C03 - Ep. 42 - Under Oondar Fire - On Second Thawed

Summary

Tales from the Stinky Dragon – C03 Ep. 42: "Under Oondar Fire – On Second Thawed"

Release Date: April 29, 2026
Host/Dungeon Master: Gustavo Sorola
Players/Characters:

• Barbara Dunkelman as Doug Boone (bugbear artificer)
• John Risinger as Natty Wonder (drow warlock, drag queen)
• Blaine Gibson as Tolv (thaumatech barbarian)
• Chris Maris as Gunther (croakfolk fighter)

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Episode Overview

In this riotously entertaining and puzzle-rich episode, the Stinky Dragon crew picks up directly after freeing the fire god known as the Fire Eater from her icy prison. Chaos erupts across Icecap Keep as the party is caught between warring demigods and a furious Infernus. The episode explores themes of identity, memory, and self-worth through a blend of combat and creative, puzzle-centric encounters—including a series of riddles in a magical labyrinth and a chessboard of seasons. Bursts of improvisational player banter, lore reveals, and plenty of failed-and-succeeding strategies move the story toward an explosive confrontation with their own subconscious creations.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Player Banter & Birthday Traditions

• The party warms up by answering a listener arrow question: “How do you celebrate your birthday?”
• Each player, in-character, shares funny and poignant birthday rituals.
• [05:05] Tolv: "A day very fond of mine. I remember it crystal clear because it's still left in my hard drives and processor."
• [07:29] Doug Boone: Reflects on celebrating with her brother and the loss of her favorite childhood treat, lemon meringue pie.
• [10:45] Gunther: Recalls communal egg-hatch birthdays, games involving chasing a fly while blindfolded, and currently “digs a hole" and waits for the day to end.
• [12:47] Natty Wonder: Reminisces about elaborate temple birthdays, face painting, celebration of both life and death—a tradition from her family of high priestesses.

2. The Fire Eater's Release & Destruction of Icecap Keep

• [16:04] The party shatters a magical statue, unleashing the Fire Eater—an imposing dragon patched with cracks glowing with flame. Chaos ensues as Icecap Keep melts and crumbles.
• [16:56] Gustavo: “You broke open that dragon shaped furnace and a dragon popped out from it.”
• The Fire Eater vows fiery vengeance on her captors, while the party scrambles to choose sides between clashing demigods and the formidable Infernus.

3. Epic Combat Escalation: Factions Collide

• [18:49] The keep erupts in violence: Fire Eater, Frostbiter (a monstrous bear-owl-spider), and Infernus vie for dominance.
• [19:27] Doug Boone: “Quick question: Are we able to tell who's fighting against who?”
• The party attempts defensive tactics—Natty takes to the air, Gunther tries to ride and defend Fire Eater (and is scorched), Doug casts Warding Bond for protection, and Tolv rages and throws javelins (with comedic futility).
• [22:15] After a series of failed attacks and a successful deception check to momentarily distract Infernus, Tolv lands a hit with the Gavel of Galestrom, causing four daemongrals to burst forth from Infernus’ wounds.
• [43:26] Infernus counters with a critical strike, inflicting massive necrotic damage—mitigated by Doug’s earlier Warding Bond.

Notable Quotes:

• [22:26] Gunther: “I think this is a fight we shall not have.”
• [40:13] Blaine/Tolv: “Well, so like, what's the Wi-Fi connection—say they uppercut me and I fly 80 ft in the air, do we depart, but then I get back into range when I land?” (Regarding magical spell range.)

4. Escape & Aftermath: Party Reunites

• [53:00] Natty opens a shadow portal, orchestrating the party’s escape from the battleground.
• Safe at last, the group patches wounds, decompresses, and discusses recent lore related to undead demigods and relationships between Fire Eater, Frostbiter, and Sea Drinker.
• [54:51] The group surveys their options—a valley of darkness, a swaying spherical building (Apothecarium), and a glowing-labyrinth.

5. Labyrinth Challenge: The Golden Mist & The Cat Guide

• [68:42] Discover a maze with glass walls and magical darkness. Upon entering, each party member is enveloped (or marked) by a golden mist.
• [73:15] Tolv fails his save and glows ominously—recalling previous encounters where “marked” individuals are attacked with advantage.
• The party cautiously forms a conga line, navigating as a group.

6. Puzzle Room 1: Brainchild Offerings

• [76:25] The party encounters a table with a glass column of red liquid and a giant bulb—a riddle clues them to “bestow thy birthed brainchild.”
• The solution: Place creative inventions or evidence of creation on the table.
• [83:25] Tolv: “As we've been on our quest... I've been collecting some body parts of Undarians to patch my Bjorn skin. And I have made this undergarment of skin from Undarians. I call it underwear.”
• Process of trial-and-error (echo pulse locator, autoharp, "undivare"/underwear, performing a song)—with help from a cat familiar—solves the puzzle and opens the exit.

7. Puzzle Room 2: The Chessboard of Seasons

• [87:02] Next, the group faces a massive seasonal chessboard—one corner is spring (youth, flowers), the opposite is winter (bones, snow).
• The puzzle’s riddle involves moving objects (birds, bones, flowers) between corners to manipulate their symbolic state (re-composing bones into birds and vice versa).
• [92:19] Natty successfully reanimates bones into birds by carrying them to spring, confirming the cyclic nature of time/seasons.

8. The Calendar Grid: Aging Forward and Back

• [99:07] By traversing the grid day by day, party members visibly age/regress, depending on their direction. The "XII" square (12) and MMXXVI (2026) clue them in about time’s passage.
• Solution found by dog-earing (turning) the last "page" (square), which peels sky and ground away to reveal a blank, new path.

9. The Void, Thought Questions & Subconscious Boss

• [110:32] Now in a white, empty room, party members are asked deep questions by a disembodied voice—each response personalizes the next encounter.
• [112:15] The space transforms into a night market beset by a monstrous vending machine that embodies all their subconscious answers (e.g. Tolv's wish to "become" a vending machine, Gunther’s hatred for polluting water).
• The episode ends on a cliffhanger as the party realizes they must confront this curiosity-fueled creation.

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Memorable Moments & Running Jokes

• [08:06] Gunther’s “fly fishing” birthday game: “We put a fly in a room and blindfold us, and then you have to try and find it with a dog."
• [25:37] Tolv: “I’m throwing things. I’m scared.”
• [35:04] Gustavo (DM): “Frog legs available as an appetizer today.”
• [81:08] Party’s laughter and disbelief as Tolv’s ‘undivare’ invention actually advances the puzzle.
• [84:03] Investment banter: “I’m looking for 6 million down and you can get 5%.”
• [94:27] Natty regresses into a baby and must be rescued.
• [112:14] Tolv: “That’s so sad. Because then the fish are trapped inside of me.”

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Important Timestamps

• [05:05] – Party’s birthday traditions & worldbuilding
• [16:04] – Shattering the statue frees Fire Eater, chaos begins
• [18:49] – Direct combat: Fire Eater vs. Frostbiter vs. Infernus, party scrambles
• [22:15] – Revelation: Infernus’ strength, discussion of hopeless odds
• [43:26] – Infernus lands major attack; damage mitigation with Warding Bond
• [53:00] – Natty’s shadow portal: party escape from Icecap Keep
• [65:14–68:42] – Choosing the next location; heading for Apothecarium and then the labyrinth
• [73:15] – Golden mist marks Tolv; navigating the maze
• [76:25–86:08] – Brainchild puzzle, invention offerings, cat guidance
• [87:02–109:00] – Chessboard of seasons; experimentation, aging, time/the calendar riddle
• [110:32] – Entering the white void; answering subconscious questions
• [112:15] – Arena transforms based on party's answers: the vending machine appears
• [114:02] – Cliffhanger: preparing to face their subconscious monster

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• Tolv, on his own assembly:
  “I remember it crystal clear because it's still left in my hard drives and processor.” (05:05)
• Doug Boone (on birthday loss):
  "I used to celebrate it with my brother Phil. ... Is it tougher not to have my brother than it is not to have lemon meringue pie?" (07:29)
• Gunther, bleakly:
  “...since I have not been with family, it has not been as fun. So what I do instead, I dig a hole and I go in it and I wait for the day to end.” (11:41)
• Natty Wonder (drag queen defiance):
  “Natty flies up into the sky … It gets me further away from that thing with the giant sword and closer to the god that we’re here to help.” (22:41)
• Doug (casting Warding Bond):
  “I think if I have faith in you, you'll have faith in you.” (31:55)
• Gustavo (as DM, snark):
  “You broke open that dragon shaped furnace and a dragon popped out from it.” (16:56)
• Tolv (invention submission):
  “I have made this undergarment of skin from Undarians. I call it underwear.” (83:25)
• Doug (riddle-solving):
  "Is there like a button we could click for a hint?" (105:08)
• Narrator (to Doug):
  "What would thy 11th commandment be?" — "Thou shalt be curious." (111:32)
• Tolv (on future ambitions):
  "I think like a vending machine would have been nice. You know, instead of dispensing death, dispensing delicious beverages and maybe candy bars..." (111:48)
• Gunther (vile habit):
  "A vile habit is... when you dump your waste and trash into the water where people are, the children are swimming, and that is just a vile thing. You should keep the water clean." (112:34)
• Doug (on self-worth):
  "I'm afraid for my life, so I would like to maybe restore myself a little bit.” (56:02)

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Summary Table – Major Story Beats

| Timestamp | Event | Details | |---|---|---| | 05:03–13:00 | Birthday traditions | Each character reveals their unique, often comical birthday backstory. | | 16:04–18:49 | Release of Fire Eater | Statue is destroyed—Fire Eater emerges, keep falls to chaos. | | 19:27–43:50 | Boss fight setup & encounter | Fire Eater vs. Frostbiter vs. Infernus; party fumbles through high-stakes combat and defense maneuvers. | | 53:00–54:51 | Escape via shadow portal | Party flees destruction; regroup and patch up outside the ruins. | | 65:14–68:42 | Choosing next quest | Party debates options; head to swinging Apothecarium, find it closed, move to the labyrinth. | | 69:02–73:15 | Entering the labyrinth | Navigating magical darkness, golden mist; marked characters become vulnerable. | | 76:25–86:08 | Brainchild puzzle | Invention offerings, party improvising solutions (with ‘Undivare’), a feline NPC guides them. | | 87:02–109:00 | Calendar/grid puzzle | Chessboard of seasons; aging/reversing, Roman numeral clues, calendar page turning. | | 110:32–114:02 | The white void & subconscious boss | Players answer personal questions; a “boss” appears built from their own subconscious answers—a vending machine monster. | | 114:02–end | Cliffhanger | The party prepares to face off against their own created villain. |

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Episode Tone

The mood and banter are jam-packed with improvisational comedy, character lore reveals, meta-commentary, and affectionate ribbing. The DM and players riff on each other's goofs, sometimes getting delightfully sidetracked. Challenges combine clever puzzles with absurd solutions, letting the group flex both comedic timing and D&D know-how. Even amid battle and puzzle tension, the players keep the energy playful and team-centric.

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For Listeners/Newcomers

• You’ll enjoy: High-energy team puzzle-solving, unexpected D&D combat, memorable character voices, cozy banter, and a running thread of comedy through every dire encounter.
• Missed the last ep?: The group freed the Fire Eater, kicked off major chaos at Icecap Keep, and are on a multi-pronged hunt for ancient demigods, all while trying not to get incinerated or outfoxed by magical riddles.
• What’s next?: Our heroes are about to battle a vending machine boss—a Frankenstein mashup of their own psyches and worst habits—trapped in a market of their own making... with more labyrinths, puzzles, and hilarious missteps sure to follow.

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To sum up:
This episode packed high fantasy hijinks, endearing character introspection, and multi-layered puzzles and riddles into its runtime. The party narrowly escapes total destruction, puzzles (and improvises) through a magical labyrinth, and ends facing a monster born of their own answers. Amid all the danger, Stinky Dragon delivers its signature blend of comedy, creative problem-solving, and found-family feels.

(End of summary)

Transcript

[John Risinger]

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[Sponsor Voice (Hero Forge)]

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[Unknown Female Speaker (Carvana Ad)]

Hey, sweetie. Your mother showed me this Carvana thing for selling the car. I'm gonna give it a try. Wish me luck. Me again. I put in the license plate. It gave me an offer.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Unbelievable.

[Unknown Female Speaker (Carvana Ad)]

Okay, I accepted the offer. They're picking it up Tuesday from the driveway. I haven't even left my chair. It's done. The car is gone. I'm holding a check anyway.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Carvana, give it a whirl. Love ya.

[Sponsor Voice (Chime, Red Bull, State Farm)]

So good you'll want to leave A voicemail about it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply.

[Narrator]

Greetings all you gloomstalkers. Shadows, step into the Stinky dragon and partake in our latest potation hunt of house. It's a mixture of sunlight sensitivity bags frozen in your tracks lemonade and shaken to the core with a woeful whale's pail of ice. One sip of this shriek filled soft drink and you'll be harbinging on a flight of beverages. Previously, our adventurers zigzagged some zlinks and entered as undarians into icecap Keep. Verily, they vetted vermin for the whereabouts of the veiled eye to no avail, but freed a fettered fire eater amidst this frozen fortress. Now a formidable frenzy of flames and fiends flurries before them. Pour yourself a potation and let's proceed with this pungent pot boiler.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Hello, everyone.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Welcome to Tales from Stinky Dragon. I'm your adventure master, Gustavo Sorola, and I'm gonna hit our four players with an arrow.

[John Risinger]

You turned that on. You turned that on. Look at that. Look at that glitz and glamour. This man's a performer.

[Gustavo Sorola]

That's performance. The mic is on. We're rolling. It's time to razzle dazzle them.

[John Risinger]

I like this guy.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Me too.

[Blaine]

Have you ever shot an arrow irl, like with a bow?

[Gustavo Sorola]

I think I have a couple. Probably a couple times. Yeah. Cool.

[John Risinger]

He shot one in that. That.

[Tolv]

That.

[John Risinger]

The short that you posted a while ago of like, flubs.

[Blaine]

No, that was.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I thought that was.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, oh, the one where it hits him in the back of the.

[John Risinger]

Yeah, he shot an arrow off the screen.

