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Ep. 125 The Verity Of Nyx Corell - Bellum Draconis
0 Playsin 6 hours
After months of deception, half-truths, and carefully woven tales, Nyx Corell finally stands at the center of the storm he created.
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Intro written and produced by Joseph McDade
Music kindly provided by Fesliyan Studios
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Transcript
Introduction and Initial Discussions
00:00:00
Speaker
Yeah, on that that, there's one other thing that just cards are on the table before we move on that I just can't shake and I'd like to just discuss. And Reigns will pick up the bottle and put it in front of Nyx and guy you were behaving mighty weird last night firing off those Eldritch Blasts. Me and Emron saw a giant fuck-off spider come down and consume one of those things in the alleyway.
00:00:26
Speaker
What the hell, Nyx?
Character Introductions and Humorous Exchanges
00:00:54
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop, Belum Draconis. We are a live play 5E 2024 D&D podcast set in the magical homebrew board of Aerith in the kingdom of Dralak. Joining you for this week's episode are a bunch of fuckheads. We've got Pubey who plays the human cleric Emron.
00:01:09
Speaker
Hello. We've got the edgelord Callum who plays the warforged artificer Alpha. Fuckity! Ian, he plays the tiefling warsaurer Nyx Corell. Hello! Darren, he plays the high elf Artificer Reigns Hadow.
00:01:22
Speaker
Hi. We have Willy, he plays the human... No, he doesn't. He plays the dragonborn druid Balvalcon. Arceo, right out of nowhere! um me by it My name is Michael. I'm playing the human blade. what the fuck is that noise? Seth Farah Reaver. And by last, but by no means least, is our boss man, Bard, who definitely gets us all hard, Dungeon Master Danny!
00:01:43
Speaker
You flattered me. Thank you. Thank Well, you know, it's from, you know, scrolling through your OnlyFans and then I see you online, I just, you know, it's... I'm doing quite well on that channel, actually, since I moved over from Twitch and I could start taking my clothes off. It's going really well.
00:01:57
Speaker
I mean, people still Twitch, if you know what I mean. Oh, yeah. In the pants. Hashtag Danny's nips. Just the one. Trending worldwide. wending worldwide's just on one nip, actually.
00:02:09
Speaker
Wow, you're making your wage off one nip. Man, imagine that you're banking the second nip for future. wants to keep the audience out wanting more. he got to think about longevity, you know.
Mystical Tavern and Princess Connection
00:02:20
Speaker
And speaking of longevity, we see nothing but toes. toes. I knew that was coming. And a spillage of what seems to be an ale as we find old girl perched upon a high stool in a tavern somewhere.
00:02:36
Speaker
He sat on his own rolling the oar between his hands like ping pong, but he doesn't understand the concept of ping pong, between his two hands, one um and then halfway between it starts to glow and slows and stops like a spinning top in the middle of his two hands, and he stares deep into it and then looks up at us.
00:02:59
Speaker
Oh, you know what? I don't think I can be fucked today. I'm going to send it over to the bard boy. Look at this. Oh, the fair thank you very much, fair old girl. Thank you.
00:03:09
Speaker
um ah I'll have a tea, please. ah So where were we at last episode, as well? Things got a bit fucking weird, didn't they? So Alpha was in the shop with Ogramorff. Don't say his name too loudly. He doesn't like that.
00:03:23
Speaker
And all of a sudden, we started to see the picture or the image of the ghostly girl, the elvish girl that was residing within Alpha. A little bit weird, if you ask me, but never mind.
00:03:36
Speaker
And so we discovered who this person was. She was Princess Imolder Garten, the heir to the Eryth throne.
00:03:47
Speaker
The DM's looking at me because I've clearly mispronounced her name, but you know what? What the fuck? and I'll keep going because he's going to make notes later. She appears to have...
00:03:59
Speaker
been trapped or hunted down by someone who looks a little bit like Reigns. But not Reigns. Urien Cardimel. Apparently Reigns' great-great-grandfather, maybe.
00:04:12
Speaker
Who knows? This gets a bit weird with timelines, as we discovered that perhaps things that may have happened Recently for us or for her may have been a long time ago for the rest of us.
00:04:24
Speaker
We discovered there were demons, that there were deals being made to bring Aerith down and she was hunted down. our party discovered that the links of the demons to this girl and what was happening at the same time are the same demons that attacked the party in the desert and the city itself.
00:04:44
Speaker
Perhaps more will be revealed as our party now have new threads to unpick.
00:04:55
Speaker
Midday approaches in this shaken city.
Aftermath and Emotional Burdens
00:04:58
Speaker
24 hours ago, you were full of adrenaline and and anticipation as the first rounds of the Jewel of the Desert Champions were concluding.
00:05:10
Speaker
The city was pulsating with excitement, now sits in a state of aftershock following the attack from this mechanical calamity hovering above everything.
00:05:23
Speaker
Having returned from Ogremorf's workshop, having learnt about Alpha, you stand outside the pissed Newt and approach Baal, who looks more shaken than you last saw him when he was aboard the snowdrop.
00:05:39
Speaker
Und... just went German then. Und, most notably... Most notably without his prized egg in his hands.
00:05:51
Speaker
With naught in your diaries for the day ahead, tomorrow you've agreed to us a sunrise memorial for your fallen friend, Marota, and an evening invitation at dusk to join the winged watch for an emergency meeting in this abandoned library in Old Town.
00:06:11
Speaker
You are all managing those various levels of exhaustion, so please just refer to your notes on exactly what level you currently sit at, from a restless, restless night. With new information to process.
00:06:25
Speaker
Baal wiping tears from the corners of his eyes before anyone can see him.
00:06:32
Speaker
The inn is to the right of you. The snowdrop moored to your left. And a quiet, quiet city.
00:06:42
Speaker
How do you greet Baal? Begets. Gut, danke. Und wie? That was to Baal. Ah.
00:06:53
Speaker
and oh Do you speak German? That's good, yeah? Yeah, well, I'm good. Thank you. I can do that too. Yeah, Paul will kind of see you guys approaching and like like you say, they're kind of shaken up somewhat without that egg, but you see him kind of i just look...
00:07:15
Speaker
He looks exhausted. he He's been looking exhausted for the last, pretty much the last day or so. ah But the tension in the shoulders at seeing you guys returning as well definitely loosens off somewhat.
00:07:27
Speaker
um He's not going to run out to you. He's going to stay pretty much where he is. But if you guys are approaching, he'll he'll kind of, yeah, he'll he'll watch you approach. Yeah, Nyx would approach. ah Kind of reading the vibes and the room.
00:07:44
Speaker
So we'll match your melancholy stance with one of his own and just kind of try and catch your eye. ah Bal, you, you okay?
00:08:01
Speaker
I might be. um
00:08:06
Speaker
it's good to see you.
00:08:09
Speaker
And he'll kind of, if you're kind of closer to him in particular, he'll kind of reach your hand up almost kind of to your arm and then... basically almost collapse onto you in in kind of a, like a hug, but but not necessarily sobbing into your shoulder, but but kind of like a hub and a hug, and you're kind of supporting his weight somewhat as he does that.
00:08:31
Speaker
Can, sorry, as that's happening, is the egg on his person or around him? No, it would be impossible to hide. You can't fit it in a bag of holding because of its size.
00:08:42
Speaker
yeah He's not carrying it. Okay. Okay. Sorry, continue. No, there was nothing to add. And Nick wouldn't talk to you, having been through some shit recently himself, would just kind of put his arms around you and and just hold you until you were cried out.
00:09:04
Speaker
ah Over your shoulder, whilst you were crying, though, um you're going to see Seth's face, Bile, and he's just going to start gesturing the shape of an egg with a concerned look at his face over and over again.
00:09:15
Speaker
but I've got the image of Thor in Guardians of the Galaxy 3 when all of them were on the ramp and he looks to him like, there's my family.
00:09:26
Speaker
ah love them. And then Thor's face just comes into view with that
00:09:32
Speaker
That's it. They're but just ah gesturing to the egg and then kind of like raised palms separate to the side of the body like, hmm? Yeah, yeah. Bar would kind of look up. Also, looking around, Danny, does it look like...
00:09:46
Speaker
we're still in semi-dangerous kind of area. is is there there You're still getting your bearings because you've not been here. Yeah, exactly.
00:09:58
Speaker
The city is near pristine. ba It's like nothing happened. The sounds have changed. There is no longer that that jubilation and excitement and there is no longer that sound of industry.
