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Ep. 25 - Wildheart - Beefy Large
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Arronax, Rok and Falco drag back the Blackwater Bloom from the southern Floodfields as per Iridia's request. Rif'a dreams of the past, present, future and all between. She finally wakes from her deep healing sleep to the party reunited as she comes to terms with the loss of Garrick.
Iridia shares information on the group known as Valesroot who are responsible for the ambush at the Maw and their robbery. Their hideout is located at the Skystring Arena here in Stormspire.
Falco leads the search for 'chalk sellers' and the now infamous 'Beefy Large': a chap who knows where the Valesroot hideout is located...
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Transcript
Introduction to the Mythical World
00:00:00
Speaker
he's ah He's a big boy and he's, well, he's quite tall and he's got a big tummy and, well, yeah, I guess you might, you know, might, there are some that could, you you might think of, um I might refer to him being beefy.
00:00:21
Speaker
ah been beefy right so when i when i when i think of it When I come to think of it, he's not you so big, but he's not small. So, yeah, I would i would put him at, you know, I'd put him at large.
00:00:40
Speaker
Rock, knock this guy out.
00:00:54
Speaker
world's land where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go
00:01:12
Speaker
Gold on emerald shores, glories felt in ancient lore. Bartonus aims to heal his scars, to call her chosen stone and stars.
00:01:24
Speaker
In wild heartland where legends grow, tidal surges rise and flow.
Bartonus' Quest for Healing
00:01:30
Speaker
Golden treasures deep below, time to get moist, here we go.
00:01:37
Speaker
Welcome to Wild Heart, the tight surge gambit. Want to explore more? Head to fellowshipofthetabletop.co.uk for maps, lore and our latest blog. Check out the Interregnums dropping every other Tuesday and Bellem Draconis, our sister podcast releasing every Friday.
00:01:54
Speaker
Now, let's dive in. Reefa, there is a field and the wind does not blow. Not yet.
00:02:07
Speaker
You are unconscious, in a coma. All you remember is the cold sun above you and hitting the ground at the moor after the surge after Garrick.
00:02:30
Speaker
But as you hit the ground, it changes and there's grass, but this grass is brittle as parchment almost. And it sways, not because there's any wind, but because it seems to remember motion, almost like reeds under the water.
00:02:46
Speaker
You see a single tree, dry and ghost-light
Reefa's Coma Dream and Challenges
00:02:50
Speaker
and ghost-like, and it leans over a well that has no rope, no bucket. Its shadow reaches long, but never bends.
00:03:01
Speaker
And there is a sound, faint but constant, like someone breathing just beyond the edge of hearing.
00:03:12
Speaker
Could you give me either an insight or a perception check, please?
00:03:21
Speaker
Yep. I will give ah perception. Okay. 15.
00:03:32
Speaker
The sound isn't breathing, it's water. But it's running backwards. Water in reverse, upstream.
00:03:46
Speaker
From that hush, somewhere within it, from a directionless place, you hear your father's voice. It carries no warmth, only the iron surety of command.
00:04:00
Speaker
You were a child once. And that was your last indulgence. The world turns and you are at Cliffstone Keep.
00:04:11
Speaker
Stones black with oil and rain. The parapets, parapets crowned in frost. Smell that boiled leather and lye.
00:04:24
Speaker
You hear the sounds of men drilling in the yard. Your father stands atop the steps. arms folded like a fortress, his face carved more by judgment and experience than anything else.
00:04:38
Speaker
He looks towards the horizon. The Surge does not ask if you are ready. Doesn't necessarily say it to you, but just speaks aloud.
00:04:52
Speaker
But the dream doesn't let you answer. He's gone. And you're stood in front of a door, that you've never opened, a door that bears no handle.
00:05:05
Speaker
What would you like to do? You have some semblance of autonomy in these vision, dreams, hallucinations, if you will.
00:05:15
Speaker
In terms of my surroundings, is that door in a corridor? Is it outside? It's in a corridor, a long corridor, and along the wall you see a number of lit fire sconces, and the fire... Yeah, that's what you can see at the moment. A stone floor. It's cold underfoot, despite what you assume is wearing are your are your boots.
00:05:39
Speaker
Are there more doors, or is there just this one door? Give me an investigation check, please.
00:05:46
Speaker
Eleven. Eleven. You can't see any other doors from your location at the moment. Okay, um as I reach out and put my hand against the door in front of me, it just feel like a normal door? Is it cold? Is it warm?
00:06:07
Speaker
you At first your hand touches the door and it feels solid to begin with and then your hand sinks ever so slightly in towards it. As you are now very close to it, you can see that there's... It almost looks like... Well, we'd see it as... um Oh God, what is it called?
00:06:29
Speaker
ah Moisture on the inside of a window. Condensation coming down the side of the door, but it moves at quite a pace. For some reason, it reminds you of tears.
00:06:40
Speaker
It's warm now. Warm like flesh. the stone seems to breathe beneath your fingers. The air turns briny, sulphur licked.
00:06:53
Speaker
The sky high above fractures into long black ribs, and then the sun within it is a boiling eye.
00:07:02
Speaker
He is watching, your father says. But he's no longer your father. His uniform is rotted, His teeth are too many. His eyes leak ink.
00:07:15
Speaker
His shadow pulls from him, stretching away. And yours seems to do the same.
00:07:25
Speaker
You have two decisions you can really make now. is stood. You've got your back to this door now, and this thing is stood in front of you. You can try the door, you can refuse, turn away and try and run past this thing.
00:07:41
Speaker
I think um rather than it necessarily being a decision, it's almost like she turns around and sees this thing and kind of stumbles back in a bit of shock and that takes her through the door.
00:07:54
Speaker
Okay. And you're through. But there's no floor. There's no keep. There's only the surge and it's not water, it's memory. It's ruin.
00:08:09
Speaker
You hear a voice speak, yet you don't hear it. You feel the silence where a voice should be.
00:08:19
Speaker
Do not mistake stillness for peace. The stars are beneath your feet and they move like fish in a pond. Your legs hang weightlessly.
00:08:32
Speaker
Your wounds throb with heat, but do not bleed.
00:08:39
Speaker
And then a choice returns to you.
00:08:43
Speaker
A memory you regret. ah moment you buried. It surfaces like driftwood. Ugly and uncalled for. You must face it.
00:08:58
Speaker
Could you regale us
Reefa Awakens and Group Interactions
00:09:00
Speaker
of a memory that Rifa might regret? Um...
00:09:14
Speaker
So, um
00:09:21
Speaker
i think it's probably quite um the moment. and it It's quite innocent in terms of she was young when it happened.
00:09:36
Speaker
um
00:09:39
Speaker
But it's that usual thing of i would say she's probably you know like early teenage years 12 13 um and she was arguing arguing um with her mother and you know so said when you you're young you just hail kind of things you don't mean at her um
00:10:12
Speaker
And even though they made up after that, it was only two weeks after that, that she, her mother passed away. And I think now she's older, she is really ashamed and regrets that, you know, it took away a couple of days that she could have spent ah with her mother because she was basically sulking and
00:10:39
Speaker
didn't want to listen to yeah could you give me a wisdom wisdom wisdom saving throw please
00:10:55
Speaker
yep that's a 21 the moment bends you feel forgiven the stars beneath you brighten
00:11:14
Speaker
As you step, fall, cascade into this flawless, fathomless space beneath, beyond the door,
00:11:27
Speaker
you feel the sense of silence overtake you. The garrison flees, yet water climbs the walls like ivy.
00:11:40
Speaker
You have an image of your father. He's not there now. You're falling, but you're... You're caught, but you're falling, and and it's the stars beneath you, and yet you hear your father. He watches from the walls, and the tide swallows him chest deep and then higher.
00:11:59
Speaker
He turns to you, deep green eyes at this point. Will you be lesser than what you are? He asks. Or will you listen?
00:12:12
Speaker
In front of you, you see yourself now. Older, hardened, yet wispy, distant and ethereal, almost transparent.
00:12:25
Speaker
In this version of yourself, you're stood, your legs work, and you do not weep.
00:12:34
Speaker
You see it mouth the words, one of us will survive this.
00:12:42
Speaker
She just whispers, and but twitter but which one?
00:12:50
Speaker
The figure shrugs their shoulders, expressionless in her response.
00:12:59
Speaker
She continues to stare
00:13:05
Speaker
you.
00:13:07
Speaker
Kind of, in terms of what does it feel like? Does this it feel like this person is a part of me or does it feel like they're a completely separate being?
00:13:21
Speaker
It's strange. Again, this is only the kind detail you'd really regale maybe days if you wake from it. And yet, whilst you're looking at this person, you're almost certain you can see yourself laying down your head tilted up, laying down flat, like laying on a bed, maybe looking towards something at the same time that you can see this figure standing in front of you. It's almost two separate images, almost like if you put a hand between but your noses and had two separate images in each eye, that's kind of, you're getting two separate kind of sets of images coming through and they blend and they blur and you blink and it moves.
00:14:04
Speaker
Yeah. Um,
00:14:07
Speaker
What if we survive together? And I'm going to kind of almost... It's not quite breathe try and breathe this thing in, but it's that sense of trying to bring this wispy, ah guess, image of myself to me.
00:14:30
Speaker
Okay. We'll come back to that.
00:14:35
Speaker
The dream unravels. one final image that remains. The second wave hits again. You feel the pain shooting up and through your legs.
00:14:48
Speaker
A hum, a stillness in your toes, a creeping cold that feels like death reaching through your body. You scream, but only water comes up.
00:14:59
Speaker
A figure, dark and imposing, reaches for you. It has you. The coldness spreads from its hands with certainty, its pain unrelenting.
00:15:13
Speaker
It holds your shoulders, pinning you to the ground beneath. You feel your blood pulse in your ears, your breath quicken. What do you do?
00:15:25
Speaker
um ah start struggling, trying to break the grip. Okay, give me a strength saving throw.
00:15:38
Speaker
twenty one 21. Okay. ah You managed to knock one of the hands free, but this darkness, this silhouette of darkness is mid inches from your face now.
00:15:51
Speaker
It seems to be slowly moving closer and closer to You are against almost like a glass floor here. There's stars beneath you, but you're stuck. There is no way to move away from this thing any further. What would you like to do?
00:16:08
Speaker
can I manifest that echo that I just saw of myself but manifest it behind this thing like have this almost have this thought of I need some way to distract it and that occurs give me a constitution saving throw I'm going say this is kind of a your last answer vestiges of energy trying to propel it mentally into doing something ah moving this person that you've seen that looks like you.
00:16:47
Speaker
that's an eight. As your eyes flicker to the side to where you want this person maybe to go, to will them to move or to appear, and a hand just grips the sides of your face and pulls it back to stare directly at it again.
00:17:01
Speaker
And this silence, this deafening silence seems to almost encapsulate you. One more chance to do something at this point, Rufa. Is there anything else you want to try?
00:17:13
Speaker
um She'll go with her what's become kind of her classic move. She's going headbutt it. Okay, nice. Yeah. All right. Roll to hit.
00:17:26
Speaker
i Sorry, just finding the right thing. It's an unarmed strike. That's right. That's an eight. Okay. ah You try to pull your head away from this hand and it's just unrelenting.
00:17:39
Speaker
It doesn't let you. It doesn't let you. and yet in an instant the figure is dashed away.
00:17:47
Speaker
Garak smiles. Kind. Noble. Behind him stands a figure cloaked in flood water. It's you again. The you you try to move.
00:18:00
Speaker
The weathered ethereal you. Hands clasped. You flicker. You see you. Broken, laying in a pool of water. And then back to seeing this figure. Strong, resolute. Perhaps you of the past, perhaps you of the future.
00:18:14
Speaker
The only certainty is it isn't you now. And the only other certainty is that it is indeed
Forming Alliances and Strategic Planning
00:18:20
Speaker
you. ah Again, it mouths some words.
00:18:25
Speaker
It mouths, watch the tide. It has not finished watching you.
00:18:34
Speaker
And then you wake. Sweat soaked, legs numb, mouth dry. And there is still a figure standing over you, holding your shoulders, pinning you to the floor.
00:18:51
Speaker
Somewhere far off, the surge growls through the ravine, but not here, not yet. You're wet, you're in water, you feel warm like blood, and this figure is still holding you down.
00:19:07
Speaker
um i i'm since um the last game would you say her period of unconsciousness would count as a long rest or are we you gotta try right or uh yes are we yeah um in what in what regard are we talking health are we talking abilities ah yeah like uh abilities You're on one HP and ah you, can yes, can attempt to manifest your ah level three abilities.
00:19:43
Speaker
Okay. so and Yeah. and but Because it's this black ah shadowy shape. um And obviously she's just had that moment with that other figure.
00:20:00
Speaker
um she's going to cast Hellish Rebuke just like reaction to it okay what do you need from me i need
00:20:13
Speaker
a dexterity saving throw four four four yeah and that misses that it doesn't save Yeah, which means you do the damage.
00:20:30
Speaker
Oh, sorry. Yeah. i've I failed and therefore you've yeah succeeded. Yeah. ye So that's 2d10,
00:20:42
Speaker
which is 13 points of damage. ah This figure is blasted off away from you and smashes against now what seems to be a wall. You sit up and you're in a circular room and you're in a pool of water.
00:21:03
Speaker
And the pool is ethereal green light and there are some doors and there are some food.
00:21:13
Speaker
And there's a green mess of hair against the pool. and you hear a groan and as your eyes adjust you see two figures rush over and you collapse back into the water again and what feels like 10 minutes 20 minutes 50 minutes two hours two days you are unsure of the time and yet what you start to hear are a number of voices. And at this point you're still kind of, you hear them, but you again, it's only you'd really realize you'd you would have heard them later on. You're not kind of kind consciously aware of at the moment, kind of in between sleeping and and and waking.
00:21:56
Speaker
And you hear the doors, the wooden doors open and some figures, three figures walk in,
00:22:06
Speaker
and Rock Falco Aranax. You've just returned in from your adventures on the flood fields. You've managed to make the two hours back. ah You've returned to the Tidecaller Tower that you have kind of made your home for the last couple of days now.
00:22:25
Speaker
And everything seems to be as it is. Who would have walked in first, by the way?
00:22:31
Speaker
Probably me.
00:22:34
Speaker
Straight in there, Aranax. Good stuff. Okay. So push the doors open and Aranax, as you walk in, this is odd because there's a tiefling in a pool of water ah laying unconscious and ah three individuals ah in a corner quite far away. But you notice the robes of tide callers from that those those huddled three.
00:22:56
Speaker
at But was Aranax aware that Rifa was ah one of the Tidal Surge champions was down here um being healed? I mean, unless Rock or Falco said anything about it on the journey, um you wouldn't have assumed she was there.
00:23:14
Speaker
Okay, cool. So Aranax does a quick kind of cursory glance ah along the room, sees someone kind of getting themselves up as if they've been pushed horrifically to a wall and kind of shake themselves, dust themselves off water everywhere.
