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Ep. 31 No Sleep - Bellum Draconis
101 Plays2 years ago
After a good night rest (for some) the party start to gather resources for whats to come.
Follow us on our Twitters - @FellowshipTable
Intro written and produced by Joseph McDade
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Transcript
Warm Welcome and Introduction
00:00:00
Speaker
Also, Ian, when you come on to edit this, it'll probably be in about five or six weeks' time. You're doing a great job, dude. Oh, don't do that. Don't disarm me like that. Ian, we know it's late Thursday night and you have to do that tomorrow, but you're doing a really good job.
00:00:43
Speaker
Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop Ballam Draconis. My name is Mark, and I'm the Dungeon Master. And I've skipped a bit, but I can't remember which. We are a live play 5e D&D podcast set in the magical homebrew world of Aerith in the Kingdom of Sleepguard. I'm going to slow down. My name is Mark, and I am the Dungeon Master, and also with us for this week's episode.
Meet the Characters
00:01:00
Speaker
We have Danny, who plays the half-orc monk, Morota Broken Dusk. Bonjour! We've got Callum, who plays the war-forged artificer, Alpha. Hello! Alpha, just remember, have you got your Book of Bullshit ready? Just in case you might need it. Yes, I've actually added a new chapter for it as well. Will, who plays the human cleric, Emon. Aloha! Ian, who plays the tiefling warlock, Nyx Carell. Hey hey! And we have Daron, who plays the high-elf artificer, Rainshadow.
00:01:28
Speaker
Aranic cure for a dick threat or that's the warforged malfunctioning saying hello Right, okay. Okay. I'm the warforged around here, but I mean, I mean I mean they were all really nice low key simultaneously the opening to the You're welcome. It went on longer than I expected it. Yeah what happens when they malfunction?
00:01:53
Speaker
Well, that's very true, actually. That is true. So welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, everyone. We're going to jump straight into it and figure out what happened last week on last week's episode of the Fellowship of the
Previous Episode Recap
00:02:03
Speaker
Tabla Top. We're going to have to pass over to the name that I remember because I wrote down our chronicler, Danny. He's going to tell us a little bit about what happened on last week's episode.
00:02:13
Speaker
In the last few pages of our adventure, after concluding events with the local goblin clan, our party of not yet heroes reunited with Orla at Goldport Keep. Upon arrival, the already dilapidated holding had been further ransacked, this time from Orla's detour, a shady, drunken individual named Vorestan.
00:02:34
Speaker
Desperate to raise funds soon, Orla implores the party to investigate one of her received contracts from Redstone Farm, a day's ride to the south.
Rest and Reflections at Goldport Keep
00:02:45
Speaker
Weary from events involving the goblins, the party opt to rest for the evening and set out at first light. After a relatively restful night's sleep, the warm sun begins to rise over Goldport Keep.
00:03:04
Speaker
I wouldn't have a restful night's sleep. Of course you wouldn't.
00:03:24
Speaker
I'm sorry for being poignant about it, but this would be the first evening when Nick finds out that he wouldn't be out of sleep. I mean, we all know why, but Nick doesn't know why. So after his little swim in the lake there looking up at the moon and just kind of feeling at one and at peace, he would get up out of the pool.
00:03:47
Speaker
put his clothes back on and then go ahead inside and find his room where he's looking forward to. Oh, yep, yep. He's going to just get a good, nice, relaxing time, especially after the events with the gobos and stuff. And, uh, he'd settle in, do his normal evening routines when he just hopes that the Esmeralda is okay and all aboard is all good. And everyone he loves is well, um,
00:04:13
Speaker
everyone around me on this podcast, I've got video, we can all see each other and you got Will kind of flailing his arms about like a windmill trying to put me off and it works because there you go. And as he settles into his routine and tries to shut his eyes, insomnia happens and just can't sleep. Don't think nothing more of it right now. It's just a bit strange. I just can't sleep. Mind's full. Mind's full. So after a couple of hours of
00:04:43
Speaker
Kind of tossing and turning, he'll get out of bed, kind of just roam around a little bit. Burn off some energy and try and just put his mind at ease. Think about the ocean. Think about the waves. Go back to bed. Still can't sleep. Can't feel any tiredness. Hmm. Okay. It's just going to be one of those nights. Just, uh, just try, shut my eyes.
00:05:13
Speaker
fucking tight. Come on, Nix, you got this. Four hours after doing that, still nothing. What time is it? Whatever, it's time for breakfast. Fuck it.
Morning Routines and Preparations
00:05:28
Speaker
It'll just walk and try and find some food and that's where he'll be.
00:05:32
Speaker
You do that around sunrise then, as you head to the hall too. Probably a bit earlier than that, because it's just no idea of the specific times. It's way past when he should be asleep and it's clearly not happening tonight for whatever reason.
00:05:49
Speaker
I might as well just go and get some food. And as you walk into the hall, the hall where Orla had spoken to you not 12 hours ago, you find the room deserted, quiet, but still in absolute state, safe for one corner. And in the corner, there is a small candle that's burning down to almost its wick. And next to the candle is a bedspread where Orla is sleeping. She's still asleep at the time.
00:06:19
Speaker
There is access near the north area to the cupboards where oil is organized, bits of food, cheese, breads, et cetera, light snacks that you could partake upon. The hearth is cold, but there's things you could nibble upon for breakfast. Looking at oil,
00:06:37
Speaker
Cheers kind of checking over the body to see if the if the quilt blanket whatever she's got kind of to keep herself warm at night. If there's any pouches protruding any shadow of a pouch or any kind of shape of.
