Transcript
Speaker: I want to shop. I want to shop. I want to shop. I wanted to shop last episode. I did. It was closed. If the shops are open, I want to be there. Sorry. Seth, wait up.
Speaker: Wait up. I want the August catalog too. It's my Christmas.
Speaker: Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop, Belem Draconis. We are a live play 5E 2024 D&D podcast set in a magical homebrew world of Aerith in the kingdom of Dralak.
Speaker: Joining you for this week's episode we have Darren who plays the high elf art Artificial Reigns hat out. Hello! We've got Pooh Bear who plays the human cleric Emron. Hello! The edgelord Calum who plays the warforged to artificer Alpha.
Speaker: Hello! who plays the tiefling war-saurer Nyx Karel. Hello! Will, he plays the dragonborn druid Balvalgon. My name is Mark and I am playing the human blade singer Seth Farrell Reaver.
Speaker: And last but by no means least is our barbarian booty boy, our putrid gender fluid druid, Dungeon Master Danny! Bonjour! Hello. Hello.
Speaker: had so I've gone through all of them now. I did also find an old one. now I've just lost it actually. I'm just kind of high Drago and Noodle making an appearance at the start of this episode. I know. Drago's Noodle.
Speaker: yeah we go. LAUGHTER
Speaker: We've all been there. We've all been there. And speaking of being there. He's fucking massive cock. Let's be honest. Come on. That was it. I just found out our vegan that speaks and makes our whole week. That's my other one. i find That's me.
Speaker: yeah That was you. Yeah, that would be you. That would be you. Still. All you. Except Ian's. his hole is tight. why would you How would you know, Ian? I will.
Speaker: William. Yeah. Willhelm Pooh Bear? It's between me and poo Bear Speaking of Pooh Bearing We've all fucked in the ass For fuck's sake That's like that Blink 182 song I'm the dog Wanna fuck the dog in the ass Wanna fuck the nicks in the ass Could only find Ball And his ass I miss you Don't waste raise your time Oh, do you remember?
Speaker: Hidden tracks, man. They were the best. That that's just doesn't happen anymore. CDs. They just used to have one, didn't they? At the end of their album. How did it go? can't remember.
Speaker: But they have one. Hit us up. All seven followers still on X. Tenacious D isn't a thing at the moment. Are they not? saying russian lots marks one is my wife.
Speaker: so make um last week but like that's really good question ja making a hit in track Speaking of hidden tracks, we find a hidden track down a side alley within Dralak, a long dusty path that skews between two high rise buildings, ah leaning on top of each other, almost like a Victorian-esque London.
Speaker: ah Deep at the back of it, there's a door. The door opens to a cellar. The cellar opens down to a long sewer. The sewer leads up and into the street. The street leads, and now the start of Funny Bones, um the street leads to the dark, dark town. And in the dark town, you have the dark, dark...
Speaker: old man. The dark, dark old man is sitting on a dark, dark rock. And on the dark, dark rock sits his dark, dark ass. And then, and on the dark, dark ass is a dark, dark arm. Dark, dark arm is a light orb.
Speaker: And in the light, light orb, we see some long, long toes. and the long And on the long, long toes, we see the the large, large mouth. And then the large, large mouth begins to speak.
Speaker: Ooh, almost everywhere is closed. Emron catches up with Seth, and it turns out that he can't quite forgive Nyx for what he's done. Seth's inner turmoil is revealed, and he's like, why must it be gray and not black and white?
Speaker: Emron's like, Seth, you need to recenter yourself. We need a common enemy. And Seth's all like, yeah, that's a good idea, and I can't cast right now. Sheesh. He's got performance issues. That comes with age. Trust me, boy.
Speaker: Seth begins to summon some sort of phantom horse, but he can't do without no verbal components, because he don't speak no more. And he looks at his spider, and he's like, oh, you're too much like a rat, you spider boy.
Speaker: And he squishes a bitch, Reigns heads to the merchant's guild hall, and tries to, you know, look into his granddaddy issues, and he stops to examine our robot overlords. It's the Trade and Commerce Center and it's still just continuing as if nothing had happened. Reigns starts approaching the Shadow Menians and he learns that he has been erased from Ancestry.com.
Speaker: Nyx calls Baal a boyfriend. Baal is like, oh, let's go collect our winnings from this here duely duel. He takes 1,600 gold pieces for himself, 1,800 for Seth, 1,100 for gets 80.
Speaker: hundred for rains and andron gu eightyie And Nyx gets nothing because he shouldn't have lived. And they try to go shopping. Wait, no, it's all closed and fucked. So let's accompany Alpha to the Mystic Quarter. Wait, no, it ain't open.
Speaker: Emron gets his hammer out. and gets all sweaty, and he starts smashing it down and bashing it out, and there's slag everywhere, and it's getting those kinks out, and he's obeying his master.
Speaker: He's smithing. It's smithing. That's all he's doing it's just smithing. And they make their way back to the pissed newt to find some individuals outside. There's a lot of people there, half-orcs, dragonborns, some sort of a Kriskrup person, a halfling, that's all gold port.
Speaker: Ooh, baby.
Speaker: It's first light on a new day in Goldview. Your diaries today contain two activities. At dusk today, Sparrowhawk has instructed you to make for an abandoned library in Old Town to attend an emergency meeting with the Winged Watch.
Speaker: At dawn, however, in these waking moments of the day, you were decided on a memorial to your fallen friend, Marota Broken Tusk.
Speaker: Heading out of your secure lodgings of the Piss Newt, you enter into the common room in this familiar, but now familiar, public house. And you see a number of figures in travelling garb.
Speaker: An elderly half-orc woman in this sort of sand-worn, sand-stained poncho, grasping tightly on her walking stick and her sort of spine is curved as though she spent an entire lifetime in physical service.
Speaker: A broader, much younger half-orc. His heavily scarred body and elongated tusks strike caution in all of you. A white-scale dragonborn that has these immaculately polished horns that draw to the centre of a head where these piercing, striking and brilliant yellow eyes almost hypnotise you.
Speaker: There is this dwarf, stocky and grizzled with silver and black hair in dark leathers and the purple cloak and heraldry of the Kriskra on his shoulders. There is this strikingly tall drow with black armours and glowing white tribal tattoos that Nix would wouldn't even have to roll a check to recognise this that resemble really closely some of the tattoos that Marota wore.
