Transcript:A Desperate Call

Pre-show
MATT: Hello everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role where a bunch of us nordy-ass voice actors, mordy-ass voice-- Fucked me up. Nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons. (comical rambling)

MATT: (laughs) You fucking asshole. (laughter)

MATT: Out of the gate. Good job, Matt. Before we jump into our session tonight, we do have some quick announcements to get through, beginning with our first sponsor, which is Quip.

ASHLEY: Quip!

LIAM: Here we go!

MATT: Oh boy!

LAURA: Oh. Oh wow.

LIAM: What the shit is that? (laughter)

SAM: Hey, ladies and gentlemen! It's me, Ludo McGillicutty, and welcome back to the Quip Public Domain Lounge. I prepared a groovy medley of songs about Quip's amazing gum, which you can get for 30% off by going to GetQuip.com/Critical30!

MATT: And you're going to perform it?

SAM: I can't, Malibu Barbie. You see, my legal counsel from the firm of Ray, Ray, and Huber.

MARISHA: (whispers)

SAM: Yep. Has advised me that a medley of Beatles songs is not public domain. In fact, it would cost us--

MARISHA: (whispers)

SAM: Ob-la-di, ob-la-da! That's a lot of Benjamins! (laughter) So instead, I wrote a different Quip song medley.

MATT: Great. Go ahead. We need to really keep this moving.

SAM: Unfortunately, Manchester United, my new medley was all based on the music of R. Kelly, Chris Brown, and Kid Rock.

ALL: Oh no!

SAM: And my council advises me that their music is, at best, problematic. (laughter)

MATT: Yeah. That's good counsel. So what are you going to do instead then?

SAM: Well, Margot Robbie, that's where you come in. I've decided to make up a song on the spot to sing about Quip's amazing gum.

MATT: You motherfucker.

SAM: It's called improv, and you are going to help.

MATT: Oh no!

SAM: I'll sing the setup line and you sing the response, which will rhyme with my line.

MATT: Sure.

SAM: Are you ready, My Chemical Romance? (laughter)

SAM: All right.

TALIESIN: Solid. Oh, I can't snap. I can't snap in these, can I? (laughter) ♪ Quip gum is minty fresh ♪ ♪ And it's really ♪ fun to chew ♪

MATT: ♪ I really wish you would get away ♪ ♪ And maybe say ado ♪

SAM: Ooh! ♪ It helps prevent cavities ♪ ♪ Freshens breath and ♪ it's sugar free ♪

MATT: ♪ I must have done something bad in a past life ♪ ♪ To have you next to me ♪

SAM: Oh! (cheering)

SAM: There's couple more, a couple more.

MATT: Oh god. We're still going.

SAM: ♪ Free shipping and dispenser ♪ ♪ If you get a refill plan ♪

MATT: ♪ If anybody would do me a favor ♪ ♪ And get rid of this man ♪

SAM: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. And one more for you ♪ I'm a much better singer ♪ than Michael here ♪ ♪ Oh, wouldn't you say ♪

MATT: ♪ Looking over my shoulders, seeing your face ♪ ♪ It always ruins my day ♪

SAM: Eyy! (cheering)

SAM: That was great. But don't quit your day job, Mothra.

MATT: Yeah, I know. Okay.

SAM: All right. (laughter)

SAM: For you fine folks in the lounge, get started today with nine packs of gum, a free plastic dispenser, and free shipping for just $14 at GetQuip.com/Critical30! (scats) Come on, legal counsel. (scats)

MATT: Oh my goodness! (laughter)

TRAVIS: That's the best.

LAURA: Why are you a flower today?

SAM: There's a-- There's B-story in the Quip ads that I'm slowly turning into a sunflower. (laughter)

SAM: It's an unstated B-story. (laughter)

SAM: That's just an extra layer.

ASHLEY: Wait. Have you already planted this?

TRAVIS: So unnecessary! It's so unnecessary! (laughter)

ASHLEY: Is this your secret?

SAM: That was a secret plot line.

TRAVIS: Who didn't give you enough attention?!

TALIESIN: Is this going to be established in season two? Is this leading to anything?

TRAVIS: There's no need for that!

MATT: What the fuck, Sam?!

SAM: That's for the hardcore fans. They probably have been noticing it for a while now!

TALIESIN: Has anybody noticed it? (laughter)

ASHLEY: Has this been established already?

SAM: It's been going for a while.

LAURA: Oh my god! (laughter)

MATT: (laughing) Okay.

SAM: Some bits are some are for them, and some are for me! (laughter)

TRAVIS: Oh my god!

MATT: Props. Props, Sam. The layers.

LAURA: Amazing.

TALIESIN: Oh man!

MATT: Oh man. Okay. (laughter)

MATT: Well, I guess, to follow that up, Travis, you had something you wanted to talk about.

TRAVIS: Yep. Well, it was a big day, and in case you missed our New York Comic Con panel earlier, we have some exciting news.

MARISHA: Eyy!

TRAVIS: Season two of The Legend of Vox Machina is coming January 2023! (cheering)

TRAVIS: The exact premiere date will be revealed soon. But even more exciting news, season three has officially been green lit! (cheering)

TRAVIS: Oh man!

MARISHA: Oh!

TRAVIS: Season three, the adventure continues. Thank you everyone for your support. We are so excited. We can't wait to bring you the rest of this amazing show. End of January, it's going to rock your body. Get hyped! Get hyped! ♪ Get hyped, get hyped, get hyped ♪

MARISHA: ♪ Uh, uh, uh, get it ♪ (laughter)

MATT: Laura.

LAURA: Hi. (laughter)

MATT: Hi.

LAURA: I'm hyped. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Oh shit! I know what--

LAURA: Okay. This is actually--

TRAVIS: This is a good--

LAURA: Okay, so. Okay, yes. Thank you, Samuel. I am announcing this. (laughter)

TALIESIN: You don't know. This is intense!

LAURA: This is intense!

TALIESIN: This was a lot.

LAURA: This is-- I don't know if you can see it, It's Mollymauk Tealeaf.

TRAVIS: Slowly turn it in the light.

LAURA: The Mollymauk Tealeaf and Jester Lavorre Oracle of the Moon deck! (cheering)

LAURA: It's a tarot deck!

SAM: It's a tarot deck!

LAURA: Featuring-- Oh, I had the box upside down. Featuring art by Caemiel Lilium and Frei. (laughter) There's the card-- Oh, wait. There's cards.

SAM: Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

LAURA: Go check it out. It's amazing. Box art by Grace Berríos. Here.

TALIESIN: Oh.

LAURA: So you've got the Mollymauk cards and the Jester cards and also your own blank cards to add to your deck as you see fit.

SAM: Whoa!

ASHLEY: Ooh!

LAURA: You guys!

TALIESIN: Look what I pulled right there.

LAURA: We've been working on this, really, since we did the tarot cards in the Campaign 2 stuff.

TRAVIS: It takes a while to make stuff you, guys.

TALIESIN: Yeah!

ASHLEY: Good designs.

LAURA: So I'm very excited.

ASHLEY: There's two different designs.

LAURA: I know! I know!

MATT: That's really freaking cool!

LAURA: It's amazing!

ASHLEY: Like a tarot card! I just got that.

LAURA: So anyway. (laughter)

LAURA: That's going on. In addition to that, we've got-- Oh.

MARISHA: (sobs)

ASHLEY: This is my favorite shirt.

SAM: Oh!

MATT: Oh! Whoa!

LAURA: This is our witchy trio shirt.

TRAVIS: That's beautiful!

MATT: That's awesome!

LAURA: I think, yeah, it's my favorite shirt we've ever done.

ASHLEY: I think it's my favorite shirt.

MARISHA: (crying) These bitches be witches.

LAURA: It's our Halloween trio.

TALIESIN: Oh shit!

ASHLEY: (sobs)

SAM: Sad bitches.

LAURA: There's so many little Easter eggs in this! Check it out. The art is by Natalia Klimczak, and it's freaking amazing and I love it! I love it. I love it. I love it.

ASHLEY: My favorite.

SAM: Do you recommend that people just tape over Laudna with a piece of tape? (laughter)

MARISHA: Ow!

LAURA: Just wash her out with your tears. And then in addition to that... (exclaiming)

LAURA: We've got a 8-bit villains sweatshirt crew neck thingy.

TALIESIN: Ooh! (cheering)

LAURA: I'm wearing the small. This is the large.

LIAM: Look. I'm Travis Willingham. I got big muscles.

LAURA: It's got all of our villains from across multiple campaigns.

MATT: It's incredible.

LAURA: And the artist is Grace Berríos.

SAM: Amazing.

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: Check it out! Show your Halloween spirit by repping villains, or your Halloween spirit by repping witches.

SAM: Or tarot.

ASHLEY: There are a lot of little Easter eggs in this.

LAURA: Or read somebody's tarot while you're wearing one of these shirts. I'm done.

TRAVIS: Can you read their tarot? (laughter)

LAURA: What?

TALIESIN: Technically, it's an Oracle deck but I pulled the Jester card, so there you are.

LAURA: Did you really?

TALIESIN: There's a Jester card right there.

MARISHA: Oh, it's a sign!

LAURA: Joy and chaos.

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: Aw.

LAURA: The art on these cards is so, so beautiful.

TALIESIN: Lots of lore on there, too. Super lore heavy because I have a problem.

LAURA: I was covering it.

MARISHA: So beautiful!

LAURA: I was holding it in my heart.

MARISHA: Look how beautiful it is.

LAURA: Check it out. It's so gorgeous. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

TRAVIS: Take my word for it. It's beautiful. (laughter)

LAURA: Check it out. Go to our shop. I'm done. I'm done!

MATT: Okay. Thank you, Laura. (laughter) Well, I believe that concludes our announcements.

TALIESIN: Oh boy!

MATT: So let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role.

MARISHA: Don't botch my resurrection!

Part I
MATT: And welcome back. So last we left off: Bells Hells are recovering from their encounter with Otohan Thull, the deadly Legend of the Peaks who seems intent on this strange psychic connection with Imogen. Tore through your group, killing two of you and mortally wounding Laudna before being pushed away by some sort of unleashed force within Imogen. Upon triggering a series of memories, some locked, some unseen, you all returned and found Laudna now expired. You managed to recover Fearne and Orym, but Laudna remained dead and beyond your abilities. You called the airship to bring you back to Jrusar where you turned in Armand Treshi for quite a bounty. You traded information with Lord Eshteross and prepared for what coming dangers might come to anyone involved in this circumstance. You also reached out to your champion, Keyleth, the voice of the Tempest, back from Zephrah, who has, amongst her own challenging chaos, found a moment to come and aid you, traveling through a tree within the city of Jrusar and guiding you all to a destination of your choosing, being the Tal'Doreian city of Whitestone.

TRAVIS: What?

LAURA: Ahhh.

MATT: As the doorway opens in the trunk of this tree, you look past into this neighborhood. As you all step through, emerging from where you once were across Exandria, to instead this city in the center of the Parchwood. As one by one, you all emerge from the trunk, you immediately see the reef of golden leaves, green turning to yellow above you. You can see the massive trunk behind you. This incredible example of a tree, larger than any that you've encountered in just general width and majesty, the hundreds of branches tangle upward where you can hear the dozens of birds that have made their homes up in its boughs above, the leaves occasionally falling and drifting past you. Beyond that, you can see the open courtyard, this center portion of the town, where numerous streets branch off into different neighborhoods, the buildings cluttered around, people going about their business here in the mid-- Well, at this point, it would be kind of close to the evening. Trying to remember the timing of this now. With around the world, now I have to deal with this shit.

LAURA: (laughs)

LIAM: ♪ Around the world ♪

SAM: Time zones. Time zones.

MATT: I know, I know, I know. (laughter)

LIAM: ♪ Around the world ♪ Sorry.

MATT: So actually, no, it would be early morning at this time, I'd say.

SAM: Because we are--

MATT: You guys are further west from here.

SAM: Got it.

MATT: So yeah. So it would be, probably, in the early hours past sunrise. The sky is still blue with the occasional wisp of cloud, but it definitely has that early morning navy to light blue transition, just barely tapering off as the light begins to crest over the distant Alabaster Sierras. Beyond the rooftops of the center of this town, you can see the various tall pine trees that make up the Parchwood peeking past, and beyond them, the Alabaster Sierras themselves, this massive, rocky mountain barrier that contains the northeastern and western sides of this valley. And there beyond that, on a hill or beyond the city cresting just beyond where the edge of the city lies, you can see the towering shadow of the Castle Whitestone looming above. You hear the tree close behind you as you're taking in all the sights and sounds. Some of the early folk that have risen and are starting the day of work look confused over in that direction, a little bit of a gawking, rubberneck mentality at these sudden emerging strangers in the middle of the city. But a lot of them also seem to be focused on the person who brought you here, as the last person to step through is the Voice of the Tempest herself, Keyleth. This still intense look on her face, acknowledging the purpose and reason for this journey. After she finishes stepping through, the tree closes. "(sighs) My apologies. Welcome to Whitestone. I don't know how many of you have been here before."

TRAVIS: A weird sensation.

LAURA: None of us. Have you been, Orym?

LAURA: That's a question for you, DM. I know that Derrig accompanied Keyleth from time to time.

MATT: Correct. You were not necessarily a right hand person.

LIAM: Not at all.

MATT: So I would say this might be your first time to Whitestone. Though you may have heard of it and maybe seen individuals pass in and out of Zephrah.

LIAM: Definitely heard of it, and overheard conversations.

MATT: This may be your first time to Whitestone.

LIAM: Yeah. I think that's right.

TRAVIS: I did spring break in Whitestone about two, was it three? It'll come to me. It's changed.

TALIESIN: This is the furthest I've been anywhere. Wow! Yep, this is the farthest.

LAURA: Is this the, the tree?

LIAM: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Shit.

MATT: At about this point--

SAM: Laudna's tree?

LAURA: I think so. She said it was a giant one in the middle of town.

LIAM: This is the one.

MATT: It's about this point that you see a cluster of armored guards approaching with a darkened metal, not quite black iron, but like a dark polished sheen to it approaching with dark gray cloaks with a bit of a pale yellow coloring from beneath, spears or swords at the side. They jaunt up quickly, first, at the arrival of these strangers. But upon recognizing your escort, one of them steps forward. "Voice of the Tempest, our apologies. Do you require an escort to the castle? We know not your business here." She raises her hand. "Not a worry. I thank you for the offer. We'll meet with the riflemen on our own accord. But thank you anyway." She grabs the staff and begins stepping in an northward direction towards the castle. Before a couple of steps pass, she turns goes, "You can follow."

TALIESIN: Oh!

TRAVIS: There's just so much wood! Would it be offensive to take a little sample?

MATT: "I would ask maybe the chamber first for permission. It's kind of an important relic for the place."

TRAVIS: Okay. Fair. There's so much to go around.

MATT: "Understood. Well, anyway. This way."

LIAM: Orym, out of old habit, falls in where Derrig would to the right and behind Keyleth where Lita then did and just starts trailing the Tempest.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: I walk next to Ashton, who's carrying.

TALIESIN: Very tightly holding the package on my back.

MATT: Okay. As you progress, falling in line behind both Orym and the Voice of the Tempest, Fearne, Fresh Cut Grass, and Orym, definitely, you notice that as she walks, the cloak that she wears, this mantle of beautiful shifting colors of leaves, it trails just gently across the ground behind her. It doesn't push through and leave a mark across the dirt and dust, but you see where she walks. There's almost a five- to 10-second period where grass seems to grow.

SAM: Oh, cool.

MATT: And leave just the faint image of where she walks behind, this little touch of nature just blooming in her wake.

LIAM: I am on the verge of tears right now. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Cool.

MATT: You continue to walk through. And as you do, shutters and windows begin to open, individuals bringing about the life of the day's work. And with that also, a few whispers and a few people glancing, and looking out, and paying attention to this unexpected procession. As they continue to walk in silence, awkward tension. Keyleth eventually looks over her shoulder. "So, what do you all do? You say you're adventurers."

TRAVIS: Yeah. I mean, we all come from different walks of life. I myself, I'm a master craftsman, Chetney Pock O'Pea, CPOP industries. Fearne, here, is a bit of a jack of all trades.

ASHLEY: Oh yeah, for sure. Yeah, I do lots of so many things.

MATT: "I can sense the odd Fey nature around you with but a glance."

ASHLEY: Well, thank you. Thank you. You're very wonderful. I just, I really like this piece.

MATT: "Thanks. Anyway."

SAM: She's really good with animals and stuff, too.

MATT: "Oh! Me too, actually."

ASHLEY: Oh, really?

MATT: "Wow." Keeps walking a bit. "You, I--"

SAM: Hi.

MATT: "I don't think I've ever met an automaton with so much personality."

SAM: Oh, I get that a lot. It's because I was created as an ancient killer 1,000 years ago--

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: -- an assassin--

MATT: "Okay."

SAM: -- by a long gone land or civilization. But I forgot all that and now I'm just trying to be helpful.

MATT: "Well, I'm happy to hear that you've chosen a different path. Redemption is often a wonderful aspiration."

SAM: I agree. Are you a holy person at all, or--?

MATT: "Not in the classic sense, I guess. There are many holy people that do similar work, but I don't... I'm not... I have a tangled relationship with the gods, you could say."

SAM: Oh. Are they trustworthy, or--?

MATT: "Some may be, but I tend to be more of a believer in, well, the world we call home."

ASHLEY: How can you tell which ones to trust?

MATT: "Sometimes you have to meet them."

LAURA: You've met the gods?

MATT: "A few," and keeps walking.

TRAVIS: Whoa!

TALIESIN: Okay, I'm feeling in over my depth. I feel like we're really in over our depth. This is a lot. I knew it was going to be a lot. This is a lot.

TRAVIS: (biting whispers) Orym, she knows the gods.

LIAM: (whispers) Some of them.

TALIESIN: Holy fuck, man.

MATT: Continuing to walk past this central cluster of neighborhoods, you see a few larger houses, some like small clusters. To the right, as you begin to approach one of the outer walls of the city, you can see a second courtyard to the right, like a marketplace with its own internal courtyard wall. And towering above it three stories almost to the sky, you see this intricate clock tower. You see all of these incredible carvings that, at a distance, look like almost gargoyles or soldiers, but some of them shift slightly. You can hear the intricate gears, even though as muffled interior they can, as you walk past, you can hear the (ticking), just the whirring of clockwork.

LAURA: Wow.

TRAVIS: That's not bad.

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

MATT: Keyleth stops for a minute and looks at it and then keeps walking.

LIAM: We met in the city of Jrusar, mostly through circumstance. It was a happy accident. I know we're a weird bunch, but--

LAURA: Oh, that's right! You might have known the man who brought us together, Bertrand Bell.

TALIESIN: That fuck.

MATT: "Indeed, I do, yes. If all this business goes well, I believe he's interred in this city if you'd like to visit his resting place."

SAM: Oh! In this city?

TALIESIN: That's right!

LAURA: Yeah, we sent him to the Lord and Lady of Whitestone.

SAM: That's right.

LIAM: I've learned a decent amount of what you sent me to learn, but I wouldn't have done it without any of them.

MATT: "Well, tell me, tell me what you know, and thank you for your help in this. I don't know how far you've fallen into our tangled midst of this past danger, but if what you say is true and this is indeed this Otohan figure responsible, I'll have to look into it and ask around myself."

LAURA: She is.

LIAM: It's the same people, yeah.

MATT: "And you're certain we can bring this one back? You know what happened when we tried last time."

LIAM: I'm not certain, but we're desperate, Tempest.

MATT: She stops right as you're getting to the base of the walkway that leads out of the exterior wall and up towards the castle. And she turns to you. "Your name again? I'm sorry."

TALIESIN: Ashton, hi.

MATT: "Ashton, Keyleth."

TALIESIN: Yeah, hi.

MATT: "Can I, how do I say this respectfully? Can I look at the body, inspect the corpse?"

TALIESIN: Yeah, okay. Okay, yeah, sure, Highness.

MATT: "Just Keyleth."

LAURA: What happened? What happened the last time?

SAM: The last time?

MATT: As you take the body and she's like now just rattling off as she's beginning to help pull away the wrapping. Like, "When we were attacked in Zephrah, the assassins utilized a particular, a particular kind of toxin, a venom that is extremely rare. It is designed intentionally to lock away divine magics, to prevent resuscitation. It's extremely expensive and I hate to think what their plans were."

LIAM: I know it's a long shot, but our friend wasn't killed exactly the same way. It was this Thull woman. And I don't, I hate the idea of repeating the past, Tempest.

MATT: You watch as she reaches back into her cloak and is pulling out a pouch. And from that is removing this like odd dried moss and then mashes it together, pulls out, like a series, almost like a dust with a few seeds in it. You watch as she sprinkles it over this moss. As it does, it begins to glow and swirl. She brings her hand up and you watch as it trails her, like a small wind just pulls it out of her palm. And then she directs it downward, it drifts onto the wounds that are still visible on Laudna's body. And as it rests there for a second, they glow and then (whooshes) just dissipate and dematerialize. Keyleth nods and stands up. "Well, the good news is there's no trace of that toxin, so whoever did this wasn't looking to... at least wasn't prepared to close the loop. So, that's good."

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: She starts helping wrap back up.

LAURA: Laudna is a special case. I mean, obviously I know how much you know because I'm the one that told you, but... she's already been brought back once before.

MATT: "All right."

LAURA: She came back as something a little different than she was the first time, if that makes sense.

MATT: She nods. "I'm quite familiar with those who find different paths through fate when they return."

LAURA: All right. I don't know if that makes things more difficult or less difficult.

MATT: "I don't either. Complicated, everything always gets more complicated." She breathes heavy for a second lost in thought, and continues walking towards the castle.

LIAM: Orym was crouching by Laudna, pausing over her. When he steps up and walks after the Tempest, there's a small little circle of flowers around her neck.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: And follows the Tempest.

MATT: As you walk, you can see the guards, the Pale Guard of the city, all standing at different ready positions, watching over the castle, watching over the city. As the Voice of the Tempest approaches, they nod in respect, click their legs together, and bow, and step aside. You are being given a royal procession up to this castle. And the castle--

SAM: Stopping and staring and stuff?

MATT: You've now left the city.

SAM: Oh, okay.

MATT: So you're now on the walkway that leads up under the hill of the castle. So there's not too many looky-loos beyond just the local guards, per se. But as you head up, you can glance over and now have a beautiful view of the city behind you. And it is expansive. There is more construction beyond that. You can see that the city is still in the process of expanding, but beyond its boundaries, you can now see the incredible expanse of the Parchwood. As you approach the exterior of the castle walls, you can see the rising towers, the beautiful flashes of the interior garden of the main courtyard, and the guards begin to open the gates to lead you all into the interior courtyard of the castle itself. Stepping inward, you see a new type of guard begin to approach. Not quite as heavily armored breast plates. The helmets begin to give way instead to darker stained leathers with cloaks over his shoulder. You can see large rifles different than the carbines that you saw in Bassuras or other guardians seen. Like, these look very sleek and well-made and they're shouldered over one side. A lot of them talk amongst themselves a bit and acknowledge your approach. Keyleth raises a hand and steps towards the front of the stairs and speaks. "I, Voice of the Tempest, am here representing some friends who are requesting an audience with any members of the chamber that are present." One of the guard steps forward, this man, he has shaggy blond hair, looks about in his forties or so. He's got this leather hat on that looks like one side brim is pinned up on one side. He's got a bit of a goatee. It's a little scraggly. Steps forward. "Lady Keyleth, these are the wanderers that I've heard through the chain have stepped through the Sun Tree under your protection, and as the Air Ashari, I assume." Keyleth nods. Says, "Of course, Captain." "Well, Lady Cassandra is still meeting in Lyrengorn. I do believe the Lord is in."

TRAVIS: The Lord is in, motherfuckers. (laughter)

MATT: "But regardless--"

TALIESIN: Shit.

MATT: "Regardless, Lady Keyleth, welcome. It is good to see you." She looks over. "It is good to see you, too, Captain Leore."

SAM: Captain who?

LAURA: Captain Leore.

TRAVIS: Aeor or Baylor?

MATT: No, Leore.

TRAVIS and LAURA: Leore.

TRAVIS: How do you spell it?

MATT: L-E-O-R-E.

ASHLEY: L-E-O...

MATT: "The Lord is in his office, I believe. Come."

LAURA: The Lord is in his office.

TALIESIN: I'm feeling very paranoid. This whole place is really, really hitting my paranoia. I feel very exposed. This is a lot we don't know. I hope you know what you're doing.

SAM: Ashton, should just be yourself around this fella. I'm sure he's going to like you a lot.

TALIESIN: I promise I will not be myself around this person. We want to get shit done.

MATT: (heavy footfalls) You step into the immediate, wide, beautiful antechamber of the castle. You can see there are spiral staircases of stone on each side to the right and left as well as various hallways, and one central chamber that leads forward into a heavy staircase where two doors are closed into a grand chamber beyond. Stepping inside, the captain with the hat continues to lead you to the right hand side down a long hallway and up a secondary staircase. About this time, as you're nervously looking around, you can see all manner of beautiful decorations. There are stone, wall-mounted ivy plants that drift down the side of the wall. You can see there are thin banners that carry a crest that bears both a massive tree on it that winds up with a star in the center with a number of stars around it beyond there. You recognize it as the crest of the chamber of Whitestone. Orym, you notice you're being followed. Glancing about, you see a shadow out of the corner of your eye down behind you in the hall that just vanishes.

LIAM: Size?

MATT: About your size.

LAURA: (gasps)

LIAM: Okay. I clock it.

MATT: Okay. You continue up the stairs to a secondary floor and then turn right to a large set of double, dark brown, red-colored wooden doors with iron clasps across and large iron rings to pull it open. The captain knocks. "Lord de Rolo?" "Yes, Captain Kynan?"

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Kynan? Kynan, wait--

LAURA: Kynan, it's Kynan!

LIAM: The captain, the captain is Kynan.

LAURA: Kynan Leore?

MATT: "I have guests who wish to speak with you at the behest of Lady Keyleth, who is also here." At this point, he looks back and Keyleth is actually fallen back in the hallway. And she's like staring off for a second. Fearne, Fresh Cut Grass, and Orym, you can hear Keyleth looking off into the distance and saying, "Of course. Yes, no, I understand. I'll be there as soon as possible." She looks back to the rest of you. "My apologies, I have other business I have to attend to shortly, but I'll walk you into the Lord's chamber and... they should be able to take care of you from here."

LAURA: It won't be you, helping with?

SAM: Her?

MATT: "I do not have the materials at my disposal to help with such an endeavor. Unfortunately, that fits more into the realm of divine. The level of magics that could possibly do so require rare materials that are, at the moment, beyond my grasp."

