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Ch. 29 - Breakfast at Franny's | Corrupting Presence
22 Plays2 days ago
When bringing soup for brunch, you must consider your audience. If your brunch is with a weird fish lady, fish eye soup is sure to delight.
Meet the cast:
Dungeon Master – Zach Meikle (IG: @zachabee)
Clay Campbell – Prima Zhao (IG: @primbdraws)
Faunalyn Vaydark – Shannon Meikle (IG: @sharsharbinks)
Glimki Treefellow – Jordan Johnsen (IG: @jordan_johnsen)
Edited by Zach Meikle
Follow the show:
Instagram: @bard_soup
TikTok: @bard_soup
Website: www.bardsoup.com
Music & Ambience
The following songs are created by Alexander Nakarada (www.creatorchords.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Beyond the Horizon (0:00)
Shadow Whispers (7:31)
Chase (7:57)
Fallout (10:00)
Fall Asleep (43:15)
Evig Fred (Instrumental) (52:10)
Voice of an Angel One (1:22:01)
Evig Fred (1:24:15)
Blue Hour (1:43:17)
Autumn Walk (1:46:23)
Wonderland (1:53:06)
Fantasy Ambience (1:58:08)
The In-Between (2:03:28)
Additional music and ambience created by Tim Roven (www.tabletopaudio.com)
Artist's Garret (13:12)
Lakeside Camp (20:36)
Underground Lake (53:33)
Bleakwater Docks (56:52)
Sound Effects
Cinematic Boom by LordSonny from Pixabay
Additional sounds provided by Pixabay
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:01
Speaker
Now, let's see... where were we? Ah yes, that's right.
Arrival and Discovery of Pollution
00:00:07
Speaker
After arriving on the island of Mencken in search of the nature spirit Ettingen, our heroes quickly discovered that the island was besought by pollution on account of a large-scale mining operation.
00:00:19
Speaker
Their search for answers led them to the nearby lakeside town of Manus. where they discovered a once cozy village that, much like the rest of the island, had fallen on very hard times.
00:00:30
Speaker
They spoke with a man named Plym Crufter, who gave them some information about the town, as well as an industrial canning operation that was taking the lake's fish and putting it into small metal cans.
00:00:41
Speaker
Plym also told them where they might find Callum Swift, an individual tied to a rumored rebellion that they hoped to ally themselves with.
Birthday Gift for Corvus and Mysterious Encounters
00:00:50
Speaker
turned out Callum would be attending the birthday of an individual named Corvus, who was celebrating his 24th birthday and also didn't have many years left.
00:00:59
Speaker
Farnelin and Clay went looking for a present for Corvus and wound up at the doorstep of Goosty Crowther Breeze, middle-aged Air Genasi woman who seemed wholly and utterly crushed by life.
00:01:10
Speaker
They were given permission to take some abandoned artwork from under her house and As they did, Farnalyn's eye was drawn to a fish flopping on the shore. a fish with human eyes.
00:01:23
Speaker
Farnalyn tossed the fish back into the water, and as she did, she heard a voice singing a song emanating from a houseboat on the lake. A song that ended in the words, Glimki Treefellow Dies This Day.
Spiritual Crime and Judgment
00:01:37
Speaker
Fondwood and Clay rushed off, only to find Glimki bleeding and unconscious on the ground. Visi Glimki had climbed a tree and attempted to commune with his god Mulare. He had called out to the crow, and the crow answered, telling him to seek out Etagin and to add him to Glimki's leaves.
00:01:53
Speaker
But Glimki required more information, so he jumped out of the tree to force the conversation to continue. As he lay bleeding out on the ground, he was able to acquire more answers. He learned that Mulari had committed a crime amongst his kind by saving Glimki's life many months ago.
00:02:07
Speaker
And now the Parashad, a gathering of spirits, was set to pass judgment on him.
Investigations and Suspicion
00:02:13
Speaker
Farnwan was convinced that the person on the boat was responsible for Glimki's near-death experience, and she stormed off to the docks, where she hired a fisherman to bring her to the houseboat, and she set off.
00:02:23
Speaker
But not before Clay pulled a Samwise Gamgee and followed her. Ooh, don't worry about it. Clay and Fondland arrived on the boat and were introduced to a ghoulish woman by the name of Fishhead Franny who knew Fondland's true name.
00:02:37
Speaker
seemed to have met her brother. Franny offered to help Farnelin in exchange for a clay jar that could be found in a tower, a tower sprouting from the middle of the lake.
Glimke's Fiery Attempt to Join Rebels
00:02:47
Speaker
Farnelin said she would think it over, and while this was happening, Clay spoke with two individuals who were propelling the ship by foot.
00:02:55
Speaker
A sickly elven woman named Hildi, who had come to Franny for help, as well as Quincy, a dwarf on loan from the Quarok Mining Company. The two were tasked with endlessly walking upon the paddle wheel that powered the ship and moving it across the lake.
00:03:11
Speaker
Meanwhile, Glimke attended the party of Corvus, a man who had just turned 24 but appeared to be in his 70s. While the party was happening, Glimke observed several individuals slip behind the bar and disappear into a back room, including one individual who Glimke learned was the man he sought, Callum Swift.
Chase Through the Tunnel
00:03:30
Speaker
Glimke followed him down into a wine cellar and hoped to greet these would-be rebels, but he stepped on a trap and was knocked down by a pile of wine kegs covered in wine and promptly set aflame.
00:03:44
Speaker
You already said all that. Are we really going to do this for the next hundred episodes? What's an episode? Never mind. On with the story.
Open Mic Night Levity
00:04:08
Speaker
Come gather round, travelers, and sit on the stoop. We'll tell you a story about Batsu. Three lovable scamps in our traveling troop.
00:04:22
Speaker
We'll tell you a story about Batsu.
00:04:39
Speaker
It's Supertime.
00:04:45
Speaker
Hey, hey, Welcome everybody to the Pike and Pint, or as we're calling it tonight, the Pike and Open Mic. That's right. I'm your host, Runt Tokay, and tonight we're going to be hearing some stand-up. Some folks have been doing this for a while, some have just started. Tonight, it'll be their first time.
00:05:01
Speaker
I don't know about you, but I've been keeping up with the Kardashians, and boy are my legs tired. Welcome our first comic to the stage, Prima! Who are you? Who do you play? And tell me a joke.
00:05:12
Speaker
My name's Prima and
Trust and Rebellion Plans with Callum
00:05:14
Speaker
i play Clay Campbell and a joke.
00:05:22
Speaker
I don't have one off the top of my head. There was one that a patient told me at the pharmacy, but I think it's a dirty joke and I don't remember how it goes. so I don't have any jokes, but I've heard a joke once. I heard one once, so I won't say it.
00:05:41
Speaker
Yeah, that was like two days ago. man my memory's bad. Okay, just move on. Boo, boo. All right, like i said, some people first time up on stage. Welcome now our next our next comic. He's been doing it for a while since 07. That's 407.
00:05:59
Speaker
The elf, Jordan Johnson. Hey, I'm Jordan. I play Glimpkey Treefellow. Instead of a joke, I'll tell you an anecdote about a joke. One time when I was a child at Halloween, we had to go we were going trick-or-treating, and there was a house that was giving out small candy bars or the chance at a king-sized candy bar, but you had to tell a joke and make them laugh.
00:06:16
Speaker
So a friend told me to tell this. I went up and I said, how do you titillate an ocelot? How? You ocelate its titillot. And they laughed, and they gave me a king-sized chocolate bar.
00:06:30
Speaker
Wow, nice. Wow. That's a good joke. Like I told you folks, he's the best in the biz. He's been doing it since 4.07. We hope he does it for another thousand years. Coming up to the stage, it's our last comic of the night.
00:06:43
Speaker
She's new in town,
Fishhead Franny's Potential Influence
00:06:45
Speaker
but that's all i'll say. It's Shannon. Hey, what is up everybody? Beautiful crowd. I'm Shannon. I play Fondalyn Vedark.
00:06:54
Speaker
Are guys having a good night? No. Yeah. oh yeah. ha Yeah. Okay, what do you call, what do you call, I wrote this, okay, what do you, I wrote this joke. What do you call, um what do you call eight-eyed psychic piece of hanging furniture?
00:07:12
Speaker
What? A bee coat holder. but um Oh, a bee holder, bee coat holder. Like I said, folks, she's down but she's been heating up the stage. That's all we you got time for tonight.
00:07:26
Speaker
Don't forget to tip your server. I've been your host, Zach Meikle, and welcome back to Bard Soup. Let's get into it. We join our hero, singular, Glimke, in a hidden space beneath the pike and pint currently burning as he's been set on fire.
00:07:47
Speaker
The individuals that you hoped to speak with have set off down the tunnel, and I need you to decide right now, are you trying to go after them?
00:07:59
Speaker
Yes. Okay. Yes. You currently on fire. Stop, drop, and roll, I guess. All right. So I will say we're going to do a chase. Most of them in the group, larger humanoids.
00:08:13
Speaker
We're talking, there's a half orc. There's a human woman. They are faster than you. You will not be able to catch them. You've got a running speed of 25 feet. But one of them, Callum,
00:08:25
Speaker
is a Half-Lone. So you have a chance to catch him. You are going to use your first action to put yourself out and half your movement speed to stand up.
00:08:36
Speaker
He is going to dash. You can dash in a chase three times plus your constitution modifier. What's your con modifier? Plus two. Nice. Okay, so you can dash five times. After that, you'll have to start making checks.
00:08:49
Speaker
And if you fail, you will take on levels of exhaustion. So Callum's going to set off. He is going to go 50 feet down this tunnel. And you've got 60 feet of dark vision. I will say you can just barely see at the very end of your periphery. You see two of his friends reach a ladder and start to climb it.
00:09:09
Speaker
And he's just like 10 feet short of this ladder. So you will take off after him. You spend... Your action, stop dropping and rolling. You then use half your movement to stand up. You are 37 and a half feet behind him.
00:09:22
Speaker
All right. At the start of his turn, he is going to reach the ladder and start climbing. So how far am I to the ladder? 37 and a half feet. 60 feet. Minus 12 and a half, so like 48 and a half.
00:09:35
Speaker
Okay, so I could get there with my dash. Yes. Okay, let's let's do it. You sprint down the tunnel. The last of the flames burning out behind you. You reach this ladder, and you see ah bit of, there's like some street light. You can see open sky.
00:09:51
Speaker
It's dark. It's cloudy. You see the sky above you, and you see the faint light of some street lights, and you see Callum just reach the top of this ladder. Callum. It's about 20-ish feet tall, and he just reaches and pulls himself up over the edge. Okay.
00:10:08
Speaker
So yeah, you sprint with your second sprint. No, your first sprint. First sprint, yeah. So you've he's used two, you've used one, and he's going to set off in a direction that you can't see because you are down this tunnel. Oh, shit.
00:10:23
Speaker
He takes off running, and you climb the ladder after him. Yep. You climb to the top of this ladder. Your movement speed is halved for climbing, but we'll say you sprint again and you've got 10 feet of movement left when you reach the top.
00:10:37
Speaker
Okay. Do I see anything out at the top? Well, I'm going to just say you get out and you see that you are in like the back alley behind the pike and pint.
00:10:50
Speaker
We'll say you see him 40 plus feet away, sprinting down the alley and he's going to like turn off. You see, just cuts left down the, ah down like a side street.
00:11:01
Speaker
Oh, so I just catch a glimpse of him. just catch a glimpse. His friends seem to have scattered. They were faster. They're gone. see ah a glimpse of him. Okay, let's, yeah, let's try to get out of the alley. I'll
Reflection and Strategy Discussion
00:11:12
Speaker
try to see if I can get that direction.
00:11:14
Speaker
Okay, so you're following him. Yeah, let's try it. So you use use another sprint. Yeesh. Down to three. He is down to one, I will tell you. And what is your passive perception?
00:11:25
Speaker
about Ten. That's it? Yeah. Yeah. He rolled a nine on his stealth check as he sprinted around this corner and you see, we'll say you hear the sound of like heavy breathing from behind ah crate, like a stack of crates just like stacked up in this alley.
00:11:44
Speaker
And he hears you running and glances over and locks eyes with you and is going to take off again, running around the front now this time. He's going to sprint with his last sprint. What do you do?
00:11:56
Speaker
Well, I still got some and got some wind left. Let's keep sprinting. Okay. He runs out into the front of the the building, the front of the pike and pint. He is going to swing through the front door back into the bar.
00:12:11
Speaker
What the hell? You hear the voice of the bartender say, Sorry, i Caleb, I told him he couldn't go in there, but he didn't listen. And then the door like swings back shut. the hell? Okay, on up to the door, i guess. Is it open?
