Episode Transcript
[00:00:43] Speaker A: Waking up dreaming dark so long I cannot find meaning hold my hand, let me stay by your side through this never ending night I can feel it now it holds me all the these demons always roam me in this red light because me he is reaching out consuming.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: This heart hello everybody and welcome back to Tyrant of the Dark Star. I'm Aubrey, your GM and I'll introduce my players, who they are, who they're playing, and we'll get rolling into things.
[00:01:40] Speaker C: Hi, I'm Maki. My pronouns are she, her and I play Gravewing, the Nagaji sylph vigilante monk slash air kineticist who also uses she her pronouns and she is the party mom slash strategist of the rebellion.
[00:01:58] Speaker D: Hello, hello, I'm Alyssa. My pronouns are they, them and I play Leith Idrisi iv, the matricidal Dampier, dandy, rogue and spymaster who uses she any pronouns?
[00:02:12] Speaker E: Hello, I am Dusty, I use they he pronouns and I'm playing Yurido, just Yurido. Still, they are our nephilim cursed boy of a problem.
They are going to be the party and is Rebell firebrand and they also use they he pronouns.
[00:02:34] Speaker F: Hello, I am Faris, I use she her pronouns and I am playing Alouette Valer, a totally normal Nephilim Thurd having a very normal and good time learning all about her way more cursed family. She also uses she her pronouns and.
[00:02:49] Speaker G: Is the anathema partisan.
[00:02:53] Speaker H: Hello, I am Sparlock, and both me and my character use he him pronouns.
I'm going by Alistair Whiskerfield, wizard detective extraordinaire, as heir to the fine distinguished family of wizard mice, Ratzerts, Esoki Arcanists, I swear I was always aware of it. I keep my whiskers to the ground to uncover the truth of the powers that be who subjugate us. By which I mean I'm our recruiter.
[00:03:25] Speaker I: And hello to round off the group. I am Tick, I have he, she, they pronouns. And today you'll be playing Nile, a flesh warp sorcerer who is just a totally ordinary cook and quartermaster for the group and definitely not a cannibal parenthesis he's a cannibal, but it's a dietary restriction so don't be too mean to him.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: So now is the all important question of what happened last time.
[00:03:50] Speaker I: Oh boy, I can be not normal again. So last time on this game that we play every Sunday and I should probably I love how Faris is a note taker and I just kind of raw dog it every time, but we kind of did a bit more Planning about how we're gonna approach this pirate situation. We kind of came to the option of, one, bribing them, because who doesn't like money? Pirates love money. And two, dealing with whatever's keeping their ship from leaving. Because quite frankly, that will just get them out of here. And then we don't have to fight. We can just literally get them to betray their employers. It will not be that hard.
[00:04:21] Speaker C: Ideally.
[00:04:21] Speaker I: What, are they loyal to the cause? No, they're loyal to the coin. But we all kind of split off to do our various different tasks. Niall. Moth. Mom. And who the fuck was the third person? Leith. Leith. Hi, Leith. I didn't forget you, I promise. Oh, this is deadpanning me, but those three went off to the docks to explore and check stuff out. I had a little bit of a lore drop about the cannibalism and figured out that there was a giant sea drake kind of causing problems and breaking into fisheries and eating all the fish. Fish. And we think, oh, maybe we don't have to kill and eat this monster. Maybe we could just relocate them or figure out what exactly has happened that is making it start doing this all of a sudden. Because ecological trauma and crisis is a thing that happens. And we don't have to blame the monster for that if we don't have to. But just in case it is a seadrake problem, I'm just saying I'm sharp me a little cooking knife.
Alouette impressed us even more by digging a deeper and deeper hole for herself every single day. I did not know that was one of her skills, but at this point, you got to give her a burrowing speed of at least 30 points as she continued to build more of an elaborate lie about this engagement with Leith, which at this point, I'm fully convinced is gonna happen. And Leith is not gonna show up at the altar because, Jesus Christ, everyone's gonna hear about it. But convinced that Alastor was the wedding planner. I forget. I think Yuri went off to do something with. Without everyone. And it was so secretive, I forgot what it was. I don't remember what Yuri did. I'm sorry.
[00:05:55] Speaker B: I love Pop as well.
[00:05:57] Speaker I: You were there as well. Got it right? You both right. You both were digging this hole.
Yuri was like, watching this whole get dug, I was like, well, I mean, how bad can it get? And I'm just sitting here like, oh, you don't know what the shippers are talking about, Discord. Oh, it's gonna get worse.
But then we all got, like, gathered together talking about what we were Talking about introduced schism to the group who could not help us. But that's okay. He's very hot and very cute and yeah, we've kind of been planning about what to do about the sea serpent. I think Alouette is very disapproving about this cannibalism thing, despite the fact that she continues to dig holes, presumably to dig like buried bodies into, because what else are you digging yourself for?
But yeah, that is roughly what happened last time. Gays, sea drakes and cannibalism.
[00:06:47] Speaker B: So I believe one of your big things to stick. You're going to be going to talk to the dockmaster.
[00:06:52] Speaker I: Yeah.
[00:06:53] Speaker B: And the big question I have is, are you going as yourselves or are you going as the anathema?
[00:07:00] Speaker D: Anathema.
[00:07:02] Speaker I: Yeah, I think that's best. I don't want them to know who I am.
[00:07:08] Speaker B: Well, if somebody would like to give me a society check real quick just to see how fast you can find where the dockmaster lives.
[00:07:14] Speaker D: Oh, I can do it.
And you could also do it.
[00:07:19] Speaker F: Aki.
[00:07:20] Speaker D: You probably roll better than me, but.
[00:07:22] Speaker C: That I also have street wise.
[00:07:26] Speaker D: I got a 22.
[00:07:28] Speaker B: 22? Yeah. It doesn't take you very long.
It is a surprisingly very unassuming building, but you're able to find a few people who point you in the right direction.
Unassuming building.
You can see sort of lights on inside.
And you, I'm guessing, who's leading the charge for this? Who's gonna knock?
[00:07:58] Speaker D: Is everyone coming? Yeah.
[00:08:01] Speaker B: You all just met up.
[00:08:03] Speaker I: My brain says someone with charisma. My heart says Mothmom. Because she's like the coolest one in this group. I'm gonna be honest, I have street.
[00:08:11] Speaker C: Cred for saving everybody for 10 years.
[00:08:15] Speaker I: Exactly.
[00:08:18] Speaker D: Yeah. Go for.
[00:08:24] Speaker C: We're all in like full outfits, right, with our mask and stuff.
[00:08:28] Speaker I: Oh, of course. Looking fabulous.
[00:08:30] Speaker C: This going to look so much like a robbery or something. Okay. Yeah, this is this a. This a lone shark shakedown. But yeah, nobody else wants to. I will lead and knock.
[00:08:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
You hear a voice from inside that says, coming just a moment and five, ten seconds later, the, the door opens and you see this sort of tall, sort of lanky figure. They have this sort of greenish blue skin and white hair as they sort of poke their head out and look at all of you and they just sort of swallow like very obviously and go, Can I help you?
[00:09:20] Speaker C: Are you the dock master?
[00:09:24] Speaker B: If I say yes, is that the good thing?
[00:09:30] Speaker C: I mean, it can be a good thing, could be a bad thing. It depends what you say. Next.
[00:09:35] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:09:38] Speaker C: Good.
So we hear you have a seadrake problem.
[00:09:49] Speaker D: Yeah, it's.
[00:09:50] Speaker B: It's a bit of a problem.
They, like, look around and they say, we probably shouldn't be having this conversation out on the street. Come in. Do you like tea?
Yeah, great.
Please, Please. I don't. As you enter this house, it is in disarray is the best way to put it. It clearly looks like somebody's been looking for something, but they have not seemed to find it. Like, bookshelves have been emptied and you can kind of see their contents stacked up on the floor.
Any clear surface is covered with books open to various pages.
A lot of them seem to be logbooks of some kind.
And you watch, there are seats for people to sit, like if they were coming in to do deals or anything with the dockmaster. Most of them have books on them, but you can easily remove those if you want to take a seat. And you watch as this person sort of moves into this small kitchen at. And with a few words, lights a little fire under this teapot.
And they're just like, I think I have enough cups.
Yes. Pardon me. You can call me Aster.
I'm the new doc master.
Yeah. You were actually not the first people to talk to me about the problem today, so.
[00:11:35] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:11:37] Speaker B: Yeah, there was a.
