The Tomb of the Heretic Saint | Age of Umbra Episode 8 Part 1

Summary

Critical Role Podcast Summary: "The Tomb of the Heretic Saint | Age of Umbra Episode 8 Part 1"

Release Date: July 31, 2025

---

Introduction

In the milestone episode celebrating Critical Role's 10th anniversary, the talented voice actor ensemble embarks on the thrilling continuation of their original campaign, "Age of Umbra." This episode, titled "The Tomb of the Heretic Saint," delves deep into the dark and mystical world of Exandria, presenting players with intense challenges, emotional revelations, and strategic combat.

---

Journey to the Barrow of Blind Repose

The adventuring party has traversed significant terrains within the Halcyon domain, overcoming numerous trials and losses. Their current quest leads them to the ominous Barrow of Blind Repose, a sealed subterranean tomb dedicated to the heretical Saint Efalyar. This location holds the key object of their mission—the Blessed Branch, believed to possess the power to reignite a sacred pyre essential for their homeland's salvation.

Notable Quote:

Matthew Mercer ([11:32]): "Get this fucking map out. Because I forgot I'm the visual learner."

The group discusses the merits of taking a short rest before confronting the tomb, weighing the benefits of regained abilities against the risk of attracting unwanted attention.

Notable Quote:

Marisha Ray ([12:03]): "The pros and cons just map it out. Yeah, we get to be refreshed, which is probably the way to go."

Ultimately, they decide to proceed with the short rest, enabling them to optimize their chances of success within the perilous tomb.

---

Unlocking the Sealed Door

Approaching the Barrow, the party observes nature's reclamation over the ancient structure. They utilize their unique abilities to manipulate and communicate with the fauna, successfully breaking the magical seals protecting the tomb.

Notable Quote:

Travis Willingham ([17:38]): "Now, can I ask while he thinks to get from where Idol is to Snix, is that even to go close distance would not be enough. Right."

Their collective efforts culminate in the destruction of the enchanted roots, allowing them entry into the foreboding interior.

---

Descent into Darkness

Inside the tomb, the atmosphere is thick with history and sorrow. The characters experience vivid memories and visions that tie deeply into their personal backstories and the overarching narrative.

Notable Quote:

Ashley Johnson ([30:10]): "Is my spirit's memory."

These visions reinforce the gravity of their mission, highlighting the sacrifices made and the hope that still flickers amidst the darkness.

---

Confrontation with the Blasphemous Angel

The pinnacle of the episode is an epic boss battle against Eveliar, the Blasphemous Angel. This formidable foe embodies the corruption and despair plaguing the land. The combat sequences are rife with strategic maneuvering, magical prowess, and emotional stakes.

Notable Quote:

Travis Willingham ([85:21]): "She's a boss bitch. Yes."

The players employ a combination of offensive and defensive tactics, utilizing spells like Blaze of Glory and Epic Song to weaken and ultimately defeat Eveliar. The intense dialogue and collaborative efforts underscore their characters' growth and unity.

Notable Quote:

Marisha Ray ([103:05]): "She has to mark a stress to do it. So if we stress her out."

Despite their valiant efforts, the battle takes a toll, leading to critical hits and near-defeat scenarios that heighten the episode's dramatic tension.

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Cliffhanger and Emotional Resolutions

As the battle reaches its climax, the adventurers' bonds are tested. Personal revelations and sacrifices play a pivotal role in overcoming the adversities faced within the Barrow. The episode concludes with the angel's defeat, but not without significant losses and emotional weight carried by the party members.

Notable Quote:

Liam O'Brien ([146:29]): "I've got something right here."

This moment sets the stage for the next installment, promising further adventures and character development.

---

Conclusion

"The Tomb of the Heretic Saint | Age of Umbra Episode 8 Part 1" offers listeners a rich tapestry of storytelling, combining intense role-playing, strategic gameplay, and emotional depth. As the party navigates the challenges of the Barrow of Blind Repose, their journey exemplifies the collaborative spirit and imaginative prowess that Critical Role is celebrated for.

Upcoming Episode: Stay tuned for Part 2, where the story continues to unfold, promising more high-stakes encounters and heroic deeds. Release is scheduled for the Tuesday following this episode at 5 AM Pacific.

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Notable Quotes Overview

• Matthew Mercer ([11:32]): "Get this fucking map out. Because I forgot I'm the visual learner."
• Marisha Ray ([12:03]): "The pros and cons just map it out. Yeah, we get to be refreshed, which is probably the way to go."
• Travis Willingham ([17:38]): "Now, can I ask while he thinks to get from where Idol is to Snix, is that even to go close distance would not be enough. Right."
• Ashley Johnson ([30:10]): "Is my spirit's memory."
• Travis Willingham ([85:21]): "She's a boss bitch. Yes."
• Marisha Ray ([103:05]): "She has to mark a stress to do it. So if we stress her out."
• Liam O'Brien ([146:29]): "I've got something right here."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode exemplifies Critical Role's mastery in blending intricate storytelling with dynamic character interactions. Fans can look forward to Part 2, where the fallout of this intense confrontation will further shape the heroes' journey toward restoring hope in a world overshadowed by darkness.

Transcript

[Matthew Mercer]

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 our game Daggerheart, played in Exandria for the first time ever on August 5th. And of course, we've got the Wedding of the Year coming to theaters on October 15th with an iconic Jester and Ford wedding. Visit fathomentertainment.com criticalrole to find tickets in theaters near you. That's fathomentertainment.com CriticalRole hey there Critical Role Podcast listeners.

[Marisha Ray]

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 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 Jeffy and we're popping in here to talk about our new podcast on Beacon. Weird Kids.

[Liam O'Brien]

In this series, we're diving into our.

[Sam Riegel]

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.

[Travis Willingham]

Weird Kids is available exclusively on Beacon.

[Sam Riegel]

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.

[Travis Willingham]

Just use the code weirdosacon TV to start the trial.

[Ashley Johnson]

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

[Travis Willingham]

So to all the misfits, outcasts and weirdos out there, come take a seat.

[Sam Riegel]

At our table and celebrate all things unconventional, nostalgic and wonderfully weird.

[Travis Willingham]

Welcome to WeirdKids.

[Ashley Johnson]

New episodes release every Tuesday.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey there, Matthew Mercer here and you're listening to the podcast version of Age of Umbra, a dark tale and campaign setting from our recently released tabletop RPG Daggerheart from Darrington Press. You don't need to know anything about the rules or system to enjoy the story, but if you're inspired to want to play along we have several short how to Play resources we lovingly call get yout Sheet Together, available to watch right now on Beacon TV and YouTube.com criticalrole this is part one of the episode right now. And part two arrives the following Tuesday. If you'd rather get instant and ad free access to the full episode, consider becoming a Beacon member where you can watch bonus content like the cast discussing each episode and Critical Role Cooldown. Receive Critical Role shop discounts including on Daggerheart and much more. Sign up now at Beacon tv and that should cover it. Now let's dive into the adventure. Hello, everyone, and welcome to tonight's finale of our Age of Umbra Run. How's it in?

[Marisha Ray]

How's it in?

[Travis Willingham]

What's gonna happen? What's gonna happen, Marisha?

[Ashley Johnson]

Ooh, but it's pretty.

[Travis Willingham]

You gotta look pretty.

[Marisha Ray]

I do. You guys, Gen Con is nearly upon us. We are gonna have an action packed Daggerheart panel. Tons of games of Daggerheart and Sol Gardens. Also our Dagger Heart live show in Indianapolis and demos and sales. It's going to be at our booth, which is number 2841. Come see Dagger Heart and Darrington Press in person is going to be great.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh my God. We're married too.

[Marisha Ray]

She seems much more thrilled.

[Travis Willingham]

This is already all over AO3, by the way. And I believe we have another announcement.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Marisha Ray]

Also, the Indie Live show will be the first show using Daggerheart to be set in Exandria.

[Travis Willingham]

I know, I know.

[Marisha Ray]

How's it gonna work? You're gonna have to see. But if you can't make it, don't despair. Our partner, Fathom Entertainment, is bringing it to movie theaters across the US and Canada for one night only. Just the one. August 5th, 7pm local time. Tickets are available for purchase at fathomentertainment.com criticalrole I know this little bastard. No, not Fathom, not Fathom. Just a couple of.

[Sam Riegel]

This marriage is off to a rocky start.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, Laura, you got announcements.

[Marisha Ray]

We have a shirt.

[Travis Willingham]

We have a new. Which camera am I looking at?

[Marisha Ray]

I haven't done this yet.

[Travis Willingham]

We have.

[Marisha Ray]

Shit. We have a new Dagger Heart T shirt featuring four of our Dagger Heart ancestries.

[Sam Riegel]

Same size.

[Marisha Ray]

Check it out. Whoa. Katari, Orc, Clank and Ribbit. Woo.

[Ashley Johnson]

Find it now in the us, Canada, UK and EU Critical role shops.

[Travis Willingham]

No, I will do it now. There's food.

[Marisha Ray]

Look, I promised I'd make it simple, you jerks. Anyway, sorry, Max.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you, Laura. I think that concludes our announcements for this finale. And what a way to go.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, my goodness.

[Travis Willingham]

For all my friends and my two legal partners. Let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Age of Umbra.

[Liam O'Brien]

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[Marisha Ray]

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

[Travis Willingham]

Will Friedle from the podcast Pod Meets World. But you may know us best as Topanga, Sean and eric from the 90s.

[Ashley Johnson]

TV show Boy Meets World.

[Travis Willingham]

Just over 30 years since the show debuted, we're sitting down as adults to rewatch the whole series and some of us are doing that for the first time ever.

[Ashley Johnson]

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

[Travis Willingham]

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.

[Travis Willingham]

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

[Sam Riegel]

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.

[Travis Willingham]

Just Corey being borderline manipulative to Topanga. We're breaking it all down episode by episode with stories and analysis you've never heard before straight from the horse's mouth. We have a horse?

[Ashley Johnson]

Not yet, but you should all listen.

[Travis Willingham]

To find out if we end up getting one. Follow us on social media at podmeats World Show. Check out Pod Meets World on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts and join the fun today. Welcome to the Age of Umbra. Last we left off these survivors of the troupe enduring that have traversed much of the eastern edge of the Halcyon domain, push through Amber Reach, lost friends and others that walked into shadow and have found just the four of them now trudging forward beyond the Ashkol Corridor, the Sellsian Athenaeum, the Cinnabar Quarter, and eventually through the Orymweald, until finally you arrive at your destination, the Barrow of blind Repose. A little battered, a little exhausted, you look at the heavily grown over sealed front door to this mountainous subterranean tomb to the heretical Saint of Eliar, of which the research back in Desperlock pointed to the possibility of a blessed branch might be an object that is capable of starting or restarting a sacred pyre like the one that was destroyed back in your home village, leaving it vulnerable while the distant shriek of the umbra continue to screech and echo on the horizon. So, as you arrive and settle in with your final destination before you, what would you like to do?

[Matthew Mercer]

Get this fucking map out. Because I forgot I'm the visual learner.

[Liam O'Brien]

I guess we have to decide if we're taking a short rest.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, we had this discussion, right? Like it's final stage.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah. If we don't, same point. I'm gonna die.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, really?

[Travis Willingham]

You are?

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, no, I've got three hit points.

[Matthew Mercer]

We should do it. We should do it.

[Ashley Johnson]

But it's a short rest.

[Marisha Ray]

The pros and cons just map it out. Yeah, we get to be refreshed, which is probably the way to go. So does he. He gets fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

How much do you.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's almost like this system is a balance.

[Travis Willingham]

For short rest, I get 1d4 fear. So I get 1d4 fear.

[Ashley Johnson]

He could possibly get 4.

[Matthew Mercer]

Anything with ill intent could close in on us. But one of us will clearly take a watch. Probably me. Because I'm the best player and don't need to repair anything.

[Travis Willingham]

Whoa.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sorry.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, I'm pro short rest. But you guys, I could go either way. If someone has a short rest.

[Matthew Mercer]

Short rest, we need the kill.

[Liam O'Brien]

But if someone has a health potion, I could be fine to go as well.

[Matthew Mercer]

I do. But I think a short rest would.

[Marisha Ray]

Be let's do it. Because then also I regenerate some of my abilities. My resume.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's load up.

[Ashley Johnson]

Might as well.

[Matthew Mercer]

Can I use my Slyborn now? The only Slyborn at the table. Rip. Oh, wait. He didn't die. He just left my scoundrel abilities to roll with advantage to find a safe place to hide ourselves.

[Travis Willingham]

Certainly. So if you wouldn't mind, go ahead and making an instinct roll to find somewhere here at the base of these peaks of the Idol hollows where you will most likely not be spotted or hunted.

[Matthew Mercer]

Any unique thing to this roll? Just regular.

[Travis Willingham]

Just regular with advantage because of your ability.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. 4, 11, 12, 13. 13 with hopesies.

[Travis Willingham]

13 with hope. All right, sweet. So take that hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wow.

[Travis Willingham]

It takes you the better part of about 10 or so minutes because these mountains are relatively sheer beyond the forest, when the rest of the growing trees began to no longer hold roots against the rock, you find one alcove that's a little cramped, but it is pushed inward and out of visual range of most anything along this mountain ridge. With that, you all settle down. You step. It's to the point where, let's say, a good part of the rain is being blocked from you so you're not being absolutely drenched through your rest. Just a little bit of a split spatter, which is comfortable comparatively, and you all settle in to go ahead and prepare for the hopeful discovery of a blessed branch and then the beginning trek back home. So who's doing what during this short rest?

[Liam O'Brien]

Going to dink, dink, dink dink. Repair some armor.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it. So that's 1D4.2 because you're tier 2.

[Liam O'Brien]

Then I will restore all of it without even rolling, and I will restore some health. That's also one D4.

[Travis Willingham]

One D4 plus two.

[Liam O'Brien]

Then that will also restore all. And that's it.

[Travis Willingham]

That's four hope.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, you mean four fear.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm sorry. Four fear. For me, it's my hope, guys.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm gonna spend three hope to use a little life support on myself and clear a hit point so I can leave one of the actions free to keep watch during our short rest. And I'll post up outside of where we're resting, using them as bait. Just keep an outside peripheral overwatch.

[Travis Willingham]

You've got it, misty.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, if you're keeping watch, then I am going to clear my horse. P all back this one full up again, and then I'm gonna add an armor because I only have one that I cleared. So now I'm full up.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Tink, tink, tink, tink, tink. So you repair up your armor and get it ready for the go. Feel much more situated in that regard, Brixton.

[Marisha Ray]

I cleared my stress. I was also only down one armor, but that's my. That's my bag, baby. So I filled that back up. I still have one hit point that I'm down, but I'm gonna have. Yeah, they're rolling a little bloody. Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

While you're keeping watch and your eyes, scan the Horizon you can see maybe in the forest outskirts. While you did manage to heal the fane warden of the core heart of the wild, there's still dark things that lurk and hunt. Whether umbra touched or not. They're still just and natural dangers that stalk the territory. You see flying entities that at this distance, in this lack of late daylight, you have no sense of scale. They're either very close and big or a little further and very big. Go ahead and roll a D12 for me.

