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World of Ae'oene Ep. 18: MIA
19 Plays1 day ago
The party is jolted awake with the news of Maeve's disappearance. While Kaldin and Jellen attempt to find her trail (and get a strange case of the heebie jeebies), Thalira prepares to face her fear - public speaking. What does the party learn? Gotta listen to find out!
This show is written with adult audiences in mind and contains content that may not be suitable for younger listeners.
This episode has the following content warnings: Strong Language, General Violence
We'd love to hear your feedback! What worked, what didn't, and what do you want to hear more of? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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Our cast:
- Curtiss Woosley as The GM
- Rennie Armas as Kaldin
- Sapheara as Maeve Strongheart
- Jack Baldwin as Jellen Ykalle
- MJ Guenther as Thalira Grimstone Eku'Lanath
Additional Credits:
- Show graphics by Sentic GFX
- Show editing Rennie Armas and MJ Guenther
- Intro/Outro music composed by Ryan Muns, Owner/Operator of Eyes On The Moon Studios
- Music, Ambience, and & SFX purchased/licensed from Monument Studios, Adrian Von Ziegler, and Michael Ghelfi Studios (https://www.michaelghelfistudios.com).
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Transcript
Introduction to Aeon's World and Themes
00:00:08
Speaker
The world of Aeon contains stories with mature themes. Content warnings are in the episode description.
Cliffhanger Tease and Cast Dynamics
00:00:23
Speaker
Welcome back to the World of Aeon Stories of Legend. We hope you guys have enjoyed our last little cliffhanger that we left off on, because I know that our lovely cast members have... Speaking of cast members, I'm lacking one today.
00:00:37
Speaker
Cast members, say hi. Hello. hello Hello. Can you tell who's missing? Yep, it's Sephira. So that gives you any idea of...
Episode Excitement and Setup
00:00:52
Speaker
I'm so keen for today's episode. She's right here. What are you talking about? It's like she's with us the whole time. She's never left.
00:01:02
Speaker
Oh my gosh. If you guys have any idea on who's missing and what might be happening considering the cliffhanger we left off on, well, today's going to be fun for you to figure out and find out exactly what it's going to be. Way to tell what happened, Wooz.
00:01:17
Speaker
Well, actually, to be frank, the way these episodes are going to come out, they already know what happened. You guys are the ones who don't. Oh, good point. Yeah, because for audience, fun fact, we're actually recording 17, the one you've already listened to, tomorrow.
00:01:30
Speaker
So, you know, it's going fun. But regardless, I want see... Yeah, fun. That's the word. It's going be so fun. 17 was a blast. I don't know what y'all are talking about. Anyway, yeah, let's get into this because i really want to see y'all's reactions.
00:01:46
Speaker
So let's do this.
Maeve's Disappearance Unfolds
00:02:06
Speaker
As we get started with today's session, I want to preface it by explaining a little bit on exactly where everyone's rooms are in this apartment building. As Sally had escorted you all out of Maeve's apartment previously the night before that we are going to be starting at, as you left Maeve's apartment, she had gotten you the only available rooms that she could do and muster quickly, which is a floor above Maeve's.
00:02:31
Speaker
She led you down the hallway, up a set of stairs, and down at the end of the hallway, so you're not even directly above Maeve's room. You all three have your own room, should you want it as well. And I say all three, that would actually include Kiro, he has his own as well.
00:02:47
Speaker
So four? So technically four, yeah. Sally, Lou would get her own, but Sally doesn't exactly know everything going on with Lou, so kind of was like, it's it's an animal, I'm sure it'll go with one of you.
00:03:00
Speaker
So we're going be starting today's episode as, tell you what, actually, because I don't have exactly the layout of whose room is who in the hallway, i want each of you to roll me a D10. And we're going to start with whoever has the highest.
00:03:16
Speaker
I got a 10. It's not me. I got a one. Oh, not, not Calvin. Calvin's room is at the edge of the building.
00:03:28
Speaker
Furthest down the hallway. It's because he had a chicken with him. that's That's right. All right. So Yellen is the one we're starting with. As Yellen, you get woken up early in the morning.
00:03:41
Speaker
Sunrise just starting to crest. As you hear immense pounding on the door. As you hear the frantic voice of Sally. Wake up. I need help. I don't i don't know not where she went.
00:03:54
Speaker
Hang Hang on. it start so you Start over from the beginning. What's happening? As you open the door, you see Sally still in her nightgown, hair frantically a mess, and you can still smell the rum on her breath as she is in full panic and tears streaming down her face. Maeve's gone.
00:04:19
Speaker
Maeve's gone. She's gone. She's on a purpose. but Are you sure she didn't like go out for breakfast or something? no ah No. so Her sword has kicked into the room and there's... Just... we i go go Go see it.
00:04:36
Speaker
Fuck. Hang on. Let me get the others. we We're to round everything up. We're going find her. It's all my fault. It's all my fault. And Yellen's going wake everybody else up.
00:04:50
Speaker
Just by knocking on their doors or? ah He's going to knock and then like, yeah, and then knock and be like, Maeve is missing. Help, please.
00:05:03
Speaker
You hear the sound of Sally crying in the hallway pretty evidently, although it's muffled through your door, of course. ah Yellen, can you send Talira over here?
00:05:15
Speaker
ah Sure. I'll go to Talira's room. Talira, Maeve is missing. Calden needs you. What the fuck? What? Maeve! And Talira, she jumps out of bed, doesn't even worry about the armor. She's she's running over. She grabs her axe and Lou, lou wake up.
00:05:38
Speaker
Maeve's missing. is yeah Blue! It rolls over, knocks a thing off of a table in accident. Blue, Maeve is missing. Her eyes go wide for a moment and then sees like the the seriousness in your tone and jumps up, ready to go. Okay, and Talira just rushes out the door.
00:05:59
Speaker
You rush out to see, I assume, Kalden having been out as well by this point, Renny? ah No, he needs Talira's help. Oh, gotcha. Caldeen? Uh, Tanira?
00:06:11
Speaker
Can you... Can you help me get dressed? Oh, shit, yes. ah I'll be right there. Thank you. And yeah she carefully opens the door, slips in, and... that As much as she can slip in through a door. yeah It's basically wide open.
00:06:29
Speaker
ah but Slightly less wide. She doesn't have her armor on.
00:06:39
Speaker
It's still basically like all the way over. That's so funny. While that's happening, Yellen, Sally has at this point basically collapsed into your arms, just hysterically crying, explaining just just to how she regrets. Like, she's she's been having more and more of a drinking problem as the years have been going on, and she just, with the events and the trauma from yesterday, she just she just couldn't.
00:07:03
Speaker
She had to have a drink, and then it led to three more, and ah she didn't do her final check. Like, she really does. Hey, right it's all right. i'm I'm sure Maeve hasn't gone far, you know? And... it It's gonna be okay. It's not your fault.
00:07:17
Speaker
She doesn't miss meetings. The meeting with PR is in a bit and she doesn't do this. Maybe she just needed to clear her head for a moment. No, there's just... No, no. no no No, it's alright. There's a hole in the wall.
00:07:30
Speaker
There's... There's a hole in the wall? No. It's all my fault. Sally. Sally. It's alright. If you were there, there may be a hole in you as well.
00:07:42
Speaker
So, I'm glad that you weren't. um You can't blame this on yourself. Whoever blew a hole in the wall was obviously strong enough to, well, blow holes in walls. So, I'm glad that you weren't there. It's from it's from the sword.
00:07:55
Speaker
Like, she put up a fight. Oh, Maeve blew the hole in the wall. Looks like one from her sword. she She wouldn't go down without a fight, and it doesn't look like she did. um The ball got ruined.
00:08:08
Speaker
She almost got taken yesterday, and I and just don't know what to do. well um You know what? Let's go take a
Investigation and Clues
00:08:15
Speaker
look at it. About this point, the door opens for Calden and Talira to be joining into the hallway. Yeah, Calden rushes out as soon as he's able.
00:08:23
Speaker
Yeah, and Talira's right behind him. She has her armor, like, with her. It's just not on. So as they're gathering things, she's trying to put things on piecemeal.
00:08:34
Speaker
what What do we know? What's... see She was taken, I think. Just go go nico look. He rushes to her room.
00:08:45
Speaker
And Talira follows. As you begin to run past, the door opens, and I'm sure none of you stop, but the door to Kira's room opens, and he just... What's the commotion about?
00:08:58
Speaker
as you all just take off down the hallway into the stairs. As you go down a floor to Maeve's room, you find the door is wide open from when Sally had checked.
00:09:08
Speaker
You see Maeve's sword kicked into the living room. You see marks from it and potentially something else across the doorframe to her bedroom. The bed ruffled and just general signs of a struggle, but seeming to have been subdued to just her apartment as the hallway doesn't seem to have any.