The dock workers union is putting together money to essentially put a bounty on the thing.
They have not been able to work for almost a month because of it.
You people are getting frustrated.
[00:12:00] Speaker C: Aren't you supposed to know some sort of ritual to appease it?
[00:12:04] Speaker B: Theoretically. I can't find the notes. I was only apprenticing under the last dockmaster for about three months before he unfortunately was murdered.
[00:12:17] Speaker C: Murdered by Drake or something else?
[00:12:23] Speaker B: By a dock worker. It was some sort of disagreement over some sort of something to do with money, I was told. I wasn't there when it happened.
[00:12:39] Speaker C: That's rough.
[00:12:41] Speaker B: Yeah, he.
It's.
If it's in here, I haven't been able to find it yet. And I've been looking for a solid three days.
[00:12:51] Speaker C: Do you have.
Did you only work here or do you have other places, other offices?
[00:12:59] Speaker B: This is. The dockmaster lives and works out of here.
So if wasn't anywhere else that good old Bernard would have anything.
[00:13:13] Speaker C: Lucky for you, we have a great mouse detective.
[00:13:20] Speaker D: What happened to the murderer?
[00:13:23] Speaker B: As far as I know, the. The coin guard arrested him and took him to trial.
[00:13:32] Speaker E: Okay, well, why don't we try looking ourselves, if you don't mind. For this ritual, whatever it was, was obviously working.
[00:13:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, it, it definitely was. So yeah, there's a. Be my guest. I've. I'm tired.
And you hear the teapot start to whistle and they start to.
They put it pour in the teapot, they start the ritual of making tea. If anybody wants to help, help Aster look for this, give me investigation checks.
[00:14:13] Speaker I: Help with the tea. And I was like, I'll help with the tea. It's cooking.
[00:14:17] Speaker B: No, Esther's got the tea but give me perception checks.
I will help.
[00:14:26] Speaker C: Oh, I was gonna say we have the helper.
[00:14:28] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah. Wait, does the investigators like anything? Beard sense ping the dark room.
[00:14:43] Speaker B: There's nothing hidden here per se, there's just a lot of books to go through and there was only one person looking through them.
[00:14:54] Speaker F: I'll give guidance to Alistair.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:14:58] Speaker F: And then I'll just help the T because I feel like there's too many people looking in a very small space and we're just going to get in each other's way.
[00:15:08] Speaker H: Yeah, I think I might have be specific for.
Nope, nothing specific for this, but I do have a 18.
[00:15:30] Speaker B: So yeah, Alistair, you get a little distracted by some of these, these log books because clearly more in some of them, especially from about, I'd say 10 years ago, there's more money coming in than there should be.
So somebody's doing something under the books and you're very distracted by that.
And so for everyone else, Leith, you got a 25, graveling, you got a 24 and Yuri, you got a 29 you3 are going through these in a very meticulous way and so that you don't accidentally like double read any of them. Yuri, you're the one who finds it or you find what there isn't.
You are looking through an old journal specifically about the lake and everything. There are references to some sort of temple underneath the lake. And then you get to pages that you think probably should relate to the ritual except they're missing.
You can clearly see where somebody has ripped these pages out of the notebook.
[00:16:44] Speaker E: Yeah, I, I think I'm looking through that and I'm Yuri themselves. I, I'm looking at this like I feel like I would know about a temple under the lake, but apparently you don't.
But I'm looking through and I kind of see it and pull like the pages just for enough so you can fully see them. I say aloud, well, it should be in this book.
Someone didn't want anyone to find it. However, as there's clearly pages ripped out.
[00:17:21] Speaker G: Would it be the murderer of the PR dock master?
[00:17:26] Speaker E: Not sure is what they killed him for. Aster, do you know who else had access to the space beside you?
[00:17:37] Speaker B: Well, I see many sailors and things a day. Most captains have to come by here when they.
When they come into port to register their ship, their crew, whatever cargo they're carrying, pay any various docking fees or taxes.
Then, you know, there's occasionally coinguard pass through.
I had.
There have been several members of the Holy Blood poking around as well. Because they want to hunt the monster too.
[00:18:12] Speaker E: The.
You said the person that murdered the previous person.
They are putting on trial by the coin card.
[00:18:25] Speaker B: Yeah, they were. They were. I was told that they were put on trial and sentenced to prison.
[00:18:34] Speaker E: Think there's something more being hidden from everyone? I think I want to go.
I think I'd like to go talk to this person because something about money. I. That's such an easy excuse to tell the public and have people believe it.
[00:18:58] Speaker B: Is. The. Is the gm. The. The. The coin guard or the. The person who was arrested?
[00:19:04] Speaker E: The person. The person that was arrested.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: You would have to go back into the prison you escaped from.
[00:19:12] Speaker E: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:19:12] Speaker I: We turn ourselves in again, is it? No, I'm kidding.
[00:19:15] Speaker F: I don't want to do a second prison break.
[00:19:17] Speaker E: No, I. I'm realizing that as. As you're saying that there is a cold iron prison.
I could also shake down the Coin Guard. Sorry. In character. I could also go shake down the Coin guard.
[00:19:36] Speaker F: Maybe we should not discuss our plans here.
[00:19:42] Speaker B: I won't say anything. Aster says quietly as they like come and bring a tray of tea because they have.
Have six masked visual antis in there. They're a little scared.
[00:19:56] Speaker C: They don't.
[00:19:57] Speaker B: Because they're this lanky, just undying human.
[00:20:01] Speaker C: Yeah. They don't benefit anything from telling on us. Besides what the reputation that you're also a narc. So I think we're. Okay. Just don't discuss specifics.
[00:20:16] Speaker B: And Laith, you're also looking through the book as well. There is. There is a reference to a. A druid who supposedly lives along the bank of the river.
They're. Denram Emberheart is the dwarf's name. They.
They're a druid who lives along the banks of the river. Apparently, they helped craft the ritual.
[00:20:52] Speaker D: Yeah. So I think that while Yuri is plotting to break into the prison, Leith continues to look through the book and sort of sighs and says, really? Her dad? You have to pick the hardest possible option.
The person who created the river or the person who created the ritual is still around. We can just talk to them instead.
[00:21:14] Speaker E: Oh, well, that's much easier.
Also gm, out of character. This is the same lake that my family lives on, right?
[00:21:30] Speaker B: Yeah, near essentially, Silver Court. Your family lives closer to the river rather than the lake, because there is the. The entire narrows district between Silver Court and the lake.
[00:21:43] Speaker E: Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.
[00:21:45] Speaker B: There's only. There's only one lake and there's only one river, so.
[00:21:49] Speaker E: Yeah, then.
Well, maybe we go talk to them first. If you don't need to shake down people. That'd be better.
[00:22:02] Speaker D: Did you, the dock master, the old dockmaster, ever take you to visit this person? Aster Denrum Emberheart, I think.
[00:22:13] Speaker B: I think he mentioned the name a few times.
I constantly, yet again only worked here three months before it became my job, so there are many things that old dogmaster didn't teach me. So stay kind of shrug.
[00:22:34] Speaker C: Well, you should still come with us when we go find them.
[00:22:38] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, sure.
[00:22:40] Speaker E: Aster, please don't take offense to this.
Is there a reason why you that's only been here for three months, became the new dockmaster?
[00:22:51] Speaker B: Well, I was supposed to have a lot more training because essentially is the Dark Master will after like 10 years or so on the job, and they will. Or a few years on the job. It was 10 for the previous one. They'll take on an apprentice and the apprentice helps them out and learns from them. So then when they either retire or kick the bucket. Usually kick the bucket. They take over the job.
[00:23:13] Speaker E: Okay, so you were set as. Okay, I understand. I just want to make sure that.
[00:23:17] Speaker B: I'm supposed to have like a few more years of training.
[00:23:19] Speaker E: Yeah, I'm just checking. Sometimes people are put in places as pawns without them realizing it, so. But yes, you should.
Yes, yes, I.
[00:23:34] Speaker C: You. Well, you are very pawnable looking.
You're like, what, undine?
[00:23:42] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
I have a family. Has a great connection to the lake.
[00:23:51] Speaker C: Then you especially better show up with us when we find the druid.
Make a really good impression first.
[00:23:59] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, just let me, let me, let me know. I can't say I'm good at fighting fighting. But I do my best because there. There are stories of an old druid you got to go out into the Eld for. You got to go out into the watching woods to get to them.
They're on the other side of the lake.
[00:24:28] Speaker C: Oh, that. Well, that's excellent.