00:06:53
Speaker
uh, jewels or diamonds or anything like that. It just casts his eye. He's just used to doing it. And then as he's kind of Sherlocking the body, if you will. Ah, you know what? Just can't be asked. I can't sleep. Now's not the time for this. And then he's going to go and find some food and just set up as kind of semi quietly and just kind of busy himself in the food and try not to think, ah, so strange that I can't sleep normally, normally all about it. Nevermind.
00:07:21
Speaker
And you say that out loud or is that just kind of interesting? All in his mind. Okay. Okay. Mind palace. And eventually you do see the, the body of the unconscious body of Nick and makes your Nick's unconscious body of all a stir. And she kind of turns one bleary eye over, sees the candle lit, blows it out, stretches, stands herself up and realizes you're in there. Oh, you're up early.
00:07:47
Speaker
I mean, yeah, you know what they say? The early tiefling gets the tea. That must be a seafaring thing. I've never heard of that. Yeah, I mean, only a tiefling would get it, really, I guess. Good morning. Morning. You sleep or slept well by the looks of things? Why? How long were you in here? Long enough just to stare a little, not long enough to make it awkward.
00:08:18
Speaker
Fair enough. Would you like anything? Just water, please. Coffee? Just water. Coffee? Sure. Some water. Got you. Are the others up or is it just you? No, it's just me, I believe. I mean, if you needed someone else here, I don't think Alfa sleeps. I don't know what he does, but I know it's not sleep.
00:08:42
Speaker
No, it's fine. I'll just go for a wash. Of course. Cool. I'm just back in a bit and she's going to walk herself out towards the lakes to the south. Who would be the next, what are we going to switch from to get up or maybe to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to rain to
00:09:06
Speaker
So Rains has had a very normal evening for him of just once he's four hours are up of just setting out the Rubik's cubes in the armory and just allowing them to scroll through the iconic symbols of evocation, of conjuration, of transmutation, abduration. He's allowed all of those configurations and calibrations to happen while he
00:09:29
Speaker
student diligently probably the right word takes down some of the information that he's getting and as soon as he's done that he would as he often does make his way to the breakfast hall once he's happy that those calibrations are done. And you would see a pass on the door on the way in Orla and she'd give you just a kind of a you know a recognizable nod with kind of good morning.
00:09:57
Speaker
Good morning and head off towards the south as the sun slowly rises.
Journey to Redstone Farm
00:10:01
Speaker
As you head in, you find Nick's sat down eating. Sat down eating. I'm used to being the first one up. You all right there, Nick? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm good. I'm good. I just thought I'd try doing what you do for a change, Raines. It's been so successful for you. I thought, you know, I will get up early, I guess.
00:10:25
Speaker
Well, I believe it's the best part of the day. NC, do me a favor and just start brewing me up some of that gold leaf tea. NC will fly out of the bag of holding, dive into the water butt or whatever is in the room for getting fresh water, come out and then just pop himself down on the table and start to brew. Brilliant.
00:10:53
Speaker
Nice, and as the awkward silence holds in the air, I can imagine NC slowly whistles like a casserole. Followed by a ding! And then the sound, and then just him... Just crunching as Nix is eating his bread. Just slurping his tea, just in silence. And then the spit of water. If you can hear it starting to fill up the cup. Thank you. Do you want some of this?
00:11:21
Speaker
Nope. Oh, you're good. You're good. I wonder where, wonder where my rotor is. I was thinking the same about them, Ron.
00:11:32
Speaker
I don't want to put them out of their misery. I just want to leave the two in there. Actually, everyone sleeps in. Alpha's updates take a little longer. So what would you talk? Just like some Beckett play that just goes on. What you don't know is you're actually now in a little pocket dimension where the rest of the world is frozen around you.
00:11:52
Speaker
Yeah, obviously still watching a bit of Stranger Things. I'm only on season three at the moment, but I've just watched a bit of the kind of, yeah, mind me, I've got a pocket to enter. Anyway, let's just for expediency, because as fun as it is leaving these one by ones, let's imagine that Alpha, M1, and Moroti, you kind of come through as a group, you've all kind of woken up, and you've kind of walked. I would. Unless, of course, you will have to. I've seen no personal role play for us, thanks, cheers, yeah. So rather than going straight into the hall, Moroti would,
00:12:20
Speaker
start her morning by going south out of the the keep and go to the the lake the pond towards the south by the mine and just do some sort of morning feng shui
00:12:37
Speaker
Is that the right one? No. No. No, that's that's furniture. Tai Chi. Thank you. So like morning Tai Chi-esque motions and sort of yoga and stretch out and then sort of move into the body of water itself and do some sort of laying on the back trying to recenter herself and just sort of floating there and have a good sort of morning
00:13:06
Speaker
So like an hour of light exercise activity, stretching out, sort of rebalancing her key. Okay. Nice. So it's like you're having a, um, yeah. Yeah. A rest day. Yeah. We've got karate kid moments right now. Yeah. Nice. Um, that's great. We'll come back to you in a second. Okay. Uh, and Ron, you've actually woken up before the updates taken place for Alva and, and you're awake.
00:13:34
Speaker
Here you go, here's your little personal moment then, everyone. What would you like to do? What would you like to do? What do you want to talk about? Where do you want to go? Wait, pass? Do some pass? Do some songs? Everyone's got this whole montage. No, everyone sort of wakes up, scratches his chin. OK, and anyway, then Callum, you walk the match.
00:13:51
Speaker
and then decides to break the horse down. Scratch his chin, sort of stretches, sees that Alfa's still in a corner and that everyone else isn't present.