00:10:10
Speaker
Instead, it's just sort of people erecting um scaffolding, temporary scaffolding, people like ah shaping stonework and timber with magic, carpenters, builders, stonemasons. Everyone is just sort of tending to buildings. But There is no sign of battle.
00:10:28
Speaker
There is some repairs going on, but this city looked like it saw battle months ago and has just about finished repairing since.
Memorial Plans and Safe House Discussions
00:10:41
Speaker
there is a There is a palpable sadness in the air. though you you you know There are people around you grieving. um But it's very binary what's happening here. There's either people in complete sadness or people with a complete motivation and drive around them to to to muck in and and and rebuild.
00:11:01
Speaker
There's no one really middling.
00:11:05
Speaker
Okay, with that, because that's the first Baal has seen of that, he'll kind of take that in. There'll be a bit of confusion as well as seeing that, seeing people like like that, like like you say, the dichotomy of the the action that's going on here.
00:11:16
Speaker
And he'll look up to Seth, see what you're doing, go, I think we've got a lot to catch up on. ah Should we talk somewhere safe? And he'll motion behind him to the newt.
00:11:30
Speaker
Emron, Alpha, Reinser, you're also there. Sorry, Seth, you're walking in, you said. yeah yeah Yeah, he'll nod to Barl and then instantly beeline for thee as for the where Barl's aiming and then, yeah, be at the shot.
00:11:45
Speaker
Emron has no sense of social subtlety. He's going to walk past Seth. ah what Walk past Barl and slap him on the shoulder going, where have you been, lad? We've got a lot to update you on.
00:11:57
Speaker
Come on, let's get in. give him a firm pat on the shoulder, and then walk in. I imagine Bal's feet sink a little bit into the sand, the weight of the slap. you you're honor ah You're on a boardwalk at the moment, but yeah. Oh, okay.
00:12:12
Speaker
there's There's a little bounce in the boards.
00:12:17
Speaker
Rain looks quite distracted. um is A lot to process. Doesn't clock at first until he realises that others have started to move indoors. and huh Mm-mm.
00:12:29
Speaker
Yeah.
00:12:32
Speaker
Alpha still has no clue throughout the entire walk back from the old forge, um, or the changing forge. He's kind of been holding the um ah block of obsidian in his hands all the way he's not doing anything with it it's just kind of there he's distracted by it he's focused on it and he only kind of moves as rains move so when you're kind of looking down at something and you just got it out the corner of your eye it's just kind of keeping rains in the corner of his eye and kind of almost following him as a pattern
00:13:04
Speaker
okay if everyone's kind of made their way in and it's, it's Bal and Nick still there. Yeah. Bal's going kind of pull back a bit and just rest his head kind of face down on the forehead of, of kind of Nick's in that kind of just closeness pretty much.
00:13:19
Speaker
And just save it for a little moment or so before pulling away and kind of turning to follow back inside. So head downstairs to our safe area.
00:13:33
Speaker
Nick's will take a deep breath. And follow very slowly because he's still exhausted to a level three. so Holy shit. Yeah. What happened? Yeah. And I just read, ah love this.
00:13:49
Speaker
So obviously on D&D Beyond you can read every bell. Level one, you have to minus two to D20, so forth, so forth. And it goes all the way to six. You die. And it's just the language used.
00:14:02
Speaker
You're halfway to death. i love it. See ya. Okay. As you all move into the Piss Newt, it's a very familiar sight, but... but It looks as though there's been a brawl in here and Gunbar is very much turning back tables, turning over chairs, sort of casting mending to try and replace broken elements. His bar has been looted. that the the Behind the bar were just a really ecliptic mix of bottles.
00:14:33
Speaker
It's all smashed. The... the Windows have been recently reset after being smashed as well.
00:14:44
Speaker
He just looks at you as you come in, sort of rubs this very, very sweaty brow. He is out of breath, but there's a smile on his face as as he sees you walk in.
00:14:56
Speaker
And he just nods. And he goes to the back and he just casts this spell.
00:15:05
Speaker
And you note, When you first came in, the doorway downstairs was hidden. He cast the spell to re-reveal a staircase at the back of his at ah back of a pissed newt.
00:15:21
Speaker
Reaches underneath the bar and gets the only bottle of beer that's still intact and just hands it to Seth, who's the first to walk past.
00:15:32
Speaker
And then goes back to begin to sweeping broken glass and broken wood. Seth would take the bottle in his stride, go to a table that seems to be in decent repair. um And if not enough chairs, kick over a chair or two and ah he'd sit himself down. And if there was a scratch or light bit of damage to the table nearby, he just whip out and cast mending, ah pull out one of the tabs and just press it against it like a plaster.
00:16:01
Speaker
And as it would disappear, the the kind of wound of the of the table would would heal over and and sit down and couldn pull out the cork with his teeth, slam the bottle down the table, and whoever the first person is to sit down, he would slide the bottle directly over across the table towards that person.
00:16:17
Speaker
I'm holding an action. You're staying upstairs in the pub rather than going into the safe house. If Biles come in and sees Seth sit down, he'll just pipe up and say, maybe somewhere where we can't be walked in on easily, and he'll kind of motion to to the the downstairs, so to speak.
00:16:33
Speaker
Okay, he recorked it with that with his teeth and nods and then um scuttles scuttles downstairs.
00:16:43
Speaker
But yeah, one stands... Oh, sorry. If you're all following suit, once you get downstairs into that small room where the orcs are playing cards before and you step through that fake illusionary fireplace, you just see a ah sleeping Victoria the Goblin just jolt up for a second, see it's you, mumble something in Goblinoid and open the door for you.
00:17:07
Speaker
And just stands there with a real open-mouthed expression looking at you with expectancy.
00:17:18
Speaker
As you were. Okay.
Baal's Journey and Trust Issues
00:17:25
Speaker
Did she go back to sleep or is she still there? She's just watching you as you go in until all of you go in and then she just shrugs and closes the door.
00:17:34
Speaker
You are in the sanctity of your your safe house, as it were. It has been untouched. Now Seth will sit down and sit down and then look to whoever's going to probably bowl and then...
00:17:46
Speaker
slide the bottle over to him ASAP. It's this tiny 300ml brown bottle. like It's like one Budweiser between the six of you. don't don't don't we Don't we have a mini bar in this little secret place? I'm pretty sure we have a bar in this place.
00:17:58
Speaker
Nothing stocked. no that's That's certainly not something I'd expect. So if you've added that afterwards, there's an add-on you put it. Is there any just mugs around the room? yeah Yeah, it's easy enough for you to make. So as Nick's clocks the size of that that wonderful bottle, he'll walk over slowly to the other bar and decant from his bottomless mug six different mugfuls of ale.
00:18:22
Speaker
Nice. And then as you do that, Seth's going to pick up five of them and empty them onto the floor. And so they have one flag and a veil. And then he's going to purposefully raise eyebrows, hold it, put it on the table and slide it down across the table towards Boll.
00:18:37
Speaker
Yeah. Boll will take it just in his hands and go, was it really two days ago that we last did this?
00:18:49
Speaker
And kind of look around the group. It feels like it's been longer, but yeah.
00:18:57
Speaker
Who goes first? I mean, who goes first here? we Seth's pointing to the flagon.
00:19:07
Speaker
it not easy? cook Can we not all have a drink? I'm not going to thirsty. I think Seth wants to do the thing we did the other day where we passed the ale around. Yeah, a really inefficient way to get drunk. Thumbs up.
00:19:19
Speaker
I mean, we can share the ale from Nix's one, I suppose, and then we can talk when we've got this bottle. Would that work, Seth? He shrugs. Okay.
00:19:32
Speaker
I'll take over, yes. Well, we all know what we've been doing, ah Bar, so why don't you update us on what you... Where the fuck did you go?
00:19:41
Speaker
It is... Well, it's a relatively long story. ah But I guess the short of it is i was coming over to have a chat to Nick's on the boat before I was interrupted um by another one of the gnomes. You know the gnomes that we met on the road here? the the There was three of them.
00:20:09
Speaker
Yeah, the ones that helped get thingy out when we arrived. That's right, yeah. It was one of them, but one that I didn't i didn't don't recognise of the others. We we met another one, he points to Emron. We met another one that called himself Drago. Yes, we did, yep. Monument of the Blight. Said he's a dragonborn, not convinced.
