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Ep. 187 The Offering - Bellum Draconis
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Intro written and produced by Joseph McDade
Music kindly provided by Fesliyan Studios
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Transcript
Farewell to a Beloved Character
00:00:00
Speaker
It's cool. You you got this, Drago, because we don't know where the fuck you are, and so... I'm not ready to say goodbye to this character. It's been seven years!
Introduction to 'The Fellowship of the Tabletop'
00:00:35
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop, Belem Draconis. We are a live play 5e 2024 D&D podcast set in the magical homebrew, Word of Earth, and the Kingdom of Dralop, but currently in hell about to go through a door and about to see a thing that Danny hasn't told us yet.
00:00:47
Speaker
Joining you for this week's episode, you've got me, Mark, I'm playing the Human Blade singer, Seth Farah Reaver. Next, we've got Ian, who plays the Tiefling Warsor, and Nick's Corral. And the Dragonborn you of Paladin Drago. What up? I called you Nick's Corel last time, didn't I? I definitely called you Nick's Corel on the last episode. Apologies for that. The Dragonborn Paladin Drago. I was clearly listening.
00:01:09
Speaker
yeah Of course, we all were. Even myself. PB, who plays the rules consultant human cleric Emron. Hello. And last, button but by no means least, is the anecdote adjudicator, the ancient lore antiquator, the arbiter of adventure, the vegan duchess who caresses my buttress, Dungeon Master Danny.
00:01:27
Speaker
I do caress your buttress.
00:01:31
Speaker
Oh, it's me. It's me. Speaking of, was doing a clean cut. i was doing a clean pass on that. Normally I fill it with shit and you know interrupt me. The last few episodes you just kind of just kind of wait for the the tones of of of Will to to take off at that point, but it doesn't happen. Normally, yeah.
00:01:47
Speaker
No.
Drago's Vision of Battle
00:01:49
Speaker
So, Seth, as this stone door loses all material form, becomes this sort of glowing shell,
00:02:00
Speaker
You look into this chamber at this almighty sight and all of you see it except Drago.
00:02:07
Speaker
Drago, you... As this door opens, you're again just seeing this battlefield at large. You're seeing a an undead skeleton dragon flying overhead.
00:02:25
Speaker
you're seeing a number of your friends on horseback charging now hundreds of feet away from you.
00:02:36
Speaker
And on the floor, crushed by a horse, struggling for breath, you see your old friend Claude.
00:02:52
Speaker
And in that center of the room,
00:02:55
Speaker
the center of that scene,
00:03:00
Speaker
the most difficult foe you've ever faced stares at you, laughing.
00:03:08
Speaker
Fuck.
00:03:11
Speaker
Me. But for Seth, but for Emron, for Karstan, for Prego, you see a different scene.
The Serene Altar and Hellhound Threat
00:03:22
Speaker
In this inner chamber,
00:03:29
Speaker
you see a sort 10 foot altar of burning inferno. On it hosted a corpse lying prone.
00:03:42
Speaker
And through that fire and through that corpse, this gushing white cylindrical beam of light shoots out of this fortress, pierces the skies above.
00:04:00
Speaker
but all kind of pulling back to this font, to this altar that you see on these raised steps. Triangulated around it are three demonic hags kneeling, almost like they're praying, and just a low muttering and a language that none of you understand.
00:04:23
Speaker
This is a very serene scene. There's no kind of... a leap of hostility there is no disruption this looks almost kind of religious in its in its act this looks like a place of worship
00:04:47
Speaker
but as of yet no one has crossed the threshold
00:04:52
Speaker
you still feel the threat of wherever those hellhounds rushed off to, so we'll remain in initiative for the time being, unless you say otherwise. But Seth, with movement only left, is there anything else you'd like to do with your turn?
00:05:09
Speaker
Can I say something and not move? I'm pretty sure you spoke before the door. I think we're maxed out. I think all you've got left is your movement.
00:05:21
Speaker
Uh...
00:05:24
Speaker
Seth's going to stand staring at this site and there's something, something very final about this area.
00:05:37
Speaker
And he doesn't take the step forward. He hesitates just a second and I'm not going to take any movement. He's just going to stand there and just look almost like he's forgotten what to do Almost like he's not sure. He wasn't expecting this, expecting anger and hatred and hell.
00:05:53
Speaker
And this seems too calm and it throws him off. And so he's just going to freeze there until the next time.
00:06:05
Speaker
Danny? Danny?
Drago's Lucid Dream and Immunity Discussion
00:06:07
Speaker
Drago. No, no, don't do this. It's your turn. You've moved me from the map. As you understand it, you're in a completely different space and time.
00:06:19
Speaker
This is awful. you are reliving You are reliving a memory in complete accuracy. Accuracy.
00:06:37
Speaker
But like a dream,
00:06:41
Speaker
you have the benefit of knowing that this has happened once before.
00:06:49
Speaker
Your actions are your own.
00:06:53
Speaker
Would you do anything different in these moments?