Speaker: Then there is this halfling of complete familiarity to all of you. Well, no, to most of you. For Reigns, for Emron, for Alpha and for Nyx, your once taskmaster, Orla Goldport.
Speaker: Within a moment of announcing herself, she visibly releases tears from her eyes and rushes to grab the hands of both Rains and Emron. She collects herself for a moment, looks at you both with this unfiltered joy and just says, Thank you.
Speaker: I don't understand how the people I have misfortuned so much...
Speaker: have such warmth in their hearts. And then within a second, she just sort of hides her face and her emotions take over. She begins to come around again.
Speaker: What do you all do? Yeah, yeah it's all good. And Rain's not knowing what to say. We'll just put his arms around her.
Speaker: She just sobs for a few minutes. Moments. we are We did what we said we'd do.
Speaker: What happened?
Speaker: I arrived in this city in a prison cart. And then I was just free. You were imprisoned?
Speaker: ah Hold on. that They imprisoned you? Yes.
Speaker: Born down.
Speaker: Born down. For the debt, I assume. Then he just... his
Speaker: His crew just said that the debt had been resolved by friends of mine. and I'm looking at the only friends I have.
Speaker: When we set out, we said we'd try and sort out. We went out to find gold and money to try and sort out the debt. Turns out it took us a bit longer than we planned, but when we had the chance, we fixed it.
Speaker: One time, the others. ah glad Everyone else, the goalkeeper, we left behind. What about them? They're there.
Speaker: I sort of asked Fondan for an audience and he sent an armed guard to escort me to... Scorch Helm. I had a plan to pay things back after didn't hear from you all again and...
Speaker: Well, I guess... I guess I don't need to exercise that plan now. On the road I... I met these folk and, um...
Speaker: They said they were traveling to Scotch Helm for a funeral.
Speaker: They're a curious looking bunch.
Speaker: They said I was going to Scotch Helm too. It was only this morning that I learned they're here for the funeral. wrote a broken tusk. I mean, I can't believe they heard about it so soon.
Speaker: yeah Yes, they all... um and she One moment. She walks back to the elderly half-orc, whispers something, and then comes back to you with this sort of small piece of card.
Speaker: And it just says, in loving memory of Marota Broken Tusk, and then today's date and this location at this time, and hands it to you, Emron.
Speaker: Well, it's a bit... Weird, because we only planned to do this, like, yesterday.
Speaker: She knew. All it can mean is, um, Merola knew that either one of us didn't leave the game or she didn't leave the games. Yeah, but it's not just about that, Reigns. fact that this has a specific place and time and all that kind of stuff, that's, you know, she can admit that she needs knew that, i mean, she didn't even fucking know us, given what Bal and that lot told us about when they were talking to her.
Speaker: She didn't even know who we were. She did at some point. She could have, um perhaps she knew us better than we thought, and this is a...
Speaker: I think. But who sent them this? No, this is someone who knew exactly, not just like, oh, I might die, so I'm going to tell people. This is, I know exactly that these people are going to do this then. That's someone knowing the future.
Speaker: Ola just sort of points to the dwarf.
Speaker: Hazan.
Speaker: He's had this invitation for almost three weeks.
Speaker: And who sent you this invitation, Hazan? They're sort of on the other side of the bar at this point. You'd have to sort of your shout about this if you wanted to. That's before Marota even left us.
Speaker: That's before even the Oasis and all that kind of stuff. Three weeks.
Speaker: Hazan. Three weeks to the day that you left Goldport Keep. Exactly. ah So Reigns has shouted to this dwarf. And sort of looks up with confusion and you see this really scarred face, not as desperately and life-threatening as Seth's, but but but someone who's seen a lot of battle.
Speaker: And he just looks whilst he's got this very fresh tankard in his hand at you with confusion. He doesn't know recognize you in any way. What? Sorry for your loss.
Speaker: um Just wondering here who informed you about Marauders. person
Speaker: was, uh, and delivered by this, uh, this wood elf, my name on it.
Speaker: Interesting fellow. He didn't say much.
Speaker: Do you have a name? No, but Sam,
Speaker: And he just sort of raises his hand to Orla. And Orla brings over an exactly um identical invitation to one that the the the half walked the elderly half-orc woman was holding.
Speaker: You have two invitations written in a particular penmanship and cursive. She flips it a couple of times as she's just sort of showing them to you and then you see on the back of this the house stamp, if you will, the the insignia of Prager the Majestic.
Speaker: Right. Then I'll hand that to you from while you're studying it just looks and ah, Alpha. It's good to see you.
Speaker: As is you. Um... I don't know if you know this, Alpha, but you've lot of friends near Goldport Keep, and, um... Yes, I, um... I do apologise for the, um... friends arriving most unexpectedly.
Speaker: Yeah, we were certainly surprised, um... But they they werere very they're very kind and um eager, let's say, ah to to help you specifically only.
Speaker: um Will they be leaving anytime soon?
Speaker: and If I tell them to leave, I suppose they would. but does This is hard to get the place tidied up when you've got a hundred goblins just shitting everywhere.
Speaker: I would like for them to have a proper home.
Speaker: Maybe this isn't the time to ask for more resources after what you've all just done for me. And then just looks and smiles. Nix, it's good to see you too.
Speaker: Nix would have walked away from any discussions here ah pre um around the Marota time. He would have like made himself scarce.
Speaker: He's not one for this ah funeral. So he's trying to find dark place where he can drink or would just outright um walk out.
Speaker: sorry to right your options would be that you, you stayed in the secure sort of penthouse below that. You've just taken yourself to a quiet corner in this. Yeah. There were, it was a very, um, wholesome reunion between, ah everyone there.
Speaker: And, uh, yeah, that's, that's not his scene at the moment. Okay. Then to retrospect, we say for a passing moment, it was, it was good to see Nick's too.
Speaker: um
Speaker: And just sort of marks Barl with unfamiliarity.
Speaker: And then sees Seth, looks away for a second, and then almost like a comical second glance, and then a third.
Speaker: Ferrariva?
Speaker: Is that... You under there?
