Tag Team At The Teeth: The Misty Ascent | Critical Role Sydney Live Show 2025 Part 2

Summary

Critical Role Sydney Live Show 2025 Part 2: "Tag Team At The Teeth: The Misty Ascent"

Episode Overview

In the thrilling second part of the Critical Role Sydney Live Show 2025, the beloved group of voice actors delves deeper into their epic tabletop role-playing adventure. Titled "Tag Team At The Teeth: The Misty Ascent," this episode showcases intense battles, character development, and intricate storytelling that exemplify Critical Role's signature blend of imagination and collaboration.

The Village of Utazo and the Mysterious Drop Bears

As the adventurers find themselves in the heart of the village of Utazo, they grapple with a series of unsettling revelations and an uncanny sense of belonging that eludes recognition by the local inhabitants. Suddenly, the tranquility is shattered when colossal, fiery drop bears descend from the jungle canopy, initiating a fierce ambush.

Matthew Mercer (DM): "In the center of the village of Utazo, a series of revelations, ever unfolding mysteries, an odd sense of belonging, yet not recognized by the very community and culture that you belong to. And then you're attacked by drop bears. Everyone roll initiative."
(03:41)

Battle Against the Drop Bears

The group springs into action, employing a mix of strategy and spontaneity to fend off the aggressive creatures. Spells like Firestorm and Fireball are cast in unison to combat the threat, resulting in significant damage to the drop bears but also escalating the danger as the enchanted beasts become engulfed in flames.

Ashley Johnson (Player): "I'm going to place my fire like directly underneath them and I'm just going to keep creating flames of wall underneath them until it ends right above us."
(07:23)

Despite their efforts, the battle intensifies as the drop bears retaliate with razor-sharp claws and vicious bites, causing considerable injuries among the adventurers. The dynamic interplay of character abilities and teamwork is on full display as the group navigates the chaotic skirmish.

Revealing Ethel's Secrets

Amidst the chaos, Ethel uncovers hidden aspects of his past and his connection to the village and the surrounding land. Through song and communion with nature, the party gains insights into their true purpose and the looming threat emanating from the misty ascent.

Laura Bailey (Player as Jester): "Protector of me, don't let me die. I wanna survive and find out who I really am."
(22:15)

Climbing the Mountain and Facing the Shadow Entity

With the immediate threat subdued, the adventurers set their sights on ascending the treacherous mountain, guided by visions and cryptic messages. The path is fraught with natural hazards and spectral adversaries, testing their resolve and unity. As they near the apex, a formidable shadow entity emerges, embodying the ancient evil that threatens the island.

Matthew Mercer (DM): "As you begin to trek from the jungle to the base and curvature of the mountain itself, heading towards the northeast direction, climbing upward with it, towards some direction that calls to you in hopes of finding your friends, or what the source of this terrible shadow wave seems to be..."
(37:24)

The Confrontation at the Peak

The climax of the episode unfolds atop the mountain where the shadow entity confronts the adventurers. Utilizing a combination of powerful spells, physical might, and sheer determination, the group engages in a high-stakes battle to dismantle the dark force at the mountain's heart. Critical moments include Caleb's transformation into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Marisha's devastating Disintegrate spell, and Ashley's awe-inspiring rage-fueled attacks.

Taliesin Jaffe (Player as Chetney): "I am going to do reckless for the first hit. And also, I wanna try a great weapon master."
(23:01)

The battle is fierce, with each character leveraging their unique abilities to weaken the shadow entity. Despite taking substantial damage, the group's relentless efforts culminate in a pivotal strike that begins to fracture the dark presence, hinting at an eventual victory but leaving lingering threats.

Emotional Character Moments

Throughout the episode, the bonds between the characters are tested and strengthened. Laura Bailey's character, Jester, experiences profound revelations about her identity and past, while interactions among the players highlight themes of trust, sacrifice, and camaraderie.

Sam Riegel (Player as Veth): "We're not doing another show in Australia, are we?"
(21:07)

Cliffhanger and Tease for the Next Part

As the shadow entity begins to dissipate, the adventurers face unresolved mysteries and the haunting echoes of battles fought in parallel realms. The episode concludes with the group bracing themselves for the challenges that await, setting the stage for the next installment of their epic saga.

Matthew Mercer (DM): "As you leap into the expanse below, plummeting into the very dark heart of this shattered mountain. We'll see what the other half says in Melbourne, but for now, we close this half of the chapter..."
(134:22)

Conclusion

"Tag Team At The Teeth: The Misty Ascent | Critical Role Sydney Live Show 2025 Part 2" delivers an action-packed and emotionally charged continuation of the adventurers' journey. With masterful storytelling, dynamic character interactions, and intense gameplay, Critical Role once again captivates its audience, leaving fans eagerly anticipating the next chapter of this mesmerizing tale.

Matthew Mercer (DM): "Thank you all so much. Have a wonderful night."
(136:29)

---

Notable Quotes:

• "Protector of me, don't let me die. I wanna survive and find out who I really am."
  Laura Bailey (03:22:15)

• "I have a really powerful heal, but I kind of want to wait."
  Ashley Johnson (23:05:11)

• "As you begin to trek from the jungle to the base and curvature of the mountain itself..."
  Matthew Mercer (37:24)

• "Ashton's ...,"
  Taliesin Jaffe (91:00:36)

These quotes encapsulate pivotal moments of strategy, character development, and narrative progression, offering a glimpse into the episode's dramatic flair.

Transcript

[Matthew Mercer]

This episode is brought to you by FX's alien Earth, the official Podcast. Each week, host Adam Rogers is joined by guests, including the show's creator, cast and crew in this exclusive companion podcast. They will explore the story elements, deep dive into character motivations, and offer an episode by episode behind the scenes breakdown of each terrifying chapter in this new series. Search FX's alien Earth wherever you listen to Podcasts Introducing Family Freedom from T Mobile.

[Liam O'Brien]

We'll pay off four phones up to.

[Matthew Mercer]

$3200 and give you four free phones, all on America's largest 5G network. Visit t mobile.com familyfreedom up to 800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phone via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement. Example Apple iPhone 16128 gigs $829.99 Eligible trade in example iPhone 11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due if you pay off early or cancel. Contact Us Morning. One sausage McMuffin with egg, please.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, your total is.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wait, let's negotiate. How's about you throw in hash browns for a dollar?

[Ashley Johnson]

Well, yes sir, that price is already a dollar.

[Matthew Mercer]

Take it or leave it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Take it, I guess. Buy one, add one for a dollar on sausage McMuffin with egg, hash browns and more with McValue. Most locations open 5am or earlier. Price and participation may vary. Limited time only. Valid for item of equal or lesser value.

[Marisha Ray]

Hey there Critical Role 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 event presales, merch discounts, access to a private community discord, and new exclusive series like Crazy Critical Role Cooldown where we riff after the show. 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 so much for your support for being a podcast listener and for being a part of our community.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hey there critters. This is Ashley Johnson and Telus and Jeffe, and we're popping in here to talk about our new podcast on Beacon. Weird Kids.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

In this series, we're diving into our lives as former child actors, from unraveling our eccentric upbringings to embracing all the delightfully odd interests we still have today.

[Ashley Johnson]

We're covering so many topics like antique toys, taxidermy, Japanese pop culture, and honestly, anything else we come up with.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Weird Kids is available exclusively on Beacon. But good news, we're offering a one month free trial on Beacon TV so you can take a look before you become a member. Just use the code weirdos at Beacon TV to start the trial.

[Ashley Johnson]

You can also find fellow weirdos by following the series on our heirdkids pod Instagram and using the hashtag weirdkids.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

So, to all the misfits, outcasts and weirdos out there, come take a seat at our table and celebrate all things unconventional, nostalgic and wonderfully weird. Welcome to Weird Kids.

[Ashley Johnson]

New episodes release every Tuesday.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hello there, it's Liam o', Brien, and you're listening to part two of this episode from the Critical Role Podcast network. If you haven't checked out part one yet, pause this now and head over there first. Otherwise, enjoy part two.

[Matthew Mercer]

So, as we left off, in the center of the village of Utazo, a series of revelations, ever unfolding mysteries, an odd sense of belonging, yet not recognized by the very community and culture that you belong to. And then you're attacked by drop bears. Everyone roll initiative.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

God damn it.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh my God. I don't want this.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, you're done.

[Sam Riegel]

What is a drop bear?

[Matthew Mercer]

I'll describe them for you shortly.

[Ashley Johnson]

Dang.

[Matthew Mercer]

25 to 20.

[Marisha Ray]

22.

[Matthew Mercer]

All righty, let's go, Lautna.

[Marisha Ray]

I shouldn't be here.

[Ashley Johnson]

I also got 22.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, rolling. Wait, you gotta make eye contact.

[Ashley Johnson]

Natural 29.

[Matthew Mercer]

Damn.

[Marisha Ray]

Nine.

[Matthew Mercer]

Jester's up first. Paul Balotna. 20 to 15.

[Laura Bailey]

16.

[Matthew Mercer]

18.

[Marisha Ray]

What?

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, wait.

[Travis Willingham]

Roll with me.

[Sam Riegel]

It's gone. I lost it. It's gone.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You both okay?

[Sam Riegel]

12.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, we got Veth, Chet.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And Caleb.

[Matthew Mercer]

Caleb and Caleb. All right, 15 to 10. 10.

[Ashley Johnson]

13.

[Marisha Ray]

14.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

10.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, wait, who got what?

[Ashley Johnson]

So, Ethel, Yasha, Ash.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, that's right, Ash.

[Matthew Mercer]

Perfect. So as these massive terrifying shapes drop from the jungle canopy above, you see these massive furry forms. Their weird oblong arms with massive blade like claws. Their noses, these strange oval shaped almost like felt. Textured things that barely obscure the mouths filled with sharpened teeth, rows and rows of sharp teeth. Their tiny beady eyes burn a bright angry red as they leap down, five of them tearing from the ceiling above. But Jester and Laudna, you have the drop. Jester, you're up front. What do you want to do?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, okay, where are they in relation to us?

[Matthew Mercer]

They're dropping from above.

[Ashley Johnson]

And how clumped are they?

[Matthew Mercer]

Well, you guys are pretty fair clumped. And they're above you, so there's a. I'd say they're all within like 10ft of each other.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Combo attack.

[Travis Willingham]

Don't pip.

[Matthew Mercer]

It don't feel.

[Sam Riegel]

Can we do that? I don't.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't have a plan.

[Matthew Mercer]

I just said it sounded cool next to each other. So if you want to. What do you want to do?

[Ashley Johnson]

You could. I could do like a commit to the bit I could do. Hold on.

[Liam O'Brien]

So they're freeze frame dropping in the sky right now.

[Matthew Mercer]

They're currently.

[Laura Bailey]

I bet you're wondering how I got into this situation.

[Matthew Mercer]

Damn it.

[Laura Bailey]

Beat me to it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, so I was thinking I was going to do a firestorm.

[Marisha Ray]

I was thinking I was going to do a fireball.

[Matthew Mercer]

Fire spall.

[Ashley Johnson]

Should we fire spall at the same time? Just an explosion of fire.

[Marisha Ray]

Just burn this indigenous forest to the ground.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, they are dropping on us.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. I'm going to place my fire like directly underneath them and I'm just going to keep creating flames of wall underneath them until it ends right above us. So they have to keep dropping through fire in order to reach us.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so go ahead and roll damage for your firestorm. You can easily get them all within it with that range there. And so roll damage for your firestorm. You roll damage for your fireball. All right, I'm going to go ahead and make five dexterity saving throws. Those are all bad. Oh, no. The first three were at least 96. That's bad. They're all bad. They all fail.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, really? Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

They're fast at dropping. They're not fast at avoiding farther.

[Liam O'Brien]

New bear just dropped.

[Matthew Mercer]

Take 10 points of psychic damage, Caleb.

[Ashley Johnson]

37.

[Matthew Mercer]

37 points of fire damage.

[Marisha Ray]

Hang on, hang on, hang on. I'm almost there. I'm almost there. Oh, these are good. These are very good roll rolls. Nine plus six is definitely 15. Okay, so it's 12, 11. Okay, hang on. I'm doing math. I'm doing jet lag math.

[Matthew Mercer]

5 live on stage 38.

[Marisha Ray]

38.

[Matthew Mercer]

38.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

That is a combined 75 points of fire damage that tears through the canopy, the nearby trees, and these drop bears as they descend, they're now fiery drop bears. They are just surrounded in angry red flame as they plummet down on top you from above. Screeching.

[Sam Riegel]

Good God.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It'S worse.

[Matthew Mercer]

Finishing both of you. Guess that spell veth. You're up with Chetney on deck. As they slam into the ground near you, the flames flickering and burning, the heat itself immense upon just the proximity of your skin, these fiery drop bears are now ready to unleash a cavalcade of raking, slashing claws. What do you do?

[Sam Riegel]

They're all together in A club.

[Matthew Mercer]

They're all through your group now. You were all clustered, and they dropped amongst the rest of your group.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, my God. And there's five of them.

[Matthew Mercer]

There are five of them.

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, I guess I'll just take one out. I will aim my Aorian security cannon. Is one engaged with one of my friends that I could get sneak attack.

[Matthew Mercer]

They are all engaged with all of your friends.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, I'm gonna pick which one looks like the alpha bear.

[Matthew Mercer]

Make an insight check for me.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, that's a two, but insight, you said?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

17.

[Matthew Mercer]

17. It's hard to tell. They're all on fire. Pick one.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

Do you want to know which one's the daddy bear?

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

Because it's. It's which bear's too hot. It wasn't that good. I'm probably gonna fuck myself first. I interrupted this really good action.

[Matthew Mercer]

Thanks for coming, buddy. Yeah, that's all right.

[Sam Riegel]

That's what he looks like. You know what?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm gonna.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm going to aim for the one closest to Ethel. Because he's already been traumatized. I don't want him to get.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, let's go.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay. I I oh, boy. A million to hit. 17 plus 13.

