Transcript:A Fog Lifted

Pre-show
MATT: Hello, everyone and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons.

TRAVIS: (hip and cool) We play Dungeons & Dragons.

ASHLEY: Whoa, that's a cool one.

TRAVIS: Yeah. (laughter)

MATT: That was different.

TRAVIS: I just let it come.

MARISHA: We're on island time, baby.

MATT: The Pauly Shore guest episode. So, yes, welcome! Before we get into tonight's episode, we do have some announcements to get through, beginning with the first of three sponsors tonight.

SAM: Ah!

MATT: Because the scheduling stuff is crazy, and tonight we get three, which is fun. Beginning with Sam with Skillshare.

SAM: Yes, this episode is sponsored by Skillshare, an online learning community with thousands of inspiring classes for creative and curious people. Classes designed for real life, like graphic design, creative writing and music. And speaking of music, with the success of Hamilton LIVE-- and it's very current, guys-- (laughter) I thought I'd write a hip hop musical about Skillshare. But don't worry, Marisha, it is totally legally distinct. ♪ How does a simple, dimpled puckish bro ♪ ♪ Get some online learning while he's stuck at home ♪ ♪ By subscribing to the site he heard of on Thursday night ♪ ♪ From that tight Sam guy, who is always quite right ♪ ♪ This musical is certainly legally distinct ♪ ♪ It's not about a founding father or so you think ♪ ♪ The lyrics are different and there's no taking your shot ♪ ♪ Oh shit, I just said it, or maybe you forgot ♪ ♪ It's about your Skillshare memberships at 10 bucks ♪ ♪ Skillshare ♪ ♪ I probably shouldn't rhyme with bucks ♪ ♪ Skillshare ♪ ♪ It's like Hamilton, but not ♪ ♪ Skillshare ♪ ♪ I am not throwing away my ♪ opportunity. (laughter) With annual membership starting at $10 a month, Skillshare is a great way to learn and unlock your creativity. And as a special offer, the first thousand Critters to join Skillshare, by following this link, will get a two month free trial of our premium membership. Go to Skillshare right now. Back to you, Matt. (cheering and clapping)

MATT: Thank you, Sam, thank you.

MARISHA: Think that'll pass.

MATT: And thank you, Skillshare. Our second sponsor tonight, you've heard Sam often mention their name and they've been here before, we have Dwarven Forge. (cheering) The infamous Dwarven Forge, the creators of the world's finest miniature game, RPG terrain. They now have their eighth Kickstarter live right now. It's called Wildlands. I'm super excited about it myself. It definitely leans into more of the, like, swamps, mountainous terrain, enchanted forests, that kind of a feel, which they've touched on before, but they're really, really delving into it now, which I can't wait myself. On top of the detailed hand-sculpted and hand-painted modular terrains that they provide, there's also some great additions, including a mini fog machine, so they're getting in on the fog machine game, which makes me happy. Wrap-around panoramic dice and remote controlled LED lights to show and light up your table, to bring the game into the next level, which is awesome. It ends September 2nd, so you got some time to jump in, if you haven't yet. You can go find out more and join the Dwarven forge adventure at bit.ly/crwildlands. And for our third and final sponsor for the night, we have our friends, since the beginning of campaign 2, D&D Beyond.

ALL: ♪ D&D Beyond! ♪

MATT: If you aren't aware, you can now organize all of your monsters, NPCs, player characters, combat rounds, and much more in real-time, in their brand new combat tracker, which has been in beta for-- it's now just launched in alpha. Also, you can organize things like character and monster initiative in there, track HP and moves within there, rounds and turns, and lets you add new creatures on the fly in the middle of combat, so it's a really useful tool for DMs. I'm excited to check it out myself. I haven't yet, but it'd be a lot-- in some cases more helpful than the sheet of paper that I use in front of me, which gets a little confusing. So check it out there and more at dndbeyond.link/criticalrole. And as always, thank you guys so much for supporting our show.

LAURA: Woo!

MATT: All right, so, let's get to the next couple announcements.

ALL: (hooting like owls)

MATT: What? God, I hate you all.

LIAM: Look-over-here.

MATT: Yeah? (laughter)

TRAVIS: It never works.

MATT: Our very first non-fiction novel is coming up October 20th. The World of Critical Role. (cheering) As a thank you to Penguin Random House, they have another special offer for U.S readers who pre-order the book. When you submit your pre-order receipt for The World of Critical Role at criticalrolebooks.com/preorder, you will receive a bundle of digital desktop and mobile wallpapers, including illustrations by Oliver Barrett. You'll also receive a bundle of coupon codes from our friends at Hero Forge, Wyrmwood, Die Hard Dice, Roll20, Beadle & Grimm's, and more. So we got a big old package there waiting for you. So for more information go ahead and check out criticalrolebooks.com/preorder.

LAURA: Can you show them a sneak peek of anything?

SAM: Yeah, let's show them the centerfold!

MARISHA: Yeah, you know.

LAURA: Oh yeah.

TRAVIS: Page 76.

SAM: 69.

TRAVIS: 76, 69.

LAURA: Show them something--

MATT: You have to--

LAURA: -- anything.

MATT: Just pre-order it, to see it.

SAM: Yeah, just the index as you open the book.

TRAVIS: Let out the demons.

MATT: Rachel, this is their fault.

LAURA: No, no, no! (all laughing hysterically)

MARISHA: So quickly we turn.

MATT: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, push my buttons. Push my buttons, I dare ya. (laughter) You should know better by now. But, yeah, so, super excited for that. October 20th is the release date, so pre-order before then. Taliesin, you have something to talk about.

TALIESIN: Oh, man, okay, yeah. Our free Comic Book Day issue of Vox Machina: Origins from Dark Horse is out now, now apparently, whatever now means. (cheering) The issue was written by Jody Houser and features a cover and interior art by Hunter Bonyun, and color by Stephan McGowan. It also includes an introduction to Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology.

MARISHA: Ha, ha, ha, ha!

TALIESIN: Be sure to call ahead to your local shop and check to see if it's in stock, and set up in a safe way for you to pick it up, because that's important. Be safe. Yes, comics!

TRAVIS: Yes, yes, yes.

MATT: Thank you, Taliesin. Laura!

LAURA: Oh! My gosh.

MARISHA: Oh my god.

LAURA: Okay. So, our entire Vox Machina Funko Pop main line was announced... today! A ba, ba, ba! (babbling) Oh, but dere's a Vex. Oh, but dere's a Grog, and dere's a Vax.

LIAM: Oh my gosh.

LAURA: So, yeah. What the--

TRAVIS: Holy shit, they're real. (laughs)

LAURA: Reservations are now open in our US, UK, and Australian stores. Orders will ship in late September, early October. And that's the same time that the Funkos will be available in... retail stores?

SAM: What?

TRAVIS: Guess that's the thing.

LAURA: Yeah, so, retailers may also be running pre-orders on them, I don't know. What?

ALL: (laugh)

LAURA: Also,

TRAVIS: Yeah!

LAURA: Something I don't have to show you, but, it's so limited edition, that's why, we have an armored Trinket Funko that's like super, super duper limited edition and it's going to be available only in specialty shops in late September, early October. So check in with your local shops that carry Funkos and tell them you want them.

TRAVIS: They're going to be like the ET Super Nintendo cartridge.

LAURA: Also--

LIAM: Wonka ticket.

LAURA: -- for a full rundown of how our--

MATT: That was Atari.

LAURA: -- reservation system works for all of these things, check it out at critrole.com.

MATT: Thank you, Laura. (laughs)

TRAVIS: It's so crazy, it's awesome!

MATT: It's so wild that they exist.

LAURA: I don't even.

MATT: I can't even.

SAM: It's so--

LAURA: I love them.

TRAVIS: I made them all hold hands.

LAURA: I love them so.

MARISHA: Marisha.

MARISHA: Oh, yes, last but not least--

OFF-SCREEN: (blows raspberry)

MARISHA: -- there will be-- oh! Oh! There will be no Critical Role next week, August 20th. We are taking that week off to regroup and have a little summer break, and yeah, we will be back on August 27th for Episode 107.

SAM: Nice.

MATT: Fantastic.

TRAVIS: Summer break.

LAURA: Summertime.

MATT: And with that, I believe it's time to go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of... Critical Role!

(water bubbling) (thunder rumbling) (explosion blasting) ♪ Role ♪ ♪ Critical Role ♪ ♪ Critical Role ♪ ♪ Critical Role ♪ ♪ Critical Role ♪ ♪ Mighty Nein ♪ ♪ Roll the dice ♪ ♪ The adventure begins ♪ ♪ They were always beside you ♪ ♪ Your nerdy best friends ♪ ♪ And the DM to guide you ♪ ♪ And they rise from the flames ♪ ♪ For the battles ahead ♪ ♪ Villains beware 'cause you're 'bout to be dead ♪ (dramatic music) ♪ They got magic and flair ♪ ♪ They got falchions and cunning ♪ ♪ They don't see over there ♪ ♪ There's a monster incoming ♪ ♪ Inspiration is waiting ♪ ♪ Rise up, don't think twice ♪ ♪ Put your fate in your hands ♪ ♪ Take a chance, roll the dice ♪ ♪ Role ♪ ♪ Critical Role (roll the dice) ♪ ♪ Critical Role (roll the dice) ♪ ♪ Critical Role (roll the dice) ♪ ♪ Ooh, ah ♪ ♪ Can you answer the call? ♪ ♪ Dig in deep in your soul ♪ ♪ As the legend unfolds ♪ ♪ Now it's your turn, (your turn, your turn) ♪ ♪ To roll ♪ (fire burning) (dragon roaring)

Part I
MATT: And welcome back. So, last we left off.

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

MATT: The Mighty Nein on the island of Rumblecusp, in preparation for the looming date of Traveler Con, as the various followers of the Traveler begin to congregate towards this island. You discovered it was being beset by some strange force and entity that lived within the volcano. That it caused those who had lived there and found their way stranded on the island for an extended period of time, to lose their memory. Now you've allied with and freed the mind of the spiritual guardian there, a druid named Vilya. And traveled amongst the island to discover many of the secrets that Vokodo, this entity in the mountain, this creature that apparently had escaped from the astral plane, from the Astral Sea, fleeing from something, and holing up here had been hoping you wouldn't find. You then made plans, infiltrated the inside of this volcano into its layer and assaulted it, with all the powers and spells and weapons at your disposal. After some wayward spell casting and some dangerous endeavors, you did manage to bring Vokodo to his end. And in his final moments, a psychic wave blasted outward giving you visions of what it was he was fleeing from. Some strange, almost living-like city of some kind, that was coasting through the Astral Sea in hot pursuit. As we return to tonight's game, the vision fades, and you all sit watching as the sludge and ash of Vokodo's disintegrating remains begins to disperse and cloud the water around you. The glints of coin and objects of gold and brass and other materials, tumbling slowly to the bottom of the water-filled chamber. The liquid around you, still extremely hot and scalding your flesh. What would you like to do, Mighty Nein?

TALIESIN: Detect Magic, first of all.

MATT: Detect Magic?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: All right. All right, so, if you're detecting magic, who all's doing what?

LAURA: I'm going to cast Beacon of Hope.

MATT: Beacon of Hope, you got it.

MARISHA: I am about to pass out, if anybody would love to help me. If not, I'm going to loot. I'm going to loot while I am about to pass out.

LAURA: I just need everybody within 30 feet of me if I'm going to do this, so that you guys--

SAM: What is it going to do?

LAURA: It's going to give us max healing.

TRAVIS: Everybody go to Jester.

LAURA: Yeah, circle up so I can get us healed the most.

SAM: Okay, we circle up.

ASHLEY: I'm going to stand behind Beau and put my hand on her back.

TALIESIN: How's everyone doing, okay?

LAURA: We need healing. Everybody.

MATT: Well first you guys both cast spells.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Everyone takes six points of fire damage.

MARISHA: Yasha, it's so hot.

MATT: Caduceus.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: You go ahead and cast Detect Magic and you see amongst all the showering coins plummeting to the floor, four powerful beacons catch your eye amongst the clutter that itself you can hear through the water. The cling, clang, cling, things banging into each other as it's all plummeting to the ground, no longer attached to and being held aloft by this strange, otherworldly creature that is no longer with us.

TALIESIN: Are they falling places that are close or far or--?

MATT: Since you're not too far, you could probably swim almost to it. You're a little bit too far away, but if you want to try and swim closer, you can.

TALIESIN: First I'm going to cast a healing spell, so.

MATT: Okay, well, hold on.

SAM: Jester's about to heal all of us.

TALIESIN: Oh, nevermind.

LAURA: Yeah, I was going to cast it so that you can keep doing whatever you're doing.

MATT: Well you cast Beacon of Hope last time.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: So we come to a new round.

LAURA: Oh.

LIAM: I don't bollocks the order but as soon as it's possible, I'm just going to start talking at Vilya, but I will wait until--

MATT: You've got, well, we can do it now.

LIAM: Yeah, okay. I'm sorry, the thing that you have done that with the tree, is that possible with vegetation of the underwater variety?

MATT: "Unfortunately, no, I need a large enough trunk "of a solid tree for it to function. This is all strange, seaweed-type--"

LAURA: Shit.

MATT: "-- disparate, underwater flowers."

LIAM: Okay. And I look around and there's no, like, overly large, gigantic--

TRAVIS: Seaweed?

LIAM: Not seaweed, but--

TRAVIS: Yeah, yeah. Kelp. Anemone!

LIAM: -- massive strange sea cucumber or anything?

MATT: Make a perception check. You have the Daylight globe in here, so you can see. Everyone takes another seven points of fire damage.

TRAVIS: Oh!

LAURA: Okay, and then everyone would take, if I can cast a spell?

MATT: Now you can cast a spell.

LAURA: I need to-- Beacon of Hope is concentration.

MATT: Correct, so go ahead and roll.

LAURA: I make the save.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: I'm going to use... Fortune's Favor because that's a shitty roll.

LAURA: You're going to cast healing, too?

LIAM: Shittier roll.

MARISHA: My brain is getting poached.

LIAM: 12.

MATT: So, you don't see anything.

LAURA: I can do 29 points of healing for everyone.

MATT: Everyone heals 29 hit points.

LIAM: 29?

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: That's great. Caduceus?

MARISHA: Thank you.

TALIESIN: I'm going to, um... cast a 2nd-level Cure Wounds on Beau.

MATT: You got it.

TALIESIN: Because you've got that up is... 21 more points.

MARISHA: Yes, awesome!

MATT: Great.

TRAVIS: I have the Bag of Holding, so I'm just going to be trying to shove shiny things--

LAURA: Did you find whatever it is that's magic? Can we swim towards and help Caduceus pick up whatever--

MARISHA: Point 'em out.

TALIESIN: I'm going to point out the four things.

MATT: So Caduceus, you start pointing out amongst-- make an investigation check.

TALIESIN: Oh, god.

MATT: Not you, sorry, Beauregard, because you said you were going to search.

SAM: Oh, I thought you were wafting away a fart.

MARISHA: I'm having him point to the thing.

MATT: Okay, okay.

ASHLEY: I can help.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: I'm going to try to pick up another thing that you're pointing at.

MARISHA: The ladies split and each go to the thing.

ASHLEY: Start searching.

MATT: Okay, you've got it.

TALIESIN: And I'm going to go towards one as well.

MATT: Okay, so you guys have all gathered in that area right there to go ahead and search, which, if you were going to cast Beacon of Hope, you would have had to-- to get everybody in there-- about there last turn.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah.

MATT: So you'd be about that vicinity.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: All right, so you guys are all gathering. Go ahead and I'd say-- it's not much of a check you really need here, it's just the more rounds, the more goods you end up scooping in. So everyone takes four points of fire damage.

MARISHA: Okay.

TALIESIN: Also, I'm going to keep paying attention whether or not it's getting hotter.

MATT: Roll again.

LAURA: I'm going to.

MATT: Make a perception check.

LAURA: I'm good.

MATT: You're good? All right.

TALIESIN: 23.

MATT: 23. It's not getting hotter, it's just hot.

TALIESIN: Okay.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TALIESIN: I assume the perception check will hold for a little while, so if it starts getting hotter? All right.

MATT: I'll let you know.

LIAM: Can I find anywhere in this chamber that would be large enough to start drawing a teleportation circle, in here?

MATT: In this vicinity?

LIAM: Ja.

SAM: How do you draw in the water?

MATT: Make another perception check for me, if you don't mind.

SAM: I'm looking for my belongings.

TRAVIS: Oh, the stuff you gave?

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: Okay, you go ahead and join everybody else over in that space. It is a giant pile. Your belongings might be in there somewhere. If you're looking for something specific, make an investigation check with disadvantage.

SAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: Can I do the same, since I'm not doing anything, and look for any, like, weapons that are unique?

SAM: Nope.

MATT: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I've pointed out the only magic things in there, so.

MARISHA: Do we get to scoop up the magic things that you've found?

MATT: He's working on money. You're the one who's picking up the things that he's pointing out. To that point, you grab-- with his aid, you grab a pair of boots.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: A coat of some kind. A small metallic case about that long, that's closed and latched, and a beautiful, silver staff that has these spiral of carved runes from end to end to each cap.

LAURA: Ooh, pretty.

TRAVIS: Lawn darts.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Those are the magical items.

TALIESIN: Nothing else is pinging really?

MATT: No, but there's plenty of wealth in here.

LAURA: Rage looting, rage looting. Can I start looking and see if--

TRAVIS: What does rage looting sound like?

LAURA: I know where the two entrances are that we've come in and out of. Are they covered in torchblooms?

MATT: Yes.

LAURA: Did they close up behind us?

MATT: They did, yes.

LAURA: Can I look up towards the ceiling and see if there's any other tunnels that look like there's an opening out of here?

MATT: Make a perception check.

SAM: Matthew, I rolled a 21 for investigation and I'd like to specifically look for Yasha's sword, in addition to my stuff.

ASHLEY: Flask, the Skingorger.

MATT: Yep. You managed to get both of those items.

SAM: Great.

LAURA: 19.

MATT: 19? Okay, so you start swimming around and looking above. You're not an incredibly fast swimmer, so you're looking up in the darker space above. Nothing catches your eye as a third option of escape yet in the chamber.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: From where you're standing, at least.

LIAM: A 15 on perception.

MATT: A 15? Looking around the area, it is a very uneven, you know, subterranean piece of terrain. The floor here is not carved, it's not natural standing position, it is natural, somewhat uneven, volcanic rock flooring. From what you can see in this space, nothing seems to be suitable or flat enough for you to do an actual circle that would complete the spell necessary from where you are right now.

LIAM: And you're describing the entire chamber or just the vicinity of where I am?

MATT: Just the vicinity of what you can see in this area.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: Everyone takes another six points of fire damage.

LAURA: Yasha.

ASHLEY: Yeah?

LAURA: Can you go to the tunnel where we came from and chop away some of the torchbloom that's blocking the tunnel?

ASHLEY: Since I'm raging, I go over there and I'm just screaming.

TRAVIS: What does that sound like?

ASHLEY: (roaring)

MATT: You do have your-- How long does Freedom of Movement last?

TALIESIN: An hour.

LAURA: An hour.

MATT: An hour? Then yeah, you double move at the speed of 40, 50? What's your speed, 40?

ASHLEY: Sorry, 50.

MATT: 50, with Mobility.

ASHLEY: As I go past Beau, I put my hand on her shoulder and heal her for 12 points.

SAM: Whoa!

MARISHA: Whoa!

MATT: Okay, so you'll get there next round. You go past Beauregard, touch her with your action, then move over there. You're halfway to that entrance; you'll get there next round.

MARISHA: Are you okay?

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm fine, I'm fine.

TALIESIN: If anyone needs healing, I've got healing.

LAURA: I think we should do a group heal. I don't know about everybody else, but I'm still over-- I'm, like, 50 points down still.

ASHLEY: Oh jeez, I didn't realize everybody was down.

MATT: Everyone takes another three points of fire damage.

LIAM: I'm going to swim in a direction and try to find a large flat stone big enough to make a teleportation circle on it.

LAURA: Max heal. It's just max heal, whatever you do.

TALIESIN: I'm going to do a Mass Healing Word, which covers--

LIAM: Matt, what was that last damage number?

TALIESIN: -- six creatures.

MATT: Three.

SAM: Give me your orders. What do you want me to search for? I've got really good investigation.

MARISHA: I could use more.

ASHLEY: I'm okay, I'm okay.

SAM: What do you want me to find?

TALIESIN: One, two, three, four, five, six.

MARISHA: Money.

LAURA: Shiny, money.

MARISHA: Jewels.

LAURA: Jewels!

SAM: No, your belongings!

LAURA: I don't care about my stuff. Look for diamonds and other jewels.

SAM: All right, I'll go back in and looking for jewels.

MARISHA: I gave him garbage.

TALIESIN: Everybody gets--

MARISHA: Oh, I did give him that suude. If you find my drugs, get my drugs!

SAM: Drugs and jewels.

TALIESIN: Oh, and my amulet.

MATT: Okay, drugs and jewels, investigation check.

TALIESIN: Everybody, including you, gets 13 hit points.

MATT: Vilya as well? All righty.

TRAVIS: 13, check.

MARISHA: Can I also, with any spare time that I have, after I've grabbed this stuff, just scoop any money or jewels nearby?

MATT: Yeah, you're helping, because you've stopped looting, so you're picking up where Yasha left off.

TRAVIS: I'm just doing--

MARISHA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I'm going to go join Yasha.

MATT: I'm keeping tabs of every round you guys are scooping and that will factor in.

LAURA: I'm swimming back down and helping scoop, too.

MARISHA: Scoop.

MATT: Okay, so you're now going to help scoop?

LAURA: Yeah, because I didn't find anything, so.

MATT: You got it. All right.

SAM: Lot of farts over there.

MATT: Everyone takes another six points of fire damage.

TRAVIS: Fibrous.

MARISHA: Six points?

MATT: Six points of fire damage.

SAM: My investigation checks--

LAURA: I'm good.

SAM: -- they can't be below 21, so it's another 21.

MATT: (laughs) Rogues. Love 'em. All right, yeah, without issue, you manage to find, as you're running around scavenging, peering through with what light you have. You pluck a whole number of gems. You're just just scooping, not even checking them for quality or size. Anything that looks like it's not money or--

MARISHA: Drugs.

MATT: You find some drugs.

SAM: It's going to be wet.

MATT: What I was going to say is that there are a number of sculptures that are in here as well, that were probably either scavenged or made by the villagers. There's a whole bunch of things that are worth a lot of money here amongst the coins as well. And you guys are slowly putting them in as you go, but mostly you're focusing on coins, which right now in this light, it's hard to see really what the denominations are. You're just taking anything that's shiny and coin-wise, just putting it in there.

LAURA: Sparkly.

TALIESIN: I'm going to start throwing some Sacred Flames to help you out at the--

LAURA: Wait, I don't know if Sacred Flame's going to--

MATT: That's four points of fire damage to everybody.

SAM: Mr. Clay?

ASHLEY: How many?

MATT: Four points.

TRAVIS: Can I do an investigation check for anything that I would recognize?

SAM: You need me to find something for you?

TALIESIN: Have you seen my red amulet and my shield? That'd be great.

MATT: Sure.

LAURA: I'm good.

SAM: Shield? That sounds very important.

LIAM: Still looking for a flat area.

MATT: So you're shifting to this side, here?

LIAM: Anywhere where none of us are at.

TALIESIN: Oh, and my teapot. I don't know.

MATT: Okay, on this side?

SAM: One. Make another perception check.

TRAVIS: 21 on investigation for stuff I would recognize.

TALIESIN: I'll take the teapot.

MATT: For perception, you mean?

TRAVIS: I did an investigation.

SAM: Over your shield? Your defining characteristic?

MATT: Okay, to look for anything you recognize?

TRAVIS: Anything I recognize.

TALIESIN: It's more of a sentimental.

TRAVIS: That I personally or somebody else had.

MATT: Right, okay.

SAM: It's on all of your designs!

TALIESIN: I've got another shield.

