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Ep. 25 Oak And Ember
149 Plays4 years ago
What monstrosity was this boar? It was a thing of nightmares. Surely someone in Wildhill is responsible for this. We must act and act fast before anyone else gets hurt. But first, reuniting Delmar and Francine must take priority.
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Transcript
Haunting Discussions and Reunion Plans
00:00:12
Speaker
previously on the higher swords. What was this boar? Almost a thing of nightmares. Is this the creature mentioned in the note we found? The creature that's been haunting Gwyn and stirring hushed whispers of rumors around Wild Hill? It must be. Who's responsible for this atrocity? And why would anyone create something so cruel?
00:00:42
Speaker
There's no time to think about that now. We're ours from Wild Hill and we'll have to reunite Francine with her lost father and hopefully do so quietly.
00:01:17
Speaker
You're listening to The Hired Swords, a D&D podcast recommended by 9 out of 10 dentists. But let's be real, no one listens to Steve anyway. Steve.
00:01:39
Speaker
Alright, when we last left off, you guys had just fought the boar with acid and it had been chased by this strange bear-like creature.
00:01:50
Speaker
After Delmar took a huge hit and you guys saved him from further damage, you then defeated this boar and decided to burn the bodies. You took a tusk and a vial of some of its acidic blood and you then proceeded to...
00:02:12
Speaker
uh and go ahead and and finish off the night's rest and so as you did that you rested you do notice through the night Delmar is having a hard time again resting and just more and and he's been doing this this whole trip through the woods all four or five days of it every night he's he's struggling um but in the morning you all awaken and you are ready to
00:02:36
Speaker
Face
Journey to Wild Hill
00:02:37
Speaker
your day. The sun is up. It seems like a pretty decent day. There's kind of still bones and things finishing up burning. It actually smells like a barbecue joint in this place because you just had that boar roasting this whole night. And so it's not bad. It's like standing outside of Famous Dave's or something. And so the morning is here. What would you guys like to do this morning? And you know you have you will be in Wild Hill by the end of the day.
00:03:06
Speaker
Well, I suppose we can just start checking, but we're going to have to figure out a plan really soon here.
00:03:11
Speaker
I agree, although I'm quite hungry for some bacon. But I do think that once we get kind of on the outskirts of the town, some of us should stay with Delmar and maybe one or two of us go grab Francine. I believe it would be best if we sent Gwyn to Wild Hill for Francine.
00:03:38
Speaker
I would love to go, because I would love to go. Why do that's one thing settled? If possible, you could potentially try to go ahead of us once we get a little bit closer in range. I think it would be best to possibly bring Dale with me, but I might run ahead, like you said,
00:04:06
Speaker
That's a deal breaker. Dale's got to stay with us. We need the beacon. What? I'm kidding. I'm kidding, Glenn. He's yours. I mean, I could leave him. I just thought he'd be- Who else is going to tell us all of the secrets if you take him with you?
00:04:26
Speaker
Can I just say that's the perfect Gwyn reaction? Like what? That's so true. I guess I could. Oh, you're pulling my tail.
00:04:41
Speaker
I just try to lighten the mood a little bit. She chuckles. Thank you. I'll go ahead and wander forward and she just immediately turns into a wolf and starts heading towards town.
00:05:00
Speaker
Cool. Okay. So you're Gwendolyn just suddenly done into a wolf. That was kind of like transformer sounds, wasn't it? How far from town actually are we at this point? About three quarters of a day's journey. Like you'd get there just around dinnertime. So you can decide how far out you want to make this. I was mostly just curious for the sake of
00:05:23
Speaker
getting like her back to us if they'd have a hard time tracking. But being that she's wolf, Gwen, she probably has superior tracking. So I was I was more thinking like an hour or maybe two hours ahead where that's what I was. And yeah. Yeah. Because I think once I find Francine, my plan is to just remain human once we go.
00:05:45
Speaker
All right. So while she heads on, she's just kind of going ahead of you. So we'll say you guys, how far in, how close in towards town do you want to go before you just stop traveling into town? Or are you going to try to maybe time it to where you're still moving that way when she comes back? I think we could just hang out an hour outside of town, right? Okay.
00:06:06
Speaker
Yeah, I think it would be safe to say though, too, if she's currently a wolf, she's going to travel faster than us anyway. I am going to expend a spell slot for Delmar's sake and have my helms war horse for him to to walk with. OK, so granted we're still walking, but he doesn't have to like trudge.
