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Ep. 23 - Wildheart - Trepdation
25 Plays22 days ago
With a good night's sleep behind them, Rok and Falco search out means to make some money and buy up equipment - using Rok's fists and Falco's mouth. Priestess Iradia tasks them with travelling to the Floodfields south of Stormspire to recover some new growths that have appeared in the Tidal Surge's wake. 'Blackwater Bloom" it has been aptly named.
Stumbling through the Floodfields, they come across some strange looking figures and a Dwarven Tidecaller by the name of Aronnax who seems to be on the same task, at the same place, by the same person. It seems like fate has rolled high tonight…
Will Rok and Falco remember their task? Can Rok land a hit with a -4 to rolls? How does Iradia expect them to find a ship called the Trepidation? And haul it back to Stormspire??
If only we had a character without intelligence as their dump stat...
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Transcript
Introduction and Banter
00:00:00
Speaker
And anoraks will... Aranaks, not anorak. Oh, that's a good little popar, though. That's good. Anoraks. Because he is such an anorak.
Setting the Scene: Wild Heart
00:00:22
Speaker
Land where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go
00:00:40
Speaker
Glories gold on emerald shores Glories felt in ancient lore But Dina sings to heal his scars To call her chosen stone and stars In wild hearts land where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go
00:01:06
Speaker
Welcome to Wild Heart, the Tide Surge Gambit.
Promotions and Plugs
00:01:10
Speaker
Want to explore more? Head to fellowshipofthetabletop.co.uk for maps, lore, and our latest blog.
00:01:20
Speaker
Check out our interregnums, dropping every other Tuesday. And Bellum Giaconis, our sister podcast, releasing every Friday.
Night of Unease and Morning Routine
00:01:30
Speaker
Now, let's dive in.
00:01:34
Speaker
Falco and Rock, you sleep. a restless sleep. A sleep that's broken by sweats and by the feeling when you wake up in an unknown space and you're unsure of your surroundings. This happens multiple times, but luckily, unlike the night before, you don't dream.
00:01:51
Speaker
It's a deep slumber. You both are relieved of one point of exhaustion, which she believes... I believe that, Falka, that puts you on one and Rock puts you on two. Is that right? right.
00:02:03
Speaker
That's right. Okay. So keep tabs on that for now. I shall update mine as well. So, through the night, I kind of described the night as a whole, and that's the general gist of it though, you will wake, are you police know.
00:02:16
Speaker
At about, it's difficult to tell, but the wee early hours of the morning, and you're both awoken. And this is almost like a passing moment in your sleep, where there's you kind of get up, you you experience this, and then and then you return to your slumber. You both wake up to a distinct rumbling, a roar that grows,
00:02:37
Speaker
As you look to the window where this roar seems to be emanating from, you look out towards Storm Spire that is below you, 30, 40 foot below you, and the ravine little bit further away, 70, 80 feet away from you, across the other side of the Storm Spire, the Glowmos Market, as it's referred to at night.
00:03:03
Speaker
And what you see within the ravine is yet another tidal surge. The wall of water pushing through. There's no one around.
00:03:14
Speaker
It's almost silent apart from this ominous and powerful roar. And for a brief minute, you get to take in this event that you took in within not three days ago. and Three days ago.
00:03:35
Speaker
Four days too early, if tidecaller projections are supposed to be telling us. Something is definitely awry. The wave comes and passes and you feel this waft of sea and salty air hit against the tower and your faces for a brief second.
00:03:56
Speaker
It's refreshing. It's sleep inducing. But what you also notice in the wave as it passes is again that ah shift of sands at the base. at at the base The energy that pulses through and you both see it almost push out across the ravine.
00:04:14
Speaker
This arcanic energy that pulses out across the land around it. You see plants nearby stand up slightly taller. You see roots grow deeper and longer.
00:04:30
Speaker
As this slowly subsides again, the sea and salty air pass you return back to your slumber, unsure if this was a dream or, indeed, reality.
00:04:41
Speaker
You're awoken. in the early hours of the morning, early the morning, the regular hours of the morning, seven, eight o'clock perhaps, by um the sounds of the market below coming back to life and the general hustle and bustle of life in a town.
00:04:57
Speaker
The sun is low in the sky over the mountains, but shining almost directly through the window, leaving a rather ah pretty shape across the floor between the two beds that Rock and Falco you find yourselves in.
00:05:12
Speaker
You've slept well. i don't think you've taken in any damage or anything you cast any spells or anything, but if you did, of course, that would be replenished after a long rest as well. And...
00:05:23
Speaker
Just to order this slightly, Rock, I'm probably going to have you wake up first, if that's okay, given your discipline, given um the nature of morning montages for training, like the rock hard rock hard you are.
00:05:36
Speaker
I imagine you might have woken up, let's just say, 10 minutes earlier than Falco, maybe longer, I don't know, than Falco. So you wake up and Rock is still, sorry, Rock, you wake up and Falco is still fast asleep at this stage, still hatless.
Reflections and Preparations
00:05:51
Speaker
Still both of you bereft of all your items, all your gold, all the treasures from the Tidal Surge, and most importantly of all, bereft of a conscious reefer who is downstairs bathing in the pool of water, recovering with the Tidecaller, Iradia, and bereft of Garrick, who was lost to the Tidal Surge.
00:06:14
Speaker
Rock, you wake up a bit more refreshed, still feeling the absolute pull and ache of what was now three days ago assault that took place post tidal surge where you were robbed of your goods and left for dead. What would you like to do?
00:06:32
Speaker
So I think the first thing you'd do is probably look over at Falco. And if he sees him still sleeping, wouldn't immediately wake him. But Rock would go about what his regular morning routine would be, which does involve various stretches, does involve kind of basic exercises.
00:06:52
Speaker
um But as he's kind of dropping to kind of into press up position or into plank position or something like that, the the fat fatigue, the exhaustion will set in and he'll falter a little bit and get frustrated with himself.
00:07:04
Speaker
And he'll try again and again. Like if he's, ah if he's shaken as he's pushing himself back up after the probably 30th rep or so, he's going to get, because of that exhaustion, he's going to get,
00:07:20
Speaker
frustrated and try again he's basically just pushing himself past perhaps what his limits are at the moment um but he'll probably be doing that for the for the next sort 15 20 30 minutes um and nothing else at at current i don't think before falco would wake up Is that in in the room you're doing that or are you going anywhere? Yeah, he'd find various things. Yeah, he'd he'd use elements of the room to help him.
00:07:47
Speaker
um It's sizable. There's space for you to you know, so much your room for activities. so you've got Awesome. But yeah, he'll he'll and he'll initially try to do it quietly. I like that reference.
00:07:58
Speaker
He'll initially try to do it quietly, but there will be times where the occasional grunt will release from his lips, like not not purposefully, but from the extra effort that he's perhaps having to put in. um so Yeah, okay, nice, thank you.
00:08:13
Speaker
and So, Falco, you start to stir, and as you come slowly out of your slumber, you do hear the noises of... grunting and and and movement in the room around you as your bleary eyes start to open and adjust to the light, what would you like to do?
00:08:33
Speaker
What are you doing?
00:08:36
Speaker
Huh? Oh, yeah, i I've just got to to keep myself in the right kind of shape. i these These are the kind of the things that I've got to do. Sorry, it's I'm not usually out of breath.
00:08:50
Speaker
Hey, do you want to join in? ah Do you do this every morning? Most mornings and usually after breakfast and sometimes around lunchtime, early afternoon, before dinner, before bed, sometimes in the middle of the night. Yeah.
00:09:08
Speaker
Oh, God, I've got to find somewhere else to sleep. um but yeah You wouldn't mind doing it in the hallway. just I just need five more minutes. I am shattered.
00:09:21
Speaker
What, like in the bed?
00:09:24
Speaker
All right, I'm up, I'm up. I'll swing my tiny little fairy legs over the edge of the bed and hop down onto the floor.
00:09:35
Speaker
How much more of this stretching and working out you got to do? Oh, no, I'm almost there, actually. Just a couple more. i Like I said, I don't usually struggle as much.
00:09:47
Speaker
I think I'm still feeling the effects of... yesterday? few days ago? Three Yeah, we do. Um... Yeah, I'm a bit sore.
00:09:58
Speaker
I don't think I'm going to be doing any fighting today. No. Probably not.
00:10:07
Speaker
Right, well, as we're both up, um... I'm kind of hungry. Oh, I could always eat. Did they have, uh, did they have good food downstairs?
00:10:19
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, pretty sure they had a good spread last night. So, they've got breakfast here, right? Yeah, and we can, uh, we can check on Riefly.
00:10:31
Speaker
See if she's woken up. That's true. She might have healed some more. Huh. So you've been you've been up here doing these stretches and martial arts while she's floating in ah in a pool downstairs and you didn't bother to check on her?
00:10:44
Speaker
I kind of forgot. It's just, you know, you get into a routine and, oh man, ah Rock will kind of get up and and hurry to the door and kind of start pushing his way out and and down the steps.
00:10:59
Speaker
Okay, yeah, and Falco, what's what what's your trajectory here? Are you staying, having your five minutes in bed like you wanted? no i'm up now i'll let that a big sight stretch my arms and then i'll you on scratching my ass i'll follow him okay cool i'm heading downstairs is that right a yeah yep so if you remember you go down one flight it's the same kind of three doors uh down the tower there down another flight and then you hit the ground floor Where in the centre the room, if you remember, was a large pool of iridescent water ah with a a sigil on the back wall of kind of like the bolt shape of a crossbow with a number of stars around it, which is one of the sigils, one of the signs for the tide callers.
00:11:37
Speaker
and Also in the pool, you do still see Rifa, who's still lying there. ah You do also see the sleeping form of Alara, who has made like a makeshift bed near the side It's quite warm in there, the water gives off a natural warmth to it and obviously the large double doors at the far end which are your exit out of the Tidecaller Tower which you find yourselves in.
00:12:00
Speaker
ah The room is quiet and it's almost like there's a level of steam coming off the the water and as you approach you do see that the... Actually, you get um Ruck, give me an investigation check please.
00:12:12
Speaker
Why investigation? Oh no. Okay. okay it's i think with two levels of exhaustion is it minus four minus four that's right well it was investigation or perception it's up to you but if i'm doing investigation it's yes go investigation uh minus two minus two what as in that's your total score my total score is minus two fantastic it's the lowest score we've ever had so far well done and thank you very much the The water, it glimmers, thats the bleariness in your eyes, you you physically can't make out if she's gotten any better or any worse at this point.
00:12:48
Speaker
Okay, Rock will be wading in that little bit as well, with a little bit of reverence, but he's going to wade in similar to how he did the previous night and kind of try to get beside, not to do like any checks or anything like that on her, but just to be a little bit closer and ah kind of wait and watch and see if she's breathing. know it's stupid kind of stuff like that, but that's that's kind of what he's doing.
00:13:12
Speaker
Okay. um And while that's happening, I'll tell you what you see with that in just a second, Rock. But while that's happening, Farco, you're watching Rock wade into the pool similarly to how he did yesterday. and What would you like to do?
00:13:24
Speaker
ah Whereabouts is Alara? She's sleeping near where Rifa is. She's kind of bundled herself relatively nearby, much like a ah matron or a nurse might for a single patient. She's nearby that if anything would happen to her that she could go over.
00:13:42
Speaker
and You notice also that there's been a change of like dressings around her head and a kind of a pillow thing that's been created around her head to give her more comfort for a reefer, that is. Yeah, but she's kind of bundled up. She's got like a straw pillow and it and and a sheet and she's just kind of a mess of hairs over her face and she's just and in the corner i'd kind of just be sleeping.
00:14:02
Speaker
Okay, I'll ill like gently make my way over to her, like, take her knee next
Mission Briefing: Blackwater Bloom
00:14:07
Speaker
to where she's sleeping. And I'll gently just squeeze her hand, like, while not not close to her, but, like, leaning over her just to gently wake her up.
00:14:16
Speaker
And ah as you do that, she pulls her hand back and and through the mess of green hair, she kind of moves it to the sides and sees you.
00:14:27
Speaker
Hi. You got any food? Oh, yeah. Um, just kind of looking around. No, it's not here. It's up.
00:14:39
Speaker
You go up the tower, fifth fifth floor. Oh, we gotta to go up again? Yeah, you're near the bottom. Oh, Rock, we we're on the wrong floor. We gotta to go back up.
00:14:52
Speaker
Oh, what? For the food? Yeah, food's on the fifth floor for some reason. It's okay, I can i can get Zealith to go up and fetch you someone if you want. He's just up one flight.
00:15:03
Speaker
ill i'll I'll get him up. Is it morning? and Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's morning. Yeah, yeah. I'll go, I'll go. And she'll slowly, achily kind of bring herself up. She'll then kind of realise...
00:15:16
Speaker
what her day is and what she's been doing and quickly look over towards where Rifa is, see that she hasn't moved. You see a look of kind of relaxation, kind of relief in her face slightly like and then and sees Rock near Rifa in the water and she'll stretching achingly, straighten out her robes and make her way up the stairs and to wake Xaelith, this person who but almost apprentice or follower that had been with Priestess Irodia earlier in the day. She, however, is nowhere to be seen at the moment.
00:15:47
Speaker
There's a moment of quiet and Rock as you were walking, wading over towards where Rifa is, and uncertain that if the wounds are healing anymore, you do notice that her body naturally sways up and down in the water with her breath. This water it must be highly salted or have magical properties or somehow that she and her legs are floating on the surface and yet her face seems dry and the water sits just above her ears like one might in a well-timed bath, um just that right among...
00:16:16
Speaker
That's such a weird image. um ah Right, mean, for her head in terms of just like ah a kind of her head is and ins sot ensconced in water and yet she, her face is dry. and and But yeah, you can see her eyelids flickering slightly.
00:16:28
Speaker
um Similarly to how she was yesterday, almost like one might be in REM sleep. And um she's still unconscious.
00:16:39
Speaker
You can still see there is damage to her legs. Whether it's improved or not, you you can't tell, but she is alive and breathing.
00:16:48
Speaker
And he'll kind of nod with that, give her hand a bit of a squeeze, headbutt her gently, and then make his way back kind of out of the pool to Falco and say, I'm not sure if she's much better, but she doesn't seem to be much worse.
00:17:05
Speaker
And her legs are still attached? Oh, I didn't check. Oh, no you should check that. Quickly rush back and kind of just make sure they're still attached.
00:17:16
Speaker
Yeah, her legs are still physically there. Yes, they are. Yeah. Yeah, no, they seem to be, Falco. Is that a good sign? Yeah, I don't know much about medicine, but I'm i'm pretty sure that's a good thing here.
00:17:29
Speaker
Okay. He'll smile to himself and make way back out the water again.
00:17:37
Speaker
Right, so at least ah at least she's on the mend, we think. Yeah. Yeah. No, well, I don't know, but she's she's not any worse, so... and Apparently she's in the best place that she should be, so that's good.
00:17:54
Speaker
ah I mean, we we look we've got nothing here. where we We need supplies if we're going to do anything about... You know... Well, it's difficult, I guess, to get supplies if we don't have anything to trade for the supplies, so we need to get ourselves some work.
00:18:13
Speaker
i mean... I think we could provide services. That's right. You could do services with your mouth. And you could do services with your fists. That's right.
00:18:24
Speaker
Fists and mouths. We'll make the most of them. Yeah. Do you know anything that might need my fists? I think we should go to town and search. That's a good idea. i mean, I'm still feeling a bit tired, but I'm pretty sure I could do some sort of good.
00:18:39
Speaker
Or we could ask the girls here if they they need a fist. Yeah, that's true. Or if if there's a good use of your mouth amongst them. Again, yeah, yeah. well Well, let's wait till they come down with the food um and we'll see what kind of mood they're in.
00:18:53
Speaker
Okay. No, it sounds good. Okay. And Rokkel's standing there with his kind of hands politely in front of his waist, staring at the stairs. And as you turn to the stairs, you see Priestess Eredia there with a pallet full of food looking...
00:19:09
Speaker
confused might be the best way of describing it. ah Tall, slim, pale skinned, elfin figure, not elfin looking as in she is an elf, ah stood there looking a little bit confused at you with this ah dish of food in front of you. ah ah do Should I ask?
00:19:30
Speaker
Oh, it's fine. We were just talking about what we can do to maybe make some money and Falco here was asking if you'd like him to use his mouth. Oh no, wait, what were we saying? Yeah, if I... You use it.
00:19:41
Speaker
No, yeah. ah I... He can... Yeah. I'll just look awkwardly at She smiles through that whole awkward encounter and just nodding and puts the plate of food down, similarly to how she did yesterday, on the on the rock outcropping that sits nearby to Rufa.
00:19:58
Speaker
There's comfortable places to sit upstairs, but I'm assuming you would want to stay near your friend.
00:20:05
Speaker
If that's an option for now, yeah, that that sounds good. Absolutely. Now, did... I'm sorry to talk business, but you did bring it up. Did Alara talk to you about the ah the Blackwater problem?
00:20:21
Speaker
The no Blackwater problem? ah She may not have mentioned it. it's It's all been very go at the moment. Never mind. I'll...
00:20:31
Speaker
Let me tell you anyway, um you you say you want work, ah something to make some money. um I can't promise that, but I can definitely move things in the right direction for you if if you wish.