00:06:59
Speaker
I have a couple of things. One is a sidebar of um I can't be charmed or frightened while raging. um So I don't know if that... Please, does that change anything? please You're definitely resisting the the urge to be frightful. Wonderful. That's great. but you this isn't But I'm still in this dream state. Well, you know, that's Ian just kind of throwing a Hail Mary out there. It's a great question.
00:07:24
Speaker
Yeah, thanks. Drago...
Bond with Claude and Charge Against Grazat
00:07:30
Speaker
Oh, fuck you. Grazat's there, which is the big bad from campaign one listeners that Drago had a whole thing with the whole group did and Claude's there underneath the horse.
00:07:46
Speaker
As you have depicted the scene, I'm aware it's a dream. Not a dream, but in in the same way that you can kind of take control of a lucid dream, you feel like it's that.
00:07:59
Speaker
you You know you've lived this before. You know you succeed. You know there is great cost, but you know you succeed.
00:08:13
Speaker
Drago's just going to kneel next to Claude and take one of his hands into Claude's hands. Grip it tight. Look at him.
00:08:24
Speaker
I still carry you with me, and I have done. Ever, every day, since you left.
00:08:35
Speaker
I don't know if this is a ghost of you, a spirit of you, a cruel trick being played upon me, but any chance I get to look at you, hold your hand, and say thank you, I willfully take.
00:08:56
Speaker
And we kick this motherfucker and bite his head off again. Astragas stands up and withdraws Dengon's deception and starts to charge towards the would-be Grazat.
00:09:13
Speaker
And as he lets go Claude's gauntlet for a second time,
00:09:23
Speaker
he gives, as he did, all of his remaining power to use the heal spell to give you 70 hit points of health and just struggles the words save Lucien as he did you are renewed as you were
00:09:52
Speaker
motherfucker I love him so much I miss him oh
00:10:00
Speaker
Is Drago still running towards Graza at this point? and Okay, so there's there's tears unbidden in his eyes as he remembers again and feels the emotions, but because he knows that Claude doesn't get saved and Claude is lost, there's just that overwhelming sadness that took him last time.
00:10:22
Speaker
But as always ever, the dutiful soldier with renewed purpose He's still got his rage and the sense of finality...
00:10:36
Speaker
a familiarity that has taken hold of him. He's dipping into frenzy as a bonus action. Won't do anything this turnaround, but as soon as I reach Grazet, if you let me know, I'm going roll for an attack.
00:10:49
Speaker
So you are charging at him, feeling that familiarity, feeling that kind of nostalgia here, feeling that kind of warmth and love that came from seeing your friend again, feeling nothing but incredibly positive.
00:11:04
Speaker
That's what going Leave your initiative order. and Oh, God. Back. Back on the vile plane. Back in this citadel and in this room.
The Connection to the Altar and Hellhag Actions
00:11:18
Speaker
It's Prego's turn. And seeing this chamber open, Prego is going to rush. And as he takes in this scene, he just leans against you for a second, Seth.
00:11:30
Speaker
Helps himself back, finds his strength. Brother. Brother.
00:11:36
Speaker
and rushes to this corpse that is floating above this altar that all of this power is being drained out of and just holds the hand of this corpse.
00:11:53
Speaker
And then you know you notice the three creatures in prayer around this corpse turn and kneel and bow and approach prego emron no turn
00:12:26
Speaker
emron sort of sees Prager rush past him and ah he sort of hears Prager perhaps say say brother and assumes it's going down and everyone sort of comes charging through the door, hammer ready and then pauses because he's a bit confused because these these hellhags are like kneeling to Prager, is that correct?
00:12:50
Speaker
And he pauses because he just doesn't know what's through at this moment and he, is Drago still there? So he disappeared? Correct. Okay. that's that's Remember me. that' that's Okay. like, Prego, what's going on? And then he looks over his shoulder. Seth, what the fuck did Drago go?
00:13:17
Speaker
And I'm going to ready an action that if the hellhags attack Prego, I'm going to attack them back. Hmm. And that's the end of my turn.
00:13:29
Speaker
Great. Thank you.
00:13:35
Speaker
Karstan, you'll be the only one who would perceive this. But the corridor behind you, there is a lot of grunting, growling, and the swift movement force echoing from behind you.
00:13:53
Speaker
It's your turn. would like to do?
00:13:56
Speaker
um
00:14:03
Speaker
I am going to...
00:14:13
Speaker
I'm looking through my spells to see what I can do. i I had an idea, but now my game plan completely changed because the whole situation has changed. Oh, my goodness. um
00:14:28
Speaker
Yes, this is a conundrum.
00:14:39
Speaker
Karstan is going to... Did I perceive anything as Drago disappeared?
00:14:48
Speaker
No. the The door opened and he vanished in an instant. Okay. He vanished in an instant.
00:15:11
Speaker
Make a decision, boy. God. ah Carstown's going to follow everyone into the room and also look looking past Seth, be like, those hounds are still around here.
