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C1 Ep 111 Eberron Reduced 5
292 Plays6 years ago
This week we take a deep dive into Beric’s training with Dedrick Beynar as he attempts to cope with his blindness. But perhaps Beynar has more up his sleeve to assist Beric?
This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Jessica Smith, Irene Viorritto, Ryan Royce, Darrell DeLaney, Jon Cary, Nikko Batson, Charles Compton, The Kamm Family, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Emily Estella Scott, and Michael Clark.
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Transcript
Introduction and Acknowledgments
00:00:00
Speaker
This episode is brought to you by the generous donations of John Kerry, Laura Pickron, Nico Batson, Elizabeth Clark, Darryl Delaney, Ryan Royce, Irene Villarito, The Cam Family, Charles Compton, Emily Estella Scott, Michael Clark, and David Scrams, as well as all of our generous patrons.
00:00:30
Speaker
D20 radio, your game is roll.
00:00:51
Speaker
look not to the skies nor the depths below nor even the distant past or future seek the divine within for the blood is the life and in its cull can be heard the promise of eternal life one has but to listen mantra of the blood of all
00:01:13
Speaker
Hello
Hosts Introduction and Scheduling Challenges
00:01:14
Speaker
and welcome to Eberron Renewed, a D&D fifth edition actual play podcast set in the Eberron campaign setting. I am your dungeon master, Eric. And I'm Philip. And we have an exciting Eberron reduced for all of you wonderful people. Bump it up. Because scheduling for four people is hard. So that's true. We need to fill a week, but we're going to fill it with quality content. Training montage.
Barrick's Journey to the Orion Enclave
00:01:42
Speaker
Um, so yeah, we are going to cover where we pretty much exactly where we left off last episode, uh, with Barrick headed to the Orion enclave to meet up with Daedric Benar. Um, who is, should be arriving there shortly.
00:01:59
Speaker
Uh, with Booyah leading the way, which Randy is not here. So we'll figure that out. I'm going to talk to, talk to Booyah so much just to try and make you do the voice. Uh, I'm not good at the Booyah voice though. Here, let me. Hey Randy, you awake? No, he's most certainly not. Um,
00:02:20
Speaker
OK, so, yeah, let's just pick up where we left off. So you are leaving the enclave that you've been staying at and training at with Booyah leading the way for you. Are you just wanting to head straight there? Yeah, I think so. I don't really have anywhere else to go at this point.
00:02:44
Speaker
Okay, so yeah, give me perception check. 21. 21. You don't get a sense. But I am blind. Yes, yeah, go and do that with disadvantage. 17.
00:03:10
Speaker
OK, so that was kind of a preemptive one for me, having you just kind of see how well you sense if anybody may be following you or anything like that, and you don't sense anybody. Anybody seems to be trailing you or even taking much notice of you, at least not people that have magical auras surrounding them.
00:03:32
Speaker
Um, so yeah, um, the orient enclave is, uh, a level up above where you are. So, um, you all are going to have to take a sky cab. Um, so does Sean have, does Sean have like elevators? Is that an option?
00:03:52
Speaker
Uh, I don't, I don't care that we take a skype. I just, I just don't remember if Sean has that kind of thing. Uh, just takes a very long time and there's different transfers and stuff like that. No, there's not elevators that go all the way up and down. Um, so yeah. Um, uh, you, you reach a platform and you hear a voice, uh, where do you need to go? And
00:04:21
Speaker
Booyah say, Orion Enclave. Okay, Orion Enclave, that'd be five gold pieces. Which Booyah pays. Yes, Booyah gladly pays. And tips generously. So, yeah, it's a really short ride. Very disorienting to take a Skycab blind. Yeah, I would think so.
00:04:47
Speaker
So after a relatively short cab ride, you come lurching to a halt and you depart. There's a lot more sound going on in this part of the city, a lot busier, kind of a hub of economic
Sensory Overload at the Enclave
00:05:09
Speaker
activity in sharn with all with the 12 and their enclaves being present here a lot going on and Booyah says enclave this way and leads Eric follows sort of you know, and he's starting to get the hang of working with the with the walking stick to sort of just sweep back and forth ahead of him trying to avoid tripping over anything. Yeah.
00:05:37
Speaker
If okay with you, Booyah, be quiet for a while. That's fine. Booyah needs some time to think and contemplate over everything that's been going on. So yeah, you see a lot of magic up here though. In fact,
00:05:57
Speaker
you notice something that you haven't really encountered since your blindness took hold, that you see what appear to be kind of ornate markings floating through the air. And you realize that you are seeing the outline of dragon marks on people glowing.