MATT: Keeping an eye out for it and nothing catches your eye.

LIAM: 14.

MATT: 14?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Unfortunately in this room, it's not designed for extremely meticulous and, you know, the careful necessity of magic, such as a teleportation circle, which requires a very flat surface to do.

MARISHA and LAURA: So we're going to have to swim.

LAURA: Through the tunnels? Caleb, you remember how to get through the tunnels back out?

LIAM: Yeah, I could lead us out easily.

MATT: Everyone takes eight points of fire damage.

LAURA: Ugh.

SAM: I'm going back in for more stuff. This time I'm looking for his amulet and my gun.

MATT: Make another investigation check.

MARISHA: Can I switch and start grabbing any of those valuable-looking weapons, that I can scoop up firewood-style?

MATT: Sure, yeah, make an investigation check for you.

SAM: 21.

MATT: 21.

SAM: Don't you know it. (laughter)

MATT: That's wild. It's just fun to make you roll this point. You've managed to find your gun amongst the crazed cluster of what now is piled amongst the silt and residue of the creature you just destroyed, as well as the amulet that was lost.

SAM: Is this it?

TALIESIN: Yeah, that's good. That's good.

MATT: 18, all right. You pick up a number of, looks like, marble and ivory sculptures.

TRAVIS: Are there remains in this pile? Like a skeleton?

SAM: Caleb, what did you give up?

MATT: You do not see any remains there.

TRAVIS: Making sure nobody was like--

LIAM: A trinket.

TRAVIS: "My child is the most precious thing to me."

LIAM: A necklace.

LAURA: I'll help Caleb. I'll look for Caleb's necklace.

LIAM: No. (stammering) Let's focus on--

LAURA: I'm going to help look for Caleb's necklace.

LAURA: You're both looking? Well, yeah, you're--

LIAM: I'm not.

LAURA: I'm going to look for Caleb's necklace.

MATT: Make an investigation check for me.

LIAM: It's-- it's-- (sighs)

LAURA: Hmm, I didn't roll very good. 10.

MATT: 10? Ah, you're having a hard time finding it, pinpointing it. Everyone takes another seven points of fire damage.

LAURA: We should probably get out of here.

SAM: No, there's still more shiny things to get.

TALIESIN: Gotta go.

MARISHA: Did we get anything else or just the marble and the ivory?

LAURA: Who knows what the village is doing right now? We're fine. I'm fine on concentration.

LAURA: I can do another Mass Cure Wounds.

LIAM: Yeah, that would be welcome.

MATT: Vilya says, "So-- so can I."

TALIESIN: Oh!

MATT: "Together?"

LAURA: I mean, if we both did it, mine's a 6th-level spell. That's all I have for--

MATT: "Mine would be fifth."

LAURA: Maybe you should do--

MATT: "All right."

LAURA: No, but, how--? Do you have teleport?

MATT: "I have nothing to travel through here."

LAURA: Yeah, but if we get through the tunnels, maybe you can teleport us back to the village or something. I don't know, maybe you should keep your high level.

MATT: "That'd be my sixth."

LAURA: Oh, okay, then do the Cure Wounds.

MATT: So-- oh no, it's max because of the thing-- so that would be 3d8 plus

LAURA: 29.

MATT: So--

LAURA: Oh!

MATT: 16, 28.

LAURA: 28.

TALIESIN: 28?

MATT: 28 heal to everyone.

MARISHA: Yes, okay.

TALIESIN: We should move.

LAURA: We should move.

TALIESIN: It's time.

MATT: Everyone takes another eight points of fire damage.

SAM: This is fine.

LAURA: No, because we're going to have to go through the tunnels. It's still hot in there.

TALIESIN: We're going to run out of heals.

ASHLEY: Since I'm going walking toward the-- swimming towards the torchblooms--

MATT: Yeah. You're at the torchblooms now and they've closed in and now there's just like-- you can barely see through where you would previously swim.

LAURA: Is the whole tunnel closed off or is it just--?

MATT: No, the tunnel's open. It's just the torchblooms.

LAURA: Okay.

TALIESIN: Yeah, we're going at it, I would assume.

MARISHA: Yeah, she's been hacking away.

MATT: All right, so you're just tearing into it. As you're carving through, you carve two feet into it in the period of a round and it's... I mean, all of it's reaching outwards slightly. Make an athletics check for me.

SAM: Is there music on right now, Matt?

MATT: There is. There should be.

ASHLEY: Doesn't sound like it.

LAURA: I can't hear it.

SAM: God damn.

MARISHA: I don't hear it either.

ASHLEY: 11.

MATT: 11. You're carving though. You get partway into it. It seems to keep going. You're not sure if there's going to be an end to it, if you're on the cusp, or if it's just going to be this way the entire tunnel, but that's as far as you get this round.

LAURA: Can I come help Yasha?

MATT: If you'd like to.

LAURA: Yeah, I think I'm done.

TALIESIN: We got to start getting ready to go.

MARISHA: I'm going to scoop for one more turn.

SAM: I'm going in for one more.

MARISHA: I am, too.

MATT: To move in a dash-- All right, to move in a dash, you won't be able to get to Yasha until next round, because you're having to swim through it--

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: -- but you can help her out.

LIAM: I'll throw out a Detect Magic right where I am to see if there's anything in my vicinity before we go.

MATT: Okay. You go ahead and-- Everything magical is currently equipped or held by your party.

LIAM: Understood.

MATT: Everyone takes eight points of fire damage.

TRAVIS: I think we're all-- I think that was the ninth roll?

MARISHA: Dang.

TRAVIS: Plus or minus one?

MATT: That was the 10th roll.

TRAVIS: 10th roll.

LAURA: How many rolls-- how many turns before a minute is up?

MATT: 10.

LAURA: Okay. So my Beacon of Hope probably died.

MATT: Okay, so your Beacon of Hope now fades.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: You got it.

SAM: I'm going back in for one more pass.

MARISHA: Yeah, Veth and I, one more pass, and then we'll all bolt towards the tunnels.

TALIESIN: If the heals are down we got to move right now.

SAM: I'm looking for the Dagger of Denial, possibly his amulet, and any buttons that I can see.

MARISHA: I'll assist Nott.

MATT: All right, so make an investigation check with advantage.

SAM: What do I do?

MATT: Off the table.

SAM: It fell off the table.

MARISHA: Just roll another dice.

MATT: Just roll again.

SAM: It's gone forever.

LIAM: Show's over, everybody.

SAM: 21.

LAURA: What?

SAM: What are the odds?

MARISHA: With advantage?

LAURA: With advantage?

SAM: Oh, with advantage.

MARISHA: I'm giving you--

SAM: 21.

MARISHA: You could roll higher than that.

TRAVIS: What if you roll a natural 20?

SAM: Okay. 21! (laughter)

MATT: All right. You will be able to find his amulet. What else are you looking for? You're looking for--?

SAM: I was looking for the dagger, buttons, or the amulet.

MATT: I'll say the buttons.

SAM: And his amulet or just the buttons?

MATT: Buttons and the amulet.

SAM: Great.

MATT: You don't find the dagger.

LAURA: Great.

SAM: Awesome.

MARISHA: All right, let's go.

ASHLEY: Your dagger?

SAM: It's okay.

MATT: Yasha, make another athletics check. You still need to cut through.

ASHLEY: Okay, come on. Much better! That would be a 27.

MATT: 27.

MARISHA: Yes, yes!

MATT: You carve through. You start getting into the pattern, the movement, eventually you carve through. You get about five or six feet into this tunnel before you cut through one heavy swath and you can see as it falls away, the rest of the tunnel is in its natural recoiled state. Seems like just this patch at the entryway itself has been puckered, if you will. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Great choice.

MATT: Anybody else?

LIAM: Where's the butthole?

TALIESIN: Just start moving out.

LAURA: Everybody get out of here!

TRAVIS: We're swimming.

TALIESIN: Gotta go now.

LAURA: Get to the tunnel, get to the tunnel!

LIAM: Okay, I'm going to cast Expeditious Retreat and zoom a bit ahead and start to lead the way out of here, using Keen Mind to trace steps through tunnel.

MATT: Yasha, are you waiting for them to come up to you or are you just going on ahead?

ASHLEY: I want to make sure they get through.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Because Caleb is the one that will be able to get us out of here.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I'm going to let him go through first.

MATT: Okay, you got it. So all of you guys at different speeds of swimming, begin just quickly make your way towards the exit of this chamber.

LAURA: As we get up close to it, as everybody groups up towards the tunnel, I'm going to use my pearl of power and cast Beacon of Hope one last time. And then as soon as I can again, I'm going to use my 6th level spell to heal. Maybe in a couple of rounds, once people are down (laughs) a little bit.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: Okay, you got it. All right, so, you guys now, one by one, boof, boof, boof, make your way into the exit tunnel from where you came. The heavy rumbling of the angry volcano, seems to have subsided, with the passing of Vokodo.

LAURA: That's good.

MATT: The water itself is extremely hot. In about a half minute of panicked swimming, you begin to realize that the temperature seems to be slowly dropping.

LAURA: (sigh) Good.

SAM: We could go back, we could go back for more.

LAURA: It's dropping because we're out of the chamber. But we can probably go back in, once it's a little cooler in there, yeah?

SAM: Yeah!

TALIESIN: Like tomorrow, if the volcano doesn't collapse.

TALIESIN: Do they do that?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

LAURA: So I don't need to use my healing, then, if we're all-- if the temperatures dropped and we're not dying?

ASHLEY: I mean, I could try to go get one more--

MATT: You cast the spell, but--

LAURA: I cast Beacon of Hope.

MATT: -- the damage is not continuous.

TALIESIN: Is anybody-- who's still low? Who needs a little bit of a pick-me-up?

SAM: We're fine.

LAURA: I mean, I'm still--

MARISHA: Yeah, maybe hold it for now.

LIAM: I'm always a little...

TRAVIS: (laughs)

LAURA: I'm still 40 points under where--

TALIESIN: Well, then, let me--

SAM: Underwear?

LIAM: Exercise is for chumps.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs) Sure.

LIAM: The only muscle I need is this one.

MATT: So, what is the marching order of you guys traveling back through these tunnels?

LAURA: Caleb?

LIAM: Yeah?

LAURA: Caduceus.

SAM: Who's slowest?

MATT: Caleb. Caduceus. And who else, what?

LAURA: I should come up towards the back, in case any extra healing needs to happen.

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'll sit back with Jester since I'm a fast swimmer.

SAM: Yeah, I'll come with you.

MATT: So, Caleb, Caduceus, Fjord?

TRAVIS: I'll be in the back with Jester.

MATT: Oh, Fjord's in the back with Jester, okay.

TRAVIS: I'm unrestricted.

TALIESIN: I'm going to give you a Healing Word really quick.

MATT: Yasha and Beau are in the middle?

ASHLEY: I'm going to stay in the back.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Thank you.

SAM: I'll stay in the back with Yasha.

ASHLEY: I want to do one last investigation.

SAM: Yeah, rock and roll!

MATT: Okay, so you guys are staying back.

ASHLEY: Before I leave the room.

TRAVIS: You're that friend in Vegas that's like, "We could hit this table! We're going to hit this table on the way out!"

MATT: Both of you guys make an investigation check.

TRAVIS: "It's only a $15.00 bucket."

SAM: Advantage or disadvantage?

MATT: Standard.

SAM: Standard. Ooh!

ASHLEY: 18.

SAM: Natural 20. (cheering)

TRAVIS: There it is.

MATT: Without issue, you manage to find the final object you seek, which is the Dagger of Denial.

ASHLEY: Yes!

SAM: And what about you? Did you get anything?

ASHLEY: I didn't-- I don't-- yeah, did I find anything?

TRAVIS: We'll find out later.

MATT: You gather a few more pockets full of gold and worthy materials, but the things that were specifically of interest have already been grabbed from the pile there.

LAURA: Oh, what about that big green jewel?

SAM: We were looking for jewels.

LAURA: Yeah, we were, but specifically that green one, remember?

TALIESIN: That two cherry [inaudible].

ASHLEY: What was the one that was on--

SAM: Okay, I'll go back in. (laughs)

ASHLEY: Wait, did you guys get the one that was stuck on him?

TRAVIS: I think that's the same one, right? The green one?

ASHLEY: It's the same one?

LAURA: The big green one. The one that Vilya had been talking about.

MATT: Yeah, it's about that large.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: Did we get it? Is that part of the-- did we get it?

MATT: You guys were grabbing a lot of stuff. You can go ahead and check and make a perception check to see if it's around, if you may have grabbed it or not.

MARISHA: Do it, do it, do it.

SAM: A perception check?

MATT: Correct.

SAM: Yasha, why don't you make a perception check?

TRAVIS: I'll reach into the Bag of Holding--

ASHLEY: We'll both look.

TRAVIS: -- trying to pull out the green jewel.

SAM: We'll both look.

MATT: Well, you're up in the chamber with everybody else.

SAM: Not as good.

TALIESIN: They're being ridiculous.

SAM: Four. (laughs)

MATT: Nope. (laughter)

ASHLEY: 21?

SAM: Ooh!

MATT: 21. Looking about the space here, as you guys are coasting through. The temperature's slowly-- it's never going to probably cool, but it's not scalding at the moment.

LAURA: Oh, good.

ASHLEY: Okay, okay.

MATT: Looking around the space in here, you don't see a green jewel.

ASHLEY: Okay, maybe you guys got it.

SAM: We got a lot of jewels.

ASHLEY: Got a lot of good stuff.

SAM: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: Probably got it.

ASHLEY: I was just trying to do something.

SAM: You did great!

ASHLEY: I was definitely the MVP of the fight.

SAM: You hacked away at the stuff.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, let's go.

SAM: And it's warm in here now, it's pleasant. We could stay for a while.

ASHLEY: I know, it's like the hot tub at home.

SAM: Yeah! Except it's all over you.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TALIESIN: No. (laughter)

LIAM: I pull out a wire and say: How are we doing? Are you dead in there? You may reply to this message.

SAM and ASHLEY: (scream)

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Oh god, they're cooking alive.

LIAM: (like C-3PO) Oh dear, R2. (laughter)

MATT: All right, Caleb, you are leading. I need you to... for this make a survival check.

TRAVIS: Ooh.

LIAM: Oh, so high.

MATT: This is you trying to look at the details in the environment to try and find clues that can lead you back out, as well as relying on your memory.

LIAM: Keen Mind doesn't--?

MATT: Keen Mind does some good things, Liam. (laughter)

LIAM: Everything in the last month, Matt!

MATT: Everything you've seen or read. That doesn't mean-- you've seen tunnels and you came through the other direction, so it's still challenging to reverse-engineer a rapid pace in the way in.

LAURA: That's true, that's true.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Natural 20.

LIAM: No, it's a nine-- it's a 11.

MATT: It's an 11, okay. I will give you advantage because of your Keen Mind feet.

LAURA: Come on, come on, come on!

MATT: The new Lucky of this campaign.

LIAM: Ooh, I just pick things out of the book, man.

MATT: No, it's-- (laughter)

SAM: Are you are you Hasted here? Did you put your Boots of Haste on?

LIAM: It's a 16.

MATT: A 16?

LIAM: I have Expeditious Retreat going.

MATT: Yeah. Okay, good, good. So with the 16, you guys begin the first leg of this journey, rushing through tunnels. It is a labyrinth from this side. Previously, you had the magic that was drawing you in and you were following the individuals that were being compelled to make their way towards the heart of the subterranean tunnel system. But without that enchantment, it's relying on memory and trying to follow some sort of subtle flow to the water. Caleb leading the way for the first leg of this journey. The first five or so minutes into it, you seem to be finding a groove and you're finding your way through. You're getting to this point, to this point, to this point. Make another survival check with advantage, please.

LIAM: Seaweed right?

LAURA: Can I--

LIAM: Seaweed left. Seaweed left again?

LAURA: I'm going to Bless him. I mean--

MATT: You can't get up to him.

LAURA: I can't Guidance?

MATT: Well, you can't get close enough to him.

LAURA: Oh right, I'm too far back.

LIAM: Natural 20.

LAURA: You can Guide--

TRAVIS: Natural 20?

LAURA: Whoa!

MATT: Natural 20. Okay. You reach one medium chamber, which you recall passing before, which has seven different possible tunnels, some small, some big and you, glancing around-- you take a moment, you can feel a faint flow of water and you're like, this direction. And as you point in, everyone else follows and the tunnel system continues. You go on, now this is the second part of the leg, another five or so minutes go by. If you recall, it took about a half an hour or so, for you to reach the center chamber. Make another check with advantage, please.

LIAM: I'm Will Graham-ing it. That is a--

ASHLEY: This is my design.

LIAM: Uh-huh, uh-huh. 21.

MATT: 21, nice. All right, pushing forward into about a 15-minute period of this return journey. The water itself getting slowly cooler the further away that you traverse from the center of where you fought Vokodo.

LAURA: Woo, it's a little bit chilly.

MATT: And in doing so, you are also giving a very, very good watch upon the interior of these tunnels and getting everyone what you believe to be so far the proper exit point. Go ahead and make another survival check with advantage.

SAM: Come on, Caleb.

LAURA: You can do it!

LIAM: Not so good. 10.

MATT: 10, okay.

SAM: You want us to turn around and go back?

MATT: So, Caleb at the front, pushing through trying to make sure to not-- and this is, like, with enough speed, but still taking care as to not brush against or run headlong into any of the torchbloom that largely covers the interior of most of these tunnels. You arc left and go down one tunnel and it comes to an end. And you can see something coiled up at the end of the tunnel that suddenly (hisses).

TRAVIS: Ah!

MATT: You see this red scaled serpent that is coiled up and seems to be using this tunnel end as its home, pulls back and (hisses) lashes out at you.

TRAVIS: Oh.

LAURA: Oh, fuck

TRAVIS: How far back-- where'd we go wrong?

MATT: That is a 22 to hit.

MARISHA: Whoa!

ASHLEY: Oh boy.

LIAM: Ja, that hits.

MATT: All right.

TRAVIS: Things just got complicated.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughter)

MATT: You take 12 points of piercing damage and six points of fire damage. And now there's a serpent right in your face, up against you. What are you going to do?

LIAM: I turn into a shark. (laughter)

MATT: You turn into a shark with Polymorph?

LIAM: Ja.

MATT: Okay!

TRAVIS: Ja.

MATT: You (explosion) turn into a great white shark in the space. This tunnel, which--

LIAM: A hunter shark, not a great white.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: One size down.

MATT: Okay. What's the size on it?

LIAM: Zubba, zubba, zubba. Where does it say that on here? Large.

MATT: It is large, okay. So as you (explosion) into a hunter shark, you partially wedge yourself into this tunnel. The tunnel system which is wide enough for a medium-sized creature to move through carefully between the torchbloom, you swell into, and part of the rock gets you caught in there. You can try and break free with a strength check on your next turn, but you're taking torchbloom damage every turn, because you're just big enough to burn through the tunnels as you go.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: So you use your action to turn into this. If you try and flee, take a strength check using the creature strength to see if you can pull away from the rigid edges.

LIAM: Is it within reach to attack, as well?

MATT: Yes, you can attack or try and break free. Oh no, you used your action to cast, so you can't attack this round, but it is within range. Next turn you can try and attack it.

LIAM: I'll try to break free for the moment.

MATT: Okay, go ahead and roll a strength check.

SAM: Sharks are notoriously great at swimming backward.

LIAM: 19.

MATT: 19. (laughs)

LIAM: I just do this.

MATT: Yeah, actually, sharks can't swim backwards, can they?

TALIESIN: Can break the rock, though.

SAM: I mean.

MATT: I'm going to look that up.

TRAVIS: No, they can't.

SAM: No.

LAURA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: They just have to hold their breath.

SAM: Maybe he can just burrow forcefully.

TRAVIS: Close the gill? Yeah. They're literally engineered to not do that. (laughs)

MATT: Yeah. (laughter)

MATT: That's true, you can't swim backward. You are stuck in the tunnel.

LIAM: I feel like I would have known the animal size I was turning into, in relation to the tunnel I was in, but I'm stuck in this tunnel. I'm going to wait to bite it. I'll wait to bite it.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Great.

TRAVIS: Do we just see Caleb go (foomph) in front of us?

MARISHA: We're like, "Uh?"

LAURA: Caleb!

MARISHA: Caleb, go!

SAM: We can't get through the tunnel!

MARISHA: Caleb, move!

MATT: I mean, you guys can try and pull him back.

LIAM: Yeah, pull my tail.

SAM: Yasha?

LAURA: Wait, but she can't get up to him.

TRAVIS: Why not?

LAURA: It would have to be Caduceus that pulls him back, right?

TALIESIN: I'll give him a pull.

MATT: You can try and squeeze by, but that will require a check to make sure you don't burn yourself in the torchbloom.

TALIESIN: I can do this. It's just a shark.

TRAVIS: Does someone want to assist you for that?

MATT: Make a strength check.

SAM: "It's just as shark."

TRAVIS: Assist you, assist, anyone?

TALIESIN: No, it's okay, I got it. That's a check?

MATT: Yes.

TALIESIN: Two. (laughter)

MATT: You grab onto the shark's tail and realize you don't have anything to leverage yourself on, you're just trying to swim backward and remain stationary.

TALIESIN: He's really in there.

TRAVIS: That's the best. Tug-of-war in water.

LIAM: I just tubbed in there too tight.

TALIESIN: Quit flailing.

MATT: As the tunnel pincers a bit and you realize, and reflexively make the transformation is that "Ah, shit." But first you take, one point of fire damage from the torchbloom.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: And now, the serpent's going to go ahead and strike at your shark form.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: That is going to be 19 to hit.

LIAM: Ja, hits.

MATT: All right. Shark form takes 12 points of piercing damage and five points of fire.

LIAM: Jeez, okay.

MATT: It's your turn.

LIAM: Okay. I bite it.

MATT: Roll an attack.

LIAM: Yes. (laughter)

LIAM: 22.

MATT: 22 definitely hits. Go ahead and roll damage.

TRAVIS: The shark! (laughter)

LIAM: That is 14 points of piercing damage.

MATT: 14 points piercing damage. As you bite into the side of it, the water clouds with the dark blood of this creature, as it struggles in your grasp before it slips away from your teeth and it is wounded, but it's still alive.

LIAM: Okay. Here's that iron you were talking about.

MATT: And and the scent is intoxicating. Where are the rest of you guys? Are going to try again?

TALIESIN: I'm going to give it another go.

MATT: Go for it, Caduceus.

MARISHA: Maybe if you push?

TALIESIN: Better. Five. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Oh!

LIAM: It's, like, a centimeter. An inch.

SAM: I can't wait for this whole sequence to be animated.

TALIESIN: Got to twist back and forth. Has anyone got, like, a rag or something? I can get a better grip.

TRAVIS: A rag?! (laughter)

TRAVIS: Like opening a jar of pickles. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Who's got a washcloth?

SAM: Sometimes you can dent the lid because you have a little extra grip.

TRAVIS: He's rolling!

MATT: You take another four points of fire damage from the torchblooms as you squeezed in there.

LIAM: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: The serpent's going to strike back at your form once more. That is not so great. That is a 14 to hit.

LIAM: Still hits.

MATT: Still hits.

TALIESIN: Sharks are easy to hit.

MATT: You take--

TRAVIS: When they're stuck in a tunnel. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Right in front of you.

MATT: 13 points of piercing damage.

TRAVIS: I'm going to getcha!

MATT: And five points of fire damage.

LIAM: Oh man. The shark's bloodied.

TRAVIS: (chomping)

LIAM: Bite it.

MATT: Go for it. (laughs)

TRAVIS: Y'all just sitting there.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: None of us even know what's happening.

TRAVIS: It's in a tunnel.

MATT: This is the weirdest version of--

TRAVIS: If you line up two Hungry Hungry Hippos.

LIAM: It's just like when I hold my wiener dog, and he's like (snarling)

MARISHA: Yeah.

LIAM: 14.

MATT: 14. That hits, go ahead and roll damage.

LIAM: 14 points of damage.