00:15:30
Speaker
Where has Drago gone?
00:15:33
Speaker
And then I'm going to cast detect thoughts around me because he's confused about what's happening. So I'm going, what are you casting detect thoughts on?
00:15:45
Speaker
So detect thoughts. You sense the presence of thoughts within 30 feet of yourself that belong to creatures that know the language you are telepathic. You don't read the thoughts, but you know a thinking creature is present. And then I'm going to sort of look towards the hell hags. Or the hell hag closest to me. That's going to be my target. Obviously, I also sense the presence of anything else within 30 feet that I should um perhaps can't see, but is is nearby that thinks.
00:16:13
Speaker
um It is blocked by one foot of stone, dirt, or wood, or one inch of metal, just for reference. So it's only within the room, as it were. Okay. So you detect that seven seven things around you are having thoughts.
00:16:27
Speaker
Ooh. Is that including Seth? Seth has thoughts. yeah so yeah Sorry. sorry. andm there sorry And then you were specifically doing to the hell there's something to the hellhag next to you?
00:16:42
Speaker
Yes. i'm Sorry, you're going to have to read that again. Target one creature within 30 feet of yourself or one creature within 30 feet of yourself that you detect with a sense of thought assumption. You learn what is the most what is most on the target's mind right now. Okay, so um do you speak abyssal or infernal?
00:17:00
Speaker
Does he speak abyssal or infernal?
00:17:06
Speaker
ah He does not. So what do you, how do you, let me see what it, let me read it to you to see what it says.
00:17:25
Speaker
Hmm.
00:17:32
Speaker
So it says, you sense the presence of thoughts within 30 feet of yourself that belong to creatures that know languages or are telepathic. You target one creature. You learn what is the most on that target's mind right now. If the target doesn't know any languages and isn't telepathic, you learn nothing. It does whether say nothing about whether I need to know their languages. Because reading their mind.
00:17:54
Speaker
yeah So there's no mention of actually being able to understand. Okay, so I won't form proper sentences for you. Instead, I'll give you ideas and and yeah um concepts. and So as this this hag is kind of fixated on Prego now, and it's just ah
00:18:14
Speaker
kind of showing subservience, that it it recognized this this person as a prince or or a figure of royalty, that it is obedient to it, that it's waiting for its command, that it serves it.
00:18:27
Speaker
um
00:18:30
Speaker
Lovely. Thank you very much. That is the end of my go. Okay. Top the round. Seth.
00:18:40
Speaker
Fuck. I still don't know. no is No one's attacking shit. Seth's going to do ah seth's going to roll back in his mind and try and figure out what the answer was here because Mark's genuinely forgotten at this stage what the fuck they're supposed to do.
00:18:58
Speaker
um And so I think in lieu of me forgetting, it's only right that we leave it to the dice. and I was going to roll a history check to see you see if we remember. would that be Would that be a fair estimation? Go for it.
00:19:11
Speaker
Thank you.
Realization of the Curse's Source
00:19:13
Speaker
because i'm ah Yeah, this doesn't
00:19:18
Speaker
Yeah. Anyway. I don't think we had a fan. Okay. Okay. We're still blessed. Don't forget to add your Yeah. Yeah. That's what just said. That's cocked. But it's a two apparently. Okay. So um adding them together gives me a 16. 16.
00:19:35
Speaker
sixty You know that you are on this floating fortress, that you journeyed into the vile plane so that you could get to the source of the curse that is enveloping the steel nightmare, that is stopping things from moving in or out of it, yeah living things from moving in or out of it.
00:19:54
Speaker
You have followed every instruction, every direction, and every clue. You believe you are at that source. You believe you are staring at this the the the the thing in this very room that is causing that curse to exist.
00:20:13
Speaker
That's what you needed the key for. You entered into the chamber. You're staring at the thing that is stopping Ren, Robin,
00:20:29
Speaker
and Sayangar from entering the Steel Nightmare. Okay. And this needs to be stopped so that they can do their bit so that all the three parts can can work together.
00:20:43
Speaker
And it happens to be a corpse. A body.
00:20:47
Speaker
That's what it looks like, yeah. Something there. Okay. Seth's going to then... um very tentatively uh cheat around the side of where car stan is around the hell hag that seems to be paying more attention to prego and peer at whatever's on the table this is the thing that prego said my brother to and he's holding his hand certainly heard that okay
00:21:17
Speaker
And he's holding his hand. Can I see, is it doing anything, him holding his hand? Is it like electrocuting him or like giving him power or taking power? Corpse a corpse. Corpse is a corpse, but the light is coming from him.
00:21:30
Speaker
The light is, yeah, the kind of fire beneath him that's moving through the altar, through his kind of corpse is creating all of that light. That is that that force that's bellowing into the sky.
00:21:43
Speaker
Cool.
00:21:51
Speaker
Do I get ah action or does that history check count as my action? I think that counts as your action. Yeah, absolutely. Burner's action hit the number.
