Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Ep. 106 Standoff on the Bridge to Almenora
35 Plays1 day ago
Almenora is real! At least that's what Gwendolyn has come to believe, has always believed. If everything else that elf said was true—the wall, the trees listening, and even the way the party got in here—then their stories of Almenora have to be true too! Here's hoping The Hired Swords receive a warm welcome.
Find us online: thehiredswords.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to The Hired Swords Podcast
00:00:08
Speaker
listening to The Sired Hordes, an NDN Codcast.
Recap of Previous Adventures
00:00:22
Speaker
listening to the sire horror an ndn
00:00:42
Speaker
Actual cannibal Shia LaBeouf.
00:00:47
Speaker
Just do it. Hello, everybody. Hi. What's up? Hello, everybody. I decided to try again. Here we go.
00:00:58
Speaker
Hello, everybody, and welcome to another episode of the Hired Swords. My
Encounter with the Invisible Wall and Its Challenges
00:01:03
Speaker
name is Derek, all three of them and I'm your host, Davin, and I'm your game dungeon man master.
00:01:11
Speaker
And in this episode, i have with me Blaze. He Kriggs Galdar, also known as Sofren and Baroque, to his non-friends. What's up? Derek is with me. He's Davin.
00:01:23
Speaker
Like, why'd you do that big wind up before you said anything? Like, if you didn't want us to join in, like you like, yeah I didn't say i didn't want you to join in. I just kept going, even though you did. Mike is here too. He's jockser.
00:01:35
Speaker
What's happening, folks? And Gwyndallin is played by Ash. Howdy. ea yeah you just You gave her a new name, Gwyndallin. Yeah, I don't know.
00:01:47
Speaker
That's how it's spelled on Zencaster here. That's how it's said in the Elbish tongue. Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn. I guess I remember way back in season one when nobody knew how to pronounce Davin's name.
Journey Continues Through the Mysterious Forest
00:01:58
Speaker
Yeah, it's Devin. dave ain How do we say Devin? That's funny. You're right.
00:02:02
Speaker
da um I actually realized after listening back to some season two episodes that Krigs Golder is what you call what he wants his friends to call him. So all this time of me being like Krigs Golder, Sofren, whatever he goes by now, it should have been Krigs all along, but that's okay.
00:02:19
Speaker
And I'm Michael. I'm your Dungeon Master. So it's nice to meet everybody. My name is not Derek. That was a joke. If this is your first time, listening to the hired swords it always pretty much starts like this so yeah that's great you should probably go back and listen to some of the other things it's a little late in the game i'd probably ah start i don't know you may be so kind of confused by some stuff if you keep if you just start here i don't know maybe not but uh we are going to do a quick recap of the last few episodes here we are traveling you've been traveling through this strange new dimension after going through a portal and you have saved wild hill you have saved the the town you started in you have saved it seems you have saved the wilds the forest surrounding there you've made it through the untouched lands you made it to a portal in which you traveled through after a huge battle you then made it into this weird strange forest
00:03:09
Speaker
Yeah.
00:03:17
Speaker
ah parts of the day ah with no real sunrise or sunset very confusing land to be in magic is seems to be enhanced and different in certain places met somebody you also ended up hanging out with them in there their like a little homestead, found out that they didn't really belong there, that they were kind of transported there on accident.
00:03:37
Speaker
Then you made your way, you left them and found your way to another area where you ended
Confrontation with Elven Guards at the Bridge
00:03:42
Speaker
up in a battle with some serpent people that you had never seen before. And then found actually the garden where they came from and originated as statues, but something had happened to turn them into living beings. Well, then you found what that was, raised, found out that this elf statue that was standing in this garden was actually the one who made the serpents become living you took this gemstone and out of this uh this rock that had all these runes in it which made this elf come to life and be back to their normal living self they then helped you travel to where you're this wall you are seeking that supposedly is is kind of hiding the elven people known as the almanora who
00:04:24
Speaker
You've learned the heritage of them is a collection of villages known as Al-Manorah that was in the regular real world, supposedly where you came from. And so you found on that wall.
00:04:36
Speaker
That wall then... was invisible to you until Gwendolyn was able to see it. And when Gwendolyn saw it, she put her hand on it and kind of was accepted by the wall into it.
00:04:49
Speaker
And then Thalindra, your traveling, contemporary traveling companion made their way to the wall, put their hand on it in excitement. And then the wall ah punished them for their unworthiness to enter the wall. Well, then
00:05:06
Speaker
As a party, having seen this happen, you, with apprehension, tried it yourselves and were welcomed through. However, Davin, the wall tried to separate you from your necklace as you were pulled through, but a lightning bolt jolted
Battle with Elves and Magical Creatures
00:05:21
Speaker
from the necklace, separating it or breaking it from, free from the grasp of the vines in this wall, allowing you to pass through with the necklace still on yourself, which then...
00:05:31
Speaker
Some questions were asked. Some conversation was had about the soul being trapped in this necklace. Gwendolyn did not see what happened to Thalindra and was not communicated with about it.
00:05:41
Speaker
And however, Dale then crawled out of her bag and started scurrying around and running down this. into the forest as if Dale knew where he was going and you began to follow until it came time to actually camp. Night fell. It was nice to have nighttime.
00:06:01
Speaker
Did a little foraging with very little success until finally you rested for the night. We now find ourselves the next morning, ah sunrise. Seems like the night was very short, but it was there. It happened.
00:06:14
Speaker
And now the sun is up. It is bright in the sky. Good morning. What do you do now? Good morning. Probably got to pee real bad if it's first thing in the morning. That's fair.