00:12:24
Speaker
Yep. Okay, let me in. You run in. He gets a 10 this time, which means you are able to spot him once again. Just barely.
00:12:35
Speaker
There is a a back door, like back like a different back area. You run through, you know the bar, you jump a table, slide into like this secondary room, and you see a ladder leading up into like an attic space.
00:12:51
Speaker
And you see a boot disappear, and you go sprinting up the ladder, and you see that inside there are just several stacks of like, you know, sacks of potatoes, and you know, just like some...
00:13:04
Speaker
old like an old busted table and things like that and Callum is just huffing and panting behind the sacks of potatoes. count Callum, my guy, relax.
00:13:21
Speaker
Are you gonna hurt me? What? Hurt you? You guys just lit me on fire. Yeah, because you're a spy. No. Did nothing I say to you just before you went down there mean anything?
00:13:35
Speaker
I don't know, maybe, but then you snuck into our secret meeting. I kind of took our little moment as like an invite, to be honest. Thought we had a moment there.
00:13:46
Speaker
I don't know how you do it on the mainland, mister, but that's mighty presumptuous. My bad.
00:13:54
Speaker
Are you sure you're not with the dwarves? No, Callum. I got here a day ago. Prove it. Well, i have you heard some people flying here on a dragon? I don't know. It's probably a pretty big news story for this this island.
00:14:09
Speaker
No, haven't heard about that. I'm heading the sand, Callum. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm focused on bigger things like overthrowing an evil corporation that's ruining my homeland. Sorry if I don't have time to read the tabloids or whatever.
00:14:23
Speaker
Well, Callum, that's the thing. I've been here one day and I'm fully invested in exactly the same thing. Give me a persuasion roll. Fourteen. He ah pulls himself over the sack of potatoes that he was hiding behind and like plops down on it.
00:14:38
Speaker
And I think now seeing him, a couple of things are evident before ah from your your previous meeting with him. I don't know if you gathered just how young he really looks.
00:14:49
Speaker
And also, he definitely was like deepening his voice the last time you spoke. And you get a sense that this guy is very young and probably very inexperienced. But he looks at you and says, OK, OK, fine.
00:15:02
Speaker
Are you OK? We like lit you on fire. It's it. Yeah. To be honest, I was dead like an hour ago. Whoa. So yeah, just another another day on the saving the world shtick.
00:15:16
Speaker
He takes out a dagger and cuts open the sack of potatoes and takes out a potato and cuts it in half. And he says, here, this will help. Rub it on your burns. Um, sure.
00:15:29
Speaker
Thank you. You do it. Yeah. Does it hurt? You just have wet burns now. Nice. Hell yeah. It's not really doing anything to help. Well, Callum, sorry. i didn I didn't mean to scare off all your friends there and your super top secret meeting you were having.
00:15:45
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. But I meant what I said before about Edigan. Maybe we were being too code heavy, but i don't think that I don't think that the spirit's dead.
00:15:58
Speaker
And do you think he would help us? I think Edigan needs our help, if anything. Oh. I don't know what you guys have planned for this whole over overthrow the mining company thing.
00:16:12
Speaker
Oh, we've got plans. I'm sure you do. I'd love to help, or at least provide some insight. Not that I've ever overthrown a mining company before. pity.
00:16:23
Speaker
That'd be really helpful if you had. It would be, yeah.
00:16:28
Speaker
Okay, I trust you. But my friends might need some convincing.
00:16:35
Speaker
and Well, what what do they need? Genuinely. If anything, you could just give me some piece of this puzzle and I'll try to prove my worth. Well, I suppose you could always just talk to them.
00:16:46
Speaker
You convince me pretty quick you might be able to do the same for them. Barring that, probably some sign of good faith would go a long way. you, I don't know, struck a blow Korak or could bring me proof that Etigan is on our side or is speaking to you or anything like that, that might carry some weight as well.
00:17:10
Speaker
Fair. Do you know where... That grove is? Yeah, yeah, i haven't been there in a while. Not since I was a kid. But it's maybe 10 miles west of here.
00:17:22
Speaker
Maybe 12. Look, Callum, if you if you take me there, I promise you, you'll have all the proof you need. Give me another persuasion roll. This one's going be a higher DC. 21. He goes to, like, at first glance, it seems like he's going to brush you off.
00:17:40
Speaker
I don't know. I mean, like, we've got this big plan. and the others, and we're supposed to meet meet our contact in the next few days. So I don't know if it's like a good time, but... And then he like stops to think for for just like a second longer and says, well, maybe Mursk and Emerald could meet with him and I could go with you.
00:18:04
Speaker
Yeah, that could work. Okay, let's do it. Okay, well, I need probably a little bit more than some potatoes to help these burns. So maybe first thing in the morning.
00:18:16
Speaker
Okay, yeah, you know, no rush. I mean, some rush, obviously, because like the island's dying actively and what have you. But i'm I've got I got some stuff to take care of on my end.
00:18:27
Speaker
So yeah, maybe even like tomorrow afternoon could work. Yeah, I'll have to track down my friends, see where they all went, and I'll talk to them. And well we'll find you.
00:18:38
Speaker
Where are you staying? I don't know. That's both me and the character. I don't know. Oh, well, it's not really mine to offer, but if you you want, I could put in a good word with Rint, and I'm sure he'd he'd let you sleep up here if you want.
00:18:55
Speaker
Potatoes are pretty comfy. I could make that work, yeah. Okay, perfect. allah I'll talk to him and let him know that you'll be staying here tonight, and yeah, okay. Cool. Can you make it a plus two?
00:19:07
Speaker
Sure. Yeah, of course. No problem. Thanks, Cal. No problem. What? Sorry. What was your name? Uh, Reginald Chapstick. Reginald Chapstick. Okay. Cool. Cool. Nice to meet you, Reginald.
00:19:18
Speaker
Welcome to the cause. It's a pleasure to be here. You're an insurgent now. You're damn right. And he will let himself down the ladder. Sorry, Callum.
Brunch with Fishhead Franny and Alliances
00:19:29
Speaker
Callum, wait, sorry. Yeah, I was back up the ladder. Yeah, sorry. I thought the conversation was over. My bad. No, no, it was. Callum, sorry. You know what? I'm apologizing. I'm sorry. we We just did such a, we just got off on the right foot. And i i honestly, I would hate to leave it off on an element of distrust, but I just met you. My name's not Reginald Chapstick. That was a silly call. Oh, my name's Glimke Treefellow, and I'm from Dwells.
00:19:53
Speaker
Okay. It's funny that you said we got things off on the right foot, because moments ago, my friend lit you on fire, but glad you think so. I meant specifically you and I. Oh, okay, yeah, we'll take Emerald out of the equation.
00:20:06
Speaker
Well, Glimke from Dwells, it's nice to meet you. I'm Callum from Mengen. Now I know your true name, so ah you're bound to me, or whatever. Something like that. i'm not ah not a wizard.
00:20:19
Speaker
Yeah. All right, get out of here, Callum. Okay, okay. Good night, Glumkey. Good night. And he lets himself down the ladder, and you hear a conversation between him and the bartender, and you are left alone.
00:20:31
Speaker
Nice. I cut open another potato and start rubbing it on the rest of my birds. Perfect. So we see Faunolin and Clay. You are let off at a dock.
00:20:43
Speaker
It seems to be newer given the receded water levels. It stretches further out into the lake and the the houseboat, the paddleboat, the Calimari stops. the The two individuals at the back of the ship get a moment's rest and you step off onto the dock before they start walking again, propelling the ship off into the night.
00:21:02
Speaker
And the two of you are left alone. Okay, Clay, what did you make of all that? Well, one of the people that were working on a ship was actually a dwarf from the Korak company.
00:21:16
Speaker
Apparently the Korak company made some sort of deal with that lady. Lady? Did you learn anything from going into her cabin? Not... I was kind of sizing her up. We didn't get to the meat of anything. I wanted to talk to you and Glimki before I entered into any kind of negotiations with her.
00:21:36
Speaker
It is interesting to me that... So this dwarf is like, what, on loan from the Korak Mining Company? Yeah. So they're getting something from her. Or they have been.
00:21:47
Speaker
Or maybe they're just appeasing her, keeping her away. I don't really know. he He didn't seem to know anything else. I don't remember if he said he was working for her for a year or more.
00:21:58
Speaker
And then the other the other person had made a deal with with the fish head lady. She's on illness and apparently fish head Franny can turn people into elves to prolong their life.
00:22:13
Speaker
That's interesting. My god! Could she turn you and Glimki into elves? And then we could be friends for 800 But then we'd have to work on her boat for like seven years or whatever. No, we just need to get some sap to do it for us.
00:22:28
Speaker
Dwarf style. want be a you want be an elf today? Not particularly. Hildy didn't seem to be enjoying it, at least. Is Hildy the nouveau elf?
00:22:40
Speaker
Yeah. It's not a very elven name. She'll be wanting to choose another one. think that's the name that she's got, i guess. like Just imagine, like, you roll up to a party and it's like, yes, Faradeth Thrillwyn. It's Fonilin Veydark and Hildi of the boat, you know?
00:22:58
Speaker
She definitely needs a new... it sure Oh, Sorry. As you walk along the dock, you step foot on solid ground and you're like, we've made it. What?
00:23:12
Speaker
Man, the water lines really receded. This lake isn't much of a lake anymore. yeah i was imagining us in a rowboat. I'm sorry.
00:23:23
Speaker
ah what was it What were you saying, Clay? She knew your real name. Isn't that worrisome? Yeah. No, honestly, paradoxically, I find it a bit comforting because that's not something she could have learned easily, which means she's got the goods.
00:23:42
Speaker
You know what I mean? Like, it's not like I have that written down in a diary for someone to rifle through and hand over. So, no, i think I think if we wanted to find a way to use her power, I believe that she's got the power to back it up. I don't think she's all flash.
00:23:57
Speaker
I think that just makes her more dangerous also. i don't know if we want to be trying to use her power or trying to stop her or stay away from her. I will be going back for brunch with her tomorrow morning because i she sounded enthusiastic about brunch.
00:24:14
Speaker
And I will be finding out specifically what she can do for us and what kind of deal would be on the table. Honestly, that's what I planned to do when I walked into her cabin the first time. And then there was all kind of weird, creepy things on the wall. Also, there was like jars with eels on the wall. and do you remember when I was talking about the canned, the tinned fish? And I was like, this is something a wizard would eat.
00:24:36
Speaker
Look at what I find when I... I was so... I was honestly just like half my brain was thinking about that, wanting to show Glimke and be like, look, look. And she's eatington I forgot to make a deal. oh Yeah. No, no, no.
00:24:49
Speaker
No, she's preserving spell components. When you go for brunch tomorrow, maybe we should pack you some food to eat. that's the I will not be eating anything she hands me. Okay, good. I think that's very brilliant. I'll come with you with you.
00:25:03
Speaker
Oh, actually, okay, I was going to say, and I like pull Clay by the arm away from the, um from as like we step away from the water, kind of deliberately walk away from the water. And I'm going to say very quietly into Clay's ear,
00:25:18
Speaker
have like a kind of spell that you can use to like talk not out loud? i don't think so. you think about message? Like sending message. Yeah. No, I don't think I have any of those.
00:25:30
Speaker
Damn. One of us should get that. We tell so many secrets. Okay. I'm not going to say any more of what I've been doing then. But honestly, tomorrow, if you wanted to try to find out things from the dwarf that's moving the wheel, like, you know, details of the contract that lets him serve time or what they're getting out of it, just in case Franny is ah not...
00:25:55
Speaker
forthcoming with me i think that would be useful i can try definitely think maybe it's worth talking to both of them some more see what they can tell us about the corak company at least though i don't think he actually knew that much if he's like a low level member that some they can just sell to franny for their deal find out if you went willingly He did.
00:26:20
Speaker
no okay. Interesting. Find out if people can be sent unwillingly. Yeah, I guess I'll ask some more about that. Do you see the... Was it the captain of the ship?
00:26:31
Speaker
Yeah, it was that artist's husband. Yeah, i thought I saw him in the photos at her house. think so. what is up with that? She must know. She warned us away from the water. Maybe she knows more about Franny as well.
00:26:48
Speaker
Oh, no. Oh, Clay, you clever minx.
00:26:55
Speaker
Let's, uh, why don't we, why don't we pay her a visit first thing in the morning? I do want to find Glimki now. I'm actually fairly worried about him he did i think die today oh i thought he went to the party oh i was so sad we missed that maybe it's still going on elf parties go on for like six days oh really okay then let's go yeah we get super drunk because we have 800 years so you like it doesn't really matter if you lose a week or two to a hangover you know it's just like week or two
00:27:29
Speaker
Oh, also we have these mushrooms and I start telling Clay about the yeah the hallucinogenic mushrooms that we grow while we're walking. Wow. Amazing.