Speaker: ah Seth would have been just kind of sat down, obscuring himself from the conversation, looked up at the name Prego um and then looked back down again. but then at the mention of his surname, kind of head would dart up and look over to the Woods Halfling.
Speaker: And it would look like the corner of a smile would start to form and he'd just um stand, aching body under this wiry frame, large coat over his shoulders, weighing him down and would slowly hunk over, step at a time, heavy boots across the wooden floor towards Orla and just almost like just collapse into her arms, like just down on his knees because she's a halfling and just kind of like just bury his head in her neck.
Speaker: not in a sexual way, but just in like, ah in like, in a, in a, in a and ah close embrace. And we'll just hang on, um for a little bit longer than is comfortable. Not as long as the, the, the, the previous hug we had in the other episode where they hugged for about 25 minutes, but you know, this is a, this is ah it's a, it's just a, it's a collapse.
Speaker: doesn't cry. just, it just kind of holds her. And if she was alive. She sort buckles under the... You sort of overwhelm her in that approach and the the the way in which you fall with that bigger mass.
Speaker: She sort of buckles under that but receive receipt of all your weight and just falls the floor with you and says, okay.
Speaker: and Struggles to breathe for a second, but then eventually musters the strength to hold you. to see you again, friend.
Speaker: He just there um pe himself sorry um peel himself off her and kind of hold her face, smile, like tap, like a, not like a ah heavy slap, but just like a slightly heavier than a caress. It's like a pat, pat on the side of the face, like a smile, um big pat on the shoulder.
Speaker: And then he would stand himself up and look towards the door, look towards Nyx. um wherever Nyx has gone and will still with a smile on his face walk away from the situation and try and Nyx
Speaker: um so I'm assuming Nyx is just like in a far corner of this room Yeah, just away from... yeah yeah Like, if if the room is full of noise... It's it's not it's not open yet. There is this these two parties that are huddled around the bar.
Speaker: Grumbar is just sort of preparing the space. There is the smell of food cooking. um But it's easy enough for just make decent... It would be somewhere near the bar. ah yeah ah such Just solitary.
Speaker: um Not in a... like fuck off way just hearing conversations that make him feel like uncomfortable oh okay i'm going to distance myself from this i'm not a part of this reunion okay i'm going to distance myself from this so it's not like emo nicks just find it in some space thanks
Speaker: And Ola sort of has to prop against Reigns. When it takes the full weight of Seth, she's sort of reaching out around her for any sort of support to to hold that weight and sort of grabs it. And Reigns is booted almost and uses that to help Seth get back up.
Speaker: And next where you're propped against, you sort of... You're you're looking... You're taking in the room but not wanting to be a part of anything. And you notice very clearly that there is this this drow sat the other side of the bar equally is not interested in being in this social sort of bubble that's existing now. you you clock eyes a couple of times, but you you see that she is exactly where you are, not wanting to make conversation, not wanting to um associate yourself with the sort of emotions that are in this room, just is there. The one second that your eyes linger on each other in that awkward looking between your glass and looking elsewhere,
Speaker: for a second, just for a split second, you feel like you're looking at Marota.
Speaker: Just because the space and placement of the tattoos, it's a different person entirely, but just physi the the hulking way that she's haunched over the bar as well, and the way these tattoos are glowing,
Speaker: It's just like for a second, it could have been her and then reality sort of catches up and and it's clearly not. She knows nothing about you. which there that there's She's not like looking, um sensing familiarity in you at all and then continues to awkwardly look around.
Speaker: Val, what are you doing at this time?
Speaker: So, Biles kind of been standing there semi-awkwardly, like he has no fucking clue who this person is. um But he knows that there's an Akriska with them, so he's still a little bit, even despite everything, a little bit on edge.
Speaker: um Because he knows... Well, he knows what he knows. and so ah Yeah, he's he's not engaging himself fully with the the conversation there. He's kind of just watching, really, seeing what's going on, seeing what Seth is doing, ah more so than what Nyx is doing at the moment. and You see Seth kind of make his way off towards Nyx.
Speaker: He's kind of stood there semi-awkwardly, kind of nods to himself, and probably goes to place himself, not next to um the other two, Seth and Nyx, but near-ish to them,
Speaker: um to try to overhear, not like purposefully like, oh, what's everyone going to say? but But just kind of get himself nearby so that if conversation sparks up, he can jump in there.
Speaker: Does anyone have anything they want to say to anyone? Yeah, range is going to sound cool. This just sense of awake that's sort of happening, this this um this room that's filled to people that are associated with a memory of someone and that's all.
Speaker: Reigns is just going to turn to Orla and say, is there any... Because I have never seen that emotion in Seth ever. what what's the context What's the context there, Orla?
Speaker: You're not a soldier, Reigns.
Speaker: Seth and I... Seth and I served the Hailstorm search. Seth and I ran shoulder to shoulder into the blight, into one of the darkest hours I've ever seen.
Speaker: It's a trauma I carry with me now, and clearly Seth too.
Speaker: It's one thing to fight an enemy in war.
Speaker: to lose loved ones, to lose your brethren.
Speaker: But to see them come back to life moments later as some monstrosity, everything about them gone, a husk of the person they were, and you have to destroy them all over again. one should have to suffer that.
Speaker: He's seen a lot.
Speaker: We all did.
Speaker: But alas, this morning is not for our stories, but for someone else's, I think.
Speaker: Reigns will glance up at that and just look at the other people in the room and say, It probably stands to reason that some of you here knew Mirolda longer than perhaps what I did or what anyone who's... Does anyone... how how do you want to How do you want to pay your respects?
Speaker: as the start of sorry At the start of Reigns saying that and the feeling of it like becoming more... kind of formalized almost in terms of remembrance. Seth is, ah from Nick's and Barr's perspective, going to become incredibly agitated and um ah quick of movement. He's going to quickly scribble out um a note, half write it, scribble out and close his book and then just walk out um and walks out of the at the door into the into the morning morning light. Yeah.
Speaker: And he he he leaves the space.
Speaker: The white scaled dragonborn sort of stands at this point and says,
Speaker: we were invited here.
Speaker: you mean to tell me there's nothing planned?
Speaker: Just quickly, whilst whilst that's going on, Battle's going to stand there, look but between Nix and Seth, see se Seth go, and he's just going to follow after him. He's going to follow him outside. and So Battle's out of the picture as well.