00:06:19
Speaker
somewhat, just like you would a magical item almost. So just that same sort of sense. But because this is such a concentrated form of magic, it is very well defined for you. So it almost seems the fact that it is
00:06:39
Speaker
more I hate to use the term biological magic, but right that that sense that like it's it's more well defined. So. So yeah, after probably a five to six minute walk, a few blocks you. You reach the the Orion enclave, you see Booyah turn and walk in through a doorway and you see a lot of figures standing around and
Meeting Dedric and Seeking Guidance
00:07:07
Speaker
you get an overwhelming sense of magic with the teleportation rings being present and in use in this building. So when you walk in, I don't think there's any reason why Booyah would have ever met Dedric, just the people that would have been on the ship when you all were in the water. So
00:07:33
Speaker
I don't know that happened. Barrick doesn't know that happened, does he? Did anyone ever tell? Okay. I mean, it never came up. Right. So he, if I remember correctly, he had a pretty lengthy conversation with Gerald and Crast and then went on his way. So. Okay. Yeah, the only person I can think you would have told Barrick is Paolo, but it is perfectly, a lot of things was going on, so. Yeah.
00:08:03
Speaker
So yeah, would you have given Booyah a description of the man that you're on the lookout for? I'm actually not sure that I have a description of him. I think we've had a description of his clothing before, but that obviously wouldn't be particularly useful other than well-dressed. But I don't know that I have a description of his face in my head.
00:08:30
Speaker
Um, he has very, very stark features. Um, a, a fairly large nose, not like comically or anything, but larger than average nose. Um, very dark black, like true black hair with shocks of gray hair on his temples. And then also a, a meticulously well trimmed goatee. Okay. Then yes, that's what I would have described to Booyah.
00:08:58
Speaker
Uh, and I'm just hoping that he's not changed his hair or facial hair at all. Yeah. Right. Um, so, um, so yeah, after a couple of minutes, uh, you hear Booyah go, I think, I think, I think I see man. I think that that him and Booyah points, uh, unlike, uh, sure. Cause you do. Yeah. Um, and.
00:09:29
Speaker
So give me a description of being in a place that has this much magic going on. What is that sense like for Barak? I would think that there would be a point at which you'd get kind of an overload and it would be really hard to distinguish individual auras from one another.
00:09:49
Speaker
Um, you know, I mean, I know what Barak has is not fine tuned in the way of the, the Daredevil thing, but you know, the, the, the, the Ben Affleck Daredevil film where we get the really weird little like blind vision. And then when he's fighting Kingpin, it makes all the noise. It like just overloads everything. It becomes a big blur. I kind of think that's probably what it's like. It's, it's, there's just too much.
00:10:15
Speaker
There's too much here for Barrick to I would think too much here for Barrick to be able to pick out individual auras in that in the way that he might be able to otherwise. Do you have your hood pulled down concealing your your eyes? Yes. OK. I would, however, be if we're thinking of how he might recognize me, I would have to be still wearing that amulet that he gave me.
00:10:38
Speaker
Okay. Um, so after Booyah says that, uh, you're, you're very overloaded with magic to the point where you can't really distinguish anything. It's just kind of all around you, but you do hear, um, uh, a heavy set of feet getting louder as they step towards you, uh, very decisively. And a, a figure kind of gets like really close to you and then stop suddenly and, uh,
00:11:10
Speaker
Berwick, everything all right? And do I recognize his voice as being Berwick? Yeah. No, rather the opposite in a lot of ways. I mean, I'm well, I suppose, but
00:11:34
Speaker
Well, and I sort of try and not sort of draw the hood up a little bit, just so that my condition can be perceived. Oh, gods. That's not pull it back down. Something else, I suppose. Um, let's, uh,
00:12:01
Speaker
Should we leave and you can tell me what's going on. That's probably best. I, it's a very strange tale and I don't know. I don't suppose it's a dangerous thing for people to hear, but I, I'd rather not have all these people in on what's happening. I've been staying at a, at a monastery, a level down, unless there's someplace you'd prefer to go.
00:12:31
Speaker
Oh, that's perfectly fine. Um, I suppose I should lead the way. Uh, yes, that's, that's that would be best. I, I have some, I have some limited perception of magic around me, but nothing distinct.
00:12:54
Speaker
Very well. And he kind of extends an elbow to you. And I kind of find it eventually.
00:13:10
Speaker
Thank you for bringing me. There's no reason for you to, I'll be fine. Oh, is this a tiny Walford's servant? No, this is, this is my friend Booyah. Booyah Grigal. Yes. Uh, he's, he's actually wearing a rather elaborate suit of armor. I don't exactly understand how it works, but it's some sort of rather impressive piece of artifice, but he's actually a goblin inside there. Goblin in a can. Interesting.
00:13:40
Speaker
Yes. Anyway, I think I'll be fine. I'll be back at the monastery if you need me. Thank you. Thank you for your help.
