can pray back later. And she will give this pen back to Clay. She's not going to steal all of Clay's magic items.
01:44:36
Speaker
It's our communal magic item pool. Yeah, can't. you kind of it's Like the rope and the pen is just kind of like whoever has it. Yeah, the perfume, the pen, the black leaf. We all share our resources. Yes, has the black leaf. Oh man, I had plans for that black leaf too. It's good. You have mushrooms now. Unsurprisingly. So Clay, Prima, what is the next what's the last thing that Clay does in the final days of this week?
Mushroom Bioweapons and Resources Negotiation
01:45:06
Speaker
Okay, I just thought of it. Instead of like melee weapons, I'm going to see if Booth will help me make some magic mushroom bioweapons to use against dwarves.
01:45:18
Speaker
Something that will work against their resistance to poisons, I guess. Whoa, hold on a second. what if we coat What if we coat one of the kegs or something in this stuff, and when we blow it up, it like leaves a cloud of...
01:45:33
Speaker
hallucinogenic dust. Oh, that's really fun. I'm like imagining like the scarecrow serum. but Yeah, this is gonna be like 100 times more potent than the black leaf that we had.
01:45:46
Speaker
And I'm replenishing it. Okay. I imagine a DM would need look something up when you're prepared say that you want to make a bioweapon. It's just not possible. Is bioweapon in the DM airbook?
01:45:59
Speaker
Okay, sorry. To clarify, was it the was it mushroom weapons or mushroom explosion? Like mushroom keg? Yeah, I think it's just to find a way to like refine this magic mushroom like into a dust or powder that's so potent that it works on dwarves. And like we can use it to coat the kegs or we can coat weapons or something with it.
01:46:21
Speaker
Just like a... multi-use. Yeah, something that can overcome their natural resistances. Okay, I'm going to say this is a moment where we need to pull out for a moment of conversation between you and the Brighanox, and you bring this up to Booth, and he tells you that for something like that, he would need the approval of the...
01:46:47
Speaker
elder snuffle who you have not met but if you are willing to meet with him he could try and set that up yeah if he's willing to introduce me then i will definitely ask the elder Okay, so the two of you travel.
01:47:06
Speaker
Security is extremely tight. You have not been seen exiting out this gate with a Brighanoc, so you kind of follow the same route that Stump and Fawnlin did nearly a week ago.
01:47:20
Speaker
and you walk for half a day. You walk a couple hours and Boof tells you that the mine is that way and he takes you off road and you walk down old hunting trails and eventually you see this glade of mushrooms. There's this small valley of mushrooms and they all come up to maybe your hip and they have little windows and houses and they glow bioluminescent colors and there's beds of dried moss that are You know, little little yellow, a little less vibrant than maybe they once were, kind lining the yards of these mushroom houses.
01:47:53
Speaker
And there is excitement amongst the Brighanox as another outsider is brought in. And you are brought to the house of the Elder Snuffle. It is this large white oyster mushroom.
01:48:07
Speaker
that has yeah a little hatch in the roof and you hear tiny little footsteps slowly going up tiny little stairs and the hatch swings open and he looks up at you with bleary eyes and says, Yes, hello.
01:48:22
Speaker
are you ah the the leader here of the Brighamnauts? That's right, I'm Elder Snuffle. Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Clay. This is a wonderful village that you have.
01:48:33
Speaker
He extends a hand and takes your like index finger and shakes it. Thank you. Thank you. That's very nice. I'm going to be resting now. And he goes to shut the hatch. Oh, wait, I just have one thing to ask you.
01:48:45
Speaker
oh right, right. Yes, of course. Yeah. Can we use some of your mushrooms to make a weapon to fight off the Korak Mining Company? His eyebrows shoot up off of his head and...
01:48:57
Speaker
okay Fly away. oh oh I grabbed them for him. them back. Thank you. yeah he He smooths them back on um Wow. That's not going to crest you here every day.
01:49:09
Speaker
ah can't do it. But why? Why? Well, I'm not getting any younger. In fact, I don't think I have many days left. And I promised these people that I would help get them home.
01:49:25
Speaker
And the only way that I know how to do that is to keep working in the mines, have them keep bringing home whatever treasures they can file away in hopes that we can one day find a A witch or a wizard or some other magic doer who can ah send us home.
