Season 2 | Ep. 26 | The Bell of Bone

Summary

Dark Dice – Season 2, Episode 26: "The Bell of Bone"

Release Date: October 28, 2025
Podcast by Fool and Scholar Productions

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Episode Theme & Purpose

In "The Bell of Bone," the Dark Dice adventurers stagger from the trauma of previous battles into even darker territory. Haunted by loss, impossible choices, and unraveling reality, the party confronts their worst fears as the price of survival is paid in blood and betrayal. The narrative weaves horror, moral ambiguity, and cosmic dread as the Neverborn God is brought into the world through their actions—a passage from mere adventurers to unwitting harbingers of apocalypse.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. Aftermath of Escape and Moral Dilemmas

• Setting: The party, battered and exhausted, emerges from a hellish abyss, just barely escaping death—and not without cost.
• Sacrifice Debate:
  • Survivors (including Rowena, Sindri, and Sorin) grapple over who should be sacrificed to seal a supernatural gate, invoking heated arguments and dredging up painful personal histories.
  • Rowena volunteers herself for sacrifice, reasoning her lack of anchors in the mortal world, but a sinister influence overtakes her.
  • In a trance, Rowena murders Sorin; afterward, she is shocked and unable to comprehend her actions.

Notable Quote:

“I’ll be the one to choose, she.”
– Rowena (03:47)

• Children present silently witness these horrors, setting a deeply unsettling tone.

2. Haunted Memories and Failing Sanity

• The party falls into fugue, plagued by relentless visions: flying as a dragon, enacting bloody revenge, and countless other lifetimes—each blending into the next.
• The group emerges in a bizarre chamber of 15 doors, reality warped, everyone shaken from failed sanity checks.

3. Fractured Group Dynamics and Despair

• Rowena is emotionally shattered, holding the bloody dagger, barely responsive even as Lyrel tries to feed her or comfort her guilt and trauma.
• Sindri, Lyrel, and Wreath attempt to ground Rowena, but tensions remain high. Wreath detects Rowena carries something malevolent within her.

Notable Quote:

"I don't care what you want. You're not killing yourself. Eat."
– Lyrel to Rowena (08:00)

• Rowena, tormented and fearful of what lies within, urges the others:

“If it comes to it again... if it comes between letting this thing into the world or not, and I’m the price you have to pay, you pay it. Do you understand?”
– Rowena (10:48)

4. Revelation and Emergence of the Neverborn God

• Wreath states a god stands among them; Rowena realizes she is the host to the Neverborn God, a being never meant to exist.
• The chamber is a temple, its silver door able to lead “to whatever our hearts desire.” Tension mounts over whether to use it, as they comprehend the cost of their escape: the Neverborn is becoming flesh.

Notable Quotes:

“None can stop his triumphant march as his host has consumed the flesh of friends.”
– Wreath (12:08)
“The Neverborn God. He’s here… it’s found a host.”
– Rowena (12:55)

5. Transformation and Horror Unleashed

• As the party argues and explores, Rowena collapses. Her body spasms as something grotesque tears itself from her: bones breaking, flesh unraveling—a new figure of elvish aspect, golden-eyed and cruel.
• All present must make sanity and willpower saving throws to resist the mind-breaking command:

  “Kneel.”
  – The Neverborn (17:01)

Memorable Moment:

• Graphic body horror as the Neverborn is born from Rowena, her corpse gruesomely gutted, underscoring the podcast’s reputation for mature, chilling storytelling.

6. Desperate Flight and Final Stand

• Sindri casts a preservation spell to keep Rowena’s body from rotting—accepting her death and vowing a proper dwarven funeral.
• Elias, fleeing in panic, witnesses strange allies opposing the Neverborn—a knight playing a spellbound lyre, a dragonborn chanting, and more.
• The Neverborn wields unimaginable power—casting deadly magic, annihilating allies, and nearly killing Sindri and Lyrel.

7. The Last Portal & Aftermath

• Utilizing the silver portal, the party escapes to Vestmansholt just as time and a multiversal battle fold around them. Allies on the other side have been preparing for this threat.
• The Neverborn is ultimately destroyed by a coalition of new and old heroes after a furious 36-second battle, though echoes of its brief existence will haunt the world.