Speaker: Great then. um
Speaker: Well, there was something planned. Well, we had a plan. We didn't expect everyone to turn up. um You've all been invited through um arcane ways of knowing this was going to happen in the future, which is, you know, bit weird.
Speaker: But yeah. There's there's a lot of confusion around the room as you say that.
Speaker: We all knew Marota. Yeah. I'm not nodding. Or it's Remembrer. And as I start speaking, Daniel, I'm going to use um this to cast um Ceremonies Ritual.
Speaker: um There's no actual effect because technically Funeral Rite requires a body, but I'm just going to be using um the power to channel it into a a ceremony of some kind. um And Emron takes out um the pouch of um some of the dust that he collected of Morota.
Speaker: and he's going to place it on um on the table and sprinkle around it the ah powdered silver, which is required for the ceremony for the ceremony spell. We've all come here to remember.
Speaker: We all have different memories. And the best way sometimes to do this is for everyone to take a moment.
Speaker: to share the life that we're here remember, to share memories so that the one who was passed can live on within our memories and live in this moment as we use our voices and our memories of her to send her on to whatever is beyond this life.
Speaker: And as Emman does that, the the silver powder starts to um glow as it starts to channel the the the energy that he's sort of casting and with his words. I'll begin and then i invite each of you say as much as you want or as little as you want.
Speaker: What matters is what you feel in your hearts.
Speaker: When I first met Marauder, I didn't quite know what make of her. She was this feisty, woman who just knew she had her way, didn't she?
Speaker: She knew what she wanted to do. She knew what she wanted to say.
Speaker: But you know what? I remember of being able to and willing to stick with this crazy journey we started going on. And she was dependable when it really came down to it.
Speaker: she spilt blood she shed blood and there were moments when marotta had a real connection that's neutral bond that is grown through combat through strife and though we didn't see eye to eye on everything she was a friend And she was there where everything needed to be done.
Speaker: And it turns out that she had one last thing to do, which was to give her life so that others might live.
Speaker: ah Nix is going to walk out.
Speaker: Can you make a wisdom saving throw? Me? Yep.
Speaker: The fuck is in that ceremony, Emerald?
Speaker: You're hypnotized.
Speaker: Oh, oh. So ah I'm exhausted level two. i rolled a 24. Looking at that, I'll need help with this because you'll know. You minus it by the number of your exhaustion levels. Yes. its So is it, ah it says when you take a D20 test, the roll is reduced by two times your exhaustion the level. So is that a four that I'm taking off of that? Yeah. So I got a 20.
Speaker: For a moment. You attempt to walk out and your legs don't respond. And then you try and lift your hands off the bar and it's like they're glued.
Speaker: And it takes a couple of tugs and you need to just take a deep breath for a second.
Speaker: And then your faculties are entirely free. But for a split second, your body was resisting that urge. Can I follow that urge arcanically and make an arcanic check to find out what it was, the spell?
Speaker: Arcana check is not the appropriate thing. Arcana is... Some check to find out what the spell is, if there is such a thing. To detect magic on where you think it may have come from? Or a perception check to see if anyone's casting anything?
Speaker: I will take the...
Speaker: Just check in my spells. Because I've got detect something.
Speaker: Detect syphilis.
Speaker: It's rife. You get a big ping. get a ping. It's rife and it burns. What have you been doing? um I'll make a perception check if that's cool. Yep.
Speaker: I can perceive you. 13 minus 9. You
Speaker: get 9, mate. It's hard to tell who's looking at you in that moment that needed to be able to see what they were casting ah Okay, cool. um I'll look around a bit confused from that as I become more channeled with ah magical ah presence and power and knowledge.
Speaker: I'm aware these things are unbidden. Regardless, I'm free to move. I'll walk out. Imagine you'll see... Clip-clop on my boots on the wooden floor.
Speaker: You'll probably see Bal and Seth as you do just sort of sat on the docks looking out perhaps at the scorched bay nearby. But we'll return to that in a moment.
Speaker: Yeah, cool.
Speaker: Who wishes... sorry
Speaker: Who wishes to speak of their memories, of their connection with Marotta? Within seconds... this very old aged half-orc sort of lifts herself from the table and then the the younger half-orc and the dragonborn sort of prop her up either side help her.
Speaker: And she staggers towards the table with her cane that you've laid, this sort of ceremonial centerpiece. And from the small satchel,
Speaker: She just puts a small bundle of wheat wrapped in a leather cord onto the table.
Speaker: I knew Mirota as a young woman.
Speaker: After her mother was killed,
Speaker: i took her in for five, six winters
Speaker: I taught her how to tend to the land to honor it. And
Speaker: she was good daughter to me, I suppose, during that time.
Speaker: We didn't leave on exceptional terms. And I never saw her again.
Speaker: for six, seven years, she brought me nothing but joy.
Speaker: And she sort of, that's an uncontrolled smile that sort of breaks into a whimper and then moves back.
Speaker: And your memory of her brings us joy. And the the the the powdered silver sort of gives the glow And then gestures out for the next person to speak.
Speaker: Helping her back to her seat, this male orc, older, scarred, with these immaculately intimidating tusks, battered tunic and these really heavy boots, just steps straight in and says, I've never known for a long time.
Speaker: Well... It felt like a long time. She used to run in the fighting pits with me.
Speaker: ah my goodness could she fight.
Speaker: I gave her the name of the Valkyrie. Because she fought like something. Angelic at times.
Speaker: I kept this. And he produces this bronze medal.
Speaker: First time she ever competed. Against seasoned warriors.
Speaker: Veterans of wars.
Speaker: Barbarians of folklore.
Speaker: She was the third meanest thing. Amongst giants.
Speaker: As a wean. as a teenager.
Speaker: I've trained better fighters since, uh...
Speaker: but none.
Speaker: None that make Goliath cry like she did.
Speaker: then he spits on the table, slams his fist down, and sort of runs it through this broken glass that he was holding. Reaches out his hand, a couple of the drops of his blood just sort of fall into that ceremonial table as well, and walks back.
Speaker: There's awkward silence in the room as people begin to look around. i
Speaker: Can't stand here and say that Mirolda liked me much. I was aware that we had very different perspectives on the world
Speaker: and come from very different backgrounds.
