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Ep. 175 Patron Persistence - Bellum Draconis
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Intro written and produced by Joseph McDade
Music kindly provided by Fesliyan Studios
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Transcript
Introduction and Character Setup
00:00:00
Speaker
Farrakh would stay out last because he's he's just half dwarf, half orc and could probably easily just push us away. Half dwarf, half Does that make him a dork? He's making a dork. I had the same punchline in mind.
00:00:18
Speaker
Yeah, it does. It does.
00:00:47
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome to this week's episode of the Fellowship of the Tabletop. We are a live play 5e D&D podcast set on the Erith High Seas in the Kingdom of Sleetgard. I am the gala gorging, apple pie loving Callum, and I play the war-forged artificer Alpha.
00:01:05
Speaker
Joining me is our resident ball-stroke deep-throater, Ian, playing the war-serer, Nyx Carell. The gala gorger. Ha ha yeah With him is the XP grinder and G-Spot finder Will playing the Dragonborn Druid Bal Falcon.
00:01:23
Speaker
I've got apples, Greg. Can you milk me?
00:01:29
Speaker
We've got Darren playing the Orc Barbarian Tharax and Dari. He put what in the pink lady?
00:01:36
Speaker
ah not Very nice, very nice. ah And of course, we have our deck hand designator, the captain creator, the commodore,
Surprising Preparations and Mysterious Introductions
00:01:43
Speaker
to give us more. He's the man always at full mast, Dungeon Master Danny!
00:01:48
Speaker
Callum, I'm well surprised at how well prepared you are for this. I was prepared for this, this yeah yeah. Yeah, this is someone who anticipated that I either volunteer or the other three, just four, are just going make me do it.
00:02:00
Speaker
Or instead of going to go into the bathroom, he went to JTP instead. Yeah. But if ChatGPT outputted that, it meant that it it just captured everything Mark did so well.
00:02:14
Speaker
so i I can assure you. You have Mark to thank if you did AI that. I can assure ChatGPT has nothing to do with this. Excellent.
00:02:24
Speaker
We do, however, find somebody else. We find old gal, huddled in a dark, compact space, waiting, biding his time for the perfect moment. Only he knows when that will be.
00:02:37
Speaker
He grabs and gazes dark into his crystal ball to see where our story last left off.
00:02:44
Speaker
Ooh, a promise to keep. The light forms an ethereal prego. He has been maimed, and he says, and so the part the past has been completed, and I'm to have a seat at the end, but he pretty much reveals that things are too late. Emron reveals all that the party knows and Prego starts to weep.
00:03:05
Speaker
It's been so hard, Emron, he says. Emron tells him to hold on just a little longer, but he's like, Tolcolon is watching, he knows, he knows, and there's nothing to do to stop him now. And Emron's like, stay strong, bitch, we're coming to get you. Prego fades to dust. Nyx feels that maybe the time for marriage has passed, but bars are like, fuck that, let's do it anyway.
Journey Begins: Facing Threats and Memories
00:03:26
Speaker
Emron performs the ceremony, and it's genuinely pretty fucking beautiful.
00:03:31
Speaker
Team Hells needs an earlier exit after Prego's appearance. After some moving in words, they depart with Trunks. Nyx wants to connect with his past selves to reassure them that happiness will come to them. And he sees a jet black figure in a vibrant blue robe. Mmm.
00:03:49
Speaker
It is dawn, and there are only 41 days to alignment. There's warmth on the breeze, and Baal gets adrenaline going. Not for the reason you might think, bitches. Valkyraeth has arrived. She agrees to Baal's request to help. If Chandra Lekar does not, she will happily take that group up to the Steel Nightmare, and team boat depart. with a new wedding present from Tharok, which is the severed compass. And then, on their way to the boat, a cloaked rider with a spectral hawk comes galloping past. It's Robin Neverwinter, the companion from season one!
00:04:28
Speaker
As the first strike team of this combined counterattack against this incoming catastrophe known as the Alignment, Nyx, Alpha, Baal and Tharok travel north from Goldport, or Snake Run Keep as it's quickly becoming known, along the winding stretch of the Gold Road.
00:04:47
Speaker
Your destination lies at the coastal edge of the Gold Coast, a broad bay where the waters of the ocean push inland between the once rival kingdoms of Sleekard and Dralak.
00:05:00
Speaker
The journey itself has been uneventful, almost unnervingly so. Yet even in the quiet, the sky refuses peace. Far above you, the steel nightmare bleeds a dull, blood-red luminance into the heavens.
00:05:18
Speaker
a glow that stains the clouds and casts the world of Aerith into this hellish hue, as though the plane itself has begun to resemble the the realms that Seth and Emron now travel to.
00:05:34
Speaker
After a night's rest along the quiet bend of the road, you leave camp and push onward through the salt-tinged grasslands, the scent of brine carried on a rising sea wind.
00:05:46
Speaker
The cliffs ahead are familiar. They are the very same bluffs where over a year ago, you battled winged horrors under contract from all at Goldport.
00:05:58
Speaker
And when Nyx and Marota somehow survived a fall that would have ended their stories or should have.
00:06:06
Speaker
The sun climbs slowly over your right shoulder as you ascend this final ridge, its warmth cutting through this morning chill.
00:06:20
Speaker
The sea air itself seems to stir something restless within nicks, the rhythm of the waves tugging at old instincts and old memories. At last, you you crest the bluff and look out across the twinkling blue expanse of the gold coast.
00:06:43
Speaker
But the winds bring more than salt and brine.
00:06:50
Speaker
From far out across the water Drifts the bitter scent of gunpowder and burnt timber. There is a distant thunder that rolls across the bay, The unmistakable roar of naval cannons.