00:20:46
Speaker
She kind of gently places herself down, kind of knees tucked under herself and sits on the floor near the food, allowing you guys to kind of gesturing to you to to start eating if you wanted to.
00:20:58
Speaker
Please feel free to start while I talk. I don't want to keep you from your food, especially someone of your stature. Thank you. um of Of course, please, please, Falco.
00:21:12
Speaker
Whatever a Falca doesn't eat, rock demolishes. Okay, fantastic. And what you see here is a panoply of um of roasted root kind of root vegetables and fish and a very Mediterranean-looking opening ah gambit here.
00:21:24
Speaker
A number of kind of scrambled types of eggs. and There's a couple of different varieties of that as well. And some some other kind of Gloimos-style fruit that's dotted around the edges as well.
00:21:36
Speaker
All in all, very tasty. Culinary delight, some might say. Xaelith is a bit of savant in the kitchen. And um as you're eating and eating Falco and then rock demolishing, and Princess Radio continues to talk.
00:21:51
Speaker
Ever since the second tidal surge, the one that some are referring to as a freak tidal surge, there's been a development in some of the fauna and near the basin of the the flood fields, just to the south of Stormspire here. Not...
00:22:11
Speaker
two hours journey out of town. It's an open area where the the surge spreads to quite a wide stretch and infuses the flowers and plants and the, I'm an agrarian myself, but the the um the plants around it that grow our crops or sage boot, et etc.
00:22:32
Speaker
And some of the farmers noticed some changes, and they've come to name it the ah Blackwater Bloom, ah small fungi-like growth that appeared only after the second tidal surge.
00:22:46
Speaker
Now, I don't know what this means, but it must be important. If its arrival came as soon as the second tidal surge hit, that is something we need to explore.
00:22:59
Speaker
Now, if... I know you are still not right, Rock. I can see it in the way you held yourself. And Falco, your bags under your eyes. You're both tired. I understand that.
00:23:12
Speaker
Yet, staying in this tower more and more will not do you any good. I think you need to get outside. Get some fresh air in your lungs. Get moving. Do what you do best. Use your fist and your and mouth for good use.
00:23:27
Speaker
Now, I have...
00:23:32
Speaker
some use for this blackwater bloom. I can send it to my colleagues in High Haven. I can send it to Tidewatch Keep. I can send it abroad even if needs be to to study this, to send it to our best and brightest alchemists to figure out why this is happening and if there is any link to the past.
00:23:53
Speaker
It's a simple task. Travel to the fields, gather some of the crop and return, but I genuinely think it will do you some good.
00:24:03
Speaker
And there's some money to be made. ah Once I give these items over, there is no doubt people that will want it. And if you bring me some of it, I can i can find those buyers and give you the recompense that you're looking for to start your supplies.
00:24:18
Speaker
What do you think?
00:24:21
Speaker
think it sounds amazing. Malcolm?
00:24:26
Speaker
Uh... yeah it Yeah, I mean, it sounds great. that whether we We don't have to get in any trouble. We go to a field, we pick some flowers, we come back, right? ah yeah I mean, it's an unknown growth.
00:24:40
Speaker
ah we don't know anything about it so just be careful with it don't eat it or put it anywhere or use your mouth try and um not reverence but we're not we're unsure of its properties as of yet it may be poisonous so wrap it in and something I can gather some sheets or something for you to gather a few of them in and bring them back we're just unsure of their quality so that' that's the only danger I can really envisage ah Nonetheless, i ah don't want you to leave unprepared. My conscience won't let me, so I've asked around and I've managed to find Beg Boro Steele, and she reaches down to the folds of her cloak and pulls out two potions of healing, just regular potions of healing, and hands one of them to each of you.
00:25:29
Speaker
That at least assuages my conscience slightly of asking you to do this. I do apologise for it, but I genuinely think the fresh air will be a boon to you both.
00:25:40
Speaker
You can't stay waiting for your friend to recover. She is making progress, however. The... The burns, the marks of the tidal surge have... Somewhat... Retracted down her legs.
00:25:54
Speaker
It's only mid-shin now. We're hoping whatever we are doing is working. Albeit the work that Alara is doing is working.
00:26:03
Speaker
She will be well. She just needs more time. And there's nothing you can do to help it, so... Let's keep you busy.
00:26:14
Speaker
What'd you say? i like that. I'm in. If it can help you, we already owe you so much. um I just remember you saying yesterday about when perhaps you're in need of protection, we're there for you.
00:26:33
Speaker
When we're gone, is it do you do you keep the doors locked here?
00:26:40
Speaker
She pauses for a few seconds longer than normal and our eyes dart towards the door.
00:26:48
Speaker
Those doors have been open for years.
00:26:54
Speaker
Once we're done here, those that stay will keep the doors locked. Because of what happened at Dewdrop Falls, we can't risk another... another uprising or attack like that on our people. i I cannot allow it to Alara or to Zalith, those silly enough to stay, myself included.
00:27:18
Speaker
The doors will be locked. Yes. So long as you guys are safe when we go. I'm not saying that in our state we'd be able to do much to protect you right now, but yeah, ah that that would be a worry, but I'm I'm kind of looking forward to getting outside again.
00:27:37
Speaker
I thought so. And honestly, do not worry yourselves about us. The tide protects us and we will be fine. We're not as unprepared as you may
Forging Bonds and Receiving Gifts
00:27:48
Speaker
think.
00:27:48
Speaker
And some of us have the odd ability, let's say, to defend ourselves. So we're not without our own weapons of just of of of of destruction, wrong weapons of weapons of protection.
00:28:03
Speaker
So do not worry yourself about that, but there may be a time that we call on you, but I don't envisage what that time may be. Now, and I'm hoping four or five might suffice of these blackwater blooms.
00:28:19
Speaker
i They're quite large from what I've heard. and And with the the surge last night, i um I don't know what that might have done to them. So,
00:28:31
Speaker
Just go with an open mind and go with trepidation in your investigation.
00:28:42
Speaker
Falco, do you know what trepidation means? ah Yeah, it's, um, I think it's a large ship.
00:28:54
Speaker
Right. And where do we find this, this ship to help us? ah Yeah. Where do we find this ship? ah And I feel there might be some confusion here. We're going south, not north.
00:29:06
Speaker
And it's not that far. and There's not much water there, so there are no ships. Not any ships in Wild Heart. We probably need the trepidation then. No, no. ah It just means being careful.
00:29:19
Speaker
Just be careful. That's what I meant by trepidation. Trepidation means careful. The other mean. Rock, sorry. I thought there it was the other meaning. I got confused. Oh, is it also the name of a ship? Oh, that's a good name.
00:29:32
Speaker
Yeah. We should probably go, right? Yes. ah One final thing. I have a colleague of mine that might be joining you at some point on the... ah Here we go....on the journey. It's not Zalith, and it isn't um Alara. Alara will be staying here with Rifa, Zalith with me, and it's not myself.
00:29:51
Speaker
It's a ah colleague that I'm hoping will be coming along. Mainly that he needs some... some guidance and uh i thought this again might be a way of him for stretching his legs one might say uh you'll know him when you see him um just go on your ways and i'm sure you'll uh you'll see him when when or maybe he'll see you knows yet i'm holding you up uh have you had a fill of breakfast or would you like any more i mean can i take some of that to go of course yes please take it it's all for you xael made more for himself and myself upstairs anyway so please help yourself
00:30:33
Speaker
And a couple of those sheets as well to be able to carry this. sir Oh yeah, she's already kind of passed those over to you as well. They're just kind of ah hessian sack-like things.
00:30:43
Speaker
She's handed over four them scrapes the food into the hessian sacks. Oh! Throws it over his shoulder, full hobo style, and nods to Falco.
00:30:58
Speaker
I've got big Timon and Pumbaa vibes at the moment. Akuna, Matata, Akuna. Yeah. all right All right. Yeah, i'll I'll head out.
00:31:10
Speaker
ah okay With clothes, did you say that we've got like a basic, we've got what they clothed us in at the tower? Yeah, they've got but you've got your kind of regular clothing still on. So you've got your your basic jacket and all that stuff.
00:31:24
Speaker
You ain't got your hat though. um Rock is semi-nude anyway. So that's um that's by the by. ah That's his general demeanor. But you've got your your kind of attire that you have on, shoes, et etc. So you've still got all that. You're just sans hat, unfortunately. Awesome.
00:31:41
Speaker
Okay. um And as you so as you step out of the... um the tidecaller tower into the bright sunlight of the day that's hitting from the back and scully casting a slight shadow in front of you and there's straight away a figure stood in front of the doors arms crossed waiting large forearms thick beard short in stature and he just lets out this roar of a laughter and falco comes straight in for a big pat pat pat hug it's the blacksmith from your first time in storm spire
00:32:16
Speaker
I heard you died.
00:32:21
Speaker
er, er, yeah, Stone and Stars, Smith, Stick Together. remember you from the square. Hey, how you doing, buddy? Been better.
00:32:31
Speaker
I was looking after, wanted to make sure you were okay. i was worried about a fellow blacksmith. Oh, yeah, well, I mean, you could have stepped in when we were getting shanked. Ah, I wasn't there, but I would have definitely stepped in.
00:32:45
Speaker
Ah, yeah, yeah, well, you know. heard you gave him a good run for your money, though, didn't you? Good run for that money. Yeah, I mean, look, I was the last on my feet. I don't want to brag about it. There are a lot of, like, big fighters around here, and I was the last one up, but...
00:33:00
Speaker
hey I heard you always so you were up when this guy fell down and he points very much up towards Rock, but in like a jovial wink of his eye. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, Rock did, he did fall down, but he was quickly followed by me, so.
00:33:15
Speaker
But still, you outlasted a Goliath. That's impressive. Well, you know, I am a smith. You are. And as such, you did us a solid. Those cunts there deserved it, and you did good by what I heard. Drift came round and told us all about it in some detail.
00:33:33
Speaker
Much of it, I think, was fake, but the majority of it I think, was very true. And I am very happy that a fellow blacksmith stood up and made you something. I made you something, Falco. Oh, yu yeah. Would you like it?
00:33:45
Speaker
Do you want it? well, yeah, I think so. Right. And he's going to turn around to a little um kind of leather fold over thing. got Quite long. Flips it over. And he pulls out, bing, a brand new rapier.
00:34:00
Speaker
Oh, boy. And he looks down the line. Freshly made. Well, two days ago, ah saw you with this. Well, I heard you fall with a rapier. And I thought you were missing one. So, on the house.
00:34:13
Speaker
Blacksmith to blacksmith. Really? Yeah. Wow. And I'll take it. And I want to try and do the Will Turner Pirates the Caribbean flick.
00:34:25
Speaker
Okay. Give me a yeah performance check, please, for that, Falco. Let's go. this the one we kind of hold and it flicks kind of hilt over? Yeah.
00:34:38
Speaker
yeah and Yeah. In the house at the start, it just it just does like a 360 in there and he catches it by the hill. ah by the Okay. Right. Okay. That changes the difficulty slightly. Okay. I do have a level of exhaustion as well.
00:34:52
Speaker
Yes, you do, so it's minus two to you. Minus two, okay.
00:34:58
Speaker
That's a ten. and You almost pull it off. Your hand just catches the weight slightly heavier at the hilt slightly. and You do catch the yeah the blade really close to the hilt, almost at the other side of the the um thingy, buckle, jobby. You know the one thing I mean.
00:35:14
Speaker
Sorry, I'm doing a very odd gesture here on the on the camera. Apologies. um But it's it's not sharp on that. It's ah it's ah it's a pointy boy, so um the edges are fine. You almost pull it off, but and and even even still, he goes, oh not bad, not bad.
00:35:27
Speaker
Bit heavier at the hilt. Yeah, that's you know that's why I didn't catch it perfectly, just because I'm not used to a heavy hilt. I should have told you that. Yeah, I should have told you that. It looks looks amazing. and This is for me.
00:35:40
Speaker
Yeah. You survived the tidal surge. You fought off cunts after the bloody Uguai, the second wave. You're a hero.
00:35:52
Speaker
Look along hilt. No, sorry. Wrong bit. Look along the blade. look ah no sorry ah wrong bit look at the blade look on the blade Yeah, what's the sound of the blade? And as you turn it, it does just say Falco.
00:36:05
Speaker
ah Etched in like cursive along one side of it, and he's there grinning at you, tooth a toothy grin. I mean, say no more. that that's That's perfect. You're welcome.
00:36:18
Speaker
You scratched my back. I'm, at the time, I thought, nice lad. I don't know if he truly is a blacksmith. And then when I heard what you did at the surge, what you both did, actually, sorry, I know you didn't fight with anything, buddy, so I didn't make you anything.
00:36:31
Speaker
When I saw you, when I heard that what you'd done and and how you'd survived it, no other fucker else had, you two had, Bugger me, I thought, that is a blacksmith if ever I've seen one. No other person could do what he did if he wasn't a blacksmith. And that, that's blacksmithing right there. So, I made you it.
00:36:48
Speaker
I had to learn your name again because I'd forgotten it. Not, I've got to be honest with you, ever but I learned it again. drip The little boy, Drift, came around, he told me. And that was it, the rest is history. Spent two days on it, boom.
00:36:58
Speaker
Good job. That's for you. It's just a regular rapier, but it's it's named. It has your name embossed. It's special to me. There you go. Ah, now, I've got hammering to do.
00:37:13
Speaker
I'm going to fuck off now. ah I'll see you two bastards around. Don't be strangers. Okay, yeah bye. Is he not the person that we were going to be not coming to the... That's not it.
00:37:26
Speaker
Yeah, you're meant to be coming with us, aren't you? Hey, no, I'm not. I'm old. Look at my leg. His leg's fine, but I can't do anything like that. I've got hammering to do. i'm I'm a busy man. I'm a busy man.
00:37:41
Speaker
a busy man. Rockle turned Falco and said, but she said we'd know him when we saw him and you that you you clearly know. I don't get it. Huh.
00:37:52
Speaker
I know him when I saw him. Maybe it's a riddle. Huh. Just really think about those words and what it might mean. Right, I got you.
00:38:03
Speaker
I'm on it. Yeah, definitely don't overthink this. Right, I'm off. um I will i'll see you around Take care of that blade. ah Keep the end sharp. Keep it looked after. And bloody it nice and quick for me, will you?
00:38:17
Speaker
Oh, yeah. All right, thank you, buddy. but And it off off he hoey pops back towards the market to the ah the large bridge through the palisade and in towards Stormspine.
00:38:29
Speaker
You find yourselves alone. Falco now equipped with something ah other than your the yeah other than your mouth. And um with a reminder of what you have managed to accomplish here. Just from a small glimpse of of society that you know you survived something that was ostensibly unsurvivable.
00:38:48
Speaker
And And you're alone for a few moments in the soon to be thoroughfare into Storm Spire. You've got the stone wall way to the left, which will take you to the south away from Storm Spire.
00:39:03
Speaker
And to the right, you've got the entrance to Storm Spire itself. and There are a number of gnarled... quite ah high climbing trees roughly around the area, but at this time of year, most of the few leaves that grow on them are long gone. What would you like to
00:39:25
Speaker
We'd know him when we saw him. That's what she said, wasn't it? Yeah, but I'm just trying to... What what is the hidden meaning in there? It's driving me crazy.
00:39:37
Speaker
I'm not sure. I'm not too good with riddles.
00:39:41
Speaker
Oh, no. That's okay. I'll keep working on it. Let's let's make our way into the town, huh? Didn't she say it was to the south? Yeah, that's what I that's what i mean.
00:39:55
Speaker
So that's where trepidation is, and that's where the kind of the flatlands are? Yeah, it must have been... Hey, maybe it was a ship that was washed down by the tidal surge, and now it's, like, landlocked.
00:40:07
Speaker
Ah, that that's probably why we can't use it. that Of course! So we find the trepidation, and inside the trepidation, we find he who we know when we see him.
00:40:20
Speaker
It could be.
00:40:23
Speaker
It could be. Well, I mean, you're good with riddles, if if that's what you've worked out. I'm with you, Falco. And hey, I was thinking, you know, like, we're kind of a team now?
00:40:37
Speaker
Yeah. and you. And Rifa, of course. Well, I was thinking when we were doing the dive and there were other teams and people there, I thought these guys probably have really cool names, but we don't have a cool name yet.
00:40:53
Speaker
No, well, I mean, we've had a lot going on. We could spitball some ideas on the way. Yeah. No, I think that would be great, because I'd love, you know, I want i want us to be something.
00:41:06
Speaker
I think it'll really help with, you know, our visual appeal. If that makes sense. Yeah. I mean, yeah.
00:41:18
Speaker
Yeah, I think I need one more day just to really put Garak to rest. Maybe we could have... some drinks tonight and just toast the guy.
00:41:30
Speaker
We didn't get to do that yet. Yeah. No, you're right. That sounds like a good idea. Um... But, yeah, I mean, look, I'm all up for names.
00:41:44
Speaker
Names are great. They're really marketable. It means that it's going to draw a crowd. You're going to get an audience. We'll talk about merchandising later. Well... Names have got quite a lot of power. Falco, we can we can decide who we want to be.
00:42:00
Speaker
Yeah, okay. All right. Well, have you got any ideas? No. Not yet. I'll have a think. I'll have a think. I'll put it in my mind with the riddle.