[00:24:32] Speaker G: Okay.
[00:24:35] Speaker C: If it's that same druid, I'll be real upset. Not at you.
[00:24:42] Speaker G: Same druid as what?
[00:24:44] Speaker C: The one in the legends that they just said.
[00:24:50] Speaker G: Is it not supposed to be.
[00:24:54] Speaker C: I'm hoping it's not.
[00:24:56] Speaker G: I see.
[00:24:59] Speaker D: Well, there's no time like the present. Is there any reason to keep looking around before we make this. This out?
[00:25:10] Speaker I: I'd say we visit a druid.
We'll look at how old is this druid, then. If this ritual's been passed down for generations and he's still alive.
[00:25:22] Speaker B: I think. I think I heard the Dark Master say he was very stubborn.
[00:25:27] Speaker G: People can live a very long time.
[00:25:31] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:25:31] Speaker E: If they're not murdered.
[00:25:33] Speaker G: Not every person, but a lot of people can.
[00:25:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Murdering does usually change the life expectancy.
[00:25:43] Speaker I: Excuse me. Oh.
[00:25:46] Speaker B: Let me go. And I've got. I've got a bag. I've got, like a medical bag. Decent at treating wounds. You need someone to fish and patch you up. That's me.
Those are my two skills.
[00:26:02] Speaker C: Wear something with a hood.
[00:26:07] Speaker B: You. You. They'll. They'll sort of like scramble up because it's like, essentially is there's a place to live about this. And a few minutes later, they'll come back down wearing like a kind of. As a sort of grayish coat with a hood on it. And they've got a sort of a small bag over their shoulder.
[00:26:29] Speaker C: This whole time I'm. I'm inspecting the tea and then I'm gonna drink it and I'm gonna glare if nobody else drinks it.
[00:26:37] Speaker I: Is it good?
[00:26:38] Speaker F: Already drinking it.
[00:26:39] Speaker I: I want you to roll for it.
[00:26:42] Speaker B: Roll what for it?
[00:26:43] Speaker I: Roll a crafting check for how good the tea is. You don't have to, but, like, it's.
[00:26:48] Speaker B: It's.
[00:26:48] Speaker E: It's. It's. It's tea. It's been grown to taste like that. Are you asking if they're a good gardener?
[00:26:54] Speaker I: The heat of the water, the length of the brew, all of those affect the flavor and sweetness of the tea.
[00:26:59] Speaker F: How would you know? You brew tea for, like, five hours.
[00:27:04] Speaker I: That's how I like the flavor.
[00:27:06] Speaker E: That's not good.
[00:27:08] Speaker C: Straight up that. That's super steeped tea. And say you can drink it, it's fine.
[00:27:13] Speaker F: You've steeped it overnight before.
[00:27:18] Speaker E: You're doing a cold brew. It's different.
[00:27:19] Speaker C: However, I was gonna say, yeah, I steep my teas very long for cold brews.
[00:27:23] Speaker I: Yeah, cold, we're definitely steeping along, but, like, anyways. Aubrey, what'd you get?
[00:27:27] Speaker B: I mean, I got like a 19 on the dice. This is like.
[00:27:32] Speaker E: It's.
[00:27:33] Speaker I: It's good tea.
[00:27:35] Speaker B: It is good tea, but you can tell that this person doesn't get paid a lot. So it is kind of on the cheaper End. But it's still pretty good because it's just like a. It's your basic like black tea.
Kind of like something close to an Earl Grey.
[00:27:51] Speaker I: You have a good eye for the water temperature and brewing time.
[00:27:55] Speaker B: It's like. It's my entire like water. I understand.
I understand water better than people.
[00:28:04] Speaker E: That's very expressive. That being said, I am not drinking the tea.
[00:28:09] Speaker C: I'm gonna drink your cobbler.
[00:28:11] Speaker D: I also do not drink the tea.
[00:28:13] Speaker C: That I'm drinking a third cup.
[00:28:15] Speaker F: Poison is poison.
[00:28:17] Speaker I: If it's poisoned, it's poisoned. I'm drinking the tea.
[00:28:20] Speaker H: I'm drinking the tea.
[00:28:21] Speaker F: All the tea. Of the four of us will drink all the tea.
[00:28:23] Speaker I: Yeah. Cuz I'm going to have a cup. I could just put a hand over a cup of your subtly without no one watching.
[00:28:30] Speaker C: Respectfully, this bitch cannot afford poison.
And two, you barely have 14 tea was poured. I don't want to waste it. Grave wings not a weight. Not. Not about wasting at all. That's disrespectful. Bam. Drank two cups. Feels warm.
Also fair about the water. Me too. But not, not with water. With air.
Wind.
[00:28:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
Yeah. Well they. They kind of just like. I can't say I've ever actually been outside of the city. I mean I don't count swimming in the lake as being outside the city, but never been outside the city before.
[00:29:14] Speaker G: Neither have I.
So it could be an adventure for us. Boss.
[00:29:21] Speaker I: Wait, do we have to cross the lake to get this guy?
[00:29:24] Speaker B: We're going to have to. You're probably going to of me as the gm. You're going to have to leave the city and then you're. It's going to take you several hours because you're essentially going to have to.
You could take. Try and find somebody to charter about to take you across the lake.
[00:29:41] Speaker I: Yeah. I was about to say like we're not. We're not planning to use a boat. Right? Isn't there a really angry monster in the ocean?
[00:29:46] Speaker B: There is kind of a really angry monster. So you would be on the other.
[00:29:50] Speaker I: Side of the lake. And I was like, we're walking, right? We're walking, right?
[00:29:54] Speaker B: Yeah. But essentially you're gonna have to leave the city and then travel the circumference of the lake, which will take several hours. And I will need some survival checks from people.
[00:30:06] Speaker C: My fucking train. I should be trading survival. One second.
[00:30:11] Speaker F: Do you have any alternatives? Girl, I'm not any alternatives at all to survival.
[00:30:15] Speaker I: We follow the leader. Like can we not.
[00:30:20] Speaker B: Somebody is somebody an expert of survival? So you can do follow the expert.
[00:30:27] Speaker F: Is anyone trained in survival?
[00:30:28] Speaker I: First off, survival.
[00:30:30] Speaker C: Somehow I. I've got nature.
[00:30:34] Speaker B: Nature. Nature works. Nature works.
[00:30:36] Speaker C: I also got society and street wise. So maybe we can know where to go. Like maybe there's a shortcut.
[00:30:42] Speaker F: I have eyes of the city. I know we're leaving the city, but I could talk to somebody on the way out.
[00:30:48] Speaker I: Eyes of the close to the city, you know?
[00:30:51] Speaker F: Aubrey, please. I have a plus one in survival.
[00:30:54] Speaker B: I mean if you have nature, you can use nature.
[00:30:56] Speaker C: Okay, nature.
[00:30:58] Speaker H: I'll use nature. Does none of us have survival?
[00:31:02] Speaker F: Just tick it seems.
[00:31:04] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah, it's.
[00:31:06] Speaker I: I'm the only one that knows how survival works, I guess. Which is kind of impressive because I am not surviving in this economy.
[00:31:12] Speaker F: Dirty 20.
[00:31:13] Speaker C: Well, you're doing it for the food purposes. Survival sometimes is needed for food.
[00:31:19] Speaker I: Hey Aubrey, we have hero points, right? Hypothetically.
[00:31:23] Speaker B: Hypothetically? Yes.
[00:31:24] Speaker I: Hypothetically.
Is it funny if we all actually.
[00:31:30] Speaker E: I'm sorry, I use the hero point. I'll just say that I use the hero point because I wrote.
[00:31:35] Speaker I: I'll also use the hero point. I rolled pretty poorly. And we're gonna get another one in approximately 13 minutes.
[00:31:41] Speaker H: Yeah, I'll use a hero point for that.
[00:31:44] Speaker B: Six.
Philip.
[00:31:47] Speaker C: Three people needed with that. That's how. That's half the party.
[00:31:50] Speaker B: There we go.
[00:31:50] Speaker H: Natural 20. 26.
[00:31:53] Speaker F: Nice, nice, nice.
[00:31:55] Speaker C: 25. Nature 19.
[00:31:58] Speaker I: To survive.
[00:31:59] Speaker F: Such city slickers.
[00:32:02] Speaker C: This is my city. Of course I'm gonna be really good in my city.
[00:32:06] Speaker B: So how many of you have ever been out into the watching wood before?