00:20:28
Speaker
Yes. Well, this was... a different one another one of them okay um she pretty much instantly teleported me onto a different boat uh and had a map and said we don't have much time and i was obviously there with the egg as well and well I wanted to try and get it as safe as I could, I suppose. And that's what we were talking about because I had pretty much just endangered it and all of you once again, not hours before with the stupid stunt with the crocodile form and the flying and the dragon calls and things like that. It was...
00:21:17
Speaker
Basically, I was worried that I was going to get this thing destroyed. So she stepped up and helped. um Wren, her name was.
00:21:31
Speaker
She stepped up and helped me um and suggested that there were, well, three places, potentially, that that we could go to have a look.
00:21:42
Speaker
Bal's going to take a swig of the bottle, then stop himself realising that he's just probably taken half of the bottle in one swig. Sorry. And he's kind of shaking a little bit at this.
00:21:54
Speaker
And he just sits down and says, Redden took me back to Galefire's lair. The lair of my mother.
00:22:07
Speaker
In Sleetgard. It was unmistakable. But that was my plan all along. It was to get the egg back there, somewhere safe, but it was not safe anymore.
00:22:25
Speaker
ah hum I was under the impression that some of my kin, some of my brood would would still be there, but it was long abandoned. There were things living there also. It was cold, it was dark, it was dangerous, it was not the place that I could have placed the egg, and therefore I couldn't.
00:22:50
Speaker
So Wren took me somewhere else. What things?
00:23:00
Speaker
Creatures. I didn't get a chance to see them all. There were Definitely some sort of predatory creatures that had taken residence in the lair of Gelfar the Sleed.
00:23:12
Speaker
What kind of creature would take up residence in a dragon's lair? An abandoned dragon's lair, Nyx. She has been long dead these last few years, and I have not been back to the den since.
00:23:32
Speaker
But I suppose with time... All things, perhaps, well, are not as homely as they once were.
00:23:43
Speaker
The strange thing is I could still sense part of her there. I could still smell her scent. I could still see the markings of her claws in the floor, and it's gonna sound stupid, but I swear I heard her voice just for a second.
00:24:05
Speaker
But regardless, like I could not leave the egg there. it it It would not have been safe. It would have been lost to something. I'm sure of it. So I left the only other part of my mother that I had with me there.
00:24:25
Speaker
um and you'll notice that Baal's cape is hanging kind of flat on his back. He doesn't have a shield anymore.
00:24:37
Speaker
And Wren took me somewhere else.
00:24:41
Speaker
It was definitely Dralak. um
00:24:45
Speaker
ah Somewhere that I swore I would not leave the egg because it would not be safe. I'm pretty sure she took me to the vaults. Of the... ah oh What's his name?
00:24:59
Speaker
The person that runs this place. Vosan? Is it Vosan? Lord Vosan? His vaults? You've taken the egg to Vosan? No, didn't. in the the vaults in this city?
00:25:10
Speaker
No. the the i didn't... I feel bad, because she'd obviously planned some of these things out, but she effectively... took me to ah what I assumed to be the hidden location of the vaults of Lord Vossan, and I didn't even venture in.
00:25:29
Speaker
And now I'm thinking about it, that was a fucking stupid thing to do, because, i mean, I probably could have taken something of his just to raise a big middle finger and a fuck you to him, but again, there was not a chance that I was going to leave the egg there, so we moved on to...
00:25:47
Speaker
ah why why sorry to interrupt bar but why did she take you there yeah who the fuck is this chick i kind of feel that that's the first question we need to ask right now how can you trust me and this is the thing i didn't know i could but she works with the winged what she's close with sebastian she's clearly close with this ah the the The leader himself.
00:26:13
Speaker
after It's been a fucking day. What is his name? What's the leader of the Winged Watch called? Ghost Wing. hillcon Ghost Wing. That's the one, of course. I mean, I've had a chat with Ghost Wing.
00:26:26
Speaker
feel like I can trust the Winged Watch that they they're doing all of these things for. her Anyway, she is a part of that. I was exhausted. I was running out of options. If I kept the egg with myself, ah we would just... but I probably would have got it fucking destroyed. And...
00:26:43
Speaker
She took me to this third location and you see Baal start kind of breaking down a little bit more now. um And he takes a good moment to compose himself.
00:27:00
Speaker
It was not my intention that's all. And he will look directly at Seth
00:27:14
Speaker
I trust you, Seth. You know that, don't you? And you'll see tears start forming kind of in Baal's eyes here. And you'll see that what Seth's doing is he's taking in you fully. he His eyes are tracing your face, tracing your scars, kind of fully taking you in. And he's just, you can see him really thinking about something. Um...
00:27:47
Speaker
I... even thinking about it now, I can't... I'm not sure if I've made the right choice. Um... It's... the last place you'd expect it to be, the last place you'd expect me to place it.
00:28:06
Speaker
But... I've given it to someone that I think I can trust. that I know you, and he's looking at Seth, can trust.
00:28:21
Speaker
I'm sure of it.
00:28:25
Speaker
And Baal can't quite bring himself as frustrating as it is to to verbalize this kind of last little section there. And he's just sobbing to himself in the chair, ah that like head down somewhat bottled, kind of shaking in his hand.
00:28:42
Speaker
And he's just gonna be like that for, well until anyone else does something different right so where's the egg
00:28:57
Speaker
no i think um I'm confused there were two places where the gnome took you in a very short amount of time and then there's a third place that that Seth knows Seth do you know where it is Seth shrugs and looks quizzically at Emron
00:29:19
Speaker
And just shakes his head.
00:29:25
Speaker
And then looks back to Bale expectantly.
00:29:30
Speaker
but If you're not sure where it should be, there we can go get it if you want. i would i i I would say that Bale just needs some time. Like...
Revelations and Theories on Magic and History
00:29:40
Speaker
This is obviously very raw, very painful, very emotional. Maybe we could just take a breath here. And if there's anything else, maybe because we've got things to update Baal with, as Nick kind of just leans over Baal and takes the bottle away.
00:29:55
Speaker
we We can update Baal with everything that's been going on um ah since the since the ship incident. ah Realize that. I am holding this now.
00:30:07
Speaker
a
00:30:09
Speaker
So I guess I should speak. But really, it's... Well, some weird shit's been going on in the short time that we've been apart.
00:30:25
Speaker
And a lot of it, for once, isn't to do with me as he takes a look over at Alpha. So maybe you want to tell us what you think, Alpha?
00:30:44
Speaker
Bravo for the connection. Bravo. Alpha is still just staring at this light little block of glowing obsidian in his hand at the moment. um
00:30:55
Speaker
He kind of sees out the corner of his eye the bottle being thrusted to him. i Looks over to Nyx. Looks up.
00:31:05
Speaker
Sorry, everybody. um Well, you look upset. No, we've covered that. This was more about finding out how, ah like, catching Barl up with we've everything that's just transpired ah with Ogremorph.
00:31:23
Speaker
And I didn't know if you wanted to explain it because really it centred around you. Well, it it's quite a long story, but I will attempt to um abbreviate I mean, don't feel like it we're all here for a long story.
00:31:43
Speaker
We have found the identity of the person whose memory and resided within my chest. A princess, and he enunciates this, Ayamoda Gartran of some ah form of ah possibly species or civilization of Gartrans from centuries, millennia ago. I'm not sure.
00:32:09
Speaker
But there was great confusion. She believes that Reigns is Erion, his grandfather. She had never heard of Aledo, and throughout the entire transaction I was crumpled up as a mass of junk on the floor, which was a very out-of-body experience for myself.
00:32:34
Speaker
Nevertheless...
00:32:37
Speaker
the changing, and he whispers this, Ogramorff? Nothing happens. Has, he has found a way to
00:32:51
Speaker
part her essence from myself to a certain degree into this piece of obsidian I took from a previous Nacavolo.
00:33:03
Speaker
She is,
00:33:06
Speaker
As Ogramorff described, it's lending me her powers in brief moments of trust and communication. However, I must use it sparingly, as it could also end my life, if I understand him correctly.
00:33:26
Speaker
So yes, it's been a bit of a morning. the the the the The being elf woman lady that resides inside our friend there also is like fucking scared of our other friend.
00:33:41
Speaker
And Nix will point over to Raines. So maybe we can talk about that. Also very scared of you, Nix. so yes Oh, yeah. um The horny creature. She didn't really like my devil persona. Well, not the first. Demons.