[Matthew Mercer]

That definitely hits. Go ahead and roll damage.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay. And because it's sneak attack. Oh, my God.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, this is going to be rough.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go. Okay. There's a lot of clicking. Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, God. 26, 29, 34, 5. 36, 37, 38, 45, 45 points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

As you blast this flaming drop bear, it pierces through its torso and fires at the back end. A splatter of fiery blood just complete across the front of Ethel.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, no. I've traumatized him even more. Don't look. Don't look. Just look me in the eye.

[Laura Bailey]

Look me in the eye. It's old bloods in my eyes.

[Sam Riegel]

Just look me in the eye. And as he's looking me in the eye, I'm going to fire at another one with my bonus action. Go for it. That's also a million 27 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That hits. This is the one by Laudna.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes. But no sneak attack damage this time.

[Matthew Mercer]

Correct.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, so just, just a cool 13.13points.

[Matthew Mercer]

Of damage on that one. Great. As you fire it and you're briefly traumatized from the display, the smell of burning fur completely fills the surrounding air as the drop bearer that you shot looks down at its open, gaping wound in its torso and looks up at you. Chetney, your turn. Yeah. It's okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's time to Go.

[Travis Willingham]

Fur on fur. And I'll take my claw and I'll slice down my body from chest to groin and I'll peel back the skin as I step out with wolf legs and wolf arms and chest. But I just have a Chetney mask and my Chetney skin is flapping behind me like Superman's cape.

[Sam Riegel]

Look what you've done to Matt.

[Matthew Mercer]

I don't want this fan art. I don't want this.

[Travis Willingham]

I do. And I'll make two swipes with my wolf clip claws against Care Bears.

[Matthew Mercer]

The one that's closest to you, Chetney.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Travis Willingham]

That's a 14, 24 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That definitely hits. Go. Roll damage.

[Travis Willingham]

That's blur. That's 14. 18 points of slashing damage for the first one.

[Matthew Mercer]

You got it.

[Travis Willingham]

And on the second one, that's 27 to hit. That hits for a whole load of damage in your face. 10, 12, 13 points of slashing damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Got it. Two massive strikes cutting through it. As the flames begin to subside, the burn scars across its body, the slash marks from your claws, it's still standing toe to toe to you. By that I mean in your woven form, it is still a little bit taller than you. These are massive bears.

[Travis Willingham]

I peel off the Chetney face to reveal my wolf and just go.

[Matthew Mercer]

It comes back at you. And with that, the drop air is going to take their turn.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, shit.

[Matthew Mercer]

Two attacks against you immediately. The one that's still living with a giant puncture wound. That's going to be. Oh, 25 to hit.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay. Yeah, yeah, it does hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

And a 19 to hit.

[Laura Bailey]

Can I make a reaction right now? Can you like. I make this shrieking sound which is like the most discordant sort of noise. Confusing crescendo. And I. Which I guess just terrifies him into like or confuses him into like.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. So go ahead and roll a perspiration check for me to use your confusing crescendo. Yes.

[Laura Bailey]

It's all I'm good for, baby. That's a friggin nat one.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, no.

[Laura Bailey]

That's how you play this, right?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, yeah. The drop bear stops and cocks its head.

[Ashley Johnson]

Ow.

[Matthew Mercer]

So first it's going to hit you with a claw rend. That hits you for 21 points of slashing damage. And I need you to make a strength saving throw for me. Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

Excellent. I saw what I've always. What I've wanted to do. That's a three. The two plus one.

[Matthew Mercer]

Rather, Matt, you are grappled as it strikes you and pulls you close. Now you are grappled. It's going to do its jagged bite, which if it goes against a grappled target, it's an automatic critical success.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

It goes and bites towards your throat with its jagged teeth. This is going to be. I'm going to. I'm going to roll this damage here.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, new friend.

[Matthew Mercer]

I rolled a 10 or an 11 on 2D12.

[Laura Bailey]

You guys didn't like this character, right?

[Matthew Mercer]

That's 21.

[Sam Riegel]

42.

[Matthew Mercer]

57 points of piercing damage as it just. And tears a chunk out of your neck.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, my beautiful music maker.

[Matthew Mercer]

The one coming after you, Laudna. That's going to be a 20 to hit you.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. So that's going to be 21 points of slashing damage. And make a strength saving throw for me.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, this is gonna go great. Okay, that's pretty good. I rolled a 16 minus 2.

[Matthew Mercer]

15 was the DC, so that's a failure.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, great.

[Matthew Mercer]

You are grappled by it, which means its second attack is an auto crit. If it hits you. It rolled a 15. What's your armor class?

[Marisha Ray]

Silvery barbs. I can't do that, can I? If it's an auto crit, I can't. Silvery barbs.

[Matthew Mercer]

If it hits you, though.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, it hits.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, it hits. That hits you with a 15.

[Marisha Ray]

Shield.

[Matthew Mercer]

Shield will prevent it from hitting you. Okay, so it. It's slashes you with its claws and pulls you in as it tries to bite towards you. This arcane field suddenly protects you and rebounds. Its teeth kind of cracking and shattering in the front. It pulls back and the broken teeth in its mouth goes.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm sorry.

[Matthew Mercer]

And you watch as another roe fills in the broken teeth.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm not sorry.

[Matthew Mercer]

The one that's coming after you, Chetney, in vengeance for your strikes. Okay, the first attack. Attack for you is going to be a 25 to hit you. You take 21 points of slashing damage. Make a strength saving throw for me, please.

[Travis Willingham]

Beautiful strength saving throw. That is a 16.

[Matthew Mercer]

16 succeeds. You are not grappled. The second attack is going to be a 17 to hit you. What's your armor class? 20. It misses you with the second strike. Nice one's coming after you, Jester. That's going to be 26 to hit. You take 21 points of slashing damage. Please. Make a strength statement to her for me.

[Sam Riegel]

You're strong. You'll be okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

A strength. Whoa. Did you see that?

[Sam Riegel]

I saw that.

[Ashley Johnson]

That was so cool.

[Liam O'Brien]

Tightrope walked on the side of her box.

[Matthew Mercer]

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa, man. Whoa.

[Sam Riegel]

That's Travis's job.

[Travis Willingham]

I believe you mean four.

[Ashley Johnson]

Nine.

[Matthew Mercer]

It grapples you with its claws. That pulls it a lot of nine. Pulls you in. The second attack is going to be a 21 to hit you. What's your.

[Ashley Johnson]

Come on. It hits me.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, that's an auto crit against you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, is he banned?

[Matthew Mercer]

These are not been Bane. No, but that is going to be okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

But can we pretend that 55.

[Matthew Mercer]

Points of piercing damage against you, Jester. As it sinks its terrifying drop bare jaws into your shoulder and the side of your neck. You feel the warmth of just crimson red blood begin to fill your outfit.

[Ashley Johnson]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

And the final one is coming after you, Ashley.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's a horse.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, cool. All right, that is real bad. A natural two and a natural three. So I'm pretty sure those both miss you. Dropbear's turn is done. That brings us to Caleb with Ethel on deck. Caleb, what you got?

[Liam O'Brien]

Caleb in the fog of war is still focused on this gore covered wolf with a little old man cape and just says that is the greatest toy maker who ever lived. But then he sees Jester getting fucked up and he shakes himself out of it. His hands come out of his mouth. There's so much blood and phosphorus coated thread forms a cat's cradle. And he slams it into the jungle.

[Travis Willingham]

Floor.

[Liam O'Brien]

Casting Widowgast's web of fire. And snakes of fire race between his friends through the craziness, striking each of these drop bears.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so go ahead and roll damage for that.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's a dex. Save for them.

[Laura Bailey]

You got it.

[Matthew Mercer]

First one. Ooh, that's a 19 for the first one.

[Liam O'Brien]

Fail.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, fail on the second one then. Oh, a 20.

[Liam O'Brien]

Fail.

[Matthew Mercer]

So they have to roll a natural 20 to succeed here. Natural 20.

[Marisha Ray]

Silvery barbs.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wait, wait, wait.

[Marisha Ray]

Silvery barbs. I can. Silvery barbs.

[Matthew Mercer]

About him. Your favorite spell. Favorite spell.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh.

[Matthew Mercer]

It is not an unmatched 20. That's a failure. And the last one fails. Yeah. All right, good to know. Okay, I'll remember this.

[Travis Willingham]

He's going to kill you next.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, well, 22, 27 plus.

[Sam Riegel]

Wait, didn't you just use a reaction to do a shield?

[Matthew Mercer]

You're right, you're right.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh shit. Betrayed. What side are you on? Betrayal. Silvery barbs.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're totally right. So sorry. One of them succeeds. So the damage.

[Liam O'Brien]

34 points of fire damage to each except for one.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. It takes half damage, right?

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

The flames coming off Marisha right now.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes, yes.

[Marisha Ray]

Yep.

[Liam O'Brien]

Marisha will remember this.

[Marisha Ray]

Uh huh.

[Sam Riegel]

We're not Doing another show in Australia, are we?

[Matthew Mercer]

No.

[Ashley Johnson]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

So two of these drop bears that were already damaged by some of you in the previous rounds ignite and shrivel into ashen husks as they burn at the touch of this fiery arcane web. The other three that still stand look fairly injured, but nevertheless more furious and more bloodthirsty in their burned visage. I believe that finishes your. Your go there. Oh, yeah. All right, finishing Caleb's go. That brings us to Ethel with Yasha on deck. What would you like to do?

[Laura Bailey]

Am I still getting, like, grappled by angry koala?

[Matthew Mercer]

No, the one that was grappling, you burned away in front of your eyes.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm just covered in blood. I'm like, oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. And I look and I just try and find, like, the biggest thing next to me, which is. And I just put my hands and I just sing and I go, Protector of me, don't let me die. I wanna survive and find out who I really am.

[Sam Riegel]

Who I really am.

[Laura Bailey]

And, like, the air burns around his ears, and you just, like, you feel this incredible strength. And for the next round, you have all your attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. Have advantage.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I made the face that whole time of just. But there was a little bit of.

[Matthew Mercer]

Like, it wasn't pumped yet.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, but there was. I was going with the rhythm of it, though. I didn't want to. Oh, my God.

[Liam O'Brien]

Did you shoot out a little gravel?

[Matthew Mercer]

Just a little.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Just a pebble.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Just one fruit pebble. Oh, my God.

[Matthew Mercer]

Awesome. Does that finish. Your turn, Ethel.

[Laura Bailey]

And then I just hide behind you?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's fair.

[Matthew Mercer]

Perfect. Valid. All right, finishing Ethel's go, that brings us to Yasha with Ashlynn on deck.

[Ashley Johnson]

I would like to rage.

[Laura Bailey]

Let's go.

[Ashley Johnson]

So I would like to rage. I'm gonna go reckless for the first hit. And also, I wanna try a great weapon master.

[Sam Riegel]

Let's go.

[Ashley Johnson]

Because I think I ever did it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right. I also realized when I'm looking at this, on Scald Saber, I also have a D8 of fire damage. Never knew that.

[Matthew Mercer]

You should do that.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't know if I ever use that.

[Matthew Mercer]

You should do that.

[Ashley Johnson]

But I'm gonna tonight.

[Matthew Mercer]

You should do that.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's better late than never, I guess. Okay, can we.

[Sam Riegel]

Should we go back and redo all the episodes?

[Ashley Johnson]

Is that okay?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, we can probably do that real fast.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, wow.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. That is 18 plus 15.

[Sam Riegel]

It's a million.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, it's a lot. Okay, so give me just A second. It's so quiet in here, it's making me nervous. All right, I'm bringing up my calculator cuz I don't want to make you guys wait.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's actually really riveting.

[Ashley Johnson]

I know, I'm really sorry. Equals. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, all right, all right.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. Okay, so the first hit is 36 points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Nice. Okay, here's my question. Is this against the one that's on Laudna, the one that's on Ashton, or the one that's on Jester?

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, come on. Look, Laudna's not your wife.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, but she reminds me you. She really reminds me of somebody. Whatever you're vibing, I got to go. I. I feel like I would go for Jester. I'm so sorry. I'm going to go for Jester. I mean for the Drop Bear. That's call him Jester. Not just Whoa.

[Travis Willingham]

That would have got a little Jester.

[Matthew Mercer]

Huh?

[Sam Riegel]

Well, that was away.

[Matthew Mercer]

That was great. A mighty Skull saber swing carves through this fire coated Drop Bear. It takes the hit. It survived the blow. It looks very hurt, but it's still standing.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, second hit. Oh no, that's a two. Well, hang on a minute.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're reckless, right? Reckless?

[Ashley Johnson]

No, but I think reckless you can only do first hit homework.

[Travis Willingham]

It's all your.

[Matthew Mercer]

All your attacks. That round of advantage.

[Ashley Johnson]

Well, okay, that's that. Yeah, that hits. Okay, but if I'm using Grey, my master. 15 plus 7, that's 22, minus 5.

[Matthew Mercer]

Minus 5 is 17.

[Ashley Johnson]

Does that still hit?

[Matthew Mercer]

That misses. All right, second strike goes wide. It is now deeply wounded.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait a minute, I didn't add the plus 10 from the great weapon master for the first hit. So there's also. So that was 46.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. Yes.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh my.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, no, that's good to know. It is deeply hurt, but still standing.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

It is. It is very impacted by that.

[Laura Bailey]

Dear Yasha, you're so deeply hurt.

[Matthew Mercer]

For years everyone thought Verizon had the best network because they did. But now the best mobile network in the US is T Mobile. T Mobile's network has the most advanced 5G with more towers and their signal reaches further than ever. So you can text and insta talk and say, you won't believe where I am. T Mobile has the best mobile network in the US. Based on analysis by Ooklev Speed Test Intelligence Data1h 2025 CT mobile.com network hey there, critters.

