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Ep. 11 - Wildheart - Fist of the Mountain image

Ep. 11 - Wildheart - Fist of the Mountain

S3 E11 ยท The Fellowship of the Tabletop
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24 Plays23 days ago

The spiders nest is brimming with dangers, mushrooms and treasure alike. If only the floor wasn't fire. The party bond over some wordplay and imitate their favourite pantomime sketches. Rae'lic Halfsworn is true to his word and Tash'lin Vialetta's is as clear as mud but progress is made towards the Surgedive.

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Transcript

Introduction to Wild Heart

00:00:00
Speaker
I'll find something catchy for you. Well, I mean, could always go with Raka Harangui Likopeculasa Hokea Fetulia Moi, which is... Gary, she's had an aneurysm. LAUGHTER
00:00:23
Speaker
All hearts land where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go
00:00:41
Speaker
Glories gold on emerald shores, glories felt in ancient lore. Fardinus aims to heal his scars, to call her chosen stone and stars.
00:00:53
Speaker
In wild heartland where legends grow, tidal surges rise and flow. Golden treasures deep below, time to get moist, here we go.

Exploring the World of Wild Heart

00:01:07
Speaker
Welcome to Wild Heart, the tide surge gambit. A world of shifting tides, high stakes adventure and unfolding mystery. Want to explore more? Head to fellowshipofthetabletop.co.uk for maps, lore and our latest blog.
00:01:22
Speaker
And if you can't get enough, check out The Interregnums, our short fiction series dropping every other Tuesday. Or Bellum Draconis, our sister actual play podcast releasing every Friday.
00:01:33
Speaker
Now, let's dive in.

Post-battle Reflection and Decisions

00:01:38
Speaker
Fires are now embers. A muted silence returns to the cave you find yourselves in. Light lowers and dims and breathing from pants down to more calm breaths.
00:01:52
Speaker
The slight bioluminescence of some of the Glowmos fruit that might grow on the inside of this space, deep in the bowels of the mountain, starts to surge in light.
00:02:05
Speaker
And there's a moment. as the final slump of an arm of one of the spiders cracks to the ground and a plume of ash bellows into the air. There's a silence for a second.
00:02:19
Speaker
You survived. Congratulations. Hooray! What do you want it to do?
00:02:30
Speaker
Uh, well, that was intense. Are you all okay?
00:02:39
Speaker
Yeah. Oh shit, are you okay? Yeah. I think... I was to kind of look concerned around the group. In fact, I didn't get a single scratch on me.
00:02:51
Speaker
Garak looks down at his armor.
00:02:57
Speaker
I don't think I actually got hit once. The blessing of Fatinus is strong. Praise Vatinus.
00:03:08
Speaker
I'll echo from the back of the cave. And it does indeed echo and Drifter sat, stood next to you kind of ah wide eyes watching this whole situation and just kind of flinches at the loud voice then, but doesn't say anything.
00:03:23
Speaker
Indeed, praise Vatinus.
00:03:28
Speaker
So just to give you a bit more clarity about where you are in the space, you you're in a large, very cobwebby area and there's lots of small ah groupings of kind of ah eggs and smaller wrapped up things you can imagine, are probably creatures, rats, etc. dotted around the space.
00:03:45
Speaker
The space does continue and like the spider, proverbially, spreads its man man mandibles across the the the cave structure you find yourself in. You're in quite a long, narrowish room.
00:03:57
Speaker
There are three southern parts of this cave that continue, and one one northern, really, so just ah free up a little bit more of your space to see on roll 20 for you.
00:04:10
Speaker
So there's a few more options you've got in terms of your space. You can the option to leave. That also another option to go back the way you've came up the narrow, the narrow passage and out of the exit, uh, three to the south and one to the north.
00:04:24
Speaker
Or there's the option for a rest. It's up to you.
00:04:30
Speaker
Uh, so wasn't there a um, someone that got taken down here?
00:04:39
Speaker
I mean, do you think that it would be where the spiders came from? Or do you think that they would have found their way over to where these glowing things are?

Searching the Cave for Clues

00:04:54
Speaker
kid! I'll shout to the drift at the back. ah Yeah? Hey, your bass asked you a question.
00:05:03
Speaker
Oh, yeah, sorry, I forgot about it. but and He kind of stumbles forward. Oh, yeah. Yes, Knight. Knight, Rock. Rock, Knight. He kind of deferently deferencely kind of bows half.
00:05:17
Speaker
what What did you say? I forgot one listening. Oh, no, I was just saying i thought someone got taken down here. I thought that was part of our ah thing. We had to clear out some spiders and someone got taken?
00:05:29
Speaker
yeah right so Yeah, this is one of the kids who works upstairs. Okay. Just try and find him. yeah Yeah, I guess that's still the main thing that we're meant to be doing here.
00:05:41
Speaker
Looking around from where Rock is. I mean, if he hasn't already, I can't remember if I did or not, and but I'll get the torch back from immolated broodmother spider lady thing where it was. I don't know if I had at the end of last episode. I can't quite remember. Sorry.
00:05:55
Speaker
um But if it's unlit, he'll kind of relight it as well. and But I think the first thing that he'd do is is have a little look at the glowing fungi and stuff like that around in that area and see if there's any sign whatsoever there of where this person could be within this group of bodies. So the there's there's there's kind of a scattering of hot ah upon the ceiling of this stuff, as that's where most of the spiderwebs aren't, where it's given a chance to grow.
00:06:20
Speaker
There is also, though, one of the... the The furthest not southeast west the furthest west southwesterly exit, from where your current location is there seems to be more light coming from down that direction. You can already see quite a few large flora and fauna, these intricate neon colours that glow in the area to the south there.
00:06:42
Speaker
ah That would be the the most lit area, but there is a collection of stuff on the ceiling as well and some that's trying to make its way through some of the spider webs, but these webs must have been there for a while because it's kind of killed off any possibility of of fungal life underneath it.
00:06:57
Speaker
Okay. And does it look like any of this any of that's been trampled at all? Or like, I mean, we saw the spiders literally climbing across the walls towards us, but does anything on the floor look like it's been trampled?
00:07:10
Speaker
Give me an investigation check, please. Oh, yeah, it's definitely my strong point. Nah. Come on. morning I haven't had a not joke in years.
00:07:24
Speaker
Probably 90s though, isn't it? That is, isn't it? Oh, it's a strong point. Nah. 16 though, it? Yeah, he's not done too badly there. That's pretty good. That's pretty good. Yeah. So you look around.
00:07:39
Speaker
and you can after a bit of investigation you can remember and recall the steps and the direction that you and your party have currently trod upon. You can tell there are wisps still kind of floating in the air of the spider webs that denote that it's been recently trod upon. So you can designate that.
00:07:57
Speaker
That's the area of this combat. The spiders haven't really seemed to impact it as you look across the mass of it further down to the to the east. It's almost untouched.
00:08:08
Speaker
save for along the northern wall where have you traced the northern wall of the larger enclosure you find yourselves in this scene you seem to notice a series of footprints or more like shuffles along that northern wall where you can see a line of disturbed um disturbed spider webs that's That's all the 16 will tell you.
00:08:34
Speaker
Yeah, no worries. I'll definitely point that out to the group um as ah as a something of note. ah Maybe this way? I guess? That tails feels like tails. It does feel like tails.
00:08:51
Speaker
Tails it is. Tails it is tails. And I'll lead the way.

Navigating Deeper into the Cave

00:08:57
Speaker
So we're going tails then.
00:09:00
Speaker
I'd almost forgotten this was a thing. It's canon now. it's kind of So heading towards the northern bit, deeper into the bowels of the cave and then up. Is that right?
00:09:11
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, if that if that seems to be the logical area in which the well potentially someone has gone and that's that's who we're now looking for, then yeah, definitely. And I'd get, obviously, Drift to follow along with however many spider legs he's managed to collect as well.
00:09:27
Speaker
Falco. ah yes Yes, my lord. I didn't realize that we were traveling with a knight. oh He called him a knight, Knight Rock.
00:09:38
Speaker
Knight Rock? What do you know of this knight? Is he famous around here? um You'll see Falco do some like, like rain man calculations in his head and just work out.
00:09:50
Speaker
This might work. um and Knight Rock? Yeah, Kip said knight. I swear. i did Yeah, I did hear that. Sir Rock, I think he called him.
00:10:01
Speaker
Hang on, hang on. Sir Rock? The Knight of Stone and Stars? He's a disciple of yours. Do you think he's a follower of Altinas too?
00:10:14
Speaker
I think he would. I just think of you need to tell him about it. I think we could get him on side. Yeah, do some preaching. ah'll do some preaching and some praying.
00:10:24
Speaker
I might need to pray at near by location. Rock,
00:10:33
Speaker
as yeah As you call after Rock and he's kind of, I guess, leading the way with Drift next to him, he'll just kind of ah say quietly to Drift, So, um, I think I heard Falco Le Dior call Garrick, Sir Garrick.
00:10:51
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I think I heard that too. I didn't know we were traveling with a knight. That's, that's, I mean, something, isn't it? I saw the way he fought back there. Do you think...
00:11:02
Speaker
i mean, he seems like a ah pretty useful guy to have around. Yeah. He, you know, if if I'd have met him first, I'd probably be following him if I'm being honest, Rock. um No offense. Like, I'm 100% in now. You know, it's rock Rock for life. That's why I say it's so Rock for life.
00:11:18
Speaker
But, like, you know, it was... It's, um... He's he's pretty good. He'd be quite handy to have around, I think, actually. You know, if we're going to go, you know, if we're going to go for a dive...
00:11:32
Speaker
He'll kind of nod at that. And then hearing Falco call out, ah yeah is everything all right back there? Yeah. rock Just hold on a second. and The Knight of Stone and Stars, he's just got to pray. what Would you mind just holding up?
00:11:47
Speaker
I feel like ah we can pray further down. we' ah follow We'll follow you. We'll follow tales Tails. Sorry, continue Tails. We'll pray further down. Thank you, Falco.
00:11:58
Speaker
yeah You're welcome, my lord. And I'll carry on leading the way see what I can find. Enough of night. Just
00:12:07
Speaker
see the way he farted.
00:12:11
Speaker
So we had ah we head towards the north and the first thing you notice is that the...