00:06:30
Speaker
Yeah, and he does trudge, so he's sitting on top of the horse, very grateful for not having to walk. You could tell he suffered his discomfort just trying to walk with that left side of his body being so damn right side. Whichever side of it, I can't remember now, is so damaged from this curse and he's grateful for the opportunity to ride something, not have to walk.
00:06:53
Speaker
You're now Gwen, we're kind of shift to you. You make your way into town and when you get into town, you realize it's pretty bustling. There are quite a few more people there than when you left.
00:07:09
Speaker
It's a lot more similar to when you first arrived to town. There's a lot more folks there coming and going, more adventurer types. It looks like some of these traveling hunter parties have returned from the hunts that they hadn't returned from yet when you left for the mountains. It's been
00:07:26
Speaker
just about two weeks that you've been gone. So you come back and you see this town kind of busy again. It's about dinnertime. There's a spread, tables being prepared at the camp as well as down by the longhouse and you're kind of walking around when you make it over to the nobleman's barracks. Are you just heading over there like beeline to Francine?
00:07:47
Speaker
I think I'm going to remain as a wolf and I'm going to try to stay low if I can. I'm going to try to attempt to beeline to Francine, but also keep an eye out on what is happening around town.
00:08:02
Speaker
Okay. So as you come in as a wolf, you're kind of realize you're drawing attention a little bit. Okay. Being a wolf. I guess it would. Yeah. And there don't seem to be, you kind of realize and actually make a perception check as you walk around as a wolf. This would, no, not perception. Insight. Insight check. 13 plus 4, 17.
00:08:32
Speaker
Yeah, you are just now realizing there are no other nature based magic users around here. They're not here. And like now are there never was that you just realized now you're thinking back you'd like you don't really remember anyone who.
00:08:51
Speaker
who did that, like you, who was in tune with nature and animals and druids basically. And you're realizing walking around as a wolf is weird because there aren't very many of these people around here who have even like an animal companion. And so it's the first time you really noticed it, but as you were walking in and like, well, somebody also have like a dog here, the dog there, there's not a lot of that here.
00:09:17
Speaker
And so it's a little bit different. There's animals down over the farm and stuff, but nothing with these adventurers. So, so yeah, you, you pick up on that as you're starting to stroll into town in wolf form. Is there like a little alleyway that I could like close by that I could go down and then just change in the middle of the alley?
00:09:40
Speaker
Yeah, you can tuck away just towards the entrance of where the nobleman's barracks are. You can kind of tuck away behind there, get in between a couple of those buildings. Some of those are built pretty close together. So you could tuck and hide away in there and shift back into Gwyn and pick up the rest of your stuff as you shift into just your under tunic.
00:10:02
Speaker
I talked to Dale for a little bit. Dale, have you noticed that there isn't any animals besides us or animals for food? I don't know why, but I've never seen one in Wild Hill and she just stares at them and waits for a response.
00:10:29
Speaker
He looks at you and you feel like he's wondering why it took you till now to notice. Well, I'm sorry to Dale. I didn't put on my nature glasses and she just puts him away back in the bag. She should have left him with Daven and she makes her way. I didn't put on my nature glasses.
00:10:59
Speaker
I don't
00:11:14
Speaker
I was curious if you were just gonna legit make him talk and then I was like gonna be space. I don't know. My imagination is wild.
Francine's Determination to Reunite with Her Father
00:11:21
Speaker
Wait, so you're just not realizing this? Yeah, I stuff him away just hastily because I'm just mad at him now.
00:11:29
Speaker
know what they do yet, but we'll figure it out.
00:11:34
Speaker
And I try to find Francine's place. Okay. You get to Francine's place. You remember where it is. You make your way to Francine's place and it sits, you know, typical doors close, everything's there. Like when you saw it last, people kind of coming and going here and there. Nothing super interesting catches your eye, especially kind of being on a mission knowing what you're going to do.
00:11:59
Speaker
I knock on the door. Francine, it's Gwen. You hear footsteps coming towards the... She opens the door. Quindlin. Francine. And she immediately just gives her a hug.
00:12:16
Speaker
She accepts your hug and squeezes you and she's, please, please tell me it's good news. Why are you? Why are you by yourself? Is something wrong? Where's the, where's everyone else? Calm down, Francine. Let's sit down for a minute, if you will. The dale insists.
00:12:36
Speaker
Okay, okay. And she goes over and you see, she's got stuff spread out on the table. She was looking through her notes and things and almost like she was kind of back to looking at what had, all her research and stuff that she had put together. But she goes and sits down over on one of the benches that's got the cushions on it in her kind of front room. And she sits down and she just looks at you and she's very anxious. She's squirming, you know, kind of rubbing her legs like, okay, tell me what's going on. You know, she's just looking at you anxiously.
