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Tag Team At The Teeth: The Misty Ascent | Critical Role Sydney Live Show 2025 Part 1
01:46:48
Part 1 Check out our 2025 Sydney Live Show! When characters from both the Mighty Nein and Bells Hells find themselves mysteriously split across parallel realms in The Shattered Teeth, they must unite against a common threat.... Join Game Master Matthew Mercer and the cast of Critical Role as Jester Lavorre, Ashton Greymoore, Yasha Nydoorin, Caleb Widogast, Veth Brenatto, Chetney Pock O'Pea, and Laudna work together to uncover the truth behind their interdimensional separation in this unforgettable live adventure!" PROLOGUE DESCRIPTION: For some extra lore about our Tag Team at the Teeth Adventure, check out our official Tag Team At The Teeth Prologue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq8RYa0M5Ek Bells Hells have joined the Mighty Nein at sea in search of Ludinus Da'leth and his safe haven in the Shattered Teeth. As they approach one of the Teeth's mysterious islands, the Nein Hells suddenly find themselves split and separated in parallel realms… Get your Critical Role Live in...
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Prolon is science backed nutrition that can help change your relations in just five days. Get 15% off plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe@prolonlife.com PandoraPromo these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. See site for details. What does possibility mean to you? That's a hard question. Something that you can strive for. I'm able to do anything I set my mind to. You're confident in yourself and you believe in yourself. Stuff that you could achieve. I feel exc is possible when you're more confident. Shoes are a huge part of that. They are the most important part of my style. You can like express yourself in the right shoes. Anything is possible. DSW countless shoes at bragworthy prices. Imagine the possibilities. Hey there Critter Podcast listeners. We have a special new membership service at Beacon TV where you get early access to all new podcast episodes including Critical Role. For the first time ever. Beacon members also get things like live event presales, merch discounts, access to a private community discord, and new exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown. Think of it as our digital Critical Role land. Head on over to Beacon TV to check it out for yourself and start a seven day free trial. Thank you so much for your support for being a podcast listener and for being part of our community. Hey there Critters. This is Ashley Johnson and Telus and Jeffy and we're popping in here to talk about our new podcast on Beacon. Weird kids 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, we're covering so many topics like antique toys, taxidermy, Japanese pop culture, and honestly, anything else we come up with. 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. You can also find fellow weirdos by following the series on our heirdkids pod, Instagram and using the hashtag Weird Kids. 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. New episodes release every Tuesday. Hey there, it's Liam o'. Brien. And welcome to the Critical Role Podcast Network. We're stoked you're here and thanks for making our stories part of your day. You're listening to part one of this episode right now and part two will arrive this upcoming Tuesday. If you'd rather listen to the full episode right now and without any ads, consider becoming a Beacon member. You'll receive access to exclusive content discounts at all our online critical Role shops, exclusive pre sales for live events, and much more. Start your seven day free trial today at Beacon tv. Well, that should cover it. Now let's dive into the adventure. Sydney, how you feeling? You're going to have to do better than that. Cindy, how you feeling? Oh, my God. D And D is the icc. It rhymes, so you know it's good. Guys, my name's Tom Carty. I'm gonna be your MC for tonight. I'm gonna do some silly songs before some friends of. Thank you. Before I have some friends come out here. Guys, who the hell is excited for some critical role tonight? Yeah, I thought so. I feel the same way. Guys, this first song is. Is a song I wrote. I watched the Titanic. You've heard of that movie before. It's very good. It's a new movie I got up to, like halfway through when, like, Jack was painting rose and it's very sexy, you know, like paint me like one of your French girls. And I stopped it because it was too horny for me and I put it away. This song is called Paint that Lady and it's about my future wife. Thank you very much. Hit the track. Thank you. It's serious. It's very sexy. Cross your legs, guys. We lock eyes from across the room. And you say, what's up? And I say, what's up? And we know that it's good. Do you want to be my lady? I want to raise your baby. My only job is to pleasure you. But first I'm gonna use my thumb to measure you. You know you're dealing with a gentleman when I gotta work finger, mama. Lovely lady wants a gentleman's dick. But first you get the acrylic. I'm gonna paint you with my watercolors. We're gonna have sex, but not just yet. First I'm gonna paint you. It's an aphrodisiac. Girl, get the Monet like Leo da Vinci. I paint your clam like a Botticelli before I let you get a whiff of this dick. I get to painting and I make it erotic. You can be my rose. I will be your Jack. But we're not on a boat. We are out the back of my mother's house. But the sexual tension is still Titanic. I to please you. When I'm finished painting you in about five hours. Hour three and you move your head slightly to the left. Well, I think I better start again. Hour 8 and the sun's coming up and the light has changed, so I think I better start again. The sexual tension has been greatly magnified by this 12 hour Bob Ross joyride. I made you late. Now I know what you want and I'mma give it to you. Sydney. I'm going to do you. I'm going to do you. Cindy, I'm going to do you with my charcoal. I'm going to paint you with my charcoal knuckle. We're gonna have sex definitely tonight. But first I want to get your head right. I'm gonna pray you. I'm definitely not stalling for time. No, I'm not. Definitely not. Definitely not. No, I'm not stalling for time. I really do want to have sex. I'm not stuck at the tolling. I'm not stuck at the toll. No, I'm not. Explosions. They never put the explosions there. I said, let's move the tables and just have explosions. But they wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons as well. This next song is very important to me because I don't know if you guys know this, but Jacob Collier is coming here in December. You guys know Jacob Collier? You heard of him before? He's like that English singer who's incredible singer and he makes his audience, like, sing in harmony. And I thought it would be really cool if we pranked the Fucker. So what we're gonna do, basically. And you have no choice in this. It was in the fine print of your tickets. I thought it'd be really funny if he gets here in December and he's like, oh yeah, I love the icc. I can't wait. I'm gonna do the very first, like harmony choir of the audience. And some stagehand's gonna be like, they did that at a Dungeons and Dragons show six months ago. Get the fuck outta here. So basically, just don't freak out, but halfway through this, I'm going to like divide you. This half you're going to sing a little harmony. This half you're going to sing a harmony and you're going to make my dreams come true. This song. Thank you. This song is probably the most powerful song in the entire world at the moment. I wrote it when I was three and a half years old. It's called Don't Touch My Monster Truck. And. Thank you. It's about you not touching my monster truck. Thank you. Let's do it. Hit that. Michael's here for your sleepover. Please, please play nice. You can touch my Lego. You can touch my Pokemon cards. You can watch Ninjago or play with thought of Asgard. You can touch my fidget spinners. My dad bought me 18. You can play with anything. But please don't touch my monster truck. You can play my Fortnite. You love Fortnite. You can touch my bike or my kite or my spider man light. You can touch my fucking slap base. But if you touch my monster truck, I'll stab you in the face, bitch. You can touch the pills that my dad keeps in the bathroom. You can smell the things in my sister's bedroom. You touch my Tonka truck, I couldn't give a fuck. What's the one thing I said? Don't touch my monster truck. If you touch my monster truck, I'll f ing bite you on your arm. And then my mama gonna call your mama and say take your dumb ass kid back home. And I know for a fact you got no Dunkaroos. You got no Fruit Roll Ups in that two bedroom apartment. All you got is a marriage on the ro. The feeling that you're fucked up by touching my monster truck. ZDI feeling that you're fucked up by touching my monster truck. I'm like a four year old right now. Imagine that feeling that you're fucked up by touching. If you tell anyone at school that I cried when you touch my monster twat, I'll tell everyone at school. That you got no TV at your house. And you shit yourself. My dad could beat up your dad. My dad is John Cena. I'm allowed to drink Coke. You've got a weird dick. My mom says that your dad is a cuck. All right, it's happening now. This half, we're gonna do it, all right? Monster Chuck. A Monster Chuck. Monster Chuck. A monster truck. Repeat it now. Monster Chuck. Monster Chuck. Monster Chuck. Keep doing that. This off. Ready? Monster Chuck. Monster Chuck. Monster truck. A monster truck. All together. Monster truck. Monster Truck. So I am a little shit. That kind of K that you'd love to hear it, but you can't. Cause hitting kids is wrong. So you're settled for watching me get hit by my mom in a supermarket. Crowded supermarket. Crowded supermarket. And take the opportunity, while I'm stuck. To kick the shit out of my monster truck. To kick the shit out of my monster truck. I drop my thing. You want to kick the shit out of my monster truck? Oh, Sydney. Kick the shit out. Out of my monster Chuck. You wanna kick the shit out of my monster Chuck. Explosions. Fuck. I'm gonna have a word. It was on my rider. 