01:49:49
Speaker
And if i if I help you with this the scheme, then I believe we will ah lose our our only way home. But it's not your only way. The Korra Company, obviously you've been sneaking away what you can, but they're keeping the bulk of it for themselves.
01:50:07
Speaker
If we get rid of them, you'll have access full access to the gems on the island. I'm sure you can work out a new deal that's more beneficial to you with the original people of the island.
01:50:18
Speaker
Perhaps that's true. Do you know anyone who could send us home? Oh, where is this not your home? Where's your home? No, we're from the Feywilds.
01:50:29
Speaker
We stumbled through to this world many years ago and have been looking for a way back ever since. But these things cost money and we don't have much of that to start. And we still don't have much now, but we've got a bit.
01:50:46
Speaker
We just, it's less a money issue now and more of a finding someone to help us out sort of issue. ah There is someone. There was an artist from episode 0, I think, episode 1, who was from the Feywels. my gosh.
01:51:04
Speaker
Holy shit. And she like, Frivo, what did you drink? What the hell is going on? You're firing on cylinders that I didn't know existed. This is crazy.
01:51:16
Speaker
Lady Nerisana, an Eladrin of the Feywilds. Yes. She has a way of getting back and forth. And she took one of your pieces as a as a treasure.
01:51:28
Speaker
Oh.
01:51:30
Speaker
Holy shit. It's been two years since that happened, Prima. Yeah. I didn't write her down her name, but I know she exists in this world.
01:51:43
Speaker
i like I try and generate ideas. you know like I'm like, okay, here's the problems for like an episode or an arc. Here's like just some potential solutions so that like you know like for like the for the safe puzzle, I'm like, okay, maybe they can find the answer in in a book or they could drug Boontar or like whatever, right? like you know like I try and have like just like a couple of pre-generated ideas that like could work for you.
01:52:03
Speaker
And like I had that for this. that That was not on the list at all. That's brilliant. That's crazy. Hey, I don't do this often. In fact, I may be doing that. That's an inspiration for you.
01:52:16
Speaker
So yeah honestly, keepbeative I feel like that is so deserved. Yeah. yeah i've never Never a more deserving inspiration. i give out He says, oh, well, that changes things.
01:52:27
Speaker
Do you think you could introduce us? Yeah, i I don't know her personally, but my guildmaster knows them and has connections with them. They're a great artist and they, yeah they're associated with the artist's guild in Erdene, so definitely if you agree to help us here, I can definitely put in a word. We'll get you home for sure somehow.
01:52:52
Speaker
I'm going to have you make two rolls. Both of them are important. Could I get a persuasion roll? And i will I will advise you that there is a second roll after that, but it is contingent on the persuasion roll. Okay.
01:53:07
Speaker
Persuasion is not bad. What does inspiration do? Because i don't know what it is. It lets you basically roll with advantage.
01:53:15
Speaker
Okay, I'm using it now because that was shit. Okay, so my first one was a three and the second one was a 17. So thank you for the inspiration. Yes.
01:53:26
Speaker
Plus my persuasion, which is four. Okay. It wasn't a high DC necessarily, but it was higher than seven. so Yeah. figure he is going to get up on top of his house and start to just dance around in a circle.
01:53:39
Speaker
Oh, wow.
01:53:44
Speaker
Everybody, everybody, this nice cow is gonna take us home. And hundreds of these Brighanocs gather around you and start like just like clutching at your boot laces and the cuff of your pants and like just like dancing around you in circles and like they hold hands. It's very the who's out in Whoville.
01:54:06
Speaker
Just jubilation. Whatever you need. Help yourself to the grove. We're not going to need it after this. We're going home. Oh my God. And so now I'm going to have you make a nature roll.
01:54:17
Speaker
And I'm going to give you advantage on this as well. Just because the Brighanocks, they freaking love you. And they the entire community basically is just like climbing over you. And like as you're like trying to as you're trying to like cut a mushroom stalk, a couple of them will like grab onto your hands and like just guide your fingers as you slice. And they're ratatouille-ing you.
01:54:35
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, we had very different experiences in the Briganog place. You were the leg of a Briganog mech, and I am being ratatoubated.