00:13:07
Speaker
I move a little closer to her and I grab both of her hands. We found him. You did. We did. And... Alive. Alive. Oh, thank the heavens. Where is he? Why is he not with you?
00:13:32
Speaker
10 years alone in isolation, she can do things to a man. I want to prepare you, Francine. I wanted you to see your father alive, and Gwen is getting over emotional, and then she just stops. Just saying what? A deep breath. Something happened.
00:13:58
Speaker
Okay. I can take you to him, but Francine, I need you to prepare yourself. Your father is alive. That's all that matters. Yes, that's wonderful news. But you're acting as if him being alive is as much bad news as it is good. Why? Why? Why would you? What is it? Why didn't he come here? You could have brought him.
00:14:26
Speaker
Yes, we could have. I just listened, Francine, and the stutter will kind of go away, and she'll say, Francine, I need to be direct with you. I've seen things that
00:14:46
Speaker
your father dealt with for 10 years and it scares me to think that he had to endure this. He is a little bit more transformed than normal. He acts a little different. I just want to prepare you for the worst because I want to find my father someday and even if something weird happened to him or disformed him or anything, I would be happy to see him.
00:15:14
Speaker
And I hope you can feel the same way. I know you. I mean, look at your work. Will he know who I am? I think so. His memory is a bit distorted right now.
00:15:30
Speaker
Okay, you said that he's different. How so? He acts differently? I mean, I can imagine. And you said he's been alone all this time?
00:15:47
Speaker
Yes, for at least over 10 years. He was alone and isolated in a building that was stoned up because a creature came to their keep and he saved people. He stayed and saved people. He did this for you, Francine, for everyone.
00:16:10
Speaker
I whatever has happened to him there there has to be a way to reverse it or correct it or at least make it not so bad that take me to him let us discuss it with him can he at least reason can he think logically can
00:16:27
Speaker
He can, he just, there seems to be another side of him, but he's learning to control it. I will take you and I just want you to go now. He stands up and she turns around and she starts to walk to grab her things. I grab her arm very viciously as she turns around.
00:16:50
Speaker
Okay. What? Take me. I will. But no, he may be different.
00:16:59
Speaker
You've said, I give you my word, I'm now expecting the worst. But if you say he will know me and if you say that he is still himself in some regard, then I must see him, I must embrace him, I must tell him I've been looking for him and that I've missed him. You might be able to jumpstart a lot of these memories.
00:17:29
Speaker
Well, by all means, we should not delay. Of course. And she puts her hand on your hand where you're grabbing her arm and she looks you in the eyes and she says, thank you, Quinn.
00:17:41
Speaker
I hope, I hope your father is somewhere to be found as well. And she turns and walks and grabs a small bag that she seems to have had packed and, uh, and, uh, and grabs her little like sandal kind of shoes and she puts them on and she gets ready to walk out with you, puts on her Crocs. Uh, as she's turned away, Gwen is just staring into nothing and just ready to go.
00:18:09
Speaker
Okay. All right. She's ready to go. As soon as she's ready, you guys just go ahead and walk out the door? I'm going to be on the lookout to see if there was anyone watching me go to Francine's house. Okay. So I'm going to look around. Make a perception check as you come out. Oh no. 4 plus 7.
00:18:29
Speaker
11 you don't you don't notice you you're you see some hustle and bustle on the main road there between you know the the Nobleman's barracks and the lamppost and and stuff you see quite a bit of kind of hustle bustle there But but no you don't notice anyone paying you any mind Oh Francine we should hurry I I
00:18:52
Speaker
This town is very lively and I don't want to be noticed leaving. Okay, okay. Let's go. She just is following your lead. She's just going to walk with you. Whatever you do, she's with you. 100%. She wants to get there, so yeah. Then we just fastly walk out. Okay. Past the Noblelands Barracks. As you walk out of town, you go through the Noblelands Barracks and head down to the trail and
00:19:18
Speaker
There are quite a few people around, but everyone's pretty just into whatever they're doing today, just their own business. Nobody's really paying any attention to you. You do notice that there are several groups gathered around tables at the campsite area there eating, and that's all started, kind of like the night before the big announcement for the hired swords to go on their missions and stuff.
00:19:44
Speaker
And, uh, but it's people returning or having returned, not leaving. And so yeah, you guys head back out back into the woods and pretty uneventful travel back to Davin and, and, uh, Davin, Krigs and Joxer, what were you guys doing during that time? Just kind of waiting or, or anything in particular you wanted to do to prepare for them to return?
