Give and Take | Exandria Unlimited: Divergence Episode 1

Summary

Critical Role Podcast Summary Exandria Unlimited: Divergence Episode 1 - "Give and Take"

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1. Introduction and Announcements (00:01 - 02:56)

The episode opens with introductory announcements from the host, Liam O'Brien, highlighting the new membership service at Beacon TV. Beacon members gain benefits such as early access to podcast episodes, live event pre-sales, merchandise discounts, access to a private Discord community, and exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown.

Notable Quote:

Liam O'Brien [00:01]: "Think of it as our digital Critical Role land."

Matthew Mercer introduces a new podcast, Re Slayer's Take, set in the wild continent of Isylra, featuring a group of misfit mercenaries tasked with reslaying supernatural threats.

Notable Quote:

Matthew Mercer [00:42]: "These audio escapades as the second coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria battle a growing undead army of dangerous creatures."

Liam O'Brien further introduces Exandria Divergence, a journey exploring the aftermath of a cataclysmic war between gods, with new episodes releasing on Thursdays.

Notable Quote:

Liam O'Brien [01:48]: "The calamity has ended, but Exandria's story is far from over."

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2. Setting the Stage: Rybad Cole Prison (02:56 - 06:00)

Dungeon Master Jasmine Buular welcomes the players—Liam O’Brien, Jasmine Dunn, Alexander Ward, Caroline Lux, Celia Rose Gooding, and Matthew Mercer—to Exandria Divergence. The setting is Rybad Cole, a formidable prison where prisoners toil in stone quarries under the oppressive rule of Asmog, the vampiric lord.

Notable Quote:

Jasmine Buular [03:04]: "A story of an age of wrath, ruin, and of the events that unfolded and ended that age of calamity."

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3. Life in the Quarry (06:00 - 14:08)

Players portray prisoners grappling with harsh conditions, fear, and the looming threat of punishment. Matthew Mercer’s character describes the grim surroundings, emphasizing the oppressive atmosphere created by Asmog and his enforcers.

Notable Quote:

Matthew Mercer [03:52]: "Daggerheart has been such a journey for us over many years with hard work by dozens of incredible creatives."

The narrative delves into the daily struggles of quarry work, the constant fear of punishment, and the jarring realities of life under Asmog's rule.

Notable Quote:

Alexander Ward [08:28]: "Hope is a dangerous thing, cruel and painful... Surrendering hope is the only balm you will ever know."

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4. Key Events and Attempts to Escape (14:08 - 74:34)

As the episode progresses, tensions rise among the prisoners. Brishia bids farewell to Bell's Hells in a significant chapter closure, hinting at past adventures. The players engage in various role-playing scenarios, interacting with other prisoners and contemplating escape strategies.

Notable Quote:

Jasmine Shion [04:43]: "She has not seemed to save you here."

Interactions highlight the camaraderie and desperation among prisoners, setting the stage for potential conflicts and alliances.

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5. Miraculous Intervention: The Lord of Storms (74:34 - 298:20)

A turning point occurs when a divine entity, the Lord of Storms, appears amidst the chaos. This celestial being strides across the land, bringing life-giving rain to the desolate prison grounds. The players witness miraculous events, such as thorny roots and divine magic altering the landscape.

Notable Quote:

Sam Riegel [16:51]: "Nia, you're up here in the dark, trying to find supplies and survivors."

The appearance of the Lord of Storms catalyzes hope and unity among the prisoners. Players receive magical gifts like "Goodberry," enhancing their survival prospects and symbolizing divine favor.

Notable Quote:

Matthew Mercer [85:08]: "Another level is when saves are based on...Warning signs of divine intervention."

Asmog’s eventual demise is hinted at with the destruction of his armor and the fading presence of divinity, leading the group to seize the opportunity for escape and rebuilding.

Notable Quote:

Jasmine Buular [124:10]: "The chaos visited upon Exandria by the gods."

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6. Aftermath and New Beginnings (298:20 - 300:26)

Following the divine intervention, the prisoners band together to escape Rybad Cole. They confront obstacles, including treacherous walls and corrupted magic, leveraging their newfound abilities and alliances. The group secures essential supplies and prepares to venture into the wilds of Exandria to find shelter and rebuild their lives.

Notable Quote:

Sam Riegel [265:30]: "It's time to leave. We have to move."

The episode concludes with the group overcoming their dire circumstances, symbolizing resilience and the promise of a new era post-calamity.

Notable Quote:

Liam O'Brien [267:39]: "Change is coming. We have to take care of each other here."

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Conclusion

Exandria Unlimited: Divergence Episode 1 masterfully intertwines rich storytelling with intricate role-playing, depicting the harrowing yet hopeful journey of prisoners striving for freedom in a world reshaped by divine conflict. The episode sets the foundation for ongoing adventures, promising deeper explorations into Exandria's complex lore and the indomitable spirit of its inhabitants.

Closing Quote:

Liam O’Brien [296:24]: "We've got unlimited stories to tell, and we can't wait to keep telling them until next time."

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This detailed summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting key events, character interactions, and pivotal moments, enriched with notable quotes and timestamps to provide an engaging overview for listeners and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Liam O'Brien]

Hey there Critter Podcast listeners. We have a special new membership service at Beacon TV where you can get early access to all new podcast episodes including Critical Role. For the first time ever. Beacon members also get things like live event pre sales merch discounts, access to a private community discord, and new exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown. Think of it as our digital Critical Role land. Head on over to Beacon TV to check it out for yourself and start a seven day free trial. Thank you so much for your support for being a podcast listener and for being a part of our community.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hey there Critters. We are so excited to share with you our brand new podcast from the World of Exandria the Re Slayer's Take in this audio adventure, you'll be guided through the wild continent of Isylra, home to some of the most dangerous creatures. Here the Slayers take as the most notorious monster hunting group in the realm. But when previously slain creatures start returning from the grave, it's up to six misfit mercenaries to band together and reslay these supernatural threats as the reslayers take. So come follow along these audio escapades as the second coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria battle a growing undead army of dangerous creatures. The party is led by a duo of game masters, George Primavera and Nick Williams, with the main cast including Jasmine Buular, Caroline Lux and Jasmine Shion. Listen to new episodes every Monday anywhere you stream podcasts or become a Beacon member and listen to the podcast two weeks early and uninterrupted by ads.

[Liam O'Brien]

Welcome fellow Travelers. I'm Liam O'Brien and it is my pleasure to introduce you to Exandria Divergence, a brand new journey on the Critical Role Podcast Network. Divergence follows everyday folks picking up the pieces of their world in the wake of a cataclysmic war between the gods. As the dust settles, the mortals of Exandria discover how their world has been changed forever. New episodes drop on Thursdays at 7pm Pacific on Beacon, Twitch and YouTube, with the VOD uploaded to YouTube on Mondays at noon. Prefer your adventures in audio form. The podcast version arrives here on the Critical Role Podcast Network one week after the original broadcast. Or if you want instant access to podcast content, become a Beacon subscriber and get access to the audio version right when it airs at 7pm Pacific on Thursdays. The calamity has ended, but Exandria's story is far from over. Enjoy.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hello everyone and welcome to tonight's episode of Exandria Divergence.

[Alexander Ward]

Wow.

[Jasmine Buular]

A story of an age of wrath.

[Alexander Ward]

And ruin and of the events that unfolded and ended that age of calamity.

[Jasmine Buular]

I'm your Dungeon Master and I'd like to introduce you to your players for this incredible. To my left, Liam O'Brien, Jasmine Dunn, Alexander Ward.

[Caroline Lux]

What Liam said.

[Jasmine Buular]

Celia Rose Gooding and Matthew Mercer. We could not be more excited to bring you this tale of wrath, ruin.

[Alexander Ward]

And woe, and of the things that come after.

[Jasmine Buular]

But first we have some announcements. So Matt, could you come up and make some announcements for us?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, I'll get over there.

[Alexander Ward]

They don't let me do these. Bring me coffee.

[Matthew Mercer]

Alrighty. We're also excited to finally share the release date for Daggerheart, our upcoming heroic Upcoming heroic fantasy tabletop role playing game designed for player driven stories. On May 20, you'll be able to officially purchase Daggerheart at critical role shops and Darrington Press Guild stores followed soon after. Everywhere books and games are sold. I'm so proud.

[Alexander Ward]

So excited.

[Matthew Mercer]

Can't wait for you all to check it out. Daggerheart has been such a journey for us over many years with hard work by dozens of incredible creatives at honed through all your help during the open beta playtest last year. In the meantime, however, you can pre order [e-mail] we can't wait for May to come and share this game with you. So excited. I think you'll like it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Show us your fun girls.

[Jasmine Buular]

Show us your rivets. Yes.

[Alexander Ward]

When we see those characters, show us your builds. It is.

[Matthew Mercer]

Brisha, you're up.

[Jasmine Shion]

I am. In case you missed it, I'm not sure how you would. If you're watching this, it doesn't matter. In case you missed it, we said a grand farewell to Bell's hell.

[Liam O'Brien]

Spoilers.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yep. Which like if you're watching Nevermind. And yeah, it's kind of the closing of a chapter of 10 years worth of stories in our epic eight hour finale.

[Jasmine Buular]

Eight hours?

[Jasmine Shion]

It's kind of more than that. It was like eight and a half and then the pre show and then the post.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, yeah. It was an AR finale that happened last week. And you can catch Matthew Mercer answering all of your burning questions in our latest Fireside chat. It is only available on Beacon, so if you haven't checked it out, head over to Beacon TV and start your seven day free trial now. And of course, as I said before, we will be doing a big campaign wrap up but we thought we could have Matt answer some of your immediate questions.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's sit down and make it a little more personal. Laura, you're Up.

[Alexander Ward]

Ah, coming soon.

[Jasmine Shion]

Speaking of our epic eight and a.

[Alexander Ward]

Half hour wrap up, I have this.

[Sam Riegel]

Belle's Hells Final Stand T shirt artwork by Lylen Ryson.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, it's all the members of Bells Hells.

[Alexander Ward]

I know.

[Sam Riegel]

It's so cool.

[Alexander Ward]

And it's not out yet, but you.

[Jasmine Shion]

Can sign up to be notified when it's in stock in our U.S. canada, UK and.

[Jasmine Buular]

Wait, what? Where?

[Alexander Ward]

Look at that horny boy.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's got all of us.

[Jasmine Shion]

He takes up so much work.

[Caroline Lux]

We get advanced copies of this one, right?

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, yeah.

[Alexander Ward]

I love this. So, yeah, check it out.

[Liam O'Brien]

He's right in the center of the film shoot.

[Matthew Mercer]

Army stuff.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, nice.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right.

[Liam O'Brien]

You're so smart for never showing these to us before.

[Alexander Ward]

I know, right? I know.

[Caroline Lux]

I have complaints.

[Sam Riegel]

God, this is so cool.

[Jasmine Shion]

I got notes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Damn it.

[Alexander Ward]

Sam.

[Matthew Mercer]

Liam, you're up.

[Liam O'Brien]

I have beautiful artifacts to show you.

[Jasmine Shion]

You do?

[Liam O'Brien]

The Chronicles of Exandria.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, my God.

[Liam O'Brien]

The Mighty Nein Part 2 is now available.

[Jasmine Buular]

There it is. There it.

[Liam O'Brien]

This stunning art book from our friends at Dark horse contains over 300 pieces of art and filled with lore and more. All written by our own Dani Carr.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

Dani Carr.

[Liam O'Brien]

She killed it. She killed it. I can't wait for you guys to read her words and see all this amazing art. It is available in two glorious editions. A standard. It's pretty good. Pretty beautiful. And a deluxe edition. It comes with this gorgeous slip case. And there's a folio and a limited edition print.

[Alexander Ward]

Look at this thing.

[Liam O'Brien]

Whoa, dude, look at this thing.

[Jasmine Buular]

What song is. Wait. And this is a print.

[Jasmine Shion]

It's like a little fold out.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's a print. It's orange.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yep.

[Matthew Mercer]

Out at Z, you could use it as a DM screen.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's like a lithograph.

[Jasmine Buular]

And then that is filled with things that is just. It's filled with so many.

[Alexander Ward]

Wait, can I show it or not?

[Liam O'Brien]

It really came out. It's been a work of love. It is gorgeous. And you can find more details about [e-mail] or on where you can get these gorgeous art books. Yes.

[Jasmine Shion]

Those are great for signatures at Cons, by the way. Oh, yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

Is Brayus in that one as well?

[Liam O'Brien]

Not in any book I work on.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, my gosh. That looks great. Cool.

[Alexander Ward]

See it? See it.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, well, I think that concludes our announcements. Brennan, get back in here.

[Alexander Ward]

And with that, let's dive right into.

[Jasmine Buular]

Tonight'S episode of Exandria.

[Alexander Ward]

Unlimited Divergence. Hope is a dangerous thing, Cruel and painful. You behold on obsidian walls overlooking the fortress Prison of Rybad Kol. Your leader, Asmog, A vampiric hobgoblin dressed in black armor, who holds a writhing Hobgoblin elder by the throat, lifting him up off the ground. The Sundering Lord, ruler of the Steel Keep. This is the commander of the garrison of the prison, which all of you will know from this day to your last.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hope.

[Alexander Ward]

That which corrodes the soul and weakens the spirit. That sharpest and most painful barb.

[Jasmine Buular]

It can drive you to madness if you let it.

[Alexander Ward]

No.

[Jasmine Buular]

For you, my pets. I do not wish this.

[Alexander Ward]

Under his hand you see writhing the.

[Jasmine Buular]

Elder that is held aloft.

[Alexander Ward]

Silver streaks in his hair.

[Jasmine Buular]

He wears the clothes of a prisoner. The one who is held aloft.

[Alexander Ward]

As Asmog raises him ever higher, the.

[Jasmine Buular]

Sundering Lord looks at all of you. If pain is what you feel, then.

[Alexander Ward]

It is the comfort of despair you must seek. Surrendering hope is the only balm you will ever know.

[Jasmine Buular]

Some would tell you otherwise.

[Alexander Ward]

Their fools assembled beneath him.

[Jasmine Buular]

Filling the square of the central plaza of Rybad Cole, under a red ash choked sky, you see a thousand prisoners on their knees, shackled. Surrounding them armored. Fire giants row upon row of human half orc Hobgoblin. You see that there are numerous demons populating the walls, chattering in glee and.

[Alexander Ward]

Laughter as they look down at this.

[Jasmine Buular]

Public display of power. For those who require assistance ridding themselves.

[Alexander Ward]

Of that most painful substance, allow me to inform you, despite the ministrations of the rebellious in nature.

[Jasmine Buular]

When next the.

[Alexander Ward]

Red moon touches the western sky, we.

[Jasmine Buular]

Will march to glory and the final defeat of the prime deities for the Strife Emperor.

[Alexander Ward]

The armies assembled on the walls chant in unison.

[Jasmine Buular]

Massive drums, each 40ft tall, with hobgoblin drummers standing beside them, massive batons in their hands. You look out. Word has just reached the Steel Keep. The all hammer is dead. Cheer arises the Platinum dragon devoured.

[Alexander Ward]

And of course, the Moonweaver has just met her final end. But what of your divinity here? He turns to face the Hobgoblin, still choking under his supernaturally strong grip. The Changebringer. That mistress of good fortune, do you see good fortune before you here? He drops the hobgoblin to the wall. The Hobgoblin Elder, a secret worshiper of the Changebringer, raises his head. She has not seemed to save you here. Speak. Do you repent knowing that your ultimate defeat is soon at hand? You see the Hobgoblin look and whisper. I do not. I do not. I do not no.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see.

[Alexander Ward]

Asmog lifts a hand.

[Jasmine Buular]

Out under the open sun.

[Alexander Ward]

Because even as a vampire, the sun has not shown here in a hundred years. Perhaps he has no need of rest. He raises his fingers to snap them.

[Jasmine Buular]

And below, you see, there is a.

[Alexander Ward]

Small family of Hobgoblin prisoners looking up. And you see that behind them, a group of soldiers draws their weapon to level them at their face. The Elder, a thin leather cord that has had its his holy symbol ripped off of it, looks down. I repent. I repent. Please don't hurt them. Please don't hurt them. What's that? Speak louder, that the other prisoners might hear.

[Jasmine Buular]

I repent. Change is not coming. The Changebringer cannot save us. Listen to what they say. I am sorry. I repent. I have wasted my life in worship to her. I do not believe.

[Alexander Ward]

Persuasive words. I'm glad that you at last have seen the truth before the lie of hope could destroy you. The Strife Emperor still does demand punishment, though.

[Jasmine Buular]

Asmog reaches a clawed hand into the stomach of the Hobgoblin elder, up through the chest, through the neck, grabs the.

[Alexander Ward]

Mouth and skull of this elder from.

[Jasmine Buular]

Within and wrenches the head into the.

[Alexander Ward]

Chest cavity of the body, arm covered.

[Jasmine Buular]

In viscera as he sloughs him off.

[Alexander Ward]

And he falls 150ft to splatter in the court before you. Asmog smiles, licks the blood off his.

[Jasmine Buular]

Fingers, turns to a lieutenant, massive human.

[Alexander Ward]

Enforcer, thick cast iron armor, who nods, turns back and goes, what are you waiting for?

[Jasmine Buular]

Back to work, you slugs. The drums beat and the prisoners are yanked through chains.

[Alexander Ward]

Back to work. This is calamity and the terrible work of the betrayers. Matt.

[Jasmine Buular]

I would like you to describe.

[Alexander Ward]

Your character for us and what he is currently busy doing with the knowledge that your hand is bleeding under the effort that you now expend.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see, amongst the cacophonous crowd of shouting soldiers and quiet, stunned prisoners, one Elder dwarf, probably far older looking due to his recent life than actual age, but his gray and white streaked hair itself a tattered mess of a tangled mane, its beard itself tattered and burned at the edges at the very tips. Very simple gray dirty clothing with an open, loose vest around it, a stone working hammer in one hand. The one hand he has for the left arm itself has gone past the elbow. In its place a rough metal cap of iron Slag cauterized what may have been a wound or a punishment of some past moment. But he takes all this display in emotionless, brow low, a Familiar display before he turns around amongst the rest of the quarry members that he works alongside.

[Alexander Ward]

You march down into the pit, you and your fellow prisoners, and resume quarrying deep, deep down. Even the red smudge of where some distant sun touches the sky that vanishes as well under the haze of dust and rock. You hear coughing, shouting, whimpering and wailing nearby as some collapse under the strain. You return to a massive slab of this deep volcanic rock that will be quarried here and shipped out to make some new castle at some far distant edge of the Strife Emperor's empire. You've been here so long that there are parts of the world before you can barely remember. Your family name is gone. What life was like before this is hard to recall. Go ahead if you'd be so, and give me a stonemason's tools check to make sure that you can work fast enough to avoid punishment.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, that history. Check towards two.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's going to be a 19.

[Alexander Ward]

Injured though you are, you take to your work. You've done this a hundred times. No more than 100 times. Have you done it a thousand times. You might have. And as our audience at home can.

[Jasmine Buular]

See what you add to this role.

[Alexander Ward]

You add from an NPC stat block.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is very different story here in the world of Exandria.

[Liam O'Brien]

Level 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

Garn's sitting pretty at 13 hit points.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hey, for a level zero NPC. For a challenge rating, what? 1/4 1 8.

[Matthew Mercer]

1 8.

[Jasmine Buular]

A challenge rating 1 8.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's twice as much as me.

[Jasmine Buular]

Not bad, not bad.

[Travis Willingham]

Goodbye.

[Alexander Ward]

On a 19. You get to work carving the stone. There's a deep familiarity here in this place. You know how to work the earth here. Deep volcanic activity. It's familiar. Underneath the hammer in your hand, you having this terrible injury. Get the chisel in a crook of your arm and manage to strike against it with your other hand. Working as fast as you can. And I'd like you to make a wisdom saving throw with disadvantage for me.

[Matthew Mercer]

A majestic nine.

[Alexander Ward]

As you continue to work, you hear a voice nearby as you're continuing to push through and it reaches out to you, speaking. Dad. Papa. Turn around. Where are you?

[Travis Willingham]

No, no, keep working. Can't turn around.

[Alexander Ward]

You hear laughter behind you somewhere. You can smell something like some kind of. Of crackling of a fire and roast meat. Children laughing somewhere, an old voice. Gather round.

[Jasmine Buular]

Gather round.

[Alexander Ward]

Well, there's plenty to go. Ogmund, have you been giving them cracklings off of the roast? Because that's for later. Save it for dinner. More laughing. Another voice says, well, we've been down there mining and we found a new vein down there good for the whole clan will be able to come together. I should imagine there'd be some. And you hear A on that nine wisdom check. You feel a hand on your shoulder.

[Sam Riegel]

Pop.

[Alexander Ward]

Turn around.

[Travis Willingham]

Slowly. Glance.

[Alexander Ward]

It's a beautiful hall. Fine dwarven table set out heaping bowls of buttery roast mushrooms and fresh bread, brown bread. You can smell the steam coming off of it.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see a beautiful handful of your.

[Alexander Ward]

Nephews and nieces, all with children of their own, gathered around speaking to each other.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, one of them says, well.

[Alexander Ward]

The bridge will be the longest bridge we've ever seen. It'll connect the old highway that runs down under the pass back to the main city. You see it says, well, it's good work for masons. And you see there nod and say, good work for certain. You see kids scamper underneath. One of them has a little copper.

[Jasmine Buular]

Mechanical toy runs through.

[Alexander Ward]

And you turn and you see your son looking up at you. This is Dari, Dad. What are you so busy with.

[Travis Willingham]

Dory? I'm just trying to make sure we all got places to go home.

[Alexander Ward]

Well, I know you're trying to take care of us, but the point of all this hard work is to make something worth sharing. We want to share it with you.

[Travis Willingham]

I know you're right. It's been a long week.

[Alexander Ward]

And.

[Travis Willingham]

You know I'm not one to give myself to rest unearned. But.

[Alexander Ward]

I have no part resting, that's for sure.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, you feel your brother put.

[Alexander Ward]

His arm around you. You can't quite see his face for some reason. And I think his name is God. What was his name? You feel a tankard pushed into your chest. You see a foam of ale coming.

[Jasmine Buular]

Off the top of the tankard.

[Travis Willingham]

Careful where you sit there, boy.

[Matthew Mercer]

Don't want him to smell like him.

[Travis Willingham]

And drinking on the job when Garan's.

[Jasmine Buular]

Around, no ale will touch the table, that's for certain.

[Alexander Ward]

As you look and see kids running in this place. What is Garan feeling in this moment?

[Matthew Mercer]

I think he spent so much time numb and outside of himself, his mind is instinctually seizing whatever this might be to provide some comfort. And he is lost in the memory and for a brief second forgets.

[Travis Willingham]

Everything else.

[Alexander Ward]

It feels really good to forget everything else. You're led towards a table. There's a seat ready for you. A dwarven woman smiles at you. This is your niece, Asha, and she puts a grandchild on your lap, looks up and you see that the grandchild.

[Jasmine Buular]

Cocks ahead and begins to dig through your beard.

[Alexander Ward]

Looking for something.

[Travis Willingham]

Making an estate.

[Alexander Ward]

Cousin Yara told me that they hid treats in your beard.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, I do. But I hide them quite well. So you gotta keep searching.

[Jasmine Buular]

I've got.

[Alexander Ward]

I got in trouble at school for stealing.

[Travis Willingham]

That's only because you're still learning to do it proper.

[Alexander Ward]

Well, I'll be as good with my hands as my da and my ma. And you, Granda, because you. You. Is it because we're stonemasons? Because you're a stonemason.

[Jasmine Buular]

And because your dao is a stonemason.

[Alexander Ward]

And his dao is a stonemason. Aye.

[Travis Willingham]

It's tradition. We're good with our hands. We ensure that wherever we find home, we have a place to put our heads down to keep you and your mother and the rest of us safe. Place with a warm. And that is something. Something worth fighting for. Something worth working for. Maybe one day I'll show you how to properly carve this beautiful and rich exandrian land into what your mind's eye can see. Something that'll last far after you're gone.

[Alexander Ward]

Your grandchild continues to speak. But you. You're not able to hear what they're saying anymore. You hear voices. Dad, I'm scared. Dad. Grandpa, I'm scared. I'm scared of me?

[Travis Willingham]

It's all right. We built Uthor strong. It'll hold. Just stay safe. Stay back.

[Alexander Ward]

Please take care of us. Please take care of us. Please take care. With that, you feel suddenly.

[Jasmine Buular]

These voices.

[Alexander Ward]

Of your family calling out in fear. And you awaken horizontal on the ground.

[Jasmine Buular]

On that failed wisdom save having passed.

[Alexander Ward]

Out due to exhaustion or possibly age as a boot thunders into your stomach. Look at this. A lazy prisoner sleeping on the job, innit?

[Travis Willingham]

Sorry.

[Alexander Ward]

Now you gotta teach a lesson. When someone stares at it and you.

[Jasmine Buular]

See that There is a goblin enforcer here. This is Cuzzle, who just begins to thunder this boot into your stomach over and over again. He's going to make an attack roll. That is a hit.

[Alexander Ward]

And he deals four points of damage to you. Now explain to me why you should die without being punished.

[Travis Willingham]

I cannot. Punish me as you will. But I can't work if I can't stand.

[Alexander Ward]

Give me a persuasion check. The difficulty is 15.

[Jasmine Buular]

16. 16.

[Alexander Ward]

That's right. He does need to work done. He.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that standing over him there is an enormous human.

[Alexander Ward]

Then Lord looks around and says, why did you fall asleep?

[Travis Willingham]

I. I guess the day's exhaustion caught up to me and need Some water. Drink. But I'll be right. I'll be right.

[Jasmine Buular]

He lashes at you for five points of damage.

[Alexander Ward]

You need water. Is that your place to determine when you require sustenance or aid?

[Travis Willingham]

No. My apologies. Was but a suggestion.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, he says, looks down at the goblin Kuzzle.

[Alexander Ward]

See that his water share is given to another prisoner and turns around. I'll need a constitution saving throw from you.

[Travis Willingham]

Natural 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hell yes. True. Woof. Yeah. Incredible. You continue to work through the injuries.

[Alexander Ward]

As you have received them.

[Jasmine Buular]

And what I would love is as you are down here in the pit.

[Alexander Ward]

I would love for Sellia, for you.

[Jasmine Buular]

To describe your character as she walks through the pit looking for those who are injured.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah. Rhaenyia. She is walking through the pit. She's dark brown skin, white silver locks that she tries to keep them from fusing. She is walking around the pit listening but trying not to absorb the sounds that are surrounding her. The screaming, the wailing. She is hoping that her eyes, her very, very observant eyes, can clock the people that she's looking for. She's trying to make sure that no limps are any worse than they were yesterday, or that there is no one looking more sickly than they were the day before. She isn't a healer. She's a preserver of these bodies. And her instinct and want to care is something that she constantly fights. Because after the display today, she's reminded that her hope, while she maintains it, is something that she must hide.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you move through this place, give.