01:54:47
Speaker
That says a lot of about your two characters, I think. I saved these people from a bear, and they were not nearly so nice to me. i feel like you used them to save yourself from a bear, but... It
01:55:01
Speaker
was symbiotic. was going say, this is the best I've rolled in a long time. Good. Yeah, wow. That's crazy. Now's the time. After the disaster of last episode, we needed a successful one. Okay, you said advantage, right? yeah That's 13 and 16. Minus one nature is
01:55:20
Speaker
They help you cut mushrooms and mash them up and they add water and they form into a thick paste and Snuffle says, all right, so if you just rub this all over that powder keg and then you make it go boom, it'll spray the mushrooms everywhere. And frankly, I don't know what will happen.
01:55:38
Speaker
there's one time we planted one and a pyramid sprung up from the ground and he gestures over to just like a giant pyramid that's like on the edge of town like oh we don't know what's gonna happen some crazy shits in those mushrooms so uh yeah work on those doors huh they're like naturally pretty sturdy Well, these are more than just mushrooms. They're magic mushrooms. Okay. And Boof says, yeah, they are. And yeah, you've got a mushroom encrusted powder keg.
01:56:12
Speaker
Nice. We are going to go to Fondalyn for one last contribution. Dude, don't got shit left. Let me go talk to Franny. Okay.
01:56:25
Speaker
I'm going to say we're like, you're not quite like, we're going to say like two days out from like the ascribed meeting time. That's when I wanted to go see Franny, but it's fine. No, you're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. all right. Then I'm going to pull you out of the skills. I'm to give you a thing you can do before then.
01:56:39
Speaker
You still do a thing, but I'm going to have you meet with her independently. Okay.
Spoiling Korak's Supplies
01:56:44
Speaker
Fonelin... thinks back to, i don't know if she ever read a book on warfare tactics. And I think she thinks about the nature of humankind and she's like, if you don't feed your soldiers, they're not going to fight for you. And she knows that the fish refinery plant is right there.
01:56:59
Speaker
And so on one of these nights, she would maybe like to try to climb in a window and open every can and barrel that she can find and try to spoil it all.
01:57:13
Speaker
Okay. Stealth? Yeah, i think so. To sneak in? Yeah. That is Holy goodness, I used to be good at math. That's a 17.
01:57:26
Speaker
Security is higher than you're expecting. There is ah word one way or another might be getting out within Korak that things are getting tense in the city.
01:57:38
Speaker
And um that is spread to Manus and there's several guards on duty. You sneak in and there's like a midnight crew. There's like an old fashioned conveyor belt. What's an old fashioned conveyor belt, you might ask? Buddy, I don't got to tell you shit. And they are processing fish and they are putting it into cans.
01:57:56
Speaker
There is a ogre who is cutting up these fish with just like a large cleaver and just doing a ton of work and you manage to slip in there's a balcony a a walkway a catwalk that wraps around the upper areas of this warehouse space and you slip up into that and there's this large vat of oil that you watch as the fish is put into these cans it's diced up nicely and then put into these cans and it is put underneath this oil ah vat and it goes blah blah and just disperses a large amount of this oil onto it, and you just fill it with whatever toxic weeds and, you know, mushrooms that you've managed to salvage together. You sneak back into the Brighanoc village and just steal the rest of Boof's house and fill that vat with psilocybin and...
01:58:47
Speaker
you just You just hope that it's going to it's going to hurt their numbers when it becomes important. The next morning, you wake up in Manus, and you watch as a barge piloted by these dwarves from Korak load up just dozens and dozens, hundreds of these cans of poisoned fish, and then set down the river back towards Onkyil.
01:59:13
Speaker
And as you watch as they go. Your attention is drawn from that barge to the houseboat circling the lake. I would like to go to the houseboat circling the lake.
01:59:25
Speaker
Okay. By which means, are you borrowing a boat again? Are you calling out to Franny? The same guy. up fun lin I feel like Faunilin's been kind of like chomping it up with the people of the town. I think she would try to borrow a boat.
01:59:39
Speaker
I think she... She thinks like she knows the people a little better. Probably someone likes her enough to lend her a boat. Okay. I'd say the in a in a sign of growth and development, the old leathery man who you ran into over a week ago, you had a pretty bad time with, you hired him. He had a bad attitude. He jumped off the boat. He got mad at you the next day.