[00:32:13] Speaker E: Not sorry for audio medium. I raised my hand. Yuri has.
[00:32:19] Speaker C: I think moth mom has.
But not nowhere near as often as like Yuri would. And mothm also doesn't like going out there.
[00:32:29] Speaker B: Yeah, essentially, as soon as you leave the gates, you have a constant feeling of being watched.
It's the hair raising on the back of your neck. And you will. You can look around to your heart's content.
The woods are deadly silent.
No birds, no insects, nothing.
Have you ever walked through woods where there's no nature sounds?
[00:33:00] Speaker C: Nope.
Why would I go out in the woods, Aubrey? Why? I. Why?
[00:33:07] Speaker B: Don't know.
You're walking through the woods. It is eerily silent.
There's a trick to moving through these woods, Alistair. You've read about it in books many times.
This wood is full of paths that lead to nowhere.
You kind of have to know the woods before you can even navigate through them. There's a trick to navigating and.
[00:33:40] Speaker H: It.
[00:33:41] Speaker B: Kind of involves keeping your destination in mind.
The woods will try and throw you off the path.
People swear that the trees move when you're not looking at them.
And there are many times where you're of. You almost gets tripped by something, and then you look around and there's nothing there.
And you all rolled well enough to avoid the watching woods problems for now, especially on such a short trip.
And there is a time where, you know, you do come across what appears to be some unfortunate travelers in the woods. They're very, very dead, and they almost look like they have been desiccated by something.
[00:34:46] Speaker I: Are there any of them in good condition?
[00:34:48] Speaker F: No, before that.
Do any of them have any, like, identification on them that we can take home to their families?
[00:34:56] Speaker B: Give me a perception check real quick. These I was gonna ask to do.
[00:35:00] Speaker C: Can I do the same thing? Because I was gonna ask.
[00:35:04] Speaker G: Unfortunately, that is a 1224.
[00:35:11] Speaker C: I'm getting. I'm getting some. Yeah, I'm getting some decent rolls out of skills that I'm not the strongest in.
[00:35:18] Speaker B: You find these. One of them was a supposed guide to lead someone through the woods, and then the other was just a person from Malachi. You find their papers. Neither of you have heard the names before.
The thing you notice is, like, the papers have dates on them when they're issued.
These papers were issued almost 20 years ago.
These bodies certainly don't appear like they've been here for 20 years.
Kind of almost like something has completely leeched the nutrients from them.
[00:36:02] Speaker F: Interesting.
[00:36:04] Speaker C: I'm. I'm gonna keep the papers just because.
[00:36:08] Speaker G: Closure.
[00:36:09] Speaker C: Yeah, we might. We might be.
[00:36:12] Speaker G: Doesn't matter how long it is.
[00:36:13] Speaker F: You'll want to know.
[00:36:15] Speaker C: Yeah. Plus, we got. We got the bleeds. They might be able to help.
[00:36:22] Speaker B: Yeah.
And what was the graveling? What was your. Your total.
[00:36:30] Speaker C: Like the roll that I did.
[00:36:32] Speaker B: Yeah, the.
[00:36:32] Speaker C: The perception 24.
I can see in the dark just. Just in case I have dark vision.
[00:36:45] Speaker B: So you are.
You're doing this as you're looking around, and there's. Underneath one of the bodies. There appears to be a.
Like a plain leather bag.
[00:37:06] Speaker C: Okay, well, I'm obviously going to grab the bag.
[00:37:10] Speaker B: Yeah, it is. Yeah, it's just sort of this plain leather bag with a thin leather cord attached to cinch it closed.
[00:37:21] Speaker C: I'm gonna open it to just check, make sure I'm not. Well, one that the bag is still, like, properly put together. Like, I understand that it's a. It's a leather bag, but still, 20 years in the weird forest, things could happen.
[00:37:38] Speaker B: Yeah. You.
As you do this and you're Just sort of looking in.
What do you suppose looking into a bag of holding like thing kind of looks like.
[00:37:55] Speaker C: Yeah, no, I think looking into a bag of holding is like especially espec taking into the atmosphere and the general vibe of Todd's.
I think it's like looking into the portal that Coraline walks through or crawls through. I think that's what it looks like. So the walls are, the walls of the bag are like, you know, kind of like zigzaggy sort of like. I wouldn't say that the bag is alive and breathing, but I think the bag is moving like it is again, like a kid's play pen thing when they go from one area to another and it's just like a fucking slinky looking thing. So when they move, the whole thing moves because they're usually suspended in air. Like that's the kind of vibe. But you know, graveling will just kind of nod and be like, I think I found a bag of holding.
[00:38:51] Speaker B: You actually found a smuggler's sack.
[00:38:53] Speaker C: Oh, never mind.
[00:38:55] Speaker B: It is a kind of bag of holding that can.
[00:38:59] Speaker C: I found a bag of holding that needs to do 20 to life. Thank you.
[00:39:04] Speaker B: You can essentially hide things in here and hide them with a command word and you hide them with the command word. If somebody opens up and looks at the bag, they don't see them.
But when you look into the bag, you see four potions. You see a small sack of what is probably money.
Looks to be was about 100ft of rope and about a couple of days worth of rations.
Because they're technically in a bag of holding. They're kind of still good.
[00:39:40] Speaker C: Yeah, it's like four potions in here, some rope money.
[00:39:45] Speaker G: We could have used that.
[00:39:47] Speaker C: These pressure's still good last week.
[00:39:49] Speaker I: Oh, I can try them here.
[00:39:52] Speaker C: I throw, I, I, I, I toss one over to, to Nile because this is the bet. This is our best. Just safe. This is our best.
[00:40:03] Speaker I: I'll, I'll be skim hands and be like, how's this in front of Aster here?
[00:40:08] Speaker E: Yeah, we're traveling.
[00:40:10] Speaker I: God, I'll eat it normally. I forgot Aster was here. I forgot there was another entity. My bad. He's just so moist.
[00:40:21] Speaker B: For this we should taste moving. It tastes a little stale but like it's still edible. If you add to like the, it's got essentially this, this ration is like a mix of like bread, hard bread, cheese and dried meats.
[00:40:41] Speaker I: It's nice and durable. Give it that and definitely edible.
[00:40:46] Speaker B: Bread's a little tough, but you know it's edible.
Yeah. But yes, you can keep moving on from this. And eventually, after about several hours of walking, you've been able to circumvent a lot of the lake.
And you can kind of see in the distance there's this sort of ram. Shackle's not the word for it, but it is a cabin that seems to sort of be.
It's almost like if somebody amplified the size of like a beaver's den to something that a person would live in.
And you can kind of see smoke from a fire, like a fireplace sort of coming up from it.
[00:41:50] Speaker G: Shall we?
[00:41:54] Speaker C: This is a druid, right? Like, we're certain we're here to see a Druid and not a witch?
[00:42:02] Speaker E: No, no.
[00:42:03] Speaker B: In theory, stories call him a Druid.
[00:42:10] Speaker F: I'll knock, I guess, if no one else is making any moves.
[00:42:14] Speaker I: I refuse to knock on any sort of door involving any socialization. But I will stand behind you if you need emotional support for it.
[00:42:21] Speaker C: Grave Wing is usually good about knocking on doors, but not little huts in. In these goddamn.
[00:42:29] Speaker B: This is like right on the edge of the lake. There's probably. There's like a. A makeshift, like, dock and like a little makeshift boat.
[00:42:36] Speaker E: I. I do think that if Lou makes a motion to knock, I'm just going to say, well, I go up front just. Just in case. Just in case.
[00:42:51] Speaker G: Unless I shoot a fireball out of the door.
Even then, you know, you never know. As long as we are polite.
Don't start with being polite. Why are you also afraid of a druid?
[00:43:06] Speaker E: Jeez, just.
[00:43:08] Speaker F: You got to knock politely.
[00:43:14] Speaker B: You. You knock and you hear a voice that goes.
Identify yourself.
[00:43:24] Speaker G: Hello, I am Theer of the Anatoma, and I am here to speak with the Druid about. Problem?
No, I've never been woods before in my life.
[00:43:39] Speaker B: They're not that creative. You hear from behind the door is the. The door opens as you immediately look down at this dwarf. This dwarf is ancient is the best way to put it. Has very, very like, almost down to his knees, braided white hair and his beard is like, almost down to his knees as well. And heavily braided in with like, reeds and like a little bit of seaweed as well.
It does take you a moment to realize he's not wearing a shirt. But, you know, the. The hair and beard do cover the majority of it. He's wearing pants, so.
