Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
C3 Ep. 19 Grave Dawn Chapter Seven
318 Plays5 days ago
The party continues to investigate potential suspects.
This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Irene Viorritto, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, Deviouspoptart, Nastasia Raulerson, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Rebekah Gowman, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Jerry Theuns, Mark Stanley, and Shelby Johnson.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Everon and Hosts
00:00:00
Speaker
oh um threaten with the coach orange twenty radio at your gamers role radio
00:00:20
Speaker
Hello and welcome to ever on renew natural play podcast set in the ever on campaign setting I am your game master Eric. I'm Mia I'm Phillip. I'm Trevor. I'm Madison. And I'm Jeff. And welcome to another
Recap of Key Events and Eric's Preview
00:00:34
Speaker
episode. What happened last time, everyone? We got some more information about the ritual circle and some leads.
00:00:41
Speaker
We met an old friend. We learned what Eric does when you get a twist on your icon rule. An option of what I can do. That's true. We don't know what Eric does to you. That's a preview. A preview of what
Yvonne's Inquiry into Companions' Past
00:00:57
Speaker
you can do. Yes, Yvonne showed up a paladin of Relicor that necks Mew from her time in that village.
00:01:04
Speaker
So, yeah, and he has shown a great interest in her companions and asking them lots of questions about their lives, is up to and where they're from. So and there you're going to talk to Taurus, right? Yeah, that's the plan. OK, Yvonne, let's see. So Taurus, who is this? I will yield to one of the people who actually heard the story. He is a man who may be connected to the body that was found in the circle. So we just want to get some more information about that.
00:01:30
Speaker
Oh, right. Where is he?
Plan to Find Taurus
00:01:33
Speaker
That's a great question. I have been known to ask those. Yeah, we don't really know. Addressing the group. We don't really know where he is. I guess do we need to go back to Core and ask for someone else's action? Aw, man. we We didn't get that far. I do not like looking like this in front of me, but I gotta tell you, it is fine. We all start somewhere. It tells me this is our first job, so. Glares at V. that's How far are we from, is I mean, is was Core at home? Is Core in the, is there like a town meeting hall thing? Is there ah like, what are we?
00:02:03
Speaker
I'm just gonna volunteer to run and ask where Taurus lives. We went, we've been visiting Cora at home, right? Yeah, at her house. As you saw down there. I think that was where the first side, I think it was the left side. Okay. Okay. So Kaz is just going to run over to Cora's house real quick. I volunteer. I just say, Hey, did you usually go ask where Taurus lives real fast? I mean, can we, it's a small place, right? We can see Cora's house from here. So I don't see any problem with that. Yeah. Let him go. Let him go.
00:02:31
Speaker
I'll go over, should knock on the door. Give me a wisdom based role as you run over there, Kaz, to notice something. OK. Oh dear. I don't. That's a twelve. No, third eleven. What's the one less than twelve? Eleven. All right. Yeah, you're too focused on beaten feet to Chorus House. So yeah, you get to Chorus House. I just I just had the thought.
00:02:56
Speaker
there's There's like six of us. And if enough of us roll or five of us, there's if if infinite enough of us roll, have twists on our icon rolls, this town is in real trouble.
Kaz's Search and Findings
00:03:09
Speaker
Yeah, this is not a big this is not a big place because we still have just Kaz's and Selena's out there, right? Kaz, I think that's our Congress. Is that right? I think that's right. then Selena, what did you roll with? i Lady... Lady Bull and the Arcane Congress. I got one on... You rolled two. That's right. There's two out there. you know yeah Okay. Excellent. So, Kaz, yeah, you get to Korra's house. The door is ajar just because people are coming and going constantly at this point. And you see her sitting in a chair wiping the blade with a rag. me like What can I do for you, Kaz?
00:03:48
Speaker
I clock that a little bit. Does it just look like she's polishing it? It looks like she, yeah, I mean, you walking in, she kind of like started and snapped up. You get a sense that she was in some kind of like meditative state doing this. Like it's something she does to calm down and relax. Understood.
00:04:06
Speaker
I think I was going to say, we decided that we need to talk to Taurus, but we don't know where anyone lives. Could you maybe point us to where he might be? Sure. Yeah. And she points you to a house that is um fairly close to the graveyard. But I mean, once again, small town, a lot of them are pretty close to the graveyard, but it's one of it's one of the houses that borders the graveyard. And in fact, as you exit and look in the direction that she gave you you can see that there's some damage to the exteri of the house where obviously like the unde erupted out of the ground and just started thrashing and going after
00:04:40
Speaker
anything so gotcha cat
00:04:47
Speaker
I don't know, if to keep you up to speed. We're also gonna talk to Terrence, but I know where he lives, so that is okay. And he starts to walk out the door. He gets on the porch and he makes eye contact with the team, and he does like two fingers to his eyes, one finger over to, one finger over to Taurus' house, back to his eyes, a circle in the air with a finger, like a rendezvous point, back to the house, and then he
Strategy to Question Taurus
00:05:10
Speaker
walks over to them. Why is he I didn't want for him to hear me shout, that's his house, so that he was running away. I didn't know he fought over here that fast. I'm very quick. It's a smart man. He has sprinted back over. I was walking while doing shit. As you're walking back over, Kaz, I'll give you another, give me another wisdom-based check to notice something. All right, it's a new dice. It's a new die yesterday. It's a natural seven, so 10. Okay. That's worse than the last time. You focused on the hand gestures. Anything?
