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The Fellowship of the Tavern - 2nd Round
103 Plays3 years ago
We're back for a second round of drinks at the local Tavern "The Half Hoof Inn"
The Fellowship of the Tavern is a mini series that explores the cast of the podcast. Here we gather around the table, have a beer and talk about our characters, the story we're playing and what we think may happen. After our previous episode, we have a lot to talk about!
If you need pointing to the first round of drinks, check out the link below.
https://the-fellowship-of-the-tabletop.simplecast.com/episodes/the-fellowship-of-the-tavern-1st-round
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
now now now now now now now now now now
Return of Tali and Updates Tease
00:00:39
Speaker
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Half-Woof Inn Tavern Torques, I think. I haven't done this accent in a while already. Welcome, my name's Tali. You might know me from some of the older episodes. Spent some time with the party and so would you say I'd have a chat with some of the cast about how they're gotten on and everyone who's listened to this thinking, why oh why aren't they just telling us what happened to the party? Well, you might have to wait a few more weeks for that unfortunately.
00:01:09
Speaker
But anyway, um the accent kind of went. Oh, sorry guys. I tried But anyway, thanks for joining us guys. Um, yes. Yes. Yes. I know I know I know you're probably listening to start this thinking why the fuck aren't you just getting on with it? I swore apologies and
00:01:33
Speaker
But the thing is, well, you know, we want to just unpick and there's a lot to unpack. We were all like after the episode wanting to talk a lot about bits and pieces and thoughts and feelings we're having about it. So we thought, why not just turn the mics on, get us recording, and just you guys can listen in on what we're thinking, what we're feeling, et cetera. We haven't planned this, so I don't really know how it's going to go.
00:01:55
Speaker
Well, no, it's more like an emotional support group for the shit that just kind of happened. But also it's sometimes it's good to have a little bit of a chat over the events that have gone past us.
Confrontation with Skeletons and Nemesis
00:02:15
Speaker
If it's been a week since you listened to it, sorry for interrupting Ian, obviously what happened was we had the party riding through Folly and Clauda fallen off their horses, the party wheeled around to collect them and pick them up against these giant skeletons.
00:02:31
Speaker
got close to them, started botching these skeletons about to make a move and then our old nemesis Grazet appeared from the south with the armies of the undead and the Blight closing in around them probably four or five turns away from being annihilated.
00:02:46
Speaker
The party decided, or at least had the inkling of a decision that they were going to split, some of the group were going to go and race to the tower on the horseback to finish this, lost some of the party, Claude and Drago were to remain and fight off their enemy, their mortal enemy, Grazet.
00:03:05
Speaker
And that's kind of where we left it, with the group about to make their way, three of the group about to make their way away from them to the north, some staying to the south of the undead closing in on all sides. So it was a really kind of big, dramatic emotional moment. For a lot of us, this was, we feel,
00:03:22
Speaker
I say we, you told me, you felt this could be the time where that's it. That's this party split is the last will be the last time. And it felt quite emotional, quite, quite final in that regard. So that's where we find ourselves anyway, just in case if it's been a week since you've listened to it, you might have binged it and this might be too on the trot, but just not if not, there you go. And that's, that's what we're at too. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:03:44
Speaker
Yeah, no, basically, that's yeah, it was a hell of an episode. And so for your future diaries, listeners, the next episode will be the finale of whatever this is, call it season one, call it arc one, call it story. It's regardless the next
Upcoming Arc Finale Announcement
00:04:04
Speaker
official episode of The Fellowship at the Tabletop will be the finale and something that we've worked more than two years to get there. So it just felt like a very natural point given the way that last episode went down.
00:04:21
Speaker
to take a breather, gather ourselves, let Mark fucking write the finale now that he's got all the material he needs. I mean, yeah, it's fair to say that we didn't see this coming, did we? I mean, none of us, we all had different ideas for how it was probably going to go. And this was probably the last idea that we all had in our minds.
00:04:40
Speaker
Yeah, it was fucking nuts. Somehow it's all kind of fitting in. It's fitting into place quite... It's like a wonderful jigsaw. And if I didn't know better, I'd say you planned it. You planned it, yeah. Episode one. So, but just for your scheduling, next week will actually be
December Christmas Special Announcement
00:04:57
Speaker
a Christmas.
00:04:57
Speaker
Christmas special, much like last year, we're going to make it bigger, better and longer. And it's going to span basically all of December. So apologies. But the finale, you're going to have to really wait for. We're not going to tease you because I can't I can't friggin wait to get my Christmas on.
00:05:15
Speaker
I'm so excited. Everyone is this year. If you didn't listen to last year's Christmas episode, go back and listen to it. Darren smashed his DM and it was just a barrel of laughs. So if you want to have a good one. I believe this one is also a continuation in some in loose way. But just just everyone to wear the audience is aware the finale will be in January at some to be see a date. So please, please do.
00:05:42
Speaker
TBC date. Stay. TBC date. You'll still be on episode every Friday though. Stick with us.
00:05:49
Speaker
Oh, yeah, we're keeping the content going every Friday. There'll be some sort of D&D related content out there for your ear holes. But the actual official finale, we're just kind of we're taking the time to make it as good as it should be, because this campaign's been as long. Like I said, it's been two and a bit years and recordings been about three years, I'd say for us. I've genuinely had jobs that have took less time than this campaign.
00:06:16
Speaker
Right. We've all, well, that's a good point. In the length of this campaign, we've had three kids, two house moves. Yeah. How many new jobs? One, two, five. I think everyone almost has gone through. Yeah.
00:06:32
Speaker
We're talking big things, big chapters in people's lives, measuring sticks almost, that when you look back on your life, you remember. Those all happened within the span of this fucking... Oh, of course, yeah, we had this whole worldwide pandemic, you know, this little main thing. Yeah, we went digital. And we moved from being in person to online, you know. Glad that pandemic's over.
00:06:54
Speaker
Yeah, right. However, the finale will be in person and it's going to be it's going to be just coughing on each other, you know, doing all the good stuff. I can't wait. Can't wait. But keep on keep in touch with our socials and I will put up some sort of date and make a big thing official. So, yeah, that's it. That's that's the that's the personal announcements and the notes we can talk about what the fuck just happened.
00:07:23
Speaker
Right to begin. With the question, you don't want to give too much away from what your characters are thinking because obviously we haven't...
00:07:29
Speaker
We haven't finished yet, have we? We haven't got there, but we haven't got to the end and followed it through. There might still be some twists and turns on the way, but from my point of view, I'll start us off. Like I said to you guys after we stopped recording last episode, this isn't, I think I had planned four different ways you might go from this moment to start the episode and this wasn't one of them. I genuinely, I don't know why, I genuinely
Inevitable Party Split Discussion
00:07:50
Speaker
thought a party split wasn't on the cards, but I don't know why I didn't think that would be the case because you guys love a good party split.
00:07:58
Speaker
But was Grazette ever like, was that a plan or was that off the cuff? That's a plan. That was a plan. He always had to. I kind of look at that and I think with the tower to the north and Grazette to the south, a part of me feels like a party split was kind of inevitable in a really weird kind of sense. Like this was, this was always going to happen. Even if we didn't realize it, that actually now it's happened, it makes total sense. Yeah.
00:08:23
Speaker
Does make total sense, I totally agree with that. What happened on that battlefield and how we've left it, it feels true to every single character. However, I've also decided that I really like horses. And maybe our next camp, I need to make more of steeds, because they're really funny. Rude, man, that was legit. I've got such an affinity for that horse already. It's only been two episodes. So imagine if you had that horse for like...
00:08:52
Speaker
30 or 40 episodes. No, there was a plan with Brood. I had a beautiful montage moment in the future. Maybe Brood will find its way to your clone and the story will... Oh, I like that. Like Black Beauty's, you know, child. That's it. And Carstan will go on to write The Adventures of Brood and Drago's twin.
00:09:14
Speaker
You don't have brood, drago and brood. Let's do that, right? It's going to be the adventure of the horse brood and his mate, Dribbo, the clone drago. Well, it would be Dribbo because he's a clone, so he'd be drilling all the time. I don't know. That's a whole spin-off series.
00:09:42
Speaker
amazing and you didn't plan you know you said Grazette was always a an option yeah he was definitely going to come out I think I I think I underestimated the gravitas that you would give it and I think I then over
00:09:55
Speaker
I built up his gravitas slightly more as well and then obviously you guys fed off that because you listen, thank you, and fed off that and made it the moment it deserved to be and actually I thought what I had planned initially to use him for would have been an undersell or a cop-out or a
00:10:13
Speaker
Yeah, it wouldn't it now wouldn't feel right at all as as you know has happened multiple times throughout this multiple times I'm talking at least 15 16 17 times Throughout this campaign why throw a little thing and you guys just latch on to it and I'm like well fuck it That's what we want to go. That's what we want to go Which is why it's so lovely that you know working with working with individuals like such yourselves mean you just come up with your own stuff and Roll there and it makes it so unique and puts all my notes to shame which is great makes me look good as well. So they go
00:10:43
Speaker
Are you happy with how it played out that episode? Because obviously you spend however long planning this and writing this for us to then fuck it up. No, no, no. So are you happy with how like the decisions that were made, like big decisions that were made? Absolutely. Because it's never and it's never fucking up because it's always it's always good I feel when you pick something I haven't chosen because I then I'm very aware of railroading.
00:11:09
Speaker
And I shouldn't, but I am. And sometimes it does feel that way, especially with those cinematic elements to it. But when you guys take full control and you take it in your own direction, I'm like, good. I can't railroad this because I literally don't know what's going to happen next, which is really lovely for me to kind of pace myself along. Two years ago, I would have been sweating my face off worrying about, oh, God, I haven't got anything planned for that.
00:11:32
Speaker
I'm in a position now and luckily I can rely on people like Will to be a symposium or a rule book just to go right on the fly quickly Will, what's the thing for this? And he'll go about this and we can keep them flowing, keeps the energy high as well. So it's a group effort really because we're all
00:11:51
Speaker
Not going to do it next year, you're either going to do it yourselves or if you guys start breaking the rules more, I'm just going to start making them up as well. We've got like the rogue of Callum who's always breaking every fucking rule. I don't break the rule, I push them to their very limits. Don't worry, I make notes. So next time I can just be like, I'm just going to have a little sign that I'm going to hold up and it's going to be like, Mark, Callum's talking bullshit. And then just I hope...
00:12:18
Speaker
Your arm will get sore the amount of times you have to use this. I've not took any advantages at all throughout this campaign. The whole dragon's teeth thing, apart from that. And can you remember back to the last time you thought Grazit, where Elfie was burning in the fire, all that lovely image, that one.