00:07:10
Speaker
In the water, debris floats amongst the waves, Dark shapes tossed upon the tide, Somewhere beyond the horizon, the pirate fleet of trade lord Vossan has likely met the Shadomendian navy, just as agreed in your letter recently.
00:07:30
Speaker
And yet, closer to shore, another sight catches your eye.
00:07:40
Speaker
Anchored offshore to the east, rocking gently on the morning tide, is a very familiar silhouette. The severed compass, the vessel that Tharok holds so dear, its renewed hull glints in the rising light.
00:07:57
Speaker
A rare comfort to you, Nyx, in uncertain times. and perhaps the only thing easing the hollow ache in your chest when the memory of watching your beloved Esmeralda dragged to the waves threatens to surface once again.
00:08:16
Speaker
panning down to the beach, closer still upon that narrow strip of sand and shale beneath the cliffs, you see a small rowboat beached against the tide.
00:08:29
Speaker
Beside it, a lone sailor crouches near a campfire, stirring a pot as smoke very lazily rolls into the sky, into the morning air.
Leadership Reflections and Sea Adventure Preparations
00:08:42
Speaker
This figure stands, a good distance away from you, and does not appear surprised to see you. It almost seems as though they have been waiting.
00:08:58
Speaker
What would you like to do? So Nick's looking about the horizon and taking in the break of sunlight through what sounded like a very red, hellish overdrop.
00:09:18
Speaker
And seeing those two colors kind of mix in together to create this red on one side, the brightening sun on the other, the orange mixed in in the middle. He's going to take in the comfort of the salt in the air and a deep breath.
00:09:38
Speaker
trying to stem the horrible memories of the Esmeralda and realizing for the first time what it means to be captain.
00:09:52
Speaker
and the weight that comes with it as he does think about Captain Hildegard and how he managed and captained his vessel and the crew.
00:10:09
Speaker
with always the goal as these memories come unbidden, almost as an old film reel, as Nyx is watching the horizon, but in his mind is playing different moments of which his captain...
00:10:25
Speaker
Captain Hildegard would command respect amongst the crew, but always in the view of a father would, their family, and realizing now that weight lies at his feet and the crew he's going to captain is his family, his chosen family.
00:10:48
Speaker
And the acceptance and weight of that wears a little bit heavier in this moment as if all these things come to pass in front of him.
00:11:02
Speaker
And as he's thinking about this and looks through the horizon, he's, um I assume, Baal, you're on my on my side. Oh, yeah. will just reach unconsciously, well, subconsciously.
00:11:16
Speaker
He's very much conscious. Subconsciously reach with his right hand just to entwine his fingers in Baal's for just that kind of squeeze of support as ni's as you feel Nix's hand kind of reach out to yours, Baal.
00:11:33
Speaker
Takes a deep breath. Okay, so... This might be the last time we're on land for a while.
00:11:47
Speaker
So everyone just kind of get your bearings, get ready to get your sea legs back when you were on for a mighty adventure.
00:12:01
Speaker
Hooray! Yeah! Yes! So good, wonderful. Okay, woohoo! And Mal's going to bend down and pick up some dirt and basically put it in his pocket. I got a jar of dirt. Yeah.
00:12:15
Speaker
For memory's sake? For memories! For memories? Yeah. Yeah. yeah do i Do I call you captain now or do we wait until we're on the boat? ah On the boat.
00:12:26
Speaker
On the boat. Okay. okay let's it Let's do it on the boat. I feel like that's i feel like walking onto the boat, there's going to be a lot of things kind of happening all at once. And I'm hoping it's one of those things that, you know, you you're thinking a lot about a situation, maybe overthinking about a situation, maybe too much thinking about a situation. But then when the situation arrives, everything's okay and everything ends...
00:12:48
Speaker
in a positive everyone's safe and no one died and it's no one's fault so away anyone else feel that just me i get warm really warm is there is there um a way down the cliff top danny yeah you'd have to clamber a little bit there's no clean road but it's not a sheer drop at this point in the cliffs Aim for the hedges. um is it is it Is it enough to get the horses down? without ah all no you know this this is not this is this is kind of rough terrain.
00:13:22
Speaker
Farok will dismount his horse. He'll give it a sturdy pat and he will take his belongings from it. He'll take his rucksack.
00:13:33
Speaker
he'll he'll He'll take his sword and spear and put them in the sheaves across his back. And he will just fix his eyes on the figure on the beach top as Farrakh has locked eyes on him and has kind of heard what Nyx has said, but has not took his eyes off this figure who seems to have been expecting and noticing them. And Farrakh will just say, appears we have a welcome party.
00:13:59
Speaker
And Farrakh will just start to make his way down towards the beach. uh see you in a bit tharock oh do we follow him we well yeah absolutely i was just like urging us to take a moment here scene yeah yeah yeah hand hips yeah absolutely alpha it's been a while since i heard anything from you what's your thoughts well it doesn't look like much of a celebration if there is only one person down there It's not celebration. rest is on the boat. Yeah. They'll be on the boat. Farrakh said it was a welcoming party. I'm presuming I was expecting more people.
00:14:37
Speaker
I dare say that person will just be showing us to the severed compass. But just wanted to catch up with you. um What's your thoughts about like our wedding, by the way? Did you really like it?
00:14:48
Speaker
I thought it was the most beautiful. What's your favourite part? My favourite part. Emron's ceremony was most delightful. The light enchanting round you you two created an adorable picture of love. It wonderful. Is your favourite the bride or the groom?
00:15:04
Speaker
I have no favourites between you two. I love you both. Ah, that's quite a sweet way to get out of answering a question, to be fair. I feel like you've known a lot. I can't really fuck with them anymore.
00:15:18
Speaker
I've been learning from you, Nix. I know I can feel that. I don't know if I've been the best teacher, but I can certainly feel my influence around you. I feel I've learned much from all of you.