00:09:27
Speaker
Can I roll an investigation check? Or would it be perception still? Um, either one, I think I'd allow. It depends. If you're just looking a general sense of the room, then it's just gonna be perception. But if you're looking for specific signs of anything or and such, that'll be more investigation.
00:09:42
Speaker
Talira would also, as she's following Kalden, she would be trying to get a general sense for the room. okay um I think he picks up the sword and wants to see if he can get a general sense of like order of events, movement, any indications, like evidence left behind of who could have been in here with her. Okay. What are your roles?
00:10:08
Speaker
18. hold on. Yes, 18. 25. Sheesh! With an 18 and a 25, I'm going to give you all just the general information that you can gather from these rolls, and I'll let you determine how much more Talaria will kind of sense out than Kalten.
00:10:24
Speaker
But what is seen is, as you look in the room, the bed is strewn to the side as if the comforter was thrown suddenly, completely off the bed. You see what looks like could have been a hole from a dagger, dagger no longer there, in the wall to the right of the bed, as if maybe it was thrown and deflected.
00:10:42
Speaker
There are slash marks across the doorframe and a crack in the wall opposite of the doorframe as if somebody had been pushed into it. There is a couple drips of blood in the hallway outside the bedroom and a smear on the wall just in front of the door to the apartment.
00:11:02
Speaker
Does it smell like Maeve's blood? That's exactly what I was going to ask. I was going to ask if Lou could smell if it was Maeve's blood or not. Yeah, you ask Lou that, and lou Lou obviously would be investigating as well, and...
00:11:17
Speaker
Lou rolled well. Lou kind of sniffs, and the blood at the doorway is Maeve's. The smear on the wall is not. She was fighting.
00:11:29
Speaker
That is not hers, but that one is. It looks non-magical as far as the fighting goes. You said that her sword looks damaged.
00:11:41
Speaker
It doesn't look damaged, but it's not, like, pristine, like it had just been cleaned. Like, it looks like it was used. Does it have blood on it? Um... Probably, yeah.
00:11:53
Speaker
Okay. Not a lot, though. It doesn't look like it was, like, a deathly blow by any means. Kaladin's going to take the sword with him. Maeve would want it back when they find her.
00:12:05
Speaker
How ah old does the blood look? It's been less than 12 hours. I would say that's something with a 25 that Talira would be able to tell. It hasn't been very long.
00:12:17
Speaker
Still less than about 12 hours. Lou, can you smell where they might have taken her? Lou kind of sniffs around and then walks out the door and kind of tries to sniff and looks around.
00:12:30
Speaker
Can't seem to find any more blood outside of the apartment. Do you think they must have cast some sort of silencing spell or something? There's no way none of us would have heard this.
00:12:44
Speaker
had to It had to have been magical. it did Do you think they teleported her out? Was it a rift? Are there any signs of any kind of magical spells being cast or anything? I don't know how that works.
00:12:59
Speaker
Um, Yellen, can you sense any residual magic in the air? What? Can you... Are you okay? Yeah, yeah, um, it's fine. Fine.
00:13:11
Speaker
I'm going to do an Arcana to see if... I'm going Insight that. Yeah, what's going on here? That's weird. And with my rune, I get Advantage on Insight Checks.
00:13:31
Speaker
Yellen, obviously give me your Arcana check for the checking of, like, residuals, but also as far as deception, persuasion against their insights, roll, and you feel free to let them know, based on the roll, what they might get out of that.
00:13:45
Speaker
That was a 26. Oh, boy. All right, so for my Arcana, it's a 17, and then for my other thing, it's a natural one.
00:13:57
Speaker
my God. Oh, my God.
00:14:05
Speaker
Ouch! We didn't even need to incite this, dude. That could have just been a passive check and we would have been like, uh, dude.
00:14:15
Speaker
Wow. Wow. Ouch. Yeah, Yellen definitely looks kind of a shell-shocked, to say the least. um Like, this might be similar to something he's seen before.
00:14:29
Speaker
Keldin exchanges a glance with Talira, but I think now is not the time to try and dig into this. Yeah, she nods. With a 17 for your Arcana check, you you try to sense around, and some Arcane presences come easier to you than others, just based on your training and your source of most of your Arcane power.
00:14:52
Speaker
The first one that's easiest to note is there was healing magic used. Hmm. um As I'm kind of checking around for the magic essence, I'm going to walk over to the blood that was not Maeve's.
00:15:06
Speaker
And um i would like to get as much of it on my hand and under my fingernails as I can. Okay. And going cast Scrying.
00:15:17
Speaker
And since I have part of the body. shit. Oh my god, I was not ready for this. Fuck. Damn! Okay, wow. I did not expect that.
00:15:30
Speaker
Okay, yeah. I was to say the other arcane signature you get, although harder to find, is you do notice on the front door that a knock spell was used. o Okay. All right. To open it.
00:15:44
Speaker
We should have heard that then. You guys are a floor up and on at the end of the building. Good point. You actually, and as you're investigating for the front door, you see Sally is outside, leaned up against her door, sitting on the ground and kind of in a fetal position, crying, and you just hear under her breath, and in these labored breaths, how her door is literally next door, but she was passed out from the alcohol and couldn't hear anything, and just how how much that's really affecting her psyche right now.
00:16:14
Speaker
Calden is going to go crouch down next to her. And, um, like, put his arm around her.
00:16:27
Speaker
It's not your fault. If I hadn't drank so much. Someone... Someone came here to target Maeve. And...
00:16:40
Speaker
I don't think... you hearing her and not would have stopped this. We could have at least known sooner. Perhaps. or they could have been using magic to prevent anyone from hearing this at all.
00:16:55
Speaker
You're right, yeah, you're right. They could have they been. And my suspicion is that they did. They came here for her. They were prepared.
00:17:05
Speaker
But we're going to find her. She's going to be okay. I promise. She like looks up and meets your eye when you say that you're gonna find her. and i know i know you will. She spoke so highly of all of you.
00:17:20
Speaker
I mean, I didn't know if she was gonna give him these, but i've I've got something I think Yellen will want to see. She slowly gets up and goes into apartment real quick. Yellen, what is your... Do you just hold the blood in your hand as you attempt to scry?
00:17:35
Speaker
Yeah. You attempt to scry here, using the blood as your source. Your horns begin to show this illusionary image again. And for you, you're able to see this in your mind.
00:17:47
Speaker
Can you give me a little insight before I describe this? and to An insight? No, not an insight check, but more an insight into the emotions that Yellen is feeling as he uses his magic.
00:18:01
Speaker
Hmm. Yellen currently is feeling a lot of fear and it's mostly fear and anger, but there's ah like a twinge of like a sadness as well. That fear and the anger that drives it.
00:18:17
Speaker
The visual representation that you both see in your mind, but others can see in your horns as well, is almost like a a red hue to the image. And as the image moves, it's shaky and sudden rather than smooth, like the scrying you had used the night before.
00:18:32
Speaker
But sure enough, the scrying works. As you see the image of two gentlemen wearing deep black, one of them a tiefling, not crystal. Pale skin, long horns that reach down, reaching down to their shoulders.
00:18:46
Speaker
Eyes with a bit of a red, crimson tinge to them. And the other, just a human. But you see the black, unnatural black circles that surround their eyes, almost as if ink is dripping down from the edges of their eyelids.
00:19:02
Speaker
When you see them, you get a shiver. You didn't interact with people like this very often with your time with the Animaclary G. You are told of them, and you know of their presence as you had discovered it several times on different missions that you might have gone on with your master trying to fix the fuck-ups and fix the messes that they may have left behind.
00:19:22
Speaker
You inherently just have this feeling because of your connection to Isaken that you've had with the Anima Clarigi. You know what the feeling of Isaken's brother feels like, Mordmeon, and his followers, the Mordifer Pactum.
00:19:34
Speaker
You see they're underground. They have a bag about the size of a body being dragged behind them next to a sewer line. And in front of both of them, you see a man who is in the middle of doing... He's like turning around mid-walk and then continuing to walk as if having a conversation. You can see his mouth moving, but you can't exactly hear what's coming out of it.
00:19:54
Speaker
But you see, when he turns around through the hood, a blue crystal tiefling. Do I know this blue crystal tiefling? You do not. But he's a kyanite tiefling just like yourself.
00:20:06
Speaker
If Calvin was watching, I would ask if he recognizes the tiefling. Actually, he might have come back since Sally went into her room. Yeah, you probably catch the tail end of this as you turn the corner for the door. You see the tail, just a ah couple seconds of the image on his horns, and you do recognize the face of that crystal tiefling.
