Transcript:The Fey Key

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

ALL: (hollering) We play Dungeons & Dragons!

MATT: (laughs) But before we get to our episode tonight, we do have some announcements to get to, beginning with our first sponsor, which is NordVPN. Boy, it's kind of been a while since we've done one of these. Ashley, can you refresh us, please?

ASHLEY: (electronic voice) Sure thing, Matt! The TL;DR is BlackWillow69 is sliced. The cast is debooted, balloon animals are still awesome, and I have assumed my final form, I've shed my weak human body and become pure computer virus all because Marisha Ray didn't install NordVPN on our fancy new Critical Role set. (halfhearted evil laugh)

SAM: Are you sure about that?

ASHLEY: Who said that? (computer beeps, boom)

SAM: I did! BlackWillow motherfucking 69 at AOL dot motherfucking com!

ASHLEY: But how? Why? Where? How?

SAM: It's simple, Ashley, or should I say Setty? You made the same mistake thousands have made before! You misunderestimated Marisha Ray.

ASHLEY: So she did install NordVPN on the set?

SAM: No! She's got a ton of shit on her plate, but she didn't have to because, on this set, she installed a code far more complex. It's the code of friendship. She knew that when she forgets something, her friends are there to back her up because hackers click together. (grunts) (sighs of relief)

TALIESIN: Oh.

SAM: Yeah. "Who installed NordVPN?" you ask. I installed NordVPN.

LIAM and TALIESIN: I installed NordVPN!

LAURA and TRAVIS: I installed NordVPN!

MATT: I installed NordVPN.

MARISHA: I installed NordVPN.

ASHLEY: Oi-- Wait! Marisha, you did?

MARISHA: No. No, I've got a ton of shit on my plate.

ASHLEY: So you're all saying... I forgot I had an accent! The glitch in the stream! All right, so you're all saying that my cube has been gleamed by the power of friendship?

SAM: Yes. That and when you touched Laura, we slipped a backdoor button ad into your command line which installed a Mac and Me protocol that tracked your keystrokes, predicted your moves, and regenerated my body using the extra rubber from your precious balloon animals!

LAURA: (triumphant laugh)

ASHLEY: Hold up! Wait, you're made of rubber now?

SAM: Interesting line read. (laughter)

SAM: Yes. I'm made of rubber now, every inch of me, even my loins! And you would've detected it if you would've used NordVPN, (laughs) which provides the highest quality encryption for your internet traffic and hides your IP and physical location. (laughs) Available on Windows, iOS, Android, and Linux. (increasingly high-pitched) With one simple click, it's easy to get high speed-- (laughter)

SAM: -- high speed and protection. (high-pitched squeaking) Try it risk-free today. (laughter)

LIAM: Are the balloons leaking? (laughter)

ASHLEY: Oh shoot! If I had just gone to NordVPN.com/CriticalRole or used code "criticalrole," I could've gotten a two-year plan, plus a bonus gift, with a huge discount! But instead, I got--

SAM: Mega hacked! (laughter)

ASHLEY: Oh! You may have defeated me, but you'll never defeat my family! Johnson Corp. shall rule for eternity! I'll come back, and when I do, I shall finally--

SAM: (grunts)

MARISHA: (exhales)

SAM: Consider yourself sliced, Glitch!

LAURA: That was amazing, BlackWillow!

SAM: Yeah, I know.

LAURA: What now? You're the only man I've ever loved. Can we be together at last?

SAM: Negatronic, Cryptonic Override, you belong with Number Two! Search your heart drive. You know I'm right.

TRAVIS: If you'll have me.

LAURA: Sure, whatever.

TRAVIS: Oh shit! (laughter)

MARISHA: And you meant what you said? That you really think people underestimate me?

SAM: Positronic! That's why I'm putting you in charge of all the NordVPN ads from now on.

MARISHA: Oh! Oh, nah. I have a ton of shit on my plate.

SAM: Yeah, I know.

LIAM: What about us, though?

TALIESIN: What about us?

SAM: Yes, you were also in this skit.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

SAM: Now, with the power vested in me by the entire worldwide world, Matt, hack to you.

MARISHA: Wow.

MATT: Thank you, Sam. Thank you, NordVPN. A well-oiled something.

TRAVIS: My face is wet.

MATT: We are well lubricated.

SAM: That was brutal!

TALIESIN: Breathe. Breathe.

MARISHA: That was so rough!

MATT: That was harsh!

ASHLEY: Oh man!

TRAVIS: We crossed the Alps--

ASHLEY: That was long!

TRAVIS: -- in a blizzard.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: I didn't know if we were ever going to get to the other side.

LIAM: It was just like a fractal tunnel.

LAURA: What happened?

LIAM: It just kept going and going!

SAM: I need an editor! (laughter)

TRAVIS: I'm sure we'll get you one.

MATT: Yep! We'll work on it.

TRAVIS: Oh man!

MATT: Next up, we do have announcements for, while we're here, Sam and Travis!

SAM: Oh! The Legend of Vox Machina! (laughter)

TRAVIS: Episodes one through six--

MARISHA: Let's have Travis do this one.

TRAVIS: -- of The Legend of Vox Machina Season 2 are available right now at Prime Video! (cheering)

TRAVIS: Episodes seven, eight, and nine will drop on Prime Video worldwide tomorrow, February 3rd, and our next watch party for episodes seven through nine will be live next Tuesday, February 7th at 7:00pm Pacific. We hope you guys have been loving it! It gets crazy! (cheering)

SAM: Go watch it right now!

TRAVIS: (sighs)

MATT: And also--

MARISHA: (sighs)

TRAVIS: You might have heard that we dropped a casual little announcement a few weeks ago and we are thrilled, excited, over the moon to finally say that an animated series is in the works for the Mighty Nein! (cheering)

MARISHA: Let's fucking go!

TRAVIS: Such an unbelievable dream for us! Thank you again to all of you that made this madness happen in the first place! We hope it's going to rock your world.

MATT: Mm-hmm! Mm-hmm!

MARISHA: Speaking of animated series goodness, just a reminder that there will be no new episode of 4-Sided Dive next week as we continue our weekly watch parties for The Legend of Vox Machina.

SAM: Yes.

MARISHA: We will return with Episode 11 of the 4-Sided Dive in March. Also!

SAM: What?

TRAVIS: Huh? What? (laughter)

MARISHA: So it's weird! You may have heard, if you didn't--

TRAVIS: Let's go!

ASHLEY: Oh my god! Oh my god!

TRAVIS: Let's go!

MARISHA: Yours truly here--

TRAVIS: Let's go!

MARISHA: -- is going to be fighting in Creator Clash 2!

LIAM: Oh!

TRAVIS: Boom!

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: Ah!

ASHLEY: Let's go!

SAM: Don't--

MARISHA: What?

SAM: Don't misunder-ester-mate her! (laughter)

MARISHA: That's right!

TRAVIS: Don't mist-ust- eran-ride-er-ramer!

MARISHA: I'm going to put that on the back of my robe. Don't misunder-ester-mator me.

TRAVIS: Mater.

MARISHA: I will be fighting Haley Sharpe. I'm sure she's lovely. I have no beef with her. I do plan to beat her ass, though. (laughter)

TRAVIS: That's right.

ASHLEY: I have beef with her! (laughter)

MARISHA: This is a charity boxing event that will take place in Tampa at the Amalie Stadium.

SAM: I love that movie!

MARISHA: On April 15th. (laughter)

ASHLEY: So good!

MARISHA: It's all for a good cause. It's all good vibes, and the Critical Role Foundation is going to be one of several organizations that the proceeds will be going to this year.

TRAVIS: Woo!

MARISHA: Super stoked and super proud that CRF is going to have a little place in this amazing event! Tickets can be purchased at TheCreatorClash.com!

TRAVIS: Nice!

LIAM: Wow!

TRAVIS: Woo!

LIAM: Wow!

MARISHA: Also--

SAM: Oh! (laughter)

MARISHA: We officially launched our TikTok last month!

TRAVIS: Yo!

SAM: Whoa!

TRAVIS: The Tik to the Tok, you don't stop!

MARISHA: Yes, we're on the Ticker Tockers!

TRAVIS: That's old. I shouldn't do that.

MARISHA: And yeah.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MARISHA: So you may start to see some behind--

LAURA: ♪ Oh no ♪ ♪ Oh no ♪

TRAVIS and LAURA: ♪ Oh no no no no no ♪

ASHLEY and MARISHA: ♪ Oh no, no, no, no, no, no ♪

SAM: Just let the algorithm wash over you.

LAURA: ♪ No, no, no, no, no ♪

TRAVIS: That's only three years old. That's okay. (laughter)

LIAM: They already flipped past us.

LAURA: People still use it! People still use it!

LIAM: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: You may see some behind the scenes content.

LAURA: People still use it.

MARISHA: Or some stuff around the table that you don't normally get to see. If you're into that sort of thing, you can go check it out. You can find us at our usual hashta-- handle @CriticalRole. (laughter)

MARISHA: At Critical.

LAURA: This is going great, you guys!

MATT: Wow!

TRAVIS: Ch-chicka-check us out!

MATT: All right!

ASHLEY: Off to a great start!

MATT: I'm going to cut us off there. (laughter)

LIAM: About 10 minutes too late.

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: Yeah, took us too long to get the "Possibly in Michigan" reference, but I'm glad we got there eventually.

MARISHA: (sighs)

MATT: I think that concludes our announcements. So with that, let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role! (exhales)

SAM: Woo!

TRAVIS: (growls)

Part I
MATT: And welcome back. So--

LAURA: It's so loud. (laughter)

MATT: Bells Hells (laughs), as the time before the Apogee Solstice grows ever closer, in fact, just about 13 or so days away-- (nervous laughter)

TRAVIS: Oh god.

LIAM: Don't think that's correct.

MARISHA: Lucky 13.

MATT: Indeed.

ASHLEY: Oh boy.

MATT: You went to the City of Flowing Light, Yios, to seek information about the Grim Verity and some of the missing pages of the history of Ruidus and the study that was surrounding it, the Omen Archive. Upon looking about this, you learned some things about yourselves, some things about FCG, some things about your mother through some visions, and an encounter with some of the Ruby Vanguard, a group or a faction that is working underneath or with certain elements of the Cerberus Assembly and Ludinus Da'leth, who surprised you while you were talking to one of the professors at the seminary. After that brief encounter and returning back to your recently acquired ally, Planerider Ryn, you decided to head to one of the three locations of these Malleus Keys that are all seemingly aligned in some way to trigger at some point during this apogee solstice. You decided to head towards the Fey Realm, where Fearne is from, and where the first of these keys was seemly constructed a number of years back. With Planerider Ryn's help you were transported to the Fey Realm, deep into the Hallow Fen something or other. deep into the Harrow Fen something or other. Can't remember. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Hallowcall Fens.

MARISHA: Hallowcall Fen.

MATT: There you go, thank you.

TRAVIS: Hallowcall Fens.

MATT: Hallowcall Fens, I had it. I was getting them backwards.

MARISHA: But wait, what's the Harrowowcall Veils?

LIAM: Harrowcall Fens?

MATT: Harrowcall.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Harrowcall Fens.

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: There it is.

ASHLEY: I think.

TRAVIS: Do you know how to take notes?

TALIESIN: You sound right.

MATT: You got it.

MARISHA: I fucking suck at that.

LIAM: ♪ Honeycomb's big ♪ ♪ Yeah yeah yeah ♪

MATT: My brain went mm, no, forget the word.

LIAM: ♪ It's not small ♪

TRAVIS: It is the Fey Realm.

TALIESIN: ♪ No, no, no ♪

MATT: Indeed.

TALIESIN: Wow.

MATT: Where you--

TALIESIN: That hurt.

LIAM: Sorry.

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: You traveled a short distance to the interior of Fearne's abode under Morrigan, the Fatestitcher, within her home known as the Ligament Manor. A beautiful, mostly shrouded treehouse where you stayed the night, learned a bit about her history, the source of her jovial personality and acquired a bit of information heading towards where this key may be. As you began to hike towards the Sablecast Grounds where a location known as the Shiver Keep exists, there, floating somewhat ethereal in the sky above it, is the out of place image of Ruidus. You push through these swamps, you briefly-- Not really had a conversation with, but quickly destroyed and set aside a group of centaurs that were plotting upon finding you to bring you back to the Unseelie Court, and continue your journey towards this ominous keep. So, here we are now, past the twisting web of tethered trees, now unveiling the broken mountain-scape of jaw-like, gray stone spires that are wreathed in nightmarish patchy vines and black needles with winding giant bramble forests that completely entwine and entangle the middle of this valley for an endless distance before you see the distant mountains cresting up. This before you is the Sablecast Grounds. You can see shifting lights amongst the now very dark and shadow-enshrouded canopy, moving bands, villages. Who knows? But what you do have to guide you, at least in a specific direction, is that faint little beam of red and the glowing orb of a ghostly Ruidus. You do also know that the gate, the nearest gate to this event that could bring you back to Exandria is due west from where it is should you be looking at it where you are now, which is the direction you traveled from. But that's all you have to go off of. So do you continue onward?

LAURA: I still have a fog cloud spewing from my mouth?

MATT: Indeed (cloud spewing).

ASHLEY: Oh, that's right.

MARISHA: That's right.

LAURA: You know, in hindsight--

TRAVIS: Is this better?

LAURA: I bet those centaurs would've done a good job of--

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: Yeah. (laughter)

LAURA: Yes. Would've done a good job of getting us to the court.

SAM: Oh yeah.

LAURA: Uh-huh.

SAM: But they hated us.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LAURA: Yeah, no. They probably would've destroyed us, but at least it would've gotten us there. How did I not see your shirt before?

SAM: Oh.

TRAVIS: Oh my god.

MATT: Oh my god.

LAURA: This is... Yeah.

ASHLEY: Oh wow.

LIAM: Vibrant.

LAURA: So bright.

TALIESIN: Okay.

LIAM: Is Imogen's fog stack rising into the sky here?

LAURA: Or is it keeping--

TALIESIN: Or is it doing the dry ice thing where it rolls down?

TRAVIS: Oh, nice. Yeah.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: It's--

TALIESIN: Is it light lavender?

MATT: It's swirling around you and you can step outside of the cloud to look up. It is not causing a column or necessarily a mass beacon that is drawing the attention of any aerial entities or distant scouts, you assume.

LAURA: It's obfuscating us.

MATT: Yes.

TRAVIS: Nice.

MATT: That's the one.

TRAVIS: That's very good.

LIAM: Miss-underestimate. (laughter)

MATT: But glancing past the fog cloud, which it does prevent you from seeing where you're going.

SAM: Great.

MATT: But as long as one of you is guiding beyond that shroud of fog you can get the others to follow with your voice. (laughs)

TRAVIS: I'd be happy to. I have incredible vision and very keen senses.

LAURA: Great.

SAM: All right. I mean, Fearne is from here.

TRAVIS: Well, fuck! I guess.

ASHLEY: Sure, I mean, I probably know best where to go.

TRAVIS: Take the lead.

ASHLEY: I'm just kidding, I really don't.

TRAVIS: Really?

SAM: Oh, you don't?

MARISHA: Well, you said that you haven't really--

TALIESIN: I was up for the chaos.

MARISHA: -- been outside of the tree house much.

ASHLEY: Yes, I didn't realize it was quite a dome situation.

MARISHA: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Yeah, but I could try, maybe.

TRAVIS: Yeah, it's like riding a bike. Give it a shot.

SAM: A what?

LAURA and LIAM: (laugh)

ASHLEY: What's that?

TRAVIS: A bíké.

SAM: Ah, yes. That I know.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: Fearne, are you guiding them on this length of the journey?

LAURA: Oh god.

TALIESIN: Mm. Oh yes, please.

ASHLEY: Well, what would it take to guide? (laughter)

MATT: No, just answer the question.

MARISHA: What would it take to guide?

MATT: There are many things it can take to guide. There are many things it can take to guide.

LIAM: You go ahead and negotiate.

ASHLEY: Yes, yes. Yeah, I'm trying to negotiate.

TRAVIS: There we go.

ASHLEY: Yes.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: I'm guiding.

MATT: As you move past the fog and look over this still descending walk into this bramble thicket, this dense dark forest that fills this valley, you can see there's that faint silver rim light that seems sourceless above. You can see the drifting wisps of gray and purple and green clouds. You need to make either a survival or a nature check. Your choice.

TRAVIS: Ooh.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: You got this, Fearne.

ASHLEY: I got it. I know exactly where to go.

LIAM: Didn't we also learn that the keep, or the key, or maybe both are under the visage of Ruidus here?

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: That was what you've been told is probably the likely guide.

LIAM: So we can also use that to a degree?

ASHLEY: 12.

MATT: Indeed.

SAM: 12.

MATT: 12? All righty.

LAURA: Did you Guide yourself? Did you Guide yourself?

ASHLEY: No, I didn't.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

ASHLEY: I forgot about that.

MATT: Can't guide the guide.

ASHLEY: Yes, yes, yes. Next time, I will.

MATT: You wander deep into this thicket, following the footsteps and very keen directive of Fearne Calloway. The next hour or so is a harrowing period of traversing a very torn and unwelcoming landscape. You push past these bent over smaller gnarled trees than the ones you had passed deeper in the Fens. But they seem to be willing themselves in your way. But they seem to be willing themselves in your way. As you push forward, you swear you can hear the creaking of bark and trunk, and as you push past the fog that you're still billowing--

LAURA: After an hour it goes away.

MATT: Indeed. So by the end of this first hour of the leg of the journey, you will be free and clear of your smoke-stacked self.

LAURA: I'm starting to drool.

TRAVIS: Oh boy.

MATT: So it doesn't... You feel yourself getting lost a couple of times, at least a little bit distracted before you get back onto the path. You don't end up completely lost and you do eventually center yourselves, but a beeline towards your destination was not made through this treacherous portion of the valley. Because of the fog cloud, I was also going to have you all roll stealth checks but you have advantage because of the fog.

SAM: Hey, look at that.

LAURA: Ooh! Natural 20!

LIAM: Oo!

MARISHA: Oh boy.

MATT: Nice.

MARISHA: Oh boy. I rolled a one and a five.

MATT: All right, not great.

ASHLEY: Oh that's right, advantage.

TRAVIS: 23.

MATT: 23.

TALIESIN: 25.

SAM: Oh!

MATT: Okay.

SAM: One.

ASHLEY: 12.

MATT: With advantage?

SAM: Well, I get disadvantage on stealth. So that's a single roll, and it was a one. Okay, that's bad.

LAURA: And you're exhausted.

MARISHA: And I'm exhausted.

LIAM: Yeah, that's right.

SAM: So that's disadvantage or just a straight roll?

LAURA: A straight roll.

TRAVIS: Both of them were balls.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MARISHA: Both of them were balls.

SAM: But they averaged out to three.

TALIESIN: You reroll.

MARISHA: Sure.

MATT: I'll take the one. (laughter)

MARISHA: That sounds fair.

MATT: I'll take the one.

MARISHA: Great.

MATT: Fearne, what did you roll again?

ASHLEY: 12.

MATT: 12, okay.

LIAM: I got a 19.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: And a 19. Whew. Thank goodness for the benefits of your unexpected fog enchantment as it seemed to have obscured your passageway through, narrowly avoiding some deep growling hoot noises that seemed to be emanating from some unseen nests that clamor up in the nearby canopies.

TRAVIS: Hoot.

MATT: (growling hoot)

LAURA: Oh, that's way scarier than what I was picturing.

TRAVIS: Oh, shit, that's way worse.

MATT: (growling hoot)

TRAVIS: Oh, uh-uh.

LIAM: Hoot hoot.

MATT: But push on until the descent along this valley path becomes fraught with small cliffs and the occasional bit of a slick mudslide. Because of Fearne's passable roll, you did not end up falling into some sort of a "Goonies" style slide trap.

LIAM: Aw.

MATT: But, right as the fog billowing begins to subside you begin to notice a number of spire-like towers, these thin needle-like towers that poke beyond the brambles. You see one of them not too far from you, a few hundred feet, and another that's a little further past. These are these very thin, tall pointed towers. Near the top is a polished white marble that is set onto the top.

LAURA: How wide are they at the base?

MATT: Mm, make a perception check for me because you don't see the base right now. It's too far away. The trees are thick, you can barely see it now approaching from above the breaks in the canopy.

LAURA: Eight.

MATT: Eight? No idea.

LIAM: Is it too wibbly-wobbly here to guesstimate how far away?

LIAM: Is it like 200 feet?

LAURA: You said 200 feet, right? Is that what you said?

MATT: It's a few hundred feet you could guess, by the time you can see it. When you take a few steps, you can gauge the distance.

SAM: It's just a pillar with marble on top?

MATT: Yep.

SAM: No doors, no--

LAURA: A black pillar?

MATT: It's a dull gray purple coloration.

TRAVIS: A white marble top. That's unusual.

LAURA: Fearne, what is that?

ASHLEY: Your guess is as good as mine.

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

SAM: Appreciate the honesty.

LIAM: Is there any one?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LIAM: There's no windows of any kind?

TRAVIS: Light sources.

MATT: Make a perception check.

LIAM: Natural 20. (exclaiming)

MATT: For a total of?

LIAM: That would be--

MATT: 600.

LAURA: I like how he doesn't celebrate it--

LIAM: 29.

LAURA: -- like it's a given he's going to get 20.

MATT: (laughs) 29.

LIAM: I worked at it.

SAM: Yeah, you did.

TALIESIN: Keeping your core.

LIAM: I aimed for it and I got it. Don't mister-under-ester-damater me.

TRAVIS: Mister-under-rater.

MATT: There are no windows.

TALIESIN: The joke of the day.

MATT: There's no ladder. It's just a smooth thin tower. With a natural 20, you can tell-- (phone chimes)

LIAM: It is making that sound, though.

TRAVIS: That's what happens when he rolls a 20.

MATT: There you go. (laughter)

TALIESIN: You've got the tingles.

MATT: That's how you celebrate a critical.

MARISHA: It's like a radio set.

MATT: With a xylophone. With a natural 20, you can tell it's about 400, 500 feet from where you currently stand.

LAURA: Whoa.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: It is about 10 feet wide at its base, at the most. The majority of the tower is no more than maybe three feet wide, going to a gradual point. It probably stands about 60 or so feet in the air.

LAURA: Whoa.

LIAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: That's no moon.

MARISHA: Can we assume--

SAM: Could be an antenna.

MARISHA: -- that that's the Shiver Keep?

LAURA: It's so thin, though.

LIAM: There's more than one?

MARISHA: Mm-mm ("I don't know").

LAURA: I mean, what if it's a creature?

MARISHA: Right?

SAM: Well, it could be some way of transmitting or receiving signal.

TALIESIN: Everything out here is really weird. Maybe it's just bigger on the inside. Or maybe it goes underground or--

LIAM: I also think you got to at least assume everything here is a creature at first.

LAURA: Right?

TALIESIN: Wow, that's a very fair.

SAM: Well, we got to go check-- Well actually, I don't know. What are our options here? We can just go walk up right up to it, or--

LIAM: We got Pâté.

LAURA: You got a text message or something.

MARISHA: That's true.

SAM: I'm good, thanks for telling me.

LAURA: Yeah, maybe Pâté can go check it out.

MARISHA: All right. Hmm. Fearne?

ASHLEY: Yes?

MARISHA: What would be a non-assuming version of Pâté?

MARISHA: What would be a non-assuming version of Pâté? Maybe an owl? Maybe like Dr. Nesbitt, to make him look like that?

ASHLEY: Oh yes.

MARISHA: All right.

ASHLEY: Yes. Just a polite little bird.

MARISHA: Polite little bird.

ASHLEY: That'll be unassuming.

MARISHA: All right, all right. Pull out Pâté.

MATT: Okay. "Oh, hey, hey. What are we doing?"

MARISHA: Hello, all right. You're going to go on another little field trip!

MATT: "Where are we going?"

MARISHA: Well, just you. I need you to scout for me.

MATT: "Sure, sure. Yeah!"

MARISHA: But first, I want you to take on the form of a cute unassuming little bird. We're great with words tonight. All of us.

MATT: "Okay, hold on. (strains)" You watch bones pop, pop and it's just using the same parts, Pâté is now trying to Transformer into a bird-esque shape.

LAURA: (shudders)

SAM: Oh my.

TRAVIS: Ugh, it's sucking in on its own body?

SAM: Ugh.

LAURA: Yuck.

MARISHA: Good boy.

MATT: "(groans) This feels a little weird."

SAM: Looks weird, too.

MARISHA: How'd he do?

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: Oh, he did all right (laughs).

MARISHA: All right. (laughter)

TRAVIS: (Pâté crashing to the ground) (laughter)

MATT: At a distance of about 15 or 20 feet, it might work quickly.

MARISHA: Hmm.

TRAVIS: Yeah, go on.

LAURA: He looks great.

MARISHA: What's your little... Do a little songbird chirp. What's your little...

MATT: "(blows air)" Doesn't have lips. It's a skull.

MARISHA: All right, yes, you're dead.

TRAVIS: (blows air) (laughter)

MARISHA: Okay. Just don't say anything. You see that big pointy thing with the big giant marble on top of it?

MATT: "Yeah."

MARISHA: I want you to go check that out.

MATT: "'Kay."

MARISHA: I'm going to look through your eyes.

MATT: "'Kay."

MARISHA: Don't get caught.

MATT: "'Kay."

MARISHA: Don't say anything.

MARISHA: Let's see how you fly. (tosses Pâté)

MATT: "(grunts)" (thud) (laughter)

MATT: Sits still for a second. (laughter)

MATT: (wings fluttering) It's the heaviest bird you've ever seen. Is like (wings flutter) and (groans).

MARISHA: Aw.

MATT: It's like--

TRAVIS: Weight to thrust ratio's all fucked. (laughs)

MATT: Looks like it's about to drop a payload or something. It's just carrying the body.

LAURA: Like a June bug. (laughter)

MATT: Yeah.

MARISHA: Dumbass June bug. Dink.

TALIESIN: Bumblebee, just bonk. Bonk.

MATT: Makes it off that direction. You glance through Pâté's eyes.

TALIESIN: Ball down an alley.

MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: As you focus and--

MARISHA: Just hold onto Imogen.

MATT: Mm-hmm. Concentrate on the vision. About 200 or so feet away from this tower suddenly the vision through Pâté begins to sparkle a bit.

MARISHA: (gasps)

MATT: This faint purplish light seems to put a filter over his vision. The rest of you notice as Pâté cruises off, suddenly you see this bright glow of faint purple energy.

MARISHA: Around him?

MATT: Like someone had lit a lantern. Like a purple flame lantern.

SAM: Emanating from--

LAURA: From Pâté?

MATT: The direction that Pâté went.

TRAVIS: Like he went through something?

LAURA: Does it look like fairy light or something?

MARISHA: Yeah, he got hit with--

MATT: It looks exactly like fairy light.

TALIESIN: Oh.

MARISHA: Um... It looks so pretty. It's like I'm wearing really cool glasses.

LAURA: Well, I think whatever is in that tower or is looking through that tower can definitely see Pâté at this point.

MARISHA: Yeah, should I tell him to come back?

LIAM: No.

TRAVIS: Back to us?

LAURA: Straight to us.

TALIESIN: Let's not do that.

MARISHA: All right. Keep going, buddy.

MATT: "Okay. (blows raspberry)"

LAURA: Maybe he'll just look like a dumb bird or something flying.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I mean--

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah.

TALIESIN: Dumb bird.

SAM: Definitely.

TRAVIS: Worst drone ever. (heavy fluttering)

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: (vocalizations) (laughter)

MATT: "No one sees me!" (laughter)

MATT: Cruises past the tower from your vision perspective. (whirs) Dodges past and continues through and weaving over the trees and the heavy twisted thickets, these heavy roots that bend up out of the ground and tangle and knot over each other with six- to eight-inch long thorn spikes that seem protrude from them in heavy clusters around sections. The further in this forest goes, the more dangerous and unwelcoming it seems to become. And it's already pretty unwelcoming. As Pâté picks up a little bit to try and crest over some of the bush and thicket, you can see there are a number of these towers, probably a few dozen or so that just-- They don't really emit any light, but in the faint bit of sourceless silver light that's washing across the top of this valley, you can see the polished marble tops. They definitely stand out texture-wise from the rest of the forest.

MARISHA: There's a bunch of them.

LAURA: I'll bet they're sentries. Sentry towers.

LIAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: It also looks like the bramble in the brush gets incredibly daunting and thick the closer that it gets.

LAURA: Great.

SAM: Well, that means it's important if they're protecting it, right?

MATT: About this time, you also hear a sound that pierces the somewhat stillness, that pierces the somewhat stillness, the quiet air that encompasses the valley. This (screeches).

LAURA: Hide. Should we hide?

SAM: Probably.

MATT: Just echoes and fades out (screeches).

SAM: Did it come from a particular direction?

MATT: You can make a perception check.

LAURA: Didn't we get something that made us invisible? Did we get some invisible things?

MARISHA: Oh, right, what did we get?

LAURA: From Morri. She gave us invisible things.

SAM: Eight.

ASHLEY: Oh yeah, what did she give us?

LIAM: Little nets or--

MARISHA: The cloaks.

LIAM: What were they called?

LAURA: Use once a day, the--

MARISHA: Yes.

LIAM: Yes. We can't move when wearing them.

TRAVIS: Harrowcall Veils?

LIAM: Yes, that's it.

MARISHA: Oh, that's why I wrote down "veils." I knew I wasn't fucking wrong.

LAURA: That's right.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: Damn it. Miss-underestimated me.

TRAVIS: "Single swatch can be placed over three medium or small- sized creatures and activated. When the creatures do not move beneath, they gain plus 10 to stealth checks. Lasts for one hour."

SAM: How many do we have?

LIAM: Three.

TALIESIN: Three.

SAM: So we can use two now.

LAURA: So when we're not moving, so we can move and then freeze and we still get it for an hour?

TALIESIN: Three people.

MATT: For an hour, but then once you're done, it doesn't have the magic anymore. So you can use it once and it lasts for an hour and then you're good.

LIAM: Okay.

MARISHA: But we can't move and stop--

TRAVIS: This doesn't feel like that moment.

MARISHA: And move and stop?

LAURA: Yeah, we can move and stop.

MATT: You can.

MARISHA: All right, all right.

MATT: But it doesn't give you the benefit while you're moving.

TRAVIS: So you have to freeze.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Once you freeze, it goes opaque.

LIAM: Laudna, Laudna, do we want to use Pâté like not bait, but have Pâté be more obvious and we-- So we see what we're dealing with?

MARISHA: We could do that.

SAM: He's pretty obvious already.

MARISHA: He's pretty obvious. I didn't want to tell him.

LIAM: We know, yeah.

MARISHA: Break his spirit. I mean, I guess we'll see. Keep circling, buddy.

MATT: "Okay! Starting to hurt my ribs." What'd you roll for perception?

SAM: Oh, just eight.

MATT: Just eight? Okay, yeah.

TRAVIS: Oh, just eight.

MATT: It's from everywhere. Who knows the distance?

SAM: Wow.

MATT: The range, it's terrifying.

TALIESIN: Keeping an eye and circling around. What are the plants doing?

MATT: From this area, you can see-- The trees themselves still creak slightly as as you walk through the-- It's like they're leaning in your direction. Branches seem to cross over and try and bar the way. It's inconvenient, no more than that at the moment.

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: But occasionally, you come to some of the bramble thicket elements and you have to crawl down and get low and scratch your arm as you push through, you're starting to get scuffs. It's not a comfortable journey forward.

LIAM: Is that screeching ongoing?

MATT: You only heard it twice.

LAURA: How close to the tower was Pâté before he'd sparkled?

MATT: Was about 200 or so feet.

LAURA: Oh gosh, so it's a big radius?

MATT: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Shoot.

SAM: I'm going to really quickly close my ocular receptors

SAM: I'm going to really quickly close my ocular receptors and say: Changebringer, if you're out there, please tell us, is that creature a danger to us? And I will flip my coin. No spell cast.

MATT: Yeah.

SAM: This is just a coin flip. Okay, we're good. I think we can just go.

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Really?

SAM: Well, yeah. I mean, yeah. I've been trying to-- For a long time now, I've been trying to figure out, what am I, right? Am I a killer? Am I healer? What's my past? What am I made of? You know? Am I a human, or am I Dancer's? Well, what am I? But now I realize, I got a thing already. The Changebringer gave me a thing, and that should be my guide. I should look forward into the future.

LAURA: You should use a coin flip to tell us--

SAM: This is what I am.

LIAM: Yeah, but did you hear something or feel something?

SAM: This is a piece of metal that makes a choice. That's all I am.

TALIESIN: It doesn't make a choice, though.

ASHLEY: I don't know about that.

LAURA: So you're making the choice, not the coin? You're making the choice?

SAM: The goddess is.

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

LAURA: Well, but--

SAM: And she said, I said-- In my head, I said: Heads were fine, tails were bad. And this is heads, so we're going. I mean, I'm going, you guys can do what you want.

TALIESIN: FCG...

MARISHA: Eh... (mumbles)

ASHLEY: I don't trust it.

MARISHA: You talk, Ashton.

LAURA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Letters. I'm very excited for this. I think this is really good for you. I really do. I think you got to slow your roll, not metaphorically. You know, there might be a queue for a proper answer. A lot of people are talking to the goddess and maybe it's not that that was the answer, maybe it was please hold. We should wait for a little bit more of an obvious sign and in the meantime, trust in those around you.

SAM: I do trust.

TALIESIN: All right.

SAM: I think. In faith.

LIAM: Can we test it out on a race or something or something more low stakes first?

TALIESIN: Like potato sacks or something.

LIAM: Just turtles?

MARISHA: Right.

TALIESIN: I love a turtle race.

SAM: I mean, if you don't trust it, then that's not faith, right?