00:15:31
Speaker
Oh. Whose husband would you fuck? I want to know that! Mine or
00:15:42
Speaker
um Maybe that's... don't have a preference. Hmm. Just little game i like to play. Shall we go? Yes, I believe Tharok's halfway down already. Tharok, we're coming!
00:15:58
Speaker
Start following. It takes maybe 15, 20 minutes to kind of slowly descend safely. But it's in no mean a challenge. It's just one of those where you have to kind of really be patient with with with climbing ah until eventually you join the beach.
00:16:17
Speaker
And as you cross over the shale and sand and get closer to this individual,
00:16:25
Speaker
you make out a clear kind of traveling cloak, a weatherproof cloak, a weather-resistant rather cloak of of the Osrin Isles as they turn occasionally. And as you walk closer and closer, this individual stands at almost ah at at attention, not in ah in a strictly militaristic way, but ah kind of Attempting to perform rank against the captain now approaching.
00:16:53
Speaker
And Nix, as you get closer, ah you begin to make out the features of this human. And it is it is your your once former first mate, Maris Kelthorn, the last time that you left Goldview.
00:17:06
Speaker
Standing at detention. Sorry, right the last time you left Scorch Helm on route to Goldview.
00:17:15
Speaker
Maris? Captain... Good to see you. didn't think they'd push you front and centre here to welcome us. Ah, how are you?
00:17:27
Speaker
Quite well. It's only been a few days. a week at best. It just feels like it's been longer. We got married in that time. Nick holds up his hand to show the ring. Me, we, we, me and Baal.
00:17:40
Speaker
Yeah, I got a ring too, look. Yeah. And for the first time... in the few times that you have the few days you spent together, Maris turns to you, Baal, and has the same salute and the same, uh, uh, kind of posture of, of rank for you that he affords Nix.
00:18:00
Speaker
Oh shit. Oh, I like that. It does well to fuck the captain. Um, it's our ship ready.
00:18:10
Speaker
Absolutely. I was, um,
00:18:14
Speaker
I was told by your traveling companion, the one that Bode, we weren't able to learn more about who you were or who he was, the Sparrowhawk, I think he was called. I was told to wait for you on this shore and take you aboard when you arrive.
00:18:33
Speaker
How long you been waiting?
00:18:37
Speaker
Checks back at his pack after he slowly begins to stamp out the fire. About two days. Fuck. Okay. So sorry about that. um Thank you for for waiting for that long. I will make sure that any plunder we get, that will be taken into account in the split at the end. Savvy?
00:18:57
Speaker
We're paid and we're paid for for the month, Captain. Paid for for the month, but the plunder. The plunder is a share of everyone. And there'll be much to plunder. There'll be many ships that we'll be wrecking. And there's always time to go and have a look at their wares. So at the end of it all, there'll be a split and you should get a larger share for the fact of waiting here for two days for us.
00:19:23
Speaker
He cracks a smile and seems quite excited about this. Savvy, yeah.
Setting Sail: Morale and Readiness
00:19:27
Speaker
Okay. And then then gestures for you all to board the the small rowboat that could seat maybe six people. Yeah, while that was happening, Farrok in his very functional way has just been loading the supplies into the rowboat. So we're ready to go as soon as possible. so Because Farrok doesn't know Maris. Maris doesn't mean anything to Farrok. He's respectful. He's not doing anything rude. He's just doing functional Farrok things. all sailed together when you left Scorch Helm to go and then commit regicide. Not that you knew you were strictly planning that at the time. LAUGHTER He was one of the four chartered crew that Seth purchased. So you have met.
00:20:05
Speaker
Either way, Farrakh's an incredibly functional person. There would have been a nod. And first thing Farrakh have done would have been just all those supplies, the potions, everything else we bought that had been straight into the rowboat. So we're ready to go. And he sort of stands with rolled up um trousers to help you all as he stands in the the shore, helping you all into the boat if you need it.
00:20:27
Speaker
And I imagine you all board. Yeah, Barl definitely takes the hand and is is helped into the boat. Is the boat in the water or is it on the beach? Half and half, it's beached. yeah Farrakh would stay out last because he's he's just half dwarf, half orc and could probably easily just push us away.
00:20:47
Speaker
Half dwarf, half Does that make him a dork? He's making a dork. I had the same punchline in my mind. Yeah, it does. It does. You've been seeing your token gesture of kind of pushing, offering to push one side the boat. Maris does the same for his. And after a few seconds, you scrape off the shore.
00:21:13
Speaker
These two quite heavy bodies leap into the boat and there's a kind of a bit of a a few seconds of of extreme buoyancy before it levels out. And it is quite a choppy day. The wind is pulling in quite fiercely from the north.
00:21:27
Speaker
That's why that smell of of cannon fire is distant on your on your on your palate. And after a few seconds of kind of um beaching, oars are slammed outside of the the rowboat. And ah Maris kind of begins to do do this by himself. But if anyone offers to take the other half of the rowboat, I imagine he kind of seeds that quite quickly.
00:21:53
Speaker
Farak would do it.
00:21:57
Speaker
Yeah, Farrak would do it easy. nice ah so It takes about 10 minutes to get 80 feet on this rowboat that you need to before you begin to scrape alongside the underside of the hull of the Golden Compass. The Golden Compass? The Severed Compass. Golden Compass is a book I have on my bookshelf behind me.
00:22:21
Speaker
and You're held against the climbing line and begin to ascend deck. I imagine captain first, though that's not strictly always the protocol.
00:22:32
Speaker
it oed
00:22:36
Speaker
Yeah, why not? Okay, yeah, I'll go first. Crew. yeah And Nix will hoist himself up.
00:22:48
Speaker
As you're kind of climbing the 40 feet to get the deck, you then see peering over two very familiar dwarves as Brotin and Helra begin to offer their their arms to to pull you aboard.
