Transcript:The Momentum of Murder

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: (discordantly) We play Dungeons & Dragons!

MATT: We're going great out of the gate. Well, before we jump into tonight's episode, we do have some announcements to get through, beginning with our first sponsor of the night, Cash App. Sam!

SAM: We're back on the Finger Championship Games, brought to you by Cash App, the easiest way to send, spend, and save money, the number one finance app on the App Store, helping you invest in stocks with as little as uno dollar, and connect your direct deposit and get paid two days early. Today, I'm going to--

MARISHA: I'll tell you what you're going to do, Vince McSam.

TRAVIS: Oh boy.

MARISHA: You're going to go down in the ring because the Finger Ladies of Wrestling, the FLOW--

SAM: Nice name.

MARISHA: -- are going to curb stomp your hand to a bloody pulp.

SAM: Easy, Finger Blaster. I'll honor our bout, but it's the holiday season. So before we fight, I wanted to go around the ring and say one thing we're thankful for first.

MARISHA: No stalling! The Finger Blaster's going to flick your nails off.

ASHLEY: Yeah! And High Five can't wait to give you the fastest beat down of your career.

LAURA: I'm The Thumb. (laughter)

SAM: Right, and what do you do again, Thumb?

LAURA: I don't know! I still do not know.

SAM: Okay. We'll quickly say one thing we're thankful for, sign a holiday card for the folks at Cash App, and then you can murder me, okay?

MARISHA: Well, I guess I'm thankful for the hand health, you know, and the opportunity to show you what a piece of shit you are.

SAM: Sure, sure, sure.

MARISHA: Yeah.

ASHLEY: I, of course, am thankful for the convenience of Cash App, available on Google Play. (laughter)

SAM: And the App Store.

ASHLEY: And the App Store.

SAM: And you, The Thumb?

LAURA: I guess I'm thankful I can bend a little. I'm so lame. (laughter)

SAM: As for me, I'm thankful to have such strong, independent women in my life. Not only are the FLOW incredible finger athletes they're also role models. Today, they might destroy my body, but in doing so, they'll only earn my respect.

MARISHA: Aw! Well, okay. Well, maybe-- I don't know, maybe we should let it go this time.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I guess we got a little carried away.

SAM: Well, that's nice to hear, and it's also nice to see that you've all signed a contract to wrestle for me for the next 10 years for free!

MARISHA: What? How could you?

ASHLEY: You monster!

LAURA: I have a thumb! (laughter) Also, I signed on that side, so it doesn't count.

SAM: It counts! Read the thing!

MARISHA: No! She's going to be our Hail Mary. We'll find a way out of this, Vince McSam!

SAM: We'll see, next time Cash App sponsors the show. Don't forget when you sign up, use code CRITROLE for $15 and $10 will go to our very own Critical Role Foundation. Terms apply! That's Cash App, that's money. They told me to say that. Matt, back to you. (laughter)

LIAM: I lost my hat.

LAURA: Oh, no!

TRAVIS: That's a devious--

ASHLEY: No, it's your clothes.

TRAVIS: -- storyline.

MARISHA: "That's money"? (laughs)

SAM: That's Cash App, that's money. We're now required to say that. (laughter)

MATT: Well, this episode is also sponsored by NordVPN. Browse the internet safely, but most importantly, freely. Even when traveling abroad you don't want to miss your favorite content. Open the map, click on a location, and you'll be connected in seconds. It's that easy. Find streaming platforms at a lower price. Platform isn't available in your country? Well, simply change your virtual location. No more bandwidth throttling. NordVPN encrypts all your traffic so your internet service provider can't slow down your streaming speed. VPN, it's one of those things that is just too good to have. This two-year plan includes a huge discount plus four months for free. So head on over to NordVPN.com/CriticalRole to try it risk free now with a 30-day money back guarantee.

LAURA: Woo!

SAM: Thank you, Matt!

MARISHA: Also, speaking of NordVPN.

MATT: Yes?

MARISHA: We've got an incredible, high-tech one shot that tells the tale of how a few cybernetic heroes change the internet forever.

TRAVIS: No, it can't be.

SAM: What?

MARISHA: Join us--

TRAVIS: It can't be.

MARISHA: -- next Tuesday, November 8th for Generation Nord.

TRAVIS: Oh no! (laughter)

MATT: Ridiculous!

MARISHA: The long-threatened, long-awaited Nordverse one-shot sponsored by NordVPN. That's right, it became a joke and then it became real.

SAM: Just like everything does.

MARISHA: We got to be careful what we say, and our very own Sam Riegel, this guy, will be the game master alongside some cast members. Aimee Carrero, Liam O'Brien, Laura Bailey.

ASHLEY: Woo!

MARISHA: Lou Wilson.

ALL: Ooh!

MARISHA: And Christian Navarro. (cheers)

SAM: Christian Navarro.

MARISHA: Plus--

SAM: No, wait. Were we going to say that?

LAURA: I don't think we should say that.

MARISHA: Okay.

SAM: There'll be a special guest.

MARISHA: There will be a special guest and they will be so special.

TRAVIS: Overwritten by talent. (laughter)

MARISHA: Uh-huh. You can tune in next Tuesday at 7:00pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube. But wait, there's more. I'm switching gears. I'm switching gears. A reminder-- (laughter)

MARISHA: -- that we have-- Normally when we say, "But wait, there's more," it's about the thing, but there's a different--

SAM: This is exciting.

MARISHA: But this isn't-- This is really exciting. Reminder that we have a beloved reunion coming up. Join us for the Mighty Nein: Reunited. (cheers) That is our two-part reunion special airing on Thursday, November 17th and Thursday, December 1st on Twitch and YouTube and in select Cinemark theaters. So if you want to experience our Chaos Crew on the big screen be sure to grab your tickets now at Cinemark.com/CriticalRole.

SAM: Wow!

MATT: Fantastic! Thank you, Marisha. Taliesin!

TALIESIN: Oh, I have one. All right, that's cool.

MATT: You do.

TALIESIN: This week, we released--

MARISHA: Get it, T!

TALIESIN: I'm doing it. We released two new Critical Role books with Penguin Random House. (cheering)

SAM: Two?

TALIESIN: Yeah, we're making books. "The Nine Eyes of Lucien" by Madeleine Roux delves into the early adventures of Lucien and his fateful meeting with the Mighty Nein. The audio book is narrated by our pal, uh, Ribbie Day-- Robbie? Robbie Daymond. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Oh, you son of a bitch.

TALIESIN: That's very hard to read. All of us join him as the voices of the Mighty Nein. It's good times.

LAURA: Yay!

SAM: So cool.

TALIESIN: In another (noun) entirely, I'm going to need everyone to be creative and use their imagination because I do not have it.

LIAM: No, you do. Just hold it up.

TALIESIN: I don't have it.

LIAM: Sure, here. I've got it right here.

TALIESIN: Oh, there you go, right there. Thank you. We've got Critical Role Mad Libs.

SAM: Yes!

LAURA: Hey!

MATT: It's so ridiculous.

MARISHA: Yes!

TALIESIN: Critical Role Mad Libs are written by Liz Marsham. It contains 21 fill-in-the-blank stories about dice rolls, magic, our campaigns, and more, inviting readers of all ages to (verb) on their own Critical Role (nouns). (laughter)

TALIESIN: You make the ad. Just make the ad. Be creative. I'm tired.

SAM: I got in so much trouble as a kid because I just did dirty things.

MARISHA: It's always dirty things.

SAM: My mom found it and she screamed at me. (laughter)

MATT: Now you too can scram at-- Scram? Scream at Sam Riegel by filling in all the blanks with Laura Bailey's brain and be perverted as you want to.

SAM: Ooh.

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

MATT: It's absurd that exists.

TALIESIN: Prefilled Laura Bailey edition.

MATT: Indeed, yeah.

TALIESIN: It's just all dicks.

MATT: (laughs) Liam.

TALIESIN: I think there should be more.

LIAM: Comic books! Vox Machina: Origins, Volume III is now available. Guys, we make comic books, too! Created with our friends at Dark Horse Comics, this volume collects Series Three of the beloved Vox Machina: Origins series featuring misadventures at a Winter's Crest festival. We did that at home! Huge thank you to the creative team. Writer Jody Houser, colorist MsassyK and Diana Sousa, letterer Ariana Maher. Find it at your friendly local comic store and check out this exclusive limited edition hardcover version found only in Critical Role shops. Look at how beautiful this--

LAURA: It's really beautiful.

TALIESIN: Slowly, slowly, left and right. Very slowly.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Look at that.

LIAM: It's so icy! I wonder why. It comes with this amazing slip case, commemorative print, and lots of goodies and extras. You open up the print, it's real pretty.

LAURA: I'll open the print, you opened the other stuff.

LIAM: Look at this, and look on the back. You've got all--

LAURA: Look at!

LIAM: -- the stuff. Flip it.

LAURA: Ooh! I know, but I wanted to see it first.

MARISHA: Ooh!

SAM: Ooh!

ASHLEY: Ooh!

TRAVIS: Beautiful.

MATT: It's so weird. It's never not weird.

SAM: It's also a Mad Libs.

ASHLEY: It's never not.

MATT: To have the session we did as our holiday Christmas session in the home campaign in a collectors--

SAM: Hashtag Pike still drinks.

TALIESIN: I still have the pen that Laura got me for Christmas. I really like that pen. It was a very nice pen.

ASHLEY: Still one of my all-time favorite games.

TALIESIN: That was such a great game.

LAURA and ASHLEY: It was.

TALIESIN: Good time.

MATT: We still have-- Somewhere Dork the Ox exists.

LAURA: Oh yeah! I got you a Dork the Ox!

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: That's right.

MARISHA: Travis just got us sticks and pine cones--

MATT: Yeah. Sticks and pine cones.

MARISHA: -- from your yard.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: Yep.

ASHLEY: Pine cone earrings--

MARISHA: I also kept for a long time the little earrings.

ASHLEY: -- that I still put on my tree.

TRAVIS: Yep.

MATT: Yep.

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: They're for your ears.

ASHLEY: Yeah. (laughter) I knew immediately.

TRAVIS: Uh-huh. You were like, "Are these earrings?" I was like, "That's what they are!" (laughter)

ASHLEY: Best buddies!

TALIESIN: That was such a good game.

ASHLEY: That was. That was the best!

MATT: Anyway.

TALIESIN: Yeah, yeah.

MATT: We can wax nostalgic for the rest of the night. Instead, we're going to take it down to jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role.

Part I
MATT: And welcome back. So, last we left off: Bells Hells, after losing their friend, Laudna, in battle absconded, through Keyleth's help, your leader of Zephrah, to the city of Whitestone, whereupon asking for aid and bringing her back, discovered that she was being held somewhere by the spirit of Delilah. You went into this odd, undefined, dark space, battled the shades that took the form of memories and traumas, eventually facing the shade of Delilah Briarwood, as Laudna's spirit was held within this shadow form of the Sun Tree. You battled and seemed to destroy this tree and separate Laudna from this prison state. You all were pulled out of this and the ritual was completed, in which Laudna was returned to life. After which, you finished an evening in the town of Whitestone, said your goodbyes, and then, pulling in a favor that wasn't quite taken in, offered by Eshteross, previously, to get you to Whitestone, you returned via the Sun Tree once more to Jrusar. Upon situating yourselves there, you grew nervous after sending a few Sending messages to Eshteross, no response. Upon which, with the help of the now living and independent-ish--

SAM: Living.

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: Ish?

TALIESIN: Living-esque.

MATT: Not you, I'm talking about Pâté.

SAM: Oh.

TALIESIN and LAURA: Oh.

LAURA: Okay, okay.

MARISHA: Ouch. (laughter)

MATT: "Now, your old friend," Pâté and Chetney, together, delved into a silent and seemingly battle-destroyed interior of the Eshteross Estate. Upon searching through, seeing all manner of his traps sprung and gashing and destroying the furniture and walls around you, eventually found, unfortunately, the cold body of Lord Ariks Eshteross. There, where he lay reaching with his final breath towards something beneath the bed, you found a locked chest that contained a number of letters that seemed to be labeled to a number of individuals around the city. Compatriots, friends, who knows? But one of which was labeled as Bells Hells. Looking into it, it seemed to be both a letter acknowledging the long-coming shade of his lifestyle catching up to him and the dangers that his choices eventually coming to a head. He bequeathed to you the ship, the Silver Sun, as well as his handy cane weapon, Torment.

TRAVIS: Such good name.

MATT: But grabbing up these letters and then stealthily sneaking out of the house you returned to the rest of Bells Hells, let them know that looks like some conversation needs to happen about a terrible loss and the growing danger of who you think may have been responsible for this death. As you all, in the setting sun and the coming night of Jrusar, head towards the Spire by Fire, you quickly settle within the interior. I assume you're getting rooms for the night?

LAURA: It would be smart.

TALIESIN: I mean, yeah.

LAURA: How are we going to tell people? How do we let them know without making it seem like it's our fault?

TALIESIN: We have the letters. We do it one at a time. We start with people we trust. If we have those letters, they'll explain what, especially to people who knew him. It's not like this was a fucking surprise.

LIAM: Well, he's told us who he trusts. We've got letters, too. So we start with them.

MARISHA: Where was Evelyn?

LAURA: He said he gave her a few days off.

TRAVIS: Well, we have five, six of these letters.

SAM: Should we send a message to her at least?

TALIESIN: That's a good idea.

MARISHA: Maybe to make sure she's all right.

LAURA: Yeah. Oh gosh!

TRAVIS: Not go home.

SAM: Yeah. Yeah.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Do you want me to do it?

LAURA: How do we tell somebody that their friend has died over a--

LIAM: I don't think we do. I think we meet her.

TALIESIN: In person. You do it in person.

LAURA: What if it puts her in danger?

LIAM: Well, let's figure out where she is first.

TALIESIN: I mean, let's be honest, she'd be dead already. It's not like these people can't. It's a fucking wonder we're not.

LIAM: You might be right. One step at a time.

TRAVIS: You know, you could also disconnect the dots a little bit. If we just tell her to extend her vacation of wherever she is, and then maybe we could send her to one of the six letter sources, like Ajit Dayal or whatever. That way she doesn't have to come across us. I mean, we're hot right now. There's heat! You kind of risk her, if we do meet up with her. It is the noble thing to tell her in person, but also--

TALIESIN: Well, we've got to get her those letters anyway because, if she's going to help us, not only... I mean, it's more than that. We are currently probably pretty high on the list of people who probably killed him.

LIAM: Yeah, we want to get out of town as fast as possible, maybe?

TALIESIN: We want to let the people who would be angry at us know that it wasn't us. We need those letters, at least a couple of them, out and in circulation.

LIAM: He really trusted Mistress Seshadri.

TALIESIN: Hmm.

LIAM: I think we start with her. I think we give her all the letters. He trusted her implicitly, so I trust her to get them to who they need to. We keep our time in town short and get ourselves out of danger and stop endangering folks in town.

LAURA: All right.

TALIESIN: Not to be cold, but we also need to figure out that transportation offer that he made us and we're going to need help.

TRAVIS: You mean the skyship?

TALIESIN: Yep.

LIAM: Yeah. Sashari is, you know-- She runs a Mahaan house.

MATT: Seshadri, you mean?

LIAM: It's Seshadri?

MATT: Seshadri.

LIAM: Thank you.

SAM: She rash shah sha adri.

TALIESIN: Orlana.

LIAM: (like Sean Connery) I should have sent it to the Marx brothers. (laughter)

LIAM: So she's got connections. Maybe she can help us navigate that.

LAURA: We got him killed.

TALIESIN: No, we didn't. Don't you dare. He knew this was coming. I mean fuck, I was thinking about it, weren't you? The minute that happened they were going to instantly trace it to him. He knew that-- Look at that house.

TRAVIS: Yeah he says, "My fate has finally caught up to me." Did violent things, some he still deeply regrets. I mean-- It's connected with us, but might not have entirely been just us.

LAURA: She read Orym's mind. Am I right? That's how she knew.

SAM: Imogen's right. I mean... We got our friend killed, too, and back. But the stuff that we're getting into is really, really dangerous and scary stuff. I guess if we're going to keep going, we got to be prepared for more stuff like this to happen.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

ASHLEY: We never even got any of his baked goods recipes.

TRAVIS: Oh, no, no, that's not true. Actually, he left one in the will. Maple ginger cookies, very detailed.

ASHLEY: Oh, that's--

MARISHA: Those are my favorite.

SAM: His legacy.

TRAVIS: There's probably a code in it.

SAM: Oh!

TRAVIS: I'll take the first letter of every word and start making a list.

SAM: What does it say?

TRAVIS: (mumbles nonsense)

SAM: Does anyone speak Infernal? (laughter)

TRAVIS: There's a lot of consonants. This might not be--

ASHLEY: I do.

SAM: Oh, you do?

ASHLEY: Mm-hmm. (laughter)

TALIESIN: No, seriously. That letter, we're the fucking legacy. We are not what fucking killed that man. We are thing he set into motion to make sure it mattered as little as possible. We are his eventual victory. We are his fucking revenge. We are all these things. We are not the cause. We are--

LAURA: I'll be his revenge.

TALIESIN: I have no fucking doubt.

MARISHA: Does this mean we have to change our group name?

SAM: Yes, it does.

LAURA: The Revenge.

MARISHA: Eshteross' Revenge.

SAM: Eshteross' Raushas.

LAURA: The Eshteross' Revengers. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Ah shash ri ahs

MATT: Sounds like you need to eat a lot of maple ginger cookies to get Eshteross' revenge.

SAM: Eshteross' Bosses? Maybe?

MARISHA: Eshteross' Bosses.

LAURA: No.

SAM: No?

LAURA: No. How about we don't change--

TALIESIN: Cookies of Death?

LAURA: -- our name.

SAM: Why wouldn't you want to rebrand us, Laura? (laughter)

LAURA: You know, I'm just thinking-- (laughter)

TRAVIS: I just got a whole logo worked out on a couple pieces of wood, you know, so--

TALIESIN: Making a little stamp.

LIAM: Well, we're going to be carrying that weight for a long time of his loss, but I know that he'd want us to keep going. He had a target on his back already. We have one on ours. Nothing's going to change that. We keep moving forward. Take as little time in town, getting affairs in order, and then we get to it.

LAURA: Should I send a message to Mistress Seshadri?

TALIESIN: Any objections?

SAM and LIAM: Yeah.

LAURA: All right. All right. I will send her something.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Let me make sure I have a spell slot. Yes, I do. Before I do, should I let her know who we are? Who it is that's sending? She knows it's going to be from me. She'll know us from me. All right, I'm ready.

SAM: Have you talked to her before like this?

LAURA: Yes, well, I've talked to her before and she'll know it's me.

SAM: "Bells Hells here--"

LAURA: No, we don't need it. Okay.

TRAVIS: (like Jester) "It's me, Imogen--" (laughter)

MATT: Crossing the streams.

LAURA: "How are you doing?" (laughter)

LAURA: All right.

LIAM: "Y'all poopin'?" (laughter)

TRAVIS: Deucing.

MARISHA: Deucing.

LAURA: Lord Eshteross has fallen. We arrived in town to find his house in shambles. As of now, his body is still there. We have documents for you.

MATT: It doesn't take too long for a response to come through. Her voice creeps into your mind and responds. "This is very dire news. But I appreciate you and your forthrightness. Let us meet--"

TRAVIS: (phone beeping) Jesus!

MATT: "Sorry, I did not-- I was just wasting--" (laughter)

SAM: Time for her pill. (laughter)

MATT: "Let us meet at the place of your choosing. If not, at his estate." (sharp inhaling)

LAURA: She wants to meet at his house. That's not good.

TALIESIN: Where should we meet actually?

SAM: Here?

LAURA: She could come here.

TALIESIN: Would that be-- That would be a little suspicious.

SAM: She's a big wig here. She knows how to travel about the town silently and inconspicuously. She's not going to make a big parade or something.

MARISHA: Should we do an Otohan check?

SAM: We just did, I think.

LAURA: We did at the house, but let's pull it out here and check it out.

MARISHA: All right.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: I don't know who has it, but--

MATT: Well, whoever has it, you retrieve it forth. Glancing at it, it appears the orb is still dark, so--

LAURA: I don't know if it even works anymore. She might have found it. I say we give Mistress Seshadri-- Am I saying that right?

MATT: You're saying it right, yeah.

LAURA: Mistress Seshadri our room number here. Right?

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: Tell her to be discreet.

TALIESIN: Yeah. If she thinks she can't be discreet, then in her response, she can recommend a place. But otherwise, here.

LAURA: All right. I don't know what our room number is.

SAM: 69.

LAURA: Room 69.

MATT: Sure. As requested by FCG. (laughter)

LAURA: All right. I'll use my--

LIAM: She's five.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: Let me use some sorcery points to get back--

TRAVIS: 69! 420!

LAURA: -- a spell slot so that I can send another message.

MATT: All right.

LAURA: We're at the Spire by Fire, Room 69... (laughter)

LAURA: Be discreet. (laughter)

SAM: Come in the back door. (laughter) (laughter)

LAURA: If you have a better location-- (laughter)

LAURA: Let us know.

TALIESIN: Terrible.

MATT: "Very well. Give me some time. I'll find my way there shortly."

LAURA: She's on her way.

TALIESIN: I'm going to go get some drinks because I am tired and everything hurts. Any requests? Requests? I'm going to get a bottle of whatever, never fucking mind.

LIAM: To take up to the room?

LAURA: Yeah, we should be in the room now.

LIAM: We can't talk about what we want to talk about down there.

LAURA: No.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Bottle of something.

MATT: Okay. We'll say usual-- If you want wine or liquor we'll say, two gold.

LIAM: 200 platinum.

MATT: For a nice quality one, or one gold for standard bottle.

TALIESIN: Nice scotch or whatever.

MATT: There you go.

TALIESIN: A nice-- I don't know, what would it be? They don't have scotch-- Yeah, nice whiskey. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Wouldn't be scotch, I don't know what it would be. All right. Yep.

MATT: All righty. So?

SAM: We're just waiting in the room, I guess? Should we make plans for the next step after this?

LAURA: Do you want to tell Evelyn not to go back to the house?

SAM: Sure, I could. Yeah. I'll send a quick message to Evelyn. Hi Evelyn, it's Bells Hells. Am I telling her? Am I saying this?

TALIESIN: Something terrible has happened.

SAM: Something terrible has happened to Eshteross. Do not return to the house.

TALIESIN: We have a letter for her.