[Alexander Ward]

Me either perception or medicine and you.

[Jasmine Buular]

May do so with advantage.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, that's a D20, right? Thank you.

[Caroline Lux]

D20 sided one.

[Sam Riegel]

Perfect. Thank you so much.

[Alexander Ward]

Please.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, that's a not 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Whoa. Nia. Your eyes moving through this place, looking at the horror after a big public display. And you've been here not as long.

[Alexander Ward]

As most, but even in the short.

[Jasmine Buular]

Time that you've been here, you've seen these public displays a couple times. If anything, they're becoming more frequent.

[Alexander Ward]

Where.

[Jasmine Buular]

They will find, in this case, you believe there was a genuine devotee of.

[Alexander Ward]

One of the prime deities. Sometimes you wonder if they even were genuine.

[Jasmine Buular]

Looking around for those that are in harm's way, there is someone that you would have probably missed on anything other than a nat20 because he's not holding his body in any way like he is uncapable of continuing to work. But you notice through basically the shimmer of still wet blood in his garments, that Garan is working through an injury that probably would have killed most of the prisoners here.

[Sam Riegel]

I turn to Garan and I just ask him very plainly, you want my help this time?

[Travis Willingham]

I think I'm all right. I don't want you to.

[Sam Riegel]

Karen, you don't have to do this. Let's just pat you up.

[Alexander Ward]

You see, Kuzzle walks over to you, sort of smiling. He's got a leather vest on, leather britches. Walks over and goes, ah, Neil. Pleasure to have you down here in the pit again.

[Sam Riegel]

Hi Cuzzle. You're doing a number.

[Alexander Ward]

Ah, well, you gotta keep rowdy ones like this one in line.

[Sam Riegel]

Make my job so easy, Cuzzle. Thank you.

[Alexander Ward]

We knock em down, you set em out.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia does not like the idea of working with Kuzzle, having anything in community with him. The idea of her being a part of what makes Cuzzle enjoy his job makes her sick to her stomach. So she bites her tongue and tries to duck and get garn to the mop.

[Alexander Ward]

You see? He says.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? Cuzzle looks over, he says, you taking.

[Alexander Ward]

My fellow here away from me?

[Sam Riegel]

Well, yes. You knock him down. I set him up.

[Matthew Mercer]

Intentionally. Cough blood into the white beard.

[Alexander Ward]

Disgusting.

[Sam Riegel]

Let me take care of this, Cuzzle. We'll be back before you know it.

[Alexander Ward]

All right? Well, you gotta do what you gotta do, ain't ya? Cause otherwise, you know, they get out of order.

[Sam Riegel]

We wouldn't have that now would we?

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you, Kazoon.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia hates. Nia hates the apologizing that Garen does. She understands that everyone has their own survival instincts. But the idea that it pisses her off, it bothers her. She doesn't let it show because she understands that she does not want to be in Garon's situation, but just keeps it moving. Bites her tongue, keeps pushing.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, Kazla looks out after you.

[Alexander Ward]

And says, if we don't make it, let us know because we can use the iron from that arm cap. We'll make a special knife just out of him in memorial for our longest serving prisoner. You've been here since before I was here.

[Travis Willingham]

It would be an honor to be remembered.

[Sam Riegel]

I've never known you as sentimental, Cuzzle. It's almost like you're having a heart.

[Travis Willingham]

You've been here long enough, you can't help but find some kingship, he says.

[Alexander Ward]

But we're all one big family, ain't we? Everyone gets what they deserve. Those of us who are loyal to the Strife Emperor and those of us who have crushed him.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see these as he says.

[Alexander Ward]

N. I do have a heart. It beats for all those who do as they're supposed to.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see that? That larger armored human just drops a sort of cudgel at the end of.

[Alexander Ward]

A length of chain and goes. Enough fraternizing. You prisoner. You are given leave to walk freely to 10 to those who are harmed here. Do not joke at the expense of those who carry out the Strife Emperor's order.

[Sam Riegel]

Right. Won't happen again.

[Alexander Ward]

As you, Nia, move from this place.

[Jasmine Buular]

With Garan, you guys get out of.

[Alexander Ward]

Earshot of Kuzzle and the other sergeants and lieutenants of the Pit.

[Travis Willingham]

You didn't have to help me. I could keep going.

[Sam Riegel]

That means nothing. You were on the floor.

[Travis Willingham]

It wasn't the first time. Wasn't the 12th, obviously.

[Sam Riegel]

But when you fall, and if you keep going and going and going, they're going to turn to me. And if you're not going to stick up for yourself for yourself. Do it for me. Please.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey. You're right.

[Sam Riegel]

Thank you.

[Travis Willingham]

You're right. Thank you.

[Sam Riegel]

Do you know what happened? I didn't see anything. I was walking around and I heard more than I saw.

[Travis Willingham]

I think for a moment I was too tired not to hope. I just. I took a nap, that's all. They don't like that, you know.

[Sam Riegel]

No. No, they don't. Never known you to nap on the job.

[Travis Willingham]

These are strange times.

[Sam Riegel]

Strange times.

[Travis Willingham]

How you holding up?

[Sam Riegel]

I'm tired. I'm angry. Sick of waiting and waiting. I keep my hope quiet, but I will never let them take it from me. Change is coming. Change is coming.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey, it's his, he says, not believing a word.

[Alexander Ward]

Give me an insight check, Nia.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

That pal believes thee, right? That's an okay wisdom. Say check.

[Alexander Ward]

Or say insight.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, insight. D d d d d oh. Not bad. 16.

[Jasmine Buular]

16. What does NIA see as she says.

[Alexander Ward]

That change will come on Garan's face?

[Matthew Mercer]

He sighs in the way that a parent does to a child that speaks.

[Travis Willingham]

In falsehoods and fables.

[Matthew Mercer]

Not to knock it out of your.

[Travis Willingham]

Hand, but certainly hope has faded from.

[Matthew Mercer]

His eyes long ago.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia sees that, receives that, and in her ever naive defiance, decides not to address it. She just feels, in her youth that she could somehow know better than this person who has been here long before her.

[Alexander Ward]

And we move from there to a different part as you guys head to the mop.

[Jasmine Buular]

The infirmary. The horrifically named Infirmary, because that's mostly what you do, is just mop people up. We head over to the slope, an enormous boiling hot kitchen. Huge sort of crucibles filled with a stinking stew that has been Cooking probably for the better part of 40 years now. The crust along the rim sort of carcinogenically crust into the cast iron.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, but put it in a bread bowl, though.

[Jasmine Buular]

Walk up. I'll get the number three with the. And there are a small crew of prisoners manning the kitchens here. Literally like crosswalks, going like catwalks, going up to these 30 foot tall crucibles full of whatever this stench is, the meat in there, absolutely questionable. The smell, the smoke, cinders coming up out of the fires underneath. Breathing down here is hard. All of the kitchen workers, all these prisoners that are working the kitchens have wet rags tied around their. As much for the smoke and embers as it is for just the stink of the food itself.

[Alexander Ward]

I would love Jasmine for you to.

[Jasmine Buular]

Describe your character for us and what she's doing in this moment.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right, so Phaedra is a small halfling woman with red hair and two pigtails. She looks kind of scrawny, wiry, not a particularly muscular, strong person. But you get the sense that she's been around, tough looking. She's got a tattoo of a cockroach on her shoulder. And at the moment, though, she's trying to hide it. She looks like she has not been sleeping well at all recently. And so she's at work scraping down the crust with a long, long spatula. Not even a food spatula. It's probably for paint or something. Just trying to chip down away at the sides of this disgusting soup pot.

[Jasmine Buular]

You're chipping away, you have a little rope to actually get down under the lip of the cauldron itself as you're going across from you with a long scraping thing that's. It's like a polearm is with a similar roach tattoo. On the inside of a massive bicep is Otto, an enormous bearded Goliath who looks down and you can see him scraping against something and he gets a huge chunk of the crusted burnt stuff that flops off and it sort of hits the deck underneath you on this little scaffold platform that you're standing on. This crucible is empty, which is why you're able to clean it. And as it lands, the crust comes off and there's just straight up the bones of a hand.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh.

[Alexander Ward]

And he looks and goes, well, that's a hand.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah. No, I was wondering where that went. Well, I mean, I don't know. Just throw it back in. Bones are. That's more flavor. Right.

[Jasmine Buular]

Well, I think this probably just tastes like ash now.

[Jasmine Shion]

It all tastes like ash. Like just, just Throw it in.

[Jasmine Buular]

I don't.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Jasmine Buular]

Should I tell anyone about this?

[Jasmine Shion]

No. Why would you tell Otto? It's fine. We don't have to tell anyone about anything.

[Jasmine Buular]

He tosses it from way down beneath you. You see that? There is another person that has a little roach tattoo on the outside of his arm. Taveen, who you see is a fire. Genasi sort of eyes are just sort of bright. Cinders. Some firearms have a glow in the back of their throat. He doesn't. His teeth are actually burning coals, which looks very bright. Whenever he opens his lips and you see that he looks out and calls out from down there, you can see he's wading through coals, sweeping them out. As he's standing in them, he looks up and says, hey, what's going on up there? Did you guys find something?

[Jasmine Shion]

Just another hand.

[Jasmine Buular]

God damn it.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, you know.

[Jasmine Buular]

All right. Do I have to tell anybody?

[Alexander Ward]

I don't.

[Jasmine Shion]

Who are gonna tell. Who's gonna care about a hand?

[Jasmine Buular]

Well, whoever's hand it is.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, well, I think they've noticed already that it's missing. So I don't see how we're gonna help with that.

[Jasmine Buular]

See, Otto sort of crosses his arms and says, I obviously would care more.

[Alexander Ward]

About losing a hand than eating one.

[Jasmine Buular]

But if I lost it and ate mine without knowing, I would be mad.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's fair. That's very wise, Otto. Appreciate that.

[Jasmine Buular]

Thank you for calling me wise. You see that as you go along, the last member of your group way off in the actual food preparation section, you see, wearing just absolutely filthy, blood soaked apron that has almost looks like an industrial paper cutter that is just cutting through huge chunks of what look like sick beasts of burden. There's various horses and some oxen. He's just is Kefkedriel, who, you see, he's got the roach on the back of his neck and you see that he's whistling a beautiful elven song. He's sort of a gaunt elven man, you see. He turns around and whispers over to.

[Alexander Ward]

You and says, you guys need a hand over there.

[Jasmine Shion]

Thank you, Kef. I think. I think we're good.

[Alexander Ward]

Oh, all right.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah.

[Alexander Ward]

Well, give yourself a hand for doing such a good job.

[Jasmine Shion]

I. We will. Thank you.

[Alexander Ward]

All right.

[Jasmine Shion]

I kind of turned back to Otto and I'm like, what the fuck? What the fuck is up with that guy? What is his deal? What is this whole fucking deal?

[Jasmine Buular]

I'm loyal to every member of our gang, but I do think that we should be very observant about who we.

[Alexander Ward]

Allow in the gang.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah. No, you're right. All right. Hey, boys, team meeting.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? Taveen comes up from down in the coal area. You see that? Kef comes over and you see that he's just got a horse leg that he's dragging behind him.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right, so has anyone heard from Crocus?

[Alexander Ward]

Otto shakes his head no. So Sevine says, all I saw was someone pushed him in the yard. He turned around, knocked him out, and that was enough. They dragged him off. That's all I saw.

[Jasmine Shion]

He's still alive. We know. Or we think. Last time we saw him.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? Kef Kedriel says, how would we know?

[Alexander Ward]

He might be wandering in the walls right now.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that?

[Alexander Ward]

Otto looks and says no public execution. I don't think because he got nabbed doing something violent. I think if he was gonna be punished, they'd do it in public.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay, well, keep an eye out, all of you. Ears and eyes open.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that?

[Alexander Ward]

You hear a noise of footsteps approaching on the catwalk. And look and see. See a guard that you have some familiarity with approaching you.

[Jasmine Buular]

The person that now approaches is Atreus Blix. This is an armored bugbear with a.

[Alexander Ward]

Polearm that is approaching you right now. And this is one that you know may serve a different God than the Strife Emperor.

[Jasmine Buular]

He walks up.

[Jasmine Shion]

Atrus, how's my favorite guard doing?

[Alexander Ward]

Hello.

[Jasmine Shion]

Better than a lot I can say in this place.

[Alexander Ward]

So, you know, I'm doing all right.

[Jasmine Shion]

What they got you doing today? You got scrubbing the latrines. You're hanging down in the slop with us.

[Alexander Ward]

Hey, hey, come on. Don't mock me here in the middle. I'm a God. You're a prisoner.

[Jasmine Shion]

Hey, listen, it's no mockery. It's all. All respect.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah, I'm doing latrines. Listen.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay, well, that's a. Someone's gotta do it.

[Alexander Ward]

Should be a prisoner feels, I don't know, stupid, cruel to make a guard do latrines. Listen, your boy ain't coming back.

[Jasmine Shion]

What do you know about him?

[Alexander Ward]

Crocus is gone.

[Jasmine Shion]

What do you mean, gone?

[Alexander Ward]

Well, he's already in the hall of Pardon, ain't he? They're sending out. We've been loaded up over at the Gauntlet for better part of a month now, aren't we? And they're gonna send out a carriage full of tieflings to Lord of the Hills tonight. And then tomorrow morning, they got a bunch of dragonborn that they're gonna send off to the Scaled Tyrant Caravan's ready to go.

[Jasmine Buular]

For what? You see that? Otto looks and says, was it. It's cause he attacked another prisoner.

[Alexander Ward]

It's the Atrus goes, no, because you attacked another prisoner. He's just scaled. Tyrant wants more dragonborns, it needs more soldiers on the front line.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's okay. Well, that's my soldier. He already has a job.

[Alexander Ward]

You're a prisoner.

[Jasmine Shion]

I'm a prisoner with a bodyguard who I am very interested in getting back. Okay, let me think. You know what? Come have a drink with me. Is there anything remotely drinkable in this kitchen?

[Jasmine Buular]

That's. There's a bucket of blood under the chop shelf.

[Jasmine Shion]

I pour two glasses of a bucket of blood and I hand one to Atris.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, Atrus looks and says, where'd you get.

[Alexander Ward]

Where do you get glasses from? You ain't supposed to have glasses in here. This is like a flute.

[Jasmine Shion]

The slob has its secrets.

[Alexander Ward]

He looks and says, agara, Agara. Give me an insight check.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is blood the whey protein of Calambiera?

[Jasmine Shion]

Little shaker Insight.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes. I'll wrote a deception from him. He only gets a 7.

[Jasmine Shion]

13.

[Jasmine Buular]

13. You see him get a look like as you pull these glasses out. And you have staffed the kitchens of Rybad Kol with your former imprisoned gang members here. And you see him getting a look where he's like, he has to rat on you. You having glasses is like. It's like you have shit you should not have your hands on. It's gotten way out of line. So you see him being like, come on, relax.

[Jasmine Shion]

Have a drink with me.

[Alexander Ward]

You know, give me intimidation or persuasion.

[Jasmine Buular]

You can do persuasion first and move to intimidation later.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, let me do it. I'll do a persuasion 21.

[Jasmine Buular]

21. Persuasion. What do you say to him? As you can see him really think about ratting you out, about reporting you.

[Jasmine Shion]

I say, listen. Address. Listen. You and I, we know each other. We're. We know a lot about each other. I think you have a lot of information about me. I have a lot of information about you. So why can't two old friends just have a nice little drink and chat for a little bit before, you know, things get crazy as they can do?

[Jasmine Buular]

You see as you say that, he.

[Alexander Ward]

Goes, all right, yeah, we know a lot about each other. Instrument.

[Jasmine Shion]

We do.

[Alexander Ward]

It's all right. I, you know, take a seat.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? Kef Kedril leans against him and says.

[Alexander Ward]

I could be your chair.

[Jasmine Buular]

And.

[Jasmine Shion]

Weird vibe.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? Otto just pulls out, turns an empty bucket upside down, pulls one out for you. You see, Taveen pours you both an actual glass of blood. And you see that Atrus says, nice. He's huge and sitting with his knees together, shoulders hunched up with this little thing of blood.

[Jasmine Shion]

So tell me more about this dragonborn scenario. I mean, do you know what time this caravan's supposed to leak?

[Alexander Ward]

I just made my report to him.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see here. He touches a place on his armor.

[Alexander Ward]

Under which you know is a secret symbol, something branded into his flesh that is a sign of the Lord of the Hells. That is his secret benefactor. Just made my report. Group of tieflings are going out to the Lord of the hills, who think making a push somewhere far off near Gordranis. Strife Emperor has been given to march north on the rest of Gwessar. But they need more troops scaled Tyrant and the Lord of the Hills. There's visiting nobility here, so they need to move quick.

[Jasmine Shion]

Visiting nobility?

[Alexander Ward]

Yes, the lord and Lady Callister are both here.

[Jasmine Shion]

And they're here already. They're going to be arriving soon.

[Jasmine Buular]

They have just arrived.

[Alexander Ward]

I believe that they are meeting with some of the other lords tonight. You see, he says as well, the dragonborn have been collected in a caravan. They'll be shipped out on the morning. There's mostly ones like croakers, but there's a few that are being sent to be devoured by the scale tyrant as well. Your friend, the nurse over at the mop, Niamh.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Alexander Ward]

Her dragonborn is gonna be one of those latter group devoured, okay, but Crocus isn't.

[Jasmine Shion]

He's not gonna be devoured.

[Alexander Ward]

Well, he'll be sent to the front lines to die for his goddess.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay. All right.

[Alexander Ward]

I mean, there's nothing you can do. They're not gonna take any.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, no, we've been told that before.

[Alexander Ward]

But I try to support you.

[Travis Willingham]

I got him.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, he goes.

[Alexander Ward]

Look, they're gonna. But it's a long. The only way they'd pull someone off there is if they were were sick and gonna make everyone else sick in the caravan because they need those bodies on the front line. But other than that, you know, the caravan's being watched night and day, so I don't know what else you could do.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right. Good to know. Any plans to feed these prisoners up before they hit the road or.

[Alexander Ward]

Doubtful. They've already been shackled up. But if you manage to get them out, or if they attacked somebody or tried to kill one of the guards, they might put them in an oubliette. But the oubliettes would be the last. Anyone that. The problem is this. Anyone that you. If you managed to convince the guys that one of them was sick or anything else like that, they'd put them in the wandering walls and leave them there up to you.

[Jasmine Buular]

You hear a distant iron door creak open.

[Alexander Ward]

Atris looks and says, I shouldn't be here. I've got to go.

[Jasmine Buular]

And he gets up and walks away.

[Alexander Ward]

You see a absolutely stunning black shining gown. A woman with deathly gray, light gray.

[Jasmine Buular]

Almost corpse like skin. Walks in smiles. All of her teeth are that sharp.

[Alexander Ward]

Translucent fish like teeth. And there's probably several hundred of them.

[Caroline Lux]

You're selling me.

[Jasmine Buular]

What's that?

[Caroline Lux]

You're selling me.

[Jasmine Buular]

I'm selling.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're selling me.

[Jasmine Shion]

Go on, go on, hear me out.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? She walks in and says, are you.

[Alexander Ward]

The mistress of the kitchens?

[Jasmine Shion]

I am. Lady Cerulea, I presume?

[Alexander Ward]

Why, yes.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, well, welcome to the slop. The finest cuisine in all of Ryebad Coal, as I say, as the hand bones slowly start floating to the top of the pot. And I like.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, Taveen, who's partially immune to fire damage, looks at it and goes.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

And like, smacks it down under the broth. He goes, it's good soup. And you see that Cyrulia looks at.

[Alexander Ward]

You and just says, I understand that you are preparing some lovely meals for those imprisoned here at Rybat Cole. However, we have guests from farther afield. We require sustenance of a more refined nature. You do have some food that is not sickening to the palate, don't you?

[Jasmine Shion]

I'm so sure I could find some.

[Jasmine Buular]

Very well.

[Alexander Ward]

Please see that a table is set in the high tower of the Steel Keep. There will be eight dining tonight.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yes, of course. Any dietary restrictions or allergies I should know about?

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? She takes a clawed hand and puts it on the soft flesh under your.

[Alexander Ward]

Chin and says, I'll eat just about anything, and turns to walk away.

[Jasmine Shion]

Still hot.

[Jasmine Buular]

Still hot. Alex is like, you're trying to make me feel like this place is gross and I think it's awesome and hot. I'm so sorry to say. I'm just saying.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, all right.

[Jasmine Buular]

Getting the information you have about what's happened to Crocus, what do you do next? I mean, you have other tasks here in the kitchen, but based on what Acheros said, Crocus is a goner tomorrow.

[Alexander Ward]

Morning if there's not some way to get him out.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, all right, boys, come back here'leah. Left.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Jasmine Buular]

Cerulea has left, as has Acheros.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right, okay. They're all. All right, boys, circle up. So, seems like Crocus is in this caravan. Gonna get shipped out tomorrow. Now, there's a chance we can get them to, I don't know, stop at all. If we can convince these guards that maybe one of them is sick, you know, we could maybe. Maybe it could be Crocus. Maybe we just choose some other fuck, you know, make up some story about how he had a plague and it's going to spread to the others real soon. And if they're going to, you see.

[Jasmine Buular]

Otto goes, well, Crocus does have that.

[Alexander Ward]

Thing with his breath weapon, right?

[Jasmine Shion]

He does.

[Alexander Ward]

Maybe that's enough.

[Jasmine Shion]

We could. We could do that. It's just that as long as everything. Everything keeps going the way that it does, we need to really act fast or else Crocus might end up on the front lines of some fucking war that he doesn't even know anything about. So if it's between that, maybe getting thrown in the oubliette, I think we're going to have to try, honestly.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? Tevin sort of furrows his brow and says, all right, but look, you're a fast talker, boss. No one's gonna believe you if you walk up and say, hey, I got.

[Alexander Ward]

A feeling like my boy that I haven't seen in two days is sick.

[Jasmine Shion]

True. Well, what about her? Nia? You know, the girl in the. In the mop.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see? Otto nods and says, yeah, I mean.

[Jasmine Shion]

People listen to her. She knows what she's talking about. Or at least sounds like she knows what she's talking about.

[Alexander Ward]

You see, Kef Kedril goes, oh, and we probably need stuff from the mop.

[Jasmine Buular]

If we're gonna serve food that makes people not sick.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's also a very good point. Yeah, we got some time before we gotta start. Well, here, let's take this kef. Do you. What's. Give me. What kind of meat is that? What kind of meat is that?

[Jasmine Buular]

He holds up his horse leg and.

[Alexander Ward]

Says, this is my new walking stick.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay. Do you just have the one or are there three other horse legs somewhere?

[Alexander Ward]

No, you'd have to ask the horse.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay, can you put some kind of meat on the fire to roast? Just let it roast for a bit. And meanwhile, while that's happening, let's go take a visit to the mob.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah, boss, that sounds great. I'll get to roasting.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see, he walks off. You see, Otto and Tivin both have a Moment of just looking at him. And Tivin looks over at you and.

[Alexander Ward]

Says, once you get the tattoo, you're in the gang forever, right? Yeah.

[Jasmine Shion]

That is how that. That's how gangs and tattoos work, unfortunately.

[Alexander Ward]

Got it.

[Jasmine Buular]

Well, that's good. You see, Otto looks and says, boss.

[Alexander Ward]

Do you need company?

[Jasmine Buular]

Heading up there, are you? Good going on your own?

[Jasmine Shion]

I'll talk to Nia myself. That's fine.

[Alexander Ward]

All right.

[Jasmine Buular]

There's plenty to do to get dinner ready. We'll keep working on this pot. Oh, Tiffin. It looks like the coals are going out.

[Alexander Ward]

You see?

[Jasmine Buular]

He goes, Fuck. Hair flames up and heads back down.

[Alexander Ward]

You head out to go to the infirmary. We move to a massive, almost cathedral esque hall of spiring black stone. This gothic building, cracked earth and gravel populates the interior spaces.

[Jasmine Buular]

Enormous iron carriages pulled by behemoths.

[Alexander Ward]

These oxen the size of elephants with curling horns that come around them.

[Travis Willingham]

Steam.

[Alexander Ward]

Blasting from their nostrils.

[Jasmine Buular]

We see that these are trained livestock of fire giants to step over the assembled groups here, muttering and laughing to each other. Inside one of them, you see that there is a dwarven lieutenant of the Strife Emperor. He's got a shaved head, this enormous beard that has a bunch of iron.

[Alexander Ward]

Rings in it that end in the.

[Jasmine Buular]

Shape of closed fist gauntlets. Walks along. He's got a sort of row of tattoos in prayer to the Strife Emperor. A true zealot as he walks through this place. This is Captain Rustgut. He moves through this place. Look alive, my scaly friends. Look alive.

[Alexander Ward]

Say goodbye to Rybad, Kol.

[Jasmine Buular]

The walls of the carriages have loops.

[Alexander Ward]

Of iron affixed to them through which.

[Jasmine Buular]

Chains run chaining people on benches on.

[Alexander Ward]

Either side of the carriage.

[Jasmine Buular]

And I would like the two dragonborn at the very end of the carriage facing across from each other to describe themselves.

[Alexander Ward]

Liam, we'll start with you. All right.

[Liam O'Brien]

Arrow is an aged dragon born in tattered, filthy traveling clothes. A shredded cloak. All of the clothes it has been worn to the hilt. And his scales are. You almost wouldn't know that he's scaled in gold because all of his skin and flesh is coated with months worth of dust from the road and the Wastes. His eyes, the reptilian flesh that is finer and smaller on the eyes is sunken and sallow and dark. And there is a significant long aged scar, a cut where the scale has been opened on his neck and throat. And he has got a far off look. He is really looking. Not that he hasn't acknowledged others in here, especially the Hulk sitting across from him. But this is a situation he has successfully avoided for all the many decades of his life. He is spending a lot of time focusing on just slow, slow breath in and out, meditative almost.

[Caroline Lux]

Sitting across is crocus. Crocus is about 6 foot 6, 300 pounds of just muscle and very rough and jagged scales covered in many scars, fresh and old. A much younger dragonborn just at adulthood. White scales that has a sort of spidering vitiligo of dark scales that come up from under his threadbare clothing. Hunched over in this in his restraints. And you notice that there's a few more than anybody else has been given as he's quite capable of tearing out of basic restraints. He's sitting there staring forward with a kind of look where he's not registering what's around him. And his eyes are fully dilated in this panicked stasis, not knowing what to do, not knowing anybody around him. A lost giant child.

[Jasmine Buular]

Captain Ruskut moves through the center.

[Alexander Ward]

He's got this enormous corroded metal headed.

[Jasmine Buular]

Mallet that he's dragging along the floor.

[Alexander Ward]

Behind him just gleefully at the smell of panic in here.

[Jasmine Buular]

This place has been packed full of.

[Alexander Ward]

Dragonborn so it smells like there's a smell of fear and the dirt and.

[Jasmine Buular]

Blood of injury and wound in prisoner's clothing.

