Transcript:Family Shatters

List of Transcripts

The following is an unofficial transcript that does not include the pre-show or break, and may contain errors and missing dialogue. It will be replaced with the official transcript when it becomes available.

C2E96 - Episode 96 - Family Shatters

MATT: So, last we left off, The Mighty Nein had made their way to the southern edge of Xhorhas, to the White Dawn Lagooon in search of what seemed to be the next destination in Caduceus’s main journey, through his visions he had received through the Wildmother in hopes of hopefully coming upon the rest of his family, as they themselves have been traveling, scattered a bit, over time. You made your way through the jungles on the southwestern edge of the White Dawn Lagoon coast. Through there you encountered some dangerous creatures, had some revelations with the Traveler, and a unique series of conversations of mild understanding of where both sides between you and him stand, and the impending gathering of Traveler followers in the weeks to come. Upon battling your way through the jungle and some odd creatures that didn’t seem indigenous to this specific region, you made your way to the oasis in question, a beautiful lake lying here in the center of this deep, dense jungle, its deep red earth exposed against the clear waters, and a collection of stone sculptures that peppered the entirety of the banks here, of all sorts of creatures and people, which upon closer look, seem to be a bit more detailed than you anticipated. Upon inspecting a number of these entities, Caduceus recognized members of his family amongst these statues, and as you began to assess the scenery, you heard the heavy hoof-beats of a creature charging from the tree line in your direction: a metally-armored bull-like entity, swollen with muscle, piercing barbs that pushed between its metal plates, emitting some sort of a greenish fume from between its various exposed underbellies, its giant carved horns pushing forward, and hooked. As it barreled towards you, you hear this large, bellowing roar as its mouth opens up, not like that of a bull’s, but almost like a giant two-part scoop jaw. It is unnatural. It is mutated. And it is charging your direction. _____

[Battle not transcribed. The following is a summary.]

The gorgon approaches the party from the forest as they are scattered along the edge of the pool.

The creature has legendary resistances which it uses against Caleb’s Slow spell. Fjord hits it with Eldritch Blast. Jester hits it with Guiding Bolt. Gorgon has legendary actions - Defensive Shift to move without triggering AOO. Caduceus casts Bless on Nott, Beau, and himself. Gorgon moves up to Nott, goring and trampling her for about 50 points. Yasha runs into melee with it as does Beau, who hits twice. Each time the gorgon is hit by impact damage, all nearby take poison damage. Gorgon uses two legendary actions to tighten its armor, increasing its AC till its next turn. Nott disengages, runs 15 feet, and uses Levitate to rise straight up in the air, where she remains.

Caleb casts Disintegrate. Gorgon uses Defensive Shift to move. Jester invokes Duplicity. Caduceus casts Path to the Grave. Gorgon uses legendary action to unleash Petrifying Breath, a torrent of green fumes, against Nott, Beau, and Yasha, which Beau fails, restraining her and beginning the petrification process. When it tries to charge toward Caleb, Beau stops it while causing damage with her Sentinel attack. Yasha uses her battle cry to give advantage on all attacks and saving throws till her next turn, and attacks from melee, inflicting damage and taking poison damage. Beau attacks too, causing more poison damage to Yasha, although Beau is immune. Creature is immune to poison, fear, petrification, and stunning. Beau shakes off petrification effect. Legendary action for Defensive Shift. Nott shoots it. Legendary action for another Defensive Action, crumbling a statue.

Caleb tries a Slow, but the gorgon successfully saves. When Fjord runs away from the gorgon, its AOO causes 54 points of damage, but his Eldritch Blasts all hit for 30 points - it’s showing wear and tear. Jester’s duplicate casts Inflict Wounds. The Gorgon destroys another statue on its way to attack Fjord again, knocking him unconscious but his Relentless Endurance brings him back to one hit point. Yasha chases after the gorgon toward Fjord. Beau does as well, reaching and hitting the Gorgon twice. Its subsequent poison release damages Yasha and knocks Fjord unconscious again, causing one death saving throw failure. Nott uses one of her explosive bolts against the creature.

Caleb casts Widogast’s Web of Fire, but the gorgon uses its second legendary resistance to succeed against it. Fjord succeeds on his death saving throw. The gorgon uses Defensive Shift to reach Caleb. Jester uses Toll the Dead, hitting the gorgon, then uses Healing Word to bring Fjord conscious again. Caduceus casts Blight, and in response the creature uses Defensive Shift to move and unleash a blast of Petrifying Breath against Yasha, Beau, and Fjord, which Beau fails again, restraining her and beginning petrification. Yasha hits it twice and taking subsequent poison damage. The gorgon uses a legendary action for a hoof attack, bringing her dangerously low on hit points. Beau hits it several times with lightning damage which doesn’t cause the poison release reaction, but fails her con save against the petrification and becomes a statue. Gorgon uses legendary action to move back. Nott shoots it several times, then drops Levitation to reach the ground and run towards Beau. Gorgon uses legendary action to run toward Caduceus.

Caleb casts Web of Fire again, and the gorgon uses its last legendary resistance to succeed, but the damage is still enough to polish it off. ____

MATT: 48 total?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: How do you want to do this?

TALIESIN: Thank god!

LIAM: I will send the fire burning down the stone, into the earth again, and let it gather and hold my hands down, and rip the hands up and then (fwoosh) from underneath–

SAM: Flame-broiled.

LIAM: –and burn up into the hole that the Disintegrate left and then scorch inside and burn it from within.

MATT: You watch as it burns up from the inside. The middle of its torso is incinerated in a circular pillar as it bursts through the top, the metal armor plates bending backward and heated orange. The earth and the sand that get shot up as part of this explosion suddenly solidifies into points of glass from the extreme heat, and it’s caught in mid-air, dead, pierced by all these shards of immediately solidified glass from the blast.

LIAM: That’s how you make a statue.

LAURA: And a steak.

SAM: Well done!

LAURA: I’m immediately going to leap off the rock into the water and run towards Beau.

SAM: As will I.

TALIESIN: Is this dead?

MATT: It is very dead.

TALIESIN: I am running immediately to my family members. Who do I see?

MATT: All right. You rush on over towards– you see over on that side... Calliope and Cornelius. Cornelius dragging Calliope.

TALIESIN: Okay, immediate Greater Restoration on both of them.

MATT: On both of them?

TALIESIN: Yeah. Burning my 5th and 6th.

MATT: Okay, what are you guys doing?

LAURA: I think Nott and I get to Beau around the same time. Right as I’m about to cast Greater Restoration–

SAM: I whip out my oil, my– what is it called? It’s called... something.

LAURA: Beau! Beau!

SAM: I’ve got it, I’ve got it, don’t worry!

LAURA: What is it? What do you have?

SAM: I bought this shit. It’s called willowshade oil, and it unpetrifies people.

LAURA: Well then fucking do it!

SAM: What part of her body should I rub it on?

LAURA: Her tattoo. Do it on her tattoo, because it’s special.

SAM: Okay, so I’ll go around her back, and I give her a little neck massage with some oil and see if it starts to work.

MATT: Okay. As you apply the oil, it has been within one minute of the petrification. Slowly, the grey, hardened shape of Beauregard’s stone form begins to relax into your hands. You begin to warm, until eventually, Beauregard begins to return to her normal state.

SAM: You got a little knot here.

LAURA: On your back.

SAM: On your back.

MATT: As you finish casting Greater Restoration, you can see Cornelius dragging, first, Calliope backward, before you cast it on her. He’s like, “Come on– What?”

TALIESIN: One moment.

MATT: “Caduceus. What–?”

TALIESIN: I’ll explain.

MATT: And as you touch Calliope, and slowly she begins to return back to her normal self, her arm in mid-swing with a heavy mace, and goes, “Son of a–“ Falls on the ground as Cornelius drops her. Calliope looks up to you and goes, “Caduceus.”

TALIESIN: It’s been so long.

LAURA: (after a LONG pause) Caduceus? Are there any other family members here?

MATT: Calliope stands up.

TALIESIN: I don’t know.

LAURA: I’m going to run around and look for anybody who looks kind of like Caduceus.

MATT: Okay. And there’s a scattering of people–

SAM: How’s Fjord?

ASHLEY: I’m going to run over to Fjord, help him up out of the water, and touch him and cast Healing Hands.

LAURA: You’re going to touch him where?

ASHLEY: Just his hand. Just pulling him up out of the water.

LAURA: Cool.

ASHLEY: Not my thing. Eleven points of healing.

TRAVIS: Eleven?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Great. I’ll take it.

LIAM: Caleb is going to walk up to the cow and start to examine it, understand what it is, maybe.

MATT: Okay, make an arcana or history check. Your choice.

LIAM: That is a 19.

MATT: 19? Okay. Looking at the way it’s– you acknowledge that this is a form of a gorgon, which is a type of terrible entity, a monstrosity that has had uses throughout the ages as trained guardians of vaults of mages, has been known to be– some holy sites of some systems of belief would have one of these creatures possibly that are protected. They’re also possibly weaponized in the past. But this one’s heavily twisted. Mutated, in ways that remind you of tales of wide corruption that was once utilized by agents of Xhorhas back during the Calamity, to the far east. Nature’s denizens were usually found and twisted to assail their homeland and spread destruction, used as implements of war on the front lines of those age-old times.

LIAM: Does it look like there’s anything salvageable or of use on this creature’s–

MATT: Not the way you killed it. But you do notice the front of its face resembles a classic bull-like head, but it’s a bit swollen at the front and as opposed to a normal jaw, its mouth opens up into two parts of this big scoop shovel, and there’s no teeth.

LAURA: Ew, weird. He eats plankton. LIAM: Just sucks down krill.

MATT: Cornelius goes, “How did you get here? What– what happened? I see you managed to deal with that thing right over there. Thank you for that. I assume these are your friends. Hi, I’m Cornelius. I’m Caduceus’s father.” And you see this large older firbolg, similar in appearance to Caduceus, though a bit thicker, a bit portlier, gray hair braided in two sides down the front, dangles in tufts at the bottom that have a bit of jewelry. “This is Calliope, Caduceus’s younger sister.” And you see she’s wearing a similar chestplate to Caduceus’s actually, a similar coloration and design, and it’s funny. Of the two of them, which look very much like what you’d assume– Caduceus’s appearance being what it is, his father a little more– cartoony variation of that, Calliope looks stoic and kind of bad-ass. She looks up at the rest of you, holding her mace at her side. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Caduceus, thank you.”

TALIESIN: You were both gone a very long time. I waited, and no one returned, and I know I wasn’t supposed to leave, but I left. Is anybody else here?

MATT: “I mean, I think somewhere around here I saw your mother.” And he looks over, and you can see, just beyond the tree, one of the standing bodies is indeed Constance.

LAURA: Oh, good. Am I near Constance?

MATT: Right there.

LAURA: Yeah, I’m going to run over to her and cast Greater Restoration.

MATT: Okay. As she in the middle of her mid-battleform kind of like– (swings). “Whoa, what?”

TRAVIS: No, no.

LAURA: Don’t worry. You’re safe.

MATT: Just drops her weapon and runs toward Caduceus and gives a huge hug and kind of picks him up a little bit. She has these– it’s kind of short on the sides, and then has almost like a soft mohawk that braids into a single long braid down the back. She’s wearing this gray travel robes, just a little bit of leather armor underneath, but she goes, “I’m so happy to see you!”

TALIESIN: I was... [JENGA] worried. That thing. Where’s Corrin? Where’s–“

MATT: “I came here with Corrin.” She turns and looks in the direction of the shattered statue that was right at her side. You see she takes a couple steps forward. Takes a couple more steps forward. Leans down and picks up one piece that looks like the shoulders and head of the statue, chipped and broken itself, its face recoiling in surprise, also a firbolg.

LAURA: How small are the pieces?

MATT: I mean, there are probably six or seven larger pieces and a few dozen smaller elements that have been scattered a bit. It wasn’t enough of an impact to pulverize. It just nudged and broke as it went through. It wasn’t at a full run, thankfully. But it’s a lot of pieces.

LAURA: If it’s not totally awkward, I’m going to try to get the pieces together and try to reassemble the body as best I can.

MATT: Okay. As you reach down and start doing this, you can see Constance is just holding the head, aghast. You feel, Caduceus, your father’s hand come onto your shoulder, and in that unfocused state of your mother, Jester begins to sift through, and suddenly her eyes catch yours, and– and she gets down and starts trying to help.

ASHLEY: I go over and I help as well.

MATT: Okay. Go ahead and make an investigation check, Jester.

SAM: I’m going to go help.

LAURA: Investigation check?

MATT: Do it with advantage, yes. Because Nott is helping.

TALIESIN: I’m just going to scan for–

LAURA: 19.

MATT: 19? Okay. You pull together what you think is the majority of the stone body. It’s too hard to tell at this moment.

TALIESIN: I’m scanning for anybody else. I’m not really moving yet. I’m just looking to see if I see–

MATT: Make a perception check.

TALIESIN: I’m going to bless myself, which I don’t normally do for this, but I am in that state.

LAURA: Maybe I can do it one piece at a time. I don’t think it’ll work to do this.

TALIESIN: 26.

MATT: 26. You do not see any other firbolgs in the vicinity of where you’re standing. You do see, out of some of the individuals here– and a lot of them, at a glance, their arms are broken off, some of them have already taken a lot of hits over time, whether it be by this creature, or just wear and tear for how ever long they’ve been in this open space, and nature has taken its toll on their stone forms. You do see some figures. One nearby that is an elf that is dressed in very pious robes and carries what looks to be a symbol of Avandra around their neck, hand reaching forward like a “Stop, don’t” expression, locked in stone. But nobody of your family.

TALIESIN: So Constance and Cornelius are fine. Calliope’s fine.

MATT: Calliope’s fine. You have not found Clarabelle or Colton.

TALIESIN: No Colton, no Clarabelle. Just broken Corrin. Okay. I have a brother and sister still somewhere here.

SAM: Here?

TALIESIN: Maybe.

ASHLEY: Was Corrin your sister?

TALIESIN: Corrin’s my aunt.

MARISHA: I start looking at the ones pulverized near me.

TRAVIS: I’ll come check [JENGA].

MATT: You got it. Looking at all the bodies, some of them look to be travelers. They’re dressed for a long journey. They all appear to be in the midst of either running, defending themselves, or absolute, abject terror. You see some that are dragonborn, you see some that are dwarven, and it’s a diverse array here. Whether they be pilgrims or adventurers or members of the actual circle here in the cave that you were walking towards, you can’t tell right now, because they’re all made of stone.

TRAVIS: The cave is that direction?

MATT: Further this direction, yes.

LAURA: Would it be possible– I’m going to try using Mending on each individual piece together.

MATT: Do you have the Mending cantrip?

LAURA: Yes. It’s as long as the break or tear’s no longer than one foot in any way, but if I’m going one piece at a time, using Mending– I don’t know if that’s going to make a difference.

SAM: It would be a lot of casting.

LAURA: A lot of casting. It’s going to take a long time because it takes a minute each time.

LIAM: And maybe if there is a big chunk, use the glue for that one piece.

LAURA: Exactly. Yeah, the smaller pieces maybe try Mending on it, and then we also have a glue that covers a square foot.

MATT: You do.

LAURA: Try to combine them–

MATT: You can certainly try. I will say with the pieces you’ve found, go ahead and make a medicine check to try to understand where they might land within its body. This is an understanding of the physical body.

LIAM: Wait, wait, wait. Caleb pulls out the pearl and places it on Jester’s head and mutters for a while and little patterns–

TALIESIN: I’m going to tap you as I walk by because I’m going to go the other broken statue.

MARISHA: And I’m there sorting the broken statue with Caduceus.

LAURA: Guidance?

TALIESIN: I’m going to just... LIAM: And one re-roll if you need it.

LAURA: Okay.

LIAM: Reroll.