Battle with the Spiders

00:12:18
Speaker
the the Spiderwebs get more and more intense and they build up higher and higher, but still there's this etched out path along your left, your your tail's wall, alongside that northern led ah edge of the of the of the um the cave wall.
00:12:34
Speaker
And then you notice it starts to ah to open out into a larger space and there's another scuttling. There's a large another scuttling. As the light gets closer, a series of scuttles break out. And you've just... but well You also notice these absolutely huge, I'm talking 10, 15 foot wide, almost like...
00:12:56
Speaker
and kind of flipped mushrooms like mushrooms but you take the head off the mushroom and turn it upside down that's the kind of angle so the light comes down underneath it's a series of these bioluminescent oranges and greens and purples are dotted around the space but right the very far ah northern corner is the absolutely huge 15 foot one that gives this kind of dull light across the entire space and nice and clearly illuminate a series of small spiders that obviously have called them this area their home as well and hadn't heeded the call of the brood mother earlier i'm gonna need everyone to roll initiative please uh yeah can add to that though please that yeah drift is gonna roll with disadvantage with this
00:13:48
Speaker
as he's miles away. No, he's not. I'll just do a perception check for him. But for...
00:13:56
Speaker
For Garrick and Falco, could you roll it with disadvantage, please? ah But Rock, you can roll as as per. Love to roll the five that I've just got as disadvantage. That's great.
00:14:06
Speaker
and boy It's not going to be much better than mine. Okay, let me just bring up their stats again. There you go. go
00:14:19
Speaker
Okay, did anyone get 20 plus? Marvelous 15 plus? Marvelous. 10 plus? God damn.
00:14:33
Speaker
Fuck, even Kip didn't do that. my god. Okay. 5 plus. 5 plus 10. Okay, what do we got? Got a 5. Garak?
00:14:45
Speaker
Garak got 5. Well, Falco, what did you get?
00:14:52
Speaker
you get rookie mistake uh eight eight okay right so falco and then it's gonna be rock and then it's gonna be uh garic because your dex modifier is ah minus one is it nice it's minus one acts like a plank of wood moves like a plank of wood
00:15:18
Speaker
Lives as long as one. All right. And what's going to happen then is the spiders are going to react first, which makes sense because they saw you and um they didn't roll that shit.
00:15:29
Speaker
but And they are going to scuttle. There's three that we can come make out. Two under the huge canopy-esque mushroom, illuminating mushroom in front of you. And in amongst the other paws that kind of sit at like two or three feet high, another one scuttles out from the right corner as well. turn up It's going to come into range with you. The other two are going to move up close and start kind of up upscaling the walls.
00:15:53
Speaker
From round the corner, shit i forgot i put these there from around the corner one one of the corners that you can't quite make out, two more spiders seem to encroach round on the ceiling, kind of coming your way as well. Rock, at the moment, it's you and there's no one else. The others are quite far behind you now. You're kind of blocking the entrance to the rest that are behind you.
00:16:13
Speaker
and I know you've taken a bit of a pummeling from the last combat and with no rest so far, let's see how we get on. The first one is going to roll to hit you with a 17 to hit. It will indeedy. And that's going to, oh, that's four points of piercing damage. good And that's the other one isn't in range.
00:16:31
Speaker
Yeah, couldn't get in range. So that's all they're going to do this round. That's the end of their turn. Falco, you just, ah you you he said yeah sorry you see and hear. No, you don't. You hear the scuttling. You see the spiders. What would you like to do?
00:16:48
Speaker
o um I'll turn back over my shoulder, see Garrick. yeah and it I think we need your help up here. And then I'm going to head south and hide behind a bit of rock.
00:17:03
Speaker
brilliant When you say a bit of rock, do you mean? ah ah Very nice. well Actually, no, I'll tell you what. I'll just tuck in tu tuck into the north. um But if I can try and hide.
00:17:13
Speaker
Okay, yeah. Use the hide action. It's my action. Yep, no problem. Thanks very much. ah Rock, your turn to respond. Two spiders. One is directly in range. One is just 10 feet away from you.
00:17:24
Speaker
Yeah, no worries. One gets ah a good bite on for him and he will kind of recoil in pain with that. um But he's going to try to put a ah just a straight palm out towards the eyes and mandibles of the nearest one. The one that just kind of bit at him to hit him with an unarmed strike for a 23 to hit.
00:17:44
Speaker
That hits. Okay. It takes six points of bludgeoning damage. And I'm going to use my... Oh, yeah, sorry. It shunts back and its legs curl up and it it dies.
00:17:57
Speaker
Amazing, because yeah I was going hopefully move it back five feet, if not. um But with that moved out and with me not in range there, what I'm going to is I am going to know when I might be outnumbered and outmaneuvered and perhaps quite badly damaged as well.
00:18:16
Speaker
And what I'll do is I'll just quickly call over my shoulder and just say, ah I'm in a little bit of trouble here, need a bit of help. And I will back up. my i mean I'm going to drop the torch as a free action, literally where it lies there, and I'm going to try and back up um my movement back to the the direction that we've come from.
00:18:38
Speaker
I get 35 feet of movement as a um Goliath, but I'll kind of... Yeah, I'll back up and up and up. Would I see Falco if I get around the corner to where he is hiding?
00:18:50
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, you... owe If you've taken the hide action... Yeah, I've got a passive perception of a 14. um The hide action involves a stealth... I think...
00:19:02
Speaker
you We haven't used it ages. The new rules for stealth is is different. It's quite interesting.