17,000 explosions. That was kind of cool. Halfway through that, I became a dj. You see that? Thank you. I love you too, Tom. Thank you. I think it's kind of cool to think about just then. We have some Americans watching, right? That's what the cameras are here for. How cool is it that there's, like D and D here, but D and D there as well? It blows my fucking mind, guys. So I thought it would just be a cool opportunity. Because I think Americans are quite interested in the things that we say, right? Like the little kind of funny little buggery, get a dog up your sort of things that we say. So I just thought in that I use a lot of Australianisms in my music. And I just want to, like, clear in that song. This is for you beautiful Americans at home and some who are backstage eating Vegemite. In that song, I said Dunkaroos, which in Australia. Yeah, yeah, you got Dunkaroos. In Australia. A Dunkaroo is a sex act. A chocolate Dunkaroo will cost you extra. Am I right, guys? This is my final song. You've been so beautiful. Thank you so much. This song. That's it. This song is either about sending mixed messages to someone you like or punching someone's dad in the dick. I don't know. Let's do it. Hit the song. It's Sunday night and you're at home all Alone. Last night was great. It was our very first day. So now it's time to pull out my phone. I'm gonna send you something real quick. It ain't gonna be a dick pic. No, no. Romance needs clarity. But baby, that don't work for me. I'm sending mixed messages. Mixed messages. I send the first text in a cute way, and then I don't reply for seven fucking days. Yeah, mixed messages. Or you text me, what night am I free? And I reply, yes, full stop. I send you a little smiley face. So you send me back a little smiley face and then I say, hey. And you write back hey. And I say hey. What you say? You said hey first. And I say, okay. Croissant emoji. Fuck you. It makes me. One second I say, you're very pretty. And then I show up at your house and I kick your dog. Yeah, it's a shih tzu. I pay for the dog's veterinary bill. But then I punch your dad in the dick. Ha ha ha. Now we're going to just me, you and your dad in the back of an ambulance. And even with your dad's broken dick, the air is thick with sexual tension. I'm really sorry for punching your dad in the dick. I won't do it again. You make me shake his hand and promise. But as I do, I ball up my other fists and I punch your dad in the dick again. Yeah, I punch your dad in his broken dick again. You think I'm sexy because I'm mysterious. Sending you these mixed messages. Stop punching my dad's dick. Okay. But then I wink, grab both of my hands quick. Stopping my third attempt to punch your dad's dick. Oh, baby, you've played this game before. But I've played more. You got both my hands. So I use my head. A headbutt. Your dad's parents in the back of an ambulance. And between their head butts, our eyes lock. Cause we're holding hands. We can't help but kiss over your dads. Not once, twice, Thrice. Broken dick. Mix messages, mix messages. Mix messages. I say I love you in a cute way. And then I punch your dad stick. Every day, tell your dad that I'm sorry. But then punch him in his dick again. Explosions. Guys, thank you so much. Now I've done my little song. Are we ready for some freaking D and D? You're going to have to do better than that. Are you ready for critical role? Let's bring them out. First up, make some noise. The one, the only, Laura Bailey. Keep that going for Marisha Ray. Up next, we have Liam o'. Brien. Keep that going for number four in the roster, Taliesin Jaffe. Next up, Ashley Johnson. Oh, yeah. Travis Willingham. Keep it going for Riegel. And your game master for tonight and forever, Matthew Mercer. Race. Well, hello everyone, and welcome to tonight's wonderful Critical Role live show here in Sydney, Australia. Oh, boy. Sound like thunder. Yeah, no pressure. Thank you all so much for joining us here in person and those of you abroad or later, whatever it may be. But the energy in here is already palpable and terrifying in the best way. Wow. Oh, boy. But thank you all so much for joining us. Before we jump into our episode tonight, we do have a few announcements to get through. Marisha, you have a quick announcement to make too. My favorite part was how the front row was actually concerned and not having it. Yeah, they were like, no, we saw your faces. I could see. No one said there was a splash zone. It was very. Yeah, we're sorry, Australia, but before we get into that, just a friendly reminder to please not post spoilers of tonight's episode online. Not just yet. Did you know you're the first ones to see this? So other people will have a chance to see this, Share photos, talk about how great of a time you had, but just don't post spoilers. Don't be a dick. Thank you so much. That is the golden rule, I believe. That concludes our announcements. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, she is. So let's go ahead and jump into tonight's live episode of Critical role. Sit down. It's hard being a crocodile person. Valid. After the strange creeping of some odd sourceless spectral mist begin to rob your troop of friends and members. After a mysterious and sudden surge of color, only a few remain here on the deck of the nine heroes. Laudna, Jester, Caleb, Yasha, Ashton, Chetney and Veth. Chilled to the bone and lost in the mist. It is but yourselves that remain upon this dock. It's the crocodile. It's the crocodile. You did this. You spotted self. You did this. Children, these waters are filled with beasts. Yes. Yes. Yes. Thank you. Yes. She's found me again. You can bring it out to the intermission, children. The looming shadow of the fast approaching island itself growing closer and closer as the midst of the chaos. The anchor was not yet placed. Before you feel the ship lurch as it runs aground, you glance over the side to see the dark sandy beach that greets you like an endless display of grains of long tumbled obsidian. The black beaches of the island have Met you. Your mind and your wits just click in to realize you're not sure what happened and where your friends are, but you've arrived. Oh. Where is everybody? Imogen. Himejin. Hot Minotaur. Hot Minotaur. I'm going to send a message to Ford. All right? Are you going to say his name twice? It just feels like we were all doing that. Ford. Ford. Yes. All right. I'm going to send a message forward. Okay? Where did you go? It's. We are at the island, but you disappeared with everyone else, and I'm really worried. Did you go home? Are you in the water? Do I have more? As the words leave your mind and your lips, the magical essence of the sending spell flings your cries out into the ether. You hear nothing in return but hope they found the ears of your lover, wherever he may be. Don't worry if you're feeling lonely. You know, I happen to be. I happen to be an excellent cuddler. I believe you. She is engaged. You're not my type. She is engaged to be married. And some of us take marriage very seriously. Now, where is your hot Minotaur friend? Welcome to the Shattered Teeth. Do you think we're ghosts? I'd be so excited. Honestly, I don't feel like that would be much of a departure for you. My life is very different than what we had last time. That. Does this even look like the same island? Glancing around. What? Little bit of the beach. See, you can. Can see there's nothing about it that seems familiar. Wait, when you guys were here before, did people disappear on you? No. There were some pirates and skeletons and there was some tattooing, but I don't think that. That really. And a sword. Yeah, I got a whole thing on the. Oh, do you want some more? I mean, look, I'm really distraught right now. I could use a good distraction. I. I would take one if. If it. Well, yes. I've already given you some. If you can figure out how to. How to tattoo solid stone. Honestly, that's a story I get to keep. So. Yes. Caleb runs over to Mr. Po and kneels down quickly. Let me see your hands. Are they whole? Any broken fingers? Are you. Well, can you still work? Oh, Jesus, another fanboy. It only took 400 years for them to recognize my greatness. But now it's my turn, bitches. My fingers are fine. So you can still make toys? I can make toys. Any kind of toys. I rip one of the wooden columns out of the edge of the ship and hand it to him. Carve. I mean, I can make a toy or I can make other things. Things to worry about right now. Caleb. A toy? With. With that banister piece. It feels like that would be a hefty double sided implement of some sort. It's a bit splintery. Here you go. Okay. Half the work is done already. For her pleasure. I'll get right on. We should really focus though. Yes. Yes. We lost half our team. You lost half your team. No, you're right. Laudna goes over and she picks up a glass and just throws it against a wall. What was that for? If we're ghosts. That's what ghosts do. Oh, I don't think we're ghosts. Wait, wait. Chetney runs towards the wall. We're definitely not ghosts. Can someone remind me what we were looking for in the first place? Are you serious? One minotaur, one miniature. And apparently this is what two weeks on the ocean has been. Really? No, I actually forgot as well. Oh my. Surprise. We were looking. Just a reminder wouldn't hurt. We played the exposition five minutes ago. I know, but. But it wasn't. It wasn't piped backstage. For some reason I could not hear it. Sending is still a little off. Yeah. The most dangerous mage in Exandria is hiding in the mists. He's not that bad. Somewhere, but. Okay. You weren't there. We're looking for him. He escaped or something. And clearly he knows we're coming because he split us up. Do you think it was him? I don't know. Or. I thought the shattered teeth were just like this weird place that sometimes they. It weird crazy things. Was it Ludinous? If he were trying to actually deal with this. Why would he split us up though? I don't even necessarily think he knows we're here. I think. I mean, this doesn't feel like his. The kind of thing he would do. Can we look around and see if the sky is the same? Does it look like a Technicolor dream code of like, are we. Does it look like the same space we were in? Go ahead and make a perception check for me. Oh, first roll. Let's go, let's go, let's go. 19. 