LAURA: Oh.

LIAM: We're grateful for getting us here.

MATT: "Of course, of course."

LIAM: That was immeasurable. Thank you, Tempest.

MATT: "Of course."

SAM: We have money. We can buy materials, if that's what you need.

MATT: "Do you have 25,000 gold on you?"

LAURA: Oh, no.

SAM: Close to it. We can get it, maybe.

MATT: "See what other options there are at your disposal, possibly within other people's bailiwicks. And if all that fails, just reach out to me again and I'll see what I can do. Unfortunately, there's a lot going on right now." Glances around at the rest of you. "We are a month out from an Apogee Solstice, which means many different forces are working towards goals altruistic and nefarious."

LAURA: We haven't even told you everything we found out.

MATT: You hear on the other side of the doorway, "Very well, let them in." The captain gives a nudge. (Kynan) "Just a moment."

LAURA: Everything about Otohan, everything about the solstice.

LIAM: It's a lot.

LAURA: Everything about the moon!

TRAVIS: Give her the abbreviated version. Maybe it'll ring a bell.

LAURA: There's a city on the moon. There's a cage over the moon. There's forces in Marquet that are trying to, I don't know, break it free. Does that sound--

TRAVIS: Arcane cage.

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: Right, there are writings that have been found in Vasselheim about the nature of the moon, if it is a moon. It's a lot.

LAURA: That's right, we need to--

ASHLEY: And about people who were born under that moon. Maybe you were, I don't know, I don't really know you yet, but there's a possibility, because people who are Ruidusborn, sometimes these people have been going after them.

TRAVIS: There's a fey creature called the Nightmare King that's working to do something to it.

LAURA: And he's working with Otohan.

LIAM: They seem to be targeting anyone who's looking into the moon and the leylines.

TRAVIS: And the Unseelie Court's all up in this shit.

ASHLEY: Sometimes my parents are doing... That doesn't matter.

MATT: "Oh boy."

TRAVIS: Yeah, do with that what you will.

LAURA: I know we sound like conspiracy theorists, but I swear, all of it's true.

LIAM: It's true.

MATT: "I suppose I'll put that on the pile. Okay. Let me think on this. I have a few irons in the fire right now. Vasselheim's preparing a great festival of communion. We're doing divine wards around the city and preparing miracles long orchestrated by high temples in preparation for this solstice. There are disciples of the Betrayer Gods that are working to undermine the rule of law and peace. There are arcanists and archmages across the world-- they're working in secret to gather rare components and design rituals normally beyond terrestrial abilities, some for the good of Exandria, some for the good of themselves, others for terrible intent. To be honest, I'm already quite exhausted. Sorry, I'm just--"

LAURA: Sorry to add to your plate.

MATT: "I'm undergoing a lot, I'm sorry."

LAURA: Thank you for stepping away for us.

MATT: "Of course. Could you write this all down for me?"

LAURA: Of course.

LIAM: We'll take some time this evening.

MATT: "I would appreciate that. I would like to talk to a few people about this and see if there's any connections. This was all very good. Very good to know. Anyway, the current focus for the other Ashari leaders is a rogue faction in Issylra, and the less you know, the safer you are, so I have to leave here in a moment."

TRAVIS: Tempest, you got this.

MATT: (laughs) "I better."

SAM: One more question before you go, just real quick. The Changebringer, is he trustworthy?

MATT: "She--"

SAM: Oh.

MATT: "-- is one of the good ones. At least, one of the freer ones. And sometimes one of the fun ones."

SAM: Fun?

MATT: "I've never met her."

SAM: Oh.

MATT: "But I've known a few people that fall into her footsteps. If you like where the wind can carry you, you may like the path that she leads. If faith is your thing."

SAM: Not yet.

MATT: "There is the Horizon Temple in the city, which falls under her domain, if you'd like to talk to some of the clergy there, ask questions. My specialty, or my understanding, of the details of many faiths is rudimentary compared to those who live and breathe it."

SAM: Thank you so much, and good luck with your rogue faction.

MATT: "Thank you, and good luck with your not murdering people."

SAM: It's been, I think, six days since I've tried to murder anyone.

MATT: "That soon? I thought that was further back. This is a recent change, okay."

SAM: Well, I mean--

TALIESIN: One day at a time.

SAM: -- one day at a time.

MATT: "You are right, I should not judge."

LIAM: We'll add that to the notes.

MATT: "Of course. Anyway. Captain." (Kynan) "Keyleth."

LIAM: Oh, Tempest, one last favor.

MATT: She's pushing the door open into the room to give you an entrance.

LIAM: If you see my family, or the next time you see Lita, would you just tell them I miss them?

MATT: "Of course."

LIAM: Thank you.

MATT: "Of course." (thuds, creaks) The door opens. You look into a large meeting chamber, a dual set of stained glass windows on the opposite side of the room that together form the Sun Tree--

LAURA: Voltron.

MATT: -- in autumn colors. (laughter)

SAM: Whoa!

TRAVIS: I'll form the head!

SAM: What the fuck?

LIAM: This is de Rolo we're talking about.

MATT: That's true, it's true. He's been busy for 30 years.

TRAVIS: Go, Voltron!

SAM: He's been making mecha.

TALIESIN: This town needs a giant robot.

LAURA: Oh my god, yes!

MATT: Next campaign's going to get real weird, y'all!

TALIESIN: Now he is, thank you very much.

LIAM: (like Percy) And I'll form the head.

MATT: All righty.

TRAVIS: I love it.

MATT: The stained glass windows on both sides form the outer shape of what would be a singular Sun Tree, and the autumn colors give the chamber, what sunlight's coming through, this sepia, yellow tint to everything, even emits the sparkles of color on it. But the center of the stained glass is broken by a single column or a pillar of stone that sits, load bearing, across the opposite wall. In the center of that wall, elevated, to break up the somewhat beautiful, cheerful color, you see hanging a single dark, leather mask with two round lenses over the eyes and a long, curved, birdlike beak that sits and looms about seven or so feet above on the wall, looking over the interior of the office.

TRAVIS: Oh.

MATT: In front of this, and separating you from that side of the chamber, you see a wide, dark burgundy, polished wooden desk. Across the surface of it, you see all manner of stacked papers, leather bound journals or keepers of information and ledgers. You can see small knickknacks and tools and devices, some that are clicking and turning, some that appear to be in disrepair, and you can already see a small, open box with unraveled, tiny tinker's tools that are set on the side, a bit askew. Standing beyond the desk, facing away from you, looking up at the mask, you see the back of a somewhat, we'll say, bedhead, unkempt white hair, a dark blue and gray robe, a day coat that hangs past the back of the knees. The figure turns around, and you can see the bespectacled face, the somewhat unshaven, rough-looking beard of a person who's been busy and not really keeping to their more refined and well-kept exterior. The door closes behind you as you step in, and Keyleth looks up. "Lord Percival, I have to take my leave, unfortunately, but I just wanted to ensure that you were aware that these individuals, whatever they need, whatever they ask of you, it comes from the will of Zephrah, as well." Percival just looks. "That'll be taken under consideration." (Keyleth) "Of course." She turns and exits the room.

LAURA: Thank you.

MATT: You hear her footsteps vanish in the distance.

LIAM: Orym watches her go, and when he turns around, he looks even taller. He looks 3'4" now.

LAURA: She's wonderful.

LIAM: Pretty great.

MATT: "Well, welcome. I am Lord Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III, Architect of Enlightened Progress of the Chamber of Whitestone. Who are you and what do you need?"

LIAM: Lord de Rolo, we are the Bells Hells. I wouldn't expect you to remember me from your visits to Zephrah, but it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance again. My name is Orym of the Air Ashari, and these are my friends, and we're bringing a citizen of Whitestone home for aid.

MATT: He's stepping up to the chair, and you can see him holding a cane in his left hand as he steps over to the chair. As the doors close from where Keyleth was leaving, suddenly Percival, as you say that, looks past you and goes, "Darling, I told you not to do that." Behind you, you can glance and see slipping into the door, a young girl in a pale blue dress, deep red skin and these horns that curl up from the middle of the head through dark hair, holding a small doll in one arm. (Gwendolyn) "Sorry, Father. I was just curious who these strangers were with Keyleth." Smiles for a second. (Percy) "Well, at the very least, I would wish that you have a seat in the corner and read a book or something. Maybe you'll learn something. Pay attention." You see him smile, this hard, honestly intimidating exterior melting away for a moment with a bit of warmth. At this point, he looks over to the rest of you, hardens once more. "You were saying, returning something."

LIAM: Orym's breath catches a bit seeing the child enter the room, but muddles forward.

MATT: She sits down in the corner and pulls a book from the bookcase, immediately pulls a stool over, sits down, and just starts reading it.

LIAM: Fuck. Our business is somber, Lord de Rolo.

MATT: "Is it all right if Gwendolyn listens?"

LAURA: It depends on how comfortable she is with...

LIAM: With death.

MATT: "She's a growing girl. If it gets too intense, I'll ask her to leave, but she seems a bit distracted by the book, anyway. I think we'll be all right."

LIAM: Well, it is a delicate situation, Lord de Rolo. I'm fairly certain that you know our fallen friend we've brought to you today. She hails from this village. You've encountered her before.

LAURA: He was there as well?

LIAM: Yes.

TALIESIN: Should we just... I'm just going to put her down.

LAURA: The tree in the center of town.

TALIESIN: I'm going to just start pulling the-- Might as well just get to it. Yeah.

LAURA: She was brought to a dinner by--

TALIESIN: She's unwrapped.

LAURA: -- by a woman named Delilah.

MATT: You see the left eye twitch a bit at the mention of the name. He reaches up and pulls the glasses off his head for a second and sets them on the desk. "Yes."

LAURA: Hung from that tree in the center of town.

MATT: As you pull back and reveal the still cold body of Laudna, he just looks forward and inspects her in silence.

LIAM: The strange thing, Lord de Rolo, knowing a good bit of the history within these walls, is that we've been traveling with her for the past few weeks.

LAURA: Years, for me.

LIAM: She's a lovely woman, and I can't explain it, but here we are.

MATT: "It's interesting how these things come together, yes? I'm truly sorry for your friend. I've lost much in my life, both family and ally, to the cruelty of others, and I appreciate you bringing her home to rest."

LAURA: No. No, not to rest. Her life was ended by a very evil woman, Otohan Thull.

LIAM: An enemy of Zephrah and all good folk.

LAURA: We were told that you had the ability. You had some connection, something that could bring her back.

MATT: He picks his glasses up and puts them on, presses them to the center of his forehead.

SAM: Do you have divine magic?

MATT: "I have little interest in the power of the divine, but it does occasionally serve its purpose. No, I do not have such an ability. What you ask is certainly no easy task. Death is a certainty of all mortal life, and such powerful magics are rare, costly, and sometimes push against the order of fate itself. Now why should we undertake such a trial for your friend when so many others fall and are surrendered to dust? Respectfully."

LIAM: I think, Lord de Rolo, because Laudna is a plume of goodness that has grown out of a history of darkness that deserves to be nourished and grow. I've learned a lot at home, and I know your story, and I've got to believe that you can see the good in transforming the past.

MATT: Make a persuasion check with advantage.

LIAM: 11.

MATT: 11. "(sighs) If every person came to me in this town who lost someone important to them and demanded they be brought back to life, not only would that destroy the order that we all fight so hard to maintain, but it would become an impossibility."

LAURA: She's not any person. She's special. She was chosen.

MATT: You say the word chosen, and he looks down at her and swallows hard. "Indeed, she was. This is a matter that I do not think I should have the power to make a decision on, as I am not the one able to grant this boon. You'll have to speak with the one who can. Walk with me downstairs. Captain!" The door opens. (Kynan) "Yes, Lord Percival?" (Percy) "I know it's early, wake her up if she is, but if you could, please summon Pike Trickfoot to the castle."

TALIESIN: Going there, too, are we?

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: "I need her to weigh on a matter of life and death."

LAURA: Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

MATT: "And if she's not home, she might be at the bakery. But yes, please let her know it's at the behest and request of the Lord of the Tempest. Sorry, the Voice of the Tempest. It's early."

LIAM: Orym turns to the rest. That's good, that's good.

TRAVIS: If you say so.

MATT: Walks around the edge of the desk with the cane. "Gwendolyn, would you mind going off and playing on your own? We have matters to attend." She looks up with the book, closes it. (Gwendolyn) "Yes, father." Tucks it under her arm and begins to walk away. (Percy) "Leave the book. Fine, just bring it back when you're done, please. Anyway, walk with me."

TRAVIS: That's an impressive clock tower you have out front.

MATT: "Yes, it is."

TRAVIS: Who's the skilled son of a bitch behind that one? No!

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: I assumed, because you seem to have the title Architect of Enlightened Progress, but that's quite a feat of craftsmanship, something I have a keen eye for.

MATT: "Why, thank you. A keen eye for craftsmanship, you say?"

TRAVIS: Indeed. In fact, if it would not be out of line, I'd love to make a singular piece for your daughter there.

MATT: "Oh, for Gwendolyn?"

TRAVIS: Yes.

LIAM: Mr. Pock O'Pea is highly skilled in woodwork, Lord de Rolo.

ASHLEY: Master craftsman.

MATT: "Woodwork, you say? Where did you study?"

TRAVIS: Oh, you know, here and there.

SAM: What does that mean? Tell him.

TALIESIN: That could be anything.

TRAVIS: Well I mean, it really was fucking here and there, but I spent a lot of time in Wildemount.

ASHLEY: Life experience, for sure.

TRAVIS: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: It's the best teacher.

MATT: "When you're ready, present some examples of your work, and we could see if there could be an arrangement made to commission you for some pieces."

TRAVIS: Well, Lord Percival.

SAM: He made this.

TRAVIS: Okay. Now, here's the thing. Some things--

SAM: It helps me--

TRAVIS: No, no!

SAM: It helps me convey my emotions. It's got practicality.

TRAVIS: There's educational applications, and then there's artistry.

MATT: "I understand."

SAM: This is a scared face.

MATT: "With all due respect--"

SAM: This is surprised!

MATT: "-- that book my daughter was reading was a medical journal. I think she may be a bit beyond faces."

TRAVIS: No, yes, of course.

SAM: The smile means happy!

TRAVIS: This was a rush order, and also, I had the basest materials to work with. I can tell just from your abode, I could really-- Thank you.

LIAM: This is also one of his pieces, Lord de Rolo.

ASHLEY: Oh yeah.

MATT: Takes his cane, lifts it up.

LIAM: Oh, sorry.

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

MATT: Takes it.

MATT: "Good eye for detail. Have you ever incorporated mechanisms?"

TRAVIS: (stammering) Mechanisms. Why? What mechanisms would you be speaking of?

MATT: "All sorts of kinds, whether they be gear based, locking mechanisms, plate tricks."

TRAVIS: (coughs uncomfortably)

MATT: "Are you all right?"

ASHLEY: He dabbles in metalworking.

TALIESIN: He's very old. He could go at any second.

ASHLEY: This is a piece of jewelry that he made just out of nowhere.

MATT: "Oh, wow, that is tangled."

ASHLEY: Well, that's my fault.

TRAVIS: (coughs uncomfortably)

TALIESIN: Today could be the day.

TRAVIS: Roll a constitution saving throw. (laughter)

LIAM: Is Catha full in the sky right now? (laughter)

TRAVIS: No, mechanisms, of course, always have the opportunity to be incorporated into work. I like to try and keep things as original to their original medium as possible.

MATT: "Well, then, surprising what can be done in your chosen medium, I suppose."

TRAVIS: Yeah, the thing about Laudna that's so interesting to me, and I'm an old one, I've seen some things, is that she has a very particular skillset in her form, and I can tell from someone that knows detail and how to incorporate them on a large scale, you know the importance of delegating work sets and certain constructs to a larger piece. That way, you don't become too overwhelmed. The thing about us, we're focused on one particular thing. You and plant lady before, you guys seem like you have a lot on your plates. Sure would be nice if we could take a little bit off.

MATT: "Hmm." Looks over to Gwendolyn, who's in the hallway. Gwendolyn goes, "Daddy, they were talking about the moon and they were talking about all sorts of strange things and people." He goes, (Percy) "Hmm. Crackpots. No. It helps to be a little crazy."

LAURA and TALIESIN: Crackpots?

TRAVIS: Crackpots.

SAM: That's us.

TRAVIS: Sure.

TALIESIN: Excuse me.

TRAVIS: Actually, just as an example of what you could expect. I pull out from behind my cloak, my harness, it's very small, it could fit in the palm of Chetney's hand, is a miniaturized rocking horse, but instead of a horse's head, it has a wolf's head on the front.

LIAM: Rocking wolf.

TRAVIS: Just as a gift for your daughter. Free of charge.

LAURA: You had that on you? You still haven't made me anything? You made a rocking horse?

TRAVIS: Look, yours is very intricate, it's very detailed, all right? There are several components on my body that can be assembled to create-- It's not ready yet!

SAM: You can take this if you want something.

LAURA: No, that's all right.

LIAM: Guys.

TRAVIS: It also has a little blood on it.

LIAM: Stay on task.

TRAVIS: Sorry.

MATT: "No, I do think she would like this, actually. Gwendolyn." (Gwendolyn) "Daddy?" (Percy) "This very nice, older gnomish gentleman made this for you." He hands it to her. (Gwendolyn) "Oh look, it's got a wolf head."

TRAVIS: It does.

MATT: "Can I call him Galdric?" (Percy) "That sounds like a wonderful name."

TRAVIS: Interesting choice.

MATT: She looks at it, sits back. He gives her a nod. "A fine gift, and thank you very much. The craftsmanship, even at a quick glance, does appear to have quite a level of detail and refinement. I shall keep this in mind, should I be looking for wooden materials to be incorporated."

TRAVIS: It's an honor to be considered.

MATT: "Of course." At this point, he's led you down into the main entryway where you first entered. He says, "This individual, an old friend of mine, Pike Trickfoot, should be arriving shortly." Right at this time, the doors open, and you see a number of guards walk in, the guards with the leather outfits and chest plates. You can see the rifles on their backs. They all start pushing in. As they do, you see a pair of half-elven teenagers wearing hunting gear start pushing in. One of them goes, "You did not! I got two more than you, shut up!" And begins running up the steps as you see this young half-elf man with short hair who looks like he's a bit pissy, running up with this equal age woman with a big, curly mat of brown hair and big glasses looking up at him and going, "Of course I got more than you, you're terrible at it every time we go out there." As they both rush up, a third figure steps through, another half-elven woman, looks about in her 30s or so, dressed in a comfortable, light blue blouse, gray pants, knee-high leather boots, with a bow strung over her back. You can see her dark hair is pulled back, and there is a black feather behind her ear. "Oh. Well, at the very least, children, get ready for your tutor. Be here in the next hour. I'm going to tell Simon to make two less desserts for dinner, please. Oh, Percy darling, I did not realize we had company. Could you also have someone go look to the Horizon Temple? It appears someone defaced one of the statues with eggs." She takes her bow off. "I'm terribly sorry. Hello, everyone."

TRAVIS: Hello.

SAM: Smiley day to you.

TALIESIN: Hi.

LIAM: Lady de Rolo.

MATT: Walks up to Percy, gives him a quick kiss, and he gives her a kiss back, and also you can see there's a somewhat nervous energy to him, the sudden chaos hitting all at once in the middle of the castle, kids running past, and guards. She goes, "So, not that I mean to pry, but who are you and what pleasure do we have you here in our castle?"

LAURA: We're Bells Hells. We were brought here by the Tempest. The Voice of the Tempest.

MATT: "Is Keyleth here?"

SAM: She was.

LIAM: Was.

SAM: Just missed her.

MATT: "Shit."

SAM: She said she was off to Issylra or something.

MATT: "That sounds about right. She's all over the place."

LIAM: My name is Orym of the Air Ashari. You knew my father-in-law, Derrig.

MATT: "Indeed, I did know Derrig."

LIAM: We all met in Marquet.

MATT: "He was at our wedding, darling."

MATT: (Percy) "Right, right, yes yes, he was. Sorry, a lot of people were there. A lot was going on."

SAM: It must have been quite a ceremony.

MATT: They both together say, "You have no idea," in unison. (Vex) "Well, regardless, Bells Hells, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lady Vex'ahlia de Rolo, Baroness of the First House of Whitestone and the Great Mistress of the Grey Hunt."

SAM: So many nobles.

MATT: Grand Mistress, I think. I was like no, I said it wrong. "Grand Mistress."

LAURA: Grand Mistress.

SAM: Maybe it's a new title.

LAURA: Yeah, maybe, I don't know.

TRAVIS: It's a pleasure.

LAURA: It's a lot of words, it's understandable. Oh, I wrote you a letter. I wrote you a letter when we sent Bertrand's body.

SAM: Oh yeah.

MATT: "So you were the ones who sent Bertrand. You're friends of Bertrand's."

LAURA: We're the Bells Hells, after all.

LIAM: That's why we're the Bells Hells.

SAM: He's the Bell in Bells Hells.

MATT: "Goodness me."

SAM: Was.

MATT: "Why are you so tense, darling? They're friends." (Percy) "I know they're friends. They've just come with quite a request." (Vex) "Oh. Well, I'm certain we could do our best."

LAURA: Thank you.

MATT: "And thank you for returning Bertrand to us. He was unique."

LAURA: Yes, he was.

MATT: "But stout of heart, and a very well meaning gentleman."

LIAM: We miss him very much.

MATT: "As do we."

LIAM: We're hoping not to lose another. We were just explaining to Lord de Rolo, Lady. We've brought home a daughter of Whitestone, one of yours. A very special one of yours.

TALIESIN: Who we need returned.

LAURA: She's not been brought back to rest.

TALIESIN: No.

MATT: "Well, now I think I understand exactly what the ask is. That is an ask. Have you reached--" (Percy) "Yes, I've reached out to Pike." (Vex) "Good. Hopefully she can sort this out. I'm going to go get changed. I'm a sweaty mess, and I feel awful that this was our first meeting, given... It's been a pleasure. You'd better be getting ready!" She heads up the stairs after the two younger half-elves.

LIAM: Orym tugs on Imogen's sleeve, looks up at her, and says: You can see the resemblance.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Oh shit.

SAM: Between who and what?

LAURA: Laudna. She was the woman that Laudna was... She's very beautiful.

MATT: A few semi-awkward moments pass of waiting here in the chamber, clearing throats, a bit of conversation. Lord Percival just seems stoic and one by one, reading you from tip to toe.

TALIESIN: So, people live like this. I mean, you--

LIAM: It's a very big castle.

TALIESIN: This is normal, yeah.

MATT: (Percy) "It was my family's long before I was around, and shored up by the grace of the people of the city of which we have helped restore this wonderful town."

LAURA: Were you here when the Briarwoods were here?

MATT: "Yes. What do you know of the Briarwoods?"

LAURA: Only what Laudna told us.

MATT: "Hmm. It was a dark time. But, look at it now." He now gestures out to the still-open doors to the front of the castle, and you can see now the sun has risen higher in the sky, and with that, the vibrant greens of the Parchwood around it, the multitude of colors and vibrant rooftops that you can see across the ever-expanding city. It's a beautiful sight here in the early morning. "Even the darkest of times can give rise to beauty. Sometimes things fall only to be built up better."

TALIESIN: (laughs) Eh.

SAM: And Delilah was responsible for all this darkness, right?

MATT: "Her and her husband and a number of compatriots, yes."

LIAM: I think what we were hoping, Lord de Rolo, is that our friend, that Laudna could receive the same rebirth and second chance that Whitestone received.

SAM: She's also been plagued by Delilah, too, so you share that in common.

MATT: Are you still-- She's wrapped up in--

TALIESIN: I'm still holding, oh yeah.

MATT: Looks over to the form that you carry. "Well, her fate is beyond me. You'll have to speak with her." He looks out, and you can see, jogging up the path that leads to the castle, a couple guards trying to keep up. You see a short gnomish woman of white hair that's pulled back into a messy bun that's falling apart as she runs, and bits of it are tangled behind. Wearing this bright yellow sun blouse that drifts into a white apron. She's a little chubby around the face and these meaty arms as she charges up quickly. She yells, "Percy! Percy!"

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: You see the Lord kind of, "Yes, Pike?" (laughter) (Pike) "What do you need?"

ASHLEY: No decorum.

MATT: And just runs in. The guards step out of the way. Looks up. "It's early. You don't normally call me to the castle. I'm a little confused. Hi!"

LAURA and TALIESIN: Hi.

TRAVIS: Greetings.

ASHLEY: Hello.

MATT: "I'm Pike."

SAM: Fresh Cut Grass.

TALIESIN: Ashton.

ASHLEY: Fearne.

LAURA: Hi, I'm Imogen Temult. It's a pleasure to meet you.

ASHLEY: "Oh, and--"

LIAM: Hi, Ms. Trickfoot. My name's Orym.

MATT: "That's really formal."

SAM: What do you do around here?

MATT: "I bake, namely."

SAM: Oh, you're a baker.

MATT: "Yeah, well, I don't do--"

SAM: The castle baker?

MATT: "-- as much as I used to. We have a lot of people running it now."

SAM: Running?

MATT: "We have the shop. It's called the Slayer's Cake. It's a little ways into the city there."

SAM: Oh!

MATT: "I'm more of a manager at this point, but you know, I still like to get--"

LAURA: I look at Lord de Rolo. I thought you said she was a--

SAM: She's a baker?

LAURA: -- a holy woman. She runs a bakery?

MATT: "You can have multiple interests and... (sighs) Pike, yes, I'm sorry to pull you away from your morning goods, but these individuals have come at the behest of Lady Keyleth. They seek the restoration of a fallen friend." She goes, "Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay." (laughter)

TRAVIS: So casual.

TALIESIN: Oh.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: "It's been a little bit."

TALIESIN: Oh no.

MATT: "Well, you all seem to be standing okay. Are they here?"

LAURA: Yes.

SAM: She's the dead one over there.

TALIESIN: Here, now, again? This is what--

LAURA: Right on the steps.

TALIESIN: Where would you like to see her?

SAM: Is it all right, Mr. de Rolo? Can we just pop her down in a chair or something?

MATT: "Here is fine."

LAURA: Oh god.

SAM: It's nice fabric and stuff.

TALIESIN: All right.

SAM: I don't know if she's leaking or--

LAURA: She's not leaking. She's not decom-- You stopped her from decomposing.

SAM: That was eight and a half days ago.

LAURA: Was it eight and a half days? I thought it was five days ago.

ASHLEY: It wasn't that long. Probably closer to six.

TRAVIS: Six or seven.

TALIESIN: It's still holding, another bloody spell.