Strategic Movements and Fire Hazard

00:19:10
Speaker
ah hiding treasure from You must succeed a DC 15... That's it. You have a DC to beat a 15.
00:19:18
Speaker
A DC 15 dex stealth check while you're heavily obscured or behind three quarters cover or total cover. You must be out of the enemy's line of sight. If you can see a creature, you can discern whether or not it can see you. On a successful check, you have the invisible condition. Make note of your checks total or the DC for your creature.
00:19:33
Speaker
Find you with a wisdom perception check. So basically, you just become invisible until they perceive perceive you. ah but it's a higher It's a higher pass. It's a higher DC than just... It's a set DC instead of a yeah competition, I think, is the is the thing of it.
00:19:51
Speaker
So, um, no, hadn't actually died. I assumed it was the old one. So Charlie, do you mind just rolling against that? is Um, yeah, dexterity dexterity check. Yeah. Uh, 70, uh, 15 to beat. Sorry.
00:20:08
Speaker
Ooh, it's 12. Okay, okay. So you think, just for your sake, Falco, you think you've done a good job of that. That's quite close. You think you've smashed it. But, Rock, as you come back, yeah, you would see you see Falco. I imagine like a toddler leaning up against the wall, just pressing but their eyes against the wall. I can't see you. You can't see me kind of thing.
00:20:28
Speaker
But, like, in the darkness, so it is kind of effective. But you're like, what are doing there? I'm just thinking Guardians of the Galaxy style. they Just eating the crisp, like, I'm invisible. Right.
00:20:41
Speaker
Yeah, what I'll do then, if i if I see him, I will kind of stop at that point. So I'll be in line with Falco um rather than kind of any further back. But that's my that's my turn, moving myself back.
00:20:53
Speaker
Hopefully. Yeah, so i'm not I'm not hiding behind anyone, but just now I'm hopefully with friends. Okay, nice. Yeah, very good. ah Thank you very much for that. ah Garrick, your turn. You've just seen Rock step back and and Falco kind of lean in against a wall.
00:21:09
Speaker
So Garak will draw himself up. He'll make sure that his shield is out in front of him. And he'll move in front of both Falco and Rock ah to act as guardian.
00:21:24
Speaker
And as he passes Rock, he's going to... Blessing of Ferdinus on you. And pump a cure runes into yourself. Oh, yeah.
00:21:35
Speaker
as ah As this kind of holy light emanates from his... Oh, he's not wearing plate. ah ah Emanates from his gauntlet and it'll just, with his mace hand, kind of just touch you.
00:21:48
Speaker
With a tip. ah Just a touch, the tips just the tip. No, he'll put it on your heart, from heart to heart. Ooh. and That's 2d8 plus 2, which gives you... I've rolled well. 15 points of health to your bad self. That is more than I needed, but i fucking love it.
00:22:07
Speaker
Straight up. film So that took me 5, 10, 15, 20. I've got 10 more feet of movement, so Garak's going to move his full feet.
00:22:20
Speaker
And he's just going to set up shop, shield out in front of him, mace in his right hand, and he's getting ready to to take on some spiders. right All right. Drift is is as is next, and he is going to use his movement to move up behind rock. And he's just... Yep.
00:22:43
Speaker
He um searches around. He runs forward, and here's a clank. looks down and picks up this kind of rusty stick it looks like that's covered in cobwebs and kind of wields it with two hands and is going to stand one stride in front of rock seeing that he's been injured will stand in front of him to defend uh his his champion and take that stance and he's going to well he isn't going to be he's going to take the kind of um dodge action but um he's not because he's a child but hey that's what he's thinking anyway and that's the end of his turn top of the round as the spiders and they are all going to burn their action to dash and get into range with either garrick or beyond so the first spider actually is going to pass garrick and move straight past him um to the other side and the others are all going to spin their little spindly webs all the way down
00:23:39
Speaker
ah One is on your space though, Garret, but it's on the ceiling and it's going to try and bite you from there as well as these five spiders just swarm out very quickly. Rock, you've also dropped the torch earlier, am I right?
00:23:53
Speaker
That's right, yeah. You dropped it at kind of the entrance of this kind of smaller mouth or the as the cave got smaller before it goes bigger again into the luminescent space. and The cobwebs that you dropped it into catch...
00:24:05
Speaker
and in that space now there is a a fire starting to grow this is incredibly dry despite the the fauna that grows the air is very musty and but very dry and uh dusty almost and the the cobwebs start to flicker and catch the flame thick cobwebs these are huge spiders and start to catch in flame and that first space uh has a has a flame consider it in for on fire for now. Oh, thank you very much for moving the fire.
00:24:34
Speaker
It might get bigger, so if you if you can copy-paste that in a second, that would be... Oh, I can do that. Never mind. I'll copy-paste that. and So that's that's ah something we've got going on there. ah they None of them... One of them can attack. It's the one that was closest to you in the first place. It didn't use his action, and it's going to take a swing. It's going to take bite. Drift.
00:24:52
Speaker
It hits. Oh, God. Okay. How many hit points? Four. Four. Don't you fucking dare. This spider takes a go for drift and as he puts his arm up to kind of cover and defend himself, just holding up the stick, it bites really deep into his arm and he is in pain. He screams out in agony.
00:25:17
Speaker
ah he's still up He's still upright, but he is not in a good way. still holds on to the stick. But he's not in a good way. um That is the end of the Spider's turn as they've all swarmed Garrick and Drift with Rock and Falco just behind. Let's move on. Falco, ah you're hiding effectively.
00:25:33
Speaker
You've got Drift right next to you and Rock right next to you. But it seems like they haven't seen you. Okay, as the um as that spider goes towards Drift and attacks him, I will panic and involuntarily step out of stealth.
00:25:49
Speaker
And I'll look at the spider and go, oh, oh, oh, oh! And I'll cast Vicious Mockery on that said spider.
00:26:02
Speaker
Remind me, that's a save for me, isn't it? Yeah, Wisdom 13 save.
00:26:08
Speaker
ah four 4. Does not save. And so... um um not a studious spy to this one.
00:26:19
Speaker
It's 1d6 damage. It's not rolling. so Oh no, sorry, it did roll. this It was a 1 for the first one, but it does have disadvantage on its next attack. oh They have one they have one hit point they have one hit point Oh shit! it's just in it's just on the mass these things it's just a numbers game um yeah what do you get them they're gone but um it's just can you can you hit them before they they envelop you that's the that's the challenge right uh thanks fucker anything else you want to do you got movement you got bonus actions anything yeah um <unk> drift is a human right yeah a human boy looks like a half a similar height to you okay i'm just thinking about moving through his space um
00:26:58
Speaker
seeing what he did for rock falco's gonna do the same and he's gonna move beside garrick shaking like a leaf flipping heck um and yeah that'll be the end of my time okay okay look at that all right lovely thank you very much for that fucking uh rock ah Drift has just had a chunk beaten out of him and then Falco stepped up. The spiders are on Garrick.
00:27:25
Speaker
What do you like Cool. Awesome. ah So ah when Garrick kind of goes past and places a hand on him and and kind of heals him as well he feels that energy go into him, he'll just kind of wide-eyed little bit be like...
00:27:38
Speaker
wow what a night And then obviously seeing Drift getting attacked, he's going to go into offensive again. but But Falco steps in and eliminates that threat. So seeing Falco moving up, seeing them all moving up, feeling completely replenished, he is going to try to do some dope monk shit.
00:27:59
Speaker
And he's going to run forwards. And he's going to try and kind of run and jump up the wall to the left-hand side. ah Sorry, odd to the tail's hand side, sorry. And try to get the spider on the roof. Depending on how high it is, I'm not sure how high it is. Rock's about seven foot tall, ah kind of leaping up, bouncing off the wall to try and put basically like a hurrugan punch to the sky and twat the one that's above him if he can.
00:28:28
Speaker
That's what I'd like to do. And then depending on if that's successful, where I land and when I land, what I'd like to do ah for the for the bonus action, we'll go from there. Okay. i'm I'm just setting a couple of DCs for things, mainly athletics. Love it.
00:28:42
Speaker
And obviously to hit on top of between that as well. Because I like... ah You want to do it? Let's do it. But let's set a couple of parameters then for it. Okay. and The first one is your ability to kind of... Because you could just jump and hit.
00:28:55
Speaker
like uh like fucking mario but but that's boring so let's say you do you find a foot holding you've got the past the passive percent uh passive to see right that's what want to put my foot and your foot goes on and now it's just your athleticism been able to turn twist and push off single footers so could you give me a an athletics check please sorry spat the same time then and athletics check dc is 13 for this first one 15 absolutely fine you pass that you jump up okay roll to hit Okay, come on, Rock.
00:29:26
Speaker
Do some cool shit. Yep. Here it comes. Make it land, baby. Yeah, 24. Nice, 24. Boosh, hits, all the damage. That is a tasty seven points of blood. It's dead anyway.
00:29:38
Speaker
This is the one that's directly above Garak, yeah? Correct. Okay, on your current trajectory, you're landing on Garak at the moment, but... ah Give me another... Let's go... and Athletics or acrobatics.
00:29:53
Speaker
Probably acrobatics, if I'm being honest. I'll take acrobatics to try and... um To see if you can... Now, if you pass if you pass the DC for it, I'll let you decide what space you land in. If you fail the DC, I get to decide what space you land in.
00:30:06
Speaker
Yep, no worries. It was an 11. Okay, that's a fail. It was a 15 for the pass. You're going to land on, Garrick. Bloop. Sorry. And... and In doing so, a seven-foot goliath is going to land on top of the Knight of Vatinus, aka Garruk.
00:30:25
Speaker
Bladeheart seems to be Squashedheart. And both of you are going to take on the prone um condition for now. cool and You can stand yourselves up and i'll I'll let you operate in the same space for one turn before we start if there's any kind of... a problems that might arise from that.
00:30:40
Speaker
It does also mean though that damage accrued to that space, I don't know, I'm making this shit up, is going to hit both of you. and Because yeah so you're both kind of a mangle of flesh and lumps and armour, so it's just going to be, it's goingnna if anything hits, it's going to hit both.
00:30:54
Speaker
okay Okay. How much movement do you think I've used to get to that point? Probably about 10, 10 feet. So I was 5, 10, 15? 15, yeah, 15 maybe. fifteen yeah fifteen maybe Okay, I've got 35 for movement speed, so can I use half to stand up?
00:31:09
Speaker
Absolutely, yeah, yeah. Can I use my bonus action to twat the one directly in front? Absolutely. Okay, if I can hit this, then we should be fine. 14 to hit?
00:31:20
Speaker
Hits, yep. Okay, awesome. Spider in front of me takes eight points of bludgeoning. Bosh. And I'll move directly into its space, leaving Garrick prone, and you'll just hit... Oh fuck no that didn't oh no no, he probably wouldn't swear actually. go Oh goodness, that that I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. sorry sorry And just be kind of turning around looking towards you to almost offer you a hand to stand up, even though he's directly in the middle of two spiders.
00:31:47
Speaker
And I think you've just like kind of collapsed and you're just garrick on your back with this goliath stood on your chest who just punched a spider stepped off and then started apologizing to you um that's the situation that's the situation you find yourself in a rock anything else you want to do after after going full tekken no that's everything i can do thank you awesome garrick it's your turn you're prone so half movement if you want to stand up um and this this this goliath just landed from the ceiling on you
00:32:16
Speaker
So Garrick, it's kind of just the breath been pushed out of him somewhat from this Goliath, just jumping on on top of him. But we'll take Rock's hand and under his breath we'll go, what a night.
00:32:32
Speaker
And ah I'm standing up.
00:32:37
Speaker
I'm standing up, cease to fire and go, ha! the fiery revenge of Fatinas. You shall know it's mighty wrath. And we'll twat the spider next to him with his morning star.
00:32:52
Speaker
Is there a spider next to me? There is kind of one next to rock and one in front of Falco. I'm going to lean over and hit the one in front of Falco. Yeah, absolutely. Okay, everyone brought to he to the heads. Yeah.
00:33:03
Speaker
To the heads.
00:33:06
Speaker
That's a 14 to hit. That hits. You don't really need to roll damage, but you can for funsies if you like. Funsies is a four points of piercing damage.
00:33:18
Speaker
Smote. Smote. ah Crushed, splintered, splattered. The legs twitch and the icor pulls out upon your Morningstar? Morningstar.
00:33:28
Speaker
Morningstar. It is dead. It is dead. Only one remains in the space nearby. ah And anything else you want to Garrick, with your turn? um no yes.
00:33:43
Speaker
He's going to move. I've got half my movement. So 15, 5, 10, 15. fifty I can do it. So Garak's going to almost like a dance. Just because of military formation, he's going to ah walk around rock.
00:33:56
Speaker
shield up morning star up and he's just trying to where the fire is because that's obviously where he saw the spiders come from he's trying to cut off their ability to kind of make their way through the narrow corridor so he's gonna enter the he's gonna basically stand in front of rock Okay.
00:34:15
Speaker
So you Spider to the left, Fire in front of you. Yeah. That's where you're going to be. Fire's glistening off the silver, the shield. Yeah, it's great. Oh, it's sexy. He thinks it's something from the gods. It's going to be great.
00:34:27
Speaker
All right. And... Drift is going to stay where he is and slump against the the wall, gripping his arm in pain and still holding this ah stick.
00:34:38
Speaker
and That's the end of the round. Well, as you're the closest, Garak, and for funsies... Actually, no. i Charlie, would you mind... We're going to roll a D... one two three four five six seven a d eight for me please my good man and one is going to be north two is going to be northy northwest three is west four and it's going to work around the fire you're going to decide which space the fire is going to try and go to with the dice roll please okay you could be so kind to see i could roll it but it's more fun six six one two three four four okay uh that is on garrick
00:35:15
Speaker
No! Literally, like, the the space above it was one. Fatinus, why? The space next to it was two, three, and it worked was working around like a clock, and yeah, that was literally the Garruk space. I wish that was planned, but it really wasn't. i' yeah Okay, you're going to instantly, tet as the fire kind of There's almost like a whoosh of air, almost as as the fire pushes into you. You're to take three points of fire damage.
00:35:41
Speaker
As the flames... I'm just heating up. I'm cooking. we ah And that's the that's where we find ourselves at the start of the top of the round. The spider is going to see this burning armor man and is going to bite it to try and stop the scary thing happening anymore.