MATT: How do you want to do this? (cheering)

LIAM: I'm going to eat him.

MATT: And you do. (crunching) Once again, all the water in front of you is now clouded with the remains of this fiery serpent thing that you've now swallowed.

LIAM: Ja, and I just sit there thinking: apex predator. And that's all I do.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: I'm not that bright right now.

MATT: Do make-- I should have been keeping up with this. Do make a couple of concentration checks for me.

LIAM: Great, oh, sure.

MATT: Using the constitution of the shark.

LIAM: Of the shark, okay. That is a 13.

MATT: Okay, that would have been fine, next one.

LIAM: That is a nine.

MATT: Okay, so we'll say at this point, you lose concentration from the last moment you guys strike simultaneously, and then (shoop) revert back to your from.

LIAM: Apex predat-- ah! Scheiße. Back the other way, wrong way, wrong way.

MATT: Caduceus has a heavy hold on your ankle and pulls you immediately back into the space.

LIAM: Seems uncalled for.

LAURA: I'm assuming we're the opposite lineup now, right? So Fjord or Yasha and Veth are leading the way?

TALIESIN: Just at least to backup.

ASHLEY: We can do that.

MATT: Correct. So you guys slowly make way back into the tunnel. And are you continuing to lead, Caleb?

LIAM: Yeah, I will-- yeah. I'll drag my way up to the front. I'm not speedy anymore until I cast Expeditious Retreat again, and now I am.

MATT: All righty. That lasts for how long?

LIAM: 10 minutes.

MATT: 10 minutes, you got it. All right, so putting that up again for another casting, that puts you at the front. For this next leg, for the 20 minutes sequence, go ahead and make another survival check with advantage.

LIAM: I turn into a blue whale. Natural 20.

SAM: Ooh, yeah.

ASHLEY: Nice!

MATT: Pushing forward, you guys feel the water getting cooler and cooler still, and you're sensing the proximity to your exit is getting closer and closer and anticipation begins to rise up from inside, and the excitement and the hope for the coming restful exhale is not that far off the distance. Go ahead and make one more check with advantage to see.

LIAM: 15.

MATT: 15! Pushing in that final leg, you eventually curve downward and peer into a separation of the torchbloom and darkness of an interior chamber beyond that. And as you emerge into the underwater portion of the cavern in which the ships are kept, you lead the rest of the party out to freedom in the much colder waters, from the underground inlet here.

LIAM: (exhales) Like a Zemnian clock.

TRAVIS: Well done.

SAM: What a fucking plan!

MARISHA: Wow. We did it. We made four plans and abandoned all of them, but we did it.

SAM: Yes!

TRAVIS: Now that we broke the surface, are things still falling from the ceiling? And how many ships are still there?

MATT: Things aren't falling from the ceiling. The chamber is filled with smoke. It is a little hard to breathe. You can breathe better underwater with your water breathing spell, because the burning ships are in an enclosed space, with a little bit of smoke that's coming out from the sides of the waterfall and the illusionary exit there.

TALIESIN: We should put the fires out, maybe, at this point.

LAURA: How?

MATT: But you see the fire has spread beyond the secondary ship. Which was the sea Banshee, I believe, right?

LAURA: Can you Control Water anymore?

LIAM: I think so, It was Fiona and the one next to it.

MATT: Right.

SAM: It was the Banshee, yeah.

MATT: Yeah, and so now that has spread to the Kingfisher.

SAM: Oh no.

LIAM: How's our big boat?

LAURA: I can try using my 6th-level as the Control Water and lift up the water to try to put out the fires on the boats.

LIAM: I can also use Control Flames to put fire out as well.

LAURA: Oh.

LIAM: Five feet at a time.

MATT: Right, so it'll take you a little bit to do so. Okay.

TALIESIN: I don't have Control Water, but that's pretty good plan, is to just to create--

LAURA: Oh wait, do I have it?

TALIESIN: -- or something, I don't know.

LAURA: Yeah, I have it prepared, so I could do that.

MATT: Okay, let's go and do that then.

MARISHA: I swim to one of the edges of the boats and just start splashing it.

MATT: Paddling water onto it, (splashing) one at a time. Fair enough.

LAURA: I want to bring up a water tornado and bring it down.

MATT: (splashing) Onto it. We'll say between the spellcraft and the concentrated splashing--

MARISHA: Yes, spellcraft. Yes, that is what I'm doing. Look at my spell craft.

MATT: You eventually begin to douse the majority of the flames that are here bringing it to somewhat waterlogged to cinders and now elements of steam mixing with the smoke. It is still a relatively unhappy place to be for a short while. But best to your knowledge, the ships that have survived any damage are the Mistral, the Drunken Mariner, a handful of smaller fishing boats and the Eden's Horizon.

SAM and MARISHA: Yes! (clapping)

LAURA: Nein Heroez.

LIAM: As I put out fires, I find it very hard not to start them on other boats. The urge is quite strong.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Wow!

MARISHA: Okay.

SAM: What a day.

TRAVIS: Right. So we should check on the exterior, right? The village.

LAURA: We should see how the village.

LIAM: Oh, yes we should.

SAM: Also, the village might be in chaos right now. They all just woke up from the worst dream.

MARISHA: Yeah, if they're rioting.

MATT: Vilya goes--

ASHLEY: Oh, that's right.

MATT: "You're probably right. Oh dear."

MARISHA: Can you do the tree porty, walking through thing??

MATT: "I can once we get, once again, to a tree."

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: "So let us try and swim out then, I suppose."

TRAVIS: Oh, nobody has Control Water anymore.

LAURA: Oops!

SAM: I have Shape Water.

TRAVIS: Will that work with a giant fire hydrant waterfall?

SAM: Well, I can--

TRAVIS: We might all just be going for a ride.

SAM: I can change the flow of water in a five-foot cube.

LIAM: Finally get to do it.

TRAVIS: Nope!

SAM: So like that little bit, I could just, like, woop.

ASHLEY: Let's go for a ride.

LAURA: Yeah, we're going to have to go for a ride.

MARISHA: I go ahead and I swim towards it.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: I'm so excited.

LAURA: We just got to go for it.

MATT: You guys all gather and bundle up, right at the base of where the waterfall is. You can hear the rushing water just shooting by.

SAM: I'm still going to use Shape Water, but I'm going to use it to change the color of the water around Fjord to yellow. (laughter)

LAURA: Oh no.

TRAVIS: No, it's not me. No, no, it's not. It's--

LAURA: That's really strong.

SAM: Oh boy, that's a nice flow.

TRAVIS: You don't see-- you can't see actual urine in the water.

SAM: Why is it coming out of your elbow?

LIAM: No one darest judge this man. (laughter)

MARISHA: You should drink more water though, just saying, it's very yellow.

TRAVIS: My kidneys are failing.

LIAM: It was a rough day.

TRAVIS: It was. Are we really going through with this?

LAURA: There's no other choice, I don't think.

TRAVIS: All right, Beau first.

SAM: I feel like someone's going to turn into a bird, right, and do this whole.

TALIESIN: I think I might have an idea.

LAURA: What?

SAM: Oh boy.

TALIESIN: Wait.

TRAVIS: (laughs) Oh good, uh-huh.

TALIESIN: So we have a burned boat.

LAURA: Oh! Just ride a boat out.

TALIESIN: We could just, maybe just like a dam, except that the river is going up.

TRAVIS: I don't know if I want to be free falling with a ship.

TALIESIN: No, no, no, we just break up the water. It probably isn't powerful enough to, like, lift-- I mean, it may be able to lift it, I don't know, but might not.

MARISHA: How about this? I'm going to go on ahead, and I'll watch from the other side, just in case.

TALIESIN: I don't see how that helps, but I trust you.

MARISHA: It's not. (poofing) And I swim into it.

TALIESIN: Oh!

LAURA: Oh my god.

MATT: Okay. So are you trying to fight the current?

MARISHA: No.

MATT: You watch as Beauregard goes, "All right." (zooming) And is, just like any sort of vacuum tube, it all of a sudden just fires off. You know, Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka--

TRAVIS: Monks, man.

MATT: -- she just vanishes upward. You Beauregard.

LAURA: You Beauregard. (laughter)

LIAM: Beauregard.

SAM: Me Matt.

MATT: You Beauregard like you wouldn't believe.

LIAM: Imagine if she shot up and hit the ceiling and reverse Keylethed. (laughter)

MATT: I'm not done.

LAURA: Oh no.

MARISHA: Oh! Don't put ideas in his head.

MATT: No. So Beauregard, the first sensation that hits you, you know when you all of a sudden catch a hose or something and water shoots into your nose and mouth and just completely waterlogs your sinuses?

MARISHA: I do, I've been tubing.

MATT and MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: It's that times 100. It is such a volume of force-- wasabi could not clear your nose this strong, and you are tossed like a rag doll upward. Make a dexterity check, because from this perspective, you are being shot towards the top mouth of the cavern.

MARISHA: Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! A saving throw or just a straight check?

LIAM: Oh no.

MATT: A dexterity saving throw.

MARISHA: A saving throw.

LIAM: Oh no.

MARISHA: Okay. 20.

MATT: 20. You do not collide with the rock surface of the cavern. Instead, you just get flung at an intense speed. As soon as your vision comes back from the intense spray of water into your face and nose, you feel that gentle drifting sensation of flying then falling. At this height, you have about 40 or 50 or so arcing feet to drop.

MARISHA: I'm trying to go for that upper level.

MATT: Mm-hmm. Oh, you're far above the upper level, you're just landing now amongst the rock and pools.

MARISHA: Okay, I'm going to do a nice little swan dive into a full, you know, 360 degree front flip and three point landing.

MATT: You got it. 24 points of bludgeoning damage, which, I believe with your Slow Fall, means nothing.

MARISHA: In a puddle, so barely any water splashes around me and I land just that gracefully.

TALIESIN: A vibration pool, where it's just like vroom, vroom, vroom.

MARISHA: Yeah, that's it.

LIAM: Why didn't Keyleth turn into a monk? (laughter)

MARISHA: I don't-- (laughs)

TRAVIS: What's the height that she got shot up to?

MARISHA: The only thing I couldn't do.

TRAVIS: Max, how high was she from the ground?

MATT: Oh, from what you saw, it was about about 55, 60 feet from the bottom of the actual surface of the water to the rock ceiling at this point, because it is curved down a little bit, it's around 70 to 80 feet at some points in the tunnel, the further back it gets, that's about 55, 60 feet right here, the apex of the entrance and then she went (zooming), right past it.

TRAVIS: And she went 40 or 50 feet above that?

TALIESIN: I still like my burned boat idea.

MATT: You don't know where she went. She went out of your visual range.

TRAVIS: What about the previous time, when we were first coming here, because we saw you go (zooming), like a fucking ragdoll.

MATT: That's right.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah.

MATT: It's over 100 feet.

LAURA: Dude, then we can't, no.

ASHLEY: We can also try to hold on to each other and make ourselves weigh more so we don't, you know.

TALIESIN: I still like the boat idea.

LAURA: I think we should do the boat thing.

ASHLEY: Boat idea it is.

SAM: Boy, that is a bad idea.

ASHLEY: I mean, it's--

SAM: It just seems,

LIAM: Eh, if we can move a boat and have it act as a plug, it would take me a few minutes, but I could actually open the front of the ship and just make us a hole to walk through, provided the boat is blocking the--

SAM: Oh, so, like, we wedge it in?

LIAM: We wedge it in there and then I just part the front of the boat and we go through that.

LAURA: It's going to break the boat apart.

TRAVIS: I think its going to explode the ship or send it up, I think.

TALIESIN: Well, let's--

LIAM: How wide is this geyser of water?

TRAVIS: Good question. Ship wide. (laughs)

MATT: From side to side, the geyser is about-- I'm trying to remember the exact-- about 15-20 feet wide.

LIAM: That's huge.

LAURA: Okay, okay, okay, okay, I have an idea, I have an idea. I'm going to go up to the cavern wall next to the waterfall.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: Hey, Fjord, you're a strong swimmer.

TRAVIS: Yes.

LAURA: Will you hold onto my legs so you can hold me steady in this water so I don't fall?

TRAVIS: You want me in the water?

LAURA: Well yeah, because there's no edge here.

TRAVIS: Oh sure.

LAURA: So, I'm going to have be treading water to do this, so you hold me so I don't have to tread.

TRAVIS: Okay.

LAURA: Okay, and then I'm going to use my paints. I'm going to paint a tunnel, so I can see the outside.

SAM: You're painting on water?

LAURA: No, I'm going to paint on the rock, next to the waterfall. I'm just going to try to paint a little tunnel so we can all fit through. I know what it looks like outside of there, so I'm going to.

MATT: Okay. Yeah, that may uses a little bit, decent amount of paint. So go ahead and mark down... How much paint do you have left currently?

SAM: Tons.

LAURA: A lot.

MATT: A lot?

LIAM: Fucking tons.

LAURA: I haven't been using it.

SAM: She's used, like, ten, ten out of a thousand or something.

MATT: I'd say it's, I'd say about--

LAURA: 10 square feet, 20 square feet?

MATT: About 10 square feet.

LAURA: 10 square feet, okay.

MATT: So you guys take a moment and watch her as she goes into lights and shading and the horizon line with the water, draws a little bird flying, you know, does a picturesque, quite beautiful painting. And as you're taking in the details of it, they begin to become clear. And then you pull back, like looking too close at a Monet, that looks just like dots of color and then you pull back and it is an image, you back up a little bit and it's just a hole in the rock.

ASHLEY: Whoa.

SAM: That's brilliant.

TALIESIN: That's amazing.

ASHLEY: Cool.

LAURA: Come on, you guys! And I crawl through.

MATT: Okay. So Beauregard, as you're waiting for all them to come rocketing over the side. You watch them just casually stroll out onto the side of the rock. (laughs)

MARISHA: While I'm waiting for them, can I actually peek up at the volcano and see if I see any lava flows?

MATT: Yeah. The smoke emerging from the volcano, and there is still smoke, but it is more of a gray-white smoke which is different from the black that has been steadily pouring from the active volcano for quite some time. You do see, along the the volcanic surface and the sides of it, that gets a little more black and there are sources of black smoke coming up from the sides of the mountain from all over, so it does look like it was--

MARISHA: It was flowing.

MATT: It was flowing.

MARISHA: Okay. Okay.

MATT: So you guys all emerge, and when you emerge it's not like there's a little platform there, you have probably a good 10 or so feet before you can begin to find footings, so you're having to step out of the hole and grasp on and a little bit of rock climbing to the side until you get to, or you can just jump into the water, it's up to you.

LAURA: No, I'm going to avoid the water. I don't want to get sucked up into that geyser by mistake.

MATT: All right. So you guys climb alongside and eventually make your way over onto a safer part within the rocky lagoon walls, not too far from the beach where you've now spent two evenings of rest. Beauregard. You see them all gathering down over from here.

MARISHA: Oh, I'm, hey. I'm up here.

TRAVIS: Can opener!

ASHLEY: You okay?

MARISHA: Yeah, I'm great. How are you guys?

TRAVIS: Jump!

MARISHA: Oh am I-- I'm coming down to you, you're not coming up to me?

LAURA: That seems like way more effort.

TRAVIS: Cannonball!

MARISHA: Okay, coming. I jump. Yasha, catch me!

SAM: Oh boy. (laughter)

MATT: You go out and-- Do you jump into the water to try and catch her?

ASHLEY: Yes. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Yeah! (swimming)

LIAM: They pass each other. (laughs)

ASHLEY: We have clerics.

MATT: Yeah. All right

TRAVIS: "We have clerics."

MATT: As you, Yasha, wade out a little bit and try and position yourself, Beauregard vanishes back over the edge of the rock and there's a few moments where you're like, "Is she going to-- is she--" Boof!

MARISHA: (screaming)

MATT: And you see her, after her running jump, leaps and goes into, is it a cannonball or is it a can opener, what are you doing?

LAURA: Oh god.

MATT: Or are you just being caught?

TRAVIS: Plank it. Just fucking belly flop.

LIAM: Do the Keyleth!

TRAVIS: From 50 feet.

MARISHA: If I did a belly flop, that's-- I've done that, that's horrible.

TRAVIS: Egg, do the egg.

MATT: Yasha's going to try and catch you, so what do you think would be most--?

SAM: Oh god.

MARISHA: I try and turn over and do the damsel in distress, like, Godzilla whole fall, like catch me.

ASHLEY: I'm seeing her position. I'm like: Okay.

TRAVIS: From how high?!

MARISHA: Very high.

MATT: From up where she is, it's about 70, 75 feet.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

SAM: That's how Yasha lost her arm. (laughter)

TRAVIS: You know you rotate, right, as you fall?

MATT: Yeah.

SAM: She's a monk.

TRAVIS: Usually towards the direction of your head.

MARISHA: Yeah, I you know, I do a few rotations.

ASHLEY: How far up is she?

MATT: About 70-75 feet.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TRAVIS: Oh!

LIAM: End over end.

TRAVIS: Oh man!

MARISHA: You're going to catch me, right?

ASHLEY: I'm going to catch you for sure.

TRAVIS: Just start swimming away. (laughter)

LIAM: You're going to hold that football right, Lucy?

MATT: You're getting closer and closer.

ASHLEY: I want to try something.

MATT: What are you going to try?

TRAVIS: Oh boy.

LIAM: Skingorger. (laughter)

MATT: Fruit Ninja her in the middle of the air.

ASHLEY: This is the weirdest way to try this, but I kind of want to see--

TRAVIS: Uh-huh.

LAURA: Oh, do it!

ASHLEY: -- if the wings are real, so I might want to try to meet her.

MATT: Okay. So you go ahead and as she's falling, you attempt to release.

ASHLEY: I want to tell everybody: Wait, what is that over there?! Try to make everybody not see.

TRAVIS: Look away?

MATT: Make it a deception check, Yasha.

TRAVIS: Come on, come on.

MATT: Against everybody else's passive insight.

ASHLEY: Um, um, um! Oh, I have a minus two for deception.

MATT: You'll be fine.

ASHLEY: 10.

MATT: 10.

LAURA: We all stare at you.

MATT: Everybody stares at you. (laughter)

TALIESIN: I wasn't even looking.

ASHLEY: Can't believe it's the first time I've tried to use these.

MATT: I know.

TRAVIS: That sounds like a lie.

MATT: So you shout, "Hey, look over there!" Nobody looks. Are you still doing it?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: Let's see.

MATT: You watch as Yasha, looking up, glancing up towards Beauregard, her attention refocusing, takes a deep breath, and then, from behind (wings unfurling) these wings emerge. Not the blackened, necrotic, dead wings that you're used to, this terrifying visage, but from what you can see, these beautiful, bright white, almost gold, sparkling feathered wings (wings unfurling) emerge. And as they (flapping) once, it gives you just enough of a boost where you lift from the water about five to eight feet and put your arms out to try and catch her as she comes down. Go ahead and make an athletics check.

LAURA: Oh my god!

TRAVIS: Dope moment!

LIAM: I lean in next to Fjord and say: This is the weirdest mating dance I have ever seen. (laughter)

ASHLEY: 19.

MATT: 19.

SAM: First good roll ever.

ASHLEY: Say again?

SAM: First good roll ever.

ASHLEY: Yeah, first good roll since-- for a long time.

MATT: So that reduces the damage you both take.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TRAVIS: Yeah, because she's rocketing towards you.

ASHLEY: Yeah, she's rocketing.

TRAVIS: Off-kilter. Like the worst knuckleball of a human being ever.

MARISHA: Still Slow Fall.

LIAM: Picking up momentum every--

ASHLEY: Sounds like a lot of stuff.

TRAVIS: (whooshing)

MATT: It'd be 27 points of bludgeoning damage reduced to half because of your roll, that brings it to 13. So you both take 13 points of bludgeoning damage. I would say Slow Fall would help you, but you are intentionally not trying to slow your fall, so you both take 13 points of bludgeoning damage.

MARISHA: I'll take it.

MATT: And as the impact hits, as it (grunts) and you watch as Yasha, her physicality, strains with the impact, but she maintains form, holding Beau and then the wings (flapping), as she lowers back down into the water and the wings fold behind as they're now both in the lagoon below.

SAM: That was exceptionally hot.

LAURA: That was beautiful! That was beautiful!

MARISHA: Holy shit.

ASHLEY: You're okay?

MARISHA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Okay. So did we want to go back to the village, or?

LAURA: You have wings!

SAM: Hey, you have--!

LAURA: You have wings!

MARISHA: Can we talk about that some more?

TRAVIS: You flew!

ASHLEY: I--

MARISHA: How long is this been a thing?

ASHLEY: I don't know. I had a dream on the ship and I-- I didn't know if it was real or not, so I thought, it might be a good time to try, but I didn't know it would work.

MARISHA: It worked, yeah.

ASHLEY: Okay.

SAM: Do you feel different? Are you a bird or something? Are you okay?

MARISHA: I think she's an angel.

ASHLEY: I don't feel any different.

LAURA: You're an angel, Yasha!

LIAM: You dreamed you had wings, and then you had them?

ASHLEY: I've never had them before. I mean, they I've always been just kind of weird and strange.

LIAM: And you've no idea why you have them?

ASHLEY: No, I didn't know this was possible. I mean, I just-- I thought it wouldn't hurt to try to bamf them out to catch Beau. If it didn't happen then you know, it didn't happen, we would fall in water.

TRAVIS: She just dies, big deal.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MARISHA: I wouldn't have died. I-I would've-- I (pfft).

ASHLEY: Yeah, I don't know.

MATT: So as you're holding Beauregard, you're still hovering right above the water's surface. As you're having this conversation while they're talking at you, and you're nervously talking and answering their questions, you don't realize until a moment later as you still begin to hear the (wings flapping).

TRAVIS: Holy.

SAM: Whoa.

LAURA: You can fly!

MARISHA: You can fly!

ALL: ? You can fly, you can fly, you can fly! ?

LAURA: Yasha!

ASHLEY: Oh my! I'm going to stay and try to fly around a little bit.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: No.

TRAVIS: No fucking way.

MARISHA: Can you carry me? I just hold on to her neck. (laughter)

SAM: Yeah you do!

MARISHA: Kind of squeeze into her a little.

MATT: You just start flying around? What are you doing? Where are you trying to fly?

ASHLEY: I don't know! I-- (laughs) I just want to go up over the waterfall and maybe look up over the volcano.

LAURA: ? Can you feel the love tonight? ?

MATT: You guys watch as Yasha just takes off.

TRAVIS: Shut the fuck up.

MATT: Up, over the waterfall, above the rocky pools above and begins to coast up above the edge of the volcano, as you're just soaring it's this incredible sense of freedom. (laughter) It does last for one minute, so the wings suddenly (poof).

SAM: Ah!

LAURA: No!

ASHLEY: Okay. Well, we won't get too far.

MATT: So you get a little ways up there.

MARISHA: This is incredible.

ASHLEY: Uh oh, uh oh, it's going away, it's going away.

MATT: The feathers suddenly vanish and the wings fade away into radiant outlines and then are gone and you both begin to plummet.

ASHLEY: Oh no!

SAM: Are they directly above us or are they elsewhere?

MATT: You said you were going up over the waterfall and up along the volcano a little bit.

ASHLEY: So we'd be on those first pools.

MATT: So you're a little bit above the pools, so you're not terribly high.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: 30 feet per round, I'd put that at about-- You're about 90 or so feet above the water pools.

TRAVIS: Sure.

ASHLEY: Oh boy. Okay.

SAM: Above the upper level pools?

MATT: Yes.

SAM: So if they fall, they will not come back down to us? They're far away from us.

MATT: No. They're way far away from you guys.

LAURA: Cool, cool, cool.

MATT: So you guys are both plummeting. What are you doing?

TRAVIS: Can you see them?

ASHLEY: I guess, we're falling into the water.

MARISHA: It's just great. It's amazing, it's the best fall ever.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I feel fine, I feel good.

TRAVIS: Is there water below you?

ASHLEY: There is.

LAURA: Right? There's water below them.

MATT: There are some pools of water, so if you want to try and maneuver towards the surface of the pool. You're uncertain of how shallow they are.