LIAM: Well--

LAURA: That's true.

TALIESIN: Well, there's a lot of--

MARISHA: I think it also, it doesn't mean you should discount your own intelligence and wisdom and experience that's come before this. You know, this is a great thing to consider, but it shouldn't maybe become your entire personality.

SAM: I can tell you're uncomfortable with this, so if you guys-- I'm just saying, I feel good about the way forward.

LAURA: All right.

TRAVIS: I feel pretty good, too.

TALIESIN: Actually, that's--

LAURA: I'm fine if we--

TALIESIN: That's the sort of information that I feel is great to have.

LAURA: Maybe the Changebringer's, you know, with heads up, is saying, "trust in your own head."

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: Trust in yourself. Don't depend on this fucking coin.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Are we trying--

LAURA: Use your own brain, which you have.

SAM: Silly Imogen.

MARISHA: (laughs)

SAM: That's not how it works.

ASHLEY: It's not how this flat world works.

SAM: No.

TRAVIS: Are we trying--

SAM: Oh my god, I didn't even think about it.

TALIESIN: Oh, you said it.

SAM: A coin is like a symbol of the earth.

ASHLEY: I'm so sorry.

SAM: Of Exandria.

LAURA: Thank you, Fearne.

TALIESIN: Fuck, Fearne!

SAM: It works on so many different levels! It's a sign.

TRAVIS: Yep, one is Exandria.

TALIESIN: I thought we'd all agree--

TRAVIS: -- the other side's the underworld.

TALIESIN: -- to not bring it up. Fuck.

SAM: Yes.

TRAVIS: Yep!

ASHLEY: I had to, I had to push the button.

TRAVIS: Are we trying to power down this field and gain access to those little spires?

LAURA: Are the spires blocking our path to get to the Ruidus?

LIAM: Yeah, if we're trying to make a beeline for Ruidus--

MATT: If it's a direct line, it looks like there's at least two that are in the path, but you can try and weave through.

LIAM: Yes, that.

MATT: If you want to try and someone wants to go ahead and guide a path through the forest--

LAURA: Who's got really good--

MATT: -- in hopes of avoiding them--

LAURA: Survival?

TRAVIS: Survival or nature?

MATT: I will say--

ASHLEY: I have good survival, but--

LAURA: All right.

SAM: You will say what?

MATT: I will say, Laudna, about 10 minutes since you sent Pâté into that field and he began to glow like a purple torch light, it fades. So you begin to ascertain that whatever magic took hold in him lasted about 10 or so minutes.

MARISHA: 10 or so minutes. Okay. I'm assuming he's still going, right? Or is he circling?

MATT: You told him to circle.

LAURA: All right.

MARISHA: Does he see anything else? You just see the two?

MATT: Make a perception check.

LAURA: Maybe he used up all the magic and now we can go and we won't get it.

MATT: Because you're looking through his eyes. Go ahead and roll your perception.

SAM: I feel great.

LAURA: I feel good about you, FCG. I feel like we should listen to you.

SAM: This is it.

LIAM: You get the familiar's perception, girl.

SAM: Well, we're not going to be dumb about it, we're still going to--

MARISHA: (gasps)

MATT: That's right! It is the familiar's perception.

LIAM and MATT: Yes, it is.

MARISHA: ♪ Natural 20, natural 20 ♪

MATT: All right, and with Pâté, with the imp's perception that would be-- Sorry, it is actually the familiar's perception.

MARISHA: Oh, it's his--

TRAVIS: So fuck your natural 20.

LAURA: Still a natural 20.

MARISHA: Fuck that.

MATT: It is still a natural 20.

LIAM: It's why Frumpkin always ate shit.

TRAVIS: Yeah, 20's out.

MARISHA: Extras--

LAURA: No, it's because you rolled like shit.

MARISHA: So it's still natural 20? Wait, with what? His wisdom? 21.

MATT: 21.

SAM: Ooh!

MATT: All righty.

MARISHA: Although, wait, doesn't he have something? Doesn't he have something?

TRAVIS: Eyes of the bone.

SAM: Bone eyes.

MARISHA: Magical darkness doesn't impede his vision.

MATT: That's great.

MARISHA: So he's got that.

MATT: So, okay. As Pâté is keeping a keen eye above the forest path that lies ahead of you, you do see the scattering of these towers. What you gather through his vision is they run a ring-like perimeter around where this keep is now visible to you from this upper perspective. From this view, you can see that ghostly image of Ruidus held aloft, roughly a mile or so above the center of the floor of the valley. That single, thread-like red beam that holds it there like a still balloon in the sky. The spires are scattered in a ring-like formation around the outside. So if anything were to try and rush the center of this valley, it would have a hard time getting to the keep quickly without itself being seen by many sentries or scouts that likely exist throughout the center of the forest. With the 20, you also see a large wingéd shadowed entity that is circling above the keep and around.

TRAVIS: Awesome.

LAURA: You know it's serious when he says wingéd.

MATT: Before you watch it slowly descend and circle around and then vanish within the exterior walls of the keep.

TRAVIS: Awesome. That's awful.

TALIESIN: Oh.

MARISHA: All right, I relay that information. Appears to be a ring, big wingéd shadowy thing. Probably it's patrol, making sure that--

TRAVIS: Yeah, but this is not our final destination, though. We got to navigate around it.

LAURA: We got to dark and weave, dart and weave.

TALIESIN: Could be our final destination.

LIAM: We can't see the keep from our spot on the ground.

MATT: No.

LIAM: It was from Pâté's POV.

MATT: Yeah, you could see the keep from up when you first started--

SAM: There's flowers all around--

MATT: -- to descend into the valley when you began to enter this part of the swamp, and then you've lost your vision of it since then, you're using the Ruidus image to guide you.

MARISHA: And then there's the keep on the inside.

SAM: But it's big. We're talking thousands of feet between these things.

TRAVIS: Hundreds of feet.

LAURA: Hundreds of feet between the spires.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: So we might be able to find a little-- It's to keep large groups of things coming at them from all sides at once, but--

MATT: Or to catch anyone who's not paying close attention.

TRAVIS: Attempting doing a bum-rush.

MARISHA: You said there was the thing went behind a wall. So there's these spires.

MATT: Yeah, loosely arranged--

MARISHA: Orb-y spires.

MATT: -- in a ring-like pattern around the center of where the keep's walls are.

MARISHA: And then a keep with a big wall.

LAURA: Oh yeah, ask Pâté to see which--

LIAM: It's like lighting idiots up with Faerie Fire.

LAURA: -- which spires are furthest away from--

MARISHA: Are farthest apart.

LAURA: -- from each other, yeah.

MARISHA: Okay. Yeah. Can I, as he does a circle, see if there's some that have a bigger gap than others that we might be able to just squeeze through?

MATT: Sure. He goes, "I mean, there's maybe a couple--"

MARISHA: Internally, speak internally with your mind.

MATT: "I don't know how-- Oh!"

MARISHA: Just think it.

MATT: "(strains)" (small mouth fart) (laughter)

LAURA: He flies a little higher.

MATT: (laughs) Little boost.

MARISHA: Yeah, the hot air. (laughter)

LIAM: That's how he does a double jump.

TRAVIS: Faerie Fire lights up anew?

MARISHA: Yeah (laughs).

MATT: Yeah. (laughter)

TRAVIS: It's like those thermal cameras at LAX. (mouth fart) (laughter)

LAURA: Oh god, I've forgot about those cameras.

TRAVIS: Everybody toots.

LAURA: That's epic.

MATT: Indeed. He loosely conveys, "There's maybe sort of a pattern if you go this way and you turn right and maybe just thread the needle." He keeps saying thread the needle, as the one thing-- (laughter)

MATT: "Make sure you stay between them and thread the needle."

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MARISHA: All right. Do I get an idea of what he means by the east side, west side?

MATT: Not really. I mean, you're looking through his eyes. So while he's trying to describe it--

MARISHA: So I can kind of see.

LAURA: Oh, so you can see.

MATT: You can get a perspective here.

MARISHA: Okay. Okay.

MATT: But you could-- What this will allow you to do is you could help somebody who is making a survival roll, which normally if they're guiding, it would have to be on their own for this. So with your vision and with his help, you can do that. I would like you to roll stealth check for Pâté.

MARISHA: (laughs) Okay.

TALIESIN: (heavy fluttering)

MARISHA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: (heavy fluttering)

TALIESIN: A little floating weed whacker.

SAM: (comical fluttering)

LAURA: Beep boop.

MARISHA: I roll with his... His what, dex?

MATT: His dexterity, yeah.

MARISHA: 13.

MATT: 13.

TALIESIN: Eyy. Doing okay.

LIAM: (as Pâté) "♪ I like ♪ ♪ New York in June. ♪ ♪ How about you? ♪"

MATT: "So yeah, if you go around this way in--" (air whooshing)

LAURA: (gasps)

MATT: There's this sudden impact sound.

MARISHA: Yeah, that was--

MATT: All you hear is "(groans)" and you lose the connection.

MARISHA: Pâté?

LAURA: Aw.

SAM: Oh no.

MARISHA: Oh, I think he got eaten.

SAM: Are you okay? Do you need to talk about it?

LAURA: Or shot down or something?

MARISHA: Oh no, he's fine. He just goes back to wherever he came from. I can get him back.

SAM: All right.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Nice.

MARISHA: Although, it kind of sucks that I don't have him right now.

TRAVIS: But we were going to use him to guide us, weren't we?

TALIESIN: Well, we sort of did.

LAURA: We kind of got an idea.

SAM: But Laudna saw some, right?

MARISHA: I can do it again.

MARISHA: I did, I did. Let me look at my Find-- How long does it take me to cast that? One hour, right.

TRAVIS: Fucked.

MARISHA: So next time we rest, I'll get him back.

SAM: All right, sure.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: We're going around, right? We got this.

SAM: We're going to thread the needle.

MARISHA: Yes.

LAURA: Thread the needle.

MARISHA: So I'm pretty sure by what he mentioned, we should go-- And I describe... I describe.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: Right. But the best you could through your vision in a more direct and understandable means of communication. All right, so who's going to helm this next leg of the journey?

SAM: I'm feeling great!

TRAVIS: Who's got a big nature stat?

SAM: Nature?

LIAM: Fearne, I thought you said you were good.

LAURA: What about survival? Who's got good--

SAM: I got okay survival.

ASHLEY: I don't have good nature. I have good survival.

SAM: Like how good?

ASHLEY: Pretty good. But I don't know. What are you at?

MATT and TRAVIS: (laugh)

SAM: I'm okay.

TALIESIN: I'm not built for any of that. (laughter)

TRAVIS: It better be a big fucking number, Ashley. Don't come with this and be fucking--

SAM: No, no, it's all right.

TRAVIS: -- plus two or something.

SAM: We don't know numbers. We don't know numbers.

TRAVIS: Fucking say it's pretty good.

ASHLEY: (laughs)

SAM: It's all good, and we're not--

ASHLEY: Well, listen, I rolled the survival for the last one and it didn't go well.

LAURA: I think, just go. You wanted to lead it.

SAM: I'm going.

LAURA: You're leading, FCG.

SAM: My god is guiding me.

ASHLEY: Do it. Do it. This is all you.

LAURA: Changebringer.

SAM: I will Guide myself.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: Then, I can either give him advantage or--

MATT: Or you can roll yourself if you want.

MARISHA: Well, you have Guidance, so you roll with advantage.

SAM: Does that mean I roll twice with Guidance, or just once with Guidance?

MATT: Yeah, you add it to whatever the roll is.

SAM: Oh, okay. To the better of the roll.

MATT: Yeah.

SAM: Terrible.

LAURA: Oh god.

SAM: Much better.

MARISHA: Ooh.

LAURA: Oh! Good, good, good.

SAM: 24.

TRAVIS: Yeah!

TALIESIN: Whoa!

ASHLEY: Great!

MATT: Great. All right. So--

TALIESIN: Yay, Changebringer.

LAURA: My survival's better than that.

TALIESIN: You can beat a 24?

LAURA: Really? That's as good as your survival is?

SAM: My survival is guided by the ever-flowing light of the Changebringer.

TRAVIS: Oh boy! (laughter)

TRAVIS: "Ever-flowing light."

ASHLEY: Wow.

TALIESIN: I don't think that metaphor-- Oh boy, we're going to have to get you a book or two or something.

TRAVIS: Oh jeez.

SAM: It's like the coin is magnetically pulling me forward.

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: On those flat poles.

MATT: All right. In following the extremely confident Aeormaton at the front of your party and using the guidance that you were able to ascertain--

LAURA: Do you have Pass Without a Trace?

MATT: -- from Pâté's vantage point--

LAURA: Do you have Pass Without a Trace?

MATT: -- you begin to maneuver through what you hope to be enough of a distance from the outer radius of some of these towers. Three of them in particular you get anxiously close to and can almost-- You don't know whether if you're tricking yourself through anxiety, or there is an actual sense to the air of proximity, but you almost feel a vibration in the air as you're afraid to get too close. At a certain point, you're uncertain between two of them if you're going to be able to thread the needle.

SAM: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

MATT: But through your care and keen vision, you all carefully emerge through this invisible boundary between the two of them and begin to delve closer and closer to the exterior of Shiver Keep.

LAURA: Nice.

MATT: It's about this time that you, Orym, pick up some lights ahead. At first, you glance over and see them and it could be a village, window light. Then right as you begin to focus, you see them move, and you see them getting brighter.

LIAM: (whispering) Hold up. They're coming toward or in a different direction?

MATT: It sounds like they're coming in a nearby proximity. You're uncertain. Actually, roll a perception for me. You'll be able to tell if you roll high enough.

LIAM: That's 21.

MATT: 21. Pretty good, pretty good. It's getting louder. So you assume it's coming loosely in your direction.

TALIESIN: Pass Without a Trace.

SAM: Ooh!

LIAM: Do want to get-- Did we use those veils already?

TRAVIS: Nope.

LIAM: No.

LAURA: Should we bust them out?

SAM: This is the best time.

LIAM: Something's coming.

MARISHA: This might be the time to use--

LAURA: Let's do it!

MARISHA: All right.

TALIESIN: On top of Pass Without A Trace or no?

LAURA: Can you go-- I think, I mean, it'd be good to get as much--

SAM: Well, it's the same, right?

TALIESIN: It's all of us.

LAURA: We would get plus 20. Would we get--

MATT: With them both overlapping, it would be plus 20.

TALIESIN: Oh.

LAURA: (laughing) Oh!

SAM: Well, all right.

LAURA: That's pretty impressive. Or you know.

TRAVIS: Go for it.

TALIESIN: No, I'm up for it. I pop the Pass Without a Trace.

MATT: Depends on when you want to--

TALIESIN: We can move with mine.

MATT: How long does yours last?

LAURA: That's true.

TALIESIN: You know, it's hilarious because it's even funnier to read when I have my glasses.

LIAM: Two really good buffs instead of one mega buff.

TALIESIN: One hour.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Should we use all of them, or just one?

TALIESIN: I think just my Pass Without a Trace.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: But we need to use two veils to get six of us under.

LAURA: That's true, so maybe just--

SAM: Seven of us.

LAURA: -- Pass Without a Trace.

SAM: Oh, we need to use all three.

MATT: Yeah, you have to use them all to get the whole group going.

LAURA: Then maybe let's just use Pass Without a Trace.

LIAM: We'll just save them.

TALIESIN: Let's save them and then we'll do Pass for now, and then we'll use them next.

LAURA: Okay.

MARISHA: All right.

LIAM: Now we roll, right?

MATT: Okay. So I would like the entire group to make a stealth roll with plus 10 to whatever your result is.

ASHLEY: Come on, baby.

LAURA: This is nerve-wracking.

MARISHA: Son of a fuck.

SAM: Thank you, Changebringer.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Thank you for guiding me.

ASHLEY: Yes.

MATT: We'll start over here with you, Ashton.

TALIESIN: 34.

MATT: 34. Okay. Jesus.

TALIESIN: (laughs) I rolled real good.

LIAM: 27.

MATT: 27.

LAURA: 21.

MATT: 21. Fearne?

ASHLEY: 20.

MATT: 20. Okay.

SAM: 28.

MATT: 28.

MARISHA: 19.

LAURA: Oof.

MATT: 19.

TRAVIS: 34.

SAM: Ooh.

MARISHA: Son of a bitch.

TALIESIN: Just staring.

MATT: You all scatter in the moderate clearing that you had seen the lights coming towards and pull out of that opening to find nearby tree roots and branches and wherever the nearby part of the space that you feel the most helpful to staying out of sight. You feel pretty confident in your ability to do so as a troupe. Then you begin to hear the sound of hoof.

LAURA: Oh shit.

MATT: (clopping hooves)

TALIESIN: Shit.

MATT: As well as (fluttering) A voice goes, "(speaking Sylvan)" Does anyone here speak Sylvan?

SAM: I had Tongues up.

ASHLEY: I do.

SAM: You do?!

TALIESIN: Oh!

LIAM: She better.

ASHLEY: I do, I do, I do.

MATT: You speak Sylvan.

ASHLEY: I'm useful here. (laughter)

MATT: The voice says--

ASHLEY: I know what to do. It's fine. It's fine.

LIAM: It's her home turf.

MATT: The voice says, (gruffly) "I thought I saw them around here."

ASHLEY: Oh, oh, okay. Be very quiet. I think they're talking about us right now.

LAURA: You're saying into my head, I assume? (laughter)

ASHLEY: Yes, inside Imogen's head.

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

SAM: (pigeon coos)

ASHLEY: No, to everybody.

MATT: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Very quietly!

SAM: Thanks, Fearne.

MATT: Nearby, you watch as one of this tangled wall of thick 12 to 15 foot tall thorned vines and brambles un-entwine and open up, revealing a pathway. There you see, coming from beyond that natural gateway, a war band of about 15 figures. You see them dressed in intricate dark metal plates and leathers with a shining silver inlay across it in places. You see some of them are larger, hulking, with elements of dark red or brown fur poking underneath where the plates separate. You can see smaller, stockier figures. You can see tiny winged ones, (rapid fluttering) with their own little tiny sets of armor and they're all wickedly armed. Where their helmets sit, there are these wild masks, these intricately covered wooden masks that cover their faces with all manner of horns and antlers that protrude from the helmet in different directions with different decorations and beads and odd little bones that are tethered to them as decoration. As they move, you watch the things clang but still make no sound, like something is preventing the, what you would assume to be loud armor from sounding loud at all. As they shift through, you see one figure who's in the center of the war band on the back of a black stallion with jet black fur, but its eyes glow with a deep red and its mane is a burning flame. Just glides about six or so inches above the ground.

ASHLEY: I want it.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: You see it lift up a little. (galloping) Then it picks up and glides across the ground a bit.

TRAVIS: Sick.

LIAM: What's the rider look like?

MARISHA: That's rad.

MATT: The rider's in the same kind of armor. Doesn't look like they're holding any immediate extensive station, but they definitely seem to be guiding the center of the war band.

LAURA: Oh god.

MATT: This figure looks to be-- There's no fur, the skin is a deep red from where you can see under the neck and the shoulders and what few bits you can see beneath. You can't see beneath the mask. So, yeah, that's all you can see. It's like a thick, reddish hide.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: But as you all stay there, carefully quiet and hidden, they scatter about the wood nearby. You can watch as they move. They tend to weave between the trees and through the bushes. The handful of sprite-like entities that flutter around head up into the branches and scoot through the trees and you get the sense that this is a very practiced hunting band as they begin to peek through all the usual spots in which people would tend to hide. At a few moments, some of them get uncomfortably close to some of your faces. But thankfully, due to the magical enchantment that have been instilled within you by the earth-connected nature of Ashton, the shadows still maintain your shroud and they move past without gleaning your shape.

SAM: Nice.

LIAM: Watching them pass through and keeping an eye on the figure on horseback, can I get a sense of their strength in comparison to mine as well as their total HP compared to mine.

MATT: You may. The one that's on the horseback, the nightmare back, if you will.

LIAM: Mm-hmm.

MATT: They are stronger than you. Definitely. Strength, physical strength.

LIAM: Yeah, yeah.

MATT: Their hit points, not as high.

SAM: Ooh!

MATT: But they are well armored, and they are well accompanied.

LIAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: That pun was terrible and it makes me unhappy.

LAURA: When they left, when they came out of the gate, did the gate close behind them?

MATT: No, it remained open.

SAM: Ooh.

LAURA: Are there still people stationed at the gate or is it--

MATT: Well, it's less of a gate.

LIAM: The gate is just a plant going--

MATT: It's just plants that pulled open and left an opening that was previously closed off.

SAM: Oh, we can go through!

LAURA: That's what I mean.

TALIESIN: Make a run for it?

MATT: As you're glancing over and looking, it is slowly closing. You can hear a (plants creaking).

TALIESIN: Do we want to make a roll?

SAM: I'll flip coin. It says, go!

MARISHA: What?!

SAM: It does!

MATT: You could all make an active stealth roll again to try and move past as the war band is heading outward. They're just about passing your space here. But you either can wait and close and find another path or you can try and take the path that's still open.

ASHLEY: Let's do it.

MATT: Okay, I'd like everyone to make another group stealth roll.

TALIESIN: Who sucks at this?

MARISHA: All right. Here we go.

SAM: At what?

LIAM: Do we still have Ash's--

MARISHA: I do.

MATT: You do. It lasts for an hour.

ASHLEY: Now or never.

SAM: Don't we have--

TALIESIN: Bless her, please.

MARISHA: Oh, you do, yeah.

SAM: Bless me?

MARISHA: But we still have--

ASHLEY: Guidance.

LAURA: Oh, yeah, you can Guide--

TALIESIN: Yeah, also Guidance--

SAM: I'll Guidance you.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: Oh, thank god, because I'm rolling shit.

TALIESIN: Oh shit.

MATT: So on this side, what do you have, Chetney?

ASHLEY: Nice.

TRAVIS: 34.

MATT: (laughing) Jeez!

TALIESIN: (groans)

MATT: All right.

LIAM: That still feels good.

MATT: Laudna.

MARISHA: Same thing. 19.

MATT: All right.

SAM: 13.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: With a plus 10?

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: Fearne.

TALIESIN: Wow.

MARISHA: Oh!

ASHLEY: 29.

MATT: Okay. Imogen.

LAURA: 23.

MATT: 23. All right.

LIAM: 20.

MATT: Oof, cutting it close. Ashton.

MARISHA: Were you Blessed?

SAM: I Blessed you, or Guided you.

TALIESIN: I got a--

MARISHA: He Blessed you.

SAM: I don't think he can Bless.

TALIESIN: No, I didn't bless.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I was telling him to--

MARISHA: Oh, he was telling--

LAURA: Oh.

TALIESIN: I was telling Sam to do some.

LAURA: I thought he would do the--

MARISHA: He was backseat.

TALIESIN: Natural one for 17.

LAURA: For some reason, I was thinking he had Trickster's Blessing like I had.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: A natural one.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: Natural one.

LAURA: Who rolled a natural one?

TALIESIN: I did.

LAURA: Uh-oh.

TALIESIN: Fuck! Shit and piss!

MATT: Anything but a one and this would've succeeded.

TALIESIN: I know!

MARISHA: Demonetized.

TRAVIS: Hope everybody stretched.

MATT: So as you all--

TALIESIN: Fuck.

MATT: -- begin to detach from your different alcoves and nooks and crannies and bits of shadow and rooted, sunken pockets, you all quickly--

LAURA: Do I see it happen? Do I see? Do I hear? Can I use a reaction?

MATT: Well, here's what happens. You all begin to scatter forward. The quickest of you on foot is Ashton and Ashton carries the enchantment around them anyways.

TALIESIN: Oh no.

MATT: So there was a proximity. So as you all begin to dart towards this and head upward, Ashton is guiding the path forward. It's about that moment that the ground (terrestrial creaking) begins to shift beneath your foot for a second.

SAM: Ooh!

MATT: Like you're hitting solid forest, but then suddenly, one part of it becomes like a mud or a quicksand. You sink down to one knee into it. (mud sucking down)

LAURA: (gasps)

MATT: As soon as that happens--

TALIESIN: Okay, because-- All right. No, carry on. I had a second of, technically speaking, I should be able to ignore effects of earth terrain getting weird.

MATT: It's difficult terrain, right?

TALIESIN: Hold on, hold on. I'm going to look this up because it's interesting.

LIAM: This is also Fey.

TALIESIN: Earth Walk.

LIAM: Fey mud.

MATT: "You can move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement." I don't know if that applies.

MATT: Indeed. Not for this.

TALIESIN: All right.

MATT: Because this is a special effect of an enchanted landscape.

TALIESIN: I was just very excited. I don't get to use that very often.

MATT: No, of course, of course! (laughter)

MATT: No worries. This is a consequence of the one.

TALIESIN: Yeah, no. Make it hurt.

MATT: Unfortunately. So as you get stuck into it, it's less the the pain, more than the instinctive (groans) yelp you give out as it almost hyper-extends your knee and you catch yourself. In that moment, you don't hear anything. All that happens is those glowing little lanterns that all the soldiers were carrying, the little motes of light that seem to burn from the inside of their helmets behind the masks all (whooshes) turn back in the direction of your troop.

SAM: Oh boy.

MATT: So what do you do?

MARISHA: Can we keep running?

SAM: So we're under light now?

MATT: You're under lights. Just the war band that had--

LIAM: No, they're--

SAM: They know we're running.

MATT: -- scattered and was wandering, they all just--

LAURA: And they're looking?

MATT: -- heard that noise and looked back in your direction.

SAM: Is Ashton stuck?

MATT: Ashton is down to one-- Up to the knee is currently swallowed by the ground.

TALIESIN: But it's currently--

SAM: Cut off his leg. Let's go.

TALIESIN: But the-- You need a chisel for that--

LAURA: I'm going to run, as I'm running forward--

TALIESIN: It's still up, though. Yeah, so Pass Without A Trace is still up.

LAURA: As I'm running forward, I'm going to touch his arm and cast Invisibility.

TRAVIS: I was just going to do the same thing! The same fucking thing!

LAURA: Oh my gosh!

MATT: All right.

LAURA and SAM: (laugh)

MATT: You vanish. The rest of you scatter off to the sides. Right? With your--

TRAVIS: Yep.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

MATT: -- positive stealth checks. Ashton, as you stand there, the war band begins to scatter back into the nearby spaces where you all had hidden. Some of the other areas where you had previously kept yourself out of sight, you can see them now discovering these hollows and inspecting within. You can hear some of them (sniffs) (growls) (gruffly laughs) "(speaking Sylvan)" To where you hear, Fearne, says, "Ah, they were here." You can see some of them getting within 15 to 10 feet of where you stand, Ashton. Your leg, it's slipping deeper into the ground and you can feel this constriction against your ankle. Like the floor is slowly eating your leg. You do take...

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

MATT: Four points of piercing damage.

TALIESIN: Fine.

MATT: As you stand there still invisible, feeling your legs slowly sinking in further. Your other foot, which is up on the land, begins to (sucking) sink in as well.

SAM: The war band is now upon us?

MATT: You guys have pushed off-- They're pushed through the opening of the gateway. You're up nearby the bramble tethers that created that barricade. So you are all hiding and watching this as the war band has returned to this region and is now carefully combing over and through the trees and boughs.

LIAM: (groans)

TALIESIN: Did everybody else start to make it through that or no? Or no. I haven't noticed.

MATT: I would say you haven't noticed. Landed, caught yourself, looked back and saw the lights turn and you've been quiet as you can while you--

TALIESIN: The last thing I saw was--

MATT: Imogen touch you and turn you invisible.

TALIESIN: So I'm going to stealth up as slowly as possible if they're not right on top of me right now. Start slowly trying to quietly, not even stand up but push myself out of this trap.

MATT: Okay. Make a strength check for me.

TALIESIN: All right, do I get a-- I get a thing off of straight strength--

MATT: You do, if you're raging.

TALIESIN: Oh, just raging is the--

LIAM and LAURA: (scream)

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: If it comes to it.

SAM: Stealth rage.

TALIESIN: All right. Strength check. 13.

MATT: 13.

TALIESIN: No, it's a check, not-- Okay, sorry. 10.

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: 10. You try and pull and you don't get much elevation and then as soon as you stop tensing, your body sinks about seven inches deeper

TALIESIN: Fuck.

MATT: You can feel the constriction on both of your legs now. You take another five points of piercing damage.

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: You can hear it now. The ground, it's like (gurgles).

MARISHA: Do we still have an opening?

TRAVIS: I'm going to--

TALIESIN: I'm going to think: Help?

TRAVIS: I'm going to cast Invisibility on myself.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: I'm going to use my Boots of Elvenkind to silently start creeping out from my hiding spot and moving behind the war party. If I can get, let's say, 20, 30 feet from the position that I was in, I'm going to take a handful of ball bearings, invisibly, and go (whooshes) and throw them in the direction that's opposite of where Ashton was in that pit.

MATT: Okay. Roll a stealth check with advantage for me. They are now pretty much upon you. You are up to your thighs almost--

TALIESIN: Yeah, I'm pushing.

TRAVIS: 25.

MATT: 25. You dart past the band and you can see them. The nightmare is now turned back around and is reentering this small pathway where everyone is standing. Most of them are still scattered around because they're not quite sure the direction it took. But the ones that are closest to where Ashton is, invisibly, swallowed partially by the floor. They're definitely closing in and they did not notice your movement. You throw it?

TRAVIS: I throw it.

MATT: (scattering crash) Right as all those impacts across heavy bits of wood and stone and brush scatter across, all the figures in the war band (whooshes) shift over in that direction. The nightmare (gallops) rides off in an arch. Out of sight, as a flame arc is left behind it that slowly vanishes behind it.

SAM: Does any of that make noise, like them moving quickly like that and attacking and pursuing?

TRAVIS: Or is it magically silenced still?

MATT: It's pretty quiet.

SAM: Damn it!

MATT: What you hear--

ASHLEY: Shit.

SAM: Cast a spell.

MATT: What you hear is the (flames swooshing) the flames of the nightmare. But the rest of the party moves pretty, pretty quietly. but they all begin to scatter and swarm in the direction of where that is.

SAM: Oh, so they're briefly--

LAURA: They're gone.

SAM: Briefly distracted.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

SAM: Okay.

MARISHA: And how's the bramble wall? It's still closing?

MATT: It's closing.

TALIESIN: I'm going to give a good solid push now that I know that they're not--

LAURA: Can anybody--

SAM: Or as they were leaving or distracted, I was going to cast Dispel Magic on the goo that he's stuck in. I don't know if it's a magical effect or a creature but I'm going to try.

MATT: Okay. You look over in the direction of where the ground is and as you come up to-- Because you're still invisible at this point in time, you all can see in the ground, there are these two odd openings in the dirt.

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: Where it is, the dirt around them is shifting and moving, like it's trying to reach up further. Almost like a mouth. Like a snake that's slowly swallowing its prey. The ground itself is extending, reaching and pulling him deeper in and undulating as it does so. It's grotesque. You cast Dispel Magic in the direction of the ground. No effect.

SAM: It's a creature!

TALIESIN: As I push up, I'm also--

LAURA: Chet, he needs help!

TALIESIN: -- going to push up with a-- Actually, with a punch to try and actually, launch myself and at the same time maybe punch the ground to see if just sending a bit of a shock through it will--

MATT: (laughs) Okay.

TALIESIN: -- piss it off--

MATT: Roll another strength check for me, please. Fearne?

ASHLEY: Yes?

MATT: You do recall some of the advice that you were given by Morri right as you were leaving.

LAURA: Oh, right. It was something about the ground.

LIAM: Yeah.

LAURA: What is it? What was it?

LIAM: I've got it, I've got it. Where is it?

LAURA: Ground grows--

ASHLEY: My notebook is there.

LAURA: Oh, iron tithe. The iron tithe.

MARISHA: Wanting to pay the iron tithe.

TALIESIN: What's the--

LAURA: It's going to take your armor and shit.

MARISHA: They want your armor. Yeah.

LAURA: Or do we have old equipment? Wait, we do. We have an old sword that's in the portal--

TRAVIS: I have an old breastplate.

SAM: I'm made of iron. I'll go.

LAURA: No, just throw something in--

ASHLEY: No, no, no, no.

LAURA: Throw something in the puddle.

ASHLEY: Throw your coin in, FCG. It's time.

SAM: My coin? No! That's the symbol of my god, no!

TALIESIN: God, we have almost nothing. I'm going to throw in, I've got a bag of jacks. I don't know.

SAM: A bag of jacks.

MATT: You take another four points of piercing damage.

LAURA: We have old swords.

MATT: And then it releases you.

TALIESIN: Oh god.

MARISHA: He does.

LAURA: He has the bag of--

SAM: It releases you?

TALIESIN: Yeah, the jacks did it.

MATT: It releases him. As you pull up out of it, you can see your legs are soaked in blood.

TALIESIN: Jacks? Really, just fucking jacks? You could have asked for the fucking jacks, let's go.

MARISHA: Come on, go, go, go, go.

TRAVIS: 15 points of damage.

LAURA: Wow. Keep going.

SAM: I think he's still in there.

LAURA: No, he's out, he's out, he's out.

TALIESIN: You can see my fucking--

SAM: How do you know?

LAURA: Because he just told me he's out.

SAM: He did?

LAURA: Uh-huh.

SAM: Okay. (laughter)

MARISHA: Through the hole, through the hole.

TRAVIS: Yeah, we're going through the bramble.

LAURA: Yeah, go!

LIAM: Into the sphincter.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: All right. Who is guiding this last leg of the journey?

MARISHA: Okay, so we're going to be inside the keep.

MATT: You're not at the keep yet.

LAURA: Is this still survival?

MARISHA: But inside the walls?

SAM: We're just trying to get to the--

LIAM: We're just closer to the keep.

