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Ep. 11 Something in the Water - Shadowmend Tales
102 Plays2 years ago
Our group of heroes encounter a disturbing site deep in the Jungle.
Follow us on our Twitters - @FellowshipTable
Intro written and produced by Joseph McDade
Music kindly provided by Fesliyan Studios
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Transcript
Introduction to the Cast and Setting
00:00:22
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome to tonight's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop. We are a live play 5e podcast set in the disputed lands of the Verandian jungle in the magical homebrew world of Eryth. My name is Darren and I'm going to run some D&D for you. These are the Shadowmen Tales. With us tonight, let's say it nice and early and get it out of the way. Playing the bugbear druid Chungus Bongwater is our one-shot extraordinaire Wilbot. Would you like to see my dick?
00:00:24
Speaker
If you tried harder, for God's sake, you'd be almost stupid. Now come on.
00:00:49
Speaker
Playing the Goblin Barbarian Druid Krat, we have Callum. Yeah, I make it rain. Playing the Hobgoblin Wizard Ukaburra, we have Danny. Bonjour. Playing the Human Ranger McBenna, we have Will. I'm just a bit grumpy. Playing the Dragonborn Paladin Drago, we have Ian. What up? And playing the Dragonborn Rogue Syengar, we have Mark. Hey gang.
00:01:15
Speaker
And to tell us what happened last time on the Fellowship of the Tabletop, we're going to hand over to the wonderful tones of the epic voiceover guy.
Recap of the Previous Episode
00:01:26
Speaker
Previously on the Fellowship of the Tabletop, we had a travel song. It's a travel song. And so our adventurers began to march through the jungle. It was only day four, but who's counting?
00:01:41
Speaker
Traveling through, they saw dinosaurs, massive dipidocuses, and there was a huge reference to Jurassic Park, which we'll deal with later.
Sayangar's Hidden Backstory
00:01:52
Speaker
Traveling through the jungle, some backstory was revealed. Sayangar revealed that he had been working for Uran Cardinal, who, if the listeners don't know, is the secret ruler of Shadowmend, the puppet master behind the throne of the haddows.
Discovery of the Thieves' Cache
00:02:10
Speaker
making camp, Drago and McBenna discovered a thieves cache full of rum. It's gonna be a good night tonight. A watch began and so we heard a little bit of the tragic backstory of our three new characters. And finally, as our two stood and looked at the stars, we returned to our journey and our adventure.
00:02:40
Speaker
Yeah, I know what Ian's about to say about how that sounded inspiring. And, you know, it's really hard for me to disagree with him. So, Will, have yourself some inspiration for that voiceover in particular. I basically rely on this now every episode, Darren. It's the only way I get good roles. Just to try and fish out some inspiration. Yeah. And we'll pick up at the end of the last watch as our two goblin kin are making their way back to the camp.
Humorous Spell Mishap
00:03:08
Speaker
Chungus, what would you like to do? Who are you waking? You've got Syingarum at Benner, still to take a watch. I would like to wake McBenner, please, in the loudest way possible. Okay, what's the loudest way possible? I am going to... I don't know your spell book, Will, thinking about this, so I'll rely on one of my... Oh, God. And I'm going to use suggestion on a sleeping McBenner.
00:03:37
Speaker
And I think because he's sleeping, I think I automatically pass, but I'll double check. Or you have to roll at disadvantage, I think. I'll double check. We need a rules check on the rules consultant. Yeah, you need to make a wisdom save, please. This is rule section right here. It's like interception for rules. No, you can't use suggestion on a sleeping target.
00:04:03
Speaker
I've just searched for it. Sorry. Because I can't hear you. You have to kill him. Does he hear anything now? I'm just going to cast Ray of Frost on his tiny little feet. Okay. Yeah, what happens?
Comedic Dagger Throw
00:04:27
Speaker
My hand's going to glow blue and I'm just going to touch his foot very lightly and he's going to feel a cold sensation.
00:04:34
Speaker
You wake up and how much damage will take you take Oh God one point of cold damage We this dysfunctional when you're the DM Okay, then I'm gonna quickly lie down I like I'm fast asleep
00:04:57
Speaker
Jungus is just standing there going, what the hell? Do we roll initiative for this? Because better is going to throw a dagger at whatever's coming at his feet. Why did it kill Jungus? The spell is being asked. I would then say it's probably the fairest way to... Why am I rolling initiative for this, Jesus? The fairest thing to do is probably to roll initiative to see who springs first, you or Rookaburra. Roll initiative. Okay.
00:05:27
Speaker
Oh, this is the way it ends. Okay, fine. I'm just going to ask this on a ukaboa, what did you get? 10. Thank you. McBenna, what did you get? 21. Okay, McBenna, you feel this touch and you spring up before ukaboa can do anything else?
00:05:54
Speaker
I'm throwing a dagger at whatever's attacking my fill. Okay, roll to hit. Okay. That's a 24 to hit. Is he definitely hitting me? It's for distance. Isn't it a touch spell?