TRAVIS: I played that in GTA; it doesn't work like you think. (laughter)

MARISHA: Yeah. I'll try and look and see if I can maneuver my body weight while maybe grabbing Yasha and yanking her over a pool that looks... deep.

TRAVIS: It's, like, three feet deep.

MARISHA: Yeah, it's totally the shallow end.

MATT: Make a perception check with disadvantage, because you're both tumbling ass over tea kettle mid air.

MARISHA: That's fair. Ah, one of those was a natural 20, but I'll take the 14 for 18.

MATT: 18, you do glance below and you can see one of the larger rock pools that you might be able to maneuver towards. I need you both to make an athletics check, or acrobatics.

LIAM: Let's go, jocks.

ASHLEY: Okay, okay. Yeah, let's go.

MARISHA: Acrobatics.

ASHLEY: Oh yes!

MARISHA: Natural 20.

ALL: Ooh!

ASHLEY: Natural 19.

ALL: Ooh!

ASHLEY: 27.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: Like a Cirque show. Oh, it's just great.

MATT: You both go from this completely tangled dynamic mess. As you plummet, you both begin to form-- like molecules finding bonds, you both become this structure like arm and arm holding each other, looking at each other, looking down and maneuver at an angle until (splash)! You both impact. It is about five feet deep, this pool.

MARISHA: Okay. That's fine.

MATT: But through that fall--

TRAVIS: Five feet deep?

MARISHA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: This was dumb.

LIAM: You ever jump off a 20-foot diving board? Remember how far down you go?

TRAVIS: Yep.

MARISHA: Those are terrifying.

LAURA: Oh god, that hurt so bad, you guys.

MATT: 24 points of damage reduced to 12--

SAM: Hey!

MATT: -- for each of you.

MARISHA: No damage for me. Fall damage.

MATT: But you take none because you were actively--

ASHLEY: Wait, you take--

MARISHA: None.

ASHLEY: You take none, great, yeah.

MATT: So you both (explosive splash) catch down. The water splashes out to such an extent, to where half of the pool is now gone. You guys have actually managed to diffuse a majority of what made this pool and you feel the stone beneath you give slightly.

TRAVIS: Uh oh. (laughs) Yeah.

MARISHA: Are you okay?

ASHLEY: Yeah, I'm okay.

MARISHA: We should get out of here, yeah.

ASHLEY: That might not have been the best idea, but that was--

MARISHA: That was amazing.

ASHLEY: Thanks for going on that ride with me.

MARISHA: Thanks for taking me. Let's go, out of the pool, okay.

MATT: Okay, you both exit the the pool and as you get a few steps away, you hear this (slurping) as you look behind, the pool just sinks in.

LAURA: That would have sucked (laughs).

ASHLEY: Back into the--

TRAVIS: Cavern?

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: You just destroyed all the ships.

MATT: (laughs) As you return to the mast of the Eden's Horizon just (impacts)! No, but yeah, you both have a moment. The adrenaline still coursing through your system through that, and you have another moment to consider what just happened.

TRAVIS: Do we think they're coming back?

TALIESIN: Yeah, they're fine.

SAM: They'll probably just jump back down again.

LAURA: Yeah, they're probably having a really fun trip right now.

SAM: If they jump down this time, who will sprout wings to catch them? Fjord, would you like to try?

TRAVIS: I will take a pass.

SAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: Is that a yes or no? Like, "take a pass at it" or you will take a pass?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'll try.

TALIESIN: Okay, good. Seems only reasonable. They're fine.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I didn't know. I didn't know if that would happen for sure. But that's pretty cool.

MARISHA: What does it mean?

ASHLEY: I don't know. I honestly didn't know that that could ever happen to me. So, I'm confused, but I'm thankful.

MARISHA: Yeah, that's a relatable sentiment. Well, it's incredible.

ASHLEY: It's really cool. I didn't mean to make a big show of it. But I mean, I did, and-- but it's kind of cool.

MARISHA: Thanks for taking me on your maiden flight.

ASHLEY: Thanks for being my first passenger. (giggling)

ASHLEY: Okay.

MARISHA: Okay.

ASHLEY: Well, how are you feeling?

MARISHA: Good-- gr-- yeah. Fu-- great. Um, uh--

ASHLEY: Okay.

MARISHA: Probably better. (stammering) It's-- Long time. Good. Good long time.

SAM: "Long time good."

ASHLEY: Yeah. Good, good long time.

MARISHA: Good-- yeah. Better than--

SAM: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Well, maybe we should go check,

MARISHA: Yeah, the others, they might think we're dead. (laughs)

ASHLEY: They probably think we're dead, which is probably not good. Probably not a good thing.

MARISHA: Okay.

ASHLEY: Yeah, okay.

MARISHA: Let's go, okay.

ASHLEY: Okay, let's go.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: So are you guys-- are you slowly climbing down the side of the mountainside or are you jumping back in the water? What are you doing?

ASHLEY: Yeah, I mean--

MARISHA: What? (laughter)

SAM: Yeah, what? (laughter)

ASHLEY: Disasters.

MATT: Are you climbing down the mountainside the long way? Are you jumping down again? Like, are you just joining up with everybody else?

ASHLEY: If we jump again--

MARISHA: Yeah, we should be safe about it.

ASHLEY: -- that might be not safe.

MARISHA: Yeah, we'll just--

MATT: All right.

ASHLEY: We've tested fate a little.

MATT: Fair enough. It takes you, I'd say about 40 or so minutes to find your way back down around through the jungle to get them, so for a short time--

TRAVIS: No, we've just left without them.

MATT: -- Yasha and Beau are gone. So they're gone. Like, they haven't-- you watch them vanish above and peer over the edge, so you do see that they're okay. Like, you see them for a moment and then they disappear for a while.

LAURA: I can't send them any messages.

SAM: I can send them a message.

LAURA: Do you think they went to-- you want to send them something, see if they went to the village or something?

SAM: Sure, I'll hold up a little wire and point to the direction--

LIAM: Are they within 120 feet?

SAM: -- I think they're in.

MATT: They would be as they start to find a way to climb down, yeah.

SAM: Yasha, you coming down? You can reply to this message.

ASHLEY: Uh, yes, hello. Message received. (laughter) (stilted) We are on our way down to you ... all.

TRAVIS: Oh, wow. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Sit down.

LIAM: Guys, it's partly cloudy with precipitation...

ASHLEY: Charisma is my lowest stat. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: Eventually, as you guys are resting from the chaos of what transpired, a short time later, Beauregard and Yasha do join up with the rest of the group. You guys take a short rest on the beach or--?

LAURA: I mean, we probably should.

SAM: Yeah, I mean, we can't teleport back to the village, right?

LAURA: I mean, we can.

MATT: (as Vilya) "I can now that we have trees around."

SAM: Maybe we should do that and then... (groans) what if it's chaos? Should we rest now?

LIAM: Or it's covered in magma.

LAURA: There's nothing I can do.

TRAVIS: Well, I mean, we could go and perhaps arrive at the outskirts of the village just in case everyone's killing each other, and if it looks normal, then maybe we could go in?

MATT: "I know a tree that can get us there, yeah."

SAM: Let's go first and then rest when we get there.

LAURA: I'm trying to make eye contact with Beau to see if she just had sex.

MARISHA: It's probably hard to tell if I have or not.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: At this point, Vilya has gone to the similar tree that you guys have utilized previously on the side of the village, a side of the beach.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs)

MATT: And you watch as she places her hand across the side of its trunk, takes the staff and the similar zipping motion, pulls it down and as it does you watch as the doorway opens. From the other side, you can see the dense jungle interior of the surrounding space of the village of Vo. You do catch that the mist is gone.

TRAVIS: Oh!

SAM: And the feeling of being watched?

MATT: No longer there.

LAURA: We should go.

TALIESIN: Yep, go now.

MATT: "Yes, we should." As you all come through and emerge from the other side, it closes behind you. And you can just hear the distant sound of voices. You're maybe about 30 or so feet from the perimeter of the village of Vo.

MARISHA: Distant sound of voices? Do they sound, like, panicked?

SAM: Crying?

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: They are heightened, but you don't hear panic.

TRAVIS: Hey.

MATT: It's just occasionally a loud voice. Caduceus, because of your-- actually, you and Beauregard... you, Beauregard, and Caleb all have pretty high perceptions. The conversation seems to be people having an argument. What do you guys do?

MARISHA: Can we get close enough to them, but stay out of sight?

LAURA: Yeah, because we do need to rest.

MARISHA: I don't want to be seen.

TRAVIS: Could we also ask Vilya: First person that pops into your mind, who are we really trying to make contact with here? I'm sure there's someone.

MATT: "All of my experiences have been with people pretty much clouded with the same magic. There have been a few people that have arrived that seemed a bit dubious."

LIAM: Yeah, these are people who are remembering who they are for the first time in years.

TRAVIS: Right. There's not one person in particular, though, that you have to make contact with? Just checking.

MATT: "I don't have to."

TRAVIS: Okay.

MATT: "But if you're going to do this event, we have to figure out some way to functionally make this village and its people work together, lest we leave it to their devices, but I would like to at least help quell whatever confusion there is out there. I mean, suddenly, they had all of these memories, flood back to them, an experience that I've had on my own, thankfully in the presence of people that had a feeling of what was going on. I can't imagine what they're going through right now."

LAURA: Do you want to go in without us and and talk to them? Maybe as outsiders we won't be quite as welcomed.

SAM: We should protect her, though. What if they riot or blame her? She was the leader.

LAURA: Oh, that's a good call.

MATT: "Maybe. Stay best you can out of sight and I'll go ahead and inquire then."

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: "All right." She fixes her posture, holds the staff, and begins to go into a powered walk towards the village perimeter.

SAM: I'm going to go with her invisible.

MATT: Okay. So you turn invisible and follow behind. As you get closer, you begin to make out more of the words of the argument. And it appears to be an argument between individuals that are arguing that the reason they came here is nonsensical. All the work they were supposed to do-- "It's been 10 years. Our mission's done. We have no job to go back to. What are we supposed to do now?" The other person's like, "Well, maybe it's a fresh start, you know. We can go anywhere." It's like, "I don't want to go anywhere!" And as you step into that space there, you can see, one of the figures is Lukash, who is currently yelling at one of the other villagers that you haven't met before, and is like, "It's just, you work so hard to build a career and a reputation, and one wayward journey just tears it away from you. This is ridiculous!" And he kicks over one of the other handmade chairs that sits on one of the outside social spaces in amongst the village. And now as you begin to look around, you can see there are other people are in the process of like, having hushed conversations and gathering their things. A lot of the village is very much in an energy of moving or getting away. They're in that panic state of, I'm not supposed to be here. I've been here how long? And you can see there's a lot of estranged, weird looks. You do see a couple of people that you saw families before. People that, like, had children, who are now in the process of having a really awkward conversation.

TRAVIS: Oh, shit.

MATT: Things are a bit weird right now in the village of Vo. Vilya goes up to the Lukash and goes, "Lukash!" He turns to her. "Deramid, what's your name?"

SAM: Deramid?

MARISHA: Deramid.

TRAVIS: Deramid.

ASHLEY: Deramid.

MATT: "Vilya." (as Deramid) "All right, Vilya, great. What happened?" Then she begins to explain. "Well, it seems that Vokodo had been doing this to us for some time. And me, along with the newcomers that you met a few nights back, managed to stop him." He's like, "Wow, that's great news. I'm just trying to figure out whether or not ignorance was bliss, or if I really wanted this to truth thrust upon me." And he goes, "No, no, I did. It would be ridiculous to keep living an absolute lie. Thank you. I'm just really frustrated right now. How the hell are we going to get off this place?" And Vilya begins to speak. "Well, we did happen to find some ships that were hidden off to the side." He goes, "Oh, good, good. Hopefully they have ours. Where are your friends? Did they survive?" (as Vilya) "They're on their way. They're on their way. They'll be here shortly. I managed to get here first just to check in with the rest of you." He goes, "Very well. I would keep an eye out. I don't know if everyone's trustworthy here at the time being. There's already been some strange goings on. I'm going to gather what remains of my men. Hopefully, we find the ship and get the hell back to Port Zoon." And he steps away, with a frustrated huff.

TRAVIS: Port Zoon?

MATT: Port Zoon.

TALIESIN: I think it's--

ASHLEY: (gasps) The pocket watch.

SAM: Hm?

TALIESIN: Could be.

LAURA: What?

SAM: Hm?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Never mind. Maybe.

TALIESIN: I think it's time to make ourselves known.

MATT: So as you're following, about 10 minutes or so as Vilya begins to speak to a few other people that she interacts with. Many people will come to her and be like, "What's happening? What's real? I'm trying to--" They're all trying to figure out ways to consolidate their previous lives and their "real", not real lives. And there's just an air of anxiety and brewing chaos, throughout the entire village. You can see there are now groups of people that are taking all their things and packing them up and are ready to just shove off, in whatever direction. You can see some individuals that are keeping together quietly and just keeping a weird eye on everyone else, as they're getting ready to leave. It's already segmenting into factions. You do see as Vilya goes and says-- and notices towards Ashelyn, who-- or she says, "Jaina," and Jaina goes, "Uh, Ashelyn." (as Vilya) "Ashelyn." And you see the the wood elf werebear woman who led you guys here, who's in the process of throwing some things into a sack. (as Ashelyn) "Right, right. So, this has been very weird. Do you know how to get off this rock, huh? Vilya goes, "I do have some ways of doing so. That is correct. I can't now, but perhaps in the days to come." (as Ashelyn) "Oh great, great. Everyone hear that? Viridian here is our key to getting out of here." And you watch as the voices begin to mutter and whisper. People begin to turn and look and Vilya holds the staff a little closer to her chest and takes a couple steps back and goes, "Right, in time, depending on the destination and my experience, I can get us away from here in waves and I'm willing to do so. I just need everyone to be calm and civil about this." There's a pause and some folks step a little closer and some folks (scoff) and go back to their work. It's a very different village from where you left it.

TRAVIS: Shit.

MATT: So you're following this. Are you doing anything or are you just watching?

SAM: I'm just watching right now and but, you know, as they step closer, I just-- I'm ready to defend if I need to, but seems okay.

MATT: Okay. You see as an older woman, actually the one who was helping fix the food for the the communal event that you all shared it over dinner. Anola, she introduced herself as, steps forward and goes, "So Viridian, I've been here a long time. I've spent more time here than I have at home. Do we all have to go?" And Vilya goes, "I don't imagine you have to. I mean, anyone who wishes to stay, they can. We had a sustainable life. I guess we have to figure out who needs to go and who wants to stay." You see a few heads nod. And the woman goes, "Well then, I'll begin asking around, then. I want to be helpful in that way. If that's all right." (as Vilya) "Of course, Anola." And she goes, "Wenthal, you can call me Wenthal. You know? No. Call me Anola. Yes." And she turns around and heads off and you begin to see another side. The tension splits a little bit and now that there's been this discussion of-- which seems to be an element of which life was better for some people-- that faction division begins to be noticeable. There's no immediate tension there. It's just a lot of people finding possibly previous individuals they knew, and figure out what this new dynamic is. But nobody seems to be outwardly aggressive towards Vilya at the moment. Vilya turns around after seeing things manageable on its own for a moment, turns around and heads back to meet up with The Mighty Nein once more. You follow?

SAM: Yes, yes. I'm going to explain to everybody what happened.

MATT: Vilya comes and explains as well. "So it's a bit strange."

SAM: Yeah, I mean, two things struck me as being just-- First of all, you know, many people are still looking towards you for some sort of leadership or answers. I don't know if that's a role that you want, but perhaps it would be wise to at least, calm some of the tensions if we were to call some sort of meeting or conference or something, just so everyone can sort of air their grievances and check in with each other all together and form a group plan.

MATT: "I feel responsible for a lot of this, or at least helping as much as I can. It will take me a number of days to vacate the majority of this village, but let's see how many wish to stay, how many wish to go. I don't wish to stay. While I have enjoyed elements of my time here, there are more important people I wish to see."

LAURA: Your family?

MATT: "In time."

TRAVIS: You said you saw Lukash. Did you see... Deramid? Did you see Terra?

MATT: "Not yet, no."

TRAVIS: It seems that if they went to you and to Deramid and Terra then, shouldn't we locate her?

MATT: "Let's go try."

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: Yeah. Should we--

SAM: Fan out or--?

LAURA: Keep an eye on your belongings everyone.

TRAVIS: Oh, yes. If we check our inventory for the things that went missing, are they still missing?

MATT: I would say for the most part, because you guys spent quite a few rounds in the midst of being burned horribly by the water. Did not scare you off. I'd say everything except for... there was a hammer that was lost at one point, right? Yeah, can't find your hammer. Sorry, man.

LAURA: Oh, but my hair oil, it's back!

SAM: Like, all that stuff was with Vokodo?

LAURA: How did he get it?

SAM: Or was it just on us?

MATT: It was all with Vokodo, weirdly.

SAM: Oh, wow.

LAURA: That's strange, how?

MATT: It's very strange.

TRAVIS: How do you take that feat? Inventory Fog Suck!

LAURA: During the time that Yasha and Beau were up top, and we were just chilling or during that time when Vilya was in the village, can we look through some of the stuff that we found?

MATT: Yeah, if you'd like to. Sure.

LAURA: Maybe Identify some of the stuff that we found?

LIAM: Yeah. What do you got?

SAM: I mean, so much stuff.

LAURA: There were four magical items that we probably didn't get to look at.

MARISHA: I have them. Boats. Nope! Coat, boots, case, and staff.

TRAVIS: Maybe just the four items and not all the other--

LAURA: Yeah, no, no, no, we you don't want to pull it out and let everyone see it.

TALIESIN: Yeah, it's mostly just--

LIAM: Just magical.

LAURA: And then we're going to put it back in our bags and hide the shit.

MATT: Yeah. It would take-- it would take a while for you to catalog everything that you took. Because you took a lot. You've never had this much money at your disposal.

SAM: Whoa!

MATT: So there's that.

SAM: But we should probably do a little category-- categorizing in case we want to dole out some of it to these people before they go about their way.

MATT: Vilya says, "I can go ahead and speak to our previous village elders and other emerging figures of interest and talk about gathering everyone to discuss what's to be done tonight."

SAM: That would be good. Do you need help doing that? Do you feel safe?

MATT: "I feel safe. If it gets bad, I have my means of getting out of a hairy situation."

MARISHA: Why don't we find a little hovel?

LAURA: Yeah, one of the houses that's, like, abandoned or anything, that we can huddle up in.

MARISHA: Take a rest, count some money.

LAURA: Barricade the door.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: "All right. Shall we then?"

SAM: Mm-hmm.

MATT: All right, you head back and enter the village and you see exactly what was seen by Veth and Vilya upon their arrival. A short time into keeping an eye out, two things catch your eye. There is a small group of three people that you've never seen before, that are on the south side of the village, that all look very confused, with large bundles and they're all going--

ASHLEY: Oh no. (laughter)

LAURA: They're arriving!

SAM: Early birds!

LIAM: Where's Con registration?

MARISHA: Yeah.

MARISHA: Wednesday arrival.

LIAM: Where do I get my badge and lanyard?

MATT: You see a scrawny male dwarf, with a brown scraggly beard, a mostly bald head, not by shaved, but by balding pattern, who's just wearing very weathered travel clothes and has two cases at his sides, and he's just like, "Hello?!"

LAURA: Ah, shit.

MATT: You see a female human with shoulder length blonde hair, who is very well dressed, who is impatiently standing and looking around, arms crossed. And you do see a male goliath, who is thick, this thick barrel-like goliath, shorter than you'd expect, but definitely wide with muscle and just general rotundness, who's right next to the female human and keeping an eye on her other side and they stick out like sore thumbs.

TALIESIN: The D&D cast of Clue.

MARISHA: Yeah!

SAM: We should go over and just say-- what-- say something.

LAURA: I'm going to put on one of my stupid green cloaks that I made. Here, put this on.

SAM: Oh, okay, okay. Hey, how about this: The previous con hasn't finished, hasn't cleared out yet, so we'll just you know?

TRAVIS: The panel? The previous panel?

SAM: So just hang tight.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, we walk over to look.

TRAVIS: No saving seats.

SAM: What do you say? Traveler be with you? Pack your bags? Like, what's what's the thing the Traveler-- followers of the Traveler say?

LAURA: I don't know.

LAURA: Eat a bag of dicks. I don't fucking know.

SAM: Eat a bag of dicks.

TRAVIS: This is important, branding's very important.

LAURA: You're right. We need to come up with this.

SAM: Traveler-- tra--

LIAM: Whatever you say, is what followers of the Travelers say.

LAURA: Blessings be upon you, my child.

TRAVIS: Whoa, whoa, that's very official. Where's the fun?

TALIESIN: I've never heard the Traveler say that, either.

LIAM: "It's pretty cool."

LAURA: Traveler welcomes-- I don't--

SAM: "The Traveler welcomes you"?

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, whatever. We'll just figure it out, come on, let's go.

SAM: Keep moving.

MATT: So, cloaks adorned.

LAURA: Yes.

MATT: You approach and even before you get to vocalize anything, you can see the dwarf looks over and sees cloaks and goes, "Ah!" His face brightens.

LAURA: Blessings be upon you, my children.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

LIAM: (whispering) What is she doing?

MATT: "All right, um..."

LAURA: Eat a bag of dicks! Welcome to Traveler Con!

MATT: "All right, so we're at the right place! Okay, okay. It's been a long journey. Got here a little early, earlier than we expected."

LAURA: Yes, you did.

MATT: "Pleased to meet you. My name is Kellbast. What's your name?"

SAM: Is that the goliath or the dwarf?

MATT: No, it's the dwarf.

LAURA: Kellbast.

SAM: Kalabash.

MATT: Kellbast.

LIAM: Cowbell.

LAURA: Kellbast.

MARISHA: Kellbast.

LAURA: Well, Kellbast, I'm Jester.

MATT: "Pleasure to meet you."

LAURA: High Priestess of the Traveler.

MATT: "Maker of fine furniture."

LAURA: Wonderful.

SAM: Hi, I'm Veth. I am--

LAURA: Second high priestess.

SAM: -- second apprentice to the high priest... ...ess.

MATT: "Pleasure to meet you. Kellbast, maker of fine furniture. I was traveling along the ship here before we got dropped off with my other travel mates here." He points to the female who's like-- "This is Celia and her buddy Trudo."

TRAVIS: Trudo? (laughs) (laughter)

MATT: (as Celia) "Actually, he's my bodyguard."

LAURA: Is he also a follower of the Traveler?

MATT: "For the purposes of this, sure."

LAURA: Great.

SAM: Hey, where'd you park your boat? Is it out in the open where people can see it?

MATT: "No, we were dropped off."

SAM: Okay, good.

MATT: "We were told there was going to be some sort of means of return, when the convention was done."

LAURA: Sure! Yeah.

SAM: Ooh! Okay.

LAURA: Of course. Does the Traveler ever lie? He does not. Welcome. My child.

MATT: "Well, thank you."

LAURA: How long have you been a follower of the Traveler?

MATT: "Myself? About two and a half years. Could you please tell us where arrangements we made for us to be staying, sleeping comfortably?"

SAM: Because of your early arrival, your quarters aren't quite ready yet. But--

MATT: You hear a distant fistfight breaking out on the north side of the village. (laughter)

SAM: There was a square dancing convention here before.

LAURA: Yes. It got, you know, it got a little violent.

TRAVIS: Isn't there also the purging loop you mentioned, that there's, like, a spiritual cleansing, that you have to partake in before you're ready?

LAURA: Yes.

TRAVIS: Takes a bit.

LAURA: Yes, you have to cleanse yourself before you can enter the village and find your accommodations.

MATT: "Well, a bath will be very, very appreciated."

LAURA: Yes, so make your way back through the woods to the beach where you landed. Walk into the ocean and you know, get wet, and then come on back.

TRAVIS: Head to toe.

LAURA: And then--

MATT: "In the ocean, are you serious?"

LAURA: I'm sorry. Are you too good for the Traveler?

