Transcript
Speaker: It's what Shadowheart wanted us to do. Shadowheart? That's Baldur's Gate. Shadowheart? Shadowheart? What the hell? She's a different character. How much did miss? What year is it? What day is it? What realm is it?
Speaker: Great game. Great game, guys.
Speaker: Hello there and welcome to this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop Belm De Cranes. We are a live play podcast. 24 D&D versions set in the magical homebrew world of Aerith in the kingdom of Drellac.
Speaker: but joining so like Joining you for this week's episode we've got Darren who plays the high health... Why are you coming to me first? I have no knowledge of music whatsoever. Terrible choice. Boobay who plays the human cleric. Everyone.
Speaker: Hello there. Edgelord Callum who plays Warforged Star Professor Alpha. Hello. We've got Ian who plays the Tiefling Wars for an X-Corelle. Where are you? We've got Will who plays the Human... No, he doesn't. plays Dragonborn Droid Balvalcon.
Speaker: Bamboo, bamboo. My name is Mark and I am playing the human blade singer, Seth Farrow over on the last, but my name is Lisa's. Our Lord Hordling, the dear. Oh fuck. I fucked it. Our stranger your danger, Ranger dungeon master, Danny.
Speaker: Don't waste your time on me. yeah well already a voice. its so Yeah. this That was epic. That opening was great. Well played inspiration for Mark, right?
Speaker: Yes. He's already got it from last episode. He gets it every morning anyway. I gave it to you, man. He's basically a mute. He's never going to be able to use it. Mark, I think I've given some from Danny because I'd already had it. I gave it back to you.
Speaker: Oh, yeah. talking inspirational herpes? is Because I got that to share. like If you guys are after STDs. You can't get that shit away. its Roll 20 for STDs. Gunsave. Gunsave. Speaking of which...
Speaker: We find... In the gum clinic. We find in what seems to be a a medicinal herb shop, browsing the wares, walking along the aisle and with long, gnarly nails clicking his nail upon each of the glass vials that contains an assortment of coloured herbs and ointments.
Speaker: He mutters to himself and fingers the orb in his left pocket as his toes click-clack-clack hoofs down the wooden steps of the shop.
Speaker: Yeah. finish it mark he pulls a vial off the shelf and stares at it closely his glassy milky eyes look intently why are they milky because that's what happens when yeah milky ah you get milky eyes so that's a thing i've read that in the book i feel like that's his spare time gig oh that's his um that's his sex um never mind i don't know i was going this i'm really tired today right now he gets the orb out of his pocket and looks at it and fucking says something this looks swollen to you boy morning marota the group are actually here for the funeral of marota turns out they had a flyer for like three weeks prego had a hand in it he knew boy he knew i probably knew too i just didn't tell you that's all allah knows seth turns out they served together in the hailstorm surge or something like that and it's
Speaker: a very fucking awkward wake. Emron cuts the cheese and begins the ceremony with some beautiful eulogy. Seth's like, fuck this shit, I'm out, and buggers off.
Speaker: Bal follows him. Nix gives a little bit of a pause and then follows too. They all fuck off. The old bitty orc is like, I took Marota in. The old blokey orc, or not orc, the old blokey person is like, I taught her how to do the donkey punch. And then Reigns is like, I'm going to add my eloquence masterfully. The drow's like, fuck this shit, I'm out, and leaves.
Speaker: The dragonborn worked with Marota in the Mirage Brotherhood. They're like business partners, and Marota made some tasty, tasty coin. The dwarf of Crisquidwulf was married to the bitch for two fucking years.
Speaker: What? the fuck's going on there donkey punch had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies it seems alpha adds that maroda actually helped him find his true north and decides to leave his boomerang as a like a a parting gift all is like oh i've let you down maroda i left you down donkey punch and emron masterfully wraps up the ceremony Meanwhile, outside, Barl starts talking sense into Seth and gives some perspective on the situation of the days past.
Speaker: Seth makes a fucking kill list. Cool. Nyx comes out and he's followed by the drone. Nyx sits on down and he feels a bulge within his pocket. And it's not what you think. It's a note. And it says the tusk isn't.
Speaker: broke
Speaker: Over the next couple of hours, our players all decided to go shopping. Cue elevator music. Do it, Callum. Don't waste your time. I like to think it's more the old-school Nintendo Wii shopping music, which goes like, I cannot remember, but it's big in head. I can't sing that shit. Or the Tetris song.
Speaker: Nice. What kind of shoving do you do? to do So just to just streamline this for listeners, so it wasn't a series of you walk into a shop and here are a bunch of things and then the party realized they don't have enough money to pay for it.
Speaker: We have done that off mic and instead they're going to give you a wrap up of everything they did while they were out for the day shopping. I'm going to do this randomly for each person, but if you could tell us what you bought and like why, that would be super useful to those who are tracking your sort of your your your your characters and their journeys.
Speaker: i going to pick on the people who look least prepared deliberately. So, Nyx. Why you spend the day buying it and why? so So, Nyx being of the fancy sort, wanted some new digs, some new leather armour, but...
Speaker: Didn't find any and was convinced by his party to go for a cloak of protection, which will bump his tiny AC up one and ah provide some so much needed shielding in battle.
Speaker: Plus, it goes with his whole style, you know, it's this kind of... teal blue cloak but his fringes are like in a green and so it matches down with his leather leather uh long kind of pirate coat and his big boots and he just kind of flows and as he walks it's just one whole movement scene it's beautiful uh and everyone's just reminded me that i have to attune to that cloak but it's already in my dnd beyond self plug for that attuned items to which you get three
Speaker: You need to tick a tune to actually make it work. Thanks, mate. ah That's why my armor class went up one. But I appreciate you. Appreciate you. Second thing that Nick's purchased was a new dagger called the Flame Tongue, which, among many other things, allows me to... to a nice He does want to call it Baal.
Speaker: My little Baal. Your second Flame Tongue. I'm going to hit you with my little Baal. Stroke those Baals. Take my Baals. Oh, Among but other things, allows him to deal fire damage on top of his normal damage with that, which I believe is a 1d6 plus 3.
Speaker: Because he's a warlock and he's got the pact of the blade now, thanks to D&D 24, He's made the flame tongue his packed weapon so he can summon it on sight.
Speaker: And if it goes further than 10 feet, maybe 15, it will appear back in his hand. It also gives a bonus attack, I think, to it, or it adds maybe just one extra on the D4.
Speaker: I think it's a D4 plus three instead of a D4 plus two. I'll confirm that. But either way, it's good to have a pack weapon. ah But the cool thing, he's bought, because if you remember, listeners, Nyx likes to deal with the fancy items like being able to create a 60-foot fucking oak tree from an acorn or um a time tuner-esque device.
Speaker: or his bottomless ale mug. So in the fancy corner, Nix has gone for an all-or-nothing coin that basically takes a chance down to 50-50 on a heads or tails on a specific either check or attack. we don't know i don't know if heads is a crit or tails is a fail, but either way, one of the sides of the coin, which we'll deem in a minute, will count as a crit.
Speaker: hit and the other side is a crit fail so it is a harsh one out of two chance and some shit could go down yeah you got it bang on so the heads is a crit tails is a fail uh and it's once per short rest you can use that on any d twenty roll There you go. Nick runs out.
Speaker: Nice. Not flicking the coin. you a't fli it It's not one of those coins that you could just flick down the street and like people start dying left, right and centre. You've essentially become a really ah
Speaker: evolved version of Two-Face, the black man villain. I'll go with that. Yeah. I'll go with that. um I do have one question about that coin though. Is it the user who flicks it gets dealt the chance?
Speaker: So if I was to say lend it to alpha and he flicks the coin, what, where does that critical fail or hit land on, does it on him or is it tied to Nick's core?
Speaker: No, so it's it's like in place of you're doing a d20 roll. It's the user. Yeah, so if if if if the skill denotes, like if it's an attack and it denotes a target, or if it's a skill you're doing yourself, and whatever whatever you roll a d20 for, you just replace it for the coin.
Speaker: Okay, cool. Everything else stays the same. So it's on the user. Is it action or reaction? Anytime you roll a d20. So he could use it as a reaction. like Anytime he rolls a d20.
Speaker: Nice.