[Matthew Mercer]

One D12. There we go.

[Travis Willingham]

I'll take what is yours.

[Matthew Mercer]

A 10.

[Travis Willingham]

A 10. Well, mine was a 5.

[Liam O'Brien]

Everything's going right. Everything's going right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hot table there's no way to quench these flames.

[Travis Willingham]

As you settle in, the rain itself begins to subside.

[Liam O'Brien]

To the point Stop the rain.

[Marisha Ray]

He really is blessed.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh no. He's cursed.

[Travis Willingham]

But allows you all a rest without issue, without problem. So no disturbing of your time. Down. You regather your things, step out from the alcove and return to the outside of the barrow. At this root choked rock and dirt crusted forgotten tomb of the heretic saint. It looks closed, sealed, overgrown. How do you enter the barrow overgrown.

[Matthew Mercer]

With a root that is leafing and flowering? Or hard.

[Travis Willingham]

If you look above it, it looks like there may have been a tree that grew there when they built it. Chonky. And then it likely grew over. And then as the landscape began to shift with the age, the tree died away and was carved away in chunks by sheer weather and wind. The roots have stayed and become stone around the door.

[Matthew Mercer]

Unless anyone has a way to manipulate fauna.

[Liam O'Brien]

I can talk to fauna, but I can't. And I can grow vines, but I can't make them go away.

[Matthew Mercer]

And you want to ask what's contained within and why the door was overgrown?

[Liam O'Brien]

I could. Are these roots fully dead?

[Travis Willingham]

There is no leaf or much of a tree left attached to it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Dead thing.

[Matthew Mercer]

Coward.

[Travis Willingham]

I could try.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's got to be you and I, Combo. Sure speak to dead roots.

[Travis Willingham]

We don't need the do this like.

[Marisha Ray]

Is this how we Combo. This is the first.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is how great this is born.

[Travis Willingham]

If you want to try it.

[Marisha Ray]

Bring them back to life.

[Travis Willingham]

If you want to try it.

[Liam O'Brien]

So clever. I'm tempted to sure it wouldn't work. Let's try it it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh no.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm going to remove all my hope.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh my God.

[Travis Willingham]

You're doing. You're actually doing a tag team on this. Wait.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, you're doing a tag team. I thought you were just gonna cast your spell at the same time, I was gonna cast my spell.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, tag team, baby Jesus. We're going in.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go.

[Liam O'Brien]

To talk to a dead woman.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so rejoin hands. The door. There's a progress clock to.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[Travis Willingham]

To unseal the door.

[Marisha Ray]

To unseal the door. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

And enter the barrow. I would like you both to. Now, do both of these spells require a spellcaster?

[Liam O'Brien]

Mine does.

[Matthew Mercer]

Mine does.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, I would like you both to roll a spell cast, and you can decide which of your rolls to go with.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, Here we go.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm going to use reading between the lines because the roots are like lines on a page.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, no. Fair enough.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, it's a crit, baby.

[Travis Willingham]

There it is.

[Matthew Mercer]

Double ones, double ones, double one.

[Liam O'Brien]

I got a four.

[Travis Willingham]

That's great. You both get a hope. You both clear stress. And you both are a crit on this. As a critical success ticks it down three. And both of you got critical successes. That immediately completes the progress countdown. If you would both describe to me how. Okay, you know what? Let's roll. Play this out. Describe to me how your combination of magical incantations merge. And how do you beseech the dead roots that hold this door closed?

[Marisha Ray]

Cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

I grab Snix's hand and I place my hand on the roots and I say, roots of the tree, roots that be. Open your mind and speak to me. Okay, but I will pump in final.

[Liam O'Brien]

Words should we building off of that, I will say to the roots, oh, roots that lie dead, please rise and speak. You have knowledge that we desperately seek.

[Travis Willingham]

These long hardened, still lifeless roots that were grown over and left to protect and prevent the opening of this barrow from long ago begin to grow a bit of color briefly and creak against the door. You hear this heavy creaking like the sound of a hard pumice stone being dragged across a hardwood floor. And through your magic, you hear the creak which comes through. As I grew here before my purpose was sought, I was bent to hold hold. Though not what I wished, I am punished to hold this gate. He's punished.

[Liam O'Brien]

Through your magic. I will speak back to it and say, we cannot undo the years of punishment you've endured, nor can we free you from this prison. But maybe if we're allowed through, we could restore hope to this wood and maybe even shine a bit of light on you that you may grow again.

[Travis Willingham]

That's good. That's good. That's good. The creaking sound grows a bit louder through your ears. And as your Magic merges once more the the facets of natural aetherweave that flows through the life forces of the domain above and below, merges with the divine spark that still sits like a residue in the absence of the gods. Merge to come through this dead thing and find its words back to your ears. I have no will to keep this gate closed. My spark is gone. If your intent is foolish or true, then the Barrow is yours. The roots begin to crack and you watch as the thick matted cluster of leftover tree roots begins to break away, revealing behind it a raccoon. You're boss, Rhyme. I told you. This heavy stone doorway, itself bisected in the center, but it looks like it's been heavily sealed, adhered magically. You watch as the roots begin to crumble. Some of the roots dig into pockets of the stone where it was grown into and held. And it digs deeper and deeper. The will, the final undying will of this long dead tree, left to the elements to be forgotten, enacts its last bit of will and means to crack the door with its earthly strength. The door begins to crumble inward, leaving a good four and a half foot wide gap where the top parts have crumpled in and stumbled down. You step aside as some of them begin to roll down the sheer incline or decline that you had just come up, tumbling towards the edge of the forest. But there, as the dust begins to settle, you see the lightless subterranean path into the Barrow before you.

[Marisha Ray]

That was awesome.

[Liam O'Brien]

Great job. Great job.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wonderful.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, okay, I'll pat the roots. Thank you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes, I'll pat the roots too.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you. The gremlin turned it off.

[Liam O'Brien]

I killed it. I guess we go in.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'll pump a little divine energy into the tip of the bone hooked glaive and just sort of hold it out like a torch as we head into whatever lies beyond the door.

[Marisha Ray]

We actually made it.

[Matthew Mercer]

All of us alive.

[Liam O'Brien]

Every single one of us.

[Matthew Mercer]

Every one of Memory's a little.

[Marisha Ray]

I think it was the woods, whatever that mist was.

[Matthew Mercer]

Four started out.

[Travis Willingham]

Four, right?

[Matthew Mercer]

Four, right.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Eraser's a bitch.

[Marisha Ray]

Now remember, once we get in here, stay near me. As long as you're near me, I can protect you.

[Liam O'Brien]

You are our shield.

[Marisha Ray]

I am your shield.

[Ashley Johnson]

You are your shield.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Stay near me so I can blame my farts on you.

[Travis Willingham]

Let him be remembered by his last words. Stop it.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't think that was me. I don't have a digestion system.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, no.

[Ashley Johnson]

But I do make pipe organ noises.

[Liam O'Brien]

But.

[Marisha Ray]

You literally toot. I can pretend That I toot.

[Travis Willingham]

Now that's a bard concept. Flatulent bard.

[Marisha Ray]

Let it be the flatmancer.

[Travis Willingham]

That'll be a subclass for Daggerheart down the road. Dagger fart.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, no.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

All righty. Yes. So do you enter the barrow of blind repose?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Perfect. With that, the rain begins to subside and the shaded interior is all that greets you. A stale ancient smell of air not exposed for almost a century. The rain vanishes behind you as the tunnel just continues straight for a few minutes. Carefully you step. The rest of you kept close the little bit of flickering divine light that idol has kept at the edge of his weapon. The only real beacon to alight the sides of stone. The earth here looks like it was carved but not finished. The effort of this barrel was not in the pathway to wherever this saint was interred. You're not certain what to expect by the elements of history that you've gleaned. The shreds of memory or the past that you've managed to acquire in your travels. Speak of the saint's execution by the grand ordinance before being placed here to be forgotten. This blessed branch interred with it as a way to keep its blasphemous golden path from diverting true followers of the faith of the now gone veiled gods. So the rough hewn tunnels feel almost apropos for something that the ordinance were not trying to leave with much splendor. You continue to push in misty. You reawoke in tunnels and you have memories of tunnels, some that are fractured. The smell in here, because it is so still and old. It reminds you of many things. Tell me, what is it about this tunnel that is so familiar to you? And which life and what memory does it evoke?

[Ashley Johnson]

Is my spirit's memory.

[Travis Willingham]

Of.

[Ashley Johnson]

Being very scared, Alone. Cold. And it makes me very sad. I know that I've lost people that I love in a place like this. But there's also that part of me that knows. And I don't know if it's another memory from the vessel, but I know that there's comfort in the vessel as well.

[Travis Willingham]

Comfort in the vessel. Comfort in something of divine origin. This sadness, this sensation of loneliness that you feel. And lost in this memory you look up beyond the path and for a moment your friends aren't there. Instead you just see the this small golden light. You see a woman, beautiful and soft of face. A gentle hood over her head as she approaches what looks like a multitude of people in the throes of lamentation, mourning something heavily. And she walks up and takes one of their cheeks and lifts it to her shining golden face. And you sense their mourning fade and is now filled with hope. And she looks up towards you with that smile, that golden smile. And you blink. And it's just the divine light at the edge of Idol's weapon. You catch yourself walking alongside and blink the memory from your view and continue walking ahead. Curious. Brixton.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Travis Willingham]

Just shaking. Okay. As you continue to walk, the bobbing of that golden glow of Idol's little burning flame. You've looked so long into the flicker of fire as you stare into it, looking for some sign, some good omen, some semblance of strength from the flames that have protected you and your kin for so long. You see. Is it a sacred pyre before you? No. It's a brazier. It's a brazier burning in a small natural temple away from a city. And you see figures walking through the wood, carrying their own small sensors that hang, each with their own little flame burning at the front. They follow this beautiful woman with her hood up. She has this soft smile that continues to look up towards the sky as she steps. And this radiant golden glow that emanates from her face. They're traveling. They're on a pilgrimage. There's about 10 of them, but they stop. She turns and she speaks wordlessly to them as she does that light. You can't help but find the same solace in that light as you found the pyre. It's a symbol of hope. It's a symbol of possibility, of a path back to what has forsaken this world. A part of you steps forward towards it instinctually, like you feel drawn to the flame. Like a moth to the very fire that'll burn it. And with that step, you bump into Snix, look back, and the pilgrimage is gone. The woods were never there. You're just stepping here in this long tunnel along those that remain.

[Marisha Ray]

Sorry.

[Travis Willingham]

It's okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

You said to stay close.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes. Yes. Good.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are you okay?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, I think it's. I thought I saw something, but just a trick of the light, I think.

[Travis Willingham]

Brixton. What does this ominous portend, this flash of history that's not yet yours, flicker on in your memory? What was the last piece of true hope that came across you before you left for this journey?

[Marisha Ray]

It's a piece of true hope. What a good question. I think Brixton has a hard time seeing this saint. And it almost reminds her of the Ember warden, Gina, and the look in her eye and what little ounce of hope that she had left she invested in Brixton and put the weight of what world that they know onto her shoulders. Maybe a bit self imposed and maybe a bit inflated, even from Brixton, but nevertheless those words were said. Brixton was to bring us salvation.

[Travis Willingham]

And that's too much to put on one person. You can't do that. You've come this far and lost so much. And here you stand in the face of. Of history and destiny. And while for so long you thought you were chosen to walk this path, you look at your hands and for the first time you see that you're just a woman. A woman in a dying world that is so much bigger and so much hungrier and dangerous than you are. Your hope die is now a D8.

[Liam O'Brien]

What does that mean?

[Travis Willingham]

Until you roll with success, with hope, or your next stress, your hope die is a D8.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, wait, yeah. Less of a chance.

[Marisha Ray]

That is bad.

[Matthew Mercer]

Less of a chance. That's awesome.

[Marisha Ray]

Instead of rolling this for my hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Die, you can roll a D12 D8 with hope.

[Marisha Ray]

Until I roll with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Until you roll a success with hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Practice roll.

[Liam O'Brien]

Right now.

[Matthew Mercer]

Practice roll, Practice roll.

[Marisha Ray]

What if this goes well, though?

[Matthew Mercer]

No, it did not. Oh my God.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, all right, all right.

[Liam O'Brien]

Sticks button.

[Marisha Ray]

But Brixton.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, ignore it, ignore it.

[Liam O'Brien]

But Brixton, that's bad.

[Marisha Ray]

She shares this burden, though. She's got to know she shares this burden. She's. She's made it this far with her only companions.

[Liam O'Brien]

The only four people that she left with.

[Marisha Ray]

People that she left with.

[Matthew Mercer]

Idol disappears.

[Travis Willingham]

Shit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Shit.

[Marisha Ray]

Was there another she has to lean on? She does not share this. Burnt alone. Isn't that right, Snix?

[Liam O'Brien]

We'll find out in a second.

[Travis Willingham]

As you look towards Snix, Snicks's vision is elsewhere. Snakes. As a person who has traveled alone across much of this land, knowing how dangerous it is, you're not a person who's used to just looking ahead. You look ahead, then back, then right and left, then up and anywhere danger could be here. You can't help but instinctually step to the rear of your more defensible allies, waiting for your moment to strike with the most efficiency. But until then, you're just afraid of an ambush. And you look ahead to the light. You look to the side where the cavern walls are, and you look where you came from. And as you turn, you see a light. Like the tunnel ends about 10ft away from you. Daylight just beyond there in this mid golden day hue, you see shapes, shadows in the distance, 30ft away on this massive Precipice, this beautiful polished white platform. You can see and recognize the distant towers of Amber Reach, not yet fallen to the degree they were, as you've traversed it in recent times. There you see on her knees in chains, a beautiful woman, her golden face glowing as she looks up to the sky. Surrounding her, you see other heavily robed figures adorned with golds and reds. They shout soundlessly, a commanding judgment. And she doesn't hear it. She just looks up to the sky and smiles. You see others thrown onto their knees around her. Three other disciples, three that are in similar chains. As they shout, the light begins to get brighter and the tunnel grows shorter. Your focus and your vision begins to pull towards it, like you're being thrust towards it. You instinctually yelp. And that's when you bump into Brixton.

[Liam O'Brien]

Sorry. That was my fault. That one was my fault.

[Matthew Mercer]

No glowing golden face or a metallic mask?

[Travis Willingham]

Well, from their vision, it is a human soft face with just this soft golden glow.

[Marisha Ray]

Did you see something?

[Travis Willingham]

I did.

[Liam O'Brien]

A woman in pain. Or not in pain, but definitely in trouble. Maybe it's the person in this. Avialar Avelar.

