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Ep. 29 - Wildheart - Oink Oink
19 Plays4 days ago
Drift is found, a catastrophe averted and some of the party's stash from the now infamous double Tidalsurge have been recovered. Except Falco's hat is still missing. That, and a few other invaluable items that Garrick died for - But that hat…
The group return to safety to discuss their next steps. Falco becomes mage handy whilst Rok and Rif'a come up with an ingenious way to stop Drift getting hurt.
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Transcript
Tense Confrontation Begins
00:00:00
Speaker
You sit up and see Falco pointing a rapier, looking at you but pointing a rapier towards this green cloaked figure. You see rock cradling what looks like a child. And you see bodies all around you.
Healing Song and Legends
00:00:25
Speaker
Wild heartland where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go
00:00:43
Speaker
Gold on emerald shores Glories felt in ancient lore Bartina sings to heal his scars To call her chosen stone and stars In wild hearts land where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go
00:01:10
Speaker
The glow moss within the underground space flickers slightly.
Aranax's Tactical Move
00:01:15
Speaker
There's a small film of smoke that sits on the ceiling after the lines of TNT or dynamite or gunpowder that filmed the walls of the space of the Vale's Root hideout was extinguished by none other than your short dwarven vomit-stained companion Aranax.
00:01:38
Speaker
There's a silence And just the slight dripping of water or vomit from his mouth, from the walls, from the ale, through the smashed casks of the bodies of Vale's Root through which Rock threw them.
Rufa's Awakening to Chaos
00:01:55
Speaker
And just the sound of breathing. We have Rock cradling the now still unconscious body of Drift. Falco holding at Rapier Point.
00:02:08
Speaker
one of the few remaining live members of the veils route and just falco as you utter that question that retort that somehow familiar remark about i will find you and i will kill you i'm not sure whether that where i hear that from anyway it must be you know totally yours not stolen at all and you hear a gasp from over your right shoulder gasp and as you look over you see Rufa still lying where she was, where she has been for the entirety of this fight, through the cacophony of noise and sounds and events that has taken place since she fell.
00:02:45
Speaker
You notice her echo, her shadow, her mist form above that floats just above her, just separate from her, kind of bamf into her, move in in an instant. And when that happens, her eyes bang shoot open and she sits bolt upright and starts looking around.
Confusion and Humor with Falco
00:03:06
Speaker
Rufy, you see as i've described just chaos, pandemonium, destruction, layer of liquidised blood, water, vomit, mucus, ale covering a thin film across the background. Your legs are aching, kind of cold ache, and still throbbing with pain as they have done for the last few days.
00:03:29
Speaker
and yet you feel relatively lucid. You sit up and see Falco pointing a rapier, looking at you but pointing a rapier towards this green cloaked figure.
Interrogation for the Missing Hat
00:03:39
Speaker
You see Rock cradling what looks like a child, and you see bodies all around you. What would you like to do? um Just as that um in kind of initial confusion, and she's kind of trying to take everything in it once why what why do i taste fish what
00:04:19
Speaker
straight in broadside poor falco
00:04:32
Speaker
You shouldn't laugh at your own jokes, but I think I'm hilarious. It was good one. You've been thinking about for a while. Yeah. yeah I was
00:04:41
Speaker
What? What's happened? Drift. Is he okay?
00:04:49
Speaker
Rock there, kind of cradling him. He's kind of... almost rocking a little bit backwards and forwards. um You can see that there are tears that are kind of staining his face a little bit, but his, it yeah. um And he'll look up to you kind of as you're rising and just say, yeah, he's going to be okay.
00:05:14
Speaker
Aranax helped him like he helped you.
00:05:23
Speaker
Okay. Good. Um... Farco, what why are you doing with him? I'm a little bit busy, ghost girl. What's it gonna be first, asshole?
00:05:38
Speaker
ain't fucking telling you shit. I could take your lips off with this thing. And I ain't talking about the ones on your face.
Directions to Treasure Revealed
00:05:47
Speaker
Ugh. Uh...
00:05:50
Speaker
he looks confused and disgusted in equal measure. And so does Aranax, who quickly ah mutters to you or to himself or to each other about going to get cleaned up and quickly potters out of the cheese hole up the ladder um and moves himself into the market space to look for some water to wash his face. ah The member the Elzroot continues to look concerned at you, Falco.
00:06:18
Speaker
Could you make a... I've forgotten all the checks that we do in D&D. Intimidation? yeah Intimidation, thank you. Oh, the word. The word had left my mouth. All I had was... I'm not say that. yeah um Yeah, give me a deception. That was a deception, man. It's not that. It's intimidation, please. Oh, an 18.
00:06:40
Speaker
Well, I don't know what lips you're talking about, but just... What do you want to know? Where... I get a little bit closer.
00:06:51
Speaker
Is... little closer. My... Like, nose to nose. Hat.
00:07:02
Speaker
I don't know what you're talking about. And you know exactly what I'm talking about. no he we... We found a... Like a little girl's hat, sure, but I don't know any hat that... That you would wear.
00:07:21
Speaker
Well, maybe it's not mine. Maybe I don't wear it, but it belongs to me. it Shut up. Where's my hat? The blue powder hat with the blue feather, where is it?
Falco's Failed Attack
00:07:34
Speaker
It's gone.
00:07:39
Speaker
What do you mean it's gone? It's gone south with the other stuff. It's gone south? No far. How far? A little bit.
00:07:50
Speaker
You better start expanding your words, mister, otherwise I'm taking those lips!
00:07:56
Speaker
I don't know what lips you're on about. Alright, alright. Look. Take the south road. If you've gone to the flood field, you've gone too far.
00:08:09
Speaker
Turn right. Follow the road. Go down by the ravine two hours on. And you'll see what looks like a point.
00:08:21
Speaker
under... in the ravine. It looks darker than the rest. That's that's well that's where it is. That's where we're keeping it. The temple beneath the wave.
00:08:34
Speaker
That's where... And he goes quiet again. Yeah, that's that's where you that's where we're going. i'll I'll push the rapier ever so slightly closer to his skin, kind of giving a bit of an end-end, but not drawing blood.
00:08:48
Speaker
That's where... what is? Your stuff. yes um Your stuff. Your thing. The hat. The girl's hat.
00:08:58
Speaker
Okay, so let's just recap. We go through the flooded fields. We go heads. what What happens after that? Heads, flooded fields. Ow, get the... ri No, yeah if you go to the flooded fields, you've gone too far. oh Before you get there, you turn... you say heads, you go right.
00:09:17
Speaker
Yeah. the The fork in the road. Yeah.
00:09:22
Speaker
ah you're wrong and you go right and then you keep going you follow the road till you get to the ravine you look in the ravine if it's not a surge you'll see it you'll see the spike in the ground that the so the the black thing sticking out that's the start go down there you'll find a large rock or something that you push a boulder in the way that's where the entrance is to the to the place that we're keeping it the temple beneath the wave Temple beneath the wave. Hey guys, you hearing this? Temple beneath the wave. That's our next pit stop.
00:09:58
Speaker
Yeah, i heard it. Rack? Yeah. I'm here. You okay? Yeah. No, yeah, I'm fine. Just, uh... A bit of meditation.
00:10:12
Speaker
He'll turn and see that is he's he's not fine. There's bad stuff that's happening. um And kind of shake himself back into his moment and turn back to the the guy.
00:10:23
Speaker
You got anything else to give me?
00:10:27
Speaker
No. Then Garak Bladeheart sends his regards. And I'll drive the rapier into this man's throat. Alright, roll to hit. Ten.
00:10:37
Speaker
Advantage because he's pro? No. Does that only affect ranged? if If he is prone, it's melee within five foot.
00:10:50
Speaker
If he's... ah Yeah, it's for ranged attacks, outside of five foot, it's disadvantage. but it's what So would you get advantage of that? It's up to you. If you think he's prone... He is prone. Yeah, okay. Go on advantage then, yeah.
00:11:05
Speaker
Oh, it's a six. It's worse. Okay. ah He manages just to put the end of the rapier just out of the way and he scutters back another five feet. he hasn't got He's looking around at this point for a weapon or something to to fight back with because yeah you're blocking the entrance.
Rufa Seeks Answers About Echo Form
00:11:20
Speaker
Stay still. ah Hey, ghost girl.
00:11:28
Speaker
She doesn't respond to that. She doesn't you're talking to her.
00:11:34
Speaker
Um. ah ah You stay there. Don't move. I'm coming back. Stay. And I'll slowly back up towards Rifa.
00:11:47
Speaker
He's going to slowly stand up
00:11:52
Speaker
until he stood up.
00:11:55
Speaker
Still looking at you. Okay. How are you doing? Good. Good.
00:12:04
Speaker
Yeah. yeah what i I'm pretty sure you died. Your spirit left your body. You must have had some kind of out of body experience and then it went back in your body and you woke up.
00:12:17
Speaker
Yeah. um ah That's new. um i I guess that's something from being in the surge, I guess.
00:12:33
Speaker
Yeah. But I'm i'm a i'm okay. I think... um
00:12:41
Speaker
Thank you.
00:12:45
Speaker
Are you okay? yeah Yeah, I'm fine. I'm the only one that's still like ready to fight here. Okay. um I think your person's getting away, by the way. He's trying to he's trying to run away now. He's going to run past you. Okay. Okay.
00:13:02
Speaker
um Has Farco still got the... Yeah, can I grab the rapier from his hand and I want to try and trip the guy up with it.
00:13:13
Speaker
I don't want to do lethal damage. just want to try and trip the guy up. Um... Yes. Let's go sleight of hand, firstly. and What's your perception?
00:13:26
Speaker
What's your, um... your what you call it uh passive perception falco and we'll use that as your uh your kind of the reefer's margin to to beat it's uh 11 passive 11 all right so 11 is the year dc to beat reefer for that for your sleight of hand linking does he realize what you're doing does he understand that concept or uh eight and so firstly you go to rip it out of your hands but falco just kind of pulls it back at the last minute but you can still try to do the attack but as you're light on your feet it will be at disadvantage um if you can i almost kind of is that as if that movement's taking me off balance actually almost fall into the guy running away then uh yeah it might hurt but you can do it yeah yeah um you would need to but
00:14:22
Speaker
ah give me a constitution saving throw. Okay. To see if you can kind of brace your body ready for this in time.
00:14:33
Speaker
That's an eight. Okay, no. ah You take four points of bludgeoning damage. Okay, we're not down yet. As he just barrels through you, as you kind of throw your body, he kind of catches you knee into the solar plexus and just you crumple down to the floor as he tries to barrel over you to escape. Rock. Rock.
00:14:51
Speaker
Yeah, you reckon he'd be within 15 feet of myself as he's attacking or or pushed into reefer? In my mind, Rock's wandered back over. He's near-ish to the others, but in his own world. But yeah, I'd say he'd be within that range, yeah. If if he's within 15 feet, ah he's got he's got drift still on him. He's down on the floor. He sees this going on. He can't do too much.
00:15:16
Speaker
I imagine he's kind of prone as well, but he will kind of thrust a hand out towards and kind of do like a beckon maneuver. And because his elemental feature is still up, I've still got 15 feet of range on an unarmed strike.
00:15:32
Speaker
So it's very much his intention. non um Non-lethal. But if he can if you can get this elemental energy, which I think is still acid, ah to basically form this kind of almost fist that comes out of his and and tries to to drag this person back. thats That's his intention. I know
Falco's Dramatic Story
00:15:49
Speaker
that, like I said, he is um prone. So I'm assuming it would be ah with disadvantage. Yeah, we'll go with disadvantage,
00:15:57
Speaker
yeah no worries that what was the first roll the first roll was 14 the second one was better so 14 oh wait minus two sorry no 12 misses okay no just yeah that reactions are still stymied by the exhaustion and by drift and everything and He manages, he sees it coming and just kind of like ducks just under it just in time or jumps over it. He trips on a barrel and scuttles and pushes these barrels to get through the and exit um and um make a way. But Falco, we've missed the fact that you would still have an attack of opportunity.
00:16:33
Speaker
We jumped that stage. Do you want to take that right back at the beginning? Because that would have been the first thing he would have gone past is you.
00:16:43
Speaker
Yeah, I think so. what would Would what reefer did affect that with her trying to grab my weapon? or No, actually, I was going to put it in your favor because actually by reefer doing that made you, think that's what you're going to say, Alice, that made you aware of the fact that something was happening behind you and actually her eyes and her reaching for it, you might have turned.
00:17:01
Speaker
my Yeah, I'm i'm saying it that it works in your favor, not that it would give you advantage or anything like that, but it would work in your favor. Okay. I know it's of gone out of order a little bit, but Can I try and do the will turn of Pirates of the Caribbean, throw the rapier into the... Like, try and pin his cloak or something? Something ridiculously stupid that isn't going to work. But that's what want to do. Okay.
00:17:25
Speaker
It's a light weapon. Doesn't have a throne property. Okay. ah Let's go with...