00:20:27
Speaker
And you also notice that crystal tiefling, Calden, you notice that he's holding a chest, the same chest you saw him take. Fuck. fucked up. I fucked up and it got me. That's the tiefling I saw in Piora's office.
00:20:40
Speaker
That's the box that he took, the artifact. Well, we know where to find them both now. That's Undor, isn't it? I mean, not the image you're seeing. The image you're seeing just looks like it's an underground sewer.
00:20:53
Speaker
Okay. So, well, we're just gonna search the fucking sewer. City's massive. Do you have tracking magic? The construction of the sewer line does look pretty new.
00:21:04
Speaker
have like a ah seeking spell or something? Where is the sewer new? Where is their new construction? Upper city? Maybe?
00:21:15
Speaker
i mean... but Realistically, it's probably not going to be in the poorer areas. Right. You all do remember that Glory has been under reconstruction for the past three years, and so a lot of the city is new construction and completely new infrastructure.
Strategies and Tension Build
00:21:34
Speaker
In fact, you're in part of that right now. had attack. It might be her very close. Yannan, do you have seeking magic? No, Kalvin, I don't have seeking magic.
00:21:46
Speaker
Okay, Lou. Fuck. I know you couldn't find her here. We lost its descent, but is there any chance you might be able to pick it up, or do you think it might be shielded?
00:21:57
Speaker
Lou kind of looks down and a little disappointed as Sally turns the corner, holding a little box just a little bit bigger than the size of a letter envelope. Sally, where where are the closest magic shops where you can buy scrolls?
00:22:13
Speaker
Um, all right up right outside this district, the Merchant Alley. It's where you came in for the ball yes yesterday. i'm I'm going to see if they have seeking scrolls. Okay.
00:22:25
Speaker
Pendlin should be here any minute. So somebody should be here to greet him. Yellen? He's her friend, right? Well, I was going to propose to her last night.
00:22:37
Speaker
Shit. Fuck. Yellen, this is this is for you. I i don't i don't know if she would have given this to you, but I think it's important that you know just to the extent she went when she thought you were gone.
00:22:49
Speaker
She hands you a box. It's about a foot deep, width and length just a little bit bigger than a letter envelope. And as you open it, you just see a massive stack of of letters unopened and addressed to the clerical conclave here in Glory.
00:23:06
Speaker
All of them with a note returned to sender. Do you open any any of the letters? No. Okay.
00:23:15
Speaker
Then he hands it back to Sally. Thank you, Sally. Yeah. I want to give you guys the opportunity to find a few more things around her apartment, given the looks that you all did.
00:23:27
Speaker
That weren't immediately anything because they weren't in... They didn't have to do with the immediate struggle you were looking for. as you go back to look through some of things as you're talking,
00:23:40
Speaker
Some of the things you do notice. On her desk, there's a sending stone. you were to look at some of the documents, you can see that there's medical documents with Maeve's name as the patient.
00:23:50
Speaker
There are a couple letters addressed from both Siobhan and Bartok, as you recognize those names. And there is a box on Maeve's desk with gold inlays, and you see it's been intricately carved with horns on it.
00:24:04
Speaker
And inside, you find the broken piece of Yellen's horn. Kiro finally comes around the corner of the doorway. Basically a towel, looking like he just freshly got out of ah of ah having ah having had a bath drawn with a towel around his waist.
00:24:18
Speaker
Kiro, put some fucking clothes on, please.
00:24:23
Speaker
I just wanted to be fresh. Quiero clothes now. cloth now not time so far from your apartment. Go put clothes on. There's people here. Okay, okay, okay. I'm going. I'm going. And you hear the loud steps of him walking down the hallway in a hurry.
00:24:41
Speaker
T'Vira, I'm gonna... One of these days, I'm going to hurt him. it will be well deserved. Oh, it will.
00:24:52
Speaker
He's not gonna get hurt nearly to the degree he deserves. I think the gravity of this might actually sober him up a little. I'm gonna go check out that shop. I'm gonna see if they have seeking spell scrolls, anything that can help her. you need to with it's It's not far, and it's day, it's fine.
00:25:13
Speaker
are Are you sure, Kelden? Yeah. um take Take the Sending Stone. um Yeah. I mean, what good would it do? You don't have one.
00:25:27
Speaker
Sending Stones and Aeon are distinctly connected in pairs. Who has the other one? Well, maybe you can figure that out when I'm gone.
00:25:37
Speaker
Yellen, do you want to come with me? You know more about magic than I do. Sure. Sure, yeah, I'll come. Okay. We're going to find her, Yellen. I hope so.
00:25:49
Speaker
We're going to find her. Yellen's just kind of gonna leave the apartment start heading towards the magic store. Okay. Calden exchanges one last look with Talira about that before he leaves too.
00:26:03
Speaker
Keep him safe, Yellen. We'll be fine, Talira. I know. As you all are walking out of the building, you see Fenlin and Lionel walking in.
00:26:14
Speaker
Um, right you all are looking rough. You have a rough night. um have Have a hell of a time catching up last night. did Did Saudi call you? what No, me and Lionel are here to get Maeve for the meeting with Piara.
00:26:33
Speaker
what what are he What's going on? Does he notice that I have Maeve's sword? He hasn't noticed yet. Okay.
00:26:45
Speaker
You're close with Maeve, right? and Yes, yeah yeah absolutely. Then you should probably know too. Maeve's gone. when when What are you... he His eyebrows furrow and he looks down for a moment and confused...
00:27:06
Speaker
What do you mean? What do you mean she's gone? She wouldn't just leave.
00:27:12
Speaker
No, she's not gone of her own volition. Someone attacked her last night. We just found out this morning. Someone her? After everything at the ball?
00:27:24
Speaker
Yes. You see, Lionel has stiffened immensely. We are...
00:27:33
Speaker
We know that the people who took her are in the sewers somewhere. We're on our way to a magic shop to try and and get seeking magic.
00:27:46
Speaker
Lionel steps forward. We'll find her. We'll put in an official investigation immediately. I would recommend discretion. I'd recommend using every force available.
00:27:57
Speaker
I recommend discretion. The moment they know that we're onto them, something could happen to her. We don't know why they took her specifically yet. The longer we take, the more chances they have of doing something to her.
00:28:11
Speaker
Look, with all due respect, anything official, protection-wise, has done absolutely shit. Maeve is probably fucking dead in the sewer. And look at you, your happy ass is walking up the fucking stairs.
00:28:23
Speaker
You even know, did you? No, you didn't until we just told you. So why don't you go figure this out? We're gonna figure whatever we need to figure out and we recommend discretion. So shut the hell up and we're gonna figure this out.
00:28:34
Speaker
Can roll me an intimidation check? It's gonna be a 18.
00:28:39
Speaker
eighteen 18, okay. You see Fenlon. Fenlon is intimidated by this, but less so of of scared and more so of the weight of it hits him because of the intense emotions you show.
00:28:53
Speaker
As he takes a few steps back and kind of puts his hands in his head, and you can he he begins to get very emotional. Where Lionel, he sees the intensity in your eyes, the emotion, and respects that heavily, but still steps forward and leans in and under his breath quietly to where only you two can hear.
00:29:11
Speaker
Nobody cares about that girl. More than me, except maybe her father. I will do everything in power. Then help us. We're wasting time arguing right now.
00:29:23
Speaker
We can move faster as a smaller group, discreetly. Kelden's right. We're wasting our time. Let's go. As you two walk away, he just kind of watches you, completely straight-faced.
00:29:38
Speaker
A few minutes later, Talira, you hear the footsteps approaching, including the the clashing of armor as they would walk at the joints. And you see Fenlin, with tear stains at this point, looking fairly distraught, and a completely emotionless Lynel come in the room.
00:29:54
Speaker
They don't stop, they don't knock, they walk in, and immediately, what have you found? There was a fight. I'll show you what we found in the room. Talira points to the stain on the, closer to the door as they walk by.
00:30:10
Speaker
We know that one was Maeve's, but she put up a fight. There is blood in the other room that is from the other. They pulled her out of bed from what we could see. There is signs of knife struggle near the wall around there, and the scent went cold outside of the door.
00:30:29
Speaker
We think they were using probably some kind of shield magic. They and opened the room with a knock. Thank you for the good investigation work. He swallows deeply, takes a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath.
00:30:40
Speaker
Fenlin, I need you to go back to your parents now. Fenlin kind of looks at him a little surprised, nods understanding he's not very useful in this current moment. Polira, is your name correct? Lionel, I recognized you from before.
00:30:52
Speaker
You are her guard. I am. I was busy with the events from the ball. Otherwise I would have been next door. They probably took advantage of that then. I will be back.
00:31:03
Speaker
I've got a contact I trust I think can help. Don't make it too big. That's what your friend said. Her father's gonna have to know. Yes. I want you to know he won't care what you say and he will make it big.
