C03 - Ep. 05 - Mission Through Middrus - Mined like a Steal Trap

Summary

Tales from the Stinky Dragon Episode C03 - Ep. 05: Mission Through Middrus - Mined like a Steal Trap Release Date: November 27, 2024

Hosted by Stinky Dragon

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Introduction to the Quest

In this fifth episode of Tales from the Stinky Dragon, titled "Mission Through Middrus - Mined like a Steal Trap," the adventurers embark on a perilous mission deep within the exotic lands of Middrus. Guided by their patient Dungeon Master, Gustavo Cerola, the group navigates through treacherous underground caverns, encountering both natural and mystical challenges.

Character Dynamics and Backgrounds

The episode kicks off with the players introducing their characters, each bringing a unique flair to the table:

• Barbara Dunkelman portrays a Male Orc Barbarian, level three, who shares quirky insights into her character’s downtime activities, humorously balancing rugged adventuring with skin care routines. At [04:15], Lindsay Tuggey remarks, “What? Are you adding adjectives?” highlighting the playful banter among the group.

• Jon Risinger takes on the role of Natty Wonder, a drow elf warlock with a mysterious background. He humorously describes his dedication to his energetic son, Gigi, likening him to “an energizer bunny” ([07:28]).

• Doug Boone embodies an Artificial Bugbear, reveling in his role as a battlesmith with a penchant for gardening and a love for puns. His interactions often infuse the session with light-hearted humor, such as when he quips, “Popcorn Doug” at [08:20].

• Chris Damaris plays Gunther the Croak Folk, a male fighter who enjoys dancing and spending time with insects, adding a whimsical element to the group's dynamics.

The Journey Begins: Subterranean Challenges

As the adventurers delve deeper into the underground caverns of Cortege, they face various obstacles:

• Cryptic Puzzles: Early in the session, the group encounters a Cryptex—a complex, three-dialed puzzle device. At [12:17], Gustavo describes it: “It's like a lock for your bike, but usually got something inside of it when you unlock it.” After some deliberation, Lindsay Tuggey cleverly deduces the code “ICE” ([13:07]), successfully unlocking the Cryptex and revealing a fragment of blue metal.

• Flashbacks and Backstories: The unlocking of the Cryptex triggers a memory for Gunther ([14:03]), providing deeper insights into his past and his father’s teachings. Barbara Dunkelman comments on Gunther’s transformation, saying, “He used to sound like this” at [14:34], adding layers to his character development.

Discovery of the Spyglass and Mystical Insights

Further exploration leads the group to discover a spyglass atop a plinth in a star-shaped room adorned with mysterious mosaics:

• Mystical Mosaics: The mosaics depict celestial scenes, including shooting stars and amorphous beings attempting to reach the heavens. Gunther’s keen investigation ([23:38]) uncovers that some mosaics are destroyed, suggesting past conflicts or disasters.

• The Metallic Shoe: A peculiar find—a half-embedded metallic shoe—intrigues the group. Barbara Dunkelman explores its mysterious placement ([49:37]), sparking theories about its origin and purpose.

• Celestial Constellations: Using the spyglass, the adventurers uncover constellations that form celestial patterns, including an arrow pointing towards the clouds and the moon ([64:39]). Jon Risinger muses, “What is your deal, dude?” when interacting with the intricate spyglass mechanics at [61:04].

Encounter with the Magistrate and Climactic Events

The session builds tension as the group progresses through the tunnels:

• Locked Armory: In the armory at Fort Endridge, the team confronts locked chests and discovers mundane digging tools, highlighting the preparedness and resourcefulness of the characters.

• Booby Traps and Ambushes: Attempting to unlock a chest leads to a sticky substance coating Toll ([73:17]), setting the stage for an unexpected ambush by the Magistrate. Barbara Dunkelman’s character is ensnared, prompting a swift and strategic response from the group.

• Cliffhanger Finale: As the episode nears its end, the Magistrate confronts the adventurers, initiating a dramatic showdown. Gustavo Cerola teases, “Find out in the next episode of Tales from the Stinky Dragon,” leaving listeners eager for the ensuing battles and revelations.

Notable Quotes

• Lindsay Tuggey: “When I used Carvana, I found the exact car I was looking for in minutes.” ([01:07])

• Jon Risinger: “He had a tail.” ([14:17])

• Barbara Dunkelman: “It’s very clear, clean o.” ([28:01])

• Doug Boone: “I think that’s a sturdy wall.” ([64:55])

• Lindsay Tuggey: “Hammer time.” ([29:25])

Conclusion and Teasers

Mission Through Middrus - Mined like a Steal Trap masterfully weaves comedy with intricate D&D gameplay, showcasing the camaraderie and creativity of the Stinky Dragon team. The episode concludes on a suspenseful note, promising thrilling encounters and deeper lore in the episodes to follow.

Listeners are left anticipating the next installment, eager to uncover the mysteries of Middrus and the true intentions of the Magistrate.

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Stay Connected: For more adventures, follow Tales from the Stinky Dragon on your favorite podcast platform or visit stinkydragonpod.com.

Transcript

[Gustavo Cerola]

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[Chris Damaris]

Decisions, decisions.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Wait a minute. Are you still looking for cars on Carvana?

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah.

[Chris Damaris]

Decisions, decisions.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

When I used Carvana, I found the exact car I was looking for in minutes. Bought it on the spot, electric or full diesel.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Decisions.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Come on, you've been at it for weeks.

[Michael Reisinger]

Just buy it already. You're right. Crossover it is decisions decided whether know exactly what you want or like to take your time.

[Jon Risinger]

Buy your car the convenient way with Carvana Film Motion Pictures Cinema. If you like those words, then you'll love our Patreon exclusive podcast called Stinky Pop. Just go over to stinkydragonpod.com to show your support and you can watch me, John Risinger and the rest of the Stinky Dragon team talk about a different movie each episode. Watch along with us as we talk about our favorite films. And do not forget, we have tons of other awesome exclusive content for our patrons. So once again go visit stinkydragonpod.com to sign up today. Merry meetings to all you mithril dragons. Soar on into the Stinky Dragon and knock back our latest leaf juice light hard tea. It's a mixture of magic rice, instance rice cakes reflecting tea leaves, a spitting of ginger shards and a wing's worth of water. One draft of this draconic drink and you'll simply want Moria and Moria. Previously, our adventurers entered the underground caverns of Cortege. They subverted steamy subterfuge, searched cells, dealt with demongrals and encountered an earthquake. Next, they assembled with a team, crossed by a crevice and perused through some pits with the croak folks. Cryptex. Latch onto our libation and let's leap into our lore.

[Michael Reisinger]

Hello everyone. Welcome to Tales from the Stinky Dragon. I'm Gustavo Cerola. I'm the dungeon master of this stinky mess. TO Quiet, please. Let me finish my intro. I'll get to you in a second.

[Jon Risinger]

To.

[Michael Reisinger]

I have to welcome our listeners first. I know you're very excited to have had a lot of coffee this morning. It's going to be one of those days.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

It is.

[Michael Reisinger]

Before we dive into everything, though, I'm going to hit our four players with an arrow.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Why would you do this? I was saying hello.

[Michael Reisinger]

What does your character like to do in their downtime? And this arrow was submitted by hypegator69.

[Jon Risinger]

I think we know who should go first.

[Doug Boone]

Who?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

You won't stop talking.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay, sorry.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I'm so eager to say all the things.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

My bad, My bad.

[Chris Damaris]

Oh, man.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yoohoo.

[Katherine Arnold]

It's me.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

TO I am the Male Orc Barbarian, Level three.

[Jon Risinger]

Male Orc barbarian?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

What?

[Jon Risinger]

You're adding adjectives.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yeah, that's what it says on the D Beyond. Gee whiz. Oh, and what I do in my spare time.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

You know, when I was out on the open seas, I'd love to look out onto the oceans and the water and just take in the glory of. Of the nature and all of the, you know, all of the water. But when I got back on land, I realized the importance of skin care. So now it's a lot of moisturizing, sunscreen, and, you know, taking care of my skin because something. You only get one, you know, So I need to make sure that I'm.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I'm not sunburned, you know, you only get one skin. Is that the.

[Jon Risinger]

That's the saying? Yeah, that's the saying.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay. What was your favorite nature on the ocean? I always think of the ocean as not having too much nature when you're looking out and about. I mean, but obviously, you know more than I do. When you look out over the ocean, what's your favorite nature?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Well, sometimes when you look out to the ocean, you can see, like, a little island, and then you stare at it real hard, and then you realize that's not an island. My mind's playing tricks on me.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, no. I have a question. I have a question real quick for Tobe. I like this question, Tobe. What's your favorite fish?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

My favorite fish. Oh, cat.

[Doug Boone]

Is this another. Is this another arrow question being asked?

[Jon Risinger]

You know, he's talking about the nature out in the scene. I figured Tolv knows a lot of fish and probably has figured out his favorite after all that time of staring at the water.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yeah, I mean, sharks are very scary, but I like the dolphins. They're fun.

[Jon Risinger]

Sometimes sharks. That's my. That's my. My thing.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Then.

[Katherine Arnold]

That'S me.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

That's a dolphin.

[Michael Reisinger]

Who's next?

[Jon Risinger]

Howdy, y'all. I'm John Risinger and I play Natty Wonder, who is a drow elf. Warlock. Dark elf. Drow. Dark elf Parentheses.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Drowsy question for you before you get into your answer of your arrow question. And this is something our community has been wondering. Why does Natty have a tail?

[Katherine Arnold]

Oh.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Cause typically, drowsy don't have tails, Right.

[Jon Risinger]

I guess we'll have to find out the answer to that mystery. Oh. The mystery of Natty will reveal itself as time progresses, and she is quite the mystery.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

We'll unwrap this onion layer by layer.

[Jon Risinger]

But I will say, none of y'all know. And that's me saying to the audience, oh, what do I do in my spare time? Well, I think to no surprise of anybody, being a mother is a full time job. And so even in my spare time, I devote as much time as I can and attention as I can to my little Giggy. Because, boy howdy, if I don't get that boy on his treadmill at least three times a day, that boy has so much energy, I swear he's just made of sugar and hype. That boy can just keep going and going. He's like an energizer bunny.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

He's like a hype gator.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

What is the D and D version of a treadmill?

[Jon Risinger]

I just. I put, like, an oil slick on the ground, and I hold his leash and I just let him go, and he'll just go. He'll just go and go and go.

[Michael Reisinger]

I think what you could also do as like, a D and D style treadmill would be to have Gigi attached to, like, a mill. Let him go around pushing the millstone, grinding up grain and corn that way. It's like you're getting use out of that energy.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yeah. Conan the Barbarian.

[Michael Reisinger]

I want to say Gigi was absolutely, absolutely adorable. And Natty might not know this, but Gigi was absolutely adorable in the episode three thumbnail. Looked great.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I love the way. Yeah, The. The art for Giggy is fantastic.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Jon Risinger]

Maddie knows Gigi's adorable. He is perfection incarnate.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Well, he's your son.

[Jon Risinger]

Yes.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Takes after his mom.

[Jon Risinger]

Popcorn Doug.

[Doug Boone]

Oh. Okay. What I. I never heard, I've done before, but based on my assumptions, I assume that means, like, you're passing it to me.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah.

[Doug Boone]

Why not pass the microphone? Well, hello, everybody. My name is Doug Boone. I am a artificial bugbear. And Gus, are we revealing subclasses yet or is that kind of like to be revealed?

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, that's. That's up to you guys. It's. It's whatever you want to share.

[Jon Risinger]

People know what I am.