00:42:13
Speaker
But let's let's go to the trepidation. Okay. See what we can find. All right. You said we're going to go south, yeah? I think that's what she said, if I remember it rightly. Yeah, self. um You know, I'm a little bit shaky. I'm just going to follow you. Where you go, I'll follow it. I'll just i'll have a think along the way.
Journey Through Wild Heart
00:42:32
Speaker
Perfect. I will lead the way because I am pretty sure which way it is that I need to be going. Then lead on, buddy. It's this way. And Rock will kind of point in random direction in front of him that hopefully is south and start making his way.
00:42:50
Speaker
Oh no. Roll a d20. Oh, fuck me. Why did I do that? You said this up. 16? Yep. Okay, you point in the right direction and um you start heading towards the rock ah the ah the kind of cliff ways to the left, to the tails.
00:43:07
Speaker
Tails? Tails. The tails way. um And heading heading that way along the edge. Luckily, the paths and in Wild Heart are quite limited given the the ravines and the heights and the mountains that that cascade through the the majority of Wild Heart. It really is an honest journey you really experience this.
00:43:26
Speaker
It's a it's a a kingdom of two halves. You've got the mountainous, almost impassable, ah buy bar a few roots, parts of Wild Heart. ah which Storm Spire finds itself within and to the north it really dominates that and then to the further south you get the more these flat lands and marshlands seem to really dominate the space basically the further south you get the the less power the tidal surge has and the more its wash spreads over and For those um listening and for yourselves, obviously Veilmer, for example, is far, far, far to the south.
00:43:56
Speaker
Many of the other interagrums are set very far to the south. If you haven't listened to go back and check them. they're all down there as well. And we haven't yet really explored much of the north, which is much, much more mountainous. And kind of cascades down the further south you get before we hit the high jade hotlands, the dwarves to the south.
00:44:14
Speaker
after that little um David Attenborough journey through Wild Heart, let's and crack on. So the journey, can I get you both to roll a separate d twenty each, please, just for the journey itself as I fast travel and talk you through it. so ah Rock, what did you get?
00:44:29
Speaker
Twelve. Twelve, thank you. And Poco? ah Twelve. Ooh, matchy-matchy. We're NSYNC! Yeah, it's gonna be. Anyway, that's not NSYNC.
00:44:41
Speaker
What did NSYNC sing? Bye-bye-bye? Yeah, that one. That one? Bye. Bye. Anyway, right. um Yeah, the journey, majority it, goes absolutely smooth. There are, you have to stop more often, and Rock actually, ah sorry, Falco, you actually keep pace with Rock much easier than expected, despite you feeling like a bag of shit.
00:44:59
Speaker
um You notice that Rock is, he's finding it tricky, finding it hard, and his his pacing's just a little bit shorter, which means your little hoofs can keep up with him, ah you know, quite easily, actually, and you you skitter alongside him. You pass the odd person, uh,
00:45:14
Speaker
as you walk past the small families passing a merchant etc and in general what you start to notice is the majority don't care but there are one or two that give you a second look and then they whisper and talk to each other kind of what they say but there is a second look that occurs afterwards The mountain pass slowly peters out to what you imagine to be kind of sea level.
00:45:37
Speaker
And what you see in front of you is in indeed, well, you look to your left and kind of behind you at diagonal, and you can see the opening, the jutting of this ravine ending quite abruptly.
00:45:48
Speaker
And what happens below it is this far-reaching, agrarian paradise almost of land split by almost uh terrace like kind of japanese rice field style terraces throughout the land a number of specially designed huts are built in certain areas yet most of the land is mainly for fruits and for the growing of of of of all kind of agrarian goods grown in wild hard specialized specifically to wild time This is where the surge spreads.
00:46:21
Speaker
The wave still 50, 60 foot tall spreads wide, its speed continuing as it bumbles, pummels, pummels across the land before funneling back down again into a set a second ravine and and the journey continues. This is where the the surge is free for what is a mere number of minutes.
00:46:38
Speaker
And yet in doing so, powers the land and generates the economy of the art of the agrarian were part of Wild Heart. but you don't give a shit about that we're interested in the in the black water bloom we're interested in our purpose here our folly it doesn't take you long and what you notice is that it definitely feels post-surgy because there's still an iridescence to the landslide there's that energy rock especially you you can just sense it given your your time growing up in high ridge high ridge haven i didn't even mouthful once You notice im there's that just that feeling, that pulsing of almost like the hairs on the back of your neck, a static energy almost in the air slightly around you.
00:47:18
Speaker
And you know this to be reminiscent of a post-surge kind of feel. And you also notice it in the fauna and flora around you, almost pulsing with energy and almost physically growing around you. Yet there are clear paths through this that have been etched out for carts and people to travel.
00:47:33
Speaker
The route is all waterlogged, much like you would experience in kind of rice fields. ah All these fruits and and and and crops grow in a so small amount of water, surge-infused water.
00:47:45
Speaker
and there's a variety of colors it's almost subtropical and the the temperature shifts slightly down that' sorry up in temperature and up in humidity as well and you are on this route for uh quite some time and then you notice there's a low a low area where there's a lot of surge um a flood god i forgot the name of what i called it now so much fruit and vegetables i've tried to create why don't make this hy for myself why can't you say broccoli or something like that bananas things bananas a bunch of a bunch of bananas food not in there where is it here we go crops sage boot i know it's sage boot sage boot these low kind of large leafed fruits that let off this um the self-flattening and um it's it's it's a a lower area and can see not too far away maybe about feet away from you
00:48:42
Speaker
there a small outcropping of um of of kind of islands that don't have anything growing on them actually. and You also notice a number of kind of ruins that are built around it. What you do know about these areas is that usually they have these platforms to be above the water, to to be dry above the water, maybe the farmers etc. To be dry above the water, eat some food, make a fire before continuing their work for the day.
00:49:04
Speaker
As you've journeyed through you've not seen many farmers, in fact you've seen no farmers on your travels, which is odd. This is a very, very large farming community here. And yet there are no people on it after a tidal surge.
00:49:17
Speaker
Very odd. And yet you see this outcropping of land where there aren't any crops growing.
Confrontation at Blackwater Bloom
00:49:22
Speaker
Normal. A number of these platforms. Normal. But you see four people stood there.
00:49:28
Speaker
Abnormal. You see three stood in kind of close proximity facing one individual. This one individual has his back or their back to you and the three individuals can kind of see you as you approach. At this point, you're about 100, 200 feet away at this moment.
00:49:45
Speaker
ah Is there anything you want to do, change your direct trajectory at this point? Do the figures look threatening at all?
00:49:55
Speaker
ah Give me a perception check, please. Oh, yeah. Minus four to that bad boy. It's a natural 12 plus my perception, which is a four minus four. well That makes 12. 12, that's the third 12 so far.
00:50:11
Speaker
and You can't really make it out. It looks very much like there are three... They stood near each other facing the one, which gives you the impression that those three know each other and they are speaking to this one person.
00:50:23
Speaker
At this distance, none of them look particularly dressed for farming. At all.
00:50:32
Speaker
What do you think, Falco? I don't know. what What do you, Goliath, I see people. i can see four people Ah, no, that's about it. Sorry, I got nothing else.
00:50:49
Speaker
You can see four people. Yeah, and I don't know if I recognize any of them from here, but do you know any of these guys if you saw them? i I can't really see too much from from down here. Lift me up.
00:51:04
Speaker
give permission. Put you on his shoulders. Wait. Can I make a check to see if I can see any of the details? You yeah. Do a perception check with advantage given you've just been shot up seven feet in the air and have a better kind of field of vision now.
00:51:24
Speaker
With my exhaustion, it's 13. 13? Yes, yeah. ah Exactly the same as what Rock said, but you also know that the one figure looks substantially shorter than the others, almost like that of a child, perhaps.
00:51:42
Speaker
Huh, looks like looks like three three grownups and a kid.
00:51:48
Speaker
Are they the ones that we recognize and know? Maybe we will know when we recognize them.
00:52:00
Speaker
Oh my I'll go. Is that the riddle? I think we just fucking solved it. Let's go, what are we waiting for? Okay, yeah, yeah, go walk that way. Oh, hold on to his ears.
00:52:11
Speaker
i She's staying on his head. Yeah, rock with pace. Yeah, it's wet. With Faco on top. Amazing. So now this eight foot tall combination of halfling and goliath goes stomping across the yeah the the flood fields of Wild Heart.
00:52:27
Speaker
And as you start getting close, this this this ah figure, this smaller figure, maybe that of a child from the 13th perception, gave you starts coming into view as well as the three other figures and what you notice first falco probably because rock you're lower holding on to his little little bitty legs and running and falco you'll be looking out across the the the flood fields here um you notice two things firstly it's definitely short like a fat child from this point from the angle that you're at just you just kind of cloak uh at this moment and The other thing you notice is the three figures facing you looking at this fat child or whatever it is at the moment and i'm They
00:53:07
Speaker
The space around their eyes, the the whole kind of socket of their eye, so to speak, they've got a face, they're humans, all three of them, but it's quite sunken and the whole bit of it is really dark, almost like they're wearing dark Batman makeup around their eyes almost.
00:53:22
Speaker
ah But it's not makeup, it's just like darkness in and around their eyes. and And from this angle, you can't really make out pupils as it much. It just all seems quite dark around the eye portion at the moment.
00:53:35
Speaker
And and as they get as you get closer and closer, I do need to ask someone else to describe a character here. So the short... I'm sorry I've set you up badly for this already. Ian, welcome back.
00:53:49
Speaker
and The short... ah the short figure that we as in real life as in character yeah buddy he's back no you're not that short we're the same height it's a great height um for a second you hear the splish splash in the water ian's character and you quickly spin around to see these uh strange tooth twosome running piggyback not piggyback on the shoulders towards you um You obviously, Ian, you know what they are, and the listener will know what Falco and Rock look like, but we don't know what your character looks like, your new character. So would you like to describe what Rock and Falco see as you spin round with these three figures stood behind you?
00:54:31
Speaker
Indeed. My brand new, new character also. Hi, everyone. good to be back. Yeah. So what you see in front of you is a four foot six dwarf.
00:54:44
Speaker
And as your eyes kind of take him in. You see that he's got dark brown hair with streaks of salt grey worn into tight braids. It's really long at the back and it's put into like a plait and then on his face, his kind of wrinkled face um over his eyes and his mouth is a long beard. Same thing, dark brown, streaks of salt grey and it's worn into tight braids and at the bottom of the braids are these kind of woven metal implements that kind of just make it as tight as possible.
00:55:20
Speaker
His skin is not as earthy tanned as you would expect from a dwarf. It's lighter, but with a kind of hint of blue ah across it. It's got sea green eyes, a tidal spiral tattoo over the left temple, and wears this leather dark padded armor, but wears a cloak of kelp just over his back.
00:55:49
Speaker
And he carries this short bow across his back and he kind of stands there and he's slightly rotund around the, comfortable around the waist. His arms seek almost seem like they once held like muscular arms, but has kind of almost faded away in somewhat of a spent years at a desk job sort of fire kind of feel.
00:56:14
Speaker
um And he's just stood there back straight calm but shifting awkwardly left to right as if slightly agitated at what's happening around him thank you very much and as you turn back and rock and falco you're approaching maybe 30 40 feet uh at this point as you spin around to see this weird duo and then turn back to these three in front of you um the three figures that you have in front of you are ah known in the short conversation you've had Ian's character with them, but unknown totally to Rock and Falco.
00:56:48
Speaker
ah These dark, sunken eyes, gaunt cheeks and faces are two male faces and a female face. and The one in the middle, the um one of the males who who has a short sword and has these kind of slightly orcish features, but it doesn't seem...
00:57:05
Speaker
maybe a half orc caught or you're not really sure but has this awkward feel to his face um again says to you something he's repeated now two or three times you've got um the the woman to the left and the other male to the right he's the only one that seems to have a ah weapon with another two in robes we've said it once already you can't touch it
00:57:29
Speaker
Yes, I hear this. Listen, I don't come to take from you. I come as a tide caller. I'm sworn to the balance of water and life. I know the rhythm of this world. It's not just to protect, but to share.
00:57:42
Speaker
This bloom, this miracle, is not meant to be hoarded in one place. Let me take what is needed, not a pet or more. I promise you, this bloom's gift will help.
00:57:57
Speaker
It will ripple outwards.
00:58:00
Speaker
um Make a persuasion check. That's great. What a lovely voice.
00:58:06
Speaker
Big funny work. Thank you. but Persuasion, did you say? Yes, please. Yeah. Cool. That's a hard 11. Nice. ohh Very hard 11. The the ah individual, the man male you're speaking to at the moment, he just slowly shakes his head and then turns to the two, one either side of him.
00:58:28
Speaker
They mock us still. The tri-walkers. The bone-thin priests. Stone-fisted dwarves at the roots. Gnawing.
00:58:39
Speaker
We have heard the voice of the undertow. It hums in our sleep. It whispers through the gaps in the stars. You will not touch a single bloom in this place, priest.
00:58:56
Speaker
Leave!
00:58:59
Speaker
And at that point, Falco and Rock, you've kind of approached... i don't know how close a Rock you're intending on getting. and I might as well... I imagine that's kind of kind of taken place as you've approached, if we want to kind of pan over to you guys and what what your response to this this situation will be.
00:59:13
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Rock's rocks definitely getting closer and closer. um And yeah, if Falco doesn't pipe up on his shoulders, he certainly will. And he'll just... as Yeah, go as he gets close, he'll go...
00:59:29
Speaker
Hey, hey guys, we solved the riddle. um So it's one of you guys that's with us to get this Blackwater Bloom.
00:59:40
Speaker
ah Falco, was it was it one or was it all four?
00:59:49
Speaker
Trepidation?
00:59:52
Speaker
Brock raises an eyebrow in a quizzical way towards the group. Any of you, trepidation. Sorry, uh, what? Trepidation? You've come for the Black Bloom too.
01:00:07
Speaker
Oh, oh! hu Dawn. It all dawns on us both at the same time. Oh! He's the guy! He's the guy! It's that one!
01:00:18
Speaker
We sent by the priestess.
01:00:22
Speaker
The priestess? This blows my mind. How did he know that? He must have sold the ribble too. Oh, so he's ahead of us on that. Okay, right. Okay. Yes, we were sent by the priestess.
01:00:38
Speaker
Ah, very good. So, and my character will turn back towards the ah the the locals, I guess.
01:00:49
Speaker
As I said, this is a gift that needs to be shared. You can't keep it here, and I've been sent to collect what I can. And it turns out I'm not the only one.
Battle and Strategy
01:01:02
Speaker
And my character will gesture back.
01:01:06
Speaker
ah The so sedentary figure in the center that's been talking mainly kind of laughs over his shoulder and points to his two. I see you've come with backup. Think you can scare us away?
01:01:19
Speaker
This will not end with this. It will end with the flooding of wild heart and the freedom of all. will not touch it. And he takes a step forward. and As he takes a step forward, my character instantly takes a step backwards, both hands up.
01:01:36
Speaker
I don't, I'm not here to fight you. I just need the bloom.
01:01:44
Speaker
You've seen two tidal surges as of many days. We've never seen this before. We can't read the tides.
01:01:55
Speaker
This is to help all of Wild Heart.
01:02:00
Speaker
One of the road figures to the left of the central figure, the woman pipes up then. Its rhythm changes. This is a sign. It all will end soon.
01:02:12
Speaker
We must defend it while we can. And you, the heretics among our people, will not survive what comes next. And she's pointing towards Ian, your character. does Heretics?
01:02:25
Speaker
Heretics, you say?
01:02:29
Speaker
i can see there's no convincing you. And God won't do so if we must battle for this. And then my character will... kind of unshoulder his short bow at being a dwarf and take a few more steps back. And at this point, Falco and Rock, not that I know your names, I'm a lot closer to you as this seems like it's going to end one way.
01:03:00
Speaker
The orc figure in the middle raises his head and draws out his short sword from his hilt ah from his ah scabbard. Very well. Another surge will wash you down to the hammer fall quicker than you can even blink.
01:03:18
Speaker
And we'll take a step forward. And I think that is a good time for initiative, please. So can we all please roll initiative? Good luck, Rock. We got two points of exhaustion. This might bring you back down to normal combat level now.
01:03:33
Speaker
like to. You'll find a way, I'm sure.
01:03:38
Speaker
And also, if you haven't already, please power up. Roll 20. I'm sure you haven't. Because, of course, I've built you a little mappy map. You know how much I love Dungeon Alchemist.
01:03:50
Speaker
I'm just going to roughly position you, but this can change if your positioning will change slightly. I'll just bring you on to it now.
01:04:03
Speaker
So just to describe... so Let me know when you're all in, and I'll... ah I'll describe what you've got then. Because know how much you love to play with the play with the the setup we've got.
01:04:17
Speaker
So actually, while it's loading up for you, i'll just describe it anyway. So and what you've got around you, you've got a kind of what looks like a small spit of land with these black nipple looking things. They are the black water bloom that is there in the area.
01:04:29
Speaker
Hopefully they're nice and obvious for you all. i What you've also got are a series of small, especially in this area, like I mentioned, isn't a particularly good growing area. um The water is not deep. It looks deeper on the map, but it's literally like a couple of inches. So it's not going to cause you any difficulty.
01:04:44
Speaker
I'm not going to impose difficult terrain. It's just It's just a big puddle you're walking in. You've got a number of, this looks to be like something, no and not even a harbour, but just a mooring place for boats. But given the surprise surge yesterday, ah two of the boats have been decimated and one of the boats still seems to be intact.