00:22:03
Speaker
No, something bad is about to happen and Seth can feel on the back of his neck. He can sense it in his waters. And so as he gets closer and there's the deathly quiet, the room will just start to fill with a very somber dirge.
00:22:20
Speaker
as he starts to let the throat singing of old, as he begins the song of the blade, perhaps one final time and it will echo and resonate through the room, almost like a soundtrack to this melancholy moment in, in the, in the end of things and the deep of hells, my brothers reunite, et cetera, et cetera, add all the layers you've so expertly crafted Danny.
00:22:45
Speaker
And they're just ah basically I'm starting blade song. Thank you very beautiful way, hopefully. That's the end of my turn. yeah Sorry, I should say it's a bonus action and therefore i that's why I can do that bit. Yeah. Yep.
00:22:59
Speaker
Drago, we're taken back to this lucid dream you find yourself in and full of all of that familiarity, that that camaraderie, that that kind of fraternal love return
Battle with Tolkelon and Emotional Struggle
00:23:19
Speaker
to you that you haven't felt in a very long time.
00:23:25
Speaker
That's powering your steps as you charge towards your old foe. Your strides are greater. Your arm feels stronger. Your blade feels lighter.
00:23:40
Speaker
And you are sprinting with all force towards this creature.
00:23:47
Speaker
And you get to within about 15 feet, that full sprint. And I so imagine you're readying a strike. That's what I understand from yeah yeah where we left off. Yeah, Dengon's deception is in Drago's hand. And he's he's doing what he normally does, that strike from over his head. So as he's running and his claws are digging deep into the dirt to get more traction, to give him more speed. And his muscles start to tense as he brings Dengon's deception, the weight of it up over his head.
00:24:17
Speaker
and you get ready to strike and that familiar blade that Grazett held is ready to kind of attempt to para you in response like the first blow you landed all those years ago.
00:24:34
Speaker
go ahead and make your attack. I'm really fucking nervous. I don't know if I want this to hit or miss. um Can't wait people for you roll that crit.
00:24:50
Speaker
Don't joke. Am I blessed? Yes. You're blessed was from a potion, so not not not not a spell that needs to see you. So yes.
00:25:01
Speaker
Okay, that's a sweet 16.
00:25:05
Speaker
And as you kind of put everything into this strike, the this strike that you have landed successfully before, you make contact with the weapon of Grazet. And Grazet, a figure that's kind of equal in stature to you, just kind of cladded in kind of black, bilious, um
00:25:28
Speaker
kind of demonic skin wrapped in kind of infrequent black leathers.
00:25:36
Speaker
And when your blade contacts this weapon, the creature instantly changes.
00:25:47
Speaker
You're no longer striking against your ancient foe's blade. Right. It is replaced instead with a 30 foot long blade being held
00:26:08
Speaker
by a fist the size of a house.
00:26:13
Speaker
And as you kind of bounce back from that ricochet and you stare up at this towering creature that's dripping in like green ichor, you scale up, you see this bluish black hand give way to this almighty body
00:26:40
Speaker
This skull with enormous horns, rows of teeth.
00:26:48
Speaker
This creature is nearly 120 feet in height above you.
00:26:58
Speaker
Lord Tolcolon. Ha! Fuck! Shrugs off your strike. Fuck.
00:27:07
Speaker
And I need you to make a dexterity saving throw as you're buffeted away okay i have advantage on decks saving throws that i can see you're blessed and i got blessed
00:27:24
Speaker
oh man let's do it come on ian you can do it yeah yeah yeah fuck it let's go let's do this take in um a okay to that toda
00:27:42
Speaker
Dex is going to be... I'm going to have to... Oh! Okay, that's better. That's good. That's good. ah That's a 20 before bless.
00:27:59
Speaker
And Dinder Beyond is rolling really slow. It's rolling loads of dice. I don't understand what... I'm not seeing any of the dice. That's a 21...
00:28:12
Speaker
You're
00:28:15
Speaker
pushed back. It's like you're striking like a Roman column with your blade. You're pushed back about five feet, but you're able to dig your your you core in low and you just watch yourself kind of skid back.
00:28:29
Speaker
But you regain your footing, you regain your posture, you regain your kind of composition.
00:28:37
Speaker
But what on earth do you do next? I'm fucking...
00:28:45
Speaker
Fear, fury, adrenaline,
00:28:51
Speaker
acceptance. If it's possible to feel all those things in one massive wave as your brain goes into panic, determination, worry, frenzy, fury, rage, acceptance.
00:29:09
Speaker
Let's fucking go. He's going to strike again. Second attack. Go for it. as a As he runs around, so this beast 120 feet in front of him, he's never fought anyone this size.
00:29:26
Speaker
He's going to circumnavigate the blade and run around to the flank, the right flank of Lord Tocleon and attempt to cut him down to size. So he's going to attack at the, um i assume, ankle of this magnificent beast.