[Travis Willingham]

Say her name.

[Liam O'Brien]

Maybe she's trying to communicate to us. Or her spirit is. The echo of her spirit is calling out to us.

[Marisha Ray]

It's almost like we're literally walking in the path of our memories.

[Matthew Mercer]

You gotta focus, all right? It's game time. No time for vision.

[Liam O'Brien]

This is.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Maybe it's just the air in here. Maybe it's a little.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, maybe it's stale. Maybe it's worse than that. Maybe it's. I need to confess something to you.

[Marisha Ray]

To me.

[Liam O'Brien]

I think it's my shame that I'm seeing Aliana.

[Marisha Ray]

What's.

[Travis Willingham]

What.

[Marisha Ray]

What about her?

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't know. What about her?

[Travis Willingham]

I've.

[Liam O'Brien]

I've never met her. You sent me to bring her a letter, and I did. But she was not there and they had never heard of her. I don't think she ever made it to Okros. I didn't have the heart to tell you that. She's probably been dead for years.

[Marisha Ray]

That's not true. You're lying. You said you've been there. You said she had a garden. You said she had a garden.

[Liam O'Brien]

I didn't know how. Well, I'm. I'm a coward. I didn't know how to tell you that she was gone. I wanted you to have some hope.

[Marisha Ray]

But the letter you wrote. The letter, all of them.

[Liam O'Brien]

I think maybe my. My guilt or something is being magnified by the walls or. I don't know. I just can't go into this without a clear conscience. I just know that everything I've done is out of fear. I couldn't save my friend, my Whomper. I couldn't tell you the truth. I couldn't face my fears. Some asshole's been chasing me for a year, and I've been running.

[Travis Willingham]

What?

[Liam O'Brien]

Maybe I shouldn't be with you guys. I. I don't know. I don't know.

[Matthew Mercer]

Who's been chasing you?

[Liam O'Brien]

Someone from Amber Reach. One of the warlords there. That was his package.

[Matthew Mercer]

The case?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

The tongue.

[Liam O'Brien]

I didn't know it was a tongue. Well, I kind of stole it from him.

[Marisha Ray]

I stole it from him. Are you even a messenger?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, I was.

[Marisha Ray]

You only deliver lies.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, that's fair. I was a messenger for him for many years. I worked for a group called the Phantom Stride. But I've been on my own for a while, and I'm doing odd jobs for good people like you. And you deserve better. All of you really are. You're such nice, holy people. You believe, and you might be a God. I don't even know. Something. I don't know. You're something. You're something.

[Ashley Johnson]

A relic from the past.

[Liam O'Brien]

And you have the magic of divinity. Yeah, I'm just a liar.

[Matthew Mercer]

I am a God.

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

You'Re not a. You are a liar. You've lied. But you're also capable of great things. Think of what we've done on this trip. And I think it's just this place that's magnifying that. Snicks. You're capable of amazing stuff. And you've been there for all of us.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm sorry.

[Marisha Ray]

I. I understand your reasoning. I actually do. No one wants to deliver bad news in this world. Thank you for telling me. I think I will still need time to process it.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure. Snakes, I'd like you to make an instinct reaction roll for me, please.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's not snixed 19 with fear. Oh, it's a reaction 19.

[Travis Willingham]

As much as this reveal, this culmination of cowardliness, the guilt that you feel for what you've said and done is there. The fact that Brixton, while needing time, reacted more empathetic that you anticipated, keeps your will strong and you push on.

[Marisha Ray]

Hello, It's Danielle Fishel Rider Strong and.

[Travis Willingham]

Will Friedle from the podcast Pod Meets World.

[Ashley Johnson]

But you may know us best as.

[Travis Willingham]

Topanga, Sean and eric from the 90s.

[Ashley Johnson]

TV show Boy Meets World.

[Travis Willingham]

Just over 30 years since the show debuted. We're sitting down as adults to rewatch the whole series. And some of us are doing that for the first time ever.

[Ashley Johnson]

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

[Travis Willingham]

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.

[Travis Willingham]

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

[Travis Willingham]

Just Corey being borderline manipulative to Topanga, we're breaking it all down episode by episode with stories and analysis you've never heard before. Straight from the horse's mouth. We have a horse?

[Ashley Johnson]

Not yet, but you should all listen.

[Travis Willingham]

To find out if we end up getting one. Follow us on social media oddmeatsworldshow, check out Pod Meets World on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts and join the Fun Today Idol as they have this conversation. Sternly you turn back around to where your light is and as your vision passes into the tunnel, it's not dark, it's lit with torchlight. There are people in there. You step forward to these two large doors that are open and there is a chamber within amongst the rough hewn rock that's been cleared out of the space. There are beautiful carved polished pillars that almost build a makeshift cathedral chamber. Within there's risen platforms and massive pillars that rise up and catch the ceiling. You see in the back. This looks like a worship hall.

[Matthew Mercer]

Guys, where did this?

[Travis Willingham]

They're not there. And the people that are in this chamber, you see, are wearing travel vestments, long hanging robed sleeves of red and gold. You see about 12 of them and beyond them you see four women in chains, three of them dressed in similar red and white robes on their knees, all looking to one central figure that sits before them, shackled, her hood thrown back, her dark hair tumbling past her shoulders, and she looks up, away from them all, the beautiful smile and a golden vibrant hue that glows from her face. You quietly watch as a man from the troupe walks out next to her, an older man, portly, angry. You can only describe his expression, as furiously jealous as he shouts things at her that you do not hear. It is silent. He clutches a familiar scepter in his hand of silver and gold, and he points a finger down at the woman's golden face as Two figures step up, withdraw blades.

[Matthew Mercer]

No.

[Travis Willingham]

And begin to carve her face away. You shout no. And rush forward. And the light at the end of your weapon flares for a second and the room is dark once more. The rest of you watch as Idol shouts no. And steps forward and stops just as you come upon this open double door into an interior chamber.

[Matthew Mercer]

No more messing around. Well, it's game time. We gave the scepter back, right? I mean, not back. We bartered with it. Or did we keep it?

[Liam O'Brien]

I have the scepter. Yeah, Yeah, I have it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Take it out real quick.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Does it look like the same silver and gold scepter from the vision? I just saw somebody use that. And two other zealots stood up behind a woman with dark hair and a face shining like gold. And they carved her face. And one of them was holding that scepter.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, God. So it's a bad thing? I mean, I know it's a bad thing, but it's a real bad thing.

[Matthew Mercer]

Maybe it's good we kept it.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, that. That scepter was in the. In the box with the tongue?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Right?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

So who.

[Marisha Ray]

Whose tongue is that?

[Ashley Johnson]

If you said you saw Elias. Is that what it was? The scepter of Elias and.

[Matthew Mercer]

Scepter of Elias.

[Liam O'Brien]

And that's what it said on the small sucker that came with it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Evelar.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Eveliar.

[Marisha Ray]

Evelyar.

[Travis Willingham]

Evelyar.

[Marisha Ray]

Evliar. Was that Avliar's tongue?

[Travis Willingham]

I don't know.

[Matthew Mercer]

The room that we've just walked into, is it like the one that was in my vision or more.

[Travis Willingham]

It is the room in your vision. Oh, shit. But a different time when you saw it, it was recently completed. Fresh candles lit around like some sort of ancient rite or ritual was about to be conducted here. As you step in, it is dark. It is still. It smells a forgotten, ancient nothing. You look about the ground and there is crumbled shale. There are blackened spikes of unnatural rock emanations from the umbral effect on some deep subterranean elements. You can see the pillars stand, but roots have grown through and surround elements of the ruin. Nearby you see the candelabra and all manner of candles that sit around only slightly melted since who knows how long they were lit for a ritual that may have been conducted here. And amongst them. Skulls. Many skulls. Dozens, maybe a hundred. Make a knowledge roll for me.

[Liam O'Brien]

Maybe you'll roll with hope.

[Marisha Ray]

Maybe I will. Maybe. Is this something I can use? Historically inspired, you can very much do. So spend a hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Plus.

[Marisha Ray]

So that'll be plus three total.

[Travis Willingham]

Come on.

[Marisha Ray]

I rolled with Hope.

[Travis Willingham]

She did.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wait, she did?

[Marisha Ray]

I did.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, but it wasn't a success with Hope.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, is it gotta be a success, Success with hope?

[Travis Willingham]

Correct.

[Marisha Ray]

Well, it might hang on. Eight with hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Can I use four from one of my prayer dice to bump it up above 10 just in case?

[Travis Willingham]

If you want. Try that.

[Liam O'Brien]

You okay there, Dustin?

[Travis Willingham]

You had visions of followers on pilgrimage behind this saint, this promised path. And from what you've heard, the reason that the grand ordinance took notice and disavowed this path was her pull grew stronger, her flock growing denser. And you look at all these skulls, and while you may have seen the four that were set for the central execution and sealing of this ritual, you think they also laid with them all of her followers? All of her most devout followers.

[Marisha Ray]

Was that a success?

[Matthew Mercer]

That was a success, yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Boys.

[Marisha Ray]

My boy. So I get my D12 back.

[Travis Willingham]

You do? Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

With that, having seen this room before, can I almost automatically start to move towards the middle of the room where I saw this woman with the hair and the golden face and getting carved. Can I move to the spot where she was and just look at the ground where she was kneeling?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. You walk into the middle of what is really a sepulture chamber. Holy site constructed for the purposes of keeping a heretic. So much work gone into someone who was subjugated by the ordinance. But you gather that's likely because for their sealing ritual to be done, there was a. A minimal requirement of holy surroundings.

[Marisha Ray]

And remind me, she was not a worshiper of the veiled gods.

[Travis Willingham]

From what was heard, she could see the path they took when they left.

[Marisha Ray]

She could see the path they took.

[Travis Willingham]

Her sight, her golden radiant face was ever able to see the path they left on and she was to guide her followers along to find where they went.

[Marisha Ray]

And the Grand Ordinance did not like this because the Grand Ordinance was a God King. They were God King devotees.

[Travis Willingham]

They were God King devotees, but also the alongside the God, if not just below the organizational faith based government of the old world here in the domain. They believed her visions to be blasphemous. They believed her path to be unholy and having no bearing in the existing scripture. So from their standpoint, her path could only be an unholy one. When as you look about this chamber, you see beyond all the candles and the pillars and the beautiful massive back cathedral like ritual carved wall that rises up, you see what looks like a ritual table set up with candles on it, a book that is burned. And on the top there is a stone casket that sits in the center. And to the front of it, on a lower platform closest to you, a much simpler wooden casket. And on the far two sides of it, two more simpler wooden caskets. So there are three wooden caskets that triangulate this central stone one. As you hold the light up, you can see on this central stone casket there is a collection of objects. Coins, what looks like dried fruit, pits or gems. You can't tell quite from this distance. It looks like are offerings placed. You're not sure. It's too high above. You just see things atop it from the position you stand at.

[Marisha Ray]

Atop the casket.

[Travis Willingham]

Atop the stone casket.

[Matthew Mercer]

Payday. We should definitely set fire to these caskets. Certainly a choice.

[Liam O'Brien]

I mean, well, just walk in, open the it up and grab the thing and leave.

[Matthew Mercer]

Which one? The stone casket or one of the three wooden ones?

[Liam O'Brien]

I would assume the stone one, but that's just an assumption. There's four of us. We could each open all one of.

[Matthew Mercer]

Them all at the same time.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can we give a. Can I look around and see if there's anything else?

[Travis Willingham]

I would like you to make an instinct action roll for me to perceive any other details in the environment you're seeking. When you say looking for anything else, what are you looking for?

[Matthew Mercer]

For starters, what's the ceiling like? Is it like marble sepulcher above us? Am I saying that right?

[Marisha Ray]

Sepulchre.

[Travis Willingham]

Sepulture.

[Marisha Ray]

Sepulchre.

[Travis Willingham]

When you look up at the light, it's a rough, cavernous ceiling. It looks like this was partially a natural cave that they expanded on and then either brought in or built things within it and then sealed it off. Sepulcher.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sepulcher, yes. Ceiling markings. Any maybe additional trinkets that are around that could contain a branch?

[Travis Willingham]

Sure.

[Ashley Johnson]

Maybe not a casket that we have to open.

[Matthew Mercer]

Well, for instance, none of us have seen a branch, right?

[Travis Willingham]

Not since walking in.

[Matthew Mercer]

No. I mean in our lifetimes.

[Travis Willingham]

No, we've only heard of him.

[Ashley Johnson]

That is is 15, 16 with fear.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, so branch could be anything.

[Marisha Ray]

Branch could be fair. It could be interpretive.

[Travis Willingham]

You glance around, there's the broken bits of stone, there's the skulls. And you look around the piles of skulls to see if they're hiding something without touching them. Nothing there. There are those wooden caskets that sit lidded, triangulated around the center of this chamber. You step up onto the central next level dais where the stone casket sits and look up to where this pile is. You see the coins and things that are there. They're arranged intentionally. It's not just a pile of things thrown on there. They're all set at angles. And you can see there's markings upon the stone connecting where they are. Whatever these things, they're not offerings. More than. It's a geometric design or a sigil on top. Resting amongst them you see about a foot long, pale blanched piece of wood extending in about four little branches that stick off to each side, just resting on top.

[Liam O'Brien]

Grab that thing with your.

[Matthew Mercer]

I don't trust it.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

Just yeet it and let's get out of here.

[Marisha Ray]

What if it's a decoy? What if it's. What if it's not?

[Matthew Mercer]

The cup of a carpenter?

[Travis Willingham]

Yes. Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes. Exactly.

[Ashley Johnson]

But I think what is supposed to light it?

[Liam O'Brien]

Blood. No, wait.

[Matthew Mercer]

I think if you said blood puts it out. Fire too.

[Travis Willingham]

It.

[Matthew Mercer]

It maintains its flame.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's like a special fire. They have to. I don't know.

[Liam O'Brien]

You're a pyre keeper. You know. It starts.

[Travis Willingham]

We have to take it back to the pyres. Oh yeah. Well say not even having to roll this. Your whole life has been the lore of the sacred pyre. The branch, when it is ignited becomes a sacred pyre. So to light it here would build the pyre here, which would be dope.

[Liam O'Brien]

So no.

[Matthew Mercer]

Because we were safe.

[Liam O'Brien]

No fireman.

[Marisha Ray]

Here's just. Just the four of us for forever. Start a new sort of new colony.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just saying goat people for all.

[Liam O'Brien]

Guess we just have to make a lot of babies. Sorry.

[Matthew Mercer]

Stony goats.

[Ashley Johnson]

Is there a particular shape to the coin? Any sort of rune or whatever?

[Travis Willingham]

It looks. It definitely looks intentional. And the arrangement of it isn't symmetrical. But it isn't just a pile of coins tossed. It's like there's two here, then a third one about a foot and a half in. And there's one over here. And you can see a slight drawing of a bit of a soot path that connects one to another. And a very well made circle.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sigil circle. And this is on the stone casket lid.