00:14:02
Speaker
Booyah help, and Booyah takes off. Clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank. And then takes off flying. So you all begin making your way. Once you get out of the,
00:14:21
Speaker
the cacophony of magic, as it were, that is the Orient Enclave, you begin to sense, out of your periphery almost, since you're walking next to Dedric, an immense point of magic, and you see that he's wearing an amulet that is just emanating a strong concentration of magic from it.
00:14:46
Speaker
Interesting. Do I remember him wearing a distinctive amulet as we make our way to the the. If you it was never a point of conversation or anything notable that like stood out at you, you may vaguely recall that he wore something around his neck, but it was never anything worth noting.
Training at the Monastery
00:15:11
Speaker
Nothing particularly elaborate.
00:15:16
Speaker
I assume a sky cab is fine. It's a bit disorienting, but yes, that's probably the best way to get there. It's been quite some time since I've been in Sean. This is... The city's a lot to take in. Well, you can see where the sidewalks end. I can't. Now, Beric, it's not a competition.
00:15:44
Speaker
fair, but I'm just saying if it was, I win. Um, so, uh, what, what can you tell me about how you ended up like this? My companions and I, uh, we had an errand that took us down into Kyber and we encountered a creature down there.
00:16:13
Speaker
I didn't ever get the word Dalkeer, right? Did I? Yeah, he mentioned the term Dalkeer. Something called a Dalkeer. A very powerful aberration, I think. In any case, we became trapped in. It trapped us in a room, it trapped us and.
00:16:41
Speaker
In order to complete our errand, we were forced to make a deal with it and it's as payment, I suppose is the word. I took my eyes. Hmm. Sounds like nasty business. I hope it turns out to be worth it.
00:17:11
Speaker
I'm not sure there was a better choice in the moment. I, ultimately, I hope so as well. I suppose time will tell. So why have you called me here? Well, that goblin that just left beat me up and down a yard, a practice yard with a sword.
00:17:42
Speaker
because I can't see. Reasonable? Sure. And I still have things I have to accomplish and help my companions do that will be very dangerous. And I am afraid. I'm genuinely afraid that I'm going to get them killed.
00:18:08
Speaker
I can perceive magical auras. I can see the pinpoint of magic from what I assume is a magical amulet you're wearing. I think it's about where your chest would be. I can see the magic of the sky cab. I could see people's dragon marks, but it's not enough.
00:18:39
Speaker
You know, I could, I could wave my sword at that spot on your chest, but it doesn't tell me where you are really. It doesn't, it doesn't give me shape or depth or distance or measure or any of these things I need. I need, I need some way to be able to fight or at least to not
00:19:12
Speaker
If I can't do anything like that, then I'm just, my friends are, I'm asking my companions to bring along a waste. Maybe one day, with lots of time, I'll be able to get around well enough with a cane to not be an entire liability on them.
00:19:40
Speaker
but I don't have that long. They have to go. And if I'm to go with them, I need some way to be useful in my current state. And if I, if I can't find that, then I need them to go without me and find someone else to go with them. I don't,
00:20:12
Speaker
I don't know what you can do. Maybe it's nothing. You taught me more than swordplay. You're not the first person I've learned swordplay from. You're not the only person I was learning swordplay from in Stormreach. Lady Ammarin taught me quite a lot of swordfighting, but you taught me more than that. You showed me how to do things that were magic, but
00:20:40
Speaker
not in the way that I understood it before. So I don't know if there's anything you can do, but I need help, and Paola's not really someone I can ask right now. Well, let's, we are at the platform, we will discuss this further once we arrive
00:21:10
Speaker
at the monastery. Right, right. Hey, how are you doing? Where do you need to go? You can drop us off back where you picked us up. No, you're thinking of my brother. Right, sorry. I need to go to the monastery of the broken blade.
00:21:35
Speaker
Like, oh, that'll be five gold pieces. Yes, of course it will. And I'm sure Barak has five gold pieces on him. He fishes them out. And you hear Daedric make some comment about five gold pieces for cab ride. Inflation's been awful here. There seems to be some kind of monopoly on cab service here.
00:22:01
Speaker
Well, Derek, welcome to Covair. There's a monopoly on everything. Sure. And then for the duration of the Sky Cab ride, Daedric gets into a very lengthy conversation about free market economics with you. So as you arrive on the platform,
00:22:29
Speaker
And that is why monopolies can serve a purpose. Competition does sometimes lead to, oh, we're here. And he helps you out of the cab onto the platform. And it's not very difficult to find the monastery and lead you in, if you are,
00:22:59
Speaker
If you require rest or anything like that, you did say that the, uh, the goblin, um, smashed you around earlier. Um, you can rest and we can begin a lesson later, or if you're ready to just jump right in, we can. I'm, I'm ready. Whatever, whatever needs to be done. All right. Um, and he, uh, he leads you out to the training yard. Uh, you hear the noise of training and, um, says better.