00:23:29
Speaker
Ah, interesting. What's going on here? The one of the one of the individuals turns and and walks quite purposefully towards you. She's tall, elfin, ah kind of pale skin, but now her eyes are quite wide.
00:23:50
Speaker
And she walks up to you with quite some pace. And you can see from the robes and regalia she's wearing, she has a high ranking, high ranking tidecaller. She approaches, looks down upon you.
00:24:03
Speaker
ah ah You must be Aranax. Yes, indeed. I am Iridia. Priestess. Yes.
00:24:15
Speaker
Yes, your humble servant Aranax is here. ah We have come with the the water bloom that you asked for. Are you okay? Yes. just please come in for now. and We have a slight situation we're dealing with here, but all this all is well.
00:24:31
Speaker
And she kind of, yeah, i just wait there. um You see her walk off a bit later on. she You see her kind of ruffling. I guess the other two have caught up. I mean, Rock, your walking speed is quite massive.
00:24:43
Speaker
but But he's also exhausted. So actually, I think Rock would be at the back of the group, panting and somewhat embarrassed that he's panting and certainly embarrassed that a dwarf has beaten him up the steps.
00:24:55
Speaker
ah we have um And as you kind of make it to the door, you all get that feeling, you know, you walk
Exploring Tidecaller Tower Mysteries
00:25:00
Speaker
into a sit and you you can feel in the air that there's something not right in a situation that there's, there's, there's, there's something different here.
00:25:06
Speaker
um You see the back of the radio, she seems to pull out what looks like gold. and you see it rest over her hands as her hand reaches down in this and this green gold light ah bursts from her hand lighting that her area of the space causing silhouettes around the back of her um to someone on the floor and you suddenly hear this gasp of breath and coughing and suddenly the the tension in the room lessens somewhat And Iridia, unlike her prim and proper characters, kind of sits slumped on the floor, not kneeling as she had done previously with you, but just sat slumped on the floor, the back to the wall of the tower.
00:25:49
Speaker
You see Xaeleth also there and presiding over someone else. As you get close, you realize that this figure on the floor is Alara.
00:26:00
Speaker
um She's still unconscious at the moment, ah yet she's laying there.
00:26:06
Speaker
And the other two are just kind of panting and resting their hands in their heads.
00:26:16
Speaker
Be careful. Be careful with it. Aranax turns towards the door. Precious cargo. it's is it going to fit through the doorway?
00:26:28
Speaker
Yeah, I've got it. Come on, come on. You could have at least carried the trepidation for me. Rockul kind of says he's stumbling up and he's got this ore kind of bundled within his arms alongside these two massive fungi.
00:26:43
Speaker
And he's going to kind of almost burst into the room, ah not reading it whatsoever and just go, we did it. We solved your riddle and we got you the trepidation.
00:26:54
Speaker
And he's just going to drop everything Priestess, as I was saying The Blackwater Bloom And Aranax gestures towards the bloom held by Rock and Falco Or just Rock, can't remember Well, kind of tumbling to the floor now from Rock as he's like Hands hands on his thighs, panting like Oh, I thought I was better than that Falco, you okay down there?
00:27:23
Speaker
ah Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. um So, you did mention about getting some fauna as well. I couldn't see any baby deer down there. Oh, no.
00:27:35
Speaker
Oh, we didn't do it. We're going to have to go back. Yeah, thats well let's get some food first and then we'll think about going back. Irradiator holds her hands up. No, no, no, please. You got what we needed.
00:27:47
Speaker
We've just had a little situation here. ah but All is well. and All will recover. She looks towards the figure of Alara on the floor. What happened to her?
00:27:59
Speaker
We aren't really sure at the moment. We were upstairs and heard a a crack. a it sounded like a small explosion or a scream of something. And the next thing we know, Alara is lying on the floor in the corner here and no one else is here.
00:28:19
Speaker
The doors were untouched. we um And she looks towards Rifa in the pool.
00:28:29
Speaker
ah please come in rock you look terrible in the nicest possible way rock's gonna pick up the oar again and look kind of get back into almost battle stance in some way looking around him like i can take a few more hits not a problem And he's kind of like, yeah, god is got his back to the group facing the door pretty much ready to go.
00:28:56
Speaker
ah With that, could you give me a perception check, please? Oh, yeah. And you've still got one. Minus four to this.
00:29:06
Speaker
Okay. Minus. Oh, no. That's a five overall. Okay. Okay. ah you You stand prepared and look around the room, the room with bricks and doors and stairway up and people in it and the pool of water and reefer and everything everything seems fine.
00:29:26
Speaker
Nothing's dangerous yet. Nothing's dangerous. Falco, Aranex, anything you guys want to be doing? Yeah, ah you said that Elaria, is that correct, is currently unconscious on the floor?
00:29:38
Speaker
Yeah, that's right. Is she wearing the robes of the Tidecaller? Correct, yeah, all three of them are. So once Aranex kind of gets a read on the room um and ah tries to shake off that feeling of not being congratulated for announcing the Great Water Bloom, we'll shuffle off towards Elaria and... um Just kneel down beside her and put his hand out towards her pulse just to feel like, have we got a zero HP situation going on here? What's the what's the temperature check? Can I do a medicine check on her? Yeah, sure. Do a medicine check. Absolutely.
00:30:18
Speaker
That's a nine. ah She's warm and there's there's a pulse. You know, her body is... like moving, like not moving, but like there's there's there's things happening within her body.
00:30:32
Speaker
Okay, because I can't get a clear read on it. um While his hand is still hovering over her temple, his left hand will kind of jut out towards the water and there's almost these kind of little droplets that extrapolate from where Rifa is and almost move across from one arm down to the hand um near her temple and he's going to cast Spare the Dying on her.
00:30:54
Speaker
Okay, nice. So this kind of blue energy and the water droplets will just kind of land in her temple and there's this soft blue light that just kind of pushes down. And Spad the Dying is from 0 to 1 HP, is that? Yeah, if choose a creature within range that has 0 hit points and isn't dead, the creature becomes stable.
00:31:10
Speaker
um And because I can't get a read on whether or not she's got 0 HP or not... Has that changed?
00:31:20
Speaker
okay right cool yeah okay absolutely that that all happens that that emotional happens purely because she's a tidecaller and port you're shit absolutely um you see zaylath uh trundle off upstairs you can assume to get supplies and food for for you on on your return um falco what's what what's what's your take on this situation so far whats what you what's he doing um um I'd watch Aranax go over and kneel down by Alara and I'd i' consider him for a second and then Falco would think, this poor guy doesn't know what he's doing so he's gonna walk over and kneel on the opposite side of Alara to Aranax and as he does he'll let out a long like world-weary sigh, you've done this before.
00:32:13
Speaker
Yes. To someone in this condition? i If I'm being honest, I can't get a read on her condition.
00:32:23
Speaker
ah I'm just preventing her from slipping away into death. Yeah, I mean, like I think this is the problem with some of our healthcare care professionals is that they're all about examining and theorizing, but really, you just got to do what you need to do. And I'll fuck her in his lips and full on like... And full on like mouth to mouth.
00:32:49
Speaker
he Ah! um give Give me... Give me a medicine check with disadvantage. I mean, I'm just using my incarnic nature.
00:33:04
Speaker
I didn't realize that lips were involved. I'll come up for air. Yeah, yeah, real useful for a lot of things, then go back down. um The medicine check was 16 disadvantage.
00:33:15
Speaker
Okay, and... all right, actually, ah surprisingly, against all
Reflection and Acceptance
00:33:20
Speaker
odds, you hear on that first breath, nothing. You just, you know, maybe the tongue got in the way, but the second breath, yeah the second breath, i'm you, you ah sorry, that's not canon. and The second breath, you give her a good help. The nose maybe is blocked by accident or I don't know. and you just And you just get a full mouth of like cough back into your mouth.
00:33:46
Speaker
open mouth to open mouth cough and then just spluttering in the massive green hair and she kind of tries to set up as she kind of mini convulsors and coughs as and this happens around the same time Aaron X is yours sparing the dying at at the same time as well I imagine on earth kind of happens simultaneously almost and but she kind of jolts into consciousness and kinds of purposes has one HP and is conscious
00:34:13
Speaker
I told you he was good with his mouth him what what do you have for lunch i'll put my arm around the back of her neck and like like hero pose and kind of hold how you doing you okay uh i'm not i'm not i don't remember what happened you don't remember did someone break in and attack no and her eyes looked towards reefer
00:34:43
Speaker
i was um
00:34:46
Speaker
She was moving in the water. I thought she was waking up. So I went over and was shaking her to see if I could wake her from it. And all of a sudden her eyes opened and I was thrown from her and smacked my head something bad.
00:35:00
Speaker
And she reaches to the back of her head and pulls it. There's no blood or any anything. And she looks confused and then looks up towards Iredia who kind of nods.
00:35:12
Speaker
And Alara lets out a sigh. We don't have the money for that.
00:35:19
Speaker
Sorry. And at that conversation, um Rock, ironically, you have the highest passive perception here. You'd hear a ah slight change of cadence in the room and the sound of kind of moving water.
00:35:42
Speaker
There's only one thing in the water in this space, and that is reefer. And as you turn around to look, you see a number of kind of small ripples of water moving away from her body.
00:35:58
Speaker
She's not done that before, at least while you've been watching.
00:36:04
Speaker
Oh man, I mean, I was here with trepidation. And he'll drop the oar, but this is so much better. And he's gonna run over and like wade into the water unceremoniously and kind of ah just like kind of hover over the top of her.
00:36:21
Speaker
Rifa, you there? Did you use your lips on her too? No, I'm much better with my hands. Falco, you could use your lips.
00:36:35
Speaker
Reefer, you in the stupor, the semi dream state you find yourself in, hear your name being echoed back to you. And a tall figure standing over you deep in the water, the water that's warm, the temperature of blood.
00:36:56
Speaker
You see the same space you were in before, brick wall, like stone walls, wooden doors, the pool of water, the up lighting.
00:37:05
Speaker
But as your eyes blink once, twice, it's the same dark... No, it's not. It's not the same figure. This one's different. Taller.
00:37:18
Speaker
More angular. Bleeding more. Smiling more. And then you make out the face. The friendly face. The face of rock.
00:37:36
Speaker
Are you kind of lent over me? but Yeah, he's he's kind of like looking down trying to see if there's like any movement within your face um at all.
00:37:48
Speaker
And probably as well, just as you're you're kind of coming to he's also going to headbutt you. um As he's been doing for the last few days, that's been him kind of checking in on you. ah um so and It's funny you said that because I was literally about to say...
00:38:06
Speaker
and At first, that moment when she sees the figure and not quite realises it's rock, she's going to kind of almost gear up for a powerful headbutt and then kind of halfway in, she realises it's rock and just slows down to then... well, tries to slow down. And if he hadn't moved, it would have probably been a gentle headbutt, but if he's coming in for headbutt at the same time, it's probably going to be a bit painful.
00:38:40
Speaker
ah You both take two points of bludgeoning damage. got And I fall unconscious.
00:38:51
Speaker
I'm unsure about how you guys go about ah medicine. hey learning a lot here. She was there. Falco, I think the headbutt worked.
00:39:05
Speaker
saw her eyes. She was, oh, now he's going to kind semi-lift up her unconscious body and be like, she's awake. Reefa. I don't think she is, buddy.
00:39:16
Speaker
She was awake. I saw it. She, she, ah, that hurt. Ah, but no, no, she was definitely awake. Reefa?
00:39:29
Speaker
I think you might have killed her.
00:39:34
Speaker
A-Radio, this is going to stride over, moving at pace, and will place her hand gently across the temple of Rifa and cast um Healing Word. And you'll receive... nice. Six points back, Rifa.
00:39:52
Speaker
Oh, perfect. Again, your eyes will open and you'll see the same elated face of rock. Are you still holding her unconscious
Preparation for Confrontation
00:40:00
Speaker
body? Yeah, she's holding it up like, she's awake! Right. and then your eyes tend to burn your eyes will flutter open reefer and falco and aranax and rock and iradia and zaleth and else were made up alara will all see your eyes open as you take in the room um
00:40:25
Speaker
The first thing she kind of does is she kind of puts her hand to her forehead and then does a gentle headbutt to a rock just to kind of protect.
00:40:37
Speaker
Like, you know, like she kind of was aware of what happened a moment ago, but so she just wants that bit of cushioning. she kind of headbutts, but with her hand too in between. So it's a weird like headbutt pack thing.
00:40:50
Speaker
She's awake. I told you it worked. gosh. What fuck is wrong with you two? You got magnetic heads or something?
00:41:00
Speaker
I don't care, Reefa. How are you? you like ah Can you move your legs? They said something bad was about your legs. Can you feel them? what What do you mean?
00:41:11
Speaker
i
00:41:14
Speaker
You got two of them down there. Those. Can you wiggle them? and Yes. And she wiggles her her feet. which do respond in kind but you also notice Rufa between your what remain of your kind of trousers you were wearing they're still on except they end abruptly at your kind of knee on both your trousers that is and below there the skin on your legs are scarred like
00:41:50
Speaker
They've been kind of almost sandblasted a little bit, so really long striations, long, thin, fine cuts, thousands of them on your legs, ah many of which have healed to scab and then to healed further along than that, but there's a a definite sense of a change in your skin um on your legs as a result of that. It's not fully healed, but your toes and your your feet respond to um your need to move them.
00:42:19
Speaker
That's a weird way of saying, yes, you move your toes. ah and Looking around, where's Gary?
00:42:33
Speaker
he was He was here a moment ago. i I saw him. He was... He was here a moment ago. Garak's been dead for 20 years.
00:42:47
Speaker
my goodness. Has it been that long, Falco?
00:42:58
Speaker
What do you mean 20 years? No, no, actually, I'm sorry, I was i was thinking of my friend Gary. You know, you're right, Gary. you so No, he um he didn't make it out of the search. It's been a few days now.
00:43:13
Speaker
But he was here just a moment ago. that's That's not true. I saw him. Well, I don't know. I don't know what kind of drugs they gave you when you were in the pool, but no, he's he's gone. He's been gone ah a few days.
00:43:33
Speaker
Oh... but
00:43:38
Speaker
Where are we?
00:43:43
Speaker
I'm not the right person to ask about that. i've I've kind of been following the group. Um, Rock, where are we? Yeah, good question, Falco. um I was going to ask, and he's going to point over to the groups over there.
00:43:55
Speaker
We're in a tower. um We got the Tidecallers here in Stormspire. It's the Stormspire Tower Tidecaller Tower that we're in. Ain't that right, Aranax?
00:44:08
Speaker
It's where we are. Yes, absolutely. You're in Stormspire amongst the Tidecallers.
00:44:17
Speaker
You must have been badly injured for you to stay here for so long.