00:27:40
Speaker
You traverse the town and with a little searching, you find the pike and pint. Fonelin, this is something that would have sent your mother in a different time into just like it would have given her ah like a heart attack on the spot.
00:27:55
Speaker
The door is more liquid than solid as you press it open. And you see that the bar has quieted down. There's just a few old timers drinking in one of the room's many corners.
00:28:07
Speaker
And there is a lizard folk bartender with grayscales and orange dots. And he looks at the two of you and says, are you sleeping here as well?
00:28:19
Speaker
No, we're here for the party. oh sorry. Party's over. Oh, already? yeah Well, it's only the first day. A couple hours. And then, ah you know, Corvus, he gets real sleepy when the sun splodes. So didn't want to stay out too, too late. Oh, yeah.
00:28:36
Speaker
I guess me too. That's a shame. How old is he Turn 24 today. Fondland knows that he's like an old man though, right? I guess you heard he didn't have many years left.
00:28:47
Speaker
Yeah. And then you did not see his actual physical appearance. And then Clay on the boat, Hilde said that the last time she'd saw him, he looked 70. Yeah. yeah I heard he went into the tower and came out older.
00:29:02
Speaker
Yeah. are you saying that out loud? I guess. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Went into Flotsam Tower and something there gave him an awful so awful fright. And he aged 50 years in an instant.
00:29:14
Speaker
What could do that to a person? Yeah. Something real spooky, I suppose. That's so sad. Has it happened to anyone else? To the best of my knowledge, Corvus is the only one to come out like that.
00:29:27
Speaker
Several have come out with various injuries. A few haven't come out at all. It's real scary place. Why is everyone going in? ah Everybody goes in? wouldn't say everybody goes in. Some people have gone in over the years.
00:29:41
Speaker
You know why Corvus went in? yeah He kind of gets down, like leans on the bar, leans towards you, starts to speak in a softer tone. I'm not sure exactly what was the inciting motivation.
00:29:56
Speaker
All I know is he wanted something from Fishhead Franny and as payment for that thing he wanted, he had to go into the tower and retrieve something for her.
00:30:07
Speaker
And I guess he wasn't successful. It's a... Yeah, tower's been there for a while, you know. Most folks were leaving it alone for the longest time. And then after she arrived,
00:30:20
Speaker
A few people a year, maybe. Maybe you know every couple of years now go in trying to get whatever it is she's looking for. And how long has she been here for?
00:30:32
Speaker
who ah Well, longer than I have. And I've been here eight. As long as the Korak Company? um They've been here longer than that as well. think they've been here like 20-ish.
00:30:44
Speaker
And I will say, Glimki, while you are rubbing potatoes on your skin, you hear this conversation from down below. Glimki starts climbing down the ladder. Hello! Glimki, you're still alive!
00:30:59
Speaker
Good! Somehow, I look worse than earlier. whoa it must have been some party. You look kinda banged up. Yeah, she was lit. The house was on fire, I was on fire.
00:31:14
Speaker
whoa What happened? It's a long story, but I may have gotten us an inn. Oh, did you meet Cal? An inn, I-N-N. We can sleep upstairs.
00:31:24
Speaker
Oh, awesome. ah a Cue the air horns. Finger gun the bartender. Yeah, blinks and you see his eyelids. They move sideways.
00:31:38
Speaker
Okay, well, ah sorry. What's this guy's name again? Oh, Rint Okay. Happy to meet you. Rint-a-kay. No, no. Rint-to-kay. Rint-to-kay. That's right.
00:31:49
Speaker
To-kay-do-kay. It's been nice talking to you, Rint. Take care. Sure. Enjoy my attic. Oh, it's your attic. this is my bar. well Oh, thank you.
00:32:01
Speaker
I don't like how your tone just shifted. Honestly, I was fine with everything you'd said before, but now it seems like you're reevaluating me in a way that I don't particularly care Suddenly a new worth. Oh, an owner of business and property. Oh, you may be evaluated.
00:32:18
Speaker
Well, good night. Glimki and Clay, I think we have things to talk about. Shall we retire? Me and the potatoes. Let's head upstairs. Let's go. Also, Gninki, give me those clothes. I am going to sew them tonight. You cannot be walking around looking like a burn victim.
00:32:35
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, let me treat some of those wounds. If you insist.
00:32:42
Speaker
Aw, so we go upstairs and like Fondalyn starts stitching Glimki's clothes back to try to make them look nicer and Klai's like doing first aid. Aw, we're still friends, guys. I peel the potatoes and start wrapping it like a bandaid.
00:32:58
Speaker
this is Glimki just has potatoes strapped to him. Yeah. Glimki, your muscles look ridiculous today. Have you been working out? No, quite the opposite.
00:33:09
Speaker
I spent half of the day unconscious, I think. Oh, Fondalyn does hand back your pants and they are like several inches shorter now, but they look pretty good. got Capris on now.
00:33:22
Speaker
Yeah, ah tropical island. You should be dressed for the summer. Girls are cold. Okay, we'll give them back then. Can you knit me longer socks to meet them? I can do better. And Fondalyn will take some lace trim that she has and add like three inches of lace to the cuff of your pants. Oh, that's sick. I love that.
00:33:43
Speaker
Isn't that sick? Yeah. That's look. This is so sick. Wow, you look really festive now. I've got doigly cuffs on my pants. Yes, exactly. love it.
Debating Risks and Retrieving Objects
00:33:55
Speaker
Yes, precisely. so glad. This will go over well with the insurgents. but I'll wrap more potato skins. Yeah, I really, I pegged them all as very fashionable individuals right before they lit me on fire. Well, excellent. Then they're really going to respect you. Yeah, like a really big group, are they?
00:34:14
Speaker
ah From what I see, there's like four of them. Oh, hey, it could just be like the meeting of the minds. Like these might be the generals of a secret society. But it also kind of feels like maybe they're just kids.
00:34:26
Speaker
Oh, OK. Well, allies are good. We wanted to amass allies. We need to learn their ideas, right? We need to know what they've been planning and plotting.
00:34:37
Speaker
Yeah, so, I mean, and not really, like, in the group yet, but maybe after tomorrow? What's tomorrow? We go and find eti again.
00:34:47
Speaker
Oh. Oh. Have I told you about this? You you and all the rebels? We did see you had jumped out of a tree. yeah. What was that? Why did you try to kill yourself today?
00:34:58
Speaker
Sorry. Yeah, everything's kind of blending together a little bit. Oh, is Etigan like a spirit so you have to like die to meet them? oh No, oh not quite.
00:35:09
Speaker
I have a tumultuous relationship with a spirit of nature called Mulare. Yes, your abusive god. They've helped us on some occasions, but I kind of pissed them off in some other ways. Well, long story short, I think we're on good terms again.
00:35:24
Speaker
And he thinks that maybe Etigan would be worth rescuing because there's some other bigger plot of the spirits happening in the background. I don't really get it, and honestly, i don't think we need to.
00:35:38
Speaker
But what I think is important is that Etienne is still alive. It's the spirit of this island, and if anything, if we can find a way to help them, maybe we can use the power of nature to fight off this evil mining corporation.
00:35:52
Speaker
I think that's a good idea. and i love that. And at least just proving that I have some sort of connection to this spirit, I think will just solidify the relationship with this group of, I don't know what else to call them. He called them insurgents, which I thought was a weird term to just call himself, but I didn't want to call him out.
00:36:10
Speaker
That's what their group is called? He just said, you're an insurgent now. Oh. And I young novel pretty nice it its and i said damn right. And I feel like maybe um didn't fully weigh the consequences of that.
00:36:27
Speaker
You are an insurgent now. That's literally the only reason we're on this island still. Oh yeah, we're fully yeah we're fully in. yeah I just didn't think that it would be called that. I was looking for like, yeah that rebel. Insurgent feels overtly violent.
Houseboat Peculiarities and Negotiations
00:36:42
Speaker
But maybe we have to be, I don't know. and That's why was asking how you guys feel about assassination. Well, that feels like more targeted. Um, so there is, there is another potential ally in addition to these four rebels.
00:36:57
Speaker
The insurgents, sorry. And Ed again. And I, I describe what happened with Franny and on Franny's boat in like as much detail as like, I tell the full story. i hope And I say, i have always been of the belief that if your enemy is using a weapon and that weapon is available to you, you are a fool not to wield it.
00:37:20
Speaker
I want to go back tomorrow and see what is the price of her services and what services are available. And beyond that, there's this thing with the tower. There's something in there that is worth so much to ah a bag.
00:37:35
Speaker
I want to say she's probably a hag, that she's sending scores of people in there, and that is the price that she extols from them. So whatever is in there is worth however many services she's rendered or been willing to render over the years. In other words, priceless.
00:37:51
Speaker
So I think we could consider whether we, as three very competent adventurers, far more competent than the 24-year-old old man down there, want to go and try to retrieve this thing, knowing that it might cost us 50 years of our lives or worse.
00:38:05
Speaker
I'm on the fence. 50's not bad, I guess. For you. if For me. Oh, you guys could become elves also. That's on the table. um Friends forever.
00:38:16
Speaker
o i don't know if I want that. this isn't wow Okay. Vonelin, who was pulling two friendship bracelets out of her sleeve, along with her memories, shoves them back in. so yeah no of course I was being ah kidding.
00:38:30
Speaker
I was joking. No, good one. What would my elf name be if Clay is not a good elf name? Clay, what's your last name?
00:38:41
Speaker
Campbell. Oh, I knew that. i did know that. she Just looked at the look of disaster. Campbell. I don't know if I've introduced myself full name to.
00:38:53
Speaker
Clay de Gay Campbell for... Is that Pig Latin? it's Elvish. oh It's Elf Latin, which is the first and first authoritative type of Latin. like that.
00:39:11
Speaker
We invented and killed Latin before the dwarves even existed. Oh, damn. Yeah. Why you know? You would be Glim Kiki. Free chaperone.
00:39:25
Speaker
Hmm. Yeah, I think I'm okay. Being me. Thanks, though. If you're sure. oh you said your siblings gave you a lot of nicknames, right? Was Glim Kiki one of them?
00:39:39
Speaker
Kiki is up there, yeah. Oh, it's cute! Oh, that's nice. That's hilarious. If we'd be giving you nicknames, would you feel more at home? Yeah, if you want to. It's kind of up to you.
00:39:50
Speaker
I don't get to choose them. We kind of already have nicknames for each other. Reginald, Reggie, Rumpus. Rumpus is a good one. Yeah. Oh true, Rumpus is a good one!
00:40:01
Speaker
ah that's nice. I guess we are kind of friends in some ways. What does that mean? Yes, we are friends! What will it take to become full friends? The bracelets? He's just trying to bait you into saying it. No, I just wanted to trick you guys into giving me affirmations.
00:40:18
Speaker
Should we go to bed? Yeah. and what What are we doing tomorrow? Brunch. Brunch first, and then Etikon? Oh, do you want me to come to this hag brunch?
00:40:29
Speaker
don't if we're finding out what's in the tower, I feel like we shouldn't do that alone. If I'm speaking candidly, I'm going to be my worst self when I'm alone with the hag in her room cutting deals.
00:40:40
Speaker
And I don't really want either of you in the room with me when I'm doing that. Okay. I'm going to get it done, but I'm not going to sound Glimki approved, know. So you want to go to the hag by yourself?
00:40:51
Speaker
Yeah, maybe. or Clay might come. Or you can come too, just don't come in the room with me. Okay. Brunch sounds nice. yeah She's going to serve 10 fish, though, I'm pretty sure.
00:41:02
Speaker
but Good thing you all liked it so much. I think we need to bring our own food. Oh, we should definitely bring food. It's very rude to show to brunch with no offerings, no mimosas. Good thing we're staying in a bar. Oh, we have a lot of potatoes.
00:41:13
Speaker
And then Etigan in the evening? How far away is Etigan? 10 miles west from here. What? so it That's a long way. are we going to get there? Walk.
00:41:25
Speaker
Can we rent a carriage or something? Yes, or a boat. Wait, what? A boat in We did see people traveling by boat from Mangan to the city, right?
00:41:39
Speaker
I don't know if there's a river leads. Yeah, like down river, yeah. Manistar on Kiel, that would be north. Is there a river that leads west or whatever? Nope. Not to your knowledge. Didn't mean rowing through the woods, no.
00:41:51
Speaker
i I wasn't sure how that would work. Like portaging? If we put like some logs down and then put the boat on top of the logs, it would roll. But then we would just to get out and move the logs over and over again.
00:42:03
Speaker
feel like that's overcomplicating things. I think maybe we just walk. Okay, so we' we'll go. We'll sleep in the woods. Have we ever camped together? Never! Yeah, we have.