00:14:07
Speaker
unusual and so he sort of wanders out the room sees one of the sort of like water buckets that obviously collects the rain from the from the guttering from the roof and he just dunks his head in there gives himself a quick wash and then sort of hair sort of dripping slightly wanders into the main keep. You probably just see Nick's try and open his mouth as if we were going to say something and
00:14:36
Speaker
Let's shake his head. Carry on eating. Morning. Morning. Hey. How do? Great. Yeah, not bad. Excellent. I'm not going to lie. After sleeping in the ground and then back in Goldview, them beds were all right, weren't they? The best.
00:15:03
Speaker
I mean, I don't really use beds for the transom, but... No, no, no. If we were paying back beds, you'd get half cut rate, but it's fine. I don't know, that was grand.
00:15:18
Speaker
Rea- so, uh, Rea- Alpha's doing his thing, and then I guess we get our stuff together and then go deal with this, uh, Redstone farm business.
Encounter with the Acrisca
00:15:28
Speaker
She said it was a day away, and we- we're gonna- the longer we take to set off, we'll- we'll waste the time we need. Shit, does that actually happen? What? What do you mean? The longer we take to set off, the more time it'll take.
00:15:48
Speaker
Rains, he's trying to be funny. Yeah, it was more an observation about how long we have to get there in order to max time. No, I agree. Time is money, you could say. Yeah, yeah. But that's a good one. Next, you should tell Alpha that and he'll put it in his memory bank just in case you ever forget it because it was so funny this time that me and Emran just forgot to laugh. Straight up. Yeah, I know. I feel like me and you are just getting closer. Alpha, you just appeared at the door and heard the joke. Did you get that, Alpha?
00:16:17
Speaker
I have recorded that information. Thanks, buddy. Good lad. Morning, golf. Good morning. Did you have trouble sleeping? No, no, no, it took me a while to get off. That is not what I asked. You seem to leave throughout the night. No, no, I stayed. I stayed pretty sensual. Where do you think I left to?
00:16:47
Speaker
I did not follow. Okay. I was still remaining in my rebooting stage. Still working on that whole not being awkward thing, I see. That's cool, man. No, but I mean, is everything all right? Because Alfred's right. Where were you off to, Nix? I wasn't off to anywhere. Not getting in trouble. If I was, that wouldn't be any of your business. Hmm. I see.
00:17:16
Speaker
and I'll continue getting myself some breakfast. And in a lovely or good silence of the morning, we've passed over to the touchyness of Morita, and as you're kind of doing your morning routine, Aula, you look up from the lake at one moment, Aula has awkwardly kind of stood nearby, sat on some rocks, not looking at you, but kind of as the only kind of moving thing in her vista, unnecessarily sometimes glancing at you.
00:17:45
Speaker
So still floating in the middle of the lake, sort of eyes towards the sky. Road is just going to quickly clock her. Can I help you?
00:17:59
Speaker
Oh, no, I just come here in the morning. Like I said yesterday, it's my mother's favorite spot. So I'd like to start my morning here before the day begins. So no, please continue. That shouldn't stop me from doing what you're doing. But I hope you don't mind me being sat there. No, this is your gaffe. So, you know, do you mind if I'm in the water? No, no, by all means better to be used than just sit there stagnating.
00:18:30
Speaker
No, of course, be my guest, please. I'm not going to go back to speak to everyone. I'm going to go speak to Vastan, but just make sure we need some damn money. Okay. So just get them through it one way or another. I feel there are cracks and splits in us and it may cause problems down the line, but for now we need some money. I need some upkeep.
00:19:02
Speaker
Okay. Well, I'll try. You know, it's we can only do what we can do. Absolutely. I know. I know. Just see if you can find someone else to take on the debt. That guy is a bit of a sleaze. Yeah, he is. But since he knew my father, he doesn't tend to pass debt that easily these days.
00:19:32
Speaker
I'll see what I can do, though. I'll be back by the time you lot are back from your trip down to Redstone Farm. It shouldn't take me long. It's popping a gun for you in back. Well, if you're going back in, tell them I'm here waiting by the South Road, so... Okay. I'll let them know. Good luck. And then let's hope it is just some chickens after all, eh?
00:19:58
Speaker
Not even acknowledging that that was said, knowing that it probably isn't chickens. Rhoda's just going to hold her breath and sink into the water.
00:20:08
Speaker
Very nice, Danny. And Ola's going to turn and head back up, opening the doors of the hall to probably abject silence and awkwardness of the four of you sat around, eating, not eating, watching NC slowly brew another cup of tea, enter and say, Marota's ready. She's waiting on the south road. Whenever you lot are good to go, she just asked me to pass on the message.
Arriving at Redstone Farm
00:20:35
Speaker
Ree then and M1 will finish, make sure that he's got a pack of supplies and goes and collects the rest of his stuff from his room and goes to join Marota. Rains will grab the bag of holding from off the table. He is wearing his fine travelling clothes rather than his armour this morning. He looks a bit like, well I'll show you.
00:20:57
Speaker
Well, he does look a bit like it. It depends if you define Tom Hiddlestone's howl from Memory of the Fifth. Oh, very nice. You know exactly what you're doing with that picture. Serious man crush on him and that, my lord. Yeah, so he's got the red doublet. He's got the plush brown leather trousers and the smart boots and a gold-loaded belt just across them. And he attaches the bag of holding to the belt and just makes his way outside. Come on, in two. And then he's going to fly and just land on his shoulder.
00:21:30
Speaker
Alpha. Yes, next. Sorry, I feel like I was interrupting you. No, no, it's quite all right, please. You could hear that I was moving around last night. I do not have a conventional sleep, as most organic creatures do. I am fully aware of my surroundings while I rest, I believe would be the most appropriate term. I wasn't making a lot of noise, though. So how did you how did you know?
00:22:00
Speaker
We are in the same room. I can see. Well, maybe I forgot about that when I looked at roll 20, but you know, that would explain a lot. That would explain a lot.