[Travis Willingham]

This year marks our 10 year anniversary of critical role and we are partnering with Fathom Entertainment to bring our 2025 tour to movie theaters across the US and Canada. Head to theater to see the Wedding of the Year coming to theaters on October 15th with an iconic Jester and Ford wedding at our New York City live show. Visit fathomentertainment.com criticalrole to find tickets in theaters near you. That's fathomentertainment.com CriticalRole.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, finishing Yashas. Go. That brings us to Ashton to finish out the round.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All right, I'm just going to. Let's see, we've got one. One. Yours is still standing. I'm going to. I'm going to start with your problem. Yeah, I'm going to start with your problem right there.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go for it.

[Sam Riegel]

Which one?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

The one that has a little heart tattoo on its ass is where I'm going to start. So let's hit that.

[Liam O'Brien]

How sick is Taliesin's Mohawk tonight?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's all the. All the stuff in the world. That's 19 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

19 hits.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All right, so let's start there with. That will be 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 8, 9, 10, 11. 22 points for the first hit. Oh, actually, I also raged. I'm so sorry. I forgot there was a rage there. I'd already marked it off. And because of what I got, my rage is.

[Matthew Mercer]

Where'd it go?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Fundamental forces. I got gravity. So I will play with that in a minute. In the meantime, I am going to now just pass the one I just hit and go over to the one that is attacking Jester.

[Matthew Mercer]

Alrighty. So you strike heavily at massive impact to the one that gets hit by the side of your hammer, stumbles over, hitting the side where one of the buildings barely catching itself before. Before it falls over as you use that momentum to move over to the one that's in front of Jester.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And I keep swinging and I. I bring it around. I bring the hammer down on the one that's with Jester.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And that's a 25 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That definitely hits.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And that's nine. That's, I believe, 22 points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

On that one as you splatter its head and shoulder with one heavy hit. You hear this sickening crunch as it. And then just falls to the ground limp.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Right before I run back to try and get into combat with the one that's bothering you, I just take a look at Yasha. Pick up the pace, Rammstein. All right. And then I'm up.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'll take it. I'll take it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Wow.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wow.

[Travis Willingham]

One group's better than the other.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's what you get for giving bad dating advice, man.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, anyway, top of the round, Jester, you're up.

[Ashley Johnson]

There's one left. How many are left?

[Matthew Mercer]

There's one that's on Ashton and one that's on. Actually one that was on Ashton, but then you moved in front of the one that's on Laudna, so there's two left.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. Are they injured?

[Matthew Mercer]

They're both injured.

[Travis Willingham]

What are you gonna do?

[Matthew Mercer]

Heal them.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, no.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't like him.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wow.

[Marisha Ray]

A lot of sniping happening.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, between tables. What's happening?

[Matthew Mercer]

It's getting juicy is what's happening.

[Marisha Ray]

I thought we were friends.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wow. Well, look.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hold on, I got to see if I've got my thing on. Hold on, this is important.

[Marisha Ray]

What thing?

[Matthew Mercer]

What?

[Ashley Johnson]

Listen, it's a thing.

[Matthew Mercer]

She's got a thing.

[Ashley Johnson]

I gotta see how it works. I'm gonna walk up. Can I put my hands on both of them?

[Matthew Mercer]

Sure, I'll allow it.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna use my ring of spell splitting, and I'm gonna cast influence. Inflict wounds. At what level? Let's say like fourth.

[Matthew Mercer]

Fourth level. Inflict wounds as you reach out both hands. You catch Ethel out of the corner of your eye as she puts her hands out. Like a green cloak seems to apparate around her head and shoulders, and you almost, for a split second, see ethereal being almost guiding her grasp outward, almost like a. Like a father would hold a child's arms out. And then it kind of looks to you and as a flash of orange hair, you see a wink, and then it's gone as you blink. What the hell?

[Laura Bailey]

I think I was just flirted by. With.

[Sam Riegel]

On.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go ahead, roll your first attack. Roll on the one against Laudna.

[Travis Willingham]

Flirted on.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, I was.

[Matthew Mercer]

We can roll both.

[Ashley Johnson]

I should. I have not done.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's fine. No, no, no. What was. What was one of them?

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, I moved that. That was low. 9, 11, 20.

[Matthew Mercer]

That hits.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, the other one is 2 plus 11.

[Matthew Mercer]

Second one misses. Go ahead and roll damage on the first one.

[Ashley Johnson]

Fine, that's 60. 10. Look, that doesn't. Lots. That's. Ooh, that's a lot. 17.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, boy.

[Ashley Johnson]

Plus.

[Matthew Mercer]

Whoa.

[Ashley Johnson]

17 plus 19.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

And then for the last. Whoa. Plus another 17.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

53. Now who does little bits of damage, you piece of shit?

[Liam O'Brien]

It is riddled with chlamydia.

[Matthew Mercer]

You watch Ashton as the bear withers away in a horrible high pitch, crumples into dust, as you just see Jester standing with her hand out in front staring daggers towards you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

There's a gravity point on. Which means the dust actually is going to just kind of smack into me.

[Matthew Mercer]

As it goes too. Golf clap. Finishing gestures. Go laudnir up. Beth on deck.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

How many, how many are left?

[Matthew Mercer]

One is left.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. All right.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to skip over. I'm going to be like. Me too, me too. And I'm going to cast blight on the last drop bear.

[Ashley Johnson]

Right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Constitution saving throw, I believe it is.

[Marisha Ray]

Let me find it. I'm going to do. Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm pretty sure. 15 does not succeed.

[Marisha Ray]

It does not succeed. I am going to spend a sorcery point to empower this as well. Or have two sorcerer. I don't know. I'll look at. I'll do it. I'll do it right. I swear. Okay. 8D8. So I can.

[Matthew Mercer]

Whoa.

[Marisha Ray]

I can reroll ones or twos as part of this. Okay, sorry. Bear with me. Okay, Bear, bear with me.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

We all take psychic damage there.

[Marisha Ray]

That's a two. So re roll that. Oh, this is good, you guys. Okay, okay, one more time. Sorry, I'm moving as fast as I can. Okay, so that is going to be. Okay, wait, let me math 10.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, thanks for watching us do addition, guys.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, Great. What does 44 points of damage get me?

[Matthew Mercer]

44 points of damage will get you the full final blow on this final drop. There, Laudna, how do you want to do this?

[Sam Riegel]

I Silvery barbs her attack.

[Matthew Mercer]

Do you?

[Marisha Ray]

We'll address that later, little one. So Laudna's head cricks to the side and you see as her hands start to go into the soil of this forest and. And a black, sticky, almost brownish ooze come out of her. And if you're close enough, it smells a little salty. Almost like it's a little salty almost a little like a soy sauce or. It's got a little char to it. As you see a very popular bread spread drip over this drop bear as he chokes and withers and dies.

[Matthew Mercer]

You just vegemite a drop bear today.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes, I did.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Play into the crowd. Yeah, it's awesome.

[Sam Riegel]

I love. Just. Just to acknowledge, you had to sign language interpretation vegemite of drop bear to death. Amazing.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm going to need to look that up later.

[Matthew Mercer]

Cheers for our amazing interpreter, everybody. And as you hear the choked gurgle of the final unfortunate drawback consumed by this strange alien jam like hell substance.

[Marisha Ray]

You shouldn't have too much. You shouldn't have it.

[Sam Riegel]

It needs cheese.

[Matthew Mercer]

Butter, the calm washes over the surrounding village once more a little worse for wear, but surviving. And the ominous shape of the mountain ahead of you. And the questions before this encounter had occurred and this ambush had found you still kind of jogging around in your minds.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hello, it's Danielle Fishel, Ryder Strong and.

[Matthew Mercer]

Will Friedle from the podcast Pod Meets World.

[Ashley Johnson]

But you may know us best as Topanga, Sean and eric from the 90s TV show Boy Meets World.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just over 30 years since the show debuted, we're sitting down as adults to re watch the whole series. And some of us are doing that.

[Liam O'Brien]

For the first time ever.

[Ashley Johnson]

And you won't believe some of the things we have uncovered.

[Matthew Mercer]

Like, I swear, they invited inmates to join our live studio audience before we had enough fans to fill it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Still can't prove that one.

[Matthew Mercer]

I mean, not like violent crime offenders. We did, however, confirm that our stage manager hid a stuffed animal lobster in.

[Liam O'Brien]

Every episode for the last two seasons. And now we're obsessed with finding it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Whether Sean joined a cult, the students of John Adams Higher being stalked by a scream esque bad guy, or it's just Corey being borderline manipulative to Topanga.

[Matthew Mercer]

We'Re breaking it all down episode by episode with stories and analysis you've never.

[Liam O'Brien]

Heard before straight from the horse's mouth.

[Matthew Mercer]

We have a horse?

[Ashley Johnson]

Not yet, but you should all listen to find out if we end up getting one.

[Matthew Mercer]

Follow us on social media at podmeatsworldshow. Check out Pod Meets World on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts and join the fun today.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm sorry about your friend Joreu.

[Laura Bailey]

That's fine.

[Sam Riegel]

That's fine.

[Laura Bailey]

I don't know what to say to you. I'm kind of scared of all of you after what you just did to those bears.

[Sam Riegel]

I'll wipe some of the blood off of what I can reach.

[Laura Bailey]

I don't want any trouble.

[Marisha Ray]

That's fair.

[Laura Bailey]

But I don't know. I mean, yeah, it's sad that he's back to petrified, but he didn't recognize me. I've known him every day of my life.

[Sam Riegel]

But. But he didn't know who you are.

[Matthew Mercer]

He.

[Laura Bailey]

He was confused.

[Sam Riegel]

He said something about wandermen wandering into the town.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, he said there was a cave. They had a cave on the north side, the northeast side. There's. There's. There's some shit going.

[Sam Riegel]

Were you one of them, perhaps?

[Laura Bailey]

No, no, no, no. Look at.

[Matthew Mercer]

Look, look, look.

[Laura Bailey]

And he's pointing to his tattoo. And he's pointing. I'm I'm from. I'm from here, okay? I'm not wandering. Don't fill me full of soy sauce.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm not. I'm not. But there is something going weird. I'm not. Okay, I didn't say this before because I wasn't sure about you guys. I've seen a lot of weird stuff on this island that wasn't.

[Sam Riegel]

We're normal.

[Ashley Johnson]

How do you know you've seen a lot of weird stuff? You just remember stuff.

[Laura Bailey]

I know, and that's what I remembered. It's confused. Confusing, okay? But one thing that's really confusing, but it's kind of becoming kind of clear to me now since I've seen these things, is I'm remembering things that I didn't do.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, what?

[Laura Bailey]

Like blackout drunk sort of stuff. Like, different. Like, I'm remembering. I'm like. It's like I'm doing something. I'm like. I've seen those drop bears before. I have this weird vivid memory the second I saw them, of running away and. And Giordio actually, like, jumping in and saving me from one, but it wasn't me. It's like I was watching a video of it or something like that.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wait, what?

[Sam Riegel]

Wait. When our friends were separated from us back on the ship, for a second, it felt like we were in the same space, but two different realities. Did you. Did you catch that, too?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, my God.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's.

[Laura Bailey]

I feel.

[Sam Riegel]

Are you. Have you been split into two somehow or did you have a twin or.

[Laura Bailey]

I didn't have a twin, but the first part sounds right.

[Sam Riegel]

You've been split into two. So you're 14ft tall? Normally, yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

Eight feet wide.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wow.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

But this. This makes sense because you also said that, like, when you were singing, that you feel like you needed a harmony, right? Like you needed a second half.

[Laura Bailey]

What do you think it's like up in the mountain?

[Ashley Johnson]

Do you want me to sing harmony with you?

[Laura Bailey]

I think that unless you're the other part of me, then maybe.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, I don't think we should wait here for a long wave of darkness to rob us of our vitality so we end up like the people people.

[Ashley Johnson]

Here we are the go.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, hang on, hang on, hang on. I can maybe help you guys. Really helping me. And I put my hand against the tree and I. And I kind of go. Which is just a major scale going down. And I want to try. And, like, I want to try from the fifth to the tonic.

[Matthew Mercer]

Don't worry about it.

[Laura Bailey]

And I try. I'm trying to, like, talk with the. With the tree and, like, send some harmonics. I want to understand if there's, like, a safe place around that we can go or what direction we can get away from this.

[Matthew Mercer]

So as you begin to hum with it, the rest of you feel on the ground beneath your feet. The ground seems to almost vibrate along with him. The slow. It seems to almost shift with it. Like, the ground, the actual nature around is resonating and responding to his song. And as it does, you feel the safest direction is away from the mountain. But at the same time, the mountain is where you're meant to go. And you get a sense from the trees and the vines and the very dirt and earth that surrounds this space that the path is to face that fear and trek where you don't want to. It's where you belong.

[Laura Bailey]

I have bad news, guys. The dirt told me we have to go up the mountain.

[Travis Willingham]

The dirt told you to go up the mountain?

[Laura Bailey]

Who said that? Oh, shit. I didn't see you. Sorry.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sorry. You mean the dirt told you to go up the mountain?

[Laura Bailey]

The trays of the dirt.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, I'm a big fucking wolf now, by the way.

[Laura Bailey]

Apologies.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, so let's do it.

[Marisha Ray]

Let's do it.

[Ashley Johnson]

I mean, we're still trying to get Ludinus, right? I mean, I don't understand what is.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Happening, but if we keep getting hit by waves and do not find our friends, if we find Ludinus, it is not gonna go well.

[Ashley Johnson]

Does that mean that Ford could be, like, right here next to us, but we just can't see him?

[Marisha Ray]

Do you sense him? Like lost souls, your twin flame.

[Travis Willingham]

Our wedding is in peril.

[Ashley Johnson]

All the planning for nothing.

[Travis Willingham]

Pink on pink on pink.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, so much.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, can I cast. Wait, What? Yeah, can I cast? This is good. True seeing.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, sure.