[Travis Willingham]

On the stone casket lid.

[Marisha Ray]

And the branches are sitting right there.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Kin. I go over and you. Can I hold my hand above the branch and just feel. Is there. Can I make any kind of a magic reed? Is there anything emanating from the branch? Anything like that? I deja go crazy right now.

[Marisha Ray]

Do you? Really weird.

[Matthew Mercer]

They just changed something.

[Travis Willingham]

You could either they just updated the matrix. You can either roll instinct to sense it instinctually or you can roll knowledge to. To analyze it based on what's visible in front of you. I'll go.

[Matthew Mercer]

Instinct.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. 16.

[Matthew Mercer]

17. With instinct. With fear.

[Travis Willingham]

With fear. Okay. You tap once more into that little spark of golden power within you. And as you reopen your eyes, indeed, where the lines are, there, they are connected by an invisible divine sigil. There is a protective ward here. When they interred her, they believed that whatever power she had should remain sealed, that no one should be able to free her from this and let her build her flock a second time. So they made sure when they executed her that they also bound her here. And this branch is part of the. This binding.

[Liam O'Brien]

The hallway that we came in through, is there, like, a door? Did we pass through a door?

[Travis Willingham]

We pass through an open door that leads in here.

[Liam O'Brien]

Open door. I don't like that. I feel like if we touch this thing, the door is going to shut or something.

[Matthew Mercer]

Should we try and wedge it open?

[Liam O'Brien]

Maybe.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. Are there any pews, boulders, rocks, fallen shale, anything that we.

[Travis Willingham]

There's no pews here. But, I mean, there are some larger pieces of rock, some very big pieces of rock that have fallen in over time, but those would be far too big for you to move. But there are some sections of stone about this big that you can try and wedge and hold the door in place.

[Matthew Mercer]

Do that.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'll do that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, sure.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, Try to move some stone.

[Travis Willingham]

Go move some stone over and put it up and create a half barricade.

[Ashley Johnson]

Stay behind the door, and I could just. Mage hand. And we can see on the other side of it. Magic hand. Magic hand.

[Matthew Mercer]

How far does your magic hand go?

[Ashley Johnson]

Far it goes. Strength is your own.

[Matthew Mercer]

Far range is the door. Far range from the stone casket, It's.

[Travis Willingham]

A little bit further away.

[Ashley Johnson]

Let's see. Well, I can stay inside.

[Matthew Mercer]

I think we just grab it. I think we're overthinking this.

[Ashley Johnson]

You do?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, sure.

[Liam O'Brien]

You're crazy.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm worried about the wooden caskets more than the main one.

[Marisha Ray]

There's no, like, we're gonna lift this thing. It's gonna break the seal. She's gonna bust out of here. She's gonna have no fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

If we grab it, let's be ready, though. Let's spread out.

[Marisha Ray]

Stay near me.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, okay.

[Marisha Ray]

But then triangulate.

[Liam O'Brien]

Big attacks that affect all of us could happen. And then also, we should, like, prepare any protective spells or anything, like rally dice.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, I'm going to rally everybody, because I can do that once per session. And this is Amy's the next session. It is nice. I will just wiggle my feathers a little. And I don't feel like.

[Matthew Mercer]

I feel very rallied.

[Liam O'Brien]

You have to sing something for us.

[Ashley Johnson]

We're in a dark cavern. It's a little bit scary.

[Liam O'Brien]

It so far.

[Marisha Ray]

What are we going to find? It's a little bit hairy. Man. Poets, poet laureates, all of us. You know, me, the poet.

[Liam O'Brien]

Watch out, America.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. So you all get your. Your rally die. It's a D6 that you can add to an action roll, a damage roll or clear stress. Or clear stress if you need to.

[Liam O'Brien]

Speaking of, I'm going to take a minor stamina potion.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it. Roll that D4, buddy.

[Liam O'Brien]

Just going to clear that stress. Might as well.

[Travis Willingham]

Did it. Great. All right.

[Liam O'Brien]

Anyone want to vericleaf?

[Travis Willingham]

So you say you're spreading out. Who's spreading out where?

[Ashley Johnson]

I mean, should we just like I.

[Matthew Mercer]

Still attest that we should set these three coffins on fire and grab the branch.

[Ashley Johnson]

What if that pieces are off?

[Liam O'Brien]

Wait, fire is bad. It could set the branch on fire.

[Matthew Mercer]

The three wooden coffins.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, but what if it spreads? I don't know.

[Matthew Mercer]

We're in a cave. Caves are flammable.

[Marisha Ray]

Just sucks the oxygen out of the room.

[Matthew Mercer]

We all see it leaves plenty of places for the smoke to go.

[Marisha Ray]

That's fair.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

We're spread out.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, but what if she gets pissed because we're.

[Matthew Mercer]

I have a feeling just from the past couple days we're goofing around and the past couple days she's gonna be pissed regardless. Or she'll be super thankful to be set free and we'll have a super powerful ally on our side.

[Marisha Ray]

That's fair.

[Matthew Mercer]

Or she's not buried in the coffin because our vision ended too soon and it's actually owner of the scepter that's in that bitch.

[Liam O'Brien]

He's gonna come out pissed as hell.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, like she did a little. A little bait. A little switcheroo.

[Matthew Mercer]

Or Adelia's in the coffin is going to pop out with fucking dolls.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes. Scream.

[Liam O'Brien]

We're not going to know until we grab this thing.

[Matthew Mercer]

Pretty sure.

[Marisha Ray]

All right. Brixton says a little prayer. She apologizes to the veiled gods. We understand. We are in secret ground, walking in the path in the footsteps of a saint. Please forgive us of our transgressions. This is only too far.

[Liam O'Brien]

Further your good works.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes, Further your good works.

[Matthew Mercer]

Are you grabbing it? You are wearing full plate. You should probably grab it. Thanks for volunteering. I'm going to move out to the right side of the slide.

[Travis Willingham]

I'll grab it.

[Liam O'Brien]

We have a magic hand. We have a magic Hand.

[Ashley Johnson]

I know, but should we actually physically touch it?

[Marisha Ray]

I am a pirate keeper. I'm a sticks of pirate keepers.

[Travis Willingham]

You've got blisters.

[Marisha Ray]

I've got. I am. Yes. I have blisters.

[Matthew Mercer]

I call strong side.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. I'm going to go to the other side of the of Brixton. Left side. Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Brixton could have ready her great sword. Sword.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going somewhere else. You're going somewhere else. Greatsword. Ready. You step up to the stone tomb. The branch there within reach.

[Marisha Ray]

For those who have walked before us. For those who will walk ahead of us. Please grant us. Grant us this boon.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh my God.

[Travis Willingham]

You grab the branch and you watch as all the symbols light up and your hand is repelled.

[Liam O'Brien]

She can't touch it.

[Matthew Mercer]

You can't touch this.

[Travis Willingham]

It looks like whatever sealed her also sealed the branch within.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, that tracks.

[Matthew Mercer]

Now we get to burn the coffins. Okay, we go to the coffin. I'm going to go to one of the wooden coffins. Does it have a similar arrangement on it? Like something similar, just a plain.

[Travis Willingham]

No, it looks a simpler coffin.

[Matthew Mercer]

And I'm just going to swing down on the coffin on the right.

[Travis Willingham]

You smash the lid. It breaks open. And as you pull your blade out, you see inside a mummified skeletal corpse of a woman who is wearing old robes. Dust filled, dust fills out. The bone is broken. The jaw kind of dislodges.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just like just reach in and grab sternum and pick her up. Look underneath the. Look underneath her body in the coffin. Anything? Nothing. Give it a little shake.

[Travis Willingham]

Anything fall out, Bones kind of clatter to the ground.

[Matthew Mercer]

I probably should.

[Marisha Ray]

You said there were three coins.

[Travis Willingham]

There are many coins across the lid. The closest ones were the ones you can see that weren't under the bridge.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm just wondering. Yeah. If I just try and take any of the coins.

[Travis Willingham]

You reach for the coin and it deflects it as well.

[Marisha Ray]

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, is there any correlation with the runes on top of the casket?

[Travis Willingham]

Make a knowledge roll for me.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Okay. Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. That's going to be 14 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

14 with fear. You looking at this, you don't see any correlation necessarily beyond just the sigil that's marked there. But from what you've conversed and shared about the various visions you've had, the person who is helming this execution and sealing staff.

[Matthew Mercer]

The scepter.

[Marisha Ray]

The scepter. We shouldn't have fucking thought about that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, 100%.

[Marisha Ray]

That sucks. That Was stupid. We should have thought about that.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm your boobs.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hey, guys, what if I use the scepter?

[Matthew Mercer]

All of Beacon Discord.

[Travis Willingham]

Why don't I do that? Jesus takes them forever.

[Liam O'Brien]

You know, it's not written.

[Matthew Mercer]

We just do it to be more endearing. Intentionally?

[Travis Willingham]

Of course. Yes.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, so we make our audience feel more intelligent.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait, wa.

[Matthew Mercer]

I walk over to the other coffin, flip over the lid.

[Travis Willingham]

Another dust filled long, just in case. Another one.

[Liam O'Brien]

Raccoon.

[Matthew Mercer]

Same thing.

[Travis Willingham]

Same thing.

[Ashley Johnson]

What color are their robes?

[Matthew Mercer]

Red and gold, right?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, red. Mostly red with gold bits. And you can see there's their hoods or headdresses that set back in the bottom where the skeletons were. These triangular headdresses that settled there might have been part of how they were interred. But they're just dead skeletons.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just cause. Is the wooden coffin on a stone diocese or anything? Or just a wooden frame? Could it be dragged the coffin?

[Travis Willingham]

I mean, you could certainly try.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm going to try and drag one of them to the other one just to bunch them up just in case they wake up.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. So there's the three of them. You kind of drag the two to the front, or where do you drag them.

[Matthew Mercer]

To the middle room so that they're close to where the stone one is.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. So you pull them all kind of in towards the center. You got it. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

You know, just so they can all be together.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Now, the one that you shook, did you put it back in the coffin or did you just throw it across the ground to scatter?

[Matthew Mercer]

Sort of set it up against one of the columns. Like Halloween? No, I just put it. Right. Put it back. Respectfully, back in the column.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, Fair, Fair. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

After I gave it a shake.

[Travis Willingham]

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

[Liam O'Brien]

What do I do with it?

[Travis Willingham]

Shoot it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Shoot it at the.

[Matthew Mercer]

I think you try and reach through the bubble, See if it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Like, while holding it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, maybe it casts magic. See if it lets your hand through.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, but like, am I aiming for. I'm not aiming for the branch.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just try and grab the branch with the scepter in your hand. See if your hand gets there first.

[Liam O'Brien]

All right. I guess I'll hold the scepter in one hand and reach with the other.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure. Okay. Your hand is unimpeded.

[Matthew Mercer]

Definitely not a negative effect.

[Liam O'Brien]

I will pick up the branch, replace.

[Marisha Ray]

It with the sun.

[Travis Willingham]

You have a blessed branch.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, we did it.

[Travis Willingham]

As you pull it away, you watch as the magic of the sigil of the seal as the branches are moved from that faint field of blue that prevented you from reaching it. As you pull it from that sealed field, it shatters almost like a piece of glass that then dissipates in the mist. The temperature drops about 20 degrees and all the candles alight with purple flame.

[Matthew Mercer]

Glaive glows.

[Travis Willingham]

The chamber begins to glow a purple red hue as all the candles are burning brightly around the chamber immediately comes to life some strange dark presence. You watch as the shadows in the chamber begin to move. Like you're watching a black mist pour out from underneath some unseen doorway, spilling into the three clustered coffins and spilling out from the inside of the stone casket. The stone lid explodes off into 100 pieces, whatever was scattered on punch scattering against the walls. You guard your eyes and back up as you now see corpses rise from all three of the stone caskets. And then one or three of the wooden ones, and then one from the central. You see the corpse from the middle one, burial dressings merged with bone. The three within the smaller ones themselves. The red coloration of the robes begin to pull taut and grow slick, almost forming muscle and ligaments that attach to the bone. You watch as the headdresses protrude from the skulls in bony triangular points out of it, reform. And you watch as they all reach up above them into a black void and pluck from nothing. Handles, scythes that seem to be drawn from a dark purple energy emit from a sourceless space as they all look at the rest of you. From the central stone tomb, the frail mummified body of the heretic Saint Efalyar stands shrouded in silver cloth that slowly falls away, revealing the sky skull where the carved gap sits between its jaw and its brow. The cracking paper like skin glows with a pinkish hue and swells with renewed unholy life. You watch as tearing out of one shoulder a massive wing, feathered and blue, grows. And another, some ghostly angelic visage suddenly finding itself freed from within this tomb. You watch as the flesh that curls up in the back of the skull knits to form an odd fleshy crown that sits above its now sheared head. You watch as it pulls from a blackened void to its right. A terrifying massive axe. And where that space was, where a face would be, is just a black void, a doorway to hungry nothing thing. I'm gonna go retrieve the battlefield.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh God, I knew I should have scattered those bodies.

[Ashley Johnson]

Damn.

[Matthew Mercer]

I thought about being disrespectful.

[Liam O'Brien]

The blessed branch, by the way. When you have it and when you want make an action roll, you can mark a Stress to roll a D20.

[Travis Willingham]

As your hope die.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, I would love to give it.

[Matthew Mercer]

To you once per day or something.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, just for you. Every time.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, shit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Just as a Marcus stress. If I give it to you, I will lose a hope. When you give it away, you lose hope.

[Marisha Ray]

Hold onto it. Because stress is my thing.

[Ashley Johnson]

Unless.

[Marisha Ray]

We can always hop in here.

[Liam O'Brien]

Ooh, cool.

[Marisha Ray]

Look at the glowy.

[Travis Willingham]

Look at the glowy. So you had stepped back after. I imagine it all exploded and detonated. Where would you be?

[Ashley Johnson]

All right. I will be. I'll just be in the front of that stone pillar right here. Yeah, I think it was.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it, Brixton. Or actually, where would you be?

[Marisha Ray]

Put me in between the two.

[Matthew Mercer]

Put me coach.

[Travis Willingham]

Where would you be?

[Matthew Mercer]

Strong side, baby flank. I told you. Over here. Maybe say it twice.

[Travis Willingham]

The three profane disciples of the heretic saint. Rise. Oh God.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, those are beautiful.

[Liam O'Brien]

Those aren't tiny skeletons.

[Travis Willingham]

I told you.

[Matthew Mercer]

I said to face the corpses, Mercer.

[Liam O'Brien]

They're beat on them.

[Matthew Mercer]

I shook one of them.

[Ashley Johnson]

I know. You were right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Do we have revenge against?

[Ashley Johnson]

The one I shook would have just burned them.

[Matthew Mercer]

So like drawn in quarters.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, whoa.

[Travis Willingham]

What.

