What Is Gained, What Is Lost | Age of Umbra Episode 3 Part 1

Summary

Critical Role: Age of Umbra Episode 3 Part 1

Release Date: June 19, 2025
Host: Critical Role
Description: Dive into a thrilling session of "Age of Umbra," where our heroes confront dark forces threatening the community of Desperlock. Part 1 sets the stage for intense battles, emotional revelations, and pivotal decisions that will shape the fate of Exandria.

---

Session Kickoff and Setting the Scene

The episode begins amidst a flurry of in-game announcements and player-character interactions, quickly transitioning into the heart of the adventure. The adventuring party finds themselves in Desperlock, a community grappling with the mysterious disappearance of their sacred pyre—a source of protection and light.

Matthew Mercer (Dungeon Master) sets the tone:

"Welcome to tonight's episode."

The Dark Transformation of Aaron

The narrative unfolds as the party recounts their recent exploits:

• Sam Riegel's character, Aaron, had contracted a dark affliction after inhaling a mysterious substance from a reliquary box in the Monastery of Firmament's Harrow.
• Despite seeking aid from Truvo the Hedge, Aaron succumbs to the corruption, transforming into a monstrous entity known as Glimwreath.

Matthew Mercer narrates the transformation:

"[...] Aaron's body begins to swell and extend. You watch as your skin turns a sickly green, eyes pale and rolling back."

Intense Combat with Glimwreath

The party engages in a fierce battle against Glimwreath, showcasing strategic gameplay and character abilities. Key moments include:

• Ashley Johnson's character uses wild magic to rally the group:

  "I'm gonna rally everybody. I’m gonna give everybody a rally."

• Liam O'Brien attempts to strike Glimwreath with a bolt beacon, successfully rendering the creature vulnerable:

  "You're now vulnerable."

• Travis Willingham performs a critical attack, dealing significant damage:

  "27, 28, 20, 29 to hit with hope."

The combat is marked by intense dice rolls, strategic use of character abilities, and collaborative decision-making. Tensions rise as the party members sustain injuries but continue to press forward against the formidable foe.

Community's Despair and Leadership

As the battle ensues, the community of Desperlock reacts with fear and desperation. Key interactions include:

• Beryl Spielbore, the Orc blacksmith and member of the Triarch, addresses the community's anguish:

  "We have survived this long and we will continue to survive together."

• Ghost Hook, a pivotal figure, mourns Aaron's loss and urges the community to find strength:

  "It’s about this moment that you hear."

The interplay between the adventurers and the community highlights themes of loss, resilience, and the quest for hope in dark times.

Ember Warden's Plea and Emotional Crescendo

A critical emotional moment occurs when the Ember Warden, a long-standing guardian, addresses the party:

Ember Warden's heartfelt speech:

"I am old and I lack the strength to stand against a world this dark at times. And it’s through you you see her lip quivers a bit. And the others that I hoped to carve a better future. To protect them and protect you. So I in ways have failed you all. But your service is not done."

Marisha Ray responds with determination:

"I hear you. I hear you. But if I may. What is this rhetoric? You speak as if you are already defeated."

This exchange underscores the emotional weight of the mission and the personal stakes for each character.

Final Showdown and Partial Resolution

In the closing moments of Part 1, the party lands decisive blows against Glimwreath, leading to its eventual defeat:

• Travis Willingham delivers a powerful kick, shattering the creature:

  "And it turns back at you, but the strength has left it as it crumples."

• The community begins to recover, with vows of resilience and plans to address the ongoing threat:

  "We will survive this night."

The session concludes with the heroes regrouping, nursing their wounds, and preparing for the challenges that lie ahead. The emotional and physical toll of the battle sets the stage for further adventures in Part 2.

Key Quotes and Moments

• Liam O'Brien:

  "She should have stayed where she was. Can we run around the pyre?"

• Matthew Mercer:

  "Welcome to the age of umbra, y’all."

• Marisha Ray:

  "I hear you. I hear you. But if I may. What is this rhetoric? You speak as if you are already defeated."

• Travis Willingham:

  "I'm gonna slash at the thing. Rage against it."

Concluding Thoughts

Part 1 of "Age of Umbra Episode 3" masterfully blends intense gameplay with rich storytelling, highlighting the characters' bravery and the community's resilience. As tensions calm and the heroes find momentary peace, viewers are left eagerly anticipating the continuation of this epic saga in Part 2.

Stay tuned for Age of Umbra Episode 3 Part 2, releasing the following Tuesday at 5 AM Pacific, where the story delves deeper into the aftermath and sets the stage for future adventures.

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Note: This summary intentionally omits advertisements, introductions, and non-content sections to focus solely on the episode's core narrative and character developments.

Transcript

[Ashley Johnson]

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[Sam Riegel]

Foreign.

[Liam O'Brien]

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[Matthew Mercer]

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[Liam O'Brien]

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[Matthew Mercer]

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[Travis Willingham]

Cond.

[Matthew Mercer]

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

[Rob Lowe]

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

[Ashley Johnson]

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

[Rob Lowe]

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[Ashley Johnson]

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[Rob Lowe]

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

[Ashley Johnson]

New episodes release every Tuesday.

[Matthew Mercer]

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 Daring. 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 content cast discussing each episode and Critical Role Cooldown. Receive Critical Role shop discounts including on Dagger Heart 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 episode.

[Sam Riegel]

Of the Age of Umbra.

[Matthew Mercer]

Before we jump into our episode tonight, we do have some announcements to get through, beginning with our sponsor tonight, which is Darrington Press.

[Travis Willingham]

Are you surprised, Matt? I know you think my ads are stupid, but the fine folks at Darrington Press must enjoy must enjoy them quite a bit because they plunked down a pretty penny for this ad spot.

[Matthew Mercer]

I really don't think they did actually them.

[Travis Willingham]

Geez, jealousy does not look good on you. The Darrington Press have good taste and they want to remind you that Daggerheart is out now and ready for your creations. To did you know that you can make, publish and monetize your own Daggerheart content with the Darrington Press Community Gaming License and Daggerheart System Reference Document? Nailed it. You can, in fact, if you play your cards right, see what I did there? Maybe you can get rich on hope and fear and write a check to sponsor one of these shows just like Darrington Press did tonight.

[Matthew Mercer]

Again, Sam, I'm pretty certain Darrington did not pay for this ad.

[Travis Willingham]

You just can't accept the fact that I am a beloved sought after. Fact that I am a beloved sought after advertiser's dream. Can you? It's not always about you, Matt. Learn more at harringtonpress.com license or daggerharr.com daggerheart.com Matt. A fuck to you.

[Matthew Mercer]

Cool. Last time Darrington sponsors us. Liam, you're up. Oh, dehales. In honor of our 10th anniversary, our.

[Travis Willingham]

Partners at Sideshow just released this. A Decade of Destiny. The Critical Role Collection. Written by Amy Chase. This is another beautiful book. The book dives into the design and development behind Sideshow's official critical Role collection. Showing I should show some of it. Showing concepts to finish.

[Matthew Mercer]

I will.

[Travis Willingham]

I've been hit so much at this table. Showing concept to finished collectible on statues, art prints and more. All from our campaigns.

[Matthew Mercer]

Look at it all.

[Travis Willingham]

Get behind the scenes insight commentary from us and the Sideshow creatives. A forward by Travis Willingham. We know him. And a cover by Jordan Torrance.

[Matthew Mercer]

Jordan Torrance.

[Travis Willingham]

Jordan Torrance.

[Matthew Mercer]

There it is.

[Travis Willingham]

What the hell? The exclusive edition is limited to 500 copies. Oh, really? And features an alternate cover, a collector's slipcover, extra vellum artwork, pages and more. You can check it all out now at Psy Destiny.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, and it's got a little back.

[Matthew Mercer]

Ooh. And it's art.

[Marisha Ray]

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[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, my God.

[Travis Willingham]

Pass it away.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, my God. It's like a limited edition Capri Sun.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, wow.

[Matthew Mercer]

And just as tasty. But I believe that concludes our announcements for this evening. So let's go ahead and jump into.

[Sam Riegel]

Tonight'S episode of Age of Umbra.

[Ashley Johnson]

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[Rob Lowe]

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[Travis Willingham]

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[Rob Lowe]

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[Travis Willingham]

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[Rob Lowe]

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[Matthew Mercer]

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[Sam Riegel]

Wait.

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[Ashley Johnson]

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[Sam Riegel]

Whether it's the recorded sounds of the.

[Matthew Mercer]

Ocean we doze off to or the succulents that adorn our homes, nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about.

[Sam Riegel]

Our busy lives removed from it.

[Ashley Johnson]

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[Matthew Mercer]

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[Ashley Johnson]

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[Sam Riegel]

Hello, everyone.

[Matthew Mercer]

Last we left off. I'm not ready.