[Ashley Johnson]

It shows hidden things, and it shows the ethereal plane. And maybe I'll see, like, remnants of the other party.

[Matthew Mercer]

As you focus, it's almost like a curtain has always been over your eyes, and the hands of the traveler reach to pull them from. As a voice in your ear says, dear, look beyond the normal, and with that, beyond sight. Holding the sword before. And you see there is a strong spiritual presence to this island. This is indeed a thin veil between the physical world and the realm of the spirits beyond. Immediately, your eyes see amongst all the trees and the grass.

[Laura Bailey]

Grass.

[Matthew Mercer]

The very rock itself has a spiritual essence, diminished as it may be. It's like seeing everything in bright blues and greens. Everything has this odd kind of gossamer blown out. Blossomed light to it. And you can see little spirits floating through the air, though many of them seem to congregate and float around Ethel. Ethel glows brighter than any of the surrounding spirits in this space. And you see within the core of Ethel's torso, a black void. Like something has been plucked from the center of their being.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, no, wait.

[Laura Bailey]

I got something on my shirt or something.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, you're empty. And inside.

[Matthew Mercer]

Justin, what the hell? Wow.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, lady, I don't know. You okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

There, there.

[Laura Bailey]

It's okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

You're empty, but you're really sparkly, so that's good.

[Laura Bailey]

Thank you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah. Wait, are you a ghost or something?

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to try to.

[Laura Bailey]

Keep asking me that.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to try to put my hand on the. The black void. Can I touch you?

[Laura Bailey]

Thank you for asking.

[Ashley Johnson]

I learned that from my friend Henry.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's important. Go ahead and roll an inside check for me.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay? Go, go. All right, all right, all right, all right, all right. Okay. Oh. 22.

[Matthew Mercer]

22. The touch to this part of Ethel's torso. It is cold to the touch, but you feel a flash of connection. Like your consciousness, not unlike a SCRY spell experience, just thinner. Like you're through a keyhole. And you feel like for a brief moment, you are looking into the parallel realm. You've already had a vision of the spirit realm overlapping this kind of ethereal midpoint. But you are seeing through the rock. You are seeing a vision of another entity very similar in appearance to Ethel, though a bit more slumped, a bit more driven, a different energy, walking with other spirit like entities that resemble a rather ripped looking woman with fists clenched. You see a number of other companions familiar who are missing on the ship, walking with this other Ethel. Before your vision comes back.

[Ashley Johnson]

I saw your twin or your soul or something like the inside of you is like another you and it's in another place and it looks like a little tougher.

[Laura Bailey]

That's completely fine with me. Like a tough little babushka.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

What do they sound like? What were they playing?

[Matthew Mercer]

They weren't talking.

[Ashley Johnson]

I didn't hear them talking. But they. They were with. They were with Ford and Ball and your other friends.

[Laura Bailey]

Where were they?

[Ashley Johnson]

Huh? Oh, like here. Like, I don't understand it either one.

[Liam O'Brien]

Tick off our own reality. Are you saying.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, definitely.

[Matthew Mercer]

That you did see them surrounded by cavernous rock.

[Ashley Johnson]

They're surrounded by cavernous rock. Like a cave. Like a cave.

[Sam Riegel]

Like a cave.

[Ashley Johnson]

We should go on the northeast side of the island where the cave was, where the watermen were.

[Matthew Mercer]

We should Go.

[Marisha Ray]

It's connecting.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, my gosh. If we can get in the exact same places, then maybe we can overlap with them and meet each other again.

[Marisha Ray]

And we all have to sing a harmony together.

[Ashley Johnson]

You can be whole.

[Laura Bailey]

That'd be nice.

[Liam O'Brien]

My buxom blue friend Alone we would.

[Laura Bailey]

Be lost could we buxom?

[Liam O'Brien]

But with the nine of us we are strong May I touch you?

[Laura Bailey]

Please? For the love of God, touch me.

[Liam O'Brien]

And Caleb turns into a massive Tyrannosaurus.

[Matthew Mercer]

Rex rising up underneath Ethel.

[Laura Bailey]

That's the sickest thing I've ever done in my life.

[Sam Riegel]

Jester, that was amazing detective work.

[Ashley Johnson]

Thank you.

[Sam Riegel]

But don't you think you should heal Ethel? I think he's very injured.

[Ashley Johnson]

Aria, clean.

[Laura Bailey]

This entire time. We got, like, blood all over me.

[Ashley Johnson]

How injured is everyone?

[Travis Willingham]

Ethel's riding a T. Rex. They're not feeling it.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm fine.

[Laura Bailey]

I give a. I'm on -10 hit points. I'm fine.

[Liam O'Brien]

Ethel's 40ft up.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm. I'm doing all right. Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Look, I got a really powerful heel, but I kind of want to. I want to wait. You know what I mean?

[Laura Bailey]

I'm fine. Sam, this is your lunchtime, mate. We can just wait this entire time if you want. Are you being silly over there?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes, I was being silly.

[Laura Bailey]

Mr. Regal. See me after class, all right?

[Sam Riegel]

Got Tim Tams.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, no. You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna do a prayer of healing again while we're walking.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sure.

[Marisha Ray]

Are you sure?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, yeah. But I'm gonna do it at a much lower level. At the fourth level. Oh, yeah. So that'll be 48 of healing.

[Marisha Ray]

You know, Chester, you have a.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go ahead.

[Marisha Ray]

You have a gift.

[Ashley Johnson]

What do you mean?

[Marisha Ray]

Just being able to heal people, you know, free of charge and without and freely, you know. It's not free.

[Ashley Johnson]

I mean, it's not free. It's not. Oh, really?

[Marisha Ray]

I'm just saying.

[Ashley Johnson]

Expense of doing other cool shit.

[Laura Bailey]

I had no idea. You gave me this tattoo as well. Kind of plays you a bespoke little song. And you can have a Bardock inspiration just as we're going as payment.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Thank you.

[Liam O'Brien]

The T Rex's massive tail slams into the earth twice. Looking at Lautana and Jester and his little hand goes.

[Sam Riegel]

He really wants to get going.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. We should go.

[Ashley Johnson]

We gotta go.

[Marisha Ray]

We gotta go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, let's move.

[Laura Bailey]

As we're writing, can I play a song on my lute which is kind of sounds a little bit half. It sounds. It's kind of sad because it does sound quite happy, but at the same time, it sounds like half the notes are missing, like it's an arpeggio and it kind of sprays up and it hits. Goes to a point that doesn't ever come, and then it falls back down and it's a bit sad. And I'm going to use that as my inspirational bout.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. As you hear this sad tone, this. This song that is just one part of two, the music still reminds you of. Of your friends that are missing and the vision that you had and the hope that they're safe and the hope that you all can come together once more as a scattered, dysfunctional family.

[Ashley Johnson]

I heard it.

[Matthew Mercer]

You all gain 15 temporary hit points from the inspirational ballad.

[Ashley Johnson]

And you all at six of us can heal 37 points of damage. Oh, well, five more because I took one for myself.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm good.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, I'll take it.

[Sam Riegel]

I'll take one too.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

Can I please have one?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes, of course.

[Laura Bailey]

Thank you.

[Matthew Mercer]

As you begin to trek from the jungle to the base and curvature of the mountain itself, heading towards the northeast direction, climbing upward with it, towards some direction that calls to you in hopes of finding your friends, or what the source of this terrible shadow wave seems to be, you begin to climb this sundered mountain, treacherous and wild. Massive segments of broken crag jutting out at odd angles, like a long past blast of force that pushed out sections and howled through some unseen will. You can see chasms snaking up and around the mountainside, creating this endless winding series of paths. Cliff edges, stone outcroppings, floating boulders that just slowly spin in the air as the heavy wind begins to pick up around it, whipping, pushing. And you all have to stay nearby and tight to the mountain, especially as a T. Rex, to keep from being blown off the path. Best you can in trekking towards what you believe to be the direction of either this cavern on the mountain or towards the apex. Tell me where you're heading. You see, the wave of shadow is emitting from the top of the mountain, or at least heading downward. You heard that there was something on the northeastern side of a seaside cave. You have a choice here. One of these paths can be your destination. Which do you choose?

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, but what if our other friends are doing the other thing we can do? The other one? Did that make any sense there?

[Laura Bailey]

Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

What? We have to think like them. Think like them? Which would they pick?

[Ashley Johnson]

Well, they already did. I saw them in the cavernous area.

[Sam Riegel]

Well, then we should go to the other one, right?

[Ashley Johnson]

We should go up.

[Sam Riegel]

I think so. If you saw them in the cavern, then we don't want to double up. That would be two boring shows.

[Travis Willingham]

I agree.

[Matthew Mercer]

Up we go.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, you're no longer a wolf.

[Travis Willingham]

No. It shrinks after an hour. Now I've just got this really stretched out Chetney suit and it kind of smells.

[Laura Bailey]

It puts the lotion on the Chetney.

[Sam Riegel]

Then let's go up.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Up it is.

[Matthew Mercer]

Now, this mountain itself is quite dangerous in its own right. We'll be considering this a skill challenge. To ascend to your destination proper, you will need three successes as a group before two failures. As the heavy winds begin to get heavier and more bludgeoning more dangerous. The rocky pathway itself, partially like old rock slide trails that are loose and crumbling under footfalls and elements that are already cracked but still holding. You're uncertain how long they can keep the weight of your troop. As you go, you see the first path that seems to be a fairly safe rapid ascent is like a corkscrew strip of stone where elements of low scrub and outside jungle flora still cling to it. Like an almost like a Sonic the Hedgehog level. It kind of corkscrews up around the side at a weird angle and you can climb it semi safely. But who's going to be helming this trek forward? Who feels confident in their climbing and leadership capabilities?

[Liam O'Brien]

This looks climbable.

[Matthew Mercer]

It looks like it could be okay.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm sure it is. Sure it is.

[Sam Riegel]

I thought you've got a look in your eye.

[Laura Bailey]

I think I might be able to help. And I spit on my hands. And I play a song like asking the rocks to make themselves more presentable to us so we can climb it without as much danger.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. Could you please sing a little bit of what you speak to nature here for me? I'm gonna make you sing for your supper. Bow.

[Laura Bailey]

Naughty Mountain doesn't want us to go up to you, but me and my friends will put our boot right into you.

[Matthew Mercer]

I would like you to roll a persuasion check for me, please.

[Laura Bailey]

It's kind of like an intimidation. What I was was doing there.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, that too. Intimidation if you prefer it.

[Laura Bailey]

Cool. That's a 16 plus 13.

[Matthew Mercer]

The wind is briefly drowned out by a low rumble that to you just sounds like rocks colliding as the path before you begins to shift and change. But if you listen close, it's almost like a low thrumming voice. Your threat may come and push this land. Your words may speak of violence. But you are friend to every rock and every tree and violet and as the ground shifts and changes, you watch stones shift. And what was once a similar somewhat precarious corkscrewing spiral now becomes a switchback stairway case that leads you beyond this first massive crevice to your first success on this skill check.

[Laura Bailey]

I think I gotta write an apology note to that mountain, though. I think I was.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's interesting speaking to the land itself and all of you kind of see this as well. Like there, there is a particularly special magic to this gentleman where the island itself seems to respond. There is a conversation with all of nature of this space that is profound and interesting. You get a little further up before you begin to see clusters of other stone figures, dozens of other armed warriors climbing with what looks like thick leather ropes and climbing gear. And armed whole segments of warriors from the village below of Utazo, working intently towards the peak of this mountain. And caught before they could reach its summit, frozen here as stone, you begin to see why there were only a few, few in this village. As you begin to look up through the ever darkening mists of the mountain and see many other still. It looks like a heavy majority of this village got together what they had and ascended this mountain to stop something before a terrible calamity could befall them. And they did not make it in time. You continue to move up this ascent and you hear a terrifying noise. The winds here are strong, but are kept at bay by the sound of dozens of massive flapping wings. A sound that sends a chill through your back and spine as you hear the cries of the mountain. Pink magpies.

[Laura Bailey]

Too real.

[Matthew Mercer]

As one of them hits the back of the T Rex in the head, you see a bird, a giant eagle sized creature, but with eyes of piercing hate smack at you and cycle around as other shadows of beasts are spread swing by. What do you do to try and escape? Keep him at bay or continue to climb? What do you do? Are you helming this, Chetney? Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

I would like you to make an athletics check to lead them up this mountain rapidly and out of the terrible talons of these flying entities, these bitches.

[Travis Willingham]

12 plus 9, 21.

[Matthew Mercer]

21 is a success.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, all right, all right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Run the.

[Sam Riegel]

Aim for the back of your head.

[Matthew Mercer]

Run. You begin to snake between some of these broken crevices. That snake at the side of the mountain. And as you do kind of pushing through these like 5, 10 foot deep massive cracks in the mountainside, the birds can't quite assail you and end up like bouncing off and going wide off the top. And for a good part of this.

[Laura Bailey]

Climb, you feel safe.

[Matthew Mercer]

But you hear them circling ahead, screeching to each other. They are not letting up and they are still pursuing, though they can't quite make their attacks find purchase. But you continue to climb up the mountain. The wind's getting louder, the fog getting darker. You begin to hear the sound of thunder beginning to hit the side of the mountain as a storm begins to brew loudly and angrily up above. Suddenly, you hear rainfall begin to hit the side of the mountain and more thunder around. Distant blue flashes flash through the dense cloud and fog. You can't see the actual bolts of lightning. You just see the momentary dissipated flashes of blue and the eventually, the crack that you've been following begins to subside. And the path ahead leaves you exposed here on the mountainside. As you continue up, up, up, and the birds continue to take descend. What do you do?

[Sam Riegel]

Ah, the birds are trying to peck at us.

[Matthew Mercer]

They're waiting for you to emerge from the crack. And as your path forward leaves you exposed.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, I'm going to cast silent image and I'm going to make it looked like a creature. It's just heads. They like to pack heads, right?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah. Maybe like wearing bicycle helmets or something.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a bicyclist. Yeah, but his arms are heads and his head is a head and his feet are heads.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, that's great.