00:05:39
Speaker
Alright, so, yeah, you all know we're towards this house, please. So, Nix, you seem to be very good at extracting information. You're taking the lead again. Nix turns and walks towards the house.
00:05:54
Speaker
Is she this pleasant with all of you? Yvonne says as Nyx walks away to the rest of the group. I like her and I start walking. follow twitter her I don't think she likes you. ah I like her. Go away. Selena left with Kaz because she's keep working on him. just strike yeah how that keep police on great Don't feel bad. She's weird with everyone. I have known that to be true. Yes. All right. So yeah, there's nothing i
00:06:21
Speaker
Everyone can give me... No, no, no, you all are focused. Yeah, nothing impeded you from getting Taurus's house. So the door is shut. Boy. A couple of the windows are boarded up, so... What? It's just hanging there over our heads. Yeah, yeah but the looming unknowing. Nothing impedes you. Why would something have impeded us, Eric? What's going on? Blame Jess. Hey, maybe if you're free with good wisdom, would have gone over to find out where Taurus lives, it would have been different.
00:06:48
Speaker
I knock on the door. You volunteered. Yeah, I don't know. its Don't listen to me, man. Yeah, you you knock on the door and you hear footsteps approaching. The door opens and you see a ah half-elf man with a pretty close trimmed beard, black hair, hair on top of his head, just in a very simple like side part combed over. And he's he's wearing very casual attire.
00:07:17
Speaker
but seems to be, um, well put together, well, kept not, not weirdly so, ah but you get this. I mean, a lot of people are in, not, not looking their best given the circumstances. And it seems like Taurus is still trying to hold on to some level of semblance symbol of of normalcy. So he looks at you on that. Can I help you Taurus? Yep. That's, that's me. Who do I have the pleasure of talking to?
00:07:43
Speaker
Oh, he see
Selena's Suspicion and Investigation
00:07:44
Speaker
sounds like a nice guy. That's how they get you. We're investigating what's going on, trying to put an end to it. um I just copied Yvonne's accent.
00:07:58
Speaker
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Oh, no, that's that's great news. I don't recognize y'all. Did y'all come in from out of town? We just, yes. Oh, couldn't have been easy given the undead horde surrounding the town. Correct.
00:08:11
Speaker
Did he like full open the door? Or is he like? Yeah. Yeah. He he opened the door. Does he have an ambulance? He is not wearing an ambulance. The confidence, excluding him. Maybe he pulled it off. i I was just sending the impression that no one could get it in or out of the town. So that's what we're told anyway. I wouldn't recommend trying. Hmm.
00:08:34
Speaker
I wouldn't recommend trying. It's not too late if you want to change your hands. Take that sip to heart. ah So you mentioned investigating what's going on. Surely something must have brought you to my door. So how can I help? little So Nix is a hammer and only knows how to get information in one particular way. So if anybody wants us to be friends with this guy at the end, feel free to be diplomatic at some point, because it's not going to be Nix's manage.
00:09:04
Speaker
and skilled. But she is aware this is a nice-ish person and so there's a little bit of hesitance because it's not as easy to just lean into this guy because he seems you know nice and relatively decent and doesn't like scream wannabe necromancer with his appearance. It's related to your
00:09:26
Speaker
What was it? sister-in-law Sister-in-law. Sister-in-law. Sister-in-law, somewhat. Serena, yeah. Nasty business, obviously. Lazar, then Serena. Well, can't say that I have too many fond feelings for Lazar, ah given the fact that he tore my family apart, as it were. So, you know, yes if taking my way or anything like that, I don't know why he would do that.
00:09:52
Speaker
um
00:09:54
Speaker
Well, in a manner of speaking... yeah Is it wisdom or intelligence to do kind of inside-y things while they're talking? Oh, wisdom. Well, somebody else can do it. Dang, you said he was dead. Philip, next. I did. Oh, that's too bad to hear. why What happened? If somebody else wants to make that check, feel free to... Yeah, I wanna make that check.
00:10:15
Speaker
Yeah, please. I'm just imagining like Ted Lasso. Well, now so am I. It's going to be way harder to be mean to him now. The daughter of diplomat apply? Yes. OK, wonderful, because I need it. That is a nine.
00:10:30
Speaker
9.
Taurus's Confession and Basement Discovery
00:10:31
Speaker
You get the sense that the something is off with what he's saying, and you're fairly certain, Selena, that he ah his jovial distaste for Lazar that he spoke about runs a lot deeper and a lot hotter than what he indicated, but that's what kind of you pick up on.