00:20:06
Speaker
playing, uh, playing some dwarven card game that I'm doing my best to teach to Devin and jocks are, but they're just not getting it. Okay. Okay. I'm sorry, but if it wasn't common, it'd be a little bit easier. This, I don't understand dwarfish.
00:20:23
Speaker
I mean, look at the runes. It's all just pay attention to the runes. You have two, you have three, you have four out the door. That's how it goes. I can read it. But none of this makes sense.
00:20:40
Speaker
Just then they start to walk in walk up and Gwen and Gwen you you find them pretty easy because you the voices have started to raise a little bit in the forest I'm arguing about this card game and so you make your way back to them and
00:20:57
Speaker
And friends seen is is walking alongside you and she hears them too and she picks up the pace moving moving almost past you to get there and as she approaches she just kind of looks over the group and. Looks and sees Del Mar and just kinda looks a little bit confused.
00:21:17
Speaker
And then he looks up at her, and when he does, his expression just kind of softens and just gets very, very emotional. And you see his eye on the non-cursed side well up with the tear, and Francine puts her hands over her mouth and gasps a little. She looks at you, Gwen, and it was his body physically.
00:21:44
Speaker
Like I said, he couldn't help it. And he kind of lowers his head and starts to walk towards her kind of slowly, looking up, squinting the good eye, kind of keeping his non-cursed side facing her as he kind of almost sidesteps walking towards her and his head lowers and his shoulders start to slump and she walks slowly up to him.
00:22:14
Speaker
continuing to look right in that eye that's looking at her. And she starts to smile, Daven, you see in jocks or in krigs, you all see her kind of smile a little bit. And she puts her hand on his chest. And she says, Papa, I knew I knew you were not gone.
00:22:34
Speaker
and he just grabs her and embraces her and they embrace each other and his club hand is just awkwardly like trying to hug and kind of wrap around his daughter and she has him around the waist and is just squeezing as tight as she can and they're both just sobbing.
00:22:53
Speaker
just sobbing into each other and after several seconds of this, they lean back and she looks at his face again and then looks at the side that is cursed and she says,
00:23:10
Speaker
Papa, what did this to you? And he says, there was a monster that suffered the same fate as me, but suffered it a thousand times worse. I only thought of you.
00:23:30
Speaker
That is the only reason I stand here today, not a monster fully myself. And now, so much is clear, just your embrace, your seeing your face and hearing your voice. I think there's something that can be done, but
00:23:47
Speaker
I believe we have a long road ahead of us to make it happen. She says you don't know the road I've traveled to find you. Any road alongside you is worth any moment, any time it takes.
Farewells and Future Plans
00:24:03
Speaker
And they both come to themselves and realize that you've all been standing here this whole time and Francine turns and looks at you all and she says, I don't know how to repay you. I don't know what to give you. And Delmar says, we have much to give, much to offer. My estates are... And Francine says,
00:24:27
Speaker
Papa, I'm sorry. It took all we had to find out that you had gone to the mountains from Wild Hill. It took everything. All we have left is the cabin. Gwendolyn interjects. We don't need anything. Francine looks at you and just...
00:24:53
Speaker
I know you you've said I just you don't understand. I imagine if you had been given your father back, what would you do for the people who did that for you? And she looks at her father and he says, you know, what if I do not wish to return to Wild Hill ever, ever again? Would you take our cabin?
00:25:21
Speaker
If if you look over at Joxer, like he's he's like basically trying. He's like man crying right now. OK. I don't know if Wild Hill would would help you out. Anybody else? Gwendolyn's in shock, she just doesn't.
00:25:51
Speaker
Francine says, well, Father, all I would need is my, I would like to get my research back and, and, um, any, really anything else there is expendable. I, Father, I don't know what you have in mind, but I, I fear we will either have to find a way to return you to your normal state or we must live in exile. And he says, I have, I have a thought, but
00:26:21
Speaker
It will be a journey. And she says, well, I say we get what I need and then we can go as soon as you want. Father, I, I no longer wish to stay here either. Everyone in this place has disregarded me and pushed me aside and ignored my wishes and my thoughts, except for, except for these, these that stand before you.
00:26:47
Speaker
I can't speak for the entire group, but what I can say is if you feel you need to leave Wild Hill, and I don't blame you at all, there's something about that town that I don't like either. But if you're going to be leaving, we can at the very least take care of the place for you. I like that. Yeah, that sounds good. I'm sorry, I wasn't ready for the sobbing.
00:27:13
Speaker
That's good stuff though, man. I like it. Francine says, that would make me very happy to know that you're taking care of the cabin. I have good memories there, but I also have memories of a lot of nights feeling hopeless and lost, like there was no one that would help me seek out the only family I had left. Delmar, where will you go?