00:35:59
Speaker
That is a 12 to hit against you, Garrick. Nah, nah, nah. That's its turn. It's then going to see this fire and it's going to try and scurry away up the wall and return the way it came.
00:36:11
Speaker
So Rock and Garrick will both get attacks for Pichu. Um...
00:36:17
Speaker
No, it's going to take the disengaged disengage action and then try and run up the wall, which will take about 10 feet, and then run back. And it's going to get... ah ah It's on the ceiling, kind of above-ish, the fire.
00:36:31
Speaker
ah Maybe a space just above it, actually, as it tries to retreat the way it came past the fire. It's still in initiative. The fire's spreading, um and it'll... It's going to be once a round for the next round, and then it's going be twice a round, and we'll see how it goes from there.
00:36:46
Speaker
We haven't done fire since Elthir set the pub on fire but four years ago. there we go, a bit of fire. Memories. If anyone apart from apart from people in this got that, then you're worse than we are.
00:37:01
Speaker
Brilliant. brilliant individuals, and we love you big. Fucking hell. Five years, Five Five years. Right, that's the end of the spider's turn. Falco, fire. Garruk's on fire.
00:37:15
Speaker
So I start the turn um as I came up to Garruk's shoulder, like like an old woman holding her cane out, shaking, and with her eyes shut. And then I'll kind of open one eye, see there's no spider in front of me and take a breath, and then looking towards Garruk, seeing him on fire.
00:37:36
Speaker
not panicked, but seeing the awesomeness of this moment.
00:37:42
Speaker
Well,
00:37:45
Speaker
Falco's going to look around and awkwardly sit down, crossing his legs. And then past Garruk, he's going to see the spider and be like, eight-legged freak! And he's going to cast another vicious mockery.
00:38:00
Speaker
Nice. Which is a wisdom 13 save.
00:38:05
Speaker
14. Saved. Okay. I don't think it takes any damage. Target makes a seed. No, it doesn't take any damage.
00:38:16
Speaker
ah so hope Sorry. Well, so far, so good. Okay. you've sat down, sworn at the spider. Okay. Anything else you want to do with your turn? No, that's ah an awful turn, but that's my turn.
00:38:28
Speaker
Cool. No, no. It's level one, isn't it, mate? So don't worry about it. This shit happens. Rock. Garak's on fire. Spider's moved off. is. Okay, ah seeing seeing Garrick on fire, he'll go, ah ah well what was Master Kosher saying? ah And he's going to kind of like think inwardly to himself, and he's going to kind of gesticulate with his hands and form this kind of swirling motion somewhat. like his They start kind of wide apart, and they come in together, his hands, his fingers kind of pointing in,
00:39:01
Speaker
He's kind of going through, imagine like a Shaolin monk in training in some way, shape, or form. And he's just going to, you're hear him kind of repeating under his bed,
00:39:12
Speaker
and he's going to push his hands almost Kamehameha style towards Garak. And nothing's going to happen. oh Oh, come on, come on!
00:39:25
Speaker
And ah he's going to panic. And... ah like, think, search within his pack. I mean, this is all within six seconds if you'll allow it.
00:39:37
Speaker
And kind of, he's got a water skin. that's That's his kind of backup plan. He's got a water skin. It's probably half filled at this point, maybe only a couple of pints or so. ah But he's just kind like...
00:39:49
Speaker
power of christ compels you try and splash it um yeah splash it onto garrick uh and maybe as well well actually no that's probably too much to say within the the six seconds they'd have but um yeah that's that's all he can kind of do at this point All right, yeah, I'll give you i'll give you that. Yeah, so I'll say that because of that, the fire isn't going to spread from this point. You haven't managed to stop the fire on Garak, but... ah that He's not on fire, but the spiderwebs around him are, and the spiderwebs that's stuck on his legs are.
00:40:22
Speaker
and But you won't the fire won't spread this round because of the action you've just taken there, Rugg. So thanks for that. Garak, it's your turn. um You feel some bits of water hit you. Your armor is heating up yet again, and you take...
00:40:36
Speaker
an additional one point of fire damage. ah What do you want to do? Garak's going to stop, drop and roll, baby.
00:40:46
Speaker
Probably going to light up everything around him, but that's all he's got. He's going to stop, drop and roll. So on his turn, he's going to go prone and he's going to roll left. wow Sorry, hey he's going to roll from heads to tails.
00:40:58
Speaker
Okay. Okay. um Roll a d20. One to ten. It's effective. Anything plus that, it's reds. like Stop, drop and roll in petrol. Stop, drop and roll in petrol. It's all he's got. And as he's rolling, he's like, as I walk through the valley of death, I shall fear no evil.
00:41:21
Speaker
Vatina sounds familiar. 13. Okay. okay yeah Charlie, my man, could you roll another D8 for me for direction of where the spreads? You're still on fire, Garrick. I thought ah but if you if you like if you muffled, if you ah suffocated it with more spiderwebs, then yeah, you might have put it out. But actually, this ah this is too good.
00:41:43
Speaker
One, two. Okay, actually then it just it returns back to the same space. The fire that it started with the torch becomes more intensified as it kicks up some loose wooden debris on the base underneath and that good sparks up some more fire. The flame around there actually it catches the spider.
00:42:05
Speaker
Yep, catches the spider because the flames get higher and actually do manage to see it falls into the fire and burns as a result. So nice, accidentally you'll stop, drop and roll, kill the spider. That was that was ah fortuitous. Anything else to do, Garrick?
00:42:19
Speaker
No, not going to get up. Just keep rolling. Right, Drift's going to see this and he's going to run up and just start trying to pat you down. Yes, yes, hit me. and pat pa up but pet you down It's not very effective, but it's a start at least, and that's the end of his turn.
00:42:36
Speaker
i'm It was once a turn that it would spread. no, we stopped it because of the water. That was fine. and Spiders, there no spiders. It's not the turn that you can see. Falco, back to you. Garak's now just rolling around in the spiderwebs, spreading fire.
00:42:51
Speaker
Okay, on my hands and knees, in a bit of a panic, I'll crawl between rocked legs. I see Kamehamehas. um And I will... stop ah start patting Garak out, but at the same time, I'm trying to back Drift away so I can do it, so I can take the glory.
00:43:10
Speaker
So patting him, um I'm patting Drift away, but um whilst I'm doing that, I will cast a first level Cure Wounds on Garak. Nice. Spot You've got healers in this group, man.
00:43:23
Speaker
Yeah, boy. I was a little bit low.
00:43:28
Speaker
Okay, with the two of them patting and patting Drift away... Oh, I'm back! It's going to drop off. Wow. Fucking healers in this group, man. Healers, man. It's the buff to healing in 2024 is doubled, basically. the effect Oh, wow. It's awesome.
00:43:43
Speaker
There's still a going on in front of you well. that much healing and and i'll argue that the the cure wounds the double patting of drift and falco and the batting away of drift by falco ah is effective in a keeping drift away he's injured and backs off anyway when you get that falco and b manageds to put out the flames that were on on garret and there's still a fire going on in front of you as well um the question is what do we want to do about that we'll keep an initiative because the fire is going to be used in the initiative order ah so if Falco thats anything else you want to anything else you want to do you've got the movement bonus action um is there that the the torch that was originally thrown whereabouts did that end up directly where the fire is it's the base of the fire that's where started it started it's not oh
00:44:31
Speaker
it's quite a big fire now isn't it it's not the but the the torch is in the middle of the flames like it's not retrievable um you Give me an investi... Perception check.
00:44:42
Speaker
want to give me a perception check, if you're kind of searching out in and amongst the flames. It's quite well lit now, obviously, there's a big old fire. Yeah. I can tell you whereabouts it is. You can... It's either that or a plank of wood or something. There's there's a few bits of detritus in there near the middle. you can see You can't pick out exactly which one it is, but you can see a few things in there that look that might that may resemble a torch.
00:45:06
Speaker
um Would I have enough of a turn left to to grab any any kind of like any plank of wood, any any long stick that I can find, um debris or whatever, and start like, you know how you clear cobwebs?
00:45:19
Speaker
Just start trying to wrap up webs, the ones that are on fire as well, trying to clear them off the path. um With that perception, ill I'll say that you can grab cobwebs. a stick, you can you can find a length of wood, an old twig or something that's washed up in there years ago.
00:45:36
Speaker
You can find one of those quite easily around you. To start spider webbing, capturing spider webs, they'll probably take an action. So we've already done the lay on hands, kill wounds, things, we'll kill the action. But yeah, you can definitely pick up a stick and you've looked around, you've looked at that stick, you found this one nearby there's quite a few in this area actually, almost like they've nested a little bit.
00:45:55
Speaker
And so you managed to find that. um So you've got that in your hands if you need it. Okay, I'll pick that up and I'll turn back turn back to everyone and go, look, a stick! ah Fantastic. like um Amazing, thank you very much, Farco. Rock, over to you. Garak's out.
00:46:10
Speaker
Okay, awesome. If he's, yeah, he's out. Rock's feeling kind of, well, he's fully healed. You can see that that theres that things are starting to probably get a little bit worse.
00:46:21
Speaker
ah He is going two a He's going to try to run and pick up the torch if he can. He's seeing that in front of him, I'm i'm assuming, I don't mind mean to take liberties, but I'm assuming that the cobwebs don't spread throughout this entire kind of chamber. it Directly in front of him, do the cobwebs lessen somewhat or they are they definitely throughout that chamber?
00:46:46
Speaker
By directly in front of you, do you mean? I'm so sorry. I mean, ah in front of where Garrick is, where the fire is, the opposite side, where those spiders came from, that that kind of fungal area. Is that filled with cobwebs as well? or is that No. Yeah, that was a correct assumption. there are much There are a few, but there much, much less. And it looks a bit more moist in there with all the yeah bioluminescent life.
00:47:07
Speaker
Okay, what um Rock would like to do then is just rush up to where the torch was and give it a yeeting kick and try and boot this torch kind of into the area without the cobwebs.
00:47:19
Speaker
um Mainly so that he doesn't have to reach into fire to try and sort it. What he tried to do previously just... didn't work and he's frustrated by it um but that's his second well third best option now after depleting water skin to try and kick this torch out into area where there's less cobweb okay um let's treat it as like a it's an unarmed attack it's i've given the the the torture an ac so to speak to to yeet um yeah so i roll to hit 15 yeet
00:47:55
Speaker
but Yeats. ah Excellent. Meats and yeats. ah So the majority of the fire travels with this torch and it it fires out and hits up against the ceiling about 30, 40 feet away from you as you absolutely kick this thing. are You're going to take one point of fire damage anyway as some of the residual fire. cling It's almost like...
00:48:17
Speaker
ah like i was a napalm but that's really aggressive but like the spider webs are sticky and then when they're on fire they're only on fire for a few seconds though like trying to grab a sparkler why that's such a weird what napalms are sparklers fucking out anyway and you kick this and then eventually it hits the ground and slowly the flame simmers down to just the torch and it's still lit but it's just off into the distance there we'll fall out of initiative order for that ah for now, and Akanus again the second time returns, and again there's panting, you can hear the footstep the uneasy footsteps of Falco as he picks up the stick, the crunching of what you hope are other sticks beneath your feet as well, as you stand as a four, quite close together, now at the mouth of this next section of the cave.
00:49:03
Speaker
What was like to do? Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. Oh, okay. ah That's on me. um I kind of forgot that that would happen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for falling on you, ah Sir Garrick. That was not my intention either. There was one on the the ceiling. it was It was above you. i was trying to... My training, I've been doing my training, but it's not quite settled in yet. I need to work on it more. I'm sorry.
00:49:30
Speaker
It's my fault. Right. It's okay. Okay. We are victorious here today. And Falco, you saved my life.
00:49:42
Speaker
It was an honor and one that I would do every day for the rest of my life. I was truly blessed to have met you. And I you, sir Knight.
00:49:57
Speaker
I'll look at Drift and go, oh, gods, look at your arm. Oh, oh yeah Oh no, that looks infected. Oh, does it?
00:50:09
Speaker
I told you to stay back before Drift. What am I going to do? Just stand there. I've got to do something. You were hurt. I know. And what you did was really brave.
00:50:20
Speaker
I think you probably make a great night one day too. And he'll kind of quickly look up at Garak as he says that. But we need to do something about that.
00:50:31
Speaker
ah Come here, little one. oh That sounded awful. I No. I'm right next to you. We're all in a square.
00:50:44
Speaker
holds that as I'm going to just sidestep that awful, and awful moment. I'm going to lean into it. going to lean into it with a perception check on. Can I check of it? Medicine check for to see if it's poisoned or if it's just a wound.
00:51:00
Speaker
Yep, absolutely. Roll for that.
00:51:04
Speaker
That's a natty one, baby. What do I think this is? ah in then in the In the low light that you find yourselves in, you look deep into this wound and you have never been more certain of an injury. you know You've served in battles.
00:51:18
Speaker
You've served in wars. You've seen everything and anything that can be ah put upon the body. And you are certain this is infection. Okay, so believing that it's ah poison, ah this sucks because it could have been so much better.
00:51:34
Speaker
ah Garak will place his hand over the top of the wound and same kind of holy light will start ah coming out of his hands and it will seep into the wound as he ah use lay on hands, purify poison.
00:51:51
Speaker
um And the problem with... The problem with using purified poison is it it takes all my shit. It takes all my lay on hands ability. So if youre anyone dies, that's it. You're fucked because I can't bring you back. he either that's it And it doesn't heal either, does And it doesn't heal. So I've done nothing. I've done nothing but drain.
00:52:13
Speaker
Drain the ability that I had to be able to at least one HP you all. As I expend 5 HP, I've only got 5 HP, from the pool of healing ah to remove the poison condition from the creature. Those points don't restore HP to the creature.
00:52:29
Speaker
So this beautiful light comes from and pulses into the arm. And as you as you do that to the arm, there is a little bit of you, Garrick, that goes, ah, fuck. Like, that...
00:52:41
Speaker
that That doesn't seem right now that I'd do it. And then just as you, just as I thought that, that negative non-vatinicean thought enters into your cerebellum, something happens to the wound and actually you do see a little bit