[00:44:19] Speaker I: Oh, come on, Aubrey. Don't be.
[00:44:25] Speaker C: So many white hair characters for Tick today. Wow.
[00:44:29] Speaker I: I'm not into gils. I'm not into gils. This Is like someone my nunna would like.
[00:44:36] Speaker B: There's the twink right behind all of you.
[00:44:39] Speaker C: Yeah, that's what I say. That's what I say. I was pointing it out.
[00:44:43] Speaker G: I. I'm very sorry for us intruding, but we have a bit of a problem in the city and we thought perhaps that you could help with it.
[00:44:51] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. She's unhappy, isn't she?
[00:44:55] Speaker G: Yes.
Solving the problem of why she was unhappy will take a little bit longer time than we have. So we thought maybe we could do the short version first and then solve the long version when things are less drastic, if you understand.
[00:45:11] Speaker B: Well, I think if you're coming out here to see me, you.
Something happened to the ritual I made. Oh.
[00:45:24] Speaker G: It is missing is the problem.
[00:45:26] Speaker B: Oh, okay.
[00:45:27] Speaker G: It was not passed along properly as it's the way of things due to a bit of a murderous mishap that makes it sound very slight. It was murder and that was bad. But we don't know all of the details. I'm sorry, don't mean to make light of it.
[00:45:43] Speaker B: Yeah, well, it looks around. He's like, I think I have enough food if you're hungry. And I hope it.
[00:45:52] Speaker G: Do you not wish to intrude and not if you.
[00:45:58] Speaker B: Should not have in depth conversations around the trees. So you should come inside.
[00:46:05] Speaker G: That is very gracious that you. Thank you very much. We have also brought the former apprentice doc master, who is the new Dark Master. To have a formal introduction between the two of you as that seems to be necessary and important.
[00:46:17] Speaker B: Just answer, just waves of just like, I have a lot of questions and hopefully you can help and sort of goes.
I'll do my best. As you all enter this sort of relatively. It's homely.
Clearly this. This person has made their entire living out of a lot of it. Definitely appears to be salvaged wood, probably from dead trees and things like that and branches that fall and, you know, has a nice fire going. So after dealing with a very. It was very rainy on your way here. So, you know, get in, dry off.
As you sort of settle in, the dwarf sort of sits down and, you know, you watch as he's like, he's got some fish that he's turning on, like a little spit to cook.
[00:47:11] Speaker G: Forgive me, I forgot to ask your name. I. I didn't mean to go straight to business without interactions being put away.
[00:47:17] Speaker B: That's okay. But anybody usually comes out, they just call me old man or druid or that old druid who lives on the other side of the lake. Not many people Actually, ask my name, so it's. Thank you. So you can just call me Denim Den.
[00:47:31] Speaker G: Ah. We had heard that might be the case, but I did not want to make assumptions.
[00:47:36] Speaker I: Hey, Devon.
[00:47:37] Speaker C: Can I help you?
[00:47:40] Speaker G: I'm sorry.
[00:47:43] Speaker I: If I may, we are guests intruding. At least help me. Let me help you cook.
[00:47:48] Speaker B: The fish is already almost done. I just got to.
I live. I live a very simple life. Sit down and I'll.
[00:47:58] Speaker I: Please, sir, I'm dying.
[00:48:03] Speaker E: They've already had the milk prepared. No. No need to make more mess.
[00:48:07] Speaker G: It's a. No. No.
[00:48:12] Speaker B: This man clearly cooks in front on, like, an open fire. He doesn't have, like, a kitchen or anything.
[00:48:18] Speaker I: No, that's fine. It has an extra flavor. Now I'm just gonna grumble about the extra flavors and stuff and how, like, good.
[00:48:27] Speaker E: Do not come.
[00:48:28] Speaker I: Wow.
[00:48:28] Speaker D: You come into this. Yeah, right.
[00:48:31] Speaker C: Come into this.
[00:48:33] Speaker I: Well done.
The flame adds such an extra depth of the flavor to the fish, and the more fresh caught they are, the more flavor, nutrients, they tend. I'm gonna ramble, like, positively.
I think this is very lovely.
[00:48:46] Speaker B: So, yeah, about the ritual.
[00:48:49] Speaker E: Ritual?
[00:48:53] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. It's not supposed to end unless somebody sabotages it.
[00:49:00] Speaker E: That seems to be the case when the former Dark Master was murdered.
[00:49:05] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:49:05] Speaker E: I feel there's more behind it than simply money, but you don't exactly have time to look into it.
[00:49:12] Speaker B: Yeah, because, I mean. I mean, Cassie, she's.
She's a little territorial, but she's. She's. She's a good. She's a good creature. Spent a lot of time with her. The years.
The ritual kind of keeps things in the lake the way they should be, you know?
And when the ritual is disrupted, things are not. And it's like if somebody came into your house and moved everything two inches to the left.
[00:49:45] Speaker G: Oh, horrible.
[00:49:47] Speaker B: Yeah. But imagine that's, like, your entire lake.
[00:49:53] Speaker G: Still horrible. Yes, you're right.
[00:49:56] Speaker B: So there's a temple in the bottom of the lake.
That is where I set the ritual up because it needs to be at the center.
[00:50:10] Speaker E: Okay, so we need to go into the lake and do this ritual.
[00:50:15] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:50:18] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:50:19] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
You'll probably want to go in the morning. I do not. It is almost night, and I would not recommend trying this at night. There are. There are some really scary things that live in the lake.
[00:50:33] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:50:34] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:50:36] Speaker B: Well. And it's gonna take me a few hours to get all the stuff together that you'll need, and you will have to swim down there.
[00:50:47] Speaker E: Okay.
[00:50:47] Speaker G: I figured.
[00:50:49] Speaker D: How long does the ritual take?
[00:50:54] Speaker B: I can Cast water breathing on all of you in the morning.
[00:50:57] Speaker G: Oh, that is very kind of you.
[00:50:59] Speaker B: You'll have 24 hours that you could breathe water and. Yeah, I'll give this. I'll get everything together for the ritual.
You can leave in the morning.
It was probably a little cramped, but you all stay here.
I would not recommend traveling to the forest at night. That's when it gets a little restless.
[00:51:25] Speaker G: I appreciate the hospitality and I'm very sorry to have to impose on you in such a way.
[00:51:31] Speaker B: Look, I don't get company very often and you haven't insulted me, so. It's a wit in my book.
[00:51:37] Speaker G: If there is anything that you don't normally get to do without company, like cards, I would be very happy to oblige.
I understand.
[00:51:48] Speaker B: I haven't play cards in a. Well, maybe. Maybe we'll play some cards. But I'll. I'll prepare everything for the ritual first before I don't.
[00:51:55] Speaker G: Oh, yes, of course, of course, of course.
[00:51:56] Speaker E: If you. If you don't mind, will we. Would we be able to write down the steps and what we need for the ritual again, just in case?
[00:52:04] Speaker B: Yes, yes, I. I will walk you through everything you need.
[00:52:06] Speaker E: Appreciate it.
[00:52:11] Speaker B: And so this Druid will start preparing for the ritual.
You watch as he grabs many bundles of herbs and things that grow by the. Like the lake plants and things like that, like, and starts making sort of these bundles of them. And in it there's also some fish and some other sort of magical components.
And you know, he, he. He gives you. He gives like Aster all of the steps along the way and Aster's writing them down. And it's sort of. The idea is the only reason that the spiritual ever ends is because somebody messes with the display of it. It's sort of like it's ceremonially displayed. And.
Yeah.
So you all will be leaving in the morning and you all hopefully have some bed rolls or something.
[00:53:23] Speaker C: I have a question, just like for clarification on.
[00:53:29] Speaker I: Excuse me.
[00:53:30] Speaker C: The ceremonial display that is in the temple, which is under the lake, right?
[00:53:38] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:53:39] Speaker C: So that means in order for it to be disrupted, either nature does its course with erosion or somebody swam down there.
[00:53:48] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:53:49] Speaker C: Okay, thank you. I just wanna. I just wanna like, like, like just double check those facts.
[00:53:53] Speaker B: He didn't seem like he thought nature would do this, so.
[00:53:56] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, no, I don't think that is. Todd's nature hasn't done anything in a.
[00:54:04] Speaker E: Long time except apparently this forest.
[00:54:07] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:54:08] Speaker C: Nope, I don't think that's nature either. Technically based on the lore, everyone. It might be considered nature now, but it definitely wasn't nature. Origin.