LAURA: No, don't tell--

TALIESIN: No, never-- just going to give her the fucking letter.

LAURA: Just say she might be in danger if she goes.

SAM: You in danger, girl. Just stay safe and you can reply to this message. (laughter)

TALIESIN: It's not like broccoli; you don't have to eat all of it.

MATT: "Oh, I understand. Thank you for letting me know. Oh, oh no. Stay safe. I hope he's all right."

ALL: (wincing)

SAM: Oh, now she doesn't know, that's the worst. That's even worse.

TALIESIN: It's why I hate being a gentleman.

LAURA: Maybe you can tell her later. I don't know.

SAM: I don't feel good about this.

TALIESIN: No, it's a bandaid. It's really better to just rip it off.

SAM: Do you mean you want me to message her back and say--

ASHLEY: "JK, he's actually--" (laughter)

LAURA: You're terrible. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Just was nervous to come out and say it. (laughter)

TALIESIN: If it were up to me-- well. If it were up to me, I would want to know where she is so we could deliver the letter on our way out and tell her in person and not over a fucking brain wire.

MARISHA: If she fills in the blanks, it could be worse.

ASHLEY: Yeah, because what if she goes over there to investigate and sees him?

LAURA: She's not going to go there. She won't go there.

TALIESIN: She's too smart for that.

ASHLEY: Oh yeah.

MARISHA: Although, I'm not sure what can be worse than... "He's very dead."

SAM: Where are you?

TALIESIN: That thing is always easier with eye contact, I find in my experience.

LAURA: (sighs)

SAM: Boy, I don't know.

LAURA: I say we give the letters, all the letters to the Mistress and let her pass them out.

SAM: Is there one to Evelyn?

LAURA: Yes, there is.

TALIESIN: That's the one I'm a little... That's the one I-- Putting all the letters in one basket feels a little dangerous to me, I don't know why. Maybe I'm getting paranoid.

LAURA: Getting?

TALIESIN: I'm paranoid. But am I wrong? There's a lot to be paranoid about.

LIAM: We'll all know more soon. Laudna, how you doing?

MARISHA: I'm all right. Thanks to you all. I don't know how I can ever repay my... my debt, and express my gratitude to all of you for what you've done.

LAURA: There's no debt. None.

MARISHA: I just never wish to be a burden.

LIAM: It could have been any of us. It was some of us.

TALIESIN: We were all, I think, really in the mood for more of you, and since we've accomplished that, I feel like that was the intended goal and it worked out pretty well, so thank you.

LAURA: Yeah. Thanks for coming back. Would've been worse to do all that work and you decided to stay away.

TALIESIN: Yeah, that would've fucking sucked.

ASHLEY: Oh, I forgot about this, this necklace that we found there, I don't know if this is familiar to you at all, but... It's not mine, I just put it on, so we can give it back to you.

MARISHA: What is this?

ASHLEY: It was a necklace on-- Ooh! And-- (laughter)

ASHLEY: What else did I take? (laughs) (laughter)

ASHLEY: Oh, some dolls that you were making.

SAM: Oh, that's right. In the dream world, right?

TALIESIN: Did we keep everything from the dream world or no?

MARISHA: Does it come back in the real world?

MATT: Interesting point of order here.

ASHLEY: Okay, maybe this is--

MATT: As you go to reach for it--

ASHLEY: -- something that's not happening.

MATT: -- they're not there.

LAURA: Aww.

SAM: The necklace, too?

LAURA: Even the necklace.

MATT: The necklace as well.

ASHLEY: I'm just--

MARISHA: Your pantomiming skills are--

TRAVIS: She's been quite distraught since you've been gone.

ASHLEY: Oh yes, I have.

TRAVIS: Talking, gesturing to things that aren't there. It might take a little while. Stay close to her.

ASHLEY: That place was very strange. It was a great necklace. Really beautiful dolls that you were making.

TRAVIS: It was a nice necklace, this is what you--

MARISHA: It was a nice necklace.

TALIESIN: Did we go through her pockets? I'm trying to remember.

LAURA: Her what?

TALIESIN: Her pockets.

LIAM: A little bit.

TALIESIN: Okay, a little bit.

LAURA: I thought you said her boggets, I was like, what is a bogget?

ASHLEY: A bogget is a great word.

TALIESIN: It's like a pocket except it's got a little bit of water in it, so it's boggy.

MATT: Like a boggle.

LIAM: Mm, got my bogget.

TRAVIS: My next PC.

TALIESIN: You can keep grapes, things like that.

TRAVIS: Bogget McLightning.

SAM: Ooh!

MARISHA: What did the necklace look like?

ASHLEY: Well, it was... I think there were three stones in it and it was...

LAURA: Green. There were green stones.

ASHLEY: No, wait.

LAURA: Wasn't it?

ASHLEY: I don't know.

LAURA: Green stone or deep red stone. Do you remember what you said?

MATT: I made up on the spot, so it's--

LAURA: It had some stones in it, they were beautiful.

ASHLEY: Three stones and-- Yeah, it was beautiful.

MARISHA: It sounds like the one that my father gave my mother on one of their anniversaries. He saved up quite some time for it. Three stones to represent the three of us. Actually, I'd forgotten about that.

SAM: They called you Matilda?

ASHLEY: Oh, that's right.

TALIESIN: That was a little bit-- I would've walked into that one a little more gently, but here we are.

MARISHA: I was Matilda. Matilda Bradbury.

SAM: Matilda Bradbury?

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

SAM: But now you're Laudna.

MARISHA: Yes.

TALIESIN: Was it just Laudna, or did you ever collect a few more names?

MARISHA: Just Laudna. I kind of forgot who I was, being alone for so long. Running from town to town, being... called many horrible things.

ASHLEY: What would you like us to call you?

MARISHA: Laudna's fine.

ASHLEY: I like Laudna.

LIAM: How about Loudna?

MARISHA: Laudna. I'm not sure where this got crossed, because you didn't call me Loutna for a good time.

LIAM: It's funny the way you're hitting the T, like you're treating the D like a T, I'm not sure how you're doing that.

LAURA: No, it's just Laudna, Laudna.

ASHLEY: Laudna, yeah.

LIAM: Laudna. Laudna.

LAURA: Laudna. There, he's got it now.

LIAM: (southern drawl) I'm going to talk like Laura now.

LAURA: Who's Laura?

LIAM: (drawled) I don't know my lines.

MARISHA: Laura was another name I was workshopping when I was lonely in the--

SAM: Laura.

MARISHA: Makes sense, but Laudna made more sense. I used to sing to myself and sing to Pâté and-- and think all the-- the la la las that I used to do alone just slowly turned into Laudna.

SAM: Oh. Well, that's nice.

LAURA: Hold the door, ho da door, Hodor. (laughter)

LAURA: La la la, la, la, la, Laudna. (laughter)

MATT: Oh no.

TRAVIS: La, la, la. La la la.

SAM: Are you a good singer?

MARISHA: No. Certainly not.

MATT: (Pâté) "I disagree. She's an amazing singer. You're going to hear her croon one of these days."

MARISHA: I take him and I push him down in to-- (laughter)

TALIESIN: Boy, that is, that is, that is just a Feywild bargain you made there with that one. That is just-- They found a way to give you everything you wanted and still make it very complicated.

MARISHA: I don't think it's a Feywild bargain.

TALIESIN: Well, I'm excited.

LAURA: Can you hear her at all anymore?

LIAM: Yeah, it's like a day later.

TALIESIN: Not even, I don't think.

MARISHA: Can I hear anything, sense anything, feel anything? I need to know, I desperately need to know. (laughter)

TRAVIS: ♪ I need to know, but I'm ♪

MATT: You didn't hear anything, but you didn't. It wasn't like there was a, you know, the sound of a Delilah engine running in the background quietly, but you don't hear anything.

SAM: You still have your abilities? Right.

MARISHA: Do I?

SAM: I don't know, do you?

MARISHA: I don't know.

TALIESIN: Hit me with something. I mean, you know, gentle, but go ahead, I'll take it.

TRAVIS: Yeah, hit him with something, It's the only way to know for sure.

SAM: Something that was, you know, Delilah-ish.

TALIESIN: That she would take credit for.

TRAVIS: Reach deep.

MARISHA: But what if it brings her back? What if every time I try to use what she gave me, it just makes her stronger, I can--

TRAVIS: Oh, that's a good point.

TALIESIN: Why not--

SAM: We destroyed her or severed the connection anyway.

TRAVIS: There's really only one way to know for sure.

TALIESIN: I'd say--

ASHLEY: Well, Pike said-- This wonderful woman that brought you back, really.

TALIESIN: It's fine.

ASHLEY: She said that there was a little bit of something that she could still sense.

LAURA: Oh shit.

ASHLEY: But-- You're separated, I think.

TALIESIN: Just tell us what you're feeling or tell us if you feel anything that might be a problem and if it's a problem, we'll just fucking kick her ass again.

ASHLEY: Take care of it.

LIAM: You know, when you're ready, if you're ready.

TALIESIN: Just give me some warning before you hit me with anything.

TRAVIS: Just do it, just fuck him up.

MARISHA: I try to make the tiniest sparks of an Eldritch Blast.

MATT: An Eldritch puff.

MARISHA: An Eldritch poof.

LIAM: (fart sound) (laughter)

LAURA: Woo.

TRAVIS: Oh no.

ASHLEY: That's an interesting spell.

TRAVIS: Still dead.

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: Packet of protein, yeah. As you concentrate and hold your fingers in front of you and zone out a moment, sensing that familiar feeling of power coursing through your arms, you watch as that faint spark of energy begins to gather between your palms once more, just (sparking)

MARISHA: What do I feel?

MATT: You feel what you're used to feeling, the presence of power, the presence of woven arcana, your will made manifest through the various threads of the elements and the tethers of the world, as you know and feel them in your blood and bones.

MARISHA: Ashton?

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MARISHA: Catch. (whooshing)

MATT: Okay. Roll two d20s.

LAURA: I love that you didn't need to attack him with it, but you did anyway.

MATT: Yep.

MARISHA: I didn't.

MATT: He asked for it.

MARISHA: Two d20s?

MATT: Yeah.

MARISHA: Take the lowest?

MATT: No, those are your two attacks. You fired two Eldritch Blasts.

MARISHA: Oh right. Well, one was the natural one.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: All right, I fire two.

TRAVIS: She is broken.

MARISHA: Gosh, one's a seven-- natural 17.

TALIESIN: All right, I'll--

MATT: Pretty sure that one hits.

TALIESIN: Yeah. I'd just take it in the head.

MATT: Okay, so roll your damage, d10 plus.

MARISHA: Oh. It's the best I've rolled all game.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: 19.

TALIESIN: 19 points.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: 19 points.

MARISHA: Yes.

LAURA: Damn.

SAM: I'll absorb--

MATT: How'd you 19 points with one Eldritch Blast?

MARISHA: Well, I rolled an-- Oh, no, I rolled 2d10s. Okay, I'll take the lower of that because I don't want to hurt you.

TALIESIN: Whatever.

MARISHA: Oh, I also rolled 8s. I fucked all this up. I haven't been Laudna in a month.

MATT: Yeah, you've--

MARISHA: Over a month.

TALIESIN: I have so many hit points.

MARISHA: That's better.

TALIESIN: I have so many hit points.

MARISHA: Six damage.

MATT: So six points of force damage. (blasts) Strikes you in the head and you lean back in an arch.

TALIESIN: Hah, and I take a shot. That felt good.

MARISHA: Anything?

SAM: Yeah, did it look different?

MARISHA: Did it look different?

MATT: It's about the same as what you're used to doing.

TALIESIN: All right.

LAURA: Did you have powers before her, right?

MARISHA: I did.

LAURA: She just kind of--

SAM: Oh, you had powers before her?

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

SAM: Oh.

LAURA: She just focused it.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

SAM: Oh.

MARISHA: I was born with magical abilities. That's why my parents tried to usher me into a new life. I thought maybe if they harnessed and nurtured that, that maybe I could, you know, it could be my path into a more comfortable future. That's why they were so eager to shove me out the door to the palace.

TALIESIN: Yeah.

SAM: Well, that's great then, you know who you are. You're the same as you were, but--

MATT: (knocks)

SAM: Oh.

TRAVIS: Uh-- (air swooshing) (sniffs)

TALIESIN: Who is that?

TRAVIS: Do I smell anything?

MATT: (Olly) "Anybody mind opening the door a little bit? We're here on behalf of Mistress Seshadri." (knocks)

LIAM: Is it the detectives?

MARISHA: Yeah, does it sound like the Green Seekers?

MATT: It sounds like Olly--

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: -- from the Green Seekers.

TALIESIN: I open the door just enough for them to peek in, but I'm using my boot to still hold it closed.

MATT: Okay. The door opens and you see looming at the top of it, the outer half-orc form of Gus in the coat, and then Olly lower below, looking through.

MATT: "Oh, perfect, yeah, been a little bit. So, don't mean to alarm you at all. Just going through the motions that is required and been put before us as we've been, in the middle of the night, now assigned the investigation of the murder of the Lord Ariks Eshteross. We have an escort of armed soldiers on the outside of the Spire by Fire. We don't want to make a scene, so we just came in ourselves. But just, no funny business or this will turn into a scene. We just need to bring you for some questioning at the scene of the crime. Seshadri will meet you there as per your conversation I guess you had. But understand, you are very much the number one possible culprits. Ain't that right?" (Gus) "No, it's true. Look, we're just trying to make this work out best we can for you. I don't-- You seem like nice fellows. I don't see much of a reason as to why this went down the way it, you know, might have if you were the murderers. So we're just trying our best to clear your names All right?" (Olly) "Yeah, exactly. So, you don't mind taking a walk with us?"

LIAM: Insight check. It's... 21.

MATT: 21 insight check.

SAM: Ooh.

LAURA: Oh.

SAM: Whispers. Whispers means--

ASHLEY: ♪ Whispers in the night ♪

SAM: Need an easy gift to give your favorite DM this year? Have a kobold who seems to have everything? Give the gift of D&D and D&D Beyond.

MARISHA: D&D, D&D Beyond.

LAURA: D&D, D&D Beyond. (laughter)

SAM: Sending a book has never been easier. Simply buy a book as a gift to check out and send your friend a code. No unnecessary trip to the post office.

LAURA: Hurry up.

SAM: It's really long. dndbeyond.link/crshop.

MARISHA and SAM: (laugh)

TALIESIN: We're having a bit of a day. Can you just say something that would prove to us that you actually are who you say you are? What's something that only you would know about our time together?

SAM: (like Olly) How's your ex doing? Oh, I took your accent. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Oh, FCG, we've talked about this. People are weird about it.

SAM: Oh god.

LIAM: You guys are cops.

TALIESIN: Actually, yeah.

TRAVIS: Use the emotion wheel. How are you feeling? Center yourself.

SAM: I'm confused. (laughter)

SAM: Where's confusion?

TRAVIS: Oh no, he can't figure it out now.

SAM: Oh no.

TRAVIS: Take him down. Everybody, take him down.

SAM: I'm in the wrong campaign.

MATT: You do watch Gus' face turn three shades darker as he rubs his nose a bit. "We're, you know, we're doing, we're friends and talking through our differences. I'm sorry you had to see that, but I appreciate your--"

SAM: Not sorry, it's good that you're talking.

TALIESIN: He humanized you. Can you give us just one second? We're not going anywhere. We just have to collect our shit really quickly. It's been a weird night. I'm sure you can understand. Thank you. One second. I close the door.

MATT: "We'll be right here." As you go to close the door, you hear, (Olly) "They're outside your window so you can't escape."

TALIESIN: We know.

LIAM: I think we're okay.

SAM: Well, this isn't good.

LAURA: Oops.

MARISHA: You think we're all right?

LIAM: Well, I mean, their intentions.

TRAVIS: It's actually a good thing. I mean, we have an armored escort through the city.

TALIESIN: We have an armored escort of people that we don't know. We don't know what they want. We only honestly know two of those people. So it's, let's keep on our fucking guard.

SAM: We know Seshadri. She's trusted by Eshteross and these two were trustworthy as well.

TALIESIN: We-- Taking it as best we can that this is actually part of her plan and not somebody else pushing things. Let's just be really careful.

TRAVIS: The letter to Seshadri, is it sealed?

MATT: It is sealed.

TRAVIS: Fuck. Should we read it?

ASHLEY: What if we just like--

SAM: Sure.

TRAVIS: What if it's like, "Fuck you, bitch. I made out on top. Now you're going down with everybody else."

LAURA: Oh shit.

ASHLEY: Let's read it.

MARISHA: Can you do that thing where you hold it up to the light so you can--

SAM: Does it have a wax seal?

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Sh-- I hold it up to the light. The folded piece of paper right?

SAM: I'll cast Light on my eyes and shine right through it, right in your face.

MATT: Okay, it is a folded piece of paper.

TRAVIS: I mean--

MATT: Make a perception check.

TRAVIS: She is having us arrested, so I don't feel so bad about popping her letter right now. Oh, it's a natural 19, that's pretty good.

MARISHA: Ooh.

TRAVIS: I think it's like a plus one or two. 21. Perception check?

MATT: Yes.

TRAVIS: Sorry, just one, 20.

MATT: Yep, it looks like it's folded paper. Inside, the way it's folded over, you can't make out any letters necessarily because it's multiple layers of paper.

TRAVIS: Chisel. (air swooshing) Objections?

ASHLEY: No.

LIAM: Yes. I don't think he'd want you to do that. He spoke highly--

TRAVIS: He's dead. I open it up. Open, take the letter out. What does it say?

MATT: Well, looking it over, it is a letter to Seshadri that speaks on a couple of his last jobs as a mercenary. He's recalling the work that he's done for her, the goodwill that they've had and his--

TRAVIS: I'll stop there. Goodwill?

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: So it looks like it's a good letter.

MATT: It looks to begin in a letter reminiscing, but it goes on further than that, if you'd like to keep reading.

TRAVIS: Just one page?

MATT: No, it's two pages.

TALIESIN: Seem all right?

TRAVIS: Seems like it. He seems to be reminiscing about their past.

TALIESIN: I don't want to know.

SAM: How'd he signed it? Sincerely?

TRAVIS: What's the back, at the very bottom?

SAM: With honor? With love?

MATT: The very bottom--

TRAVIS: "Eat shit and die, Lord Eshteross."

MATT: No, no, no, the very bottom ends up, it actually it states bits of information about what you guys are doing, of what you've discovered. It goes on and talks about elements of the Grim Verity. It talks a little bit about the dangers of the coming solstice and essentially says to not get in your way.

TRAVIS: Cool, I'll put it back in the letter.

MARISHA: I cast a Mending to mend the seal back together.

SAM: Finally, that spell can do something. (laughter)

MARISHA: Mail fraud. Yes.

MATT: Two campaigns in a row.

MARISHA: Two campaigns. It's useful.

TALIESIN: ♪ Stealing people's mail! ♪ ♪ On a Sunday night! ♪

LIAM: They should finally rename that spell Mail Fraud.

TALIESIN: Mail Fraud. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Homebrew.

TALIESIN: ♪ We ain't going to the party ♪ Yeah, I'm so glad you're back. Shit. Let's get our-- I guess we're going to fucking go with this. It's not like we got a fucking choice. Let's just be careful. I'm grabbing the bottle and I'm going to open the door if everybody is--

SAM: Oh yeah.

TALIESIN: -- eye contact, eye contact.

SAM: I'm going to use the Pearl of Power to restore a spell.

MATT: Sure.

SAM: What is the power word?

LAURA: It just works.

MARISHA: I don't remember.

LAURA: There's no--

SAM: You have to utter a power word.

LAURA: You do?

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: (incredulously) You do?

MARISHA: Laura. (laughter)

SAM: Power word is Laura. (laughter)

LAURA: I had the Pearl of Power the entire first campaign and I think the second campaign, too, and I never used a power word. I always just assumed I could have the spell back.

LIAM: Lazy.

LAURA: Nah. (laughter)

SAM: That negates the entire campaign.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Yeah, we got to start over.

LAURA: Oh, that's good.

MARISHA: I mean, I guess, obviously, the power word for the Pearl of Power is "pearl."

SAM: Just pearl.

MATT: Pearl. (laughter)

MATT: Bat.

TALIESIN: Bat.

LIAM: It's morphin' time.

MATT: Hyphenated, so it's all one word.

TALIESIN: We got a lot to do, let's just--

SAM: All right, let's go get on with this.

MATT: Open the door, both of them are sitting out there with their arms in their coat sleeves, turn.

MATT: "Okay, great, so yeah, come with us. If we can get this done quickly enough, we can continue on with our night hopefully without issue. Shall we?" (Gus) "I think we shall. Come on, everybody," and they open a space for you to walk between them so they can flank you through the hallway to the exit of the Spire by Fire.

LAURA: Are we planning to go inside his house as we--

MATT: "I don't really know what's planned there. We just got the word to loosely accompany you to the place with a few of the assigned guard. So--"

LIAM: You said your orders are from Seshadri.

MATT: "Indeed. Or at least an associate of Seshadri for rapid distribution of information, usually used in emergency circumstances here. If it helps, you're not the only ones being investigated I assume at this moment, but you are definitely the strongest tie since, as far as I'm aware and we were told, is that right?" (Olly) "Yeah, yeah, we were told that you were the ones that notified her of this supposed murder. So just doing our due diligence, right. If you're fine then there's nothing to worry about."

LIAM: Cool.

LAURA: Yeah, it just should be said that the people that we think actually did commit the crime are very powerful.

MATT: "Huh."

LAURA: And would have no problem attacking all of us where we stand if we go to his house.

TALIESIN: To the point, and I cannot believe I am saying this to you, if you see anything suspicious, please say something immediately because we're feeling very unsafe right now.

MATT: "Did he? Was that really?"

TALIESIN: Please.

MATT: Hands you a badge. "You've earned it."

SAM: Wow.

TALIESIN: I feel gross.

TRAVIS: You got a badge, that's great.

LAURA: Like a real one, not just like this--

MATT: No, they're gift badges.

LAURA: Oh, I see.

MATT: "There we go. See, look at that. Maybe some of you might be able to become an investigator yourself one of these days."

LAURA: We're already deputies. We got the badges.

MARISHA: We've always been so nice to him.

TRAVIS: I appreciate--

MARISHA: I don't quite understand.

LAURA: We're assistant deputies.

TALIESIN: Oh god.

LAURA: We don't take that lightly.

MATT: (Olly) "Very well, you can take it up with your supervisor. Look, I don't disbelieve you, but I got a job to do. So, just come along."

LIAM: Faster the better.