02:00:02
Speaker
He greets you with a warm smile and says, good to see you. All right, let's do this one more time. Let's do it. And say hi to the wife and kids for me, eh? of course, they've been asking about you.
02:00:14
Speaker
And you traverse the lake, drawing closer. It is a relatively bright day on Mengen. The sun is poking through the clouds of ash.
02:00:26
Speaker
It seems like productivity at the mine and at the refineries has slowed ever so slightly. But even that slight slowdown is enough to make it an infinitely nicer place to live.
02:00:40
Speaker
But as you get closer to that houseboat, fishing rods sticking out at a million odd angles, you see the boat is moving faster than you've seen it move before.
02:00:55
Speaker
As there are now three dwarves walking upon it alongside Hilde. Oh my gosh. You don't know them, but they look sickly. oh You see one has barnacles growing on the side of his face as you draw close.
02:01:12
Speaker
The other, his skull is open to the back, and it's almost like there's like a jellyfish clinging to the back of his head, and you can see little bits of brain on the other side. who And they are walking, and you can see that Hilde and Quincy look uncomfortable. Like, every so often, they, like, glance over at these other two dwarves who just stare forward blankly, just walking an endless trudge.
02:01:34
Speaker
But eventually, you draw close, and you hear a shout from within. And the walking stops and you are able to board.
02:01:45
Speaker
Franny. The door to her office creaks open and it is darker than you remember. Whatever light there is outside doesn't penetrate, save to reflect off her two bulging eyes.
02:02:00
Speaker
Hello, dear. Surprise you made time for it, old friend. Time's running a bit low, don't you think? Oh, I'm feeling pretty confident. I've got irons in the fire, I'm sure you know that. I mean, you're very vigilant.
02:02:17
Speaker
I try to keep abreast of situations as they develop, but the fish can only tell me so much, so I'm sure you've been up to all sorts of wonderful sneaky things.
02:02:28
Speaker
I have. Actually, did you did you get a glimpse of my performance the other night in the green sapphire? Must have missed that one. Shame, I'll catch you up later. But the gist of it is that I do have a convoy of representatives from the Korak Company coming here, one of whom will be offering his services for 50 years.
02:02:50
Speaker
He has been directly ordered and agreed to walk that sentence. I am the one who brokered the deal. I just wanted to let you know that that will satisfy my end of the 50-year bargain. So do be on the lookout for him.
02:03:03
Speaker
Give me a persuasion. So to persuade, there's nothing underhanded about this deal, right? I got like nervous rolling that. That is 17.
02:03:14
Speaker
She looks at you long and hard. Very well. And if I ask this dwarf if he is here to take the place of fallen Vaedark, the noble of Ulithor Thyad, he will agree?
02:03:33
Speaker
doesn't have that information, but that wasn't part of our deal. Wasn't a requirement. What he will tell you is that I asked for somebody to walk for 50 years and he has agreed to do so.
02:03:47
Speaker
He has no idea that he's swapping out for me. We never said that he needed to know that. In short, I asked somebody to walk for me and they agreed.
02:03:57
Speaker
In fact, by your own words, that agreement was allowed to be coerced. We explicitly agreed to that. Franny, darling, I'm a bit of a snake. She writhes towards you, crossing the space in an instant, breathing hot, wet breath upon your face.
02:04:15
Speaker
Oh, like a dog. I'll see about that. And she bursts out the office door, jumps into the water. After about a minute, she comes back, bursts into the office once more, slamming the door shut behind her.
02:04:31
Speaker
She takes a fish that's writhing in her hand and slams it down on the table and just rips it open with her bare hands. You look. Actually, tell me, do you look? Of course, I'm riveted.
02:04:44
Speaker
It appears to be a fish. There is nothing that you can see. It is blood and guts and bone, but she is reading it like you would read a book. You see her eyes are darting back and forth across its inner workings.
02:05:02
Speaker
Very well. The dwarf shall walk for you. must say you seem disappointed, Frat. I was looking forward to getting to know you better. And frankly, Thrillwin or a Veydark or whatever you call yourself is a much finer prize than a stinky old dwarf from a mine, but we make do with what we're given.
02:05:26
Speaker
Well done, girly. Thank you. You know, I don't know that this has to be the end of our business dealings. I've had quite a pleasant time working with you. Maybe if I think of something else that I want.