[Ashley Johnson]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

Already bad.

[Sam Riegel]

Not cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

Our troop had delved deep within the.

[Sam Riegel]

Luzal vaults until they reached the monastery atop the firmament's harrow, where they had uncovered Melq, who had given in to divine ideas of destiny before being corrupted by a sourceless shadow seemingly erupting from the statue of one of the veiled gods.

[Matthew Mercer]

You battled the swollen, monstrous, feral form of Velk before casting him from the edge of the cliff face to plummet.

[Sam Riegel]

To his death within shadow below.

[Matthew Mercer]

There, you inspected the surrounding ruins of the outer aspects of this monastery, uncovered.

[Sam Riegel]

Some useful relics of the old world.

[Matthew Mercer]

And opened a sealed reliquary box at.

[Sam Riegel]

The base of the statue.

[Matthew Mercer]

Upon which a substance was inhaled by young Aaron, who was helping unlock this reliquary. Her cough progressed into a fever, and as opposed to pressing on into the monastery, you chose to bring her back to seek help and recovery in Desperlock. There, you took her to the local healer who treated her infection. You went and met an ally of Snix's who was able to give a little bit of context and information for.

[Sam Riegel]

The skull that was found within the.

[Matthew Mercer]

Reliquary before upsetting him. Upon your return, you were given information from Truvo the Hedge, the local herbalist healer, that this was more than just a simpleton affection.

[Sam Riegel]

Some of the umbra shadow seems to grow within Aaron.

[Matthew Mercer]

When you turned to go and see if she was okay, she was gone, and the core of Desperlock village was.

[Sam Riegel]

Filled with dark smoke. The five of you pushed into the core and found the sacred pyre gone, quenched with the blood of nearby townsfolk and the pyre keepers that stood watch.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's at this moment that you See.

[Sam Riegel]

Aaron, little teenage Aaron standing there, turning back over her shoulder towards you and smiling.

[Marisha Ray]

Brixton immediately runs to Romond on the ground.

[Matthew Mercer]

You rush over and see Romond. The upper half of Romond sits along.

[Sam Riegel]

The outside of the kindled mound where the pyre is kept, bisected with a.

[Matthew Mercer]

Strange precision, like the snapping of an impossible whip.

[Sam Riegel]

And it looks like what was within the torso has been drained of the majority of its blood and life.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And Corbin is also gone.

[Sam Riegel]

You glance across the way and you.

[Matthew Mercer]

See on the other end of this, the smoke still obscuring part of your vision in the vicinity. The panic, your heartbeat going. As you glance around, you can see the flash of Corbin's robe across the other side of the pyre, still obscured.

[Sam Riegel]

From sight but not moving.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to call out, Heron.

[Sam Riegel]

She just stands there smiling.

[Travis Willingham]

Is she holding a weapon of any kind?

[Sam Riegel]

No weapon.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just turned towards you this way. She spins.

[Marisha Ray]

Bless you.

[Sam Riegel]

Bless you.

[Matthew Mercer]

From under the gray cloak she has.

[Sam Riegel]

You see her hand standing there. And then something.

[Matthew Mercer]

Slithers and moves quick.

[Sam Riegel]

From within the robe.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, jeez.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, for just a view of placement here. I'm going to set something already. Going to set something.

[Travis Willingham]

Visual aids, guys. Dagger Heart's available now wherever you buy.

[Liam O'Brien]

Don't buy it though. Whatever you do, don't play this.

[Rob Lowe]

We swear that long rests.

[Liam O'Brien]

We've talked about this.

[Travis Willingham]

If. If you're young, it will age you from the stress.

[Sam Riegel]

The snap.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, amazing.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, look at that.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh my God, that looks so good.

[Rob Lowe]

Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

[Travis Willingham]

I love it.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh no.

[Marisha Ray]

Were they.

[Sam Riegel]

Wait.

[Liam O'Brien]

Or was she supposed to.

[Marisha Ray]

Was she supposed to be down? That might be. That might be.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, I stood her up.

[Matthew Mercer]

So you have rushed up to ramond there. The rest of you have been rushing over.

[Sam Riegel]

From this side.

[Ashley Johnson]

Where was the tent she was in? Is that visible there? Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

This is.

[Sam Riegel]

Wait.

[Travis Willingham]

The tent that. Who was in?

[Liam O'Brien]

That Aaron was in.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, and she walked over there.

[Matthew Mercer]

Gotcha.

[Sam Riegel]

It is much darker here as there is no central flame. And the sense of terror and realization of no salvation for Desperlocke in this moment washes over you as Aaron's body.

[Matthew Mercer]

Begins to swell and extend. You watch as your skin begins to.

[Sam Riegel]

Turn a sickly greener.

[Matthew Mercer]

Eyes rolling back into a pale pupil this white.

[Sam Riegel]

You watch as two, six, a dozen.

[Matthew Mercer]

Of strange extended tendrils begin to whip around from underneath her cloak.

[Sam Riegel]

You see in what you can briefly.

[Matthew Mercer]

Make out these long tentacle like extensions that drag and shift and Curl where there would be suction cups. Instead, there are rows and rows of.

[Sam Riegel]

Small fingers that move. Oh, my God.

[Matthew Mercer]

What's the matter with you? As she looks at you, her mouth.

[Sam Riegel]

Opens.

[Matthew Mercer]

As dozens of red slick tethers.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm out.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, this one is supposed to be.

[Travis Willingham]

That's not Aaron.

[Matthew Mercer]

That looks so cool.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's not Aaron.

[Sam Riegel]

Look at the little girl.

[Marisha Ray]

You guys, I don't think Aaron's in the room with us anymore.

[Liam O'Brien]

I think we can call her back.

[Matthew Mercer]

Nearby, townsfolk are starting to step out to see what the commotion is and gasping in horror at what they see.

[Sam Riegel]

Stay back.

[Rob Lowe]

Run.

[Matthew Mercer]

Charge forward.

[Travis Willingham]

Send the vigil.

[Matthew Mercer]

What are you doing?

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna rally everybody. I'm gonna give everybody a rally.

[Sam Riegel]

Die.

[Ashley Johnson]

You get a D6 that you can add to the result of your action roll, reaction, damage roll. Or to clear a number of stress equal to the results. And I will rally everybody. That's just sort of in the area. With my wings unfurled and the wind bristling through them, they sort of touch everybody.

[Marisha Ray]

Action, reaction, clear stress.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yep. Action reaction, damage roll. Or to clear a number of stress.

[Marisha Ray]

Or to clear stress. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, like we can just roll the.

[Matthew Mercer]

Dice and clear that many stress if you want. You have these D6 at your disposal. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, I'm gonna. Well, Aaron didn't respond very well to her name being called. So I'm gonna reach back, and as I start running to the right just to declutterfy, I'm gonna to fire a bolt beacon. Underhanded, actually. This way.

[Sam Riegel]

This way.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah. Counterclockwise. And I'll try and run up on this ledge if I can.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sure.

[Sam Riegel]

There you go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Send a bolt beacon. See what happens. 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

14 is a success. With hope or fear?

[Liam O'Brien]

With fear.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay. Josh. Yep.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, they don't wipe at the end of the session, you know, your hope doesn't go away. I know, but wouldn't it be nicer? Does that hit?

[Matthew Mercer]

That does indeed hit.

[Liam O'Brien]

It does indeed hit. Okay, okay, okay. She's now she. It. Whatever it is, is now vulnerable. 6, 8, 10. 10 points of magic damage.

[Ashley Johnson]

She's vulnerable.

[Matthew Mercer]

Vulnerable.

[Ashley Johnson]

Great.

[Matthew Mercer]

Temporarily vulnerable, then.

[Liam O'Brien]

Glowing bright.

[Sam Riegel]

Correct.

[Matthew Mercer]

How much damage was that?

[Liam O'Brien]

That was 10. 10 points.

[Matthew Mercer]

10 points of damage.

[Sam Riegel]

All righty.

[Matthew Mercer]

The flash sparks that surround her, the divine halo of marking energy that you've set upon her burns across. Watches you as you pass by. The jaw itself torn open and stretched as it seems like they get longer and longer, pouring out of her mouth.

[Sam Riegel]

All right, who's up next. Oh.

[Matthew Mercer]

That was the fear. Sorry.

[Sam Riegel]

That's.

[Matthew Mercer]

As a reaction to that. Aaron's going to mark a stress.

[Sam Riegel]

It's not really Aaron anymore. Oh no.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is a limweath.

[Marisha Ray]

A limb.

[Travis Willingham]

Wreath.

[Sam Riegel]

Limb.

[Marisha Ray]

Wreath like limbs and then wreath. Cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to mark a stress as you blast it. You watch. One of the tentacles that's coming up from underneath gets sheared off of it onto the ground. And then now sets on its own.