00:12:41
Speaker
when you and I allowed you for some reason to skid under the legs of another character and then lay hands on both people with a backpack to give them both fly to get them out of there. Do you remember that moment? I have to say though, in Callum's defense... I really liked that moment because that saved my life. Yeah, I thought Robin was dead. Robin was dead there. You're welcome mate.
00:13:04
Speaker
Oh, you did, didn't you? He got Robin out of dodge with his BS. Yeah, they were both trying to hold.
00:13:15
Speaker
OK, so some sort of like narrative behind this Taren talk. Let's talk about the episode just gone, but let's go from start to finish. So how did it feel coming to this episode, knowing that you were behind the group? This is for Danny and Callum and that the
00:13:34
Speaker
Previously, we had decided that if you had been left behind, you have to find a way to fly. And that was the understanding, certainly from Jage's point of view of Robin's cast and stopped that. But how did it feel coming into it? What was your what was your plans coming in knowing that you were you were facing the horde of undead basically just singular? Well, given that we'd all agreed in game time,
00:14:01
Speaker
five minutes before that charge. Oh, if anything happens, just make your own way there. I was expecting me and Callum would just meet in the middle of those two big baddies and just find our own way there. I've got spells, he's got spells, we would have made it happen. So this was really all prompted, I think, by you four deviating from the plan that we all agreed.
00:14:21
Speaker
Yeah, that was basically my plan throughout the entire thing. And I still stuck to it slightly for the first round with get myself over to Claude. I can cast Flyer myself, get myself over to Claude, tell him to jump on, and then poof, we're gone. Yeah. And that was what I was going to do. And then you guys started coming
Exploring Robin's Motivations
00:14:39
Speaker
around and I thought,
00:14:40
Speaker
Well, fuck it, then. I mean, I mean, in our defense, only 12 seconds had passed since making that decision. Well, to be fair, that decision came about because of you, Will. You obviously cast out and turned around with your binocular vision. And he did also lead me to the group. I mean, I moved 60 feet. My plan was distract the creatures so we can get up with this. But you guys, yeah.
00:15:10
Speaker
Well, look what you just got. Case, what were you planning on doing? Were you going to go charging through still with the plan? Or were you happy turning about facing and going back to save the game? Yeah, do you know what? I think originally I was going to go in and try to attack this giant skeleton in front of Folly. And then something inside me thought, actually, do I want to attack it or do I just want to save him? And so I thought,
00:15:35
Speaker
actually I might just get him to jump on the horse and for us to move on out of here just to get out of here because actually we might we might be a little bit too far gone here with the amount of creatures that are now
00:15:49
Speaker
It's like the impending doom, isn't it? It's all just fucking caving in on us. And I just, I don't know whether for Helena, she's like looking around thinking, shit, actually, this is much bigger than I thought it was gonna be. It's probably not worth risking our lives for. We've got a bigger job on our hands. So yeah, and I think with Robin coming in and saying, you know, actually, we have got one job to do. I think that really sort of brought her back to reality and thought, yeah, let's do the one thing that we set out to do.
00:16:19
Speaker
Yeah, that resonates with me. I think there was a moment after Karsten, you just mentioned that the others had fallen behind where Robin turns to Joago and says, what are we going to do? We had a plan to keep moving forward. So I think that all kind of turned on a dime, didn't it?
00:16:35
Speaker
I think it was Drago who said, oh, fuck it. Slow the horses down or something like that. Just to allow everyone to ride past to see if we could get a scope on the party. Yeah. And then you took you took point of reference there, Robin. Yeah, it's a strange one from Robin's point of view, because. And I know it's secondary to where we are right now, but
00:17:04
Speaker
For listeners who don't have this context, before we did this, Robin used to be a citizen of, because we're from the Sword Coast, in a city called Neverwinter. And he saw that city effectively fall into beyond redemption at the hands of arcane overthrowers. And whether serendipitous or deliberate on Mark's part, what's happening in Goldview has probably unnerved Robin more than the Blight.
00:17:33
Speaker
In Robin's mind, if we lose, the Blight's just going to steamroll all the Sleet Guard and those people who have taken Golby will abandon it and leave it to its fate. So stopping the Blight is very much about the preservation of not just the armies here, but the whole of Sleet Guard. And he sees
00:17:58
Speaker
I've always played something with Robin in the sense that he's always looked for someone to follow his whole life, in the sense that he found this Robin Hood figure in his adopted mother, which completely shaped the way he bases this persona that he built for himself, through to Elfeir, and not knowing what to do when Elfeir turned out not to be the person he thought he was. I think up to this point, it's
00:18:24
Speaker
asking drago felt natural because in a complete turn of surprise for robin that's become drago and in terms of the wider future he's he's not a religious man he was never going to find a kiva but he has found someone who can perhaps save goldview from the similar fate of neverwinter
Battle Dynamics and Character Development
00:18:47
Speaker
and that's that's helena so helena surviving because of the
00:18:52
Speaker
what she represents is important to Robin because she represents that to him as well. So all of that unpacks everything that happened for Robin in that episode effectively.
00:19:11
Speaker
It was, there was this beautiful from what Drago's plan was when you turn around and said, oh, can go and get folly. And I was like, yep, already planning on it. You, me and you are speaking the same language. I had this beautiful image of just riding towards folly. And I think it's in the Lord of the rings where there's someone who leans down, just think Legolas and Aragorn don't, don't at me. I could be wrong. I think it's Legolas at some point though, there is an arm grab and there's this cool flip of emotion and there's two up on a horse. And I was hoping to do that with folly.
00:19:43
Speaker
But yeah, obviously that didn't work out because I saw that Helena and Derek with Robin was going towards Folly and I saw Claude just stare. I was like, well, I can't really do a cool flip thing with Claude, although I did think it would be hilarious to try and... I don't know, I just felt like I'd be pulled off if I tried to flip you up. Try and flip a man in plate mail.
00:20:05
Speaker
Yeah. To be fair, I think Folly's backpack probably weighs, you know, 100 times more than I did. Yeah, but that's that's the Callum bullshit rule, isn't it? I'm sure he would go, oh, he's fucking fine. He's just saving me. I held my tongue when we were listing off the things that Callum has go away with in this campaign, because I wanted to mention all the overpowered backpacks.
00:20:23
Speaker
Yeah, the bag of holding that weighs nothing while Folly's carrying it, but when Folly's flying with it... What is that backpack? He all of a sudden wants it to have... I like the fact that normally it weighs nothing when you're carrying it. So when it hit the creature, it should have done nothing because it technically still weighs nothing.
00:20:43
Speaker
Now let's debunk this myth because you've said before to Drago in a strength-off that I can't lift your backpack and Drago's fucking strong as balls and you're like... It's not that we can't lift it but it would literally take every bit of your strength in order to lift it a little bit.
00:21:00
Speaker
What's the magical mechanics behind it? Are they all written down on the DM's notepad and yours? I'm just putting into Google backpack of bullshit 5e and just seeing what comes up. If you check the entry it says... It's on my private D&D beyond things. See if DM will permit C Callum.
00:21:22
Speaker
Yeah.
00:21:36
Speaker
He can dictate because it is an enchanted attuned magical item, Folly can dictate when the weight limits come into effect. So the idea behind it is that initially because Folly is a small character, he can often be seen as a very vulnerable person because of his stature, as I say. And in your kind of thing, people can try and
00:22:05
Speaker
rob him, mug him, and all this kind of shit when he was on his travels. He'd purposely sort somebody out to enable him to have this backpack, which he can basically control when it's weighty, when it's not. If you want to put a spin to it, it's like a cross between, for D&D purposes, a bag of holding and an immovable rod.
00:22:28
Speaker
So an immovable rod, when it's activated, it's too high-end whitened. It's a combination of iron, but it doesn't stay in place, as it were. It just gets really heavy. So it's literally the equivalent of Elon Musk putting a Tesla into a rocket and firing at the space. Two really, really powerful things. I like the fact that the DM's only learning about this now. Yeah. I'm thinking it's on me.
00:22:56
Speaker
In all fairness, I think Mark's reaction to it, okay, I've got this backpack, and this is what he does, and he's just like, that sounds awesome. Technicality will work out later. A new character gets bagpipes. Yeah, Mark, I've got a few pages of notes for my next character, just so you know. Just roll with it, mate. It's fine. I gotta say, wait until he gets... We have to talk about my next character, because there's so much bullshit that I'm gonna try and bring you bullshit.
00:23:23
Speaker
Speaking of Will's character. Now I've thought about it. Are you with us, Mark? You've frozen. OK, cool, cool, cool. Hello. Just making a note of that timestamp. There's a new thing. OK, cool. That was seamless. Speaking of Will's character anyway.
00:23:48
Speaker
You, what was your plan? Like, you obviously dismount, well, you didn't dismount your horse, you canted back. My plan is distract the creatures, so I put it on a disadvantage for its attack for the first go, so that bought Claude time.
00:24:04
Speaker
And then the idea was in theory, so I was going to try and incapacitate it, so I tried Hiddish laughter. I've got my next, my third round action is already ready to go in order to give the characters time to get back. I mean, I was hoping that Claude and Folly would go for the horses that were like within 30 feet range to get back on, but they didn't. It's fine.
00:24:25
Speaker
There's an FYI, if I can only walk 25 feet anyway, there's not a cat in hell's chance I would have caught up with that horse. He could walk 40, but he can't be arsed with the back. Yeah, he could walk 40, but you know, there's 25 feet, so it's fine. It's never come before. But yeah, I was trying to distract the creatures to hopefully then bring them back. It was like, well, hang on a minute, we need all of us here. There is no way we can tend to do this. I know we have this plan. It's like, right, if I can distract the creatures, that gives these two a chance to
00:24:55
Speaker
either fly or get away and team up with us. And yeah, Karsten always wanted to go back once he realized that the other two had fallen off. Obviously, Drago, Helena, Robin were of the mind to we're going to keep pushing. And, you know, the moral compass that is Karsten, did you did you know that? Yeah, OK, they've fallen off and I want to go back. Yeah. Or did you think, oh, I'm just going to let him know. I don't really know what I want to do. No, Karsten was always going to go back. It wasn't
00:25:25
Speaker
it was a it's you know he's he's not tactical he only thinks with his heart most of the time so he was going to go back no matter what the plan was
00:25:36
Speaker
You're always going to go back. Interesting. I was, I was, I was putting down where you were. I was picking up what you were throwing down where, where you were trying to, uh, distract everything. And it was because I rolled solo on the initiative. By the time it got to me fully, it stripped naked flying considerably different things to what you intended. And then that really.
00:25:59
Speaker
It's a good example of how the initiative would completely... Yeah, I've got to say, Folly was at the bottom end, but just like you, if I was at the top, the initial reaction would have been, fly over to Claude, and let's carry on. But everybody was making adjustments to coming get us. I was like, well... Yeah, I'd literally queued up Thaumaturgy. I was in a cast Thaumaturgy to shout ahead to everyone else and say, keep going, I've got a plan, we'll meet you at the tower.