00:42:14
Speaker
When we met Krigamon. Remember? Oh. All right, okay. So we're pros. you what I don't know. For... useless information that i feel like sharing.
00:42:24
Speaker
That was 23 days ago universe. Wow. You've been keeping track? I've not been keeping track. Holy cow. What day of the week it? Princess is missing for at least 23 days. It's actually, as it were, it is the evening of the first of Macrember.
00:42:42
Speaker
Ah, Macrember. Macrember. Happy Macrember, guys. A holy month for worshippers of Macrog. Is this like the summer solstice, fall solstice, or e fall equinox?
00:42:54
Speaker
No. It's the first of the second summer month. Eight months, three are summer, three are winter, one is spring, one is fall. Man, that sounds so balanced. Yeah, it's just kind of ideal.
00:43:06
Speaker
Plus or minus a few days if the phoenix gets distracted. Damn. Then before Clay goes to bed, she'll light some candles and do some prayers for Macrember. Amazing. Yes, it's the beginning of the holy month for servants of Macrog.
00:43:20
Speaker
You think back Brightscale Warwick and perhaps your childhood and everything that led you to becoming a cleric of Macrog. Glimke, you curl up on some potatoes.
00:43:31
Speaker
Faunelin, you probably are very grateful that you don't need to sleep as you look around at the offerings. And it is one of the worst places, if not the worst place you've ever slept in. If Clay or Glimke is horizontal, I will sit on them like a bench because they are the cleanest thing in this place.
00:43:47
Speaker
Perfect. Which might partially explain why while you all regain your hit points and spell slots, you only regain a quarter of your hit dice, which would be one hit die, given the poor sleeping conditions.
00:44:01
Speaker
So I still have two. Okay, got it. So, Glimki, you awake with Faunalin sitting on your chest. It's a little hard to breathe. You dream that your mouth is full of feathers. And you're you're choking a bit in your dream and then you wake up and see what's going on.
00:44:15
Speaker
And a new day has sprung on Mengen. Good morning. You were coughing in your sleep. You're sitting on my chest. The floor is dirty. i know.
00:44:27
Speaker
I'm laying on it. Yes, thank you for protecting me from it. Okay, shall we? And I finally get seven brushes off her skirts. I have many ideas about brunch. Oh, okay.
00:44:39
Speaker
He's expecting more enthusiasm. I thought everybody loved the brunch. Bro, I just woke up. Okay, okay that's true. And you you did have some sleep apnea, so you're having trouble breathing or something. I'm actually a bit worried.
00:44:50
Speaker
You should probably go to a doctor. Can you get off my chest? You're still not breathing! Hanalyn has her finger like under your nose trying to feel if you're breathing.
00:45:03
Speaker
you still dead? you stay dead? Maybe. Damn. Oh, actually... You didn't say, maybe because it's sensitive, why did you have to die yesterday?
00:45:14
Speaker
You didn't clarify what that had to do with your god. Um, you know, it was it was kind of a shot in the dark, just based on previous encounters I've had with this spirit.
00:45:27
Speaker
He doesn't typically come and show himself under normal circumstances, so I took a gamble. It's not the first time you've tried to kill yourself?
00:45:38
Speaker
Oh, no, no. It's just not the first time I've almost died. oh well, yeah, same. That's okay. We weve made it so far. It is the first time I tried to kill myself. But I think well, hold on. I don't think like I the thing I was gambling on was not that I would die. Well, I guess it was actually.
00:45:55
Speaker
I guess I did try to kill myself. But that means your spirit saved you, right? Uh, yeah, I guess. You didn't die. Well, I think you saved me with the... Did the spirit really save me? I don't really think so.
00:46:08
Speaker
Well, you didn't die. time, at least. I wouldn't know. I woke up and you guys were there, so if anything, you guys saved me. He must have sent you back to us. Yeah, probably.
00:46:20
Speaker
Maybe next time we shouldn't gamble like that. I think it worked out pretty well. Did it? was just saying, it kind of was a great gamble. Well done. It's dangerous. Well, if we ever run into a wall about this whole spirit affair, I'll try not to consider going down this route, but you know there's no other answer. yeah ah Oh, God. Maybe next time, I'll just make sure that one of you guys iss like close by.
00:46:45
Speaker
That's all I ask, I think. Then you can pull me from the depths. Yeah, we'll have more options in the future. Yeah. I just never want to hear another word about me being the dramatic one because I've never killed myself for attention.
00:47:00
Speaker
I have tried to kill myself, but it was not for attention. It was to stay alive. See, that's the thing. like see I don't really see it as trying to kill myself.
00:47:11
Speaker
ah je i I see it more like I'm trying to talk to ah spirit, you know? And I had to be close to death to do so. Does that make sense?
00:47:24
Speaker
You're going to be talking to all the spirits if you keep jumping out of trees. You're only going to be talking to spirits if you keep throwing yourself out of trees. Wouldn't be that different, I guess, from living. Because me and Clay are so angelic.
00:47:36
Speaker
No, I mean, we how many spirits have I talked to? There's the tree frog one that gave us the true the dragon. This crow one that she keeps following following me around.
00:47:47
Speaker
And now this flower petal one. I'm just collecting spirits. You're really collecting them. my god, you have a nature spirit harem going on.
00:47:59
Speaker
That's the real polycule, is glimping as many spirits. So brunch. and The three of you head down the ladder. The bar is quiet. The bartender is not currently working.
00:48:14
Speaker
You let yourselves out into the early morning air. It is early. You're not up at the crack of dawn. But it's still pretty early, despite that there's still a decent number of people in the streets carrying out their business.
00:48:31
Speaker
You see many, many, many boats out on the water once again, including you see kind of further out the houseboat. It's not like all the way across the lake, but it's maybe like three quarters. Like it's a decent ways away from you.
00:48:47
Speaker
Are there any fishermen about with Yeah. There is one, a tall, leathery man, skin tanned for many years out in the sun, and he marches up to you and says, where's me boat?
00:49:01
Speaker
I guess I point at where we roped up the boat yesterday. You didn't rope up the boat yesterday. yeah You took a ride out with him and then took a ride back with the Cali Marie.
00:49:12
Speaker
Didn't he take the boat and go? He jumped out of the boat after you called her Fishhead Franny. Oh, so Fishhead Franny still has the boat. maybe yeah Maybe.
00:49:22
Speaker
Clay, give me a perception roll. Okay, awesome. 17. You look out at the lake and it was dark and hard to see last night, but you look to where you think you were picked up by Fishhead Franny, and you see a small rowboat just bobbing upon the lake near the middle of it.
00:49:44
Speaker
Oh, I see it It's over there. oh for Pete's sake, why'd you leave it there? You left it there. Oh, well, you were going to get me turned into a frog, though. Well, we didn't get turned into frogs.
00:49:56
Speaker
Now you got turned into a cow. And he is going to stomp off. Whoa! yes What the hell? He calls it like he sees it. Wow. you know he calls it like he sees it wow Damn, that's crazy.
00:50:12
Speaker
That's crazy. kind of hope Franny does turn him into a frog. Yeah, damn. He kind of deserves it. You know your thing to ask her for now. he Oh, so that's time commandeering his boat.
00:50:27
Speaker
famelin Okay, I assume Fondolin has spent the morning picking up like brunch goods and has them in a little basket. Sure. Fondolin is going to foist the basket aloft and shout across the water,
00:50:38
Speaker
It's brunch time! We got mimosas! And do like a little shivvy. She assumes her voice carries sufficiently across the water.
00:50:53
Speaker
okay Everybody on three, it's brunch time. We've got the best ones. Hey, wait. I cast Sama Turvy. Your voice booms up to three times as loud for one minute.
00:51:04
Speaker
I just shout. this thing on? Freddy, we're ready for brunch. We have the most fun. A fish on the shore flops and turns itself towards you.
00:51:19
Speaker
Be right there. Thank you. And you see the paddle wheel turns and the boat begins to direct itself towards you. And it takes a while.
00:51:30
Speaker
You know that the boat is entirely powered by two people just walking upon it. Flintstone style. And it takes a while, but eventually it comes to a stop at the dock where you were let off yesterday.
00:51:42
Speaker
Flintstone style is such a crazy way to describe the literal torture method that you've concocted, that you yourself has concocted. That's crazy.
00:51:52
Speaker
This is like waterboarding someone and being like, it's H2O just add water style.
00:52:08
Speaker
that's a good point. I will reflect on that. Glimke, you see this boat up close for the first time. It looks maybe different in the daytime, but not better.
00:52:21
Speaker
It is this long, houseboat with peeling paint, kind of a central structure upon these pontoons, a large paddle wheel at the back.
00:52:32
Speaker
You see that at the front there is a single wheel for steering and an individual wearing a long, almost like a trench coat with a large hat, collar pushed up, is piloting it. They're wearing these dark gloves.
00:52:45
Speaker
You see countless fishing rods sticking out in all directions. And yeah, you see a dwarf and a young elf standing upon the back of the ship, pushing the wheel.
00:52:56
Speaker
Something that perhaps you didn't see last night. Clay and Fondlin is a large snake curled up on the top of the structure, of the central structure. The building on the boat seems to be...
00:53:09
Speaker
a python or something larger, boa constrictor perhaps, just sort of curled up and as the boat comes to a stop, it lifts its head and flicks its tongue out at you and then goes back to sunning itself.
00:53:25
Speaker
The door to Franny's office swings open and from inside you hear a voice. Come in, dear. Come in and bring your friends.
00:53:37
Speaker
This is my friend Klimki. You haven't met before. So glad to introduce you two. hi I've heard so much about you. I hope good things.
00:53:49
Speaker
Are we sure about this? Yeah, it's great. No. A long nailed fingers, like a series of long nailed fingers wrap themselves around the doorframe.
00:54:01
Speaker
And this head pulls itself into view, still somewhat masked in shadow. There's no light inside the office, but you see just like this pale skin and this large, dark eye peer out at you.
00:54:15
Speaker
yeah causing quite the stir amongst the spirits, dear boy. I can't say it's all been good, but it's all been very interesting. Now, please, please come in. Come in.
00:54:28
Speaker
We're having brunch, are we not? Fonelin, I don't think you're going in alone this time. Yeah. Do you want to go ahead or? we're going to have brunch together and then I'll kick you guys out. It's time.
00:54:39
Speaker
Mimosas. Okay. you guys not like mimosas as much as I do? What is this? Not particularly. But, okay, it's fine. We have other things too.
00:54:49
Speaker
You want just straight champers? We can do that.
00:54:53
Speaker
The hand withdraws. Okay, we follow her into the office. Last night, there was a single stool that Franny perched upon. She did not offer you anywhere to sit, and as you step into her office, it is dark, and then you hear the click of a jaw opening, and light beams out from a dwarf head that's hanging from the ceiling, and you see that there is a simple, rustic table set up with four wicker chairs. It's very country living, and there is an assortment of food set out upon it.
00:55:39
Speaker
Doctor, quickly! It's my son. I think he's caught a plague.
00:55:47
Speaker
Gothica Plague Worlds is a dark fantasy 5e compatible TTRPG coming to Kickstarter in November. Wander the cobbles of gas lamp lit streets inspired by the Victorian era, choosing from many new subclass archetypes or even one of the brand new classes.
00:56:02
Speaker
Gothica Plague Worlds is a complete package with new mechanics, storylines and a diseased world ready for your next campaign.
00:56:12
Speaker
ah boy should be fine You however do not look so good. Let me take a closer look. No, don't come any closer. It's too late for me, Doctor. Bolt your door and do not open it.
00:56:28
Speaker
Goodbye, boy.
00:56:32
Speaker
yeah
00:56:35
Speaker
play
00:56:39
Speaker
and
00:56:48
Speaker
Gothica Plague Worlds goes live on Kickstarter on the 1st of November. Okay, now is the time to ask the question, what does Faunilin know about hags? Give me a history or arcana roll.
00:57:03
Speaker
My arcana is a zero and my history is a zero. x I was so wanting a good roll. got a five. Let me see if I can add anything to that somehow, especially.
00:57:15
Speaker
oh can I give you guidance? What is guidance going to do for me? and Oh, it doesn't help with checks? It doesn't. Do I have guidance? Let me check.
00:57:27
Speaker
I thought I had. Oh, yeah, it's a cantrip. There it is. you can add a d four So I could get up to a nine. Yeah, or you can get a six. That's a seven. No, thanks, bro. That's a seven. Yeah, we will say Clay rests their hand upon Fondolin's shoulder just before you step onto the boat and cast Guidance.
00:57:45
Speaker
You use that Guidance to make this history check. And I think with a seven, the extent of your practical knowledge is that which you acquired through Bedtime Stories.
00:57:59
Speaker
Hags are strange women living in the woods offering tricky little treats to boys and girls who cross their paths.