00:10:52
Speaker
i Yeah, so what what did him in? Did some of the undead get him? or I haven't seen him around for a few days. but That's what we're trying to ascertain. Oh, so you don't know what killed him? Got it. Not exactly. I don't feel like we're having the same conversation right now. Don't stop. I love it. It's just... I think Selena just picking up that like there's a there's a little bit more there. This kind of looks at Nyx and makes eye contact and just gives a little nod of like, keep going. Hoping that Nyx picks up on what she means. um
00:11:26
Speaker
ah looking for something that may have shown up in town, perhaps around the same time that Lazar may have been back in the area, and may have something to do with the current trouble. Some sort of strange talisman made of gold, rather a skeletal look, possibly a red gem. And it being a small town, we thought maybe people have seen something we've been asking around, when and saw something like that come through in trade, or someone wearing something like that, or carrying something like that.
00:11:55
Speaker
Well, that does sound awfully ominous, but I I can't recollect any anyone tracing about with that kind of jewelry on. I do know that there is a ah few, ah you know, traveling merchants that, you know, travel around these parts and they'll come into town, trade goods, things like that. Sometimes they have antiquities or oddities.
00:12:21
Speaker
Person that normally has enough coin and interest to go after that kind of stuff is Terrence. So, I mean, if anything like that showed up in town, it'd probably be in his hands. So I don't know why he'd have anything to do with any of this, but that's, that's my best guess, but I'm i'm not a professional like you all. I'm sorry, can I, I got water, some ale. Do y'all want anything? I'll take a water. Yeah, I can get some water. Anyone else?
00:12:49
Speaker
No, thank you. That's very kind, though. I would be happy to have some water. All right. I'd offer to go in and help him bring it out, but I wouldn't notice anything inside if I did because of my forerolling. So I wait for him to turn.
00:13:03
Speaker
Okay. And I just, I have an idea. I don't know if this is a thing or not, but it's been a thing. So Nick's looks back, looks like a Selena and kind of lays a hand on her chest, kind of tapping and asks like with her eyes, because maybe the presence of the amulet might also be something that she could sense.
00:13:27
Speaker
Selena steps forward more almost into the doorway to just get as close as she can. Are you trying to get as close as you can without going in the doorway or are you going to like step into the doorway? I mean, how close is he still? He like it. yeah He left the door open. Initially, there's kind of a sitting area living room and then it looks like the the kitchen or whatever he has is in the back of the house. And then there's a doorway that goes to a bedroom off of that kind of communal area also on the the back half of the house.
00:13:56
Speaker
Okay, Selena will step just into the sitting area. Okay. Give me a wisdom check. Okay. Got my bar touched for this one. Yeah. 11. 11? Yeah. Yeah. Do your icon dice help with this? Would would you like to see if you've ever heard of one of them? You have two? Okay. Which one? Are King Congress or Lady Bull?
00:14:22
Speaker
So you're trying to detect like the bar in dark magic, which is kind of the domain of Lady Bowl. um But also it's magic in general. So our King Congress would also say, let's let's do Lady Bowl. Lady Bowl. OK. I'm going to roll to see if there is a narrative twist. We're going to destroy this. Sounds good. So latin there is not a narrative. Oh, yeah. As you step into the doorway, Selena, you um You definitely feel something as you step through the threshold of the doorway. ah Your heart begins to race a little bit. You can't quite tell if it's from the Mubarak crystals or it's just like your trespassing in someone's house now. And that may not be something that Selena is totally, you know, normal about at this point. But with the narrative twist,
00:15:25
Speaker
Um, and it's a negative with lady vole, right? Your relationship. Yeah. Okay. So Selena, you know, just as you're stepping through and you've been, something has been stuck in your mind ever since I've had that vision and described the amulet.
00:15:49
Speaker
And it finally clicks that the amulet that was described of kind of the skeletal visage with the fangs and the red jewel in the the center is the symbol for the blood of Voll. Like that is like she described the icon of the blood of Voll symbol. And importantly, just in your interactions with the followers of Lady Voll, especially the one that would commit sacrificial rituals and things like that.
00:16:16
Speaker
You know that that it's in the name of the religion, blood of old. Typically a another reagent of the rituals is the blood of the caster has to be utilized in some way. So the person that cast the ritual would have if if it happened a couple of days ago, they would still have some kind of severe cut that they would be trying to cover, presumably But that would be the case by being all put together and clean, perhaps, perhaps. So, yeah. But your your heart definitely races. Like you you feel something as you step into this house and then you recall all of that information as you stand here realizing the situation you put yourself in.
Confrontation and Capture of Taurus
00:16:59
Speaker
OK. So do you want to try to step further into the house?
00:17:04
Speaker
I would like to kind of glance and see how far away he still is and then get back to the group and fill them in on... Yeah. Like, if he's coming back into the room, then I'll know. I can't say very much, but... So he's gathering cups on a tray and like getting water into them. So like it's it's taking him, ah he's filling up a bunch of cups of water. So it's not gonna take him a super long time, but he is focused on that currently. Okay, I made but make my way back to the group and step out of the doorway so I'm no longer in his house and just fill them in very quickly to look for some sort of injury, some sort of cut, and that that's what we're dealing with.