00:26:26
Speaker
And because I was born with initiative, I couldn't get that away. Wow. That's mad because that changed everything. It's like this domino effect, isn't it? One little decision. I've got a question for Mark, actually.
00:26:45
Speaker
So obviously the return of Grazit was always part of the plan. Without spoiling anything, could you say whether or not we might see the return of any other characters in the next final episode? No comment.
00:26:59
Speaker
What about a nice guy? What about a nice guy? What about a nice guy? Everyone's favorite. I would love him to come into it and rescue somebody. He's always in our hearts. Be a nice guy. Kill me, please. I really listened to that the other day. I'm going back a few episodes and yeah, I can only apologize for that. I think it'd been one of those words where
00:27:19
Speaker
I think I was trying, I think I was, I was making notes or something. So there was, I was trying to get like a really dramatic line in that he was going to say about something and then, you know, be like a quite shady, mysterious character. And I think as I was writing, I was talking at the same time and the accent just started to shift and bend. And then I was like, what the, what the hell am I saying? Then I got a tuned back in and like, Oh God. And then it just, I couldn't get it. I couldn't get it.
00:27:43
Speaker
It was amazing. Absolutely. That's very recreated. Luigi from the Mario Brothers. We've met so many NPCs, haven't we? Who's your favourite, Mark? Who's the favourite that you've played in all of the whole season? Oh gosh. The thing is, I'm indifferent to them.
00:28:02
Speaker
A Tally, probably just because of the size and scope and importance of the piece and the way we kind of, we brought her over. The thing is with Tally, what if it is a little fact if you didn't know. So Back to the Future, it's an incredible trilogy of films, one of my all-time favorites. But what the writers regret about that is that they put the girlfriend in the car with Martin McFly at the end of the first one and then had to write a storyline for her for the second film, which they didn't think they would get a second film.
00:28:30
Speaker
At the start, I felt that way a little bit with Tali. I was like, she's just an extra body. She's annoying. Yeah, I could do a coming of age story. There's something in there. David in Goliath, et cetera, blah, blah, blah. And then she ended up being this kind of, you know,
00:28:46
Speaker
Ethereal sticking point for a lot of characters a reason to stay in the sword in in my world in the Erythian world for some of you as well a base a kind of a Daughter figure a sister figure and she became this kind of sticking point for a lot of characters So and I went through a stage early on of kind of regretting having a then I'll maybe I'll just kill her off at some point They'll be really dramatic and then you know, then shade I died She bought out the confidence in shade are definitely absolutely but
00:29:16
Speaker
Yes, it's entirely jumped off a cliff. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was a whole there's a whole sub quest with her and we didn't touch but there's loads of stuff we didn't touch but that's the glory of this that this is your path you've carved out through through the through the last night. I like how her it's not been touched by these characters. You know, she's still in the world. She's still there.
00:29:37
Speaker
Absolutely. So I've liked her just because she's felt the most like a DM. I think someone referred to it on Twitter once as a Dungeon Master PC, DM PC. She's a gateway into the narrative for you.
00:29:55
Speaker
So she's been fun for that, but I've also enjoyed some of the sillier. I like old men characters, the stupid old men characters. So if you remember, you went into that store, the really, really, the old man that looked older than the undead, and you walked in and the wind blew all his little, all his paper prices down. He got really pissed off at everyone. And he told you to go to the mansion to get to, you know, to find, to find his bracelet to bring him back and then he never returned. Um, so. I'm a librarian.
00:30:21
Speaker
the librarian was good but i think i enjoyed the librarian mainly because you enjoyed it it was it worked in terms of it being fun um kelson and carter yeah kelson was a good actually yeah there's there's been a few do you know who my my because i think tallie's an obvious one do you remember julia who we met um the american yeah the the shadow men the american yes she was awesome
00:30:45
Speaker
Yeah, are there then there was the other stocky the um, the little gnome stocky that helped you blow up the mines in blackmouth Can I was good then there was that bloke at the top of the minecart who tried to convince us it was his home And he was just chatting shit. Yes. Yeah. No idea. I can't remember his name. Yep. Um, yeah, this but there's been quite a few so it's been good and hopefully that I've learned a lot from um,
00:31:14
Speaker
the whole process of playing NPCs and hopefully into what we do next, I can take all that forward as well. So, yeah, excited, excited. But yeah, I think it's probably gonna be,
00:31:26
Speaker
It's got to be Tali. It's got to be Tali. But then I've really enjoyed, like, Canard. But again, I think I only like Canard because everyone was having fun with Canard. Nice guy, obviously, as a given, just for being the worst ever in the world. Nice guy. But yeah, it's got to be Tali. It's got to be Tali. I don't think I've laughed as hard as I have with nice guys.
00:31:45
Speaker
back in the day, but that's pre-recording that, Will. I missed Meepo. Meepo's a pre-recording thing. Meepo's like... I'd like to hear in last year's Christmas special, but I butchered that voice. You did love it. That's standard Sunken Citadel. So if anyone's played Sunken Citadel and gone down into the Sunken Citadel on the first of the Yawning Portal, that's when we played just stock D&D from the books. Meepo is... Yeah.
00:32:11
Speaker
a well-known, well-loved character all round, but yeah, he was a favourite of ours as well for a bit. It's an interesting thought, that'd be quite... I'm just curious, obviously, with us all...
00:32:25
Speaker
nearing the end. Do we think your animate object was bullshit? Yeah, everybody can be amount of times where we've inwardly gone. Oh, that's bullshit. When you've spent and let's be honest, you don't speak all that much. So on the ratio of like, you know, calm speech to how much of it is bullshit. It's like,
00:32:45
Speaker
If you take aside the dragon's teeth, I've never done anything wrong with animate objects. It's always been a good one. My only question is this. Obviously, this has been a very, very long time. The characters have gone through so fucking much and so have we. I always look back at what has gone and I've got some of my favorite moments. So I'm intrigued to see if there is a universal favorite moment that you have had throughout our campaign or if everybody has their own different favorite moments. So the question to the group
00:33:15
Speaker
And it's a big one. So I'm going to drag this question out a little bit more just to give you all time to think of situations and whatnot. But what has been one of your most favorite moments?
00:33:28
Speaker
during the recording sessions for our character or as a group as a whole. Your character, it could be an NPC interaction, it could be somebody else's character, it could be the result of a natural one or God knows what else. I have two personally which I will put out and it's difficult for me to pick. Now one of them involves Claude.
Humorous In-Game Antics
00:33:50
Speaker
and how he decided to desecrate the head from the hotel because that whole sequence was just him and this head. It lasted for about 45 fucking minutes and it was the most hilarious 45 minutes I have seen in this campaign. To wit, that was also the episode where Robin turns to Helen and goes, your mother's dead.
00:34:22
Speaker
Oh, I forgot about that one so much. In case you played that so perfectly. And then you had Will who went, well, that's not what we say in society. That wasn't very polite.
00:34:41
Speaker
I think there are certain times where Robin's either by alcohol or by fear. His guard and that persona that he creates is just evaporated. And they're actually my favorite times. I think it's drunk in the tavern and then when the vampires are sealing down, just there were two of my favorite moments of playing Robin. I like to think that it's also because, you know, you didn't have a female in the group for a long, long time. And then suddenly there was one there and then it just changed dynamic.
00:35:10
Speaker
And it was all like, shit, how do we interact with this movie now? How do we talk to a girl? Yeah, what? Wow. Somebody teach me. Every teen playing D&D ever. I also think that, Casey, on that front, you coming in wasn't just the fact that you were playing a female character, or indeed that you are female. But I think so much as your character was so important in the campaign. I'm not sure we mentioned this in the last one, but obviously you
00:35:38
Speaker
You picked this up by accident. It was an NPC that I wanted you to play for like one or two sessions. And then we just kind of said, well, do you want to stay? Because it's nice and you're good and it's, you know, it works. And without, would that be a thing? And so you always got stuck with this character that you've never picked.
00:35:57
Speaker
Yeah, it was really difficult to start with. It was really, really difficult to get a hold of her because I didn't choose her and I didn't create her. And trying to play something that you wanted, you know, you created yourself and you were going to play. And then I thought, actually, I'll get a case to do it anyway instead. And that was difficult. But then after probably about five weeks, six weeks, I started to get my head around it. Yeah.
00:36:21
Speaker
I had no idea. You made this character your own. Yeah, I love Helena. You didn't know? Helena was basically pushed on cases. She had no choice. Yeah, it was basically an end piece. Yeah, it was going to be like in for a couple, just as a little kind of flavour, because it was going to be when Ian was out for a little bit and it didn't end up being that long. So it was just to fill, plug a gap and have another voice in the campaign for just a couple of weeks when Ian was out. But then Ian was in...
00:36:48
Speaker
sooner than expected. All of it. I think I stayed in. Yeah. And and then we kind of thought, well, well, so there was no elongated plan for Helena when she came in. It was literally a guest. Well, either guest anything on this case, a guest, Casey. Yeah, I just don't want to voice. I didn't want to voice Helena. So I thought, well, I know Casey would be up for it in case he is, you know, talented and thought, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then now she's become like a focal point of the story, like one of those
00:37:16
Speaker
bad-ass characters in the entire bloody group. The whole genealogy. Helena's rise makes you think, like, how did we even... What happened if she wasn't there? How did we live without her? That's how good, how well you've played it, Casey, is that I struggle to think of this group pre-Helena. Like, that's how integral she is on the dynamic of everything.
00:37:38
Speaker
It's worth noting as well that there is a real thing to be said about the collaboration with the DM in that creation because the whole genealogy of that family is incredible, from Lucian down to Sebastian and the way that Helena's relationship is just so... You wouldn't think that that was an improvised thing, that the relationship was Sebastian and then the relationship was Lucian. I think the whole genealogy of that family is...
00:38:06
Speaker
And that's you and Mark that have just done that on playing. And it also brought in Karstan as well, didn't it? Because we were on the flip out. And that's to your original question, Callum, what's one of your favorite moments? Elphie is bossed up on Drago.
00:38:24
Speaker
I think was amazing. Just from any D&D within a friendship group, when you've got two people able to play the characters, but those characters don't necessarily get on. They're opposing sides of the same coin, and this eventually came to a head. And this was brewing for a long time.
Elthir vs. Drago Conflict
00:38:44
Speaker
And it subverted expectation on top of that as well, because you went after Drago, you hit Rage, and you went after Drago. And Drago,
00:38:54
Speaker
just let it go, just called and let you have it on him. Yeah. Well, if you would have written that scene out before that, you would have said, Drago is going to hit rage and he's going to decimate and just hit and hit and hit and hit and Elthir with his knowledge and his cool, calm collective nature would back away and seek higher power. But it was a subverted scene and it was, I think, just so well played by yourself.
