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Curse of Strahd Ep. 9: The Martikoz Family
25 Plays4 months ago
Welcome back one and all, we're here with Episode 9! We've reached over 400 downloads at this point and are so stoked to have y'all here supporting us. The Pointy Ear Gang is gaining momentum!
Last week, the party met the Abbot, Gilmund discovered a fascinating new magic item, and Strahd made a midnight appearance, shattering the windows (and illusion of safety) that they had in their kind host's home. His eyes are upon us, and that means it's time to move on across the lands of Barovia to seek out new ways to depose him.
Next up, a return trip to The Wizards of Wine, where the Martikoz family is likely recovering from the flames we left behind...
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Transcript
Introduction to the Adventure
00:00:03
bladesedge
Welcome back, everybody to the Blade's Edge, a D and&D actual play podcast where we are currently playing through the famous adventure module Curse of Strahd. As we've been um I've been DMing this for some people who have played the adventure before and some other DMs, there have been some twists and turns.
Werewolf Sightings and Rescue Mission
00:00:25
bladesedge
The gang was contacted in the town of Daggerford to look into these werewolf sightings, these kidnappings, hashtag Save Jimmothy.
Entering Barovia and Death House
00:00:36
bladesedge
They got ah lost, transported, pick your verbiage in the but magical mystical fog and ended up in the land of Barovia where they ran through something called Death House.
00:00:52
bladesedge
Which is a very fun, optional way to start this adventure. And then after Death House, they entered in the map, if you're somebody who's familiar with this module before, on the west side near the ah city of Kresge.
Wine Quest and Tarot Reading
00:01:08
bladesedge
Gaining entry to the city of Kresge required them to go grab a cache of wine from a place to the south named Wizard of Wines. They went.
00:01:18
bladesedge
Acquired the wine but had to deal with some evil druids and some blights and evil tree and sort of things Came back delivered the wine met the abbot Met Esmeralda who gave them a tarot card reading ah Reading them their fortune in this land where they could find a potential ally where you guys could find potential magic items and We pick up the day after this where at night Roy You saw the figure known as Strahd von Zarovich on the rooftop across from the house you're staying in.
00:01:59
bladesedge
He had turned into a swarm of bats and broken the windows of the household, then disappearing.
Mardukov Family Struggles
00:02:07
gil
Oh yeah.
00:02:07
bladesedge
You guys wake up this next day with the intention to go back down to the Wizard of Wines and ah see what's going on with the Mardukov. family and the magical gems that they talked to you guys about.
00:02:20
gil
with whom And freshly level four.
00:02:25
bladesedge
Guys are freshly level four.
00:02:25
gil
Is that true?
00:02:26
bladesedge
Yes.
00:02:26
gil
Freshly level four. We love that.
00:02:28
bladesedge
And yeah everybody's long rested. Make sure you click that on your sheets.
00:02:32
gil
Juiced up. I feel extra good because with my new ring, i am I'm healing up real comfortably, okay? I have a nice little warm feeling.
00:02:43
gil
Today's gonna be a good day, okay?
00:02:45
bladesedge
Yes.
00:02:45
gil
Today's gonna be a good day in Barovia.
00:02:47
bladesedge
When you guys met the Abbots, Gil went off to the graveyard portion and did a magical ring where you were regaining hit points every minute,
Discussion on Curse of Strahd Experience
00:02:59
bladesedge
um which is um amazing for out of combat use.
00:03:01
Kyle
ah you That is crazy.
00:03:03
bladesedge
Yes.
00:03:03
gil
Yeah, every 10 minutes, but yes.
00:03:05
bladesedge
Every 10 minutes, yes, still. um
00:03:09
gil
Pretty nice for the guy who's consistently ah getting tub-thumpered.
00:03:14
bladesedge
Yeah, it is interesting about Curse of Strahl, like I've played it a couple times and with the exception of Kyle, your other character, not Roy, but the we played this on tour with the exception of your your other character being a fighter.
00:03:25
Kyle
Yeah, yeah.
00:03:28
bladesedge
Every time I've played this adventure or played in this adventure, there's never really been like a tanky tank. Even your guy, even Wesley wasn't like a tanky tank.
00:03:38
Kyle
Yeah, yeah, he was just a fighter.
00:03:39
bladesedge
Yeah, he was just a fighter, but. It is one of those models where you don't need, you don't necessarily need that. And you guys have been okay so far.
Aftermath of Strahd's Visit
00:03:49
gil
So far.
00:03:50
bladesedge
Well, let's go ahead and get, unless everybody roll me, we'll start off with a perception check. and Everybody let me know what you roll.
00:03:57
gil
That's gonna be a 15 from your boy Gilman.
00:03:58
Kyle
Unpersteppy. That would be a 19.
00:04:04
Trevor
18.
00:04:05
Vesz_rak
14 for Professor Eric.
00:04:07
bladesedge
Cool. um You guys all, um regardless of maybe the disturbance that happened the night before, you guys wake up, you're fully rested, you're level four. It was real. It was not a dream. The windows of this place are shattered. um And you see the the man and lady of the house ah sitting.
00:04:30
bladesedge
um ah They've already eaten their breakfast. It looks like they've had a long night. And with those high perception checks, you see that they have brought up the wine bottles that you guys have, um, that you guys left them and have cork popped them open and are beginning to, uh, drink a bit. I mean, it's, it seems like they had a long night with, um, their sick, their sick son, who, you know, was in the other room. And, uh, obviously the disturbance, the middle of the night. So you see them getting after it pretty early.
00:05:05
gil
Yeah, so sick, like he could
Negotiating with Mardukovs
00:05:06
gil
do a kickflip probably.
00:05:08
bladesedge
You had only one way to find out.
00:05:12
gil
ah Hell yeah.
00:05:12
Trevor
Our son's just so sick.
00:05:14
gil
Yeah, dude, he's so sick, dude.
00:05:18
gil
Yeah, let's see, yeah some 7 a.m. wine drinking. It's not the first time. i'll I'll pull up a chair and ah pour a glass.
00:05:28
bladesedge
You see that they're being a bit. Bogart, you go to pour it and he which you haven't really seen this. They've been very. um Pleasant. with you guys for doing the wine, but it seems like there's not much left in this bottle that him and his wife are sharing. And you sort of as you reach for it, he status and he goes. Now, let me have this. I need this.
00:05:51
gil
Understandable. Absolutely you can.
00:05:56
bladesedge
ah You see, he's they've packed up some a little like lunch sacks for you guys to go, you know, stick with a bandana at the end with fucking sandwich in it.
00:06:06
Kyle
Yeah.
00:06:08
bladesedge
Um, he says, yeah. Well, I tell them article as I say, I, and let them know that we're grateful.
00:06:19
bladesedge
and know that we're grateful Pardon me.
00:06:23
gil
You guys need any help cleaning this place up or you got it well underhand?
00:06:28
bladesedge
Uh, he looks to his wife who is, you know, maybe at that moment, getting a dust pan out. And he says, now we've got it. We'll see you when you return. If you, if you come back this way before heading to the town of Barovia, we'll see
History of Wizard of Wines
00:06:43
bladesedge
you then. But if not, um, good luck on your journey. And should you have a return to Kresk, you always have a place to stay.
00:06:52
gil
Well, thanks for your hospitality.
00:06:56
bladesedge
He nods.
00:06:57
Vesz_rak
That's pretty nice of them. Uh, are we gonna, are we going to take a tenacious D or cause that's not like their horse, right?
00:06:58
gil
Yeah.
00:07:03
Vesz_rak
That's the Mardukov sources.
00:07:04
gil
Some articops horse. Yeah.
00:07:06
Vesz_rak
Yeah. So, okay. So we're still the owner as of right now of tenacious D.
00:07:11
bladesedge
<unk>ious either The two horses.
00:07:11
gil
Yes.
00:07:14
bladesedge
um Yeah.
00:07:15
gil
The third Kyle, actually Jack black and Kyle gas.
00:07:17
bladesedge
yeah
00:07:18
Kyle
True. Very true. Big Kyle group here.
00:07:20
bladesedge
Would you be, would you be returning, are you returning them to the Martokovs?
00:07:25
gil
I think we will be escorting them.
00:07:25
Vesz_rak
I will.
00:07:27
gil
um and Yeah.
00:07:28
Vesz_rak
I would like to keep Tenacious D. I feel like I have a bond with both of them now after.
00:07:32
Kyle
ah I think we should like return them but then ask if we can keep them.
00:07:32
gil
Yeah.
00:07:36
Kyle
I don't want to just like yoink him.
00:07:36
Vesz_rak
Yeah. I definitely want to ask if we could keep that for sure.
00:07:39
Trevor
Mm-mm.
00:07:41
gil
I mean, there's bound to be some form of payment required, but we do have this quest that we can do for them. So if there's a there's a bargain to be struck.
00:07:54
bladesedge
Okay.
00:07:54
gil
Potentially.
00:07:55
bladesedge
All right. So what's the plan? You guys got these lunch sacks to go. Horses are outside.
00:08:01
gil
I think we, uh, we kick off, go, uh, visit the Martokovs back at Wizards of wine.
00:08:03
Kyle
Yeah.
00:08:06
gil
Um, and then eventually we're going to make our way to the village of Barovia. What was the name? Uh, Kolyan Indira bitch.
00:08:14
bladesedge
Yes. The burgomaster.
00:08:15
gil
Yes. The burgomaster.
00:08:16
Trevor
I brought is there a like a on our way out of this house is there like any sort of like the like dresser desk table thing ah like next to the door when we exit or like could I just like look ah pull out one of the bottles of wine that I had taken from the thing and just set it on the table and leave that for them and
00:08:17
bladesedge
Yes.
00:08:30
bladesedge
Yeah, absolutely.
00:08:42
bladesedge
Totally. You leave it. And do do you want him to see you do this or you do this more privately?
00:08:48
Trevor
yeah I'm not trying to make a scene. I'm not trying to be super stealthy about it But I'm not trying to like be like hey watch me put this ball here
00:08:57
bladesedge
Cool. Yeah, he he's ah exiting through the kitchen of this place. You see him. He's just sitting down, windows shattered and sees you do that. Just takes it takes a sip of his wine and goes, Oh, thanks, lad. Appreciate it.
00:09:14
Kyle
Are you feeling okay?
00:09:16
bladesedge
ah making it You go go ahead and make a insight or medicine check.
00:09:20
gil
He may need a lozenge, lozenge.
00:09:23
Kyle
Sounds like it.
00:09:25
Trevor
That's like, dude, you need a cough drop.
00:09:28
gil
Bro, do you know Rico La?
00:09:28
Kyle
eight eighteen
00:09:30
bladesedge
Um, he says to you, he goes,
Planning the Gem Recovery
00:09:33
bladesedge
just on the day in this miserable shithole, the jovial tone of, um, Demetri, you know, when you guys have met Demetri, he's kind of been, welcome to the tab, this sort of thing, his voice, an old octave lower coughing. Um.
00:09:51
bladesedge
Seems rough around the edges. Uh, he, he let, he says I'm fine just another day in his miserable shithole with an 18 insight. He's not, yeah, he's not feeling too hot. You could tell he's probably, he's, he's lying maybe out of pride or maybe out of there's nothing you can do. Maybe it's out of, um, you've done enough.
00:10:13
bladesedge
Yeah, but he's, he, uh, with an 18 insight, he's, he's saying he's fine, but he's definitely putting on a brave, a brave face, not feeling too hot.
00:10:25
Kyle
Gotcha.
00:10:25
gil
Barovian citizens are built different.
00:10:26
Kyle
Yeah, I'll just
00:10:30
Kyle
I'll just tell him if there's anything else that he needs from us, then just let me know.
00:10:37
bladesedge
Absolutely. Appreciate your royal o of it.
00:10:49
gil
I, as Gilman, would would head outside.
00:10:51
bladesedge
Cool. You guys head out and you guys are heading down to wizard of wines.
00:10:54
Kyle
Yeah, we'll head outside as well.
00:10:58
bladesedge
Yeah.
00:10:59
Kyle
Yep.
00:10:59
gil
Yeah, so um ah we're bringing the horse cart as well, right?
00:11:05
bladesedge
yeah Horses have like a cart.
00:11:06
gil
Cool.
00:11:06
bladesedge
I mean, now it's empty. You've unloaded all the wine, but.
00:11:11
gil
i would ah I would volunteer to try and steer one of the horses, or steer the horses.
00:11:17
bladesedge
Okay. Cool. Go ahead and give me an animal handling check.
00:11:21
gil
Yeah, absolutely. ah That's a nine.
00:11:25
bladesedge
Rocks fall. Both horses die. Just kidding.
00:11:28
gil
Oh, shit.
00:11:29
bladesedge
ah You guys, you guys actually had rolled a ah natural 20 on one of them, which made him love you guys forever. So with the nine, you're able to wrangle the other one with the help of the other horse. But it takes you guys a little bit longer to make your way down to the Wizard of lines. So although you left in the morning, what should have only been maybe a couple hours ends up taking you guys maybe about half the day. So you guys arrive.
00:11:57
bladesedge
Uh, with this ornery horse down the wizard of lions, probably around three in the afternoon, four in the afternoon. And when you're expecting to see burnt fields and a destroyed, um, place here, uh, you come to find that the fires that you left behind were put out and you re you realize they must've been put out pretty quick.
00:12:23
gil
Oh, yeah.
00:12:23
bladesedge
Like we're talking in the first couple of minutes. um And so you see that the vineyard has been saved, how it was saved, you're not not so sure.
00:12:27
Kyle
Oh wow.
00:12:34
gil
Phenomenal.
00:12:34
bladesedge
But you do see as you approach, you see daian Davian, Mardukov, who I'm picturing up his picture here for you, old man, long white
Exploration of Yester Hill
00:12:44
bladesedge
hair, big white bushy beard, wearing this sort of green cloak.
00:12:50
bladesedge
ah standing outside with I mean, I think he had introduced Adrian. Adrian Mardukov and Stefania Tomescu, who are standing with him. Seems like the other people are inside, you peer past him and you see that there's and three of the other members of their their family, their extended family ah working inside. You see that they are they've cleaned out the poisoned vats um and you you know see upstairs and sort of the bedrooms upstairs. You can see the kids, the three kids they have through the window. um And as you approach the horses, Davian steps forward and says, Hey, Alan, well met. Good to see you again.
00:13:36
Kyle
You as well.
00:13:37
gil
Avian, great job saving the place.