00:17:39
Speaker
Okay. So he comes back with enough. He, he gets to the doorway with a full tray of cups and back. I mean, perfectly honest with you all. I forgot who said yes and who said no. So I brought enough for everyone. So feel free to grab one if you want. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. So, so you told us that he may have some sort of wound on him still. Yes. Cass goes in for a hug. Oh, oh but I got this free of water here. Thank you so much. I just do a big slapping on the back kind of hug. Like this is so kind of you. like think the r argument So much.
00:18:09
Speaker
Really? Give me. I mean, give me a check of some kind, because he's going to try to like step away. I mean, I feel like a the strength check would be. Wait, can I say it's charisma? I'm just so cute and charming that he wants to hug me back. No, he's not. He's not. He's not. He's not going to try to reciprocate the hut. So dexterity or strength, something along those lines. I mean, yeah, I'll do a dexterity check to hug the guy and really get a feel down on him.
00:18:39
Speaker
That's a 21. So yeah, Val, you reach in and grab two cups of water just as Cass steps up and just causes the rest of the cups to just fall into Taurus's chest. It was actually thirsty. Nyx immediately leans over to Valak and says, probably don't drink those if someone showed up asking me about a murder. I just committed it. I poisoned them.
00:19:00
Speaker
You're so thirsty. i I wish we had a visual medium because the fact that Mio is about to take a drink of her water bottle as Philip said that and then didn't. Okay, everyone, so Taurus immediately like jumps back and is like, oh shoot, i I did not realize you were... I'm the hugger. Give me a wisdom check. Obviously, Taurus' clothes are now soaking wet on the front. ah So give me a wisdom check to see what you can see. I'll do one too. If you have relevant backgrounds, you can feel free to utilize them. Absolutely not. Oh, terribly sorry. Let me grab a towel. I go into the door.
00:19:35
Speaker
I have terrible wisdom, so I'd rather use my action to give someone help on their wisdom check with this. Is that okay? Like, the fact that I did the inciting incident can maybe help someone else, because I i i mean, my role's not going to do any good. I feel like I wanted to roll for me. You got a 21, I think, right? Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, I'll shut up. We're good. I got a 16. I got a nothing, so.
00:19:58
Speaker
But I don't know if I laid evil situation would increase that. So, and that not if you're not, you'd have to utilize it as a resource and you've already utilized yours in the zombie fight. So. Now, actually, your monk background, Trevor, would be a little here, the slate hand. OK, so does that make a 17? It's a one. OK, yeah, 17. OK, so Nix is trying to duck into the door to grab a towel as everyone else is looking. So. Oh, no, it's a three. Sorry. It's so 19, 19. Yeah. OK. And Selena, what did you get? A nine. Unless Mubarak touched her daughter of diplomat applies. No, not in this situation. south
00:20:39
Speaker
OK, so yeah, Taurus tries to you step back into his house as Nick's tries to step through doors like, oh, no, no, I got don't don't worry yourself about it. And as he puts his arms up V and about, you can see the the water pressing against his torso that was spilled on his front. You don't see anything on this side, but on this side, you see kind of a bulky square right like going up under his armpit from like the front of his shoulder down. I can take care of it. Don't, don't worry about Nick's. Are you persisting to walk in or? Yeah, I'm going, no, I'm, I'm pushing around. I'm happy to pretend to be large and slightly clumsy in my attempts to help. So she will happily just push through him, push right on that bandage she move And he says, all right, there's some towels in the kitchen. If you if you really persist on grabbing one for me, I appreciate it. And now I would like to. I mean, this is like I'm not good at wisdom, but I'd like to make a role using my black marketeer background to look for a hidden place, a hiding place like somewhere that's. Yeah. Where one might stash your occultic
00:21:45
Speaker
stuff. Yeah. And I'm just going to go in and say V gets a little more like physically defensive. Eyes don't leave like ready to pounce if something happens. It's it's a seven. I do not I do not successfully do that. Yeah. But you do spot the towels. I do find the towels such towels. i So curious. What is Yvonne's reaction to what we have just been told about this person?
00:22:12
Speaker
Yvonne is watching very intently, his hand is resting on the hilt of his sword, but he he obviously wants to help these people and deal with the situation. He also wants to observe and see how you all as a group are going to deal with the situation and not step in unless it seems like you all are going to make things worse. So so, yeah, Yvonne is standing there and just kind of like his eyes are on Taurus. Like he he is kind of locked in, given the information that Selena just dropped on the green, but and his position has shifted very similar to V, ah except he has stepped up a bit closer to the doorway to where there is no way Taurus could bolt out of this doorway without being in reach of Yvonne's sword. Basically,
Calming Townspeople and Crisis Management
00:22:56
Speaker
so I'll bring a towel back, but I will hand it to him from out of the house, like from from
00:23:01
Speaker
out from the house. I'm remaining in the entryway handing it to him. Okay. Appreciate it. Thank you. And he starts to pat down. So, I mean, y'all got any of the questions I'm more than happy to handle it, but obviously I'd like opportunity to go change. Do you have any idea why Lazar might have subsisted mausoleum on well-being levels?