[Marisha Ray]

Is precarious?

[Travis Willingham]

Look at the face.

[Marisha Ray]

What are you talking about?

[Ashley Johnson]

Ever.

[Marisha Ray]

Dude, she's so high.

[Liam O'Brien]

What if we have to heal?

[Ashley Johnson]

Maybe we can let her just go.

[Marisha Ray]

Like you're free now.

[Ashley Johnson]

Go wreak some havoc out there.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're missing.

[Marisha Ray]

You've earned it.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's not her fault.

[Liam O'Brien]

You've got something right here.

[Ashley Johnson]

Up here. A little further.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to immediately burn fear.

[Matthew Mercer]

You don't need to do that.

[Travis Willingham]

And spotlight the blasphemous angel of Valnyar. So she is going to actually, first thing, the first time she's spotlighted. I'm going to go ahead and roll a D8 for her blasphemous choir. That's a three. You hear this distant chanting, Evangelic voices colliding out of tune with each other, getting louder and louder. The song is weaving, but it's not yet woven. So that happens just the first time that she's spotlighted. And then she's going to go ahead and marcus stress to do her flock's call silently because there is no mouth and no face. She raises her other hand and she immediately spotlights 1D4 plus one of her allies, which is all of them.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, he rolled a four.

[Travis Willingham]

So all three profane disciples that have regathered themselves and holding their scythes all at once click into place. And they all focus their attention immediately Shifting up towards you. Who drew the branch with an Imperial impossible speed. They leap across the way.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, no. Oh, no. This could be quick.

[Travis Willingham]

And rush in towards you. Snakes.

[Liam O'Brien]

This could be quick.

[Travis Willingham]

Now all of them do half damage because they all as part of this ability. They all go at once. But they also only do half damage. That is three attacks against you. Snicks.

[Marisha Ray]

If I have to be a runner of this branch. If it gets bad, that is going.

[Travis Willingham]

To be an eight. Miss someone. Six. Miss.

[Marisha Ray]

Let's go.

[Travis Willingham]

And a ten. I rolled real bad on that. I rolled real bad.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right. All right.

[Marisha Ray]

Hallowed be the blessed gaze of the veiled Daisy.

[Travis Willingham]

But I am going to spend 2 fear sure out of that as the very presence and ascension of the blasphemous angel. Rising up. You see now where the beautiful blue wings were. The flesh continues to grow as arms begin to tear out from the sides and reach upward. Her face and chin still tilted up towards the heavens that she could never reach. I need you to turn your hope die into a D8 until you roll a success with hope. And I need you to turn your hope die into a D8.

[Marisha Ray]

It sucks. You guys okay?

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. D8. Got it. No bigs.

[Liam O'Brien]

No thanks.

[Ashley Johnson]

I love her.

[Travis Willingham]

She's a boss bitch. Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

She's a boss bitch.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. That is my spotlight.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do we.

[Travis Willingham]

You may go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are we attacking this. This lady?

[Matthew Mercer]

I think most certainly yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are we trying to get the disciples first or just focus on her?

[Matthew Mercer]

You know what? There's no way to know.

[Travis Willingham]

But the door slammed sh shut behind you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Put a rock there.

[Travis Willingham]

Put a little rock there. The rock has moved about a foot and a half.

[Liam O'Brien]

I put a little rock there. It's the only one I can pick up.

[Marisha Ray]

I can't pick up a rock. I'm stronger than you.

[Matthew Mercer]

I will. I will run forward.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, if the rock was moved or shifted out of the way by some magical force you assume scream. What are you doing?

[Matthew Mercer]

I will run forward and I will swing my glaive above my head and you'll see it glow the entirety of it in divine energy. And I will cast spirit weapon.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Are you moving forward to do this? Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm going to run right towards the tip of the deic also so I can get a little closer to where Snix is. Yeah, right there.

[Travis Willingham]

Right there is about as close as you can get.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, great.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. So you are doing. You're trying to throw it and hit everything within close range, you said?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes, that would be all of them. Beautiful. I Can only I can target two at a time.

[Travis Willingham]

Right.

[Matthew Mercer]

So I'll aim for. Yeah, I'll go for two of the disciples.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Which two?

[Matthew Mercer]

The two closest.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, gotcha.

[Matthew Mercer]

We'll go that way. And this is a hope. This is such a bad idea. And I'll use my rally die as well. And this is a yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just a random regular roll. That's with fear balls. That's a terrible thing to do. 14, 15, 16. 17 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

17 with fear is a success. Go ahead and roll damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Great. I will mark a stress and that will hit both of them. And I will do D8 plus 2. That's 8. Another 8. 16 plus 2. 17, 18. 18 magic damage.

[Travis Willingham]

That is a severe wound on both of them.

[Matthew Mercer]

Two ace.

[Travis Willingham]

So that's great. That's three hit points damage to each. To each, yeah. Because he hit two of them. So as you release it. Nice carves through both of them and you catch back in your grip the three of them that had swarmed in towards snakes. All three in unison turn towards you. You now see a close up look their skulls. One of them is missing an eye on one side. The other is missing an eye on the other. The bone is grown over and the third has no sockets. Oh.

[Matthew Mercer]

What? Anything unusual about the one eyes that they do have? Are they glowing? They look like horrible undead voids. Okay, great.

[Ashley Johnson]

I am going to help us out.

[Travis Willingham]

Who's fear comes to me.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, sorry.

[Travis Willingham]

That's okay. No worries.

[Matthew Mercer]

It was fear. Well that B8.

[Travis Willingham]

So with that let's go for it. The blasphemous angel is going to descend. Its wings flying down to greet you. A little further down the daisy. The choir gets louder. That was a roll on your end. Which does click that down. The choir is getting louder and louder. These strange distant amorphous voices. The massive axe comes wide as the hands reach up and she releases it with her hand and it floats on its own before with an unnatural speed carves through through a massive arc attacking all creatures within or all enemies within very close range. Which is all but snakes.

[Liam O'Brien]

I mean.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sorry guys, I have to run.

[Liam O'Brien]

I do run.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, that is not a great roll. That is a 10.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hits.

[Ashley Johnson]

It hits.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. It was a great roll number.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, no it doesn't. What am I saying?

[Travis Willingham]

What's your vision?

[Ashley Johnson]

It's 12.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, so misses you. I know, I know.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm taking vision. You just heard a thing hit and you're like. Yeah, I think it's not.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

I accept my fatal.

[Travis Willingham]

17 points of physical damage against both of you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

And because of the momentum she gains a fear when she successfully attacks. She spent a fear to do that ability. I gotta remember to do that.

[Marisha Ray]

I think it's time. I'm gonna go ahead and call Unstoppable.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Marisha Ray]

It's gonna drop it down.

[Travis Willingham]

Is it unstoppable? You can do once per session, right?

[Marisha Ray]

Yes, yes. Once. A long rest.

[Travis Willingham]

Long rest. Cause if I recall, you use that against.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, but I didn't even use it. Cause the fucking battle ended.

[Travis Willingham]

I know. I'll tell you what. What? Your hope and your fear dies. If your hope dies higher. You manage to catch before you expended. That will. If your fear dies higher.

[Matthew Mercer]

Come on.

[Marisha Ray]

Because we talked to the tree instead. That was a good roll. It's a 10 and an 11 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Unfortunately. Unfortunately.

[Ashley Johnson]

Damn.

[Travis Willingham]

You had misfired with its usage. But nevertheless, that's still damage to each of you.

[Matthew Mercer]

Question. I'm going to use my second prayer dice to redeem three hope for the prayer die. And then they're undead. They don't count as corpses, right?

[Travis Willingham]

No, they're animated.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, cool.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. And then I'm going to spend a fear to activate it once more.

[Marisha Ray]

God damn it, that sucks. Such a big part of my class.

[Travis Willingham]

Is going to do flock's call again to mark a stress and call upon the profane disciples. That's two plus one. That's three. All three of them are going to activate. This one's one shift behind here.

[Matthew Mercer]

Gilly, Billy, Lily.

[Travis Willingham]

That one's going to attack you again. Actually, both of those are gonna focus on you. The other's gonna spin and come towards you. So the one attacking you. Oh, my God. That's an eight.

[Liam O'Brien]

Great.

[Travis Willingham]

Mrs. And Mrs. You.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, the two coming at you roll better. It's a ten miss.

[Marisha Ray]

Come on.

[Travis Willingham]

And a natural fucking one. They are eating shrimp. Shit. This opening volley, it's because I've got the blessed branch. It's confusing. Apparently. Yeah. As they go to strike, there's an element of concern as they see it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Like, don't break the branch. Don't break the branch.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, that's my spotlight. Back to you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. May I, stealing away a bad boy, may I conjure a swarm? I'm gonna try to hit all of the creatures around because they're all within. They're all within.

[Matthew Mercer]

Clothes close.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is it close range.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Liam O'Brien]

Am I reading that right?

[Ashley Johnson]

I can make her vulnerable?

[Travis Willingham]

You should.

[Matthew Mercer]

So do you have to roll for it?

[Ashley Johnson]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes. Within close range.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to go ahead no, Yes, I do.

[Liam O'Brien]

And mark a stress to roll a D20 as my hope dice.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

And spell cast.

[Matthew Mercer]

Come on.

[Liam O'Brien]

And try to hit all three of them. Do I roll three how many times?

[Travis Willingham]

No, you just roll one single.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go. Nikki Branch.

[Liam O'Brien]

22 with Hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes, That's a success.

[Matthew Mercer]

And take that hope D20 coming out.

[Travis Willingham]

That counts that down to A1 coming out.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I will mark a stress to add a damage dice to this. So that's three D8 plus three.

[Travis Willingham]

This is against all of them, right?

[Liam O'Brien]

Against all three. Somehow I only have one D8. Oh, no, here we go.

[Travis Willingham]

Is this within close range?

[Liam O'Brien]

Close, close.

[Travis Willingham]

They're all in close range if you want to get all of them.

[Liam O'Brien]

Her too?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, she's right there.

[Liam O'Brien]

Great.

[Marisha Ray]

Come on, big money.

[Liam O'Brien]

18. 18 points of magic damage.

[Marisha Ray]

That's good.

[Travis Willingham]

18 points of magic damage. That is.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's a major, right?

[Travis Willingham]

That's a major. On the other ones, they are.

[Liam O'Brien]

A severe or major?

[Travis Willingham]

A major. Damn. Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

18 was.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. So to that, how far off from being a severe? I don't know, but so that goes through to that. And that is atemism major to the blasphemous angel Velyar. Now, as a reaction, the profane disciples are all going to Marcus. For whenever Eveliar takes damage from an attack within very close range of her, which you are within, the point you're coming from is within very close range. Right?

[Liam O'Brien]

The point I'm coming from.

[Travis Willingham]

No, it's within close range. Sorry, I missed it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Mine's within close.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, no, it's within close attack. Within close range. You can mark as stress to make a standard attack against the attacker. If it's within range, you are within range of all three. So all three from marks and all three of them make a retaliatory strike on you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. Can I move first? No.

[Travis Willingham]

I'd say because this happens as a reaction to your attack. No, you would have had to move beforehand. Natural 2. They're rolling dog shit against you. It's a fucking 3. I am.

[Marisha Ray]

Screw it.

[Liam O'Brien]

I love it.

[Travis Willingham]

There we go. Okay. 14. Does that hit?

[Liam O'Brien]

Just barely.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank God. Work with me.

[Matthew Mercer]

The leader has no face.

[Travis Willingham]

11 points of magic damage onto you as one of their sorrow scythes swings around and strikes carving through you.

[Liam O'Brien]

You don't need to do that. I mean.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, it's better to pad some of this sooner rather than later.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's true. And that's only a minor damage for me.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's only a minor for me too.

[Marisha Ray]

If I've had it with armor, but I can. Then.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right.

[Marisha Ray]

If you want to take it. Do you want to just take this over?

[Travis Willingham]

I don't think I should take it. And would you like to move?

[Liam O'Brien]

If I move, I'm scared something's going to happen. But yes, I would like to move.

[Travis Willingham]

Where would you like to move?

[Liam O'Brien]

I'd like to move that way.

[Travis Willingham]

That way. So you can move close or far. Do you want to move? Close will get you there. If you want to move further, you can try and move.

[Matthew Mercer]

Get out of there.

[Travis Willingham]

Up to you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. I'm going to use deft maneuvers and.

[Travis Willingham]

Move far so you get to move all the way over. And as you do, you shift over into that corner and see something emerge from the shadows to the left of you. Oh, no. Screaver would like to return to the table, please. Oh, you think he's here to help you? I don't know.

[Marisha Ray]

Is he?

[Matthew Mercer]

Is he gonna help?

[Marisha Ray]

Where are you going? Are you going back into where you were? You little.

[Travis Willingham]

You better help us. Oh, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

We don't need to make this.

[Travis Willingham]

I knew it.

[Matthew Mercer]

I know what's happening.

[Travis Willingham]

Happening more, I think maybe.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't know.

[Travis Willingham]

I can't.

[Sam Riegel]

Let me see the map.

[Travis Willingham]

Close up.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is.

[Marisha Ray]

Scree.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, my. Oh, my. Okay. You, yes, had darted from there to there. I'll say.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's why the door closed.

[Marisha Ray]

That's 100% why. The door closed, we called it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Son of a bitch.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay. Can I take a move?

[Travis Willingham]

Sure. It's still your guys. Spotlight. And since you've just now engaged with.

[Sam Riegel]

The battlefield and Snix has eyes on me at this point, I've seen a shadow. I've seen a shadow move out of the shadow. You see Screeve coming low, loping along the ground primally towards you. And hands raise up. And he starts to sprint straight at you. And hands come out and you can see those iron claws aimed straight at your face. And I dive past you into the shadows behind you and vanish and shoot up underneath this blue winged torment. And I begin to claw my way.

[Matthew Mercer]

Up.

[Travis Willingham]

For now from behind. Over here.

[Sam Riegel]

If I can get that far. Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

How far can you travel?

[Sam Riegel]

It's far range.

[Travis Willingham]

Far range would get you over on this side.

[Sam Riegel]

Now I have been gone and just trailing for a long time, not doing much. Would you say it's fair to be armor and hit points to be reset and maybe too stress spent to get to keep up with them? Sure.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. You've taken a long rest on your own since separating, so I can full.

[Ashley Johnson]

Up and maybe like.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, so I will from cloaked take a sweat.

[Travis Willingham]

So.

[Sam Riegel]

So it is.

[Liam O'Brien]

Scream.

[Marisha Ray]

Scream.

[Liam O'Brien]

Scream is Bueller. You're my hero.

[Sam Riegel]

It's crit.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go. Oh, God.

[Marisha Ray]

Amazing way to come.

[Travis Willingham]

Hell yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, so Krog one shot vibes. I come in. I crit. I leave.

[Travis Willingham]

Four.