00:13:42
bladesedge
He goes, yes, we were watching from afar and we are ah very grateful for the job you all did here. It was, it was lucky that we were close by. You see his son Adrian attempts to say something and he puts his hand up. He goes, we thank you. We were lucky that we were close by and, um, appreciate you coming back and bringing our boys, Jack and Kyle.
00:14:10
gil
no
00:14:11
Vesz_rak
Oh no.
00:14:12
gil
No, uh, Oh no, no, no.
00:14:14
bladesedge
And he goes up to the horses and says, Oh, Jack, oh, Kyle. But it's just the names are reversed from what you guys name them.
00:14:21
Kyle
Yeah.
00:14:21
gil
See that's Kyle over there. He's a good boy.
00:14:26
Vesz_rak
We just refer to them collectively as tenacious D.
00:14:30
bladesedge
Here's a go to ring to it. Maybe you will adopt that moniker.
00:14:37
gil
ah Hey, I've heard Ash is really good for, uh, for regrowth the next, uh, the next couple. Years should be pretty pretty nice and fertile out in the farms.
00:14:47
bladesedge
um He raises his eyebrow at that and goes it's a bit more complicated than that Gilman He
00:14:56
Kyle
but
00:14:57
gil
True.
00:15:00
Trevor
how How do the fields look so good so quickly?
00:15:06
bladesedge
says we were we we were watching from the tree line yeah You can make an insight check larry
00:15:18
gil
Yeah, I also would as well.
00:15:18
Vesz_rak
not Not great for us if they were watching from the tree line.
00:15:19
Trevor
Oh.
00:15:20
bladesedge
I'm not sure.
00:15:22
gil
Not not great for us now.
00:15:23
Trevor
Oh.
00:15:23
Kyle
Yeah.
00:15:25
bladesedge
With a nat one and a seven.
00:15:28
bladesedge
Yeah, I mean, kind of kind of just you he says what he says, you know, he says we were watching from the tree line.
00:15:29
Trevor
What's that get us?
00:15:29
Trevor
Are we close?
00:15:38
Trevor
So you were watching from the tree line.
00:15:39
bladesedge
That seems that maybe when you were on your way out, they were on their way in.
00:15:39
gil
Yeah.
00:15:42
gil
free ah Free tickets to Mad Max Barovia edition.
00:15:46
Kyle
yeah
00:15:47
Trevor
but
00:15:48
Vesz_rak
ah ah Hey, Davian. So we were wondering in exchange for saving this wonderful winery, we were wondering if we could.
00:15:59
Vesz_rak
oh
00:15:59
bladesedge
Saving! You nearly burned it! Adrian, stop! He snaps at the piss-son behind him. Pardon in him. What were you saying?
00:16:12
Vesz_rak
After saving the winery, we were wondering if we, you know, we sort of kind of bonded with Tenacious D. We were just wondering if we could keep them.
00:16:23
bladesedge
Uh, roll a persuasion check.
00:16:33
Vesz_rak
That'll be a nine. Boys are rolling low today.
00:16:37
Trevor
And we're going up to six, seven, nine.
00:16:39
bladesedge
He says, he says, I tell you what, why don't you tell me why you've come back?
00:16:39
gil
We love that.
00:16:48
bladesedge
And if it's, if our interests align and maybe something that you can help us with, should you decide to help us, we may be willing to part with one or both of these.
00:17:03
Vesz_rak
I'll pull out some of the non-magical Amber shards that I have and I'll kind of gesture and hold them out. I said, we've heard that there's some powerful
Roy's Discovery of Kavan's Spear
00:17:13
Vesz_rak
gems. I don't know if these kind of relate to them, but this is kind of why we're back here. Um, we're trying to just gather some information and figure out what's going on.
00:17:24
bladesedge
Yes, the seeds I told you about, the magical jams.
00:17:29
gil
Correct.
00:17:31
bladesedge
No, they are not related to the amber per se, although much is related to the amber in these these parts. But you've come to... I had mentioned to you all at the camp about these seeds. You've come to inquire, help potentially,
00:17:51
gil
Yeah, absolutely. And also, how do we know that the druids won't come back? here
00:18:00
bladesedge
he He shrugs. He goes, we don't. But I need to i need to let you know some things. So the the Wizard of Wines was named, whose name is buried in the annals of history.
00:18:08
gil
yeah Please.
00:18:18
bladesedge
But this wizard fashioned three magic gems, each one as big as a pine cone. And he planted them in this rich valley soil. These seeds gave rise to healthy grapevines, which produced sweet plump grapes. Even after Strahd's curse settled over Brovia, the gems kept the vines and the grapes from succumbing to this eternal of darkness that you see around you as the mist rolls in the ever-present mist.
00:18:53
bladesedge
Back in the day, Schrod bequeathed the winery and the vineyard to the noble Kreskoff family as a reward for their family's loyalty. This is much before Dimitri's time. Later, there was an arranged marriage between the Kreskoffs and us, the Martikoffs. All these years later, it's become in our possession, but
00:19:15
bladesedge
we We were known originally for three wines, the Purple Grape Mash number three, the Red Dragon Crush, and the Rich Champagne dulistomp.
Approaching Yester Hill
00:19:27
bladesedge
But about 10 years ago, one of the magic gems was dug up and stolen. As a result, we've had to start producing our best vintage, the champagne. No one knows what happened to that gem.
00:19:42
bladesedge
But, lately, we have been fending off frequent attacks by the witch, known as Babalasaga. She's been sending scarecrows. Three weeks ago, during one such attack, another gem was found, dug up and taken. I believe it's in the possession of Babalasaga.
00:20:08
bladesedge
Five days ago,
00:20:12
bladesedge
The evil druids of which you have ah pushed away, the evil druids of Yesterhill to the south stole the third and final gem and took it back to Yesterhill. We tried to launch some sort of counter-attack to no avail. The druids and their blights proved more than a match for us. And then it was a couple of days after that, ah the druids returned to a winery.
00:20:42
bladesedge
and then you drove them off.
00:20:45
bladesedge
But without these seeds, wine production in this valley will eventually stop as the vineyard dies off. If any motion's out to whatever was burnt, you get the sense that it's not growing back.
00:20:59
bladesedge
So whatever was not burnt is all that's left.
00:21:02
gil
Oh, interesting.
00:21:02
Kyle
Mm.
00:21:04
bladesedge
Eventually, only by recovering these magic gems and replanting them in the soil Can we ensure that Barovians aren't without wine to comfort them on these dark wretched nights?
00:21:15
gil
Yeah, we got to find those gems. I like the wine here.
00:21:20
bladesedge
He goes with a nine persuasion, Bezrak. He looks back at you and says, I'll tell you what, for each gem that you recover. There are only two where we know where they are. The third we have no idea might be lost to time. But for each gem you recover, I will give you a horse.
00:21:41
Vesz_rak
That's a pretty good deal. ah Could we, um to get to these locations, um could could we take the horses as kind of like, hey, we'll bring them back, but we'll keep them after we turn the gems?
00:21:43
Kyle
That sounds good to me.
00:21:55
Vesz_rak
Or are we, I don't want to hoof it. like ah
00:21:57
bladesedge
You see his son behind him shaking his head the minute you start saying that. And Davian says, unfortunately, if you're going to Yester Hill, it will be a battle. There will be bloodshed. I can't have these be collateral.
00:22:16
Vesz_rak
He's right.
00:22:16
gil
These guys are pretty good in a fight. You should have seen. Oh, wait, no, you you did see them. That's right. You saw them. Yep.
00:22:22
bladesedge
um He shows you he shows you on this map.
00:22:23
gil
They can take some hits.
00:22:28
bladesedge
Um, so in the map of Barovia, which we have in info and loot, I believe I've pinned it. So hit the pin again. If you guys want to go check it out.
Debating Tactics Against Druids
00:22:41
bladesedge
So on the left side of the map, you see that Cres was up. Why were it says Spalich woods because I'll have the map pulled up.
00:22:51
gil
Yes.
00:22:52
Kyle
ah Yes.
00:22:52
Vesz_rak
Yeah, got it.
00:22:53
bladesedge
For those of you listening at home, feel free to Google Barovian map and check it out.
00:22:53
gil
Uh-huh.
00:22:56
bladesedge
So Spalich woods, that's where Cresque was. Directly south from Kresk in that open area, that's the winery. You guys with me?
00:23:05
gil
Yes. Uh-huh.
00:23:07
bladesedge
The directly south, like the road following itself, there's a hill all the way in the west side of the map looks almost like a pimple popping off the map. That's yesterhill.
00:23:17
gil
Yesterhill, okay.
00:23:19
bladesedge
So it's not far, so you don't need the horses. He points that out on the map and um he then also shows you where Baba Lasaga would be, which is also close. I believe it's down by that lake. Let me just go ahead and, because yesterhill, right under yesterhill is the Luna River, which then goes to Luna Lake. um But let me go ahead and make sure for sure for certain.
00:23:59
gil
Luna River, Luna Lake.
00:24:04
bladesedge
Yes.
00:24:08
bladesedge
Which I believe is marked T. Oh, it's marked U on the map. So um yeah, so if you if you go south from Yester Hill, you'll see you hit Luna River, that river there. And if you follow that river to the east, you eventually hit this lake. And you can see that lake, there's a bridge there.
00:24:32
bladesedge
ah He marks that that bridge is called Salenka Pass. And then if you follow it north from there, the halfway up, he marks that as the ruins of Berez,
00:24:39
Trevor
Thank you.
00:24:48
bladesedge
a riverside village that seems to be now where this witch known as Baba Lasaga is.
00:25:03
Vesz_rak
So potentially we could do like a two for one type situation.
00:25:03
Kyle
It sounds like.
00:25:06
Vesz_rak
We head to the druids, take a quick naparoni, head to Babalasaga, take the gem, come back, get the horses, all is well.
00:25:16
bladesedge
Yeah, I'll definitely let you guys know that you there's no time limit on this at all. um
00:25:26
bladesedge
So you can take your time. You can, whenever you'd like to, whenever you'd like to do, to even do this.
00:25:29
gil
So.
00:25:33
bladesedge
And then however, even if you were like, Oh, we're going to get one and then we're going to fuck off to the town of bro. And then we'll come back for the second or something like that. Like you could.
Stealth Approach to Yester Hill
00:25:42
bladesedge
Um, ah but I do think, I mean, while you're in the area, you could definitely do one than the other.
00:25:46
bladesedge
But there's just there's no the only quote unquote time limit on this is that eventually this wine will stop producing.
00:25:55
gil
Right. So. We know if we're looking at like encountering a battle with these druids, we've encountered the druids themselves, which we kind of have an idea on the kind of things that they can do in combat. We fought against three different types of blights, right? Twig, vine, needle. um I would ask ah Davian, aside from the,
00:26:27
gil
the druids themselves and the three different types of blights, have you encountered or seen anything other than than them? Like when when we go to make our way there to Yester Hill, have you ever seen like a boss druid or maybe like a a larger than vine blight?
00:26:53
bladesedge
Um, let's go ahead and roll. I'm going to roll a just a general history check for Davian. He's going to add a plus three of this D 20 rule to 16.
00:27:02
gil
Let's go, Davian.
00:27:03
bladesedge
So it's a 19 total. Um, he says, um, yes. So there's a couple of things. The first is that the druids often attempt these rituals and the rituals or to bring to life trees, massive trees. ah The word around town is that they are currently attempting to ah summon, bring to life, the a tree known as winter splinter.
00:27:03
Kyle
Nice.
00:27:40
gil
Winter splinter.
00:27:44
bladesedge
Additionally,
00:27:48
bladesedge
In at yesterhill, there are not just druids. They have more. They have people protecting yesterhill that they don't necessarily send out and they're more. He he looks at you to see who he can compare them to, and I think maybe settles for Roy, he says, and as he taps you, ro he goes more warriors.
00:28:14
bladesedge
That's magic.
00:28:17
gil
Hmm. Okay.
00:28:19
Kyle
Maybe a ranged fight could be optimal there.
00:28:25
bladesedge
Uh, over the 19, let me go ahead and let you know if they, if he knows if they have range capabilities, because there will be druids. Um, he says, yeah, range could be away. I, the, the blights and the druids are more than capable of holding their own in a range battle. But yes, these warriors, they carry great axes.
00:28:52
gil
Hmm, okay, great access.
Sneak Attack Preparation
00:28:57
gil
Okay, um I mean, hey, we could try burning the whole hill to the fucking ground.
00:29:04
Kyle
We're pretty good at that. Do we have any more, um... Molotov cocktails?
00:29:13
gil
I think ah Tommy has the one totally not evidence bottle. Or I think Besrak has it.
00:29:22
Vesz_rak
Yeah, I think I have like three. Yeah, I have three wine bottles with ball bearings inside of it in my inventory.
00:29:28
Kyle
Those might come in handy.
00:29:34
Vesz_rak
Uh, yeah.
00:29:34
bladesedge
I think you guys only had one left.
00:29:36
gil
I'm pretty sure we just have one left and you gave them to me.
00:29:38
bladesedge
Yeah.
00:29:38
Vesz_rak
Okay.
00:29:39
gil
And I have one in my inventory, but I remember I was going to dispose of it, um but you said, no, no, no, I'll have it. So you can just mark that you have one and I have zero.
00:29:57
bladesedge
um As Davian looks at you guys, he says, well, By the way, when you were when we arrived, we noticed that they had poisoned the wine barrels. I hope none of you drank from it.
00:30:11
Vesz_rak
and No, of course not. What kind of poison were they using?
00:30:15
bladesedge
um
00:30:16
Trevor
Oh shit.
00:30:17
bladesedge
because i don't know beers What kind of poison? I don't know. but and Unfortunately, I'm not an alchemist, but none of you drank from this, did you?
00:30:29
gil
No, not from the poisoned ones, no.
00:30:29
Kyle
Uh, no.
00:30:31
bladesedge
Good. Good. I don't think they bottled any. So I don't think it went out on um for mass production. So that's good from what we can tell. It seems maybe there was a little taken out from what we could tell, splashes around. But if it wasn't you who drank it, maybe it was one of them cyanide pill killing themselves. Who knows?
00:30:55
Vesz_rak
That's right. Sweating.
00:30:57
gil
yeah
00:31:02
Vesz_rak
Yeah. that So we're yeah. Cyanide for sure. For sure.
00:31:05
gil
Yeah. Hey, so. We don't know much about the wizard who made these gems, but we do know that they're obviously incredibly powerful. um We know a little bit about the Druids, but what can you tell us about Baba Lasaga? Who is she or he?