00:39:21
Speaker
That's definitely one of my favorite moments because it was a just a oh shit. It was quite good I always kept expecting the rage from drago to come and When it didn't in my head I'm just kept thinking that Elsa is just getting more and more pissed off that the fact that I
00:39:44
Speaker
I kind of put myself in Elthea's position, and I'm probably completely wrong on this, but listening and watching your guys' interaction between the two, it just seemed to strike me that Elthea seemed to be so annoyed that he seemed to mean so little to Drago that he couldn't even get him to fight it. That's kind of how I took it. I don't know if that's what you were going for at all, but I know there was a lot of respect, disrespect, sorry, that Drago sent your way.
00:40:11
Speaker
But from Drago's point of view, is because Drago spends a lot of time in rage, he understands that sometimes you need to give in and get it and let it out. And that's that's where Drago was from was just like, Elthi is pissed. And he needs to let rip. I've been pissed. And I've had to do the same thing. Fucking let's go. But then it was one, one, I think it's credit to how you played it, because I think you did a fucking great job.
00:40:36
Speaker
with L3 in that scene and then it was what you did afterwards because you escalated it and escalated it and in my head I'm like well what else are you gonna do like as a as a player I was like what else are you gonna do now how can how can you go bigger than this because you've taken on Drago and you've
00:40:53
Speaker
And everyone decided against him, yeah. And everyone backed Drago up, surprisingly. That was that was a turning point for me as I was like, I don't know where because basically, for the listeners who don't know out there, it came to a melting point between Elthea and Drago to the point where Elthea was seeing
00:41:12
Speaker
who would side with who in a, in a, in an argument and an automation of like, well, you've got to choose. It's either I stay or Drago stays. You can't have both. And then it escalated. And this is why I just think you did an amazing job because when you after you laid like hell on me,
00:41:31
Speaker
I was like, well, what can you do after that? And you went and fucking, you took the bag of holding. You went and burned the fucking, like, you hit the nuke button. I just think that's such a hard thing to do because you must have loved that character and you must have wanted to play him, but you knew that you'd reached a point where there was no return now and you full on went for it. And I'll just give you full credit. It was definitely one of my favorites. It was one of those moments where it was like, right. Okay. If Elsie had backed down at that point,
00:42:00
Speaker
then that would have been it. Elf is, as a character, it would be very different because you've had these two alpha characters really butt heads.
00:42:11
Speaker
And if Elfie sticks around, how would that affect him? And with Elfie's story and all the stuff I did with Mark in the background, it was very much like right. And then I sat down with Mark after Elfie had had his long conversation with Claude. And Mark and I sat down while you were all out of the room. And I went, this is what I'm going to do. And then Mark actually turned to me and said, OK, do you want to do this with them in the room or do you want to do it? And then find out. I said, no, I want them in the room when I do it.
00:42:41
Speaker
because it would be more effective if they feel the reaction to it. Because else it was stealthing around doing all the shit and then leaving. It was like, it could have been, you guys wake up and you smell smoke, and you would have no idea what's going on. But I think it was more effective on an emotional level for me to go, no, I want them to be sat there as I explain what I'm doing. So they realize what's happened.
00:43:07
Speaker
Did it feel good? Did it feel like was there a sense of like, yeah, I'm gonna. It was very much going right. I'm going to go full heel now. That's it. And it's it's an interesting one, because, you know, I read a lot around D&D online and all that kind of stuff. And there's loads of like stories of players being like, oh, yeah, what do you do if two characters fight? And there's lots of people are like, oh, you know,
00:43:31
Speaker
having characters fights and lots of people talk about how how bad it is but then from our experience i'm like well now i think it i think it works i think it depends on the role-playing group and and and it worked for us like having a bad having a character go heel worked
00:43:46
Speaker
I think that's a testament to the players as well being able to separate player and character and knowing that because you're hitting me doesn't mean that you don't like me as Ian. I think it's down to the kind of external friendship we have as well as individuals outside of us and that helps because we're very aware of the fact that it is just a game. Yeah, no, that's exactly it. It's very
00:44:14
Speaker
unique experience as a player to be in that situation and to see that character arc happen. At the same time, you're like, Will, my friend, this is Goldust. You've orchestrated a beautiful work of art here. And it's one of those things that
00:44:34
Speaker
was so expertly done. And you didn't feel like it was forced. You didn't feel like it was sure. There was every effort to try and get you to deviate from it without knowing that it was going to happen. There was really an expose into your psyche in the episode prior to that. Yeah. Yeah, it was just a really unique experience as a player. And I think anyone else who was around the table at the time probably felt exactly the same. It was incredible. It was incredible.
00:45:03
Speaker
believe it yeah we'll just because it wasn't planned the whole point was this was obviously elf here had his his arc and the path he was taking but
00:45:12
Speaker
the actual flip for him to actually go for bad guy was entirely down to external factors and that was how you guys how the story went i've got two observations on this which leads to a question for will and i said it earlier in the way that at wrestlemania 13 oh in slapping the brat rather slapping the sharpshooter on austin and in the sense that it was the guy who's meant to have been the leader up to this point that self-righteousness holier than now and then you got the guy with the attitude the beer swelling
00:45:41
Speaker
redneck effectively which in this case is drago and that transition completely changed the entire dynamic of fellowship because all of a sudden this major alpha character had effectively
00:45:54
Speaker
in his betrayal just left that one and it completely changed the dynamic and my question for that Will is when you went out that tavern door did you let Elphir go because I noticed the very first thing you did with Karstan was throw a fireball at him when he saw Elphir but the very first thing you did was on top of the initiative I throw a fireball at Elphir um good question I well no I mean I because I always had it I
00:46:20
Speaker
I don't know. It's very interesting. I like like elf is still still you know, he's easy He's still a character that I could actually like if I if mark if mark suddenly went to me Will I need you to voice or be bad guy elf here for a minute I go cool. I can do it. I've got it in my head. I can go to that place very very quickly And I can I can take my character there because he's still he's still there. I don't think I Don't know I
00:46:47
Speaker
I don't, I don't think I'm ever gonna, unless he dies dies, I think else it will always exist in a compartment in my mind that I could go back to if I needed to. Because I think else it developed as we went along and then
00:47:01
Speaker
Yeah, it's very different. I don't, yeah, I don't really set aside characters unless they die, die. I don't really set aside. They're always there. I always go back to that character and try and pick him up again if I wanted to, I think. I think in this case as well, the group hasn't actually shaken off L-Theor either.
00:47:17
Speaker
Perhaps as a counter-question then then, was there an understanding that for Karstan, Elphir had to just be a bad guy? And that was the, well, no hesitation, fireball. Yeah, I think the way you guys had played up Elphir to Karstan, I think it was very much like, oh, this, this, this, this, this, he's a bad guy, he's attacked us on the mountain, must be bad guy, I'm gonna press the nuke button here and impress my new friends and go from that.
00:47:47
Speaker
I have three different moments that I think are my favorite. I've just been thinking about them while we've been discussing them. Please enlighten us. Two of them are like smaller ones and one of them is the big one of the bigger ones. So the first one I've come into order. Is it in order that way? I can't remember which one we do this in now. Anyway, yeah. The first one was the dragon's death.
00:48:14
Speaker
So I can't remember who was there for that, Folly. That was me and Drago by ourselves.
00:48:18
Speaker
Yeah, you two. So that was like super intense, that one. That was really intense. And to be by surprise, I wasn't expecting that. So I think it's the expectation of it as well, which got me, which is in third place. Second place for me is all the stuff with the hell in his mind. So again, that's Danny and Casey. I really enjoyed that. We did it in person. Hadn't done it in person for a while. And it was really nice to let you guys travel through that. But my all time favorite one, and it was mainly because of how
00:48:47
Speaker
To this point it's that has been this one has been the most emotional and it is tied to what we were just talking about as well It has to be the final But everything that was done in the gallon in hollows so the journey in the nice little kind of a light little Light-heartedness of the of the little mini quests to get in confusion you guys had around how this place will work It was all but it wasn't old it was new but it was new
00:49:09
Speaker
And then the fight with Grazit, the frustration with Drago, then that final image, which is seared into my mind of this burning Elthea with that flash and the look and Drago and the flames and folly and the corridor. And that whole image was really, really, really fucking powerful. And I just remember the debrief chat we had afterwards
00:49:33
Speaker
was so intense and I think it was like one of the lockdowns it was something I remember I was in the garage recording which I never normally do and I was in there to get away from some noise somewhere and I was just staring at the wall and we were all talking about
00:49:46
Speaker
that and then everything else. And it was just so, it really highlighted to me, and it wasn't so much about the D&D, but how evocative storytelling can be as a group and how kind of cathartic can be. And I think we all just had a little cry and had a little talk through a couple of things that were on our mind. It was just something, yeah, something external, something more ethereal than just the game itself. But that image of Elphir,
00:50:10
Speaker
and drago and the fire that follow the wall of fire that follow up as well. That final image is like the most visceral image so far. This one is second, but we've just finished on with with everyone kind of splitting up. That's very, very, very visceral for me. But that's a big one. Excellent. I will chuck in another moment that I had.
00:50:32
Speaker
forgotten about what you talk about, that one has just brought it back to me. And it seemed to be a moment where even though everything that the group had been going through, you know, we'd been around, a lot of death would kill a lot of people and creatures and whatnot. But when we found Kennard's friend who had been obviously beaten to death by Elthea,
00:51:01
Speaker
And all of a sudden, this one moment where somebody who we cared for so much as characters, somebody who we really, really liked, and we saw his friend then, and it just seemed to hit so much harder than any other kind of
00:51:18
Speaker
death, except perhaps maybe Shaynard, but that's up to you guys, really, than what we'd seen before. And our whole attitude towards that moment where it's like so respectful, because there is somebody who has been fighting the fight, the same fight that we're fighting, we're alive and he's not. And it just it felt so real for me, that entire sequence that we did where we put him on the pyre, the copper's on his eyes, taking obviously his
00:51:48
Speaker
bell and letters and all this kind of stuff and it was so so beautiful. That was one moment that
00:51:54
Speaker
Well, there's been quite a few moments, but that was something completely, I've never experienced in any other kind of situation before. It was a phenomenal moment. And what's lovely is that was totally generated by you. It was totally generated by you because it was always the natural end that Kenard needed to, that Kenard James' thing needed to end. He'd been missing. It needed to end. And I thought, well, we'll pop him here. This is what happened. And I think, again,
00:52:21
Speaker
It's a testament to you guys as listeners, as players that tune into the way in which I deliver stuff because I delivered Ken out a certain way and of course I was going to give it to one of his good friends dying. But then the way you guys could have gone, oh sorry mate, and then off you go. But you guys tuned into that tone and the atmosphere that I was trying to...