[Alexander Ward]

But there's also this crackle of elemental fire and lightning.

[Jasmine Buular]

And everything smells almost like that thing of ozone. But before rain in here.

[Alexander Ward]

He walks through and just goes. You are being sent on the morrow to serve at the pleasure of the scaled tyrant sister of our very own strife Emperor who will crush this world under his gauntlet. His victory is soon at hand. And his faithful servants will stand by his side and place their bosom upon the heads of those that were foolish enough to doubt him and his strength. You however, are being sent to fight on the front lines.

[Jasmine Buular]

Ain't you cheeky? And you see that he grabs snout of. To your immediate right there is a green Dragonborn who's sort of brawny. He's got a very long. His. His neck is much longer and more draconic. So he doesn't have his head sitting right on his shoulders. A little bit of a longer neck has that green Dragonborn profile. You see that he grabs his chin and he whips this long reptilian neck away. He turns around to your immediate left. Sitting on the other side, you see that there is this very tall. He's not making himself small at all. It's a bronze Dragonborn who looks around, his eyes wide in panic. As well. And you see that Ruska says, except.

[Alexander Ward]

For our lovely metallic friends here, I.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hear that you will serve as something of an hors d'oeuvre to the majesty in mind of the scale tyrant. I bet she gets hungry with five heads, don't she? You see that? The bronze dragonborn says. Listen, listen to me, there's been a mistake. I am Marlath. I am a loyal servant of the scaled tyrant. I came here as an envoy miniature. I am a worshipper of hers. And you see that Ruskut says what.

[Alexander Ward]

She does with you is her business. But I think you're headed for the stomach as well, my friend.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see he goes, wait. I gave information about other dragons dragonborn like me. As Ruskutt turns and begins to walk back up the chamber. As he walks away, you see that.

[Alexander Ward]

This bronze dragonborn, Marlath turns and says, this is outrageous. This is absolutely outrageous.

[Liam O'Brien]

Without looking, I put a hand on his forearm and pull him down into the seat next to me. And while, while I'm talking to him, I have clocked the giant across from me. So I'm saying this for his benefit as well. Conserve your energy. We are all certainly to die. Everyone. We may have one chance.

[Travis Willingham]

Breathe.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wait. Don't stand out.

[Alexander Ward]

Give me persuasion.

[Liam O'Brien]

Straight roll for me. 17.

[Alexander Ward]

17.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, he looks and goes.

[Alexander Ward]

It's outrageous. Absolutely.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, he looks for someone to meet his gaze in the carriage, to join him in his. You realize that he's reported other metallic dragonborn to this. You know, he is a faithful to the scaled tyrant and is now about to be shipped off.

[Liam O'Brien]

I turned turn and stare in the eye.

[Travis Willingham]

Of course it is as it has been for decades.

[Alexander Ward]

More.

[Liam O'Brien]

If the nail sticks up, it will be hammered down.

[Travis Willingham]

Sit.

[Alexander Ward]

He sits and lowers his head.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see across from you, Crocus, the green dragonborn to his right.

[Alexander Ward]

To his right there is a small family, you see, wearing a sort of peasant's gown with a shawl over her shoulders, is a blue dragonborn woman who is chained up with two small dragonborn hatchlings that are blue dragonborn, her two children. You see that they both look up and you see that they are whispering something to her. Her young daughter is sort of looking up wide eyed and expectantly. The boy is sort of completely vacant and crying to himself in this moment, as the mom just sort of brings them both close to her, she rattles her chains. Bringing them in, she goes. Now is everything's going to be all right, you understand? We're going to all be together. No matter what happens, okay? We're all going to be here together. Okay? And. And just be as quiet as can. Did you hear what the man in the corner said? It's exactly right. We're just going to be quiet and we're going to breathe. Okay?

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see that this blue Dragonborn.

[Alexander Ward]

Woman looks up with tears in her eyes and just nods and smiles at you.

[Caroline Lux]

Crocus is sitting there clocking the woman and the children. And you can see he has a leather wrap binding the front of his snout shut. But he opens the side of his mouth and goes, what did he mean about giving up other Dragonborn? I don't understand.

[Liam O'Brien]

We're all gonna die here. You on a battlefield.

[Travis Willingham]

Me for faith. Oh, bad.

[Alexander Ward]

Not good.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, as you reference Marlath, the.

[Alexander Ward]

Bronze Dragonborn, he goes, I was promised great treasure. It is the right of our people. I was promised great treasure to do as I did. It was an act of faith.

[Jasmine Buular]

The Green Dragonborn across from him looks.

[Alexander Ward]

Up and says, would you stop your chattering. No one wants to hear it. Do like your friend said. Keep it shut.

[Jasmine Buular]

The Green Dragonborn looks over at you.

[Alexander Ward]

And goes, you all right, mate?

[Travis Willingham]

I'm all right.

[Jasmine Buular]

He looks over at the two little Dragonborn kids next to him and you.

[Alexander Ward]

See, he goes, you know, I've been in scarier situations than this. And he just turns to you and winks.

[Travis Willingham]

You have?

[Alexander Ward]

Ah, sure. One time I got caught stealing and they put me in right bad cold. That was pretty bad.

[Caroline Lux]

That's here.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah. That's why I see you've made one mistake.

[Liam O'Brien]

Put the lot of us together.

[Travis Willingham]

If the opportunity arise, make it count.

[Alexander Ward]

You go to, mate, you see, he leans up and does this stretch where.

[Jasmine Buular]

He puts his long neck and puts.

[Alexander Ward]

It up against the flat of the carriage behind him so that his snout.

[Jasmine Buular]

Is pointing straight up.

[Alexander Ward]

You see Marlath go to a glassy eyed place of like great wealth. I was promised great wealth. We move from this place to the mop. Nia, would you kindly describe the state of your infirmary as you arrive there with Garan?

[Sam Riegel]

Bad. It's not great in there. It's bad here. It's dirty. There is dried blood all over the floors. There are bodies everywhere, some sitting, some lying down. Nia is incredibly overwhelmed, but you can't tell. She's running around keeping tabs on people, making sure that bones are setting and that folks are getting extra water as they've been passed out on the floor and trying to return people back to work as quickly as possible. Because if they don't come back. It's on her. The infirmary is gross. There are bones. It's just a cacophony of sound and smell. And she tries to block all of that out as she is currently setting someone's arm right back into its shoulder. Hopefully to return back to work.

[Alexander Ward]

You enter with Garan and see that these are.

[Jasmine Buular]

Thankfully there's no broken bones here, but there are some just bad. There's some bad sort of internal bleeding, but there's also a couple lacerations places.

[Alexander Ward]

Where the edge of a boot actually tore skin. Go ahead and give me a medicine check if you'd be so kind.

[Sam Riegel]

I will. Brennan, let's. Who wants to play today? He hasn't wants to play.

[Alexander Ward]

Please.

[Sam Riegel]

Today.

[Jasmine Shion]

1818.

[Jasmine Buular]

Matt, if you would like to take.

[Alexander Ward]

A short rest and roll your one hit die with an 18 medicine.

[Jasmine Buular]

You can roll that with advantage.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you.

[Jasmine Buular]

Of course.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm rap trying to wrap his stomach where he's been kicked. Try and keep that together.

[Travis Willingham]

I'll take an eight.

[Jasmine Buular]

You grab the. You get eight hit points back. Does that bring you back up to full?

[Matthew Mercer]

Almost.

[Travis Willingham]

Almost.

[Matthew Mercer]

I took a beating earlier.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia. She silently is wrapping him, wrapping him, wrapping him. And she sort of glances at his arm and the iron that's around it and she feels as though she wants to say something along the lines of like actually she doesn't even know. She just looks at it and sees the shoddy work and looks to Garen and asks, why didn't they bring you to me?

[Travis Willingham]

I think it was more. Some displays of punishment are for the popular, yes. Some are for a more private audience.

[Alexander Ward]

Nia, you look here and see the injuries before you hear moans from elsewhere in the infirmary. And a horrifying sight greets you as a shadow fills the doorway of the mop. Entering is one known to you as Barbathrix. He may have once been human, but a mixture of shaped bone and leather black robes. There are skeletal claws assembled with the claws pointing upwards in a collar. His skull has been stretched magically.

[Jasmine Buular]

He's some kind of warlock or other.

[Alexander Ward]

Being that calls upon powers associated with.

[Jasmine Buular]

This Strife Emperor and has grown himself a set of arms.

[Alexander Ward]

So he's a four armed individual.

[Jasmine Buular]

Two hanging from the shoulders and another.

[Alexander Ward]

Two that sprout off his back in.

[Jasmine Buular]

These long claws that lack the fine manipulation of his normal hands but are.

[Alexander Ward]

Very useful for hurting and destroying people. Barbara Thrix enters this space speaking to you and goes. Rhaenyra, Greetings. We have come to review the infirmary. It's my understanding that you have several infirm here past what seems like the natural point of recovery.

[Sam Riegel]

She nods and immediately goes to try and talk her way out of it. I'm the only person in here. There are so many bodies. I mean your work specifically has kept me very, very busy.

[Alexander Ward]

As well it should. Tell me this one and points to Garan.

[Jasmine Buular]

He is well.

[Sam Riegel]

He's well.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? He says.

[Alexander Ward]

He is bandaged though.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes, yes, the injuries will recover.

[Sam Riegel]

They always do.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? He looks and says ruhlet a calculation.

[Alexander Ward]

A small gnomish servant bows.

[Jasmine Buular]

He's got a little black goatee, long black ponytail that stretches in silver rings. Behind him black robes, carries a small ledger.

[Alexander Ward]

He says, oh yes, I am familiar with this prisoner, my lord. This is Garan. He's been with us since before I was here quite some time. He is of advanced age and his left arm incapacitated, but his skill in the quarry is greater than that of even some more able bodied prisoners.

[Jasmine Buular]

However, if he were to be sick for more than five and one half.

[Alexander Ward]

Days, the cost of maintaining him would outweigh keeping him alive.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that, Barbara? Thryx says, Very well.

[Alexander Ward]

This one is not worth more than five and a half days of medicine. He'll be working before then.

[Sam Riegel]

Well, before then. We have five days. I'll be sure to get it done before then.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? Rufus begins to go through Barba Thrix, asking questions and pointing to them and.

[Alexander Ward]

Saying, this one was given three days to recover. It is the end of the third day.

[Sam Riegel]

Is it? I believe we have some time. The day is not done.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead and give me a deception or persuasion check.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay. Deception or persuasion? Okay, you said deception or persuasion. I'll do persuasion. Making it a 1515. The day is not done.

[Alexander Ward]

Rufus make a note at nightfall to return here. If this one is still in bed, kill them.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see that the prisoner who.

[Alexander Ward]

Is completely horizontal, looks up and goes.

[Sam Riegel]

I try and find a place where pressure won't make the injuries worse and rest a hand there just to quiet what I know is reasonable panic.

[Alexander Ward]

Incredible.

[Jasmine Buular]

Barbara Thrix turns to you and says.

[Alexander Ward]

I do hope your advocacy on behalf of those prisoners under your care is rooted in a deep sense of preserving their utility to the Strife Emperor.

[Sam Riegel]

Of course. What else is there to do here? Hope? No, I know my job. I do it well. Thank you for visiting.

[Alexander Ward]

Soldiers will return at nightfall. Barba Thrix begins to leave this place with Rufus does so and in the moment of them turning and leaving, stepping in through the doorway Is Phaedra, who.

[Jasmine Buular]

Arrives here in the infirmary.

[Sam Riegel]

Got sick of the slop.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, you know, just the smell of blood. I guess. It's not that much different in here. No, it's just buckets of blood and rags as far as the eye.

[Sam Riegel]

Can you actually have a little.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Mm hm.

[Jasmine Shion]

Harder than yesterday's blood. Listen, do you have somewhere we can talk in private maybe?

[Sam Riegel]

Uh, sure. Nia looks to Garon, makes sure that. Can I step away from him? Actually, can he come?

[Jasmine Shion]

He's fine. You get your rest, old timer. I think this may be something I talk about.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you two go to talk, I'd like the two of you to give me perception check. And Garan, left to your own devices, I'd like you to make a perception check with advantage.

[Alexander Ward]

If you'd be so kind.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh no.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh yay. Perception, you say?

[Alexander Ward]

Perception. Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

To shreds you say.

[Sam Riegel]

What if my passive perception is better than what I got?

[Jasmine Shion]

Perception.

[Sam Riegel]

That's a 14.

[Alexander Ward]

14.

[Travis Willingham]

19.

[Alexander Ward]

19.

[Jasmine Shion]

8.

[Alexander Ward]

8.

[Jasmine Buular]

Okay, 14 and 8. You two are busy talking to each other as you guys head off.

[Alexander Ward]

Garan.

[Sam Riegel]

Garn. Sorry, I keep saying Garen.

[Jasmine Buular]

Garan. Garan. You look in a corner.

[Alexander Ward]

And you see that there's a mouse in the corner. There's rats in some part of the.

[Jasmine Buular]

Prison, but this is an ash choked wasteland with a red sky. It's bad out here. And I think on a 19 perception, you just don't remember the last time.

[Alexander Ward]

You saw a mouse.

[Matthew Mercer]

Arin sits up from the space and very slowly and methodically begins to just begin to approach towards that corner with his hand out.

[Travis Willingham]

Just like.

[Alexander Ward]

Mm. Go ahead and give me animal handling.

[Sam Riegel]

Does Nia see Garn get up? Yeah, I think so.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, that'd be an 11.

[Alexander Ward]

An 11. You go up, you hold your hand out to the mouse on an 11.

[Jasmine Buular]

It doesn't approach your hand, but it doesn't run away either.

[Alexander Ward]

You see, it sits there in the corner. What are you doing here, little one?

[Travis Willingham]

There's no place for you.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see, it swivels its ears and looks up.

[Alexander Ward]

And following its gaze for a moment.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see three little shapes rush across.

[Alexander Ward]

One of the rafters into a little.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hole in the wall.

[Alexander Ward]

You see, the mouse looks up at that hole in the wall.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey.

[Matthew Mercer]

How far away is that hole in the wall?

[Liam O'Brien]

About.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's probably about five or six feet.

[Alexander Ward]

Up on the wall.

[Travis Willingham]

Taller than me.

[Matthew Mercer]

Does it look like it's trying to get up there?

[Jasmine Buular]

It looks like it sees its brethren.

[Alexander Ward]

Rush down that space and yeah, it looks like it Wants to get up there.

[Matthew Mercer]

Is there any sort of a scrap piece of plyboard or.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Don't want to get too close to spooky, but just enough to.

[Jasmine Buular]

There's some crutches here, so you can grab a crutch.

[Travis Willingham]

I go ahead and grab a crutch.

[Matthew Mercer]

And hold it down.

[Alexander Ward]

As you grab the crutch, it runs down the crutch for a second. It smells your hand for a moment. And you see, it looks up into your eyes. Mice always look scared.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's the default expression of a mouse, you see.

[Alexander Ward]

And it for a moment leans against.

[Jasmine Buular]

Your hand like it's going to go.

[Alexander Ward]

To sleep, and then raises back up, moves up the hole and vanishes from sight. And as it does, you hear a lot of chittering in that hole. Looking up there.

[Jasmine Buular]

Past that.

[Alexander Ward]

Give me one more perception check.

[Jasmine Buular]

We'll call this a DC15.

[Matthew Mercer]

That is going to be a 15 exactly.

[Alexander Ward]

Wow. You have no idea how this hole got there.

[Jasmine Buular]

Parts of Ryebad Coal are holder.

[Alexander Ward]

But you're looking at the stone. Something has disrupted that stone a little bit. And you look up. There's something like a hair. There's something thin, wispy little thing up there. And as you look up, it's low.

[Jasmine Buular]

Enough that you could reach up and.

[Alexander Ward]

Grab it if you wanted to.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's like the height of your.

[Matthew Mercer]

I've been here long enough to know better than to make any strange movements under watch. Glancing around the chamber, is there anybody of any sort of station watching?

[Alexander Ward]

No one watching.

[Jasmine Buular]

Just the infirm.

[Matthew Mercer]

Carefully and defensively reach up towards it.

[Alexander Ward]

Pale as a ghost. Soft as a whisper. You pull something that you recognize. Recognize. A nuisance to stonemasons everywhere and something that you have not felt or seen maybe in more than a century. You pull a little root out of the stone.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you mutter and laugh to yourself.

[Alexander Ward]

Looking at this small, unhealthy, ghostly little root. Something of a. Like a tiny little houseplant. A fern. A blade of grass might have.

[Jasmine Buular]

You move to the corner of the.

[Alexander Ward]

Infirmary where Nia and Phaedra are speaking. Phaedra.

[Jasmine Buular]

You have of privacy and silence with your friend here.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right, so listen, you got a Dragonborn in your party, right?

[Sam Riegel]

Arrow.

[Jasmine Shion]

Arrow. Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

What? What?

[Jasmine Shion]

They're shipping out all the Dragonborns tomorrow.

[Sam Riegel]

Excuse me?

[Jasmine Shion]

They have them all locked up in a caravan.

[Sam Riegel]

And how did you come to know this? You know everything. Never mind.

[Jasmine Shion]

One of the guards. I have it on good authority they're shipping them all off. The color. Oh, my God. The chromatic ones are Getting sent off to the scaled tyrant to serve in his army. And I believe the metallic Dragonborns are. They're just going to get eaten. Straight up. Devoured.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia downloads this information and she thinks about Arrow and immediately decides to go to a place of. Okay, what's your plan? You and your roach friends.

[Jasmine Shion]

What are you doing?

[Sam Riegel]

How can I help?

[Jasmine Shion]

So came to you because we need to figure out a way to get those doors of the caravan open. Right. So Crocus, my bodyguard.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jasmine Shion]

He has this little. My bodyguard. So he. He has. Listen, he's a little insecure about this, but he has a little bit of a growth on his neck. Doesn't do him any harm. No pain or anything. But if you can go down there, do some kind of last minute medical check on the prisoners. They need those bodies standing. They need them standing upright. Well enough to fight. Mm. You think you can get down there, convince them that, you know, that little birthmark maybe is something contagious?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Jasmine Shion]

Something that needs to be. Maybe all the dragonborn need to get checked for before they chip out.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes. Do you know. Happy to do that for you. Where is Arrow? Is he with him? Are they together?

[Jasmine Shion]

Presumably. I think they rounded up all the. The dragonborn together.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia goes into her mind and tries to think of all of the medical terms she can come up with to try and make this make sense. She has a small collection of tinctures and ointments in her pants. They're not in the sight of any guards that could see it. She keeps them on her person and. Okay, I can do that.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Do you know where they are?

[Jasmine Shion]

Wait, I do know where. Right.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

They're in the halls of parting.

[Jasmine Shion]

The holes of parting. Yes. Okay. Okay. They're there.

[Sam Riegel]

She heads. She looked. Now we're. Actually, she doesn't even ask. She just looks to Garan.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see Garan in the midst of.

[Alexander Ward]

Doing what he's doing, holding a root.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's so small that even from 20ft away, you don't even see what he's holding.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay. Old guy's lost it.

[Sam Riegel]

He's fine. He is just fine.

[Jasmine Shion]

I mean, I trust you. You work your. Thank you.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm gonna. Hey.

[Alexander Ward]

Hey.

[Sam Riegel]

What you got there?

[Travis Willingham]

I just. I.

[Sam Riegel]

She looks up to. Tries to follow his gaze.

[Jasmine Shion]

You got rats. Yeah, we got them up in the slop too.

[Travis Willingham]

Maybe. I. I don't know. It's the first sort of sign of real life I've seen here in a long time.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia, seeing how important this moment is for him she lets him keep that as opposed to taking it and learning to inspect it. I'm going to be right back. Going to go get Arrow.

[Travis Willingham]

Have you got any food?

[Sam Riegel]

Does Nia have food in here?

[Jasmine Buular]

Do I have. Yes. I think that there are some stores of things that are a little bit.

[Alexander Ward]

Less disgusting that are in the slop up here.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you need to get that special dinner prepared as well.

[Jasmine Shion]

I do, yes. Did you hear about this envoy situation?

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, something happening in Great Tower.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, there are eight of them. They're going to be dining up there, which may be a good time to go check out this caravan situation.

[Sam Riegel]

I have more soldiers coming back here at nightfall, so I have to keep an eye on somebody in here, but this should be quick. Okay, you stay here. I'm going to go find our friends.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

There's not any brave attack or anything simple lying around.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yes, of course. I try to find the least disgusting, least stale chunk of bread which is still presumably rock hard. And I'm like, well, you know, bang it up against a table a couple times maybe, and cracks it on his.

[Matthew Mercer]

Cap a little bit, takes some of the crumbles and sets him up right by where that hole is in the stone.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, well, if I knew you were going to give it to the rats, I wouldn't have picked one of the nicer ones. But okay, now that's your prerogative. Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia tries to find some water for him and gets some stuff, puts it in her pockets and tries to head off to the halls of the Halls of parting. Halls of parting where my friends are.

[Caroline Lux]

The halls of partying.

[Jasmine Buular]

The halls of Partying Few and far between are the halls of partying Here in Ryebad.

[Sam Riegel]

Cole, little party punishment.

[Jasmine Buular]

Incredible. Phaedra, as you begin to go through the sort of nicer provisions up here in the infirmary.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, I trust her to it.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, oh, you do? Okay, I mean, hold on.

[Sam Riegel]

Now that you phrase it that way, I think Mia, I mean, she hasn't been here long enough to really. She craves friends. She's a community based creature. She wants to trust her. So I think in the actor of wanting, she just bolts. She's going to go find Arrow. She's not concerned.

[Jasmine Buular]

You head off to the hall's parting as fast as you can.

[Alexander Ward]

Awesome.

[Jasmine Buular]

You are looking around as Garan sprinkles some crumbs up on this hole. And as you do so, go ahead and give me one more.

[Alexander Ward]

Give me an animal handling with advantage.

[Jasmine Buular]

And give me investigation as you look forward to 1818.

[Jasmine Shion]

My investigation is just 13.

[Alexander Ward]

13.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah. You find the things you're looking for as you do. You see that a group of.

[Alexander Ward]

There's a group of mice that come up to those crumbs and you see.

[Jasmine Buular]

Begin to take them.

[Alexander Ward]

As they do. You see that some of them appear to have some fleas or something.

[Jasmine Buular]

Some little pest.

[Alexander Ward]

You see that perfectly normal for a place choked with filth and disease like Rybad Coal is.

[Jasmine Buular]

Some little bug leaps to your forearm.

[Alexander Ward]

And almost a fire ant or a bullet.

[Jasmine Buular]

There's a little venomous bite for a second and as it does, it leaps off.

[Alexander Ward]

You look at the mice that are here and they just gleam at you. There's a weird fleck of green in their eyes as they do. You see that one of them appears to have a little bit of blood under its fur, under its mouth. But as they chew on the crumbs and look off at you, you see.

[Jasmine Buular]

A couple of fleas are departing from.

[Alexander Ward]

Them, heading into the room around you on that higher animal handling check.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that a few people around here twitch with a sudden bit of pain as they're bitten by one of the fleas here. Give me perception with advantage.

[Sam Riegel]

And I'm not here to see any of this.

[Alexander Ward]

Not here to see any of it.

[Sam Riegel]

Wonderful.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's going to be 1212.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that in that little space that the flea bit you on your arm.

[Alexander Ward]

It's hard.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's going to start.

[Alexander Ward]

Dim lighting in here. There's a little bit of a glow.

[Jasmine Buular]

You could see or a spot maybe your eyes are having spots in them. But where that bite was, there's a.

[Alexander Ward]

Little bit of light.

[Jasmine Buular]

And as you look at it for.

[Alexander Ward]

A moment longer, it begins to fade away.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. Finally going crazy.

[Jasmine Buular]

Phaedra. You get the things together that you need to get. And feel a sharp pain on your neck. How the fuck. A little dead flea in your hand.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, just flip. You guys got a lot of these down here?

[Travis Willingham]

No, not all.

[Jasmine Shion]

Really. No. They're probably all coming up to the kitchens then. That's why we get them all.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you guys look.

[Alexander Ward]

You also remember hearing Atrus talk about oubliettes for a second.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you know that there are places.

[Alexander Ward]

That they might send crocus if he's sick. And you're such suddenly looking at a guy who.

[Jasmine Buular]

The main thing about Garan is that.

[Alexander Ward]

He'S been here the longest out of any prisoner. And you suddenly wonder if he was around when they were building the oubliettes back in the day.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, old timer, you know anything about the oubliettes.

[Travis Willingham]

Ay. What about them?

[Jasmine Shion]

Well, I mean, anything you could tell me. Where are they? How. How big are they? Is there any way to access them?

[Travis Willingham]

Well, there's a number of locations across Ryback Cole.

[Jasmine Shion]

Where would they hold a sick prisoner?

[Travis Willingham]

A sick prisoner? A sick prisoner?

[Matthew Mercer]

Was I involved in the construction of one of these?

[Jasmine Buular]

They would probably send them to the wandering walls.

[Alexander Ward]

There's segments where they would just let.

[Jasmine Buular]

Someone sweat and scream and cry out for water. And if they survive, they survive.

[Alexander Ward]

And if they don't, they don't.

[Travis Willingham]

I chiseled out a few of the rotting pits by the wandering owls. That's sort of. A few old compatriots went away. That's likely where they're not well built.

[Jasmine Shion]

What do you think our someone got thrown down there? What do you think the odds are of them getting out? Is it possible?

[Travis Willingham]

Well, I mean, all stone's got its weakness. And we're supposed to build things to last, should you want it. But sometimes you can't work your best work under strain.

[Jasmine Shion]

I know that.

[Jasmine Buular]

And Phaedra, as you look at Garan.

[Alexander Ward]

In this moment, give me an insight.

[Jasmine Buular]

Check and I'll let garan Set the DC for this insight check.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, not good.

[Matthew Mercer]

1313. Not hard to notice he's looking at you with a more or less insinuating that from the inside and the outside there are ways to more or less break through.

[Alexander Ward]

And Phaedra, the old crackpot that you've said is finally going crazy for the.

[Jasmine Buular]

Mistress of the kitchens.

[Alexander Ward]

You realize that you are looking at a living key to this prison?

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah. Listen, old timer, you think you're going to be good to go, get back on your feet soon.

[Matthew Mercer]

Looks back over at where the hole of mice is and he's still holding that root in his finger and goes.

[Travis Willingham]

Honestly, I feel a bit more inspired than I have in a very long time.

[Jasmine Shion]

It's been a long time since I heard anyone say that. But I think I might be able to. I think I might have a job for you.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you say that, we move to follow Nia. You walk through the halls of parting.

[Alexander Ward]

As fire giant stare down at you.

[Jasmine Buular]

Glowering, moving through the shadow. It is filled with frenzy and activity. Here you see that there are huge carts going out. You see that one of the carts that is chipping out as the sun gets lower and the reds smudge in the distant sky. You see that there is a carriage filled with tieflings. And you see that there is this.

[Alexander Ward]

Bright green tiefling with her Hand stretched.