00:31:23
bladesedge
She yes the witch she is.
00:31:30
bladesedge
Let's roll a separate history check. He definitely is going to know some stuff automatically. Let's just roll to see how in extensive plus three or five. It's an eight. So he says he's a bit more mysterious. We haven't really encountered her as much even battles we've had with her.
00:31:46
bladesedge
ah scarecrow construct. She's nowhere to be seen. But the story goes that this Baba Lasaga, an almost mythic figure, people who say, is tied to straw's ancient past.
00:32:10
bladesedge
They call her a hermit.
00:32:10
gil
and
00:32:12
bladesedge
They say she spends most of her time crafting. and seemingly animating these fucking scarecrows. They infest this domain. She works evil magic from where I'm sitting.
00:32:26
bladesedge
We hear that she sacrifices beasts to, and he puts air quotes around, he says, she sacrifices beasts to mother night.
00:32:31
gil
Oh,
00:32:36
gil
oh shit.
00:32:38
bladesedge
They say the story goes, and she collects their blood, bathes in the blood on nights of the new moon in a ritual.
00:32:39
Kyle
Oh.
00:32:46
bladesedge
Steve off old age.
00:32:49
Vesz_rak
Imagine collecting blood, what a weirdo.
00:32:54
bladesedge
I think it's, I think we're, I think we're due time for a deception check.
00:33:01
bladesedge
That's right.
00:33:02
Vesz_rak
Oh, come on.
00:33:03
gil
the
00:33:04
bladesedge
And just a, just a general is my vibe off.
00:33:10
gil
Not one.
00:33:10
Vesz_rak
11.
00:33:12
gil
Two ones.
00:33:15
bladesedge
Cool, which is a 10, yeah, you only have a plus one.
00:33:17
Vesz_rak
Just cause I, just cause I have the bottles of cyanide wine and because I collect blood doesn't mean anything.
00:33:22
Kyle
know
00:33:22
Trevor
yeah
00:33:22
gil
I'm not bad. I'm not bad.
00:33:25
bladesedge
Both of you two commit to such lies with only a plus one. um Eleven, and he doesn't he doesn't necessarily notice that you're scared, he's telling the story, maybe he just thinks that you're scared about the thought of the switch.
00:33:38
Vesz_rak
He definitely notices that I'm sweating bullets though, for sure. So anyone houses hands getting clammy or
00:33:45
Kyle
right
00:33:46
bladesedge
She has a ah ah hut that she lives in in the ruins of Berez.
00:33:48
Trevor
Thank you.
00:33:56
gil
And you said she worships Mother Night or does sacrifices for Mother Night, okay.
00:34:01
bladesedge
he he He shrugs a lot of that and goes, so the stories go.
00:34:05
gil
So the stories go. Bit of truth in all stories.
00:34:14
gil
um
00:34:14
Kyle
I think that we can use her because I don't think anyone else has told us anything about Mother Night. No one seems to know about Mother Night.
00:34:25
gil
We know that she has some kind of connection and we know that the werewolves have some kind of connection.
00:34:33
Kyle
True. So maybe we can get some info out of her before. Before telling her to put the gems in the bag.
00:34:41
gil
Right. This is a stick up. Yeah. That's right. It's actually going to go be her apprentice.
00:34:51
Vesz_rak
No, no, no, no. my i'm already I'm already spoken for, thank you.
00:34:52
bladesedge
I'm paying over.
00:34:55
gil
Let's go, uh, dance naked in the moonlight bathe and beast blood.
00:35:03
bladesedge
Credit credits, credits roll.
00:35:03
gil
No, nobody else.
00:35:06
gil
Yeah.
00:35:08
bladesedge
Return of the Mac starts playing.
00:35:13
gil
Hell yeah. Um, all right. Well, I think, uh, We know where two gems are. We need two horses. Seems like a good of ah shot as any, what do we say, boys? so
00:35:28
Kyle
um i'm ready I'm ready to tussle.
00:35:30
Trevor
Let's do it.
00:35:31
Vesz_rak
I'll do anything for Tenacious D.
00:35:34
bladesedge
All right. He says, any other information that you need from me before heading down to Yester Hill?
00:35:40
Vesz_rak
Actually, yeah, one more thing. Sorry, it almost slipped my mind. um We're looking for a boy named Jimmothy. Have you seen him? He's about this big. He's like nine years old. He's lost.
00:35:55
bladesedge
um I'll let you roll. for this because it's just pure luck. This is a non-module thing that we're inputting into this. So we're going, it's going to be a history check for Davian. It's going to be a plus three and you need to roll a 10 or higher.
00:36:10
Vesz_rak
Okay.
00:36:10
Kyle
natural 20.
00:36:10
Vesz_rak
On a, on a history checker D 20.
00:36:14
bladesedge
On, uh, you need on the D 20, it needs to be a 10 because the the DC for this is 13.
00:36:19
Vesz_rak
Okay. I'm sure we'll D 20 plus it.
00:36:21
bladesedge
Yeah. D 20 plus three.
00:36:23
Vesz_rak
Come on, baby. Where's Jimothy? A nine. Ah.
00:36:27
Kyle
yeah
00:36:29
bladesedge
ah He says, Timothy, no never heard. What a strange name. All of us around here go Adrian, Davian, Dimitri, you know, Elvia, you know, vaguely Transylvanian.
00:36:41
Vesz_rak
Yeah, we're hoping it makes him stick out more so he's here to find, do you know, a needle in a haystack kind of situation.
00:36:49
bladesedge
He says, well, if you're not from this area, most people who enter Barovia enter from the East. If you're looking for this child, perhaps your best bet might be the town of Barovia, the village or the east.
00:37:07
gil
That keeps coming up. We should, uh, making our way to Barovio without the horses would take multiple times longer.
00:37:17
Kyle
yeah
00:37:20
Kyle
I think we hit up, uh, yesterhill. Um, give, give them a stern talking to down there. And then we go to the witch's hut, give her a stern talking.
00:37:30
Kyle
Well, ask her about the moon night or, uh, moon mother night.
00:37:34
gil
Mother night.
00:37:37
Kyle
And then, um, once we have everything, is that a thing?
00:37:38
bladesedge
moon night on Disney plus that's TV show.
00:37:40
gil
Yeah.
00:37:40
Trevor
ah
00:37:44
Kyle
Oh.
00:37:45
Trevor
It's pretty sick.
00:37:47
Kyle
That's fire. And then we come home and watch some moon night.
00:37:49
bladesedge
Yeah. Sounds good to me. Uh, did you guys have any other, um, anything else you needed from, uh, Davian and the Martokov family?
00:38:02
gil
My only question is really involving like the numbers at Yesterhill. Like, can you describe Yesterhill to us?
00:38:08
Kyle
Hmm.
00:38:09
gil
Is it like a small place, a big place?
00:38:12
bladesedge
as well as is It here is It is a large hill of which they have a camp on top.
00:38:12
gil
Is there
00:38:19
bladesedge
ah Hard to say numbers. they When we went and tried to get the gem back, they rebuked us fairly easily. But that was before they came here. And I know that you lot did away with a decent number of them.
00:38:34
bladesedge
um that were here uh so whatever the numbers were when i saw them even if i didn't see all of them i imagine it's less now well you'd be that you're better sooner than we are we are uh
00:38:44
gil
Okay. All right. Well, as long as, uh, you know, it's not the most fortified Hill in the world, then we we can figure our way through, right?
00:39:03
bladesedge
we We were rebuked fairly easily.
00:39:09
gil
You look pretty tough, Davian. Glad you made it back.
00:39:14
bladesedge
he this old This old man he sort of shakes his head and goes, I'm not, but my family can be. Do you see that Adrian, maybe noticing now that his son Adrian behind him,
00:39:30
bladesedge
has like a massive scar that's sort of like behind his ear that goes down his neck and continues. You just see part of it.
00:39:38
gil
damn Adrian.
00:39:43
gil
adrian
00:39:47
gil
um Cool. Well, we should probably take off then. What do we think, lads?
00:39:56
Kyle
Yeah, let's do it.
00:39:57
Vesz_rak
Yeah, let's hit it.
00:39:58
gil
Try to catch him um probably at night. What do you think?
00:40:03
Kyle
What time is it right now?
00:40:05
bladesedge
It'd be mid-afternoon and four, we'll say.
00:40:09
Kyle
And how long is the travel to yesterhill?
00:40:13
bladesedge
On foot, it's not very far.
00:40:14
Kyle
On foot.
00:40:15
bladesedge
You can see on the map, it's actually pretty close. But let me go ahead and and reference the ah one square on the map is a quarter mile.
00:40:28
bladesedge
So. Let's see, two, three, one mile, one, two, three, two miles, basically a look, maybe from the house, maybe three miles to the south.
00:40:39
bladesedge
So not very far.
00:40:41
gil
Okay.
00:40:41
Kyle
Okay.
00:40:41
bladesedge
You get there probably in, if you're walking leisurely planning, plotting, taking an hour.
00:40:45
gil
an hour yeah Okay.
00:40:46
bladesedge
Yeah.
00:40:49
gil
Um, do you want to, do you guys want to head out and maybe we try to find like, scout it out during the daylight and then maybe make a move at night.
00:41:03
Kyle
Um, yes. That might mean we need to... How far is the, uh, witches spot from Yesterhill? Is that further?
00:41:14
bladesedge
That's pretty far.
00:41:15
Kyle
Is that around the same?
00:41:15
bladesedge
I mean, there's a bunch of different ways you can take. Um, like if you went straight through the woods, you come to a mountain. So if you look, uh, if you're looking at your map, if you go West straight from yesterday, he'll don't go down to the river.
00:41:26
Kyle
yeah
00:41:31
bladesedge
You go through the spoilage woods, and then you would hit this mountain range where the Sri Lanka passes.
00:41:37
Kyle
Okay.
00:41:38
bladesedge
Um, so it depends, but much, much longer.
00:41:43
Kyle
Gotcha.
00:41:43
bladesedge
Yeah. I mean, you're looking at probably, uh, especially if you, I think either way you go, you're looking at maybe a full day's worth of travel, maybe more if you, if you run into any sort of complications.
00:41:44
Kyle
So Okay.
00:41:56
Kyle
Gotcha. So we're gonna have to split this into multiple days either way. So then yeah, I'm i'm down to scope it out, get an idea, get a lay of the land and then go in at night.
00:42:11
bladesedge
Okay.
00:42:14
gil
Okay.
00:42:15
Kyle
Let's do it.
00:42:16
bladesedge
All right, guys are heading South.
00:42:18
gil
I like it.
00:42:19
Kyle
He is her
00:42:21
bladesedge
Cool. I'm going to put you on this map. But I'm going to narrate something that happens during your travel. So this is yesterday. You're seeing this massive hill here. Go ahead and make sure.
00:42:46
bladesedge
OK. Cool. You guys can see, right?
00:42:49
Kyle
Yes.
00:42:50
Vesz_rak
Yep.
00:42:50
bladesedge
Cool. um On your way south.
00:42:56
bladesedge
To yester hill.
00:43:00
bladesedge
I think it's got to be. Roy. And you'll see why Roy.
00:43:08
Kyle
Okay.
00:43:10
bladesedge
You're walking through the forest approaching yester hill.
00:43:17
bladesedge
And you hear a whisper, a deep voice carried on the wind, Roy. Long have I waited for one who is worthy. My spear hungers for blood. Retrieve it and rule these mountains in my stead.
00:43:46
bladesedge
just like the mighty warriors from the early days of the whispering wall.
00:43:56
Kyle
Have I heard this voice before?
00:43:59
bladesedge
ah Never. And you're actually you make a go ahead and make a perception investigation insight check let you I'll let you decide at advantage.
00:44:12
gil
I spear hungers for blood, the old days of the whispering wall, sick.
00:44:17
Kyle
Uh, 11.
00:44:21
bladesedge
11, you see as you approach, there's this this cairn, so this this mound of stones.
00:44:29
Kyle
Okay.
00:44:30
bladesedge
ah You know, there these things are built normally as memorials or landmarks typically on a hilltop or something like that. And as you're approaching.
00:44:42
bladesedge
Yes, you see more of these things, you see each one of these these things on the map, each one of these things right here.
00:44:48
Kyle
Yeah
00:44:48
bladesedge
Each one of those is a Karen is stones um piled up, but you see one before you get there, sort of out in the woods. And for some reason, you feel like this voice was calling from these stones.
00:45:09
gil
Mmm.
00:45:10
Kyle
Um, real quick. to Can you repeat what he said about his spear?
00:45:18
bladesedge
yeah he said He said, long have I waited for one who is worthy. My spear hungers for blood. Retrieve it and rule these mountains in my stead, just like the mighty warriors from the early days of the whispering wall.
00:45:35
Kyle
Gotcha. And I the spear is
00:45:38
bladesedge
I'll copy and paste that for you in info and loot as well. Good Discord.
00:45:47
Kyle
um When I hear when I hear that I'm the only one that hears this So I kind of freak out look around um Lock on to the cairn and then as he says retrieve it I'm just gonna look around and see if I see the spear and in the immediate vicinity Yeah,
00:45:50
bladesedge
Mm hmm.
00:46:06
bladesedge
OK, so not moving, just looking.
00:46:12
Kyle
just looking
00:46:12
bladesedge
like Yeah, make a perception check for me.
00:46:20
Kyle
18.
00:46:21
bladesedge
18, you don't see it, but you do a little mental math and the cairn of what you hear this coming from is wide. Wide enough that potentially a spear could be inside if it's built around it like a you know TP ah triangle shape.
00:46:50
Kyle
do
00:46:50
gil
Interesting.
00:46:53
Kyle
Do... Do I get the sense that this is a malevolent being?
00:46:58
bladesedge
Insight check, baby.
00:47:01
Kyle
Damn, we are checking everything right now.
00:47:03
bladesedge
We're checking.
00:47:04
Kyle
God damn it. Ten.
00:47:06
bladesedge
Um, the level it no. I mean, this is the voice of if this guy ruled these mountainsides, it's the voice of a chieftain, potentially a chieftain of a tribe ah from back in the day.
00:47:21
bladesedge
um Yeah. But I'm a level it and I don't think you get that with a 10, but you just get authoritative. A chieftain.
00:47:34
Kyle
Okay, in my head.
00:47:34
bladesedge
Get the sense that he had the sense that he was, he was the reason why I asked it had to be you is because he was, uh, per the per the module, he searches for the strongest of your crew.