01:05:03
Speaker
Opposite you are the three figures, the yeah the the woman to the left from your perspective, a male to the right who didn't speak and the man who did most the talking, vi the quarter or essence of Ork, stood in front of you. That's not racist to say. Anyway, um also around you, you've got a number of what seem to be broken or older not spires, that's the wrong word, we've used that already, but small platforms, as I mentioned earlier, that are about 15, 20 foot in the air, are dry and easily scalable. They're obviously used by farmers to keep themselves dry in between um the the work of the day.
01:05:39
Speaker
ah So aside from that, don't worry about the fact that it's land and not land. You can walk on the, not walk on the water, walk through the water easily enough. It's just to give the impression of the kind of ah marshy yeah floodlands that we've got around this area.
01:05:52
Speaker
so i asked for initiative let's see what we've got so did anyone get more than 20. excellent uh what about 15 to 20. i got 15. oh okay i'm just gonna have phone call okay falco and then i'll just put ian for now because don't the name of your character i don't want to give that away uh rock what did you get I'm pretty sure I need to take away four from every single d20 roll.
01:06:20
Speaker
um And if that is the case, then it's a five. What's your level of exhaustion? Two. Two levels of exhaustion. yeah It says when you make a d20 test.
01:06:32
Speaker
So I'm assuming that just literally means every single d20 roll, which is fine. ah Let's go with that for now, yeah. Yeah, yeah. that' i can I can play that. It's not um Not a problem.
01:06:42
Speaker
I've stupidly written three different books notes for today. i haven't even used one note and yet I've got four, three different notepads in front of me. Ridiculous. Right, okay. and Falco.
01:06:56
Speaker
You are sat upon the shoulders of our lovely hulking Goliath here. You're top of the round. What would you like to do? These people are showing signs of aggression moving towards you. Shortsword out. You can see both the individuals either side. they have One of them has like what looks like an orb or a crystal in their hand, and the other one is reaching down towards a staff.
01:07:18
Speaker
What would you like to Okay, so not thinking that we're fully into the fight yet. I will... i just want to try speaking to the first. So I will say... Whoa,
01:07:34
Speaker
whoa, whoa. Easy, guys. You don't know who you're up against. We are the title search champions. This is Rock-a-Huang-a-Nui, Lick-a-Picka-Tua, Hakeel-Lev-Fetuli-Amoy. nearly got it right.
01:07:48
Speaker
I am Falco. And then I want to do a backflip off his shoulders. Oh! Okay, give me... a Wow. Yeah, give me an athletics i know acrobatics check. Give me acrobatics check there.
01:08:05
Speaker
Oh, sorry. It needs to on the thing, doesn't it? Come on. Oh, it's a nine.
01:08:12
Speaker
um You slip off the shoulders slightly and going to land, splash into the air, into the water who grind behind you. um You are going to be prone, given that, but you're not going to take any damage. Okay.
01:08:24
Speaker
I'll ah ah weather but will be the in my time okay i got some new time ah Ian's character, you've just seen this awesome opening speech from what looks to be a child ah who's mentioned a very long rat name or he had a stroke and then he called himself Falco and then fell off the back of the Goliath ah you've got a short sword drawn what would you like to do? A bow and this person's imposing upon you what bo like to do?
01:08:56
Speaker
I'm going to take a step further back so that I'm behind my newfound friends. Okay. And then from out of the cover of the big one, I'm going to fire my bow at the, the what would be, seem to be leader of the group.
01:09:14
Speaker
Okay. Thank you very much. Roll to hit with your short bow.
01:09:22
Speaker
That's a 12. That yeah two glances off just over his shoulder. He ducks slightly down and just, just about misses his his form.
01:09:32
Speaker
And he smiles back at you. Anything else you want to do? Yeah. um My character would shake their head and just mutter, grip.
01:09:41
Speaker
okay thanks very much for that uh rock uh falco has delivered a speech and then what you can imagine is jumped off you because you hear a splash like he's hit the ground below ah behind you uh you're facing these three now and that exhaustion just continues to seep through your body you know this is going to be a slog what would you like to do he'll ah He'll turn to the the new fellow among him and go, That was not quite right. It's Raka Harangui Likopeku Lasa Hokea Fetulia Moi. It's a pleasure to meet you.
01:10:11
Speaker
Are these guys... this going to be... And he's kind of pointing with two fingers over his shoulder. He'll kind of sigh a little bit and go, okay. And kind of stretch his shoulders and then look down.
01:10:22
Speaker
Because he's looking towards you who's behind him. And looking past you, he can see a boat. And he goes, the trepidation. And he's going to make his way towards it.
01:10:36
Speaker
Pick up. one of the oars that is kind of lying by the side of it and spin it round in his hands. so And like I hold it in like a quarter staff style pose and turn back to the group and he's going to hold the dodge action.
01:10:55
Speaker
Oh, brilliant. I am so glad when I was building this map, i was like, I'm going to put one ore right there. i had to click that one in second. I'm really glad you used it. No, you didn't have to. Obviously, it's all there for to play with you need to be. Yeah, nice. Absolutely. I'll give you that. You've equipped it, if you will. You figure out how you want to use it or what you're going to do with But it is yours to figure out and use. Very nice. Thank very much. And the dodge actions being okayed. So...
01:11:20
Speaker
What happens then is at the first figure, the man who you've been squaring off against, Ian's character, is going to walk directly up towards you and with a short sword is going to take a swipe at you for a 11 to hit.
01:11:37
Speaker
That misses. Cool. Just swings maybe a little bit too high as you duck underneath it. and that's My plate male armor just wouldn't hit. Don't even fucking start. This guy... yeah the yeah The other two take different routes though and you see they don't actually move from their location. Firstly the... The gentleman to the...
01:12:01
Speaker
right is going to you see his hand slowly build a sense of fire and a small ah bolt of fire appears in his hand you might see where i'm going with this he's going to fire out towards falco and he's going to cast fire bolts at you the cantrip i'm so sorry that's a disadvantage because he's a i'm intentionally prone That was a natural 20 as well. So that will. Oh my God. Natural 20, natural one. I'm not even kidding.
01:12:28
Speaker
Fuck me. aren't you glad you failed that backflip now? You can almost imagine like, yeah, he fired it as you were falling and just fucked it anyway. and Yeah, so it's...
01:12:39
Speaker
it's going to definitely miss and this flame just kind of bursts up ah above where maybe where uh rock where falco would have been on rock's shoulders but obviously you've slipped and fallen off before you could ah do anything about it and that's his turn over uh the female on the other side the female it's like from um friday night dinners are you free males and three miles is going to uh just stare intently at you rock and you see her eyes, these dark eyes, and just and a slightly purple kind of pulse in her eyes as her pupils kind of and enlarge and then small become small again.
01:13:14
Speaker
She's going to cast Mind Sliver at you. Could you make an intelligence save, please? I can't. It's 13 to beat. Okay, it's minus five overall on whatever I roll because I've got a minus one to my int saves.
01:13:28
Speaker
And that is a... Minus three. Oh wow, what'd you roll, two? Yeah. Right, okay, I'm really sorry. So, okay, you only take one point of psychic damage.
01:13:42
Speaker
Oh, DC. But you add, um you take away one D4 to your next save. Just for that one, and then it disappears after that. Until the end of their next turn, isn't it Yeah, that's right. yeah that's right yeah Sorry, I've just got the shorthand version here. Thank you for correcting me on that. with you.
01:13:59
Speaker
I haven't used mine's syllabus before, so there you go. Nice. That is ah their turn. That's all they're going to do. Falco, back up to you. Very much, well and truly, combat has now started. What would you like to do?
01:14:13
Speaker
I burst out of the the shallow waters. And I will...
01:14:22
Speaker
see Rock readying the paddle ah and I will give him Bardic inspiration and panting through the cold water, I'll call over to him and say, Rock, it ain't about how hard you can hit.
01:14:37
Speaker
It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. but Fantastic. Alright, that's Bardic Inspiration, is it? That's my bonus action, and then for my action, i will, the the guy that shot off the fireball, I will, I'll cast Vicious Mockery on him.
01:14:58
Speaker
Okay. um
01:15:02
Speaker
I was thinking of a quick quip. a I'm too wet for that! don't know, something like that. That was good. And out there on Vicious Mockery on him, which is a Wisdom 13 save.
01:15:14
Speaker
Okay.
01:15:17
Speaker
Eight. So he fails it. He fails, cool. So he'll have Disadvantage on his next attack. o who Is it melee attack?
01:15:27
Speaker
i think it's just a attack roll. Next attack roll, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:15:33
Speaker
And two points of psychic damage. Two points is better than one, baby. Nice. Okay, and disadvantage on this next attack for all. Thank you very much. Good stuff.
01:15:45
Speaker
I'll use half my movement to stand up and then 15 feet. One, two, three, just to get back towards that pillar. Yeah, okay. So that pillar is definitely big enough to be a... um to give you cover of some different variety if yeah if that's what you're looking for.
01:16:02
Speaker
Yeah, eventually. yeah Once you can make it there. Yeah, cool. Brilliant. Thank you very much. Yeah, Ian, I thought I'd write down any characters in there for second. Ian, your character, what would you like to do My name's Ian. I'm here tonight playing Ian. um So my character's engaged with ah the would-be leader of the group. And as I take in what's happening and the fact that motherfucker just swung at me,
01:16:29
Speaker
My character's eyes narrow, his green eyes kind of get smaller as a shade of anger flashes across his face. And as he does so, there's a pulse of this blue light that hits his tidal spiral tattoo on his temple.
01:16:44
Speaker
And I'm going to cast Bane on three creatures of my choice within range. And everyone is in range. So I need each character to make a charisma saving throw of a 13, please.
01:16:58
Speaker
Alright, so the guy in front of you, 19. That's a 6. The person to the... The the female rolled a 12. Is that a pass? That's a fail.
01:17:12
Speaker
And the last one is a 17. So the mouse the female one female is the is the only one that failed. Okay, well, the female must subtract a 1d4 from any attack roll or save going forwards.
01:17:27
Speaker
Okay, I'll make a note of that. And remind me if you don't hear me remove something from something she does. Cool. Very good. Anything else you want to do with your turn, Ian's character? Nope, that's all I can do.
01:17:39
Speaker
right, lovely. Thank you very stand trying to look short and angry. oh ah the One nice thing about low levels is the turns always go quickly because it's apart from monks that we're going to find out in a second, you're quite limited on what you can do. Right. Rock, do your 20 things. Yeah.
01:17:55
Speaker
So ringing through his mind is what Falco said. and He goes, okay, how hard you can get hit? Get hit. Okay. And he is going to kind of sweep his leg forward and with this oar that's kind of in his hand, spin it around somewhat. And the water that's under his feet kind of starts channeling up and around his legs as he's going to activate his feature, his elemental attunement.
01:18:18
Speaker
and It doesn't cost an action, bonus action, anything like that. But... ah swirling around him is the water which almost kind of it looks like it's not not steaming quite the opposite it looks like it's getting colder uh kind of around him and with that or that he's picked up i mean it technically as it's an or it would count as an improvised weapon um with it being staff like can i go for a dm would permit can i kind of make it like it would be a quarterstaff or would you rather it's definitely um definitely kind of improvised weapon let's let the dice decide i think you've had enough experience in highridge haven of staff wielding in the past if you give me a successful history check
01:19:05
Speaker
of your memory of staff wielding, then I'll allow it. The pass is going to be a 12. twelve Okay. I rolled 19. Minus one puts me to 18.
01:19:16
Speaker
You have to... you What was my thing? had a thing. Minus four till the end of... Ah, shit. No. Yeah, because I've still got a minus four to it. ah So 18. I've got 14.
01:19:28
Speaker
fourteen okay 14. Okay. Hang on a minute. and Just check the... Was there one more? Oh no, two next save. So the mine sliver doesn't affect... Oh yeah, no, that's just my exhaustion. Yeah, cool. that still passes. Yes, you think you've weighted up, you've moved it around, you've done a cool little move with it.
01:19:46
Speaker
It's not ideally weighted, but actually that the wide brim of one end and the heavy um kind of handhold of the other does kind of balance itself out in a similar-ish way. The middle part is similar to the the thickness of a staff, so I'll allow it, yeah.
01:20:01
Speaker
Awesome. ah So he's going to go with his kind of main hand attack then towards the person that's in front. And as he's kind of swinging this round, he swings it up overhead and then he swings it down low, spinning into this person in front of him, his ankles, if you like. So that's a 19 to hit with the minus four already. Yeah.
01:20:21
Speaker
With the minus flipping, eh? 23. Yeah, well, it's 23 naturally. And then ah what he's going to do is he's going to use his ah kind of his giant feet here, which is going to knock him prone regardless.
01:20:33
Speaker
um So he will be not prone. But the damage that he takes, why did that roll too? It didn't need to. It's six points of cold damage as the water's kind of there. I need him to make a saving throw as well.
01:20:47
Speaker
Not a problem. Just mark down the six points, wasn't it? Yep. Six points cold. God, why is maths suddenly... Oh, that's right. And then a saving throw.
01:20:59
Speaker
Yeah, please. What was the saving throw for? Dexterity. Oh, sorry. It's a strength. Strength. Oh, let me just say if it's definitely strength. I think it's definitely strength.
01:21:12
Speaker
I got a 10, so it doesn't make a difference. Oh, no, sorry. Strength, 11, then 11. Yeah, it's a 12 DC, it looks like here. So as that kind of strike comes in and it hits his feet and that water kind of pushes into him, it pushes him back 10 feet away from me as well. So he's kind of pushed along the floor 10 feet away from me.
01:21:32
Speaker
I must imagine like skids across the surface of the water as it lightly kind of freezes as he kind of skims over it. Yeah. And with that, he's going to launch himself forwards and have this kind of oar spinning. He's going to spin it around his back in a cool fucking kick-ass looking way, but it's looking ah it's not looking as crisp and clean as he'd like it to ah because he's kind of faltering a little bit as he goes, but he is going to get himself up in the face of the one that gave him weird stare and go for a grapple.
01:22:02
Speaker
ah for a grapple So I need them to make a saving throw, which is a DC 13 strength or dex save.
01:22:14
Speaker
ah Both are shit for her. So um that's going to be a eight. But I have Bane. She has Bane, doesn't she?
01:22:23
Speaker
So seven. yes
01:22:26
Speaker
ah How much was it? Sorry, seven. Sorry, seven. Yeah, seven. Nice one. ah in which case she is now grappled ah by rock, and he's going to use his remaining movement to drag her with him ah basically right next to the final ah kind of enemy that shot the firebolt. So he's behind them.
01:22:52
Speaker
He's got his hand around her, staff in one hand, and he's dragged them back so that they're right next to each other now. That's where he's going to end his turn. Bloody hell. See what I mean? one One go and you've just decimated me. Like you said, the 20 things. That's great. I love that. It's not insult, I guess, at all. It's just brilliant. it gives you so many options of things you can do. Anyway, love it. Right, so let's start with the basic one. um The chap who's face-to-face with Ian, your character, is going to um is going to swing forward and take another hit towards you here.
01:23:24
Speaker
That's a 13 to hit at that time. ah That hit... Okay, you're going to take five points of slashing damage. Yes. As he's done that, the person who is kind of trapped within you uh being it's not trapped within that sounds weird sorry being grappled by you brock um you're going to hear her start muttering words and just she kind of i imagine you kind of got around the neck i'm twisting her head right not in a weird like fucking exorcist enough for just she can kind of catch you out the corner of her eye and you see this muttering is color it's going on that
01:24:02
Speaker
under her breath and her deep dark set eyes could you make a wisdom saving throw please she's casting hold person oh no that's not good at all uh let's minus four to this bitch that is a four o So she's cast hold person.
01:24:22
Speaker
You're paralyzed at this point for one minute and you repeat the save at the i believe it's the end of her turn. End of each turn. End of each of my turns. your turn So I don't get a turn.
01:24:32
Speaker
I don't get a turn and instead I have to make the save and then my turn ends if I pass it. correct yeah I don't know how that works with regards to the grapple. Because i don't think it I don't think it stops the grapple necessarily. No, no, no.
01:24:45
Speaker
I'm imagining she's held. She's still held by it. Yeah, but she just wanted to stop you. yeah I hold her. She holds me. I'm with you. There you go. There you go. She's burnt her only second level spell slot. There you go.
01:24:55
Speaker
Um... of that there go yeah so that's her turn paralyzed ah the other guy that you are behind um he's going to take a step away from you towards the other two and is looking over towards where falco is and is going to cast
01:25:21
Speaker
He's going to burn it. Let's go for it. Things aren't going well. You're going to see his two hands, a single flame one hand, and then he's going to press his other hand together and start spreading it out, making a slightly larger flame ball here. It's not fireball, don't worry.
01:25:35
Speaker
But just this um kind of skittering ball of fire starts kind of jumping around the place and heads directly towards you, almost unnaturally fast. He's casting Flaming Sphere.
01:25:46
Speaker
and Falco, could you make a dexterity saving throw, please, as this skimmies towards you? I can't.
01:26:03
Speaker
It's a 12. Okay, meter beats, you get it. You pass it. and You don't... It kind of flies over your shoulder, and you can see him focusing on it as it moves away and skitters off.
