Dark Dice – Season 2, Episode 31: "The Wish" (Jan 20, 2026)

Overview

This harrowing episode of Dark Dice thrusts listeners into the aftermath of deadly mistakes, devastating loss, and a magical wish that rewrites reality itself. The battered adventuring party, torn apart by murder, betrayal, and manipulation, is presented with a desperate second chance by way of a powerful artifact. As time is rewound, the survivors must navigate the confusion—and opportunity—of being sent back to before disaster struck. But new tensions, old suspicions, and a ticking clock threaten to upend their new lease on life as they face both literal and figurative ghosts from their past. This chapter emphasizes the complexities of trauma, forgiveness, and fate, setting the stage for a high-stakes “do-over” with the fate of the world at stake.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tragedy and Despair in the Opening Moments

• The episode launches at the tragic scene of Rowena's death at Sorin's hands, soaked in regret and horror. Sorin’s shocked state and the party’s grief are palpable.

  • Memorable moment: Sorin’s futile attempts to “push the brains and bones back into her head” (01:03), immediately setting a tone of gruesome despair.

• Quote: "What have I. What have I done?" — Rowena [00:46]

2. The Wish and Reversal of Fate

• Rowena, in her dying moments, produces a mysterious paw (a wish-granting artifact) and wishes the entire party could return to the village of Ilmeter's Hope, before their tragedy began.

  • Quote: "I wish all of us were back in Illmeter's Hope before any of this happened." — Rowena [04:36]

• The metaphysics of the wish hinge humorously on dice rolls—a 0 on percentile dice is realized to mean 100, granting the wish perfectly.

  • Memorable moment: “I seem to have rolled a zero... I'll take the hundred.” — Rowena [05:01], with the DM confirming the wish’s success [05:30]

3. Awakening in a Second Chance

• The party finds themselves in Ilmeter's Hope, unharmed, alive, and aware they've gone back in time. They quickly realize they inhabit a reality just before critical, tragic events unfolded.
  • Sorin’s shock at his returned pink skin; Rowena’s renewed resolve.
  • Quote: "Combat had not concluded, but all seemed reluctant to be the first to attack." [08:11]

4. Confusion, Suspicion and Exposition

• Both old and new party members, some former antagonists, now find themselves forced to cooperate, but mutual distrust initially hampers open dialogue.

  • They question each other’s motives and revisit past misunderstandings:

    • Warrants for arrest are produced, referencing criminal accusations and monstrous acts [11:24–12:44].
    • Discussions reveal that some party members had been possessed or impersonated by malevolent entities (notably, the Silent One and the Neverborn).

  • Quote: “But you are monsters. We saw you eating someone.” — Sindri [11:43]

• The actual villainy is ascribed to supernatural manipulation and mistaken identities, which several members thankfully come to realize.

  • Quote: "Perhaps this has all just been a big misunderstanding. You truly were just murder puppets." — Rowena [18:27]

5. Purpose, Redemption, and New Objectives

• The group debates their next course of action. They decide not to disrupt the timeline directly by encountering their past selves, instead opting for new and improved plans:

  • Split Missions: One group will try to defeat the Neverborn, the other to stop the Nameless God from awakening. (Team assignments and leaders are designated) [29:14–29:38]
    • Memorable moment: “It seems that we're splitting up between one team that will hunt down the Neverborn and another team that will try to stop the Nameless God from awakening.” — Sorin [29:14]
  • They stress the importance of not running into their past selves and triggering paradoxes [23:06+].

• Forgiveness and moving forward: Significant characters, particularly Rowena and Sorin, find a way to forgive betrayals that were a result of outside influences [17:18–18:27].

6. Time Travel Complications and Planning

• As they orient themselves in Ilmeter’s Hope, they realize the risk: their past selves are somewhere nearby, and interacting could doom their timeline [23:06–25:22].
• The party meticulously hashes out how to maneuver so as not to disrupt "the timeline," relying on their new awareness and sharing memories of previous failures (“We are the tracks that let us in the past. We are the one who leave the doll.” — Sorin [42:07]) to guide them more effectively.