MATT: No, you're closer, you haven't gotten to the outer walls yet, this is just--

MARISHA: We haven't gotten to the outer wall?

MATT: Correct, this is just tangled mass of the forest.

LAURA: Yeah, I'll try.

LIAM: The bramble forest.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

LAURA: Okay, Guide me.

SAM: I will Guide you.

LAURA: All right, thanks.

SAM: May you travel with the spirit--

TRAVIS: Ugh, gosh.

SAM: -- of the Changebringer behind you.

MARISHA: Can I give her assistance, trying to use what I have from Pâté?

MATT: Sure.

SAM: Say a quick prayer with me.

TRAVIS: Oh boy.

LAURA: FCG...

SAM: May you ever be--

LIAM: Now he's going to preach.

SAM: -- faithful, and-- All right.

MATT, LIAM, and SAM: (laugh)

SAM: Looks good, looks good.

LAURA: Okay. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Reaching too far too quick.

LIAM: Too far, too quick.

LAURA: All right, well, 19.

MATT: 19, you can hear the distant sounds of shifting as the war band still stalks the forest. of shifting as the war band still stalks the forest. Not too far behind you. Normally they move quietly, but you can hear the occasional, "Ooh-whoop." (clicks) (caws) They're giving these different calls to themselves as they move through, and you're uncertain if they're getting further away, closer, or just keeping a distance. But it permanently keeps you at a space of anxiety and focus. Moving through the still heavily-knotted foliage, you push through trees and dipped clusters of jagged roots, you push through trees and dipped clusters of jagged roots, unnatural points and thorns. You almost step into the radius of one wayward spire and manage to dodge around the exterior unlit by its enchantment. Then a short time later, you begin to see the tree line break. You can see brightly above, almost entirely directly above you. The odd image of a spectral Ruidus. Here, you stand at the exterior gate of the Shiver Keep of the Shadow Court.

LAURA and MARISHA: Shivering Keep.

SAM: She did it.

LAURA: (laughs) Shivering Keep.

SAM: She got us here.

MARISHA and ASHLEY: Shivering Keep.

SAM: She got us here. Didn't you just see that?

LIAM: Boy.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Look, I feel like amen, or peace be with you. I need some sort of a...

TRAVIS: I told you so?

SAM: "Keep the change," or...

LAURA: Oh wow.

TALIESIN: No, no.

SAM: Or like, "Bring it on, Changebringer."

TRAVIS: FCG, you want to hear what gods like?

ASHLEY: I really don't like that.

TRAVIS: Is if you challenge them to manifest results for you.

TALIESIN: Oh, what are you doing?

TRAVIS: Since you're in so good now.

SAM: Uh-huh!

TRAVIS: Yeah, if you throw out something like, "Show me your power," and then they do.

SAM: Oh, like a demand?

TRAVIS: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

SAM: Oh boy, I don't know if I'm there yet.

TRAVIS: I hear that's how it works.

TALIESIN: Now we've found the line.

SAM: I'll keep it in my back pocket if I had pockets.

MATT: At the exterior of these 20-foot walls, you can see the smooth slate stone that rises with bits of chitinous texture. At times it's just flat and very brutalist, and then others, it seems to have a curved organic feel towards the top and the peak at the lips of the wall itself. There are towers that rise up. Goddamn it, Laura Bailey.

LAURA: I didn't! He did it! He did it, it was totally Liam!

SAM: It was Liam anticipating her grossness.

MATT: This is, the layers get deeper.

LAURA: I felt all eyes. (laughter)

SAM: I also thought about it. (laughter)

MATT: Ongoing list of words I can never use. (laughter)

LIAM: Tell us more about the labia wall please. (laughter)

TALIESIN: There is a pun in there.

MATT: Well... (laughs) But here amongst the core of the shadow-touched wilds of the Sablecast Grounds. The exterior of these walls that rise up, there are parapets and corner tower areas there are parapets and corner tower areas where sentries look over and parade around. You can see there are armored, varying sizes and shapes, You can see there are armored, varying sizes and shapes, armored Unseelie soldiers and sentries that keep watch above. You can see large, odd-looking ballista that are affixed to some of the walls. You cannot quite see what's beyond them. They're too tall. But you do see, walking along one of the parapets, a creature that is unfamiliar to all of you. It is walking alongside one of the sentries who is just guiding it with a chain. It stands, from foot to shoulder-- It is a quadruped that its height would be at roughly five and a half, six feet. It has a thin, stretched, dog-like body It has a thin, stretched, dog-like body like a greyhound: spindly with a glorious puffy mane around its neck of turquoise and reds and oranges. This multicolor mane. It has a lengthy horn that emerges from the back or the top of the mane that curls backward to a point. It has standing, fox-like ears that are long and have little tufts at the end. And where its face would be, there is just a black, vacuous void.

LIAM: Nope.

LAURA: (groans)

MATT: Just a hole of shadow.

TRAVIS: A faceless whippet, that's cool.

MATT: It just walks along the top of the wall.

MARISHA: Take that, Westminster.

TALIESIN: Not looking.

MATT: Glancing around.

ASHLEY: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Not glancing.

ASHLEY: (laughs) "Take that, Westminster." (laughter)

MARISHA: Ashley's the only one that appreciated that one. (laughter)

ASHLEY: I mean, it's dog stuff, you're going to get me. (laughter)

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: Now, Fearne.

LAURA: Wait, what time? It's nighttime. It's all dark right now.

SAM: It's always dusk, right?

MATT: It's always dusk in this region.

LAURA: Okay, okay.

SAM: Las Vegas rules.

MATT: Fearne, because you are from here.

MARISHA: They also pump oxygen--

MATT: You can make an arcana or a very high nature check to try and ascertain the nature of these beasts.

ASHLEY: Okay. Wait, this little thing is just so darn cute.

LAURA: (laughs)

ASHLEY: All right, nature, what was the other one?

MATT: I'm allowing you to use nature, or you can use arcana because of your presence growing up here. If anybody else is proficient in arcana, they can know as well.

MARISHA: Oh! I am.

LAURA: You are?

MARISHA: I am.

TALIESIN: Wow.

MARISHA: I know, I never get to use it.

LIAM: That tracks.

TALIESIN: ♪ (Zelda find item sound) ♪

ASHLEY: 16.

MARISHA: 16.

LAURA: Eyy.

MATT: Was that arcana or was that nature?

ASHLEY: That was nature.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Mine was arcana.

MATT: Arcana is actually a better roll on this because it is not a purely natural beast. Unfortunately, Fearne, you've never really encountered one of these things. Though it is quite adorable, in its own unique, nightmarish way.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I fucking love it.

MATT: You've heard of something like this before, Laudna. Whether it be a children's book you read, or some sort of a... From a long time ago, you're not quite sure the source, but the name Eremad comes to mind.

MARISHA: Eremad?

LAURA: Eremad.

MATT: And something about, "Can't hide from the Eremad."

LAURA: Oh no.

TALIESIN: (laughs)

MATT: That's all you can remember.

TALIESIN: Oh no.

MATT: It's used to scare kids who were wandering out in the forests too long, that you can never hide from the Eremad.

MARISHA: All right.

LIAM: What about... We're all aware that there was a winged creature flying about the tower?

MATT: I mean, I assume that--

LIAM: Laudna filled us in.

MATT: -- Laudna had shared that information, as it seemed rather important.

MARISHA: I did, yes. I also share this information. You know how I love my spooky stories, so...

LIAM: Spooky scary.

TRAVIS: ♪ Don't fear the reaper ♪ Can we be hear or see that creature in the air?

MATT: Make a perception check.

LAURA: You can't hide from the Eremad.

LIAM: 18.

MATT: 18? You do not see anything currently flying, no winged shadow like was described to you, nor does the screeching return since that moment earlier.

LIAM: Okay.

LAURA: I picture a really creepy children's song about the Eremad.

TRAVIS: The sentry and the Eremad is up on the wall.

ASHLEY: Like Ring Around the Rosie.

LAURA: Yeah, exactly.

MATT: It's running a perimeter.

TRAVIS: And it's a wall, right? It's not like a bridge way or anything?

MATT: It's a wall with a walkway across the top of it and it heads to different tower tops. There is a large gate and it looks like there are some variations to the height. There are some walkways with stairs. There are rope ladders or anchors for rope ladders, but there's nothing visible.

TRAVIS: Got it.

TALIESIN: But he could not hide from the Eremad. Oh, I'm going to have so much fun, sorry. I'm going to write some poems later, carry on.

SAM: What do we do? I mean...

TRAVIS: We're trying to get in there?

LAURA: Yeah, right?

LIAM: Yeah.

SAM: If we can't hide from this thing, maybe we should make it see something, like distract it.

TALIESIN and SAM: Trick it.

LAURA: Maybe.

ASHLEY: Oh.

SAM: That's all I got.

MARISHA: Make an illusion.

LIAM: How many figures, roughly, can we see from here?

MATT: You had a pretty decent perception earlier. You can see, from this side of the wall that you're at and the keep outer wall, it isn't a perfect circular shape, It's an oblong varying perimeter shape. But from what you can see here, you can see four different tower points with the rising and falling parapets between. You can see four sentries and currently just one Eremad that is walking a perimeter around this side.

LAURA: Do we see, I mean, that's dumb, but can we see any opening along the ground, or anything along the wall?

MATT: There's a gate visible on this... Direction's a little odd here, but based on the direction you went to the symbol of Ruidus in the sky, considering that a northward direction, the gate being westward from where this keep would be, you assume, this gate would be in a southwestern direction. So a little bit to your left from where you're facing.

LAURA: Okay.

LIAM: Is it a guarded open portal?

MATT: It is not open. The gate is closed, and you do not see any sentries, but you're not directly looking into the gate space, either. You'd have to get closer to look.

LIAM: (sighs)

LAURA: We can't get in.

LIAM: What the shit are we going to do with this?

MARISHA: Like you said, I could make an illusion, but I feel like...

SAM: Ooh!

TALIESIN: I don't know that's really going to work.

MARISHA: It might see through the illusion if you can't hide from it.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: But I wonder if one of your little creepy red guys

MARISHA: But I wonder if one of your little creepy red guys that you can just summon from your brain, if...

LAURA: Right.

MARISHA: Because they're real, right?

LAURA: They are.

TALIESIN: Or if it's not an illusion, if it's actually in its head. Because if it's in its head, it's not an illusion, it's just a thought.

SAM: We've also got Fearne who could turn into some sort of animal and-- I don't know.

TALIESIN: They're like dogs on chains, right? It's like a...

MATT: Yeah, it's a very large, greyhound-like beast. Long curling tail that wisps behind it.

TALIESIN: How comfortable do the guards seem walking these things around? These things, do they seem like they're having to rein in a little bit? Is it a, I don't want to say friendly, necessarily, but does it seem like a reasonable bond between--

MATT: Make an insight or animal handling check. Your choice.

SAM: Dogs hate cats and they hate mailmen. So Fearne could be a cat mailman.

LIAM: But if it's a fox, it likes hounds.

TALIESIN: 12?

MATT: 12? You are not sure.

TALIESIN: Can't tell. Okay, I can't tell.

MATT: You can't tell from this distance.

TALIESIN: It's just, I don't know.

LAURA: I mean, I can conjure it up to 90 feet away from me, which is good.

SAM: The red thing?

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: You can control those?

LAURA: I mean they're an ally, so he'll help us.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: It was a little feisty the last time you brought one.

LAURA: Well, it hurts anything in its vicinity, you know, I don't know how much control it has over that.

LIAM: What's the plan?

SAM: Yeah, we distract, but then we still got to get over a wall.

LIAM: Or get through.

LAURA: It'll only be within 100 feet. That's not that far from us.

LIAM: We still have a closed gate or a wall.

MARISHA: Do we see any gates?

LIAM: Yes.

LAURA: There is a gate.

MATT: A gate to the left, but it's sunken into the wall and there's not much light to where you can actually see the mechanism of which it's closed unless you head over and want to inspect.

LIAM: What about the wall around the gate? Does it keep stretching out and around?

MATT: Keep stretching out and curls around a bit. You can see it straightens for a bit and then bows outward on the northeastern direction.

LAURA: It's rock? It's not plants intertwined, it's not bramble, it's...

MATT: It looks to be stone or marble, but like I said, at some areas it's very starkly flat and heavy stone, and then others, it seems to naturally curve like it was partially-- a bone-like feel to it. How it goes from a hard, flat surface to a smooth organic shape and then cusps at the end.

LAURA: Kind of like Morri's furniture.

MATT: More or less, yeah.

LAURA: Okay.

TRAVIS: So are we in cover and there's a distance from where we are to the wall?

MATT: Correct, you are still within the forest and the forest comes almost directly up against the wall. There's a slight gap and some cases, it does come close to it. But where you are now, you can just see what elements of the wall spread out from where you're standing.

SAM: Oh, sorry, no. You can do Dimension Door, right?

LAURA: Do I have Dimension Door?

SAM: Somebody did, no? Is that not us? Is that another campaign?

MATT: It was another campaign, I think.

LAURA: I don't have Dimension Door.

SAM: I thought somebody did.

LAURA: I have Misty Step.

SAM: Oh.

LAURA: Which is 30 feet.

SAM: That's not the same as 500 feet.

TRAVIS: Do you have it, Fearne?

LAURA: No, it is not.

ASHLEY: Well, Mister can, if you're close to him, he can bamf you, but not that far.

LIAM: Is it worth it to--

LAURA: I think it was a spell I could have taken, but I did not take it.

LIAM: -- to creep around and find a better entry point?

TRAVIS: Yeah, we could try, or I could invisibly try to pick the gate, but the gate is probably super fortified, so we'll know real fast.

MARISHA: I mean, and the longer that we try to do a perimeter search, the more we risk getting caught.

TRAVIS: I'm invisible. I can try and skip to my lou. How how far away does the gate look like it is?

MATT: It's about 40 or so feet from where you're standing.

TRAVIS: I'll give it a go. Imogen.

LAURA: Hmm?

TRAVIS: ♪ Sync your mind with mine. ♪

LAURA: The last few notes were echoing in my brain and it's...

TRAVIS: I take off, stealth.

SAM: You're invisible?

TRAVIS: Yep.

MARISHA: He's going to do a quick perimeter search.

TRAVIS: Doesn't mean I'll be invisible to (rambles).

LAURA: Eremad.

LIAM: Eremad.

LAURA and LIAM: Eremad!

MATT: You get the sense your invisibility is, because you cast it a little while back in the journey, if I remember.

LAURA: Not that long ago.

TALIESIN: No, just to pull me out of the--

MATT: Correct, which I'd say was about 40 or so minutes ago.

LAURA: Oh shit, it was that long ago?

MATT: You guys are traveling stealthily through the forest. So I'd say you have about 20 or so minutes on that, just so you're aware.

TRAVIS: Fair.

MARISHA: Invisibility--

TALIESIN: Which means 10 more minutes.

MARISHA: -- you may have-- It would mean about 10 more minutes on Pass Without a Trace, too.

MARISHA: But you can't hide from the Eremad.

MATT: Yes.

TALIESIN: Write that down, write that down.

MATT: So yeah, make a stealth check for me.

TRAVIS: Okay.

TALIESIN: I'm keeping a-- I'm going to write a thing. Because I have all that free time.

TRAVIS: Not great, 17.

MATT: 17, okay. You coast over to the base of the wall. The Eremad is like, and its keeper has moved on the other side of the wall and is continuing its perimeter out of sight. You do notice that another one is beginning to approach. They have two that are just doing a rotating perimeter on the wall. You can scoot over to the gate, and there you can see there are two armored figures. There are two Unseelie guardians that are sitting within the alcove where the gate sits. It's this archway that comes to a gathered, almost like a church point, and two double doors that open inward. You don't see if they're sealed. There's no sign of, like, you don't barricade it from the outside normally, nor do you, at immediate glance, see if there's any lock, but there are two guardians standing.

TRAVIS: And closed gates?

MATT: Correct.

LAURA: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

TRAVIS: Prepare to die.

LIAM: This sucks.

LAURA: Yeah, what the fuck?

SAM: He's still on patrol, right?

LAURA: We should've gotten captured and that would've got us in.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

TALIESIN: I mean...

MATT: That is a path.

TALIESIN: The day is young. The evening is eternal.

SAM: We could just try to attack the creature.

TALIESIN: I mean, that seems reckless.

SAM: Well, if we all unleashed attacks at once.

LAURA: They've probably got an entire army of people inside of there.

TALIESIN: Maybe it's a just a portal to the void where its face should be, and we'll just get sucked into another dimension.

LAURA: That's terrifying.

TALIESIN: Yeah!

SAM: Ooh! I do have Banishment.

TALIESIN: That seems--

ASHLEY: Is there a--

SAM: I could banish it for a minute.

ASHLEY: Is there a world where maybe we could just pretend we're here to bring goods and just walk right in?

SAM: Oh, just talk our way in.

TALIESIN: Door-to-door salesmen?

LAURA: I mean, this is the Feywild.

ASHLEY: Just talk our way in.

LAURA: Fey Realm, right? We can just be weird and make it work?

TRAVIS: I mean, she has a point.

TALIESIN: We are weird.

TRAVIS: It's either come bearing gifts of some kind or we need a diversion.

SAM: You mean we could be as charming as Josh Gad to get by the evil--

SAM and MARISHA: Eremad! (laughter)

MARISHA: I love this game!

TALIESIN: I love you all. (laughter)

TRAVIS: The negative modifiers. (laughter)

LIAM: Ugh.

MARISHA: I will say, it appears that the patrol is already on alert that there's something dubious happening, as according to Fearne. They're like--

ASHLEY: I know.

LIAM: I think they're looking.

MARISHA: They're looking. They're like, "Ooh! They're over here! Blah!" So it feels already bad.

LAURA: Against us if we try to fake it that we're just randos.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MARISHA: I could be wrong, but just throwing that out there.

TRAVIS: God, we're trying to get into a stronghold in the Fey Realm quietly, with things that you can't hide from.

SAM: We got spells! Come on!

MATT: You got 10 minutes left on Pass Without a Trace. You're still invisible for 20 minutes, and you haven't used your veils yet.

LAURA: Yeah!

MARISHA: We do, but--

MATT: Those are some things you have at your advantage, but the rest is up to you.

LAURA: No, but we could put them on and then as soon as they pass by us, we run through. We just hold still anytime anybody comes by.

SAM: We could go right up to the gate and be invisible while he's futzing with the locks and stuff.

TALIESIN: Well, assuming that those dogs won't see us.

LAURA: There are two people up there though.

MARISHA: It's very Solid Snake of us.

SAM: Yeah, Solid Snake it!

LAURA: But I could turn-- Wait, let me see. Wait, hold on. How many people can I turn invisible? "When you cast this using a third or higher, you can target one additional above second." So if I cast it at fourth, I could turn three of us invisible for an hour.

SAM: And he has invis-- Oh, you already used yours.

TRAVIS: I got 10 minutes left.

SAM: But I mean, you have that spell. You could cast the spell if you-- But we don't even need it because we've got the cloaks! We got the cloaks!

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: We should just use--

TRAVIS: Cloaks are only plus 10. So I mean, yeah.

LAURA: Yeah. How many times can you cast Pass Without a Trace?

ASHLEY: And we have to stay still.

TALIESIN: I'm done.

LAURA: Oh shit!

MARISHA: But also, once again, apparently we can't hide from the Eremad.

LAURA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Right?

MARISHA: So I don't know if invisibility would work.

TRAVIS: It's a children's rhyme!

LIAM: Where did you go, Chet?

MATT: Pass Without a Trace lasts for an hour, right?

LIAM: Did you go up to the one visible gate that we can all see, or did you keep going to see what else there was?

MARISHA: Invisibility cloaks are bad! You can't hide from the Eremad.

SAM: Thank you.

LAURA: But think about "Labyrinth." What if we just push along the wall? Maybe there's openings and we don't even know!

SAM: Can we make a hole in the wall? Can you tunnel under? Wait, do I have Stone Shape or something?

LAURA: Do you have Stone Shape?

MARISHA: I wish Keyleth were here.

SAM: It's something that I could have taken, but I did not choose that spell today.

LAURA: Why didn't you?

SAM: Why would I need Stone Shape in the Fey Realm? It's all forest and shit!

TRAVIS: Do we want to talk our way in, or do we want a diversion?

TALIESIN: I'm not going to talk our way in. No one ever likes it when I try and talk my way into anything.

LAURA: Hold on, hold on, hold on! Maybe I can-- Wait, maybe I can--

SAM: I can banish it.

LAURA: Maybe I can make people go to sleep or something. Let me see what I have.

MARISHA: We can't disguise ourselves to look like anybody, right? Do we have any--

LIAM: Your idea's bad and should feel bad.

TALIESIN: Thank you.

LIAM: You cannot hide from the Eremad. (laughter)

MARISHA: Season two out now! (laughter)

TRAVIS: Eight minutes left.

LAURA: Oh no!

TRAVIS: I'm willing to be a diversion. I'm just putting it out there.

TALIESIN: Go, I think go, take--

MARISHA: Yeah, we don't have any dress us up to look like something else?

LAURA: No. No, we don't.

TALIESIN: No, we should go take a look at the lock and then come back as quickly as you can with the 10 minutes.

TRAVIS: I didn't see a lock. The door's just closed. There's a sentry though.

MATT: Yeah. Do you want to look for any details of a lock?

TRAVIS: Yes, please.

MATT: Make a perception check.

LIAM: Can you woodwork your way through?

TALIESIN: Chisel, motherfucker!

TRAVIS: 12.

TALIESIN: Whittle.

MATT: Hyper whittle! (laughter)

LAURA and LIAM: (rapid whittling)

TALIESIN: Thank you. (laughter)

MATT: It looks like there is a locking mechanism behind it. Yes.

TRAVIS: (sighs)

MATT: It's a larger one.

MARISHA: Is it a lock on the outside or in the-- I'm asking questions.

MATT: It is visible. It looks like there are two mechanisms of which there are openings were-- An odd looking lock. It's not like a normal key. It has a weird shape to it.

SAM: Let's at least give him some cover with the cloaks!

TALIESIN: He's invisible.

LIAM: Wall is 20 feet high?

LAURA: He's invisible.

MATT: The wall is about 20, 25 feet high, yeah.

MARISHA: I have Spider Climb, so I could theoretically Spider Climb over the wall.

SAM: That's one.

LIAM: We hope.

SAM: You could open the door from the other side.

LAURA: Yeah, you could be invisible.

MARISHA: Maybe. Maybe if you're invisible and you time it with the Eremad, like one passes by and you go up and over and then you-- But then there are two still stationed. We just have to take out those sentries.

LIAM: What if we put a veil on you and you just go (sludgy, wet climbing) and wait and (sludgy, wet climbing) and wait and don't move. Right?

MARISHA: Uh-huh.

LIAM: When nobody's looking?

MATT: You're uncertain how powerful the sentries are. There are two of them there, armored. You can take a look at them, if you want.

MARISHA: Should we just try first with Chet?

TRAVIS: Yeah, sure. I'll take a look at the sentries and see if they're covered in armor and weapons.

SAM: What are you saying, Ashley Johnson?

MATT: What's that?

MARISHA: Try--

ASHLEY: I'm just frumfering over here.

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: (laughs) That's okay.

SAM: Does this situation make you want to say, "Egad"?

LIAM: Well, we've been here for a while, right? So can I say that I've looked at one of the sentries long enough to get--

SAM: Because of the danger--

MARISHA and SAM: - of the Eremad?

SAM: Yeah. (laughter)

LIAM: A hit point vibe, a hit point vibe and a levels vibe?

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: They both have heavy shields--

LIAM: Maybe I'll die?

MATT: -- and some sort of hooked axe, like a battleaxe that they have slung to the side. They are well-armed, well-armored, but not as strong or as powerful as you by a margin.

LIAM: Okay.

SAM: Ooh! We can take them!

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: Okay. All right, so I share that. They don't look that capable to me, but we still have to get up there.

MARISHA: Once we fight them, the whole place is on alert.

LIAM: Yeah.

LAURA: Unless we can silence them really fast.

TRAVIS: Pft. Mm-mm.

LAURA: Okay, okay, okay. What if--

SAM: You're a--

LAURA: What if I make myself invisible.

SAM: You're a werewolf. You speak dog! (laughter)

TALIESIN: It doesn't have ears or a mouth!

SAM: Commune with it.

TALIESIN: Sorry.

MATT: It has ears.

TALIESIN: Oh, it has ears. It doesn't have a mouth!

MATT: No face. Yeah.

LAURA: How far away are the sentries from where we are right now?

TALIESIN: Oh boy!

MATT: About 40 feet.

TRAVIS: Yep.

MATT: It's the same distance to the gate.

LIAM: Could Chet piggyback on Laudna under the veil and get over there and let us in?

SAM: You mean on the other side?

LIAM: Yeah.

SAM: I mean, sure.

LIAM: I don't know, I'm just spit balling.

LAURA: We just have to get the sentries out. If we're going to open the doors, we have to get rid of these sentries.

SAM: Is Orym's plan good? Yes!

LAURA: Okay! Great! Then we need to take out the sentries and then--

TALIESIN: Oh no!

TRAVIS: So I'm standing right in front of the sentries.

MATT: Yeah, they don't notice you. You're maybe about 10 feet from the gate.

TRAVIS: Everybody get ready to react. So standing right in front of the sentries I go: Hey! Over here! I take off running (rapid footfalls) as loud as I can (rapid footfalls) running through the grass.

SAM: Oh god!

LIAM: Whoa!

TRAVIS: Just to try and pull them away from the door.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Oh god!

SAM: Away from the door? You're the guy who picks the locks!

TRAVIS: Good luck!

SAM and MATT: (laugh)

LIAM: So we heard that?

SAM: You're going to go over.

MARISHA: I'm going to go over and see if I can open it from inside.

LIAM: Whoa! Wait, wait, wait! There's two figures at the door? We heard Cheney's voice over by the gate, so we're watching them react, right?

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: We'll see if they react.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: So the two sentries immediately react to that. They both take a few steps before one goes, "Now you stay here! I'm going to go see what that was."

TRAVIS: I will turn into a werewolf, which drops my invisibility, and be like: (deeply) You should come, too! (rapid footfalls) And just start running. (laughs)

SAM: That's not suspicious.

MATT: Make an intimidation check.

LAURA: ♪ Don't be suspicious ♪

LAURA and TRAVIS: ♪ Don't be suspicious ♪

TRAVIS: 12.

MATT: 12.

TRAVIS: 13.

MATT: (laughs) You transform into a werewolf and these beings, who exist in the Fey Realm, who are used to strange creatures and lycanthropy--

SAM: Sure, like werewolves.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: The one on the left who was standing behind goes "Heh," and then stays at the door.

MARISHA: Oh fuck!

TRAVIS: (deeply) My pride! (laughter)

TRAVIS: (deeply) Damn!

MATT: While the other one comes charging after you and pulls his hooked axe out and dives into the brush.

TRAVIS: I'm just serpentine, just running.

MATT: Yep.

TRAVIS: He's probably faster than me.

MATT: Giving chase. Giving chase. So there's one sentry still there at the door while it's racing from you.

LIAM: What's up top? Where are the Eremads?

MATT: The Eremad seems to be passing by.

LIAM: Just one?

MATT: There's one with its sentry keeping--

TALIESIN: Is there one that can see us if we get to-- Right now, if we made our way to the gate right now--

LIAM: Yeah, is it facing, is it--

TALIESIN: Would it see us?

LIAM: -- vacuum face facing towards us?

MATT: If it's facing your direction, it would.

TALIESIN: But it's--

LAURA: Are you Spider Climbing?

MARISHA: I guess so.

TALIESIN: Or I can try and pick the lock.

LAURA: I'm going to invisible you.

MARISHA: Okay.

TRAVIS: Just choose!

LAURA: Who's going? You're going too, right? Who's going with her?

MATT: If you time it to when it's not facing your direction--

LIAM: To go to the gate?

MATT: -- with its lack of face--

LIAM: You're going to the gate?

MATT: -- it's possible that it might not see you.

MARISHA: Ride on my back?

LAURA: You're going to go Spider Climb up?

LIAM: Sure.

MARISHA: Okay.

LAURA: I'm Invisibling you both. Go!

MARISHA: Do we see the Eremads?

MATT: Yeah, yeah. Well, there's one Eremad that's passed by and you see it, as it walks, it scans and looks over and there's a moment where it's looking away as it's currently curling in the direction away from where you're currently standing.

MARISHA: Here we go!

MATT: All right.

LIAM: It's so bony! (groans)

MATT: (laughs) So you're both invisible. You climb onto Laudna's back, and you (spider climbing) up the wall, over the top. Okay. You both get onto the parapet and you can see, to the right of you, you can see the back of the Eremad as it's moving away from you. It's not quite scanning in your direction, its curved tail whipping behind it. To your left, about 100 or so feet from that direction, 120 or so feet along the other side of the perimeter, you can see the other Eremad that's slowly making its way around in your direction.

SAM and MARISHA: ♪ Makin' its way ♪

MATT: Just waiting for it.

LIAM: We're at the top?

MATT: You're on the top of the parapet and you can look down into the courtyard.

LIAM: Yeah, what do we see down below?

MATT: Here within the courtyard of the keep, you can see the massive structure, this multi-towered, multi-spired fortress. It's a small fortress. It's compact. It's not a massive encampment. This is a keep, but it is taller than it is wide. It is like an ever-growing, evil Disney castle type presentation to it.

LIAM: Yes, please.

MATT: You can see all manner of windows and balconies and twisted bits of metal fence that pierce out of each balcony and hold it like a cage or a metallic hand at its base. But within the courtyard, there are all manner of trees, some that are twisting upward like their own fingers reaching towards the sky with bursts of multicolored leaves. You can see some that are swamp trees that have pushed past the brambles and sit within the courtyard. There are some glowing, beautiful, glistening turquoise with a faint glow across the leaves on them. So there's this smattering of trees around. There are materials and other sentries walking about. In towards the center back wall to the right of where the keep is, you see a familiar device, larger than the one that was the tangled scrap that you encountered in the Calloway hideout. But there you see a completed Malleus Key, reminiscent to the unique, telescope-like shape and design as to what you encountered there. But this one is sleek. It is polished dark stone with metal cabling and numerous carefully embedded arcane cores that pulse and thrum at different patterned timing. It stretches up about 15, 20 or so feet, almost to the height of the exterior walls. You can see the elements that have been fashioned to it, some older, some newer, and there are a number of other sentries and armored figures that currently mark a perimeter around that, keeping an eye. Make a perception check for me.

LIAM: Yeah, how many individuals are walking around in here? That's pretty good. That's 26.

MATT: 26 is great. You see directly around the Malleus Key there are six armored figures that are in that portion of the courtyard, and there are four running a perimeter around the keep.

LIAM: Are they garbed similar to the ones I watched above?

MATT: Three of them appear to be heavily armored with the shields, and there are three that are more lightly armored.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: You also see there are two Eremads that are walking the interior of the keep's courtyard.

LIAM: The key side.

MATT: Yes.

TALIESIN: I hate all of those things.

LAURA: So many Eremads!

MATT: Although, one of them looks like it's laying down and it's scratching the side of its neck.

TRAVIS: No face?

LAURA: They're so cute!

MATT: No face.

TRAVIS: Scratching the side of its no face.

MATT: Yeah.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: I picture it's a costume that a dog would wear, but it's just not on the dog yet.

TRAVIS: ♪ Black hole face ♪

MATT: Right, right. (laughter) It's waiting to find its wearer. (laughter)

TRAVIS: ♪ Won't you come ♪ (laughs)

MATT: Do you clamber into the courtyard before the other Eremad and the walking sentry begins to get within a proximity to you?

LAURA: You have to go down the other side.

MARISHA: We have to.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: You scoot down--

MARISHA: Just continue to be my eyes.

MATT: -- onto the opposite side and you come down to the base. Now, here within the courtyard, it's an open, glade-like appearance, but there are bushes and thick trees and is, I'd say, half as densely wooded as the exterior of the wall. You would assume it had been partially retaken by nature if it wasn't so intentional in the way that it's allowing the keep to be part of the landscape, like it grew from it a long time ago.

TALIESIN: Oh.

MATT: But here you stand here amongst the thick bushes and ferns, the glowing fey plant life and oddly large flowers that give off a faint bioluminescence. What do you do the: ?

MARISHA: The gate, is it like--

LIAM: Yeah, where are we in relation to--

MATT: You went pretty much right up around on the side of it, over the top and down. So you are right next to it.

LIAM: So we're close to it?

MARISHA: Am I able to spider climb and stick ourselves to the roof of the gate, be even further--

MATT: Yeah, you can definitely do that.

MARISHA: Where the hollow is?

MATT: So you're now hanging upside down from Laudna as she (blows) up to the top of the inside of the gate hollow. It indeed is barricaded from the inside. There is a heavy wooden beam that is currently set on the opposite side.

LIAM: So that's a physical lift?

MATT: Indeed. While that's happening, you are running from this other--

TALIESIN: Oh yeah!

MATT: -- other figure that is after you axe out, glances around, and seems to slow the chase, begins to (scoffs), turns around and--

TRAVIS: What? (deeply) I'm a big deal! Come on! (laughter)

TRAVIS: Go brag to all your friends if you caught me. Ah!

MATT: "You're not worth my time."

TRAVIS: (whimpers) (laughter)

TRAVIS: Ears down. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Oh, ho, ho!

TRAVIS: (howls mournfully)

MATT: You all hear this howl from the nearby woods.

SAM: Does it sound mournful?

MATT: It sounds mournful.

LAURA: Oh no! Chet got caught!

SAM: Oh no!

TRAVIS: Then you hear (sobs).

LAURA: Oh. Chet got embarrassed. (laughter)

MATT: Some of the other wall top sentries glance over in the sound of the howl and their attention focus a little bit in that direction for the moment.