[Sam Riegel]

Seven. Does anything happen to the damage because of a crit? I forget.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, you do full. You do max damage on your dice.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, max damage.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. And then you roll on top of it.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, yeah, my. All right. 12 plus 16 is 28. Plus the three is 31 total.

[Travis Willingham]

That breaks the severe threshold. That's three wounds onto the blast.

[Sam Riegel]

But do I add on top of the. That's the max damage with sneak attack damage. So I haven't rolled to add to that.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, you can roll again. Yeah. If you want to see if you can somehow double the let's severe threshold.

[Matthew Mercer]

Somewhere anywhere near 60 for 4.

[Sam Riegel]

That's just fun to do.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

3.

[Matthew Mercer]

Set a record, why don't you?

[Travis Willingham]

3.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm rolling low. 3. 6.

[Travis Willingham]

But you do gain a hope.

[Sam Riegel]

11. Nuclear stress. Add 14 more to that.

[Travis Willingham]

Not enough to double it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Not enough.

[Travis Willingham]

But still. That's three wounds.

[Matthew Mercer]

Five.

[Sam Riegel]

So he's clawing his way up her leg and rending gouges before he kicks off and lands on the ground and whips his head back and just stares at you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Scree. We're so happy to see you.

[Travis Willingham]

That finishes the countdown for the blasphemous choir. At this moment, with the finish of your strike, those discordant angel voices suddenly kick into volume. You hear just this screeching sound of dozens, hundreds of voices that are mingling in terrifying, painful ways. You feel like this is a doomed space and this will be your grave.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is a doomed space.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to spend a fear to activate the blasphemous angel. Out of turn. She is going. You're out of turn. She is going to spend a fear to do her arc of judgment. An attack against all creatures within very close range, which is all of you except for screeve again. Snakes. Sorry, snakes. That is going to be a 15. That's right. True. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hits.

[Travis Willingham]

15 hit.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, for sure.

[Travis Willingham]

15 hit. You screen. All righty.

[Matthew Mercer]

Arcane judgment.

[Travis Willingham]

Arc of judgment.

[Matthew Mercer]

Arc of judgment.

[Travis Willingham]

That's caught. Okay, 17 points of physical damage against all of you. The angel gains a fear because of the impact. Now, while this choir of discordant voices is playing, covers an area within far range of the angel. Shit. When a target marks Hit points from an attack from a veliar. Within this dark song, all PCs within far range of the target lose a hope. Oh, no. All of you lose a hope.

[Ashley Johnson]

All of us lose a hope.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, God damn it.

[Travis Willingham]

You feel that doomed song drawing your chance for redemption or freedom from you? This song lasts until someone deals severe damage to her.

[Matthew Mercer]

So wait, you said deals severe damage.

[Marisha Ray]

To her and we lose a hope.

[Sam Riegel]

How often does that hit us? The hope loss?

[Travis Willingham]

Every single time she causes someone to.

[Marisha Ray]

Mark a hit point whenever she does damage.

[Travis Willingham]

Correct.

[Marisha Ray]

We all lose a hope.

[Sam Riegel]

We all lose a hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Everyone within far range, the target.

[Sam Riegel]

Amazing.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, that is my spotlight.

[Ashley Johnson]

I am going to take a hole.

[Liam O'Brien]

In, by the way, just to throw this in there. If anyone is desperate for hope, remember, we have two varric leaves that will give you two hope.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's right. Okay. I am going to reach down for another ancient song and I am going to cast epic song which in close range will make a target vulnerable. So I'm going to cast it on her.

[Travis Willingham]

On her. Very well.

[Ashley Johnson]

Spellcast trait presence. Okay, so I roll for it.

[Travis Willingham]

You roll for it. Let's go. You have to see if it impacts.

[Matthew Mercer]

Come on.

[Travis Willingham]

There. It says. It says roll for spell cast against the target.

[Ashley Johnson]

Spell cast trait present. Well, it just says describe how you perform. You can play each song once per long. Rest, make a target within close range temporarily vulnerable.

[Travis Willingham]

I don't. Does it tell you to roll?

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't support it, no.

[Travis Willingham]

If it doesn't ask you to roll, then it just happens. That's your subclass special ability. So describe this epic song that you in what is legitimately the most terrifying and impactful moment of your life, old and new. What does this song sound like and how does it affect this angel?

[Ashley Johnson]

I am trying as hard as I can to try to drown out her song and at the same time, sort of just. I'm trying to play at 11.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

And just try to drown out battle.

[Travis Willingham]

Of the wings here.

[Ashley Johnson]

Battle of the wings. But also have it not sound as.

[Liam O'Brien]

They tore the roof off.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's more in tune. It's not as dissonant. It sounds better. So I'm trying to get everybody a little bit more hyped.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. So your song is now legitimately battling the song in the arena and you watch as it causes the angel to flicker a bit. The black void in the face itself seems to swell with fury, if a void could be furious. And it is vulnerable temporarily.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, nice.

[Travis Willingham]

Anything else you want to do on your go? Because that just happens. Automatically. You can still make an action.

[Matthew Mercer]

I have three hope and we could tag team something crazy. But we could go for it fast.

[Marisha Ray]

Let's do it.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm just going to do that because I don't want to roll with fear. I'm going to leave that and have you guys go.

[Travis Willingham]

Are you going to stay placed?

[Ashley Johnson]

Are you going to move tag team it?

[Marisha Ray]

I.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to. Can I back up a little bit?

[Liam O'Brien]

Like around the.

[Ashley Johnson]

Around the pool?

[Travis Willingham]

About there. As far as you can get on close range. Okay. I'm going to spend a fear to activate Valyar.

[Marisha Ray]

God. I haven't done anything.

[Liam O'Brien]

He's running out of fear.

[Travis Willingham]

This is how boss fights work.

[Liam O'Brien]

He's running out of.

[Travis Willingham]

She is going to.

[Marisha Ray]

All right, all right.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Marisha Ray]

There's a little thingy there.

[Travis Willingham]

Going to kill that angel land. Right over into this space. I'll say. Yeah. There we go.

[Matthew Mercer]

Skadoo.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, hello. As you back up angry about the song that you've lent lands, I immediately.

[Liam O'Brien]

Try to go into the shadow that scree went into and try to disappear and reappear in another shadow.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. You think it might be working? As I spend another fear to do.

[Marisha Ray]

Damn it.

[Travis Willingham]

Actually, you know what? No. Huh? She's going to. She's merciful. Hmm.

[Matthew Mercer]

Maybe not.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to pull this back a little bit to where I was there. Her knight's very different. After you carve that heavy hit into her song. Fluctuating around furiously, she spins and is not going to spend that extra fear. Instead is going to mark a stress to use look into the void.

[Sam Riegel]

I've done that all my life.

[Travis Willingham]

She bends down the chin tipping to where now you just have a view into the blackness where the face once was. I need you to make a presence reaction roll for me.

[Sam Riegel]

Screeve is just focusing and envisioning Adelia's face in the center of that darkness. Presence. So this is just a straight roll of for me. That's a crit.

[Travis Willingham]

Dang. Two crits in a row, bro.

[Matthew Mercer]

What'd I say?

[Sam Riegel]

Eleven.

[Matthew Mercer]

Eleven broglife shirts.

[Travis Willingham]

That's amazing. So you pulled away just in time. You yourself have been a creature of the darkness and fear of the landscape around. You only mark a stress.

[Sam Riegel]

I mark a stress.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes. Okay. But that's going to finish her spotlight. It's now back to you.

[Sam Riegel]

I can hear it.

[Travis Willingham]

Delia's voice.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. Do you want to. You want to attack combo?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah. Let's carve her up.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm gonna use these three Hope before they get sucked away by one of her turns again.

[Travis Willingham]

I know I'm going to spend a fear right as you're preparing for this. Welcome to the boss battle, guys. Can't do anything to hit you with an ominous portent which reduces your hope die to.

[Liam O'Brien]

No problem. No problem. No problem. You're still tag teaming. You're going to be fine.

[Travis Willingham]

You're both tag teaming.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. I'm also going to spend three hope to immediately get back the armor that I have already burned through because I'm afraid that hope's going to go away.

[Matthew Mercer]

And a question for you. On the previous hit with the bone hooked Glaive. I haven't done this yet. On a successful hit, the target must. Must mark a stress. So on those two spirit weapon hits, do each one of them take a stress Cuz it was hit with the.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, yeah. They would both take a stress.

[Matthew Mercer]

So two of those little. Yeah. Hey, I did it once. Finally.

[Travis Willingham]

You did.

[Matthew Mercer]

You did on the last episode.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. Are you also rolling a D8?

[Matthew Mercer]

No, I'm. Oh, I did. You still am. I didn't clear with no.

[Travis Willingham]

You rolled a fear.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, damn. Okay. I ain't worried about it, but she's in.

[Travis Willingham]

She.

[Marisha Ray]

She's vulnerable.

[Travis Willingham]

She is. So it's a plus D6 for each of you.

[Marisha Ray]

All right. Come on. As well. Bad.

[Matthew Mercer]

23. 24. 24 with fear.

[Marisha Ray]

Well, we should take that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

24 with fear is a success. I gained two fear from both of you rolling with fear, but you succeed on both your strikes against it. So go ahead and roll your damage. Come on.

[Marisha Ray]

Come on. Big money. No, it'd be plus nine because I hit hard when I fucking am able to hit. Okay, this is good.

[Travis Willingham]

15.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm gonna burn this last. I didn't. That was a two. I already rolled it. 17 points of physical.

[Travis Willingham]

17 points of physical. Got it.

[Marisha Ray]

Plus 23 for me.

[Travis Willingham]

That's gonna. Oh, wow. That's gonna be 50 points of damage. That is a major or severe wound.

[Matthew Mercer]

Which means the hope, the hope, the hope.

[Travis Willingham]

The hope of that fades off in the angelic song between you combating it with the sound of your own music in the middle of the throes of this fight. And the two of you strike, striking the angel simultaneously. Which, by the way, describe me how you strike the angel in this way.

[Matthew Mercer]

Copyright takedown notice.

[Travis Willingham]

Dmca. That's great.

[Marisha Ray]

Copy Strike.

[Matthew Mercer]

Also takes a stress Angel. Angel lady.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it. All right, cool.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah. You initiated this.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. I'll sweep down with the bone hooked Glaive. And then arc up and grab the tip of it as I reach up with the handle. And I'm going to try to get it up as high as I can up near her breastplate and try and sink it into the neck to.

[Travis Willingham]

As it digs in, the angel's neck tips to one side and the flesh crown twitches and bends back into place.

[Marisha Ray]

I do a little as we make eye contact. If we're trying to go at the same time, I'm going to go for her opposite side and I get a little bit of footing off of this pillar that's next to me as I mimic the same arc, slamming down on.

[Travis Willingham]

Top of her very well.

[Matthew Mercer]

We call this attack nose.

[Travis Willingham]

Angel takes some heavy hits and is showing wear and tear from the immediate fray that has come upon her from multiple angles. And your new ally which has emerged from the shadows. The next timer rolled a 2 for the choir to return. It comes to me. The blasphemous angel in furious anger is going to look down and Marcus Tress to have you, Brixton, stare into the void. You who are a being who is used to staring into fire, now has to look into the primary opposite of where you've drawn all of your hope. I need you to make a presence reaction roll.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, presence reaction roll.

[Matthew Mercer]

You got this.

[Travis Willingham]

No problem with your D8.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah, I'm aware it's loaded.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. Presence.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes.

[Marisha Ray]

Seven with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

No hope on a reaction roll that is a failure. You mark to stress. You become vulnerable until you roll. A success with hope. And.

[Marisha Ray]

I wish I could be unstoppable, Matt.

[Liam O'Brien]

Unstoppable.

[Travis Willingham]

And Aveliar regains two hit points. Oh. As you feel part of your very spirit is siphoned into the void, you all look over and watch as Brixton, after this massive blow, looks up. Eyes go wide and the pupils vanish white as she just locks in place. The angel's face leaning in deeper and deeper. Her unable to leave. And you see elements of her for the first time. Visible shreds of her soul being pulled into the void before you pull away. I'm going to spend a fear because she has relentless and can go twice if I spend the fear.

[Marisha Ray]

I know you can do this. I do not think that all God's presence are here and is going to.

[Travis Willingham]

Spend another fear to do. Ark of Judgment.

[Matthew Mercer]

Not again. This one's so bad.

[Travis Willingham]

Massive swing with the axe because you've moved out. Wait, is that close range on that? Ark of Judgment is very close. So you are out of range, Misty. So this attack is going to be against Idol, Brixton, and Screeve. Okay, that's gonna be 14.

[Matthew Mercer]

God. Yes. It hits.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Does that hit you as well?

[Sam Riegel]

It does.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

It does. I had to decide if I wanted to spend overnight.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Okay. 13 points physical damage. I rolled really dog shit on the damage for that.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Armor tears away 13.

[Matthew Mercer]

Don't you mean. Don't you mean 12 points physical damage?

[Travis Willingham]

13 points of physical damage. And she gains a fear because it was a successful attack.

[Marisha Ray]

Ouchies.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, that's all right.

[Travis Willingham]

And that's my spotlight.

[Liam O'Brien]

You were gonna do something Asholi, weren't you? You were. You were talking about what I was.

[Travis Willingham]

Gonna do, but I do or somebody else have something in the chamber.

[Liam O'Brien]

Me and Scree got something.

[Sam Riegel]

We got it at work hard, Leone.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go, go. I'm checking.

[Sam Riegel]

I haven't taken my eyes off of you.

[Travis Willingham]

Play.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, yeah. I've got toys. I've got toys. Sure. I start running straight at Screeve and the fallen angel of doom.

[Sam Riegel]

Screeve runs 10ft towards him, and I grab him by the chest and leap up and pull myself up and slam us into the ground into a roll. And I let go of him and chuck him six, seven, eight feet in the air. And I barrel roll underneath the angel into shadows of ruins that she's left behind her. I'm going to fall out of there and fall out of the ceiling from above.

[Ashley Johnson]

Cool.

[Sam Riegel]

All right, tag team hit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are you spending hope or am I spending Hope?

[Sam Riegel]

I'll spend. I can do it. I'll be empty if I spend it.

[Liam O'Brien]

But I will too. It's fine with me. No, I'll spend it.

[Travis Willingham]

I killed your friend.

[Liam O'Brien]

This is how we get even.

[Travis Willingham]

So you're spending three hope.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'll spend the three Hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't know if you're even.

[Liam O'Brien]

Or even. No.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, after this tense. Will they wont le. Won't they back in Florida? As you toss Snix into the air and Scree vanishes before paradropping out of the shadow of the ceiling. I need you both to roll for your attacks, please.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to mark a stress to use the blessed branch.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

24 with hope.

[Sam Riegel]

Go with that.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm 19 fear. So 24 with hope. Let's go. That's a success. You both gain a hope.

[Liam O'Brien]

We both gain a hope, Liam.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. So, yes, go ahead and add your damage.