[Jasmine Buular]

Out of the back bars of a carriage towards another prisoner who appears to be one of the last Dragonborn moving into the other carriage, screaming out, going like I'll find you. I promise I'll find you. As the carriage moves out through the doorway. It is so busy in here and all of the guards and soldiers, all of these captains of the Strife Emperor look bored and upset with the level of noise in all of the human sorrow. Their overwhelming emotion is the drudgery of.

[Alexander Ward]

Having to do one's job. You see the main carriage at the front being prepared for the morning.

[Jasmine Buular]

The door is closed, but the giant.

[Alexander Ward]

Padlock is is not locked yet on the back. Meaning that people are coming to and fro.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see that Captain Rustgut towards.

[Alexander Ward]

The front of that carriage.

[Sam Riegel]

Do I want to be sneaky or do I want to be smart? Does Ruskut clock me? Do I see him see me?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, I think you look up and.

[Alexander Ward]

See him see you.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah. Captain, hold that carriage. Hello.

[Alexander Ward]

Come from the mop, have you?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes, there has been a breach in oversight. I'm not sure how this message wasn't delivered, but there is a prisoner in there who could run a risk to those elves in the carriage. I've heard that these Dragonborn are headed off and I want to make sure that they are the most capable for the job that they are meant to do. There is a contamination that I want to address.

[Jasmine Buular]

Give me persuasion actually and give me actually deception.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay. Deception 16.

[Jasmine Buular]

Okay.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Deception. I in a panic that keeps up with what she's sharing. She's attempting to share that information on her move. She's not trying to stop and hold. She's trying to keep. Cause there's danger. Danger, affliction.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? Rosca looks and says Hang on a minute, hang on.

[Alexander Ward]

You're gonna tell me that you're gonna.

[Jasmine Buular]

What happens if they are sick?

[Sam Riegel]

They are unable to. You have some soldiers on the front lines. Do you want those soldiers to be ailing one another? That they are weak?

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that as he looks to make a little bit more of a scene here, there is another figure who.

[Alexander Ward]

Looks resplendent gold finery. A beautiful golden haired Aasimar that of celestial lineage. Smiles and moves forward from this place.

[Jasmine Buular]

And speaks out looking at Rustgut. This is Satal who is the high.

[Alexander Ward]

Priestess of the Strife Emperor.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that she smiles and looks.

[Alexander Ward]

And says now, now, Captain. Do not let your piety in service of the stripes Emperor blind you to his will. This prisoner has told us that the Gift we now send to the strife emperor's sister may be rotting inside. It is some weeks of carriage journey servant. This disease, it is contagious, yes or no?

[Sam Riegel]

Incredibly, Nia has had her. Is she allowed to move towards the thing? She has had her hands in her pockets and without really acknowledging arrow, she grazes the back of his neck a little bit and she turns trying to point out that there is something already growing on the back of somebody and it is mirroring the black. It's a black liquid of some kind, a substance that. That she's hoping to pass off as crocus vitiligo. She's hoping to have that be the thing that his black scale. She's trying to sort of give off the illusion that something is spreading on that 16.

[Alexander Ward]

You see that Ruska goes oh no, we do go on like that.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see that he open him up. The gate opens arrow and crocus. Both of you see Nia and arrow, you see Nia for the first time.

[Alexander Ward]

In two days throw me wink.

[Sam Riegel]

She wouldn't dare try and let it be on her face, but she has that energy of just trust me.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm not saying anything because I don't know what's happening. So I just throw that expression over these people shoulders at you.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that Ruskut walks down and you see he goes, this one a, he's sick.

[Sam Riegel]

This one and this one here. I believe that everyone in this carriage may have to be held here. Not leaving on the morrow. I must take precious time to inspect them all. If we have one contagious here, it could spread to everyone in here. Even you, Captain. And you Priestess.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that they look at each other. Give me another deception.

[Jasmine Shion]

I love lying.

[Jasmine Buular]

DC is gonna be 10 gets you something. 20 gets you everything.

[Sam Riegel]

Well, deception is a. You said deception.

[Jasmine Buular]

Said deception. 10 gets you something. 20 gets you everything.

[Sam Riegel]

How's 18?

[Jasmine Buular]

18'S really good.

[Sam Riegel]

You think so?

[Jasmine Buular]

You see 18, not everything. Not everything. You see that the priestess says, says.

[Alexander Ward]

Understand that we must keep our promises to the scaled tyrant. How contagious is this disease exactly?

[Sam Riegel]

Incredibly, it could disable and it spreads in a way of breath. It is not something that can be captured and concealed. If you happen to breathe around this person and she is as this is talking, she's not let go of arrow. She's trying to get that black up and up and up.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, you see that as you say that it comes from his breath. You see that Ruska says he's muzzled though, isn't he?

[Alexander Ward]

Can't breathe that much.

[Caroline Lux]

The Priestess looks he just pushes air out from under the bindings on that 18.

[Jasmine Buular]

I'm going to say that, you see, the priestess says, you, prisoner, who has made contact with this one?

[Alexander Ward]

Not many.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? She says, who was touched by this one when he was placed in here.

[Alexander Ward]

See, Ruska says he was put in first. Mammoth. He's all the way in the back.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? The Green Dragonborn speaks up and goes.

[Alexander Ward]

My lady, with your permission, he made a lunch for the kids, tried to scare them, spit all over them.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see that? The Priestess goes, all right. These two in the back points to you and the Bronze Dragonborn and she says, the children. This one in between. Put them all in the oubliettes. Leave them there to either die or to recover.

[Alexander Ward]

Wait.

[Sam Riegel]

There may be a opportunity for us to ensure that this gift is not only recovered but embellished. There is an opportunity for me to work and prove that these two can be worthy for the tasks set ahead of them. Leave them to me.

[Alexander Ward]

My sweet daughter, you are simply too valuable to be left near a disease this contagious. And if you tell me to wait again, I'll pull your eyes out of your head. The Strife Emperor wishes for you to live in the truth of his dominion. If you ever speak to me out of turn again, I'll find out everyone you've ever cared for and hurt them till they're dead.

[Sam Riegel]

He doesn't say anything.

[Jasmine Buular]

These six can go. The rest will be monitored overnight.

[Alexander Ward]

Thank you, Nia.

[Jasmine Buular]

She turns to leave and Ruskutt looks and drags his mallet along the ground as he leaves, unchaining you, feeding you to the soldiers outside.

[Liam O'Brien]

So it's we two, the really nervous gentlemen in the family of three, and.

[Jasmine Buular]

The Green Dragonborn in between.

[Alexander Ward]

The family of. Yes.

[Jasmine Buular]

Okay, so yeah, actually, wait. Seven. So you see, he says, these seven and begins to lead all of you.

[Alexander Ward]

Out to an oubliette.

[Caroline Lux]

As Crocus stands up and the carriage slams his head into the top of the and ducks back down to get.

[Travis Willingham]

Out of the.

[Jasmine Buular]

You duck your head, get out there. As you are led off to the oubliettes, you have a moment of Nia walking side by side with the prisoners.

[Alexander Ward]

As they're being led off.

[Sam Riegel]

Lean to Crocus. Phaedra's coming. Phaedra is coming.

[Caroline Lux]

Phaedra's coming.

[Sam Riegel]

Just stay quiet. Let this pass.

[Alexander Ward]

Right?

[Sam Riegel]

All will be well. Just stay low, stay quiet, stay together. We're figuring something out.

[Travis Willingham]

Got it.

[Sam Riegel]

Is she within earshot? Of Arrow as well.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

I don't know everything about what's happening here. I'm learning bits and pieces. Just stay low. We are coming to get you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are you all right?

[Sam Riegel]

I'll be okay when you're okay.

[Alexander Ward]

As you are led away to the oubliette, Nia you return. However, evening has set Phaedra knowing that Nia has gone off to hopefully save Crocus. Actually, go ahead and give me a perception check, if you'd be so kind.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, no. Oh, that's not fair.

[Liam O'Brien]

Everybody is rolling so well waiting for the pendulum swing.

[Jasmine Buular]

I know.

[Jasmine Shion]

This thing. It's stay well the whole time.

[Jasmine Buular]

Moving through the halls, Phaedra, you are traveling with some other kitchen prison staff and pass by Crocus and this line of dragonborn that are being led off to the wandering walls. So, Crocus, you have a moment of passing Phaedra in a hallway.

[Caroline Lux]

He just.

[Jasmine Shion]

It's gonna be okay.

[Alexander Ward]

I plan.

[Caroline Lux]

All right, fine. If you say so.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you are led off, Phaedra, you take off as well and ascend to.

[Alexander Ward]

An incredibly tall height within the steel keep. As you arrive there, you see this gorgeously appointed dining room. And there are musicians and finery candlelight.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that the obsidian walls are partially flecked with gold. There are enormous. These beautiful volcanic glass statues of certain.

[Alexander Ward]

Of the Strife emperor abounding. And you look over and see Asmog.

[Jasmine Buular]

Sort of smiling, his hair quaffed, having left his armor for an evening of dinner. Beside him is Barbathrix and Cyrulia. You see that there is a human lord and lady that have a young.

[Alexander Ward]

Child here with them.

[Jasmine Buular]

Who'S dressed in a kind of aristocratic finery. What is the dinner that you set before them? Here in the fine dining hall of Asmog, the sundering lord.

[Jasmine Shion]

I present to them the finest of Rybaud Kol's overcooked horse legs. Just a large kind of still in the shape of what is clearly just a horse leg. I set it down in the middle of the table and then start to cut it like a. You know, when you go to a Brazilian steakhouse, I'm going around to all the guests and cutting them slices of horse, and I do not say anything. I am. Is there conversation about. Is there.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes, there is conversation. Go ahead, give me a perception check.

[Liam O'Brien]

How much halfling spit is in it?

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, so much. You wouldn't think you.

[Jasmine Buular]

Halfling spit. Exactly.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, I love it.

[Jasmine Shion]

I'm sorry, what was the perception? Yeah. 12.

[Jasmine Buular]

12. So you over here, you don't overhear what people are saying sort of in whispered asides to each other. You see that there is a guest at the table who is a scorpion centaur. Like the lower half of his body is that of a scorpion. But you see as you go up and pour, there's actually bottles of wine up here. As you pour, pour a glass of wine, see that this scorpion centaur who bears a symbol of each betrayer God around this massive amulet, turns to look over at you.

[Alexander Ward]

These long ears, sharp fangs. She turns and says, thank you very much.

[Jasmine Buular]

I'll take a little more heavier pour.

[Alexander Ward]

If you don't mind.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, anything for our guests. I fill that all the way up. And is Otto or anyone helping me around?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, Otto and Tyveen are both up here.

[Jasmine Shion]

I say, boys, make sure that our guests glasses stay filled all throughout the night, as much as they desire.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that the Iron scorpion, as he is called, raises a glass in appreciation and turns back to the conversation. On that 12 perception, once dinner is served, you see that Otto and Toveen sort of have to step out as is customary. But there's one staff member left in the room who is you sort of.

[Alexander Ward]

Waiting by the door. What is your bearing as you stay here in the room as a servant? How are you standing? What are you doing in this space?

[Jasmine Shion]

As they begin speaking, I am trying to make myself as invisible as possible. Basically just standing there perfectly still. Almost like you said, there was statues of ways. Almost as if I were one of those statues, just waiting carefully, not looking at anyone in particular, but keeping an eye on all the glasses and all the plates. But most of all just listening so intently to as much of the conversation as I can hear.

[Alexander Ward]

Well, of course. Well, there's nothing I've heard. Yes, yes, I understand. Of course. Now it can be that bad, certainly. I'm telling you, it was seen on the battlefield. The arch Heart was there, strode over rows and rows of horse mounted archers reached out and struck one of the ruiner's eyes. Out on the battlefield, blood cascaded for a dozen miles in all directions, hotter than the fires of the sun, unlike anything I've ever seen.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that?

[Alexander Ward]

This is a visiting dignitary sort of speaking. This would be misfear. The Aching Prince.

[Jasmine Buular]

The Aching Prince. You see that?

[Alexander Ward]

The.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's so bad. Oh, yeah, so bad. Matt's like, this is that shit I like.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see Cinnabite Christmas. I love it.

[Jasmine Buular]

Cinnabite Christmas.

[Caroline Lux]

We have such sights to show you.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? The Lady Cerulea goes, well, what of.

[Alexander Ward]

Any word from the Spider Queen?

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that the Iron scorpion says.

[Alexander Ward]

My lady, the Spider Queen has been banished for a century. You see, she says, that is not so. It cannot be. You see that the Iron scorpion says, the time for propaganda is at an end, at least here in these circles. Spider Queen is banished. The Crawling King's minions have been utterly routed. Those caverns of the Underdark, they are empty of his. And now the Ruiner has fallen as well.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that the Human Lord speaks.

[Alexander Ward]

Up and says, it is ever as we anticipated. Not all of the kin of the beloved Strife Emperor have the, shall we say, organizational tenacity to overcome the prime deities. We know that many of them are.

[Jasmine Buular]

Dead, and you see that one of them shakes his head and goes, the.

[Alexander Ward]

Iron Scorpion just says, not dead, not confirmed. Dead, Missing. We can presume they are dead, but we don't have. It is not a certainty.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that someone running and says, the Human lady looks. You see that there's the little boy.

[Alexander Ward]

At the table is fidgeting, playing with something. She says, quiet, stop that. As the Human Lord speaks again and goes. That leaves the Lord of the Hills, our beloved Strife Emperor, a scaled tyrant. And has has the Chained Oblivion been called to bear yet?

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see that the Iron Scorpion.

[Alexander Ward]

Turns and says, the Chained Oblivion cannot be called by anyone for any reason of any kind. It is not.

[Jasmine Buular]

That is not a.

[Alexander Ward]

Source of hope for our cause. We must rally together with the Crawling King, the Spider Queen, and now the Ruiner gone. We are in dark times indeed. You see that? He looks and says, however, Bhaal is not lost. Many of the prions have been injured or are missing, gone battle. And of course their spirits do not long for war as we do. However, there are only so many times we can say that we are about to march before people begin to wonder why we are not marching.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that?

[Alexander Ward]

Asmog says, yes, we've had to increase the executions recently, keep people from realizing that things are not advancing as swiftly as we had hoped in this moment, Phaedra, you look over and see this kid playing at the table. The lady turns to him and you.

[Jasmine Buular]

See, she looks over to her husband.

[Alexander Ward]

Who apparently are the parents of this young child, and says, darling, would you give a hand please?

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that human lord takes out a knife, plunges it into the kid's hand in the table and says, stop fidgeting.

[Alexander Ward]

My apologies.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you turn and see all the various demonic, otherworldly presences have a moment of looking somewhat let's say perplexed at that wanton act of cruelty from one of the mortal beings in the room. You see that the Lord says.

[Alexander Ward]

Cloaked serpent, Spider queen, crawling king, and now the Ruiner. All banished. We should work together to petition our lord, the Strife Emperor. Advancing the war effort alone may not yield the results we need. It may be time to focus our efforts on freeing those of his kin that have been banished.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that here the High Priestess Satal goes.

[Alexander Ward]

However, were they to be freed, more of the world need be shared amongst them. Perhaps if victory can be claimed named by only three more the spoils. No, Phaedra, go ahead and give me an insight check.

[Jasmine Shion]

Not good. 9.

[Jasmine Buular]

You look at the various lieutenants of.

[Alexander Ward]

The Strife Emperor here, his personal envoy, the High Torturer, the leader, the commander.

[Jasmine Buular]

Of the garrison here at Rybad Cole, and you just look at them all.

[Alexander Ward]

Looking at each other and you wonder how much any of them believes in this cause. Or believes in their place in this cause.

[Jasmine Shion]

Mm.

[Alexander Ward]

And I think dinner begins to wind down. You see the child looks down at the knife in his hand and has not moved since then and looks up to you. In this moment.

[Jasmine Shion]

Phaedra does not look back, just continues whatever it is that she clearing the plates.

[Jasmine Buular]

You continue looking as you get to.

[Alexander Ward]

The child's plate, you hear and this kid is maybe about 9 or 10 years old.

[Jasmine Buular]

You hear a little raspy voice go.

[Alexander Ward]

It'S okay. I wouldn't want to help me either.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh no.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh no.

[Jasmine Shion]

Feature Jesus. Okay, yeah, that definitely gang.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's the height of the calamity and it's so bad.

[Jasmine Shion]

It's so so bad.

[Liam O'Brien]

Bad here.

[Caroline Lux]

Divergence. It's so bad.

[Jasmine Buular]

Divergence. Yeah. The awesome like a Looney Tunes posture. Divergence. It's so bad.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's bad folks. Oh man, I kind of look at the kid. Does the kid have a glass of wine in front of him?

[Jasmine Buular]

It has not been filled, but he.

[Alexander Ward]

Has a little glass in front of him.

[Jasmine Buular]

You look up, he's dressed in finery. He's an aristocratic child. He's here in a hall of meeting place because of who his mother and father are. They're human nobility that have sworn fealty to the Strife Emperor and turned their fiefdoms in various feudal lands into the certain to the service of the Strife Emperor. This little child lives in a level of richness, luxury and material comfort that most of the ash choked stragglers and survivors of the calamity could only dream of. And the small price he has to Pay for that luxury and refinement is having his father stab a knife through.

[Alexander Ward]

His hand into the wood of the.

[Jasmine Buular]

Table because he was fidgeting at dinner.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right. I pour a tiny bit of wine in his glass and I say, it's the best I can do, kid.

[Jasmine Buular]

You walk from the table.

[Alexander Ward]

The best I can do, kid. These are the decisions that those that will survive calamity have to make.

[Jasmine Buular]

And as you walk away from the.

[Alexander Ward]

Table, you see a wine glass and a soft young hand go up and get poured into the bloody wound with a sting of alcohol touching blood. And that's where we're going to stop.

[Sam Riegel]

What?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah. Let's go ahead and take our break. Take it right there. Hell yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is Matthew Mercer. If you're enjoying the Adventures of Exandria Unlimited and want to support the show, be sure to check out merchandise on the Critical Role Shop. Links to all of our regional online stores can be [e-mail].

[Jasmine Buular]

We return now.

[Alexander Ward]

To Rybad Cole, deep in the heart of the calamity, a time when all hope was lost for what seemed like an eternity in the Infirmary.

[Jasmine Buular]

Garan, you have been left here. Phaedra talked to you for a moment.

[Alexander Ward]

Before tending to her duties in the Steel Keep.

[Jasmine Buular]

Nia, would you return to the infirmary, or would you try to escort the.

[Alexander Ward]

Dragonborn all the way to the Oubliats?

[Sam Riegel]

I think I would try to escort. So I know where they're going.

[Jasmine Buular]

Incredible. Garan, left here in the infirmary as.

[Alexander Ward]

You have been.

[Jasmine Buular]

You are able to catch up and rest a little moment of respite from the grueling toil in the pit.

[Alexander Ward]

Give me another perception check as you're up here.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's going to be 14.

[Alexander Ward]

You look out and night has fallen, so the sky is jet black.

[Jasmine Buular]

You can see that in some areas of the clouds where it gets closer.

[Alexander Ward]

To open volcanic pits farther out in the terrain of this part of the world, that there is a red smudge on the underside of the clouds, A little bit of light pollution from the many fires of this ash choked wasteland. On 14, you see what looked like the flight of birds in the distance, which is not enough to send a shock. It's not shocking, but it is unusual just to see.

[Jasmine Buular]

I mean, you've been here for so long that the routine is so powerful.

[Alexander Ward]

But you see some distant birds descend out of the smoky clouds. They look as black and ash covered as anything. They look like either crows or ravens or some kind of corvid that descends.

[Jasmine Buular]

Out of the clouds.

[Alexander Ward]

For a moment. But there's something unusual and that 14 perception. You have a feeling in your gut sort of like a nausea. It's a kind of nauseating feeling when you're. When you're on the ground losing a fight and you're covering yourself to not get hit anywhere significant. There's a sickening feeling in the moment right before you realize you're about to try and stand up. Where you go, oh, I'm about to expose some part of myself, I think, looking at those birds. There's a weird feeling of nausea that grips you in this moment, like something strange has happened, happening. Do you remain here resting in this moment as this strange sick feeling overtakes you?

[Matthew Mercer]

How many other infirmed are in the chamber with me?

[Alexander Ward]

Probably about two dozen or so.

[Travis Willingham]

I. I probably want to get a.

[Matthew Mercer]

Better look.

[Travis Willingham]

Given recent events and odd visions and sights. Is there a place on the outside.

[Matthew Mercer]

Of the mop that I could likely try and clamber to to get a better view of these strange arriving?

[Jasmine Buular]

Give me an investigation and you can.

[Alexander Ward]

Use your stonecutting feature to do so with advantage. As you walk the stone halls of this worked place.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's a 20.

[Alexander Ward]

You get to the top, you look out. You were looking towards the northeast from the infirmary, from the mop. As you get to the top, you look to the west of here and you are filled with a strange sensation. There, to the west, something bright and red is walking across the land. At first you think it's a storm cloud or a cyclone. It's at the edge of the horizon. And then you realize that you need to turn your eyes and get underneath cover as fast as you can. You've lived a long time, but you've heard of the unfortunate few that have witnessed the gods in the flesh. There in the smoke, like a sandstorm rolling across a desert, you feel the presence of the Strife Emperor moving upon the land.

[Travis Willingham]

Immediately try and I have.

[Matthew Mercer]

In a bit of panic and a burst of unfamiliar energy, glancing about for any familiar faces, any sights around and if none are there to head back to the mop and try and get as many of the other wounded in a safe space.

[Jasmine Buular]

You head back down to the mop.

[Alexander Ward]

As quickly as you can.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you go looking around for any other safety that you can find, go ahead and give me an investigation. Check just to see if there's anything.

[Alexander Ward]

You'Re finding your time.

[Matthew Mercer]

That would be a 1212.

[Jasmine Buular]

You look around in this space as well as you can. You notice a place elsewhere nearby, but that doesn't seem Like a place of safety. There's a vault where some of the.

[Alexander Ward]

Belongings of prisoners are kept, which you.

[Jasmine Buular]

Notice often towards a separate hallway. But you move from this place, get back to the infirmary and begin to gather people together.

[Alexander Ward]

As you can feel winds picking up hot, dry winds outside.

[Jasmine Buular]

We move back down.

[Alexander Ward]

Nia.

[Jasmine Buular]

You follow your dragonborn companions as quickly as you can. Arriving back down.

[Alexander Ward]

A massive gate opens to a narrow archway that grows smaller and smaller that opens into the Wandering Walls. The Wandering Walls are so named because they are a thin passageway in between the masonry walls of Rybat Cole. To wander these halls, one must enter horizontal. You must go. You have to move through them.

[Jasmine Buular]

Literally. They are so narrow that your chest and back scrape off as you move through, literally wandering within the walls of.

[Alexander Ward]

Rybad Kol and its oubliette. Here in this place, it is said by some prisoners that deep within the maze of them there is some path for escape. That may be legend. What is true is the number of places where the floor suddenly gives out and your chest and back are scraped off as you slide down into the darkness. Places where you simply get stuck and can't twist no matter how hard you try to get out of the walls once again.

[Liam O'Brien]

We know this is its reputation.

[Alexander Ward]

Its reputation, yes.

[Jasmine Buular]

You are led up by the soldiers.

[Alexander Ward]

Rustgut points and says, all right. Into the wall. If you're sick, make sure you die and die quick.

[Liam O'Brien]

I take one look at you and your girth and inside and raise a hand out.

[Travis Willingham]

Your care.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's appreciated.

[Sam Riegel]

It is unending.

[Travis Willingham]

If you have the opportunity to go, take it.

[Liam O'Brien]

I turn to start moving in.

[Jasmine Buular]

You begin to slide further within. You see Crocus.

[Caroline Lux]

They look to the entrance.

[Jasmine Buular]

Give me a acrobatics charge. You can do it with disadvantage.

[Alexander Ward]

I'm gonna fit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Poo.

[Caroline Lux]

Yeah, acrobatics, not my thing, really.

[Jasmine Buular]

All the.

[Caroline Lux]

Give me a 14.

[Alexander Ward]

Oh, dear.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, bother. You slide part of the way into the tunnel, and as you enter there, you hear a portcullis slam behind you. The gate is locked. You are in pitch dark. Do either of you have darkvision?

[Caroline Lux]

I do, yes.

[Alexander Ward]

Great.

[Jasmine Buular]

Then you can see. But I think as the other Dragonborn move into the wall, Crocus, you manage that. 14 means you're not crushed by the portcullis, but you are stuck at the entrance. You are just too hulking to move farther in.

[Caroline Lux]

Has the guard left?

[Jasmine Buular]

I think Rustgut closes the dungeon, looks.

[Alexander Ward]

At you, Nia, and says, as you were.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia hates herself for it, but she leaves without a plan. But she she just goes back to her work, knowing that this is not where this story ends. She defies what she, in her gut knows what very well could come to pass.

[Jasmine Buular]

You head back to the infirmary. As you do so, you see that two of the little kids, the two Blue Dragon kids who come up to you. You see that as they begin to move, their mother calls out and says.

[Alexander Ward]

Selwyn Seldria, the gentleman is not well.

[Jasmine Buular]

They're sick.

[Alexander Ward]

Okay?

[Jasmine Buular]

So.

[Alexander Ward]

Don'T touch them.

[Jasmine Buular]

Because you see that both kids have sort of moved up. And you hear one of them call up to you and go, mister, are you okay? Can you fit?

[Caroline Lux]

No, I'm stuck.

[Alexander Ward]

We gotta help him.

[Caroline Lux]

How big are the space between the bars of this portcullis? Could I reach my hand through?

[Jasmine Buular]

The spaces between are probably big enough for you to get two fingers through, not your full hand.

[Caroline Lux]

I look down at the lock and I try and get my hand through to see if I can just grab the lock and break it off. I can't get my hand through it. Oh, now I'm stuck.

[Liam O'Brien]

This is the narrow walls that Arrow has moved in towards with the group behind. This is all solid stone, right?

[Jasmine Buular]

This is solid front and back. You're looking at a narrow slit for you to shuffle your way through as best you can.

[Liam O'Brien]

There's one way to go, only it seems impossible to get the big guy.

[Jasmine Buular]

It looks like the big guy is just going to be stuck here for as long as it takes for them to open that door again. But you see that? The kids look up at you. One of the kids goes, mom, I can get through no problem. Should I go ahead. I can go scout.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, son.

[Travis Willingham]

Or.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hold a moment.

[Travis Willingham]

Are you sick.

[Liam O'Brien]

Of this shit? Yeah.

[Caroline Lux]

Wait, who's sick?

[Liam O'Brien]

I. I don't think anyone is sick. Okay, my friend has a little bit of time.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Alexander Ward]

The Green Dragonborn says, that was a little bit of fast play from your friend. Did you know that that woman, the nurse, the half elf who came in?

[Caroline Lux]

Nope.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Not for a long time, but yes.