00:47:46
bladesedge
Uh, he, and if you had, if you had a fighter, he would have contacted the fighter. If he had a paladin, he would have contacted paladin. Uh, but you know, so he contacts a ranger.
00:47:55
Kyle
Gotcha. Yeah, big, big, strong ranger boy, Roy.
00:48:01
Kyle
um I'm real quick. I'm just gonna say my head Who are you?
00:48:08
bladesedge
You hear no response.
00:48:10
Kyle
um response Okay, and I'm gonna walk over to the Karen and Take apart rock by rock and see if I see anything on the inside
00:48:25
bladesedge
OK. The rest of you, as you're approaching, see Roy veer off path and head to this pile of rocks and start moving rocks out of the way.
00:48:26
gil
Rocket stone.
00:48:38
Vesz_rak
ah Roy.
00:48:38
gil
You, uh, you least, you least some snacks in there, bud.
00:48:41
Trevor
What are you doing?
00:48:44
Kyle
I don't say anything and I just keep moving the rocks.
00:48:48
bladesedge
You look Yeah,
00:48:48
gil
Good a time as ever for a break, huh?
00:48:50
Vesz_rak
I'll take a step back.
00:48:53
bladesedge
yeah everybody make it next to your saving throw. Just kidding. I'm just kidding. um You see this spear um long spear pointed at both ends. There's wraps around the spear. And it's very Native American in design. um Like what is the stone called?
00:49:15
gil
Obsidian.
00:49:16
bladesedge
that's on like the end, that's like on the end of spears, you know what I mean? Like that's like, yeah, like an arrowhead.
00:49:19
Trevor
Like an arrowhead?
00:49:21
bladesedge
You see like this, this both ends, the sharp point is not metal, but is made from rock. Like yeah are these like arrowheads on both.
00:49:33
bladesedge
um And you see actually that it's covered in blood, ah this dried blood.
00:49:38
gil
that'
00:49:39
bladesedge
um And then there's these two like tassels hanging off it. And I actually have a picture right here for you.
00:49:46
Vesz_rak
real Darth Maul styles.
00:49:49
bladesedge
Yeah, kind of Darth Marley, but like ah primitive Darth Marley.
00:49:53
Kyle
Oh, wow.
00:49:55
gil
I like that.
00:49:55
Kyle
That's cool.
00:49:58
Trevor
Sick.
00:50:00
bladesedge
You see this?
00:50:00
gil
Oh, I love it.
00:50:00
bladesedge
Yeah, this this spear covered in dried blood inside this cairn.
00:50:12
Kyle
um And then yeah, I'm going to pick up the spear.
00:50:20
bladesedge
Mm hmm.
00:50:22
Kyle
And as I pick it up, I'm gonna turn to the group and say, I heard a voice calling out to me, telling me about a spear. And so I was inclined to come check this out and investigate.
00:50:36
gil
You see, I've got like one eyebrow up and the other eye is kind of squinted, like, excuse me. A voice spoke to you and said, there's a spear in here and then there just was. That's pretty rowdy dude.
00:50:49
Kyle
If beats me.
00:50:51
gil
What did it say?
00:50:54
Kyle
Saying something about waiting for one who is worthy, and how there's a spear and whoever takes it could rule these mountains as they once did.
00:51:10
gil
That's fucking cool, man.
00:51:13
Kyle
But I'm not I'm not the strongest guy. That's why I have a bow on my back.
00:51:20
gil
Try to do some moves with it, see what happens.
00:51:25
Kyle
Can I just like start swinging it around like that one kid in the YouTube video? um The the Star Wars kid?
00:51:33
bladesedge
um Yeah, you start swinging it around. And um you're swinging it around really well. It looks very sharp, regardless of the fact that it's not metal.
00:51:48
Kyle
Mmhmm.
00:51:48
bladesedge
um And you get the sense no arcana check needed. I mean, you're somebody who can cast spells, who can do magic. You get the sense that this is as something that requires attunement.
00:52:03
bladesedge
Normally, attunement takes a short rest. I'm going to go ahead and say because of this special circumstances for this, as you pick it up, should you will to attune to it, you can.
00:52:19
gil
Should Bezrak take a little look at it? I mean, it's got blood all over it.
00:52:25
Kyle
Um, yeah, you can you can take a look. Sure.
00:52:30
Vesz_rak
ah Sure, I'll take a look at it. I'll I don't want to touch it, but I'll like lean over and eyeball it I will ah as a ritual ah Identify it takes 10 minutes
00:52:37
bladesedge
Okay.
00:52:37
gil
You know, taste taste the blood.
00:52:38
bladesedge
You're just, you're just, just looking at it.
00:52:48
bladesedge
Okay. So you guys are going to stop here.
00:52:52
gil
Yeah, sure.
00:52:53
bladesedge
Okay.
00:52:56
bladesedge
Um, you identify this and VESRAC for you. We're going to do something interesting with identify. Okay.
00:53:05
Vesz_rak
Okay, I'm ready.
00:53:07
bladesedge
So you can um nobody else will hear this, but you can relay this information. We don't have to like I tell you, you tell the party we can say if you'd like that as I'm telling you this, you're telling the party this cycle.
00:53:21
Vesz_rak
Yeah, yeah, that works.
00:53:22
bladesedge
So the but for you, that's right. The voice in your head.
00:53:29
bladesedge
Says. of woman, for the woman far deep in the back parts of your subconscious, that you are inexplicably tied to your soul, somehow intertwined via a botched spell years ago in the source here. You hear, Kavan,
00:53:58
bladesedge
the spear of Kavan,
00:54:03
bladesedge
Kavan was a ruthless chieftain whose tribe lived in the Balanak Mountains centuries before the arrival of Strahd von Sadevich. Although he was very much alive, Kavan had some traits in common with vampires.
00:54:23
bladesedge
He slept during the day and hunted at night. He drank the blood of his prey and he lived underground. In battle, he wielded this spear stained with blood.
00:54:41
bladesedge
His was the first blood spear, a weapon that drains the life from those it kills and transfers transfers the life to its wielder, imbuing that individual with the stamina to keep fighting.
00:54:59
bladesedge
And then she begins to describe this next part in a more poetic way than what I'm going to describe by that, because these are just the mechanics of it. But when you hit a melee creature, when you hit with a melee attack, so not thrown, when you hit with a melee attack using this magic spear, and it reduces the target to zero hit points, you gain 2d6 temporary hit points.
00:55:21
gil
ah
00:55:22
Kyle
wow
00:55:24
bladesedge
um And any creature can wield the spear and gets that property.
00:55:27
Kyle
Wow.
00:55:29
bladesedge
But only the character chosen by Kavan to wield it gains a plus two bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with this magic weapon.
00:55:37
Vesz_rak
Sick.
00:55:37
gil
Oh, for the chosen.
00:55:38
Kyle
Wow.
00:55:42
gil
It's the spirit of Kevin for everyone else. It's the spirit of Kevin.
00:55:46
bladesedge
Yeah, exactly.
00:55:46
Kyle
Can you um can you paste that into info and loop?
00:55:48
Trevor
you
00:55:49
gil
ah
00:55:51
bladesedge
Well, yeah, are you attuning to it? Cause I can just add your imagery.
00:55:54
Kyle
Um, yes, I'm going to attune to this.
00:56:00
bladesedge
cool.
00:56:00
Kyle
And I'm just gonna close my eyes while holding the spear. And as I'm holding it, you see vines kind of extend from my hand and wrap around the spear.
00:56:11
bladesedge
I love that.
00:56:12
Vesz_rak
Sick.
00:56:13
gil
Just when I thought Roy Halovich couldn't get any hotter, he goes and does something like this.
00:56:19
bladesedge
um Yeah, go ahead and refresh your page.
00:56:21
Kyle
Cool. cool
00:56:24
bladesedge
your a yeah character sheets in your inventory. And once you just clear, you're going to have to click on it to equip it. And then you have to scroll down to where it says attunement and click attune. And once you do that, it should be under your actions and all that good stuff.
00:56:45
Kyle
um
00:56:48
Kyle
Beautiful, real quick, why does it say damages 1d6 plus three, but then in parentheses 1d8 plus three?
00:56:56
bladesedge
So it's a versatile weapon. So you can use the spear one handed. And if you do, it's a D six, or you can use it two handed.
00:57:03
Kyle
Mmm.
00:57:05
bladesedge
And if you do, it's a D eight. So if you, for example, wanted to wield the spear and have a shield in your other hand, you'd be doing a D six plus three. But if you wanted to have no shield and go two handed, it would be a D eight plus three.
00:57:21
Kyle
Gotcha.
00:57:25
gil
Pretty awesome.
00:57:27
Kyle
Yeah, very cool.
00:57:28
gil
So it uses your DEX, that's pretty great.
00:57:31
bladesedge
I'm to do something to your inventory real quick, just to check to make sure that you've got the plus two on it because if I equip you a regular spear.
00:57:42
bladesedge
Yes, that's a plus three with only plus one damage. OK, cool. So it automatically did the plus two for you. Good stuff.
00:57:48
gil
Or, oh, you have a plus one to strength and it adds a plus two because it's a plus two weapon. Okay, cool, sweet.
00:57:55
bladesedge
And you can also throw it up to 20 feet at regular or up to 60 feet at disadvantage. However, if you throw it, um you it won't give you the temporary hit points if it kills somebody.
00:58:07
bladesedge
It has to be melee.
00:58:08
Kyle
Oh, I see. Okay.
00:58:15
bladesedge
Cool.
00:58:15
Kyle
Beautiful. That is very cool.
00:58:18
bladesedge
On that. As you grab it and attune to it, the spirits of Kavan and as you guys approach Yester Hill.
00:58:37
bladesedge
Go ahead and read this for you.
00:58:38
gil
So you got the spirit of Rose, the spirit of Kavan. You're the spirit king.
00:58:45
Kyle
that's my That's my new nickname.
00:58:47
gil
Dude, that's anime as fuck.
00:58:49
Kyle
That is pretty cool.
00:58:50
gil
The spirit king.
00:58:52
bladesedge
You guys see that the trail um through these thick woods leads to a hill covered with dead grass and cairns of black rock. A dark, ominous clouds gather above. And you see a single bolt of lightning strike the hilltop. West of the hill.
00:59:21
bladesedge
West of the hill, the land, the woods, the sky vanishes ah between a towering wall of fog.
00:59:36
bladesedge
You get the sense this might have been the whispering wall that Kavon was talking about.
00:59:47
gil
Oh, interesting.
00:59:51
gil
You can did did it say you can control the or what what do they say about the whispering wall again?
00:59:57
bladesedge
So you guys can actually see it over here on your map, this like this.
00:59:59
gil
Oh, from the early days of the whispering wall, sick.
01:00:01
bladesedge
Yeah, this stuff here, there seems like at a certain point, and and maybe, you know, it's just like this in Barovia.
01:00:02
Kyle
Yeah.
01:00:08
bladesedge
It's like, there's an edge to the map.
01:00:11
gil
Mm hmm.
01:00:11
bladesedge
You know, there's this big wall of fog that everything disappears behind.
01:00:12
Kyle
Yeah.
01:00:19
gil
Fucking sick.
01:00:21
Vesz_rak
So what's the plan here boys?
01:00:24
Trevor
We got to unlock that area.
01:00:25
Kyle
but
01:00:27
gil
Yeah, we gotta we gotta to buy the map DLC.
01:00:28
Kyle
That's priority number one.
01:00:31
Trevor
yeah but
01:00:32
gil
Um, I think we should move through the forest to the, either to the West here or to the East and then move actually moving to the East and South might be better because we just want to try to see if we can get an idea on the numbers within yes or Hill and what kind of encounter we'll be walking into or sneaking into or falling into. Right.
01:00:59
Kyle
Yeah, 100%. I think the forest on the east is the move.
01:01:01
gil
Because. Cause we know we fought in close combat at level three, we fought against what? Two druids, two vine blights and two needle blights.
01:01:17
gil
And I know Vess rack went down and I almost went down and it's, uh, these guys are, these guys are strong.
01:01:18
Kyle
Yeah.
01:01:26
gil
They're tough. We need to be smart.
01:01:28
Kyle
yeah
01:01:31
gil
And we don't know what this ritual for winter splinter is, but we can assume that the combination of the druids that we fought, the blights that we fought, this unknown winter splinter and the unknown warriors with great axes. This is, this is no, no slouch. Um, the numbers will definitely be against us almost guaranteed, even if there were only one of these each.
01:02:02
Kyle
I think we get I'd definitely be careful and plan out our our next moves.
01:02:04
gil
yeah
01:02:07
Kyle
While we're moving through the forest, I'm gonna throw the spear on the bat on on my back and keep my bow out. um Which by the way, I was there any ah gameplay um changes when when the rose got intertwined onto my bow?
01:02:13
bladesedge
Cool.
01:02:26
Kyle
I can't remember I didn't I didn't write that down.
01:02:29
bladesedge
No, there were no mechanical differences, although that is I think right around the same time that you took the fighting style archery. So maybe I'd like to think that you getting that plus two to hit and damage from you taking the fighting style archery maybe was somehow tied into um this road that you now have on your bow.
01:02:45
Kyle
Mhm.
01:02:48
gil
Hmm.
01:02:49
Kyle
Cool. Awesome. Yeah, I was just wondering. I couldn't remember.
01:02:57
bladesedge
ah You put the spear on your back, and as you do, you see this creature in the shadow, Roy, on top of a tree, following you, this small little critter, almost looks like a jackal climbing a branch. And as you do, he puts his hand out, and this long shadow appears in his hand, the shadow spear, which he puts on his back.
01:03:22
Kyle
ah Sick.
01:03:29
gil
Okay. Um, Roy, I think you and I are probably the the stealthiest. Um, should we maybe split up into some groups and maybe we do a little bit of looking around, um, from the forest perimeter, maybe, uh, you magically inclined guys can try to define something about the, the ritual. I don't know. Or at least like,
01:03:59
gil
I don't know, use your magic in some way.
01:04:05
Vesz_rak
we're ah
01:04:05
Trevor
who Go be magic.
01:04:05
Vesz_rak
pretty yeah we're pretty far away
01:04:13
bladesedge
This is true, so what is the what's the plan, boys?
01:04:18
Kyle
I don't know if- I mean, this splitting up is never the option, okay?
01:04:23
gil
Yeah, that's that's what cowards say, okay.
01:04:29
gil
Um, just kidding. Um, well I think we should head to the, the Southeast here.