MATT: Make an intimidation check.

LAURA: Oh no. Yeah, yeah this is going to be good. 11.

MATT: 11. She goes, "I'll bathe. When I find the proper water. Come," and she looks back. "Trudo, we'll find arrangements."

LAURA: Have a good time. I hate her.

SAM: Yeah, I mean, wow, this is going to be hard. (laughs)

LAURA: I mean, am I supposed to, like, welcome everyone?!

SAM: I think so. You're the organizer. I think you're supposed to be, you know, welcoming.

LAURA: Jeez Louise. Well, I got to put up, like, decorations, I got to get up the banners and stuff.

SAM: I know, I know.

MATT: (as Kellbast) "Do y'all need help with that? I'd be happy to help. I mean, I got nothing else doing here and I'm pretty handy with my hands. By the way, I'm glad you said something. She's been an interesting traveling..."

LAURA: Have you been-- were you on the boat with her?

MATT: "Yeah."

LAURA: How is she a follower of the Traveler?

MATT: "I don't know."

LAURA: Ugh! When did he come visit you?

MATT: "Oh, I've only been praying to him for about six, seven months myself."

LAURA: Oh, really?

MATT: "Yeah."

LAURA: Well, how did you meet?

MATT: "Well, you see it--"

SAM: Speed dating.

MATT: "It all began when I was trying to restart my business, outside of Feolinn, and I mainly specialize in plum tree wood is my main form of carving material. And as I opened my first shop, there immediately began to be this sort of-- I don't know how else to put it, like, I don't know, a racketeering element going on with other competitive carpentry locations and shops within. And they were trying to push me out, and they nearly did, too, and I just got so gosh darn angry one night and I went ahead and just asked for help. And this one customer comes on in and buys one of my finer pieces, this fine cloaked gentlemen in green and starts talking to me and senses my frustration and says, you know, there's ways to get back at those who are trying to tear you down. I mean, I wouldn't want vengeance, it's not my kind of way, but a little playful prankery isn't too bad and you know what? He helped me."

LAURA: That's right. The Traveler comes to us when we most need him.

MATT: "So it's been him helping me kind of, you know, how do they say it in the streets? Screw with my competition a little."

SAM: Is that a carpentry joke?

MATT: "Yeah, yeah."

SAM: It's good. (laughter)

MATT: "So, yeah. So far he's been so kind. I haven't been really much of a praying sort, but I've been trying real hard and I always felt kind of on my own. But when he told me that there was going to be a gathering, I knew there were more out there and I'm just excited to meet all of them. And I'm excited to meet both of you."

LAURA: That's wonderful.

SAM: You're our kind of people.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Yep.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Well, that's wonderful. If you do want to help, I'm sure we can find something for you to do.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: "I can help you build a better sign."

LAURA: Oh, because, yeah, is ours-- how's it doing up there?

MATT: "Uh. (uncertain noises) I can make a better sign."

LAURA: Okay. I will rely on you to do that.

MATT: "All right."

SAM: No, no, no. The Traveler will rely on you to do that.

LAURA: Him, too, yeah.

MATT: "Ha ha. Yeah, he will."

LAURA: I speak for him right now because, you know, we organized all this together.

MATT: "You organized all this?"

TRAVIS: Okay.

LAURA: You know, we're, like, super tight.

MATT: "You said you were the high priestess, so."

LAURA: Yeah, obviously.

MATT: "Well, I'm at your disposal." He bows his head a little bit and is like, "I'll go gather materials for a sign."

LAURA: Be careful, there's things in the woods. Just, you know, head to the beach and do the stuff there.

MATT: "I'll get it from inside the village."

LAURA: Okay, also be careful, guard your things, I don't know what kind of people are here. Okay.

MATT: "Okay." Grabs his things and hustles off with his, you know, stocky dwarven legs.

LAURA: Oh, he's so nice.

SAM: Sure, sure.

LAURA: How terrible would it have been if he'd have come here and lost his memory. That would have been so sad.

SAM: Of course. Jester, we need to-- I mean, you need to figure this out pretty quick for the people who are coming.

LAURA: I really thought we'd have more time. Because it's supposed to be, like, seven more days, I don't even have a watch and I don't know.

SAM: But also the people of the village of Vo are at a crucial crossroads right now. They, possibly more so than the people coming here for Traveler Con, need guidance, need spiritual guidance.

LAURA: So I should turn them all into followers? Because I don't think he wants more.

SAM: I don't about that, but I'm just saying this is a probletunity for us.

TRAVIS: A probletunity! Holy shit!

LAURA: Explain.

TRAVIS: Make the shirt.

MARISHA: Did you just make that up or is that some corporate room bullshit?

TRAVIS: Never heard of that.

SAM: You can...

TALIESIN: Oh, my heart.

SAM: You can make an event that not only welcomes these people who are coming from far and wide, but also provides clarity and guidance to the people here who need it most. Some of them who've said they want to stay and have a purpose. I'm just saying, if you play this right, you could change a lot of people's lives for the better and not just by fucking with them and tricking them with the Traveler, but doing something good for them.

LIAM: And as a sidebar, you probably want to talk to him. Now that things have changed here on the island.

LAURA: And let him know. Yeah, well, I know. I need to-- I do-- I need to talk to him. I need to let him know to not bring people here so early, what the fuck? And also, yes, maybe, you know, we can talk some of the followers of him to stay here on the island, too, and they can stay with the people that want to stay from the cult and everybody can live happily. And then the Traveler, he won't have to go see a bunch of people. He can just have to worry about visiting one location every once in a while. That's way better.

SAM: Sure, sure.

LAURA: This is going to be good.

MATT: (as Orly) "Mm, Cap'n."

SAM: Oh!

TRAVIS: Oh ho! (laughs)

MARISHA: Shit, yeah!

MATT: You look over and you see approaching from another side of the southern part of the village-- you see the crew of your previous, now sunken, ship approach, helmed by the fantastic Orly Skiffback. "So, based on what I'm seeing, you were successful, right?"

TRAVIS: Yes, we succeeded. Did Marius kill anyone yet?

MATT: "Marius?" (as Marius) "Yes?" (as Orly) "You done killed anyone?" (as Marius) "Oh, lord, no, what? Oh, come on!"

TRAVIS: Fair enough.

MARISHA: Useless.

TRAVIS: We were successful. Although the situation's changed just a tiny bit. All of these people now have no idea what they're going to do next. So the conditions are a bit fluid at the moment.

MATT: "Is there a problem, Cap'n?"

TRAVIS: It's not necessarily our concern, but I would make you aware of a certain cove on the eastern part of the island. There are, and keep this to yourself, a number of ships, hidden behind a very powerful waterfall. Maybe just, you could set up camp over there. We'll give you a direction and I'll point it out on the map and say: Maybe wait over there for us. It's probably going to be our best bet off the island.

MATT: At the mention of a cave of ships, you watch a vitality renewed flush through his face. Orly is a pretty reserved individual when it comes to emotion and even approaching here, you weren't aware at how low key he was, but the minute you say ships, this cracking turtle grin draws across his face and the one visible eye turns into this excited glance, he's like, "Well, it would be fine to join you at sea once more, Cap'n."

TRAVIS: That means quite a lot, Orly. We'll go on shopping run.

MATT: "Very well."

LIAM: Might want to do that sooner than later. Could be a free for all.

MATT: "Don't you m-m-mind yourself too much. m-m-mind yourself too much. We going to go and find these ships and get them mighty ready."

TRAVIS: There was one that we wanted to--

MARISHA: Eden's Horizon.

TRAVIS: Thank you.

SAM: Nein Heroez.

MARISHA: It's the best.

TALIESIN: I'll also say that the waterfall is difficult to get around, but there is a tiny cave.

LAURA: A small tunnel.

TRAVIS: There's a hole now.

SAM: And maybe with your crew and expertise, you could figure out a way to start building a way out of it.

MATT: "We'll try."

TRAVIS: Ooh, that's true, there is no way.

LAURA: Yeah, you've got to figure out how to get the boats out.

SAM: Well, I bet they could figure it out.

MATT: "We'll try."

TALIESIN: A little Stone Shape, if it comes to it.

MARISHA: Seriously.

TALIESIN: A little Control Water shot'd do it.

MARISHA: It will shoot your ass up, like, 20-- 100 feet in the air.

TRAVIS: 20?

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah.

MATT: "Fair enough. So, avoid getting water up our ass. All right."

MARISHA: Yep.

MATT: "Well, (claps). Come along, crew! Looks like we got ourselves a cove to locate."

LAURA: Don't say it too loud, though.

TRAVIS: Keep it to yourself.

MATT: He folds the map and sets it aside. "See y'all soon," and they begin to head off in an Eastern direction, past the village

TRAVIS: Marius is going to die before they get there.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm assuming all of the the horrible monsters are still out there, as well as the vines and the bugs and--

MARISHA: I hope he gets eaten by a--

LAURA: We warn them all of all those things before they leave.

TRAVIS: No, we don't.

LAURA: Yes, we do. Yes, we do.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LIAM: Tell them about the tunnel, probably, would be a good idea. Not go through.

MARISHA: Have a first kill or be the first kill.

LIAM: It was a miracle that Marius made it the docks that first day.

TRAVIS: That's right. (laughs)

MATT: So, at this time, Vilya is off making arrangements for those that are here to have a communal conversation later in the day. In the meantime, the rest of the day is yours to do what you see fit.

LAURA: We need to hole up, find a place to lay down.

LIAM: Yeah, let's make a base of operations. I'd like to throw the dome up inside of a tree house and take inventory, not of every treasure, but figure out what it is that you two are lugging and rest.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MARISHA: Can we look around, see if there's an empty hovel somewhere?

MATT: Make an investigation check.

TRAVIS: Terra's still out there.

MARISHA: Meh, cocked.

LIAM: Cocked.

MARISHA: Cocked. Okay, 18. No, sorry, 17.

MATT: 17, okay. As you begin walking through, looking for the areas of the most activity, you look for a home that looks like there's nothing going on and is mostly empty for the time being. You eventually find, on the far northeastern side of the village, there is a small building. It looks like it's mainly used for storage of firewood. But the door's open and interior looks pretty much empty, like it's been cleaned out.

MARISHA: Peek my head in, just going to look around, knock a little bit. Hello?

MATT: There's no response and as you glance inside, you can see this was a storage, like, a small storage shed. And there's one pile of splintered wood in the corner, and you can see a lot of tracks like things have been moved out. Things that were either stored here or placed in here have all been removed from the interior and it's left to its own devices. It's about you know, 10 by 13 feet; it's not huge.

MARISHA: Okay, I flag down the group. Come here; we'll start here for now.

MATT: Okay. As you all make your way inside and carefully close the door, and make sure you're not being followed, which Caduceus keeping on watch. Not too hard. You feel pretty confident that you're on your own. You find a solid, isolated place here in the village to take a moment and rest. Are you guys taking a short rest? What are you doing?

LIAM: I'm not going to take a short rest, but I will take the time that other people do, to line the doorway with silver thread and cast Alarm ritually, and I will take the time to throw up the dome and I will bring octopus Frumpkin next to me and pet him for a little bit, and then he can only hold his breath for 30 minutes, so every 29 minutes precisely, I will make him vanish and wait a minute, and then bring him back.

LAURA: Is it slowly-- Are you torturing him? I mean, by the end of, like, those 29 minutes is he, like, "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

LIAM: That's a good cat.

LAURA: Maybe at, like, 25 minutes, you should bamf him out.

LIAM: 25 minutes to-- okay.

SAM: No, it's true, you should listen to Jester on how to take care of a pet animal.

LAURA: Oh shit! Sprinkle, how you doing?

MATT: (heavy panting)

LAURA: He's fine.

SAM: How was he in the boiling water?

TRAVIS: (like Sprinkle) Make it end!

LAURA: It was, like, refreshing.

MARISHA: Ooh.

LIAM: That's the cleanest he's been in weeks.

MARISHA: It's true, he looks great.

MATT: (pained coughing)

SAM: I mean, we all lost, like, 60 hit points. Is he okay?

LAURA: Every time I healed, he healed. He's fine.

TRAVIS: (as Sprinkle) I can feel nothing.

ASHLEY: He also can breathe underwater as when we could.

LAURA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: That's amazing.

LIAM: I bamf Frumpkin onto Jester's other shoulder and Frumpkin just starts to get into a very awkward, creepy hug with the three of them and Sprinkle included, and just pull them in tight.

MATT: Sprinkle bites back.

LIAM: That's okay.

TRAVIS: Weasel, yeah, he's a weasel.

MATT: Roll an attack roll for Sprinkle.

LAURA: Oh, how, what does he--?

TRAVIS: Sprinkle's eyes boiled while he was underwater.

MATT: Roll and add three.

TRAVIS: He's a little cagey.

LAURA: 14.

MATT: 14. What's the octopus' armor class?

LIAM: Let me see, let me see.

TRAVIS: (manic biting)

LIAM: It is 12.

LAURA: Oh!

LAURA: What does Sprinkle attack with? Bite?

LIAM: See how many hit points here.

MATT: With a singular--

LIAM: Oh, two.

MATT: Go ahead and roll a d4.

LAURA: Three.

MARISHA: (giggling)

MATT: Sprinkle is like (hissing) and when he gets too close goes (hissing) and just, like, full-on cartoon (wood chipper) like tears around Frumpkin, until (poofing) Frumpkin vanishes. And then is left on the edge of Jester's shoulder. (panting)

LAURA: Oh no. He's, you know, he's excitable. It's okay, Sprinkle.

LIAM: Yeah, that tracks with the day. I wander further in and start to cast the dome.

LAURA: I'm so sorry, Caleb!

LIAM: Oh, it's all right. I like him better with fur tomorrow.

TRAVIS: Sprinkle's killed more people than Marius. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Oh my god.

LIAM: Drop that shit in the dome once I get it up, thank you. Please and thank you.

MARISHA: I drop the shit, and I definitely take a short rest.

MATT: As you guys settle up within the dome and prepare yourselves for the short rest in this safe environment, we're going to take a break!

ALL: Eyy!

MATT: We'll return to go over the spoils and what the next length of this journey entails, shortly. So we'll get back here from our break very soon, we'll see you guys in a little bit.

Break
(upbeat rock music) ♪ You got the perfect warlock ♪ ♪ Her weapons and supplies ♪ ♪ But you need a place to track your stuff ♪ ♪ 'Cause you're so disorganized ♪ ♪ You click open a web page ♪ ♪ You heard about on Critical Role ♪ ♪ And now you're ready to kick some butt ♪ ♪ In a mineshaft full of gnolls ♪ ♪ It's D&D ♪ ♪ D&D ♪ ♪ D&D Beyond ♪ ♪ Yeah D&D ♪ ♪ D&D ♪ ♪ D&D Beyond ♪ ♪ You got your staffs ♪ ♪ You got your swords ♪ ♪ And you got your invisible wand ♪ ♪ It's D&D ♪ ♪ D&D ♪ ♪ D&D ♪ ♪ D&D ♪ ♪ D&D Beyond ♪ (upbeat music)

LAURA: (V.O.) Hey critters. Laura Bailey here. Let's see what's up in the Critical Role shop. (upbeat trumpet music) Oh look at this. Look at the details oh. (knife sharpens) You're only like five clicks away from owning this. Maybe more if you have a lot of windows open on your browser I don't know your life. (whimsical noises) It's so cute. I can't handle it. (mouse clicks) All this and more. Now available in the Critical Role shop.

SAM: (upbeat trumpet music) (birds chirp) I'm a fan of hot air balloon rides above the Venetian countryside. I'm a fan of Momlan. She's always got my back. I'm a fan of wine older than Taliesin. I'm a fan of Twitch subscriptions. I'm a fan of emotes by Arsequeef. They're neat. (radio feedback) I'm a fan of a wife so cool people forget I exist. Exist exist exist. (crow caws) (ominous noises) (booming noises) (ominous noises) (woman singing high-pitched notes) (groaning noises) (child cries) (heartbeat thumps loudly) I'm a fan of wearing your skin as a mask. (heartbeat thumps loudly) (regal music)

Part II
MATT: And welcome back. So as we left off, Mighty Nein, you've just situated yourself in the remnants of the village of Vo, in the middle of its own chaos, trying to figure out what it is and where its denizens will be going soon. What would you like to do?

SAM: You know!

LIAM: I'd like to identify some shit!

TRAVIS: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

LAURA: And count up some of this. See what kind of jewels we found. I want to look for diamonds in the hoard of stuff.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: I guess we can just open the bag of holding and go: Diamond, diamond, diamond, diamond.

TRAVIS: I'll drop off the bag if everyone's going to participate in that. I'll just keep an eye out the doorway just because some people may be renewed shitheads and I don't know who's going to be what.

TALIESIN: I want to start finding personal effects in the bag.

TRAVIS: Even with the thread and stuff.

TALIESIN: Things that obviously belong to somebody, if that makes sense. Seeing if there's anything like that, maybe not. Not necessarily things of value, but, you know.

SAM: Identifying marks or features and stuff.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Initials and shit.

TALIESIN: Diaries or--

TRAVIS: What were those initials, again?

MATT: You don't find any diaries, you find all sorts of rings, you find necklaces. You find jewel boxes. You find all sorts of things that a person would keep, you know, precious jewelry, gems, and money in when they're traveling. Nothing that has any specific personal markings at all, but you do find all sorts of interesting keepsakes and such.

TALIESIN: I'm just taking a mental image of anything.

MATT: Okay. You have those sculptures that you guys had pulled in there.

MARISHA: Anything that looks of religious significance of the marble and ivory sculptures?

MATT: You do see one appears to be an interpretation of Avandra.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Which is the the goddess of adventure and freedom and the open road. And there is one that is an ivory relief that resembles that of Pelor. The others appear to be art; they are sculptures of people, of creatures. Some of just simple wood, but polished well. Some that appear to be nice marble with very minor cracks here and there, with chipped elements, a little older. It's an array of different things, from what you guys grabbed, and you didn't grab everything, but you grabbed as much as you could with the time you had. Do you want the gems, you were saying? Okay. You find three diamonds, worth 100 gold, 500 gold, and 700 gold.

TALIESIN: That's a big deal.

MARISHA: Yeah!

MATT: There is a sizable emerald worth 250 gold.

SAM: Was that the green one Vilya was talking about?

MATT: Seems to be.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: There is a polished circular jet stone worth 175 gold.

SAM: Damn!

MATT: And miscellaneous gems and stones that together are worth 2350 gold.

TRAVIS: Wow!

SAM: (throat stops)

LAURA: Can we just say a bag-o-gems?

MATT: Bag-o-gems.

MARISHA: We've been broke for so long.

LAURA: It's my second bag-o-gems!

TALIESIN: Scrooge McDuck money pit.

MATT: The sculptures and art pieces and various odds and ends that you find which are, like, gold-plated platters and jugs and things for table settings and decor. All those together-- their worth is anywhere from 10 gold to 50 gold. All of them together are worth 615 gold pieces if you were to sell them at the highest price you could possibly sell them for at a place that's looking to buy them and that would, of course-- As the resale of so many things like that, depends on where you go to.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: And for the sake of just keeping all the information out there, the coinage that you managed to acquire, if anyone wants to keep track of this.

SAM: Are you keeping track of this, Laura?

LAURA: I'm writing it all down.

MATT: 651 copper pieces.

SAM: Well.

TRAVIS: It's a lot.

MARISHA: Copper.

ASHLEY: Did you just say 651 gold?

SAM: Copper.

MARISHA: Copper pieces.

MATT: 5661 silver pieces.

LAURA: 5661?

MATT: Yep.

SAM: Ignore. 20,144 gold pieces.

LAURA: 20,000-- how many?

MATT: 20,144 gold pieces.

LIAM: That's a lot of paper.

MARISHA: I'm so happy!

MATT: And 1305 platinum pieces.

TRAVIS: No fucking way!

MARISHA: 1300-- what?

LIAM: Platinum.

MATT: It's a treasure trove, you guys. This is many, many years of collecting,

TRAVIS: I'm so glad we didn't leave him in the Astral fucking Sea.

MARISHA: Me too!

ASHLEY: Wait, a 1300 and what?

MATT: 305 platinum.

LAURA: I'll do the math. I'm dividing it all up.

ASHLEY: Damn, son.

MATT: That's the coinage and the four objects that Beauregard managed to--

TRAVIS: Wow, yeah.

MARISHA: Which Caleb is identifying.

ASHLEY: Sheesh!

LIAM: Dragging time out, I will make a cat, and I will identify all four.

TRAVIS: Make a cat!

MATT: Okay. I cannot reach you with these particular things.

SAM: Take a picture and text it?

MATT: But I can do that, actually.

ASHLEY: Good idea.

SAM: Caleb, I got this amulet. It's yours. It's your amulet. I found it.

LIAM: Oh.

SAM: Take it. Here, I'll hand it to you. (laughter)

LIAM: You're so tall.

SAM: There you go.

LIAM: I'm sitting on the ground. Thank you.

MARISHA: Veth, did you find my drugs?

SAM: I found drugs, but we were in the water.

MARISHA: Yeah.

SAM: So they are soaked in water. So, I mean, they just look like wet drugs.

MARISHA: You can totally-- there's a drying process.

TALIESIN: Technically boiled into tea, actually.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah.

MARISHA: It's totally still usable.

TALIESIN: Really, once you boil it into tea, I don't think it is.

SAM: It's in this bag that said "drugs" on it. (laughs)

MARISHA: I don't know if those are my drugs, but I'll take them.

SAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: Thank you. Are they my drugs?

SAM: DM, did I find her drugs or other drugs?

MATT: No, you found her drugs. (laughter)

MATT: I have to rotate all these.

MARISHA: (gasps) My drugs!

TRAVIS: The bag just says "not Beau's drugs." (laughter)

SAM: That's how she'll label them, so the cops won't look.

MARISHA: Beau's drugs. Do not arrest.

TRAVIS: Yeah, yeah!

MARISHA: Do not seize for evidence.

SAM: Yes, I found my flask. I did. But honestly, I haven't really had an appetite for "hwhiskey" lately. It's kind of gross. I prefer--

ASHLEY: Whiskey?

LIAM: I disagree.

SAM: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Hwhiskey, hwhiskey.

SAM: Do you like whiskey?

ASHLEY: Yes, I do.

SAM: Would you like my flask?

ASHLEY: I think I'm okay.

SAM: All right.

ASHLEY: I think I'm okay, but it's nice to have around just in-- you know, nice.

TRAVIS: Veth, that's an incredible gesture. You were going to give away your flask?

SAM: Well, yeah. I mean, it's gross. It tastes like-- ugh!

MARISHA: I'll take it. Are you giving away to, like, anybody who wants it? Is it like dibsies? Dibsies.

SAM: You can have it. Yeah, I was also-- yes. Yes, you may have it. It's, you know, it'll look a little littler on you than me.

TRAVIS: Did you just give Beau an endless flask of alcohol?

SAM: What's wrong with that? I also gave her wet drugs.

TRAVIS: Not a problem.

MARISHA: This is the best score.

TRAVIS: Feel like we are putting stats in the wrong column.

SAM: However, if we get to a place with a mage who can change its enchantment to something a little bit lighter, like a sherry or a peach schnapps?

MARISHA: Oh, sure.

SAM: I might take it back.

TRAVIS: Like a Smirnoff Ice?

SAM: Yeah, yeah, or Zima.

TALIESIN: Zima. I was really hoping for some Zima.

MARISHA: You can't, like-- it's always whiskey?

SAM: It's always. I chose it when we made it. It's pretty--

MARISHA: Just whiskey.

ASHLEY: You could hide it and then if we find it, you get iced you know, and then you have to chug it.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah.

ASHLEY: Remember that?

MARISHA: You have to take a knee.

TRAVIS: Oh, yeah.

SAM: But take it for now and if we can re-chant it,

MARISHA: Deal!

SAM: I think that's what they say.

MARISHA: Maybe if we ever go back to a Kamordah, we can find one of the vintages there. Maybe you can get, like--

SAM: A rosé?

MARISHA: Yeah, absolutely.