00:06:16
Speaker
60 foot mate, 60 foot mate. Oh, okay. Oh, well you just get up and you lob a dagger what you think is touching your foot and it just, what happens if you bonk? It then pierces this rum barrel and you just hear this trickle of rum starting to fall out. As you then glance around at Benner and see these two goblin kin stood further down the way from you.
00:06:40
Speaker
I've taken a license and assumed that you've pulled one of the barrels out to be able to consume from them. I better looks over at them, looks at his foot and probably the rapidly defrosting edge of his boot, stands up, goes and gets his dagger and says, YouTube better get some rest now.
00:07:11
Speaker
Be light soon. Sleep tight. I suppose he's going to smile and go to bed. Jungus, just before he does, is going to go, he was trying to be funny. I'm really sorry. And I'll cast Healing Word. OK. And you will. Roll your heal. You'll regain seven points.
00:07:39
Speaker
Not that you need it Just saying that oh you kind of see him kind of Motion around a little bit not necessarily glow anyway shape or form, but you'll instantly feel better. Hopefully and just go Sorry again. He thought it would be funny. I tried to talk him out of it and Thanks I'm a better well
00:08:08
Speaker
look at the sleeping party. And then he will leave most of his stuff on the ground. He'll sort of grab his bow and his cover of arrows, and he'll just start sort of just making a patrol of the edge of the camp. How light is it, Darren? I mean, you're picking up a watch still in the in the death of night. You're in the I would say it's going to be somewhere between two and three a.m. at the minute.
00:08:37
Speaker
Cool. In that case, McBenna will light a torch because Booker's going to make him do a watch. He's going to light a fire because he can't see shit. Okay. Yep. You light a torch and you're able to start patrolling the outskirts of the camp. It's a... I'm going to ask as the only person who's probably attempting to do a serious watch so far that you roll perception, please, McBenna.
McBenna's Reflective Watch
00:09:05
Speaker
Of course.
00:09:07
Speaker
Oh shit, that's what we meant to do. Would you like it at disadvantage because I'm trying to find stuff that's essentially outside of the range of the light? Yeah, so if you were looking within the range of the torch, it's unfortunately, it is going to have to be at disadvantage. Well, if it's in the range of the torch, it's lit, isn't it? Or is it? I'm sorry, dim light, yeah. If you're looking beyond that, if you're keeping a watch safe, then yes, it's a disadvantage. Yeah, it's like you. That's a five on the perception check.
00:09:37
Speaker
Yeah, it's really difficult to gauge if there is anything particularly threatening beyond this horizon. You do hear Russell's. It doesn't appear to be anything that seems too interested in you.
00:09:53
Speaker
Fortunately, you know that the dead of night is outside of some of the main threats, the infestations of hordes of raptors, which could be something that would be particularly worrying. They're not nocturnal, but they're not likely to be hunting at this time of night. And stuff that seems to scurry too close, you get the sense that almost that sense of notice is you and then start scurrying in the other direction.
00:10:21
Speaker
It's been a long time since you've been in the verandium by nightfall, and it's certainly alien to what you're used to. The company is alien to what you were used to, and it feels a long, long time ago since you made the decision that you made to make for Great Haddow and to take up Dredlin's call for a once-in-a-lifetime heist.
00:10:50
Speaker
and probably the moment for you to process how you've got to this point. Yeah, but better will sort of consider the actions and sort of take the time to let the fact that, you know, of the people he's known in the last week to have died and once betrayed it. And he's aware that
00:11:19
Speaker
in his previous career as one of the Rainier. He was amongst friends that trusted each other and had each other's backs. And even if there were some that you didn't really like, because their personalities or they didn't wash or whatever, they still had your back when the shit hit the fan. And he's pondering. He knows that Drago is going through
Syengar and Ren Bonding
00:11:48
Speaker
a little bit of a mindfuck. And he takes his time as the watch, and he's almost like as he's walking around, he's looking at each of them and weighing up where he places them on his sort of order of importance. Not quite sure who to put at the bottom or whether just to put all three of the new guys. And he just has in his head,
00:12:18
Speaker
that he's going to find Karl and he almost absentmindedly starts playing again with the vial of dust that Draugr gave him that was Karl's. And he's just letting that ponder. Knowing where Karl's headed to and then where he's going after that, at least reassures MacBenna. He knows that even if they've lost the trail now,
00:12:45
Speaker
there is still the chance that they will find it again and he will get his revenge. Great, thank you. Yeah, pondering on where Karl is going is an interesting topic and one that probably would race through your mind.
00:13:06
Speaker
The wonders and the natural wonder of the Arctic horizon, as this jungle to the Far East just gives way to a frozen wasteland, incredibly suddenly is. What Karl could want there is difficult to fathom. And as you return to camp, you know now that the only person yet to take a watch for the hours that run into dawn is, is Saingar.