02:05:42
Speaker
Perhaps the soul of your dear leafy friend. His soul? Glimki is plenty soulful, I assure you. You're going to need him back when Fat Sal's done with him.
02:05:55
Speaker
What have you done, Fran? Nothing you haven't already seen, but two kegs were sent. One's still out there. What do you want? Retribution?
02:06:06
Speaker
What else? What do you want from me? Treefellow's head on a plate. I want to hear his black feathered God cry out in pain. he will suffer for what he tried to do.
02:06:21
Speaker
Don't you doubt it for a second. His days are numbered. If not by my hands, then by something else. You're tied to a sinking ship, girl.
02:06:32
Speaker
Best swim off while you still can. You don't know me very well, Fran, if you think given the choice between being on a boat and swimming, you think I'm going to choose the physical labor. Poor choice of metaphor.
02:06:44
Speaker
Now tell me this, if I go get your stupid little jar, will you leave my friend the hell alone? Yes. But I'm gonna need more than promises.
02:06:56
Speaker
I'm going to need it in my hand before the one searching for him walks away. Fran, I have other stuff going on, okay? We need to come to a reasonable, mutually agreed upon timeline. You can't just say, get it for me before he explodes. That's not useful.
02:07:15
Speaker
I have things to do. As do I. And one of them happens to be blowing up your friend. okay Oh my God. yeah Okay, what are we talking like? are we talking like two business days?
02:07:29
Speaker
I don't know. Oh my God. Fran. I can't make any promises. good grief Let me just think about it. I guess if I move dinner with boat guy and his wife and I reschedule some sewing, I can go tonight. Tonight?
02:07:47
Speaker
If you blow up my friend before then, I will desecrate that jar and you will never see it. Don't make threats, girly. Doesn't really suit you.
02:08:00
Speaker
Now, how interesting. Well, there's nothing really to agree upon. You have my word. You bring me the jar. Sal doesn't go boom.
02:08:13
Speaker
At least not within vicinity of dear tree fellow. Very well. Always lovely, Fran. Always. Why do I like her so much? Why is she so great? Okay, on her way out, Fawnelyn wants to stop by Quincy and Hildy.
02:08:32
Speaker
Hi, you two How are you holding up? bad quincey looks like thinner since you last saw him he's been walking a stairmaster for a week straight he looks ragged he looks tired hildy looks about the same but the same isn't exactly good for her yeah well i know you're both very busy i won't take up too much of your time can faunelin have brought like a book she borrowed from someone or like a pamphlet like a comic something that she can pass over as a gesture because she imagines not only are these people tired but they're ah probably also freaking bored so can she hand over like something yeah funnily wants to hand over some like entertaining book that she found yeah love that it's very nice they thank you but quietly and it perhaps like quincy starts to get a little too exuberant and hildy shushes him and he looks back at the office and nods his head and
02:09:24
Speaker
Before long, the ship returns once again to Magal? No, no, no, no! I didn't go talk to them to give them a book! That was a, that was a bribe! you Forgive me, but this doesn't look very fun, and you know what?
02:09:36
Speaker
We don't have a lot of time to talk in it, Franny doesn't like it when you two are let off the leash, so I'll make it quick. The short and skinny of it is that there is a very powerful rebellion brewing on this island, and it is a matter of days.
02:09:48
Speaker
before Boontar Strigamol and the other leadership is brought to justice. I don't know what that means for your contract. I don't know how you feel about that exactly. I imagine the horrors that you've been experiencing this last week and understanding that you have another year of this to go is ah perhaps weakening your the sense of ah loyalty.
02:10:08
Speaker
Perhaps not. If you have any flicker of doubt towards where your loyalty lies and if you think but perhaps A reorganization, a restructuring, to use corporate language, might be appropriate.
02:10:20
Speaker
Please take this chance to tell me this. How do we get the dwarves on our side? Give me a persuasion roll. That is a dirty 20.
02:10:33
Speaker
When you first met Quincy, he was a company man through and through. He did not seem to resent this term that he had agreed to, this year of servitude.
02:10:46
Speaker
he seems less certain of that now. And so I think you know that he is speaking honestly when he looks at you and says, I'm sorry. i have Unless you send every single one of them to work here, I don't think much is going to change their minds.