00:06:25
Speaker
think i'm I'm still a little sluggish. like I think i'm I'm still kind of moseying out a little less u you know jumpy and bumpy as I normally am.
00:06:39
Speaker
Sure. um gonna This is probably the first morning where Gwendolyn is not groggy. So she probably wakes up Dale because Dale's probably sleeping in.
00:06:50
Speaker
Yeah, Dale's got himself kind of tucked up under your, like one of the, the the where your tunic kind of drapes over and he's kind of tucked himself down in there all cozy. And as you try to nudge him awake, he pokes his little head out, scurries up onto your shoulder.
00:07:07
Speaker
ah And as you're sitting up there, kind of sniffing around your hair and your ear, like looking for something to eat. She probably giggles and just... We should get going now.
00:07:19
Speaker
i Don't we at least get some breakfast first? We didn't find much earlier. I mean, do we i mean we have pepper. Do we have much else? i i can i can bring out the ale.
00:07:31
Speaker
Anybody? and he Morning? morning a Sounds like we're having pepper ale yet again. That's the closest thing we have to coffee, guess.
00:07:43
Speaker
Maybe maybe we'll find a diner along the way.
00:07:48
Speaker
Yeah. I've seen a stranger. That's fair. um Yeah, no, I can i can get going. It's, ah yeah, let's let's move.
00:08:00
Speaker
And then Elendis goes, chop, chop, let's go. And because she's just, I don't know. I kind of hopped to, like, old school soldier style, like, just jokingly, like, playing along with her commands.
00:08:14
Speaker
Okay. You guys get up and start packing up your camp, getting ready to go. it seems that Dale is just as kind of anxious to get moving as Gwendolyn is acting.
00:08:25
Speaker
He's kind of jumping in, hopping in circles, starts to kind of scurry away down kind of the direction that he was going previously. Comes back to you, spins around in some circles and starts scurrying away again as if to say, on, come on, come on, let's go.
00:08:38
Speaker
Yeah, no, no, definitely on the way. but, but but yeah just Just trying to get motivated. can't believe we're following a squirrel. I feel like ah feeling we have been this whole time. Let's be honest.
00:08:54
Speaker
Chipmunk! Sorry, it's early.
00:09:00
Speaker
I mean, ah we I was calling you a squirrel.
00:09:04
Speaker
All right. You get just hacked up and and Davin doesn't really... talk much. He's just kind of shaking his head. He's very groggy this morning, but he gets up and he gets the stuff packed up. and All right. Lead the way, a squirrel.
00:09:17
Speaker
ah Gwendolyn glares and then she just kind of just whiffs her hand at him and then starts following him. That gives her a wink. Does he know how to wink? Probably. Let me roll for it, actually. Performance check.
00:09:30
Speaker
Yay! First dice roll. I rolled a three. Oh, no. Both eyes. Yeah, both eyes. He just blinks long at you. what are What are you doing?
00:09:42
Speaker
but is that Do you have something in your... Hold on. What? you i see don't see anything. There's nothing in your eyes. but You guys don't know how to wink. I mean, that's what you do when you're trying to like... It's like an inside joke sort of thing. You're trying to wink?
00:09:58
Speaker
i I'm not trying to wink. I just winked.
00:10:02
Speaker
I'm... and Sorry. we Can you just wink again? No. Dabin smashes his eyes together like three times in a row. No. No. Don't ever do that again.
00:10:13
Speaker
i don't know. I kind of like it. What am what am I doing wrong? you Not both eyes. One eye. i'm from fire just did eye, I think.
00:10:25
Speaker
From far away, you just hear her say, Will you stop dilly-daddling? Let's go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gwendolyn's ahead of you guys quite a ways already. Calling back to you. I do my best hobble run I can.
00:10:38
Speaker
ah Pull out spell slots, cast mage armor, and and go about my business. Okay. All right, so you guys start walking and start to trail. You're trailing behind Gwendolyn at first, but then you catch up as they are.
Attempts at Peace and Submission
00:10:53
Speaker
She is, ah her and Dale both are kind of scurrying ahead of you. And Dale continues to run. And as as he does, the ah before too long, you come and you come up to a kind of...
00:11:11
Speaker
dirt road ah that is going parallel to like across where you're walking. And there's little cobblestones in it here and there. Like they've been laid there almost like, like ah the well, like a pathway, like literally.
00:11:27
Speaker
Uh, not all, it's not all pathways, little patches of cobblestone pathway here and there. And he turns on that road and starts heading to changes direction and starts following that road as if he knows exactly where he's going. Gwendolyn, as you are right there behind him.
00:11:42
Speaker
And shortly after the rest of the group, you guys kind of come up behind Gwendolyn and Dale and see that they've kind of turned and started heading. I assume Gwendolyn, you're going to follow Dale. Uh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, he turns and just heads basically west down that road, and you guys follow along?
00:12:01
Speaker
I know we've always followed Gwendolyn, but it is a little weird that we're following Dale. Well, I mean, he has sort of been the leader ever since he was a beacon for us on that night. Ever since I first shook his hand, I knew that chipmunk was destined for great things.
00:12:19
Speaker
Throwbacks, love I will just keep my guard up. you you You two go on ahead. I'll keep the the rear. I just figure none of us know where we're going, so we may as well follow the intuition of someone who's used to nature, right?
00:12:35
Speaker
Yeah, it's fair. I barely know where I'm going half the time anyway, so let's just keep going, suppose. All right, so you guys continue down this pathway, and and pretty soon the the forest is definitely ah still pretty thick along as you go. Not as thick as it was back outside of this wall, but you need as you look up, you see bright, just a bright blue sky with some clouds here and there, um but it it's pretty wide open above you as you walk through this path. This path is pretty wide, nearly 20 feet wide,
00:13:07
Speaker
as you and And you can kind of see almost like cart paths in it as in some areas, like cars cart tracks, I mean to say, in some areas, almost like the center is less worn than the twos the you know the sides of it where the cart would have rolled across there.