TALIESIN: Please.

MATT: As you head down, you can see there's some people in the front tavern portion of the Spire by Fire glancing out the opening door, just asking around questions, especially as you all parade down, as best as, not making a scene.

MARISHA: As we walk, I look at the ball. Keep going.

MATT: Okay. Seems dark.

LAURA: (perturbed) Mm.

TALIESIN: Killed a tavern owner. Don't regret it.

TRAVIS: That's not true. (laughter)

MARISHA: That's not true.

TALIESIN: If I'm going down, I'm going down a legend. (laughter)

MATT: As you exit, you can see there are six armored Wilders right at the ready, and they fan out, and become parts of the surrounding guard to escort you through the street. Now this part of the evening is usually like, it's not too late in the night. It's still a little bit past sunset, pushing maybe 9:00, 10:00. So the evening energy is still picking up, or continuing from those who have taken the rest of the evening to unwind, or are finishing their business in the streets, or going out meeting with friends, or drinking and throwing up on the side of the road. All the things you do in the middle of a raucous night. So folks are craning their heads and watching. It's not a common sight to see an armed escort of colorful individuals such as yourselves.

LIAM: Orym's on high alert for fuckery.

MATT: Understood.

TALIESIN: Are we going to ask anything?

MATT: Make a perception check.

SAM: "High alert for fuckery."

LIAM: That's-- I'm not going to say that's cocked. It's a six, it's low. So that'll be 18.

MATT: 18, okay. You definitely see eyes peeking. You see people whispering, and pointing. It's not like a huge deal, but it's definitely catching some attention. You don't see anything that particularly piques your eye as dangerous or worrisome at the moment. You are then guided back to the familiar neighborhood of the somewhat affluent portion of this Core Spire region, where Lord Eshteross' estate resides. You were here not long ago. As you approach, you can see the front door is open. It looks to be about four individuals standing guard out front, also Wilders. But these wear the heavier cloaks, and dark green and gold emblazoned attire that signifies them as individuals that work at the top of the spire, who work alongside the Quorum. As soon as you begin to approach, you can see already there's a few individuals on the inside, conversing. As you begin to get closer, the Wilders that are stationed there acknowledge, and one of them whispers into the door. A short time later, you see a cloaked figure step out. As she pulls the cloak back, you see the familiar face of Mistress Orlana Seshadri. Glances out towards the rest of you. "Thank you so much for meeting, and my apologies for these necessary circumstances. I wanted to get this taken care of as soon as possible, and either send you on your way, or send you on your way. But as much as it is useful to engage and converse with you, with what truth you may know, or truth you wish to put forward, there are better means to get to the root of this." At which moment, you see her step aside. Inside the chamber, two guard individuals have brought the body of Eshteross down into the foyer, and they've set it onto the ground.

LAURA: Oh god.

MATT: A third figure, who's standing within them, leans forward and begins to inspect the body. "You are welcome to be present. Or you can stay outside. The choice is yours."

TALIESIN: I'm fine.

SAM: Wait, are you going to do something with him?

MATT: "I'm not going to. She is." She points, and you can see the figure now leaning down, themself wearing a dark black, ruffled, thick-hooded cloak over the shoulders. You see this pale, almost pearlescent skin. It is so powder white. The hair is a silver gray that falls back, and then tumbles and gathers in the back of the hood. No eyebrows, just smooth brow, and very-- The features would be almost elven, but you see no sign of elven ears or points. There is something, something human, but more so, mystical about this figure, but also like a creepy doll in energy and just immediate visage. As she leans forward, you can see she's reaching into a small pouch, and is pulling out black ash across her fingers, and it's drawing the lines across the exposed skin of Eshteross' face and shoulders across. She's pulled back the cloak, or his jacket a bit, and looks to be muttering something beneath her breath. As she stops and glances over, and just turns to the rest of your group. "Oh, are these them? Are these the ones that might have done it?"

TRAVIS: (chuckles)

ASHLEY: No no, no no no. We did not.

TRAVIS: But it's us.

MATT: "Ha, I've heard that before, but we'll find out, won't we?"

SAM: Don't do this to him. He just, he need-- Don't do this to him.

MATT: "It's all done with respect. This is my job."

SAM: With respect? Just lying on the pavement like this?

MATT: "Well, I've only just begun."

ASHLEY: What are you going to do?

MATT: "Watch. Or if you'd like to help, hold his shoulders."

ASHLEY: Okay.

TALIESIN: I-- Oh boy.

MATT: You can see now she pulls, from a cloak beneath, what looks to be a pendant. It looks like a golden beaked skull, a familiar pendant that you've seen worn by members of the Paragon's Call.

LAURA: (gasps) Are you with? Are you with Paragon's Call?

MATT: "I am not, I am. I am one of the Dusk Maven."

MARISHA: She worships the same-

LIAM: The same. They were--

LAURA: Okay, okay.

LIAM: -- on the Dusk Maven wagon.

MATT: As she scatters some of these ashes around the sides of it, the guards push in a little bit closer to your sides. You can see you're-- You're surrounded and flanked at this point, in a large semi-circle of the guards that escorted you, as well as the four that are out front. So you are now 10 trained, well-armored to varying degrees, Wilders, and pushed in towards the entryway of the estate. It's still in complete disarray, and it's been barely touched beyond just the shifting of the body. As she leans down and begins muttering, Seshadri leans over in your direction. "This is the Grave Mystic Weva Vudol. She is a very useful talent when it comes to dealing with the unexpected demise of important individuals."

LIAM: Can we get that name one more time?

MATT: Grave Mystic Weva, W-E-V-A, Vudol, V-U-D-O-L.

LIAM: V-U. Weva Vudol. Good name, good name. Grave Mystic Weva Vudol.

LAURA: Wow. How did I hear it so very poorly?

MARISHA: W-A?

MATT: W-E-V-A.

MARISHA: E-V-A.

MATT: You watch, she puts her hand out in front, and mutters for a moment. Her eyes, her pupils, these like thin dark pupils across the light white of her eyes that bleeds into the white of her face. Almost looks like two dark dots, just on a blank mask. Both of them just roll back. Then you just see the white of the eyes. and now it's just this blank, almost featureless face.

LAURA: I lean over to Laudna. You should remember this one.

MARISHA: Looks pretty scary, right?

MATT: Her hand out in front, the mouth turns into a smile, showing just the faint bit of shift of musculature in the face. As she turns her hand over, and then tenses her fingers and lifts. As she does, the chest of Eshteross lifts up a bit. The head lifts up with it as well. The eyes open, bloodshot. You can see the coagulation of the blood around the bottom of the eyes, but the jaw hangs open. "(gasps)" She goes, "When did you die?" You hear the crackling sound of air pushing against dried vocal cords. (Ariks) "Naught but a day before." (Weva) "How did you die?" There's this like weird, sickly sweet joy as she asks these macabre questions. (Ariks) "I was killed by The Legend." (Weva) "And who was this Legend who was responsible for your death?" (Ariks) "The Legend of the Peaks, Otohan Thull." (Weva) "These strangers." She takes her hand like this, and then as she twists her arm, the body (bones cracking) twists to turn, and face this awful, haphazard puppet-like movement in your direction, as you see now the corpse of Eshteross facing towards you. "Were they responsible, and involved in your demise?" (Ariks) "No."

ASHLEY: Told you.

MATT: (bones cracking) Twists him back. (Weva) "Do you have any final requests?" The chest takes one big inhale of foreign air into its no longer warm cavity. (Ariks) "To be interred next to Mistress Prudaj in the Lucent Memorial Mausoleum." With the final gasp of air escaping, the body goes limp back to the ground. She stands up and shakes off the remaining ash, smiles and turns back to Seshadri. (Weva) "Well, I feel satisfied. What do you all think?"

LAURA: I lean down and close his eyes.

MATT: "Oh, by all means."

TALIESIN: That was fucking gross.

MATT: "Thank you."

TRAVIS: (laughs)

ASHLEY: I thought it was pretty neat.

TALIESIN: Emotionally, not physically.

LIAM: What will happen with him now?

MATT: "Well, I-- I don't know." Turns to Seshadri. (Orlana) "Well, we have heard his final request, so we will make sure that it is taken care of. And thank you for your forthrightness. I apologize for the necessary steps. Gus, Olly?" Looks over to the Green Seekers, who have been sitting in the back, and step forward. (Olly) "Yes, Miss Seshadri? Can we, can we do something for you?" (Orlana) "You have been absolved of your necessary attentions towards this group, this Bells Hells, I believe. Instead, you are to look into the whereabouts of one Otohan Thull." Both of the Green Seekers look at each other. (Olly) "Yeah, no. We're going to have to pass on that one." You see Seshadri look a bit perturbed. (Orlana) "What do you mean, pass on this?" Gus steps forward, and puts a hand on Olly's shoulder. (Gus) "All due respect, we-- It's a bit out of our pay grade and personal experience. My apologies. Somebody else is murdered, somebody else is attacked, send us your way. But we're not-- We're not bounty hunters. (chuckles)" Seshadri nods. (Orlana) "Well. You've been spoken of well by Lord Eshteross as skilled and competent individuals. You hunted down Treshi. Would you also be interested and capable in hunting down the one responsible for your friend's demise?"

LIAM: We're not bounty hunters, per se, but I don't think I'm overstepping for the group to say that we're very interested.

MATT: "Well. Let's consider this our second contract then."

SAM: What was the first one?

LAURA: Treshi was the first one. Remember, she gave us a lot of money because we brought him in.

LIAM: A record contract.

TRAVIS: How much? Just kidding.

MATT: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Yeah, it's a shared interest.

ASHLEY: Wait, do we know the Legends of the Peaks thing?

SAM: Otohan Thull?

LIAM: A nickname we've never heard for Otohan.

SAM: What are "the Peaks"?

MARISHA: The peaks of Jrusar?

LAURA: Is it having to do with the war? It had to have been.

MATT: "That it would be. The--" Are you asking this question out loud?

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: "Indeed, during the Apex War, which is where Otohan established herself, she was known as the Legend of the Peaks, because of her involvement with the Highlands, with the Apex city known as Sruwargas. It's the home of the Stratos Throne."

LAURA: The what?

MATT: Sruwargas. S-R-U-W-A-R-G-A-S.

TRAVIS: Stratos Throne. Got that, you guys. I got it.

LAURA: I do not know if I spelled that right.

MATT: S-R-U-W-A-R-G-A-S.

LIAM: Sruwargas, Sruwargas.

TRAVIS: I got S-R-U and then my brain went blank.

MARISHA: Home of the Stratos--

SAM: The Stratos Throne. We've heard that before.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: "The mountain range that it resides is known as the Coven Peaks. So she was known as the Legend of the Peaks, based on the many deeds and many great, in some perspectives, atrocities, committed during the war."

SAM: She committed these, or she righted those wrongs?

MATT: "It depends on what your perspective was. For the people of the Stratos Throne, she was a hero. For those opposing her, she was a boogeyman, a nightmare."

LAURA: She's a nightmare.

SAM: Does the Stratos Throne exist anymore?

MATT: "It does. It does."

SAM: Who sits on it? Where is? I mean, that's where it is.

MATT: "The council sits on the--" You would know this, Imogen. The Stratos Throne is essentially the rulership over the Taloned Highlands, your hometown of Gelvaan. You remember when you were young, very, very young. You probably would, actually your memory at this time would be very, very, very little, like early, early life memories of people running, having to hide briefly. As you've gotten older, you've heard all the stories. You've watched like whole swaths of farmland up there in the Highland Bluffs that were torched as part of the war. There are still along the main roads, there are small strongholds and remnants, and then rebuilt watch towers, and military installations along the various pathways that lead along the mountain range, and out into the rest of Marquet that were part of the Stratos Throne's defense. You know the rulership there. Though it-- It's called the Stratos Throne, but it's not a singular individual. It's a smaller council now. That was part of the stalemate, was the death of the previous sovereign, if you will, helped bring things to a ceasefire. That, and the eventual mutual economic ruin that was transpiring with very little gained ground or material wealth.

LAURA: So she could have made her way through my town at some point.

MATT: Probably. You know that Gelvaan, while it is largely a farm town in the Highlands, is one of the towns that most folks pass through on the way out--

LAURA: That's the reason Mister Faramore is there.

MATT: Yeah. You've heard stories about many soldiers, and warriors both staying within your village. There was actually probably built a number of barracks and additional inn chambers and homesteads to house soldiers when they were passing through that have since gone unused, and fallen to just disuse over the past 20 or so years, and been repurposed.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: "But regardless, I will work with the Green Seekers to put together the report to the rest of the individuals who are affiliated with the Quorum, so they will be notified of this and you will be, for the time being, unless any other circumstances arise, absolved of my and everyone else's mistrust."

LIAM: We'd appreciate it. Mistress Seshadri, in addition to figuring out how to find Thull, we have some affairs we need to get in order before we can do that. We brought letters--

SAM: I'm right here.

LIAM: -- and Letters for you and others. We're a little concerned for Lord Eshteross' caretaker, Evelyn. And we own an airship, sort of, now.

LAURA: He left us something in his documents he left behind.

LIAM: Not really sure how to go about that.

MATT: "Let me see these."

TRAVIS: Yeah, fine. Fuck. I produce the page (mumbles). (laughter)

SAM: Oh no!

LAURA: I produce the page.

SAM: Chetney's dying.

TALIESIN: Was the creepy death marionette still in the room or--

LIAM: Roll a d100.

MATT: Yeah, she's still in the room. She's taken his arms and folded them over--

LIAM: 100, you're dead.

MATT: -- and is preparing him for transport, like wrapping him, quietly singing to herself as she goes about her work.

SAM: Ugh.

TALIESIN: Okay.

LAURA: She's creepy and cool and I love her.

SAM: Should we take the body to bury or should we leave it for them?

LAURA: I trust that Mistress Seshadri will take care of his body in the way that he will.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: "I will have it taken care of." "Well, that is quite a gift, but I suppose it is right if you are indeed to be going after the one responsible for his death. If you would like, I can speak to my associates and have this approved by the morning and ready for pickup when you need."

TRAVIS: That would be great, yeah.

LAURA: Ugh. It flew into my coffee.

LIAM: It's protein.

SAM: Just eat it.

ASHLEY: That's all right.

LAURA: He's just swimming around in there now!

SAM: Is it a fly or--

LIAM: (as gnat) Help me! Help me!

LAURA: Yeah, it was a little gnat.

LIAM: (as gnat) Oh no!

TALIESIN: It's the circle of life.

LAURA: I'm going to still drink it.

SAM: Yeah, yeah.

LAURA: Oh, it's alive!

LIAM: (as gnat) I survived!

LAURA: Ah! What do I do? I feel terrible!

SAM: Kill it!

LAURA: I can't! Well, now I feel like he lived through that--

SAM: It's drowning in coffee!

LIAM: (as gnat) Goddamn it!

LAURA: Okay, I'm going to kill him.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: (as gnat) Bye. (laughter)

SAM: No creatures were harmed in the making of this show.

LIAM: (as gnat) Just kidding, I'm still here, motherfucker! (laughter)

TRAVIS: I'm caffeinated!

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: (as gnat) My revenge begins now!

LAURA: I'm going to drink it.

MATT: Seshadri takes this and begins to tuck it in while looking at you for approval.

TRAVIS: I mean, do we really trust in--?

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

TRAVIS: Okay.

SAM: We have to.

TALIESIN: We're here.

SAM: We have nothing else at this point but to trust.

TRAVIS: Fine. Are we also handing over these other--

LAURA: Yes.

TALIESIN: Yes.

TRAVIS: All right. I hand over all except hers, and I say, I opened yours, but only because you had us arrested and I don't really know you that well.

MATT: Looks over the letter.

MARISHA: And I mended it so well.

MATT: "It does not appear to have been opened."

TRAVIS: Yeah, well, we got tricks.

MATT: You see a little smile creep across her face. "I can see why he trusted you." Takes the letters and puts them into the same pocket of her cloak. Pulls the hood up a bit.

SAM: You can just do that? You can just get a letter and not open it and read it immediately? The curiosity isn't just killing you?

MATT: "No, I've read many letters in my lifetime."

SAM: Super important letter by a guy who was just murdered? You can just-- It's just willpower, it's amazing. I would want to read it right away.

MATT: "It comes with experience, small metal one."

SAM: Maybe you should just open it and just read it.

TRAVIS: Do you want to know what's in the letter?

SAM: No, it just bothers me! Doesn't it bother you? Not going to read it?

TALIESIN: Don't make them anxious. You wouldn't like them when they're anxious.

ASHLEY: I understand. I understand where you're coming from.

MATT: The Grave Mystic Vudol comes through the doorway next to Seshadri and goes, "He's ready for moving, and I can speak--"

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: "I can speak with the mausoleum for preparations if you'd like, based on his wishes." (Seshadri) "That I think will work fine, thank you very much."

LIAM: DM, her HP and levels were off the charts, right, compared to me, if I'm reading her as a Battle Master?

TRAVIS: Crazy pearlescent skin?

MATT: Oh, of Vudol?

LIAM: If I'm using my--

MATT: Vudol?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Definitely higher than yours.

LIAM and MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: Oh my god.

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

LIAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: Good call.

ASHLEY: Where do you work again? In case we need to do the puppeteering at some point.

LIAM: Orange Julius.

MATT: "Oh, I work throughout the city, and if I'm doing house calls and I'm not busy, I also work throughout the wilds.

TRAVIS: What the fuck?

ASHLEY: You do house calls?

MATT: "Yes, if it's approved."

ASHLEY: Oh, I guess that's why you're here. Okay. Do you have a card?

MATT: She looks back over towards Seshadri. She goes, "She is within my employ, as well as contracted to a few other individuals who are important in the city. If you need assistance, you can reach out to us, or to her directly, I guess, if you require it."

ASHLEY: Just fascinating. That was amazing.

MATT: At which point she looks over and glances at Laudna and goes. (laughter)

MATT: (Vudol) "Hi."

LIAM: Two Spider-Men. (laughter)

MARISHA: Hello.

MATT: "You're cold."

MARISHA: Is she cold? I was going to ask.

MATT: She is not cold, she is warm.

MARISHA: Oh. Yes.

MATT: "Interesting. I like you."

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: "What's your name?"

SAM: This is how everybody talks to and looks at me.

TRAVIS: Hunter's Bane, can I sense fey, fiend, or undead?

SAM: It's a little disconcerting.

MARISHA: It is a little disconcerting.

MATT: You sense which one?

TRAVIS: Fey, fiend, or undead, and I can get a (sniffs) scent of the mystic, please?

MATT: Sure, make a persuasion check, or sorry, a perception check, with advantage with a scent.

TRAVIS: Oh. 17.

MATT: 17. No fiend, no fey, no undead. But there is, the skin itself, as pale as it is, as bits of the moonlight hit it, it's almost like there's reflective flecks across the cheek, like the surface of water that's moving.

TRAVIS: Cool.

MARISHA: Catha.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

LAURA: Mm-hmm. Aw. (laughter)

TRAVIS: I don't get it.

SAM: It's okay to be honest and just say, I don't like the way you're looking at me.

MARISHA: I'm Laudna, and the way you're looking at me is a little alarming.

MATT: "I get that a lot. That's all right."

MARISHA: I normally do, too. Honestly, it's rare to put me, you know, a little off.

MATT: "I take that as a--"

MARISHA: Compliment?

MATT: "-- compliment."

MARISHA: Same!

MATT: "Wow."

MARISHA: I'm just feeling a little strange at the moment.

MATT: "Yes, you look like you've had a brush with something recently. A bit dark around the edges. A bit withered. I know this. Ooh, welcome back!"

TRAVIS: Oh shit!

SAM: Oh!

MATT: She starts walking away.

LAURA: Wait, wait! As she walks away, do you...

TRAVIS: You need a bath.

LAURA: In her head: Did you see anything else?

MATT: She keeps walking and stops. She's not even looking at you, she's just going off into the night, and she stops and you hear a response. "I don't know what you mean."

LAURA: Something else around my friend.

MARISHA: Insight check.

MATT: Make an insight check.

TRAVIS: To her body posture, back towards you, with the conversation you're not hearing?

MARISHA: Yes. (laughter)

SAM: Really good insight.

LIAM: That's psychic.

MARISHA: Oh wait, did you say it psychically?

LAURA: Yeah, I'm saying it psychically. But you know what, you can insight her body posture.

MATT: You're still reading her.

TRAVIS: She's trying to waft out a fart.

SAM: You're insighting that ass as it walks away.

MARISHA: 21.

LIAM: She's been just holding it in the last 10 minutes.

MARISHA: Insight that ass.

MATT: 21.

TALIESIN: Circles all the way around the body, yeah.

TRAVIS: Dat ass.

MATT: You hate to see her leave.

SAM: Oh! But you like watching her walk away. (laughter)

MATT: No. It's hard to tell, she's facing away from you with her cloak on, so.

MARISHA: Yeah. Yeah.

MATT: No response. She stops for a second and you see the head tilt a little bit like she's considering the question in your head, almost with a playful smile to the voice that returns to you. "I didn't look that far. What am I looking for? What should I be looking for? What's going on with your troop? Tell me, I like mystery."

TRAVIS: (laughs) She breaks out into song. ♪ What is happening ♪

TALIESIN: What is going the fuck on right now?

TRAVIS: Best NPC of the campaign.

LAURA: Maybe we'll meet again some other time and talk more in depth.

MATT: "Well, people keep dying around you. I'm sure we will." At this point, she looks over her shoulder back in your direction, unblinkingly, just. (laughter) And continues back off.

SAM: As she walks into a Tim Burton movie. (laughter)

MARISHA: She was claymation the whole time! (laughter)

ASHLEY: ♪ What's this, what's this? ♪

TALIESIN: ♪ Cadavers everywhere ♪

TRAVIS: What is this?!

TALIESIN: Well.

SAM: What a turn of events.

TALIESIN: I think we need some sleep and an airship.

LAURA: Yeah. Is Mistress Seshadri still here?

SAM: Shh, shh, shh.

MATT: She's still here, now she's talking with the Green Seekers--

LAURA: Stop it! (laughter)

MATT: They've left you to your devices, and Seshadri is talking with the Green Keepers, and they're now prepping the body and some of the individuals are now going through the chambers internally and they're starting to give more of a thorough search over the premise, and they're starting to turn over bits of furniture and collect weapons that have been embedded in walls and things like that.

LAURA: I approach her and say: We're looking to leave town in pursuit of this Thull as fast as possible. How soon can we access the airship?