02:11:06
Speaker
We love the work. We love the minds. Working at Chari'a has been dream of a lifetime. it's been It's been magical. Every day, a new vein, new treasures to unearth.
02:11:21
Speaker
i I don't think there's much you could really say to convince the masses that they're on the wrong side of this one. Okay. It's disheartening to hear, but it's good to hear it.
02:11:36
Speaker
Take care, you team. Remember to drink lots of water. I'll be seeing you. And Faunelin heads out. Okay. I have a question now for the group. is Faunelin going into that tower?
02:11:51
Speaker
And if she is, is she going alone? Faunelin, are you going in alone? You know who the place is going to follow. I think Faunelin... I'm going to leave some, I think Fauniline doesn't want to ask you guys to come with her, but she's also like, she's off when she comes back and then she starts preparing for like a battle.
02:12:16
Speaker
that you guys haven't discussed. So, Fondalyn's like, I'm going out tonight. Don't worry about it. Like, it's, she doesn't sneak out in the middle of the night. It's, like, fairly clear that something's up. She comes back from Franny's and is behaving weird.
02:12:31
Speaker
So, that's interesting. We know you went to Franny's. We know you went. Well, that's interesting because like the whole scene with Franny, I was imagining like if this is leading, it this is two nights before, when does this big speech happen?
02:12:42
Speaker
like Because I imagine that Glimke, that whole time you were at Franny's boat, would have been like ah at the church, saying prayers, and then I think maybe writing some letters to his family.
02:12:57
Speaker
yeah we have what I don't know where like at what point would our paths cross if we were getting ready for this Yeah. This, like, momentous evening. i will say this meeting with Franny, I mean, you said tonight, and if you mean tonight for sure, then, like, that's fair.
02:13:14
Speaker
I'm going to say, roughly speaking, this is probably, like, the night before things are meant to kick off. So you, like, you went to see her first thing in the morning. You go back to the city, I guess, perhaps, and you see your friends. Like, it's a long walk, but you and...
02:13:28
Speaker
and yeah i'm going i'm going to get Basically, I'm going to give everyone the chance to join in if they want. But up to up to each of you individually. Yeah. Above the tailor table, i I think it's probably more interesting if we all go together or at least two of us go because I think it's going to be pretty big thing for one person to be off alone doing. But I mean, it's not like the other people aren't doing interesting things. so I would like to go, but I also... there We still have one last Glimke skill check, right?
02:14:00
Speaker
Yeah. Which I'm actually going to make the speech. I want to give, there was one other thing I wanted to do beforehand. doesn't have to be a skill check, but I can do it as like a help action to Glimke. Okay.
02:14:11
Speaker
The beheaded statue of Phaedra. Can we like recreate her head and like unveil it during the big speech? Oh, that's good.
Rebellion Speech and Statue Unveiling
02:14:21
Speaker
i but Like martyr her kind of like, yeah she probably died like 20 years ago and have that be part of the speech. That'd be pretty cool.
02:14:31
Speaker
Yeah, I will say Glimke describes what she looks like to you. And perhaps you're able to talk to some of the people who have been here longer, who, you know, have seen her before, remember her as she was.
02:14:43
Speaker
And you do sketches and you show things this off to various people and get them to agree that that's a good likeness. And then you make you You make a cast and you make a metal replacement head.
02:14:59
Speaker
And we'll say you cover the statue. But yeah, you managed to fix it and we'll say you like cover it in a sheet. Yeah, on the lead up. Throw a sheet over it. is if we go to the tower, are we going to make it back in time for the speech? I was going to say, if we do have a moment to chat, I'd be like, I think Limke would say like, if going to the tower means settling whatever vendetta that Franny has against me, I think the best thing we can do is we can do what we need to do to rally this group of people into an uprising.
02:15:33
Speaker
And then we go to the tower and whether we are part of it or not, you know, whatever happens in the tower happens in the tower. But we can at least be assured that like we've set things into motion.
02:15:47
Speaker
Okay. Tell me this. You're thinking, start things, and then... We're going to give the speech, and then I'm going to do a Bilbo Baggins, and I'm going to meet these two and be like, all right, you go to the they're in motion, let's go to the tower. Come out, and then we boss fight.