00:23:03
Speaker
and One by one, you are all hoisted ashore before Maris ties a line to the bottom of the rowboat and that's then yanked behind you. Sorry, I said ashore, I meant aboard.
00:23:14
Speaker
and And the four of you stand on the deck of this polished version of the severed compass. Clearly whatever fast track payments Barahawk arranged,
00:23:30
Speaker
a kind of neating and tidying of all of the the edges of this ah service was included. your You're kind of feeling waxed handrails, fresh paint and fresh tar applied to certain parts to where the boards are adjoined.
00:23:48
Speaker
The cannons are scraped. The cannons are clean. The sails are without scrape. They are fully repaired. This is not, despite being the exact same vessel that you were on when you left Scorchham a week a week a half ago, this does not feel like the same vessel. This feels like it has had an a cosmetic upgrade.
00:24:11
Speaker
yeah And it's not until all of you kind of bored and turn that you see this solid, well-formed, disciplined crew of 20 Osrin sailors standing at attention.
00:24:23
Speaker
to the four of you, as one shouts, Captain on deck, fiercely against the wind that you now feel at this height.
00:24:34
Speaker
ah
00:24:37
Speaker
At ease. at At ease, crew. We shall be getting ready to set sail Very soon. So about stations.
00:24:56
Speaker
Yes, scallywags, get to your stations. And they kind of break for a second then realize this is this is this is more informal engagement than they were perhaps expecting. Not military. this is This has an air of freelancery about it.
00:25:11
Speaker
um and then And then Maris makes a point to after securing the rowboat under one the port side, just saying, They don't know much, Captain. All we know is that we've been paid for a month, and we may sailing against quite a quite a fierce naval power, but we were assured the odds weren't against us entirely.
00:25:40
Speaker
i have to ask,
00:25:43
Speaker
just so I can temper their moods, will we be returning?
00:25:55
Speaker
It's not the right way to be thinking. You need to tell the crew. The only thought that should lay bidden in their minds is victory.
00:26:11
Speaker
For if they can hold on to that thought and that thought alone, then it doesn't matter for the rest because we shall return. But want them to put that out of their mind. Put the worry, the doubt, the concern.
00:26:27
Speaker
Singular mind, singular focus, singular goal, victory. And then everything else will fall into place. If you could do that, Maris,
00:26:41
Speaker
that would be life-saving. Make persuasion check.
00:26:52
Speaker
Let's go. nine There's a sharp inhalation in his breath and a nod.
00:27:04
Speaker
A squint of the eye and he's not overly convinced, but understands understands what you're trying to do.
00:27:14
Speaker
He nods, turns respectfully, and then moves to a small pack, thrusts a small whip into your hand, Alpha, and makes a point of the entire crew kind of seeing that.
00:27:30
Speaker
And then but but presents a small pin of a triangulated snowflake to you, Bar.
00:27:42
Speaker
What does this mean?
00:27:46
Speaker
Snowflake?
00:27:49
Speaker
It's the symbol of those three Niles. Or at least... Oh shit. A note of rank, so they know who the first mate is. I see. Thank you.
00:27:59
Speaker
And that must mean... Therok, you're thrusted a quite an extensive set of keys.
00:28:08
Speaker
Therok will take them. And we'll go. i take a dozer for the quartermaster. should get you into everything on deck and in the hole.
00:28:21
Speaker
Farrakh will nod and will immediately be about business and will go to ah Helra. He'll find Helra and he will just immediately come to the cannons again. Having heard Nyx's response that that's not the right approach, Farrakh is immediately going to go about raising spirits and he's going to go over to Helra and go,
00:28:44
Speaker
As your quartermaster, can I ask you to tell me about the quality of these cannons? I heard they were excellent. Uh, yeah, hold on. Excuse me. Doesn't quite, looking around for any cues about what rank you hold on the ship now, understanding then what what's going on.
00:29:01
Speaker
Yes, um, we we've secured certain upgrades under your investment, um,
00:29:11
Speaker
And, uh, kind of produces series of kegs, which always we lace the cannonballs in these, you see, and it, well, it really slows the ship down.
00:29:27
Speaker
Farrah, we'll hear that and we'll go. This ship sailed all the way around from Shetherment many, many moons ago out of the Bay of Haddo and has made it all the way through across the Bronze Sea to this place.
00:29:41
Speaker
The ship was naturally fast, but it was not made for warfare. It has now been equipped to be so. It is worth sacrificing a bit of speed for that. Let's instead not focus on that and instead focus on what we have.
00:29:55
Speaker
What damage can these cannons do? And he's just inspecting them as he walks up and down. Well, we haven't fired them yet, but they look like they weren't. A lot.
00:30:08
Speaker
They cost a lot of money. 20,000 gold pieces, you to be true. I know, because I'm the one who paid for it. Point being, these cannons are probably going to be more advanced and better than the standard cannons on most ships, which means that we are incredibly well equipped for a fight.
00:30:24
Speaker
What happens is we have to have the faith and nerve to prove that.
00:30:30
Speaker
We'll have it. We'll have it. I maybe wouldn't fancy us against a warship straight away, but we'll have it.
00:30:41
Speaker
Can I tell you something? Sir? I told you that this bay made it out of the Bay of Haddall, and I've heard through stories that the other bay to make it out of the other ship, to make it out of that bay, was called the Esmeralda, the captain of that ship.
00:30:56
Speaker
Was not this one, Bertie's Wodge, that one over there, and he'll point towards Nick. He was a member of that crew, and now he Captain Judge. Oh, I've never heard of the Esmeralda.
00:31:08
Speaker
Can Nick hear this? It's fine.