TALIESIN: Do we want--

LAURA: Hmm?

TALIESIN: Who has the fucking cloak?

LAURA: We all have-- Who did take the cloaks?

TRAVIS: I didn't take them.

SAM: I don't have them.

LAURA: Fearne has one.

SAM: Fearne always keeps our stuff. Fearne's our stuff keeper.

LAURA: Fearne's got the cloaks.

ASHLEY: Well, I was.

SAM: Until?

ASHLEY: But then I stopped because I'm not good at keeping track. (laughter)

SAM: But you have to assign that to a new person whenever you-- (laughter)

ASHLEY: Well, no! Ashton has the hole.

SAM: Oh.

TALIESIN: I have the hole. Yeah, they're in the hole.

SAM: ♪ Black hole hole ♪

ASHLEY: I don't have the hole anymore. (laughter)

TRAVIS: ♪ Won't you hole ♪

TALIESIN: Okay. I'm going to do a side corner of the hole and see if I can reach in and grab the cloaks, do the 90 degree, if that makes sense.

MATT: It has to, unfortunately, lay out entirely for it to become a hole.

TALIESIN: Do we have room to do this?

LIAM: Is there a gap under the door?

LAURA: Would we have put-- Did we put--

LIAM: Like an inch?

TALIESIN: We would've pulled it out, I feel like.

MATT: A half an inch.

LAURA: (gasps)

LIAM: That's it.

LAURA: We can hole it.

SAM: What?

LAURA: We can hole it.

TALIESIN: Okay.

LIAM: Under the door.

TALIESIN: Let's go for it.

LIAM: And make a path.

LAURA: Get everybody in the hole!

SAM: Wait, how are you going to communicate that to us?

LIAM: I'm whispering this into Laudna's ear. Okay, you and Imogen are in each other's head all the time, is she in there now?

MARISHA: There's still the guard at the front!

LIAM: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MARISHA: What do we do about him?

LAURA: We take him out! Sorry, I'm not there.

SAM: (pigeon coos)

MARISHA: Wait, we can just, can we do something, but do it like garotte him through the bars or something. That'd be cool!

LIAM: Well, I was going to ask you, like you do all this kinds of crazy shit. Can you silently take this fool out in one go? I can, but it's going to make a lot of noise!

MARISHA: Maybe I can scare him. All right, maybe I can scare him. Okay. First, deliver the message.

LAURA: But wait. Wait. The sentry is on our side, just so you-- So you guys can't take him out from your side.

LIAM: Unless we try to open, but--

MARISHA: I think I got a plan. But first-- (softly) Oh, Imogen! (creepy whispering)

LAURA: What? What? What do you see? How's it going?

MARISHA: All right.

MATT: (creepy whisper) All right.

MARISHA: Six guards on the inside.

SAM: (whispers) Six, six, six. (laughter) (laughter)

TALIESIN: Like a 13-year-old in 1992. (laughter)

MARISHA: And now-- Don't be mad.

LAURA: What?

MARISHA: But there are two more Eremads.

LAURA: Fuck!

SAM: That rhymed!

LAURA: Nice! That was good!

MARISHA: All right! This gate looks impossible, but we think, if you all jump in the black hole, we can pull the black hole under the gate.

LAURA: Oh, that's smart!

MARISHA: But first, I'm going to try and scare away this guard.

MATT: (whispers) Away.

LAURA: Wait. How?

MARISHA: I'm going to figure it out in real time. (whispers)

SAM: Mess up my Starbucks order.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: I am going to--

TALIESIN: You are going to communicate this to us.

LAURA: Yes, I'm telling all y'all.

MARISHA: Do a good, old-fashioned Laudna trick.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: And hope that works.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Hopefully I time it with Chetney's spooky howl.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: I'm going to cast an illusion--

LIAM: Oh boy!

MARISHA: To have-- What are people in the Feywild afraid of?

LAURA: Morri.

SAM: Lawyers.

MARISHA: I was going to say something normal, right?

LIAM: Desk jobs.

MARISHA: Desk job, okay. I'm going to make it look like a tax man coming to-- but a ghostly tax man.

SAM: Oh!

MARISHA: I'm going to cast an illusion through the wall and he's going to be holding court summons and he's going to reach through the wall and then I'm going to cast Unsettling Presence on him.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: This is complicated.

ASHLEY: Nice.

LAURA: But you're on the other side of the wall.

MATT: On the other side of the wall and you have to see where the illusion is. You'd have to go back over the top.

MARISHA: Can I not peek through the gate and see him a little bit? From where I am? Skitter to where I get vantage?

MATT: Sorry, to clarify, I guess I should say, the gate is a double door gate.

MARISHA: Oh, it's not like bars?

MATT: It's not like bars?

MARISHA: Mm.

LIAM: That's all right, rewind.

MATT: But you can clamber back up on the other side, if you want to try to do that stealthily while invisible.

TRAVIS: (rewinding sounds)

SAM: Just tell us what to do.

LAURA: Okay.

MARISHA: Hmm.

MARISHA: Fuck, I don't want to risk that.

SAM: The guard's on our side?

LIAM: One guard.

LAURA: One guard.

SAM: I could just Banish the guard.

LAURA: Yeah, do it, yeah.

SAM: Yeah, maybe that's easier.

TRAVIS: If you want to.

LAURA: For a minute, that's enough time.

TALIESIN: One minute's all we need.

SAM: Hey, will you message Chet and tell him what's going on? Banish!

MATT: The guard?

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: Okay, what's the save on that one?

MARISHA: He does have to save. Charisma, I believe?

LAURA: Is a touch or is it?

SAM: Oh, it's a 4th-level. It is 60 feet, charisma 14.

MATT: It's a 4th-level spell. So, 14. That is going to be a 11.

LAURA: Yeah!

LAURA: Okay, as you're doing that--

MATT: The guard's sitting there scratching the side of his armor, hears the howl. "Huh. (gasps)" And just vanishes.

TALIESIN: All right, let's go! If everything's clear, looking left, looking right. Anything?

SAM: Who knows?

TRAVIS: We're going either way. It's been a minute.

TALIESIN: I know. Left, right, okay.

LAURA: We're just going.

TALIESIN: Doing a double check to see if anything's watching us.

MATT: Make a perception check.

TALIESIN: Thank you.

LIAM: Maybe you can catch him and yeet his ass in the hole.

TALIESIN: That's my other plan.

SAM: Beat his asshole?

MARISHA: Put the hole under where he is.

TALIESIN: No, everything's great.

MATT: Everything's great, okay.

TALIESIN: Yeah, just so you can tell. It's a nine, so.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I'm running. I've got the whole run.

LAURA: Okay, so we stealth run towards the--

TALIESIN: Stealth--

LAURA: -- the gate?

MATT: Everyone who's stealthing to this doorway, go ahead and do so.

LAURA: I'm going to--

SAM: Like roll a stealth check?

MATT: Roll a stealth check.

LAURA: Are you coming back, Chet?

TRAVIS: I can see all of you guys, I'm closer to the door than you are.

TALIESIN: For a minute longer.

MATT: Well, the other guard is still returning. He chased you, you guys are both returning from the wood and he hasn't returned yet. He's about to be--

TRAVIS: Oh, okay.

MATT: -- 15, 20 feet ahead of you, marching back. The rest of them don't know that, so--

SAM: Are we still under the influence of Pass Without a Trace?

MATT: This is the last stealth check you'll be able to use it.

LAURA: All of us are doing this?

TALIESIN: Yep.

LAURA: Oh jeez.

SAM: Do I get advantage first with Pass Without a Trace?

LAURA: No, you just add 10.

MATT: Just add 10, yeah.

SAM: Okay, 18.

MATT: With Fearne as well?

ASHLEY: I'm going to stand by the edge and wait for Chetney.

TRAVIS: I'm way far away from you, so just go.

MATT: Yeah, you don't him at all.

ASHLEY: All right.

MATT: You can, if you want to.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: It's your call. All right, so--

ASHLEY: Nah, I'll go, I'll go.

MATT: So you all carefully dart--

ASHLEY: Guidance.

MATT: -- to the inside of the alcove.

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: Guidance, all right. Stealth check?

TALIESIN: 32.

MATT: 32.

LAURA: 16.

MATT: 16, okay.

SAM: 18.

MATT: 18, okay.

SAM: And Fearnie?

ASHLEY: 12.

TALIESIN, LAURA, and MATT: Plus 10?

ASHLEY: Oh, plus 10. 22!

SAM: Yeah!

MATT: All right, there we go. So you all dart off into the alcove, you don't hear any noises.

LAURA: I'm going to say to Chet and let him know: We're trying to go in, you got to get back here fast.

TALIESIN: Pull it so there's just the corners left and I'm going to slip the whole thing almost rolled out under halfway through.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Wait, and then I'm going to try and flatten it.

MATT: You flatten it out and the hole appears.

TALIESIN: Hop in. Hopping in, hopping in.

LAURA: There's a guard walking back right now.

TALIESIN: Then, yeah.

MATT: It's about now, as you're arriving, the other guard is now about to emerge from the wood.

LAURA: Can we see it? Can I see?

MATT: As you lay it out, you guys turn back and there's a guard who emerges from the wood and goes, and sees the cluster of you within there.

TALIESIN: Oh!

LAURA: Fucking hell. How far away is he?

MATT: He's about 20 feet from you.

LAURA: Okay, I'm going to use a sorcery point and I'm going to cast Inflict Wounds on him.

MATT: Inflict Wounds, okay.

LIAM: Just to clarify, did you push the edge of the--

TALIESIN: Yeah, it's--

MATT: You have to roll to hit, right?

LAURA: Yes, I'm going to-- do it at 2nd-level. This is a roll to hit.

LIAM: So we probably pull it.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

SAM: Come on.

TALIESIN: I've done this with this piece before.

LAURA: That is a 15.

MATT: 15, unfortunately, does not hit. He's a very well-armored figure with a shield. So you cast Inflict Wounds, and he ducks out of the way and you feel the essence of your energy reach out and grasp nothing in the space.

TALIESIN: We're hopping in the hole.

MATT: Who else is doing what?

TRAVIS: Can I run up behind them, I'm seeing all this, the spell miss, I'm going to try and grapple him. Just hold his arms to the side. If I can, I would try and cover his mouth.

MATT: Yeah, yeah. Roll a strength check.

MARISHA: Come on.

ASHLEY: Can I assist and cast Hold Person?

MATT: Yes, you can.

TRAVIS: Natural 20. (oohing)

LAURA: Nice!

ASHLEY: Oh!

TRAVIS: On the bone die.

MATT: Yeah, you definitely immediately your wolven form quietly just out of the shadow as you see the guard duck out of the way and reach for the side--

LAURA: Shit.

MATT: You can see there's a horn hanging on the side of his belt. As he goes to reach for it, out of the shadow, this pale wolven form (whooshes) grabs and pulls him partway into the shadows and his mouth (sucks). Held the mask that he wears. He has a mask over the face and the mask breaks from underneath the grip as he holds it. You're casting Hold Person on him?

ASHLEY: Well, I don't know if I need to now.

MATT: Okay, you don't have to.

TRAVIS: I'll take it. I'll take it, I mean, because he can struggle against everything else, yeah.

LIAM: It's just a moment.

TALIESIN: I would just get him into the hole and then close the hole.

LIAM: Punch him in the face.

ASHLEY: All right, Hold Person.

MATT: Hold Person. That is going to be a 14. What's your spell DC?

ASHLEY: 16.

MATT: 16, it's a failure. So, he seizes--

SAM: Nice.

MATT: You just quickly--

TRAVIS: Just walking him forward.

MATT: Yeah, it's like carrying a mannequin.

TALIESIN: Come on, come on, come on.

LAURA: So all of us jump in the hole.

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: You all jump into the hole, pull him down with you and he's like--

TALIESIN: Then we can all--

MARISHA: Do we want to leave the hole so that when the Banishment goes the guy falls back in the hole when he comes in when he comes back?

SAM: If you guys think, sure.

LAURA: We should just get out because he won't-- Well, that's true, that's true.

LIAM: Well, he's going to raise a stink when he comes back.

LAURA: That's true, that's a good point.

LIAM: That's a great idea.

SAM: Can I release Banishment now?

LAURA: Yeah, I think you can.

SAM: Can I undo it, or does it always last a minute?

MATT: No, you can cancel the spell if you want to.

SAM: I'll cancel it!

MARISHA: Just position it to where he was.

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: Which is the same place where he set it before.

MARISHA: Okay, great.

SAM: Off!

MATT: The guard-- (poof) "What?" Falls into the hole. You all are there in the hole, you all climb out and then yank it and fold it. Both the guards are now locked into the hole with it closed.

MARISHA: Yeah!

SAM: That's a great plan!

LAURA: Amazing.

MARISHA: That was close.

LIAM: And now we're in the bushes.

MATT: Well, you are on the inside of the courtyard in the gate alcove. There are bushes and trees around it and you can see the Malleus Key across the way. The glowing tether of red energy, you can see it occasionally like-- It looks like a thick, red laser and it occasionally a burst goes boof, boof, boof, boof up the beam in the direction of the Ruidus ghostly image above.

LIAM: There was a sleeping Eremad, or a lazing Eremad, maybe, somewhere in this courtyard.

LAURA: Somewhere around?

MATT: Correct, yeah. This one would be across the way to the left and there's one that's patrolling loosely on the far right side. It's circling to the back, back gate closer to where the Malleus Key is right now.

LIAM: Last question, did you describe shrubbery around this side?

MATT: Yeah, there's thick brush. Along the walls, there's quite a thick bit of tree and brush. It gets thinner towards the center.

LIAM: Okay.

SAM: That plan went smoother than a mattress pad.

LAURA: Have no fear--

MARISHA: Against the Eremad.

SAM: Thank you.

TALIESIN: No, no, no.

TALIESIN: It's also Erimat with a T or Eremad?

MATT: Eremad.

LAURA: A D.

TALIESIN: A D, okay, good to know. All right, that opens up some rhyming.

SAM: Some new rhymes.

MATT: (laughs) Oh god.

TALIESIN: Working on it.

MARISHA: Yeah, now what? Fuck.

LAURA: So we're all inside now and we're--

MATT: You're all inside of the courtyard, yes.

LAURA: Hiding in the shrubs?

MATT: You are hiding in the nearby brush. At this point, the large fortress, the front gates partially open, (whooshes) open up even heavier and you see two figures stepping down the large set of stairs that leads into the front of the keep.

MARISHA: Oh shit.

MATT: One of them, you see, at this distance, it's hard to make out details, but they are wearing similar armor to the others, but a heavier dark coloration to them and the shoulders curve up wider and the helmet adornment is extremely tall. This one definitely has a higher station than any of the other ones you've seen in the fortress. To the right of it, is a female figure with shortish shoulder-length gray hair and a red cloak shawl across the shoulders walking alongside them, and this is Otohan Thull.

LAURA: Oh, motherfucker.

SAM: Oh shit!

MARISHA: Wait, wait! I look at my scry ball!

MATT: You see a faint glow in the direction of Otohan Thull.

MARISHA: She still has it on her!

LAURA: Oh my god.

TRAVIS: The one time we don't fucking look. What's the matter with you!

MARISHA: I know!

TRAVIS: What's the matter with you?

MARISHA: I thought about it earlier, too, and I was like, "Nah, that's stupid." Fuck. Fuck!

MATT: You see them both walk over towards the direction of the Malleus Key and they're in a conversation.

LAURA: Shit. Shit.

LIAM: What are they saying?

ASHLEY: All right, so this is a bit of a predicament.

MATT: Make a perception check for me.

LIAM: I have Observant and I can read lips.

MATT: That's true.

TALIESIN: I knew--

MATT: Make a perception check to see if you-- You can read lips, but they're still pretty distant.

LIAM: Natural 20. (yelling)

TRAVIS: Tuck him away!

TALIESIN: That die.

ASHLEY: Come on!

TALIESIN: I got a vibe from that die.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Lips.

MATT: Well, first off, the natural 20, so you can see this figure. They've removed the helmet as they're talking, and you can see this figure's maybe seven feet tall, pale skin with elongated ears, black brows that extend into a thick hairline, a thick, wavy, black hair that almost hits the shoulders. You can see a magical tattoo markings that adorn the temples, the cheeks, the jaw, and the chin, framing the face like that. The eyes are a dark gray with black, wide pupils in the center. The chest plate, the dark armor has some sort of hollow in it. You read the lips of the figure looking towards Otohan and says, "Sammanar sits at the end of their--" I'll just give the voice because why not? You can't even hear, but it's fine. "Sammanar sits at the end of their patience. I would have you remind Ludinus of our arrangement and the expediency in which we can remove his place in it." Otohan looks back and says, "I assume you are of sound enough intelligence to know what must be done, and that is no place for pleasantries or ego stroking in the scale of what we are doing." There's a pause as they step to the outside of the Malleus Key. They're like mixed talking to each other, but also staring at the device. Looks back towards her. "Your continuous lack of respect is noted, human." She cocks a grin. (Otohan) "When you finally step from the shadow of the Moonweaver, I guarantee you will be forgiving." He quietly stands there for a second. She nods, looks to the key, pulls something from the side of her arranged belts and pouches, and reads from a scroll and you watch as a weird, green-blue flame rises up and consumes her and she's gone.

SAM: Just her?

MATT: Just her. The other figure reaches off to his side and pulls up a deep cerulean blue and black marbled, like an ocarina or a whistle of some kind and blows it and places the helmet back on his head. The voice goes, "Gloamglut, come!"

LAURA: Gloamglut?

LIAM: That thing in the sky.

MATT: You watch, crawling over the top of the wall from the opposite side, from the outside, this massive, serpent-like creature, probably head to tail about 45-50 feet in length. It looks like a dragon, but its limbs are long and thin. Its wings are membranous and somewhat see through. It's like a stretched frog-dragon, if you will. Its eyes at the front of its face, its jaw and nose snubbed and its eyes bulging and white, almost like cloudy and milky.

LAURA: Sounds kind of cute.

TALIESIN: I mean, I want one.

MATT: You can see where its jaw hangs open, there are rows and rows of shark-like teeth on the inside. As it crawls over the wall and scoots down and slithers in the inside of the courtyard the armored figure then climbs atop it where you can now see there is a saddle, there is a full mounted getup on this entity. At which point, once it settles in, its dark-plated armor now resting within the saddle, it tugs and the creature (whooshes).

MARISHA: Oh, this is what we saw.

LAURA: Yeah, this is the wingy-wings.

MATT: (screeches) As it streaks off and begins to curl above, and then vanish on a wide perimeter over the surrounding forest.

MARISHA: The male elf got on top of it?

MATT: Correct.

MARISHA: Used its mount and then took off?

TRAVIS: Elf or--

LIAM: Seven feet tall.

LAURA: That's an archfey, yo.

MATT: Fey of some kind.

LIAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: Face, wavy hair.

TALIESIN: Fey... Fey-bra.

LAURA: Big eyebrows, big ears.

LIAM: The first phrase that the figure in the armor said was "Seminar--"

MATT: "Sammanar sits at the end of their patience."

LIAM: Seminar sits.

SAM: Sammanar?

LAURA: Seminar?

MARISHA: So Seminar is their organization?

LIAM: End of their patience. Well, that could be an individual, it could be an organization.

LAURA: Yeah, it could be. Seminar.

LIAM: Orym whispers this.

MATT: Is anybody here proficient with arcana?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Technically, history would work as well, but you'd have to roll very high in history.

LIAM: I've got history.

TALIESIN: Go for it.

MARISHA: I've got arcana!

LIAM: 18.

TALIESIN: ♪ Who could ask for-- ♪

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Ugh.

LAURA: Aw.

MARISHA: 15.

MATT: Not certain who this figure is or what Sammanar is, necessarily.

TALIESIN: But we know every librarian.

LIAM: Maybe-- Maybe there was nobody babysitting anymore. If Otohan's gone and the archfey's gone.

TALIESIN: I mean, if those were my bosses and they just took off, I'd be taking a huge sigh of relief for the next 10 minutes.

LAURA: (laughs) That's no joke. I have to pee so bad. So bad.

MATT: Go for it.

LIAM: Go Imogen, go, you're in the bushes.

LAURA: I'm going, I'm going. Yeah, I know, I'm hiding in the bushes and I'm taking a piss.

TALIESIN: I mean.

SAM: Cast Piss Without a Trace. (laughter)

MATT: You know what? Here, how about this.

SAM: Laura.

MATT: Since you have to pee, and you just watched this flying entity take off in the distance, the ominous silence that falls across the interior of this, we're going to go to break.

<!-- BREAK BEGINS (cheering)

TALIESIN: Laura needs to pee real bad because she's afraid of the Eremad.

LIAM: The ominous silence and then after a beat the sound of--

MATT: (hushes)

LIAM: Piddle, piddle, piddle on a leaf.

MARISHA: The toilet flush.

TALIESIN: God, it's been a running gag today.

MATT: All right, we'll take a break here. We'll be back here in a few minutes. We'll see you shortly. (cheering) (adventerous music)

LAURA: I'm asking you to open your heart to chaos.

ASHLEY: I'm either very unlucky or cursed and I don't believe in luck.

TALIESIN: I am your God. Long may I reign.

MATT: I want to unlock these mysteries. I want to dive as deep as I can into that ocean of the unknown.

LIAM: I am of the empire, but I am no friend to the empire.

SAM: I protect him. He's my boy and I keep him safe.

TRAVIS: You need me more than I need you.

MARISHA: We may be heroes that no one knows about. (dramatic music)

MATT: "Mighty Nein" all new original series coming to Prime Video. Gods above us. Dragons attacking together! It's like the end of the world! And what exactly is the plan against four dragons? Fuck shit up! This is gonna be fun! I am very flammable! How about we get a drink? I hope you fall into lava, asshat! Oh, that's a new record. Usually it takes us ten minutes to get kicked out of a palace. Vox Machina. These weapons were created to strike down the gods. Find them to defeat the dragons. I got a beard! -We pissed it off. -We do have that effect on people. We're trying to save the world! Look out! You are super fucked up. That's new. We need to get inside that dragon. Through a mouth full of acid? No way. The other way. Oh, God. The Legend of Vox Machina Watch now, only on Prime Video. My balls are ice cubes. -What are you-- -Don't you worry. -Uncle Groggy is going to keep you warm. -I hate th-- I-- This is actually kind of cozy. A bounce, a bounce, a bounce, a go. Hey Critters! Laura Bailey here to guide you through what's new in the Critical Role shop. Oh, so comfy cozy. The cuteness! It's overpowering. It's the little things in life. Roll an investigation if you want, it's basically perfect. I mean the Traveler always says impulse purchases are a good decision. This is pretty badass. Look at this. Isn't it fashion? So much fashion happening here. And hey if you want, you could head over to the Critical Role shop right now. (epic music) (mischievous music) (typewriter clacking) (peaceful music) Narrator: Holly Mistletoe thought she had it all. As you can plainly see, sales are up 7%. Narrator: But when she finds herself back in her hometown for a very special holiday. I can't believe I have to come back to my hometown, it's so provincial. (gasps) Seamus? Seamus O'Shamrock? I didn't know you still lived here. You own and operate a small, charming coffee and pastry shop? Only when I'm not raising horses. Narrator: She'll discover just how much her life was missing. Has anyone ever told you you're a really good baker? Has anyone ever told you you're more adorable than the custom emotes you can use in Critical Role's professionally-moderated chat with a Twitch subscription? Happy Valentine's Day. Narrator: This holiday season, or that holiday season, or whatever holiday season it might be. What is it? Void Tech is going to foreclose on the horse ranch. They can't do that, not on the 4th of July. (fast instrumental music) With the proceeds from our wholesome Halloween haunted house, we can raise enough money to save the horse ranch from your greedy company, Mr. Fatstacks. Damn you Mistletoe. If it hadn't been for your big city business savvy, I would've been able to fool those small town provincial bumpkins! We may be provincial, but we have values. Like watching episodes of Critical Role before they go on YouTube with a Twitch subscription! Fiddle faddle! Narrator: Stand up and celebrate. Mr. Fatstacks: I eat my feelings! Ah! Narrator: Make every day a holiday. Oh, okay. Boop. No. Narrator: And give the gift of love. Is this? A subscription to Critical Role. I can gift those with my Twitch subscription to Critical Role. Yes. Narrator: Laura Bailey as Holly Mistletoe. Don't be violent, that's not romantic. Narrator: Travis Willingham is Seamus O'Shamrock, and featuring Sam Riegal as Maxamillian Fatstacks in "A Holiday Subscription for Love. The Ballad of Mistletoes and Shamrocks: Part 2." (lively orchestral music)BREAK ENDS -->

Part II
MATT: And welcome back. So, Bells Hells. Here, you sit on the southern side of the inside courtyard of Shiver Keep. You have a visual rang beyond the fortress. To the north side, across from you, to the right of the actual keep itself, you can see the Malleus Key, guarded. There are a number of sentries, as well as a few Eremad within the courtyard. The well-armored figure that spoke with Otohan, who appears to be the figure in the lead of this location at the time, seems to have absconded with its flying fey dragon mount, and is somewhere in the nearby sky. What do you want to do?

SAM: Mm-mm.

LAURA: (nervous laugh)

SAM: Just lay it out for us again. How many guards? How close to us are they?

MARISHA: Six guards. Two Eremads.

MATT: There are six guards within the interior of the courtyard that you can see. Three of them appear to be fairly well-armored, with shields and hooked axes. There are some that are lighter armored, with sheathed weaponry, that are just keeping an eye out.

TALIESIN: Three heavy, three light?

MATT: You see two Eremad within the courtyard, and this does not count the ones that are walking, and viewing the far perimeter.

SAM: And none of them have seen us. But they're within 100 feet or so?

MATT: I'd say from where you are now, you're roughly 150 to 200 feet from the other side. I'd say there are a few that are within the 100 feet. But the actual Malleus Key is probably about 150 feet from you.

LIAM: There are two Eremad within the courtyard, and two Eremad on the walls.

MATT: Yes.

LIAM: There are four total.

LAURA: They're walking around the perimeter, or they're walking through the courtyard?

MATT: There's two that are walking in a continuous counterclockwise motion across the walls.

SAM: The parapets.

MATT: The parapets. Then there are two within the courtyard, one that looks partially asleep or asleep, and one that is just keeping an eye out and existing.

LAURA: Okay, so it's not scoping.

LIAM: Has Imogen finished tinkling yet?

LAURA: (hisses)

SAM: Oh, that's right.

LIAM: I'm asking the DM.

LAURA: (continues hissing)

MATT: Yes. (laughter)

LAURA: I feel so much better. Sorry.

LIAM: Okay. What the hell?

MARISHA: I do think it's maybe a good idea to have a few of us try and focus efforts on the key, while others try and keep us off of that.

SAM: Distract or destroy the guards?

LAURA: Well, I mean, y'all could try to make it a-- Y'all could try to make it to the key without being seen. See what you can do, and if stuff starts going bad, let us know and we'll cause a distraction.

SAM: Who-- The folks going to the key should have some way of disrupting, destroying it. I have Dispel Magic. I have-- That's about it. I have-- I have Dispel Magic. I have-- That's about it. I have--

TALIESIN: I can hit it with things.

LAURA: Yeah, but that makes noise.

LIAM: What are the chances that invisibility means shit to the Eremad?

LAURA: Pretty high.

LIAM: Yeah. Pretty high, right?

LAURA: But if you go, that one over there is just chilling out and looking around. That one over there could be asleep. So if you make your way around--

SAM: ♪ Makin' my way ♪

LAURA: -- then maybe you won't get in their vision. Maybe the one over by the key is actually sleeping.

LIAM: Oh yeah. Yeah.

MARISHA: I can spider climb up to an hour.

LAURA: So maybe y'all invisible people just spider climb around the wall.

SAM and LIAM: ♪ Invisible people ♪

LAURA: Spider climb around the wall. Get over to the key.

MARISHA: All right.

LAURA: Do some shit to it, break it. Then we'll all freak out about trying to get out of here.

SAM: Ashton, do you need any healing? Your legs got chewed up pretty bad by that mud.

TALIESIN: Well, I mean, it doesn't feel good. But I'm actually more concerned that we didn't actually take a little nap before our last encounter.

LAURA: How would we have done that?

TALIESIN: I don't know.

TRAVIS: And just to check, there's no group spell, or teleport, or getting out of here. We're going to try and damage the telescope, and then figure it out.

LAURA: Well, we can always go back in the hole.

LIAM: We'll just close ourselves in the hole.

TALIESIN: And then wait seven minutes.

LAURA: Maybe. Okay, you know what? Wait.

LIAM: I'm completely hidden.

LAURA: Let's divide up. Let's divide up those cloaks. Let's divide up the cloaks.

TALIESIN: Did you think what I just thought?

SAM: No, I didn't. For sure. I wanted to hijack that giant frog dragon, and fly away on it, but I realized it's already gone.

TRAVIS: Yeah, no other animals, vehicles, or way out of here. We're going to do this thing, and then--

LIAM: And we have no fast, fast, fast out of here.

TALIESIN: Can any of us move, just teleport themselves really far?

LAURA: I can Misty Step myself 30 feet.

LIAM: Orym hands you a flower.

TALIESIN: The fuck am I supposed to do with this?

TRAVIS: Fearne.

TALIESIN: Damn it.

TRAVIS: Anything, anything from you? Any big transportation?

ASHLEY: I'm looking. Transportation-wise, let's see.

TRAVIS: Can move you or people?

TALIESIN: Even just you will be enough.

ASHLEY: Well. You know, Mister can move me around.

TRAVIS: Nope. I don't give a shit about your monkey.

ASHLEY: No, well. Hold on. I know you don't. But wait, hang on. If he's my only way out of here, I got to go with it.

TALIESIN: Wait, wait, wait. How, how is? How is Mister your only way out of here? What can Mister do?

LAURA: Oh, he's looking up something.

SAM: Mister can bamf her for 60 feet, or something like that.

ASHLEY: No, I think it's smaller than that. I think it's like 15.

MATT: You're eighth level, which means you can wild shape into a flying creature.

SAM: Oh, that's new!

ASHLEY: No, I can't. I can't yet, because I'm seventh--

MATT: Oh, that's right. You multiclassed it. That's right. Next level you can.

ASHLEY: I multiclassed because I'm a dingleberry.

MATT: No, that's all good. Next level, you can do that.

ASHLEY: Yeah, okay.

TALIESIN: 60 feet's the best we have, apparently.

ASHLEY: But, but, but.

SAM: (like Ashley) But.

ASHLEY: I did. But, give me two seconds to find it. I did, I can Polymorph.

SAM: Into? A horse?

ASHLEY: Whatever, whatever we need.

MATT: Any creature of equal level or lower.

SAM: So something that could fly, possibly?

MATT: Oh yeah.

LAURA: Oh!

ASHLEY: That's why I took it, just in case.

SAM: Giant eagle?

LAURA: Okay, so you could get probably two people on your back.

SAM: Maybe three, if they're little.

LAURA: I can cast Fly on two people.

SAM: That's five.

TALIESIN: Worst case scenario, if we're running fast and hard, we can have a couple people jump in the hole, and hope to god they don't get shot down.

LIAM: But could, could? Could Chet, Laudna, and I ride on the--? We're-- We weigh 20 pounds altogether.

MARISHA: Yes, I'm made of paper.

TALIESIN: It's true.

SAM: Yeah, I bet, I bet. She might fly a little slower, but I bet you could do it.

ASHLEY: Could I turn into one of those, one of those creatures, that big creature, or that's too much? I can't do that yet.

MATT: The one you just saw?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: No. That one's a little bit out of your range.

ASHLEY: Okay.

SAM: But if you can carry three, and you can do fly on three, including yourself.

LAURA: Two people.

SAM: Including yourself?

LAURA: No. Including myself, two people.

TALIESIN: Just one other person.

LIAM: Just one out.

LAURA: Well, then, in that case. I mean I can carry someone that can fly. Or like, I can cast Fly on you and you're strong. You could carry someone.

TALIESIN: I could.

SAM: Oh yeah, that's right. You could carry me.

TALIESIN: That's true.

LIAM: So there's the hole.

SAM: There's the hole.

TALIESIN: There's also the hole.

LAURA: That would be faster, probably.

TALIESIN: It's just risky.

SAM: Okay, we got a way out.

LAURA: Well, you don't breathe, do you FCG?

TRAVIS: And then--

SAM: What?

LAURA: Do you breathe?

SAM: No, I don't. I actually don't.

LAURA: So you could go in the hole, and you would probably be fine.

TALIESIN: You can't-- You won't. You can stay in the hole indefinitely.

SAM: I could.

TALIESIN and ASHLEY: (gasp)

LIAM: Pokéhole.

ASHLEY: How have we never thought of that?

SAM: Because I'm not a real person.

LAURA: No, you are, but. (laughter)

LAURA: We say all this, we're saying all this very, very, very quietly.

MARISHA: Chet, what were you going to say?

TRAVIS: If all this works, and if we survive, and if we can fly out of here, the rally point, the place where we're heading, the place of refuge and sanctuary is?

LAURA: The gate.

LIAM: Straight west from here.

LAURA: No, the gate. The gate that they said to get out of here.

LIAM: We're supposed to find where the brambles get the most tangled to the west of this location.

SAM: That seems like a very nebulous location.

TRAVIS: Maybe we should've tried to that first, so that it was a simplified thing.

SAM: There were a lot of things we could've done. (laughter)

TRAVIS: That's why I was asking where were we going?

SAM: We're being divinely guided right now. So we're going to be--

TRAVIS: Oh my.

SAM: -- not good. (laughter)

TRAVIS: You should listen to that.

SAM: I think she's left us.

TRAVIS: Uh-huh.

LAURA: Can you Divine Intervention anything?

SAM: I do have that.