[Blaine]

Yeah, his form was terrible. Anyways, what's that question?

[Gustavo Sorola]

I didn't realize Blaine was the archery expert. Anyway, how do we get off track already? Instantly. This week's arrow question is, how do you celebrate your birthday? And that was submitted by Kitty Bumble. Everyone go ahead and roll a D20. Let's get. Let's get in order here.

[John Risinger]

14, 12, 5, 20.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So it looks like it's Tolv. Doug Gunther. Natty Tolv. Lead us off. Let's talk about birthdays.

[Blaine]

Hello, it's me, Blaine.

[Tolv]

And yoo hoo. It's me, Tolv. Oh, guten tag. Even though I'm not German, I play male thaumatech barbarian, level eight. And ooh, my birthday. The day of my production, when I was fresh off of the assembly line. A day very fond of mine. I remember it crystal clear because it's still left in my hard drives and processor yes.

[John Risinger]

Is your birthday the day that you are fully assembled or turned on?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, good question.

[Tolv]

They were the same day.

[John Risinger]

Oh, okay.

[Tolv]

For me. Yeah. They had the down through a science. Not that I remember too much of that. Now that I think of it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I'm.

[Blaine]

I'm trying to remember what canonically, I'm

[Gustavo Sorola]

putting yourself in a corner there.

[John Risinger]

Yeah.

[Tolv]

I don't want to back this up.

[John Risinger]

I thought. I thought canonically, you don't know. You're. You're right.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay.

[Blaine]

Taking that back.

[Tolv]

You hoots. Me too.

[Sponsor Voice (Chime, Red Bull, State Farm)]

Good and talk.

[Tolv]

I'm not.

[John Risinger]

Take it back now.

[Tolv]

So I happen to know the date of my assembly because it's scrolled in some ancient text here on my arm.

[John Risinger]

It's on your.

[Tolv]

Next to Made in China.

[Blaine]

Yeah.

[Tolv]

Yes. And it says so I know how old I am and all of those things, you know, roughly. And for my birthday, I go through and I do a self care routine. So I go through and do all of my maintenance. I lubricate my joints. I clean out all of the hair and gunk in my internal fan in heating and cooling systems, you know, with some compressed air. I treat myself to a little bit of that.

[Blaine]

And you know, if I have any

[Tolv]

like, you know, upgrades, you know, perhaps like sticks of RAM or anything like that laying around, I'll. I'll put those in. But they're harder to come by.

[John Risinger]

Now it's just told with a bag of like chips and it's just RAM in there and he's just munching on him.

[Tolv]

So delicious topping off the tank.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay.

[Tolv]

Yeah. Nothing really special about it.

[John Risinger]

No refilling your wind Wind windshield wiper.

[Tolv]

Oh, my fluids. Yes, I need to refill my fluids. That's very important.

[John Risinger]

Thank you.

[Gustavo Sorola]

All right. Thanks to all. Makes sense. I don't know what I expected, but that. That tracks. That seems about right. Yeah. Yeah. Next up in the list we got Doug Boon.

[John Risinger]

Hello, everyone.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

It's me, Doug Boone, played by Barbara Dunkelman.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And I am a bugbear artificer. Great combo for anyone who wants to try playing that.

[John Risinger]

Thank you for.

[Tolv]

Okay.

[Blaine]

Next season.

[Tolv]

Yes. Yes.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

And you know, my birthday is a weird time because I used to celebrate it with my brother Phil. And every single birthday, he used to take me on a nice long walk and we would get my favorite, lemon meringue pie. But unfortunately, the shop that sells that is now closed down. So I usually just take myself on a long walk and think about Phil and think about lemon meringue pie. And you know, it's not the same. I Try to find a lemon. Sometimes, you know, the taste is similar, but not quite the same as a pie or the dessert in general. But, you know, hopefully someday I'll find that again.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

You have no lemon. When life takes away your lemon meringue pie, you make lemon.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yeah, you could say that. I guess.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You could say lots of things.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

You could say whatever you said implied.

[John Risinger]

Yeah. I didn't know how Chris was going to land that, and I don't think Chris did either.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

When life give you lemons.

[John Risinger]

Yeah, he just. It's just like, he just. He went towards that ramp and didn't know what trick or landing he was gonna do.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I applaud that. That's improv. That's the spirit of improv right there. Like, you start it, and you're gonna find it one way or another, 100%. Okay. Lemon meringue. That's a. That's an interesting one. Doug, what was your. I don't know, what was it that you liked about it? Is it, like, the tanginess and the sweetness or.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

It's just something that my brother got me for, you know, one of the first birthdays I could remember, and I love the taste of it, and now I just associate it with my birthday, and I, unfortunately, also associate my brother with my birthday, so that's been a little tough. Is it tougher not to have my brother than it is not to have lemon meringue pie? I like.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, yeah. Okay, that's. That's good. Got a little bit of Doug lore there. Thank you, John.

[John Risinger]

John went through a phase when he was younger where lemon meringue was my favorite. For a while. I went through a bit of a mering phase.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Lemon is good. Keel and PY2, both similar.

[John Risinger]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Blaine]

I just remember the ones that came out of the vending machine, you know, like 50 grams. Prison.

[John Risinger]

What?

[Blaine]

The machine ones, you know, like the. They're, like, disgusting, you know, I don't know.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I would imagine a lemon meringue pie out of a vending machine would be kind of gross. Yeah.

[Blaine]

I feel like you guys didn't spend enough time as kids on bikes running to convenience stores for little snacks throughout the day.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Why would you buy stuff from a vending machine at a convenience store?

[Blaine]

Well, just like, you know, I'm just talking general junk food, like processed lemon meringue pie. You know, I'm just trying.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I mean, I would spent a lot of time on a bike, but not in prison like John.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, okay. We're so in the weeds here.

[John Risinger]

We'll talk about Blaine's convicted. Pass in Second Wind. Our show just for stinky dragon.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Page, bring pictures of this lemon meringue pie. I got to see crazy.

[Narrator]

You've eaten.

[Blaine]

Everyone's eaten these.

[Tolv]

It's there.

[Blaine]

It's Mrs. Baird's.

[Gustavo Sorola]

They make a lemon meringue. Mrs. Baird's.

[Blaine]

It's like a lemon pie. You know, they lost the meringue because the people that eat Mrs. Baird's can't pronounce that word.

[John Risinger]

But, you know,

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Mrs. Bails.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, we're gonna teach Blaine what lemon meringue is in Second wind.

[John Risinger]

Oh, that's. That's not lemon meringue pie. That's a.

[Tolv]

Well, I'm so sorry, Chris. I don't need fancy, fancy merengue pie.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

It's just a lemon pie.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, next up we have Gunther. Gunther, go.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Hi, I'm Chris Maris. I'm the Gunther, the male crook folk fighter. And for my birthday when I was uc, in my village, there are many of us and we all have birthday at the same time because we all came from tetboot eggs. And so what we do is we do. We do this great. We go on a great swim together. All of the brothers and sisters, we take a swim together. And then afterwards, after celebrating with siblings, then I celebrate with my family. We played this where we put a fly in a room and blindfold us, and then you have to try and find it with a dog. It was a great fun.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I love the delivery on that. What do you call that?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh, that's called fly fishing.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Fly fishing. Okay. It would be something different for us, but. Yeah. Cool.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

But then, since I have not been with family, it has not been as fun. So what I do instead, I dig a hole and I go in it and I wait for the day to end.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Wow, that sounds like me.

[John Risinger]

It's just your wife helping you in the hole.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Just covering me with the dirt.

[John Risinger]

Does she give you your lemon meringue pie before or after you get in the hole?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Well, I do not. Do not have the lemon meringue pie. It's just me. Unless maybe perhaps we could make some pie.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yes, that can. Maybe. That's like. The next arc is making a pie.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

The team. The pie team.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Pie team. All right.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

It's better than P Team.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. Don't want to hang around with those guys. Thanks, Gunther. Last up, finally, is Natty. Why don't you tell us about your birthday?

[John Risinger]

Hello, everybody. It's John Risinger, and I play. Hi, Gus. How you doing?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Good. You know, just lots of recording today. Livestream getting a lot of stuff done. How are you doing?

[John Risinger]

I'm doing pretty good.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I'm doing pretty good.

[John Risinger]

I work out this morning. I feel good. Leg day.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Nice.

[John Risinger]

Yeah. I play Natty wonder who is a drow warlock, drag queen, mother of the bringer of the apocalypse. And once again, Natty might be the one that doesn't bring the party down a little bit and has happy memories of their family in the past.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

What are you talking about?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I am mini happy. You men are memories. I have the best of memories.

[John Risinger]

I didn't think about this until like Doug started talking. I was like, oh yeah. Every time we talk about family and our past it gets pretty down.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Pretty common occurrence on stinky dragon.

[Tolv]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

What's funny is, you know, recently C squad season two came out and it was the same thing. All the arrows there were sad family ones.

[John Risinger]

I felt like a lot of sad family times.

[Tolv]

Self care going on. I'm having a great birthday, everybody.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I think I have self care too.

[Unknown Female Speaker (Carvana Ad)]

Oh.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

It's where I care to be. In the hole.

[John Risinger]

Well, birthdays are special with my family and since my mamas, they are the high priestesses of my village, they actually are a big part of my birthday in particular, they're a part of everyone's birthday actually in our village but their mamas and the priestesses. And so it's actually a whole day that we spend in our temple where we are a temple that is dedicated to death. And it's a whole day where we kind of like we bring offerings to the temple and we do dances and face painting and it's just kind of a whole thing that we kind of celebrate that there is a point where we came into this world and we celebrate. There's going to be a point where we'll leave this world and it's a celebration from front to back is what it is. And it's a whole day thing. It starts when the sun comes up and it goes all the way until the night comes in.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Nice.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

All the way till the night comes in.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

If it takes the entire day from everyone, is that not like every day a birthday all the time?

[John Risinger]

Yeah. I mean it's kind of like it happens a lot, you know. And I think it might be with like my birthday with my mama's, they make it a bigger deal and I think that might just be a little bit what it is.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

You're special.

[John Risinger]

Yeah.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I've always said that that is nice.

[Tolv]

Do you press that screwdriver?

[John Risinger]

This one tolf this one?

[Tolv]

No, no, no, no. Flathead Flathead.

[John Risinger]

That's okay. Is it this one? Is this the flathead one?

[Tolv]

Smaller, Smaller one. The one next to that one.

[John Risinger]

Is it this one with like the whole.

[Tolv]

Hold your light still, for the love of God.

[Blaine]

Giggy. Gigi.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Blaine channeling every father trying to do a project.

[John Risinger]

Oh, my gosh. Whenever I have to tell you, you just. You just triggered a memory. Guys opening up. Does everybody else have a way that they load the dishwasher?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Like, in terms of, like, strategy.

[John Risinger]

Yeah. If you have children, they will never load it the way that you expect it to be loaded. And you will always open your dishwasher and you will go, who did this?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

At least they're loading their own dishes.

[John Risinger]

It is good. I agree, Chris. That is. That is a. That is a silver lining. But it bothers me to no end where I'm like, why is this bowl here? The bowl should be here.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You gotta make sure the cup doesn't flip over. Yeah, yeah. So then one right after the other, almost perfectly synced up with the sounds of two crates hitting the ground in the distance. With a mighty bang, bang hit the wedge that's been driven into the crack in the tungsten. And with that, you see the fissure open up and run along the length of the statue, cleaving it in two. And it falls apart in two giant pieces, freeing what appears to be a dragon emerging from the ruins of the statue. You see a dragon with cracked black scales. The cracks between the scales glow a dull red, and as you're looking at it, the bright orange flames become brighter and brighter until they burst out into actual, like, roaring flames shooting out from these cracks on the dragon with it lets out a loud roar, looks around and begins breathing fire, melting all of the keep around it. You see the walls falling down and people running around, Udarians running around screaming, some on fire, some not. And the entire place just seems to erupt into chaos. You broke open that dragon shaped furnace and a dragon popped out from it.

[Blaine]

Ooh.

[John Risinger]

What happens if we break open this dragon?

[Gustavo Sorola]

There's a smaller dragon. You dare trap the fire eater in the ice cap keep?

[John Risinger]

I will raise this stronghold to Slutch

[Gustavo Sorola]

and my abductors to ashes. Could you just lower your voice?

[Tolv]

This is supposed to be astounding trying to save you.

[Blaine]

I understand the frustration, but if you

[Gustavo Sorola]

could just bring it down a bit

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

or just, you know, go for it. Because you want to burn and kill all these people who, you know, got you or kept you captive, that's all these Andarians in here. Actually, not us.

[John Risinger]

Natty's putting up hard rock horns. It's like, yeah, burn it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

This is the point of the stealth mission of the video game, where you've been discovered and it's time to unload.

[Tolv]

Well, in that case, we'll play your theme song. I'm the firestarter. Wicked fire starter bow.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

My head is bobbing back and forth is so good.

[John Risinger]

Is that a real song?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, Prodigy.

[Blaine]

It's the one where it's the guy, he's like, wearing the American shirt and he's, like, running through sewers.

[John Risinger]

What?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Wow.

[Gustavo Sorola]

It's like, from 98 or 99. 98. Somewhere around there. Prodigy, fast starter. Oh, okay.

[Blaine]

Who is.

[Gustavo Sorola]

That's Prodigy.

[John Risinger]

Prodigy.

[Blaine]

Prodigy.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I said it like five times.

[John Risinger]

He did.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

He did.

[Blaine]

I just don't listen to Gus anymore.

[Gustavo Sorola]

A jet stream of scorching flames surges across the keep, turning walls to water and steam. Undarians scatter like mice in a kitchen, many falling into the rising floods of water. Nearby, you see the Frost Spider furiously take flight with owlish wings, his polar bear maw agape with icicle teeth, aiming straight for the Fire eater's neck. At the same moment across the keep, you spot Infernus rear her bloodshot head from an ash heap of Undarians. Her scowl zeros in on the four of you, and she unsheathes a sword that matches the deep blackness of her eyes. You know it as the Blade of Nether Flames. She unfurls vast leathery wings and flaps straight toward you.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Uh, quick question here. Do we. Are we able to tell, like, who's fighting against who in this situation?