[00:54:19] Speaker I: Yeah.
[00:54:19] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:54:20] Speaker B: I don't know if anybody wants to do anything, have any conversations or anything as you all settle down. Have very. Have conversations with this very cramped space.
[00:54:31] Speaker F: I'm have. I'm playing cards with Denerim and I'll drag. I'll drag anyone who wants to play cards into it. But also I feel like Aster needs socialization, so they're also getting dragged into the card game. Yeah. And also I just feel like Aster and Denerim would make good friends, and so I'm. I'm helping them become friends.
[00:54:50] Speaker E: What. What cards are you playing? What kind of cards are you doing? Poker? Are you doing this?
[00:54:54] Speaker B: Are we playing some Wicked Grace?
[00:54:56] Speaker C: Wicked Grace copyright.
[00:55:02] Speaker F: It's a variety of games. We're going through any game that Denerim has thought of playing and couldn't over the years.
And also the ones that Lou has been dying to play that she hasn't gotten to in the tavern yet.
[00:55:15] Speaker E: Yuri would join.
[00:55:17] Speaker G: Yeah, let's go.
[00:55:20] Speaker D: Once Yuri joins, Leith will also join and Laith will cheat.
[00:55:24] Speaker F: As expected.
[00:55:28] Speaker C: Graveling won't join, but Grave Wing will watch because I think.
I think she's bad at cards.
[00:55:36] Speaker F: That makes sense. She has vision problems, doesn't she?
[00:55:39] Speaker C: Yeah, she has vision problems. She learned how to play from her brother in law and Whiskey Jack. So we know that none of this was fair ever. So.
[00:55:51] Speaker F: Lou doesn't know about the vision problem, so I can't seek out like a card deck for the visually impaired. But if she finds out, she will be doing that.
[00:56:01] Speaker C: One day you'll all find out about how. How the depths of this visual impairment.
And. And we will. And we will be like, oh, my God. Accessibility.
[00:56:11] Speaker D: Accessibility.
[00:56:12] Speaker C: When? And I'll be like, where in Maliket bad is in its name?
Is it Mal? Mal means bad.
[00:56:23] Speaker F: I thought. I thought you were going for Spanish.
[00:56:25] Speaker E: As well, but I was thinking where the is bad? There's no B in Malik.
[00:56:29] Speaker F: Yeah, I was like.
[00:56:30] Speaker C: I was like.
Was also in Spanish too, but I was like, yeah, I was like, it's Latin based. Yeah, I heard.
[00:56:38] Speaker E: Literally bad.
[00:56:39] Speaker F: That's why it's a Latin root word.
[00:56:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:56:44] Speaker C: It also means ill in. In certain buildups, so that's a fun one.
[00:56:49] Speaker E: Sick.
[00:56:51] Speaker F: Anyway, etymology aside, don't want to discuss etymology, but.
[00:56:59] Speaker D: Yeah, I got a 29.
[00:57:01] Speaker B: To cheat. Yeah.
[00:57:03] Speaker E: Yeah, that's above my perception.
[00:57:05] Speaker B: It's. Are you. Are you. Are you cheating to win or what?
[00:57:10] Speaker D: I am cheating to.
I'M cheating to make Yuri lose and maybe help Alouette.
[00:57:21] Speaker E: Yeah, that tracks.
[00:57:22] Speaker C: That's.
[00:57:22] Speaker E: I. I was gonna suggest that. And I knew you were gonna say.
[00:57:27] Speaker B: Just Lath joins the game and suddenly Yuri's losing all the time and Alouette's winning more than normal.
[00:57:33] Speaker E: Why is this the fifth joker? I have seen only two in this deck.
[00:57:39] Speaker G: This is the deck that you got out of one of the stores in Gold Town. So it's like, who knows?
[00:57:45] Speaker B: Who knows?
[00:57:45] Speaker F: I haven't really checked it for all.
[00:57:47] Speaker E: The cards I'm gonna glare at late because this is far from the first time this would have happened.
I'm not gonna like, just like, harsh the vibe.
[00:57:59] Speaker I: So, yeah, I think. I think Niall's gonna play, but also really wants to know about, like, how to pick good fish for, like, fishing and stuff like that for cooking. And it's just a little bit off track and to the point where it just stops playing. Keeps asking this guy about fish and food and cooking advice.
Like those 10 year olds that you leave in the kitchen and you have to explain how making a cookie works.
[00:58:25] Speaker C: You know, Graveling is straight up trying to get her gear ready for swimming.
She realizes she's gonna have to ditch, like, the cloak because there's no way she's getting that wet. Not. Or sorry, Not. Not just wet. Like drenched. You know, soaked. No, thank you. But then she thinks about something and then just asks. So on a scale of 1 being chill and 10 being turf war, how. How upset is the Drake gonna be if something else with a really big tail shows up?
[00:59:14] Speaker B: It thinks and says might think you're a friend.
[00:59:22] Speaker C: Okay, that's.
[00:59:23] Speaker H: You weren't thinking of cutting my tail off, were you?
[00:59:25] Speaker C: You're not the only one with the tail, Alistair.
[00:59:30] Speaker H: Yes, but I have the best.
[00:59:35] Speaker C: You stand. You stand to be corrected on many levels.
Can you even swim? Actually, that we. We got to figure out who can swim here.
Does is. Can anyone not swim?
[00:59:51] Speaker F: I feel like there's no way with the backstory I gave her that Lou has ever been taught how to swim, which you can say in this moment, but I feel like.
[01:00:06] Speaker B: So you really mostly just focus on sinking.
[01:00:09] Speaker C: Yeah, that's the thing. The idea is, you know, if we fall into trouble, who can actually maneuver in the water? You got. We got 24 hours. So in theory we can just push the back out. Right. But like, it's. It's more. So let's say we throw. Have to throw hands. Are you Sonic?
Are you Sonic? Where you're just all the way down there. And you're rendered effectively useless because that's like his biggest weakness. Water.
Or are you the Little fucking Mermaid? You know, and it would apparently be that Alouette is Sonic.
[01:00:43] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, or Rook in a puddle of water.
[01:00:46] Speaker C: No, no, no, no, no.
[01:00:47] Speaker F: Every time the little drowning Sonic can hold his breath.
[01:00:50] Speaker C: Rook cannot.
Rook cannot.
[01:00:56] Speaker E: So I, I. Yes, I could some. I could fight underwater if needed be.
[01:01:02] Speaker F: Hey, Aubrey. Because suddenly this is very important. Are my cards gonna work underwater or are they all gonna go to mush?
[01:01:10] Speaker B: They'll work underwater.
[01:01:12] Speaker F: Will my bells work underwater?
[01:01:14] Speaker B: Theoretically, yes. Because they're magic.
[01:01:16] Speaker F: We're fine. Everything's gonna be okay.
[01:01:20] Speaker C: No, yeah. I just gotta be a little careful underwater.
[01:01:26] Speaker H: I'm a really good swimmer.
[01:01:28] Speaker C: Lightning is also my friend.
[01:01:30] Speaker G: Oh, yeah.
I will confess I have never been swimming in my life.
But I feel pretty confident. If we are breathing fine, then I think sinking is more natural than anything else. And I don't move a lot if things go awry. Anyway, I just throw things. So I think I can make it work because they are magical items.
[01:02:00] Speaker E: You could also focus on doing the actual ritual.
[01:02:03] Speaker G: Oh, yeah. I could do the ritual too.
[01:02:05] Speaker F: I love learning things like that.
[01:02:06] Speaker C: We can always just tie rope around you if.
[01:02:08] Speaker E: Yeah. Actual.
[01:02:10] Speaker C: We're worried about.
[01:02:11] Speaker G: We have 100ft of rope. Yes, yes.
[01:02:13] Speaker F: Regular, real rope.
[01:02:15] Speaker G: Because we have 100ft of it.
[01:02:16] Speaker E: Now we do have 100ft of rope.
[01:02:19] Speaker F: We are no longer in need of rope.
[01:02:21] Speaker G: So it's fine.
[01:02:24] Speaker C: Regular rope.
[01:02:25] Speaker B: Right.
[01:02:25] Speaker C: Knock knot. You'd.
[01:02:26] Speaker G: That's what I meant.
[01:02:28] Speaker C: Yeah. Okay. Yeah, Yeah.
[01:02:29] Speaker G: I was going to be like, I think other rope. Now we have real rope. At the time, we didn't have any rope.