ASHLEY: Can I? Oh, no, sorry. (laughter)

MARISHA: And I-- Mm.

LAURA: Okay.

MARISHA: All right, well, this feels like--

LAURA: This feels like a plan.

MARISHA: -- sort of a plan.

TALIESIN: If shit goes real bad, are we just going to go full throttle? Is that the plan?

LAURA: I mean, we fight our way out, if everything goes to dog shit, yeah.

MARISHA: This has like a 95% chance of going tits up incredibly fast.

TRAVIS: I think that's a low number.

LIAM: Keep in mind, too, if we can wreck this thing, and even if we lay waste, everyone's here, and we get the fuck out, giant eagle, however we do it. Fade, fey.

MARISHA: Fey boy.

LIAM: Fey boy.

LAURA: He might be way gone.

LIAM: Maybe.

MARISHA: There's also, once we fly out, we're going to be flying through those Faerie Fire balls.

LIAM: Well, maybe we go up and over, but I'm worried about eyes in the sky, and then getting run down by--

TRAVIS: Death Wing.

LIAM: -- a dragon.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

SAM: Okay, I know that all of this conversation has happened in less than six seconds, super quietly, but. Also, when we destroy, or attempt to destroy, this object, this key, we got to do-- It's not just like oh, we shake it up a little bit. It's got to be unrepairable.

LAURA: That's true. We got to steal something important.

TALIESIN: We got to take some bits and...

MARISHA: Do you think it has a little lens, like the one that we--

LAURA: Probably.

TALIESIN: Gosh, I hope so.

SAM: You've broken those before, haven't you?

TALIESIN: Yeah, and I know how to do it again.

SAM: Okay.

MARISHA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Do you think the armor's clean by now?

SAM: It's been six seconds.

SAM, LAURA, and MATT: (laugh)

MATT: It's been a little longer--

TALIESIN: Longer than six seconds.

LAURA: How long has it been, that we've been sitting here talking?

MATT: Well, I mean the conversation that has transpired here, I'd say it's probably been anywhere from five to 10 minutes. You tell me.

SAM: Oh!

LAURA: We could look in there and see. Just look down in the hole.

TRAVIS: If we look in (squirts)

MARISHA: Yeah!

LAURA: No, but we can see into it. They can't see out of it, right? I mean, no, they can see out of it.

MARISHA: You might want to give it just a few more minutes. Because it was like--

MATT: They can't hear out of it.

LAURA: But they can't hear out of it, and they can't make noise out of it.

MARISHA: It's like nine minutes of oxygen, and then assuming they need a few more minutes to slowly pass out.

TRAVIS: Could just drop some dynamite in there. Boof. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Actually--

SAM: Yeah, we could open it a little, and you can just fart in it and close it up.

MATT: Some river fish in there.

TALIESIN: Hop in and finish the work.

LAURA: Mm-mm.

LIAM: Just hot box them.

LAURA: I'm not taking some hits if we don't have to.

TALIESIN: Oh, they won't. They'll be practically unconscious. It'll be super-- They'll just go to sleep. They'll go to sleep.

MARISHA: So, all right, and that's so that if you want, someone wants to change real quick.

LIAM: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Can any of you witches produce any kind of acid, in any way, to throw at this machine?

TALIESIN: Oh, that kind of acid. Shit.

TRAVIS: We have poison.

LIAM: Not poison. I mean, I'm thinking of something that could eat through.

LAURA: I have nothing.

LIAM: Mm. Okay.

TALIESIN: Actually--

MARISHA: Freeze things. I can electrocute things.

LAURA: I can shock it. I can shock it. It is machinery.

MARISHA: I can make a bunch of termites, to just slowly, over time, wreak havoc on its insurance policy.

LIAM: Right.

TALIESIN: I got some dynamite.

SAM: Dynamite's probably better than termites.

MARISHA: I also have dynamite. But dynamite's going to be loud.

TALIESIN: Talk to a building contractor.

LIAM: That's going to bring back the wardens.

SAM: Just make sure you have something to light it with.

ASHLEY: Well, I could turn into something very small, and get in there and--

TALIESIN: Chew.

ASHLEY: -- wreak a little havoc.

MARISHA: Chew its wires.

LAURA: Mm. Yeah.

SAM: Chew its wires like my engine.

LAURA: Maybe, Fearne, you should go with Laudna and Orym.

TRAVIS: You still bitter?

LIAM: Well, we're invisible.

MARISHA: Can you, do you want to wild-- Oh. So, okay. Wait, don't question. If she wild shapes, okay. If she wild shapes into a hamster and hides inside my shirt, will you still be able to see a floating hamster as I crawl through?

LAURA: Will she go invisible as soon as she's in Laudna's clothes?

TALIESIN: I think if you're holding--

MARISHA: Or, if I hide her in my clothes, will she be invisible?

TALIESIN: -- then turn invisible. That's an interesting question.

MATT: I would say, because you are separate creatures, equipment and things you wear are different than a creature. So I think it would be a floating hamster.

LIAM: What if she ate the hamster?

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: Then it'd be a very unhappy floating hamster. (laughter)

MARISHA: What if I just, make her a mouse, and then popped her in my mouth? And held her in my mouth?

ASHLEY: I was just going to say that.

SAM: The old classic move.

MATT: I mean...

LAURA and LIAM: (laugh)

TALIESIN: Lord.

MATT: Just don't--

LIAM and LAURA: (laugh)

SAM: Just don't do that.

TRAVIS: I love it. I love it. Why don't you do it?

MATT: You know what? What could possibly go wrong? You can certainly try.

TALIESIN: I was about to say, let's just let this happen.

TRAVIS: Please injure the mouse enough so she explodes inside your body. And we can just say goodbye to little Laudna.

MARISHA: I wouldn't swallow her.

TALIESIN: Like one of those little fruit bobas.

MATT: Like at the beginning of the last "Boys" season.

MARISHA: Oh my god, she--

LAURA: Oh god.

TRAVIS: Beginning of "Boys."

MARISHA: She just rips my jaw off.

TALIESIN: All right, okay.

SAM: All right, we're going on a plan. Three, two, one.

LAURA: Let's do it. All right, go.

SAM: What are we doing?

LAURA: They're going over to the thing, and we're all just sitting around.

SAM: Who's the breaking? Who's doing the breaking?

MARISHA: Fearne, are you coming with us?

LAURA: I can turn, I can turn more people invisible.

TALIESIN: You can also join me with a little bit of armor, if you think, walking around, if you want some of this armor.

LIAM: Well, we can at least--

TALIESIN: We can have two people just walking around.

LIAM: We could at least try to go take a look at the machine.

LAURA: Fearne could fit in the--

MARISHA: I think--

TRAVIS: I'm going to take out Turmoil. And utter the word, turn it into a scythe. I'm going to apply one vial of skirath poison to the blade of it.

MATT: You got it. It has been applied.

MARISHA: Fearne, are you rolling with us?

ASHLEY: Yes, okay. I have a question.

MATT: Yes?

ASHLEY: If I were to say turn into a poisonous frog situation, could I use, could that be considered like a little bit of acid or something that I could? I could destroy it?

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

TALIESIN: You could lick. I don't know.

ASHLEY: I'm trying to bargain here.

MATT: I know, I understand.

LAURA: I feel like your feet would be stronger than--

ASHLEY: That's fine.

LAURA: -- a frog mouth.

MATT: I would say-- I would say any beasts that naturally produce an acidic digestive fluid, or some sort of a averse fluid. The time it would take for it to do significant damage to the innards of a machine like this, would take a long time.

LIAM: (like Fearne) If I were to, say, offer you the Brooklyn Bridge for sale, do you think, maybe, you would purchase it? (laughter)

TALIESIN: I'm going to say maybe it's time to check on our friends down there. I'm going to roll out just a little bit, and I'm going to lay it down just to see what's happening in there.

MATT: We'll put your invisibility at about 40 minutes left, at this point.

LIAM: Okay.

SAM: Who's invisible?

LIAM and LAURA: Laudna and Orym.

LIAM: So we're going to Luke and Yoda backpack over to it on the walls?

MATT: Indeed, they have suffocated within the hole.

SAM: Hey!

TALIESIN: All right. I'm going to hop in and start going through their stuff, and probably I'm going to try and-- Will some of that armor fit me?

MATT: Yes, not the most comfortably, but it'll fit.

LAURA: Will it fit? Who else will it fit?

TRAVIS: (deeply) Who's not a big deal now, bitch? (laughter)

SAM: I feel bad for them. Should I stabilize them?

TALIESIN: They're dead, no.

LIAM and LAURA: They're dead.

TALIESIN: We're about to kill a whole bunch more people.

TRAVIS: I think I would probably fit in my werewolf form.

MATT: In your werewolf form? It's possible. Looking at different members of the team, they're various shapes. There are bugbears, there are hobgoblins. There are different beings of different sizes.

LIAM: We're trying to stop the end times.

TRAVIS: Sure.

TALIESIN: You got one of them.

MATT: That could work.

TALIESIN: And, yeah, the other one.

MATT: So the application of armor takes a little bit of time, and it is generally a not quiet scenario.

TALIESIN: Oh, well we can do it in the hole.

MATT: Oh, in the hole? Then yes, you can do that.

LAURA: I'm going to help them get dressed.

MATT: Okay, all right.

TALIESIN: Is there what? Yeah, it's, I-- Well, wearing armor fucks me up.

MATT: Taking the armor off, taking the armor off of them, putting the armor on you. Yes, it mucks your AC. But you do get the AC bonus of the armor, then.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: Which will put your armor to 16.

TALIESIN: Okay, okay. Well.

MATT: 18 if you use a shield.

LIAM: I use that hammer.

TALIESIN: Shit.

TRAVIS: Does it come with a helm or a helmet?

TALIESIN: It does come with a helmet.

MATT: Yeah, and mask.

TALIESIN: And mask.

TRAVIS: Cool.

TALIESIN: And it fits okay?

MATT: Yeah, I mean, it fits okay. It's a little tight, but it'll work.

TALIESIN: I'll just, I'll make a note to my AC, this is a 16.

MATT: If you were wearing it for like a few, a number of hours, your posture would not be great, and you'd feel a little sore.

TALIESIN: Do they have anything in their pockets, anything interesting?

MATT: Do you want to take some time to look through them?

TALIESIN: Really quick, yeah.

MATT: Make an investigation check.

TALIESIN: Do this really quick, while we're getting dressed. Why am I doing this? No. I can't, I can't roll worth shit right now.

MATT: Looking at them, it looks like they aren't carrying much for journeying. They're not on a path, and so, like a lot of soldiers that are on guard duty, most of they're important things are locked away in their quarters. But they have, both have a shield, both have an axe, and the armor upon them.

SAM: One of them's carrying the Sword of Kas.

MATT: Yeah, just in his back pocket.

TALIESIN: Shield and an axe. Well. Yeah, okay. I want to keep my fucking hammer, but I know I can't do that right now because I'll be caught. It'll look suspicious.

LAURA: Oh, right.

TALIESIN: Unless anybody has something else to do, I'll just put it in the hole, and I'll open the hole if things get weird.

MATT: You can put it in the bag of holding, too.

TALIESIN: There's a bag of holding? Who's got the bag of holding?

LAURA: We have a bag of holding?

MATT: No, the hole, is that what you have? That's right. Other two campaigns.

TALIESIN: Sorry, yeah. We got to get one of those. So yeah, I'll just have it ready to go if things go wrong. So I'll take this, tuck it in the shield. Fold it up, put it in the shield.

MATT: You got it.

TALIESIN: My axe. Which I would love to know what I'm holding. An axe plus a-- What does an axe do? What does?

MATT: It acts-- it's a battleaxe essentially. It's battleaxe plus one.

TALIESIN: All right. I will put that in my thing.

LIAM: All right, let's set this shit in motion.

MATT: So what's the plan?

SAM: Who's on team break? Break the key?

LAURA: And Fearne.

SAM: And me?

LAURA: No.

LIAM: Well, Fearne's coming how?

LAURA: You're not invisible.

MARISHA: I don't know.

LAURA: You can't get over there.

MARISHA: Fearne to decide.

LIAM: Fearne's not invisible either.

LAURA: But Fearne can turn into a bug, or a mouse or something to get over there.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I think I'm going to turn into... they're little creatures. They look like, they're called slow loris, and they're little tiny monkeys. But they wreak a lot of havoc.

MATT: I know what you're talking about.

LIAM: I'm going to look it up.

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah yeah. They're bug eyed and they can-- Dextrous, and can tear things apart.

MATT: Okay. You got it.

SAM: Oh, cute!

LIAM: So this is going to run across the--

MARISHA: Oh my goodness!

LAURA: Does that fit in Laudna's mouth?

SAM: Oops.

MARISHA: (snickers)

MARISHA: I feel like this means we'll go one way--

ASHLEY: Like little piggies.

MARISHA: -- and you go the other, maybe swinging through the trees or some shit.

TALIESIN: Why does it have two different--

SAM: Look at that.

LAURA: I know, they're cute.

LIAM: They are.

MATT: All right. So you transform into this tiny monkey beast.

ASHLEY: Yeah. Just a little tiny baby.

MATT: You got it. (whoosh)

MARISHA: Can we shatter shit?

TRAVIS: Yep.

LIAM: All right, here we go. Here we go.

TALIESIN: Interesting.

LIAM: So the three of us are converging on the-- Orym is on Laudna's back, and we're invisible, and we're spidering on the wall. And then slow loris here, you're going over on a separate trajectory but converging in the same spot? Not that you'll see us.

SAM: That's you, Fearne.

ASHLEY: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just going to run on over.

SAM: (laughs)

LAURA: Great.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: Because I'm not invisible.

MATT: No, you're not invisible.

ASHLEY: I'm not-- I can't. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: Sure, if you would like to make a stealth check for me, using the statistics of--

MARISHA: There's lots of trees. Use the trees.

LAURA: There are trees.

MATT: There are. The DC is not terribly high, because you are a natural creature.

ASHLEY: Using the trees, going through the bushes.

LIAM: Treetops.

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: All right, so go ahead--

ASHLEY: Size of a little rat.

MATT: How about we use--

LAURA: Yeah, they're teeny

ASHLEY: They're very teeny. Especially little baby ones.

MATT: D'aw. Let's go ahead and say a dex plus two, so just a stealth check. Go ahead and roll a d20, add a two. But you'll have an advantage because you're small, and it is a fairly wooded area.

ASHLEY: Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Here we go.

LAURA: Come on, come on, come on. Can you Guidance? Guidance.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: Can you Guidance her?

SAM: Who, me?

LAURA: Yeah, to help her stealth.

ASHLEY: I can Guidance myself, but I didn't do it. I didn't do it on the first part.

SAM: I'll Guidance you.

ASHLEY: I think the first roll was pretty good. Can I take it?

MATT: Yeah.

SAM: I'm Guidancing-ing.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: You have advantage, so. What was the first roll?

ASHLEY: The first roll was 14.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Plus?

ASHLEY: So, that's plus two, 16. Plus a one for Guidance. 17.

MATT: Okay.

MATT: 17, that's not bad at all. You dart between--

ASHLEY: That was advantage, right?

MATT: Yep.

ASHLEY: Okay. The other roll was super low.

MATT: Okay. So yeah. So you dart from bush to bush, to tree branch to bush, making a soft scattered beeline, so as not to draw immediate attention, but also to keep your goal in sight, while the two of you skitter along the wall carefully, you clutching onto your spider-like companion as you rapidly "Ring" crawl along the interior of the courtyard. I'd like you both to roll stealth checks with advantage.

MARISHA: All right.

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: (laughs) Stop. (laughs)

MARISHA: Natural 20.

LIAM: Damn!

MATT: Natural 20? Okay.

LAURA: Woo hoo!

MATT: For a total of?

MARISHA: 25, I believe is my-- 25.

MATT: 25, you got it.

LIAM: 23.

MATT: 23. Great. You arc up and over the sight range, it seems, of the currently not napping, but just chilling Eremad, who is glancing at the inside of the courtyard, keeping a visual range outward, as you pass above it--

LAURA: Yes!

MATT: -- and around, and along to the opposite end. Let me show you what the inside of the courtyard looks like here.

LAURA: Thank you!

MATT: So you have a visual range.

SAM: Guys, this map, showing us what it looks like is brought to you by WizKid Minis, the Mighty Nein Box Set. The Mighty Nein Box Set--

LIAM: Yo!

LAURA: Yeah!

SAM: -- is now available for pre-order. Find these- and many more Critical Role miniatures- at WizKids.io/crminis and your local game store.

LAURA: Dot what?

SAM: Dot I-O.

LAURA: Oh. (laughs)

SAM: A-wo!

LAURA: A-wo!

ASHLEY: A-wo!

TRAVIS: Whoa.

SAM: Whoa, Matt.

TALIESIN: Holy fuck!

TRAVIS: Whoa!

LAURA: Oh my god.

TRAVIS: What the shit?

LAURA: Oh my god! It's so cool, Matt!

SAM: Do you need help?

LIAM: Oh my god.

SAM: Oh my god.

LAURA: Oh god, oh god.

MATT: Thank you.

SAM: Oh god.

LAURA: Oh, ah!

SAM: Oh god.

MATT: And, there we go.

LAURA: It's big.

LIAM: Whoa.

SAM: Whoa.

LIAM: Holy shit.

LAURA: (gasps)

TRAVIS: Damn.

SAM: That's heavy.

LAURA: Oh my god. That thing is so much bigger than I thought.

LIAM: Is this the way it should be?

MATT: That goes like that.

ASHLEY: Oh! (gasps)

MATT: There we go.

LAURA: Uh-oh. This is scarier than I pictured.

SAM: Yes.

MATT: So this here--

ASHLEY: Yeah, this is-- Whoa!

MATT: -- is the Malleus Key.

TALIESIN: That's beautiful.

MARISHA: It's big. It's really big.

MATT: This over here--

LAURA: (gasps)

MATT: -- is one of the resting--

SAM: Eremads?

MATT: Eremads. The other is way over here and it is napping.

LAURA: Why did I picture them with-- Oh, that's not exactly.

MATT: These aren't exactly them.

LAURA: Okay, okay, okay.

MATT: These are proxies.

LIAM: Oh, he's got resting Matt face.

MATT: We've got--

SAM: Ooh!

ASHLEY: Oh no.

MATT: And here.

SAM: Some shieldy guys?

LAURA: Oh god.

MATT: And then up on here.

LIAM: This is so beautiful.

MATT: Actually, this guy would be up here.

LAURA: This is so much more intense now.

TALIESIN: Chetney, want to get up on the parapet?

MATT: This other guy is positioned over here.

TALIESIN: Wave hello and do a little throw?

TRAVIS: A little throw?

TALIESIN: Grab them, throw them to the left. Let them fall outside the wall.

TRAVIS: The guard up there?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MARISHA: So much rhyming.

TRAVIS: Is there one up there?

TALIESIN: There's a guard there. There's two guards on the parapet right now.

MATT: Currently, there are none immediately visible up there.

TALIESIN: Okay.

LIAM: Parapets and Eremads is the episode title.

SAM: Parapets and Eremads?

MARISHA: That's pretty good.

SAM: That was good.

MATT: We could say that there's one up here that's looking in this direction.

SAM: Mm-kay.

TALIESIN: Armor is its own kind of stealth.

LAURA: Oh my god.

TALIESIN: We can walk right up to people and and they'd be surprised.

LIAM: What is this shit?

TALIESIN: So a grapple and then--

SAM: That's just one of the towers around the wall.

TALIESIN: -- throw him to the left.

LAURA: What if they don't die?

TALIESIN: Or you knock them unconscious.

SAM: Oh. You know.

MARISHA: What are those things with the little orbies?

LAURA: Maybe wait and see how things start to go. You know what I mean?

TALIESIN: Fair. Fair.

SAM: Are those the--

MARISHA: Is that just deco?

MATT: These here? This is just decoration.

MARISHA: Oh, okay.

LAURA: They're just pretty.

SAM: Or so we think.

MATT: Or so you think.

LIAM: Gosh, this is gorgeous.

LAURA: They are really pretty, though.

TALIESIN: I know. It's hard to concentrate.

LAURA: Look at how cool that one is.

SAM: Hey, where are we?

LAURA: Yeah. Where are we?

TALIESIN: Oh god, those plants are fucking amazing.

LAURA: Are we off the map over here?

MATT: Indeed, we'll say-- Fearne, I'm just going to use your mini so you know where you are. You have basically darted over to this tree in the middle of the space here. You have a visual range on it.

LAURA: Ah!

SAM: Oh no.

TALIESIN: That would ruin the tip.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: We have Laudna and (set piece thud)

MATT: -- Orym.

LAURA: Jesus, Liam. (laughter)

LIAM: You've known me for so long. Drop the shock. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Okay, okay.

MATT: You are both over onto the wall from this point. You've gone round the outer perimeter wall, and have found your way over here above--

MARISHA: That's just a bunch of cocks.

SAM: Uh-huh.

MATT: -- where you stopped. You asshole.

SAM: Got to get some good TikTok content.

TALIESIN: Oh, stop.

MATT: The rest of you--

LIAM: I'm so engrossed.

MATT: -- are far that way.

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: You are on the opposite end of the courtyard over that direction.

LIAM: Okay.

LAURA: Okay.

TALIESIN: How have we seen the guards moving around? What direction would make sense if we-- Well.

MATT: I mean, the ones on the inside of the courtyard are pretty stationary. They occasionally look around and check stuff. They're not on a perimeter search of the inside. It's on the walls here, there's the ones that walk around.

TALIESIN: So hugging the walls might be, or at least walking the walls might be the way to, to be reasonable.

TRAVIS: Then we are where?

MATT: You are all on the opposite end of the courtyard away from all this.

LAURA: Like 150 feet away?

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: Okay.

MARISHA: Oh, and that's-- Okay. That's me and Laura, or Orym.

SAM: So they're trying to sneak in. Are we trying to distract these guards, and bring them over to us?

LAURA: I mean maybe--

SAM: Wait, it's just me and Chetney, right?

LAURA: No. Chetney and Ashton are in armor. Me and you are just chilling out like idiots--

MATT: In the bushes.

LAURA: -- with nothing--

SAM: To do.

LAURA: So I think we probably, you and I should have one of the cloaks.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: Because we're just chilling.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: Maybe we can cause distractions if all hell starts to break loose.

SAM: Okay. Okay.

TALIESIN: We're waiting around if shit gets weird. We're going to be, can make some early early hits that don't cause an alarm quite too quickly.

MARISHA: We're still moving. We're still moving towards the thing.

TALIESIN: I hate doing nothing.

SAM: As they walk away, I'm going to cast a quick, not cast, do Sympathetic Binding,

MATT: Okay.

SAM: With Laudna, Orym--

LAURA: Sit down.

TALIESIN: Yeah, yeah.

SAM: -- and Ash.

TALIESIN: (mocking Sam) "Ashton"

MATT: Okay. So three of them, you've done this right as they're about to leave?

SAM: Yes.

MATT: Okay, so you can mark that. This is as close as you two can get on the outer wall.

MARISHA: We don't see any guards in the nearby vicinity? Oh, we see that one.

LIAM: Well, there's one here.

MARISHA: And that one.

LIAM: And one in the front. Could we spider right down the wall?

MARISHA: Yeah.

LIAM: Then there's really, I'm whispering to you. There's really interesting machinery on both sides. Maybe over there or this. But this guy is, this one's got a good view of that. So maybe we could start over there and see.

MARISHA: What do you think is on the inside?

LIAM: I have no idea.

MARISHA: We could try and go from the inside.

LIAM: Well, go to the back of it and see what we see up close.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah yeah.

MARISHA: Let's do that. Let's do that. Head to the back.

MATT: Roll a stealth check for me.

LIAM: Oh, a new stealth check. Yeah, man.

MARISHA: Do we still have advantage?

MATT: Yeah, because you're both invisible.

MARISHA: Invisible?

MATT: Indeed. You guys move down--

LIAM: Natural 20 for Orym.

TRAVIS: Wow.

LIAM: For a total of 25.

TRAVIS: That's awesome.

LAURA: Yes.

MARISHA: Advantage? Okay, okay. Okay, okay. Mm. Mm. Okay.

TRAVIS: Mm.

MARISHA: 16.

LAURA: Okay. Okay.

MATT: Okay, not bad. So.

LAURA: Mm. Mm. Don't use the Imogen dice. Throw it away. (laughs)

MATT: Okay. You dart down the wall with him on your back. You climb up to the edge, and as you climb over at the top you do step on one of the crates, it rocks a little bit, makes a noise.

LAURA: Oh god.

MATT: Nobody seems to notice.

MARISHA: (exhales)

MATT: You both now sit at the base of this massive machine. You can hear the whirring sound. There is this low (thrumming) and the sound of metal churning on the inside very faintly. The exterior of it is this smoothed, obsidian-like texture to it. It looks like it's been built with an amalgam of metals layered on top of each other. This is much more refined than the one that you had encountered in the hideout. It is mostly contained. There are pieces and devices that glow. You can see, at first glance, that a lot of the arcane cores are affixed to it in a different way, or at least not part of its original design, like an initial power source went missing.

LIAM: Is there any holes or gaps large enough for a dead woman with a halfling on her back to crawl into on this backside?

MATT: There isn't an open one, but you could certainly try to make one.

TALIESIN: Nope, I can't help.

MARISHA: I see a window up here on the front. Is that a window?

LAURA: Is that really there, or is that--

MARISHA: Is that really there or is that an approximation?

MATT: That window is an approximation. This was cobbled together from other terrain pieces.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: So that window more marks a possible panel entryway. You just have to get around to it.

MARISHA: So similar panel entryways that we could also access from behind?

MATT: Possible.

LIAM: What about the top? The arc that the telescope is from.

MARISHA: Oh, go in.

LIAM: Maybe we could just go right in. You want to climb? You want to spider us up there?

MARISHA: Yeah, we can try that.

MATT: Okay, you clamber up to it. You can see, where the large telescope device is, it looks like there might be some gaps that could possibly be squeezed through, but you're uncertain what lies within. So. I would say you could attempt to squeeze through, one of you, or both of you, if you'd like, with a possible acrobatics check.

LIAM: Well.

MARISHA: You're really good at that.

LIAM: I am, but you stick to things.

MARISHA: I do.

LIAM: So, it's kind of a toss up. You don't, you're not going to fade. You're not going to slip because you're not going to slip.

MARISHA: Do you want me to try and go first?

LIAM: I think, in this one instance, that makes sense.

MARISHA: All right. I'm going to get real flat, and see what happens.

MATT: Okay. Make an acrobatics check for me.

MARISHA: Oh god.

LIAM: She doesn't have to jump, because she's--

MARISHA: (grunts) Mm-hmm. 18.

SAM: Great.

MATT: 18. You slip in, with you left on the top lip of it, just standing there. You squeeze in, and as you do, you can feel now the metal. You can feel the vibrations of the movement on the inside. You can also feel a slight arcane energy is occasionally pulsing through. The pulses are in time with, you see those red flash pulses (pulsing) up that red, laser-like tether that marks that Ruidus connection above. You squeeze into that space. It's extremely uncomfortable. You get maybe a foot or so, and you can continue to push forward, but it's going to grow more difficult the further in you go. You're uncertain, really, what parts of the devices are. Most of it just looks metal, like hard metal, but you could attempt to search throughout, and try and find a sensitive, or ascertain what would be a sensitive and necessary piece of the inside of the machine, if you'd like.

LIAM: Do you even know what you're looking at in there?

MARISHA: I haven't a fucking clue.

LAURA: You have arcane knowledge.

MARISHA: I do have arcane knowledge.

MATT: It would be an arcane check to try and ascertain that. The challenge of it, based on how deep inside you go.

MARISHA: It's going to be really quite a tight squeeze the further we get. This might be more of a Fearne job, but maybe I can suss something out and then give her directions. I'm going to search, see what I see. Whatever that--

MATT: Well, as you mentioned Fearne. Fearne, what are you up to? You've darted across most of the courtyard, and you have a visual range there from the bushes at the base of the tree. You can see the device.

ASHLEY: All right. I'm going to keep making my way--

ALL: ♪ Makin' my way ♪

ASHLEY: -- very discreetly.

LAURA: (mumbled) ♪ Makin' my way ♪

ASHLEY: Then very discreetly--

TRAVIS: (hoarse honk sound)

MARISHA: (laughs)

ASHLEY: -- you know, going under things, in little cracks. I'm going to try to get to the device.

MATT: Okay, yeah. Using the same stealth of what you had earlier, you're able to move to the base of the device. and you can see all sort of little glowing lights, and flickering arcane energy cores. You can see the pulses of elements of arcane sparks occasionally (electricity arcing) arcing up the side of the machine. You can see that pulse of light that continuously pushes upward.

ASHLEY: Okay. I'm going to, I'm going to try to climb up the top, and look for a way in.

MATT: Okay. Make an athletics or acrobatics check, using the same plus two to a d20 roll, is what it would be. So roll a d20, add a plus two.

ASHLEY: Okay, Guidance.

MATT: I don't think you can cast a spell while you're in monkey form.

SAM: Ooh.

ASHLEY: I. Yeah, I don't. Oh yeah, duh.

SAM: Rules lawyer over here.

MATT: That's okay. (laughs) Unless you cast it before you transformed, for an interest, but now that you're in the form--

ASHLEY: Seven.

LAURA: Mm. Mm-hmm.

MATT: Seven. You clamber up a little bit and slide off, and hit the ground a bit. You try and climb up a little more, and you end up knocking over a tool that's hanging on one of the pieces. It goes (banging). You hold there. You can see, currently as the impact sound hits, this Eremad suddenly wakes up a little bit, and looks over in that direction, and begins to step slowly towards the machine. The guardian with it begins talking to it in Sylvan quietly, and follows alongside, holding the chain that's around its neck.

ASHLEY: I'm going to try to get somewhere hidden, and small, somewhere in as close to the machine as I can get.

MATT: Okay. Make a stealth check with advantage for me.

MARISHA: (as guard) "There's nothing out here." (laughter)

SAM: What's-a matter?

MARISHA: What's the matter, Omar?

MATT: There's nothing out here. I say to Omar all the time.

ASHLEY: Rolled a natural 19, 21.

MATT: 21, great. You vanish into the nooks and crannies of the machine, deep in the middle of it all. You clamber up part way. You are basically wedged between some of it.

LAURA: (monkey chitters)

MATT: At which point, the Eremad and the guardian come over, and start sniffing about. It doesn't seem to make notice of you. But you do get a good look at the inside of this vacuous hole where its face would be. You can see the edges, like it curves inward into darkness.

LAURA: Gross.

MATT: It's terrifying and as it head moves around, you think you hear a sniffing sound, but it's more of a (old man grunting)

LIAM: Nope.

LAURA: Why do you have toilet paper in your butt?

SAM: I don't remember.

ASHLEY: No.

LAURA: What is it?

ASHLEY: All right.

LAURA: Like a bandage?

ASHLEY: I'm going to keep surveying the base, and looking for any little ways I can get in.

MATT: Okay. Coming back to you, Laudna.

MARISHA: I-- (grunting) the arcane check. Oh, also a natural 19 for a 23!

MATT: 23 is great. Okay, so.

MARISHA: (rapid breathing)

SAM: (laughs) (rapid breathing)

TALIESIN: Well, you made it weird. Fine.

MATT: There are two distinct ways, looking at this machine, where you can see possible weaknesses in here. They all-- Anything that you disable from the inside that's just mechanical, can likely be easily repaired.

MARISHA: Right.

MATT: Unless you can find something that is, like the crown that was originally taken, absolutely necessary for its function.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: So you do think that that is a way to do it. You would have to dig deeper into it, and through investigation, find something that looks that important. The other option is to overcharge the arcane cores, and have it detonate.

LAURA: Yeah!

SAM: That's how you could kill me, too. (laughter)

MARISHA: The arcane cores being the ones that are floating on the outside.

MATT: Correct. They've all been affixed to it from different sides.

MARISHA: And overcharging them could be with electricity spells.

MATT: With a high enough arcana, it could be--

MARISHA: Fuck ton of magic.

MATT: It could be essentially like pumping spell slots into them to cause them to overcharge and detonate. It could be rupturing them with enough damage in a short period of time that they end up just cracking and detonating, which would cause a chain reaction. You rolled a pretty decent arcana. So you figured these things, looked at what you've noticed in Joe's shop back in Bassuras, and your rudimentary knowledge of arcana, and then being around FCG and learning a little bit of how he ticks, you can see that consistency in the design.

MARISHA: Okay. I tap Orym's foot. I tap Orym's foot.

LIAM: Yeah?

MARISHA: Going to send a message to Imogen. Listen to me.

LIAM: Okay.

MARISHA: Going to send a message to Imogen.

MATT: You will lose invisibility if you do that.

MARISHA: Because I'm fucking-- Okay, all right.

LIAM: But she is inside the machine.

MATT: For the most part.

MARISHA: I am inside the machine.

MATT: And thus, you would remain inside the machine unless you have invisibility to cast.

TALIESIN: Shutting up.

MARISHA: Shit! Shit! Okay.

LAURA: Wait, who was the last person I talked to?

MARISHA: Yeah. Did we have any? It was Chet, I think.

LAURA: No, but we talked.

MATT: So technically would be up here now.

TALIESIN: No, you two talked.

MARISHA: Did we chat?

TALIESIN: No, you two talked because, when you were on the wall, you let us know what you saw.

MARISHA: That is true.

LAURA: So we might have still had the mental--

MARISHA: Bond.

LAURA: I don't know who the last person I talked to.

MARISHA: I will, without sending a spell, without spending a spell slot, just try and check in with Imogen and see if it works.

MATT: Okay. I'll say, for the purposes of planning and knowing that you were going to dart off that this connection could have been the last one that you maintain.

LAURA: Okay.

MARISHA: So yeah? Good?

MATT: Sure.