[John Risinger]

I'm on the team of the dragon. That's my team right there.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

From what you can tell, the Fire Eater is attacking everyone and everything. The Frost Spider is taking flight, aiming for the Fire eater. And Infernus has unsheathed her sword and is heading in your direction. Slash the Fire eater as well. Cause you all were right by the Fire Eater since you left.

[John Risinger]

We were. We were?

[Gustavo Sorola]

You freed the Fire eater. Okay.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Hey, I want to try a new ability. And it don't take any time because I've already done it. If you spend it's know your enemy. If you spend at least one minute observing or interacting with another creature outside of combat, you can learn information about its capabilities compared to your own. Strength score, Dexterity score. Constitution score. Armor class, Current hp, Total class levels. How could I. We've interacted with. With Infernus. I've been studying for a while. How. How much stronger is she than us lots.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I think as that ability is written, you have to like, focus right now and spend a minute. But I'll. I'm. I'm gonna. I'll. I'll. I'll look at. I'll dig into that in a second. Before I get to that, I. I should read a couple sentences here. I should read. B team has mere seconds before either of these eventualities take place. One, the fire eater is bitten by the Frostbiter. Or two, Infernus reaches the the party to attack them. Go in any order you wish, do whatever you want, but you all must act quickly. The ice cap keep is melting, water's rising, and you still don't know the whereabouts of the veil die.

[John Risinger]

And Gwen Stacy is falling off a bridge. And we have to figure out which way to go first.

[Blaine]

We need to find option three, the one that Micah didn't think of. That's how this works.

[John Risinger]

You mean the option we always pick?

[Blaine]

Yeah,

[Barbara Dunkelman]

that's a very good point, Chris.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I'm gonna say. Yeah, I applaud. I think the way that this is written, you're supposed to spend a minute focusing at the moment. But you're right. You all have spent a lot of time. You all are in the military. You know Infernus is the big bad for you all. So I'll say that you would have time observing, interacting with this creature outside of combat so you can learn about her abilities compared to your own.

[Blaine]

What is the Pokedex Infernus?

[John Risinger]

Fire type. Actually, you say that, and I was gonna confess that I have from the beginning of this campaign, gotten Infernus mixed up with an actual Pokemon called Eternatus, which is a giant scary Pokemon. And so every time you said Infernus, Eternatus has come up in my head.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so you want to know the Infernus's stat scores?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah. Or at least total, I guess the broad total class levels. Like what level is she relative to us?

[Gustavo Sorola]

You would guess if you had to assign a level to her, she would be like, I don't know, level 20.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I think this is a fight we shall not have.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I think if anything, guys, we should maybe protect a Fire eater because, you know, we saved her, so she might be on our side. I don't know if the frost spider biting her is gonna be good.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yes, let's go.

[John Risinger]

I agree. And with that, Natty flies up into the sky.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Ooh, Coco, you just ran away.

[Blaine]

You're leaving us.

[John Risinger]

Where's the objective to. That's who we're supposed to be saving, right? There, the one flying in the sky.

[Tolv]

She left us. She left us.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Frostbite or fire eater. Where are they relative to us?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Again, so the fire eater is right next to you on the ground, you know, spewing out fire and destruction all around. The Frostbiter took flight and is in the air. I believe the frostbiter was about 60ft away and is now in the air, kind of flying at an angle up towards the neck of the fire eater.

[John Risinger]

Nettie is flying up towards the cross point Frostbiter and. Sorry. Crossfire's theme song just came into my head right now as I was saying.

[Narrator]

Yeah, I was like.

[John Risinger]

I was, like, trying to turn it off my head while I talked, and it wasn't working.

[Blaine]

So you're gonna. Mr. President.

[John Risinger]

But I'm going up that direction. Huh?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[Blaine]

Are you like, Mr. Presidenting, like, I'm joining the fight.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so you're positioning yourself.

[John Risinger]

I don't think I'm gonna stop. Natty's little, like, drow body is gonna stop the frost spider. So I'm not built that way, but, you know, thank you for the vote of confidence.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Essentially, you're positioning yourself kind of by the fire eater's neck to guard it from the frost spider.

[John Risinger]

Yeah, I can. I can shoot some stuff.

[Gustavo Sorola]

All right. And then. So Gunther did an analysis to. And Doug. What do you guys want to do?

[Blaine]

Do we get the idea that we're going to be running or fighting? I know that, like, you're hopping in to help out, but I know. I don't know if that's, like, as a means of. Of getting the frost spider away, because

[Gustavo Sorola]

I know that frost spider.

[Blaine]

Cause I'm.

[John Risinger]

You could ask Natty.

[Tolv]

Oh, Natty, while you're flying up there, are you going to, like, engage the enemy?

[John Risinger]

Well, I figure it accomplishes two things. It gets me further away from that thing with the giant sword and closer to the God that we're here to help.

[Blaine]

Okay, Toll's gonna rage.

[John Risinger]

He's doing it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

He's starting to breathe, becoming okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And anything else is there. What is your thought process or your positioning with this rage?

[Blaine]

In the event that we get hit by something, which I feel like I'm gonna get hit with some strays. I just want to be protected. But also, if we're gonna try to, hopefully what can happen is we take the side of the good Lord, these names, the fire eater. And they will distract. It'll be fire on fire, fighting fire with fire. So they'll be going after ol whatchamacallit infernus. Infernus. And then maybe we then team up on Frostbiter because I don't know if they're as strong as Infernus, So just

[Gustavo Sorola]

FYI, Infernus appears to be flying directly at you all at B team.

[John Risinger]

That's why Natty yell. They're getting further away from that thing.

[Blaine]

Yeah, heck it. I think I might just throw a javelin at the. At Infernus to just slow them.

[John Risinger]

I don't know.

[Blaine]

I mean, they're already. They're already like, proc'd. They're mad anything at this point to just like, slow their speed. So I'm gonna throw a javelin.

[Gustavo Sorola]

All right. Yeah, go for it. Make your attack roll.

[Blaine]

Okay, 13.

[Gustavo Sorola]

13. You let your javelin fly, and with a slash of her blade of nether flames, Infernus just cleans it in two as it's flying towards her. Great.

[Blaine]

I throw another. I throw another.

[Tolv]

All right, toss it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

No, I.

[Blaine]

Maybe I'll turn and I'll throw it

[Gustavo Sorola]

at the Frost Spider.

[Tolv]

I don't know.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I'm just like.

[Narrator]

I'm scared.

[Blaine]

I'm throwing things.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Who you wanted to throw it at?

[Blaine]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna pivot and I'll just go.

[Tolv]

Okay, great. Noted.

[Blaine]

Then I'm gonna throw it to the Frost Spider now.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, make your attack roll

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

12.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You turn and pivot and toss your javelin at the Frostbiter. However, it flies behind the Frostb. I guess the Frostbiter is flying a little faster than you expected, so it's unable to connect.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[Blaine]

And then I'm going to do that thing that you would do in gym class after you mess something up and you just kind of like, you like, crank your shoulder. You're like, what the.

[Gustavo Sorola]

What is this?

[John Risinger]

Strange.

[Tolv]

Weird.

[Gustavo Sorola]

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[Blaine]

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[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay?

[Blaine]

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[Gustavo Sorola]

Doug, I believe you're the only one left.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Tolev, you're still next to me, right? Like you didn't move. Like you didn't run away to shoot those things.

[Tolv]

I should have. But no, I'm still here. Trembling in fear.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay, I am going to to put my hand on Tolf's shoulder. I am going to cast warding bond. This spell wards a willing creature you touch and creates a mystic connection between you and the target. Until the spell ends when the target is within 60ft of you. It gains a plus one bonus to AC and saving throws, and it has resistance to all damage. Also, each time it takes damage, you take the same amount of damage.

[Tolv]

Don't worry, no damage will be taken.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I was wondering where the downside is. There it was.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Listen to. You know, I. I think if I have faith in you, you'll have faith in you. And so I'm just kind of like, you know, don't get into trouble.

[Tolv]

I want to test something out. I want to see how bonded we are.

[Blaine]

I slam my toe against nearby furniture and stub it.

[John Risinger]

Micah, I'm gonna need you to take that sound clip of Blaine saying, no damage will come to you. And I want you to replay it with an echo the next time Doug takes damage. Because of Tolv taking damage, Tolve is down.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so that's very selfless of you, Doug.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So, yes, basically, Tolv, when you're within 60ft of me, you have plus one to your AC and saving throws, and you're resistant to all damage.

[Tolv]

Doug, you will not live to regret this. You will not live to regret this.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I'm scared.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so everyone essentially did something. Gunther. I feel like everyone else maybe had a little more. Is there anything else you want to do? Cuz you're think, like, thinking back on it, I feel like maybe I shorted you a little bit, cuz you had said, like, this was kind of a thing you'd already done in the past.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Got him.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Thank you. Can I. How high up is the fight? Fire eater.

[Gustavo Sorola]

The fire eater is rather large. Like, are you trying to gauge, like, if you wanted to jump?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I was gonna see if I can

[Gustavo Sorola]

jump up, like, onto the fire eater's head.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Onto the neck. Where the. To like.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, onto the neck. How? What is your jump?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Like, 25?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, sure. Let's say you can do it. So you jump up and grab onto the fire eater's neck and, like, grab

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

hold and then like, in a defensive manner to like, block the attack from the other one. The flying one. The fire biter.

[Gustavo Sorola]

The frost fighter.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Frost fighter. Do you want to write these down?

[Gustavo Sorola]

I have them all written.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I'm just there.

[Blaine]

Like, he just forgot how to read.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

The lie detector determined that was a lie.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

No, no, I have them all. I have that list that Micah made, all pulled up, but I have to, like, I'm looking for them, so I'm like, which one is it?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Just like, in terms of who we're fighting, I would just maybe bring Them down.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. You jump up and, you know, grab on to the fire eater's neck and take up a defensive position. Gunther, why don't you make me a dexterity saving throw?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay, 17.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You grab on and I assume you know, unsheath your rapier and take a defensive posture when the neck you're holding onto begins to burn with the heat of a thousand suns and you very quickly become engulfed in flames.

[John Risinger]

Saw that coming a mile away. He saw a fire dragon God and was like, I should ride it. Hip, hip hop.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, and you take 23 points of fire damage.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay, cool.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So I am happy I did not put my warding bond on you. I was thinking about it.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Can I talk while I jump up? Do not worry, fire eater. I shall protect you.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, then we have frog legs available as an appetizer today.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Seared frog legs.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You also are under what we would call the burning condition. Gunther. So you're going to take a little bit of fire damage at the start of your. Your turn. And you can. During your turn, you can take an action to extinguish the fire on yourself by taking the prone condition and rolling on the ground. You just. Basically you stop, drop, and roll or.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay, cool.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, you could jump in a river or. I don't know, you could do something else, too. Just. You are burning. That's. That's the important part. That's the takeaway here. That's the. That's the.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay, I'm on fire.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, and you fell 25ft.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh, my God.

[Blaine]

I like that. Gus was like, you know what, Chris? I didn't give you enough. What do you want to do, bud? And then now he's walking away dead.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh, wait, I have a question.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And then he takes seven points of falling down.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

What a favor, Gus, the saving throw that I did, the dexterity saving throw. Did I pass it?

[Gustavo Sorola]

No.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. So all of you had a chance. Thank you, Chris, for making my day. So it's their turn, I guess. Everyone else's turn, we would say. The frost spider is still closing in. What is the frost spider? I don't think he makes it there. I'm just gonna double check the flying speed. Oh, that's a faster flying speed than I thought. The flying speed's 60. So the frost spider does make it there.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And you said that's like a polar bear type?

[Blaine]

Yeah, it's an owlbear.

[Gustavo Sorola]

But like polar bear form, the frostbiter is not an owl bear. But I could see why you would say that. It's the Frost spider has a polar bear head, I bicycle teeth, and a giant owl body with frosty feathers. And he's wearing icy blue breastplate.

[Blaine]

So he's a bear owl.

[John Risinger]

He's the opposite.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Micah made the exact same joke, and the second you said it, he wrote bear owl. Very different. Okay, so the frostbiter would actually make it there and Natty would be in the way.

[John Risinger]

I'd be very clear. I was not putting myself in the act. Like, I'm Natty next to the fire eater as, like, an alternative option for the fire for the frost spider to be going at. I was not gonna put myself in between these two gods. Natty's smarter than that.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Gotcha. Okay, well, in that case, lucky for you, the frost spider ignores you and heads straight for the fire eater.

[Blaine]

So Natty's essentially Clippy. Hey, I see that you're fighting the Frostbiter there.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, I miss Clippy. Now we just have AI now we have co pilot.

[Blaine]

I want a Clippy like tattoo. Honestly, I think that'd be really funny.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Hey there, be awesome.

[John Risinger]

It's me, Clippy.

[Gustavo Sorola]

All right. Yeah. The frostbiter flies straight at the fire eater's neck and attempts with, you know, opens up his giant maw and attempts to take a bite out of the fire eater's neck, but misses. At the last second. The fire eater twists their neck around, maybe looking at Gunther on the ground. And the frost spider fails to lock his. His jaws around the neck of the fire eater.

[Tolv]

Way to go, Gunther. Great distraction. Attaboy.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so then it is Infernus's turn, and her fly speed is 120, so she definitely makes it to you guys. So, yeah, with, like, in the blink of an eye, like, you see Infernus, she locks eyes with you all you blink, and then she's right in front of you to. I guess you threw your javelin, you blinked, and then she's right in front of you, towering over you, looking down at you and evaluating all of B team before her.

[Tolv]

Oh, it's you in real life.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Don't make us hurt you.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Through gritted teeth, she yells at you.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Where is the veiled eye?

[Tolv]

He's right behind you.

[Blaine]

Can I roll through Deception? There it is.

[Tolv]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Okay.

[Blaine]

And. That is a 17.

[Narrator]

Oh.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, let's see. I wasn't going to, but I'll roll for her. Let's see.

[Tolv]

Come on.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Please.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Come on.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Please.

[Blaine]

God.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Does she look?

[Blaine]

Does she look?

[John Risinger]

Okay, so wait, let's play this out. If she looks, what is your play?

[Tolv]

I'm going to hit her so hard with the gavel of gale strum.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. She does turn around, shocked and take a look over her shoulder.