00:27:41
Speaker
For the first time, when I was hugging Francine, for the first time in a while, I remembered the priests of Glentri, and I remembered people going into the, going into the caves, in Beverlek and returning, and parts of their bodies having been turned to almost stone, and the priests able to clear their bodies of these maladies and deformities. I figured I would
00:28:10
Speaker
go try that or perhaps find my way to Torch Key Island. I know that in Torch Key City there's at least at the end of the war they had set up a town there with a temple with priests and priestesses to helm. Perhaps the clerics there could help me, but that is a week's journey on a ship that I would have to convince to allow a near monster to ride with them. So it wouldn't be easy, but perhaps with Francine's help and
00:28:40
Speaker
Just a little luck. We could make it happen. There are options. I hope has brought you this far stick with the hope and I think you'll be okay. I hope the best for both of you guys. I really do. I like it both. I don't like that many people, but you both seem like good people. I, uh, me just kind of nudges it down. Okay. I like you too. This whole group is pretty nice.
00:29:06
Speaker
Just a little like dwarven grunt of satisfaction. There. I knew it. Francine kind of chuckles and looks at her father who still looks like he's in pretty deep thought. He says,
00:29:24
Speaker
I fear that I will need to stick to the trees and off the roads most days, but I feel that you would not have made it as far as you have without the ability to make your way into town, ask questions that need to be asked, find the information you need. It seems to me that we will be okay, be able to do this.
00:29:47
Speaker
What is it that you need from the cabin? You should get it so we can go." And she says, I must say, it is nearly nightfall, but I believe that I have all I need right here. She puts one hand on him and plus pats her little sack that she grabbed before she left. She says, honestly, all that's left is a past of
00:30:10
Speaker
searching and hopelessness and seeking out what I didn't think, what I felt was there but didn't ever have proof of. Really, and she looks at all of you and she says, really, if any of that information would do you any good, you could look it over. Otherwise, burn it all. Do you think we might be able to get you horses at this time?
00:30:37
Speaker
She says, well, I mean, you could ask at the farm, really. And Delmar says, honestly, that's kind, but the roads south along the hills.
00:30:51
Speaker
It just, it gets too narrow for horses. I think we'll be better off on foot. As much as it pains me, I honestly have been feeling a lot better today. Perhaps by the time I get to the clerics and the priests, there will be less work for them to do just from my further resistance to what has been trying to take over my mind and my body. You definitely seem better.
00:31:19
Speaker
I'm glad we were able to get you back together. I only wish I still had the coffers of gold I had to give you what you're worth as companions and friends, but hopefully the cabin will be of use to you. You've already given us everything you have. That's more than we could have ever asked for.
00:31:40
Speaker
I think just the satisfaction there on Gwendolyn's face is probably enough for the rest of us. And did you know, I mean, the in there isn't an in at all? Your home will be more than sufficient enough.
00:32:01
Speaker
What's with that? Lamp post inn. Sometimes, you can rent places to stay there. They're just not in the same building. Delmar says, it's always been that way. In fact, I purchased the cabin from the inn. It was one that was rented out until I purchased it. I mean, it's just separate buildings. I'm just unfamiliar with how that works. It's not that weird. Calm down.
00:32:31
Speaker
They just need a better marketing team as always. Just trying to lighten the mood from the man tears. They just put a bad taste in our mouth, quite literally actually. I didn't like that wine joxer, I'm sorry. It was better than the other stuff they've offered.
00:32:51
Speaker
I can't say much. Well, the King's piss is still piss. Damar says, we should go. And Francine says, yes, I'm with you. I am. Hold on. I have something for you. And he's going to unhook his crossbow and he's got 19 bolts. He's like, this is not for me. I don't know why you even tried using it. I don't scare the crap out of me, actually. Take this protection. Just in case. Do we have any more of those rations left?
00:33:18
Speaker
I've got plenty I've not even touched. I believe it'll be plenty suited for a scout of hell. They should find it comforting.
00:33:29
Speaker
Okay, you hand the crossbow to Delmar and he looks down the sights of it and he goes, he just kind of pulls back the bow strings. He flips the thing down in the front and levels up the sights and starts to situate the sights a little bit. I nudge Krigs and I say, I didn't even know the thing had a sight on it.
00:33:52
Speaker
And he points it directly out in front of him and pulls the trigger and the bow just kind of twang. And he goes, it'll do. Thank you. And he puts it in his belt and takes the rations and he says, no meat for me, please.