TALIESIN: I’m just going to grab Calliope and go to the other statue.

LAURA: Oh, that’s good! That is a– ooh, and a d4... Oh, good! Okay, so that’s 29.

MATT: Jesus Christ, you guys are level 11?

TALIESIN: We’ve had some bad luck.

TRAVIS: We’ve had some good rolls and then some shit rolls.

MATT: Yeah, I know, I know. All right, okay. You take a moment to inspect all the pieces of the body and quickly begin to assemble and jugsaw them where they fit–

LAURA: I spent a lot of time with puzzles in my room.

MATT: Apparently. Yes, you have. Not just that, but studying physiology in the presence of your mother’s work [JENGA].

TALIESIN: One of those 3-D jigsaws of the human body.

SAM: You’re doing a puzzle at the beach? This is so nice.

MATT: Technically...

TALIESIN: Best vacation ever! Please don’t break my aunt.

MATT: You cast Mending as best you can across the pieces once they’re situated in there, and they all kind of fit together. The impact across the chest to side, and the waist, there’s a kind of a triangular crack where it hit the impact initially. It is longer than a foot. So those parts are not mended. So you can fit it together, and most of it can clear, but there is still a large rift here, and a large rift here.

LIAM: Are we missing pieces?

MATT: No, it’s just cracked.

LAURA: What if we combine the glue and the mending– what if we put some glue and mend it to where the glue keeps it together fully, and then I mend it? As much as I can.

MATT: This wouldn’t be a Mending thing. This would be hoping the glue is enough to do it for you.

LIAM: Wait wait wait...

MATT: This is which glue? This is the...

SAM: I mean, that’s the other thing. Not to be cheap with your dead relatives or anything, but this glue is like the most powerful glue in existence. So if we could maybe get some regular glue later and try this?

TALIESIN: I am so glad I’m not listening to you right now.

LIAM: I could save your work, for now, and we could take her out of here and wait until we have everything perfect rather than risk it.

MARISHA: Want to shove her in the haversack? Is that what we’re doing?

LIAM: No, no, no. Caleb starts placing pieces of amber in a circle on the ground, and begins to ritually cast Widogast’ Vault of Amber with the statue. I don’t have to finish this, but I can. And they will be safe–

TALIESIN: I’m okay.

LAURA: Constance, is that all right?

MATT: “I mean, whatever you think is best.” Her eyes are still wide, and she’s still swallowing hard but she’s holding strong.

TALIESIN: Dad, go talk to Mom. I’m going to grab Calliope and head over to the other broken one.

MATT: Okay, you head to the other broken pieces on the ground and you look through it and this one looks to be a mid-20's or so dragonborn. You have no idea the scale coloration as it is still stone. They are dressed simply, normal traveler’s clothes, a heavy cloak and a sack, and they are broken into many pieces.

TALIESIN: I’m just going to try to gather them up and–

MARISHA: I’m helping. You know this person?

TALIESIN: No.

MARISHA: Oh.

TALIESIN: I can’t even plant them.

MARISHA: But do you want to keep gathering them? I don’t know. Should we...?

TALIESIN: Let’s take everybody who’s injured to the cave. And whoever’s feeling strong do a walk around and see who else is here. Calliope, let’s make sure Mom and Dad go to the cave with Fjord.

TRAVIS: Just because we’re here and there’s so many different petrified creatures, I’m going to walk into the water until my head goes under the surface, and look.

MATT: For?

TRAVIS: I’m going to look and see if there are any other petrified statue things within view.

MATT: Okay, make a perception check.

TRAVIS: Ten.

MATT: Ten? It’s hard to tell. It’s clear water. I will say you do see a hand sticking up out of the soot maybe five feet ahead of you.

TRAVIS: Out of soot.

MATT: Yeah. A stone hand doing that (Holds up hand).

TRAVIS: I’ll walk over to it. Can I try and clear the soot, or the silt around the hand?

MATT: Yeah, as soon as you clear it away the arm goes (falls over) as you realize it’s just an arm.

TRAVIS: That’s unfortunate.

LAURA: Wait, what?

TRAVIS: I just found a piece of an arm.

TALIESIN: Bring it up if you wouldn’t mind.

TRAVIS: (gurgles) I’ll grab it.

SAM: Okay, so I feel a little guilty, so Caleb, can you give us the pieces back, please? I’m going to try this glue.

TALIESIN: Let’s wait. We’ll wait. We’ll wait.

LAURA: Are you sure?

LIAM: I also have an idea. If we can get to Umagorn, or–

MATT: Uthodurn, you mean?

LIAM: His son. What was the son’s name? Who reforged the sword for us.

MATT: Oh, gotcha, I’m sorry. Yes.

LIAM: Did I get his name wrong?

MATT: No, I think you may be right. I misunderstood.

SAM: To do what?

LIAM: If we can pour carefully, which is why I suggest him, because he is so skilled, the correct amount of molten silver into the cracks, I can turn them into stone.

SAM: She could pour paint into the cracks and turn it to stone.

LIAM: I cannot turn paint to stone.

SAM: She can turn paint to stone.

LIAM: Can you paint in stone?

LAURA: Of course I can paint stone.... the only thing is I can’t paint things connected to each other.

SAM: I could connect them with glue. I think I can just use some glue.

TALIESIN: Don’t make any decisions till we get back. And I’m going to start walking with Calliope and anyone else who cares to join.

ASHLEY: I’ll follow behind, but give them their space.

LAURA: I can do another Greater Restoration if you find somebody.

MATT: At which point, Cornelius goes, “I was talking with Eremis, one of the keepers here of the Circle... Oh, no.” And points over and you can see that that elf that you noticed earlier with the Avandra symbol. “I mean, they’re probably pretty helpful.”

TALIESIN: That.

LAURA: Okay. I’ll go over to that person.

MATT: Cornelius walks up next to you and goes like, “Oh, buddy, I’m so sorry.” Pat pat pat.

LAURA: Pat pat pat Greater Restoration on the head. Wake up now.

MATT: You watch as the elf slowly (takes a sudden breath) “Oh. Oh, that’s strange. What is– Oh, no.” And looks around at the array. “This has gotten worse.”

TRAVIS: I found a hand. Oh, hello.

MATT: “Hello.” TALIESIN: You must be Stone?

MATT: “I’m Eremis Stone, yes. I assume you belong to the Clay family.”

TALIESIN: Caduceus Clay.

LAURA: This is really funny.

TALIESIN: At your service.

MATT: “Glad it seems more of you have made it. Ooh, this is a big mess.” Looks over at the creature now suspended in the shards of glass, like reddish-dark glass spire piercing out of the ground and holding it aloft, just bleeding slowly onto the... “Oh, well that it good news. That is great news. Did you do this?”

LIAM: Group effort.

LAURA: But he did the glass part.

MATT: “That’s impressive. Truly.”

TRAVIS: What is it?

MATT: “It appears to be some kind of gorgon. I have my theories, but I have a few friends I need to ask questions of. They’re back in the cave, if you’d come with me.”

TRAVIS: Are you sure they’re in the cave?

LIAM: What year is it?

MATT: “Um, 826?”

LAURA: How far away is that from our year?

SAM: That’s ten years ago.

MATT: Ten years ago.

LAURA: Oof.

LIAM: They might not be in the cave. A bit of time has passed since then.

LAURA: 200 years.

MATT: Make a deception check.

LAURA: 17.

MATT: (gasps in horror)

TALIESIN: Don’t– ten-ish–

LAURA: See, it’s not as bad now, is it? Cause you thought...

SAM: She made you feel better.

MATT: “Thank you.”

LAURA: You’re welcome.

TALIESIN: Let’s– okay. I’ll hold and let’s go to the cave.

TRAVIS: There are a few more out here.

MARISHA: Do you want to check the rest?

TRAVIS: Do you need to see if any of your compatriots are amongst–

MARISHA: We check the rest.

MATT: As you guys begin to look through, you can see Eremis begins to go to a few faces, and be like, “Don’t know them. Don’t know them. Don’t know them. Oh, goodness me.” And goes up to somebody and grabs them. “This is Darrah.” You see this really older human woman, maybe in like her seventies or so, adorned similarly to Eremis, and also finds another large dragonborn figure that is wearing a heavy suit of armor and is currently shield in the front, trying to pull back. He goes, “This is Mecatoth.”

LAURA: Megatoth.

TALIESIN: Are they also of the Stones?

MATT: “They are, yes. I don’t suppose what you’ve helped us with you could help them with as well?”

LAURA: I can once I sleep.

TALIESIN: Not today, but...

LAURA: Not today. What about all the other people that are here that you don’t know? We should probably heal them too. They have lives.

MATT: “I agree. I think Gaima should be able to help. Hopefully they’re back in the cave. We can go ahead and talk to him.”

TALIESIN: Do we see any of my other– on the short run around the lake, do we see any other of my family members?

MATT: As you walk you do not see any of your family along the way.

TALIESIN: Okay, that’s fine.

MARISHA: I take the dragonborn head from over here that I’ve kind of been holding onto and I’m just going to like chuck it in the ocean.

MATT: Whoosh.

TRAVIS: What was that? What’d you throw?

MARISHA: A rock.

TRAVIS: Oh.

MATT: Eventually you guys crest around the north side of the oasis, making your way towards where the softer red earth turns into hardened red rock. The grass and thick vines that have grown over the top of it as it almost pierces outward like a shelf over the water, and beneath it, the opening to the cavern that goes darkly into Exandria below. And as you step into the cold cavern as it continues downward, at the outer edge of the pool you can see the bright red rock on the inside becomes smooth, hand-chiseled as you progress downward. Further in, as your eyes adjust you pick up dozens of shifting beautiful reflections as rich exposed veins of pure gold wind through the walls and reflect the torchlight that you see Eremis now lighting and holding out to guide you as you head downward. Along with another statue, and another statue. Continuing further down, you see the pattern of these veins are like this endless splintering lightning bolt of shining dawn that just carve through the rock on all sides and above. It’s beautiful, and it’s contrasted with the horror of seeing more and more of visitors or the Stone family themselves encased in these moments of terror.

LAURA: We took this guy out, and nobody else could. That’s pretty impressive, guys.

TRAVIS: (choking) That’s pretty good.

LIAM: We work well together. SAM: Are you okay there, Fjord Stone? Are you okay?

TRAVIS: I’m all right.

LAURA: We need to take a rest. Fjord is looking really rough.

MATT: The hall widens now into a domed oval-shaped cavern of ruddy rock formations splattered with the same gold veins. Numerous small huts and structures of humble stone and dried thatch mark the perimeter of the inside of this cave. The center of the large space is home to a formidable multi-part shrine of rising pillars, arches, and beautiful temple structures that house the Stone family in the interior of the Cave of Remembrance. You can see social spaces for worship and work, and you can see the many denizens all frozen in stone. And that’s where we’ll take our break.

TRAVIS: Oh, shit.

LAURA: The gorgon just ran in and...

TRAVIS: One bull.

LAURA: Ran around or do you think something else did it?

TALIESIN: Well, we’ll see, but I have a theory and my theory is that this was a burial that went wrong, but we’ll see.

TRAVIS: A burial that went wrong?

TALIESIN: A burial that went wrong.

LIAM: But they’re mostly regular folk probably, so they couldn’t handle a big magic bull.

TALIESIN: Just a theory.

MARISHA: But it’s a lot for one bull.

MATT: It was over a period of time, too.

LAURA: That’s true.

TRAVIS: Ten fucking years. That’s some Flight of the Navigator shit there.

MATT: A lot of pilgrims coming in and realizing too late. Compliance. We’ll be back here shortly to pick up the latter half of this session, here, guys. In the meantime, we do have our Wyrmwood giveaway for tonight: a cherry dice vault from our friends at Wyrmwood. It smells nice, it looks nice.

LAURA: Oh, it’s beautiful.

MATT: It is. One lucky winner in the chat will win this piece. Tonight’s keyword is “Oasis.” Put it into the chat room once and only once. More than once and you’ll be disqualified. And once again, for residents of the US and Canada only, excluding Quebec because of stupid laws and we’ll be back here shortly. We’ll see you guys in a little bit.

[BREAK] MATT: And welcome back. Go with a simple classic, Sam, I like it. So, first, we have a winner. The winner of our Wyrmwood giveaway is Cookie2259. Congratulations, we’ll get that dice vault sent to you ASAP. So. As you all enter the interior of the cave, you look around at the faint pieces of glowing crystal that light the interior. There are pools of water beneath a lot of these that cause the reflecting shimmer that dances across the cavern walls and catches elements of the gold veins that swirl and swarm throughout the red rock. It’s beautiful. It’s serene. And it is silent. You can see Eremis looking around with a sorrowful look on his face. “I guess things have indeed changed. Let me see. I might be able to... I don’t know how long things have been... who went when... Do you know how long it’s been like this?

TALIESIN: I don’t.

LAURA: How long have your parents been stone?

TALIESIN: I don’t know who was– It was quite a while when they first left. I don’t know when you arrived. When did you arrive? What did you...?

MATT: Cornelius goes, “I don’t know how long I’ve been here either, if we’re going to be really honest about it.”

LAURA: What year did you get here, do you think?

MATT: “Uh... that’s really....”

TALIESIN: That’s a rough question for us, to be fair. We’re not really calendar people.”

TRAVIS: When was the last time you–

MATT: “Constance, what year–?” And she goes, “Well, me and my sister left, I think it would have been 827?”

SAM: That was nine years ago.

LAURA: How long did it take you to get here?

MATT: “Quite a few months. I mean, Corrin–“ And she gets a little soft [JENGA]. Corrin–“ TALIESIN: They were the first to leave.

MATT: “We made our way to meet with the Dusts. And didn’t meet with much success there. We thought maybe we would encounter this glass that was asked of us. Perhaps it’s in this location. But upon arrival found that this creature had already ravaged the outside of this cave, and then we ran into you. I– ran into you.”

LAURA: We’re going to heal her. Okay?

TALIESIN: We’ll do what we can. We’re stalwart, and we’ll be fine no matter what happens.

MATT: “Loss isn’t an unfamiliar concept to our family. But I appreciate you extending your empathy.”

TALIESIN: I met the Dusts.

MATT: “Did you?” TALIESIN: I’m going to take out the crystals. It’s been a long time.

MATT: You see her step forward, and Cornelius steps forward and they both put their hands under yours, and Calliope approaches to look at them, but still has her hand on her side, and, “Wow. I’m very impressed, Caduceus. This is– I mean...” He reaches in his pocket and pulls out all these shards of green glass. He’s like, “I think I got confused.”

TALIESIN: Me, too, a couple times. Honestly I thought Calliope was going to be the one to do it.

MATT: Calliope reaches in her pocket and pulls out a piece of similar crystal.

MARISHA: Oh, shit.

MATT: “I would have beaten you, brother. I’m just saying.”

TALIESIN: Would you have?

MATT: “It would have been very close.”

TALIESIN: Maybe.

MARISHA: Did you also get that at the Dusts?

MATT: “I did.”

MARISHA: Oh. Good for you.

MATT: “Thank you. What’s your name?”

MARISHA: Oh, I’m Beauregard. I’m not important.

MATT: “Very well.”

ASHLEY: I’m Yasha. I’m very important.

TRAVIS: It’s true.

ASHLEY: Just kidding.

MATT: “Very well. Calliope. Calliope Clay.” “Actually, I don’t think we’ve done a full introduction of your friends here, if you want to...”

TALIESIN: Oh, um, yeah, yeah, um, wow.

SAM: We can do it for you–

TALIESIN: Everybody, please, go ahead.

LAURA: Jester. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

SAM: Hi, I’m Nott. We’ve been hanging with your son and he’s really great.

LAURA: Super, super, super powerful.

MATT: He nudges Constance by the side and she gives a knowing look.

LIAM: Ja, you have raised him well. My name is Caleb Widogast. Hello.