[Liam O'Brien]

I will mark another stress to add a damage. Die. And Here we go. 28 points of magic damage.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Sam Riegel]

19 physical iron.

[Travis Willingham]

That is going to be a severe wound on the Angel.

[Liam O'Brien]

It says with my wayfinder ability, if I cause a severe damage, it also marks a stress.

[Travis Willingham]

Ooh, good to know. All right. Also because you rolled a success with hope, your hope die turns back to normal.

[Liam O'Brien]

Ooh, yes, I'll take it.

[Travis Willingham]

So describe to me how you both carved into the angel through this acrobatic.

[Sam Riegel]

Well, I fucking manhandled you. Probably hurt a lot as we rolled on the ground and I threw you. Yeah, those claws hurt. When I fell out of the ceiling, I fell down on the wing and just rended wing all the way down and dropped down to the ground while you.

[Liam O'Brien]

I flew through the air, did a barrel roll and just tried to uppercut her right in her chin. Or actually a little higher to try to knock off her crown while shouting for Amelia. Is that her name?

[Ashley Johnson]

Adelia.

[Travis Willingham]

Shit. Adelia.

[Marisha Ray]

Shit.

[Travis Willingham]

It carves through part of the crown and the crown slaps back on and you watch the flesh knits back up on to hold the crown on the head. The angel recoils once again. No sound. There's no face. Just an absence there. However, the music of the choir go again. Gets loud once more as the two rolls count down. Now the blasphemous choir is back in full action. Oh, dear. Going to spend a fear at the end of your spotlight to take it onto me. Evelyar is going to move forward, flying and slam into this pillar, knocking it onto the ground there. It slams hard and pushes into the space where it was. Then it's going to spend another fear on the activation to do Arc of Judgment. Takes the axe into a massive swing which is going to hit all of you.

[Matthew Mercer]

Everybody.

[Travis Willingham]

Or it's gonna come after all of you. I don't know if it's going to actually. That's a 19, which is.

[Ashley Johnson]

That hits.

[Travis Willingham]

It hits. Well, it's a natural 19 on the dice because she is umbra touched. That is a.

[Marisha Ray]

It's a crit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, no, not good. Can someone undo that somehow?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, August could. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, God. May he rest in webs.

[Travis Willingham]

32 points of physical damage against all of you. Oh, holy shit.

[Ashley Johnson]

32.

[Travis Willingham]

32 points of physical damage against all of you. And she gains a fear because of her momentum reaction.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, I'll take care of her armored and knock that down.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's a big problem.

[Sam Riegel]

Screeve's armor is gone and he's rent and that ring is just out in the open. Yeah, I'm real fucked up.

[Travis Willingham]

You also all lose a hope because the choir is singing to your doom.

[Matthew Mercer]

What if there's no hope to lose?

[Travis Willingham]

Then you'd mark a stress.

[Marisha Ray]

All right.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. If you have no hope and you have to get rid of a hope from this, you mark a stress.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to throw my returning blade, which I haven't been able to use yet, just right into her throat.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure, go for it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Come on.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to use my Rally Die as well.

[Travis Willingham]

Now you have advantage on her because she's still vulnerable from the spell, the song that you cast.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, great. So I'll save my.

[Matthew Mercer]

Can I take a potion while she rolls or do I need to wait until after her roll?

[Travis Willingham]

Wait till your spotlight. Oh.

[Ashley Johnson]

Well, okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Screw's gonna die. Someone needs to.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's 11 with fear.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, no, wait. Don't you have a Rally Die?

[Ashley Johnson]

I had advantage because she's vulnerable.

[Travis Willingham]

You can add the Rally Die too. I guess Rally die is an advantage. It just adds to the bonus. If you want to.

[Matthew Mercer]

If you're still.

[Travis Willingham]

Or you can hold on.

[Sam Riegel]

You're close. If you think you're close.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't think you're close. I think you'd have to get like. Like a five or.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, that's the odds of that.

[Matthew Mercer]

But you could roll a five or a six.

[Marisha Ray]

You could roll a five or a six.

[Ashley Johnson]

But then my Rally die is gone.

[Travis Willingham]

Up to you.

[Matthew Mercer]

I mean, if you don't use it, you're gone. I'm just.

[Travis Willingham]

Try it.

[Marisha Ray]

Try it.

[Travis Willingham]

You do it dramatic.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm not gonna use it. I'm not gonna use it.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm gonna wait.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna wait.

[Travis Willingham]

You take your returning blade, release it.

[Ashley Johnson]

First time I've used it.

[Travis Willingham]

Through the air, you watch as the angel which has been slashing through looks over and sees you arrive in your music getting louder in its face. And as it does, it pulls back. And as the blade swings wide, it's almost like space and time stretches around it for a second as the void shifts and bends space and the blade suddenly is returning to you on the other side. For a brief moment, the angel wasn't even there. And you catch it. Curious as to how that even happened. With that, the angel is going to look towards you and lean in. Your song has called its attention, and it wants to feast on your doom. I need you to make a presence reaction roll for me.

[Ashley Johnson]

On your doom presence reaction roll.

[Marisha Ray]

She's trying to suck you into the void.

[Ashley Johnson]

Come on. Come on. I did roll with Hope 5.

[Travis Willingham]

Brutal. That's a failure. Unfortunately, you need a Mark 2 stress. Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

But I do get a hope. And I mark.

[Travis Willingham]

You do get a hope. And you are vulnerable until you roll a success with hope.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

And she heals two hit points. Oh.

[Marisha Ray]

Stop that.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to spend a fear.

[Sam Riegel]

Door's closed.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, by getting rid of her stress because she has to mark a stress to do it.

[Marisha Ray]

She has to mark a stress to do it. So if we stress her out.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, that's the benefit sometimes of doing stress damage on opponents is you can lock out some of their abilities if they can't spend the stress, and if they're full stress, they're permanently vulnerable. However, I'm going to spend a fear to activate her a second time because she has relentless as her feature. And you're all still in such a good position. When can we do things? I'm going to spend another fear when spotlight comes up to make an arc of judgment strike against all five of you again, because you're all right there.

[Marisha Ray]

You have been able to go. There's nothing we can do. We're just, like, slow.

[Matthew Mercer]

Get ready. Prepare yourself.

[Travis Willingham]

Your rolls. It's not a crit. It's a high enough roll, though. That is a 20 total to hit. You all take. All right, low, low. 12 points of physical damage against all of you.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, everybody, I will take it. That's just a sink take.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wait, what happened?

[Sam Riegel]

Scratch Greaves did.

[Travis Willingham]

You did that so fast.

[Marisha Ray]

What happened?

[Travis Willingham]

You did that so unceremoniously while they're marking damage. Just throw that in, you dick. What the. Amazing. She could have been your shield.

[Marisha Ray]

I could have been your shield. Wait, can I also. Can I soak and be shield?

[Travis Willingham]

What's it say on the ability when.

[Marisha Ray]

An ally within very close range would take damage?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, you'll just take twice the damage. You've done it before.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, I do that.

[Travis Willingham]

You were so eager to just throw those dice. So, Marcus, dress as quickly as you wanted to. Throw your body into the wood chipper. Brixton. This mountain of faith and protection of those that need it in the shadow, a person who has been a bastion of safety for those who have been lost without it for so long steps in front and takes the burden of both of your blows upon her. So you take 24 points of physical damage.

[Marisha Ray]

All right. Yes, that's fine. I soaked one with an armor. My armor is fucked. And I took a hit point.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. You also all lose a hope. Okay. And she gains another.

[Marisha Ray]

So. And if you can't lose a hope, then you take a stress.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, it is now your response.

[Matthew Mercer]

I Take a hope.

[Marisha Ray]

I will take a stamina. I will take a stamina potion.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, here's the thing. Take your activation one at a time, guys. Oh, so spotlight's on you. Spotlight's on you.

[Sam Riegel]

So easy get ripped away.

[Travis Willingham]

Take your health potion 24.

[Matthew Mercer]

So I get four hit points back.

[Travis Willingham]

Do you want to move? Do you want to do something else on your spotlight?

[Matthew Mercer]

I want my hit points back.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, you got. You got your hit points. Got your hit points back.

[Matthew Mercer]

1, 2, 3, 4. And I'm going to. I'm not going to roll anything with fear, you quicksand piece of shit. I'm gonna.

[Travis Willingham]

Where am I?

[Matthew Mercer]

Am I.

[Travis Willingham]

You're on this side. You're right over here.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right over here. I'm gonna run. I'm gonna run this way and park it behind that acolyte.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it? All right. Anything you want to do on your turn aside from that, or are you just gonna move?

[Matthew Mercer]

I have the shitty dice, which means I'll definitely roll a fear. I'm not gonna swing.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Just gonna go.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, hang on.

[Travis Willingham]

So you just rush off and hold the defensive stance there.

[Matthew Mercer]

But it's still our spotlight.

[Marisha Ray]

It's still our spotlight.

[Matthew Mercer]

And he's got.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, he's got disappear.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, all right.

[Marisha Ray]

Which is fox.

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, let's see. Let's see what he does.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, I think I can. Because. Okay, because we still have the choir shake going to. Yeah, right. And then there's like the vulnerable. And you have to like, roll with hope in order to get rid of all that. Right.

[Travis Willingham]

You have to succeed with hope to set your hope dice back. Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

We're not doing anything.

[Marisha Ray]

Here's what I'm to do. I am going to. Cuz I'm. I'm actually pretty well positioned right now. First, I'm going to take a salmon to ice.

[Liam O'Brien]

Of course you are.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to do salmon. Come on. All right, that's fine. I get three stamina or stress back. That's not bad. I am going to use my orderborne ability where I can use a D20 as my hope die.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so which tenant?

[Marisha Ray]

The tenant is going to be.

[Travis Willingham]

Fuck Shit up?

[Marisha Ray]

Pretty much. I mean, it's gotta be the strongest steel must first be tempered by the flame, baby. Yes, yes. As I like take it. And I take my broadsword and I rake it over the top of my armor. And you see just a little bit of sparks come off of it. Just the tiniest little sprinkling of flame. And I'm gonna use a D20. She's still vulnerable, right?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

And hopefully I fucking roll with hope. Come on. I hate this game. It hits. It definitely hits, but it is with fear, which is horseshit. But it's 23 strength. I just spit everywhere. I'm so mad.

[Travis Willingham]

That definitely sucks.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, wait. 12. No, wait, let me not say this incorrectly. 18, 19, 20, 21.

[Travis Willingham]

That definitely succeeds. So go ahead and roll down.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. And then she. I have to do a situation severe damage in order to get rid of the. Get rid of the song. I'm gonna use a rally dice for this to go ham. I also would like to do. So I'm going after her.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes.

[Marisha Ray]

I also would like to do on an. Wait, I don't have hope. I can't do that.

[Liam O'Brien]

You got this.

[Marisha Ray]

Can I chew the leaves real quick?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, if you want my cocoa leaf. Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Yeah. From a narrative standpoint, there's all manner of strikes and pairing in between actual actions. Like you're all fighting. You take the potion, pull off, deflect a couple blows. Back off.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, I'm just going to go.

[Travis Willingham]

As you're chewing the leaves, you take your massive blow. You all watch the spark. And for a second, you see a flash of flame carry across the blade. A spark of the pyre itself carried through her will.

[Marisha Ray]

Because if I on a success, I can hit all other targets within very close range of me, which I think are the other two fucks.

[Travis Willingham]

Correct.

[Marisha Ray]

So they take half damage. So whatever she takes, they're gonna take half.

[Matthew Mercer]

Can she move a little, too?

[Travis Willingham]

All three of them are within very close range of you. Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

No need, baby. Come on, be a big roll. Severe. I want to. I need. This is gonna be plus nine. Yeah, this is damage. Cause I'm using the rally die. Okay. And then I dropped the lowest, which is gonna be in this four. So this is actually pretty good. Nine. 10. That's gonna be 14. 16 plus nine. 16 plus nine is 25 damage.

[Travis Willingham]

25 points of damage. Is that with hope? Well, it is not. She takes a major wound. That's two hit points onto her.

[Marisha Ray]

And everybody else takes that damage as well.

[Travis Willingham]

Right. Which for two of them is enough to take them out.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

You swing wide, and while one of them takes the hit here.

[Marisha Ray]

I was so disappointed.

[Matthew Mercer]

Briefest glare.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, that's great.

[Travis Willingham]

Yep. These two here, you carve past with your blade, and as you do, they have their sorrow scythes glowing with dark necrotic energy. You swing wide, and that small spark of flame grows into an inferno. And as your blade swings wide, the rest of you watch this fiery arc of burning white orange flame carve through and two of them and then get scattered back about 10ft. And you just watch the bottom bones break as the brittle, mummified corpses of the disciples are thrown against the back wall.

[Marisha Ray]

There's just a slow mo. Bullet time moment of Brixon's hair in front of her face. And the sparks going.

[Matthew Mercer]

The embers just amber float for the wind.

[Travis Willingham]

Also, because you've killed two of them, her unholy aura, which means whenever she takes damage, is reduced by the number of disciples that she has in close range.

[Ashley Johnson]

Great.

[Travis Willingham]

So her thresholds technically now go down by two. Nice.

[Marisha Ray]

Does that mean it pushes me past the severe?

[Travis Willingham]

If it all hits me? No, because it all hits at once. But that was with fear.

[Marisha Ray]

That was with fear. But I haven't moved.

[Travis Willingham]

Right. Where would you like to move?

[Marisha Ray]

I'm hurting. I'm not in a great spot. Oh, God.

[Sam Riegel]

Ashley's gonna get trouble.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, but you're. You went. I blocked you.

[Sam Riegel]

I guess I'm helpful.

[Marisha Ray]

Let me just move. Let me move back. Can I move back a little bit? Kind of towards this column, kind of in between her and Idle? Yeah, I split the different. A little bit more towards Idol.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it, huh? Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

That's good.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure.

[Liam O'Brien]

I mean, good.

[Travis Willingham]

As the spotlight comes back to the blasphemous angel, you rush away, and her void face follows you, and you feel like if there could be a smile in that darkness. As the most protective measure for defending her friends has stepped beyond her reach, she spends a fear to arc her blade to the other ones that are within reach.

[Liam O'Brien]

You faked us out.

[Marisha Ray]

He did. He did.

[Travis Willingham]

That's an attack against you against Idol. Oh, no. You're out of the way. Sorry. Against Misty, against Screeve, and against.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, look. Hit no face. Get it?

[Travis Willingham]

It's a natural 19. No, 19's a crit, so it's short of a crit.

[Ashley Johnson]

What did you say?

[Travis Willingham]

It was a natural 18. Oh. Oh. So I believe that does hit you all with a 21. Okay. That.

[Liam O'Brien]

This might be it.

[Marisha Ray]

This might be it.

[Travis Willingham]

20 points of physical damage to all three of you.

[Marisha Ray]

I should have gotten closer. I should have stayed near Misty.