00:13:36
Speaker
Okay, McBenna sort of walks over to near where Saingaar is, sort of kneels down. Saingaar. It's your watch. Thanks. Do you want me to put the torch out or leave it? I put it out, I've got the mask. Fair enough. Because McBenna extinguishes the torch, lies down.
00:14:02
Speaker
And Sanger would get up, don his bug-like mask with long entrails, and he'd watch and wait for McBenna to either be distracted or to be asleep. And what he'd do is he would take one of the kind of elongated tusks and
00:14:19
Speaker
twist the bottom of it and the end of it is like, it comes through a spike, it twists the spike off the end and it's hollow on the inside and he looks around one more time and pulls out a small orange crystal and looks at it, his hand is shaking slightly and takes some deep kind of intense breaths and pushes it back in and re-attaches it and just kind of holds it like, just checking it was still there
00:14:44
Speaker
He then fits the mask properly over his face looking through the large dome bug eyes, black bug eyes of this mask. The morning, well the late night, the dark night is illuminated for him as he
00:14:59
Speaker
patrols around watch, taken seriously, taken out his blade, his chipped, rested short sword, and just casually kind of flicking up and catching it as he casually looks out and does a proper walk around, proper job at the patrol, but with a little bit of flair and panache in the process.
00:15:18
Speaker
Great, and you do this for an hour, and you notice that as this first hour passes, the first hour of the God's union is starting to approach as soul's light starts to creep into the horizon. And as you notice that, you hear a voice behind you say, I know what it's like, you know, to be the one left behind as a part of that sacrifice.
00:15:47
Speaker
And you turn around and see the female half-elf, Ren, has emerged from the campsite and has just followed you into the periphery, the horizon of this camp, this edge of the camp, and he's now just stood behind you. He pulls off the mask and has a dangling down on his neck. What do you mean?
00:16:16
Speaker
When Drago was transported here, my brother went with him. I was separated from him. And as you allow the silence, she then continues and goes, and I know that you saved that boy's life, the girl's life, sorry, the young Wardigan Assey.
00:16:49
Speaker
Yeah, I did. You weren't supposed to do that, were you? No. Karthon, I was wounded and dead. I returned her to her family. Something I could never give to my family. Something I could never do for my own. So is this, this wandering in the jungle, is it exile or is it something else?
00:17:19
Speaker
It's a lack of purpose. I have no way of returning home and even if I did I'd find myself wandering as I do here with no purpose. Purpose seems to fall towards me but that purpose is family and if I trust it or not that's another issue altogether.
00:17:42
Speaker
So now I have no purpose. I have no drive. That which keeps me going is the breath in my lungs and the beating of my heart. Nothing more. No cause. No internal moral compass that pushes me and drives me towards change. No. Just the fact that I haven't stopped beating. That's it.
00:18:07
Speaker
So I'll take you today as it comes. And if purpose falls in my lap, then purpose I shall do. But until then I will wander. And as I walk out looking as the sun, the soul slowly rises. Then why are you here? Why did whatever brought my brother and your brother here, why did it bring you? That question is too big. I will not think of it. But think of this.
00:18:37
Speaker
If someone who looked like one of your kin, one of your family, appeared in an unknown land where you thought they were dead and had a mission, would you not follow them? Even if you doubted with every fiber of your being that it was possible, that person could be alive. If they turned up, blood for blood, kin for kin, and said, this is our purpose, this is what I am doing, would you not follow? Would you not do the same? It's exactly what I would do.
00:19:05
Speaker
not just ahead of this, which is why I follow until I can make more sense of it and come to a decision on indeed what my purpose is. Until then, the rest is dust.
00:19:24
Speaker
Ren's going to turn back towards the camp at that, not knowing what else to say and just leave you to your own devices on the edge of this camp site. Is there anything else you want to do, Syengar? No, you just brood. Okay.
Journey Preparations and Breakfast
00:19:43
Speaker
Morning comes and the rest of you wake.
00:19:49
Speaker
you were able to prepare breakfast in whichever way you would choose to do. Unless anyone wishes to do anything before you set out and follow the river south again, heading towards Dash Kalarei, I'm going to just resume the travel montage unless there is anything else that anyone wants to do before you move on.
00:20:09
Speaker
I assume we benefit from a long rest. I know it's stating the obvious, but I just want to check. Yes, the complete benefit of a long rest has been afforded to you all. Thank you. Thank you. I have nothing I want to do. I have just a quick thing. Fairy just adds flavor to the flavor, if you will. In the morning, as we're all getting ready and sorting out breakfast and stuff, Drago would take whatever breakfast was being
00:20:35
Speaker
Made a human is some sort of slop and make sure that he would just kind of take two balls out one for himself and then without any real words just walk over sign got make sure you eat. And then hands it to him thanks in this awkward yeah. I'm rans gonna make a way over to chungus and it's just going to say.
00:21:05
Speaker
Do you have any of those berries? Well, I do now, and I'll cast Goodberry, and you'll see him kind of squat near the floor, and just in front of your very eyes, you'll see some brand new berries kind of sprout up from the ground, which he will pluck. I think there are only eight of them. I think that's right. Yeah, and he'll pass one over to you.