MATT: “And Beauregard you already said, so–“

MARISHA: Expositor with the Cobalt Reserve.

MATT: “I have no idea what that means.”

MARISHA: Yeah, that checks.

MATT: “Sounds really nice, though.”

LIAM: Not important, though.

MATT: “Okay. And you are...?

TRAVIS: Oh, Fjord. Stone. No relation. Your son has been a great friend.

MARISHA: He’s totally related.

TRAVIS: I’m not. It’s not.

LAURA: No, this is Nott.

SAM: No, but he is a Stone.

TRAVIS: No, I’m--

SAM: I think he might be related.

TRAVIS: Stone, not Stone.

MATT: So wait, you’re not Stone?

SAM: I’m not Stone.

MATT: You’re not Stone.

MARISHA: He is a Stone.

TRAVIS: No, no, no. You’re also Brave.

MARISHA: And I’m not important.

LIAM: Hold on, hold on.

MARISHA: She’s Nott the Brave.

SAM: Third base.

LIAM: Restart.

TALIESIN: How has this never happened before?

MATT: A mild nosebleed appears at the...

MARISHA: He was a Dust after all!

TALIESIN: Fjord is a recent child of the Wildmother as well.

MATT: Eremis steps forward. “Interesting. The Wildmother, and your name is Stone.”

TRAVIS: Yes.

LAURA: Yeah, he could have been a child of the Traveler, but he chose the Wildmother, so it’s got to mean something.

SAM: They’re interested in the Stone part.

LAURA: What?

TRAVIS: Yes.

MATT: “Have you been through here before, then?”

TRAVIS: Here? The Menagerie?

MATT: “Mm-hmm.”

TRAVIS: No. It’s my first time. Same for most of us.

SAM: But he remembers.

LAURA: But he is from the Menagerie Coast. What? Another coincidence?!

TRAVIS: Port Damali, not– I mean, yes–

MARISHA: In the Menagerie Coast.

SAM: He also has memory gaps.

TRAVIS: Not true.

SAM: Well, do you remember being born?

LIAM: Nott [JENGA] true.

TRAVIS: No, I can’t– right.

MATT: Cornelius looks over towards you, and goes, “Aye, you’ve made some friends.”

TALIESIN: I’m aware it’s a lot.

MATT: “Thank you, thank you all for–“

LAURA: But we killed a thing and we brought you back from being a statue, so we are something.

MATT: “That is very true.”

MARISHA: Eremis, what’s with the statues? What’s with this...?

MATT: He’s looking around and goes, “I’m looking to see if I can find Gaima. If she’s still here.” And he walks off towards the large central structure, with the large stone arches, where the majority of the refracting– I just need to watch this happen right now.

SAM: Wow. She made a cupcake sandwich. I don’t know that I’ve seen you do that before.

ASHLEY: Amazing.

MARISHA: Oh, my god, you did. I’m so jealous.

SAM: This is beautiful.

LAURA: That’s how you do it without getting the icing all over your mouth.

SAM: I didn’t know that that was a thing.

TALIESIN: It’s called a Bailey sandwich.

MATT: It is now.

MARISHA: Dammit, that looks so good.

LIAM: This is the D&D you tune in for.

SAM: Are all of these Stones elves?

MATT: No, they’re a smattering of different races, actually. I’d say, interestingly enough, about a quarter of them are dragonborn.

SAM: Okay, and then the others are...?

LIAM: Do they have tails or not?

MATT: You see two with tails and many without. There are elves, humans... You don’t see much in the way of orc or half-orc representation specifically here. You see maybe two dwarves. But it is kind of an eclectic gathering. You can see Eremis, after going to the temple goes, “I think I found her, if any of you can...”

LAURA: Not until the morning, but if we sleep... Oh, wait. No, I used it on...

MATT: “All right, well, we do have beds if you need to rest.”

LAURA: Are they made of stone?

MATT: “No, they’re made of wood.”

LAURA: Okay, cool.

MATT: “If you prefer a safe place to sleep–“

LAURA: No, I’ll take them.

MATT: “All right, all right.”

TRAVIS: Do you mean here, in this cave? I feel like we’re a bit unprotected here. (Laura points at Liam) Oh, right.

MATT: “Well, I mean, as far as I know, you destroyed the most significant threat to everything here.”

TRAVIS: There was just the one?

MATT: “That I’ve seen, at least, yes.”

TALIESIN: Does that– Do you know where it came from?

MATT: “I have my theories. I’d like to ask Gaima for more guidance on specifics, but it’s not– Our oasis, depending on how much you and your family know of our history, it draws many beasts, to come and live and take of the soil and eat of the interred, and the delightful gifts that are granted by the surrounding jungle. A part of this cycle is the worship that we bring between the Wildmother and Avandra. It is an occasional occurrence where entities and creatures are drawn from beyond the Penumbra Range to the far east, from the Miskath Strand, a land that in itself is blighted. I believe some refer to it as Blightshore. A very necessary place to avoid, from what I’ve read. But creatures that come from there don’t come in their normal state. It’s a place of twisted things.”

LIAM: I’m sorry, did you say “eat of the interred?”

MATT: “Yes.”

MARISHA: Dead people. It’s a grave. It’s like a Caduceus thing.

LAURA: But you eat them?

MATT: “We do not eat of them, but the animals that come, and are a part of this oasis eat of the bodies as they are interred, and return them to the earth.”

LAURA: They poop them out. They poop the bodies out.

MATT: “Yes.”

MARISHA: I mean, we’ve dranken dead people tea.

TRAVIS: Dranken?

SAM: Dranken.

LIAM: Dranken.

MARISHA: Is there another way to say it?

LAURA: That’s a colloquialism from...

LIAM: Drunk.

MARISHA: We’ve drunk dead people tea.

MATT: “Have you partaken perhaps in a roast, or a piece of well-prepared animal meat?

TRAVIS: Yes.

LAURA: I’m a vegan.

SAM: I’ve roasted Fjord a bunch of times.

LAURA: This is why you don’t eat meat?

TALIESIN: No.

LAURA: Oh. No, I do eat meat.

MATT: “Then you yourself are part of the same cycle. We just have many creatures that do it as well, as part of the worship.”

TRAVIS: And what of the lake? Could you tell us more about it?

MATT: “The lake, it seems, was placed here long ago, we believe as a beacon from the Wildmother, and the shrine was built as a connection between the Wildmother, Avandra, with the essence of the Raven Queen sending the families out to find a place to lay the champion here. We took but one piece of the champion, and with that, the Stone family set this place of worship and began the cycle of interment.”

MARISHA: Huh.

LIAM: This must be very interesting for you, in your burgeoning faith.

TRAVIS: Yeah, it is a bit all of a history lesson.

MARISHA: Where’s the champion?

MATT: “Oh, the body of the champion?”

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: “Oh, it’s long been devoured and cast out into the sands and earth around you by the creatures who lived long before us. Long before I did, at least.”

SAM: Did the champion leave any artifacts behind?

MATT: “No. Just the body was scattered.”

MARISHA: Who’s the current champion? MATT: “I have no idea.”

TALIESIN: It was just “a” champion.

MATT: “This was a millennia ago.”

LIAM: Myth and legend.

MARISHA: Is that like a self-proclaimed title? I don’t know, just asking.

TALIESIN: Have I not told you this story before?

MARISHA: Yeah, the champions of Dust, Clay, and Stone and all that?

TALIESIN: No.

SAM: You protect the body of the champion.

TRAVIS: How could you forget that shit?

TALIESIN: We don’t protect the body. We gave it back. And we were tasked, the three families were tasked–

MARISHA: Oh, right, and you separated the bodies, and you put them across in other areas, and–

MATT: “So you are teaching them as you go.”

MARISHA: –super macabre and kind of fucked up.

TRAVIS: Good job. Yeah. Well done.

MATT: “Hey, that’s might judgmental of you.”

MARISHA: I’m just saying.

SAM: That’s her.

TALIESIN: What will we do with you, then?

MATT: Calliope’s like, “I kind of like her.”

TALIESIN: When you die, what’s to be done with you?

MARISHA: I think it really depends on how I go, right?

MATT: “It’s an important question, and something you should think about at an early point in your life, because it comes at you fast.”

MARISHA: I mean, you don’t normally have a choice. Those who are lucky have a choice, though.

MATT: “Right, but if you have a choice early, then aren’t you lucky?”

LAURA: Oh, my gosh, can you guys like bake me into a cupcake or something and then eat me?

TRAVIS: What? Are you asking us to eat you after death?

TALIESIN: That would probably require the kiln, that’s the way it would be up north.

MATT: “We could talk to the Dust family. I’m sure that could be done.”

TALIESIN: That could be arranged.

MARISHA: We are surrounded by statues of people.

MATT: At which point you hear Constance go–

TALIESIN: People in statues.

MATT: “I think I’ve found them.”

TALIESIN: All right, I’m–

MATT: And around the exterior of the shri ne, you can see there, one trying to protect the other, the petrified bodies of Colton and Clarabelle, your elder brother and sister.

TALIESIN: How do they look?

MATT: Intact. Just petrified.

LAURA: After we go to sleep, we can bring back– I can bring back three people.

TALIESIN: I can bring back three people.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: And Eremis goes, “We do have a number of individuals of the Stone family that probably could take care of this problem over time–“

TALIESIN: Perfect.

MATT: “We just have to bring them back.”

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: “One of which is Gaima, who I’ve mentioned.

LAURA: We’ll bring back Gaima for sure tomorrow.

SAM: Maybe first, maybe he...?

MATT: “She.”

SAM: She could help with the others.

MARISHA: And who is Gaima?

MATT: “Gaima Stone is partner to Darrah, and the head of the Guardian of the Shrine.”

LAURA: Ooh. That sounds important.

SAM: Also probably Fjord’s, like, mom?

LAURA: Is Gaima an orc?

MATT: “No, half-giant.”

SAM: That’s kind of like...

LAURA: Wow.

TALIESIN: You’re really reaching on this one.

LIAM: It’s different.

SAM: I think it’s the same.

TALIESIN: Let’s...

MARISHA: If you’re three feet tall, yeah.

TALIESIN: Maybe we rest– what time is it? I don’t even know.

MATT: It’s later in the day. You guys were approaching the oasis in the mid- to late-afternoon. So at this point, it’s probably starting to get pretty close to dusk.

TALIESIN: This is my last question before we... How does your ritual work? With the Menagerie? What is done with those who are interred here?

MATT: “With the bodies that we have, there is a series of rites that we speak over the body as it is placed within the center of the temple shrine that is prepared with all sorts of salts and other minerals that begin the process of decomposition, as well as preserving elements on the surface. It is then, based on this ritual, we take a sign or a vision from– either it be from the Luckbringer, or the Wildmother, as to which creatures of the Menagerie should be granted the body. Then we find them, and we converse, and if it is accepted, then it is given to the creature to be buried.”

TALIESIN: Here within the cave? Or outside the cave?

MATT: Outside the cave.

TALIESIN: All right. That’s beautiful.

MARISHA: Buried?

MATT: “Consumed and then interred.”

TRAVIS: You said this area draws animals from outside. Is there any way that we might camouflage the entrance to this cave. I only– something we did attracted that gorgon towards us. I would hate to think that more on the way, and that we tried to sleep. I know we may be able to be inside the dome, but–

LIAM: Not all of us.

TRAVIS: Right.

TALIESIN: How large is the entrance to the cave?

MATT: The entrance is probably about fifteen feet tall by twenty feet wide.

ASHLEY: I don’t have to sleep in there.

MARISHA: Eremis, is there any other entrances to this cave?

MATT: “Not to the outside. Well, we do have two relatively disused escapes but they just vanish into the jungle. They’re sealed, though.”

TRAVIS: Sealed with stone, or...?

MATT: “Sealed with metal and key.”

TRAVIS: Oh. Actual doors.

SAM: If we had a watch–

MATT: “We have doors.” And you see– Eremis points out to the edges of the chamber, and you can see beyond some of these small buildings and huts, there are doors. And there are stairs made out of the same stone material that blended in– you were so taken in by the structures in the center of the building– center of the chamber, and looking at the architecture around it, now that you focus on the outskirts, there is a very intricately carved series of stairs and shelves and things on the outskirts. You can see, similar to the Dust family but on a much smaller scale, there are other side chambers and rooms. This place could probably house close to sixty or so people.

MARISHA: Is there anyone else not petrified? Are we alone?

MATT: From what you see right now, you are the only ones unpetrified.

LAURA: We should go up some stairs, and into a chamber. Cause, you know, I don’t think bulls can climb stairs.

LIAM: I can set an Alarm at the cave entrance.

SAM: Yes.

LIAM: To start, but only nine of us can fit–

ASHLEY: I’ll sleep outside of the dome.

LAURA: Yeah, you should have Caduceus’s family sleep in the dome.

MARISHA: Yeah, a few of us can sleep on the outside, or I can find a hut. I’m kind of excited to find someone’s hut.

TALIESIN: I’m fine sleeping outside. I don’t need the dome.

TRAVIS: May I ask why?

MARISHA: It’s kind of invigorating sleeping in someone else’s hut.

SAM: I think that Jester is going to want to arrange the stone bodies in weird and embarrassing positions, so that when they come back to life, they....

LAURA: Why didn’t I think of that?! Nott!

TALIESIN: They break while you’re moving them.

LIAM: Yeah, you don’t want to–

LAURA: You would make a good follower of the Traveler, Nott.

TRAVIS: Oh, god.

SAM: That’s true. But if you make some kind of weird pile-on...

LIAM: But if you tip one over, it’s... you know...no take-backs.

TALIESIN: So let’s not do that.

LIAM: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Because if you accidentally drop one, then...

LIAM: We just had this conversation. Harmless pranks to potentially lethal...

TALIESIN: You could kill my sister, and then, you know, that’s weird.

LIAM: You know what? Draw a dick on somebody. Because that is impermanent. And it’s a dick.

LAURA: That doesn’t sound nearly as fun.

TRAVIS: Yeah, draw a stone dick on one of the statues so it’s got one sticking out of its shoulder.

LAURA: Oh, I could paint like a penis on a shoulder and then when they come back to life– that’s really smart, Fjord.

SAM: They’d hit it to knock it off and it just makes it harder.

TRAVIS: Oh, god.

TALIESIN: Let’s– let’s not–

LIAM: [JENGA]

TALIESIN: Let’s maybe not do that. But if you do do it, do it to Colton.

LIAM: Pretty sure [JENGA]

TALIESIN: Don’t do it. But if you do, do it to Colton.

LIAM: Family and heartbreak.... dick statues.

MATT: If you guys would like to, you can find anything here to rest and prepare for the next day.

LIAM: Yeah, I honestly don’t think we need the dome for once. I think a tripwire on the cave entrance, and some distance from that entrance, is enough.

LAURA: Yeah.

SAM: Agreed.

LAURA: Yeah.

MATT: Okay. You guys eventually find some chambers that are relatively empty. You do find a handful of other piles of relatively pulverized rock and dust from individuals that managed to get in the way of this creature when it maybe first or at some point in which it was rummaging through this cave. Eremis takes moments to pray and gather what fragments he can. It’s a very solemn clime to the end of the night. But also an experience that seems not unfamiliar to an individual that their purpose, their family, is to bring those to a close of their journey. But you guys go ahead and rest. If there’s anything you want to accomplish before the night’s over? Otherwise, we will go into the long rest,

SAM: I’ll meditate a little bit.

LIAM: Before you go into that.

SAM: Okay.

LIAM: This is a lot of god talk.

SAM: God talk.

LIAM: A lot of god talk, yeah. It’s a bit above....

SAM: I’m not following most of it.

LIAM: Are you a follower of the Traveler yet?

SAM: Not yet. I’m curious to see what the meeting’s about.

LIAM: Very curious. Very curious about the meeting.

SAM: But I’m not sure if I’m ready to commit to following that fellow.