00:29:44
Speaker
And as he does so, as he runs around to the side, he's he's given in to that might of the battle. That wasn't a good roll. He's building up for nothing.
00:29:55
Speaker
ah As he gives himself in to the fury and the and the will of the fight, and he just yells this. goes ah Unfortunately, it's only a 13 hit.
00:30:08
Speaker
again, you just try and make that strike and talk a lot effortlessly. Effortlessly just kind of pulls this fell blade, this size of a redwood tree trunk, into the direction of your strike before you can put any kind of momentum behind it. And again, just kind of parries you and just laughs in response.
00:30:33
Speaker
That laugh yeah ah fuels him more. He's got a third attack. He's going to take the parry of the blade, slide Dengon's deception around it and use that momentum as a slingshot to 360 spin and go for a third attack.
00:30:50
Speaker
Give me something. That's more like it. Okay, we start to cook a little bit more now. It's going to get hopefully some bite of damage. to If this doesn't fucking land, I'm in trouble. 24 to hit. That hits.
00:31:02
Speaker
that hits Okay, cool. As he tries to pierce any part of Tolkelon at this point, any part of him will do for a 21 points of slashing damage. That feels fucking good. Tell me that the blade bites and I see something because that's going to fuel my anger and rage.
00:31:23
Speaker
As you go to strike this time.
00:31:27
Speaker
studying the kind of movement of how you've been parried now twice, your instincts are to go go for the hand, go as close to where that grip is as possible. just You need to know that if you can make contact with this creature, this this creature is made of flesh and this creature can burn.
00:31:44
Speaker
And as you do, you strike true across three of the fingers and you just kind of rip your blade black out and this black blood just kind of spills like a fountain over the top of you and you're kind of draped in your new foe's blood.
00:32:01
Speaker
But it's it's a clean strike. Fucking go. And Drago will look up and try and find the eyes and just try and laugh back
00:32:21
Speaker
and just readies himself. He's in it now. He accepts what's coming. Let's give everyone time.
00:32:31
Speaker
Okay.
00:32:33
Speaker
It's Prego's turn.
00:32:39
Speaker
Prego composes himself after a second of holding this corpse's hand.
00:32:47
Speaker
Seth, seal the door, quick.
Urgent Measures and Curse's Origins
00:32:53
Speaker
We need time.
00:32:57
Speaker
And he's just going to stand and just look closer over the corpse's body and he's just going to run his hand delicately over the skull, over the hair of this corpse.
00:33:14
Speaker
And just looks at you again with purpose. Go! Emron, your turn.
00:33:22
Speaker
The other three doorways are sealed, correct? They are.
00:33:27
Speaker
Okay. um Emron still isn't sure. He's like, Prego, what do we do? And and where has Drago gone?
00:33:37
Speaker
And Emron will sort of stay defending the doorway. sort of He wants to know what happens and know what to do next. Assumes Prego does, but also wants to know where Drago is.
00:33:51
Speaker
Okay. Anything else we return? um If a creature, if one of the hellhounds enters within five feet of me, I will attack it as a held reaction. Okay. Thank you very much.
00:34:02
Speaker
ah More barking and scurrying, getting louder and louder and louder. And now, cast down, we'll just see at an angle. Forces beginning to emerge.
00:34:17
Speaker
from behind the chamber that um carries the stairwell that you descended onto this floor.
00:34:25
Speaker
Karstan, you're up. Karstan sees that Seth has been told to seal the door but and doesn't want to step out of it. So he will look towards the hellhounds that are coming towards them. And whilst they are in range, I am going to cast a spell on them. I am going to viciously mock them and I'm going to call the hellhound that they're such a kumquat.
00:34:52
Speaker
And I'm going to cast vicious mockery at it. does that a save? ah It is indeed it is a wisdom saving throw. 13. Yeah, that fails.
00:35:07
Speaker
So it will take 12 points of psychic damage as I viciously mock it.
00:35:21
Speaker
and it has disadvantage on its next attack roll before the end of its next turn. Cool. Thank you very much. Anything else for your turn? I will take a step back slightly just to clear the space. And Karsan then looking around, he's still trying to sort of try and work out where what has happened to Drago, but also looking at the corpse. Is the corpse, because Karsan's seen Grazit, is the corpse Grazit?
00:35:47
Speaker
Yes. Okay. You would not mistake that. no okay so holy shit the corpse is crazy using the corpse of his own brother as to power the thing okay that's fine um what and carter looks to prego prego what do we need to do and that's it in game
00:36:11
Speaker
set the of the round
00:36:23
Speaker
Seth, top of the round. and Heeding what Prego has just said about trying to buy time, um Seth's going to make his way between Castdown and the Hellhag, away from the sa the the body in the middle, and towards the door. He's going to draw out the key from his pocket and and look around at the runes and start to place the key back towards the center of the space, hoping that the etherealness of the runic blocks starts to re-knit or reform. um He's seen kind of spells of a similar ilk and arcanic capacities in the past, so he's hoping it's something similar.