00:52:39
Speaker
deviate to and you guys just fucking elevated and lifted it to, to where it deserved to be and where you wanted it to be. Um, which was, you know, which is again, assessment to you guys as players, but yeah, I agree that I forgot about that moment. That's that was me too. This is the great conversation because it keeps coming back all these new things. And although I, I feel like we haven't mentioned it because we talk about it all the time, but, um, that doesn't, um,
00:53:03
Speaker
eradicate the importance of it. It's Shader's death I think was a turning point not just for the campaign but for the podcast as
Impact of Shedar's Death
00:53:10
Speaker
well. There's so many that hinged on that death and it's sent into motion.
00:53:18
Speaker
I think it legitimized us. One is a podcast, two is players, and three, it made the story real and consequential. There was definitely repercussions to our actions. It's the moment where, you know, once Shader dies, it gets real.
00:53:37
Speaker
Yeah. And it happened so like out of nowhere as well. So perfectly like done on both sides as a DM and as Calum as a performer. But the fact that we haven't brought it up here, I don't think diminishes it. I think it's just that we have talked about it a lot. It's such an anchor. It was going to be my answer to Calum's question when he pitched it at the start of this section.
00:54:02
Speaker
For me, because that was only like my sixth or seventh episode with the group, I got to basically play the role of the audience member with that one. I, in the aftermath of that, when we finished that dungeon and we get back to the tavern and we talk about it, I get to just ask you guys about Shader. I just get to ask you about your journey here. I get to be the audience member with all the questions that they have. I get to be the listener of the podcast for
00:54:28
Speaker
through Claude, essentially. I get to throw chaos in there in the end, like I can't remember who I think I encouraged Drago to put on the bat cape and fly around outside. So I still get to do my Claudisms, but I get to essentially be in the hot seat that the listeners would be in, wanting to know about all the stuff, all the adventures you went on prior to recording and all that. So for me, that was a really pivotal moment, because
00:54:54
Speaker
So stories are being told and there was a it was a blurred line whether or not the characters were telling them or you three before as players because column was that away from the table at that point you three as players were just telling them with a voice on you know it was a nice moment.
00:55:12
Speaker
It was also what I really liked about that building up to it. There was tension at the table as well because I was very, very aware of what had just happened. I think we mentioned this before actually.
00:55:28
Speaker
As you know, I rely on for the last three years to do so when, oh, Mark, for this, you need to be think, you know, reminded me of the rules of how it worked. And I think I snapped it up again. I know, I know, Will, I know. And I listened back to that a while ago and I can hear that because that's me going.
00:55:44
Speaker
Christ, I can't, I can't unpaul this trigger. I've killed somebody. Oh shit. Your HP is below this amount. You're, you're gone. That's it. That's, that's, that's game over. That's game over. And I think that was me trying to come very quickly, grieve and then, then tell the rest of you about it. And I remember, so it was like, yeah, like, like Danny said, there's the,
00:56:04
Speaker
Us as people sorting it out, and then there's us as characters sorting it out as well. I mean, I think, Callum, we haven't brought that out because it's a given. I think it's just such a key anchor point. It's just like we have, of course. I kind of disregard it at this stage. It was. I feel like that was our episode one in some ways. It's like the genesis. I mean, I think for that particular situation as well, one, it's quite apt considering
00:56:34
Speaker
how we look at everybody that Shader did not get a chance to have any last words. I still find that slightly humorous. I also believe that that's obviously a great kick on for everything else to mark. I never say this enough, really. But I know you would have had your very, very brief moments of grieving and grieving, grieving and realisation is like, oh, shit, I've killed somebody. But
00:57:01
Speaker
Your description that you did for when and how Shade Our Dives is beautiful. And I listened to that clip just like I go back to the episode quite often. I've listened to that clip so many times. It is so beautiful and it's still going to tear to my eye every single time. I can't help it. It is so, so well done. To say you did that on the fly, it was just wonderful. I'm only as good as the players that are in front of me. Well, there is one thing I kind of want to know as well.
00:57:30
Speaker
Hang on, is this to carry on the Shader thing? Or is this branching off? No, this is still slightly related. Well, this is related to Shader, but it's also related to Drago. So the question I don't think has been answered. And out of game I want to know, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Is there any part of Drago
00:57:54
Speaker
that does blame himself for Shader's death. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I really wanted to know. I know, obviously, that was a big thing with health of Kelsey. No, no, no. You're right to ask. You're right to ask. And Elthir basically hits an L on the head. And that's why Drago reacts the way he does when Elthir brings it up. It's like someone talking about
00:58:16
Speaker
Drago's very, it's a place of pain for him. There's severe guilt. You look at what Drago's done in the footsteps of Shader's death to the point where he's got your fucking axe with your soul into it. He's trying everything he can because he does feel guilty.
00:58:35
Speaker
And he doesn't deal, he's not emotionally like secure. So he doesn't deal with pain, regret, really rather well, as you may, as you may know. So when Elthir brings it up, it's like anyone in this world that doesn't deal well with those things, when someone is literally just, you know, taking it, your worst fears and telling it to your face, you don't react well to it. That's why
00:59:00
Speaker
in some ways your death also led to the breakup of Elthi and Drago because it put steps in place where Elthi couldn't get past that and Drago would never admit it or apologize because he also wanted to keep
00:59:16
Speaker
face of the glory in battle, how your death should be treated respectfully and by admitting regret. That means that there was wrongdoing in your death and it wasn't glorious and it wasn't by the code and he lives by a code of battle. And what do you do when you take that away from someone?
00:59:33
Speaker
So there's so many small parts and elements that make up Drago, who's who's quite emotionally unstable and insecure. And, you know, that it led to a lot of things. So yes, yes, Drago definitely feels that he has guilt indication.
00:59:55
Speaker
But he'll never I think he has in some dark moments possibly to either Claude or Robin mentioned like
01:00:06
Speaker
you know, oh, this could have played out differently or, you know, never full honest said, I regret what happens, but he's touched the conversation and he's, because he has learned to communicate and trust, especially with Robin and Claude, he reveres Helena, Castan, he has a difference of feelings for Castan, he loves him being around, but
01:00:34
Speaker
he does cause him a headache. So it's that lovable kind of rogue where you'd miss if it was gone. But yeah, no, he's definitely learned to open up. And that's, hopefully, as an audience member, you've, you've kind of seen gradually Drago open up and change. Has that changed him fully? Well, I mean, the episode has just gone has shown that, you know, old habits die hard. And if you're broken, maybe you're broken. You've still got a companion by your side.
01:01:04
Speaker
that that like that that almost made me tear up but um so yes calum uh it's uh drago definitely there's a big part not just a small part of him the fact that the axis shader is attached to him he carries two important weapons the sword of his dead dad
01:01:21
Speaker
and as you know, that sword is everything to him. Equally as important is the axe of Shader. He holds those two material items in highest esteem. He would be gutted to lose. You don't walk around with weapons that contain souls. I've only just realised that. It's a weird thing, like family and friends as well. It's going to be like, you know. I always feel like I missed the whole thing because obviously Elphir took the bag of holding and Elphir was like, you know, Shader's my old friend and that kind of stuff.
01:01:50
Speaker
I think I missed as a will when we shade our thing into the axe, because I always saw that Elphir took shade with him and that was a cool thing from Elphir's point of view.
01:02:04
Speaker
If you listen back to the Akiva episodes with Drago and Akiva, that's where she comes back to it. There's a beautiful moment where Drago comes face to face with a soul of shading.
01:02:21
Speaker
Basically, this might actually be in case you wanted to go back. I really want to say it's episode 82. It's part two of the trials of Drago and it's the second trial where he's walking through all the souls of the people he's killed, which is harrowing. And then at the end of it, he's greeted with Shader's soul as well, as well as Erica's as well.
01:02:50
Speaker
and and someone else's and basically in order for him to be more empowered because the whole point of
01:02:59
Speaker
Jamis, that is it. The whole point of the journey was to get more power, which came about from the Battle of Grazia the first time round and the lack of power. So, you know, he trusted in Claude, which is a big thing in itself, went on this spiritual journey and has become a paladin. Part of that whole gain in power was to. Reconsense with the souls that he killed and
01:03:25
Speaker
and let that empower him. And the choices were, well, choose a soul that helps you power up a weapon. And he had the axe of Olaf, as it was called. And Drago said, I'll take Shader, but you've got to rename this axe. And yeah, so there you go. So yes, the two most prized possessions.
01:03:45
Speaker
is the axe because it's belonged to his friend and his dengon's deception. You always start with the option. Because that's an interesting pivot to Drago is obviously because Drago when he first started out was very much, I don't believe in God hates religion. So I found from my point of view, having Drago's journey, because literally Drago's very beliefs were essentially
01:04:12
Speaker
turned on their head because you had to meet a god and that kind of stuff. It was harrowing. I sort of made it my MO as Claude to completely change the entire belief of one of the characters in the party about their stance on gods. I thought, I'm going to come in here with my massive cleric agenda. And by the end of it, I'm converting one of them. That's it. I don't know how I'm going to get there, but I'm doing it. And that was my super objective.
01:04:43
Speaker
Which is brilliant, because the first time that Claude and Drago meet, Drago's trying to hold a sword to your head, I think, and they're two, once again, opposing forces. And you are coming with everything. I think Drago famously says to a shop shopkeeper, like, I don't believe in gods, or something like that.
01:05:02
Speaker
And now he not only believes in God's he's a fucking paladin like the whole journey He's gone on if you would have said to me Oh at the start of the thing do you reckon Drago over like changed? It's like now
Drago's Paladin Transformation
01:05:14
Speaker
he's a barbarian. There's no chance He's gonna go headlong into battle and he's not gonna he's not gonna if he's beliefs his beliefs weren't changed, you know and
01:05:24
Speaker
when you have your friend die and your other friend beat the shit out of you and go and turn like the the place that you're living in at the time upside down and fucking burn it and then you come across Grazette and this all power like if you believe you're all powerful and you come across this other creature who you won't dignify as a god but you go at him and you hit a fucking crit and you do everything you can and it does nothing
01:05:52
Speaker
you question your power, you question your own beliefs. And, and there from there, it's like, I need to go and find more power. And from that came the Alright, well, Kiva could, do you reckon a Kiva is conversation accord? Do you reckon Kiva could give me more power? And that was his whole kind of like,
01:06:11
Speaker
toe into the religion area. And then it just snowboarded from there because he really sourced power. And then this brings it back full circle. So Grazert was the reason, well, Claude's the reason, but Grazert was the push to go, OK, I'm not powerful enough. I need to do something to change my stance. And here you go. This is only the second time Drago's come across Grazert. And he's been through this.