00:17:34
Speaker
Athletics. Okay. Okay. Uh, no, we could do that. No, no, let's roll to hit with disadvantage. Yeah.
00:17:52
Speaker
I think that will do it. Uh, I, I rolled a natural 20 and rolled 13.
00:18:03
Speaker
so close so close and it does as he's trambling crambling over these barrels you fling your namesake the falco um rapier whatever the yeah your like your rapier at it and it pins through into one of the barrels thick into the wood and but we see it vibrating there and it catches a big wad of his clothes and he hangs there for a few seconds and just manages to tug round and pull and rips a big big load of his green cloak but manages to push that barrel of the way, Europia clatters to the floor and he makes his way out. you want to follow suit or are letting him go? personally would let him, I think I'm probably the most apt as I'm on my feet and closest to him would chase after him, but I'm going to let him go. That was my last attempt, was the weapon throw.
00:18:57
Speaker
Okay, anything from the others? you want to follow or do you want to leave? Yeah, I think because she fell over and kind of gave herself a bit more damage, she's really not in a a good way. So um at least this time, it's not something she'd be able to do, don't think.
00:19:16
Speaker
Okay. And there's a moment of quiet as you hear the scuttle up the ladder and the sudden noise of the Sky String Arena above and the marketplace around it. And then it deadens again as the latch is placed back over.
00:19:29
Speaker
And there's quiet. And there's just the three of you and the one of Drift in this quiet place again.
Regrouping and Planning
00:19:36
Speaker
What would do you like to name?
00:19:41
Speaker
I'm going to get up and kind of noticing... Now that, you know, Rock's not looking so great and clearly looking at quite emotional, I'm gonna go over to him and look at Drift in his arm and give Drift like a really gentle headbutt and then turn to Rock and give him a gentle headbutt and just say, he's okay now.
00:20:11
Speaker
You've got him. He's okay.
00:20:18
Speaker
I didn't have him before this it's Aranax but you have him now don't don't think I want what whatever happened I don't know but don't think on it now we need to get him to the tower
00:20:41
Speaker
they healed you they can heal him right yeah I'm sure
00:20:47
Speaker
Um, let's... Let's go, then.
00:20:53
Speaker
Yeah, Rock will kind of stand himself up with Drift still in his arms and just kind of have him there. Um, yeah, carried. he's ah He's a child at the end of the day, isn't he? And there is ah a gentleness, um, which juxtaposes massively with Rock, not sort of 90 seconds previous.
00:21:14
Speaker
Um... And he is going to look at what he's done. Like, think I think he would take that in. He'd see the mess that he's made of this person on the floor a little bit.
00:21:30
Speaker
And kind of, ah he's going to look a bit frustrated with himself, but he'll he'll walk on past it and he'll take himself out and towards the ladder, I think, without another word.
00:21:43
Speaker
Just before I head out, because looking around, do i can I see the sword that we had found originally?
00:21:55
Speaker
Yes, back in the cheese room, the cheese a wheel room, there was a sword. it had been triggered after the trap had been. Yeah, and then I sort of took it with me. Yeah, and yes so I want to pick that up on my way out, and I'm going to
00:22:13
Speaker
follow rock is that that for use or for selling just so know what stats to send you Alice um I mean it depends of what stats you send me and is like did you used it it was a standard well i I didn't actually end up I used it in it's oh
00:22:34
Speaker
to in its sheath i never actually pulled it i use it as a bit like a baseball bat um yeah that's right it's a standard um long sword i think it's what that we had it as last time which is has the double sets of stats sort single-handed in two hand use and use
Bonding Over a Meal
00:22:52
Speaker
um so if you just have a little gander online it's just a standard uh standard long sword yeah okay for that
00:23:02
Speaker
and the yeahp So that's one, two, Rufy, you pick up the sword, looking over, it's still got a scabbard as well, so if you do want to keep that and attach that to your waist as well, it has got a scabbard so you can have that as Sorry. think she'll do that automatically and then as she... um
00:23:23
Speaker
As she's heading out, she'll turn to Falco. Well, are you coming then? Your hat's not going to walk back, is it? And then head on out.
00:23:38
Speaker
Wait, I can't carry all this stuff.
00:23:44
Speaker
And I imagine that Falco's just left there, kind of considering all the treasure that's on the floor in the room next door that he just threw. over his shoulder um ah oh well um hey wait for me and i'll run out of the room with the just the rapier um as in your rapier yeah i also picked up the the artifacts rapier that we got there's also a bronze compass as well
00:24:18
Speaker
I think he'd probably take anything that he could carry that looks the most valuable. Yeah. ah Yeah, there's those two and probably the 40 gold.
00:24:29
Speaker
Yeah, i thought i very straightfor so i took I took the gold because remember as a player thinking not to share that. Yep. And I never gave the arrows and the five barbed arrows to Aranax. Yes, that's right. Rock, you you add a little bit your kit. Climber's pack, that's right.
00:24:44
Speaker
And that was a spell book. Yeah. don't think anyone really touched, but as Ian is not here, listen, you probably will be aware, to play Aranax, let's assume that I'll i'll let'll give him dibs on that if he wants it later on. He's the pack mule.
00:25:00
Speaker
He is the pack mule. Lovely. So you Falco's got the rapier and the bronze compass from the dive that I think were Reefa's stash from back in the day. Cool. and we're heading back up and out. So we get back up and Beefy Lodge is nowhere to be seen.
00:25:16
Speaker
And we see the market is very much how it was not half an hour ago when you first lowered yourselves into the space. It's one of those weird juxtapositions where...
00:25:29
Speaker
You feel like you've experienced something big in seismic yet no one else around you realises and it seems odd that they don't rock especially, that no one is reacting to this thing that's happened to you in a group as a group because they don't know. The sun is beaming down, the scalars and the surge divers are still practicing on the rigs above you. The market is still in full bustle. um You're up in the open.
00:25:56
Speaker
what would you in in in a chalk shop i should remind you as well or the that will looks at the front of a chalk shop with no beefy large to be seen um the three of you up drift still in rocks arms no one's really paying you any attention at the moment what would you like to do
00:26:13
Speaker
and i seem um we're heading to the the tower and the watchtower so um I will just follow on behind Rock okay and i Falco are you following suit?
00:26:36
Speaker
skuggling along behind? yeah cool and as you start making your way across i could I get you all to roll perception please? ooh a big old perception check
00:26:52
Speaker
That is a natural 20 for 24. Fabulous. Okay. 10 minus 2 for 8. 10 minus 3 for 7. o Race to the bottom.
00:27:03
Speaker
Reefer, you noticed this. Again, it would make sense and where you are in the group, etc. Anytime when you first started across the Skystring Arena, you recognized a face and who pointed, quite a distant, pointed towards
Private Conversation About Echo Form
00:27:24
Speaker
the three of you with a concerned look on his face and a bleeding nose.
00:27:31
Speaker
He was stood next to what looked like two guards.
00:27:37
Speaker
The guards nodded, but didn't follow suit. Didn't follow to begin with.
00:27:47
Speaker
And... So that that's that's what you first see. I mean, it's gonna take you half an hour to get there. So if you want to um talk to the group about it, then feel free to do that now. So yeah, so you notice dude bleeding nose pointing over towards you, looking concerned and two guards.
00:28:04
Speaker
Do you wanna pass that or are you keeping that to yourself? Is, Farko, are you quite close behind me? Yeah, I mean, I'd be within sort of 15 feet, I guess.
00:28:16
Speaker
Yeah, so, um given Rock's current state, um I'll just slow my walk slightly so that you end up alongside me and I'll just say,
00:28:34
Speaker
the ah shopkeeper, Rock Punched, has made us known to the guards. So just be aware. Rock didn't punch anybody, owing wink.
00:28:47
Speaker
Oink oink. Why are doing a pig impression? Oh my god, you're so uncool. Right.
00:28:56
Speaker
If we're going to survive out here on the street in this kind of environment, you've really got to knuckle down and learn some street slang. Wink wink is me being sarcastic. It's like I'm hiding something, a secret between us.
00:29:11
Speaker
Uh, I'm... I'm sorry, I've... This is actually the first time I've been outside of the keep, so... Wait, wait, what? You didn't realise?
00:29:24
Speaker
ever? See, see, I must have some street smarts then. Wait, wait, wait, no, no, no, no. no we we were We're not just going to breeze past this. This is the first time in your life that you've been outside the keep.
00:29:36
Speaker
No. win Wink, wink. ah Oh, I see. where is there a pig back there? um why, you hungry? Yeah. Well, we could stop somewhere on the way.
00:29:54
Speaker
i kind of want to, but I don't want to leave Drift. I can wait. It's okay. ah I mean, they look, he'll be fine, buddy. We can stop and get a sandwich somewhere. way I got some gold from that place downstairs.
00:30:08
Speaker
Let's... If we stop somewhere quickly, i think we'd all be better for a bit of food anyway, and we can get it to go, and Drift might be hungry when we wake up. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm in the mood for a bacon sandwich.
00:30:25
Speaker
Okay, Rifa, I'll keep that perception check for now just to give you an idea of what's in around you. and There is not a bacon sarnie shop, unfortunately. and There's no pig available at this point in the market, but you find the next nearest thing, which seems to be almost like... um It's not rotisserie chicken, but it's the equivalent of it, but with what look like small hares, rabbits and other gamey venison-y meats that have been taken off. And there's a nearby bread shop as well. So if you wanted to take bit of column A, bit a bit of column B and make yourself a sandwich, that would totally be doable. It would just involve visiting two shops, um which Falco would cost you a gold for the lot of you to get a couple of beats of bread, a hunks of bread and and enough meat to make a couple of sandwiches for the lot of you.
00:31:14
Speaker
I will take...
00:31:18
Speaker
i will go In the meat shop, I would like to buy 10 gold pieces worth of meat. Fuck me. Okay. Fucking hell. Okay. Well, let's play this out then if it if we're doing it for reals. um You see a... ah a rather...
00:31:35
Speaker
slim, middle-aged, halfling woman stood in front of you ah who has a complete serene look upon her face and yet is wielding what seems to be an oversized cleaver, smashing it down into into sections of rabbit or badger or some kind of creature. But it's just this calm look on her face as she hammers down again and again and splats through the creature and sees you coming in. Ah, no then, my dear.
00:32:04
Speaker
what what what What food can I get you for today, then? Gods above, you are good with that cleaver. I've been practicing my da taught me from a very long at young young age, you know.
00:32:17
Speaker
Daddy issues, good. um I would like to buy some meat, please. No issues, he's still alive. He's just out back there. Hey, da! Da! Oh, no, no, that's okay. There's a boy who wants to meet you. no, no.
00:32:32
Speaker
He's only got one leg. It'll take him a while to get down the stairs. Oh, okay. um Yeah, I just want to get some meat, if that's okay. Have you got anything cooked? Oh, yeah, we've got lots over there. You can see the other rotisseries going around and around. Chapra's turning around. Chapra, say hi And this ah little boy with snotty nose and ginger hair waves over. Hi. He's turning to the meat.
00:32:55
Speaker
but What are you looking for? a One for you, little boy? um i yeah I mean, ah um'm I'm a mature halfling. No, I mean, for your little boy. For your little boy, not for you. didn't call you little boy.
00:33:10
Speaker
ah no no, no. This is for me and my friends. All right. what What is the meat that is being rotissaried, if you don't mind me asking? Chabbers, what is the meat we've got at the moment? And he shouts over. Rabbit.
00:33:26
Speaker
was rabbit. Rabbit. You got a rotisserie rabbit on the go? Yeah. I mean, look, my friend's pretty big. um And this, my other friend, she just died.
00:33:38
Speaker
Spirit came out of the body, went back in her body. So I'm pretty sure she's quite hungry. And then this, you haven't seen a dwarf wearing um seaweed, have you? I saw a very drunk one walking by you just not too long ago.
00:33:53
Speaker
had vomit all day on his front and he was, he looked like he pooed himself or something as well. ah Rock, that the new guy's gone and got pissed while we were down in that cellar. Oh no.
00:34:06
Speaker
Is he okay? Did he look okay? He looked very concerned himself as he walked on by. He was walking though, he wasn't dead. But your other friend who died and... That one. He points towards the boy in Rock's arms.
00:34:22
Speaker
Don't you, you'll be careful. He looks over the chappers. Go be careful, lawyer. That little boy.
00:34:28
Speaker
He's okay. He's yeah he's just sleeping. um Yeah, so what what I'm looking for is a fair amount of meat. and Look, I've i got to live my life. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in your meat shop. So let's get 10 gold piece worth of rotisserie rabbit, please.
00:34:45
Speaker
Surgeon Storm, 10 gold pieces. She starts looking around. oh i can you Give me 10 minutes. I can get... Jared, get the other ones on. Which one? All of them. Bomb all on Every single one of them. And he's going to start slapping on corpses of this. He's going to lay them out like on a grate almost and just slap these on like 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 17, 17, 17
00:35:09
Speaker
twenty five twenty eight thirty six of these chicken all these chickens of these kind of like spliced out rabbits go on this massive fire, stokes the fire and it gets warm in there. If you want to come back in a few minutes, I'll get it all done for you.