SAM: A nice, light rosé?

MARISHA: We've had some good rosés.

TALIESIN: You can have infinite Lionett wine.

MARISHA: Yeah. The Lionett flask, it'd be great.

SAM: Awesome.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: No reason to ever go home again.

MATT: I did text you the--

LIAM: I'm looking at it.

MATT: Oh, okay.

LIAM: Thank you.

SAM: What'd we get?

LIAM: Well, one thing is very clear. These, I think these were in a case initially, are dwarven bolts.

SAM: Boats?

LIAM: Bolts.

SAM: Bolts.

LIAM: Bolts.

SAM: Like crossbow bolts?

LIAM: Correct.

SAM: (gasps)

LIAM: I'm going to text them to you. They're a little unpredictable.

SAM: That's my favorite kind.

LIAM: They can react in a variety of ways upon striking their target, anywhere from freezing the air, to bringing death to someone, to exploding to shrapnel and I think I'm just going to hand these to you now, because it doesn't make sense to give them to anyone else.

SAM: Thank you.

TRAVIS: Holy shit.

LIAM: Then we have some boots, a staff, and a coat. The boots can cause you to fly. They make you harder to hit, and they crackle with electricity when a hostile creature comes within range of you.

TRAVIS: The boots do?

LIAM: Yeah.

SAM: You can fly always or just a little?

LIAM: One time, it seems like.

MATT: Correct.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: For one round.

LIAM: In a pinch, you can get the hell out of Dodge.

LAURA: Oh, okay, okay.

MATT: Or into Dodge, and everything you go by as you travel through Dodge takes damage.

LAURA: Oh, wow.

LIAM: There is a staff. A quarterstaff that is quite powerful to strike someone with, but also you can wield it an arc and send a wave of energy towards a creature within range of you.

MARISHA: I'm listening.

LIAM: And then, this coat, which is a very fine Concordian nobleman coat, and it would be useful for me-- for anyone, really-- to make them a little more impervious to damage and can magically shift to help protect you from different kinds of attacks and damage. So. Three very rare objects.

TRAVIS: Do they all require attunement?

LAURA: I'm assuming.

LIAM: The boots do not. The staff and the coat.

TRAVIS: Do the boots come with a speed bonus at all?

LIAM: No. It is just one moment or twice because they can be restored after a long rest. You can use them to fly very fast to get away and it's hard for people to hit you as you zoom by and they will get fucked up if they try it.

LAURA: It's cool.

LIAM: Ja. Ja, it's a lot to process.

TALIESIN: Do they only work twice ever or just twice a day?

LIAM: A day.

TALIESIN: All right.

LAURA: After a long rest or a short rest?

LIAM: Long.

LAURA: So once a day?

TALIESIN: Twice, then a long rest.

LAURA: No.

LIAM: Once per long rest, oh, yeah.

LAURA: So once a day?

TALIESIN: Once a day.

LIAM: Yes, yes, correct.

SAM: Matthew, how many of these bolts are there? Three.

TRAVIS: And then they're gone?

LIAM: But this is a very powerful bo staff, Beau.

MARISHA: It's incredibly attractive. Very sexy staff.

TRAVIS: Caduceus, what's your melee weapon of choice?

TALIESIN: I mean, it's not really of choice. I'd rather not use anything at all, but I have a staff. It's not bad.

TRAVIS: Okay.

TALIESIN: I'm not very good with it.

TRAVIS: Just trying to recall the last time I saw you crack someone.

TALIESIN: I try and stay away from-- If someone's close enough to crack me, I don't necessarily know if that's a good thing, so, I try and avoid that.

TRAVIS: You're probably messed up by that point.

TALIESIN: Usually I have a couple things that can keep people away, you know.

LAURA: I have some divisions of coin here, depending on how you guys want to play it. I kept a little bit off to the side for Vilya.

SAM: Sure, yes, of course.

LAURA: Should she get an equal amount or should she get, like, some?

MARISHA: Of money?

SAM: She was with us. She should-- All. I mean, as much as we do.

LAURA: Yeah?

SAM: At least.

TRAVIS: Are we dividing it up between ourselves and Vilya or are we also setting some aside for the village? Not that I even know how to begin to do that.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: How many villagers are there?

MATT: A little over 100.

LAURA: Well.

TRAVIS: That is certainly enough gold to go around.

SAM: It is theirs.

LAURA: We could also make another trip in tomorrow and see if we can get more gold for the rest of the people here.

MARISHA: Maybe we divide what we have here that no one else is aware of, and then we give the rest that we find in the cave to the village tomorrow.

LAURA: Should we make Vilya have an even share of our stuff today?

MARISHA: Maybe.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: Okay. Then I'm going to need to do some math again.

LIAM: DM, out of curiosity, would this coat play with the elven chain? Or no?

MATT: It plays over any light armor.

LIAM: Okay.

MARISHA: That staff is--

LIAM: I think the elven chain, it says medium in equipment.

TRAVIS: Staff is dope.

MARISHA: Has plus two to attack and damage rolls.

ASHLEY: What is it?

TRAVIS: That's a plus two?

MARISHA: To attack and damage rolls.

TRAVIS: I heard. That's big.

MARISHA: And then some other stuff.

LIAM: So one of them, okay.

MARISHA: And it's called the Belabor. Which is just so appropriate for Beau.

TRAVIS: The Belabor?

ASHLEY: The Belabor?

MARISHA: Belabor.

TRAVIS: Like "belabor the point"?

MARISHA: Yep, that's the one. Same Belabor. (laughs)

TRAVIS: How else is that word used?

MARISHA: I don't know.

TRAVIS: I don't want to belabor your sandwich. (laughter)

MARISHA: I don't want to belabor-- your face with this staff!

LAURA: Everybody gets 81 copper, bleep, bleep, bleep.

TRAVIS: Oh, 81, yeah.

LAURA: 707 silver.

TRAVIS: 700 and?

LAURA: Seven.

MARISHA: 707.

ASHLEY: 707.

TRAVIS: Jesus.

LAURA: 2518 gold.

MARISHA: Wow.

LAURA: And 163 platinum.

SAM: Unless we give away a lot of this tonight.

LAURA: Well, Vilya gets an equal share of all those things.

SAM: Sure.

MARISHA: And she can choose to do what she wants with it.

LAURA: And, you know, all that stuff is still in the cave. People can go get other stuff. Or we can share all of this stuff if that's what you guys want to do.

TRAVIS: It'll just depend on how much is actually left there. A fair amount, yes? We were leaving in such a hurry. Or did we do a really good job of being Hoovers? (slurps) We'll find out.

MARISHA: DM, do we know how much we might have maybe left behind in the time?

MATT: The only two that were hanging back long enough to know would be Veth and Yasha. And you guys scooped the majority, I'd say about-- we'll say, four fifths of it.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TRAVIS: Probably going to have to be some redistribution plans so we don't feel like huge festering assholes.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: All right.

LAURA: Do you want me to not add these things to our or can everybody give what they want?

TALIESIN: When it comes time, we'll figure out what's appropriate, and we can all go in.

MARISHA: I'll set aside my share, but I won't add it to my previous pot yet, I guess.

TALIESIN: I have a list.

MARISHA: Okay.

LAURA: I'll make a little bag for Vilya so she can have the share that we divided up for her.

MATT: Okay. Probably be a big bag, because that's a lot of coin.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

TRAVIS: While that's going on, has anyone, like, followed us here, looking at us, keeping an eye as they walk by, anything?

LAURA: I mean, we have the door shut.

MATT: You guys are in inside with the door shut, in the shed, but you can peer through.

TRAVIS: I said I was standing at the door to see if somebody was going to try and--

MATT: Make a perception check, then. [distant siren]

TRAVIS: Woo! 17. [distant siren]

TALIESIN: That's the first time I've heard--

MARISHA: Is that the paddy wagon?

ASHLEY: Yeah, I was just going to say.

SAM: (imitating siren)

TALIESIN: First time I've heard that in this room.

TRAVIS: There was a retro fire engine.

ASHLEY: It was like a crank.

TRAVIS: Yeah, one of those old--

TALIESIN: It's a clown car.

MATT: So looking around, nobody is specifically approaching, but you do see, not terribly far away, towards the base one of the larger trees that contains many elements of the upper reaches of tree-based abodes and the bridges that connect, you see a small group of individuals being led by Terra, who have quite a number of sacks full of weapons at the ready, and they're all looking like they're keeping out of sight. Then Terra glances over and makes eye contact with you and goes like--

TRAVIS: How long to get that dome up?

LIAM: Well, it was the first thing I did, so.

TRAVIS: Oh good, it's up.

MATT: As Terra has your attention, she goes ahead and goes--

TRAVIS: Anyone want to go for a stroll? I spotted Terra and apparently she wants to talk.

TALIESIN: Sure.

TRAVIS: We don't all have to go.

LAURA: Some of--

MARISHA: Do you--?

LAURA: I'll stay here and--

ASHLEY: Yeah, I'll come with.

LAURA: I imagine this division stuff is going to take a while.

MARISHA: Do you want to "talk"?

TRAVIS: I would prefer to talk first.

MARISHA: Then I'll stay.

TRAVIS: Fair enough.

TALIESIN: I'll come.

TRAVIS: Very good foresight, Beau. I appreciate that.

MARISHA: I'll watch from from a distance.

TRAVIS: ? From a distance ?

ASHLEY: I'll come with.

MARISHA: ? From a distance ?

TRAVIS: Yasha and I will take a stroll.

TALIESIN: Oh, you two?

TRAVIS: If you hear terrible screaming--

TALIESIN: I'm coming along. All right, I want to see this.

LAURA: The three of you?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: What was the distance to Terra? 50 yards, 100 yards?

MATT: About 40 yards.

TRAVIS: We'll make our way over.

MATT: As you guys make your way over, you can see there's an open doorway that her and her crew are leaning next to. They head inside the building and Terra heads inside as well.

TRAVIS: Oh. Inside, even better.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Any reservations?

ASHLEY: No.

TRAVIS: That's all I needed to hear. Is the door open?

MATT: It is.

TRAVIS: Standing outside, how many can we see inside?

MATT: You see four individuals.

TRAVIS: I'll knock on the doorframe. Could you make room for two more?

LAURA: Caduceus came with you two.

TRAVIS: Three more?

MATT: (as Terra) "I think we can do that."

TRAVIS: I will slide in. Door open, door shut?

MATT: "Go ahead and close it."

TRAVIS: Yasha closes the door.

MATT: "So... I imagine, much like us, you don't have much business to remain in this space, right?"

TRAVIS: Not a lot. More-- actually, perhaps a fair bit more. We did come here for a different reason, and that event is forthcoming. Perhaps we should actually start off on a different foot. I think you know all of our names, but I'm not entirely sure that we really know yours.

MATT: They look at each other. "You can call me Kotho. That's all you need."

TRAVIS: Excellent.

MATT: Make a history check.

LAURA: Whoa.

SAM: Ooh.

MARISHA: You said Kotho?

TRAVIS: Kotho.

LIAM: The pirate queen!

ASHLEY: Kotho? Oh, I hope so.

TRAVIS: 14.

MATT: 14. You have heard the name before. You don't have a lot of detail, but there are some figures in the Menagerie Coast that build a reputation. Some because they have some sort of massive criminal enterprise, because there are rumors of elements of makeshift nobility that have risen up or caused some sort of intrigue. Kotho, however, is one of a handful of well known bounty hunters across the Menagerie Coast. Particularly one that they say one day just quit the game and left about 10 years ago, and hasn't been heard from since.

TRAVIS: 10 years. Right. Kotho.

MATT: "I see the look of recognition in your eyes."

TRAVIS: I hope you'll take it as flattery that your name, even all this time later, still carries great weight from the Menagerie Coast.

MATT: "Certainly. You all came in a ship, right?"

TRAVIS: We did, however, we were trying to throw off the scent of one dragon turtle. We seem to have pissed it off and since we've been here, it is (clears throat) no longer afloat.

MATT: (sighs) "Fucking shit!"

TRAVIS: It is discouraging, I know. The other three that are with Kotho, any recognition of their faces, anything that rings any bells?

MATT: Not particularly. You see one younger, scrawny looking elven gentlemen. You see a halfling female, a little older, muscular, big upper arms. And the last one you can see, they look human, but there's something about them that seems different. The features seem to almost shift at certain points of light that catch them. Like there's a pearlesence from certain angles that you have to catch yourself on.

TRAVIS: If you've been here for 10 years, in speaking with Vilya, she said she'd been here closer to 20 to 25. Have you found out who the first members of this village were?

MATT: "I haven't. Don't really care."

TRAVIS: I take it from your urgency, that it is quite important for you to get off this island?

MATT: "As soon as possible. Do you have a way of doing so?"

TRAVIS: Perhaps. We may be able to assist each other. In a matter of days, there will be a fair number of people traveling to this island. Some may be capable, others, perhaps not so much. If your reputation is as I remember, you seem to be the type that might be able to play that to your advantage. As they arrive, and they will-- well, I'll leave it to your imagination as to what your options might be.

MATT: "Fair enough."

TRAVIS: In the meantime, we don't really know these people. I'm assuming that you don't either, but if you would, keep an ear out, and as those arrivals start to filter in, we'll make sure that you find your way to a possibility.

MATT: "I appreciate that."

TRAVIS: Well, if we can be of any more assistance--

MATT: The door is already (creaking)

TRAVIS: Okay. Have a great evening. Shall we?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Right.

MATT: You all walk out. You can see the four of them are still holding that distant scowl, that intense, at-the-ready sense. You're very familiar with it.

TRAVIS: I'll pause. Turn around, step back through. One last question. Before you went missing, who you were looking for?

MATT: (quietly) "What's it to you?" (more emphatic) "What's it to you?"

TRAVIS: I-- Call it a matter of curiosity. Wouldn't it be strange if they were, I don't know, here?

MATT: Make a persuasion check.

MARISHA: Oh my god, yes, come on.

TRAVIS: 19.

SAM: Damn.

LIAM: Face man.

MATT: "I was looking for someone who stole something very important to an employer of mine at the time."

TRAVIS: Any idea what they stole?

MATT: "It was a weapon."

TRAVIS: Weapon. I take it you didn't find it.

MATT: "No. They evaded us for a while, and then they disappeared as well. But they're not on this island. We've spent the past few hours, trying to see if perhaps we had ever crossed paths here, but no."

TRAVIS: An employer from the Menagerie Coast?

MATT: "Indeed."

TRAVIS: Thank you. Hopefully your time here will not be too much longer. Evening. Shall we?

ASHLEY: Yeah, let's go.

MATT: All right.

TRAVIS: I'll get back and fill everyone in on who Kotho is, the reputation that she has and just the general demeanor of her group. Also, there were two in her group that seemed to have a strange-- Did you see the--?

ASHLEY: Yeah, they were kind of shiny.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

SAM: They were shiny people?

LAURA: Shiny how? What do you mean shiny?

TRAVIS: Sometimes when you see fish in a certain light.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LAURA: Like iridescent?

TRAVIS: Yeah, or pearlescent, like a pearl, almost.

ASHLEY: Pearlescent.

LIAM: Their skin?

LAURA: Does that sound familiar?

TALIESIN: Like this. Like this.

TRAVIS: What are you doing?

SAM: What is that?

LAURA: It's his clothes.

TALIESIN: Yeah, like that.

LAURA: The cloth.

LIAM: Yeah, the gossamer.

TRAVIS: I totally remember.

LIAM: The sleeves.

MATT: I would say just because of your nature, Yasha, you gather there probably was a hint of celestial in their bloodline.

MARISHA: (gasps) Oh.

SAM: How many people were with Kotho?

TRAVIS: Three.

SAM: And they're bounty hunters, or they work for Kotho?

TRAVIS: She was, and I assume that they were with her, or at least are now.

SAM: And even though they were given this bounty hunting mission 10 years ago, they wouldn't reveal any details?

TRAVIS: No, they did say they had been searching for someone that stole a weapon from an employer, along the Menagerie Coast.

LAURA: (laughs) No, it couldn't possibly be.

SAM, TRAVIS, and TALIESIN: What?

LAURA: Twig-- Wouldn't it be funny if it was the Happy Fun Ball? But that couldn't have been.

MARISHA: That's not a bad idea.

LAURA: That was 10 years.

TALIESIN: Well, a lot can happen.

MARISHA: But I feel like Twiggy was sooner.

TRAVIS: And the Happy Fun Ball, would you describe it as a weapon?

MARISHA: Is it a weapon?

LAURA: Could be.

MARISHA: An artifact. But that's a weapon! And I point to the bo staff on the ground that Caleb is identifying.

SAM: Oh, yeah.

TRAVIS: What, that stick?

MARISHA: Yeah, it's super fucking magical. At least that's what Caleb said.

TRAVIS: The stick is?

MARISHA: That bo staff, that I definitely--

LAURA: Yeah, it's got runes on it, it looks magical.

MARISHA: It's all gold and silver. Look at it. It's a sexy-looking staff.

LAURA: You should definitely use it, Beau.

LIAM: Why don't you poke Fjord with it and see what happens?

TRAVIS: Yeah, poke me with your stick.

MARISHA: Really?

TRAVIS: Sure.

LAURA: Wait.

TRAVIS: Well, it's all right, I've got medium amour. I'm sure this will be real bad.

MARISHA: Fumph! And I spend a charge.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Or at least, I think I do.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Oh no.

MARISHA: I swing it real hard.

MATT: Fjord.

TRAVIS: Yes.

MATT: If I could have you to-- can you roll a strength saving throw for me?

TRAVIS: Are you sure you don't want a different category?

MATT: She's standing about 30 feet away from you when she does this by the way.

TRAVIS: Oh, fuck.

LIAM: Standing next to Fjord?

TRAVIS: That is a nine.

MATT: Go ahead and roll 3d8, if you don't mind.

LAURA: Ooh.

TRAVIS: Wow!

SAM: (impact sound)

MARISHA: 3d8? (laughs) 16.

MATT: So you watch as Beau takes a few steps back and you're confused for a second why she's stepping away from you. (whooshes, humming impact) Does this one swing and you watch as the wind seems to (slurps) gather, and then this wave of pure crackling force energy just whoosh! Like a giant sickle, just carves through the air, 30 feet out towards you and impacts, knocks the wind out of you and pushes you 15 feet back.

LIAM: Right out of the dome.

TRAVIS: I start making all the sounds that woman did when she fell out of the grape crushing pit.

MARISHA: Ew! Ow ew, ugh!

TRAVIS: Ow! Stop! Ow! Ow!

SAM: Ow!

MATT: It-- all this dust, oomph, kicks up around it, eventually settles and you have--

TRAVIS: (coughs painfully)

LAURA: Subtle. That was--

TRAVIS: (groans)

ASHLEY: Wow!

TRAVIS: Big stick. Big stick hurt me.

MARISHA: I love you so much. I just hold it and I just pet it, (whispers) I'm never letting you go.

TRAVIS: Oh, how many times could you do that in a day?

MARISHA: My senses tell me roughly four. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Oh, so 13 points of damage?

MATT: Of force damage, yes.

TRAVIS: Got it, cool.

TALIESIN: Is that on top of the plus two and plus two?

MARISHA: Yeah, that's a side thing aside from the plus two plus two.

TRAVIS: Jester, can you help me out, please?

LAURA: Oh, I don't have very many spells left. Let me see.

TRAVIS: Oh, Caduceus, do you have any?

LAURA: Oh, I can Healing Word you.

TALIESIN: I can-- yeah, I can do something, yeah.

TRAVIS: Just in case we're ambushed.

TALIESIN: Let me see what I got. I got something.

LAURA: 10 points of healing.

TRAVIS: Thank you.

TALIESIN: And I'll give you another 10 points as well.

TRAVIS: You are beautiful people.

ASHLEY: Nott, did you find Skingorger?

SAM: Oh, yes. I've been holding it in my pocket. I'm three feet tall-- (laughter)

SAM: -- and I've been carrying your six-foot long sword just back here.

MARISHA: Video game pocket, yeah.

SAM: This is Dungeons & Dragons.

LIAM: ? (Zelda item-getting music) ?

SAM: You didn't see it before, but it was there.

MATT: That awkward anime hero character who's wielding a sword four times their size.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LIAM: And when you walk in the door, it's like a ladder at the door. Boom!

TRAVIS: Wrist of 400 tensile strength.

MATT: Yep.

SAM: Yes, there's Skingorger.

TALIESIN: Weird thought, but I think Veth should get the boots.

SAM: The boots?

TALIESIN: Yeah. I think you're the one who needs to get away from stuff and if things get too close.

MARISHA: Either-- yeah, or one of the spell casters or the clerics.

LIAM: And I was thinking, unless anyone wants them, I am still the weakest link in the group in some senses, so it would be helpful to get back.

LAURA: So you want the boots and the coat?

MARISHA: Taking the boots?

LIAM: I do not want the coat.

TRAVIS and TALIESIN: Oh.

LIAM: Not really my style.

MARISHA: Does anyone else want this awesome bo staff? Will either of you--

SAM: I think it will definitely go well with Fjord.

MARISHA: Anyone? Yeah, I just don't know who else is proficient in a bo staff.

LAURA: I think, it's only for you.

LIAM: It's got your name on it, Beau.

MARISHA: Okay.

ASHLEY: I think that's made for you.

MARISHA: Okay.

TALIESIN: It's only light armor, right?

LAURA: I don't think I can wear the coat because it has to go over light armor. I don't wear light armor.

TALIESIN: Who wears light armor?

SAM: I do.

LIAM: It can go over medium armor.

TRAVIS: It can go over medium?

LIAM: It can go over medium armor.

SAM: Oh, wait, it can?

LIAM: That's what it says.

LAURA: No, it says light armor.

LIAM: Oh no, my armor is medium. I got in reverse.

TALIESIN: Who has no armor?

SAM: I have light.

LAURA: So, Veth can wear the--

ASHLEY: I have light, too. Oh, oh!

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: I love the idea of Yasha in a--

SAM: In a coat?

LAURA: Yeah. In, like, a nobleman's coat. That's actually kind of cool.

TALIESIN: Yeah, it's actually kind of nice.

LAURA: Maybe we can cut some holes in the back of it, so your wings can pop through it.

TRAVIS: Those are awesome. Oh, jeez.

LIAM: Lafayette!

TRAVIS: The boots are dope.

TALIESIN: Actually, that would-- and especially since you're--

ASHLEY: I mean--

TALIESIN: Yeah.

SAM: What's your AC?

ASHLEY: Let me give this a look.

SAM: Do you have-- it's an attuned thing, yes?

LIAM: The coat is, yeah.

LAURA: That's kind of cool.

TALIESIN: And you're kind of down, you know. Make you harder to hit.

ASHLEY: It's a plus one bonus to AC, which would make me 18, but--

MATT: I think your armor might be medium.

ASHLEY: Oh, because I have the breastplate.

MATT: With the breastplate. You still have that-- did you ever pick up-- I'm trying to remember-- the bracers of defense?

ASHLEY: I don't think...

LAURA: We never got those.

MARISHA: No, we never went back. No-- Or did you get them but-- you have them but you didn't equip them.

ASHLEY: I have them.

MATT: I was like, I'm pretty sure you have those.

LAURA: Oh my gosh, you had them all this time?

MARISHA: But she can't use them.

LAURA: Why?

MATT: She can use them but she can't use them with the breastplate.

LAURA: Oh. So you could take off the breastplate, put on your light armor, wear the bracers and wear the coat.

TALIESIN: Oh, wow!

SAM: Well would that increase her AC or just keep it the same?

LAURA: Well, even if it kept it the same, then she would have the bonus of the coat.

SAM: What's the bonus of the coat?

LAURA: I don't know what the bonus of the coat is.

MARISHA: He dropped it in the thread.

SAM: Oh, that's right.

LIAM: "As a reaction, you can gain resistance to damage from a triggering attack."

TRAVIS: It's also an excellent bargaining tool for later. It's rare, I would assume.

LIAM: Wondrous even.

TRAVIS: Wondrous, well.

TALIESIN: Wow, that means magic damage, you would be able to have resistance to.