00:31:14
Speaker
When I say he'll make it big, I don't mean including other people. He himself will be the big. Do you know much about his history? How much does Talira know about his history? Just of the legends of him known in the Adventurer's Guild.
00:31:31
Speaker
he's one of He is double-S ranked adventurer, which is the highest rank you can be. And he's known for quite a few very impressive feats in his history when when he was with the Adventurer's Guild and actively taking contracts.
00:31:45
Speaker
I know of his skill, I know of his feats. And if he is going to be the big, then it would be an honor to fight beside him. Glad to hear it. I think it'd be best, discretionary-wise, that when I get back, she'll take me a bit.
00:32:01
Speaker
That no one's here. So do what you need to do and leave. Very well. You get to her first. And I hope you do. Because if you're there before me, it just means it's that much quicker. You do everything in your power to save her.
00:32:11
Speaker
We're getting her back. I lost track of her once. and I'm not letting it happen again. Unfortunately, I have to take a professional manner in this as well, and there are politics at play.
00:32:23
Speaker
Somebody needs to make an appearance at the meeting with Piara. Well, it looks like that might have to be me, because I don't know how long Calden and Yellen will be. As long as it's somebody that was involved yesterday and that knows me. Oh fuck.
00:32:37
Speaker
Okay. Shit. Sally comes in. I will um and well go with you, Talira. I'll guide you. How long do we have? The meeting's in less than an hour.
00:32:50
Speaker
Okay, fuck, yeah. That, um, Kalden and Yelen are not going to be back by then. Fuck me. Okay. Okay. Okay. Give me 20 minutes. I will be ready.
00:33:02
Speaker
All right. I'll leave you to it. He turns about face and walks out of the room. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I, uh, Ren, Ren. Yeah. Why would any of us talk to Piara?
00:33:14
Speaker
We're not part of this. Why the fuck would we be having an official diplomatic conversation with Piara? Why isn't Fenland doing this? That's his job. It is. It is definitely Fenlan's job. He's literally trained for this.
00:33:31
Speaker
It is. It is technically Fenlan's job. And who's to say he won't be there? Don't get me wrong. But Maeve is supposed to have a representation there. But Talira is going to go in and be like, I don't know what any of their security measures were because I was not a part of putting this together at all.
00:33:50
Speaker
I just made the most disgusting mouth noise that has to get cut out. coughed. Please retake that. I can't edit that. That was just spit, dude. That was spit in my throat. I cannot fix that in post. Would you like me to redo my rant?
00:34:07
Speaker
I don't remember what I said. it was passion in the moment. It is all good. It is all good. I'm so sorry, listeners, who probably don't care nearly as much as I would about that noise.
00:34:21
Speaker
But anyway, Talira will not have any useful information to answer questions for Piora because we're not involved in organizing this event. We don't know anything about the security at all. Or research or anything. But that also might be the point. Yeah.
00:34:37
Speaker
There's literally no reason for her to be going there. no She's also not the best bullshit. All you got to do is not say a blue guy did it. We'll be good Yeah, we're going say that Maeve is missing. He was definitely purple, more purple than blue, for sure. There was a lot of red in that. also were trying to keep it under wraps that Maeve went missing. So there's that whole fun thing.
00:34:59
Speaker
She is desperately ill right now with a fever. She also got terribly drunk and it has a terrible hangover. ah maybe Maybe Piara is distracted about this meeting because her office has just been destroyed.
00:35:16
Speaker
Calden absolutely intentionally made it look like she was robbed. Because she was. It's true. She was. She actually was. It was a very good job. But like he made it look worse than he would have if he was trying to be sneaky. I have it. Maeve, because she also was part of that attack, she just has a really fucking bad concussion and in bed.
00:35:38
Speaker
There you go We'll see. As you come back out of the room, Sally has a stack of papers that she has has prepped and you can see like the tear stains are very much still there.
00:35:49
Speaker
Dark circles in her eyes, but has is doing a fairly good job of trying to put on work the work face of stuff the trauma back. Got work to do. We'll deal with it later type of deal.
00:36:02
Speaker
Okay, Thalera, I know this isn't your strong suit. Fen- Fenlin should still be there. I don't think you're gonna have to do much talking regarding the security of the vent and everything like that. If you do need it, it looks like Maeve got most of her report done last night and I've got that with me. I can talk for you. it's It's mainly just a seat that needs filled.
00:36:19
Speaker
I- I- I- I do- I heard word that they might be asking for a favor, which I think is the real reason that the Maeve is required to have representation there still.
00:36:31
Speaker
Like outside of just a report. kind of favor? Um... well... There was some talk more last night. Obviously Maeve wasn't a part of it, but messages were maybe sent on her behalf regarding the accusations with the Aether Crow and your friend, and Piara is very much wanting, I think, revenge and retribution is definitely part of it, but more so as well regarding Maeve's specific...
00:37:02
Speaker
mission of unearthing the problems with the Xerogog that you all are ah part of, i think she's wanting that to be proven innocent for them.
00:37:17
Speaker
A bit of information I want to make sure that everyone has. Calden would have, when explaining the stuff that happened in the office, he would have mentioned that the tiefling he talked to is part of the Aethercrow.
00:37:36
Speaker
Mm.
00:37:38
Speaker
Mm-hmm. So you would have the information that presumably the Aethercrow is who kidnapped Maeve. Right. That'd be important for you guys to know in this moment that Kaldun would have shared. The Aethercrow is probably the one behind Maeve's kidnapping.
00:37:57
Speaker
I kind of had that thought too. And I'm expecting, just off of my experience, that Piara is going to ask you all, given your history, and also being part of the ones to accuse the Xorlogog of what they are doing, that they might instead ask you to go find evidence that it's the Aethicrow and not them to prove their innocence.
00:38:20
Speaker
I'm not going to make a promise on that. I'm going to uncover the truth. If it is Orelcog, then it is Orelcog. But we do know we have reason to suspect the Aethercrow.
00:38:32
Speaker
I understand, and Maeve would say the same. And you're more than welcome to speak your mind, but try to do so as politically and professionally as possible, considering you are speaking for Maeve. That's all I ask. I will do my best to guide you.
00:38:47
Speaker
I... Regardless, and she looks up at you and, bend down for me a moment. And she reaches up and kind of fixes your hair a little bit and and looks at your your armor and tidies it up, goes and grabs a rag and kind of takes a scuff out to shine a part of it.
00:39:05
Speaker
it'll It'll have to do. Okay. Lu, I'm sorry, you're going stay here. it's just That's just not going to accepted. I'm so sorry. Okay, well, let's do this. Lu, if there's anything else you can find, that would be good.
00:39:20
Speaker
She gives you a nod and she'll do her best. Fuck, okay, let's go. and Talira swipes her hair back, messing up all the work Sally just did. and And you all walk out of the building.
00:39:33
Speaker
Let's catch up with ah Calden and Yellen though. As you all go around the walls this district and make your way up the slight hill back to the merchant's alley that is in front of the magnificent area the ball was held, you are into a
Magical Quest in Sacred Springs
00:39:50
Speaker
somewhat familiar place. Although, middle of the day now, although it's not that you haven't been there in the middle the day,
00:39:55
Speaker
You venture further in now, further towards the market, towards more of the, more of some of the small buildings, as well as all the open, very high-end, although open air as they want to take advantage of the nice weather that happens here quite a bit, little booths.
00:40:10
Speaker
There are ones with high-end and exotic foods, high-end exotic tools, weapons, armor, anything and everything to be living life in the city, as well, of course, as magic and herbs and such like that. It'd be very easy to find a booth or one of the small buildings here that are a specialty shop.
00:40:30
Speaker
As you approach one, they're finishing up with a customer and they turn to both of you. Hello, how may I help you? what What exactly are you looking for? I deal with specialties of the arcane of all kinds and what is here is not everything that I have available, so please just ask.
00:40:45
Speaker
You sell magic scrolls? Well, that is in my repertoire. What exactly is it you're looking for? Yeah, then are there other types of spells we should be looking for besides seeking? um I'm not sure. Maybe something to bring us there. i don't know.
00:41:03
Speaker
Do you have seeking scrolls? um Or locate person or anything like that? Well, I would say I can get a locate person scroll fairly easily. i might even have one available now if you might be able to put up the right price.
00:41:18
Speaker
No. Now it is, alright. Give me just one moment. He goes behind a, just a small little curtain area, comes back out holding a scroll. And look at that, I did happen to have one in my inventory. I will say though, it is the last one, and unfortunately it is something that's quite popular. So demand is quite high, I think I'm going to have to charge ah a steep 700 gold.
00:41:39
Speaker
Oh, I see. Well, we'll just shop around then, won't we? Sounds like a good plan. Well, I don't know. Demand is quite high, I don't know if you can find it anywhere else. Hmm. Well, i'm I'm sure you'll find someone who can buy it then. But we'll shop around.