Speaker: Baal, straight over to you. Ah, yeah. I went shopping with Nyx. um So, first of all, we went to the armor store and Baal picked up, because he left his ah shield, as the listeners and also, fortunately, the players know, he left his shield in the lair of Shondra, goodness me, no, Galefather Sleet.
Speaker: So, he is shieldless. So, he's picked up a sentinel shield. um which super quickly for the listener, if you aren't too sure, gives you advantage on initiative rolls and wisdom checks. So that's the new 2024 version gives you advantage on initiative rolls, I believe.
Speaker: I that was the same in the legacy. ah But yeah, advantage on perception checks, which he's already pretty fucking shit hot at ah anyway. So that is decent. And the other thing, he went to the ridiculous shop with Nyx as well and bought a handkerchief.
Speaker: um But this is no regular handkerchief. It's the silver handkerchief. And with a command word, it can, retaining whatever shape the handkerchief is kind of in turn pretty much to steel.
Speaker: So he has got with him a, um yeah, a hanky that can turn to steel with a command word. And... I hadn't fully settled on the command word yet, although part me thinks I'm going to make it a noise, which you'll find out about when it comes into play.
Speaker: ah But that's what Barl's come away with. So he's he's got um he's retained a good amount of his money um because of needing it for spell components and things like that. um So he's he's holding on to that.
Speaker: But those are the two things he's bought. I like to think that you two took a long brunch as well. Absolutely. It's a real day. And when it came to like trying things on, they were helping each other in and out of their cloaks or clothes.
Speaker: And like the hanky, there was a little bit of a giggle when that was brought out. nis It doesn't suit, no. Yeah. I like to think that with the hanky and the coin, it was literally bought from a joke shop.
Speaker: Dungeons and Dragons version of like a joke shop. Like the Weasleys. ah You got it. You could have this whoopee cushion or this wondrous coin. like What's interesting, Val, do you remember how much you spent?
Speaker: uh oh goodness me i i know how much i had previously because it's it's exactly the same as um what i won which was 1600 so i have spent just under 800 and i gave i gave some money as well to to reigns so i in my screen i'm left with 855 but whether or not that's still the case i don't know
Speaker: What's interesting is when you went to purchase your items, your recent fame earned you a discount and you return 100 gold back to your purses.
Speaker: Because people want people want your custom. They want to be able to tell people that you were in their shop. um ah Having the the title of champion here has its benefits.
Speaker: Big dick ball. I'm on board. Thank you. put another 100 in. Seth, you went shopping. What did you do
Speaker: When you're not muted. He didn't find his voice. yeah he's he's He's so in on the character of Seth even i Mark himself is taking a vow silence. It's brilliant.
Speaker: I thought it'd great for a verbal podcast, I think, to... maybe no i'm So Seth, and with very limited spell opportunities, now doesn't have a weapon. So he went out and he bought...
Speaker: A Scimitar of Wounding, which is a 1d6 plus 4 plus 2d6 necrotic damage, so slashing and necrotic, and with a chance to stop the enemy healing for a number of hours after a DC 15 con saving throw.
Speaker: All that, and then a bog-standard Scimitar for a couple of gold pieces, and then also a Cloak of Protection, because without Bladesong, he is very squishy for a martial character, so that's bumped me up a little bit.
Speaker: um and yeah that's drained the majority of his funds i think he was sitting on 2000 and something and now he's at 350 which is still a very very wonderful amount of money and i'm also maxed out on my tuned items as well good to know good to know rains you went shopping what'd you buy this is a memory test guys at the end of it we have got to tell everyone what we bought a Deck of many things, a sunblade.
Speaker: What did you buy in this campaign? sorry In this campaign, Reigns has been studying the ah diagnostics of his suit and he's gone out to try and maximize that so he is of most use to the party as he possibly can be.
Speaker: He's also gone out and he's joined the Cloak of Protection Club. to give his AC that boost of one. He's also been able to go out and get himself a shield plus one as well, which is giving him a proper tidy boost to his armor class. On top of that, he spent 100 gold pieces that had to be at material value on finding a gemstone, and he's also gone out and bought a taxidermy parrot.
Speaker: You can probably guess for what reason. It is to resurrect... girlfriend that's why
Speaker: I call it nut cruncher it's it's to it's to roll cracker and probably don't want that cracke and and ah That's Reigns. He's on two of three infusions as he still has his wonderful neck scarf that means when he or NC heals someone, he also gets healing equal to what he deals.
Speaker: Sorry, you mean achievements or infusions there? Attunements. He's got two attunements. I need to actually check my infusions to see how many of those are attunements because that may change that some more. That's a really cool scarf though if you do have that.
Speaker: Okay. Emron, what did you go buy in? ah So after the funeral and that kind of stuff, Emron would have gone back to um the Clan Shadow Shield forges.
Speaker: ah On the way, he would have um picked up a Cloak of Protection as well because he you know needs to boot himself up and that's basically... trying to up his tankiness, um, for plans later on. So I purchased one of those, which cost me 500 gold.
Speaker: Um, and then, I would have gone back to clan shadow shield. Um, and he's going to start, he's basically going spend the day then crafting, and working for clan shadow shield to try and a work towards his monthly goal of, um, improving his relations with clan shadow shield, but also, um using uh,
Speaker: ah his channel divinity abilities was as part of a forge cleric. I can use my channel divinity to create items of a certain worth. And then and my job, my, my plan for that is as Emron to turn that um item that I've made of worth, a worth a hundred gold and then sell it on for more than I, than I basically made it essentially start making a, making money back on stuff.
Speaker: um Do you want to go ahead and roll a persuasion check or an intimidation check, depending on your style of selling, to see what sort of markup you get on selling those items back?
Speaker: Thank you. And then I have another plan for later on, but can't do that until after the meeting. Okay. cause I need something for the meeting. Okay. Oh, that's not bad. That's a 16 on persuasion. 16?
Speaker: ah you Sell both items at 120 gold pieces. So you make essentially a profit of 40 gold pieces that day. Lovely. Thank you.
Speaker: Awesome. And then ah after that day's work, I will then be heading because the meeting point is after. Don't worry about that that. This is all in hand. This is all hand. We're just talking about our shopping in our day. So yeah Alpha, what do you buy?
Speaker: Where do you lunch, et cetera? I do not lunch. I do not eat. um I like to think I've gone around and fed some of the birds myself, just tossing a little bit of bird seed about. um o Not that kind of bird seed. LAUGHTER
Speaker: Alfu was very interested in a couple of things. He got the Wand of the War Mage, plus one, which gives me a nice bonus spell to attack rolls and lets me ignore half cover when making a spell attack roll. Mm-hmm. just because he's trying to follow his own path. ah He's had this pistol for so long, fancies a change. He's been true to his own self, like Moreau tried to talk teach him. um so And his pistol's been broken for like the most of the campaign now.
Speaker: It has been broken for a lot of the campaign. It is fixed and working. My pistol's fully functional now. i will have yeah Yeah, we've heard that before. LAUGHTER um I also picked up the um robe of useful items, which is a lovely, fantastic thing. um I'll try and quickly just run off the list of stuff that it comes with. Tell us all the stuff that you can find. Two daggers, two bullseye lanterns, two steel mirrors, two 10-foot poles, two 50-foot hempen ropes, and two sacks.
Speaker: Now, our wonderful DM decided to choose the rest of the items, ah from the table of useless items and I seem to have ended up with a portfolio of pressed flowers, two identical pine cones, a jug that turns any liquid into milk, a petrified pygmy goat skull, a still beating ferret heart, a glass eye, a small clockwork device with a faulty button, and a pair of scissors that only cut eyebrow hair and a small jar of sugar that makes everything taste like salmon.
Speaker: yeah I'm determined to find a use for every single one of them and I believe you will some point in the next 10 years I've always got milk baby awesome so so that's where everyone sort of um invested let's begin
Speaker: The sun is beginning to set on this reflective day in Dralax capital. Carrying some tiredness still from the events of the last few days, no doubt the retail therapy involving improving your equipment and exploring the commerce and intrigue of a quieter Scorch Helm has no doubt brought some distraction from the events of the last few days.
Speaker: Having spent most of the day separated, you all now find yourselves back in the common room of the pissed newt once again, finishing up the last of of Gunbar's famous desert gumbo and washing down the spicy flavours with your preferred libations.