MATT: As you begin unwrapping, Pike, you can see, pulls from the blouse a chain that dangles, and near the base of it you see a golden symbol that resembles these flaming angelic wings.

ASHLEY: What's that?

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: "Oh, this is just a symbol of my--"

SAM: Steal it, steal it--

TRAVIS: No.

SAM: Steal it.

TRAVIS: No. (laughter)

TRAVIS: No.

ASHLEY: Oh, that was my first thought. (laughter)

TRAVIS: No, no, no.

MATT: "Well, I have a friend who's also a god, and this is what I use to talk to her."

ASHLEY: You do?

SAM: How many people know gods in this town?

TALIESIN: How do you deal with this?

ASHLEY: You all just talk to gods over here.

SAM: Have you talked to gods, too?

MATT: "I mean, anyone can talk to a god. You just have to go and pray at a temple."

LAURA and SAM: Oh.

ASHLEY: Oh, that doesn't sound as exciting.

LAURA: Lady Keyleth made it sound like--

MATT: "But I have actually talked to gods. It's a little crazy, but anyway."

ASHLEY: Oh my god.

MATT: "That's a long time ago. I'm just a baker now."

ASHLEY: Wait, so--

LAURA: A baker that can bring someone back to life.

MATT: "Well, I didn't make any promises." At this point now, she looks down. "Oh no, this poor thing." She kneels down next to her and brushes the hair out of Laudna's face.

LAURA: She looked like that before she died.

TRAVIS: (laughs) Yeah. This is her in--

MATT: "It's a little weird. Little weird, but--

SAM: She was killed once before.

MATT: "Takes all kinds."

LAURA: Were you at the... She died in the tree and then she was brought back.

MATT: Lord Percival goes, "She was on the Sun Tree, Pike." (Pike) "Oh. Oh." You hear a voice from the stairs above. (Vex) "Oh." You see, just having stepped down the spiral staircase to the left where she had previously vanished, Lady Vex'ahlia, frozen looking down. "Percy, was this... Was--"

LAURA: It was you. She was you.

MATT: She quickly steps down the staircase next to Pike and leans down. Looks back up at Percy. "We have to help them. We did this to her."

SAM: You did?

MATT: "Well... We're the reason she was on that tree to begin with. Darling, we..." She stands up. Looks down, "Pike, can you?" Pike goes, "I don't know, how long has she been gone? There's windows of time--"

LAURA: Six days.

SAM: Six, seven days.

MATT: "Six days. Six days, okay."

SAM: I cast a spell on her to sort of keep her body, you know, pure.

MATT: "Okay, okay, okay."

LIAM: And that's after walking around for decades.

MATT: They all exchange an odd look.

SAM: But just so you know what you're working with here-- Well, she was different from some of us.

LAURA: Sure, when she came back to life, she was not quite alive, not quite dead.

MATT: Pike looks up at Vex'ahlia and you hear Lord Percival go, "(sighs) It seems her corruption endures. Well, Pike--"

LAURA: Corruption?

MATT: Pike goes, "I mean, yeah, I can... I'm pretty sure I have... Do you know what I need? Can I get like, a few..." Looks over at Vex, goes, "Diamonds? Yes. I'll be right back." Then she--

LIAM: Shakes out her pockets. (laughter)

MATT: Right.

TALIESIN: Takes off--

TRAVIS: Hold on.

LAURA and TRAVIS: Hold on.

MATT: Walks off, and she goes, (Pike) "In the meantime, let's... Sorry," and she grabs the big carpet in the middle of the main entryway and pulls it aside, and it just bunches in the corner and Percival's like (sighs). (Pike) "Okay, okay, let's make some space here." She begins to... Oh my god. (laughs) (laughter)

LIAM: Yeah, I've sat next to her. That's true.

TALIESIN: Yeah, it's all right.

TRAVIS: I didn't see. What'd it say?

ASHLEY: It's a whole thing.

MATT: She pulls her symbol forward and begins marking these loops with like ash or sage, and the scents of various herbs begin to fill the air around. You watch as she draws this very loose circular sigil around the body of Laudna. Also looking towards you, "Hey, big guy, can you help me unwrap the rest of her?"

TALIESIN: Yeah, yeah.

MATT: "Just get her ready. Lay her down comfortable, arms, legs out to the side."

TALIESIN: Nothing makes sense. Sure.

MATT: "Okay."

LIAM: Yeah, but not now.

MATT: You close the doors behind. (banging) The dim interior of the chamber now, with as much light as has been there for a while, it seems even darker in this moment. Pike now holding the symbol further begins reciting some words, whispering to herself a bit. (whispering) "It's been a while. Right, okay, okay, okay, okay. We're good, don't worry. I totally have this. It's all fine."

LIAM: Orym pulls--

MATT: "Vex?"

LIAM: -- Imogen down again and gets right by her ear and whispers: I should've told you guys before. These guys are kind of legends.

LAURA: Wow.

TALIESIN: This whole thing is very weird.

MATT: You hear the heavy footsteps as Vex rushes in. "Pike, my dear, here." Hands her a cluster of four diamonds of different sizes. They're affixed to other pieces of jewelry. She takes them. (Pike) "I trust your eye." Takes them and holds them in her hand, and just closes her eyes. A moment passes in silence. Another moment. You can hear the ever-so-faint sound of... is it an incantation? Is it a prayer? You're uncertain. But the drawn-out time, the lack of response of anything begins to build up an anxiety and a fear in you. Then Pike goes, "Ah-- (groans) No. It-- (laughs) It's a B, not a C. Sorry." She speaks an incantation. (whooshes) The ground and the sigil around Laudna immediately lights up in this bright vibrant golden hue. The entire chamber now is alight with sparkles and energies. (whooshes) A gentle wind out of nowhere begins to whip around, and you feel your hair tossing around, those whose hair can move.

LIAM: (chuckles)

MATT: You see as Lord de Rolo takes a step back and takes a deep breath. Vex'ahlia comes up to his side and holds his arm. And Pike now closes her eyes once more, clutches her holy symbol, and now muttering under her breath opens her eyes once more, and where you once saw pupils you now see a bright golden light to match the color of the sigils beaming from her face. She begins to speak, she begins to mutter, and you can see she reaches out and places her other hand on the chest of Laudna's cold body. As she does, you see the body begin to shift and lift, drawn from the chest, the arms and legs limp, and being left by gravity to sag as the torso begins to be carried up off the ground where Pike's hand almost lifts her. "I can feel her soul. It's adrift. Not yet beyond our reach. That's good, that's good. What? What is--? There's something else here. There's something... I'm trying to reach for her, but it's holding her back. I can't--"

LAURA: Is it Delilah?

MATT: "Uh, Percy?" She pulls her hand back and all the lights (whooshes) vanishes. Laudna (thuds) hits the ground. You watch as Pike sits back a bit, her hand still out in front. "Percy? There's two souls bound to this body, and I can't separate them. Not like this." Percy steps forward. (Percy) "Two souls?" (Pike) "Yeah. And one of them is Delilah Briarwood." (gasping) And we're going to go to break.

(screaming)

MATT: It's an early--

TRAVIS: I'm going to throw this at you!

MATT: It's an early break! (screaming) (screaming)

TRAVIS: (yells) You can't do that!

ASHLEY: Oh my god.

TRAVIS: It's too much! We just got to see--

ASHLEY: I don't want to go to break!

TRAVIS: You can't do this!

MATT: I know it's an early break, but I couldn't think of a better moment to go to break. (screaming)

MATT: And I really got to pee. I really got to pee. So.

TRAVIS: (shrieks) (laughter)

SAM: There's a third soul! (shouting) (laughter)

MATT: Nevertheless, we're going to take a break here. Back here in a few minutes to pick up from what this is. We'll see you shortly. (groaning)

TRAVIS: It can never be easy.

Part II
MATT: And welcome back. So as you all stand here in the center of Castle Whitestone's main entryway, the ritual now halted by Pike Trickfoot, withdrawing and telling the Lord and Lady of Whitestone that indeed, residing in the same space that Laudna's spirit is currently held is also Delilah Briarwood. As these words leave Pike's lips, Lord Percival clicks his cane onto the ground. "Then it is done. She is to remain gone."

LAURA: No.

SAM: What do you mean?

TALIESIN: That's not how this works.

MATT: "That's exactly how this works. Do you have any idea, any possible notion of what, what creature you would possibly be unleashing?"

SAM: No.

MATT: Then you are one of the lucky few.

ASHLEY: Well, haven't you ever lost someone that you've cared about before?

MATT: "I've lost nearly everyone I've cared about."

ASHLEY: So then, you know how it feels.

MATT: "Yes, and they're all still gone. Most of them, at least."

LAURA: What do you mean, "Their souls are bound"?

MATT: Pike goes, "It feels... It's odd. They're both connected to each other in a way and to the body. When you call a spirit back to the body, you have to reach out to the spirit and be like, 'Hey, come back,' and then it's like, 'Okay,' or 'No, I'm good,' and I can't even talk to your friend because Delilah's there."

LAURA: Can you talk to Delilah?

MATT: "I'm not going to talk to Delilah! Are you kidding me? We're done with her. We-- (sputtering)" And Vex at this point goes, "Percy, look, we have to try something. There has to be a way we can do something, right?"

LAURA: Can you get another body? Put another body next to Laudna and make Delilah go into one.

MATT: (Vex) "Is that something--?" Pike goes, "That's not how this works. It's not something I can do. Like, it's a--"

SAM: Can we sever the two if they're tethered together? Is there a way to go in there and cut them apart?

LAURA: You said you're friends with the gods. There's got to be something you can do.

MATT: "If I finish the ritual, I don't know which one of them is going to come back." At which point, Percival goes, "There is no way we are bringing Delilah back into this world."

LIAM: Respectfully, Lord de Rolo, as far as what I know, wasn't your soul held by another?

MATT: "Yes."

LIAM: What did your friends do?

MATT: Make a persuasion check.

ALL: Ooh.

MATT: With advantage.

LIAM: Terrible.

LAURA: (sighs)

LIAM: Fucking garbage.

LAURA: Stop rolling those dice. It's the moon dice. The moon dice are cursing us right now.

MATT: "Look, I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. I'm certain she was a wonderful woman. We've all lost wonderful people, but whatever joy or smile she would bring back would be far outweighed by the death, the destruction, the torture, and the upheaval that Delilah would bring should she return. I will not stand here and allow this. I will not, in my home, in my city, bring Delilah back, and that is final!"

LAURA: She's been back. She's been back this whole time.

MATT: He starts walking away.

LAURA: What if we could end her for good?

MATT: "Then do so, without my aid," and he continues to walk away.

LAURA: Please, Pike. There's got to be some way we can--

MATT: "I mean, I don't-- Let me think, let me think. There--" She looks up to Vex. "There might be some scriptures and practices of the Everlight. There are rites that revolve around possession, spiritual tethering, exorcism. It's not my specialty. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I could go look. And Vex goes, "She could. "Darling, please, at least let them try something, anything." She looks down and cradles Laudna's head in her hand, and looks at her, and runs her finger along the ear cuff that forms the pointed elven ear. "I mean, we both have some fault in this, don't we?" Lord de Rolo stops his exit, doesn't look back, just clutching the top of his cane. (Percy) "Then tell me if you find a way that is satisfactory, but do nothing without my approval. Delilah stays gone." And he leaves.

SAM: These scriptures or whatever, are they at your bakery?

MATT: (Pike) "No, I wouldn't-- Why would I keep them at a bakery?"

SAM: I don't know, that's where you go everyday. It just seems like a--

MATT: "No, that's a valid point. No, I don't. Let me check at my house."

LAURA: Do you need help?

MATT: "Maybe? I don't know, I haven't done this in a long time and this kind of thing is a little new to me. Vex, do you want to come? Come..."

SAM: To your house?

MATT: "Yeah, or wait here, I guess. Take your--"

SAM: No, no, no, we'll go to your house.

TRAVIS: There's no rush.

TALIESIN: Do we need the old guy? Do we need that fucker?

SAM: Oh.

LAURA: I wouldn't call him a fucker.

TALIESIN: I am so tired of this right now. You were right. You were absolutely right. I'm going to listen to you more often. I'm going to follow Percy.

SAM: Oh.

MATT: You follow Percy?

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: I don't know how that was my advice, but okay.

TALIESIN: You said be myself.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: Fucking sweet.

MATT: You begin to follow and Vex'ahlia is still looking down Laudna. And Pike goes, "Well, follow me. I can't promise anything, but I can try. Oh boy." She holds her amulet and exits.

LAURA: I'm going to try to pick up Laudna without Ashton.

SAM: Oh yeah. Well, I'll help you.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: You go follow Lord de Rolo, who's now, he's now a good 20 feet down the hallway heading back to the staircase that you recall leading up to where his office was.

TALIESIN: I'm not satisfied with the ending of that conversation yet.

MATT: (Percy) "The issue with life is sometimes you have to deal with unsatisfactory ends."

TALIESIN: Do I look like the sort of person who doesn't know that?

MATT: "You look young. You have time to learn."

TALIESIN: You have no fucking idea. I just want to say a piece, maybe make an offer. I don't like to lose.

MATT: "Well. I would recommend getting used to the idea."

TALIESIN: Oh, I have. Let me fucking tell you-- And I'm just going to keep walking up.

MATT: Okay. As you walk up, his hand goes to the side of his coat.

TALIESIN: That's fine.

TRAVIS: Yes, sir.

TALIESIN: I have lost fucking everything, everybody. I have had a lifetime of bad hits, problems, lost people, promises fucking broken, people died. It is the background of my daily life. I have died. This is madness up here. This is not something that just fucking happens. This is what happens when the universe really doesn't like you and decides it wants to keep you around for a little while longer. At least that's what I used to fucking think. And then I met these fucking people and life changed in a very intense way. And I know you think I'm just going to be like, I found love again any of that bullshit. Fuck no. The world got weird and there is weird shit happening out there. And suddenly, I'm feeling very small in a very big world as opposed to very small in a very small world, which is where I'm usually so fucking comfortable. But it got really big out there, and for some strange fucking reason, that body down there, as fucked and as corrupted as it may be, and it is, believe me, seems to be a part of this. So hope, and joy, and love, and all of that shit, I don't give a fuck. That is not what I'm down there for. I'm down there 'cause it's important, and it's necessary, and I have lost so many people. And I am not here begging for fucking any of them. Many, I've known longer than her. This is not about that. This is important. Clearly, someone you don't fucking like thought it was fucking important, so maybe you should just pay the fuck attention.

MATT: "Have you said your piece?"

TALIESIN: Yeah, unless you want to see something I have to offer. That's pretty much, I think that might be the end of it.

MATT: "Good. I'm sorry you've seen such hardship."

TALIESIN: (scoffs)

MATT: "The world is vast and the threads of fate tug in ways you do not understand sometimes. Don't lose that anger, but the urge to destroy can be a very powerful one. My advice to you as one a few years your senior. You see, we can refocus it to instead build, create, and then protect it with every fiber of your being. Nothing else matters more. My children have not grown up in a world where that woman exists. I'm not sun setting the possibility here, but there must be a certainty because if you all bring her back into this world and Delilah walks once more, I will send you all to the same place I will send her to protect my family, to protect my city. So you're a small fish in a big, big pond. Make some waves." He walks back up the stairs.

TALIESIN: Turn around. Enjoy your fucking castle!

MATT: "There's nothing you could offer I would want!"

LAURA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Oh, I'm tempted. Nope, okay.

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Nope, nope.

MATT: You head back and the rest of your friends are gone.

TALIESIN: Hm.

MATT: You can just see the shape of them descending down the bottom of the walkway towards the outer wall of the city.

TALIESIN: I'll follow slow from behind.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: I may-- If there's something to tip over, I will. (laughter)

MATT: Okay. You do see, on the edge just beyond the staircase off to the sides, there are these small plinths, these stone pillars that have reliefs of individuals, like little busts.

TALIESIN: Hm. Are they free standing or are they just connected?

MATT: You don't know.

TALIESIN: Hmm.

MATT: They could be resting on it or they could be attached. They're just beyond the outer opening of the staircase that leads out into the main walkway that heads down. You figure at a certain angle, you might be able to approach one without being seen by the guards that are posted at the top of the staircase.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I'm going to take a good look at the one on the right, just give it a good look in the face.

MATT: You glance over and look at it and it is a bust of an older, stuffy man. Big mustache, high collar coat.

TALIESIN: Eh, give it a fine punch.

MATT: You give it a fine punch?

TALIESIN: I'll give it a fine punch.

LAURA: A fine punch.

MATT: Roll a strength check.

TRAVIS: ♪ This is what happens when barbarians get bored ♪

TALIESIN: That's not a d20.

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: That's not eyesight. (laughter) No, nothing.

MATT: What'd you get?

TALIESIN: One. (laughter)

MATT: Oh, no way. Crack. It impacts and this is a denser stone than you expected. Right as you pull your fist back, you hear the snap of a knuckle and that immediate warm pain fill your fist. Right at that moment, you also hear (growling).

SAM: Oh!

MATT: You glance over to your right and right off to the side, what you didn't notice, there was a small furred creature that looks grayed in a lot of its fur. You see light bits of armor across its back and two other adult brown bears. These are bears curled up and waking to the side. The older one going (growling).

LAURA: Trinket has a kid.

SAM: Oh, oh. Okay.

ASHLEY: Trinket has a kid. He's a daddy.

MATT: (groans) He just collapses back down into a nap, the other bears paying attention to you.

TALIESIN: How far are they?

LIAM: It's a good thing he's got arthritis.

MATT: About 25, 30 feet from you.

TALIESIN: I'm going to slowly walk up.

LAURA: He's a picture of health.

MATT: You walk up the bears?

TALIESIN: Yeah, slowly. I'm not going to try and start shit. I'm done.

MATT: The larger one is still resting. The other two large ones start moving into a defensive position.

SAM: Oh god, are you going to fight?

TALIESIN: Hey.

MATT: (growls)

TALIESIN: I'm going to kneel down.

MATT: Make an animal handling check.

TALIESIN: All right.

TRAVIS: Woohoo! ♪ Stranger bear with kids ♪

TALIESIN: 14.

MATT: 14. The one on the left, its teeth bared like (snarling), (sniffs, growls, snuffles) it just backs into a sitting position. The other one is still half rested and the older larger one is still curled up with one eye open, lazily paying attention to you. This is an ancient bear.

LAURA: Aw, ancient. Buddy!

TALIESIN: It must be nice having people just do what you need them to by growling at them and having them not expect you to have to explain yourself. I'm jealous.

MATT: (growls softly)

TALIESIN: Well.

MATT: (sniffs)

TALIESIN: He's an asshole.

MATT: (growls softly)

TALIESIN: I'm sure he's fine for you, but. Would you do me a favor?

SAM: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Just, if you're ever feeling it, shit somewhere inappropriate and think of me.

MATT: (growls)

TRAVIS and LIAM: (laugh)

TALIESIN: You're a nice bear.

MATT: (grunts)

TALIESIN: I get up.

MATT: (laughs) You walk away.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: The younger bear that's been staring at you this whole time slowly plops back down and joins the other two in a nap.

TALIESIN: (sighs) Follow this fucking crap.

LIAM: What are their names? What are their names?

LAURA: You don't know.

LIAM: I want to know. I know, I'm not even there.

TALIESIN: They're on the council, though. (laughter)

MATT: The rest of you, following the brisk jog of Pike Trickfoot.

ASHLEY: I notice that Ashton is not with us. I'm going to turn around and wave him down.

MATT: At this point, you glance behind you, and you can see the shape of Ashton now catching up at the top of the castle walkway.

LAURA: I totally got confused. I saw Pike turn around and wave at him instead of Fearne.

ASHLEY: Oh yeah. Sure, sure, sure. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Yes. Now I'm Fearne, yeah.

TRAVIS: Okay.

MATT: I figured. Pike's mine now. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Okay, okay, okay.

MATT: In this instance. But you all gather up. You're pretty quick on your feet anyway, so even if they were a little bit ahead, the speed of a brisk gnome jog is no match for the speeds you can acquire.

ASHLEY: She's fast.

MATT: So you manage to gather up, eventually coming to the northwestern side of the city. There is a beautiful neighborhood in there, nestled. You see on this small, elevated hill with a cultivated garden around it with this beautiful little fence line, this adorable cottage that is situated here surrounded by bushes that are unkept just enough to have a rustic charm, and probably planted a little too close to the walls where it almost feels like it's hugging or swallowing the building a bit. You can see the heavily thatched roof elevates up to point where a relief of a similar symbol as to what you saw hanging around her neck currently sits, slightly off-kilter. The building is covered in ivy and flowers with vibrant reds and tan colors of the paint of the wall poking through in places. It's looks a very homey space. As Pike gets out her keys, opens the door, and leads you all inside, she's in the process of thinking. You can see her eyes darting around. She's trying to recall where things might be. But as you walk inside, it is an extremely warm and welcoming interior that is just covered in dozens of odd knickknacks and decorations and keepsakes that add color and character to the already pleasant smells of sage and sweet nectars that permeate the air. What sort of things do they see?

ASHLEY: Oh wow. So many little paintings. Just recipe books everywhere, pictures. Not pictures, paintings of all of her friends on the wall.

LAURA: Bob Ross.

ASHLEY: What are those?! (laughter)

LIAM: Put a happy little resurrection over here.

LAURA: Yeah. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Rugs everywhere, a little fireplace going. Everything's just warm and wonderful. Almost a little hobbit home in some ways. Yeah.

MATT: At this point, Pike is now already about to go up to the second floor and goes, "You can sit, be comfortable. It might take a few minutes, hours, I don't know. Have some stale muffins over there in the kitchen from yesterday. Probably still good, I'll still eat them. Hold tight," and then darts upstairs as you all walk in, and you can hear her small gnome footsteps upstairs, the sound of things being shifted. She's just tearing the upstairs area apart. As you all walk in, Vex'ahlia enters as well and leans against the closed door, head down, concentrating as you all--

TALIESIN: We've gone from castle to bakery. Cool.

SAM: Everyone's very accommodating here. They're welcoming us into their castles and homes. Seems like a nice place.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Can I stick my head out--

LAURA: Thank you. Sorry. You go.

TRAVIS: I'll just stick my head out the door, and did a couple of guards follow Lady de Rolo as well?

MATT: You do see there are two riflemen that are waiting outside of the building, a awesome, burly looking woman with leather armor who has-- She looks to be probably in her early 60s or so, mostly gray hair with a little bit of red that hasn't completely faded, strong shoulders, and the rifle thrown over her shoulder. They're both just keeping a distance.

TRAVIS: Start working on a new piece.

ASHLEY: I'm going to grab a muffin.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Thank you, Lady de Rolo, for helping us in this. I know that your husband wasn't quite so enthusiastic.

MATT: "He's a complicated man, and you're here on the behest of Keyleth, which carries a lot of weight in this city. I apologize for his brusqueness. There is a lot of trauma, a lot of trauma that we've all suffered at the hands of Delilah."

LAURA: She's an evil woman. Laudna always complained about... her, in her head and stuff.

MATT: "Whatever happens, whatever occurs here, and I hope for the better outcome, I really do. Nothing's worse than losing someone very close to you."

LIAM: We understand the history, and I understand Lord de Rolo's hesitation. We're not asking for something for nothing. If there's blood that has to be paid or sweat shed, we'll pay it.

LAURA: We'll do anything.

MATT: "We can discuss once this is over. For now-- For now, let's just see how we can handle the task ahead of us." She just can't take her eyes off Laudna. There is a strong focus, and you can see this weight on Lady Vex'ahlia as she looks at her. (thudding and crashing) (spinning) (laughter)

LIAM: It's the Plate of the Dawnmartyr. (laughter)

MATT: The dust off of it.

ASHLEY: Shit!

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Fucker!

MATT: (quick footsteps) "Okay!" Pike comes around the corner with two books under her arm and a thing of scrolls. She goes, "Okay, so, hold on." Goes over and sets them on a table. Skirts it over in the middle of the floor. "Okay, so, there are some rituals. There's an older one that enables a spirit journey to another realm. I've not done this before. It's older. It's extremely powerful. So we're all kind of winging it, but I'm pretty sure," and she pulls one of the scrolls open and as she pulls it out, you can see, it's this old, well-kept vellum with this silver quality to the ink that's been written across it. It almost seems to shimmer in the low lantern light from the interior as she shifts and moves it across the table. "This, I think... I think I can direct it to wherever I felt Delilah holding your friend. But I need you all to go there as part of this spell and separate them long enough for me to bring her back."

LIAM: Got it. Let's do it.

TRAVIS: In!

SAM: Where is there?

MATT: "I don't know."

SAM: You said another realm?

TRAVIS: Spirit realm?

MATT: "Well, here's the thing. Classically, when you try and bring somebody back to life, part of the spell itself, the person who's performing the ritual, you are reaching out to their soul wherever it has passed beyond or is in transition to passing to whatever realm of the gods has claimed it based on their morality and choices and disposition in life. When I touched your friend, it went to a different place, a cold, separate place that I've never really felt before, and it all feels very strongly like Delilah. So, whatever that place is, you're going to have to go there while I do the spell."

LAURA: Okay.

SAM: Go there, and--

TALIESIN: Sure.

SAM: It's a place? It's a state of being?

MATT: "Okay, so your bodies will be here. Your bodies will remain here, but your spirits will be put in the same place where your friend's spirit is."

LAURA: Could it become permanent for us as well?

MATT: "Well, hmm." She looks down and starts reading the scroll again.

TRAVIS: "Well, hmm."

MATT: "Ah."

TALIESIN: I'm getting a "yes" vibe.

MATT: "Okay, all right, so, so, if you were to, let's say, die or fall unconscious there, your spirit will be brought back to your body."

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: "Which is good. If something has sufficient enough magic to try and send you back here, then you'll go back to your body. So that's good. Fine print. There is a cord that connects your spirit to your body while you're there, so protect it, because I think if, yeah, yeah, okay, if something cuts the cord, then you actually die, so."

LAURA: Oh!

MATT: "So protect it. It's pretty durable."

LAURA: A legitimate cord?

MATT: Turns the scroll over. "I think it's durable."

SAM: Couple questions. Some of us have magical abilities and such. Some of us fight with just a big ol' hammer.

TALIESIN: Hey!

SAM: No offense.

TALIESIN: I mean, I got weird stuff.

SAM: If Ashton's spirit or Orym's spirit is in another place without the things that they need to fight or be brave--

MATT: "Your spirit is kind of a projection of you as a person. If you have anything that is magically bound to your essence, that can... Hold on." Turns it over again.

SAM: Lots of letters.

LAURA: Legends, huh?