MATT: "I cannot say since at this moment in time, the clerks that will be responsible for finalizing this paperwork do not arrive until the morning. But once they do, it should not take too long, especially if I'm putting my name on the transition as well. So, at the very least, by midday tomorrow, I assume."

LAURA: Thank you.

TALIESIN: If you can keep us as much out of all this as possible, the fewer people that know we're involved in this, or even honestly, in town, the better.

MATT: "I would ask the same of you, if you do not mind."

TALIESIN: Not at all.

MATT: "I mean, so far, your association has proven to be a bit dangerous. So, just know, I will not get in your way, and I look forward to your success."

TRAVIS: Before we leave, do we want one armored guard to accompany us to a new place where we have to stay? Since the previous one is totally busted for us now.

SAM: I was thinking the same thing.

LAURA: We could stay at Zhudanna's.

LIAM: Is there room?

MARISHA: Oh.

TALIESIN: I mean, anybody who we know who knows we're in town might be a problem.

ASHLEY: Should we just stay here?

SAM: Oh, in the house?

LAURA: No.

ASHLEY: I don't know.

SAM: No, no. Maybe, no, I mean, it's--

ASHLEY: Hey, we're already--

TRAVIS: There's gore on the walls--

SAM: They're not going to come back to the scene of the crime.

TRAVIS: -- and explosion marks.

ASHLEY: They were already here.

TALIESIN: There's always the Soot and Swill.

LIAM: Maybe Captain Xandis would be cool with us staying on the ship.

TALIESIN: That would be even better.

SAM: Sure.

MATT: Choices are yours.

TALIESIN: Soot and Swill might be nice to have something that's not floating and no one's going to give us shit.

SAM: The Soot and Swill.

MATT: All righty.

MARISHA: All right.

MATT: All right.

LIAM: Actually, before we leave, Orym will wander over to Eshteross and kneel down and Druidcraft a single black violet and tuck it into the lapel of his jacket. Thank you, sir. We are in your debt. Trust me, we'll follow this through to the last breath. Pats his chest and rejoins the others.

TRAVIS: We're able to communicate with the skyship, but how should we get in touch with you around noon tomorrow if this is all processed?

MATT: Seshadri turns, listening to this question. "Well, the paperwork should be completed by now. You would go to the Aerie Skyport. The Port Captain Tang should have the paperwork finalized and will be able to usher you towards your new acquisition."

TRAVIS: Great, thank you.

MATT: "If you have anything else to say to Eshteross, now would be the time." She takes a step and turns away to give the rest of you a moment, if you'd like it. It's odd, this is... Between Bertrand, recently Laudna, and now Eshteross, this is the third solemn possible goodbye, silently or otherwise, said to a friend in this house. There's an odd peace to his face, moreso than when he was found. You can see as he's wrapped a bit, his outfit now pulled forward, his arms crossed and held over the chest, his glasses cracked, but had been found and placed upon his face, and where normally there was a deep furrow to his brow, the heavy, deep, sunken wrinkles that are set across the face of a man who's seen a lot of challenge and tension, now just sleeps peacefully.

ASHLEY: I'm going to check his pockets. (laughter)

MATT: Make an investigation check for me.

TALIESIN: You're my favorite.

TRAVIS: Ashley Johnson.

LIAM: Didn't Chetney already roll him?

ASHLEY: Four.

MATT: (laughs) You all watch as Fearne gets on the ground and looks like she's hugging the body, but is very overtly rifling through the pockets of his coat.

LAURA: Fearne.

TALIESIN: It's what he would've wanted.

ASHLEY: Here's the thing. I was just checking because he might have some treasures in there that we could always keep with us as a nice memory.

MARISHA: You know, I was thinking maybe we could go check out his spice rack and get some of that ginger.

ASHLEY: Okay. That's a better idea.

MARISHA: He left us the recipe. I'm assuming he would like--

ASHLEY: I think you're right.

MARISHA: -- for us to have the ginger.

LAURA: Be careful of traps. I'm sure they're not all sprung.

TRAVIS: Yeah, you know, not that it wasn't the most special ginger, but maybe we could find, I don't know, some normal-ass ginger, since you just came back from being dead and this house says fuck you written all over it.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: Sentimental ginger.

TRAVIS: Maybe I should go so you don't go (explodes).

TALIESIN: Or, you know--

MARISHA: That's fair.

TALIESIN: We do have a little creepy crawly you could send in there to collect a bunch of stuff.

TRAVIS: (laughing) Send in Pâté.

MATT: (Pâté) "What we doing? What's the plan, eh?"

MARISHA: Listen very carefully.

MATT: "I'm listenin'. I ain't even got ears! It's a skull!"

MARISHA: Now's the not the time for any of this, there's a dead man. There's a lot of sadness, all right?

MATT: "Oh, sad."

MARISHA: Yeah, be sad. Look sadder!

MATT: "I can't, it's bone! My face is bone! (laughter)

MATT: "You made me, I can't even make expressions! The fact that I can talk is crazy already!"

SAM: I know the feeling. (laughter)

TRAVIS: (Pâté) "I don't have lips or a tongue!"

TALIESIN: How is this even happening?

MARISHA: Go to the kitchen.

MATT: "Yeah?"

MARISHA: Look at the spice rack.

MATT: "Yeah."

MARISHA: Get the one labeled ginger.

MATT: "Got it."

TALIESIN: What else is on the list? Do we need anything else on the list?

LAURA: Does Pâté know how to read? I'm sure you know how to read, Pâté, but does he know how to read?

TRAVIS: Oh yeah.

SAM: He'll be fine.

MATT: "Ah!" (flying) (laughter) As he flitters around the edge.

ASHLEY: I love it so much.

MATT: Are you looking through his eyes as he does this?

LIAM: I wonder if we'll get used to--

MARISHA: Sure.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: This is a good recipe, guys. This is detailed.

MATT: Yeah. (laughter) As he--

LAURA: Oh my gosh. Wait, give it to me. I should make some for our next game. (gasping)

MATT: You totally should.

LIAM: I was going to say--

ASHLEY: Yes, please!

MARISHA: Good idea.

LIAM: I was just going to stealth do it and show up with them.

LAURA: Oh, were you?

MATT: As he--

LIAM: That's all right--

MATT: -- flies around the corner--

LIAM: You do it. I don't have to do anything.

MATT: You can see now at this point, they're still overturning furniture. They're placing things back. They're currently in the process of taking out information and writing deep reports about what they see here. Coasting into the left-hand side into the kitchen, you can see the kitchen, the table is busted on one side, the leg is broken from underneath, but it looks like not as much fighting happened in the kitchen. Most things that were broken were near the door and that main table, but the kitchen itself seems to be mostly intact. There is one wilder that is currently in the process of inspecting the counters.

LAURA: Wild out! (laughter)

MATT: And--

SAM: That doesn't exist.

LIAM: Where on the timeline.

MARISHA: It doesn't yet, no.

SAM: It doesn't exist. (laughter)

MARISHA: It doesn't exist yet.

SAM: It doesn't exist yet. (laughter)

LAURA: Yes, it does!

TRAVIS: Nope.

SAM: No.

MATT: No, it doesn't.

SAM: No, it doesn't.

ASHLEY: Oh.

LAURA: Oh. (laughter)

MATT: They'll get it eventually.

LIAM: Crossing the streams.

MARISHA: I get it. (laughs)

SAM: What day is it?

TRAVIS: We'll exploit that.

LIAM: What year is it?

ASHLEY: Oh, I understand. (laughter) I was like, but this year is-- Oh.

MARISHA: Time is a weird soup.

MATT and ASHLEY: Time is a weird soup.

TALIESIN: So true.

MATT: There's a wilder currently inspecting the middle of the kitchen, just glancing around for information. Roll a stealth check for Pâté using the imp's--

MARISHA: Oh god. Oh god. I should print this out so I just have it on hand.

SAM: It should be in your extras.

MARISHA: Wait, what?

SAM: I mean, you can add it to your extras. Imp stats.

MARISHA: Oh, I don't have it on my extras.

SAM: Well, I'll add it for you after you--

MARISHA: How do you search everything? Oh god. Imp.

SAM: Oh Jesus, this is going to take forever.

MATT: It's a plus five.

MARISHA: It's a plus five.

MATT: So just go ahead and roll a plus five.

ASHLEY: Turmeric's in it?

LAURA: Mm!

MARISHA: 16.

MATT: 16. Scooting through the air, right past the wilder, who does not seem to notice him flying through before latching onto the side of this cabinet. (creaking door) Pulls it open and you see the wilder hear something and go turn his head. Skitters underneath and is now clutching the bottom of the cabinet.

MARISHA: Good boy. Yes. The ribbed-based wings fold back in and clips into the shadow, and the guy turns around and looks. "Huh." Just goes back to his inspecting.

MARISHA: Quickly, now.

TALIESIN: That's an amazing side scroller. I'd totally play it.

MATT: Grabs six glass bottles carefully and puts them inside the empty chest cavity where the ribs pull out from and just shoves them inside the body before heading back out into the chamber. He comes back out through the front door. "Aye, I got something!"

MARISHA: Shh!

MATT: "Sorry. I've got something."

MARISHA: You don't have to be so jovial all the goddamn time.

MATT: I don't know how it is to be anything else. "(laughs)"

MARISHA: That's right. I shouldn't chastise you for that. It's quite charming. Oh god.

MATT: It just ejects these spice jars out of the middle of its chest cavity.

ASHLEY: Oh!

MARISHA: Oh! You got the turmeric, too?

MATT: "Yeah, yeah."

MARISHA: Good boy, Pâté.

MATT: "I don't really know spices well and I didn't have a lot of time, so I grabbed what was out front. I hope it's in there."

MARISHA: That's fantastic! And the cinnamon!

MATT: "Ah?"

MARISHA: This is great.

MATT: "Ah!"

MARISHA: All right, get back in here.

MATT: "(grunts)" (chuckling)

LAURA: While that was going on-- (laughs) (laughter) I just want to kneel next to Eshteross and put my hand on his chest, and just say: Thank you for trusting in us and for giving as generously as you did. I know we're Bells Hells and Bertrand did bring us together, but I feel like you solidified that. Like Orym said, we're going to make this right. I'm glad you get to be with your love now.

MATT: Anybody else?

LIAM: When she finishes that, Orym's going to grab one of the daggers chucked by booby traps into the wall and just yank it out and shove it in the back of his boot.

MATT: Cool. All right.

TRAVIS: Everybody good?

LAURA: Oh yeah. Actually, I haven't gotten another dagger since I chucked mine at--

LIAM: There's three more in the mantle there.

LAURA: (grunts)

TALIESIN: This is going to be weird.

LAURA: I stick it in my thigh holster.

TALIESIN: Looking around, anything seem interesting in the room? Anything seem odd? I don't know, just--

MATT: Make a perception or investigation check.

TALIESIN: I'll make a d20 roll.

MATT: (chuckles)

TALIESIN: See how together I am? Yeah, I'll make an investigation. It doesn't matter. 17.

MATT: 17. Not bad. I mean, the room is in absolute disarray. Shit has been tossed and shredded. You can see there's this long painting of an old member of the Prudaj Estate that previously existed here that is just shredded by multiple blade gashes and it's falling off the edge, the frame itself broken in the center. You can see all manner of bolts inside of the wall. You can see two of the steps are crunched inward and broken, the wood splintering. The whole room is obviously the battlefield for a very intense struggle that happened here recently. There are two wilders that are still in the process of doing their investigation throughout the room. But is there anything in particular you're looking for?

TALIESIN: A small token, something just to mark the room, I don't know.

MATT: Yeah. You can see that on some of the wood-carved walls, on the baseboards and the higher portion of where the-- What the fuck is it called? The crown molding hits the top of the ceiling there, there are these small, carved, almost like a griffin arm or an eagle talon that is just emerging. So they're small, but it could be easily broken off if you wanted.

TALIESIN: Yeah, I'm going to hop up and just grab one.

MATT: It snaps off easy enough with your strength.

TALIESIN: I walk over. I'm just going to take a look. Well, it all ends up the same in the end, doesn't it? (sighs) We'll get to work. I get up and then walk away.

MATT: Okay. The rest of you all gathering outside?

SAM: Mm-hmm.

MATT: Okay. Would you like an escort, or are you heading back on your own to wherever you're--

SAM: What could an escort do for us? We're super powerful.

TALIESIN: An escort can just go get paid to tell somebody where we are.

TRAVIS: They're just bait.

LAURA: Yeah. Oh! (laughs) Chet.

MARISHA: Is someone out front?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I mean, you know, if somebody comes in, and they're like, "Stop! Ah!" You hear the "Ah!" And then we flee.

SAM: Sure.

LAURA: No.

SAM: No, we're just going to go.

TRAVIS: We can pay for their drinks if nothing happens. We'll buy them dinner.

LAURA: Are we going to Soot and Swill?

TRAVIS: Sure.

MARISHA: Sit and Spin.

MATT: All right, heading to the Soot and Swill. So leaving the Core Spire.

LAURA: (laughing) Sit and Spin.

MATT: (laughs) That's a very different establishment.

TALIESIN: It's more expensive, let me tell you.

MATT: So heading to the Smolder Spire, to the familiar interior of the Soot and Swill. Once inside you can see the nice, warm somewhat jovial interior at this hour of the night as people have gotten right and proper toasty. A lot of the various dirt and charcoal, black-covered miners that have finished their day's work in the various spire mines are deep into their cups at this time, playing card games, telling jokes and laughing. You can see Preio Madali, the female uniya that runs the tavern glances over as you enter, and takes a signal for recognizing some of you previously in here, primarily the three ladies of your troop.

SAM: Is Pretty here?

MATT: Yeah.

ASHLEY: Oh, that's right.

MATT: "Oh yeah, Pretty's working in the back kitchen. You want me to go ahead and let him know you're here?"

TRAVIS: It's pretty late.

SAM: It's okay.

TALIESIN: Will he be working in the morning for breakfast?

MATT: "Yeah, pretty much. He does the morning shift and does the evening shift and then has the middle of day off."

LAURA: Maybe let's just get a room.

TALIESIN: Let's do the morning, so we don't have someone we know--

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: -- who can get beaten up for information later.

TALIESIN: Let's just walk through.

LAURA: We just need a room.

MATT: "Okay. I can get you a room. One room for all of you?"

LAURA: A couple rooms, probably.

MATT: "Okay, two rooms. I can do two rooms, okay. That will put you at, let me see here, one gold for both rooms."

LAURA: All right.

MATT: Your chambers are gifted. You have an evening between these two chambers to talk, discuss, and/or just go to rest if you'd like. What would you like to do?

TALIESIN: Do we talk in the morning or do we talk now?

LAURA: Yeah, go to sleep.

MATT: Okay. As you all find yourselves restful for the night, you, one, didn't wake up too long ago, because you did wake up in Whitestone when it was the morning.

LAURA: Oh!

LIAM: Time change.

MATT: Yeah, the time changed.

LAURA: That's what's so weird.

MATT: Yeah. So you're definitely trying to rest for a bit. You know, you've had a few exhausting days but you're still a little wired and it takes you a little time. Y'all end up staying up pretty late in your independent rooms to eventually find rest. So, we'll say comparatively, unless you have any specific means of doing so, you probably wake up a little later in the morning. Probably would be equivalent of 9:00, maybe 10:00 in the morning.

LAURA: Okay.

TALIESIN: I'm all right with that.

MATT: Okay? But nevertheless, the tavern is yours, the day is yours. What would you like to do?

ASHLEY: We got a long rest?

MATT: You do get a long rest, yes.

TALIESIN: And you're one less down now.

MARISHA: One less down. Minus two.

TALIESIN: Slouching towards normality.

ASHLEY: That's right.

MATT: Slowly but surely.

LIAM: You know something that I should have brought up? I just didn't do it.

LAURA: Hmm?

LIAM: Chet, when you brought Eshteross' weapon out, it had a smell to it. It wasn't the-- What was it that had that scent on it?

MATT: Well the weapon probably did, too.

LIAM: It was the weapon, yeah?

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: It's a toxin. Some sort of poison that Thull or her people use. It makes sure that once you kill somebody, they stay dead. No take backs. I know that because the people that I lost, it was in them. So I'll probably bring it up. I don't know, I just choked. But I'll bring it up when we see him this morning. I don't know if they were going to make an attempt, but it's not going to work.

LAURA: I was wondering why we were able to do that for Laudna and not your family.

LIAM: Yeah, I've been thinking about it, too, and I got to imagine, you know, we just ran into her. But what happened in my home was orchestrated, planned, and clearly, so was Eshteross' killing. So, it just was one more tool in their arsenal.

LAURA: So if we run into her again, it might not turn out the same way that it did. If she takes us down, it could be for good?

LIAM: Yeah. And we're not exactly best friends, so.

TRAVIS: I hate to ask such a sensitive question, but did you ever ask the Tempest why Otohan or these things tried to assassinate her?

LIAM: (sighs) She floated theories. A test of our capabilities and defenses, and we waited for a long time for another shoe to drop. At least they did. I didn't hang around for much more than a-- Not even a year.

TALIESIN: What did you think?

LIAM: I don't know. I wasn't paid to think, really.

TALIESIN: Well, you know--

LIAM: Wondered about it for years, yeah.

TALIESIN: It's a good hobby to pick up.

LIAM: (laughs) I try.

TALIESIN: What would her getting killed accomplish? What would it look like?

LIAM: Well, I'm not an expert on many things, but I've overheard a lot of conversations. And Keyleth sometimes would talk to a few people, but to the de Rolos about the leylines that crisscrossed this world. I don't know. I don't know if that's somehow knotted up in the mess we're trying to untangle. That's all I could come up with. I don't know.

LAURA: Maybe we'll get more answers in Yios.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

ASHLEY: What do you think that stuff is? The ichor? Why would that make a difference?

LIAM: The way it was explained to me is that it's some sort of poison.

ASHLEY: Have we tried to identify it?

SAM: Do we have some?

ASHLEY: I think we do, from--

LIAM: There was residue.

LAURA: On the sword, maybe.

LIAM: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Probably.

SAM: I could look at it.

ASHLEY: I feel like we collected some when we went out to the twins.

MARISHA: You're thinking of the--

ASHLEY: Am I thinking of something else?

TALIESIN: We collected something.

MARISHA: Dunamancy.

SAM: (hums) (bird cooing)

LIAM: Well, I don't know, Letters--

LAURA: Look at our notes. (chirps)

LIAM: Do you think if you took a look at that blade that you'd be able to?

SAM: If there's something on it.

LIAM: Yeah.

SAM: Is there something on it?

TALIESIN: Who's got the blade?

LIAM: Chet?

MATT: The weapon is his cane.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: It's his silver cane with the top gripping sphere, and it does have blood remnants across it from the struggle that had transpired.

LAURA: Maybe he'd been poisoned before that blood was on the blade. I don't know.

SAM: I can look.

TALIESIN: That'd be awful quick.

LAURA: I don't know.

SAM: Yeah. I mean, I'll look and just see.

TALIESIN: What does that sword do, anyway?

LAURA: That's what he's going to find out.

TALIESIN: Well, I mean, not the blood, but the--

SAM: Well, am I identifying the sword or the blood?

LIAM: Let's just take a look. The blood, the blood.

TALIESIN: Blood.

TRAVIS: Schwing!

MATT: Well, it's not a sword.

LIAM: It's a cane.

SAM: Schwick.

TRAVIS: It's a cane.

MATT: It's a cane.

SAM: It's a schwing cane.

MATT: Yes, it's a schwane.

MATT: Canes can make schwing noises.

MATT: That's true, yeah.

SAM: I pull out the gun. Schwing! (laughter) I'll identify the blood.

MATT: The blood itself, what is there, is coagulated, but to a thick degree. It's not dry. It's just lumpy and mealy.

LAURA: Gross.

MATT: For what elements you can see close up. You Identify it. Now the Identify spell.

SAM: Let me check it before I wreck it.

LAURA: (laughs)

SAM: Identify spell says: "Choose one object that you must touch." Is this an object, is blood an object? If the magic is-- "If it is a magic item, you learn its properties. You learn whether any spells affect the item."

MATT: Right.

SAM: "And what they are. If the item was created by a spell, you learn what spell. If you touch a creature, you learn what spells are affecting it."

MATT: Right. So we'll say for the purposes of the use of this spell, you do Identify the object. You can make a nature or medicine check, your choice, to see if you can Identify any of these. I'll say, as part of the Identify spell being used, you could have an advantage on the roll.

SAM: Okay. Sure. Natural 20.

MATT: Natural 20. For a total of?

SAM: 26 medicine.

MATT: 26 medicine.

TALIESIN: (whistles)

MATT: You know, and have researched and read in your off time, It's odd, like a bank of memory that you haven't accessed before, you begin to recall all these toxins, venoms, poisons, liquids, alchemical concoctions that all have acidic properties, degenerative properties, necrotic properties, and you're going through it all, and you feel with certainty you have never seen something like this.

SAM: Can't even glean what spectrum of magic it might fall under?

MATT: It--

SAM: Or whether it's magic.

MATT: There is no magic to it. But it's not anything you've encountered of the natural world, either, in your memory banks, whatever you want to call it. It's very odd. You feel pretty confident in your inability to figure out what this is.

SAM: Huh. That's weird.

MARISHA: You roll a Nat 20.

TALIESIN: You're not making that face you make when you're confused.

SAM: I make the same face every day.

TALIESIN: Yep. I said you're not making it.

SAM: Natural 20 and I don't know what it is.

MARISHA: Don't know shit.

SAM: So it's either other worldly or pre-time.

ASHLEY: Could be from--

LAURA: But you're pre-time.

TALIESIN: Lunar, maybe?

SAM: Oh. What did you just say?

TALIESIN: I said lunar.

LIAM: Yeah.

SAM: Lunar.

LIAM: You're not--

MARISHA: Maybe it's Ruid--

LIAM: Pre-time is Ruidus.

LAURA: Ruidisian.

SAM: Got to make a call.

LIAM: Oh. (laughter)

LIAM: The hot--

LAURA: Hot moon.

LIAM: I am curious.

TRAVIS: 69, 69.

SAM: Got to make a call right now to find out what's going on.

ASHLEY: Oh.

MATT: But you do-- (telephone rings)

SAM: Hello. (laughter)

MATT: (groans)

TALIESIN: It's even a red phone. (laughter)

MATT: Well played, Sam.

TALIESIN: God.

TRAVIS: The delay was part--

LAURA: (laughs)

MATT: But you do also, as part of the-- The focus of the Identify spell is on Turmoil itself. This silver cane--

TRAVIS: Turmoil, I thought it was Torment.