00:13:23
Speaker
and Pretty quick, ah within an hour, two hours of travel, you definitely see that the cobblestone is becoming more and more prevalent. It's kind of winding through the forest. You feel like you're heading west and then north and then east and then back up north a little more and then east and then back up north and then west and then back over.
00:13:42
Speaker
And it's it's almost like it's just winding through. a little bit of a hilly kind of like down following the the terrain of this forest until it kind of starts to straighten out. And for about, for a good 20, 30 minutes, you walk straight on this and it becomes solid cobblestone path.
00:14:00
Speaker
And um everyone make perception checks as you're dry walking down this solid pathway here.
00:14:08
Speaker
Bad start
Surrender and Meeting with Carthenact
00:14:09
Speaker
to the ninth. Six. Six for Davin. That'll be a 15 plus 1. 16. 16 for Joxer. Perception checks.
00:14:20
Speaker
Gwendolyn and Craig's? 16. 16 for Craig's. Gwendolyn? There it is. It's a nat 1.
00:14:30
Speaker
Well, it would be. It's 11 total. You have plus 10 to perception. That's amazing. So... So, Joxer and Kriggs, you both hear a rushing river ahead of you, just the sound of flowing, fast-moving water ahead of you. It's it's real faint right now, but it's definitely the direction you're heading.
00:14:53
Speaker
is that Is that where we need to go? What? What do you mean? ah i'm I'm hearing some running water. It's making me feel like I need a tinkle. What about the sound of a river has ever indicated where we need to go?
00:15:09
Speaker
just curious. I mean, it's normally, you know, either close, that it's either on the way or away from ah place that actually has water. So, I mean, you'd normally have ah ah a town or or something near it so you could you could maintain your town.
00:15:28
Speaker
Fair enough. ah Do you, Gwen, Davin, I'm assuming you hear this this river, Joxer and i have apparently heard. Davin's pulling some bark off a tree and saying, how did they ever eat this stuff?
00:15:42
Speaker
but do what I'm sorry, what? Quentin probably turns around and goes, what? Yeah, and and Dale's just continuing to run to kind of scurry on. He's not letting himself get too far away from you guys, but ah once he if he gets ah feels like he's getting a little ways away, and he'll stop and turn and kind of go in circles waiting for you to get to get closer and then scurry off again.
00:16:01
Speaker
Why do we stop? What's going on? i I don't know. just It just sounds like water. I but i don't know if it matters and at all. ah Is that the way Dale is going? Yeah, he's heading that direction.
00:16:12
Speaker
So if you guys just continue walking that direction ah in about just in a few minutes, you're going to come up on where the cobblestone actually is kind of paved on the sides of it with...
00:16:26
Speaker
stones, large stones, like it would take two hands to to lift these things. And they're kind of ah like aligned alongside the the road you're on. It's starting to look very hewn and like ah crafted as you approach. Now the the sound of this water gets pretty loud, but as you approach, you you find yourselves walking up to...
00:16:49
Speaker
this bridge and it's a big stone bridge about 20 feet wide. It's, it's about, um, it's about 50 feet across and there are four, there's a stone kind of columns going along the side of the bridge with ah statues. There's every, there's four total statues on here of elves and these statues are standing with, uh, large, uh, like, uh,
00:17:17
Speaker
One has war hammer, one has a bow, one has a sword, one has an axe, and they're just standing facing the inside ah towards this inside of this bridge. The water's rushing underneath you, and these these elves just overlook, these these elf statues just overlook the this bridge, anybody who would be walking through there.
00:17:36
Speaker
On the other side of the bridge, you see a group of elven people standing there. And one of them you see is ah ah standing. They have a cloak over their head, but they're standing in front of a group of very similarly dressed men.
00:17:58
Speaker
elves who all are carrying ah staffs, like magic user kinds of staffs, and they are standing together, about six of them, with this other elf standing in front of them.
00:18:11
Speaker
This elf has one of their hands in the air, and you hear a booming voice seeming seeming to be amplified by magic. um But it even though it's amplified, it's it seems to be just enough for it to carry over the sound of this rushing water.
00:18:27
Speaker
And this this ah this sound, this voice says, Halt here! Stop! You are under arrest!
00:18:38
Speaker
um So they obviously see us already. Yes. Gwen, are they are they still running? the Did Dale stop? Dale stopped at the edge of this bridge and is just kind of like looking at you guys, looking across it, looking at you guys, looking across it.
00:18:55
Speaker
And these people are behind us or in front of us? They're in front of you. on the All the way across the bridge. About 50 feet away. um Dale, do we know them? What what do we do?
00:19:07
Speaker
Dale scurries back up onto your shoulder and just kind of curls up under your collar. of what you you're The hood of your cloak. and just kind of You could feel them kind of shivering under under your under your cloak. oh ah She kind of turns around. This is a bad sign.
00:19:23
Speaker
Devin kind of looks out we're around the group and then he hollers out. He's like, arrested for what? We've caused no crime. ah Does Gwendolyn recognize like these statues from her dreams? You've definitely seen statues like it um for sure. i mean, the,
00:19:36
Speaker
the it was very common to, for places, uh, in your dreams to, to have these large statues of like elven warriors or elven wizards or mages.