00:35:23
Speaker
Oh, it's a, okay. It's a wait cook while we wait kind of situation. I just wasn't expecting to have to cook 36 of these, of these are, this is your gamey rabbits. That's all. Uh, plus, uh, one, uh, one a day for the rest of your life.
00:35:37
Speaker
I get, it's like a, like a black card for your, Like a card that I can just come back and give you and then you give me free rabbit? Depends on the flavor you want. Yeah, we got the really spicy ones. We got there depends on if you look at the chart behind me here, ah you have to serve your own drinks in the corner. You see, know, lemon and herb. That does sound nice.
00:35:58
Speaker
You never asked my name. Glando. No, no, no. We're being silly and meta. We're being silly and meta. I mean, i mean no i know your face. You've got a very familiar face, and i reckon i mean i I'd recognize you more if you had something else that stood out more, but I recognize most of you, I think.
00:36:17
Speaker
You come back in here any day, and you've you've done me a service now. I can shut for the day. I can shut for the week. i' I'm a happy woman. So, Chabbers, them cooking. Oh, they're almost done now, actually. Do you want them in a Hessian sack, or do you want them just in your hands?
00:36:31
Speaker
so you want how do you How do you want them packed? I think you better go in it in a sec. You haven't got any, like, I don't know, greaseproof paper, if that exists here.
00:36:46
Speaker
You've said a bunch of words that I don't know exist. No, no, no, okay. um yeah You might as well be a tide caller talking to the side.
00:36:55
Speaker
Hesse and sex, fine. um Hey, ah Rock, Reefer? Yes? Here, this is for you. i found this and I'll give you each ten gold pieces.
00:37:06
Speaker
Ten of the forty that I found. Oh. Is this... Falco, is this a oink oink situation? ah No, it's rabbit.
00:37:20
Speaker
Oh, full circle. You bastards. ah um She's going turn to you, one sack of rabbits, splat, and just put on the table. And there is a little bit of grease put pooling at the bottom of it, but she's very happy with herself as she counts the gold coins. And she looks beamingly out towards you, um Falco, like you're just, you know, the best thing in the world.
00:37:47
Speaker
Ah, these are great. um I didn't really think ahead. I was going to ask one of you guys to get the bread, because now we've just got a load of greasy rabbit, and it's going to get cold. Do we need the bread?
00:38:00
Speaker
Uh... No, we don't need the bread. Chabbers! Chabbers! Go and get him bread! Yep, go and get him bread! He'll go get you bread, don't worry. And he'll scuttle through the back back alleys, and they're all interconnected anyway. And a few seconds later, awkwardly, of her just staring at each of you and smiling, he comes back with a loaf of bread and hands it over to you. It's quite a long, almost tiger bread, quite a thick exterior, and but it's ah it' ah it's a chonky boy. It's the...
00:38:25
Speaker
quite almost the broadness of of rock almost in its length and its girth is quite, you know, it's a decent, it's a decent bit of bread. haven't had carbs in a while. So I'm really, I'm really. Describe this bread more please Mark. Fuck me. So imagine sourdough, a nice thick, you get hollow tap. It's gorgeous. And just the bite is, fuck I want bread now. So yeah, you've got some bread, you've got some rabbit.
00:38:51
Speaker
She's very happy. Right, well, that's completed a big task on our to-do list today. Now the most important thing's done. Let's go save Drift's life.
00:39:02
Speaker
and I will grab the bag of rabbit and just kind of swing it over my shoulder. Splat. It goes against your lower back. ah um Is there...
00:39:18
Speaker
I know, I've kind of already said it, but is there way of making it narrowly miss Falco as I do it? Make it narrowly miss him? Yeah. um Yes, give me a...
00:39:33
Speaker
oh that's correct Athletics? Can you swing something close?
Exploring Echo Abilities
00:39:38
Speaker
going have the perception to know that, to then pull it back at the last minute. Yeah, acrobatics. Athletics, sorry. Let's go with that. Eleven? Eleven?
00:39:48
Speaker
Yep, that's fine. You managed to get it. what So it's quite close. Maybe one speck of grease ah the doorugh adorns your your jacket, your lapel, Falco. But aside from that, wolf it just passes by very, very close by you.
00:40:00
Speaker
And then she'll just kind of give him a smile and be like, oink, oink. And then off she goes. There's always something with you guys. Can't just have a normal episode, can we?
00:40:12
Speaker
Gotta find a thing. No, right. Is that not planned?
00:40:17
Speaker
What, oink oink? No, no, don't say. All right. So we're heading back to the market. We pass through the Stormspire market, the Glemos market, whatever you want to call it, whatever it is called at the time, and um make your way towards the tower, your point of safety, your point of solitude and recovery for many of you, for all of you, actually.
00:40:40
Speaker
and you ah again for the third time now push open these large double doors and there's the noticeable figures that you would expect to find, Iradia, Alara, and their ah their little friend that seems to scuttle around helping after them. They both look like they're in deep conversation and their eyes snap over to you as you come in towards the three of you, concerned, and then to Rock again. Iradia and Alara come over to you, Rock, and and look concerned down towards Drift.
00:41:12
Speaker
Iradia says, What happened? Tell me everything. ah he He went looking for the the guys that took our stuff, and they took him.
00:41:27
Speaker
um And we we dealt with them, and as we were doing that, one of them took a knife across his throat, ah Rock will say, as he makes his way towards the pool.
00:41:40
Speaker
And he'll be like, if they're with him, that his his intention is to walk down into the pool and literally place Drift in almost exactly the place that Reefa was.
00:41:53
Speaker
i have no idea whether that is the etiquette, what they would do, but Rock is like, well, this is how they healed Reefa. This is how they got her legs working. So he's literally like kind of plunking Drift down into the into the water whilst he says that and probably kind of headbutts him a little bit if he floats.
00:42:09
Speaker
um um so I imagine you're saying that as you're walking and although you do the thing, do the thing, do the thing, do the thing, and you're getting him in and you're putting him in and as as you're doing that, Alara is kind of fussing around you as you're doing it and as you put him in the water, she just turns, you're a thorn-blooded fool, get him out of there, that's not for that. And she reaches down and kind of grabs him and just puts him gently on the side. He's wet now, but um puts him on the side nearby.
00:42:34
Speaker
That's the wrong thing. That's not what the pool's for. let Just calm down. Let me... And Iredia says from over her shoulder, just let the man do what he needs to do.
00:42:47
Speaker
there's a moment's pause as Alara looks at you for a second to see what you want to do next.
00:42:56
Speaker
I don't understand. you Her legs... You fixed her legs. It's his throat. He's... Aranax did what he could. it's it's It's mended up, but he's not waking up, so put him back in wake him up, please.
00:43:15
Speaker
Alara opens her mouth to speak and then looks over to Aradia and she shakes her head. And Alara nods hers and looks back. The pool's not gonna fix him.
00:43:28
Speaker
That's for something totally different. This is easy. Relax, Rok.
00:43:34
Speaker
It's fine. And she takes her hand and she just presses it against your forehead. um And it's just going to... She's not necessarily using a spell, but it's just her hand feels cold.
00:43:46
Speaker
And it's just... She's just trying to cool you off a bit and calm you down a bit. all you all that happens to you is your forehead feels slightly colder i guess it more in my argue it's ah a slight deviation on on a car anyway it's a cantrip of some description it's just to cool you off and calm you down you're sweating your heart you you know and just cool your head for a second and then her hand goes from your head to his neck and placed around it and you hear her muttering and you you feel the water in the pool just vibrate slightly and swirl very very slightly and it's just a slight ripple in the water and this happens to all the liquid
Drift's Recovery and Training
00:44:23
Speaker
around. You saw this kind of thing happen with Aranax not a couple of hours ago, a couple of half an hour ago even um and as she removes her hand the the kind of the little scar that was almost left by the Spare the Dying that Aranax had cast previously has disappeared
00:44:40
Speaker
And there's a moment, and as Drift's quiet, small, childlike breathing has continued, these quick pulses of breath that he's been taking in this deep slumber suddenly stop.
00:44:53
Speaker
And then there's a bigger breath, and his eyes open, and he darts around, and the first thing he does is try to scuttle back in fear, away from whatever it is that's around him. What's going on? What's happening? Where am I? How how did this all happen?
00:45:07
Speaker
And he clocks eyes to you, Rok. What happened?
00:45:15
Speaker
I fixed you. You're okay, Drift.
00:45:23
Speaker
And he reaches up to his neck and he's touching it.
00:45:28
Speaker
Did they not...
00:45:32
Speaker
Um... Did I dream that?
00:45:37
Speaker
No.
00:45:40
Speaker
um i I made the wrong call.
00:45:46
Speaker
What do you mean? I'm sorry, Drift. I saw that you were held um by one of them, and I thought I could get you.
00:45:59
Speaker
I'm quick, Drift. I'm quick. when I wasn't quick enough and they got you but uh... Iron X kind of fixed you a bit and and these guys have fixed you better you I think you're going to be ah he's gonna be okay he's okay right?
00:46:18
Speaker
yeah yeah but you said you weren't quick but Storm's at least you were there
00:46:34
Speaker
At least you came for me.
00:46:38
Speaker
Thanks. he don't need to say thanks, Drifter.
00:46:45
Speaker
You're... What's all right? stopped you doing your ta. I stopped you doing your thing, didn't I? You needed to come after to stupid me instead of doing your thing. So I'm sorry.
00:46:56
Speaker
No, you found him. We found that the people we were looking for. The eyes go big. What? Were they then? Yeah. Well, we didn't quite find Falco's hat or or mask, but we found we found some of the stuff that was taken. It's just a hat. I mean, as long as as long as we found the main stuff, then that's good, isn't it?
00:47:22
Speaker
And Rock will kind of quietly lean in and go, I don't know. think the hat is something more to Falco. He keeps asking about it. Oh, right.
00:47:34
Speaker
Like it's worth a lot of money, do you think? He does like money. It could be that. I don't know.
00:47:43
Speaker
And speaking of money, I haven't paid you your wages. You're a squire. Here. And he's going to basically offload the ten gold pieces. ah Blood money over to drift.
00:47:55
Speaker
I'm not the richest squire ever. I don't know what to do with this or maybe i'll go Maybe I'll go buy 10 golds worth of rabbit. Maybe that's all.
00:48:06
Speaker
No, I'll just keep it for now. It might come in handy for things later on. Like when I want to buy some armor or something like that. And he coughs. It's fine. It's just my throat really hurts still.
00:48:21
Speaker
And Lara just rests a hand on her shoulder for a second and at his shoulder for a second and just says, take some time to heal the oddies lot make it look easy when they had healed but it hurts it hangs around for a bit so just don't go around and doing anything stupid again drift okay yeah
00:48:45
Speaker
And Rock's going to turn back around to the group and his his shoulders are going to be relaxed. They're no longer hunched up around his neck somewhat. And there's like the sprinkling of a file ah a file. A smile on his face. That was a weird poor man. And yeah he's filing his nails. Really sassy. And he'll he'll kind he'll look back at Reefer and just go, so is that pork?
00:49:11
Speaker
And he'll kind of approach. Oh, no, it's rabbit. um And she kind of swings it back around. um And I guess kind of here's another squelch as it unsticked from her back.
00:49:28
Speaker
Greasy rabbit. And just hands you the back.
00:49:36
Speaker
I mean, that sounds good to me. Elara, where are the tables again? Which floor? I can't remember. ah i she takes a minute as she looks back through her DM notes to find the page that has them on fucking in right where they were fourth floor eating place, fourth floor, fifth floor above the storage it's right in the middle it's right in the middle she said fourth floor you can eat down here though but we can get some tables brought down
00:50:11
Speaker
If you want, ah just like it's easier. Let's just go upstairs. Everyone can walk now. How are your legs doing, Rifa?
00:50:19
Speaker
ah But you'll probably say that maybe as you as you're as you're making way upstairs. As she, assuming everybody's kind of filing out, I kind of want to grab her, her kind of wrist and hold her back to just have a quiet word with her.
00:50:38
Speaker
i was going to say pull her for a chat, but this is not the violent. Absolutely, no. So yeah, they'll all continue up the the multiple um iterations of stairs up towards the fourth the fourth floor, but you two will be alone for a second. Your radia hangs around an extra second or two before just kind of clocking eyes with Alara and yourself and just nodding quietly to herself and then takes herself, floats up the stairs after. Sorry, I meant it was a radia I wanted to grab.
00:51:05
Speaker
Okay, no problem. Sorry, my bad. there and So the other other way around, but it's Alara that gives the final line just to check that she's right, and then Iredia nods and heads up. ah And she waits a few more seconds for Alara to go around the corner, and then she turns to you.
00:51:22
Speaker
you and My child. You said to Drift just then that these types of healing, they hang around for a while.