MATT: Turmoil. Sorry.

LIAM: It's turmeric.

MARISHA: Too-meric.

MATT: Too-meric.

LIAM: That would fit.

MATT: It acts as a standard magical club when wielded as a cane.

SAM: Okay.

MATT: But when the wielder gives the command word, which is, "Done."

SAM: Done.

LAURA: Amazing.

MATT: And wills it, the cane extends and the head transforms into a massive silver scythe blade.

LAURA: (gasps) It's a scythe?! But it's a scythe in the other way!

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: It's so awesome.

SAM: So it's a club this way and scythe--

LAURA: No, it's like--

SAM: What?

LAURA: The ball is a club.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: But then when you say "Done," it turns into a scythe.

MATT: It extends and the ball (whooshing) becomes the scythe blade.

LAURA: That's so weird.

ASHLEY: That is cool.

SAM: But who can use that in our group?

LAURA: What kind of a weapon is it? A finesse weapon, a--

MATT: No, it effectively acts as a greatsword.

SAM: A greatsword. Who could use that? Ashton?

TALIESIN: I'm thinking I could maybe--

MATT: I feel like you, Chetney.

LAURA: Chetney can use a greatsword?

SAM: A greatsword?

TRAVIS: Look, I'm fucking jacked. (laughter)

TRAVIS: All right, don't question me again.

LAURA: Chetney, hold the cane and see how big it is compared to you.

TALIESIN: I mean, I'm not saying I'm dropping--

ASHLEY: Maybe give it the magic word and see what it looks like in your hands.

SAM: What's on, what's the-- It's just a ball?

MATT: It's just a ball at the top of a long silver cane.

SAM: It's not like a wolf's head or anything?

MATT: No, no.

MARISHA: I don't know, a werewolf holding a scythe sounds pretty fucking awesome.

TALIESIN: Pretty cool, yeah.

MARISHA: I've seen that on the side of a van.

SAM: A werewolf holding a cane is also pretty cool.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LIAM: Super rockabilly, put him on a--

SAM: But so is Ashton wearing a--

TALIESIN: I mean it's all, I mean, everyone looks good--

MARISHA: -- and then when he changes, he's a werewolf with a scythe.

ASHLEY: A werewolf with a cane, a little Puttin' on the Ritz action.

LAURA: I mean, he's old, Eshteross was old.

TRAVIS: ♪ Puttin' on the Ritz ♪

ASHLEY: ♪ Puttin' on the Ritz ♪

SAM: Aren't you a rogue?

TRAVIS: Only one level, baby.

SAM: Oh, so you can still use big weapons.

TRAVIS: Yeah, I be hunting for blood. (laughter)

SAM: It's pretty cool. Well, I'll take it then. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Yeah, I just want to check the thing out. I want to see some stats and otherwise, but, you know, just curious.

SAM: I don't have it. I mean.

LAURA: Chetney's holding it.

TALIESIN: Yeah. Unless you're playing with it. Either way, I'm cool.

TRAVIS: Done.

MATT: (whooshing) You watch as the center of the cane, seems to extend into a curve beneath your grip while the silver ball almost seems to liquefy. In a split second, it becomes (dripping), like malleable before (swooshing) flashing out into this hooked silver blade. You can see there's the handles on the side that all of a sudden, are there. Like, you glance down and they appear. There's this faint, it's like a soft humming sound, like a buzz, like a (buzzing), that emanates from the blade itself. You can see this strange, flicker of light blue energy that ricochets back and forth along the edge of the blade.

TRAVIS: Not going to lie, it's speaking to me. But catch (whooshing)

MATT: (spinning) You catch it.

TALIESIN: Is it technically, does it change size? Is it one of those magical weapons that change their size for depending on who's using it or no? Is it just a--

MATT: Sure.

TALIESIN: No, well, you know there are things like--

MATT: For the purposes of arms design, sure, yeah. It looks great in the hands of whoever's attuned to it.

TALIESIN: Because it's a scythe and they all look good.

MATT: I'll say as part of the attunement process, it does match the size of the wielder.

TALIESIN: This is interesting. This is pretty interesting. Do you have the stats or--?

SAM: I feel like--

TRAVIS: Oh yeah.

SAM: I feel like there's some tension here between you.

TALIESIN: No, no, no, I'm just curious. You know, maybe you guys could share. Maybe one day Ashton could have it and then the next day, Chetney could have it and that way everyone's happy.

TALIESIN: No, I've just never played with anything like this before.

ASHLEY: Rollies to see who carries it.

TALIESIN: It feels like, you know.

TRAVIS: Yeah, when you hit somebody with it, there's a little something extra that happens, so.

LAURA: Oh, you were trying to--

TRAVIS: Take that into account.

TALIESIN: Wait, hold on, so is this in the items?

MATT: It is. Turmoil.

TALIESIN: Turmoil, all right.

MATT: But we can look over it during the break.

TALIESIN: We'll look over it later. It's pretty cool. All right.

SAM: I don't want there to be tension between you guys.

TRAVIS: I just don't want it to supplant your hammer. I mean, you can give me your hammer if you want to take the scythe.

TALIESIN: You ain't going to get my fucking hammer.

TRAVIS: Oh, I can't?

TALIESIN: No. I mean, if you want to try it out, actually, that's fine. It's just, it's a lot. I don't know if you'd be up to it.

SAM: We can have a mediation session where we figure out who gets custody of the blade.

TRAVIS: Ashton can hold onto it.

TALIESIN: There's a fun thing that we could do. Like mid fight, watch this, catch. (whooshing) and I throw. The blade's not out, it's just the--

MARISHA: Ah!

TRAVIS: Ah! Ah.

LAURA: You killed Chetney.

TRAVIS: Ah.

LAURA: Why do you always destroy things without telling us you're going to destroy it?

SAM: Why is there so much death around us?!

TALIESIN: Honestly, clearly, he was on the edge, anyway. I was, if nothing else, it was just getting it out of the way.

MARISHA: This is all over a scythe, Ashton. Really?

TALIESIN: Well, it was actually a club at the time.

MARISHA: He had at least three more good weeks in him. (laughter)

TALIESIN: That's kind of cool.

LAURA: But it's true, Chet does, only has--

TALIESIN: No, that's actually, I'm thinking like, yeah.

LAURA: He's got chisels.

TALIESIN: Oh, I thought you were going to say only about three weeks, but that's true, too. (laughter)

TRAVIS: True, very true.

TALIESIN: Yeah, no, I was just curious.

MARISHA: Can we go get breakfast?

TALIESIN: Oh yeah, we haven't eaten--

SAM: Where are we going today?

LAURA: Well, we have to check and see if our ship's ready, and if our ship's ready, then we're leaving.

SAM: We're going to go--

TRAVIS: Aerie Skyport.

TRAVIS: It's at noon.

SAM: Breakfast happened.

LAURA: Yeah, breakfast, we ate breakfast.

MATT: You head down and then, you know, it's later in the morning. So there isn't like a fairly heavy breakfast crowd at this point in time. But what you do recognize, as you sit down at your table for a moment, is the heavy footfalls of the chef handing platters out onto the table to be distributed amongst the tables, who sets it down. You see the sweaty forehead of Pretty as he leans out and looks across and sees the table and goes, "Oh!" (stomping) "Hold on." Comes over and grabs the plates that he set down, picks them back up. Lays him out across his arm, and balances it like an accomplished server who's-- Which is ironic, you don't really see him serve too often.

TRAVIS: Shorthanded?

MATT: Before he comes out and sit down. (plunking) "Good morning."

LAURA: Good morning, Pretty.

ASHLEY: Good morning.

TALIESIN: Always a pleasure.

MATT: "Pleasure is mine. How goes things?"

LAURA: Just great, it's just been a good, yeah, good time lately.

MARISHA: Lots.

MATT: "Happy to hear that, I--"

ASHLEY: We've had a lot going on. Just so busy.

MATT: "Well, you got to keep your appetites up." He scoot the plates forward (scrapes) across the table (sniffs).

ASHLEY: How are you?

MATT: "I'm doing good. I'm working a lot and you know, staying busy."

LAURA: (laughs)

SAM: Have you found love in your life?

MATT: "No, I am exploring my options."

SAM: Oh, you're currently seeing somebody or a few folks?

MATT: "I'm currently dabbling in some social interactions."

MATT: "I'm currently dabbling in some social interactions."

SAM: You're being honest with them that you're not looking for something serious, though, right?

MATT: "First conversation we have."

ASHLEY: Okay.

SAM: That's nice.

MATT: "So, yeah."

SAM: Well, that's respectable.

TALIESIN: And he is living life.

LAURA: If it's possible, your food looks even better than it did before, Pretty.

MATT: "Well. Now that I know it was you, hold on." (stomping) He heads back to the kitchen, comes back out, and has this tiny little, like a wooden capsule or something. He like unscrews the top, sets it down, reaches in.

LIAM: Massive finger.

LAURA: Salt Bae. (laughter)

MATT: And flicks a couple of extra spices. "Little extra flourish for my extra special ladies."

ASHLEY and MARISHA: Oh.

ASHLEY: That's great.

MARISHA: Oh goodness.

ASHLEY: Thank you. This is your special sauce?

MATT: "Yeah."

ASHLEY: Cool.

LAURA: Thank you, thank you, Pretty.

MATT: "Anyway."

LAURA: This platter.

MATT: "I got to get back to the kitchen, but don't be strangers, please."

SAM: They're all still single if you ever change your mind.

LAURA: Oh, oh.

MATT: "Well..."

LAURA: Thank you FCG, it's fine, it's fine.

MARISHA: Long distance relationships are so hard.

MATT: "But you're all wonderful in your own way."

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: (laughs)

LAURA: Thank you.

MARISHA: You don't have to--

MATT: "And the friendship means a lot."

LAURA: Ah.

MARISHA: It's fine.

MATT: He's looking over at you, FCG, like.

SAM: I know, I'm just, I'm trying.

MARISHA: Imogen acted like that's, "Ugh."

LAURA: Ugh.

SAM: I can't find anyone for them.

LAURA: It's so awkward.

MATT and SAM: (laugh)

LIAM: I have tabletop secondhand embarrassment. (laughter)

TALIESIN: I haven't seen Sam beam like this in so long.

MATT: "I know you're just trying to be a good friend, but just let things naturally occur."

SAM: Right. It's just, I feel like--

MATT: "For some--"

SAM: They don't take the first step.

LAURA: You know, you can learn so much from him.

MATT: "For some people, maybe, they're just fine being themselves. They don't need someone to complete them. Huh?"

SAM: That's very wise. It's very wise.

MATT: "Now, I have to go drain the bacon grease."

MARISHA: Wait, you just said that-- (laughter)

MATT: This is-- oh no, no.

TRAVIS: Got to go drain the bacon grease.

MARISHA: The bacon grease.

MATT: I hate it. I hate it. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Well, it is now.

LIAM: I'm going to start using it immediately.

MARISHA: He's an ogre--

TALIESIN: Hey, we made fetch happen, all right. (laughter)

LIAM: In fact, I can't wait for our intermission to go drain the bacon. (laughter)

MATT: Well, to that point. (cheering)

MATT: To that point, as you have finished your breakfast and begin heading off towards the Aerie Spire to hopefully collect one Bells Hells owned skyship. We're going to to go to break.

SAM: Yay.

LAURA: We have a skyship!

MARISHA: We have a skyship! Skyship! Skyship!

TALIESIN: It's time to Teddy Ruxpin this.

MATT: Back here in a few moments. We'll see you soon.

MARISHA: Come on! Skyship!

Part II
MATT: And welcome back. You are incorrigible. (laughter)

MATT: So, here we are, mid to late morning here in Jrusar. What are you doing, Bells Hells?

LIAM: Going to the skyship.

MARISHA: To the skyship.

LAURA: Yeah, we're heading to the skyship.

MATT: All right, so you all--

TRAVIS: Aerie Skyport.

MATT: Great, so that is a two-trip gondola ride, one silver each.

SAM: Oh my god. You're still doing this?

MATT: It is 14 silver.

TALIESIN: 14 silver? I got this, I got this.

LAURA: Thanks, Ashton.

TRAVIS: But we're keeping an eye out for suspicious figures.

MATT: Roll a perception check.

TRAVIS: Yeah!

MARISHA: A day pass.

LIAM: We can't jump to the quick save yet?

SAM: -- 100 gold to the city and be like, "We're done"?

TALIESIN: Do they have a FastPass or something?

MATT: No, I just like nickel and diming you.

TRAVIS: 17.

SAM: What's that?

TRAVIS: My attack to the gondola operator.

LAURA: Oh, lovely.

SAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: No, 17 to keep an eye out.

MATT: Keeping an eye out as you go, perfect.

ASHLEY: Is that--

SAM: I think that's a curtain closing.

ASHLEY: Oh, I was like, "Is that rain?"

LIAM: I thought it was pouring.

LAURA: I know.

TRAVIS: We're all just sat here, awaiting our doom, letting the impending massacre--

SAM: Oh, we're about to die.

TRAVIS: The studio's going to fall in.

MATT: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Good reactions.

MATT: We're not going to make it. (laughter)

MATT: However, climbing via the gondola to the Aerie Spire, taking in the series of events that have transpired recently, the intensity and intention that you carry, you eventually climb to the highest point, looking back over the mostly now revealed jungles below, the mist seeming to have burned back before the midday sun. A relatively clear, blue sky, very little clouds to see at this point, and beyond that, you can see the Serpentwind Peaks along the horizon, and three skyships in port: One that is getting ready to leave, looks like it's heading towards a northward direction, and sure enough, there it is, the Silver Sun, the familiar skyship that you had spent quite some time on, still locked into port. Now, in the center of these expansive docks where they lock themselves and tether them, there is the central office, which is like a small watchtower that has a staircase that leads up, and an open watch space from within, where a handful of desks and most of the individuals that run the control of the various skyships coming in and out resides. You do recognize, as you've seen before, the Port Captain Tang is in the process of finishing a conversation with one of the workers there. Who's approaching? Who's making the--

LAURA: How did we forget that we had broken the fucking ship the last time we were on it?

SAM: We absolutely broke it, or it's just slightly damaged?

TRAVIS: We fucking snapped off--

LAURA: A mast broke in half.

TRAVIS: I'm sure that's why they're in port, though, to complete those repairs.

TALIESIN: We break a lot of things.

LAURA: It's been here for a day, two days.

TRAVIS: How long do you need?

MATT: Two days.

LIAM: I mean, we do own it.

TRAVIS: It's wood. Just let it talk to me.

SAM: Who's going to talk to the guy?

LAURA: Tang?

SAM: Tang.

LIAM: Port Captain!

MATT: All right, so you approach. Somebody step forward here.

TALIESIN: Charming people. One of you.

MATT: Stepping forward, as you say "Port Captain," glancing over the side, you can see the bright-eyed eisfuura glance over with the vest-like dress of import here, glance over with the vest-like dress of import here, with the hat that denotes their captain status here upon the skyport, glance over. "Hello? Hello?"

LIAM: Good morning.

MATT: "Hi. You are looking for the captain, eh?"

LIAM: Captain Xandis? Yes.

MATT: "Captain Xandis?"

LAURA: Captain Tang.

LIAM: No, I thought you were-- Sorry, DM, I thought you were portraying Port Captain Tang at the moment.

MATT: I am.

LIAM: You are.

LAURA: Yeah, we're looking for Tang.

LIAM: I'm talking to Tang?

LAURA: And you're looking for Tang. Why are you looking for Xandis?

TRAVIS: Because he's the captain of the skyship.

LIAM: Because here's Tang, and I want to find our ship.

SAM: I'm so sorry, sir.

LIAM: With Xandis.

SAM: This is just--

MATT: "I'm extremely confused, but that is all right. You are looking for Captain Xandis of the Silver Sun?"

LIAM: I don't know if you got advance word yet. We're going to be riding this ship today or soon.

LAURA: Sorry.

MATT: "Oh."

SAM: We're the owners of the ship.

MATT: "Right, no, this, all right, yes, hm."

TALIESIN: This dialogue tree got weird.

MATT: It'll be updated in the next patch, don't worry.

TRAVIS: (random speech noises)

LIAM: I'm talking to this person to find another person.

LAURA: I fully understand that, I just thought you were going to talk to this person because we needed to talk to this person.

TRAVIS: Check the margarita.

LAURA: This is just juice.

TRAVIS: Uh-huh.

SAM: Mama juice. (laughter) (laughter)

ASHLEY: A little bit of mama juice. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Shh.

TRAVIS: We're going to get home, Ronin's going to be like, "Can I have mama juice?"

MATT: No.

LIAM: (slurred) Go play your Nintendos. (laughter)

TRAVIS: Got to get him a Nintendo.

MATT: "It is not a problem. With this nearly complete, we are getting all the proper paperwork approved and put through so we can have you into our system, so we know all of your paperwork is situated. About 15 or so minutes, if you have not met the captain, I recommend you meet the crew for your journey, and then return here, and we will have it all squared away."

LIAM: Great, great. How are the skies today?

MATT: "Beautiful and clear! Look around you, it's a gorgeous day!"

LIAM: I couldn't see it until now.

MATT: "What's that? I'll be right there. Sorry, business, huh?" Scoots inside the--

SAM: Did he say if it was flight-worthy?

LAURA: He did not.

SAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: We can ask the crew.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: We can ask Captain Xandis. I mean, I don't know why you haven't asked for him already.

LIAM: Okay.

SAM: Imogen is wobbling.

LAURA: No, I'm not, I've had three sips of mama juice, okay? Don't make people think--

ASHLEY: I'm not sleeping, I just have my eyes closed. (laughter) (laughter)

TALIESIN: I love you all so much.

ASHLEY: Mama's just closing her eyes for a second.

SAM: If the doorbell rings, don't answer. (laughter)

MATT: So while Imogen S-walks behind the rest of you, you're heading off.

LAURA: It's been a tough few days, all right, guys? (laughter)

MATT: All right, so I take it you go approach the familiar sight of the Silver Sun. It looks like some of the minor impacts and scars of recent conflict and weather are mostly still there. Other than the broken mast elements that hold the sails have been repaired, and it looks like one of the sails is being affixed to it at the moment. So it's not completely repaired. It's in process. But it's still functional. It looks like it's air-worthy. But it's still functional. It looks like it's air-worthy.

LIAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: Sorry, did he say that the paperwork had landed, or no? We definitely need that before we go.

LIAM: They got word, but pointed us to Xandis.

TRAVIS: Yeah, okay.

LAURA: He said another 15 minutes.

TRAVIS: Great.

LAURA: We should be good.

MATT: All right, you approach the--

LAURA: I was paying attention.

MATT: You approach the edge of the Silver Sun, the stairs that ascend to the deck of the ship. There, you are immediately greeted with the familiar face of first mate Khalil Benes, who turns around, his glasses wide over his unwavering smile, glancing towards the rest of you. "Oh, it has been quiet only a few days, and you've already returned. I've been notified that apparently there is a changing of ownership, so that's interesting and new."

TRAVIS: Yeah, we're changing the world one skyship at a time, starting with this one.

MATT: "Very well."

ASHLEY: You're going to be seeing a little bit more of us, so lucky you.

MATT: "Lucky all of us." (laughter)

MATT: "I'll retrieve the captain." Darts off and heads below deck.

TRAVIS: We should promote him. He's very unsettling.

SAM: There's only one rank higher, though.

ASHLEY: We can't, yeah.

TALIESIN: Is that how we're promoting people now? Degrees of unsettling?

SAM: Should we have a whole bunch of captains?

TRAVIS: Should we get rid of Xandis? His time's over.

LAURA: No, they're wonderful.

MATT: "Their time."

SAM: Their time, that's right.

MATT: No worries. The gray-blue skin now peers out into the open sunlight as you see the familiar, bald, horned head of Xandis approaching from below deck, goes, "Oh, well, hello, welcome back to the ship that you apparently own, I guess, maybe. That's kind of crazy. What, this-- You're alive. Hi!"

SAM: Oh, that's right. You were cargo last time.

MARISHA: I was cargo?

LAURA: Well, no.

LIAM: Precious cargo.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Cargo.

MARISHA: How did you transport me? I actually haven't heard this yet.

LAURA: Ashton carried you.

TALIESIN: I wrapped you in a thing.

SAM: Like a gift.

MATT: "Like a baby."

SAM: Like a dead baby.

TRAVIS: Yeah, we took every consideration. They were very gracious in your transport.

TALIESIN: There were a lot of people making sure nothing bad was going to happen.

SAM: Also, we took all your stuff. Do you want your Pearl of Power back, or are you good?

MARISHA: Honestly, I feel like you can have it.

SAM: Okay.

MARISHA: I don't think I ever used it once.

SAM: Okay, good.

MATT: "Either way, super glad to see that you're alive and are back with us, it makes it a lot easier for, you know, if you want to rest, we don't have to put you somewhere. You go find a place and put yourself there, which is much easier on all of us in the crew. So, yay!"

MARISHA: Yay.

SAM: Is the ship ready to sail off to another destination?

MATT: "(stammering) We could make it work, yeah. We can make it work, ha."

LIAM: What would make that more--

MATT: "We got you back, right?"

TALIESIN: Well.

SAM: What? Yeah, what?

MATT: "We got you back from Bassuras, right? Not all that strange, really, from what I understand."

LIAM: Would an extra day make that more comfortable, or--?

MATT: "We could take another day, be done with that, or we can try and fix it on the road, you know?"

SAM: We could do that.

LAURA: Let's do that.

SAM: All Right.

LIAM: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Do we need any supplies or anything? We okay?

LAURA: That's true. We're heading to Yios.

MATT: "That? Okay, okay. So here's my question. So, hm. We're going to Yios. That's quite a ways away."

LAURA: How long of a--

MATT: "It's about 1,100 miles to the south, southeast of here."

LAURA: Time-wise?

MATT: "About, I'd say, 11 or so days."

LAURA: Oh, wow.

SAM: Whoa.

MATT: "It can be shorter, but that would mean going back over the Hellcatch, which is a lot more dangerous, if you recall. I mean, look at the--"

TRAVIS: Remember how much fun it was?

ASHLEY: How much shorter would it be?

MATT: "Two to three days shorter."

LAURA: How far away is the Apogee Solstice?

LIAM: Four weeks.

MATT: A little under four weeks, I think, from now.

LAURA: Okay. Oof, okay.

MATT: "So, I mean, it's really up to you."

TRAVIS: No, I don't think we're looking to do anything too... risky. We're not in a crazy... hurry. So we can take our time.