01:26:14
Speaker
um It's still in play, but it's kind of like almost done a loop around the pillar that you you're you were heading towards and it's kind of looping back around uh it's almost like a some kick the ball really hard that's the kind of speed it's moving at but yet he seems to be controlling it some kind of magic shit that's what you can tell at least um that is the end of the these three individuals as turns as it stands uh back to the top of the round falco you've just dodged this ball of fire what would you like to do I'll look back at him and go, oh yeah, you want to play magic? And I'll cast Dissonant Whispers on him.
01:26:50
Speaker
Very nice. Which is a wisdom
01:27:00
Speaker
Saves. Sorry, he's rolled well. Does it have any impact on him? Oh, he takes half as much damage and doesn't move away. So, half...
01:27:11
Speaker
Oh, good roll as well. ah So seven points of of psychic damage. Wow, that's very good. god That would have been very painful if it had been um full damage. Seven points of damage, did you say? Yes.
01:27:22
Speaker
ah He's the one that's already been hit as well. Yep, cool. No problem. and Oh, yeah, sorry. I should have... yes i No, never mind. Sorry. He's got disadvantage on the next attack. um and he He didn't make an attack that time.
01:27:33
Speaker
It's a saving throw. Never Please continue. And I will...
01:27:40
Speaker
Change tact and... I'm gonna move 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and take up the place where Rock was originally next to the next to the boat.
01:27:54
Speaker
Okay, not a problem. Sorry, I just put a new figure in there and then realized that, because I thought I'd accidentally deleted our sword-wielding chap, but I realized he'd been pushed back by rock and he'd skittered across the water. Oh, yeah. um He would have, I didn't see him there, would have stood up and moved towards Aronix. He had the move to speed, I think, yeah. Yeah, to stand up and move, yeah, no problem.
01:28:12
Speaker
Okay, sorry, thank you for that, Falco. and Ian's character, this ah guy's taking another swing at you. What joke to do? he said Oh, I thought he moved away. bollocks! Still engaged. He had previous to that moved away. Sorry, I couldn't find the figure to move him back.
01:28:29
Speaker
I will.
01:28:33
Speaker
God dang. Okay.
01:28:38
Speaker
Having felt the effects of my last spell, Bane, kind of not taking hold over the majority of the attackers, um... Again, my character just shake the head, is almost just getting more frustrated with themselves rather than the battle and just look down at the hands. One of them's holding the short bow and he'll slap the side of his head where the tattoo is and chuckle.
01:29:03
Speaker
try again. this time ah from that, there's going to be in front of me in a 20 foot cube ah directly in front of me. So it will take my would be attacker who's currently engaged to me.
01:29:19
Speaker
Yep. Water droplets will start to kind of ah appear from out of the ground because it we're all in the the watered area and these drops will kind of just pop one by one by one in a 20 foot cube area and then they will start to kind of glow a neon blue.
01:29:39
Speaker
And then it will start to swirl. And in that space, I've cast Fairy Fire. And the creature in front of me must make a dexterity saving throw 13.
01:29:50
Speaker
um of thirteen Thank you to whoever was moving the arrow on the map to give us the 20th. So actually, all three characters are going to get hit by this as well. So all three are going to get the fairy fire.
01:30:02
Speaker
So we'll do the chap in front. Sorry, I was busy looking up the arrows and not listening to the to the check. What was the um saving throw you needed? It's a dexterity 13. Right, so the... right so chap in front of you is going to go first sorry natural 20. the woman who is currently grappled by a paralyzed rock with this with um the minus four from bane that was a 12 minus four is eight sorry i ifssuming she fails and the gentleman who the fire boy rolled 11. so i think it hit both of the other two but not the chat okay well both of those um anyone who attacks them we now have a vantage against it
01:30:43
Speaker
awesome and just for the it lasts a minute for the duration is this kind of speckled neon blue light that's made from raindrops that's kind of emanating around the area i really like that thanks again that's lovely um that wasn't supposed to sound sarcastic if it did by the way it's genuine like it's really nice image anyway i like it um and the color's good blue works thank you and cool thank you anything else you want to do with your That's it.
01:31:12
Speaker
Cool. Rock, please may you make a yeah wisdom saving throw. The DC is 13 to beat. I hit a 12 with my minus four. Oh, Bardic Inspiration.
01:31:24
Speaker
Fuck you. Use Bardic Inspiration. Do it. which Which will naturally, i figure even if I rolled a one, it would pass, right? I forgot about that. I did roll a one. Yep. It is wrong. Well now we're to DC 14 now that you mention it. So you're going to break out of it, which I think is fair given that they kind of need you here. and So yeah you break out of it. We're not fudging this, but you did break out there. Yeah. So ends your turn. But from now on, you've got you've got your your faculties back and you've still got this person grappled and maybe you tense a little bit harder and it fucks you, realizes what's happened.
01:32:02
Speaker
Yeah, I'm with you. That's me. It's their turn. and So firstly, the guy that's directly in front of you, um the gentleman stood nearest to Ian's character and Falco.
01:32:14
Speaker
He's going to change his tacks slightly and his his hand around his short sword is going to lower slightly and his free hand, his left hand, is going to reach down and touch the ground and you just feel the water...
01:32:26
Speaker
the You notice a couple of things, both of you, Ian's character and Falco. Firstly, that the black water bloom seemed to flicker for a second when this happens. And secondly, that the ground beneath you vibrates ever so slightly, ever so slightly reminiscent of a tidal surge, but not at all on the kind of scale.
01:32:43
Speaker
And it's kind of something called Tideslam, basically. It's basically going to push you back using the water, basically. um So all creatures within 10 feet, so that's both of you, make a strength saving throw, please.
01:32:57
Speaker
So that's Ian's character and Farco, please.
01:33:01
Speaker
oh 15 but it hovered on the 20. very nice three okay so uh nothing happens to you ian's character but uh falco your character you are knocked prone again and you're pushed back 10 feet you kind of topple over the the uh the boat the um the trepidation that you'd found earlier and and land the other side of it almost half in half out like your your head's in the trepidation and your legs are kind of hanging out this boat is wrecked like it's broken but there's missing panels off the base of it it's not really even a boat it's more of a rowing vessel than anything else barely big enough for the three of you let alone anyone else yet you tangle yourself up in it um but apart from that you don't take any damage uh that is the end of their turn let's see if that recharges yes it does
01:33:55
Speaker
The other two, so firstly, the one that is free from any combat is going to spin round, um realizing something's going on behind him and is going to look towards you, Rock, and is going to cast Burning Hands. Could you make a dexterity saving throw, please?
01:34:16
Speaker
Ooh, yes, I can. Will it affect the person I'm holding as well, or are they in a good... They'll be able to angle it, won't they, suppose? Well, that's for them to figure out. Don't you worry about that.
01:34:28
Speaker
That's right. I rolled balls anyway. I rolled a five with my minus four. oh Okay. um It is actually going to get her as well. I just did ah a roll to see if it if it could differentiate, but it's quite a large spread of fire here. So unfortunately, it's a cone.
01:34:48
Speaker
1, 2, 3 for 3d6s that's piss poor 6 damage, half on a success does she pass it though? well she can't she's restrained anyway isn't she? not restrained, grappled I don't think grappled means that she can't I don't think it means it's an auto fail I think it's only restrained thought thought he was going to drop some rules knowledge there go ahead my man no no no i was trying to it's all good all good i'm sorry dude answered answered don't be sorry it's teamwork i love it no but i'm gonna overrule fuck you dnd 2024 if the person holding a grappled person is gonna get hit by this because they failed the fucking role there's no feasible way that the person being grappled could dexterously get out of that situation to avoid fire in a fucking cone bullshit i call bull overriding that shit she's getting hit by it because it doesn't make any sense otherwise um how else would that no i don't get it okay she's getting damage as well one two three six points of damage uh six points of fire damage for you rock and six points of fire damage and she burns the shit out of his colleague her colleague their colleague whatever fuck it um right that's the end of that three done one two oh she hasn't had a go yet actually no okay uh flaming sphere's been done let me just eat that out so i don't reuse it again by accident and
01:36:14
Speaker
Okay, okay.
Post-Battle Reflections and Planning
01:36:15
Speaker
She's going to look... She can't look at you again because you've tightened your grip on her. But she is going to... ah you're out of range.
01:36:25
Speaker
She instead is going to try and use Mind Sliver again on you. Make an intelligent saving throw, please. DC 13. Bring it That is a 14 minus 4, 10. Oh, God.
01:36:38
Speaker
that is a fourteen minus four ten oh Six points of psychic damage. Full damage for that. And a minus 1d4 to your next save.
01:36:51
Speaker
So the next save you'll be rolling a minus, could be rolling up to a minus eight. ah That's the end of her turn. Thank the Lord and everyone else's turns. Thank the surge, I should say. um Falco, back up to the top of the round. You see Rock kind of dealing with two of these individuals. You've just been yeeted back over ah the the and the trepidation here. What would you like to ah I would like to... I've been thinking about this for a while. not too sure what to
01:37:23
Speaker
I will see... Rock's getting bit toasted. so I'll try another... That's a bit boring, but I'm going to another Dissonant Whispers on our mage friend.
01:37:36
Speaker
Go for it. say you Yeah, wisdom 13. two So that's a 4. Okay. So I'll take full damage from this.
01:37:51
Speaker
Full damage! Oh no, 16.
01:37:54
Speaker
16 points of damage? 16 points of psychic damage. Holy shit. You watch as this... He he turns around, casts this fire against one side, and as he turns back round and you see his hand kind of reach up like he's going to be... I'm thinking of a real-time battle here.
01:38:10
Speaker
Reaches up, you just whisper... And it just sings. It just, whatever it you say hits. And you just see his his hand falter. His nose, blood runs from his nose, from the corner of his mouth and from one of his ears.
01:38:25
Speaker
And his his face starts to droop in his body. And he just, splash, falls to the ground, dead in the water. He is now gone.
01:38:35
Speaker
Fuck me. I get that. know, love him. I'll use a little bit of my movement not to stand up, but to get on all fours. And I just want to crawl behind the int trepidation and take cover.
01:38:50
Speaker
Yeah. You did that from like a low position as well. Maybe it's the boat. Um, not putting thoughts in your head to play. Oh God, please don't carry this thing back to storm spire. Right. um Um, thanks for that. falco That was awesome. Wow. 16 points of damage at level three. Fucking hell.
01:39:03
Speaker
Oh, we still haven't talked about your upgrade. up We'll do that at some point. I'll say that when you're level four. Um, ah Ian's character, you see this guy just slump over over the chap in front of you's shoulder. He's still toe-to-toe with you. Fairy fire's working.
01:39:18
Speaker
ah You see the the the woman that the Goliath is grappling with is now lit up and all sparkling. This blue iridescent light hasn't hit the guy in front of you. Twice now he's gotten out something you've wanted to do. Your bow's pretty ineffective here what would you like to do?
01:39:31
Speaker
Yeah, so my character seeing everything that's going on, um like hugely respectful over for what Falco's just managed to do, but also noticing that Rock is taking a hit and being the largest one in the group doesn't take a lot to think that's our muscle right there.
01:39:47
Speaker
So on that, there's this slight wind that kind of, it's very subtle that just ah starts to kind of come around like the top of my ah my character's head to the point where you just see the ends of my hair and beard just kind of lighting up a little bit, just lifting up from the from the wind itself um as my character just goes, Hail him!
01:40:10
Speaker
And on that word... the wind kind of takes that from my voice, that spell, and Rock, you just get this faint, as if someone's blowing in your face, faint push of air as I cast Healing Word on you.
01:40:27
Speaker
I have four, eight, eleven points of healing. Whoa! Yeah, Oh, man, I love the way you describe your spells, dude. They're so good. It's right up my street. fucking love man.
01:40:40
Speaker
shit. They're all themed as well, so I like... Good themed set of spells. Very nice. Very nice. Appreciate the kind words, but now I'm out to spell slots. So let's see what goes on.
01:40:54
Speaker
Now the pain begins. Thank you very much for that. Wow. Nice. It rocks back up on a decent bit of hitting and he's no longer paralyzed. And it's your fucking turn. Here comes Jeff. The person grappling, the person I'm grappling, I get advantage on.
01:41:09
Speaker
And she's a little bit on fire.
01:41:14
Speaker
So ah with that, Rock's going to kind of feel that flutter and feel invigorated by it, still fatigued. ah But with that grapple, he is going to look down and left hand, it's gone.
01:41:27
Speaker
I got this. And he's going to nut this lady in the face. I feel like I shouldn't have said nut in her face, but never mind. I'm rolling with it. It's Zed now. i forgotten A bonus action.
01:41:40
Speaker
A what action? was Oh, bonus. Okay, right. yeah
01:41:48
Speaker
It's with advantage. Minus four. Thirteen to try and headbutt. um Is what I've rolled with that. The Bane doesn't affect you attacks against her, though does it? It's just the things that she does externally. Did she get hit by fairy fire? Yes, so with advantage for the roll then, please, Rock.
01:42:07
Speaker
That's what I did. Yeah, was. 17 minus four, ah thirteen to hit Well, that's piss poor, isn't it? ah Yeah, it still hits because she's a squishy little spellcaster.
01:42:18
Speaker
Bane is gone, by the way, if if she was yeah affected by Bane. Because very fire is concentration. Concentration. That that makes sense. ah Yeah, so this is a bonus action. And as the fire has been burning over him, it now starts swirling around him as he's utilizing that fire. So it is going to be fire damage that comes in.
01:42:37
Speaker
But I do want to make it non-lethal because it is still a melee attack, even though it's fire damage. I rolled a one but my feet lets me re-roll one time roller I rolled another one so it's four how often can you re-roll it?
01:42:52
Speaker
yeah well only once sadly four points of fire damage with the headbutt as that flame's kind reeling round his face and he smashes it into hers I'm assuming that she's still kind of up she's reeling but she yeah obviously getting headbutt in the head by a goliath it fucking hurts but she's still up yeah Cool. Flurry of blows. So still the same bonus action.
01:43:13
Speaker
ah Still with advantage against the first roll. It was balls. The second roll is not much better. Minus four is not going to hit. ah So he'll he'll kind of smash that, go back for another hit, but it doesn't properly connect. He's got her grappled.
01:43:29
Speaker
ah So what he's going to do is he's going to go for a shove attack and try to kind of topple her to the floor. So I need another saving throw from her, either strength or dex. And it's a 13 to avoid being knocked prone.
01:43:43
Speaker
It's five. Shield of six minus one, five. Awesome. So failing both of those, he is just going to swing his leg underneath and knock her prone. She's still grappled. So he's effectively going to be stood over her, pinning her to the floor.
01:43:56
Speaker
But she is now prone and grappled. And he's just going to be there kind of over her with the oar still in one hand. ah But that's his turn.
01:44:07
Speaker
Did you not did not take any damage from the flurry of blows? I missed. I missed with my second one. She took however many points of fire damage. Oh, sorry. well Yeah, I'm with you. Yeah, it four points of fire damage.
01:44:19
Speaker
Gotcha. yeah I missed with the second attack, and then now I've knocked her prone and I'm standing over her. Gotcha. kind of Sorry, I thought that was damage attached to the prone, but that's fine. and That's fine. Just checking. You're damaging anymore. Cool. Um... Thank you very much for that. It is the people you're kind of heading off against.
01:44:34
Speaker
The baddies turn, let's call them. The baddies. ah Firstly, the guy that's against your you, Ian's character, is going to step forward and and say... told you to stay away and it's going to swing down at you again for a 10 to hit your ac misses god damn it okay and the woman that you've but just flame head butted is going to turn around and suddenly her is going look directly at your hands down by her side fists clenched and in a voice that seems to
01:45:08
Speaker
Command, but it's not command, don't worry. Just going to say the word, flee. And this almost like trail of vapor comes out of her mouth and slams into your face. She's casting a similar spell that Falco used earlier, Dissonant Whispers. Could you make a wisdom saving throw, please?
01:45:25
Speaker
It's our last spell slot. Minus four to this? oh not a chance. It's a zero. ah ze A zero, okay. You're going to take...
01:45:38
Speaker
Fuck me, 15 points of psychic damage. ah Rolled very well for that. And you need to use all your movement. ah You did this, Charlie, but I'm pretty sure this is the case for it You have to use all your movement to move as far away from her as possible.
01:45:56
Speaker
i've got flea on fail. I've tried to write this shorthand to make it smaller. No, no, no, I am. right i am as As far away as I can. It's a reaction, isn't it? So I don't need to dash. My movement speed is 35 feet because it's been reduced um with the exhaustion. From 45. As far away from her as possible.
01:46:13
Speaker
Yeah. ah So on top from being kind of, yeah, there, I guess I would start dashing kind of 35 feet away in whatever direction makes most sense.
01:46:26
Speaker
I haven't got here how it... Yeah, but we'll assume you're going... I haven't got how far you go, though. It's my full movement speed. Sorry, I don't have what to break it. Is it just the first turn or is it until I have a wisdom save? On your reaction, it says you immediately use... I'm pretty sure in this spell it will say something like you immediately use your reaction, if available to do so, to move as far away as you can.
01:46:48
Speaker
i which is your full movement speed, whatever you've got. and Because I was standing 35 feet with my exhaustion, I think. You're 100% right. Failed save, three d six psychic damage, must immediately use reaction to fail to move as far away as you can using the safest route.