00:41:52
Speaker
I'm sure we can find someone who's maybe more proficient. More profi- How dare you? There is no one more proficient in this market than me. Roll me- Oh, I'm so sorry my mistake. I thought it would be difficult for you to create more, which is why you have such a low stock.
00:42:10
Speaker
This is good. Roll me a um whatever charisma-based ability to check you want to to try to haggle this price down. Okay. Damn.
00:42:22
Speaker
That was good. That was really good. Okay, that's a 15 plus 22. 22, dang. Okay. Holy shit.
00:42:33
Speaker
I'll have you know, I don't make my own scrolls as it is. I acquire them and I am quite talented. I could get another one today if I truly wanted to Could you? Fuck, 600. That's not really a discount, is it?
00:42:45
Speaker
market five hundred Market price is $550. That's the lowest I will go. Or $500. love At least let me make 10 gold off of it. 510. Deal.
00:42:57
Speaker
Fucker. Hands over the scroll. Now leave my booth. Pleasure doing business with you. Have a wonderful day. Of course it is. Fuck. I used to be so much better. And you walk away having acquired a locate creature.
00:43:10
Speaker
Spell scroll. Okay, um, maybe we can at least look for entrances to the sewers. It shouldn't be too hard to find, I'm sure. I wonder if there's a map we can find of the city.
00:43:24
Speaker
wonder if Fenland could get that for us. If we can get a map of the sewers, that'll make navigating it much easier. We do have the spell though, so we won't really need a map to get to her. True, but we have to be within thousand feet of her. I suppose that's true.
00:43:38
Speaker
The city is huge. Just to provide a little info that I know Yellen would have. You felt that two of the people down there that you saw in your scrying were of the Mortifer Pactum. Mm-hmm.
00:43:51
Speaker
information that you do know is that in the Sacred Springs district here is where the Clerical Conclave is. It is the lighthouse, is a trisynchal lighthouse with other buildings going off of it, welcoming any and all of the major religions of the new gods of Aeon. It is known, and you would know after spending just a little bit of time in here, it's fairly talked about, and also just would have known probably just via your faith that The Lighthouse trisanctum because it's got three areas. And the three founding religions of the Sacred Springs was the center of the Anima Clergy. The top was for the Temple of Celestia with Ziva and Avanias, but mainly Ziva. And the bottom, the basement of it, is for the Mortifer Pactum. Hmm.
00:44:36
Speaker
And worship of the Mortmeon. Although not technically the Mordifer Pactum, but the worship of Mordion. But they kind of go hand in hand. So. All right. Just to give you that little information that you that you would know.
00:44:49
Speaker
Calden, I think we need to go to the Sacred Springs district. Okay. um I think I may know somewhere where can find someone who can at least identify the people that we saw.
00:45:03
Speaker
Okay, let's go. Let's do it. All right, and Sacred Springs is the district directly on the other side of the road from where you're at. Actually, it's directly across from the World's Union District.
00:45:15
Speaker
What is it? believe that district's called Council Heights. As you walk around... Convenient. Very convenient. One of the main ways in is the large bridge, essentially, from district wall to district wall that, i mean, you all didn't know, but Maeve had previously seen you all in this alleyway from there, when whenever she had went to the lighthouse to talk with the Anna McLarege there in one of our former episodes.
00:45:38
Speaker
The other entrances would be both on the, believe it's east and west portion of that district, essentially entrances from either of the different docks, as it has its own as well within that district.
00:45:50
Speaker
It takes you a bit to walk around, But as you do enter and walk through the walls underneath the aqueducts that carry the hole like holy water through the city, both of you feel presence of divinity here.
00:46:03
Speaker
it's It's in the air, almost. And whether or not everybody could feel that is something you wouldn't know, but it is definitely something that both of you kind of get a feel for as soon as entering into the district.
00:46:15
Speaker
Ugh, gives me the heebie-jeebies. That's not a word I've used before. I don't think I'll use it again. That's kind of nice word. Heebie-jeebies. You heebie my jeebie. It's like a silly word. I don't think it fits my vibe.
00:46:27
Speaker
That's fair. I think I'm cool and collected. Indeed. um
00:46:36
Speaker
That didn't sound very convinced. No, I'm i'm fully convinced. This feeling that you both feel, for you Yellen, it's familiar. Being a part Anim Kolarigi, like this this feeling of the Divinity is is familiar, and whether it feels like home or homely to you, that's that's up to you, but it is at least familiar.
00:46:57
Speaker
For you, Kaladin, it still gives you the eebie-teebies, but not in the way you would expect. It's so much warm, like... Familiar and not in the sense that you've felt it or you've been there, but familiar in the sense that almost feels like you, like yourself.
00:47:14
Speaker
Huh? Yeah. What does that mean? Kaladin's a god, guys.
00:47:23
Speaker
Kaladin Yellen's god. The god of being cool and collected.
00:47:30
Speaker
ah great Kaladin, he be my Jeebies.
00:47:34
Speaker
No, we did that last night after we all went to our rooms. Yeah, that's right, that's right.
00:47:40
Speaker
and It doesn't feel like you as in like all of you by any means. Like it doesn't feel like... What I mean by that is it almost feels like it's... it belongs as a part of you. Like a part of you, is it matches it in some way. And you've you've never really noticed it or felt it.
00:47:56
Speaker
Weird. Anyway, where to, Yelen? Lighthouse. Onward we go. As you walk into the Sacred Springs, it's... the name matches. It's got several outbuildings designated for different religions and different gods with the lighthouse tall, rising above the city.
00:48:14
Speaker
As is known, you've seen it from several points without the city. It shines out into the bay as lighthouses do, and from it come these springs of naturally holy water filling these aqueducts, but also filling different pools within this area.
00:48:30
Speaker
Magnificent trees are grown here. You see flowers that seem to be in bloom all the time. it smells wonderful and fresh. The only exception a little ring of necrosis around the edge of the lighthouse building, very thin, sticking to the to the corner of the low wall.
00:48:48
Speaker
You walk up the steps leading to the double doors of this lighthouse. It opens before you can even knock. A man in a gray robe with somewhat grayed skin looking fairly featureless takes one step out.
00:49:04
Speaker
Yellen, you call. We've been expecting you. Yellen, um, stops for a moment.
00:49:13
Speaker
Good thing you know I'm here to get to the basement.
00:49:17
Speaker
As this, this man looks to you, Yellen, before I let you do this,
00:49:25
Speaker
The 49th Mentor would like to have a word with you. Do I know the 49th Mentor? You have never met her. I don't have time to speak with the 49th Mentor.
00:49:36
Speaker
I'm kind of busy. It's not very often that a Soul Keeper must be guided back. But just know the option is always there. Well it seems like maybe he can be guided back at any time. Can we do this later?
00:49:53
Speaker
His head very slowly turns to you. Kind of eerily. I cannot tell whether soul seeker or a soul tracker will find you someday.
00:50:06
Speaker
What does that mean? no we don't have time for this. Follow me. I will allow you to the basement. Good. As you step into the doors of the lighthouse through the shadow, your eyes adjust quickly into a magnificent open structure, a spiral staircase leading up the entire thing.
00:50:25
Speaker
And you can see that it is open for, um from what appeared on the outside, three fourths of it, being different floating structures within this lighthouse. including orbs of light, candles, but also tables and chairs, meeting places.
00:50:40
Speaker
You see little glowing balls of light that aren't an orb. they It almost feels like you call out to them, especially you, Yellen. You know. you You know exactly what these are. I've never been to this lighthouse by any means, so it's weird that you'd see a soul just floating, several of them here. What are these?
00:50:56
Speaker
Why aren't they moving on? They are waiting the soul escort to come back. Take them to the soul fields. Is there not one here? Can Calden see them? You can see them, but you don't... you can't feel the... the humanity within them.
00:51:11
Speaker
Is there not one here? What... where are they? Coming back from guiding our last batch, this place is sanctified as it has turned into a stopping point. You now, uh, what some would say a hub, logistics hub for souls.
00:51:27
Speaker
These are souls? People's souls? Yes. If you would like, I can tell that you may be in need of this one. It's not... This isn't fair. It's not... It's not fair.
00:51:41
Speaker
They can't be stuck here. They should be able to move on. Freely. i mean, of course, with help, but they should not be here. What do you think you have been educated, Yavin?
00:51:54
Speaker
they do not have a guide, they may be stuck in the ethereal realm, to be twisted and cursed, where the soul trackers will instead of guiding them to the soul fields to allow them to find harmony, to instead be destroyed and sent to the nothing.