LIAM: Why are you talking with ellipses?

TRAVIS: Huh?

LIAM: Why are you talking with ellipses?

TRAVIS: It's a dramatic pause.

TALIESIN: You're trying to keep the camera on you or something.

TRAVIS: Well, listen--

TALIESIN: There isn't a camera. We're just talking.

TRAVIS: -- Ashton.

LIAM: A what?

TALIESIN: There was a wall.

LAURA: What's a camera?

TALIESIN: There were four of them. Never mind.

TRAVIS: Yeah, we can take our time.

TALIESIN: Now it's just broken.

MATT: "All right, then we'll go through the proper trade routes, which will take us around the Hellcatch Valley and eventually get us into Aeshanadoor, avoiding most of the treacherous skies and/or grounds around the valley, which will be peachy keen as far as how this wonderful baby's been taking the hits. So, perfect. How soon you looking to go, then?"

LIAM: Well, question. I'm not super familiar with the map. Chet, you've got the map.

TRAVIS: I got it!

LIAM: If we wanted to try on the way to find the Gorgynei--

SAM: They're on the way.

LIAM: But are they on the way if we take the longer way around?

MATT: "What is the Gorgynei?"

TRAVIS: It's in the middle Aeshanadoor.

MATT: "Whereabouts? There's a lot in Aeshanadoor. It's a big space."

MARISHA: In the Gloom--

TRAVIS: Gloom! Gloom, no, wait. I actually had this part written down somewhere.

LIAM: Keep going.

TRAVIS: Going to the Gloom--

TALIESIN: This is amazing to watch. I could keep watching this--

MARISHA: I'll find it first.

TRAVIS: No. Gloomed Jungles.

MATT: "Oh, yeah, no, that's on the way."

TRAVIS: Woo!

MARISHA: Ah!

TRAVIS: Sorry, I get really excited. Sometimes victories are all we have when you're 400 plus years old.

TALIESIN: Only so many victories left.

MATT: "Oh, you've had a frying couple days. Great, this is going to be a fun ride. I'm here for it. Let's all get weird in the skies, huh? Okay!"

TALIESIN: Hey.

TRAVIS: Yeah, the Gloomed Jungles.

MATT: "Okay."

TRAVIS: That's not on here.

MATT: "Perfect, no, that literally surrounds the entire northern side outside of Yios, so we got to go across them anyway. You point out where they are in the jungles, and maybe, well, we can't really go into the jungle, you know, because the trees and the boat kind of have a problem together. But we can get you kind of low. We can drop the ladders and kind of hang out for a bit."

TRAVIS: We'll find a spot. Maybe there'll be a clearing.

LIAM: I'm just asking, we don't need to switch to the shorter, more dangerous route to reach there, right?

MATT: "No."

LIAM: Okay.

ASHLEY: Great.

MATT: "It's just more of a C-curve as opposed to a straighter route. So, still same direction. It takes a little longer, but much safer.

LIAM: All right.

LAURA: All right.

TALIESIN: There's got to be an easier way to get up and down off of an airship.

TRAVIS: Check the ball.

TALIESIN and LAURA: Oh.

MARISHA: Check?

LAURA: The ball.

TALIESIN: You have the ball?

MARISHA: Check the ball.

MATT: As you look at the sphere--

TRAVIS: Shut up.

MARISHA: Huh? Wait, what?

MATT: It's dark. It's fine.

LIAM: Check your other one.

TRAVIS: As you look at the sphere, the ship explodes. (deeply) Where did you think you were going?

LIAM: Twist.

TRAVIS: Otohan?

SAM: 11 days. I mean, it just seems like a long time.

LAURA: It's a long time, but--

LIAM: Is it worth it to try to--

TALIESIN: Nine days, or is it 11?

LIAM: -- shorten the timetable if Thull is doing everything that Thull is doing?

TRAVIS: Oh, you're right.

SAM: We don't even know where Thull's next-- What are they doing?

LAURA: What?

SAM: I mean, we don't know what they're doing next.

TALIESIN: We know they have three more days to do it, though.

LAURA: Three more days to do it? What do you mean?

LIAM: If we take longer.

TRAVIS: We should send them a message.

TALIESIN: No!

LAURA: I don't really want to open up that connection.

TALIESIN: Wow.

ASHLEY: Why do you say that?

TRAVIS: Well, we're just guessing, right? But at least if you're sitting across the card table from someone, you have a chance to get a read. Maybe they'll reveal something.

TALIESIN: It's not a card table, though.

TRAVIS: It's not. It was a metaphor.

TALIESIN: It's a shootout.

MARISHA: We know they came here to kill Eshteross, so they're on a northward trajectory. Doesn't mean they can't turn around, and they did have all of those crates that were labeled to the Cerberus Assembly, so maybe they're heading northward.

LIAM: They got here faster than we did, and we got here fast.

TRAVIS: That's true.

LAURA: I think she has the ability to transport herself in the same way, if not more quickly than we do.

LIAM: Members of the Grim Verity, Eshteross. People are ending up dead, so we're trying to talk to people. I don't know, maybe our chances are better of talking to those people if they're alive.

LAURA: Yeah.

TALIESIN: I'll also be the one to point out that we kind of got our asses handed to us last time this went through, so anything we can do between now and then to, I don't know, up our chances might not be a bad idea.

LIAM: Can the Gorgynei help with that?

TALIESIN: I don't know.

SAM: We can always make contact while we're on the ship.

LIAM: How dangerous are we talking about if we go the direct route?

MATT: "Well, for instance, most of the time when you're traveling the normal routes and just taking the safer spots that go over the exterior mountain perimeters around all these various regions, you might have one bad day out of 10. Hellcatch is one out of four or five.

SAM: Well, why don't we get there and then we can decide, right? They said we're not going to get there for a couple days.

MARISHA: You mean to the Hellcatch?

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: Well, we have to set a route.

MATT: "It depends on if we're going to the straight south all along the mountain range."

SAM: We would start the--

LIAM: Two different directions.

SAM: -- divergence now.

MATT: "In about a day, I'd guess, maybe."

SAM: Okay, all right.

TRAVIS: Yeah, it's only four to five times worse if we go straight through.

TALIESIN: For three days.

SAM: Two times worse.

ASHLEY: Then, you know, maybe we'll get lucky.

TRAVIS: One out of 10 and one out of four?

MARISHA: Make it three and just call it--

TALIESIN: Have we ever gotten lucky?

SAM: Two and a half.

LIAM: Well, just think of what's at stake.

ASHLEY: Not that I can really recall.

TALIESIN: No.

MARISHA: We do have a new airship, it would be horrible if we destroyed it in the first five days.

TALIESIN: Your memory is a steel trap.

ASHLEY: Boy, it's a little wild up there.

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: "I only got enough room for my escape pod for myself, so it's your call. I don't have an escape pod, that's ridiculous."

TRAVIS: (laughs)

TALIESIN: I'm going to be checking that fucking ship for an escape pod.

TRAVIS: Insight check.

MATT: Make an insight check.

TRAVIS and MATT: (laugh)

TALIESIN: You think it's worth it?

SAM: We do dangerous things and we take dangerous risks and that's it.

TRAVIS: 19.

LAURA: Oh!

TRAVIS: Ooh!

SAM: Oh, what's this now? I can finish the thing I said earlier? Here's the part that I didn't read. "And your friends get the book immediately."

LIAM: That's cool.

ASHLEY and MARISHA: Oh!

SAM: That's the part I skipped last time. dndbeyond.link/CRShop.

TRAVIS: Said it, regretted it.

LAURA: I say we take our chances and go through.

SAM: Yeah.

LAURA: Cut down on time.

SAM: We're doing it.

TALIESIN: As long as for a couple days--

LAURA: Will we still go through the pass by the Gorgynei if we go straight through Hellcatch?

MATT: "I mean, we'll still pass over the jungles. There's a lot of jungles over there so it's practically the same, it's just a little more direct route."

LIAM: How many days from Yios would you say those jungles are?

MATT: "It's about seven to eight days."

LIAM: From the jungles to--?

MATT: "Oh no, from here to Yios, sorry. From the jungles? I mean... To the jungle's probably like six to seven days. About a day and a half maybe travel once you get to the jungles to get to the city proper, so."

LAURA: All right.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: "It's a maze. Sounds about right."

LIAM: So it's all endgame for the journey, more or less?

MATT: "Yeah, they're more or less in the same area as far as I know, I mean--"

SAM: How many hours before we can set off?

MATT: "Well, I mean, you just need to get the paperwork--" At this point, you see one of the Aerie Port couriers comes up, this younger, looks like 16 year old, scrawny, extremely pronounced Adam's apple, human boy, scraggly mouse-brown hair that just sits around the shoulders. You can barely see his eyes, it covers the front, and he's wearing a simpler version of the vest that Captain Tang was wearing, and walks up and is like, "Oh excuse me, I was told to deliver this over..."

SAM: Oh thank you.

MATT: "I finished your paperwork."

SAM: Thank you.

MARISHA: Here, have a--

MATT: "Ah!"

SAM: Oh.

MARISHA: Fuck, I always forget.

MATT: "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, I--"

MARISHA: Have a silver! I throw it at his forehead.

MATT: "Ah! Ow! Thanks." Picks it up and puts it in this pocket.

MARISHA: You're welcome. Begone!

MATT: "Okay!" Runs off. Xandis goes, "(laughs) I always told him there were ghosts around the docks."

MARISHA: Oh, really?

MATT: "It finally paid off."

MARISHA: Oh my god, you should've told me. I could totally do a little illusion, like really mess with him.

MATT: "Next time we come around."

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: "We just got to give him more silver. Paid off for him, literally. (laughs)"

MARISHA: That's pretty great! All right.

MATT: "Okay. Well, we got the paperwork. We're pretty much good to go wherever. We can try and do the rest of the repairs on the way and cross our fingers."

LAURA: Are we good on supplies?

SAM: The only thing--

LAURA: For such a long journey?

SAM: We might just need, just real quick before we leave, we got a ton of money, right?

LAURA: A good amount.

SAM: Can someone fast just run and get me a couple diamonds real quick?

LAURA: That would be smart to have. Didn't we get some diamonds?

SAM: I don't think so.

LAURA: We didn't get any diamonds?

TRAVIS: No, I think they supplied it for the ceremony.

LAURA: Oh.

LIAM: Right.

LAURA: Sure. What do you need? A couple 300 dollar-- gold?

SAM: It's dollar, yeah.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Yes.

LAURA: Sure. Before we go, we are going to go get some diamonds.

MATT: "Hey, you dress up however you want for the trip, I'm not going to judge you."

LAURA: I was telling you, Matt.

MATT: Oh. (laughter)

SAM: It's hard to tell because her eyes are wandering all blurry.

LAURA: Terrible. (laughter)

SAM: (as Laura) I was talking to you!

LAURA: I was talking to you, Matthew.

TRAVIS: The one in the middle.

MATT: All right.

LAURA: We need some diamonds.

MATT: Okay. Well, it gives them some time for them to get supplies for the trip, too.

LAURA: Great.

TALIESIN: Food, liquor, et cetera.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: Now for the purposes of the continuous availability of just free roaming diamonds, which is limited to a degree, I'd say you could probably acquire, and it's not a singular diamond, it's having to piecemeal smaller diamonds together to make this. I'd say you get 750 gold worth of diamonds you can compile and that's the extent of what you can find. But that's going to take you a whole 'nother day and a half.

SAM: Oh!

LAURA: Oh, what?

MATT: Because this is going around the whole town and trying to scrounge. It takes time to shop. This isn't like the Diamond Store.

SAM: How about 300 worth of diamonds?

LAURA: If we went to one jewelry store before we go, we know we're going to the fancy district and we go to a jewelry store.

SAM: Just to get one 300, or enough for 300.

MATT: A cluster of 300--

TALIESIN: In a blue box.

MATT: I'll say by the time the sun starts setting.

SAM: Okay.

TALIESIN: That's fine.

LAURA: Because here's the thing. We have some diamonds in the bag.

SAM: There's lots of contention about this.

LAURA: No, no, no, no, no.

SAM: This is a controversial topic.

ASHLEY: I know. I feel like we do, though.

LAURA: We do have diamonds. We had a bag of jewels that had some diamonds in it, but it wasn't a full amount.

LIAM: I fight with a sword.

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: Oh, I crossed it out. I think we used it.

MATT: I'm The Thumb.

SAM: I think we used it.

LAURA: We used it. We have two sapphires worth 300 gold total, and we have three emeralds worth 100 gold total. But we used our diamonds already that were in the bag.

SAM: So this would give us one bunch o' diamonds worth 300.

MATT: 300 gold.

SAM: Great.

ASHLEY: We also have a griffon flying toy, Sam.

SAM: Oh, thank you.

MATT: That's important.

TALIESIN: And a small griffon claw.

MATT: That's important, yeah.

SAM: All right. Sunset!

MATT: Okay. So as the sun is now setting over the Jrusar jungle, you gather what other simple supplies you need for the journey, what food, tack and/or--

MARISHA: I will make cookies.

SAM: Sure, sure, sure.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: Just throwing that out there.

MATT: Yeah. Do you want to make some cookies?

MARISHA: Yeah. It's a long journey.

MATT: Sure, yeah.

MARISHA: I'll make cookies on the road.

TALIESIN: Is there an oven on the--

MATT: Perfect.

TALIESIN: Okay, we'll go for it.

MARISHA: I'm assuming there are.

MATT: For the hell of it, just roll a d20. Well, just for the sake of narrative fun. Just roll a d20 and add your intelligence modifier.

LIAM: Make good cookies. Orym's counting on you.

MARISHA: 11.

MATT: 11? Yeah, they come out fine.

MARISHA: No, 10. Oh, the cookies?

MATT: 10?

MATT: Yeah. It's not a super high DC. It's more--

MARISHA: It's cookies.

MATT: It's more the swing to see if they're like--

MARISHA: I don't know, I burned a chicken the other night.

MATT: Incredible or abysmal. These are great. These are totally passable cookies, yeah.

MARISHA: They're not Eshteross', but--

LIAM: Are there crispy or chewy?

LAURA: While we were at the jewelry store, is it possible to see if they have a ruby worth 400 gold?

SAM: No, they're not.

MATT: A singular ruby?

LAURA: I need to find a ruby worth 400.

LIAM: This is high fantasy, but not that high.

MATT: I will say roll a d20, add your investigation.

LAURA: Oh yeah. Just dog shit. Just dog shit. Six. No. Yeah. Six.

MATT: So you find one, but it's going to take a longer time. So we'll say by the early morning tomorrow, you have to wait for the shops to open by the time you get there.

MARISHA: For what are we waiting for?

SAM: Some ruby.

LAURA: Like a fancy ruby. If I enlist Ashton's help and FCG's help, they've been in the city longer, would they know of somewhere to--

MATT: I would say they probably aren't too familiar with any of the higher end jewel crafters.

LAURA: The fancy stuff.

SAM: What's a ruby?

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: All right.

MATT: But if you want to, you can totally do it, but it'll take you by the morning to do so. So you'll spend one more night.

LAURA: I don't want to hold us up just for that, so.

TALIESIN: What if we just sit overnight in the fancy district and wait for someone to walk by who looks like they might have something on them--

MARISHA: Yeah, let's just mug someone.

MATT: Do you want to mug somebody?

TALIESIN: I mean, in general, yeah.

ASHLEY: I can help.

LAURA: I'm not going to mug someone.

SAM: ♪ I want to mug somebody ♪

LAURA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Just going to give them a memory.

ASHLEY: Well. we probably need it more than they do.

SAM: Okay. No ruby. We're going.

MATT: No ruby, or one more night for the ruby?

LAURA: I'm not going to hold everybody up just so I can get some fucking ruby.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: We'll keep an eye out.

MATT: It's your call.

TALIESIN: We'll keep an eye out.

MATT: Maybe when you get to Yios you can try and find one.

LAURA: Yes. I need one, but yes, I will hold off.

MATT: But you're holding off? Okay, last chance.

LAURA: I'm holding off.

MATT: All right, holding off. So the evening begins to press on The sun vanishes beyond the western horizon across the Serpentwind Peaks. You get onto the ship, the materials have been set. More of the repairs have been completed. It looks like it's still one sail partially down, but they're still working on it as they go. They can't really repair it while it's in flight, but if it were to make a break, they can try and do it when they arrive at the destination. But they're ready if you are.

TALIESIN: Is the broken sail going to slow us down at all?

MATT: "It's not really going to slow us down in the moment, but if anything... The winds get unruly, if we end up being harried by elementals or if, I don't know, the storm comes and tries to tear us apart, then it might make it a little more difficult to avoid some of these things or get back safely. But you know, we're not taking the more-- We are taking the more dangerous route. Yeah, yeah, you know, it's-- Eh, you only live once, right?"

LIAM: Last minute pitch. We're taking the direct route. It's faster. It's more dangerous. You want to find a ruby.

TALIESIN: I think just find the fucking ruby.

LIAM: Stay one night, fix the... You said like a day to get that up and running, is that?

MATT: "Yeah. If we work part way into the night and get back into it in the morning, we could have it done by about noon tomorrow."

TALIESIN: What if we threw our Chetney at you? Our old person.

MATT: "Are you good at sail repairs? You got a lot of time on a ship?"

TRAVIS: Does it involve wood?

MATT: "Parts of it do."

TRAVIS: I love working with wood.

MATT: "Well then, welcome aboard the Silver Sun once again Mr. Chetney, woodworker."

TRAVIS: Pock O'Pea, C-POP Industries. It's a growing business. I'll be here. I'll get us in time. Half the time needed. We'll be ready by sunrise.

MATT: "I like his gusto."

TALIESIN: We'll see.

LAURA: All right.

LIAM: Compromise. We'll take the faster route, but we'll prepare for a day to make sure that we're best prepared.

LAURA: Okay.

ASHLEY: That's a good idea.

LAURA: Then I will buy a ruby.

TALIESIN: You get another night of sleep.

MARISHA: I get another night of sleep! I'm less dead!

MATT: Negative one. All right. So you are able to find by the morning the ruby that you seek. Imogen, you got your ruby.

LAURA: Mm-hmm. Cheney, as you are helping the crew, you are specifically helping out the deck hands Terana and Gordi, with Khalil overseeing, while Xandis is handling all the final gathering of materials and supplies. Go ahead and make a d20 check, adding your proficiency modifier and your dexterity modifier.

TRAVIS: Proficiency and dexterity.

LAURA: And it doesn't consume it.

TRAVIS: 19.

MATT: 19, not bad at all. Yeah. With your help on top of the rest of the deckhands, by the time you finish your shopping by the morning and the rest of you have whatever the supplies you need before you go, the sails are pretty much repaired. They're not polished, they're not perfect, but you can always handle that down the road, if need be. But these are definitely--

TRAVIS: I work so fast, I'm covered in a blizzard of wood chips and shrapnel, but fresh nicks all over my body because it had to get done. (heavy sigh)

LAURA: Good job, Chetney.

MARISHA: You cut yourself a lot.

TRAVIS: I become one with the wood in the moment. It's like a dance.

LIAM: I'm imagining him shirtless with wood chips caught in his curly little--

TRAVIS: Oh yeah.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah. (laughs)

TALIESIN: He's rolling around on the floor.

TRAVIS: ♪ I need a hero ♪ (laughter)

LIAM: New Old Spice ad. (laughter)

TRAVIS: ♪ He's gotta be strong ♪

LAURA: While we were here, Laudna--

TALIESIN: Happy Arbor Day.

LAURA: -- I hand you a giant bag 'o gold. I was saving 3,333 gold for you from the hoard that we got.

MARISHA: That's a lot of gold.

LAURA: Yeah, well, it's your share.

MARISHA: Oh, thank you. I don't think I've ever seen that much money ever. I don't know what to do with this. Thank you. 3,000 what?

LAURA: 3,333.

MARISHA: 3,333.

MATT: "All right, you crazy reprobates, you got your stuff in line, got your materials in, finished all your stealing, your thieving, anything else you're doing here in the city."

SAM: (whisper shouting) Hey! When you went to get the ruby, could you get me a couple of fancy coins? could you get me a couple of fancy coins?

LAURA: What do you mean?

SAM: Just like...

TALIESIN: Like commemorative?

SAM: Yeah, like commemorative coins.

LAURA: Like fancy-ass coins?

SAM: Yeah, gold coins that are fancy.

LAURA: Here, have a couple gold coins.

TALIESIN: That's just a coin.

SAM: No, but I need them to equal 25 gold pieces. So it's either you stack 25 gold pieces, or you give me one fancy gold coin that's commemorative.

LAURA: Can they do--

SAM: I don't know.

LAURA: I'll look for that while I'm there at a fucking jewelry store. What, like a big-ass gold coin?

SAM: Maybe.

LAURA: Do you have a really expensive gold coin?

MATT: "I'm not entirely certain. That's not really our specialty."

SAM: Just get me anything that's worth 25 gold.

MATT: "I can look into it." Make an investigation check.

LAURA: Do you need a coin?

SAM: I just need something worth 25 gold.

LAURA: And you wanted a coin?

SAM: Well, I just assumed that that would be a thing.

TRAVIS: I've made that mistake before.

LAURA: What am I rolling?

MATT: Investigation once more.

MARISHA: I wasn't going to say it.

TRAVIS: Uh-huh.

LAURA: 13.

MATT: 13. A little bit of a detour, but you do manage to find, we'll say a 25, 26 gold worth commemorative coin that is other coins melted down and it's emblazoned with the symbol of the Jrusar-- Actually specifically--

LAURA: Give me money for it.

SAM: I have no money.

MATT: -- the Variant Coinstores of Duman. It has the Duman logo printed into it. It was once used as an emblem of the Coinstores of Duman, but they changed the emblem about 20 years ago, so now it's more of just a memorial coin of a point in history.

SAM: Duman memorial coin.

MATT: Yes.

LAURA: Oh!

SAM: Cool.

LAURA: It was an M&M and I was expecting a Skittle.

SAM: Great. All right. Sorry to interrupt you Xandis, keep going.

TALIESIN: You could've just gotten him a commemorative plate, he wouldn't know.

LIAM: Could you also, when you're out, could you get me a peanut butter protein smoothie? (laughter)

LIAM: Thank you. Ready!

TALIESIN: Silver. I got it.

MATT: "All right. We've got our business done?"

SAM: Yeah, yeah, yeah, go. Let's go.

MATT: "Fantastico. All right. That being the case, welcome on board your skyship, I suppose."