[Alexander Ward]

All right. I'm not sick either. I'm coswalt. It seems like we might have been bought enough time to at least be kicking around until the next wagon full.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see.

[Alexander Ward]

The woman speaks up and goes, I'm Celeste. These are my children, Selwyn and Celdria.

[Liam O'Brien]

Selwyn and Celdria.

[Alexander Ward]

Mm.

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, I don't think we have much of a choice but to stay put here with you for a.

[Caroline Lux]

Well, I mean.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Caroline Lux]

Oh, Crocus.

[Alexander Ward]

That's you. You crocus.

[Caroline Lux]

Yeah.

[Alexander Ward]

Beautiful. Like a flower, right?

[Jasmine Buular]

All right, friend.

[Caroline Lux]

I didn't name me.

[Alexander Ward]

All right. Come on. Neither it on.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? As you guys are trapped here momentarily, we cut back to the infirmary.

[Alexander Ward]

Nia.

[Jasmine Buular]

You arrive to see a very shaken looking Garan in here. And Phaedra. The noise of the sharp intake of breath from that child as he poured.

[Alexander Ward]

That wine on the wound in his hand. Staying in your mind's eye. You arrive back in the infirmary at the same time that Nia approaches as well.

[Jasmine Shion]

Did you find them? Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

We have time. But they're in the Halls of Wandering. They are stuck. Crocus can't fit. Poor guy. But I saw Arrow. He's okay. We just have to find a way to get them out of there. But I bought them time.

[Travis Willingham]

Not much time.

[Sam Riegel]

Not much time.

[Travis Willingham]

What is coming?

[Jasmine Shion]

Who?

[Travis Willingham]

The Emperor is coming Now.

[Jasmine Shion]

The.

[Travis Willingham]

I can feel him. See him on the horizon. We're about to be visited.

[Sam Riegel]

They. Okay, plan. Plan. If that. I'm not even gonna question it. That is true. Then I think that gives us time. If we move out of his gaze, we can find a way to let the distraction of his presence be the thing that gets our friends back. We can use this.

[Jasmine Shion]

We can use this, right? Well, I know old over here knows a little thing or two about how to get around the oubliettes.

[Jasmine Buular]

You do?

[Jasmine Shion]

You do, right?

[Travis Willingham]

Hi. I built some of the places. There's some imperfections in the porous stone that we were forced to use. Couldn't have a few points of fragility, the right push. How are we going to keep out of the gaze of a God?

[Jasmine Shion]

Are there guards posted around the oubliette? Would I know that? Well, Nia, you were there.

[Sam Riegel]

Were there guards station there? There were some. There were some. But I think it's a good question. I think the gaze of a God is more. Something tells me we can use that.

[Jasmine Buular]

They.

[Sam Riegel]

There are guards there. I can't imagine they will stay there while he's here. I imagine he went to some dinner. I'm sure maybe the guards will be dedicated to protecting those people.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's true. There are a lot of high profile guests up in the high tower right now.

[Alexander Ward]

You begin to hear drums out on the wall.

[Jasmine Buular]

Horns and cheers from the soldiers as.

[Alexander Ward]

They see the approach of their deity.

[Travis Willingham]

If I can help you. Friends.

[Sam Riegel]

We have to move now.

[Travis Willingham]

How many guards?

[Sam Riegel]

How many guards?

[Jasmine Buular]

There were three that you saw down guarding the entrance to the portcullis. However, Garan, you know that there are places the wandering walls are so Hellish. It's one of those things where doing something cruel borders on foolish. To make people stretch through this gap in the walls means that that part of the prison is exposed to stonework in, like, a hundred different places. Right. So I think in your head, you're like, okay, is there a place very.

[Alexander Ward]

Close to the entrance that we could potentially get to?

[Jasmine Buular]

There might be some kind of place like that that you could go and get them out.

[Travis Willingham]

There's a handful of places that might work.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay. Nia will grab some tools to make it look as if she's going to go help someone.

[Jasmine Buular]

Grabbing your tools.

[Alexander Ward]

Amongst your personal effects, in a drawer.

[Jasmine Buular]

Where some of your supplies are, there.

[Alexander Ward]

Is a rare piece of contraband that.

[Jasmine Buular]

You were able to sneak past the guards.

[Alexander Ward]

In here, there is a clasped locket that, you know, holds a picture of Lyanna, your sister. It is glowing right now, and light is coming out from the crease underneath it in a way that you cannot explain.

[Sam Riegel]

This is something that I have not seen happen before.

[Alexander Ward]

I have not seen this happen before.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia, she does not have enough time, but she's gonna do it. She's going to try and find a. Not that she doesn't trust her friends with this, but she wants to find a way to secretly clock it or check it if she can give me.

[Jasmine Buular]

A sleight of hand. I love the noise people make when they don't have that skill.

[Sam Riegel]

Cha, cha, cha, cha, nat 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Nat 20. Unbelievable.

[Sam Riegel]

I add nothing to it. Straight up, nat 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Straight up, nat 20.

[Alexander Ward]

Nia, you open the locket as pounding.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, go ahead.

[Alexander Ward]

Sorry. You open the locket for a moment. You are almost horrified because you cannot.

[Jasmine Buular]

See the beautiful portrait of your sister's face.

[Alexander Ward]

You have to believe that she's still out there somewhere. You just see pure light, and the pure light flitters and begins to disperse, revealing the portrait underneath it as a small cloud, smaller than gnats of glowing, minuscule fireflies depart, one of them biting you on the throat right above the collarbone.

[Sam Riegel]

She doesn't go to destroy it. She lets it run its course. Because this is something. If this is her, she has to keep it alive. And Nia gets really quiet. Really, really quiet. And closes the clasp. Puts it. She puts it back in the drawer. She doesn't take it with her? No, she takes it with her. She puts it in her little pouch in a secret thing that she puts this locket where it goes. And the way that she was able to sneak it around. And continues.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

You continue on as Fast as you can.

[Sam Riegel]

Actually, can I do some sort of check to figure out what that was?

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

Give me nature. Give me Arcana. Whatever you want to do.

[Sam Riegel]

Ra cha cha ta ka.

[Jasmine Buular]

Papa. It is absolutely one of the crazier things that has happened to you in Rybad, Cole. It defies explanation.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, I think because it defies explanation. Nia needs that, so she's going to try and figure out what on earth. Okay. You said what are my options?

[Caroline Lux]

Nature or arcana?

[Sam Riegel]

Nature or arcana. They're both the same. 14.

[Jasmine Buular]

14.

[Alexander Ward]

Without crushing it.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see that? This little.

[Alexander Ward]

Bug on your hand gathers there and moves. Not crushed, not killed.

[Jasmine Buular]

You feel where it bit you. It's like blood is rushing to that.

[Alexander Ward]

Spot, making a little bump like a bug bite. But it makes you feel your blood is pounding in your veins. It doesn't feel bad. It feels like time to move, time to do something.

[Jasmine Buular]

And as that bug sees that you have left it alive, it flits out.

[Alexander Ward]

The window, vanishing in the smoke and ash of the night. You have the effects of the bless spell on you.

[Jasmine Buular]

You can add 1d4 to any attack rolls or saving throws at any given time or not for the duration of the spell.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

How long does the spell last?

[Sam Riegel]

How long does the spell last?

[Jasmine Buular]

A fair amount. And you know what? I'll tell you when it's gone. You'll find out in the moment when you need it. But you're feeling a sense of something really sort of amazing is happening as you all move quickly to find this spot. You can go ahead and give me a stonecunning investigation. Or if you want to just give me the tools. Check. You can do that as well.

[Travis Willingham]

I might do that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, I know. He's definitely a guardian. Has gotten his various stoneworking tools and is pathramedian throws and catches in the air his massive stone working hammer and holds it with that intent of either to bludgeon something. But part of that. Check. It's gonna be double dare 19.

[Jasmine Buular]

19. Hell yes. You guys are rolling hot.

[Alexander Ward]

We're rolling hot.

[Matthew Mercer]

We're like level zero characters.

[Sam Riegel]

We're doing okay.

[Caroline Lux]

It's up to Liam and I to bring it down.

[Jasmine Buular]

Best I've ever rolled as a character. Phaedra, Nia and Garan. You move through a bunch of back sort of channels that Garan takes you to. Garan's familiarity with this prison is like other. It's almost like the guy helped build it. It's really. There's a tremendous familiarity of this work stone. There's an Entrance that you didn't know about because it's just behind a long red velvet curtain. Another aristocratic.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right.

[Jasmine Buular]

Through the place. And Garnet, you arrive at a place that sure enough is an un. It's masonry, but it's an unmortared wall. The stones are just resting on each other here.

[Alexander Ward]

And there's one stone that is not.

[Jasmine Buular]

Quite big enough to get a contact surface with the stone above it or the stone to its right. And you see, effectively a loose stone in that wall. It looks like it would be high up for whatever the other side of this wall goes to. But there's a chair nearby. This is sort of an abandoned dining hall for officers of the corps that.

[Alexander Ward]

Are not here right now.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. Need someone to go ahead and keep watch. Other person, whoever that might be. Help me see if we can get through this.

[Jasmine Shion]

I'll go to people watch.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. Yeah, with me.

[Matthew Mercer]

Goes ahead and sets the chair up on the side, Gets one of his thick chisels and wedges it in the center there and tries to gauge the best angle to go ahead and get the force of weight behind it. Ask if you can go ahead and help hold where that is. He can get the whole weight of his one arm into it.

[Travis Willingham]

You trust me?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Alexander Ward]

All right.

[Jasmine Buular]

This hammer thunders down on the stone.

[Alexander Ward]

Boom, boom, boom.

[Jasmine Buular]

And finally the stone moves past, clips through the shortest point of the stone above it and below it. And you see, slides off and thunks into the passageway. Narrows. You hit it just right so that it slides. Slides down the narrow side, Clatters into the wandering wall behind it. There is a large masonry block space where you guys could slip into that narrow channel.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is that audible to any inar perception.

[Jasmine Buular]

Checks from you guys?

[Liam O'Brien]

17.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, that's 16. Both of you here. There's a lot of other noises nearby, but whether you hear an audible of the stone sliding down through the narrow passageway, it's not far from here. It's maybe something like 50 or 60 yards from here.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. Also, follow up question was the sound of that. It was like war horns from outside.

[Jasmine Buular]

That would have been way more muffled to you.

[Liam O'Brien]

To us.

[Jasmine Buular]

To you guys. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. Then hearing that stone, Then arrow is going to start sliding up to figure it out. I've got 60ft darkvision out, so I'm trying to figure out what the hell that was. I know that Nia has run off to try to enact something, so.

[Alexander Ward]

Hell yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Putting two and two together.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah, Go for it.

[Sam Riegel]

No, I think that once I see that, that's fallen and I sort of understand what's happening. Nia sends out a. There's still a lot of noise happening and cacophony of sound, so I don't think she's incredibly worried. She sends a whistle down the hole so that arrow can clock that it is her and we are here.

[Jasmine Buular]

Cool.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

You hear a familiar whistle coming down the hallway to you. Do both of you guys want to get into that wall space or are you staying out in this other room?

[Travis Willingham]

You go on and get your friends.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and.

[Travis Willingham]

Climb in, but stay there within eye.

[Jasmine Shion]

Contact and I'm just making sure. Did that noise attract anyone down that hallway we just came down? Do I see any movement or down.

[Jasmine Buular]

The hallway you just came down? Yeah.

[Jasmine Shion]

Or from anywhere.

[Alexander Ward]

Nothing at the moment.

[Jasmine Buular]

Nia, go ahead. Give me an acrobatics check.

[Jasmine Shion]

I will.

[Sam Riegel]

And I might use. Oh, C first. C first for me. Oh yeah, we're gonna use that.

[Alexander Ward]

Bliss.

[Sam Riegel]

That's a 4.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is a D4, right?

[Jasmine Buular]

Add a D4.

[Sam Riegel]

Something else please be call it a DC 10.

[Liam O'Brien]

So close.

[Alexander Ward]

7. 7.

[Jasmine Buular]

You slide into the wall and can feel yourself get down there. And as you do, your foot suddenly where it should be floor feels an.

[Alexander Ward]

Opening to one of those pits that.

[Jasmine Buular]

Just drops down and you suddenly. I'm going to need a dexterity saving throw from you.

[Alexander Ward]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Am I cognizant of this?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes, you are cognizant of this.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I start sliding as fast as I can.

[Matthew Mercer]

How far did this happen for me?

[Jasmine Buular]

Me directly in hearing of you. I'm trying to reach for as fast as you can. Hell yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm going to try and get a hand up there if I can. You said dexterity saving.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's an 1111. Okay. I would like a dexterity save from each of you. I just need one of you to beat a 12, please.

[Matthew Mercer]

My dex is a minus three, so.

[Liam O'Brien]

A dex. I hit a 12.

[Matthew Mercer]

13 with a minus three.

[Jasmine Buular]

13 with a minus three. What'd you get?

[Liam O'Brien]

12 on the nose.

[Jasmine Buular]

12 on the nose. So Garan Nia, as you leap down bravely into the dark, your foot goes to find a steady floor and instead you can feel the cold.

[Alexander Ward]

And you suddenly have a moment where.

[Jasmine Buular]

You know you would slide, scraping your body off on the until someone else's.

[Alexander Ward]

Bones caught you.

[Jasmine Buular]

Instead. You feel at the same instant a strong, wiry draconic hand grab one bundle of cloth on his shoulder and a powerful dwarven hand grab a bundle of cloth on the other as you guys Are united in the wandering wall Face to face. And for the first time, Both of you with darkvision, Turn to behold each other.

[Sam Riegel]

I also have darkvision. Hey, hey.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is there a part two of this plan?

[Sam Riegel]

We leave? That's the part two. Where's crocus?

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, it's a thing.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

He's large. We've got a number of people with us. We can get most of them down here, But I don't know about the big guy.

[Sam Riegel]

Well, we know. I know where the gates were to get into this place. If I tell you where they are, do you think we can find a way to get to him from the entrance as opposed to this?

[Travis Willingham]

We can try, though it's likely a little more out in the open.

[Jasmine Buular]

Okay, Phaedra, give me a perception check.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, that's a bad one. Eight.

[Jasmine Buular]

Eight.

[Jasmine Shion]

I'm very distracted. As soon as I hear crocus name and I hear we can't get him out, Phaedra's attention, I think, is immediately sort of distracted by that.

[Jasmine Buular]

Great. What's your armor class?

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, no.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, no. Favorite question. Oh, it's a 1313. Okay. As you are turning to look at the wall, A crossbow bolt thunders past you from one of the guards Openly firing on you. Looking past you, just ka twang. And he says there. What are you doing here on this hole? You have no business on this level. Kwachuang. Kwachwang. And just open fire. Misses you. It is your turn. What do you do?

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, fuck. Is there anything near me that I can hide?

[Jasmine Buular]

Well, you do happen to see a big hole in the wall.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, I look at the guard, and then I look at that wall, and I take a deep breath and I run and I jump and I try.

[Jasmine Buular]

To give me a stealth check.

[Jasmine Shion]

Hold myself against the wall, hold myself in place. 24.

[Jasmine Buular]

24. Incredible.

[Matthew Mercer]

Do I hear her rushing towards you?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes, you do.

[Matthew Mercer]

At this place, While still holding your arm, I'm going to go ahead and lift you up to where you're on your feet. Get the hammer out and hold right at the side of where the hole is, where she's going to come through hell.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes, Phaedra. You leap into the hole, Scuttle above the hole and fan out. Just superimposed above it with a readied action, A soldier's head comes through the hole.

[Matthew Mercer]

Bring my stone hammer down.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead and make your attack. Everybody roll Initiative. Oh, yeah. Let's go. Do so much. I'm gonna do so much. All right.

[Matthew Mercer]

With a negative 3 dex, I still got a 15 total, absolutely perfect.

[Caroline Lux]

1A1.

[Alexander Ward]

Great.

[Jasmine Buular]

15. Did anyone beat a 15?

[Jasmine Shion]

No.

[Sam Riegel]

No.

[Jasmine Shion]

It's plus your dex, right?

[Jasmine Buular]

Plus your dex. That is correct. Hell yes. So this soldier wearing cast iron, full plate, hauls himself through. You have a readied action so we don't have to go to your turn. So he goes, you're going to get a readied action on him. And then did anyone else be to 15? It's going to immediately be your turn. After that readied action goes off.

[Travis Willingham]

I've been waiting for so long to do this.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead, take your attack.

[Matthew Mercer]

First attack, not great, but it's a 10.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is a human guard with. Without Darkvision. So in other words, you will have advantage because you're attacking in darkness.

[Matthew Mercer]

Alrighty. That's better. That's a 16. 16 hits for my Stonehammer.

[Jasmine Buular]

That's just gonna be 1D6. Plus your strength, I'm about to say.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, not a tremendous thing. That would be a one. That's gonna be five points of damage, I believe.

[Travis Willingham]

Boom.

[Jasmine Buular]

That's your first attack. Then it's your turn.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't want to get hit by a stone hammer.

[Jasmine Buular]

No, that's a duo.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's gonna be a 23. Two to hit.

[Jasmine Buular]

22 is a hit. Go ahead and roll damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Another five points of damage.

[Jasmine Buular]

These guards had 10 hit points.

[Sam Riegel]

Boom.

[Jasmine Buular]

Boom. You guys watch a helmet warp to the point where warp steel. In other words, this guard died because his helmet stabbed into his brain.

[Matthew Mercer]

If I can with the second impact, I'm going to go ahead and take the hammer as it's embedded, drag him off the fallen stone and try and plunk him into the hole that you almost fell into just to get him.

[Jasmine Buular]

Out of the way. Hell yes. Go ahead, give me an athletics difficulty 15.

[Liam O'Brien]

Metal geared.

[Matthew Mercer]

Natural 1923 player character.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is unbelievable. I'll say on a 19, Matt, you. You can plug up the sort of dangerous pitfall trap, or if you want, you can yank him and plug up the hole leading to the other guards. He's so heavy that if you just jam him in his armor in that opening up to you, if you want to remove the obstacle for you guys and the floor, that's a great use for it. Or on a 19, I'll let you. Also, if you want to just seal up the hole in the wall, you.

[Matthew Mercer]

Can do that as well. In the moment, taking the conversation about you being stuck and trying to. To find the other way out. I'm going to hope that there's a way to try and get through the Portcullis. Or at least another break in the wall if we can look for it and instead try and keep others from coming through here and firing on us. I'm going to go ahead and try and jam him into the hole where we came through to try and keep.

[Jasmine Buular]

Them from following, yanking him down with that hammer and twisting him. His armored body is just a phys. It's like really what it is, is you have immediately your dwarven craftsmanship is like, I can turn a suit of armor into a wall and there just happens to. To be a body in there, but that's irrelevant. And you can see the guards who just watch their companion poke his head into a hole. Hear two sickening loud clangs of stone on metal and a crunch of skull muffled by a helmet as their friend ign Friend as their companion ignominiously is now upside down, ass in the air, legs poking out of a hole in a stone wall. Tetris. You know when you get a long piece and you really needed one long piece? Incredible. Did anyone else get between a 10 and a 15?

[Jasmine Shion]

I got a 14.

[Jasmine Buular]

14. Okay, Phaedra, your exit is now barred. But you are also safe from the other guards in this space. Is there anything you do in this moment? On your turn. Those two guards, you are safe from danger from. But you don't know where Crocus is.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, I don't. And I don't have. I don't think I have Darkvision, so I can't. Can I not see anything in here?

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, shit. You're blind.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, I'm just completely blind. So just blindly I say, Crocus. Crocus, can you hear me?

[Caroline Lux]

Can I hear her?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes.

[Alexander Ward]

You can hear her?

[Caroline Lux]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Shion]

Are you hurt?

[Caroline Lux]

No.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay, wait there. We're coming.

[Caroline Lux]

All right. I am not going anywhere.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's all I can really do.

[Jasmine Buular]

That's all you can really do?

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

You can wait for someone to try to guide you if you want. Did anyone else get between a 10 and a 14? No. Under 10?

[Caroline Lux]

I mean, technically, yes.

[Alexander Ward]

Six.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah. So for Arrow, what do you do?

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, can I ask one quick question? Is there any doubt in Arrow's mind that he's not fitting through these walls? Right.

[Jasmine Buular]

You don't think there's a way. But you haven't interacted with this dwarf before who was literally straddling the wall. I guess to take that swing, you're hip flexing out to stay in the wall. Just bam. He has tools in here is the only thing.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, so we caught you. And the pole is Plugged.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

And we're locked in behind. We've got two little kids and a bunch of adult Dragonborn. I don't think he knows what to do. I'm just gonna hold. You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna wait in case buddy boy Tetris man gets pulled out.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I'm going to vomit on anybody that sticks their head through.

[Jasmine Buular]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I'll just do a hold action.

[Caroline Lux]

Not breath action. Just vomit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Just vomit. It's bad here.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's bad here. It's so bad here. You hear the guards running off in this moment to go. You can hear them say, like, call them back up. Call them back up. And begin to run off to go get reinforcements. As they do so, there's sudden silence.

[Alexander Ward]

And we can exit Initiative order.

[Jasmine Buular]

What do you all do? Gathered here in the dark in the wall.

[Sam Riegel]

We can't stop moving. We have to go get Crocus.

[Liam O'Brien]

We have to make a play of it now. Otherwise, we're dead.

[Travis Willingham]

I haven't seen it from this side.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm going to go ahead and try to skirt along and see if there's any other. On the opposite side of the wall. Begin to slowly crawl my way across, using my elbow and arm to see if there's any other weakness in the wall here we can try and push through.

[Jasmine Buular]

You begin to move through. You meet up with the dragonborn family with Celeste and her children. The rest of you come through. You can hear now. You begin to. To hear. You're hearing a lot more horns now. There's a ton of them. And as you get closer, you're looking for something in that area that would be a similar wall weakness. And as you get within 60ft, you see the issue, which is this hulking dragonborn that just can't be made to fit through this narrow chamber.

[Travis Willingham]

Uh. Oh.

[Jasmine Buular]

Who are you?

[Travis Willingham]

Gottan Vaddin. Who are you? Okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

Crocus, Phaedra, you were taken as well and are reunited with Crocus here at the station.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, okay. I can find. Okay. Hi, Crocus. Oh, my gosh. Are you okay?

[Caroline Lux]

It's small in here.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, well, we're getting you out, all right.

[Alexander Ward]

Oh, out.

[Jasmine Shion]

Out.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah.

[Caroline Lux]

And he immediately tries to push through the. Just use all his strength to bust open the. Like, push out the rocks in front of me.

[Jasmine Buular]

Give me an athletics check. It's a DC30 to push open the gate. But who knows? Maybe I can.

[Liam O'Brien]

Peter, A rock wall. Did you see the rock wall that's.

[Caroline Lux]

In front of me?

[Jasmine Buular]

I'm Just push.

[Caroline Lux]

Just gonna try and push my way through it. Yeah. No, that'll be an 18.

[Jasmine Buular]

18. As you push the rock wall, all of you hear.

[Travis Willingham]

I don't think I did that.

[Alexander Ward]

The ground beneath you begin.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Alexander Ward]

You hear a noise like cracking. Those with DarkVision see a sight that you at first do not understand.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead.

[Alexander Ward]

Everyone with darkvision sees something moving in the hallway in front of you. It looks like fingers reaching from one wall to the other. Hundreds of long, spindly fingers. You might be going mad, but you're all seeing it, Garan. So fast that they can be seen to be moving. You see roots growing from one wall to another.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are they clogging and filling the entrance entirely?

[Jasmine Buular]

Where you would go that is now fully blocked. And there is the portcullis behind you.

[Liam O'Brien]

So it's coming like a Play Doh Fun factory.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Up toward us.

[Jasmine Buular]

Up towards you?

[Alexander Ward]

Yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Jasmine Shion]

Phaedra says, why did everyone just get so quiet? What just happened? Sticks, Sticks, Sticks.

[Sam Riegel]

We have to move. We have to move.

[Liam O'Brien]

We gotta change our plan. I'm gonna turn. I see the hammer in your hand. Arrow goes to the gate, moves her. Once we get out to the gate, there's a little more room, right?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes. There's a small triangular antechamber.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I yell, dwarf. And then I belch fire all over the gate and its lock, heating it.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hell, yes. Go ahead and roll damage for me, if you'd be so kind.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. So I assume the gate doesn't have to make a save.

[Jasmine Buular]

No, it automatically fails. Is that 3D10? What is it? You roll?

[Liam O'Brien]

No, it's 1D10.

[Jasmine Buular]

1D10. Okay, cool creature.

[Liam O'Brien]

Takes. And I rolled.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh.

[Liam O'Brien]

A1.

[Jasmine Buular]

A1. You summon your breath and you see that it heats it. You think this will work? It just needs. You need to funnel more of the breath into the mechanism itself. And probably it's not enough to melt the lock off, but it's certainly enough to soften it in a single hammer blow. As this happens, Nia, you get a.

[Alexander Ward]

Feeling like your stomach rising up, like when you move quickly over a hill. And as it does, your locket glows. And the chamber is filled with fireflies. Green light.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia, truly believing that she has gone mad, starts laughing a little bit. Seeing all of these fireflies. She knowing that her sister is near, even in this terrifying hellscape, she knows that her objective is still possible. And it just. She laughs.

[Caroline Lux]

There's bugs in here.

[Jasmine Buular]

Nia, as you start laughing. Crocus arrow.

[Alexander Ward]

You feel yourself bitten by a small glowing insect.

[Sam Riegel]

Don't kill it. Let it go.

[Jasmine Buular]

And as Mia laughs, that bless spreads.

[Alexander Ward]

To all of you.

[Travis Willingham]

What in the gods is going on?

[Sam Riegel]

Not Gods, Moses.

[Caroline Lux]

Does gate go up?

[Jasmine Buular]

I need everyone here to make a DC23 dexterity saving throw.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, sure.

[Jasmine Buular]

I show her.

[Jasmine Shion]

Brendan, wait. I think.

[Liam O'Brien]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

Mathematically.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, wait, I might.

[Alexander Ward]

What?

[Sam Riegel]

What'd you say?

[Jasmine Buular]

Dexterity saving throw.

[Caroline Lux]

With the bless.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, it is possible with the dexterity saving throw.

[Jasmine Shion]

My D and D beyond has been messing up. But.

[Jasmine Buular]

And I would use your. Use your stat block in front of you.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah. Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

And then it's a D. I don't.

[Jasmine Shion]

Get anything extra for a saving throw. No, it's just.

[Jasmine Buular]

I don't think. I think so.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

With that bless, I got a five.

[Jasmine Shion]

11.

[Jasmine Buular]

All of you, so close.

[Caroline Lux]

19.

[Jasmine Buular]

So close. All of you in this little triangular.

[Alexander Ward]

Antechamber, fail a DC23 dex saving throw and go prone.

[Jasmine Buular]

Garan, through the tremors in your feet, an entire tower of Rybad Kol. You can't see it, but you feel through the stone. An entire tower has been pulled out of the earth by a force of magic greater than you have ever felt. Thundered through the air. And all of you are knocked to the ground by the tremor of an entire built tower. A keep of Rybad coal slamming into.