00:51:35
Speaker
Is... Is that what this is? And I just let my echo out from my body.
00:51:44
Speaker
She takes a step back and sees this form merge and permeate out of you. Is it directly forward towards her so she can see you through the echo? that kind of um I guess it would start like that, but I kind of...
00:52:04
Speaker
Imagine her kind of going out and just almost doing like a like a bit of a floating lap around the room type thing before she comes and rests beside me.
00:52:15
Speaker
She watches intently. ah Unreadable for the first few seconds in her emotional response. Could you give me a perception check, please? Yep, sure.
00:52:29
Speaker
If you can see what?
00:52:32
Speaker
Thirteen. You see shock at first and then confusion.
00:52:42
Speaker
I have seen many things in my time, child, but nothing quite like this. This happened after we' worked on your legs.
00:52:57
Speaker
Yes. um She ah a appeared. um
00:53:07
Speaker
How long has it been before since we entered the chalk shop?
00:53:13
Speaker
Since you entered the chalk shop? It's not been a day. A couple of hours? She appeared first a couple of hours ago. And I think... Well, helped and... And I...
00:53:33
Speaker
I think I control her somehow, but I don't... it's not control. She is me and I am her and...
00:53:43
Speaker
I feel like i this is natural, but it can't be natural because I've never seen her before and... I just want to know if it's because of the surge or is it because of what you did to me in that pool there?
00:53:59
Speaker
or what? And is she going to go away? Is she here for good now? And Rufa just starts slowly kind of getting a bit more worked up as she's asking all this. She puts her hands up in kind of like a calming kind of just slow down, slow kind of motion. And when you finally take a breath, child, I've never seen anything like this before.
00:54:21
Speaker
This is nothing that we have done. the pool merely enhances and reflects the healing properties and spells that we used upon you. But they are the same in this water or not.
00:54:35
Speaker
I speak to Alara of this, but the water in this pool is not the holy water we all wish it was. We are too far away from the source. This is merely surge water. This is...
00:54:48
Speaker
Nothing out of the ordinary that you cannot find all over the length and breadth of Wildheart. It was not us, Reefer, darling. We did not do this.
00:55:01
Speaker
It may well be the surge itself. The wave. I know you were very close to it.
00:55:09
Speaker
Too close.
00:55:12
Speaker
Or perhaps it's something else altogether.
00:55:16
Speaker
But... It was not us, nor i not not Alara, not on purpose anyway. i Oh, I don't think she's going to be a ah bad thing. i just I just want to understand her more, but then maybe maybe I'm trying to understand myself then.
00:55:43
Speaker
I don't know. Yes. Yes, that makes sense. Tell me, Reefer, did you find anything with the chalk cellar?
00:55:56
Speaker
A location. I think if we can tie up this loose end of the Vale route, the Vale's route, if we can give us some sense of permanence here, then we can focus on you.
00:56:07
Speaker
We could find out what this is.
00:56:11
Speaker
Give you some answers that you well deserve.
00:56:18
Speaker
Do I get any insight that maybe she's going a bit too keen with, like, I just want to check that she's not giving off, like, scientific research lab type vibes that she's giving me and that it's just a genuine thing. Or also, like, her interest in, like, tying off the veil roots, like, that there's nothing...
00:56:40
Speaker
There's no more levels to that from the tone of her voice that it just sounds like it is what it is on the surface. That's a lot of questions to get out of one. Bless her. Intelligence isn't massively high. Yours is, Alice, but maybe Rufus' isn't. and let's Okay, I see, though, what you're doing. Suddenly she's become very interested. The tone has shifted slightly and there's an urgency to her words.
00:57:01
Speaker
Then again, you have just produced another form of yourself out from your body. Yeah. none of that So maybe say maybe not not more into that side, but then maybe just... She's, um you know, ah
00:57:17
Speaker
just kind of, if this is an undertone, and gave more just focus on more of the levels of with the wanting to just like the veils route and, you know, kind of yeah that side of thing then. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. i Give me another ah perception.
00:57:35
Speaker
No, insight check. so Let's go insight for that, please. 17. 17. seventeen
00:57:44
Speaker
She's passionate.
00:57:48
Speaker
She's truthful in what she says about being able to focus on you after the Veil's Rue. And everything seems fine.
00:57:59
Speaker
You do detect at the very end tiniest glimmer of something.
00:58:08
Speaker
And it looks like Like just a flash, just a second, just a look on her face as she looks at the the echo of disdain.
00:58:21
Speaker
But only ah like a flash and only at that. But it's quickly masked over.
00:58:30
Speaker
As she can continues to focus on on the you and the answers that have. she can find for you with time, with resources, with things returning to normal, with some control over what is happening with the title search. That, that, um, maybe it's something for the future. It, it, I just wanted to to know yes for definite if it, if this was the first place to look and maybe it's not for those answers.
00:59:02
Speaker
i No, none of us will know much about that. Not that I'm aware of, anyway. I would love to help you more, Rifa, but this is beyond the remit of the Tide Callers.
00:59:13
Speaker
The capital, perhaps... Go to Tidewatch Keep, go to the Great Archive. Meryn Valrath is a well-known archivist who is incredibly... Sorry, I spoke that all very quickly. I will write them down for you, Rifa, don't worry. Meryn Valrath, he's an old friend of mine. An hated man in academia, but incredibly intelligent. And will will will know much more. He will hate giving away information, and yet, if you tell him i said so, he will pass on what he knows.
00:59:42
Speaker
He has a soft heart. Deep, deep, deep down, I promise. should probably not tell him that, I'm guessing. Yes, don't. Absolutely not. Or it'll set like stone.
00:59:55
Speaker
He, uh... In fact, I will write ahead and tell him that you will be speaking to him about some... Some... Let's call it a project. No. Thank you. that sounds No, yes? Okay, we'll go project for now. I thought that sounded a bit impersonal, but we'll keep it vague for now. and most Personal project?
01:00:13
Speaker
Personal project, absolutely. and I'll write ahead to the capital and... Yes. Leave it with me. Excuse me, leave it with me. Now, you must be hungry.
01:00:25
Speaker
I hear you nearly died again. Yes. Yes, and then almost managed to knock myself unconscious. Again. We must fix that.
01:00:36
Speaker
Have you ever thought of wearing armour?
01:00:39
Speaker
Um... You look very strong. Yes, i maybe maybe it is something I should look into. i i don't really know. Well, i got I guess I could go to the
01:00:56
Speaker
quartermaster stationed here, but then I don't really want to... It doesn't matter. i'll I'll figure something out. Thank you. Okay. You know, you don't tell me how to call the tides. I don't tell you how to fight and bludgeon and bonk people. So, but just, just, just putting it out there.
01:01:12
Speaker
If there's more layers in my mind, there's less, less of you to hit. and More of them, I assume. Anyway, let's, let's get to the, the greasy rabbit. That sounds like a tavern.
01:01:25
Speaker
And she, is the echo still, still there? Oh, yes. um I'll just pull it in ah to myself. ah and it's ah oh and And it's gone?
01:01:38
Speaker
What's happened to it? is it it's It's here, I think. oh In you? She kind of touches the centre of her chest, but then she kind of touches her head as well and then goes down to her tummy.
01:01:55
Speaker
It's just... It's here. All of it. Oh, yes. um Let's... After you. I suggest you're to the stairs.
01:02:07
Speaker
Thank you. And, Iradia, could we keep this between ourselves? Please. Rock and Falco, no. um I don't know if Drift saw her or not, but just... Until I know more about her.
01:02:24
Speaker
Thank you secret. It's safe with me. Thank you. gestures again up the stairs and and we zoom up like a drone up towards up the three floors as uh rock falco drift and alara are setting up and sitting down at one of the large bench like tables ah in the kind of kitchenette area of this floor of the tide core tower and breads You managed to grab a couple of pitchers of water and of ale. there are little There's a kind of a plate of cheese as well and some fruits and some glomoss lighting the space, ah giving a nice warm feel to the space.
01:03:03
Speaker
It is now kind of midday, i would say. And light it from the sun is streaming in through the window, leaving a nice little pattern on the floor.
01:03:14
Speaker
That was too much detail. There's food. And it's all laid out. And I'm assuming Rock is already three rabbits in. Because he was given the sack. He's doing one for me, one for you. One for me, one for you. But literally going around the room. So handing them out to other people and taking one for himself with each person.
01:03:30
Speaker
And I imagine he's kind of midway through conversation as well whilst kind of chowing down. but He makes a good point, though. Is it really expensive, Falco? Is that what it is?
01:03:42
Speaker
or i mean, i don't get it is um Sorry, is wet really expensive? can't hear you over the rabbit. Yeah, sorry. i just usually like I just kind of inhale it sometimes. um ah The hat, Drift was saying like earlier that it's the reason that you're you're focused on it because it was a really expensive hat or was it something that was handed to you? Like, has it got a big value to you?
01:04:12
Speaker
ah Falcon, he does look a little bit uncomfortable. Like, I can't believe someone's noticed that he found it. It was a special hat. Um, I wouldn't say it's it's particularly expensive.
01:04:25
Speaker
a Valuable, sure. But, um... But, no, I mean... like ay You've told me a bit about you. I'll tell you a bit about me.
01:04:37
Speaker
it's It's my father's head.
01:04:41
Speaker
Um... but he doesn't know I have it.
01:04:49
Speaker
Is he...
01:04:52
Speaker
Um... Is he still around?
01:04:59
Speaker
Um... Ah, I mean, it's a bit of a story. ah like stories. can if you like. Yeah. I... I told you a fun story.
01:05:11
Speaker
You told me a fun joke, but... Yeah, I mean, it's not really a joke. I'm gonna tell you a dark part of my past at this dinner table with all the rabbit.
01:05:21
Speaker
Is it something that you want to say without lots of people around eating rabbit? I mean, it's a pretty good story.
01:05:29
Speaker
Okay. and You did ask. I did. I did. You're right. I'm in. Rock's going to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of you with a pile of about four or five rabbit. Right. So, so this is, this is how the Falco that you know came to be.
01:05:45
Speaker
My, me and my family on a, on a dark stormy Sunday night, we, we, we'd been to the opera in a big city.
01:05:57
Speaker
And, um, And we came outside and we were looking for a carriage. But there were no carriages and and it was raining. And so ah so we went into this alleyway.
01:06:14
Speaker
And there was, in the shadows, there was a guy there. He looked a bit, he had face paint on.
01:06:23
Speaker
um And he had this little crossbow and he drew it on my father. And my father said no. And then he reached out for my mother and he grabbed her necklace and her pearls went everywhere all over the floor.
01:06:41
Speaker
Not the pearl necklace. Yeah, the pearl necklace. There were pearls everywhere. I remember that real clearly. My father's hat fell off, obviously. And then the the creep, he shot the crossbow.
01:06:56
Speaker
And then he he reloaded and he shot it again.
01:07:02
Speaker
And then just like that, poor little orphan Falco was left in the raining alleyway. And then the creep ran off.
01:07:17
Speaker
uh referred during this conversation would have this story would have re-entered and heard the majority of it uh Valka could you make a uh well either deception or persuasion check uh on actually no before you do that before you do that could you give me a just a performance check firstly and then that will if if you get a good performance you get advantage on whatever you want if it's a bad performance you will not sure yeah yeah okay
01:07:47
Speaker
given that you are a performer.
01:07:52
Speaker
ah The performance was 23. Okay, so roll advantage on either your deception or your persuasion for the story. Do you want to know what skill is I'm rolling?
01:08:03
Speaker
Nope. I know what it is, but there's no need for anyone else to know. Unless you roll that dog shit.
01:08:12
Speaker
I think I know. 21. ah twenty one
01:08:18
Speaker
Yeah, that's a stand-up story. You see the glassy eyes, the voice break at the right moment. You see the single tear as he tries to hide it and yet it falls anyway down his well-pampered and moisturized cheek.
01:08:36
Speaker
You ah there, you can see it. Almost like it's almost replaying in front of you from like a memory of your own lives. And yet it's there.
01:08:48
Speaker
plain as day, Falco losing his parents. Yeah. It's a, it's a riveting, riveting and well-performed story. Drift is just like wide mouth, like a bit of, a bit rabbit just hanging out of it as he's like, Oh, wow.
01:09:10
Speaker
Are you okay, Falco?
01:09:14
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I'm good. I'm good. Drift. Um, It was tough.
01:09:21
Speaker
But, um, one of the guards put his jacket around my shoulders.
01:09:29
Speaker
And, um, sometimes it just takes something as simple as that, you know?
01:09:37
Speaker
Yeah. Is that, is that the jacket that he gave you? The one you wear now? Yeah. Yeah, this is this jacket. The jacket that, yeah, yeah, yeah It's ironic, it's funny, isn't it? That jacket matches... The the the guard's jacket matched your dad's hat.
01:09:55
Speaker
Are they the same colour? Yeah, yeah. I mean, I never thought about it before, but you're right. Yeah, yeah. it's I mean, it's fate that they're supposed to come together to create one immaculate outfit.