LIAM: I understand your reservations. She has done great things.

SAM: Oh, yes!

LIAM: Aid.

SAM: Yes, he... I have seen him to great work through her, as well, but I’ve also seen you do quite amazing things and without any holy power at all.

LIAM: If you think about it, it’s all about scale. The Raven Queen, the Wildmother– the things that you can do and I can do, we are not as great as what the Wildmother can do, and this other– this ginger elf man thing, he can do things even greater than you and I, but not as great as the gods reaching into our world. Well, you know, it’s just math and scale. And he helps her–

SAM: He does. I do like him for that.

LIAM: He’s a little creepy.

SAM: Well, I mean, if you’re really being honest, so is she, sometimes. But in the sweetest way.

LIAM: If I am being honest, she is occasionally creepy.

SAM: Yeah. But in the best possible way.

LIAM: I’ve seen her do things with an axe that would make even me blanch, and I am a twisted individual. But it pales in comparison to everything else. What am I talking about? Where is your head at?

SAM: Well, I mean, I’ve been thinking about it quite a lot, and I must say, seeing Caduceus reunited with his mother was... it was wonderful. It was nice. I’d like that again, for me.

LIAM: You don’t want to be a goblin.

SAM: I don’t. No, no, no.

LIAM: But what’s going on in here has nothing to do with what’s out here, so if you turn yourself back to your old you... Wherever you are in your journey and your outlook, the outside is going to have no bearing on it.

SAM: Yeah.

LIAM: You still have to make the same decisions, even if you are back to yourself. Self, what is self?

SAM: I do think your physical appearance– it does matter. It’s not everything–

LIAM: But it’s a reality.

SAM: Yes. It has an effect on your life. And I don’t know how much it’s had an effect on mine. But I guess there’s only really one way to find out.

LIAM: And if you change back, do you know, are you going to go home, or to your family?

SAM: I think I’ve decided– I think I’ve made a decision. But that’s two decisions. I’ve made the first. I think I’m ready to change back. But what happens afterwards, I won’t know until I get there, I think.

LIAM: I support whatever you choose. But I will miss you if you go.

SAM: I’ll miss all of you, if I go. I’ll miss you most of all. Our time together has been so dangerous and deadly and incredible, and it’s been wonderful saving your life again and again.

LIAM: I appreciate it.

SAM: I know you’re going to use your life to do god-like things. And I hope I’m there to see it.

LIAM: Can I admit something to you?

SAM: Go ahead.

LIAM: It is a blessing to have family again. I mean that in the realest sense of the word. It has been a blessing to me, and I am so grateful for your presence next to me on the road.

SAM: I feel the same, but I don’t know what our family is.

LIAM: Work in progress, Veth.

SAM: Yeah. Not my.... hm. Well. Baby steps, I suppose.

LIAM: Yeah. Sometimes words ruin it.

SAM: And I don’t want to make anybody shovel 50 pounds of clay while we’re here, so...

LIAM: Soon.

SAM: Soon.

LIAM: Soon.

SAM: And you’ll be there for it.

LIAM: I will absolutely be there for it.

SAM: All right. Well, maybe for the last time, goodnight, Caleb.

LIAM: Goodnight, Nott... the Brave.

TALIESIN: You two still up?

LIAM: There is so much going on, Caduceus.

MARISHA: I’m still up.

LIAM: Geeze!

MARISHA: Jester!

TALIESIN: I got a thing I need to do.

SAM: What?

TALIESIN: Ignore anything you hear in the next five minutes. It’s fine.

MARISHA: What are you doing?

TALIESIN: It’s just a thing.

MARISHA: What are you doing? Why don’t you just tell us? You’re going to do it in front of us.

TALIESIN: Nope, I’m going to wander off and find Calliope.

MARISHA: Jester!

LAURA: What?

MARISHA: We have a rare gift upon us right now.

LAURA: In what way?

MARISHA: An empty town with a bunch of unlocked doors and no consequences.

LAURA: Oh my god.

MARISHA: We could get into every single on of these huts.

LAURA: You could learn so much about people.

MARISHA: Uh-huh.

LAURA: I can put dildos on everybody’s bed.

MARISHA: Yep.

LAURA: We should do it.

MARISHA: It will be a great night.

LIAM: Canon.

LAURA: But. But, we do need to get some rest, because I do have to do some major healing in the morning.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’ll just take like an hour or something.

LAURA: Okay, yeah, let’s do it.

MARISHA: Do you think anybody else wants to come?

LAURA: Maybe Nott.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: Maybe Yasha.

MARISHA: Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe Fjord.

LAURA: I feel like Fjord’s going to say no, but we can ask him. Just don’t let him talk us out of it.

MARISHA: No.

LAURA: He’s really good. He’s really like noble.

MARISHA: Yeah. Okay, should we not ask him? Is he going to be like a buzz kill?

LAURA: We should ask him.

MARISHA: Okay, okay, okay.

LAURA: We should ask everybody. I mean, that’s everybody basically.

MARISHA: Yeah, it is. Everyone who’s not pre-occupied.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: Anyone want to go into a bunch of huts?

TRAVIS: Huh? What?

MARISHA: Hey. You asleep?

TRAVIS: Clearly not now.

MARISHA: Hey.

TRAVIS: What? What? You just said “Hey.”

MARISHA: Empty town, man. Empty town. It’s like time has frozen. Haven’t you ever had this fantasy, dude?

TRAVIS: The people are frozen. Go on.

MARISHA: But like think about it. We’ve got– this is ours. No one. Come on. You want to go for a walk?

TRAVIS: I’m still totally foggy on what the fuck you’re talking about.

LAURA: Oh my god, I have a really good idea.

MARISHA: What, what, what?

LAURA: What if over every single door we put a water pail? And so as soon as they come back, they go back to get in their house– yeah. Yeah, everybody gets–

TRAVIS: Time out. Are you talking about sabotaging the homes of these frozen petrified people?

MARISHA: No. We’re talking about going for a walk.

TRAVIS: That doesn’t sound at all like what Jester’s talking about.

LAURA: But it’s not like it’s going to hurt them. It’s just going to cover them with water.

MARISHA: And maybe get like a bruise or like split their forehead.

LAURA: It’s no big deal.

TRAVIS: So the first time they go home in potentially ten years–

LAURA: They won’t know it’s been ten years. It’s not going to feel like ten years for them. It’s like they’re going to go home, is all.

MARISHA: Didn’t you hear Eremis say like, “Don’t keep track of calendars. It doesn’t matter.”

TALIESIN: Somehow responsible for this.

TRAVIS: Sure, let’s do it.

MARISHA: Yeah. Yasha!

LAURA: Caleb.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

MARISHA: Let’s go.

ASHLEY: I am curious about– yeah, I’ll go.

MARISHA and LAURA: (chanting) Chaos crew! Chaos crew!

TALIESIN: Yay, temple defiling. Oh no.

SAM: I am going to try to find some pine cones or large nuts from a fruit tree or something. And I’m going to try to put like a pine cone in everybody’s hand, who’s frozen. Just so when they all wake up, they’ll be like “What the fuck am I holding a pine cone in my hand for?”

LAURA: That’s really good.

TALIESIN: Now that is–

ASHLEY: That’s really funny. I don’t want to put them through any more pain than they’re already going through.

TRAVIS: Yasha, I’m just going to keep an eye on them. I’m not going to participate.

ASHLEY: Yeah, okay, okay.

MATT: In the meantime.

MARISHA: I’m going to–

TRAVIS: How long– set a time limit, because I’m really fucking broke right now.

MARISHA: Just like one hour.

TRAVIS: One hour and we’re coming home. Street lamps come on, you’re back home.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah.

ASHLEY: One hour.

MARISHA: One-ish hours.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

TRAVIS: Sundown–

MARISHA: One-ish... You know, if we get caught up in something, maybe it’ll like distract us. But roughly like 60-ish minutes. Maybe 90 minutes.

SAM: And then I’m going to pick one guy to have a sack of pine cones.

TALIESIN: This is how weird bank holidays get started.

MATT: Yep. All righty. So while you guys are having this conversation–

MARISHA: I’m going to take everyone’s mail, and I want to steal some but also rearrange others.

MATT: Got it. Cool. We’ll get to all this, after we finish Caduceus’s.

TALIESIN: Beau, your Marisha is showing a bit.

MATT: The person this is actually very heavily focused on.

TALIESIN: It’s okay, it’s okay. I appreciate that it is going to make this weirder.

MATT: I know. And we’ll come back to it. So.

TALIESIN: Very quietly, I want to see if I’m very gently going to find where Calliope is sleeping, just to see if she’s asleep, which– very quietly.

MATT: You go and walk across the area, keeping an eye out, and you pass by the exterior of the central temple structure, and you see a figure sitting on the edge of the water. You look closely and you can tell from this distance, which isn’t too far, and with the glow from the water, the temple base water itself, it appears to be Calliope sitting along the edge, toes dipped into the pool. She’s looking into it.

TALIESIN: As quietly as I can, I’m going to very, very gently, quietly walk up to her without disturbing her.

MATT: Okay. You approach and you can see she’s just sitting there holding the single crystal in her hand, and she’s looking at the water and looking at the crystal, and looking at the structure above her. Sighs very heavily.

TALIESIN: There’s no one else around?

MATT: At the moment, no, other than– no one who’s not petrified, at least.

TALIESIN: I very quietly, so slowly, get as close as I can, and remove the bone flute from my pocket–

MATT: Roll a stealth check for me, Caduceus.

TALIESIN: I’ve been waiting so long for this.

TRAVIS: The dice decides.

TALIESIN: 19.

MATT: You’re... you were not the most quiet individual in your life. You’ve tried at times, and with distraction you’ve been helpful. And in this moment, this soft smile of the Wildmother looks upon you as your feet touch soft red earth, just enough carried on the bottom that when you touch the stone of the interior of the temple, nary a sound is made. Calliope is none the wiser of your presence as you approach but a foot and a half behind her. She sits there, her toe curling in the water. You can hear she begins to whisper a silent prayer.

TALIESIN: (loudly shrieks on the bone flute)

MATT: She just falls into the pool.

TRAVIS: Tell me she drops the crystal.

MATT: Oh, yeah. The crystal goes in. She goes like, “Caduceus!” And she takes the crystal and throws it at you.

TALIESIN: I run.

MATT: She gets up our of the pool and she chases you.

TALIESIN: I got you something. I’ll stop at the front of the cave, because I definitely know she can outrun me.

MATT: Make an athletics check.

TALIESIN: Oh, my favorite. Nine.

MATT: Nope, she knocks your ass to the ground. She full on tackle charges you. You fall on the ground, you both tumble a bit. You fall onto your back and she stands up and puts her foot on your chest, her hair just soaked down in front of her face.”

TALIESIN: I have been carrying that thing for so long.

MATT: “I was going to thank you. Was.”

TALIESIN: [JENGA] enjoyed that.

MATT: “It’s coming back to you. It’s all coming back to you.”

TALIESIN: We’ll see. I hold it up.

MATT: The crystal?

TALIESIN: No, actually, I hold up the bone flute.

MATT: The bone flute? She takes it. “Where the hell did you get this?”

TALIESIN: Oh, around.

MATT: “It’s mine now. Until you earn it back.”

TALIESIN: It’d be a shame if something happens to Colton tomorrow. And I start to get up. Pick up the crystal. Just sayin’.

MATT: “Hm.” Make a strength saving throw.

TALIESIN: I’m into it. 12.

MATT: 12. She sweeps your legs out from under you and you fall right to the ground again. This is going to hit your hip and you’re like Awww!

TALIESIN: Oh, man, I’ve missed you.

MATT: She reaches down and puts her hand out and picks you up. “I missed you too.”

TALIESIN: Hug.

MATT: She gives you a hug back. Kind of a side hug, but like kind of gets into it. “You’re such... you’re such a you.”

TALIESIN: I think I’ve gotten weirder.

MATT: “That’s not even possible.”

TALIESIN: I know, right?

MATT: “What have your friends done to you?”

TALIESIN: They’re very strange. Especially the blue one.

MATT: “Maybe some family time will do you good.”

TALIESIN: Oh. Actually. You were right about a lot of things–

MATT: “I know that.”

TALIESIN: I’ve been out there. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen a lot. I don’t entirely know who I am, anymore. I’ve... this past however long I’ve– leaving home changes you.

MATT: “Yeah, I know. I’m surprised it took you long enough to step out for a bit.”

TALIESIN: I wasn’t going to be the one. I was supposed to stay so that the rest of you could leave.

MATT: “I’m glad that you overcame your need to stay and got a little stir crazy.”

TALIESIN: I may not be done. And I don’t know what to tell Mom and Dad yet.

MATT: She stops for a second and looks at your hand where you’re holding the crystal. And you can see the crystal itself, the exact same kind of coloration, that deepish purple color as the ones that you had formulated within the fires of Kravaraad within the Kiln. And at the edges of it, you can see these little spikes protruding, ever so slightly, almost like little tap points pushing out in four or five different places. She takes it and looks at it. Looks back at the temple. And she starts walking back to the center of the structure.

TALIESIN: I follow her.

MATT: You both walk up to the edge of the water, herself still dripping and leaving this trail to the edge of the pool. She holds it and throws it back in the water, and you see it slowly sink to the bottom. A kind of odd undulating glow shifting forth from the structure around. It’s kind of lit from underneath by the stone build and whatever kind of enchantment holds the bottom of the temple floor. And from those points, they seem to continue to extend. As these long thin crooked almost pseudopod-like extensions begin to grow out of them, like roots. Like a potato that’s been left in a pantry too long and begins to expand and you begin to recall elements of the visions that you had of these crystals taking root eventually, at their final destination. She goes, “I think I remember something like that.”

TALIESIN: Me too.

MATT: “You said you found some of these?”

TALIESIN: Yeah. Here, you think?

MATT: “I mean–“ (he throws them in) You throw the handful of crystals that you have refined and as they all slowly settle down, you watch as one by one they all begin to expand in the same way. These points kind of jutting out, another one a little slower, almost like branches beginning to grow from the crystal, like they become these odd small hearts with veins extruding to fine points. It’s very, very odd but weirdly beautiful. And they extend just a little ways out from what was once a thin crystal to no further than that. (Basketball size) And then they stop. Like partially germinated seeds.

TALIESIN: It’s time to take them home.

MATT: “I guess so.”

TALIESIN: I don’t know if I can go home yet. I owe such a debt. And I don’t– I don’t know if– I don’t know if I’m ready to plant.

MATT: “Well...”

TALIESIN: Soon.

MATT: “You could always keep them on you and then you come back when you’re ready. Just don’t take too long.”

TALIESIN: I was going to send them with you. But–

MATT: “With me?”

TALIESIN: Are you going home?

MATT: “If you’re not, someone has to. I’ve got to protect the rest of these knuckleheads.” And she points over her shoulder.

TALIESIN: Maybe talk about it in the morning, but I’d appreciate– I don’t know. I don’t know how to talk to Mom and Dad yet. Corrin would be a help, but we’ll see.

MATT: “Well, hopefully in the morning. But if you want me to take these back, and we can plant them in your stead, hopefully you’ll come home to a safer homestead.”

TALIESIN: And then you can leave.

MATT: “Yeah.”

TALIESIN: You’ve wanted it longer than I have. Get some sleep.

MATT: “Well, someone’s got to pull those out first.” And she pushes you into the pool. And watches over. “So, pick them up!”

TALIESIN: I put all three up on the ledge. I make a grab for the hand.

MATT: Go ahead and make a– this will be...

TALIESIN: Dex?

MATT: We’ll say you grab her and this is a strength check to see if you can manage to over–

TALIESIN: Cool. Okay, I would have been thinking about it, so here we go.

LAURA: Ohh.

TALIESIN: Nope.

LIAM: Eww.