00:19:51
Speaker
You saw them and you'd go through towns in your dream. You saw that you remember actually seeing a statue of a druid when you would, uh, when you were at druid school, even when you dream of those memories or think about those memories, it does very common is to put up images of these warriors, um,
00:20:07
Speaker
So, and make a history check as well as you kind of ponder process this. 12. Okay. Yeah. You, you remember that these statues are mostly used to ah kind of honor the,
00:20:25
Speaker
Sometimes individuals and sometimes ah groups of people. it's It's very similar to how we would use a statue now to say, hey, this the statue of this soldier represents all the soldiers who did this particular thing in this particular encounter, you know, whatever. So that you remember you know that that specifically, but nothing even nothing really deeper than that.
00:20:46
Speaker
Um, and, uh, you don't recognize anybody that is standing in this group. They're pretty far away. It's a little bit raucous with the sound of the, of the, um, uh, the river, you know, loud. And they had to use like this thaumaturgic kind of magic to make the sound of their voice boom across.
00:21:04
Speaker
And, uh, to, in answer to your question, Davin, the voice comes back across and says, um, trespassing, you are not welcome here. Well, if that's the truth, then how did we get in?
00:21:17
Speaker
and didn't see any signs. Yes, we did enter with no problems. yeah Um, Gwendolyn shows her ears. Okay. Carthenact will speak to you.
00:21:29
Speaker
You can bring your petitions to him. Please, come peacefully. And when he says when he says come peacefully, you see archers pop up from out of the tops of a few of the trees nearby where this ah person is standing.
00:21:47
Speaker
I actually planned on meeting Carthenact. And we plan to be peaceful the entire time. Why so many precautions? I think they're worried probably after after maybe the Lindra's actions getting kicked out.
00:22:02
Speaker
Maybe they're just on high alert. they yeah They start to walk towards you. um I walk towards them. Okay. I do the same, but I have my hands kind of like...
00:22:16
Speaker
Not straight up in the air, but just kind of like out and visible. I go right up to the first person I see and I give him a kiss. i As she's walking up there, I kiss.
00:22:28
Speaker
No. Okay. I was like. i I kind of want to, though. With Gwendolyn, and you never freaking know. So what did you say, Devin? As she's walking up there, I'm going to just casually point a finger her direction and cast message.
00:22:41
Speaker
I'm going to say, don't mention anything about your father right now until we get up. I'm trust level with these people. She does a slight nod. I point a finger at Davin and say out loud because I don't have message. I think you mean the word rapport.
00:22:54
Speaker
Yeah, I couldn't think the word in the minute. I only have a couple of seconds to say the message. All right, cool. And I keep walking. Just be cool. Rapport, rapport. Okay, and I follow him.
00:23:05
Speaker
um i keep going until they're going to make me stop. Okay, you get right up to right up to the the spokes the spokesman elf who is ah kind of in front of everyone else.
00:23:19
Speaker
And they ah he um reaches for you, ah reaches up and and just says, and his voice kind of comes out of this like loud, magical tone.
00:23:31
Speaker
And he says, um please, you're under arrest. And he has leather... like leather ah shackle that he's holding in his arms to put on you.
00:23:42
Speaker
on his In his hands to put on you. I will not be treated with such dismay. Not when I required this meeting. I'm going try to fool him. Alright. um cool cool cool Cool. Make a deception check.
00:23:58
Speaker
My deception is a negative two. Yeah. I will attempt to help with, uh, we did, we did say that I, that Carthenact was who you're looking for. And then I'm going to pull it. I'm going to pull a crest out from my bag and say, this is the seal of Valandra.
00:24:18
Speaker
We are here on business. but You're going to say my dad works at Nintendo. but Yeah. What did you pull out of your bag? Nintendo. I don't know. Just some random like blacksmithing seal, like just some metallurgy nonsense that I got. Yeah. But it looks pretty, but just, i don't know, something.
00:24:41
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. So, um, so in response to Gwendolyn. We're just piling up deception. Yeah. So Gwendolyn make a second roll. Davin, plus 10 to deception, says nothing.
00:24:54
Speaker
Yeah. gru thing Classic D&D party. sorry So my first roll 11. My next one is a 7. So as you as you you say this you say this, you know, i will not I will not be treated with such disdain.
00:25:08
Speaker
ah the creature or The creature, the elf waves their
00:25:12
Speaker
ah waves there their hands puts both hands up and kind of motions and the soldiers begin to kind of gather around you. And he says, ah he says, please, you must submit to a search.
00:25:29
Speaker
The part of my mind is like, I just threw Dale in his face. ah don't. Dale is, Dale is now like trying to get himself down back into your bag to hide. Yeah.
00:25:40
Speaker
Um, Yeah, i think as I approach, I'll make sure spell slots disappears. Okay. um As a lady, I will not wear those. I will walk with thee, but not those.
00:25:54
Speaker
um Make a... That's a persuasion check. Okay. Not a deception. i don't know if it's any better for you, but... You said performance? Persuasion.
00:26:04
Speaker
Oh, persuasion. You're trying to convince them instead of... That's another 11. 11. and doing so I would say ah it's a little easier um probably so he's going to say as long as you submit to the search we will you will not require shackling as a lady I would feel violated this is my homeland my people if you want you can double shackle me um He says enough. And he just motions to the soldiers and they start to approach you to, um to start to search you.
00:26:44
Speaker
and They start to approach you as well, Joxer. And a couple that were standing near Gwendolyn start to approach Davin and Kriggs, you as well. I immediately turn into a wolf.
00:26:55
Speaker
And when they do that, the archers kind of come behind you, come behind them, um kind of keeping a little bit of a distance, but kind of getting more in ah in a range where their their targeting would be a little easier if necessary.