[Liam O'Brien]

Damn it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right there. And immediately activates and is going to shift up to you and going to make whip attack against you for a 16. That hits 16. You take two physical damage.

[Liam O'Brien]

Two physical damage. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

It smacks towards you. Now it comes to Mygo. The limwreath is going to.

[Sam Riegel]

Let's see here.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to shift up there. I'm going to spend a fear to use a Its barrage of tendrils. It's going to make an attack roll against three targets within close range.

[Sam Riegel]

Shit.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're just out of range there. You're there and then you're there.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh no.

[Matthew Mercer]

You know what?

[Sam Riegel]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to go for you since you ran behind. The other ones are more up front. So this is going to be attack roll against Idle. An attack roll against Misty and an attack roll against Sniks.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm using one of my prayer dice to reduce that previous two damage down to zero.

[Matthew Mercer]

You got it.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's going to be a 12.

[Travis Willingham]

It misses.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

I duck.

[Matthew Mercer]

You duck below. But two tentacles reach out as it smacks onto both of you. You both take eight points of physical damage. And I need you both to make a strength reaction roll.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh.

[Matthew Mercer]

As it whips into you and the rows of fingers try and dig into your body and begin to pull you toward the limarize. Bro.

[Liam O'Brien]

Give us a warmup. What the fuck? We're just off to the races.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

I was not warned. That's terrible.

[Matthew Mercer]

Will that D6 help at all a strength.

[Travis Willingham]

You do have a D6.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh I do. I'm gonna burn that now.

[Ashley Johnson]

Me too.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's much better. That's a 13 with hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

A 13. Hope doesn't matter. For reaction roll. 13 is exactly what you needed. So you managed to resist it from pulling you towards it.

[Rob Lowe]

Roll your blast die.

[Ashley Johnson]

I made an 11 with hope not to.

[Matthew Mercer]

So you don't gain any hope. It's a reaction roll. But you get pulled directly into melee with it.

[Liam O'Brien]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

Did either of you take damage from it this past turn?

[Ashley Johnson]

I did.

[Liam O'Brien]

I did not. I burned an armor.

[Ashley Johnson]

I burned an armor but that just took me down one.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right, but you didn't mark any hit points from the tentacle or her?

[Liam O'Brien]

Neither.

[Sam Riegel]

Great.

[Matthew Mercer]

But you took one.

[Ashley Johnson]

I did.

[Matthew Mercer]

You also mark a stress because it is horrifying. Whenever you take damage from the limb wreath. You also mark a stress. Take a hit point.

[Ashley Johnson]

That makes sense. It makes sense. It makes sense.

[Marisha Ray]

Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow.

[Liam O'Brien]

So say that again. You're horrified.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm horrified. It's so terrifying. It's just stressful up close.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm also going to spend a fear to activate the current living tentacle that's there. And it's going to come and strike at you again. Listen, that's going to be real bad.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's a full hentai right now.

[Sam Riegel]

A4.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yep, yep.

[Matthew Mercer]

Mrs. You entirely. It's going to shift around a little bit over here.

[Sam Riegel]

It's always important happens.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's going to finish my spotlight. Who wants to go now?

[Marisha Ray]

I'm at the very run up and hit it. Unless anybody has any type of prep.

[Rob Lowe]

My quick one is I'm going to.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's vulnerable, so you have advantage.

[Rob Lowe]

I'm going to take off into the air at the very least and just call the scholars.

[Matthew Mercer]

Everybody run.

[Rob Lowe]

And I'm going to get up into the air.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Rob Lowe]

If you want to attack now. I'll hold my attack down.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Go Hit it.

[Marisha Ray]

For desperate luck. I'm going in.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

You rush in towards the limlee.

[Marisha Ray]

Come on. Give me some hope. Give me some hope. Okay. 12. 14 with fear.

[Matthew Mercer]

14 with fear. 14 does hit.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, good.

[Rob Lowe]

This is good.

[Marisha Ray]

That's good. That's something vulnerable.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Ooh. Okay, that's gonna be a 10. 4. 14 damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

14 damage. Okay. Oh, right.

[Marisha Ray]

Invernerable. I should have also, but it hit. It's fine.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, no worries. So it marks two points. I'm going to go ahead and spend another stress as a reaction. And it drops another tentacle, which is immediately going to activate. It's going to move forward over here.

[Rob Lowe]

Don't like this.

[Matthew Mercer]

And it's going to go ahead and swing at you. Hello, Misty. For a. A six.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, doesn't hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

Rolls back, goes wide. That finishes your go. Comes to me because you rolled with fear. Glimwreath is going to spend a fear to do a taste for blood. Its stretched mouth filled with dozens of red, slimy tentacles are going to spin around towards you. See the one that pulled towards you? So it's still focused on you. This is going to attack. That's going to be a 15 to hit.

[Ashley Johnson]

That hits that hits.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right. You take as the tendrils wrap around you and pull you in towards its mouth. And you can see in between them what wasn't visible before is a bunch of small curved teeth, pincers trying to pull you in. And it grinds against your stone and begins to drag across your arm. You take 12 points of physical damage.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. Okay, hold on. Let's see here. So I'm gonna use another armor slot to take me down. Well, I can use. But I'm gonna use both. I can use two armor slots to take me.

[Matthew Mercer]

You can't use more than one armor slot from an attack unless you have an ability that lets you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, so I am. I. Okay, got it. All right.

[Rob Lowe]

How many armor slots?

[Ashley Johnson]

And I have one.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

The taste of essence that it draws from you rejuvenates it and it heals. Two of its hits. Points from the taste of blood. Oh no.

[Travis Willingham]

I don't know if we beat this thing.

[Liam O'Brien]

What if. What if Misty doesn't have any blood?

[Matthew Mercer]

The essence of taste that I. Oh, you threw it. You did try. You did try.

[Liam O'Brien]

Got a taste for granted.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, that's not good.

[Matthew Mercer]

And then also I'm going to spend 2 fear on my action to activate both of the other tentacles that are out there. One's going to strike at you. That's going to be a 14 to hit.

[Liam O'Brien]

That does hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

You take two points of physical damage. And this one now is going to shift towards you and it's gonna have the other tentacle's gonna whip out towards you. That's only gonna be an eight. Misses you entirely. That's gonna finish my activation.

[Sam Riegel]

Who's up?

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm gonna burn my paradise. The last one to make that go away, those two are gone. Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm in a wild flame since I'm up close and I'm just. Just gonna put my hands on it and just.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Sam Riegel]

Right.

[Liam O'Brien]

This is nasty already.

[Ashley Johnson]

Come on.

[Liam O'Brien]

The little two points of damage are brutal.

[Travis Willingham]

Uh huh.

[Liam O'Brien]

Because it's just a hit point if you don't clear it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, can I spend a hope to add a D6?

[Matthew Mercer]

You can't.

[Ashley Johnson]

Am I just making shit up?

[Matthew Mercer]

Do it to yourself. I can only help others. Okay. How do you go ahead and help her out. Misty.

[Liam O'Brien]

There's a tentacle behind you.

[Matthew Mercer]

Give me what? Thorn. Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

I said what for?

[Ashley Johnson]

I know. All right.

[Marisha Ray]

So some sad faces over there.

[Rob Lowe]

Yeah, they don't feel good.

[Ashley Johnson]

11 with fear.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, that's gonna miss.

[Marisha Ray]

Damn. Fear is so bad when it goes back.

[Matthew Mercer]

So you Reach out towards the Limweath form that still wears Eren. And as you reach for it, your hand's burning with magical power. It moves with unnatural speed. And you watch the face contort. Like the whole body bends like it's some sort of weird blubber as it pulls away and immediately is going to take its retort action as that. It's going to burn a fear shut to do barrage of tentacles shut again. This one's going to go towards you. That's going to go towards you, and that's going to go towards.

[Sam Riegel]

Actually, this one's going to.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to move.

[Sam Riegel]

Right around here.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, so it's not connected to Misty anymore or it is.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, it only did that one attack, and she pulled away.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, okay. Good, good, good, good.

[Matthew Mercer]

This here.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, There we go.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to ignore you for now, and instead it's going to do brush tentacles against Mist, Misty against Snix, and against August.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm dying.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's going to be a 19 against all of you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, Jesus.

[Matthew Mercer]

That hits. All right, all three of you take.

[Marisha Ray]

Against you as well.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

I am your shield. I will shield her.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so mark that and take it instead. That is nine points of physical damage to all three of you.

[Travis Willingham]

I will take an armor. Mark an armor off and reduce that down.

[Matthew Mercer]

2.

[Sam Riegel]

Zero.

[Marisha Ray]

Reduce it down to zero.

[Matthew Mercer]

So you took no dam. No hit points. You took no hit points, and you took one.

[Travis Willingham]

One.

[Matthew Mercer]

Marcus stress because of his new armor.

[Travis Willingham]

Did you mark it down to.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, wow, his new armor?