00:58:12
Speaker
They're something to be avoided or shoved into an oven. And I don't think you have much practical knowledge beyond that.
00:58:23
Speaker
You've not met ah hag in your
00:58:30
Speaker
travels. At least not one that you are aware of specifically.
High-Stakes Negotiations and Persuasion Challenges
00:58:36
Speaker
But I would say you, probably in your own way, I imagine, enjoyed those stories to some extent as a child.
00:58:44
Speaker
Your brother loved them. Does my brother have a deal with this specific hag? I would like to look around the room and see whether there's any kind of like filing system.
00:58:55
Speaker
Yeah, you glance around. Like I said, it's still dark in here. There's Not much you can see clearly. It's almost like this the shadows in the corners are like darker and thicker than...
00:59:07
Speaker
You would expect you've got dark vision and there's a light source in here, but even then it seems like the shadows kind of reach and move, swaying with the ship's movement, but not in sync with it.
00:59:18
Speaker
And like I said, there's this table in the center. You see that there is various dishes set out. There is a fish head. It's like she carved out the meat in the middle and just left the head and the tail. There is a plate of entrails, a bowl of fish eyes,
00:59:37
Speaker
Yum. And a pitcher, like a clear glass pitcher with a dark briny liquid inside. That actually does sound kind of good. Blake! Come on now.
00:59:50
Speaker
The eyes are the best part of the fish, honestly. More for you then. You look around, you do not see a filing cabinet, you do not see an inventory, a large list on the wall, ah bunch of faces with red string drawn together.
01:00:06
Speaker
You see that there is a a desk with a chart, and I'd say if you glance over, it appears to be this lake. And beyond that, there is just a bunch of weird, spooky stuff, as i as I mentioned last time you were here.
01:00:21
Speaker
There's a mirror covered in ah in a cloth. There's a cage with a fish swimming in the air, just kind of swimming in place. You see a small little workbench covered in fish skins with like a large carving knife next to it.
01:00:38
Speaker
But you don't see a filing cabinet. Okay, let's have some brunch. Franny perches up on this chair. She doesn't sit in it. She looms.
01:00:50
Speaker
Glimke, if you look at her for too long, your stomach starts to turn a little bit. Her knees stick out at an angle that doesn't feel quite right. And she just reaches out this long hand and snatches up a handful of fish eyes and just throws them all into her mouth. And you hear just like popping. Hmm.
01:01:09
Speaker
Help yourselves, we have bones and guts and eyes and blood. Okay. yeah Oh, we brought potatoes too. oh yeah, the potatoes.
01:01:22
Speaker
forgot.
01:01:25
Speaker
And mimosas. Potatoes and mimosas. Poor offerings to bring to a host's brunch. Potatoes are great! They're so versatile. You can have them like so many different ways.
01:01:40
Speaker
There's like Hasselback, we do scalloped. Hashbrowns. How did you prepare them? Oh, we didn't. These are just potatoes. It's almost like the abundance of choice, you know?
01:01:50
Speaker
Too many to decide. This glimki just bites into it like an apple. ah All right, give me one.
01:02:02
Speaker
She holds out a hand. I give her one. She snatches it from you and bites in. And as she pulls it away, you see that there's several of these fishbone teeth sticking out of it.
01:02:13
Speaker
Not bad.
01:02:20
Speaker
So the green knight blesses me with his presence.
01:02:27
Speaker
How kind, how interesting. And, you know, the pleasure's all mine. Thank you for having us on your boat. And I don't know what the deal is.
01:02:39
Speaker
You know, this is kind of her thing. And I just pointed for one.
01:02:45
Speaker
You're no stranger to deals, though. Don't feign modesty. Doesn't behoove you. Oh, right. Yes. Deals with powerful beings. I'm already accounted for. So thanks for the interest, but I'm taken.
01:03:01
Speaker
ha I don't think we would get along very well. No, you know what? We can agree on that. The little dragon cleric traveling with such disreputable company.
01:03:18
Speaker
What would your dear scaling father think of that? I haven't found them to be disreputable. I think my dad would get along with them.
01:03:31
Speaker
She's sweet. I hate her. What's with the tiefling slanderer here? Is this place racist? Yeah, I'm starting to get an interesting undertone of this island.
01:03:46
Speaker
sort of but but All of the art that's come out of it has weird subtext.
01:03:54
Speaker
Kaleon rolls in the art she took from that artist. Place is kind of sick in more ways than one. Franny just starts overcompensating real hard. It's not because she's a tieflinger! Okay,
01:04:10
Speaker
well if we're not going to eat, Are you not? Which is your Fran, Franny, Fran, you're saying ominous shit to your guests instead of us all partaking in a meal together and she just makes it hard to have brunch.
01:04:24
Speaker
Help yourself. I'll stop speaking. You know what is a normal brunch activity is to talk mad shit about mutual friends. oh What mutual friends might we have?
01:04:37
Speaker
What about that guy? ah what's his name? Strigamall. Yes! Strigamall! Yes, our friend. That was the guy! sheesh! Same page.
01:04:49
Speaker
What about our friend Boontar Strigamall? Boontar, yeah. I heard he's been up to some interesting things lately. so he's ugly. Your turn, Fran.
01:05:02
Speaker
Buta, he's an enterprising young dwarf, isn't he So industrious.
01:05:11
Speaker
So many goals, or shall we say, means to but a single goal. What is that goal? Like, does he just want to like rip this island apart?
01:05:24
Speaker
No, no, he would never. He loves the island. It's made him incredibly rich. So what, does he want to be like a king? His dreams are small, narrow.
01:05:41
Speaker
He just wants to make more, more and more and more, and the island burns around him and he cannot feel the flames. So we can agree that he's a bit small-minded?
01:05:54
Speaker
Incredibly. One must dream bigger than that. Oh, I don't... I don't agree with his motivations, but I can't argue with the results.
01:06:07
Speaker
You know, speaking of dreams, what do you dream of, Fran? Oh, my dreams are my own. i don't think I'll share them with you. I somehow doubt you to prove. Well, I'm a bit of a scoundrel.
01:06:20
Speaker
Disreputable, some might say. Some have said it recently. it didn't even hurt my feelings because I'm so calloused by the world. Hmm. and all my many misdeeds.
01:06:32
Speaker
Indeed. Seems to run in the family. You keep saying things about my brother. Do you know Dianel personally? Did I mention your brother?
01:06:44
Speaker
Yesterday. Yes. Yesterday is yesterday. But if you wish to speak of him, we can. You've met him. have. You've made a deal with him.
01:06:57
Speaker
Perhaps. Perhaps not. What did that little twerp want from you? Information, power, money. Who can say?
01:07:08
Speaker
you all come asking sweet Fran for so much and yet so little. Alas, I would not intervene on his case regardless. He's already spoken for.
01:07:21
Speaker
And I dare not meddle where I'm unwanted.
01:07:26
Speaker
Who owns his soul?
01:07:30
Speaker
It's not my place to say, girl. But it's brunch and we're talking mad shit about mutual acquaintances.
01:07:40
Speaker
Something older and more powerful than your mind can even comprehend. He's got friends in high places.
01:07:54
Speaker
Well, good for him. Indeed. A friend of my brother is a friend of mine. Perhaps. Quite the opportunity for you then, isn't it? You couldn't get the other thrill in.
01:08:07
Speaker
and You've gotten here now, entertaining, cutting some kind of deal with you. I guess we've eaten enough. I came here because... We are interested in sourcing your help to deal with the Scourge on this island, our mutual friend Buntar Strigomol, his heinous mining operation and all of his destructive practices.
01:08:27
Speaker
We're willing to cut a deal with you, but we need to know what you can offer us and what it's going to cost. Price is contingent on the services sought.
01:08:37
Speaker
You wish to breathe underwater? want some gills? Easy. Inconsequential. A small price to pay. You wish to appear as a dwarf?
01:08:52
Speaker
Harder. Might cost more. So really, I'd like to hear about... Your big plan to cease operations on the island.
01:09:03
Speaker
And then I'll tell you the price. Fair enough. How about the power to turn all of his sycophants against him, something that would change their minds.
01:09:16
Speaker
And while we're at it, a dozen explosive devices that would send their machinery into complete disrepair.
01:09:28
Speaker
You know what? That sounds expensive. How about this? Allies, ammunition, access points. I'm interested in ammunition. Tell me the information that I need to ruin this man in the eyes of his peers and his followers.
01:09:43
Speaker
It's cheap. It's hardly anything. It's brunch and we're talking shit.
01:09:49
Speaker
That I could do.
01:09:52
Speaker
However... Getting people to believe your claims, believe it's not just baseless accusation, that's harder.
01:10:05
Speaker
That requires physical evidence. I could tell you what you need to know, and I could tell you where to find it, but that will cost you.
01:10:19
Speaker
What do you want? I've been here too long. It's fun watching the island bleed.
01:10:29
Speaker
The sharks gather at the shores, but it's a big world. I'd like to see more of it. Bring me the jar and your ammunition is yours.
01:10:45
Speaker
No, it's just me and my friends aren't really sure that We want to go into a tower that saps such a significant portion of your life or causes such significant harm. What's an equivalent number of years in wheel walking?
01:11:02
Speaker
I'm not sure. You see, I'm more or less at capacity. I've got my dear Captain M. I've got Hildy. I've got Quincy for the next, well, yesterday it was a year and today. Today, it's just a year I've got wheel walkers.
01:11:20
Speaker
I've got plenty of help right now. What if we were to replace the dwarf you currently have? Wheel walking with someone who would do it for like, don't know, 50 years?
01:11:34
Speaker
Someone. Someone. Let's talk specifics. Whoever I think deserves it.
01:11:43
Speaker
It doesn't work like that. The deal must be made willingly. By everyone involved. If he's at the end of my dagger, he will choose you willingly.
01:11:58
Speaker
Come on, you like him. You said he's such an enterprising young man. Don't you want to set that enterprise to your wheel? Imagine how fast he'll walk. She digs a nail into an eyeball and just like rolls it around her thumb.
01:12:14
Speaker
I just prefer currency that I can hold. This is more of a promissory note. And that might not work as well for me.
01:12:26
Speaker
You must understand. This is a promise, an offer, but it lacks a solid foundation.
01:12:37
Speaker
about this? You have my word that if my friends and I choose to go into the tower and we choose to seek out the little MacGuffin that you so need, that I will not dash it upon the stones the second that I find it.
01:12:54
Speaker
and what about the second after? I don't know yet, Fran. I think let's just keep things light between us, you know? Let's just see where things take us.
01:13:04
Speaker
Let me make sure I have this right. My ask is that you go into the tower, you retrieve from me a jar. Your counteroffer is, if you go into the tower, you won't break the jar.
01:13:17
Speaker
Now, forgive me, perhaps I'm a little dense. I don't hang out with such lovely nobles. I don't necessarily have the linguistics training that you have. But it seems to me that that's a rather different thing that you're offering, and not necessarily what I'm asking for at all.
01:13:34
Speaker
Okay, Fondalyn stands up and brushes off her skirts. It seems to me that we're the only competent adventurers on this entire island, and if it stays in a boring shithole, there won't be any more coming here.
01:13:48
Speaker
So it seems to me that we're the only people who have a shot in hell of going in and coming back out of that tower with the little MacGuffin that you so desire. give me a Give me, we're going to call it a luck roll.
01:14:00
Speaker
Roll a d20. Okay. There's like 8 d20 on the table next to me and I'm just... Do I still have guidance? No, you spent that on trying to know stuff about hags. Can I recast it? i' for no No, you can't.
01:14:14
Speaker
First off, this is a luck roll. It's not Faunalyn making a check. Second off, that would require you to basically put your hand on Faunalyn and make a prayer in the middle of this conversation. Being like, McCrog, please help my friend. I'm just praying behind her.
01:14:28
Speaker
That is a pure and simple... unadulterated three. Well, so unlucky. yeah Could you believe you needed two? With guidance, you could have had a seven.
01:14:43
Speaker
could have had a seven. It could have pushed you over that limit. With an 11 or higher, something would have happened that probably would have given you advantage. But you stand up, make your claim. Are you trying to persuade, to intimidate?
01:14:58
Speaker
I don't think even Faunelin thinks she could intimidate a hag. I think I would like to make an argument that this is a form of deception because Faunelin doesn't know what her plan is.
01:15:11
Speaker
She hasn't talked to her friends. She has no idea if there's any more competent adventurers on this island. So because it's such a bluff, I would like to argue for a deception because I have a plus seven to deception.
01:15:23
Speaker
i will let you make a persuasion roll flat or a deception with disadvantage. Oh shit. I'll do persuasion roll flat. Thank you for the option. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. okay That's going to be a 19.