[Doug Boone]

Okay, perfect. Well, I guess this will be the big reveal. Drum roll, everybody. Doug is a battlesmith.

[Michael Reisinger]

What does that mean?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

What does that.

[Doug Boone]

Oh, you'll find out.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Kind of like.

[Doug Boone]

Kind of like nanny's tail.

[Jon Risinger]

Google it.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

So I call you Doug Boone Smith.

[Michael Reisinger]

Now, only in battle.

[Doug Boone]

Oh yeah. A mistosmith in battle. But in Doug's spell time. You know, this might not come as a shock to anybody, but Doug enjoys weeding, thinking, tinkling.

[Michael Reisinger]

I'm picturing Doug in his garden pulling out weeds now. Yep.

[Doug Boone]

Weeding, weeding.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, right, right, right. Sorry, Doug.

[Doug Boone]

Let me say it one more time. Weeding. Big gardener with my books. Yeah, you know, Doug always is trying to improve his studies and learn more about the world.

[Jon Risinger]

So what's the latest book you read?

[Doug Boone]

The latest book I read was how to be a good godparent to your friend's weird baby for dummies.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's good to know. Very important. I'm glad Doug's taking it seriously. And is not, you know, does not just taking this lightly. You gotta really know.

[Doug Boone]

Well, yeah. Doug never really had any kids of his own or any nephews or nieces. And so this is kind of his first experience with the little ones.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, it's a very specific target audience with that book. They've sold five copies.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

What's Doug's opinion on Sarah J. Maas?

[Doug Boone]

Oh, Doug. Doug's heard of those books. He hasn't. He hasn't been allowed to weed those yet.

[Chris Damaris]

Oh, okay.

[Jon Risinger]

I. I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Chris Damaris]

I don't know.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

A court of thorns.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, that's the author of that.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay.

[Doug Boone]

Popcorn to gunshot.

[Jon Risinger]

There you go.

[Chris Damaris]

I'm Chris Damaris and I play Gunther the croak folk. He's a male fighter, level three. Kind of looks like a frog.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Cool.

[Chris Damaris]

And for passing time, I like to dance. But I do not dance as much by myself now. But I also enjoy spending time with animals.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Oh.

[Michael Reisinger]

Any specific animals?

[Chris Damaris]

Bugs.

[Doug Boone]

I don't know if those are qualified as animals, but.

[Chris Damaris]

Okay.

[Doug Boone]

More insects.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

What kind of dancing do you do, Gunther?

[Chris Damaris]

Leapfrog.

[Jon Risinger]

Do you dance? If you wanna.

[Michael Reisinger]

I was gonna make that joke.

[Jon Risinger]

I beat you. I beat you to it. Guys.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

He left his friends behind.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Can you demonstrate to dance, Gunther?

[Chris Damaris]

Not by myself.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Can I dance with You, Gunther, can you leapfrog? I certainly can try.

[Chris Damaris]

Let us go.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay, both of you make performance checks.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Ooh, I'm imagining that to can't jump like that. To me is my head.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh man.

[Chris Damaris]

I rolled a 1:14.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I stomp on Gunther.

[Michael Reisinger]

I think gu, you probably start trying to dance, but it's been a while and you've got some performance anxiety dancing in front of your friends for the first time. So you just leapfrog right into trolls knees.

[Chris Damaris]

Yeah, you, you like lift kick. You do a kick and I just jump into it.

[Michael Reisinger]

Gunther was flying off into the distance. So that's how you're gonna start the episode. Have to go retrieve Gunther. It's an iron cryptix, which is a type of puzzle.

[Jon Risinger]

I read da Vinci's code.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's got three dials on it.

[Katherine Arnold]

What are the different. Like are there characters? Is it words on the.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's letters.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Letters.

[Chris Damaris]

What are the letters?

[Michael Reisinger]

It's like every letter in the Alphabet on all three dials.

[Jon Risinger]

So a three letter word would unlock it?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh yeah. Like you have to figure out the word to.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Unlock it.

[Doug Boone]

Yeah.

[Jon Risinger]

It's like a. Like a lock for your bike.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, exactly.

[Jon Risinger]

But it's usually got something inside of it when you unlock it. And then it tells you that Jesus actually had kids and the secret's hidden in the bottom of the Louvre and you're Tom Hanks.

[Chris Damaris]

I think I know the answer to this, but I don't think it's something that's a word that Gunther would know.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, what's your thought process? Like how did you get here?

[Chris Damaris]

Three letter word that would melt or that would create water that's a crystal.

[Katherine Arnold]

Has Gunther shared the information from the scroll and all this stuff?

[Chris Damaris]

Oh yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Hey, Gunther. Something I have a lot of experience with, but maybe you do not because you are from the arid desert. There's this stuff called ice spelled I C, E. You try that.

[Michael Reisinger]

Ice.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yeah. You know what water is?

[Chris Damaris]

Yes.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

So imagine like it's like really cold and then that water, okay. It hardens and then it turns into a crystal called ice.

[Chris Damaris]

With magic?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Well, you know, with weather and climate change, you know, but like the good kind of climate change maybe. I don't know. Something we're probably not experiencing. I don't know.

[Chris Damaris]

Gunther nods, but doesn't get it.

[Michael Reisinger]

But just trust me.

[Chris Damaris]

Hands you to hand you the thing.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okay.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay.

[Jon Risinger]

Thank you.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

And then I scroll in ice.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You rotate the device around so that the lock reads I C, E. Show me ice. With a click, the Cryptix open.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

No.

[Michael Reisinger]

As you do so, Gunther, a memory is triggered. You recall something inside your mind. You're a little croakling, about 13 years old with warts peppering your cheeks. What was Gunther like when he was a teenager?

[Jon Risinger]

He had a tail.

[Chris Damaris]

No tail? No.

[Jon Risinger]

Like a tad.

[Chris Damaris]

You lose your tail, you lose your tail, you lose your tail.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Wait, when did Gunther's voice change? Yeah, when did Gunther go through frog puberty?

[Doug Boone]

He used to sound like this.

[Michael Reisinger]

I love it.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

So, what was he like? What was he like?

[Katherine Arnold]

What was Gunther like?

[Chris Damaris]

I think he was very into exploring. Like one of those kids who likes to go play in the creek.

[Michael Reisinger]

Sure.

[Chris Damaris]

But there was no creek. It was a.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

It was desert.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And it was the croak.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. So an explorer. It seems like you wanted to see what else was out in the world, is what I'm gathering from what you said. Well, at the time, you were helping your father, Gottfried Bootkiss Windbreaker, on your farm, tending to a swarm of flies. You remember your father Gottfried's a sinewy croque folk with yellowish skin, a sinewy frame, and glossy eyes. He may be a little spacey, but he is definitely very solemn within his beliefs. Gunther, did you ever have a nickname for your father? Or did you just call him dad?

[Jon Risinger]

Pa. Pa. Pa, Pa. Why did it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Take you so long to do that?

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah. Leave that time in. Leave that blank air in.

[Michael Reisinger]

You recall in this memory, as you were helping your father on the farm, that one fly in particular goes astray from the swarm, and you needed to head out and rein it back in. What did you do at that time to get that fly back in with the rest of the swarm?

[Chris Damaris]

First I go and I try to get the net, the fly net. But I also try and talk to the fly.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, do they respond to that?

[Chris Damaris]

Sometimes if you're nice. Then I talk and they say, it's okay.

[Doug Boone]

It's all one.

[Chris Damaris]

But I sounded different.

[Michael Reisinger]

Did you ever get, like, attached to any of them? I know sometimes people on farms have, like, a favorite animal.

[Chris Damaris]

Yes, yes, yes. Because if you stick your tongue out, they get attached.

[Michael Reisinger]

Is that good or bad for them?

[Chris Damaris]

Depends on if you eat them.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay. I kind of figured that's where that was going. Your father, Gottfried, taught you lessons throughout your life. They really shaped you and formed you as you were growing up. She was very particular about protecting the croque folk ways and traditions and your home. And you remember a story that he told you at the time when you brought back this fly to the swarm?

[Chris Damaris]

Yes, I Remember it like it was yesterday. What? What was it?

[Jon Risinger]

Why don't you read to me?

[Michael Reisinger]

What? The story.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I remember it like it was yesterday. What was it?

[Michael Reisinger]

Your father. When you returned with the fly, your father told you.

[I]

Can you imagine what this fly has heard, Gunther? What secrets it could spill to the rest of the world? We cannot let any, anyone or anything wander astray from our home. We must protect our secrets. And what is our most sacred secret? Gunther?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Table toe.

[I]

Very good. Just between us croak folk, we must know our sacred secret. Is our deity the one true God? The Wilder Flower. She gave us this land. She blesses us with croaklings, like you. And she protects us from the forbidden folk beyond our border. That's how it works. We protect her, she protects us. Do you remember my favorite proverb? The one I'm always telling you? Tame your tongue or tie it taut.

[Chris Damaris]

Tame your tongue or tie it taught.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I like Gus doing a Gunther impression as Gus.

[Michael Reisinger]

No, that's Gottfried. That's Gottfried. It's a totally different character. Not Gunther at all.

[Katherine Arnold]

Also known as Papa.

[Jon Risinger]

I don't mean to undermine Papa's wisdom, but when he said, imagine what this fly has seen. Flies live about 28 days. So you're talking about traditional flies.

[Michael Reisinger]

Well, flies also have a different perspective on the world. I will give that. You know, we are terrestrial. We operate in two dimensions, whereas a fly gets to operate in three dimensions.

[Katherine Arnold]

Oh, also, you ever think about, you know, when the fly gets in your car and then you drive to, like, Dallas, and then you let it out, and then it's like, I'm across the universe. You know, maybe that happened to that fly. Maybe he's seen things.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay, very true.

[Michael Reisinger]

I think about that sometimes when I'm on a plane and there's, like, a fly or an insect. Like, man, this insect is going further than, like. For millennia, insects lived in a tiny little radius around a specific place. This one's going on an adventure.

[Katherine Arnold]

This is the Neil Armstrong of flies. Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

It has no idea. It's not going to know anyone when we get to la. It's going to.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

It's going to get kids at home.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, man. Okay. The memory fades. Gunther. And then you refocus on what's in front of you. The cryptex.

[Chris Damaris]

And it opens up and.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So we're back to present day now, right?

[Katherine Arnold]

Present day, yeah.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Gunther, you just kind of zoned out for a while.

[Michael Reisinger]

There you go.

[Chris Damaris]

I'm sorry.

[Doug Boone]

He kind of looks the same to me. His eyes just kind of, like, going off on either side or something like that.

[Michael Reisinger]

You pop open the Cryptix, and inside you find a sharp fragment of blue metal. And it feels cool to the touch. And it looks kind of like it could be the shard of a blade.

[Jon Risinger]

Blue metal?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, it's a sharp fragment of blue metal.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Do you think? Well, I guess I wouldn't know this, but just by being players in this D and D campaign, we obviously heard what Gunther's, like, flashback memory was and what his parents said to him potentially.

[Michael Reisinger]

Mm. I mean, that's a metagame thing, but that.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

A metagame.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Maybe Gunther would have shared it at some point. I don't know. Gunther, is that something you would have shared? Because you all have known each other for a little while now by this point.

[Jon Risinger]

Can I roll to see if Gigi tries to eat the shard?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

What role would that be?

[Michael Reisinger]

I would have you make a. I guess a sleight of hand check, But I would give at disadvantage because it's going to be very targeted. But I do want to hear Chris answer about that first.

[Jon Risinger]

Go for it.