00:52:09
Speaker
Here, they can prolong the lifespan of the soul, allowing it to not be twisted so that a guide may take them to the fields. We have limited guides. You know this. do.
00:52:23
Speaker
hate take it I guess if it's helping, I'm... Let's get to the basement. This wouldn't be such a problem if our members that adventure through the lands would also help to recruit, teach people our ways.
00:52:38
Speaker
But some lose their ways in the process, causing our numbers to dwindle more. What you mean by that? Another man walks up in a completely black robe.
00:52:50
Speaker
similar inkiness around his eyes to what you had seen the scrying, kind of falling down his face a bit. Not the same man by any means, but similar aspects and characteristics, and pulls his hood back to find slicked back black hair into a ponytail.
00:53:04
Speaker
I've been told you all need access to the basement. Please follow me. I have a question. While Yellen and the priest or whatever were talking, could Kalden have touched the soul?
00:53:17
Speaker
If he got close to it, was there like a warmth? would you have anything Would you have tried? You're just kind of eerily floating around, kind of moving and and, like, not quick by any means, just unpredictably floating, almost like fireflies in the wind.
00:53:31
Speaker
I think he would have. This is fascinating to him. He's never seen anything like this. So he puts his hand out, like, a face up for it to come sit on his hand.
00:53:43
Speaker
Yeah, you reach out towards it and it's it's warm. At least this one is, inviting almost. Increasingly so as you get closer, and almost as you reach out to it, it almost seems to migrate towards you slowly.
00:53:58
Speaker
Do you fully touch it? Yes. Roll me a wisdom saving throw. Yeah, I kind of figured something like that was coming. You know, not not my weakest, not my strongest.
00:54:14
Speaker
That is 17.
00:54:18
Speaker
Take 23 points of damage. You barely touch it and you immediately get an influx of pure energy into your body to the point it is painful and it is searing both to your brain and your body.
00:54:33
Speaker
You feel overpowered for just the moment, but not only that comes with that, But in this moment, you immediately learn what anybody in the animal Clarigi learns very quickly, and the fact that souls are are pure energy, but they are energy with memory as you live the entire life of this soul in the split second that you touch it.
00:54:53
Speaker
You don't experience the pain that it went through, you don't experience the emotion, you know what you can remember of a split second worth of lifetime memories. You know that this, the reason that you didn't take more damage,
00:55:07
Speaker
as this soul was of a newborn who died just shortly after childbirth. He... think he starts crying. Just like, out of the corner of his eye. Just a little bit of crying. I advise you not to do that again without training.
00:55:20
Speaker
If you weren't interested, I would train you. I can get a sense that may do you well. This was a... a baby. Indeed. Passed here in the city just two days ago.
00:55:32
Speaker
A newborn. Someday our sciences and arcane gifts may get to the point of that newborn mortality is not to the level that it is, but we are not there yet. Did the mother die? From what I was told, she's still hanging on.
00:55:47
Speaker
We should go find Maeve. Please come with me. I will lead you through the basement. As we're following him um down to the basement, Yellen is going to turn to Kaladin and say, We will run.
00:56:01
Speaker
Those aren't easy to experience.
00:56:05
Speaker
I'll be fine. Alright. Do you experience that every time you help us all? No, every time. but it does happen. As you walk down the spiral staircase leading below this level, very long and wide, as even as the lighthouse goes underground, it continues continues to expand.
00:56:23
Speaker
You begin to hear the sound of running water. Different sound than the running water you had seen up top, where the sacred springs continually create holy water.
00:56:34
Speaker
Down here, the air gets heavy and thick. The water splashes as if it's thicker and sludgy. Almost like a sewer? Similarly. The lighting down here, dim, lit only by a few candles. First thing you notice are rows of beds.
00:56:48
Speaker
About half of them filled with people of all kinds. Probably 40-something beds. There's an altar, the fireplace at the end, but there's no fire lit, just a constant smolder. little bit of smoke coming from it, and it almost smells of incense.
00:57:04
Speaker
Behind it is a doorway you cannot see through, it although it is open. There are several live skeletons walking around, tending to those on the bed. Crackle, movement of bones, the only thing that really filling the air of sound below here.
00:57:21
Speaker
Why exactly did you need to come down here? Are you interested in the followings of Mordmeon and his path to eternal... No....eternal peace? Someone who worships him attacked one of our friends, and we intend to find out who.
00:57:39
Speaker
I see. Why do you say that they are followers of Mordmeon and his teachings? Because those circles around your eyes, they had the same. They may not be true believers.
00:57:51
Speaker
Somebody trying to frame our own. It happens quite often. Well, of course it happens, but it's always best to look.
00:58:02
Speaker
Well then, you are free to take a look. you want to take a rest, I have open beds. And he kind of smiles, a kind of toothy smile when he says that.
00:58:13
Speaker
You have entrances to the sewers anywhere near here? Not that I'm aware of, no. Do you know any tieflings with longer horns? I've met a couple in my time. Are there any that are here?
00:58:29
Speaker
In this room? No. Perhaps worshipped here? I couldn't say. Can I insight that? Yeah, go for it.
00:58:40
Speaker
Come on, baby.
00:58:44
Speaker
sixteen yeah 16. 15. Damn, meet the beats. His eyes kind of avert when you say that. He looks in the direction of that open doorway. Kelton turns and starts walking towards it only does the same.
00:58:57
Speaker
Okay. As you approach the open doorway, it's behind this kind of not lit hearse, this almost half lit, I would say, as there is a tiny bit of heat coming from it, but it's it's just enough for you to be aware of the coolness of the room.
00:59:10
Speaker
It's on the verge of being lit constantly. As you walk around it, you approach that door, the door frame carved of stone with a gargoyle on top.
00:59:21
Speaker
As you look through it, even being this close, you can't see anything. It's void. Like magical darkness? One could assume. Do you have anything that cuts through magical darkness, Yelen?
00:59:32
Speaker
I may. That's what i'm looking for. He's got his his little pocket spell book out, and he's like, hmm. His pocket Bible of Isakin. The precious moments Bible of Isakin.
00:59:49
Speaker
oh Light wouldn't work, right? You surely try. I don't like the way that sounds. Does it spell magic? Yeah, I'm going to dispel magic.
01:00:01
Speaker
If you attempt to use dispel magic, I won't even require a roll. Oh, okay. As you see what was previously non-visual runes glow a deep crimson on the inside of the rim of the doorway for a moment, and then the light fades and they are no longer there again.
01:00:19
Speaker
Yet the darkness persists. you Something to do with those runes on the dole. He turns back towards the dude.
01:00:32
Speaker
What's through here? Choices. Big toothy grin again. Several choices. Wow, I hate when people try to be philosophical.
01:00:44
Speaker
Calden, maybe you should watch the door. And I'll go make these choices whenever they need need be. By yourself? That doesn't... we have no idea what's through there.
01:00:55
Speaker
You shouldn't put yourself in danger if it only has to be one of us. We both want to find Maeve. not just gonna sit by and watch. We're both going and we're not going at all.
01:01:06
Speaker
Not doing this alone. Alright. Okay. Let's do it together then. Keldin grabs Yellen's wrist so that they're not... So they're at least wandering behind you together.
01:01:22
Speaker
Okay. You step through and feel the change in the air, as well as just the space, because you're no longer in glory. You can feel the the jump, essentially.
01:01:35
Speaker
As you step through, you're in a circular room, a pillar of magma slowly falling through the center of it, through another hole, what you can assume is a hole in ground, but it's not pooling.
01:01:46
Speaker
And surrounding the circular room are identical doorways. No markings, nothing to tell the difference of any of them. All of the doorways, dark and black, just like the
Choices and Tests for Calden and Yellen
01:01:59
Speaker
one you stepped through. And if you turn around, you'll see it is exactly the same.
01:02:03
Speaker
This feels like we're wasting time. Could be. What reason do we have to believe that this is going to take us closer to Maeve anyway? I don't think that we do have one, unfortunately.
01:02:17
Speaker
But it seems this is our only way out. Okay. So, how do we find out which one tells the truth and which one lies? Ask it if you're blue.
01:02:32
Speaker
So do you want to split up or go through the same? No, no splitting up.
01:02:39
Speaker
All right. Why say we go through the left door? I have no reason to object. Well, onwards. You step through the left door together.
01:02:55
Speaker
Oh no. Wrong door. All three options are just fun. You step through the left door and in your face is immediately greeted by rough wool of some sort of covering to the doorway.
01:03:10
Speaker
Immediately as you swipe it away, you see that you're in an alleyway. When you look up, you are in between large stone Somewhat large stone buildings, two or three stories tall.
01:03:21
Speaker
And as you look up, you just see a stone ceiling to whatever space you're in that's a couple hundred feet above you. Look to the side and you see the the inside wall of whatever space you're in, couple hundred feet away again.