[Sam Riegel]

And they're all helmets. And he's biking. He's biking fast. They've got to catch him and peck him.

[Travis Willingham]

Can you make one of the heads a yellow automaton? We had a friend that was terrified of birds.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, yellow head with some wires sticking out.

[Matthew Mercer]

Beautiful. I will give you the choice. You could either roll an arcana or a deception. Check on this to see how well you could try and use this spell to draw their attention.

[Sam Riegel]

Both are bad. I'll do arcana.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go for it.

[Travis Willingham]

It.

[Sam Riegel]

Thank you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, jeez.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's a good sign.

[Travis Willingham]

Good sign.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Where are they going?

[Laura Bailey]

It's a seven.

[Sam Riegel]

It's a seven. Oh, no, no, no.

[Ashley Johnson]

You got to roll it in here.

[Sam Riegel]

No, I think that counts.

[Matthew Mercer]

You called it.

[Sam Riegel]

Seven plus three. Ten.

[Matthew Mercer]

Ten.

[Ashley Johnson]

Ah.

[Matthew Mercer]

You create this illusion, and the weird oblong head bicyclist being kind of scoots silently along the mountain, and you watch as magpies begin to swoop. Using that to your attention, you all rush out of the crack and begin going across this bald part of the mountain. A bit steep, but you begin to rush with the T Rex still carrying you. Ethel on top of one of the birds. And shrieks. And they all turn to see your troop far more interested than this weird head creature. And they swarm your troop. That is a failure on the skill check. All of you begin to rush. But you are being harried. Just attacking all of you. Everyone takes as they streak towards you 28 points of piercing or slashing damage as talons and claws just tear and rip. You feel like they're hitting the back of your shoulders, your back of your head. Impact and cawing and clawing. It's awful. You keep rushing up towards the top. You feel this horrid sense as the wind gets stronger and stronger and the storm gets more and more dangerous. And the birds are on the cusp of even finding it a bit too dangerous for them to continue. Continue. As they begin to pull away, the safety is immediately left to the realization that this storm may kick you from this mountain. How do you push forward to weather this storm?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I need rope. Do we have rope?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, I got rope.

[Sam Riegel]

Got some rope?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Tied to the hammer. I got an idea.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Ooh, he's got an idea.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I am going to use the. I'm going to use. To use the Shard of Kamor. And I'm going to transform into my elemental shard. So I'm going to take my elemental form. I'm going to just suddenly start to lurch, Starting at the right arm and get taller and bigger. And the arm is going to get weirdly volcanic. And I'm just going to hand you one end of the rope and I'm going to phase my way through the outside of the.

[Matthew Mercer]

Of the.

[Sam Riegel]

Phasing my way.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Phasing my way. Crawling. But at the highest speed I can. It's almost as if I am moving faster than the actual claw movements As I speed up until such time as I feel a tug on the rope and. And I will get as high as I can.

[Travis Willingham]

I just let go of the rope.

[Laura Bailey]

Bye, guys.

[Matthew Mercer]

Later.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And then I'm going to take my hammer and I'm going to tap it and I'm going to make it hold in place.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. So you have now an extended part of this upward journey through the storm as it's buffeting you from all sides. Lightning is still flashing in the upper clouds. One aspect hits the nearby mountain. Shatters the rock as pieces float off. Some of it tumble down below. Some float outward and some stop in the air and join the rest of the floating rocks on the outskirts. Then the mist and fog that's being whipped around by the Storm almost seems to swallow it. This does give you a little bit of help. On the next check. As the rest of you begin to advance forward. Who is helming the climb on this road?

[Liam O'Brien]

What's ahead of us now?

[Matthew Mercer]

I mean, it is a storm swallowed mountain in front of you that is mostly obscured by the mists and wind. And you have hold of a rope being held by your friend Ashton, who is partially merged with a mountain above.

[Travis Willingham]

Big one.

[Matthew Mercer]

You are a T. Rex.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

How do you plan to climb upward? Or do you want to try and take this yourself?

[Marisha Ray]

How do you want to climb this?

[Liam O'Brien]

No, I turn to the entire party and go. And I lower my whole body down so it's easy for everyone to climb on.

[Sam Riegel]

He's telling us to duck.

[Ashley Johnson]

You want us to get on your back, Caleb?

[Sam Riegel]

That's a no. He's saying duck.

[Ashley Johnson]

Caleb, you have tiny arms. T. Rexes aren't good climbers.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm watching.

[Ashley Johnson]

Stupid. When he's a big creature.

[Sam Riegel]

Let's do it. We've got only. We've got to trust him. I always trust Katelyn.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, how many people can you carry?

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, no, he can't count.

[Ashley Johnson]

T. Rexes only have two fingers.

[Sam Riegel]

4.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to take my chances.

[Liam O'Brien]

Meanwhile, I'm watching like future versions of the entire group waving in and out through giant T. Rex eyes.

[Ashley Johnson]

You know, I'm going to try to hold the other end of the rope at the bottom so that they can. Everybody can try to take the rope up the mountain.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so Yasha, you're anchoring it at the bottom.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so we have Ashlynn up top, Yasha at the bottom. There's essentially two barbarian climbing anchors on this rope.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm gonna get on Caleb's back. I. I believe in him.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going too. I'm not gonna pass up a chance to ride on a T. Rex.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm gonna cast spider climb on myself and just. I'm good.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do we know what the distance is we're trying to cover here?

[Matthew Mercer]

You don't know yet.

[Liam O'Brien]

Don't know yet. Okay. I'm gonna do a big heavy T. Rex squat and just sink all of my weight into the stone and drag slowly scooching as a dinosaur.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right.

[Sam Riegel]

So cool.

[Laura Bailey]

On my. On my loot to try and inspire every scoot.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's like.

[Laura Bailey]

It's like jazz drums, I suppose.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

Just a little bar inspiration for you so you can.

[Matthew Mercer]

Perfect. So to that degree, since you are. Since you are T. Rex scooting, you will not Get a bonus of the anchored rope from Ashton. But you do get a bardic inspiration from Ethel on your back. I would like you to make an athletics check.

[Liam O'Brien]

And is that added to the roll, the bardic inspiration?

[Matthew Mercer]

It would be. If you want to add it. You can add it to the roll after you make it.

[Liam O'Brien]

So for foresight, I have advantage.

[Matthew Mercer]

You do.

[Liam O'Brien]

So you said athletics.

[Matthew Mercer]

The athletics as your T Rex form.

[Laura Bailey]

Great.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's strength, right?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. Great.

[Liam O'Brien]

That is a dirty 20.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. Do you want to add your bardic inspiration or are you comfortable with that 20?

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't want to chance it as a T Rex carrying a full party. I will add it. What's the die?

[Matthew Mercer]

D12, I believe. Right.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, Ethel, this is like blackjack. Really? You happy with the 20?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

I gotta ask. Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

D and D. Just like blackjack.

[Liam O'Brien]

24 total.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, no.

[Liam O'Brien]

Miss it by one.

[Matthew Mercer]

No. So the DC was 25. Yeah. Which is the second to failure.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, but aren't I helping?

[Matthew Mercer]

You are helping. Both of you anchor in a rope and then everyone else jumps on a T Rex and then slowly stomach climbs it up the mountainside.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

When you put it like that.

[Ashley Johnson]

I was. I didn't hop on his back. And Laudna was spider climbing.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right. You're spider climbing.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right. So the rest of you are making it up the side. As the T Rex begins to and slide off the edge.

[Sam Riegel]

You've got this.

[Matthew Mercer]

Another bolt of lightning hits the mountain just above Caleb Rex. The stone cracks and breaks and the element that you were scooting on is now fractured. And you watch as the T Rex loses its mooring and begins to plummet back off the mountain.

[Marisha Ray]

Feather fall.

[Matthew Mercer]

Feather fall.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

The T Rex.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, wait.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just kind of like a. Like a balloon that's lost most of its buoyancy. The T Rex just begins to bounce down the mountainside with you just clutching onto it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Darbak.

[Matthew Mercer]

Darba. That's like a dream I had.

[Ashley Johnson]

Grab the rope.

[Matthew Mercer]

It does lose you a bit of time, but you do manage to reconvene the storm itself. Getting heavier and heavier. You do finally push through the last bit of this climb and begin to reach the apex of this mountain.

[Marisha Ray]

That just cut past it. He's like, it's fine.

[Matthew Mercer]

Well, here's the thing. You still failed the skill check.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Which gathering you all together. There was no damage taken because of the feather fall. But it took you enough time that by the time you reach the apex and you begin to make out the shape, a familiar cold sensation begins to fill the air. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Another wave of negative energy billows out from the core of the mountain apex and watches you all roll low. Okay, Solo. I rolled a one.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, is it one?

[Matthew Mercer]

So you're lucky there, but you all lose. One more hit, Dice.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, my goodness gracious, Caleb.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't want to be frozen here forever.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Can't argue with that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Here. As the storm circles overhead, that cold sensation still brimming past your body, vision climbs and smashes through your mind of the moment this mountain shattered. You see it cracking and breaking open. You feel the very spirit of this mountain. All living through things have their own natural spirit. And the spirit of this mountain was fractured with stone. And you watch as the entire landscape and the. The protecting spirit of this land, in one final way of. Of defending itself, held it in place. And that's why it keeps its position there. That horrible, violent detonation is a moment held tenuously by whatever life threatening was once the core of this island. And here in the center, you see this surrounding crown of massive, jagged rock monoliths that seem to represent the immediate detonation of this mountaintop. Beyond the fog and mist that swirls past at an incredible speed in the center of the storm, you see a black, vacuous lack of light ahead. A pit about 100ft ahead of you. A circular, absent hole in the top of this mountain where numerous cracks spiderweb out from it. And you know in this moment, somehow, that this is where it happened. This is where it's coming from. And this is what is still causing this island to die.

[Laura Bailey]

You guys, I hardly know you and you've taken me up this mountain. But you had your own friends to look out for and. Why are you being so nice to me? You could have gone around to, like, the other side and done your stuff. I saved you from the worms. Given at the very start that was.

[Matthew Mercer]

Like.

[Laura Bailey]

I don't know, you guys. I needed help. And you just did it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Well, all of us started as strangers.

[Travis Willingham]

And we all need help.

[Sam Riegel]

We've come to this strange new land, you know, down under the bottom part of Exandria. And we're strangers here. And you've been so kind to show us around and teach us how to Vegemite.

[Laura Bailey]

I don't know what that is, but thank you. Well.

[Sam Riegel]

You might not know who you are, but we know that you're our guide and you're our rock for today.

[Ashley Johnson]

But not a rock yet. No, no, no.

[Laura Bailey]

I just. Honestly, I know the other part of me is out There somewhere. And I just really hope that there's nicer people with them as you guys are being to me right now.

[Travis Willingham]

No, probably not. We're the best. They suck ass.

[Sam Riegel]

This is the better group for sure.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, cool.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

And with a much better audience. Am I right?

[Sam Riegel]

Who are you talking to?

[Laura Bailey]

Sorry, I just. I have. I'm having flashbacks again of my.

[Ashley Johnson]

If you've been here as long as you have, why haven't you turned to stone?

[Laura Bailey]

I don't know. Maybe this thing inside me, like, resonates with whatever this thing is.

[Ashley Johnson]

I mean, it does look like a black void inside of you. Just kind of like this thing here. Maybe you're like the child of this horrible thing that's destroying the island.

[Sam Riegel]

Just.

[Laura Bailey]

I really hope. Rod.

[Ashley Johnson]

What? Is there any. This is kind of a weird question, but is. Is there any way that it came from you? What if. Never mind.

[Sam Riegel]

That was gonna be even more morbid than what you just said to him.

[Matthew Mercer]

Say it.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait.

[Ashley Johnson]

The big what if you. It came from you. You know?

[Sam Riegel]

What if you killed all your friends? Is that what you're saying?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, that's it.

[Laura Bailey]

I could not.

[Sam Riegel]

I didn't kill.

[Laura Bailey]

I didn't kill my friends. No. Like, you guys are my friends and I haven't tried to kill.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, no, I don't think that.

[Laura Bailey]

Why would you say that? Why would you say that?

[Sam Riegel]

Sometimes she doesn't have a filter.

[Marisha Ray]

Which one?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

So just because this dark void is there, can I take out the monocle of true essence and can I cast. See invisibility and just look across Ethel and. And the dark void beyond and see if anything shows up that is not registering to the naked eye?

[Matthew Mercer]

Sure. Make a perception check for me.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah. And true seeing lasts for an hour. But has it been longer than that?

[Matthew Mercer]

It's been longer than an hour coming up here. Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

18.

[Matthew Mercer]

18. As the true scene comes across that pit in the ground, there is definitely a dark essence kind of almost pulsing from it. And you can kind of. The sea. Invisibility doesn't help you with anything specifically on Ethel, but you can see the sadness on his face. You can see the happiness of finding you all. And you can't help but feel there is a connection to this land and this figure ahead of you.

[Travis Willingham]

Ethel, will you take my hand and come with me and I'll walk towards the dark void.

[Laura Bailey]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I don't.

[Laura Bailey]

I don't know if I'm ready. I don't want to. I don't know. If I'm ready for the dark void.

[Travis Willingham]

What are you talking about? We're just going on a little walk towards.

[Laura Bailey]

There's, like, wind, like, hitting my face.

[Travis Willingham]

And stuff, like, come, come with me, Ethel.

[Laura Bailey]

Very persuasive. But you were my first friend, and these tattoos don't lie.

[Travis Willingham]

Can we approach the dark void? And once we get closer, can we see anything if we look in, or does Ethel react in any way?