[Chris Damaris]

I think Gunther would have talked about his deity.

[Katherine Arnold]

So he would have broken his dad's promise to his dad.

[Chris Damaris]

Well, like, not in specifics.

[Katherine Arnold]

Oh, okay.

[Chris Damaris]

Like, just more about his faith. Does that make sense?

[Katherine Arnold]

Yeah. And maybe generally about his relationship with his dad and stuff like that.

[Chris Damaris]

I don't know if he would talk about his dad as much.

[Katherine Arnold]

Oh, maybe.

[Chris Damaris]

Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay.

[Chris Damaris]

Not yet. But he. I think he would have talked about his general beliefs, like, open about that. He is religious.

[Michael Reisinger]

Sure. It's like your dad always said, tame your tongue or tie it. Taught.

[Jon Risinger]

Say that 10 times fast.

[Michael Reisinger]

Anyway, back to your question. Jon, make me a slider. Hand check, but at disadvantage.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay. First I had to roll. See, if Gigi was gonna do it. He is gonna do it.

[Katherine Arnold]

Oh, no.

[Jon Risinger]

Slide a hand on Giggy.

[Michael Reisinger]

Cause I assume he's just gonna try to grab it, right?

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah. Well, he's trying to eat it. Yeah, he's trying to eat it.

[Michael Reisinger]

But, like, in order to put it in his mouth with his hand, he's gonna try it.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, he's going from mouth. He's going mouth to mouth.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, sleight of mouth, I guess. Which in this case, there's slehand.

[Jon Risinger]

I gotta see what his modifier is for. What is that, Dex?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Okay.

[Jon Risinger]

It's plus three.

[Michael Reisinger]

Who's a dexterous little guy?

[Chris Damaris]

Do I make, like, an opposing one?

[Michael Reisinger]

We'll see how this goes, and then we'll have you do that.

[Jon Risinger]

18 at disadvantage.

[Michael Reisinger]

Wow.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, I rolled a 15 and a 16 plus three.

[Michael Reisinger]

Dexterous little booger.

[Katherine Arnold]

I might roll an opposing roll with Gunther too, because this seems important.

[Michael Reisinger]

In that case, I would have Gunther either make a strength or dexterity check his choice and then toll make a dexterity dexterity check to assist.

[Chris Damaris]

Okay, I rolled a four plus four for an eight.

[Katherine Arnold]

I rolled a 20 on dexterity.

[Michael Reisinger]

Ooh, Gunther. You get lost in thought looking at this blue shard. And Gigi comes up, mouth first, about to swallow the blade, when at the last second, Tolv steps in and does that thing where, like, an adult picks up a little kid who's wandering around, and, like, Tolv just picks him up, like, under the armpits, like good old Uncle Tov.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Ooh, distraction, distraction.

[Michael Reisinger]

Hello, Gigi.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Let's look over here.

[Jon Risinger]

Gigi is like, like, doing the whole, like a dog that's wriggling in your arms, and he's trying to, like, like, lick you and slobber you and try to get you and, like, maybe a few little, like, playful nips.

[Michael Reisinger]

Like, like.

[Jon Risinger]

Like little things.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

So cute. So precious.

[Jon Risinger]

At you.

[Chris Damaris]

Do I recognize or know anything about this piece of metal?

[Michael Reisinger]

Make me a either wisdom or history check. I'll leave it to your discretion.

[Chris Damaris]

The wisdom. Dang, I got bad rolls. Nine.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. What's going on? Normally, Chris, you have really good rolls. It's unusual for you. I don't think I mentioned in this episode. I mentioned it in the previous episode. This Cryptix was on or was being held by a croak folk or a deceased Croque folk. And on that Croak folk you saw, there was a tattoo on its arm. It was two intersecting Ws. And you think that this particular shard of metal that you're holding has some relevance to your deity or to Kroakfolk?

[Katherine Arnold]

As a reminder, there was a tattoo of a fiery flower. And Tolv wouldn't know this, but Blaine knows this, that the deity is the Wilderflower.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

So that must be the Wilderflower.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could be. Where was that tattoo?

[Jon Risinger]

The flower one on the croak folk body in the cage on its arm.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

As well as the two intersecting W's.

[Michael Reisinger]

Correct.

[Jon Risinger]

Two intersecting W's. Like Weezer or what?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Like, are they, like, overlapping?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

It's a huge Weezer fan. Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

W and W side by side, overlapping. Not the Weezer one's, like, one on top of that.

[Jon Risinger]

They're, like, right on top of each other. Okay.

[Michael Reisinger]

Right. Yeah.

[Jon Risinger]

So which band is this one?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

The Filter Flower.

[Michael Reisinger]

The Filter Flower. So you guys are still in this room with the 12 pits, 10 of which are charred, two of which have deceased prisoners in them. And you all are in the northwest corner of this circular room. And just to let you know, in case you don't have your notes, this is a circular room about 35ft wide with 30 foot high ceilings. The only exit visible is to the north. And that's where you all encountered a team in the crevice. There you go. Blaine's got his map. You are correct, Blaine.

[Chris Damaris]

Mine washed away.

[Michael Reisinger]

Barbara, that's good too. You got it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Wait, what Washed away?

[Katherine Arnold]

He drew it on his hand.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, right.

[Katherine Arnold]

He tried for five days. He went without washing his hands.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I saw it attracts.

[Michael Reisinger]

I think I can see yours now, Jon. Yeah, got it. Looks good.

[Jon Risinger]

I want credit too, you three for.

[Michael Reisinger]

Drawing a map that you can reference. All three of you get inspiration dice.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yay.

[Jon Risinger]

I used my homework. Who doesn't have inspiration dice?

[Chris Damaris]

I don't have one.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay, then I gift one to Gunther.

[Chris Damaris]

That's very kind of you.

[Katherine Arnold]

It's mighty big of you, Jon.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, yeah.

[Chris Damaris]

As long as it's not against the intent of the assignment from.

[Michael Reisinger]

You cheated. You're looking at his homework and you copied it, Chris. That's what happened here.

[Jon Risinger]

Dude, I'm using, like, highlighters. I'm doing everything.

[Doug Boone]

Dang.

[Katherine Arnold]

Chris walked up to the turn in homework thing, said, oops, I forgot to write my name, went back to his desk, quickly scribbled the map, and then turned it in.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, that's exactly what happened.

[Jon Risinger]

I 100% helped some popular people with their homework in order to get credit.

[Katherine Arnold]

What are they doing now, John?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Are they.

[Katherine Arnold]

Are they a professional podcaster?

[Jon Risinger]

D and D player?

[Katherine Arnold]

I don't think so.

[Jon Risinger]

I don't think so. But who knows?

[Katherine Arnold]

How many followers do they have on the Patreon?

[Jon Risinger]

I have not kept up with anybody from my past.

[Katherine Arnold]

You're number one, John.

[Jon Risinger]

Thank you. Don't forget it.

[Michael Reisinger]

I'm not going to make a ruling right now, but I might change the gifting inspiration die rule eventually to where if you gift it, the person has to use it immediately. It must be in the moment where they can use it to avoid.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay.

[Michael Reisinger]

To avoid rewarding lack of note taking.

[Katherine Arnold]

We are breaking the inspiration die economy with our actions, and it's. We got to be careful. All right.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, it's very delicate.

[Jon Risinger]

I can just give it to Gigi if you want, instead of Gunther.

[Michael Reisinger]

No, no, no, it's fine. The Fed is controlling the interest on inspiration Die right now. We're expecting some. Some rate cuts, which Would really hopefully spur some spending.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay, so we haven't left the position. We are in the room in the. In the north area. Okay. We haven't left that spot, but we did check all the holes.

[Michael Reisinger]

Correct. I believe that this one was like the last one you checked. You all entered, and then you went east and then went all the way through all of the different pits. And this was either the last one or the next to the last one. And There were only two out of all 12. Only two of them had bodies. And this was the final one you checked.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay. Hey, y'all.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Hi.

[Jon Risinger]

Point of order. There doesn't seem to be any sort of exactly it out of this room. So in the event that we feel like we have properly investigated everything in here, y'all, the only place that I recall we haven't been through was that first place with all the cages. There was a. A doorway to the east that we didn't go through. I think the dogs came through there.

[Doug Boone]

The dogs?

[Michael Reisinger]

Who let the dogs out?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Who.

[Michael Reisinger]

Who.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Who did let the dogs out? What happened to make the dogs come in again? We did something right.

[Jon Risinger]

Alarm.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You all allowed the whistle to sound initially, when Natty stepped on the steps going up to the bench, a whistle positioned itself over the steam vent, which was covered at the time. But then you all uncovered it to allow it to make the sound. And then immediately after that is when the dog showed up. The demongrals showed up.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Nadi, I have something as well to add to that.

[Jon Risinger]

The floor recognizes tauv.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okay. Two things. One, there was the rubble. Ex it to the north of the last room. So there's that. And then two. GG has taken a number two and needs a diaper change.

[Doug Boone]

I'll do it. I. I read about this in my book.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, that'd be great, Doug. Normally he just eats it, but if you want to change it, that'd be that work as well.

[Michael Reisinger]

Good Lord.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

He just licked me, guys.

[Doug Boone]

I. I think he ate it. I'm not seeing anything in there.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

It's very clear, clean o.

[Jon Risinger]

We did have the rubble. Did you want to take a stab at that rubble and see if we could clear some of it?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I probably wouldn't stab rubble. I think it would hurt my sword. But we can try moving the rubble. Sure.

[Jon Risinger]

You have a sword?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

No, I have an axe. I have an axe.

[Jon Risinger]

I thought you had a hammer.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Oh, good God. I have a hammer. I have a hammer.

[Doug Boone]

So why don't you just check right now just to make sure we know what equipment you got?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Let me make sure my shield.

[Michael Reisinger]

Can I take an inspiration dive back.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I have a shield and I have a warhammer.

[Michael Reisinger]

Is it a one handed hammer or a two handed hammer?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Well, if I have the shield out, it's a two one handed hammer.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Two one handed.

[Jon Risinger]

It's a two one handed hammer. Gus.

[Michael Reisinger]

21 hands.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah.

[Katherine Arnold]

I have the opportunity to do two handed attack.

[Jon Risinger]

You can swing it with two handed.

[Katherine Arnold]

With with a 1D 10 plus 3 or one handed attack. 1D 8 plus 3. But I am choosing to keep it as a one handed so that I can continue to use my shield.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah. Okay. Well, you seem to have the tool needed with your hammer that you never forget you have. So stop.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Hammer time. So very rude.

[Katherine Arnold]

Sorry I didn't get you off.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Your top was so hot.

[Jon Risinger]

Tove, you're going to kill me someday with these jokes. I swear. You need to do stand up. Okay.

[Doug Boone]

I think he might accidentally kill you.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

By forgetting what weapon he has.

[Jon Risinger]

Bonjour. Matti Confessus here. And I wanted to talk to you a little bit about what it is like being a small business owner and trying to grow said business. You see, I was running into some problems. I could always bake more croissants or muffins. But I was having a difficult time making more sales. But then I stumbled upon a little secret. I want to tell you that secret right now.

[Michael Reisinger]

So come here.