01:47:03
Speaker
On a successful save, target will take half as much damage. Yeah, so it's not like ah fear where you keep running, is it? You just do that one burst. No, that's first reaction yeah Just a reaction, yeah. Just something deep and glottal within you just...
01:47:18
Speaker
wants to agree with her there's something not right in the voice where it came from it wasn't her it was something below and above and something in between so it just it just made you feel cold inside very very cold inside ah So that's that's their turn done. Falco, back up to You've just seen Rock strangely sprint away towards two other boats.
01:47:43
Speaker
ah You're unsure what he's doing at the moment. You still see Ian's character engaged with this guy with the sword, swinging away at him, ah taking taking chunks out of this dwarf. What would you want to do?
01:47:56
Speaker
Ian's character would hear... For stone and stars! And then from behind the behind the um toppled over boat, it looks like it's a slight slant. Is that fair to say, Mark? Yeah, that's right, yeah.
01:48:11
Speaker
So I want to kind of run up it, and then I'm going to send as far as as my halfling feet can send me, and I want to, like, in Falco's head, Assassin's Creed style, through the air, and I'm going to take a swipe at this guy with my new rapier.
01:48:26
Speaker
Very nice. Okay, yeah. um Let's break this down a little bit. Let's go for an athle... Right. So there's going to be a minimum requirement to do the the jump and move because it's kind of from a boat edge over towards it The boat's going to move a little bit. So there's a minimum requirement for the athletics or acrobatics you can pick.
01:48:45
Speaker
But if you hit the athletics or acrobatics good enough, high enough, it will give you advantage on the attack that you make after it. oh okay Okay. So there's like a double, there's there's the capacity to do it.
01:48:57
Speaker
And then if there's a middle bit, which will be fine, but if you if you do it well, it will give you a boon. So let me just write down some numbers for failure and excess. Okay. Oh, failure and excess. I'm going to make a bright book about that.
01:49:09
Speaker
Right, okay. I've got them down. Roll your... What you doing first, athletics or acrobatics? um Are you happy for me to use my walk right as a bardic inspiration for myself?
01:49:21
Speaker
If it works in terms of the action economy, absolutely. if you've Yeah, so I'll use my bonus action to give myself bardic inspiration. Yeah. It's always better when you do it yourself. Yeah, when I'm selfish.
01:49:33
Speaker
Yeah. i So it's acrobatics or athletics. I'll let you decide if it's a pairro more of a light pirouette or just a straight up fucking like... and ah We can add a flip in there. Why not?
01:49:47
Speaker
Forward flip. Acrobatics. Okay. Right. Go for it. With your body consideration if you wish. I'm going to add it anyway. No, I won't add it. It's a 17.
01:49:59
Speaker
seventeen Do you want to add it? It's your call. Can I do that now, with if i've if I've already rolled? do I have to say it before? ah Check what it what it reads on Bardic Inspiration. it might I haven't told you any of these.
01:50:13
Speaker
yeah if you don't know Yeah, that's true. a creaturegainst vulnerabilit vois Creature can roll. Bardic Inspiration die and add the number to the rolled total, potentially turning the failure into success. Yeah, I'm going to add it on anyway. because maybe youll curious Does it say anything about before knowing the outcome?
01:50:29
Speaker
just in general it says potentially turning a failure into a success so i if i so we even if okay so it can even be if you know so i'm just aware that i've been telling you the dcs for things and actually for some spells it it's it specifically says like it's not allowed before you know the outcome so i was just going to stop doing it but if it doesn't affect it for that then i'll i'll just keep doing i think it helps you know i'm not fudging it right so you had a 17 did you want to um so with my bardic inspiration it's now a 19.
01:50:57
Speaker
You would have hit the middle range, so you would have been able to have done it with the 17. But with the bonus on, you managed to pull it off with quite some panache. The memory of Garak runs strong. Your heart beats faster.
01:51:11
Speaker
ah They tingle down your spine as you remember what he stood for and what he told you. Those immortal words. Think heavy thoughts. And with that, the heaviness just pounds down as you come off the back of the flip. The wind that seems to flourish around Ian's current character brings almost, it's not it's the power of the healing word that's being sent, but it just powers you down towards this guy. So with this attack, you can make it with advantage.
01:51:40
Speaker
Awesome. we go. Think heavy thoughts. That was the last thing you said, wasn't it? One of them. Okay.
01:51:53
Speaker
So, 19. Oh, shit. Very nice. Roll that damage. is it I told you it's just a um in terms of statistics, a regular rapier, didn't I? have ah Yes. Yeah, yeah. so Can't be thrown no plus one stuff at you out unfortunately.
01:52:09
Speaker
Oh, and it's max damage as well. It's a 10. That is... That is really good. That is okay that was almost, I thought, that the amount damage that he had, but he doesn't. He had a bit more than that.
01:52:20
Speaker
He takes this stab that kind of cuts through his leather armour, down through is kind of the front of his not neck but his kind of shoulder, through and iron he couldn bring out. He properly grimaces at that and takes the attention away from Ian's character and moves it firmly towards yours, Farco.
01:52:37
Speaker
Good shit. Awesome, thank you. No problem. Ian, your character. This dude's just jumped in. fucking child just jumped in and ba-bam, kind of like Troy-style stabbed up this guy.
01:52:49
Speaker
What would you want to do ah Like, eyes widened and a big smile across my character's face, but also taking this as a a good opportunity to get out of dodge.
01:53:01
Speaker
And with that, I'll look up at my attacker. You will not stop me from completing my mission. And going to again gesture towards the water around me have one hand. And as that happens, ah some droplets come up from almost like a Jedi power trick up and splashes my leather armor.
01:53:24
Speaker
as I cast resistance on myself ah against slashing. So what that means is are you touch willing creature, choose a damage type, so mind slashing. When the creature takes damage of that chosen type, before the spell ends, the creature reduces the total damage by 1d4.
01:53:41
Speaker
um And I can only benefit from this spell once per turn. And then I'm going to neck it. 20 feet, it will open up an opportunity attack, to the nearest bloom.
01:53:57
Speaker
there in front of me okay that's 12 for your ace against your ac does that hit no that misses yeah well it's gonna miss anyway despite the resistance okay cool nice so resistance on to slashing and you've hightailed it towards the nearest black water bloom that you can find is that right that's correct these things are quite tall for you they're kind of like up to your chest in height and it's like a large mushroom but with a a secondary kind of tip on top of it that seems to be lined with this slightly iridescent but orangely iridescent kind of lining to the very lip of it if you will it does give off a slightly orangey glow but in the daytime not so clear but yeah that's what you see as you approach okay nice uh rock
01:54:38
Speaker
It's over to you. You have just strangely run away. And as you kind of come back to your faculties, it's almost like coming out of a dream state of a bad nightmare, you said, what the fuck am I doing? And we didn't swear, obviously, but what am I doing? And and you realize now you're near these boats, but this isn't, this isn't, this isn't the trepidation. you Why are they over there? Everything just seems a little bit out of joy. And would you like to do?
01:55:00
Speaker
Yeah, so at this point as well, blood's probably streaming from his eyes, ears, nose. He's not in a good way. In fact, it's only because of ah this dwarvish character that Rock is still actually up on his feet at this point. He's taken a big old beating, but still through his head is ringing Falco's words.
01:55:17
Speaker
And he kind of shakes his head out of it, turns back round. And that fire is still kind of bubbling round him somewhat. And what he's going to do is he's going to kind of almost drop to like a sprinter's start position.
01:55:29
Speaker
and just launch himself back towards where this ah lady is that's still prone, I think, because you didn't necessarily say that she was stood up. um But he has got increased range with his ah unarmed strike.
01:55:45
Speaker
um with this kind of feature that's going on. So before he gets within five feet, he's going to go ahead for a kind of an unarmed strike against her. And what he's going to do, you'll see him, and i' am I right in assuming this is with advantage?
01:56:00
Speaker
Yeah, she's prone. Cool, that's fine. it's gonna It's not going to hit regardless because of the minus four, sadly. ah But he's going to kind of almost punch out with a fist as he's running and this flame that almost kind of turns into a fist comes out and tries to grasp at this woman, but it does not connect.
01:56:18
Speaker
And he continues his movement speed and he's still got 35 so he can get straight back to her. And what he does instead is he takes the hand back round to this oar that he's got and he just lines it up for a big fucking happy Gilmore to this lady's face. Yeah. ah I don't know whether this is going to hit. Fingers crossed it is. As stupid as it sounds, I still want it to be non-lethal damage if I can connect, but my first roll is absolute balls.
01:56:44
Speaker
No, that's unbelievable. i With advantage, the highest in four rolls was a 12 minus four, an eight.
01:56:56
Speaker
Eight was the highest roll out of four. So he's going to fuck it. ah ah Can i i mean, I kind of want to because I'm pissed off at this point. Do it.
01:57:08
Speaker
Yeah, fuck it. He'll miss with that and he'll follow up with like a heel kick to the face if he can as I'm going use my final ah focus point to flurry of blows to try and get one strike to fucking land. Come on. And with this one. Let's go. Okay, that's positive. That's a 19 after all minuses.
01:57:30
Speaker
Yes, 19 definitely hits. That does hit. Thank fuck for that. So non-lethal. Yeah, I know, right? ah Non-lethal, it's five points of fire damage as he kind of sprints over the top of the head, misses with all the strikes with his fatigue, but then just kind of heel kicks down behind him into the face.
01:57:50
Speaker
Nice, she is going to retort and just she's still down she's going to stand herself warily back up with her feet and just swing with her hand, just an unarmed strike to try and hit you. She's got nothing left.
01:58:03
Speaker
Okay, 19 to hit. Yeah, it will. You take ah one point of the bludgeoning damage. That's all she can do. ah kind of i don't, because I'm using my reaction to deflect that attack. Very good. I don't even need to roll, because it's a minimum of six.
01:58:20
Speaker
Yep. It just hits off your... Yeah, boom, back at her. It just hits off your rock-hard abs, and it uses ripples and tenses, and the gleam of the sweat just... know, it's totally erotic here. Anyway...
01:58:35
Speaker
It's all very sexual, though. Not for her. She's about to die. But, you know, for the listener, maybe for me. Right. um The other guy that's engaged now with Falco after Ian's characters ah gotten out of Dodge, he's going to turn and again, wearing on his feet, he's going to a swing towards you, Falco.
01:58:52
Speaker
ah That is going to be 14 hit. Yeah, hit. You're going four points of slashing damage and he's going to start muttering something under his breath, but you you you can't hear what he's saying at the moment.
01:59:06
Speaker
That's the end of his turn. Falco, your retort. What would you like to do? I will riposte. I'm going to make rapier attack against old friend who did it will be Bloody the blade. 17 to hit Fuck me. Yep, that hits.
01:59:26
Speaker
Oh, like this rapier.
01:59:30
Speaker
Eight points of piercing damage.
01:59:36
Speaker
You stab him directly through the jugular. Almost as if as he swings to hit you and makes contact, he brings back for another swing and as I said, he starts muttering something under his breath.
01:59:49
Speaker
you The energy, again, the the kind of the inspiration you'd given yourself, the memory of Garruk still so raw in you just gives you this, not second wind because that's an actual thing, but just burst of energy and a moment of insight into...
02:00:03
Speaker
now and you just press and just in that little gap of time you have there's an instant move and and you just press it in just when you can and he just takes a second and the muttering slows and the eyes flicker as he slides off your blade and slops into the out water beneath you there you've killed him two that was quite an Arya Stark thing to do wasn't it love it love
02:00:32
Speaker
I wasn't even thinking Game of Thrones. Gosh, that's a reference. Let's not mention that because it'll probably get cancelled soon. He has fallen. Now it's just the single ah person now with Rock engaged with her in the centre.
02:00:47
Speaker
Ian, your character has seen this boy i fell, not one now, but allegedly two of these individuals. With not more than a small rapier. Sorry, I skipped ahead, Falco. Was there anything else you wanted to do with your movement or anything before?
02:01:01
Speaker
Yeah, it was just moving to close the door. Apologies. If you'll let me, I'll flourish the rapier just to flick the blood off. Very nice. then i'll move into...
02:01:14
Speaker
ah to so we can Eiffel Tower this other person. Jesus. Yes, absolutely. Sorry, I've realised that you still have movement. Apologies. And and you've just you've seen Falco, ah this person known as, he called himself Falco, sprint off to the last roman remaining person with this goliath stood behind him with a rocky long, long, long, long name.
02:01:31
Speaker
you were off to the distance. What would you like to do? You're near this bloom. ah My character would see this ah from Falco and just kind of mutter, Ah, they really are there the champions of the Tidal Surge.
02:01:44
Speaker
ah
Dialogue and Decision-Making
02:01:45
Speaker
Let's see what I can do even the odds. And my character just stepped just slightly to the left of the bloom. Not in a fancy leg-alass kind of 360 sweep. It's more of a plodded one leg out to the left to sort peek out of this. um With the short bow, notch and arrow, take aim and loose.
02:02:06
Speaker
And let's see if I can... Hit for an attack? Nope, let's do it. Sorry if it hits any of you guys, that's a seven. No, it's fine. It just thuds awkwardly into the ground, just shy of her. It's got the pace for it, but the angle's all wrong. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
02:02:27
Speaker
Left-handed. ah Okay, so actually that would work, but yeah, just it's awkward with this weird bloom thing nearby. It puts you off a little bit. ah So unfortunately that misses, but luckily the other two aren't really paying attention, so you might have got away with that.
02:02:40
Speaker
yeah Yeah, as my character's cheeks do flush a little bit as he realizes that not one bit of damage has befell any one of these. ah But he will just kind of cough and busy himself with the plant as if nothing happened.
02:02:57
Speaker
Very good. And Rock, your turn. You hear the sss of an arrow somewhere nearby, but nothing happens. What would you to do? So by this point, Rock is panting hard.
02:03:10
Speaker
ah Fatigue is setting in massively, which it shouldn't do at this point, and he's fucked up as well. So he's kind of breathing heavily as he's over the top of this, and he sees Falco kind of approaching from the side as well, probably notices that the other two are down, and he's just going to look down and go, think it's probably time that you met with some trepidation.
02:03:33
Speaker
and he's going to bring oar up over his head and then go to whack it in the clavicle rather than over the head. He's still going for ah non-lethal. It's got to be. Your rolls have been...
02:03:47
Speaker
ah It's all... I mean, minus four, that puts me at 16 if it's with advantage. Luckily, the other one's a one.
02:03:56
Speaker
And this one... Yeah, this one is seven points, and the... the elemental, he doesn't have to use that as the different damage and he's not going to at this point so even though that fire is there it kind of trickles down to just ah like ah a little surface bit of fire over his body and this is just all him and all ore as ah seven points of non-lethal bludgeoning damage come down to kind of judo chop this prone figure.
02:04:24
Speaker
yeah it's almost like the you hit directly over not that you know this but over the over those over those key arteries to the neck uh over the clavicle as well and you just for a second you see this thwack comes in it it always echoes across the floodlands the flood fields and you just see her eyes roll back and she just topples onto her side she's still breathing but she is unconscious for all intents and purposes the combat ends and there's a moment of silence save maybe only for the noise of the roar as always of the surge and the panting of rock as he finally takes a breath and has a moment of pause the three of you stand around two of you now well knowing well knowing jesus christ knowing each other quite well the other being an unknown entity this this dwarf this figure that has uh appeared and aided you in your combat
02:05:21
Speaker
Rock, you are very much worse for wear. Falco, the Avenger, you are very much living your best life at the moment. New rapier in hand, two kills ah to your name, one to your blade, one to your mouth.
02:05:35
Speaker
And what seems to be a new friend or a new ally, or at least someone that you were looking for that the the priestess has sent you to to help you in your task. What would the three of you like to do?
02:05:49
Speaker
So my character is um busying themselves, ah trying to harvest as much as this black water bloom as possible. you so You mentioned it's quite large, like taller than me.
02:06:06
Speaker
ah up to you Up to kind of like your chest height. So about two feet high. So if you turn around and you look at me, I've got this perplexed look on my face and ah stroking my long beard with that speckle of grey through it. just h ah Just this confusion on my face as I'm trying to best think about, because I don't have a sword or or any any sharper implement and I don't really fancy using the the tip of an arrow to start kind of shaving this thing away.
02:06:39
Speaker
um So that's what I'm doing at the moment, just analyzing this plant and thinking how best am I going to get this back to Storm Spire. Nice. Rock and Farka, between you two, you've got the unconscious body of this sorceresque magic user at at your feet as well.
02:06:56
Speaker
Rock, you're still profusely bleeding from nose, ear, those yeah nose and mouth.
02:07:05
Speaker
Falco, I didn't, I and ah got a bit of a beating, like you said, but I'm still on my feet and I didn't really hit too hard.
02:07:17
Speaker
But I'm not feeling too good. I'm just going And he kind of points down to the potion of healing that he was given and just pops the cork.
02:07:28
Speaker
Chug, chug, chug. um Which is not bad about medium. I heal seven points from my chuggage. Okay, most of the bleeding on your face stops and subsides. you It doesn't bleed anymore, basically.
02:07:43
Speaker
Yeah, so it puts me up to about half.
02:07:47
Speaker
Okay. Okay, I think I'm good to go. Are you... hey did Did you... Any kind of emotions to the the other two bodies?
02:07:57
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I did.