00:34:14
Speaker
Uh, it tends to cause my mind to wander back to something else, but, uh, anything you have that is veggie vegetation and that sort of thing. I'm, I'm definitely, uh, we'll be fine with as long as it tastes like something. I give them the rest of the trail mix that we had. Okay. Oh, this, this will be perfect. Thank you. Um, and if you hold a second, uh, uh, jockster will kind of pull off to the side, disappear for a second and come back with like a.
00:34:42
Speaker
a couple of small brews. Cool. He grabs one, he goes, ah, I might miss you the most. He gives you a wink. And you notice when he gives you a wink, the eye that's cursed, as one eye winks, the other eye kind of squints a little and looks a little softer than it has ever. It's just a little bit less
00:35:08
Speaker
frightening. It's still pretty gross, but it's a little bit less frightening and Francine and him both turn and start walking down the trail that splits off from where you guys are going and where you could go into Wild Hill and splits off to go south along the hills and between the hills and the forest and goes all the way down to towards where Vic is.
00:35:32
Speaker
as they're like a good ways away. Just one final reprieve. Krigs shouts out, soldier. He stops, turns around. You can't help but notice a little bit of a smirk on his face, but he's standing almost at attention. Helm's blessing upon you, and I salute him.
00:35:51
Speaker
And he salutes back and Francine's just grinning ear to ear looking at this. And he says, it looks like mission accomplished for both of us. He turns and starts walking off again. I turn around and start walking. I'm going to miss those chain dangling boreholes. They're the best chain dangling boreholes I've ever seen.
00:36:16
Speaker
Gwenilin watches them until they're out of distance before she rejoins the group. She's happy to see them go off and be together, but she's a little jealous as she turns around.
00:36:32
Speaker
It's back with the group. When I can see that it's a little bit troublesome, I know that it's gotta be a little painful even though you are happy for Francine. I too know what it's like to not have a father around. But yours, yours still can be out there. Mine, I know he can't be found. But we'll, trust me, we'll find yours.
00:36:57
Speaker
I appreciate it. I wish everyone the best. I really do. And for the first time in a while, she smiles because it's, she hasn't been able to smile in a while, but she feels good about the deed that she's done with her friends and she's happy. Joxer, where's your father? Back home. I, uh,
00:37:27
Speaker
I suppose if we're comparing stories, we will find your father, Gwen, and my father can be left in the past. I think all we need now is a couple of drinks and maybe to enjoy a new home, I suppose.
00:37:49
Speaker
That would be nice. I haven't lived in a home for very long. I used to live in a small college out of Frostfound, but it was nothing but like a little shack. That was funny to me. We've all lost our fathers in a different way. I wonder if that's why we came together like this.
Reflections on Fatherhood
00:38:10
Speaker
I'm not one for fate really, but I don't know. Sometimes there's just too many signs, you know?
00:38:18
Speaker
That's what, what of your father? He served, he put his time in, in the war and he fought brilliantly and then he died. As most men did in the war, he fought and he died. Do you miss him? Every day. He was a good man, had a good family and unfortunately he left them behind. Not his fault. It's just the way things go, but we struggle on them.
00:38:46
Speaker
I don't know where I would be without you guys. I'm happy to call you guys my friends. I know Dale does.
00:38:58
Speaker
Agreed. Sensing the kind of sadness and tension I call out, I call the bed, and I start running back to Wild Hill. Okay. Go ahead, Jox, are we going to say something? Yeah, Jox, who just kind of slaps his knees and then casts
00:39:21
Speaker
jump and just starts leaping like you're on the moon just hear my voice fade as you get further away
00:39:36
Speaker
So you guys, you guys, after that conversation, you start racing and you realize you're still like a half hour from Wild Hill. It's all about the front, the start. It's whoever gets out front first.
00:39:52
Speaker
um but no you you guys start make start uh kind of hoofing it back to town and and walking at your high pace kind of poking and teasing and feeling pretty light-hearted after what you had just accomplished felt a lot better than the last couple missions you guys had done trying to save someone who died and then actually uh having to to fight the the elk and so you felt pretty good and and as you come up on wild hill proper
00:40:22
Speaker
You see it first as you've kind of leapt ahead of Krigs, but you see that a pretty good sized group has gathered at the camp there where you guys had been staying the night. It is now nearly dark. It's dusk at this point.
The 'Curse of Oak and Ember' Song
00:40:44
Speaker
There's a large group and you hear the sound of music coming from the camp. You hear a lute like guitar playing and someone's singing. You can hear the crowd clapping and they're dancing around the fire and everyone's drinking and having fun. About the time you guys all approach, the crowd settles in and settles down.