01:15:37
Speaker
ninety 19. Did I need a 20? Was the DC 20? I'll scream if the DC was 20. I'll never tell. She leans forward. Come now.
01:15:49
Speaker
Let's not be hasty. You're making a scene in front of company and we're having such a lovely brunch. Isn't that right, everybody?
01:16:01
Speaker
compelling stuff. yeah That was crazy, you two. This is podcast.
01:16:08
Speaker
yeah i It's hard to know sometimes when we should jump in or not because this is like very... just asked you directly if you're having a nice... I guess the crickets is telling.
01:16:22
Speaker
Clay's praying over her potatoes. You're kind of making the ball here. I'm fists full of potatoes. this is Like popcorn. Me and Glimki are just sitting here like eating as silently as we can our raw potatoes.
01:16:37
Speaker
I'm sorry, it's so loud. should have boiled them for like 10 minutes from before we got here. yeah Alright, so maybe only I'm having a good time.
01:16:48
Speaker
I'm having a great time. Regardless. You make an interesting point. This island's tearing itself apart at the foundations. I cannot accept your offer of Boontar Stregomol on credit.
01:17:05
Speaker
If you were to bring
Faunelin's Desperate Deal and Risks
01:17:06
Speaker
him to me and he pledged himself a willing servant, I would gladly help you. If you wish it to offer, and she looks around the table, someone else, then we would be in business.
01:17:23
Speaker
Otherwise, the tower is always calling. How about this? I will serve you for 50 years. Unless
01:17:36
Speaker
I offer you a willing, however coerced that willingness may be, willing substitute.
01:17:47
Speaker
Okay, hold on a minute. She holds up a finger to you? Quiet, knight. This doesn't concern you anymore. Well, now it does. Faunalan, how could you possibly convince Buntar to offer himself, or somebody to offer themselves?
01:18:06
Speaker
You're really going to risk 50 years of your life? I know you live a long time, but what are we going to do for 50 years? Just wait around? Clay will be dead. Yeah. Most likely. If the choice is between bleeding out on the floor of his gauche town hall or going for a little walk to the water and then walking on the water,
Contract as a Rebellion Tool
01:18:30
Speaker
he'll choose the sensible thing.
01:18:32
Speaker
And then in 50 years time, he'll be free to go try to ruin another island, assuming he can still walk. final and That has a lot of st- we're jumping you've pinned this guy alone at the point of a blade and somehow he's gonna choose- but there's a lot of things that need to happen between them. This guy runs a massive mining operation with guards and an armed facility that we don't even know what goes on in there.
01:18:58
Speaker
And you think that he's just gonna let you walk in there with a knife? It's a massive operation, which means somewhere in there after we bring it down and we've got all of the villains lined up, there will be one of them willing to take a 50 year plea before the guillotine falls.
01:19:14
Speaker
so how does how So how does this deal help us take it down? Oh, we just need the information? That's the deal? We just get the information to blackmail this guy? Yeah, she's giving us information in explosives. What if in the process of using explosives, we accidentally, through uncontrollable circumstances, kill this guy and we have nothing to offer up?
01:19:34
Speaker
Then I'll get someone else to do it. But who? Look at me. I'm not going to do labor. This is a lean. this is ah This is a promissory note. Franny doesn't even want me.
01:19:47
Speaker
She'd put me on the wheel and I'd immediately die. I'd kill myself. I feel like that loophole is probably covered somehow. I'm very clever. Nobody's ever thought of this before, okay?
01:19:58
Speaker
I don't think we should promise
Zombie Encounter and Solutions
01:19:59
Speaker
someone else's life. Well, I don't know. Even if it's a bad guy. This is why I didn't want you guys in the room. you know Up, up, get up, get up. And Faunilin starts pelting you guys with fish eyes. Get out. I told you guys I was going cut a deal. You guys agreed to let me do my dirty little thing.
01:20:17
Speaker
Out. And I've stopped caring about me loud, Dave. didn't were going promise your soul to this thing. I'm not promising it. It's a promissory note. There's a difference. Yeah, and if we don't get this guy or somebody to say okay, it's like a steep ask.
01:20:31
Speaker
I am so confident that I can do this. Okay. Okay, fine, fine. No, no, okay, okay. No, you're good. you know what, fine. no, no. no Fran, the room, please. Absolutely not.
01:20:45
Speaker
Blah blah. Everybody's being so rude. This is brunch. Vim, Kian, Clay, would you rather go into the tower and fetch the thing since you don't like my plan?
01:20:56
Speaker
But what's in the tower? Why can't why can't Fran go in there? Ajar. But what's stopping Fran from going in there? She seems pretty powerful. Fran, and feel free to say it's none of our business.
01:21:09
Speaker
It's none of your business. God damn it. Hey, read the room. How do we know she wouldn't have just told us without you telling her say it's none of her business? Yeah. She's a head.
01:21:21
Speaker
She's not going to tell us with her little tricks. She takes a long pinky nail and digs it into her fishbone teeth. I would have told you. Oh, God.
01:21:34
Speaker
I'll go outside. Look, you know what? I'll go outside. I wasn't even here yesterday. I feel like there's some sort of, there's a prerequisite to be at the table and I obviously don't have it. So I'm just saying, try not to offer yourself up for 50 years or whatever the deal is.
01:21:49
Speaker
You're clever. You'll figure it out. I'll go outside. As you close the door, you hear Fawn and say, friend, the deal is 50 years.
01:21:57
Speaker
Okay, I'll go with Glimki. I'll follow that. All right. The two of you are shunted out onto the deck of the Calimari. The door closes behind you and Fonelin, you are left alone with Franny.
01:22:08
Speaker
They're really good friends. I really like them. I feel very lucky to have them in my life, actually. They seem lovely. And they'll miss you terribly, no doubt. Fifty years and a day.
01:22:22
Speaker
Service shall begin one week from today. from the moment the deal is struck. If a willing substitute is not found, you shall walk the wheel.
01:22:39
Speaker
While this substitute
01:22:56
Speaker
of persuasive
Unveiling the Mysterious Contract
01:22:58
Speaker
magics and pledge their service. How are those terms, girly? Three weeks and scratch the day. Because I think the day, respectfully, Fran, respectfully, you're a clever girl. I'm pretty sure that day is going to be some hag tricky bullshit where you're like, it's a day and the day, it's always today, which means you have to work for me forever. So scratch the day.
01:23:23
Speaker
I don't care if it's your motif and three weeks. Two weeks, and we scratch the day.
01:23:33
Speaker
Heel. She holds out a long, boned hand. Sonnenman shakes it. Fuck! As you grab her hand, her nails dig into your skin, drying a drop of blood that spills upon the table.
01:23:52
Speaker
Wonderful. Now I believe you are promised some information, some ammunition. Oh my god. Yeah, better be fucking good, Franny. These bombs better be like nuclear. Franny, it better be fucking good or I'm going in that tower.
01:24:06
Speaker
I'm shitting in that jar. Okay, Fran, so it better be good.
01:24:13
Speaker
If you want to retrieve the jar on top of this, I won't say no. Boontar Strigamall came to this island many years ago.
01:24:24
Speaker
but Before mining operations commenced, he sought to open a mine. he'd heard of the precious gems and jewels that could be found in the caves on the island, and he wanted to dig.
01:24:41
Speaker
But the governor, Phaedra Femata, would not allow him. She claimed that it could hurt the island's nature spirit and again, that it could disrupt the very foundations of the island, cause it to shake apart or sink into the sea.
01:25:03
Speaker
and so she refused him. And she refused him. And she refused him. The people's artists, beloved by all, would not allow the Korak Mining Company to break ground on Mengen.
01:25:20
Speaker
Until one day she gathered every everyone in the town square and announced that Korak had acquired mining rights in perpetuity and they would begin digging that very same day.
01:25:37
Speaker
while people were confused yeah and they trusted her. She'd always led them well before. Why would that change now? You will find, hidden behind a portrait, hidden in a safe,
01:25:52
Speaker
tucked away in Butar Strigamol's office. A contract. An agreement signed between him and Vankay Haven.
01:26:06
Speaker
An agreement to take care of a certain difficult governor. Give me a history roll. And I'm going to say before you do, I think given your personal like background, you can make this with advantage.
01:26:24
Speaker
Thank you. Heyo. I really cannot roll for... Ah, that's a 12. When you were a child, in the years before things got bad, you overheard a conversation about between your father and someone you're not sure you never saw their face.
01:26:44
Speaker
But the conversation involved the death of a noble, of another family, and not just a death, but and alleged assassination.
01:26:55
Speaker
And the term van K Haven came up in that conversation. And I would say in the years since, You have heard bits and pieces here, you have pieced together that Vankay Haven is an island somewhere in the northern half of the Elswein Sea, home to an elusive and mysterious order of assassins.
01:27:26
Speaker
And perhaps you might think, or you might wonder, because I believe you know that Phaedra Femada is not dead.
01:27:39
Speaker
She is reviled, but she is still the elected ruler of the island. And so perhaps Faunelin might wonder what a contract between Boontar Strigobol and an order of assassins involving Phaedra Femada could involve if she is still alive.
01:28:06
Speaker
If you find that contract and you show it to the people of the island. Even those numb sheep will rise up.
01:28:17
Speaker
There's your ammunition. Okay, that was pretty good. I'll hold off on shitting in the jar for now. What are you giving? The Korak Mining Company. Why do they send you a tribute?
01:28:30
Speaker
Goods and services. And ultimately my own business. Okay, gonna go shit in the jar. Bye, Franny! Best of luck. Don't forget to wipe. I guess she stops in the doorway.
01:28:44
Speaker
I guess, I mean, I assume you understand the basic premises of contract law, which is that obviously an agreement is null and void if it is entered into under circumstances wherein one party is unable to fu fulfill the spirit of the contract, the terms under which the contract was entered into. And
Journey to the Grove
01:29:01
Speaker
if you're helping the mining company in a way that I can't surmount with What I've just pledged to you, well, it would surely render our agreement null and void.
01:29:12
Speaker
So we might as well clear it up now. If you want to get into contract law, girl, we can talk about clauses and sub-clauses all night long. i would love to. But I'm afraid you're running out of time.
01:29:23
Speaker
And she gestures up to a clock on the wall. that has a picture of your face and it says 15 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds.
01:29:39
Speaker
There's nothing in Buntar's office that I've provided that should give you too much trouble if you're competent as you seem to think you are. And if you're not, then I pray that you're better at walking than you are at thieving.
01:29:54
Speaker
Maybe the boat's going in circles for 50 years. Enjoy the mimosas. And I head out. Captain M, return them home. And as you stand on the deck of the ship, it wraps around through the the morning air before eventually depositing you back at the dock where you were picked up.
01:30:14
Speaker
You guys going to talk to the wheel walkers? No, Glimki and Kalei have been and been talking in detail about how we're going to kill this thing if it goes south. Yeah.
01:30:26
Speaker
And we've been doing it entirely with gestures and nods silently.
Callum's Explosive Plans and Zombie Discussions
01:30:31
Speaker
We understand each other perfectly. Oh, before I get off the ship, though, Kalei will... Captain M is Kusty Cloud Breeze's husband, right?
01:30:43
Speaker
As far as you know. I have a piece of her artwork. I just want to like slip it to him before I get off the boat. oh See if that triggers anything. Okay. You walk to the front of the ship as it's coming in into dock and you hand him this rolled up scroll. It's slightly dampened, but it's had a chance to dry out overnight.
01:31:03
Speaker
And he turns to look at you as you hold it out. And as he dies, you can see his face clearly in the light of day. This man is a zombie.
01:31:14
Speaker
ah His eyes are yellow and opaque. His jaw hangs slack. His teeth are rotting. The skin is dried and taut.
01:31:27
Speaker
But as you hold the scroll out, he he takes it.
01:31:33
Speaker
And then like slams it down onto the wheel, pulls it open with jerky motions.
01:31:41
Speaker
If you'd like, you may make an insight roll. Yes. What does Clay know about zombies also? ah they like, this is the first time she's seen one? Probably. you don't see any look of recognition as the artwork slips through his hand, landing on the deck beside him.
01:32:03
Speaker
As far as general knowledge about zombies, you would know that they are undead, that they are largely enemies of good, honest folk everywhere.
01:32:15
Speaker
front to the gods and their absolute dominion over life and death. That is why clerics, even of low levels, have the ability to turn them, rebuke them, usher them away from civilized spaces.
01:32:35
Speaker
Is there a way to put them to rest? How are they created? Give me a religion roll with advantage. Ooh, my religion's so bad. Okay, it's a 16 for the first one and a 15 for the second one.