TALIESIN: She should really learn the rules by this point. You'd think years of--

MATT: At this point, Vex'ahlia goes--

TALIESIN and LAURA: (laugh)

ASHLEY: Should be much better at this.

MATT: (Vex'ahlia) "Shh. Listen, darling." (Pike) "A spiritual incarnation of your equipment, looks like, will also apparate with you, especially things that are important to you and/or, you know, magically bound to you."

LIAM: What if they're not magically bound? What if they're just a sword?

LAURA: Or our clothes? Do we show up naked?

TRAVIS: I think "important to you" covers it, right?

MATT: "I don't know!"

TRAVIS: It's what we have.

LAURA: Whatever it takes.

MATT: "I've not done this before, so."

LAURA: Will Laudna be there? Will she be a-- Will we be able to talk to her there? Her spirit will be there?

MATT: "Her spirit will be there. I don't... What I felt was Delilah holding her back, so."

LAURA: Could you hear Laudna at all?

MATT: "I tried to reach out to her, but Delilah was the wall between."

ASHLEY: So when we go there, are we going to meet Delilah as well?

TRAVIS: Yep.

LAURA: And you fought her before?

MATT: "Yeah."

LAURA: Well, how did you defeat her then?

MATT: "Okay, well, the first time, we stopped her in the middle of a really crazy ritual beneath the city and shot her a bunch and then threw her into some acid, and then she came back again, and so then at that point we were fighting atop a big titan, and we hit her with a bunch of spells and magical weapons, and then... Yeah, I mean, we were..." She looks at all of you. "Just be smart."

SAM: You're a baker?

MATT: "I am."

SAM: Okay.

MATT: "Did you try one of the muffins?"

ASHLEY: I did.

MATT: "What'd you think?"

ASHLEY: It was... interesting. I think probably fresh out of the oven might be the way try it.

TRAVIS: Oh my god, Fearne. What the fuck?

ASHLEY: I'm just being honest.

TALIESIN: We get a lot of fresh baked goods, to be fair.

LIAM: Well, I'm in.

TRAVIS: I'm in.

LAURA and ASHLEY: Yeah, I'm in.

TRAVIS: But I have one question for FCG.

SAM: I can't go.

TRAVIS: Sure you can.

LAURA: Why can't you go?

SAM: I don't have a spirit.

LAURA: Yes, you do.

SAM: I don't!

TRAVIS: There's only one way to find out.

LAURA: I can hear you in my head.

TALIESIN: Want to make a bet?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: "Well, here. If you don't have a spirit, then you'll stay behind, and we can keep each other company while I focus on keeping your friends alive."

SAM: That's great.

ASHLEY: Maybe she could teach you some things.

SAM: Sure, oh yeah, I would love to learn.

MATT: "Okay, well, what I will say is, Delilah wasn't protecting her or getting in the way, just..."

TRAVIS: There.

MATT: "Making sure that she was present. In fact, why I withdrew was because Delilah was the first to reach out. I think she wants to come back."

LAURA: Yeah, she said she was fading, that the only way she could come back was through Laudna. I sort of tried to contact her when we were trying to--

MATT: "Her essence is far more diminished than when I, we," looking back at Vex'ahlia, "last tangled with her, so hopefully that means she's not as dangerous as she used to be."

TRAVIS: Mm-hmm.

MATT: "But she's still worth not underestimating." She puts the scroll aside and opens one of the other books there and goes, "What I'm thinking here is if you can manage somehow to separate them enough, to keep them apart for a period of time, with this spell, I may have a small, no promises, chance of banishing Delilah from the spell, maybe for good."

LAURA: Great.

MATT: Vex'ahlia immediately sits up and goes, "Then we're doing this. If you can banish Delilah and she's gone, gone gone, then yes."

TALIESIN: You're the sensible one.

SAM: How will we tell you, Ms. Trickfoot, when we're ready? When the soul is broken away, or when they're separated enough?

MATT: Pike goes, "That's a little tricky."

LAURA: Maybe I can send--

LIAM: How far can you send a message?

LAURA: I mean, I can send it across planes of existence. I think it's just harder to get through.

MATT: "Okay, so you can actually talk across the dimensions. I know what you're talking about. I know the spell, and that could work."

LAURA: Great.

MATT: "Just hold onto that."

LAURA: I always do.

MATT: "Okay."

LIAM: Cool, I have a question. Pulls out his sword. This is really well made. It is not magical. I didn't understand the fine print. Will this do anything?

MATT: (Pike) "Maybe?"

LIAM: On the other side? Lady de Rolo, do you have a loaner for me?

MATT: She takes the sword. "It's a very nice sword, but I can do better," and she exits the room. Pike goes, "Okay, well, I guess I'm going to start preparing this ritual. It's going to take me a little bit. This is a big one."

SAM: Do you need help?

MATT: "If you want to help me out, that would be great. I'm going to eat a muffin, drink some water, take a breath, and then we can begin. The rest of you, I guess, get ready to go to wherever you're going!"

LAURA: Pike Trickfoot drinking water.

ASHLEY: Sure. She's having a little nippy-nips.

MATT: Shh.

ASHLEY: She's ready.

SAM: She's old.

ASHLEY: (shushing) (laughter)

LAURA: How long is it going to take?

MATT: "Well, the spell lasts for an hour."

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: "So I would recommend a little bit of haste."

LAURA: And how long until it's ready?

MATT: "Oh, I mean, it would take about 10 minutes."

LAURA: Wow.

MATT: "To prepare it, maybe, but that includes me taking a break." Let me see here what the actual--

LIAM: Fearne, could you hand me a muffin? I can't reach them.

TALIESIN: Just one more, one more.

MATT: No, I'm sorry. It takes an hour to cast.

SAM: And it lasts 30 seconds.

TALIESIN: Yeah, yeah, yeah, a muffin also. Is it really--?

SAM: Boy, oh boy.

ASHLEY: They're good, don't get me wrong.

MATT: Sorry. Glad I went back. It takes an hour to cast and she can maintain it for as long as she needs to.

LAURA: Wonderful.

MATT: Sorry. I misremembered that.

LIAM: Hour to cast.

TRAVIS: As long as there's no attack on Whitestone.

LIAM: Right.

SAM: But you got all the details from D&D Beyond.

MATT: Yes.

SAM: Where you can get early access to Krynn when you pre-order the Dragonlance Digital plus Physical Bundle at dndbeyond.link/CRDragonlance?

LIAM: Wow, the dimensions really are intersecting.

MATT: Exactly, yeah. That's exactly it.

SAM: It says, "Find an organic moment," and that was it. (laughter)

LIAM: Tasslehoff, Tasslehoff, can you hear me? Tasslehoff, can you hear me?

TALIESIN: It's amazing what passes as organic under current regulations these days.

TRAVIS: Current regulations.

LAURA: If I go down, FCG, you have to go.

SAM: What do you mean, if you go down?

LAURA: If I went unconscious or something and when we were able to separate Delilah, I wouldn't be able to tell Pike that it happened.

TRAVIS: Oh shit.

SAM: I don't know if I can.

LAURA: I think you'll be there.

SAM: But I might be even more helpful here to dab Pike's forehead and keep shoving muffins down her gullet. She might need--

MATT: "I don't mind the help. I do like muffins."

ASHLEY: Would you be able to tell if he has a soul, or a spirit, or anything like that, or?

MATT: "I mean, yeah. Want me to check?"

SAM: You can just check?!

MATT: "It's kind of my specialty. Was my specialty. I guess it kind of is."

SAM: As a baker!?

MATT: "Yes."

SAM: Bakery sounds--

LAURA: We got to go to the bakery. I know, we got to go to the bakery.

TRAVIS: FCG, this is a big deal.

SAM: It is, but I don't want to distract from the task at hand.

TRAVIS: It's okay. She probably just requires your meat tongue for a component.

SAM: Yep, that makes sense.

TRAVIS: Open your mouth!

SAM: (screaming)

TRAVIS: There you go!

MATT: Finally, it's gone.

LAURA: Canonically gone forever.

MATT: Finally. It's the end.

SAM: Oh no, it's growing back! (laughter)

MATT: I hate this so much. It's not canon.

LIAM: It's like the endless jug, except it's endless tongue meat. (laughter, groaning)

SAM: It's like toothpaste.

MATT: Oh, it's the peanut butter solution of tongue meat.

ASHLEY: No!

TALIESIN: No.

ASHLEY: Now I don't want it.

TRAVIS: FCG, this is huge.

SAM: I know, I'm scared. Maybe I don't want to know because what if it's not the answer I want?

ASHLEY: Okay, we don't need to do it then.

TRAVIS: We should take a bet.

SAM: You're going to bet on my soul?

TRAVIS: I got two gold-- Of course-- Two gold says FCG's got a soul.

ASHLEY: Four gold.

TRAVIS: Four gold? Who's got--

SAM: Four gold with or without?

ASHLEY: With one, I'm with Chet.

TRAVIS: Who says without?

LIAM: We all think you have a soul, Letters.

TRAVIS: That's not much of a bet.

SAM: You can't!

LIAM: Five gold.

SAM: You can't because there's no one to bet against.

TALIESIN: I could put five against, but I would be just doing it to keep everything moving. I actually agree.

ASHLEY: Okay, we got two, we got four, we got five.

TALIESIN: Five gold against. See, now it's interesting.

ASHLEY: Five gold against? Okay, now it's interesting.

SAM: All right.

TRAVIS: Imogen, you want some of this action?

LAURA: No.

TRAVIS: Oh, okay.

ASHLEY: I'm going to put in five for Imogen.

TRAVIS: You upped your bet?

ASHLEY: Just a little extra.

TRAVIS: Pike, do your thing. Miss Trickfoot, sorry.

SAM: Will you hold my hand?

ASHLEY: I will absolutely hold your hand if you need.

MATT: "I'm going to try; I'm just a baker."

ASHLEY: She's more than a baker, guys.

MATT: She comes and steps up to you and looks up at your, you know, you're in that middle height area. She's a little bit shorter than you and looks up, looks you over, smiles, and touches the side of your metal head. The other hand touches her symbol. She closes her eyes and you feel this wave of something come over you. You feel like you're about to tumble. Your sense of upright gravity begins to shift. As that happens, you instinctually close your ocular presence. Then suddenly, (whooshing) there is light burning around you. There is this inferno of silver-white light that is blurring everything in the space around you, shifting and moving. You look around, and there in front of you, you see the same shape as Pike, but she is herself a burning silver ember of light. You see the flames rising off of her and this set of fiery wings that drift in place. Where her eyes are is just this glowing cavalcade of color and white light. You see the symbol still there resting in the middle of her chest as she clutches it. She looks and leans into you. (echoing) "Can you see me?"

SAM: Is that you, the same?

MATT: "Yeah."

SAM: I can see you.

MATT: "Can you see you?"

SAM: I'll look down at my hands.

MATT: You look down and you see your arms, the shape of them, but it's this unique, strange, semi-translucent light. Not as bright as hers necessarily, but present. This fuzzy sparkle. As you turn your hands over in front of you, you can see them shifting and moving almost like electrical pulses, but not electricity, not arcane. It's hard to explain. You just feel warm.

SAM: What does it mean?

MATT: "It means... you're alive. And from the look of it, you already have eyes on you." She points down to your chest and you see the coin sitting in the space of your chest with the face of the Changebringer on it. (whooshing) You're brought back into the room. Her hand is still on your face. "See? You're fine." (metal tings)

SAM: Whoa!

ASHLEY: What happened, what happened?

SAM: That was crazy. I went to another place where I could see our spirit.

TRAVIS: She gave you drugs?

SAM: Yes.

ASHLEY: Wow. So it's true? He has a spirit?

MATT: "Yeah."

TALIESIN: Five gold. Can't win 'em all.

TRAVIS: Thank you. It's actually 13 gold across the table.

SAM: Well, maybe it's just because of the coin or something.

LAURA: No, FCG, it's because of you.

SAM: I don't know.

LAURA: What?

SAM: I don't know. Doesn't that mean that... Well, I don't know. If I have a spirit, that means I-- well, I have to live.

LAURA: Well, yeah.

TALIESIN: Unfortunate, but true.

LIAM: It's the idea.

SAM: I've watched all of you and so many others for so long. It seems kind of hard.

LAURA: You've kind of already been doing it.

SAM: But to find a purpose, and find people to depend on, and not disappoint and stuff. That's a lot of--

LIAM: I don't understand. What's the difference between now and yesterday?

SAM: Well, now it matters.

LIAM: It always mattered.

MATT: "Well, everyone has their path to take at their own speed. If it matters now, think on that. See what it means to you. These fine folks seem to depend on you and have for a while. Just make sure you don't disappoint them by working that much harder."

TRAVIS: Short term, you've got a cord to protect.

SAM: Yeah, yeah, I can come with.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: If you go down, which you won't, I'll send the message.

LIAM: Boy.

MATT: (creaking) The door opens and Lady Vex'ahlia steps back in. "Well, on short notice, it is at least something that'll help," and tosses you your sword back. Then pulls a small scabbard and hands it to you.

LIAM: Okay, I'll put this back. This is a separate blade entirely in a scabbard?

MATT: A separate blade in a scabbard, yeah.

LIAM: How big a blade are we talking about?

MATT: It's a shortsword.

LIAM: Shortsword?

MATT: But as you look at the handle of it, the hilt, it's very, very well-made. As you pull it forth, the blade itself comes to this gradual point like a gladius. You can see faint runes marked right in what would be considered the blood groove area of the blade. It's not extremely intricate, but it is a very well-made blade with little flourishes here and there. She looks to you and goes, "It's not anything incredible per se, but it's better than nothing. It is indeed magical. If you take a moment to go ahead and fix it upon yourself, it should assure you some safer passage, hopefully."

LIAM: Orym takes a few steps back and twirls it around and takes a few steps in the room. It's a little heavier than what I'm used to, but I think I can make it work. Thank you. I'll bring it back in one piece, I think.

MATT: "Wonderful." It counts as a plus one shortsword.

TALIESIN: I don't know you, I don't know really what's going on, but I feel like I have to tell you he's having a day he is never going to forget right now. His mind is entirely blown. You have no idea. I have no idea.

MATT: "Oh. Um. To be perfectly honest, and not to brag, but I'm used to blowing minds. I'm so happy I could--"

TALIESIN: I love a brag.

MATT: "-- continue the trend."

TALIESIN: All right. Fun.

MATT: "Pike, darling, do you need any help?" as Pike's over there with a flask like, "Oh, no, I'm good! Just getting ready. Okay, okay."

ASHLEY: A glug of mama's medicine.

MATT: "Okay, okay, okay, everyone ready? Everyone good? Everyone prepared? Everyone set?"

SAM: We're doing this right now?

TRAVIS: Yeah!

LAURA: Straight in?

MATT: "I mean, I have an hour to go here, so buckle up and sit around. I need y'all to lie down, heads--"

TRAVIS: Wait, wait, hold on. You talked to Delilah, right?

LAURA: I did.

TRAVIS: We should try and throw her off the trail, make sure she doesn't think we're coming. Can she see us? What kind of magic does she have? Is this is a bad idea? Maybe we should leave. Oh god, I'm spiraling.

ASHLEY: Oh no, you're all right, you're all right.

TALIESIN: No, yes, yes, no, but we are anyway, and no, and yes.

LAURA: I don't want to send another message. I've only got a couple spells left.

SAM: You're going to send a message now?

LAURA: No, no, no, I don't want to.

ASHLEY: Save it.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: I mean, just think, though.

LAURA: I've already used it a couple times today.

TRAVIS: You could be like: Delilah, what's the one thing that really hurts you?

LAURA: Well, I do-- I mean--

MATT: "Don't do that."

LAURA: I'm not going to do that.

TRAVIS: It's okay. It's not my spell.

LAURA: We do have-- I don't know if it even matters anymore, but I pull out the gnarlrock shard. We had pieces of this. I had a piece of this and Delilah seemed to really want it. But I thought... She took it and something happened to Laudna. I don't know what it was. I tried to use it to bring her back. It didn't work. I don't know if you want it.

MATT: Pike reached out and touches it, goes, "Well, I'll look into it. Thank you."

LAURA: I don't know.

MATT: (Pike) "So... Vex?" (Vex) "Yes, Pike?" (Pike) "So, this spell requires a jacinth and a silver bar for each participant. Jacinth, about 1,000 gold, and silver bar, about 100 gold each. That's going to be, doo doo doo, 6,600 gold worth of materials. Do you think maybe...?" Vex's like, "You start preparing the ritual. I'll be right back."

SAM: Wow.

TRAVIS: We can also cover some of the--

TALIESIN: (negative humming)

ASHLEY: We can definitely chip in.

SAM: We've also got some special powder that can take place of some--

LAURA: Oh, that's right.

TALIESIN: Why are we splitting the bill with somebody who lives in a castle?

LIAM: Let's put a pin in that one. We've got a lot on our plate right now. We can talk about that when we get back.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: "What sort of substance are you talking about?"

SAM: Oh, well. (gagging)

TALIESIN: That's a longer story.

TALIESIN: Are we doing--? Oh god.

LAURA: It was--

SAM: (regurgitates)

MATT: God. (laughs)

LIAM: We were going to get to this.

LAURA: Oh god, it's such a bigger--

LIAM: It's a very long conversation.

LAURA: -- story than--

LIAM: It's a long story. We can go into it now if you want.

MATT: "No, hold onto that for the time being. I think I know what you're talking about and I think my husband would be very interested to know where you got that."

LIAM: Letters, open wide.

TALIESIN: Could have fucking found out if he was willing to have conversation with us.

MATT: "He's a complicated man."

TALIESIN: You can tell him he could have found out. That and more.

MATT: "No one knows better than I do just how complicated he is, but he's a good man, if a bit prickly. Sometimes up his own ass. Anyway. Hi, darling. Could I have a sip of that?" She takes her own swig.

ASHLEY: Oh.

MATT: No, I love it, it's great. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Who am I?

MATT: Old habits, old habits. Vex goes and heads off to retrieve the expensive materials, returns with them as Pike is partway through preparing this ritual. About 40 minutes into her writing out this extremely intricate sigil, this multi-layered series of divine glyphs across the center of the floor, she shifts all the furniture out of the way. As she begins to settle these materials around and grabbing each of these metal bars and setting them almost like pillows that surround the center of the body of Laudna, Vex'ahlia looking over this, glances at all the rest of you. "Just remember the favor we're doing here and know that if all goes wrong, we've done our best. We've done our best."

TRAVIS: It's appreciated. We wouldn't be anywhere near this level of, well, anything without you.

LIAM: And if it goes right, we are at your service.

MATT: "(sighs)" Looks down to Pike. (Pike) "Okay, I need each of you to lie down in an-- feet outward, heads in."

TRAVIS: (clattering)

ASHLEY: Oop.

MATT: "Fuck whatever that was." (laughter)

MATT: "Sorry, it's a bit cluttered in here."

LIAM: One of the silver bars goes scuttling.

ASHLEY: Wheels of cheese everywhere.

TALIESIN: (cat hisses)

MATT: "Kind of a hoarder in my older age. But if you lie down head in the center--" With the back of your head placed against the metal bar so you're an outward fan of six people with Laudna towards the center. She takes the jacinth and places each under your sternum as you lay on your back, looking up to the ceiling. You can see the cross beams of the secondary floor above. You can see where a leak at one point that stained part of it and has since dried. You begin picking up little details that show the life that's been lived in this house. As the flames in the lanterns begin to dim slightly, you look and you can see Pike adjusting the oil to bring the light a little bit lower. With everyone in place, she grasps her holy symbol and begins to mutter, begins to pray. With that, (puffy pops) these little symbols, these little-- almost crescent moon or scythe-like curves in some of these sigils begin to glow, and it leads into the next, into the next, like six different locations within this massive expanse, this pattern begin to share a current, and it alights the next chain and the next chain until the entire room begins to glow from underneath. You glance out the side of your eyes from side to side to make out the adjustments, but more than anything, you see the mostly dark roof above you as you look upward begin to brighten with the same golden light that you saw with Pike's initial attempt to bring Laudna back. The gold then begins to shift into a cerulean blue. Her prayer stops and she goes, "All right, hold on!" As you're looking at the pattern of the ceiling, (forceful whoosh) you watch it just rocket away from you as shadow just fills your periphery. You instinctively try and move your head, but you can't. You're just locked in place like a sleep paralysis is taking your body and you just watch the roof get further and further and further away and further away.

LAURA: Stop it!

MATT: Then it's gone and there's just shadow around you, but you still feel wind. You feel (whooshes). The wind begins to shift, and echo, and almost play in reverse at times (whooshes) around you. You glance side to side best you can. You don't see your friends. The wind gets louder. (whooshing intensifies) You begin to be able to move your neck and you look down and you see your body. You see your form. You see your equipment. You see your clothing, but it all has this odd golden silver shimmer to it. You see the trail of it drifting off of it almost like you're giving off a faint mist, just drifting off from below. The darkness beneath your feet, you watch, begin to open like a dark, pitch black umber fog beginning to roll away with a faint gust of wind upon a dark gray stone surface. (whoosh) As it begins to separate, revealing this cracked stone floor. Your feet (thuds) touch it. At that moment, you watch as the rest of your friends all touch down around you. The circle of the six, all standing in this space, all built of the same silver gold material. All of you, above your head, like a puppet held by a single thread, a gossamer cord that lifts about a foot off of your head before it just vanishes into the ether.

LAURA: (whispers) What the shit?

MATT: It is material as you touch it. It feels warm like you do, like this energy that makes up your presence here, your soul does. It moves a little bit as you press onto it. It has weight. It has body. It just vanishes into the ether about a foot above you.

SAM: Cool.

LAURA: How do we know if it's been cut? You can't see--

TALIESIN: I think you'll know.

ASHLEY: What does FCG look like?

MATT: FCG looks very much like their form, if a little more amorphous, meaning you see where the wheel is. You see where the torso is and the arms, whereas the rest of you are more crisp and defined in your forms. You see the shape of FCG is a little more ethereal, a little more fuzzy. It's not the metal that's defining the spirit, more like the shape that would reside within is taking the form.

LAURA: Awesome.

SAM: Feet?

MATT: Still kind of a singular wheel.

LAURA: Two little feet sticking out from where your wiener would be. (laughter)

TRAVIS: T-Rex feet.

MATT: Like the fucking-- when Deadpool loses his lower half and the little baby leg just grow out. That's awful. Okay.

LIAM: Stick your tongue out. Is there one?

MATT: (exasperated) No.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: There's never been one. There's no tongue! It's not canon! (laughter)

TRAVIS: Spirit tongue! (laughter)

LIAM: Your tongue goes out and trails up into the sky.

MATT: Now, looking all around you beyond your friends, it is a lightless nothing. You see this deep umber shadow around you, but the fog rolls away a little further than where you landed. As it does about 50, 60, 70 feet, it begins to drift and you see the rocky terrain that reveals itself, bits of gravel and broken dark gray stone like the color has been seeped from the environment around you. Eventually where the fog pulls away, you can see cliffs that drop off at the edges and areas around you also where the fog halts its progression that you're uncertain what lies beyond.

LIAM: Cool.

LAURA: How are we going to find her here?

LIAM: Cool, cool, cool.

TRAVIS: Don't we have ways to locate her?

SAM: Are we doing that?

TALIESIN: No.

TRAVIS: (slowly) Whatever you feel like.

SAM: Oh wait, I-- Locate. Yeah, yeah, I can locate people.

LAURA: I wonder if it works for spirits.

SAM: Yeah, oh yeah, you're right.

LAURA: But try it, I mean. I'm going to try to talk to you in your head. Can you hear me?

LIAM: Can I hear her?

MATT: You can hear her in your head, yeah.

LAURA: All right, just making sure.

SAM: It works within a 1,000 foot radius. Is that close enough?

LAURA: How long does it last?

SAM: An hour.

LAURA: Great. That's...

LIAM: Is it hard to do?

SAM: Let me look.

TALIESIN: Nothing on the horizon, just all the same?

SAM: It's hard to do.

MATT: Make a perception check.

SAM: But that's all right.

TRAVIS: I'll assist.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Assisting? Oh, thank-- that didn't help. That's good.

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Nine.

MATT: Nine.

TALIESIN: Should have rolled your-- I was like, why am I rolling this?

MATT: Beyond the outer about 60 or so foot radius the fog has rolled back around you, you don't see anything beyond that. It's just black expanse, but you do see elements of the rock do drop off. It seems like there's a small turn or a cliff edge.

TRAVIS: Before we get expensive: (loudly) Laudna?!

LAURA: Oh.

TALIESIN: What?

TRAVIS: Laudna?!

TALIESIN: I don't know if...

MATT: It's interesting because when you speak closely to each other, there's a faint tinny echo to your voice. When you shout, most of the volume is absorbed and swallowed by the darkness.

TRAVIS: Whoa.

MATT: It's almost like speaking into a void where no vibration can carry.

LIAM: Do we have any trouble seeing? Are we talking dim lighting where we are, or?

MATT: Where you're standing, it's like, we'll say dim light. You can still see about 60 feet out or so, but it's not like the shadow is all-encompassing.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: It's just everything that the fog is pulled away from is in generally dim light.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: But the fog itself, beyond where it has curled and stopped, you can't see anything beyond it.

ASHLEY: What if you try to reach out to Laudna?

LAURA: I have to be able to see someone in order to start that connection.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: I thought about it.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: I mean, you can try.

LAURA: I mean, send a message to her, we could do.

SAM: I could try to see if she's around us. I mean, I don't--

TRAVIS: Save it. I'll take a couple steps out, toes feeling out towards the edge of the fog.

LAURA: I'm going to cast Dancing Lights, just a few little--

MATT: Okay. Your four glowing, purple energy crackling spheres float out around. It does alight the ground around where they are. You can see the cracked, dry, arid dead landscape that sits around you. There's no signs of vegetation. It's just broken, sheer rock and shale.

LAURA: Is it cold or is it--?

MATT: You go ahead and touch it?

LAURA: I mean, do we feel cold?

LIAM: Just in the air?

MATT: You don't feel any particular temperature here.

LAURA: Then yeah, I'm going to reach down and touch the ground.

MATT: You touch the ground. The ground does feel cold. So the air does not feel chilled, but the stone itself feels cold. As you step forward, you take a few steps outward. Towards one of the cliff edges or towards the fog of war?

TRAVIS: Fog of war.

MATT: You take a few steps and you watch the fog roll away from you, and reveal a little bit further.

TRAVIS: Cool. There's more this way. I didn't check the edge, though. Ashton, check the edge.

TALIESIN: Fuck it. All right, I'm going to walk towards the edge a little bit. I'm going to get down on my hands and knees and try and peer over and find, physically find where the edge of this is.