[Alexander Ward]

Some surface above you.

[Jasmine Buular]

The wall, the narrow passageway in front of you. A wall of it collapses, choked by roots. That way is barred, that is collapsed.

[Alexander Ward]

And gone past you.

[Liam O'Brien]

So the roots had nothing to do with us going prone. A tidal wave of roots came and then something else came. Happened entirely.

[Jasmine Buular]

Tidal wave. Ruth came and something else happened entirely.

[Alexander Ward]

You are witnessing.

[Jasmine Buular]

The events you are witnessing in your sleep deprived, malnourished state would, well, within reason, make you think that either you were going mad or maybe you have died.

[Alexander Ward]

Maybe this is the visions that a.

[Jasmine Buular]

Person has while they're dying. Maybe you're still in that carriage. Who knows? It is as maddening as can be. These glowing fireflies surround you. They've bitten you. As they do, the roots arise, arrow in the very front of the group, a root suddenly strikes out like it's going to pierce your chest and stops in midair as a little glowing bug passes in front of it. And the root pulls back and they grow, stopping in front of you. And then you hear them pick up again past the portcullis in some deference to this cloud of fireflies, that the roots will continue their destructive work, but.

[Alexander Ward]

Bow in passing to this lovely cloud of insects.

[Sam Riegel]

I think I see them moving around. I wondered if the roots are passing us, do they pass through that small the pulls between the gates, do they get through that? Do they. The strength of them, do they sort of give us.

[Jasmine Buular]

Do they damage the door at all?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Jasmine Buular]

The roots, you believe, have damaged a.

[Alexander Ward]

Lot of the building around you.

[Jasmine Buular]

It is possible that the door is actually, I'll say this, the gate is fully off its hinges. However, the problem is that the portcullis, the part that's supposed to raise up, that has the lock on it that now can't get drawn up. So you're suddenly in this world where you're like how the fuck do we get out of here? In the moments that come, you hear thunder and lightning. There is a moment where all of the air within the chamber suddenly recedes like a tide. All of you in this moment, even though you are partially under rubble, you hear chaos drums roar outside. There is a moment where the air recedes like a tide and all of you are forced against your will to exhale. And after that, you hear a noise like a type of thunder you have never heard before. It is a lightning blast that threatens to to permanently deafen everyone in this space, even buried under a fortress of stone.

[Alexander Ward]

Noise recedes. Garan. You hear a wave of about maybe.

[Jasmine Buular]

Several thousand mice rush past your guys feet, avoiding all of you. And at the very back, one little.

[Alexander Ward]

Mouse stops, looks up and deposits a.

[Jasmine Buular]

Crumb in front of you and then continues out. As the mice go out past you, whatever rubble is out beyond. You hear the mice squeaking and suddenly.

[Alexander Ward]

Someone goes no, no, no, no.

[Jasmine Buular]

And just hear screams from somewhere out in a hallway. And the last thing you hear, well.

[Alexander Ward]

Out in the distance is after the.

[Jasmine Buular]

Horns and shrieking and shouts.

[Alexander Ward]

And the noise of soldiers and men begins to be replaced by a distant howl that pierces the cold stone noise. Roaring and stamping that fades.

[Sam Riegel]

Do any of us recognize that sound?

[Alexander Ward]

Give me a nature check.

[Jasmine Buular]

Difficulty 10. That's a natural one on a natural one. You have lived in an ash choked wasteland your whole life and have never seen a healthy beast.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay.

[Caroline Lux]

He stands up and looks at the gate again, having no idea what's going on, and just moves himself to take his tail and wedge it behind him on in the corner of the triangle and put both his arms on the gate and is just going to try and force his way, pushing the gate out of its hinges.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hell yes, I see that.

[Liam O'Brien]

And match. Even though much smaller framed. And I'm not going to let him go it alone.

[Jasmine Buular]

What'd you get got a two.

[Caroline Lux]

A two. But that's 10 total.

[Jasmine Buular]

Crocus, with this incredible show of strength, you push and you slide the portcullis. Even on a 10, it's not enough to get you guys out of here. But what you do manage to do is slide it back so that if that lock gets broken, it can at least get back up out of the gate. You know that after a hearty rest, you will have that ability to help.

[Alexander Ward]

Soften that lock again.

[Liam O'Brien]

I can do it now.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, you can do it now. Okay, great.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes I can. I will do it now.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hell yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'll resume.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go for it.

[Liam O'Brien]

So it's just another no save. This time it is six.

[Jasmine Buular]

Six. With that six you deal six points of damage this thing has. I'll tell you right now, nine hit points left. Go ahead and roll that hammer.

[Alexander Ward]

Damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is with the bless. That's going to be 24.

[Jasmine Buular]

To hit 24 hits just need to do nine points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

That'll be eight points of damage on one hit.

[Alexander Ward]

Clang. That fades.

[Jasmine Buular]

You can see that this will work.

[Alexander Ward]

It just needs another point of effort. Time passes. It is so shockingly, bewilderingly silent. Knowing that you need time for this plan to work again, you are able.

[Jasmine Buular]

To rest as you do. You see, the mom takes her cloak off as a place for the kids to lie down.

[Sam Riegel]

Can Nia try something?

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

She has her tools on her. Her nurse's tools maybe something like I don't know how.

[Jasmine Buular]

If you want to give a thieves tool check. Yeah, sure. Anything like that.

[Sam Riegel]

Go for it.

[Jasmine Buular]

Absolutely.

[Sam Riegel]

I don't know where that would be on here.

[Matthew Mercer]

Thieves toolchain, which would be your proficiency plus dex, which would be zero.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay. So proficiency is two plus two. Okay, crocus, is that a D20 I roll?

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

B b b b plus two. 11 plus your bless. Oh, I use it again. Fantastic.

[Matthew Mercer]

Or plus attacks and saving throws.

[Jasmine Buular]

I'll allow this to be a special plus that goes to ability checks. And it's only a D4 that you're rolling for the blast though. So you gotta hit a four on the D4.

[Sam Riegel]

Which I will.

[Jasmine Buular]

You will. It's a one. I will say this. There is a lot of desire to move and move quickly here. However, in the weird light of these fireflies, the strange silence that's around, and the fact that you no longer hear the approaching footsteps of the Strife emperor.

[Alexander Ward]

You don't hear horns. You don't know what the fuck is going on outside of this doorway.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hmm.

[Travis Willingham]

If anyone hear anything.

[Jasmine Shion]

I overheard some Weird things at that dinner, I think all those emissaries of, you know, the other betrayer gods, I don't think they really like each other very much. They're working together in name. But I think, like, like many people, it seems that they are not fully trusting each other. There's a lot of suspicion, a lot of not wanting to share the world.

[Travis Willingham]

Really traitorous then. Could be these events.

[Jasmine Shion]

Could be. Maybe they've chosen now to. Maybe they're attacking the Strife Emperor's followers.

[Travis Willingham]

Maybe they're but his roots, his old glow bugs. This is not the work of a betrayer.

[Liam O'Brien]

When I was a child, I was near a place where two of them clashed. The noise was deafening. There was more than one God walking these climbs.

[Jasmine Shion]

So then that noise that we heard, that could have been. Could that was when one of the gods got struck down. He said, could that. Could that have been what we heard?

[Travis Willingham]

It's too hopeful to believe.

[Liam O'Brien]

He said silence. Do we hear anything past this portcullis at this point? Like troops running around?

[Alexander Ward]

Give me a perception check.

[Liam O'Brien]

21.

[Alexander Ward]

You haven't heard a silence like this in years. There's not even wind blowing outside. Something has just happened out there that you can barely begin to understand.

[Jasmine Buular]

There should be footsteps screaming, the walls.

[Alexander Ward]

Of other people around. There should be something else out there. You see that? Celeste looks over at you in the darkness and says, if any of us had a breath like yours to help with this endeavor, I think we would use it. Perhaps the best thing is if you're not really sick. None of us are really sick.

[Sam Riegel]

No one's sick. I lied.

[Alexander Ward]

Thank you.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see that? The little boy, Selwyn, looks up and.

[Alexander Ward]

Goes, see, lying is great. Sometimes.

[Sam Riegel]

Sometimes it's okay sometimes to save your friends and your family. But you always have to tell them after the fact that you have lied. You have to tell the truth about lying.

[Alexander Ward]

You have to tell the truth about lying. Okay.

[Caroline Lux]

You see, Crocus can't work that out in his head.

[Travis Willingham]

Crocus. This one's got breath of flame. You got anything packing in those lungs? No.

[Jasmine Shion]

Buddy has so many other strengths.

[Travis Willingham]

Doesn't work.

[Caroline Lux]

He. You can see that black veining goes up into his throat. And there's a weird crease in the scales around his throat. And you can see that around the corners of his mouth, this kind of snow sludge falls out between his teeth. Doesn't really.

[Travis Willingham]

You know, that's all right. You find strength elsewhere.

[Matthew Mercer]

He shows off his cap and his arms, takes his. Puts the hammer on his side, pulls out the chisel. It's probably a little bent from some of the previous stuff and goes up to where the lock is. Is there a visible damage? Visible key entrance there?

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Tries to jam the chisel in there and turns the hammer and hands it to him.

[Caroline Lux]

Why'd you do that to your arm?

[Travis Willingham]

Regret.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you just go ahead and give me an attack roll.

[Caroline Lux]

Oh, Point of order. I can't fit my hand through the. He sticks the hammer and his hand gets stuck.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah. You put your hand through.

[Alexander Ward]

Once again, this massive strength that is.

[Jasmine Buular]

Used here to your advantage.

[Alexander Ward]

You just want to fucking help.

[Jasmine Buular]

You go.

[Alexander Ward]

Your hand fits inside the portcullis. There's got to be a path for you. Try as you might. Seconds turn into minutes. Minutes to hours. Strange in this place, surrounded by crumbled rock and root. After time arrow, you feel that fire breath return to you. It has been long. There has been no noise, no clue of what is occurring on the outside. After many long hours, your breath returns to you and you may attempt again.

[Liam O'Brien]

Easy enough. That is a seven for the damage.

[Alexander Ward]

Seven. So we just need eight damage here.

[Caroline Lux]

Giving the hammer back long ago. I can't get my hammer.

[Travis Willingham]

I give you the hammer on this one. You finish this off. I need to sit down.

[Alexander Ward]

Your hand can't fit through, but maybe if you hit it hard enough just from the outside.

[Caroline Lux]

Yeah. I think what he does is he grabs the hammer in his fist and he essentially uses it to kind of bridge the gap between two bars and just punch the gate open.

[Matthew Mercer]

I use the help action to try and point out, based on the previous.

[Travis Willingham]

Impacts here, these parts are the most damaged for structural integrity.

[Jasmine Buular]

You want to go?

[Caroline Lux]

Have we lost the bless?

[Jasmine Buular]

The bless is still here. Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Caroline Lux]

Terrible.

[Travis Willingham]

We have advantage.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, great. Great, great, great.

[Jasmine Shion]

Thank you.

[Caroline Lux]

Better.

[Jasmine Buular]

Actually, no.

[Caroline Lux]

Yes, better. So that's a total of 4. 21.

[Jasmine Buular]

21 hits.

[Alexander Ward]

Go ahead and roll damage.

[Jasmine Buular]

You're trying to do eight points of damage.

[Caroline Lux]

D6.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you can add the bless to.

[Alexander Ward]

This roll as well.

[Caroline Lux]

That's eight points of damage.

[Jasmine Buular]

You said eight points of damage.

[Caroline Lux]

That's five points of damage plus your strength.

[Jasmine Buular]

Really? Oh, no. Plus my strength.

[Caroline Lux]

That's nine.

[Jasmine Buular]

Nine.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

Boom. The lock shatters the softened metal. You burn a little bit of your knuckles punching through with the hammer. The lock is undone. The chain falls to the ground.

[Alexander Ward]

The portcullis goes up, and as it does, gate falls, partially crumbling hallway. Before you, you see that there was.

[Jasmine Buular]

An administrator of Rybad Kol, who is.

[Alexander Ward]

Now less than 10 hours after you heard them scream. A completely picked clean skeleton, no flesh anywhere.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you walk out, you see three.

[Alexander Ward]

Ravens on the tattered clothing of the body.

[Jasmine Buular]

Take flight.

[Alexander Ward]

Phaedra, you know that this hallway should go out towards the gauntlet, one of the two major cell blocks.

[Jasmine Buular]

Instead, it goes towards a heap of.

[Alexander Ward]

Rubble with a dim haze of dust and ash settling, but with a little bit of some dull gray light coming through. And three ravens fly out.

[Jasmine Shion]

And that way is blocked or.

[Alexander Ward]

No, that looks open.

[Jasmine Buular]

They fly up to sky.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, I mean, like through the. Okay, so like. All right.

[Liam O'Brien]

So walking out here, has the entire place been laid to waste? Are there roots all over the place?

[Jasmine Buular]

The hallway ahead of you, you see the roots burst up from the floor. And as they do, you see that there are three soldiers that look like they were running down this hallway. The roots have erupted into briars. And you see that rings of briar.

[Alexander Ward]

Have severed their heads from their shoulders.

[Jasmine Buular]

You can see where an iris of thorny plant matter just pulled heads from.

[Alexander Ward]

Shoulders as they ran.

[Caroline Lux]

Not supposed to happen.

[Sam Riegel]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

Carefully.

[Travis Willingham]

But it's time to leave.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Caroline Lux]

Where do we go?

[Jasmine Shion]

Think we're going to get up through there.

[Caroline Lux]

I can lift people.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Shion]

Would we all fit? Does it look large enough to.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah, looks like there's just a large.

[Jasmine Buular]

Rubble strewn where the stone collapses. And there's a sort of angle of.

[Alexander Ward]

Fallen stone going up to some gray, dim light.

[Caroline Lux]

Seatra Any holds his hand out for you to get on.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right. I do this assuming this is a thing we do very frequently, and it's.

[Caroline Lux]

Just going to lift and put you up to the hole.

[Jasmine Shion]

I'm going to go and just peek out at first and see before fully climbing out, try to stealthily look around and see what I see as soon as I emerge from that hole.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's hard to describe how you're supposed.

[Alexander Ward]

To feel when you're looking at things that aren't supposed to make sense. What do you do if you see a miracle? What do you do if you see the effects of one without seeing the thing itself?

[Jasmine Buular]

Your head pops up.

[Alexander Ward]

The western wall of Rybad. Cole is in tatters and ruins from some kind of concussive blast.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see the steel keep, which earlier you had served dinner in, is about.

[Alexander Ward]

Two miles away on a mountainside, having been lifted up into the air and hurled through space. There is an area where this sort of top parapet where Asmog is.

[Jasmine Buular]

There is a shadow of him stretching.

[Alexander Ward]

About three quarters of a mile out.

[Jasmine Buular]

That looks like his shadow was permanently.

[Alexander Ward]

Burned into the ground at an Angle from something rising in the east. Like something looked at him from the edge of the sky and incinerated him. So beyond the measure of what mortals are capable of that the only thing left is his shadow singed into the ground. And at a far distant hillside, through the gaps in the western wall, you.

[Jasmine Buular]

Can see against a sort of landscape.

[Alexander Ward]

The familiar coiffed hair ears of Asmog and two openings of wide eyes. And an opening in silhouette of a wide mouth opened in horror, blackened against the landscape, the briars.

[Jasmine Buular]

Towards the eastern northeastern wall, the towers were torn down by briars.

[Alexander Ward]

You see dead beasts like you've never seen before.

[Jasmine Buular]

There is a bear that when it had the ability to stand on its.

[Alexander Ward]

Hind legs, would have been about 30ft.

[Jasmine Buular]

Tall, with several dozen arrows in its body. You can see armor hanging from its teeth.

[Alexander Ward]

It lies dead on the ground.

[Jasmine Buular]

There are prehistoric animals here from some.

[Alexander Ward]

Other dawn of time.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see the field of crows, ravens, different corvids eating the carrion. Here. Where the people of Rybad Cole are, you cannot say. You've spent a night down in the ruins. Underneath, you see the fallen walls. There are footprints in the dust and.

[Alexander Ward]

Ash surging out from Rybad Coal, just.

[Jasmine Buular]

Where hundreds or thousands have fled.

[Alexander Ward]

There is no living soldier that you can see in this place.

[Jasmine Buular]

And the last thing you see is some 80ft tall.

[Alexander Ward]

Thudded deep into a stony mountainside is.

[Jasmine Buular]

A single iron greave, which is the name for the shin protection of armor. So someone who. Who to the knee was taller than a fire giant is gone. And there is a crackle of electricity across the sky as you see a.

[Alexander Ward]

Chunk of a God's armor thud diagonally into a mountainside and stand there under the ash choked sky.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right, I say. All right, guys, come up. I think I've officially fucking lost it, okay?

[Caroline Lux]

Lost what?

[Travis Willingham]

It, my friend. It.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

As arrow climbs up and sees the devastation all around, asks so why are we still here?

[Sam Riegel]

We must have missed something. You said that that shadow was cast from something coming in the east. I can only think of one thing larger than a fire giant that rises from the east.

[Alexander Ward]

Give me a religion. CH6.

[Jasmine Shion]

Bless.

[Travis Willingham]

Bless.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead and roll.

[Alexander Ward]

Bless for me, if you'd be so kind.

[Sam Riegel]

What did I say earlier?

[Caroline Lux]

Six.

[Sam Riegel]

Six, Nine.

[Alexander Ward]

Nine on a nine, I think. And this will be the final use.

[Jasmine Buular]

Of your bless ability before it is gone. You think that.

[Alexander Ward]

That the Vampiric Lord Asmog finally saw the sunrise? You believe you are correct in your assumption?

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah. I think Nia comes to that realization. Shares it with her friends. Digs in her pocket, Kisses the locket, puts it back.

[Alexander Ward]

No guards, no captors. Rubble and waste. Your freedom is yours. And as your reward for your escape, ruin an ash choked wilderness. What do you do?

[Travis Willingham]

Where? Zone.

[Caroline Lux]

Where's everybody else?

[Sam Riegel]

I don't know.

[Jasmine Shion]

I mean, we were down there for a while. Seems like there's footsteps, I think.

[Caroline Lux]

No.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, you mean the boys? Yeah, that's a good question. I don't know. Last I saw them they were in the kitchens. But I'm guessing when all this shit went down they probably just did the smart thing and booked it.

[Liam O'Brien]

But it's not that we don't just see the dark forces here. There's nothing living except for carrion birds in sight.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is your first greeting upon getting out here. It's been about 10 hours since everything.

[Alexander Ward]

Went down, but it's possible that there.

[Jasmine Buular]

Are other people in your exact circumstance.

[Alexander Ward]

You were resourceful enough to get out.

[Jasmine Buular]

There may be other people trapped here. It's hard to say. But certainly anyone who could has not.

[Alexander Ward]

Waited a full 10 hours to get out.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh.

[Caroline Lux]

Crocus turns and looks. Have the children made it up to the top yet?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes. Okay, you see that? Celeste goes. And Seldria looks around and goes.

[Alexander Ward]

Whoa. This is nuts. Celeste goes. What could have happened? What did this?

[Sam Riegel]

The sun rose.

[Caroline Lux]

Does it do that? You know, when it rises.

[Sam Riegel]

It can.

[Travis Willingham]

It can when it walks. Exandria with a purpose.

[Jasmine Shion]

What does that mean? What. What happens?

[Travis Willingham]

What's been happening for centuries now. The gods came to clash. I saw. I saw him come. I saw the. The emperor stepped forth. But maybe he was fleeing. Cause whatever rose over there. The light of the dawn.

[Matthew Mercer]

Father gestures with his hand out to.

[Travis Willingham]

All the strange growth points to one.

[Matthew Mercer]

Of the flying firebugs.

[Travis Willingham]

The will of the wild mother. Maybe Our tides have turned for the moment.

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, the gods are at their play. We still have to survive.

[Travis Willingham]

And for now we do. So we find survivors, right? We get free from this hellish scape.

[Matthew Mercer]

He grabs his hammer and grips it tight.

[Travis Willingham]

When we're safe, we rebuild.

[Sam Riegel]

But where do we do?

[Jasmine Shion]

We go? Where?

[Travis Willingham]

Let's just find who we can and leave. Worry about that tomorrow. We live.

[Sam Riegel]

All right.

[Jasmine Shion]

Crocus, come with me to the kitchen. I gotta try to find the rest of our gang.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you guys.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah, as you fan out over the rubble. You guys can make any search check that you want.

[Jasmine Buular]

I will also say this.

[Alexander Ward]

You awake, hungry and thirsty. And you look around. It is a wild thing. I think Nia you feel that thundering.

[Jasmine Buular]

In your chest from whatever that first rush of power was going.

[Alexander Ward]

Freedom, no water and no food. Freedom. No water and no food.

[Jasmine Buular]

Let's go ahead, I think for Phaedra and Crocus. You guys look for the rest of the roaches.

[Caroline Lux]

I will help you and giving you advantage on whatever check you make.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is not my strategy, and I'm going to say these are extremely consequential rolls.

[Alexander Ward]

I am an impartial arbiter of the chaos visited upon Exandria by the gods.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right, all right, all right.

[Jasmine Buular]

10 gets you somebody.

[Alexander Ward]

15 gets you somebodies. 20 gets you everybody. You have advantage.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, advantage. Because Crocus is healthy and this is investigation.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah. What do you add to investigation?

[Jasmine Shion]

0.

[Alexander Ward]

0.

[Jasmine Buular]

All right, 10, 15 and 20. But you're rolling two dice.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, no.

[Jasmine Buular]

What'd you get?

[Jasmine Shion]

What'd you get? You got a three and a six.

[Jasmine Buular]

Ooh, baby. Handle him. Soy. There it is. Remember those fun NPCs from the first half? Oh, no.

[Sam Riegel]

No.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, boy.

[Jasmine Shion]

Kip, Gadriel never found out what our freaking deal was. We never found out what his deal is. We never found out if he's crazy or if he's just like that.

[Travis Willingham]

Do we not find them?

[Jasmine Shion]

Or now I'll never know.

[Travis Willingham]

Do we?

[Jasmine Shion]

Good question.

[Jasmine Buular]

I think. On a three and a six, you.

[Alexander Ward]

Go to the kitchens and the kitchens are ruined.

[Jasmine Buular]

There's no hope of finding their body here. On a three and a six, you don't know. You do not find them. But you were off doing a special dinner. Crocus was in a caravan. Did your boys just do what maybe you would have done and headed out?

[Alexander Ward]

Or maybe no.

[Jasmine Buular]

Who knows? Maybe they looked for you for a long time. But regardless, you know that there is.

[Alexander Ward]

No one living in the kitchens.

[Jasmine Shion]

Is there salvageable food in the kitchens at all?

[Jasmine Buular]

On a three and a six, there.

[Alexander Ward]

Is no salvageable food in the kitchen.

[Jasmine Shion]

You fucker. All right.

[Jasmine Buular]

Good at this. Who else is making checks? I mean. Yeah, but I will say you do not find Khaf, Kedriel, Otto or Tahen's bodies.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Liam O'Brien]

Arrow is looking for two things. He is searching for where he was processed as a prisoner so that he can find his belongings and the map he spent decades crafting of Gwissar. And he is keeping an eye out for water of any kind.

[Alexander Ward]

So you're making an investigation check as well.

[Jasmine Buular]

10 gets you one of those things. And I'll ask you, what is dearest to Arrow? What is dearest to Arrow is It the map or is it water?

[Alexander Ward]

Can we just.

[Matthew Mercer]

At the shoulder of the elephant.

[Jasmine Buular]

I know I wanted. Yeah, this. This is the campaign. This is the campaign where finding a jug of water is the.

[Alexander Ward]

Fuck me.

[Jasmine Buular]

Okay, so map is 10, map and water is 15. And those are the two things you're searching for. I'll say this on a 20, you get that and any like, you'll find all of your effects or belongings on a 20.

[Alexander Ward]

Cool roll.

[Jasmine Shion]

Better than you nailed it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Natural 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

No. You gotta be fucking kidding me. Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Jasmine Buular]

Um. Holy shit.

[Matthew Mercer]

Olivia just rolls it without looking at it too.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

Holy shit. Oh, man. Arrow. You arrow.

[Jasmine Shion]

You faint.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go up. You go up. Garan. It's quite close to where the mop was, where the infirmary was that place. Because it's the vault. We established it before, right? So I think arrow with that tip, you head off. You are literally digging through stone with your hands. However, the vault was on an upper left. They didn't want to leave it on the floor, level with everybody where all the stuff was. So you're looking and immediately you're going through rubble and you're finding some tattered scrolls or other things like that. And as you begin to move through, you see a giant iron door now amongst the rubble, but a key to where the vault was. And on that NAT20, as you begin.

[Alexander Ward]

To dig through, you hear squeaking down in the rubble. I follow the sound moving aside. You push and see a small.

[Jasmine Buular]

On a NAT20, a small group of.

[Alexander Ward]

Mice pulling a traveler's rucksack. They've got a small little group of.

[Jasmine Buular]

About 10 of them pulling on a leather shoulder strap.

[Alexander Ward]

And you look down and see your bag. Rare herbs, sacred stones, Things that a traveler would pick up in long travels.

[Jasmine Buular]

Over guessar.

[Alexander Ward]

And you see a scroll case, dented but secure.

[Liam O'Brien]

I squat down, holding my bag in my hands, looking at these mice. What is your mother playing at?

[Alexander Ward]

Mice skitter away.

[Liam O'Brien]

Shoulders up.

[Jasmine Buular]

You shoulder it. You feel in your bag the heft.

[Alexander Ward]

Of a full canteen of water with that scroll case in there on that NAT20. Unreal.

[Jasmine Buular]

Checking to make sure that everything is okay. Far to the north of Rybag Cole. And these lands were not well marked.

[Alexander Ward]

By you, because to travel in these lands would have been certain death.

[Jasmine Buular]

But where your notes start to get.

[Alexander Ward]

More.

[Jasmine Buular]

Precise, where you have more experience traveling up, closer up, farther north, towards the very base of the Stormpoint Mountains, you see that there is.

[Alexander Ward]

A tiny.

[Jasmine Buular]

Little.

[Alexander Ward]

Skittering insect that takes wing and leaves a small phosphorescent glow At a point that you had never marked. But specifically, in between two notes of.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yours, there's a pass in the bottom of the Stormpoint Mountains that you attract before. It's a safe place.

[Alexander Ward]

In another lifetime, you and Danaya had walked that path many times.

[Liam O'Brien]

Here. Today, one of these bugs alights there.

[Jasmine Buular]

Alights there, dances like a bumblebee, communicating.

[Alexander Ward]

Something to members of its hive. And as it departs in the same.

[Jasmine Buular]

Way that it left when all of.

[Alexander Ward]

You were bitten, a small phosphorescent glow alights in that place, leaving a small blot of ichor or ink.

[Liam O'Brien]

I feel emotions that I keep tucked.