00:23:29
Speaker
Wait till one moment. And you hear footsteps walking away. As he does, I take off the cloak and set it aside and that sort of thing. Give me a perception check. Is this disadvantaged?
00:23:49
Speaker
It's hearing based. Well, I've got an 11. Okay, so you can hear faint noises. You can tell that Daedric is speaking to the the head of the monastery out in the yard, but you cannot pick up what he's saying. Okay. But you once again hear the sound of training cease and you hear a lot of footsteps getting further away from you. But one
00:24:15
Speaker
Set is getting closer. He's like, all right, we've got your cloak off. I'm going to unsheathe. I'm going to leave my sword sheathed, but just use it sheathed, just for safety's sake. Don't want you tripping and falling on my blade or anything. So I just want to get a sense of,
00:24:41
Speaker
how you fight now before we begin training. So try to strike me. I'm just going to defend myself. All right. And. Disadvantage is a 15. So.
00:25:07
Speaker
Um, your, your strike is actually remarkably true. You're honing in on that amulet. Right. Um, so you're, you're able to, uh, to go right at him, but he does parry you away, uh, at the last moment and sidesteps and says, good, good. Now with some footwork, please. So just a side note here, I actually went out in my backyard with a wooden sword.
00:25:37
Speaker
And closed my eyes and tried to do things. Yeah. And footwork. Do you know how much of your balance involves seeing?
Philosophy of the Blood of Vol
00:25:49
Speaker
Yeah. I didn't think about that. And I fell over a lot. Yeah. So.
00:25:57
Speaker
I just wanted to point that out because my, obviously my attack role is very hot. My attack modifier is very high and disadvantage just doesn't even begin to cut what goes in to this. Now, now that Barrick is, or now that, uh, Daedric is moving about and forcing you to use some footwork, um, go ahead and do a, uh, with disadvantage still, but let's add a negative five modifier onto, onto that. I think that's fair.
00:26:27
Speaker
So that's a 12. OK, so, yeah, the the having to move about a bit. You still it's not as wild as you maybe thought it would be with that point of reference. And but he's still able to he doesn't even swat you away that time. He just kind of sidesteps out of the way of your blow. And.
00:26:56
Speaker
Describe describe how Beric is swinging right now. Like, give me give me. So Beric's. Beric's got the sword just still closed. It's still sheathed in the in the walking stick. And he's. Just to get better control, he's trying to work it two handed, which is not usually how he fights.
00:27:21
Speaker
But every time that he kind of tries to turn and shift in the course of a fight, there's this sort of vertigo as he lands on the back foot as part of a turn and has to sort of
00:27:36
Speaker
shift almost, you know, fall backwards and catch himself. And so every, every, you know, swings come short as his body sort of lurches sideways. He's having to to the blows are stuttering as he as his feet slip on the dust and he tries to write himself. So it's it's extremely clumsy, just big, big movements.
00:28:01
Speaker
swiping out at that point that he can tell where it is but not exactly how far it is. Okay. So go ahead and so Daedric says
00:28:20
Speaker
getting a little shaky and you see him reach up and you see the amulet kind of float up in the air for a moment and then go flying off to the side and land on the ground. Again. Okay.
00:28:44
Speaker
Well, uh, that's two very good roles. So an 18, 18. Um, so, uh, you get the sense that, uh, maybe, uh, Daedric wasn't anticipating you just lunging straight forward.
00:29:00
Speaker
And so you feel the sword gain purchase with his chest for a second. He kind of steps back and you feel his sheathed rapier knock your sword away as like, very good. Now,
00:29:24
Speaker
with footwork. Right. You hear shuffling and moving about and you're trying to through the sound. Right. So you hear him shuffling about a bit. So give me the give me the role still at the negative five. Yeah. Ten. OK. Give me just one moment to grab my dice because
00:29:54
Speaker
stuff to happen in. Okay, so you lunge and you feel a sharp pain in the knuckles of your left hand. Is Berwick right handed or left handed? Berwick is right handed. Right handed. So yeah, you feel a sharp pain in the knuckles of your left hand and you hear a much sterner yet still familiar voice saying that's not how you fight.
00:30:26
Speaker
All right, so Barak again straightens up and takes the left hand off the sword and sort of shifts a little bit, bringing the sword up centered in front of him with the left hand held back a little bit towards his chest and listens to try and find some idea of where the voice was and where the feet are and then
00:30:54
Speaker
guesses and just sort of swipes sideways, swipes laterally at that point. Nine. Nine. So you guessed vaguely correctly, but certainly nowhere near correct. And you actually stumble a bit losing your balance. And you.