Speaker: You're minded of Sparrowhawk's last instruction to you. Which was along the lines of, at dusk, head to Old Town. There is an old library behind the temple of the Eternal Ones, which now sits abandoned.
Speaker: Look for a torn tapestry of a serpent and whisper the words.
Speaker: Now daylight is fading. You're all sat around this table. What do you want to do next?
Speaker: Sorry, did you say daylight was fading? Daylight's fading. I thought, yeah. We've got to go. And when you get the fuck out of here, guys, it's dusk. With that with with like cocktails, cosmopolitan ales. Oh, shit. shit, is that the time? and We have to have gone back. More milk, more milk.
Speaker: Emron, where would you have been if you didn't go back? Emron would have worked at the Forge. He would have gone to the Temple of Aledo because it's in that direction. Then from the Temple of Aledo, gone to wait near the meeting point until the others kept turned up.
Speaker: Okay, so all but Emron here is at the Pisnut. Emron is sort of around the back now of the Temple of the Eternal Ones in Old Town. So what will you five want to do next?
Speaker: Glugcloth?
Speaker: are we Are we clopping? Let's clop. The light is fading. Didn't you say it was... I mean, i don't think I was there for that part of the conversation, but you said that there was someone we need to be, sundown?
Speaker: Yes. Well, I can't lead the fucking way. I don't i know who it is. I'm not used to leading the way either. He can't lead the way. Yes, okay, all right. Yes, let's all... Let's clip clop, everyone.
Speaker: Seth will stand up and kind of stand behind Nyx, waiting for him to lead. Okie dokie! ah guess this is happening. Oh, good news! NC's back! It's a parrot now! Come up, NC! And the new NC just comes up and climbs onto Ranger's shoulder. See?
Speaker: Parrot! anything ah Anything of note about the the parrot? ah Yeah, the parrot is very similar to NC, where you can see bits of metal have been meshed together. I've spared this one having the need to have two tails because it already has its own anatomic nature of flying.
Speaker: What it has is it has a kind of like bright yellow blue streak that runs all the way up the back of its head like a mohawk. So it still maintains some feathers right down the spine and right up the middle. ah On the tip of its nose is what looks like a ah bottle opener as Reigns has tried to make a functional use out of NC. Similar to before, ah there are two orises which can be used for deploying the kettle features of said to what to to for each for using the the kettle features of said animal. It has two two entry points. My god, does your power have two
Speaker: Yes. Well, it has more, but some of them have been... ah Wow! And a blue mohawk as well! that like, Reigns, do you picture that in your mind's eye? and Or do you picture something else?
Speaker: Like, if I was to draw what I would think is a ship, and then you look at the drawing that comes out, and it's not really looking like a ship, but my mind was like, you know, is that the similar sort of thing where expectation reality happened?
Speaker: um I'm going to level with you, Nix, and say, I got the parrot, I got the jewel, and you sometimes just have to make the thing functional and make it work. Now, it has to be able to to disperse its, it's well, tea, because that's how it heals people. So so so i use I use the gifts that good old Sol gave the parrot,
Speaker: And then the rest of it is, well, just ah divine creativity for one of the better Hey, I love it. That thing has saved our lives many times. So I'm glad to see NC back in this new, awesome form.
Speaker: A new name? I feel like it should be a new name. ah CC. kind No, can't call it that. No, I'm thinking Cracker Cruncher, but that don't really make sense. Sounds like... so Cockcrunch, if you ask me. call it Crackers.
Speaker: Adding Crackers is a great name for the parrot. I'm all for a parrot in this party. is It feels very homely. and it's It's appropriate, right? I like wherever I go, I could replace it. like I get get a creature native to that kingdom. First, it was a squirrel native to Goldview. Now it's a parrot native to Duralik. So...
Speaker: Let's see what turns into next. Clip clop. Clip clop. Seth's going to go up to to to crackers. Crackers? Cracker? Yeah, we'll call them the crackers now. Why not? Cracker. And grab it by the neck and lift it off your shoulder and then stare very intently, like in a slightly kind of scientifically confused way, like logically looking at it for a second.
Speaker: And he's going to move it, if you allow him to, move it a little bit away from you, Reigns. And then he's going to put his lips very, very close to the the side of it. And his lips are going to move.
Speaker: And then he'll look at the parrot to see for any reaction. He shrugs, puts it back on your shoulder, and then walks off again. That was normal.
Speaker: Got to kiss the parrot sometimes. We've all been there. A lonely night on a ship. Anyway, let's click-clop. Alpha, are you partaking in click-clop? Are you here, Alpha? You've been quiet this whole time. You were just jealous because Reigns has got a new BFF? What the fuck is my beard? It's just salmon.
Speaker: Too much fondue. ah milk floaters everywhere man what's going on with you you've come back a changed automaton i've been getting creative with some new things have you got the cloak on the things uh yeah yeah yeah just like what's it look like and it's literally just like this white cloak with a load of patches on all all the patches of images on instead of any kind of what are the images And are they embroidered on or are they like... It's screen printed. They look like they're embroidered on. It looks like it's been very carefully... Fix them out for me as I'm trying to visualise it. all of At the moment, you're wearing a doctor's coat.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah, that's that's kind of a a good way to... So doctor's coat and then embroidered... I don't want to help you. A couple of pine cones on there. Somebody's embroidered a glass eye. There's a little jar that's got a salmon in it um and all this kind of stuff. Is it living or dead?
Speaker: I like to think it's just got like the cross eyes, very cartoony style. So it's dead, but it's just like cross eyes on it. And when you make movement, do these things almost look like they're tipping out or spilling out of the pockets are they like buttoned in or Velcroed?
Speaker: i I like that they wave. They kind of go with the flow of the coat. You have to think. It can just be, Callum. It's a game. We're making up. It's all not real. What about the sound? What about the sound of it? does it There's no sound. There's no sound. It's all silent. That might affect any kind of stealth checks I do in the future. So there's definitely no effing sound to this thing.
Speaker: Okay. And is the pockets, do they go all the right ah way around the coat as well? Like if we're walking behind you, could we just be patches? It's not pockets. Oh, got you.
Speaker: What happens if we rub you, Alpha? What happens there? Is that like a genie in a lamp situation? My exhaust starts. That's what happens if you rub me. You get me exhaust going.
Speaker: have question. Sorry, I was just going to say, you've got to be careful, Ian, with this with with Callum. if if You know like on ChatGPT when you ask too many commands and they say, I'm sorry, you've up all the words. We have to take a subscription out on Callum for D&D. $7.99 an episode. Careful, just be careful. We've got a couple of words left. we need enough Sorry, Darren.
Speaker: Alpha, but I mean, as as wonderful as the cloak is, what what does it do? i'm I'm fascinated by it. And Reigns is just looking at this cloak and is just going around it and is just going to take a free hit, which he can do with elf features now of casting Detect Magic on it.
Speaker: Okay. um Well, I'll be honest, I was most intrigued by the... yeah cloak, it seems to have a very unique design and then the salesman began to tell me that each one of these patches are actually functional.
Speaker: They are summonable items that I can actually use. ah and As Reigns does that, because there's eight schools of magic, one of the the eighth spider leg, which is for conjuration, lights up and he goes, oh my, it's ping enough conjuration magic alpha. What sort of things you conjuring?
Speaker: It's not just that. If you remember what Detect Magic does, it's not on a single target. You get a lot more than just a single ping. putting it around the room oh my god it always makes me laugh when it does that i'd say you get seven of the eight pings seven of the eight which one's missing which one's missing necrotic's missing that's interesting no you have eight of eight oh there it is there's necrotic sorry just flicks it because it's like flickering yep i got all eight Bals is watching the sun slowly drip beneath the horizon out the window. One question before we have to clip-clop as he looks towards Bals. Do you have to rob yourself to kind of summon these things? Like, what's that about?
Speaker: No, I believe I just removed the patches and... Oh, is it one and done thing? Yes. Right. We're learning a lot here. um All right, Joseph, let's get out of here and get to where we need to go.
Speaker: are we heading to Old Town? Yep.
Speaker: You pass through the centre of the city once again, although it has never sort of returned to its lofty highs um that you've experienced, but you experienced it on the eve of the duel where you know the majority of the Eryth had amassed and it and had this festival-like atmosphere.