00:44:23
Speaker
You're among some of the best healers in the lands. You're very lucky, very fortunate. Oh, this, sorry, I should have introduced you. This is Aranax. um We, Falco and I, we solved the riddle and we discovered him around the same time as the trepidation. i think he's one of us now and he's a tidecaller.
00:44:45
Speaker
The trepidation. Water shaper, water shaper. As Aranax looks sheepishly towards ah Priestess Aridia um at the at the mention of being called a Tidecaller.
00:44:58
Speaker
Tidecaller in training, but pleased to meet you. I'm Aranax Stone... Fuck, forgot my name. Stonewake...
00:45:09
Speaker
i ah it's It's nice to meet you. Rock, do you think you could put me down now? Oh, yeah, sure. He drops you.
00:45:21
Speaker
She's not expecting that, so she doesn't try and stop herself from hitting the ground. You're in water, I think. so She's in water, right? Okay, that's good. I don't know if they... Aaron acts as kind of open mouth again, looking in disbelief at what's going on here.
00:45:39
Speaker
Thanks, Rock. Um, where's Drift?
00:45:45
Speaker
Uh, he went looking for the people that- oh. There's quite a lot to catch you up on. um I mean, the short story is that we we survived the surge, apart from, obviously, Garrick.
00:46:01
Speaker
And there were some people that tried to fight us and take our things. And then it looked like you got taken out by them. And then it was just me and Falco. We got taken out and we ah we were robbed.
00:46:18
Speaker
They took everything. They took Falco's hat. Oh, ah Falco had that mask and it gave me some powers. i can I can do stuff with the elements now. My my training has kind of unlocked it.
00:46:32
Speaker
um And then we were here and we ate some food and we went on a ah mission for the Tidecallers and solved some riddles. And we came back with part of the Trepidation, which is a boat that we were sent out to find.
00:46:44
Speaker
But all we could bring back was that oar. ah I hope that's okay, he calls over to the Tidecallers. It was just it just the ore that we could ah bring back, because it was kind of heavy and we were a bit tired.
00:46:56
Speaker
We can go back, though. You see Iridia just looking forward-brow, just checking ahead. ah I... ah We wanted the Blackwater Bloom. You brought that. id never asked you for an ore, Ruck.
00:47:16
Speaker
More riddles, Falco.
00:47:20
Speaker
Maybe she did never ask. But still we knew get it. What, like... ah Like fate.
00:47:31
Speaker
We were guided there. Let me get you out of the water, Rifa. Some kind of divine journey. Pleasant while you're in it, but not when you're awake. Please, let's let's get even some let's get you in some clean, some dry clothes. I think it'd be best.
00:47:47
Speaker
Please. represents a change. And a bit of privacy, maybe, as well. Please, come with me. And what she'll do is she'll lead you up a flight of stairs very sheepishly, kind of take you under the armpit, almost, kind of help you up this spiral staircase. And you realise now you're in it. This isn't Alara, this is someone else. right this is uh iridia yes is someone else okay um taller and older who i don't mean to be rude but who are you i am priestess iridia i am one of the senior tide callers here in storm spire
00:48:20
Speaker
After many of us left, myself, Alara, and Zalith were the only three to remain, after what happened in Dewdrop Falls. That is until Aranax came, though I will have to break it to him that he must leave soon as well.
00:48:37
Speaker
Sorry, han talking out loud, please. ah She'll walk you up a spiral staircase, one floor, and there's three rooms. She'll push the central room, and it's just a kind of a bed sit, two beds, and upon it are laid out a number of clothes, quite...
00:48:53
Speaker
regular, a number of just types of clothing for you to wear. All very kind of normal medieval D&D clothes. She doesn't call them that, obviously, because she doesn't know she's in a game. and Anyway, it's turning into a Black Mirror episode. She um gets into the room, just kind of g gingerly places you, sits you on one of the beds opposite the clothes. and You're roughly...
00:49:17
Speaker
my height, though a little bit broader, but I am aware some of these will fit you, so please have them, wear them, keep them, rest here as long as you need. And I'll unpick whatever your friends are talking about down here.
00:49:34
Speaker
Is there anything I can get you? Not, you not, not for now. Thank you. Food's upstairs, three stories, but maybe when your legs are more, more strong.
00:49:47
Speaker
Yes. You survived. Don't forget that.
00:49:53
Speaker
Only just, I think.
00:49:56
Speaker
Only two others survived.
00:50:03
Speaker
Many more died as that ripped down through the ravines. Throughout the whole of Wild Heart. can only imagine the number of farmers we lost.
00:50:15
Speaker
And yet... We endure, as we almost always must.
00:50:22
Speaker
I shall leave you to your rest, Rifa. If you do change your mind and need anything, just shout for Xaelith. He's a good soul and we'll... He'll huff and puff, but he'll do what you ask.
00:50:37
Speaker
Thank you.
00:50:42
Speaker
And she pauses a little longer, almost like she's anticipating that you either you might say something more or she's plucking up the courage to say something more, but she doesn't. She taps her legs.
00:50:56
Speaker
Sorry, go on. No, she was going to tap of legs and a ginger exit, but um not a ginger exit, gingerly exit, but um what a ginger exit was. Anyway, so yeah, sorry. She sits there awkwardly for a second. too and Yeah, um almost kind of once she's said that initial kind of goodbye before she starts trying to exit awkwardly, Rifa's kind of almost um
00:51:23
Speaker
kind of switched off from her. And um I guess... What was her name, sorry? Iridia. I guess she would hear it, ah but she just...
00:51:35
Speaker
We feel just under breath, and yet the tide's not finished with us yet.
00:51:42
Speaker
Sorry? And yet the tide's not finished with us yet. No. No, the tide is never truly finished with us, I'm sure. It's perpetual. my I guess it must... It's never done with us, I'm sure.
00:51:59
Speaker
hello What made you say that?
00:52:03
Speaker
I feel like it was said to me before, but I... I don't recall where. You were in substantial pain.
00:52:17
Speaker
Yes, maybe it's...
00:52:21
Speaker
Sorry, I'm talking nonsense. Just thank you for the clothes. I'll get changed. but And she'll stand to make her way to the door and very gently close and not lock it, but kind of put it back down on the latch. um So you have a bit of privacy there.
00:52:40
Speaker
um
00:52:43
Speaker
You, yeah, got some time to do what you want to do, Rufo up there. If it is to get changed, you can down or rest or whatever you want. We'll come back to in just a second. So back down, then we left with the echoes of conversation of trying to figure out if and when ah what the riddle stands for specifically. um While that was going on, Aaron X, what do you think, what what would you have been up to?
00:53:09
Speaker
So, did you use tongue or was it just lips?
00:53:15
Speaker
um I think it really depends on the ailment. If it's unconscious, just go for the lips. There's no point putting the tongue in there. But if it's something No, I won't go any further. It's like it's expertise stuff.
00:53:30
Speaker
um You kind of have to feel your way. You do. You do. And and I think the tongue is something you use to explore cavities rather than just, ah you know, general medical stuff.
00:53:42
Speaker
It's very interesting. I've never seen anything quite like it in all my years. Arcanic ability to heal. you Yes. The physical act of lips on lips.
00:53:53
Speaker
That's new. I can see why you're one of the title surge champions. Ah, well, thanks.
00:54:04
Speaker
that's um yeah there's That's good of you. You'll see Falco's chest swell a little bit. he He likes that.
00:54:13
Speaker
and And so you're you're a healer, are you? You use your magic abilities to to heal people. Yes, it's rather... It comes natural to me.
00:54:27
Speaker
I always felt more connected arcanically within the shift and pull of the tides and the winds.
00:54:38
Speaker
And from that I can shape it and draw magic from it. And it seems to be of a healing form. I can restore health and life and...
00:54:53
Speaker
I feel the flow of someone's life essence and I can vitalize. And it's part of the reason why I came all the way to Stormspire.
00:55:09
Speaker
yeah A lot of the Tidecallers are healers, but but they're very nature. Because they need to be so intrinsically linked to nature to be able to read the Surge.
00:55:25
Speaker
Yeah. Anyway, ah thank you so much for for your assistance in getting the the water bloom. It will be imperative to our studies.
00:55:39
Speaker
And hopefully, hopefully, we'll be able to ascertain why we can no longer read the tides. from these From these mushrooms? Yes.
00:55:52
Speaker
The priestess Iridia wanted them, so they must be of extreme value and use. And that's your that's your task, is it? that you're You're going to explore the mushrooms like you haven't got a ah day job?
00:56:06
Speaker
ah My task was to retrieve the water bloom, and I don't quite know as of yet what we're to do with them. And no doubt I will find out in due course.
00:56:20
Speaker
Um, day job, that's reading the charts and the the tides and studying about the history of tide callers and why they're so important, how they study the tides.
00:56:36
Speaker
It's like trying to learn a new language. ah It takes years of study, an iconic ability that needs to be kind of honed.
00:56:49
Speaker
Into this perfect,
00:56:53
Speaker
like, tool. And from that, you can draw on it and use your intellect that you've used from studying to read the surges.
00:57:05
Speaker
It's very interesting. Anorak starts to become more lively during this conversation, showing his passion for what is a Tidecaller. So yeah my day job is, like I said, I'm ah i a water shaper, which is an apprentice.
00:57:23
Speaker
And I hope one day I can become an official tidecrawler. It takes many years of study. Right. ah I mean, that yeah, that's that's super interesting. I'm with it.
00:57:38
Speaker
You reckon you could get some leave? on on look Only because when we made it out of the title storage and we lost our... Our good buddy. We got jumped by some guys.
00:57:49
Speaker
They did a number on us. That's why Reefer was floating in the tank. Partly because of that. Partly because of friendly fire headbutts. Yes, I've seen that firsthand.
00:58:02
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, look, yeah it's it's what they do. I don't really understand it. But anyway, we got to hunt these guys down because they have all of our stuff. Not like not even just the stuff we got from the title search, but like, I'm pretty sure they took my pants.
00:58:18
Speaker
Your pants? Well, maybe I wasn't wearing any pants before. I'm not' not clear, but they do have my hat and that I need back.
00:58:26
Speaker
Sorry, I'm misunderstanding. Are you asking me to go with you on an adventure? Well, I'm seeing if you'd be available, because, like, someone can heal us. i I'm not. I'm
00:58:40
Speaker
ah grateful, and... It's a very nice offer. I am not one for adventure. What you've witnessed with the water bloom, that's not who I am.
00:58:52
Speaker
I'm made for the books and the readings and staying in doors.
00:59:02
Speaker
That's not what I get from you, though. i I see you as someone that should be on the pages of those books. Reading the pages of the books, not in the pages of the books.
00:59:15
Speaker
I can help. I can bring people back from the brink of death. But being the one to give death or help in in situations that require ah blood loss.
00:59:30
Speaker
yeah It's beyond my.
00:59:34
Speaker
My nature of comfort. It's part of the reason why I left my family. I'm not one for adventure. One for the call of nature, yes.
00:59:49
Speaker
I can't come with you and and help you ah with what sounds like bandits. that's That's... I'm not a champion of the Tidal Surge.
01:00:00
Speaker
I'm not even a Tidecaller yet.
01:00:04
Speaker
And during that last bit of conversation, Iredia has appeared from behind you, Aranax, and has just been listening to your diatribe with Falco. Falco, you would have probably seen her and just continued anyway. And she looks almost maternally at Aranax as he talks very honestly about his humble position in the... and ah So honestly and um enthusiastically about being a Tidecaller.
01:00:27
Speaker
And yet when he mentions about ah not going on adventures and... Her face kind of changes and she has a questionable look upon her face. And when there's a lulling conversation, she speaks.
01:00:41
Speaker
Tell me, Aranax. Ah, princess! I'm so sorry, I did not see you there! You say you're not one for adventures and yet you left and travelled across an entire kingdom ah to see me.
01:00:55
Speaker
but Yes, I was following that the call of the of my nature and... i guess not Does not nature ask sometimes for death?
01:01:08
Speaker
Does the sea strike eel not kill? ah I never thought it would call it fire my hands.
01:01:18
Speaker
Nature and death go hand in hand, yes, but I didn't choose ah to... I don't think anyone should be given the power of choosing whether someone lives or dies.
01:01:34
Speaker
And if... that certainly should be to other people, not me.
01:01:40
Speaker
Tell me, Aranax. Life is about cycles. Nature follows the cycle. Life and death. Death to rebirth to life.
01:01:54
Speaker
When you use your forces for life, where do you think that comes from? Should there not be a balance?
01:02:06
Speaker
Your power to heal, I am talking of.
01:02:10
Speaker
i Surely that is an imbalanced force within you. If that was in nature and something only gave to the plants and to the life around it, surely it would die itself.
01:02:22
Speaker
It must defend itself, surely. With thorns or poison or other creatures to defend it, no?
01:02:33
Speaker
I heed your words, priestess. You are undoubtedly vastly more intellectually intelligent than I i am. i i don't pretend to know the great cycles and circles of life and and the will of nature's force.
01:02:56
Speaker
I guess I've just been acting from my own impulses. And from what I know that I'm not, um for my years of being with my family.
01:03:12
Speaker
Good. You stay true to your morals, Aranax. I'm glad to hear it. Now, Falco, Rock, Aranax is unwilling to go with you off his own morals so far, and this is fine, but I have some information that might be of use to you regarding your friends.
01:03:35
Speaker
I say that sarcastically. Those that stole from you and left you for dead in the streets of the Moor.
01:03:42
Speaker
I know who they are. I have discovered a name and a place where which you may find them. They are here, in Stormspire, not far from us.
01:03:57
Speaker
Across the bridge, to the right, followed to the so Skystring Arena. There is a stall.
01:04:06
Speaker
I do not know the man's name, human man, beefy, large. He sells chalk.
01:04:15
Speaker
The word is that under his s stall or behind his stall or hidden somewhere within his stall is a a false floor or a trap door or something of the kind and below there that is where you'll find the group known as Vale's Root.
01:04:36
Speaker
They are those who are responsible. Now in this hideout I'm hoping you will find the items that have been taken from you.
01:04:48
Speaker
I don't know if they're still there. I don't know how many of them you managed to exact revenge upon up to this point already. i promised that when I had information, I would share it.
01:05:02
Speaker
That's all I know.
01:05:05
Speaker
Hey, did Drift come back with this information? Have you seen Drift? She looks down for a second. and No.
01:05:18
Speaker
The last we heard from Drift was two... No, it was yesterday. He normally comes in to check on Reefer. He... didn't I didn't want to burden you with that as well, but... I've got people looking for him.
01:05:36
Speaker
All will be well. he He was looking for these... Veilsrute?
01:05:42
Speaker
Yes, he took it upon himself, rather against my wishes, and went back to a friend, ah a Via Letta person that he knew, allegedly, at the Gilded Anchor, and had spoken to ah regarding where to go.
01:06:03
Speaker
He told me this and then that is why we pressed our advantage towards the Sky String Arena. This Violetta person had directed him there as a best course of action. That's where most nefarious goods took place, but allegedly.