02:08:00
Speaker
You want another one? Oh, for you. My potion of healing.
02:08:06
Speaker
Oh. No, I'm okay. I'm okay. if If you don't need... You sure? um Well... I'm not tip top, but if we get into more trouble, they can be quite useful.
02:08:21
Speaker
Ah, yeah. Oh, wait, hang on That would be useful. give Pass me that bottle. And I'll gesture towards the empty potion of healing bottle. Yeah, sure.
02:08:33
Speaker
Right. I'm going to show you some street tactics, okay? i'll let I'll kneel down and find like a small rock or boulder and I want to just ah break the end of the bottle so that it's sharp.
02:08:45
Speaker
put it between my fingers and I'll hold it over the the woman and slap her in the face trying to wake her up.
02:08:53
Speaker
Wait. I need to clarify that again. Are you threatening her going to glass her? Yeah, I'm holding it ready for... Gotcha. Okay.
02:09:05
Speaker
I thought you put it between your fingers like you were wearing it like a ring. Oh, like a knuckle duster. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. All right, I thought you were like putting it on like a ring and like with the sharp head, like mini Wolverine style. don't know, I didn't quite. I got you now, got it now. Yeah, kind of, okay, like keys between the knuckles. I got you, okay.
02:09:24
Speaker
And you're lightly slapping her to wake her up. Is that right? ah She doesn't come to.
02:09:31
Speaker
Yeah, I hit her pretty hard with the trepidation.
02:09:36
Speaker
Oh, that's part of the trepidation? I thought it was. i you Like, we we knew there'd be the boat here, and there's a boat there, and I thought, it kind of has the oar now.
02:09:48
Speaker
This, is it not? Oh, well. Ah, yeah, so if that's the trepidation, all these other ones, they must have been the lifeboats for the trepidation when it sank here?
02:10:00
Speaker
Probably. You'd know, I guess. Well, look, and I'm not good at putting puzzles together, but that's pretty fucking obvious, isn't it? Well, you could have fooled me, Falco, because you solved that riddle. We found the guy.
02:10:14
Speaker
And he kind of motions over to Ian's character. When we see him, we would know him. And we have seen him. And you saw him.
02:10:25
Speaker
And we saw him. Sorry, Harry's working on him. We're going have to quickly run settle in. Back in second.
02:10:34
Speaker
And you see him and he is known. And we know him. And now we've known him. We see him. And I always thought Garak was meant to be the dumb idiot of the group. Rock has stepped up and then saw Garak's last.
02:10:53
Speaker
Brilliant. I'm loving it. I'm loving it. I look forward to listening to the yeah Oh my god. The episodes I missed, excuse me. There is... Shenanigans.
02:11:06
Speaker
bit silly Shenanigans and then some.
02:11:11
Speaker
There's one interaction at the end of last episode. he I hope it comes across as hilarious as it felt.
02:11:22
Speaker
I can't wait, genuinely. Holly is...
02:11:27
Speaker
just a bad dream sorry uh we're kind of awkwardly halfway through and i've got was gonna like i let him talk like no need to know what happens um we had trepidation there's always something isn't there if we knew him then we'd see him if we knew him mate you give us an inch and we'll throw it in the wrong direction yeah yeah Because there was the heads and tails. We've had the um the the dwarven problem.
02:11:53
Speaker
There's something this little... i love it. It's just so great. It's so lovely. im Right. I think it's the name of the episode as well. it's got to be the trepidation, hasn't it? Or just trepidation. Yeah. I mean... I had that or... and Fists and mouths, but I think... um I think trepidation might be the one, either or.
02:12:14
Speaker
Fist in mouth, that's brilliant. um So, ah if you know him when you'd see him, and we'd know him we'd seen him um we'd know him and we'd see him, we'd see me know yeah, okay. um Yeah, I'll just, I'll give you an inlay, like you're looking over towards him, and I'll describe what Ian's character's doing in a sec. 745?
02:12:32
Speaker
ah seven four seven forty five
02:12:38
Speaker
So as you say that, you look over towards where you see this squat dwarven figure and he is just looking perplexed at one of these, what you assume to be one of the Blackwater Bloom, with the figure still like as lying at your feet.
02:12:53
Speaker
Do we... Does he know you? Is that how this works? Does he know us? I thought he'd know you. I don't know him. I have seen him, but I do not know him.
02:13:08
Speaker
Hey, I didn't catch your name. Do you know us?
02:13:14
Speaker
Hi. Yes. Yes, you're the champions of the Tidal Surge, correct? He knows us, Falco. He does know us. We did it. Your reputation precedes you.
02:13:29
Speaker
Great. Would you help me with this? And my character points to the the massive bloom in front.
02:13:38
Speaker
Oh, is that the blackwater bloom? Yes. We did it. We found the trepidation. We found the guy. We got the fungus. Oh, it's a good day.
02:13:50
Speaker
ah Yes, it's a very good day. ah Would you help me, though? I've been tasked to bring this back to Storm Spire, or at least as much as I can.
02:14:00
Speaker
oh my goodness. We've been tasked with the same thing. We're doing the same thing as you. Right. ah This is a good day. i I'm Raka Harangui. I mean, I've said it before, but do you know what?
02:14:14
Speaker
I'll say it again. I'm Raka Harangui. It is a pleasure to meet you. ah Sorry, sorry. Can you say that again? and i can. Raka Harangui. Slower.
02:14:27
Speaker
And you see my character just cop a hand over an ear and kind of lean in with a furrowed brown... kind of just really starting to concentrate on this. Slower, please.
02:14:39
Speaker
He will say it very slowly, pronouncing each and every syllable, but to save our listeners, i will not do it live. I was wondering how many times I could get you to... Not not as many as you'd hope. Damn it.
02:14:57
Speaker
And your name... We didn't get your name. What's your name? Aranax. Aranax.
02:15:04
Speaker
Aranax. Aranax. Falco. Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you both. What's your name? And Aranax looks towards Falco. My name?
02:15:18
Speaker
Well, I'll flick, I'll um flourish the rapier and see if I can get it to catch the light and and like you show it towards Aranax. ah You can do what you what you think is catching the light, yeah.
02:15:34
Speaker
And if he doesn't respond after a while, just go, uh, uh, Falco. My name is Falco. Falco Ladoa.
02:15:44
Speaker
Very fancy. ah My surname is Stonewake. Aranac Stonewake. Do you want to come closer? It's little bit harder to shout. Plus, I could really do with a hand on this.
02:15:57
Speaker
Especially with you, with the muscles.
02:16:02
Speaker
Rocker Luff.
02:16:06
Speaker
Have you got a nickname? Yeah, I do. It's, um, Raka Harangui Likabaku Lasa Hokea Fertuli Amoi. Amoi! No, that's not… I'm okay. No, this is fine. No, it's not a problem. Uh, Falco, you could… you could leave her on the floor. I'm pretty sure she's… I mean, she'll wake up with a hell of a headache, but I don't think she's going to wake up anytime soon. Yes, this is way more important.
02:16:32
Speaker
Yeah, okay, I'll come with you. I'll come with you to help him. and I am a little bit worried about her waking up, though, and I'll drive the rapier through her throat.
02:16:42
Speaker
um Yeah, I don't want to make her do a save. She's unconscious. She was on ah zero, one hit point. um Yeah, she's... yeah You press it through, she's dead.
02:16:54
Speaker
yeah There we go. All sorted. You want a hand with the but the flower? With the mushroom?
02:17:02
Speaker
And Aranax is just eyes wide, kind of mouth slightly ajar. Yes! I don't think she's going to wake up from that.
02:17:14
Speaker
Well, no, she won't wake up and she's not going to bother us anymore, is she? I don't know if she's going to be able to.
02:17:22
Speaker
Now. No, no, no, she won't be able to. That that was that's my point. I think the point is in her now. ah Can you just confirm again?
02:17:35
Speaker
you you were sent here by prince Priestess Iridia, correct?
02:17:43
Speaker
Was that to me? Sorry, I was a little bit distracted by... Is the both of you? Oh. Or the leader of the group pair? Do we have a leader, Falco?
02:17:55
Speaker
this I think, I mean, we're both kind of... No.
02:18:03
Speaker
We're kind of, yeah, it's, we work together. We're both kind of the brains of the operation. Yeah, we're, uh, uh, uh, yeah, we work, we're a duo, if if you will. work really well.
02:18:17
Speaker
Indeed, you seem gifted in the brains area. and Well, Falco's great with his mouth, and I'm pretty good with my hands. good with his fist. Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah The mouth and the fist.
02:18:28
Speaker
Interesting.
02:18:31
Speaker
But were you sent here by Aridia? We were sent here by the Holy Woman, yeah? we Yeah, by Aridia. We were sent here by ah The Flow Keeper!
02:18:47
Speaker
She keeps... Flowing. Yeah, yeah, if once a month.
02:18:57
Speaker
No! No! ah Oh God.
02:19:07
Speaker
I don't know how to respond to that. I think he's talking about the surges. it the surges?
02:19:17
Speaker
Yeah, look, look we we we were sent here by... ah We were sent here... Oh, you've done so well up to that point. Oh, I like that these become a challenge on how long we can keep it together before we crack, and that's that's very much enjoyable.
02:19:34
Speaker
um Okay, going back in. Here we go. um Yeah, we were sent here by a holy woman. um She... yeah They were title...
02:19:47
Speaker
A caller! Tidecaller! Yeah, yeah, sure. Tidecaller's, and i'll look up a rock. Yeah, uh-huh. No, they call tides. um We know a few Tidecaller's, too.
02:20:01
Speaker
Good, and they sent you here? Yeah, they did. um For the Blackwater Bloom? That's exactly it. yeahp and Can you help me carry it, then? Back to Storm... Storm Spire!
02:20:16
Speaker
Yeah! Easily. That's, I mean, can you help us carry it back? I think- No! and Right. Do, okay.
02:20:28
Speaker
Falco, here it is. That's, I guess you, are you tagging along? ah Aranach! Stonewake? Yes, this is my mission.
02:20:40
Speaker
But it's slightly bigger than I was expecting. When you hear the word bloom, you don't think a fucking tree. ah
02:20:50
Speaker
Oh, it's I heard it. think I think it was a fungus.
02:20:56
Speaker
Either way, will need assistance. Okay.
02:21:03
Speaker
Haste is a priority. We can't call the tides at the moment. And I'm unsure if... ah And at that, when Aranax has that thought of the tidal surges being so and unpredictable, he'll just stop talking for a moment and kneel down and put his hand on the ground.
02:21:21
Speaker
And he's going to use his... Is it a class feature? Is feat? Is it...
02:21:31
Speaker
It's a species trait. He's going to use his species trait of um stone cunning. And as his hand hits the floor as a bonus action, i gain tremor sense ah within a range of 60 feet.
02:21:45
Speaker
And what that gives me is um I get the ability... to sense vibrations in the ground and can pinpoint the location of anything that is in contact. And what Aranax is trying to do with that is to feel if any surges unpredictable are on its way.
02:22:05
Speaker
Very good. So that gives you a reference point of 60 feet away or is it beyond the 60 feet? Because they're so quick. They're 60 feet. I know it's not far, but the surges are so quick. It's the only thing...
02:22:16
Speaker
Living in that uncertainty, he's trying to use anything within his limited power um while this has suddenly come to the forefront of his mind as he's explaining that the tidal searches are so unpredictable and a haste is priority.
02:22:30
Speaker
A genius way of using that dwarven ability and well done. And yeah. ah you You set that up and you feel the, ah you've done this many times in your travels as well since the last few days of uncertainty as you say, and each time it's it's felt very similar, just you get that constant vibration of the surge which seems to permeate through all wild heart which gives it its aura, it gives it its feel and affects its people, um yet nothing more than that.
02:22:57
Speaker
and
Adaptation and Resilience
02:22:58
Speaker
Only once in your history do you remember doing it around the time that title surge approached. You were aware of what you're looking for and feeling for, but it all feels normal. But when you're also very much aware when you do that of how exposed you all are at the moment, you are in the the the path of the surge, if it were to approach, and 60 feet of knowledge is going to...
02:23:22
Speaker
be nothing, realistically. Not safe you either way. And so you've got that kind of exposure to the element is, ah again, comes to the forefront of your mind as as you as you activate your Trevor sense as well. does that is that Is that a lot is that lasting feature is it just for that second as you press down?
02:23:37
Speaker
ah It is for 10 minutes 10 minutes, pop okay, cool that's just active Yeah, 10 minutes I'm kind of connected to it i don't have to stay there It's just no well So you have to make contact in order to activate it Maybe and then and then it can say so yeah maybe I can feel it through my feet after that Yeah, sounds good We really must make haste though The times are unpredictable We seem to be in between the water send and the surge boom all the time
02:24:09
Speaker
Please help. Yeah, sure. No, yeah. that ah we Yeah, we'll get some. We'll get some fungus. Let's do it. ah ah What? Why were those people angry with you in the first place? I kind i was a bit distracted.
02:24:23
Speaker
We were a bit distracted when we came That could one of many reasons. Tidecrawlers aren't particularly popular at the moment. Some of our kinds have been killed because we're unable to read the tidal surges.
02:24:39
Speaker
Our kind? Wait minute. Scholars.
02:24:45
Speaker
You're... Falco. I think he might be. Is he Is he a Goliath too? What?
02:24:58
Speaker
Is he... Are you a Goliath too?
02:25:02
Speaker
No!
02:25:05
Speaker
Uh... Never mind. Do I look like a Goliath? Well, you were talking about you like we share a kind. I don't know. Scholars!
02:25:17
Speaker
Tidecallers! Oh, you're a Tidecaller!
02:25:22
Speaker
Not really. um a... Technically a water shaper. On my way to becoming a tidecaller.
02:25:33
Speaker
If I study hard. Okay. Hey, Falco, they had books back in the tower as well. Yes. Aranax could, like, read some of those books.
02:25:48
Speaker
Oh shit, you can read? Yes. Uh, you cannot? Oh, well, yeah, of course we can course we can read. um but yeah we could use that in the party. we could Having someone that could read good.
02:26:06
Speaker
Again, i would love to get to know more about you guys. Really would like to make haste, though, towards Storm Spire. I'm not the adventuring sort.
02:26:19
Speaker
And I'm already rather uncomfortable about being out here. And Aranax will look left and right and then behind him. For this longer period.
02:26:31
Speaker
Why are you so trepidatious?
02:26:37
Speaker
Because the tidal surge is unpredictable. Yeah, but the tidal surge is back in the ravine.
02:26:49
Speaker
Feel around you. Look around you. This has come into contact with the arconic energy of the tidal surge. Can't you feel it in the air? These blooms are a direct course of action from that.
02:27:05
Speaker
We need to harvest it. We need to get it back to Storm Spire.
02:27:11
Speaker
I don't want to be caught in another surge, Falco. Not right You were sent by the Tidecallers. Priestess Aridia, correct. Yeah, that makes sense. You were sent to find me.
02:27:25
Speaker
Correct. Yeah, we did that too. Sent to find the Blackwater Bloom. Correct. Three out of three. Then help me fucking get him back to Stormspire.
02:27:38
Speaker
He's a tide caller, Falco. We got to help him. Okay. All right. But I'm pretty sure that she shit she said she wanted more than one of these. And they're huge.
02:27:50
Speaker
We could always take the trepidation. yeah
02:27:57
Speaker
That's an awesome idea. Okay. Right. Okay. I guess you got, how do we harvest this? you going to cut it? Do I just, and he's going to grab one and try and rip it up.
02:28:10
Speaker
Yeah, give me a ah just a strength, an athletics check, please. Ah, yeah. Minus four to this bitch. It's not going to be great. What is it? It's six.
02:28:25
Speaker
It's down there good and tight. I can't quite lift it. It's no. Okay. Never mind. What is wrong with you today? I'm going to try it instead.
02:28:40
Speaker
wow All right, give me an athletics check. it It was a nine for you, Rock. It's a nine for you, Falco. before Before you do, Falco, Aranact is going to come up to you and there's just this slight kind of pale blue glow just in the palm of his hand.
02:28:56
Speaker
Please do better. And he's just going to clap you on the shoulder and cast Guidance. of course I get a plus four. Which gives you to any ability check. Okay, just adding that. Please do better. Brilliant.
02:29:13
Speaker
It's a 21.
02:29:16
Speaker
and You do it with one hand. With one hand, you pull it out. That was pretty easy. Are you okay?
02:29:31
Speaker
Here, hold this. Okay. Right, so you're the muscle of the group. Can you hold this then? As Aranax talks to Rock, Yeah, no, I think so.
02:29:45
Speaker
And Rock's going to look really different. you can be the bag of the group. Falco, would you do the honors of picking some more up? I don't want to get too dirty. um Fine. All right. i'll Here, I'll pick this one.
02:29:59
Speaker
I'll try another one. All right. Another athletics roll, please. His guidance. You've still got guidance. It's one minute concentration.
02:30:12
Speaker
So a natural 20. Again with one hand. You literally don't even have to bend over for it You lean down in just a little bit of effort and it just pries itself loose. and yeah i could just ah How many of these things do we need?
02:30:28
Speaker
Four or five? was Was I told at all from Iridia how much? No, just that she wanted samples. Yeah.
02:30:40
Speaker
I think two is enough. These are larger than I thought.