00:27:08
Speaker
um You go to turn into a wolf. Run dire wolf. Because big, big fluffy boy. um And I'm going to sprint it past them to make a distraction.
00:27:22
Speaker
okay no power Oh, Lord. Everybody roll initiative. as soon as she starts to As soon as she starts to transition, everybody roll initiative. ah What? All right.
00:27:34
Speaker
I expect that. I was expecting more of distraction. 15. I also got 15 plus 3. It'll be 14 for me. this is chart This has like 90s sitcom vibes now where it's like you hear the wah, wah, wah, and then it's just Gwendolyn. Everyone just has their hands on their hips. and Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:27:59
Speaker
All right. So Gwendolyn, Gwendolyn, your morph, your change begins. And as it does, the boss in front of you.
00:28:11
Speaker
So let me ask this question first. um Your wild shape isn't a spell, right? It's an ability, technically? Correct. Yeah.
00:28:22
Speaker
Okay. So that helps, that answers that question. The second thing is, as you transition into a direwolf, um So you're able to get into like mid transition and as you're in mid transition, this, um, this, the leader kind of, of this group begins by pulling a sword and hitting you, swinging at you three times.
00:28:49
Speaker
Ouch. Okay. Um, so one plus seven. Uh, so that's 10. hit. no That's like a 20.
00:29:02
Speaker
Gosh, lots. ah It's 18 plus seven. And then another freaking three. ah So a 10. So that one, ah one hit for you there, which is three d eight plus six.
00:29:18
Speaker
Whoa. Whoa. um So 24 damage on that hit. Um... That's 24 damage to you right there. And then um as they finish that, they then um are going to... He'll stay right there. He's not going to go anywhere. So that's a really nice weapon.
00:29:47
Speaker
Where'd you get that? He's not going to go anywhere. So big big sword. Yeah, talking's free. Big sword goes bang and hits you. Next is... um this other stuff that you didn't know was here.
00:30:00
Speaker
Secrets. Also, is everyone cool with this metagame-wise? Yeah. With this turn into a combat? Okay. Yeah, I mean, we are here. I expected nothing less. What did you expect? So now, these um statues, these elven statues,
00:30:20
Speaker
um they turn as well. And let's see... no You are ruler. there's so much stuff now that pops up when you stuff.
00:30:35
Speaker
Okay. You guys are too far away for that. But... Yeah, okay. So the statues then turn and face you guys. ah's Face inward where you guys are standing and ready. You see the their weapons ready for some sort of attack.
00:30:57
Speaker
And then um after that, this um there's a there's a young-looking elven girl standing near um near the the one who was in charge, this elf leader who was in charge.
00:31:15
Speaker
And... they ah wave their hands in the air and call out in Elvish. And when they do, the water but on the outside of the bridge begins to swirl.
00:31:28
Speaker
And as it swirls, um it begins to form the shape of like a creature that rises up out of the water. And this creature, this this druid, then um their shape completely changes into a...
00:31:45
Speaker
into a yeah they they They shift their themselves, their bodies, into like a ah water substance. And they join this creature as they um pour over the side of the water.
00:32:03
Speaker
Or all over the side of the bridge. Join the water and rise up as part of this ah part of this creature now. Which is now hovering over you. So after that is done, day the creature...
00:32:17
Speaker
slides forward into the side of the bridge, splashing up onto the the kind of half wall on the side of the bridge, the water like ah like waves splashing up against it.
00:32:29
Speaker
And um it then makes a where's the, It begins... Oh, after this after the... the the Druid goes inside of this water form, the you see flames start to swirl inside the water, and it forms like hands, that the ends of the hands look like flame.
00:32:53
Speaker
As this fire... As this water creature becomes infused with fire, it then reaches out and makes... Um, it then reaches out and makes two slam attacks against joxer with its fire infused water hands.
00:33:11
Speaker
I'm going to cast counter that. Okay.
00:33:16
Speaker
Oh no, I didn't stop that today. I'm sorry. Yeah. learned a new about card Level 15. I think it's just called forfeit like retreat or surrender.
00:33:28
Speaker
Uh, it, yeah, specifically on the skill card here, it says like, oopsie willy nilly, please don't kill me. Okay. Keep that in mind for your turn. Uh, and, uh, these two hands slam down on you. And, uh, so the first one.
00:33:46
Speaker
So you would say it has at least a 10 foot reach. Yes. 10 foot 15 is the first one. So that's unfortunate. The second one. Oh my Lord is 16. I'm sorry, that didn't hit. And then it will, um and then it will, well, it can't do that with its friends all there, so it's not going to do that.
00:34:09
Speaker
But. um Who was he hitting with that? He was going after Joxer, 10 foot reach. Why? Why do you ask? I just wanted to make sure I wasn't getting hit. Oh, gotcha. It is your turn now, Davin, after that creature is now swirling up this water, fire-infused water creature swirling above you and ah with its but hands steaming with fire inside of it. Then the you have you're surrounded by these soldiers. The statues have turned to face you um threateningly, and you have archers ah that if that are lining the banks of the the river alongside this bridge with their bows.
00:34:49
Speaker
pointed towards your area now. Davin's going to scream out, how dare you attack the niece of Karthanakt? And then I'm going to cast on the leader of this group, Dominate Monster.
00:35:02
Speaker
On the leader of the group? Yes. Okay. um Since we're fighting him, he gets advantage. And it is a save of a kind wisdom. He is not... um it Does Monster work on...
00:35:17
Speaker
Monster works on anything. Anything. Got it, got it, got it. Okay. So it gets advantage. What kind of saving throw is it? ah Wisdom. 18 save. 18 to save.
