Ashes of Divinity EP 5 Vault of Ash

[00:00:00] Speaker A: This is where our story begins. And this is where we determine. Have you been forsaken to the will of the dust? Greetings, earthbound travelers. It's Sunday night. That means it's time for Will of the Dice. That's us. To present Ashes of Divinity. This is our post Cataclysmic actual play taking place in my homebrewed World of Runes Kesha, 38 years in the making. Who am I? Well, I'm Tear, the DM by God, and I'm the okayest DM in the world. You got the shirt to prove it. But we'll get into introductions after we take care of housekeeping. So, first and foremost, we are for mature audiences. Viewer listener discretion is advised. Secondly, since Alice isn't here. We miss you, Alice. Hope you feel better. We do not encourage use of anything in products such as vaping. We prefer you do as we do or do as we say, not as we do. There are resources out there to help you. If you're trying to quit, just don't start. If you have started, I'm sorry. Just don't do it. Because we're doing it. We're not wanting you to. And now I'll hand you over to the rugged hands of Locke. [00:01:29] Speaker B: Greetings, gamers. I'm Locke Clark, and I'm going to take a moment and talk to you about first, our musicians. Those wonderful and talented people who give us permission to use their songs in our little show. And they make the highs feel higher and the lows feel lower and generally just immerse us all deeper in that story tonight. Those musicians are Michael Gelfie, Kevin McLeod, Jeff Farber, Dware Gar. Our very own Patrick Taylor. Thanks, Peculiar Patrick, wherever you are. And the lovely, intelligent Ames. Thank you, Ames, who made our theme song for this show. Isn't it great? We all love it. Also, we'd like to take a moment and thank our partners in this endeavor. First up is Red Panda Dice and Delights, fine makers of quality dice for all your dicey needs. When you buy red panda dice that come with cute little red panda faces right there on the natural 20 side of the D20 and the natural 6 side of the D6. So that when you roll that critical hit or you get that maximum damage, you get a cute little red panda face staring back at you going, you got them. You get them right in the spleen. And who doesn't want that? Also, you can get a plushie like this little guy. He's wearing a hoodie. That hoodie has a pocket. You can put in that pocket but I'm not going to tell you what to put in there. I guess I'm not your mom. So to get your very own dice or plushie, head over to redpandadice.com and tell them tear sent you. Also, we'd like to take a moment and thank Star Makery. Star Makery makes high quality wooden gaming accessories like dice trays. Like the one tier is Christina are Vanna whiting for you over there And Ames was gonna van a white and then decided to just nope out on it. That's fine too. She does it most of the time. I roll in the stalwart dice tray as do everyone else. We love them. I've been rolling mine since season one. I personally endorse this product. Head over to stalwartmakery.com check out their wooden gaming accessories including you can get a custom DM screen made of wood. If you want to see what that looks like and you're in the the area, go go to a catacon. Tier's going to be running some games there. He's going to have his custom DM screen. You can see it, you can drool on it. It's going to be very cool. And while you're click lacking around the Internet, feel free to swing over to our website and check out our merch store where you can get T shirts that have cool artwork of our characters and logos and things. You can get artwork from cosworks or in sketched or even Catbat. Speaking of Catbat. Hey Chris, you want to tell them about Catbat? [00:03:52] Speaker C: Yeah, sure. So Catbat, we're all about gaming and art. Combining it, trying to get that passion and curiosity into it. Whether it's D and D or calligraphy or anything in between. Our main thing is an adventure pack. It comes with anything you would need. Journal pencil has a lovely glass dip pen, some dice and some other goodies. But additionally we have been venturing out into a couple other things including a full art tarot deck that will be coming very soon. We're really excited about that and showing that off. We also will be at a couple different conventions coming up. We haven't yet confirmed 100% but we will announce that very soon. Yeah, I think that's about it. You can find [email protected] and Facebook and Instagram and Blueskyatbatmedia. And keep in mind Catbat is with a K. [00:04:52] Speaker A: Awesome. Thank you everyone. Now we will get into our