Tales from the Stinky Dragon

Podcast: Tales from the Stinky Dragon
Episode: C03 - Ep. 34 - From On Hyra - Return of the Bling
Date: January 7, 2026
Main Theme:
The party of four hapless adventurers continue their perilous and comedic journey through Sora Sump and Boiling Bluffs, untangling the mysteries of a botched resurrection ritual, reassembling their Thaumatech friends, and forging bonds of both metal and kinship—all while cracking jokes, pondering familial pride, and rallying for a long rest.

Episode Overview

In this episode, the party delves deeper into the aftermath of a chaotic resurrection ritual, confronts their feelings about parental pride, struggles to reassemble dismembered Thaumatech siblings, and finally returns the stolen Fire Opal of Fireballs to its rightful place. Along the way, they bond, banter, and barter, picking up a mysterious new relic—the Scales of Scry—from the Kindlekin’s reliquary, before setting out toward Sky Blue Falls Prison and stumbling on a peculiar, ominous scene at its icy threshold.

Key Discussion Points & Moments

1. Table Banter & D20 Parental Pride (05:00 – 14:09)

• Prompt: “Do you think your parents are proud of you? Why or why not?”
  • Doug (Barbara Dunkelman): “I’m pretty confident my parents are not proud of me…Doug was never really a violent guy…There’s also a lot of other things that happened that I don’t think they’ll ever be able to forgive me for.” (05:19)
  • Natty Wonder (John): “When I walked out of the door to head to the army, they literally said, ‘We are proud of you, Natty Wonder.’” (08:08)
  • Tolf (Blaine Gibson): “I know Bjorn would be so proud of me. I mean, I cooked fish and I took on his legacy and carried his skin on cool adventures and wore him all around.” (09:34)
  • Gunther: “When my parents died, they were very proud of me…If they were alive now, I do not think they would be proud.” (11:05)
• Spirited jokes about toe socks, “micro machine” feet, and age gaps set a silly, self-aware tone.
• Memorable running joke: “Amuse boosh,” originating from a meeting, becomes the party’s new blurbal gerbil.

2. The Aftermath of the Dretch Den (14:09 – 27:15)

• Sifting Through the Chaos: The group discovers Neo’s head among rubble and deduces that with the right mechanical and arcane expertise, he can be revived if body parts are found.
  • Doug (Barbara Dunkelman): “I can figure it out, guys.” (15:30, 18:57)
• Communicating with Surrendering Dretches: Gunther uses Abyssal to convince the dretches to surrender their armor—pieces suspected to belong to Neo.
  • Gunther: “Please give us your armor.” (20:41)
• Fire Opal Mishap: Tolf nearly fumbles the Fire Opal, then suffers burns catching it—no one witnesses his “cool” catch; the Opal’s disturbance seems to halt a ritual in progress, draining boiling oil and causing apparent spontaneous combustion of the Druid Dretch.
• Ritual Recap: The group pieces together that their intervention sabotaged the attempted resurrection of “the Baron,” leading to her flaming, fleeting reappearance.

3. Investigating and Looting (33:05–43:00)

• Natty investigates the emptied pool and finds ritual reagents and a valuable peridot gemstone (500 gp).
• The party loots further: Doug and Tolf gather Neo’s pieces, and Tolf finds the “crystal barrel of clearance”—a curative crystal, and the “Cube of Concoctions”—a potion-creating ice cube (41:46).
• Party decides to follow the large ritual drain, which leads them conveniently back to the riverbank.

4. Thaumatech Reunion & Robot Reconstruction (46:42 – 61:14)

• Reuniting with Neo & Tio: Emotional and comedic tinkering ensues as Doug and Gunther reassemble the Thaumatech siblings, fumbling with pieces but eventually restoring function (with a few anatomical liberties).
  • Tolf proposes a “body part swap” (60:56) between siblings as a sign of connection and proof of reunion: “Now, whenever I pick my finger, I will think of you, Neo. Or pick my nose.” (63:03)
• Revelations:
  • Neo reveals the siblings are seeking sanctuary at Copia Convent, rumored to be a refuge for Thaumatechs—Ironclad is not their creator, and they hope to learn more about their origin. (53:16, 59:01)
  • The party plans to send leftover leg parts to Elva, keeping everyone connected as they go their separate ways.