Healing and Discoveries

00:52:58
Speaker
of pus push itself out and fall out onto the floor beneath.
00:53:03
Speaker
And, and, Drift kind looks down at it for a second and then kind looks back up to you and he starts to move his hand just a little bit. It hasn't healed, but he moves it just a little bit better.
00:53:14
Speaker
and On a natural one, I just rolled randomly for what was what was going to be in it. What you thought, like whether it was right or wrong, it doesn't make a difference. but So actually, you were a little bit right by accident there. Oh, okay.
00:53:25
Speaker
There you go. It's still wounded. He hasn't healed him. Yeah, yeah. It has actually forced out something which might have resembled a poison. That might have not been from the spider. I think you've been poisoned for a while.
00:53:42
Speaker
Either way, blessing of Fatina is upon you, child. and he Good luck.
00:53:50
Speaker
You're talking funny at the moment. Good luck for what? What's to come? God. Sounds ominous. Um, what you... What are you stood on?
00:54:08
Speaker
the ground as Garak looks down.
00:54:14
Speaker
and and you then realize, Garak, the drift has been, his eyes, despite the wound, has been flicking to the ground a couple of times. And as you look down, you are very much stood upon a corpse.
00:54:26
Speaker
I wrapped up, and if you move your figure, ta-da, then you might see the figure. mummified remains what looks like a... the mummified remains of what looks like a ah a a humanoid of some description there, five feet in length as well, which might give us the thought as to it being our lost kitchen porter that Raelic sent you down to find.
00:54:58
Speaker
And Drift kind of awkwardly looks at the boy, looks at you all, and then takes his stick and just just pokes, pokes,
00:55:09
Speaker
a Should we just leave him?
00:55:13
Speaker
Fuck. Did I kill him? No.
00:55:20
Speaker
let's maybe Let's get him out of there. And Garak's going to try and tear at the the mummification. Cobwebs. Cobwebs.
00:55:32
Speaker
Cobwebification. Is it slightly singed? Because I was rolling on top of this fucking thing on fire. Oh my god! on i That's because it's quite tightly wrapped. I didn't manage to catch on that. It's the wispy stuff it managed to burn a lot of. So no, actually the the the boys left pretty untouched.
00:55:50
Speaker
Yeah, and as you rip open, it is a ah very well-preserved, but very much ex-person who's in there wearing, you just make out kind of a white shirt underneath, but the the boy is very much deceased from from quite a while ago.
00:56:06
Speaker
ah But it's been preserved by the material within.
00:56:13
Speaker
we Well, that's pretty sad. Um...
00:56:19
Speaker
Should we find some kind of proof of identification? And I'll take a dagger out and start cutting like around the waist where the money pouch might be. Yeah, so if you give me an investigation check, Falco, we can see if you can locate in and amongst the spider webs and...
00:56:36
Speaker
if you find some form of identification. look what What are you looking for you looking for ID or or are you looking for those coins? saying to them that I'm looking for ID, but really I'm looking for a big old bag of gold. Okay, you're on a child yet? 11. 11. Yep, you managed to find... Oh God, I will.
00:56:52
Speaker
You can find his, ah on his hip, on his waist, you do find a small coin purse that has ah two copper pieces in it.
00:57:05
Speaker
Initially, i'll I'll take the coin purse off his belt, but then sensing eyes on me, I will... Not Garak's eyes. Oh.
00:57:17
Speaker
Yeah. He trusts you. He's just looking over the body. You said you're looking for identification. He's not he's not trying to perceive anything else. He's taking your face value. Just in case you were thinking like, oh, Garak's there trying to like conjole. No, it's like, nah.
00:57:34
Speaker
Okay. Okay. That's reassuring. So I'll look around to rock.
00:57:39
Speaker
What would I see if I looked at rock right now? ah You'd see a look of sadness on Rock's face at the discovery of the body, ah but you'd also see Rock probably inspecting Drift's wounds as well, um and just kind of ah similarly looking over to Garrick, with like a looking at the the gunk that's come out of the wound, thinking about how he's just been healed as well.
00:58:07
Speaker
um Yes, there's there's a combination going on there, but he's not carefully watching what you're doing
00:58:13
Speaker
Okay. um ah Falco, maybe six months ago, would have done something very different, but he's going to take a breath and i will move around to the head of the body and place the two ah coins on the boy's eyes.
00:58:28
Speaker
Okay. ye And the the coins rest there quite i normally. but Yeah, let's say normally. ah plug give starts Put a hand on your shoulder, Falco, and just go...
00:58:42
Speaker
That is beautiful. It's going to be really interesting to carry this body back and balance those coins on his eyes. Oh, we got to carry this. Oh, I just thought probably best to get him back to give him a proper burial with Fatinas watching.
00:59:05
Speaker
Hard to see under the cave when you don't see this guy. Yeah, yeah, of course, of course. Um, Alright, well, I guess I'll keep these coins for now then. I think that's past, yeah.
00:59:19
Speaker
But the thought... I'll remember.
00:59:24
Speaker
Thank you. um
00:59:28
Speaker
Sir Rock?
00:59:31
Speaker
ah Yeah, I... Sir Rock, you, sir, are a fucking mountain. I don't know why they call you Rock. Well, I mean, actually, Raka Harangui means fist of mountain. So ah technically, that is why they call me Raka. Well, why I say why they call me Raka, why I chose the name.
00:59:56
Speaker
Fist of the Mountain? That's fucking epic. What a great name to shout out to the crowds. ah Thank you. I think.
01:00:07
Speaker
Fist of the Mountain? Or the mountain, for sure. I mean, there was another guy, but that was a while ago, so I think yeah i think it's free free real estate. Claim the mountain. Face to the mountain. Rock the mountain.
01:00:18
Speaker
I'll find something catchy for you. Well, I mean, you you could always go with Rockaharangui Likopeculasa Hokea Fetulia Moi, which is... Garrix has had an aneurysm. ah It's stroke. As his eyes just widen as the name goes on.
01:00:34
Speaker
Huh. Um, yeah, I mean, i i'll i'll' I'll work on that, but I don't think it's going to play to the general public. I mean, no one's going to really understand what I'm doing. They'll probably think I'm casting a spell on them.
01:00:48
Speaker
Right, and what are we what are we doing with the the general public? We, uh, sorry, I'm getting a bit carried away. um Speaking of carried away, and our friend here...
01:01:03
Speaker
Like, we're we're done here, right? we can We can get the fuck out of this horrible place. If, um... If someone so brawny as yourself was willing to carry said, um... Casualty?
01:01:17
Speaker
Um, maybe we could... You know, kind of leave? I mean... i think, uh... That's probably a good idea.
01:01:28
Speaker
Especially Drift doesn't look so good. Um... And there's no other reason to be down here, right? We we came here to prove ourselves and retrieve a person that is now sadly an ex-person, but now Raelic surely will introduce us to Tashlin, I guess, and that's that's the whole reason we're here, right?
01:01:54
Speaker
ah or Yeah, so we're just going to walk back into the tavern with a a mummified boy?
01:02:03
Speaker
A mummy's boy? ah
01:02:07
Speaker
um i I don't know whether he was closer to his mother or father, um but I mean, you're right. It's probably not wise to to bring him in this state back up into a busy bar.
01:02:24
Speaker
But maybe we... I mean, we entered through like a back room, didn't we? we could We could bring him there and and and get Raelic and... I mean, I guess go from that point.
01:02:36
Speaker
ah that You're right. that There is no other reason to to properly look around here as there.
01:02:44
Speaker
Well, no, not unless we want to go try on some of those fancy mushrooms over there.
01:02:52
Speaker
I don't think that interests me too much. Garrick, do you need mushrooms?
01:03:02
Speaker
Sustenance is important, but not right now. I mean, do we take some to go? Yes. Smart.
01:03:13
Speaker
i i mean, I've heard of, I've heard of the like delicacies within the fungi kingdom. i I'm willing to give it a go. Brock will go and quickly have a look at some of the mushrooms that we've got nearby.
01:03:29
Speaker
Do any of them look edible?
01:03:32
Speaker
Um, your concept of edible. Uh, let's go with a fucking, let's go with history check for me, please, Rock, to see if Mama Rock ever back in the days taught you about the delicacies of the mushrooms of the Goliath empires.
01:03:49
Speaker
Fourteen. Okay. but You remember Mama Rock saying something along the lines of... Mama Rock! The,
01:03:59
Speaker
It was a really terse expression she came up with. is why It's why it stuck with you all these years. um it was similar to the lines of the bigger it is the less poisonery it is, ah the less tasty it is.
01:04:14
Speaker
Uh, okay, well, let's let's just take a few from this. I mean, they might be interested in the kitchens up above. It can't hurt. We can bring up some spider legs as proof that we got some spiders. We'll bring up the the body, which is quite sad.
01:04:28
Speaker
and And what Rock will do is just yank up a few of the mushrooms. We'll take some of these as well because, I mean, who knows? Maybe they can cook them up into a feast. And Rock will take some of the smaller ones.
01:04:41
Speaker
So you... Unpluck them. No problem. So you you do that, and as you unplug, there's a large purple one, or not a large one, like yeah one of them straight in range where you currently stand, a purple one in front of you, and as you pull it up, you realise that it had been growing on top of another body.
01:04:57
Speaker
This was and is a very decayed body. But as you pull it up, you also notice as you pull it up, a book slides off a very very dusty old book and this this body of what looks like, with the teeth possibly an orc of some description that had been down here nigh 50, 60, 70 odd years ago probably.
01:05:20
Speaker
as As you pull that up. We've got the corpse, the mushrooms. um Anything else we want to grab?
01:05:30
Speaker
Oh no, this mushroom was reading this book. I feel quite bad now. ah What does does the book, is it discernible in any way, shape or form?
01:05:42
Speaker
um You picking it up? Yeah, why not?
01:05:48
Speaker
Yeah. Yes. Yes, ah you do. You pick it up and ah you blow across the cover and kind of scrape some of it off. And it's it's kind of a a animal skin cover at some point, very decayed, but this heavy cover is kind of protected ah some of it. And you notice the thick layer of dust and cobweb that's kind of cocooned it. And again, it's given it some layer of protection.
01:06:17
Speaker
And very clearly can read once you've kind of etched out some of it. just say It says the Serge Gourmet on the cover.
01:06:27
Speaker
I wonder if this is Raelic's book, maybe, or maybe with the boy. ah and maybe he brought this ah orc friend down. I'm not an investigator. I don't know why I'm trying to put two and two together. I have no idea what's going on.
01:06:40
Speaker
But I'm going to take this stuff back up. Does anyone want to bring the orc or are we... There's an orc here, by the way. It was under the mushroom. Is he alive? going to kick the boot it.
01:06:56
Speaker
ah It collapses like the corpse just falls into dust. The ribcage falls apart. The head kind of rolls and sags off to the side. It's almost dust. I don't think so.
01:07:10
Speaker
I look up the garret. The mystery continues. Indeed.
01:07:17
Speaker
We should go. Yeah, I could really use an ale. Yeah, I could probably do with, you know, brought getting some food down me. I am i mean, when I do stuff like this, it gives me the hungries. Right. ah ah Okay.
01:07:34
Speaker
Shall I take the the the ah boy?
01:07:39
Speaker
If you're able, you look stronger than me. You have... Whatever you pumped into me, it's the good stuff. I'm feeling really strong. I'm feeling back to my kind of usual self. Yeah, I can take him. um Drift, just stay close. You don't look so good. You still look a little bit peaky.
01:07:58
Speaker
What?
01:08:01
Speaker
What? You got bit on the arm? yeah ah Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Garrett made gross stuff fall out of it. You don't look great. Stay close. Okay. oh Carry this mushroom.
01:08:14
Speaker
What? Yeah, okay. And he's going to hold the purple mushroom and he's a bit kind of like distracted. But yeah, he's ah he holds it and shuffles after you. So just in terms of an order, i'll be going what kind of what kind of running order are we going to to exit?
01:08:29
Speaker
Garak will take up ah the the first position, just kind of pushing his way through. Because he's not taking the body. Kind makes sense. Sure.
01:08:43
Speaker
And they are heads first. Follow the route. Follow the route. We head back on ourselves. exhale And then imagine rock and then drift following up the rear behind that.
01:08:57
Speaker
and And exiting yeah it's um is effortless and there's there's no more surprises upon your roots as you walk back past uh the burnt spider remains now many of them quite literally legless that drifted collected the burnt uh spider webs that seem to fill the space and almost the smell like burnt hair which is what imagine spider webs burnt smells like through the narrow gap that's heads and then you turn finally tails into light into warmth and into the sound of
01:09:34
Speaker
food and people and you break out into the kitchen of the gilded anchor and and mean just bring us back on to our previous map because we've got it so why the fuck not use it and uh hopefully for you very soon you've got the return of the gilded anchor and you have just entered into the top northwestern corner where there was ah a hole dug out and two uh the kitchen staff kind of startled ah as you as you step up through this large knight in quite literally shining armour steps out um of the space what do you do
01:10:18
Speaker
ah i I'm assuming that it is Garak that is heading out first if he doesn't necessarily say anything then right no kind of followup and okay so okay Sorry, sorry, I was coughing up a lung.
01:10:35
Speaker
Thanks for trying to save me. Appreciate that. so Pull out the map, I couldn't see. No, no, all good, all good, all good. Garrick will... ah He's not holding the body, so he's just kind of walked through, and if he notices, like, there's an open door...
01:10:51
Speaker
hey he he'll close it out of respect or if it's just a, I don't know what sort of door it is, if it's a ah door that looks like it's got peepholes to it in this one.
01:11:02
Speaker
No, doesn't. It's a full door. He's going to close the door. He's going to close the door. Okay, you manage to close you you quickly close that door and the two members of staff that are cooking, one turns around with butcher's knife, one turns around with pot of water, hot boiling water, and they're both a bit confused as to what's happening as Garrick and Falco firstly walk in.
01:11:20
Speaker
Don't worry, we're just bringing up a dead child. Don't want them to see. They shift a look to each other and ah the larger of the two says, So so he didn't make it then?
01:11:38
Speaker
no Oh, bugger. Definitely dead. Right. Leave him with us. We'll give him proper burial.