MARISHA: You can reach your reaction to gain resistance--

ASHLEY: Could that work against--?

TALIESIN: Anything.

ASHLEY: Being mind controlled, stuff like that?

TALIESIN: No.

MARISHA: But psychic damage, right?

LAURA: Yeah, but, like, mind controlled, not so much.

LIAM: Not status a effect, but damages.

ASHLEY: Let's put a pin in it. Let me think about it. Because I do just want--

LAURA: Either Veth or Yasha should have the coat.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: You got dibs.

TALIESIN: You should probably get the boots.

ASHLEY: I do love the breastplate, though. Let's think about it. I'm going to think about this.

MATT: You can think on it, there's no rush for it now. But you do take a short rest, if you guys would like to to spend your hit dice to heal up a bit. If you'd like to, if you have anything else you want to do in the time being, otherwise we can go into the evening as the village begins to gather.

LIAM: Was there any jade or pearls in the bag-o-gems?

LAURA: Oh, let me look. Oh hold on, I have a good prop.

MATT: There you go. Good job. Yeah, there's a number of pearls there. Maybe about--

LAURA: Yeah, there's some pearls in here.

MATT: -- 230 gold worth of pearls.

LIAM: Okay.

LAURA: Do you want them?

LIAM: Yeah.

LAURA: Is there any jade?

MATT: There's a little bit of jade, about 80 gold worth.

LAURA: There's, like, 80 gold worth.

TALIESIN: Any diamond?

LIAM: I can use all of that to great effect if you can spare it.

TRAVIS: Just the three, right?

MARISHA: The three diamonds?

TALIESIN: Are there are there any smaller diamonds in the bag, or no?

MATT: No, just the three that she pulled.

LAURA: 80 gold worth of jade and...

LIAM: Okay.

LAURA: And how much pearls worth of--?

LIAM: 300, I think you said.

LAURA: -- did you say?

MATT: It was 200 and...

TRAVIS: 30?

MATT: I think it was 230.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: I'm going with that even if it wasn't. 230.

SAM: We're rich. We can buy anything we want.

TRAVIS: Certainly feels that way.

MARISHA: Feels good.

SAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: We've been poor for so long.

SAM: Well, have we?

MARISHA: I spent all my money on these fucking bracers, so I've been very poor for a very long time.

SAM: I've had literally thousands of gold.

MARISHA: Wow, that's-- Don't brag about that.

ASHLEY: I have not.

TRAVIS: Hey, DM, remind us who gave us the map to Rumblecusp?

SAM: I don't think there was an actual map.

MATT: There wasn't a physical map. I was just giving it to you so you have a visual aid.

TRAVIS: Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. There are these clearings and... I don't know. There are clearings on the island like the one that was the tower was in, but... could just be topography.

MATT: We'll say those were... creative license by the cartographer.

TRAVIS: Fair enough. I'm reading into everything.

MATT: I know, I know.

MARISHA: Okay.

SAM: Well, it's night time, I guess. We're going to go to this gathering.

LAURA: I mean, did Vilya call the gathering together?

SAM: I think she did.

MATT: She went out to begin to do so.

LAURA: Okay.

SAM: Do we have anything that we want to influence the villagers to do or not do? We're just going to let them say their piece and the ones who want to leave, we'll help them with boats or no, we're not going to offer our boats?

TRAVIS: I wouldn't inform them. I would control the flow of information, first of all, and second, I would encourage them to keep sort of the same status that they had before that was working. Until we figure out how many people coming in, who wants to leave and where they want to go, we should try and remain, like, the same homeostasis as before this. Because then it's going to be up to Vilya to figure out how many people she can take to where and how often.

TALIESIN: It's also going to be an-- this is an important thought-- I don't think anyone should do anything rash. Take a couple days, figure out what they want.

TRAVIS: I know they'll be urgent to go. Families and other things waiting, but we also don't want anything to happen to Vilya. She is pretty valuable.

TALIESIN: Can't we teleport people as well? If we've been there before.

LIAM: If there is a circle that we have used, and I'm familiar with.

TRAVIS: In the Empire or--?

LIAM: I can take us to Rosohna, I can take us to Nicodranas. I can take us to Zadash.

MATT: You could send them back to Port Damali.

LAURA: And to Port-- yeah. That's good.

TALIESIN: Can you send people without leaving?

LIAM: Yeah, although they might have some explaining to do when they arrive.

MATT: Yes, they would.

MARISHA: We would have to alert people. Yeah.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: But-- wouldn't necessarily have to say anything, but we can say that we will help people get to where they need to go.

LAURA: It would be nice if we could give everybody, like, a little bit of gold on the way through, so that, you know.

LIAM: Like a trick-or-treat basket as they they're walking by.

LAURA: Yeah, here's your gift bags.

TALIESIN: A gift bag, everyone loves a gift bag.

LAURA: Hope you enjoyed your time on Vo.

LIAM: Just take one please, thank you.

TRAVIS: So much was destroyed under the volcano but we were able to salvage this.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: I mean, for a lot of people, a bag of 50 gold can go a long way.

TRAVIS: Sure. As for us.

MARISHA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I didn't put my my coin in yet, just in case.

TRAVIS: Same.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

SAM: Well, okay.

TRAVIS: An eventful day or three. How many days has it been?

SAM: Three, I think.

MATT: Three, a little over three days, yeah.

LAURA: Fuck.

TALIESIN: A lot can happen in three days.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: I'm exhausted.

TRAVIS: The dome and shifts?

SAM: Well, no, there's the gathering first before bed.

TRAVIS: Oh, it's tonight.

MATT: You're still, like, midday at this point, that's what I'm saying--

SAM: Why don't you go to sleep, Fjord? It's one in the afternoon.

TRAVIS: I'm going to take a power nap.

MARISHA: I'm so exhausted.

MATT: You guys you guys did wake up at the crack of dawn to go fight Vokodo, so, like, your day shifted a little bit earlier than you're used to.

TRAVIS: I'm a little hyperglycemic, I need to get some--

SAM: We just ate lunch.

TRAVIS: It's that post-lunch crash.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I might take a walk around while-- this is-- I feel like being cooped up is-- I want to get a sense of things.

LAURA: Be careful, Caduceus.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: If anyone wants to come or otherwise.

LAURA: I'll come with you.

TALIESIN: All right. Two clerics never goes wrong.

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: It never has before.

TALIESIN: No.

MATT: As the time begins to grow closer to the end of the day, you can see people are now preparing, they're bringing all the seating arrangements and familiar things you saw brought to that one social evening with the bonfire. The fire is being constructed, but it's going to be smaller and there's less people helping. But it looks like it is happening. You can see Vilya has been doing the rounds of trying to convince and gather as many people as she can. What is it you guys are looking to do while you're out and about?

LAURA: What do you want to do?

TALIESIN: Just trying to get a sense of-- if there's anybody who's nervous. If there's anybody-- how people are sitting, if they're starting to come out of their initial panic. If there's anyone who looks dangerous.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Or worried.

MATT: Many people look worried. Most people look worried.

TALIESIN: Yeah. There's worried and then there's worried, though.

MATT: There is. It seems-- I would say, a majority of people are just shaken and trying to piece together what their future looks like, from two different lives that have collided depending on how long they've been here. Some people are shorter than others, some people longer, some people their whole life.

TALIESIN: I'm going to help set up a bit, then.

MATT: Imagine for the people that have been here their whole life, majority of their community, is uprooting. So this is a very traumatic event for some people here as well. But you do notice as people begin to gather as well, Anola, the older woman who cooked with you the night before, you can see, has already stepped into a matronly role and has begun to talk with and begin to have a small forum of villagers to discuss through their processes. So, like, there are pockets, you can see, where the community is still a community. And people are starting to rise to the occasion of a fractured whole. And it does give you a sense of hope. There are some that are not engaging at all and there are people that are just packing up their things. You're not sure what they plan to do. Upon asking around a little bit, you do hear people talking about that Vilya has mentioned that there are ways to escape and there are people that are eager to get off immediately. There are people that are waiting to see how it plays out. But there is-- there's a mixture of "how do we hold on to what we had?" and "how do I get as far away from this as possible?" and everything in between. As far as dangerous, I mean, it's hard to tell. In the middle of this energy, there are some people that you can't tell if they're afraid or predatory. What you do know, and it does give you some semblance of comfort, is nobody here has wealth. So unless there is a personal reason to harm another that you're unaware of, there's not much to be gained by stealing from or, you know, abusing the trust of others that you are aware of. So there are shady individuals, of course. And the best you can read, and you can read pretty well, there's no immediate threat of danger at the moment.

TALIESIN: All right. I'm going to just help set up a bit. Just listen to people try and get a sense of what their plans are, what they're thinking and just help cook, help--

LAURA: I'm going to look for the family that moved out of the hut that first day that we came in.

MATT: Yes, Doron.

LAURA: Yeah, do I see them?

MATT: You do. You see him and his wife and their children and they're in the process of helping set up the bonfire and arranging the various stumps and seats, as you approach he goes, "Oh, hello there."

LAURA: Hi.

MATT: "So you all helped Viridi-- Vilya destroy Vo, who apparently was not a god."

LAURA: Not a god. Crazy, huh?

MATT: "That's crazy. Gods are not being gods, and things pretending to be something they're not, that's crazy. That's wild. Well, um..."

LAURA: H-h-how are you guys?

MATT: He goes, "Me and Alana here, we met a long time ago here and we had different lives back home. She's from Marquet, I, myself, didn't have the best of a relationship waiting for me back in Wildemount, but... I think we're going to stay."

LAURA: Oh, that's nice.

MATT: "I think we're going to stay."

LAURA: What's your real name?

MATT: "Berex."

LAURA: Berex. Does your last name begin with a "V"?

MATT: "It does."

LAURA: I had a feeling.

MATT: "Berex Valen. How do you know this?"

LAURA: Do I have the watch?

MARISHA: Either you or I do. One of us was--

LAURA: Because I had been going around asking every--

MARISHA: I know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll just you say you do.

MATT: We'll say you do.

MARISHA: We didn't put it back, I know we didn't put it back.

LAURA: We found this.

LIAM: Big Vandran.

MATT: He looks at it. (laughter) And opens it and looks at it wistfully. Looks at his wife. Closes it and goes, "You can keep it. It's a reminder of a life that I don't think is mine anymore. But thank you, I appreciate the offer."

LAURA: I'm happy you guys have each other in this.

MATT: "Me too. Me too. This is complicated, but well," and he put his arms up and says, "It's a beautiful place to live."

LAURA: It is. It is. H-how would you guys feel if you know, a whole bunch of visitors came?

MATT: "Right. Viridi-- Vilya was mentioning something about that. That you had a bunch of folks coming in for a bit, for some sort of meeting."

LAURA: Yeah. Yeah. A meeting.

MATT: "Well, we're happy to help, you know, best we can. You can vouch for these--?"

LAURA: Oh my gosh, well, I don't know them personally. But, oh my gosh, you know, what would be really fun?

MATT: "What?"

LAURA: What if, you know, you and whoever else decided to stay here, like, could turn this place into like, a really awesome resort or something.

SAM: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: There's, like, this slow moment where like, him and his wife's eyes meet and the kids go, "What's a resort?" He's like, "Uh, we'll talk later. How we do that?"

LAURA: I mean, we just work on making the rooms look a little fancier, you know. Anybody that ends up leaving, we can turn into, like, a hotel room or something.

MATT: "Okay, okay. Yeah, I could probably do something like that, right?" She's like, "I think so."

SAM: There's even a hot spring.

MARISHA: Yeah, absolutely.

MATT: "How much time do we have?"

LAURA: People will be getting here probably within the next few days, you know. The bulk of people in, like, seven days. We'll probably have some stragglers. A few people actually showed up today. (scoffs)

MATT: They both look nervous and they both go, "All right, well, you know what, we'll do what we can. And we could probably get a few other folks who are staying back to help.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: "I'll get this place turned around."

LAURA: This is exciting.

MATT: "Sure."

LAURA: I'll help.

MATT: "Wonderful. Then yeah, okay."

LAURA: Tomorrow. It's a long day today.

MATT: "Right. Tensions are still a bit high."

LAURA: Yeah, we'll wait to sort it all out.

MATT: "Right. But yeah. Come find us and we'll be happy to help."

LAURA: Awesome.

MATT: All right. Any other business?

MARISHA: Airbnv.

LIAM: Ah, man.

LAURA: (laughs) Stupid.

TALIESIN: No, I'm pretty good.

LIAM: Nah, it's good, it's good. I have a bit of business when the clerics are done.

MATT: Yeah, are you guys done?

TALIESIN: Mm-mm.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: I would say in that time that has elapsed-- who all's in the dome? Is everyone else in the dome?

MATT: Yeah, no one else has left yet.

LIAM: No, I have to stay. Well, I don't make a big to-do, I just I take the time to make Frumpkin and look at-- no one's paying attention to me. At a certain point, I just look around at them all, look at the walls of the dome, and I bring Frumpkin and I-- come, sit here. And I grab a piece-- a chunk of wood that I picked up on the way in and set it on the ground, and take out that wand again. Look at the wood, look at the wand, look at Frumpkin and study Frumpkin, and keeping my eyes on Frumpkin, begin to wave my hands over this just solid block of wood and bits of the wood as I cast Fabricate, start to shear away and it probably takes a good five, 10, 15 minutes, but slowly start melting away parts of this block of wood, until I get a crude form of a cat. It's not highly detailed, but clearly a cat and looks cl-- don't move, I said. Hold still. And I finish it. It's about this-- just this big. And I set it down in front of the wand and also pull out some papers and then that row of a handful of small pieces of broken pieces of stained glass from the temple. And I spend another 15 or 20 minutes writing notes and occasionally looking at people who are not paying attention to me.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: And pass that time, and in a little while I just gather it all up and I put it away.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: And then I lie down because I am wrecked and get a bunch of hit dice back and I will use Arcane Recovery to pull back--

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: -- a 6th-level spell slot. And that's it.

MATT: Check with Arcane Recovery to see what the spell level limit is.

LIAM: I think it's whatever is half-- I will. I think it's just half of my level, I can-- half of my character level I can bring back in spell slots, but let me double check.

MATT: There maybe a limit, but double check, yeah.

LIAM: I'll pick different levels--

MATT: Might not be. I might be remembering something else. In the interim, the rest you guys get your short rest as you converse amongst yourselves from thinking over what's, you know-- what things are happening. What's in the future.

MARISHA: I just do some journaling, write down my experience and reflect on the time here.

LIAM: Oh, can't be-- you're right. It can't be sixth, so it's got to be fifth and below.

MATT: That's what I thought. It was fifth and--

LIAM: Thank you.

MATT: No worries. Yeah, to ruminating on the battle that just transpired, the weirdness of the creature you encountered, and the future of the people in the time to come.

SAM: I'll just go up to Vilya real quick and just-- is she around or is she organizing? She's around.

MATT: She's not around you guys. She's out organizing for the night, but you can go find her.

SAM: Okay. No, I'll let her do her thing.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: I'll head over to Jester for a moment. Those first three arrivals for the Traveler Con, It's a pretty diverse handful.

LAURA: Well, it's really, like, two arrivals. There's one really nice guy and one super bitch and she had a body guard.

TRAVIS: Right. Yep, the super bitch was was an outlier.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Either way. So, I remember how distressed you were when we all-- So, I remember how distressed you were when we all-- when you realized that the Traveler knew that this place had the potential of wiping people's memories and that has been negated now.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: So, that's off the table. And Traveler Con is moving forward.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: But the Traveler doesn't want to be a god.

LAURA: Right. So, we have to figure out a way to get everyone gathered and make it to where we make them believe that the Traveler, you know, has ascended basically. Like, become so powerful and so wonderful that he's going beyond the-- what are the-- Divine Gates or something like that? And he won't be as available to us, you know, so that when people pray, he doesn't actually have to show up. But he can still be, you know, the Traveler and get, like, their praise and stuff.

TRAVIS: That makes sense. I assume that all of these people that are coming, though, in some way have personally interacted with him, very similar to how you have, correct?

LAURA: Probably in some way, yes. Not quite as.

TRAVIS: Not as cool or long.

LAURA: Right. Like, it doesn't mean as much to him. But, yeah, they probably have had--

TRAVIS: So just stick with me for a moment gaming this out. If you all of a sudden tell all of them that that's gone, and let's say, some of them have been talking to him for half as long as you have, but still a significant part of their life. What if they're not happy?

LAURA: Well...

TRAVIS: And moreover, I did hear you say that you were, you know, sort of his rep. Which is true, you were the first for him.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: My concern is that they would then be angry with not only him, but you.

LAURA: Right. Well, then we kill them. No. (laughs)

TRAVIS: And you know Beau. You just say the word, (clicks) she'll staff 200 people.

LAURA: I mean, I don't know. Are you and Caduceus angry that the Wild Mother isn't, you know, next to you all the time having tea? Or is it what you expect out of a god?

TRAVIS: That's a good point. Although my expectations are very low. I only speak with her when she decides.

LAURA: Right.

TRAVIS: Never been able to connect.

LAURA: How do you know it's actually her speaking to you?

TRAVIS: I don't.

LAURA: You just assume, right? Because it feels special?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

LAURA: Well, maybe all these other people will then feel like the Traveler is still with them, is still talking to them, even if he's not actually doing it. You know, maybe the wind will blow their hair a certain way or a bird will poop on their shoulder and they'll think it's a sign that he is, you know, pranking them.

TRAVIS: Let's hope for that. I hope for that. In the event that it doesn't go that way, let's just keep an open mind so that we can say we weren't surprised by something we hadn't thought of. Can we do that?

LAURA: Yeah. What if... Do you think it's mean?

TRAVIS: Mean?

LAURA: Well, like... I don't know. Do you think it's mean to keep people from actually having, like, a god who will listen to them?

TRAVIS: Oh. Shit. I hadn't considered that. You mean someone that's really looking for a connection?

LAURA: Or, like, what does the Wild Mother mean to you? Like, what does she actually do for you? Like, when you die, what does she give to you? Does she keep you safe? Do you pass into the afterlife? If she does, and somebody could be worshiping her and they could have a wonderful afterlife, and they accidentally worship the Traveler, and he doesn't do shit, and then they just die. And then what?

TRAVIS: I actually don't know the answers to any of those questions. I hadn't really gotten that far. I just think, as well as we know you, the thing that you value so highly is friendship, and the trust and the camaraderie and the protection and the ear.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: If that was removed or reduced, I just feel like people might be upset, and they may just leave. Or maybe they may go somewhere else for that connection. And I think that would be fine. But I certainly wouldn't want to string someone else along if that was available, and that's what they were searching for.

LAURA: That's true. But, but, but if everybody comes here and they find out, there's all these other people that worship the Traveler, and they find connection with each other, then suddenly they have that camaraderie. Suddenly, they have a group of people that have the same common interests as them and they can be friends and have each other's back and he'll have, like, his own church, you know.

TRAVIS: That is true. And that would be wonderful.

LAURA: Is it really that bad, if it's making people happy?

TRAVIS: No. I don't... (sighs) I don't think so. People can do whatever they want to. They can lead a life however they choose. And as long as it doesn't interfere with other people, at least for me, I think that's fine. Knowing that on the other side of that it's not reciprocated, I can't answer that question for you, Jester. But, as long as-- I have to be honest. Also, I don't really care about 200 other people. I do care about you. So as long as you're getting what you want out of this, you're not being forced into being something that you think you need to be for him, then you can do whatever you want to. And I, and we, will all back you up. But if at any moment it puts you at risk for him, I won't be all right with that.

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: Okay. One last thing.

LAURA: Yeah?

TRAVIS: You can tell us if something happens when you speak with him. Last time it seemed like you carried it for a long time. You can tell me. I'll listen.

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: Okay. Oh, shit. We have a whole convention to plan.

LAURA: Oh god. Yeah. We'll figure it out.

TRAVIS: No problem.

LAURA: (laughs tearfully) (sighs)

TRAVIS: Night.

LAURA: Night, yeah. It's still the afternoon, but--

TRAVIS: I'm so tired.

SAM: It's two o'clock. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Cappuccino, cappuccino, cappuccino?

TRAVIS: Yes, do you have one?

MARISHA: Oh Caduceus, you're making cappuccinos?

TALIESIN: I don't have any of the things.

MARISHA: Caduceus, are you making tea?

TALIESIN: The only thing I have to make--

MARISHA: Caduceus, please make tea.

LIAM: Are any of your dead people give a little kick or something?

MARISHA: Just please, like, caffeinated dead people.

TALIESIN: I've already got a kettle going. I've had one going for a while. It's really hard to boil water on it just with what they have.

LIAM: You don't have any Monster Energy dead people?

TALIESIN: Only what I got for myself.

TRAVIS: Of course it's red. Of course it's red.

TALIESIN: My poison bottle.

SAM: A bottle of blood. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Yeah, I've got a kettle going.

MATT: As the afternoon turns into evening and dusk settles, you begin to gather with the rest of the people of Vo. Looking around, it seems that the majority of people are here. The bonfire is going. There isn't a fresh hunt. There's still remnants left of previous gatherings, but nevertheless, small meals are distributed. There is-- it's a lot less jovial than the last social gathering that you guys were involved with here. But a short time into it, you watch as Vilya stands up. Deramid-- Lukash as you previously knew him as, is standing not too far off to the side, arms crossed, just keeping eyes out. No sign of Terra, or Kotho, and her crew. But as everyone gathers around, you can see there's muttering in conversation before Vilya stands up and takes the staff and hits it once hard against the stone top of one of these tables, and as it does, a hush falls over. As it does, you can see the fire light crackling behind her, framing her in almost a silhouette. And as she begins to speak, with her voice the front of the staff begins to glow and seems to flicker with the volume of her speech, lighting her from the front. And she goes, "My friends, my family, the people of this island and this community, I've been your guardian for some time, and that time will soon come to an end, for we are in a dire time of transition." And you hear a few voices go, "Yeah, you can fucking say that again," and then, "Ssh!" (as Vilya) "It is strange to be living-- I can't say a lie, because we have been living, and regardless of who we once were, what we became in this community means something. It's your choice to take that to heart, and it's your choice to take that where you will in the future. I know a number of you are racing to get back to the lives you once had. And there is no judgment there whatsoever. I will see to that travel, as best as I can. Though it may take some time. For those that do wish to stay, this community is not leaving. I've already spoken with a few that are going to keep it. And you're ever welcome. I know it's a hard time, but I would just ask for your trust and cooperation, as we all ford through this transition respectfully. It I might ask that of you. I would greatly appreciate it." And there's some muttering, then the conversation start building up at this point. People start raising voices and people start standing up and being like, you know, "What are we supposed to do now? I have a family here and a family that I haven't seen 15 years." And people are, like, rising up and offering suggestions here be like, "Well, you got to pick one, can't you?" Why can't you have a conversation and make it a bigger family?" It's like, "It's not that easy!" And it starts getting bigger and Lukash, or as you know him how as Deramid-- he's like, "Silence, please! We're trying to work this out." Then the conversation continues anew and it becomes a community forum, in which there are points of tension that are broken and there are points of reconciliation. There are offerings of different perspectives. And it's lengthy. For the next hour and a half to two hours, it is a lot of intense emotions, across the spectrum. But it finally comes to the point to where Vilya seems to have pushed enough and pressed enough into the people here that there is a path either way. And she says, "You will live the life you want. It is yours to figure out, and I'm sorry it's so complicated. I'm sorry that it's fraught with heartbreak, confusion, and challenges for endless days ahead. We didn't choose this. But it's in our power to decide what we do with it next. And this is going to make for a hell of a story for the bards to sing for years to come. My friends," and she points over towards where you guys have been sitting off to the side. "They were the ones that aided in alleviating us of this fog of mind and mist of island that kept us clouded and unable to make the life our own. So please, show them respect as well as you would do myself. But for tonight, even if this is your last night, can we please have one more night as Vo." You notice this still pause. You see folks stand up and go, "Aye." Raise a drink. Five over here go, "Aye." A few stragglers. "Aye, aye, aye."