19. We're gonna live. Not bad. Glancing in the immediate vicinity, the mists themselves are thick. And that odd spectral mist that swooped in and took your allies away is no longer present. Just the still cold, ever thick fog that completely swallows this island. What you can see through the mists at this proximity is the shadowed, still mostly obscured shape of the massive monolithic mountain that consumes the center of this island landmass. However, with a 19 you can tell a few things. One, you can see the faint edges of a jungle line roughly 60 to 100ft beyond the black sands that are at the edge of your ship. And secondly, this is not just a solid mountainous mass. It looks like the mountain itself has shattered like it had detonated from within. You can see massive cracks and pieces of the mountain expanded outward and just locked in the air like it was frozen mid destruction. You can see dark shapes, ribbons of parts of the landmass winding around it, corkscrewing like this incredible terrifying monolith had been sundered and locked. Oh shit. You can't even see the peak of it, but the clouds swallow it. Partway up you can just see large boulders and chunks of it slowly rotating and shifting with the wind around it just barely visible, the outer shadow line of their presence visible 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 an 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 Data 1H2025CT mobile.comNetwork Want to look and feel your best this summer? Don't just think skin deep, think cell deep with Prolon. Prolon is a plant based nutrition program featuring soups, snacks and beverages that nourish the body while keeping it in a fasting state, triggering cellular rejuvenation and renewal. With proper diet and exercise, Prolon can help target fat loss, support lean muscle and reset your metabolism so you look and feel your best all summer long. Prolon is science backed nutrition that can help change your relationship with food in just 5 days. Get 15% off plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe@prolonlife.com PandoraPromo these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. See site for details. Want to pull off the season's freshest trends? You just need the right shoes. That's where designer Shoe Warehouse comes in. Loving wide leg jeans. Pair them with sleek low profile sneakers. Obsessed with the sheer trend? Try it with mesh flats. Feeling Boho comfy sandals. Nail the whole free spirited thing. Find on trend shoes from the brands you love like Birkenstock, Nike, Adidas and more at DSW hey there critters. This year marks our 10 year anniversary of critical role and we are partnering with Fathom Entertainment to bring our 2025 tour to mov 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 I'm going to jump off the side of the boat. What does she. I'm going to find my wife. I'm with. I'm with that one. This is stupid. We're out in the open. Let's see if anything happens to her first. No, I'm really. Does she survive? You leap off the side of the boat, hitting like the black sand. Your feet dig in. Your. Your dense heft of musculature pushes you a few inches into the beach. You stand up strong, your broad shoulders holding your blade at bay. And the jungle line ahead of you. Hey, look how many friends it takes to jump off a boat for me. I'm going. I'm fine. I'll go too. Thank you. Look at him go. You're either out in the open or we head towards the jungle. If we're getting off the boat, I'm getting off this boat. Are we getting off? I think we're here. We should get off. I got you. All right. I don't. I will leap into Yasha's awaiting arms. Perfect. Oh no. One by one, you all step off the boat onto the black sands and begin heading in towards the jungle. It only takes a few steps of Yasha leading this charge before you feel something tug at your boot. Yasha. Something's tugging at my boot. From beneath the black sands that begin to emerge and billow outward. You see these strange hook like claws latch onto the back of her boot as some sort of odd segmented beach worm, massive and terrifying, seems to claw up and begin to dig into her heel. And you watch as the sand shifts around you. Immediately you've stepped into some sort of a feeding zone for massive terrifying beach entities. I need your alderal initiatives. See, I told you. You're right. We should have stayed boat. That would have been great. Stay on the boat. Yeah, no, totally. This is so early. I get to kill him. Oh balls. Oh, I felt good. Oh no. Wow. No. 20. 25 to 20. Oh no. 21. Oh no. Right. Yes, exactly. Oh no. 20 to 15. Oh, come on. 15 to 10. 14. Oh, 14. 14. Oh. 12. Jester and Yasha are roll easing. 19, 8. All right, Jester, Yasha and Chet with a 12 and then Ashton with a 10. Ashton. All right, what would you get Caleb and Veth? 8. 7. What? Oh boy. Right. So, Laudna, you begin to see these creatures, these odd segmented like claw faced beach worms that most of their body is submerged or at least not visible behind. As Yasha begins to step forward, you watch its body get pulled out of the sand. You have no idea how long it is. But even like the five, six feet that gets pulled free is a terrifying inclination of how much more might reside beneath the sand as it pulls at her. But you have initiative. What do you want to do? La icky icky. Wow, I hate this. Okay, let her die and run. Okay, first and foremost, I will use my bonus action to go into my form of dread. No, no, no, no. What form does your form of dread take? Well, look, you know, I've been inspired by the ocean and being on a boat, so it's like, you know, a little pirate winchy, but make it spooky so your hair turns into like clumps of black seaweed hanging from a pirate hat sort of thing. Oh, that's cool. That's even better. Yes, that's great. That's storytelling. Incredible. And then from there, I'm going to go ahead and, and cast Bane. Oh, there it is. Sounds like a sandwich. It's that classic Bane line. Yeah. All right, so you cast it on the one that's lashed on Yasha's ankle. Yes. All right. It fails at seven. Wait, how many are there? You just see one emerging at the moment, but you see sand shifting around other people. Can I try? If you want to hold your action for others to opposite you can do that. I will hold my action. Fair enough. You prepare your Bane spell for more to arrive. Yasha, run. Stir up the sand. She says that as the entity, its mouth and jaws open wider, almost like its head splits a little further down and you can see just multitudes of weird, thick, viscous saliva covered teeth that begin to latch onto your leg. It's going to attempt to attack you, Yash. Okay, that's going to be 17 to hit. No, no. It. It chews on your boot but cannot find purchase in you. However, sweet thing, five other ones emerge around the others that are standing along the ground and making an attack against each of you. Have you left the boat yet? I mean, you said we all hopped off. Well, you had you were the one that hadn't confirmed. I'll give you the opportunity to stay. Or would you have joined everybody? I would have joined. Then six of them arrive and attack all of you. So for. Oh, that's a natural 20 against you. Ve. But I'm just a cute little thing. All right, Veth, that's going to be. Hold on a sec. You know, you do get the Bane going now. I do get the Bane. It won't change the. Won't change the critical. But it will affect the other attacks. I'm going to do it at third level so I can get four. All them. You got it. That's a fail. That's a fail. That's six fail. Seven fail. Even with a 14, it's a fail because you're high DC. Oh, okay, 18. 18 is my DC. Okay, so. So I'll say the one that's attacking Chetney succeeded, but the rest get a minus two. Sorry. Plus, it's because I got money now, isn't it? Is this. That is going to be. Yeah. 42 points of piercing damage on you. Veth. Can I. Uncanny dodge. If you'd like to. Yeah. And 30. 34 points of acid damage. Whoa. What? As it wraps. What? You're level 20 and 17. What am I supposed to do? These terrifying corrupted worms begin chewing up your leg and one of them just kind of devours you halfway up like Andy Serkis in that weird King Kong movie. The rest of you can at least see the upper half of Veth as she has been half swallowed by one of these beach worms. So you can have. It's 76. Halved is 38 or something. Yeah. So there you go with that. So 38 points damage to you. A guy against Caleb, minus a D4. Oh, rolled really low. That's gonna miss you against Jester. Oh, that's gonna be 21. Minus D4. Minus 1. 20. Oh, that's my armor class. All right. And so with that minus D4. You said bane? Yeah, Bane. Yep. Boo. Anything now? All right, so it's gonna be 14 points of piercing damage and 20 points of acid damage. We gotta get off this beach. We need a healer somehow. I don't know. With a minus D4 on you, that's gonna be a 17 to hit you. Laudna shield misses you entirely. Ashton, that's also going to be. Well, well, yeah, same thing. Seventeen against you. Ashton, I'm fine. Yeah. All right. And Chetney is not baned, but against you. That's gonna. Same roll again. So that's gonna be 19 against you, Chetney. Fuck, it's my AC. Perfect. Everything's going according to. Oh, no. Your hands. Oh, no. Whatever. Will you do anything but my hands. He needs that for me. Me. 15 points of piercing damage. 1 5. Yep. And that's going to be 19 points of acid damage. Damn. Ow. Okay. As they all. You watch as you all begin to pull back out of the way. You have your hand up. Can I hellish rebuke? Can I hellish rebuke? You can indeed. Bring it. Constitution. Save on them or dexterity on that one? I don't Dexterity, so. Oh, massive failure. Yes. That's 3D10. Let's go. All right. Ooh. 16 plus 5. 21 points of cold damage. 