01:10:08
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I'm sorry I said your hat meant nothing. Falco, obviously means a lot. A lot, lot. We've to get that Gotta get that hat.
01:10:20
Speaker
Nothing else matters. Well, we will get it, right? I mean, we got directions to where they might be holding all our stuff. What? We didn't get it all?
01:10:31
Speaker
Oh, man. but well We got some of it. You found some of it, Drift. But but we need to find the rest, obviously. There's there's this big treasure to be found. and And, you know, we got to do right by Garrick.
01:10:46
Speaker
Yeah. Oh god, i feel bad. I've forgotten about that. And all the killing.
01:10:56
Speaker
Listen, um, Drift, I know you're my squire. um I was wondering for the the part that comes next when we try to find Falco's hat, because it sounds like we know kind of where we're going.
01:11:16
Speaker
I don't want you to put yourself in a position where you, you, uh, get caught and hurt again.
01:11:27
Speaker
I, I, you need to be safe.
01:11:32
Speaker
Um. Oh. Did I do something wrong? No. No, you didn't. I just, when I, uh,
01:11:47
Speaker
when you When you were um captured, when when they did what they did to you, ah something kind of kind of snapped and
01:12:01
Speaker
Well, ah it's it's... It's safer. if if you were If you were safe, I think we'd all be safer. something Something snapped? Or did you hurt yourself?
01:12:13
Speaker
No. No, I always did stretch. Alara did the thing. Alara, you can do the thing you did on me. Make you better. She can make you better. No, I'm i'm okay.
01:12:25
Speaker
I'm okay. It's just, I mean... kind of well we're okay i just i you're yeah you're so enthusiastic and young which is fantastic but
01:12:46
Speaker
i i don't know ah if i can see you get hurt again you seem like quite despondent Yeah, yeah, no, I get it. If that's what you, my knight, commands of me, then I will do as I'm commanded.
01:13:07
Speaker
So I've got to stay here, I'll stay here.
01:13:10
Speaker
No, I was going to suggest that I train you. And his eyes shoot up, and this massive grin on his face appears. Really?
01:13:23
Speaker
Yeah. No, when people try to stab me... I'm pretty good at... you know... blocking it, moving things out the way, that's kind of stuff that you need to know how to do if you're going to be a proper squire.
01:13:38
Speaker
Yeah, and he climbs up onto the bench and you do all the things and he starts swinging his arms around and knocks over like a rabbit onto the floor and slaps onto the floor, grease pile on the floor and he knocks over and then your arms go young like that and you're doing other things and and he just he's just like going away on it on on his own little and then he just suddenly stops and looks at Roof and then looks back at Rock and
01:14:01
Speaker
Really? How much do I need to give you money? that I've got money you gave me and I'll give you a back and you can train me and i'll I'll pay, I can pay you to train me. and And he's reaching in for the gold that he's got. show No, no, no, no, no. no no No, i you're you're i you're still you're still the squire, right? So I still gotta pay your wages, and it's just, it's what you it's kind of one of the things that you do. you You train under a knight, I think, and he's looking over at Falco for this. That's how it works um with squires, right? you You got your training from with Garrick.
01:14:33
Speaker
He kind of trained you up how to do all that stuff you got with the rapier and the fighting. that's That's what the knight does, right, Falco? Um... Yeah, yeah, sure, Drift. that That's what a knight does.
01:14:48
Speaker
Yeah. and And do you do you think that's great, Falco. do do you think Do you think also that as as squires can do less of the stuff I just did?
01:14:58
Speaker
Like where that thing happened? Do you think I could do less of that? Is that what happens when you're a knight? Will I do less of that? I mean, it depends how good a squire you are.
01:15:11
Speaker
So if I'm good, then and i do it more. or but If I'm good, I do it less. No, if you do your training and you're doing your squats and your pushups and your, yeah, all that stuff.
01:15:21
Speaker
Yeah. And you're less likely to have your throat slit. Oh, and he he kind of winces at that. Yeah. His hand goes to his throat again. Yeah, no, that's the answer I wanted. Okay, okay, yes, yeah, rock, ah and he's down on one knee. I will be honored my knight, rock-a-lang-gui, lick-a-peck-a-las-o, fail-a-tulia-moi, if you will train me to be a
01:15:46
Speaker
cha-a-night. Night.
01:15:51
Speaker
Hey, that was pretty close. You're getting better, Drift. I've been practicing.
01:15:59
Speaker
I didn't even write it on my hand, mainly because I can't write.
01:16:04
Speaker
Yeah. And because it wouldn't fit hand for so long. That's not something I'm going to teach you. Yeah. No, who needs that? Who needs that stuff? ah when All squires need that stuff. but Hang on, hang on, hang on.
01:16:16
Speaker
If you're going to be a proper squire, if you're going to be a knight and you're going to interact with the aristocracy and the other members of the public that are higher up, you've got to learn to write, kid. but But Rock said he can't.
01:16:28
Speaker
He doesn't know that, so we'll just do the fun Kung stuff. But that's okay, because, I mean, Falco, you have a way with words now. You can teach him. Sounds like you're offering them.
01:16:39
Speaker
You could teach him the ways of the mouth. I could teach him the ways of the hand. Rifa! ah what like What, what, what? How could you get in on this? Like a three-way, what what could we do to to help drift...
01:16:53
Speaker
Shall I just oversee the training in in general? Or I could be on the stamina side of things. Yes. Stamina is so important, Drift.
01:17:06
Speaker
yeah You gotta have that stamina. While you touched on it, ah three-way, Rifa, do you think you and your ghost are like... ah
01:17:15
Speaker
kiss I'm just curious. No, Falco, there's only been two of them. You've seen that. i ah I wonder if I could get three of us.
01:17:28
Speaker
What? You'll get three of you guys?
01:17:33
Speaker
I don't know, I've never Drift is looking very confused. I don't... When the sun shines, I can make a shadow. it's Are we talking about the shadows?
01:17:45
Speaker
Something like that, Drift. and Dinner's been lovely. I'm just going to excuse myself. Feeling like an early night. It's midday. Yeah, well, time's ticking on and it's been a long morning.
01:18:02
Speaker
I was going to say this could be time for a short rest at least if it wanted we wanted. I definitely need a short rest. yeah On my own. Just to clarify that. As Falcon leaves the room, you hear him summon his major hand.
01:18:14
Speaker
yeah ah
01:18:22
Speaker
you give that hand a wash swift before you use it. Ten pounds of pressure, baby.
01:18:33
Speaker
Oh, no. Falco. It's just the character. It's just the character. It was such a sweet moment for Drift as well. ah He doesn't know.
01:18:44
Speaker
We'll teach him about that later. a whole different bit of training that Reefo won't taking part in. There is, as he leaves, ofd Drift is just like happy, happy, happy boy. And and he's just chowing down, trying to eat like at the speed that Rock is but because he's got a little tiny mouth. In comparison, he's getting through nothing, but he just attacks it with the same ferocity. And Rock, you notice this more throughout this kind of short rest period. He doesn't mimic you like in a know He just kind of echoes you slightly and tries to like every now and then you catch what the corner was like he's kind of just trying to match your posture or like he chose a copy of gesture and he does it like three or four times to see if he can kind of do it the same or the the slow way you anytime you're doing any he stretches he and you know he's not invited to do it he'll be there alongside um
01:19:33
Speaker
doing it nearby, kind of copying, trying to get the angles right, et cetera. He's now basically your equivalent of a shadow. He was anyway, but now with the enthusiasm of a fucking puppy attached to it as well.
01:19:45
Speaker
And what we can do is over the next couple of weeks and months, if you all survive it, we can talk about how that progresses for Drift and what that looks like from Ruck's perspective and from Falco's training, which I'm sure will be like any good person. When you learn a new language, you learn the swear words first, I hope. that to be the case.
01:20:04
Speaker
um So we'll take a short rest. um So any hit die, I think a few of you, Falco, I think you get some spell slots back, I believe, or am I making this up? I think it's inspiration. i'm not sure about spell slots. Have a look.
01:20:17
Speaker
I think we very rarely use short rests. And so I'm very, very, very, very rusty on the mechanics of it, actually. So I will leave it to And some of them are different for, yeah, 2024 well, depending on what you've got. So it might be that you get some bardic inspirations back, I think, as the bard. It doesn't really do too much for the monk now, I don't think. I think it's all long rest-based.
01:20:44
Speaker
But all their stuff, but they get some extra things in there, so... You have your short rest and you take in the hour and you each do your own thing. Falco, you do yours alone. ah Drift spends most of your time kind of literally vibrating and buzzing with excitement to all the learning that he's going to get from Rock. Oh yeah, and from Falco.
01:21:05
Speaker
ah Rock, I imagine you just continue eating. Rufo, again, not sure, but... do i and mechanically what do we get back in our show rest because I know it's slightly different by character so we'll just go Rock, Reefer, Valco and just do you mind telling us what you've used or what you gained back and in that time so Rock you want to start?
01:21:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I was wrong. I get my focus points back, so I get three focus points back, and I rolled one hit die to regain three hit points to put me back at max. um He would use the last ten minutes or so of his short rest to be with Drift and just kind of running through a single, simple thing. um But yeah, we can come back to that if you're happy to, but that's me.
01:21:43
Speaker
Cool, thank you. Rifa, what do you get? What do you take? So um she just ah regained some hit points. I used all my hit die to get it out as much as I could with that. And um just as we... as she left the kind of the dining area, she would have grabbed a couple of ale mugs and attached them on belt to replace the ones that were were taken from her previously.
01:22:17
Speaker
Okay, yeah, and you can find those easily. And Falco? I was the same, just ah just some hit dive for some sweet HP. I don't get any spells back, I don't get any bardic inspiration back, so I'm pretty useless.
01:22:31
Speaker
Oh, piss. Okay, and Drift gets Drifty things back, he did civilian things back. and Rock, back to you for that ten minutes of training. Was there anything in particular you had of mind, or is it just yeah generic? Yeah, just...
01:22:44
Speaker
The first thing that he would do after chowing down and get everything sorted with Drift's eagerness, um he would just say, before you can do anything else, Drift, you need to be working on stances, on your ability to literally stand up on your feet and not be pushed over.
01:23:07
Speaker
So stand what you think is strong. Put yourself in a strong position. He's going to stand with his feet it kind of next each to each other, shoulder apart, and just like tense his upper body like he's flexing.
01:23:19
Speaker
Cool. Rock's going to push him over. Yeah, he falls over. We don't have to do roll for that. That's fine. Yeah. but hes He falls and he's happy about that and kind of stands back up.
01:23:31
Speaker
That was easy, wasn't it? Nope. That's not it. You've got to stay on your feet.
Training in Combat Stances
01:23:37
Speaker
One more time. Yeah. ah Okay, and he's going to stand slightly differently with one foot slightly in front of the other. So his right foot's in front and his left foot's a little bit further back.
01:23:47
Speaker
And again, he's going to tense his body. Yeah, Rock will do exactly the same thing. Yeah, and he falls over again. And this will go on like several iterations through until eventually he's unable to be kind of pushed with a simple push backwards. But as soon as that happens, Rock will just push him from the side instead and probably topple him until sort of 10, 15 minutes go by of him knocking himself, knocking him to the floor over and over. And he's going to just talk through the tactics of literally being able to stand up and not be pushed over with a simple shove.
01:24:19
Speaker
and drift eats it all up he's hanging off your every word taking it all incredibly seriously and kind of muttering to himself when he when he gets it wrong or forgets something and kind of like reminds himself with the the key words you said and the and they're going cue words to get him in the right position and what to think about the distance between foot and foot is like a surge, kind of like a flood fin distance and this is a bread... like I like to imagine every every distance that Rock uses is in food um or maybe Drift does, either way, but there' he has a measurement in his head and that's the way he kind of positions himself to get himself in that and that strong stance each time and by the end he's made some improvement. He...
01:25:00
Speaker
if not just in his confidence, in his ability to stand. And you notice from now on, if whilst you're around him, he tends to try and fall into that stance and just kind of stand in that position. I imagine it's just kind of a slightly lower grit center of gravity, like the knees slightly bent and like a martial artsy kind of yeah exact pose. exactly.
01:25:21
Speaker
And he would just drop into that for a few seconds and come back out and listen and then be dropping back into it again just do get used to that muscle memory as as you did mention earlier. and Nice. And yeah, he's absolutely loving all that.
01:25:34
Speaker
So it comes to the end of your long rest and Alara, who had left you to it, um comes back into the room.
Concerns About Falco
01:25:42
Speaker
How are we faring? We're fed. We're happy.
01:25:50
Speaker
I don't want to move you on. Don't get me wrong. Just... Falco's still in his room. um He told us a really sad story and I can i can hear him, I think, crying.
01:26:01
Speaker
i heard him cry. I went to go and check on him and he was crying or... ah I don't know, wailing in some way. i think... Yeah, I think he's really upset.