00:22:12
Speaker
I've got another thing to ask you, Alpha, actually. I'm going to do this in a different way. So forgive me if it doesn't come across natural, but I'm quite aware that you carry something that I was trying to get hold of not so long ago in the form of a green gem. And usually my methods of procuring that off another person would be to try and
00:22:39
Speaker
steal it back somehow. However, our recent adventure together, I don't know, I feel like we're closer now and it would just feel wrong to kind of alleviate you of that. So I was just thought I'd bring it up and just say, hey, if you feel any bit closer to me as we go on and you want to
00:23:08
Speaker
give that back. I am a willing participant in that deal. But that's on you. And I won't, I won't be trying to shift it from you anymore. But I just wanted to just want to bring up try a different thing here. Yeah. Hmm. I was not aware that you've been trying to shift it from me as you put it previously.
00:23:35
Speaker
Well, you've got to be careful sometimes of people and their surroundings and their skills or lack of in this situation. Maybe it's another lesson learned. But yeah, I don't know. I feel like we're, I don't know, just recent, recent experiences have brought us closer. Unless you disagree. I feel it necessary to inform you that both
00:24:01
Speaker
Rains and Emron, I believe, have advised me to return it to you sooner rather than later. Don't shake your head at me. I can't remember exactly. I'm trying not to put it in my notes. Rains did. You're correct. I know Rains did. I weren't sure if Emron did or not. But there you go. Corrupted memory slightly.
00:24:24
Speaker
My intention was originally to research and find out more about the duel before I returned it to yourself. However, if you wish to take it back, it is yours. Research away, but it's good to know I saved for future. It will always be safe in my possession, Nix. Awesome, buddy. Shall we join the others?
00:24:53
Speaker
Ah, awesome. We catch up with the others down on the south road, um, stood in a small huddle on the small dirt, rodent, trodden path that leads to the south. And is there a specific order you want to be traveling in? Well, actually, may I take an order that we are traveling in as we head our way south towards Redstone Farm? Uh, I'll go first as I guess I know this place best. Yeah.
00:25:21
Speaker
I'll go second, just walking alongside Morata. I'll fall in behind those two. I'll pair up with Alva. Okay. I'll go back to Nick's. Lovely. Okay, fine. So, in our day's travel, it's going to take us to nightfall in order to get near or at Redstone Farm. The majority of the journey
00:25:49
Speaker
is eventless. The sun is high in the sky for the majority of the day, the air still, the light blue smattering of sky above you, and very little that takes place during that in terms of the weather. The walk is relatively straightforward on rolling hills and through very small thickets of bushes, et cetera. But the path is true.
00:26:15
Speaker
and you follow to the south. You follow the instructions given to you by Orla, taking you south, if you remember the note that she gave to you. It was, fearless warriors desperately needed, please come to Redstone Farm, act on the Union Pass, pass the burning fields and turn left to the farm. Ask for Bernadette. This is near the Golden Lakes, just to the southwest of Goldview, to the east of the largest lake.
00:26:40
Speaker
As you make your way towards the south further and further, many of you, for example, three of you at least, for example, have no idea what this burning field represents or what it is. And as you start to get closer, you realize exactly what it is. It is a field of perpetual burn. You realize as you get even closer, you see a number of the chriska, the purple-robed figures from back in gold view stood nearby. You see a number of crates and large,
00:27:09
Speaker
large wagons filled with what now almost looks like peats, like rotted earth, on the back of them. And the members of the CRISPR stood around this huge field that is all aflame. Whenever an area seems to go out, one of these mages goes over and casts burning hands or flame, some kind of flame can trip a magic upon it to ignite it again, as a number of laborers and workers are busy shoveling off this dirt from the back of these carts onto the field to continue to burn it.
00:27:40
Speaker
You will probably have to pass by this relatively close as this is taking place on the side of the road in a large field. It stinks. It has a sulphurous smell to it as you pass.
Mystery of the Winged Deer
00:27:51
Speaker
There are two members of the chris-cris stood near a cart as it approaches and the man who is sat on it is talking, deep in conversation with these two hooded figures as you approach. Is there anything you'd like to say or would we like to pass on by? As we're walking up, sort of Emma would be sort of going
00:28:09
Speaker
Marotta, you're from... Brown doing more than any of us. What's this? I... Hmm... I haven't seen anything like this before, Mark? No, you have not. I have no earthly idea, but... My advice is that we avoid the Epchiscra generally, and out on the road there are...
00:28:39
Speaker
A bit more unpredictable. There are less eyes. How long has it been burning? Because the smokestack must be visible from Goldview for quite a way. I don't know. I didn't train as a firefighter. I don't know. I mean, it's a big column of smoke. Easily seen, really. But, you know. But we don't know why they're doing this. I mean, the Acrisca are a strange bunch.
00:29:13
Speaker
It's probably not good. Let's go and ask. Yeah, I am on this one. Start toddling over to the man on the car. I love it when he toddles. I have very rarely seen him run toddle. You the toddling man.
00:29:35
Speaker
What business do you have coming close to my cart? Says a well-dressed chap on one of these very large carts. He seems too well-dressed given what the cart entails. How many people around him? There are two members of Chris Groth stood next to him in what looked like casual conversation.
00:29:54
Speaker
Apart from that, you could just see about maybe 15, 20 other people in and around the field in the not air shop, but in the kind of visible vicinity. Sorry. As everyone is talking or approaching, um, well to do man, and the other two are off to one side, I'm a conversation. I'm going to circumnavigate around. Uh, so I'm near the back of well to do man. And I just want to get a gauge on like how much attention is either on him.
00:30:22
Speaker
And likewise, well to do man, how much his attention is on Emron before I inevitably reach my hand into his pocket. Okay. He is on a cart, which is about four feet high. No, he's still sat on the cart, but you can still get a good sense of it anyway. Okay.