01:06:17
Speaker
And then after that, he went looking and hasn't come back. That all is not to say that he is gone or there's anything wrong. He has tended to over the last few days visit in a haphazard manner.
01:06:29
Speaker
ah He might walk through any moment now. and She looks towards the door for a second. Nothing happens. And then she looks back. Nonetheless, as I said, Xaelith and I have sent people looking for Drifter.
01:06:42
Speaker
He was sure to come up. He'll probably be under a desk a table somewhere at the Gilded Anchor, for all I know.
01:06:49
Speaker
Rock looks a little bit kind of perturbed by all of this, kind of nods, looks back to Falco, and and by association as well, Anorax.
01:07:03
Speaker
Aranax. Careful. I know, Axe, it's what I was called. Why they have a dwarf in school. Aranax the Aranax. That's what they called me. Just because I preferred books to their fucking pickaxes.
01:07:20
Speaker
Excellent stereotypes. ah He'll say, i I kind of want to check that out, but I don't feel so good to do it tonight. um I kind of need to rest, I think.
01:07:38
Speaker
Yes, i you look terrible, as I mentioned earlier. I think you could all do with some rest. I said before we needed to go out and get some fresh air. I think it's done you all a world of good.
01:07:50
Speaker
Aranex, you'll be staying here, and she kind of looks down, doesn't move her head away from rock, but just looks at you through her eyes, her eyes dart down towards you. Aranex, you'll be staying here, and then tomorrow you will accompany these gentlemen over to the Skystring Arena to make sure all is well.
01:08:06
Speaker
Of course, Priestess, whatever you wish. Thank you. Provisions will be given, of course, to sustain you on your on your time here and your journey. Perhaps we could ask Rifa if she wished to come along, ah which, Aranax, will be your major course of care upon that journey.
01:08:22
Speaker
I do not wish you to break your your morals or your ethics, Aranax. All I do wish is that you continue to stick by your rules and morals and ethics and keep these three alive.
01:08:34
Speaker
Do you understand me? Yes, pistas. Thank you.
01:08:39
Speaker
The day is yours. It's... I say day. It's afternoon now anyway.
01:08:47
Speaker
The time is yours. If you wish to stay and sleep, of course. And in the morning, make for the Skystring Arena. And she nods and walks out through the front doors...
01:09:04
Speaker
looks back one final time, kind of purses her lips, smiles towards the three of you, nods her head, and then her kind of slender silhouette disappears towards town, and the doors shut behind her.
01:09:17
Speaker
And the three of you, and Alara, are alone.
01:09:25
Speaker
I'm gonna and get some sleep. might just quickly check in on Reefer and make sure they're okay, but I... I'm only just awake. I'm trying to keep going, but I can't for much longer, so I'll take the trepidation with me. And he'll pick up the oar and make his way upstairs.
01:09:47
Speaker
It's awkward. The oar's quite long and it keeps getting stuck in the doorways and you've got to, even going around the corner, it's scraping on both ends as you as you curl your way up. It's one of those awkward exits as well where it just takes him a little while, like a dog with a stick trying to get through a gate that's just kind You're not sure whether you should help, but eventually he gets it.
01:10:06
Speaker
That's what he gets for picking such a big stick. That's what I think. Yeah, nice. Okay. Falco and Aranax, anything you guys want to do?
01:10:19
Speaker
Well, Aranax feigns a yawn. I guess I... I ah
01:10:29
Speaker
but got minus one on performance.
01:10:33
Speaker
15. Okay, pretty convincing. I guess I should go and ah breathe into a bag or something. ah ah ah On the morrow.
01:10:48
Speaker
next guest at the borrow Shuffles off, almost hyperventilating.
01:10:56
Speaker
Oh, breathe into a bag. breathing Sorry, I just got the breathe into a bag thing. I know i'm just understand what you mean by... He's been told he's got to go on an adventure. I thought you were like huff glue or something. He's the opposite of Frodo right now. Huff glue. Okay. Sorry, have a go.
01:11:14
Speaker
No, no, that's it. I just and sort of like tap my feet, give Aranax enough time to get up the stairs so they don't bump into each other. And then I yeah follow on.
01:11:26
Speaker
Okay, Rock, you were heading up first awkwardly with the oar. You said about popping in to see Reefer first. Is that still something else to do or are you heading straight sleep? Yeah, he's going to try and do that, but he doesn't know where she is, so he's knocking on doors.
01:11:41
Speaker
Knock, knock, knock, Reefer. And he'll check if she's not in there next one, knock, the knock, knock, Reefer, until he finds the right room. um So it might be that they get to go past him and see him doing that. I'm naked, get out! LAUGHTER but how so impressive How did you get in there first?
01:11:57
Speaker
You just got up and down. The first door you knock on is is locked and and there's no response. The middle door you knock on, because there's one door to the right, one in front of you, one to the left, if you remember, on the these few floors of residential areas.
01:12:14
Speaker
um And the central door, you do hear, Rifa, you hear a knock and then your name being called by rock. Yeah, so I'm guessing by this point, she'll have just grabbed some, a if they're there, a trousers and shirt rather than a skirt or a dress or something. Yeah, that's the thing.
01:12:36
Speaker
The bedroom she's she's in, obviously, Aridia's lent her her clothes. Is it a guest bedroom or is it that Aridia's just pulled the stuff out of her own wardrobe and I'm in Aridia's room?
01:12:47
Speaker
You're in a you know, apart from the clothes on the bed and two kind of bedside tables next to each of these two beds in the room that sit either side of ah of a kind of a an archway window at the end of the room opposite the doorway.
01:13:01
Speaker
Aside from that there's nothing else in the room. There's two unlicked, sorry, there are two candles. One of them is lit, the one on what is assumed to be what, with the bed that's prepared.
01:13:12
Speaker
ah Basically one area of the room is prepared for someone. It feels like guest room. Yeah. Yeah, okay. and So then she probably, and this probably would have happened before Rock started knocking on the door, she would have left.
01:13:28
Speaker
I think she would have gone up the three flights of stairs to go and grabbed a bit of food, but not stay just like grab something to go. and then how... um
01:13:44
Speaker
The room that Alara... took us in that it was at the top of the tower where they normally like they've got their no she did she she didn't take us in did she did she alara when we questioned her am i have i just made up a whole scenario in my head you saw her outside the tower the day before the yeah but we didn't go in um just for kind of
01:14:14
Speaker
Well, there's no one around. She ah wants to go to kind of the highest floor, and just based on what Laura was saying about...
01:14:28
Speaker
Ash and stars, she kind of assumes that where they do their tide calling would be a higher point. If they're burning things for Ash, there'll be someone who needs that smoke and obviously to see. So she's just gonna basically grab an apple and as she's eating that, she's gonna head up and she just wants to have a look.
01:14:50
Speaker
The stairs keep going and keep going and keep going. Could you your constitution check please? Yeah. and Normally, you'd be absolutely fine as in your athletic form, but given your fragility and being in water for so long, it's kind of atrophied a little bit.
01:15:08
Speaker
Yeah, is that just a normal constitution constitution or a institution saving throw? Do it as a saving throw. 24.
01:15:16
Speaker
twenty four Yeah, and you feel a vitality. It's good fucking apple. And you ah you feel a sense of, ah okay, your body's moving, your blood's pumping. this is This is the way you should be. Sometimes, you know, you just feel better after a...
01:15:31
Speaker
I know, you've done some exercise, your body just feels a bit more like how it's supposed to be between bouts of throwing up for me sometimes. ah you um You make it up and up and up and yeah, unfortunately, Rock, and you take take go up these three flights of stairs checking in. She's not in any of them.
01:15:48
Speaker
um Maybe you've missed her. Anyway, so you weren't you wouldn't have had a chance to run into her on the stairs, unfortunately. Will you just, sorry, just to flip-flop between a little bit, Ruck, if you've had no luck by the time you get to your room, is your what's your intention?
01:16:05
Speaker
If he's not found her, he's going to be worried, but he's also going to be exhausted, so he's going to keep kind of making his way up and up and up and up and up, and he's probably not going to be able to make it to the top of the stairs before.
01:16:19
Speaker
Well, let's find out. Could you a constitution saving throw, please? I certainly can. Let's do this with my minus. so Uh, three.
01:16:31
Speaker
You make it to the about the fourth floor on the floor of the food and just kind of collapse on the stairs. Um... you just literally fall to your knees panting out of breath your head is throbbing from the blood that was pouring from your ears and nose and eyes knots three or four hours ago your head is just this this pain like i like i don't like to imagine i don't sit at night thinking about things but i'm a psychic damage is almost like the after effects of it like
01:17:04
Speaker
If you cut yourself it aches for a few days after I feel psychic damage leaves you with these migraines for a while and just this blinding pain in your head that just won't shake for a little bit and your body weakens as a result of that and you as you're there and your eyes are shut you hear this gruff voice.
01:17:22
Speaker
Are you okay? Yeah
01:17:27
Speaker
yeah just fine to read for this. It's quite comfortable. And I'm just going to use the trepidation to pop my head up.
01:17:38
Speaker
oh You sure you don't want to go into bed?
01:17:44
Speaker
ah Is there one on the stairs?
01:17:50
Speaker
mean, if you try hard enough, anything's a bad.
01:17:56
Speaker
Are you hitting on me?
01:18:01
Speaker
no
01:18:04
Speaker
No, that's good then. All right. ah You feel something fall over you. And as you look, you realize as Zaleth, the bearded fella, has just plopped a tea towel over your shoulder, almost akin to a duvet over you on the stairs.
01:18:21
Speaker
And it's just headed back into the um the kind of kitchenette slash kind of dining area of the space. um Yeah, you can sleep there if you want, Rock. Thanks, Mom. Good night.
01:18:34
Speaker
And ah you hear his footsteps recede and we hear footsteps continuing up at pace, at a gaining pace, working one step, one step, one step, two steps, two at a time, two at a time.
01:18:45
Speaker
And you just feel your lungs starting to like expand and contract and it feels great to be moving again, Reefer. And finally, almost unfortunately, the stairs end and you stumble onto a large expanse of balcony.
01:19:00
Speaker
And it's incredible. It's almost like a half dome balcony that's circular on top. I'm realizing this is going to make it look massively like a dick, but anyway, circular on top.
01:19:15
Speaker
More akin to a lighthouse. That was my first image, but then I remember who I'm playing with. and Domed on half on top, but the main half looks right over Storm Spire and mainly to the sky above as well.
01:19:28
Speaker
And it's late afternoon and down below you, you can see directly below you is the ravine, now only a babbling brook. You can see the market switching from its markety feel to the Glowmos market of the night time as lanterns are lit, as Glowmos plants are revitalized and brought to life with surge water and this green hue of the market starts to pick up.
01:19:54
Speaker
The air is cold, but refreshing on your now slightly panting ah cadence. And as you stumble onto to this, you the balcony kind of doesn't have a barrier or anything to stop.
01:20:06
Speaker
But you notice a number of ornate instruments around in the protected alcove part of the space. You see a number of ledgers and desks piled high with paperwork locked into kind of glass cabinets.
01:20:18
Speaker
You see intricate oriaries and got ah golden instruments. You see a telescope. you see a number of kind of cartographic maps and star alignments and star charts.
01:20:32
Speaker
And directly at the front of this space, leaning out over the... but kind of exposed to the elements nearest to the edge, is this large, almost golden-shaped bowl. Not golden-shaped, because golden isn't in shaped, but golden-coloured large bowl, like a ah large...
01:20:52
Speaker
burning, we put fires in a fire pit, a large go golden fire pit that's empty and clean as well. There's no one up there. What would you like to
01:21:10
Speaker
Looking around, um she's basically thinking about
01:21:20
Speaker
the conversation they had with Alara before they went and did the dive and um it's on her mind more now that the unpredictability i mean it's always on her mind before but especially now she's kind of experienced first hand the unpredictability of the surge and the and devastating effects that can have so she's All she knows from Alara is that the stars aren't aligning and she kept... Alara says something about the ash, not... I can't remember exactly what it was, but like the readings in the ash when
01:22:13
Speaker
speak wasn't speaking to them or something like that. Um, so i think, start with, she's going to kind of have a look around and see what it is that they, if she can tell what they, they burn, essentially, for the ash. Like, is it, is there obvious wood palette or, you know, or I don't know, there, you know, a tinder box and flame and next to it some form of something that could be burnt and just kind of, she just wants to see if, I mean, she knows nothing of how they work, but she, she,
01:22:47
Speaker
as much as she can is trying to find some answers. Okay, yeah, give me an investigation check, please. We'll see if you can locate the materials necessary to start a holy rite of a type of law. Yeah, i no, she can't. m as for To be honest, you're more... Your body's busy but recovering and and you can't really remember if even was Ash. Was it?
01:23:17
Speaker
Anyway... yeah you you You have a quick scan around and there's nothing really there you can see. yeah and Looking at the ledges,
01:23:28
Speaker
um
01:23:31
Speaker
does it make sense? is it is it What is it? Is it numbers? Is it words? It's a combination really of almost ah shorthand cursive...
01:23:42
Speaker
words and text bits and pieces of which you can make out uh kind of times and dates of uh surge falls and the 15th of the month 15th of the year and 21st of the year 18th of the year which you recognize as a measure of the the weeks of the year so far um In between it though are almost like hieroglyphics in terms of what they stand for and what they might mean. ah but in and amongst them are kind of celestial drawings ah with stars lined up with what look like measurements between them laid out as well.
01:24:19
Speaker
ah Most of these pages contain lots of different versions trying to marry up time and distance with the stars. Yeah. and Okay. um Not kind of having really any understanding of any of that. She's just... She's going to... Is there something she can... Like a box or stool or something that she could basically pull up so she's near the edge but she can basically sit down on the floor ah far enough from the edge that she's not going fall off and she's basically going to...
01:24:51
Speaker
lean against it and i she'll end falling asleep just kind of looking over that yeah that's it there's a couple of chairs kind of um um not armed chairs but armed desk table desk and table chairs fuck i'm trying to say office no office chairs yes there are some chairs you can sit in that are comfy enough you to sleep in have arms yeah absolutely you can drag one towards the edge and and as you hear the just the noise the constant of the surge the ah The bustle of the town far far below the safety of your current location and a sense of recovery and recuperation taking place within yourself and there's a sense of Zen as a there's a sense of of being incredibly relaxed finally for once in what seems like a long time for you reefer and and yeah, you sleep you sleep soundly
01:25:45
Speaker
The morning comes In your multificerous ways of sleeping, you all do sleep. Refa, at the top of the tide called a tower, sat nestled in a chair, maybe with a little blanket over, watching the Glowmos market explode into life.