[Blaine]

Is that an opportunity attack or can I take a swing?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Normally, no, but I think it's really funny. So yes,

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Major.

[John Risinger]

Look, Natty is observing this and she is thinking to herself, I can't. I can't wait for Tolve to meet my wife.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

He can meet her another time.

[Blaine]

I rolled a 19 plus 6 25. And then.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

You know another way to break this warding bond I have on you, Tolv, is for us to be separated by more than 60ft. And depending on how the outcome of this goes, I might just take a little run that way.

[Tolv]

Well, so like, what's the WI FI connection say they uppercut me and I, I fly about 80ft in the air, do we depart, but then I get back into range when I land on the ground. How does that work?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so Infernus turns around looking over her shoulder and you swing your gavel of gale strip and you hit 25. And that actually hits.

[Blaine]

Okay, yes. I won't lie. I cannot tell a lie. I have my shield equipped. So that is a one handed strike. So that'll be a D8. All right, all right, all right. Hey, I rolled a one.

[Tolv]

But, but hold that laughter.

[Blaine]

John Risinger. I have Savage Attacker, which was the last thing that I updated with Savage Attacker. Once per turn, when you hit a target with a weapon, you can roll the weapon's damage dice twice and use either roll against the target.

[John Risinger]

Can't be worse.

[Blaine]

I'm going to roll the damage dice again.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, that's better.

[Tolv]

That's two.

[Blaine]

So that's five plus the two because I'm raging. So seven plus plus.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, wait, no, no, sorry, it's just your AC that I get you and resistance to damage, so.

[Blaine]

Oh, but that's because trust me, they're about to. They're about to hit real hard. So I'm going to need that ac.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so that's seven points of damage. Yes, Holt says that and turns around

[John Risinger]

and sees Doug is already running and just counting the feet as he runs.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Doug's now 61ft away.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I'm 59 and a half. I'm ready to take a step.

[Tolv]

And one more thing. I have something called storm aura. The sea.

[Blaine]

You gain a 10 foot aura effect when you start your rage. And as a bonus action on each of your turns, when activated, will one creature of your choice in your aura takes lightning damage.

[Gustavo Sorola]

But that's on your turn though.

[Blaine]

Okay, never mind.

[Tolv]

Well, just you wait until that. It's my turn.

[John Risinger]

Ooh.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You take a swing at Infernus and your gavel of Galestrom connects. And it seems almost like from the point at which your gavel hits Infernus, four daemongrals jump out like a burst of black flames and surround you.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Well, what, like out of her head

[Blaine]

or out of the wounds?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Her arm or. Yeah, wherever. Wherever she got hit, she's spewing them.

[Tolv]

See? You see? Furnace? You had, like, a zit there, and I needed to pop it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And now look.

[Tolv]

You're welcome. You got those guys out of your system now. You don't have to worry. I bet that was uncomfortable. You're welcome. See you next week. All right.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Without saying a word, she swings her blade of Nether Flames around, taking aim at you.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Toll. Yeah.

[Tolv]

And hitting AC.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oof. I only rolled a five. She hits AC 21.

[Blaine]

Oh, wait, wait.

[Tolv]

I mean,

[Narrator]

Keep that.

[Blaine]

Bleep it out.

[John Risinger]

That's the funniest thing ever.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

That's the first time we've, like, sworn

[Gustavo Sorola]

on the main podcast. It's been a while. That was the best.

[John Risinger]

I have a 20.

[Tolv]

AC.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So 21 hits. Barely so close.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, my gosh, she has a 16.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I want to pat myself on the back for saying she had a bad roll. Five. And then she still hits 21.

[John Risinger]

That's a level 20 character.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, my God.

[John Risinger]

Think of Bart, but add, like, five more levels.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Unfathomable.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. The blade of Nether Flames slashes across your metallic chest, doing 70 points of necrotic damage.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

He's resistant, though.

[John Risinger]

He is so half.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

He's resistant to all damage.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, is it resistant to all damage?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

All damage?

[John Risinger]

Carp is like. Doug is only taking 35. Gustavo.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so 35 points of necrotic damage.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

All right, listen to. It was nice while it lasted.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could Doug run away?

[Gustavo Sorola]

60ft.

[John Risinger]

Is it a concentration spell?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

No, it only breaks if I get down to zero. Or if we're separated. 60ft.

[Tolv]

Run for your life.

[Gustavo Sorola]

12. You turn around and there's just like a duck shaped cloud of dust. Oh, oh, oh. And make me a costume. Save it through.

[Blaine]

Oh, okay. That would be 21. Do I get anything else?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Because I'm raging.

[Blaine]

Come on, give me something.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Come on.

[John Risinger]

21.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, I know you. You made it. You're good.

[John Risinger]

You only take half the damage of

[Blaine]

what he's about to say.

[Gustavo Sorola]

No, you. You, you, you. You feel like almost like the life was being drained out of you, but you managed to hold it in.

[Tolv]

All the considered. Not as bad as it could have been, you know.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yeah.

[John Risinger]

Hey, I know Tol probably has a fair amount of health. How full is Doug's cup?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Let's see. Cause we didn't have a rest recently.

[Blaine]

Oh, John. It overfloweth.

[Tolv]

They're doing great.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Let's say about 1 8.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Doug's running on fumes.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

But.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could Doug like, while that's happening, because we're not in initiative, so could he have just taken off?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Like a double move.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, double move.

[Blaine]

Is your speed above 120?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

No, it's 30ft. So I'd have to double move for 60.

[John Risinger]

That's what my question was going to be. So we to.

[Tolv]

That's okay. I understand.

[John Risinger]

So it's just Tolve and a scorched frog standing in front of Infernus.

[Tolv]

You shall.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And as you're running, Doug, you see like under your feet. As you get about 30ft away, you see like a semicircle of black flames that you have to hop over and tove all around you. A hellish circle of black flames surrounds you is about a 30 foot radius and begins smoldering like.

[Blaine]

Like it's giving me like that chad face where it juts out its jaw and it's going in like its eyes are like. Like smoldering like. Like what I'm doing right now.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Took me a second to realize what

[Gustavo Sorola]

you were talking about.

[John Risinger]

I knew what he was laying down. I got it. I got you blame.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, yeah, I'm smolding metagame wise. It just makes it easier for enemies to hit you. Can I leave?

[Blaine]

Can I run away? Can I.

[Tolv]

Can I just. I. I just see that and I just step away and I go, okay. Just going to move.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You absolutely can. So, yeah.

[John Risinger]

There's no opportunity attack when.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, I wasn't going to say it, but the Fire eater would see all of this. Infernus is the bad guy. The Fire eater's mad. The Frostbiter is trying to bite the fire eater's neck. The fire eater is going to try to destroy the Frostbiter.

[John Risinger]

That makes sense.

[Blaine]

The fire eater is going to destroy the Frostbiter.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So you can think about Frostbite as being like, that's an actual thing. So if that helps you guys remember Frostbiter.

[Tolv]

Yeah.

[John Risinger]

And to keep this Pokemon discussion going tactically, lastly, Ice Pokemon are weak to Fire Pokemon.

[Gustavo Sorola]

It's true.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I did learn that.

[John Risinger]

Good job, Barbara.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. The fire eater turns around unleashing like a fire breath on the walls of Ice Cap. Keep melting out one of the walls entirely, which Collapses into a mix of little bits of ice and water which begins flowing all over the ground around you. And as a fire eater spins around, their tail flies up into the air and smacks the frost spider out. Out of the air. And the frostbiter hits the ground with a loud thud and appears to be unmoving.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh, cool.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So fire eater hurt.

[Tolv]

Frostbite, Chill out.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

The frost spider is the one that has a thing with the sea drinker, Right?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, good memory.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Is that right?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, there's like a. It's like a three. It's like a triangle of confusion.

[Blaine]

And the fire eater is in love with the sea drinker. Or there was like a smile. Some sort of romance.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

There's some jealousy.

[Blaine]

I thought there was a romance.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Well, I think it's between the sea drinker and the Frostbiter.

[John Risinger]

I think they call it a situationship.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Is this a throuple? Frostbiter jealous of the fire eater and sea drinker.

[Blaine]

Oh, because they're a demigod. As opposed to those guys, which are real gods, Probably. I don't know.

[Gustavo Sorola]

We. I think we said this last episode, so I don't feel bad seeing it because they're. Because of the relationship that they share.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Indeed.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so Doug made a double move and is moving to a new town. What are the other three? I think Natty, you were starting to say something when I interrupted you with the fire.

[John Risinger]

Oh, I was gonna make a dumb joke about. Natty is composing a song about her long lost friend to sing his story to those who never got to meet him. Actually, what would Natty do at this point? Oh, could Natty address the fire eater?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, why not?

[John Risinger]

And Natty would, like, really try to emphasize her tongue as she talks to show she got the split so that the fire knows that we're, you know, simpatico kind of thing. Because that's my person, right? That's my. That's my church.

[Gustavo Sorola]

What. What is that group called again?

[John Risinger]

It's the Go Ahead Flame. Flame Eaters.

[Gustavo Sorola]

All right, I'll tell you, John.

[John Risinger]

Thank you.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Just if you remembered. Yeah, I was just curious to see if you remember. It's the Kindlekin.

[John Risinger]

Kindlekin.

[Tolv]

Kindlekin.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I was like, I know, it's a double thing.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. I think it's such a fun name. Okay. Yeah. So you show your forked tongue, or I guess you emphasize that. That way the fire eater will see it. And what do you want to say?

[John Risinger]

Natty would say, hail, great fire eater. My name is Natty Wonder. As you can see. I've entered into your group of worshippers or just fans? You know, I like to think of it more as like a. As a relationship, not like a worship. Anyways, you might know my wife. She's the silent steed, and I, we were hoping that I. Well, I. I was hoping you might help those charred creatures below us. That one's to, and that one's Gunther. And then that cute little so and so running away, that's Doug. We actually are the ones who set you free. So we could use some help making sure that we survive this whole shindig. Cause that lady down there with the sword, I think she means business.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Make me a. Let's call it a persuasion check with advantage, because you showed your Kindlekin to

[John Risinger]

18 for the first roll and a six. We're going to go with the 18 there, Gus.

[Gustavo Sorola]

That's pretty good. I think the fire eater would be amenable to what you're dropping here. Also, it helps that Infernus is attacking you, because the fire eater is not an Infernus fan. Especially not at the moment. I think the fire eater would. Would look at you, narrow her eyes, would address you, Natty, and just say

[Barbara Dunkelman]

this command, okay?

[John Risinger]

Message. No message. Message heard. Message heard. In order for us to flee, I feel like we could use maybe just a little bit of some expeditious assistance. Is there anything you might be able to provide my little friends down there?

[Tolv]

Some sort of teleportation?

[John Risinger]

Yeah, anything. You know, maybe just like a distraction from Infern. I don't know anything. I'm just a humble kindle candy beseeching a really cool looking dragon. I mean, you.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You.

[John Risinger]

You gotta tell me who your stylist is, because they are working it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

The fire eater would kind of rise to her full height and look down at the Undarians below. And every undarian within 120ft, except for Infernus, drops their weapon and prostrates themselves before the fire eater in fear.

[John Risinger]

I mean, that helps. That helps.

[Tolv]

That works.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yes, Queen.

[Gustavo Sorola]

The fire eater reaches down and it looks like she's trying to grab at Infernus directly.

[John Risinger]

Perfect. Could we call that free action talking or is that my action?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Yeah.

[John Risinger]

Then I want to help. How can Natty help these boys move faster? Oh, could I make a little shadow portal?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah. Fancy.

[John Risinger]

Is there a door that hasn't been melted close by? Like maybe one of them igloos?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, I'd say that there are several floating freely. Now, I did mention that that wall collapsed, so they're floating out Past the walls of the keep at this point, like, out to the surrounding area.

[John Risinger]

Oh, actually, I forget. This is. Actually, I've misread this every single time. It's that you create the door. But the door can be in a wall, cliff, tree, or similar structure. So I'm just gonna create a portal. I'm gonna shoot my portal gun, and I'm gonna shoot it down. You know what? I'm gonna shoot it down underneath the. The broken frog so that he just falls through because he's. He's. He's gonna need to. Not. He's. He's gonna need to deal with burns more than dealing with doors. And I'm gonna set it just 200ft outside of the. Call it a rock or a tree that Natty can see, or we're in some sort of mound of a glacier, a wall of ice, whatever.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Absolutely.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[John Risinger]

And then Natty yelled out, and as. As Gunther falls to, like to follow

[Blaine]

the frog, tolve would like, okay, and then you just, like, not, like, jump in. He would slowly just kind of, like, crawl his way in. Just one foot.

[John Risinger]

Just trust falls in.

[Tolv]

You haven't seen the last of me.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Get in the hole.

[John Risinger]

And then Natty would use the rest of her movement for that because she hasn't moved at all to just start flying away.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. As you're flying away and Doug, as you're running in that direction, you see that the remaining walls of Ice Cap Keep begin to fall and melt. And you hear the furious sounds of. You hear roars and sounds, furious combat coming in from what remains of Icecap Keep. And it fades into the distance as you put some space between yourselves and that location. You all reconvene at a safe distance where Natty's portal had plopped out the frog. And you take in the scene, and you watch Icecap Keep fall down and become totally destroyed. From a safe distance, it might sound,

[Barbara Dunkelman]

fine, you like sizzling.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Now we'll say you put it out.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Tov.

[Tolv]

Stomp you out. Put out the rest of the flames.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Thank you.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, I like to think Tove, like, shapes Gunther like a basketball and begins dribbling him around, putting him, like, between his legs. So you find yourself back not too far from where you were initially when you looked at the veiled veil and regarded all of the different options before you. You see before you a valley blanketed with darkness, except for moonlight. In the distance, you see where a glacial fortress once stood. You also see a spherical building that sways between two dead trees and a labyrinth gated by luminescent golden mist.

[Blaine]

Can I do a quick pause to send a message out to who?

[Tolv]

I'll close my eyes and I'll say, hey, Seadrinker, it's me. It's Tolva again.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I know.

[Tolv]

Quick little update this might affect you. Just want to let you know. We let the fire eater out. Last we saw. What was that?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Why are you like that?

[Tolv]

We let the fire eater out. Oh, yeah, okay.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Sorry.