[Jon Risinger]

Real close. Real close. The secret is Shopify. Of course it's Shopify. You know Shopify. I know Shopify. I use it now. And I upgraded my business and I upgraded the way that I sell things. I have an online store. I am shipping bread everywhere over Grotesque. So many sales, so many shopping carts. I love it and I want you to love it too. So I'm going to give you a little hand. And if you go to Shopify, you can get a $1 per month trial period. That's just from me to you. So go to shopify.com dragon you upgrade your business and you get the same checkout I use with Shopify. I'm going to say it one more time. Shopify.com dragon merci.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

This show is made possible in thanks to support from heroforge. Thank you Hero Forge for sponsoring today's episode of Stinky Dragon. Hero Forge uses fully customizable tabletop miniatures. With dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from. Their easy to use design tool lets you build your perfect miniature online using a fully 3D in depth character creator right in your web browser. They also offer custom minis in a variety of materials including color printed options. I personally made myself a little Elga Von Brath miniature. I was very specific on her details. I took quite some time to customize her perfectly, but there was so much to choose from. So many little details I could add to make her look exactly how I pictured her. Hero Forge also offers downloadable model files for users to 3D print their unique designs at home. They are constantly expanding their catalog of customization options, Adding new parts every week and major features like new species and custom posing on a regular basis. They also recently added Face Customizer, which is an innovative feature offering an accessory extensive selection of edible areas including the scalp, eyebrows, nose, jawline and more. So you could really fine tune every aspect of your miniature. Make them look exactly how you pictured. The Hero Forge 2.0 color technology allows you to create your perfect miniature in color with advanced features like decals, makeup, war paint and more. Design your unique miniature and get it printed in full color. No painting needed. Your role playing world is colorful and now your miniatures can be too. With Heroforge Custom Color Minis. Go over to Heroforge.com and use the code STINKY to get 5% off all orders of physical miniatures. Once again, that's Heroforge.com use the code STINKY.

[Jon Risinger]

Is anybody else out there like me where they like the idea of giving gifts, but they're terrible at like the whole process of finding something good worth giving. Hi John. Here, let's spark something uncommon this holiday. With just the right gift from Uncommon Goods. I found Uncommon Goods. I browsed through their website. I was looking for stuff to give my girlfriend. I found some really cool little handcrafted products. You know, the kind that are made in like small batches by artists or small independent businesses. I got them shipped and I gave them to my girlfriend and she loved every single one of them because they were interesting and unique and different and not like the crummy gifts you would find elsewhere. And I got an extra win out of that because with every purchase you make at Uncommon Goods, they also give back a dollar to a nonprofit partner of your choice when you make your purchase. And they've donated more than $3 million to date, which is pretty awesome. What is extra awesome is you guys can actually get an extra 15% off your next gift if you use our link and you go to uncommongoods.com stinky again, I'm going to say that one more time. That's uncommongoods.com stinky for 15% off. Don't miss out on this limited time Offer. That's uncommon goods. We're all out of the ordinary. Let's go. Let's go do some mining. How about that?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okie dokie.

[Doug Boone]

Don't mind if I do. Am I killing you with my jokes.

[Jon Risinger]

Daddy Doug, I adore your wit.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, thank you.

[Jon Risinger]

Let's go.

[Doug Boone]

I read that in my book of puns that I carry with me.

[Michael Reisinger]

So you walk back to the north, and this room is also circular, but a little smaller than the room you were just in. This one is probably about 25ft across with 20 foot high ceilings. It smells of fresh earth and iron. And there's a handful of unfinished iron bars and cages that lay around the room, along with an anvil, an unlit furnace, and some smith's tools. And if I recall, I believe Gunther investigated those smith's tools and may have picked some up the last time y'all were in here.

[Chris Damaris]

He didn't pick any up because he already had some, but he did look an investigation, investigate, and look in the hearth.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And we didn't give them to anyone else that didn't have them. Blacksmithing tools, smithing tools.

[Chris Damaris]

Anyone wants them.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Do we have a smith?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, they're still here if somebody wants them.

[Jon Risinger]

Do we have a smith? Is there a smith in the room?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Smith?

[Doug Boone]

I. I mean, I'm a battlesmith.

[Jon Risinger]

Paradise.

[Doug Boone]

I already have smithing tools. I believe you should let me double check. Like, my friend Tolv checked his weapons as.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

What weapons?

[Doug Boone]

I actually could use these smith tools if I could pick them up.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, sure, go for it.

[Jon Risinger]

Does Doug have like little baggies or is he just stuffed stuff in his hair?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

He's got a little satchel that's adorable.

[Jon Risinger]

But it's like way smaller than it should be for a big guy like that. It's just like a little. Just a little. A little fanny pack that he holds over his shoulder and he puts his stuff in it.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

It has all the pins from all the conventions he's been to.

[Michael Reisinger]

I love that. In addition, there are two exits that you can see. The one to the south that you all just came out of, the one to the east that you came out of previously. And you know there is one to the north covered by rubble. And a team told you that it was due to the earthquake. A team is also here in the room. Three of them seem to be ill, suffering ill effects from the gas that they told you about before. And there's also a large chasm in the middle of this room that Tolv had previously saved someone from falling into.

[Jon Risinger]

You had said the chasm was also not super deep, if I recall correctly.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. I said that it seemed to be fairly shallow. I don't know if anyone went and necessarily, like, looked into it or tried to assess it, but it seemed since it was fairly fresh, I think you all assumed that it was pretty shallow.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And they were all kind of shaky when we found them, Right?

[Michael Reisinger]

Correct.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Was it from the gas or was it because they ran into someone?

[Jon Risinger]

Gus has said the gas?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, they said it was because of the gas in the previous room that was spewing out of the geyser. Cool.

[Jon Risinger]

Tauf, I tell you what, let's 1, 2 of these rocks, and I'm gonna eldritch blast them to soften them up, and then you do what you do. Bass.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Ooh, teamwork.

[Katherine Arnold]

Yeah, I'm down for that. I think I would clear the area and probably move or assist a team in moving away from the blast radius of. I'm assuming what this eldritch blast will create.

[Jon Risinger]

Natty's going to eldritch blast to try to soften up the rocks and then let Tolv take over with his hammer. Does Tolv want to double hand it?

[Michael Reisinger]

Sure.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I'll put away my shield.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Two one hand.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's weird to me that it's 1d8 for one hand and 1d10 for two hand. It's, like, not that much better. It should be like, 1d8 for one hand or 2d6 for two hand or something like that, where you have, like, more assured damage on the low end and the mean is going to be a little bit higher.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

That makes sense.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's weird to me.

[Jon Risinger]

You can change that if you're God.

[Michael Reisinger]

That might be different in 2024. I haven't looked at the new ruleset yet, but maybe we'll look at that at some point. We're still playing fifth edition. Okay, so where do you want to move them, Tolv? In this circular room to get people.

[Katherine Arnold]

Out of the way closer to the south, near the exit or entrance to the other circular room, perhaps?

[Michael Reisinger]

Sure.

[Katherine Arnold]

If it's 25ft away, then minimum 20ft away from the boulders.

[Michael Reisinger]

So private Draenokandranos is still okay and can help you drag some people to the south because she is the medic for a team anyway, so she was helping to stabilize them and get them in a good place. So once you explain the plan to her, she begrudgingly agrees and begins helping you move people to the south part of the room.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Tolv, why begrudging we're trying to help you, dude.

[Doug Boone]

I can help you. I'm not very strong, but I'd be happy to help.

[Michael Reisinger]

Ah, sure. Doug pitches in as well. Doug and Tolv, both of you make perception checks for me while you're doing this.

[Jon Risinger]

Mysterious things are happening.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I rolled a seven, rolled a nine.

[Katherine Arnold]

I'm gonna use my inspo. I think it's worth it.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

And I have faith that I'll get another back.

[Jon Risinger]

And I wish I had done what I wanted to do before you did that.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

16.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay. As you all are moving a team to the South Tolkien, you get a quick glance down the chasm. It looks to be about 20ft deep. And you think you see some columns down there at the bottom.

[Jon Risinger]

Columns? Like as in like they were broken and they're like laying there or they're.

[Michael Reisinger]

Like standing up, like standing upright. Like there may be a Micah, he said a newspaper. Like support columns that are still standing vertically.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Are these columns by any chance white?

[Michael Reisinger]

It's very dark down there and it's hard to see. I don't know if Toll would be.

[Jon Risinger]

Natty, cast dancing lights.

[Michael Reisinger]

First of all, Tov, I presume you tell your party what you see down there.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I keep it to secret.

[Katherine Arnold]

No, I'll be like Natty, if the.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Boulder thing doesn't work. There's also some prospects down below. I see columns like in a newspaper.

[Jon Risinger]

I was gonna cast this anyways to help with any sort of like checks in here, but I'm glad that we have an extra reason to. So I am casting dancing lights. I create four torch sized lights within range and they cast a dim light that can shed light in a 10 foot radius.

[Michael Reisinger]

Gunther, do you want to dance with them?

[Chris Damaris]

Not by himself.

[Michael Reisinger]

They're dancing lights.

[Jon Risinger]

You know what's funny in the description of it? You can also combine the four lights into one glowing, vaguely humanoid form of medium size. Wow. So I'm going to make a little dancer that's dancing around little dancing next to Gunther and see if it like inspires a little bit of some boogie.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Oh, shimmy, shimmy.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, you can dance if you want to. You can leave your friends behind.

[Jon Risinger]

How many times can we make that joke?

[Doug Boone]

Please don't.

[Michael Reisinger]

Your friends don't dance.

[Jon Risinger]

I put the lights. Sorry, Barb, did you want to throw another bad joke in there?

[Doug Boone]

I was just going to say, yeah, I would love to contribute to this podcast as well. Yeah. Doug dances because he doesn't want to be left behind.

[Jon Risinger]

So.

[Katherine Arnold]

It'S good.

[Jon Risinger]

The mental image of Doug dancing brings me joy.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

He just shimmies his belly.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That butt's gotta be. Got a lot of shake to it. Yeah. Dancing lights to shed some light in the whole room, especially the chasm.

[Michael Reisinger]

Sure. Once the lights begin illuminating, you can see that at the bottom of the crevice, there's a dark chamber with crumbling columns, and walls seem to be sparkling with mosaics of some kind.

[Jon Risinger]

Chasm opened up. View into a room below.

[Michael Reisinger]

Correct.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Can we see what color the columns are?

[Michael Reisinger]

What's the range on dancing lights?

[Jon Risinger]

Well, the fun thing is that I can move them.

[Chris Damaris]

Oh, that's cool.

[Jon Risinger]

So I move them to the columns.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, but up to how far? What's the range?

[Jon Risinger]

120Ft.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, okay. Yeah. Plenty of space. Once the lights start moving closer to the columns, you can see that the walls are sparkling with mosaics. And in the center of the room, there's a plinth with something on it.

[Jon Risinger]

What's up?

[Chris Damaris]

A plinth?

[Michael Reisinger]

It's like a stand, a deus. Kind of like something you would put an object on.

[Chris Damaris]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I've never heard that word in my life.

[Michael Reisinger]

Well, we're an educational podcast.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah. Plinth. I learned plant. I learned piton.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Micah says it's a heavy base supporting a statue or vase. As the lights move around the room, you can see that the mosaics depict scenes of a story of some kind. But some of the walls seem to be marred, and certain scenes are lost.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, BBDonks. Why are you so curious about the white columns? I'm not recalling what you're referencing.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

What's up? What is that?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Well, I don't want to spoil anything from previous campaigns, but I do remember there being things that we thought were giant columns that ended up being something else. So I was, like, just wondering if there was any type of similarity.

[Jon Risinger]

Well, I feel like if people are listening to this campaign, we're allowed to talk about previous campaigns.

[Chris Damaris]

I don't know.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Just in case.