LIAM: Do we have any of our stuff or just our magical?

MATT: You have all of your equipment.

LIAM: Okay, so hold up then.

TALIESIN: All right.

LIAM: I tie a rope around his waist.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: And then back up 10 feet.

TALIESIN: This is getting to become a very weird metaphor.

LIAM: Don't dive over.

TALIESIN: Okay.

LIAM: I'm not strong.

MATT: The rock slightly ascends in a faint incline and then where it comes to an end, you glance over and it is a sheer drop. You see the stone that makes this platform, this realm that you stand on goes into a continuous 90-degree drop for what looks like hundreds of feet before it seems to curl away into darkness.

TALIESIN: There is nothing.

MATT: There is nothing below but void expanse.

TALIESIN: Cool.

ASHLEY: Mister? (smooching)

MATT: (hooting) You can see Mister here, alongside you, is a flame. You don't even see the monkey. You just see a burning cinder flame that just drifts around.

ASHLEY: Look at my big boy.

LAURA: So cute.

MATT: (hooting) Still makes the noises, but when he moves around, it's just like watching a singular, controlled fire from a campfire (whooshing).

LIAM: Donkey Kong fire.

ASHLEY: Stay with mama for now. We're going to need you in a minute.

MATT: (whining)

TALIESIN: We don't want to play with the edges of this.

LAURA: Well, maybe I can send the lights out and try to find a path that doesn't drop off into nothingness.

TRAVIS: There is a pretty good out this way.

LIAM: In the far lower direction?

LAURA: Okay, head towards Chetney.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Doing the heel-toe, the heel-toe.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Heel-toe.

MATT: So it seems the fog is keeping about a 60-foot radius from where you're standing, and as Chetney or any of you begin to ascend to challenge that edge, the fog rolls away. It reveals before you as you step.

LAURA: It's like it's being created as we get there.

LIAM: Imogen's light had no effect on it, but moving through altered it around us?

MATT: You can't quite get to the fog. As you approach it--

LIAM: That's what I'm saying.

MATT: It's always 60 feet away from you, constantly rolling away. As you step, it doesn't just begin to vanish. It looks like it's being blown like some sort of wind is pushing it back. You see the curls, almost like it's a heavy fog

LIAM: It reveals rock and topography as it parts away?

MATT: It gets more ragged and jagged as it goes.

SAM: I'm going to Channel Divinity and bind myself sympathetically-like with Chetney, Imogen, and Ashton.

MATT: You got it, okay. They're all sympathetically bound.

TRAVIS: What does that mean?

SAM: It just means I have a little extra connection with you three and I can give you some stuff if you need it, but not now.

TRAVIS: Because this isn't a real place as in real real, can I close my eyes, and listen, and (sniffing) smell? Do I hear or smell anything?

MATT: Make a perception check for me.

TRAVIS: 18.

MATT: 18. You smell and what you smell is this faint, this faint smell of vegetable rot like a bog or compost. What you hear, that gentle wind that you hear whipping around, you focus on it and it, (faint whispering), hear voices, whispers, multitudes that are male, female, in between, and all over, sourceless, genderless, just whispers that you can't quite make out what they're saying. They're faint, they're distant, they're beyond the fog, even, but they're there.

TRAVIS: Well, there's stuff all around us, but not really there? I just hear voices on the wind, which is very, very comforting.

SAM: Okay. Well, I can, first of all, I'm going to use three bonus actions over the next few rounds of walking and give each of those three four temporary hit points.

TRAVIS: Mm!

MATT: Great.

SAM: Do you think I should try to protect us from these voices or anything? Wait, did I prepare that spell? Goddamn clerics. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Oh, revenge.

SAM: I don't think I can. Wait, no, can I do that?

TALIESIN: They're not doing anything yet.

SAM: Okay, okay.

TALIESIN: Best to--

LIAM: We should just go slow and steady.

TALIESIN: Slow and steady.

SAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: Pay attention to what's in front of us.

LIAM: See what happens when we walk through in two minutes.

TALIESIN: I'm binding the immovable rod underneath my bracelets and connecting it to my arm so that it's just--

MATT: Just at the ready?

TALIESIN: It's strapped on so if I have to, yeah.

MATT: Okay, got it, got it.

TALIESIN: It's just there.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Like some Batman shit.

MATT: Good to know, good to know.

LIAM: I'm going to move up by Chetney.

TRAVIS: Strapped on?

TALIESIN: (clicks tongue)

TRAVIS: Where's the rod?

LIAM: I'm going to move up by Chet and start slowly, blade out, moving through the fog.

MATT: Okay. As you push forward, the fog pushes beyond, pushes beyond. A few minutes of traveling in what seems to be this continuously repeating landscape before you, you begin to notice because you are very perceptive the landscape beginning to shift, growing more jagged. More small points and little rock formations begin to apparate and pass you by as you continue to step forward, growing taller and taller with each step like stalagmites that now begin to reach up. Some a few feet, as you continue, beyond your height, eventually beyond the height of your companions until you feel like you're walking through a strange valley of rock needles that continue up until eventually, they push past the fog above you as well.

TRAVIS: Hmm.

MATT: Then some of them begin to grow branches as you pass them.

TRAVIS: As we pass?

MATT: As they come into view, some of these stone things begin to grow branches.

LIAM: So we see them in motion.

LAURA: I'm going to cast Mage Armor on myself.

MATT: Okay. The whispers are getting slowly louder. (creepily) "There she is." (creepy exhale) (high pitched) "Get her." (creepy inhale) You continue to push forward, and you're now walking through a colorless, pale forest. Petrified or mimicked by stone, you can't tell, but you are now standing, as you move, amongst numerous trees of different thicknesses and heights. You can almost see the ground mimicking pitfalls and small valleys and bushes and ferns, but it's all still stone. It's all still mimicry in this lifeless space. The fog begins to roll away even further within that radius and it seems to reveal more of the forest around you. Dozens and dozens of trees surround you, and you see a faint bit of color, a distant, gentle, orange glimmer, a flicker, a flame. What do you do?

TRAVIS: (running)

TALIESIN: Clearly we should go that way.

SAM: We should be smart about it.

TALIESIN: Let's not pretend it isn't a fishing lure.

LAURA: (whispers) We're going to fight her.

SAM: We're going to have to, yeah. But let's be smart about it. Last time, we walked right into a fight that we were not ready for--

LIAM: Is there anything besides the flame on our left or our right? Are there two velociraptors ready to come from the sides?

MATT: Roll a perception check.

TRAVIS: Also, be prepared to fight Laudna.

SAM: Wait, what?

LIAM: Now you roll well?

TALIESIN: She's prepared to fight you.

LIAM: That's great. That's a 25.

MATT: 25, glancing about, you don't see anything lurking to the right or left, but looking ahead, even in the dim light that's beyond, you can see it's not just a flame sitting in space. You can see a shape rising up from the middle of the trees. It's a structure. It's a small cabin or a larger hut. It is a built structure here in the middle of the woods, and that flicker you see is through a window.

TRAVIS: What the fuck?

LIAM: I whisper that.

TRAVIS: (louder) What the fuck? I don't like it anymore. Drink.

SAM: Should we approach from different directions?

LAURA: I don't want to separate again.

TALIESIN: No.

ASHLEY: I think we should stay together.

SAM: Or someone go invisible and look?

TRAVIS: I'm very stealthy.

TALIESIN: I don't know if we...

SAM: Or make a noise and draw them out?

TRAVIS: Let me just try and get closer and get eyes.

TALIESIN: All right.

LAURA: I feel like they can see us wherever we are.

TALIESIN: I feel like going there feels right. I don't know why.

SAM: God, do I have anything?

TRAVIS: I'll be right back. I just want to peek in the window.

LIAM: Everywhere feels exposed here.

TRAVIS: It'll be fine.

ASHLEY: I'll go with Chet. It'll be fine.

TALIESIN: This is already terrifying me.

TRAVIS: Okay, I start to sneak out.

TALIESIN: Oh, okay.

TRAVIS: Stealthily.

MATT: Roll a stealth check for me.

SAM: Laudna-- I didn't prepare any undead shit. I didn't think we were fighting undead things.

TRAVIS: 22.

MATT: 22. Are you going with him, or are you staying behind?

TRAVIS: Flat 20.

MATT: Flat 20? Okay. You carefully begin to step through the foul forest that surrounds you, heading towards the structure. As you do, you hear the whispers getting louder. (quick inhale) (hissing whisper) "Hit her. She's here." (deeply) "Where? Gather them up." (lightly) "Burn it down." (creepily) "The witch is here."

TRAVIS: They're talking about Delilah.

LAURA: I'm going to cast Detect Thoughts.

MATT: As you step closer and closer, you see, the stone rises up to mimic indeed, a small cabin. It seems like it's pulled together with ropes and thin branches and bits of fallen trees and bark and whatever sort of materials are around. It is a ramshackle shack here in the middle of these woods, and you can see, under the porch, this makeshift entryway area, dangling there, little trinkets and bones and tools, and that window, that window, there's that warm light flickering within.

TRAVIS: There's no fucking blueberry muffin on the windowsill, is there?

MATT: There is not.

TRAVIS: Okay.

TALIESIN: How much of this can we see from where we are, or can we hear from these whispers?

MATT: The whispers haven't gotten louder for you. The whispers still are just beyond your periphery. You're the one who's hearing them louder as you approach.

LIAM: Orym is quietly circling Imogen and looking for anyone on our six or seeing anything they don't from afar, making sure that nobody hits our message woman.

MATT: You got it, okay.

TRAVIS: I will take a breath and go invisible.

MATT: All righty.

TRAVIS: And I will try to... My elven boots.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Quietly get a look in.

MATT: As you close up quickly and look inside, this is a small shack. You see a quaint interior. You see scrounged trunks and branches and moss that are all put together to create the roof. It looks like it might collapse with a soft wind, but also, you have to remind yourself as you look at the details, this is all made of that same kind of rock. Glancing within, there is a few boxes, what looks to be a cot. You see a stone fireplace, resembling the stones maybe gathered from the forest, and within it, a small fire burns, which is the source of the glow you've seen. There is a small table and a stool, and there on the table, you see a few tools, also made of the stone. It looks like a pair of scissors, or a little knife. You see the body of a rat. You see, on the stool, this shadow shape.

SAM: (whispers) Oh, this is her home.

MATT: Like a black flame that's barely holding there, flickering in and out of existence. You look for a moment, and it almost has a humanoid shape to it. You don't feel like she's there, but you almost make out the shape of Laudna sitting in this shack, making something on the table. In the same moment, you see deep within this dark, flickering, black flame that is this Laudna-like shape that's whipping in and out of your vision, you see this small, purple light that just sits in the chest. The whispers get louder. (breathily) "There she is! Kill the witch!" (shouts) "Burn her! Burn her down!" You see the flickering black flame-- (quick gasp) And vanish.

TRAVIS: The flickering black form vanishes?

MATT: Yeah, it disappears.

SAM: Of Laudna?

LIAM: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Oh shit.

MATT: And the fire begins to catch up from the fireplace.

SAM: Oh no.

MATT: Curling up. Somehow, the stone cabin is beginning to burn.

TRAVIS: Oh!

MATT: At this moment, Orym, you watch, drifting out of the shaded spaces between the trees. God, your passive perception is stupid. Three black, billowing collections of dark matter or cloth emerge and drift a few feet above the ground and begin to head towards the cabin.

LIAM: I remember that shouting doesn't do shit, so I tug on your sleeve immediately and say: We're in trouble. Alert the others.

LAURA: I will try to send out messages to everyone in their heads.

LAURA: Okay, in those rapid moments as you're sending out messages to everyone to bring yourselves together to look, I need everyone to roll initiative.

SAM: (shouts) Oh!

LIAM: All right.

ASHLEY: Oh god.

SAM: This combat is scary, and it's brought to you by WizKids Miniatures. Enhance your home games with Critical Role minis by WizKids, available at wizkids.io/crminis and your local game store. What?

LAURA: Ooh!

LAURA: That is so cool looking.

LIAM: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

TRAVIS: I wanted to break out my Brand of Castigation, but there's no blood.

MATT: All right.

LIAM: Why are you rolling well now? What about when I was talking to de Rolo?

MATT: ♪ Trees right there ♪

LAURA: We're here. We're here.

MATT: All right, so.

SAM: This is so cool.

MATT: Given the interior of this tiny shack, which you are just on the outskirts of looking into the window about there, how far back are the rest of you, we'll say?

TRAVIS: Where am I? Where do you think?

SAM: 30 feet.

LAURA: I would think about the edge of the map, honestly.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: I would too, yeah.

MATT: Orym, you were probably over here with Imogen, correct?

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I was probably on the other side of Orym.

MATT: Over here?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: I think I'm probably over here.

MATT: Over on this side?

ASHLEY: Maybe closer, a little bit. Yeah, right there, right there, right there.

LAURA: Poor Laudna.

MATT: You got it.

MATT: We'll say Mister would be--?

ASHLEY: Mister's a little bit more forward than I am. Just a little bit, yeah.

LIAM: Yeah, what a long, tortured--

SAM: So forward.

ASHLEY: So very forward.

MATT: Fresh Cut Grass?

SAM: Anywhere you want me.

MATT: No, you tell me, buddy.

SAM: To the left of Ashton, up on that tree, I guess.

MATT: About here?

SAM: Yeah, sure.

MATT: Okay, you got it.

LIAM: Such a light soul.

SAM: That's right.

LAURA: We can basically just float around.

TALIESIN: Oh, this is going to be real interesting.

LIAM: Just a circuit pattern, pattern of consciousness.

TALIESIN: Oh no.

SAM: Oh hi.

LAURA: Oh.

LIAM: Whoa, buddy.

SAM: Oh hi, friends.

LIAM: All right.

LAURA: Fuck, I don't know if anything that I have is going to harm these ghosts.

MATT: Back there.

SAM: I was ready for reviving and stuff, not fighting.

TALIESIN: We'll get to that.

LAURA: Yeah, we might be doing that.

LIAM: So one, two, you said three total.

SAM: Well, I can't revive.

MATT: Three total. One, two, three.

SAM: Ain't no diamonds.

LIAM: Thanks.

LAURA: You didn't grab any from de Rolo.

MATT: If it helps, for visual reference--

SAM: I didn't know. I didn't grab anything.

MATT: -- I can remove some of these here.

SAM: Why would I? I don't have any diamonds.

LAURA: You can Cure Wounds.

MATT: Give you guys a better view of the battlefield here.

SAM: I can Cure Wounds. I didn't prepare any Cure Wounds spells.

MATT: There we go.

LAURA: That's awesome.

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

MATT: So.

LAURA: Cool.

ASHLEY: Oh, those things are so scary.

MATT: 25 to 20.

LIAM: 24.

SAM: Whoa.

MATT: Orym.

TRAVIS and LAURA: 20.

SAM: Good god.

TRAVIS: What's your dex?

TALIESIN: Orym.

LIAM: Shake your dex, shake your dex.

MATT: 20 to 15?

TRAVIS: Your dexterity is 15?

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: You go before me.

TALIESIN: 15.

LAURA: I'm 20, he's 20.

MATT: Oh you're 20 as well? All righty, then Chetney.

TALIESIN: Imogen, Chetney or Chetney, Imogen?

TRAVIS: Orym, Imogen, Chetney.

LAURA: Imogen, Chetney.

MATT: 20 to 15?

TALIESIN: 15.

MATT: Okay. 15 to 10?

SAM: 13.

ASHLEY: 11.

MATT: All right.

SAM: That's it.

MATT: All righty. So, top of this round, watching Chetney vanish in the front of this cabin, uncertain where he is, suddenly the light begins to get brighter on this cabin, which I will connote as a flame now burning on the inside.

TRAVIS: Up one wall?

MATT: Yep. There's three shadows, emerge from the ground and all begin to drift in towards the cabin. Orym, you're up first. What are you doing?

LIAM: Okay, so I pop behind Imogen and grab her belt and swing her around and trade places and do Bait and Switch.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Shield up, guarding her. One? You get one added to your AC.

SAM: Whoa.

LIAM: I'm just holding to attack anything that tries to hit me or her.

MATT: You got it. Okay, that finishes your go.

LAURA: Does that add on top of my Mage Armor that I did?

MATT: Correct.

LAURA: Sweet.

MATT: It adds to whatever your AC currently is. You have plus one to your AC, until your next round?

LIAM: Yeah, my next round.

MATT: Got it, okay.

LIAM: Unless you run away from me, and then it's--

LIAM: Got it.

MATT: Which, to that point, Imogen. You're up next. Orym just pushed you behind him and put the shield up and is guarding you in place. What are you doing?

LAURA: I am going to-- Hold on, let me look at this.

SAM: Do these guys seem like fabric or just shadow?

TALIESIN: Shadow.

MATT: Both. You see tangled masses of grave shrouds, black material that flickers and moves around. It tangles, but then--

TRAVIS: Cool!

MATT: -- when it moves, it leaves a trail of shadow behind it that dissipates as it moves.

TRAVIS: Yes! Yes!

LIAM: Oh, That even creeps me out, yikes.

TRAVIS: I mean, no.

LAURA: I'm just going to rub my hands together, close my eyes, and then shoot both my hands out and Twinned Spells Witch Bolt at 2nd-level at both of them.

MATT: At both of these up here?

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Okay, what's the range on that?

LAURA: Oh shit, 30 feet. I'm way beyond that, aren't I?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: 25, 30, 35, 40.

LIAM: Yeah, just out. Yeah, just out.

LAURA: Can I double up on sorcery points? I'm just joking.

MATT: I mean, you could, if you wanted--

LAURA: Could I move forward 10 feet?

MATT: You could. You'll lose the AC, but.

LIAM: Dude, go for it.

LAURA: Can I just put Orym on my feet and walk forward? (laughter)

MATT: Baby walk him up?

LAURA: Toddler walk him up.

LIAM: No, I mean, you didn't get much of a bonus from it.

LAURA: That's true, that's true, that's true. Okay, yeah, I'm going to step forward 10 feet, whatever I can to get within range of both of them.

MATT: He's not going to impede your movement. He's a halfling. So five, 10, 15, 20.

LIAM: You could walk over me.

MATT: 25, 30, that would get him within 30 feet and him within 30 feet, so you will be able to Witch Bolt them both.

LAURA: Can I go back one and still be within 30 feet of them? I don't know, I feel really out there right now.

MATT: Yeah, you can do that.

LAURA: Okay. All right.

MATT: That tree-- Yeah, I'll say the tree doesn't give you an issue.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: Not a full amount of guard there. Yeah, roll for an attack on each for Witch Bolt, or is it, yeah.

LAURA: Yeah. Okay. Okay.

MATT: On this side?

LAURA: What am I doing?

SAM: Rolling.

LAURA: Okay, that's great. That's 16 plus eight.

MATT: 16 plus eight definitely hits.

TRAVIS: You roll that giant die in that little tray.

LIAM: That die almost doesn't fit in the tray.

LAURA: 13 plus eight. So I think they both hit, hopefully.

MATT: Okay, I'll consider that as--

TRAVIS: 21, and what was the first one?

LAURA: 16 plus eight? 24 and 21.

MATT: 16 plus eight? Indeed, both of those hit.

LAURA: Okay, so.

MATT: You're concentrating there on Witch Bolt.

LAURA: 2d12. Really? Really?

SAM: Both 12s?

LAURA: Both 12s. 24 points of damage, or it was six points of damage--

SAM: Oh, okay.

LAURA: -- to them.

MATT: Six points of damage to which one?

LAURA: To one of them, if I'm rolling twice.

LAURA: Because technically, they're two different targets, and you're rolling to hit each, so you do damage for each of them.

LAURA: Okay, so six to one of them.

MATT: That one takes six. The other takes?

LAURA: I don't want to roll this again because it rolled so poorly. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Okay.

SAM: Hold on, hold on, hold on.

LAURA: Six. Just kidding. Oh my god. 16 points to the other one!

MATT: Great, much better. So as you release both these arcing, glowing energy bursts shoot out at a large arc and slam into both of them. As it hits, you watch the tattered material unfold, and behind it, you see this red, toothed mouth go-- (monstrous roars)

TRAVIS: Ew.

MATT: -- in your direction, and you're now holding these two tethers to them, these little threads that are flickering as you're connected.

TALIESIN: What does the tethering do?

LAURA: It just holds the spell on them.

TRAVIS: So she can use it the next round.

MATT: She can spend an action next turn to just do the damage again.

TALIESIN: Oh. Oh. That's amazing.

MATT: Finishing your turn, Imogen, that brings us up to Chetney, with Ashton on deck.

TRAVIS: Where'd Laudna go? I'm going to open the door to the front and look in, still invisible.

MATT: Okay. You step inside, and you don't see any sign of the shadow shape. You do feel an immediate heat from the flame, however, and you do take six points of fire damage.

TRAVIS: Oh, it's hot in here.

LAURA: Jeez.

MATT: The house is catching.

LIAM: Fire!

MATT: This is going to be spreading.

TRAVIS: Looking around the room, is there anything that immediately screams a personal possession of Laudna's?

ASHLEY: The red scissors.

MATT: Looking at the table, you see the dead rat, and you see a small, birdlike skull amongst other bones on the table.

TRAVIS: I scoop them all up.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: I put them in the satchel and I head out.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Coming out the door.

MATT: How far do you get?

TRAVIS: I'm going to turn left, because there's some giant fucking horrible shit off to the right. I'll come down this way.

TRAVIS: This way? So that's five, 10, 15, 20, 25 right there.

TRAVIS: Great.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: That's my-- Stand by. Please hold. This bonus action is brought to you by-- That's my turn.

MATT: Okay. (laughs) Ashton, you're up.

TALIESIN: Will my 40 feet of movement get me to that ghosty motherfucker in front of me?

MATT: Which one? This one?

TALIESIN: That one.

MATT: This one here?

TALIESIN: Yeah. I know it won't get me to the other one.

MATT: Not quite.

TALIESIN: (groans) (continues groaning) Okay. Five, 10, 15, 20.

LAURA: My Dancing Lights are gone. Not that it matters.

MATT: Yeah, yeah, no worries.

TALIESIN: I'm sure we can see shit. I'm going to-- then I'm going to run right up to here, I suppose.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: I'm going to rage and see if that works in this environment.

MATT: You got it.

TALIESIN: I'm probably going to hold my attack for the next thing that comes around and tries to get around me.

MATT: You got it. You hold your action and rage. Roll your rage die.

TALIESIN: Let's see what the rage die says. Where is it? Here we go. Come on, something fun. Hey! I think first fucking time ever. All right. Everything starts going-- Just in a very strange way, everything just starts going like a multicolored-- Like a fire in a fireworks factory. It's just--

LAURA: One of those laser.

TALIESIN: -- multicolored crazy sparks.

LAURA: (electric whirring)

MATT: It's oddly--

TALIESIN: Yes.

MATT: It's not your head, it's your entire spiritual form--

TALIESIN: Oh shit.

MATT: -- that is now filled with that color.

LAURA: Oh, whoa.

SAM: Cool. Cool.

LAURA: Disco Ashton.

MATT: Straight up.

ASHLEY: ♪ (beatbox) ♪

TALIESIN: Laudna's within 10 feet of me, right? Yeah, I did that right.

MATT: Imogen, you mean?

TALIESIN: Imogen. Fuck me.

MATT: (laughs) Yep.

TALIESIN: I owe you a Coke.

MATT: Good. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Yeah. So, yeah, yeah. Cool. I'm holding my attack, just trying to draw one in at this point.

MATT: You got it, okay. That finishes your turn?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: All right. This one here is going to--

LAURA: Oh god, I forgot there was a third one.

MATT: There's a third one back here. It's going to drift over.

LAURA: Oh, whoa.

TALIESIN: Passes me, did it?

MATT: Indeed.

SAM: Oh no.

MATT: You watch as it moves forward. It clips the edge of the roots and the side of the house and just passes through them like it's not fully--

LAURA: Oh no.

MATT: It's kind of immaterial. As it drifts past, you take your two strikes.

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: Uh-oh.

TALIESIN: Everything's fine. All right, first one is a 24 to hit.

MATT: That definitely hits.

TALIESIN: Sure. That's a five, 13 points of damage.

MATT: Okay. 13, nice.

TALIESIN: Then, 22 to hit.

MATT: 22 hits.

TALIESIN: Really quickly I'm going to see if I want to do any other weird shit to this very quickly. Sorry. Didn't use that. Do I want to do something weird? Really quick, I'm so sorry. I'm not used to this one yet.

LAURA: ♪ "Jeopardy!" theme ♪

LIAM: Do you want to get nuts? Come on, let's get nuts.

TALIESIN: All right. No, never mind. Yeah, that's going to be awful. 11 points of damage.

SAM: That's not bad.

TALIESIN: For me it is.

MATT: Great. All right. So you, wham, wham, strike it twice. Its immaterial form, you see as you swing towards it, there's a little part of you that's like, shit, this thing isn't even going to take any hit from this, but your magical hammer alights as you impact it, and it still hits something oddly solid. As you do, (ghostly gurgling) it seems to take the full brunt of your attack. As you grin, its flickering material whips around and darkness begins to apparate from it as it goes ahead and creates a tormenting shadow.

SAM: Tormenting shadow.

LAURA: Oh, cool.

TRAVIS: Oh boy.

SAM: Oh no!

LIAM: What?

SAM: Oh no.

LAURA: Uh-oh.

SAM: Are they in darkness?

MATT: Both Imogen and Ashton, everything around you just goes into cold, freezing cold black shadow.

LIAM: Do we see them anymore?

MATT: You do not see them. This weird dome of magical darkness just apparates for a minute and encompasses both of them before it moves back here. You already used your reaction so you don't get an attack of opportunity. This one here is going to drift over--

SAM: Oh no.

MATT: -- to Fearne on this side.

TRAVIS: Someone tell them we're not the witch.

MATT: It's going to attack you with a Life Drain.

SAM: Life Drain.

ASHLEY: Oh.

MATT: That is going to be 15.

ASHLEY: No.

MATT: 15 misses. It comes forth, and you don't see any limbs on it, but as it comes close to you, you can see that weird glowing mouth in the distance. You just see the teeth in darkness, almost giving off a faint glow to them where you can see them in the black expanse beyond the material. Then out of nowhere, this arm reaches out for you with its clawed fingers.

ASHLEY: Ugh.

MATT: You just slap it out of the way. It (ghastly grumbling).

TRAVIS: (laughs) No.

ASHLEY: No.

MATT: This one here--

ASHLEY: Drop it.

SAM: Ah!

MATT: -- drifts up to where you are, FCG.

SAM: I'm alive!

MATT: The same thing, another hand reaches out towards you.