MARISHA: Okay, I relay the message. All right. I think there are two viable options here. I look for the power source on the inside, but, I'm not going to lie, very tight.

LAURA: Uh-huh.

MARISHA: Or we overcharge the power cores on the outside.

LAURA: Are those those ball-y looking things?

MARISHA: I believe so. Lots of magic damaging it. Those are our only two options here. And as a note, overcharging the power cores, that is going to be--

LAURA: The loud option.

MARISHA: The loud option. So try and relay that. I'm going to do one more scan and see if I happen to find something equivalent to the Tide Crown, Moontide Crown.

LAURA: All right.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: Otherwise, maybe I can just give everybody a cue and we all launch in at the same time.

MARISHA: Correct. But also, Fearne could fuck this up in a matter of five seconds, so we should be aware of that.

MATT: So Fearne, what are you up to right now? You can see there are a number of small platforms and pieces of the device that you could try and leap up if you want to make a quick acrobatics check to just dart from platform to platform.

ASHLEY: Yes, I'm going to do that. I'm going to lick my fingers so they're real sticky.

MATT: Okay. Okay.

ASHLEY: And I'm going to start bobbing and weaving and trying to make a leap for--

MATT: Okay, so roll d20, add two to the final result.

ASHLEY: Come on! 17.

MATT: 17. Much better than the last one. (footfalls) You leap up and manage to make it up to the top. And right when you stand up there, the two of you immediately see the tiny monkey scramble up to the very top of the device. Fearne doesn't see them, but indeed you are there.

LIAM: Well, we saw her-- Did you change yourself before we split up?

LAURA: Yeah, you saw her.

MATT: Yeah, you know who it is, but just she doesn't see you.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LIAM: Right. Fearne?

ASHLEY: (stutters)

LIAM: We're here.

MATT: You hear (monkey noises)

LIAM: We're figuring stuff out. Try to keep quiet.

MATT: The rest of you, what are you doing?

LAURA: We're hunkering down on the side.

SAM: We're just hunkering.

MATT: Okay. So two of you are dressed in armor.

LAURA: We've got the cloak. So we were planning to activate it if--

SAM: And we're 150 feet away?

LAURA: Yeah, that's pretty far.

SAM: Should we be slowly inching towards, you know?

LAURA: Maybe we can hide in some trees, hunkering.

SAM: A-hunkering?

LAURA: A-hunkering, like 100 feet away.

LIAM: You got a hankering for some hunkering?

SAM: We're going to try to mosey to hunker closer.

MATT: Okay, which direction are you going, this way or this way?

SAM: That's not a way.

MATT: At this point, they've patrolled this way a little bit.

LAURA: We would be aware of which way they were going, so we would avoid them.

MATT: So probably around this way?

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Okay. The four of you, roll a stealth check for me, please.

SAM: Four?

LAURA: Well, it's just me and FCG--

MATT: Oh, just the two of you. You both stand back.

LAURA: Because they're in armor, so I don't know what they're doing.

SAM: All right, so we're stealth checking plus 10?

TRAVIS: -- leave my post. Soldier's responsibilities.

TALIESIN: We would be up on the parapet.

SAM: Guiding us.

MATT: Are you up on the parapets then?

TALIESIN: Do you want to head up there and just keep an eye on things and start doing the round, like we were doing, these guys were doing before?

TRAVIS: Well, that would--

MATT: Well, the two guys that you took the armor out from were posted outside of the front gate.

TALIESIN: Oh.

SAM: Disadvantage.

LAURA: Why?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I mean, that's the only thing is I don't want anybody to miss the people at their posts.

TALIESIN: We're sitting at the front gate waiting to be called.

LAURA: Seriously?

TRAVIS: I think so, yeah.

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: On the inside, but yeah.

SAM: Even better.

TRAVIS: Yeah, and then if we go up there, then we're actually going by people.

LAURA: N-n-n-nineteen.

MATT: 19?

SAM: 21.

MATT: 21. Look at those good rolls! The two of you carefully move a little bit and then stay in the bushes, carefully move a little bit and just start nudging your way that direction.

SAM: ♪ Nudgin' your way ♪

MATT: As you're carefully doing so to stay out of the sight of the nearest Eremad, you watch it come to consciousness and you pucker up for a minute--

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: -- and then watch it begin to make a path over towards the center. And as it curves around, you see that as an opportunity and you dart over to this area of the bush right there. Where it was resting.

LAURA: Okay. Great.

MATT: That's where you both are staying hidden and low.

SAM: Great.

MATT: I'll say. Look at that. Hidden bushes!

LAURA: Oh look! We're so hidden.

MATT: You're so hidden.

MATT, LAURA, and SAM: (laugh)

MATT: Magical ghillie suit. There you go. (laughter)

MATT: All righty.

SAM: Imogen, what are you doing?

LAURA: (laughs) I'm hiding! Shut up!

SAM: (laughs)

MATT: All right, while you're both posted at that point, the two of you are posted across the courtyard. Those of you on top of the device, what's the plan?

MARISHA: And I would've relayed what I said to Imogen to Orym in this time. Hopefully Fearne hears that as well, give them the update. And then I'm going to try and slink down even more and see if I can find anything that feels like some sort of arcane battery for this.

MATT: Okay, so you're going deeper into the machine to look for something that's necessary for its function?

MARISHA: Yeah, like the crown would have been.

MATT: Okay. Make another...

MARISHA: Is this arcana?

MATT: No, arcana was to ascertain the means of possibly disabling it. Now, if you're pushing deeper into the machine, it's going to be an acrobatics check to squeeze through.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Like, into the core and then an investigation to find something.

LIAM: If she's spider climbing though, is acrobatics needed?

MATT: This is going into the machine you said, right?

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: Yeah, this is like slipping into the middle of an engine.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: There's a lot of moving, whirring, and dangerous pieces.

TRAVIS: That's where you want to go is in the middle of the engine.

SAM: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: Yeah, I don't think it's smart, but here we go.

TRAVIS: Why is this here?

MARISHA: Oof! Oof!

SAM: Good.

MARISHA: 10. 10. Oh no, wait. That's worse. That's way worse. Five.

MATT: Five.

SAM: (sharply inhales)

MATT: So you push about eight or so feet and back to where you were and continue to move past. As you push through, you feel your wrist (cracks) it doesn't like break, but it gets caught on something and you're like, that's not good. And then it (chitters) begins pulling you further into it and you feel your body being (grotesque tears) pulled and grinding it deeper into the machine.

SAM: Cut off the arm.

MATT: I need you to make a strength saving throw for me, please.

MARISHA: Okay.

LAURA: Oh god!

TALIESIN: Oh no!

MARISHA: My strong suit. Ooh. (laughs) That's actually not terrible. Hang on. Wait, don't I have something? I got plus one on my save. Well, that doesn't do shit for me. 10.

MATT: 10.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: (laughs)

SAM: That's bad.

MARISHA: It is bad. But it could've been--

SAM: You said that wasn't bad. It wasn't that bad.

MARISHA: Well--

SAM: But it was bad.

MARISHA: Well, for me, who has a minus three to her strength.

SAM: Okay. Okay.

MATT: You take 16 points of slashing damage.

TALIESIN: Ooh!

SAM: (sharp inhale)

MATT: As your body is being dragged through the interior mechanisms of the device, eventually you get pulled, basically rung through, and almost get stuck.

MARISHA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Car washed.

MATT: Yep. Before eventually--

SAM: It's a Charlie Chaplin movie.

MATT: -- you get shunted back out to where you started, just hurt--

MARISHA: Fuck!

MATT: And none the wiser of a better step forward.

LAURA: (laughs)

LIAM: Is she visible or invisible?

MATT: No, still invisible.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LIAM: Still invisible.

TRAVIS: We just see (drips).

MARISHA: Just drips of blood.

LIAM: Is it--

MATT: You guys hear (engine revs).

LAURA: Oh, I think she must be doing it!

SAM: They're sabotaging it!

MATT: (rough grinding)

TRAVIS: Ah!

MATT: (grinding intensifies) (fwomp)

LIAM: How was it in there?

MARISHA: I'm not doing that again.

LIAM: Is it completely pitch black down in there?

MATT: Every now and then, every few seconds, there's just an arc of arcane energy through and little blue sparks that give just a quick flash of vision--

LAURA: That's awful.

MATT: -- but that's it.

LAURA: Mm-mm.

TALIESIN: I hate all of this.

MARISHA: All right, no. No. I think I got to charge the core, unless you want to try.

LIAM: You got anything to give me a little steady light in there?

MARISHA: Light? Light's not really my thing. Hang on. Wait, that's not true. I might be able to Prestidigitation or something. Can I Prestidigitation, like a little bit of... Yeah, and a light.

MATT: Like a small candle light.

MARISHA: Small candle light.

MATT: About as good as you can do with that.

SAM: That's pretty good.

LAURA: Huh.

TALIESIN: Yeah!

MARISHA: All right. Yeah, I'll give it a little candle light.

LIAM: I'll give it-- I'm little.

MATT: Okay, you are no longer invisible.

MARISHA: Oh fuck!

LAURA: Are you in? Are you just standing up there?

MATT: You're in the machine. You're past the exterior. You are no longer invisible.

MARISHA: Fuck! Fuck!

LIAM: Can I get down in there with her?

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: Is there enough room for me to slink?

MATT: Make an acrobatics check.

LIAM: Oh, sure.

MATT: The DC is higher because you're fitting two down there.

LIAM: Natural 20 plus eight. 28.

MATT: 28.

MARISHA: No fucking way!

LIAM: That's my fourth natural 20.

MATT: You slip in and you're both pushed in quickly, but you find all the bits of open space around where she is and so you're both friendly cradled in this death trap, essentially. But you are both hidden beneath the surface.

LIAM: Okay.

ASHLEY: I'm going to slip through--

LAURA: This doesn't make sense.

ASHLEY: -- and jump down.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: In there.

MATT: You're small enough that you don't have to roll for it.

ASHLEY: And then I see Laudna.

MATT: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Okay. Now that I see Laudna, I'm just going to go over on her shoulder.

MATT: Okay. So you're down--

MARISHA: Scritches.

MATT: Aww. Okay. Whatever you do, do not take damage. This'll be really bad for you, right near Fearne. (laughs)

MARISHA: Oh my god!

MATT: (laughs)

LIAM: So you--

ASHLEY: Oh!

LIAM: -- went through a wheel.

MARISHA: Don't go that way! It was trying to turn me into hamburger meat. Felt like I was in a Pink Floyd music video.

LIAM: All right, so how do I have this light? Did you light something up or--

MATT: It's a little candle light, like a little flame.

LIAM: In her hand?

LAURA: No. Well.

MATT: Well, in the vicinity of her hand, yeah.

LIAM: And can I take it somehow? No.

MARISHA: I don't know if--

LIAM: Just hold it.

MARISHA: All right.

LIAM: I'm going to try to slink in there.

TRAVIS: (laughs)

LAURA: Oh god!

LIAM: And I'll start to crawl down.

MATT: Okay. Another acrobatics check for me.

TRAVIS: Just to be clear, we have targets on the outside of this thing, right?

LIAM: I rolled a 19.

TALIESIN: Fuck my life!

LIAM: Plus eight. 27.

MATT: 27! You squeeze down. Your lithe halfling form allows you to press--

MARISHA: Jesus Christ!

MATT: -- into less dangerous spaces, learning from Laudna's mistake, and find a better route below. You narrowly avoid being ground through the same spinning gear that she was.

LIAM: Oh damn!

MATT: And slide about 10 feet deeper into the guts, the innards of this machine.

LAURA: You're never getting out.

TALIESIN: Where was this before?

MATT: You have very little light because even the light that she's holding, she can only hold so far, and you're 10 feet below. Your eyes have to adjust for it. So you do have to make an investigation roll.

LIAM: Are there still occasionally those (whirs) of light?

MATT: Yeah. Like (crackles). Those help. You have to almost wait for them to happen to take in the scenery for just a moment before it all goes black again with that little bit of rim light from the glow that she's holding below. You feel anxious even putting your arm down there again, but you're just keeping a... You're not even looking at him, you're looking at the moving machinery the whole time.

LIAM: I wish that monkey could guide me, but she can't.

MARISHA: We're making an--

LIAM: All right.

MARISHA: -- OSHA PSA.

LIAM: I'm going to start to look around.

MATT: I need you to make--

SAM: ♪ Makin' an OSHA PSA ♪

MATT: -- an investigation check with disadvantage because of the low light.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LIAM: Disadvantage! I do not have a big boost on this, either. (sighs)

LAURA: Aw!

TALIESIN: Oh!

LAURA: Could've been good.

LIAM: Seven. Could've been good. Seven.

MATT: Seven. You look around here and you realize you have no idea what any of this does.

LIAM: I don't know what the shit any of it is.

MATT: You're in the belly of the machine, but you don't know machines. And around you, it just looks like cables and gears and pulleys and occasionally sparking bits of energy. And you are terrified.

LIAM: (sighs)

SAM: Plan B.

MARISHA: I mean, yeah. I think we got to get out.

LAURA: But you guys got to get out. We can't do this with them inside of it. It'll blow them up, too.

ASHLEY: Is there--

SAM: Let's do it!

ASHLEY: Is there--

TRAVIS: Here it comes.

ASHLEY: Since I held on to the crown for so long--

MATT: Yeah.

ASHLEY: -- I'd be able to recognize it. Is there anywhere that I see it?

MATT: Well, the crown, you know, is no longer in this machine. It was taken a long time ago and is currently held by Ira Wendagoth.

ASHLEY: Or maybe not the... Okay, okay. I thought this one had-- I understand.

MATT: No worries. Yeah, this once was powered by the crown, but when it was stolen, they've affixed all of these arcane cores, welded them to it to try and make up for its lack of--

LAURA: That's what it is.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: -- power.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MARISHA: I message Orym, just... Or can I just whisper to him?

MATT: Yeah.

MARISHA: He's not far?

MATT: Yeah, but it'll have to be a stage whisper because there's (clunky grinding) around you.

MARISHA: I think it's going to be plan B.

LIAM: You think a stick of dynamite down here would be any use?

SAM: Ooh! That's fun!

MARISHA: I mean, we can try, but it's... I don't know. It's just mechanical. I think we're going to have to fuck it up in an arcane sense with these cores.

LIAM: Could work.

MATT: It's up to you. Could work, could not.

MARISHA: Could try it and then just do both for safety.

LIAM: Are you still in touch with Imogen?

MARISHA: Let me check! Imogen?

LAURA: Yeah?

TRAVIS: (whispers, deeply) Imogen.

MARISHA: Yep, still in touch with her!

LIAM: Maybe when--

LAURA: What?

SAM: (laughs)

MARISHA: Hold, please.

SAM: (creepily) Hold, please.

TRAVIS: (growls)

LIAM: Maybe you hand me some dynamite, I stick it in and get the hell out and their cue to start letting arcane blasts go is the explosion so it's all at once.

MARISHA: I'm fine with that.

LIAM: Okay.

MARISHA: I pass him... Do you have a means of lighting it? Can you Druidcraft that or something? Is that?

LIAM: No?

MATT: Small flame wouldn't be a Druidcraft thing. I think it's just more natural. Let me check.

MARISHA: I can light it real quick and then toss it down to you.

LIAM: I can make fire just from my belongings.

MARISHA: Like a flint?

LIAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: Okay.

LAURA: Can you get out? How long is it going to be lit before it explodes?

MATT: "Can instantly light or snuff out a candle," which I think would be the same...

LAURA: Oh yeah!

MATT: Sort of energy as lighting a piece of dynamite.

LIAM: Yeah.

TALIESIN: The longer the wick.

LAURA: Great! So you could be further away.

MARISHA: All right, let message Imogen.

MATT: A much more dangerous candle.

LIAM: Yeah, but you guys, all of us, need to get--

MARISHA: The fuck out.

LIAM: -- the fuck up and off--

MARISHA: Uh-huh.

LIAM: Right away, as soon as I light it.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LIAM: And they have to be ready to go.

MARISHA: All right.

LIAM: Okay.

MARISHA: I message Imogen.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: We're about to drop a stick of dynamite up in this bitch.

LAURA: Oh, so totally covert? Great!

SAM: (ominous whispers)

MARISHA: Yes.

SAM: (ominous whispers)

LAURA: All right.

MARISHA: I think we still need to override or overpower the cores.

LAURA: All right. So shall I take the explosion as our cue? I assume. Right?

MARISHA: You got it!

LAURA: All right. Our communication's going to go dark because I got to let Chet and Ashton know the deal.

MARISHA: All right.

TRAVIS: (growls)

LAURA: All right, I'll see you on the other side.

MARISHA: You got it.

LAURA: Be safe.

MARISHA: You, too.

SAM: (whispers) I love you. (laughter)

LAURA: Okay. All right.

MARISHA: Pass the stick of dynamite to Orym.

LAURA: I'm going to glance over. Do I see--

MATT: Just the one, right?

MARISHA: Just the one!

LAURA: -- Chet or Ashton?

SAM: You talking to yourself again, Imogen?

LAURA: I obviously am telling you all of this.

SAM: Oh, okay.

LAURA: I'm relaying it to you. But do I see Chet or Ashton around the courtyard? I don't know where they are.

TALIESIN: We are exactly where you left us.

MATT: Yeah, they're back at the other gate in the armor, posting up on the opposite side of the door--

TALIESIN: Keeping an eye.

MATT: -- where the guards were.

LAURA: Okay. And I will let Ashton know all of that and say: As soon as that explosion goes off, I'm going to hit it with some spells, but y'all might need to, I don't know, if you want to rush in and attack it physically as well or see how it all goes?

TALIESIN: We can rush in.

LAURA: Maybe before you leave? Before you leave that gate, you open it up so that we can make a fast exit if we need to on foot?

TRAVIS: Mm-hmm.

TALIESIN: Let's break the lock.

LAURA: All right.

TALIESIN: When it comes time.

TRAVIS: I think it's just a barricade up there.

LAURA: It's just like a--

TRAVIS: So lift and--

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: We can make it hard to repair.

TRAVIS: There was a two-sided lock looking thing on the other side, which is where the guards were. So I think it's barricaded on this side and there's a lock that they were probably--

LAURA: Well, fingers crossed it's just a barricade.

TRAVIS: We'll get started on the barricade now and maybe I can work on the lock.

LAURA and TALIESIN: All right.

LAURA: All right. I'm going to prep... I'm going to prep a spell and be ready when I see it drop. How close are we? How far away?

MATT: You are about--

TALIESIN: Double check no one's watching.

TRAVIS: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: Because we were 150 feet before, so I assume we're--

MATT: You're about 75, 80 feet from the closest of these exterior doors.

LAURA: So I would be within 100 feet of the other one?

TALIESIN: We're going to hit dogs and guards, right?

MATT: You have to get a little bit closer to get within 100 feet of the opposite side.

LAURA: I would have to be--

MATT: And even then, you don't have--

LAURA: I would have to get, basically my angle? So if I moved over this much, I'd have an angle on both?

MATT: You would.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: You might have to get a little bit closer. (chuckles) I mean, depending on the range of the spell, honestly.

LAURA: It's 100 feet.

MATT: 100 feet? 100 feet, you'd have to be perimeter which would put you out in the middle of the courtyard.

LIAM: To that gold ball?

LAURA: No, I'm aiming at the two crystal.

LIAM: Oh, the crystals.

LAURA: That's right, right? I'm aiming at the clear ones, based on what Laudna told me, or am I aiming at the gold ball?

TALIESIN: Any of them.

MATT: I mean, these are all different power cores that are all affixed to it.

LAURA: Oh, they are?

MATT: So yeah, it's different jumbles of them. It's almost like they added some, it wasn't enough, they added more.

LAURA: Okay, so I'll stay where I am, if I'm within 75 feet of these two and I'll keep a visual on these.

MATT: You can do that.

LAURA: All right.

MATT: These have both looped around and are now starting to look towards the perimeter and starting to make a path back to where it was sleeping.

MARISHA: I'm going to do a Form of Dread.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: And--

MATT: What do you look like inside this machine?

MARISHA: I imagine, you know, when nature starts taking over industry and destruction as branches and vines try and find a place and destruction as branches and vines try and find a place to grow on the inside.

MATT: Oh, cool. Like a rapid urban decay?

MARISHA: Yeah, the urban decay aesthetic, exactly. I want to make sure I can get out, and then I'm also going to do a Mirror Image, but I'm going to wait 'til right as that boom goes off.

LIAM: How are you getting off this thing?

MARISHA: I still have Spider Climb.

LIAM: Okay. You want to do that in advance of me blowing this thing? Go down the back?

MARISHA: Are you going to be all right?

LIAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: All right.

LAURA: Where's Fearne?

MARISHA: Fearne is next to me. We got to go, Fearne.

ASHLEY: Just because I'm here, I want to make one last looksie to see if there's any pieces here that look super important.

MATT: Okay, you're not that deep into the machine. You could attempt to get deeper into it, or make an investigation check at a very high difficulty. Your choice. You can go deeper, or make it here at a high difficulty.

MARISHA: Don't die.

ASHLEY: I'll make it here. I'll just make it here. I'm not going to go deep.

LAURA: Please don't go.

MATT: Make an investigation check with your intelligence modifier, your investigation skill, since you are a druid.

ASHLEY: Investigation is balls.

LAURA: Nat 20, nat 20, nat 20.

ASHLEY: Natural one. (groaning and laughter)

MARISHA: That's the sign.

TRAVIS: That's just right.

ASHLEY: Damn it!

MATT: Good try.

ASHLEY: The vines and the branches that Laudna made, I'm going to start crawling up to the top.

MATT: Okay, so you're using her as a stepping platform to get towards the top of the device.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: I'm going to try and hang towards the back and go the way we came and wait. I'm not invisible anymore.

MATT: You're not invisible, I need you to make a stealth check out in the wide open.

TRAVIS: Before she does all that shit.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: While they were prepping, after Imogen--

MATT: You ready to take action here? Okay.

TRAVIS: We're going to look at the beam bracing the gate. Are we able to lift the brace off of the gate? Just from a physical perspective?

MATT: You turn around and covertly test it. Yeah, it lifts, you're both pretty strong, so the two of you could lift it off pretty easy from the side.

TRAVIS: We'll try to quietly lift the brace off and place it to the side or on the ground.

MATT: Okay, I'll say for this, make a strength check, both of you. This is less to lift it, but to lift it, and then in a very controlled way, put it on the ground without making too much noise.

SAM: This is the gate over here somewhere?

MATT: Yeah, it's on the opposite side of the courtyard.

TRAVIS: 10 for me.

TALIESIN: 23.

MATT: Okay, so it's a little rough for you, but the 23 makes up for it slightly. At one point, you're about to lose the side, and Ashton slides and catches and makes up the difference and the two of you manage to barely lift it and set onto the ground.

TRAVIS: From this side of the gate, now with the potential locks being-- Are there any signs of locks on this side that can be manipulated in any way?

MATT: Indeed, the same large, weird, crooked-shaped lock that you see there. It's about that tall and it has an upside-down sickle in its shape. It's not a key design that you've seen before, but locks usually are just locks, you can give it a shot.

TRAVIS: I'd like to.

MATT: All right--

TALIESIN: I assist, or are you okay?

TRAVIS: I should be.

TALIESIN: All right.

TRAVIS: If you want to give sleight of hand advantage.

TALIESIN: I'll give you sleight, because I'm proficient in sleight of hand.

MATT: All right.

TRAVIS: 31. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Are you sure you got it? Let me do it, let me do it. Get away, you're just going to break it.

MATT: Okay, so the DC on this was 25. It's a very, very difficult lock because it was designed for a very specific key and the interior of the mechanism is not like a lot of mundane locks are. This has sliding ball bearings that glide into different grooves based on how it turns. But with your locks, you tap and hold each one, and it takes every piece of your locking kit to hold them all back at the same time. Then the final piece slides through and pushes up and it locks over and the door (creaks) opens on one side ever so slightly.

TRAVIS: Just to be paranoid, any traps around this door? I know it's unlocked and it has moved now, so I don't think there is, but can we just check?

MATT: No sign of traps at the moment, but make an investigation check, if you'd like.

TRAVIS: 20, 22.

MATT: 22. It does not appear to be trapped at the moment.

TRAVIS: Great.

LAURA: Great, great, great, great.

TALIESIN: How big is the lock?

MARISHA: We'll prank Steve for his birthday.

SAM: Oh, Steve.

TALIESIN: Could you get something inside the lock or no? Could you stick your fingers in the lock or is it just room for--

MATT: It's a little bit too thin for your fingers, but you could get a utensil in there.

TRAVIS: We'll just leave it kind of ajar.

TALIESIN: I was just thinking about fucking it up so it's really hard to--

LAURA: When we leave.

TALIESIN: Sticking something in there so it's hard to lock if anyone tried.

LAURA: Oh.

TALIESIN: You know, gum.

TRAVIS: I don't think I have anything like that, anyway.

TALIESIN: Oh shit. I might. I have a whole bunch of fucking-- I apologize, I have a whole bunch of pasta dough sitting-- (laughter)

MARISHA: Pasta dough!

TALIESIN: Yeah, I do have a whole bunch of--

MATT: You do.

TALIESIN: -- food that I--

MATT: Yeah, from the other day.

TALIESIN: I'm going to go in, I'm going to come out with a nice handful of nice, ready-to-go pasta.

MARISHA: To just shove in the lock?

TRAVIS: Is it still malleable, though?

TALIESIN: Oh yeah.

TRAVIS: Okay. It's in a container, man.

TRAVIS: Oh nice.

TALIESIN: I'm not a savage.

SAM: It's in Tupperware? (laughter)

TALIESIN: I'm going to start, while we're sitting there--

MARISHA: A cool, wet washcloth over top of it?

TALIESIN: -- getting as much of that into the lock as possible.

TRAVIS: Cramming the dough.

TALIESIN: Cramming dough into it.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: You are doughing the locking mechanism?

TALIESIN: I am.

LAURA: Nice.

MATT: Make a sleight of hand check for me. Because this is a lot of overt movements to not be looking like a couple of weird guards doing weird shit.

SAM: Shoving dough into a lock?

TALIESIN: 10?

LAURA: Oh god.

SAM: I don't think that's very weird.

MATT: 10, okay. You go and pull the dough out of the hole you had to open up briefly, go back in, pull it out, manipulate it and start putting it in there as you're finishing the lock. You finish and turn around and look. Across the way, this Eremad and that guard, which has been rotating around stop. The guard has noticed the two of you and it seems to have stopped and is holding the chain. The Eremad keeps walking and the chain goes taut. It stops and its vacant face turns back, and the other armored sentry, the other Unseelie guardian is looking in the direction of the two of you and just standing.

SAM: Uh-oh.

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: In the interim, Orym, what are you doing?

LIAM: Well, I'm waiting for the ladies--

MARISHA: I start scurrying out.

LIAM: -- to leave.

MARISHA: Let's go, let's go.

MATT: So your stealth was?

MARISHA: I don't know if I rolled it yet.

LAURA: Didn't roll it yet.

MATT: I don't think you rolled it yet, yeah.

MARISHA: Cocked. Mm-kay. 15.

TALIESIN: Well, it was a good thought.

MATT: 15. 15. You scurry down down the side of the wall. You going along with her, Fearne, as you are--

ASHLEY: No. I am going to--

MATT: Are you staying?

ASHLEY: -- lay down on my belly, and wrap my hands around the side and watch Orym just to make sure he gets out.

MATT: You got it. Okay, so you stay on top. This guardian over here, glances over and you hear a voice speaking a language that you don't understand go-- "(speaking unknown language)" And a voice begins to raise.

LAURA: Shit. Go.

LIAM: If they're out, as soon as I hear that in the distance, I'm going.

MATT: Druidcraft, all that little bit of Ashari teachings that you've gained, that little bit of focus on a flame, that little spark flashes a few times and it's not enough, and then finally it begins to ignite the dynamite.

LIAM: I slide it real fast into a bunch of cables and junk that I don't understand, and I start to climb like a motherfucker.

MATT: Acrobatics check for me.

MARISHA: Mirror Image.

MATT: All right.

SAM: I'm going to prepare my bolt thrower.

ASHLEY: As he's making his way out--

LAURA: ♪ Makin' his way ♪

ASHLEY: -- I'm going to crawl up his leg.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: Just lodge in there.

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: Okay, I got a 23.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: If she hops onto me, she hops on just as he leaps off the top because this thing's going to blow, and I jump off and start an arc down towards that guard who's at the bottom and I'm going to attack him as I land.

MATT: All righty. Whoof!

SAM: Oh boy.

MATT: (heavy landing)

MATT: After jamming the piece in there, you stick it in and for a quick second, you're afraid it's going to get a finger. You feel something rapidly hit your knuckle and you pull back in time, climb up and climb up and climb up and get at the top. You're uncertain how long this fuse is. It had a decent amount of length, and when you buy them, they're meant to be trimmed so you can gauge the time, but you've not used a lot of dynamite in your time here, so you're like, "I hope it's enough." You leap off, land right next to the guy, while this guy here takes a heavy crossbow shot at Laudna.

SAM: Uh-oh.

MARISHA: Let's go.

MATT: Laudna, that is going to be a 14 to hit.

MARISHA: 14, wait.

LAURA: Mirror Image.

MARISHA: Mirror Image. Wait, I have to roll over a certain thing, right? Hang on, it's been a minute.

SAM: How do spells work?

LIAM: I think the opponent rolls, isn't it?

LAURA: No.

MARISHA: Scratch that. Shield.

SAM: Instead of Mirror Image, or in addition to?

MATT: Mirror Image is still up. So Shield. The crossbow bolt deflects and flies off as a flash of arcane energy and this guy looks over and sees where the flash comes from after hearing the noise and shouts. These guys over here are starting to pay attention, too. This fellow begins to turn as well. Most attention is starting to shift in this direction.

MARISHA: Think in my head to Imogen. Now.

MATT: All right. Orym, you land onto the ground. As you're coming down--

LIAM: Yeah, I'm stabbing as I land.

MATT: Go for it. Make two strikes on the way down.

MARISHA: Oh, wait--

LIAM: Okay.

SAM: Oh boy.

LIAM: All right, that is a-- Woo! Ooh! That is a 16.

MATT: 16.

LIAM: For the first.

MATT: A 16 on him just misses.

LIAM: Okay.

SAM: Here we go.

LIAM: All right, so I will then slide down his back with a monkey on mine and then I will immediately recoil off my ankles and stab and go again, and try to push him--

SAM: Fuck yeah!

LIAM: -- or them towards the device.

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: That is higher. So that is a 21.

MATT: That does hit. Go ahead and roll damage.

LIAM: So this is a pushing attack. They have to make a strength save versus my--

MATT: Natural five.

LIAM: Oh, well that's a fail.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: So I'm shoving him right up the stairs into the wall, and they take-- (thinking noises) Six, seven. Just 10 points of damage.

MATT: Got it. Gets pushed back, slams into the side of the machine. You can see the energy arcing up the side of the machine and you're there with Fearne scurrying up your leg, holding on and you have no idea when the device is going to explode.

LIAM: Right.

LAURA: I've been holding my spell for a visual cue.

MATT: Indeed.

LAURA: Which I imagine I see now.

MATT: You do. You also see Orym right next to it.

LAURA: Yeah, that's what I mean.

LIAM: And heard Laudna.

LAURA: I saw him attack the guard. So I'm going to let my spell go.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: At what?

LAURA: I'm doing a Twinned Spell Lightning Bolt at the two orbs that I can see.

SAM: Nice.

MATT: As a note, Lightning Bolt cannot be Twinned because it does not have a particular target, it's a line.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: Just be aware of that.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: However, Lightning Bolt, at the right proper angle, can hit multiple things in a line.

LAURA: Yes.

MATT: So you'd have to move further out of range to do it.

LIAM: Real far.

LAURA: Would I be able to get there in this time? Then I'm going to get my sorcery points back.

MATT: Yeah, you get a sorcery point back. But you can Twinned Spell a Witch Bolt, which has a singular target.

LAURA: Right.

MATT: But a Lightning Bolt is a line spell, so it can't be Twinned, however, it can hit everything in the line. To get all multiple things in the line like that, you would have to run out of your cover which will expose you for a moment.

LAURA: Right, right. I don't--

LIAM: You'd have to go very far.

LAURA: I guess I don't need to go. I can hold the Witch Bolt. Sure, fuck it. I'll do that. I'll still do Twinned Spell. I'll Witch Bolt the two orbs.

MATT: What level?

LAURA: At 2nd-level.

MATT: At 2nd-level. You got it. Okay. So roll on an attack for each.

LAURA: That's why I didn't want to do it because the other one's just dexterity. Natural 20!

MARISHA: Eyy!

MATT: Nice!

MARISHA: Double the damage.

LAURA: And a 16.

MATT: 16 hits too, yeah.

LAURA: Sweet, okay.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: Both of these strikes there.

LAURA: d12s, 2d12. No, yes. Whoa.

MATT: Now do note, Witch Bolt has a 30-foot range. So you'd really have to get closer to do this.

LAURA: Fucking hell. Fucking hell, okay.

SAM: You have to get a lot closer.

MATT: It's okay, you've been planning this for a bit, so the spells that you know you could use, you could prepare yourself to get to that point.

LAURA: So yeah, I would've run in, I guess, the minute Orym started to leap down.

SAM: Oh, where'd you come from? (laughter)

MATT: So you would've probably moved.

SAM: Oh!

LAURA: Oh shit.

MATT: That's all right.

LIAM: Dogs and cats.

MATT: Living together.

LAURA: Living together.

LAURA: Oh. Wait.

TALIESIN: Yay.

MATT: Okay. So put you about there.

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: You'll be able to hit both of those at 30 feet, we'll say.

LAURA: So 12 on one and 11 on the other.

MATT: That was with the crit as well?