00:31:22
Speaker
You feel the rapier hit the back of your knee that lunged too far forward and caused the imbalance. And you hear the voice say, you know how to fight. Stop fighting against yourself and fight me. So...
00:31:56
Speaker
Barret resumes his guard, comes forward into sort of a somewhat like a fencing stance, and tries to find
00:32:16
Speaker
through hearing, following that voice and trying to feel where the sword that struck him would need to be to hit him in the way it did.
00:32:32
Speaker
11. 11. So yeah, you sense that the voice was behind you, so you try to pivot around and swing. But once again, you swing and just find nothing. And you hear the voice very close into your left ear. Say,
00:33:00
Speaker
You said that I taught you more than swordplay. I taught you magic. Use it and you feel a sharp pain in your back as he flaps you again. OK. So.
00:33:30
Speaker
So Beric. I'm trying to think if I can do this with the sword she's. Beric. Beric says. Nothing.
00:34:00
Speaker
Nothing of the magic you taught me won't harm you. If I manage to hit you, I don't want to, you know, I don't want to accidentally harm you. You hear the voice, uh, chortle slightly and say, when I was training you before you took the magic that I was teaching you and lashed out with it. And you hear another like thwap at the outside of your left thigh.
00:34:30
Speaker
That is a novices tool. I ask you to use the magic in you to see. There's magic in me. You can see magic and you feel a pain on your right thigh on the outside. See it. OK, so the first thing I do is I.
00:34:56
Speaker
Um, I shift and I, I turn towards him, uh, and I extend the left hand, um, and, and bring the blade up into the, the Obi-Wan Kenobi stance. I'm sure there's a Tai Chi term for it, but that's what everyone knows knows it from. Uh, at least everyone who listens to this podcast, uh, and the, um, air.
00:35:23
Speaker
The air around me starts to sort of ripple. And this is a blur effect. So it's going to give him disadvantage on his on his attack rolls against me. OK. If we're I mean, are we do you want me to bother with with the action economy here? Because that would be an action.
00:35:51
Speaker
I know I'm not worried about the the action economy here. OK, so go ahead and give me another another role. OK. On on this one, I will. You know, bring the sword up and then draw it out of the blade. And as I do, I sort of run my let my finger let one of my part of my hand run down the blade.
00:36:21
Speaker
which I have not done in a long time, and as the blood touches the blade, the blade lights up with flame, and I will attack again. Ooh, that's much better. That would be a 20. Oh, okay. Natural 20, or just? No, no, no. Okay. Yeah, modified 20.
00:36:49
Speaker
OK, go ahead and do some damage for me. Okey dokey. Nice, that is. Nine plus. Seven.
00:37:18
Speaker
So it'll be 16. 16? Yeah. So yeah, you slash and you feel or you feel not slash, but oh yeah, you ran your finger down the blade. So yeah, you feel the slash across his chest. And for a brief moment, you see a flicker of magic, like a quick little flash that quickly dies out.
00:37:48
Speaker
Give me a dexterity saving throw with disadvantage. OK. Seven. OK.
00:38:02
Speaker
So as soon as you have a brief moment of, I don't know if satisfaction is the right word, but victory, you all of a sudden feel both of your feet are no longer in contact with the ground. In fact, are swiftly headed up to where your head should be. And you feel the ground make impact with your back just flat as you land on the ground and kind of gasp for air for a moment.
00:38:31
Speaker
Um, and you hear a voice that's clearly like squatting down next to you. Um, well swung, but you're swinging about like a blind man with a sword. You're doing what you can and what you can will get you killed.
00:39:01
Speaker
You've known me, Beric. I'm not a man of words, but I respect the power of words, for that's what made me what I am. And there's a specific set of words that I was taught. Others had heard them, contemplated them, and so on, but I understood them. They changed me. What was I before I heard those words? I was nothing.
00:39:32
Speaker
the teachings that have guided me for a long time, that there's power in you. And you feel a hand grasp around your wrist and pull you to a sitting position. And you hear kind of a thud on the ground as Daedric sits on the ground near you, clearly still facing you. And you actually
00:40:02
Speaker
I get give me a perception check with disadvantage or no, no. That was very close, very nearly a natural one. That would be disappointing. Twenty four. OK, so as you're being pulled up into a seated position, you see a quick flash of light as you realize that the amulet has gone flying back to Daedric and you see him slip it on his head. Interesting.
00:40:33
Speaker
and you see him sit down on the ground across from you facing you. You're saying there's power in you. Forgive me if that seems vague to me of
00:40:51
Speaker
You could say that of many people. I'm not saying that there's power in me. I'm saying there's power in you. There's power in everyone. Skill, talent, ambition. They're all tools, but ultimately they're all a lie. There's only us. There's only that which gives us fervor. And through that fervor, we gain fortitude.