01:32:50
Speaker
Plus my religion, which is minus one, 15. I will say, you have seen a zombie. When you were young, and being taught by Warwick Humold, he took you to a cemetery in Erdenine, and your task for the day was to clean headstones, tidy up plots, scrub the lichens out of the letters on graves, and as you were doing so,
01:33:22
Speaker
The ground began to move and quake ever so slightly beneath you before a hand burst forth from the ground. And a zombie pulled itself up and started lurching towards you.
01:33:38
Speaker
And Warwick said a prayer to Macrog. And you watched his divine fire emitted from his fingertips and from the amulet he wore around his neck.
01:33:49
Speaker
and consumed the zombie in this divine fire, burning it to ash. And on that day you learned that sufficiently devout or powerful clerics have the ability not just to turn undead, but also to destroy them.
01:34:07
Speaker
And you also learned that what is dead can die again. Zombies are not ghosts. They are not banshees or wraiths. They do not have unfinished business necessarily.
01:34:21
Speaker
And if they do, it's nothing that ah sufficiently strong strike to the head can't stifle. So nothing of the person is still there? Debatable, but he doesn't look at that with any recognition and that probably gives you some idea of what you're dealing with.
01:34:42
Speaker
Okay. Well, I'll pick up the artwork again and I'm going to keep it. I'm going to on to it and then I'll just leave. Yeah, you smooth it out and head off and the three of you are left and you watch as the wheel starts to turn again and...
01:34:59
Speaker
You hear heavy breathing from Quincy the Dwarf and the boat takes off. Hey, that went really well. Did it? I feel good about all of that. So what did you learn? Oh, what did I learn? We need to get into Mutas Strigomar's office.
01:35:14
Speaker
There's a contract behind one of the paintings and if we show it to the people, they will all rise up against him. So I'm thinking we find out what this contract says. We create a ruse to get everyone in the town square and then we have Clay use their loud voice thingy thing to read out the contract and show it to the people and then everybody sees it like storms the capital you know we pass out some pitchforks and we're like we're good right but will the dwarves care the people will care no uh probably not uh we'll have to take care of that separately but i've got ideas i'm sure you guys have ideas but there's so many dwarves oh also i have two weeks before my payment kicks in so two weeks
01:35:55
Speaker
So we still need to we need to get into his office to get the paper to incite the rebellion uprising.
01:36:10
Speaker
Yes. Yes. But what if they fight against the dwarves and lose? That's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. No, it's fine. We're going to go get Ed again. We're going to deal with the dwarves. We're going to turn the dwarves against him.
01:36:21
Speaker
And the people will rise up. And everything's good. Everything's perfect. Okay? Okay. And bombs? What kind of bombs did you get? knew that wasn't part of the final deal. Oh! don't think so, was it?
01:36:31
Speaker
We're going to have to make our own bombs. I don' know. I think there's something you can do with, like, manure. There's probably cows on this island, right? Maybe. Yeah? Yeah. Somebody on this island will know how to make bombs. It's fine.
01:36:42
Speaker
Let's go talk to your nature spirit. We all have dark deals, right? Let's go make another one. Yeah. Okay. Maybe the cannery will know how to make bombs. Oh, yeah.
01:36:53
Speaker
I think the cannery is evil, maybe. I don't know. I was kind of thinking we should blow up the cannery. Yeah, I wonder how deep this goes, because obviously the mining company is somehow at the core, but they obviously need all of this other infrastructure to support this regime. Exactly. Exactly.
01:37:07
Speaker
The cannery, the boats, the fishermen, I don't know. This whole island is corrupt. So I guess until we know who we can trust, let's try to keep our circle small and I guess find a way to get into that into his office, which I assume is in that complex. Am I right?
01:37:24
Speaker
In the town? Did we know where it is?
Geography and Rebellion Challenges
01:37:27
Speaker
We know office is. It's in City Hall. Okay. Right, Zach? Yeah, so just ah for clarity, Glimke saw a complex that seemed to be receiving shipments, whereas Faun and Lin found a separate complex, if you will, a walled structure that when she asked prying questions, no one was like, Boontar's not here, stupid girl. They were like, you know, Boontar's not married, stupid girl.
01:37:53
Speaker
And so you feel fairly confident that he lives in the building that you previously yeah tried to enter. But they're two different buildings? Two different buildings. It's a whole ass city. Yeah. Where would his office be?
01:38:05
Speaker
I think he was in the building that i tried to get into. yeah because they said he's not here right now. Pretty sure was in the building that tried. You know what? That's the least of my concerns. Okay. So next step is to find Etigan?
01:38:20
Speaker
Yeah, I got to meet Callum and go track down this grove. Should we tell Callum about this contract thing? No, I don't think so. Maybe after like we've like solidified our allegiance with that group of insurgents, then we can start sharing our are intel.
01:38:40
Speaker
Okay, I agree. So, I will say you step off the dock, and as you're walking through the streets, a hooded figure coming up to Clay's hip, maybe just a little past, whispers at you from an alleyway.
01:38:56
Speaker
Hey! Klimki! Psst! Over here! but Hello? Hey! It's me, Callum.
01:39:08
Speaker
No, I know. Callum, hi. Are these your friends? These are, yes, my friends. so This is Fallen and Clay. Hi. This is Callum. Hey, I'm Callum.
01:39:20
Speaker
Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Clay. but Hey, hi, I'm Callum. Yeah, sorry to miss the party yesterday. Oh, it was really good. You should have been there. Corvus was so happy.
01:39:31
Speaker
Well, maybe actually you shouldn't have been there because you don't know Corvus, do you? ah We heard it was his birthday. We wanted to celebrate. oh that's nice. Yeah, it it was it was his birthday, and yeah you should have. it might have been his last.
01:39:44
Speaker
Damn. You ready to head off? um You bet. Let's try to find this the spirit. Hopefully these ah these visions or visits I've been having are ah real.
01:39:56
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. Hope so. I a took some real convincing of my my crew that this was a good idea. And well, yeah. Well, hopefully they can take care of business without me.
01:40:07
Speaker
They're splitting it up. they're They're going to meet your contact? Yeah. Yeah. they're goingnna they're going to They're going to meet with him and see if they can get their hands on some ah some goods we need, so to speak.
01:40:19
Speaker
Bombs? Explosives? No. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Callum, that is such good news because explosives are honestly the piece of the puzzle that was missing.
01:40:31
Speaker
who Who told you we were trying to get explosives? but No, I intuited it because I was trying to get explosives. so Bombs are good. Yeah, yeah. I think, well it's actually, it's specifically, it's blasting powder from from the mines.
01:40:45
Speaker
We've got a contact who's ah who was willing to sell to us. Excellent. Someone from within the Korra company? Yeah, yeah, that's right. Oh, nice.
01:40:57
Speaker
Whoa, hold on. Your friends are going to go meet a contact from the Korra company that you are buying explosive powder from? Yeah. How do you know you can trust this guy? yeah Well, I met him at a pub in Ankhil, and he didn't seem like much of a company man, seemed more self-interested, you know?
01:41:16
Speaker
Wanted to make a quick buck and split you know how much is is he charging you for this powder we're getting five kegs for a thousand a thousand gold thousand gold you guys have a thousand gold no that's the first part of their mission is to convince a wealthy benefactor in the city to okay give us some money and then use that money flip it into blasting powder right okay I was worried that if the number seemed really low, I would be more concerned about this being a trap, Callum.
01:41:50
Speaker
But I don't know. If you think it's legit, you know this island better than we do. ah Frankly, I don't really know how much blasting powder goes for normally. ah I fish most of the time.
01:42:02
Speaker
I don't mind. No, that's fair. So i'm I'm not really sure if it's a good price or not, but it's it's the price I was able to get from them, so... Okay, well, i I don't want to make you worried about your friends. If they have that under control, um hopefully everything's above board.
01:42:16
Speaker
I'm going to roll insight check for Callum. And with a seven, he says, yeah, I'm sure it's fine. I feel good about this. no. Yeah, we're going to meet up in a few days time and after that we'll get to Blaston, I guess.
01:42:31
Speaker
Hmm. We're going to get to blasting. Okay. Let's go find this grove. Okay. We can we could take my boat and that'll save us a bit of time. We can just go straight across the lake and then there'll be a bit of gnarly over land travel and he looks over at Fondolin.
01:42:48
Speaker
But as long as you folks feel like you're up for it, then and i reckon that all that'll get us there quickest. Yeah, Fondolin had a suggestion about taking the boat through the woods, but I think across the lake makes sense.
01:43:02
Speaker
ah Yeah, no, yeah, no. the ah The lake's the best way to use a boat. Yeah, that makes sense. doesn't really Doesn't really do much, you know. That's what I was trying to tell her before.
01:43:13
Speaker
What was I thinking? And he's going to lead you to a little dock and there's a ah little sailing boat. Pretty tight fit for the four of you, but you pile in.
01:43:28
Speaker
And he unfurls the sail unties it from the dock. And it takes off. You sail across the lake, past numerous fishing boats, not too far from that crooked stone tower sprouting up from the center of the lake.
01:43:46
Speaker
You see Franny's boat, the Calibri, making its way to don't really know where. It seems to be moving just for the sake of moving, and honestly, it might be. Sail on, and after little under an hour,
01:44:03
Speaker
You reach the opposite side of the lake. Callum seems
Petrified Forest and Magical Connections
01:44:06
Speaker
comfortable competent on the ship. He moves around and pulls on different lines. As you get close, he rolls up the sail and ship comes to a halt, resting on some of those little rocks that line the shores. Again, you can see that the the water level used to be higher.
01:44:27
Speaker
But you step out. He pulls out a rope and ties it to ah a large rock nearby and says, All right, let's go then. If we hurry, we can probably reach the grove by sundown or sunsplosion and probably want to sleep there and probably be back here by lunch tomorrow.
01:44:48
Speaker
Lead the way, Callum. Okay, follow me. And he sets off. Could I get a group survival check? Traverse the island.
01:44:59
Speaker
fun Nice. Can I get advantage if I'm climbing on Clay's back? clay is scaring me Can I give Clay advantage by having Clay carry me? Clay can have disadvantage and you can have advantage. Nice. Yep. Let's do that.
01:45:13
Speaker
I'm rolling with disadvantage. Apparently. Okay. My first roll was so good though. Oh, my second roll was better. and I'm rolling good today. You're welcome.
01:45:24
Speaker
I got a 21. I got 17 plus four, so also Okay. Yo! This system works somehow. Yeah, it works.
01:45:35
Speaker
You're like walking and I'm like using my umbrella to clear branches and cobwebs in front of you. Oh, that's nice. Yeah. And then occasionally I let go of a branch and it just hits Glimke full in the face. I got a 17.
01:45:47
Speaker
Dodged. Goes over his head. Goes over both his and Callum's head. I will say, as you set off, Callum leads you down an old hunting trail.
01:46:00
Speaker
It's largely overgrown and fawnling with your poofy dress. You likely would ruin it, catch it on the brambles and grasping twigs that sprout out. There's just this heavy brush on either side, but clay carries you at times and your fine clothes remain intact.
01:46:20
Speaker
At one point, Callum pauses and he holds up a hand. He says, hear that? And you hear a faint rustling in the bushes nearby.
01:46:34
Speaker
a second later, At first you think it's a mouse. It's about mouse sized. It's this like little creature. It walks on two legs, but it's wearing overalls and it's got these like large tufted ears, almost like a snout for a nose.
01:46:52
Speaker
And it looks at the four of you and screams and then runs across the trail into the bush on the other side. Cal says, wait, no, I want to talk to you. Damn it.
01:47:05
Speaker
What was that? What the heck was that? hat's a That's a brigadock. They live on the island. I've been trying to get in touch with them for a while now. I thought i thought maybe like could win them over to our side. Everyone says
Spirit Aid and Parachat Threat
01:47:19
Speaker
it's a waste of time.
01:47:21
Speaker
They're pretty well respected by Korak, but I thought maybe if I could just have a chance to talk to them, I could learn something and maybe get them to help us out. But it's it's been hard to get one to sit down with me.
01:47:36
Speaker
The Korak respect them? Yeah. Yeah, there's, i don't know, there's a group of them living on the island, and most of them, I don't think, live in the city. Maybe none of them, even.
01:47:48
Speaker
From what I can tell, think they've got a village hidden somewhere on the island. Yeah. But I don't know where it is, and anyone who does won't tell me. And yeah, I don't know. They're like basically the only people outside of dwarves that work in the mines. And I don't really know. i mean, they're really little, so I don't really get what help they'd be.
01:48:09
Speaker
They work in the mine? From my understanding, yeah, from what I've heard. Okay, interesting. Yeah. But they live in the forest, I feel. That would be... Yeah, like with the pollution to their home.
01:48:20
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, maybe that's, they gotta see what's going on, right? Like, I don't really get how they can, well, I guess I can get, it's just probably greed at the end of the day, right? Like, as long as they're making a buck, what do they care?