LAURA: Oh no, I didn't measure which one was the crit, so--

SAM: The first one.

MATT: We'll say it's the first one.

LAURA: So that would've been 22 points of damage on the first one.

MATT: All righty.

TALIESIN: Nice, nice, nice.

SAM: Nice.

TALIESIN: Hot. Hot, hot.

ASHLEY: Nice.

MATT: So the Witch Bolt that hits the second one, it hits it. You watch as the exterior of one of the arcane cores cracks You watch as the exterior of one of the arcane cores cracks and it flashes with bright blue-purple energy, but it still holds itself in place. The other one over there cracks like a spider crack across the surface, but it still holds. But you can see it's heavily cracked and it pulses, and you can see around the crack, light is pushing through brightly, and it looks like it's shaking in place.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: All right. So at this point in time, I think we need to roll initiative.

SAM: Yeah, we do.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Aw yeah.

ASHLEY: Ooh!

LAURA: (flaps lips)

SAM: All right.

MARISHA: Okay. There you go.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MARISHA: Ooh!

SAM: We're in a fight.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: A battle.

LAURA: With a lot of creatures.

SAM: No problem. We just got to hit two orbs.

MATT: All righty. 25 to 20.

LIAM: 21.

MARISHA: 20.

TRAVIS: 20.

LAURA: Nice.

SAM: Jesus.

MARISHA: I would say Chet probably has it over Laudna.

TRAVIS: Sure. Don't fight, you guys.

TALIESIN: I'm very excited. I want to blow some shit up.

LIAM: Don't forget about a possible late arrival.

SAM: Come on, this is great.

TALIESIN: Yes.

MATT: Okay. 20 to 15.

SAM: 15! Fresh Cut Grass.

TALIESIN: 16. (laughter)

LAURA: 16 for Ash?

MARISHA: Ash and Grass.

TALIESIN: Yeah, Ash got 16.

SAM: Ash and Grass.

MATT: Ash to Grass.

TALIESIN: Oh no.

MATT: Sorry. All right.

LAURA: 14.

TALIESIN: Don't ruin life.

MATT: 14.

LIAM: After the centaurs there was--

ASHLEY: I got 10.

LIAM: -- no kind of rest, right?

MATT: You got 10, all right.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LIAM: There wasn't a rest after those centaurs.

LAURA: No.

SAM: I don't think so.

LAURA: There was not.

TALIESIN: No, which is really awful, but it is what it is.

MATT: Right. Then...

SAM: That's it.

MATT: That's it. All righty.

ASHLEY: As we landed, I wanted to drop my wild shape as we landed so I could land on my hooves.

MATT: Yeah, I'll allow it.

ASHLEY: But I can do that in the turn.

MATT: No, we can do that.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: You land on your hooves and that's where we start. Top of the round.

ASHLEY: Yeah. Okay.

MATT: Orym, you're up.

LIAM: Oh jeez, I don't know how big the explosion's going to be or what's happening, but I'm going to rush up to the fool that I started on and continue.

MATT: Over here?

LIAM: Yeah, and I'm going to take two quick slashes at his ankles.

MATT: Go for it.

LIAM: Nothing fancy. 15 plus nine is 24.

MATT: That hits.

LIAM: The second attack is even higher. So that is going to be-- ♪ (quick scatting) ♪ First one is seven, second slash is 12.

MATT: Okay. So yes.

LIAM: Seven and 12.

MATT: Got it.

LIAM: Yep.

MATT: All righty. Takes both hits. As the weapon strikes through, the armor is strong but you still manage to find between the blades where to strike, and has taken some heavy hits.

LIAM: All right.

MATT: They're looking a little hurt.

LIAM: I'm going to stand my ground and keep them pinned against this thing.

MATT: Okay, you got it.

LIAM: That's it.

MATT: Finishing your turn, it is now this fellow. Darts up. He's going to get about there and darts around after seeing the movement in the air, the crossbow bolt being shot that way, the flash, runs around and gets an eye line on you. Took their move and action to dash to to get there so they can't do anything, but they have two blades out. They draw and you see them glancing at you, the wood carved mask having almost a toothy underbite and the open eyes wide and shadowed. This one here is going to move over to this space and it's going to see you and it's going to throw two daggers towards you for (laughs) 12.

MARISHA: Miss.

MATT: And a natural one, Jesus Christ. (cheering)

TALIESIN: Yes.

ASHLEY: Yes.

TALIESIN: I'm taking what I can get.

MATT: I would say you're standing on the shield goes like (metal whooshing sounds)

MARISHA: (laughs) Yeah.

MATT: No impact on you whatsoever. The one that's over here with this fella's going to run back.

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: He's going to dart over to you, Fearne.

SAM: Uh oh.

MATT: Actually, no, he's going to stay back.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: And pull both of his daggers out and (whooshes), throw both at you, Fearne. So two dagger strikes goes to you. That's going to be a 16 to hit?

ASHLEY: No.

MATT: No? Okay. Just (metallic impact) off of your new Gloom plate that you got from your nana.

LAURA: Oh, yeah.

TALIESIN: Oh, nice.

MATT: And then a 12. (splat) No impact.

ASHLEY: No.

MATT: So a shitty opening round for those guys. But that brings us to Chetney with Laudna on deck.

TRAVIS: I'm going to start running towards the action that my fellow comrades seem to be noticing.

TALIESIN: We have a guard and a beast right in front of us.

MATT: Well, they've turned now.

TALIESIN: Oh, they've turned.

MATT: After hearing the combat--

TALIESIN: So we have the backside of a guard and beast.

TRAVIS: How far away from us, though?

MARISHA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Like 10 feet.

TRAVIS: Oh, I thought we were--

MATT: Not 10 feet, you guys are further down there.

TALIESIN: Oh, okay. They were a little bit away, all right.

MATT: So if you move and dash, what's your movement?

TRAVIS: 35.

MATT: 35, so if you move 70 feet this round, you could get about here. So that's a move and a dash.

SAM: Nice!

TRAVIS: I'll stay behind them, so I'll just...

MATT: Like over here?

TRAVIS: No, I'll just move and I'll use my bonus action to do my Crimson Rite on the scythe.

MATT: You got it. Just holding your action, then?

SAM: Action was the dash? No? Oh.

TRAVIS: Oh, I thought you had to--

MATT: It's a movement and then the action is to dash. It gets you double movement.

TRAVIS: Yeah, then I'll dash and I'll stay behind him, then I won't use the full. Yeah.

MATT: Okay, that'll get you right there.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: All righty, and then Ashton? Oh, sorry, when he gets to you.

TALIESIN: I'm further down, yeah.

MATT: Laudna, you're up. So you have two of these figures that are coming around the corner and they're ready to rush in towards you and then one figure up here that is firing from over the top of the tower.

MARISHA: Yes, I do have a lot of bitches on me.

SAM: (laughs) It's a bitch rich environment.

MARISHA: I'm kind of near this-- I still have Spider Climb. Can I Spider Climb my way into this tree?

SAM: ♪ Spider Climb your way ♪

MATT: Oh yeah, you can hop onto this.

MARISHA: (skitters) I'm going to Quicken an Eldritch Blast and go bam, bam into these cores.

MATT: Into the cores here?

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: Yeah, go for it.

MARISHA: Those are the power cores, right?

MATT: Yep. (blasts)

MARISHA: Two of them?

MATT: Indeed.

MARISHA: Am I seeing two of them?

MATT: You see one here. Yeah, there's multiple ones, they're all clustered together and then over here as well. So yeah, you can do it to both of those.

MARISHA: All right, I'll just do one to each. Eugh, hopefully. 14 for one and 21 for the other.

MATT: 14 is the AC.

MARISHA: 14 is the AC.

SAM: Nice.

MARISHA: Great, great, great. So for each of those-- we'll say for the first one, it's okay, that's nine damage.

MATT: Nine damage.

MARISHA: Ugh, and for the next one it is six damage.

MATT: Six damage, okay. So (crackling impacts), they both impact, cracks start to show on them. They're looking damaged.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: You can push forward.

MARISHA: Then I will do another Eldritch Blast because I Quickened that first one.

MATT: So you can do two more. Yeah.

MARISHA: So that'll do two more and fuck it, I'm going to do it at the cores again.

MATT: Go for it.

LAURA: These guys don't have the same shields that the other guys did?

MATT: No, they have dual weapons.

MARISHA: Those both hit that was a 14 and then a 13.

MATT: That's great. A 14 and a 13 on the dice.

MARISHA: On the dice.

SAM: On the dice, yeah.

MARISHA: Then, so for each of those, on one. Okay, so we'll say on that first one, that is 12 damage, and on the next one, it's another nine damage.

MATT: Okay, both cores (electric crackles) crack even further, the flashes of energy (whooshes) inside. You see them shaking. The energy within is extremely unstable.

SAM: Nice.

MATT: They're not looking great.

LAURA: Was she hitting the same ones I was?

MATT: No.

MARISHA: No, I was on this side.

LAURA: Okay, awesome.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: All right, does that finish your turn?

MARISHA: Yep.

MATT: Ashton, you're up, with FCG on deck.

TALIESIN: Okay, I'm going to drop and do the same thing.

TALIESIN: Okay, I'm going to drop and do the same thing. I'm going to follow Chet.

MATT: So you're going to move and dash?

TALIESIN: I'm going to, well, let's see--

MATT: Your movement is 40?

TALIESIN: 40, so how close can I get at 40?

MATT: 40, that'll get you about there.

TALIESIN: Oh, what if I were heading directly toward Chet?

MATT: That's like there.

TALIESIN: All right, then I'll dash and put 10 feet between us. then I'll dash and put 10 feet between us.

MATT: Right there?

TALIESIN: Well, yeah, like 10 feet apart so that if there's a range attack, we won't get too coned.

MATT: You got it. Okay.

SAM: Don't cone me, bro.

LAURA: Don't cone me.

MATT: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Yeah, do I want to rage?

MARISHA: I mean...

LAURA: It feels appropriate.

TALIESIN: Fuck it, I know I can't make an attack yet, but fuck it, I'm going to start the rage.

MATT: Go for it. Go ahead and roll, let's see what you got.

TALIESIN: Actually, that may have changed things, it occurs to me. So, let's see what the fuck's up.

LAURA: Ew, David.

TALIESIN: Let's goddamn rage. We are... Interesting. Okay.

LIAM: You have to fetch, David.

TALIESIN: No one can see because I'm wearing this weird armor, so no one knows what the fuck's going on right now.

MATT: You got it, okay.

TALIESIN: All right.

MATT: All right, that finishes your go, Ashton. FCG, you're up, with Imogen on deck.

SAM: I'll move in as far as I can.

MATT: 30 feet.

MARISHA: (southern accent) Can!

SAM: (southern accent) 30 feet.

LAURA: ♪ 30 feet ♪

SAM: Boop.

MARISHA: (laughs)

SAM: Oh boy, I'm stuck in the grass! Oh god, my own name is coming to haunt me! That's it?

MATT: Yeah, that's 30 feet.

SAM: I can't go straight over, no. Okay.

MATT: You can go over the terrain, if you want to, but it'd move you even less.

SAM: Oh god. I will unleash a bolt thrower, a crossbow bolt sort of a thing action.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: At the one that Orym is engaged with.

MATT: What's the range on that?

SAM: It's 80-320 or whatever, or 80-160.

TALIESIN: Do you have Sharpshooter?

SAM: I don't have Sharpshooter.

TALIESIN: Oh, well.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: I'll shoot at anyone within 80 feet of me, basically.

MATT: This guy would be, five, 10-- Yeah, the guy's within range. Go for it.

SAM: Okay, and I get advantage because someone got a Natural 20, probably Orym.

LAURA: No, it was Laudna.

SAM: Oh, nice.

MATT: That's right.

TALIESIN: (laughs)

SAM: What is that? That's terrible. Oh, it's only a 13. Terrible.

MATT: 13 does not hit.

SAM: No, I miss.

MARISHA: Oh no!

MATT: Yep.

MARISHA: Were you going for the orby?

MATT: The figure's holding a heavy shield, and as you fire off it sees at the last second something streaking the middle of the courtyard, and it puts the shield up and your bolt just ricochets off of it.

SAM: Then bonus action, I will cast Spiritual Weapon.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: And make it appear in front of the closest orb.

MATT: All right, the range on that is 60 feet?

SAM: 60. Am I close enough?

MATT: Yep, you can do it right here.

SAM: Okay, great. I will try to hit the orb with the Spiritual Weapon which manifests in something that machinery hates, which is a cup of coffee that's going to spill on it. (laughter)

MARISHA: So stupid.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: I will--

TRAVIS: ACME presents.

SAM: Roll to attack. Yeah, 22!

MATT: 22 hits. Go ahead and roll it.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: Just a spiritual splash of coffee.

SAM: Oh, terrible. Four points of damage.

LAURA: But that's the one I damaged a lot, I think. Or maybe it was the other one.

MATT: No, that was the one you damaged a lot.

LAURA: Oh, okay, okay.

SAM: I rolled a one.

MATT: So, four points. But still. It smacks the side of it, and where the cracks are, it spills a little bit of coffee and then it (sizzling)--

SAM: It's all sticky now!

MATT: -- on the inside.

SAM: You're not using it! It's sticky. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Put lots of creamer in there.

SAM: Yeah!

MATT: Exactly. Is that your turn?

SAM: That's my turn!

MATT: All right. Imogen, you're up with Fearne on deck.

LAURA: All right, I'm going to send another set of damage into both the orbs.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Right? Because I'm already doing it, so I don't have to re-attack them, it just does it.

MARISHA: Yes.

LAURA: Okay, so that is five points at one and six points at the other.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Why do we all have dice we can't see?

LAURA: I know, but they're so pretty.

TALIESIN: This red.

MATT: Both of them (magical impact), they charge into them. You see the cracks emanate even further and both sides of the cores are now shaking. You see sparks (electrical sparking) around them and the humming noise is going (electric buzzing) loudly from it. They're extremely unstable. You don't know what that means.

MARISHA: Remember, this goes boom.

TALIESIN: Yes. Yep.

SAM: Maybe y'all should move.

LAURA: Can I use my bonus action--

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: -- to telekinetic push the guard that's next to one of the orbs and try to slam him into it?

SAM: Ooh, nice.

MARISHA: Ooh.

ASHLEY: Ooh.

LAURA: I can push him five feet.

MATT: Yeah, I'll allow it. Go ahead and roll.

SAM: Oh!

LAURA: I don't remember how this works anymore. I haven't done it in a while.

TALIESIN: I know, it was a long break.

MARISHA: It's a little chilly.

SAM: I'm cold.

TALIESIN: There's so much.

TRAVIS: (as Sam) "I'm cold."

LAURA: No, that's not it.

TALIESIN: I love it.

LAURA: Oh wait, hold on. No, that doesn't work. Ah! Where is it? I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

MATT: It's okay.

LAURA: And then I-- And I do this.

MATT: It should be under feats, right?

LAURA: (frantic noises) I don't have to roll, they have to roll.

MATT: Oh, I got you.

LAURA: They're trying to beat my DC.

MATT: Natural one.

LAURA: Sweet!

TRAVIS: Yes.

LAURA: That's a fail.

MATT: Yes, it is. Because it's a natural one, he's about to step off and come down after Orym and then suddenly he's like "(grunts)" pulled back and slams into the side of the core. The core cracks slightly more and the sound (buzzing) gets louder and louder. You see him turn around and look towards it. The light is shining in what is normally the dark holes of the mask that's being worn and you see the mortal eyes, the whites of the eyes on the inside go wide with a "(gasps) Oh no."

LAURA: Ah!

MATT: Does that finish your turn?

LAURA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Oh my god.

MATT: All right. Fearne, your go.

MARISHA: The dynamite hasn't gone yet?

ASHLEY: All right.

MATT: Not yet, no.

LAURA: Oh my gosh.

MARISHA: How long is the fuse on that fucker?

SAM: You put a five-minute fuse on it.

MARISHA: I know!

LIAM: It's been six seconds.

TALIESIN: ♪ It's been ♪

MATT: Well, it's been a little more. It's been 12 seconds.

ASHLEY: ♪ It's been ♪

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: So it goes the exit leap, and then the first combat round, so.

MARISHA: Oh my god.

ASHLEY: All right, I have a little bit of a wild idea.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: You?

MARISHA: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Is there anybody within 10 feet--

MARISHA: They're all wild ideas.

ASHLEY: -- of the radius of the machine?

LAURA: A lot.

ASHLEY: My allies.

MATT: Yeah, you and Orym.

ASHLEY: Okay, just the two of us?

MATT: Just the two of you, yeah.

ASHLEY: All right. So, I was thinking--

MATT: Yeah?

ASHLEY: -- of maybe casting something called Wall of Fire where you can make it into a circle.

MARISHA: Oh, this old thing?

MATT: Oh, I see, I see. How big a radius of a circle?

ASHLEY: 20 feet in diameter.

MATT: Got you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

ASHLEY: That might be too small. If this doesn't work, I have a backup.

MATT: Are you trying to use it to protect the space or to...

ASHLEY: No, I was trying to use it to destroy and place it on top of all of the orbs.

MATT: Oh, all of them. Like all around? Yeah, that'll get them all.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: Nice.

MARISHA: That's cool.

MATT: So, we'll say this slides into here.

TALIESIN: ♪ All around my orbs ♪ Oh.

MATT: (rumbling)

TALIESIN: I love how you make the sound.

MATT: I can't not make the sound.

TRAVIS: You've got to.

TALIESIN: No, you've got to.

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: I'm forever a child with his--

TALIESIN: This is why we can never be in a sci-fi film, because we go, "Pew, pew, pew."

MATT: I had that problem before.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: All right, so you encircle the entirety of this machine with flames. (flames rumbling)

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: The fire sounds like paper crumpling.

MATT: Indeed. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Orym, you might want to back up a little bit.

MATT: So you create it.

LIAM: Ah.

MATT: "Each creature within its area--"

TALIESIN: Actually, yeah. Well done.

MATT: "On the side of the wall selected by you." Which side of the wall? Do you want it facing inward or outward?

LIAM: Yeah, you could heat the thing or you could hurt the people outside.

ASHLEY: Inward.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: Inward.

MATT: That will protect you from actually taking the damage.

ASHLEY: Yes, okay.

MATT: It is now focused inside toward the machine.

MARISHA: Hell yeah.

SAM and LAURA: Nice.

MATT: So now the entirety of the Malleus Key is now engulfed in flames that rise about 20 or so feet above. You can barely see the top of the machine peeking through. The fire (flames roaring) enshrouding it. So, roll--

LIAM: Super heating that metal.

MATT: -- 5d8 fire damage. Now, it takes half damage because it is resistant to fire because it is a metallic machine, but it still takes damage.

SAM: Nice.

MATT: Automatically fails its dex save because it can't dodge, it's a machine.

ASHLEY: All right. So we got--

SAM: Hey, watch what you say about machines.

MATT: So roll 5d8 and then we'll halve it.

ASHLEY: Ooh. Okay.

MARISHA: This is where FCG just abandons us.

SAM and MATT: (laugh)

MARISHA: Just turn coat.

LIAM: That was my father!

SAM: Why are you hurting him?! (laughter)

SAM: He's just a sweet boy!

ASHLEY: 25.

MATT: 25 brought down to 12, right?

ASHLEY: (reluctantly) Yeah. (laughter)

LIAM and LAURA: (as Ashley) "Yeah."

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: That's pretty good.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: The flames engulf the space and you hear what sounds like the--

TALIESIN: Oh no.

MATT: -- loud, high pitched sharp crack of deep glass. Like (heavy crackling). That heavy (electric buzzing) sound dissipates.

TRAVIS: Oh, that's okay.

SAM: That's fine.

LAURA: Uh-oh.

MATT: (large explosion)

TALIESIN: Yep.

TRAVIS: Whoa!

MATT: Suddenly, the flames go blue and are blown to the side as all the cores detonate in the immediate vicinity.

SAM: Oh, all of them?

MARISHA: All of them?

MATT: All of them.

TRAVIS: Oh!

MATT: The ones that were even remotely damaged are triggered by the explosions next to them.

SAM: Oh no.

MATT: Everyone within a 20-foot radius of this needs to make a dexterity saving throw.

MARISHA: Ooh!

TALIESIN: Woo! Yeah, I would have run hard.

LAURA: Yeah. Yeah.

MARISHA: Probably should've moved further away.

SAM: Fearne, what are you doing!

MARISHA: I didn't think it was going to go that fast.

SAM: Why are you killing us?

TRAVIS: The dynamite hasn't even gone yet.

ASHLEY: Guidance.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: (laughs)

MARISHA: No, it hasn't.

TRAVIS: It's going to be like (huge explosion) (dud explosive) (laughter)

TALIESIN: Like a birthday sparkler.

MARISHA: (laughing) It totally is.

MATT: So, Laudna.

MARISHA: 15.

MATT: 15? 45 points of force damage. (exclaiming)

LIAM: Force damage?

LAURA: Are you unconscious? Are you unconscious?

MARISHA: I'm not unconscious because of my temp hit points.

SAM: Because of those temps.

SAM: How'd you get those temps?

TRAVIS: Holy shit.

MATT: But you are thrown--

MARISHA: My Form of Dread.

MATT: Actually, make a strength saving throw for me please.

MARISHA: Well, once again--

SAM: Well shit.

ASHLEY: Oh my god.

SAM: Single digits.

MARISHA: Seven.

MATT: You are thrown from the top of the tree--

SAM: Oh no, oh no.

MATT: -- and hit the ground.

LIAM: Splat.

MATT: The fall deals--

LAURA: No!

MARISHA: Feather Fall, Feather Fall, Feather Fall.

MATT: You take no damage from the fall. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Holy shit!

SAM: (ululating) Feather Fall.

TRAVIS: (as Marisha) "Ah, Feather Fall." (laughter)

MARISHA: I panic. (laughter)

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Fails.

MARISHA: Oh jeez. Hoo doggy.

SAM: Hoo doggy.

MATT: Fail. Both of these armored Unseelie soldiers just (flinging bodies) and are scattered across the back wall of the interior from the force blast.

MARISHA: Wait, where did I land?

MATT: They land over here.

TALIESIN: They ended up in the hole and quietly died a peaceful-- Well, not really--

MATT: That guy over there. Fails.

TALIESIN: Oh boy.

MATT: Yeah, they don't get the usual Fey, or the ones that have it, the Fey ancestry bonus to this because they are just, this is an explosion. This guy scattered.

LAURA: The Fey.

SAM: Vaporized.

MATT: Seven.

SAM: Vaporized!

LAURA: Yeah!

TALIESIN: Holy fuck.

LAURA: What about you and Fearne?

MATT: The one that you're fighting, he doesn't even roll because he's already taken so much damage. He is--

SAM: Vaporized.

MATT: -- scattered. I need both Fearne and--

LIAM: Dex saves, right? I rolled a 22.

MATT: A 22?

LIAM: Mm-hmm.

MATT: So you take 22 points of fire damage.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: Fearne?

ASHLEY: I rolled a seven.

SAM: Ooh.

MATT: You take 45 points of fire damage.

SAM: Oof.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LIAM: Even as a fire lady?

MATT: I need you both to make strength saves for me, please.

LIAM: Oh, that's going to go well.

TALIESIN: Yeah, do you not have natural--

LAURA: Do you have fire resistance or something?

TALIESIN: Do you have fire resistance or no?

TALIESIN: Oh, stop it.

SAM: Another 20?

TRAVIS: Is that number six?

ASHLEY: No.

LIAM: That's a 21.

TRAVIS: Oh, okay.

TALIESIN: It's just irritating.

SAM: You rolled a Natural 21?

LIAM: My strength is balls, but I rolled an 18.

MATT: When it detonates you get low with your shield and the blast pushes you into the ground, you actually feel your legs push a couple inches into the dirt, and as it passes by the force of it, you're like "(groans)" getting back onto your feet. Fearne, strength save?

ASHLEY: 15.

MATT: 15. You are blown and knocked prone.

LAURA: Hi.

MATT: About 25 feet away from the blast.

ASHLEY: Hey, girl.

LAURA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: (as Ashley) "Hey, girl." (laughs)

LIAM: Hey, girl, hey.

MATT: This is gone.

SAM: Oh!

LAURA and TALIESIN: Eyy!

MARISHA: Wait, but the dynamite still hasn't gone off? (laughter)

TRAVIS: Yeah, did that not automatically--

MATT: You now hear (small explosion). (laughter)

TALIESIN: Yes!

LIAM: Dynamite?!

TALIESIN: I love it when a plan comes together.

MARISHA: It was one stick.

MATT: Now, here's the thing--

TRAVIS: There's a little shrapnel.

MATT: Yeah. (laughter)

MATT: Whatever possible salvageable pieces within that may have remained are now completely destroyed.

SAM and MARISHA: Hey.

LIAM: Huzzah.

ASHLEY: Eyy!

TALIESIN: Let's get the fuck out of here.

LAURA: Okay, we got to run.

MARISHA: Let's get the fuck out. There's still these doggos that we don't want to fuck with.

MATT: Fearne, could you make a concentration check for me?

TRAVIS: You don't want to fuck with--

MARISHA: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Uh-huh.

TRAVIS: -- these faceless doggos!

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: Also, Laudna, can you make a concentration check for me?

MARISHA: Oh, because of my--

LAURA: Oh, right. And you have, is it Spider Climb or Mirror--

ASHLEY: 20 total.

MATT: 20 total?

SAM: Wow, that's great.

MARISHA: Spider Climb is what I would lose.

MATT: You said 20 total?

MARISHA: Oh.

ASHLEY: 20 total.

MATT: 20 total. It's not enough. 22 is the DC because it's half the damage you sustained.

ASHLEY: Dang!

LAURA: Oh right, yeah.

ASHLEY: Okay.

MARISHA: Wait, do you add something to the roll?

MATT: It's your constitution saving throw.

MARISHA: Your con. Okay, so 19.

MATT: 19's a fail.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: So you lose your Spider Climb.

MARISHA: That does suck, actually. I was going to use that. But that's okay.

MATT: You know what? I'll keep these here. It just won't mark your Wall of Fire, this is instead just a flames of the ring.

TRAVIS: Shit's just burning.

TALIESIN: It's burning.

LAURA: Yeah. Shit burning.

TRAVIS: It's just burning.

MATT: Yep. That checks out. All righty.

LIAM: ♪ And it burns, burns, burns ♪

MATT: Finishing that go, the massive sound and explosion detonates out in this giant plume and you watch as that one red tether blinks away and the somewhat incorporeal form of Ruidus in the sky (vanishing).

SAM: Whoa. We made the moon go away?

MARISHA: Oh!

LAURA: Yes!

MATT: The spectral image of it here in the Fey Realm.

TRAVIS: Wouldn't that be great if we were doing the wrong thing?

TALIESIN: Oh shit, they know something's wrong now. We got to get the fuck out of here.

LAURA: Yeah, we got to go.

MATT: You immediately hear in the sky--

LIAM: (avian screeches)

MATT: "(avian screeching)"

SAM: Oh no!

LAURA: We got to run!

TRAVIS: Why are you trying to let it out, you fools!

SAM: Oh no.

LAURA: Don't, don't. Don't!

MATT: Now the rest of these guys go.

TALIESIN: Yep.

SAM: There are none!

LAURA: No, there are.

LIAM: Faceless doggos.

MATT: There's this guy here--

LAURA: Faceless doggos.

SAM: And a couple dogs.

MATT: And a couple dogs here. This one's going to (pounding footsteps) going to run with a speed--

LAURA: No!

SAM: No.

MATT: -- of 40. 50 feet. It can get up here.

LAURA: Oh god.

TALIESIN: Wait, actually. Were they close enough to us that we could have made a reaction there?

MATT: No, you were both 10 feet away from it by what you said.

TALIESIN: Okay. Yeah, that's fair.

MATT: This one here is going to run. It didn't see Laudna through the explosion. That's where it can get there. The one that's in front of you--

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: -- is going to use. It's going to hit once with its claws, and then once with its Void Jaws.

MARISHA and SAM: Void Jaws.

LIAM: Void Jaws.

MARISHA: Wow.

MATT: It's a 20 to hit.

LAURA: That hits. Yes, very much so.

MATT: You take 10 points of slashing damage as it rears up, and its claws strike across your body--

LAURA: 10?

MATT: Yeah, for 10 points of damage.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: Oof, that's a 23 to hit. So it strikes you twice, and you rear back. As you do, it lands. As you're pulling back where that empty hole in its face is, it lunges forward until your hand gets pulled into it, and (sucking) it pulls you almost up to your shoulder within its mouth. You hear this (hollow groaning) sound as you do.

SAM: Oh no.

MATT: Oh man. So you take-- Immediately, on your arm, you feel like it's being crushed on the inside by an unstoppable, dangerous magical force. You take 12 points of force damage.

SAM: Oh no.

MATT: I need you to make a strength saving throw for me.

SAM: I'll take half of that.

LAURA: Okay. Strength saving throw.

SAM: Well, I'll take six points away.

MATT: Take six.

LAURA: Oh, oh! 19?

MATT: 19. It pulls your arm up to the elbow. You feel like it's still pulling on you--

LAURA: A 20!

MATT: And you (grunts) pull your arm out of that gaping void in its face, and pull back. You can see your hand is bloody from the crushing damage that it took. Now you look up at it, and you can see that black void, and hear that sound. (hollow sucking)

SAM: Ooh, gross.

MATT: That finishes their go. Top of the round. Orym, you are up.

SAM: That was both of them?

MATT: That one, it did a double move.

LIAM: I'm going to run straight towards Imogen. Five, 10, 15, 25, 30. Here I'm going to use Bait and Switch, and yank her away from the doggo and take her place.

MATT: Heck yeah.

LIAM: I'm going to give Imogen, hold on one sec.

MATT: He goes, oh yeah. Thank you.

LIAM: Bait and Switch. Roll the superiority die.

LAURA: Oh, sorry.

MATT: Oh, he would go with this guy here.

LIAM: You have an additional eight to your AC, until the end of my round.

LAURA: Oh!

LIAM: I'll take two slashes at void doggo.

MATT: Go for it.

LIAM: That is a 19 for the first strike. That hits? Okay.

MATT: That hits, yeah.

LIAM: So that is, five plus six is 11. Second attack might not hit. That's a 16 to hit.

MATT: 16 just misses.

LIAM: Just misses, okay. Holding my ground.

MATT: Okay. How much damage for the first one?

LIAM: It was... I don't remember. I think this is it. Well, I'm going to roll again because I don't remember. One plus six is seven. I think it was higher than seven. Seven points of damage.

MATT: Oh no, I wrote it down here. Never mind.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: All right, cool.

LAURA: What was it?

MATT: I had it down here.

LIAM: I think it was higher.

MATT: It was 10, I think?

LAURA: Oh, okay.

LIAM: Sounds right.

MATT: I think that's it. Well, we'll go with 10. It's fine.

LIAM: Okay!

MATT: All right, that finishes your go, Orym. This guy up here is now... He pulls a horn from his side and you hear (bass horn blows) echoing over the top there. I've learned. (laughs) I was waiting for it. The minute I try to do any sort of a horn, an anxiety comes over my neck.

TRAVIS: ♪ History has its eyes ♪ ♪ on ♪

MATT: I'm like, oh god. I'm getting a flashback.

TRAVIS: ♪ you ♪

MATT: It's going to take another shot from the top down at you.

LAURA: (silly voice) No! Why you doing this to me?

MATT: It's an 18 to hit you?

LAURA: (silly) I have a 21 AC now so...

MATT: That's right. So no.

LIAM: (thudding clank)

MATT: Orym's shield deflects it out of the air. No impact. It's going to turn up here, and begin grabbing a torch off the side, and swing it into the air like this.

LAURA: Fuck! Fuck!

MATT: All right. That brings us to Chetney, with Laudna on deck.

TRAVIS: I'm going to sprint towards this faceless doggo in front of me, near the tree, 35 feet.

MATT: 35 exactly to get there.

TRAVIS: Then I'm going to swing off, off center on it, and I'm going to aim it towards the doggo that's fighting Orym and Imogen. I'm going to cast Shatter with the scythe, 60 feet right on the tail side of it--

TALIESIN: Nice!

TRAVIS: -- for a 10-foot sphere.

MATT: 10-foot sphere.

TRAVIS: Yep.

MATT: 10-foot radius, you mean?

TRAVIS: I'm sorry, it's a 10-foot sphere, but it goes 60 feet. So right on his butt.

MATT: On this guy here?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: You got it.

TRAVIS: So it just hits him.

MARISHA: Nice.

MATT: All right. That's a constitution save?

TRAVIS: Yes.

MATT: That is going to be a 13.

TRAVIS: 14.

MATT: 14's the DC?

TRAVIS: Yes.

MATT: Jesus.

SAM: Nice.

MARISHA: (claps)

MATT: They missed like three DCs by one this battle.

TRAVIS: That's 19 points. Sorry, 21 points of thunder damage.

MATT: Glorious. You see like, as it's like (grunts) trying to suck forward. It gets stricken by the blade of Orym's. Orym pulls back, shield forward, deflects the blade behind it, and he's turned away. In that moment, the creature goes forward to try and pounce onto Orym. Suddenly, (explodes) the blasts hits from behind him. It gets thrown in the air. It somersaults twice before landing. (poof)

SAM: Oh. Dead?

MATT: And just curls dead.

MARISHA: Hey!

TRAVIS and SAM: Ooh!

LIAM: Working these beasts like he's Chris Pratt. Chetney will end the Eremat.

SAM: Whoa, nice.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: There's a D at the end.

TALIESIN: Wow.

SAM: Nice.

LIAM: Not when I say it. (laughter)

MATT: Imperfect rhymes are welcome.

TRAVIS: Imperfect rhymes are welcome, and amazing.

TALIESIN: Sounds better than the original, anyway.