Notable Quotes:

"Remainer of a corpse. Go back to your grate."
– Lyrel’s battle cry at the Neverborn (21:22)
"Guide me in darkness. Grant me a swift death if I fail."
– Father Sindri (24:37)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:47 | Rowena’s possession and murder of Sorin | | 05:13 | Rowena’s chilling farewell: “Thank you, friend. We will remember your sacrifice always.” | | 06:51 | Rowena’s post-trauma state, discussion of Lauriac | | 08:00 | Lyrel confronts Rowena over her will to live | | 10:48 | Rowena’s warning: a plea to let her die if needed | | 12:55 | Revelation: Neverborn God has found a host | | 14:47 | The horrific birth of the Neverborn from Rowena | | 17:01 | The Neverborn’s first command: “Kneel.” | | 18:58 | Rowena’s corpse preserved; party decides to flee | | 21:22 | Lyrel’s charge and battle against the Neverborn | | 24:41 | Lyrel lands a blow: the demigod feels pain for the first time| | 26:08 | The party escapes through the portal, conclusion of the Neverborn| | 26:23-30:49| Aftermath, lives of major characters, campaign epilogue |

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Memorable Quotes

• Rowena:
  "If it comes to it again... if it comes between letting this thing into the world or not, and I’m the price you have to pay, you pay it. Do you understand?" (10:48)
• Lyrel, resolute:
  "I don't care what you want. You’re not killing yourself. Eat." (08:00)
• Wreath, prophetic:
  "None can stop his triumphant march as his host has consumed the flesh of friends and delivered him from Chromana." (12:08)
• The Neverborn, chilling command:
  "Kneel." (17:01)
• Father Sindri, fatalistic prayer:
  "Great all shadow, guide me in darkness. Grant me a swift death if I fail." (24:37)
• Lyrel, bravado in crisis:
  "Remainer of a corpse. Go back to your grate." (21:22)

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Concluding Moments & Epilogue

• The party’s escape leads to fulfillment of prophecies, unexpected heroics, and a montage of legends forged and lives rebuilt (26:23–30:49).
• While some party members find new beginnings, others are left to grapple with trauma and the haunting aftereffects of their actions in Vestmansholt.
• The campaign’s narrative seeds the next chapters—loose threads, new threats, and characters forever altered by what they witnessed.

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Tone & Style

The episode stays true to Dark Dice’s signature tone: unflinching, atmospheric horror interlaced with moments of tragic humanity and fleeting hope, delivered in an immersive, roleplay-intense manner. The dialogue is raw and real, often punctuated by gallows humor and anguish. The events are both intimate and epic, demonstrating the cost (emotional and physical) of victory in a world forever darkened by their choices.

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Transcript

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[Narrator of The Harbingers Podcast]

The Harbingers is a fiction podcast about the first two magicians of our modern era. Adam and Amy were both grad students studying a long dead language, academic rivals and brief paramours.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Yes, I found her attractive and we went out one time.

[Narrator of The Harbingers Podcast]

If you suddenly had the power and influence to change the world, how would you use it?

[Father Sindri Westpike]

Literally, the only thing that's a wrong answer to the what do you do if you get magic powers? Is exactly the same fucking thing you would be doing if you didn't get the goddamn magic power.

[Narrator of The Harbingers Podcast]

The Harbingers is a new fiction podcast from the mind of Gabriel urbino, creator of Wolf 359. If you like magical rivals, political machinations, snappy dialogue, and dreaming of saving the world, the Harbingers is a show for you.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

So now what?

[Narrator of The Harbingers Podcast]

You can find the Harbingers in all the places you usually find podcasts.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Rowena flew through a shattered reality and found herself somewhere completely different as she stood, shorter but healthier than Lyrel or Laias had ever seen her. The hollow, frozen air of the dead pines was ripe in a heated argument as voices were raised. Her own memories matched perfectly up until this point. They were almost free of that horrible abyss, the living tomb of a vile, nameless God. Exhausted in a fugue state from days of travel without sleep, they lumbered forward sluggishly on raw feet, each step like walking on jagged rocks. They had long since forgotten the trap which ripped into their flesh, crippling Sorin, who bore the brunt of the bladed wire. The others dragged him just beyond the safety of the great door and healed his exposed bones and muscles just long enough so he might walk again and see the light of day. Sanity's saving throws were failed. Lies were told to make them feel better. But now it came back, and clearly four children, half starved and silent, could only watch in horror as their saviors began to argue over who would be sacrificed to seal the gate. That terrible great gate is Innskeep. The shopkeeper from Milliner's Hope, having finally been reunited with his son, reasoned that he had the most to live for. He'd already gone through hell and back for his son, and he would not allow to be separated from him again. Lady Rowena Granite pike reasoned that her duties to get the children to safety had not yet concluded, and that the old dwarf, still mumbling to himself incoherently beside her, had a family to get back to. The final step on their journey had been particularly hard on him, and it pained her to see him in such an incoherent state. Sorin Arkwright, questionable and monster hunter within the Bright Vale, boldly challenged Rowena's claim, telling the delusional Father Westpike to kindly shut the fuck up about killing one of the extra children and reminded the old man that he had neglected his own family for over a hundred years or so, questioning what good he might be to them now if such a family were even still alive. This question, this revelation, gave Sindri pause. With no real prospects beside her corrupt family trade and a few abusive friends and relatives to suck up to and her truly dear cousin, Rowena admitted to all present that she was the obvious choice.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