TALIESIN: No, fuck.

MATT: This one is going to be-- That's a 21 to hit.

SAM: Hits.

MATT: Hit. So as it reaches, and the arm doesn't grab you, it pierces into your spiritual form for a second and you feel this cold siphoning sensation, like a part of this spirit being that you're just now beginning to see and understand gets slightly dimmer as it pulls some of the essence from you. You take--

SAM: But I'm so cute.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: 23 points of necrotic damage.

TRAVIS: Ooh!

ASHLEY: Oh, whoa.

MATT: And I need you to make a constitution saving throw.

SAM: Constitution. 15.

MATT: 15, okay. You manage to hold most of your essence in. As it withdraws the hand back into the flickering material, you hold yourself strong.

TRAVIS: Don't get close--

MATT: Your form is solid.

LAURA: Uh-oh.

TRAVIS: -- if you can help it.

TRAVIS: All right, that's going to finish their go. Now it brings us to FCG, followed by Fearne.

SAM: Oh boy. Can I, without moving out of melee, can I rock around counterclockwise?

LAURA: The clock tonight.

MATT: You can.

SAM: Just to about right there.

MATT: About right there? You will partially step into the shadow, just so you know.

SAM: Well, then one square earlier.

MATT: Okay, so about there.

SAM: I can't see them, but I think they're still in there. I don't know if this is stupid. I'm going to cast Beacon of Hope.

LIAM: Ooh!

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: I remember that one.

TALIESIN: That's a great spell.

SAM: Maybe. Maybe, we'll see. So any creature within 30 feet, does not say that I have to see them.

MATT: It does not say that you can see. That is correct.

SAM: They are all-- Everyone but Chetney has advantage on wisdom saving throws.

TALIESIN: Ooh yeah.

SAM: And death saving throws. Anytime any healing happens, you regain the maximum number of hit points possible.

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: Sweet. That's a great one.

MATT: You don't even roll heal dice, they just get the full amount.

LAURA: That's great.

MATT: That's great.

TALIESIN: If you take a potion, it's all d4s.

MATT: Yeah.

SAM: That's an action. I can't cast another spell. But as a bonus action, I can do another thing to somebody I'm binded to. I can't see Chetney? Oh, but I'm also--

MATT: You're still invisible.

SAM: I'm also way more than 30 feet away from him.

MATT: Correct, yeah.

SAM: So I'll just give it to Imogen since she seems to need it. I'll give her a Bonded Blessing. That's not going to help.

LAURA: Do you need to be able--

SAM: No, no, that's right. That's right. Because we're just bonded by our souls. Our souls are one. (laughter)

LAURA: Just like Delilah and Laudna.

SAM: Uh-huh.

ASHLEY: ♪ When two become one ♪

SAM: So you have a d6 that you can add to anything--

TRAVIS and ASHLEY: ♪ ("2 Become 1") ♪

SAM: -- for the next bit of time.

LAURA: Thank you.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS and ASHLEY: ♪ -- To ya, baby ♪

MATT: Does that finish your turn?

SAM: Uh-huh, it does.

MATT: All right. Fearne, you're up, with Orym on deck.

ASHLEY: All right. I am going to cast Scorching Ray.

TRAVIS: Ooh!

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Scorching Marisha Ray?

ASHLEY: Scorching Marisha Ray.

MATT: So that's three rays you're shooting. Who are they targeting?

ASHLEY: Okay, so--

MATT: They can all be the same target, they can be different targets. Your choice.

ASHLEY: I am going to-- The one next to me--

SAM: Scorching Ray.

ASHLEY: I'm going to go for--

MATT: Oh, as a note too, I'm sorry.

ASHLEY: No, you're fine.

MATT: FCG, when it did strike and claw you and draw your essence, it did seem to restore some of the--

LAURA: Oh.

SAM: Oh.

TRAVIS: Shit.

MATT: -- the capability of the creature that struck you.

ASHLEY: What a bitch.

SAM: Had it been hit before?

LAURA: Yeah, it fucking hit--

SAM: So it heals a little with my essence.

MATT: Continue. So as you draw the spell--

SAM: My essence is pure.

ASHLEY: I'm going to go two shots for the one next to me and one shot for the one next the hut.

MATT: Okay. I will check one thing real fast.

ASHLEY: Or actually.

MATT: Just one second. My apologies.

ASHLEY: That's all right.

SAM: ♪ Dun, dun, dun, dun ♪ ♪ Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun ♪

MATT: That's right. If you are within five feet of a hostile creature and making a ranged attack, you have disadvantage on the attack rolls. This is a saving throw, right? It's not an attack roll, it's a saving throw?

LIAM: Scorching Ray?

ASHLEY: It is Scorching Ray:

LIAM: It is an attack, a spell attack.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Then you have disadvantage on these, right?

LIAM: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Fuck.

MATT: You can move away. You can take a five-foot step and not get disadvantage on any of these.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: They will get an attack.

LAURA: But they'll get an attack of opportunity.

TALIESIN: It will.

MATT: You tell me what you want to do.

ASHLEY: (groans)

TALIESIN: I would like to win.

ASHLEY: Hold on. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Please.

MATT: That's an action.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Let me check something really quick.

TALIESIN: That's a reaction. I already burned that.

ASHLEY: Can't I, since I have a level in rogue, do like a--

MATT: You can disengage as a bonus action and not take any attack of opportunity. If you have the--

ASHLEY: Let's do that. I'll do that as a bonus action.

MATT: If you have that level one rogue ability.

SAM: Nice.

LIAM: Nice.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TALIESIN: Oh wow.

MATT: So you can move a full movement of 30 feet if you want to. Where do you want to go?

SAM: Where do you want to do this?

ASHLEY: Okay, I'm going to go just right there in the middle.

MATT: Right there?

ASHLEY: Yes.

MATT: Okay, yeah. So with that ability, you just whip away from it. It (monstrous gurgle). No impact.

ASHLEY: Yes.

MATT: Two on the left one.

ASHLEY: Oh, oh, oh, some of these are not bad. Okay. We've got 16.

MATT: 16 hits.

ASHLEY: We've got 25.

MATT: That hits. And then?

SAM: Woo.

ASHLEY: And we've got 26.

SAM: Dang.

MATT: All three hit.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: Hell yeah.

ASHLEY: But where are my teeth?

MATT: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Where are my teeth?

MATT: A question I ask myself often.

LAURA: My little teeny baby teeth.

ASHLEY: I haven't rolled these in a minute.

TALIESIN: We'll all be asking that--

MATT: We will. Faster than we're ready for it.

SAM: Before Fearne does anything, she puts on the plague mask that she stole from Percival de Rolo's office. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Oh, I was wanting to take something. Okay.

TALIESIN: Did we discuss what happens if someone touches-- No, never mind.

LIAM: She's using the--

MATT: We'll cross that bridge if we get there.

ASHLEY: First hit are a snake eyes, so two.

MATT: So two damage on the first one, okay. Two points of fire damage--

LIAM: You used the baby teeth.

SAM: Roll them again.

MATT: -- against that guy. The second attack against this fellow again.

ASHLEY: I'm going to use these again.

SAM: Come on.

LIAM: Baby teeth.

ASHLEY: Ooh! Nine.

MATT: Nine points of fire damage against that one. Nice.

SAM: I like how you roll them. (laughs)

ASHLEY: Where is it?

TRAVIS: Where is it?

ASHLEY: Aw! Double snake eyes again.

SAM: What?

LIAM: Sprinkling salt.

LAURA: Don't roll the teeth!

ASHLEY: All right. Teeth are out of the game.

TALIESIN: They never go well.

MATT: So you (scorching rays fire). You impact and you see the blasts hit, and the fire definitely hits, but it seems to be partially absorbed by its form, too. They take damage, but not as much as you would've hoped.

TRAVIS: Ah, shits.

LAURA: Dang.

TRAVIS: Shits.

LAURA: I guess that makes sense. They did set things on fire.

MATT: All right, so.

ASHLEY: That does make sense. Mister's turn.

MATT: Mister's turn indeed.

ASHLEY: Mister is going to--

SAM: Put on the plague mask.

ASHLEY: Shoot some Flame Seeds.

MATT: That would be a vision.

ASHLEY: Or wait a minute. Later? Okay.

LAURA: You're fine.

ASHLEY: Shoot some Flame Seeds at the big boy in the back.

MATT: This guy here?

ASHLEY: Yes. Or no, sorry, the one next to the hut. Closest to you.

MATT: Right here? Mister cannot see where he is because that orb of darkness is in the way, but he can move if he wants to.

ASHLEY: Yeah, let's do it.

MATT: There. Okay, go for it.

ASHLEY: Perfect.

MATT: Now roll an attack against that one.

ASHLEY: Oh, nice. Okay. 22.

MATT: 22 definitely hits.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: Roll damage for that Flame Seed. That flaming spectral poop.

SAM: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

MATT: The layers. The layers.

ASHLEY: All right. All right. Seven points total.

MATT: Seven points of damage. Reduced by half because it is fire.

SAM: (groans) Does that finish your turn, Fearne?

ASHLEY: Yes.

MATT: Turn Fearne.

ASHLEY: Turn Fearne.

MATT: All righty. Orym, you're up, with Imogen on deck.

LIAM: All right. Orym is going to bound over towards FCG and leap, shove his shield in the face of this thing and use his foot to push FCG back, Bait and Switch again, take his place.

MATT: You got it.

SAM: Ow.

LIAM: So you're out of melee.

SAM: Thank you.

LIAM: I will take the extra AC this time.

TRAVIS: ♪ Thank you ♪

LIAM: So I'm at 22. I will lay into this thing. First is a da, da, da, da, da, da.

LAURA: Zip, zip, zip, zip, zip, zip. Yep, yep, yep, yep.

LIAM: 23 to hit.

MATT: 23 definitely hits.

LIAM: Okay. That is a--

SAM: ♪ Bum, bum-bum, bum-bum ♪

LIAM: Six plus six, okay. Five.

TRAVIS: Are you drawing on your--

LIAM: Six is 11. I'm going to make this a--

ASHLEY: Yeah, you can color it.

SAM: Whoa, that's cool.

LIAM: Goading attack, so it has to make a wisdom save.

MATT: That's 11 points of damage?

LIAM: Yes.

MATT: Plus whatever you roll for your--

LIAM: Right.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: For the superiority die, which is another eight.

MATT: Dang, so 19.

LIAM: Add to that, 19, and it has to make a wis save.

MATT: Okay, that is an 11.

LIAM: Fails.

MATT: It fails. So it gets disadvantage against everybody except for you.

LIAM: Except for me. Then I continues to hit.

MATT: You got it. Next one is much worse. That's a 14 to hit.

MATT: 14 still hits.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: They're not necessarily hard to hit, they're just hard to damage.

LIAM: 10 points of damage for that one.

MATT: 10 points of damage.

LIAM: And Orym keeps going, just slashing fabric away as best he can. That is a natural one, which I will reroll because I'm not Sam.

MATT: Oh wait, so are you--

LIAM: Action surge.

MATT: Action surge?

LIAM: Yeah, sorry.

MATT: Hell yeah, go for it.

LIAM: Should've said it.

MATT: That's okay.

LIAM: This hits, too. It's 11 plus nine is 20.

MATT: Go for it.

LIAM: So that is, two plus six is eight, and for the final attack, my action surge is a 19 to hit, and that is--

MATT: That's good.

LIAM: 12.

MATT: 12, great. So as you rush up and just cut through him rapidly, pushing FCG back and getting in a defensive position, you at first dart through and you're cutting and you're seeing material splinter off and fade. The third strike you cut and you hear it shriek internally. The fourth strike, you cut upward and you can see bits of dark ichor--

LAURA: Nice.

MATT: -- spilling out of it. It hits the ground and just (sizzling) burns away. You've taken a heavy chunk out of that one.

SAM: Great.

MATT: It seems very unhappy.

LIAM: Okay, okay.

MATT: All right.

LIAM: Done-zo.

MATT: Finish your turn. All right. Imogen you're up, with Chetney on deck.

LAURA: I can't see--

MATT: At the top of your turn, because you begin your turn within the tormenting shadow, immediately I need you to make a constitution saving throw for me.

TALIESIN: With a d4 added.

LAURA: Why?

SAM: d4?

TALIESIN: Because you're within 10 feet of me.

LAURA: Eyy!

TALIESIN: Luck likes you right now.

MATT: Oh yeah.

TALIESIN: I'm feeling really lucky right now.

TRAVIS: Luck likes you right now.

LAURA: 16.

MATT: 16, okay. So you take half the damage.

SAM: Okay, okay.

MATT: Which is probably good. So you take nine points of necrotic damage.

TRAVIS: Ooh.

SAM: Okay, okay.

MATT: You are slowed, so you only move half your movement.

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: Oh no.

LAURA: Can I just back up and try to get out of this?

MATT: Yeah, you step back five feet out of the shadow. You see Fearne right to your back, and the two creatures that you had currently situated, I need you to make a constitution saving throw because of the damage you took.

LAURA: Oh jeez.

MATT: So you can maintain concentration.

LAURA: Okay, okay, okay.

MATT: Sorry.

TALIESIN: Would that still have been within 10 feet of me? Technically?

MATT: It would've been, yeah, because it was the top of the round.

TALIESIN: So add a d4.

MATT: Add another d4 to it.

SAM: You going to help?

TRAVIS: It doesn't matter.

SAM: You can also add a d6 if you need it.

LAURA: It's just got to be better than half of the--

MATT: Better than half the damage you take or 10, whichever is better. So DC is 10.

LAURA: But I only took nine points of damage.

MATT: Correct, but the minimum is always going to be 10 for a concentration check.

LAURA: Okay. Okay, then I made it with the six that FCG got me.

MATT: Okay, great. So with that, you maintain concentration. You still feel the tethers attached to the two creatures. It's your turn, what do you do?

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: ♪ Lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky ♪

LAURA: Okay, okay, okay. All right, I'm going to just keep it up and shoot him again, just hitting him with Witch Bolt, but the one on this side I'm going to just use the Witch Bolt and shove him back five feet if I can with my Telekinetic Shove.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: At the same time.

MATT: Strength saving throw on that for it?

LAURA: 15.

MATT: That is a 11.

LAURA: Great.

MATT: Because they actually have a penalty on that.

LAURA: I don't know if it matters, but I'm just trying to get him further away.

MATT: Pushes him back, and then roll damage for each of them.

LAURA: Okay. 11.

SAM: Mm-hmm. Good.

MATT: 11 on that one.

LAURA: Sure.

MATT: Whichever one you want.

LAURA: I'm going to do-- Yeah, 11 on that one.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Then eight damage on the one that Orym was hitting.

MATT: Got it. Okay. Okay.

TRAVIS: Blow it up.

MATT: You once again invoke both of these tethers, and both tethers brighten wide, almost like the filament in a light bulb, they just glow a bright purple, and then send the energy through in an instant.

LAURA: My dress floats up in the air as it happens.

MATT: (airy whoosh) As it floats down. Both of them take the hit. The one you push away, you can see it's tugging at the edge of the tether, but it's still angry and it's hungry. The one over here by Orym is looking like it's having a rough time. It's starting to (ghostly wavering). It's trying to stay afloat and flying.

LAURA: Ooh, float.

MATT: That finish your turn, Imogen?

LAURA: Uh-huh.

MATT: Chetney, you're up.

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'll run up 25 feet towards the one that's at Ashton. I'll get very close. Am I within melee?

MATT: You are within melee.

TRAVIS: I'll take a couple swipes with my chisel!

TALIESIN: Within 10 feet of me or no?

MATT: Yeah, you can get there.

TRAVIS: Amazing.

MATT: Within 10 feet of you, yeah.

TALIESIN: Oh, add a d4 to your attacks.

TRAVIS: d4 to the attacks, too?

TALIESIN and MATT: Yep.

TRAVIS: What's up, tiny dancer?

LAURA: Whoops.

TRAVIS: Whoa!

MATT: That dice was like, fuck this! I'm out.

LAURA: I'm tiny! (laughter)

ASHLEY: I didn't agree to this.

TRAVIS: 21 on the first one.

TALIESIN: Weird little fireworks.

TRAVIS: And 24 on the second one.

TALIESIN: Damn.

MATT: Both hit. Go ahead and roll damage.

TRAVIS: Amazing. 1d6. ♪ But I don't have ♪ any Crimson Rite up ♪ ♪ Because these things ♪ don't have blood ♪ That's a one, plus six, so seven on the first one.

MATT: Just so you know, they don't need to have blood for you to do a Crimson Rite on them. It still hurts them because it takes your blood. It's blood curses that don't affect them.

TRAVIS: Oh, that's interesting.

MATT: So in theory, if you wanted to use a bonus action in advance to do Crimson Rite, you're allowed to.

TRAVIS: No.

MATT: All right.

TRAVIS: 17. 17 points total between the two strikes.

MATT: Between the two of those?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: Great. Awesome. So as you cut through it-- This is your magical chisel, correct?

TRAVIS: Yes.

MATT: Yes. So it does indeed carve through it, and you hear the (guttural shriek) shriek inside as the material, not noticing you were there, since you've been invisible since you arrived, it seems to swirl and almost rearrange the positioning of these hundreds of little dangling tethers of grave-like material. Then suddenly emerging from it, this, not even flat mouth of jagged teeth. It almost seems like one of those bloodworm, round mouth just--

LIAM: No.

MATT: -- appears knowing that you're present.

TRAVIS: Get off me.

MATT: All right. Does that finish your turn?

TRAVIS: Yep.

MATT: All righty. That brings us to Ashton. Ashton, I need you to make a constitution saving throw for me, please.

LAURA: Ashton, Ashton.

LIAM: ♪ Fuck it up to the tempo ♪

TRAVIS: Ashton, Ashton, read all about it.

TALIESIN: 15?

MATT: 15, yeah. That's a success.

TALIESIN: All right.

MATT: So you only take half damage for-- Wow, he's got another nine points of necrotic damage. Those were some decent damage rolls.

TALIESIN: Reduced by half.

MATT: And your speed is reduced to half.

TALIESIN: I know.

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: I know.

LAURA: ♪ Too sexy for my clothes ♪

TALIESIN: Okay, cool, cool, cool. Speed reduced to half? I'm going to back out and turn--

ASHLEY: I know, I know.

MATT: Here?

TALIESIN: Yeah. Then see what I'm going to see there. I'm going to take a look around.

LIAM: Let's go, barbarian.

TALIESIN: Fuck that guy in particular right over there. So I'm going to head straight towards the guy that--

MATT: This one?

TALIESIN: No, that Orym's engaging.

LAURA: Yeah, destroy him.

LIAM: Let's go, barbarian!

TALIESIN: Run towards him.

LAURA: Get rid of him!

LIAM: Barbara.

LAURA: Before he can do anything.

TALIESIN: Orym! Shields up.

TRAVIS: Barbara!

TALIESIN: I'm going to take a swing and see if I can get the ball right in the center to squish on the shield I'm just going to try and fucking pancake that motherfucker.

MATT: Okay, make your attacks.

TALIESIN: All right. Hey, and look at that. All right, here we go. That's--

SAM: Barbara Downs!

TRAVIS: Damn it, Barbara.

TALIESIN: 13, a 22 to hit.

MATT: That hits.

TALIESIN: That hits. All right, let's see what that does. Eh. 15 points of damage.

LIAM: Hammer down.

MATT: 15 points of damage, all right.

LIAM: Hammer down.

TALIESIN: Big squish, flipping around again. Going to get a better angle and see if I can get this thing to hit like a fucking ringing bell.

MATT: Let's do it.

SAM: Who's Barbara Downs again?

TALIESIN: Seven, eight. 17?

MATT: 17 damage?

TALIESIN: No, to hit.

MATT: To hit? That definitely hits.

TALIESIN: Okay. Come on, guys. Oh, that's better. It's the same.

LIAM: Crush it, kill it, end it.

TALIESIN: 15 more points of damage.

MATT: How do you want to do this?

ASHLEY: Yes!

SAM: Ooh.

TALIESIN: I finally want to take a little bit of rolling at the angle--

SAM: Rollies?

TALIESIN: You've got the shield down. I'm just going to get that ball right between the hammer and the shield and we're just going to crack it like a fucking egg.

ASHLEY: Cool.

LIAM: Oh, cool.

MATT: You slam that center of its weird whipping form and find where the magical power of your hammer finds that solid nature of its body. You push against the shield, and with that form, it splatters like an overripe fruit.

LAURA: Ugh.

MATT: As it does, all the tethers of weird black fabric just dissipate, and then get picked up by wind and scattered past the dark fog in the distance.

TALIESIN: It's just the LED light show going on in my head and through my eyes right now.

SAM: Oh my god.

LIAM: Orym's feet get driven six inches back in the soil. Ow.

TALIESIN: I'm ready for the next one. Run. I'm running towards Fearne with whatever I have left.

MATT: Let's see how this--

TALIESIN: Oh, I'm not-- Yeah.

TRAVIS: Why is there a nightclub--

TALIESIN: Oh, that's right, half my movement. That's all I can probably do.

MATT: Yes, that'd be--

TALIESIN: Because I can move 20 feet.

MATT: Correct, yeah.

TALIESIN: Total.

LIAM: Let's go save Fearne.

MATT: All right. That's your go.

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: Now it brings us to their turn. So this one here is going to turn around towards where you are.

LAURA: Oh no, Chetney.

SAM: He's bigger than you.

MATT: Chetney.

MATT: Yes?

LAURA: ♪ Oh no, Chetney ♪

MATT: You watch as the materials begin to spiral in place, and then out of the dark hole, (guttural growl) a claw reaches out towards you.

TRAVIS: Ow.

MATT: For 20?

TRAVIS: Oh yeah, it hits.

MATT: 20 hits. As it reaches into your spiritual form, you feel the terrible raking pain as it rips a chunk from your body. You take 18 points of necrotic damage.

TRAVIS: Boosh!

SAM: I can't see you.

MATT: Regains--

SAM: Damn it.

TRAVIS: I'm visible again.

MATT: -- 18 points.

SAM: No, but there's a hole of blackness between us.

TRAVIS: Don't use that as an excuse.

MATT: I need you to make a constitution saving throw for me.

TRAVIS: Okay. ♪ Constitution saving throw ♪ Four!

MATT: Four.

TALIESIN: Oh, thank god.

MATT: So how much damage did you take? You took...?

SAM: 18.

TRAVIS: 18 points.

MATT: 18? Your maximum hit points are also now reduced by 18.

LAURA: (gasps)

TRAVIS: Damn!

ASHLEY: Oh no.

MATT: As it tears a sizable part of your spirit from you and devours it. You watch as Chetney's light dims just a little bit.

LAURA: Oh no.

TRAVIS: ♪ Just a little bit ♪

MATT: Then it's going to sink beneath the ground and vanish.

LAURA: Oh, great.

TALIESIN: No attack of opportunity?

LIAM: If Chetney dies, so does Christmas.

MATT: Chetney does get an attack of opportunity as it leaves.

LAURA: Yes. Destroy it, Chet. Kill it.

TRAVIS: What?

SAM: You have an attack of opport-ani-ta.

TRAVIS: Oh sorry, I was modifying my current hit points for good. I hit it with a thing.

MATT: Take your attack.

TRAVIS: Not that dice.

LIAM: ♪ Hey ya ♪

TRAVIS: That's fine. Yeah. Mm-mm-mm, 21.

MATT: That hits. Go ahead and roll damage.

LIAM: They have a real low AC.

TRAVIS: 12 points of slashing.

ASHLEY: Nice.

MATT: You got it. As it vanishes beneath the ground.

SAM: Nice.

MATT: All righty.

SAM: Are you clenching?

MATT: This one here is going to drift around.

LIAM: Dang it.

SAM: Don't you dare. Don't you dare!

MATT: Then create its own tormenting shadow.

LIAM: No!

SAM: No, not again!

LAURA and LIAM: No!

TRAVIS: Ugh.

SAM: Can't they be bad at D&D like we are? (laughter)

LIAM: No, they've been playing for too long.

MATT: The mist is there. It's going to sink beneath the ground.

LAURA: Oh no.

MATT: Out of sight.

LIAM: Dang.

TALIESIN: For fuck's sakes.

LIAM: They're gone-zo.

MATT: You have no visual sight on them at the moment.

LIAM: Oh shit.

ASHLEY: Hello?

MATT: Now--

SAM: I can hear you.

MATT: You would not get any attack of opportunity as it leaves because you have to see the target to do so.

SAM: Sure.

MATT: So, that ends their turn. FCG, you're up. You're in darkness. I need you to make a constitution saving throw for me.

SAM: ♪ Constitution saving throw ♪

TALIESIN: Yep, no. Can't help.

SAM: 18.

MATT: 18. All right, great. You take seven points of necrotic damage and you are slowed.

SAM: Oh man, slow condition? Bloop, bloop, bloop.

TALIESIN: Slowed in the sense that--

TRAVIS: Bleep blorp.

TALIESIN: -- you just can only do half movement until you're out of the--

SAM: Oh, when you're out, you're out?

MATT: Yeah, when you're inside the--

SAM: Oh, well then I will move out.

MATT: You can move a little more over.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: You're up here, if you wanted to.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I'm into that.

MATT: Okay. So you would've had a little more movement.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

LIAM: There's nothing of note inside--

SAM: Good god.

LIAM: -- burning up? I don't know what direction to move in.

TRAVIS: Nothing else that looked red.

TALIESIN: Well, you know where the source of the shadow came from at least, so.

SAM: Yes, I do. But I don't know which way I would want to move. Well yeah, I don't even know that it's gone, so I would go towards Orym to get out.

MATT: Okay, you bump into Orym immediately.

SAM: Oh, sorry. Just--

MATT: You can move through him if you want to.

SAM: Just another living soul coming 'round.

MATT: Do make a concentration check for me, though, to see if you maintain the Beacon.

SAM: Uh-huh.

MATT: Constitution saving throw.

TALIESIN: You also get a--

SAM: 13 and stuff.

MATT: You're fine.

TALIESIN: Yeah, okay. Never mind.

SAM: Okay. Well, now that I'm out--

TALIESIN: We can't enter though--

SAM: -- I see no enemies, nor can I see Chetney, Imogen, or Fearne.

MATT: Correct.

SAM: My friends in front of me, Orym and Ashton, how wickedly hurt are either of you?

LIAM: Aces.

TALIESIN: I'm glowing like somebody out of one of the Thor films right now. I'm fucking great. (laughter)

SAM: ♪ ("Get Ready for This") Do, do, do, do, do, do, do ♪

LIAM: The circles are an amorphous blob of shadow, right?

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: To our vision?

MATT: Yeah, just this black dome of pitch dark.