00:21:34
Speaker
yeah Ren glances around and then takes the berry and just quickly pops it in her mouth and starts to chew on it and i was curious and then just turns and walks away from you thank you no not a problem oh i hope she doesn't get chits and the effects of good berry are it's like lamb the spread isn't it like lord of the rings law it's like one bite can sustain you for a day exactly right okay um
00:22:03
Speaker
Okay, the party moves on then as you strike down the camp and you continue to head south looking for signs, signs of Karl Jeet in particular those of you at front. Is there going to be a change from the marching order from yesterday?
00:22:23
Speaker
Okay, so just for fidelity for the listeners who won't have heard that since last week, what we have is we have a front trio of Macbenna, Drago and Ren. We then have Syengar who seems to be existing somewhere between the two packs and then a back of the pack that consists of our Goblinkin, Kratz, Ukaburra and Chungus.
Facing the Waterfall Challenge
00:22:47
Speaker
As the day continues on,
00:22:50
Speaker
something happens within the first two hours. The clouds start to grey over and mercifully, particularly for you Drago, a coolness comes with it. The day is accompanied by a consistent slow but consistent deluge of rain towards the end of which you find the first fork in the road of the verandian river upstream.
00:23:13
Speaker
There is a presence of a large cliff coming up ahead of you and you can see that these two forks appear to be leading to one similar point. A waterfall that appears to just be gushing down this cliff face. As you approach, it doesn't appear to be that there's any way for you to navigate around this cliff face other than going directly up it or to leave the presence of the verandian jungle.
00:23:42
Speaker
or the Prince of the Verandim River, sorry, I should say. To keep track of the river and to continue on the straight line to Dash Kalarei, you're going to have to navigate this waterfall. What do you want to do? Right. And MacBenna will turn to Saingar. Have you travelled this way much?
00:24:12
Speaker
No. Not this bit, at least. I know the way I'm good with maps, okay? I know my way around places, but I just don't know... I don't know how to get over this. I must have taken a different route, or maybe I didn't follow the river as tight. I don't remember this. I don't remember this. Maybe... I don't know. Can we help? Yes, please do.
00:24:38
Speaker
What seems to be the problem? Waterfall. I'm just trying to work out whether we use travel up, past the waterfall,
00:24:50
Speaker
or whether we have to leave river, go into a jungle, make our way around until we can get up to the top. Because clearly we've got to get up from here, up onto that plateau where the waterfalls coming down to continue our journey. So we either climb or we go around until we can find a way up the cliff safely.
00:25:09
Speaker
I'm just trying to work out in my head which way is gonna be best versus time it's gonna take.
00:25:28
Speaker
No mind. Either way, I'm just gonna, and Drago's gonna, Drago, oh shit. Well, he so used to call himself Drago. Sign guy's gonna cheapishly take off the mask and take off his black cloak revealing just like very, very basic cheap ass, cheap bitch ass clothes underneath like a,
00:25:47
Speaker
rotten white shirt and some grubby trousers. He's going to stick his head under the waterfall and just kind of, ah, and you're going to see steam kind of rising off him as he kind of calls himself for a bit and then kind of pre-dresses as whatever happens next happens. Drag is going to follow suit and do the same thing. Brother bathing session. You know, buddy.
00:26:10
Speaker
And this is a moment of real coolness. The light, damp, consistent drizzle of the rain has provided some respite for you, but this is like having a really cold drink when you're really thirsty. It's the equivalent of that. This feels incredibly satisfying for creatures that need cooler temperatures. As this is happening, Chunga, so are you wanting to do something?
00:26:36
Speaker
Yeah, how tall is this kind of waterfall, this kind of structure in front of us, roughly? Between 50 and 60 feet. It's a fair enough size. This is the first real obstacle in following the, just turn to following the verandian that you have encountered. Okay, I'll turn to the group and just say, has anyone got any kind of rope or anything with them in like a peck or something like that? I mean, we could make some with vines, but
00:27:06
Speaker
I've got rope, and I've got a few bits of climbing gear. Well, you don't need to necessarily climb. It crits. Have you got anything that can, you know, help you get up there? I'm not too sure. Let me have a think. Darren, I do have a creature in mind, but I don't know if I would have seen it or not.
00:27:31
Speaker
Tell me the creature and I'll tell you you'd like to have seen it. The wolf spider. Okay. Interesting. Yes. Yes. Yes. You've spent your life in the verandian. It makes sense that you've seen all manner of things as part of a roaming tribe that literally moves around this jungle that's the size of a kingdom. Okay.
00:28:01
Speaker
I think I could do something. It might not be the prettiest of things, though. No, that's all right. So I'll just warn the group. So my little brother here, he can do some pretty cool stuff. Just don't freak out. And could you get the rope? McBenna will get the rope out of his pack. Give it to me. Give it to me. I want it back. That's fine. I want it back when we're gone. What the hell's going to happen?