00:30:40
Speaker
if you want. I'll be listening in on the conversation as well because I was up for this. I'm all for everyone asking what's going on. Some of us aren't around here. We were just curious about what's occurring. Where are you from then if you don't mind me asking? The native of
00:31:02
Speaker
Shadow, fuck. Shadow or fuck? I haven't heard of that one actually. We're natives of a place called Moonrise. Oh. That was smooth and really smooth. Well, you've noticed the man's face says broad chiseled chin pencil mustache and kind of quiffy hair probably in his mid 30s looks and suddenly his face drops a little bit. Well, that's
00:31:33
Speaker
That's very interesting. You don't happen to know the Goroth family, do you? Moonrise is a big place. Never heard of them. He relaxes. Oh, good. And he tenses up again. What about the blue eyes? Heard of them? We're from a place called the Shadow in Moonrise. In account of the fact that it's a slum that's covered over by large parts of the other part of the city. I ain't got a clue what you're on about, friend.
00:32:02
Speaker
Okay. Well, here we have the burning field, as you can see. I'm just a merchant. I bring in the goods and the abcrisco do what they will. They pay handsomely for it. It's quite a good trade. What are they burning? The undead.
00:32:23
Speaker
or the soil in which they fell into when the blight ended a year ago. Well, after the big cataclysm and the events that took place over and around the Salute Guard, apologies, this soil has been, some people don't trust the soil that now grows. So large farmlands have been excavated, the soil burnt to put those people in fears of rest. Some swear that still the undead can come from this very soil. So this is a way of cleansing the soil
00:32:53
Speaker
Hence the burning field. So people ship soil from across Sleekyard to here? That's correct, in order to burn it. Seems a bit, wouldn't it be easier just to burn it there rather than transporting it here? Some people don't have the ability to, any just gestures to the abcrisco, make fire happen and burn something that does not want to be burned, friend.
00:33:16
Speaker
Ah, fair enough. I was just calling me curious. No, absolutely. Curiosity is the best part of a status valor. Well, you get my idea. Now, friend, where are we heading anyway?
00:33:32
Speaker
We're off down to the south. Got some business in some of the farms near the lakes. I understand. I understand. Keep your cards close to your chest. I would also do the same if my business wasn't so obvious. Any gestures to the large carts filled full of soil behind him. If you come across any of those farms that want their soils cleansing, I think all the farms to the south have been done. But if you do speak to any of them, do let me know. I'll be up and around these parts quite often from now on.
00:33:59
Speaker
And your name, just so we know who to turn to get in touch with. Mr. Shez, Vanny Shez. My name is Merchant. I'm sorry. What was your name again? Vanny Shez. Gotcha. It's not a funny sounding name. Thank you, Master Shez. You're welcome. He looks confused at the tiefling he's just insulted him from out of nowhere.
00:34:27
Speaker
He does that. I wouldn't worry about it. Don't mind him. Thank you for allaying my curiosity. We'll leave you to your business and carry on our way. Very well. Good day to you all. And to you. And he turns back to the two members of the Chris guy. Now, I was saying about that price. If you could just discuss the intricacies of the conversation continues. Have you left or are you continuing to? I'm walking on.
00:34:55
Speaker
Does it look like anything else is happening on those fields, Mark? Give me a perception check, please. 21. Do you notice two of the labourers far from the field, to your left, kind of a long parallel to where you're walking? Seems to be quite close. One seems to pass something to the other and then they continue on with their work.
00:35:24
Speaker
in a slightly subtle way. Aside from that, everyone else seems to be doing what it says on the tin. Shoveling dirt, burning it. I will just fall in beside Emrom as we walk off and go...
00:35:40
Speaker
Imran, if we could avoid telling people from the Uprisqur that we're from Shaddamand, I would greatly appreciate it. They're the reason that we had to change plans in the first place, because I don't know where their grand political loyalties lie, but it's certainly not with our allies and sweet God. Oh, sorry, Rains, it's been a while and it's easy to forget.
00:36:07
Speaker
I'd appreciate if we could, we have to tell some folk we're from Shadow Men because some folk we won't be able to fool, but... So we're from Moon where? Moonrise, it's a big city in the center of Eryth. I've never been, but I've read a lot about it. People call it the Crucible of Civilization and all sorts. It's apparently a fine place. Okay, okay. I can get away with that. I'll do my best. Was that said quietly? It was said to Enron as we walked away.
00:36:38
Speaker
as discreetly as I could be. Okay. Nix and Alpha, are you guys following suit? Are you hanging around? What's the dealio? Alpha would probably still just be in the mindset of following Rains and Emrom. Okay, Nix? Nix is going to loop his arm in with Alpha's... what, next turn?
00:37:02
Speaker
like we're off to see the wizard like we're off to see the wizard motherfucker amazing that's a great image um just to quick pause there but just to let you know that um i write listen i write my um npc's big long list of them because i never know these guys are going to pull out
00:37:17
Speaker
on my little cards and I do the D&D Dungeon Master's guide to writing NPCs and you get a list of five or six things. And there's always like one like flaw or thing wrong with them at the last, or something that's an issue with them at the end. And the one that I happened to randomly pull out for this literally as I was chatting to you all, the minute you mentioned you were from Moonrise at the bottom, I don't know if you can see that, it just says hated in Moonrise.
00:37:41
Speaker
And so that's why I was like, Oh my God, I'm going to have to play this. Cause I looked and quickly read it as we were talking and thought, okay. And then he said, we're from moonrise. And I was like, Oh, okay. So ironic. That was the only one that I had to quickly go to my map and look at places that range would have seen on the boat down. And it's like, we went right past moonrise. So that would have been absolutely, it was a good one to a pick. And so we're going to continue heading off the rest of the journey. Um, check my consult my chart of things.