I'll be the one to choose, she.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Spat to Soren, disgusted by his suggestion that Sindri should be the sacrifice. Only it wasn't Sorin that had said those words, but rather a child speaking with Soren's voice. How had she missed this before?

[Lyrel]

The same way you chose for Sister Cavernsfall.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

The voice came from behind them, and as Rowena turned to face one of the children, her eyes locked with the child's, and at this goading, something overtook Rowena, an emotion that put her sensibilities in the front row of the runaway carriage that was her body, and all at once she found herself plunging a dagger into Soren. His dagger was lodged into him just below the ribs, surprised and quite taken aback as he fell, Rowena stared at him as an expression of genuine shock painted across her face. Why had she just done that? The child who she had just locked eyes with smiled, and Father west pike continued screaming about the children. Rowena punched him squarely in the face, knocking the old man out cold before turning back to face Soren. She was in a trance, unable to control her own actions. Asurin tried to crawl away, begging, pleading for his life. Rowena stepped on the exposed muscle of his legs and ripped the dagger from his chest. She stared at him and spoke with a genuine smile, eyes glazed and unfocused.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Thank you, friend. We will remember your sacrifice always.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Before stabbing him two more times, Laius could only watch in horrified silence covering his son's eyes, a grin crossed the face of one of the children as someone asked, do you think it was.

[Lyrel]

Enough for the ritual?

[Rowena Granite Pike]

As if he too hadn't witnessed the act of barbarism. As the scene quickly faded, the team, back in their own bodies, stepped through the shattering reality. Hundreds of years seeming to pass in an instant as they experienced scenes from countless lives that seamlessly blended into one another. In one moment, flying over a bloodied battlement as a dragon. The next, entering a home as a nervous suitor. The next, the giddy butchering of an elven family, finishing the final step in a long awaited plot for revenge. Thousands of such memories came to pass as each awakened. They found their memories of these experiences most quickly forgotten as their eyes blinked and began to focus on their new surroundings. However, the horrible memory of Rowena's past and the truths revealed remained with them. Dark Dice the long road chapter 26 the bell of bone all ber Rowena gained tense stress as they failed their respective sanity saving throws shaking as they found themselves in a vast dark chamber. 15 doorways present in the room, though arranged strangely on walls, floors in the middle of the room. Seemingly without reason or purpose, Rowena instead chose to focus on something else she was reminded of.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Oh God, we forgot about Lauriac. We promised we'd come back and free her. I know she passed the Santi saving through, but she's not okay. Is this just not okay? She's been through some shit fairly recently and this is a whole new level of shit that she had suspected, but now it's kind of. She's just nonplussed. She's not gonna do anything much at all. Just looking down and she's just holding the dagger in her hands.

[Lyrel]

Father West Price approaches. Rowena leans down. He does not look in her eyes. And he gets his backpack off and grabs a piece of bread and some jerky and passes it to her.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

She's not really acknowledging that unless you're shoving it in her face like she's not.

[Lyrel]

He's putting it kind of on top of the blade. You're staring at what?

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

And she's gonna look up at him.

[Lyrel]

He doesn't look up. He doesn't make eye contact, but he says. I noticed you weren't eating. Please eat. I was very scared about you.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

I don't want to.