00:23:24
Speaker
Oh, I mean, I right can't say he might have family down there. the The lower levels are the newer graves. But yeah, I mean, Serena and Karen's graves hadn't been set yet so that Serena wasn't down there if he had any reason to go visit her. But yeah, does he look shifty and say he looks wet. He looks a little bit perturbed at this point. Like he his emotional state is like, I mean, give me give me a wisdom check. Oh, big money. No.
00:23:52
Speaker
That is a twelve. You get the sense off of him. He would very much like you also leave so he could get out of these wet clothes. How do you hurt yourself? His classes. Sorry. What was that? How do you hurt yourself? And he kind of like looks down and then sees the the bulk is like, oh, I was asleep and some of the things crashed in through the window and glass fell and nicked me. So I.
00:24:18
Speaker
He was asleep. Yeah, it was the middle of the night. They would have came to the front door. Bunch of undead came through the window. I mean, my backyard is the graveyard. So when I see through the window, trying to eat me, I guess, I don't know. Oh, should make sure the windows properly boarded up and I walk deeper into the house in search of a broken window. Oh, I ah i got it. And he gestures the front windows that were also broken and are boarded up like ah you sleep by your front door. all All the windows, the one in the bedroom also got busted out. Is this so? It's in the bedroom. The door is shut to his bed. I open the door.
00:24:56
Speaker
Well, OK, hold on now. And as you um and I mean, he he puts a hand on Nick's shoulder and tries to pull her back. But yeah you see, ah does he try to pull her back? Is you the sort of polite thing where laying a hand on somebody's shoulder is an is an impossible to resist gesture that will force her to stop?
00:25:16
Speaker
Is it it polite or? It's it's more of that. But also, I mean, you all showed up spilled water all over the front of him. But like, I'm not I'm not saying that's on an apparently reasonable position. for Yeah, it is. It is. It is the brink of Midwestern politeness about to crack kind of thing.
00:25:34
Speaker
like if he doesn't yank on you but he definitely it's a firm hand on the shoulder kind of thing i invite him and to try to stop me next proceeds i e yeah you open the bedroom door you see that the window is boarded up and there the bedroom seems well enough put together the bed is made like he The whole house seems rather tidy. So, yeah, there's no, like I said, the windows boarded up, there's no glass shards or anything all over the floor, but there's no glass shards anywhere. So no want to give me a intelligence or wisdom check to investigate. proceed I'd love to. I'd love to. That's such a better role. You said intelligence. That's better than wisdom. Sixteen. Sixteen. OK. As you look around and get to investigate,
00:26:23
Speaker
You hear kind of behind you and the rest of you see Taurus kind of throw his hands up as Nix just barges into his bedroom and say, all right, I I try to be welcome into folks, but I I'm going to go talk to Core and he tries to leave the house. Phillip, what you what Nix notices, the room is very clean. In fact, there are no signs of, you know, the floorboards aren't scratched up at all.
00:26:51
Speaker
The furniture obviously hasn't been moved in some time. And in fact, there are sheets on the bed. The bed is made and presumably under siege. You can't just go to the store and buy more bedsheets. If he got cut while laying in bed, the bedsheets would have presumably been covered in blood, given the nature of what happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah. and Also, if a zombie came through my window, I might stop sleeping by it. So is anybody going to do anything to try to stop Taurus from leaving? Yeah. Before Yvonne taps to you. How would you clean how'd you clean the sheets? Sorry. That's quite remarkable. I'm sorry. Before you say that, next. What were people going to do as Taurus trying to stomp out of the house? I was going to body block him because I have his cops.
00:27:35
Speaker
Oh, he was just going to grab him by the bandits. Oh, all right. I'm going to say ra stop him. Get him. So cool. So yeah, that and it steps into his way and then V grabs onto the was good. Why? um She's very direct because I don't think you'd be a very truthful. And the next you ask your question about the bedsheets.
00:27:59
Speaker
and then so And then says, are we done being Dr. Atlantic? Don't worry about me. I'm with you. This is the campaign where me and Trevor's character really get along. Yeah. Eventually, Si has got to start being level-headed in this party. I'm afraid it's going to have to be you.
00:28:13
Speaker
no
00:28:15
Speaker
we We had multiple sits. I just changed them.
00:28:20
Speaker
No blood on the floor, no scratches on the floor, and no sign of anything that came in to your house. V starts- You are a remarkably quick waker if you fought off an undead thing that burst through your de-window while you were asleep. V starts to just rip open the shirt and take a look at the wound. All right, he is going to try, at this point, try to wriggle out of your grasp, V, so you can give me a dexterity or strength check and it'll be opposed by his role.
00:28:46
Speaker
Okay, well that's a natural 20, so good luck buddy. He obviously fails. That's plus three, four, so 24. And you can add your monk stuff to that. When he's seven. OK, yeah, I mean, you like Taurus tries to wriggle out of your grasp and in doing so just kind of does that spin move where it like he comes out of the shirt as you're trying to like take it off and then later the damage comes down. I mean, it's a very it's a very clean cut.
00:29:17
Speaker
And in fact, in your experience, we just with the natural 20, you could tell that this was. Especially given the nature of your monastic order of the flayed hand, where there was a lot of that, like it was an intentional cut. but So where's the knife that did this? It was Glen's. All right.