[Rob Lowe]

Armor. Armor.

[Liam O'Brien]

Dope.

[Travis Willingham]

Should have kept that.

[Rob Lowe]

Yep.

[Matthew Mercer]

Marcus dress because it's horrifying.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yep.

[Travis Willingham]

I just.

[Matthew Mercer]

He did. All right, great. Also, I need all three of you. Well, you're already manually with it. I need two of you to make strength reaction rolls for me, please, as it's trying to pull you towards it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Come on.

[Rob Lowe]

I remember that kind of sucking. So I'm gonna burn that. 14.

[Matthew Mercer]

14 is a success.

[Sam Riegel]

20.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right.

[Sam Riegel]

That's a success.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, Both of you manage to pull away as the small fingers try and grab and grapple and pull you towards it. No impact at that point.

[Sam Riegel]

And then I'm going to go ahead.

[Matthew Mercer]

And burn another fear to activate this tentacle. It's going to strike out at you again.

[Travis Willingham]

Bring it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, that's going to be an eight. It misses you. You're too quick. All right, that's going to finish my spotlight.

[Sam Riegel]

Who's up next?

[Travis Willingham]

I want to take out this tentacle that's menacing me.

[Sam Riegel]

All right?

[Travis Willingham]

So I will Just slash at it with my boom. Okay, orang, that's a critical.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yay. All right. Gain a hope clear of stress.

[Travis Willingham]

I love that. I love both of those things.

[Sam Riegel]

And.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, good. And it doesn't do super duper damage. Just one D. 10 plus one. That's 10.

[Matthew Mercer]

You splatter that tendon.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Great. It scatters into the rock and twitches for a second before it just stops and melts into dark, thick, melted flesh.

[Travis Willingham]

And then I will use my movement. It's still our go, right?

[Liam O'Brien]

Still your turn.

[Travis Willingham]

You're gonna attack, aren't you? What are you gonna do?

[Ashley Johnson]

And I just tried.

[Rob Lowe]

I'm.

[Marisha Ray]

Lionel said he's gonna go after his tentacle too. I keep rolling with fear, so I feel like I'm fucking cursed.

[Rob Lowe]

I'm planning on going in and trying to get this thing away from you.

[Travis Willingham]

I will run towards Idol and just pass by Misty and give her a pat on the wing as I go just to. You got this.

[Matthew Mercer]

Who's up next?

[Rob Lowe]

I'll take it. Can I get to Misty from here to Misty?

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, you can move.

[Matthew Mercer]

You can fly close. Yeah, you can definitely do that.

[Rob Lowe]

So I'll fly down. I'm going to do the thing I did before where I make you a little vest so you now have an extra armor for the moment with Tava's armor and say goodbye to that thingy once I find my pencil. And now since I'm here, I think I can do this still. I'm going to try and do. I'm going to do another power push and see if I can do this to get this thing knocked that direction.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Rob Lowe]

So I start my weird little silk symbol. I give it the push, and that's a spell cast roll.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Here we go.

[Rob Lowe]

Let's see if it goes. That's a five with hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Well, you gain a hope, but unfortunately, that does fail. You go to begin to conjure as you land and impart this magical protection upon your stone ally. You spin around, and as you bring your hand to release the magical aura of your spell, one of the tendrils grabs your wrist and tears it away, and suddenly the magical essence is lost. You manage to break your wrist free, but the spell is done.

[Ashley Johnson]

So no armor.

[Matthew Mercer]

You get the armor.

[Rob Lowe]

You got the armor.

[Ashley Johnson]

I get the armor.

[Matthew Mercer]

His attempt to push it did not.

[Rob Lowe]

Work, but thankfully, yeah, not fear. So we're still going, correct?

[Matthew Mercer]

No, no, no, no. You still fail a roll, which means it still comes back to me. I just didn't gain a fear. Okay, Glimwreath is going to spend a fear to now do taste for blood against you.

[Sam Riegel]

Cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

Since you are within melee of it.

[Sam Riegel]

Fuck.

[Matthew Mercer]

So after that one tendril you try and tear away from your wrist, you manage to pull it away. As you look back, all of them flash out towards you. That's going to be 13.

[Rob Lowe]

That hits.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Is this your hit points?

[Rob Lowe]

Yeah, it's all clear.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm rolling right down the middle.

[Marisha Ray]

It's clear.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, so for that, you take 11 points of physical damage.

[Rob Lowe]

Okay. All right.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Thank you.

[Rob Lowe]

I don't know where mine went. I'm going to burn an armor and I take no damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. Take no damage.

[Travis Willingham]

I have five pencils.

[Rob Lowe]

Oh, well, there you are.

[Matthew Mercer]

But Glenry does heal two of its.

[Rob Lowe]

Hit points, but it didn't.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's drawing the blood and essence.

[Rob Lowe]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

And.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm gonna hold for now. What do you guys want to do?

[Marisha Ray]

Does anyone have any type of like, if you hit him, he can't regenerate type of a thing?

[Matthew Mercer]

The rest of these townsfolk, by the way, are screaming and running that way. Good.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'll run in and position myself in between the 10 and the Aaron creature, Lime wraith, Limbreath, Limwreath. And I'm gonna cast spirit weapon and mark a stress. And I'll do two attacks as long as they are within close range. And I can swing the halberd into a divine weapon that'll build up this force and whip around and hit both.

[Matthew Mercer]

Great. So you roll one attack and it hits all within that range.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Right. That's crap. It's five, seven, eight with fear.

[Matthew Mercer]

Unfortunately, that misses both of them.

[Marisha Ray]

What happens if we TPK here?

[Matthew Mercer]

Then I pick up with Liam and Laura.

[Rob Lowe]

Comedy.

[Matthew Mercer]

I mean.

[Travis Willingham]

No, we got this.

[Matthew Mercer]

Welcome to the age of umbra, y' all. All right, that finishes your go. You go and conjure the divinity around this weapon and the shadow, the proximity of whatever has taken Aaron, the nature of the sacred pyre being gone. All of the immensity washes over you, and it breaks your resolve in that moment. And what bit of divine power you're about to conjure just sparks out. And for a second, you really feel.

[Sam Riegel]

The despair wash over you.

[Matthew Mercer]

The weapon doesn't even leave your fingertips.

[Sam Riegel]

Now the limweep's going to go.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to go ahead and spend an action to go ahead, and.

[Sam Riegel]

It'S.

[Matthew Mercer]

Going to do a barrage of tendrils against you. You, I'm so far away, and you to pull your win since you are the one that's not closest, trying to get y' all real close. That's going to be a 13 against all of you.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hits it.

[Sam Riegel]

Hits.

[Marisha Ray]

How's your health?

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. Okay, let's.

[Marisha Ray]

Everyone's health is good.

[Matthew Mercer]

1D8.

[Travis Willingham]

No, I mean, we'll see after this.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, it's only three points of physical damage against all three of you.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, burn an armor to make it zero.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Rob Lowe]

Don't do the same.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

You take a hit point.

[Liam O'Brien]

I did not.

[Matthew Mercer]

You did not.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

And I need. I just need you two to make strength reaction rolls for me, please.

[Travis Willingham]

10.

[Matthew Mercer]

10. That is a failure. You pulled into melee with it.

[Liam O'Brien]

12.

[Matthew Mercer]

12 just fails. You also get pulled into melee with it. All now. Been kind of pulled surrounding it there.

[Liam O'Brien]

Does this mean we're like ensnared essentially.

[Matthew Mercer]

Or just within melee with it, which.

[Rob Lowe]

Is clearly a thing.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

And then we're going to spend one more fear to trigger this or a spotlight, this tentacle that's going to move forward and it's going to go ahead and whip out a 16.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

So take two points of physical damage.

[Marisha Ray]

I am your shield.

[Matthew Mercer]

You are within.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes. Yeah, everyone's right here.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're on the outside. So the only person who you couldn't get to would be technically August, because.

[Marisha Ray]

What'S your hit points you're not looking for?

[Travis Willingham]

I have three.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. It's okay. I'll take it anyway.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. So you take two points of physical damage.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. I will spend a point to take none.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's my activation. Who's up?

[Rob Lowe]

I mean, I've got to think. Anybody. Anybody want to got something to help me shove this thing away before we get.

[Travis Willingham]

I can shove.

[Rob Lowe]

I need a hope. If anyone has a hope too.

[Ashley Johnson]

I have a hope. I could help. I could try to make myself.

[Marisha Ray]

I haven't had hope in two games.

[Matthew Mercer]

I have had no hope.

[Ashley Johnson]

We need to give you hope.

[Rob Lowe]

So I could use some. I'm going to try again. I just need some cover while I'm going to try that push spell one more time.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right. I will give you a hope and I will try to cover you with my wings.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, so you spend a hope to help him out. So you get to add a D6 to his roll. How do you help him out?