00:33:57
Speaker
Won't be the last. So the idea is that apparently this Eurion Cardinal, re-indeed his... Grandfather. Grandfather. Some centuries ago, all this could be, think, was in league with some demons who were hunting down the Gartrens, and apparently when the the throne and the house falls, Aerith falls.
00:34:18
Speaker
So there was something about some kind of prophecy or something whereby if the Gartrens were killed off or defeated... Eurion would essentially bring Aerith down.
00:34:32
Speaker
Apparently he succeeded. Whether it's still coming down, we don't know. But he was in league with demons. Gold-faced demons. Like the one that we saw in the desert.
00:34:44
Speaker
Baby-faced, to be precise. Yeah. Like the ones that attacked the city a few days ago. Who were after Alpha.
00:34:54
Speaker
what you out for me now My apologies, Rins, please. Pass me the bottle when you're quite finished. It's fine, you carry on. There is nothing left in it, but there you go. I don't need it for a drink. I need it to say my piece.
00:35:11
Speaker
Euron Cardinal, as Emeron and Alphys says, he's my grandfather. That's true.
00:35:18
Speaker
But the records in Shatterman suggest that he was born... 200 years ago. Now, many of the records of Shadow Men run through the Cardinal family, which means any one of them, in particular him, would have the means of doctoring that.
00:35:36
Speaker
If it turns out that my grandfather is older than he claims to be, and if it turns out that I am somehow a literal like-for-like biological replica of him as he was when he was a young man, as in like, I am identical to him in terms of genetic structure, then it means that my grandfather has a far, far bigger part to play in whatever this is.
00:36:06
Speaker
I think it means he's linked to the demons that tried to take Alpha and this memory room by extension in the desert. It also means that Shadomend itself is subject to its history, to a host of cataclysmic events and terrible events that are caused by conjuration magic.
00:36:29
Speaker
The patterns that I'm starting to try and see, the great wizard Sortmeyer who turned the vast fields of Shadomend to dust and sand in order to try and kill my ancestor, however farer than his sister.
00:36:41
Speaker
Lyra, the great conjurations of the Shadow Dragon that nearly laid waste to Great Haddow, the demon Vermin who embodied that dragon whose scales now line our palace walls, the the fucking conjuration magic that brought beholders to our city.
00:37:03
Speaker
I have a theory based on everything I know about our kingdom that makes me think that all of it was my grandfather. All of it. Now this may be impossible to prove, but what it does mean is, is, and again, I may be clutching at straws here, but it's all starting to make sense. And maybe I'm just getting my, my, my arithmetic wrong. But if it does, and Reigns is just going to point at the wall and he's going to cast one of his illusions to put up the 12 names, the 12 of the 13 names that we have
00:37:36
Speaker
is I think all of these people are great wizards of some kind. We've got that sick old Erakas on there who turned the Arthran Islands to dust.
00:37:46
Speaker
He was a necromancer. You look at that name, there's a host of great wizards on there. Well, didn't we also look at that all of them could potentially have some kind of divination, potentially? You've got... You've got fizzle bang on there, that's true. You've got Old Gal.
00:38:00
Speaker
You've got the great Cronomancer, who I spoke to when I tried to look at the Nyx's orb... I can't see a name, but I don't know all the names that suggest that there is a great wizard of conjuration on there, but I'm starting to find potentially who the 13th name could be, and this is conjecture, but and what Reigns will do is he'll tap the wall, and underneath all the others will just appear the name Euron's Cardinal.
00:38:28
Speaker
I might be wrong here, but a lot's happened today that makes me think
00:38:34
Speaker
There's a lot that links to Alpha and to me and to Shadow Man and a lot of cryptic reasons that myself, Emron and Alpha found out about why we had to leave Shadow Man. And it's followed us here for a reason. And I can't help but feel that we're all tied up in something bigger. And if we are, and if my grandfather is older and more dangerous and potentially could be linked to a host of terrible events, it makes me wonder if
00:39:02
Speaker
he's a wizard worthy of that list, and if the name we're missing has been under our noses all this time, it's him.
00:39:11
Speaker
Maybe. All the more reason to kill him, I believe. So, yeah, some things have been going on in between your leaving us, Barl.
00:39:23
Speaker
there so I mean, the fact is when we spoke to this, yeah, I am older, she she talks about Leopold of Sleetgaard, but not like King Leopold.
00:39:35
Speaker
Talking about a Leopold of Sleetgaard way before that, who was in league with the demons. Was it Tolkien
00:39:45
Speaker
you right Yeah, some kind of demon called Tolkienon, who was perhaps in charge of these these gold baby-faced demons. And then when we say when I ah talked about Aledo, she knew of Aledo, but he wasn't a god.
00:40:00
Speaker
It's a also worth noting that the other thing that this Iamolda was pretty steadfast on was that there are no kingdoms. There are no plural kingdoms in Eryth. is no There is just Eryth.
00:40:11
Speaker
And she will rule it come hell or high water, which is something to think about. Yeah, so we've got we've got all of that.
00:40:23
Speaker
So we're linking together all the the demons. So you know if we had... if we add you know, Sebastian's big map on the wall, we'd be able to start pulling a few more things together.
00:40:34
Speaker
Every time that when that, when you're kind of retelling that story, every time that you've mentioned, i am older, like after the first one, while still inconsolable, not kind of paying attention after the next one, he's kind of picking up and he's looking over at alpha waiting for a reaction.
00:40:49
Speaker
And he's heard it at least two more times as
Debates on Trust and Faction Intentions
00:40:51
Speaker
well. And he's just looking over at alpha with that. And by by the kind of the fourth time, the last time that Reigns has mentioned it as well, he's kind of probably pieced together that that's no longer a phrase that's damaging um to Alpha. But as this story's gone on as well, you can see that Baal composing himself a little bit more.
00:41:09
Speaker
And he's just kind of nodding goes, do I need the bottle again or do I just talk now? I'd just talk. Okay. Seth's going stand up and get the bottle, snatch it from Reigns and pass it. look Give a snotty look towards Emron, not towards Reigns, towards Emron, and hand the bottle to Paul.
00:41:32
Speaker
Paul, take it. Kind of nod. It sounds like it's been a fucking of a 12 hours, let alone 24 hours.
00:41:44
Speaker
The rest of my tale, I suppose. um Nyx. Hmm? Uh... I was given the option to name the egg, to name my cousin, my brethren, my kin. Right. The to Galefire the Sleet.
00:42:10
Speaker
And... I chose a name that means that it is born from ashes, but also...
00:42:24
Speaker
And he kind of looks you in the eye and he says, I've named it Valkareth.
00:42:33
Speaker
I hope you don't mind.
00:42:37
Speaker
It is...
00:42:39
Speaker
it is Oh, well, that's the draconic translation. It seemed fitting, but also it seems to have extra weight and bearing now.
00:42:54
Speaker
And he'll turn back round to the group and say,
00:43:01
Speaker
I left the egg with Chris Grum.
00:43:07
Speaker
Sure. Sure. Sure.
00:43:11
Speaker
No. Gay! Not Sholdy. The head of the Upgrisgrer. Former general. First born to the King of Sleetgard and he'll lock eyes with Seth.
00:43:25
Speaker
Lucian Blightbane.
00:43:29
Speaker
Ooh.
00:43:32
Speaker
I've heard you talk of him before. But I will say, I've heard you talk of him before. You talk of him with reverence. I have had stories of him.
00:43:45
Speaker
He led the forces against the blight. Did he not? He nods.
00:43:54
Speaker
He's working with them.
00:43:57
Speaker
But...
00:44:00
Speaker
promised me that they are not who we think they are. And were hurt it any anyone else, and he looks at the group, you must understand, were it anyone else, I probably would have given my life to taking as many of them with me.
00:44:21
Speaker
But,
00:44:24
Speaker
and I look back to you, Seth, I trust you. And what do you believe in?
00:44:34
Speaker
how many limbs was he missing? And it sounds like a really flippant throwaway question, but there's a really important thing here that me and Emron built that man's limbs that he got back after the fight. So how do you know it was really him? Because him being with the Upchristra makes no sense. That's nodding a lot to this.
00:44:50
Speaker
It does make sense, Reigns. It does make sense. When you think about what Ogramor told us, I've had nothing but pretty good dealings with the obchiskars of late, so it doesn't seem as far-fetched to me.
00:45:08
Speaker
they still they did They occupied his kingdom. Ogramor said that anywhere where the obchiskars were strong, when these things came down from that thing in the sky, suffered less because of the obchiskars' presence, as if they knew when to expect the thing to come down.