00:35:27
Speaker
Wisdom's plus five. five. o nineteen fourteen plus five Gotcha. So I cast that and it fizzles out and I kind of shrug. It's like, well, it was worth a try.
00:35:42
Speaker
i guess we got to do this stuff on way. And then as a bonus action, I'm going to ah pull out my wings and I'm going to take off 30 feet in the air. Actually, what's my speed? I think I could take off 60 feet in the air. Let me just find out.
00:35:56
Speaker
Okay. So as you begin to take off, get two opportunity attacks from the two soldiers that are right in front of you as they were trying to get to you to search you. um The first one plus seven to hit is a 22. Oh, yeah, definitely.
00:36:18
Speaker
The second one is 14. fourteen um Technically, I never cast some major armor, so a 14 would hit. Oh, okay. Oh, no, the one day.
00:36:30
Speaker
I know. Yeah, right? You don't do it. No, it's funny. as I was going to ask earlier, what about you, Davin? And I was like, no, he didn't say it. Nope. I purposely decided not to. Just for the fun. So two hits. So that's plus 4 and...
00:36:43
Speaker
and
00:36:46
Speaker
d six 7. 11 damage for the first one. He's getting hit. I just want to make a point here. I just want to keep tabs of something before you could go on. Uh-huh.
00:36:58
Speaker
I mean, you can do what you're doing. 25 total damage. 25 total. And then the second one's going to hit you. Wait, wait, wait. No, no, no, no. Sorry. That didn't hit you twice. It was just 2D6 plus 4.
00:37:09
Speaker
So it was only the first 11 damage. Sorry, the second one didn't. Okay. ah No, no, no. It was all 24, but both people hit you is what it was. They didn't get two attacks on you, but they... Final answer?
00:37:21
Speaker
Yes. Both of them hit you one time. That's the answer. Gotcha. But you are now flying after taking ah a little bit of a beating on your way up. What are we keeping tabs on, Craig? Or are you keeping that to yourself?
00:37:34
Speaker
No, you're good now. So as ah one of my abilities, I have... Sentinel attack when a creature within five feet of me makes an attack against the target other than me I can use my reaction to make a melee attack weapon against the attacking creature Okay, so whichever one is technically closest yeah to me ah Yeah, there's one that's just diagonal from you that was facing directly at dab in Davin's face.
00:38:01
Speaker
Right. um I am going to as Davin is like leaping into the sky and they're making their attacks, I'm going to kind of instinctively shout at them like,
00:38:15
Speaker
Something along lines of like, we meant you no harm. And I'm going to just full chest swing my reaction at this, the one that made the first initial attack.
00:38:27
Speaker
Okay. And I will roll that now. Please hold. wow and I'm only 30 feet in the air. I can only fly 30 feet. 30 feet?
00:38:37
Speaker
Got it. That's not far at all. Hey, listen, I just got these wings, okay? i'm getting used to it. Hold on. ah so This has got silly on me. Okay, here we go. So yeah, going to make my weapon attack at with a two-handed swing of my warhammer.
00:38:56
Speaker
And that is rolling out to big old 28. That hits. And let's do the damage on that. 16 damage plus my improved divine smite which is just a natural thing so an extra 1d8 radiant and I'm using roll 20 to roll all this so sorry for the delay folks That's an extra eight.
00:39:24
Speaker
So 24 damage to this person. So what was your first did my number before the radiant? 16. right. So when you go to strike this person,
00:39:37
Speaker
um You hit them and your blade strikes true and slices through them. ah Or hammer. What do you have? I have a hammer. An axe or a hammer? hammer. It bludgeons them for sure.
00:39:49
Speaker
And ah but with a big thud. But your divine energy just absorbs into this person. Yeah. person this this enemy, and it seems to counter a little bit of the effect of your initial strike.
00:40:08
Speaker
Interesting. So I do less damage as a result with the divine? Basically, the divine subtracted the damage instead of adding to it. Oh, no. Okay.
00:40:20
Speaker
Think about who you're fighting and where your divine smite comes from. Oh, no. I'm fighting daddy. Okay. um So, Davin, is that everything? You're 30 feet in the air now. You did you did get up there. You're just... ah Bonus action, action movement. Got hit a little bit first.
00:40:38
Speaker
Okay. All right, then that takes us to Craig's. Your turn now. All right. So I'm definitely... like Did i notice them kind of have like the ah the the kind of subtle heal of like... Yes, you noticed that that radiant like oh know that radiant ah energy had a healing effect on this person when you hit them.
00:40:58
Speaker
Okay. Okay. Um, solid. So, i am going to call out once again, like, it doesn't have to be this way!
00:41:09
Speaker
We could just talk! And I'm also hilariously gonna be contradictory to myself, and I'm gonna cast... Scorched Earth, which is one of my channeled divinity spells.
00:41:23
Speaker
Okay. And I'm going to release a blast of energy that ignites the ground around me in a 20-foot radius, and all creatures of my choice in that area have to make a constitution saving throw of 15.
00:41:37
Speaker
Okay. okay
00:41:41
Speaker
failing it takes 14 points of lightning damage or half as much on a successful save and for one minute the ground in the area continues to crackle and glow and the ground is then difficult terrain and any creature that moves into the space or starts to turn in it will take two fire damage every turn Okay.
00:42:04
Speaker
And what's the radius again? 20 feet. Circle? Or ahead of you? A circle around me. I am... Around you. 20 feet.
00:42:15
Speaker
The apex of this elemental power. Yes. Gotcha. So, big chunk of that space. Okay. Great. So, the um And for a bonus action, I'm going to...