Speaker: Perhaps this is Scorch Helm post-festival, perhaps this is what it looks like the rest of the year. Perhaps this is also a city in grief that is wounded. It's it's hard to really know, but places were reopening.
Speaker: That sense of industry came alive though in in the latter parts of the day and that that sort of orange amber smoke that filled the sky above you. that is the sort of of refined fumes of of Keltrad being processed, that returned and brought a welcomed sort of blanket over the city that sort of dropped the temperature of but about 7-8 degrees and everyone felt a bit cooler again.
Speaker: You pass through the centre that you are becoming very familiar with and you you step into this district you haven't gone to yet. And Old Town is the historical heart of the city. It's cobblestone, like detached cobblestone streets, not neatly kept, but but sort of almost like they're listed, like think listed buildings in the UK. They cannot be improved because of the cultural historical significance, for example.
Speaker: And you look past these ancient buildings that that are are completely um redundant in terms of their architecture now. They're not efficient in any way. They're not structurally solid. They crumble need not a a lot of maintenance in of comparison with rest of the city, but they're still restored.
Speaker: And there's very so this's this place was once the entire city before the city massively outgrew. So there is a bit of a structure of an old sort of medieval town here, but but largely that those spaces have become vacant and less popular.
Speaker: There is one building, though, the oldest building in this city that sits sort of at the southern reaches of this district, and that is the Temple of the Eternal Ones, the worshippers of Akiva.
Speaker: For the rest of Ereth, Akiva worship was outlawed, mainly but down to the fact that they were the reason that the first blight was blamed. Except in Dralak.
Speaker: And Dralak has a rich tradition of not following the laws of the rest of the realm. And as much as Aledo and Aledo's worship is the primary religion religion of this kingdom, that the Eternal Ones would be a close second. And it's certainly the oldest building in the Eternal Ones pantheon in in any sort of place of worship that remains in the living realm.
Speaker: And it doesn't take you long to sort of navigate it It's not as opulent as the three other temples that exist inside the city center. This is this is more of a small sort of rural church if you need a comparison.
Speaker: And lo and behold, you head around the back and they're just sort of scuffing his feet against the the dirt is his Emron. And there is this boarded up library that looks like it has been abandoned for decades.
Speaker: The six of you now reunited.
Speaker: So if I rubbed this part of your butt, would something happen or do you have to rub it? Is that me you're talking to or Bartle? Can I just clarify that? Emron, you just hear coming around the corner saying, so if I rub your butt, what happens?
Speaker: Very much you, Callum. Emron's rolling his eyes to himself. Rubbing my butt will do nothing. But if you rubbed your butt, would something come out of it?
Speaker: ah No, no, the patch must be removed in order to activate the conjuration magic that the robe contains. Right, it's a pull and yeet job. Yes, you basically yank it off.
Speaker: Right, makes so much sense. You were right, Baal, you were right. I thought it was a rub and go. It's a pull and go.
Speaker: Emron! Fancy seeing you here. Baal, nice robe alpha. Thank you. Do you have many questions for it? No, I assume you bought it for some reason, and that's fine by me.
Speaker: yeah Okay, very good. We'll be having a good date. At this point, you're also going to need a light source if anyone wants to nominate what you're doing about that, because you're in a back alley of an old district. Everyone's hammer's lit.
Speaker: And my moon dagger as well. Great. Crackers guys, I am older! wow Oh, good. You've got a replacement for NC.
Speaker: Yeah, does the same thing. It says the same thing on NC, like NC did on repeat. But it's good, right? No, no, it sits it's it's inventive. Does it still piss out tea?
Speaker: Yes, and and special healing spray. That, I think, is the most important thing right now. That's a shame. Okay. Where does the special healing spray come from? Well, it's a like texture. that that it's it's ah it's a it's a It's conjuration. It doesn't come from anywhere. just Ass or mouth.
Speaker: Is what Miles trying to get at. Birds only have asses or mouths. and turn leave That's true. We'll find out when I cast it for the first time. oh good Don't heal me. ill I've got me. I'm sorted.
Speaker: At least you've got a handkerchief to get it off.
Speaker: Emron gives ah a nod of greeting to everyone in the party apart from Nyx. He deliberately ignores Nyx. He's not looking at Nyx every time he's talk he's talking around the group. It's alright. Nyx is avoiding your eyes.
Speaker: To detect a hint of sexual tension? ah second so right then um so You've been there for all about 15 minutes, Emron. You've not seen a soul around.
Speaker: around this church that, sorry, this library that that sits in front of you, single story um and has like boarded up windows. And there is this sort of rusted iron door that's just been ajar the whole time.
Speaker: Definitely looks like there is like sandy footprints going in. ah It looks as though it's been moved recently. But other than that, from the outside with this low level of light, there's nothing else really to,
Speaker: ascertained without a further investigation. So, do you remember the details? there a certain entrance are just going in and trying to find wherever this meeting's happening?
Speaker: Seth's going to step through and just look at the front door and try the handle. It's already ajar. so Let's go in. Turn back into a door. Fuck's sake. Yeah, they dad joke. He's such a dad joke.
Speaker: Alvala Kedabra, open the door. Nice. Pushes the door. Alohomora. Alohomora, surely. Hand on the scimitar as he just pushes the door, just subtly, just in cases. But um yeah, push the door and we'll assume that there's a light source following him.
Speaker: Me. Okay. Bile's going to kind of just quickly say to the side, what was all this about again? genuinely am just... That's what Shadowheart wanted us to do.
Speaker: Shadowheart? That's boldest game. Shadowheart. Shadowheart. What the hell? She's a different character. How did I miss? What year is it? What day is it? What realm is it? Great game. Great game, guys.
Speaker: ah Praise the absolute. ah are we Are we looking for a fight in here? is this Are we meeting someone? what i just just A fight is where we go. I would just be prepared.
Speaker: but So we're coming in here to fight something? Possibly. Given the history of our group, I wouldn't be surprised if something came out of the dark to stab us. Well, shit. It's funny you should say that because... No, I'm joking.
Speaker: Okay, I will turn around... And going summon my wildfire spirit then away from the group. He's learned not to explode it into the group. In library? Yes, but I mean, it doesn't ignite things that it walks over.
Speaker: ah ah But it's, it's um yeah, and if he can, he'll use control flames to try and reduce the impact of the 10-foot explosion. um But yeah, it's not a serpent.
Speaker: It is more of a wyvern. Still small, but ah no longer a serpentine. It's got ah yeah wings and and legs this time. Like, imagine my little pony with wings.
Speaker: ah That kind of thing is what's created now with his wildfire spirit. And he kind of looks at it, smiles, and ah yeah, he'll join the group now that he's got that out as well. What color is it?
Speaker: It's still ah flaming, so it's still kind of golden. is a golden colour, but obviously it's got red and orange flames kind of burning around it. Like its its skin is almost a living flame in itself.
Speaker: Nice. Thank you.
Speaker: So... Seth, at the helm of this, oh yeah you step into this sort of T-shaped building and in the center of it is what was once sort of like a big, round, semi-circular desk, which would have been sort of where the librarian was stationed.
Speaker: And then there is three distinct areas, one to your left, one to your right, and one dead ahead. Everywhere is really heavily cobwebbed, and there is a lot of broken glass on the floor. There are scorched books. that there are There's nothing really in the shelves at all. You don't have the most range with with the sort of low light that's being emitted from the hammer and the dagger.
Speaker: and But there is like a very faint trace amount of sunlight left that's just trickling in. But essentially this is in like three different wards. Where would you like to go?
Speaker: what else would you like to do? Seth will hold a hand up to like halt, assuming that that probably doesn't work and gets bumped into. um But we'll then pull out a tab, pull out a minor illusion tab and just in faint red writing just over his left shoulder facing so that people behind him can see just going to say in common something feels wrong.
Speaker: And he's just going to point down to the glass, look at the point of the burnt books, and kind of just turn to the group. I mean, this space was meant to be abandoned.
Speaker: Let's have a look around. ah As Emron says that, Reigns is going to glance behind him. And is this door looking like the only way into this room, like from the outside? Yeah, this is a relatively small library, and this is the only door.