[Blaine]

That.

[Tolv]

That was Gunther. He was making a joke.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

He's blowing on. His arm is still on fire.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Take an inspiration dive, Gunther.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

That was funny.

[Tolv]

So anyways, last we saw them, they were fighting in furnace. They seem to have handled things with the Frostbiter.

[Gustavo Sorola]

But.

[Tolv]

But thought you'd want to know. Love and kisses.

[Narrator]

Bye.

[Gustavo Sorola]

That's my prayer.

[John Risinger]

I think before we make our decision for the next place we should go, we should set up camp. I think now's a good time for us to try to find a defensible position that's not in sight of all that over there and take a little nonnies.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I would agree with you, Natty.

[John Risinger]

That was a beautiful song there, Doug. I like that. Thank you.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I'm afraid for my life, so I would like to maybe restore myself a little bit. And I think Gunther also could use it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Doug turns to Gunther and he's just smoking.

[Tolv]

I really like that warding bond. Should we do that again sometime?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

You know, I'll consider it. Maybe when we're going up against someone who isn't in furnace.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

She's really scary, Tolf.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Why don't you make me a religion check?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

He prayed to the sea drinker.

[Blaine]

16 oh.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You finish up your prayer and in your mind you hear a response. You hear what sounds like a roaring fire and screams.

[Tolv]

Okay, read. Receipts are on. So I think they got the message.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Wait, but.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, does that mean they were in there?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Or maybe they.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Because we were just in a place with roaring fire and screams.

[Tolv]

Wait, did we miss the sea drinker?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Maybe they have the same bond that you. The warding bond as well. And they were connected with the Frostbiter.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Frostbiter.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Guys, I think.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I assume Tolf tells us this or.

[John Risinger]

No, wait, wait, wait. Hold on.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

He says.

[Blaine]

Yeah. Okay, so.

[Tolv]

Okay, guys, I have read receipts on. They were strange though. There was just roaring fire and flames.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So that's not good.

[John Risinger]

And screams.

[Tolv]

Right, it screams.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Just to be clear, it was roaring fire comma not roaring comma fire comma, roaring fire.

[Tolv]

So it was lions and next to a fire. Or there was no fire. Was roaring as robust As a lion.

[John Risinger]

Is there a chance that the sea drinker is in custody again?

[Tolv]

Maybe.

[Blaine]

Hold on. I'm looking back on my notes. It says the tarot cards absorb the the four of us and we are teleported to a dark reflective crystally place. There's a Drakon Maestro Pharynx appears the Veiled Eye left when whereabouts were revealed by Seadrinker. Now he's in the Veiled Eye.

[John Risinger]

I didn't understand most of that, but

[Blaine]

I. I got to decrypt my own notes. Yeah, that's.

[John Risinger]

You do that. And I think since the. The gods seem to be flopping around to different realms, either on their own volition or being forced. That's my theory of what?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

It also sounds like Infernus and those people are trying to find them as well. Like, I know they're looking for the Pathfinder and stuff, and now it seems like they're looking for the Veiled Eye, but maybe they're just trying to like collect them all. You know, like. Like that game that some people talk about. That classic peekaboo.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Digimon. Yu yo.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

When we last talked to the sea drinker, when we were on that island, did they. Where did they go? Did they run off to do a mission?

[Blaine]

I think that we like released them. They were freed. Yeah, but I don't know beyond that. I've had a prayer or two since and they've granted me something. So I seem to feel. I feel like they would be free still.

[John Risinger]

I don't know. I think this is a mystery that we might not have the answer for right now.

[Blaine]

Well, if we're going to be doing a long rest, can Tolv. Because he typically goes into a trance, it's like the Thaumatech sleep thing. Can he like try to reconvene and see what this could mean?

[Gustavo Sorola]

I feel like you're like E.T. getting a speak and spell and a radio dish and like you're trying to boost the signal speed to her eyes.

[John Risinger]

He's gonna spend his sleeping time defragging so that all that mixed up information gets kind of consolidate him. Maybe he can remember better.

[Tolv]

I'm just gonna set up a mesh network, you know, maybe expand my coverage, you know.

[John Risinger]

Let's go. Let's go sleep.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Can we go sleep?

[Blaine]

How far away are we from that camp?

[John Risinger]

200ft minimum.

[Gustavo Sorola]

200? You can go as far as you want.

[John Risinger]

We can, we could just kept walking.

[Blaine]

That's less than a double move for Infernus and just.

[John Risinger]

Well, we can, we can. Let's like we assume where we've walked back to that, like, entrance of, like, the Cannon canyon passage kind of thing.

[Blaine]

I'm just putting it in perspective. That's as if someone put up camp like 60ft away from us normies. Like, we're still very close.

[John Risinger]

So I say, yeah, we hightail.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yeah.

[Blaine]

We find someplace stealthy.

[John Risinger]

We will assume we move to a more secure location instead of camp.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Sure.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

It's also dark here and I'm on fire.

[John Risinger]

You were. You were. Okay.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Is that cool? Gus, can we go find someplace?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Absolutely. You find a nice, comfy, secure place, out of sight, out of mind. And you hunker down and try to recover. Get a little R and R. Alright.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

This is a long rest.

[John Risinger]

I have hit the long rest button.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Would our exhaustion be cured if we

[John Risinger]

were exhausted before one level of it?

[Gustavo Sorola]

How many levels did you have? Just one.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Just one.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Finishing a long rest reduces your exhaustion by one. Yeah. Provided the creature has also ingested some food and drink. It's fine. It's fine.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

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[Barbara Dunkelman]

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[Gustavo Sorola]

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[Gustavo Sorola]

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[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, you spend a few hours recovering tolv. You try to commune further with the sea drinker. Make me another religion check.

[Blaine]

That is a bad roll. 8.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, you don't receive any further communication

[Blaine]

that would concern to and you know, like Natty said, like we're in a trance and stuff like that. I feel like it wouldn't take long for told to kind of get back to where he was because his HP wasn't quite as low as everybody else's. Can he at least like observe what was going on? Like there's got to be a light show off on the horizon from where we left. Can he see if this fight's still going? Kind of how it went. Is there any trace of the sea drinker?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so make me. Before I answer, I guess make me an intelligence check. Okay.

[Blaine]

Almost 2013.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. You, you know, are observing the. The fight in the distance, which actually does not last that much longer. Once you all flee, the entire ice cap keep is raised and is no longer standing. However, the light show does die down pretty quickly. And you know, as you're sitting there watching that and as you're thinking about the message you received from the sea drinker, you don't think it sounded like the same as the location where you just were? It didn't sound like ice cap key.

[Blaine]

Okay, well, I wouldn't wake everybody up

[Tolv]

and say, guys, I think I hold it.

[Blaine]

I would wait until the morning, but I would pass that information along.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Sure.

[John Risinger]

Okay. Well, good morning everybody. Hope you got A restful night's sleep. We have two options. Of our next locations to abscond to, I vote for the one that is not a maze we could get lost in.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I. I would acquiesce. Leadership. I believe I have leadership. To Doug.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Oh, okay. Yes, I'm ready to take up the mantle leadership now that I'm rested and not tied to Tol's HP anymore.

[Tolv]

Yeah, you showed a lot of leadership back there with that warding bond, though. Because of that, I rewarded you with. With some nice brown noise while you were sleeping. I was by your ear going. And I gently woke you like an alarm clock going, caw, caw.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Tweet, tweet. Well, my sleep score was off the charts today.

[Tolv]

I tracked that too. You got an 89. Not bad.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Not bad.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

So now you're saying we should avoid the one that's kind of a maze. Like, if we look out here, I mean, there's.

[Gustavo Sorola]

There.

[John Risinger]

It's probably like a 50, 50 chance of, you know, one's more dangerous than the other. But when I see a maze that's covered in a mist, I go, maybe that's for later. Natty's problems. And today's Natty gets to go to the cool place that's like an orb building that I don't know, might have a coffee shop or something.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Well, I don't know about that, but, you know, they both look pretty good. And don't worry, Natty. Cause Doug could figure it out even if it is a mace.

[John Risinger]

Well, since you're now our appointed leader, you do have the say. So we have to step in line and addie salutes to Doug.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Should I let chance determine our fate?

[John Risinger]

I mean, I don't think we should. I think we should make decisions based off of deduction and reasoning.

[Tolv]

If there is a God of chance, I think they hate us.

[Sponsor Voice (Hero Forge)]

We could.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

The swinging house thing is on the way to the maze, so maybe we could stop in and do a sneak.

[Tolv]

It is the morning and you guys do need coffee. And it does seem like a pretty dope coffee shop. If this isn't a coffee shop, I'm gonna be very disappointed.

[John Risinger]

I wanna be very clear. I don't think it's a coffee shop.

[Tolv]

All right, so we're gonna go to this swinging coffee shop. Guys, log it in.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Okay. Sounds like we want to go to the building that's kind of hanging between and kind of floating up there doing its thing, you know? It looks nice. Yeah, I'm sure it's just gonna be just as crazy as the Other place.

[Gustavo Sorola]

What's the name of the coffee shop, by the way?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

The Hanging Bean.

[John Risinger]

I was gonna say star trunks. Oh, that's good because it's hanging. It's between trees.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. Take an inspiration die, John. Yeah. You all approach this location, and it's a spherical building that slowly sways like a hammock between two dead trees. And as you get closer, you see there's a sign, and the sign reads, welcome to apothecarium. Open dusk till dawn.

[John Risinger]

Cool. It's a shop.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Open dusk till dawn. Huh?

[John Risinger]

Wait, what? Oh, wait, is it closed? It's dawn right now, or did we sleep?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Because gosh darn it, oh, it's only open at night.

[John Risinger]

All right, Natty hits. I think it's t to pull up to, like, skip time, and you can kind of set how long you sleep till the next time.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Sounds like we're going to the maze with the gold dust.

[John Risinger]

Everybody okay? Yep.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So you all make your way over to the labyrinth.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Sure do.

[John Risinger]

Yeah. Let's go see David Bowie.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You walk over, avoiding the spiders from Mars, and you find a pitch black labyrinth gated by luminescent golden mist.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Any signs or is there like a door tracks?

[John Risinger]

Yeah. What are we looking at? Just an open hedge maze. What's the maze made of?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Of something clearly open for us to go inside.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So it's not a hedge maze. It's thick glass walls.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Labyrinth.

[John Risinger]

That's confusing.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, but it's pitch black, like black glass. Well, it's thick glass walls, but the inside is black. Like there's no light source. So it's just.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could Doug use his magical tinkering to pull up a little rock and use a five foot put radius light on it?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Sure.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Like a little flashlight?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Sure.

[Blaine]

Is it like volcanic stone?

[Gustavo Sorola]

It's just like. It's like thick glass walls. Okay, okay, okay.

[John Risinger]

I'm reading as like it's a magical darkness.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, possibly.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. And it's pitch black. And you see this golden mist that seems to be floating near the entrance. Natty, you said something that piqued my interest. Or John, one of you, John or Natty said something that piqued my interest a little earlier. Why don't you make me a survival CH check.

[John Risinger]

That's an 18. What is Natty's survival modifier plus 0. 18.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You do see some tracks walking in and out of the entrance of this labyrinth. And it seems like feline type tracks.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

We encountered some feline type creatures earlier, did we not?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Correct.

[John Risinger]

They were the tent guys.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[John Risinger]

And they had gold mist, too.

[Gustavo Sorola]

They did?

[John Risinger]

Sure. Well, it seems as good a place as any place to start a maze. So if we just keep following the right wall, as long as this isn't like a magical maze, we should be able to. We should probably stay in contact with each other. Since it's dark in there, why don't

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

we follow the footsteps if we're able

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

to see him, I assume it's too dark to maybe. Unless you use your skills to feel them on the ground.

[John Risinger]

I was going to say we should test to see if light is able to escape this dark place. Doug, do you want to step in with your special rock and see if we can see you?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yes. Here I go.

[Tolv]

And that was the last we saw Doug

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

here. Here I go.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Doug, you step in and you hear a voice in your head.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

Bring forth innermost thy novelty to bear, and unearth thy providence to the freshest of air.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Every.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Everything's gotta be a fancy Shakespearean riddle with you, Micah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

When you walk in, it seems like your. Your rock gives off far less light than it did before.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, but still a little bit.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, a tiny little bit.

[John Risinger]

Okay. Natty will cast dancing lights to assist as much as she can. And those are able to move with her. And they are. I think there's like four of them. Yep. Four torch sized lights within range, making them appear as torches. You can also combine the four lights into one glowing, vaguely humanoid form of medium size. Never seen that before.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[John Risinger]

We're gonna have Glowy walk with us. This is my buddy, Glowy. He's gonna be. He's gonna walk with us through this maze.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I love it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Tell him to scout ahead.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. Yet another npc, Doug. Also, since you walked in, make me a dexterity saving throw as well.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

21.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, Doug, you walk in and that golden mist surrounds you and swirls all around you and it's almost like it's sticking to your body, to your fur, but then it slowly slides off.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay. And did I feel anything when it stuck to me? Like any temporary effect?

[Gustavo Sorola]

No, no, it just. It tickled a little. Hee hee.

[John Risinger]

Okay, Natty will walk in behind Doug and grab Doug's shoulder.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Make me a dexterity saving throw as well.

[John Risinger]

What? Saving throw three. Seventeen.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Same thing. Yeah. You see the golden mist swirling all around you and like adhering to your body and then just kind of slowly sliding off. Oh my God. Doug, someone's grabbing your shoulder.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Hello?

[John Risinger]

Can I hear you?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Would I not recognize that being Natty's hand?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Maybe. Has Natty ever put her hand on your shoulder like that?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I think so. I think we've hugged before dark.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And scary.

[John Risinger]

It's just me, Doug and Gigi as Gigi walks in with Mama and Cat and Grumbles and Glowy.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And Glowy. Okay.

[Tolv]

I want to join the conga line behind Glowy.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Cold. And Gunther. Both of you make me a dexterity. Saving throws as well, since you're sticking.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

That's a 24.

[Blaine]

I rolled an 8. But I have advantage on decks, so that is a nine.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could I possibly use flash of genius on Toll V When you use an ability check or saving throw, you could use. I could use my reaction to add plus four to your roll.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, 13. So it's a 13.