21 points of cold damage. As your rebuke hits you, watch as the icy rays of your energy burst and tear through this creature. It kind of shrieks, pulls back a little bit, but still kind of tries to reach for you. It looks fairly hurt, but still holding its gaze to try and rush towards you. So finishing their turn now. That brings us to the end of their go. Next up in the initiative order is Jester with Yasha on deck. What do you want to do? You said it looks fairly hurt. Yes, and I did 21 points of damage. Yeah, it looks like it took a hit. All right, I'm going to cast. I'm going to cast spiritual guardians at fourth level already. Should I do more? Fifth level? Okay, fifth level, I'm going to cast spiritual guardians and, you know, fifth level spiritual guardian unicorns are, like, tougher than. So I'm kind of looking at Ashton as I cast this, and all of my spiritual unicorns are, like, super punk. As they come out, they're all like this and, like, sticking their tongues out. And they've. She's coming from the hoof. Psyched up, Mohawk. Wait, is. Are they, like, their fingers coming out of the hoof or something or. Oh, yes. Okay. My spiritual. These ones have hands just for this purpose. Hams. They're hamster unicorns. They have little tiny fingers. Ah. All right, that's better. Picture. Okay, Beautiful. As they emerge out there, swirling around the space, some of these creatures are starting to curl back away, prepared for what's waiting them the next time they have their turn. But your guardians are up at the end of your turn. It brings us to Yasha. Hello. All right, I am going to rage and fuck it. Let's go reckless. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah, it's cocked, which is appropriate for my first roll. Okay, I'm not gonna start with that one. I'm really sorry. Okay. Oh, that's not the best, but that's okay. All right, that'll be. Actually, that's not that bad. 24. Oh, 24 definitely hits. Okay, go ahead and roll damage on that. So that would have been a crit in Daggerheart. Yeah. Wow. All right. Right, so we got. Oh, yes. And it hit. So Divine Fury. Okay, so we got eight. All right, turn. 29 points of damage. Hefty. First hit on the ace. First hit, your blade carves through a large chunk of it shears off, exposing its somewhat dark purple black innards as the outer armor gets cloven off. And it kind of shrieks back and it's still trying to hold onto you. You can take your second attack, too. Taking my second hit. Reckless again. Go for it. Much better. Okay. Not that it needed it. 17 plus 15. That hits. Yeah. Okay, cool. You can go. Roll damage, that is. Ooh. All right. Jet lag and math is really fun. 21 points of damage. 21 points of damage. You cleave it a second time by setting it just in the back of where its head and clawed face would be. As you carve free it, lets go, and you watch as it falls to the ground, twitches before going still. You've slaughtered it where it stood. All right. What I would do to, like. What I like to do is reach my hand for it in the sand and pick up some of it and pick it up dinner, and I'm gonna sling it over my shoulder. That's gross. You got it. All right. As you say dinner, and you shout this out to the rest of the group, you see a shape emerging from the tree line of the jungle, rushing foot over foot, sprinting in your direction. If we could please have Tom Carty come to the table. Hello. Hello. Thank you. If you wouldn't mind. Tom describing what they see emerging from the mist in shadow, rushing across the beach in their direction. You see like a seven and a half foot blue man with just like, kind of white hair, Kind of like white hair, kind of like bouncy, kind of like cloud. Like, just. And he's just belting as fast as he can with like a gold leaf sort of lute slapping across his back very awkwardly. And he's kind of trying to shout to you, but you don't quite maybe hear him, but he looks. He looks super excited, but also incredibly terrified at the same time. And he says, there's worms in the sand. Are you a ghost? What? Maybe ghosts are you ghosts. And then he stops for a second, you know, it remains to be seen. We gotta get the fuck out of here. I wouldn't stand there. There's. There's worms in the sand. Oh, now I'm aware of the worms. Okay, I'm fully aware of the worm situation in the sand. Well, how do we, where do we go? Just get off the bloody sandal first of all. All right, let's go, let's go. Yeah, we take off running towards them. Start squishing. All right, I would like your whole group at this point we'll say for the purpose of this, to make a dexterity saving throw. Each of you to try and dart away from the grasp of these worms to try and rush away from the beach. A group dex. Check natural 20. Okay, wait, this is a check or a save the deck. Saving throws. Okay, deck save. Okay, 25. Yeah, fantastic. 17. 17 barely succeeds. You need to beat a 15. Come on, Widow Ghast. Well, I got a six, but I will use my ring of evasion to help me juke to the left. Fantastic. All right, Laudna 1616. Success. Ashton. 15. 15 just barely makes it. 26. Get off me. After the one had been sundered and sent bloodied and scattered across the black sands, the others were kind of taken aback by it and all lurched for your team as you pushed off towards this strange cloud haired blue fella that is shouting to you from the treeline as we dart away. Can I just stand still for just a minute so that my spiritual guardians feel like they did something? Well, the spiritual guard, yeah, so. So the rest of them run away. You instead start sort of doing like a dance in the sand to keep them from biting your feet. With a natural 20, yes you can. Totally. You're like avoiding and like pirouetting around them, jumping off. It's almost like a music video. Like you're pushing off their face. And every as try as they might, you're just too cute to be hurt by them. As the guardians suddenly these punk unicorns just and tear into them. A bloody frenzy surrounds you. You seeing multiple minions? There's something wrong with her, isn't there? Yes, yes there is. Yeah, just, just a little. As Caleb streaks through, he grabs three to five of them out of the air and shoves them in his coat and keeps going. One by one, you rush away from the immediate danger of these beach worms that begin to recoil back into the black sands themselves. Still staying to the places they were buried and not giving pursuit into the nearby. 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 an 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 Ookla of Speedtest Intelligence data 1H2025C.T Mobile.com Network Want to look and feel your best this summer? Don't just think skin deep, think cell deep with Prolon. 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Shoes are a huge part of that. They are the most important part of my style. You can like express yourself yourself. In the right shoes. Anything is possible. Dsw Countless shoes at brag worthy prices. Imagine the possibilities. Hey there critters. 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 show. Visit fathomentertainment.com criticalrole to find tickets in theaters near you. That's fathomentertainment.com CriticalRole Jungle and there you take them in. Take a breath and look upon your strange visitor here on the outskirts of the island. Hi. Who are you? Wait, no, I think this is their friend Dorian. He just got super big and buff. I I think he's been eating steroids or something My. My characters are blurring together. You don't eat steroids. You. Can you put them up? No, it's true. You don't do put them up. And not that I've taken any, of course, but that is the. That is the appropriate way of doing it. You. You've met. You've met Dorian. This is not Dorian. Everybody looks big to me, baby. Well, guys, what's your name? Thank you for. For warning us about the black sand that we were already dying in. That's okay. But I just. I also think it's kind of rude to talk about someone else right in front of someone when they're standing in front of you. Yeah, that's fair. Fair. Okay. Yeah. Well, you're very handsome. Okay. All right. I don't know if I can blush, but let me try. Oh, he's purple. I'm just saying, we are very happy you're here. I. Thank you. I may. I. I. Oh. You were real. Okay, Okay. I thought. I thought you were illusions. For a second, I thought you were just this island playing another stupid joke on me. Okay, how long have you been here? Can I just touch everyone's shoulder first? This is kind of a thing I have to. I appreciate that you asked, but now. Okay, wait, wait. How long have you been here? How long have I to real? That's a good qu. That's a good question. Uhoh. Easier one. Why is the island stupid? The island? Why is the eye. Look around, dude. You just got eaten by almost big worms in the sand. We have a weird life. Worms in the sand kind of happen on occasion. That might have just been us. No, no, no. Wait, wait. You. You don't remember how long you've been here? It's kind of complicated. I. I know it wasn't recent, but it feels like a long time. There's something in me that feels like I grew up here. I. You know when you, like, think that you grew up somewhere, but you also can't remember anything about your entire existence? No. I don't know. I was trying to connect with you guys. All right, I fucked up. You know when you're seven and a half feet tall and blue, does anyone. Yeah. Yes. No. But I have a friend who does. Okay. Can I touch your shoulder? Yeah. All right. I try and Pickpocket. Wait, what's your name? This is a long hug, but I appreciate. So go ahead and roll. Sleight of hand. Ashton, if you wouldn't mind rolling a perception check for me. That rolled really bad. Roll poorly. Yeah. 1315. What does he find when he rummages through your pockets, a bunch of sand and shells. I keep a shell. I'd just like to know I could pull it off. Thank you. Fantastic. I'm drawing it. My name is. My name's Ethel. That's crazy to say out loud. I feel like I haven't talked to anyone. Ethel Rivergold. And he kind of shows his flute, his loot on the other side. And he's like. And it's inscribed with a little bit of gold. He's like, yeah. That's beautiful. That's amazing. Did you. Did you come here with anyone or did you actually grow up here? No, I've always. I've always. I've always been here. I just don't know how. How long do you guys. You guys live here? No, we just took a ship that