01:04:32
Vesz_rak
We're pretty far away.
01:04:36
Trevor
I agree. I like that idea. Should we take this like path in the trees?
01:04:41
gil
Yeah.
01:04:41
Trevor
Go down here and try and come up from the other side.
01:04:41
Kyle
Yeah.
01:04:46
Vesz_rak
Yeah, I think that's like we're agreed on doing that.
01:04:46
Kyle
Well, first of all, keep let's I want to look into the forest and just see if I see any sort of moving creatures if and and just listen if there's any signs of life close to us.
01:05:00
bladesedge
Yeah, give me a perception check.
01:05:08
Kyle
Damn.
01:05:08
gil
Yeah, i ah I would also be doing the same thing.
01:05:09
Kyle
11.
01:05:12
gil
um My passive perception and investigation is 15 now, but I can definitely roll as well.
01:05:19
bladesedge
Cool.
01:05:20
gil
if you
01:05:20
bladesedge
You tell me. You want to use your password?
01:05:21
gil
I think using my passive perception just to keep scanning it and then leave myself able to like, if if I hear something, then I'll wanna like, boom, focus in on it.
01:05:22
bladesedge
You want to roll?
01:05:34
bladesedge
cool you know guys you guys don't see anything moving in the trees creaking of the woods about 5 5 30 almost 6 p.m.
01:05:40
gil
Alright.
01:05:43
bladesedge
the woods creaking okay let's go ahead and move your you guys go ahead and move your tokens to wherever you're trying to go if you're trying to go pretty far south because I know it's like
01:05:45
gil
Then I enter the creaking woods.
01:05:48
Kyle
Same.
01:06:00
bladesedge
Like a thousand feet. Yeah. Thousand feet to the south, basically. um And are you guys trying to be stealthy?
01:06:05
Vesz_rak
as As we're ah traversing the woods, Brian, I'd like to touch the center of my chest and that will cast mage armor as a part of my new feet.
01:06:08
gil
Yes.
01:06:08
Kyle
ah Yeah, for sure.
01:06:19
Vesz_rak
Eldritch adept. I get to do it for free.
01:06:21
bladesedge
Nice.
01:06:21
gil
Whoa!
01:06:22
Kyle
Ooh, that's fire.
01:06:23
bladesedge
um As you do that, I imagine you touch your chest and you see this spider web right in the center of your chest appear and begin expanding over your entire body.
01:06:36
Kyle
Spiderman?
01:06:36
Vesz_rak
Yeah. Yeah. I like to think of it as like kind of like web spreading out, but also like these eight kind of ethereal like legs kind of wrap around as like an exoskeleton.
01:06:44
Kyle
Ooh.
01:06:46
Trevor
Oh, that's cool.
01:06:47
bladesedge
Love it.
01:06:47
Kyle
Yeah, that's sick.
01:06:51
bladesedge
Cool. um Go ahead and roll me a group stealth check.
01:06:59
gil
Show me potato salad. Oh my gosh, that was almost in that one.
01:07:03
Kyle
ah That should have been a natural 20 dude.
01:07:07
Vesz_rak
Dirty 20 for Vesrec.
01:07:08
gil
20, 19, 18, 20, wow.
01:07:08
Kyle
I got a 19.
01:07:08
bladesedge
yeah
01:07:10
Kyle
Damn.
01:07:10
Trevor
Good.
01:07:11
bladesedge
Cool.
01:07:11
Trevor
Yeah.
01:07:12
gil
Point of year gang, sneaky.
01:07:13
Kyle
Cooking.
01:07:14
Vesz_rak
We're a super stealthy group.
01:07:15
bladesedge
You guys are very, very stealthy.
01:07:16
Kyle
Yeah.
01:07:20
gil
Are we locked in?
01:07:22
Kyle
We're locked in.
01:07:22
bladesedge
And when you guys get um to where you're going, go ahead and ro make me make me a group perception check. Everybody can roll perception.
01:07:36
gil
Come on, oh, 14, Trevor.
01:07:37
bladesedge
Oh.
01:07:37
Vesz_rak
7 for Bezrak.
01:07:39
bladesedge
All right, we're going to roll with the highest one here for Trev for the whole group, since you guys rolled so well with the stealth. So the first thing that you notice is there is these cairns across the entire thing. Um, and you get the sense that some of them are like graves. Um, and up by the top of the hill, you spot a couple of things. So firstly, you spot this circle up here in the middle, the very top of the hill.
01:08:14
bladesedge
But it's kind of from where you are since you're down pretty far. I mean, it's like that's like 400 feet up. um You see this, this wide ring of black boulders and smaller rocks that have this form, this like makeshift wall. But you occasionally through your time going through the forest, see lightning strike it.
01:08:35
gil
Hmm.
01:08:40
bladesedge
looks like it's striking the edge of the ring from time to time. Every time this does, it's illuminating this ghastly 50 foot tall statue inside it that looks like it's made of like like like twigs and dirt and stuff like that. um With a 14 from all the way down there, I'm not sure you can tell exactly what the statue is, but you do see that there's this wooden statue in there.
01:09:10
gil
Hm.
01:09:11
bladesedge
Additionally, to the south of that still the top of the hill, ah still 400 feet up over here. You see that at the south end of the hilltop, there's a sickly cops, a grove of dead trees and shrubs with a huge misshapen tree at its core.
01:09:37
bladesedge
um You see with a only a 14 and so far away, you see that there's like sap coming out of this tree. um Hard to tell from where you are in this twisted trunk. And then you can see that around the tree, there seems like there's some creatures. um You get the sense that these creatures are.
01:10:03
bladesedge
with some of the blights that you had seen before, ah but you're not sure exactly with a 14 or exactly which ones or how many, but you see, you know. ah Some of them around the bottom of this tree. um Additionally, with a 14.
01:10:23
bladesedge
So you see these dirt trails run along as you're looking out each, each one of these, you see these markings here. Each one of those represents a hundred foot climb of like Hill.
01:10:36
bladesedge
So from where you guys are to, um, from where you guys are to this one right in front of you, you'd be, you'd be walking up a hundred feet to this one, 200 to this 300 to the top 400 feet.
01:10:44
gil
Holy fuck.
01:10:47
Kyle
God.
01:10:49
bladesedge
um And dirt trails run along these co-centric rings of cairns that encircle the hillside. ah Each cairn that you see is a 10 foot high mound of slimy black rocks.
01:11:02
gil
Slimy.
01:11:06
bladesedge
And that is, and then also with the 14, you see this wall of fog all the way to the west. As you look to the west, there's this curtain of fog.
01:11:17
bladesedge
ah You see a white fortress on a hill above a great city. The city appears quite distant, maybe a mile away. The fog obscures all detail, but you swear you hear what sounds like the echo of a church bell.
01:11:37
gil
Huh.
01:11:40
gil
um Okay. Crazy. So there's a sick tree, a big ass statue, and repeated lightning strikes on the same position.
01:11:45
bladesedge
The
01:11:55
bladesedge
um Yeah, Valerius, you're able to to determine ah that those lightning strikes are happening up here, but they're happening at the outskirts of this and, you know, never in the exact same position, but.
01:12:15
gil
OK. And what what are the fortifications like up there?
01:12:17
Trevor
do i
01:12:20
Trevor
Do I...
01:12:23
bladesedge
Um, with you got everything you're going to get with a 14 from where you currently are.
01:12:26
gil
OK.
01:12:28
Trevor
Let's keep moving. Should we move down to like here?
01:12:32
gil
Yeah, I'm into that.
01:12:34
Kyle
yeah Get a better look at the tree.
01:12:37
bladesedge
Okay. So you guys are climbing up the hill.
01:12:40
Trevor
Not just yet close, though.
01:12:41
Kyle
No.
01:12:42
Trevor
We're going to get like down to yeah this area.
01:12:46
bladesedge
Cool. So at least up the first hundred foot, a hundred feet.
01:12:49
gil
Uh, yeah, it looks like technically, yeah, we're going up because we're, we're a entering this circle.
01:12:51
bladesedge
Hmm.
01:12:52
Trevor
Oh, sure. Yeah, up to like this one.
01:12:56
bladesedge
No, that's what these that's what these lines are, Trev.
01:12:59
Trevor
Yeah.
01:12:59
bladesedge
So that it may that lets you know that you just went from this side of it to this side of it means you went up 100 feet.
01:13:07
gil
Yeah.
01:13:08
bladesedge
From this side to this side is 100 feet.
01:13:12
Trevor
Gotcha, okay.
01:13:12
gil
Yeah. Each of the, uh, the dashes.
01:13:16
bladesedge
Yep, is 100 feet.
01:13:17
Trevor
Yep, okay.
01:13:19
gil
Cool.
01:13:20
bladesedge
Cool.
01:13:21
gil
Yeah, so we're basically just right at the forest um outline, looking in to this massive hill in the Southeast of this area, staring up at a sickly big tree um with all these slimy, slimy rocks in front of us. Rowdy.
01:13:40
bladesedge
Alright, so you guys are gonna make another you guys are trying to determine more information.
01:13:45
gil
Yeah, I think so. um I'm more interested in the fortifications of the actual um camp of yesterhill.
01:13:55
bladesedge
Cool. Well, you guys are 100 feet up now. So now it's no longer 400 feet above you, but only 300 feet above you. So I'll let you guys make one last perception check. um But we can't just keep making perception checks. And I'm gonna say for any new information, I'm gonna need a 20.
01:14:11
bladesedge
So you guys can still all roll, but I'm going to need somebody to hit 20 or higher.
01:14:11
gil
Okay.
01:14:12
Kyle
And a 20.
01:14:13
gil
20 or higher or a nat 20?
01:14:14
Kyle
Watch this.
01:14:17
gil
Okay.
01:14:18
bladesedge
There it is.
01:14:19
Kyle
25, baby. I told you.
01:14:20
Trevor
Let's go.
01:14:21
Vesz_rak
Roy Halovich, the MVP of this session so far.
01:14:23
bladesedge
He is a perceptive boy.
01:14:26
Kyle
I'm very perceptive.
01:14:28
bladesedge
Perceptive man. Sorry, Roy. You're old as hell. You're like ancient.
01:14:32
Kyle
I am old as hell. I'm grown.
01:14:35
bladesedge
um So around this tree, first of all, you see that this this sickly tree is what is oozing from this tree is not sap. What is oozing from this tree is blood.
01:14:50
Kyle
Brutal.
01:14:51
bladesedge
blood oozing like sap from this tree and skulking around the tree you see six gangly humanoid creatures um these are you see three uh vine blights uh
01:14:51
gil
Ew.
01:15:08
bladesedge
six here
01:15:11
bladesedge
on
01:15:22
bladesedge
Nice, you six gangly humanoid creatures covered with needles, so these are needleblights.
01:15:32
bladesedge
And you see six of them. Go ahead and show you exactly where they
01:15:40
Vesz_rak
Hey Brian, with my 14 perception, do I see Tom anywhere?
01:15:45
bladesedge
Um, one, two, three, four, uh, five, six. Um, with a 14 perception, 300 feet down, you're looking for a halfling.
01:15:56
bladesedge
You do not see, you do, you do not see any druids.
01:15:57
Vesz_rak
Okay, how does it?
01:16:00
Vesz_rak
Okay, you gotta ask, just gotta ask.
01:16:02
bladesedge
Yeah, totally. I'm glad you remembered his name.
01:16:06
Vesz_rak
I couldn't forget.
01:16:07
bladesedge
Tom V, the Druid at the Wizard of Wines that you let go.
01:16:11
Kyle
Oh shit. I forgot about him. I forgot about him.
01:16:13
Vesz_rak
Hey, you guys, hey, you guys weren't there.
01:16:15
bladesedge
ah You guys. know you guys
01:16:16
Vesz_rak
You don't know about Tom.
01:16:16
Kyle
I didn't forget about him. I never knew him in the first place.
01:16:20
bladesedge
OK, so you see those guys. um You also see all this other you know shrubbery around this tree.
01:16:29
gil
A shrubbery.
01:16:32
bladesedge
um And in addition, with a twenty five, you see embedded in the tree is a shiny battle axe. be nietzsche Beneath the shiny battle axe lies a humanoid skeleton.
01:16:49
gil
wow
01:16:51
Vesz_rak
All right, how do we feel about shock and awe? We go in and we start blasting.
01:16:57
Kyle
um are those the other needle blights the big boys are those low guys medium guys
01:17:03
bladesedge
Those are the medium guys.
01:17:10
Kyle
um that's a there's six of them there six of them and four of us if we start blasting we also so don't know if we will um not me um we will alert the we we we might alert the rest of the group
01:17:27
bladesedge
Here's somebody clicking, by the way, just a heads up.
01:17:33
gil
na
01:17:39
Kyle
if we go in blasting.
01:17:42
gil
Yeah, I mean from here to here is only 200 feet and they have you know, maybe parapets or something like that up there that they can see us from.
01:17:54
Vesz_rak
Okay, let's well, let's get on the same page. So what are we trying to accomplish? Are we trying to like stealthily get the seeds seed slash gem, or are we trying to like decimate the druids? like what are we What are we trying to do here?
01:18:07
bladesedge
Good question.
01:18:07
gil
Well, the druids will continue to do what evil druids tend to do if we don't stop them. Um, however, if we don't get the gem, then none of that matters. So getting the gem would be priority one, but sneaking in would be pretty, uh, pretty tough. And then at that point, if we got caught, we would be surrounded.
01:18:37
Kyle
Yeah.
01:18:42
Kyle
I mean, it sounds like we're gonna have to fi- I don't see any other way aside from fighting. There's just too many.
01:18:47
gil
I'm there's also, yeah, there's also like.
01:18:48
Kyle
It's too open.
01:18:52
gil
Gorilla warfare. If, I mean, we can do this hit and run tactics, like, uh, like you said, Tommy shock and awe, we get in there, then their numbers retreat into the woods.
01:19:05
Kyle
Hmm.
01:19:07
Vesz_rak
We'd have to get pretty close. I don't know. I mean, it's, that would be hard to go in and retreat because it's like 500 feet away from like the first blight. I mean, I could get, I mean, my range is 120 on my longest spell. Um, I think maybe we just try and sneak up to this first group and just try and take them out as best we can. I think we use the stealth to our advantage or just.
01:19:33
Vesz_rak
See what happens and we keep an eye out for the seed and if someone sees it, maybe we just try and take the seed and dip.
01:19:36
Kyle
Yeah.
01:19:39
Vesz_rak
Cause a little distraction, a little distraction action.