01:26:14
Speaker
Oh. Or do you think I should go and see if he's okay? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, he wouldn't... Well, i didn't I don't want to interrupt him, but maybe... I mean... Give it a go.
01:26:30
Speaker
Yeah, okay. If you tell me... If you say so, i I'll up and just... Well, you're good at making people feel better, right? Right. Yeah, okay.
01:26:42
Speaker
And then... We can think of where we're going next... already aend Yeah, we can come to a decision. Yeah. She said about you heading south. Perhaps there's a path.
01:26:57
Speaker
I think that's the next thing. It's the clue that we got, the people that we got some of our things back from. I think the rest of it is... And I don't know whether Rock would have the letter or someone else, but he'd kind of motion to whoever has it or something. that That's what they said in the words that they wrote.
01:27:17
Speaker
And Laura quickly scans over that. I know the place. We didn't realize you could get in it. That's it.
01:27:29
Speaker
That makes sense.
Planning to Visit Hidden Place
01:27:31
Speaker
It's hidden. No one really dares go into the... It's not a good place to dive anyway, so it's pretty much untouched by everyone. But at low tide, when the when the waves are away, it's it's easy enough to get to. I've seen it.
01:27:47
Speaker
Well, if it's only a couple of hours away, I think we need to head there sooner. It said something about the next couple of days, I think, within the letter. Two days, I think.
01:27:58
Speaker
Yeah, as soon as Falco stopped crying and wailing. and I think he was like punching his pillow or something. I think he's really angry as well. Maybe he told you a sad story. Maybe he feels he's to blame and he's punishing himself.
01:28:16
Speaker
think you're right you can have to and get him come out here yep Rifa do you want to come with me um well I was going to laps with Drift but okay no it's fine no it's fine he can he can do it start himself and I'll join Drift how many laps of the tower do you think you can do Uh, one million.
Stamina Challenge for Drift
01:28:49
Speaker
One million? Okay, I want one million and one. Starting now. I should have said three. Okay. And he's going to run down and... Five. Give me five, Drift. Okay. Okay. He says down the stairs as you see him.
01:29:03
Speaker
Down the stairs. Uh... Right, so you're... Are you going to get... Rifa, you're going to go get Falco and I'll... I thought you were going together.
01:29:15
Speaker
Uh... i yep I'm not really a... I don't people very well. Okay, you stay here then. I'll just go get him. It's fine. i be easy. Don't worry.
01:29:26
Speaker
And she'll head up towards the stairs and go to the door in the centre. One floor up. No, one floor down, sorry. And Falco, you just hear a very crisp, clear knock, knock, knock on the door and then nothing.
01:29:43
Speaker
Rafer, is that you? No. No, it's Alara. I had ah just came to see if you were okay and Rockin' the Guys and Reefa said you were going to moving on soon and you needed to get going.
01:29:59
Speaker
I heard you're sad though. Are you okay? Yeah, a little busy. Any
01:30:08
Speaker
chance you can come? Any chance?
Falco's Emotional Confession
01:30:14
Speaker
I'll be one moment. ah Okay, do you need you need some tissues? and to No. You
01:30:27
Speaker
ah you can come in, it's open. I don't want to. Poor Alara, she's an A mage hand slowly pulls the door back. And if a mage hand could look ashamed... ah
01:30:49
Speaker
Oh, geez. And he's kind like just trusting himself back up. Oh, um, ah ah sorry. what What were you saying? I too feel sad sometimes.
01:31:02
Speaker
And when I tend to do that, I find it easiest to talk to people. And that way I work through what I'm feeling. So if ever you need to talk, instead of beating up your pillows or wheeling, as Rock said, you can come and talk to me.
01:31:21
Speaker
Um, you know, that's that's very kind.
01:31:27
Speaker
You know, one thing I could use, I was ah i was crying so hard, ah i um I got Rock's pillow a little bit wet. He never got any replacements. Yeah, ah there's it's another room.
01:31:41
Speaker
ah I'll, of course, we've got spares. I'll get one from the other room and I'll take the old one and move we'll wash it with the others.
01:31:52
Speaker
Yeah, it's just tears, just tears. um Is everyone heading out? Yeah, I believe they're going soon and Rock said for me to get you and they were going to go to the south.
01:32:05
Speaker
Yeah, right. Well, I've had a little bit of a rest. I feel good. Anything we can get for you while we're out? No. It's couple of new NPCs that aren't tainted by your disgusting attitude. No, and know i'm I'm fine here, but just um be careful.
01:32:26
Speaker
Okay, sure. um Tread lightly. Yeah, you you should tread lightly to around Rock's bed. All right, I'll see you in a bit. Okay, bye. And she goes into one of the other rooms, the store cupboard, to find some more pillows.
Light-hearted Discussion
01:32:43
Speaker
Shit. And sort the room out a little bit. And you head down the stairs, upstairs, wherever the and you see Rufa and Rock, and you hear the panting of Drift as he continues to run.
01:32:59
Speaker
and run and run around the tower multiple times. As Ruck and Reefer, you're tooling yourselves up, so to speak, packing your bags and getting things ready as Falco enters.
01:33:11
Speaker
ah What's up with the kid?
01:33:16
Speaker
He's ah working on his stamina. Oh. Yeah, me too. Where we have to. Um... Rock will come over to you and put a hand on your shoulder. It's okay, Falco.
01:33:34
Speaker
We will get your hat.
01:33:38
Speaker
I think he was thinking about his parents just then. I doubt he'd whale over his hat. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Look, i like I may be a lot of things, but I was not thinking about my parents.
01:33:52
Speaker
Weren't you? But you were so upset. I could hear you weeping in your room. Oh. ah you You heard that? Yeah, you were trying to pull yourself together. You were like, come on, Falco. Come on, Falco. like It seemed like you were really upset.
01:34:11
Speaker
It can be hard work, I realize, to keep things inside, but... ah
01:34:23
Speaker
I thought, yeah, maybe they should get someone to look at the walls in this place. Um...
01:34:31
Speaker
Not important. Where are we going? But you're you' feeling better, right? you You feel like we can go now? Oh, yeah yeah, I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good. How about you? Yeah.
01:34:43
Speaker
Feeling determined. Rejuvenated. Ready. Yeah. Yeah. You ever had pink eye?
01:34:52
Speaker
Huh?
01:34:55
Speaker
Don't worry. um Yeah, let's go. Okay. Okay.
01:35:01
Speaker
And where are we heading?
01:35:04
Speaker
As far away as we can. mean, we've had we this episode has gone pretty far south so far. let's big ah so we might as well. We've had highs and we've had low, low lows. Thank you, Charlie. Right. um we yeah We are heading out.
01:35:22
Speaker
Oh, that was brilliant. There's so many innuendos there. I like that the this this podcast is mainly us trying to keep it together ah without laughing. and It's very enjoyable.
01:35:33
Speaker
So we are heading out. And on the way out, you run into Iradia, who just has a little scrap of a map. and is marked on it the exact location of this place and it's very straightforward in terms of its route. Down, you take the left bit of down um on the map, so on your way right, and then it's in the ravine and you see a little black, looks like a little black pyramid marked out in the middle of the ravine and there's a path down there.
01:36:04
Speaker
um Yeah, not a couple of hours away. ah Drift is still running around the tower as the three of you come down. I've done 18 so far. 18? Drift, you were meant to do five.
01:36:21
Speaker
ah who is it a million and one? i don't know how many million is, so I thought maybe was a couple more than 18. We'll work on your numbers as well. You can stop.
01:36:32
Speaker
But now I know you can do 18. Yeah. It's 20 tomorrow morning. Oh, jeez. Okay.
01:36:42
Speaker
Right, that's good. I've got to go eat more chicken and more rabbit then. Or am I coming in with you? Am I coming with you?
01:36:52
Speaker
Squire goes where his knight does. And Drift's going drifting ah nod at that and then look expectantly towards Rock until Rock says that he doesn't.
01:37:04
Speaker
If you feel like you're ready, drift. You've had a hell of a day.
01:37:11
Speaker
I'm not going to tell you to come. I'm not going to tell you to stay.
01:37:16
Speaker
You decide. There's a lot of training ahead of you. And if you feel like you can start working on that here, so be it. But if you come with us, you'll listen to exactly what Rifa and myself say. And you keep yourself safe.
01:37:33
Speaker
He's going nod and he's taking that very seriously, the words he just said.
01:37:39
Speaker
I'd like to come.
01:37:42
Speaker
I want to. And I'll be safe.
01:37:48
Speaker
ill I'll stay in the middle. And um i won't I won't be foolhardy. I won't do something stupid.
01:38:00
Speaker
I'll be more careful. i'll still be helpful if if if that's okay my my night
01:38:13
Speaker
i trust you drift let's go oh yes and um he's gonna um just kind of look around like he's gonna find his stuff but he's got stuff on him anyways and leave it um and then we'll just kind of join in and can be walking alongside you rock trying to keep pace but like a
01:38:33
Speaker
like child trying to keep, ah literally a child trying to keep pace with an adult. He has to like double hop, skibbity jump every couple of steps to keep keep pace and keep cadence with you because your legs are so much longer than his.
Journey South Begins
01:38:43
Speaker
And he has to take like double half steps every now and then to keep up. And he does that for a while then loses interest and then falls back into line with ah with Falco or with Rifa behind. And just so I've got a rough running order. i've sorry've I've put rock at the front. That's not the case at all. And what order do you want to be in?
01:39:00
Speaker
on this journey are you going to kind of try and stay as a bunch or in a line or what's your what's your thinking did we say who took the map off erudia nope i'm assuming i'm assuming someone took it yeah so um i'm gonna say reefer took it sure and she will be kind of leading the way okay uh anything from falco before we head out Nope, just very relaxed, walking at the back of the party.
01:39:36
Speaker
Excellent, of course he's relaxed. and Nice. Could I have then Reef, fur as you are leading this little entourage south, could I ask that you give me perception check, please?
01:39:56
Speaker
Yep. For the journey. And that... is a natural one, which goes to a five. Okay. But it's still a natural one. It is still a natural one, but it still counts as five.
01:40:08
Speaker
and Yeah, along the way, much for Falco and Rock, it's very similar in as much as the scenery adjusts slightly as you start heading south, the same way they did when you met Aranax not too long ago.
01:40:24
Speaker
There's a slight... saltiness to the air as you move further south and it feels a little bit warmer it feels a little bit more humid in the air ah you know this is the case rock for yourself the further south you go in in wild heart the more humid the more you get to the marshlands the swamps of veil mayor and the others that that populate this lower region before we get to the border with the uh high jade heart dwarves but we're not going that far nowhere near that farm let me hit a small fork in the road One which heads down, quite steeply down towards the now expanding fields of flood fields but beyond where crops grow fondly for rock and for Falco, from your experiences there, and the hope of the trepidation still somewhere deep within its confines.
01:41:13
Speaker
But yeah that isn't the path we're taking, we are as Falco said earlier heading heads and so we head right down the right fork of this road and what's interesting about this is up until now you're used to either traversing along the top of the flattened kind of plateau like edges of these ravine, these spikes in the mountains if you will or very close to the top well this one starts to lower itself like it's been etched out of now the side and it's getting slightly lower reefer You're stood at the front at this point and you notice it starts to become quite a curved curved path as it kind of deviates down a little bit lower, it's a slight decline on the way and
Rifa's Background and Humor
01:41:54
Speaker
down and around but it's very curving and you can see where you want to go and yet you've got to go the total opposite direction because you've got to follow the edge of the of the cliff face to get there.
01:42:05
Speaker
This goes on for quite some time. It does take you a good hour before you think you start to spy what you think might be the place. It's a slightly larger, open area where the space and the mountains around are lower.
01:42:22
Speaker
You assume that might be your port of call. In the meantime, there are there any conversations or anything you want to take place on on the journey there? are we happy just um getting ah getting a jog on?
01:42:35
Speaker
Reefer, tell us something about you. Something we don't know. I mean, we know that you can die and come back to life. It's pretty useful. I didn't know that about me until recently.
01:42:51
Speaker
Well, what's all this stuff about your father? Like, come on, we spent a bit of time together now. You can tell us something. I
01:43:01
Speaker
i guess you've figured out who he is. Yeah. Yeah, we have. Made that right, Rock? Ah, yeah. No, we we figured that. I don't know why I keep doing this. No.
01:43:15
Speaker
No, I don't know. I'm sorry, Falco. You bring something out of me. i You make me want to say yes. And I don't know. And Reefa makes me want to be honest. No, Reefa, I don't know. I don't know who it is. Who is it, Falco?
01:43:30
Speaker
Oh, go on then, Reefa. Tell him. No, you you said you knew, so please enlighten me. He, um well, obviously Wild Heart Tourist Board.
01:43:50
Speaker
He is? I think so. Just based on the information I've been given, yeah. Is that why you got the map? No, Iradia gave me that. But you're spot on there, Falco. Oink, oink. Oh, no, no, no. Hang on, hang on. I remember he's something to do with the military. That's right. He's, um... His name is... I'm thinking of a spherical... A kind of spy. A shell mirror!