ran aground here after half of our crews got sucked into nothing. Oh my God. Okay, this is actually real. Okay, this sounds like a bad thing, but it's actually. Let's just put our bright smiles on. This could be a really good thing, guys. How so? Let's all touch shoulders. I'll tell you. Come on. There's a lot of shoulders. Okay. Okay. Wait, wait. Are you able to leave here? Have you ever tried? No, no, not at all. Are we stuck here? No, we have a ship. Oh, I forgot. Ethel. Ethel. We're looking some for someone. A very powerful mage named Lewdness. We heard they might have a. A dwelling way up in the mountain. Do you know anything about a Ludinus? It's a silver haired, pointy old man. Will not shut up. But he also did some really bad things. Terrible shit. Smooth talker. Oh, he's kind of good looking. He sounds charismatic. He's not. Okay, you seem conflicted over this in your own parties. Look, I got. I gotta say I haven't really heard of this really hot old dude that you're talking about. But I don't know when you just mentioned the mountain. Like I've checked everywhere on this island trying to get off here and try and understand what's going on. How have you tried to get off? Don't do it. Don't. We're in another country. We're in another country. I mean that was teed up. Well, wait, wait. Has the mountain always been a little explody like this? To be honest, that's why I'm kind of like excited that you guys are here. Cuz I've checked everything on this island. Island? There's worms everywhere, number one. But every time I try and go up that mountain. I just. I basically fall asleep and then wake up back down on the sand. You fall asleep? It's. I just forget what I'm doing. It's weird. And then I walk down. I'm like, oh, you know when you walk into a room and you're like, oh, there was something I was supposed to do in here. Yeah. Yes. It's me walking up. Yes. Yes. I touch his shoulder inside. Check. Oh, it's a natural one. She grabbed my. I sure do. What was I doing, huh? Wait. Do you have family here? I. I don't know. I. I think so. Oh, boy. I got. I got those. And I kind of point, like, over in. In the. In the jungle. I try. And there's these big statues. There's these huge things that they. I mean, they kind of look like me. So I imagine. Imagine? Yeah. Oh. Oh. What? It was his family that got turned to stones. Maybe he was a statue that got turned alive. Do these statues. I'm gonna very carefully walk over. Not super close. Do they look like a monument or somebody? Who unfortunately became. Well, he points into the jungle, but you don't see them present. You'd have to presumably travel in the direction that he's pointing. All right, so I'm the world's greatest toy maker now, so I'm gonna try this on a human, and I never have before. Can I reach out and grab his knee? And I'm gonna use grim psychometry just to try and understand the story of where this blue beauty came from. Interesting. Go ahead, if you don't mind. I don't. Go ahead and roll for that. I feel Chetney's hand meet mine on his knees and say, it is a pleasure to watch your work, Mr. Puck. What are you guys saying down there? Nothing important. They're just talking about wood. As I grasp his knee and feel Caleb Widowgast's middle finger start to rub mine. 1909 19. As you try and connect with whatever dark history might be present with this entity known as Ethel, the vision hits you a little bit up the thigh. There it is. You see a flash of the island shape, but in deep black silhouette. Silhouette against a red sky, like some sort of artistic interpretation of a historical moment just barely visible to your mind's eye. You watch it crack open. You see a black shape emerge from the center of a massive crevasse that seems to tear as it stops in place. You see masses of jungle around this shattered iron mountain shiver and suddenly hold in place like themselves, still kind of taking in the quake. Of this destruction before time holds them locked. Wind begins to pick up and swirl about, and you see masses of people, you can't make out the details, hiking up the mountain, holding tight before this detonation locks in place. And that's as much as you can make. That's a strong leg if I've ever felt one. It was a massive eruption, cathartic even. Are you talking. Are you talking about the leg in my pants? In my pants, yes. I'm sorry, Ethel. Your family is dead. What? You could tell that? You could tell that? It's true. I felt it in my heart. You're all alone here, so you better stick tight with this kid. Listen, rich little child, very expensive little chihuahua boy. I've never experienced therapy before, but I just. I saw that so vividly. And he swings his lyre around and he says, rich little child, don't you cry. You've helped me on the by the by. And then a little kiss on the forehead and he gives you a little D12 just for your future. All bardic inspiration. Yeah, it was beautiful. Good. Well, you new favorite person. He just made up a song on the spot and inspired someone. That was. I've never seen anything like so good. Whoever can do that is a genius. Okay, okay, okay. All right. Don't encourage him. Stop. Yes, it's clear we have to get to that mountain. Our answers lie above. I mean, it is like a giant mountain villain speech. Like, look at that thing. As you glance up towards the massive shadow apex that itself is lost in the thick cloud above. You feel the temperature drop around you. You hear the shaking of thousands of trees at once in the distance get louder and louder like some sort of shockwave is coming close. And suddenly the light of the mid afternoon, shrouded in fog as it is, grows dim. Before this wave of darkness emerges and washes over you, you all feel like some unseen dark force just pushes through your very spirit. In a flash, communally, you all lose four hit dice. Whoa. What? Whoa. I don't know how to mark that down. Well, fuck this place. You have to remind you how to play Dungeons and Dragons. You have a number of hit dice equal to your character level, divided amongst your character classes. So if you're level 20 like some of you are, you're now down to 16 hit dice. Okay, but you only use hit dice to heal during rests, right? That's fine. Yeah. We're not going to rest. Oh boy. Oh boy. Speaking of, I. I was a little bit hurt back there. Jesse, do you. Do you mind giving Me? A little bit of no hurt. How hurt? I mean, probably not enough to warrant using any. It's fine. I'm fine. I'll just suck it up. I don't. I feel guilty for asking. Now I'm bleeding from my ears. I think it's okay. A healing word or something. Hold on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fine. No, no, no, no, no. Let me look. Look, I haven't fully chosen my spells yet. Are any of them healing spells? No, Matt didn't hear that. Matt didn't hear that. You've chosen everything. You're good. I'm sorry to spring this live show on you, Laura, it never changes. It never changes. I can take a healing spell. You're so generous. Yeah. Give me. Give me a second, I'll. Okay. Okay. In the meantime, you've changed. Ethel. Ethel. Are you. When you trek up the mountain, or the remains of the mountain, is anything familiar to you? Do you know why you want to go up there? Is it just a sense? Look, really, it's just everything else on this island wants to kill me when I go up there. It feels like something doesn't want me up there. And then when you return to the. To the lowlands, to the beach, are you brought there? Or do you. Do you just sort of sleepwalk back? I just kind of sleep. It's. It's kind of like. It's like sleepwalking. Yeah, it's not a great time, guys. Also, I just got reminded my family's dead, so that's kind of a bummer. Well, maybe not. Maybe. Maybe they're just frozen as step statues. Yeah, and plus, if you go back up, when you come back down, you'll forget again, so. Okay, well, that's true. And I guess in a way, I've got a new family now, right, guys? Oh, touchy, touchy. Shoulder, shoulder. We're still trying to negotiate a new marriage between two pre existing groups. Let's take it. You're welcome to join us. Yeah, we're pretty sure one of these groups is going to die, and then you can still stay with the other one, so we'll just get friendly. Do you have like a D100 to roll, by the way? Yes. Yeah, you're welcome. Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die. I love you. Healing spells. All right, you don't have to heal me. No, it's fine. I'll be okay. I already had cure wounds, apparently accidentally. I just didn't. Look, look, you know, vet, I'm gonna heal you. Even if you didn't tell me you were a mother. I'd know at this point. You know that, right? You're fine. You don't need anything. Oh, because I. I take the weight of the world on my shoulders to just provide life and happiness to others. There we go. Yes. Yeah, that's true. Me, like all other mothers are saints. Ethel, show us the way. Okay, I point at the top of the mountain. I st. This seems like a solid plan. Well, hang on a second. We're looking for our friends. Do we think our friends are at the top of the mountain? Look, if your friends are anywhere. They're not. Literally. I've checked everywhere here. All right, sure. Let's go to the top of the mountain. Dm. Can I use hunter's bane to sense for any fey fiends or undead in this general area as we're moving? Sure, go ahead and make a perception check with Advantage for me, please. Oh, advantage, he says. Wow, that's just balls and ass. 2, 4. You're keeping your eyes peeled and you're confident that you're keeping your friends safe. No problem. As you cross beyond the boundaries of the black sand beach and enter the jungle. The trees that surround you, thick with overgrowth. The palms and leaves themselves a deep verdant green, marbled with striation of black and gray. The air itself has an odd fume to it. This kind of like an acrid, almost oil like smell to the air. As you enter the ground itself, it's soft. With each footstep you glance around. Even the nearby trunks of trees have an odd jagged texture to them, beyond any jungle you've passed in before. Who is leading this pathway into the jungle? Jungle. Are you all following Ethel? Maybe. Maybe