00:45:26
Speaker
like they were ready for it.
00:45:30
Speaker
I still...
00:45:34
Speaker
Please don't get me wrong, I've not made 180 turn here. i just strongly believe that there is more perhaps to that faction than meets the eye and there are much with any group sub-factions who will go against the grain and I've been saying that for a while but you know alright okay fine fine put put put all that aside I'm still looking at Seth with the same concern how do we know you've actually given this to Lucian Blybain it was him
00:46:12
Speaker
It was him. And Bar will give you an accurate depiction of ah what was kind of mentioned previously, Danny, if there's any kind of specifics that you want to add there.
00:46:28
Speaker
So you will see, getting a verbal one or visual one? I mean, I've got control flames and I can make shapes in it, but it's not going to be a perfect picture. So you you might see bar kind of strike up a fire within the room and within the flames, he would try and make this image come alive with his, with his control flames cantrip, I guess.
00:46:49
Speaker
You'll see this broad shouldered.
00:46:58
Speaker
Core ah face, unmistakably. Lucian Blythbane to Seth, to Reigns, the face you would immediately recognize.
00:47:13
Speaker
One mechanical arm, one organic arm.
00:47:20
Speaker
On his shoulders, very thick purple cloak.
00:47:28
Speaker
Cool, white plate mail. made in a criss-crow fashion, set in a pair of plate leggings, a pair of plate boots, scars on the face that looked like Seth's,
00:48:00
Speaker
as best as you can present in the flames.
00:48:05
Speaker
Over the top of that, as you're doing that and we're kind of looking at the the flames and this image of it, after a few seconds, Seth will start to nod, stand up and then tear out um a, ro not tear out, but pull out very violently a tab from his... um spell book and you'll see these wisps of red light start, wet red smoke, seems to descend upon the flames and almost interspersed an image on top of it, trying to overpower it slightly.
00:48:34
Speaker
And what you get is this image through this, ah within the image of a large Lucian blightbane and the picture of an egg. of a dragon's egg and in the flames and then it hatching and then it growing and then these little blob, purpley blob figures around it.
00:48:54
Speaker
And then the dragon getting bigger and bigger and then getting stuck and deformed and emaciated and dying. And that repeats and repeats and just flashes between those four or five images. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. This is a reminder of what these people reminder of what what these people did And we'll just, he'll gesture to it and then sit back down and let that, let that repeat.
00:49:20
Speaker
What does that mean? What are you doing? He's just going gesture to it again. i am going to cast to take thoughts on you, Seth. Okay.
00:49:33
Speaker
um because I can't get a read on what you're doing. So I'm not going to dive deep. I'm just taking a surface. ah so I'm going to target one creature I can see within 30 feet.
00:49:44
Speaker
I can detect and learn what is most on the target's mind right now. That's it. I'm not going any deeper. You won't necessarily know that I'm in there, but um I'm so confused about what you're feeling What's on your mind right now? So it's more than... I think it's more than emotion.
00:50:04
Speaker
um It's like the the thought, so... ah it it would be appropriate at the point that spell is cast, Seth, if you could put into words what it is you're trying to convey non-verbally and Nix would be able to read like a non-verbal sentence or two.
00:50:19
Speaker
and um A very, very, very like wall of energy of betrayal followed by... does why don't you why doesn't he remember what they did in Goldview?
00:50:33
Speaker
Did no one tell you?
00:50:36
Speaker
ah He's trying to tell you um or kind of indicate why can't you remember what the upcrisper have done to your kind in gold view.
00:50:52
Speaker
And he's feeling and a little bit betrayed. At that exact cop replica, he's going to look that's going look very confused and look towards slightly accusatory towards Nix for a second.
00:51:03
Speaker
Sorry. Sorry. Nick will just kind of tap his head.
00:51:09
Speaker
Settle nod.
00:51:12
Speaker
I have not. Can just check if that was the spell to Tech Thought so you actually cast Ian? Because obviously that has verbal, semantic, and material components.
00:51:23
Speaker
Yes. We've all seen Nick's cast a spell. yeah just Just double checking. I didn't try and hide it. yeah oh Everyone's casting spells. We're looking at fire and smoke. but There's a spell called Subtle Spell. its just Okay, it's fine. and I have got Subtle Spell. Can you tell me which which class you cast that from?
00:51:40
Speaker
That will be... Yes, I can. ah dirt the the It's Warlocks, the direct Great Old One spells. So it comes directly from my patron.
00:51:52
Speaker
Thank you. There's this like tiny little spider just crawls across your hand and into your sleeve. Do we notice that? notice it now. No, only Nick's would notice it from a feeling of something going along his skin.
00:52:05
Speaker
That's all. bal could be looking but yeah i wasn't trying to be stealthy about this um i wouldn't have naturally uh verbalized a spell out loud it would have been in a normal cadence to which nick uses to do spells but it's not like he's making a big armed gesture swirl of energy and then two hands out you would have had to make one come get a gesture because it's got semantic yeah but it would have been a low i don't know how deep you want me to go on and this will i No, no, no, no, I'm just checking because obviously, just for the case of but casting spells, there's a difference between doing something subtlety and then... will always say if I'm doing it subtly.
00:52:42
Speaker
Fine, okay. and but a verbal A verbal component could still be a whisper, couldn't it? Yeah, it's always mud because he's not in he's not going expelliarmus every time he casts a spell. Really?
00:52:55
Speaker
ah um
00:53:00
Speaker
Reigns is going to just look at Seth and say, think there's a degree of dragon chest going on here. And what I mean by that is i don't understand Lucian or know his motives, but Lucian's the king.
00:53:17
Speaker
It looks like Lucian's gone.
00:53:20
Speaker
Lucian. has sworn himself to a life of servitude. it was why he fought the Blight. he's he's a He's a paladin of faith, which takes him out of the line of succession, which means his part can't be Sleetgaard.
00:53:36
Speaker
The most important piece in this is the Queen, is is Helena, right? So she's Sleetgaard. There's a reason why we're hearing from Drago. There's a reason why we're hearing from some of these people who fought the first one, but we're not hearing from her.
00:53:52
Speaker
and I don't know if it helps you, Seth. Sorry, but I don't know if it helps you, Seth. But my reading of this from my own standpoint of trying to navigate my own family circumstances is whatever Lucian is doing, i know Lucian and what I know of him.
00:54:11
Speaker
If this is really him and I can't dispute that image, and I'm sure you can either.
00:54:17
Speaker
is that we don't have to ob trust the Chris Gra just yet. I sure as hell don't. but i think it's i think it's like so I think it's like Nix was saying. and There are different groups within the Akriska.
00:54:29
Speaker
We've encountered Akriska that have helped us. I agree. It doesn't mean I trust them. No, no. Which means there are sub-factions, perhaps, within. So the whole stuff about the dragons and seeing dragon eggs could be a sub-faction of the Akriska. Right now, fuck the Akriska. They're not the relevant point. The relevant point is, I know Lucian Blightbane and I trust him.
00:54:51
Speaker
And that's him. So if it helps, Seth.
00:54:56
Speaker
During that, Seth's just been staring at Baal whilst the conversation be going on. He hasn't taken his eyes off
Nyx's Confessions and Power Struggles
00:55:02
Speaker
Baal, just waiting, watching the flames, watching the image and looking at his reaction, waiting to see what he says.
00:55:12
Speaker
You know my thoughts, Seth, on the Akriskra.
00:55:19
Speaker
You know that I would not...
00:55:23
Speaker
have done this if there were feasible other means.
00:55:30
Speaker
Wren herself seemed to know this Lucian Blightbane and greeted him almost as a friend. Wren is a part of the Winged Watch, a potentially opposing faction to the Akriskrahir.
00:55:50
Speaker
Lucian himself talked about the mistakes that the Abcrisgra had made. That does not absolve them. Please don't get this wrong. I do not suddenly think the Abcrisgra are wonderful at all, but not... I feel you cannot deny that having a member of importance and power such as the very person that you, as far as I'm aware, look up to most in this organization. That must be something. Please don't sit there and tell me that I have just made the worst fucking choice I possibly could have made. Please don't tell that to me, Seth.
00:56:38
Speaker
um I'm sure Seth isn't saying that. exactly those words. Well, and at the end of the day, like we all trust you and you wouldn't have done it if you didn't feel like it was absolutely the only place that you could do. You made the best decision out of a really, really shit situation. So don't jump off that ledge just yet.