MATT: You grab, her hand slips out, and she puts her foot forward, not painfully, just pushes into your face, and much like the Santa Claus in Christmas Story, just slowly pushes you back into the pool.

TALIESIN: I’m looking up. I bob back up. Later, then.

LAURA: You still have water breathing.

MATT: “Goodnight, Caduceus.”

TALIESIN: It’s gone now.

LAURA: It lasts for 24 hours.

MATT: She grabs the crystals and puts them into the satchel and turns around and leaves.

TALIESIN: I’m going to soggy my way back to...

LIAM: Float to the bottom like [JENGA] in Rushmore. Just...

MATT: As you walk past, you can’t help but being the high perception Caduceus you are, watch as a faint, almost Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies track of music goes to the cavern, as the rest of your group begins to dart from hut to hut to hut, exploring the weirdly disturbing ghost town of this cave, as everyone is still stone, and locked in various phases of fear or anger, as you begin to peruse their personal belongings. What are you doing, guys? What are you doing?

TRAVIS: I’m staying outside.

ASHLEY: I’m going to rearrange the furniture–

TRAVIS: Yasha!

ASHLEY: So I’m thinking like a couch– what, it’s harmless– a couch in the kitchen and then put the dining room chairs and table in the bedroom.

TALIESIN: Divine Intervention.

MATT: Rearranging?

TALIESIN: Nope.

MARISHA: Could we stack them in weird ways?

ASHLEY: Yes.

MARISHA: Poltergeist shit.

ASHLEY: I like it.

MATT: No human would stack chairs like this.

LIAM: A caveat. Caleb didn’t go. He’s doing something utility back with Caduceus’s Stone family. As you were.

MATT: You got it.

TALIESIN: I’m just going to....

LAURA: I’m going to look for underwear.

TALIESIN: Are you all defiling the–

TRAVIS: Yes. They are.

TALIESIN: –petrified–

MARISHA and ASHLEY: No.

TALIESIN: – temple of the Wildmother right now?

MARISHA: Not temples. It’s their huts.

LAURA: We’re just doing the houses.

MARISHA: These beds that people definitely masturbate in are not fucking temples.

TALIESIN: They’re cloisters in the temple of the Wildmother–

ASHLEY: What’s a cloister?

LAURA: It’s a place where you masturbate.

TALIESIN: Not arguing with that. Nope, not arguing that.

ASHLEY: So it’s okay, then.

TRAVIS: I feel like at least if we watch it’s like sanctioned or something.

TALIESIN: I’m disappointed the least in you. And I walk back to the...

MARISHA: I pass Jester a bottle of the wine.

TRAVIS: Where did you find that?

MARISHA: I swiped it from my parents. Obviously.

LAURA: What do you want me to do with it?

MARISHA: Drink from it.

LAURA: Ohh..

SAM: She doesn’t drink.

LAURA: Beau, that’s really sweet of you. I like to prank completely sober, though, so I don’t let it go too far. I pass it to Yasha.

TALIESIN: Your body is a temple.

LAURA: (laughing) My body is a temple.

MATT: Your body is a cloister.

ASHLEY: Nott?

SAM: I’d better abtain.

(Laughter)

TRAVIS: Yeah! Wow!

LIAM: An inside joke that makes no sense to the audience! Wow!

TRAVIS: Only eight people know what that means!

SAM: You see, Marisha doesn’t know how to spell sometimes.

LAURA: I’m going to take underwear that I find–

ASHLEY: (holding out bottle) Fjord?

TRAVIS: No. No, I’m fine.

LAURA: And just leave it in weird places in the house.

MATT: Make an investigation check.

LAURA: Help me, Traveler, guide me. Ten.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: But it’s underwear.

MATT: Right.

TRAVIS: Ten year old underwear.

MATT: A subterranean temple to the Wildmother at the south end of Wildemount, you gather within a short time of searching, the people here probably not that into underwear. There’s just none. They’re probably freeballin’.

TRAVIS: (singing) Cause I’m free!

LAURA: Caduceus!

TALIESIN: The Stone family goes commando. Yeah?

LAURA: Does your family wear underwear?

TALIESIN: I don’t know what that means.

LAURA: (gasps)

ASHLEY: What’s underwear?

TRAVIS: Yeah, there’s just one layer of clothes between him and you.

LAURA: All these people with no undies. You?

SAM: Not. Nope.

LAURA: You?

MARISHA: Of course. What? Of course.

LAURA: Fjord?

TRAVIS: I’m not answering this question.

LAURA: Do you wear underwear? Do you wear boxers or briefs?

MARISHA: Tighty whities?

TRAVIS: I’m not answering you.

MARISHA: Are they huggers? I bet they’re huggers.

LAURA: I’m going to imagine huggers.

MARISHA: Yeah, me too.

LIAM: How white are tighty whiteys in medieval times?

MARISHA: I don’t know.

LIAM: Let’s be honest.

TALIESIN: Deep maroon, I would imagine.

ASHLEY: I don’t know what any of this is. What’s a hugger?

LAURA: Huggers is a set of underwear that really hug the testicles.

ASHLEY: Oh, it hugs testicles?

LAURA: Or any parts you have.

SAM: I think he has testicles, yeah.

LAURA: Yeah, yeah. For Yasha, if she wanted to wear huggers, it would hug her booty–

ASHLEY: I don’t need to wear huggers.

LAURA: If you wanted to.

MARISHA: Do you rack a camo [JENGA?}

ASHLEY: I don’t understand what’s–

TRAVIS: Did you say camo?

ASHLEY: I have pants on.

SAM: Yeah, why would you need pants under the pants?

ASHLEY: What do you need an extra piece for?

LAURA: That’s a really good question. I don’t know, it’s–

SAM: For when you peep your pants?

ASHLEY: And extra pair of under pants underneath?

LAURA: That’s technically what they are, yeah.

TALIESIN: I’m already back to Caleb.

MATT: I’m trying to pinpoint the exact moment I lost control of this. It’s multiple points.

LIAM: Five years ago.

MATT: True, true.

TRAVIS: All right, okay, I hope you’ve done your best work! It’s getting dark outside.

LAURA: I get some pails going.

MATT: You got some pails, you arranged some furniture...

SAM: Pine cones.

MATT: Pine cones....

SAM: Or large nuts.

TRAVIS: It’s just pineapples.

MATT: Make a stealth check.

SAM: A stealth check.

MATT: Cause you went outside for this.

SAM: Natural 2.

LIAM: There’s lots of conifers in the jungle.

MATT: You avoid a whole shit ton of very dangerous creatures that are nocturnal and peruse the elements of this jungle, that you only realize as you’re heading your way out. We’re talking like feral owlbears and all sorts of other creatures that peruse this element of the jungle. And there are no pinecones, but you find large, weird nuts, acorn-like objects that you’re looking for, soggy tuber-like things that you can find that have taken root in the exterior of the lake. A bunch of weird things. It’s almost like a firmer sea cucumber. It’s awful.

SAM: Great. Great.

MATT: But you come back with a satchel of this collection and you, very much like the oddest Santa Claus– that’s twice we’ve referenced Santa Claus in this sequence– go around and leave little presents in everyone’s hands.

LAURA: Put one like just across the shoulder.

SAM: Sure. Sure. And then, if there’s any left, I’ll give Gaima a little bag full of a bunch of them.

MATT: There you go. There you go.

LAURA: That’s really good. I’m going to watch Nott do all of this. And I’m going to take out my paints.

SAM: Mm-hmm. And draw a dick on them.

LAURA: No. I’m going to draw a tiny little statue of the Traveler, about like this big (maybe two inches), and I’ve realize if I draw it just right–

SAM: I’ve seen it.

LAURA: Yes. With the hood and the cape, you can make a nice little dick out of it.

SAM: The silhouette.

LAURA: The silhouette of a dick. And then with the cape, I’m going to make it open up just a little at the bottom, so it looks like the road going up, and I’m going to make the archway like engraved– I’m going to make it look really beautiful, a really pretty dick statue of the Traveler.

TRAVIS: Your parents watch this show.

(Laughter)

LAURA: With a little loop on top so that it can be worn as a pendant or whatever.

MATT: Right.

TALIESIN: Tell your parents to send us a Mountain Dew or something.

LAURA: And I’m going to go up– Hey, Nott!

SAM: Huh?

LAURA: I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone in my entire life that would be as good a follower of the Traveler as you. You’re everything he looks for.

SAM: Are you asking me to join your cult?

LAURA: Wellll, I’m asking you to open your heart to chaos.

SAM: All right. I will. You know what? When I assume my new form– my old form–

LAURA: Or whatever you want it to be, really. You don’t have to go back to your old form. You could be anything you want.

SAM: That’s true. But I will be born again with your faith in my heart, and we’ll see what happens. I can’t promise anything because I don’t know how I’ll be–

LAURA: Totally.

SAM: Also, I don’t think you can promise chaos.

LAURA: No, and if you’re not feeling it, that’s okay.

MARISHA: I walk by and I slap the dick out of Nott’s hand. Ha ha ha!

SAM: That’s good.

TALIESIN: That’s the only thing you can promise, to be fair.

LAURA: I got to make another fucking necklace.

SAM: Yeah you do.

LAURA: I’ll make another fucking necklace and give it to Beau.

MARISHA: What?

LAURA: See this?

MARISHA: What?

LAURA: There’s chaos in your heart, I can feel it.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah.

LAURA: Join us.

MARISHA: What?

LAURA: You know, if you want to hang out with the Traveler too, I’m just saying. You make a really good follower of the Traveler. You know, or if you– whatever, you’re chaotic and I love you. There you go.

MARISHA: You’re very attractive right now.

LAURA: Thank you.

MARISHA: I walk away.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Get some sleep, Caleb. We may need to teleport in the morning.

LIAM: Oh, okay, I’ll prepare that one, but I’m busy right now, okay? Everything’s fine.

MATT: So Caleb, what are you working on?

LIAM: I have been– I cast Fortune’s Favor on myself, and I have been trying to figure out how to control or adjust or use this collar from within the Archmage’s Bane that got locked around his neck. I want to be able to use it. Still.

MATT: Okay, roll an arcana check for me.

LIAM: Fortune’s Favor. Fortune’s Favor. Two 16's. 26.

MATT: 26, okay. These collars themselves, they aren’t self-powered. They are connected intrinsically to the energies that are harnessed in the central tower, the machine tower of Halas’s realm. So it has no power source. It could be experimented with, or another power source could be attached to it, to attempt to have it function. But you’re not entirely certain what could function for that in the moment. It could be experimented with. But you do ascertain with that roll that that’s really all it’s missing, is a power source that’s strong enough to keep it going.

LIAM: I understand something that I did not before.

MATT: Yes.

LIAM: Excellent.

MATT: And it was a high roll, is how you’re able to look at it and go, Oh, this can totally be powered again. I can see how this could be routed in here, and how the actual enchantment itself functions. There are a number of things that could be utilized for that. But you have none of those things at your disposal.

LIAM: So once I have decided on that, I just stare at it for ten to fifteen minutes. And that’s it.

MATT: You said you were going to find Caleb?

TALIESIN: I’m just letting him know, and then I’m going to be passing out.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: I know you still need some sort of 1.21 gigahertz power source for that–

LIAM: You want to leave tomorrow?

TALIESIN: Would it be possible to get my family back home?

LIAM: Home, home. To your home?

TALIESIN: Could we teleport there?

LIAM: Well, I cannot do that. But I could get us to our friend, who can. It might take an extra step. We can’t go direct.

MATT: The closest you can get to them is Zadash. Or Rexxentrum.

LIAM: Feeling good?

TALIESIN: Get them close enough that it’s an easy journey for them, and then we can get on our way.

LIAM: Ja. Ja,

TALIESIN: Back to the Menagerie Coast.

LIAM: I have an idea to– to help your family member. The one who’s in pieces still. I’m sorry.

TALIESIN: That’s okay.

LIAM: But I don’t think it’s a lost cause.

TALIESIN: Thank you. I appreciate that.

LIAM: All the same, not that I understand much, but congratulations on making it this far.

TALIESIN: Thank you. See you in the morning.

LIAM: Gute nacht.

TALIESIN: I fall asleep wet.

MATT: Okay. Waiting for Laura Bailey there. All right. A long rest comes to you all. In the morning, since you guys went to bed later than others, there’s already been activity within the Cave of Remembrance. You can smell a simple breakfast has been prepared, and the majority of your family that has been restored, as well as Eremis await your arrival. You can see they’ve moved two figures into a central area, one of which was the Gaima figure, and the other looks to be Mecatoth Stone as well, that was pulled from the outside. But as you guys awaken and gather and Eremis greets you, he goes, “Ah, good morning. I hope rest was what you were looking for. Who’s the one capable of... Ah, yes. Either one. Whoever, please. If you could tend to Gaima.”

LAURA: You do one, I’ll do the other.

TALIESIN: That’s fair.

LAURA: One two three go! Let’s see who does it faster. I think I got it.

TALIESIN: You definitely did. I was confused.

MATT: Okay. We’ll say you hit Mecatoth, which is the dragonborn figure that’s just been brought inside. As the stone fades away, it reveals green scales, these beautiful vibrant green scales, this very thin, almost lithe dragonborn with a long tail that comes up under the robe. As it’s restored, he kind of goes (growls).

TALIESIN: Welcome back from the Clay family. It’s been a long time.

MATT: “What’s happening? This is weird! What happened to everybody? Oh, no! This is a problem.”

LAURA: Mecatoth. Oh no, Steve Blum!

TALIESIN: It’s been a while, and there’s much work to do. Questions will be answered later.

MATT: “You can definitely say that again. Clay family, you said.”

TALIESIN: Many of us are here.

SAM: He looks just like Fjord!

MATT: “Welcome, Clay family, to the–“ at which point Jester has finished restoring Gaima, this massive Goliath half-giant. Middle aged, hair completely shorn, with these beautiful tattoos of curling vines that come up from underneath the neck and wrap around and frame the eyes, and go up on top and spiral to the back of the head. She has this heavy fur around the collar and this sleeveless vest that drags to the ground, and these thick bracers and a staff. And as she’s restored, there’s this moment of recognition. “Ah, I do not know you but I am thankful for this gift of renewal.”

LAURA: Welcome back to the world of the living.

TALIESIN: This is why you should have gotten eight hours sleep.

LAURA: I know, I know. You have been missed greatly.

MATT: “Well, I thank you.” And she takes your hand. “What is your name?”

LAURA: Jester.

MATT: “Jester. May the Mother keep you.”

LAURA: And may she always give you plenty of milk.

TRAVIS: (laughing) What the fuck?!

LIAM: Traditional [JENGA]

MATT: “Thank you.”

LAURA: You’re welcome. Did I say that right? Is that something that–

MATT: Both of you turn away.

TALIESIN: I never heard anyone say any of that before.

MATT: “Eremis.” “Yes, we’ve had a bit of a Miskath gorgon problem, but these individuals have kindly eliminated the creature, and are aiding us in restoring our fine cave and its denizens.” “Oh, well, thank you, everyone.” And you can see behind, Mecatoth’s like, “Yeah, look like we got our work cut out for us. Umm, I guess I’ll start with the front side of the cave.” And hobbles over, this large gait and these longer than natural legs shifting into the back. You get the sense that– the Clay family is an odd mixture. Stone family– also an odd mixture of personalities.

TALIESIN: I’m going to go over and tap Colton and Clarabelle. Clarabelle and Colton, in that order.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: Just to get everyone other than–

LAURA: Who else should I hit? Maybe I’ll ask Gaima that.

TALIESIN: Do we need Jester for your plan? For...

LIAM: Well, we are still working on that. I am thinking of Caduceus’s–

TALIESIN: About my aunt, Corrin.

SAM: We should save one spell for–

LAURA: Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was thinking about it also. Okay, so I can bring one person back, but also, I think I– well, I want to try something, if you think it would work.

TALIESIN: I don’t know what you’re thinking and I’m not sure if it would work.