[Lyrel]

He looks up in your eyes. Kinda looks kinda angry. I don't care what you want. You're not killing yourself.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Eat.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

She's gonna try the bread. Does everything still Take like ash.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Whatever the witch woman had done, it had worked. As Irina took a bite into the bread, she could taste its fragrant flavor and recovered 5 stress instantly. It was stale, but there was a hint of salt that brought a smile to her face.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

What did you three do? What did you do to get me like this?

[Father Sindri Westpike]

He may have damned the world with a selfishness, but he did so out of love for you.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Follow.

[Lyrel]

Waspyke shoots around like an evil glare and then looks back down. We healed you. There will be prices to pay, but I will be there for you. We will get through this.

[Wreath]

You have brought something with you, though. I can sense it.

[Father Sindri Westpike]

Oh, and Sindri brought a ghost with him. A lying merchant he calls old friend.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

So everybody else can see this show then?

[Elias Embertree]

Yep. Elias takes another swig from his flask.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Okay, yeah, I think she has bigger concerns right now, but she's definitely gonna circle back on that one. Holy crap. She's gonna turn and look at Lyrul and in Elvis she's gonna say, I was fighting. I was fighting him. And now I don't feel anything. Is he gone or is. What sort of price did you pay to do this? What did Sindri do?

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Lyrel considered her friendships between both dwarves before answering honestly.

[Father Sindri Westpike]

We did what was necessary. We saved you.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

What did you all do?

[Father Sindri Westpike]

We got much information from our ordeals in the dream world, and bargains were made. An orb for a way to make your remaining days ones worth living. And we were extremely fortunate to escape the encounter with our lives. If you require additional healing, we can provide it for you. There is no obstacle that we cannot face together. We will find a way to heal you fully if it is required. All I ask in return is to find Finley. For the first time in my life, I have a strong team. One that will not betray me. I have friends. I am glad you are well.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Wreath stared at Rowena sympathetically before chiming in.

[Wreath]

We were all worried about you, Rowena.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Thanks for that. She's gonna switch back to common for Sindri's sake. Though I'm not well, I. I think I can still sense something stirring in me. It's. I can feel hatred. And it scares me. You should have left me to die.

[Lyrel]

That was never, never an option. Ruina.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

No, no, don't. Don't get me wrong. Thank you, all of you. But if it comes to it again, you have to let me die. If it comes between letting this thing into the world or not, and I'm the price you have to pay, it I'm not gonna tell you what I went through when I was out of it and not here. But if that thing gets visited on the world, it's on our heads. So if the cost of is me, you pay it. Do you understand?

[Lyrel]

Fine. But it is your choice. You were in no position to agree to anything, and I was not making that choice for you. It's not a choice for me to make.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Okay.

[Lyrel]

If you wish to sacrifice yourself in the future, I will stand in your way. But it's still your choice.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

I think I can agree to that. All right. Alright. Enough of this emotional shite. Let's shake this crap off. And we've got to figure out what to do next.

[Wreath]

There won't be much of a future to worry about. He is here. I can smell him beneath your skin.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

What the fuck are you on about?

[Wreath]

Ark. He shall take form the child of the grand old Creator. The world was damned the moment he was is given flesh.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Alright, so we've. We've fucked up fine. What do you mean?

[Elias Embertree]

Are you talking to the lemur?

[Wreath]

None can stop his triumphant march as his host has consumed the flesh of friends and delivered him from Chromana. The visions are of you still here.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

The. The. The thing that I felt is still here.

[Wreath]

There is time to end your own life, if that is what you desire.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Kill myself?

[Lyrel]

Do not dare suggest.

[Wreath]

Can she talk to animals? No, but it will make no difference. The Formless Lord is already too powerful to die with you.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

It's already too late. In the glade of the Roaming Forest. It wasn't a dream.

[Lyrel]

What are you even talking about, Rowena?

[Wreath]

A God stands among us. Thought will given form.

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

The Neverborn God. He's here.

[Elias Embertree]

The what now?

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

The first Creation. The Neverborn God. It's a demigod so terrible and so dreaded that it could never be born. Now, apparently, it's found a host. So even if I die now, it'll be given form. This is the price we paid to leave the Roaming Forest.

[Wreath]

If it's any help, I know where we are. Or at least what we're inside of. This room is a temple to Fernuine. A place of power. And that door over there, the silver one in the middle of the room. It's a portal that can take us to whatever our hearts desire. It's quite fortunate, really.

[Lyrel]

Quite fortuitous.

[Elias Embertree]

Ghost merchant speaks the truth. I've heard of these sorts of places, but the door will lose its power once it's used.