00:41:12
Speaker
the you hear someone call out from the from the crowd they call out minstrel play another one play a sad song and whenever he after he calls that out you see this man this human man stand up on top of one of the tables that everyone had been eating on and he's wearing a you see off the firelight kind of flickering you can tell he's wearing
00:41:42
Speaker
a blue, like a sky blue tunic, white pantaloons that come up to his, they're like knickers. They kind of close around his, under his knees and he has sky blue socks kind of that come up underneath them. He's got bright white shoes on
00:42:01
Speaker
and he's wearing this flowing white cape and he has a hat on with a feather big bright blue feather coming out of it and he has his lute and he starts singing or playing his lute and singing a song and you're standing around listening and you're just basically standing there right there near where all the crowd is and you hear him singing and this is the song that you hear
00:42:44
Speaker
The curse of oak and timber wrought suffering and pain. Five brothers seek deliverance while the father fought in vain.
00:43:02
Speaker
The mother ran from battle, her honor turned disdain, arrived to find that her great love in deathbed had been slain. The curse of oak and ember,
00:43:27
Speaker
The sons will feel the torment The pain of which they feared Alone will stand the mother Alone with just her tears For the curse of oak and ember Is the trial of her last year
00:43:59
Speaker
And the crowd's quiet and suddenly somebody in the back just kind of goes, yeah. And they kind of start to cheer a little bit. And he's like, and you hear the guy say the minstrel, after they kind of clap and it kind of dies down and it was kind of apprehensive. He says, it's not my fault. You asked for a sad song.
00:44:25
Speaker
like that and he hops down off the table and people start gathering around him and talking to him and he's eating it up. He's just soaking in this attention and he's like, yes, of course, I do sing all the time. I'm wonderful at it and everyone loves me and it's great. He's just eating it all up. Is he human? Yeah. Okay. Well, that was something. Awesome. Kind of a depressing song really boss, I suppose. There's a song for everything.
00:44:55
Speaker
Any of you heard of the curse of Oak and Ember? I don't think I have. Would Gwyndolin be attracted to this guy?
00:45:07
Speaker
Because he plays guitar. Is she going to be fangirling over this? I mean, I'm going to roll. Yeah, I will say. Yeah. And I will say he's the most attractive man you've ever seen. OK. This man has a straight nose. Well, I rolled a seven, so I'm going to say no. Either either you failed your check and you are or. Or.
00:45:33
Speaker
Depends where he's trying to fight it. Yeah, like that. If you if you failed to the check, I mean, he's he's definitely everyone is just swarming this guy. He's super, super interesting to these people. And you would know that minstrels and bards are are
00:45:53
Speaker
They're just the celebrities of Greater Glintry because they basically travel everywhere, usually with parties who adventure and stuff. They know everything that's going on. They bring news, they tell stories, they speak legends, they can make or break your career as adventurers because they can spread your stories throughout the land and make your rates go up that way. Especially here, all these adventures, they want to get to know him and they want him to know them.
00:46:22
Speaker
So they're just all over him. But that song was something he just kind of pulled out there and sang to everyone. And they just kind of, most of them just kind of wave it off. And they're just like, anyway, buddy, hey, listen, I want to tell you about my team here. Guys, look, come here, come here, everybody. And they're just kind of, take a selfie with me, stuff like that.
00:46:43
Speaker
Um, Devin looks over and sees, uh, Gwen kind of like ogling a little bit and he says, he's already that good. You know, back in Glenn, there was this guy, his name was John Bovee. He would not have that man was a singer. What, what? Sorry. I, she blushes. I, I, I've never heard a man sing like that before. And she's like, Dale, I'm, I just can't go up there and get his autograph.
00:47:10
Speaker
I can't do that. Anyways, I've never heard of that song. I think it kind of broke, Gwen, a little bit. I'm going to go get a drink and then probably head back to the... I won't even know where it is. I've never been there.
00:47:34
Speaker
So are there like actual kegs and stuff like open drink or what's happening? Yes, yeah. Around here, it's like it was that first day where everyone's just kind of partying. This is the end of the first, like everybody's returned from the first hunt kind of party.
00:47:49
Speaker
I think I just don't care. I'll grab a drink and I'll show you where it is. That sounds good. I'm almost going to strut in a way that I'm making a point. If this guy sees me as an adventurer, I don't care about his existence. If at all, obviously he's surrounded, but I'm just walking past him
00:48:16
Speaker
Okay. Yeah. Currently he is swarmed with people. He's doing his best to just get to wherever he's going with everybody kind of surrounding him. Yeah. Absolutely. Kind of like me when I go anywhere. All the hired swords listeners just come. Yep. You're in the Taco Bell drive-thru and like, oh my gosh, you're the guy. Oh, forget it. Just keep the tacos. I drive off.