02:16:03
Speaker
When are you revealing the contract? When are you revealing the assassination? Oh, i I've, dude, I got bullet points on my speech. In this speech. Yeah. Okay. z will that is That is important. i will I will advise that is going to kick things off. Like, okay it's not going to be like, here's the thing. And then they're going to wait two more days. I'm going to say it's like when you give this speech,
02:16:25
Speaker
the fight for the city begins. So if the, if the fight begins and you guys are like, we got to get to that tower, do the tower and then go onto the mines and then like circle back to the city to like help seal the victory.
02:16:35
Speaker
Like that is cool. Like I think that's, that's great. I just want you to know, like if you give the speech, they're going to start fighting. Would they wait eight hours? I'll also tell you this.
02:16:47
Speaker
There is a cumulative chance of fat Sal showing up right now. It is a 10% chance. I'll roll a percentile. No, and i I honestly thought that would be a thing. So so if you can so you can risk it. You know what mean? like You could wait till morning. and i will No, no, no i've like I'm saying I'm going to we give the speech. I'm just saying like have if they had an ounce of strategy, would they allow, you know?
02:17:15
Speaker
Wait till before Nova, but you know, we'll see. It's so funny to me that there's a we're just being like haunted by this sort of Damocles named Fat Sal, who's ah zombie. And is the tapeworm still inside of the zombie body is a great question. like Oh, God. He's got two health bars. Where has he been? Is he just chilling in the woods? He's first bomb pretty easily. like If I just stay near Gwimki and turn undead again. I see him coming.
02:17:47
Speaker
So if that's roughly the plan, I'm going to say the week concludes. And on this final night, as the sun is still burning in the sky, but starting to glow brighter, starting to burn redder, the bells of the Cathedral of the Divine Octad on the far end of Padera Square start to sound.
02:18:12
Speaker
And people who have been primed for weeks, well for years really, but especially this past week, begin to congregate, filling the square, filling the adjoining alleys leading out of it.
02:18:27
Speaker
You see numerous Korak security guards gathering where they can, but they are outnumbered 100 to one in this moment.
02:18:39
Speaker
Fonelin, you are there. Clay, you are there. Glimke, you are there. How do you make your entrance?
02:18:50
Speaker
And what do you say? So I think Glimke is like sitting in one of those like confessional booths and he's writing a letter to his sister.
02:19:01
Speaker
And it says, Dear Folly, I hope you and the rest of the siblings are doing well. I'm sure you've been busy reading, but I hope you've made time to help mom and dad around the treehouse.
02:19:14
Speaker
I've made some friends out here wayfaring, and you won't believe the stories I have to share about the two of them. I hope one day you'll get to meet them. I always thought that I would return home to Dwell's, like the rest of our siblings, because I was certain there was no place quite like it.
02:19:33
Speaker
But I think I was naive to the idea that some places that may seem different share something far more important than scenery. It's people. It's the people that make a place special.
02:19:47
Speaker
And I think I've found myself in a place full of very special people. People that I think are worth fighting for. And I think at this point a couple tears drop and hit the page.
02:20:02
Speaker
So if I do not return home, just know that I'm among people that you can be assured will care for me just like our family at home.
02:20:16
Speaker
I miss you. And signed, Glimke.
02:20:22
Speaker
And he'll fold the letter up and he'll give it to someone that has has helped and he's had this discussion with previously to, um, By any means possible, get this letter to Dwells.
02:20:35
Speaker
He'll get up, he'll straighten his shirt and jacket, free of his knapsack and all of his disguises. He's just himself.
02:20:46
Speaker
His brown ruffled hair with twigs and the flower petals of Etigan. And head to the front doors of the church. And I suppose when he opens it, what does he see?
02:20:59
Speaker
You see... thousands of people of all walks of life some very young some very old human half-elf halfling gnome dragonborn half-orc goliath quite a few dwarves some wearing korak uniforms others not A large number of them are wearing cloaks.
02:21:27
Speaker
Near the center of the courtyard, across from the church, there is a statue covered in a sheet. No one knows what's underneath it except for you and clay and possibly faunilin.
02:21:40
Speaker
Some of the people that you have gotten to know over the past week or so are there, Baina, Hammer, Tongs, Lewin, Callum.
02:21:56
Speaker
You haven't been here long, but in a way you've already put down roots. You are as much a part of this community as anybody else here.
02:22:09
Speaker
And as you step out of the church, a hush falls over the crowd and the people look up at you.