00:28:32
Speaker
I'm gonna kind of wrap the rope around me. So it's like obviously all circled up anyway. I'm just gonna hook it over my shoulders
00:28:39
Speaker
And I was going to kind of take a moment and you're going to start to see Kratz's body morph and adjust and extra limbs are going to kind of grow on him.
Kratz's Druidic Transformation
00:28:55
Speaker
And before your very eyes, he's going to morph into a giant wolf spider. Fucking hell.
00:29:03
Speaker
As he's done that, DM, does that mean he's broken my rope? Roped? He's gone from a small creature to a medium creature. Because he's wrapped a rope around himself. As long as I keep it stable, anything that's actually on me will just morph with me. I can't use it while I'm in my car. Just checking your thought about it. Just checking your thought about it. Yeah, I've checked about it, rules, DM. Yeah, it sounds like that Callum had preempted that there would be a rules consultant question there and it has fought that through. So I'll allow it.
00:29:31
Speaker
I've read, I've done research, who knew? There's a lot of stuff in these books. No dragon's teeth here. No dragon's teeth here. No dragon's teeth here. No dragon's teeth. No, definitely not. And yeah, I'm just going to start walking towards the cliff face and I have the spider climb ability on me so I can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings without needing to make an ability check.
00:30:00
Speaker
Yeah, how they word it. You move into the waterfall and then what the rest of you can see is this creature that just seems to emerge, be partially submerged in the waterfall is just now climbing vertically up this mountain side. And for those of you who haven't encountered wild shaping before,
00:30:21
Speaker
I'm not entirely even sure if Drago would have seen it, despite all his many travels. I can't think of any references where we've seen the Druid use wild shape before. But you're just able to watch on a ghast as this tiny goblin has turned into a wolf spider and is now climbing up a waterfall with this rope wrap around it.
00:30:42
Speaker
Compared to seeing a dinosaur, I think this is on the lesser end of the scale, because I'm used to magic now. Killing demigods. I would have just put it into that category in my brain of like, oh, it's some magic shit. It's special because of the way that Calum described it. I loved that. So as a player, super special. Just in the moment,
00:31:07
Speaker
Diplodocus. Yeah. Fair. Fair. No, absolutely fair. Drago's probably going, of course he can turn into it. Why wouldn't he? Why isn't this a thing? Yeah. And as you reach the top, then, what are you going to do? You successfully, with these... The first thing I want to have a look at, is there any tree or anything like that that is quite...
00:31:29
Speaker
Probably about a foot away from the edge that I might be able to tie the rope around Yeah, I mean this waterfall just to give you a bit more color towards it There is going up it a series of mossy overgrow. You can see these long hanging trees This is expanse and verdant expanse that is that is not kept is not maintained There is no form of tree surgery here
00:31:50
Speaker
there is an abundance of overhanging branch and trees and and then just off to the edge of that you will find some some stumps that you can attach this to. It is going to be under the constant pressure of running water because it's a waterfall that you can... Can we not just like, the water's coming down, can we not tie the rope to like the cliff bit either side of the waterfall?
00:32:13
Speaker
So this waterfall is effectively a fit deluge you can try and run it but it is what it is one of the largest natural flowing rivers in Aerith so it's quite large you can by all means try to ensure that it's not running down a I mean I I just assume because we're on the banks obviously there's going to be a point if we're on the banks of a river
00:32:34
Speaker
there's gonna be a point where the water's not coming down on that bit of the cliff, you know what I mean? Yeah, there is, but it's covered in thick overgrowth. Like I said, this is not a kept waterfall. But yes, there are points where you could dangle the rope down without it flowing through the water, should you wish to do so. But that's up to you. The only person who has any autonomy over that at the minute is Kratz. Looking up at the waterfall.
Drago's Exhilarating Climb
00:33:02
Speaker
And knowing that I'm super strong and I've got big old claws, can I surmise that I don't need a rope? I could just with a good amount of strength and oomph make it up myself. You can certainly try. But would I get that kind of confidence in there, like looking at it, would I? Because I think I would, but I'm trying to imagine how fierce this waterfall is. OK, make an investigation check as you as you as you weigh this up.
00:33:35
Speaker
19. You take a look at it and you can see that there are some jagged points where you think particularly in the water you could find your way into grabbing yourself onto some of these eroded rock edges and pull yourself up if you wish to give that a go. I've got this hilarious image of this wonderful morph spider
00:33:59
Speaker
going up this hill and then all of a sudden he just looks to the left and you see this claw going into the side of the blue cliff face and Drago's like, hi. Do you want to see how good you are? As Drago turns to Syengar. Why? What have you got in mind? And see who can do this the quickest. And Drago's just going to, with that,
00:34:25
Speaker
limber up and climb up the waterfall.
00:34:31
Speaker
uh, sign goes going to limber up also kind of quick, quick, quick out his claws, crick out his neck. One, two, do his legs, do his ankles, do his toes, does back, do his shoulders. Oh my God. You've been studying yoga. I know how to click baby. Uh, and then when you start climbing, he's just going to, uh, like flinch forward, like he's going to do it as well. And then just stand there and let you climb up.