00:42:32
Speaker
ah You know what? No, I'm not. I'm going to leave it. Leave it. Okay. So this so this ah energy just shoots through this area and all this lightning starts to jolt through ah targeting specifically the the people that you're fighting against. I'm going to now make saving throws. Does that water rose monster have any reaction to the lightning?
00:42:53
Speaker
um Well, we'll see here. We'll have a roll. Did you say constitution saving throw? It is yes. It is yes.
00:43:05
Speaker
We'll do that first. Let me double check that because I've only used this a couple times. It is constitution saving throw. Constitution saving throw is a 13. Fails.
00:43:16
Speaker
Fails. So it takes all the damage. Which is how much? ah uh 14 points of lightning damage okay so that damage hits it and it jolts through sizzling away some of the the water evaporating it uh the uh one two three four five uh others in this group so that's 17 pass 17 weird pass seventeen weird pass
00:43:48
Speaker
8. Fail. 20. Pass. 8. Fail. And then 21. Pass. We had a fail here for 14 and a fail here. So this one down south at the south of the bridge failed and this one right here standing right in front of Joxer failed.
00:44:08
Speaker
um And you see them jolt. Their electricity shoots up their body. The other ones all got half, right? 7 damage? Yes. Yes. great great great i can do this i can do this there's so many of them let's make for exciting listening quite a few it's exciting listening as i go through and change the hit points on all these people then this bad the big bad guy does it with his little different that's a 19 no three so a seven total uh so they're also gonna fail for 14 damage how many people have died so far
00:44:43
Speaker
Zero. Oh, no. Are they looking painful? um No. they I mean, they look like it it it hit them and it caused a little bit of damage. the one The one that took the full damage down south, that is diagonal from Davin standing right along this kind of edge of the wall of the bridge here. Yes. um She's ah standing there, sword drawn, ready to attack, but um you can definitely see the kind of burn, a little few sections on their face where the lightning kind of blew out and it's bleeding from from just the burn of that lightning shooting out of their face. The real question is, do they look like they regret their actions?
00:45:24
Speaker
ah Not at all. They're very determined. to Their faces are very determined and ready to keep keep going, keep moving forward. Well, I played my hand, guys. For Kriggs. So we now have Joxer's turn. I'm really torn, guys.
00:45:36
Speaker
this This is not... I get it. This is not not looking great. We were talking about Natalie and Brulia earlier, so he's torn. so Yeah. I'm all out of faith.
00:45:50
Speaker
This is how I feel. bound and broken on the floor that could be the end of the battle that could be and and something yeah no no it's ah something that's ah super weird as as a note apparently my ua character in uh dnd beyond got tweaked because my shielding aurora is now shielding aura which allows me to heal so i have to go back and forth Yeah, no, we don't. We don't. That was not what was originally there.
00:46:21
Speaker
Yeah. um it's Okay. Never trust UA. Never. Yeah. Yeah. But it's super old UA. I don't know why it changed. I'm going to. Okay. So I'm going to, I'm going to do like a vibe check.
00:46:33
Speaker
Okay. And, and get like a feel for my group. Yep. If we're doing this or not. Can, can I do that at a glance? Okay.
00:46:44
Speaker
go to look around at everybody, make eye contact. What is the vibe? You definitely see a dire wolf standing in front of the leader of these elves. I assume growling and snarling their teeth.
00:46:57
Speaker
um She's just kind of dire wolf. There's no growling yet. Okay. She's just there. What other vibe does he get? If you look up, Davin looks like he's doing a lot of calculations in his head, just trying to figure out their odds. Okay.
00:47:12
Speaker
Kriegs? I look sexy. ah That goes without saying, buddy. He's like, so distracted. You lose a turn because you're so distracted by Kriggs. Yeah, you can't take your eyes off. Oh man, I'm not going to handle it.
00:47:26
Speaker
um and And you didn't move at all, right, Kriggs? You just stood there. ain't giving nobody any opportunities. like Yeah, Davin's just hovering above their wings flapping, but Kriggs is still standing. I have the best, I'm melee, my guy, so I have the best position I'm going to get right here. yeah That's a good point.
00:47:46
Speaker
oh ah guess I guess this is where we're at, man. This is this is how it goes. um Well, I will... I will do things that cause damage because I don't know what else to do at this point. So i am ah I'll just pull out the good old rapier.
00:48:06
Speaker
Yes. We will start with... No. No, I will... I will cast ah my spell that I normally cast, you know, in the more recent.
00:48:20
Speaker
Shadow Blade. So a Shadow Blade pops up into one hand, um and I pull out the rapier in the other, and i
00:48:34
Speaker
Just... I use a ah key point to use a defensive stance. because I can't attack after doing that spell.
00:48:47
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. a Defensive stance. Yep, yep. So everything attacking me is at a disadvantage. And I will say, everybody needs to calm down.
00:48:59
Speaker
hey you already see I tried that? Yeah, but you're stupid. Well, at least I look good. We we meant no god harm, and our friend is extremely excitable.
00:49:14
Speaker
This means a lot to her. And you also swung first. um And then the that takes us to the warriors or soldiers' turns.
00:49:26
Speaker
And they're all ah swords drawn, ready for action. ah But they are looking back before they do anything, looking back to their leader. um And the one standing in front of you, Joxer, looks back and just calls out, our orders are to arrest!
00:49:44
Speaker
And and um says, are you surrendering? What are the charges? charges? That discussion was had earlier. didn't say nothing. You just said nothing. Arrest.
00:49:58
Speaker
ah Arrest. yeah They said trespassing because you don't belong here is what they said earlier. Can anyone really belong anywhere? speech? Joxer, as they are looking at you, after calling that out, do you do any, do what do you do?