I'll. Maybe I'll just join Ethel and give a little as we're going. Thanks for sniffing me, big fella. It'll make sense later, I swear. But I have a great sense of smell. All right. So are you helping him or is. I'll help Ethel. All right, Ethel, I'd like you to go ahead and roll a D20 with advantage because of his help and add your survival or wisdom. Very glad that it wasn't. Okay. Yep, that's an 1818. Not too bad. As you move through the thickened jungle and you feel a connection to this land, a historical connection. Something that is ancient and real. And you. Even though you've been through this jungle a hundred times, it still feels fresh in some ways. But something in your mind guides you. Like your feet know before your mind. And you guide this Troop from path to path. You see marked trees. You see branches that hang small baubles and what looks like carvings. Small stones on long bits of leather cord that are denoting landmarks throughout here. Remnants of a culture that calls this place home. And you follow these marks and leading them deeper and deeper in further towards this jungle you do come across the first of these carved statues. A beautiful looking monument itself. About 12ft tall. Not dissimilar to the shape of Ethel as far as physicality. Humanoid, but broad shouldered. Itself looking like it's carved to be some sort of warrior. Elements of a carved texture that denotes a shoulder fur and a bow and arrow in its hand. And you see it almost like it's a. A symbol of mythology that sits here either as a marker, a warning or a bit of history to the people that call this island home. So it doesn't look like a terrified victim. It looks like a carved relic. Looks like a carved relic. Oh, does it have any writing on it or runes or. Well, make an investigation check for me if you don't. Okay. I'm going to be taking. Doing prayer of healing while we're here ritually. I don't have that. Oh, I'm gonna just pray. So it's not actually gonna help, it's just. No, it's helping. Oh, okay. Okay, it's helping. I'm gonna do it at third level. So you get 3D8 healing after 10 minutes. 33. 33. 33, yes. Jeez Louise. There are markings on it. Not of language, but you see, it's a series of symbols that with a 33 you can ascertain speaks of a heroic figure. There are markers that speak of a figure that was beloved by the people of this island who saw an entire generation through the dangers and challenges of the wilds and tamed them and is a representation of survival and health and is a sign that you're taking the proper path. That's what you get from the shapes and symbols that adorn its base. We're going the right way. Laudna will just sort of shimmy up. Can I use eyes of the rune keeper to see if I can discern anything else? I just looked. Do you speak shapes in wingdings? Because I do. I speak Comic Sans. Well, papyrus. Don't mind if I do. Never. I really love font humor. My favorite. It does feel like Yasha's speed. Caleb quits mid ritual casting of copper hand languages. He's like, well, fuck it then. As Caleb storms off into the nearby brush glancing at these same symbols that Vess had realized. You gather a name. Vashan. Vashan. Vashan. You say this instinctually, out loud, and it triggers a memory in your mind. Mind. Ethel. Vashan. My dad used to tell a story. Oh, my God. Yes. Vashan. This is incredible. I give a little kiss to the statue. The traditional thing that we do. Oh, yes, if you want. Yeah, I'll go do that if you do. All right. Yeah. As you. As this memory washes over you, Ethel, you recall like the. The youthfulness of childhood and many other children of this island around. The stories being told generation to generation. Memory might be yours, might be someone else's. It's a bit blurred in the space, but you feel that vacancy, that hollow bit in your chest that you can't shake off. That sense that something's not right, something's not here, something is missing from you. And the rest of you watch as the smile fades from Ethel's face face as he looks towards the statue. And this vacant, cold, almost fearful, lonely look washes across his expression. See those markings on the arm? Those stripes coming down? Yeah. He puts his arm up. It's been so long since I've seen someone with those like me. That's terrible. Do you guys want to get a bunch of tattoos? I feel like I already said yes to that earlier, so. Yeah, sure. You probably do. Jester does tattoos. Yeah, right there. Hi. If you need one, I'm here for you. Sounds like a good bonding experience. Also, I can heal you if it hurts. The tattoo will be fine. Yeah. And anybody that is hurt, even though not hardly anybody else is, can. Can take 26 points of healing. Whoa. I'll take some. All right. I'm fine. Guys. I feel like you've been sent here for me. Is that crazy? Yeah. We were sent here for somewhere. Someone else. Really? You send here for me? Okay. I tell you what, Ethel. If you. I'll get the. The arm markings. Just because I feel like now we're connected. If you get a couple letters and a crown on your shoulder, and we'll start at new franchise Chetney. As you stare off into the distant jungle with that smile on your face, the jungle seems to pull away, like a focus itself is pushing into the darkened shadow. And the sound of the nearby critters in your eyes, in your ears shifts into the familiar, dark, creepy sounds of the Fae. You hear a distant cackle and a reminder that what you have have as a master was gifted. And one day that debt will come for you. As the cackle fades, you return to your vision. And the Rest of you, see a faint bit of sweat upon Chetney's brow. Are you all right, Master Pok? Yeah, yeah. Just a reminder of my own mortality and my limits. Isn't hard. Is still. It's fine. It's fine. I think we should keep moving. You've got a deal, Ethel. Tattoos exchanged. You want me to do it right now, or do you want to keep moving? No, we gotta keep moving. Okay, I can do it while we walk. Let's do it while we walk. That sounds like it's gonna be really Nate. That sounds like a great idea. Walking. Get my stuff out. Hold on. At the same time, I think. Caleb, I'm new to wizardry, but is it one of the uses of prestidigitation to instantaneously create a mark that lasts for an hour? Yes. It's probably very painful, but yeah. Oh, it can be like a template or a temporary tattoo. And don't sell yourself short. Hurt the man. Oh, all right. I can try to magic. Who am I tattooing? Wait, no. What I'm doing. Oh, you're gonna do it. You're gonna do it. All right, all right, you do it. I have my stuff out and everything. Okay, great. Then you go. You go. It's gonna look really good while we're walking. It's gonna look great. I look around for archmages. Hold your arm up. This is really good. You do this often? Yeah, all the time. And what am I doing exactly? As I start putting, like, a smiley face on the letters R, T, A and a little crown above it. Oh, like yours? Yeah, like, go ahead. I cast haste on jester with that. Jester, could you please roll a dexterity check with advantage. Oh, advantage. Because of the haste. Oh, a check. Yes. Yes. That is 13. So it hurts a little bit, but she is rapid, confident as she through some odd contraption. And her focus, you almost for a second see a spectral hand across hers. Some green, like, hand that's guiding her iconography across your arm. Arm. And as it completes, you look down to what looks like a G. It could be an R. Could be a G. It's a little wobbly. Those don't look anything alike. Nope. Very different letters. I was in the middle of putting a tusk tooth, and then he said it was supposed to be an R, so I just shimmied it. Yes. It's like when you're writing a check and you underline your. Like, write the letter a few times in a row because you fucked it up the first time, and now it's just A lost cause. It's beautiful. Do you like it? I love it. Good. Was this supposed to be, like, significant to your ancestry or something? Oh, shit. Just call it a rune. No one will know the difference. And now you're gonna get your tattoo, right? Yeah. Deal's a deal. Hit me, Veth. Oh, me? Yeah, make it hard. What am I tattooing on this young? What, like these? Just lines? Yeah. Four long lines that run. It's the same as that is on this giant, kind of like, statue. Four long lines that run down from the shoulder to the elbow. You'll just have to perfectly split my biceps and my triceps. All right. I will take a drop of mercury and put it in my palm and smash it with bat guano and some spice and pepper and mash it around and cast prestidigitization. Caleb's hand reaches in with a pearl at the last time, and as a spell mastery, I cast fortune's favor. And a little bit of dunamancy shines out of Veth's head for this temporary T tattoo. Great. So are you doing this temporary, or are you doing the permanent tattoo but using the precipitation? I'll try permanent. You're going to be dead soon anyway, so roll dexterity check with advantage. And you can reroll one of those dice if you'd like. I never. I never reroll dice, Matthew. Dexterity check. Yes. So that's just plus. Okay. 23. 