[Travis Willingham]

Away.

[Liam O'Brien]

Well up, and I'm speechless. And then slowly climb my way back down to find the group.

[Alexander Ward]

You have your belongings, Nia?

[Sam Riegel]

Do I see this sort of look on Arrow's face? We've traveled before. I like to think that I know what Arrow looks like when something has been drawn up in him.

[Jasmine Buular]

I think you do. But also during the time the Arrow is searching, if you want to search for anything.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, yes, I do. I want. I mean, if we found the mop and we found the vault, I would love Mia to get her personal items. I think she wants the piece of crystal that she keeps, that she kept in her hair before she decided to take it out for her safety. She wants to find the wiring for that. She would love to find her bag, her cape, her things.

[Alexander Ward]

Go ahead and give me an investigation roll. Who wants to play? Same thing. 10, 15, 20. I'll let you guys move. Make some space.

[Sam Riegel]

Move. It's a 15. Wait. Investigation.

[Jasmine Buular]

Investigation.

[Sam Riegel]

Beep, beep, beep, beep,.

[Jasmine Buular]

16. 16. Hell, yeah. On a 16, I think on a 10, you find your crystal and your effect. Is there anything else you would look for other than your personal belongings?

[Sam Riegel]

The equivalent of a first aid kit. Things that she would be able to bring while we travel. Bandages, whatever. The closest thing thing to antiseptic we have. She tries to build a traveling kit together of things and belongings.

[Alexander Ward]

You get a medicine kit together, traveling, and then for Garan, is there anything you search for?

[Travis Willingham]

There's not much that's mine to even look for. But what I'm more curious about, honestly.

[Matthew Mercer]

Amongst the bodies that we see littering this ruined landscape, I'm searching to see if they were seemingly all soldiers of the Emperor, if it was wanton and we were the lucky ones.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

And trying to figure out if the majority of the tracks are from the areas that I know to be prison are heavy.

[Travis Willingham]

Basically.

[Matthew Mercer]

I want to know if we're going to be running into more Strife Emperor followers out there in the middle of this chaos.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, chaos is the name of the game. Go ahead and give me.

[Alexander Ward]

And I'll say you can give me.

[Jasmine Buular]

An investigation check, but there's also kind.

[Alexander Ward]

Of an insight check you're making here as well.

[Jasmine Buular]

So give me both of those rolls.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so investigation 17.

[Alexander Ward]

Great.

[Matthew Mercer]

Insight 15.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hell yeah. I'll say this.

[Matthew Mercer]

It comes for us all, man.

[Jasmine Buular]

I'll say this. 17 and 15 is incredible. On that investigation, you see almost all of the dead here are soldiers. And in fact, in there are fire. You see there's a group of about six fire giants who were all struck with one bolt of lightning. There's just whole. They were all in a line torso. Some bolt of lightning shredded them. A cauterized injury that tore torso and armor away like a knife moving through butter. There are prisoners here who were torn apart by fanged beasts who were otherwise killed or destroyed. There is an evidence here that much chaos happened. You also see beasts that clearly were decimated by the wrath of some powerful God as well. But this looks like an. On that investigation, this looks like an ambush. It looks like you saw the Strife Emperor walking in the distance. And if a vampire was hit by the rays of the sun and lightning tore across the sky. And the real handiwork here is thorn and vine and beast and bird, something truly thunderous shook this place. There are very few dead prisoners now. There are some, but nothing about this seems precise. And yet if there were crumbling castles, there should be so many dead prisoners.

[Alexander Ward]

And there's just not. There's just not. And I think as you look, something.

[Jasmine Buular]

Interesting that you see is there's a moment of a sort of.

[Alexander Ward]

And you see that some of the.

[Jasmine Buular]

Birds, sort of carrion birds take off and fly towards you.

[Alexander Ward]

As they do, that little bug bite glows for a second. You see a familiar green glow in their eye and it takes off. I think you wonder how long those mice and fleas were working in Ryback Coal. Maybe they knew. Maybe they knew who they were going.

[Matthew Mercer]

Is there a particular direction of the fleeing prisoner tracks or is it just everywhere?

[Alexander Ward]

Kind of northeast, you think away from.

[Jasmine Buular]

The Strife Emperor's stronghold as just a sort of flee away from what you know, the center of power to be. But it doesn't appear to have that.

[Alexander Ward]

Much rhyme or reason to it.

[Jasmine Buular]

I will say too, on a 17.

[Alexander Ward]

And a 15, I will ask Garan.

[Jasmine Buular]

Those are two good roles.

[Alexander Ward]

If you would rather find supplies or Survivors.

[Matthew Mercer]

I think for Garan, it would be survivors. That's his trauma.

[Alexander Ward]

Moving forward as fast as you can. I would like to do this.

[Jasmine Buular]

Digging through the rubble as fast as you can in the wreckage of the old gauntlet. I think you know, because you were near the infirmary. I think you go near the infirmary.

[Alexander Ward]

As well and find those specifically that would have been not necessarily able to.

[Jasmine Buular]

Make an escape on foot even if they were spared.

[Alexander Ward]

Go ahead. And I want you to roll a.

[Jasmine Buular]

D20 for me three times.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

Just let me know if you get an 11 or higher on any 320s.

[Alexander Ward]

Matt.

[Matthew Mercer]

First one's a nine. That is cocked. Curses. Because it was Almost a natural 20. That's a 10.

[Alexander Ward]

Hell yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

And a natural one.

[Jasmine Buular]

Natural one.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hell yeah.

[Alexander Ward]

Moving through.

[Jasmine Buular]

You are not able to find any of the roaches here, but there are a few of the Torm's Hill traveling.

[Alexander Ward]

Party.

[Jasmine Buular]

Moving to this place. You don't find any on those rolls. You don't find any of the more adventurous, magically gifted ones. Good. That's fine. Going through the rubble, getting the stone block off. Nia, I think you see this as well. You guys see this too. There is an ancient old halfling man, partially in the rubble, who looks up.

[Alexander Ward]

And goes, I'm dead.

[Travis Willingham]

If only it was so easy.

[Alexander Ward]

Oh, strongman.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you see Starmian fiddleflask, one of your traveling companions, a dust cover older halfling man spending a night in the.

[Alexander Ward]

Rubble has not been good for Starmion. But he comes up into your arms. You also pull from the wreckage here.

[Jasmine Buular]

One last figure that you would recognize.

[Alexander Ward]

Who was sick as well, but was mostly sick.

[Jasmine Buular]

I think probably just to get Mia closer to you again, to try to stay close to your traveling companions. There is a bugbear that you pull out of the wreckage.

[Alexander Ward]

You recognize this as Gond. Gond. Gulfsome.

[Sam Riegel]

I think in seeing them, Nia, even though the situation is dire, she can't help but smile and run and just hug them, just to feel like somebody, some family survived. Not too tight on Starmion, though.

[Jasmine Shion]

He's very fragile.

[Jasmine Buular]

Coming together. You guys return from the kitchen, I think, Nia, you see Arrow's face as he moves back forward in this space. As Garan, you find these couple. You see Starmie is just completely grayed out with rubble and dust, gives you.

[Alexander Ward]

A hug and goes, rhaenyos.

[Sam Riegel]

Starmion, what's happened?

[Alexander Ward]

We've died.

[Sam Riegel]

Or we're alive. No, we are alive. We are alive. We are figuring out our next steps. But you're not gone just yet.

[Matthew Mercer]

I.

[Alexander Ward]

As I always say, my favorite next steps are forward.

[Travis Willingham]

Honestly, next steps should probably be shelter.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Alexander Ward]

Oh, damn.

[Sam Riegel]

Arrow, you okay?

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

We should cover some ground.

[Liam O'Brien]

Start soon as we can.

[Sam Riegel]

You have your map?

[Travis Willingham]

I do.

[Alexander Ward]

Looking behind you, Arrow at the rest.

[Jasmine Buular]

Of the group that comes up.

[Alexander Ward]

The rest of the Dragonborn are here.

[Jasmine Buular]

As well, which is Celeste and her two children, Coswald.

[Alexander Ward]

And the last one you see here, who has been dreadfully silent this entire time, is Marlath. That bronze Dragonborn who has just been quietly panicking.

[Jasmine Buular]

Looking around, you see that he has basically made a point to say nothing. Right?

[Liam O'Brien]

Is he about to lose it on us? Can I tell?

[Alexander Ward]

Give me an insight check.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's pretty good. That is 18. No, that is 20. Dirty 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see him looking stunned by the turn of fortune that has seen him free, but also no longer on his way to the scaled tyrant. And you see him looking at all of you digging around in rubble to find supplies and survivors. And on that dirty 20, you see.

[Alexander Ward]

The calculations of someone so opportunistic that they sold out their canon Kith for a chance at great fortune.

[Jasmine Buular]

He's not going for a knife. There's nothing like that here.

[Alexander Ward]

But the dust has not yet settled in the wake of what is a bloody and gruesome miracle. And already some of your companions turn the wheels of their mind seeking advantage. That's what you see on his face.

[Liam O'Brien]

I walk past you and nod for you to bring your head down by mine.

[Travis Willingham]

Keep an eye on that one. Okay? He's looking a little twitchy.

[Jasmine Buular]

Coswold walks up to you and says, I might.

[Alexander Ward]

I'll see you for a second. E. And pops the muzzle off of you.

[Caroline Lux]

Just opens his mouth very. It's almost like a crocodile just opening this large mouth.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Jasmine Buular]

Starmion turns to you, Nia, and looks.

[Alexander Ward]

And just says, well, you think that we need shelter?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes, I think we need shelter. Did you have any personal effects you wanted me to grab? Maybe find some more? I remember our little small infirmary. Is there any food in there? Possibly. I know there wasn't any in the slot, but I remember earlier we mentioned there were small food sources in the mop, I think.

[Jasmine Buular]

Phaedra, you looking at that infirmary area where you found that stuff? Just see the edge of where you.

[Alexander Ward]

Got that original food from for the fine dinner upstairs.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead. If you wouldn't give me an investigation check with.

[Alexander Ward]

With advantage.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay. All right. I'm not gonna jinx it. I'm not gonna jinx It I'm a.

[Liam O'Brien]

Boy with a knife in his hand.

[Caroline Lux]

It's worse.

[Jasmine Shion]

It's worse.

[Jasmine Buular]

It's worse. What is it? A one and a three.

[Alexander Ward]

Oh, no.

[Jasmine Buular]

Phaedra, I look you open it up and see about 300 mice. I'll go 300 from a completely empty larder.

[Jasmine Shion]

Okay. Okay, wait. I do have a question. So I do have lucky. So when you roll a one on reroll that one.

[Jasmine Buular]

You reroll that one. That's correct.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, please, oh please, oh please. Ooh, that's better. 14.

[Jasmine Buular]

14. There are no mice.

[Jasmine Shion]

You open the larder redline that mice gone.

[Jasmine Buular]

Where does vision you open it on a 14. This is the fine dining larder for the well to do that have now all been sundered and destroyed. So your survival supplies are a bottle of a nice red. A wheel of very well maintained cheese, something about that big. And I think you also find in there a very small bottle of a glass bottle of fish roe. And this is what your band has to live off of.

[Jasmine Shion]

All right, gorgeous. Gorgeous. I come back and I say, well, all my friends are dead, but look at what I got.

[Travis Willingham]

We don't know if they're dead. We just don't know where they are.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's true. They're likely dead.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, well, things to consider too. Beyond just shelter. There's a lot of people out there scattered in largely those directions. Probably as desperate, if not more than we are. And desperation can make for challenging crossroads. So just we need to keep our eyes about us.

[Caroline Lux]

Not all of them could be prisoners either. Some maybe guards.

[Travis Willingham]

Even those who are might have been half turrets. And anyone can do strange things when on the edge of desperation. Death.

[Caroline Lux]

Oh, and he leans down to Phaedra, that dragon over there. And he points to the one, the shifty one.

[Jasmine Buular]

There's a bronze dragon.

[Caroline Lux]

Bronze dragon.

[Jasmine Buular]

Bronze dragonborn.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Caroline Lux]

I don't really know. But apparently he sold out some of us dragonborn.

[Sam Riegel]

Did he?

[Caroline Lux]

For payment.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so we keep an eye on him.

[Alexander Ward]

Of course.

[Jasmine Shion]

You know what? Keep an eye on all these people.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah.

[Caroline Lux]

Right.

[Jasmine Shion]

You know, Garan's right. Desperation does strange things to even good people.

[Caroline Lux]

Garan's right, but keep an eye on and everybody else. Got it?

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah.

[Alexander Ward]

Good.

[Liam O'Brien]

I say we take a little more time and start.

[Travis Willingham]

How's the wither looking on the horizon?

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead.

[Alexander Ward]

If you'd be so kind and give.

[Jasmine Buular]

Me a. I actually think this is not even perception. I think this is officially survival. As you guys get your supplies and get ready to head out, I'd Like a. I would like a group survival check. But I'll say, if one of you can beat a 15, that's good. If one of you can beat a 20, that's even better.

[Liam O'Brien]

And this is aimed at winding our way out of here.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah. Surveying the landscape, winding your way out of here.

[Liam O'Brien]

I have a trait, wanderer. You have an excellent memory for maps and geography. And you can always recall the general layout of terrain settlements and other features around you.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

So I probably saw a lot of this hell as I rolled into it.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Will that help me with this roll?

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead and make a roll with advantage.

[Sam Riegel]

Since I also have that feat, may I also roll with advantage?

[Jasmine Buular]

You may also roll with advantage. Thank you.

[Sam Riegel]

Please.

[Caroline Lux]

20.

[Sam Riegel]

20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hell yeah.

[Jasmine Shion]

Jesus. Math.

[Sam Riegel]

23.

[Jasmine Buular]

23. Whoa.

[Alexander Ward]

Awesome.

[Sam Riegel]

Plus 5 to survival.

[Matthew Mercer]

18.

[Jasmine Buular]

18.

[Jasmine Shion]

13.

[Alexander Ward]

Whoa.

[Liam O'Brien]

22.

[Alexander Ward]

22.

[Jasmine Buular]

You guys survey out here. Errol, you feel the heft of that map? You guys, I'll tell you what, these zero level characters are fucking kicking ass. It's crazy. Sorry.

[Liam O'Brien]

Vox machina. Get good.

[Jasmine Buular]

Incredible. I will ask at this moment too. This is an exceptionally high group skill check. So I will leave it fully. You get to the shattered wall outside of Rybad Cole. There are some small settlements out here. These settlements are laid to waste. Whatever battle occurred out here, you see that there is a canyon carved into the landscape from some blast of a God's might. That just leaves a whole village is gone. But you look out here in the distant night, you see ash and rubble, even more so than most. There is volcanic activity everywhere. You also see something that did not exist here. There are streaks of forest. When I say streaks of forest, it's like if someone threw a hand out and had a line of trees grow 40 miles in an instant from where they pointed their hand. And then all of those trees are dead. So you see whatever happened when combat erupted between the gods at the end of that. And you see the shattered armor. I mean at this point now, at the edge of the wall, you see scattered across the landscape pieces of of the armor of the Strife Emperor whose body is nowhere to be seen. Wherever that being was sent in defeat, the armor scatters and remains here. You sort of can't believe it. It's like this bizarre landscape with streaks now of dead leafless trees everywhere. And I think on this high group check, you immediately know the paths that non survivalists would take. Roads leading to villages. You see those paths and you see that they are disrupted by lines of trees. You don't know what kind of chaos that would create necessarily. But these dead forests that now exist here that are already beginning to crumble into ashes or ruin, would create some chaos there on that high roll. There are three possible pathways from here that it would occur to you to take if you want to find other survivors.

[Alexander Ward]

A dangerous proposition. Follow the roads that will bring you to people.

[Jasmine Buular]

But the state of those people and.

[Alexander Ward]

Whether those people are loyal or to.

[Jasmine Buular]

Whom or what they seek to do in the midst of chaos, who knows? You also see that these lines of trees streak from a northern point. And though there is a strange and.

[Alexander Ward]

Foreboding magic to them, they do provide.

[Jasmine Buular]

Cover to get north and get north quickly. And then the last thing is in some of the shattered villages there is a chance to maybe tarry and spend more time, which could be not a good idea. But you know that those shattered villages will maybe have another chance to look.

[Alexander Ward]

For supplies and water and things like that.

[Jasmine Buular]

So those are your three calls. Population centers. Hit the trees and move quickly or search in some of the shattered towns.

[Liam O'Brien]

Follow up question is that second option, the one that goes through the trees to the north for my mapmaker, Is that the best direction toward the sign that I was shown on my map?

[Jasmine Buular]

I mean, if it's not literally straight as the crow flies, it's off by less than 10 degrees for the COVID it provides. It's an incredible opportunity to mostly stay on course.

[Liam O'Brien]

So I think as the group is just looking off in all directions at this insanity and a God's shin guard looking like the Statue of Liberty at the end of Planet of the Apes. Arrow is thinking of what he saw alone as he reclaimed his belongings. And he's feeling the weight of a single water skin. And looking at their number.

[Alexander Ward]

There are, I believe, 12 of you here.

[Jasmine Buular]

You have a family of three. Dragonborn, Coswald and Marlath.

[Alexander Ward]

The five of you, Starmion and Gaunt.

[Liam O'Brien]

Arrow has lived on his own in wastes like this. On his own. And it has been hard. And the higher the numbers he knows, the less likely survival as possible. So knowing that he's gonna turn back to this group. I think we have to take care of each other here. I'm gonna suggest we head north. Just us.

[Travis Willingham]

We're taking the road still, right? Need to find others. We can't. We can't leave the vulnerable on our own.

[Caroline Lux]

Weren't you saying finding others could be dangerous?

[Jasmine Shion]

We're vulnerable.

[Travis Willingham]

It's meant to keep our eyes peeled. Hey, but what's worse? Letting those that can't protect themselves become waste?

[Jasmine Shion]

Look, they're gonna have to learn how to protect themselves. That's. That's the way the shit works. I know you don't like it, but Arrow's right. We have to take care of ourselves.

[Liam O'Brien]

This is nothing new. It's been happening for centuries.

[Travis Willingham]

And those who've endured have done so because they've stuck together. Not just as individuals, but as communities.

[Sam Riegel]

Realistically, what happens? We take the roads. We find people. They see what we have, they see our goods. They either welcome us with open arms and then we have more people to be responsible for. Or they kill us and take our things.

[Caroline Lux]

Right.

[Jasmine Shion]

Exactly. Best case scenario, we have more mouths to feed.

[Travis Willingham]

I know many of those prisoners. I've listened to them talk. They have more diverse and effective skills than just cutting stone. Many of foragers, farmers.

[Sam Riegel]

What is there to forage? Looking at this blasted landscape? What is there to farm? I Ira. Before they caught us, we were trying to get to somewhere. I say we keep going. We take the band that we have now. We do not abandon them. We do not abandon them. But I think we keep going.

[Liam O'Brien]

The reason our group wound up here is because of our numbers.

[Travis Willingham]

We are too great already.

[Liam O'Brien]

And something allowed for us to be breathing here.

[Alexander Ward]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't know how to explain it. That same presence, God or otherwise, is telling me.

[Alexander Ward]

To head north.

[Matthew Mercer]

Garan slowly turns the hammer in his tight grip around without really looking up from it.

[Travis Willingham]

They have two children among us. And many more children likely out there. He will walk your path. But we come upon any little ones, we don't leave them. Hey.

[Alexander Ward]

All right, friend.

[Travis Willingham]

What's the point in this soul if there's no one left to build the future?

[Liam O'Brien]

That's my point exactly.

[Travis Willingham]

Good. Lay it on then.

[Liam O'Brien]

Arrow rubs the scar on his neck and begins to trudge into the dead trees toward the north.

[Alexander Ward]

You avoid the shattered towns and avoid the road as you trudge.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead.

[Alexander Ward]

I'm going to ask for a couple checks in a row. Good, good, good, good. The first thing I will ask for is a survival check to maintain sustenance in this place.

[Jasmine Buular]

To stay fed enough after long, long days of walking.

[Travis Willingham]

Is this a group check or.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is a group check. So we're doing survival.

[Caroline Lux]

This is traveling for days.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is traveling for, like, days.

[Liam O'Brien]

The back end of the wanderer trade is you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water.

[Alexander Ward]

This land does not. Okay, okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

We are looking for the median roll.

[Alexander Ward]

Here to be a 15 or higher.

[Jasmine Buular]

If the median roll is a 20.

[Alexander Ward]

Or higher then we're all golden.

[Jasmine Buular]

If it's 15 or higher then we.

[Alexander Ward]

Are eking it out. If it's under that we're in trouble.

[Jasmine Buular]

What did we get here?

[Matthew Mercer]

11.

[Alexander Ward]

11. 12.

[Sam Riegel]

12.

[Alexander Ward]

16.

[Jasmine Buular]

16 12.

[Sam Riegel]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

17.

[Alexander Ward]

17.

[Jasmine Buular]

You move through in this space the first day of travel you arrive at.

[Alexander Ward]

The line of trees to the best of your ability. As you do moving through dead trees you see that your companions try to stick together here amongst the rotting vegetation. Starmion looks out and says now don't worry about lack of water or anything like that because you wouldn't. I don't know if your children have ever seen it but there was this. When I was a young boy where I lived we had this thing called rain and it would fall from the sky and it would. With trees like this I can't imagine that rain's not far away. Trees need rain as creatures need water. I have been here in the Ashlands of the Straits Vampira for quite some time but I've always kept a song in my heart to see rain again. I knew the day would come when I would and I have a funny feeling that it's right around the corner.

[Jasmine Shion]

I whisper to Crocus I say look, things are getting pretty dire. I think we might have to eat this halfling man. Not now but I'm just saying. Does Nia hear that he's clearly losing.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are you describing our first night?

[Jasmine Buular]

This is like your first night trip.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, I'm one night in. I'm already talking.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yep.

[Jasmine Shion]

It'S 24 hours of my God.

[Sam Riegel]

Now who are we eating?

[Liam O'Brien]

I think we're this night and any night he can Arrow finds a place like the bottom of a rise makes making sure there's ridges around. He gets down on all fours and starts pushing his hands along the earth because of the feed I took. Starts to mold the earth up into a large bowl shape almost like a little mini fort with a ringed in wall. It's all soil piled up which is a cantrip and then also it can be larger but he creates a small. I don't want to broadcast us like a beacon across the landscape a small bonfire. And lastly out of his belongings he pulls out an old waxy tight shrivel up little pine cone and he sets it on the earth and sort of rests his hands on it for a while and closes his eyes and just looks like he's meditating over it for a bit and then relinquishes it. And sitting next to the Fire. It starts to heat and pop. And the little scales of the pinecone slowly start to open up. And he starts prying out seeds from inside the pinecone which are now imbued with the qualities of the spell. Goodberry. And he begins to distribute the small amount of pinecone scenes to the people who are struggling the most in this little band.

[Alexander Ward]

Incredible. You watch Arrow with a practiced hand work this magic in this way for all of the fear. You see that the two little kids get a bunch bite of one of those seeds can rest easy.

[Jasmine Buular]

You see. Speaking for the first time that night.

[Alexander Ward]

As you're getting ready to bed down Marlath, that bronze dragon turns to look at you and goes that's some trick. Mm, very useful.

[Liam O'Brien]

What tricks do you know?

[Alexander Ward]

I was a harbor administrator so I know how to keep a ledger book and manage the affairs of merchants.

[Jasmine Shion]

Glad we brought you along.

[Liam O'Brien]

I learned everything I know know while traveling.

[Travis Willingham]

So if you keep your eyes and.

[Liam O'Brien]

Your ears open, you can learn as well.

[Alexander Ward]

Very good.

[Travis Willingham]

Shame to have to drag more dead weight.

[Matthew Mercer]

Garan just passes out.

[Jasmine Buular]

Exhaustion takes over that first day on that failed survival check.

[Alexander Ward]

That's your water and food.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Still got wine and the cheese.

[Jasmine Buular]

Still got the wine and the cheese. Okay. Okay.

[Jasmine Shion]

That was the wine. That was the fish eggs pouring row into.

[Jasmine Buular]

Looking at your map, you think you're about looking at the trees and how they travel. Travel is slower going through this weird ash covered woodland.

[Alexander Ward]

But it's giving you all advantage on.

[Jasmine Buular]

Stealth checks such that while you travel.

[Alexander Ward]

In them, we don't even have to.

[Jasmine Buular]

To roll those group stealth checks.

[Alexander Ward]

It's providing you cover from anything that would be searching for you, which is.

[Jasmine Buular]

A whole other half of this.

[Alexander Ward]

That would be a very frightening element of traveling on open roads.

[Jasmine Buular]

You think it's about a week or.

[Alexander Ward]

Maybe a little bit more getting through here. The next day the red smudge arises overhead. I'm going to need another crypser survival check. Thanks. Somebody else.

[Sam Riegel]

Somebody kind. Somebody good to me.

[Jasmine Shion]

Come on.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm gonna keep that if I can.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, Wonderful.

[Alexander Ward]

What's this?

[Matthew Mercer]

9.

[Jasmine Buular]

Come on. 22. 22.

[Caroline Lux]

10.

[Jasmine Shion]

6.

[Liam O'Brien]

Dirty 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

I'm gonna need everybody here to make.

[Alexander Ward]

A constitution saving throw.

[Jasmine Buular]

No, thank you.

[Sam Riegel]

God.

[Jasmine Shion]

My.

[Jasmine Buular]

Minus 1 nat 20.

[Caroline Lux]

Yeah, there we go.

[Jasmine Buular]

That's.

[Jasmine Shion]

I'm gonna use this. Okay. This. I don't think I've used this D20 yet. No fucking way. Six.

[Jasmine Buular]

Six.

[Alexander Ward]

Okay. 10.

[Sam Riegel]

19.

[Caroline Lux]

That'd be a total of 22 with a natural 25.

[Alexander Ward]

Five. Okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

As you. As you Continue to travel. I will allow your Wanderer abilities because we have two people with the Wanderer feet here. I think on your failed save. And what did you roll here?

[Sam Riegel]

It was a 17 on the die. Khan is plus two. Plus two. Sorry, I said 22. That was wrong. 19.

[Alexander Ward]

19 arrow.

[Jasmine Buular]

Your Wanderer feat means that you can.

[Alexander Ward]

Get enough to avoid the worst effects of that constitution save. Garan, you're getting up there in years on a 10.

[Jasmine Buular]

You take your first level of exhaustion.

[Alexander Ward]

Phaedra, you're getting hungry. You have shorter legs than everybody and you've been walking a long time.

[Jasmine Shion]

And I'm carrying this big ass wheel of cheese.

[Jasmine Buular]

You've been carrying the cheese.

[Alexander Ward]

It's kind of your cheese in a way.

[Jasmine Buular]

So the question I'll pose to you is, do you want to take that first level of exhaustion or do you want to convert the wheel into a.

[Sam Riegel]

Unicycle and ride it around on the dirt?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah. Or do you help yourself?

[Jasmine Shion]

I. You're doing fine. Right?

[Travis Willingham]

Food first.