00:50:16
Speaker
I'm, at least currently, I'm holding that defensive stance. I'm not putting out, like, it's more like a monk, you know, I'm not trying to present any weapons, but I i am terrified.
00:50:30
Speaker
And I look over at Gwen, and and just, ah Gwen. um Gwen sees his eyes, and then she just lays it down.
00:50:43
Speaker
Okay. Exposing your belly like she's ready for pets? or For pets? For scritches? No, scritches. She just sweats. Lays down and then whimpers as she puts her head down.
00:50:55
Speaker
So the... um As Joxer kind of maintains a defensive pose, these soldiers begin to position themselves in flanking maneuvers behind each of you, weapons drawn, ready to attack, holding their actions.
00:51:17
Speaker
The archers you then see the distance, they begin moving forward a little bit, Bows back.
00:51:27
Speaker
Then you also see archers behind you come out of the trees that have been here all along. I'm just putting them on the token layer so you can see them. um They come out of the trees.
00:51:39
Speaker
Also, bows pointed in your direction. And ah they are po poised and ready. All of them holding actions, ready to fire or strike all at once at a at a command. The... ah elemental nonsense all around me dissipates as I crap my pants.
00:51:59
Speaker
Okay.
00:52:02
Speaker
Uh, you'd lose your concentration. And, um, that is now actually going to take us that happening. Everybody holding their attacks. All everybody, except you have been struck by this water beast and the initial strike from the boss in response to the dire wolf changing or Gwen changing to a dire wolf.
00:52:23
Speaker
Uh, um We are now at Gwendolyn's turn, the first her first turn in this round. Now laying on the, in the process of laying down, is there anything else you would like to do, Gwendolyn, on your turn?
00:52:35
Speaker
um Hang on a minute. had a plan. And that plan changed. That's why I don't make plans. All because the jocks are his beautiful eyes.
00:52:47
Speaker
That's why I don't plan for these D&D sessions. I'm just kidding. um No, she just stays down. Okay. So the direwolf stays down.
00:52:58
Speaker
Gwendolyn direwolf stays down. I'll probably stay like this unless they change me. Okay. That takes to that that ah takes us to the top of the round.
00:53:10
Speaker
And elven boss, um you notice that his hand is turning to ice up in this, up in the air next to his head.
00:53:23
Speaker
And he looks around as you see a form start to shift in the water on the other side of the bridge. And he squeezes his hand and the ice dissipates and the water settles.
00:53:36
Speaker
And he looks, puts his hand, other hand up. And he says, hold, do you submit to a search? You say yes now. I just got fur. Yeah. yeah yeah Lay down your weapons.
00:53:50
Speaker
Come down from there. It points up at Davin up in the sky. devvin Please come peacefully. you will You will have a trial with Karthanact. I look down at everybody and I say, I'll submit, but just know we've got to be true.
00:54:06
Speaker
And I'm going to twist my wings and just like let myself kind of glide back down. Okay. So as you come back down... They begin to go through your things and start to try to take, you know, your bags, your backpacks, your hole of your portal hole. Oh, my what now?
00:54:25
Speaker
This guy is weird. Everything. Yeah, I knew that was going to Everything that ah you guys have on you, um they begin to try to to take those things. And, um, they actually, ah start to, they, they hand them all to one person who seems to be gathering them as if to not let them like be gone through or distribute them amongst everyone else. It's like, they are responsible to make sure that your things are safe.
00:54:54
Speaker
Um, but they are disarming you as best of their ability. Do what? Um, the person who has most of the stuff I'm going to catch their scent. Um,
00:55:05
Speaker
Okay. Okay. And then one of them is kind of rummaging through your bags and finds in three of your bags. That third pocket to the left, just don't worry about that. Please correct to me if I'm wrong. Three of you still have hired swords coins.
00:55:25
Speaker
Kriggs melted one down. Yeah. But the rest of you have one. I'm a dog. Okay, so only two of them would be available. Okay. I'm trying to remember. ah i don't remember do if I threw it on the pile with all of it. or we found No, we found some more or later, didn't we?
00:55:45
Speaker
they're like so They were candy for a while. yeah so i'm I'll say that I do because I can't remember if I threw it on the pile. So they find those coins. And you see them motion to their leader who comes over and you see them discussing the coins with the leader. The leader's nodding and they begin to usher you across the bridge.
00:56:07
Speaker
Archers, the archers part so that you can pass arrows still trained in case you make any kind of move. You are now basically in just your armor position.
00:56:17
Speaker
With no weapons, no spell components, even spellcasting focuses, that sort of thing, has been taken. um Davin, you have two necklaces that they were unable to remove.
00:56:30
Speaker
One with an orange gemstone on it, and ah one with one that has the locket on it. they just When they went to remove them, for some reason, they just decided not to.
00:56:43
Speaker
Must be nice. and You're going to be walking away. Weird. down the pathway into the forest with these people guarding you.
00:56:55
Speaker
Each of you have two soldiers on either side. You're not shackled, but you're being walked. And that's the end of this episode. What? But i want to know what happens next year.
00:57:08
Speaker
know. Don't we all want to know? It's me. You have to listen to the next episode. i got to go plan it, you know? i got to go figure out what happens
00:57:25
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the 106th episode of The Hired Swords. We are now almost at the same level as the first season of Critical Role, which is impressive in a very not impressive way.
00:57:37
Speaker
But, you know, we do what we can. I heard the 107th episode, though, is going to have special guest Nathan Fillion, so please tune in for that. It may or may not be true. Either way, thank you for listening.
00:57:48
Speaker
We appreciate very much.