LAURA: I use Thaumaturgy to make it sound like a lot more people were saying "aye".

SAM: (laughs)

MATT: Okay. And with a rousing crowd, eventually, pretty much everybody begins to rise, some with more gusto than others. And you even see Kotho and her team emerge from the shadows, who apparently had been watching from a distance, say, "Aye." And with that, this little child comes running out to the edge of the fire and holds something to it and (hissing, explosions) All these fireworks start detonating loudly.

MARISHA: Yeah!

MATT: Which in a moment causes me to go, "Whoa! Yeah!" And then breaks into cheers.

LIAM: For the V.O. community! (laughter)

TALIESIN: Every night, for months on end, that same child comes out-- sorry. I'm flashing back to my own trying to sleep at night.

MARISHA: Was it Treece?

TALIESIN: Was it trees?

MARISHA: Fuck yeah, Treece.

MATT: Yes, it was. Yes, it was Treece.

MARISHA: Yeah, hell yeah.

TALIESIN: Well done.

TRAVIS: Or the Vo formerly known as Treece.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SAM: His real name is Twig.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs)

MATT: But it seems that at least for the time being, for this night, tensions are at a manageable level. And there is an acceptance that people are parting ways. As the people begin to mingle once more, and the tension begins to shift to a more positive place, Vilya begins walking amongst and talking to people in small groups about the reminder of people coming. Says that, "There are individuals coming as part of a worship ceremony, at the behest of the people that aided us in this freedom. For those who are staying, we would ask of your help to be good hosts. And who knows, maybe some find better here as we have, at some points." And some people are weird about it, some people are okay with it, some folks are happy to help. But the night celebrations are yours, if you have any particular things you wish to do before the day is done.

LIAM: As people are celebrating, even during that speech, little by little, every minute, I use Control Flames, just to slowly turn the fire in the heart of it all green. Gradually over time, darker and darker.

MATT: And you managed to do so. And as it does, people take notice and it has this additional awe to the experience in the speech as it progresses.

SAM: Jester, to do want to try to recruit people to help with the planning of your--?

LAURA: I've already started that.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: Yeah. There's-- our family that that gave up the house, they're going to start running a resort here.

SAM: Well, I was thinking-- yeah, that's a great idea. No, I've been thinking about that, and do we need more than them, though?

LAURA: Yeah, they said they were going to talk to other people.

SAM: Because maybe we should make that pitch to the greater community.

LAURA: Oh, like right now?

SAM: Maybe?

TALIESIN: Can I hear this conversation?

MATT: I don't know, are you guys keeping it?

LIAM: Thought you could hear all conversations.

TALIESIN: It's true. If I'm even--

LAURA: I mean, we're by everyone else.

MATT: Yeah, so you probably pick up on it.

TALIESIN: As someone who has dealt with a lot of people going through traumatic experiences, you may want to give it til morning, before you propose a new way of life. I think in the morning, you could rally some people to the idea of opening the island up.

LIAM: That makes sense.

TALIESIN: On a more permanent basis. But I'd give them a good night's sleep before, to mourn a very difficult moment in their lives. Just so that you have a better chance of getting people on board.

LAURA: That makes sense.

SAM: Sure.

LAURA: Yeah. It's not like they would get an influx of visitors all the time.

TALIESIN: No.

LAURA: You know, this could be, like, a famous island. People could come visit from all over the world because, like, the famous island of Rumblecusp, where you may lose your memory, you may not.

TALIESIN: Two big decisions in one day is a lot for most people. They've had one big moment.

MARISHA: You're right.

TALIESIN: Give them 12 hours.

LAURA: What happens in Rumblecusp--

LAURA and MARISHA: -- stays in Rumblecusp.

SAM: There's so much cool stuff on this island.

MARISHA: Someone could run a ghost tour because there's so many fucking ghosts.

LAURA: They could run a ghost tour, they could look for dinosaurs.

MARISHA: Yeah.

SAM: I was actually thinking about this, yes. You've been making these amazing pamphlets, right?

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: You could make some to advertise Rumblecusp. You know, like you're saying. Like, "Welcome to the cusp of relaxation!"

LAURA: (gasps)

MARISHA: Yeah.

SAM: "Rumblecusp island:"

LAURA: Really good.

SAM: "where you can forget all your woes."

LAURA: I love it.

SAM: I love the dinosaur--

TALIESIN: Can you ride the dinosaur? I've always thought that could be fun.

MARISHA: The signature cocktail could be the torchbloom.

SAM: Yeah, you can get it at Anola's Bar and Grille. And also, I was thinking we could offer some sort of a health/wellness center. So like, if they wanted to at the Heaven Falls, they could get a power colonic. (laughter)

LIAM: Ooh!

SAM: Butthole of the island, you know.

LAURA: That's really good.

LIAM: Maybe a yearly music festival, Rumble in the Cusp, you know?

MARISHA: Yeah, the Rumble Down Under? Yeah.

LIAM: Also, Jester, as you've expressed to us, your friend is maybe balking at the idea of ruling over people across the continents in the world, but maybe he would like to be the headliner of a resort island?

LAURA: I know. I mean, that's-- I was just talking about that with...Caduceus?

TALIESIN: Were we?

LAURA: Maybe.

TALIESIN: Maybe.

LAURA: Was it Fjord? Who did I say it to? I don't remember.

TRAVIS: Super forgettable, apparently.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: Was it Fjord? Was it you that I said that to?

MARISHA: Vokodo is dead, by the way.

TRAVIS: Mr. Irrelevant.

LAURA: I know that we had a really awesome conversation. I just don't know who I said.

LIAM: Maybe it was in the car on the way home after a game?

LAURA: Huh?

LIAM: From our short time with him, he's clearly very vain, so maybe.

LAURA: He's not! No.

LIAM: Are you sure?

LAURA: It's not that--

LIAM: He's not vain?

LAURA: I don't think he's vain.

TALIESIN: I think it's appropriate.

MARISHA: He's vain.

MARISHA: He's definitely vain.

LAURA: He's probably kind of vain.

LIAM: Probably thinks this song is about him.

MARISHA: Absolutely.

LAURA: I mean, he's amazing. Why wouldn't you be vain if you were amazing?

LIAM: You would be.

TALIESIN: So amazing, you weren't vain. That'd be pretty amazing.

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: None of you are vain, though, and you're all pretty good.

LAURA: Okay, okay, okay. So we're going to turn it into a resort.

SAM: 100%. Yoga meditation at the Ruins. I mean, it's like--

ASHLEY: Make a big gate into the dinosaur area.

LAURA: Ooh, I like it.

TRAVIS: Ooh.

ASHLEY: That you could go through on a--

LAURA: Dinosaur Park.

TRAVIS: And you could use that warding stone to play music as it opens.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah!

TRAVIS: Be like, (hums Jurassic Park theme)

MATT: Nothing ever goes wrong--

ASHLEY: We could workshop the song.

MATT: -- at those types of resorts.

MARISHA: I bet the two of you could lay something down. An epic theme.

LAURA: Ooh.

MARISHA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: You know, I really like the possibility.

LIAM and SAM: Water slide.

TALIESIN: I was really hoping for a water slide.

LIAM: People ride from the top of the volcano down to the waterfall, shot up to go again, no lines, no waiting.

MARISHA: Also since we, you know, saved this island and we're pretty much the best, maybe we could have some choice real estate, a condo, basically a timeshare.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Did you turn into Lex Luthor?

TALIESIN: A little bit.

TRAVIS: Otisville?

MARISHA: A little bit.

TRAVIS: Otisburg?

MARISHA: Just right in the chasm of the volcano. Yeah. (laughter)

MARISHA: Yeah.

SAM: Save an owner's condo, an owner's suite for us?

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: Hidden behind the waterfall. You know, out of the way.

SAM: Yeah.

ASHLEY: A vacation spot that we just go to whenever we want.

TRAVIS: Just turn it into a pyramid scheme.

LIAM: The 99 Club, maybe.

LAURA: I love that.

MARISHA: Maybe Caleb can build a teleportation circle in it.

SAM: I don't know, maybe we should stay here.

LAURA: Maybe this should be our base of operation.

MATT: This is where the campaign ends. (laughter)

LAURA: We don't lose our memory.

TALIESIN: Trying to become D&D Fantasy island. People show up, we fix their problems, and send them on their way.

MARISHA: Then it's Roller Coaster Tycoon.

TALIESIN: Oh yeah.

TRAVIS: Unseated a wannabe-deity and replaced him with us. (laughter)

LAURA: Bring us your offerings.

TALIESIN: What is it? A cargo cult on top of a cargo cult. It's like this ice cream sundae of cargo cults.

MATT: Yeah.

TALIESIN: With sprinkles. Hey!

LAURA: Hey!

LIAM: Behold, Beauregard, goddess of the booze cruise. (laughter)

SAM: Oh, yes!

MARISHA: I've got a bottomless flask of whiskey, let's go!

TRAVIS: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: So anyway. (laughter)

SAM: Give us 20 minutes, Matt.

MATT: Yeah. (laughter)

MARISHA: Pack of water, I'm drunk, I don't know, it's a pack of water.

LIAM: Oh, I'm sorry. Where did I put my gravitas?

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs)

MATT: So as the evening's celebrations commence and go on, is there anything else we should do before the night comes to a close?

TRAVIS: Is Kotho around at all?

MATT: Yes. A little ways away from the rest of the group and just keeping amongst her three other mates, but...

TRAVIS: I'll slide over and just say, I'm sorry, I thought of one last thing, I know you said your last target wasn't here on the island. Would you be comfortable sharing the name of who you were looking for? I spent a lot of time in Port Damali and Nicodranas in the past few years. Just in case I might be able to point you in the right direction once you get out of here.

MATT: Make a persuasion check.

MARISHA: Come on.

SAM: Come on, come on.

MARISHA: Come on!

SAM: Cast Friends on them, cast Friends on them, come on!

TRAVIS: I don't think it works that way.

SAM: Just do it.

TRAVIS: It's a natural one. (groaning)

LAURA: Oh no.

MARISHA: Bullshit.

SAM: Fortune's Favor!

MARISHA: Fuck you, dice.

LIAM: Caleb runs over with the pearl.

TALIESIN: High five.

MATT: Kotho goes, "I appreciate your spirit of pursuit, but no matter how long ago it is, the reason I make my reputation is by keeping my clients' information to myself. I hope you can respect that."

TRAVIS: I can. Always the professional. Have a good evening. Fucking--!

MATT: I know.

MARISHA: Bullshit. That sucks, dude.

MATT: Sorry, buddy.

TRAVIS: It's all right.

MARISHA: Is Vilya around?

SAM: Oh yeah, we got to talk to her.

MATT: Vilya is. Vilya's in caretaker mode, and is looking for people in the crowd that are needing, whether it be support or a conversation to ease tension. She's very in tune with the people of the village and at least the moods that are around, and is jumping from one to the next, to keep things going.

MARISHA: I try to make eye contact with her.

MATT: "Of course. If you'll excuse me just a moment, thank you." And she walks over and approaches. "Beauregard?"

MARISHA: Nott gave me-- Veth gave me a bottomless flask full of whisky. You want some?

MATT: "Oh, I'm good, thank you. My family doesn't drink."

MARISHA: What?

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MARISHA: All right. You've been here for 20-- you really-- okay, whatever. That's fine. Fine. What are you going to do, you know, after you handle all this?

MATT: "I mean, I-- probably try and go home. I hope there's still a home to go back to." (exhales)

MARISHA: Well. You're a damn good leader.

MATT: "Hmm."

MARISHA: That's clear. People respect you.

MATT: "Wasn't enough."

MARISHA: What do you mean?

MATT: "It's hard to deal with the pressure that's put upon you on a young age, and to fail to meet those expectations. I don't lead because I want; I lead because nobody else will. But I don't know if it's for me."

MARISHA: Well, it suits you, but also do whatever the fuck you want, I don't care.

MATT: "I appreciate your roundabout support, Beauregard."

MARISHA: You're welcome.

MATT: "What about you all? You all came here for this event. Once that's done, what's next for you?"

MARISHA: Well, we're talking about opening up a timeshare, maybe a resort or--

MATT: "Prospecting?"

MARISHA: Returning to pirates.

MATT: "You were pirates?"

MARISHA: Well, we had a good run. Yeah.

MATT: "I think we have quite a few pirates in this village that are coming to terms with their old... job titles?"

MARISHA: Yeah. Probably not the most respectable of titles. Yeah. Feel like you're judging me now. You know what?

MATT: "I'm not judging you. I'm saying you are, of the pirates that I've met, those that have embraced that past, some have been a bit prickly today."

MARISHA: I mean, I don't know if I'd say we're pirates, but if you're calling us pirates...

MATT: "You called yourself a pirate."

MARISHA: Well, I mean, we must be pirates, then! Am I right? Oh man, if you said it, then we're pirates.

SAM: How's that flask treating you, Beau?

MARISHA: It's fucking great. I can't believe you've giving this shut up!

MATT: "Thank you, I do appreciate it. It's strange. I'm deeply, deeply scared and so overwhelmingly excited."

MARISHA: Well, I mean, you're pretty great, so whoever's waiting for you, I'm sure they're going to be stoked, you know?

MATT: "I hope so. I hope they're not too disappointed."

MARISHA: It's hard to be disappointed when you were sucked into a mysterious island that was totally overrun by an Astral Sea demigod--

MATT: "You're not wrong."

MARISHA: -- that totally stole your memory. It's hard to be mad at that.

MATT: "I'll lead with that."

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: "I think I should lead with that."

MARISHA: I think that's an easy lead. It's super easy to grasp.

MATT: "You're right."

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: "You're right. Thank you, all of you, for changing the fortunes of many people, for the better, truly, because at least now they get to choose their life. Anyway."

MARISHA: Sure you don't want some of this whiskey? It's super fucking great. I think the flask is a little moldy, but don't worry about that.

SAM: I didn't notice.

MATT: "I can deal with mold, but I'm good."

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: "I think I'm going to go ahead and finish my rounds and then retire for the evening, and I believe in the morning. I'll be able to take our first batch home."

LAURA: Wow. You can just open up a tree and send them through; you don't have to go through yourself?

MATT: "Yes, correct."

LAURA: That's wonderful.

SAM: To anywhere in the world?

MATT: "Well, to anywhere that I've been."

SAM: Oh.

MATT: "So there are limitations. Hopefully at least I'll get them close to somewhere to their destination. Out of curiosity, it was quite a sum of money that was acquired. Is there any chance, for those that we're setting a bit free, we could allocate something in their direction?"

SAM: Are you gently and kindly asking for the money that belonged to these people back?

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: "Well, if memory serves right, not all of this-- a lot of this money didn't necessarily belong to some of these people."

SAM: They just had it.

MATT: "They just had it. But for those that are being let loose into wherever I can bring them, I would like to think they'd at least be comfortable to find their way home."

SAM: Of course.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: The V.O. community should be compensated. (laughter)

LAURA: The only thing I wonder about, Vilya--

SAM: Unsung heroes, really.

LAURA: Everybody seems to be getting along peacefully right now because the introduction of money hasn't come, right?

MATT: "Indeed."

LAURA: I worry, if we were to start handing some out, that some of the less moral people here might see it as an opportunity.

MATT: "That's a very valid point."

TALIESIN: I had a thought about that, actually. We'd started discussing this very issue earlier. I think it might be advantageous to have a little bit of a leaving ceremony. I don't think it's healthy to just move forward too quickly. I was thinking tomorrow of having everyone mark who's leaving, mark a stone with their old name and leaving it here. And then before they go through the tree, we can just hand them a little bag of what they need, right before we send them on their way and no one will ever know, unless they leave. The story won't get around. We can keep a secret, I think.

SAM: Sure.

TALIESIN: Can we? Have we done that before?

SAM: No, but we can always turn over a new leaf.

TALIESIN: Always optimistic.

TRAVIS: First time for everything.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs)

SAM: Yeah, no, that's a fantastic idea. We can hand them a little goodie bag and say like, "This is a bag of soil from the island to remember it by," or something.

TALIESIN: Just a little something to help you remember.

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: "All right, we can do that."

SAM: How much do you think, you know, is a good parting amount, you know?

MATT: "I'm not one for larger commerce and most of my travel has been via cart or tree, or I took a sky ship once."

LAURA: Oh, that's fun.

SAM: What's that?

MATT: "It was a long time ago. They're these massive, beautiful, floating ships in the sky held aloft by some sort of arcane stones. Took me across the seas once to Issylra, on my Aramente a long, long time ago."

LAURA: Issylra. That sounds beautiful.

MATT: "It's quite cold, actually. A bit tense. But a unique journey, nevertheless. I trust your judgment. I think talking to everybody, about roughly 65, 66 people will be leaving and the rest are to stay. So I'll leave that division to you."

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: If I may, before you go, do you have anyone to stay with you tonight for security? Again, you do possess the sole ability to move anyone off this island, whenever they need. I can speak from experience that shit happens in the middle of the night. If you wanted to stay with us, we'd be happy to watch your back.

MATT: "I generally can handle myself in the wilds, but I'm not against some company. If you've room, we've made it comfortable the past few nights, at least."

TRAVIS: Any objection?

LAURA: No, that's fine.

SAM: No.

ASHLEY: I think that's smart.

MATT: "All right. I'll finish my rounds and I'll meet you for the evening's rest." Then she heads back into the crowd.

LIAM: Wasn't a part of that. Off on the side, Caleb quietly sidles over to Yasha, who seems to be apart from most people. You're over here being awfully quiet.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I-- I feel for these people. I understand how it feels to have your mind played with, I understand how it feels to have your mind played with, you know? I... want to offer comfort to them, but I don't really know how.

LIAM: I can relate to that. It was a long day, but a lot was accomplished and hard in the morning, but you had a good day.

ASHLEY: Yeah, it was a good day.

LIAM: Whatever this is, and more than that, there's a little more lightness around your eyes of late. there's a little more lightness around your eyes of late.

ASHLEY: Really?

LIAM: Yeah. Sometimes it's hard to see ourselves, but that's what you have friends for, I'm told.

ASHLEY: I think I'm starting to realize that.

LIAM: Listen, I can't give myself this advice, I don't think I can convince myself, but I can maybe try to convince you. You've been doing good for this group, you've been doing good for you. You have worth and value, and a promise of something. To be honest, all of this, I don't gel with this island very well at all, or the gods. Most of them seem too big to comprehend. Hers, I don't know what to make of that.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LIAM: All of it seems illogical to me, to happen without rhyme or reason, and this island especially is-- woo!

ASHLEY: Yeah, it's-- What a ride.

LIAM: Anyway, I don't really know why I came over, I just-- we're the quiet ones, so feel like it would do us some good to talk more, get out of our own skins a bit.

ASHLEY: I think that would be good for us. Look out for everybody.

LIAM: Yasha, let yourself a little happiness. Even if it's helping other people.

ASHLEY: I'm trying. And I think it's working.

LIAM: Good.

ASHLEY: Hey. I pull him in for a hug. Yeah, it's weird, but (laughs) I just felt like I wanted to give you a hug, I hope that's okay.

LIAM: You are so big.

ASHLEY: Yeah. (metal clinks)

LIAM: That sound was a rib. Thank you. Thanks.

ASHLEY: Thank you, Caleb.

LIAM: I'm going to awkwardly turn around now.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I'm going to awkwardly just stand here still. (laughter)

LAURA: Off to the side, I see that, and then I'm going to, in my sketchbook, draw Yasha giving Caleb a hug, but behind her, I'm going to have drawn her giant feathered wings coming out as well and coming down for the hug.

TRAVIS: Ooh!

ASHLEY: (fake sobbing)

MATT: Okay. Anything else for the evening? As the bonfire begins to burn a little lower.

MARISHA: So many things, but not now.

MATT: Okay. All right. Well, eventually you all return to the shed you had found earlier, lest you want to find, other living quarters, though it seems they're all still being occupied by their occupants.

LIAM: 10 minutes, new dome.

MATT: There you go.

LAURA: We'll move out tomorrow into something better.

MATT: Yeah, probably with the people that leave. But you settle down. Vilya eventually comes and joins. Is there anything else you want to before the night's done?

LIAM: No, but we will move onto something better.

LAURA: Probably could have taken Vilya's room, that would have been smarter.

MATT: She'd does step in and be like, "I mean, you're welcome to stay in my place, but you invited me to yours."

MARISHA: Oh, is it better?

MATT: "It's much better than this."

TRAVIS: We should fuc--

MARISHA: We should-- I mean, Caleb, your--

LIAM: 10 minutes, new new dome.

MARISHA: New dome? Let's do it at your place!

TRAVIS: New new!

ASHLEY: The new new.

MATT: She's like, "I was going to mention, this is-- this is a bit of a shed. Follow me."

TRAVIS: We're all about low-viz.

MATT: She leads you over, and she raises her staff. You can see that large central tree when you first met her, these branches unfurl and lower and create this this small platform. She steps into it and grabs onto the side and goes, "Well, come on!"

LAURA: Oh, this is way better, what?

ASHLEY: What were we thinking?

MATT: You all grasp the edges of it, and it's a small platform, if you could call it that, for everyone to get on, but you all hold on to each other in the edges. And as everyone's on, she raises her staff and they curl up and bring you up to platform. At that platform, you can see there are these curtains that are hanging, and she lifts her staff, flicks it as the platform and the branch meet, this gust of wind goes (blows) and as it does, the curtain (whooshing) and hang up on their own on these unseen little brass knobs on the inside. On the inside of this hollow of the tree, it's a good, like, rounded 20-foot chamber, that has a simple bed made of hides and cushions. You can see there's some carpets laid out, some of them, you know, stained, but they're functional and has a nice floral smell, with a faint hint of various herbs and lavender. And it's simple, but it's very pretty. And far more comfortable.

TRAVIS: It's nice, it's okay.

LAURA: This is really wonderful.

MATT: She immediately begins to take some of the cushions and some of the hides off the bed and starts throwing them on the ground.

MARISHA: Caduceus. She's got a stove you can make some tea.

TALIESIN: Do we really want to drink more tea right now?

MARISHA: I would love some, like, sleepy time tea.

TALIESIN: All right, putting the kettle back on.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LIAM: Give us your best dead people.

TALIESIN: Getting into the-- That's right, I didn't lose it.

MARISHA: Yeah, no, caffeine this time, though.

TALIESIN: No, we're going very mellow. Very mellow.

MARISHA: It's camomile.

TALIESIN: Good for the tummy.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: All right. (laughter)

MATT: So you make the new dome in there. As Vilya prepares and goes, "Very well, rest up. Let me know if you need anything. Tomorrow we begin the new future of Vo, if we even call it that now. And the arrivals of your Traveler."

LAURA: Yeah-huh, yep, yeah.

MATT: "All right." So you all eventually have some tea. Bed down for the night. And let yourself in the coming days, the rapid approaching and necessary-- what's the word I'm looking for right now? The necessary-- my brain isn't working.

TRAVIS: Preparations?

MATT: It's Friday. Preparations, thank you.

LIAM: Jeez.

MATT: I know.

TRAVIS: H.

MATT: The necessary preparations for the event to come. That's were going to end in tonight's episode.

TRAVIS: We've only been leading up to this for?

MARISHA: Months.

LAURA: I mean!

SAM: A half of a year, maybe?

MARISHA: Remember when we thought we were going to hit this in Chicago?

TRAVIS, MATT, ASHLEY, and LAURA: Yeah. (laughter)

TRAVIS: "Let's all wear green!"

MATT: You guys were like, "Man, what if we hit Traveler Con while we're in Chicago?" I'm like (high-pitched laugh).

ASHLEY: That dang cloak took up so much room in the--

LAURA: I know! I love that you just let us do it.

MATT: Sorry.

LAURA: Amazing.

TALIESIN: Wonderfully mean.

MATT: Ah, well, we'll pick up there next session. Thank you guys so much for following us for tonight's insanity and weirdness. Have a wonderful night, we'll see you soon. We love you very much and is it Thursday yet?

LAURA: Oh my gosh.

MATT: Good night.

ASHLEY: Good night.