[Tolv]

Zing.

[Gustavo Sorola]

St. Yeah. Gunther. Same with you. The glowing mist circles all around you, touches you, tickles a little bit, and then it slowly rolls off of you like water off a duck's back.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

And do we hear the voice that.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, all of you, as you step in, you hear that same voice in your head repeating the same thing. Oh, Cole. Yeah. The mist circles around you and begins touching you. However, it does not roll off of

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

you even with the flash of genius.

[Gustavo Sorola]

It adheres to you and sticks to you. And you're covered in a golden mist of light. And you're radiating a dim light in a 10 foot radius.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Also, it's a good thing.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

What?

[John Risinger]

Here. Natty wants to talk to Doug to remind Natty of something that Danny can't remember right now. Yes, actually, the whole group can join in. But when we saw them, kitties with the tents. Do you guys remember what our interaction with them was? Because I feel like one of us was glowing during that time too. Might have been Tolv.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Did they run away?

[John Risinger]

Well, they did. I talked to them.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I'm looking, I'm reviewing my thoughts.

[Gustavo Sorola]

This did happen. If you don't remember, I'll tell you. But I'm curious to see if anyone has any notes.

[John Risinger]

No.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. So what we told you at the time was that when you're coded with this, that enemy attacks have advantage.

[John Risinger]

Okay, that's what I thought. Someone was. Was it Tolve? Was Tolve glowing?

[Gustavo Sorola]

I think it was Tolv.

[John Risinger]

Okay, My memory's not terrible. It's just not good to remember things. Two months ago, apparently.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Perhaps this is a defensive mist to guard something so that we are vulnerable and cannot see. So we should use our ears.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I agree. That's a good one.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

And noses.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

And all the other senses too. Even the sixth sense.

[Tolv]

Dead people.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

The Bruce Willis.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I see gold people. All right. Doug, you're in the lead, leading your group. You're both the leader and the. Or I should say you're both the leader of this military detachment and the leader in this line, as you are

[John Risinger]

the first in conga line.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Conga line. And you, you know, you are finding your way through this winding path of glass walls that spirals before you. It's dizzying how far it twists and turns. Are you even taking the right path? Does it ever end? Gotta find some right path cards here.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Oh, okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I was gonna say I was gonna have a whole strategy.

[John Risinger]

Are you messing up?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Messing with you. I'm messing with you?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah. I was about to say we need to be like, dropping snacks or something.

[Gustavo Sorola]

But after several twists and turns, you come to a slight clearing in the labyrinth. And before you, you find a glass table with various tools. There's a cylindrical glass column with red, thick liquid inside at the bottom and a boulder sized glass bulb. You all hear that same voice in your head again.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

Leaveth thy foot, hills of framework, and seek thy pinnacle of production reacheth thy peak. Bestow thy birthed brainchild. Though certainly not human mine, Pillar of plasm shall likewise illumine.

[Tolv]

I think it's telling us to sacrifice Gigi.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I don't know if that's what it's saying.

[Tolv]

It's the only thing I can interpret.

[John Risinger]

I actually think TOV is in the right direction, but not hitting the target.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

It's saying something about. Something about production and reaching our peak.

[John Risinger]

It's like plasma is also blood.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Maybe that's what's in that jar.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could Doug go inspect what's in that jar?

[John Risinger]

The liquid, Micah, is it plasm or plasma? Because you wrote plasm in the chat.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

That's also what Gus said.

[Blaine]

Plasm, like ectoplasm.

[John Risinger]

Well, then I don't know what that word is.

[Blaine]

Plasm.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could I go look at the. What's in the jar, though?

[John Risinger]

Yeah, that's smart. Go, Doug.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, Take an inspiration deck for acknowledging. I said plasm me, Barbara.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, I already have one.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You go take a look. So it's a cylindrical glass column with a red, thick liquid inside at the bottom. And you wanted to investigate that?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yes, I wanted to see if I could tell if it's blood or what.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

It is.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, Make a investigation check.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Not like a medicine.

[Gustavo Sorola]

No, no.

[John Risinger]

Investigate, you drink and maybe you could do a medicine check.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

It's 11.

[John Risinger]

Jesus. I'll give an inspiration, Dice.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Well, I could use my own. I use my own. Investigate again as a 15 this time.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. You poke around and look at it, and it's definitely not blood. You have a very tinkering mind. You're an artificer, Doug, so you know, you're used to looking at things like this. So you could tell it's definitely not blood. You think that it is some kind of marker or some kind of indication.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So not something you consume.

[Gustavo Sorola]

No, you do not believe so.

[Blaine]

Marker.

[John Risinger]

So, like, maybe we have to.

[Blaine]

It's like a paint. Like we have to put on ourselves a rune.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

We have to maybe mix, make something, build something.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Do I notice any of the color of this, like, anywhere else in the room?

[Blaine]

It's just a ring around Giggy's face.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Definitely not consumable.

[Gustavo Sorola]

No, I'll say. You do not.

[John Risinger]

The bulb you described as a bulb, like a light bulb or like a plant bulb. What are we looking at here?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Boulder sized?

[Gustavo Sorola]

It's a boulder sized glass bulb. So I'd say more like a light bulb, not a plant bulb.

[John Risinger]

But it's a. Is it a closed shape or is there an orifice?

[Gustavo Sorola]

It is a closed shape and it's just huge. You would know it, Natty. I guess you would probably know this as being kind of like a light. Light bulb.

[Blaine]

So we wouldn't. It's not like the liquid inside is open to the air. It's. You can't just reach in and touch it. Like, it's like it's just closed inside the bulb.

[Gustavo Sorola]

The. The liquid is in a. The glass column.

[Blaine]

So it's all enclosed. It's not like.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Correct.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

And what else?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, I. I misspoke. John. You would know it as a light bulb. I think I said Natty would know it as a light bulb.

[John Risinger]

Well, Natty knows what light bulbs are. She's smart.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

What else is on this table?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Well, there are just various tools laid out here on this glass table.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

It's called Unearth thy providence to the fresh.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Is it something about, like, finish the project you were working on and release it? Share your. What you're. What you've created.

[John Risinger]

Could Natty just hand the pillar to Gigi and see if anything happens?

[Gustavo Sorola]

It's probably too big for that, but you could, like, position Gigi over there if you want to.

[John Risinger]

Oh, is that big?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Big? Yeah. Well, the bulb itself is like boulder size, so it's pretty big.

[John Risinger]

Oh, well, wait, so the column and the boulder, the bulb are big?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, they're both big.

[Blaine]

Big.

[John Risinger]

Okay. Bring Bestow thy birth brainchild. I don't know if it's Giggy now.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I think it's just like an idea. Like, you know, like a light bulb is like, ding. You have an idea and it wants us to come up with an idea to make something productive.

[Blaine]

Seems like. Yeah. Inventory or tinkery based.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And then I think it'll. It means maybe this helps us escape because it's something about to the freshest of air.

[John Risinger]

Is there a version of this where I can turn the difficulty of this game down a little bit?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Is it any. Does it want an offering?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could I. I have a question. Do I have my echo pulse locator on me still?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yes.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could I put it down on the table?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, look at you. Make me an intelligence check.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

How dumb was that idea? Let's find out.

[John Risinger]

I think. I think you're. I think you're doing something smart here.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, gosh.

[John Risinger]

Oh, dang it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I rolled a six and I used my inspiration. Die.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

You can have mine.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay. Intelligence once again.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yes.

[Tolv]

Oh.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

23.

[John Risinger]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Thank you. Gun do. Very good.

[Gustavo Sorola]

The level of the liquid in the cylinder rises. And while it rises, it changes in color from red to orange.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, that's what you mean? An indicator.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Okay.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh.

[Tolv]

Oh.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Let's put our thinking hats on. And then Gunther put his eel skin hat on.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Nice.

[John Risinger]

You mean on the table.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

But are you gonna give it to

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

the table or to the table and put.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yeah, put the thinking hat on the table.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. Make me an intelligence check.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

With no inspiration die.

[John Risinger]

Well, I have mine. We're gonna burn through them. I wanna see what happens when he fails.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Nothing seems to happen.

[John Risinger]

Okay, Natty. God, Natty is just like, I gotta do this again. And she puts her autoharp on the table. I just got this dang thing.

[Blaine]

I got an idea in mind after the autoharp.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, make me an intelligence check.

[John Risinger]

14. 14.

[Gustavo Sorola]

The autoharp sits there. Make me a perception check as well. Natty.

[John Risinger]

Dirty 20.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Yeah. You put the autoharp on there and nothing seems to happen. However, you hear the sound of soft footfalls coming from behind you. And you turn around and you see yet another one of those tent shaped felines slowly walking into the room.

[John Risinger]

Oh, hi, kitty.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Do they seem angry?

[Gustavo Sorola]

It does. Yet another slow blink at Natty.

[John Risinger]

Yeah, remember we figured that out. Barbara's having a conniption, trying to do slow blinks. Natty. Slow blinks back and bows and then goes. Hey. Do you know the answer here of this little room? Like, do you speak? Could we communicate somehow?

[Gustavo Sorola]

It looks at you as you're talking. Then it looks at the glass table and pads over and walks to the table and it does that thing. I'm sure you've seen cats where they get on their back, they put their front legs on the table and look at what's on it. And it starts batting at your auto harp.

[John Risinger]

Okay. Natty picks it up and takes it

[Gustavo Sorola]

back and turns it looks at you.

[John Risinger]

Okay. Natty just opens her arms up and goes. What do I give?

[Blaine]

I think I have an idea at what it's wanting.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[Tolv]

Good evening, sharks. I am here to bring my invention. So as we've been on our quest. Yes. I've been collecting some body parts of Undarians to patch my Bjorn skin. And I have made this. This undergarment of skin from Undarians. I call it underwear.

[Gustavo Sorola]

That's very good.

[Tolv]

And I put it down on the table and that is my invention.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Wow. Take an inspiration. Die Undivare is very good.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

How much are you looking for and what percent are you coming company are you offering here?

[Tolv]

I'm looking for 6 million down and you can get 5%.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Wow.

[Tolv]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

That's a very high valuation. $300 million, I believe.

[Tolv]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. I hope we restock [e-mail] Once we get 12 speared, we can sell some underwear with it. Make me an intelligence check told.

[Blaine]

Okay. That is a.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Tolv]

Not bad.

[Blaine]

16.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. The level of the liquid seems to rise and once again it changes color from orange to yellow.

[John Risinger]

Oh.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And the bulb begins slowly brightening with light.

[Blaine]

So I think it wants physical manifestations of ideas. So it's Doug's invention, my piece of crap that I just came up with. And I think we just need like one or two more things where it's

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

like, hey, don't call it that. I think it's a very smart invention, actually.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I mean, come on.

[John Risinger]

What happens if Natty plays a song that Natty wrote?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. So how would you do that? Just from where you are, you pick up your autoharp and start singing a song or playing a song.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Maybe sit on the table.

[John Risinger]

Sure. Natty sits on the table. I'm here for ideas.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You sit on the table and begin plucking at your auto harp. The cat creature seems very intent, is watching you very intently as you do this.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

A material. A material.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Stinkulary's over. If you're on our Patreon, you can go listen to. Now that's what I call stinky. John and I both sang Material Girls amongst many others.

[John Risinger]

You don't have to though.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You don't have to. It's. Yeah, it's Wonderful.

[John Risinger]

It's a recording.

[Tolv]

It's. It's.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Now that's what I call something. Making an intelligence check. Maddie.

[John Risinger]

7. 7.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Inspiration die on there.

[John Risinger]

Oh, I do have inspiration die. I'll use it. Sixteen.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, okay. Yeah. The level of the liquid rises and the liquid changes in color once again from yellow to green. And the bulb brightens and seems to have. Just seems to reach like a maximum intensity. And with that, you see yet another egress present itself to you.

[John Risinger]

Could Natty try to reach out a hand to thank the kitty?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. Make an animal handling check.

[Blaine]

13.

[John Risinger]

0. 13.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, I'd say that it flattens its ears as you reach out to it and seems like it's ready to bolt at any moment.

[John Risinger]

Okay. Natty pulls her hand back. No pet. No pet.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And then once you pull your hand back, the. The cat takes off running.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Oh, just like a real cat.

[John Risinger]

Okay, well, we solved this room.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Bye.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Bye, kitty.

[Blaine]

Should we conga line to the. The egress?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yes.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Same. Same conga line order.

[John Risinger]

Why not?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yes.

[Blaine]

Did we solve that or was that giving that to us?

[John Risinger]

Gift horse. Gift horse. Get away from its mouth.

[Blaine]

I say nay.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

We got it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

We got.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

We did it correctly. Clearly.

[Gustavo Sorola]

What do you think? Let me. Let me. Let me turn it to you. What do you think?

[Blaine]

Yeah, I think we got along the lines of what you wanted. I don't know if it's exactly what you wanted, but sometimes you guys, like, loosen the rules and you're like, eh, good enough.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Bestow thy birthed brainchild. Though certainly not human.

[John Risinger]

Yeah, we solved it.

[Blaine]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

A brainchild. Something you created with your brain.

[John Risinger]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tolv]

Underwear came in clutch.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Exactly. And unfortunately for that reason, I'm out.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Oh, the timing. So good. Take an inspiration.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Die.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

That was

[Gustavo Sorola]

such good timing. Okay. Yeah. So you all continue winding your way through the labyrinth. Seems like you can't make heads or tails for the direction you're going. And eventually you open out into another room. And in this room, you see a black and white chessboard that's 6 by 5, so 30 squares. In the northwest corner, you see a patch of grass with blossom flowers and hatchling birds tweeting merrily. In the opposite corner, which I guess would be the southeast, snow falls and dried up roots and skeletal remains are on it. And you all hear a voice in your head.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

Mine own days are numbered. To thy best laid plans, I counteth to 12. But ne' er by hand, blizzard by way. Blossom cradle cometh for crypt till. Till thou reachest the end of mine. Well seasoned script it's gotta be seasons.

[Tolv]

Is it talking about seasonal depression?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I don't know.

[John Risinger]

Well, it's got 12, so.

[Blaine]

Yeah, that's like months blizzard by way of blossom. Is winter giving way to spring?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Mm.