[Caroline Lux]

Well, I did. Yeah. I have an iNatural20, so I'm not. I'm not looking.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah. I am gonna stealthily kind of as we're going, I say, you know, you guys keep going. I'm just. Legs are getting a little tired. Don't wait up for me. And as everyone kind of goes in front of me, I'm gonna stealthily eat a little bit of cheese.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hell yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Can I clock that?

[Jasmine Buular]

Give me a stealth check and give me a perception check.

[Sam Riegel]

Wonderful. 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

20.

[Sam Riegel]

Not 20. Definitely a six.

[Alexander Ward]

You.

[Jasmine Buular]

On a six?

[Sam Riegel]

I have a passive perception of 18.

[Jasmine Buular]

Oh, passive perception of 18. What was your stealth check?

[Sam Riegel]

20.

[Jasmine Buular]

20. Yeah. So overcomes it.

[Alexander Ward]

Secret.

[Travis Willingham]

Secret cheese.

[Jasmine Buular]

Secret cheese. Pocket cheese. So you help yourself and tuck into your remaining supplies. Several of your companions fail their constitution saves.

[Alexander Ward]

Starmion fails his. Getting very tired. And you see also that Marlath begins.

[Jasmine Buular]

To lag a little bit as well.

[Alexander Ward]

Both kids fail theirs too.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, God.

[Jasmine Buular]

Can I.

[Caroline Lux]

I'm going to walk over and I. Huge towering over the children, having really not spoken to them. Do they have. They have ragged clothes on?

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, yeah.

[Caroline Lux]

I'm gonna pick them up by the back of their clothes and I put them on my back. And I start on all fours like a giant monitor lizard, just walking through with everybody as they ride.

[Jasmine Buular]

The kids will no longer have to.

[Alexander Ward]

Make constitution saves for exhaustion.

[Jasmine Buular]

Celeste openly weeps as we do this.

[Alexander Ward]

She says, are you all right?

[Jasmine Buular]

Do you don't need any.

[Caroline Lux]

Fine.

[Jasmine Shion]

This one's tough as nails. I'll be Fine, thank you.

[Alexander Ward]

Thank you. I'm gonna need another survival check from everybody. You are making good progress.

[Caroline Lux]

Don't like natural 20.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, natural 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Hell yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

I definitely need disadvantage. You have disadvantage because of my exhaustion.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yes, you do.

[Jasmine Shion]

So many sixes this game.

[Jasmine Buular]

Survival 6, 6.

[Sam Riegel]

Another survival 21.

[Jasmine Buular]

21. Nat. 26, 6, 15. 15, 15 is the median roll. No constitution checks. That day. Wending your way back over there is.

[Alexander Ward]

A certain moment far off in the horizon where large flying shapes duck out of the clouds for a second. See all almost fiery wings in the distance, pursued by a shape like giant eagles and then are gone.

[Caroline Lux]

Belts on wings.

[Alexander Ward]

Strange events unfolding. Give me another group survival check.

[Caroline Lux]

Jesus.

[Sam Riegel]

Roll something different. No, no, I'm trying.

[Jasmine Shion]

Are you happy?

[Caroline Lux]

I rolled an 8.

[Sam Riegel]

No, that's not what I'm having.

[Jasmine Shion]

I also rolled an 8.

[Jasmine Buular]

No, no. 15, 15, 15.

[Caroline Lux]

That's total.

[Matthew Mercer]

When did this again?

[Jasmine Buular]

10.

[Alexander Ward]

8, 8, 10, 10. I'm gonna need constitution.

[Caroline Lux]

Hell yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

That's for everybody. And I'll need you to roll with disadvantage because you're carrying two kids on your back.

[Sam Riegel]

Constitution.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, that's a 10.

[Jasmine Buular]

17, 17, 12.

[Alexander Ward]

12.

[Sam Riegel]

Con is 13, 13, 10, 10, 11, 11.

[Jasmine Buular]

You are both going to take a level of.

[Jasmine Shion]

That's fair.

[Jasmine Buular]

Unless you want to eat all the remaining food.

[Jasmine Shion]

Not all. Wait, all the remaining food is what I'd have to do.

[Alexander Ward]

No, I'm not gonna do that.

[Jasmine Buular]

Cool.

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, good berry, which is good. Pine cones for me.

[Jasmine Buular]

Good pine cones is a daily.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's a one a day.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Can I circumvent that if I'm.

[Jasmine Buular]

If you're eating that yourself. It heals. Hit point.

[Liam O'Brien]

It does. Up to 10 for one hit point each.

[Alexander Ward]

Up to 10 for.

[Jasmine Buular]

For one hit point each.

[Alexander Ward]

So unfortunately, exhaustion is not hit point. It's not injury related.

[Jasmine Buular]

So this is just about the exhaustion.

[Alexander Ward]

Of the day in and day out.

[Caroline Lux]

It's an energy drink, not nourishment.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Jasmine Buular]

So each of you take a level of exhaustion now at disadvantage on ability checks.

[Matthew Mercer]

We can cast greed restoration here.

[Travis Willingham]

Right?

[Jasmine Buular]

I think we're good. No, me.

[Caroline Lux]

Yes, I'm the one.

[Jasmine Buular]

You would.

[Sam Riegel]

How do you have that in my healer's kit.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is day five. I'm gonna need a survival check. And now the three of you are rolling disadvantage.

[Liam O'Brien]

Son of a.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, that's four.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is survival.

[Sam Riegel]

Jesus. Math.

[Jasmine Buular]

23, 23, 21, 21.

[Alexander Ward]

Eight, eight. Natural one.

[Sam Riegel]

Can I. I can't help you.

[Jasmine Shion]

How can I help?

[Sam Riegel]

Can I go give him a hug?

[Alexander Ward]

Many of you feel your tongues beginning.

[Jasmine Buular]

To split from where they root to your throat. You've been just sucking down ash for days. Your eyes, they don't just sting.

[Alexander Ward]

Have you ever felt your eyes go numb?

[Jasmine Buular]

Getting through the woods is so challenging. You all fall probably once or twice every hour. Just without any physical obstacle.

[Alexander Ward]

Just from the pressure of continuing to walk with no food and no water. The water in the canteen long since gone. You are making progress as fast as you can. Some of you. I'm going to need constitution saves from everybody.

[Sam Riegel]

From everybody, yes.

[Caroline Lux]

It's a group Savage. Because I'm carrying.

[Jasmine Buular]

This is disadvantage because you're carrying.

[Jasmine Shion]

And this is also disadvantage for exhaustion.

[Jasmine Buular]

Not for exhaustion yet. Oh, sorry. Your survival is disadvantaged, but you can make your con save normally, right?

[Liam O'Brien]

Because saves don't get hit by level one of the.

[Jasmine Buular]

They don't get hit by level one.

[Matthew Mercer]

Level three is when saves are.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, I'll take that.

[Travis Willingham]

20.

[Alexander Ward]

20. 20.

[Sam Riegel]

16.

[Jasmine Buular]

16.

[Travis Willingham]

21.

[Alexander Ward]

21.

[Jasmine Shion]

5 5.

[Liam O'Brien]

Natural 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Natural 20. Okay. You see, Phaedra, your speed is halved with the second level of exhaustion. Oswald looks at you and says, sorry.

[Alexander Ward]

You see Gond the bugbear look at you and say, sorry.

[Jasmine Buular]

Do you want to jump on my back?

[Jasmine Shion]

I don't know if that'll help, but I could sure appreciate it.

[Alexander Ward]

And I do.

[Jasmine Buular]

He picks you up on his back.

[Alexander Ward]

Waists stretch far away. Those of you who have failed, take another level of exhaustion. Speed being halved means that the journey north is even longer. You hear shrieks of strange beasts out in the wilderness. How much death has visited this land in a short time. I'll need everyone here to make another.

[Jasmine Buular]

Survival check for me.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, this is torturous.

[Liam O'Brien]

Natural 20 doesn't do anything to undo, right?

[Alexander Ward]

Doesn't do anything to undo.

[Jasmine Shion]

I swear to God he gets 5. 16. 16.

[Caroline Lux]

17 was disadvantage.

[Jasmine Shion]

I finally rolled good. 14. 14.

[Jasmine Buular]

21. 21. Okay, wait. 21. What'd you get?

[Caroline Lux]

I got 17.

[Jasmine Buular]

17. What'd you get here?

[Alexander Ward]

Or sorry.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, 5.

[Jasmine Buular]

5. 16. 16. Okay. Successful day. You move forward and actually find. What you find here is there is a beast. You've come far enough north in the land that there actually is a wild animal. And you see that there is.

[Alexander Ward]

A.

[Jasmine Buular]

Fallen deer in this place. That is a recent enough kill that it is at least food. Choking down this food in dry mouths is extremely challenging.

[Alexander Ward]

There's still no fucking water.

[Jasmine Buular]

And you can survive longer without food than you can without water. But it's at least something. You know that water is a pressing need. You need to find it you need.

[Alexander Ward]

To find it soon. But this is a successful day. You can continue moving. I'm going to need another survival check right here.

[Sam Riegel]

Could I put my ear to the ground or clock my locket just to try and find the sounds of water?

[Alexander Ward]

Yes, absolutely.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go for it.

[Alexander Ward]

Give me a religion check.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Jasmine Buular]

Let'S go for the survival check first.

[Liam O'Brien]

14.

[Jasmine Buular]

14. What do we get here?

[Jasmine Shion]

4.

[Jasmine Buular]

4.

[Jasmine Shion]

I'm gonna die out here, bro.

[Jasmine Buular]

That one.

[Caroline Lux]

I'm rolling with disadvantage. I got a 4. I got an 18.

[Sam Riegel]

Dirty 20.

[Jasmine Buular]

Dirty 20 on a religion check. Survival. Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Religion.

[Jasmine Buular]

Cool.

[Jasmine Shion]

Crushing.

[Jasmine Buular]

Crushing stuff.

[Matthew Mercer]

441.

[Jasmine Buular]

Yeah, that's probably a good Gond is struggling. The person who is carrying Phaedra now is struggling.

[Jasmine Shion]

I said gone. Let me get down.

[Jasmine Buular]

I'm gonna need you try to get down. His speed is now also halved on that 20. Go ahead and give me a religion check.

[Alexander Ward]

Religion 12 on that survival check. You're not going to find water. You're traveling amongst trees in a dry landscape. That's where all the water is. It's in the trees. That's why you haven't found any. You're going to have to find water. Maybe you're far enough north.

[Jasmine Buular]

You're farther away from the volcanic activity to the south of here.

[Alexander Ward]

You've been traveling for days. You're.

[Jasmine Buular]

Your feet are cracked. All of you have hurt your limbs.

[Alexander Ward]

And feet in ways that will stay with you for the rest of your life. You will sustain injuries that will probably be with you until your very final day traveling in this level of exhaustion and delirium. It scrapes the inside of your eyelids to look left or right. You are so dried and hollowed out. You look over Nia realizing the reason.

[Jasmine Buular]

You'Re not going to find water here is the trees have sucked it all up out of the ground.

[Alexander Ward]

You're going to have to go farther afield. But that means going out into the open. What do you say? As your beleaguered comrades look at yet another night where Arrow prepares to make his good berries just to make something to. At this point.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia hasn't miraculously, has not taken any levels of exhaustion yet or at all, ever.

[Jasmine Buular]

Good for you.

[Sam Riegel]

Thank you. She's gonna manifest. She's never gonna have to take a level of exhaustion.

[Jasmine Shion]

I love that for you.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jasmine Shion]

So she.

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, what can you. She looks to her friends and just remembers what she said to Garan days ago. Change is coming. Change is coming. And she pulls out her locket, cracks it open, looks at the Picture of her sister remembers that that is. That is her North Star. And that is what she is hoping for. And she doesn't know who to, but she keeps it open, covers her hand over it and just prays. Prays for guidance. Prays for mercy. She's praying. Probably thinks that she's talking to her sister, wherever she is. Asks her to wait and hold on and do her best to put her mind's eye towards the fact that we are coming. And we are coming together, all of us.

[Alexander Ward]

As you do that, I'm going to need those of you few around Nia to make your constitution saving throw.

[Sam Riegel]

Myself included.

[Alexander Ward]

Yourself included.

[Travis Willingham]

17.

[Alexander Ward]

17.

[Jasmine Buular]

Success. 22.

[Sam Riegel]

22O. 14.

[Jasmine Shion]

14. 14.

[Jasmine Buular]

10.

[Caroline Lux]

Sorry.

[Alexander Ward]

20.

[Jasmine Buular]

You take another level of exhaustion.

[Sam Riegel]

Natural one, Brendan.

[Jasmine Buular]

Natural one.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

I took a level. Not if you're getting that level of.

[Caroline Lux]

Exhaustion you said you weren't going to get.

[Alexander Ward]

Yeah, that's what happens.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what happens.

[Jasmine Buular]

That's what happens.

[Alexander Ward]

You remember your sister's face the last time you saw it. Crackling fire. A small little pocket of the world under all this ash where people were close enough to still find a little bit of comfort. God. To hold on to that joy of being with the people you love while you can still taste the fear on the back of your tongue. She looked at you and said, I'm going to head out. But we'll find each other again. If you can make it to Torram's Hill. That's where I'm gonna come back to. And there's a chance that mom and dad are still out there.

[Sam Riegel]

We're gonna find them. I'm gonna meet you at Torrance Hill. It's going to be fine.

[Alexander Ward]

I know.

[Sam Riegel]

I don't know where they are. I can't. I can't put my mind to where they could possibly be. I have you. You have me. We're all we need.

[Alexander Ward]

We're all we need. You come back from this place of prayer, in this moment. If you're all you need.

[Jasmine Buular]

Do you have her?

[Alexander Ward]

She's not here. Maybe you don't have what you need. Do you feel the exhaustion set in? But you know that you're not going to find water in this forest. You see, as all the rest are bedded down here, one of the few that's awake is Starmion, who looks over at you and says, you're all right.

[Travis Willingham]

Mia.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm fine. Starmie.

[Alexander Ward]

I know we haven't had water in a few days. Do you think we might find some Soon, Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

Just have to get.

[Alexander Ward]

Past all these trees.

[Sam Riegel]

The trees have the water. The trees have the water.

[Alexander Ward]

Well, we could, if you want, we could take a small dive out of the. Because the forest is quite narrow. Maybe we could. We've been traveling for days. Maybe we could leave the edge of the forest just to see iron. Very parched.

[Sam Riegel]

You stay here. I'll take a peek.

[Alexander Ward]

I don't think. Not without some help. See, he takes a small letter opener out. I have to stay together.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes, we do, Starmion.

[Alexander Ward]

Yes, we do. On that 20 survival check you made, it's not a far walk to get to the edge of the treeline and look out to see if there's some source or body of water you could find.

[Sam Riegel]

I have darkvision, so I'm not going to go all the way up to the edge to reveal myself to whomsteever may be witnessing. I'm going to get close enough to still be concealed by the crisscrossings of trees. Yeah, but I can see 60ft as if it were bright light. So maybe I.

[Jasmine Buular]

Go ahead. Give me a survival check. Because you're trying to keep within that 60ft.

[Alexander Ward]

Due at disadvantage. Because you're trying to find it right next to you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Did you sneak away?

[Sam Riegel]

Um, I'm not trying to hide it, but I'm not trying to wake anyone. I think if this is in the night, I think Nia, she's exhausted. She's like laboring getting up. It's probably a noisy exit, but she's not. She's not attempting to.

[Liam O'Brien]

I think with two levels of exhaustion. He's not sleeping well. And the same way I followed you a few months ago. He does the same thing. Hears you and rises and trails behind a bit.

[Alexander Ward]

I'll say that any that wish to follow can in this moment as well. If your character Karn's just a. Knocked out.

[Jasmine Buular]

Knocked out.

[Jasmine Shion]

Oh, I was going to say I'll take a peek, but I don't have darkvision, so I don't think I'd be any use here.

[Alexander Ward]

It's nighttime. But there is a fire.

[Liam O'Brien]

There is a fire.

[Jasmine Buular]

There's a fire.

[Liam O'Brien]

Arrow's been.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah, well, there's a fire in our.

[Sam Riegel]

In our little walk away.

[Jasmine Shion]

Yeah. So I wouldn't be able to see anything if I go with you guys. But no, I'll stay awake and keep an eye out for you guys to return. And if anything is danger.

[Sam Riegel]

But Nia takes her bag with her.

[Jasmine Buular]

You take your bag, damn it.

[Alexander Ward]

An arrow.

[Jasmine Buular]

You, you follow behind. You arrive.

[Alexander Ward]

Go ahead and Give me a survival.

[Jasmine Buular]

Check with disadvantage to see if there is water within that 60ft.

[Sam Riegel]

Seven plus. You said survival. Survival. 12.

[Alexander Ward]

You look not within 60ft, but there's dark clouds, dark ashy wasteland. You see Starmie and goes, I don't think it would. I don't think it would be right next to the forest, would it? Maybe if we. I know we can't see out there, but we must have a little faith, mustn't we? Things can improve.

[Sam Riegel]

Do I know if Starmion has darkvision?

[Alexander Ward]

He doesn't.

[Jasmine Buular]

He's a little halfling.

[Sam Riegel]

Because Arrow and I have done. Yeah, because Arrow and I have done this dance before I leave, he somehow follows. I'll look to Starmian. Can we see the fire from where we once glow? I'm going, I'm gonna say, starmion, you can't see and I know you can't see. So how about you go back and me and my shadow cocking her head back to where she believes Arrow is. We'll press forward.

[Alexander Ward]

Are you sure you don't need my help?

[Sam Riegel]

She. Wherever that letter opener was, she takes it, folds it in his fist and says, your precious cargo. You stay back.

[Alexander Ward]

I'll make my way I back to the campfire.

[Sam Riegel]

How many levels of exhaustion has Starmian taken?

[Alexander Ward]

Starmian was in the infirmary when this adventure started. You think Starmian is about to maybe make a very significant constitution saving throw?

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, Mia, but Nia's a nurse. She knows what this looks like. She's going to take the letter opener from him. Is he carrying anything? He's just an old man with a letter opener. He doesn't have a bag or effects or stuff. Yes, she's going to take his letter opener. He's going to hold his hands so tight and remember his face, every wrinkle. She doesn't know if she's ever going to see him again. So she takes this weapon and sends him on his way.

[Alexander Ward]

As you take it, he looks at.

[Jasmine Buular]

You, looks back at the walk to the fire.

[Alexander Ward]

Arrow, you're very nearby and see him in this moment, you see. He looks at the walk back to.

[Jasmine Buular]

The fire and goes.

[Alexander Ward]

2, 3. Think there might be water closer by. I just want to feel it again with my hand. It's been a long time since I felt the rain.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia goes into her pocket and pulls out the locket, opens it and leans in to show Starmion. And she goes. If the rain never comes, we make our own. This is my rain. Go find yours. And she presses on.

[Alexander Ward]

You press On Arrow, do you follow?

[Liam O'Brien]

Presses on out into the dark. I do. But as I watch Starmion slouch his way back to the fire, I think of I've lived through weeks like this at least seven or eight times in my life and I have seen Starmion's arc play out many, many, many, many times and push and pull between giving up hope and just living to live and believing in something more has been a teeter totter for him his whole.

[Travis Willingham]

Life.

[Liam O'Brien]

Which has tended to lean towards the more survival oriented life. And watches the old man settle down and then he coughs a bit, his chest rattles and he turns and follows Nia into the dark.

[Alexander Ward]

In that moment that you hesitate just for a second to watch Starmian, he takes a step, holds his side, gets on one knee, lies down on the ground, looks up and meets your gaze for a moment. I'll. I'll find it. Maybe it's waiting there on the other side. The light leaves.

[Liam O'Brien]

Every play. Nia's voice in my head saying to Garan change is coming. Which reminds me of someone else from a long time ago.

[Alexander Ward]

Right?

[Liam O'Brien]

Nod my head at Starmian and head out into the dark.

[Alexander Ward]

Nia. You take first one step, then the other, exhausted out into the darkness. Trees behind you. You hear Arrow's footsteps approaching ash and waste. It's hard to see out here. Just wish holding onto that locket, that there was any light at all to see.

[Sam Riegel]

Dark vision.

[Alexander Ward]

For 60ft, but past that to see the landscape. To see where if there's something understood. And after your first few faltering steps, you're not. Not more than 20 yards from where you started. You look up. Lightning illuminates the landscape and the rain starts to fall.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia doesn't dare look behind her, but she knows that Starmion made the rain.

[Alexander Ward]

The plains are illuminated by lightning.

[Jasmine Buular]

All of you sleeping by the fire.

[Alexander Ward]

The fire begins to sputter and there.

[Jasmine Buular]

Are no leaves on the trees to protect you. So you come to the kids, open their mouths up to the rainwater falling and you immediately. Arrow and Nia watch and look down. Thankfully, you're on a ridge right now.

[Alexander Ward]

Chaos.

[Jasmine Buular]

Just like a landscape. Every time it's illuminated, you see fields.

[Alexander Ward]

Of ash suddenly picked up by water that it can't sink into the oily.

[Jasmine Buular]

Charcoal ground and just floods deep down underneath. Just waves of ash and debris moving through a landscape.

[Alexander Ward]

But water in your eyes, getting the dust off your skin.

[Jasmine Buular]

In between your scales, the grime. For the first time you can move your hands again. It's not choked in your knuckles by ash.

[Alexander Ward]

Distantly moving across the landscape light. You see a colossus 300ft tall moving across the land. Skin like lightning and ice and marble blue clouds, massive brawny shoulders, beard and hair of endless fog and cloud and vapor. It is shocking and horrifying to watch as he illuminates the nighttime landscape.

[Jasmine Buular]

But.

[Alexander Ward]

The Lord of Storms walks across this land, surveying as the rain falls in this choked place. Each step with thunder. Those of you in the woods can see the light towards the east of something moving across the land. The stormlord rain falls down his own titanic shoulders as he looks bringing life and water, this cleansing rain into this place. Do any of you move to the forest's edge to behold this?

[Jasmine Buular]

I'll move out there.

[Caroline Lux]

You're seeing the light.

[Jasmine Shion]

I'll get to it.

[Alexander Ward]

Phaedra. You look and see limp and soaked, his eyes staring straight ahead, unable to feel the rain on his face is Starmion's body looking out.

[Jasmine Shion]

What do you think happened to Nia and Arrow? You were with him.

[Travis Willingham]

Don't know.

[Jasmine Shion]

Just take a bit more of a look. Keep going to the closer to the edge.

[Jasmine Buular]

There's a reminder. Rise maybe 30 or 40 yards away.

[Alexander Ward]

Not far.

[Caroline Lux]

I'll pick him up as we go.

[Alexander Ward]

You pick up Starmian.

[Jasmine Buular]

Your group arrives at this ridge.

[Alexander Ward]

And you behold a God walking across the landscape. His countenance grave and sorrowful.

[Sam Riegel]

Nia drops to her feet, not locked to her feet, Jesus to her knees, palms cupping the water, not looking at the God before her, but looking at the water pooling in her hands. And I don't even think she realizes she's saying it out loud, but is just saying thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Arrow is watching the God stride across the landscape and he's holding his open skin out to slowly collect water and just mutters briefly.

[Travis Willingham]

Give and take.

[Liam O'Brien]

Take.

[Travis Willingham]

And take and give and take.

[Alexander Ward]

You feel the weight growing in your hand. The God continues to stride to you all watch in silence in this moment and allow the God to pass.

[Travis Willingham]

Or.

[Alexander Ward]

Do any raise of voice or seek to be seen by the divine. In this moment.

[Caroline Lux]

I think Crocus, he hears people talk about gods and I don't think he understands what that is or if that correlates to what people refer to as gods. And I don't think he understands what he's looking at.

[Alexander Ward]

You behold this being and I think everyone else knows what they're seeing and so it stays in their own moment of thankfulness.

[Jasmine Buular]

For the water.

[Alexander Ward]

Or lost in thought and memory.

[Jasmine Buular]

Crocus.

[Alexander Ward]

You gaze directly at this being, unaware of what it even is. And from across a landscape a towering colossus turns with eyes of lightning and meets your gaze directly. Exactly.

[Caroline Lux]

Shit.

[Alexander Ward]

Speaking with a voice of thunder that you feel rumble in your chest. Are you afraid?

[Caroline Lux]

He puts Starmie down on the ground. Yes.

[Alexander Ward]

Will you flee?

[Caroline Lux]

Would it help?

[Jasmine Buular]

Up.

[Alexander Ward]

You are tired from carrying yourself. And you see that both of the little kids turn up to look at you in this moment who have been riding your back for days. It is your own weight or the weight of another that has tired you so.

[Caroline Lux]

He looks down at the kids.

[Alexander Ward]

That is what strength is for.

[Jasmine Buular]

Lightning crackles out from him.

[Alexander Ward]

Mist surges up from the ground around you.

[Travis Willingham]

We are leaving.

[Alexander Ward]

Forever. Okay. You witness the final miracles. You will need to be strong. You will need to stand and lift up those who cannot lift themselves. Our age of doing. Doing so is at an end. I hope you will be strong. And the Lord of Storms turns and begins his northward march across the plain.

[Jasmine Shion]

Did all of us hear that?

[Jasmine Buular]

Or just all of you heard that?

[Travis Willingham]

Should.

[Caroline Lux]

He saw us? Should we go? I don't know who that is.

[Alexander Ward]

As the mist clears at your feet you see that there is a.

[Jasmine Buular]

Thick.

[Alexander Ward]

Leather belt with two clasps of dragon ivory at the buckle on the ground at your feet.

[Caroline Lux]

Take it out. Belt.

[Jasmine Shion]

It's a gift, I think. Maybe from the gods.

[Caroline Lux]

Is that a God?

[Jasmine Shion]

I can't explain it, but I don't know what else it could be.

[Caroline Lux]

Wild Just picks up the belt.

[Jasmine Buular]

Picks up the belt. Looking out. There is a crackle of lightning as the Colossus moves behind a range of.

[Alexander Ward]

Mountains and vanishes from this place. Starmion's body lies amongst you. Your companions lower their heads. Crocus. You hold a gift, but more than that, you have all heard the words spoken. These are the last days where miracles like this will be seen. As the rain falls, your sudden boon of life giving water now threatens you with chill and cold. Give and take. You will need to find shelter and quickly. The road to safety is never guaranteed. And you have only yourselves to rely on.

[Jasmine Buular]

That's all for this episode of Exu Divergence. We'll see you all next week. Aftercare time, after care time. And of course, as I always remember, isn't Thursday yet. Remember it every time. You can't say I don't. We'll see you all next week. Take care.

[Liam O'Brien]

This is Liam O'Brien with a hearty thank you for joining us on this episode. Of Exandria Unlimited on the Critical Role Podcast Network. If you've enjoyed the show, please leave us a review on the podcast app of your choice. Who knows, maybe your review might just lead a new critter to embarking on this wild ride. There are unlimited stories to be told, and we can't wait to keep telling them until next time. Is it Thursday yet?