00:29:37
Speaker
I don't think that story is getting you very far and giving you giving you a lot of feelings that you're really enjoying at the moment. So maybe change your tune. I think I think Kaz asks, why do you want the whole town to die? Because I think that Sony could give me a check to try and alter his his state. Jeff, you said that. So if you want to, you can. Yeah. Hang on. What what would I charisma charisma? Surely. Yeah. Yeah. You got it.
00:30:05
Speaker
No, i that precocious wisdom thing doesn't really, that'd be to eat him not to. That's a 22. Three, 23.
00:30:18
Speaker
Taurus, like, looks at Kaz at that question and just, I don't want anyone to die, all right? Well, they're all gonna die. You guys can't keep fighting this and you don't have the food to sustain yourselves and they're all gonna die. Everyone's gonna die. Inside these walls, not us, we're out. Everyone's gonna die. Kor, and Terence, and Tish, and Dig, and Dog. music What's today? Dang it, this is going so well a second ago.
00:30:48
Speaker
as I was trying to bring her back, wanted Serena to come back. out There we go. Where's the ambulance? He looks down at the rug that is in the sitting area, um which next you'd be able to immediately clock like.
00:31:04
Speaker
Didn't look like it was a rug. Oh, it's a rug. Flips a rug back. We were asking the wrong questions. I don't know what to tell you. ah Yeah, you see you see a few loose floorboards that are being covered by the rug that as you pull them up, yeah you see a ah small ladder that leads down underneath the house.
00:31:25
Speaker
into what seems to be some kind of basement. Oh, good. Excise takes to the latter. You've on this stuff right now. obviously basic out there There's no one down there. OK, yeah. As you get down there, there's a small lantern hanging, which indicates to you that probably someone was down here. You see recently you see a small table with a wooden box on it. And the next the wooden box is a shallow wide bowl with water in it. And as you look at it, you see the cavern that you all were in, the ritual circle and the blazar's body and everything. So open the box from the from the angle that Kaz discovered the sigil. I thought I got as you open the box, you see a amulet in it with a skeletal face with a wide open maw and fangs and a red jewel in it.
Reversing Ritual and Undead Attack
00:32:16
Speaker
Take. And the box is also sitting on a book that isn't labeled like, but it does have kind of a mean an unsettling leathery cover. Take also knife. No, no, the knife's in the body. Right. There we go. OK. Knife later. I'm not sure I want that knife. And it comes back up the ladder.
00:32:40
Speaker
and holds the book out in the direction the general direction of both Valk and Selena, because Nyx's understanding of this stuff is much more practical than technical.
00:32:52
Speaker
I will take the book, because this is the whole tea. And this, and she holds up the amulet. but I will take that. Yeah, I mean, Vi, Selena, and Valk, because of your weird memory, all all of you get a very uneasy feeling seeing the amulet, just the symbol of it. I would like to know if during this time Vi could have tied up his hands with a rope.
00:33:15
Speaker
Yeah. The long road. Yeah. Same. Perfect. Like with a lead on it? Yeah. No, he has full range of motion. Nick's looks at the more gifted Arcanists. Do we need him to fix this? I got to do. Or can I leave leave him with core? I mean, she realizes that it might sound like she's about to kill him.
00:33:37
Speaker
Just whoever wants to can give me an intelligence check to know if the ritual would require the original caster or not. I will try. Oh, I was going to ask if I knew that from my flashback or my memory as a natural 20. Never mind. Four.
00:33:52
Speaker
Selena, you are very confident that you have no need of Taurus to undo this ritual. OK, we don't need him. We can take him to court. Perfect. Nick's half sim up and looks over at Yvonne. Why don't you come? Make a new arrest, turn it into the authorities. That's your thing, right? And she sort of.
00:34:14
Speaker
holds him up by the back of the by the by the color. Well, he's not wearing a shirt anymore. So, yeah, frog marches him out of the door. As you pass by Yvonne, you hear him say, seems to be your thing now, too. I will say I see you for here. And Yvonne does walk with the group.
00:34:28
Speaker
At this point, it's hit a point where there is no perception check needed. and A large like you see a crowd of people that is now spilling out of the doorway of the owl and kitten. And there's a large ruckus going on. Oh, well, I move him faster towards Kora's door. Yeah, ah let's see. Yeah. ah You hear Darrow's voice be the one to say, yeah, it was her. She knew. And people turn and look at Nick's leading tourists, but they begin walking over asking questions about the siege and they're going to die in three days. And why would court keep this from them? And yeah, a large large crowd is spilling into the street. Oh.
00:35:19
Speaker
I want this person not to be in my hands when I have to deal with that. So, Nix is going to try and get him to Cor's house first. Yeah. If that's a possible. I don't know. I don't know what to do. Cass is going to think that he has a knack for diplomacy now that he just got a confession out of. Nice. Yeah. And he's going to stand between Nix and the town and say, people of Purgeville. Oh, no. ah I'm so happy and terrified.
00:35:47
Speaker
your consternation. Please return to that kitten and give us one hour and we believe we can resolve all of this and then you can't do what the most level heads among you feel is the next best step. However, if you address this now, we will not be able to fix things. You just have to trust me. And that's a check. Yeah.