7. Team Dynamics, Growth, and Levity

• Despite trauma and danger, banter and gallows humor shine throughout the episode:
  • Multiple references to buddy systems and the difficulties of adventuring with only three party members (“It's just gonna be a three person buddy system now.” — Rowena [34:40]).
  • Elias’s fists, “Thunder and Lightning,” and shared jokes about survival and trust [47:00+].
  • Running jokes about past traumas, party rations, and even the metaphysics of adventuring [36:46–39:46].

8. The Party Sets Out

• Both groups part ways before dawn, with brief, heartfelt exchanges and minimal fanfare to avoid time-travel complications.
  • Quote: "Meet again as friends. I swear." — Sindri [32:33]
• Sorin, Rowena, Sindri, and (eventually) Elias join forces to seek the Great Gate and prevent the Nameless God from manifesting—their path filled with both hope and resignation to possible sacrifice.

9. Closing Reflections: Hope and Doom

• The party, now more self-aware and bonded, weighs the odds of survival and the necessity of focusing on the greater good.

  • Quote: "You both know that we may not make it out of this, right?" — Sindri [38:20]

• Their final preparations involve ration checks, strategic planning, and poignant, self-deprecating humor about repeating tragic events with the hope of making a better future.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Rowena: "I wish all of us were back in Illmeter's Hope before any of this happened." [04:36]
• Rowena: “I seem to have rolled a zero. ...I'll take the hundred.” [05:01]
• Narrator (on wish fulfillment): "The taunting voice of the Silent One faded...as Sorin’s wish was granted." [05:47]
• Rowena: "You truly were just murder puppets. I...I think I can forgive that." [18:27]
• Sindri: "Look, when I was in the realm of dreams, a sort of evil spirit attached itself to me. A demigod we've come to know as the Neverborn." [13:07]
• Glom: "Any murders on that list of crimes are likely my fault." [20:53]
• Rowena: "It's just gonna be a three person buddy system now." [34:40]
• Sindri: "See, the thing is, if you guys saw him kick that body in there, we can't change that." [36:48]
• Sorin: "We are the tracks that let us in the past. We are the one who leave the doll." [42:07]
• Sindri: "Meet again as friends. I swear." [32:33]
• Sindri: "You both know that we may not make it out of this, right?" [38:20]

Important Timestamps

• [00:32] — Opening: Aftermath of Rowena's death
• [04:36] — Rowena’s wish and magical dice roll
• [05:47] — Wish granted; party returns to Ilmeter's Hope
• [08:27] — Party regroups, assesses situation, and debates trustworthiness
• [13:07] — Reveal and explanation of the Neverborn
• [17:18] — Forgiveness and uncovering the truth about past betrayals
• [23:06–24:27] — Realization of time-loop complications and need to avoid past selves
• [29:14] — Teams split: Neverborn and Nameless God missions
• [34:40] — Reflective and humorous buddy system banter
• [41:16–42:27] — Puzzle about tracking and realizing their own actions influence the original tracks/events
• [46:47] — Expansion of the party as Elias joins and the buddy system is revisited
• [50:49] — Bell rings; party heads into the Dead Pines to attempt their new mission

Takeaway

The Wish is a pivotal and emotional episode where the cast grapples with the weight of their past actions and the cost of a chance at redemption. The supernatural “do-over” is both a blessing and a high-pressure moral quandary, as every step risks unraveling both fate and friendship. Heartbreak and black comedy intertwine as the party struggles to change their world’s destiny—if they can get it right this time.

For listeners, this episode marks a rare crossroads: the convergence of tragedy, myth, and hope, as well as a nuanced look at the responsibilities that come with a second chance, making it a must-listen chapter of Dark Dice’s continuing saga.