Speaker: ah Reigns is going to knowing that, I assume Reigns is looking at again, we have to go deeper into the library, like we're not staying in here, that that's the the plan. So Reigns is going to turn to the door and just having heard what Seth says and what Emron said, he's just going to turn and cast Alarm on the door just in case. It will tell us if someone comes in and it will also, yeah, so Reigns is going to turn and spend the first level spell slot doing that.
Speaker: Assef, on your mind, you almost feel like ah knocking, as if someone's knocking on the door, to your mind. And if you should choose...
Speaker: you can telepathically talk to me now as my awake and mind kind of just connects with you as an as bonus action. I can choose one creature. I can see within 30 feet. You and the chosen creature can communicate with each other while the two of you were in three miles to understand each other. You must mentally share a language.
Speaker: The telepathic communication lasts for five minutes and ends early. If you use the ability to form connection with another creature. So, um, you can talk to me. Okay, cool. And I'm going to knock on that door and just go,
Speaker: Just working.
Speaker: At the meantime, you get nothing back to begin with, but I'm going to wreck on it slightly. Danny, could I run? He's going looking at the glass. He's going looking at the books. I want to kind of get a sense of like how long ago this was burnt.
Speaker: Is the glass from the window? Has it been broken into? Like basically do a little bit of an investigation into the space. Am I getting prickles on my neck for the wrong reason here? Is this just a creepy old building or has something, has the meeting been kind of ruptured? Is it out really? Yeah.
Speaker: Sure. Make an investigation check for me then, please. Thank you. ah If it's okay, I will use my um heroic inspiration with that as well. It's D6 from me. A D6, thank you.
Speaker: um So that stands currently at a 19 plus 4. four So a 23 for the investigation check. Looking around this room, from the sort of 15 to 20 foot radius of dim light that you guys really generate...
Speaker: The glass doesn't look like it was freshly smashed. The boarded up windows to this church sort of um connect to the fact that that the the glass had been shattered and that's the contents of that shattered glass is all on the floor.
Speaker: The dust in the air, the cobwebbed um ah surfaces everywhere, the burnt out books like this, this, this is a, the prickles on your neck are slowly dissipating as you're, you're going from alarm to more,
Speaker: abandonment again. um But while you are looking around that the sort of glass on the floor, like moving it with it with with your scimitar or with your foot, you are is also seeing very recent sand prints.
Speaker: so but Like sand that had been on a boot and then had been discarded to make a look like footsteps. Okay, okay. ah heading They're heading to the right-most room. The right. Okay, thank you. That was my next question.
Speaker: And then, Nix, in your head, you just hear...
Speaker: Yes, I think this is working.
Speaker: Still feels a bit wrong, though. i mean, you're not talking? so I mean, is this really if you want to talk?
Speaker: That just means that you're in my head. That's the weird bit, not the talking. I know my lips aren't moving. Not so much. I'm in your head. I have the ability to read minds or just kind of dive in, as it were, with other spells. This is more of a ah communication device. I'm not picking up any anything of anything outside that you're willing to say.
Speaker: This place still feels wrong. I see footprints to the right. Something else is wrong, Nix. I don't feel right. Who's at the back of this Scooby-Doo line?
Speaker: Reigns would be, I suppose, at the back, because he's currently casting alarm on the door. um And he will, as he's doing that, say, give me a few more minutes and I can hold the spell reserves that I've got here, just in case we need it.
Speaker: Nix, your passive, sorry, your Reigns, your passive perception is not high enough, but your alarm is, and the door is triggered. the your Your alarm spell has been activated. Hold up.
Speaker: We got company. ah Seb instantly pulls out both scimitars and he turns around kind of cutting off the the link that he had to Enix's head ah just almost by default not realising he's done it but he just shuts down and spins around trying to try to yeah look at Reigns and as ascertain what's going on.
Speaker: Yeah, as you do that Reigns has summoned the armour as well so he says that and just the the armour comes out of the bag of holding. Alpha's going to whip out his wand. way just start pulling shit off just wait very harry potter there's a pine cone there's another pine cone um oh while we're doing that because you've dropped the link so i've got my bonus action back i'm gonna whip out my uh for the first time pack to the blade so uh one hand i've got the moon dagger in the other hand comes
Speaker: And or Nix is going to do this in flavor more for himself than anything else. He's going to hold his hand out and the dagger will just kind of appear automatically. And he's just going to kind of go, yeah, that was cool.
Speaker: seth seth ah sethig Seth likes that. It comes up in the corner of your screen. Seth likes that. M1's just leaning on his hammer that's still glowing lights. He knows they're meant to be here for a secret meeting. So assumes things might not run down.
Speaker: He's not got prepped for a fight.
Speaker: You can't die. Within a couple of seconds, there's a small glow that appears in the doorway.
Speaker: I cast vicious mockery. Natural 20, let's go. ah You're a short motherfucker and nobody likes you. Nice. Franco dies. and What's funny is there is a short person sticking in.
Speaker: This halfling appears with a torch in hand. And just sort of clears her throat. And looks ominously into the space before seeing all of you. Ah.
Speaker: You got the message too then.
Speaker: As Orla just takes off her hood. We did. Hi Orla. Hi. I didn't know. How you doing?
Speaker: I should have put two and two together because Seth's here.
Speaker: You're good? Yes. You're part of... And she sort of looks around.
Speaker: The Winged Watch. I mean, it's a secret organisation, so we don't tend to go broadcasting it about in public. Yeah, we're very good at keeping things secret, Prince Raines. ah But yes... it What did I do?
Speaker: Nothing. I'm just stating what we are like. Anyway, Paula, where do we need to go from here? I don't know. I've never been to Scorch Helm before.
Speaker: ah This Nick's, sorry, not Nick's. Seth's going to be just clicking his fingers to the group and just pointing with his hand to the right, and pointing at the footprints, and then he's pointing. Okay.
Speaker: That way. And I was told something about a tapestry and some words, but I don't know what that means. Torn tapestry of a... Snake. Of a serpent.
Speaker: But I don't know the words they mean.
Speaker: Anyone here know the words? Alpha? what You got the perfect memory. yeah What's that memory saying? We could try Bellum Draconis. Seth,
Speaker: can you make perception check as the head of the party there? me Yeah, of course. Guidance. Oh, mashallah. Thank you very much. but Nick's getting useful of sudden. I'm going to touch you. ah Winning creature, ah a chosen skill. Until the spell end, the creature adds 1d4 to any ability to check. choose earn
Speaker: I buffed you. You buffed the hell at me, bro. That's good shit. I'm i'm killing time as I try and... If it helps, my new passive is 22.
Speaker: Take away guidance. Push forward. 1d4. 1d4. I mean, not to do very well here anyway. You're short motherfucker, and that's a 10.
Speaker: You hear the grinding of stone coming from the room to the right.
Speaker: His scimitars are still drawn. He's going to move through the cobwebs, kind of the tip of the scimitar, moving the cobwebs, the sword of wounding leading the way as he kind of slowly moves himself through, keeping his head very still as he steps slowly, kind of midsection of his body, perfectly still as he enters into the next space, trying to take in as much as he can.
Speaker: And it's it's not a huge room. It's sort of about 40 feet deep, and it's lined on either side by these sort of broken, rotting, wooden bookshelves. And you're sort of stepping over piles of glass, animal feces, webbing,
Speaker: until you get into the second part of this room and there are about a dozen torn, um stained fraying tapestries on the wall.
Speaker: The central most one has just been sort of split in two
Speaker: and it falls right into the floor and it's revealed. a staircase descending beneath the library.
Speaker: ah Seth's going to notice that and then, hmm, with a slightly surreptitious look on his face, turn to the rest and point to the ominous staircase. Everyone's going to look at Seth and be like, what are we faffing about for? And just walk stairs.
Speaker: Okay, one source of you have two sources of light remaining at this point. The dagger and Aula's torch. And the wildfire spirit, sorry. Three sources. I don't think it exudes light. It'll be visible, but yeah.
Speaker: Okay, fine. so Bile's new 2024 dragonborn. He's got darkvision, so he doesn't give a shit. Seth's going to closely follow Emron. I do have darkvision. ah one sorry um set Sorry, Seth, what did you say?
Speaker: I just said ah Seth will quickly follow Emron, be like, just step in time behind him.