00:48:40
Speaker
Throw the bag back through the window. Have you signed my chalupa? Oh my goodness. All right, so Joxer and Davin, you guys are going to head back. Get something to drink and head back. Gwen, are you heading back with him or what are you up to? Yeah, she's just going to stumble on her way there because she's just watching him. Yeah, okay. Actually, make a perception check as you watch him. All right.
00:49:07
Speaker
Go and check him out. Oh my gosh. Well, you have to see what it says on the floor. It counts. That's why you're supposed to have multiple sets of days. Right. You just roll the other one up there. 16.
00:49:20
Speaker
16 perception check. Yeah, you're able to kind of catch good glimpses of him as he walks around. And you do notice that he looks like someone who was painted as a picture. You're like, this man was designed by somebody. He wasn't just born. Look at this face. I mean, he's a good looking man. And Krigs, what are you doing? You don't see me. Okay.
00:49:49
Speaker
Okay, Krigs just kind of disappeared, went off somewhere? Yep. Okay, all right. So as Joxer and Davin, you make your way back into, back to the cabin and the door is standing open as you get to the cabin, it's already open. And do you just go up, approach the door or? Davin, it's this one. The one that's left the door open.
00:50:15
Speaker
When was that how it was left? No. Do I smell anything? Make a perception check. Dang it. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. This is the worst. I guess at that point, or what'd you roll?
00:50:36
Speaker
I rolled, not great, sorry. Uh, seven plus four. 11. So yeah, you, you see, you, you smell mostly the campfires that are, that are going and some, a little bit of drink, you know, that these guys are carrying and people have been drinking around, but nothing interesting. Jocks are what we're going to say.
00:50:57
Speaker
uh he's just gonna put his uh hands back um let me see if i can try to sneak around and see if there's anybody up there um okay ooh actually that's
00:51:14
Speaker
Uh, so that's going to be 21, 21, 21. Uh, you, you could sneak up and, and you just like peer into the door or look in the door. Yeah, I would, I would appeared and then started walking in if I didn't see anything. Okay. You look in the door and you just see Craig's sitting in there sitting down on one of those benches inside the door.
00:51:36
Speaker
I told you I called the bed. I just kind of peer back and be like, it's fine. It's just Krigs. And then I'll go, I'll just kind of peek back in and be, I didn't want the bed. I just was going to run faster than you. Cause it's, it's easy.
00:52:00
Speaker
I'll remember that. I wanted the bed, but I'm slow. And you have a, you have a elk. I can't compete with that. Great. By the way, have you thought of a name for that thing yet? I'm kind of waiting till it, uh, reveals its name more or less. I do have a bit of a link with it, but
00:52:26
Speaker
I don't know. I'd, I'd feel weird imposing a name.
Krigs' Revelation and History
00:52:30
Speaker
Fair enough. Uh, I'm going to sit down, um, next to Craig Krigs and put down the drink that I grabbed next in front of him. I have my own drinks. I'm going to take the drink and just chug it completely. Everything that's in it. It's not great. Make a constitution saving throw. Where's my dice? You jerk.
00:52:56
Speaker
That's a natural 20. I don't even care. All right. So you start chugging and your stomach tries to regurgitate it. It does not want it. Uh, you, you feel terrible and, and you keep it down. You don't, you don't vomit it up, but it is like, it is like you swallowed stones. I mean, it's just sitting there heavy and hard and it hurts bad in discomfort.
00:53:26
Speaker
He's wrong, you know. The story of Oak and Ember. It's not how he says exactly. Ah, you're familiar. I should have realized, or I should have expected. Do tell. I'm quite interested. Are you okay? That ale wasn't all it was cracked up to be, I suppose. Oak and Ember.
00:53:53
Speaker
That is a tail. With that he pulls his shield kind of down from the back and just tosses it on the bed and you again see basically just emblazoned in a lighter gold and coppers and different metals the tree that is a giant oak tree on the face of the shield with leaves of flame and roots of ember.
00:54:20
Speaker
He says, that, uh, that story is not exactly as he says, like I mentioned, but it wasn't the mother that left the battle. It, it was me. That songs about you. Well, in a way it's about a family, I suppose. I haven't always been known as Creek Scolder. The name,
00:54:49
Speaker
I saw for an ember oak. It's a pleasure to meet you all.
00:55:14
Speaker
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