01:44:22
Speaker
Um... Yes. That is... Correct. Uh... It do... Uh... Do either of you know...
01:44:36
Speaker
what that name means in the military? Do we know what that means, Rack? We know what that means, right? It's tourism, right, Falco? No, we're we're not on that anymore. No, it's the military tourism.
01:44:53
Speaker
He might have done some tours somewhere, I don't know. and You know, I never actually wanted to be part of the military.
01:45:05
Speaker
kind of wasn't given a choice in the matter about a year and a half ago.
01:45:18
Speaker
And that's all down to my father. So...
01:45:25
Speaker
Yep. And why I'm not there there there now, that's that's all down to my father as well. So I guess you can thank him for having my company.
01:45:40
Speaker
What, he forced you it to fight?
01:45:45
Speaker
Um...
01:45:48
Speaker
Well, it was that or get married, so... Married? Here I am. Oh, who's the lucky guy? don't... Well, I know... A girl or... know, isn't it?
01:46:01
Speaker
I know his name, I just um don't know what it looks like and I don't want to quite frankly. Oh, oh, oh, please tell us his name.
01:46:11
Speaker
Um, how about an answer for an answer?
01:46:19
Speaker
Ah, this name better be good. All right, sure. Go on, Shul.
01:46:25
Speaker
Uh...
01:46:30
Speaker
What do you want to know about Falco?
01:46:35
Speaker
He's already told me a little bit.
01:46:40
Speaker
He knows this girl called Mabel.
01:46:47
Speaker
She's a vampire.
01:46:53
Speaker
And I know. When you were recovering, we we kind of... We bonded in our beds.
01:47:07
Speaker
Um... What do you want to know?
01:47:13
Speaker
Why you here, Falco?
01:47:16
Speaker
Um... Well, I mean, why are we all here in this crazy, mixed up world?
01:47:27
Speaker
Maybe that was too vague because that was a definite non-answer. I'm going to change my question. What's so important about the hat?
01:47:39
Speaker
I told you. It's, um... It's my father's and I want it back. And maybe I didn't have permission to have it in the first place. If your father's dead, why did you... How could you have got his permission anyway?
01:47:56
Speaker
Uh... Well, um I took it a long time ago before um the incident in the alleyway. But he I thought your father was wearing it in the alleyway.
01:48:10
Speaker
He was. um the The criminal took it and um I tracked it down like the world's greatest detective. So ah and that doesn't all quite quite add up though, because if you took it without permission, then surely...
01:48:30
Speaker
By giving it back to your father, you no longer have taken it without permission. And you've just... rich Now have what is rightfully yours, so I'm a bit confused why you're taking it without permission if it's technically rightfully yours. All right, all right, fine.
01:48:49
Speaker
I might have made up the story about the alleyway. What? Well, everyone seems to have all these cool stories about how they grew up and... And I got... um my My parents live on a farm, alright? They live on a farm outside of a beautiful town. They have the perfect life.
01:49:08
Speaker
I don't have all these... All these stories that you guys have with the your training and your monastery and your problems with your father and all of that... stuff. That sounds wonderful.
01:49:20
Speaker
Yeah. like that.
01:49:24
Speaker
Huh? Oh, sorry, Driftist. I'd like that. Sounds pretty nice. Yeah, I mean, it it is, but not when you're trying to be involved in great stories.
01:49:41
Speaker
Did they have the farm before they got shot? No, no, no, they didn't get... No, they didn't get shot. That didn't that didn't happen. I was... I embellished.
01:49:55
Speaker
I created. I made a story. I'm sorry. i just It just comes out of me sometimes. What about the hat? Well, I mean, the hat's... You've seen the hat, so you know that the hat exists.
Rifa's Past Revealed
01:50:11
Speaker
Is it... Is it your dad's? Yeah, theyre that... Look, that bit's true. It is my dad's.
01:50:22
Speaker
Why did you want to leave the farm?
01:50:30
Speaker
ah no, hang on, hang on, hang on. You said question for a question. You asked me a question. i gave you a very long, very heartfelt answer. So, Spill, who's this guy you're supposed to marry?
01:50:43
Speaker
And why didn't you marry him? Because I'd never met him. And... What if he was dreaming?
01:50:52
Speaker
Maybe, but the whole reason behind this marriage contract... My father wanted something from that connection and until I figure out what it is, I'm not even going to meet this guy.
01:51:09
Speaker
But what's his name?
01:51:17
Speaker
Cassily. Lord Cassily. Lord. you could You could be a lady. I am a lady, technically. It's a... It's a...
01:51:30
Speaker
Courtesy title given to me because of my father standing in the military. I don't need to marry to be a lady. Wow.
01:51:41
Speaker
God, think of you in a great big castle, Lady Riefer. Think of me on a farm, actually. That sounds perfect. I'd much rather that.
01:51:53
Speaker
Ah, well. Don't count your chickens. That's what my father would say because he lives on a farm. Does he have pigs?
01:52:04
Speaker
Yeah, some pigs. Some chickens. Is that where you learnt the street smarts from? Hey, look, my street smarts are real. Okay, Lady Cassily.
01:52:16
Speaker
Don't call me that. Yet. Ever.
01:52:22
Speaker
Alright, well, let's say you meet this guy and he turns out to be everything you ever wanted.
Encounter at the Ravine
01:52:27
Speaker
Then will...
01:52:31
Speaker
send you a message personally to tell you I was wrong. Oh no, don't worry. I'll be there. Sure you will.
01:52:41
Speaker
And Reefer, as you hit that final has yet that final line, Reefer, and Falcon gets the final word in, and you round a corner. And round this corner, and you are now... along quite a low edge, probably about 30 or 40 feet away from the bottom of the ravine now. And the ravine has a thin film of water through it like it normally does, a thin trickle of a river. We're...
01:53:05
Speaker
allegedly miles away from any kind of action. and But at this height, it may be certain death, but there are crevices and ways you might be able to find some cover. Yet that doesn't really seem to enter into your mind at the moment. What you do notice you around this corner are two things that stand out. Firstly, directly in front of you and over the ravine is what looks like a destroyed bridge.
01:53:27
Speaker
The path continues though, around to the right, but that's what happens straight ahead of you. The the bridge is completely destroyed. There's a remnants of one half, a big old gap of middle, and then over the ravine, and then it attaches itself to the other side of the ravine and a path beyond.
01:53:41
Speaker
And yet the path continues in front of you, hugging that right wall still. and why you notice this more than anything because this is very normal for where you are you notice a small campsite almost dug into the side of the mountain you notice a fire that is still smoldering slightly not lit but smoldering and a a-frame tent set up quite close hugging the wall you also see a or looks like in a pack like a backpack right next to the fire as well.
01:54:09
Speaker
ah But the the flaps of the tent are closed and you cannot see if there's no kind of people around at the time. But you're probably about 30 feet away from this at this point by the time Reefa, you and Rock notice this.
01:54:25
Speaker
What do you want
01:54:28
Speaker
do? I will freeze initially put my hand out to kind of stop rock or like just kind of give him the thing like signal to to stop and then um
01:54:51
Speaker
sorry you might have just described it then but um my brain may not have absorbed it what are we um is it like a path through what terrain is there to hide behind no problem what cover is there nothing particularly you've got a very very small outcropping from basically as you're walking you've got the mountain wall on your right on your left is nothing but the ravine edge and it curls down and then kind of bows around to the left and that continues that kind of like it's been
01:55:31
Speaker
It was maybe a very small ridge to begin with, but through travel and people chipping away at it, it's formed like an actual, maybe about seven, no, 10, 11, 12 foot wide path that you can pass ah um along and round. You're not at the top.
01:55:46
Speaker
That's still another 30, 40 feet above you. You're not at the bottom, that's another 30, 40, 50, 60 feet below you. You're kind of in this weird limbo halfway state and as I mentioned the gradient is slowly decreasing and you're getting lower the closer you get to your quarry.
01:56:03
Speaker
In terms of cover, there's there's there's not much. you've got Sorry to interrupt me There's a couple of bushes and stuff in the canopy above you, and yet on the path around you, nothing but the usual small ah tufts of grass, ah the beginnings of glomoss fruit, but nothing nothing really of cover, except if you were to hug the wall.
01:56:21
Speaker
Yeah, that's what I was just about to say. It's Drifnir as well. Yeah, he's literally just behind you. kind of assume kind
01:56:39
Speaker
i kind of assumed I've still always been a bit further ahead and have been having that conversation with um Falco kind of over my shoulder.
01:56:50
Speaker
And then i kind of want to stop and almost scoop... every like kind of walk backwards kind of gathering everybody up to them that so then we're put and then move so that we're all against the kind of guided and herded against the wall of the mountain yep that's possible so the way it kind of ends up is that um refigure at the front at the way you push and the concertina produces uh it becomes rock falco and then drift at the back that's the kind of the order that's there and drift at the back whispers to falco what's happening what we doing
01:57:25
Speaker
i don't I think this is stage one. Make a plan.
01:57:30
Speaker
Okay. What are you thinking? I'm thinking we should ask well Rock what to do. Hey, come on. Look, a squire's got to think on his feet. he Rock might ask you for suggestions of what to do.
01:57:45
Speaker
Oh. Um. Um. I think we should move along the wall like this. for a bit okay right just keep that in your back pocket if he asks you you've got something ready yeah that's a car okay okay okay
01:58:07
Speaker
um just kind of gesturing kind of to rock and kind of indicating the campsite um Just so that rockcker so i know that Rock has seen it. um Can you see any movement?
01:58:34
Speaker
Rock's going poke his head out and stare. Do a perception check for me, please. I'm still exhausted a little bit, so it's minus two to 13 overall.
01:58:48
Speaker
What is it? What sense were you using? Sight or? Sight, yeah. No, there's no movement. There's a slight gust of wind every now and then. The flap of the tent moves.
01:59:02
Speaker
that doesn't really tell you much really there's not enough flora or fauna reacting you can hear the roar of the surge you know far away as you always ever present can do aside from that there's there's nothing you look up to the and kind of loose rocks and boulders along the top that naturally sit along this and there's no movement there's no kind of like trickle of rock to give way that anyone's up there the the creek of the ladder that's the bridge to your right the broken bridge is very stationary that there's There's nothing. There's nothing out of the ordinary here.
01:59:37
Speaker
Nothing. Okay, let's... keep quiet. No more talking. And I kind of shoot Falco
Investigation of Suspicious Campsite
01:59:51
Speaker
a look.
01:59:51
Speaker
That's literally all I can do. Not right now.
01:59:58
Speaker
Without his mouth, he's almost nothing. He's just going have to be useless for a moment then, isn't he?
02:00:08
Speaker
will turn it's sorry Rock will turn to Falco and do the Shrek-raised eyebrow lips look towards Falco. Okay. You just get shrug in return.
02:00:30
Speaker
Yeah, so I start on, but a bit slower and more cautious than before and just kind of keep an eye out for any movement.
02:00:46
Speaker
Okay. ah You continue to do that and as you get closer, nothing, nothing, nothing until...
02:00:58
Speaker
you get to the campsite and it's very small, very makeshift on the side of the mountain, close by to the edge to use the natural protection. ah Normal to do this, it's not out the ordinary for those that can't make slightly longer journeys.
02:01:11
Speaker
The fire, like you I said earlier, was still a little bit of smoke coming out. It's still a little bit warm, but the fire was well and truly gone out. Logs burnt through, but not fully burnt through. They'd been put on and then the two thick ends of it are still there now.
02:01:28
Speaker
ah Just the middle is burnt through. a Fire unattended tends to do that. No, but the tent is still there. The pack looks quite new as well. It's not well worn like some of your equipment would have been.
02:01:42
Speaker
It hasn't seen much of the weather. Rifa, you're at the front here. Everyone at the moment is being very quiet. What would you like to do?
02:01:52
Speaker
I'm kind of going to try and gesture... For everyone just to stay where they are and I'm just going to, I want to circle round to the back of the tent and just kind of see if I can hear anything from coming from it.
02:02:12
Speaker
Okay, our perception check please.
02:02:19
Speaker
She hears nothing. That was a natural one. So a five. Oh, dear. um Yeah, you hear you absolutely nothing. What about everyone else? are you we Are we waiting patiently or are we yeah we doing?
02:02:33
Speaker
it' like Is there any heraldry or is there any kind of... Does this look very... You said it looked quite new and not necessarily fancy, but untarnished somewhat. um Is there anything about this that screams...
02:02:49
Speaker
um Like... Any of the heraldry from some of the baddies that we've had a little look at recently? So like the Vale's Root or...
02:02:59
Speaker
um Yeah, anything it. see what mean. Yeah, no. ah there's it's it's ah It's a rather nondescript kind of dark brown leathery material over the top of the tent. It's quite normal to see and to use. It's nothing.
02:03:16
Speaker
There's nothing there's no there's no nothing that would give you any credence to think this is a Valesru camp yeah or anything of that regard. No.