01:19:39
Kyle
Yeah, I agree.
01:19:39
gil
Okay.
01:19:42
Kyle
Trying to get maybe like a surprise, surprise round on them.
01:19:46
Vesz_rak
Yeah, exactly. And I have, um, some spells that can, uh, hinder like terrain. Like I took web that can slow them down. And so we could really, if we really are trying to stealthily steal and cause a distraction, steal the seed, I think we can do it. And I think if we just start stealthing up there that it'd be a good plan.
01:20:03
gil
Okay.
01:20:03
Kyle
Yeah, I think it's less so about stealth and more so about minimizing risk. So whatever we can use, whether it's spells to minimize all of that, then we should definitely do that.
01:20:15
gil
Right. I agree.
01:20:17
Kyle
But we're gonna have to fight either way. So I'm ready to head up there.
01:20:19
gil
Right.
01:20:21
bladesedge
And just a heads up for you guys.
01:20:21
Vesz_rak
true
01:20:23
bladesedge
These squares are currently 25 feet, they say. But once we start combat, these squares will go back to being 5 feet.
01:20:29
Vesz_rak
OK, a sec.
01:20:30
bladesedge
ah we can Instead of me moving you to another plain map, why do that when we can just?
01:20:35
Trevor
Okay, nice.
01:20:35
Vesz_rak
OK, so treat the squares as 5 feet.
01:20:37
gil
Oh, okay.
01:20:38
Vesz_rak
OK.
01:20:38
bladesedge
Yeah, they like technically are 25 feet for the size that you guys are.
01:20:43
Trevor
We're huge.
01:20:43
bladesedge
But if you get into combat, we are just going to make the squares 5 feet.
01:20:49
gil
So then technically that means if there was somebody in this area that they can get there in one, two, three, four, five, I mean, they can be in the fight in one round.
01:21:02
Vesz_rak
Yeah. Trav, how do you feel about the plan?
01:21:03
bladesedge
I'm confused. you ah No, there are 150 feet away. But if you guys get into combat with these guys, just so that your movement and all that stuff makes sense, rather than moving in blocks of 25 feet on this.
01:21:07
gil
Okay.
01:21:08
Trevor
No.
01:21:11
gil
ah Okay, cool, cool, cool, that's totally fine.
01:21:14
gil
Cool, just wanted to make sure.
01:21:16
bladesedge
Yeah, I mean, I could also just move you guys to a different map, but I don't have ones or just be one of those plain ones.
01:21:21
gil
All good.
01:21:21
bladesedge
It would be something like. Yeah, it would be something like this map that we used for the escape.
01:21:27
Vesz_rak
Oh, what about, what about like making like our tokens bigger on this map?
01:21:28
gil
Yes.
01:21:32
bladesedge
Well, that won't matter because I'll move you guys to the map.
01:21:33
gil
it's It's fine, yeah, we're all good.
01:21:33
Vesz_rak
Oh, okay. Nevermind. Just kidding.
01:21:36
bladesedge
I don't want any confusion, so I will move.
01:21:38
Vesz_rak
Confusion. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, Trev, what do you think?
01:21:43
Trevor
Uh, I'm down. I don't know if there's a, yeah, um I'd say we just send it. We're going to have to, we're going to have to fight it. If I feel like if we want to get anything from them, we're going to have to, we're going to have to fight them.
01:21:53
Kyle
Yeah.
01:21:55
Vesz_rak
Yeah, ideally, yeah ah
01:21:55
Kyle
there's no There's no way to clean me through this.
01:21:58
Trevor
Yeah.
01:21:58
Vesz_rak
I'd like to sneak up to this group, uh, as close as we possibly could and I'll cast web centered around them and try to get them all and just make it difficult for them to move around.
01:22:09
Trevor
Nice.
01:22:10
bladesedge
Okay.
01:22:11
Kyle
Unless someone has invisibility, in which case we could just, you know.
01:22:16
gil
No, the only thing invisibility related, I think would be like pass without trace, but I don't know if any of us have that.
01:22:23
Kyle
Yeah.
01:22:24
Trevor
I have sleep as well, I might be able to knock some of them out.
01:22:28
Vesz_rak
I did not learn invisibility.
01:22:31
gil
That's okay. I like the plan murder. Why are there just trees, right?
01:22:36
Kyle
Beautiful.
01:22:39
gil
Don't, don't go calling Greenpeace on us. We already got PETA on our back after episode four.
01:22:44
Kyle
Oh, yeah.
01:22:46
gil
I'm kidding.
01:22:46
Vesz_rak
After killing that dog.
01:22:47
gil
yeah
01:22:48
Kyle
Oh, yeah.
01:22:49
Vesz_rak
All right. So Brian, I think the plan is is to group stealth up there.
01:22:50
Kyle
I'll do it.
01:22:53
bladesedge
Cool. If you're group stealthing up there, go ahead and make me a group stealth check.
01:23:01
gil
All right, boys.
01:23:03
Kyle
Sorry. Sorry if you guys are a minute.
01:23:05
bladesedge
And go ahead and let the audience know what you guys roll.
01:23:05
gil
15, nat 20, nat 20.
01:23:08
Kyle
Another two Nat 20s.
01:23:09
Vesz_rak
That's right, Brian. We're getting sneaky.
01:23:10
Trevor
yeah
01:23:12
Vesz_rak
We're getting sneaky.
01:23:12
gil
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.
01:23:16
Vesz_rak
Our rogue rolled the lowest on stealth.
01:23:16
bladesedge
right
01:23:17
Trevor
twenty two
01:23:17
Kyle
Bro.
01:23:20
gil
Unreal.
01:23:21
bladesedge
Yeah. So what did you guys each right.
01:23:25
gil
2.20 is a 23 and a 15.
01:23:31
bladesedge
Um, a two, not twenties. Okay. So you guys deaf.
01:23:34
Trevor
I think we all turn invisible when that happens, right?
01:23:37
Vesz_rak
Except for Gil.
01:23:37
gil
Yeah.
01:23:37
Trevor
We can add 20's cast invisibility.
01:23:40
gil
And I'm just trivial to me.
01:23:44
bladesedge
Okay. So you guys travel 400 feet up the hill.
01:23:56
bladesedge
Here you go, i'll move you to this map.
01:24:03
Vesz_rak
Ooh I like it.
01:24:04
bladesedge
um And go ahead and put the shrubbery around this guy.
01:24:17
bladesedge
um
01:24:17
gil
My man's an artiste.
01:24:21
Kyle
This is actually so clean and like easy to look at.
01:24:24
Trevor
Mm
01:24:25
Kyle
Thank you.
01:24:27
bladesedge
Of course. Be able to see all this shrubbery around here.
01:24:38
bladesedge
All right. So you see these needle blights. You see there's this ax in the tree and a skeleton at this glowing axis.
01:24:48
bladesedge
This axis is sort of glowing.
01:24:50
Trevor
-Hmm
01:24:51
bladesedge
um You see there's this there's this skeleton at the base of the tree.
01:24:51
gil
Sick.
01:25:01
gil
Okay. The plan is, uh, Vesserak webs them. We thin them out as quick as we can.
01:25:10
bladesedge
That's just a skeleton, not a creepy skeleton, but that is the token I have right now.
01:25:14
gil
Oh my goodness. Oh, he's so creepy.
01:25:17
Kyle
oh
01:25:17
gil
Look at his bone, his bony fingers.
01:25:20
Vesz_rak
I kind of like it.
01:25:21
bladesedge
He did.
01:25:21
gil
Yeah, he's dead.
01:25:21
bladesedge
He did. he did he
01:25:23
Vesz_rak
All right, so what's everyone's plan for this like sneak attack round? Oh, web. And then what's your guys's plan?
01:25:28
Kyle
yeah I'm just flinging an arrow at someone's head.
01:25:33
bladesedge
Okay.
01:25:34
gil
Yeah, ghost stab, ghost knives.
01:25:35
bladesedge
yeah
01:25:37
Vesz_rak
Yeah, we should like hyper, hyper focus one person at a time, maybe.
01:25:38
Trevor
Yeah.
01:25:42
Vesz_rak
ah
01:25:42
gil
Maybe we start with ah the right and then work counterclockwise.
01:25:46
Kyle
yeah
01:25:49
Kyle
Yeah, that sounds good.
01:25:50
Vesz_rak
Yeah, it works.
Battle Strategy and Execution
01:25:51
bladesedge
All right, so we've got Roy taking a shot at one on the right. Vesrak webbing, which ones?
01:25:59
Vesz_rak
um I'm going to cast Web. It's a 20-foot cube-ish. It's right in the center, so it should get.
01:26:06
bladesedge
Gets all of them.
01:26:07
Vesz_rak
It'll be like that, yeah.
01:26:07
bladesedge
Wow. Lucky you.
01:26:10
Vesz_rak
What can I say?
01:26:10
bladesedge
and What's the save for that?
01:26:10
gil
Hmm.
01:26:13
Vesz_rak
It is a Dex 13 save.
01:26:16
bladesedge
Cool. So let me know what everybody's doing and then let me know the order in which you're all doing it. Who's going first? You'll all get one actionable thing you can do. So who's going first?
01:26:28
Kyle
um I'm going to shoot my arrow after the web goes out.
01:26:32
bladesedge
Smart. Because if they're restrained, you'll have advantage. um So web's going out first.
01:26:39
gil
Web's going out and then arrows and daggers.
01:26:43
Trevor
Yeah, I'll prep a little moonbeam.
01:26:47
bladesedge
Love that. All right, so let's go ahead and get you these. Are they dexterity saving throws that you need from me, Vezrak?
01:26:54
Vesz_rak
ah Each creature that starts its turn in the webs or enters them during its turn must make a dex saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is restrained as long as it remains in the web or until it breaks free.
01:27:04
bladesedge
Okay. All right, let like ah what and what is the save DC for your spell?
01:27:11
Vesz_rak
ah Thirteen.
01:27:14
bladesedge
13. Okay, now a restrained creature speed becomes zero attack rolls against creative advantage and the creatures attack rolls of disadvantage and they have disadvantage on dexterity saving throws. So from right to left, ah they only get a plus one. So there's me to 13 guy all the way on the right, you're gonna shoot first.
01:27:33
bladesedge
Fails. Guy behind him fails.
01:27:35
Kyle
Beautiful.
01:27:37
bladesedge
Guy behind him succeeds.
01:27:39
gil
Okay.
01:27:39
bladesedge
Guy to the left of him fails. The guy below him succeeds. And the last guy fails. so Only two of them succeed. The furthest guy from you on the right. who I'm and um just going to give them a little mark.
01:27:50
bladesedge
Rather mark the guys who failed. And this guy over here. So they're sort of in a circle around this tree. So the guy all the way in the back on the right and the guy in the middle on the left. um And as the web goes out, Roy, you were letting a shot go at the guy on the right.
01:28:08
Kyle
yes sir
01:28:08
bladesedge
At advantage because he is restrained by this web that springs out from the tree.
01:28:11
Kyle
Yezer.
01:28:18
Kyle
And we have 16 or a 21.
01:28:23
bladesedge
Twenty one absolutely hits.
01:28:26
Kyle
Amazing.
01:28:29
Kyle
And that is going to be for 10 damage.
01:28:32
bladesedge
Nice. Ten damage is huge. He's still up, but as he immediately restrained in this web ah shot by an arrow, so he begins bleeding sap.
01:28:42
gil
Oh.
01:28:43
bladesedge
This guy, unlike the tree, which is bleeding blood. um And after you guys each do your thing, go ahead and roll me initiative because ah that'll be your surprise thing. So that's a Vess rack.
01:28:51
gil
Yeah, love that.
01:28:53
bladesedge
You can roll me a niche. Roy, you can roll me a niche. And then Gilman, you were going to throw a dagger. Same guy or the guy behind him?
01:28:59
gil
Yeah, dagger with a 24 psychic blade.
01:29:01
bladesedge
Same guy.
01:29:02
gil
Same guy.
01:29:03
bladesedge
Cool.
01:29:05
Kyle
Oh, I didn't have my token selected.
01:29:05
gil
For.
01:29:06
bladesedge
Uh, he is surprised. It's a sneak attack.
01:29:09
gil
Yeah, so 20 damage.
01:29:09
Trevor
Oh my Yes, sir on that guy right there and for moonbeam I
01:29:11
Kyle
I'll give
01:29:11
bladesedge
One T damage. You actually, I mean, not that it matters because you get sneak attack anyway, but you do have advantage if you want to see if you win that 20.
01:29:16
gil
Oh, yeah, baby.
01:29:18
Kyle
you that 20 then.
01:29:18
bladesedge
I mean, you're going to, you're going to kill this guy who has one health, but yeah, 20 psychic damage to this needle blight who had one health left restrained in the web goes down.
01:29:20
gil
Oh, 21.
01:29:31
bladesedge
As that happens, Valyrias, a little moonbeam action. Nice. It's a consay, right?
01:29:40
Trevor
That'll be a con save. Yes, sir. That's just a con 13.
01:29:45
bladesedge
He rolled an 11, and it only rolled to me, but 11 is a failure.
01:29:47
Trevor
Oh, let's go.
01:29:51
Trevor
That'll be just seven damage.
01:29:55
bladesedge
Seven radiant damage, and that guy is restrained.
01:29:59
Trevor
I guess, yeah, it titles. Whenever it starts its turn, it takes that, I think.
01:30:03
bladesedge
Oh, nice. Cool. Um, and then go ahead and roll, uh, a niche for me as well. Valerius. And do we have everybody know I'm missing Roy.
01:30:12
Trevor
Gotcha.
01:30:13
Kyle
Um, I rolled an initiative, but it, my my token wasn't selected. So I had a 14.
01:30:17
bladesedge
Okay. Let's go ahead and select your token and roll again, and then you can manually change your number.
01:30:22
Kyle
Okay, cool. Oh wait, no, I thought I rolled a 14. I thought I just got a 14 again. Um, the
01:30:36
bladesedge
Cool. All right, you're on there. Boom. So after your surprise round, as we get you guys a little battle music here, the sneak all the way to the top of Yesterhill, this massive um massive tree, which by the way, let me just... Yes, this massive tree that is is that emulating this There's this aura coming off this tree as its blood is seeping out of the tree like sap. It's twisted roots out coming out of the ground all around you, ah surrounded by this shrubbery. A web goes out centered on the tree, off the branches. It's snaring most of these needle blights as you guys take down one of them. And up first, on round two,
01:31:37
bladesedge
It's Gilment.