01:25:59
Speaker
Rock nestled up with your part of the... the trepidation the awe of the trepidation sleeping on the stairs um your long form blocking uh everyone from going upstairs as well ah falco and aron x i'm assuming that you have slept in normal places like beds and you all gain the benefits of a long rest so rock you can take off one more point of exhaustion falco i think that puts you back to normal or were you already at normal
01:26:31
Speaker
No, that puts me back to normal, yeah. Back to normal now. No more exhaustion for you. Aranax, I know you'd given yourself i you'd given yourself a level 2 character, even though i did say I have a level 3 character. and You're now a level 3 character as well to match the rest of the party. don't know how you like playing the underdog.
01:26:49
Speaker
So actually, I know I just explained off camera what we were going to do, but we might as well do it now in the kind of the sleep stage between the two days. Let's go around and just quickly explain what, because level three is a big part, you get to pick a lot of stuff level three.
01:27:07
Speaker
Let's go around explain very briefly what you've kind of picked roughly, and we'll just, if you've got a sense of it and I know what. what we're playing with um i'm gonna start with will rock what's rock what's rock got are you kind of know but rock is a uh he's taken the subclass uh warrior of the elements which he's been using pretty much throughout and i think i also get i think level three is deflect attacks as well i can't remember if that's level two or level three i think it's level three he's been using it throughout uh deflect attacks is
01:27:39
Speaker
the absolute fucking don as a reaction, if so long as the the damaging attack is bludgeoning, piercing or slashing, he can reduce it by a certain amount. And if he reduces it to zero, he can actually redirect it into someone or something else, ah even if it's ranged, which is pretty cool.
01:27:54
Speaker
ah But his subclass basically allows him to spend a focus point to increase the range of his melee attacks. by 10 feet and also change the damage type for them and also force a saving throw to be pushed back or drawn towards him.
01:28:10
Speaker
um And alongside all of that, his walking speed, I think, has increased as well. So he's he's pretty speedy and he's got some really cool things up his sleeves. That's been fun. And he's got very long sleeves as well.
01:28:23
Speaker
just reach 10 feet stretch Armstrong stretch Armstrong, Rock Armstrong um stretch Arm Rock, no anyway Riefer what did what did you i sorry not Riefer, Alice what did Riefer end up going for order would you i re yeah well as we've seen already she's gained hellish rebuke due to her tiefling heritage and then she's chosen her martial archetype which is Echo Knight excellent yeah Yeah, so it means she can manifest an echo of herself into an unoccupied space. um
01:29:01
Speaker
And ah I can choose in an attack to either attack from the space that they are in or do the attack myself.
01:29:12
Speaker
And I can could also, as a bonus action, teleport myself and essentially switch which places with the echo. But it's super spongy, isn't it? It's one HP...
01:29:23
Speaker
Yeah, 1 HP. ah AC is... <unk> it's actually got a higher than mine. Oh, there you go. Cool. That's handy. So yeah but um I can move it without needing an action.
01:29:39
Speaker
So it can move 30 feet. It's just got to stay within 30 feet of me. It's a bonus action to summon it, isn't it? Summon it, yeah. Yeah. Handy dandy.
01:29:49
Speaker
And again, yeah we've kind of already met your Echo Knight, your Echo already. Yes, briefly. hot all Part of her, briefly, which is nice. There you go, cool.
01:30:00
Speaker
And how you want to manifest that, and if you want to just be able to do it, or you want to play with it as we have been prior to this, totally up to you. i More fun if you just smash it out and have fun with it. Anyway, whatever, it's your call. Falco, what have you gone for?
01:30:15
Speaker
I have multi-classed, so I've taken a level in Rogue, which gives me... It's mainly RP stuff, so it's just given me a couple of expertises and a couple of little bumps up other skills, and then a little bit of sneaky sneak attack as well.
01:30:33
Speaker
And Thieves' Can't, but I've never seen Thieves' Can't used in a game. don't think it's ever come into... No? Challenge accepted. LAUGHTER Thieves can't, but Falco can. And I learned to speak Goblin.
01:30:51
Speaker
Way! That's always handy. You can talk to my daughter. um No. Riff, was there anything to add? Was there anything to add yours? Sorry. Yeah, i it was just... um rereading it through I also Unleash Incarnation which gives me an extra attack action from my Echo's position and ah an equal amount of times equal to my Constitution modifier so each long rest I can essentially get an extra attack four times
01:31:27
Speaker
um and a hole In the whole long rest? In the long rest, yeah. Okay, cool, yeah. going to say, if it's four, that's big. That's big. That's good, though. That's really good, yeah. Yeah, just got to keep tabs on that. I'm not sure that's on d and d Beyond. I don't know if you've managed to hack it on there or if it's... ah Yeah, okay. so Not without having to purchase an entire campaign.
01:31:46
Speaker
I won't be able to access it, so I'll just have to do it. You've got to support the very the very poor, upstarting... It's a Matt Mercer invention, isn't it? The... I don't know I feel like it is I feel like anyway either way it's sick well there you go I love it it's fantastic it's great show Rifa so good sorry Alice it's good so brilliant thank you and thank Falco for your multi multi-class and finally Ian what Anorak going for?
01:32:17
Speaker
Anoraks fuck's sake I fucked up with that name didn't I I'm bullying on your character fucked hard Aranax, because he's a cleric, got to choose his cleric subclass and he's gone for probably the most obvious one, life domain, ah where I'm discipline of life and as such get life domain spells, ah preserve life.
01:32:42
Speaker
which as a magic action, i can expend my use of channel divinity to restore 15 HP to bloodied creatures within 30 foot of myself. I'm basically a healing machine going around and roots are springing from the ground. Flowers are blooming around me and I can heal my party and friends. And I'm at one with nature. Very nice. Would be a shame if this guy went down first, wouldn't Anyway, ah I mean, he's got the right height for it, I guess.
01:33:14
Speaker
not Oh, my God. Ian, Ian, Ian. Disgusting. Disgusting. but there's one he use guess ah He's looking at Falco. now Anyway, i'm moving on from that very, very visceral image, the night passes without any issue. Again,
01:33:36
Speaker
again you have moments wake and sense this this unease almost like waiting for a storm that you've been told will arrive that you're constantly aware of the fact that the surge is now so in uncontrollable and unknown ah you think you keep hearing it is it the rumble of thunder is it the movement of feet above you or is it the surge you're never really sure morning comes And over ah a well set out meal that Zaleth has laid for you, ah the four of you and Zaleth meet in the fourth floor where the kind of living quarters, food, dining area kind of is
01:34:18
Speaker
He lays forth a good number of food, breads, selection of pastries, some fish, ah some fruits, some figs, etc. that are all laid before you as well as you um make your way in and start to eat.
01:34:34
Speaker
You're all sat around eating at this point and Zalith ah Bids you farewell. He says that he has some business to attend to. really isn't in. Alara isn't here. um And that if you need anything just to wait.
01:34:49
Speaker
And then he makes an abrupt exit. I realized I did that third person. I could have just said it as him. Anyway, I've done it now. So it's canon. So he leaves and the four of you are left scoffing down some some chow as the morning sun rayss rises through the archway window.
01:35:05
Speaker
um and you can see it poking up over the mountains and shining in into there the large room you find yourself in at the moment. What would like to do?
01:35:18
Speaker
I mean, are we all sated? Is it is at the end of the breakfast? umssuming Yeah, we can imagine it's near the
Market Journey and Past Reminiscence
01:35:23
Speaker
end now, yeah. Yeah, yeah. and ah After you, you go first. Oh, and just um looking around...
01:35:34
Speaker
um kids Considering she now has no possessions. And... Which I don't think she's actually found out why.
01:35:46
Speaker
What happened there. and ah But... She's not used to not having some form of weapon on her. So if there's a ah sharp-ish knife, I wouldn't necessarily...
01:36:03
Speaker
go into the kitchen to find a cutting knife, but like just ah at the dinner table, at dinner table breakfast table. and It is a a knife that she can just pocket. That's a pretty good bread knife.
01:36:17
Speaker
Yeah, we'll go for the bread knife. We can saw some arms off with that. Cool. Let's refer to it just as a... ah A short sword.
01:36:28
Speaker
A short sword. Yep. Let's go dagger. So 1d4 plus... Yep. i wrote The dagger regular dagger gives you. i think it's just a one d four isn't it? I think I've got one. in I think I've got it in my inventory anyway. Yeah, 1d4 plus 4.
01:36:44
Speaker
like oh Because it's finesse, yeah. Yeah, we'll go with that for now. Yep, you manage to find that and ah you make your way down the tower as a force, sated at full health, at level 3 now. Well, you've been level 3 for a while, but you all know it now.
01:37:00
Speaker
um And out the big doors and back in towards Stormspire. You pass the palisade that some of you first entered into Stormspire from only a couple of days ago now.
01:37:12
Speaker
And yet the market seems changed somehow. Many of the stalls are closed. The place is much quieter this side of the of the bridge. And you see the inn now infamous to you, the infamous bridge, the rope walk bridge in front of you.
01:37:26
Speaker
It's one person abreast ah to to cross the ravine. The ravine which now you have not only traversed up high, but been down into its very depths, into the mouths of it, for three of you at least.
01:37:41
Speaker
Aranax. um I'm sure you've walked across bridges before, but with the knowing the nature of the Tidal Surge now being what it is, it feels somewhat like you're being watched.
01:37:55
Speaker
Not just yourself, but all four of you, that something doesn't feel as safe as maybe it once did.
01:38:02
Speaker
ah On the journey, Falco, and you mentioned you wanted to say something to the to the group out of the earshot of the Tide Callers. Was that right?
Falco's Investigation into Veil Root Group
01:38:09
Speaker
Yeah, if there is if there's a moment along the path where it's still on the move, but it's still on the way to the market, but I'm probably closest to Rock, but but so the others are in earshot, I'll say ah see it's a Rock, so you didn't come to bed last night?
01:38:32
Speaker
ah No, i was I was trying to find Rifa, and... Oh, yeah? Yeah, i was trying to find her, but i I couldn't. She wasn't in her room, and she wasn't in any of the other rooms, and then I checked upstairs, and ah i i Yeah, I just went to sleep on the stairs. I slept on the stairs, Falco.
01:38:57
Speaker
I was asleep on the stairs. Alright, look, if you don't want to tell me about it, that's fine. Well, yeah, okay, alright, fine. Anyway, um I made some notes last night after I went to the room.
01:39:08
Speaker
I was waiting for you, but you didn't show up. I made some notes about our task at hand. I wanted to really read into their words because, you know, the last one was a bit tricky.
01:39:20
Speaker
Have you still got the oar with you? The trepidation, yeah, no, that's... that's And he's kind of he's got it, he's affixed it to his his back, basically. It's now his quarterstaff, if you like. So he he whips it out and flourishes it.
01:39:33
Speaker
Right here, I'm always with trepidation. Awesome. um So the the notes that I've made are... We need to find a chalk seller, right?
01:39:44
Speaker
Somewhere in the market. And that is where we find the guy... And I know his name. I'm not go to say it out loud in case there's ears listening. But we need to find this guy who's the Chalk Seller.
01:39:58
Speaker
And he is guarding the Veil Root Group. Right? Uh-huh. That's what we're looking for. Like, if we draw it on ah on a board, that's our main objective. Right?
01:40:12
Speaker
Right. Now, I don't know. How familiar are you with, like, big cities? Oh, I know them like the back of my hand. Yeah. I didn't ever hear you from much of a city guy.
01:40:25
Speaker
It depends on the city. um What about um Westbridge?
01:40:35
Speaker
ah No. not no no not i don't No, not that No, no Westbridge? Okay, what about Rolling Hills? Nope. rolling hills ah i know You don't know Rolling Hills?
01:40:50
Speaker
Just above the Westbridge? ye yeah No, okay, it's fine. My point is, look, I think I can bring something to the group here. I got street smarts, and I think when they say chalk seller, I think what they're asking for is someone that sells the white powder, if you know what I mean.
01:41:15
Speaker
Yeah, I do. it's um You put it on your hands and it helps you grip. Yeah, no, no, hang on. um there's There's, you know, in big cities, there's some effluent folks who like to enjoy a good time with some white powder.
01:41:31
Speaker
Chalk cellar. Yes, I know the type. Like, Reefer and I, we bonded over physical activity as well, so if we're looking for climbers, they're going to be there. Oh, yeah. I've...
01:41:44
Speaker
i I want to think that you comprehend what I'm saying, but a big part of my brain is saying that you you do not get what I'm saying. No, I know exactly what you're saying, Falco. We're looking for some chalk sellers.
01:41:56
Speaker
We're looking for some climbers, people rubbing chalk. I got you. Guys, chalk sellers. Falco's got a plan. Uh, yeah, yeah, okay, alright, um, alright, we'll see how this goes. Um, just don't go shouting about chalk cellars, you gotta be subtle. Chalk's hard to get, especially in rural places like this.
01:42:19
Speaker
Okay. I'm with you. Right. Okay. I understand. So we go in real subtle. Yeah. Real nice and quiet. Like, and we ask around, we check the shady corners, we talk to anyone that looks like, you know, they're, they're shaking and they've lost a lot of weight recently.
01:42:37
Speaker
Ah, because of all the clime. Because of all the, no, no, no, not the clime. I, I, it's worrying me because I don't feel like we're on the same page, but at the same time we could be.
01:42:49
Speaker
we're we are we We're walking together, Falco. You and I, we're going to the chalk cellar. We're going to ask some shady people, and we're going to say, where have you got those root, veil roots?
01:43:01
Speaker
ah No, no, no, no, we're not going to mention the veil roots. They're way too far. All we want to do is find out who sells the chalk. Right. but Yeah, okay, right, just be you gotta to ask the right people.
01:43:13
Speaker
And according to my notes, the main seller at the jock is called Beefy Lodge. Right. Is that like all one name? Yeah, it's like a street name. Okay. Beefy Lodge, you know. he's your friend he's the life for the party he's beefy large we're looking for a guy who has our friend
Sky String Arena Adventure
01:43:36
Speaker
he's called beefy large and he sells the the chalk yeah yeah yes he's it perfect okay we are on the same page let's do this let's go beefy chalk all right all right and with that solid plan in mind um we head to the store through storm spire towards the sky string arena
01:44:01
Speaker
This is an area of training for many people, for would-be surge divers, for scalers to practice their wares. and Sorry, to practice their skills as well, but also for people to sell wares. and You would have popped down here when we quickly picked up some shopping stuff, when you picked up some ropes and chalks and things like that for your dive couple of days ago.
01:44:25
Speaker
And yet returning it feels again different. The energy is manic. Above you are a number of wooden platforms held high in the air with ropes,
01:44:37
Speaker
interlocking across them, almost like a ah web of spaces. And you above you can see would-be divers, would-be scalers walking the ropes, practicing their balance underfoot, falling from one to the other to practice those those jutting out rocks, ah practicing their knots, etc. The areas alive with the single purpose of finding a way of avoiding or taming the tidal surge itself.