[01:02:36] Speaker E: Exactly.
[01:02:38] Speaker I: Out of character. Is Lou ever going to be able to use inside ropes around Nile because she's scared I'm going to gobble him up.
[01:02:45] Speaker F: You. You missed the time they were used.
I know.
[01:02:48] Speaker I: There. That's why it's an added character statement that I was like, hold up. She's just side eyeing Niall. And I was just like, what do you mean now?
[01:02:54] Speaker F: Probably. Yeah, yeah.
[01:02:56] Speaker I: Now she's like, what do you mean? And she's like, nothing.
[01:02:58] Speaker F: Anyway, don't worry about it. It's okay. I'm probably gonna get rid of that spell now that I've used it.
[01:03:04] Speaker C: Just wanted that. So fair. You're so valid. You're so valid. Because I want to do. I do that too.
[01:03:09] Speaker F: It's like my favorite spell. Even though it's very situational. I never picked situational spells, but it's so specific.
[01:03:15] Speaker C: I love it so much too. Yeah, you're so valid.
[01:03:18] Speaker F: I literally. I loved it so much I went and put it in one of my books writing.
I just straight up went, yeah, they're going to climb using this guy's guts. It's going to be fine.
[01:03:28] Speaker C: Okay. The one other thing I want to point out.
[01:03:30] Speaker F: They'll be fine. Okay. Anyway, sorry.
[01:03:33] Speaker C: The one other thing I want to point out that Grape wing does is she's going to find ways to secure her mask properly.
Sure we can breathe underwater. Have you ever had water like seep into your goggles?
So uncomfortable. So gray wings just is basically just stress testing how tight she can put this mask on and, and keep it safe. She's going to keep the. The bottom mouth part out though. So it's just the top half of the mask that, that really matters. But that's, that's basically what she does for most of the night. Figure out how this outfit's going to work, take it away.
The parts that don't work. Secure the mask and make sure that everybody knows how to. How to swim, sink.
So we know what we're doing.
[01:04:26] Speaker F: I think Lou is also going to put her hair in a snood before we go swimming.
[01:04:30] Speaker C: I was going to say your hair is like long and curly. You gotta we putting that shit in a tight ass bun.
[01:04:36] Speaker F: Yeah. Snood. That should hold it.
[01:04:42] Speaker C: We invent, keeps on with her.
Well, the bonnet should be invented by now. But like we invent elastic to put it to put around. Not elastic, duct tape. And put that around your bonnet.
[01:04:57] Speaker F: She'll survive it getting wet. She just doesn't want it floating everywhere. So a snood should contain it pretty good.
[01:05:02] Speaker C: Yes. Rats can swim up. Rats can swim very well. It's just. They shouldn't because. No, no. Majority prey animals should be swimming for long periods of time.
That'll kill him.
[01:05:16] Speaker G: Fish.
[01:05:17] Speaker F: No, I'm kidding.
[01:05:18] Speaker C: It'll make them realize I'm talking about like land.
But it can kill them. It can't kill them. They'll just. Their heart will just stop once you take them out of it.
[01:05:33] Speaker I: Okay. With hamsters. Hamsters die from literally everything.
[01:05:36] Speaker C: Hamsters can die from everything. But hamsters are also part of the. We can swim, but we really shouldn't be swimming for ever.
[01:05:47] Speaker I: This ritual is a one person ritual, right?
[01:05:52] Speaker B: Yes. He will tell you that this is a one person ritual. It'll take about an hour to perform when you're there. So you'll. Someone will be making like two to three Magical tradition checks.
[01:06:05] Speaker I: Shouldn't. Shouldn't the dock master be doing that? That's his job.
[01:06:09] Speaker B: The Doc master has no magical properties because he needs to know how to do it. Do it just in case he needs. He needs to hire people to do it again in the future.
[01:06:20] Speaker I: So, Lou, you're good at the magic stuff, right? You'll be doing the spells?
[01:06:24] Speaker G: I can do the spells, sure.
[01:06:25] Speaker I: Okay. Can we. We can't take turns. The one person's in. Can I help you with the ritual? Actually.
[01:06:34] Speaker B: You can assist, but it means if other things are going on, you can't. You have to. All you can do is assist.
[01:06:41] Speaker I: Okay.
Do you think I'll be better assisting or what other things do you think could happen? Everyone?
[01:06:47] Speaker G: Well, there's an angry drake that might take offense to us being there. And there's terrible other things that live.
[01:06:54] Speaker F: In the lake, according to Denerum, that.
[01:06:57] Speaker G: Might also take offense or think we make good snacks. So anything could go wrong.
[01:07:02] Speaker D: There's whoever disrupted the ritual in the first place.
[01:07:05] Speaker G: They could live down there, who knows?
[01:07:07] Speaker E: Yeah, they could be keeping an eye on it, because if they disrupted it, they don't want it to be back.
[01:07:12] Speaker G: In place or set traps in case someone tried to investigate or fix it.
[01:07:17] Speaker E: Any number of things could be happening. Which is why you just need to be prepared.
[01:07:21] Speaker G: Everything bad that is possible happens to us. So I would expect more of the same.
[01:07:28] Speaker I: Well, Lou, if you're confident I believe in you and I give you a.
[01:07:30] Speaker G: Little fist pump, I'm going to give you that back and pretend I agree.
[01:07:40] Speaker I: I mean, how many out of character, how many of us can use like our full fledged casters? I think it's just us two, right?
[01:07:47] Speaker B: Alistair and Alistair. Alistair? Yeah.
[01:07:50] Speaker H: What do you mean, full fledged caster?
[01:07:52] Speaker F: I don't think. I think you're the only full fledged caster. But the three of us can all do spells.
[01:07:57] Speaker I: Okay, wait, what do you mean I'm the only full fledged full fledge caster?
[01:08:02] Speaker F: Everyone else is archetype.
[01:08:05] Speaker I: Oh, you're archetype.
[01:08:06] Speaker C: Bard.
[01:08:07] Speaker F: Yeah. Where have you been?
[01:08:10] Speaker I: Why did I think you were just a bard?
[01:08:12] Speaker F: No, I'm a thaumaturge.
[01:08:16] Speaker I: Anyways.
[01:08:19] Speaker B: I'm gonna leave that in.
[01:08:20] Speaker C: Why am I the best?
[01:08:22] Speaker I: I'm the best.
[01:08:24] Speaker F: It is 14 episodes into season two. Where have you been?
[01:08:29] Speaker I: Apparently thinking you were a bard.
Even with these spoiled Mickey said I was like, huh. Let's go bard feet.
[01:08:36] Speaker C: Oh my God. Oh my God.
[01:08:40] Speaker F: I really threw you with that bell, huh?
[01:08:42] Speaker C: Oh my God.
[01:08:43] Speaker I: I thought that was a bardic. Instrument?
[01:08:45] Speaker F: No, it's a thaumaturgical implement.
[01:08:50] Speaker I: So every listener who thought that Lou was a bard, please validate me in the discord.
[01:08:55] Speaker F: I don't think anyone.
[01:08:56] Speaker E: I don't think many do. I think many are very aware that they're a thaumaturge and are very excited about listening to a thaumaturge, actually.
[01:09:03] Speaker I: Oh, my.
[01:09:04] Speaker F: We have, like, a whole discussion about it, too, in the talk back, where people are like, oh, I want to play Lou, because I want to try athaumaturge. Like, specifically, like, those words. Yeah, Yeah.
[01:09:15] Speaker I: I thought thaumaturge was a bard subclass and did not recommend it.
[01:09:19] Speaker F: Oh, okay.
[01:09:21] Speaker I: Anyways. It's okay.
[01:09:23] Speaker F: Nobody knows what thaumaturge is anyway.
[01:09:25] Speaker I: You want. Like, should I do the. Out of character? I don't know who has the. Actually, it. Lou's doing the ritual. I think she's cuter and she should do it.
[01:09:32] Speaker F: But who can't swim? So it kind of makes more sense to her to just sit there and focus on one thing.
[01:09:36] Speaker I: My mom's taught me how to swim, but I can still say that I'm not good at it.
[01:09:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:09:42] Speaker F: I've been utterly submerged in water before.
[01:09:45] Speaker C: I can. I can swim. It's so It's.
It's better if I swim with the tail than with the legs.
[01:09:55] Speaker G: That would make sense.
[01:09:59] Speaker B: So the next morning, we'll eventually roll around.
You'll have a few hours in the morning to get yourselves ready, eat breakfast. Blue, do you want to pull a card?