[Ashley Johnson]

So you're wanting cover?

[Rob Lowe]

I would like some cover because this is gross and I need. Yeah, okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

I will just slowly. Don't just step in front of him. The wings kind of sort of separate my wings so that he has a Spot to sort of peek.

[Sam Riegel]

Awesome.

[Rob Lowe]

No catching my hand this time.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, let's go ahead and make that spell.

[Sam Riegel]

Come on. Ooh.

[Rob Lowe]

Okay, what did we add to that?

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, five, six. A D6?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

You want me to roll it? Yeah, you wanna roll it?

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Rob Lowe]

Yeah, you roll it.

[Liam O'Brien]

There you go.

[Rob Lowe]

Oh. 18, 19. 24.

[Matthew Mercer]

24.

[Rob Lowe]

With hope.

[Sam Riegel]

With hope. Thank you.

[Matthew Mercer]

Take that, Hope. And that is a success.

[Rob Lowe]

So that is a D10. One. D10 plus two. Come on, give me some damage. That's 10 points.

[Sam Riegel]

10 points.

[Travis Willingham]

That's great.

[Rob Lowe]

And you are pushed back to far range.

[Sam Riegel]

To far range.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Rob Lowe]

And I was shooting for that.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

So with that, you push Limle back to there.

[Liam O'Brien]

Cast it into the fire.

[Rob Lowe]

And now I'm gonna fly up again to the corner. I'm gonna hop back up.

[Matthew Mercer]

I did spend a fear to get rid of the thing earlier.

[Rob Lowe]

And so I'm also gonna take my movement to go back up into. Into the air and up. Yeah, like right about here.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Rob Lowe]

Yeah, over here.

[Ashley Johnson]

Melee has to be very close.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, Melee has to be next to it. Touching. Unless you have a weapon that has very close range, which some do. All right, so that was the hope. So you guys continue.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to slash at this tentacle right next to us with the. With the booms.

[Matthew Mercer]

You know what? Actually, I'm going to mark this before we get to that. Hold on to that, because at the end of that, you did mark two hit points on it. It's going to mark a stress and drop as a reaction. Another tentacle that will immediately activate and rush in towards you. All right, that's going to be a 12.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

You take two points of physical damage.

[Marisha Ray]

I'll take it.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

I'll take the hit point.

[Matthew Mercer]

Also mark a stress, because it is horrible.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, Jesus. It's all right. It's okay.

[Marisha Ray]

It's okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's okay.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, now I've slashed at the thing. I rolled a 12.

[Matthew Mercer]

A 12.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, can I add my six? No, I actually call that four.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. And it was with fear.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Damn it, we're doing it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Swing with your boomerang. And it's just. It's too quick. It's too quick. It doesn't. All it takes is one hit to take it down, but you're just a little bit too shaken by its presence. That brings it back.

[Marisha Ray]

You did try, Aaron.

[Liam O'Brien]

Fight against it.

[Travis Willingham]

Pull the Miracles back.

[Ashley Johnson]

You're in there.

[Rob Lowe]

It's going to literally a skinsuit on the ground.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to Barrage of tentacles for another fear coming at you. And actually you. Sorry, August. Misty and snakes.

[Travis Willingham]

I don't like being a fighter.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's only going to be an eight.

[Ashley Johnson]

Misses. Misses. Yeah, Misty's.

[Matthew Mercer]

The tendrils go out. And now that you've gotten a feel for its tactics, it's constantly lashing out and pulling you in its mouth open, trying to devour and consume your life essence and blood. You're now starting to gather its pattern. And this time when it lunges out at you, you all just duck and deflect off to the side, finding no impact on you.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait till it laughs. Then it doesn't attack for one round.

[Liam O'Brien]

Like Dyson logic.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm then going to spend a fear to activate the living tentacle's group attack. No, but there's only so spend a fear to choose a target and spotlight all tentacles within close range of them. I'm going to go ahead and spotlight you, Misty. Feeling.

[Ashley Johnson]

I had a feeling. I had a feeling.

[Marisha Ray]

I feel like they've gotten it out for you, man.

[Ashley Johnson]

They do. I'm of the old world.

[Marisha Ray]

I know.

[Matthew Mercer]

So they're both gonna make an attack against you and combine their damage. Okay, that is gonna be a 15 to hit. That hits, you take four points of physical damage.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. So I'm going to use an armor to negate that.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, There you go. That's my spotlight. You guys are up again.

[Marisha Ray]

Let's go. Fuck this. Fuck this fucker.

[Matthew Mercer]

Fuck.

[Sam Riegel]

Fuck.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm gonna. Can I kind of move around and get on the other side of this tentacle? Base to base. Other way. Other way.

[Matthew Mercer]

Other way.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, you can do this there. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, no worries.

[Marisha Ray]

Give me some hope. And just need some hope.

[Sam Riegel]

Still not hopeful.

[Marisha Ray]

Still not hope. Okay, so 14 to hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

14 against the Glimwreath.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's a success.

[Sam Riegel]

Hey. With hope.

[Marisha Ray]

With fear.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, that's a little success.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh man.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't know.

[Matthew Mercer]

I don't know.

[Travis Willingham]

Maybe you just believe in the old gods hard enough.

[Marisha Ray]

I've been shaken the power. The pyre is down.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm questioning.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, questioning.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, whoa.

[Marisha Ray]

I rolled double tens but I dropped the lowest. But that's gonna be 14.

[Matthew Mercer]

Physical damage that is past its severe threshold. That's three hit points.

[Marisha Ray]

I can do damage. I just keep giving fear.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's going to mark a stress as a reaction.

[Marisha Ray]

Hitting some stress.

[Matthew Mercer]

Drop another tentacle.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, wait, no. I don't have a hook.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't have any fucking hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Which then immediately spotlights. It's going to go ahead and Whip at you, Idol.

[Liam O'Brien]

Whip it good.

[Matthew Mercer]

That is going to be a seven plus one. Eight.

[Liam O'Brien]

Misses.

[Matthew Mercer]

Misses. Whips past you. No impact.

[Liam O'Brien]

Fiend.

[Matthew Mercer]

But you rolled with fear.

[Sam Riegel]

Which means it's not a Limwaith skull.

[Matthew Mercer]

The Limwaith is going to reach towards you since you ran up into its face. And it's going to attempt to taste for blood attack against you. It's going to spend a fear to strike at you. That is going to be nine to hit.

[Marisha Ray]

Yep. That hits.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

I've got a very low evasion.

[Matthew Mercer]

So low.

[Marisha Ray]

I know.

[Matthew Mercer]

And so for that, you take 10 points of physical damage.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Well, do you need help?

[Marisha Ray]

I'll use. No, I'll use my. I mean, I can use some armor. I'll use my last armor to drop that down to one hit point.

[Liam O'Brien]

Maybe stop being so selfish with the fancy.

[Rob Lowe]

It wouldn't change the amount of armor.

[Matthew Mercer]

And it heals two from the taste for blood. Finishing its go. I'm going to then activate the tentacles and then use a fear as a group attack.

[Travis Willingham]

He's out of fear.

[Matthew Mercer]

I am. At the moment.

[Ashley Johnson]

All three tentacles keep rolling.

[Matthew Mercer]

All move in. This one's gonna shift.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

And they're all gonna swing at you. Wow. There we go. Finally. They're all decent. That's a 16 to hit.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Does the umbra know that you shoved it up?

[Matthew Mercer]

All three attacks combine for six physical damage against you.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh.

[Marisha Ray]

What's your health?

[Travis Willingham]

That's three. But that would put me into major damage. I will use my last armor to move that down to minor. And because I've got that valor stone, I can roll it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Is the Valor stone in your armor? Have you embedded it into your armor?

[Travis Willingham]

I mean, my armor is Gambeson. Do I have to tinker it?

[Liam O'Brien]

He's wearing it in his butt.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right. Well, here's the thing. If you want to consider yourself having attached this to that Gambeson armor, I'll allow you. But it is now permanently embedded in that Gambeson armor.

[Liam O'Brien]

Great.

[Matthew Mercer]

Great. And the valor stone has been permanently affixed to your gambits and armor.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go ahead and roll a D6.

[Marisha Ray]

Come on. Roll a six.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't have any additional context.

[Travis Willingham]

That does not help. Does not help me lose the armor. And I take a hit point and a stress or three.

[Matthew Mercer]

Stress. No, you take one stress. Okay, that is my turn.

[Liam O'Brien]

Get these fucking things off of me.

[Ashley Johnson]

May I?

[Marisha Ray]

There's no fear.

[Ashley Johnson]

I am going again to try to Wild Flame. Because I can use it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Who are you targeting for three.

[Ashley Johnson]

So I'm gonna target limreth and two of the.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. So it can target how many it can target.

[Ashley Johnson]

3.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, let's go for it.