LAURA: Well, okay. I was thinking about what spells I have, right? And we can shape stone.

TALIESIN: I don’t know if that would work.

LAURA: What if we put them together and then we Stone Shaped?

TALIESIN: I can’t Stone Shape today, but...

LAURA: I can, because I thought about it.

TALIESIN: If you want to try. What do you think, Caleb?

LAURA: Do you think that would work?

LIAM: I am not an expert on this. I’m not sure that my idea is foolproof. So...

TALIESIN: Nothing’s foolproof.

SAM: I think it will.

LAURA: Really?

SAM: I have the faith of the Traveler behind me.

LAURA: Heyyy.

MARISHA: Wait, what? Is that true?

LAURA: So do you, Beau.

MARISHA: Did I say something last night?

ASHLEY: Wait, you became a follower of the Traveler after meeting him? The guy?

SAM: We’ll have to wait and see. No. No, it’s more of a favor to Jester.

LAURA: Wha–?

SAM: For now.

LAURA: I’ll take it.

TALIESIN: I’m going to go wake up my siblings.

MATT: As you go over to Clarabelle, who is... you can see visibly younger than Caduceus. Looks to be probably in what would be the mid-teens. Bright eyed, stringy long hair that goes past the shoulders. Meeting at first glance, is probably the wild child of the family. Ironically, you were making {JENGA} references earlier. This is definitely probably one of them. The unkempt wild kid of the family. As soon as she’s restored, she goes (gasps). “Caduceus?”

TALIESIN: Hey, hey, hey. Hey, Belle. Hi.

MARISHA: Hay bale? Heh.

MATT: (sputters) Looks around and sees everybody stoned. “I’m confused.”

TALIESIN: Mom and Dad will fill you in. It’s been a weird decade. Hold on. Let me deal with this guy.

LAURA: Does he look like super old compared to how you remember him?

MATT: “I mean...”

TALIESIN: Hair’s a little stringy.

MATT: “It’s lost a lot of its color, too.”

TALIESIN: Yeah.

MATT: “How old are you now?”

LAURA: 200 years old.

TALIESIN: Caduceus literally grabs Jester, and very gently... It’s been about ten years, apparently, or eight to seven since you left.

LAURA: Maybe six.

TALIESIN: It’s been ten years since Mom left, so it’s been a while. Let’s– hold on, I’ve got to do this. And I’m going to wake up Colton.

MATT: So Colton, who has his hand back like in a protective position for Clarabelle, immediately goes like, “Stay back! Oh. Hello.”

TALIESIN: Welcome back.

SAM: Everything’s okay.

TALIESIN: Mom and Dad are in the other room. It’s been a while.

MATT: “Did you save me?”

TALIESIN: Sure.

MATT: “Dammit.”

TALIESIN: Yep.

MATT: He looks back and sees Clarabelle and goes, “You’re okay?” “Um, yeah, Caduceus saved me.” He’s like (sighs).

TALIESIN: Think about that. I’m going to turn and head back to where we’re figuring out Corrin. I’m sure they’re coming.

MATT: Yeah, they follow behind, then they start scattering to go find your parents off as well. Slowly other people start coming back, and you get the sense that with Mecatoth and Gaima revived, over time– weeks and weeks on, they can probably work towards restoring the entirety of the oasis. So.

TALIESIN: Let’s see what we can do for Corrin.

LAURA: Let’s ask Gaima. Maybe she has an idea for, you know. I could ask her if she thinks– Gaima?

MATT: As you approach, you can see Gaima is now working with a couple of other figures that she’s restored and they’re currently gathering the broken pieces of some of the individuals that were found shattered, and they’re just saying quiet prayers as they gather them up into piles.

LAURA: Oh.

MATT: “Yes, you asked for me?

LAURA: Yeah. Well, it has to do with... Do you think that when they’re broken, they can’t be mended?

MATT: “At a certain point, it’s a bit beyond our capabilities.”

LAURA: But if you put all the pieces back together, and...

MATT: She looks down at the hundreds of shattered pieces in this pile and goes, “There are a good many things I am quite capable of. Puzzles are not my forte.”

LAURA: I’m really good at puzzles.

MATT: “Would you like to give it a try?”

LAURA: How many people are in these piles?

MATT: “I don’t know.”

LAURA: That makes it difficult. What if I had a puzzle that I knew was just one person?

MATT: “Well, you’d probably have an easier time, that’s for sure.”

LAURA: Do you think all we would have to do is stick the stone back together and then we could bring them back?

MATT: “I’ve not attempted such a ritual before. I would hope that if you do it just perfectly right, but this is new territory for myself as well.

LAURA: Hey, Caleb?

LIAM: Ja.

LAURA: What if we bring her back and her organs are wrong, and she’s in a lot of pain.

LIAM: Well, she feels nothing at the moment. And we should try something.

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: The alternative is the void.

LAURA: True. I can try Stone Shape. Should I give it a go?

SAM: Maybe have Caduceus nearby to do healing immediately–

LAURA: After we bring her back?

SAM: If she starts screaming horribly.

LAURA: That’s a good idea, right?

TALIESIN: I’ll be there.

LIAM: Are you going to stone shape her form together, or are we sprinkling little stones in?

LAURA: I was thinking we can sprinkle in some little stones and seal it up.

TALIESIN: That’s not going to work, I don’t think. It’s not real stone.

SAM: Well, it is real stone.

TALIESIN: It’s a petrified body that’s – it’s different.

LIAM: I don’t know. My idea is to, with help– I am not a worker of metals– but to try to fill the seam seamlessly. And I can turn that to stone. But again, no guarantees. Nothing is foolproof. But we should try something, because–

TALIESIN: I don’t know if putting something that isn’t her will help the magic.

LAURA: Maybe I can just try putting it back together with the body as-is and I don’t add any extra weird stuff.

SAM: You could just use your stone shaping to smooth the edges.

LAURA: Seal it up.

SAM: Just kind of like tuck them together.

LAURA: Let’s give that a go. I’m going to try that, then.

MATT: So?

LIAM: Well, I have to bring it out. So he sets his five pieces of amber and draws a rough circle on the ground. Ten minutes later, he mutters the word “Una” and suddenly the circle flashes and all the parts, as assembled, are there, in this circle.

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: The rest of the Clay family steps up and puts hands on each other’s shoulders, looking down to watch.

SAM: I will levitate the body up just at your waist level.

LAURA: Oh, so I can see it on all sides. That’s smart, that’s smart. Okay, I’m going to cast Stone Shape to try to heal the stone together.

MATT: Okay.

TALIESIN: She’s an artist.

MATT: Go ahead and make a medicine check for me.

LIAM: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Don’t rush in. Places the pearl in front of her head. Very carefully, Jester. Very carefully.

LAURA: (rolls) Boof.

SAM: That’s a one. Better. Okay, okay.

LAURA: 25.

TRAVIS: What the fuck?

TALIESIN: Medicine’s real high.

LAURA: I got good medicine.

MATT: Natural one would have been real bad. Okay. As you focus, the portions of the body levitating, you push them all together and you begin to concentrate. The body rotates continuously as you mold over and smooth each element of the fractured elements of the body. There are pieces missing. You attempt to fill those gaps with the existing material–

LAURA: I don’t want to do it too much.

MATT: Right. But finding it in ways where you think at the very least it should have a cohesive continuous body. Carefully doing so, like a mystical surgeon, you move your fingers across each of these lines as it rotates, and you watch as they seal and seal and seal, like you’re smoothing fresh pottery. The crowd gathers, those who have been restored, around to watch as you finish the final details on it. And with that, the body is seemingly solid.

LAURA: Okay, Nott. You should lower her back down.

SAM: All right. Set her down gently. Face down. No.

LAURA: And then I’m going to use my second 5th level and cast Greater Restoration on the body. Get ready to heal, Caduceus.

MATT: Okay. You put your hands onto Corrin’s stone form and you feel the warm pulse of the divine energy granted to you by the Traveler pass into the stone body. From the points of contact where her fingers touch, you can see the grey drift into colored fabric and skin. The body is restored to a flesh form. And there’s a moment of pause as you can see Corrin was in a mid-battle pose. Now the arms go lax for a second and she goes (gasps).

TALIESIN: 4d8. Just because I’m curious. 23, instant.

MATT: Okay. (Difficult gasping releases into slightly easier breathing) “What’s gone on?” (Gasps in pain)

LAURA: Are you okay?

MATT: “Why am I so stiff?”

LAURA: Well...

TALIESIN: Be very careful– oh. Be very careful. You’ve had a rough decade.

SAM: Some of your muscles might not be connected all the way.

LAURA: She’s getting healed.

LIAM: I’m also curious if there will be scarring.

SAM: You said that out loud?

LIAM: I said it out loud.

TALIESIN: We’re fine. You can’t creep us out.

MATT: “Caduceus, help me up.”

TALIESIN: There you go. Wow.

MATT: You see as Corrin stands up– and you see this is, of all the family of the Clays you’ve seen, the eldest. This is the sister of Constance. His Aunt, if you will. The hair itself the fading pink, not quite as faded as yours has come, and a lot of them you see there’s similar shades of that pinkish skin tone. Some of them it’s been altered and you can see Clarabelle has stained it all a variety of different colors. As she stands up, Corrin’s like, “Oh. Breath is shallow, but...” She looks around and takes in the other unrestored people, the folks around them, the broken stone on the ground and body parts, and you can see her connecting all the dots and goes, “Ah. Well, whatever you did, thank you.”

TALIESIN: Everyone’s fine. We’re all here.

MATT: “Apparently. The Clays stay together once more.”

TALIESIN: And we have other good news.

MATT: Calliope steps forward and goes, “We’ve gotten what we came for.” And she presents the stones from the night before, themselves expanding into twisted roots. {JENGA} and looks around. Cornelius goes forward and takes one and goes, “Would you look at that. We did something right.” And he pats you on the head and ruffles your hair a bit.

TALIESIN: We– my friends, one of them can get us closer to home. Quickly. Not quite to home, but close.

MATT: “That would be great. That was a long walk. My feet are really sore.”

LIAM: Have you ever been to Rexxentrum?

MATT: “What’s a Rexxentrum?”

LIAM: Oh, this will be interesting.

TALIESIN: Corrin, have you ever been to....?

MATT: This is to Corrin? Corrin goes, “I’ve heard of the capital city of the Empire but I’ve avoided major cities. We tend to get strange looks and I don’t care for the food, to be honest.”

TALIESIN: Can we get anywhere closer, or maybe with the Cobalt? With the–?

MARISHA: Maybe we can go to Zadash.

LIAM: Which is a little less heavy.

SAM: But it’s further.

MATT: “It is, but it’s a rural road.”

TALIESIN: We maybe talk to...

LIAM: We could go incognito once we are there.

TALIESIN: Would you be all right with– Would everybody be all right if we just made a quick pop?

ASHLEY: Yeah.

SAM: Sure.

MARISHA: It’s easy enough to get to the Menagerie Coast from there.

MATT: You get a little bit of a glimpse. Corrin is definitely restored to life. There is definitely a... what you gather is a fusing of some kind, some elements of where those wounds were that are now extremely stiff and fused. Like having multiple vertebrae fused together in a back surgery. Corrin is kind of locked in a specific position, but is alive. You pulled it off!

SAM: Excellent surgery, doctor.

TALIESIN: Thank you.

LAURA: Really? I just heard like she couldn’t move. Is she okay?

SAM: She can move. A little sort of–

ASHLEY: Stiff, like you know when you sleep badly.

MARISHA: Yeah, a little.

MATT: It happens at my age anyway. Don’t worry.

ASHLEY: That was great, Jester.

MATT: Constance comes over and touches your arm and goes, “Well, we’re a family again, and we’ve done what we came for. I mean, that’s incredible. Everyone, thank your brother.” And everyone goes, “Thanks, Caduceus.” “Thanks, Caduceus.” “Thanks, Caduceus.” They’re all begrudgingly giving in except for Clarabelle, who’s like (sweetly) “Thank you, Caduceus.”

TALIESIN: I missed you. So much.

MATT: And they all come in and give this big family hug around him.

MARISHA: So what happens now? You plant the little crystal dudes, and–

MATT: You see Cornelius pull one out and goes, “I have no idea.”

MARISHA: Okay.

TALIESIN: Calliope knows what to do.

MATT: “I do.” She takes it from her father, puts it with the rest of them in there.

TALIESIN: Would you be willing to, if we’re all ready...?

LIAM: Of course.

MATT: (as Mecatoth) “Yeah, don’t worry, we’ll just do all this ourselves. Thanks for coming in here and leaving the work. No, seriously, we’ve got it. It’s fine. It’s wonderful.”

TRAVIS: Are you sure? You’ve been here for ten years. You’ve got lots of time to make for it.

MATT: “No, totally. We got it all handled. Don’t worry.”

SAM: I can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic.

MATT: “No, I’m being completely serious.”

TRAVIS: Was there a chip missing from his throat when we revived him?

SAM: He’s fucked up a little bit.

MATT: Eremis goes, “Oh, he’s always been this prickly. But he means well.” (As Mecatoth) “I can hear you! Not true. But thank you.”

TALIESIN: I’ll try and return.

LIAM: Caleb starts drawing on the floor.

MATT: Okay.

LAURA: Are we all going?

TALIESIN: If you wouldn’t mind. If you wouldn’t mind.

TRAVIS: Yeah, of course.

MARISHA: Can we fit everybody?

MATT: It’s anybody who can get through in six seconds, which would be quite a bit.

MARISHA: Okay, okay.

SAM: Should we tell them we’re coming first, or just go?

MARISHA: Oh, Jester! Zadash Cobalt Soul–

LAURA: Are we going to Zadash?

TALIESIN: Whichever is the easiest path.

MATT: You do have an Uthodurn circle, which is a hell of a lot closer.

TALIESIN: Let’s do that one.

LAURA: There you go.

MARISHA: Wait, we do?

MATT: Yeah, you guys paid quite a bit for it.

TRAVIS: [JENGA]

LAURA: Okay, I’m going to send a message to– who should I tell that we’re...

SAM: The senior glassblade? No. Ava– no. Umagorn Smeltborne– no. Reani? No. The scribewarden? Tumblecarves? Archivist Sunlash! Of the Cobalt Soul! He’s a gnome, or she.

LAURA: Wow.

MARISHA: In Uthodurn? No.

SAM: Uthodurn.

TALIESIN: Wow.

LAURA: That’s who I’m going to send a message to.

SAM: Archivist Sunlash.

LAURA: Archivist Sunlash.

MATT: All rightie. And what do you say?

LAURA: Hey, you remember us! It’s Mighty Nein. We’re coming to see you, along with some other folks. They’re all big.

TALIESIN: Singing telegram was really great, actually. That lifted my spirits.

LAURA: They have pink hair. Maybe they don’t–

SAM: Hey...

MATT: All rightie. Okay.

SAM: Oh, wait. Is that the right person?

MARISHA: No, I think it’s... hang on.

MATT: Okay, the response is: “Oh, uh... I’m not there anymore. My studies have shifted. But good luck!”

MARISHA: ...Ressia Uvesic?

LAURA: They said we are good to go. Let’s head out.

MARISHA: I think it’s wrong! And we go.

MATT: Did you finish the circle?

LIAM: No, I’m waiting for confirmation that we know that we’re welcome. Are we welcome? You fixed it?

LAURA: Yeah, they said that we’re okay to go.

LIAM: Okay. Clay Family, please line up.

MARISHA: Oh, it’s Demid! It’s Demid Schmidt! Schmid– Shmulash? Archivist Demid. I think we fucked it up. It’s fine.

TRAVIS: (reading her notes) Demid Swanlash. Swimlash.

MATT: Demid Sunlash is who you just messaged.

MARISHA: Oh! Okay, okay.

LAURA: That is the wrong person.

ASHLEY: Demid Samsonite.