[Michael Reisinger]

Just in case. Couldn't hurt.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I'll bite my tongue.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

It sounds to me like we should probably try to make our way down here to investigate this place. I know Doug would be very curious to look at these. Yeah, yeah, I'm down with that.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I'm down, too. And tactically speaking, I think it makes sense to go stealthy. And instead of blowing a big old.

[Jon Risinger]

Hole and moving a bunch of boulders 20ft down.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Chris Damaris]

And then are the pillars somewhere? Like, are they higher up? So it's like you could jump onto a pillar and then jump down.

[Katherine Arnold]

I imagine they're floor to ceiling?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, they're floor to ceiling. Like, they were supporting the ceiling. I would say the ones directly under the crevice have broken because of the earthquake, but they are still higher than the 20ft. Like, they're still higher than the floor. So if you wanted to, you could try to jump down on, like, one that's partially broken and then work your way down from there.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

You know, being a former sailor and working with the, you know, sails and such, I have a lot of rope, so I can just, you know, toss the rope down and have you guys climb that way. No one's jumping.

[Michael Reisinger]

Let's do it. Yeah.

[Katherine Arnold]

Then I'm going to find mentioned there's, like, a lot of bars and, like, it sounds like equipment and machinery and stuff like that in this room. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll tether the rope to one end of that, and then I'll toss the rest of it down.

[Michael Reisinger]

Let me do something here real fast for secret myself. Nothing I'm not. You don't need to do. You don't need to worry about it. No, no, no.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Let me see. Let me see.

[Michael Reisinger]

No, no, don't look. This one's just for me.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay. Let Gus have his thing.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You tie off a very sturdy knot, using your vast sailing knowledge around the anvil and toss a rope down into the crevice below. Who's gonna go down first?

[Doug Boone]

I would love to investigate, if that's okay with you guys.

[Jon Risinger]

Let Doug go.

[Doug Boone]

All right, how does it work?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

If Doug is, like, over 7ft tall, it's not a huge amount of space for him to, like, kind of lower himself down and let go. Right.

[Michael Reisinger]

You could also do what Gunther was getting at, which is like, lower yourself onto a column and then get down that way. Yeah. Since Doug is 7ft tall, it's not crazy.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay, I will try to do that. My only problem is I'm heavy, so I don't want to break anything.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You lower yourself gingerly down onto a column and then hop down to the floor below.

[Doug Boone]

Okay, let's see. Let's see. What do I.

[Michael Reisinger]

You look around, and I assume Natty has moved the lights in like she said earlier. And you see the mosaics on the wall. And now that you're down here, you get a better view of them. The first one you look at shows shooting stars falling from the heavens.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Stars falling from the heavens.

[Michael Reisinger]

The second mosaic you turn and look at shows translucent beings reaching up to the heavens.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Translucent?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Jon Risinger]

What kind of beings? Like, humanoid, amorphous.

[Michael Reisinger]

The beings seem to Be somewhat amorphous.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Amorphous.

[Michael Reisinger]

The next one you look at just seems to be destroyed. It's burned and marred, and it's too destroyed to be able to really tell what was there before.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Are there any pieces left? Enough. Do I see a humanoid or stars or any familiar imagery from the first two that I'd be able to connect with?

[Michael Reisinger]

It's just totally lost. It's just totally destroyed.

[Jon Risinger]

Is there a beautiful blond European prints? And there's, like, scratch marks that have, like, marked him out so we can't.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

See who he is.

[Doug Boone]

Could I.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could Doug see if there's any, like, pieces of the mosaic kind of scattered on the floor anywhere that might have.

[Jon Risinger]

Like, Doug's, like, puzzles?

[Doug Boone]

Guys, listen. This is what. This is Doug's time to shine.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, yeah, Doug. Doug is a puzzle guy. That is 100% what that bugbear does.

[Michael Reisinger]

Make me an investigation check. Doug, I just want to say this is fun. I'm glad that this is our job. I like playing D and D. This is what. Thank you, guys.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

14 on investigation.

[Katherine Arnold]

Not bad.

[Jon Risinger]

That's why we send Doug.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

We've got our top men. Top men.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Also, I just want to point out, Doug did put on his glasses for this moment.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, are they just, like, the kind like, the two little lenses that sit on your nose, or do they have, like, the legs that go back over the ears?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

They had the legs, but they're attached from a little string around his neck, so he could kind of just pop them on and off.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, like reading glasses.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, because if he puts them on top of his head, he loses it in his hair, and it gets tangled, and he doesn't like it.

[Michael Reisinger]

I know I'm old. One, because I still watch tv. Two, because the programs I watch, I started seeing commercials for, like, those reading glasses that have the magnetic nose that you, like, put them around. You can, like, detach them and put them up on your head, on your. On your bridge or your nose, and then detach them in the middle and then put them around your neck.

[Katherine Arnold]

Anyway, three, because you call TV shows TV programs, man.

[Michael Reisinger]

I may be a little old. Sorry. I went down a rabbit hole there.

[Jon Risinger]

We never do that on this show, Tales from Sneaky Dragon, the mind begins to wander.

[Michael Reisinger]

You collect a few pieces, and it doesn't make much sense, but you are able to gather a little bit of information. And it seems like the amorphous beings are gathering things based on what little bit you can see.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So this piece is definitely from the destroyed one, right?

[Michael Reisinger]

Correct.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And they're Gathering things?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You can't tell what. It's too destroyed to even figure that out.

[Jon Risinger]

Can you elaborate on what you mean by gathering? That's such a vague action, like reaching.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Down and pick up.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, like corralling with their bodies.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay.

[Chris Damaris]

Presumably picking up those falling stars or.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

The mosaic pieces that exploded off of this history repeating itself.

[Michael Reisinger]

They're trying to fix it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I was just gonna see if Doug is able to piece them back onto the mosaic at all.

[Michael Reisinger]

I would say that in order to get this information that you had, you pieced them together on the floor. Now you want to try to transfer it onto the wall.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I guess I probably don't need to.

[Katherine Arnold]

Does anybody have mending?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Nope, I don't think I do. No.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I have cure wounds. I could cure the wounds of this mistake.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Gigi, check your inventory. Gigi spells, spell slots. Gigi.

[Jon Risinger]

Gigi starts checking pockets that don't exist. And he's just like, his arms up. He's like. I don't know.

[Michael Reisinger]

The next mosaic that you see depicts a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay.

[Gustavo Cerola]

Mothra.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And this is like a classic butterfly and classic cocoon. Like, it's not some weird D and D version of butterfly.

[Michael Reisinger]

No. Seems very, very straightforward.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay.

[Michael Reisinger]

The final mosaic is also destroyed.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay. Could I look around there to see if there's any pieces around?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Make me an investigation check in that.

[Doug Boone]

Area dug onto case nat 20 for 24.

[Jon Risinger]

Heck, yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

You all picked the right person to send down here.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

You investigate, maybe because you know what you're looking for. Now, this one goes a lot faster, and you're able to find pieces, and you see those same amorphous beings from before begin to almost reshape and reform themselves and begin looking more humanoid.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, is it like the evolution diagram of, like, amorphous? Sort of humanoid. More humanoid. Really humanoid.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's not quite that explicit. Not quite that drawn out, but I guess interesting. In addition, since you're investigating, since you rolled so well, Doug, I'll give you this one. As you're looking around, you notice that there appears to be a metallic shoe half embedded in the northern wall of this room.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

A metallic shoe?

[Doug Boone]

Shoe.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Doug Boone]

Hey, guys, I think someone might have tried to kick the wall down, and maybe the shoe got stuck. I'm going to take a look.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Is it a clog?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Can I go over and look at it? A clog?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. That's really good. You go over and. I mean. Yeah, it appears to be like the toe portion of a shoe kind of half sticking out from the Wall.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So it's coming out of the wall, not like it's someone kicked the wall and got their shoe stuck.

[Michael Reisinger]

Correct. The toe portion is out facing towards you.

[Jon Risinger]

Peeking out of the wall.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, it's like you can only see half of it. Like the front half of a shoe.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Someone might be stuck in that wall.

[Chris Damaris]

Should we come down?

[Doug Boone]

Yeah, you guys want. It feels pretty safe down here, and I could show you guys what I. What I found out. Also, there's a. Maybe a person stuck in here. I don't know. Something metal.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Gunther, you want to hit a ride on the to train? Woot, woot.

[Katherine Arnold]

Okay, I put Gunther on my back and then deftly descends the rope.

[Michael Reisinger]

Deftly. Okay. Make a dexterity check.

[Katherine Arnold]

With pleasure.

[Michael Reisinger]

That's what you always say, Jon. He adds too many qualifiers, and they're like, oh, now you gotta roll for it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, you said deftly.

[Michael Reisinger]

11.

[Chris Damaris]

Wait, wait, wait. Can Gunther hold on with one hand and have a blade out his sword out?

[Michael Reisinger]

Like, it's like, don't stab me, please go.

[Chris Damaris]

But, like, facing the opposite direction, you know, like.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, you make me a dexterity check too, then.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okay, listen, Gus, we're trying to make the thumbnail image, okay? We want to be cool, all right? Gigi's doing hard work with their thumbnails and Tolkien limelight.

[Chris Damaris]

19.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay. If you rolled low, I was gonna have you stabbed Toll. But you did. Okay? Yeah. You go down in a very memorable thumbnailable pose, riding on Tolls back down the rope into the cavern below.

[Jon Risinger]

So you get. They have. They have safes descended.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay, I'm gonna. I got a question for you, Gus. And so this is a chance for you to set precedent for the rest of the campaign.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, no, I hate doing that.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

This is a lot of pressure on you.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

No, no, no.

[Jon Risinger]

I'm not trying to break anything, but I don't want. I don't want to do something that you say can't be done, but I think this would be a fun way for Natty to descend. Gigi has shapeshifting. Gigi can turn into a bat and retain his stats of when he is in Giggy. If Giggy were turned into a bat and Natty were to hold onto his leash a la Mary Poppins falling from the sky, what's the descent rate? You'll let me go where I know Gigi could not carry Natty, but could slow the velocity of Natty to a certain amount, would you at least acquiesce that it's a safe speed?

[Michael Reisinger]

What's the Unladen velocity of a European swallow back European bat. It's not a giant bat, just a regular bat.

[Jon Risinger]

Just a bat.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

But it's flapping its wings very, very hard.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, he's trying. This is how I tire him out too.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay, let's play it like this. Ben has a good suggestion. Okay. This would be, I think, akin to, like a vest of slow descent.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay. That's what I was imagining.

[Michael Reisinger]

But yes. The rub is, I think you need to roll to see if Gigi obeys. Mmm.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, okay, fair enough.

[Katherine Arnold]

All right. I was actually going to ask, while you're doing those rolls, do you have, like, a timer for geeky chaos? Because it happens randomly and I never can see it coming. Or is it just when John feels a little chaotic?

[Jon Risinger]

I think it's going to be. It's going to be two instances. One what Gus just proc'ed, which is, I want to do something with Gigi, but I need to see if he'll do it for me.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay.

[Jon Risinger]

The other is it's just John thinking of chaotic things when they happen, but I don't get to just do them. I still see if Gigi will do them.

[Katherine Arnold]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Jon Risinger]

So, like, when we pulled out that shard, the thought just popped in my head. It was like a toddler would go to eat something. And so that's why I did that. But I didn't want to just do it. I still let him be a creature of chaos decided by the dice.

[Katherine Arnold]

Very Caesar at the Colosseum. Let's throw in a lion. Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

Before you roll, I just want a quick clarifier, since this is our first time doing this. How would this work? Does he transform into a bat, you hold onto him and jump and then we roll? Or do you roll to see if he even turns into the bat in the first place?