Return and Reflection

01:11:51
Speaker
With the blessing of Fetinas?
01:11:55
Speaker
Yeah, sure.
01:11:58
Speaker
Bless you both. Yep.
01:12:05
Speaker
Okay. but Have you got... Where is he then? And Rock will kind of emerge through and just see this and take in the kind of the general air and reverently somewhat place the body down.
01:12:22
Speaker
And the, again, the larger the two would kind of take a second, look down, you kind of um brush the hair from off the of the face of the boy and kind of just nod. And very then slowly ah pick him up.
01:12:37
Speaker
walk into one of the far corners and we'll start removing the rest of the ah cobwebs from around him, just kind of preparing him for it. And the the smaller and younger of the two will just go, Used to be a field surgeon, you see.
01:12:53
Speaker
sir and as awkward for him.
01:12:59
Speaker
Him, he is, not me. I've not been a field surgeon. He has been. A field surgeon?
01:13:08
Speaker
yeah but where's Where's the kid's family? Oh, we didn't have one. Many of us don't, you see.
01:13:17
Speaker
but way why he was well He was that young and he was just working here by himself? but Yeah.
01:13:24
Speaker
we were're all We're all part of... Raelic's the same. we're all We all get brought here, you see? Well, not brought here, you know? It's a thing. I'm not supposed to talk. It's fine, honestly. We'll sort him out.
01:13:42
Speaker
How long had he been down there? Why didn't you send anyone before?
01:13:49
Speaker
We didn't have the resources. We haven't got the manpower. Look, I mean, he's old. I'm little. You guys are huge. You did a great job. And the teams haven't arrived yet for tomorrow, so we'd ask them.
01:14:05
Speaker
But they're not here yet, so you guys just, you know, got in before there.
01:14:13
Speaker
Do you know his name, at least? His name? ah Yeah, it was ah it went by Kara.
01:14:27
Speaker
didn' have ah Didn't have another name, a family name that we know of. He came through one of the, well, they call it the Temple Way. Let's just call it that.
01:14:40
Speaker
He's one of them, you know.
01:14:45
Speaker
I know it's easy to give in to the sadness of the situation, but you all must remember with the blessing of Hortenas, life does not end on this mortal plane. His spirit lives on.
01:14:57
Speaker
Yeah, yeah.
01:15:00
Speaker
yeah And he's just going to turn back to the ah to the meat he's chopping up and takes a second just looking at it before continuing his preparation. At that, the door ah tentatively opens and you see the the hulking form of Raelic stepping through, kind of poking his head around. Uh-oh, this is our thought.
01:15:25
Speaker
Come on through, I feel like we need some drinks.
01:15:29
Speaker
Yes, and my friend would like some boobs while we're you know what i've kind of this doesn't feel like the time for the boobs hold the boobs please hold so it's a no but no no no boobs at the moment i'll hold the boobs later but hold the boobs for now yeah yeah let's take flight from the boobs yeah this has come through and maybe don't mention that anymore yeah come on and he's gonna usher the four of you through and then seeing drift come he is going to look very concerned at drifts arm for a second
01:16:03
Speaker
Did the boy do all the fighting, then? ah he was very brave with what he did, but, um, yeah, he's taken it quite badly. Uh, you said that one of the people here was a ah field medic.
01:16:16
Speaker
Is it possible to look over my squire? he He's loyal, he's brave, and he deserves better. Uh, Reddick's going to walk up to him and then give him a quite stern clip around the ear.
01:16:33
Speaker
You're the fucking Tesslin's hell you before, right? You look after yourself, you stupid little boy. Come on. You're smarter than that. Go on. Go back there see him. And Kip's going to take it and then head back towards where the man was preparing the body of Kara and just speaks to him. And you see of the corner of your eye, he reaches out and looks at the wound and starts cleaning it and bandaging his arm. And...
01:16:59
Speaker
and Red is going to look back towards the boy and kind of shake his head exacerbated and um and then start pouring. Not at you, but just at at the boy and his you know his his energy perhaps. and Then he's going to turn him and start pouring you some drinks.
01:17:14
Speaker
Drink for you all then. Come around here, come sit at the boy.
01:17:22
Speaker
Now. You all asked me about... um And he's going to hand out three ales to the three of you as Kip's getting his... ah I keep calling him Kip. i've got two names here him for some reason. Drift. gary I've got a nice Kip Drift in the book and I keep saying... I was wondering earlier. I was like, well, I'd question it. I'm here for it.
01:17:44
Speaker
While he's getting his arm bandaged oh and he's looking mainly towards you, Rockahoyang, Louis, Likapaka, Lusasa... Oh, fuck, I missed that. Rock. So close. ah He's looking mainly towards you. I'm impressed.
01:17:56
Speaker
And um he says, You're on a dive.
01:18:05
Speaker
That's why you want Tashlin, yeah?
01:18:09
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Sorry. No, I was like, i didn't know you had a pool here. um Yes. Oh my goodness, yes. I want that more than anything.
01:18:21
Speaker
No. I'm going to give you my blessing. I'm going to give you my nod of approval for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I've got soft spot for Drift.
01:18:32
Speaker
You call them Drift? He's a boy who's close to my heart and you look like a good chap. Number one, good. Number two, kill those fucking spiders.

Introduction to Surge Diving

01:18:43
Speaker
Bob on. Bob on indeed. And number three, you did Robbarkara. Right? So, and he's going to point down the bar.
01:18:59
Speaker
Second private room down, underneath that,
01:19:05
Speaker
Walk in and say, Raylick sent you. Dashling's in there. Alright, she's not a lot of bravado. lot of words. lot of energy.
01:19:17
Speaker
lot of twat. But underneath that, the most golden heart in all the wild heart. You will not believe the half of what she does.
01:19:30
Speaker
But if you want a wave dive, if you want a surge dive, whatever name he gets thrown around these days, Dashlin's the only one that will get you on at this point, alright? You do know what you're getting yourselves in for though, yeah? We're all taking part, all three of you, yeah?
01:19:47
Speaker
I think my compatriots here are interested in in joining too. I don't want to speak for of them. And he'll kind of motion. Don't want to get your feather dirty, sir. Not being honest, if you're going to jump, you might get your feather and your hat a bit dirty. You might want to leave that behind you before you jump.
01:20:05
Speaker
Who's jumping? Why jumping? Well, if you're going to the... where where am i why am i jumping but if you' if you're going to do the The search dive, you haven't seen one before though, yeah? and i' like I'll take a big swig of ale and smash it down on the back.
01:20:24
Speaker
I am not going anywhere near that fucking water. No worries, this one's got a smart head on his shoulders. And how about you, Sir Knight? You look like the adventuring type.
01:20:36
Speaker
ah the Falco, is this what you set out for us to do?
01:20:46
Speaker
Um... Is...
01:20:55
Speaker
Do you know anything about this search in the diving? No, not a thing.
01:21:04
Speaker
I mean, look, there's a lot of good that we can do together in the world, I think, at least. And maybe that leads us towards the surge, and maybe it doesn't. die I think you've got to trust your instincts here.
01:21:17
Speaker
ah My instincts led me to you, and I followed you in the name of Hortinas.
01:21:27
Speaker
I'll wipe away a small tear. Aww.
01:21:32
Speaker
In the name of it, Enus. Well, look, the fist of the mountain over there is pretty handy, and if he's going to go do this diving, maybe we should tag along and see what it's all about.
01:21:47
Speaker
Yes, I plan to dive in the Surge.
01:21:56
Speaker
You lot have never seen the Surge dive before, have you?

Dangers and Excitement of Surge Diving

01:22:01
Speaker
What is it? He's gonna smile a big, big toothy cracked tooth grin. His eyes sparkle.
01:22:11
Speaker
It's the most wonderful thing you've ever seen in your life. Picture this. a holy calling?
01:22:20
Speaker
Many, many people see it as that. There are whole religions dedicated. to looking after and and and and and then and appreciating the call of the surge diving.
01:22:37
Speaker
The Covenant themselves even form up this this grouping around the tidecallers themselves. Those who who tell us when the surge will enter the ravines.
01:22:48
Speaker
They say it's almost once a week, but ain't that precise. You need to be a tidecaller. Ah, the surge is someone else. It comes from the gods. Yeah. It's a holy calling for so many, but it's the damnation for many others.
01:23:03
Speaker
Picture this. You're stood at the top of what is nigh on a three, four hundred foot ravine, directly down through the mountains.
01:23:14
Speaker
and your skin stands on edge, your hair is brittle and the largest fucking wave that you can imagine rolls past you, mere inches from your face because you gotta get down there sharpish. Why?
01:23:29
Speaker
Because it infuses every fucking thing at the base of that for a short period of time, making it invaluable. But you're not alone. This is the only place where items get caught. So it's you and a bunch of other fucking teams of twats stood all around you trying to jump at the same time.
01:23:45
Speaker
But no one takes their eye off the ball. Everyone's trying a different way to get down. Everyone's attacking each other as they go down. As everyone tries to get to the bottom and grab what they can before making their way up. But you got be careful because there are some little wave fuckers that come after that.
01:24:00
Speaker
that might knock your shit out your arm or drag you down river and drown you. Then there's also the sea strike he also deals with. Everything becomes supercharged, everyone becomes energetic. It's like having a party every fucking week. It is incredible.
01:24:14
Speaker
It's like, you know that feeling you get before a thunderstorm kicks in and you can feel it in the air, yeah? And he's getting quite quite animated at this. That feeling before a storm where the air comes tense and you can feel the static on your skin, it's like that but emptied up to about a billion.
01:24:32
Speaker
That's the energy that you feel here. That's why no one leaves Wild Heart. It draws you. The tidal surge, it draws you. And that's not to mention the food you can get from it, the money you can make from it.
01:24:48
Speaker
Yeah, it's dangerous, but fuck me. If you time yourself right, you get good at this. You're set for life. Woo! What a rush.
01:25:00
Speaker
Okay. and And you see Rot kind of pound his fist on the on the bar somewhat and his drink spills a little bit that he hasn't touched at all in any way, shape or form. That is exactly why we're in. Ah, the competition. that that ah And he's kind of looking down at you two with like this eagerness within his eyes.
01:25:25
Speaker
Turns out you might, Sin.
01:25:28
Speaker
Yeah, if other religions are there, Fatinus needs a seat at the table. I don't mind being the conduit for that. I will jump with you.
01:25:41
Speaker
Sirok.
01:25:55
Speaker
You butchered it, but I'm in. And I'll clasp your hand and kind of like wrist on wrist, full fucking almost imagine Predator style. You son of a bitch, but with like arms rather than hand on hand, wrist on wrist. And even though he's a little bit offended about the name, it's still he's still there and he's kind of staring into your eyes like, woo, Ric Flair.
01:26:24
Speaker
Falco, you're in.
01:26:28
Speaker
did Did you... so i didn't know the the bit about the... the untold riches. You said there was... there's money to be earned down there. that and answer to gary That we can use, you you know, to to help people.
01:26:42
Speaker
In the name of Fatinus, yes. Yeah, yeah. the title surge runs the whole whole length of wild heart from the northern seas all the way down to the ends the three tales that it ends upon at the very base near the ijadar lands Anything that's out of sea, anything that's dropped in there, people dropping offerings to the gods of the Tidal Surge all the way along there.