00:36:11
Speaker
Okay, I'm going to ask if I can just get a little magic-y with it and say my fae-touched essence comes out and maybe I can soften through. Sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, pretty naturally charming. Okay, that makes it a 20 even.
00:36:27
Speaker
OK. Adding things. so Yeah. In spite of your best efforts, they do seem to listen to you. And like the voice is calmed down a little bit. There seems to be a little bit less rage in the group, but they. Yeah, I mean, they are not going to.
00:36:45
Speaker
swarm you or tackle you anymore. You do hear some cries out of what difference is an hour going to make? And we're all going to be dead in three days like that. They're well they're in a panic fervor. Three days important. So a lot of different problems. I got quit while I'm ahead. Kaz, Kaz really gets it. He must quit while he's ahead. Kaz gets hit by a rock.
00:37:02
Speaker
yeah
00:37:06
Speaker
So the people begin going back into owl and kitten and you do see one individual.
00:37:22
Speaker
Sorry. you um
00:37:28
Speaker
You do hear one individual as everyone's filing big back into Alan Kitten being like a voice of dissent against what Kaz basically said that they were obviously like helping to encourage the fervor. And it's ah it's a half-orc woman that you see that is kind of agitated that Kaz calmed the crowd a little bit.
00:37:48
Speaker
So there's always one. You're heading to the chorus house. Chorus door is still a jar. Really need to get a door or a bigger. She is sitting reading a book when you all enter and she starts like, why is Taurus without a shirt? Interesting. This is your this is your amateur necromancy.
00:38:09
Speaker
Uh, I see. We have all the implements and we are going to try and fix things. I don't want to carry him around while we do it. Fair. I will. He knows things and it's just barely conceivable that we will need to know them before. And so also having him lynched by a mob is not. Indeed. Sure. Yeah. Let me, I'll, I'll hold on to him for you while you go take care of it.
00:38:36
Speaker
Xerox here is also a very angry town's remaining townspeople because someone not me might have mentioned the remaining food supply and he's just gonna throw his hands up and back away. That is regretly probably won't matter in a short amount of time She is still part of the focus of the anger. It's not being forthright. How about you all go take care of this sir instead of talking about how my head's going to be on a spike. to go They didn't seem that mad. And then he turns around. to Don't worry. I took care of it. Yvonne looks at you answers.
00:39:19
Speaker
Do you need me to deal with the ritual or should I stay and guard the prisoner with Kor? Kaz does a slow pan to Nyx. Yeah, I think everybody's kind of looking at Nyx. I don't think she needs to be down there.
Episode Conclusion and Teaser
00:39:34
Speaker
Probably best if you're here in case the crowd comes back. Hey, good thought. Good luck down there. Small town crowd control should be right up your alley. Meddling and magic you don't understand. Right up yours.
00:39:48
Speaker
You see, some of us try to understand, of course, cheap turns and walks towards the muscley. So do you guys know each other? or Once we're out of earshot, he's not going to press it if you don't answer. Yes. Okay. that's it yeah I guess there are more important things right now. You're right. It's the easiest one. takes <unk>metery She she takes out a sword as we go into the mausoleum. Now has the stuff and is going down first again. All right. So you all don't run into anything as you descend back down the levels of the mausoleum and certainly yeah run out of corpses. ah Yeah, it's true. I've always said that and you find yourselves back in the cavalry with the glowing ritual circle. That is putting the the amulet on. OK.
00:40:37
Speaker
um
00:40:42
Speaker
I'm going to drink my health potion in case something rises from the dead and we have to fight it. OK. And he's going to put one one little footsie, one little toe in circle with the amulet on. Yes. with eat Question. Did Valk open the book to look through like you're testing this thing now?
00:41:05
Speaker
OK, I know I was being given the opportunity to say yes, it's but I want to see. Yeah. Truth. So that you stepped into the circle wearing the amulet. That one little one little toe in there. Yeah.
00:41:18
Speaker
Nothing happens to your one little toe. Now I feel like I need to step out and look at it. I think Selena did that first. Yes, I felt fairly confident in my memory understanding of the ritual, but we can, we can peruse. I fully believe you, but it's not going to hurt to use our resources. It's true. I don't want to say that. So is Val or Selena going to look at the book? He's going to toss the book.
00:41:43
Speaker
over. He's still a little, little upset. That's, you know, look at it. All right, Selena, active boys got first guide to necromancy. Yeah. No, Selena, you as soon as you open this book, you realize like this guy was punching way out of his weight class. Like this is like you don't know where this book came from. Also, the leatheriness of the cover also unsettles you as to where this leather came from. That's good. I feel like I feel like that would not exist.
00:42:16
Speaker
And notice how I didn't say that Valk was put off by it. Valk was like, oh, yeah, this is good. I think I did. I know this guy. But yeah, Selena, you. Yeah, this is a very pretty advanced level necromancer tome. But give me an intelligence check to decipher this particular ritual and what's going on here. And you can use your what are your backgrounds? Mybar touched and daughter of Diplema.