00:31:12
Speaker
Uh... Possibly. When everyone kind of was dismissed, would you make your way to back to the kind of the helm? Would you just be stood on deck? Because this is kind of amongst the hustle and bustle. He's enjoying the... But I just didn't know if his ears would pick up at the mentioning. No, there's a lot of noise around. He's just enjoying the lacquered wood, as you were.
00:31:36
Speaker
Point being is that we're well equipped to survive this. and Everyone on board needs to believe that.
00:31:44
Speaker
I think once these cannons start firing, and we will.
00:31:50
Speaker
Then make sure they're ready, and he'll turn around. And just continue to inspect the cannons. It's the first chance he's had to have a proper look at them since since we played for them. So he's just going to take them over and see what he can read about them and what he can glean about them.
00:32:05
Speaker
And as you kind of begin to inspect cannons and Nyx, you're kind of taking in the scene. Alpha, Baal, Where are you finding your part in this? Where do you what do you pay place yourself?
00:32:23
Speaker
Alpha... Fuck you. No, you go you. it's not my probably required to pulling off in um Alpha, firstly, would... It's still holding the whip. Now, he doesn't know what to do with it. So he's just going to kind of shuffle over to Nick and just kind of, in ah in a low tone, to Nick and say,
00:32:44
Speaker
Nix, what is this for? Fear mongering. Sexual intercourse. ah Belittling.
00:32:55
Speaker
and of Basically, Alpha, if you come here. And then ah Nix is going to, as as if you you were teaching someone how to play golf, just kind of sidling behind you. What's your flex? And we've never asked this. What's the flexibility like of your wrist?
00:33:15
Speaker
Wrist not very flexible in all fairness. right This will be interesting. It's all going to be in the arm. Yeah. So Nix is going to try and show you how to whip the whip against the deck of the ship to get a good what sound.
00:33:36
Speaker
Nix will demonstrate first. Alpha, give me the whip. And you get the sense that whipping the deck is not Nix's speciality but whipping something certainly is because with a flare he's able to to use the whip as it were.
00:33:56
Speaker
Bar would probably jump. um And the idea behind it is there's a nice healthy slap of the leather whip against the wood. make it Make a slight hand check or a performance check. Your choice.
00:34:09
Speaker
We're going to go with a performance check. For 15.
00:34:14
Speaker
And whether it's via intimate acts with your husband or or time spent watching a half fork do this,
00:34:33
Speaker
with such dexterous dance-like qualities, you were able to perfectly manipulate that whip like you have been seasoned veteran with that instrument.
00:34:48
Speaker
And Alpha, there's shades of one of those two things as well in what you observe and that influence around Nix's physical ability there to manipulate it.
00:35:00
Speaker
And so, Alpha, in like the heat of battle, or if someone's not paying heed to your words and your commands, use it. Don't use it on someone. There there know there are ships and there's ships out there that use whips on crew. There ain't one of this. And we're not about that.
00:35:17
Speaker
But just to heighten and to get attention and to issue commands. You whip that deck as if it was your cabin boy. Okay? Okay.
00:35:30
Speaker
Don't quite get the analogy, but okay. I shall whip. Let's go, give it try! quick Alpha's going to give it a quick go. As I said, he's not very dexterous in the wrist. at all It's kind of like shoulder and elbow where the joints are for it.
00:35:44
Speaker
um But yeah, he's going to give it a good old try as well. And we we we pan out from you, doing your best to evoke your old half-fought companion. And we zoom into Baal.
00:35:59
Speaker
yeah Uh, so everyone seems to be kind of going about their way. Barl's now got his first mate badge on and he's probably going, Oh, what the fuck am I meant to do? Um, and he'll make his way up to the kind of the main deck. He'll make his way up to kind of the, uh, I guess where the wheel is the helm, the helm. That's thank
Nyx's Vision and Moral Dilemmas
00:36:21
Speaker
you. That, yeah, that's probably what Barl is thinking. What the fuck do I call this? I don't know. Oh, well, it's got a nice grip to it. He says,
00:36:29
Speaker
Nixie, when you're done with the whip, and by the way, ask him if we can borrow that later, ah could you just show me where the... I spin this one way and the boat turns one way. and I know that. i'm I'm not an idiot. But can you tell me what the fuck are your first mates meant to do, please?
00:36:48
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm away. don't know if Nixie's a good thing to shout on a ship that I'm meant to be commanding. fuck. Nixie will run over.
00:36:59
Speaker
ah Okay, and yes yes, the helm. Here we go. So you'll be fine. it's loads of Think loads of cocks on a wheel. Okay, and at certain points, well, there you go. You'll be fine. You're in your element. You just got to spin it this way. as So how are you doing this? Is this kind of like a Titanic moment where you're behind Baal helping him hold the the wheel?
00:37:25
Speaker
ah Side by side. side by side. And what's interesting is the moment you place your hand upon the wheel, Nix, and start speaking at this pace,
00:37:38
Speaker
Baal isn't responding to you. Baal isn't moving.
00:37:47
Speaker
After a few instructions, you realize this isn't a dialogue. This is becoming a monologue.
00:37:54
Speaker
You look around Alpha is there midwhip. Frozen.
00:38:02
Speaker
Therok. Scratching his head whilst it's half inside the mouth of a cannon.
00:38:11
Speaker
And the rest of the crew. Frozen. Some on the rigging. Some inside the hull preparing oars.
00:38:21
Speaker
Everything is still. And parked. Except you.
00:38:31
Speaker
And there is this blue, purple bioluminescence in your fingertips.
00:38:51
Speaker
What do you do?
00:38:58
Speaker
a sense of foreboding and unease is cutting through mixes energy and, ah force that he was trying to show to the crew and his, uh, his family, that alpha and Tharok and Baal trying to show confidence.
00:39:26
Speaker
Then, This sense of unease is cut through that as he looks at his fingers, looks at his hands, looks at this purple kind of iridescent shoe and instinctively looks towards the horizon to see if there's anything out there that's causing this operation.