Speaker: think Althor's just going kind of grab a random book from the shelf. there is there are There is nothing to grab. This place has been has been looted in worse. fair enough then i'll just follow downstairs oh yes let's go quickly clap brains will also follow joining who gives a fuck i've got dark vision party just i down no no dark vision here is it just alpha it is oh and and seth yeah and uh i've got dark vision now as well it's great oh you do it's just me and you computer boy shit
Speaker: I suppose what I could do is grab a dagger out of my satchel and just cast a light on it. i have a normal, just a normal dagger. Everyone's lit his hammer for other people's better. I've got the lit up dagger of this campaign. Thank You you carry on. I've been lighting the hell of Rages.
Speaker: Well, no, that's... Thankfully, a hammer and a dagger is two very different things. But, Alfred, light something else. Okay, I will grab the potion of healing. No, no, that's magic, isn't it? I can't do that. We're going downstairs. We're going downstairs. We're following. We're going downstairs.
Speaker: Make crackers. I realise While Alfred's doing that, Reigns is going to walk past him and go, sure, it would be a really good time to have a cloak that has a load of random things in it, wouldn't it? She's got to pull it off, Reigns. Pull it off.
Speaker: but Take something and pull it. Nyx, I think you're the last one to say you were going to go there. um And you notice a couple of seconds after you start descending, there is that grinding of stone again. And you you all sort of feel this sort of wobble, this vibration through the walls as the entrance you just came in through Nyx is sealed again.
Speaker: Is that with Orla on our side? Orla followed so mid midway through the group. Yeah. I've got the rear. I've got the rear. What was interesting is that there was a really dry muskiness to that library. And since that's sealed, there is a much more of a moist ah air here.
Speaker: And you descend for about two, three, four stories into the under...
Speaker: machinations of this city before you emerge in it in a bit of a sewer-like environment. um Quite apt because this was literally where some of you began this adventure in a sewer.
Speaker: It doesn't really open out into chamber or like the flow of water, but if you could picture what a sewer might be like in this city, it has that same sort of aesthetic. It has that sort of um a hewn stone archway-like structure with small, tiny channels running in the floor beneath you where it is there is there is running water. You're definitely stepping on running water.
Speaker: you navigate through this this corridor that sort of meanders, not in structurally straight lines, in like Goldview. This is more um spaghetti-like than anything else.
Speaker: And so eventually you just arrive at this door, and the water sort of trails off to the east of you underneath a wall that that doesn't necessarily look like you there's any way to to pass. But you arrive at this this lead metal door, also ajar.
Speaker: You've ruined that, Mark. I'd knock and open it. Knock and open it. It's a jar. yeah And as you open it, there is this wall of light that just sort of fills the corridor that you find yourself in.
Speaker: And there is the smell of sort of um tobacco pipes being smoked. um There is a murmur of conversation beginning to be heard. And then as the the door just slowly swings open, that murmur just peters down a little bit.
Speaker: You can't see anything, but there is light coming out from towards you, and you're going to step into a far better lit environment.
Speaker: But there is this quite dense sort of lead threshold that the door sits on. Is that just like the lead threshold of the Pishnit?
Speaker: Identical. Cool. Everyone assumes it's some kind of protection thing. Keeps walking through.
Speaker: Okay. Yeah, Seth follows.
Speaker: Detail for Alpha.
Speaker: No one objects. So you head through this sort of gangway and about 10 feet later it emerges into this um sort of Water Channel Station, ah where water is being sort of distributed in about seven or eight different directions. It doesn't smell here. This isn't septic. This isn't waste. This is clean water that's being sort of pushed out.
Speaker: And around it are just a series of tables, a small sort of shelf with arms and armour, quite healthy cabinet of sort of ah bottled drinks and and dried provisions.
Speaker: There is a table, there are a series of sort of documents spread out amongst that table. And there are three dozen figures, three maybe four dozen figures in various race sizes and creeds and cultures in this sort of chamber below that you're sort of, you're coming in at sort of a top level and there are all these bodies sort of in this sort of indented space.
Speaker: As you sort of step into view first, Seth, immediately you're you're recognized and Sparrowhawk shouts out, Seth, it's about time. Can one of you get the door?
Speaker: ah Yep, yep, on it.
Speaker: Ensure it's sealed, Nix. You're the last ones we're expecting. Sure thing. I will seal this thing right up. Maybe i could do with a hand reins.
Speaker: If you want to help me seal it, you're stronger than me. And alarmingly, ah can be a little bit weak at times.
Speaker: Yep, get what you're saying. Okay, Reigns will just come to the door as well. and How do you do it? I can't do it! I don't know what he means by seal it. I just was going to shut it. I feel like he wants me to do something.
Speaker: ah Oh, I mean, all can do You can do something. I could, but I don't have it prepared. I could lock it, but I don't have that prepared right now. I thought were doing something upstairs when you were the door. was triggering it so no one followed us. We'd know about it. So we've had a little point doing this door, I've done that one. But he said to seal this one.
Speaker: Sealed. It's sealed. We've done a good job. Yep, verified. to to confirm, you shut the door. Yes. Okay. wasn't doing a nix there and just leaving a jar, but...
Speaker: Top secret meeting. I'm going to make sure everyone can hear. So within a couple of seconds, you all sort of, do you all sort of descend into the the gathering below?
Speaker: Yeah. A couple of faces you do recognize. So there's a Sparrowhawk in attendance. There is Ghostwing, that really pronounced lizard folk snout of his, that that sort of green scale snout. ah snout There is this, um, uh,
Speaker: quite broad-statured ah female red-skinned tiefling that that sort of sits in in ah in a huddle of three with Sparrowhawk and Ghostwing.
Speaker: You look at one corner of the room and there's it there's ah there's a faint lute that's being played. And you you note Karstan, you in particular, Nix would spot him immediately, who's sat with three gnomes.
Speaker: Baal, one you recognise really well.
Speaker: Actually, two you recognise particularly well, Baal. Emron, ah one of the gnomes you thoroughly recognise.
Speaker: Orla just sort of brushes past you and immediately beelines for one of those gnomes and then joins the in the sort of gathering of the drinks that they're having.
Speaker: You see, Stood
Speaker: sort of... not with weapon drawn, but just has a bow stood upright and has the bow stood vertically. And it's just sort of spinning the bow on its point, the familiar face of Kennard, a black mouth.
Speaker: Next to Kennard is a new acquaintance some of you have made, called an individual called, they prefer the term or the nickname, the Bolt, but others know him as Beauregard Bluehill.
Speaker: And there are about three dozen other unrecognisable members of of of the Winged Watch that that that you faintly remember from um sort of being aboard the the Snowdrop when when it was was protected and commandeered last night.
Speaker: Is the dwarf there the one that's... and i see the problem No. No, if there's the only dwarfs there are are ones that you've sort of seen but not spoken to.
Speaker: Reigns is going to walk past Alpha and just go, Alpha, I know you'll think this is super cool, but don't stare. Stop staring, stop staring. That gnome over there. Drago.
Speaker: Told me I was good in the fight. Like, said, you could look after yourself. Commit that chiming back. Stop staring at him, though. I don't think he's going to appreciate that. Alpha now stares directly at the gnome. Drago.
Speaker: The gnome that that you're pointing at, Drago, remains speaking to to another male gnome. But the female gnome, then remember these were the three gnomes that helped sort of spring Dribbo before we knew who Dribbo became and from the Khrisgratrap.
Speaker: The female one just brings a bottle, a small bottle of beer, and beelines for Baal and just sort of places it in your towards your hand and just smiles and says,
Speaker: hope you're okay and then looks at you for a moment for any response uh he nods and yeah gives a smile back takes the drink that's handed just says yes thank you ren i am she turns and goes back to the other gnomes
Speaker: And then there is sort of a slight color change in the torches in the room. They splash green for a moment and Ghostwing sort of stands and says,
Speaker: now we are assembled.
Speaker: I had hoped for much more of us, but
Speaker: well, we'll wait and see what happens at the meeting in two weeks time. I've called an emergency meeting for all members of our organization that were able to get here within a few days.
Speaker: and now formally extend an invitation to those that have not yet had one.
Speaker: look at you six.
Speaker: I feel like we should have a name by now, guys.
Speaker: Cool. Hi. Yes. so That's putting us on the spot. win oh I was just saying. i like I like the shield or the bloodline. You can you can pick between the two. yeah Either way. all
Speaker: We're collectively the final boss. that's yeah Comrades, thank you for coming.