01:06:40
Speaker
epic change and he's got the power now and But he was faced with a horrible decision of like what do you do? Do you do you take on the blight that you've been saying this entire time? You've been drooling into the party like the polite's the most important thing we need to sort that out and Then what happens when you you're faced with the the demons your inner demons that's kind of materialized integrals that What do you do when that comes across your path and you have an opportunity? It's like do you do you?
01:07:10
Speaker
do something for the greater good or do you be a completely selfish character and and try and settle an odds that you've had you know it's it's i guess we'll find out in january oh there you go yeah um that went off on a tangent i really want to know what casey's favorite moments are
01:07:30
Speaker
Oh gosh, I'm sure. We haven't had yours. I think I'd have to agree with Mark on the one where we delve inside of Helena's brain. I think that one was a really memorable episode for me. And I think also the one where Helena goes back to sleep guard, or Goldview, should I say.
01:08:00
Speaker
and walks around her hometown, going back to the places that she was always very familiar with, meeting her brother Sebastian again. And yeah, I think that episode for me was really important, and not necessarily even the one where she reunites with Lucian, the sort of favorite brother, but just the one that was spoken about and the one that she'd seen in her dreams.
01:08:26
Speaker
Seb was the one that I think she, I felt that it was this younger brother relationship with her that she just connected with and going back and seeing it's just that whole reuniting with the hometown and yes there's so much lost there as well because her family isn't, all of the family aren't in the same place, her home isn't
01:08:48
Speaker
what she remembered, but everything else is standing the same. It's everything around that's changed. And I just thought that was like a big turning point for her because it was like she needed to then start.
01:08:58
Speaker
putting things into position to regain it back. I played that so well. I was going to say, because again, that's an again testament to all you guys as players, because not for the first time, I threw a very important NPC at you that we'd never actually discussed prior to it.
Helena and Sebastian's Relationship
01:09:15
Speaker
You had your thoughts, I had my thoughts, did they align? Well, we'll find out. I played one, you played the other, and ended up being this really, really sweet
01:09:24
Speaker
love-hate relationship between a brother and sister. There was the conviviality between the two of them, but then there was also this kind of, come on, grow-up attitude from Helena, which just was totally organic. And another time, obviously, which was lovely, and so that whole Sebastian-Helena relationship, I always enjoyed bringing them back into the fold because it was always so easy.
01:09:44
Speaker
because you just gave so much to bounce off and it was such a rich vein of a relationship the other one which i forgot which is a fourth one i mean to be honest guys there's every other episode absolutely i know i know i've got one more as well i think it might be the same one i might be saying one and i don't know but my other favorite one which again was an improvised moment that
01:10:03
Speaker
I hope it's gonna be the same one. It's gonna be the same one. I threw at Will, just- Castan! Yes! When- Mate.
Karstan's Backstory Improvisation
01:10:10
Speaker
Facing Eric Haas, there was a moment where you got banished, and he came back and you walked on the floor, and we had a little flashback to you kind of joining us, conversation with your mum after you dropped that really bad song in front of the San Greenland court. And I just went, right, we'll do a little bit of this, and you know, just roll with it. And just went, boom, bang, here's your mum, she's talking down to you, you're like, what? And you rolled with it so well.
01:10:32
Speaker
and like a pro. It was just, again, that was just, it was again, just your improv just on point now. Ian and I talk about it all the time. We do, we do, we do. And listeners, you should go back and listen to that because truly, if you want unscripted improvisation,
01:10:49
Speaker
Kastan's conversation with his mom and how his mom breaks him down and Kastan who was jovial and jolly up until this point and you see a totally insecure side to him was completely off book and will that it was so I just I think I was gifted the ability to edit the episode and I normally when you edit an episode you've got half the minds listening and the other half going all there's the click
01:11:15
Speaker
There's a pause. Let's cut that out. And during your conversation, I had to stop that part of my mind, restart it and just listen as a fan because I wasn't there when you first did it. And I was just blown away by your both of your skills. I thought you do a descent into madness thing as well. After that for a few episodes, something that affected him.
01:11:39
Speaker
Well, yeah, I had a battle. Yeah, I had a had a couple of, of, of things where I was like, I'm gonna have Carson go, go, go a bit, go a bit crazy, or a bit unsure, because yeah, because the, because obviously, I'd written Carson's backstory, and I created his family and that kind of stuff. And, and I then gave that to Mark, and then right do with what you will, and I created say it was all very much
01:12:06
Speaker
Mark was like, right, fine. And then he didn't give me what's warning for it. So it was very interesting to do that. Because yeah, because Karsten's a character who's not an adventurer by nature. He's like, he's not built for combat. Like when I when I built his spells to start with, they're all social spells. There was very few combat spells until he started traveling with you guys. And then it's totally changed.
01:12:31
Speaker
Yeah, it was so well acted. I think we've all, I think all our characters at certain points have had big moments. But you've got to shout out to the king of the small moments, which Robin, I think has to take the lion's share. I think your ability to be able to take
01:12:48
Speaker
Tiny moments within episodes and with God, there's I'm losing count, but certain ones come to mind like the essence of Nira coming back to you, the final well, fire well, Tarly coming back to you. Every meaningful conversation you've had about your sister and how that drives you, or when you've been knighted recently by Helena and you push that like story arc as well. I think you've always had these quieter moments, but they've become,
01:13:15
Speaker
pivotal in the longer scheme of the story. So what's your favorites out of Robin's smaller moments? It's hard for me to pick out of this because they all make up to one big moment, which is Robin's story, which begins with walking in the yawning portal before we started recording. So
01:13:40
Speaker
No, there's mine. It's just like straight away with the target. I think the thing because it still hasn't been resolved and it might not get resolved. I'm probably going to go for outfit episode 50, the showdown between him and Robin before folly was unfrozen.
01:14:01
Speaker
the image of Ren Ella falling off the mountain that he hasn't confronted because he talked about trust and faith and I think I don't know how Robin would process if that was a true image that he saw. I don't know how Robin would process that. I certainly think all bets would be off on forgiving Elf here and
01:14:30
Speaker
Why was that such a big moment for me? I think because, well, he's still living on that face that she's still alive. And I think that's what's kept him on a straight and narrow. If that was to change, I don't know. And that leads me to my favorite moment that we haven't talked about yet. And then for all the Marx fellating this evening, because he's brilliant and I love him in our DM, but the episode where he wasn't there,
01:15:00
Speaker
I think as well there was a sense of letting go for Robin there because it was he no longer has to live to this false ideology of rebelling against some form of system or some sort of injustice because all his life has just been chipping away at that and in
01:15:20
Speaker
And in serving someone like Helena, he feels that he has a chance to be a part of something bigger now. So I don't want to say he's let go of his sister because he hasn't, but he's always believed it was a... I've always seen it as similar to Aragorn when he refuses to believe that Frodo's dead after he's had that shirt put in front of him, where it's a kind of, no, I'm not believing that.
01:15:44
Speaker
And until I see a body and until that's confirmed, I refuse to believe it. So I think he's always, always believed that Grazette was playing tricks with him and that. Can we differentiate Grazette and Grazette? Mark, what is it? Grazette. Grazette. Okay, cool. I just want to make sure. And what about Chasm or Chasm?
01:16:11
Speaker
Monopoly or Monopoly? Kennard. Oh, Kennard. Coludo. Coludo. Oh snap. Just quickly, I'm still trying to find the episode, Will, with your opening up. Can't find it yet. But I've just noticed that from the episodes we were talking about, we had a bit of a renaissance because three of the episodes we've talked about are in order.
01:16:36
Speaker
It goes James' funeral into Helena's mind, into the Gallon in Hollows. There are three episodes on the trot, so that was an intense couple of weeks, those episodes, trying to find out what we should do for the listeners. In the mountains. Yeah, lots of. Yeah, that was. Yeah. One NPC that was overly mean to work that we had no reason to. That was the one after the man who was like, yeah, this is my house. And you're like, fuck you.
01:17:06
Speaker
No, he was clearly lying. He was a dead coward. Yeah, I think we should check that. If you want to find that, it's episode 55, 56, 57, 58. There's kind of a bit of a... We just hit a good stride, I think, there. I mean, they're all good, obviously. But out of the episodes we've been talking about, there's four in a row from Jameson's watch ending. And so his watch ends, it's called, with your feet on the air and your head in the ground, into the gallant hollows, into the reaver and the elf, 55 through to 58. It's that kind of little swing of episodes that we've just been talking about.
01:17:35
Speaker
Oh, Reaver and the Elf. Yeah, sorry. Reaver and the Elf, right?
Favorite Moments Discussion
01:17:40
Speaker
A favourite Robin Little moment. Fuck the thing with Elf here. It's not. It's when he just shaded Charlie from seeing what was happening with Drago and Elf here. That's my favourite one.
01:17:50
Speaker
That's my favorite moment. See small moments, king of the small moments, that's what Robin is. To your point there, Mark, I think between us, or maybe down the line, maybe on the Twitter for the audience, we could come up with, before the finale, key episodes to listen to.
01:18:05
Speaker
before we hit the final one. That's a good little thing to do. We've all discussed favorite moments with our characters, but we must not leave out the one that has become like the heart and the sticky glue that kinda has been a pivotal, always like a conversation that changes someone's path, alignment, religion. Fucking Claude. Like, what's your favorite Claude moments?
01:18:35
Speaker
I have too many, really, because Mark is very generous with my constant desire to... It's not chaos. Sometimes it's chaotic playground.
01:18:52
Speaker
But just to deviate from what Mark wants to do with the day. I mean, it's nothing compared to folly. There's taking liberties with the rules, which is what I do. And there's just taking liberties with Mark's society that he's created. I mean, eggs? Yes. So initially. With my naked flesh. This is me with two hats on.
01:19:19
Speaker
Really in this because initially when I came into this it was with a similar arrangement to case with Helena It was a oh, do you want to come in for a bit while these characters get used to this new world? And I sort of helped mark in the early days sculpting sleek garden parts and derrick did a lot
01:19:38
Speaker
I think in those initial five, six, 10 episodes, I was still in the character and the creator mode. So I was just taking Liberty's left, right and center. And every
Claude's Role and Humor
01:19:48
Speaker
time I'm looking to Mark and he was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, this is a thing. So he was very generous with that.
01:19:55
Speaker
But yeah, there's been lots of ways I've been able to make very minor, very completely unweighted additions to his world that have somehow just been reoccurring themes throughout. Like the fact that egg theme came about, the fact we still talk about Elvin drop kicking a guy down a well. There's things that I've, just small things that I have orchestrated that are still okay.