00:39:53
Speaker
Expecting the spider or some
00:40:04
Speaker
foreboding presence. And as your eyes take you to the horizon,
00:40:13
Speaker
you begin to scan.
00:40:16
Speaker
Nothing to your true north, but your port side. In the water, the same bioluminescence
00:40:29
Speaker
a sphere, or spherical object at least, underneath the waves. The waves themselves too now parked. There is just this blue, purple glow
00:40:43
Speaker
in the sea, portside.
00:40:53
Speaker
Fuck!
00:40:59
Speaker
Is it you out there? As Nyx kind of leans over the edge, almost Harry Potter-esque towards a pensive. As you lean over the edge, you can make a dexterity saving throw for me.
00:41:14
Speaker
Well, that was dumb, wasn't it? Seven. Seven.
00:41:20
Speaker
ah seven
00:41:25
Speaker
Your arms are thrusted away from you as though you're being pulled and they are slapped onto the side rail of the ship. And almost like you are kind of pulled at a complete um kind of crucifixion. Almost you are stretched wide, forced to look down into the sea below.
00:41:46
Speaker
Unable to move your arms.
00:42:08
Speaker
I thought you'd be delighted to be at sea again. Lots of bad memories are here.
00:42:19
Speaker
guys it's layered Mr. Spider-Man. There's lots of layers to this. Uh, so yes.
00:42:29
Speaker
What's the answer that you want to hear?
00:42:35
Speaker
answers. You have proven your worth. I come with an offer. Yeah. We've done this dance before.
00:42:47
Speaker
ah gift.
00:42:51
Speaker
right I know what do you seek here I know where you sail I can help you
00:43:08
Speaker
for the cost of who's life this time no one you care for that doesn't no you relied to
00:43:23
Speaker
There is a vessel a few leagues from here, a deserter from the Chateaumandian Navy.
00:43:34
Speaker
Destroy them. Sink the ship. Drown the crew. They are your enemies.
00:43:44
Speaker
And I will use their souls to provide you a power that will turn your fate in this jewel...
00:43:58
Speaker
They seek you harm.
00:44:02
Speaker
All I ask is that to you instead
00:44:09
Speaker
harm them.
00:44:14
Speaker
am no longer your aggressor, Corel, but your ally. Feed me so that I may embolden you.
00:44:29
Speaker
See, the way I see it is that we're doing the world a great service here. And let me help. If what I understand is going to happen, there won't be no room for a spider who swims.
00:44:48
Speaker
Destroy these souls. Let me aid you. Okay, be nice to get word in here just so I'm aware of what's going on. So we're here, the Severed Compass, which by the way, welcome.
00:45:02
Speaker
And us, the crew and me are on a sail to rid the world of evil... And then eventually you see that up there. can Can you see from down there in the waters? Have you been able to see this entire time as Nick's kind of tries to look because he can't point because he's stuck towards the steel nightmare.
00:45:27
Speaker
Yeah. That right there. You know that's going to destroy everything. Everything. The world that you just said where the spider doesn't exist. We are trying to stop that. And you are coming in to my ship and asking us to do another thing? Asking a me for more souls?
00:45:51
Speaker
Look. If a ship comes towards us and means to do us harm, I will do what I can to protect the crew on this ship as I have been taught by my previous captain. But I am done doing things for you. These souls, if there's some that will perish in the waters, they're not meant for you from me. If you take them, that is without me.
00:46:14
Speaker
That is without me giving you them. You take for you. i sail for them.
00:46:30
Speaker
So there.
00:46:35
Speaker
Your heart is noble, Corell. That is why I'm offering you aid.
00:46:44
Speaker
If you want to offer us aid, offer us aid. There's no bargain to be made here. There's no deal to be done. Let's face facts.
00:46:57
Speaker
You need to... I no longer need you. You need us. The pact is weighted in my favor. I want your blood deal.
00:47:11
Speaker
If we do this, we do this for the good of the realm. We do this and we save you by proxy, not by choice. There are many deals that I'm interested in from you. There are souls that I want from you.
00:47:27
Speaker
So if you want to help, you do so to save your fucking skin. But if you want me to go out of my way to help you and to ensure your preservation, i want my souls.
00:47:45
Speaker
As Nix gets quite emotional at this point.
00:47:50
Speaker
ra
00:47:58
Speaker
I come to give.
00:48:02
Speaker
That is all.
00:48:06
Speaker
You will engage an enemy.
00:48:10
Speaker
All I ask is that you sink the ship so that I may help you further.
00:48:21
Speaker
I want to be very clear. I will not bargain with thee. This is no bargain. You come and you help, but you do it for you. I don't need you.
00:48:36
Speaker
You understand the weight. You understand what's going on. You've got enough fucking eyes to see what will happen if we fail. So don't come in here acting like a hero.
00:48:49
Speaker
You're coming in in here because you need us and you just want to save yourself. If you want me to go out of my way, you know what I want.
00:49:02
Speaker
You do you. I sail all free.
00:49:09
Speaker
I see what is in your heart. I know what it is you desire.
00:49:21
Speaker
Sink the ship that challenges you, and it is yours.
00:49:28
Speaker
No strings. No webs.
00:49:36
Speaker
But if you have a choice to give no quarter, do not give it.
00:49:44
Speaker
And you will the prize you seek. I want to be very clear in these terms. Oh, great one. You give them a choice. You give them a choice to return or to stay.
00:49:57
Speaker
I'm not pulling any souls out from any place they don't want to come from, but you give them a fucking choice unlike you did last time, unlike you did me. That is the bargain.
Navigating Challenges and Unexpected Encounters
00:50:11
Speaker
Sink that ship. Claim your reward. Sorry. Line drawn in the sand after this.
00:50:28
Speaker
Get me up, I've got work to do.