01:45:01
Speaker
Around the centre of it is this large platform, as I mentioned, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 platforms up high, maybe 2 or 3 storeys high at some point, much lower at others ah for different kind of levels. There's a small area where even like kids or younger people are practicing just basic walking on a rope that's not even a foot above the ground.
01:45:22
Speaker
Around the outside of it and nearest to the edge where the ravine sits is a number of stalls and against the the there's like a wall that sits because this is kind of almost outside of the main part of Storm Spire.
01:45:34
Speaker
There's a slight cliff edge wall as well. on The base of there in the shade is a number of um stalls as well. It's kind of lying around the outside of it and you're not sure where the stalls are. or revelry of the these individuals end and when the stalls really begin but there are benches and chairs kind of haphazardly placed almost everywhere except around this main central area where the the kind of rope and wooden structure stands it holds a kind of deft reverence in the area because of its purpose the place packed there's
01:46:06
Speaker
There must be at least 50 or 60 people in and or around this rather cramped feeling space. There are awnings up over a number of the shop sides as well as individuals are moving to and fro. Many are just standing watching with drinks, watching the people and kind of noting on them.
01:46:21
Speaker
i like I imagine it almost like you go to like a kid's football match and that there's always a couple of dads just commenting on it and taking it a bit too seriously. It's a lot of that going on, but it's all kinds of range of ah individuals and ethnicities around here as well. So you find yourselves at this location and it just kind of hits you that you've been away from civilization for years.
01:46:46
Speaker
a few days away from this many people and the noise and the energy that this kind of situation brings you. The four of you are stood there. Rifa, Falco, Ruck and Anorax. Aranax. So sorry. That one was an accident. Aranax.
01:47:01
Speaker
um What would you like to do? I'm looking for beefy large.
01:47:09
Speaker
For fuck's sake. Sorry Rifa, go ahead. Oh no, no, go on. I was just going to say, how are you looking for beefy large? But please feel free to stop him from doing that and and i'd say something else. and I would say she kind of only caught the yeah first half of Falco's kind of whispered conversation.
01:47:33
Speaker
So um
01:47:37
Speaker
she's just going to go up to someone and ask where she can buy some chalk.
01:47:43
Speaker
Okay. i want You're on the nearest person. Yeah. Yeah. What kind of boat? She's definitely in Roxanne of thinking like there's just a normal chalk seller. So she's, yeah.
01:47:56
Speaker
Just anyone. Yeah, like it's just like a little, yeah, just whoever's nearest, she's just going to. You've got to find the people that look gaunt.
01:48:07
Speaker
look Look for the ones that look a little bit kind of skinny. That's what Falco said. Look for a skinny one. Give me you just roll d6 for me, please? Just without any additions or anything. just ah I've got a couple of possibilities and you can... Four.
01:48:23
Speaker
Okay, and there's a... There's a large, muscular um a human woman... stood facing away watching with her arms crossed and you see this fucking huge like part sword part cleaver on her on her hip and it's like gnarled and like there are bits of chips missing out of it and she's fucking jacked and she stood watching she's got like a long dark hair plait down the middle of her back her hair is kind of tied back tight uh across kind of like thick leather armor on her back and she stood watching um
01:49:01
Speaker
the scalars tying knots and kind of looking up absentmindedly up towards them as you approach. She hasn't seen you yet, though.
01:49:12
Speaker
Erm... I'm just going to tap her on the shoulder and just say, oh, excuse me. She's going to turn and flinch and pull back a fist. What? ah Sorry, ah I was just wondering if you if you knew where I could buy some chalk.
01:49:30
Speaker
Huh. her fist lowers for a second as she kind of takes you in um yeah she's probably about the same you're probably at the same height as you know filealcodes is there something you want going to add to that if if reefer didn't do that i would i would like march up to her like she's a naughty school girl and like take her by the hand and i know i won't be able to move her but i will full-on try and i'll turn and take that first step and try and like pull her away as if she's been naughty I'm going to kind of frown down at him and just like pull my arm out of his grip. What are you doing?
01:50:06
Speaker
You trying to get us caught by the guards? Just finding out where the chalk salary is. Yeah, I know, but you've got to be cool about it. Go up to the closest part. To be fair, she doesn' she could be beefy large, but we need to be careful here. We're looking for precious stuff.
01:50:25
Speaker
We're looking for chalk. Yeah, I know. I'm the one that told you about what it is. Why don't people listen to me? Everyone here on the ropes are using chalk well. Yeah, bet they fucking are. They're all over the place.
01:50:43
Speaker
and Turning back to the lady, I'm i'm so sorry about him. and He's a bit jumbled today. and and Sorry, i'm yeah like i said, I'm looking to buy ah some chalk. Is there a ah stall you'd recommend going to?
01:50:57
Speaker
Third on the left, over there. Don't go to the one over there. And she points the other side. He's a fuckhead.
01:51:05
Speaker
Great, thank you for your help. And then I'm going to grab Falco's arm as if he's like a naughty little kid and pull him. back. all Over. Rock's going to remain standing there just for a second and go, out of interest, what was your name?
01:51:21
Speaker
Miss? My name? Yeah. Bryn. Bryn. Brynfee... Brynfee Large?
01:51:32
Speaker
Just Bryn. What did you call me? Hmm? Large. I would... That's your You're not... Falco, it's not her.
01:51:44
Speaker
It's not her. Not me. Not me what?
Misinterpretations and Tensions
01:51:48
Speaker
And she's going to grab your your arm and spin your hand, Rock.
01:51:53
Speaker
You know... Beefy Large.
01:52:00
Speaker
She's going to draw her sword at that. ah My friend doesn't mean any of event doesn't mean any offense. He's just speaking out of turn.
01:52:11
Speaker
Please pay him no heed! As Aranax runs over both hands up and ah and from the ground where this non-beefy large woman is stood, the dewdrops in the grass just start to kind of circle around her and this kind of wind out of nowhere just subtly just kind of does a 360 around her feet and then as it reaches her head, she's got to make a charisma saving throw of 13 as I cast Karma Motions.
01:52:42
Speaker
Four. Yeah. So I get to choose. ah This creature becomes indifferent about creatures of your choice that it's hostile towards. So she will no longer be hostile towards rock.
01:52:56
Speaker
Well played. Her hand's just going to drop from him. And suddenly ah her expression changes from the anger to, she resheaths her sword and continues to look. Once again, so sorry.
01:53:12
Speaker
ah Thanks for your understanding in the situation. Come along, Rock. Yeah, we'll be back to talk later, Mr. Hitch. Come along, Rock. So can I just understand the situation currently I'm holding on to Falco and leading him like a child and you're holding on to Rock leading him like a child. No, no, no. I don't. My station isn't.
01:53:32
Speaker
that's That's above my station. More just like stood there hoping in that Rock will listen. Yeah. Rock listens, but he's going to do that thing where he's trying to be cool and he's going to stare at her and do the smolder look and shake his head little bit, go to step away, turn back and look again at her face before kind of walking off behind our backs. And just as you walk away, Rock, you hear just mutter something like, second strange person I've met today.
01:53:58
Speaker
Anyway, I'm just going to go back to looking. But she's not crossing arms anymore. Her arms just kind of hanging down and her head's a little lulled to the side if she just kind of just enjoys looking. enjoys looking Oh yeah, we got her, Falco.
01:54:12
Speaker
We got her good. She's on the ropes.
01:54:16
Speaker
Uh, Rufa, you've dragged Falco off. I would make you do a check for this, Falco, but don't think you can ever make much of a chance of resisting it. Get that link down with me! um Yeah, I'll let go of you.
01:54:32
Speaker
but What are you doing? You're trying to... You're blowing everything here. Look, Rock was on the right course. do you mean I'm blowing everything here? Look, we're trying to find the right person. We know the name. We know the product. You're going towards the wrong stool. She said not to go to that stool, so that's the stool we should go to. Is this your first quest?
01:54:51
Speaker
What you on about? I literally just dragged you in that direction. No, you're taking me towards the stool that she said to go to. No. i Falco. Hmm?
01:55:03
Speaker
Are you okay? Don't look down on me like you know more than I do. Just...
01:55:15
Speaker
Hey, look, you're great. you youre yeah You're awesome in a fight. We take you to a tavern, you're great in a brawl. But this is where I thrive. In the streets. Okay.
01:55:26
Speaker
We'll just um ignore the fact that I've just found out the information we needed. Did you? In a couple of seconds. but What what the information is there? Where the Chalk Seller is. Mm-hmm. That's what it's done. Which Beefy Lodge.
01:55:39
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Right, Reefer?
01:55:43
Speaker
What did you say, Rock? Just being cool. Just being cool. Yeah, see, he's being cool. You could take a leaf out of his book. You'd have to get past my eyes first, eh, Falco?
01:55:58
Speaker
I'll be honest. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. I have to get past his eyes, whatever that means. But, like I said, okay, okay, great wait, wait, wait. Time out, time out. We need to take a breath here and work out what we're going to do next.
01:56:13
Speaker
You're saying that we're gonna go to a chalk cellar store, right? Mm-mm. Okay, so which one do you want to go to? The one that she told us to go to or the one that she told us not to go to? Well, obviously the one she told us not to go to. Okay, so we're on the same page. What are you doing pulling me away like that?
01:56:31
Speaker
I'm just not even gonna respond to that. I'm just gonna start heading over to the one that she told us not to go to. I'll look at Rock and Aranax and be like, and she's getting it, she's getting it, and I'll follow after. Okay, and where she pointed not to go to was towards the kind of rock-faced part of the arena wall, where the number of stores have been built on the kind of but the cliff continues to go up they've built at the base of that area and above there would be where um ah the gilded anchor actually would be and the ravine would be the other side of it kind of a little bit lower and off to the side at this point in the in where you are in storm spire so it's also in the shade as well and um
01:57:11
Speaker
As you make me there, you walk past a couple of stalls. most Most are just kind of selling single provisions like specialist ropes, specialist drinks. One is just a water. One is just a small kind of makeshift tavern.
01:57:23
Speaker
And then there's the stall that she said not to go to. And what you see behind the counter is this human, male, stood there, ah leaning on a counter.
01:57:38
Speaker
He is... five foot four at a push. He has a long wispy beard, long straight brown hair, um and is wearing quite baggy clothes.
01:57:57
Speaker
Oh, hello.
01:58:02
Speaker
ah hello. a ah Good morning. yes. it? i Yeah, so still morning.
01:58:14
Speaker
Hello.
01:58:17
Speaker
um Has he obviously got any wares on show? ah Some chalk. a couple of big tubs of chalk off to the side. But he just doesn't make any move for He just continues to kind of stare at or slash through you.
01:58:32
Speaker
Yeah.
01:58:36
Speaker
Kind of... Obviously, she's got a bit annoyed with Falco, she hadn't really come up... She didn't really come up with a plan before heading over there. Do you want some chalk?
01:58:49
Speaker
That's what sell here, you know? Yes. ah Do you mind if I and inspect the chalk first? Yeah, it's all there. It's all the same, all white. um She just kind of walks on over...
01:59:06
Speaker
ah and just awkwardly like picks some chalk up in her finger and just kind of rubs it as if she's checking the consistency of it yeah yeah it's real as she does that can I see behind the counter like does it look like there's more chalk yeah can I see behind the counter give me an investigation check please I said give me so impolite of me Would you please?
01:59:38
Speaker
Yeah, you can see behind there and you can make out stone floor, a number of awnings above. There's a small
01:59:49
Speaker
ah set of shelves where there are some trinkets and things, a water bottle, some food. There's a stool behind there where he's currently kneeling on it.
02:00:02
Speaker
and from that location you can also make out a small wooden door near the back.
02:00:10
Speaker
um where Where did you ah ah mine this chalk from?
02:00:19
Speaker
don't know, I'll just buy and so So while she is making this conversation, um what she wants to do is, how far away is that door from where she is? Eight ah
02:00:39
Speaker
eight feet? Yeah. and So she's kind of, she's she's doing two things. She's waiting for the others to catch up. And then she wants to manifest her echo on the other side of the door.
02:00:54
Speaker
If it's an unoccupied space, just on the other side of the door. Do you have to be able to see the space, though? Ooh. Maybe just check that reading. As as you're checking that, um Alice, we'll assume the other three have kind of made... You've started to make... oh Yeah.
02:01:08
Speaker
No, I do. see I can see. You can put her in front of the door. um Obviously. or this side of the door, but you yeah, we'll be able to put her the other side of the door. Okay, then I... ah yeah, at the moment I'll um just ah didn't but kind of kill time until the others arrive and then if there is an opportune moment, should like to manifest the echo in front of the door, do the switch
02:01:44
Speaker
and take us out through the door. Okay. Yeah. In a moment where he's not looking, is that the kind of held action, if you will? Yeah. I'll, um, ah If it feels like there's a right moment, I'll give you a little nod.
02:01:57
Speaker
It might not happen, but that's kind of that her plan on the fly right now. Cool. Okay. So Falco, Rock, Aranax, you've seen Rifa storm off and then you've kind of bustled after her and you just make it to where she seems to be very obviously but rubbing chalk between her fingers and then very obviously looking behind the counter um to to see what's there as you approach her.
02:02:23
Speaker
Uh, Rock, look, you've been doing real good today, buddy. I think you should take point on this. Are you sure I'd feel really uncomfortable doing it? No, you look great. Look, you're relaxed. You fit. You slept well. Just go for it. I trust you. Okay. No, I got this.
02:02:39
Speaker
I got this. He's going to kind of do a warm-up, click his neck to one side, kind of roll his shoulders back, step forwards, and go... Hey. Hello. You must be the person.
02:02:53
Speaker
Yep. Mm-hmm. Chalk. Hand it over. ah Do you... Is it drugs? you Is the chalk the... Wait.
02:03:05
Speaker
wait Rock what? I don't know, Falco. I got panicked. Take a deep breath. Okay. Excuse me, sir. Just bear with me. Reset. reset Go again. Yeah, he might be. Just cool. to take over.
02:03:24
Speaker
yeah i want you to take you beef you launch yeah you feel large no name no my my name who grundda sort baby law no No, no, no, no, this can't be right. this We followed all the clues so perfectly. This is... and I sold Chuck.
02:03:49
Speaker
I don't sell drugs. I don't sell drugs. I take
02:04:05
Speaker
Oh, look, you can find a dwarf.
02:04:10
Speaker
Hello? Yes. ah hello Hello there. Don't don't mind me. As you are. Okay. Okay. No, i don't have any drugs.
02:04:23
Speaker
you i Do you want some? Um, maybe later if we come back. um We're looking for a beefy large gentleman.
02:04:36
Speaker
Oh yeah. And we were told he was a shark seller? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Uh, are you trying the other one?
02:04:48
Speaker
ah Across the way?
02:04:51
Speaker
oh shit. I knew we should have gone to the other one. I fucking knew it. Alright, uh, yeah. i Have a good day. He's a big boy and he's, um... Well, he's quite tall and, uh, got a big tummy and, um...