00:38:11
Speaker
Oh, fine. Pass without delay. We managed to find ourselves nearing this large lake, which is the most southern lake out of the Golden Lakes, to the south of Goldview, or to the south of Sleepguard, kind of to the east of Goldview, almost in line perpendicular with it.
00:38:29
Speaker
During that time, the sun is kind of mid-afternoon to late afternoon, as the sun continues to head down. Is there anything that you want to take place, or do you want me to just fast travel our way to Redstone Farm? Eh, so, Maro, to anyone else, do we reckon we can push on into the evening to get to the farm, or do we need to rest again to make camp? I'm fine. Right, well, let's crack on then. I didn't know whether we were going to have one voice. I mean, is everyone else okay?
00:38:59
Speaker
I am perfectly fine proceeding forward. Yeah, as Alfa said. I too am perfectly fine proceeding forward. Well, time is money, so we might as well go get this job started and deal with these mysterious chickens, as Ola said, and everyone chuckles to himself, because he knows they're not chickens.
00:39:20
Speaker
And as we're all perfectly fine proceeding forward, we proceed forward perfectly fine. And we start to notice on the horizon that starts to appear out of the, into your field division, a relatively picturesque farm starts to appear.
Journey to the Forefinger
00:39:35
Speaker
And you can start to smell the,
00:39:39
Speaker
smell water, you start to smell from the west, you can smell sea air as it whips in off the coast. You also see the large expanse of water that sits almost in a basin like almost the lock, any number of locks in Scotland actually. But what
00:39:58
Speaker
typifies this area are the willow trees that seem to dot around this lake and there are just hundreds of them and they are sparsely spread out and evenly almost spread out around this lake almost like it's been nurtured somewhere around it and there are three buildings that sit on this area of land
00:40:17
Speaker
and large kind of open lands around these trees where cattle are roaming. Lots and lots of cows and pigs are around this area. This is obviously a livestock farm. The Petey ground does well for these animals.
00:40:29
Speaker
The first building you see is a large multi-story windmill that has almost built onto the hips of it, if you can imagine it as a person, a kind of a second story, which seems to be some kind of living quarters. You see smoke rising from a chimney stack within this. The roofs are thatched, however, and the structure seems to be totally made of wood.
00:40:48
Speaker
There are two other outbuildings from this, one which seems to be a large barn, ideally made probably for the animals in the winter months, and then also a large open-topped, sorry, closed-topped but open-sided barn, which seems to be full of straw and hay for feeding said animals. You can deduce from this that the place you probably want to go to is this large windmill.
00:41:12
Speaker
The buildings are sat in a large kind of triangle area that seems to not have any trees in it and the middle area seems to be devoid of grass. It seems to be more kind of sandy and peaty in the center, dried out slightly. This has been an area where maybe events take place. The ground seems to be well worn and well walked.
00:41:29
Speaker
The meadows around you are quiet and smooth. There are a number of yellow and orange flowers that grow low to the ground, almost like the dandelions of our world, but smaller and lower and more plush. The path is clearly denoted by the lack and absence of grass or flowers as you head closer towards Redstone Farm.
00:41:51
Speaker
Are we getting on towards evening now? Yes, the sun is low in the sky. We've got a relatively pink sky, pink sun this evening, which gives this idyllic feel to the area. I often think, sorry to break the mood slightly, but we had such a sleek, I can be such a depressing place. I'm trying to bring a bit more color and
00:42:18
Speaker
There's nice kind of vistas to the area because it is beautiful really when you get to know it. You're doing a really good job. Thanks man. And if you want to visit Sleekguard, there's a lonely planet book of Sleekguard coming out soon. That'd be hilarious. And a David Attenborough presentation as well. The Fields of Redstone Farm. I can't do it. We better find ourselves this Bernadette last then.
00:42:47
Speaker
and everyone goes towards the main farm building. If there's a following, the door is shut. It was made by those that are dead. No, the door is shut and it is a large wooden door, panelled door. The whole building seems relatively ornate but still well kept, well looked after, expensive. This isn't your run of the mill, if you know what I mean. And everyone will knock on the door?
00:43:13
Speaker
There's silence for a while and then you hear kind of titivating noises and clinks and clanks of things behind and then fast feets as the door opens up and you see a kind of 50 year old woman stood there and bags under her eyes, a kind of long dash of blonde hair hanging on her shoulders, kind of clinging to her face.
00:43:35
Speaker
And she's in a kind of a white shirt and kind of brown work trousers and still wearing work boots. She's got grubby fingers, grubby hands, and she looks embarrassed as she stands there. Oh, who are you and why are you knocking on my door? We've been sent by Ola to deal with your chickens, your issue. Oh, God, I do apologize. Of course, of course.
00:44:03
Speaker
Yes, my husband, God's rest is sold. He was viciously attacked, everyone thinks, by the chickens we keep on the farm because he was found there. But I do not believe for a second that's what caused it. There are some creatures. You must kill them. I will pay you. Will you go? What are the creatures? Yeah, where are they? What are they? Oh, over there. And she'll point towards the coast to the east. Do you know what they are if they're not the chickens?
00:44:33
Speaker
Vicious bastards. I did see it, though it was dark at the time. But you know what a deer or a stagger looks like? Aye. Yeah, with the horns and the head. Yeah, thanks, Johnny, I've had. Yeah, instead of the flat teeth, spiky, sharp teeth, and then massive wings.