[John Risinger]

Cradle. No, spring going to winter.

[Blaine]

Blizzard.

[John Risinger]

Oh.

[Blaine]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Cradle cometh for so winter.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

It'll cometh well.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Season. Well, definitely season.

[John Risinger]

Natty steps on the spring looking spot and sees what happens.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So, like in the very northwest corner.

[John Risinger]

Yeah. Let's just do something.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You go out there and stand on it and nothing seems to happen, but. Dramatic pause. Everyone else, when you're looking at Natty, she looks good.

[John Risinger]

Well, yeah, it does.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I mean, tell us something new, Gustavo.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Does she have like a new skincare routine or something? She's looking younger and fresher.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh, keep going all the way to the end.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Is she going to turn into a baby?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Try walking in all the way in direction.

[John Risinger]

Yeah, this thing's. This thing's 30 squares, which is basically a month. So I'm going to head from Sunday all the way to Saturday.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. So you work your.

[John Risinger]

Which isn't the. It's six. So it's not Sunday to Saturday. So it's Sunday to Friday.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You work your way across a horizontal. Yeah.

[John Risinger]

Going east.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

A row versus a column.

[John Risinger]

Thank you.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Correct. Thank you. Horizontal line. What am I, stupid?

[John Risinger]

Yeah. Come on, Excel.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

That also works.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You work your way down the row and you still seem to be getting younger, but maybe not quite as rapidly as you were initially.

[John Risinger]

That's weird.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

It looks like Natty's getting younger currently.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yes.

[Blaine]

With each subsequent Quinn's square saying count

[Barbara Dunkelman]

to 12, but never by hand.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So it's not like every square, she's getting younger and younger. She just continues to get younger regardless of where she's standing in those six squares.

[Blaine]

It's like a ticking clock, I guess, as soon as you get on there.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

So 12 would be the 12 months, right?

[Blaine]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I mean, yeah. I mean, unless it's referring to something else.

[John Risinger]

So what happens if Natty at the end of this row goes down one column? Anything bad?

[Gustavo Sorola]

It seems like you're stabilized. And you're not necessarily getting much younger. You're more or less at equilibrium.

[John Risinger]

Hey, Natty turns your group. What should I do next?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I don't know. It seems like whatever you're doing is actually working. Cause it seems like you're getting better.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

It says blizzard, by the way. Blossom, cradle cometh for crypt. Maybe you take something from the spring area and take it to the crypt.

[John Risinger]

What, like a flower?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Like a flower.

[John Risinger]

How about to accomplish that, Natty just goes west on row two.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You go west on row two, and very slowly, you start getting younger again.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Okay. So we gotta go in order.

[John Risinger]

Wait, that's weird.

[Tolv]

King me.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Cause that's going backwards. If you're going from east to west, that's going backwards in the calendar, which means you'd be aging in reverse. Right.

[John Risinger]

How about we try something crazy? Natty pulls a bishop and just goes diagonal to Blizzard.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Diagonal to Blizzard. So, like, to the southeast corner?

[John Risinger]

Yeah, why not? What's gonna happen?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You move to the southeast corner and you begin aging. You feel like your knees hurt, your body just aches in general, and it's hard to stand up straight.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Cradle decrypt.

[Blaine]

Kids make you upset the sound of tick tocks. And six, seven upset you.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Is it us? Currently.

[John Risinger]

So what happens if Natty stands on the Blizzard square?

[Gustavo Sorola]

That's where you went, right? To the. To the south square.

[John Risinger]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[John Risinger]

That's what. So that's okay. And then Natty runs back to the spring square.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

And then.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. The opposite happens. You get younger.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You begin, like, moving your hands up and down.

[John Risinger]

All right. Doug. Doug said he could figure this out. Doug figured out.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Try taking something from the spring site to the.

[Blaine]

All right.

[John Risinger]

Natty grabs a flower. Can Natty grab a flower?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I've killed one of the birds.

[John Risinger]

You stop with the birds.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

You don't want the birds anywhere near you, though, right, Gunther.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I know. Take the bird and take it away.

[John Risinger]

I'm not gonna try to catch a bird right now. I'm gonna pick up a flower.

[Gustavo Sorola]

All right, so you take. You pick up a flower from the northwest corner, and you take it to the southeast corner. Am I understanding that correctly?

[John Risinger]

Sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You take it to the southeast corner, and it very quickly withers.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And the petals fall off.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah. Take the bird.

[Tolv]

Now,

[John Risinger]

wait.

[Blaine]

What if you took one of the skellingtons back to the spring corner?

[John Risinger]

Dang dead, Tov. That's probably smart. I grab a. I grab a. I grab some bones. I just gather them all up, and I run over to the pool.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Who's it gonna be?

[John Risinger]

Oh, it's a corpse bride for Captain Grumbles.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Captain Grumbles?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You take those bones with you and, you know, once you step back up into the northwest corner, the bones, that's almost like they begin decomposing, but in reverse.

[John Risinger]

Composing. We call that composing.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Decomposing.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

And it sounds beautiful.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Recomposing.

[John Risinger]

There you go.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Recomposing. And then after just a Few seconds. There's a bird chirping in your hands.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

No, not again. Get that bird.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

You created more birds.

[John Risinger]

Okay. And Natty looks for the egress that opens because it's. Because Toll figured it out.

[Tolv]

We did it.

[Blaine]

All right.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Could Gunther try and get all the birds to take them?

[Blaine]

Wait, wait. Oh, is there. So the.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

The.

[Blaine]

The room is the complete calendar. There's no way of, like, skirting around the edge so that I could start in the winter part, right?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Correct. I'll say you all, when you first enter the room, you're, like, in the doorway. So you're not on the grid. And that's where the three of you are standing watching Natty. Frank, the entire room itself is the grid.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

How many birds are there?

[Gustavo Sorola]

There's seven.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I'm wondering how many skulls are there on the other side.

[Gustavo Sorola]

5, 12.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

12.

[Blaine]

7.

[Tolv]

5, 12.

[Gustavo Sorola]

I made those numbers up. I made those numbers up.

[Tolv]

Oh, we did it.

[Blaine]

We did it.

[Tolv]

No, we did it.

[John Risinger]

Natty just yells out, it's a year.

[Gustavo Sorola]

It's a year. Yell it like a baby. Natty.

[John Risinger]

I don't know how to yell like Natty. Like a baby.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You gotta raise their voice.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Ga, ga, goo goo.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

It's a year.

[Gustavo Sorola]

It's a year.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

It's a year.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Very good, Very good. Get inspiration.

[Tolv]

Die.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

It's very good.

[John Risinger]

That strains my voice so much.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

My days are mine own days are numbered. To thy best laid plants accounteth to 12, but ner by hand, blizzard by way. Blossom cradle, cometh for crypt Till thou reachest the end of mind. Well seasoned script. I think we should get all the birds and take them. Oh, this goals.

[John Risinger]

Okay, let's, let's. You know what?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

No, I think we should do the opposite.

[John Risinger]

We've been saying. But let's, let's, let's. Yes. And Gunther. And Natty starts trying to grab birds.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Can I help?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Natty, you're now crawling on all fours.

[John Risinger]

Son of a.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Trying to grab at birds.

[Tolv]

Oh, goo goo. Gaga.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Natty, try walking in the sequence of the day.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Wait.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

To get there.

[John Risinger]

Natty starts crying.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Doug holds up something shiny towards Natty.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Follow the sparkly thing.

[John Risinger]

Okay, I'm gonna pull a giggy and I'm gonna roll a dice to see if I follow him.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Oh, God.

[John Risinger]

I rolled a seven. Natty doesn't follow.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Gunther grabs, uses his tongue and grabs.

[John Risinger]

You have hands, you sicko. You have hands.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I do not want to get near birds.

[Blaine]

All Help me gather burrs.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, so Gunther, you pull Natty to where?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Towards the center so they stop being Baby time.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. And while that's going on, Toll, you're going to go try to catch birds in that first square.

[Tolv]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Do you have to make like an attack or something to hit Natty Gunther,

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

it's a 10 foot range. Trying to grab something they need to make a dex grapple check with it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

10 foot range you want to.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

And I can't move anything more than £10. So is baby Natty more than 10?

[Gustavo Sorola]

We'll fudge it from that one for this time. But you are going to need to step in and get a little closer if you want to pull 10ft.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

All right.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Gunther steps in. Make that dexterity check, I guess, Natty, unless you want to willingly fail it.

[John Risinger]

Let me see if Natty's willing. Eleven. Natty is willing. So Natty fails.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Gunther is in the middle and pulls Baby Natty towards the center. And Natty, you slowly start aging and becoming your the age we know you are.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Come to Uncle Gunky.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Gunky.

[John Risinger]

Natty reaches rebellious teenager phase and shoots Uncle Gunky in the face with an eldritch blast.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So Tolve, you go up to that square and you start trying to gather the birds. Make a like a touch attack. Roll a D20 and add your dexterity and proficiency modifier.

[Blaine]

That's a four. 14. And I have a plus three on dexterity.

[John Risinger]

And then what's your modifier?

[Blaine]

17.

[John Risinger]

And efficiency modifier.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Efficiency is three, so that's 20.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Nice.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Sure you're able to grab all the birds? Why not?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yay.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Excellent job. Yes.

[John Risinger]

Wow. Now take them to heaven.

[Blaine]

Okay, but before I do that, I take off my face. My skin suit. Yeah, my skin suit to see if it'll regenerate.

[Gustavo Sorola]

My papa. Leave him in the.

[Tolv]

In the life corner. I'll come back for you. You're gonna be alive and with me forever and always. I've solved the answer to death. I've conquered it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Skin just gets smaller.

[Gustavo Sorola]

That's exactly what happens, Barbara. The skin begins getting smaller.

[Tolv]

Oh, Bjorn was so cute as a baby. As a skinned baby.

[Blaine]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

All right.

[Blaine]

We're gonna move on. I take the bird to the death corner and see if that does anything.

[Gustavo Sorola]

The birds all very quickly age and pass away and turn into bones.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Serves them right.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could Doug try something?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, what's up, Doug?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could he just basically go through from start so what day one on the calendar would be and move down from left to right down the calendar until he's on the 12th?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yes. You will have to reset once you reach the end of row one into row two.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

And I have a plan for that.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. What is that plan?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

He pulls out Gambot, stands on his head, and asks Gambot to launch him using his force empowered rend over to the other side.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Interesting. Yeah, you do that, you know, you get across to the end of row one, and you stand on Gambot and get locked over to the first column in row two. Make me a dexterity check just to make sure you land where you want to, Doug. Okay. 12. 12. Yeah. You're able to stick the landing. It's not the most graceful landing, but you land on your intended target.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Okay.

[Gustavo Sorola]

And then you continue your way through all of row two. Correct?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yes.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. As you do this, you start on the first square and then move your way through the first row and then the second row. And you feel yourself becoming younger, feeling more spry. And then that process slows as you work your way through the different squares until eventually you feel like you've reached equilibrium and you're more or less at the age you feel is appropriate for yourself.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Okay. And I'll stop there.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Tolf, your joints are starting to lock up.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Come to me. Come to me where I am.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah.

[Tolv]

No, igra's opened up. So I'm gonna take all the bird bones, throw them back into spring, and

[Blaine]

then follow the path that Doug did.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay.

[John Risinger]

Or just stand on 12.

[Blaine]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Tolv]

I just. I can't sleep knowing I killed all these baby birds. So I want. I want all 12 of them.

[John Risinger]

That was the spot that I stopped and I was the right age. What, death? No, the one where Doug is right now.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah.

[John Risinger]

So I joined Doug as well.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I'll join there.

[Blaine]

Yeah. Before I die, I'll gather the birds, put them on the first corner, and then go back.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You all seem to more or less be an appropriate age, what you would expect.

[John Risinger]

Okay.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

All right, I want to do this. I want to run up and down

[Gustavo Sorola]

12 times through it, through all of the different squares. Yeah.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I want to do a full circle,

[Blaine]

running like a year.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

And do it. Try it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

But keep an eye on those birds. Every time I get to spring,

[Barbara Dunkelman]

they've been animated and reanimated and dead and reelected alive every time.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You begin running through all of the different squares, doing laps, doing 12 laps, of course, giving plenty of space to the birds. Every time you get close to them. Doug, as he's. As you're watching him do this, I want you to make me a perception check.

[John Risinger]

Get that brain working.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

16.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. You're watching Gunther run Around. And as he's, you know, making progress, going around, something catches your eye in one of the squares that he steps in the square where you all are standing, you look down and you can see that there's a rune on the ground that's barely visible. It's kind of obscured by the stuff that you're standing on. And you can see that there is a Roman numeral on this square.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

What is The Roman numeral?

[Gustavo Sorola]

XII?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

12.

[Blaine]

That's my name.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Gunther, make me constitution check.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[Blaine]

14.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Yeah. You're able to complete all your laps. You're very tired, but you do it.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

All right. Now that Gunther's tired himself out, Gunther, come stand on this square with us.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay, I can stand.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Let's do a little hop over.

[Tolv]

Yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nothing seems to happen.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Are there any other runes on any other of the squares?

[Gustavo Sorola]

You look at the one next to you, Gunther, and you see that there is one on there, too. It says Xi.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

11. It's 11.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

What about the one on the other side of this one?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Like below you, I guess. What would be south?

[John Risinger]

Yeah, we're at the end of the road.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

We're at the end of the row. Okay, Right, right. Because it's six.

[John Risinger]

Okay. I think. Is it just asking us to go

[Blaine]

1 through 12 or 1 through 13 in the entirety?

[John Risinger]

Because we thought that's what I did.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah, I just did it 12 times.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Well, count to 12, but never by hand.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh, like a. What if it's a clock?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Yeah, just a. Do we see any sort of clock in here?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Make an investigation. Check.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

15.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You look around and you don't see a clock per se. However. Well, I assume you're looking on the walls and the ceiling and just around in general. Is there any specific place you want to focus your search on?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I just want to look at the floor some more. Just because seeing the Roman numerals were down there. And so I want to see if there's anything else that might be kind of covered up.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, you don't find a clock per se. However, at the very northern end of the room, kind of in the center, you do see a long rune that seems out of place.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh, a long rune.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. Mmxxvi.

[Blaine]

Is that 221? What is that?