02:05:08
Speaker
Well, yeah, I guess you might, you know, might, there are some that could, you might think of, I might refer to him as being beefy. Right, okay, sorry. When I come to think of it, when I come to think of it, he is quite, he's not big, but he's not small. So, yeah, I would put him at, you know, put him at,
02:05:38
Speaker
large Rock, knock this guy out. What, right now? i think I think he's got to go down. So, you know, i agree that it's a good... Rock's going to throw a punch.
02:05:53
Speaker
Okay, roll to hit. Oh, fuck's sake, fucking...
02:06:01
Speaker
Nope. Chaos. Nope. Seven. Seven. um He doesn't even flinch. You just like, your palms are so sweaty from like from lying and being cool that you just slip and your hand kind of goes past and you kind of, your body's a bit splayed on the counter and your hands, your fist is still kind of out over the side to which um the gentleman just gives you a light fist bump.
02:06:25
Speaker
Nice to meet you too. It's great to meet you. I'll go into the work. Okay, this is all going to shit. Plan B, everyone run! And I'll just sprint out of the door. Bye!
02:06:37
Speaker
Bye! I'm not entirely sure what's going on here. don't know.
02:06:48
Speaker
I thought Falco and I were so solid. We were working so well together yesterday and today's just not going too well at all.
02:06:55
Speaker
Rifa, is this the right place? and I don't think so. ah but Thank you. and This is not quite the grade I'm looking for.
02:07:08
Speaker
really sorry. I'll strap chalk back in there. the bucket and head out. Well, you can ah before you can come back any time. If you find that the gradient or the grade of the chalk ah changes and you find actually it is more to your liking for your needs because you could use it for you can use it for many um things,
02:07:35
Speaker
then feel free to you know But the next time you're in the Sky String, the rough area or not, even if you were, you know, just in storms, in fact, anywhere in the central, you could come back but into the store and and continue to buy it from my side. In fact, it could be me or I could bring it you
02:08:07
Speaker
to you yeah Yes, thank you. that Thank you. yeah I can completely understand what you're saying. Is that something you because for that can i I'm just going to think on it.
02:08:18
Speaker
i yeah I'll just think on it and I know where you are now so I'll i'll come back if I need need your help. Yeah, because I'm in the Sky String Arena and it's it's really interesting. and because but By the way, you see that trinket behind you? Could you just tell me about that? And then the moment you turn around, ah had it i'm heading out.
02:08:40
Speaker
i'm not goingnna run out, but I'm just going to turn and fast walk out there. ah ah who Who's still in there at this point? um not I'm not staying around. Sweaty bombs.
02:08:52
Speaker
You were saying? This intricate... This is... found this in the mountains to the north, and i well It was a gift that my mother... No, my father's... My father's... Well, wasn't a friend, because he'd ruined a pair of shoes that my father had...
02:09:17
Speaker
let him borrow, we didn't quite so much borrow them as took them you see it gave it to him as a present to look out to say thank, well not so much thank you but a recompense for him taking the shoes and it's only a small stone but it really meant a lot, well not so much to tomorrow myself but, Rock anything you want to do this?
02:09:47
Speaker
As falco catches has Rock catches up with Falco, he's just going kind of, as you can see, beads of sweat trickling down his face. he's going to I thought I was good with my hands, but I'm not good with my hands today for some reason. But you're meant to be really good with your mouth. Can you just use your mouth on these people?
02:10:02
Speaker
because i I just tried and my mouth's not doing any good either. I feel like I'm better when I'm backing you up, you know? do we wanted Do you want to try with your mouth first and then I'll back you up with my hands? ah Yeah, but I'm not going back in that shop.
02:10:15
Speaker
No. No, he talks. Yeah, I mean, look, some challenges present themselves in different ways, and that was a challenge. I do wish that you would have made contact with his face. don't know what happened.
02:10:28
Speaker
It was the sweat. I don't think I've missed like that before. Ironically, it's hard ironically, if you had chalk, you wouldn't be sweating. Really? Yeah, yeah, that's how it works.
02:10:39
Speaker
Well, let's get some chalk. Yeah, i know. That's what I've been saying this whole time. And it it really transpired then that the main reason for it was that I had then put my shoe on the the... Well, not the right foot, but the the other the wrong foot, and the lace was the reason for the shoe falling off.
02:11:06
Speaker
And that caused the trinket to be chipped.
02:11:15
Speaker
That's all very interesting, Grendek. Can you tell me, where do you get your chalk from? It's a very interesting story, actually.
02:11:27
Speaker
Is it a singular person or from the mountain ranges? Do you procure it yourself or you a buyer and you sell it on? It's part column A, part column ah B, but then also... I don't understand what that means in the context of my question.
02:11:47
Speaker
You see, i also... i know people, I don't know them, but i I've befriended those that mine it, and I so i did once visit the mines near Crosswind Town, and I took part, well, I helped...
02:12:05
Speaker
somewhat in the procurement of some of the chalks. And i in doing so, I learned many things about chalk.
02:12:21
Speaker
Like? It's properties of... Sorry, Falco, is anyone going to jump in? Please kill me now. Okay, right, I got an idea. Follow me. We're going in, and I'm going to go back in the shop. Oh, good.
02:12:35
Speaker
So, if you have changed your mind... yeah, yeah. Right, come here. do have a number of things that you Take a handful of chalk....be interested
Intimidation and Information Gathering
02:12:44
Speaker
in. Chalking Roxanne's.
02:12:46
Speaker
um We had not let this guy go. my So, the cho absolutely, turn around, young... Do it! Try again now! And look... This is how you use the chalk. You apply it to your hands. Can Rock for an uppercut kind punch the mouth? Absolutely, yeah.
02:13:07
Speaker
Roll to hit. ah With the minus two, it's a 19 to hit. That hits. Non-lethal ah five points of... bludgeoning he he is knocked off a stool hits the uh the small uh shelf that's behind it one of the trinkets falls off and lands on the thuds on the ground below and he then collapses on the ground um knocked out oh thank god
02:13:36
Speaker
erin x are you okay am i okay you've just come in and punched him Yeah, it was a challenge and we passed. Well done, Rock. High five.
02:13:47
Speaker
I'll hold my hand up at his waist. He'll kind of awkwardly return the high five and go, was that not?
02:13:57
Speaker
I'm starting to question. No, I'm not questioning the priestess. There's got to be an important reason why I'm paired with you all. and What are we doing?
02:14:10
Speaker
That's a good question. love Look, to be honest, just a little with you. We didn't want any of that to happen. He brought that on himself. Now we're going to go to the other chalk cellar.
02:14:22
Speaker
And punch him too. so No, no, no, no, no. What was the one that was doing? He punch it unless he, well, maybe it's his brother. And then, yes, we will be doing punching. Well, Rock, we do some punching on our behalf.
02:14:32
Speaker
But we're going to go the other chalk cellar. That's task number one.
02:14:40
Speaker
Okay then, then let me hold you back. What, you gotta come with us? Yes, I'll be following from ah behind. Right, okay.
02:14:51
Speaker
You can't punch me then. we're not gonna punch you.
02:14:58
Speaker
I'm pretty sure Granddick didn't expect you to punch him. Look- Task ahead! Task ahead! Don't let me hold you back! Task ahead. Yeah, yeah, okay. All right, so, Rock, you happy with the plan?
02:15:12
Speaker
Uh, I kind of feel bad about punching that guy. Don't feel bad. had it coming, buddy. He had it coming. Some of these people deserve it. Right, and he deserved it? Yeah, some people just want to watch the world burn, and he was one of them.
02:15:26
Speaker
Okay, well, that's all right, then. Okay. Okay, I feel better. Thanks, Falco. Yeah, right. Okay, so Chaxilla, where's Rifa?
02:15:35
Speaker
and Where is Rifa? She kind of... I think she would have passed you guys. If she was coming out, you guys were coming in. And then she kind of watched that from the doorway.
02:15:53
Speaker
And then...
02:15:57
Speaker
She's gonna start making her way to the other chock cellar, but she's not gonna go barrelling in there in the same way she did that guy. Okay.
02:16:08
Speaker
And this individual you see across the way, it's a slightly larger shop. It's slightly more opulent and it's very clear. It's an open, very large open entrance to this place ah with a a long red awning over the top open and then a single bar in the middle, a number of pre-packaged packages of chalk and a very large, very beefy, very bold ah man with... and a, yeah, just just an angry looking face stood, hands lent on the bar, ah leaning over, looking at, scowling at people as they walk past.
02:16:52
Speaker
That's what you see um from your position as the rest of the group kind of catch up. So there's a four now, you can see this dude, he looks quite big.
02:17:07
Speaker
and looks quite angry.
02:17:10
Speaker
Or annoyed, one might say. Or objected him.
02:17:18
Speaker
mean, uh, is he, that's the guy, right? That's Beefy Large? He looks like the guy. uh, yeah. yeah I mean, you, you sure you don't want to take this one?
02:17:33
Speaker
I, I'm, I know you said the last guy kind of had it coming. not Still not sure how I feel about that one. Kinda made me feel a bit bad, you know? Well, you can't have to feel feel bad about Buddy yet.
02:17:47
Speaker
Uh, uh, Reefer, you wanna talk to this guy, see if you can get anything out of him?
02:17:54
Speaker
Well, you seem to know
02:18:00
Speaker
what to do, or at least you give the impression you know what to do, Falco, so um feel feel free to go ahead yourself. Oh, that put him in his place. Okay. i Yeah, yeah he you I know what doing. i yeah I know what the game's about.
02:18:22
Speaker
He's just a guy. He's just a big, beefy guy. All right. yeah Hey, how you doing? Oh, hello there. You, uh... You sell a chalk?
02:18:35
Speaker
I do. I sell many forms here. have you got something in your eye? I've got lots of... Lots here. Gets in the eye of the dust. Oh, I've got a bandage here. I've got a cloth. and Let me get my cloth in.
02:18:46
Speaker
Gets a little wet cloth out and goes up and wipes your... Wipes your eye and then wipes the corner of your your cheeks like it you like you would do a to a child. Chips you up. What can I do you for, young man? and yeah i I'm looking to buy some chalk.
02:19:02
Speaker
Of course. Yeah, I've got lots right here. My friend's got pretty sweaty palms, so I'm just looking for some sort of powder that I can keep in a little pouch. Oh, you know what?
02:19:13
Speaker
Chalk's bloody good for that. It stops your palms getting sweaty when you're climbing up the ropes. Very good for that. Oh, great. ah you You don't recognize that spidey chance, do you?
02:19:25
Speaker
Us? I just see you, little man. Well, me and my friend here, the Tiefling, and my friend here, the the Hawking Goliath. ah You might not know this guy, but he's easy he's with us.
02:19:38
Speaker
Oh, I recognise you. You two especially. I believe you look similar to those that did the ah the old Surge dive and survived it.
02:19:50
Speaker
ah Congratulations on that. Yeah, it was real good, wasn't it? But you don't recognise me? What do you mean? Well, I was one of the divers. I'm one of the champions. I did point to you, little man. I did point to you, and I pointed to him as well. And I pointed to the young lady at the back there as well.
02:20:11
Speaker
Right, okay, yeah, I'm just making sure you, you know... We recognise. yeah yeah. We give credit where credit is due. Absolutely. um Hey, look, we we'll we're maybe looking for something a bit ah under the table, both literally and figuratively.
02:20:26
Speaker
um Do you know anything about the Veils Road group? Hmm. Interesting.
02:20:40
Speaker
Could you give me... Valka, could you do a
02:20:46
Speaker
insight check please. And while you're doing that he's going to say the following.
02:20:54
Speaker
I'll tell you what. I do.
02:20:59
Speaker
just Just give me a moment. Let me just ah shut the back here. I'll be back in a second. ah What did you get for that? That was a 19. is suddenly shit scared.
02:21:16
Speaker
um right of you.
02:21:20
Speaker
right me just Let me just shut this up and then I'll back in a second.
Confrontation with Beefy Large
02:21:24
Speaker
And he's going to move around the back. And the back of the store, you've got... um this is the other side this isn't against the wall this is one that stands kind of a shop that kind of stands alone well a line of them that stand alone with kind of ways through them before and there is a door at the back he's going to walk towards and to walk but towards it there's a long wooden bar a small entrance way thing at the other end and then if you walked all the way along the bar there's this door in the back left corner you're kind of stood midway at the moment
02:21:53
Speaker
As he gets to this back door, ah he's going to just open it up. And you realize this back door is more like an awning opening. And as you see just daylight to the other side of it, he looks finally once back to you, Falco, and his kind of gentle demeanor that had changed quite suddenly when you entered changes again and his face becomes quite stern.
02:22:17
Speaker
And his expression drops and he's going to run Rifa, sorry, you you were wanting to say something in the meantime. Yeah, I was going to ask just from the position of where I was watching it, did it look like he was going to make a runner?
02:22:32
Speaker
ah It didn't up until the point that he looked back and then it was um probably obvious to to at least Rifa yourself, Falco, to you um q two that that's his aim here. He was about to leg it.
02:22:46
Speaker
and So kind i with him opening that door, can I see an empty space? Yeah, you can. You can see just ah the kind of a dusty emptiness, almost like a back alley for all these shops. And it's just nothing. He was just going to peg it down this back alley.
02:23:02
Speaker
Yes, so she she'll do what i was going to do with the other chalk seller. yeah ah Manifest my echo and um switch places with it.
02:23:16
Speaker
So it's going to appear first and then you're going to switch places with it, is that right? Yeah, assuming that but he ah is within 15 feet, I can manifest it and then yeah it is and then yeah yeah yeah then i can switch spaces with it.
02:23:31
Speaker
Cool. So as he turns to leave, he sees this wisp-like figure of a tiefling stood in front of him. He takes half a step back away from He was about to run, takes half a step back from away from it and then suddenly bamf!
02:23:43
Speaker
Just the tiefling that was in the shop is now stood right in front of him. That flings him back into the shop. He falls down onto the floor and kind of scrambles back a few spaces. So he's got his back to the counter away from where you are as you stand in the doorway now.
02:23:58
Speaker
He's just panting and staring up at you. I don't think my friend was finished talking with you. Oh, but I was done talking to you.
02:24:09
Speaker
Falco? her Um, I'm standing there, or Fargo's standing there with his mouth, like, hanging open. a Uh... Yeah, so you heard of them?
02:24:25
Speaker
Uh, I, uh... I didn't... Um... Rifa, could you make an intimidation check, please?
02:24:39
Speaker
I'm assuming from the way you said that I know that my friend was done talking to you, there was a ah slight kind of yeah persuasion towards your staying exactly where the fuck I tell you to. 17. yeah, he's staring at you and it took him by a surprise.
02:24:52
Speaker
Something chronic. He's not seen it before. I will say, like... internally, she's like, holy shit, because that's the first time that's ever happened. and so yeah It was all on instinct, but she's ah like still processing what what she just managed to do then.