00:35:04
Speaker
I'm climbing up still. An athletics check, please. Of course. I'm not climbing a fucking waterfall. Twelve.
00:35:15
Speaker
Yeah, you're able to start pulling yourself up. You get about halfway and you're doing really well with these strides. You're able to find the max natural point that the water and the coolness of the water that might take the breath away from someone else isn't doing anything to you because of your natural cool disposition. You do reach out with your right hand about halfway up and you grab what you think is cliff edge. And what happens is a piece of rock just starts to give away and
00:35:43
Speaker
starts to fall to the ground. Can you make a strength saving throw please? Would I be in a position to grab him? No, he's a massive dragonborn. I am a medium beast.
00:35:58
Speaker
But you're also like 30 feet. 11. I didn't know if I was too far off. He's also a massive dragonborn. 11. OK, that just allows you to reach out with the left hand and grab something else. And all of a sudden, it's just a moment as those of you at the bottom still hear this as rock comes down and you glance up and you can just see that this dragonborn has managed to just maintain their grip. Drago, are you all right? Exhilarated.
00:36:28
Speaker
As jargos feeling the cool rush of water the burning his muscles stretching and he's reaching his use in strength. After just walking and walking and being in his head that physical activity and the cool sensation of the water is feeling super good right now.
00:36:50
Speaker
Nice. And yeah, with that, you're able to just pull yourself up the rest of the way. And as you reach the top, are you still a wolf spider at this moment, Krabs? At this moment, yeah, because I would have gone up and I would have tried to look around and gauge if there was a place to secure rope.
00:37:07
Speaker
Yeah, and in the time that Drago has climbed, you've found, you've found up to, there is a tree to the left of the waterfall that is running down over the, that has branches that dangle down over some of the shrubbery and overgrowth. There's one that appears to be hanging directly over the river that you could then send down over the waterfall itself. Those are your two options as this dragonborn pulls itself level with you. No, that's fine. What I'd have to do first off is obviously take a bit of a action to just kind of
00:37:37
Speaker
more than drago would probably see this as well you'd see the spiders limbs and everything else just reduce again as he like clicks cracks and morphs back into the same goblin that you kind of knew and then just like with a quick neck click is like oh god that never gets normal
00:37:59
Speaker
He's going to walk over to probably the tree near the waterfall. He's going to wrap it round. He's going to try and chuck it over the branches and vine work. And that way, just in case, should the rope or anything else give away, hopefully they've got something else to grab onto if they need to. Drago would anchor as well. He'd hold on on the rope and act as another tree. So brace ropes in both his hands.
00:38:26
Speaker
Okay, that's good to know, thanks Drago. What we'll have then is we'll have slight of hand from you. I think he said folly then, it's not folly, from you Kratz. Can I have slight of hand from Kratz please? You certainly can do. You get a 19 for my slight of hand. Yeah, you're quietly confident you've tied this up and you see this Dragonborn just
00:38:52
Speaker
effectively grab near the base of the rope, near the knot, the ability to basically just hold on to this and help to pull people up should the rope start to give way. You're able to just take it to the cliff edge and just...
00:39:07
Speaker
roll it out over the side. Those of you at the bottom, this rope, how long was the rope that you were given? The rope was 50 feet. So it's now just dangling about five feet off the ground, this rope. So it's within reach for all of you, for those of you who are still down there. I'll gesture to Mick Benner to go first. Mick Benner will start climbing the rope. OK, yep. Do you want to give me an athletic check, please, Mick Benner? Yeah, right.
00:39:41
Speaker
Yeah, you are able to think about the amount of times that you've had to traverse difficult points of the gorge and this is child's play for what you're used to and you're able to pull yourself up with relative ease. Ren after this is just going to look at you all and go, ah, I can do something to get myself up there.
00:40:01
Speaker
She's just going to quickly disappear and then reappear as she casts what she cast the previous night to get out of trouble as she casts Misty Step to just arrive at the top of the cliff edge herself. That leaves Syengar, Ukaburra and Chungus down the bottom. After you guys over, I'll take up the rear. Are you sure? Because I can do something pretty similar to what my little brother did.
00:40:30
Speaker
If all goes worse, so I could probably stay at the bottom if you want, but. All right. No, that's fine. I didn't know you could make it up into a spider. I'll ship shimmy on unless you want to go first standing on ceremony here. I don't do ropes. Oh, okay. I'll, um, I'll, um, I'll come up then.
00:40:50
Speaker
and I rolled an H for my athletic sound. Yeah, it's enough to get you up, but you do notice as you bring yourself to the top that both McBenna and probably Drago, I'm definitely Drago, almost, I would say, is noting that you're being quite slow at putting yourself up here, Syengar, but you make it to the top, it's just labored.
Syengar's Rope Climb Struggles
00:41:11
Speaker
Slippy rope, wet in the water, McBenna's rope is made of shit, some viny crap, I don't know. Yeah, of course.