MARISHA: That’s the wrong person?

LAURA: That’s the wrong person.

LIAM: Caleb is just holding a piece of chalk going (quizzical look).

LAURA: Just go, Caleb. We’re good.

SAM: Demid is the person who is researching the moons.

LIAM: Everybody– Clay Family, are you ready?

MATT: That’s exactly who you messaged.

TRAVIS: I’m ready ready ready.

MARISHA: Oh, no, we did.

LIAM: Beauregard, we are going. Eins, zwei, drei!

MATT: The circle suddenly brightly lights up and you all start running in. The whole Clay family is like vanishing through. You feel yourselves pulled and transported thrust through a doorway and you all emerge in the middle of a cluttered library in the subterranean city of Uthodrun, piling out, knocking into a table, sending books scattering across the ground. You see a candelabra toppled, the lit candles rolling across the ground, catching what looks to be the edge of a book on fire. You can see a bunch of auditors like, “Wha–!” And they start freaking out. Guards start putting their spears in front of them as blades start getting–

TRAVIS: I run and put the book out.

LIAM: Which firbolg is on me?

MARISHA: Sorry!

TALIESIN: Not me.

MARISHA: Sorry.

MATT: You see an elven woman approach, a familiar figure with short, platinum, pompadour-like hair approach. You recognize the Scribewarden Ressia Uvasic, who goes–

LIAM: Too little, too late.

MATT: “What is this?”

MARISHA: Okay, here’s the thing. We put like a four instead of a five in the code when we were trying to call.

LAURA: I sent a message to Sunlash.

MARISHA: Yeah, to Demid.

MATT: “He’s been gone for weeks.”

LAURA: Yeah, well, we didn’t know that, because we also have been gone for a while. So...

MATT: “Get out.”

LAURA: Okay.

MATT: “Now.”

TALIESIN: That’s fair.

ASHLEY: Leaving.

MATT: Cornelius is like, “Wow, this is an amazing place. Nice to meet everybody. I’m Cornelius Clay–“

MARISHA: Don’t touch anything.

MATT: “--this is my wife Constance–“

MARISHA: Don’t.

MATT: “Okay, sorry. We’re going. It’s a beautiful place you have here. I really like it–“

LIAM: Clays, this is a walk and talk.

MATT: You guys all slowly push through. People start putting the table back up and trying to get the candelabra back in place.

TRAVIS: Sorry.

ASHLEY: I help on the way out. Sorry.

MATT: You guys all eventually emerge to the exterior of the Vellum Steeple here within the Deliberation Disk of Uthodurn. And you’re catching a lot of attention. This is a gathering of relatively colorful firbolgs, which aren’t a familiar sight in this area, as well as yourselves, amongst the populace here in the middle of Uthodurn, but here you are. The rest of the Clay family is looking about and taking in the atmosphere. This is a place that some of them haven’t been. Corrin goes, “It’s been some time since I visited this place. The food here– much better than the Empire.”

TALIESIN: That’s true. I do remember that.

LIAM: Oh. Sorry.

TALIESIN: Well, it’s nothing personal.

MATT: It’s bland.

TALIESIN: I wasn’t going to say it.

LAURA: The food here is exceptionally good, though, I mean.

LIAM: To each their own.

TALIESIN: We’re close to home from here. It’s how far?

MATT: “It’s a few days journey, I think. And then we make it to the Savalirwood. Which I think all of us together, we should be able to traverse safely if we’re careful.”

TALIESIN: Beau, would you be willing to– Could we maybe get some Cobalt...

MARISHA: Protection?

TALIESIN: Protection, or.. I don’t know, just someone to...

MARISHA: Uhhh...

TALIESIN: I don’t know.

MARISHA: Uh, yeah. Yeah.

TALIESIN: Just to the garden and back.

LAURA: We could see if Reani’s around. Maybe she would go.

MARISHA: That’s what I was thinking, too.

MATT: There’s no Cobalt Soul archive here. This is not part of their network. You met an individual who belonged to it who was here for research, and that’s who Sunlash was. But there’s no actual installed–

MARISHA: Actually, isn’t this in like Reani’s place?

MATT: It’s where you met Reani, yeah.

MARISHA: No, no, but where’s the circle?

MATT: Which one?

TALIESIN: The one we just passed through.

MARISHA: The one we just came through.

MATT: It’s in the Vellum Temple. The research center here in Uthodurn.

MARISHA: Okay. Okay. Yeah, I guess we can try to find Reani.

SAM: Sure.

TALIESIN: Message Reani, maybe?

LAURA: Yeah, I’ll send a message to Reani.

TALIESIN: Ask her if she’d be willing to accompany my family on a mission to get them to the Garden.

SAM: They’re good people, right?

TALIESIN: Very. The best.

LAURA: Hi, Reani!

TALIESIN: Most of them.

LAURA: We’re in your town. Can you do– do you want to help go on a mission to keep Caduceus’s family safe? Let me know.

MATT: Reani responds with, “I’m finishing up a run to the Savalirwood, but I could....?”

LAURA: Oh! I wonder when she’ll be back. She’s finishing up a run to the Savalirwood.

MATT: “I could meet them somewhere.”

LAURA: Oh! That’s good.

TALIESIN: That’ll do.

LAURA: She can meet them somewhere. Where should they meet her so I can tell her?

TALIESIN: Ask her to pick a point to meet.

LAURA: And then, when?

TALIESIN: As soon as possible.

LAURA: Okay, ask her whether she– and then I waste another fucking spell. What if I just tell her where to go?

TALIESIN: Uh... I suppose meet at the edge of town. Or we had an inn, didn’t we?

MATT: You had a map, too, of the Greying Wildlands.

SAM: Where’s that map?

TRAVIS: Nope. Nope.

TALIESIN: So many maps.

MATT: There, that’s the one.

LAURA: Heyy.

SAM: Where’s Utho?

MARISHA: We’re here.

SAM: Where’s Savalirwood?

LIAM: Savalirwood, which is huge.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LAURA: Is there an inn at the lake or along the river?

SAM: An inn?

MATT: You’re being really helpful, Travis.

MARISHA: Can they meet at the lake? It’s a huge fucking lake.

SAM: It’s huge.

LAURA: Is there a famous bridge or something to traverse the river?

TALIESIN: I would just have her meet them in the city.

MARISHA: Maybe they just wait here.

LAURA: Yeah, they just wait here.

MARISHA: Ask her if we can let them into her house.

LAURA: That’s weird.

SAM: We could rent them rooms.

LAURA: Let’s rent them some rooms at an inn here.

MARISHA: I was just being thrifty.

SAM: Of course you were. That’s important.

LAURA: We know of an inn here. We stayed at one.

MATT: Yeah, you know of a few.

LIAM: Go to the inn that we stayed at last.

LAURA: What’s the name of it?

MARISHA: It was definitely–

SAM: The Plexus Post? Nope. The Tumbled Tankards? The Broken Stool.

MARISHA: Hang on.

SAM: We went to that bakery, the Soft–

MARISHA: The Tumbled Tankards? Is that what you said?

MATT: The Tumbled Tankards is a dive bar. I think you’ve been there.

SAM: The Plexus Post– I think that’s the selling point.

MARISHA: The Plexus Post is a collector’s guild... something involving Master Ava.

MATT: Yeah, the Plexus Post was–

SAM: The Broken Stool?

MATT: I would say you could probably garnish a room at the Tumbled Tankards.

MARISHA: Wait, what’s the Tumblecarves? Oh, wait, is that different? Did I–?

LIAM: This is gripping.

MATT: Yep. I mean, the Broken Stool or the Tumbled Tankards you could probably get a room at.

LAURA: Okay, let’s do that.

TALIESIN: That, or somewhere nicer.

LAURA: As soon as I know what inn, I’m going to tell Reani to meet them at that inn.

SAM: Tumbled Tank.

LAURA: We’re getting a room–

MATT: Tumbled Tankards is a lot shiftier.

SAM: Broken Stool.

MATT: The Broken Stool is a little rowdier.

ASHLEY: Broken Stool.

MARISHA: Shifty vs. rowdy?

MATT: Yeah, welcome to Uthodurn.

LAURA: Let’s do rowdy.

MARISHA: They can handle rowdy. Rowdy’s better than shifty.

LIAM: Excuse me, young lady!

MATT: Just a random young lady?

LIAM: Yeah. I’m sorry. Can you point us to a respectable inn, a nicer one? You know, high end, in the city?

MATT: So you just grab a random– passing by–?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: The [JENGA] turns to you and goes, “Um.... respectable?”

LIAM: On the nicer end. A place where we can put up a fair number of people.

SAM: Like nothing with a [JENGA].

LAURA: You know, like family members that you’re trying to impress.

TALIESIN: I’m going to take them to the Phantom later.

MATT: “How much are you looking to spend? And how many family?”

LAURA: Quite a few family, but, you know–

LIAM: All of these tall ones.

LAURA: –not too much money, because we don’t have a lot of money.

TALIESIN: I don't mind. I have money.

LIAM: We have the gold to spend.

MATT: "You could probably try the Underrest in the Grand Disk down below. That's usually reserved for like, you know, visiting family of any noble-born folk or individuals that are  traveling from Eiselcross [JENGA]"

TALIESIN: Tumbled Tankards.

LAURA: Broken Stool.

MARISHA: Broken Stool.

LAURA: That's the rowdy one.

MARISHA: Yeah, let's just go to the Broken Stool.

SAM: We're cheaping out with Caduceus's newly alive family.

MARISHA: They're not nobles.

TALIESIN: They wouldn't even know what to do with themselves.

MARISHA: Exactly.

SAM: Give them a nice night at a hotel.

LIAM: What about a happy medium? Not like a dive bar, but not the nicest--

LAURA: Oh, my god!

MATT: "You're probably looking for the Broken Stool."

MARISHA: Broken Stool it is.

LIAM: Everyone's talking about it. Let's go.

TALIESIN: All right.

MATT: "Fucking Dwendalian." And stumbles off.

LAURA: I'm going to send a message to Reani. "We're putting Caduceus's family at the Broken Stool. As soon as you get back, will you meet them here and then they'll go to the Savalirwood.

MATT: "Yeah, I guess. I mean-- probably should be fine. I've been there for awhile. I think we'll be good. They're nice people, right? They're good?"

LAURA: (sigh) Use another spell. "Oh my gosh, Reani, they are so good. You're going to really like them. They're cool. Also, I'm going to get you some cupcakes. I love you."

MATT: "Cool." That's it.

LAURA: I'm going to get her some cupcakes.

MATT: All right.

LAURA: I'm going to get me some cupcakes. I'm going to get an extra dozen cupcakes in addition to those two dozen cupcakes, so I'm getting three dozen cupcakes.

MATT: That's a lot of cupcakes.

MARISHA: Isn't this where you got those black moss--

LAURA: That's what I'm fucking getting.

MARISHA: Yeah. Get those. I've been craving those. MATT: Alrighty. I'd say between, for all of those batches, that'll cost you... I'll surmise like five silver. They're not that expensive.

TALIESIN: I'll pay for whatever rooms we have. It's fine for as long as it needs.

MATT: Alrighty.

MARISHA: Beau goes up to Fjord while Jester's checking out. Hey.

TRAVIS: Hm?

MARISHA: How you doing?

TRAVIS: Good.

MARISHA: Yeah?

TRAVIS: Yeah.

MARISHA: How are you feeling about things? Is this a weird time to have this conversation? I feel like we have like five minutes before Jester comes out or like...

TRAVIS: What things?

MARISHA: I don't know. I just want to check in.

TRAVIS: I feel fine.

MARISHA: Yeah. How do you feel about this Traveler thing? Are you a little concerned?

TRAVIS: Eh, not particularly sold. I think it's weird that Nott's just jumping in.

MARISHA: Why didn't you want to go with the Traveler? I mean, aside from all of the obvious reasons that I know why you didn't go with the Traveler, but like--

TRAVIS: You mean other than him revealing himself and saying, "I'm not a god"?

MARISHA: Yeah. I mean that's huge.

TRAVIS: Right. That's a big one.

MARISHA: Yeah. I mean, it's been shifty from the beginning, right?

TRAVIS: Yeah, a little bit. I also prefer a little bit more stability in my deities.

MARISHA: Yeah. I'm just wondering if we should be concerned with her safety or if this guy is taking advantage of her.

TRAVIS: 100%.

MARISHA: He absolutely is, right?

TRAVIS: There's no question.

MARISHA: Should we kick his ass?

TRAVIS: No.

MARISHA: Okay.

TRAVIS: No, not yet.

MARISHA: Yeah. All right.

TRAVIS: No, you tame that and then we see where it goes. I mean, Jester's done a fantastic job. She pieced a person together.

MARISHA: Yeah, that was insane. I thought that was going to be a fucking nightmare.

TRAVIS: Me too. I thought it was going to be like (explosion).

MARISHA: No. Or I thought he was going to be like (flailing tentacles).

TRAVIS: I thought so too, yeah, but no, she really pulled it off.

MARISHA: I think she might be like more of a god then this fuckhead is.

TRAVIS: Jester?

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: A god.

MARISHA: Well no, I'm not saying like she's a god. I'm just saying like she's always like, "Oh, you know, the Traveler, he's so powerful," and like she doesn't know that maybe she's more powerful than he is. I mean, do you think? Or am I just like blind sided by bias?

TRAVIS: Yes. A little bit of that also. I don't really know. He just seems to appear out of nowhere. None of us can do that. But as long as she's not being hurt, then I guess I'm okay. She's doing great things with it. The dicks everywhere, not, you know... And desecrating people's beds that haven't been in them in 10 years. But you know, again, no one's really been in there, so it's okay.

MARISHA: No, I mean, fuck those people. Whatever.

TRAVIS: How do you feel about the Traveler?

MARISHA: Ummm, I...

TRAVIS: You want to kick his ass.

MARISHA: Yeah, I mean, he has a face I want to punch. His curly fricking red hair and he's like, "I don't want to do it--"

TRAVIS: No, no, you should totally--

MARISHA: I'm like, "I hate you."

TRAVIS: I'm giving you permission. Go punch him.

MARISHA: No, you're setting me up for fucking failure.

TRAVIS: I mean, yes, but I think you should do it. I mean, how are we going to know how he's going to react unless someone does it? I could try and punch him but I'd just embarrass myself.

MARISHA: Wait, so you want me to do it?

TRAVIS: Yes. It's better than me.

MARISHA: All right. We'll see how this shit plays out.

TRAVIS: You'll punch him the next time you see him, right?

MARISHA: Of course.

TRAVIS: Promise?

MARISHA: Yeah.

TRAVIS: Excellent.

MARISHA: Okay, I got it. Jester! Hey!

MATT: As you emerge with your cupcakes.

LAURA: (singing) Cuppy cakes. Two dozen cuppy cakes.

MARISHA: Hell, yeah, give me one of those now.

MATT: You go ahead and set up a number of rooms at the Broken Stool. How long do you want to pay these?

TALIESIN: I'll have it paid-- I don't know how long it's gonna take, but just in case, I'll just put two weeks just to-- that seems...

MATT: Okay. Two weeks, we'll say about three rooms for them. That's a gold and a half per day. So...

SAM: 400 gold.

LIAM: That was some intense Jay and Silent Bob energy, by the way.

MATT: It's about 20 gold-ish.

LAURA: Wait, I thought you said a gold and a half a day.

MATT: For two weeks? Yeah.

LAURA: Oh, two weeks.

MATT: Yeah. 14 days.

TALIESIN: 20 gold. All right.

MATT: Okay. As you get the rooms situated in this rowdy place, there's shouting and laughter and even as you guys walk through, some folks notice. They don't really care. They've been begun already at this point preparing for the day's work with a quick drink and a quick song and a laugh and a boisterous exit. You take yourself up to the rooms and the Clay family kind of divvies out the spaces amongst their-- and like the siblings all here are older, but there's kind of a sweet innocence to the fact that their relationships and interactions are almost never developed beyond that kind of adolescent relationship that they had with their parents and their parents with their kids.