00:37:00
Speaker
And your arcanic instincts are spot on as you kind of represent present the key into the void nice way where the door once was.
00:37:10
Speaker
It re-materializes back around the key and you find yourself holding it in the keyhole once again un able to kind of deftly remove it and there is now a thick surface of immovable stone sealing you back in this chamber it's up to you all if you want to stay in initiative or not
00:37:31
Speaker
I'm happy to drop out but I don't know what how Drago feels obviously talking to you guys here not me Drago is not in this current location okay yeah I'm happy drop out
00:37:46
Speaker
You get two votes there. Well, technically, so... Yeah, we'll drop out. And Seth will instantly turn to Prego. What is this and where is Drago gone?
00:38:00
Speaker
ah
00:38:03
Speaker
I don't know exactly. ah
00:38:08
Speaker
You're looking...
00:38:13
Speaker
And he
00:38:15
Speaker
kind of goes to the eyelids, pries open the eyelids of his deceased brother on the table, and you can kind of see rapid movement in the eyelids of this corpse.
00:38:32
Speaker
I think he is with my brother. Not this one. Worse. Worse.
00:38:43
Speaker
Right. How and where and we need to get to him.
00:38:50
Speaker
How I do not know. He must have been expecting him. How could he expect him?
00:38:59
Speaker
He's Drago. Everyone expects him.
00:39:02
Speaker
When my... When Grazet was destroyed, the closing of the Blight, and he's doing this to Karsten, you kill the devil. He comes back here, I know.
00:39:15
Speaker
Yes.
00:39:19
Speaker
Krasat disobeyed my brother when he went to Aerith early, when he started the blight and
00:39:30
Speaker
as punishment for his crimes. I know he was sealed in this chamber, but I did not know that this was his fate.
00:39:42
Speaker
And he now gestures to the hags.
00:39:50
Speaker
Tolkel unlocked the steel nightmare by offering my brother here. It seems as the catalyst.
00:40:02
Speaker
We can remove my brother's body and that curse will end.
00:40:11
Speaker
I'm still somewhat confused. Why would Tolklang seal the steel nightmare when the forces of the steel nightmare and Tolklang's forces have been fighting?
00:40:23
Speaker
I believe he wanted to imprison them so that that they could not come out. But the conditions, and he's trying to, now he's he's talking in inferno to the hags, getting a response from them, and then talking back in common to you.
00:40:43
Speaker
The conditions of the curse were that nothing living may pass in or out of the nightmare.
00:40:51
Speaker
That must be why they are machines and stone.
00:40:59
Speaker
Right. Okay. So, remove the body, yes? Yes. And the curse will end, but... Drago. Drago.
00:41:12
Speaker
Is there any magic you can do to find Drago? Teleport us to him? Just me, I don't mind, but we need to find him. I do not know where he is, but if we remove the body, if we end wherever Drago is, it's come from him and points back to Graset.
00:41:38
Speaker
Right.
00:41:42
Speaker
Am I detecting any thoughts from the sacrifice, Danny? Yes. Okay. I wish to... Because I believe... Unless it's otherwise... Oh, that's for a minute. So it's probably still barely up. So I'll burn a spell slot to keep it going.
00:42:00
Speaker
um I would like to go into the thoughts and read the thoughts of the sacrifice, please. Are you delving deep? I'm going to go deep, please. So your surface thoughts...
00:42:12
Speaker
Yep. You hear a lot of sounds of grunting and panting.
00:42:19
Speaker
And what is the save I need to make? um ah Also, I would have, um if if you'll permit me, before casting this, I would also cast Comprehend Languages on myself.
00:42:33
Speaker
Sure. Not a problem. and um what is What am doing? Is a wisdom saving throw great in regards to the detect thoughts. ah and It's a disadvantage because it's an unconscious creature. Nine.
00:42:49
Speaker
rather say fail. So as you kind of pry deeper into this corpse, you see a battlefield.
00:42:59
Speaker
You see a very
00:43:04
Speaker
familiar figure in your friend Drago squaring up against a colossal demon that outsizes him 20 to 1.
00:43:18
Speaker
Exchanging blows.
00:43:25
Speaker
Somehow, against all odds, he's surviving. Drago, I mean. Yes. Okay. um And Karstan takes a minute and sort of sagges a little bit.
00:43:42
Speaker
Somehow Drago is fighting Tolklong in Grazit's mind. That is what I see.
00:43:54
Speaker
And then he he asks what what you've said in Infernal to the hags. And you will have kind of understood that if you've got Comprehend languages.
00:44:06
Speaker
And they just, now that you can hear them, cast down.
00:44:15
Speaker
That was the condition of the curse maker.
00:44:21
Speaker
But this one the sacrifice added another.
00:44:29
Speaker
And then Prager asks, what do you mean?
00:44:39
Speaker
Alcalon wished for the cast to wrap a still nightmare, to bind it.