23. A fantastic representation of these cultural lines upon Ethel's arm. And this statue you see carved here in the midst of the jungle. Rapid and quite well made. Does it hurt? It's so fast. You can't tell at first until suddenly. It looks good. That's good. That's the same sound I made when I got mine at the age of three. Wait, your memories, they're coming back. They are coming back. That scream was exactly what I needed. It's odd, yeah, because you recall that, but at different ages and different entities, it's like seeing other people of that you grew up with around you and hearing that scream. You remember the culture, you remember the people. Like, generationally, people have been here for a long time in this island, and you among them, and you remember you're not. That's where you're taking them, to the mountain. But you're not too far from it, and it's only a short distance beyond where you had stopped at the statue before. You begin to see the outskirts of a community. You see a village here in the midst of this jungle. An incredible abandoned village of grand Scale housing built for tall, broad folk. You see the use of stone carving, earth sculpting and weaving the jungle itself into the homesteads around here. A beautiful patchwork of community. You can see equipment for tanners and hunters and fishmongers. You don't see any people in here but a handful of other large statues and dozens of other small ones scattered throughout. You can see areas for other communal occupations. And it's just quiet. It's just silent. Does it look abandoned or does it look like everything came out in a rush? Like it. Does it seem like things were just dropped where they were? Does it seem like it was an organized make a perception or investigation? Check your. Those go great for me. Can I assist him? Sure, if you'd like. Oh, bless you. Use that thingy. The thing. You have to see the memories. I already did it once. You are. You're limited. It also only works on legs, knees and toes. Oh, there's a nat 20 in there. So that's cool. Yeah. 21 investigation. Looking around, it looks like there wasn't a rush. There wasn't a panic. There's no destruction to things around this village. Okay, a few things. The natural 21. You look amongst the various statues that sit throughout this environment. There's about 10 of them that match the size and scope of the one you had encountered in the jungle. And here you can see there are other hunters and looks like armored figures that are stalwart and striking poses that speak to guardianship and honor. They are beings that seem to either be cultural or mythological, that represent facets of maybe what people looked up to for protection or for inspiration in this village. And are placed towards central crossroads as a reminder of either those that came before or who they want to be in the day ahead of them. Now the other dozens of individuals are incredibly detailed. And they all look like they're surprised. You see some of them look to be just walking with children. In their hand you can see others that are gearing up, others that are gathering their family and rushing to one side of their homestead. Some within homes themselves. Others that look like they're rushing to the outskirts. But all of them are looking towards the mountain. Can I ask you also see throughout the houses everything that they were going about their day. As with this investigation, you realize that these are not carvings. These are the denizens of this island themselves. Locked in a fateful moment of realization and terror and concern. But the rest of their lives remain left where they were. Dust heavy and gathered. Bits of scrolls and denoted bits of materials Just abandoned as the people here were turned to the very stone that carves this island amongst the sea. Being as familiar with Cerberus assembly and Ludinus Daleth as Widowgast and the group is, does this seem to Caleb like his M.O. oddly, no. You know that Archmages are capable of many terrible things, but there's nothing here that speaks to you as like a call sign. His and the Cerberus assembly's work in the past generally. How do I put it? Clean up after themselves. This feels like something a little more unexpected and seismic. Just to let you know, when I grabbed his very powerful knee, it seemed like there was something that erupted from the ground, which is where the mountain is now. And it, it shot everything into the air and it froze in place. So I think whatever happened was something on a more cataclysmic scale than maybe the doings of one individual. Well, what if like he had his clone or something like buried deep within the mountain and it was triggered to erupt when like Ludinus himself actually died or something and all these other people had like built a community around it, but as soon as Ludinus died, this like centuries old thing like exploded out of the mountain and that's what it was. Maybe. Sure. I'm just saying. I look up in the sky. Is he up there above the mountain? No. But what you can see breaking through the canopy of the dense jungle that sits above this village, you can see a heavy wind that is blowing the mists and fog rapidly. There is almost like a. A mass, speedy continuous wind above the trees that encircles this time frozen mountain. You can see wisps of cloud and bit of strange fume just moving by quickly. And while it's relatively still here in the jungle floor, the very tops of the trees themselves, you can see them shaking with just the baseline of that wind before it picks up on the mountain itself. And when I spied on Ludinus in the past, he was sitting in a cloud basically above the cloud high above. Yeah, yeah. I'm not going to take any chances. I'm going to burn my 9th level spell slot right now. What? Okay. Fireball. It's the only way to be sure. I finally end Chetney's suffering. A look of starry nebula appears all around Caleb as I cast foresight. And I begin to see this entire party. Echoes of them moving a few feet ahead of them and behind them. So it is a bit like I am tripping balls and seeing just the immediate future for everyone present. Lautner Goes up and just goes like, ooh, does it look weird? Lautner. Lautner, please. Yes. You're making me dizzy. I'll say. Given that it's ninth level spell and is foresight is glancing about those brief glimpses of time before current time, you see scatterings of searching. And while you had pointed out and noticed there are bits of materials, there are scrolls kept in some of these buildings. It looks like there was a very functional and learned culture here. As isolated as much of the shattered teeth is that kept record. And your keen mind can't forget that information is always an important thing to imagine. Books. Books, Caleb. Books. I'm worried that our old friend might be waiting up at the peak. But there's always time for literature and just to. Just to double check it. Are there any like claw marks or tracks in the sand of things, creatures that I would know have the ability to petrify people, Basilisks, Beheers, anything like that? Any large footprints around make a perception check for me, if you don't mind. Can I look around and see if there's any troves of material of scrolls, like not just scattered about, but centralized into one location? Sure. Make an investigation check for me. 16. 16. Glancing about, thankfully you don't see anything present and threatening, nor do you see anything that seems to fit the bill of what you're inquiring about. You see claw marks and footprints of all sorts of strange clawed creatures who may have moved through here in the past or recently. It is a very. It is a very active jungle just from the distant sounds of clicking and screeches that echo through some far distance. Nothing close enough to where you immediately feel in danger, but enough to know this is a place where nature thrives in the shadow of this mountain. There's no chaos in their movement. They all seem to be running in one direction from something else. Like a wave overtook them rather than all the statues. Yeah, they're not that. Doesn't seem like they're being picked off one at a time. It looks like they're all looking towards the mountain and then, yeah, it happened. Damn. And can I just take a look at the scrolls before you as you resolve that and see if I can discern like how old they might be, how long ago this was. Sure, go ahead and make. I'd say for that you also make an investigation check. All right, I rolled a one, but reliable talent 25. It's the best. That's the rogue, all right. Definitely don't roll to see if you crit as a Halfling. Don't do it. Nope. All right, so you. You do gather up a number of these. It looks like this. Some of them been pulled apart and kind of eaten by some of the nearby creatures. So they've been around long enough to where some of the nature is crept in. You can see, like, vines have grown. Elements of the island have begun to retake the landscape. While all this is happening, Ethel, a couple of names come into your mind. Utazo. This village was called Utazo, and it thrived for many, many generations. You've been here. You know this place. You were here. Utazo was home. The island was home. But this was the home to the culture here. And you glance up at the island, the island mountain and the name that comes to your mind. And the proximity here in a home base amongst people that their presence seems to almost clarify more of your grounding here. Kurun Pamina. That's this mountain, the heart and the home of this island. Say that again. Karun Pamina. Catch it the first time. Karun Patina. There you go. That's close enough. This is a very important place. But, guys, I'm kind of. I've just realized something. I'm looking at the frozen people. Why am I the only one that's not frozen like this? Yeah, I was just wondering. That was a very good question. Maybe you were, like, out swimming when everything happened. I can't swim. Oh. Have you checked? Are you sure? Well, if I checked if I can swim. Yeah, maybe you just. Maybe you forgot you could. Yeah, maybe you were pooping. It's not. I wasn't pooping. I mean, I could have been. I can. Yeah, that's actually a fair point. I was about to say I can't poop, but I can poop. Maybe. Maybe music protected you somehow. Like a song. I don't know. You seemed pretty good at it. And you carry that loot or Liar. I've heard both. Wherever you go, it changes. I suppose you think, like, okay, and I try and I. And I pull it across and I. I play some sweet chords into the. Into the ear of one of the. The closest, like, statues, and I just hum. But nicer than that. Wow, that sounds nicer. As you play and as you hum, the music seems to find resonance in the air around you. You all watch as it's almost like the music causes the landscape to brighten with color. Like the saturation of the surrounding land seems to come more vibrant, vibrantly to life. As the song of the hum vibrates from your closed throat, the vocal cords seem to shift the air to a warmer coloration, a warmer temperature. There is a magic to your song that resonates with this land, with the surrounding village, with the natural greenery that encompasses this jungle. And it's a magnificent sight to watch this connection as this continues outward. You feel that