01:48:32
Speaker
But, I don't know. I'm hoping, I'm hoping I'm wrong, though. I'm hoping something can be done. Maybe they're being forced. Maybe. Well, if there's only one choice, is it really a choice?
01:48:45
Speaker
No, that's a good point. I had a choice to come here today and I took it. It is a choice because the deal I've just made quite hinges on it being a choice. Oh, you've made a deal today?
01:48:58
Speaker
Yes, with Franny on the boat. Oh. And he reaches into his pocket and starts fiddling with something. Well, hope you know what you're doing.
01:49:09
Speaker
She did a real number on my buddy Corvus, so... What happened to Corvus? Like he just went in the tower and came out, right? Yeah, came out old. I mean, that's not her fault. That's the tower's fault, right?
01:49:20
Speaker
Well, he went into the tower because of her. Sure. Did he get what he wanted from her? No, he didn't get what she wanted, so. Oh. What did he want so badly that it was worth going into the tower?
01:49:32
Speaker
His mom was sick. Wanted to help her out. Damn. And we're walking. Damn. I'm very serious about helping this island because it's important to me and it's important to my friends.
01:49:45
Speaker
And I just think it's objectively important. So I made a very good and sensible deal that is very sound and will not hurt me in any way. That's, that's good. that um I appreciate your help. I really do. It's, uh, it's really good of you people to be helping us out like this. And I hope everything turns out with, with Franny and this deal you've made. i won't pry. It's not my business, but I hope, I hope you get what, what you need.
01:50:12
Speaker
Callum, I guess I've never really asked, but aside from those four people that you were with in the basement, or three people, is there anybody else that's part of this cause? Like, how big is your um your organization here?
01:50:26
Speaker
Oh, there's a a bunch of us.
01:50:32
Speaker
Quite a lot, really.
01:50:36
Speaker
Inside. You sound really confident about that, yeah. You make an inside roll. Yeah. Oh, hell yeah. Three. Thirteen? Thirteen is what you needed.
01:50:48
Speaker
Yeah, Glimke, he like turns away and like, you know, adjusts his pack and like, you're like pretty sure he's lying, but you can't exactly tell. And Clay, yeah, you see him reach into his pocket again start fiddling with something. And he like catches you looking and looks up at you and says, okay, fine, fine.
01:51:06
Speaker
it's it's just It's just us. It's just us. Basically, if you've joined, we've doubled our numbers today. But I mean, if we double our numbers every day, soon we'll have a really big number.
01:51:18
Speaker
Did you know if you had one gold piece and you doubled it every day, you'd be a millionaire within a month? Yeah. Holy shit, I'm going to walk on a boat for 50 years. Well, no, hold on.
01:51:30
Speaker
You know, we've done everything we've done with three people up to this point. And you know, they've they've probably done a little bit of work with three people. so They're getting bombs. So six...
01:51:42
Speaker
We can get lots of bombs with six. We've essentially doubled. Like you said, we've doubled the squad. We've doubled our odds. Double our squad, double our odds. And Fondlin has made a deal to, you know, help with that exponential growth.
01:51:56
Speaker
So maybe we can triple our numbers in a week. There we go. All right. ah like i like how you're talking. What do you have in your pocket there? He reaches into his his pocket and he pulls out a little medallion. It's this little carved wooden symbol. It's on a simple rope, like like a string.
01:52:19
Speaker
ah appears to be like ah and a necklace, you know? And the the wooden carving is that of a floral fractal. And I think without rolling, each of you would know that it is the symbol of Odrajal, the god of life and order.
01:52:35
Speaker
a Hmm. Just a little holy symbol, you know? It was my dad's, and he always said it brought him luck, so I hold on to it. You don't need luck anymore. You've got us.
01:52:48
Speaker
But that is a beautiful symbol. Nice. Thanks. Okay, yeah. He yeah throws it away and this says, oh, wait a minute, and no, I still want this you know he He jumps into the into the brambles and comes back out just like twigs and leaves sticking out his hair. Hey, I look like you.
01:53:03
Speaker
All all right, let's go. if we're we we gotta We gotta step it up. And you take off again. You follow this trail for a while and eventually the forested area that you're in thins out into...
01:53:19
Speaker
What probably was farmland at one point, though the ground is yellow and nothing really appears to be growing from it at this time. There's some rolling hills that you you cross and the miles go quick.
01:53:31
Speaker
As you travel this direction, the ash begins to pour down again. The clouds above get thicker and more gray. And Callum says, yeah, the grove's pretty close to the mine, just a few miles south.
01:53:49
Speaker
So keep a keep an eye out. They don't usually patrol this far south of the mines. usually guard the roads between Ankeel and the mines really heavily.
01:54:02
Speaker
But down here we should be okay. But just in case, keep ah keep an eye out for any scouts or sentries. Tell me that. And you continue.
01:54:14
Speaker
You walk for a little while longer, maybe another hour, hour and a half.
01:54:19
Speaker
until you see sort of just as you crest a hill, you see a forest, a grove laid out before you. It's not all that big, and the trees are gray.
01:54:37
Speaker
They are leafless, not a bud upon them. It is
Carrying Etigan's Spirit and Urgent Mission
01:54:43
Speaker
a dead forest. Cal says, yeah, this is it. This is Etigan's Grove.
01:54:50
Speaker
Like you said, I remember when I was a kid, there was a bunch of plumeria growing here, but now it is how how you see it. But I guess we can look around and see what we can find, right?
01:55:05
Speaker
Sorry, you said that the grove is also covered in this ash too? ah The ash is like pouring down, yeah. So it's like... Wow. Some of the trees look almost like there's like a layer of snow on them in the winter.
01:55:16
Speaker
But yeah, do you do not see any green or pink, as it were. I think Glimki will walk out into this clearing here and take out maybe a few of those petals of the plumeria.
01:55:32
Speaker
and And more symbolically than anything, he wants to clear a little patch of the ash and then... Maybe dig a little bit below the surface of the soil and put some of the petals in the earth.
01:55:44
Speaker
Okay. I will say you do that. And as you do, the wind picks up and one of these petals slips from your fingers and blows into the grove, winding through the trees.
01:56:02
Speaker
I'd like to follow it if I can. Okay. Everyone else follows as well? Yeah. Yeah. Glimke takes off. This petal is not waiting for you, it's not stopping, and the two of you and Callum hurry to keep up.
01:56:17
Speaker
You lose it from time to time and then see it darting between the trees. But you keep up, following along, until you're deep within this grove.
01:56:32
Speaker
It is quiet here. There's not ah canopy above you, so it's still decently light. But it is quiet in a way that forests shouldn't be.
01:56:49
Speaker
There are no birds above. There are no squirrels or rabbits below. There's no wind rustling through the leaves. These trees have no leaves. In fact, they don't seem to have bark.
01:57:05
Speaker
because they are petrified. They are turned to stone. Gnarled branches reaching up into the sky. But you follow this petal, and it blows around one last tree.
01:57:21
Speaker
And you walk around it. And you see this tree is larger than the rest. The trunk is large enough that probably...
01:57:33
Speaker
The four of you couldn't fully wrap your arms around it if you put them fingertip to fingertip. It too is turned to stone. But you walk around the other side and you see growing up, poking through the ground behind this tree is a single little brown sapling with a single flower missing many of its petals hanging off of it.
01:58:01
Speaker
Oh. And your flower petal comes to rest next to it. And all of you hear a voice.
01:58:13
Speaker
Green Knight, you came.
01:58:19
Speaker
Ed again? Yes.
01:58:24
Speaker
We've come to help in any way we can, but we're not sure what you need. Anything, any insight to to give you some more strength. Because to be honest, we could use your help too.
01:58:38
Speaker
cannot last long. Not in my current state. What do you need? Would you carry me? Carry me as you carry Mulare.
01:58:52
Speaker
Sorry, what? Let me root amongst his leaves.
01:59:01
Speaker
and that may preserve me for a time. Glumki looks back at the the party. ah Anil in his mouth agape, because you have described your relationship with Malari as very possessive.
01:59:15
Speaker
Yeah.
01:59:17
Speaker
But you said Malari wants to help this spirit also. Malari needs this spirit's help. Yeah. And bring you where? What do you need?
01:59:32
Speaker
I felt so much love for your kind.
01:59:40
Speaker
They came here and they were filled with endless fascination.
01:59:48
Speaker
Every
01:59:52
Speaker
twig, every blade of grass filled them with such joy wonder. They wrote poems.
02:00:04
Speaker
They danced. They created beautiful works of art. So I gave them more. I created beautiful gems and metals within the ground.
02:00:21
Speaker
There is a piece of myself buried deep within this island. I can't reach it on my own. But if you would bring me there, and if this destruction would stop, in time, think, I could recover my strength.
02:00:43
Speaker
Well, that's good enough for me. Clunkey will take a knee, and I guess try to clear ah away the ash and soil to reveal this little plant's roots, and try to gently pull it from the earth.
02:00:58
Speaker
You clear the ash, dig through the soil, and with the most gentle precision, you pull this little sapling out. The flower hangs heavy at its end.
02:01:11
Speaker
You see it has ten petals. It's pink and orange. You reach up, bring them to your hair, and you feel the roots begin to intertwine, and you let go.
02:01:27
Speaker
And the flower stays. Clay and Faunlin, you see that there is now a flower growing amongst the leaves in Glimke's hair. How does that feel? It is odd to be rooted not within the ground, but within something older.
02:01:53
Speaker
But I'm sure I will become used to it in time. Thank you, Green Knight. I wouldn't thank me yet, Etigan, because now that you're rooted among Malari's branches, it's probably good that you know that the Parachat is coming for both of us. Oh, I see.
02:02:11
Speaker
Do you know when it will convene? Not a clue. Let's go try to find your heart or whatever gem is buried beneath the ground, because I don't think we have that much time.
02:02:25
Speaker
You are right. Time is of the essence. Seems we might both be plucked soon. Here's hoping we can help each other out. And with that, you
Locust-Man Battle Preparation
02:02:36
Speaker
step away from the tree.
02:02:38
Speaker
Callum looks at you says, Okay. Wow. I don't really know what I just saw, but I was... I mean, hell, it would it if I needed any convincing, I'm convinced. I didn't. I was convinced yesterday.
02:02:55
Speaker
But if if I think with you, i think we can bring a lot of people to our side. Let's, um we should go. i don't and don't think we should sleep here.
02:03:06
Speaker
It feels wrong. Agreed. Okay. The four of you, or perhaps five, set off the way you came. walking amongst these dead trees, ready to leave this grove and eventually return to civilization.
02:03:28
Speaker
There are timers ticking above Fondlin's head, Glimke's head, Etigan's petals. Clay's doing great though.
02:03:39
Speaker
All things considered, Clay's doing pretty good. i didn't sign my life away to anybody. I ate that. So you know. That I know. Because it seems like something else is going on. And I think with that in mind, Clay, you're perhaps slightly less bothered, less burdened, we might say, than a young rebel leader, ah man caught amongst a world of spirits that he is only barely beginning to understand.
02:04:13
Speaker
your scheming elven friend who seems confident, but how can you be sure about what she's done? So think it makes sense that you notice as you walk, the wind picks up for a second like it did before, and a collection of dried up leaves swirl around your feet.
02:04:39
Speaker
But this forest is long dead. and it has no leaves. And you look closer and see there are dozens and dozens of locusts.
02:04:55
Speaker
What the? Oh man No, no They begin to pool and congeal. Not now, bro. And take on the form of a man.
02:05:08
Speaker
ah with a wrought iron helm um ah and a terrible war pick that did terrible things to your friends several weeks ago he steps forward raises a hand towards you i cast burning hands at him back and that's where we'll stop tonight's episode of art soup Calabron!
02:05:32
Speaker
Holy! In the sacred grove, Zachary! In the sacred grove! Oh, I'm gonna burn this place. There's no leaves. It's just locusts. Oh my god.
02:05:42
Speaker
Oh my god.
02:05:59
Speaker
Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Bard Soup. I am your talking client so as not to wake up his lovely partner, Dungeon Master
02:06:10
Speaker
And I have been joined by Prima Jow as Clay Campbell, Jordan Johnson as Glemke Treefellow, and Shannon Meegle as Vaughn Lynn Vedark. If you liked this episode, you know what to do.
02:06:22
Speaker
Why haven't you done it already? Leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Follow the show at barred underscore soup on Instagram or TikTok.
02:06:32
Speaker
Maybe start a fan club while you're at it. We'll be back in two weeks with chapter 30, the big 3-0. And I can promise you, ooh, it's a spooky one.
02:06:43
Speaker
It's October. But until then, stay frosty, don't get spooked, and we'll see then. Bye-bye.