01:03:35
Speaker
stone outcropping look like it was chiseled by hand or a tool, but you can hear the immense amount of people and movement and horses and wagons and lots of other buildings within sight from the e tight alleyway that you can look out. You're in some sort of city. It seems to be underground.
01:03:51
Speaker
What are these choices supposed to even do? I don't know. Stay close. Some stupid test of guards. Guards and their tests. They never do anything helpful.
01:04:02
Speaker
No, and I never study for them. Do you all go back through the door or do you go into the city? I guess go into the city, yeah. Into the city, yeah. You all begin, as you both, I say you all, as you both begin walk out of...
01:04:15
Speaker
The alleyway, walk you walk past a few windows on both sides, seeing that one is a bakery, the other one seemed to be a weapons shop of sort. And you realize you are near or in the middle of this Market Street in this massive city.
01:04:30
Speaker
You see lots of dwarves, orcs, and even a couple of goliaths within viewpoint. Sources of light coming from holes in the massive walls that are hundreds of feet in both directions, as if skylights on the ceiling of a building, but just holes in this rock. And the light pouring through seems warm. i mean, you can't feel it directly. it's not It's not pouring directly on you, but you ever get the sense of, like, the warmness of rays that are peeking through clouds?
01:04:53
Speaker
It's the kind of sense you get from this. The sound reverberating off of the walls in here, making this area just loud. You see different wooden rickety bridges going to different points out within the city that are on raised stone structures. As you look further down, as you seem to be up on a hill, you see what leads down to like slums.
01:05:11
Speaker
This is a very wide area of the city. I will ask now, given your backstories, how much, how do you have either of you spent time in Troth? Probably none. Did I ever go there? Maybe a little bit. I mainly need that answer from Yellen because I'm thinking about yours right now, Calvin.
01:05:28
Speaker
Maybe a little bit, not like a ton, but I'm sure we had work there. I know you had, well, your backstory, your origin was in Trough, so I know you've at least been in Trough. trying to think if you had been to maybe Trough in the end.
01:05:39
Speaker
as most people are drawn to here at some point, if in the region. Kalden, I don't think you've been in this specific part, but roll me a history check real quick. Actually, both of you, roll me a history check.
01:05:51
Speaker
twenty two 22. Ooh, 13. Okay. okay From both the history of experience as well as the history of reading, Kalden especially, as you did visit the city before, but you were never inside it.
01:06:04
Speaker
You visited a different area of the city, one of higher class, which was on the outside of this mountain near the top. Currently, you are within it. After a while, Yellen, maybe given and a bit more time to spend in the city, an hour or so, maybe you could come up with where you might be just based off of reading or word of mouth, but you are indeed within the city of Tralfton, the capital of Tralft, which is known as the Mountain City.
01:06:30
Speaker
Is there some kind of significance why why the door would lead to Trofton? I don't know, and I've never known a portal to feel like wool.
01:06:41
Speaker
What do you think the other one needs? For the record, the wool was not the portal. It was literally a covering over top of like the the doorway to make it not seen. That was not clear.
01:06:53
Speaker
I'm so sorry if that was not clear. So it was a little literal fucking wool curtain, not just like pulling the wool over your eyes, proverbially. Yeah, no, it was literally wool.
01:07:08
Speaker
Maybe there's something we're supposed to look for here. wonder if there's something we're supposed to look for in the other place too. Could be, yeah. Are you familiar with here at all? I've been to Trulf, I've never been in Trulf, then. I've been around here. Okay.
01:07:26
Speaker
Occasionally. Do you you want to continue looking around or do you want to see what the other city is, if it's a city at all? Maybe it's somewhere and more helpful. Is there anything I would know about Charlton here? Like anything of significance to me?
01:07:43
Speaker
Given the 13-year-old and just your general knowledge and history of the place, I don't think so, no. nothing that would Nothing that stands out as pertaining to your current situation. Okay. I think maybe we should check the other place.
01:07:56
Speaker
Okay. Okay, you walk back through, pulling the wool curtain aside as you walk back through the doorway, probably thinking in the moment, how many people just wander down this alley and end up going through a portal?
01:08:08
Speaker
Yes. But that's for them to find out and you two probably never know. But as you go back through, you go to the one across your from your original door or the one to the right as you just went through the left?
01:08:20
Speaker
There were three doors? i thought there were just There were four total. Oh. The one you went through, like, to get into the room, and then the other three cardinal directions.
01:08:32
Speaker
And none of them give any indication from the outside? None whatsoever. Should we just peek through all of them? Sure. Why not See if we can suss anything out.
01:08:44
Speaker
You pick your head through the next one and it is dark. The only light coming from a very dim glow of two eyes on a massive statue in the opening that you appear to be looking at. The statue being of very large, dark scaled dragon.
01:08:59
Speaker
I'll roll over the history checks that you guys had previously done to know from your the knowledge you have read, this would be a night dragon. a A form that Mordmeon takes often.
01:09:09
Speaker
As you look around, Very, very dim lighting. You can see that you are underground in some way, shape, or form, but it is not naturally occurring. It's not like the Stone of Troughton. This appears to be very thawed out stonework.
01:09:23
Speaker
You can hear a very faint flow of water in the distance. It's also extremely cold. Do you think this is where you saw? It could be. I'm going to... You said it's not magical darkness, right?
01:09:35
Speaker
No, it is not. I will cast Light. As you cast Light, it fully lights up the Night Dragon. The only difference on it being that its mouth and its maw is open with extended, unnatural teeth, giving the only indication that this is probably a statue of Mordbeon.
01:09:54
Speaker
The way those teeth look almost a familiarity for you, Kaladin. Not in the sense of, like, familiar of Mordbeon, but just the shape of them brings back a terrifying memory. What the fuck?
01:10:07
Speaker
The room as it's lit is just one large square room. And with just enough light, you can see that behind the statue is a hallway. You see the reflection of water down it.
01:10:19
Speaker
Do we keep going? Maybe we should check that out. Yeah. You walk out, go around the statue to find a small pile of corpses behind it. How fresh.
01:10:30
Speaker
Three or four bodies, pretty old, looking like the rats have definitely gotten to it. I don't think she's among these. Good. you walk down the hallway, the smell begins to waft in stronger.
01:10:42
Speaker
The smell of sewage. look The stonework becoming older, more cracked. Parts having fallen away. Footing getting a little worse as you begin as you can take a right or a left.
01:10:53
Speaker
Worry about falling into the flowing water of the sewer. Step lightly. This looks too old to be what you saw. It does. This looks ancient in a way.
01:11:04
Speaker
shocked if anyone could come down here. Do we... Can I investigate for any signs of disturbance for someone having been down where we are walking recently? waiting for that.
01:11:17
Speaker
Absolutely you can. Both of you being uniquely who you are, as you had walked through here, you feel how bitter cold it is here. Luckily for you both, you may not need to worry about maybe taking cold damage over time, but it is bitterly cold.
01:11:34
Speaker
Kalden, you've spent time in cold places, so you understand the areas of the world that might be this bitter, because there are not many. Oh, fuck. I rolled 23, by the way. Yeah, you, as you turn the corner to actually enter into the sewer tunnels, when you look to the left, you see a little bit of moonlight coming around a corner.
01:11:53
Speaker
And you can see footsteps and what appears to be either ash or snow on the ground. Someone was here. Just a single set of footprints? Yellen saw two people?
01:12:05
Speaker
it I think I saw like three. One of them was a... who One of them was a kyanite tiefling. You see one set of footprints going to the left that way.
01:12:17
Speaker
Someone was here, but it was just one person. You were rolled a 23? I didn't roll a 23. You got a 23. I got a 23. Okay. that's really high. Okay.
01:12:29
Speaker
that's what um That's what you see when you look to the left. When you look to the right, it's very dim. there's no There's no lighting down here. but you notice piece of fabric at the corner, like one of those chipped off pieces on the ground.
01:12:43
Speaker
It's caught on it. Looks like maybe it's wool or heavy cotton, something bags are made out of. Does it it look similar to the one you saw? i think so.
01:12:55
Speaker
Okay. Okay. okay Um, we'll keep going this way then. And, and if, if we can find some sort of indication that they were here recently, we'll use the spell.
01:13:11
Speaker
All right. Sounds good. All right.
01:13:16
Speaker
I could see moonlight though. So there was light that was. From the left. From the left, ah it appears that the tunnels go around another corner and moonlight comes through that corner appearing like the sewers enter in it or you would be able to leave the sewers that way.
01:13:33
Speaker
Right. The right. There's no moonlight. bright enough. But the moonlight coming in is bright enough to suggest that it's maybe a clearer sky.