02:22:20
Speaker
People of Mangan. yeah He's too quiet! Somebody, someone... someone Do the thaumaturgy thing! Okay, I, i like, mic check. I, like, amplify his voice. There's, like, a moment of, like, that, like, uh, intercrued jab. This is crazy.
02:22:38
Speaker
Connellyn takes that second while Clay is casting that to, like, straighten Gleampee's cloak and, like, brush his hair back so he looks his best. And she, it it doesn't have any impact outside of combat, but she she says, you got this with her mastermind ability. So if you were to attack someone, he would have that help ability just to kind of give him the only support she's really capable of giving. Thank you.
02:23:01
Speaker
Thank you both.
02:23:05
Speaker
People of Mangan, your plight here under The iron boot of the Korak Mining Company has gone on long enough.
02:23:17
Speaker
These people have leeched nearly every ounce of value out of the earth. And with it came the beauty that made this place so special.
02:23:28
Speaker
And it brought your nature spirit, Etigan, to the brink of extinction. But what is worse is that the spark in all of you has nearly faded.
02:23:40
Speaker
Inklinkie looks up to the smog and ash filled sky. Do you remember what the sky used to look like without all this ash and debris?
02:23:52
Speaker
There used to be stars up there that were beautiful. But the magic really was when we were able to connect those dots into constellations.
02:24:03
Speaker
They resembled animals and castles, gods and spirits. And from those constellations, artists like yourselves formed countless stories that became myths and legends.
02:24:17
Speaker
Well, when I look out at this crowd, I can see a spark in each of you. And from here, those sparks are beginning to look a lot like constellations, magical.
02:24:31
Speaker
powerful constellations. And from them will be born stories that will grow into myths and into legends that are told around campfires all across SAV.
02:24:45
Speaker
And all we need to do to turn those little sparks into a roaring fire.
02:24:52
Speaker
And I believe we have what is needed to stoke those flames. And he'll take out the contract. This is a contract that proves that Buntar signed a deal to assassinate your governor and replace them with a plan.
02:25:12
Speaker
so they could tear the heart out of this island right before your eyes. Let this be the fuel for the fire and let it spread to every corner of this island.
02:25:24
Speaker
Whisper it in every ear, is willing to listen to every abled body that is able to fight. And I can imagine the bell is still ringing. It is for us for whom the bell tower tolls.
02:25:39
Speaker
and let it be a reminder that every life lost will be connected from Mengan to Dwells to the Uru Thothaya and to every round edge of this beautiful floating disk that by Nova on the eighth day of this week we burn Korak to the ground.
02:26:00
Speaker
The sheet is pulled back revealing the restored statue of the governor Almost in unison, the people in the crowd tear off their cloaks and flip them around, revealing the symbol of the Etta gang, the cocoon symbol you all devised.
02:26:22
Speaker
People pull out whatever weapons and shields they have cobbled together. Some of them hold up torches, casting light and long shadows within this space.
02:26:36
Speaker
Bephaedra! For Ennegan! For Mengen! And a roar sweeps through the crowd. The paintbrush rebellion has begun.
02:26:49
Speaker
And we will find out what happens next time on Bard Soup................
02:27:08
Speaker
Thank you so much for listening to chapter 34 of Bard Soup. We are getting very close to the end of this arc, and it is hell of a ride up until the very last second.
02:27:20
Speaker
So hold on to your butts. And while you're at it, consider giving us a five-star review Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Follow us at bard underscore soup on Instagram or TikTok.
02:27:33
Speaker
Check out www.bard soup.com for podcasts. Really cool fan art some photos from a recent photo shoot we did. All that good stuff. We will be back in two weeks with Chapter 35.
02:27:46
Speaker
are excited to share these episodes with you, like I said, and we hope you enjoy them. Stay warm out there, and we will see you in two weeks. Bye-bye.
02:27:58
Speaker
I got chills! That was so good! ah Jordan! That was beautiful. You had me tearing up. I was joking up the whole time. I was getting emotional at all.
02:28:13
Speaker
Good! Turn a real rebellion. I'll follow you. What dumb game. I'm like on the verge of tears over here. What a stupid game. My little leaf man just said beautiful words to his imaginary sister.
02:28:28
Speaker
Oh, I love this shit so much.