00:57:05
Speaker
And,
00:57:08
Speaker
And there ain't nothing stopping us from getting it back if you do feel like that. But just just just remember why you did it in the first place. We all know what it took to get that egg. You wouldn't have just given it up without really going off something deep within you.
00:57:26
Speaker
Trust it. But why is he not saying that? And Bar will kind of motion to Seth. Why aren't you saying that, Seth? what What am I getting wrong here?
00:57:40
Speaker
It's really a you question. ah and Seth will just kind of purse lips, just be looking, hands kind of clenched on the table, staring back at you almost emotionless in response and doesn't doesn't say anything, just watches you.
00:57:54
Speaker
The fuck happened to him?
00:57:59
Speaker
We haven't had chance to talk about that yet. um Anyone got that bottle? I'll toss it to you. Okay, Seth, um your game, your rules.
00:58:13
Speaker
Want to tell us what's going on? He'll pause for a longer time than is nice, but would sound silly in a podcast, so i i won't leave it.
00:58:25
Speaker
And we'll then pull pull the so empty brown, I think like when there's a little Pilsner jobby little... Little stubbies. Little stubbies, that's it, little stubby a bit.
00:58:36
Speaker
and just kind of roll it so it spins around on its bass and just continues staring at Baal for a bit. Not menacingly or anything like that. I don't think you could be particularly menacing, but just just looking, just following his gaze.
00:58:53
Speaker
And it continues to spin and then it stops.
00:59:01
Speaker
And he is just going to push, gently push the bottle into the middle of the table and um replace his hands to his to himself. Okay, if yeah if you want me to speak for you, I i mean, I can do that. ah but just go slowly shake yeah okay Why isn't Seth talking here? What's going on?
00:59:23
Speaker
We don't want to. I mean, I don't have to read his mind to tell you that. Okay. Okay. I don't know why Right. Okay. Let's... what There's been a lot that's going on. Let's be honest. like Ever since Sebastian jumped ship, like things haven't been exactly Yeah, on that that, there's one other thing. that just Cards are on the table before we move on that I just can't shake and I'd like to just discuss.
00:59:52
Speaker
And Reigns will pick up the bottle and put it in front of Nick's and go... You were behaving mighty weird last night, firing off those Aldrich blasts. Me and Emron saw a giant fuck-off spider come down and consume one of those things in the alleyway.
01:00:07
Speaker
What the hell, Nyx? yeah Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. Good questions. Seth's going to be nodding to that, and we'll also conjure up on the table just images of lots and lots of spiders up at the deck of the ship, which is the last image he had to kind of like add to what Reigns has just been saying. like Here's another moment that was fucking weird that involved a shitload of spiders.
01:00:30
Speaker
And then the fact that but that he came back. And Seth nods vociferously. And had no memory of it all. And, yeah, what's going on?
01:00:42
Speaker
Yep.
01:00:45
Speaker
yeah That's not an answer. That's not meant to be, Alpha. Oh.
01:00:52
Speaker
have
01:00:58
Speaker
Right.
01:01:05
Speaker
I was hoping for a better time to explain all of this to you all. Um... There's a lot to discuss, guys.
01:01:18
Speaker
It's not like we're all doing anything else, Nix. That's great. But once I get in the flow of conversation, everyone, it does help if I could just carry it on. ah I'm just trying to find a good place to start because it's rather complicated.
01:01:36
Speaker
and it's one of those stories where I'm not entirely sure how I ended up where I ended up. Other than...
01:01:45
Speaker
Oh, Seth's going to grab his spell book and slam it on the table and then look at Nick's and then open just the first page and point to it.
01:01:56
Speaker
I'm going to take a look at that. It's blank. And he goes, no, no, no, no. And it goes, ah you hit him kind of like mutter something quietly under his breath, pulls out a tab and just will use minor illusion to put out the beginning and write it in text.
01:02:13
Speaker
and then slam the book shut and take off the table and look towards you. Wow. ah Yeah. It's the beginning. Okay. Okay. We're going to do this.
01:02:25
Speaker
We're going to do this. So... so
01:02:31
Speaker
I'm going you all a drink first. Like, I think this story goes better with some, some ale and Nix will pick up the, the, the, the mugs from the floor and just hand it out one by one to you guys. And he's going to fill it up from his bottom in this mug.
01:02:47
Speaker
everyone's fingers are like drumming on the table. Like, you know, like I will get there and Ron patience. Patience is your best friend right now. And it's really awkward when you're in a podcast doing that, like but talking over people. I know. What's that like?
01:03:06
Speaker
Patience. I will get there. Yes. From the beginning.
01:03:16
Speaker
i Don't use or have never had the kind of power that a lot of people do.
01:03:28
Speaker
Every single one of you in this room have this amazing power and you can fight and you can protect your loved ones and you can
01:03:44
Speaker
change your own destiny and Through your own abilities. i
01:03:54
Speaker
For a long time. Sought. To own. Some of. The power for myself. ah And while I was younger. I. I ah didn't know how to do that.
01:04:10
Speaker
And.
01:04:14
Speaker
While I was on the ship. of the Esmeralda. We, ah took a, a prisoner on board from another ship.
01:04:25
Speaker
I can't remember the why's and the why, uh, who's and the reasons that we took this prisoner on. That's, that's for captain Hildegard. Um, regardless, I, I, ah was in charge of,
01:04:43
Speaker
guess you're cleaning out the cell, you could say. um Anyway, one evening, as I was um said cleaning,
01:04:57
Speaker
yeah that prisoner told me, almost read my mind in some sort of way, ah kind of knew before I knew that I was seeking help.
01:05:13
Speaker
power So it told me a spell. I'd never done magic in my life. I mean, I had the dagger, a rusty dagger to my name.
01:05:29
Speaker
And told me how to um do this spell, this ritual. And so that evening, ah I was young. Okay. Okay.
01:05:44
Speaker
I've done tried to do things for the group since I need you to remember key moments where like Goldport keep and Goldport keep. ah But like there was an opportunity for something that I've never had before, but always wanted.
01:06:02
Speaker
And i
01:06:05
Speaker
that evening on the deck of the ship performed this spell and it involved, unfortunately, defacing the ship, ah carving into the wood and carving these symbols in and also giving my own blood.
01:06:23
Speaker
Nothing happened. Not White Array, anyway. and ah Nothing happened that night. But that morning, the captain...
01:06:35
Speaker
wasn't too happy about the deck of his ship being defaced and I heard the term blood magic being bandied around but nothing came of it it's not like this lightning bolt shot throughout the sky and all of a sudden I was imbued with great power nothing happened I said the spell decanted the ritual got nothing I got stern telling off the next day And when I told the captain what I'd done ah to pay for my sin, I was set to have to be removed from the ship. Now, all albeit this wasn't like the first discretion that I had, um stealing and and and just general...
01:07:28
Speaker
acting about uh i wasn't in i wasn't in the crew's best books but this was like the final straw of it really and so i had to um be marooned and learn the value of uh what it is to be a team player or a deck hand deck mate um So I didn't think nothing of it, really. it wasn't the fact I wasn't the first person to be marooned. I mean, going way back into the ship's law, Captain Hildegard himself was marooned. And then he he actually led a life and then got the ship. And that's his story.
01:08:08
Speaker
um so i didn't i So I was sad about it, but following the footsteps of greater people, as it were.
01:08:19
Speaker
Not so long after I was marooned, I found that I could tap into a magical essence. um And really, ah that's when something different started to happen.
01:08:37
Speaker
And I felt for the first time, inkling of power. And it was addictive. um Along that there was every now and then I would find that.
01:08:57
Speaker
Spiders would be drawn towards me. I thought nothing of it really. I haven't been used to being on land for you know most of my life. So ah just thought maybe it was something about me that attracted them. I don't know.
01:09:10
Speaker
any buggers. ah I found you guys. Fast forwards, you've all seen me do some like some crazy stuff power wise. Sometimes it's worked. Sometimes it hasn't worked.
01:09:28
Speaker
But there as the power increased, so did the... um
01:09:35
Speaker
the weird spider thing. And then fast forward long time in the future, ah to when we first met you, Bal, and we went to your, uh, coven, um, with the big, big, um, dragon lady. Uh, and I believe,
01:10:02
Speaker
In between you pissing off Prego, Alpha, and becoming all cursed, ah around that time, I met, I guess what you'd call, my patron.