02:30:46
Speaker
Okay. And we don't know how valuable these are. At least we know of an area that they are growing in. If we... Or something goes wrong with these samples up at Storm Spire, we know we can come back and get some more.
02:31:02
Speaker
Plus, I'm not sure your friend can carry more than two.
02:31:08
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, sure. Look, I'm all for not getting my hands any dirtier than they already are. i need a I need a manicure.
02:31:19
Speaker
I'm sure they can provide that service in Storm Spire. Great. Which is where we need to go. Yeah, let's get going. Come on, Rock. Okay, i have Rock's got one on each shoulder here, kind of just holding, if you can, ah holding them up.
02:31:36
Speaker
Who's going to take the trepidation? Oh, yeah, I didn't think about that. Hey, we've got to take this this ah famous boat back as well.
02:31:49
Speaker
Is that part of your mission? Yeah, unfortunately, we we were given quite a complex riddle, but we worked it out when we found you. And I think we
Aranax's Reflections and Leadership
02:31:59
Speaker
need to take this boat back to safety in Storm Spy.
02:32:03
Speaker
She explicitly said we had to move with trepidation. So she did. though Those were the exact words. She did say that. The exact words was move with trepidation, not find a boat.
02:32:18
Speaker
Ah, Rocky doesn't get it. No, he doesn't. Falco, tell him. look so Yes, please enlighten me with the different meanings of the word trepidation.
02:32:29
Speaker
Okay, right. i I know it's hard to believe. Trust us, we found it hard to believe. I did first. He did, he did. But he came round to it. This boat is actually called the trepidation.
02:32:45
Speaker
Right. And if this boat was hit by a tidal surge, would it survive?
02:32:53
Speaker
Would it survive, Falco? Maybe because it's a famous boat? Maybe it's a magical boat. I don't make the rules. This is just what we set out to do.
02:33:03
Speaker
Here is a trick question. It wouldn't fucking survive. We need to go now. Leave the boat. Come back for the trepidation later.
02:33:15
Speaker
She's going to be disappointed if we only complete half the mission, but don't know, Rock. you think? said move with it. I mean, technically, I've got the oar, which is part of... to move with care.
02:33:29
Speaker
Trepidation. Oh, God, is there another boat? To be careful. Right. To move with wariness.
02:33:40
Speaker
Champions! Three boats. You're meant to be champions. Yeah, we are. but where Well, we're two of the remaining three. I can't carry more, Falco. we' we' We'll have to come back for the trepidation.
02:33:53
Speaker
And... Okay, I'll... For the care. Oh, goodness. And the other one. Yeah, I can't remember what it was called, but... We'll come back for all the boats another time. Skilled warriors!
02:34:05
Speaker
That's what you're meant to be! i hope Princess Alara isn't going to be cross with us. But at least we got the fungus. At least we got the fungus. At least I've got a headache.
02:34:16
Speaker
Can we fucking move? yeah Yeah, let's let's go. yeah We'll come back. with Let's just mark this spot mentally. um I'll just put down, I don't know, I'll i'll like rip my sleeve and just just like drop it on the top of the trepidation.
02:34:32
Speaker
Right, let's mark so we can find it later. Okay. We'll come back to this spot, let's say, 24 hours. Right.
02:34:44
Speaker
Okay. Let's go. Yeah, yeah, let's go. What are we waiting for? Come on! Come on, Aranax, what are you waiting for? Let's go! Fuck's sake! And Aranax will follow. And, um you start to make your way back along the, uh, the, this, the...
02:35:05
Speaker
well-worn path now and aaron acts at certain moments in the journey your your tremor sense seems to pulse for a couple of seconds and then dim down nothing nothing large that you know feels like a tidal surge but almost like you feel like it's the start of a little storm you think you can hear rain you think you know just almost when you're almost hyper aware to something you think you hear it more than you really do you you're affected by it more than that That happens once or twice.
02:35:32
Speaker
Sorry, given my studies into that, if that's what I'm feeling, am I starting to get the sense that the cycle's starting again? Like, is it the the storm call? Am I getting that sense? Or it because at the moment I'm getting mixed messages of like where we are in the cycle of the surge. Yeah.
02:35:49
Speaker
and It's very much mixed. it's kind It's very much mixed messages. You also know that given your dwarven heritage, which is less common here in Wild Heart anyway, and given the current political climate not particularly favorable,
02:36:04
Speaker
and But also that the boon or benefit it gives you as a tidecaller sets you apart. So the the the scholarly knowledge and academia on the capacity to feel the surge is very limited. Naturally, you and a few others are the very few tidecallers that have written anything, if anything, on it.
02:36:22
Speaker
So even to yourselves, even on a normal surge, it's still a learning process. And then when this kicked in not very long ago, ah in your studies as well, and only a couple of days ago, it'ss everything is out of whack.
02:36:37
Speaker
Everything is out of whack. um You can't tell literally what could be an earthquake, what could be a waterfall, which could be someone dropping a rock, ah what could not our rock, ah which could be the tidal. So it all just blends and it's it's all just confusing, almost like you've got um blurry vision, but through through your sense, your tremor sense. Yeah, you get the sense then if Rock and Falco was looking at Aaron Axe as he was walking, almost like a... um like a deer who sensed that there's a predator around and is constantly shifting a glance in every direction.
02:37:12
Speaker
um His face looks rather worn and weathered from ah just life. And he seems older in this instance than probably first thought, but he's still walking with a stiff back and he's walking with purpose. And every time there's a like a lull of pace in the group, come on, we need to move.
02:37:33
Speaker
So ice never settled in the same place. so Sorry, could you give me a perception check with advantage just for this journey ah in the kind of danger part of the the flood fields, please? That's a 14.
02:37:49
Speaker
Yeah, the path is clear, the kind of steamy mist that kind of settles across the the northern parts of these fields doesn't cause much concern, but your eyes are locked, and maybe for the others as well, locked onto that opening, that gaping mouth almost of the ravine to the north that would let forth this horrific wall of water.
02:38:15
Speaker
And as you get closer, almost the fear increases as the size and scope of this gorge gets bigger and bigger and your Trevor feelings change further and further along in the path, Aranax.
02:38:30
Speaker
And yet nothing comes of it. You reach the dusty, dry path of the ravine edge and the the cliff walk that will lead you back north towards Stormspire.
02:38:42
Speaker
You've made it away and off the flood fields to the south of Stormspire. And then you see Aranax just, okay, we can take it a bit more steadier now.
02:38:57
Speaker
The danger's not so imminent as it was.
02:39:01
Speaker
Thank you. Thank you. I haven't said thank you yet. It's very rude of me. i understand it's a very high stress, tense situation that we find ourselves in. We being the tide callers.
02:39:15
Speaker
Tell me about yourselves. and You're the great tide surge champions.
02:39:23
Speaker
You can start first, Rock. A fella. A moi. Yeah, me. little bit about me. Well, my name's Raka Hragulikopeculasa. Okay, Fetulia Moy. Again, just a little bit slower.
02:39:36
Speaker
I really need each single letter announced properly. That's okay. I mean, you could write it out. How do you spell it?
02:39:47
Speaker
Uh, yeah. Mm-hmm. You can. If you wanted to. So I am really good with my fists and, uh, I mean- I got that with the mouth and fists.
02:40:02
Speaker
That's right. We're technically, um, surge divers now. Um, and, uh, yeah. what What else did you need to know?
02:40:14
Speaker
ah How long have you been in Wild Heart? Where are you from?
02:40:20
Speaker
Oh, jeez. Lots of questions. We've got some ways to walk. If you don't want to answer, excuse me prying. It's just the I find facts rather interesting.
02:40:31
Speaker
No, that's absolutely fine. I mean, I i mean only just kind of got to know you a little bit, but you seem like you're nice enough and you can read books and things. So I guess that works.
02:40:43
Speaker
Right, Falco? Yeah. i mean, where where do you where do you hail from?
02:40:53
Speaker
Ah, well, that is tale. Fair enough. You are the champions of the Tidal Surge. Well, as you can see, I'm a dwarf.
02:41:06
Speaker
And he waits to see if there's any reaction kind of to that, because these guys have ah been fairly... Pretty on the on the yeah positive side of ah interaction that Aranax has faced outside of like the immediate comfort of the fellow tidal surges. So just in case they were thinking he was of a different race, he's dropped the the dwarf name out there to see if there's any reaction.
02:41:33
Speaker
word. The D word. Is there any reaction? I'd probably glance at Rock. Okay. He's kind of nodding.
02:41:44
Speaker
Bit a smile.
02:41:47
Speaker
wow ah So I come from a family of dwarves. ah We're the Stonewake clan. Well known for the quality of gems that we mine.
02:42:00
Speaker
Or at least my family. and Found deep in the the mountain regions of the Ridgevale. I mean... The rest of my family are well skilled as mine is strong, tough, really big arms.
02:42:18
Speaker
can work hammers and knives, stones.
02:42:24
Speaker
I'm seen rather as the black sheep of my family. I was more into books, nature. And well, I wanted to learn About the tidal surge.
02:42:42
Speaker
Because it's such a. Wanderous. Chaotic force of nature. And it governs this land. Like no other. All the gods. They say one thing. The scholars. Another. The tidal surge.
02:42:56
Speaker
Is the bloodline. Of this place. And when I heard about the tide callers. And their endeavor to. Master. All information to do with the tidal surge.
02:43:12
Speaker
that spoke to me on a different level.
02:43:17
Speaker
So I set across to leave my family behind, Aranax says with a slight look of shame about him.
02:43:28
Speaker
But after 150 years of trying to mine and be like my family, it was time to step out on my own. So I ah took the pilgrimage to become a tide caller. and And like i said, I'm a water shaper, which is an apprentice tide caller.
02:43:49
Speaker
And I've recently been posted here in Stormspire to study and learn under the Flowkeeper High Priestess. i say Flowkeeper and I'm just trying not to laugh now. It really is.
02:44:07
Speaker
and Other than that, I don't have much, as you've seen, like, battle prowess.
02:44:16
Speaker
I've always been quite good with nature, and I can wield that to some degree in a positive, impactful way.
02:44:27
Speaker
But I'm just trying to make it in the scholarly world.
02:44:35
Speaker
Huh.
02:44:38
Speaker
Did you, in the fight that we had back down there, ah at some point there was there was some sort of energy that kind of... that It seemed to close a lot of my wounds. That that was you, wasn't it?
02:44:53
Speaker
Yes. Yes, that's part of the the nature that I can call upon. The power. It's not a power of mine that I wield from inside. It's a power that nature has bestowed. I can use nature.
02:45:06
Speaker
Particularly... elemental, like the water and the winds. It's something that was never present in my family. Only in me. No, I can do things like that too.
02:45:18
Speaker
Playing with the elements and, I mean, it's only a recent thing and it's because Falco had this mask. It kind of, I think, gave me some some sort of power to it, but I definitely trained along those lines. I was just never able to do it before.
02:45:31
Speaker
But, and um what Rock is going to do is he's going to kind of... Mechanically, he's going to be using the elementalism cantrip effectively.
02:45:41
Speaker
um But what you will see is through these kind of martial arts that he's... In fact, no, he's probably going put the... Careful with the bloom! Careful with the bloom! He puts it on the floor and over the top, he kind of would through this almost like... i Like... ah well How would I word this?
02:46:02
Speaker
Maneuver? i'm I'm trying to think like a... routine, if you like, martial arts routine, ah the air around him seems to ripple somewhat, ah like dust, if there's dust on the floor, or leaves on the floor, they start getting stirred up um and kind of as ah as a five foot cube around him.
02:46:22
Speaker
It doesn't, it's not strong enough to blow things away or anything like that, but he just seems to kind of mess around with that a little bit and you see this it's almost like a very fluid motion that he does and then it he channels it down somewhat into the earth and his maneuvers become a bit lower and any kind of dirt or dust kind of on the floor kind of muffles up and almost makes like a mini dust devil around him as well and he's as he's doing it he's really kind of smiling to himself as well like I've not properly been able to delve into this yet but I too I can do things with
02:46:57
Speaker
Various elements now, I think, and it's all thanks to Falco. Wow. Falco acts as your conduit to your abilities, or it does that come from within you, or is that nature given?
02:47:12
Speaker
i well, it's kind of like I trained towards it, but I was never able to do it. And then after our surge dive, Falco found this mask um that he said kind of channeled this energy, and and ever since that time, i've I've been able to do it. I've been able to connect with the elements in some way.
02:47:32
Speaker
That's fascinating. You should explore that. Yeah. Yeah, I will. And he picks up the the fungus back up onto his shoulders and carries on.
02:47:42
Speaker
Yes. Thank you for taking care of the bloom. Falco, is it?
02:47:50
Speaker
Yeah, he is Falco. Pleasure. what What about you? What's your story? We must be getting close to storm spire at this point. know It's a two hour walk. So you've got a good, um, what's your story? Valco and go through everything. What did you do at the age of five?
02:48:09
Speaker
that The age of five. Um, well, look, I, I don't want to bore you with too much. Um, obviously I too can, um, can use the elements as an instrument. It is, it is a gift. And I fully understand exactly what you're both talking about.
02:48:25
Speaker
Um,
02:48:29
Speaker
Inside check.
02:48:31
Speaker
Against your persuasion or deception, which is definitely going to be deception. Yeah. I got 19. Is it my... um though i Sorry, do I roll against it?
02:48:45
Speaker
Yeah, deception. If you're lying, which... a 23. Oh, yes, good. ha oh yes very good um Hey, hey be being a dwarf and all, um you you don't have any pals waiting down on the southern borders by any chance, do you?
02:49:08
Speaker
That's a very personal question. ah ah Sorry, I didn't mean to cry too much. I just, you know, um being a dwarf and all, sensitive times.
02:49:21
Speaker
Sensitive times, indeed. I'd rather focus on the... the mysteries of the tidal surge and and focus on that for now rather than anything going on with my race if that's okay yeah yeah sure yeah I mean well we just met you um exactly we'll left have plenty of time to talk about those kind of things and I'll look I'll make it like a a trepidatious glance towards rock laughing
02:50:00
Speaker
Whether he catches it or not, I'm not sure. but um I don't even know what the fuck a trepidation look would look like. so ah ah I mean, ah from my point of view, I'm just trying not to yeah talk too much about and being a dwarf. So I'm kind of mixed up with my own fucking internal alarms that were set off by that question to really analyze what you're doing.
02:50:31
Speaker
Um, yeah, well well, were you at the, at the, um, the tidal surge that happened the other day when everyone dived?
02:50:43
Speaker
Mark, was I at the tidal surge the other day where everyone died?
02:50:49
Speaker
You were not present for the dive, but heard about the only three survivors, a tiefling, a goliath, and a young boy.
02:51:03
Speaker
No, i I wasn't there. We were too busy trying to read charts. And how did that go?
02:51:14
Speaker
Anoraks, well, Aranax, not Anorak. Oh, that's a good little popar, though. because he is such an anorite he is such an anorite it's not the first time I thought that it does kind of work well but I purposely try not to say it and now I hate myself a little bit Aaron Axe will look down at that furrowed brow as he furrows his brow you see more of the grey in his eyebrows and the hair and that just kind of shines out and gets a little bit older still
02:51:51
Speaker
It didn't go well, as as the tone of your question seems to suggest you already know.
02:52:00
Speaker
We don't know why we're unable to read the tides anymore, or the charts. We don't know what's going on.
02:52:10
Speaker
ah Still, and Aranax will just stiffen up a little bit here as kind of dark memories cross his face. I don't see it a reason to kill off tide callers.
02:52:23
Speaker
The rumors are true. There's a group of people out there. Who are that angry at our inability. To read these surges.
02:52:34
Speaker
They go as far to kill us. I've seen a different side.
02:52:40
Speaker
To divers as of late. But no. It did not go well.
02:52:48
Speaker
And this is why I'm out here on this quest.
02:52:54
Speaker
Because the priestess believes that we can find a way to understand why we can no longer read this, these tides. And in the wake of the recent tidal surge, these new blooms appeared.
02:53:11
Speaker
And if we can understand why and what they are, We might be able to reverse engineering engineer why we can no longer read these surges.
02:53:28
Speaker
You understand it's very important. We are trying to regain the ability to read these. And not just for us, but for the good of Wild Heart.
02:53:43
Speaker
He says with some defiance in a way that he's trying to protect
02:53:50
Speaker
the whole scholarship of tide callers, because at the moment it's not really a reputable, respectful place to to kind of learn.
Community Engagement and Conclusion
02:54:05
Speaker
And with that... rather somber persuasive charismatic almost um defense and also part eulogy almost to the tide callers the walk maybe the conversation teeters out and the walk just continues along the long dusty road to storm spire And that's a wrap on this episode of Wild Heart.
02:54:30
Speaker
But the adventure doesn't stop here. No. Dive deeper into the world of Wild Heart over at fellowshipofthetabletop.co.uk. There, you'll find expanded lore, detailed maps of Aerith, and a brand new blog covering both Wild Heart and Belem Draconis.
02:54:50
Speaker
Got theories? Questions? Wild predictions? We'd love to hear them. Drop us a message on fellowshipofthetabletop at gmail.com. Chuck a theory on the blog or join the conversation on our socials.
02:55:04
Speaker
Your input might just shape what happens next. 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.
02:55:22
Speaker
This drops every other Tuesday. Until next time, subscribe to keep up to date, stay curious, and as always, watch the time.
02:55:41
Speaker
In wild heartland where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go