[Matthew Mercer]

The wind gets stronger as you step in. Like, the storm itself is kind of surrounded above. As you snake past the various cracks that billow out from this central pit, you come to the central edge of it, the precipice of this black expanse below, and it's like a cylindrical, broken pit that pierces straight into the heart of this mountain, into nothing. As you approach, you look down into this lightless space, and this cold air just continues to pour forth from within, and you recognize that absence in you and an absence in this mountain. And it's a familiarity, a sadness, and an anger. And as the cold begins to grow stronger and the wind begins to build, and while there was already little light to be present, the light around you grows darker still. As the shadow seems to climb towards you. You feel every instinct in your body to step back. Do you give in to the instinct, or do you stand?

[Travis Willingham]

I'm with you, Ethel.

[Laura Bailey]

I.

[Ashley Johnson]

I, I'm gonna go up beside Ethel and just sort of put a hand just in case something tries to pull or just, just, just for moral support.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Maybe you feel a supportive hand on your other shoulder as Yasha approaches. Perfect.

[Sam Riegel]

I will also approach. May I touch you?

[Laura Bailey]

Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

Your shoulders, specifically?

[Laura Bailey]

Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm already touching one.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm going to climb up on Yasha's back and just sort of reach around and try to get the other shoulder.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm going to climb up to the edge.

[Ashley Johnson]

Awkward.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Sit with everybody and just stare at all of you and wonder why you're so weird.

[Laura Bailey]

There's a little space on my right deltoid, buddy. Come on. You get a finger on there.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm merged with the stone and get close enough to just put a hand there.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I put my hand on your empty void and try to comfort it?

[Laura Bailey]

It definitely does need consent, and I'm glad that you asked. You may touch my empty void.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, yes, me too. I go up and I, I find a spot, my hand, you know, before you go in, because I feel like that's where this is leading to.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wait, what?

[Travis Willingham]

That's very presumptive of you.

[Sam Riegel]

What do you mean?

[Travis Willingham]

This Is a show of solidarity. Why did you go dark with it?

[Ashley Johnson]

We're just looking in.

[Sam Riegel]

We're gonna push him, right?

[Laura Bailey]

I think we're on the same page, I think. Love you guys.

[Matthew Mercer]

But a massive rush of piercing freezing air and black, inky darkness engulfs all of you at the edge of this pit. Shadow billows upward and you all hold together in the face of this imminent darkness. As it washes, your vision begins to clarify. You can see the shapes of the nearby rock as you stand at this mountain precipice. The wind immediately around you begins to die from the storm. And instead the cold air of whatever has arrived surrounds you. You feel icicles build at your elbows and at your nose, tip in your ears as a massive, weird, shadowy pseudopod slaps on the side of the mountain. 60, 70ft long and thick. Some strange amorphous shadow form. An arm without elbows or fingers just slaps on one side of this mountaintop. Another slaps as a hulking, shapeless black entity climbs its way out of the hole. And you all gather around its base. Ashton. It's hard to describe, but there's something that resonates in you with it too. Something faintly elemental but lost in history. Like a shade or shadow or an echo of something. A fragment left angry and dead long ago. And you feel this familiarity, this coldness inside you and this coldness that is present in the coldness in this mountain. This. This is what festers in the heart of this island. This is what sealed all of your people away in stone. This is what has fractured your memories and fractured you. This is what eats the life of this land. And it is present and sees you. I need you all to roll initially. Ready?

[Travis Willingham]

We didn't get to push Ethel in.

[Ashley Johnson]

We did.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Depends on where you are in the Initiative, I guess.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, wow.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, 25 to 20.

[Liam O'Brien]

21.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, we got Caleb at the top at 21.

[Travis Willingham]

There we go, back to normal order.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And Ashton at 19.

[Matthew Mercer]

Ashton at 19. Alrighty, 15 to 10. Or 10 to 15.

[Laura Bailey]

Sorry.

[Sam Riegel]

18.

[Matthew Mercer]

18. We got Veth.

[Ashley Johnson]

What did you. 13, 14. Sorry, not.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, 15.

[Ashley Johnson]

15.

[Matthew Mercer]

15 to 10. That's Yasha at 14.

[Travis Willingham]

14 as well. Yasha.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, let's roll these the.

[Travis Willingham]

Prepare yourself, you big.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm ready.

[Marisha Ray]

What you got?

[Sam Riegel]

What you got?

[Marisha Ray]

17.

[Ashley Johnson]

4.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yasha then Ch. 10 to 5.

[Ashley Johnson]

11.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, we got. All right at 11.

[Ashley Johnson]

7.

[Laura Bailey]

Alrighty, I'm on a 9.

[Matthew Mercer]

Alrighty, 9. We got Ethel and then Jester. Perfect.

[Travis Willingham]

Caleb, Bastian, Veth, Yasha, Chet, Laudna, Ethel, Justin.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's everybody as this massive shadow entity itself, encompassing pretty much the entirety of this pit at the peak of the mountain and its three pseudopods kind of reaching out and slamming and swirling around the ground in rock. Caleb, you're up first with Ashlynn on deck.

[Liam O'Brien]

Let's just see what we're dealing with. The T. Rex charges, jaws open. Godzilla screaming as he goes to bite down for a 25 to 80 hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

25 to hit. Does hit, by the way.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

You started your turn. Yeah. Within 10ft of this entity. Yeah. Which puts you in its heat death aura.

[Sam Riegel]

What Great band.

[Matthew Mercer]

So at the beginning of your turn, you lose a hit dice.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Got eight left.

[Travis Willingham]

Heat death aura.

[Sam Riegel]

Stay away from it.

[Travis Willingham]

Ten feet, you said.

[Matthew Mercer]

Now you're all right up at the edge of this hole, which means you're all going to start your turn within 10ft of it.

[Travis Willingham]

I mean, we like to be up next to the hole, but that's a hot hole.

[Liam O'Brien]

So 37 points of piercing damage as Caleb's. As widower Rex's mouth bites down.

[Matthew Mercer]

Fantastic.

[Liam O'Brien]

And then he whips around. He gets a bite attack and a tail attack.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's correct.

[Liam O'Brien]

Giant tail lashes around. That is 26 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's a success hit.

[Sam Riegel]

Cock cock kick.

[Laura Bailey]

Yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

15 plus plus plus plus seven. 22 points of bludgeoning damage from a big old Dante as you bite through.

[Matthew Mercer]

It looks like it's just shadow, immaterial, but there is physicality to its form. It's like biting into the coldest, most terrible tasting gelatinous substance. And as you tear through it and bite, you pull a massive chunk out and streak this kind of oil like ichor that splatters across the nearby stone. You spit it out and whip with the tail and it impacts and kind of carves through. It shifts and it takes the. It's hit and takes the damage, but it doesn't seem to phase it beyond the damage that you dealt.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, so feeling that darkness leech into my dinosaur form with 50ft of movement, am I able to back my big old badonkadonk away from this thing? I will just Careful not to step on any of my friends and I'll get out of that range.

[Matthew Mercer]

You got it. Does that finish as Caleb's go? Ashton, you're up with Bethan Deck.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All right, I'm going to rage and we get o. This is going to be fun. As odd always is.

[Matthew Mercer]

So here we go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I am going to. That will be fun. See what I can do.

[Marisha Ray]

This what will be fun.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm working on It.

[Laura Bailey]

It will be fun.

[Travis Willingham]

So many words.

[Matthew Mercer]

Perfect.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, I know. There's so many words.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's terrifying.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Terrifying. Isn't it awesome? I look to Ethel as I am a giant rock monster. So true. See that thing?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's an ancient primordial evil. That's everything up. Let's go beat the out of it. Right? And I'm gonna start running straight down and just go for a head.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And I am going to do. I'm gonna take hit number one, Tibet.

[Matthew Mercer]

Tibet.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And I'm gonna make it reckless.

[Matthew Mercer]

Fuck life.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Thank God I did. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 22 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

22 hits.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, that's good.

[Matthew Mercer]

2 to 6.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And that's.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, baby.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's 26 points for the first hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

Great.

[Marisha Ray]

Let's go, let's go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And then another reckless. Oh, there you go. Do I crit on an 18 or. No, that's a different thing. Okay, that's okay. I'm fine. I don't care. And that's another 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 24 points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Nice.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And with that, I'm going to try and find purchase within the rock. Just kind of halfway phased in it and wait for the next round. Let's fuck it up, people.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, you finish your turn phasing into the rock and kind of vanishing below. At the end of your turn, it's gonna use a legendary action to shadow slam Laudna.

[Marisha Ray]

What do I mean?

[Matthew Mercer]

Because you were standing right next to Ashton as Ashton vanishes and it was going for Ash, but as soon as he disappears into the rock.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, look, there he goes. Oh, Shadow.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's a natural 19, not a crit, but that will be a 30 to hit you, Laudna.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, 30. Natural 19.

[Sam Riegel]

30.

[Marisha Ray]

Rolling with plus 11. He'd have to roll. He'd have to roll solo.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I was actually. I should say, I didn't actually go all the way into the rock. I was just using it as a. As a standpoint. So I still would be a target.

[Ashley Johnson]

Target.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right. Well, if you moved away, you might have moved out of the range.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I did move away.

[Matthew Mercer]

Shit.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's all good now.

[Marisha Ray]

I'll take it.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so you take 44 points of bludgeoning damage and you lose a hit. Dice.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, my God, Matthew.

[Matthew Mercer]

As the blow of this massive shadow fist seems to encompass you, as it pushes you into the ground, as it pulls back dripping bits of black shadow, you feel a part of your life force is plucked out of you as it withdraws. That finishes that legendary action end of Ashton's turn. Veth. You're up with Yasha on deck. Holy shit.

[Sam Riegel]

Is it currently engaged with any of my.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's engaged with most of your friends.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, great. I will run up Caleb's back up the tail and use him as sort of a ramp to do this amazing double flip over the creature. And as I'm above it, I'm gonna fire down on top.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hell yeah. Let's go.

[Sam Riegel]

And I rolled incredibly well. 29 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That definitely hits. Go and roll.

[Sam Riegel]

Your damage, it's so much. Oh, my God. It's 11D6.

[Marisha Ray]

11D6.

[Laura Bailey]

What?

[Matthew Mercer]

That's high level rogue B.

[Sam Riegel]

Huh? 30, 50 points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go. Wow.

[Laura Bailey]

Wow.

[Sam Riegel]

And then I land on Ethel.

[Laura Bailey]

You get a ride. You take a ride.

[Sam Riegel]

And then as a bonus action, I could flip fire again. I guess I'll fire the same thing again. Unless, Matt, you'll let me hot swap out my. My cannon for my pistol. I just want to fire a gun.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'll allow it. Level 20 rogue. I'll allow it.

[Sam Riegel]

Sure. I pop out my gun and I'm gonna just fire. Blast off a shot.

[Matthew Mercer]

What?

[Sam Riegel]

Does this thing have any features at all or is it just sort of.

[Matthew Mercer]

Guys, just. Just roll to hit. Okay. Is it a one or a two?

[Sam Riegel]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

Then you're fine.

[Sam Riegel]

23 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That hits. So go ahead and roll.

[Sam Riegel]

This is a D10 to hit. 12 more points of damage. Bullet damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

You fire, you just awesome, amazing flip and you land. And then just Indiana Jones. It.

[Laura Bailey]

It's cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

You shot a shadow. Hell yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

That's it.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. Finishing your go. That brings us to Yasha with Chetney on deck.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, so bonus action. I'm going to rage.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. Oh, just to remind you guys, Ashton, Veth, and Yasha, you all lost a hit dice because you started your turn within 10ft of the entity.

[Sam Riegel]

Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yep, yep.

[Ashley Johnson]

Copy that. So that's 13. All right. So I am going to bamf out my wings.

[Matthew Mercer]

Alrighty.

[Ashley Johnson]

And sort of lift myself up off the ground. And that's all I can do on my turn. I can't attack yet.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, but you do have that extra bonus damage next time.

[Ashley Johnson]

For the next time. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so that holds. That goes. Finishes your go to Yasha. Yeah. Do you want to. Do you stay in range or do you move back?

[Ashley Johnson]

Will he get an attack of opportunity?

[Matthew Mercer]

He might.

[Sam Riegel]

But you're Yasha.

[Ashley Johnson]

I know. I'll stay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. Yasha hangs in. Got it. Finishing Yasha's go. Chetney, you're up with Laudna on deck.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, no more around. I pull out turmoil the scythe, and I'm going to draw it along the length of my leg, and I'm going to use a crimson right with my bonus action to a add D6, which is going to be so weak.

[Marisha Ray]

But.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to run up to this amorphous blob, and I'm going to take one swipe at it with. With the scythe.

[Matthew Mercer]

All righty, let's go.

[Travis Willingham]

That is plus nine.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh.

[Travis Willingham]

23 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That hits. Go. And roll damage.

[Travis Willingham]

Three, two, D6 plus the Crimson right. Three, seven, eight. Plus nine. Seven plus eight plus nine. What the.

[Matthew Mercer]

17. Yes. That's 17 you got.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you.

[Matthew Mercer]

First strike carves into it.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for your next strike with that only strike. I'm going to use brand of castigation now that it's taken damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, yeah. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

To sear a RTA into its amorphous body.

[Matthew Mercer]

Now, it is a. It is a massive of entities as you carve through this black expanse, like faceless. There. There is. There's nothing beyond just the black blob. A massive red magical brand just burns into it and blazoned across it like the best branding you can buy on the Vegas strip rta.

[Travis Willingham]

We love to see it in the shattered teeth. And as the brand burns in once per turn, using my fey touched abilities, I'm going to use Misty step to get away from the creature on the same turn.

[Matthew Mercer]

You got it. Misty step 30ft away. You did lose your hit dice at the start of the turn. Remember, don't forget to mark that.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh.

[Matthew Mercer]

What? All right, that finishes your go. Laudna, you're up.

[Marisha Ray]

All right, so Laudna is going to take a bonus action, and she's going to take her claw, and she's going to kind of just run it along her abdomen. And as it flops open, a little hellhound bursts out of it. As my direwolf explodes from my abdomen and runs forth.