Speaker: I've lived a life of privilege. I sometimes sulk and scowl about it, but in reality, compared to what I suspect Mirolda had to endure, my big fancy palace on the far side of the world probably wasn't that difficult.
Speaker: I never claim to be spiritual or to even consider the prospects that beyond the horizon between the moon and sun, there is a ah glimmer that leads into the celestial worlds where we depart to when we leave this world, but I, I really hope that's true.
Speaker: And I hope that for everything that Marauda did,
Speaker: that she gets to carry on doing what she does best, which fighting, which is
Speaker: moving, never staying in one place, I suspect, and and and pushing for what she believes in.
Speaker: I can't say, or even pretend to say that I understood what Merola believed in, or what it was she was fighting for. that That was, is, and always will be a complete enigma to me, but...
Speaker: There's a lot of people in this tavern and on that dock outside who can...
Speaker: stand here today in the light of soul because of the fact that Marauda selflessly, selflessly gave her life so that we may continue.
Speaker: Ah, we arrived
Speaker: in Sleetgard without purpose, without direction. And I think seeing three people from the other side of the world,
Speaker: move around aimlessly probably frustrated her. I think she gave us purpose and ah think deep down we're older and knew that what we were or what we have to deal with was bigger.
Speaker: Bigger than anything that we individually carry as burdens and
Speaker: she literally, I saw it, gave her life to those among us. Her body literally parted this world to dust to keep some of us, one of us, probably all of us on this plane for a bit longer.
Speaker: So whatever Marolda knew ah didn't know or whatever Marolda was fighting for, however she's worked up in this, this is it's ah
Speaker: it's a legacy to those of us that remain. To either keep her memory going, he'll glance around the room, pass on the training that she had, the tender and care for the land that she had.
Speaker: And then he'll glance at Emron and Alpha
Speaker: or to keep fighting her fight. And he'll then glance at the old orc and if possible to spread her name so that others who come from similar backgrounds can
Speaker: can know what it is to do heroic deeds and selfless deeds despite the harshest and perhaps most difficult of backgrounds.
Speaker: I am truly sorry that Marola is gone and I wish for what we had to do next that she was here, but I don't know what I'm personally capable of.
Speaker: But for Moreau's sake, whatever this is that we're in,
Speaker: we're going to see it through.
Speaker: I don't know her, but Reigns will just then...
Speaker: just go to the bar and just take a tankard, ah go to fill it up, realise that the bar is still drained of alcohol and we'll just... No, it's restarted. Okay, Reigns will just fill a tankard up with an ale and he'll just place it on the desk and say,
Speaker: sit this one out, Maraud, or we got it.
Speaker: Thank you.
Speaker: When you started to talk about...
Speaker: showing others or being a hero and these heroic acts, the drow scuffed, not deliberately, like, audibly to interrupt you, stood back and followed Nix's um pathway and beelined for being out of there, as though she didn't believe the story.
Speaker: But everyone else took it as expected and Nick, Seth, Bile, wherever you are, if you're out on the dock right now looking out, just having your own quiet moments, this drow with glowing white tattoos has done the exact same thing.
Speaker: And Rains, once you finish that gesture, the white-scale dragonborn
Speaker: sort of holds her tankard and sort of cheers is the one you just put down. and says,
Speaker: i didn't know her for very long.
Speaker: We worked together in an organization known as the Mirage Brotherhood.
Speaker: And
Speaker: she was one of the Finest strategic minds, I think. Her attitude for...
Speaker: taking no bullshit, taking no prisoners.
Speaker: Understanding the task at hand and executing it.
Speaker: And her ah flair for opportunity made me very rich over the years.
Speaker: And I'll miss, and I have missed, a business partner partner of the same cunning and ambition as her.
Speaker: And she just flicks this coin from her pocket. On one side has K, D, and near the other N, B.
Speaker: And it lands next to the tanker that you put down, Reigns.
Speaker: Sits back down. There's a beat of silence.
Speaker: And then this dwarf in the of Criskra Cloak stands.
Speaker: And he is tearful entirely. And has been audibly sobbing through all of this.
Speaker: Names hasn't.
Speaker: Marota was my wife.
Speaker: For a time.
Speaker: We served in the Criss-critch together. For a couple of years. out together I rejoined once we parted ways
Speaker: so
Speaker: for the happiest part of my life she made me better man
Speaker: I better fight her.
Speaker: And taught me so much about this side of the world.
Speaker: And he puts these pair of manacles down on the table.
Speaker: No, this isn't a kink thing.
Speaker: We caught some fucking dangerous bastards with this.
Speaker: Aerith would have been in a lot more of a shit state now, were it not for her.
Speaker: Ten years in the Upris Gramee, she's the finest person I've ever fought alongside in that organisation.
Speaker: And she was the greatest wife I could have ever hoped for.
Speaker: And uncontrollably sobs at that point.
Speaker: Until the Whitescale Dragonborn sort of consoles him.
Speaker: At this point, the people that haven't spoken would be Alpha and Orla, because the Drow walked out.
Speaker: Ola just looks at you, Alpha, for a second to see if there is any
Speaker: motion. there's a She can't read any motion on Alpha's face. um But he will take a step forward.
Speaker: I'm afraid i didn't know Morota as long as some of you.
Speaker: And you all have so many wonderful memories of her and the influence that she had.
Speaker: The only thing I can ever take away from Morota and her time with myself was some of her teachings and a few soul adventures with her and another friend.
Speaker: She taught me and encouraged me to follow my own path, to be true to myself and to what I deem to be right in my own eyes.
Speaker: She sometimes did things that were not agreed upon, as has already been said, but she believed in what she did with her whole heart.
Speaker: And the only hope that I can ever have is that I can take these lessons that she has attempted to teach myself and carry them on in her name.
Speaker: And the only thing that AlphaKinder has that has any emotional or sentimental attachment to Marota is the boomerang that she left with Alpha.
Speaker: I had always thought that I would carry this with me as a memento of our time together. But now I understand after listening to all of your amazing stories.
Speaker: The best thing I can carry with me is her memory.
Speaker: And he's going to put the boomerang down on the table with all the other bits and pieces that people have put down. So a few drops of blood, the coin, and just take a step back.
Speaker: There is a din
Speaker: until Orla clears her throat.