00:50:38
Speaker
A few seconds pass before you're bumped.
00:50:44
Speaker
And this human in anus an Azran accent just says, oh, Captain, apologies. Your hands are your own again.
00:50:54
Speaker
And you spy Abel losing control of the rudder wheel as it's moving too quickly to one side and the ship is just leaning at this point.
00:51:07
Speaker
These dicks are all over the place. Yep, yep, yep, yep. Just want to throw up for a second, Baal. Okay, we need steady the ship. Steady the ship. We need to just steady the ship. Let's all take a deep breath. Right, okay. Breathe with me. Breathe with me. You know what? Anyone got a bag?
00:51:23
Speaker
Anyone got a bag? I would love a bag right now just to breathe in. You need to breathe into a bag. I need to breathe into a bag. Okay. okay Okay. Was it the dicks? It was the dicks. There's too many dicks.
00:51:34
Speaker
Too many dicks in the ocean, Baal. Okay, this is how you fucking sail. And then bar and then next we'll proceed to show you how to turn the rudder wheel. one I figured it was just spinning it this way, but it just s slipped. to Slippy dicks. like a no And as you kind of scan on that, thats a Slippy Dicks kind of, you just say it and then you notice for the last few seconds, no one has said anything on the whole deck.
00:52:06
Speaker
And Slippy Dicks just echoes out in this wave of
00:52:11
Speaker
And you see that there are just primed sailors waiting to unfurl sails. Four by the anchor hoist watching. There are no more preparations to be made. Everyone is waiting for the captain's call.
00:52:25
Speaker
And slippy dicks. It's the first thing everyone hears in this bout of silence as 20, well, sorry, 16 eyes are now focused on you, Nick.
00:52:36
Speaker
Sorry, 32 eyes, but 16 sets of eyes are focused on you. If Seth was here, it'd be an odd number.
00:52:44
Speaker
Okay. Okay. Okay. I've got this. I've got this. I've got this. Give me a squeeze. Give me a squeeze. Give me a little squeeze for luck. Bum tap. Bum tap. Okay. No guidance. Right, you bunch of landlubbers, you hellish scallywags, weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen, all hands on deck. Let's fucking go!
00:53:06
Speaker
And a chorus of YARRRR calls out in response to your command. And within a few seconds, like a well-oiled machine, the sails are unfurled. The anchor is up and there is a jolt of acceleration. It's Alpha, you kind of steady yourself. Daruk, you're standing at attention to this.
00:53:28
Speaker
And we are now setting sail north out of the Gold Coast into the oceans where you sail towards the Shadomendian Navy.
00:53:40
Speaker
As you're starting that journey, you can see kind of fields of ship debris coming in your direction. But what's most appropriate here, Nick, as technically the guide of this journey, could you make a departure roll for me, which is a D20 plus survival, to see how prepared we are for the road ahead, or the the water ahead, as we should say. That's a solid 15. 15. Can give him a flash of genius
00:54:11
Speaker
in that I can basically, when I see another creature do it, so that's just a plus four, straight plus four to that roll. that'd be a 19. yes A flash of genius indeed, somewhat buoyed by Alpha and Alpha's presence here.
00:54:29
Speaker
To the total of four preparation die that that that you can call upon for any moment a party. That is a d6 that you can deploy at any point that you are asked to roll a die. It can be in response to a d20 roll, a damage roll, anything. Anytime you're asked to roll a die, you have a pool of four prep die that you can use.
00:54:51
Speaker
Nice. That's a good flash in Alpha. Yeah. flash I'm learning how to flash. Yeah. And we set sail. And for the rest of this morning, Nyx, you are at sea with the man you love, with your with your long-term companion and your recent friend in Tharok.
00:55:11
Speaker
a bunch of Osirin sailors that you've probably never crossed paths with before, but they they sail like disciplined naval folk as opposed to pirates. And there is ah there is a grace and there is a set discipline about them, but it lacks some of the charm. It lacks some of the um kind of...
00:55:34
Speaker
rudimentary um kind of fierceness that comes with sailing with independent sailors or pirates or mercenaries. This is too clean. It's too polished. It's lacking some riz. And that's kind of that's kind of your notable feel about this is that usually usually when you're in this situation, you're hearing jokes, you're hearing laughter, you're hearing people swearing at each other. you're hearing people spitting at each other. People are enjoying beverages while they work.
00:56:02
Speaker
There is crass um kind of treatment of each other, but it comes from a point of kind of brethren and and shared love. But here it's silent. It is it is instructional. It is it is it is
00:56:17
Speaker
lacking the familiar to you, but it is efficient. And you have never been on a vessel that sailed this fast and actions have been actioned this quickly.
00:56:30
Speaker
So there's a trade-off. It's kind of like a soulless machine, but in comparison to to your previous voyages. But then you look around to your three friends and they kind of fill that gap.
00:56:42
Speaker
And as you press forward, you don't have a prevailing wind. You are sailing into it, so most of the crew are below deck working their oars. But as you reach the kind of open shores, no longer in the bay, you're in the ocean true at this point. Goldview is a speck to your western horizon.
00:57:04
Speaker
You can't see any longer the shores of Dralak, where you where you origin originated from. but the debris is getting thicker. the The pieces are no longer scrap pieces of wood, but full-on cannons, hammocks, supplies, um corpses washed up on boards. You are passing people in Shadomendian navy colors. You are passing pieces of ship that were made clearly in Sleetgaard. You are passing independent vessels. There is all manner of kind of naval wreckage here.
00:57:42
Speaker
And then there is a call. There is a call from the crow's nest above you
00:57:51
Speaker
that share this shouts, contact to the north. And another shout, what colors?
00:58:03
Speaker
And then Alpha, you are handed a very long, extendable scope.