[Father Sindri Westpike]

This isn't the same style of human architecture as in otten. Curious.

[Elias Embertree]

Yeah, it's for Naskin, but I'd wager we're in Eastwood somewhere.

[Lyrel]

Do you think it could take us to Vestmansholt?

[Elias Embertree]

If that's what you truly desire, then yes.

[Lyrel]

Before we leave, I have a question for you. Payne. I can still call you that, right? Elyth is a fine name, but after hearing your story it makes sense to persevere, perhaps not share your true name in public.

[Elias Embertree]

Yeah, that's fine. But what's your real question?

[Lyrel]

You have a blade, do you not?

[Elias Embertree]

I have one about my person, yeah.

[Lyrel]

Can I inspect it?

[Elias Embertree]

I pause for a long moment before I slowly give him the dagger.

[Lyrel]

It's heavier than I thought it'd be. Heavier and darker than the sum of its materials. Looks different from Rowena's Bronson. Obsidian triangular plate. The seal of the Nameless God.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

What a terrible Rowena stumbled crashing face down on the floor in a violent spasm. Rowena as the team moved to help her, an odd protrusion of bumps danced across her back under her leather armor like a hand from within. Elias cut away the armor as Father Westpike and Lyrel pulled away the cloth to see what was happening, only to reveal to their horror that the movements came from beneath her skin, as if a creature beneath were wearing Rowena's flesh, cracking bone contorting and pulling to rip free. Rowena's bones bent and broke as a creature tore and formed from her flayed flesh. The onlookers required a sanity saving throw and they would need to be to 17 or else 18.

[Lyrel]

19. 19.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Really? You all passed. Okay then. The skin on Rowena's back pushed and stretched further and further, further away from her body as long fingers, no ribs grew from beneath and small rivulets of blood formed where her flesh reached its limit with a bony crack. Her spine bent backwards, pulling further and further, raising three feet beyond her body and from beneath the spine. A bloodied head rolled out to meet where Rowena's should have attached to the spine, bones popping loudly a second time as a gnarled visage faced outward from Rowena's back and her head lolled still attached to the skin near the shoulders. The flesh around the spine grew in girth. Two clawed arms rose to rip through the tear in her skin and blood poured freely down Rowena's sides as the figure rose from her twitching body, standing to the height of Lyrul. The figure was naked save for Rowena's cloak and flecks of blood and skin from the deceased dwarf. Its appearance was similar to that of an elf, but the color of its skin was something neither zhou nor like any elf seen in this age. Tall and athletic in build, he pulled in his first breath of steamy air in sinister delight before stepping free of the cavity that was Rowena's back, presumably taking her organs with him. His golden eyes seemed to smile with cruel intent as his feet touched the ground and he opened his mouth to speak for the first time. He hissed a single word which reverberated within the heads of all present.

[Father Sindri Westpike]

Neil.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

The command. The suggestion seemed like a reasonable one, an idea that came from each individual who heard it, requiring all present to succeed. A DC16 wisdom saving throw. Unfortunately not with disadvantage as the language of creation dark speech was uttered and the world was being reshaped.

[Father Sindri Westpike]

17:24 18 what the actual F. But it's an illusion. It's not real, right?

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Ham Leaving the Zoom Chat and Rowena's dead corpse, the shell of a head lolling with wide, terrified eyes, said otherwise. Lyrul smelled blood and trusted her senses.

[Lyrel]

Ish.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Rowena just out Something had indeed come out of Rowena's body, which was now more of a cavity than a corpse. Sindri wanted to cry, wanted to give in, wanted to give up, but found he could still act.

[Lyrel]

I'm trying to cast cure wounds on that. On her. I don't think it's gonna work, but I'm still trying to Is she dead?

[Rowena (in dialogue)]

Sindri?

[Lyrel]

That wasn't supposed to happen. The hell are you? Father Westpike is gonna stand up and he's pulling out his hammer.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Valen drew his hammer next to Sindri as the yellow eyes of the Neverborn locked with Sindries.

[Lyrel]

Retrieve the dagger.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

The words cut into Sindri's head, starting as his own voice, but echoing in the sound of the Neverborns. Sindri suddenly desired the blade, which he dropped the moment Rowena fell. Noticing that it was now back in Elias's possession, Lyrel, having no desire to bow to any mortal or demigod, flicked her wrist, hissing a curse as her staff became a flaming blade, black smoke rising as it grew in size, heating the room with yet another ridiculous saving throw, Sindri overcame the enchanted command and was able to act.