[Sam Riegel]

Why does everyone on your team cut themselves open? It's what we do.

[Marisha Ray]

And I'm gonna sit. Does my puppy attack now or after me?

[Matthew Mercer]

I mean, usually at the end of your turn, but at the end of my turn, you do it all at once.

[Ashley Johnson]

Go for it.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, okay, sure. He's. Whatever. He's gonna attack now. 15. I don't think that hits.

[Matthew Mercer]

15 does not hit him.

[Marisha Ray]

No, but he gets next to him, which gives him disadvantage on my next spell, which is the most Important, because I'm gonna cast disintegrate.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh.

[Marisha Ray]

We'Re gonna start at six level. Just, you know, because I'm conservative, I'm going to conserve my spells. 10d6 +40. 10d6. Give me d sixes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, yeah, go ahead. It's a dexterity save.

[Marisha Ray]

It's a Dex save.

[Matthew Mercer]

Disadvantage with disadvantage, which is good, cuz he rolled high in the first second.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Now that's going to be a 15, which I think is a failure.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes, he fails. So he's going to take full damage here. I'm also gonna spend a sorcery point to reroll ones and twos to empower this spell.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, reroll that one again. I can do that. Oh, yep. I can do that five times. I just did three, so that is gonna be 5, 10, 16, 19, 23. I get to roll this again. Hang on. Reroll that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Four.

[Marisha Ray]

That is four. Thank you. 4, 8, 12, 15, 18. Okay, so that is going to be math and. Okay, that's gonna be 40. Yeah. 81 points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

As your sickly green disintegration beam fires outward towards the shadow being. It tries to move out of the way, but one of its three massive pseudopod arms is too lumbering and slow as your beam carves into it and it just vanishes into dust and scatters off into the surrounding spiraling wind.

[Marisha Ray]

Laudan just like spins in its ichor.

[Matthew Mercer]

Stay in it, Laudna. Stay in it. Is that the end of your turn? You want to move?

[Marisha Ray]

Yes, I'll move.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

How far away can I move?

[Ashley Johnson]

Far.

[Marisha Ray]

I'll move 30ft.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. It will take a reaction to do some tackle, opportunity to hit you as you do so.

[Marisha Ray]

But I won't lose a hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

Die.

[Marisha Ray]

Right?

[Matthew Mercer]

Well, you lost it at the beginning of your turn because you were in its proximity.

[Marisha Ray]

But I already did that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right, so it's going to strike you. That's a natural 20, right? Silvery bar.

[Ashley Johnson]

Silvery bar.

[Matthew Mercer]

I love it. It's so great. If I. Okay. It's not a natural 20, but it is 25 to hit you.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, that still hits.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, what were you going to say?

[Travis Willingham]

Blood Curse of the Eyeless. When a creature within 30ft of you makes an attack, you can use reaction to roll a one D8 to lower it by one me.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's a 24 to hit.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Ethel, what were you doing?

[Laura Bailey]

I was going to ask if I could use my reaction, the confusing crescendo if. If that makes the.

[Matthew Mercer]

This.

[Laura Bailey]

This beast like attack someone else. Does that Roll the attack roll. Or does that just like keep.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, the attack roll keeps it. But it just hits another turn target. Does anyone?

[Laura Bailey]

Well, I mean, we don't get to choose who takes it, they just go. Not you, you.

[Liam O'Brien]

There is a dinosaur nearby.

[Laura Bailey]

I think I might leave it for now.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, you're gonna leave it. All right. So on that to you, Lana. It's going to be 44 points of bludgeoning damage.

[Marisha Ray]

Lord have mercy.

[Matthew Mercer]

And you lose another hit.

[Sam Riegel]

Die.

[Matthew Mercer]

I asked if you wanted to stay or move.

[Marisha Ray]

Should you stay or should I go now? Yeah, whatever. I did it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, at the end of your turn, he's gonna use his last two legendary actions to inhale.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

The entity suddenly you hear this.

[Sam Riegel]

Is that a bong rip?

[Ashley Johnson]

What's happening?

[Matthew Mercer]

And all the swirling wind begins to pull in towards it. I need everyone to make strength saving throws.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right. Advantage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Advantage.

[Laura Bailey]

19.

[Matthew Mercer]

19.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, oh, wait.

[Marisha Ray]

Eight decks. Wait, wait.

[Travis Willingham]

Strength 24.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, 25 or 24?

[Marisha Ray]

16.

[Matthew Mercer]

16. 16. 16. 17. 8. And. All right, well, primarily everyone that had moved away, except for Ashton, get pulled back into its proximity. And now it takes its turn.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, this is going to be bad.

[Matthew Mercer]

Get his legendary actions back. It's going to use its oblivion whirlwind.

[Laura Bailey]

Doesn't sound too bad, does it?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, easy name.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

And the T. Rex. Did you.

[Laura Bailey]

You.

[Liam O'Brien]

I got a 17.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, you got pulled back in. I need all of you to make a dexterity saving throw. Okay, guys?

[Liam O'Brien]

Come on.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Dinosaur.

[Sam Riegel]

No, no.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

27.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right.

[Laura Bailey]

On.

[Sam Riegel]

He's doing all right.

[Matthew Mercer]

So 27.

[Travis Willingham]

27.

[Matthew Mercer]

You take 26 points of necrotic damage. Ashton.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, I was. Am I in the. In the.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, no. Actually you're the only one who was out there.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm just watching, going.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, Laudna 3020 3020. You take 26 points of necrotic damage.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Wow.

[Ashley Johnson]

19.

[Matthew Mercer]

You take 52 points of necrotic damage.

[Laura Bailey]

One number difference, you double.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yep. And you lose a hit. Dice. You take 26 points of necrotic damage.

[Sam Riegel]

15.

[Liam O'Brien]

Follow up question.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

If I fail this, am I still able in T Rex form to use the Ring of Evasion's ability? Is that still infused in me or not?

[Matthew Mercer]

I'll stay in the dance. Because it is fused with. With your body, I'd say probably not.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, T Rex.

[Matthew Mercer]

So you take 52 points of necrotic damage and you lose a hit, Dice. Yasha, I rolled 1352 points of necrotic damage and you lose the hit, dice. 30.

[Sam Riegel]

And I'll can I use uncanny dodge or evasion or whatever. Okay, great rogue.

[Matthew Mercer]

As veth avoids, it shifts out of the way.

[Travis Willingham]

Holy Matt. Oh, my God.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

So, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

After one round of this shift, as it spins around and the shadow encompasses you all, you especially get this image here as it's absorbing your life force away. There's a spark within you should you need it. You can spend a bonus action on your turn for a soul burn. You can regain one 1d4 hit dice to mark one of your death saving throws that does not recover until you take a long rest.

[Sam Riegel]

What?

[Marisha Ray]

Soul burn?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes. Oh, I.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, who can do that?

[Matthew Mercer]

All.

[Travis Willingham]

All of you can.

[Matthew Mercer]

While you're within 20ft of this creature, you can do that.

[Travis Willingham]

Say it again. 1d4 to burn a.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, you can burn. You can. You get 1d4 hit dice, but you have to mark a death saving throw that does not go away.

[Travis Willingham]

You sick bastard.

[Liam O'Brien]

Imagine if. Imagine if you just rolled the one on that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, that's possible. That's going to finish the entity's turn. Ethel, you're up with jester on deck. Beginning of your turn. You lose a hit dice.

[Sam Riegel]

How many hit dice are we down to?

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm actually doing. I'm. I've got kind of a riches of hit dice over here. So I'm like, I could stay.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're fine for now.

[Laura Bailey]

But I look up at this. This thing, and I've been feeling so awful for so long, and finally there's something in front of me that is. I can like, put a face, even though there's not a face to it. And I'm just like, you've done this. This is you. You smashed this mountain.

[Matthew Mercer]

You did all of this.

[Laura Bailey]

And I pull out my. My loot and I kind of. I use Call of the Wilds and I try and beseech, like, the mountain to come. The rocks that it is actually smashed off the mountain itself to come rush in and maybe hold down one of its arms or like, stop it. And I kind of think, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

I would like you to go ahead and roll a persuasion check as you beseech the mountain itself.

[Laura Bailey]

Very persuasive. 24.

[Matthew Mercer]

24 is pretty good. As you begin to play and shout out into the winds here, you watch as Ethel calls to the mountain itself and the surrounding island wilds to his aid. And all the bits of broken shard and shale that's spinning in the wind begins to gather. The ground cracks on its own. Like a localized earthquake begins to shake around your feet, not affecting you, but the outside of the pit. And you watch as suddenly the shadow entity seems to look around itself. Itself without a face. It just seems to become aware of its proximity before bits of the rock stone pierce it and hold in one of its massive arms. One of the two that it still has gets shunted and pinned against the the floor. It's going to lose two legendary actions as part of that get it. Its arm itself like pulling away from it. But the mountain is holding strong.

[Laura Bailey]

Music, my friends.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, does that finish your turn?

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it does.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, you got it. All right, finishing Ethel's go. Jester, you're up with Caleb on deck.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

At the beginning of your turn, you lose a hit, Dice?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Soul burn?

[Ashley Johnson]

Not yet, but how much is everybody down? Like a whole bunch?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, I'm fine.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, it feels good.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Pretty low.

[Travis Willingham]

He's a T. Rex.

[Sam Riegel]

He's a T Rex. If he goes too low, he becomes a Caleb again.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, listen, for this one, what I'm gonna do is there six of you that's hurting the most.

[Sam Riegel]

You don't need to heal me.

[Travis Willingham]

Don't need to heal me.

[Marisha Ray]

You need to heal me. Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. One, two, three, four. I'm okay. Oh, really? Yeah. So if you want to. If you don't want to use any. If you want to.

[Matthew Mercer]

Shut up. Yasha.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sorry. Look, maybe you just save it for one person. No, no, no, I'm not going to do that. Okay, look. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Laudna. Because you're pretty hurt.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to cast Power word fortify.

[Sam Riegel]

What is that?

[Ashley Johnson]

What is that?

[Marisha Ray]

You guys get 120 temporary hit points.

[Matthew Mercer]

So cool. What?

[Ashley Johnson]

What? All of us? Those six that I named?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, I got in on the sale. That's amazing.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Y.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wait, who.

[Sam Riegel]

Who didn't you name?

[Ashley Johnson]

You.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, great.

[Ashley Johnson]

Cuz you said you were fine.

[Laura Bailey]

Fine.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm okay. Well, I got you because you're going to be up front with it. Do you need it? You don't need it, do you? Okay, so not Caleb. You veth. Byasha. Me.

[Matthew Mercer]

120 temporary.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, I'm still confused. Am I in this or not?

[Ashley Johnson]

You are. You are veth. I am now. Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

I got promoted.

[Ashley Johnson]

And then for my bonus action, I can do something and I'm going to do it. Do it, do it. I'm going to back away from it. I'm going to try to just dance back a little bit away from the void.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, so you're going to try and get out of that?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to give. Take up opportunity to give.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's going to be a 21 to hit silver.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

I don't know what happened there.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't have.

[Sam Riegel]

What was that?

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't have a shield.

[Matthew Mercer]

Silvery.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, okay. It hits me.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, you take 44 points of bludgeoning damage and you lose a hit dice.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hell. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right.

[Ashley Johnson]

I love you. Finishing for my bonus action. I'm gonna do it.

[Marisha Ray]

Do it. I don't know what it is.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna roll the D4.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go for it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Three. I got three back.

[Matthew Mercer]

So you get three hit dice back. But you have now marked a death save. Yeah, Chaos. Oh, chaos.

[Sam Riegel]

No problem. She's our healer.

[Matthew Mercer]

Caleb, you're up.

[Liam O'Brien]

Laura likes to gamble. The massive frame of the T Rex suddenly shrinks down into a heap of red long coat. And as Caleb springs back up, he's dragging licorice root through his teeth and starts waving his hands in the air and slaps his palm down onto the crystal of Ashton's head. Let's go, Rockstar. And he casts haste, slams his heels together. The storm rider boots kick off and I blast up into the air away from this thing, electrocuting it as I fly away. It used its reaction turn racks.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, you still take the hit dice at the top of the round, but you are out of the range of its heat death aura.

[Liam O'Brien]

And the boots do all right.

[Matthew Mercer]

They finish your go, Caleb.

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, it gets lightning damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, that's right. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

2D8.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is it dead? I did 11 points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oddly, no. Okay, all right, good to know. Finishes your go. That brings us to initiative count. 20. It's now going to begin. Initiating Lair actions.

[Sam Riegel]

Damn it. Woo.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeehaw. So a death storm is going to begin to swirl above as the spiraling clouds begin to fire down. Dark blue bolts of lightning around striking the ground. You all take not a lot of damage. 12 points of lightning damage across the field. Except for probably you, Caleb, since you rocketed that far away. It was just in the proximity. But everyone who was struck loses a hit dice. Oh.

[Ashley Johnson]

Man.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh no.

[Matthew Mercer]

Ashton, it's your turn with Veth on deck.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Not cool.

[Liam O'Brien]

So Ashton has a plus two to acknowledge.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh my God.

[Liam O'Brien]

Extra action which can be used for one attack or dash or disengage or hide.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay, so hold on, I just have.

[Liam O'Brien]

To advantage on Dex saves.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Advantage on deck save. Okay, so I'm double movement plus two to ac. Yeah, I'm so hard to hit right now. All right, let's start with. I'm going to. Since this has changed the. Changed the map a little bit, I'm going to give myself a little shake and change my rage for a new rage. There we go. Brand new rage. And let's. Let's get absolutely crazy. How close is everybody together?

[Travis Willingham]

Well, we're 30ft away from the energy hit dice sucking thing.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's fine. All right. So I'm just gonna go straight in. Take a. I'm just gonna start hitting the closest bit of this that I can. Let's see how this goes. And then I'm gonna do this. Fuck it. I'm gonna go reckless again.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

First hit. Come on, Give me something crazy. Nat20.