00:41:22
Speaker
And through the fortitude, we can influence the world around us, which ultimately leads to our triumph. That's the only way that we're no longer prisoners to those around us. All right. Our blood is what sets us free.
00:41:51
Speaker
You mean, our blood, like the sword, like when I have cut myself with the sword and it gives the sword
00:42:20
Speaker
an additional power, it sets fire to the sword. That is one way it can manifest. Yes. There's all different ways that the magic that's contained within every living, breathing thing can manifest.
00:42:44
Speaker
And far too often we are fearful of what that means. Look at the way that, I mean, the history of this city and the aberrant marked individuals, how they were treated, how they were feared, because the magic within them manifest in a way that
00:43:06
Speaker
Scared people, some rightfully so. I'm not saying that they were innocent. Some of them did commit crimes. Many did not. But either way, they are pariahs now. All because people are afraid of what an individual can do when they let go. When they stop trying to fit in a box.
00:43:36
Speaker
When they stopped doing what they were taught, what they were told, how they think they should fight, how they think a blind man should act. I did something earlier that I didn't know I could do. A man was following us and I turned and he started to run.
00:44:03
Speaker
And I stopped him. I reached out and I stopped him. I held him. I could move him. I didn't know I could do that, and I don't understand how I did it. Well, that was you.
00:44:29
Speaker
interacting with him. It's no different than if you would have grabbed him around his collar and held him still. Just you did it through your connection that you have to everything that we all have to everything.
Breakthrough and Parting Advice
00:44:45
Speaker
All we have to do is see it. So
00:45:01
Speaker
You say everyone, everyone has power in them that is through their blood. You mean... This sounds simple and forgive me, I'm trying to understand.
00:45:30
Speaker
You mean blood is just inherently magic? Living blood just contains magical force, magical power? That sounds excessively simple. I'm sorry.
00:45:51
Speaker
We are creatures that get up, walk about, speak, feel, love, hate, desire, and it's all fueled by something that when spilled on the ground looks no different than on Darian wine.
00:46:18
Speaker
Do you really think it's absurd to call that magical? I mean, there's something in all of us that gives us that capacity and by forcing ourselves to reckon with that, to exert ourselves against the world,
00:46:47
Speaker
A conflict forces one to better oneself. It forces change and growth, uh, adaption, evolution, even death, but still death is just a step based on what you've told me. You know that better than anybody. I do. I suppose I've always been taught to.
00:47:18
Speaker
When I've sought the power that I have, when I've sought the magic that I have, I have always reached out to something else, either to the silver flame or to the pact that I have inherited. I'm not sure that I understand other than I have, obviously I did it earlier, but
00:47:45
Speaker
I'm not sure I understand how to deliberately reach in. Well, stop reaching out. And you feel a hand wrap itself around your wrist and yank you onto your feet. I'm going to fight you now.
00:48:14
Speaker
I want you to forget that you're blind. I want you to put that out of your mind, in fact, and you feel something cover the front part of your face and you feel hands tying a knot behind your head. And
Conclusion and Acknowledgments
00:48:38
Speaker
then you feel a playful like finger flicking on your forehead as you kind of start back at that
00:48:45
Speaker
You just have a blindfold on. Take it off at any time. Fight me like you fought me before. You know where I am. You can hear me stepping. You can hear me breathing. I've seen you fight people trying to sneak up behind you. Couldn't see them. Could you? No.
00:49:16
Speaker
I have fought individuals who have turned invisible in front of my very eyes. I couldn't see them. Still ended a few licks in. All right. So and you hear the familiar ringing of a rapier being unsheathed. I'll try and I
00:49:45
Speaker
Resume the the stance sword high. That is a 18. Do I have all of my AC bonuses at the moment? Would you have all of your AC bonuses at the moment?
00:50:09
Speaker
Well, all my I mean, I don't wear any armor. My bonuses come from I have one from the sword. I get to add my charisma because I can say and then my dexterity. I just didn't know if being blind would. Well, being blind would give him advantage. Yeah. Oh.
00:50:26
Speaker
22. That'll hit. So you feel a sharp pain on just below your right shoulder, kind of where your bicep and your shoulder muscle meet. And you hear a voice from me say, stop saying try. Just do it.
00:50:47
Speaker
And for a moment, you you get a bit of a longer with that pain, a brief flash of where the cut was on your arm, kind of flashing a bit. All right. Subbaric.
00:51:19
Speaker
Eric tries to let go. He tries to just. Just attacked and not try. He doesn't try to listen. He just lets instinct lead him in the direction of the sword that just struck him. Assuming we're still at a negative five, that's a 13.