Speaker: Fuck.
Speaker: I really shouldn't have done this last.
Speaker: shouldn't get up from a chair.
Speaker: The last thing, last time we spoke, she threatened to kill me. There were a couple of chuckles in the room.
Speaker: No. She sort of readdresses them.
Speaker: This was recently. She threatened to kill me because tasks and opportunities that I extended to her and her friends kept getting people killed or in trouble and
Speaker: there was one contract.
Speaker: This creature She looks at you, Reigns and Emron Alpha. I don't even know the outcome of that roper. But you live to tell the tale.
Speaker: But she told me stop doing this because people are dying and next time I see you all, it's her.
Speaker: I'm really not good at this. This life post-blight.
Speaker: I'm really not doing well.
Speaker: And I really let you down.
Speaker: And I'm sorry.
Speaker: I'm really fucking sorry.
Speaker: And she goes to walk out.
Speaker: then Emron's eyes just slowly make their way back to you. But before you speak,
Speaker: the dwarf just looks at you and says...
Speaker: We celebrated our marriage
Speaker: under the church of Lido.
Speaker: Thank you for this.
Speaker: He leaves.
Speaker: And so, with everyone's memories, with everyone's shared connection.
Speaker: I bring our voices together, bound within this ceremony. Though we do not have a body here, we do have what remains of her.
Speaker: And so with these spells and with the power of Aledo, I bid this magic, these memories, this...
Speaker: love, this connection we all had, helped speed her spirit on its way to whatever plane is her destiny to go to, to reside.
Speaker: And with that, I close this ceremony. And the silver sparkles and brightens and glows. you And then the silver is gone.
Speaker: Take inspiration there. Thanks. We rewind a little bit in time to outside the front of the Pisnut where chronologically, my apologies, Baal and Seth, you sort of find yourself in the sort of jetty of a series of docks, looking out amongst the Scorch Bay. The city itself is sounding more like it did when you first arrived.
Speaker: the sense of industry and purpose is sort of reigniting. It's still a little bit tepid. There are still sort of places in scaffold. There are still...
Speaker: um ah people in mourning, but it's it's not the most immediate reaction. People are beginning to carry on. Business as usual is starting to resume.
Speaker: It's just you two at the moment. We'll rewind a little bit and Nyx will appear imminently before this this drow does. there anything you two want to say in that or perform, let's say? This might be more appropriate, but Seth's vow right now.
Speaker: Yeah, definitely. Is is Seth, are you storming off somewhere? Are you kind of popping yourself down? what What's Seth doing? Yeah, he's pontificating, looking out over the bay um and just taking in what was so eloquently described and just now kind of book open, not writing anything, just kind of looking out.
Speaker: Okay. Bile is going to walk up behind and just stand there for a second or two. before placing himself down next to you, just sitting down, staring out ahead, looking across to you.
Speaker: I appreciate the irony of what I'm about to say, but we need to talk.
Speaker: and kind of raises an eyebrow looking at you, Seth. It's like a slightly ironic half-smile and they' kind of a side-eye glance over to you but for a second and then he continues looking out.
Speaker: I don't quite understand
Speaker: what's going on. We haven't had a chance to talk since the boat. And you haven't talked since the boat.
Speaker: What's gotten into you, Seth?
Speaker: He takes a second just kind of like to process what you've asked of him. and so It's like this big exhalation of breath and then begins to write.
Speaker: And he writes and in a way it's very similar to what he had written to Emron the previous day, but
Speaker: It's ramblings, really, angry ramblings of of um disunity within himself with
Speaker: things being wrong, nothing feeling right, the curse, the past of the curse, Nyx's loss of curse, his gain of curse, his dislike ah being directionless. He's a soldier. he doesn't have, he doesn't deal well without an enemy. And now he's been told that the enemy, other people entrusted with the egg and with everything and suddenly they're not the enemy anymore and that doesn't sit well.
Speaker: And he finishes it with, ah he kind of writes, read, writes, and imagine he's kind of reading it over his shoulder and he rips the page out and slams it down and then starts a new one. He writes this kind of block capitals a little bit almost.
Speaker: It just says, I can't be in there when I killed her. It feels wrong. It all feels so wrong. What do we do now?
Speaker: but was going to kind of raise his eyebrows and go, fuck. Okay. That's a lot to unpack.
Speaker: Let's start with this and he'll motion to the the new tattoo that you have on your arm. You need to understand, i did not know that was going to happen. I didn't know that it was going to to to even stop being on me.
Speaker: Seth nods to that, like with ah closing his eyes like ah he understands the Yeah. i
Speaker: I've been thinking of it through and the deal was about the egg which I got and when I got the egg, as soon as it happened, my curse left me which got me thinking about you and what you had asked for.
Speaker: Which, if I remember rightly, was a small loyal army. so Seth nods to that and then writes the word Legion. Legion?
Speaker: Is that a lot? He nods to that like, him yeah.
Speaker: Doesn't say it, but...
Speaker: The deal was we keep most of the group alive and you end up with that. I mean, my deal was ended sooner, perhaps, because of the egg. Can we try to find you a legion that is of I don't know, strong loyalty to to to you? is is If we can do that, we can end what we have there. and It also got me thinking as well. I know that we were both really, really fucking stupid.
Speaker: But we both agreed to this with Prego ourselves, didn't we? He didn't force us to to make that agreement. It was a choice at the end of the day. And as far as I see it, with regards to purpose and direction, mine has not changed, even though my deal is done.
Speaker: I do intend to keep that group alive. And if I'm not mistaken, that that's the deal that you also have to do. So you keep bringing yourself away from them.
Speaker: But it's something about us being with them that is going to solve this situation. So don't lose sight of that. um And he's going to trace his finger down the book.
Speaker: Next on the list, next on the list. Oh, fuck me. Yes, of Kriska. Okay. Now, I still feel shitty about that. In fact, your reaction made me feel even shittier about that. i In all honesty, one of the big deciding factors in me giving that over to who I did was you.
Speaker: You hold Lucian in high regard. I've heard you talk of him. And looking me in the eye, Seth, if Lucian had promised you that no harm would come to it, that he is not harming and will make sure that no harm comes to the other eggs in his possession,
Speaker: and he will on his life ensure it is looked after, Would you have denied him?