loneliness crawl through you once more as the music feels like it's one of a two part harmony. A note that needs another to complete. And that hollow sensation hits you once more. And you see a flash in your mind of a shadow pulled away. Something important to you gone on the other side. My dad taught me that song. Oh, is that. You were murmuring some lyrics about punching a dad in the dick. Was that your dad? That's. It was some kind of. He wrote it about someone else. You should have seen my father. He was incredible. Everyone liked his songs and they even shared his songs a lot. I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to sing that again properly. That song about punching dads in the dick. You have to. It's too good to let it die. It's true. I don't even remember the words. I was always only able to hum it. Well, did you see the landscape change as soon as you were singing? Yeah. That. You have to keep going. Maybe if we help you, we can all remember the lyrics by improvising. Musical lyrics. Sounded like a bad rap. Oh, no, no, no. Do you recognize any of these statues? Do you know any of them? The ones that look like they're my friends or the other ones that are. Honestly, both. Both. Do I recognize any of the. As you begin to focus the one that's nearest to you, you see an older, stout looking giantkin who has a big satchel over his shoulder that itself is also stone. You see that square jaw with a slight confused head tilt. And you know this one. His name was Jorio and he was a mentor and a guide to the youth of this part of the village. And you glance over at a matronly looking figure that is protecting two children by a nearby building. And you remember her. She's Flora and her two children, Kirin and Lodun. And you start looking at these statues and you remember you knew all of them. They are all family. This whole village is family. That mist gets pushed from your mind for a second and you feel a sense of connection with this village that breaks through your sense of loneliness and fugue fog in your brain. And you don't realize the tears that begin to billow in your eye at this. This forgotten sense of belonging I don't think you can understand how hard it is to be a goliath who plays music. Look at this guy. Look how strong this giant buff fighter. But everyone was really nice to me when I put down the sword and I picked up the loot or liar and I played some like. You can't imagine how supportive these people were. And now they're just. They're gone. So wait, you remember it now? I remember. Yes. Yes, I remember it. So how long ago did it happen? I don't remember. Well, I. I only asked because, like, you know, if you had to pick one. We never used this shit. But I have a vial of clothes. Cleansing flame. What's that? Which, if you throw at a creature within 30ft, the target is briefly engulfed in white fire, taking 2D6 fire damage. But then the creature can then end any or all of the following conditions afflicting it. Blinded, charmed, deafened, paralyzed, petrified or poisoned. So maybe one of these people could come back? If you wanna. But just one. One. Wait. So choose the form of your destroyer. Back it up. Just a moment. Or are you saying that when they come back, they're on fire? Look, it's not perfect. Okay, maybe not one of the kids. They might not have enough hit points. Oh, wow. Only one way to find out. Are you sure you want to use that on me? I mean, we made it through a whole campaign and we never used that shit, so. It means a lot that you'd set one of my petrified family members on fire. Thank you. If I had to choose anyone, it would be Joyo. He's. I mean, yes, he actually made this loot. He made the loot? Yeah. Is that a final answer? Sorry, you've already popped to the top of that. Oh, wow. Let's go. Fast, fast. Let's go. You watch as Chetney chucks this vial. It shatters across the stone form of Chorio. As it impacts. Bright, vibrant white flames wreath the figure like some sort of strange mystical vision. The fire itself moving. With a lively shift, the shape that was once still frozen begins to move. You watch this strong older figure begin to lurch forward. Caleb. Caleb, put him out. Caleb, put him out. Do we have water roll damage for that, please? No. 2D6. 2D6. I'll tell you this, he has 10 hit points. No, no, nine. Oh, nine. I'll finish him off. The flames burn away. And there, sweet mentorly choreo lays on the ground. What strange flame has nearly taken me back to the spirits of this lad. Who are you? Why Would you do this to me? Jordio. Jordio, it's me. It's Ethel. I. Who? Uh oh. Ethel, it's me. It's Ethel. It's good fire. Jordio. Why are you acting so weird? Oh, just take a short rest. Rest. You'll feel so much better. Wow. That's dark. Wow. On fire. And short rest the skin, it leaves my hands. Why do you leave me in so much pain? Oh, fine. I'll cause cure wounds on you. All right. Roll your cur wounds. What level do you cast that? I. 10. He's only got 10 hit points. He also doesn't recognize Ethel at all. Oh, that's a T. That's. That's eight. That's great. The burn scars plus five. That's still pretty good. Great. He's fully healed. Yeah, that's wonderful. Quick, set him on fire again. I was a oner. Thank you, strange blue vision lady. You're welcome. Hi. The traveler. Be with me. What happened here? The village hit? No. And he walks up to the. The woman and like touches her face. And the children. No, no. Uh oh, now we're calling him. Causing emotional damage. This is great. Just all the trauma. Don't worry, they'll come back eventually. We're gonna find a way to do it. You know, if I'm here long enough, I could day by day help out a couple people. But they'd have to stay for a really long time and I'd have to choose that spell. Listen, we're sorry to bring you back amongst such dire circumstances, but we're trying to figure out what happened here. Do you remember anything before you were turned to stone? Yes. The coracle was telling us. The what? The coracle. And he points back and you watch his face drop as in the middle of the village you see the. This beautiful garden, this multi tiered circular garden in the center about maybe 300ft from where you stand. You recognize this as one of the social congregation grounds of the village of Utazo. And there in the center, you see a robed Goliath figure standing arm outstretched in the direction of the mountain. Others around, and he's midwork, but himself also locked in stone with the rest. And he goes. We had visitors. Strangers from outside the island. Shipborne folk belonging to, they called themselves of the Wondermen. We were moving away from other host villages that we traded with with and were low on supplies. And they brought much here for us. But they were fleeing malignant forces beyond our understanding. And they asked for safety. They asked to stay here for A time there was discussion of trust. But they kept away from the village. And they brought goods. They brought beautiful ores and gifts of tools that were enchanted beyond our ability. And there was a time where things worked well, if distant. They brought their ships within the mountain caves on the northern northeastern side. But then the coracle began to have dreams. Bad dreams. And he looks up of that. Of the mountain shedding of something dormant. He said they. And his eyes go wide as you feel that cold sensation wash through the village again. Oh, no. Oh, no. As a dark wave of energy shoots through once more. I jump behind Ashton Fair. You all lose. Six. Hit dice. What? Whoa. Listen, bro. Whoa. The wave washes by and that sense of cold hits your body. And as it does, a communal vision shocks through your mind. Imagery of something deep within the rock. Something old and dead and angry and betrayed. A shred of forbidden and ancient elemental life scattered, broken, alone, released and tearing through the mountain with a scream. A hellish, ancient, deep scream. As you all return to your vision now here on your knees, the breath pulled from you, ice gathered around your noses, your eyes and your ears that pluck of your life, shunted from you from that wave. This weird necrotic burst from the center of this broken, frozen mountain. And you see Jiori Mario mid word now returned to stone. So he had one hit die and lost it. And his stone. We're gonna turn to stone. We keep losing. Shoot. We are going to turn to stone. We gotta hurry. Oh, Oh. I think we are taking too much time here. We gotta get out of here. Daddy's got five left. Yes. Not good. I gotta get out of here. It's not good. Wait, wait. How do you know? How do you know how many you have total? You look in your short rest thing. No, but like, from a roleplay perspective. How do you. I look at my arm. Oh, it's withering. Five. That makes sense. That makes sense. I buy that. Oh, my gosh. We have to hurry. All right. You, Ethel, you can't shake the experience of looking into the eyes of someone you knew. Like all these people of the village who look back at you with a look of recognition, but not you. They didn't know who you were. And as lonely as you felt previously, this hits a darker shadow in you. And that you know now something. You're only half of yourself here. We have to go up that mountain now. But what if you forget everything again? You guys could just push me or carry me or something. It's about this moment that you hear in the surrounding dark canopy of this jungle. How do you make that fucking sound? Ar gnar. The canopy shakes in places. Leaves begin to tumble as darkened shadow shapes plummet from the trees above. Strange furry bears with clawed hands and wrists. Wait, are you doing drop bears? You are not doing drop bears. It's a drop bear. It's a drop bear. No, it's a drop bear. It's an instant jump drop from the jungle canopy above. Predatory drop bears. There's a drop bear. It's like an Australian thing. Oh. And that's where we go to break. We'll see you all here after an admission. Oh, that's a wrap for part one of this podcast episode. Part two will land here this upcoming Tuesday at 5am Pacific, and we'll pick up this story right where we left off. Until next time. And we'll be back in this adventure before you know it.