00:41:19
Speaker
you know when you know when you um yeah i know you with the hands yeah slip sure i'll go uh look for something to kill
00:41:32
Speaker
And the silence of that awkward kind of excuse, punctuated by the continual running sound of water, will pass back down to the bottom of the waterfall. Ukaburra and Chungus, you're the only two now at the foot of this waterfall. I can't, every time I hear... Chungus, I know. Every time. Chungus, you first. Are you sure? Are you going to be able to get up there without any help? Perfectly fine.
00:42:01
Speaker
Yeah I'll give it a go and I'll have a go at kind of climbing the rope initially by myself. Yeah athletics check please. Yeah that's a six.
00:42:14
Speaker
Even slower, and your hand does start to give way at certain points, you do have to seem to be the rope, since you notice they'd be at the top of the rope is now swinging as this quite awkward bugbear starts to pull themselves up. You're still on the rope, but you're making quite an effort of this. You can continue to pull yourself up where you can change pat. Can I interject? I'm going to cast Levitate on him and just help him get up the rest of the way.
00:42:38
Speaker
OK, yeah, so as you start to slip, all of a sudden you notice that instead of slipping downwards, you seem to start slipping up, slipping up the rope as this magical force just seems to levitate you to the top, Chungus. Oh, it's getting easier. This is fine, you could burrow. Give it a go. I'll just give him a thumbs up and then when he's at the top, I'll just change the target of my levitate and take myself up. Just sitting there like nodding. Thumbs up, waving.
00:43:07
Speaker
And what the rest of you see is this assured hobgoblin just starts to levitate and bring themselves level to the top of the waterfall and makes their way across. You've all successfully made it to the top of the waterfall. I'm happy to continue the travel montage unless there's something anyone wants to do now that you're all at the top. OK.
00:43:33
Speaker
You make your way on for the rest of the day. The continual pitter-patter of rain continues to fall. You continue until you come to the next hour of the gods union. And then one of you see something, those of you at the front, it would be who's got the highest passive perception out of Drago and Benner.
00:44:01
Speaker
My passive is 12. Yeah, it's Ren then who spots what appears to be, there's something there and she's just going to start moving forwards and you see her face turn pale and you then spot this at the
Ominous Goblin Warning
00:44:24
Speaker
same time. You see two figures hanging from a tree.
00:44:29
Speaker
You see a female and male goblin suspended by their necks from rich vines. Both are dead. Both appear to have been killed relatively recently. There isn't any particular sign of rot. They appear to be pointing. Pointing at you. You see that their eyes have been gouged out and in its place there is dark purple weeds.
00:44:55
Speaker
They are covered in a series of bruises. The bones in their bodies appear to be contorted and broken and out of joint.
00:45:03
Speaker
Suspended from their wrists is the thing that really hits you. There appears to be these two lanterns hanging from their wrists. They have placards around their necks, each of them. And as they start to sway pointing at you still, these placards just start to take on this illusory script. One of them reads, Miki. The other reads, Edic.
00:45:31
Speaker
What the fuck? Oh my God. He's been here. This was him resisting so much to go, no shit. Right. We sneak, but Ben is going to, um, I'd like to try and
00:45:51
Speaker
Shoot the figures down. I'm going to kind of shoot the... Are they quite high up? How are they? Are they on a rope that's tied to a tree somewhere? You can see the tightness of the rope where it's... They're on thick branches and you can see it's some form of vine that appears to be around their necks. They're suspended by their necks and you can see that this placard that's been hanging from their chest also appears to have been made out of vines.
00:46:18
Speaker
The eyes that appear to have been gouged out have had these purple weeds shoved into them in their place. And these two lanterns that appear to be also just made out of just... Is there any obvious way to get them down, I think, is what MacBenna's looking for. Yeah, I think MacBenna would probably be quietly confident that a well-placed arrow might release those corpses. I'm going to shoot the vine. Wait, wait, wait, wait. And I'll get underneath to catch.
00:46:46
Speaker
One at a time. And Stanko will turn to Kratz and be like, you might want to look away, buddy. Why? Oh my god. What the hell? Oh my god. Daddy. Daddy, my new. Oh, little brother.
00:47:10
Speaker
It's not anyone you know. Crap. We're in the dark, they're up on a tree and they've been... Daddy?
00:47:22
Speaker
I can't look at this, ow! Wait, wait, to be sure, to be sure, wait, wait, so I'm just gonna take off his mask and he's going to kind of hold it over, it doesn't, it's too big, but hold it over the face of Kratz and be like, just look, look properly, look through this, make sure, make sure you're right before you make any decisions. I think Kratz has dark vision as a goblin, I don't think, I do have dark vision. I don't know that, it looks like a fucking mask.
00:47:49
Speaker
What does an ass do? Doesn't do anything for you. It's a fucking shame, you idiot. Yeah, it doesn't do anything for you. I know, I know, Darren, I know that, but saying God doesn't. If you tried harder, for God's sake, you'd be almost stupid. Now come on.