[Rob Lowe]

Do you want some help with this?

[Ashley Johnson]

I mean. Sure. I'll take it.

[Rob Lowe]

If I fly down a bit to try and just become a distraction by skirting through and seeing if I can just. Yeah, just make a little dive bomb to get everyone to look up.

[Sam Riegel]

Sure.

[Matthew Mercer]

If you want to do that.

[Rob Lowe]

All right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Over to this side between the whole chaos.

[Rob Lowe]

So I'll add a D6 out of D6.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Come on.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

It is with Hope.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Thirteen plus five. Oh, great.

[Marisha Ray]

Eighteen.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's a success.

[Sam Riegel]

Great. With hope.

[Marisha Ray]

With hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Take your hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

And go ahead and roll damage. That's against all three of those targets.

[Ashley Johnson]

You said we're gonna live.

[Sam Riegel]

All right.

[Marisha Ray]

So that's richen out my fear.

[Sam Riegel]

Die.

[Ashley Johnson]

56 magic damage must mark a stress as flames erupt from my hand. Eight points of demage for three for limwreath and two of the tentacles.

[Marisha Ray]

Nice, Nice, nice.

[Matthew Mercer]

Both of those tentacles just burn away. And the limwrith takes the strike. The only sound it makes is that horrible slapping of dozens of slick tendrils.

[Marisha Ray]

No more.

[Sam Riegel]

All right.

[Matthew Mercer]

That finishes your go.

[Sam Riegel]

Who else?

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm try for another spirit weapon. I'm not giving up. I'm going to burn another stress and try and conjure this to hit the tentacle and. Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Nobody has a hope they want to burn.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes. Also I'll give you a hope.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, man. Beautiful. Okay, I'll take it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Spend a hope to help somebody. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Great. 16, 18, 20. 20 to hit with hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Take that hope and you succeed. So go ahead and roll the damage against both of them.

[Liam O'Brien]

Amazing. Thank you for that. Got it. Okay. Plus two. That's cocked. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. 13 points of physical damage.

[Sam Riegel]

Nice.

[Liam O'Brien]

13 points of damage to both the tentacle and the lime wraith.

[Matthew Mercer]

Alrighty. You got it. That is two hit points there. And this tentacle is destroyed. It's going to mark its last stress to create one more tentacle that's going to rush forward and strike at you out of retribution for it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Could I finish my turn by moving away from the lime wraith a little bit and maybe it'll chase me.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sure.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

So you move back down.

[Sam Riegel]

Perfect.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

And then tentacles follows up behind. Now the limweath is now all stress is marked. So it is vulnerable, period. So all attacks against it have +d6 now.

[Liam O'Brien]

Amazing.

[Rob Lowe]

Nice.

[Matthew Mercer]

Because it spent all of its stress.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's something that's gonna be an 18 to hit you, Travis. Oh, two points. Physical damage.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wow. Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Very annoying.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, who's up next?

[Marisha Ray]

I switched out my fear die.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm give you hope.

[Marisha Ray]

You're going to give me hope?

[Rob Lowe]

Well, you don't need.

[Marisha Ray]

Well, I don't know. He's already.

[Matthew Mercer]

Just to clarify, you don't give people hope. You spend a hope to help them. I'm just trying to. It's okay. I'm just trying to instruct the audience who's watching so you don't miss.

[Ashley Johnson]

Absolutely.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm not instructing us. You're instructing the audience.

[Marisha Ray]

Hold on to it.

[Ashley Johnson]

But hopefully hold on to it.

[Marisha Ray]

Hopefully I get a hope.

[Liam O'Brien]

She's losing it. She's losing it.

[Marisha Ray]

Well, the good news is I rolled with hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, she did.

[Marisha Ray]

Hang on.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait.

[Marisha Ray]

Let me also see what this is. That's great. That's good. Four, five, seven.

[Matthew Mercer]

Seven. Seven, seven.

[Marisha Ray]

With hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

But you get a hope.

[Marisha Ray]

So you get a hope.

[Matthew Mercer]

But you do swing wide and do not find purchase with your blade in the limw.

[Sam Riegel]

No.

[Marisha Ray]

I rolled a two and a one. So fun. So good.

[Matthew Mercer]

So fun.

[Marisha Ray]

So fun.

[Matthew Mercer]

Limwreath returns to me. I do not have fear to spend on any of its special attacks. So it's just going to limb slam you since you are there.

[Sam Riegel]

Nice.

[Matthew Mercer]

I rolled a five. I rolled totally. I have dog shit for that one. That's a total miss.

[Rob Lowe]

I haven't done a proper just. I haven't just used my wand yet, so I think I'm just going to use my wand.

[Matthew Mercer]

My turn's over.

[Rob Lowe]

Yeah. Since that's. So I'm just going to take a little bit of silk and it's just going to fire straight down to make a little connection between the two of us. And then it's just the magic spark, like a sparkler, is just going straight down to nail you.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hell, yeah. All right, go ahead.

[Rob Lowe]

Oh, the limweath of that tentacle.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Rob Lowe]

Come on.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay. It's hope.

[Rob Lowe]

It's a four.

[Sam Riegel]

Fives.

[Rob Lowe]

It's seven.

[Matthew Mercer]

With hope, you gain a hope. But unfortunately, your silk thread goes wide and then drifts on the breeze of the heat that's still emanating from the final embers of the sacred pyre. So as a fail, it returns to me. I still have no fear to spend. It's going to go ahead and attempt to.

[Sam Riegel]

It's going to shift over this way.

[Matthew Mercer]

Angrily in your direction and is going to limb slam you if you do it at a close range.

[Liam O'Brien]

Limb Slam.

[Matthew Mercer]

That is going to be a 21 to hit.

[Rob Lowe]

Ooh, that does hit.

[Matthew Mercer]

You take. Okay, finally, I'm getting some decent rolls now. That's going to be 11 points of physical damage on you as one of the tentacles and just whacks you in the middle of the air.

[Rob Lowe]

I'm going to drop it down to minor. So I'm going to take one damage and one stress and one stress, and I'm gonna eat one armor for that.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, you're up.

[Travis Willingham]

It's right in front of me. I'm gonna whack it and try to push it into the embers. I get a D6. Because it's vulnerable.

[Sam Riegel]

Because it's vulnerable. Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Skapow.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, my God. Incredible. So many.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wow.

[Travis Willingham]

27, 28, 20, 29 to hit with.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hope that hits.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. And I will mark a stress to do the kick. The kick attack. And this is a D10 plus two D6.

[Liam O'Brien]

Go. Kick to go.

[Travis Willingham]

So Evil Dead 2, 8, 9, 10, 11 points of damage, but it goes back towards the embers.

[Sam Riegel]

How do you want to.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes.

[Sam Riegel]

Keep getting these.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go kicker.

[Travis Willingham]

Go kicker. Yes. I spot some embers that, while the flame is out, there's one ember that's sort of sticking out from the fire that's on a sharp stick. And I'm gonna aim and kick it right towards that and hope it finds you.

[Matthew Mercer]

Kick it. It kind of like arcs in the.

[Travis Willingham]

Air, and I'm watching with my square eyes.

[Matthew Mercer]

It impales on it, and the tentacles wrap around it and burn as it holds onto that embered spike. And it starts to pull itself free, and it draws itself off of that jagged, pointed spike. As it lands, it turns back at you, but it's just gushing its internal viscera. It brings tentacle's back to swing one at you and it whips, but the strength has left it as it crumples.

[Sam Riegel]

To its knee.

[Matthew Mercer]

And then falls to the ground. The tentacle that stands up dissolves.

[Sam Riegel]

And the limweath dissipates until it's now just.

[Matthew Mercer]

The currently unmoved, no longer human, but.

[Sam Riegel]

No longer alive form of Aaron.

[Travis Willingham]

She should have run.

[Liam O'Brien]

She should have stayed where she was. Can we run around the pyre? I'm looking for any sign of Garak or any other faces that we recognize. Scholars, Vigil.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see, Truvo is still on the outside, kind of like dumbstruck. Dumbstruck, but also trying to protect some of the other civilians that are fleeing. Other folks are rushing forward. You see Vigil that have been charging that finally Catch up. Ghost Hook and Garanor all rush up, and first thing is Ghost Hook makes her Saigon goes.

[Sam Riegel]

What has happened here? What does it play?

[Liam O'Brien]

We went out to Firmament's Hollow Harrow. We were going after Velk. We found where he fell. And Aaron contracted something. We brought her back, but Truvo couldn't cure her. And then a smoke encompassed the pyre. It extinguished the pyre. And then Aaron turned into Bell, whatever that was.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see, Ghost Hook takes his blade and turns over the body as it's diminished somewhat. It's still torn, exaggerated with some of.

[Sam Riegel]

The tendrils limp in its mouth.