Speaker: Bellum Draconis, as Nyx points and nods towards him. Bellum Draconis. Yes, I fucking did it! I love the idea of Nyx actually saying that as well. Is that what Nyx did? or Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah The purpose of this meeting, friends,
Speaker: is that we can report back on what we've learned across Eryth, given the events of last night or the night before. It's been a long couple of hours.
Speaker: Although I have had contact back now from nearly every capital and everywhere that was attacked, it might surprise you that there are are some very interesting reports.
Speaker: Unable to speak for a second, he just looks at his sort of female tiefling companion, Red Rook, if you please. And she sort of stands and clears her throat.
Speaker: My spies have been everywhere in Eryth.
Speaker: And I've had reports back as follows. As we understand, the Apkriskra were largely embedded in every single capital in Eryth.
Speaker: and for most capitals over the last couple of days, they were protected by these forces. But there are two that I am particularly alarmed about.
Speaker: Two kingdoms were not defended by the Akriskra, Goldview and Shadowment. Well, Father Keep to be precise.
Speaker: For reasons far more concerning,
Speaker: in Shadowmend, the baby-faced demons we've been getting reports about, they protected the kingdom of Shadowmend.
Speaker: In Goldview,
Speaker: The constructs from the sky were entirely docile. They did not aggress. They did not harm a single life, a single critter.
Speaker: I would be surprised if they even stood on a flower bed.
Speaker: Why? Why is the right question, Karel.
Speaker: Ix looks very happy with himself.
Speaker: Why the rest of Eryth was forced to be assaulted. And why did these two kingdoms have an exception?
Speaker: That is question number one. I'll pause.
Speaker: And there is just sort of murmurations from around the room. And ill I'll leave it to you to really tell me if there's anyone in the room you're particularly looking at in any moment as well.
Speaker: Next. Yeah, I...
Speaker: A while Nix had two different conversations with Sparrowhawk and Ghostwing that contradicted each other. I mentioned it way back in the duel. I gave Seth a warning that Sparrowhawk believed there's a traitor in his group and Ghostwing said to Nix, thank you for not telling him.
Speaker: And Nix has taken that as thanks for not telling Seth, that Sparrowhawk thinks is a traitor. So Nix is, that's always, that's lived rent free in Nix's mind. And it's confused the hell out of him.
Speaker: Like why wouldn't Ghostwing want Seth to know? Like, is this a rumor that he doesn't want to spread around or anything like that? um So ah there's nothing specific that Nix is hoping for a tell or anything like that, but he he is looking between Ghostwing and Sparrowhawk. And I'm,
Speaker: Carry on as you are, but at an opportune moment, Nix might lean on to tech thoughts with one of them. um But at the moment, he's just kind of like watching how they interact or the relationship. It's cool to call an insight check any point that you want to try and read that nonverbal. Yeah, can I do that?
Speaker: That's a great idea. Can I give guidance to myself? Can I touch myself? Can I touch myself? have check the rule. I'm not sure if you can self-apply guidance. Will! You've got the spell in front of you. I think you can do. Yeah. and I'm a willing creature. It says you touch a willing creature. have a je Kyric that keeps touching himself in my campaign. Okay, Nyx will just tap his shoulder. Some purple energy. Yes, because it's touch. Nyx likes touching himself.
Speaker: ah he's going so He'll just double tap his shoulder and there's an exchange of purple energy that transfers into his body as he casts Guidance for Perception check. So let's...
Speaker: There's fucking... Oh, he got a fucking crit! i
Speaker: So... So with the D4 as well, this will be my highest roll ever. Come on. 27. Okay. So during that opening report, you were looking specifically at Ghostwing and Sparrowhawk.
Speaker: Yeah, for reasons aforementioned. Yeah. And I'm really sorry that... That you rolled so high for this. It's okay. But you certainly get the idea that between the three of them, between the Red Rook, between Sparrowhawk, and between Ghostwing...
Speaker: that was known information amongst those as a three, right? Because Sparrowhawk's like nodding in in confirmation and the moment Goldview is sort of spoken about, he doesn't bat an eyelid.
Speaker: That's cool. If anything, that's told Nick that he's good to reserve detect thoughts. He's really peering in and he just wants to see if there's some sort of... Like if there's a moment where a secret is, there's this a small glint of surprise on one of their faces as if this is new information or if one looks away, he's just really trying to read the human tell um if they're humans and then he's going to cast it. So that's ri that's right that's really good information. That's what Nix is looking for. Thank you.
Speaker: Okay. Emron, there was a could request from you. Emman's going to speak out loud. Could the reason Goldview won't attack be linked to the dragon guardians who are bound to each kingdom?
Speaker: He says, looking towards Baal. Red Rook looks at you. Oh, sorry. It's to Baal. but No, no, no. He's saying this out loud to the whole group, but he's also looking towards Baal because this directly links to Baal.
Speaker: Ghostwing just sort of says...
Speaker: Could you elaborate on that theory? the If I'm right in thinking that Goldview or the kingdom that Goldview is in doesn't have a dragon guardian and the other kingdoms do.
Speaker: Interesting.
Speaker: Apache. It was just a thought because you mentioned it. High Jade Heart, as we understand it, also is without a matriarch at present. Yet that kingdom was near ransacked.
Speaker: At least its capital was. But... puts pay to that theory But perhaps there's something there.
Speaker: Perhaps there is. And we also learned some stuff about Shadowmend and the baby-faced demons yesterday.
Speaker: was um Is it pertinent to the attack last night or can we can we return to this further down our agenda? It can be returned to a later. It's just worth knowing that we we have some information about Shadow Men and its connection to the demons.
Speaker: And you'll notice that Sparrowhawk isn't talking much. He's sort of taking record of of the information we have and it's quite furiously scribbling down what's what's sort of happening. And then I can see Reigns, you're itching to contribute as well.
Speaker: Reigns going to step forward and ah look at this tiefling. There was a lot of eyes on you, actually, the moment that in that report, Shadow Mende was mentioned as as having these demonic creatures basically protect the city.
Speaker: I have a knot in my stomach of dread that suggests that these Shadow Demons make far more sense than they ought to for Shadow Mende. But even now, with everything I've learned today, Father Keep is a wreck.
Speaker: May as well be at the bottom of the ocean. It's a ghost city. No one has entered or escaped that city since the events of the Howling. You ain't making sense.
Speaker: Reigns will say that, obviously not knowing that Drago and Ren technically made it out of that city.
Speaker: The Red Rook sort of notes what you're saying.
Speaker: But why Why was that the city that was targeted? Not the capital, you tell me. It's an interesting question.
Speaker: Was it once the capital, perhaps?
Speaker: Was it once... of significance elsewhere. i think our questions will tell us further down the line, but interesting that it was not the capital that was attacked, I think.
Speaker: It tried to declare independence from the rest of Shadow Mende in the events leading up to the Howling.
Speaker: The resurrection was put down when the city was consumed.
Speaker: A theory for another another time I'm crafting.
Speaker: And then Ghostwing returns.
Speaker: There's been reports of these constructs and these demons in open conflict in remote parts of kingdoms, in urban parts of kingdoms.
Speaker: It seems they are
Speaker: destined duel together, to fight against each other, to battle. And they are finding theaters to to stage those conflicts in all across our land.
Speaker: We're trying to get closer to them, but
Speaker: we're still trying to make contact with the rest of the organization. And that leads me to the next point about why we are all here. This emergency meeting is really for the continuity of or our organization.
Speaker: If we are attacked like this again, we cannot afford to be a secret organization for our information may be lost.
Speaker: We suffered, and he reaches for ah a bottle on his table and slightly raises it. We suffered heavy losses ourselves in the events of the last few days.
Speaker: and just raises a glass in silence and the the rest of the room sort of partake and raise a glass as well. I don't know you six do too. Everyone does. Bottomless mug.
Speaker: Glasses we should be concerned about.
Speaker: Well, that's fucking heartless.
Speaker: I don't mean it to be. I'm just trying to get a sense of where we're at. I'm terribly sorry if you've lost someone of great importance, but I just figure it's cards on the table time.
Speaker: And the Redbrook gets a bit snappy at this point at you. Half.
Speaker: Half of our organization disappeared.