00:45:03
Speaker
or claws like an eagle, but bigger. But the horns, like a deer on the head, claws and wings, vicious. It screamed and it cuddles your blood to here. And there were two, three of them, perhaps,
00:45:27
Speaker
and they flew off to the east, I think to the forefinger. Do you know the area, if I use that expression? No, if you could point us where we think we'll find them, we'll go and investigate. Ironic, because it's called the forefinger and I'm using my forefinger to – never mind. Over here, on the edge of the coast of Sleet Guard, overlooking the Bronze Storm Sea is a jutting out of rock.
00:45:50
Speaker
We call the forefinger as it looks like a forefinger sticking out, pointing towards the sea, upon which I believe is where these creatures have made a nest of some description. I saw them escaping there not yesterday with one of my cows. Cows? They take livestock from my farm. Yeah, but a cow? Yes, two of them carried it between them.
00:46:16
Speaker
I don't know if we can do this. We'll go and investigate. Fucking cow, everyone. That's why I needed people to come. Thank you, yes. Don't you worry yourself. It's just nice to be understood and not looked at like some crazy bint. It's all right. It's because my husband has died.
00:46:44
Speaker
We've had our fair share of strangeness, so don't worry. You lock your doors and continue your evening. We'll go, Raines. As this is happening, Raines is just glancing around to see if she has the means or looks like she has the means to farm this place now that her husband is gone. Does it look like she means to continue farming? Is this still an active farm?
00:47:14
Speaker
There are still animals there. The buildings don't look dilapidated. She's got dirt under her fingers. On her hand, she's in work clothes. One could assume from that information that it is a working farm and she is a working farmer. Wrong. Just wonder how good it is. You'd have to ask or you'd have to have a good old nosey around.
00:47:36
Speaker
to see how well tended the stock are, how well built the fences are. Yeah, it was just a glance. Raines would realise that they're questions for another time, but he was just having a glance to see what the situation is here. Yeah, seems in order, but as you noticed, as you approached, there weren't many in terms of the livestock she kept. There were some. This is a big area and it seemed relatively empty, so that might give you an indication as to the problems she's facing.
00:48:07
Speaker
Three then. We'll head towards the four fingers as you directed us to. Four fingers, just the one finger, not the four, just the four fingers. F-O-R-E, if one was to write it. It's the name we have in the area. The Golden Lakes we also coined, which is a lovely name for this area, but yes, the four fingers. We're talking a big cow!
00:48:28
Speaker
He points, he points down, she points down to one of the nearby cows munching on some daisies like, like her, like Justine there. Um, but yeah, same kind of size and it's just a regular sized hefty, hefty sow. How many cows are on the, on the farm? I mean, as you cast your eye over, you can probably see about 20 cows.
00:48:54
Speaker
Sure it wasn't a baby cow. No, it's full cow. It's full cow. It's not the season. They aren't even at their gestation yet. Took the full cow. Cool. Wow. Full cow. Yeah. Well, let's get to it, lads. Let's go.
00:49:13
Speaker
We're going straight away, okay. Listen, if you're unsuccessful, you know, you'll die, so it's fine. But if you are successful, come back. If you need a place to stay, I know you want to go now, that's fine, but there's a, the hay barn at the back over there, you can stay there free of charge, you know. I would invite you in, but I don't know you. I hope you understand that, and yep, yep, well, best of luck. Before we go. If you do kill them, yes? If, just as a, you know, deal sweetener.
00:49:43
Speaker
If we do get rid of your problem with these flying deer, could you part with two cows of yours? She thinks long and hard about that. It'll come out of the gold payment, but yes. Or in addition, two. We'll see.
00:50:09
Speaker
Let's just do one thing at a time and we can discuss payment. You know how much I'm offering, though, don't you, in terms of gold for this? Why don't you remind us? Well, I was hoping you'd remind me because as the DM I've said it and then forgotten it somewhere hidden in my notes. Well, good thing we have someone who remembers everything. Don't worry, our friend there, Alvin. There's a thousand gold. Give him a chance. He did it. He did it. I didn't say a thousand gold.
00:50:37
Speaker
500 gold. Thank you. If you want me, if it's 500 gold, I've got chickens. This is a cow. Took a whole cow. I am not aware what chickens are able to grab a cow. Dix is doing this in, like a cow. That's the thing. They have feathers like chickens. That's, I think, where the mistake takes place. But when you see them from very far away and they look like a chicken and actually they're not far away. Not a cow. Yes. Well, yes. Hence my problem.
00:51:06
Speaker
Sounds like something folk like us should deal with. It does. I'm turning back to Morita. We can, we can discuss that later on. I need to look at some money and see where, see who I could spare because you can see a dwindling stock at the moment. Right. That's cool. Okay. And she nods ahead. Any water or anything before you go or you find her?
00:51:34
Speaker
We set out just earlier this morning and we haven't even touched our rations or our supplies. I believe we're fine. OK, well, all the best. Good evening. I've been munching your mind throughout the day, so if you've got any rations, that would be great. You've gone through weeks worth of rations. Why are we taking a week's worth of rations when it took a day to get here? Well, you never know. Well, you bring more than you just need. Next, otherwise, tend to get you in trouble.
00:52:03
Speaker
I don't think you need me for this conversation, so I'm going to, uh, bye. She's going to shut the door. Could a cow. Uh, okay. Great. Let's keep going. Okay. And are we heading in the direction she's pointed towards the, the forefinger? Yep. Oh yeah. Indeed. As it's, if it starts to get dark, Mark, uh, Elmo will cast a light on his hammer.