LAURA: I got one, too.

MATT: "I am your humble Captain Xandis once again, happy to be working and seeing your faces. Appreciate what you've done in the past to keep us from spiraling out of the sky and exploding in a fiery wreck. So continue to do that, please. If you have any problems, any questions, any concerns, tell somebody else. I don't care. They'll tell me. If it's important, I'll come talk to you. Otherwise, hope it's comfortable, hope you like the food, hope you like the view. I guess let's shove off for not entirely comfortable skies, hey?"

LIAM: To the skies! (laughter)

TRAVIS: Oh jeez.

MATT: "Oh boy."

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

TALIESIN: What is wrong with you?

MATT: With that...

LIAM: There's a lot of sugar in this.

TALIESIN: God. (laughter)

MATT: The Silver Sun unmoors from the Aerie Spire Skyport and begins to shift and head towards the south, southwestern direction, the familiar view of the jungles below as you begin to push outward in the direction of escape from the Oderan Wilds, towards the dust-covered, danger-laden realm of the Hellcatch Valley. So now we are on the journey. This is an 1,100 mile journey.

TRAVIS: Little less.

LAURA: Little less, cause we're going over Hellcatch.

MATT: Right.

TALIESIN: Mille Bornes and change.

MATT: We'll scoot through this with as much haste as we can amass.

SAM: Sure.

TRAVIS: Not too much. C'mon, white dragon!

ASHLEY: (laughs)

MATT: Technically, you're getting into this early afternoon-ish, the first day of travel, including a night, and the next morning, I need somebody to roll d20 for me.

LIAM: Someone on that side say it!

MARISHA: I'll do it! He'll do it!

SAM: Oop, we got Orym on it.

TRAVIS: Okay! d20?

LIAM: Do a bunch of these.

TRAVIS: 10!

MATT: 10, all right.

TRAVIS: 16!

MARISHA: Was it 10 or 16?

TRAVIS: No, it's a 16, I can't read.

MATT: Okay, that's great.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: The first day of travel goes by swimmingly. The view over the Hellcatch, from the distance you can see it creeping upon the horizon as the jungle still is this verdant green carpet beneath you. You can see just the distant views of elongated strips of waterfalls that are pushing off the mountain edges and vanishing beneath the canopy below. You can see the elements of the mountains pushing inward as the gorge that holds this jungle begins to press closer as the gorge that holds this jungle begins to press closer and closer to where you come towards the end of the valley. Second day, who wants to roll a d20?

LIAM: Go down the line.

LAURA: You're up.

MARISHA: I'll do the big one. 18.

MATT: 18, okay.

TALIESIN: You're also at zero now.

LAURA: Yeah. You've recovered.

MARISHA: Yes! Yes!

TALIESIN: ♪ (Zelda find item sound) ♪

LAURA: You feel more like yourself?

MARISHA: Feeling a little bit better, yes. Thank you.

MATT: Second day seems to go by--

TRAVIS: (imitates stabbing)

MARISHA: (gasps)

MATT: -- fair enough. But Laudna's missing...

MARISHA: Start over. (laughter)

TRAVIS: I've been waiting for you to heal up!

LIAM: Over the edge.

MATT: Which for the record, if any of these days transpire and you want to try something, have a conversation, cast a spell, whatever the case may be, feel free to jump in.

MARISHA: I assume that I'm staring at my little glowy orb, my seeking orb quite often.

MATT: Fair enough. No worries.

LIAM: Total fluff, but Orym every morning after he does 200 squats, goes out to the front of the deck and practices the Zeph'aeratam. Pulling it out.

TRAVIS: Doing fucking Murph over here.

TALIESIN: Look at that healthy life on graph paper.

MATT: Quads hurt from just hearing that.

TRAVIS: Nobody does that. Nobody does that in their right mind.

MATT: All righty. The third day begins to come around, and at this point the varying green carpet is now passing below. As you hit the sudden and hard cliff edge that drops off into the valley itself. The ever sprawling greenery and visual of bright colorful life begins to turn to beige and gray and brown. Along the edges of the mountains, you can see the cliff sides become more sheer and the heavier clouds of wind and small localized dust kick-ups and dust devils can be immediately visible, as if the topography seems to adjust in a very hard and immediate way. But you've made this journey once before. It's familiar to you. The day goes without issue. Third day. Let's have somebody else roll.

TRAVIS: Come on!

SAM: Three.

LAURA: (gasps)

MATT: Three. I need you to roll a d6 for me...

TRAVIS: (shouts) Yeah!

LAURA: Come on!

TRAVIS: Yes!

SAM: One.

MATT and MARISHA: One.

LAURA: White dragon.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: (yelps) His eyebrows went up! Did you see it?

ASHLEY: Yeah, I saw it.

LIAM: Going on summer vacation.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: Oh boy.

MATT: No.

TRAVIS and MARISHA: (laugh)

LIAM: Yeah, no, you're going to die.

TRAVIS: Uh-oh.

MATT: The journey, as clean as it has been, begins to shift, as an unexpected, almost unseen cloud of dust begins to fill the sky and Xandis begins to yell out loudly across the way. "Well, you chose this route and I guess it's already starting to get angry, so hold on tight. We're going to push through this storm. Big dust, big wind, you know the drill. Please stay on this time."

LAURA: Oh god.

TRAVIS: Oh shit.

TALIESIN: We should probably--

LAURA: Strap ourselves in, yeah. Hold on tighter than we did in the last time.

ASHLEY: Very tight.

MATT: So in the moment, what precautions are you taking?

TRAVIS: I have 50 feet of rope. I'm going to cut it into 10-foot sections. Whoop boop boop, who wants rope?

TALIESIN: What for?

TRAVIS: Well, fucking figure it out. Here, I'll toss it out. I tie one little corner into my leather harness and I find the railing and I tie it off.

MARISHA: All right, I'll make a little--

LAURA: Yeah, same, same--

ASHLEY: I'll also get a kind of, yeah.

SAM: Grappling line to tie myself to something.

LIAM: I'm going to use my own 50-foot rope to tether to the mast so I can move about the ship still, while being tied to it.

MATT: You got it. All righty. So just so you guys know, when you say mast, if you remember the skyship doesn't have a central mast, it has the side masks where the sails are on. So if you wanted to affix to one of those to give you some side motion, you can do that.

LIAM: Tied to one, I can cross the mast with 50 feet of rope? I can cross to the other side of the ship?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

LIAM: How wide is it?

MATT: It's pretty close. I'd have to look at it again to measure appropriately, but it's somewhere between 50 to 60 feet.

LIAM: So I grab a segment of Chetney's rope and I make it a 60-foot rope.

LAURA: (laughs) Jeez.

MATT: Okay. Okay.

MARISHA: I take a little bit of my red ribbon and I tie Pâté to it, and I throw him into the air and I fly him like a kite.

MATT: He goes, "Ahh! This is crazy!" (laughter)

MATT: Coughing dust out of the skull mouth.

SAM: Oh god.

TRAVIS: Are you trying to kill him?

MARISHA: He's already dead.

MATT: "I'm a kite!" (laughter)

MATT: All right. So I will need a group strength check. Because of the rope, it is a lower DC. So not terribly hard, but let's see how your luck holds out.

MARISHA: This is not going to be good.

LIAM: Nope.

LAURA: Nope. (laughs)

ASHLEY: Oh wow.

MARISHA: Oh, it's not bad for Laudna.

LAURA: Oh no.

MATT: All right, go around the table here.

TRAVIS: Five.

TALIESIN: What?

LIAM: Wow.

TRAVIS: It's a bad roll.

MARISHA: 15.

SAM: You're good.

MARISHA: Strength minus two by the way, just a reminder. Keep going.

SAM: 13.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: I rolled a three minus two for strength, so that's a one.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Oof.

LAURA: I rolled three.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Three.

SAM and MARISHA: Oh!

TALIESIN: 22, what the fuck is wrong with you? (laughter)

LIAM: Flex!

SAM: That's four kills at least.

MATT: So you're tied to both masts?

LIAM: No, one mast.

MATT: Okay, one mast.

TRAVIS: He's got a long-ass leash.

LIAM: So that I can-- I have a leash, long leash.

TRAVIS: You're a tether ball.

MATT: Perfect. And the rest of you are tied to your rope?

LAURA: No, no, no. All of us are tied separately to the rails.

SAM: Individual tethers.

LAURA: Individually.

MATT: Got you.

TRAVIS: Wrists, ankles, belts.

MATT: Okay, so you've cut up your 50-foot--

TRAVIS: 50-foot into a five 10-foot sections.

MATT: Make sure you mark that your 50-foot rope is now--

TRAVIS: It's toast.

MATT: Separate sets, yeah.

TRAVIS: I got a couple.

MATT: For those of you that rolled under an eight, which is a lot of you.

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

MARISHA: What'd you roll?

SAM: 13.

MARISHA: Okay, so one, two, three...

MATT: You hold on and as the wind gusts come... (wind blows) Heavy hits. Xandis has their goggles over-- "It's all right, I got a good feeling about this one! It's going to go great." They quickly hit the side and spin the wheel as one big gust slams into the side to try and counteract it as it does the heavy impact hits, and those of you who rolled under an eight, you lose your grip and just vault into the air, about to be flung from the ship before the rope (tears) cracks--

LAURA and MARISHA: (gasps)

MATT: At your back, you're now just hanging off the side, whack, whack, whack, under the side of the ship. You've all been vaulted off the edge and are just being yo-yo tossed into the side of the ship.

LAURA: (laughs)

SAM: Oh god.

MATT: There's just this group of screams of both pain and fear from those rollers. (screaming)

SAM: What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?

MARISHA: I'll go ahead and Feather Fall on all of them to at least make it.... Maybe they're like helium balloons.

LAURA: Less?

MATT: Okay! So, yeah, yeah.

TRAVIS: Like Mylar balloons.

LIAM: I'm instantly a kite. I'm on 60 feet of ropes, so I'm--

MATT: The rest of them go from slamming into the side to just flinging behind, and you just go...

LIAM: I start to cast Gust immediately to try to just stay on a steady path behind the rope.

TRAVIS: It's like sneezing in a hurricane.

MARISHA: (impact, groans)

TRAVIS: (sneezes) (laughter)

MATT: And then from your distance, too, you can see the ship shape, but your vision is pretty obscure at this point and you're just having to squint as hard as you can as it's tugging. For all the rest of you who rolled under that, the Feather Fall's making sure that the tension isn't being held against the rope, which is good, so I'm not going to have to roll to see if it snaps. I'll say that you don't lose anybody for this journey, but you do, unfortunately, slow down. The storm does slow you down because of the group failure. So that adds a day of travel. (groaning)

TRAVIS: Damn it, FCG!

SAM: Me? What do I do? (laughter)

LAURA: You rolled the storm.

TRAVIS: (ominously) You rolled the storm.

MARISHA: Sounds pretty badass.

SAM: Roll, storm, roll.

TRAVIS: Roll storm.

MATT: The storm does eventually pass. It lasts for a number of hours and at times it's worse than others, but Xandis had to do some corrective steering along the way and blew off course a bit and is now having to get back on track. So roughly a day was lost in the journey, unfortunately. But beyond that, thanks to your ingenuity, you didn't lose anybody overboard again.

LAURA: Good job, Chet.

TRAVIS: No problem. Keeping us together like wood glue.

MATT and LAURA: (laugh)

SAM: Rope is like--

TRAVIS: Don't roll your eyes. That's how it starts.

MATT: For the fourth day, I need someone to roll a d20 for me.

LAURA: ♪ (fanfare) ♪

ASHLEY: 18. 19.

MATT: 19, fantastic.

ASHLEY: I can't read either. I'm old.

MATT: The fourth day seems to go by over without serious issue. No storms. A little more clouded in the sky than you left the Oderan Wilds, but still primarily blue with just tufts of white and the occasional light gray. Bit of precipitation that's not about to alleviate itself in the form of a heavy rain or storm. As the night comes around, and you're resting throughout the deck of the ship, those of you who are on the surface notice a strange, reddish glow that seems to emanate from the sky.

MARISHA: It's a flare.

MATT: Glancing in that space, you see the normally dark, ruddy shape of Ruidus is in mid-flair.

MARISHA: Imogen?

MATT: Imogen, while you're resting in the middle of your sleep, a dream of your own making, if you want to describe what dream you're in the midst of right now. A good dream, a medium dream, whatever it may be, what are you dreaming of?

LAURA: Oh! That's wonderful. I'm dreaming of Laudna and I in a hut outside of one of the towns that we we stayed outside of for a couple of weeks. And I guess it's because of the cookies that Laudna just baked, but I'm dreaming that we're baking.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Did the flare happen while we were awake?

MATT: For any of you that were conscious and above on the deck of the ship, you can decide, we'll say probably those two definitely.

ASHLEY: I was there.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Because if I saw it, I would've at least asked if you wanted company for your dream states tonight.

MATT: Well, the flare happened while she was sleeping.

SAM: Okay, then never mind.

MATT: This is those who were up late keeping watch.

SAM: Got it, got it, got it, never mind.

MATT: As you are in the process of stoking the flames of this oven within a hut, and as you know, to cook something within a hut which is generally made of flammable thatch, there's a very enclosed, smaller wood-burning furnace type of a thing there. And as you reach in and push for it, the heat gets really intense and you pull back because the heat on your face is extreme. And as you pull back, the whole room, all the candlelight went from orange to a deep, deep red.

LAURA: Oh no. I look for Laudna.

MATT: And you look around and Laudna's not in the room but the door's open. And outside of the hut you just see a red cloud. (wind blowing)

LAURA: You have control. I'm going to step outside the hut.

MATT: Okay. You step outside the hut, and there the storm is around you. You can hear the impact of it. The hut itself creaking and elements of it being pulled away from the sheer intensity of the wind. You can just barely see the shadow of a shape walking in the storm away from the hut and away from you.

LAURA: I chase after the figure.

MATT: You chase after the figure and you run and you see the darkened clothed shape of what looks like Laudna, the dark hair moving into the wind, just still walking away from you.

LAURA: No. Laudna!

MATT: No response, just keeps walking.

LAURA: I'm going to will myself to move faster.

MATT: Okay. You will yourself to move faster and as you're running, your feet begin to scrape and almost leave the ground, like you're occasionally touching with the tips as you glide in a forward motion to where within just a brief moment, you are right at the back of this figure.

LAURA: Laudna?

MATT: Do you reach out and touch it?

LAURA: Mm-hmm.

MATT: You touch it and it spins around. And what was the black outfit of Laudna turns around, and instead is a darkened ruffled cloak. And you see what you thought was Laudna's hair blowing was tattered shreds of some sort of a funeral shroud or some sort of a deep midnight cloak. And as it spins around, you see this scraggly hair in a lavender-like color. And that memory that unlocked, you immediately recognize this to be the face of your mother. And she looks back to you and goes, "You need to run." While that's happening, Chetney, I need you to roll a wisdom saving throw for me.

SAM: What?

LAURA: Oh, it's the moon!

LIAM: Moon shit.

TRAVIS: I'm your mom!

LAURA: Oh!

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA and LIAM: Ah-woo.

LAURA: Ah-woo!

TRAVIS: Do I get advantage because it's against magic? No.

LIAM: ♪ Werewolves of Wildemount ♪

LAURA: Oh my god, what if my mom is a werewolf?

ASHLEY: Uh-oh.

LAURA: Oh no.

TRAVIS: Six.

LAURA: Oh no!

TRAVIS: Six, six.

MATT: So. You've concentrated on this at moments in the past, and you've thought about it, you know, the curse that you hold, for those who'd call it a curse. It is tethered to the history of Catha, and the transformations have always been pulled by that massive white silver glow in the sky. by that massive white silver glow in the sky. Ruidus didn't seem to have much of an impact, but as you've been focusing, and been present, and more conscious of these flares, there's always just a little itch in your belly. Like you ate something that's a little off, or there's a bubble that's trying to force itself up to a burp, but you can't quite force it through. It's simple.

ASHLEY: Whoops.

MATT: But this time, the itch gets stronger, and stronger, until you can't help but try and scratch for it. Your fingers go for it, you scratch for the itch, and you scratch, and you scratch, and you pull, and you tear, and you tear. Those of you who are on the surface, which right now is Fearne and Orym, which right now is Fearne and Orym, you, especially, with your perception, see Chetney begin to double over, and clutch his stomach.

LIAM: (sword unsheathing) Chet? I'm going to get about 20, 25 feet away. Chet, can you talk to me? Okay, okay.

MATT: You have to pull, you have to be free, you have to scratch this itch, you have to scratch, there's no way.

ASHLEY: Chet.

MATT: This has to be, it has to be set free, it has to be free, it has to be free. The two of you watch as, from behind, he tears the flesh away from his torso, and as you watch the skin and hair of the gnomish form flop away like a discarded costume, the wolven body of Chetney emerges in an angry, aggressive howl, before he spins around, the eyes now emanating a dull red glow.

LIAM: Oh, come on--

MATT: Who do you go after first, Chetney?

MARISHA: Whoa!

LAURA: Woo!

TRAVIS: Holy shit. (clears throat) Who's closer?

LIAM: I am, I just, I approached.

MATT: Right now, it's Orym.

TRAVIS: I go after Orym.

ASHLEY: Oh!

MATT: All right. (laughter)

MATT: Claws--

SAM: Throw him off the ship!

TRAVIS: (laughs)

MATT: Claws free, make your attacks against Orym.

TRAVIS: Oh wow, okay, oh no, all right, sure. That is, yeah, these are just claw attacks, so, 19 to hit.

LIAM: It just hits, yeah.

TRAVIS: Okay.

LAURA: Ooh!

TRAVIS: That's only 12 to hit.

LIAM: Oh, it does not hit, no.

TRAVIS: The third with the bonus action is 20 to hit.

LIAM: Yep, that's two hits.

TRAVIS: (excited nervous laugh) That's eight points, and oh, only six, so 14 points of slashing damage, and with, yeah, no, just, yeah, yeah, 14 points of slashing damage, yeah.

LIAM: But on the miss, I'm going to use my Riposte battle maneuver, and slash back at him under the neck.

TRAVIS: ♪ Under the neck ♪

LIAM: That hits. That's a 17 plus. That's a 25 to hit.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: All right.

LIAM: Okay, so, sorry.

LAURA: Ah, hee hoo hoo.

SAM: This is the fight I've always wanted to see.

LIAM: New maneuver, who dis? Superiority die. Okay, so, hits. 24, 28 for us--

TRAVIS: Your sword is magical, right?

LIAM: No, it's not, 16 points of damage.

TRAVIS: So, eight points of damage.

LIAM: No, it's not.

TRAVIS: The sword is magical, right?

LIAM: Mine, it's not.

MATT: It's not.

MATT: Yeah, so, half damage.

SAM: Wow.

TRAVIS: (growls)

MARISHA: We got to fix that.

MATT: So as the pain strikes in, the claw marks across your cheek, and across your shoulder, you manage to deflect one of the strikes with your shield, and then come in, and strike underneath. As you cut, you're expecting flesh, but you get leather. The hide is stronger than you expected, and as you withdraw the blade, there is blood, but not as much as you expected for such a precise strike.

LIAM: Fearne, can you help me get a handle on this?

ASHLEY: Okay.

MATT: So since he got the opening strike, I'm going to have you both roll initiative to figure out which of you two get to go in order.

LIAM: Oh, I've got advantage. Not much better.

ASHLEY: Nine.

LIAM: 15.

MATT: Okay, so, Orym gets to go, then Fearne, and then we're back to you.

LIAM: How much damage was that to me, by the way?

TRAVIS: 14.

MATT: 14, yeah.

LIAM: Thank you.

LAURA: Oh shit.

LIAM: Okay. Okay, so I will use a-- No, I'll wait on that. Sorry, what I was about to just say.

MATT: It was 14.

LIAM: Shit. Where is all my shit? God, it's been a while.

LAURA: ♪ It's been a while ♪

LIAM: ♪ Been a while ♪ All right, so I'm going again.

TRAVIS: What, Ruidus, what? What? It's just Ruidus, though!

LIAM: All right, I'm going to make a goading attack.

LAURA: Oh, it's a flare.

LIAM: That is a miss. I'm going do little Xs here. So, second attack is an 18 to hit.

TRAVIS: That'll hit because I don't have my mallet out.

LIAM: Okay, that is a goading attack, so you have to beat a wisdom save of 16.

TRAVIS: ♪ 16, ♪ ♪ and the weekly top 40! ♪ 13. (laughter)

LIAM: Okay, so anything on Fearne is at disadvantage. You take--

LAURA: (laughs)

LIAM: Four plus five is.

TRAVIS: This is what it's like at home. Sorry. Forgot we were filming.

LIAM: Plus nine. Total of 12, so, halved to six. I'll, after getting knocked back, and slashing under the chin, I'll take my blade, and then shove it down through his foot--

LAURA: Ah!

LIAM: Into the deck of the ship.

MATT: Okay.

TRAVIS: Oof.

LIAM: And hold the shield up in front of his fucking jaws.

TRAVIS: That's awesome. That's awesome.

LIAM: I'll hold-- No, Action Surge. 18.

MATT: 18 hits?

TRAVIS: Oh yeah.

LIAM: Okay. Is there anything that would be helpful right now? Are we by the side of the ship or center? Just so I don't.

MATT: I'd say you are closer to the center. You may have been kind of close, not at the edge, but a little closer to the edge.

TRAVIS: I was on near the rail.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: Okay. I'm not going to do that.

MATT: Just kick him off of it. (laughs)

LIAM: I could maybe get him off, but I'm not going to do that. I'm going do a tripping attack--

TRAVIS: (howls)

LIAM: I'm going to try to knock him down. So, I'm down here, put the shield up, I've just stabbed. I'm going to then yank it out, and bring it, and slash into the side of his leg, and try to use the force of it to knock him down. So that is now a strength save.

TRAVIS: Oh. 19.

LIAM: That saves, so you do not get tripped. That is, 10 plus--

TRAVIS: Come on.

LIAM: 18 points of damage.

MATT: So take nine.

LIAM: So, I slash into your ankle, and then I get it in, so, I don't trip you down, and you hold against it.

TRAVIS: It's fine.

LIAM: But then I'm just going to yank, and try to dig a cut even deeper into your leg. This is the last attack.

MATT: Hmm.

LIAM: That's a natural 20.

SAM and TRAVIS: Ooh!

LAURA: Oh man!

SAM: Do I get a little boost even though I'm asleep?