[John Risinger]

Mmx 2620. Oh, vi. Is that Ms. 2?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

2026.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

2026. So that's. That's this year and that's on the north.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, north.

[Tolv]

Can we go back to 2019 and stay there and fix it and put a vaccine and some masks, but then

[Gustavo Sorola]

we'll never have our hit TikTok.

[Tolv]

I'm okay with that.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Or New Year's Eve one.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay, so that's the current day.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Is there any of the runes, like, lit up?

[John Risinger]

Or like, how about Natty stands on one that says XVI?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

That'd be 16.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

16.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Like today you go down to 16, which isn't too far from where you are. It's just down one more row, kind of in the middle. And yeah, you feel nothing unusual. If anything, you feel like you are the exact. At the exact place in time, the exact age you should be.

[Blaine]

Can tolve go to 3?

[Gustavo Sorola]

3? Yeah, you go up to 3 and similar to the first square, you begin getting younger pretty quickly.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

I'm gonna hop over to the 16 as well.

[Blaine]

Yeah, I guess we'll go to 16. I'll go to the 16 for reference. We're filming this on the 16th.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Everybody at home for everyone playing along. Yeah, you feel pretty centered. Pretty much where you should be.

[Tolv]

Stay. Alright, well, that was solved. So

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

is that the end of your script, sir?

[Tolv]

Script keeper.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Script keeper.

[Gustavo Sorola]

That's a good reminder for our audience at home. I'll reread the voice that you all heard when you first walked in. Okay.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

Mine own days are numbered. To thy best laid plans, I counteth to 12, but ne' er by hand, Blizzard by way. Blossom, cradle cometh for crypt, Till thou reacheth the end of mine. Well seasoned script.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Is there like a button we could click for a hint?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Or is there anything else?

[John Risinger]

How about this? How about this? How about this? Actually, Natty can't help since we have done a long rest. I'm gonna do augury. And it is the thing that allows me to. I'm able to talk to an otherworldly entity about the results of a specific course of action that you plan to take within the next 30 minutes. And then I get response. There's wheel, woe, wheel and woe and nothing. Okay, please. So Natty's standing here with her friends. She's hugging everybody. She's got her hands around all. All of them. And she just kind of starts centering herself and reaching out to this otherworldly entity, whoever it is, that is the algorithm. It might be Silent Steed.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah. Who are you reaching out to?

[John Risinger]

I think it's Silent Steed. Okay, okay. So then I go, how would I ask this? Kind of like I receive an omen from an otherworld by the results of a specific course of action. Okay, well, how about she asks her friends. How should I phrase? How should I ask? What kind of action we're gonna take? Because I'm gonna get like a yes or no or maybe so.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Oh, you're asking us?

[John Risinger]

Yeah, that's. That's Natty's talk.

[Tolv]

Why did they pick 12 birds? I mean, can you ask her clarifying

[Barbara Dunkelman]

questions that was just random.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Maybe just like, are we thinking about this in the right way? Are we, like, on the right track?

[John Risinger]

Oh, sure. Like a hot and cold.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

Yes.

[John Risinger]

Natty just thinks that, like, are we heading in the right direction or are we so far off we should just go home?

[Gustavo Sorola]

So it's about the results of a specific course of action. So you're asking if you should give up and go home.

[John Risinger]

No. Okay. Help. Help.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Maybe ask if the answer lies at the end of the calendar.

[John Risinger]

Okay, then my course of action, if I were to go from here and take a trip to the blizzard, is that gonna. Is that gonna be in the direction of solving this puzzle wheel? That's good results. Okay, what if we just all walk the 30 days?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Oh, man. Okay.

[John Risinger]

Together.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Sure, Doug. Why don't you like that?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I just, you know, I don't like the idea of getting old. You know, my beard's gonna get all

[John Risinger]

gray and you're gonna look so good. You can be like a silver fox, but as a bear. Like a silver bear.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Silver bear back's gonna give out. I get more grizzly as I go. A silver back, a different animal. That's okay.

[John Risinger]

Oh, yeah, we. We walk the 30 days.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, you walk the 30 days. And when you get to the 30th day, again, you know, in context of the whole walk, you know, when you get to the first square, you feel like you're very rapidly getting younger. Then as you go through, by the time you get to the end, you feel like you're very rapidly getting older. And when you reach the last square, I want everyone to make me an investigation. Check.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

11.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

13.

[Blaine]

5.

[John Risinger]

Nat. 20.

[Gustavo Sorola]

So the 20 and the 13, I think, are sufficient. When you get to that final square, those of you who got those rolls notice that the corner of this square curls up a little bit, almost like a dog eared page.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Could Doug go and lift it up?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, you lift it up and the entirety of the floor begins lifting. And you lift the whole thing. And as you begin lifting it, it detaches from the northern wall and disappears and the entire grid vanishes.

[John Risinger]

Oh, you turn the calendar.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, the calendar page slowly turns over. Grass, snow, and all therein begin to build up into an avalanche of.

[John Risinger]

Whoosh.

[Gustavo Sorola]

A dark path. Once Again stands before you for miles. It seems you wander to and fro, looping this and that, looping back onto yourselves.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Could we turn a page again? I don't like this one.

[John Risinger]

I like the way that Barb's thinking

[Gustavo Sorola]

there's. There's a nothingness before you. There is no page. There is nothing.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

So it's like a new space we're in.

[John Risinger]

Well, yeah, as they say, into the unknown.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Did you want to say something?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Blink.

[Blaine]

Did we win that? Did we?

[Tolv]

Are we doing it?

[John Risinger]

Jesus Christ.

[Blaine]

What?

[Tolv]

I was curious. I don't know.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I think we're past it. I think we're on to the next. Whatever comes next here.

[Tolv]

Okay.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

It seems.

[John Risinger]

Lead the way, leader.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Okay. Can you guys hold my hand a little bit?

[John Risinger]

Yeah, yeah. Natty holds Doug's hand.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

I will hold your hand as well.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Thank you, Toby. You could just hold on to whatever clothing or anything else is behind us. I only have two hands, unfortunately. All right.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Doug will slowly step forward into the toll of.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Your skin still doesn't quite fit.

[Blaine]

Is it because it's baby skin?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Yeah, it's too small.

[Tolv]

Well, it's been moisturized. You know, I'll just, you know, get

[Gustavo Sorola]

to stretch it out.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

If you wash it again and.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Stretch it out?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah.

[John Risinger]

It's just a hand puppet of Bjorn.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You lead everyone, Doug, and eventually you find before you a square floor whiter than snow that stretches as far as the darkness hush falls. No sights, smells or sounds. Just creeping in of one's own thoughts.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I think this might be my least favorite room.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

Natty, what would be a place whereon thee hath been lost?

[John Risinger]

Jesus, you gotta. Natty's a simple girl. She talks simple lacks. She talks like the common folk. Say that again.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

What would be a place whereon thee hath been lost?

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Where have you been lost before?

[John Risinger]

Yeah, Natty. How about. Yeah, Natty got lost in the night market once when she was a young drow. And it was one of those instances where, like, she lost sight of her mom. And the night market is so full of other folk as well that she got scared and ended up hiding underneath the table of one of the booths.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, and the night market where, like, where you grew up?

[John Risinger]

Yeah, yeah, the night market. Near around my. The cave and forest that I grew up in.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Okay.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

Doug, what would thy 11th commandment be?

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

Thou shalt be curious.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Ooh, good one. One. I'm writing it down.

[Blaine]

It's good.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

It's good.

[Blaine]

Disregard the other 10

[Gustavo Sorola]

toll.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

What did the desire to be once the half grown up.

[Blaine]

I think Like a vending machine would have been nice.

[Tolv]

You know, instead of dispensing death, dispensing delicious beverages and maybe candy bars, you know, I don't know. I still want my sentience though. But it'd be cool. Just like getting a couple quarters. Here's your Coca Cola.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Oh, you could do fish. A fish vending machine.

[Tolv]

Fish vending machine. I dispense fish.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Yeah, you make fish.

[Gustavo Sorola]

No.

[Tolv]

That's so sad. Because then the fish are trapped inside of me. That's so sad.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Well, you cook fish, do you not?

[Tolv]

Oh, I see what you're saying. Like a food vending machine. Yeah, it smell like butt though. Anyways, Coca Cola machine.

[Blaine]

Lock it in.

[Tolv]

Regis.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Coco. Okay, got it.

[Narrator/Voice in Head]

And Gunther, what would be a vile habit?

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

A vile habit is. Oh, I. Yes, it is quite clear. It is. When you it. You dump your waste and trash into the water where people are, the children are swimming, and that is just a vile thing. You should keep the water clean.

[Gustavo Sorola]

As you all are thinking about the answers to these questions in your head, the scenery around you changes. What once was an empty room transforms and becomes a bustling night market. The floor, however, does remain blank and white. And in the night market, you see a giant drink vending machine that is smashing its way towards you, dumping trash into all the fresh water that lies around. And the rule of law for this arena is thou shalt be curious.

[John Risinger]

Oh no.

[Tolv]

Oh no.

[John Risinger]

And it's curious.

[Tolv]

Oh no, it's asking questions.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

I think that's a good thing.

[John Risinger]

Oh, we're an arena.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Uh oh. Find out how it all comes together and what happens in the next episode of Tales from the Stinky Dragon.

[John Risinger]

Weird.

[Barbara Dunkelman (Character: Doug Boone)]

About to fight this thing.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

It's like Ghostbusters. We picked our own bad guy. We should have done the giant Marshmallow man day puff.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Marshall, if anyone asks you if you're a God, you say yes, Gunther.

[Narrator]

We're hosting a five year celebration stream on May 4th at 4pm Central Daylight Time. Join us in celebrating five years of magic and our very first campaign, the Infinites. To all you stinkers in the community, thank you for sticking with us through every adventure. Your support has been incredible, transforming those original characters and story into something truly timeless. As a thank you, we're hosting a five year celebration stream once again on May 4th at 4pm Central Daylight Time. Tune in for shared stories, gleeful games and other surreptitious surprises. Find more details on our social pages, Tinkydragonpod, and on our Patreon. Cheers to you. We're releasing a Diagem dice set starting May 4 at store.stinkydragonpod.com Tis right. Thy prayers hath been answered all ye faithful followers of Dia. The sacred Diagems have been unearthed and can now be yours in the form of dice. Unlock the celestial and magical mysteries of Dia with all six colorful gemstone Diagem Dice and the pearlescent white Diadem of Diagems D20 Fair warning to all followers of DIA. These premium glass and stone dice have been known to make you roll like gods. In honor of our five years of of magic, get your Diagem dice set starting May 4 at store.stinkydragonpod.com New episodes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon premiere every other Wednesday, wherever your streams of podcasts flow and on The Stinky Dragon YouTube channel. Tired of waiting for the next adventure and looking for a quest? Join the ranks of the Stinky Dragon patrons at Stinky Dragon Podcast to get early access to episodes and unlock a hoard of exclusive treasures and powerful artifacts. Every one of our patrons gets all their shows ad free and they even get the main podcast a whole two days earlier than everyone else, which is sort of like casting shield in Chronomancy spells at the same time without burning any spell slots. You can also receive a coveted shout out on the show, just like Grizzlybeard 22 Kitty77018 Madame Pong Alexandra Atkins. These putrid patrons directly support the show and get access to all these perks and more on our Patreon. Stop missing out on the adventure. Become a patron [e-mail] Some NPCs were named after patrons from our Stinky Dragon. Discord and some of our friends provided voices in this tale, including Infinus, voiced by Lorathomel at Lorathomal the Fire Eater, voiced by Corey Pettit. Catnap for both Twitter and Instagram, this week's arrow question was submitted by KittyBumple. This episode of Tales from the Stinky Dragon was produced by Ben Hunst and Dr. I mean Michael Reisinger. Written and composed by Michael Reisinger and edited by Alina Lakorczyk. Join us in the tavern yet again for another aromatic adventure of Taylor from the Stinky Dragon.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Welcome to Apothecarum. Apothek welcome to Apothecarum. Open Dusk till Dawn hey, does everybody

[John Risinger]

hear a narrator saying the same thing over and over again?

[Gustavo Sorola]

Sometimes the narrator mispronounces things and needs to get multiple takes to give options.

[John Risinger]

That's a part of David Attenborough.

[Gustavo Sorola]

You don't get Apothecarym. Apoth.

[Blaine]

Apothecary.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Welcome to Apothecarym. Open dust.

[John Risinger]

Okay, yeah.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Here we go. Welcome to Apothecare. Rem. Welcome to Apothecarym. There we are. Welcome to Apothecare. Em. Open. Dusk till dawn. Is that it?

[Tolv]

Micah, how many signs does this place have? Seth, you've just been sitting here reading all these?

[Gustavo Sorola]

He wrote close enough.

[John Risinger]

Do you want to give it to

[Barbara Dunkelman]

one of us and see if we can do it?

[John Risinger]

It's all one sign. And all of these are just listed under each other.

[Blaine]

It's an X down. Apothecary.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Welcome to Apothecary. Apothecary.

[John Risinger]

Oh.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Apothecarym.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Apothecarim.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Apothecarim.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Apothekerem.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

No.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Apothecarim. Welcome to Apothecarim. Open dust till dawn.

[John Risinger]

Apothecari.

[Blaine]

Apothecary.

[John Risinger]

Apothecarium. Apothecarium. Apothecarium.

[Blaine]

Apothecarium.

[John Risinger]

Apothecarium.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Apothecary. M. Apothecarium.

[John Risinger]

Apothecarium.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Welcome to Apothecarium.

[John Risinger]

Apothecary.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Welcome to Apothec. Welcome to Apothecarium. Open dust till dawn.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

No, no.

[John Risinger]

We do this for a living. I love it. I love it.

[Gustavo Sorola]

Let's have a whole episode that's just that. It's just me trying to read it.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

It has rem, like REM Cycle. So, yes, it makes sense that it's open at night.

[Blaine]

Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

[John Risinger]

All right, let's head to the maze now that we know how this place is pronounced.

[Barbara Dunkelman]

Apotheke.

[John Risinger]

Apothecarium.

[Chris Maris (Gunther)]

Gunther's in the maze.

[Sponsor Voice (Chime, Red Bull, State Farm)]

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