[Lyrel]

So Rowena's lying on the ground, spine.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Ripped out and most of her organs were gone.

[Lyrel]

Father Westbein kneels down and casts gentle repose on her body to prevent decay to the corpse, preserving it and to prevent it from becoming undead.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Finally accepting that Rowena was beyond saving. Sindri cast a spell of preservation through teeth, ears and held her body. She would receive a proper dwarven funeral in time. Elias, terrified of the monster before him and the prophecy he'd received minutes before this madness, and seeing that this monster was distracted by Liralin's injury, made a break for the silver door, ditching his companions in a moment of weakness. However, the human heard a voice within his head, his own, molding his will to follow a simple command. But the power of dark spirit speech, used so frequently by the newly formed Neverborn God, a being that still drew his first breaths after an untold eternity as a simple entity of will, seemed taxing to the demigod incarnate. Still, Elias required a D.C. 17 wisdom saving throw. 18 Elias was not compelled to stop. He felt the will to do so and simply overcame it, instead focusing on the strange long held figure in armor that was hiding behind one of the doors, playing a brass lyre with a sort of glowing crystal balanced atop it that seemed to have powerful magics which focused in the direction of the Neverborn. The music and the crystal seemed to affect the demigod somehow. The curious knight had a beard, smeared eyeliner, and wore a long red wig. And as Elias glanced over to see if the others were following him, he discovered a second figure, a golden bronze dragonborn in a hurried meditative chant, yellow cloth in hand, hiding behind another doorway, also directing their focus on the demigod in a sort of ritual incantation with his interlopers. The cause or the cure was yet to be seen. Elias could have been mistaken, but he also thought he saw Lyrel, or perhaps a delvin that simply resembled her, dressed like her, even standing and chanting beside the dragonborn. But there was no time to investigate this further, as Elias's eyes were drawn instead to an orb of unfathomable darkness that flew from the claws of the Neverborn with great sword, an orb which Valen Ironshard threw himself toward to defend his old friends. Sindri.

[Wreath]

I'm sorry for everything.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Slowing it before it reached Sindri and being pulled into its negative space. And the spirit of Valen simply was no more, his life cord severed and his soul utterly annihilated. Seeing Elias dash for the silver door, the orb was redirected by the demigod, its trajectory not toward Elias, but instead the door he ran toward to cut off any hope of escape.

[Lyrel]

I'll two hand my warhammer. Charging at it and yell at it. Desecrator of bodies. Remainer of a Corpse. Go back to your grate.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

The Neverborn smiled as it lifted an arm to swat Sentry's attack away with no effort at all. It was relaxed and confident as blood dripped from its claw. Elias, please.

[Lyrel]

Our only hope is in Vespin's hold.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Lyrul, enraged to see the efforts of her allies demand in such a manner, swung her flaming blade left and then right again and again to similar effect, which only fueled her growing fury. This never born God was quick for its size and strong, never even blinking its golden eyes, as if deflecting each swipe was gently moving a curtain or gesturing during a conversation. Elias decided to trust Sindri, focusing all his thoughts on Westman's hold, having never been there, but imagining the symbols on the old dwarf's shield, trying to form a mental image as he turned the handle and opened the portal, squinting his eyes to see not more of the room he stood within, but a stale darkness ahead of him. He could feel the change in temperature, the stagnation of the air ahead. Would Elias step through?

[Elias Embertree]

Yeah.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

And so Elias walked forward, vanishing as the Neverborn grew bored of simply breathing. Flexing the fingers of its off hand, raking its claws across. No, into Sindri's face, ripping one eye.

[Lyrel]

Free and actually my Armor class is 18.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Sorry.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Sorry. Raking his claws into the air in front of Sindri's face, just barely missing the dwarf in a swipe that would have certainly been lethal had it not been for a sudden blast of energy that cracked through the air, striking the surprise demigod. The eldritch blast had been issued by a red headed figure that now stood in the open, plainly visible before a confused Sindri. The figure cackled to himself in a strange voice before. Before returning to plucking the lyre. For the first time in millennia, the Neverborn was displeased and so dropped his concentration on the orb of annihilating darkness, turning and stepping to face this petty hindrance.