01:10:20
Speaker
And it was Prego who took me to see um it, I guess.
01:10:32
Speaker
So turns out the blood magic I performed on this ship put me directly in contact and directly in servitude to a monster of the sea,
01:10:48
Speaker
which is called the spider who swims.
01:10:53
Speaker
By monster, I mean. And next looks fearful here. are terrifyingly larger than you could take the biggest monster you can in your mind and double it and make it a spider and put it in the vast depths of the ocean.
01:11:23
Speaker
And, uh,
01:11:26
Speaker
and yeah, I, uh, I, Was in servitude. To this being. ah For a. Time.
01:11:38
Speaker
And. um All my. Power.
01:11:45
Speaker
Basically. Stems from that. And every time. i use. Or. Tap in. To this power within me.
01:11:56
Speaker
It almost calls upon. his essence. And I'm only really starting to piece together
01:12:07
Speaker
the fact that that might call upon the spiders that you see.
01:12:13
Speaker
Any questions before I carry on? That's like part one. So this is the patron that punished you when you failed that test.
01:12:24
Speaker
Um... Yeah, I think we would ah that um that test when I saw the big old Emerald. Yeah, that one.
01:12:35
Speaker
Same patron. I feel like he was just starting to use me then. That was very early days.
01:12:45
Speaker
That wasn't the first and only test. No. What other tests? Any other questions before I go into the the really hairy part of this story?
01:12:59
Speaker
Seth's face is just in a perpetual air the whole way through this and hasn't changed, and his mouth is still open, ah but he's not got any questions. but Alpha is currently looking at you like you told the last story all the way back at Goldport Keep.
01:13:15
Speaker
He's loving this. He's thinking it's a fantasy story or the makings of something.
01:13:21
Speaker
ah So I mentioned I was in servitude.
01:13:29
Speaker
So turns out there is a cost for using this power.
01:13:36
Speaker
And it is addictive. um like I felt powerful the first time in my life.
01:13:44
Speaker
When I first met the spider who swims, he bid me deliver... three souls back to the waters. um He never gave me names.
01:13:58
Speaker
And he just gave me riddles.
01:14:05
Speaker
I struggle to remember them exactly, but um
01:14:13
Speaker
the three names that I came to work out,
01:14:21
Speaker
One of them was for, and Nix will look down at this and start swallowing as if he's um trying to force himself to carry on. ah Captain Hildegard.
01:14:38
Speaker
Second name. And this is where he he briefly looks up and there's a sheepish look in his face. ah Sebastian Sleetgaard.
01:14:51
Speaker
And then the third name. And he looks down again and he swallows hard. ah
01:15:02
Speaker
The third name is Marota.
01:15:08
Speaker
uh, I tried hard. I tried, I tried everything to, to not let
01:15:19
Speaker
this come to pass. I don't,
01:15:25
Speaker
I hope you believe me on that one. Uh,
01:15:31
Speaker
He wanted these three souls to return to the sea, the depth of the sea. And i have tried for what feels like weeks to stop this from happening.
01:15:45
Speaker
ah
01:15:48
Speaker
I tried to put out my mind at first, pretend it wasn't happening.
01:15:53
Speaker
Saw more spiders and turns out couldn't run away from it. I, when when, when we reached, um, like, uh, Dralik, found out that, well, you all saw the Esmeralda.
01:16:17
Speaker
Yeah. It turns out the captain had been captured. and was ah was in the very cells of Jalek. And I went to go and see him
01:16:32
Speaker
to try and break him out and to to find out where the crew had gone. I thought if I could get the crew back together and get them back on the ship, maybe there'd be a place for me again. I'd i'd saved up.
01:16:50
Speaker
so much gold and I had gotten power. I was useful. I i could be useful. I could be more than just someone cleaned out the ship. I felt like I'd done everything that the code had asked me for when they first marooned me.
01:17:07
Speaker
So when I went to go and see the captain, he explained to me that when I had left the ship, um, The repercussions of my actions happened quicker for them than it did for me. I only got the power side of it.
01:17:27
Speaker
They dealt with ah the cost at first and that cost destroyed the crew and the ship. There's some deaths.
01:17:39
Speaker
um
01:17:45
Speaker
ah They were cursed.
01:17:50
Speaker
And they all went their separate ways.
01:17:55
Speaker
Long story short, the captain found himself being caught ah by Vossen's crew or his sons.
01:18:07
Speaker
And he found himself on the sail ah on the on the on the ah jails at Dralak and was ah it due to be sent as a slave, I believe.
01:18:20
Speaker
and he
01:18:24
Speaker
He was the first person I told everything to after. He told me that what I'd done had cursed the ship. He didn't know that it the curse was down to me. He just assumed it was a curse that you get along the seas after many places that they've been.
01:18:41
Speaker
So I explained everything like I'm doing to you guys now. So you, you all are the second people, I guess. Um, I've explained this to Nix is like kicking his feet against each other.
01:18:55
Speaker
He's looking down on the ground.
01:18:59
Speaker
ah i I promised that I would get the crew back together. I would pay for the release or I would at least pay for his release and I would win the ship in the tournament.
01:19:18
Speaker
There's a jewel crown. Seemed like everything was kind of falling into place when that came up as a prize. And thus I went in bloodied for it because I told him I would get the ship, win it or die trying.
01:19:34
Speaker
I had definitely died. ah
01:19:41
Speaker
Only after I told him that I'm the reason why the whole crew was cursed and telling him that the he was one of the three souls that the spider who swims had demanded return to the sea,
01:20:00
Speaker
um gave me an order to
01:20:04
Speaker
let him die
01:20:09
Speaker
by the sea. So he told the guards that he had made his choice and, ah and quickly they put together a, ah drowning of sorts for him.
01:20:23
Speaker
And he was very ready to give it all up in order to protect the crew. and,
01:20:32
Speaker
and me and so that I could find my freedom for as little as I deserved it.
01:20:44
Speaker
The captain ah to the end. And i could not save him. I tried. I tried.
01:20:58
Speaker
Almost made a deal. And I thought I'd got away with it. If I'd be honest,
01:21:05
Speaker
One name down.
01:21:09
Speaker
Then the tournament happened. And I bade you all to not
Reactions to Nyx's Revelations
01:21:16
Speaker
kill Marota. And I did not want her to die.
01:21:21
Speaker
I didn't ask you not to kill her so that I could have the opportunity to kill her. I was looking for the opportunity to save her.
01:21:33
Speaker
There's some magic and this is where Nyx will look at Seth and Baal.
01:21:40
Speaker
There's some magic that Prego and his family have imbued.
01:21:50
Speaker
And that magic
01:21:54
Speaker
is the reason why I'm standing here today because I died again in that tournament. And some pact ordeal that Marota made
01:22:14
Speaker
sacrificed her life for mine.
01:22:20
Speaker
Soul number two.
01:22:24
Speaker
Sebastian.
01:22:26
Speaker
and In all the chaos surrounding the city after the tournament,
01:22:37
Speaker
the idea getting a ship and escaping on the waters ah was floated around and Nix will look over itself.
01:22:53
Speaker
I was hoping we'd go to the piss nuke.
01:22:59
Speaker
When we hit the waters,
01:23:05
Speaker
your memory will start catching up. Now there was a ah
01:23:11
Speaker
he hit the water. He, he'd returned to the water
01:23:18
Speaker
and he took soul number three. We jumped in. I jumped in. I, I i tried. i thought I could get to him again.
01:23:29
Speaker
tried.
01:23:36
Speaker
When I was on the deck of the, I can't remember the ship's name. It's been a crazy day. Ship we were just on when I was on the deck and the three souls had been paid.
01:23:51
Speaker
The great one spoke to me.
01:23:55
Speaker
The spider who swims.
01:24:01
Speaker
And almost for doing what I bade, gave me the opportunity to take one soul back or the Esmeralda.
01:24:12
Speaker
So I could have Morota, the captain
01:24:22
Speaker
or the Esmeralda.
01:24:26
Speaker
i just couldn't do it. I couldn't pick between the two.
01:24:32
Speaker
So say if I saved Marota, I'd be...
01:24:42
Speaker
She gave her life. ah She made a deal so that I would survive. The captain did the same thing. He knew that if he died, I'd stand a chance.
01:24:56
Speaker
And I just in the moment thought that Sebastian could offer something to save whatever's going on in that fucking sky with the 13th kingdom.