LIAM: Okay.

SAM: Well then, in that case, I will--

LIAM: Can't see shit, then.

SAM: I will-- Oof, bonus action. Just cast Spiritual Weapon so it's up and ready when they come back.

LAURA: Smart.

MATT: Okay, where would you like your Spiritual Weapon to be, and what does it look like?

SAM: Let's have it be just right between me and Orym for right now.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: It's the thing that black fabric hates the most. It's a bottle of bleach. (laughter)

MATT: You asshole. There's your bottle of bleach.

SAM: Hey, you got one. (laughter)

TALIESIN: It's more of a Tide Pod, isn't it?

SAM: Uh-huh.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

LIAM: Don't eat it.

SAM: That's my bonus action. For an action, I don't--

MATT: You also can hold actions, too, with the condition of if you see something.

SAM: Sure, sure. I guess I can hold action. I already cast a spell. Holding action uses my reaction for this turn? Is that how that works?

MATT: It will when it goes off, yeah.

TALIESIN: Fuck. I'm in trouble.

SAM: (sighs) In that case, I will just use my action for self-care, and I will drink a potion of healing.

MATT: Go for it. You don't even have to roll the dice.

TALIESIN: Don't have to roll it.

SAM: Don't I have to roll to see--

LAURA: No, you get full--

MATT: No, because you have the Beacon of Hope.

LAURA: Your Beacon of Hope.

TALIESIN: So four points plus--

SAM: I'm in the Beacon.

MATT: Well, eight points plus two, because it's four and four plus two, so.

TALIESIN: 10 points.

MATT: You just get 10 hit points.

SAM: Up 10 points. Hey, that's great.

TALIESIN: Always the max.

MATT: There you go. Then slide that back over here.

SAM: Okay. Oh, sorry.

MATT: (laughs) It's fine. Thank you, Ashton.

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

MATT: All righty. So.

SAM: That's it.

MATT: That's it. All right. Now we come to the top of the round to the fires.

ASHLEY: Wait, I didn't go yet.

MATT: That's right, you're at the bottom. Sorry. My bad. You're up.

ASHLEY: Yes.

TALIESIN: Should we do something with the fires?

ASHLEY: Ooh, now it's dark. Okay. I'm just going to try to back out of this.

MATT: Okay, which direction?

ASHLEY: Just to-- I'm just backing out, so I guess-- Well, I would love to try to go this way if I can.

MATT: Yeah. At the top of the round, I do need you to make a constitution saving throw.

ASHLEY: Okay. Let's do this one. 16.

MATT: 16, that's a success. So you only take five points of necrotic damage.

ASHLEY: Okay.

SAM: That's not bad.

MATT: Not too bad. You step out of it.

ASHLEY: I don't see anybody else, right?

LAURA: You see me.

MATT: Not at the moment.

TALIESIN: I can't--

MATT: You see Chetney, and you see Imogen. That's it.

TALIESIN: I'm not high enough over the-- The blobs are too high for--

MATT: Unfortunately, yeah. It is kind of a--

TALIESIN: Okay, it's too big.

MATT: It's a 10-foot radius, so it's a 10-foot dome and you're just at the crest of it.

TALIESIN: Yeah. Yeah, that's fair.

ASHLEY: I think they're gone.

SAM: (laughs)

ASHLEY: I think we did it.

SAM: Great!

ASHLEY: But I'm going to prepare an Ice Knife.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: If one shows up.

TRAVIS: Mmm.

MATT: You got it. Okay. So you go ahead and--

ASHLEY: At the ready.

MATT: -- have your Ice Knife at the ready. Is that your turn?

ASHLEY: That's my turn.

MATT: Okay. Which brings us back to the top of the round for one--

ASHLEY: You know what? Could I actually have Mister come over to me?

MATT: Yeah. Mister comes over to you right there.

ASHLEY: That's my turn.

MATT: All right. Top of the next round. The one that was destroyed, the shadow that it created now vanishes.

LAURA: Oh, it was destroyed?

TALIESIN: Yeah, we popped it.

LAURA: Oh, I thought it just went into the ground.

MATT: Two of them went into the ground, but one of them was destroyed earlier.

LAURA: Oh, okay, okay, okay.

MATT: The shadow that it created vanishes at the top of the next round.

LAURA: Okay, great.

MATT: The fire also begins to spread.

TALIESIN: I feel like we should do something about that. Anybody got anything for fire?

ASHLEY: Actually, I have something.

SAM: To start? Not to start fire.

ASHLEY: I already started something. No, well--

MATT: Orym, you're up.

LIAM: All right.

MATT: With Imogen on deck.

LIAM: Yep. Five, 10, 15, I slide under here, get past Imogen, and use my last bit of movement to Bait and Switch again.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Put myself there in front of them. Imogen gains two points to her AC for this round if she stays near.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Doesn't have to. I hold my attack to slice anything that attacks her or I.

MATT: You got it. Okay, that finishes your turn. Imogen, you're up, with Chetney on deck.

LAURA: I assume, since they are out of my range-- Are they out of my range?

MATT: You don't feel the tether vanish. Let me see here how it works.

LIAM: Down below.

TRAVIS: ♪ Six feet under down below ♪

SAM: It's a cool fire, though. Is that new fire? That's new fire.

LAURA: I only have one tether up.

SAM: I haven't seen that fire before.

MATT: It doesn't say that you have to see the target to do it again.

LAURA: No.

LIAM: You just have to be in range.

LAURA: So as long as it's within 30 feet of me.

MATT: Yeah. The tether, as you are holding it, you can see the tether moving through the ground a bit.

ASHLEY: Oh, cool.

LAURA: Ooh!

TALIESIN: Oh, please, this would be amazing.

LAURA: Where is it moving? Can I feel it?

MATT: It's currently right where it dropped, just below the ground.

LAURA: (grunts)

MATT: Go ahead and roll a d10, or d12.

LIAM: Well, now I'm your Huckleberry.

TALIESIN: Bless you.

LAURA: Nine points of damage.

MATT: Nine points of damage to it. Great. So it strikes them, you assume beneath the ground. So, all right, that's your action.

TRAVIS: Assume?

LAURA: What do I have my thing around me for? Is that concentration?

MATT: It's concentration. Yeah.

LAURA: Okay.

LIAM: It's a hula hoop.

TRAVIS: It's a hula hoop.

LAURA: That's all I have, because I can't--

MATT: Do you want to move or are you going to stay put? If you move, you lose the two to AC.

LAURA: Yeah, I don't want to move.

MATT: Okay, so you hold tight. That brings us to Chetney, with Ashton on deck.

TRAVIS: I'll move forward 15 feet towards the outside of that circle.

MATT: Right there? Okay.

TRAVIS: I'll hold two slashing attacks with my chisels, but I'll use my bonus action to draw it across my hand and get a little (roaring flame) going.

MATT: You got it.

TRAVIS: That's--

MATT: Chisel is now a-light.

TRAVIS: Six points of damage to me.

MATT: You got it. All righty. Now, finishing Chetney's go, holding his action, Ashton, you're up.

TALIESIN: So question.

MATT: Yeah?

TALIESIN: Since there's nothing to hit, I'm going to have to drop rage at the end of my turn.

MATT: Since there's nothing to hit and you aren't hit, yeah. You can re-rage, if you want to.

TALIESIN: Will I have to reroll to re-rage? Or to maintain rage. I'm fine either way. I'm just curious. Do I re-pop it?

MATT: If you re-rage, you will have to reroll.

TALIESIN: Aight.

TRAVIS: You are fine either way.

TALIESIN: Hmm?

TRAVIS: You are fine either way.

SAM: (laughs)

TALIESIN: I'm going to step down.

MATT: That's also if you take no damage before the end of your next turn, too. But if you spend a rage now to maintain it, you can if you want to.

TALIESIN: But I'll still be raging until the beginning of my next turn.

MATT: Correct.

TALIESIN: Okay, if I'm not actually going to lose it right now, then--

MATT: You got a hit last turn, or you hit last turn.

TALIESIN: I hit last turn.

MATT: It isn't until the beginning of your next turn, if you don't hit anything or don't take damage, then you will--

TALIESIN: So I would just have to rage at the beginning of my next turn--

MATT: Correct.

TALIESIN: -- I'll still have good coverage.

MATT: Correct.

TALIESIN: All right. In that case, I'm going to... Yeah, I'm going to head on over here. Where can I be the most help with where I'm at right now? I'm going to-- FCG, are you okay where you are right now, or do you want a little coverage?

SAM: I'm okay. I mean, you just-- I don't know where they are, so yeah, I'm fine.

TALIESIN: Shit. Damn. I'm going to--

LAURA: Shit damn.

TALIESIN: Shit damn. I'm going to try and see if I can get over there to get--

MATT: To there.

TALIESIN: About there.

MATT: Here, or here?

TALIESIN: Probably one more further, if that's okay.

MATT: One more.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: All righty.

TALIESIN: Then yeah, I'm going to hold my attacks for the next thing that comes around. I've got some attacks and reactions to play with.

MATT: You got it. Okay. Finishing your go, it is now their turn. Top of their turn, since they are both in a solid object, they do both take a little bit of damage.

SAM: Oh!

LAURA: Ooh, that's good.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Oh, Matt.

LIAM: ♪ Ba, ba, ba, ba-bam ♪

MATT: What?

SAM: I don't know. How do you do this?

LAURA: How do you do this?

TRAVIS: How do you do this?

MATT: I don't know.

LAURA: I don't know. (laughter)

MATT: This one.

SAM: ♪ Wah, wah ♪

MATT: Up here. Right about here.

SAM: ♪ Wah, wah ♪

MATT: Since you three are gathered in that one space.

LAURA: Yeah, that makes sense.

MATT: (whooshes) As it emerges, you sense, because it is a little bit peeking out of the shadow, you do get an attack.

LIAM: All right, here we go.

TALIESIN: Add a d4 to your attack.

LIAM: Yay.

MATT: We'll say it has half cover because you can only see part of it.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: Technically.

LIAM: So disadvantage, or?

MATT: No, it just gets a plus two to its AC.

LIAM: Oh, plus two, okay. All right, well, it's 14 plus-- No, it's not 14. 17 plus nine, so yeah, that's pretty good.

SAM: Wow.

MATT: Definitely hits.

LIAM: Okay, and that will be, let's make it a Goading Attack.

LAURA: Ooh.

SAM: (bleats)

LIAM: That's nine, and it has nine points of damage plus seven is 16, so 16 points of damage and it has to make that wisdom save.

MATT: You got it.

SAM: ♪ Trouble, trouble, trouble ♪

MATT: Natural 19.

LIAM: Okay, so--

MATT: So it saves.

LIAM: It passes, and I attack again. Does a six plus four is 10, plus... A 19 to hit.

MATT: 19 hits.

LIAM: We'll pump another Goading Attack into it.

MATT: Go for it. Use all them dice.

LIAM: Yep.

LAURA: (groans)

LIAM: Two plus six is eight.

TALIESIN: Nah, this is...

LIAM: Four is 12.

LAURA: ♪ We're going to fight Delilah ♪ ♪ Don't forget ♪

LIAM: 12 points of damage.

SAM: I don't know. Use it all.

TRAVIS: You got it.

LIAM: Oh, and it has to make the wisdom save.

MATT: With that, it's a 13.

LIAM: That fails.

MATT: A fail, so it is now goaded.

LIAM: Disadvantage against everyone except for me.

MATT: You got it. Great.

TRAVIS: Goaded!

MATT: Okay. (laughter)

TALIESIN: (imitates air horn) (laughter)

MATT: (imitates air horn) All right. As it emerges into the space, it is going to do what it was trying to do, which is attack the creature that it's tethered to that damaged it underground. (groaning)

MATT: So it's going to strike out (slashes) at you. It does have disadvantage on the attack, though, because of you.

LAURA: Okay, that's great.

MATT: Which would have been a 21 to hit on the first roll.

MATT: Which would have been a 21 to hit on the first roll. It was an 11 on the second.

LAURA: Ha ha hoo hee ha!

MATT: Goaded and your bonus AC, it strikes out towards you, and as it goes in that direction, you see Orym harrying it from the side, and it gets distracted and it strikes wide as your magical mage armor (whooshes) deflects the claws of this strange necrotic creature. So no impact on you. This one here--

SAM: Uh-oh.

MATT: Is going to appear right behind you, Chetney.

LIAM: Chetles!

TRAVIS: He appeared, so I can take two swipes at him.

MATT: You do. You do indeed.

TALIESIN: Add a d4 to both attacks.

TRAVIS: Nice.

LIAM: Ashton--

TRAVIS: 24.

LAURA: Are we all within 10 feet? A lot of us are in--

TALIESIN: I got right in the middle of y'all.

TRAVIS: 27 for the first one.

MATT: That hits.

TRAVIS: 14, uh-oh.

TALIESIN: Hopefully someone will try and hurt me in the next--

TRAVIS: 17 for the second one.

MATT: Yeah, that hits as well.

TRAVIS: Oh, good.

SAM: Nice, nice. Come on, Barbara Downs.

MATT: Tell me which damage is fire by the way, separately. Dual weapon damage--

TRAVIS: 16 on the first one.

MATT: Great.

TRAVIS: Plus some fire damage from the Crimson Rite.

MATT: You got it.

TRAVIS: And... same one, same thing. What'd I say? 16?

MATT: 16. How much was fire?

TRAVIS: Six.

MATT: Okay, got you.

SAM: Six.

TRAVIS: Yep, six.

TRAVIS and SAM: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Six plus one. Oh, I need to roll it again. No, that is a six, yeah.

MATT: Yeah, okay.

TRAVIS: Yes.

MATT: That's the first attack?

TRAVIS: That was the first one.

MATT: Yeah. So go ahead and--

TRAVIS: Oh, and the second one was the exact same.

SAM: The exact same.

MATT: Exact same? On everything?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: Okay, got you.

TRAVIS: All the same dice.

MATT: Great.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM and LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

TALIESIN and LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Listen, these Werther's are real good, you guys.

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: That was a good idea.

SAM: I had that there for a reason.

LIAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: Every Werther's you suck on, I just watch one more gray hair happen.

MATT: So as it emerges, you strike it twice. (slashes) It angrily (grunts) lashes out at you.

TRAVIS: Nice.

MATT: In attack. That's going to be 18.

TRAVIS: That's my AC.

MATT: That's your AC? It just barely strikes. The claw cuts into you once more.

LAURA: Oh no.

TALIESIN: Damn it.

MATT: Doing a life drain damage of--

SAM: I'm going to absorb half of this.

MATT: 20 points of necrotic damage.

SAM: I'll take it.

LAURA and TRAVIS: Whoa!

LIAM: Ooh.

SAM: I'll take 10.

MATT: All right, so you take 10 and you take 10. I need you to make a constitution saving throw.

LAURA: Oh no.

TALIESIN: Add a d4 to that constitution saving throw.

MATT: I need you to make a constitution saving throw.

SAM: Sure.

TALIESIN: You do not.

MATT: Add a d4 to it.

TALIESIN: You don't get to.

SAM: Oh, I don't get to add. Concentration or constitution?

MATT: Constitution.

TRAVIS: 16, 17, 18.

SAM: Nine.

TRAVIS: 18.

MATT: 18, that's a success. So you're fine. You got a nine?

SAM: Nine.

MATT: Your maximum hit point is reduced by 10.

SAM: My maximum hit points--

MATT: Hit points are reduced.

SAM: (shouts) Are reduced by 10?

MATT: Correct.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Holy shit. Wait, and do I also drop Beacon of Hope?

MATT: We'll get to roll concentration check now to see--

SAM: Oh, that was a constitution check.

MATT: Correct. That was the life drain. Because you took the damage from it, essentially, the life drain drawn from you as well.

TRAVIS: That attack you took for me, FCG.

SAM: I would do anything for a fellow living soul.

MATT: (laughs)

TRAVIS: (shouts) The tears!

MATT: Now roll another constitution saving throw for me to see if you maintain concentration.

SAM: 18 plus--

MATT: You're fine.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: Okay, great. So that's going to finish this, but it does regain--

LAURA: Fuck.

MATT: 20 hit points.

SAM: Gained a fuck.

TRAVIS: Damn, 20 hit points?

LAURA: Does it get full-- It gets a full--

SAM: Damn.

LAURA: 20. Shit.

SAM: Damn.

MATT: And then--

SAM: Damn.

MATT: (whooshes)

SAM: No!

MATT: He's going to shift back through the building over here.

LAURA: Just run away from him.

SAM: What?

TRAVIS: Do I get a--

SAM: You dick.

TRAVIS: -- attack of opportunity?

MATT: You held your reaction to and attack when it appeared, as did Orym. This guy's going to--

LIAM: There it goes.

MATT: -- move back over here. And then vanish beneath--

SAM: No! I can't attack it!

SAM and TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: Sorry, these guys are dicks. All righty. That finishes their go. FCG, you're up. Fearne, you're on deck.

LIAM: These fabric swatches are dicks.

MATT: (laughs)

SAM: Oh man.

TALIESIN: We should put out the fucking fire.

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Why?

TALIESIN: Something about it.

TRAVIS: It's burning.

TALIESIN: I don't like it. I think--

SAM: Damn.

TALIESIN: I feel like the cabin's important.

SAM: All right.

LAURA: Well, that's how they would run--

TALIESIN: Feel like there's something there.

LAURA: They always ran her out of town.

TALIESIN: These fucking--

SAM: Who's real hurt? Who's the worstest hurt?

TRAVIS: Probably me, I guess.

SAM: Okay. I will bonus action--

TRAVIS: Anybody lower than 22?

LAURA: Nuh-uh.

TALIESIN: Never.

SAM: Bonus action Healing Word Chetney, I guess. Boy, using up these spell slots. What else I got? Oh wait, I can do Cure Wounds if I get over to you. I'll just walk over to you.

TRAVIS: (creaking)

SAM: Slightly better.

TALIESIN: Only person--

SAM: I'll do a 1st-level Cure Wounds, which will heal you 11 points because of Beacon.

LAURA: The Beacon!

SAM: No, he wasn't in the Beacon.

TALIESIN: He's the only one not on the Beacon.

TRAVIS: I wasn't.

SAM: So I have to roll for it. Okay, I got a six. I got a six, so that's-- Wait, is this a d8?

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Yeah, that's right. So that's a six plus three. Nine points.

TRAVIS: I love it.

SAM: That's not bad. That's not bad.

TRAVIS: Thanks, FCG. Souls for the win.

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: Thanks, though.

SAM: Do I have some more movement?

MATT: You do. You moved--

TRAVIS: Almost back to full.

MATT: -- 15. So you have 15 more feet of movement.

SAM: I'll keep going, I guess, towards the cabin if you're telling us we got to go to the cabin. Not that I can do anything.

TALIESIN: I was going to say, there's nothing-- I don't know what I can do.

MATT: All righty.

SAM: Does my spiritual weapon move with me?

MATT: As a bonus action, you can move it, yeah.

SAM: I already used my-- Oh, no, Cure Wounds is an action, so I still have a bonus action.

MATT: Correct. It moves 20 feet as a bonus action.

TALIESIN: Put it somewhere likely that it's going to knock into something.

SAM: Yeah, I'll bring it sort of between me and Chetney, or close as I can.

MATT: Right there?

SAM: Okay, yeah.

MATT: Okay, there you go. Finishes your go. Fearne, you're up.

ASHLEY: Okay. So since I have the--

SAM: Oh, and then at the end of my turn, I take 10 points of damage.

MATT: Oh, that's right, yeah.

LAURA: Fuck.

ASHLEY: Since I had that prepared, I'm going to peek to the side and shoot my Ice Knife at the big boy back there.

MATT: Oh, don't forget, you had your Ice Knife prepared for if somebody showed up, so you would've seen the one that attacked Chetney.

ASHLEY: Yes, I would have.

MATT: So we'll make that attack now so you don't lose the spell.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: So you would have (whooshes) flung your Ice Knife outward towards it right as it apparated from the ground.

ASHLEY: Ooh! Plus four.

MATT: I guess you make a choice. You want to choose the one that went after Chetney, or the one that went after Imogen? Because, technically, you would have seen that in the same sphere.

ASHLEY: Yeah. Probably the one that came up right next to us.

MATT: Okay. You got it.

ASHLEY: Yeah. Go ahead and roll an attack.

ASHLEY: Okay, oh, nice.

MATT: Was it a saving throw or you roll for an attack on it actually for Ice Knife?

ASHLEY: I roll an attack, but he has to make a dexterity saving throw.

MATT: The target and each creature-- You're right, okay. Here's the problem, just so you're aware, each creature within five feet--

ASHLEY: Oh, shoot.

MATT: -- So you're going to want to hit the one next to you or the one next Chetney.

ASHLEY: I'm going to go for the one next to Chetney.

MATT: Okay, you got it.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: So you roll for an attack. What was the attack roll?

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: With a d4 added to it.

TALIESIN: No, too far. Wait.

ASHLEY: 26.

MATT: Five, 10.

TALIESIN: Oh, 10. Never mind. Holy shit.

MATT: 26 definitely hits.

ASHLEY: 26, okay.

MATT: All right, so roll the damage for the initial hit.

TALIESIN: I forgot how far 10 feet is.

MATT: Then both Chetney needs to make a dexterity saving throw. So does the creature.

ASHLEY: Sorry, Chet.

MATT: Definitely fails his dexterity saving throw.

TALIESIN: Any second now, I'm going to lose this power anyway.

ASHLEY: Sorry, Chet.

TRAVIS: Oh, seven.

MATT: Seven?

TRAVIS: Yep.

MATT: All right, so how much damage was the original hit for?

ASHLEY: Okay.

LIAM: (groans)

ASHLEY: Four.

MATT: Four points of cold damage from the initial hit, and then he failed his dex save, which is an additional 2d6 cold damage to both Chetney and the creature. So roll 2d6.

ASHLEY: Oh my god. (sighs)

SAM: Do it. With pride.

TRAVIS: (deeply) Do it.

ASHLEY: Four.

MATT: Four damage to each.

ASHLEY: That was lame.

SAM: That was amazing.

MATT: You take four cold damage.

ASHLEY: Rolled to hit.

TRAVIS: Ow!

ASHLEY: Sorry, Chet.

MATT: As it emerges, and then it quickly darts back--

SAM: Just turn into a rat or something.

MATT: And vanishes on the other side of the--

ASHLEY: That's helpful.

MATT: -- moving around this way. You do notice it makes a wide berth around the flames. Actually, it probably would be closer to over here. Doesn't want to get that close.

TALIESIN: Wide berth around the flames? What?

SAM: Yeah. Interesting.

TALIESIN: What?

MATT: Okay, so finishing that go, Fearne...

ASHLEY: Mister.

MATT: Now it's your turn. (whooshes)

ASHLEY: Go throw some shit at that guy.

MATT: Do you want it to move first?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Now, that was your reaction of last turn. You still have your action this turn. So that was the Ice Knife you were holding.

ASHLEY: Great.

MATT: So you can still go.

ASHLEY: Okay, let's do Ice Knife again at--

MATT: That guy over there?

ASHLEY: That guy over there.

TALIESIN: Chet, yeah.

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Sorry.

ASHLEY: Yeah, at Chetney.

TRAVIS: Oh god. You guy, over there.

MATT: Step over.

LIAM: Never trusted him.

MATT: Casting at 1st-level?

SAM: You guy.

ASHLEY: I'm going to cast it at, yes, 1st-level.

MATT: You got it, all right.

ASHLEY: Or wait, hold on. Let me just get-- Yeah, yeah, 1st-level. Hold on, let me do that.

MATT: All right, so roll an attack.

ASHLEY: And let me do this.

MATT: Do not add a d4 this time.

ASHLEY: Do not, okay. Natural 19.

SAM: Nice.

MATT: That's great. So roll. That's a d10.

ASHLEY: That's 27. d10. Let's do this one.

LAURA: ♪ Do, do, do, do, do ♪

ASHLEY: Four.

LAURA: ♪ Do, do, do, do ♪

ASHLEY: Both to the same.

SAM: ♪ Bow, bow, bow, bow, bow ♪

ASHLEY: Did he fail a dex save?

SAM: ♪ Bow, bow, bow, bow, bow ♪

TALIESIN: ♪ Do, do, do, do, do ♪

MATT: That would be, four-- dice-- That would be a 14. What's your DC?

LIAM: It's blocking your view--

TALIESIN: Oh, okay.

ASHLEY: 16.

MATT: 16, definitely fails. So roll 2d6 cold damage.

ASHLEY: Come on.

TALIESIN: The big spooky one? Or is it the--

SAM: ♪ It's the late night ♪

LIAM: The squirrelly one with arms like--

ASHLEY: Six.

MATT: There we go. Okay. Hold one, let me--

SAM: ♪ And the Thursday ♪ ♪ The Thursday and seven ♪ ♪ The Thursday ♪

MATT: How do you want to do this?

SAM, TALIESIN, and LIAM: Oh.

TRAVIS and LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Just crossed over into its damage threshold.

ASHLEY: Oh, amazing. Okay, I'm going to shoot out the Ice Knife, and I want it to go right between one of his eyes.

SAM: Does he have eyes?

MATT: You haven't seen the eyes. But for this instance--

ASHLEY: In the middle of his face.

MATT: For this, I'll say--

TRAVIS: Does it have a face?

MATT: As it's peering back and the flames are glowing on this hut next to it, and you see its shape pulling back, it's heavily damaged, and as it does, you see the teeth moving through, and you see a yellow glow, like an eye moving through, and that's your moment. (slicing) As the Ice Knife sinks into it, the cloth almost (whooshes) whips back like it's retracting from the gravity, the physics of being pushed back. As it does, the tethers almost freeze in place. All the weird whipping around just stops. (crashing) All this ice bursts out, these jagged dagger crystals jut out from the middle of its form. As it does, it falls to the ground and then (boof) shatters into a thousand pieces.

ASHLEY: Do any of the ice shards calm down some of the fire near the hut?

MATT: Roll a d20. An 11 plus.

ASHLEY: 15.

MATT: 15. The shards (whooshes) stick into the side of the hut. (sizzles) This flame is extinguished.

LAURA: Nice.

SAM: What?

ASHLEY: Okay.

SAM: Ice did that?

LAURA: Are they all gone now? Was that the last of them?

MATT: There's one more floating out there somewhere.

LAURA: Fuck.

MATT: Top of the next round, are you done?

SAM: Top of the next round!

LAURA: Top of the next round.

ASHLEY: I'll keep Mister there, yes. We're good. Yes, I'm done.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Nice.

MATT: Mister hangs there. That's gone. Top of the next round, the flames--

SAM: Top of the next--

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: The flames continue to spread and expand outward. (fiery growl)

LAURA: Fuck.