[Matthew Mercer]

The eyes still milked over. There's not much solace in it. But the thought that at least Aaron.

[Sam Riegel]

Was gone before she became this. And you've put that to rest.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's about this moment that you hear.

[Sam Riegel]

A voice go, what's going on? Where is she?

[Matthew Mercer]

And you see from around one of.

[Sam Riegel]

The tents, Garak kind of looks around. Someone told me that she's in trouble. Where is she?

[Liam O'Brien]

I'll run over to Garrick. I'll just grab him by the shoulders and I'll say, I'm sorry. She's gone.

[Sam Riegel]

No. No. They told me she was sick.

[Matthew Mercer]

You were watching her. You're gonna take care of him, Eric.

[Liam O'Brien]

The umbre. She caught something in those vaults and she fought it for a while. Truvo tried to help. And we took her eyes off her for one second.

[Matthew Mercer]

And it's at this moment he locks.

[Sam Riegel]

Eyes with the shape on the ground that was his daughter. He pushes you aside and quietly walks over. Oh, my sweet girl. Now he gets down on his knees and reaches for her hand and just quietly sits and bows his head. And you can hear the faint sound of the sob. Ghost took turns to you. This is dire business. Without a pyre, this barlock is extremely numbered days.

[Marisha Ray]

Brixon walks into the center of the pyre and just with her bare hands, scoops up what remaining embers are there. She's gonna take them over, remaining embers and start, almost like a funeral, start to pack them around Aaron's body.

[Ashley Johnson]

Realizing what she's doing. I will go to assist and help.

[Sam Riegel]

More and more, the vigil begin to arrive. Other figures of the community begin to rush on the scene with their evening cloaks thrown over. You can hear shouts, questions. What's going on? No. Not possible.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wailing, crying, screaming tears, fearful baleful cries to the sky.

[Sam Riegel]

The hundreds of people that make the community of Desper Lock truly let the despair wash over. As now, here in the center of the the night. There is no light to protect them. Only a moment later, other voices start picking up. Beryl Spielbore of the Works, the Rough and Tumble Orc blacksmith and member of.

[Matthew Mercer]

The Triarch Steps Fjord.

[Sam Riegel]

We do not lay down for this. We have survived this long and we will continue to survive together. We are the enduring, and we are here because we endure. We have endured worse than this, and we will endure worse than this. Because the flame is gone does not mean we are dead. It means we are in danger. But we are still strong. We are armed. We are resolute. Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

And she looks over and pierces a glance towards Ghost Hook, who's like this is true. He looks back towards you.

[Sam Riegel]

Idol, you will have to explain what has happened here. Beryl steps forward. Why? What do you know of what has transpired? Who is responsible for the pyre? Why has it gone?

[Marisha Ray]

Perhaps we should speak in a more clandestine location. It is not appropriate here.

[Sam Riegel]

The wailing of the populace continues to spread and mingle. It's this discordant, awful sound of dozens.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hundred people or more grappling with imminent mortality. More than life here already means.

[Sam Riegel]

But here in this circle, you five and the handful of stoic figures that hold this community together sit quietly before a nod is given. Beryl looks towards you. Then to the Forum. Look after the Triarch. We will decide how best to move forward. Ghost Hook rouse all the vigil. We need as many eyes in the dark as possible. If we can get through to the Rise of the dawn, then we have a chance. Ghostuk Knots steps off to start rousing other vigil. At this point you can see Scholar members are now starting to appear and look. And it's just an echo and repeat of that same reaction. People from all over the community arriving at different times in that moment. That look, and each one is a tiny scar on your soul. Whether that can be something drawn for strength or a chain that will drag you, that's for you to decide. But in that stillness you begin to step back, the wailing and cries of anguish and anxiety fading, only to hear the gentle weep of a daughterless father as you step into the Forum, under the leather overhang of where all central civilian events and Trier business are handled.

[Matthew Mercer]

At this point you can see Trevor Ostock, a fine young man in his.

[Sam Riegel]

Late 20s or so, who has been.

[Matthew Mercer]

A rising guide to the children and those who wish to take on a.

[Sam Riegel]

Collaborative way of helping Desperlok out. He steps in.

[Matthew Mercer]

Friends, I've heard what's transpired tonight.

[Sam Riegel]

And as shocked as many are, we can't just stand idly by. And Beryl says, we know this. Where is Eyedrover?

[Matthew Mercer]

You see at that moment, beyond the edge of the forum, shadow holding torches, you see the heavy mantled and cloaked figures of various scholar individuals, as well.

[Sam Riegel]

As Idrova the elf, who is the.

[Matthew Mercer]

More or less unspoken head of the scholars of Luzal.

[Sam Riegel]

And the third member of the Triarch arrives. Very well. What do we know has taken from us the light of protection.

[Liam O'Brien]

As you know, we ventured out to the firmament's harrow. We located Velk along with the rest of their party that had fallen. We made it to the doors of the monastery farther than anyone had before. But Aaron had followed us. And upon inspecting some of the reliquaries outside of the monastery, she inhaled something. She became sick. We brought her home. Truvo treated her. But she took a turn for the worse in the night. And before we knew what happened, there was a great dark cloud that encircled the pyre. It seemed to extinguish it. And we noticed there were bodies everywhere. And it seemed that whatever Aaron inhaled also possessed her, changed her form. Something from the umbra.

[Matthew Mercer]

Horrible.

[Liam O'Brien]

And once we had dealt with that creature, Aaron lay fallen and the pyre had been extinguished.

[Sam Riegel]

There's a nod just beyond you. You hear the flicker of flames of the recently fallen being burned to prevent them from rising once more. That sickly familiar smell. As they nod and take it in. Nidrova looks up. Can you vouch for all of this? Truvo? And Truvo has arrived at this point.

[Matthew Mercer]

His hands and fingers entwined, his eyes looking not directly to meet anyone's gaze, but you see himself still trying to process everything.

[Sam Riegel]

From as far as I know that's true. I did my best to treat her. But indeed something insidious had have taken root within her. The umbra's reach is far. I bear responsibility for my part in being unable to see her to health.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's no one's fault. But it should be said that we couldn't have gotten as far as we did without. Without her.

[Marisha Ray]

She was a hero and she should be revered as such. I do not want her name sullied.

[Sam Riegel]

Trevor Griss. It would not be. She was a vibrant and wonderful young woman who, in spite of all that we live through, kept a smile. An infectious one. I know such tragedy is all too common, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't allow space. Adrova goes. You said you got Father. You were sent in to salvage Velk. And perhaps we found him. Did you also find the monastery? He did. He had already made his way. Then the path is open.

[Liam O'Brien]

The path is perilous, treacherous. And as far as we know, we think the monastery is there. But we would need to show you the way.

[Sam Riegel]

Then perhaps fortune's trade. And you see Beryl puts it in him and goes like I Drover do not. The monastery will wait. This, all of this is far more important.

[Marisha Ray]

I agree. The pyre keepers are decimated. We need a sacred branch. None of us will survive.

[Sam Riegel]

Did it?

[Marisha Ray]

Did Ember Warden Sheena survive or no?

[Sam Riegel]

It's about this time that you notice.

[Matthew Mercer]

That far behind, Ember Warden has been outside of the Triarch, cloaked and listening.

[Sam Riegel]

You've seen her since you were a child, when she pulled you from that gathering of orphans and raised you all these years to be the pyre keep you are. She is a solid mountain, unmoving. And right now she is shaken in a way you've never experienced. Her face pale, her mouth hanging. These portents do not speak well to our tidings, and we have not a record of a branch in decades. Androva goes then the scholars will not sleep this night, and we will pore over our tomes and we will see what we can to muster some semblance of hope. We have many books. Perhaps the proximity to the monastery has narrowed our vision for some time. I will talk with the others. She nodson.

[Matthew Mercer]

At this point, you see vigil.

[Sam Riegel]

Garanor steps forward.

[Matthew Mercer]

Tough ass looking soldier who stepped back from setting a few intent and orders.

[Sam Riegel]

Out to other vigil in the space. As she approaches, the walls will stand until the next umbra winds. But where? Weeks do, and none of us know when it'll decide to wander its way down south of the jungles again. Without the pious flame, fair chance none of us will survive. But until then, the vigil will hold. We will hold. You see? As Trevor pats her on the shoulder and gives her a smile. That's all we can do is survive. Well, let us all consider the paths ahead of us. Take stock of what supplies we have. I myself and the other guides will tend to the fractured emotions of the populace. The civilians cannot be left to panic. And in the morning glances up to the dark sky. How many hours that lies from us. We'll convene here once more and decide what is to be done.

[Liam O'Brien]

Trevor, if I may. I may only speak for myself. I'm interested in answers, solutions. I don't mean to stay here and wait for fate to find us. If there is a frontline for this, I mean to be on it. Delving, exploring what Aaron would be doing. And I hope you know that this group here has achieved as much, if not more, than some of the very best that Desperlock has to offer. And I hope come morning, that'll be remembered.