01:13:44
Speaker
Potentially. Okay, okay. There are three moons, so it also depends on where in the sky they may be. Right, but if there was say, a lot of smog or something in the air that generally made things darker overall, perhaps moonlight wouldn't be that strong?
01:14:04
Speaker
Correct, but also something to remember, because I know what you're insinuating, something to remember. Volcanoes go through cycles of of like but bigger eruptions to just kind of simmering when they're when they're active. They aren't constantly spewing, so something to remember.
01:14:22
Speaker
Because i know I know what you're thinking. All right, we'll leave you two there for a moment. Valera, as we get close to ending the session, Sally leads you to the tower that was overlooking this district, the one you had previously investigated while trying to find Calda the night before.
01:14:40
Speaker
Except this time, she leads you around to the front to a a grand, extremely wide staircase with a couple columns at the top leading to the crystallized doors for the entrance to this World Union Tower.
01:14:52
Speaker
As she leads you up through it, you get a couple looks here and there just because Goliath's glory accepts people of all kinds. It's a very progressive city. but Goliaths are not super common in this area, just in general. you You are a very large person, so you do get a couple looks, but it's nothing that you might get in, say, Vior some other very traditional place.
World Union Exploration
01:15:11
Speaker
You go through the doors not having to duck, just like the apartment building, designed for everyone, and you see the very wide open area that is the welcome area to the World Union, seeing a desk on the right and on the left for reception area, like I had previously described when Kalten was in here. You see a hallway between the two with leading to what looks like a staircase and possibly something else. and you see little plant there that's just a nice decoration along with some paintings. There's a hallway to the right and left at the front of the building. Seems to start to curve around for part of the curvature of the building. And Sally leads you down the left hallway.
01:15:47
Speaker
As you walk down, it you pass a couple different different doors for maybe offices or some sort of meeting area. You take a right, and it opens up into a small little meeting area in Nook where there's some people that are reading and taking notes, generally just maybe taking a break for the day.
01:16:04
Speaker
And within this little alcove is almost... it's it's like a shaft, but it is open. It's not mechanical by any nature. It is crystalline on three sides and crystalline on the bottom.
01:16:17
Speaker
and you can visibly see almost a ah twinkling of the air just within the confines of it. if She just walks in, not really thinking anything else. She walks in, and as soon as she makes contact with the crystalline surface, she begins to rise.
01:16:32
Speaker
and she She continues to to walk even though her feet begin to rise off of the of the solid surface and turn around as if she is still standing on something. Talira, are you coming? ah yeah, yeah, I guess so.
01:16:44
Speaker
And Talira follows her footsteps. as you As you walk onto it, you can look up and you can see all the way through the tower up to the top. Extremely tall. And there's a there was a secondary, guess you can call it, like I said, a a crystalline shaft next to it that she did not step onto.
01:17:01
Speaker
But she starts to rise, and as you step onto it, it feels like you're stepping on something solid, but you also, your vision changes as you begin to also rise. just kind of stands there as if standing on an elevator for a while.
01:17:13
Speaker
She's just, you know, almost eye level with you essentially with how long it' took to get on there. She's her feet just a little little above yours, floating in the air. Talira stands there and fidgets a little uncomfortably, just looking around, getting her bearings, rocking on her toes a little as she waits for the next thing to happen. She doesn't know what's going on.
01:17:38
Speaker
After about four or five floors or so, so just out of the corner of her mouth, just kind of, okay, it's the next floor. Just prep to get off. If you miss it, then you got to go to the other shaft and come back down. It's a whole, you got to be ready to step off. so and And indeed, a couple seconds later, she goes and steps off as soon as she crests the next floor landing. And Talira will be ready in and follow suit. I can i can imagine Talira almost like not not knowing what to do here, kind of jumps off. Crouching like a cat almost, like...
01:18:04
Speaker
ah That would be funny. She leads you down a hallway and into a conference room, though. And as you walk in the door, whispers already being had, and they stop. And they turn as you see the familiar face of Anora Nighthall. You see a taller man next to her, also having a little emblem on his shirt with a little hand, similar to Anora, indicating he might be the other hand of the Lord. You see Piyadabhakti in the center of this long desk. And beside her, you see a fire genasi. And next to him, a light genasi and two other light genasis to her right as well. and There are a couple of open seats for you, and indeed Fenlin is here, trying his best to hide the tear stains still on his face.
01:18:39
Speaker
Just being a very, although he is charismatic, he is not great at hiding the deep emotion, the have very intense emotions. Talira would have asked how to address everyone on the way with Sally.
01:18:53
Speaker
So how how would she have, how would how would she need to address Piara, Fenlin, all of, essentially all of them, Fenlin would be Lord.
01:19:06
Speaker
In an official setting, it'd be Lord Fenlin. Okay. Piara, in an official setting, would be Ambassador Bhakti. And the people beside her are considered her advisors.
Conference Tensions and Realizations
01:19:16
Speaker
I'll give you the names of them in preparation for our next session.
01:19:20
Speaker
Okay. Anora and the man sitting next to him, or next to her, his name is Evelyn. Both of them would be Hand, like the Hand. But a lot of times with them, there's they are more accustomed to just being addressed by their first names.
01:19:33
Speaker
Gotcha. Because there are two of them. When they're in the same setting, you generally just ah address them by their first name because generally they both go by the hand. and you know Right. And you said it was Evelyn and what was the other one? Honora Nighthall.
01:19:45
Speaker
Honora was the one that you had met at the ball. Of the three advise or four advisors that Ambassador Bakhti has with her, as you sit down, or sorry, rather, they all stand as you come to the table.
01:19:58
Speaker
And as you're walking in, Sally would have shown you the paper with everybody's names and a short description of them so you you would know who they are. As you look around the table, taking in everyone's names, I'll get you the three I'm not going to give you today before next session.
01:20:11
Speaker
Okay. The one that seems to stand out because you're able, with your passive perception, it's fairly easy to notice. You remember the emblem of the Zorilgog that Kalden had found. The three circles, almost like a vende Venn diagram with a cresting wave in the center.
01:20:27
Speaker
You see the fire ganasi next to her has a similar one on, similar brooch on his, his tunic, except in the middle is a flame instead of a cresting wave. You look down at your sheet, you see his name is Galette Ras Antigua.
01:20:42
Speaker
And I think that's where we'll end the session. All right. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Shit's getting intense real quick. Oh boy. Whoa! Why did Calvin and Yelen go off alone? We're so fucked. Right? Why the fuck did they go off alone?
01:20:59
Speaker
Why did you not say, you know, we should come back and grab Talira before we wander off. We're so fucked, dude. You're so fucked.
01:21:12
Speaker
I'm ready. I'm ready. this is real You know, you can say, think we should come back with Talira and We were in a hurry, dude. calvin could do some healing he's like pretty hurt oh okay i'll heal you you did have a long rest yeah i was at full health um and then i touched a soul
01:21:37
Speaker
and you fucking die on me y'all going off on your own really changes some ideas i was having so i'm very excited actually Fuck, are we in Undor?
01:21:49
Speaker
Fuck. I'm so That's where I think we are I think we're there. Yeah, yeah, you are. I'm so fucked. And you don't even have Talira to bring you back. You don't even fucking have Talira to bring you back.
01:22:01
Speaker
I'm so fucked. So anyway, thanks for listening. so Thanks for listening, guys. Yes, thank you. Everyone. Yeah, it's fun time. Fun time. Uh...
01:22:12
Speaker
but Oh, man. Oh, man. Well,
01:22:20
Speaker
I'm sorry, guys. No, you're not. audience You should be sorry. oh it's great. It's great. It's fantastic. Audience, thank you so much for listening. It's been a blast. We hope you stick around for more episodes as it's getting juicy.
Episode Wrap-up and Humor
01:22:33
Speaker
We'll see you next time. Bye. Bye. See you.
01:22:52
Speaker
We would like to thank our cast, myself, Curtis Woosley, as the GM, MJ Gunther as Talira Grimstone Echilinathi, Sephira as Maeve Strongheart, Renny Armas as Kalden, and Jack Baldwin as Galen Yakal.
01:23:04
Speaker
Additional thanks to Scentic GFX for our graphics, to MJ and Renny here for our show editing, and our intro and outro music composed by Ryan Moons, owner-operator of Eyes on the Moon Studios......................
01:23:53
Speaker
Good, then you know I'm here to get to the basement. Before we allow that... give me one second, I forgot to pull this off. It's my favorite thing when we go from the middle of a scene to Woos has to find information because it's always immediately after someone has said something. So in my head, literally gone,
01:24:17
Speaker
Before we allow that. I imagine it every time. And it kills me. I love it. Oh my God. Yeah. It cracks me up every fucking time. That's so funny.
01:24:28
Speaker
i imagine it every time and it kills me i love it my god yeah it cracks me up every fucking time that's so funny