MATT: Orym, you're up first, Imogen on deck.

LIAM: There's not much I can do here. Shite. I am going to-- No, there's not really a great play for me here, so I'm just going to stay put and hold my action to hit anything that comes within range of Imogen and Orym.

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: That's it.

MATT: That finishes your go. Imogen, you're up, with Chetney on deck.

TALIESIN: If there's anything we can do to put out the flames.

LAURA: I mean, I don't have anything.

TALIESIN: Oh, you still have a tether.

LAURA: I do, technically, but I think it went far enough away from me that I don't have it anymore.

MATT: It would've been more than 30 feet.

LAURA: Yeah, so that dropped.

MATT: That spell would break.

TALIESIN: All right. No way to like--

LAURA: But I could feel it as it went off that direction, right?

MATT: Yeah, (whooshes) this way before it vanished.

TALIESIN: Nothing that-- you can't telekinetic smother? I don't know.

LAURA: Telekinetic-- Oh, Telekinetic smother.

TALIESIN: Thing? I don't know.

LAURA: That's one of my spells.

TALIESIN: Pick up a blanket and--

ASHLEY: I might have something that'll work.

LAURA: I'm going to step in front of the hut--

ASHLEY: (blowing)

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Within 10 feet of Ashton.

MATT: That would be the closest you can get.

TALIESIN: Ain't going to matter for much longer.

LAURA: Oh, right.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

LAURA: Can I get on the other side of, whatever, of the bleach bottle, yeah. (thinking noises) Wait, let me see. I don't think, no. I can with, with Prestidigitation, snuff out a small campfire.

SAM: Ooh.

MATT: This is a little more than a small campfire.

LAURA: This a little more.

MATT: Sorry.

LAURA: Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. That's fine.

TRAVIS: Fire is in the eye of the beholder, okay?

TALIESIN: That would make everything a little easier.

LAURA: I am going to.... prep Dissonant Whispers and hold it until I see that motherfucker come out of the ground.

MATT: You got it. All right, hold Dissonant Whispers. Chetney, you're up, with Ashton on deck.

TRAVIS: Ow, I'm in a lot of pain. It hurts, my body. I'm going to walk away from where Ashton is.

MATT: Which direction?

TRAVIS: I'm going to come over here. Then I'm going to hold two swipes if anything comes near me.

MATT: You got it.

TRAVIS: Friend or foe.

SAM: What? I'm right next to you!

MATT: Ashton, you're up.

TALIESIN: Well.

MATT: The rage drops, unfortunately.

TALIESIN: The fireworks slowly go out.

SAM: Aw.

TRAVIS: I should've hit you.

TALIESIN: I mean, yeah.

LAURA: Could you just slap him and keep it up?

TRAVIS: Bitch!

TALIESIN: I don't think that actually works, does it? I always feel like that's, I mean-- There are places where, story-wise, it makes sense.

MATT: Yeah.

TALIESIN: But I don't know if this is one of those places where, story-wise--

SAM: I mean, Chetney pisses people off a lot.

LAURA: I know.

MATT: "A hostile creature."

TRAVIS: Your face looks like a butthole.

SAM: Chetney's about as hostile as you get.

MATT: "Or taken damage since then," so you could technically hit him. Here's the thing, if you want to hit someone and do damage, a full attack, I'll allow it.

TRAVIS: No, it's okay.

TALIESIN: I find it a little sketchy.

MATT: If it makes narrative sense.

TALIESIN: So I'm just going to step back,

TALIESIN: So I'm just going to step back, and get probably right next to Imogen, just right there. Just to watch the 12, and then I'm just going to go again for my bonus action, and what do we get? We got a--

TRAVIS: ♪ I got nothing to hide ♪

TALIESIN: Start to get that weird little, now red and blue shift that attaches where I seem to be, which you have now experienced, because you saw a whole bunch of fucking possibilities. Where it's just a chunk of me going one way, a chunk of me going the other. Little hops.

MATT: Which one did you roll?

TALIESIN: Time.

MATT: Time, oh, gotcha.

TALIESIN: Up in time.

MATT: You got it, okay. Finishing, and that's your bonus action. Are you holding your action?

TALIESIN: I'm holding my action to hit whatever, yeah, or reaction.

MATT: All right. Top of the round, it takes a little bit of damage. Ooh, takes a lot of damage being underground. That is not good.

SAM: How does the ground want to do this?

MATT: (laughs) There was-- No, it wasn't quite a possibility yet.

TRAVIS: I got a stick of dynamite. I could just blow the house up.

SAM: Sure.

LAURA: No, don't blow the house up.

TRAVIS: It would put out the flames.

SAM: Yeah, but Laudna's in there.

TRAVIS: I went in there. She's not in there.

MATT: Goes ahead and emerges.

SAM: What's in there?

TRAVIS: Fire.

SAM: That's it? What do we care? It's a house in the middle of a dreamscape.

LAURA: Maybe if we put the flames out, she'll come back.

SAM: Laudna dreamscape dream house?

MATT: Pops out of the ground about here.

LAURA: It instantly gets hit with Dissonant Whispers.

MATT: Indeed.

SAM: ♪ Dissonant Whispers! ♪

MATT: What's that saving throw?

LAURA: In its head, it hears: You fucked with her in life, you're not going to fuck with her in death, too!

MATT: Okay, so that's a wisdom saving throw?

LAURA: Yes.

MATT: Natural 19.

SAM: Ooh.

LAURA and TRAVIS: Oh, come on!

MATT: Does it take half damage?

LAURA: Maybe.

MATT: Most saves on spells, it's usually half damage.

LAURA: Half damage, yes, so that's 3d6 halved.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Have some damage.

SAM: Come on, come on, come on, come on.

LAURA: Five points of psychic damage.

SAM: How do you want to do this?

MATT: No. As it emerges, (pained groan) (whooshes) it just darts forward towards you.

TALIESIN: Hey, look who's nearby now!

MATT: Yep.

TALIESIN: Excellent. I will take my two hits.

MATT: Go for it.

TALIESIN: I do not have advantage on them.

TRAVIS: ♪ Take my two ♪

TALIESIN: Oof, 12.

MATT: 12 misses.

TALIESIN: Oh my god.

MATT: A whiff. Darts beneath the weapon.

TALIESIN: On the other hand, the 19 plus nine, 28.

MATT: That will hit. Go ahead and roll damage.

LIAM: Wha-bang!

TALIESIN: Ooh, 16 points of damage.

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

TALIESIN: As I'm waiting and I'm holding and having that weird, red blue vibrate where it's getting more and more into a red shift, more and more to blue, as it comes in close, it's almost as if I swing back to hit it and there's this little blue line. It suddenly fades, and there's just-- I'm already at the other end of it that's just gone.

MATT: That's awesome.

TALIESIN: There's not even a movement.

MATT: It stands there for a second, almost like you had missed it, and everyone thinks this attack actually missed before (splitting) it scatters to two different sides like it was ripped in half, and you see half of its whipping, cloth- like burial shroud material just shoot off into two different directions like it just got completely ripped in twain, and it dissipates into ash.

TALIESIN: I pop back, and it's like I never even swung.

TRAVIS: Dope, dope.

SAM: (yawning) Cool.

LAURA: ♪ Take my two away ♪

TRAVIS: That hurt a lot. It's on fire, do we care? Anybody got anything to put out a fire with?

MATT: That's the end of the combat, technically, but the flames are spreading and consuming the hut.

TALIESIN: Let's fix this.

ASHLEY: I have an idea.

SAM: You have an idea? Fearne has an idea.

ASHLEY: It's your turn.

LIAM: We're out of--

SAM: Do what you will.

ASHLEY: All right, I've never tried this before. I'm going to get up a little close, (spits) spit in my hand, rub it together, and cast Tidal Wave.

LIAM: and SAM: Ooh!

TRAVIS: Oh, what?

LIAM: That should do it.

LAURA: That's a big one.

TRAVIS: There we go.

LAURA: It's a big spell.

MATT: As you pull back, slam your hand down--

LIAM: Right where you are?

MATT: You watch--

ASHLEY: No.

MATT: You move closer?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Everyone steps aside.

ASHLEY: Get way over here.

MATT: Describe how you summon the tidal wave in this space. How do you call forth the elements, and what does it look like?

ASHLEY: Okay, oh, well, I spit in my hand.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: I just rub it together, and even though it's water, it still looks a bit like fire.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: Still a little red.

MATT: A little water fire.

ASHLEY: Water fire.

MATT: There you go.

ASHLEY: You've seen these before.

ASHLEY: But it's almost like a blue flame instead.

MATT: That's cool.

TRAVIS: Fire water.

ASHLEY: A little bit shoots out of my hand, but then when you see it go up (whooshes).

MATT: Immediately, you watch as this tiny spark of blue, roiling flame just swoops down, and this incredible, crashing wave of surf out of nowhere hits the ground and washes up over this entire hut. The burning flames immediately are put out across the board, and the partially damaged hut, while drenched in water and some of the interior elements may have been shifted around a bit, you watch as the whole hut shifts slightly off its foundation, but holds firm. As the water subsides, you can see, it's interesting, because the crash and everything, the physics of it look like water, but the edges of it flicker like a blue flame as it slowly dissipates and evaporates, the hut still standing, darkened in some places, but still present.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TRAVIS: Get in there.

LAURA: Yeah, can we run up and go inside?

MATT: Yeah. You run up and go inside, and you can see the interior, the furniture, the crates, the cot, all of which are made from the same stone that everything around here is made, but resembling a very small, makeshift home.

TRAVIS: I hold up the rat, the little bird skull, the little stuff. I got these before, but we should check and see if there's anything else.

TALIESIN: It came from the fireplace?

LAURA: I just call out: Laudna? You're safe!

TRAVIS: Anything--

ASHLEY: Did you say the house moved?

MATT: It slightly shifted off its foundation from the impact of the waves.

ASHLEY: Oh.

LIAM: Can I pry up a bit of rotted floorboard and see if there's anything underneath?

SAM: I'm going to do Guidance on Orym.

MATT: Okay, make an investigation check.

LIAM: 19 plus Guidance is 20.

MATT: Okay. Looking around the space here as you all inspect, you find one section of the floor that looks pretty rotted and crumbly. It looks like it's probably in a space off to the side, on what would be the northern end of where the fireplace stones meet the floor. It's not a space that sees a lot of foot traffic, and probably for the best. It actually looks like there might've been one of those, it would've been a woven basket, still made of the stone, but resembles a woven basket that was shifted in the water to expose it, like it was placed there intentionally to not be a dangerous place to stand. You pry it open a bit, and you can look beneath. You can see it's just tangled roots that dig deep beneath the house.

LIAM: I push my upper half down in. It seems ridiculous, but to see if there's anything down there, reach my hands around in it.

MATT: Reach your hands down around in it?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Okay. You reach down and glance within, and the roots lead to a tunnel.

LAURA: Nice.

LIAM: Oh no.

TRAVIS: Ignore it.

ASHLEY: That doesn't mean anything.

TRAVIS: Let's tear this down.

LIAM: Found something.

TALIESIN: Set it back on fire.

LIAM: Is it big enough for me to squeeze through? Is it big enough for Ashton or Fearne to squeeze through?

MATT: It's big enough for them to squeeze through. You, easy; them, maybe a little uncomfortably. Not like Bishop in "Aliens" uncomfortable, but, you know, you can get through.

TRAVIS: Unless there's a secret passageway in the fireplace or something. Pull on the candlestick holders!

TALIESIN: There are no candlestick holders.

TRAVIS: Oh, never mind. Are there any books, pictures, parchment on the walls, any decorations other than the ones that we saw?

MATT: No, it's pretty bare.

LAURA: She never spent a lot of time in any place. She was always run out of town before--

TALIESIN: Oh shit, are you okay, by the way? Man, you got fucked up.

TRAVIS: Yeah, that fucked me up a little bit, I'm not going to lie.

SAM: Want some more healing?

TRAVIS: No, wouldn't do me much good. I feel a little worse for wear.

LAURA: You look a little dim.

SAM: A little?

TRAVIS: Yeah. That number's not right anymore.

SAM: No, I know that, but would a little help you at all?

TRAVIS: No, I got a healing potion.

LIAM: I'm winded as hell, I wouldn't mind.

SAM: Oh, you're hurt?

LIAM: I'm not-- I didn't take any injuries, but I ran all out through that.

TRAVIS: Short rest?

LIAM: If we can. Do we want to do this?

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: Want to look around down there?

LAURA: She probably-- Maybe she went under the house.

TRAVIS: Short rest would be good before we did that.

LIAM: Yeah.

ASHLEY: I think I could-- While you all rest, I could just get a little peeksies, just go down and--

SAM: By yourself?

ASHLEY: Well, I don't know, maybe that's a bad idea.

LIAM: What if things go south right away, and we all have to dive after you?

ASHLEY: Yeah, that's true.

TALIESIN: I think this is one of those places where it's best if we stick together. I think-- I don't know.

TRAVIS: We might not get it, but we could try for it.

SAM: A short rest?

LIAM: Floor back in place.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Those things just came out of nowhere.

MATT: The whispers are still, you can hear them outside.

LAURA: I don't think this is the safest place to fucking sit for an hour.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I don't know if this is a good hour.

LIAM: -- there's any safe place anywhere around.

TRAVIS: We try, and if we get forced down, we go down.

SAM: I'm going to just-- Oh shit.

LIAM: You want to try down here?

TRAVIS: He's tapped. I'm fucked up.

TALIESIN: I think we want to try to-- Clearly we should go down there.

TRAVIS: Let's drop. If they chase us down, we go down.

LIAM: What if we do take the peek? Maybe it's better 10 feet below than it is right here.

SAM: Sure.

TALIESIN: I'll go first.

LAURA: They obviously--

TALIESIN: No, I can't see shit.

TRAVIS: They obviously?

LAURA: Can travel through the ground. It's not like--

TRAVIS: Oh, that's true.

LAURA: -- being under there's going to protect us.

TALIESIN: True.

ASHLEY: That's a good point.

LIAM: Maybe.

TALIESIN: I don't know. I don't feel like sticking around is necessarily the best idea around here.

TRAVIS: (clicks) ♪ Who wants to ♪ make a decision ♪

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: I choose not to wait. We're chasing down Delilah, who has Laudna, and who knows how far away she can get in the amount of time we wait an hour.

SAM: Also, Pike Trickfoot is back there maintaining this spell. She might have appointments that she needs to get to this afternoon.

MATT: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Buns that need to come out of the oven.

SAM: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Yeah. Got a lot of baking to do.

TRAVIS: That's a weird metaphor.

TALIESIN: I did hear something about a massage appointment.

ASHLEY: She's been doing a lot of baking with Old Toby. Baking.

TRAVIS: Old Toby.

TALIESIN: I think we're on a clock.

TRAVIS: Let's go.

TALIESIN: I agree.

SAM: I got to heal myself then. We're moving?

TALIESIN: Do you have a 10-minute heal, anything like that?

SAM: I have a Mass Healing Wounds that can give us all a little something.

TALIESIN: Maybe that's the way to go.

SAM: Or Mass Healing Word. It's not very much. It's like, you know, seven points.

TALIESIN: Is the--

LAURA: Is Beacon still up?

SAM: Beacon's still up. It lasts for an hour.

TALIESIN: So yeah.

SAM: I think, right? Or maybe it's 10 minutes. Let me look.

MATT: Let's find out.

TALIESIN: Anybody--

SAM: Oh, nope, one minute.

MATT: That has faded.

SAM: It's gone.

MATT: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I mean, it's always an option, or not. I'm easy either way. But I think we should move. That's my feeling.

ASHLEY: I hate to say it, Chet, but I think we should move.

TRAVIS: Let's do it.

TALIESIN: If you need another healing potion, let me know.

SAM: Should I just give everyone a little bit of a boost?

LAURA: It just doesn't make sense.

LIAM: This could be marathon, not a sprint, Imogen. We don't know how big this place is.

LAURA: Well, how about we get another...

TALIESIN: One more leg.

LIAM: I'm good. Let's go.

ASHLEY: What if it's a bad idea?

TRAVIS: I'll go first. I go, start--

TALIESIN: Oh, this is a bad idea.

SAM: I'll do a Mass Healing Word on everybody. That's a big spell, but it's okay. You'll all heal, come on, roll good. Six points.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TALIESIN: That's great.

SAM: Then Chetney, I will also, because we are still bonded...

TRAVIS: I can only take seven more points of healing--

SAM: I will give you another four temporary hit points.

TRAVIS: Thank you, sir.

TALIESIN: There's no way to reset your maximum HP until long rest?

MATT: Long rest is what it takes to reset your maximum hit points--

TALIESIN: Yeah, okay.

MATT: Some spells can restore it, as well.

SAM: I can give you another four temporary hit points.

LAURA: Oh! All right.

SAM: I can give you, Ashton, another four temporary hit points.

TRAVIS: 58.

TALIESIN: Long as you're keeping some shit going on.

MATT: Technically, Greater Restoration can restore max hit points as well.

LAURA: Is this taking away points from you?

SAM: Yeah. It's not taking away points from me, it's just stressing me out a little.

LIAM and MATT: (laugh)

TALIESIN: No! I don't need those temporary hit points that fucking badly, man.

ASHLEY: Show us what you're feeling.

SAM: Right now, I was here, and I went to here, now I'm like. (laughs)

LAURA: Maybe-- (laughter)

ASHLEY: Ah! (laughter)

LAURA: Do you want to keep them?

SAM: I'm okay. I'm okay.

LAURA: Oh god.

SAM: I can handle it.

TRAVIS: Because we've played this game for years, I think Greater Restoration can restore the negative 18 hit points I took to my max HP, but that would probably require a short rest.

MATT: It's also a 5th-level spell.

SAM: I don't have it.

MATT: Which nobody has access to yet.

TRAVIS: Then what are you even down here for? I thought you had a soul. (laughter)

TALIESIN: I'm so excited that I set unreasonable expectations for healers in this game. This feels really good.

MATT: So, Travis.

TRAVIS: Oh!

MATT: Sorry, Chetney.

TRAVIS: (shouts)

MATT: You're going down first, you said?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'm going.

MATT: Are you going stealthily?

TRAVIS: You know it.

MATT: Roll a stealth check.

TRAVIS: Like the wind. 16.

MATT: 16, okay.

SAM: Stealthy like the wind.

TRAVIS: Do I get advantage when I'm trying not to make any sound? What's this advantage next to stealth for? "Make a dexterity when you attempt to conceal yourself in order to slink past, guards look away without being noticed." But it's a-- Oh, okay.

MATT: Yeah. That's for the listening elements.

TRAVIS: Much better. 27.

MATT: Okay. You begin to go beneath the boards, moving them aside. You can see, the roots of the trees in the forest continue downward, and there is a tunnel, like the roots spiral downward, just down into the rock. You can feel it. The roots themselves are the same rock material, but making the texture and striations of the wooden material. It just continues at a downward angle. You go for 30 feet, 60 feet, and it just keeps going down.

TRAVIS: Is the slippery texture surface okay?

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Just like slate rock, right?

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: I scamper back up. It just keeps going. I went about 60 feet. Surface doesn't change.

TALIESIN: Should we just be quiet and chill about it? Do we want to just go down trying to be quiet?

SAM: Yeah.

ASHLEY: I think so, yeah.

TRAVIS: 60 feet, we could all get in this damn tunnel. I don't think we're going anywhere else, right? That way we're all together.

SAM: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: Let's do it.

TRAVIS: Okay.

ASHLEY: Let's do it.

TALIESIN: I'm going to cast Pass Without a Trace.

SAM: Great.

ASHLEY: Good call.

MATT: Okay. So I would like all of you to make a stealth check as a group, please.

ASHLEY: With Pass Without a Trace we get plus 10?

MATT and TALIESIN: Plus 10.

ASHLEY: Yep. Ooh!

TRAVIS: Oh. It's good. (laughs)

MATT: So?

TALIESIN: 29.

MATT: Oof.

LIAM: 28.

MATT: Great.

SAM: 17. I'll roll for Laura. That'll be fine.

TALIESIN: Laura rolled so well, she's vanished.

LIAM: She enjoys it when we roll for her.

TALIESIN: She'll know you touched it.

LIAM: Plus.

ASHLEY: She's going to know.

LIAM: Plus?

ASHLEY: That was good.

LIAM: That's a 20, if we accept that roll.

SAM: 20's pretty good.

LIAM: She's probably shitting, we should just move forward.

SAM: I rolled a 17.

TALIESIN: Is that with the 10?

MATT: Okay.

SAM: That's with the 10.

TALIESIN: Oh boy. Okay.

ASHLEY: 30.

MATT: (laughs) Okay.

LIAM: Dang.

TRAVIS: 33.

LIAM: Dang.

MATT: Ooh.

TALIESIN: I love Pass Without a Trace.

SAM: (shouts)

LIAM: Oh my god.

MATT: Chetney's now in Campaign 4. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Stealth all the way to the next campaign.

TRAVIS: I'm in your dreams.

MATT: Oh man, where's Laura?

SAM: She's fine, she's fine.

TALIESIN: No, we can argue for a second more.

MATT: It's fine.

TALIESIN: We could take a 20-minute short rest.

LIAM: Does this count as a short rest right now?

SAM: Roll for stealth, goddamn it.

LAURA: Me?

SAM: Plus 10.

MATT: Sam rolled for you.

SAM: I did.

LAURA: No, you didn't.

SAM: I did.

LAURA: What'd you roll?

SAM: I rolled better than a fucking one!

LIAM: Better than a one.

SAM: (laughs)

TRAVIS: You got to get rid of that big dice.

SAM: But you supersede me.

MATT: So that's a natural one, okay. But it was a group stealth check.

LAURA: Oh, 20 was the next one.

ASHLEY: Oh my god. (laughter)

MATT and ASHLEY: ♪ ("The Price is Right" losing horn) ♪

MATT: But it was a group stealth check. As you all began to clamber down this--

LAURA: You touched it!

MATT: -- root-filled tunnel below. 50 feet, 100 feet. It just seems to corkscrew and spiral. It's odd, because you're moving downward, but the sense of gravity that's been holding you to the surface off this odd plane seems to, I don't want to say vanish, but seems to pull you towards the wall no matter where you tug at, to the point where you don't feel any fear of falling. You don't feel anything pulling you downward. You just feel comfortable clutching the roots as you go. What's the marching order?

TRAVIS: I'm in the front.

ASHLEY: I'll go behind Chet.

TRAVIS: I'll be, let's say, 40 to 50 feet ahead.

MATT: 40 to 50 feet ahead.

TRAVIS: On that 33.

MATT: All righty.

TALIESIN: I'll be--

LAURA: I'll be after Fearne.

TALIESIN: Then I'll be after, yeah.

SAM: I'm in the back.

TALIESIN: Should I just head up the-- Okay, yeah.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Because this is a house and there's this fucking tunnel underneath it, for some reason, could I also look for any kind of spirit plane traps as we move?

MATT: Sure, make an investigation check for me.

LAURA: Is it dark?

SAM: Do we need light? Yeah.

TRAVIS: I have darkvision, thank you very much.

MATT: It is lightless down here.

SAM: I can turn on Light if we need it.

LAURA: Or I can do the Dancing Lights as well.

SAM: Either one.

LAURA: Either one.

MATT: You can do both.

LAURA: Let's do both.

SAM: Both.

TRAVIS: 16.

MATT: 16, okay.

LIAM: You look a little twitchy. How about you go ahead of me?

SAM: Okay.

MATT: You got it.

SAM: Tongues out, guns out.

MATT: (chuckles) Moving deeper and deeper down this tunnel, you're the first to pick it up because you're at the front, Chetney, and you have a sensitive nose. (sniffing) It's less a scent more than the feeling of wind beginning to pick up once more. The stillness of the depth of these tunnels beginning to shift. Like a breeze is now moving through where once there was stillness. You continue to climb, and climb, and climb. The darkness begins to give way to a faint bit of gentle, ever-so-gentle green light.

TRAVIS: I will-- Why did I go invisible already? I'll go back to the group a little bit and say: There's a little light ahead. I'm going to check it out.

ASHLEY: Okay.

TRAVIS: I'll sneak back up and try and get eyes on what the source of the light is, or what might be in the room beyond.

MATT: You climb deeper down the tunnel, and the tunnel begins to open.

TRAVIS: I'll go down.

MATT: You're going down, but as you step out, you see sky--

LAURA: What?

MATT: -- facing you.

TRAVIS: Weird. Blue sky?

MATT: Like a purplish, faintly obscured starscape, almost. Like a night sky with little wisps of purple, nebulous cloud in the distance. Like you're staring down into a cosmic shadow. On the sides beyond it, you can see more trees, or roots? It's hard to tell. All pushing downward.

TRAVIS: I'll go to just the mouth of the opening, not breaking that plane, and like-- As I get closer, am I actually looking up from underneath trees, leafless trees?

MATT: You are. As you step forward, the gravity seems to shift now where all of a sudden you're emerging from the floor of another forest-like realm around you.

TRAVIS: Just the eyes.

MATT: Make a perception check.

TRAVIS: 15.

MATT: 15. You see some more of these trees, and then beyond them, maybe about 30 feet from where this tunnel is, a wall, partially crumbled. Beyond that wall, you can see the rooftops. Then not far beyond them, a massive, leafless tree of hundreds and hundreds of bare branches looming over this shaded city, with a faint bit of green light drifting out like a mist, filling the city and lighting it from underneath. And that's where we'll end tonight's episode.

ALL: Oh!

ASHLEY: Oh-ho!

SAM: You rat bastard.

LAURA: No!

LIAM: Shadow of Whitestone.

TRAVIS: Where are we?

LAURA: Oh my god.

TRAVIS: We're not in the Shadowfell, right?

LIAM: But it's some dark mirror--

TRAVIS: Yeah, we're in--

LIAM: Some dark place.

TRAVIS: Something different.

LIAM: Once was.

TRAVIS: Matt Mercer, you crafty bastard.

TALIESIN: Nice little memory amber filled with awful.

TRAVIS: Where are we?

SAM: Man.

MATT: Well, we'll find out more next session.

ASHLEY: No, let's just do it now. Let's just do it now.

LAURA: Oh god.

TALIESIN: I ain't got nowhere to be.

LIAM: That's a whole city to explore.

ASHLEY: I know, I don't either.

TALIESIN: Man.

LIAM: A whole city.

TRAVIS: What does it mean?

LAURA: (groans)

TRAVIS: What does it mean?

MATT: Well, we'll figure out next time because we'll pick it up then. But in the interim, thank you so much for joining us. We love you very much, and is it Thursday yet?

LIAM: Woo-hoo!

MATT: Good night.