01:31:38
gil
Yeah. So I'm going to move, um, to the east of the tree line. One, two, three, four, five. Um, and then this twig blight, uh, or sorry, uh, vine needle blight needle blight that is in the web is going to get some dagger nonsense first attack coming out.
01:32:04
gil
It's going to be a 23. We have advantage. But I'm just going to roll with that 23.
01:32:07
bladesedge
Yes, silver strains. 23 absolutely hits this guy.
01:32:11
gil
but
01:32:12
bladesedge
With advantage as a rogue, you get a sneak attack whenever you have advantage.
01:32:16
gil
So total damage coming out from that one.
01:32:19
bladesedge
20 damage on one guy, dead. 19 damage on the next guy falls to the ground.
01:32:25
gil
Boom. And then I see that this one is ah resistant to the restrain. So I'm going to do my second offhand attack at him.
01:32:35
bladesedge
Okay.
01:32:39
bladesedge
Not at advantage.
01:32:40
gil
And that's going to be ah just a 16 to hit.
01:32:42
bladesedge
This thing does hit.
01:32:43
gil
Excellent. And coming out for nine psychic damage.
01:32:47
bladesedge
and Psychic damage. Still up, but hurting.
01:32:51
gil
Excellent.
01:32:51
bladesedge
Remind the healing of these psychic blades.
01:32:54
gil
Um, and then I am going to take one step back behind this brush and then my turn.
01:33:02
bladesedge
Okay. So behind the brush and ending your turn, it is this guy's turn who's dead. So that guy does not go before Valerius.
01:33:10
bladesedge
You're up.
01:33:10
Trevor
noise
01:33:12
Trevor
be sure action move Okay, nice. I'll use my action to move the moonbeam onto to this guy.
01:33:25
bladesedge
Cool. So the guy who's heard a little bit, ah he'll take this damage at the start of his turn. If he fails his check.
01:33:30
Trevor
um Actually, I'm gonna wait if it's not too... I'm gonna wait to do that actually. ah First, I'm gonna cast Spiritual Weapon with my bonus action on that guy.
01:33:33
bladesedge
Okay.
01:33:38
bladesedge
Nice.
01:33:41
bladesedge
Oh, nice.
01:33:41
Trevor
and try and 60 feet.
01:33:42
bladesedge
You know, what's the range on spiritual weapon? Nice, and what does Valerius' spiritual weapon look like?
01:33:49
Trevor
ah It looks like another quarter staff, actually, because I think that is the preferred weapon of Sennin.
01:33:54
bladesedge
Nice.
01:33:57
bladesedge
um and I'm gonna um'm go to say something here, and I hope that you're okay with this, but this...
01:34:01
Trevor
Send it. Yeah, absolutely.
01:34:02
bladesedge
the the As the staff comes out, you feel the ring on your finger pulse and the staff.
01:34:13
bladesedge
has this marking on it because it's a wide, you know, spiritual weapon sort of this. it It's not real. It's this floating ethereal weapon that you attack with. um That's not on your person. And you see stamped on this staff in the center is this logo and the logo is a skull and around the skull is a snake eating its own tail.
01:34:43
bladesedge
And that as your as you cast that in your ring pulses, I'll actually show you exactly what that looks like.
01:34:45
Trevor
well
01:34:48
Trevor
Whoa.
01:34:54
bladesedge
Looks like that.
01:34:58
Trevor
Whoa.
01:34:58
bladesedge
ah But in the center of the your of your spiritual weapon.
01:35:01
gil
Ooh.
01:35:03
Trevor
OK.
01:35:06
gil
That's pretty neat.
01:35:07
Trevor
I ask everybody to just time out so I can like jot that down.
01:35:08
Kyle
ah wow
01:35:11
Trevor
No, I'm just kidding.
01:35:11
bladesedge
Yeah.
01:35:11
gil
ah
01:35:13
Trevor
I just believe he sits down and starts writing in his notebook. OK, that's sick.
01:35:20
bladesedge
Oh, there's your, there's your guy right there.
01:35:20
Trevor
Very, very sick.
01:35:23
Trevor
Heck, yeah. um And ah yeah, that spear is going to or the court staff is going to attempt to smack that guy.
01:35:31
Kyle
Oh
01:35:32
bladesedge
Nice.
01:35:33
Trevor
My. pipe
01:35:34
Kyle
wow.
01:35:37
bladesedge
Low AC on these guys, but this guy, Oh, yeah, that's going to do it.
01:35:38
Trevor
Well, not 20 for a 20 for you.
01:35:39
gil
oh
01:35:41
Kyle
o Just disintegrates.
01:35:42
bladesedge
I mean, is that to help, but let's roll that damage. Let's do that big damage.
01:35:45
Trevor
Let's go, yeah, six damage.
01:35:49
gil
Oh, wow, that could have been.
01:35:50
Kyle
well
01:35:51
bladesedge
Bonks this guy into the fucking ground, his feet go in. He's waist high out as he dies.
Victory and Exploration
01:35:58
Trevor
Heck yeah, let's go. And then then I will move the moonbeam and then I'll move it over onto this guy.
01:36:05
bladesedge
Cool. So I'll roll the conch check for that guy um now, but he'll take it on his turn. Seven, failure.
01:36:17
Trevor
Nice.
01:36:23
bladesedge
um All right, so just remember to roll that damage when it becomes his turn, which it is.
01:36:26
Trevor
Yeah.
01:36:27
bladesedge
is he's It's him right after you.
01:36:28
Trevor
Oh, shit.
01:36:28
bladesedge
So I'm going to roll that damage.
01:36:30
Trevor
Let's go.
01:36:31
gil
Thank you.
01:36:32
bladesedge
This lightning that's been striking down to the north of here.
01:36:33
Trevor
Oh, 17.
01:36:35
bladesedge
Oh my God, that's fucking massive.
01:36:35
Kyle
Oh my god.
01:36:37
bladesedge
As the lightning has been striking to the north of here, the mist's parts, and you all see this full moon out tonight as this beam comes down from the zh and incinerates this needle blade.
01:36:52
Trevor
Oh let's go.
01:36:52
Kyle
Oh, wow.
01:36:52
gil
Wow.
01:36:54
bladesedge
Four dead before any of them have got to go.
01:36:56
Trevor
Damn.
01:36:56
gil
Shock and awe.
01:36:58
bladesedge
ah thats Not his turn.
01:37:00
Trevor
We're insane.
01:37:00
bladesedge
Roy, you're up.
01:37:02
Kyle
ah Beautiful, I'm just gonna
01:37:03
bladesedge
Two left, one restrained, one not.
01:37:06
Kyle
I'm gonna pivot to the one that is not restrained.
01:37:09
bladesedge
Got it.
01:37:10
Kyle
Um... Fire. A shot with my longbow. With a natural one, ladies and gentlemen.
01:37:21
bladesedge
Ah, that is, yes, that is not the loser's chance. You do not have advantage. ah Natural one goes wide.
01:37:30
Kyle
Brutal. Um...
01:37:35
Kyle
That might just be, that might just be it for me chief.
01:37:41
bladesedge
Cool. Is there anything that your, those little spirits that are around you can help you with on that attack or no?
01:37:46
Kyle
No, they only help with like investigation and perception and that kind of stuff.
01:37:51
bladesedge
Okay, cool.
01:37:53
Kyle
Um, yeah, that'll be it.
01:37:54
bladesedge
All right, well, this guy gets to finally go and I think he's less interested in getting unrestrained and more interested in defense. So he is going to at disadvantage.
01:38:08
bladesedge
um This needle blight is going to open his arm His arm moves up and opens like a cannon and he is going to shoot some needles out at disadvantage. um To. He could get any one of you three. ah Let's say it's the guy who's got the web. That's right.
01:38:39
Vesz_rak
Yeah go for it.
01:38:39
gil
He just got some webs still dripping at him.
01:38:40
bladesedge
Oh, yeah, you're. If your alarm is going off in your building, um we can totally pause, but um go ahead and just let me, you can even just type in chat and we'll let everybody know if this hits you or not. This is a plus three to hit.
01:38:56
bladesedge
So in 11, that's going to miss. You got mage armor on. He said, ah yeah, your AC is 16 with your mage armor. Shoots this needles out of his arm. king ah They miss you.
01:39:08
bladesedge
And then it is, ah this guy's dead. And Vesrak, it is your turn.
01:39:12
Trevor
Nice.
01:39:14
bladesedge
And if your shit's still going off, you can go ahead and type in the chat. And we'll just go ahead and let everybody know. We'll get we'll get real creative.
01:39:23
gil
The fire alarm is going off.
01:39:23
bladesedge
yeah they Yeah, unfortunately. He's going to shoot the guy who is not restrained with a fireball and he shoots with an eight, which misses, unfortunately. So he is going to continue to hold his concentration. Yeah, Tommy, get it if you got to get out of your building, get out of your building.
01:39:49
Kyle
ah reg We should pause.
01:39:51
bladesedge
OK, pausing.
01:39:51
gil
yeah
01:39:54
bladesedge
Welcome back, everybody. Sorry for the, uh, slight, um, hiccup in the recording, but Tommy's okay. Fire alarm went off in his building. Our Vesserak is okay. He shot a fire bolt, uh, where we left off at this needle blight, uh, who was not restrained.
01:40:14
bladesedge
And it missed, but Tommy, you were telling me, um, that you were trying to ah hit the web. Is that right?
01:40:22
Vesz_rak
Yeah, so I'm trying to ignite the webs.
01:40:25
bladesedge
Nice, so what is?
01:40:25
Vesz_rak
And so the webs are flammable, so any five foot cube of webs exposed to fire burns away in one round, dealing 2D4 fire damage to any creature that starts its turn in the fire.
01:40:35
Trevor
Oh.
01:40:35
bladesedge
Wow, that's huge. So do the webs have an AC that you have to hit or no?
01:40:44
Trevor
Hey, Bri, how far away from your mic are you right now?
01:40:46
bladesedge
Hey, sorry, I was kind of far.
01:40:47
Trevor
There we go.
01:40:48
bladesedge
OK, the webs are flambling five foot cube of webs exposed to fire. OK, cool. So when this guy starts his turn, which is next. Okay.
01:41:00
bladesedge
So you didn't miss you throw this, this, this fire bolts, uh, this needle blight and you hit the webs, which, uh, light on fire. And nice.
01:41:10
Vesz_rak
I just can't shake the ah pyromaniac ah allegations.
01:41:15
bladesedge
So five foot cube. Okay. So it's his turn at the start of his turn. He takes a 2d4 fire damage. Go ahead and roll that.
01:41:24
gil
Oh.
01:41:25
Vesz_rak
The assault has six fire damage.
01:41:26
bladesedge
Damn, that's a lot and needle blights are not vulnerable. So I know that it's.
01:41:34
Vesz_rak
I was almost playing chestnut checkers for a second.
01:41:38
bladesedge
You guys found you guys found that out about the the twig blights.
01:41:41
gil
The twigs.
01:41:42
Trevor
Wait, wait.
01:41:43
bladesedge
Yes. So on this guy's turn, since he's not restrained, he's going to move and he's going to move out of the webs you go five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, heading south kind of towards Valerius.
01:41:56
bladesedge
But he opens his arm cannon. His arm comes up um and moves apart in a circular motion and needles shoot out at Vesrak.
01:42:07
Vesz_rak
AC 16. Come on, man. Don't do this to me.
01:42:09
bladesedge
OK. That's an 18 to hit.
01:42:12
Vesz_rak
Damn, yeah, that is.
01:42:13
Kyle
ah
01:42:14
bladesedge
um You take nine points of piercing damage.
01:42:19
Vesz_rak
ah OK, eight damage. I'll take that.
01:42:22
gil
Ouch.
01:42:23
bladesedge
You take nine, it's plus one to the six plus one.
01:42:25
Vesz_rak
Oh, man.
01:42:27
bladesedge
Or you take nine points of damage and is. um Is Webb a concentration?
01:42:34
Vesz_rak
it is a concentrate actually what was the uh what was the to hit you rolled a 15 but was the uh one sec i'm just uh i'm gonna shield that actually i'm gonna shield that damage i don't want to take that it's too much too but too much too much for me i don't want to go down again
01:42:40
bladesedge
18.
01:42:48
bladesedge
Okay.
01:42:52
bladesedge
One of those eight spider legs, creating an exoskeleton around your body reaches up and smacks the needles away.
01:42:59
gil
Hell yeah.
01:42:59
bladesedge
Uh, as you cast shield, making your AC until the next round.
01:42:59
Kyle
Mm hmm.
01:43:03
bladesedge
what Wow.
01:43:04
Vesz_rak
Uh, 21.
01:43:05
Trevor
God damn.
01:43:08
bladesedge
So it was 16 with mage armor, 21 with shield, making it 13 without major armor.
01:43:14
Vesz_rak
I'm buff. Yeah. I'm 13 without age, age armor.
01:43:17
bladesedge
Let.
01:43:17
Vesz_rak
I've been working on my mental math, baby.
01:43:19
bladesedge
I love that that 13, 16, 21 got it.
Mystery of the Golthias Tree
01:43:25
bladesedge
All right, that's that guy's turn ah goes to shoot you misses. um And this other guy, the only only two alive, the other guy who is live already missed his shot at Vesrak and attempts to break his concentration. So Gilman, start of the next round, you're up in the shrubs for dead needle blights.
01:43:46
gil
Okay. I see the one escape from the webs and I move back towards the group and I'm going to just fire right past everybody over here. Just straight down the tree line, um, towards the escaped vine blight.
01:44:01
bladesedge
nice Nice needle, but, and what is your range with ah your psychic daggers?
01:44:02
gil
Needle blight. Needle bite.
01:44:06
gil
Uh, that would be a hot 60.
01:44:10
bladesedge
Is it a flat 60 or is it like a 20 60?
01:44:12
gil
It. is a flat 60.
01:44:16
bladesedge
Flat 60. All right, flat 60 covers it.
01:44:18
gil
Flat 60 coming at him with a 22 to hit.
01:44:23
bladesedge
My two hits, no sneak attack on this, but eight damage is going to do it.
01:44:23
Kyle
Mm.
01:44:26
gil
Eights.
01:44:27
bladesedge
It's on what's this cat, right? Or is it the guy that's restrained?
01:44:30
gil
This guy.
01:44:31
bladesedge
This guy. Okay. Cool. Yes. This guy takes eight damage and dies.