Speaker: Destroyed.
Speaker: many people we cared about. And there is a palpable silence for a moment in the room as everyone sort of feels the sting of that.
Speaker: you bit of a head There's a bit of a head shake from Drago the gnome as well at that comment. During that silence Seth would have just very slowly reached down to his spell book Pulled up his spell book, opened a back page, elbowed Nick's, which he tends to stand to often in these situations.
Speaker: And without looking down, so he's going to keep looking up and furrowing his brow and nodding sagely at the right moments. He's going to write down... it kind of skewed, gas kind of off-kilter handwriting because he's not looking at what he's doing.
Speaker: Which side are we on again? Are we with the baby faces or the metal things? question mark And in in your mind, as a re-use a bonus action to re-establish connection, up to you if you talk back. um But you're The more I do that, the more familiar that kind of ah sense in your brain will become. um I like to think that's still up for debate.
Speaker: I think it's similar to the whole Summer Chris Grrr, oh, good, Summer Chris Grrr be bad a subject.
Speaker: I mean, in my mind... Wait, no, you're in my mind. But in my head... Well, you're here. Why have I got to tell you? Anyway, I'll verbalise it. Because I don't read your thoughts. There's two different things. So you need to tell me how you're feeling on this one.
Speaker: Seth, could you just make a performance check or a deception check? your Your choice. You're trying to mask... The fact you're not doing anything. can't guidance this one. His eyebrows flaring madly as he's talking.
Speaker: He's going to go for deception. That's 12. As you're looking around the room, Sparrowhawk is really focusing on you with a confused expression and a slightly concerned expression.
Speaker: He's not probably coming over to you. But yeah, the moment you sort of clock eyes with Sparrowhawk, you just notice he's giving you a Paddington stare a little bit.
Speaker: ah But Seth won't have noticed that and will continue saying along the lines of,
Speaker: We should just kill them all because one group wanted to kill us. The other group wanted to kill us. And so who the fuck do we care? Which side we're on? They should all just die. That's my thinking. They killed half for bit of the winged watch.
Speaker: Fuck them all. Let them kill each other and we kill the rest. Yeah, i agree. It seems like the winged watch here are the only good or straight laced guys in the situation. But then we are...
Speaker: in the nest of them at the moment. But I would say you have the right of it.
Speaker: Let's see how this pens out.
Speaker: It's real cool, by the way. Back to the drama. Just saying.
Speaker: If you ever need me to, because obviously ah people find me a lot in person speaking audibly out. So if i if you find that when I'm in your mind and this is a bit too much for you and you just like, just tell me to fuck off and i' I'll just shut the communication down. and I don't know if ah it's a two way thing. Like if you shut the door on the communication, I won't hear anything or it it's solely ran by me. But if ever gets too much and you're just like, nah, Nick, I need some quiet time. Nick, the door is, the door is shutting. Like it's okay. i'm okay and again I'll talk to you later. I'll knock on you later on.
Speaker: Okay, bye.
Speaker: Reigns will say back in the room,
Speaker: what now then? what what what What do we do? How how do we help you?
Speaker: There is almost tut from one of the gnomes, but you can't tell which one. This idea that you're main charactering right now.
Speaker: With the NPCs, man. Shots fired.
Speaker: the Ghostwing steps back into this awkward pause.
Speaker: The most and important thing that we can decide on today is our next steps, which I have outlined for us. But first...
Speaker: First, we need to hear something, something that has been incredibly important to our organization over the past couple of months. And for one of our members, well, looking at Karstan, a lot of time, effort and worse has gone into this.
Speaker: Karstan, in a moment, I invite you to reveal the lost verse of the 13th kingdom.
Speaker: You got this, buddy. gen That's what were murmuring to yourself earlier. I saw you me me moving your lips around. You were fucking practicing. Yes, William. He's going to do it in song.
Speaker: When you hear this, this verse is no longer lost.
Speaker: For the 41 of us in this room
Speaker: and then just looks looks at Seth and looks at Nick's
Speaker: those who may be listening in, but very discreetly,
Speaker: this verse will be known.
Speaker: Karstan is a very talented musician.
Speaker: Karstan is of the opinion that once this is told here, that every bard in the land should sing it, that all of Ereth should know of this. And I wonder if we could take charge of that decision ourselves once we hear it.
Speaker: Does everyone understand? If what we hear is too sensitive for the massives to hear, whether we deny Karsthan's request,
Speaker: Karsthan looks shocked, or is it right that farmers, soldiers, children across the land learn of this
Speaker: I've only heard this once myself. Other than me, Karstan hasn't told a soul. Karstan, the floor is yours.
Speaker: And Karstan stands up, gives a little double-finger click to Nick's. Nixon, right back at you, man, vibing off you. And there's a little fist bump as well heading your way. is this a You've got this.
Speaker: Emron takes the yeah the the the ah distance fist bump. No, fuck Emron, but Carstan, I'll give him the... Yeah, Emron intercepts that like, no.
Speaker: ah Yeah, no, Carstan takes it. um Carstan looks towards Ghostwing. Do you wish me to... recite the entire prophecy or just the lost parts now?
Speaker: Yes. I think it makes sense more as a collective body of work. Of course. And, um, uh, and cast down, um, hands, um, begin to glow slightly and his loot over in the corner to start, um, playing away at some, uh, songs at some notes.
Speaker: In the realm of Erith where kingdoms lie Thirteen shall rise neath the azure sky Where mere banners flutter proud and tall The fate of nations shall heed the call In the days of old the sages foretold a prophecy woven in stories untold When Aerith's kingdom's number thirteen, Unity shall reign a world serene.
Speaker: From mountains high to oceans wide, Through forests deep where secrets hide, The realms shall gather hearts entwined, A tapestry of fate divined.
Speaker: Though strife may grip with iron hand, and shadows loom across the land, thirteen crowns shall break the night, guiding all towards the light.
Speaker: So heed the words of ancient lore, for destiny knocks upon the door. When Aerith's kingdom's number 13, the world shall be won realm pristine. And now there is a lot of people leaning in at this moment to hear what comes next.
Speaker: Yet whispers stir of a hidden decree When the thirteenth kingdom is set free Armies from the hells, their furies unbound Rising up with chaos profound From the hells where flames entwine Tulkelon marches with power divine His armies surge a door unchained Bring in ruin from the promise of shadows reigned
Speaker: And from the realm where time stands still a people frozen their destiny fulfilled The land's first rulers, the thirteen will awake All other than metal and stone will break Dragons shall rise with a deafening roar Belem Draconis and Aerith will be at war
Speaker: And that is where we're going to end this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop, Bellum Draconis. Oh, whoa well, well. Oh, it tingles, man. That was so good. So good. And you've got a cold.
Speaker: And you've got a cold. And you managed to do that. going to trade in Emron now. I just want Carsten. Yeah, that was awesome, man. long as we keep Will, that's all I care, man. Very true. GG, man. Like, i would have been, fuck doing that. No chance.
Speaker: That was awesome. was reason why I was mouthing along every time I was muted, trying to get this rhythm. Yeah, we all saw, so audience, for your point of view, ah obviously we mute ourselves when we're not talking, just for clarity of recording.
Speaker: um And Will has been just, like, talking to a ghost throughout most of this. I'm glad I wasn't the only one that caught it, but now I get it. You were rehearsing. Well played, sir. It was good. It was fucking haunting, man. It was haunting. it was great.
Speaker: You hit the highs, man. You hit the lows. ah and Speaking of those highs and lows, the listeners want to get hold of us and talk about their favorite highs and lows of the podcast, Ian, how might they go about doing that?
Speaker: I love that segue. I'm going to build off that and just go, oh yeah, we have an X page, which is at Fellowship Table. You follow that if you wanted to. And then if you wanted to go one step further and follow us individually, you can do so too. I'm at Eidol Deron.
Speaker: um Our resident bard extraordinaire... Voice of an angel, Poo Bear, is at... Natural20Will. Edge Lord Callum is at... TheD20Gamer. Darren's at... DarrenPage06.
Speaker: Will is at... FellowshipNBCVZ. Mark is at... HastelyRollDM. And our VIP of the D&D, Dungeon Master Danny, can be found at... TotalPartyThrills. Until next time, you edgelords.
Speaker: Farewell! Farewell!