Preparing for the Surge Dive

01:27:10
Speaker
If they drop them there, where do you think it ends up? It pulls at certain points along the way. Many of them are quite famous. The nearest one to us is the moor, just to the north. That's the one that Tashlin Violetta runs.
01:27:23
Speaker
That's one she's got dibs over that area because it's a natural, for some reason, the way it pulls, the way it drags, it catches at the bottom there. so There's something down there, the the the rock formation, and it just grabs all the good stuff that's come down from the north and it holds it.
01:27:41
Speaker
And that's why it's one of those meeting points, and that's why she has dibs over it, because it is the riches you can grab from that. And how how could how could we how could we get dibs on that that that bit? how How could we get that?
01:27:54
Speaker
He just smiles again, another the big toothy grin. You've got to beat the shit out of anyone else who gets down there first. And can you can you show us where with this bit is?
01:28:05
Speaker
Oh yeah, that is it's a famous part. It's all part of the spectacle. There'll be hundreds of people watching all on the ah ravines above you as the teams dive. And Rot kind of cuts in. That's the whole reason why we're trying to get Cushedie with Tashlin Violetta because she's our way in.
01:28:25
Speaker
And now we have impressed Raelic. He's given his blessing to get us in with that group. What? You said Ray Licks. Oh, I don't... Yeah, I don't know who... Who's he licking? It's my name. It's a bit offensive the way you're talking about young knight.
01:28:43
Speaker
I haven't seen you lick.
01:28:46
Speaker
No, my name is Ray Lick.
01:28:50
Speaker
R-A-L-I-C. There's no K in it. There's no lick. Garak. heard Ray Licks. Garak doesn't lick.
01:29:02
Speaker
Rick. I can't make a pun out that.
01:29:06
Speaker
Not yet anyway. Raelic, um... Do you have any idea what you've just witnessed here? He's gonna look literally like non-plussed at you like, what?
01:29:20
Speaker
This is the union of the Knight of Stone and Stars and the Fist of the Mountain and they're gonna fuck up any other team that comes to the Tidal Search!
01:29:34
Speaker
Roll persuasion.
01:29:37
Speaker
I'm persuaded. ah persuaded. Holy shit, I'm in. With advantage. I didn't say to you roll, but take advantage. Why, what did you roll? halfling You're a halfling, so you get to re-roll it, all right? You get to re-roll anyway, so this is 21.
01:29:57
Speaker
Nice. yeah There's like a twinkle in his eye and he's, I'll be rooting for you. You know I will. Actually, I'll do you one bit.
01:30:09
Speaker
He's going to scuttle around the bar and he's going to head towards that second doorway between the large wooden held up bridge that joins the entrance to the stairway that comes down to the lower level of the of the gilded anchor. There's a plush auburn curtain that sits across the doorway. He's going to open it up and you hear a complaint and then the head sticks in for a few seconds and then the curtain closes again.
01:30:34
Speaker
but don't know about I've just I've just told her. I've just told her what you've just done with Kara. I've let him know. I didn't mention about the mountain and all that stuff. of or I'll leave that to you, my man. but Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll do that. We'll do that another time. I've just told him you should go see her now. That's all.
01:30:55
Speaker
Nice to meet you. And again, thank you for you've done for Kara. Appreciate it. Alright. Rak, could help down from this bar stool? i can feel like it starts now and ra could you could you help me down from this barstool Oh, yeah, sure.
01:31:16
Speaker
And also, I don't think that, and he's going to point to the ale, it's for children anyway, and he'll just quickly drop you off the stool. For children? I'll just drop down on the sandwich. And I'm not drinking that either. And he points to his own ale.
01:31:36
Speaker
Doesn't quite sit well. So, to the curtain. To the curtain, to peep to what's behind.
01:31:50
Speaker
how many times has Falco done that I wonder so you'll read about it in his memoir yeah have to read his book to find out boobs and honour boobs and honour on the yeah so we go to the curtain who wants to open up first
01:32:17
Speaker
I mean, Rock is fucking rock hard for it. Shall i what do you do you want like a I don't know who's back there. Do you want like an introduction? or Is that how this works?
01:32:28
Speaker
I don't know.
01:32:31
Speaker
I've never passed through a curtain before. I've always stayed on one side, hidden.
01:32:43
Speaker
I'm just going to go in. ah And if it feels like i need an introduction, then then feel free. Go for it. ah Oh, shit. Tacky mushrooms. I drift. Anywhere nearby?
01:32:54
Speaker
He's going have wandered through looking a bit sheepish with his arm in like a makeshift sling ah with his with ah a bandage wrapped around it, looking quite bashful as he comes back. But yeah, he's in one piece and he's by your side.
01:33:10
Speaker
Drift, we're about to make it big time. Here we go. All right, I'll just stand behind you and just open it up and suddenly, wow, the smell of, like, incense hits your nose and the space is filled with these joss sticks and things like that all around it. There's a mess of cut of of cushions across the floor.
01:33:27
Speaker
and The centre looks like a small smouldering but green-fired fireplace in the middle that seems to be burning with no coal. ah You notice only one person and it is halfling but a rather um spelt halfling wrong, F-L-I-N-G. A rather um portly halfling that sat on the floor and she has this huge, almost like a patchwork dress that sits kind of up from her neck down and billows out across the floor.
01:33:58
Speaker
You find it difficult to see where the dress ends and the the the patchwork carpet-ish feel of the space begins. you do notice this absolute mop of curly ginger hair that flows from her head and quite pale skin, and she seems to be striking a pose as you enter, one arm raised up as she stares up to her like she's imagining she's holding something within it, and she looks pensively at it as you burst open. There's no one else in the room apart from her.
01:34:29
Speaker
Uh, Tashlin Violetta, is that you? The same!
01:34:35
Speaker
Hi, um I am Raka Harangui Likopeculasa Hokea Feitulia Moi. I think we might have been introduced already by Raelic. I am here to be part of the Surge Divers.
01:34:53
Speaker
She stares at you for a few seconds. Feitulia Moi, what does that mean exactly? Uh, I mean, Fetulia Moi specifically is Acolyte of the Elements.
01:35:05
Speaker
Uh, that's what that part is. I don't understand any of the words that you just said in that sentence there, though. That was fascinating. Your name doesn't make sense.
01:35:17
Speaker
Uh, oh, it makes sense to me and my people.
01:35:21
Speaker
Oh, good for them. tashly Does Tashling Violetta kind of mean anything? does that is that Have you chosen that yourself to kind of bolster who you are? No, my name was chosen by my forebears.
01:35:34
Speaker
What does Tashling mean? What does it not mean? Eccentricity. Charismatic-ly. Wonderfulness. Gorgeousness.
01:35:46
Speaker
Honour! And she's grasping at straws for other words here. Dignity. Love. And money.
01:35:58
Speaker
Sit down, child Goliath. Are you alone, or did you bring company? I believe there's group of you coming. I'll kind of swing open the curtain behind him.
01:36:09
Speaker
Oh, what we got here? a boy? don't think hiding worked. I don't think your hiding worked.
01:36:16
Speaker
ah ah yeah um Miss Violetta?
01:36:24
Speaker
Yes? Pleasure to meet you. I'm Falco, and this is the Knight of Stone and Stars. He's here as part of the group with Rock, who's, um I mean, he's famously known as the Fist of the Mountain.
01:36:39
Speaker
And I think we're all here for the same reason.
01:36:42
Speaker
He's going to, she's going to look from each of you one at a time, nonplussed, and then look back to rock. And I thought you had the strange name here. Fisting mountains and stone and stars, Falco and rocker. Hoang, uh, faith, uh, acolyte of the elements.
01:37:00
Speaker
There's a lot of names there. there's only three of you. lot of big deeds, lot of adventures, lot of stories. I hear you helped Kara.
01:37:11
Speaker
True? That's the story. Yep. Stupid boy. Never should have gone down there. I did warn him. Right. What can I do you for? What can I do you with? Rayleigh mentioned something about you wanting to be a surge diver. Divers don't last very long. Death is quick and instant when it comes to the dive. Is this something you're interested in? Many winnings to be found. Many teams. Many good teams.
01:37:33
Speaker
ah Many of the winners from many around places around here have often come back to the moor, which my part of the area. Is this something you're still keen on doing because I'm keen not to waste any time. I don't have many slots left, you see and there's only a number of places you can place yourself before you have to jump, and if the places get taken then they're bad, then it's a bit of waste of time for everyone involved, and I'll make money for tickets, you see, so is this still something you're in, or are we just are we just are we just are we just walking in circles here, boys and girls?
01:38:01
Speaker
Are we just walking in circles? Rock will kind of look around the others. Shall I go slower? We have a number of ledges within the ravine and if you choose, the higher you go, the longer it takes you to get down and therefore the cheaper the entrance fee.
01:38:21
Speaker
The lower you go, the quicker it is to get down. heightened danger increases. I can only put up so many of these platforms before the next tidal surge and therefore if you're going to pull my leg, blow my trumpet,
01:38:35
Speaker
you know, smash my wind, that kind of thing. I don't want you wasting my time. So, bear in mind, bear in mind that many, many that take part in the search die.
01:38:48
Speaker
Many are wounded. um lots of death, lots of death. Corpses found. um Lots of money to be found though. Fame, infamy, blah blah blah. i This is normally the point where I do the spiel and people pale and then leave. there still something you want to take part in you You look strong, but then again so does a brick wall.
01:39:10
Speaker
ah ah Yeah, no, it's what I've always wanted, and I haven't died before, so I'm i'm not intending to to to die ah on the dive.
01:39:21
Speaker
It's... How much were we meant to pay you? ah Free. For the... Oh, then. Perfect. Yes. Yes. Sign me up. Sign the crew up.
01:39:33
Speaker
It's free from the ravine. from the edge of the ravine i don't own the land you can you can jump anywhere you like anyone can jump from anywhere they like but when i own our platforms slightly lower down within the ravine that my whole danger you see the the nature and the size of the wave of the surge of the tidal surge just change from week to week never really sure how high it's going to go and tide callers tried to map and measure the changes in the height as it comes and goes, but no one's really found that it's an exact science. So you see, what we try and do is we guess how high or low it might go, and then we try and place our platform just above it to keep us on the safe side of death, wait for the wave to pass, then we dive. ah Though that costs you more because it's it's my men that put themselves at risk to build the platform. So that will cost you a little bit, but diving, I'll happily let take part. Raylik vouches for you.
01:40:23
Speaker
Talked very highly of the Lone Took Lot of you, actually. Sorted a little spider problem out, I heard. Uh, yeah. Yeah, we did. Um... And, I mean, I'm in.
01:40:34
Speaker
ah You don't need to try and sell it to me. I've wanted this. i want this. i'm in. Um... um I guess my ah new friends here, they're new to the whole thing. They don't have too much background information, perhaps, perhaps but i'm I will go.
01:40:57
Speaker
I'll go with any platform. I'll go from the edge. I'm just, i want i want to do it. i want to be there Yeah, just like Rock, I've wanted to do this for all of five minutes. I want to be there along his side as so we dive in the name of Atenus.
01:41:20
Speaker
And just to add it on, we don't want any platform. We want the the best you can. As low as it can be, as dangerous as it can be,
01:41:31
Speaker
as um lucrative as it can be. You know, you sell it to us. What do I do? What you got? Okay. She's going to smile at at your comment, Falco.
01:41:44
Speaker
A lot of the low platforms have already been taken by some of the more prolific teams, let me say. So, let me speak to some of my buildery people, my carpenters, and see what woods what's a bit of a funny, fickle substance at the moment. So let me just see what I've got, see what I can build, but we're talking lower than everyone else. Is that what you want? They always tend to really want that, boys. Lower than everyone else?