[Sam Riegel]

I appreciate your bravery, and this is duly noted by myself. In the triarch around, there are many individuals to speak to about what is to happen next. And if your skill sets align with what is necessary, whether that be to protect the populace or to seek things.

[Matthew Mercer]

Beyond.

[Sam Riegel]

We shall consider it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Thank you.

[Sam Riegel]

Does he speak for you all?

[Ashley Johnson]

I will stand with you.

[Marisha Ray]

Absolutely.

[Sam Riegel]

Of course.

[Ashley Johnson]

For Aaron.

[Travis Willingham]

Right there where the chosen of the old God, right?

[Ashley Johnson]

We will survive this night.

[Sam Riegel]

Then take what rest will come to you. For what lies ahead tomorrow will likely take whatever strength we have within all of us to push forward. I drove her knots. I will speak to those in the Praxis Collective. They'll find you when we have information. There's an awkward pause before they all begin to just walk away. At this point, the Ember warden approaches you.

[Marisha Ray]

I once again avert my gaze before she speaks.

[Sam Riegel]

Brixton.

[Marisha Ray]

I apologize, Brixton, if you view me as a failure. No, if I have failed you, I.

[Sam Riegel]

I have failed all of you. I have thought true to prepare you for what was necessary. But this world is cruel.

[Marisha Ray]

I know that. We all know that. You gave me board, shelter and purpose through my servitude. I wish I could have prevailed.

[Sam Riegel]

She places her hand out on your clavicle, and for the first time since he's arrived, she makes eye contact with you. The service of a pyre keeper is not bound to a single flame. And there is precedent for flames once quelled to be burned anew. I am old and I lack the strength to stand against a world this dark at times. And it's through you you see her lip quivers a bit. And the others that I hoped to carve a better future. To protect them and protect you. So I in ways have failed you all. But your service is not done. Whatever is needed of you, the fires walk alongside where your feet comb the grounds with the flames. Burn away the impurities of this darkened realm. If you step beyond these walls, Be the strength I could never be. And be the righteous flame that will burn hope for Despola. Do you hear me? We have lost much, but not everything. And you will burn so bright. Do you hear me?

[Marisha Ray]

I hear you. I hear you. But if I may. What is this rhetoric? You speak as if you are already defeated. If you will. As if you will not make it through the night. Why are you speaking as if your fate has already been sealed?

[Sam Riegel]

I've lived long enough.

[Marisha Ray]

You're not going anywhere.

[Sam Riegel]

No. I lived long enough to know many shades of despair. This too shall pass in time, but is still fresh. I must process.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes, of course.

[Sam Riegel]

And she just. Exhales deeply and steps beyond the forum.

[Ashley Johnson]

Was Thalia with the group that we were all talking about?

[Sam Riegel]

Thalia's with the scholars of Luzal. They weren't present in this meeting. Gotcha.

[Ashley Johnson]

They were not.

[Sam Riegel]

You'll have to go find her in the morning.

[Travis Willingham]

She might come to us.

[Rob Lowe]

If she might.

[Travis Willingham]

They do their thinking or whatever. I guess they're gonna try to figure out how to restart the pyre.

[Ashley Johnson]

Should we go to them?

[Travis Willingham]

Well, they said they're gonna spend all night thinking about it. I guess we could, but.

[Sam Riegel]

We're hurt.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm hurt. I need to go to sleep and. You know, it's nice to stand as one unit or whatever, but I'm okay. Just not fighting for a little bit.

[Rob Lowe]

Let's lie down.

[Sam Riegel]

As one.

[Marisha Ray]

You can rest. We're not.

[Liam O'Brien]

Good.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes. I've never seen. I've never seen the settlement like this.

[Rob Lowe]

They're not used to true fear. They don't know what it's like. What should they?

[Marisha Ray]

Settlements all I've ever known. If we go beyond, I'll be seeking the wisdom from those of you who have come from far.

[Rob Lowe]

A few months here, the only time I can remember why wasn't constantly in terror. It made me nervous.

[Marisha Ray]

Comfort.

[Rob Lowe]

You'll find fear invigorating. Background noise.

[Sam Riegel]

We should sleep.

[Liam O'Brien]

Sleep.

[Ashley Johnson]

Before we go off, I want to to go to the pyre. And I know this won't work, but I'm just trying to help. I'm just going to try to keep pumping wild magic flames into the pyre to try to get it started.

[Sam Riegel]

The embers that fade unfortunately resist external influence. The divine fire itself long gone. In what heat remains just simple fire above sacred flame. You try as you might, and others still keep a distance between their sorrow, confusion and fear. You still strike a unique image amongst such despair. I'm going.

[Rob Lowe]

I quietly walk up to you, monsieur.

[Sam Riegel]

Just gently brush your back.

[Rob Lowe]

If anybody could have restarted it, it.

[Sam Riegel]

Would have been you. Good to try.

[Ashley Johnson]

I didn't think it would work, but I tried.

[Sam Riegel]

We have to be careful.

[Rob Lowe]

I think she can find us.

[Sam Riegel]

Now we're in danger.

[Ashley Johnson]

I think we are very Much in danger. I think we are in danger in many ways. I am going to kneel before the pyre and sort of unfold. Furl all my wings again. And you just see tears start to roll down the sides. And I'm just as still as can be and almost look like the statue that I am. And I'm going to stay there for the night.

[Rob Lowe]

Stay for a bit. Bound with the hat.

[Sam Riegel]

Are you going? I'm going to my very filthy bed.

[Rob Lowe]

Keep watch.

[Sam Riegel]

I will.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah. I'll go to the pyre keeper's quarters, maybe rummage through what's left behind of Corbin and Romond.

[Sam Riegel]

You gather what effects of theirs.

[Marisha Ray]

You.

[Sam Riegel]

Knew had import to them and thus now have import to you. Place them amongst your belongings as reminders of what's happened here and what it's worth.

[Marisha Ray]

Clutching their belongings, I fall asleep.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

I'll go back to my tent, crawl inside. And there's a. There's a collar, a big collar sitting there. And I'll pick it up and just sort of clutch it to myself and hold it tight and cuddle up into my. My little blanket and fall asleep as well.

[Sam Riegel]

A hand touches your shoulder.

[Matthew Mercer]

And you.

[Sam Riegel]

Know whose hand it is, and you're afraid to turn. It's not your fault. She's always been one to run ahead, both feet first. The only reason she got more life than she did is because you saved her to begin with. With when you got here. And for that, Tom, I'll always be grateful. She burned brighter than most. Sometimes those stars only burn until half as long.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm sorry.

[Sam Riegel]

Me too. Ain't the first child I lost. That's just how it goes out here in the Wastes. There are other children here that need guidance, too. Still, food. That's got to be grown. I got things to keep me busy.

[Liam O'Brien]

I have a score to settle.

[Sam Riegel]

For both of us. Whatever did this, you make and suffer.

[Liam O'Brien]

I will.

[Sam Riegel]

And he walks off towards his homestead, holding a bundled up bit of gray.

[Liam O'Brien]

I let him go. I'm probably going to go sit over by the wood pile and just sit.

[Sam Riegel]

As the night comes to most of you at different times, an exhausted rest out of necessity pulls you into the depths of the shadow that is sleep. Some of you toss and turn with the events of what's happened. Others just return to that stillness, that blip in time that leads you to the next sunrise. For some, it's flashes of a golden face looking to parting clouds. A stake burning with a body above it, a cathedral filled with purple light and a shining tall crown of promise beyond the doors and steps far, far from here. That's where we're going to take our break.

[Travis Willingham]

Story.

[Sam Riegel]

Be back here in a few minutes, y' all.

[Matthew Mercer]

We'll see you shortly. That's a wrap for part one of this podcast episode. Part two will land here the Tuesday after this episode at 5am 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.

[Rob Lowe]

Hey everybody, it's Rob Lowe here. If you haven't heard, I have a podcast that's called Literally with Rob Lowe, and basically it's conversations I've had that really make you feel like you're pulling up a chair at an intimate dinner between myself and people that I admire, like Aaron Sorkin or Tiffany Haddish, Demi.

[Travis Willingham]

Moore, Chris Pratt, Michael J.

[Rob Lowe]

Fox.

[Travis Willingham]

There are new episodes out every Thursday, so subscribe please and listen.

[Rob Lowe]

Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Matthew Mercer]

This season, let your shoes do the talking. Designer Shoe Warehouse is packed with fresh styles that speak to your whole vibe without saying a word. From cool sneakers that look good with everything, the easy sandals you'll want to wear on repeat. DSW has you covered. Find a shoe for every you from the brands you love like Birkenstock, Nike, Adidas, New Balance and more. Head to your DSW store or visit dsw.com today.