[Liam O'Brien]

I think that takes me out.

[Ashley Johnson]

I think that takes me out, too, because if I. Okay, so that's. My severe is 18. But I have one armor slot, so I'm gonna use. I'll drop you down to major treasures, too, which is out.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do I have anything? Do I have any magical? Magical.

[Ashley Johnson]

Let me just.

[Liam O'Brien]

Let me just I'm holding a blessed branch. There's nothing there. Doesn't keep me alive.

[Matthew Mercer]

Brixton's over there with me, right?

[Liam O'Brien]

Correct this only hand grenade. Be sure to use that.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wrong side.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do I have anything? I don't have anything. I don't have anything. That's it.

[Marisha Ray]

Are you rolling for it? Are you gonna roll for it? Are you blazing?

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so you're at zero hit points. Points. Now you're at zero hit points.

[Matthew Mercer]

I have one healing potion in my pocket that I put in my.

[Marisha Ray]

I also have one healing potion.

[Ashley Johnson]

Potion.

[Sam Riegel]

No, no.

[Travis Willingham]

You're also at zero hit.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're out too.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

With one massive swipe of the malediction axe, a blasphemous angel. Yvelyar. As the two of you back away, you watch that void staring at Brixton. Fire against darkness. And without breaking the attention, the axe floats in the air. Her hand just drifts and the axe carves through in a flash. And you watch his three friends all at once begin to fall. So we'll go around the table here.

[Sam Riegel]

I have a mechanical question.

[Matthew Mercer]

Mechanical question.

[Sam Riegel]

Blaze of glory. If you have just narrated that, I'm cleaved in half.

[Travis Willingham]

Do we rewind?

[Sam Riegel]

Three seconds.

[Travis Willingham]

The blade has cut you.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, okay.

[Travis Willingham]

It cut through you.

[Sam Riegel]

Then I'm going. Blaze of glory.

[Travis Willingham]

He's so eager, I show up, die.

[Liam O'Brien]

These guys get to a drive through.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay then, before we get to you folks, what would you like to do?

[Liam O'Brien]

Scream.

[Sam Riegel]

Well, I would say that he saw the previous attack coming for him and was sure that it was about to happen. And then Brixton is there and he immediately goes full Private Ryan fugue state. Slow motion, hearing tamp down. Everything is blurred out. And he's looking to you and you dart away. He sees the person that he wrestled with murdering the last three nights. Looks around at everyone, people that would have taken Adelia's place if this day hadn't happened. He looks up at her and sees her rearing back the weapon. And he grabs hold of the silver ring in his chest and rips it out.

[Marisha Ray]

That gave me goosebumps immediately.

[Sam Riegel]

And then I'm going to. Now it's like auto success for whatever move I do here, right? So I'm going. He whips it like a discus. Discus at her throat. And I'm going to use the troublemaker ability. When you taunt or provoke a target within far range, make a presence roll against them. Once pressed on a success roll, A number of D4s equal to your proficiency. The target must Mark stress equal to the highest result rolled.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's see.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, you're about to max out her stress, baby.

[Ashley Johnson]

Well, they all do. Max.

[Sam Riegel]

It's an automatic crit, so it's a four because it's the best of both. So that's for stress.

[Travis Willingham]

That completely stresses out the blasphemous angel.

[Marisha Ray]

So she can't heal.

[Travis Willingham]

As the ring sticks in, you hear this low, guttural sound that's trying to escape. The silent angel is no longer silent and you see panic in its movements. Permanently vulnerable unless it can somehow mark it.

[Sam Riegel]

This split second that the blade hits Screeve, his vision blurs even further and he can see the secluded chapel back in the Amber Reach that he found two or three stories down underneath the Reach in a small darkened alcove where he lined little stones and candles all around. A stone that he lay Adelia's body on, resting Violet next to her. And just smiles as he feels his innards and sinks into the ground.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sick.

[Travis Willingham]

That's fucking awesome.

[Matthew Mercer]

That was super dope.

[Liam O'Brien]

What do we do?

[Travis Willingham]

What do you two do?

[Sam Riegel]

That was way better.

[Matthew Mercer]

I said you have an ide.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, right.

[Marisha Ray]

See, Yes, I was. I at least saved you from doing that.

[Sam Riegel]

I got so impatient with everyone who went, like.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't know.

[Sam Riegel]

I just wanted to do the opposite.

[Travis Willingham]

Which you did. Until she saved you. Yeah. What are you doing?

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to blaze the glory.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to blaze the glory.

[Liam O'Brien]

Double blaze. Contagious.

[Ashley Johnson]

Well, no, I was already going to do it before he said it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Let it blaze.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, so what I'm. What I'd like to do.

[Travis Willingham]

I mean, I'll instill this once again, like, you're done after this. No matter where the battle goes, no matter where the story goes, you're done. This is an automatic death.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Let's go.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah. Okay. So wait, what.

[Marisha Ray]

What do you mean, no matter where the story goes?

[Travis Willingham]

You don't. Yeah. This is your attack. Meaning if the battle continues.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

You can't help. You're dead. There's no way to recover.

[Sam Riegel]

Tapping out of the story.

[Matthew Mercer]

We understand.

[Marisha Ray]

Closing moment.

[Travis Willingham]

What do you mean you did?

[Liam O'Brien]

If you die in the game, you.

[Travis Willingham]

Die in real life. All right. So, Ashley, what would you like your blaze of glory to be?

[Ashley Johnson]

What I would love to do is I kind of want to just. I think Misty realizes that this is it. It's now or never. And if we don't complete this, then we. Desperlock is lost. So I sort of want to try something where with all of her wings. I sort of want to just slam them to the ground. So all of the wings that are left turn into points.

[Travis Willingham]

Smash the wings against themselves in the ground. Breaking off the stone to where once was soft looking feathers carved in it is now just jagged points of rock. Right.

[Sam Riegel]

There was one jagged wing and now it's all jagged wings.

[Ashley Johnson]

All jagged wings.

[Travis Willingham]

You win, archangel from X Men. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Hell yeah. Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

So sort of take a running leap and just all of them. Just carve them into her.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Ashley Johnson]

And sort of. I want to look over at Brixton. And I protected you for so long. And now I protect you.

[Marisha Ray]

Get home.

[Ashley Johnson]

You are blessed this day. And I'm gonna look at Screeve and I'm gonna say, let's go to the next world and find Adelia in August. And I'm just gonna stab her with.

[Travis Willingham]

The wings and with what weapon? What spell?

[Ashley Johnson]

I mean, I don't know. I was this just the wings.

[Travis Willingham]

I wanted to stab me. The wings are stabbing. But what mechanic do you want to use for the day?

[Marisha Ray]

The one that does the most damage.

[Ashley Johnson]

Because you're the one that does the most damage. Which I guess would be, I mean, is my Wildflame. So can I stick my wild flame, like pump them in through the wings?

[Travis Willingham]

So what's the damage of the wildflame?

[Ashley Johnson]

It's 2D6 magic damage. And then. Yeah, it's 2D6 magic damage.

[Travis Willingham]

That's the most you can do.

[Ashley Johnson]

So I make a. Make a spell cast roll.

[Matthew Mercer]

Even your returning blade does 2d8.

[Ashley Johnson]

I know too. Yeah, so I'll do that.

[Sam Riegel]

That's 20.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'll do returning blade.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so 2d8. So 16 damage plus 2d8.

[Ashley Johnson]

Plus 2d8.

[Travis Willingham]

Correct.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

What was I thinking?

[Travis Willingham]

It's all good. There's a lot going on.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, that's kicked. Okay, so 10. So 14. Or do I add the plus four also on the second roll? No, just so 10. An additional 10.

[Travis Willingham]

Additional 10 under that. Okay, that is. So that would be a total of 26 damage.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Which now is a severe attack. It's gonna drop too, because it.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, that's 16. 17, 18. So 20 plus 10. 30. It's 30 points of damage.

[Travis Willingham]

So 16 plus. What'd you rolling the dice?

[Ashley Johnson]

16 plus 4.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so 20.

[Ashley Johnson]

And then I rolled a 6 and a 4 on the dice.

[Travis Willingham]

I see. Got you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

That is. Then that is a severe wound which kills the magical choir and does three hit points onto the angel. All right, so as you Leap in the air, having that moment of bricks right before you jump. Shatter the wings and descend upon her and jam all eight of them into the angel's body.

[Ashley Johnson]

Seven now.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, it's still a jagged pony.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, that's true.

[Travis Willingham]

That's true. That's true. All of them in there. There's a moment to pause before flame burns in the midst. Blasting out from around them. The flames begin to rise up and burn around the angel. And consume you in the process. What are you doing?

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, God.

[Marisha Ray]

We're a goat man.

[Liam O'Brien]

I know.

[Travis Willingham]

If I see.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm so torn. Blaze of glory seems real fun. But that would leave you two alone.

[Matthew Mercer]

I got one health potion. If you go down, I can get over there.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's almost.

[Matthew Mercer]

Where are you? Where is Snix?

[Liam O'Brien]

Almost Selfish. Unless it works. But I don't. I don't have confidence that it's gonna work.

[Marisha Ray]

That it's gonna take her out, you mean?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah. And then it's just you two.

[Travis Willingham]

What's in your heart, Sam? What would Snix do in this moment?

[Matthew Mercer]

And can I. And can I ask while he thinks to get from where Idol is to Snix, is that even to go close distance would not be enough. Right.

[Travis Willingham]

You'd have to go far. Which require rolling and agility. Roll there.

[Matthew Mercer]

Not a sure thing.

[Liam O'Brien]

You have a health potion?

[Matthew Mercer]

I do.

[Liam O'Brien]

So does she.

[Marisha Ray]

I also have a health potion.

[Matthew Mercer]

I know, but we're both all the ass.

[Marisha Ray]

That is true. We are very far away.

[Sam Riegel]

There's also a potion hanging off of Scree's belt. It is Adelia's stamina potion.

[Liam O'Brien]

But that's for stress.

[Travis Willingham]

True.

[Sam Riegel]

Just letting you know you see it.

[Travis Willingham]

What you doing? Sleaking.

[Matthew Mercer]

He's thinking. He's doing the Beautiful Mind. Shit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do I just fall unconscious or do I roll for it? I'm not gonna. Blaze of glory. Yeah, I'm gonna either roll for it or just fall unconscious to give you guys a chance to have one other person.

[Matthew Mercer]

Cause we don't know how hurt she is. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

How bad are you?

[Marisha Ray]

I still have four hit points, but no armor.

[Liam O'Brien]

What are you at?

[Matthew Mercer]

No armor, but five hit points.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, shit. You guys are doing good.

[Matthew Mercer]

You guys could.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

I had two health points.

[Sam Riegel]

Four hit points. That means you guys could take.

[Marisha Ray]

And then I still have a health potion. He still has a health potion.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'll just roll for it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, my God.

[Matthew Mercer]

There you go.

[Travis Willingham]

You go roll for it. Oh, yeah. No, Sam. Sam. Before you roll. Before you roll. I didn't see it. You.

[Matthew Mercer]

I didn't see.

[Travis Willingham]

I didn't see. I didn't look.

[Marisha Ray]

Much.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, he's coming over.

[Matthew Mercer]

He's coming over.

[Sam Riegel]

This whisper brought to you by all.

[Travis Willingham]

This up right here.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

How's that? Huh?

[Liam O'Brien]

Wait, I. I missed the first half.

[Travis Willingham]

Of what you said.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's better with dagger heart. Oh, shit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wow.

[Marisha Ray]

You guys okay? The swamp crack is real right now.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

You know, sometimes it's a little too.

[Sam Riegel]

Familiar, but all the stress gathers in the crack.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm still gonna roll.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

I love it. I love it.

[Marisha Ray]

We'll learn about it in the.

[Travis Willingham]

Cool down. Let's go.

[Marisha Ray]

We'll learn about.

[Travis Willingham]

He comes in the. Here it comes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Here it comes. Here it comes.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

And then there were two sticks.

[Liam O'Brien]

Plus my rally die.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait. Plus your rally die Made it a crit.

[Travis Willingham]

You did. You can't add.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

Describe to me what goes through your mind in these final thoughts as you watch your friends around, grabbing onto what light they can. In growing darkness. You see the flicker of flame as Misty is up wrestling this terrifying angel to protecting your friends from the depths of oblivion. You see Screeve still clutching his spilling innards. The last gasps of strength showing a bloody grin curling across his face.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

What goes through your mind?

[Matthew Mercer]

They're down.

[Liam O'Brien]

At least there's still three of us, right?

[Travis Willingham]

Snakes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, no. I doomed my friends. I would say that growing up in this era, in the age of Umbra, it's so bleak. It's so dark. There's no hope anywhere. It's been all of our lives, but over the last few days, I think we've all seen that the darkness is but a facade. It's just. It's covering. There is hope. It's just under the surface, just under the dirt and grime. We've seen it in the forest that got reborn. We've seen it in people we've met along the way. We've seen it in each other and in the divinity that has reached out and touched us. And seeing the light in my friends and also seeing this holy branch that I'm holding, I know that it's. Even though it's a dark place and a scary place, there is hope. And what we've done will bring hope back to Desperlock. And I'm happy with that.

[Travis Willingham]

You turn and watch as Snix, holding the branch in his hand, smiles as his torso slides off at the hip.

[Liam O'Brien]

And a raccoon comes up and bites my blood.

[Travis Willingham]

Told you.

[Marisha Ray]

I get down.

[Travis Willingham]

Screeve. Misty. How do you want to do this? Your combined blazes of glory were enough to kill the angel.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, what? Is that for real?

[Matthew Mercer]

Did you know that?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh.

[Travis Willingham]

He still chose to roll for it. That's the player doing what he wants.

[Matthew Mercer]

I love it.

[Ashley Johnson]

You knew that would have been enough.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, Sam, that's hot.

[Sam Riegel]

I think that screeve could sense how far we had pushed her. And by ripping that ring free.

[Travis Willingham]

He.

[Sam Riegel]

Just meant to send her reeling back so that one of his friends could seize the opening to finish her off.

[Travis Willingham]

As the ring still stuck in the throat, you watch as Misty, engulfed in her own flames, pushing deeper into it, the angel reaches out and grabs Misty, the song from your wings. This loud, beating, angry, burning song mixing with her terrible, discordant, angelic screams. And you watch as the angel grabs you, Misty, and you both crush into each other, folding into the void of her face. The wings and the stone emits as a scattering of stone and bone explodes throughout the chamber. The remaining disciple clatters to the ground and everything goes quiet. That's where we'll take a break. We're back here in just a few minutes. See you soon.

[Sam Riegel]

Awesome.

[Travis Willingham]

That's a wrap for part one of this podcast episode. Part two will land here the Tuesday after this episode at 5am Pacific Pacific. And we'll pick up this story right where we left off. Until next time, keep the umbra at bay. And we'll be back for more of this adventure before you know it.