00:52:24
Speaker
And yeah, it does start to get dark quite quickly as you cross the, the PT and idyllic area of this redstone farm, you realize quite how big this farmstead is and how sunken down compared to the other lands around it. You cross it relatively easily, simple paths that lead
00:52:42
Speaker
all the way through the lands towards the coast seems to be a well trod path by by benadette and her late husband and as you climb the gentle hill up and out of this basin near the golden lakes you see very close probably
00:53:00
Speaker
more than a mile away the coast you can hear it you can smell it the rush of the air seems to hit you more kind of full on as this kind of sheltered down hidden basin where the redstone farm is and you feel coast you feel the edge you feel the rush and you can start to hear the ocean
00:53:18
Speaker
It's now dark at this point, so, Emron, your light would have been enabled on your hammer as you start to walk closer. Are we aiming to... Are we going through this at night? Do you want to rest as you approach? Is there anything you want to do on the approach? I mean, I'm happy to keep going. I'm happy to keep going unless someone stops me, anyone's off to deal with this.
Encounter with the Paratons
00:53:39
Speaker
Okay. You get to what you know to be the forefinger.
00:53:46
Speaker
It's a huge, probably 50, 60, 70 foot wide rock that druts wide out and up into the ocean, over the ocean. 60, 70, 80 foot wide, but gosh, probably
00:54:02
Speaker
Quarter of a mile in length, this thing seems to jut out at lower than a 45 degree, maybe 20 degree angle. I don't know what that really is, 45, 20, yeah, half of that. So it's, you know, you're walking on an incline, but it's not too much to hit. Upon this large rock, which from the side just does look like sheer rock, soil and heat and ground matter has landed on this in some way, shape or form, and trees have grown over time as it's been eroded slightly.
00:54:27
Speaker
but there are large trees, bushes, and the ground seems to be filled almost with its own little mini-biome of life upon it. You start walking up.
00:54:39
Speaker
you can hear the crash of the ocean and as you head on to the forefinger you realize you are just over the swelling sea of the bronze storm sea. You can hear it smashing against the rocks beneath you. You can hear it that you can feel the spray firing up the side and the rush of air along with it as you step on. The ground is hard yet slightly slippery like there's a layer of
00:55:04
Speaker
something scummy or something, just something liquidy across the surface. It could be spray from the ocean, it could be rain, it could be something else. You're not really sure. You start to walk tentatively up this with Emron's light clearly shining out over the area.
00:55:22
Speaker
You start to get closer and closer towards the tip, towards the end as you slowly make your way up, making your way round bushes, around other rocks that seem to have jutted the way around. And you get closer and closer and then you just hear this one loud singular. That was awful. Anyway, that was not the noise I wanted to come out of my throat just then. That struck fear into us.
00:55:51
Speaker
It sounded like I was choking on something. Anyway, a kind of a squawk, but it's not a squawk. It sounds like it comes from a big pair of lungs. There's bass in it as well.
00:56:02
Speaker
and you hear another end kind of response to that and then you hear the thud thud of wings and kind of the shuffle and shuffling. I think they're throwing up the cow. Is it like the scream of Ring Race as they attack Weathertop, that kind of screech? No. It's like that with Deep Edge, they're shorter bursts. It's like I imagine if you had a crow that got really hench and like just big beefy boy.
00:56:26
Speaker
I can't do that. Like the Griffin at the start of Witcher 3, the first contract. Yeah, a little bit. Yeah, that's good. That's good. Yeah, I'll go with that. Kind of like that one. Yeah, we'll go with that. That is a niche. Well, I know it's not. If you're listening to this, you've played the Witcher. Who are we kidding? Or at least know of it.
00:56:45
Speaker
And at that moment, you will freeze as you hear that noise and feel the energy of movement up and ahead of you. There's another crash of the waves against you. And then just through it, you see from the distance behind you, lightning.
00:57:00
Speaker
and the rumble of thunder, far from the distance, deep in sleep, God. And that flash of lightning is enough to reflect off the face of one of these creatures. It hasn't seen you, but you have managed to see it through the bushels. And just on cue, my chrome has disappeared, yet it comes back. Just in time for me to describe, the head, at least, of what you can see through the bushes and trees.
00:57:22
Speaker
you see as adequately described by Bernadette, large horns sat up like that of a stag deer sat upon a large but slightly distorted face of a deer it seems but the teeth are rotted covered in blood the eyes large white and red ears long back like almost some kind of hair like a large rabbit and it's sat beneath that you see these two large wings that seem to be ruffled back
00:57:48
Speaker
You don't just see one pair of wings though, you see four individual pairs of wings. And as these, as you have come across the small nest of the paratons, that's why we're going to leave it for this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop.
00:58:12
Speaker
I mean, I mean, hopefully none of us are going to have to try and fight these things at range. Paraton. Speak for yourself. Paraton. P-E-R-Y-T-O-N. Paraton. Paraton, anyway. Yeah. Got it. Thank you. They're evil fuckers. They're great.
00:58:31
Speaker
Now you're going to Google them, look at the stats, find out the weaknesses. Nah. I wouldn't do that. That's all right. I've owned a bit of the shit out of them anyway. Theatre of the mind. That's what we're all here for.
00:58:42
Speaker
and we appreciate everyone else who is tuning in to hear it as well. We love you very much. Thank you for making us a part of your everyday week. If you wanted to keep in it too deep with the podcast, I was going for something else and I quickly switched at the last second. You can do so to have one of our various social media pages. Fuck off, Will. If you want to find our website, it's fellowshiptabletop.com. If you wanted to find our Facebook, it's at fellowshiptable. And if you want to find our Twitter page, it's at fellowshiptable.
00:59:10
Speaker
If you then wanted to go one step further and follow us individually, you can do so too.
00:59:32
Speaker
You did not skip over me entirely. It's been a quiet episode. I've not been here. And my mind just went, we haven't done Callum yet. So Callum, if people wanted to find you, how could we find your godlike self? The D20 Gamer. Until next time, guys.