TRAVIS: Then I think with my bonus action, I'm going to do nothing. That's it. That's my turn.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Disengage!

MATT: Finishing Chetney's go. Laudna. You're up.

MARISHA: I stand.

TRAVIS: Ba ba! Bonus Action.

MARISHA: (pants)

TRAVIS: Blood Curse of the Agony on the dog right next to me.

MATT: You got it, Bloated Agony. Done and done.

TALIESIN: What does that do again?

TRAVIS: It just, if he attacks more than once--

TALIESIN: That's when it comes in.

MATT: He takes damage.

LAURA: Ha ha!

MATT: Got it.

MARISHA: I'm going to take this health potion, because I got to. It's plus four, right?

LIAM: Yep.

MATT: Yes.

LIAM: Plus four, it's plus four.

MARISHA: Eight--

SAM: But, but. I'm a healer!

MARISHA: You're also 300 yards away.

MATT: (laughs) That's valid.

MATT, LAURA, LIAM, and SAM: (laugh)

MARISHA: Okay. I thought about it.

TRAVIS: Di di.

LAURA and MARISHA: Di di!

SAM: ♪ Da-da-yenu ♪

TRAVIS: Fea-ther Fall.

SAM: ♪ Da-da-yenu ♪

MARISHA: Fa, fa, fa.

LAURA: Fa, fa, fa.

MARISHA: Okay.

TRAVIS: The brain needed to speak and communicate all at the same time. (choppy) Not our fault.

MATT: I love it so much.

MARISHA: Okay, I really-- Man, okay. Shit. I'm going to start trying to haul ass towards the rest of my party, so I'm going to run. But I kind of want to--

MATT: 20, 25, 30.

MARISHA: Well, I stood up. So that's half distance, right?

MATT: That's right. You're there, yeah.

MARISHA: Can I-- I want to do this strategically. Can I hide behind those crates a little bit, since I can't get far?

MATT: Over here? Over here?

MARISHA: The ones, yeah.

MATT: Sure, you can do that.

MARISHA: Crouch down while I get my bearings.

MATT: Okay. You got it. That finish your turn?

MARISHA: Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.

MATT: Okay. Ashton, you're up.

TALIESIN: All right. I don't suppose-- I assume I probably didn't work too hard to put this armor on. Can I use a bonus action to give a rip to the chest?

MATT: It takes more than that to take the armor off, yeah.

TALIESIN: Even if I use a knife. Okay, never mind.

MATT: Even if you use a knife.

TALIESIN: Just a little of-- okay.

MATT: Sorry.

TALIESIN: Let's run full speed at the butt of this little creature.

SAM: You're going the wrong way, everyone. We got to get out of here!

LAURA: I know we got to run.

TALIESIN: But I ain't-- We ain't running 'til-- I'm faster than all of you.

LIAM: Those things are dangerous.

TALIESIN: I'm going to take a swing right at its junk.

MATT: Go for it.

TALIESIN: I'm going to do-- let's do reckless. This'll be-- This will be fun.

SAM: Go over here.

MARISHA: Oh, it's over here?

TRAVIS: I agree. I'm here for your fun.

LAURA: It's this way, 150 feet this way.

TALIESIN: 19?

TRAVIS: 19 to hit.

MARISHA: Oh shit. I should have gone the other way.

MATT: 19 hits.

TALIESIN: 19 hits.

LAURA: Maybe you can retroactively change it.

MARISHA: Yeah.

SAM: You only moved, like, 15 feet.

MARISHA: I didn't go far. It's okay.

MATT: Prefer to go this way?

MARISHA: Yeah. I thought we were heading to that gate. I'm sorry, so I'll-- I'll stand up and then try and go this way, and hide as much as I can.

MATT: That's as best as you can do to move. To hide is an action.

MARISHA: Okay.

TALIESIN: 19 points of damage.

MATT: 19 points of damage.

TALIESIN: 19 points of damage and--

MARISHA: Billie Eilish.

TRAVIS: Who's that?

MARISHA: ♪ I'm the bad-- ♪

TALIESIN: Yeah, I'm not going to do that yet. Okay. I'm going to do it again.

MATT: Go for it. Roll an attack.

TALIESIN: Roll an attack reckless.

TALIESIN: Yeah, 16 and-- yeah, 25 to hit.

MATT: That definitely hits.

TALIESIN: Nine. 17 points of damage.

MATT: 17 points of damage.

TALIESIN: As I come up, and then I come back down.

MATT: The first strike hits it heavily in the side, and causes part of its ribcage to crack inward. The second hit does finish it. How do you want to do this?

TALIESIN: Oh, wow. This is going to be fun, then. Okay, I take the hammer, and reel it up. As I reel it up, it seems like the hammer almost becomes translucent completely. Except it seems like it's off kilter a little bit. As I roll down, and hit him again, as he cracks, I fall into the hole.

MATT: Oh. Okay, cool.

TRAVIS: Oh what?

LAURA: Nice.

MATT: Where do you go?

LIAM: Hey, what?

TALIESIN: And they got theirs done. And, yeah. Where's the next guy? I can't--

MATT: No. There's a guy up on top of here.

LAURA: There's a guy down by the gates.

TALIESIN: I'm going to head 60 feet straight towards that guy.

MATT: I'm going to get to him now.

TRAVIS: Jump to the jam--

TALIESIN: I'm going to head 60 feet straight for that.

TRAVIS: He's just a page.

LIAM: Boom, boom, boom--

SAM: You're going the wrong way, Ashton!

TALIESIN: You don't see me running.

MATT: 60 feet'll get you up to here.

LAURA: You just bamf out, right there?

TALIESIN: Yeah, and I just--

MATT: He's completely blocked by the tower over here for me. He's been sitting there like. (explosion) "Oh shit! Oh shit! Right." He's getting his weapon out. "It's stuck in my belt! (grunts)"

TALIESIN: I'll say, for my bonus action, "Run the fuck away!"

MATT: Make an intimidation check for me.

TRAVIS: I love it.

MATT: Seeing what you just did, I'll allow that.

TALIESIN: Yeah, thank you.

LAURA: That would be terrifying, to all of a sudden have it bamf in front of you like that.

TALIESIN: That's-- oh boy. 25.

MATT: 25. Much like the clown in the dream sequence from Brave Little Toaster, when you say, "Run away!" He just like-- his knees buckle slightly. Okay.

ASHLEY: What a great reference.

TALIESIN: All right.

MATT: All right. That finishes your turn. FCG, you're up, with Imogen on deck.

TRAVIS: Nice turn, dude.

SAM: So we don't know if he's running yet? I'll shoot a bolt at him, at that guy next to Ashton.

MATT: You got it. Do you want to move, or stay put?

SAM: No, I'll stay put for now.

TALIESIN: All right.

SAM: Is it 80 feet away?

MATT: He's within 80 feet, yeah.

SAM: 17 to hit.

MATT: 17 just hits.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: Actually no, 17 would've miss him. I'm sorry, I was looking at the wrong one. 17 misses him.

SAM: Oh no. Oh no.

TALIESIN: Just heal people. Everyone needs healing.

MATT: He puts up his shield, reflexively whenever Ashton appears in front of him. He was like (grunts) The shield up, you (crashing) impact the shield, unfortunately.

MARISHA: Are we still sympathetically bonded-ed?

SAM: We are, but you're so far away, I can't really do anything.

MARISHA: Okay.

SAM: I know. In that case, oh boy. Well, I (pained groan) I instantly take six points of damage, because I couldn't get rid of it.

TRAVIS: ♪ La dee da dee, we like to party. ♪

LAURA: ♪ La dee da dee dee. ♪

TRAVIS: ♪ We don't cause trouble-- ♪

SAM: Bonus action, I can't use my spiritual weapon, because there's nothing to hit.

TRAVIS: We don't bother nobody.

SAM: I can heal somebody. Who needs some healing?

LAURA: Right here, honey.

TALIESIN: So many people.

SAM: I'll do some, some--

TALIESIN: Everybody.

SAM: You're so far away, I can't even see you.

MARISHA: No, you can't.

LAURA: (creaking)

SAM: Healing Word goes 60 feet. I think I can reach Imogen.

MATT: Yeah, you can.

TALIESIN: I run fast, so.

SAM: I'll Healing Word Imogen at 2nd-level. 2d4, plus three.

LAURA: (laughs) That was-- That one.

SAM: That doesn't count. Oh, I can't see it again.

LAURA: That says three.

SAM: Okay. So that's four plus three is seven. Seven points of healing.

MATT: Seven there.

LAURA: Thank you.

LIAM: Got to get out. We're in--

LAURA: Got to go, run.

SAM: Then--

LIAM: Going to have company real quick.

SAM: I got to move, but which way?

LAURA: Out.

SAM: Out. (laughter)

SAM: Praise be to the Changebringer. Let's go.

TRAVIS: They're starting to believe.

MATT: This way?

SAM: Yeah.

MATT: All right, so you go ahead.

TRAVIS: "Praise be to the Changebringer." (laughs)

MATT: 30 feet that way.

SAM: Come on, we're going.

MATT: All right, finishing FCG's turn, that brings us now to Imogen, with Fearne on deck.

LAURA: Okay. I am going to run, and try to get out as well.

MARISHA: Chase.

MATT: That gets you basically right up to where FCG is.

LAURA: Okay, great.

MATT: That's move and dash. Anything else you want to do?

LAURA: I think that's pretty much all I can do.

MATT: Okay. Finishing Imogen's go, Fearne, you're up. You're on the ground.

ASHLEY: Ow! I'm going to get myself up, and I'm going to book it.

MATT: Okay, so it's 15 more feet from there. That's as far as you can get on movement. You still have your action.

ASHLEY: I'll dash. So 35 is my speed.

MATT: Oh, 35 got you there, so.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MATT: 35 gets you right to the edge of that grass patch there, catching up and darting best you can. All righty. That finish your turn?

ASHLEY: Believe so. I can't also bamf out Mister, can I? No.

MATT: I think it's an action. It's an action to bring him in, right?

ASHLEY: It's an action. That's my turn.

MATT: Okay, got it. All right, finishing that. Top of the next round. That horrible shriek, once more. (creature shrieking)

MARISHA: It's not dead? Not cool.

MATT: (large wings flapping)

LIAM: Oh no.

TALIESIN: Oh, for fuck's sake.

LAURA: Fuck, fuck, fuck!

SAM: No, no, no! No! (yelling)

SAM: It looks like a giant wang.

LAURA: What is it?

MATT: (heavy impact)

LAURA: That is nowhere near as cute as what I drew, Matt.

SAM: Oh man.

TALIESIN: No.

MARISHA: Look at its neck.

SAM: Its neck is its own thing.

LAURA: I only-- What is going on?

TRAVIS: Does it land and eat the guard that's up there?

MATT: No.

TRAVIS: (laughs) "No."

MATT: The guard points down in your direction. It takes its whole turn to get there. It's a full dash, once it heard the sound to catch up. (impacts) As it grabs the edge of it, and looks down upon all of you. That's going to finish its go.

LAURA: Uh-oh.

SAM: Oh no.

SAM: Oh, man. This might be a to be continued.

MATT: Orym, you're up.

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

LIAM: I know we got to get out of here and run. I do not see Laudna, so I'm going to start running towards the gate, but look for her. I know that she must be over there somewhere. So I'm going to go five, 10, 15, use my boots of jumpiness and jump to my full range over these roots to here. That's 30. Do I see her? I do, right?

MATT: Glancing with your perception, yes, you will.

LIAM: I see a straight line. She looks super fucked up?

MATT: I mean.

MARISHA: I'm not great.

MATT: She's not looking great.

LIAM: I start running towards her. Five, 10, 15, 25, 30. I'm going to, I'll be there. Five, 10, 15, 25, 30. I'm going to, I'll be there. I can't do much anyway, under the circumstances. I'm going to wait for her. That's it. I'm done.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: So noble, so foolish.

MATT: All righty. Finishing your go. Chetney, you're up, with Laudna on deck.

TRAVIS: Oh, I'm going to fucking-- I'm going to run. I'm running to the same, but I'm going to try and close within 10 feet of Imogen, yes, so I can put a little buffer.

MATT: You got it, okay.

TRAVIS: Then, yeah, that's--

SAM: Now we're grouping up. We're grouping up, and they can shoot things at us.

MARISHA: I know it.

TRAVIS: Actually, and I'll dash and put a little more. I'll veer to the left. (laughs)

MATT: You got it.

LAURA: Up here.

MATT: You got it.

TALIESIN: The other left. The other left.

MATT: So with that, that brings us to--

TRAVIS: Just dump it out, yeah.

MATT: -- Laudna, with Ashton on deck.

MARISHA: All right, seeing Orym, I'm going to try and-- Jeez, I guess for five, 10, 15.

MATT: 15, 20, 25. 30 can get you right next to him.

MARISHA: To him.

SAM: (as Laudna) Hi, Orym.

MARISHA: (nervous noise)

SAM: (as Laudna) Oh, Orym.

MARISHA: Then. I mean, he waited for me. I don't want to leave him. But I want to leave him.

SAM: Dash.

MARISHA: Yeah, I mean.

MATT: Just high five him, and keep going.

MARISHA: 'Sup. Fuck, I don't know what else to do. Yeah, I'm going to go. I'm going to literally tell him let's go.

MATT: Okay. 10, 15, 20, 25, 30.

MARISHA: Yep.

MATT: All righty. Okay? So you dart up that way. That finishes your turn. Ashton.

TALIESIN: All right, I'm looking at this person's face. Do I get a vibe?

LAURA: Oh, yeah. Is he going to run?

MATT: Actually, at this point, he turns and runs. So I'll say-- I keep fucking missing move there. He darts back to the gate, and it runs up into the tower.

TALIESIN: I'm going to try and switch my rage.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: So I'm burning another one. Actually, I think I'm-- I think I've burned through three now.

SAM: I'm going to pump you up.

MARISHA: You going to pump me up with some sick hits?

TALIESIN: Ehh. Yeah, it doesn't help much. But I'm going to start. I'm going to take 80 feet towards, yeah, towards the tree. Or actually, I'll scoot the other side, so that I'm-- I don't want to be in the group.

MATT: You want to be over here?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: You got it. Darting off.

TALIESIN: I want to make some room. I also look like a soldier, I might add.

MATT: You do. You do.

TALIESIN: Just saying that.

MATT: All right. That finishes your go. That would now be FCG, with Imogen on deck.

SAM: I get to go again?

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Holy moly.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: I just went.

TALIESIN: So where are we? Me, FCG, Fearne, Imogen.

MARISHA: We're just running, to be fair.

TALIESIN: I'm going to run to the bathroom.

SAM: I will pump four temporary hit points into you using our Sympathetic Bond.

MARISHA: Hell yeah. I'll take it.

SAM: I guess that's a bonus action, right? Then-- Boy, we're all kind of clumpied. I could do some sort of mass healing thing but maybe I'll wait till the dragon hurts us first.

MARISHA: Well, the dragon could kill us first.

LAURA: Yeah, the dragon could kill us in one shot. Let's just be real.

MARISHA: Not dragon, fey dragon. What is it?

LAURA: Who knows.

MATT: You don't know.

LAURA: But seriously, one hit.

TRAVIS: What is that?

MATT: You heard its name.

MARISHA: What is it?

TRAVIS: We know its name?

MARISHA: Who are you?

LIAM: Gloamglut.

MATT: Gloamglut.

LIAM: Gloamglut.

MARISHA: Gloamglut.

ASHLEY: Gloamglut.

MARISHA: I darted past you, Orym.

TRAVIS: It means sweet talker.

MARISHA: Okay. What'd you mean-- What? Sweet Pea, is--

TRAVIS: It was sweet talker, yeah.

MARISHA: Sweet talker. (laughs)

SAM: Well, then, I guess I'm going to take back your temporary hit points. Sorry.

MARISHA: Wait, does it really?

SAM: I'm going to do a Mass Healing Word.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: I'm going to do Mass Healing Word.

MATT: All right.

SAM: It's not going to be very much, guys.

MARISHA: I fucking don't. 10 years.

SAM: All right, you lose your temporary hit points.

MARISHA: Wait, what? Why?

SAM: Sorry, but you get five real hit points.

MARISHA: Oh, okay.

LAURA: Oh, thanks.

MATT: But everyone gets five real hit points.

SAM: Yes, all of you around me.

LIAM: Everyone on the map?

SAM: Except for you, Orym.

LIAM: Cool.

SAM: But everyone else gets five hit points, including me!

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Nice, FCG.

MATT: All righty. That finishes your go?

ASHLEY: Nice.

MATT: I imagine you keep running, too?

SAM: Yes, I'm going to keep running.

MATT: Five hit points to you.

TALIESIN: Oh, I got five.

MATT: You heal five.

TALIESIN: Score!

SAM: There's nothing to attack, right?

MATT: Nothing immediately by, but there are figures on the parapets of the walls that are now, after seeing the explosion, ducking for cover, are now they're getting up with their weapons ready to start firing down into the courtyard.

MARISHA: Are we sticking to our plan?

SAM: I'm going to shoot a shot back at the dragon.

LAURA: Oh god.

MATT: Cool, at what range?

SAM: I mean, it's at disadvantage.

MATT: Okay, let's do it.

SAM: It's up to 320 feet.

MATT: Then yeah, let's go for it.

MARISHA: Are we still trying to stick to our same escape plan?

SAM: That would be--

LAURA: Fearne transforms--

SAM: 12 to hit?

MARISHA: -- into a flying--

ASHLEY: I--

LAURA: Can't do that anymore?

MATT: It scatters off of the hide of the creature. All right.

SAM: Great. Done.

MATT: That finishes your go.

SAM: Oh, and move as far away as I can.

MATT: You got it. So, Imogen, you're up, with Fearne on deck.

LAURA: Okay.

TALIESIN: We're just too confident.

MARISHA: You might have to get to the bramble and then this is when we use the cloaks.

LAURA: Then we invisible ourselves, yeah.

MARISHA: We invisible in cloakies.

LAURA: Okay--

SAM: But it's not invisible, it's just a plus 10. It's not like we're gone.

MARISHA: Well, we can't invisible everybody.

SAM: We could go in the hole.

TRAVIS: We're going to fly out of here, though. She's going to turn into an eagle.

SAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: But that thing flies.

SAM: Oh shit.

TRAVIS: What?

SAM: It does fly, doesn't it?

LAURA: Yeah, it flies.

TRAVIS: Air combat, baby.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: Air combat.

MARISHA: Air combat.

SAM: It can't follow both of us, right? Both parties.

LAURA: Oh god.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LAURA: I-- (groans).

SAM: Diarrhea.

TALIESIN: (laughs)

LIAM: Diarrhea.

MATT: So?

LAURA: Well, okay.

MARISHA: If we get to the brambles, then we--

LAURA: Yeah, I think we go invisible once we get to brambles.

TALIESIN: Oh shit.

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: That's the best thing we can do at this point. Because if we fly, it's going to just kill us in the air.

LIAM: Yeah, you just got to get to cover.

LAURA: It can outfly us, no problem.

LIAM: Got to get to cover.

SAM: Boy, we're in a tight spot.

TALIESIN: That we are.

LAURA: Okay, I'm going to-- Is there something? Everybody's spread out. But we need to be spread out, but I also don't want to have to be spread out. I'm going to cast--

LIAM: Hem and haw.

LAURA: Shut up.

TALIESIN: Hem, meet haw.

LAURA: I'm going to cast Invisibility on me and FCG.

MATT: Okay, so both of you turn invisible.

LAURA: Yeah, we're going to go invisible and then I'm going to keep running.

MARISHA: Wow.

MATT: Okay, so note that both you. You both just keep running invisible. All right.

LAURA: I'm going to tell Laudna: I've got my eye on you. I'm still here.

MARISHA: I hear you.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Then run.

MATT: Finishing your go, that comes to Fearne. What are you doing, Fearne?

ASHLEY: Oh right, I'm booking it. I'm still running.

MATT: Just running, bolting through, you got it, you got it.

ASHLEY: Running, bolting through. Nice.

MATT: Let's move it right over here. Okay. Finishing your go, that brings us up to the top, Orym.

LIAM: Okay, are there any trees off in this invisible area that I can't see?

MATT: Yes, there are trees around that area.

LIAM: Okay, so I'm going to use my full movement and my action to move, and when I reach the end of as far as I can go-- I'm running with the group towards the gate, right? Is that where everyone's heading?

MATT: The gate's that way.

LIAM: Yeah, that's what I meant.

LAURA: The gate's this way.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: I'm going this way.

MATT: This way, okay.

LIAM: So I'm asking are there trees over here off the map?

MATT: There's a couple of small trees, but most of the courtyard, the center of it's open and it's the trees and bush are really strong at the edges.

LIAM: So, what I'm saying is if I'm against this side of the machine I would go a full 60 feet of my movement, and right when I got to the edge of my movement I would use Seedling to shoot out a Grasping Vine 30 feet and yank myself towards a tree 30 feet away.

MATT: Yeah, if you want it that way you can do that.

LIAM: So I Spider-Man myself an additional 30 feet.

MATT: There you go. (whooshing) Pull yourself over there and land in that spot.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: You got it. After that, you can hear the voice echo across the center of the space. "Gloamglut, show them why no one crosses Sorrowlord Zathuda."

SAM: What was that?

MARISHA, SAM, and LAURA: Shallowlord?

MATT: Sorrowlord Zathuda.

LAURA: Ooh, that's cool.

SAM: Sorrowlord Zathuda.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

LIAM: Za...

MATT: Continues to fly up in the air right about here. I'll say for the sake of.

MARISHA: Zathuda? Zathula?

MATT and SAM: Zathuda.

TALIESIN: Oh, fuck me.

MARISHA: Oh.

SAM: Oh boy.

TALIESIN: I'm not with you people.

MATT: He's going to actually fly over here.

SAM: Oh boy, that's not good, Matt.

ASHLEY: Ew!

LAURA: We're invisible.

MATT: Yes, I know.

SAM: We'll just know that he's there, Matt, you don't have to move that.

MATT: We'll say arcs, watch as the large fey dragon, its milky-white eyes looking down, its eyes go black and its mouth opens, it hangs open, the rows of sharp teeth, the bottom of the jaw splits open in two and its head pulls back, this energy begins to swirl in its mouth. (piercing grinding) It grinds this high-pitched whine sound that (grinds) digs this beam like a laser across the ground.

SAM: Godzilla like.

LIAM: Oh shit.

MATT: I'm going to need--

LIAM: Oh shit.

MATT: -- the only ones that it can really see in that range, I'll say, it's approximated in this space, would be Orym. No, that would be, from where it is, Fearne. Yeah, it would be Fearne, it would be you, Chetney, and it would be you, Orym. I need you to make dexterity saving--

MARISHA and LAURA: Oh my god.

TRAVIS: Is this against--

LIAM: Oh wow.

MATT: So this is its Dark Fire Gaze.

TRAVIS: It doesn't matter.

MATT: No, this is--

MARISHA: Dark Fire Gaze.

TRAVIS: Jesus.

MARISHA: Wow, Shallowlord.

TRAVIS: Might as well roll the memento mori die. Oof, not great.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: That was a lot of dice. Oh my god.

SAM: These are strong folk. Well, maybe not Fearne.

TRAVIS: 15.

SAM: Fearne's dead.

MATT: 15?

TRAVIS: Yes.

MATT: 28 points of fire damage as it burns through you.

ASHLEY: Oh, Guidance.

SAM: I don't think you can Guide on a save.

MATT: No, you can't Guide a saving throw, unfortunately.

ASHLEY: Oh, you can't. Okay, that's fine. that's fine. I don't think it would've mattered anyway. 12.

MATT: 12? 28 points of fire damage to you, Fearne.

ASHLEY: I'm out.

LAURA: What!?

MATT: Fearne gets hit and--

ASHLEY: I'm unconscious.

SAM: I could halve it, but I would lose my invisibility that you just gave me.

LAURA: Well.

SAM: So, I'll take 14 points of that.

MATT: Okay, so Fearne, you take 14 instead of 28.

LAURA: Is that a spell?

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: No, it's a reaction ability.

SAM: It's a reaction.

LAURA: So yeah, that's not a--

LAURA and MARISHA: Spell or an attack.

LAURA: I don't think you would lose Invisibility.

MATT: That's valid.

ASHLEY: Shit, what was I at?

MATT: It does say spell or attack, it's technically a feature. I'll say for now I'll allow it, why not?

MARISHA: Yeah!

MATT: So you can remain invisible and you can take this. So, only 14 to you, Fearne. Are you still standing?

TALIESIN: Oh, fuck.

ASHLEY: Yes, barely.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: (laughs) 14 points of fire damage to you.

TALIESIN: Piss. Bugger.

MATT: That's 14 to you.

ASHLEY: Thank goodness you did that last five points.

LAURA: Oh, yeah.

MATT: Okay, good to know.

ASHLEY: Because I would've been out.

MATT: Then--

LIAM: I failed with an eight.

MATT: So 28 points of fire damage to you.

TALIESIN: Oh okay.

ASHLEY: Why is this not letting me do that?

TALIESIN: Okay.

MATT: All right, that's going to finish its go. Now, well, I mean, everyone else has their next rotation of things here. There are a few shots that are going to be fired from above from the folks that are out there. So that's Orym, that's going to be a 19 to hit.

LIAM: Hit.

MATT: You take six points of piercing damage from one crossbow onto the side as the other soldiers on the sides of the walls are starting to fire down in the middle of the courtyard. So we're on the opposite side there. It's going to be at you, Chetney. It's going to be 16 to hit.

TRAVIS: It misses.

MATT: Misses off to the side. One's going to be against you, Fearne.

LAURA: Oh man.

MATT: That's going to be a 15 to hit.

ASHLEY: Doesn't hit.

SAM: Wow.

LAURA: (exhales)

MATT: You guys are getting real lucky. There's going to be one firing at you.

TALIESIN: Oh, okay. Why? I've been great.

MATT: That's going to be a 12.

TALIESIN: No.

MATT: (laughs)

TRAVIS: (laughs)

ASHLEY: No!

SAM: Get out of here.

MATT: The last one at you, Laudna, that's going to be an Natural 20.

LAURA: Oh, come on!

SAM: Oh no.

MARISHA: Mirror Image.

SAM: No, you're okay, you're okay.

LIAM: Six or higher.

MARISHA: Mirror Image. Hit one of them.

LAURA: Oh, thank god.

MATT: Hits and knocks an image off to the side. You're unhurt. Are the rest of you going into a full sprint?

TRAVIS: Oh yeah.

LAURA and MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: Other than--

TRAVIS: Not a full sprint, it's like a (terrified scream).

LAURA: Yeah. (laughter)

MARISHA: It's fucking "War of the Worlds" up in here.

TALIESIN: I'm going to--

TRAVIS: People turning into dust and shit.

MARISHA: Dust! Aah!

MATT: So all of you can pretty much get to the gate at a full run, I'll say. Fearne and Laudna will be just outside of it before this entity gets to go again. Unless any of you have any way of helping.

TALIESIN: I'm going to burn one more round of my rage and see what I get.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Come on, come on, come on. You know what I need. You know what I need.

MARISHA: I do.

TALIESIN: It's a 25% chance, you know what I need. I don't get it, I get the exact same thing I'm still on. Fuck my life.

MATT: Oh buddy, sorry.

MARISHA: My what sucks?

SAM: Your armor class sucks, right?

MARISHA: Yes, it does.

LIAM: Would you say this, for Fearne and for Laudna, are either of them closer?

MATT: Fearne is closer.

LIAM: Fearne is closer?

LAURA: For each of my runs, though, can I be using my ability to pull Laudna five feet closer to me with each time I'm running so that she'll have been like 15 feet closer.

TALIESIN: I can also, I've got a gravity build. I can pull anyone within 15 feet of me 10 feet towards me with a Gravity Well.

MATT: That will actually pull Fearne into the gateway, and with your telekinetic shove--

MATT: -- that'll pull Laudna just into his radius.

MARISHA: I love you!

MATT: Then pull her into the gate.

ASHLEY: Amazing.

TALIESIN: Just getting more and more black and white.

LAURA: Yes!

MATT: That's fucking awesome.

ASHLEY: Yes!

MATT: That's awesome.

ASHLEY: Woo! Hello.

MATT: So you all get pulled inside the gate well, which is a good 15-, 20-foot block of hard stone, and you all are on the inside. You now, as you step in and point, the door is still partially open from where you left it, the thing's on the ground and the force is beyond that way. Just as you all enter the inside, (pants), catching a second, you hear (two impacts) on the outside as the creature swoops down. As Gloamglut now lands on the other side of the wall. First off--

SAM: Is it getting its breath back?

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: It is not with a one. You are so lucky.

SAM: Oh, because we're all bunched together.

MATT: Yep! You are so lucky. (laughter)

SAM: It could still do shit, though.

MATT: But it does get two claw reaches, rend, which has a 10-foot reach, which the last two in there were Fearne and Laudna.

SAM: So I used my action to dash there, but I still have a bonus action?

MATT: Yeah.

SAM: So I'm going to throw a, because I have a bonus action, I'll drop, I guess invisibility and throw a shield up on Fearne, unfortunately.

MARISHA: That's okay.

LIAM: Also, if we're all through--

SAM: So you get a plus two to your AC, Fearne.

ASHLEY: Ooh, okay.

LIAM: I'm using my last Seedling vine to grab Laudna and yank her further out.

MATT: Okay, you got it.

LIAM: So it's just Fearne.

MATT: So you pull Laudna. You're full on stickyhand, grabbing Laudna, and then lobbing her back through the door as it's pushed open. Which does throw her probably beyond the boundary of the wall if you want to let her.

LIAM: Yeah, and get her out of danger.

MATT: She can get on full on (whooshing).

MARISHA: Ugh! Ooh, my neck.

MATT: Like wrist-rocketed a little bit over to that side there. Yeah, don't Keyleth her.

LIAM: Careful.

TALIESIN: Oh boy, no.

LAURA: (laughs) Oh.

MARISHA: Oh, low blow.

SAM: Too soon.

MATT: That does mean two rend attacks on Fearne, so--

TALIESIN: But the shield's up.

MATT: The shield helps.

SAM: So she's got shield plus two to AC.

MATT: That's going to be a 19 to hit.

ASHLEY: Two hit points.

MARISHA: Silvery Barbs.

ASHLEY: That just hits.

MATT: Silvery Barbs?

MARISHA: Silvery Barbs.

MATT: Okay. That's going to be a 17 to hit.

ASHLEY: That doesn't hit! That doesn't hit with the shields.

TRAVIS: Oh!

MATT: That's the first hit.

MARISHA: Fearne, you have advantage on whatever your next shit is.

MATT: The next rend attack--

ASHLEY: Ooh! Okay!

MATT: That's going to be a 24.

LIAM and TALIESIN: Oh!

ASHLEY: Oh no, that hits!

MATT: All right, you take-- Oh, this is nasty.

ASHLEY: Oh no, oh no.

TALIESIN: Come on, come on, come on.

MATT: Ooh, 25 points of slashing damage.

LAURA: Oh god.

SAM: Ooh!

ASHLEY: I'm out.

MATT: Right through you. The impact sends Fearne tumbling up past the door unconscious.

LAURA: Outside of the door?

MATT: Just beyond the--

ASHLEY: Well, am I in the gravity? The gravity thing? Ashton's gravity where he pulled me in.

LAURA: Yeah. You would have pulled them towards us?

MATT: Yeah, you're kept in the air. You limply move further away from the creature. Essentially, the impact throws you further from its grasp.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I can pull people 10 feet.

MATT: You watch as it's now holding the side and it could probably squeeze through if it really tried because of its smaller snake form, but right now it's reaching and clawing through as you all begin to back through. You grab an unconscious Fearne--

LAURA: Yes.

MATT: You all pull your way past out of the wall and it's only about 10 or so feet before you hit the forest line. As you all break into the bramble expanse that surrounds the center of this keep.

LAURA: Immediately, I think we should throw the things over, right?

MARISHA: Any invisibility or yeah, cloaking.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: You go and pull the cloaks over you just as you hear the (screeching)--

LIAM: Second Wind on myself.

MATT: -- above as it begins to search and hunt for its currently hidden prey. And that's where we're going to end this episode.

TALIESIN: Oh fuck!

SAM and TRAVIS: Oh!

LAURA: Oh my god, Ashley!

SAM: We got Fearne down!

MATT: We'll pick up there next week.

MARISHA: You know, it could've been a lot worse.

TALIESIN: You know, it could've gone worse.

LAURA: Yeah, honestly. Yeah.

TRAVIS: It can go a lot worse.

MARISHA: It can still go worse.

TRAVIS: This is halftime. Oh, man, that is--

MARISHA: Holy shit.

TRAVIS: Hoo, that's a fucking bitch! And that's not even dealing with the archfey on his back. It looks like he has a fire sword!

MARISHA: Sorrowlord.

MATT: The mini has a fire sword.

LAURA: Sorrowlord Zathuda.

MATT: His is black flame.

LAURA: Oh my god.

TRAVIS and MARISHA: Black flame?

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: No, that's not allowed.

MARISHA: That's the weird dragon?

ASHLEY: ♪ Black flame ♪

MARISHA: Is that like a faerie dragon or something?

SAM: ♪ Black flame in a cold ♪

MATT: It's a fey dragon.

MARISHA: It's a fey dragon? Oh, I guessed it.

TALIESIN: Sorrowlord, what was the name?

LAURA: Sorrowlord Zathuda.

TALIESIN: Zathuda, thank you.

MATT: Indeed.

TRAVIS: Barracuda.

LAURA: ♪ Ooh, Zathuda ♪

MATT: Well, we'll pick up there next week and see where it takes us, but-- (laughs)

ASHLEY: Oh my goodness.

MATT: Until then, thank you so much for coming along with us. We love you very much, and is it Thursday yet? Good night.