01:25:12
Speaker
So
01:25:15
Speaker
ah asked for Sebastian back.
01:25:20
Speaker
And that's
01:25:23
Speaker
When you saw him again, and it's probably why he doesn't know what happened.
01:25:34
Speaker
And I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I understand if you all just
01:25:41
Speaker
well leave me behind because i cursed my last crew.
01:25:49
Speaker
I'm very sorry.
01:25:53
Speaker
But that's the that's my story.
01:26:03
Speaker
During the last few minutes of that talk, Seth would have broken the unbroken eye contact he had held up to that point and would have started scribbling quickly on a sheet of parchment paper.
01:26:18
Speaker
and then stopped before you got to the end. And then you'd quickly look around to everyone else to see if anything else needed to be done.
01:26:32
Speaker
Yeah.
01:26:34
Speaker
I can read to the room.
01:26:38
Speaker
Seth's going nod and then um cast Shadow Blade, third level, and hold it up in the air for a second, the scimitar-esque blade.
01:26:50
Speaker
And then he's going to point it down towards Nyx and your throat. And in his eye, through the scars, you can just see this...
01:27:03
Speaker
anguish and like just, it's just a like a, it's a knot of like a, literally bundle of knots in his face that is just writhing with fury and and tears and betrayal and confusion and everything.
01:27:24
Speaker
And then he draws the sword back. And as he swings down, he's going to dispel the sword. He's going to slam his fist into the table. Bang! All the drinks jump a little bit. And then in a swift motion, he's he's he's gone. He's out the door.
01:27:39
Speaker
And he leaves. And leaves outside to be dealt with later. It's really hard not to read all your minds right now.
01:27:53
Speaker
Three souls for your power.
01:27:57
Speaker
What if your thing you've made a deal with had a deal with? Do you think your deal's done with it?
01:28:11
Speaker
Is that what it told you? Do you believe it?
01:28:21
Speaker
I don't know much, Nick, about eldritch beings, but I know what I know about making packs and deals like that. And if you think you're done, you've got another thing coming.
01:28:38
Speaker
You're not done. As long as you're using his power or its power, as long as you're connected to it, you're not done.
01:28:50
Speaker
What happens the next time it comes to you and says, do you want a bit more power? Just do this for me. i
01:29:03
Speaker
don't know. No.
01:29:09
Speaker
That's a lot of information that you've just given us, Nick.
01:29:18
Speaker
I know one thing from all of that, and that's the two people who cared very, very deeply about you. Marola was indifferent to me, probably actively disliked me for large chunks of our traveling together, but you didn't have to look too hard to realize that beneath that exterior she cared very, very, very greatly about you.
01:29:45
Speaker
And I can read your face to know how much this Captain Hildegard meant to you. And clearly... Two people, Nick, are... Not in this world who...
01:30:00
Speaker
For whatever reason are gone. Because of this... Entity.
01:30:08
Speaker
But you're not. You're still here. And... You've found... a crew. You found a place in this room.
01:30:20
Speaker
Everyone's going to get up and be like, Reigns, don't be so fucking naive. And he's going to walk out wherever Seth went.
01:30:31
Speaker
I'm going to finish my point.
01:30:34
Speaker
I think that you have a lot to offer, Nyx. I don't know what I believe. I do know I've seen you die twice and yet here you are.
01:30:47
Speaker
You're here. They're not. Whatever you choose to do.
01:30:54
Speaker
Don't fucking waste that gift that's been given to you. And that gift is not Eldritch powers. That gift is life. I've ah said my piece.
01:31:14
Speaker
Anyone else?
01:31:17
Speaker
Alpha, I think, ah just as Reigns finishes it, he's just going to slowly walk up to you.
01:31:27
Speaker
yeah he He's going in for a big hug, basically. He's not saying anything. He's hugging you. He's giving you the pat on the back. um He's never very good with conveying emotion, but this is something that Nick has taught him.
01:31:43
Speaker
Way back when, when we were trying to um engage the goblins in the castle, this was the first thing that Nyx did in there. he He hugged Alpha, admittedly to get the jewel, but Alpha doesn't know that and at this stage.
01:31:58
Speaker
But Alpha remembers this. Alpha remembered Nyx's hug and remembering what Nyx told him it meant. And this is the best way that Alpha can try and reassure you that it's going to be okay.
01:32:13
Speaker
it's going to be fine. And despite what other people may have chosen to do, our food is still here for you. God damn man. You, you made Nick's cry. he would, uh, accept that hug and reverse ball situation would collapse on your, Oh,
01:32:32
Speaker
Just only the difference between where Baal did it, Nyx was like praying to the gods that he had the strength to stand up. You you are you are like a strong, sturdy warlock.
01:32:44
Speaker
I am stoic. So Nyx would break down on your... um Though he would be... wo Throughout that whole story, he never looked at you, Baal, for fear of...
01:33:00
Speaker
any kind of emotion on your face. um So he would be in the last person who have not spoken.
01:33:12
Speaker
ah He would be looking at you through very red, bleary eyes. Yeah, and Baal will, because he's obviously been sitting through this, I don't know whereabouts in the room you would have been telling the story, but he would have probably not been looking at you, but just listening, kind of nodding along, reacting obviously to the the various revelations.
01:33:31
Speaker
See Seth, what he was about to do, and you see Baal's like almost going to react to it, but then when Seth dispels that shadow blade and storms off and Emron storms off, Baal will stand up and turn to you.
01:33:46
Speaker
Sounds to me, Nyx, like... You were incredibly selfish.
01:33:58
Speaker
To start with. You had your own intentions, your own goals.
01:34:06
Speaker
As do we all.
01:34:10
Speaker
But...
01:34:14
Speaker
I think you have shown your true character in these last 48 hours.
01:34:23
Speaker
That is who you are, Nyx. You're not these naive, silly decisions. You're not someone's puppet to be controlled.
01:34:35
Speaker
You are in charge of your own destiny now. And you have made a selfless act that I cannot say, and he's looking around the remaining members here, we all would have made in the same decision for you. Hell, I know that I haven't.
01:34:49
Speaker
I didn't let any of you go for anything within that tournament to win anything else. That was 100% selfishness from me. You have literally shown the opposite.
01:35:03
Speaker
Bringing Sebastian back.
01:35:08
Speaker
And whatever comes your way with this eldritch fuckwit spider, I am by your side. Every step.
01:35:24
Speaker
He's going to jump in on that hug. Oh, yeah Nix is so sad.
01:35:34
Speaker
It's that kind of horrible crying as well. um there's There's no... Now, fuck it, Adhemar. Oh, my God. Yes! Come on!
01:35:49
Speaker
that's we pause in this embrace set in your chambers and run oh sorry i'm really sorry really really sorry dan he's gone outside i've gone up through i uh i need air okay sorry what i'll see i've also followed him okay as we head back through the pest noot out into the Harbour District and look upon the scorched bay.
01:36:25
Speaker
That is where we're going to end this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop Bell and McConnish.
Conclusion and Podcast Closing Remarks
01:36:31
Speaker
Fucking hell. EastEnders episode. Calarsis, anyone? a ah God damn.
01:36:38
Speaker
There was still bits we didn't even go over. was sat there going, oh yeah, there was that stuff about Morota we didn't talk about as well. but so i I take shit notes on everything. I am so engrossed in everything.
01:36:50
Speaker
The fact that Morota works for Ogremorph and Morota was sent by Ogremorph to go find. That's not my story to tell. yeah We'll just randomly put it in sometime. yeah.
01:37:01
Speaker
Well, you did say you're going to have a memorial for and Dawn tomorrow morning. So maybe that's right. Well, who's going to be there? Who knows? Yeah.
01:37:11
Speaker
hopefully our audience will be ah ah so thanks for joining us and listening to us making this party everyday week hope you enjoyed that If you wanted to keep up to date with the podcast or to look at some of the maps that we create, then head over to our X page.
01:37:32
Speaker
Our combined one is at fellowship table top. Then if you wanted to go one step further and follow individually, you can do so too. I'm at I want one to bear is that. Natural 20 Will. The Edge Lord Callum is at.
01:37:46
Speaker
The D20 Gamer. Darren's at. Darren Page 06. Bahl is at. but that Will is at. Fellowship NPC PC. Mark's at.
01:37:57
Speaker
Hastily rolled DM. And our VIP of D&D. Danger Master Danny can be found at. Total Party Thrills. Till next time guys.