00:51:47
Speaker
Okay, so yeah, quickly or easily he steps out of the way and you feel it clanging as his sword swats yours to the ground. And you hear him say, it is our goal to be stronger, to achieve our potential and not rest upon our loyals. We are seekers, not shepherds. He rolls a 19. That would hit. Okay.
00:52:17
Speaker
So another glancing blow at your other arm. And with this one, you get a flash of light, but you also for a brief moment, like see an outline of Daedric in front of you, like with the blinding pain, as he stabs you get this brief moment, this flash. Go ahead and roll. And I go for it.
00:52:45
Speaker
uh 14 14 um he you're you seize that moment but he you're a bit too slow and he swats it out of the way and immediately tries to press the advantage that is a 21 yep um
00:53:03
Speaker
So this time, he doesn't go for a slash, so you feel his blade puncture into the meat of your pectoral muscle, just very shallow, but he just holds it there for a second and says, without pain,
00:53:19
Speaker
Victory has no meaning. Without pain, one does not advance. Without pain, there is only stagnation. And you feel pressure in your gut as he kind of kicks you away. And you once again see a flash of him in front of you that lasts just a little bit longer. OK, I'm going to again, Barry, you know, cat stabilizes himself.
00:53:49
Speaker
Takes a stance and then just sort of flows into an upward slash at that phantom outline Seven seven, it's like being level one
00:54:07
Speaker
Um, so yeah, he, uh, like you, you go for it, but the fact that he kicked you away, you have to take a couple of steps and you just stumble and kind of drop to a knee. Um, as you feel kind of a crunch as a knee makes contact with your cheekbone. Um,
00:54:29
Speaker
And as you're kind of kneeling there, you hear him say, unless your victory is achieved by demonstrating that your power is superior to your foe, then it is only an illusion. Temporary at best, you must seek more. And for a long, like, as he's like,
00:54:51
Speaker
For lack of a better term, kind of berating you, you see the like magical outline of his legs standing there over you. OK. This time when I see it. I want to grab at it with telekinesis like I did with the guy in the alley, so that requires a strength saving throw from him.
00:55:18
Speaker
That would be a ten. Cool. So I grab. I just I just I just bear just shouts and just lunges his his left hand forward, and I'm going to just throw him 20 feet backwards. OK.
00:55:43
Speaker
So yeah, you hear crashing as wood breaks and you see the amulet go flying backwards and all of a sudden come to a sudden stop with the crashing noise. And he stands up and you hear laughter as he's kind of brushing himself off.
00:56:03
Speaker
One who has freed themselves from all restrictions has reached perfection. Their potential fulfilled, and he's walking back towards you. Perfect strength, perfect power, perfect destiny. I can see him walking back towards me?
00:56:22
Speaker
Yes, you see an outline of Daedric walking back towards you. And he clearly is not in an aggressive stance anymore. His sword is just next to him as he walks up and forcefully rips the blindfold away from your face and onto the ground. Why do I see you? What am I seeing? You're seeing magic, just like you did before.
00:56:59
Speaker
I'm seeing, I'm seeing your life. I'm seeing your essence. What am I? Yeah, you're seeing magic. You're seeing the blood within me. Blood is your servant and your master, your teacher and companion, your weapon and your tool. Know it and you know,
00:57:30
Speaker
You know everything, master it, and you master everything. Strive for perfection, and it shall reward you, as it has. Hi. I don't know what to say.
00:58:05
Speaker
I didn't know this was possible. Of course you didn't. Very few do. It is a power known to very few and mastered by even few. We seek to find the truth in this world.
00:58:35
Speaker
And the only truth we have found is the power that lies within. Everything else will fail. Everything else will let you down. Except what's inside. I don't think I can say I fully understand.
00:59:10
Speaker
But the evidence, I mean. I didn't teach you anything here today. I imparted some knowledge to you, but I didn't teach you anything. You were capable of this since before I met you. Everybody is capable of this.
00:59:33
Speaker
It's a question of whether or not they will allow themselves to go there. It was a moment that you were on the ground, defeated, unable to beat me, that you finally let go, and threw me a very long way, tore my clothes. I will send you there.
01:00:08
Speaker
I, I will gladly pay your, your Taylor bill. All I've done is given you the basic tenants, the basic tenants of the blood of voles.
01:00:33
Speaker
I think this might be the moment where it clicks in Barrick's head that that name is on the list. Yeah. Of Cabalreen. And so Barrick, Barrick is just silent, his mouth kind of half opened as if he was about to speak and then
01:01:05
Speaker
I didn't. I suppose it will not surprise you as I am. I've grown up in the church of the flame. I did not know. The tenants of the blood of all. I am also.