[01:10:15] Speaker G: Yes.
[01:10:17] Speaker B: Sorry.
[01:10:18] Speaker F: My cat is snoring somewhere, but she sounds like she's dying.
I don't know where she is. I just hear this horrible, like, noise coming from somewhere. I'm like, you good?
[01:10:30] Speaker C: Don't worry. Our break is.
[01:10:32] Speaker F: I think I woke her up.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I will call. I will call. I will. Jeez, Draw a card. Not call a dard. Jeepers.
[01:10:43] Speaker B: Yeah, give me. Yeah, you draw the snake bite fitting.
[01:10:54] Speaker G: What does that do?
[01:10:56] Speaker B: It is the chaotic evil card of intelligence. It represents poison, venom, assassination in discord.
[01:11:05] Speaker F: Is this the one where you get disadvantage because it's an evil card?
[01:11:13] Speaker B: Yes. You can make the make me roll with disadvantage.
[01:11:18] Speaker F: Cool. I think we draw card and then, like, tucks it.
No, she does not have it. I'm like, does she have a window? No, she's got a lacy window, tucks it in her pocket, her boot, and says, you know, I'm glad we're ready for divorce to happen.
[01:11:42] Speaker I: That's not reassuring. I say as I'm mixing potions on the floor. I've taken out my whole alchemical kit and I will hand a suspicious bottle to Grave Wing and be like here, drink this when you're ready.
[01:11:57] Speaker C: What is this?
[01:11:58] Speaker I: Make you go fast.
[01:12:01] Speaker C: So above table. Can you explain what it is just.
[01:12:04] Speaker I: In case plus five speed? It's a cheetah. Lesser elixir.
[01:12:08] Speaker C: Okay, dope. Is there. Are there any like any. Any side effects as a plus 5?
[01:12:14] Speaker I: But wait, hold on. Is your bonus from monk stuff a status bonus? Because then it won't stack. I just realized.
[01:12:23] Speaker C: Let me look.
[01:12:24] Speaker I: It might. I think it is.
[01:12:26] Speaker C: That sucks.
[01:12:26] Speaker I: I wish it could.
[01:12:27] Speaker C: Yeah. I have a 10 foot status bonus so you can give the speed to someone else who has no bonus because like monks and rogues, possibly the.
[01:12:36] Speaker B: The rat folk that has less land speed than the rest of you.
[01:12:42] Speaker I: Oh yeah. I'll give it to Alistair and be like here, drink this when you need to. It makes you go fast.
And I'll give another suspicious potion to Alouette and another suspicious potion to Grave Wing. Just say these heal you if you feel bad. Not by a lot, but a little bit.
[01:13:05] Speaker G: Thank you. This kind of.
[01:13:07] Speaker I: You expires in a day, but so drink it before you die.
[01:13:13] Speaker G: I will do so. Oh, I should give talismans out too.
[01:13:24] Speaker I: All right.
[01:13:29] Speaker F: I don't know if you can trip people underwater so theoretically yes.
[01:13:34] Speaker G: Theoretically, yes.
[01:13:36] Speaker B: Theoretically, yes.
[01:13:39] Speaker F: Then I can do three of these.
[01:13:41] Speaker G: I think.
[01:13:44] Speaker F: I can make two deck. Okay, then I will give the wolf thing to Grave Wing. It's the same one as last time. I just add like fresh herbs to it and is going to do a little knot and panic at the last second and give it to Yuri and that does healing. I'll look up the specifics in a hot minute.
[01:14:14] Speaker B: So you all have prepared and you know is Aster going with you down to perform the ritual?
[01:14:25] Speaker D: It feels like they should. Like this is their job technically.
[01:14:30] Speaker I: Need to fend himself.
[01:14:34] Speaker D: No, but they can fish.
[01:14:36] Speaker B: They can fish and they can do medicine. Those the two things.
And Lou, you're handed a sort of scrawled little piece of paper and Darren goes. These are the words that you need to say.
[01:14:56] Speaker F: Thank you.
[01:14:57] Speaker G: I will do so.
Is there anything else we should know?
[01:15:03] Speaker B: The temple's a little weird, but it's fine.
[01:15:09] Speaker G: Is it very obvious where to go in the temple?
[01:15:12] Speaker B: Oh, it'll be very. Well, it'll be very obvious. It's the center part of the temple. You'll probably see the remains of whatever the person destroyed.
[01:15:21] Speaker I: Please define weird in more specific detail.
[01:15:26] Speaker B: You'll see soon.
[01:15:30] Speaker C: Okay, wait, before we go, because I remember that I was able to change this since Tian Sha got added in to. To stuff.
I officially properly have throat pocket.
So that means I can store things in my mouth, in my throat, because I've done that before. That's how I've, like, narratively did it. And then they gave an actual feed, so I have it now.
I'm gonna put the wolf fang in there. I'm gonna put the potion that Niall gave me in there. Yeah, that's two things. I can put two more things. Should we.
This is so weird. What do you guys want to store in my throat?
[01:16:17] Speaker F: Does the ritual have anything that needs to be brought to it? You said there's, like, a ceremonial object.
[01:16:24] Speaker B: There is a. There's these bundles of plants and herbs and some. This sort of, like, little.
Little idol made of fish bones.
They are all in sort of this bag, this, like, oiled leather bag to keep. Like.
To essentially keep it dry.
[01:16:44] Speaker F: Too big for the throat hurt?
[01:16:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:16:47] Speaker C: Yeah. It's. It's specifically. These items can have a dimension no longer than one foot. So I can basically store four feet of throat. Yeah. And it's. It's specifically an air pocket, so they're dry.
[01:17:08] Speaker I: You store a bag of holding in your throat pocket, giving you infinite storage space in your throat pocket.
[01:17:14] Speaker C: I need one. Maybe, like. Like the coin purse of holding.
[01:17:17] Speaker B: Maybe It'd have to be that. But, yeah, you're. You're able to do that. And essentially, this druid goes around and sort of, like, sort of anoints you all with this sort of, like, little oil paint mix on your forehead and speaks some words in dwarvish. And he goes, you can all breathe water for 24 hours.
[01:17:42] Speaker D: Thank you, Aubrey. Yes. Overnight. Were we able to figure out. Over the course of the night, were we able to figure out the passcode for the smuggler bag? Or is that like a take it to Juni dealy?
[01:17:58] Speaker B: If somebody wants to roll me a thievery check.
[01:18:09] Speaker D: That is a 23.
[01:18:13] Speaker B: 23.
And the.
You've ruled out what it isn't. You haven't figured out what it is is yet. Maybe a little bit longer. Maybe another night of just going through possibilities or asking somebody who knows something about it. It wouldn't be a take to Juni. Juni would not know because it would be specific to quite possibly. The bloody blades may have an answer for you.
[01:18:39] Speaker I: Aubrey, I have a very important question about this. Do you have a password in your head currently that activates this bag?
[01:18:46] Speaker B: Yes.
[01:18:47] Speaker I: So we could theoretically guess the password just from.
[01:18:50] Speaker B: Please don't do it right now.
[01:18:52] Speaker I: I won't. I'm just curious.
[01:18:56] Speaker B: It's just. It's theoretically.
But you would be spending time and. Yeah, I.
Trying to move the story on.
[01:19:05] Speaker I: I understand.
[01:19:08] Speaker B: So you're all anointed and you can sort of.
He tells you to go down to the water and it's near the center of the. Like, it will take a little bit of time, but you cannot miss what. The thing is, the stress is that it's like you will not miss what the temple is.
So you all start walking into the water and I think that's where we'll end this episode.
And. Yeah. So take us out.
[01:19:40] Speaker I: Well, thank you everyone for listening to the wonderful episode of Goblets and Gays. If you like what we do here, feel free to follow us on Blue sky sky, on Instagram, on Patreon to support all of our amazing content and hear all of the stuff that Aubrey has to cut as she constantly fist fights me to actually get the plot going because I cannot stop saying the worst things in the world. And also that means that Aubrey gets paid for putting up my. So I'm just saying you should. You should do it. You know, give us a various. Give us a various review on our streaming services. Correct. I hope those reviews are five star. I think we deserve it. Please and join our discord. If you ping me enough like in the middle of the night like three times, I'll be summoned like a ghost. And I'll tell you a random fact.
[01:20:28] Speaker A: Through this never ending night I can feel it now it holds me. All these demons are always roaming in this red light because me he is reaching out consuming party.