[Jon Risinger]

I was rolling to see if he turned into the bat. Because at the very least, Natty can steer Gigi a little bit, especially when maybe in bat form towards where she wants to go, and then she can kind of just jump.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay, fair enough.

[Jon Risinger]

That's what I'm thinking.

[Katherine Arnold]

So.

[Jon Risinger]

But I gotta see if he can turn to a bat first.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

You love bats in this campaign. He turns into a bat store.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay. Yeah, we can go for it.

[Katherine Arnold]

Congrats.

[Jon Risinger]

I turn to Gigi and I go, okay, sweetie, do what we practice. I need you to turn to that little flying thing you can do. And Gigi turns to his mom and just goes.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, very good.

[Katherine Arnold]

His first words.

[Jon Risinger]

And he turns into A bat. But he, like. I know this is probably not like, canonically what happens in, like, D and D, but I feel like Giggy when he turns into his animals, still looks a little bit like Gigi. He's like a weird looking little bat. Like, he doesn't look like a regular one.

[Michael Reisinger]

I like to think it's a bat with Gigi's head.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

Like a small Gigi head. Yeah.

[Jon Risinger]

A fat belly. And I just like someone who's holding a drone on a rope. Pull him over to the chasm and drop down.

[Michael Reisinger]

Ooh, Chris, you've got competition for the thumbnail.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Giggy in every thumbnail. That's what I vote.

[Katherine Arnold]

Yeah, right.

[Michael Reisinger]

You descend slowly down to the ground with the help of your son, Natty.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah. And Natty's just going dun dun.

[Katherine Arnold]

On.

[Jon Risinger]

Her harp as she goes down.

[Doug Boone]

Love it.

[Katherine Arnold]

Quick question for my note taking, because I take notes now. What's the shape and the size of this room that we're now in? Because I'm going to use paper to actually indicate layers.

[Michael Reisinger]

Ooh, look at that. Thank you. I forgot to mention that. Thank you so much. That's a good student. This room appears to say that.

[Jon Risinger]

Waiting for you to say that.

[Michael Reisinger]

This room is star shaped.

[Jon Risinger]

What?

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, yeah. And if you were to expand it into like a square, it would be like 20ft by 20ft.

[Jon Risinger]

So the mosaics were in the points.

[Michael Reisinger]

Correct. Five points. Five mosaics.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay, I get five points. Thank you. Stop.

[Katherine Arnold]

How are they in the points? If this is like a star, then they'd be like at a weird acute angle.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's like a star, but it's like a little blocked off. Instead of a point at the tip, it's a little more flat. Yeah, that's what. That's where the mosaics are.

[Katherine Arnold]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I'm trying to visualize this in my head and for some reason I'm not able to.

[Katherine Arnold]

I got you, dude.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, like a five pointed star, but instead of like having really sharp points at the tips, it's more dull and blunted.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Like curved.

[Michael Reisinger]

Like what. What Blaine is showing you there. It's like a flower. It looks kind of like a flower.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay, that makes sense.

[Jon Risinger]

Like a wildflower.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, God, I cannot draw that.

[Michael Reisinger]

Then there's columns in those points supporting the ceiling as well. Gotcha.

[Chris Damaris]

Is there anything else in the room?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, in addition, you know, there's the mosaics, there's the plinth in the center of the room, and there's a metallic shoe sticking out of the northern wall.

[Jon Risinger]

Is there anything on the plinth?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You walk up to it and you see that sitting on top of the plinth, seemingly displayed on it, is a spyglass.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh.

[Doug Boone]

What's a spy glass?

[Michael Reisinger]

Like a telescope.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay.

[Michael Reisinger]

Told nose. Imagine like a sailor or a pirate pulling out like a device to look on the horizon. Yeah, exactly like you let it out. Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Gotcha.

[Doug Boone]

Can I maybe tove should pick this up.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, okay. I was gonna check for traps.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

That also might be a better idea.

[Doug Boone]

Sometimes Dove doesn't think.

[Jon Risinger]

This episode is brought to you by US Cellular. Some things are worth waiting for, like getting your diploma or finding the right partner. You know what's not worth waiting for? The cable guy. Fortunately, US Cellular's home Internet is so simple to install, you can do it yourself. And it's just $39.99 per month when bundled with a wireless plan with a three year price lock guarantee. US Cellular home Internet made simple without the waiting terms apply. Visit us cellular.com for details. Okay, I have to tell you, I.

[Michael Reisinger]

Was just looking on ebay, where I.

[J]

Go for all kinds of things I love.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And there it was.

[Michael Reisinger]

That hologram trading card.

[Gustavo Cerola]

One of the rarest.

[Michael Reisinger]

The last one I needed for my set.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Shiny like the designer handbag of my dreams. One of a kind. Ebay had it. And now everyone's asking.

[Jon Risinger]

Ooh, where'd you get your windshield wipers?

[Michael Reisinger]

Ebay has all the parts that fit my car.

[Jon Risinger]

No more annoying, just beautiful.

[J]

Whatever you love, find it on eBay.

[Jon Risinger]

EBay.

[J]

Things people love. Hey, it's Kaley Cuoco for Priceline. Ready to go to your happy place for a happy price? Well, why didn't you say so? Just download the Priceline app right now. And save up to 60% on hot hotels. So whether it's cousin Kevin's kazoo concert in Kansas City. Go Kevin. Or Becky's bachelorette bash in Bermuda, you never have to miss a trip ever again. So download the Priceline app today. Your savings are waiting. Go to your happy place for a happy price with Priceline's Black Friday sale. Save now and travel later with our best deals of the year.

[Michael Reisinger]

Go to your happy price, Priceline.

[Katherine Arnold]

I'll check for traps as well. Just kind of looking around.

[Jon Risinger]

Sure. Let's see who checks for traps.

[Michael Reisinger]

Better make an investigation check.

[Katherine Arnold]

16, 8.

[Michael Reisinger]

You both make a circle around the plinth looking for traps and you don't find anything.

[Katherine Arnold]

Then I will pick up the spyglass.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I have experience with these. You being the first mate of Ironclad.

[Michael Reisinger]

You do have experience with spy Glasses. But you've never seen one like this. To your sailor's eye, this seems impractical.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Guys, I have experience with this, but not like these. To my sailor's eye, what was the rest?

[Michael Reisinger]

The barrel and the lens are crafted entirely of crystal.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

The barrel and the lens are entirely crystal.

[Jon Risinger]

So they're like a. Like a faceted crystal instead of a smooth lens.

[Michael Reisinger]

Right, but it's. This is more like the barrel you would normally on a spyglass expect to be metal of some kind, and this is crystal. And the lens itself isn't necessarily a faceted crystal, but it's just like a crystal lens. It's not just like, mundane glass.

[Katherine Arnold]

So like a kaleidoscope, then. Can I look inside?

[Jon Risinger]

Do it.

[Chris Damaris]

Hold it up to the left.

[Michael Reisinger]

Roll me a D20.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Oh, good God, what have I done?

[Jon Risinger]

Do the thing. Do the thing.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Oh, cursed object. Here we go.

[Michael Reisinger]

9. What do you want to look at?

[Jon Risinger]

Gigi. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

Giggy erupts in flames. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No. Yeah, you.

[Doug Boone]

No, no. My. My gosh.

[Michael Reisinger]

You turn and fix the spyglass on Gigi, and when you look through it, it looks like he's right in front of you, mouth agape and drooling, about to swallow you whole.

[Jon Risinger]

Is he?

[Michael Reisinger]

Actually.

[Katherine Arnold]

Can I lower it down to see if he actually is right in front of you?

[Michael Reisinger]

You lower it, and he's charging at you, mouth open and the drooling. Then he gets full taut on the leash and falls on his butt.

[Doug Boone]

Maybe you should look at the mosaic.

[Katherine Arnold]

Oh, yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

One other detail real fast before you look at the mosaic, which I think is a great idea.

[Chris Damaris]

Sure.

[Michael Reisinger]

You see that? There's an inscription written on the barrel of the spyglass.

[Jon Risinger]

He says, whatever you do, don't look through the spy glass.

[Katherine Arnold]

Point at enemy.

[Jon Risinger]

Anyone who looks at the spyglass will die in seven days.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Seven days.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's. The inscription is written in celestial. Oh.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, I speak that.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I also speak celestial.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, wow.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Doug, take a look. See, this looks like something that may interest you.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could I read it?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Sorry. I should have looked at your character sheets. I didn't expect any of you to actually be able to read Celestial.

[Jon Risinger]

Text it to her.

[Katherine Arnold]

Text it to her.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okay, we hear Doug's voice, then we'll.

[Katherine Arnold]

Also have to translate it from Doug's accent.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Hey.

[Doug Boone]

Okay. You guys ready for it?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

We're ready.

[Doug Boone]

I don't know if I'm gonna pronounce this white, but this. This spy glass says Zodia.

[Chris Damaris]

Zodia.

[Jon Risinger]

Z O. D. I a yes.

[Chris Damaris]

Do any of us know that term?

[Doug Boone]

Or Zodia?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I don't know.

[Doug Boone]

I'm guessing it's zodiac. Kind of like maybe zodiacs.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yeah, I'm a Taurus, you tof.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, that's what all of you have heard of. A bygone civilization that used to exist in this world and was a civilization of Zodia.

[Jon Risinger]

So old, old civilization historical.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So maybe the mosaics are depicting that civilization. I would guess 8.

[Jon Risinger]

To point that there spyglass to them. Pictures on the wall.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Doug's got it in their hands. He could take a wall.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, Doug has it now.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Go nuts.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, I think that's smart too. He's got good eyes.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

He's got those beautiful. What are they called? Fear bog.

[Michael Reisinger]

No, Bugbear.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Bugbear.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Bugbear eyes.

[Doug Boone]

All right, well, I mean, I don't want to steal your thunder to. Is that okay? I look through.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I have ample amounts of thunder to spare. It's okay.

[Jon Risinger]

Look at them thighs.

[Doug Boone]

Okay, I'll take a look.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Doug points it at just any of the mosaics.

[Jon Risinger]

Pick one.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I'll do the first one.

[Michael Reisinger]

Sure. Oh, okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, I just, like, rolled something, but I didn't click anything. It's so weird. But I rolled an investigation check just now.

[Jon Risinger]

Your D and D beyond is haunted magic.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I think maybe my notepad touched my space bar, so maybe it did that.

[Michael Reisinger]

Roll me a D20. Well, you just did 14. I'll use that.

[Jon Risinger]

There you go.

[Michael Reisinger]

As you are looking through the spyglass and turning it to the mosaic, you see that the walls in this room sparkle like stars. Ooh.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Does anything show up that I hadn't seen before, specifically on one of the broken mosaic walls?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You take a look at these broken mosaic pieces, and there's no additional information, just additional sparkling that you did not notice before.

[Doug Boone]

Oh, guys, this is really cool. I'm looking through the spyglass, and all the walls are kind of sparkling like stars. Did anyone else want to take a look?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Sparkling like stars.

[Doug Boone]

Yeah, look. Cool.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And Doug holds the spyglass up to cold.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I'll take a look.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You grab the spyglass and, you know, begin panning around the room, looking, and. Yeah, sure enough, what Doug said is right. You see that there are what appear to be stars on the wall that you don't see normally with your naked eye.

[Katherine Arnold]

I'll look up through the light coming from the crevice above us.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You look up, and you see the ceiling of the room above, but there do not appear to be any stars or anything unseen. On that surface, while I'm looking through.

[Katherine Arnold]

Just for the heck of it, I say Zodia.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You're looking through the spyglass and you say Zodia.