02:03:28
Speaker
Rifa, I know you said don't talk.
02:03:34
Speaker
Should we not just say hi?
02:03:42
Speaker
It might be absolutely nothing. can talk. we talking now? I thought we were told not to. Yeah, I think we can talk now. Can we talk now, Rifa? Oh, thank God. was hard. Rifa hasn't said that we can't necessarily.
02:03:53
Speaker
Rifa, can we talk now? Rifa. Rifa. Guys, I got an idea. I can't hear her from this side of the camp. um No. I think she's trying to whisper something over her shoulder, but I can't hear it.
02:04:04
Speaker
Rock, when you did all your training, have you ever um yeah ever worked as, like, in the shadows? I mean, yeah, sneaking around, stuff like that.
02:04:17
Speaker
Light on our feet. Of course. how how How light on your feet are you? I mean, I'm pretty heavy, but I can move without shifting too many stones if I try.
02:04:32
Speaker
Okay, all alright. How about a test between you and me while Reef is over there? I can't really see what she's doing. Um, whoever can get closest to the tent first without alerting anyone wins.
02:04:47
Speaker
So it's speed and stealth? Speed, stealth, silence. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Drift, on your fingers, count us down.
02:04:58
Speaker
Three. Heads up four fingers.
02:05:04
Speaker
We'll work on that. Three, four, two. Go. He said go. Rock is going to use his action to do this stealthily and bonus action to dash. Okay. Are you doing something similar, Falco?
02:05:27
Speaker
I would like to, regardless of of how clearly Rock is winning, I would like to do some sort of and but interpretation of, ah you know, in in Oceans 12, the French thief does all the acrobatics through the the lasers, even though there's no lasers. yeah He's just going to like slump to the floor and start like doing the worm and trying to get a little bit closer, thinking there's traps everywhere. All right, so, ah Rock, I need a stealth. I've been playing too much Divinity today. I'll match up. Yeah, stealth check from you. And ah Falco, go for performance, I think.
02:06:03
Speaker
no It's only fair. If you know you're not, if it's part of the showmanship of being a stealthy. je That's the vibe I'm getting from you, that you're trying to play the part of a stealthy person and not actually be stealthy. So I'll let you go with that for now.
02:06:17
Speaker
with With my minus two, it's a 21. Okay, okay. Falco? 22 performance. No! two performance no now there's a certain you're not gonna you're not gonna beat a sprinting monk to a tent but um it's reefer as you spin around you see what can only be described as the two opposite ends of stealthiness taking place but both equally as effective you see almost like a leaf on the wind rock just
02:06:53
Speaker
sprinting silently, like in a silent film almost, towards the entrance of this full tilt, but not making a single sound. It's like he's treading on the tops of the rocks themselves, bouncing like light fantastic across the meniscus of it. Whereas Falco... Is he doing it Naruto style with his arms behind his back? Yeah, the arms back.
02:07:14
Speaker
Whereas Falco is producing this interpretive ah dance of what the conceptual idea of silence and stealth might look like. And it is it is poignant. It is moving. And it is if it was up but you know if this was any other location, you would be applauding by now. But it isn't, given the danger that faces you. Rock, you get to the tent first. Are you stopping? you barreling straight in? Are you opening it up?
02:07:42
Speaker
What's your but your next steps here? Falco, you'll be in on the next one. yeah He's stopping next to next to the tent because that was the that was the game. That was the mission. Get there first. He's got there first.
02:07:53
Speaker
He's confident that he's done it well. um Obviously, he'll be listening out to see if there's anything extra to hear from said tent, but otherwise he's waiting. Okay, Falco, you're close behind there. Rifa, you probably, if you were making your way around to the front as well, you'd all kind of done that at the same time. So Rifa and Falco, you'd be there at the same time.
02:08:12
Speaker
i'm What do you want to do? ah am I didn't realise she could be so supple, Falco. What are you two doing? Rifa, not here.
02:08:30
Speaker
Uh, now we're about to gauge it engage in my other favourite hobby. Have either of you two ever done any... peeping?
02:08:43
Speaker
What, like... chickens? this Is this a farm thing again? Uh... Beep, beep! No, what the hell are you doing? Is that chicken?
02:08:54
Speaker
You said... You said... peeping! And I thought, because of the farm... You said your dad kept chickens, and... You had the oink oink? No, I mean peeping and I'll take out my rapier and I want to very subtly try and like, um, put some boots, like cut a hole in the tent and then pull it out and just, just a big enough for like one eye just to look through.
Gruesome Discovery in the Tent
02:09:18
Speaker
Okay. It's not as straightforward as that, but you managed to, after a couple of pokes through, um, make it enough of indentation to pull out a little bit of material. Uh, what are you looking, looking through into the tent?
02:09:30
Speaker
Yes. Yeah. just just ah yeah and For a second, it's just darkness. And then as your eyes start to adjust, and there's a slight gust of wind that kind of hits from the from the ravine side under the tent flap. And suddenly you you have to jump back as as what Konomi described as thousands of flies start barrelling out of this hole in the tent, not towards you for any reason, but just start kind of buzzing all out from the inside of the tent. And you get this overwhelming sense of nausea from the smell inside.
02:10:05
Speaker
Oh God, I've been cursed. I've been cursed. Screaming at the top of his lungs. Like all stealth is gone now. What is it? I just hit flies over me. Oh my god, I feel sick. oh yeah Drifter.
02:10:21
Speaker
Oh, give me a bear. Oh, come on. we left We left the stack at back. We left the stack back at the tower. We left the stack back at the tower.
02:10:32
Speaker
haven't got one.
02:10:35
Speaker
Just do it the ravine. Just go to the edge.
02:10:42
Speaker
You okay? Falco runs to the edge of the ravine and just full-on vomits off the edge like a huge... o Oh, guys. o ah Reef it.
02:10:57
Speaker
Have a look in there. It's totally safe. Are the flies still coming out of it? Or is that you know like that initial kind of surge kind of...
02:11:10
Speaker
ah they've petered out yeah okay I'm assuming can smell it now so I'm just going to kind of pull
02:11:21
Speaker
my shirt up and just kind of I think she she would know and just because being on the the kind of ah with Clifton keep being so close to like the border with the Jade Heart I think she knows what is going to be in there but um she still kind of feels like she still needs to check that it is either there's just one person two people family or like you know what's happened to this person so as she does she just kind of savor her shoulder drift don't come don't come any nearer ah check on falco i think he needs a hand
02:12:11
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And then she'll chill and have a look inside. Okay. And as you open it up, there's there's a warmth to it and the smell permeates through and it is a very much decomposed, very much dead,
02:12:33
Speaker
person. You can't tell what, who, when, a while ago, and definitely dead. And the smell is overwhelming.
02:12:48
Speaker
I don't think anyone's been this way for a while. Um,
02:12:59
Speaker
she just has a moment to kind of hold herself together. and then
02:13:11
Speaker
she'll take care a few steps away, get a bit more cleaner air and I guess in that moment she'll see the backpack and she'll go down and pick it up and start um and just emptying it out And to Rock, she says, maybe we can find out who he is.
02:13:38
Speaker
If he's just a traveler or one of the Vale's route.
Backpack Find and Cliffside Tension
02:13:41
Speaker
If he's just a traveler, then maybe we can find out his name from something so we can let someone know, I guess.
02:13:51
Speaker
Yeah. And why he went camping with so many flies. im
02:13:59
Speaker
People don't tend to do that by choice, Rock.
02:14:06
Speaker
Okay, so in the bag, you find a potion of healing, you find a short sword, brand new. You find a map with the same location marked on it as the location you have marked on your map.
02:14:23
Speaker
You find a the remnants of a couple of days rafchons, a water skim. A key, a <unk> like a metal key for a door.
02:14:37
Speaker
um And you find two scrolls.
02:14:43
Speaker
These don't look like any other kind of magical magical scrolls you've seen before. And a letter. Can I...
02:14:55
Speaker
tell that they're magic though or is it is it that they obviously no they are they are they are most definitely magical and obviously so yeah they have ah a seal a sigil and an aura and a energy that even the non-magical amongst the world can feel absolutely okay um she wouldn't open them um unless does it feel like does it feel like the same magic of the surge or and or her echo Oh, what a question, Alice. ah Give me a history check, please, to see if we can remember what that feeling is and if we can if that links to what this is.
02:15:35
Speaker
Yeah. It was so close to being a natural 20. It's a two. Okay. There's some similarities. There's an energy.
02:15:46
Speaker
You feel connected to it. but the same way that you might feel connected to a ah hearty meal if you're hungry it's unclear okay um just feeling that kind of slight
02:16:03
Speaker
i'm assuming it's very slight with the two but hint of some form of connection can i just let On my hand, just let my echo start... Her hand start appearing from the palm of it and place that on the scrolls to see if that increases this feeling of connection.
02:16:26
Speaker
Okay.
02:16:29
Speaker
There's no discernible change. Nothing noticeable from your position anyway. Which i'll I'll continue that perception roll on as one complete thing. Yeah, there's there' there's no real difference...
02:16:42
Speaker
um And just finally, because she's... With that, she's she's not going to open them, at least not right now anyway.
02:16:53
Speaker
So just wanted to make... She would though kind of make a note of... You said there was symbol or a crest or something on it? Yes.
02:17:04
Speaker
ah What is that? ah you You can just message at me, but she would make like a little mental... no of that Sure. it's yeah i mean It's a difficult one to describe, but I like to think of it like for our um UK-based listeners, if you had to describe the symbol of the Royal Mail, you'd go, yeah, it's the thing with the, um you know, it's just that it it's something you wreck you you know is a thing. You're yeah, that's the thingy for the Royal Mail. But...
02:17:29
Speaker
No one can actually fucking tell you what it is. i have no fucking clue, but i know when I see it, oh, that's the Royal Mail. I have no idea. I think it's literally just a crown, isn't it? But anyway I can't picture it in my head. And yet I go, oh, that's Royal Mail. So it's a little bit like that. Like it's something that's very well known.
02:17:42
Speaker
It has a natural, it's it's it's from your mind, from a school or from ah a a scholarly place, a place of academia that produces these scrolls. So the Royal Mail equivalent of scroll production.
02:17:57
Speaker
Yeah. Maybe that's the full title. Cool. Just um seeing the short sword. Drift, this'll be yours once Rock says you're ready for it.
02:18:08
Speaker
Oh, now? Yeah. No. I said when Rock says you're ready for it. Oh, yeah, yeah. When the night... Yeah, of course. yeahp Yeah, yeah. Rock, do you want to keep hold of it for him or shall I?
02:18:20
Speaker
ah I don't usually carry... Those, so if you're happy to, that would be great. Yeah, I think you're right. Not right now. Yeah, of course.
02:18:34
Speaker
So Rifa will attach that to her belt. um She's going to pocket the key.
02:18:44
Speaker
And she's going to open the letter. There you go. and It's a letter penned in quite tight, purposeful handwriting. It's smudged in points like ah bits that were written whilst travelling or on an uneven path or uneven road. at The paper smells old, like written near a fire perhaps.
02:19:06
Speaker
And it says to see, just the letter C, under the old tower. spotted him two hours out from the basin trail.
02:19:17
Speaker
Young, quiet, too well kitted for a scavenger. He said he was mapping runoff patterns. Had the gleam in his eye, the kind that thinks the gods left trinkets lying around for him to trip over.
02:19:28
Speaker
No badge, no vanguard tabard, just carried a scroll with the ridges shape etched clear enough to be a problem. We gave him a chance to turn back.
02:19:40
Speaker
He didn't. He asked about the ruins, said he heard singing the night before. That sealed it. Aval took the lead. Quick, clean.
02:19:51
Speaker
We left the body beneath the thorns, marked the site with black root ash. He won't be found unless they dig for him. And no one ever digs here. His journal has been burned.
02:20:04
Speaker
He hadn't written much, but he had seen too much. He marked the crest rock and the mouth of the temple plainly. Idiot. We kept his boots.
02:20:16
Speaker
Good stitching. The rest we offered to the grain fire as usual. More travelers will come. The surge draws them like blood to the sea.
02:20:27
Speaker
We need this moved now. The longer the cash stays in the temple, the more eyes will sniff toward it. Too many mouths to know the word Floodsend now.
02:20:38
Speaker
Move the goods before the week's end. South, past the gully paths. Two hours brisk, longer with the crates. Send only those you trust. If the old dwarves find out what we've got, it's not just us that burns.
02:20:54
Speaker
Tread quiet. Speak less. And it's just signed with the letter D. And as you get to that letter, Riefer, you hear something.
02:21:05
Speaker
You look up from the letter and you see a tinkle of rocks coming down from the cliff edge above you. And as your eyes dart to the very top, you see figures appearing from the shadows.
02:21:16
Speaker
Three, four, five, and the discernible click of a crossbow.
02:21:35
Speaker
Wild heartland where legends grow Tidal surges rise and flow Golden treasures deep below Time to get moist, here we go