01:42:06
Speaker
i think I think maybe on par, and I'll look at the others, on like the same level as the lowest currently.
01:42:16
Speaker
Okay, that's... ah They always tend to put theirs slightly lower because they they dive into the wave. john do do you know what I mean by that? I know exactly what you mean, and... ah And Rock will kind of look around at the other two.
01:42:32
Speaker
I don't think you want to be diving into the wave... let me let me Let me explain. I feel like some of you are quite new to the area, you see. So what we tend to do, us teams that don't have the capacity to dive through a wave of pure arcanic water energy, and we tend to hop above the wave and just as the wave passes, it dips down probably 200 feet worth of suddenly a dip of water.
01:42:57
Speaker
and it becomes a very low, very fast current of water that follows, full of volcanic energy. and We tend to try and time it so we are diving just the other side of the wave. as it So we tend to jump onto the wave, and as the wave moves, we pass into the water below.
01:43:16
Speaker
Many have the capacity to slow their speed. Some use ropes. Some have more magical elements. Some use potions. Some you literally have wings. It depends, really, on your on your background. But we all seem quite vanilla here, don't we, boys and girls? We have goliath boy? half Halfling?
01:43:38
Speaker
Halfling. Halfling man. im I'm a grown man. I never know these days. They blend. And... And ah and know a big man. ah a big tall man, I imagine. Are you a man under all that armor?
01:43:51
Speaker
Yes, indeed. My name is Garak Bladeheart. I'm paladin for Fatinus. Ooh. Very serious, that one.
01:44:02
Speaker
So, yes, I can... ah I recommend above the wave. It saves life and limb, stops you dying instantly in a wave of horrific, karnic energy.
01:44:14
Speaker
once saw Yes, of course. Diving through the wave would be quicker. would be the quickest, absolutely. you would get down instantly.
01:44:26
Speaker
Why don't we just do that... There's an issue between the arcanic energy of the wave and flesh. And I once saw a man attempt this. I believe he was mad.
01:44:41
Speaker
He dived into the wave. It's a famous way to end one's existence. ah It's the equivalent of...
01:44:53
Speaker
There's no medieval high fantasy equivalent. Having a goliath jump on top of you.
01:45:01
Speaker
ah No, I think it's more like um someone grabbing the skin on your body and ripping it off and then peeling your bones back one by one and displacing all of your organs and just splattering them into kind of non-existence.
01:45:19
Speaker
Actually, true that was perfect. Yeah, I kind of so saw something similar like that before as well. I don't recommend it. I follow your lead, Rock. if If you've ever been in a storm and you feel the rain pelting against your face, or some of maybe the the sandstorms of the of the of the east of Dralak, perhaps, and you feel the the the the wind push against your skin with such ferocity, you feel it must be damaging your face, the wind must be hurting your face, continue that up the spectrum to the nth degree and you find yourself in the realm of the beginnings of a tidal surge.
01:45:56
Speaker
It has such potent energy behind it. One does not pass through it unless you have the capacity to punch a hole through it. And that indeed takes a huge amount of energy or the capacity to shield oneself from it as you pass through. But no material that we humans, that we the mortals grow can can really formulate that.
01:46:19
Speaker
Even though the blacksmiths try hard. I ah digress. We're down for the dive. Above the wave. Above the wave. That puts you with most other teams bar one.
01:46:31
Speaker
can put you set up there. Do we need a team name to put ourselves down for? her You will eventually, yes. Well, you don't need one Some teams choose to.
01:46:43
Speaker
But, you know, I guess it makes it easier when we have to announce a whole team death. It's cool as the team as opposed to all four of them. Yes, usually groups of four too. But I see there are four of you as well. So perfect. We're all lined up, ready to go.
01:46:58
Speaker
Yeah, um and we don't die. um So... No one intends to die, darling. But you know what they're saying. spirit lives on. Vartinus blesses you. As long as you are blessed and you have lived a righteous life, you shall pass through.
01:47:13
Speaker
There's no death to fear here. no none at all. Everything's absolutely fine, isn't it? But hey... You dive once, and you're hooked.
01:47:26
Speaker
I'm sure I'll be seeing your faces again very soon. Now, ah you're more than welcome to stay here. The dive is tomorrow. It's not long. I think we're looking at a roughly... It's going to be around midday tomorrow, I think. So the tide callers have mentioned over the last couple of days. But, you know, things are a bit but fluid. No pun intended, because it's fluid like the... Like the water. Water's fluid.
01:47:49
Speaker
Yeah, it's funny. Someone laugh.
01:47:55
Speaker
Fluid. Like the water. The big man. I like him. So when it comes to Wavefall, it's quite straightforward. The day starts. It's a bit of a celebration. We'll we head out, introduce it. You'll meet some of the others. They'll be here over the next couple of hours, I'm sure.
01:48:11
Speaker
We'll take part. um You know, enjoy the rest of Stormcall as much as you like today. And then Wavefall will crack on if you live fab. If not, we'll. And, you know, those of you that that pass...
01:48:24
Speaker
into the wave then uh water send will be the day that will send you off that's why we should like to call it water send because those that die we use the wave as a chance to clear the bodies yeah that's a good way of getting rid uh yeah and then got the harvest so it's a nice little nice little time you're here for at the moment actually ah yes so good a day well an afternoon if you will an evening ah so you know really will more than likely set you off with the place here if you'd like um more than welcome to stay if you'd like stay in here with me. here. Stay here.
01:48:55
Speaker
It's all good. o So...
01:49:02
Speaker
Yeah, so you're in. You're in. Yay! ah Yeah, do we, like, with yourselves... Do we get any kind of extra equipment at all? Or or is it something that we've got ah source ourselves?
01:49:18
Speaker
I've spent so long thinking about this exact moment. I'm not exactly sure what happens from here on out.
01:49:28
Speaker
I've got a couple of lengths of rope I could lend you. doubt I'll get them back, though, will i ah The issue really is that the length of the way down... need 200... It's about 200 foot if you want to reach the bottom, top to bottom on rope.
01:49:44
Speaker
ah Some of the guys in down by the market might be able to supply you with some. They've got some supplies down there, i think. If you haven't already passed through the the market... seek out some of the vendors there I'm sure they've got light supplies of rope I know there's an old chap down there a blacksmith who I'm sure has either a supply or knows the one who supplies them the problem is he's bastard don't think you've got to make friends with him first so maybe think of something nice you can do to pally up to him that might be handy
01:50:15
Speaker
okay good to know thank you yeah well that's all you want I'd like to be left my own thank you Any other questions before I ask you all to leave my room?
01:50:29
Speaker
Uh, sorry, me again. yeah Do we meet back here in the morning? And then travel together? Do we meet you at this kind of moor that you're talking about?
01:50:44
Speaker
what What's the deal? Meet here. Many people do. They all know Tashlin runs it. We all start here and then we make our way there. It's all very friendly with the teams. That is until until the dive starts. But...
01:50:55
Speaker
Yeah, meet here, not a problem. As long as we're all ready ready to ready to rave and roll, ah it's all good. It's all good to go from here. First light. First light tomorrow, please. And other teams will try to stop us from being able to claim things?
01:51:11
Speaker
Oh, yes. Yeah, absolutely. So normally what happens is the minute the wave passes... the timer starts what the timer if you will the the the race begins and usually the the most exciting part of it isn't really the dive itself it's the arguments and the fights that take place on the way down you often see groups cutting ropes of each other's um some groups ah famously who are they called the I can't remember the name of them now, but one of them, was it was ah it was a small dwarven chap, I should have known really.
01:51:46
Speaker
he He actually had befriended another group to such an extent that he had emptied all their their potions of Featherfall and replaced them with his piss. And as they fell, they dive and drank, which is a trick that some of them use, they they call it like a drunk dive or something, dive and drink this potion of Featherfall and just sma smashed into the rocks below. it was quite a spectacle. all four of them bar and then uh yeah he had the feather full potions did very well that time can't remember his name but he died on the next one and yeah so absolutely lots of lots of uh backstabbery takes place so don't trust anyone uh not even me i've never you can trust me ah but you know not not not anyone really so just bear that in mind everyone will try and have their pound of flesh so to speak
01:52:39
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. I don't have any more questions. I don't think you guys.
01:52:48
Speaker
and No, that information was sufficient enough. Rock, you you've waited your whole life for this. Well, not my whole life, but certainly the last few years.
01:53:02
Speaker
I will do what I can to make your dive as everything you want it to be. Wow. Dive hard. Dive fast. We'll dive together.
01:53:16
Speaker
a knight on my side, I feel like we can't lose. Knights.
01:53:21
Speaker
You're... Wow. And if that's everything... ico if that's If that's everything you seem to talk about yourselves, if you can... do you just Go away, please. Smelly smelly smelly spiders. fine.
01:53:35
Speaker
I'll see tomorrow. Have a wonderful night. Yeah. I'll step a little bit closer to her. You know, it's been a while since I've seen another halfling, and the chances that the one I did see would be so...
01:53:54
Speaker
Irresistible. um i i like I'll spider walk my fingers up her arm if I can. ah and She freezes, but yeah, it doesn't move. Anything um you know for a a handsome young Serge Daevil like myself that you might be able to pass on. you know Maybe a couple of tips or tricks, couple of secrets that no one else knows about.
01:54:24
Speaker
She's going to stand, her dress pulling in reveal rather tall, actually, halfling. Sounds a little bit taller than you. And she's going to lean in very, very close to your ear, almost within touching distance, and whisper, ah secret to a good dive.
01:54:50
Speaker
die
01:54:52
Speaker
And then she's going to turn and kind of curl herself back down onto the floor with the dress kind of splayed out around her. And we'll strike up her pose again. And then as she holds it for a few seconds, if you stay there, she'll look and be like, and kind of like shoo you out the room with her fingers. We should go. We should go. We should go. We'll start to leave.
01:55:13
Speaker
um And as you as you exit, at the same time, you start to hear these big like thumping sounds on the on the ceiling above you, which is the they kind of ought kind of do sorry the kind of bridgeway coming in ah from the entrance, the wooden bridgeway that you come in with. And you hear these bump, bump, bump, and then like a smash and like a kind of a kerfuffle on the floor above you. And you just hear this voice shout down, it's wrong, it's wrong.
01:55:40
Speaker
The tide surge! It's now! It's coming now! And that's a wrap on this episode of Wild Heart. But the adventure doesn't stop there. Dive deeper into the world of Wild Heart over at fellowshipofthetabletop.co.uk.
01:55:54
Speaker
There, you'll find expanded lore, a detailed map of Erith, and a brand new blog covering both Wild Heart and Bellum Draconis. Got theories? Questions? Wild predictions?
01:56:05
Speaker
We'd love to hear them. reach out to us at fellowshipofthetabletop at gmail.com. Check a theory on the blog or join our conversation on the socials. Your input might just shape what happens next.
01:56:17
Speaker
And if you're craving even more stories from Wild Heart, don't forget to check out The Interregnums, our short fiction podcast bringing the hidden corners of this world to life. This drops every other Tuesday.
01:56:29
Speaker
Until next time, subscribe to keep up to date, stay curious, and as always, watch the tide.
01:56:44
Speaker
In wild heartland where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go