[Doug Boone]

Very good, Tolf. That is what the spyglass says. Yes.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Good memory.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I thought it was, like, password protected or something. I don't know. I'm just trying.

[Chris Damaris]

Are there things in the stone that we can take from the wall?

[Michael Reisinger]

Wait.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Oh, the shoe.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, the shoe. But also, if we were to look closely, are the stars in any formations that we can connect, Make a.

[Michael Reisinger]

Make a wisdom check.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Should we do it if we're holding it up? Or is Natty doing that? Is she looking through?

[Michael Reisinger]

You can, too, if you want.

[Jon Risinger]

I will ask our wise bugbear to do it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

15.

[Michael Reisinger]

You see, the stars are gathered in some kind of constellation that appears to depict an arrow that's pointing up to the clouds and the moon.

[Jon Risinger]

Like each of the mosaics has a constellation.

[Michael Reisinger]

The stars are everywhere on the walls, not just on the mosaics, necessarily.

[Jon Risinger]

Right.

[Michael Reisinger]

And altogether, it seems like there is a constellation that's depicting an arrow pointing up to the clouds and the moon.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, like the stars are forming also a moon and clouds, or where is this moon and clouds at?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, that's correct. They are also forming the clouds and the moon in the stars.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay, thank you.

[Michael Reisinger]

Good question.

[Jon Risinger]

Sorry.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's like when your brain's working one way, you don't think of other possibilities.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, for sure.

[Michael Reisinger]

So thank you for clarifying.

[Chris Damaris]

And are the stars on the walls, like, physical? Like, if we were to go up to the walls, or is there something that is, like, in the walls that's making them sparkle?

[Michael Reisinger]

Make an investigation check.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Take a hammer to this thing, you know?

[Michael Reisinger]

5. So, yeah, that's a sturdy wall. Mmm.

[Chris Damaris]

Good wall.

[Michael Reisinger]

You could hold lots of flies in this room.

[Doug Boone]

Well, I think, first of all, we should probably take this fly glass with us.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, why don't you keep it?

[Doug Boone]

Okay.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I'm going to pop the sky blogs in the museum.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Is there any special inventory item I should add?

[Michael Reisinger]

Just put spyglass then in parentheses. Zodia. Okay.

[Chris Damaris]

Go look at the boot.

[Jon Risinger]

The foot.

[Chris Damaris]

It's like a gold boot.

[Jon Risinger]

We should investigate the foot.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

The metallic clog.

[Michael Reisinger]

There's always feet with Addie.

[Jon Risinger]

I like feet.

[Michael Reisinger]

You go up to the northern wall and there's a metal shoe half sticking out, the toes pointed out into the room.

[Chris Damaris]

Does it look like it was built into the wall, or does it look like it was kicked through a wall, like the surrounding rock?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I don't know if we'll be able to tell.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah. Is it like, a crack through, or is it, like, very, like, uniform to it?

[Chris Damaris]

Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

I would say it does not appear like it was intentionally built into the wall, if that answers your question. Yeah.

[Katherine Arnold]

Can TOV knock on the wall?

[Jon Risinger]

That was gonna do the same thing. Go for a 12.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Doug Boone]

Sorry.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

That was me.

[Jon Risinger]

That was me.

[Chris Damaris]

Sorry.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I couldn't help myself.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay, you hear? No reply.

[Jon Risinger]

Gigi is also mimicking Tove and has his ear to the wall.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Very good, Gigi.

[Jon Risinger]

And then he licks the wall.

[Chris Damaris]

Can I try to take the shoe off?

[Michael Reisinger]

You try to take the shoe off.

[Jon Risinger]

It's just a toe.

[Chris Damaris]

Just the toe.

[Jon Risinger]

A toe of a shoe sticking through.

[Michael Reisinger]

Like the toe box of a shoe. Like, the very front of a shoe sticking out. The back half is in the wall, I should say.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

My guess is there's probably some type of statue or some type of, like, metal person.

[Jon Risinger]

If only we had a big, old, strong sailor with a hammer, but unfortunately, ours has a sword.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

If only. If only. I mean, if the crew is cool with it. I mean, I'll take a whack at this wall, you know, Is anybody any opposition to me just slamming down this wall and seeing what's behind door number one?

[Jon Risinger]

Do it. Let's open up this room. Really get an open concept here.

[Doug Boone]

Maybe just do it gently, like, kind of like, you know, like tinkering around this potential body.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yeah, yeah.

[Doug Boone]

Like, go chiseling it out.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. I think told you need to give your catchphrase.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Hammer time. Yoo hoots me tove.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, yeah, that's what I say. It's very like Kool Aid, man.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yoo hoots me tove.

[Chris Damaris]

Bam.

[Jon Risinger]

Through the wall.

[Michael Reisinger]

I was thinking stop. Hammer time.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okay.

[Katherine Arnold]

With what Doug said in mind, I'll hit kind of around it so that I'm not, like. In theory, if I'm aiming for, like, the chest of whatever this person would be, based on where the foot location is, I wouldn't be aiming at them. I would be aiming at the spots around them. Does that make sense?

[Michael Reisinger]

Sure.

[Katherine Arnold]

Like, I want to carve out the space around so that I'm not disturbing what could be behind it.

[Michael Reisinger]

And using that logic, I would assume you would start below the foot, like, under the sole.

[Katherine Arnold]

I was going to go on the sides.

[Michael Reisinger]

Okay.

[Katherine Arnold]

Unless. Unless you're telling me that that's.

[Jon Risinger]

No, no, no.

[Michael Reisinger]

It's totally your call. I was just trying to imagine how it would look.

[Katherine Arnold]

Yeah. I mean, what do you want to start rolling warhammer strikes?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, roll me an attack.

[Jon Risinger]

Roll.

[Katherine Arnold]

That's a 16.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

Then roll me some damage with it.

[Katherine Arnold]

It's two handed, so it'll be oh, five.

[Michael Reisinger]

You hit the wall very sturdily and the whole wall kind of shakes and you begin knocking out chunks of the wall that fall out fairly easily to the side.

[Chris Damaris]

Okay, we're just gonna keep going.

[Katherine Arnold]

Do you wanna keep rolling?

[Michael Reisinger]

No, we'll say you keep hitting at it and eventually you get to a point where you realize it's not just a shoe that's embedded in the wall. There's more to it.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

There's a person.

[Michael Reisinger]

Do you want to tug at it and try to pull it out?

[Katherine Arnold]

How much am I seeing? What are we seeing?

[Michael Reisinger]

You're seeing at this point it goes back towards the heel and then up like towards an ankle. It's still all metallic, but you see like what would be an ankle and maybe like the lower part of a shin.

[Jon Risinger]

Just pull it out.

[Katherine Arnold]

Well, it might be attached to something. I'm gonna keep. I'm gonna keep going, but I'm gonna go upwards to see what I could. If we can see like rest of leg, torso, arms.

[Doug Boone]

Yeah, we don't want to break a leg. You.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, you keep working your way up and eventually you unearth the entire object. And it appears to be an entire metallic leg.

[Chris Damaris]

Just the leg?

[Michael Reisinger]

Just the leg. Just the leg.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

You gotta be pulling mine. That's it.

[Michael Reisinger]

That's it. That's pretty amazing. That's pretty incredible.

[Jon Risinger]

What's the metal?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Does it look like it's something like made out of metal or that it was an actual being that was turned to metal? I don't know if we'd be able to tell, but something coated in metal versus actually made.

[Michael Reisinger]

Both of you make wisdom checks. Doug, yours is it with Advantage 1817. It appears to be a metallic leg that's been forged, if that answers your question. And it appears to be from an unknown metal. You've never seen anything like this either, Ian.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Even me.

[Michael Reisinger]

Mm. Mm.

[Doug Boone]

Cause I've seen a lot of medals.

[Jon Risinger]

Does it have a little boy's name written on the bottom of the foot?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Andy?

[Michael Reisinger]

No, no name on the bottom.

[Katherine Arnold]

Does Tolv recognize this medal?

[Michael Reisinger]

What did I have them roll? A wisdom chick.

[Jon Risinger]

Wisdom.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You roll one too.

[Chris Damaris]

Can I look?

[Jon Risinger]

That's some smart.

[Michael Reisinger]

You have smithing tools. Aren't you like also a smith of some kind? Gunther.

[Chris Damaris]

Yeah, well, I guess I don't have smithing tools after all.

[Michael Reisinger]

Because you have a background in smithing, so you would get advantage proficient. Okay.

[Katherine Arnold]

I only rolled a 6.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Unless I have advantage 14.

[Michael Reisinger]

Go and roll with advantage. Toll.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okay. Oh, that's better. That's a two.

[Jon Risinger]

Do you have. Do you have Inspiration Dice?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Super Advantage. I don't know. Do I? Any friends?

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, I'll give him. Mine Rolled again.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Oh, that's an 11.

[Michael Reisinger]

What is your deal, dude?

[Jon Risinger]

What? He's not a wise. His modifier's got to be negative.

[Katherine Arnold]

Zero.

[Jon Risinger]

Okay. Zero.

[Michael Reisinger]

Gunther. You've never seen a metal like this before. You have no experience with this.

[Doug Boone]

Tolv.

[Michael Reisinger]

You've seen a metal like this in the past, but the name eludes you. You're not sure. You don't remember what it was called. It's not a common metal at all. It's very rare.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I see. Well, in my years of travel, this does look familiar.

[Jon Risinger]

Should we pull it out?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Might as well.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Gonna give it a good tug.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Not a Doug. A tug.

[Doug Boone]

I'll Doug it.

[Michael Reisinger]

What was Doug's catchphrase? Was it. I can figure it out.

[Doug Boone]

I can figure it out. Gus. Inspiration. Die for Gus.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh, thank you. Thank you, Doug. Yeah. You all managed to pull it out and hold onto it and. Yeah. It's an entire metallic leg.

[Chris Damaris]

Wow. How big does it look like it was cut off or made this way?

[Michael Reisinger]

Like, medium humanoid size, and it looks like it was forged. Does that answer your question?

[Chris Damaris]

Yeah.

[Doug Boone]

Question for you. Twelve.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yeah.

[Doug Boone]

So I know a little bit about your background, and, like, typically, stereotypically, people have, like, you know, a little peg leg. Did anybody have, like, metal legs from where you're from?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I've encountered them, yeah. Yeah, I believe so.

[Doug Boone]

Interesting.

[Jon Risinger]

Does it have a hinge to the knee? Is it, like, a prosthetic?

[Michael Reisinger]

So, like, is it a statue or.

[Jon Risinger]

Yes.

[Michael Reisinger]

Not.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Is what you're getting at or, like, a usable leg?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, I would say it's not a statue. Like, it's not ornamental. You think that. I mean, there is some functionality to it.

[Jon Risinger]

Like, it could.

[Michael Reisinger]

It could move.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, it has joints that move.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Articulate.

[Jon Risinger]

Articulate.

[Chris Damaris]

Weird.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Good word.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

So strange.

[Chris Damaris]

Weird thing to be in the wall.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Why is this here?

[Chris Damaris]

Is there anything else?

[Michael Reisinger]

What's going on down there? Shut up.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

We're doing investigating. Who said that? Is that Lassic?

[Jon Risinger]

Is that you?

[Michael Reisinger]

It's Kanjanos.

[Doug Boone]

It sounds like somebody wanting to move.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

The plot along to me.

[Jon Risinger]

Where are we going to go? Oh, should we go through the. Should we try to break through the. The wall?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

The one that's upstairs?

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, let's go back up and break through that wall.