01:01:31
Speaker
A long time ago, I learned a list of people who were of family names that were attached to this pact that I bear. And one of them was full. Oh, well, um. I know nothing of.
01:01:55
Speaker
the namesake of our faith. Simply, that's the name of our church, the origin of Voll. I've heard some stories about House of Voll. It was an elven house that was destroyed back during one of the wars that
01:02:11
Speaker
the elves had against each other. But I think it's taken more now as wasted opportunity, the blood of the lost, if that makes any sense, because so many people deny their gift, ignore their gift. That's where the name comes from in relation to our faith. I know nothing of anybody actually named Vol. I see.
01:02:43
Speaker
I had I had never made the connection between the two before, but yes, I'm sure it's. Nothing. Give me give me either a perception or arcana check. Oh, definitely go with arcana. Seventeen. You notice you don't notice anything, OK?
01:03:20
Speaker
Um, most people that I have ever spoken to about the way I've heard of the blood of all have tended to simply associate it with, with on death. Uh, I'm sure that's a whole lower of the war, but this is what you're saying sounds like the opposite of death.
01:03:49
Speaker
In a way, yes. Like I said, death is merely a step, an evolution. It's not something to fear or to...
01:04:04
Speaker
to even welcome, it's just a thing. It's the way somebody would welcome, you step once with the left foot and then you welcome the right footstep. That's just, it's just a thing. And yes, my faith does utilize the services of the undead from time to time. I never have personally, but
01:04:32
Speaker
I'm sure that you don't agree with everything the Church of the Silver Flame does either. No, I, I suppose not. But all that to say, I do have to go. Yes. But there is a seeker near here on this level. I sent word to him.
01:05:01
Speaker
that if you would seek guidance, you would be welcomed. Thank you. I will think on what you've told me. I don't have words to thank you for this, for coming, for showing this to me, for unlocking this inside me.
01:05:36
Speaker
I don't know what to say or why you took the time, but thank you. There was a time where you solicited my services and I don't like to leave a job undone. If you.
01:05:59
Speaker
Need me again, do not hesitate to use your walking, talking, goblin, war-forged phone to get in touch.
01:06:11
Speaker
And if you ever are looking for work, guidance and adventure, come meet me in the pirate aisles in Lazar. And I'm sure that working together would be just as fun as stabbing each other in the training ground of a monastery in Sean. Thank you. I will I will think on that too.
01:06:43
Speaker
Excellent. Well, um, are you fine here? You said you were staying here. Yes, I'm staying here. Well, then I wish you good fortune and think, think on what I've told you. Stop reaching out for help. Look inward. Thank you.
01:07:13
Speaker
and he turns on his heel and begins walking away. End of episode. We hope you all have enjoyed this very normal length episode of Eberron reduced. But I had a good time recording it. I hope you did too. Now everyone needs to imagine this super intercut
01:07:43
Speaker
with a training montage of decks learning bear stuff. Yes. While 80s rock plays in the background.
01:07:52
Speaker
Um, but, uh, yeah, we just, uh, want to give a big thank you, uh, to all of you for listening. If you want to be part of the conversation surrounding this episode, head on over to Facebook, uh, to our group, the Geek Pantheon. Uh, we also have a Twitter and Instagram at the Geek Pantheon. Uh, we would like to give a big thank you to all of our amazing patrons. Uh, if you would like to join that community, head on over to patreon.com slash the Geek Pantheon. We actually have a goal right now where if we can hit
01:08:19
Speaker
Uh, 50 community members, uh, which we are currently nine away from that goal. Um, we will live stream the finale of Eberron renewed. So when we are recording the final session, you will get to watch live as we deal with this campaign of this campaign. Oh yes. Yes, yes, yes. Yes. Of this campaign. Um,
01:08:39
Speaker
Uh, in addition to that, because that might be a little ways down the road, um, we will also record a, uh, and live stream, a one shot for you all that the, uh, the exact specifications of will be decided on if, and when we reach that goal. Um, so if you've been considering it, uh, hop on over there, uh, what tier you join in at does not matter. Just as long as you join the community, uh, you get to be in the discord, get to be a part of that. It's a lot of fun. Um, but, uh, yeah.
01:09:06
Speaker
Also, just want to do my due diligence from a content creator standpoint and give a big thank you to David Gator and all the other team that made Knights of the Old Republic with which this episode was heavily influenced. So thank you, David Gator, who wrote all of this stuff that I modified. And yeah, hopefully that will protect us from- Let's be honest, you just need to thank BioWare for your life as a GM.
01:09:35
Speaker
Well, that's fair. But yeah, just hopefully this from a legal standpoint will cover our butts. But yes, the House of Mouse will come after us. So thank you all once again so much for listening. Once again, I'm your dungeon master, Eric. And I'm Philip. And we'll see you next time.