[Matthew Mercer]

Here we fucking go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

This is about to get ugly.

[Matthew Mercer]

Here we are.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

This is gonna be very, very ugly.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, boy. So that's two extra dice that get added to that, I believe now. Hold on. Where is it? Yeah, it's gonna be great.

[Matthew Mercer]

Brutal.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Criminal roll two additional damage dice. Cool. Added that. I'm gonna burn a. A chaos. My first chaos burst and I'm going to add a. Let's find out what I had. There's a D8.

[Sam Riegel]

This might take a while.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

This is gonna be great. Oh, let's add some thunder damage to this. So that's a. See, it's a 1D10 thunder damage. I'm just gonna do that now. It's gonna be so awful. That's ten points of thunder damage doubled. We'll get to that. It's gonna be so ugly. Let's just roll these now. I don't like that. I'll roll out again because I can.

[Matthew Mercer]

There we are.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's five. 10.

[Marisha Ray]

It's crazy.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

10. 23. 26. So that's 10. Lightning. 26 standard. And then just for fun, I've got that extra fire damage I can just pump into it. That's always great. Oh, so mean. Let's see. I'm going to expend three charges of my fire ring for. Yeah, I'm going really crazy with.

[Matthew Mercer]

For.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Here we go.

[Matthew Mercer]

Can hear the processors going.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

2D6. That's six points of fire. Another 2D6. This is so bad. That's.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Ash Points of fire.

[Liam O'Brien]

Video game ray tracing.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, it's a giant vibrating. And then seven. Okay, let's add this all together. 16 plus seven. Well, let's.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. 16 plus seven is 23. So that's 64 points of fire damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is so rough.

[Laura Bailey]

This is.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

So Here we go. Standard number. That's going to be 20 points of lightning damage.

[Ashley Johnson]

Whoa.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I rode really well. And then standard hit was 26. 2.

[Sam Riegel]

So that's 52.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

52 points of normal damage. And then just for fun that's also plus 16 which is my normal base.

[Sam Riegel]

That's so much.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I came down. So like it was a. I say into the spider verse. But this is reality is burning with the power of the mountain.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do we know the total? Do we know the total? That was so much.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I didn't do the total up.

[Liam O'Brien]

I know they just did it out there.

[Matthew Mercer]

152. A living shark of an elemental titan. Bringing its modern day fury upon the long dead shade of a fractured titan. To a heavy hit. Tears into this creature and for the first time since you first encountered it you sense fear within this shadow. So that was your first hit? Yep.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Let's go over another. I feel bad for this guy.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh darn.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It was a 19.

[Matthew Mercer]

Boom.

[Laura Bailey]

A 19 to hit.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. No. 19 is what I rolled. 19 plus. No. I don't get the double. 19 plus 14. That's 23 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That hits. Here we go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

33. 33.

[Laura Bailey]

Dude.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. So that's 10. That's 26 points of damage already. And last hit. I get one more hit right?

[Matthew Mercer]

You have. Yeah. With haste you do one more.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Here we go.

[Matthew Mercer]

16.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

26 at 31 hit. That hits I assume. And that's. Oh my God. This is insane.

[Liam O'Brien]

11.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's 27 more points.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's 200 plus damage on one. One round.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Just a big piece of crystal carving into the.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hell. Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm having a great day.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. Do you. Do you want to move? Use the rest of your movement this turn because you have a lot of movement. With haste or you want to stay put?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm just gonna run a few bloody circles around it and then just stay in in range.

[Matthew Mercer]

You got it. All right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I want to be around everybody else just in case.

[Matthew Mercer]

Understood. End of your turn. Is going to use its only legendary action to throw a siphon lance at you because it's real angry.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I don't know why.

[Matthew Mercer]

What is that? Well it has advantage on attacks against you because you did reckless. That's a natural 20.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh.

[Marisha Ray]

Silvery barbs.

[Matthew Mercer]

Damn.

[Marisha Ray]

Well now how I always forget I get to give advantage.

[Matthew Mercer]

What's the range on silvery barbs? Cuz he did run around it. No, but I I.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

He said he stayed. I stay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Everybody. Yeah. Next to everybody.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. Silvery bars. It is great. Such. It's such a great first level spell.

[Marisha Ray]

It's also 60ft, so I'm definitely within range.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. All right.

[Marisha Ray]

Also, I never do this. Beth, you're going to get advantage on your next roll. Oh, thanks.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's going to be 27 to hit you. Ashton, I.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Somehow it does.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, you take 44 points of.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Bludgeoning, damage reduced in half. So that's 22 points and you lose a hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

Dice.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay, I don't care.

[Matthew Mercer]

Suck it, big tentacle. Beth, it's your turn.

[Sam Riegel]

I guess I'll just shoot it with my crossbow.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, at the beginning of your turn, you lose a hit, die.

[Sam Riegel]

Sure, sure, sure, sure. Yeah, I mean, that's. That's what I do. I shoot the things with crossbows.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Sam Riegel]

I get advantage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yep.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, that's a 27 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

That hits roll damage. Let's go. And Yasha, you're up next.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm rolling a lot of dice too, but not as many as Ashton do.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I. I have so many things I have to mark off.

[Matthew Mercer]

30.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, no.

[Sam Riegel]

38.

[Matthew Mercer]

47.

[Sam Riegel]

45. 45.

[Matthew Mercer]

45 points of damage. A heavy hit. This entity is taking hits and you can see, like, there's, like, sparks of blue into the shadow with some of these hits. It's starting to almost fracture. It's looking pretty hurt.

[Sam Riegel]

I get one more hit. I get one more shot at it. That's cocked.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, that was almost a 20.

[Sam Riegel]

It was 16 plus a bunch. So that's another. That's another 11 points of damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Alrighty. Yasha, you're up. Oh. Oh, you won.

[Sam Riegel]

Actually, you know what? Can I take that one back?

[Matthew Mercer]

4.

[Sam Riegel]

Can I. Bonus action. Disengage and run away instead like a coward?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes, you may. I will happily Take that 11th hit. Points back.

[Sam Riegel]

I scurry away fair, but. But bravely. You got it while drinking alcohol.

[Matthew Mercer]

Perfect. I'd already used my reaction, but I appreciate sticking to the. The narrative. Yasha, you're up.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right. So reckless, great weapon. Master all the shit. First, though, as a bonus action, I'm gonna do zealous presence and I'm gonna unleash a battle cry so that anyone within 60ft gets advantage on attack rolls and saving throws.

[Matthew Mercer]

Until our next turn.

[Ashley Johnson]

Tell my next turn.

[Matthew Mercer]

Nice.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, so.

[Matthew Mercer]

Which one do I roll?

[Marisha Ray]

Which one do I roll?

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, I'm gonna do this smallest one.

[Sam Riegel]

It doesn't matter.

[Ashley Johnson]

It does matter.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's reckless. You said yes. You roll the twice.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. Okay, that is.

[Matthew Mercer]

26 minus 5, master.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Which is a 21.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, that hits. All right, all right, all Right. All right, all right. Okay, here we go. Here we go. Here we go. Oh, I just got so nervous.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

High level combat.

[Ashley Johnson]

Ooh, that's good. That's good. Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Thousands of people are watching you, judging you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait. Oh, yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

This is so cool.

[Marisha Ray]

So wild.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. Okay. 14 plus 8. Plus 53 because of. Because of 20. 20 because of the wings, my radiant soul. Plus 10 because of great weapon master. And plus 23 because of all the other shit that I did. Because of. Hold on.

[Marisha Ray]

Because of.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hold on. Because of divine fury and raging. 10 plus 13.

[Marisha Ray]

So you didn't.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't. Wait, hold on.

[Laura Bailey]

He believes you.

[Ashley Johnson]

71. Thank you, guys. I'm so sorry. 75.

[Marisha Ray]

75.

[Ashley Johnson]

75.

[Matthew Mercer]

75 points of damage. Heavy hit on this.

[Marisha Ray]

Let's go, baby.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sorry. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let'S go.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right. Second hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Reckless and all that stuff.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yep. So reckless.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, that was funny. Oh, my God.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, my God.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, my God.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah. All right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Come on.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, 10. Sorry, I'm shaking. Okay, so 14. That's 28 plus. Plus I get out of here. 28 plus 10. So 38.

[Matthew Mercer]

You added your brutal critical.

[Laura Bailey]

Brutal critical.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, you added your brutal. Your roar drawer.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, what's the brutal critical?

[Travis Willingham]

Roll the damage. Die one more time.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, well, actually, as a 20th level barbarian. You at it. Three additional damage. Yep. So three more times.

[Marisha Ray]

What?

[Sam Riegel]

So an additional 3D6 and double them.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes. No, no, you just add them on top.

[Sam Riegel]

So did you double everything first? Are you good?

[Matthew Mercer]

Double? Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

28 is.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes. Doubles, doubles, doubles. You did.

[Liam O'Brien]

You got 14. That's double. 28.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, so that's double to 24. 10. 12. The believe it is double. The brutal critical is double.

[Laura Bailey]

The brutal critical.

[Matthew Mercer]

Dice are not double. They're just not. Okay, dice rolled.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, so that's 12.

[Liam O'Brien]

20 and 12.

[Ashley Johnson]

16 plus.

[Matthew Mercer]

Stop it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Plus 13. Because raging. I think that's it. I think that's it. I think that's it. Let me just make sure I only do the radiant soul once with the plus 20. And did I add. Do I add the 10 again for gray weapon master? No, I already did that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Well, you do it on every attack if you want to.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes, I. Of course I do.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

So then it also 10. So is that 63?

[Matthew Mercer]

I think it's more than that.

[Ashley Johnson]

63?

[Liam O'Brien]

No, it's 63.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's 63.

[Sam Riegel]

If you add that pressure, I think it's 90.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, I think it's 63.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yasha, how do you want to Do?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, my fucking God.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, my God.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Barbarians.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, I'm just gonna fly over and punch it in the back here.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, I'm gonna do that.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm just gonna swing my scald saber and just sort of look wherever the nuts are cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

And then as you stare at this formless shadow entity that is attempting to recoil into the pit that it came from, you watch as its one tethered arm breaks free from the stones that you were holding it with and the other drags it down. And as it descends, you get just the briefest glance of two tiny shadow orbs. I see them. And a tiny floppy shadow appendage.

[Ashley Johnson]

And I'll just take the scald saber.

[Marisha Ray]

And just swipe it and stick it in.

[Matthew Mercer]

With a flash of searing flame and a roar that quakes the apex of this monstrous mountain, the shadow being seems to begin to fade as a faint glow of it plummets down into the shadow below. Its physical form destroyed as it deteriorates. But the pale blue green glow of its spectral form descends within the heart of the mountain. Tethered and kept beyond this realm into the other. You have destroyed destroyed its physical presence here, but currently it is beyond your reach in the spirit realm. That will have to be the job of another troop. But here, as it falls below, you feel a point portion of that, that vacuum in your spirit grow warm once more as both a partial dark presence that had taken root in your spirit has been diminished. And also a sense of proximity to a long lost part of yourself that sits beyond the veil and not far from where you stand as you breathe heavy. After a day of climbing a Tyrannosaurus rex and plucking songs from the ether of this space and talking to in beseeching the power of this island around you. You look amongst the new friends you've made, catching your breath, and for a moment you feel the memory that you've perpetually lost is not going to fade from you this time.

[Laura Bailey]

I want to go down and check on my family and everyone that's, you know, hopefully been unpetrified. But this is really nice.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Problem.

[Sam Riegel]

Punched right there.

[Laura Bailey]

That was an incredible punch.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

I know before we were all touching shoulders and stuff around the void because it was, you know, something we had to face. But do you reckon we could do more shoulder touching just one more time around the void?

[Sam Riegel]

Sure, yeah, sure.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm very tall, so I'm just. Yeah, at the moment I've. I'm like double.

[Ashley Johnson]

Ethel's very tallest.

[Sam Riegel]

Well, Caleb's right back down here.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, Caleb, Come back. The void is defeated.

[Liam O'Brien]

I. I landed. I walk up behind you.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, God.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hey.

[Sam Riegel]

So good.

[Liam O'Brien]

Bad rap, bad rap.

[Sam Riegel]

We all touch shoulders.

[Laura Bailey]

Thank you.

[Sam Riegel]

Gently and not sexually. Just a friendship touch.

[Laura Bailey]

Friendship. Thank you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Thank you for singing a mountain back together.

[Laura Bailey]

That was pretty cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

That was really cool. I.

[Laura Bailey]

We've focused a lot on me. I hope your friends are okay. Sorry, I didn't.

[Marisha Ray]

They're probably fine.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I read probably.

[Marisha Ray]

They're very capable.

[Matthew Mercer]

You hear the sound of arcane shrieks and distant ghostly screams echoing from the pit below. Deep, deep in the darkness, the other half of this fight roars on. And you're uncertain the source of these screams. The battle somewhere in the spirit realm across the veil is raging and you're uncertain if you can help. Not from up here, at least.

[Travis Willingham]

Ethel, I think it's time to take the plunge. Will you come with us?

[Laura Bailey]

Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

Should we dive?

[Travis Willingham]

Dive down Cannonball on three. One. Two.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm not ready yet. Three.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right now, as they leap into the expanse below, plummeting into the very dark heart of this shattered mountain. We'll see what the other half says in Melbourne, but for now, we close this half of the chapter. We'll see some of you in Melbourne and those not. You'll see the rest of this when it goes online shortly thereafter, but thank you very much for joining us tonight here in Sydney. We love you very much. And is it Thursday yet?

[Liam O'Brien]

And please punch sticks responsibly.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sa. Thank you all so much. Have a wonderful night.

[Liam O'Brien]

Thanks for listening. We hope you've enjoyed this tale. If you did, consider leaving a review on your podcast platform of choice. We're always looking for new critters to share our stories with with, and your review may help a new batch of wayward adventurers discover the show. See you next time.