TALIESIN: That's what happens when you're home-schooled.

MATT: But as they all go about the rooms and you guys let them know about--

TALIESIN: I'm going to go and find my parents and my aunt.

MATT: They've all kind of situated and turned back in. "Oh, hi, Caduceus my boy."

TALIESIN: It's been 10 years.

MATT: Constance sits forward.

TALIESIN: It feels like more. I was alone for a very long time.

MATT: "I'm so sorry we left you, honey."

TALIESIN: There's no blame and no-- I chose to be the last to stay. I thought that was what I was supposed to do, but I was wrong. I was not the last to stay.

MATT: "But if you weren't the last to stay, you wouldn't have met these people you've traveled with. You were there with them at that moment because that's where you were supposed to be. That was where she brought you. And because of that, we're all together again. Please don't carry the weight of our mistakes upon your shoulders."

TALIESIN: I don't. I had no idea what it was like past those walls, really. It's... testing.

MATT: "That it is."

TALIESIN: I'm not done with it. I miss home, but I owe such a debt and not-- even to the Wildmother herself, I owe-- I owe it to these people to see them through. Not to the end of everything, but I don't feel equal to what they've given yet. And I think I can, and I think some of them especially still need me. I'm so sorry.

MATT: "Don't be." (as Cornelius) Caduceus, don't be. Sincerely. We always kind of took comfort in knowing that no matter how excitable and wanderlust-filled your brothers and sisters were, you were always the one that stayed with us at home. But we knew that wasn't going to last forever. And, I mean look at you. I don't think I've ever seen you stand so tall before. You got scars."

TALIESIN: Yeah. Yeah. Quite a few.

MATT: "Yeah, where'd that one come from? It's like a spider web kind of scar. It's impressive."

TALIESIN: Thank you. That was a spider. God, there's been so many, so many.

MATT: "I'll tell you what. Each of us and your aunt, we've had our experiences in the world and we've had our own tales to tell when we were going to come home and we get to go home now. Thanks to you. When you do come home, bring your stories too. I think we all want to hear about them."

TALIESIN: I will. These people-- I can't wait to share them with you.

MATT: "They're very weird. Like us."

TALIESIN: I will admit, I hope that some of them choose to come back when it's time. I would love to see what grows.

MATT: "Well..."

TALIESIN: I know I can say that to you, but I'll never say that to them.

MATT: "If the winds are strong, maybe it'll carry them back to us. At the very least for a visit. We got plenty of tea."

TALIESIN: "I'm gonna say goodbye to the idiots and I'll be home soon."

MATT: "Come here. I'm proud of you."

TALIESIN: I have a friend who's coming to take you guys home. She'll be good.

MATT: "Is she also kind of weird?" (Taliesin exhales)

TALIESIN: She's--

MATT: "I'm excited."

TALIESIN: You'll like her. A lot.

MATT: Constance goes, "Take care of yourself, sweetie, okay. And thank you. Don't tell your siblings, but I think you're the only one who could have done this."

TALIESIN: Thank you.

MATT: "She means you're her favorite, right now." "I did not say that."

TALIESIN: I know, and it's going to be so hard not to tell them.

MATT: "I did not say that." Corrin leans in and goes, "I'll make sure that they get back fine and in one piece as well."

TALIESIN: I trust you. Thank you for everything.

MATT: "Thank that Jester girl for me, if you don't mind. From what it seems, she's the only reason I'm here.

TALIESIN: She is so much. I will.

MATT: As you exit out, the rest of your family are all in the process of catching up a little bit and telling stories. And as you enter the room, they all stop and turn. You can see Calliope sit up and give you a respectful nod. Colton is still like shoulders sunken a bit. He feels like-- you've known him to be the one that wanted to be the hero of the family and he's been taken down a few pegs by this whole experience, and wears it like a shamed dog. And then there's Clarabelle who's in the process of collecting the odd bugs in this corner of the room and putting them in a small jar. They all kind of look towards you. "You're-- You got the look like you're leaving."

TALIESIN: Yeah. I'm not going home just yet. I got a little bit more to do. It's going to be a rough road and I've only got one friend that's going to be seeing everybody home. I'm trusting you to-- I'll take care of Auntie and Mom and Dad--

MATT: Colton stands up. "I got it. Don't worry. I'll protect them, keep them safe. I think Calliope'll back me up on that." Calliope's like, "Yeah, sure. I'll back him up."

TALIESIN: I give a give my brother the pat hug.

MATT: Yup. Calliope just kind of gives you the uh... (salute).

TALIESIN: I walk over and give Calliope a big hug.

MATT: She kinda like (awkward wiggle)

TALIESIN: And whisper in her ear, "The whistle, tonight. For me."

MATT: You see her grin curl up on the side and she looks over towards Colton.

TALIESIN: And Clarabelle.

MATT: Clarabelle is already there in front of you, waiting next in line and just gives you this big hug right around your waist and kind of holds you for a second, backs and goes, "I got you something." She hands you the jar. It's filled with all sorts of insects.

TALIESIN: I'm going to--

MATT: They're all just like crawling--

TALIESIN: Let them crawl up into the staff and on my back. And just let them go everywhere, in my ear-- I got you something.

MATT: "What'd you get me?"

TALIESIN: I'm going to get the big straw hat on the back of my-- just bury her in it.

MATT: Pulls it up a little bit, so you can just see her eyes peeking underneath. She goes, "Smells weird."

TALIESIN: Thank you.

MATT: "I like it."

TALIESIN: It's been around. Keep you incognito on your traveling.

MATT: "Incognito." Pulls it back over her eyes again. Turns and walks into her sister.

TALIESIN: I'll be home soon. Thank you. I love you all very much.

MATT: You see Clarabelle turns around and goes, "I love you, Caduceus." Calliope goes, "I love you, brother." And Colton just goes, (nods).

TALIESIN: You too. And I close the door and walk back downstairs. All right.

MARISHA: You have a lot of siblings, dude.

TALIESIN: Big family.

MARISHA: Your parents fuuucked.

TALIESIN: It's true. It was a small house.

MARISHA: Wait. We're going to unpack that later.

TALIESIN: There's nothing weird about that. I don't know what...

MARISHA: No, they're-- We'll unpack that later.

TRAVIS: Leave it, leave it.

MARISHA: Okay.

TALIESIN: What's next?

SAM: What is next?

LAURA: Oh, well I have one thing.

SAM: What?

LAURA: I want to cast a sixth level spell.

SAM: Sure.

MATT: Okay. What are you casting?

LAURA: Planar Ally. I'm going to beseech the Traveler for a person that can help me out.

SAM: Okay.

LAURA: A very mobile messenger, if you will.

MATT: Okay.

SAM: Achilles?

LAURA: Somebody that can get around really fast. Doesn't have to be a fighter, just something that can travel.

MATT: You're spending 10 minutes summoning a planar ally in the middle of the Broken Stool--

LAURA: I'm going to, you know, go maybe into one of the rooms that Caduceus rented while he's talking to all his family. I'll go into another one of the rooms.

MATT: Okay. All right. You beseech the Traveler, and what are you requesting?

LAURA: I'm going to say, Hey man, I got a special favor that I would like-- Okay. If you know a creature that can like-- You know, like my flying unicorns. You know how they're like really cool and maybe something that can move around really fast. Maybe something that can like teleport. They don't have take me. Something that can just like move around really fast and just wondering if you can help me out. It could be you, if it's not too big of a deal. I mean, I know you're really busy and stuff, but this is super important. So.

MATT: All right. Give me a second. Better luck pulling this up on DnD Beyond. Cause I can actually search by type there. You can talk amongst yourselves.

SAM: Guys--

MATT: Oh, no, Sam, no.

SAM: At Pax East, check out the Elderwood Academy booth. Where Dwarven Forge will be displaying their next Kickstarter Wildlands,

MARISHA: Boston, right? It's in Boston.

SAM: In Baaaston.

LAURA: Hey you guys, we're going to do a live show this week.

SAM: Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

LIAM: We have a new comic book out. It's pretty good. Hot cover. Got that deRolo action there.

SAM: Hot deRolo action.

LAURA: Somebody that can bamf a lot, maybe go like--

MATT: No.

LAURA: Transport via Plants, do something crazy. Something that can move, you know.

TRAVIS: What are you doing--

LAURA: Something not tied to this--

TALIESIN: Has anyone see dragster?

MATT: I'm trying to search...

SAM: For the fastest creature in D&D?

LAURA: Or just, you know, the Traveler. It could be the Traveler.

SAM: A cheetah shows up.

LAURA: He's got to know some sort of other fey-tastic creature that can move through plants, I figure. Something.

MATT: Okay, I think I got something.

LAURA: Okay.

TALIESIN: You're grinning. Oh, no.

MATT: As you focus for a second and the words go out, the voice responds with, "Hello, dear."

LAURA: Hi.

MATT: "It's a bit-- I'm preoccupied at the moment, but I think I've got an idea of someone that could help you."

LAURA: Oh, great!

MATT: "Just give me a moment." And you hear this (fwoosh). You look over and this tiny doorway opens next to you, very reminiscent of the holy symbol of the Traveler. You see this interesting verdant green-turquoise color filter in the other space, and you see emerge from it this three foot, weirdly elf-goblin hybrid is the best way you can really describe it. The creature itself is lithe, long limbs, pointed ears, a dull gray skin. It's about like, let's say two, two and a half feet tall. Its physical form itself-- as it looks at you, it has no hair. Its eyes are mostly white with a very, very faint pupil. It looks kind of creepy, honestly. But also weirdly pretty in some ways. It's wearing a very faint bit of tattered clothing on it. And as it emerges, it goes, "(pants) I have been sent to help you."

LAURA: Wow! What's your name?

MATT: "Tevas."

LAURA: Tevas. I'm Jester. Nice to meet you.

MATT: He's already like right there, grabbing your hand.

LAURA: Whoa!

MATT: Shakes it and his hand kind of blurs a little bit.

LAURA: Okay. So I need a favor.

MATT: "Yes." LAURA: Can you bamf between planes or worlds or plants or can you just walk around really fast.

MATT: "Ehhh, more of the latter."

LAURA: Oh, wow. Well, I've got a favor. Maybe we could've done this in a closer location, huh? That would have been smart. Okay. So-- and I pull out my dozen cupcakes that I just got.

MATT: Yeah.

LAURA: In a little bag. I'll wrap it up and put it around their shoulder. Okay. And I'm going to draw a map to the hag.

TALIESIN: I love you.

LAURA: I want them-- I'm going to tell Tevas to deliver it. You don't have to go up to the hut. Trust me. Don't go up to the hut. Okay? Just get past the brambles and then leave it. Okay?

MATT: "Okay. All right."

LAURA: Here's the map. All right. You are really cool and I believe in you. And do you want anything to help you on your journey? Are you good? Are you safe? Are you okay?

MATT: "Can I have one?"

LAURA: Here. Let me give you-- I don't want you to take anything from this dozen, but here, have one of these.

MATT: Like you don't even see the hand movement. Into the mouth (gobbles) all over the somewhat knife-looking teeth.

LAURA: What do you think? Pretty good, huh? You know, come back after you deliver those and I'll give you some more. All right.

MATT: (whoosh) And just, it's gone out of the room.

LAURA: Wow. Thank you! That was cool. He's cool. I want to see where he came from. I want to see some more of those someday. Okay.

TALIESIN: I gather everyone downstairs.

SAM: Well?

TALIESIN: It's time that we were moving.

LIAM: Where are we in our timetable?

MATT: I'd say traveling through the city and everything, it's probably midday to early afternoon.

MARISHA: I think he meant like the grand scale.

LIAM: Days.

SAM: How many days until the meeting at sea?

LIAM: And TravelerCon.

MATT: Let me check specifically.

TALIESIN: We can get to the boat today, if we wanted.

LAURA: That's true. We could bamf to Nicodranas, yeah.

SAM: That's one of out only options, really.

TALIESIN: That's the way to go.

MATT: You are approximately four weeks away.

LAURA: From TravelerCon?

TRAVIS: Or from the meeting?

MATT: From TravelerCon. From the meeting...

SAM: It's like three weeks.

MATT: You're about three weeks out.

LAURA: Three weeks out, okay. It's going to take some time on the sea, so--

SAM: Get on that boat.

LAURA: Get to Nicodranas and sail out, yeah?

MARISHA: Is Orly meeting us in Nicodranas? He is, right?

SAM: Yeah.

LIAM: We told him to wait there.

SAM: I think so.

MATT: Yeah. You didn't give him any sort of additional messages to send them anywhere else.

MARISHA: Ho ho ho! Nicodranas!

TALIESIN: I'll be coming with everyone.

LIAM: Yeah?

MARISHA: Yes! Let's go!

TALIESIN: I know I'm loved at home, but I feel that I'm needed here.

MARISHA: Yeah, you are. Wait, were you questioning that? Don't question that. That's dumb. Come with us.

TALIESIN: I'm not done yet.

LAURA: Yeah.

MARISHA: No.

TALIESIN: Thank you all. I get to return home one way or another to a home restored.

LIAM: We'll just be grateful to the Wildmother to lend you to us for a bit more time.

TALIESIN: I think that is definitely her plan.

LIAM: All right, well, I'm not going to do it in the common room here.

TALIESIN: Let's take a walk.

LIAM: Yeah. In typical Mighty Nein fashion, we will go find an alleyway.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: And I will draw it up on the floor. On the ground.

MATT: You manage to guard it off like a impromptu bouncer. The friends trying to keep it chill, but also prevent anyone from going through.

MARISHA: Hey, Nott.

SAM: What?

MARISHA: You going to stay? Keep the crew together?

SAM: Yeah, I'm coming with you guys. Yeah.

MARISHA: Yeah. Just, you know.

SAM: Who would willingly offer to split off from the party by themselves?

LAURA: Yeah. That's so stupid.

MARISHA: What a dumb idea.

LAURA: Yeah.

LIAM: Super lame.

LAURA: All of us together. We all have to be high priests, ya'll. It's important.

MARISHA: Wait, what?

TRAVIS: I'm sorry?

SAM and LAURA: Let's go!

LIAM: I will start the spell. 11 minutes later. Get ready.

MATT: Alrighty. You guys all gather together, stepping through the circle in the middle of the alleyway here in Uthodurn, the subterranean warmer temperature immediately giving way from the darkness beneath to the bright open blue sky of the sunset and Nicodranas. The orange horizon greets you with dappled bits of distant wispy clouds, the smell of ocean clear, soon-to-arrive evening air. You hear music and see the warm lanterns now alit along the rows of the streets here as you guys have arrived in Nicodranas, within the interior of Yussa's tower.

MARISHA: Oh, shit!

LAURA: Yeah man. I know.

MARISHA: Why do we keep forgetting that?

SAM: It's out thing now.

MARISHA: Fuck.

MATT: So, you'll get to experience that stuff once you step outside of the tower. But we'll be picking that up next week at our live show. So we'll see where it goes there. Now that's happening.

SAM: Chicago.

MARISHA: The Windy City on the high seas.

SAM: A city by the Bay.

MARISHA: Yep. Nope.

SAM: So nice, they named it twice.

MARISHA: No, that's not... Two different--

TALIESIN: I think they just named it once.

SAM: Big Ben.

MATT: But yeah, we'll pick up fresh in the Menagerie Coast, probably gathering the Ball Eater and whatever you guys want to take it from there. To the Lucidian Ocean towards the negotiation between the two warring nations, and the looming promise of TravelerCon. We'll see you guys live next week at 6:00 PM Pacific, 8:00 PM Central, I think it is. For those we see at the live show at C2E2. Until then have a wonderful week.

SAM: Yes.

MATT: We love you very much. And is it Thursday yet? Goodnight.