[Lyrel]

So I don't need to disengage. Okay. I look over to Lyrul. Pain is gone. Should we fight to the death or follow him?

[Father Sindri Westpike]

Fighting useless. Follow the human. Then I point at the body of Rowena and ask what needed from body.

[Lyrel]

All of her, I say as I look Lyrul in the eyes, trying to keep it together. Please hold him off. And Father Vespike's gonna try to lift Rowena's body up and avoid spilling or dropping anything. As he takes the next two turns to run towards the door, he can see something in the darkness and thinks that it just might be Vestman's hold. And that is the only hope that is holding him together right now.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Lira looked from the broken Father west pike to the accursed demigod man child, which was now notably slowing as whatever magic the attackers Elias had noticed weaved seemed to be working. A surface elf appeared, casting hexes that further seemed to vex the demigod before her. And seeing the opportunity, Leroso charged with flaming blade in hand, and the Neverborn used its legendary action to speak again, targeting the surface elf this time and finally succeeding in speaking the words of unmaking, ripping all hair and nails, skin and armor from the elf's body in an instant, leaving the bloody, naked form to suffer for a moment before the bones themselves contorted outward in one of the most gruesome deaths Lyrel would ever witness. She passed her test of sanity, still gaining stress but overcoming her hesitation as she hissed and swung at the Neverborn, hearing her own voice cheering words of encouragement in the back of her mind.

[Father Sindri Westpike]

Great all shadow, guide me in darkness. Grant me a swift death if I fail.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Lyrul fully expected to be noticed. Fully expected the Neverborn to turn around and whisper a word of unmaking that would end her or swat away her attack as if it were a gentle breeze. But her steps were truly guided by darkness on that day, and her burning blade moved through the air as if following the course of unknown destiny, cutting into the shoulder of the Neverborn and introducing him to a new sensation he'd never experienced. Pain. Lyra hoped she'd have time to ponder the significance of her act of defiance, for even as the blade passed through the skin on the Neverborn's shoulder, his head was already turning to face Lyrel with a hatred she not seen in his eyes before. And all at once the slashing claws of a demigod were upon her. She dodged, she stepped back. She put fire and bursts of magical flame between them, but still the Neverborn's onslaught continued. Perhaps it was luck, or her extrasensory perceptions which telegraphed each oncoming attack, even the ones she could not see with her eyes. But in the end, each of the six potentially lethal attacks somehow failed to meet her through what would later be described as the poorest roles in this storytelling 30 year history of rolling dice. Pila needed to roll a five, and now more elves and humans appeared, attacking and distracting the Neverborn, who was forced to allow Lyrul distance enough to escape as more bodies moved to take her place in the brutal attack. Lyrel later tried to recall if these were pale agents of the All Shadow answering a prayer, the Watchers, or perhaps a different faction. But her focus on retreat was such that she hadn't dared risk even a glance away from her attacker until she reached Sindri, who was now covered in the blood and had now reached their exit. The magical door.

[Lyrel]

My hands are full, so I'll just shout, Lyro, we need to leave. Follow me as I go through the door. Thinking of vestments hold.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Thinking of home, Lyra could follow Sindri, where she could take part in whatever fight was taking place.

[Father Sindri Westpike]