[Chris Damaris]

Please carry up the rope.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You all climb Back up the rope and emerge back in the room above where A team is. And Kanjunos is just glowering at you all. Whoa.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

What? We found things.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Did you find the magistrate?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Maybe.

[Michael Reisinger]

Did you?

[Jon Risinger]

Does it look like we've got the match straight on us?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, all right.

[Doug Boone]

Okay.

[Jon Risinger]

Who spit in your grits?

[Doug Boone]

I understand the, you know, concern. You know, match weights pretty bad. And also their teammates are kind of shaking, so they might be a little bit on edge.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah.

[Doug Boone]

See, that guy gets it. Doug, you understand?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Did you at least move the sick and wounded to the other side of the room so we could blast through this boulders?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. The A team is now at the southern end of the room, away from the boulders.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

You did something. Wow.

[Michael Reisinger]

Great. Good for you.

[Jon Risinger]

Natty cast elder's blast and blasted at the boulders.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. After, you know, a good amount of elbow grease and hard work, you're able to remove enough of the rocks that you're able to see a passageway to the north.

[Chris Damaris]

All right, we go forward.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Gunther, you bravely lead the way in. And when you go through the passageway to the north, you emerge in a rectangular room that's about 15ft by 20ft with only 5 foot high ceilings. It's very small.

[Jon Risinger]

Gunther's eyes.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. And it's rough hewn rock cavern with low ceilings. And there's a few pickaxes and shovels that lay on the ground. And footprints leading to the east, 15 by 2015 wide when you walk in. And then 20 deep. And then to the east, there appears to be a dark, narrow tunnel that slopes upwards.

[Chris Damaris]

And that's the only way. The only exit out of the room is that tunnel.

[Michael Reisinger]

Besides the one you came in? Yes.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah. A different exit, I guess.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Chris Damaris]

Anything noteworthy about anything on these pickaxes or.

[Michael Reisinger]

They all seem to be pretty mundane, like digging equipment.

[Doug Boone]

Should we take any of these just.

[Jon Risinger]

In case you do you.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

I'm good.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Can I take one of the pickaxes?

[Doug Boone]

This?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You never know when you might need to dig dug.

[Jon Risinger]

There it is, Doug.

[Doug Boone]

Dig, dig dug.

[Jon Risinger]

I don't think very many people are going to get that reference.

[Michael Reisinger]

That's for the old. Like me.

[Jon Risinger]

That is an old video game.

[Michael Reisinger]

I used to love that game.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So just like a standard pickaxe, I assume.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, there's pickaxes and shovels if you want to add them to your inventory.

[Jon Risinger]

Barbara's collecting axes again.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Uh oh.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

She can't help it. She has an addiction. An ex.

[Chris Damaris]

Can we continue up the tunnel?

[Jon Risinger]

Sure.

[Katherine Arnold]

I'll follow.

[Michael Reisinger]

Gunther begins leading the way. The tunnel Heads up for a few yards and then forks off to the left and to the right. And the footprints that you saw in the previous room appear to head to the right.

[Chris Damaris]

And do we see anything going down the halls?

[Jon Risinger]

Can we see lights or anything?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, they're pretty long, so it's hard to. You really can't see? It's, like, beyond the range of any kind of dark vision you would have. But it's a very long tunnel to the left and a very long tunnel to the right.

[Chris Damaris]

To the right.

[Jon Risinger]

Just follow the footprints?

[Chris Damaris]

Yeah, continue to the right.

[Michael Reisinger]

You follow the path, and it winds and leads for a long way. And eventually you get to a point where there's a small ladder that goes straight up.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Straight up, Right.

[Doug Boone]

Is it a diagonal ladder?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

A proper ladder? A proper ladder. Not stairs.

[Michael Reisinger]

A proper ladder.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Okay.

[Chris Damaris]

Can we continue up?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, it's only got a few rungs. It's not very long at all. You continue up and pop your head up out into the surface above, and you see it's inside of a room, inside of a very large room, a room that you're familiar with. Oh, you recognize this room from your training as being the armory in Fort Endridge? Oh.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Tunnels below.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

The enemy has infiltrated us.

[Jon Risinger]

Oh, that's a bummer. That means he's probably.

[Chris Damaris]

So how far is that from where we entered? You know, like, we came down to the hole on the camp?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah, it's not super far, to borrow an old phrase. As the crow flies, it's very close. But it's not like y'all went directly. You all turned west and south and north and kind of eased and doubled back. It has stone walls and floors with no windows and very high ceilings and a few lit lanterns around the room. There's metal double doors to the north and workbench on either side of that door. Wooden racks line the room, holding weapons, armor, and shields. In this room on the western side, you also see a rather large cannon. And on the southern portion of the room, you see, like, an elevated balcony with some chests.

[Chris Damaris]

Do we see the footprints go anywhere?

[Michael Reisinger]

Make an investigation. Check.

[Chris Damaris]

Nine. No, sorry.

[Michael Reisinger]

Seven. Even better. Yeah. Awesome. No, the footprints do not seem to proceed anymore. It's like a stone floor now. Before it was dirt, so it was a little easier to see. You really can't track them anymore at this point.

[Doug Boone]

How many chests did you say there were?

[Michael Reisinger]

I don't think I said specifically, but there are four. Thank you for asking, Doug.

[Doug Boone]

Could Doug go over to the chest.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And see if any of them are open or Unlocked?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You walk over, and they're not at floor level. They're slightly elevated. They are, like, on a bit of a balcony. You make your way over and take a look at them. There are four of them, and they all appear to be locked.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Do these look like the chests from our bunk, by any chance?

[Katherine Arnold]

Foot lockers?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Like our foot locker?

[Michael Reisinger]

No, these are more. These seem more secure. Your foot lockers are just kind of whatever, right? These are definitely. They must be holding something of value to be here.

[Chris Damaris]

This is armory. That. We've been in here several times before, right?

[Michael Reisinger]

Yes. Never unescorted. This is your first time being in here without an escort. But you have been here before.

[Doug Boone]

Heroin's on home in here.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Let's fire the cannon. Come on.

[Doug Boone]

What a. What are the chances, Natty, that that key you found also opens any of these chests?

[Jon Risinger]

I mean, we could try.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Why not?

[Doug Boone]

Give it a shot. Maybe it's one of those, like, master keys.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Shoot the cannon. Give it a shot. What?

[Doug Boone]

No. No. Toll.

[Katherine Arnold]

Toll's over.

[Jon Risinger]

Gigi crawls into the open end of the cannon.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Yes.

[Jon Risinger]

Natty tries the key on each of the chests.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. You walk up and try the key, and it doesn't even fit. It's not even like the same kind of key.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, my.

[Doug Boone]

Well, it's worth a shot.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

You know, maybe my key will fit.

[Katherine Arnold]

I want to hit it with a warhammer. Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

Make an attack roll.

[Katherine Arnold]

Okay. 16.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. Your Warhammer comes down perfectly. Do you care which one? Like, if you're looking at them left to right. 1, 2, 3, 4. Which one do you want to hit?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

1.

[Jon Risinger]

It's like a Mario party game.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah.

[Doug Boone]

Yeah.

[Michael Reisinger]

You hit the one on the far left. Go and roll some damage.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

It explodes.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah. This one's the bad one. Yeah. You hear the sound of bowser going?

[Katherine Arnold]

It's nitroglycerin 9.

[Michael Reisinger]

You bring your warhammer down, splintering the wood on the top of the chest. And as you do so, some kind of sticky substance fires out, coating. You told.

[Chris Damaris]

A sticky substance shoots out.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Probably like a booby trap, maybe. Or like some type of defense of whatever's in this chest.

[Michael Reisinger]

Yeah. As you're standing, standing there, you feel like it's more and more difficult to move, and you're becoming adhered to the floor tol.

[Doug Boone]

Uh.

[Michael Reisinger]

Oh.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Guys, I made a mistake. Guys. Oh, no. You did precisely what you needed to do.

[Michael Reisinger]

Out from behind one of the racks steps the magistrate, exactly as planned.

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Oh, how foolish of you. You've delivered the scale of scales right into my hand.

[Jon Risinger]

Maddy shoots it while he's. While he's talking. Ha.

[Chris Damaris]

Well, okay.

[Michael Reisinger]

Make your attack roll. I like the idea of cutting off the monologue.

[Jon Risinger]

Yeah, this is what you don't do in front of like a warlock. You don't monologue in front of somebody who has guns for hands.

[Michael Reisinger]

Never monologue. We'll deal with the lack of monologuing in the next episode though. Find out. Will Tove even be able to participate in this battle?

[Lindsay Tuggey]

Is he stuck for good?

[Michael Reisinger]

What is the scale of scales and will the magistrate retrieve it? Find out in the next episode of Tales from the Stinky Dragon.

[Jon Risinger]

Approved oil can face hugger.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Is he slowly turning into a metal being?

[Michael Reisinger]

I don't know.

[Doug Boone]

Hey guys.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Barbara here telling you about some very exciting stuff we have going on right now in our store, which is store.stinkydragonpod.com from now until December 16th. That's just enough time to do all your holiday shopping. We have a discount going on for Everybody. You get 10% off any order of $100 or more. All you have to do is use the code stinky turkey10 at checkout. That's Stinky Turkey, which is all capital letters, and then the number 10, which is 1 0. Also, if you're a Patreon member, you get a bit of a higher discount. So feel free to go sign [e-mail] to not only support the show, but also get a bigger discount in the store. These sales last until December 16th. And not only that, we also have some brand new stuff in our store, including the highly awaited Groteth character T shirts, one for each character. The Elga sippy cup, which not biased at all, but that might be my favorite product. Magnets for the Infinites and Grow Teth characters. We have stickers and buttons for all three main campaigns and we also have maybe a blanket for someone's favorite Worm King character perhaps. In addition, we also have limited edition variants of some of our apparel. So once again, head over to store.stinkydragonpod.com check out the new stuff and also use your discount at checkout. StinkyTurkey10 for 10% off orders of $100 or more. Thank you guys so much for supporting our show and stay Stinky.

[Michael Reisinger]

New episodes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon premiere every other Wednesday wherever you stream podcasts and of course on The Stinky Dragon YouTube channel. Hey, do you wanna listen to the show 48 hours early and ad free? Well, become a patron [e-mail] or become a member of Beacon at Beacon TV. Both memberships support the show and receive access to our exclusive bonus series Second Wind and member only Discord for their respective platforms. If you become a patron, you get your name shouted out just like these patrons, Cheshire Grim Man, I need a life. Hey, don't we all. John Burke, Cameron and Danny the Boss. These patrons directly support the show and get ad free episodes, access to our patron Only Discord server, bonus content like Second Wind and Behind the Screen and much more. Again, that's dinkydragonpod.com we can't thank you enough for your support that lets us make this show. Want to thank some friends who provided voiceover for characters in this episode like Private Kangenos, voiced by Jillian Maloney. Jillian From Red Web Pod got freed voiced by Tyler Co at Tyler Co. This week's arrow question was submitted by hypegator69. This episode of Tales from the Stinky Dragon was produced by Bener, written, edited, composed by Michael Reisinger with additional editing work by Katherine Arnold. Tune in next time for another thrilling episode of Tales from the Stinky Dragon. Yeah. You all continue heading to the right. Sorry. Now. Now I've got to load a different thing.

[Jon Risinger]

Tip.

[Katherine Arnold]

Do not aggravate the dm. He will make your rolls worse.

[Michael Reisinger]

Sorry.

[Katherine Arnold]

The loading screen.

[Michael Reisinger]

You know, the loading screen. Inspiration. Die It.