MATT: (laughs) Sure, you roll over nicely. (laughter)

LIAM: I'm going to-- Would you allow me to, if I make this a pushing attack, to be in the same space? No, he has to be larger. Never mind.

SAM: He is larger. When he's a wolf, isn't he?

LIAM: Because you're wolf sized?

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'm regular--

MATT: Medium sized.

LIAM: So, since I'm smaller, can I get under him, and use a pushing attack to shove him towards center of ship?

MATT: Sure. Yeah, if you want to try that.

LIAM: Yeah, and then this gets extra sauce, so that's doubled. Two is four. Whoops, whoops, no, that's the wrong die, Liam. I've been using the wrong die all this time.

LAURA: Jeez, Liam!

LIAM: Add.

TALIESIN: (gasps)

TRAVIS: I am tied to the side of the ship, though, by a rope.

LIAM: Yeah.

TALIESIN, MATT, MARISHA, and LIAM: Are you still tied?

MARISHA: It's been several days.

TRAVIS: Oh, oh!

MATT: Yeah, this is--

TRAVIS: Oh, sorry.

MARISHA: Okay, yeah.

MATT: Yeah, the storm's passed, so.

SAM: Why is Chetney still tied?

TALIESIN: Don't tell him he can stop!

MARISHA: He's so committed to it--

TRAVIS: I don't trust myself! (laughter)

MARISHA: Someone bring him some water.

LIAM: It was 21.

MARISHA: Put it in a dog bowl.

LIAM: That last one, the final attack is 24 points of damage.

LAURA: Jeez!

TRAVIS: Whoa!

LIAM: With the natural 20.

TRAVIS: With the crit. Yeah.

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: So, it's 12 points of damage to you.

TRAVIS: Damn.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Oh, and it was a pushing attack.

TRAVIS: Yep.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: So, strength save.

TRAVIS: It's a permanent--

MATT: Strength save to see--

LIAM: Again.

TRAVIS: Oh, not as good, five.

LIAM: So, you get shoved 15 feet.

MATT: To the center of the deck.

LIAM: To the center of the deck.

MATT: Towards Fearne.

TRAVIS: Do I fall?

MATT: No.

LIAM: No, nah, I'm getting you away from the edge. I don't want to kill you.

TRAVIS: Oh, gotcha.

LIAM: That's the end of my turn, finally, I turn around--

MATT: Slips between your legs, and then it hits you, the shield in the back, and you stumble forward into the center of the ship.

LIAM: Mm.

MATT: All right, as we get to Fearne's turn, you hear Xandis go, "Ah, what?" (laughter)

ASHLEY: We'll take care of it. It's fine.

MATT: "Okay!"

TRAVIS: (growls)

MATT: What you got, Fearne?

ASHLEY: I am going to-- Take my staff, and slam it on the ground, touch the top of it, and point it at Chet, and I'm going to cast Daylight.

MARISHA: Yes, I was saying that--

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Yes, really, I was thinking that! (laughter) (generalized ramblings)

LAURA: He looks pissed!

TRAVIS: Whoa, whoa.

ASHLEY: I'm going to cast it, and I'm going to put my hand down, and I'm going to say: Hey, big guy, the moon's getting real low. (laughter and clapping) (laughter and clapping)

ASHLEY: Aiming my staff staff out.

MATT: Okay, you know what? I'll allow you to make another wisdom saving throw.

TRAVIS: Okay, okay, okay. I'll waive the advantage on magic because I like this one. 13 plus with, 14.

MATT: What's your saving?

ASHLEY: Doesn't save, 16.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: All right, so, you see him try and resist. This is less against your spell DC, this is about, this is against the DC of the influence that you're on. So, you, as soon as the bright light hits, and you're holding the Daylight spell, you see of him recoil and wince, and almost claws at the wolven face, leaving these trails of light blood, where he's almost clawing at his own eyes. There's a brief moment where you see the face go a little slack, and the breathing go from a growl to a (pants) You see this is having an effect, but then, (impact) the eyes go back to red, and the growl kicks in. So, is that your turn?

TRAVIS and LIAM: (laugh)

TRAVIS: (growls)

LAURA: Oops.

SAM: Does it, Daylight, do anything, like cause damage, or is it just--?

MATT: It just creates a 60-foot radius sphere of daylight, which can affect things that are affected by daylight, or creatures that have sunlight sensitivity. But in this instance--

TALIESIN: Are we sleeping through all this? Is this is what's happening right now?

MARISHA: Are we asleep?

SAM and MATT: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Okay.

ASHLEY: Oops. I didn't mean to do that.

MATT: Yeah, everyone else. That was whoever was on the surface.

TALIESIN: Goddamn.

ASHLEY: Let me see, I'm done.

LIAM: (like Jack Nicholson) Have you ever danced with the devil in the red moonlight? (laughter)

MARISHA: Doesn't really happen till 2:00am.

ASHLEY: That's my turn. I'm going to keep shining it on him.

MATT: All right. Chetney. Who do you go after next?

TRAVIS: I have a sword in my foot, right?

MATT: No, you got--

LIAM: No, I pulled that out, slashed a couple times, and then stabbed you in the back, and kicked you towards center of ship.

TRAVIS: Well, I got the high beam in my face, so I'm going to go towards that stimuli.

MATT: All right, so after Fearne.

TRAVIS: (snarls)

MATT: All right.

LAURA: Oh god!

MATT: So, go for your attacks against Fearne in whatever order you'd like. Because they are against Fearne, and the goading attack succeeded, you have disadvantage on your strikes.

TRAVIS: Got it.

LIAM: Because I'm such a dick to you, you dick. (laughter)

TRAVIS: I am not doing this, this one was cocked. Oh, but it's a six. Six-- 14 to hit?

ASHLEY: No.

TRAVIS: Okay. Oh, those are both 17s. 25 to hit?

ASHLEY: That hits.

TRAVIS: Okay.

MATT: The first strike, the bright light, you put forward in the face, and then (pained groan). Strike out in the middle of nowhere.

ASHLEY: Drop it! (laughter)

TRAVIS: The last one also misses. It's a 14, which is--

ASHLEY: Great.

TRAVIS: So, it-- one, two, three. No!

MATT: (laughs)

TRAVIS: Five plus five, 10 points of slashing damage.

ASHLEY: Okay.

SAM: Rawr!

TRAVIS: I'm not thinking clearly, I'm just attacking, right? I wouldn't be doing any extra shit.

MATT: As far as your consciousness goes, you just have to scratch the itch.

TRAVIS: Right.

MATT: And the itch is from everywhere. Now there's light in front of you, and it's making the itch worse, you have to scratch it.

TRAVIS: Yeah, I'm just picking something, and scratching at it.

MATT: Correct.

TRAVIS: Got it, okay.

MATT: Yeah, this is--

TRAVIS: There's no thought.

MATT: This is just primal impulse and instinct.

TRAVIS: Ah, it feels good.

MATT: You've been here a few times, but this is an odd timing.

TRAVIS: Got it.

MATT: So, with that, you manage to put the light out in front, and Chetney's claws are going wide, and barely missing you, and then one gets you in the middle of the stomach and chest as you push away, and you can feel the wound begin to bleed beneath. Oh, that was a tough hit.

ASHLEY: Ooh!

MATT: Orym, you're up. (laughter)

LIAM: Okay, Orym starts sprinting low in an arc around Chetney to Fearne.

TRAVIS: Awesome.

LIAM: And grabs her. Puts the shield around her big goat thigh, and spins her out of the way, and I do Bait and Switch, and get her behind me, me in front, between the two. I'll take the armor class bonus.

MATT: All righty.

LIAM: So, I'm at plus eight! Motherfucker!

SAM: Oh my god.

LAURA: Woo!

MATT: What's your AC right now?

LIAM: 27.

MATT: (scoffs)

LAURA: Ooh!

LIAM: Shield up.

MARISHA: Wow.

TRAVIS: 27!? (laughs)

MARISHA: Holy shit.

LIAM: I rolled an eight out of eight, and I will take two slashies. That's 18 plus stuff, so that is seven for that one. The second one is a 19-- No, 18 to hit.

LAURA: N-n-n--

TRAVIS: That hits, too.

LIAM: Okay.

TRAVIS: First one misses, second one hits.

LIAM: A three, and that is a nine. So 16 total, halved down to eight.

TRAVIS: Got it.

LIAM: And I just hold in place, shield up. Chet, we're going to hit you until you heel. Knock it off!

MATT: All right.

TRAVIS: (silly growl)

MATT: Finishing your turn, Orym. Fearne, you're up.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: Now--

TRAVIS: (deep voice) I love bacon.

MATT: -- Daylight is not concentration, so you have that on the edge of your staff. The light is right there. What are you doing on your turn?

ASHLEY: Okay. Orym, what do you mean, we're going to hit him till he heels?

LIAM: We're going to knock him out. Can you restrain, sleep, anything?

ASHLEY: Yes, yes, okay. Hold Person.

MATT: Okay, make a wisdom saving throw.

TRAVIS: I'll use the advantage against magic--

MATT: As you do on this one, yeah.

TRAVIS: Wisdom saving throw?

MATT: Yep.

MARISHA: Hmm, buh.

TRAVIS: 18.

ASHLEY: Shit!

MATT: So-- (laughs) As as the tendrils of your nature-based magic begin to extend from your consciousness, and try and weave their way into the feral brain of Chetney, while they find purchase, there is only animal instinct within, and the magic is dispelled before it can reach the inside of his mind. However, you do have the Daylight still up, which means make another standard wisdom saving throw, just one roll.

LIAM: Going to get a bigger one.

TRAVIS: 15-- that's 16. 16.

MATT: 16. With that... You managed to shake free this weird sensation. You were just overtaken with the need to scratch yourself and the itch now fitters away.

SAM: Oh!

LAURA: Woo!

MARISHA: Wait, wait, why?

SAM: He's cured?

LIAM: He pauses.

TRAVIS: There's one problem. (laughs)

LAURA: What?

TRAVIS: I'm under a certain number of hit points.

LAURA: Oh no.

MATT: So make another wisdom saving throw. (laughter)

SAM: Fade back to red... (laughter)

TRAVIS: I have to find the number--

LIAM: Viper armed.

TRAVIS: It's in here somewhere. I'll find it. Maybe it's really high. No, it's really low. (laughs) Wisdom saving throw, four. I'm pretty sure that doesn't beat the DC.

MATT: Ah. It does not.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MATT: (laughs) So, who are you going after?

TRAVIS: (pained inhale) (huffs)

LIAM: I'm between them.

TRAVIS: Yeah, I will go after the the guy that ran like a jack rabbit across the ship.

LIAM: With an AC of 27.

MATT: There's a brief moment where you see the the beast fades from the eyes and while the red is gone...

ASHLEY: There he is. Oh!

MATT: The growl is still present. (laughter)

TRAVIS: The wisdom saving throw is a DC of eight. (laughs) I didn't get it.

MATT: Yep!

LIAM: Oh wow!

MATT: (laughs) So make your strikes against an AC of 27.

TRAVIS: Cool... Yeah, 14.

LIAM: Nope.

TRAVIS: 16.

LIAM: Nope.

TRAVIS: Natural 20. Literally...

LIAM: Does that beat--

TRAVIS: It's 28.

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: 28. For suresies!

MATT: Natural 20 automatically hits no matter what the AC is.

SAM: He's unbeatable.

LIAM: Okay, well.

TRAVIS: Eight, five... So 13 points damage.

LIAM: Gotcha.

TRAVIS: Slashing.

MATT: The first two strikes that come through, you're just like.... (imitates sword blows) Deflecting with the shield, parrying with the blade no issue. And the ferocity just overwhelms you at a point, your defenses are breaking back before one claw just comes down and strikes you right across the side of the forehead and along the chin. And you now have that little heavy streak of warmth you could feel on the side of your face.

LIAM: Are we on me now?

MATT: We are now on you.

LIAM: We're not going to do this, Chet, come on. I'm going to... You're below a certain number of hit points. I'm going to... Hm.

LAURA: Do you know that that--

TRAVIS: Every turn I have to make a saving throw.

LIAM: No, I don't, but does he look fucked up is the question. I want to use my shield to do a tripping attack and knock him the fuck the down.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: So that is a 22 to hit.

TRAVIS: Oh yeah.

LIAM: You have to beat a 16 strength save.

TRAVIS: Nope.

LIAM: Nope, so you're down on the ground and then I take my blade and I spin it so the hilt's down and I go crack on your forehead. I don't want to do lethal damage. I want to try to knock him out with this hit. I don't know if the shield knocking him down-- Does that do the superiority die of damage?

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: Sup-orty-orty-ort. As I rolled a two plus... I don't know if that's an unarmed strike or if it gets anything or if it's just two.

MATT: Well, if you're trying to get him to zero, but non-lethal--

LIAM: First, the tripping attack, I just want to get him down, but I'll take any damage I can get.

MATT: We're flavoring it as you just cutting up, but you can use the damage to say it's non-lethal damage.

LAURA: And then you're going to Soulja Boy him with your shield.

LIAM: Seven, six, nine total non-lethal going (thuds) with the shield.

MATT: Okay, reduced to five.

LIAM: And then blade flips around and then cracks right down on his forehead, I hope. Balls roll.

MATT: Well, you have advantage because he's knocked down.

LIAM: Yeah, I do. That hits. 16 plus... 23.

TRAVIS: Just barely.

LIAM: Yeah. And that is...

SAM: Come on! Come on!

LIAM: 11 points.

TRAVIS: Of damage?

LIAM: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Which is six?

MATT: Five, technically. It's supposed to be lower. So it'd be four and six, so 10 total from that round.

TRAVIS: Okay.

LIAM: And I'm going to then just move around his body, so that now Fearne is there, he's on the ground in front of me and I'm right there ready for whatever comes next.

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: ♪ Flanking him! ♪

MATT: Fearne, you're up.

LAURA: ♪ Flanking him! ♪

SAM: Take him down!

TRAVIS: (deep voice) You want my body. Don't lie.

SAM: It's 3:00am.

MATT: (laughs)

ASHLEY: All right, I am going to... Which one of these should I do?

MATT: As you're preparing this, because you still have the Daylight spell up, make another wisdom save.

TRAVIS: ♪ (nervous singing) ♪

MATT: Well, actually, this isn't against the influence, so... Oh well, what did you get?

TRAVIS: Eight.

MATT: Eight? So yeah. So you do manage to--

MARISHA: (garbled) Meets it, beats it.

MATT: Yep, so you managed to--

MARISHA and LAURA: Meatzza pizza!

MATT: Meatzza pizza!

ASHLEY: Pizza pizza!

TRAVIS: Meatzza pizza.

MATT: So you do shake it free. The beast aggression that took over and carried through from whatever this odd influence was comes through. But you still have your turn. What are you doing?

SAM: Take 'em down!

ASHLEY: I'm going to cast Entangle and try to keep him on the ground. Just in case. I'm doing this just in case-ies...

MATT: That's a dexterity saving throw, I believe.

ASHLEY: It's a strength.

MATT: Oh, it's a strength?

ASHLEY: A saving throw of 16.

MATT: Make a strength save, Chetney.

TRAVIS: Yeah, no problem. Watch this. Oh! 17. No! Yeah, 19.

MATT: 19.

ASHLEY: Shit. (laughter)

MATT: Out of the wood planks that make up the deck, watch as these, these tethering vines and long stretches of gnarled roots just begin to grow out and wrap around, and shaking out of it, instinctually pull back and tear out of them.

TRAVIS: (deep voice) The fuck?

ASHLEY and MARISHA: (laugh)

MATT: It's the first words you heard out of him.

LIAM: Okay. I don't hit hard with my shield, I just go (bonk) on his head. Bonk.

TRAVIS: I look down. I'm all covered in fucking gashes. So is Orym. Fearne looks all frazzled, (deep voice) but lovely. (deep voice) Oh no.

MATT: As you glance up the flare diminishes, and there's just the dull, ruddy moon in the sky.

TRAVIS: (deep voice) Oops. ♪ I did it again ♪ (laughter)

SAM: That's how she sounded--

TRAVIS: And I'll drop-- I'll drop-- (laughter) (laughter)

TRAVIS: Hybrid transformation.

MATT: (energy diminishing sound)

TRAVIS: (normal voice) Um.

LIAM: You good?

TRAVIS: I'm so sorry. That's never happened before.

ASHLEY: That did that, so--

TRAVIS: I saw the flare, and then I was overcome by this sensation, this urge to itch and then I'm here with you.

LIAM: Well, you know, we learned a lot. I think we need to pay attention to the cycles of the moons.

ASHLEY: No, that makes sense, for, you know...

TRAVIS: But I don't understand. It's never been the red one before. It's always been Catha. Just so less frequent. This is different game.

LIAM: Yeah, well, maybe we have a buddy system for you at night.

TRAVIS: I'm sorry. This is the second time. Wait... Then I reach out and I grab him, I start turning him. Did I bite you?

LIAM: No. You slashed me up a bit.

ASHLEY: (growls) I wish. It's fine.

LAURA and MATT: (laugh)

ASHLEY: I meant to turn me into-- Because I feel like it'd be super fun to also be a werewolf--

TRAVIS: Mental note. In the bank.

ASHLEY: You did slash my stomach and I'm just bleeding everywhere. Because of what you just did.

TRAVIS: Someone should take care of you. Yeah, I should tend to those wounds.

ASHLEY: I don't know if you know how.

TRAVIS: Ah--

ASHLEY: So I think I... Maybe you do?

TRAVIS: No.

LIAM: I could take a little help, though.

TRAVIS: You look fine. Maybe, we just--

TALIESIN and MATT: (laugh)

TRAVIS: Could I lead you to my quarters? I have some things-- When I-- Sometimes the wounds, they can get kind of infected.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I really like that idea, and I'm going to take a rain check because I don't know if this is going to happen again. And being alone with you in a room might end up with me dead, so--

TRAVIS: Very fair point. Orym, how about you?

LIAM: Orym's already got self-made clover and moss growing on the side of his head.

TRAVIS: Oh. Well, that works.

LIAM: Yeah, I'm good.

TRAVIS: Well, okay.

LIAM: I'm going to rub some dirt on it and shake it off.

TRAVIS: I'm going to rub something else. Okay. I'm going to excuse myself--

MATT: (laughs)

LAURA: (shouts) What?

TALIESIN: Got a lot of bacon to drain.

TRAVIS: I'm sorry about this. If we could just keep--

ASHLEY: It's okay. We've all got stuff, you know. We've all got weird stuff and that's just your thing.

TRAVIS: Cool, cool, cool.

ASHLEY: So...

MARISHA: (laughs)

TRAVIS: All right. Sorry?

LIAM: We're good, Chet. We talked about this in advance.

TRAVIS: Yeah.

LIAM: Ready for it now.

TRAVIS: Wait, where's Imogen?

LIAM: It's the middle of the night. She's probably asleep.

TRAVIS: Should we check on her?

ASHLEY: Probably?

LAURA: Oh, motherfuck.

TALIESIN: (announcer voice) Meanwhile... (scene change noise)

LIAM: In the Hall of Justice.

MATT: As you see into the face of your mother saying this, she steps back and the wind just (wind blows)--

LAURA: No, no!

MATT: -- whips her away, but almost like she was just strips of cloth. Like as soon as the gust hits, it's like the cloak was all that was there and you watch it (cloak whips and flaps) vanish into the storm. You glance up, and peering through the top of the dust cloud that continuously consumes the landscape around, you can see through it. It's piercing beyond the limitation that it sets upon your vision, the bright flaring moon of Ruidus above you.

LAURA: (fiercely) What do you want?

MATT: No response.

LAURA: Otohan? Are you here?

MATT: Nobody seems to be present, just the sound of wind. Strong, dangerous wind.

LAURA: I'm going to reach out my hand and I'm going to lightning strike the hut next to me and just destroy it if I can.

MATT: As you reach out your arm, (electrical crackles) all the weird designs on your body, the extended tendrils of energy that seem to slowly move across your body, completely fill your arm and (energetic crackles) the bolt strikes outward, as it arcs across the outside of the hut. You watch it begin to burn and darken, and as it immediately burns up, the wind carries it away like the cloak but a moment before, and you watch as the flames and thatch just dissipate into the storm.

LAURA: I'm going to kick up and fly up into the air.

MATT: Okay. You head up and watch as the dust around you begins to subsides slightly further and further. That glaring moon above you. You can see the darkness of the stars beginning to come closer and closer. You just concentrate on the moon?

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: A few moments later, the bright shining light of the flare dulls and at that moment your ascension slows, and then stops, and you begin to fall, faster and faster. The dust storm begins to pick up again. (wind whips) Faster and faster. You plummet, your hair pulling around your face, you begin to spin uncontrollably as the wind begins to kick you around. You fall and fall and fall. You spin and see the ground come towards you.

LAURA: (screams)

MATT: You wake up.

MARISHA: Oh! (oohing)

LAURA: (quiet panting) I'm going to cast Sending on my mom.

MATT: Okay.

ASHLEY: I got goosebumps.

LAURA: Are you there?

MATT: Is that all you say?

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: "Imogen?" And that's where we're going to end tonight's episode. (screaming)

MATT: (laughs) (high-pitched laughter)

MARISHA: What plane?!

TRAVIS: What does he mean?!

MARISHA: Where is she?! What does it mean?!

TRAVIS: What does it mean?!

MARISHA: Is she alive?

TRAVIS: Don't give me that smirk!

SAM: Is she dead?

MARISHA: Fuck you!

MATT: What-- (laughs)

TRAVIS: He's changing the rules!

LIAM: Just by game mechanics, she's almost definitely alive.

TRAVIS: Don't minimize the fact ♪ she's alive! ♪

LIAM: I'm not minimizing anything. It was fucking awesome.

TRAVIS: You're definitely, definitely Chetney's daughter. We hooked up. (laughter)

LAURA: Gross!

MARISHA: Just centuries--

TRAVIS: Search your feelings. You know it to be true! (laughter)

LAURA: No! It's impossible!

LIAM: (as Chetney) I am your father! (laughter)

TALIESIN: No!

MATT: Doesn't have the same ring to it, but I'm here for it.

MARISHA: Throw me over the ship. (laughter)

LAURA and ASHLEY: God!

TALIESIN: Holy shit.

ASHLEY: Fu-- fuh.

MATT: Well, we'll pick up from there next time.

TRAVIS: What the fuck.

LAURA: (groans)

MATT: But until then, thank you for joining us. We'll see you next time.

LAURA: (groans)

LIAM: Ooh, La La.

MATT: We love you very much--

LAURA: Oh my god.

MATT: -- and is it Thursday yet? Good night.