Oh, fuck no.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

Elias slammed the door behind Lyro, and it simply vanished into thin air, never to be used again. Elias, Sindri and Lyra would not learn this, but many months instantly passed the moment they traveled through the portal to bring them to the exact time that Sindri and Elias had most desired. And on the other side of the portal, as it sealed, a battle raged. And after 36 seconds, a formless creation who never should have been was defeated. And while the lingering effects of his brief life would echo through the ages like a lingering sickness, the root of the disease had been truly and irreversibly plucked from the mortal world and delivered to death. A celebration of the allied forces took place. Drinks and stories were shared. And for the briefest of times, old enemies put aside their differences to smile at a shared victory that would benefit all the key warriors. On that day, a brave Delvan Apothecary, her shy husband, a dragonborn monk, and a deeply queer witch hunter would be forever immortalized as heroes. In the coming weeks, the slayers of the neverborn so called God. They had, after all, through many months of planning and adventuring, assembled a formidable strike force, located the necessary magic items to bind a demigod, and landed the finishing blow to the fiend. They would spend later seasons rooting out the creatures who had been affected by the birth cry of the formless Lord, that neverborn God, those with the golden eyes, or others whose forms had been twisted like the lovely Tasha's kiss. And after a time, the party disbanded. The Dragonborn returned home to clear his name and achieve personal vengeance. His name came to mean finding balance while enduring hardship, and he would often joke that mortality never found him during his darkest adventuring days. He did, however, keep his promise and never returned to see the ocean. The Delvin woman and her human companion and their strange pet returned to the man's home in Vernasco, but quickly found that life there was not what they desired. They casually retreated south through Delvekeld, eventually stopping at a small village in the east called Elaveen, a strangely diverse village. The Delfin became fast friends with the village's leader, a fierce young farmer with a magical singing sword, and the couple simply never left. It was a simple life and a peaceful one. And as for the curious red headed witch hunter, they seemed impervious to the slew of failed assassination attempts that persisted until they became so famous that a certain notorious pirate who shared their family name and one of their given names was forced to simply ignore the hunter's continued existence and so stop sending assassins. As much as it irritated the pirate to let the witch hunter live, she had to admit that some of the hunter's glory was now being falsely attributed to her, which was making life easier more profitable. So after a while, Gael of House Vogelburg decided to leave the strange witch hunter well alone. Through combat, through adventure, and through lasting friendships, the witch hunter became confident with themselves and while still seeming deeply strange to most, they were happy. Which is a lot more than could be said for Father Sindri Westpike, Elias Embertree, Lyrel and Reath, who were oblivious to all of this and had just arrived in Westman's hold. Dark The Long Road Chapter 26 the Belle of Bone featuring him Brewster as Rowena, Granite, Pike Ithorvirsson as Father Sindri Westpike, Tanya Milojevic as Lyrel, Drew Tillman as Payne, and Travis Vengrof as Dungeon Master. Also featuring the voices of Lady Beard, Peter Joseph Lewis, Finner Nielsen, Holly Billinghurst, Shawn Howard, and special guest Matthew Mercer. This episode features editing and sound design by Travis Fengroff, mixing and mastering by Finner Nielsen and executive producers Dennis Greenhill, Michael Villegas, AJ Punkin, and K. Carol Vengrof. This episode featured music by Brandon Boone, Stephen Malin, Dallas Crane, Neil Martin, Travis Vengroff and Austin Wintry. Please share your thoughts about our show with friends and on social media as it truly helps us grow. And if you so choose, please check out our [e-mail] FoolAndScholar to help the show stay sustainable. This has been a fooland Scholar production. Thank you for listening.

[Scott Sigler (Narrator for Stone Wolves)]

When they were young, the five members of an elite commando group nicknamed the Stone Wolves raged against the oppressive rule of the Kratarakian Empire, which occupies and dominates most of the galaxy's inhabited planets. The Wolves fought for freedom, but they failed, leaving countless corpses in their wake. Defeated and disillusioned they hung up their guns and went their separate ways, all hoping to find some small bit of peace amidst a universe thick with violence and oppression. Four decades after their heyday, they each try to stay alive and eke out a living, but a friend from the past won't let them move on. And neither will their bitterest enemy. The Stone wolves is season 11 of the Galactic Football League science fiction series by author Scott Sigler. Enjoy it as a standalone story story or listen to the entire GFL series, beginning with season one. The rookie search for Scott Sigler. S I G L E R Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Fred Greenhalgh (Undertow Podcast Host)]

Hi there, Fred Greenhalgh here, director of audio dramas like DC High Volume, Batman and Star Trek Con. However, my one true love remains all things spooky, and I'm excited to say there's a new season of my horror podcast, Undertow. This season is called Familiar Haunts, standalone horror tales that reveal how the past is never truly gone and humanity may be the most ruthless monster of them all. Here's a sample from the first episode about a man who returns to the house he grew up in after receiving a creepy voicemail from his mother. Let's hear it, shall we? Mike, help me. I'm not alone in here. I'm not alone.

[Elias Embertree]

She's.

[Rowena Granite Pike]

She's walking.

[Fred Greenhalgh (Undertow Podcast Host)]

She's walking toward me. Hear the rest by listening to Familiar Haunts, available on Undertow. Subscribe to Undertow Wherever you get your podcasts, such as the app, you're listening to me right now. In addition to the weekly releases of Familiar haunts, We have 11 previous seasons with everything from werewolf tales to underwater monsters and creepy reincarnated twins. So get your spooky fix by subscribing to Undertow.