Speaker: Seth thinks for a long seven seconds and then shakes his head. No, he wouldn't deny him. you see Ba kind of exhale and his shoulders drop a bit. He was relying on that as a response, and he just kind of... There's almost like ah like a half sob comes out as well, and he goes, oh, thank fuck.
Speaker: Oh, thank fuck, Seth. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that, because I have been double-guessing myself. I know it seems like a really fucking stupid idea.
Speaker: It does. I'm not saying we suddenly trust all of Kriska, but...
Speaker: I think there are some we might have aligned goals with. That is not to say that the people we fought in the desert, your old captain, yore and the undercover work you were doing there, I'm pretty sure those were the evil fuckers, and I will ensure that they burn on this plane and all other planes. I will follow them into the depths of all of the planes of hell and fucking burn them again. He's getting more and more irate and kind of slows himself down.
Speaker: Calm. ah I haven't forgotten it. Please don't think I have.
Speaker: um
Speaker: And finally, to do with Nix and what he did.
Speaker: Put yourself in his shoes, Seth.
Speaker: Imagine, if you will, the one thing you hold above all others was a ship that you fucking love and tell all sorts of stories for. Make up fucking goblin stories about, apparently.
Speaker: Imagine that you have a friend whom you treasure above all others, a captain whom you treasure above all else, and then some person that you know is important to others but don't really give a shit about.
Speaker: He could do nothing to save Marota. I know that, and I know you hold guilt for her death. You could not have changed it any other way. She was not making out of that tournament in any other way. I think she knew that.
Speaker: And seeing what I've seen within there, I think Prego knew that. It was his signature on the invitations. He had some foresight, like he's done with the egg, like he's done with us, that we were not in control of. That was a certain point in future that he must have known about.
Speaker: You need to hold on to that. Your actions may have put an end to her life, but it was predetermined. If it wasn't you, it would have been one of us.
Speaker: But back to Nyx. Imagine you had lost everything. Absolutely everything. Three of the things that you hold dearest. Your captain, your best friend, your ship.
Speaker: The things that you've been fighting for for God only knows how long. And then there's this other person that means a lot to other people and maybe the future.
Speaker: If I was in his shoes and say it was the egg on that list, I wouldn't have thought twice. I would not have brought anything else back. I would have saved the egg.
Speaker: He didn't.
Speaker: He chose... And Baal quickly looks around. is that Is there anyone directly nearby? ne Okay. He'll kind of lure his voice a bit. He chose Sebastian.
Speaker: For us. For Aerith.
Speaker: Maybe even for you.
Speaker: Don't cast that aside.
Speaker: He's not blameless. But he is not the same tiefling that we met weeks ago.
Speaker: Through that last section, Seth's just been lightly shaking his head. And as you finished, he scribbles down another page. Another note another page just writes, i hate that you talk so much sense.
Speaker: LAUGHTER
Speaker: I don't know what is right or wrong now, but you seem to. I will follow your lead. I need a list.
Speaker: One, bracket, kill the mechanics in the sky. Two, bracket, remove the curse plus get an army. Three, bracket, kill Prego the Majestic. And he looks up at you like, hmm?
Speaker: Oh, fuck yes. Thumbs up. And it doesn't have to be in that order, Seth. and Double thumbs Bar will tap the army and look his way up to the sky as well. That could come in handy.
Speaker: He nods. He then has like a, oh, like ah a reminder and then quickly scribbles down. Do we still have those scimitars I could do with a weapon about now? I can't cast anything.
Speaker: Bar will kind of... nod, ah look in his bag of holding, circle, look like kind he'll pull out a potion of water breathing. ah He'll pull out like a fistful of gold and look at you and go, ah by the way, you're rich.
Speaker: um This is yours. and And he'll hand over to you 1800 gold pieces. And just kind of spill it out onto you.
Speaker: And just be like, it's all yours. It's all yours. I mean, people fucking wanted you to win. Seth's just going to push it back into the bag of holding while looking around. Like, he's just got normal pockets and he's just to like... Good point, good point. I'll take it back. I'll take it back. Like moth to flame.
Speaker: Like moth to flame. The moment gold is produced. Oh no. Nyx exits the pissed newt in... Hello!
Speaker: in in in his own emotional circumstance nix you take out you take that deep breath in for a second you see your two friends removing the themselves from the situation on the dock the city around you is beginning to have a pulse again after a couple of days of just being in shock what do you do in these moments uh nix is just taking in the we're close to the sea again aren't we yeah right in front of the bay and your two friends are there and they're smiling and they're in that moment they are not matching the emotions of the room you left.
Speaker: Oh, that's lovely. Seth like he's actually happy for for for once in ah in a few, and in a hot minute. Nick will take that scene in for just a heartbeat of the sea just kind of glistening in the sun and the smell of the salty air and then Baal kind of making Seth smile. Cause the last time Nixon Seth, uh, is like, it's almost replaying vividly in Nick's mind. The, the illusion, but Nick know that of the shadow blade coming down on him and then the storm off, um, after the big reveal.
Speaker: ah so the next time seeing Seth, seeing that he's smiling, And it doesn't take a genius to know the result of that. um Just makes him, just makes his heart little skip a little bit more for Baal as he takes in just, and he just takes that in for a moment and kind of this weight.
Speaker: and It just feels a bit more weightless, weightness, weight, takes a bit of weight off his shoulders. Yeah.
Speaker: a Yeah, I think Nyx is just taking that all in. He's okay. He doesn't need to engage in the conversation. i think he's a little bit wary. He's still a Seth and he doesn't want to rock the boat, as it were, to disrupt any um merriment.
Speaker: So he's just going to and just take it in He just needed to get out there. It wasn't a storm off or anything like that. He needed some air. He's happy-ish.
Speaker: And taking in that scene of your friends, about a minute of just breathing, this drow slams a door behind you, sort of walks past you with purpose.
Speaker: sees that Seth and Nix are occupying that part of the dock and just sort of moves down a couple of jetties and just goes out. Sorry. Sees that but Seth and Bala are occupying the immediate sort of overlook into the Scorch Bay.
Speaker: So knocks you on the shoulder again, um not purposely, but just like wants to move through some people and goes like the next jetty down and just finds her own space and looks out at the bay and is looking angry, like really angry.