5. Return to Boiling Bluffs – Fire Opal Restoration & Relic Selection (66:26 – 76:46)

• Returning the Fire Opal of Fireballs:
  • Flack, the gnome priest, accepts it nonchalantly—only keeping the gem, discarding the rod.
  • As thanks, the Kindlekin allow the group to borrow a sacred relic.
• Reliquary Choices:
  Flack presents four options:
  1. Claws of Commandments (single-use, burns to ash)
  2. Scrolled Scroll of Scorching (Eat/read for Scorching Ray, tongue burns for session)
  3. Scales of Scry: Grants five seconds’ direct contact with the fire god when thrown into flames
     • Natty chooses the Scales of Scry (74:39)
  4. Fire Opal of Fireballs (now returned)
• Inside jokes and banter color this segment: “Is this like a one in, one out kind of thing?” (69:00)

6. Rest & Next Destinations (77:14 – 82:32)

• The party is welcomed to rest at the Kindlekin Temple (“You brought back the fire op...you don't have to pay anything.” 77:31)
• Investigation of travelers’ packs turns up nothing; Flack reiterates that thaumatechs are to be welcomed and even rewarded with five gold (79:08)
• The party enjoys a rare long rest amid scented candles and cots.

7. Road to Sky Blue Falls Prison & Ominous Encounter (82:32 – 87:56)

• The landscape shifts from boiling cliffs to snowy fields.
• Gunther feels déjà vu upon observing two eagles on a leafless tree—an image that unsettles him, reminiscent of his escape from Sky Blue Falls Prison.
  • “Do you recognize this area? Maybe since...this is what you broke out of...” (84:47)
• The party arrives at a striking frozen lake—at its center is a prison tower with a moving circular watchtower on rails.
  • All spot a brawny halfling, Candle Cody, in a red jumpsuit, hopping ice sheets—suddenly snatched by blue claws beneath the surface:
    “And with a splash, the halfling is snatched into the icy lake by blue curved claws without a trace.” (87:16)
• Mystery unresolved—cliffhanger.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If I was a Pokémon, my new name would have been Amuse Boosh, because that's all I could say for the rest of the day.” – Tolf (06:53)
• “When my parents died, they were very proud of me. If they were alive now, I do not think they would be proud.” – Gunther (11:05)
• “You know, my toes are actually called Micro Machines.” – Tolf (13:42)
• “I can figure it out, guys.” – Doug (18:57)
• “Be respectful. Don’t do that. That’s my brother.” – Tolf, to Gigi (48:04)
• “Now, whenever I pick my finger, I will think of you, Neo. Or pick my nose.” – Tolf (63:03)
• “It’s good luck to give them five gold coins.” – Tolf (76:32)
• “This is a lovely village you have here.” – Tolf, posing as a Thaumatech (80:24)
• “All the leaves of the trees…just a couple little loose ones.” – Gunther, reflecting on the unsettling scene (83:34)
• “With a splash, the halfling is snatched into the icy lake by blue curved claws without a trace.” – Dungeon Master (87:16)

Important Timestamps

• 05:19 – Start of the “are your parents proud of you?” roundtable
• 14:32 – The discovery of Neo’s head in the rubble
• 20:41 – Gunther demands dretches surrender their armor, in Abyssal
• 21:27 – The Fire Opal mishap: “The fire opal at the end of the rod just kind of comes loose.”
• 34:17 – Natty’s investigation of the ritual pool and magical loot
• 46:42 – Reassembling Neo & Tio; Thaumatech emotional bonding
• 66:26 – Return to Boiling Bluffs, restoring Fire Opal
• 74:39 – Natty chooses the Scales of Scry in the reliquary
• 77:14 – The party enjoys a long rest at the Kindlekin temple
• 82:32 – The journey toward Sky Blue Falls; Gunther’s déjà vu and the eagles
• 87:16 – Candle Cody’s abrupt disappearance; cliffhanger ending

Tone and Style

Fun, boisterous, and brimming with inside jokes, the episode balances slapstick humor, earnest character moments, irreverent asides, and meta-commentary. It is equal parts actual-play adventure and D&D sitcom, making complex plot developments accessible and engaging for listeners old and new.

Summary Conclusion

This episode sees the group closing one chapter—thwarting an unholy resurrection, fixing their Thaumatech family, and restoring peace to Boiling Bluffs—only to set off toward new mysteries: an isolated prison amid frozen wastes, and whatever monstrous force lurks beneath its icy surface. Relics have been borrowed, bonds reaffirmed, and between the toe jokes and heartfelt hugs, the party’s adventures promise more chaos, camaraderie, and cliffhangers ahead.