02:25:08
Speaker
Absolutely. And that doesn't show through, and he's just staring back at you. I didn't i didn't like i didn't want to do it. They they they told me that I had to. i they've got They've got shit on me. They've got they've got but got dirt on me from something, and they blackmailed me into doing it. i don't ah Please, just...
02:25:26
Speaker
Just don't let them find out I'll show you where they get i'll show where they are.
02:25:39
Speaker
yeah Shall I show you? a Just before you go anywhere, I'll draw up my beautiful rapier that was made for me with my name the side. And i'll I'll casually walk over, just like glancing it off objects around the chalk shop.
02:25:58
Speaker
a I don't think you're telling us the whole story. Now, my friend here, she's, ah as you can tell, quite talented. And if you don't tell us absolutely everything, well, she's going to cut you open from tip to tate.
02:26:13
Speaker
And i'll drag I'll drag the sword across his chest. ah Could you make an intimidation check, please? Yes, please.
02:26:27
Speaker
ah He's going to look at you and look at your letter opener. And then he's going to look back towards Reefer. Look, for you, um i I'll show you where they are. Just just don't do that thing again. That felt wrong.
02:26:49
Speaker
Very well. Rock, you want come near the other side of him?
02:26:56
Speaker
Sorry, I'm not gonna play the first thing that came into my head.
Moral Dilemmas and Final Preparations
02:27:00
Speaker
um oh Yeah, bro's just stuck Rock's just standing there, kind of as well, looking looking a little bit in awe as well at you, Reefer, and goes, whoa, that was awesome. you were You were right there, and now suddenly, I mean, I'm fast, but that was, sorry, yeah, oh, ah okay, no, am I standing, out are we kind of, as is this, a are we trying to get him to talk? Are we doing threatening stuff?
02:27:26
Speaker
i just will I just don't want him to run away, so if you stay one side and I'll stay the other, and then... Sure. Okay. ah Rock's going to place his foot onto this guy's chest with like a a grapple check. No, no, no. no no no yeah mean We just need to get him up and walking.
02:27:47
Speaker
But I don't want him to run off. Right, okay. Okay, well I should probably still hold on to him then. yeah Yes, but not with your foot. He can't walk if you've got your foot on him.
02:27:58
Speaker
No, that's true. That makes it hard. Okay. Okay, up we get then. Up we get Beefy Large. Let's go. And he'll kind of drag him up to his feet. And he kind of joins you, looking oddly at you for calling him Beefy Large, but he's now stood up and he kind straightens his clothes out.
02:28:15
Speaker
Grapple check. Oh. um So it's a DC 13. and think he gets to choose whether it's strength or... And if it fails, he'll use his actual bonus action.
02:28:28
Speaker
He'll pick strength. He picks strength, 13 3, so it's 16. Yeah, yeah, yeah, beats it, but he'll use his bonus action. Get off, get off, get off, get off.
02:28:40
Speaker
I got this. I got the chalk. Yeah, it's a 12, that one. now There we go. Let's put this arm up here. Ah!
02:28:49
Speaker
Okay, okay, okay, okay, fine, fine, fine, fine. It's over here. i just Just let off a bit, off a bit, off a bit. Let off a bit, let off a bit. Just a little bit. Why? Because it's hurting my arm and I can't fucking think. Oh, I'm sorry. Okay, I'm sorry. There you go.
02:29:05
Speaker
Fucking hell. You okay? Yep, yep. It's just, i was going to show you anyway. Well, it's gonna yeah, you looked like you were going to run. Rifa, do you want to get the door? Yeah, he's, I've got one arm. It's not the door.
02:29:18
Speaker
It's not the door. Just let go and I'll show you. I've told you, look, you've got that entrance. You've got over there. You've got your dwarf there. You've got the, and he's going look towards where this wispy form of Rifa is still stood in the, in the awnings at the front, just staring at him.
02:29:35
Speaker
you've you've got You've got her there, and you've you've you've got her there. And he points towards Rifa, stood in the doorway. Look, I'm surrounded. Look, I'm not going anywhere. You're going to get me. Just let go.
02:29:49
Speaker
Well, am I letting him go? Roxas, looking around for some form of authority.
02:29:58
Speaker
Yes! He's just told you everything that you wanted. I don't understand entirely what's going on with this group. You asked him and you cornered him and he's obliging to everything you're asking.
02:30:16
Speaker
about How about we we just understand that we have him cornered and we let him show us what we need him to.
02:30:28
Speaker
Well, we were told that there was like a... What was it? A trap door or something to go... What if he goes running down and is all like... you Get him behind his friends that robbed us?
02:30:41
Speaker
Then maybe that... You would be able to use your great big stride and catch him.
02:30:49
Speaker
You hear that, Beefy Large?
02:30:54
Speaker
Yeah. I got a great big stride. yeah
02:31:00
Speaker
Still, yep, I'm not going anywhere. i just need, you know, just, you know what, keep the arm, you haven't let go. I'll just point, it's there.
02:31:10
Speaker
And he points to a door, ah a square box that's half covered up by a rug. um There's a chain, pull that up. They're down there, it looks like a pantry, it's not just a pantry.
02:31:27
Speaker
Thank you. They're in there now, though. There's a few of them in there now, so just... go easy. Just don't tell them I'll let you. Just tell them you beat me up or something.
02:31:38
Speaker
Okay. ah Would you like us to make it look realistic? Oh, my... I... Can't we just... Is there any other a way to settle this?
02:31:50
Speaker
Just... I don't... No, I'll just... Just tell them you threatened me. but I'll tell them you threatened... Don't tell them anything. Just beat them up. yeah i Just... I'll figure it out, alright? Just... just
02:32:01
Speaker
Just let me go. Please.
02:32:08
Speaker
You, big man, let me go. Yeah, no, i've I'll let go. You've got your hand behind your back. I'm not holding it anymore. oh sorry, I thought it still felt like you're holding me back there. it's Such strong Oh, sorry it's the twist. Yeah, I'm with you. Right, okay.
02:32:23
Speaker
All right. So do you do do you need like do you need me here anymore, then?
02:32:29
Speaker
don't know. Yeah, well, you're not going anywhere. Ah, fuck. Okay, right. I'll just, um, ah I'll sit on the stool over here and just...
02:32:40
Speaker
Sit. Do you want me just to sit? I don't know what... You kind of took control, then. You're not really taking control anymore. What do you me to You want it to be released. I want to be released. i want to go. ah no, no, no. You can't go. either You're not going anywhere. You're settling for a good long night, sir.
02:32:56
Speaker
Flipping heck. Well, it's only morning. It's going to bloody long time. Oh, flipping heck. Okay. Right. Okay. Well, if they come up and, you know... um we'll just deal with it I'll deal with it just let me deal with it you you go down I'll deal with it if I come up hey guys um they you know they they they took all our stuff but they kind of left us all alive and they kind of they they didn't kill us all we do we we don't have to we could leave them alive right
02:33:36
Speaker
Yes! Er, no.
02:33:41
Speaker
Admittedly, I'm not the one who had things stolen from them. And I'm a little bit confused as to what we're doing, if I'm being totally honest.
02:33:52
Speaker
We make them alive.
02:34:04
Speaker
This is just after we have one of our friends taken down by the fucking title search.
02:34:12
Speaker
They're praying on the week. And Aaron Axe is looking over to Beefy Large.
02:34:23
Speaker
um Now that you've ah acquiesced, can you tell us what this group is? Or tell me what this group is? And are you, like, are you covering for them? Are you part of their group?
02:34:35
Speaker
Is this a front? they No, no, no, no. They... Well, the term they used is cuckoo, but I don't know accurate that is. But they've got... They know stuff about my family and...
02:34:50
Speaker
Those that live abroad in a way they know where they are and they threatened them if I didn't acquiesce the space and let them use it. I'm the only one around it with a decent sized larder basement space underneath.
02:35:02
Speaker
I've been at the longest you see and so they they wanted to use it as out of sight out of mind. They can enter through the back entrance and down into the into here and and they don't get caught.
02:35:13
Speaker
Now what they are, and don't really know. They're thieves, they're assassins, they're something like that. They come in the night, they leave in the day, they stay in the day. they Let us arrive, let us leave. I don't see their faces.
02:35:31
Speaker
just stay out of their way, to be honest, and hope it'll all go away. And in fact, it's not. It's just getting worse. And now you're here, and you're involved, and you bloody survived the bloody title, bloody surgeon. Now you're all going to fight them, and it's going to blow everything up. and
02:35:46
Speaker
Well, to be fair to this group, they ah had their things, their own possessions stolen from them, and ah rather embarrassingly so, ah by the sounds of it.
02:35:58
Speaker
So... Yes, ah we'll go down. We'll recoup your possessions. And what do you want to join us?
02:36:11
Speaker
If they've got your family, like, if there's danger to your family, surely that's a bit more personal than mere possessions.
02:36:24
Speaker
My family's not down there, though. No, but they've been threatened from, as you said, from other parts of the land. Absolutely not. I prefer to stay. They're not all down there, i think. I don't know. there's a lot of There's a few of them down there, but I don't think the lead is down there. And you said there's two entrances. that This isn't the only one.
02:36:45
Speaker
Oh, no, this is the only one. But they'd enter through what I was trying to scarper just now. They'd come up the alley along there into the back of the shop. They wouldn't come in the front. It's bit too public near and the ah the Skystring area.
02:36:57
Speaker
So they come in through the back. they'd They'd walk in here and he points to the the entrance he tried to escape the roof he bamfed to the other side of. He'd walk in there and then go down there. That's that's where they'd go. There's only one way in, one way out.
02:37:09
Speaker
And Aranax turns back to you guys. And this is your quest. Get your stuff back.
02:37:17
Speaker
Yeah. Did you also see like a young ah young guy coming, talking around? There's not a Uh, like a child down there against his will.
02:37:30
Speaker
Little guy called Drift. Well, I saw a guy went down yesterday. He might have come up already by now, though. It was a halfling. No, no, sorry. Apologies. i thought He's looking towards Falco here.
02:37:41
Speaker
Apologies. No, no, he wasn't a boy. He was a halfling. was a halfling.
02:37:47
Speaker
Right.
02:37:51
Speaker
So, yes, you need to get your stuff back.
02:37:57
Speaker
Yes? No? Yes. Yes. Yes. so and
02:38:03
Speaker
You mentioned so mentioned that they are assassins.
02:38:10
Speaker
Does the enshrouded mean anything to you? His face drops a little bit that why they mean something to me because everyone knows about them but no they're not connected to this lot. At least it I don't think they are. Flippin' heck if they are. Flippin' heck if they are. That's not very good news at all.
02:38:28
Speaker
Not for me, not for you, not for them, not for anyone. If they're entrowded and flippin' heck, I blubbblubbblubbblubbblubb not. That'd be awful, that. That'd be the bloody, awful, bloody end to it all.
02:38:43
Speaker
Right. and Rufa's going to move her echo
02:38:51
Speaker
Is there like a slightly shaded spot? In the shop? In the shop, yeah. like It's like not full light, so like if I moved the echo to there, and like at glut first glance it would just be like...
02:39:09
Speaker
the figure's just standing there like wouldn't be able to tell. Yeah, sure. So it would be behind the counter side, but in the yeah corner where he's pointering, just where this rug is and the square ah kind of hole to the to the area below, the other side of that, right in the corner, it's quite its quite shaded there. And yeah, you could, you could ah if someone didn't look too hard, it would look like someone's just stood in the corner of the shop. Yeah.
02:39:34
Speaker
Yeah. So yeah, I'll move her back there um but as as it kind of comes past me I'm you know I'm just going to kind of have a pause it for a moment and have a ah look because kind of seeing myself um um yeah and I just kind of raise my hand and touch it her mine it's cheek and just kind of um
02:40:08
Speaker
Yeah, just under my breath, can I say? So odd.
02:40:13
Speaker
um in And then put it in the corner and turn to Beefy Large and say,
02:40:26
Speaker
she'll be watching you.
02:40:31
Speaker
And Beefy Large is going to look towards this thing and it's just going to mouth...
02:40:38
Speaker
towards Beefy Large and to that Beefy Large is going to break eye contact and just kind of stare at the ground and flipping it, flipping it, all bloody awful this. And he just sit with his big old big old traps and just all jacks just sitting there just being all bloody hell.
02:40:56
Speaker
yeah But he's pretty much quite sedated now in his current position from where you're um
02:41:02
Speaker
at. Looking at the others, I guess they Going to go down there, we need to find out if Drift is there or not. Or at least find out what's happened to him.
02:41:14
Speaker
yeah Let's go. So, just before we do, because this is now probably the third room that I'm going to follow you in. What's the plan of attack here? Are we going hostile? are we looking to talk?
02:41:27
Speaker
Is it a calm situation? Are you looking to kill? Because I'm getting bit confused each time. It seems to be a different outcome. Well, Falco's going to use his mouth.
02:41:41
Speaker
I'm going use my hands. And Rifa, I think... I don't know. Rifa, you got a bread knife?
02:41:53
Speaker
Yeah, but I... She's going to cut some bread. What are you going to bring? Confusion. Let's do it. You bring that. Let's get him.
02:42:06
Speaker
Right. ah After you... Oh yeah, I'm gone. I'm so gone. where where where's the Where's the door? it this one? Is there one on the floor? ah Rock, make sure you take down trepidation.
02:42:21
Speaker
Of course. I don't go anywhere without trepidation. Gonna need some trepidation down there. Hang on, yeah hang on. And Aranax is just going to close his eyes for a moment. And again, just this kind of that the air almost gets just slightly wet. Like it's just about to rain. And then each one of you just feel this pulse um like a water droplet. and And it ripples through your body. Each one of you as you are blessed.
02:42:51
Speaker
Whoa. ah yeah. you get a for whenever you make an attack roll or saving throw. And Rock, as you open the trapdoor, you see some kind of a wooden ladder going down into the darkness below. you get the smell of bread and cheese, actually.
02:43:11
Speaker
And you can see out the corner of you're where you're currently looking, the green, now quite reminiscent glow of Glowmos. And as you slowly step down, foot after foot down the ladder,
02:43:25
Speaker
And that's a wrap on this episode of Wild Heart. But the adventure doesn't stop here. Dive deeper into the world of Wild Heart over at fellowshipofthetabletop.co.uk.
02:43:42
Speaker
There you'll find expanded lore, detailed maps of Erith, and a brand new blog covering both Wild Heart and Bellum Draconis.
02:43:56
Speaker
Got theories, questions, well, predictions? We'd love to hear them. Drop us a message on fellowshipofthetabletop.gmail.com. Chuck a theory on our the blog or join the conversation on our socials.
02:44:09
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 the world to life.
02:44:22
Speaker
This drops every other Tuesday. Until next time, subscribe to keep up to date, stay curious, and as always, watch the time.
02:44:45
Speaker
Meanwhile, Heartland where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go