00:42:42
Speaker
Specifically because you you were a daughter of a a rainy slash Carnathy diplomat, it would be applicable here. OK, great. Who was not secretive about his necromancy. Correct. True. He probably had this as a coffee table book. OK, I rolled it's a 19.
00:43:01
Speaker
19. OK, so, yeah, so looking through, you seem you find the ritual easily that this is that, yeah, it's it's designed to create a font of negative energy, kind of what happened here. And, you know, it is conceivable that somebody would somebody without an understanding of how this magic works would read this and say that a person can be brought back or a dead body could be animated. ah that That's the thing that it was translated from old Elvish and, you know, animated and resurrected. It's, you know, a dicey translation issue. And so, yeah, obviously the the caster Taurus thought this would resurrect somebody when an actual would have just animated them. and
00:43:51
Speaker
What's odd, though, is something about the way they did this. The scale was much larger, like it wasn't contained ah like it should have been. It's like if you if you created a nuclear reactor, but didn't put the lid on it kind of thing. And then also the whole being a beacon to the undead, not supposed to be part of this ritual either. So, yeah, that's all very weird. And that's that's what you can clean with your acting.
00:44:18
Speaker
Is there any information about whether or not it's safe to step into that or? Yeah, I mean, yeah, the the amulet that is, you know, resonant with this kind of magic, which is what Valk is wearing, ah would protect the wearer from the fog of negative energy that resides within the circle.
00:44:35
Speaker
Okay, I pass that on to everybody and just let them know we can step in. The amulet will protect us, but this got way bigger than it should have, and it doesn't really make sense why. Is it, from your understanding, is it because he did it incorrectly? technically I mean, it's definitely an amateur job, but he was in way over his head. oh does do Do either of you... i just This is ah an issue of and perhaps mere curiosity, but why did he set up a pool in which to scry on this site? Why would he need to keep looking at the dead body?
00:45:10
Speaker
It's a moment that this is interrupted. It ends. So I would assume... I mean, I don't know how she looks. He's a wannabe necromancer. I wouldn't be surprised if he took the person he was trying to resurrect.
00:45:27
Speaker
with him. house you still here He didn't realize what this would do. He thought that animating meant resurrecting. He thought he was just getting the same person back. So probably just wanting to make sure that nothing interrupted this so that she would but's stay.
00:45:44
Speaker
Also, Selena, something that's not included in the instructions for this ritual in this book, presumably because it's such an advanced guide. It's like those really high end cookbooks that don't explain how to do a technique. It just says, do it, ah cream the butter and sugar. It doesn't tell you. Yeah, there's no explanation as to how to undo it. So if he didn't know what he if he was just following the instructions and this happened, the ritual ends like it's like there's no instructions on how to stop it. So he.
00:46:11
Speaker
I think Cass says, you know, he could have just been scrying to find out when it was like, I don't know, maintenance schedules to find out when it would have been free enough, long enough to do this. Maybe the scribe predates. Oh, that's an interesting thought. I had not considered that. Or when it didn't work like he wanted it to, he threw up a quick scrying so that he could wait and watch for her. In case she appeared. Holding out hope that she might appear. Perhaps so. Kaz is really trying to describe as little malice on Taurus as possible. I suppose it doesn't change what we need to do here. Yeah, she would have been above in the graves. She wouldn't be up the site. She'd be somewhere down here. It was recent enough. These were the newer graves. She's not buried yet. Yes, but we are in an area beyond the grave. Right. True.
00:47:00
Speaker
in a walk. So I think that there's a chance he thought she was going to come through it down like a new a new version of her, a re a second Serena. Like he was calling her spirit out and it would, I see what you're saying. that that's like that Yeah, that's where.
00:47:16
Speaker
I don't know anything about any of this stuff, but that was what I thought might be why he did that. That would make sense. Reasonable suggestions. We're just blue sky solutioneering here. Appreciate it. So, Valve is going to fully enter in with the amulet on. Okay. And I only saw do it I didn't remember like the process of how it was done. It was just the last step of the actual sacrifice. Correct, yes. i mean Yeah. He's gonna grab the knife and he's going to gently remove it from the body, still trying to be respectful of poor sacrifice. Okay, cool. So you reach down to pull the knife out. ah The knife comes free.
00:48:01
Speaker
hey And the kind of black light energy that was enveloping the circle shrinks in and dives into the chest of Lazar as you then hear a and Lazar's eyes shoot open and he lunges at Val. And.
00:48:23
Speaker
We're going to call it an episode there. Thank you all so much for listening. If you want to be part of the conversation starting this episode, you can head over to our Discord, the link to which is on all of our socials, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, et cetera. We also have a YouTube channel, youtube.com, slash the YouTube channel where I do TTRPG videos. Philip, go.
00:48:39
Speaker
We have another actual play called Blades and Benders on the Laughing Tree channel on both YouTube and Spotify. It's Pirates. True. We also have a Patreon. We also have a Patreon. Patreon.com. So I skied, paid, paid for my financial support show. You can do so over there. Thank you all so much for listening. I've been with you, Master Eric. Hi, Mia. Philip. I'm Trevor. I'm Madison. I'm Jeff. And we'll see you next time.