01:20:24
Speaker
One of the crescendos that I really enjoyed was completely nothing to do with me, just me overreacting as Claude. But when Folly, or it was Carstan, turned me into a bird, Drago failed the role to convince me that it wasn't permanent. I believed it was permanent. I believed it was as well. You believing it was permanent made it worse for me. And there was 25 minutes, 30 minutes of pure chaos where I,
01:20:54
Speaker
just genuinely me believed Claude was going to be a bird from now on and I was coming around to the idea of that and I feel like I'm the salt and pepper of this campaign or I just sort of make some fun stuff. I make some nice moments. I help some narrative points and I keep the party alive and it's been really nice playing a character who doesn't
01:21:19
Speaker
isn't really like a protagonist, like there's points in this story where there have been characters as protagonists, and I've just sort of been over the shoulder of them, or you know. I have two moments for Claude. One is a massive moment, one's a little one. The little one is very early on when he's describing about how his boat got lost and he just says he lost his oar to a seagull.
01:21:46
Speaker
It's just the funniest thing ever. And then my big moment, my profound moment was the final reach out to Elfie, that final chance to just, we need you. And that when everyone else could see that Elfie was gone or was no longer willing to believe there was good in him, Claude still did. And it was just, it's so, so sad that,
01:22:11
Speaker
what happened happened as a result. It accentuated what came next. I totally agree. That's one of my favourite thoughts, what I was going to say as well, is that scene between Elf here and Claude in Elf's room with the window open and Elf there staring at the window and not actually looking at Claude.
01:22:29
Speaker
as they're talking is a moment for me as well, because it was one of those ones where in theory, in theory, Gelf here was on that point where he could have come back from that edge, I think partly because I never wanted to ever close it off. But yeah, that is another moment where Claude is definitely one of those ones where he helped shine a spotlight. Yeah, he helped shine a spotlight on moments. And like, when Carstan and Claude have a chat together after
01:22:59
Speaker
Carson's had a chat with the Chicken Wizard and learned that in order to potentially fight the Blight, there has to be a death. And Carson was like, I've got to share this with someone and then have that chat with Claude.
01:23:15
Speaker
Totally agree. It's big conversations. There's this sense from Dragos point of view that he really can let his guard down and open up and you get to hear more of Dragos feelings.
01:23:30
Speaker
Um, but then probably other than Robin, um, you get with anyone else is sugar will key into how he's feeling emotionally and, and ask for advice from Claude and their direction. Uh, I think there's a, there's a brilliant moment. I, we were in a cart, that was a pub and shit was going off about like stealth and there was a letter or something like that. But regardless to that, I think, uh,
01:23:57
Speaker
Drago just made the decision that he was going to go and ask Akiva for something and he needed Claude's help and I think was that a party going on in the main bit but me and Claude... Yeah, you took him off into the little room in the behind didn't you?
01:24:12
Speaker
That's it. And then Robin comes in. I think Claude has to deal with such an awkward scene. It's a great one again, because it's the first and only time you see friction between Robin and Drago. Drago's got this. I've got this very big thing and I don't like it. I've got to talk to Akiva. It's about religion. I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing.
01:24:30
Speaker
Claude I need you in this room. Robin's rightfully saying like we've just had this fucking important piece of information and it's the first time you see these two characters blow up and then it's Claude at the end of it just I think you do something like you cast silence and it was just so dramatic and it helped like world just aptly said shed spotlight onto it you just elevated the scene through
01:24:56
Speaker
some very nuanced things. I thought I just yeah, that was with Helena and Claude on that episode as well.
01:25:04
Speaker
I feel like Helena was pissed off at Claude for some reason. This was in the chapter in the mountains. Because Helena found out secondary about my allegiance to a god who was hidden by the rules of her kingdom. So it was when I did the hero's feast and we were all able to get loads of benefits and stuff.
01:25:26
Speaker
and I had to explain where it came from and you didn't like that. You refused to eat it. Yeah so good. Claude created one of the best moments that never actually happened in my opinion as well and that sounds really odd but he's only just come to my mind as we'll be talking about all the Claude's best bits but when he put the glyph on the statue
Reflecting on Plot and Characters
01:25:52
Speaker
and Robin attacked it. And when he told us what he'd actually done, we all thought, oh my God, Robin attacking this and going to send him back to the sword count. We all thought that that was it. Robin was done and now we're going to have to make a new character and just like that in an instant. And then obviously
01:26:12
Speaker
Well, Robbie was tied to this real dimension for what not. But that that moment for me was just fucking hilarious. Great, great memory. What was the was the glyph that it sent into a plane of hell? Yes. If you weren't a creature from that plane, it sends you back to the plane that you're from, basically. It was when we were in the Bleakmaw. No, Blackmouth. Evershine.
01:26:35
Speaker
ever shy. I think Drago had just taken a package that was labeled for Elphir. And the irony just before we come to the glyph is that Elphir went in the room and took the bag of holding when he could have took go Spain as well. He left go Spain.
01:27:00
Speaker
Yeah, everyone's dead. Yeah, the glyph bit was quite cool. That was after Elphaba burned the
01:27:13
Speaker
Yeah, because it was Robin's reaction and anger that made him want to attack the statue of the king. Gives him anything. Been spending the day cleaning the statue of the king because there was graffiti and then I put a booby trap for him and tried to do any more damage to it.
01:27:28
Speaker
So it's just incredible poetry, really. I've also just sent him away. Sorry, I've also just found the Castan episode one. We're waxing lyrical. That is number 41. It's literally called Castan verse one. I don't know why I missed it, but 41 for that. And it's the kind of opening opening section of that. If you do want to go back and have a have a listen. Yeah, I do agree. And I think maybe if we put together a little best bit, we're not best bits, but just best care is key to listen to for the finale, which, as mentioned previously,
01:27:57
Speaker
is going to be some few weeks away but we have got good content coming up in terms of like a Christmas special so please do tune in for that just before we leave here today we've talked about the start of the episode then we went off and talked about our favorite moments throughout the series let's just wrap it up
01:28:14
Speaker
and we'll go around the table and quickly, succinctly, talk about your feelings on where we've just had the primordial to my episode. How
Drago's Determination Against Grazette
01:28:24
Speaker
that ended, how you feeling, how's your character feeling, and what's your thoughts as a player and as a character? Danny, go. So I think for me, the moment where Grazette appears, and I see in Drago this
01:28:39
Speaker
this return to his MO, his key objective in this campaign has become to defeat this thing. I knew in that moment he'd need help. And the whole thing with Jago's story is he needed Akiva's help. Well, I am the conduit, essentially, to that. And I think at that point I trusted Karstan enough to be
01:29:08
Speaker
to fill the role I would fill normally. And at that moment it was, it was like a, I was between the Castan and Drago and in both of them I was giving everything I had left essentially. And I didn't want Drago to, Claude's really, his sincerest thoughts is he didn't want Drago to die alone in that moment. And that's why he stays.
01:29:34
Speaker
Oh, man. Did you did an interesting question for me? I'll probably ask all of you this because it is such a pivotal moment for me if you allow me self-indulgence. Which way did you think Drago was going to go? The way it's gone. I knew it was that way. Yeah. So did Robin, importantly. Not much I knew. I knew what Drago was going to do. Robin knew what Drago was going to do.
01:29:55
Speaker
Casey, your thoughts? Yeah, I think Helena and I have the similar thoughts. I feel like it's final. I feel like something's coming up that's going to be a little bit bleak.
01:30:11
Speaker
expecting the unexpected because I think that's what needs to happen. I think if it's shown anything today, it's that we predict something completely indifferent than what we get. So yeah, I think Helena is feeling nervous about the end, gutted that she's going to have to leave the other half of the party. And I think it's probably the last time that we are going to see the other side of the party.
01:30:40
Speaker
And that's Casey and Helen, they're feeling the same way. So yeah, I don't know how it's going to go. And I feel like someone's not going to make it. We don't know
Speculating Upcoming Events and Deaths
01:30:50
Speaker
who, but again, I'm expecting the unexpected here. So anything could happen at this stage. I'm excited, but I'm fucking anxious.
01:30:59
Speaker
Did you all think that it stayed within character getting off the horse and going to Grazia? It kept within the... Oh, 100%. 100%. I didn't realise, I didn't think that's what was going to happen. I thought that maybe, yeah, we'd all stick to the plan, but hey, circumstances change. And I think actually, like we've said throughout this episode, is that...
01:31:22
Speaker
Everything's just clicked into place. It feels now like this was the right path for every single character here to do. It doesn't feel like we could have done anything else. It felt like this was the one to go down. Although seeing it coming at it from that point of view, it didn't feel like that was the way it was going to go. Darren, how's Robin and you as a player feeling about the finale there? Similar emotions to
01:31:48
Speaker
to Danny really, the one exception that he knows he can't help. He has had no connection to Akiva. He's always been a bit aloof with Claude because of it, because he just doesn't understand. It's just not him. His faith has never came in gods. And I think his life has always been defined by the people that he's lost and the next moment.
01:32:18
Speaker
I think losing Dragos might be the biggest one yet, but I think there's an understanding there that their paths are about to deviate. And Drago and Claude are champions of Akiva, and what he's left with is not what he would expect to be left with, with this ragtail group who are about to assist the Queen, or the Queen, apparently, of Sleet Garden, trying to end the light.
01:32:46
Speaker
that's the quirky little force and they find themselves in, of now Helena, Castan, Folly and Robin. It's bittersweet, but it comes with a steely acceptance that this was always, that this is meant to be, and that... I don't think the words would need to be said between Drago and Robin. I've kind of been like, they're not gonna get to say anything to each other, but...
01:33:15
Speaker
I don't think that's a problem.
01:33:18
Speaker
Yeah, I totally agree. I think they've got a deeper link, you know, it's been along. In the same way that Claude knows that he can help Drago with Grazette, Robin knows he can't. But he does know that he can play a part. Motherfucker's going to kill me, you better get his name right. Is that the character that's going to walk on stage? Yeah, but he does know that he can play a part in getting Kalina to that tower and getting Leon through to that tower.
01:33:46
Speaker
There's a shift in power and leadership is happening all the time around this. I think it's fucking great. Callum, player and character view. Well, I'm I'm still kind of just blown away by the entire episode's ending anyway. Character wise,
01:34:16
Speaker
Folly knows what has to be done. In one of the earlier episodes, when Elphie was still around, and that goes back quite a while, he did actually say to Elphie that he would gladly sacrifice a life
01:34:33
Speaker
to save the majority. It was it was a quote that we used in an opening of an episode. It was that strong. I think if one life must suffer for everyone or something like that, it was very much more poetic than I've just fucking I butchered it. But yes. Yeah. Yeah. Folly said that long ago when Folly still sticks with his guns and if. Put in everybody else in danger to try and drag Drago
01:35:03
Speaker
with them to go and get the book kind of thing sorted. It's not something that he'd bother doing. The way Folly looks at it now, we've got one goal. It's get Helena, get to that tower. And Folly has changed himself in all fairness because he's always been very independent. He's traveled a lot around areas by himself. He's come across so many things and he's dealt with them all by himself. And he's not used to be traveling with people.