00:44:50
Speaker
Grazett, before death,
00:44:57
Speaker
added an amendment.
The Cost of Breaking the Curse
00:45:04
Speaker
He wished For Tolkelon himself to be trapped too.
00:45:17
Speaker
Break the curse.
00:45:22
Speaker
You may.
00:45:25
Speaker
Release Tolkelon, you will.
00:45:32
Speaker
Ah, fuck! Carson's like... Carson's like, you've got to be shitting me. And he says this in common because he doesn't, he can't, he can't understand the the the thing. And he looks like at Prego, like really annoyed.
00:45:46
Speaker
Are you serious? I did not know.
00:45:52
Speaker
My brother looks at Grazat specifically. He had an ace up his sleeve, it seems.
00:46:04
Speaker
So Tolcolon has been trapped all this time on a plane.
00:46:13
Speaker
So who's been instructing his forces to capture you and fight people then?
00:46:18
Speaker
Him. But he's just done it from distance. So how has he pulled Drago to his him in that and that mind? Ask them that.
00:46:32
Speaker
And he does.
00:46:39
Speaker
And they reply,
00:46:46
Speaker
The sacrifice was a coward.
00:46:55
Speaker
ah enchanted this room to banish any foe of his that entered. R-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h!
00:47:12
Speaker
Maybe he has counted his foes. And they start giggling to each other, the the entire coven.
00:47:22
Speaker
Drago fought Grazit. And Kattan's speaking out loud now to to Seth, to everybody around. Drago fought Grazit. Drago killed Grazit. So Grazit would count. Drago was his foe. The rest of us weren't... didn't... weren't close enough. We kept riding.
00:47:40
Speaker
So... That's why Drago's gone. Drago's in his mind. What can I do to get him out?
00:47:50
Speaker
I don't have the time, don't have the spells. We could arrange a new curse.
00:48:00
Speaker
Okay.
00:48:02
Speaker
A new curse. New conditions. This coven, it's...
00:48:10
Speaker
It's all about deals. Yes, and I'm familiar with them. So what's the cost? The sacrifice.
00:48:28
Speaker
Don't do it. Don't do it. What do you mean?
00:48:41
Speaker
Someone must take Roser's place.
00:48:45
Speaker
Emron sort of shuffles forward. that's easy. Let's use one of the hell hags.
00:48:52
Speaker
i I fucking love Emron.
00:49:01
Speaker
Do what you thought I was going to say. but tra goes soft Prego softly kind of grips your forearms.
00:49:10
Speaker
They are what keep the new conditions. How many do we need? They've got three. There's three. How many do we need? We could kill them, but you'd be killing Drago.
00:49:25
Speaker
Fuck! Wait. Wait, let me just... And Seth's going to rub his eye socket under his eye patch. Just to clarify...
Sacrificial Decisions for the Greater Good
00:49:41
Speaker
uh, Tolkelon has been imprisoned in some way and from distances organizing the armies of the hells. Grasit here, the cast I knew fought is dead, but in his,
00:49:58
Speaker
we can't see he is stopping the steel nightmare from escaping. And he's imprisoned some matter. Yes. And somehow also Tolcalon is imprisoned but has drawn Drago in, yeah?
00:50:14
Speaker
And we are saying that if we replace Krasit with something else, we can offer new conditions that we'll keep Tolcalon where he is and end the protection of the Steel Nightmare, yeah? And save Drago.
00:50:34
Speaker
It will just require a sacrifice. Grazit put a condition that any foe would be drawn into the into the trap as well. Drago is Grazit's foe, therefore drawn in.
00:50:47
Speaker
And if we can put the same kind of conditions on
00:50:53
Speaker
that no one can ever enter, then we can stop something like that happening again. Yes, in theory, yes.
00:51:10
Speaker
Okay. I will add
00:51:16
Speaker
what's happening to Drago is happening in real time and we've been talking for some minutes now. He might not have long.
00:51:28
Speaker
Fine. Everyone's going to look to you, Seth, with your fine
00:51:38
Speaker
Don't you be getting any stupid ideas? Don't you, Emron.
00:51:52
Speaker
We've been here before, Emron.
00:51:55
Speaker
Facing death in the face.
00:52:00
Speaker
Decision between life and death and it was you and I. You remember? i I do, but there's there theres there's got to be some other the way, Seth, because
00:52:12
Speaker
didn't Drago say that if one goes... we Yeah. surely no no but Surely this means that Drago wouldn't mind if we left him.
00:52:24
Speaker
But let's look at it. We leave him, yeah? He's dead to us, imagine. Or dying now at the hands of the god of hell himself. He is here with us.
00:52:37
Speaker
Still, what is our decision? The choice we have in front of us is this. Even if Drago is here, the sacrifice is the way. As long as I am not mistaken, Prego, this is the choice we have. And even if Drago is here and Tolcolom was still without any plaything,
00:52:59
Speaker
The choice would still be that we have to replace Grazit to stop his energy going to the Steel Nightmare.