01:44:36
gil
Excellent. Then I will huck my next one at the guy still within the webs, but not encumbered by the web. Um,
01:44:43
bladesedge
Okay. It's in comfort. So you, you you have an advantage and if you hit, you will get sneak attack.
01:44:45
gil
Oh, he is. Oh, I thought the dot was, oh, this is guy's a save.
01:44:48
bladesedge
A sneak attack is once per round.
01:44:48
gil
Oh, well then here we go.
01:44:50
Trevor
Oh.
01:44:53
gil
And there's an 18 and there's a 16.
01:44:54
bladesedge
ah hey
01:44:57
bladesedge
That would have also hit.
01:44:57
gil
So coming at him with 13 total damage.
01:45:03
bladesedge
As he goes down, we exit. Combat.
01:45:08
Kyle
Damn. Almost flawless.
01:45:12
bladesedge
I think Flawless. Nobody's taking any damage, right?
01:45:13
gil
Yeah. think
01:45:15
Kyle
Wait, really?
01:45:16
Trevor
True. Oh yeah, true.
01:45:17
gil
we yeah We used spell slots, but that's it.
01:45:20
Trevor
Vez almost did, and then he used shield.
01:45:20
Kyle
oh oh That's fire.
01:45:24
bladesedge
Yeah.
01:45:25
Kyle
Flawless.
01:45:26
bladesedge
Alright, as combat ends, you guys stand here looking at this tree sickly cop's grove of dead trees and shrubs. Huge misshapen tree in the middle here, blood oozing like sap from its twisted trunk.
01:45:48
bladesedge
Shiny battle axe embedded in the tree humanoid skeleton lying below it. What would you guys like to do?
01:45:58
gil
First and foremost, I would make my way back to the perimeter up here so I can look back towards the um the hill and see if on the pathway leading from this this COPS to the um actual um perimeter walls has anything coming this direction or if we are safe for the moment.
01:46:05
bladesedge
Okay. Back on this map.
01:46:22
bladesedge
Cool. I'll move you guys back to this map. You guys can go ahead and move your tokens up here.
01:46:28
Vesz_rak
I'd like to start putting out the fire that was caused by a firebolt and webs as to not draw attention to ourselves.
01:46:32
bladesedge
Nice. Yes. you Absolutely. And you do that in Gilman. As you go look, go ahead and make me a perception check.
01:46:39
gil
Yes, sir. Come on, baby. Show me a good one. Oh, 10, man.
01:46:44
bladesedge
um You don't. I think but with it with a 10, you're close now. You're 400 feet up. So what I can tell you is that the ah the wooden statue that you were looking at um is 50 foot tall, made of tightly woven twigs, packed with black earth.
01:47:08
bladesedge
the um
01:47:12
bladesedge
Um, sorry, Tommy, uh, nothing caught fire, just the web and the web is magical and it's concentration.
01:47:17
Vesz_rak
Okay. Okay. Yeah, just.
01:47:21
bladesedge
So after a minute, the web would disappear anyway.
01:47:23
Vesz_rak
Okay. Good to know. Good to know.
01:47:24
bladesedge
ah Nothing costs fire. No trees got fire. Um, this 50 foot tall statue made of tightly woven twigs packed black earth. The statue resembles a towering cloaked man with fangs.
01:47:35
bladesedge
You see that this giant statue bears an eerie resemblance to Strahd von Zarovich.
01:47:41
gil
Whoa. It doesn't scream winter splinter to me, but I thought this tree was gonna be a winter splinter, but maybe it's maybe it's that thing. Huh. All right, well, seeing that and seeing that there isn't anybody charging down the um path with great axes in hand, I'm gonna go back towards the group and reconvene.
01:48:08
bladesedge
Okay. While he was up ahead scoping, were the rest of you doing post battle?
01:48:16
Kyle
I kind of want to just take a look at this tree.
01:48:16
Trevor
I was probably, oh go ahead.
01:48:18
Kyle
Sorry. I just want to take a look at the tree and get a closer look at the fact that blood is coming out of its bark.
01:48:27
Trevor
Yeah, I would be doing the exact same thing.
01:48:29
bladesedge
Cool. Oh, you can both roll me either a nature check or a investigation check. Depending on the nature of what exactly you're trying to discern.
01:48:43
Kyle
um I just want to see if it's actually made of wood or if there's anything flesh-like that's part of this tree.
01:48:52
bladesedge
Cool. Yeah. Either check will work. Oh, just depending on the information I give you.
01:48:54
Kyle
There's a natural 20.
01:48:55
Trevor
Oh.
01:48:56
bladesedge
All right. Um. You've heard about these. This makes so much sense that a ranger knows about this. This is called a Golthias tree. A Golthias tree is a plant infused with supernatural evil, capable of spreading corruption to nearby plant life and generating malevolent creatures known as blights.
01:49:16
bladesedge
Every blight that you face so far has come from this tree.
01:49:21
Kyle
Wow.
01:49:21
gil
Oh!
01:49:21
bladesedge
And you get the sense that it it is creating them.
01:49:25
Vesz_rak
Let's burn it down.
01:49:26
bladesedge
And it is a lot it is it while it looks dead. um It looks. It seems to be destroyed, but it isn't truly dead. um You can determine that the entire stump of this tree must be uprooted for the tree to truly die.
01:49:52
bladesedge
Um, yeah, and it can a gothias tree can create blights from ordinary plants.
01:49:53
Kyle
oh
01:49:57
bladesedge
It's this with a natural 20. You've only maybe seen one of these ever before. This has got to be the only one in Barovia.
01:50:08
Kyle
Wow.
01:50:08
bladesedge
With a natural 20 investigation as well, the skeleton lying at the base of the tree is all that remains of a human who tried to cut down this tree. Um.
01:50:21
bladesedge
With that as well, the battle acts embedded in the tree. The handle is carved with leaves and vines, and it looks to be magical. um In nature.
01:50:40
bladesedge
um And yeah.
01:50:43
gil
Magical battle acts.
01:50:46
bladesedge
That is all of the information.
Strahd's Arrival and Ritual Preparation
01:50:52
Kyle
Gotcha. There's no no getting rid of this tree at this current moment in time. Unless someone's strong enough to lift it out of the ground.
01:51:05
gil
Yeah, let me give it a shot. and Stretch it out.
01:51:11
gil
um i would ah I would go take a look at that battle axe.
01:51:18
bladesedge
OK, it is embedded. In the tree.
01:51:24
gil
um Yeah, can I try to leverage my um ah dagger that I have to try and pry it free?
01:51:34
bladesedge
um
01:51:40
bladesedge
Yes.
01:51:40
gil
I have a crowbar as well.
01:51:42
bladesedge
No, you can't. I mean, I'm just reading something here. Mm hmm.
01:51:53
bladesedge
Cool. Um, yeah, go ahead and make me with a dagger. I'd say you, you, you tell me it could be a slight of hand that you'd be like wedging it in there, or I would take an athletics to pull it.
01:52:03
gil
Yeah, well, I think I might actually just use my crowbar because i can ah I can get a little bit better leverage and have advantage on strength checks with that.
01:52:14
bladesedge
cool
01:52:15
gil
Yeah, so might just go for athletics at advantage.
01:52:18
bladesedge
Athletics check at advantage.
01:52:25
gil
15.
01:52:27
bladesedge
Okay, with a 15, you pop, are able to get this magical battle axe out of the tree.
01:52:35
gil
Fuck yeah.
01:52:36
bladesedge
A handle carved with leaves and vines. um You, as you feel this, this whip, you've felt battle axes before, and this weapon weighs about half as much as a normal battle axe.
01:52:48
gil
Oh, very interesting.
01:52:50
Kyle
Mm.
01:52:51
gil
It'd be nice not to have to carry around that heavy thing. I'll take like just a couple of like swings around with it. It feels natural in my hand.
01:53:00
bladesedge
yeah you make you You make a swing with it, and as you make a swing with it, thorns sprout out of the handle and you take one point of piercing damage.
01:53:12
gil
Oh, one damage. Ouch, fucker.
01:53:21
gil
Interesting.
01:53:24
gil
Well, it's ah maybe it took on some of the traits of the tree. I'm not sure, but well, we should bring it with us.
01:53:38
gil
And I'll put it on ah put it on my back.
01:53:38
Kyle
Yeah, that could be useful.
01:53:41
bladesedge
Nice. I mean, if you guys want to spend 10 minutes here, of ezrak you can cast identify, but if you guys are, if you guys are trying to not stay here for 10 minutes, totally, totally.
01:53:47
gil
Yeah, true.
01:53:48
Trevor
I'd be down.
01:53:52
Kyle
Yeah, I mean, we're we're in a danger zone right now.
01:53:52
Vesz_rak
Yeah, I think we we could do it later. I don't want to sit here.
01:53:56
gil
and
01:53:56
Vesz_rak
I'd like to try to look around for the gem, if I could.
01:54:01
bladesedge
Yeah. With, with his natural, with Roy's natural 20, I'll go ahead and let you know it's not down here.
01:54:01
Vesz_rak
but
01:54:07
bladesedge
It's not by this tree at all.
01:54:10
Kyle
Gotcha.
01:54:10
Vesz_rak
Okay. So I, so I'm assuming it's at the next like circlet of, yeah.
01:54:16
Trevor
Yeah.
01:54:16
Vesz_rak
So let's, I think we should try and sneak on up there again. I mean, we probably made enough noise.
01:54:20
Trevor
Yeah.
01:54:21
Vesz_rak
They probably know' are here, but we can still give it a shot.
01:54:24
gil
I was looking and it doesn't look like anything's coming this way. They might be focused in on something else. This, uh, they have this big, like almost massive effigy to Strahd up there kind of full of sticks and twigs. I'm not sure if this is winter splinter, but if they're doing a ritual, it very well could be.
01:54:45
Kyle
How tall is this rock wall around the center area?
01:54:51
bladesedge
um The rock wall is...
01:54:53
Kyle
ah Like the the circle.
01:54:55
bladesedge
yeah um It's 250 feet in diameter and ranges from 5 feet to 10 feet high.
01:55:10
Kyle
Okay, maybe we can we can sneak behind some of the taller rocks and just like be up against the wall and get a closer look on the inside.
01:55:19
gil
Yeah. I like that.
01:55:23
bladesedge
Okay. So you guys are stealthing up to the.
01:55:27
gil
Maybe we stealth like you want to go to the East ah or the West Roy.
01:55:33
Kyle
um I was just talking like right at the entrance of this pathway.
01:55:36
gil
Sure. Cool.
01:55:39
Kyle
And just yeah try and try and peep our heads in without being seen.
01:55:49
bladesedge
Okay. and Give me a group stealth check.
01:55:52
Kyle
Cool.
01:55:57
gil
Just a 13.
01:55:58
Kyle
18.
01:55:58
Vesz_rak
22 for Vessarak.
01:56:00
Trevor
Nice. 14 for hilarious.
01:56:04
bladesedge
OK, you guys stealth up and then you just want to take a look.
01:56:10
Kyle
ah Yes.
01:56:11
bladesedge
Oh, go ahead and make me a perception check.
01:56:19
bladesedge
Give me that little buzz. Hey. Cool. um The boulders right by your guys's head struck by lightning.
01:56:19
gil
oh
01:56:34
bladesedge
If you were just a smidge over towards these rocks, you would have been hit.
01:56:40
gil
Yikes.
01:56:41
bladesedge
ah But you were not.
01:56:44
bladesedge
ah What you will say, what you will see. As we end tonight's session. As you hear hooves.
01:56:57
Kyle
loves
01:56:58
bladesedge
Making their way up. Making their way up the hill.
01:57:03
bladesedge
And you see.
01:57:08
gil
No.
01:57:11
bladesedge
do
01:57:12
gil
Say it ain't so, Brian.
01:57:13
Kyle
my No, wait a minute.
01:57:14
bladesedge
um He's the cresting into the circle.
01:57:14
Vesz_rak
I hope it's tenacious D.
01:57:16
gil
No, no, no, no.
01:57:26
bladesedge
Strahd von Zarovich atop a horse made of fire.
01:57:29
gil
Oh, okay.
01:57:29
Kyle
Ooh.
01:57:31
gil
Oh my goodness.
01:57:31
Trevor
Whoa.
01:57:33
Kyle
That looks sick.
01:57:33
Vesz_rak
God, I want that horse. Fuck.
01:57:38
bladesedge
As he arrives, not knowing you're here. He. His arrival. You begin. He says.
01:57:58
bladesedge
Rude. Druids of yesterday. It is time. It is time for you to.
01:58:08
bladesedge
brings forth bring forth winter splinter. There are people in this land who mean me harm. People who have read the letter to Koyanovich. I must find Irina before they do. Summon the beast. Kill the interlopers.
01:58:37
bladesedge
And as he says this out in the air, or you guys aren't you don't see anybody else, but then you begin to see people crawl out of these graves all around you. And you see.
01:58:59
bladesedge
You see crawling out of these graves and making their way up into here. You see. Six druids and Vesrak. You see that one of these druids is Tom.
01:59:19
Vesz_rak
Not Tom.
01:59:21
gil
Fucking Tom.
01:59:21
Vesz_rak
What is he doing? What is he doing here?
01:59:26
bladesedge
um You see these druids. Make their way. Pay no attention to the Y3.
01:59:39
bladesedge
That's for me. um Rise out of graves and come in here as he says. Hmm. Bring winter splinter. Bring ruin. Kill everyone if you must. The locals will be back anyway.
02:00:00
bladesedge
You see as well um rising from graves to ah sort of protect this ritual. You see six of these rising out of graves. The warriors that
02:00:29
gil
Oh.
02:00:30
bladesedge
Davian warned you about as these druids ah arise from their graves, they begin to take out plants and affix them to themselves, smearing blood underneath their eyes and gearing up to begin their ritual.
02:00:31
Kyle
Oh, God.
02:00:58
bladesedge
And as they each take their breath to start chanting.
02:01:07
bladesedge
We'll see you guys next time.
02:01:10
gil
Oh fuck.
02:01:11
Kyle
Sheesh.
02:01:12
bladesedge
Thanks for tuning into the blade's edge, cursive Strahd. And, uh, yeah, apologies for the, um, little hiccup in the middle, but everybody's okay. And that's all that matters. We will see you guys.
02:01:12
gil
See you next time.
02:01:24
gil
Tommy put out the fire.
02:01:27
bladesedge
We'll see you guys next time.
02:01:27
Trevor
Maybe he started it.
02:01:30
bladesedge
Bye.