Speaker: just stares out at the sea. Sorry, just just to clarify, were there some scimitars in the bed? I think they were sold, if I'm not mistaken. have no scimitars on my person. I'm pretty sure they were I don't even have Nyx's dagger anymore.
Speaker: yeah I don't have any weaponry on me other than the cane, the navigator's cane, but that's not really a weapon. and I'll make you one, babes. You are super rich. That'll take too long. I'm going to go buy some. I'm going to go to the shops and then he'll just... That's where he'll be for the...
Speaker: Cool. Feel free to buy two scimitars if I can. Feel free to browse through that in the player's handbook to get to get a price, et cetera. Can I have super powerful ones? Please.
Speaker: I want to shop. I want shop. I want to shop. if I wanted to shop last episode. I did. It was closed. If the shops are open, I want to be there. What about the trail? Seth, wait up!
Speaker: Wait up! I'm on the August catalogue too! It's my Christmas! It's Dawn, you've got a couple hours before anything like opens for reals. But but yeah, but we can honour that today for sure.
Speaker: Thank you. But Nick, in that moment, anything you're doing? Yeah. ah
Speaker: ah a lot of noises. That was a lot of noises. and Yeah, it was a lot of noises because Ian and Nick's got two different approaches. Like, Ian wants to go and sniff out this drow. I'm just making sure that's what Nick wants to do in this situation, given it's the wake of Marota everything that's just transpired.
Speaker: just think, I just think, unless provoked, he's quite happy in that good moment, that was just, he just viewed, um, I don't know if I can know what that drow is doing though.
Speaker: So yeah, Nix is Nix is. Yeah. Uh, He's cool. he's He's chill. He's just watching. He'll watch Seth get up. um If there's a space next to Baal after that, he'd sit next to Baal.
Speaker: um Just for companionship. Yeah, just just make a perception check for me for something that happened during that. I can perceive. Motherfucker, she stole something. I'm killing her.
Speaker: Straight up.
Speaker: ah So, that's a three, because I'm exhausted.
Speaker: Yes, Barl's there. Just looking out at bay by himself. Great. Shit. Then Nick's knowing nothing. Ian inside, just squirming and uncomfortably.
Speaker: ah Yeah, Nick's will just walk up. He'll try and... if it it like ah watch Seth walk away first. If Seth didn't make any motions or anything like that, he'll just kind of like eyes up, eyes down, eyes up, eyes down.
Speaker: Anything? Eyes down. Towards Baal. That's the play.
Speaker: I do want to shop though. shot Do you do two do anything?
Speaker: It's public. There's people watching. We shouldn't. Baal kind of looks up. Ha ha ha ha!
Speaker: see you approaching, just kind of tap the floor next to him. His feet are dangling off. He's looking over into the Harbor. Uh, what I imagine is still part destruction from, um, a few nights ago. Um, and if bar kind of sits down next to him, he'll just rest ahead over on his shoulder and just stare out.
Speaker: Uh, yeah. Nick's all pop his head on top of bar's head. And, uh,
Speaker: I'd didn't think I'd see him smile again so soon. So, well done.
Speaker: He's not there yet.
Speaker: But... You have a way about you. your You'll get him there.
Speaker: ah Thanks for not running a mile um and saying some
Speaker: some rather lovely things. Uh, during my big old story, you know, means, ah means more than unfortunately you'll probably ever know.
Speaker: Uh, but yeah.
Speaker: In all honesty, if me frying someone in their own armour hasn't scared you off, you've probably seen me at my worst. Ah, no, that was like that was a turn-on.
Speaker: Let's go buy some scale mail. You're resistant, right? Oh, yeah. I'm joking.
Speaker: in this in this question i In this moment are where you're just like... Physically warm with each other, but not like not necessarily like embracing. Just tell me what you're doing with your hands, Nix.
Speaker: Tell me what you're doing with your hands. Just in this moment of post-awkwardness, discovery of what your relationship is now, just that when you where do you place your hands? In between his legs. No, no. I'm sorry. No.
Speaker: No.
Speaker: no
Speaker: Don't need to make a con safe. They are just hanging loosely in Nix's laps. Laps. Lap. Over his trousers as, because it's the head contact, as...
Speaker: and They're looking out into the harbour. um It's all very just nice. PG. Yeah. And as you exchange a few warm words with Baal, your hands are in your lap, your forearm on your right hand side Just notices your pocket's a bit thicker. hair Dangerous territory.
Speaker: your Your pocket has a slight bulge to it so on your hip.
Speaker: Oh, damn. Uh, Nick's all just kind of, but as he feels that kind of look a bit confused and, and look down, break the the head, um, uh, and just slightly shift his shoulders. So that ball's head would just kind of instinctively just pop up, um, almost like after a long rest.
Speaker: And, uh, this is, uh, this is new and Nick's will venture into the bulge. but It's the invitation again that was written in Prego's hand for this moment in time.
Speaker: As you study it and flip it over. faint blue glow appears on the card for a split second.
Speaker: Bala, you see none of this. If you're looking at what he's doing at all, you just see the invitation. Next, you just see a faint blue glow. Sort of like an automatic writing moment.
Speaker: And it just says four words.
Speaker: The tusk isn't broken.
Speaker: And that's where we're going to end this week's episode of the Fellowship the Tabletop Bellum Draconis.
Speaker: oh bump bump boom Oh! Cliff Hangger. It's coming up, Nicks! Speaking
Speaker: of coming up, o thanks for joining us. That's not a segue. It is now. Thanks for coming along.
Speaker: ah Along what? Thanks for stopping by, San Diego. Nice. Yeah, so if you wanted to reach out to us, we have an X page as i try and stifle a yawn. I apologise to everyone. It is at Fellowship Table, and there you'll find maps and images and other goodies.
Speaker: Check it out! If you want to go one step further and follow us individually, you can do so too. Pooh Bear is at Natural20Well. Edgelord is at TheD20Gamer.
Speaker: Darren's at DarrenPage06. I need to come up with others now because just going to Darren doesn't... Mark's at HastyRollDM. Will is at FellowshipNBCBC.
Speaker: And our VIP of the D&D. Dungeon Master Danny can be found at TotalPartyThrill. Until next time, guys. Farewell!