00:53:08
Speaker
Drago has made this difficult. We could just destroy everything in this room and walk away. The curse would end, but... But that would release Tolklon, correct?
00:53:25
Speaker
Everything. We can't have that. That would be bad.
00:53:33
Speaker
That would be worse. true Yeah, true or false. Put it down turn down the line, Priego. If Tol'Colon gets out, are we more fucked than we already are? This is a difficult question to answer.
00:53:47
Speaker
If he gets out,
00:53:50
Speaker
i don't know his mind. i do not know his and ambitions, but I know that he will want to take Aerith. If we keep him imprisoned... So he needs to stay sealed. Okay.
00:54:01
Speaker
Could anything be a sacrifice?
00:54:05
Speaker
It would need to be something powerful. Could we get one of his demons to do it?
00:54:17
Speaker
Nothing.
00:54:20
Speaker
yeah so we know Nothing in this tower. Nothing in this tower, I think. there's You need something that's strong-willed,
00:54:34
Speaker
It would have to be one of us.
00:54:38
Speaker
Right.
00:54:41
Speaker
Okay. Okay. Okay. Fuck. Imran, listen. You're going to raise his eyebrow you a little bit.
00:54:53
Speaker
I've got nothing.
00:54:56
Speaker
I've done what I need to do. it Seth, thrust there has to be another way. Imran, I've been living on borrowed time ever since we stood against that dragon all those weeks ago.
00:55:08
Speaker
Every breath has been a a blessing. Every second I knew that this was borrowed time. Every success, every chance I had, every sunrise and sunset,
00:55:24
Speaker
It's just one more than I deserved after the day. Yeah, but we're, we're, we're, we're fighting. Prager just, again, knocks your forearm even heavier, Emron.
00:55:36
Speaker
It cannot be you. No, I will not lose you again. Karstan, Drago is your friend.
00:55:46
Speaker
What would he do? but What would he say? You know him best. He would say something like, oh, fuck it. um I'll be all right.
00:55:58
Speaker
um Or something like that. And that's a mimic. Then Carson mimics. Drag his voice perfectly then, by the way, using his acting skill. um There has to be another way. um ah what if i so what What if I summon something to to be the sacrifice? just would that Would that work? There has to be a loophole in these things.
00:56:17
Speaker
prely There always are. It's not just... cut what There are always elements of this. It needs something that has lived. It needs life. It needs power. if summoned a dragon spirit, that wouldn't work?
00:56:32
Speaker
I don't think so. We could try, but just in the act of trying, if it goes wrong. Yeah, we fuck it, I know. Yeah.
00:56:43
Speaker
I mean, if I sacrifice myself, then Drago would have to live with it for the rest of his life, and that is...
00:56:52
Speaker
But could you live with it if Seth or I or... wouldn't even entertain the thought of saying Emron.
00:57:05
Speaker
We all have our parts to play.
00:57:09
Speaker
And...
00:57:14
Speaker
Is it not about Earth and not about individuals? It is about Ereth. It's about the greater good.
00:57:28
Speaker
Your paths are not, your stories are not yet written.
00:57:37
Speaker
I've already written mine and lots of other people's.
00:57:48
Speaker
could be me Heck, why It's like I'll be dead. I'll still be here, right?
00:57:56
Speaker
It's true. So, very simple. I will keep Tolklang in a one-man band show of my own devising, and he will hate it.
00:58:08
Speaker
And Drago will get out, and then Drago will have to come and rescue me somehow at some point.
00:58:18
Speaker
Kajstan.
00:58:23
Speaker
Once my brother is no longer as a sacrifice, he will be no more. Grasit. Yes.
00:58:36
Speaker
You would not live again after at this moment.
00:58:42
Speaker
Well, they do say that death is the last great adventure. Who knows what happens afterwards? And perhaps it's my time to go and explore that.
00:59:00
Speaker
I've lived a good life, Prego. I've lived a life of excess and I have fucked things up for everybody. This seems quite right. And Karstang can see that Emron and Seth are probably desperate to speak at this point, but it is it is right perhaps that I try and fix things.
00:59:31
Speaker
And if I die, I die.
00:59:34
Speaker
People have already died for me.
00:59:41
Speaker
That's my turn. I've...
00:59:48
Speaker
Heck. least people will remember me.
00:59:54
Speaker
I so wanted to be me, but...
00:59:59
Speaker
I do not think Oh, if it's me, there's any way out of here for you all. And that's exactly right. You're our ticket out. And I'm not going to lie.
Cliffhanger Ending
01:00:12
Speaker
I think Enron would probably not let you die.
01:00:15
Speaker
Again. Too fucking right.
01:00:22
Speaker
We don't have time. Seth, what do you think? Yes.
01:00:28
Speaker
All eyes turn to the single eye of Seth.
01:00:34
Speaker
That's where going to this week's episode of The Fellowship of the Tabletop, Bellum Draconis.
01:00:41
Speaker
Until next time. Farewell. Farewell.