00:48:07
Speaker
Cracked has gone up. He's now no longer at the bottom of Ben's rating of these people. That was so, so well played. Can someone get a healing potion for
Drago's Spiritual Communion
00:48:18
Speaker
Mark? Because he's got some burn to deal with. Some serious great bonfire under me right there.
00:48:28
Speaker
Fine, fuck it, just do what you want, do what you want. Just to help you read the room, these figures are still swaying. Yeah, I'm shooting them down. I'm catching. Okay, roll to hit. Okay. Don't shoot them in the eye, Matt. Fuck, mate, you just keep missing, let's be real. I mean, I'm taking my time, I'm not rushing this like you do in combat, I'm taking my time. You can roll with advantage. Cheers, mate. You still have inspiration, so... Yeah, no, I'll use that if I have to.
00:49:02
Speaker
So the first shot was a 27 to hit. The male one just falls into Drago's arms. I'm going to put it down gently. You know, not just drop it the final few feet and then position myself to catch the other. And the second one. Second shots of 14.
00:49:34
Speaker
The arrow misses the vine and hits the tree behind. Fucking bastard Khajiit. I'll shoot again. Okay, roll advantage again. That's 18 to hit this time. Through the vine, falls out of the trees. Draggo, you're able to catch it.
00:50:04
Speaker
This is some dark work. It's a warning. He knows we're following him. This is from your kid. This is from the Khajiit. That thing you've been hunting, that thing you want with Enjon. Yeah. Yeah. Do you know them?
00:50:31
Speaker
But all goblin are kin. I understand. My brothers, I'm sorry. And MacBenna will look to Drago and sort of lower his voice and be like, it's one consolation. The fact that this is here, it means Carl's wasted some of his time leaving a message.
00:51:01
Speaker
Yeah, and we're on the right path. Speaking louder. Are there any gods that your kind attached themselves to? Not really. Those goblins are different. They show their appreciation in their own way. Do you mind if I help their passing?
00:51:32
Speaker
I think I'd appreciate that. Do you want the bodies burned or buried? Burned. They wouldn't want to sully the earth in this state. McBurner, if you want to make a pyre, just give me some time.
00:51:54
Speaker
And Drago is going to position himself so that he's got a hand on both of the goblins on their shoulders. And he's just going to kneel next to him, close his eyes, and kind of put all his essence into Akiva's amulet, and try and take the essence from each goblin.
00:52:15
Speaker
on either hand and kind of just send, it's all still very new to him, send their souls onwards using his connection through the amulet as a commune to Akiva and you're going to see the amulet kind of glow red as he tries to impart some sort of connection there.
00:52:38
Speaker
and you can see him nailed. So with the rest of you, he's just knelt down, his eyes are closed, and this amulet is pulsing, and then it just gets brighter as he starts to commune. Okobura's just going to turn to Chungus. What's Destiny saying? I've not seen the answers to this one, friend. An attack on my little brother, who's an attack on me.
00:53:10
Speaker
I think we should get this cat. I think so too. And as you start to commune Drago and the rest of you start to prepare this funeral pyre for this these two victims who are who are unfortunately sacrificed in order to send you all the warning and message
00:53:40
Speaker
As these lanterns point back the way you came, a warning dawns on you.
Antagonist's Threat Solidified
00:53:47
Speaker
This is a warning, a warning to tell you to stop following me. And with that, that is where we're going to leave it for tonight's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop.
00:54:03
Speaker
Haunting image, Darren. Haunting image. Oof. Oof. Karim's going to invoke Article 5 of the Mutual Defense Treaty, and he's going to fuck this shit up. I am going to eat that pink cat myself. Now you understand why he wants to shit, uh, maybe I don't want to shit down his fat. Why he wants to shit. You are going to have to beat me there to kill him, you have to beat me off. Now I've got two reasons to chuck me do it.
00:54:33
Speaker
And if you would like to DM Kannum to help his beat off, please do not DM me anything.
Episode Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:54:45
Speaker
Do not DM me anything until the individual Twitter page. But before you find this individual one, you can find our group one, which is at Fellowship Table. We're also on Hive and Mastodon.
00:54:59
Speaker
under the same username of at Fellowship Table, Facebook as well. We have a website, fellowshiptable.com. And like I said, if you did want to help Callum's beat off, send a hashtag beat off Callum to his individual Twitch page, which is, no, do not DM me. Do not, there is no hashtag beat off or anything like that, but you can find me at the D 20 gamer.
00:55:24
Speaker
Just send me nerdy memes. That's fine. Nerdy memes. You heard it here first. Nerdy memes. If you wanted to find Mark, you can find him at Hasty World DM. Tungus Bongwater can be found at Fellowship NPC PC.
00:55:43
Speaker
Danny can be found at Total Party Thrills. Real Will can be found at Natural20will. I'm at iRolled1, and our very awesome DM can be found at DarrenPage06. Until next time, guys!