01:35:33
Speaker
But he has grown quite fond of you all. He realizes that there is no better person to have by Drago Seidman Claude. And the folly is one of these people at the moment now. To go by his own words, he would willingly lay down his own life. It meant stopping the blight and saving the rest. So that's his goal. That's what he's going for.
01:36:04
Speaker
if needs must still do it. Good point. Actually, do you feel
Carstan's Growth and Responsibility
01:36:07
Speaker
like you're walking to your death? I think everyone can answer this question. Do you think you're walking to your death? Yeah, 100%. Robin? No. Helena? No. Claude? Don't think.
01:36:25
Speaker
One of us is. Yeah, but do you think we are? Well, what's your character's state of mind, the player's state of mind, and then do you think you're walking to your death?
01:36:37
Speaker
So character state of mind, this is really interesting that Claude is choosing to stay behind because Carstan's had lots of interactions with Claude and a really good one for me that I haven't mentioned is the one where Claude talks about Carstan being a knight of sleep guard but nobody else really, it was never really
01:37:02
Speaker
sort of revealed to everybody else. It was really nice. And so I think Castan views Claude as like the older brother that he wishes he had compared to his actual older brother, part of his backstory. So it's really interesting. So this whole Claude leave him behind. I think Castan's going to have to like, this might be a grow up moment for Castan. Because until this moment, he's had all these other people around him to mean that he can still keep his
01:37:29
Speaker
keep his childish out and rose tinted outlook on life. But if Claude with the older brother view is going and then Drago, who's like the grumpy uncle, is about to go as well. It is going to be one of those like, because, you know, Carstan has seen what Helena saw in her vision. So Carstan knows what to expect.
01:37:57
Speaker
in what is coming up, and Foley and Robin don't. So Carson's got this right, right, okay, so it's down to me to make sure that I do, you know, it's what would Claude do, so he's going to hang out a little written on his hand, you know.
01:38:12
Speaker
WWCD,
Drago's Internal Conflict
01:38:13
Speaker
what will Claude do? I think... Do you know what? That's a really nice point that is, well, because obviously Helena doesn't have Claude in this, you know, if things are going to pan out the way that we are all expecting to at the moment with the split party, Helena's not going to have Claude by her side, the only other person that experienced, you know, fixing the blight, ending the blight with her in her mind.
01:38:38
Speaker
And actually, you as, you know, as Carstan, Carstan entered her brain, was able to see what she already saw. So actually, she has still got somebody with her that knows the way. Yeah, do you know what I mean? She's, yeah, it's a beautiful moment. Yeah. Yeah. And a really good growth, I think you said, like, it's going to be a character growth for it. I think that's really interesting. As me, it's very interesting.
01:39:05
Speaker
scenario. The moment Grazit turned up, I knew what you were going to do with Drago. And I knew that there was nothing I could do at that point. I was looking, I was like, there's nothing I can do mechanically to take you off this path. And I was like, okay, this is going to be interesting. We're going essentially from a party of six down to a party of four in theory facing the end in theory.
01:39:35
Speaker
So yeah, I think it's very interesting. The outcome of that fight will really decide now. If Drago manages to give Graza an absolute paggering, it might make it easier for us later on. It'll be very interesting. Do I think we're going to our deaths? I don't know. Karsten, I think, has the sense to run away if shit hits the fan. But the problem is, I don't know whether he'll have the opportunity or if
01:40:04
Speaker
if his sense of responsibility will now kick in, that means he can't. So yeah, I don't know. Yeah, it all depends on what happens.
01:40:15
Speaker
Well, my two cents as a let's go for the character first. That was a Drago was went into this episode, just goal orientated of go through the blight, go through the blight. People have fallen behind. I'm still going to go through the blight. And
01:40:36
Speaker
Then obviously seeing Grazette changed, you heard in the episode, changed everything. I don't need to go over why again with his whole father's death and stuff. But yeah, I think there was a couple of episodes earlier when Drago got in touch with Akiva and asked like if Grazette moves, I want to know if there's a way for me to get to Grazette now. And that was just their hint of like, oh, what could come? And then I think he spoke to Robin afterwards and got his mind back on track and it's about defeating the Blight. But when you're presented with
01:41:06
Speaker
the thing that your ultimate goal and the thing that you loathe and has taken everything away from you. I think this is a good testament of like, can the character really ever change from who you are? And many
Drago and Claude's Alliance
01:41:22
Speaker
could see what Drago's just done as a complete failure of the journey he's been on to try and overcome rage and to not lead with
01:41:31
Speaker
his barbarian brutality but lead with cool calm collectiveness like Robin does. And in the face of here, he's failed. But in other ways, he hasn't because he's not alone. And he's got his brother in arms of all people, someone he wouldn't have ever gone into battle with at the very start of this.
01:41:53
Speaker
Solemnly behind him like I've got your back type style So he hasn't failed in the people he surrounded himself in which I think is a is a beautiful life kind of thing there So he's he's steadfast he's he knows as soon as guys that come on the scene like you all said like we all knew what drago was gonna do I had a crisis of face as a player like I didn't want to send drago down this path because I I
01:42:20
Speaker
as a player, I don't see how we can come out of it. And I really didn't want to make that choice. But I think we all
Emotional Investment and Finale Anticipation
01:42:29
Speaker
knew Drago was going to do the whole time. So I'm glad that everyone agrees that. Yeah, Drago is going to go and take on Grazette. I think that's good. It means I've played the character right. Are you walking to your death? No. From a player, yes.
01:42:45
Speaker
Drago doesn't think he's going to die at all. He's got a steely determination to it, and he believes this is his path, this is his story, and everything he's done is to come up against Grazette and to take him down. And it's what he's worked for. So in his mind, he's confident, really confident that he's going to end Grazette.
01:43:13
Speaker
He's going to follow in through his word when he he spoke to Christ before and he said, I will end you. And he's he's full on. That's 100 percent as a player. It's taken on a fucking God. I mean, come on. I did not expect Claude to follow. I left Drago left brood there.
01:43:39
Speaker
And the whole look of, I'm sorry, but I've got to do this, but I'm leaving my halls here so you can get out. Don't have to follow me. Don't do what I'm doing, because I know that in some ways it's detrimental to the group. It doesn't help the blight.
01:43:56
Speaker
And then, Danny, when you described what you did, oh, my God, that just blew my mind. And then you went one step further and follow us individually. No, you went one step further and you lit the fucking dengon's deception like the whole arc to Jago in some ways and lit it with holy magic, completing Akiva's touch as well. Like you said, I think that just blew me away from both as a player and yeah, from Jago's point of view,
01:44:24
Speaker
definitely walking with more confidence knowing that you're behind him. So yes, I think that there's a good chance I'm going to die. Drago doesn't think he's going to die at all. He thinks he's going to do it. So but
01:44:41
Speaker
There's one very important person that we need to get their important, very, very key opinions on. Mark, can you give us your, as a fan, I guess, rather than a player mindset, and then as a DM, like what went through your mind during that end bit and bringing up Grazette and everything that ensued afterwards? As a fan, I don't want anyone to die because I love all the characters so much. They're integral to
01:45:08
Speaker
such a big part of my life now for some of you it's three years some of you it's two years either way it's got me through some of the most dramatic moments of my life so far it's a real chapter in me as an individual and it's the same when I listen to other D&D podcasts as well they punctuate part of my existence and I can remember moments in my life that are linked to episodes of my life as well so I get a new job I remember listening to
01:45:34
Speaker
an episode of drunks dragons and so there's a distinct link there between that and the same for this as well you know it gives a highlight to the week and so i don't want anyone to die i don't want anyone to die but there is the dichotomy the issue here because as a dm i know it's dramatic to have a character die so i don't know if i genuinely do not know if anyone's going to die
01:45:56
Speaker
I don't know. I've got things that might make you die, but I don't want to foresee anything that is a definite, because if I say it's a definite yes or a definite no, then there was the fun in that. As a fan, as a player, as a person who likes listening to my friends chat away
01:46:15
Speaker
And act like, you know, act like kids playing D&D. No, absolutely not. I want everyone to survive. And if anyone does stuff it, I'll be upset. And if no one snuffs it and it ends, I'll be upset because it's the end anyway. So either way, it's going to be emotional. The way it's gone.
01:46:31
Speaker
I don't know. I don't think I get a say on whether or not it should be different. It's not my story to tell anymore. It never has been. And I think,
Closing Remarks and Social Media Farewell
01:46:39
Speaker
you know, I'm merely facilitating a world. And it's been just such an enjoyable journey to be on so far. So anyway, I'm not gonna, yeah, yeah. No, no, no deaths, please. But yes, deaths, please. But yes and no.
01:46:56
Speaker
And I can tell by the face. I was assuming when's a good time to jump in here now. Cool. I don't have to assume what you said there. Listening to my headphones is just disconnected. So I'm going to kind of steer this show. He has no idea what they're saying. Thank you for tuning in and listening. Please, please, please check out our Twitter pages because that's where I'm going to be posting the final
01:47:26
Speaker
for the finale sorry uh mark's just written something and put it up to the screen i couldn't read it now there we go that's brilliant
01:47:38
Speaker
You asked. Yes, please, please keep in touch because we don't have a date yet for the finale. But as soon as we have one, I'm going to be posting it. So I come and join us because it's been a long ride. And as I said, at the start of this, everyone has gone through like in life, a big chapters. And one thing that's been a constant to all the change and all the shift is this podcast. And we've done it every fucking Friday for two and a half years.
01:48:09
Speaker
And yeah, incredibly proud of of this entire group. I think they're all very awesome as individuals and as people and as players. I think yeah, we're very lucky. And I mean, it's full testament that there is a fucking worldwide pandemic and everyone just
01:48:26
Speaker
Shook it off and we kept recording and we didn't let it stop us. So Christ, yeah. So thanks to everyone around the table. You're awesome. And thanks to you all listening in and tuning in and making us a part of your everyday week. We love you for it. As previous mentioned, we have a Twitter page, find it, follow it, fucking use it because that's where I'm gonna be posting the finale. Fucking finale guys, like we've done it, we've done it, we made it, we made it.
01:48:55
Speaker
after this fucking brilliant episode. It's at fellowship table. And then if you wanted to go one step further and follow us individually, please do so. I'm at iWorldA1. This will be interesting. Casey's at... Unicorn Crit. Danny's at... Total Party Thrills. Robin's at... Darren. Darren Page, A6.
01:49:24
Speaker
one no dick calum is at the d20 gamer and one big willy will is at natural 20 will now and our furiously is at hastily rolled dm until next time guys now