00:58:15
Speaker
Just going kind of look at it. Think for a moment. like Wait, I've seen people use these things. It's a telescope, you fucking idiot.
00:58:26
Speaker
Yes, thank you. And we're just going to extend it with a bit of a flash. It's on a ship. Everyone seems really flashy. um Just pulls it not too hard, just gently, slowly, just to get it you know nice and long. Spit on it!
00:58:41
Speaker
i you put his face right up against one side and gazed down no I'm going to say gazed down the shaft just look through the hole oh this gets worse get your dick out of it it's full your eyes I'm going to look through the telescope anyway and do you see a vessel a vessel that is sailing with uh
00:59:13
Speaker
a favorable wind towards you. This vessel is a kind of mid-sized naval cutter built for speed and formation fighting, not an independent fighter.
00:59:25
Speaker
It's pretty much identical in inside a sort of silhouette and size to the severed compass. and But it's damaged, not... um kind of critically so, but the hull looks scarred and splintered.
00:59:42
Speaker
the One of the masts isn't calibrated, isn't is is slightly leaning. There's tangles in in the rigging. um The sails have kind of got some some minor kind of cosmetic damage.
00:59:58
Speaker
But what you are eventually drawn to are familiar emblems upon this vessel. The figurehead molded into the shape of a lion's face.
01:00:11
Speaker
Dyed upon the fabric of what remains of the sails are two sphinxes. This is a wayward vessel of the Shadomandian Navy.
01:00:24
Speaker
And it is watching you back.
01:00:31
Speaker
Alpha's just going to pause for a brief moment as he lowers the telescope and then shout back to the helm. Shadow Mendian ship. Heavily damaged.
01:00:46
Speaker
Seems to have a favorable wind. What are your orders, Captain?
01:00:51
Speaker
As 20 eyes turn to the helm,
01:01:05
Speaker
Hoist the mainsail. and Let's cut our speed. I want us to approach slowly. i want to see what they do.
01:01:14
Speaker
And Alfred's just going to whip for the people to get started. Bring them on port side. Man the cannons. yeah On the call of man the cannons, there is a different gear that the crew seem to jump into at this point. And the the atmosphere turns on a knife edge. This doesn't kind of become a disciplined routine um journey now. there is there is a ah kind of even more of a dropped expression and people are moving with ah with an efficiency and a determinism and bracing. And you can kind of see the nervous energy around the crew slightly, but but they look disciplined enough.
01:01:58
Speaker
We begin to move closer, ever closer. you we You saw this from about 500 feet away, Alpha, and we moved to within 400 feet. And Alpha, as you continue to inspect down the telescope, you see manoeuvres on that vessel echo exactly what is happening on your own.
01:02:20
Speaker
Cannons and kegs are being primed.
01:02:27
Speaker
Anybody watching Alpha at this stage would see Beta, his little cannon friend, just come alive, um perch on his shoulder, And again, he'd turn around say, they are mirroring us, Captain.
01:02:44
Speaker
They are preparing for combat.
01:02:49
Speaker
Nick sighs a giant sigh of relief at this. And just, Bahl, if you're near him, you'd hear him go, thank, thank fuck.
01:03:02
Speaker
Give no quarter. Nick shells ah shouts out, he's going to... Wow, can you just maintain
01:03:13
Speaker
ah true north? We're going to bring him on port side. Get ready. Once we're across cannon on cannon... If you could shout way anchor, we can hold in position.
01:03:27
Speaker
Just need to keep you steady. And Nyx will just hold put a hand over yours and show you where North is on the wheel and like just keep it here. We're going to bring them port side. And then Nyx is going to go down the steps and find Tharok.
01:03:44
Speaker
And you'll find Tharok, no doubt, near the cannons. Yeah, Tharok with purpose will come over and um not sure if he's to salute or not. He'll kind of just just say to Nyx, cannons appear to be loaded with some kind of force, iconic magic or so on the crew said, I'm not fully sure. But the salient point is we can apparently use them to slow those fuckers down if needs be.
01:04:06
Speaker
We don't need to slow them. We just need to destroy them. We need to protect this ship for the battles ahead. Our family, we're going keep everyone alive. We're going to keep this ship in good condition.
01:04:20
Speaker
You hold these men. You tell them to give no quarter. You tell them to fire. Fire in whole. Give everyone a warning. They should understand what that means.
01:04:31
Speaker
I trust this in your capable hands. Captain. We fucking got this, Dharok. We fucking got this. He'll turn from Nyx and go, all right, fuckers, we have orders from the captain. Those of you who are able to prevent with strength to the cannons, those of you who are a better equipped to bows and crossbows, arm yourselves.
01:04:49
Speaker
Talk about and even think about the bows. This is why you're the quartermaster as Nyx moves on towards Alpha. You are against the wind, so you some will stay on the oars to make sure you still have a kind of basic um ah acceleration.
01:05:05
Speaker
But as each ship
01:05:10
Speaker
reveals its hand and we are picking up speed and we enter into this naval exchange, that is where we're going to end this week's episode of Fellowship of the Tabletop, Bellum Draconis. Oh you my god!
01:05:26
Speaker
Exchange me, daddy. Oh my God, I did not expect that episode to go that way.
01:05:34
Speaker
Emotional barrage. ah When you said prep for like sea war,
Conclusion and Teasers for Next Episode
01:05:43
Speaker
I was like, yeah, I'll scrub up on like different commands and and the where the port side is again and the starboard side. i did not expect the, I should have, but the, yeah.
01:05:55
Speaker
Yeah. Cool. So, everyone, ah thanks for tuning in and listening, making this a part your day week. um Welcome to Assassin's Creed Black Flag. We're going to be taking things up a notch next time, so you'll want to tune in for that. We are The Fellowship the Tabletop, and we will see you next week.
01:06:12
Speaker
Farewell! Farewell!