introductions. [00:05:00] Speaker D: Hi, I'm Christina. I'll be the voice Of Veyra. Veyre is a 5 foot 2 elf in appearance. [00:05:11] Speaker E: Female. [00:05:12] Speaker D: Her pronouns are she they. Mine are she her and Vera has light lavender skin, opalescent eyes, silver hair and we'll find out more about what's going on. I think we were resting and you can find me on blueskyeadly. Kisses. [00:05:36] Speaker F: Hi, yes, this is Ames and I am Ashi they and tonight I'm playing Azariah who is also a she they. She's a 6 foot 2 astral elf monk way of the beautiful suffering which is a subclass that Tyr and I created. She has pale blonde hair that's almost white. Her right eye is a vibrant teal while the left one is hazed over a little bit whitish. And she's just wearing what looks like maybe to be black sackcloth in the wrap style shirt and harem pants, carrying only her quarter staff. And yeah, she's just seeing what they find at this point. And you can find me on Twitter Blue sky and Moonbeam as Lollyg Fifo. [00:06:21] Speaker C: And I am Chris. Again I will be voicing Minkus. Well also Opus to be clear. But both Opus and myself is a he they. Opus is a 2 foot tall, maybe a little taller if he gets on his tippy toes or on top of Minkus but a two foot tall kobold alchemist. It is going to be an alchemist mastermind which is a subclass. A Tyr kind of helped get a little bit more potiony version of that of that alchemy artificer. Additionally, I have a couple buddies. Ropis is an animated rope and then Minkus who is a homunculus made chest mimic character. Yeah and as I've mentioned you can find me at catbatmedia as well as Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky. Catbat Media. [00:07:18] Speaker E: I am Casey. [00:07:19] Speaker G: I play Nyx who is a 3. [00:07:21] Speaker E: Foot tall all black fur kitty cat. [00:07:25] Speaker G: Or Tabaxi and she is absolutely obsessed with cookies. If you haven't seen the other other episodes, you'll maybe get a little bit of a feel for that. Just a little bit. She has bright amber eyes and will sometimes get a little bit spicy. So she goes by she her as do I. And you can find me at Catbat Media or Facebook. Just like Chris. [00:07:56] Speaker H: Hi everyone. I'm Blue He She. I'm going to be playing illuminae, a human barbarian. Who is she they? Yeah, she's about 5, 5 foot 5, got long dark hair with a blue streak going all the way through and matching bright blue eyes. She's got a really big Sword and bearing. Kind of standard road leather type stuff. Little mad maxi, you know. And yeah, ready to smash some things. [00:08:27] Speaker B: Greetings gamers. I'm still Locke Clark. That didn't change in the last couple of minutes. And tonight I a he him will be playing Khagan Thord. Khagan is a also a heem. He's a tortle. He is a fighter of the dowslinger subclass, which is a subclass I wrote with input from Tyr. He uses a pistol style arcane crossbow and he's got mottled gray and darker gray skin with a few muted red spots. He wears a sleeveless brocade surcoat with. [00:09:09] Speaker H: A. [00:09:12] Speaker B: Chague hat like a the conical sort of rice patty hat. And he's got a very spiky shell. And you can find me all over the social medias at lock unruly. That's lock with an H. [00:09:28] Speaker A: Yay. Thank you all for your introductions. And as I said at the beginning of this, I'm Tear the dm, the world's okayest dm. My pronouns are he, him and you can find me on Blue Sky Moonbeam, just wherever as tour the dm. One last piece of business. This is the most important piece of business. Our safe word tonight is rosebud. If for whatever reason the situation becomes too intense and you need it to stop, please use the safe word. We go straight to break. We'll discuss the situation. Return only if we can. Because I want you all to be happy and healthy as I make your characters lives a living hell. And for the new people in the audience, tonight's episode is rated at 5 bastards. What's 5 bastards mean? I judge the success of Mike Sessions on how many times my players call me a bastard. So I'm shooting for five tonight. And just remember, withholding them from me just makes me try that much harder. So with all that being said as we go to get into tonight's ashes of divinity, have ye any last requests? [00:10:35] Speaker B: Not the face. [00:10:37] Speaker A: Alrighty. Not the face. Not Minkus. Easy enough. [00:10:43] Speaker B: Don't like it when he agrees. [00:10:45] Speaker F: No. [00:10:46] Speaker B: Seems wrong somehow. [00:10:50] Speaker A: When last we left the party, they had awoken in a black obelisk, a sanctuary that had given them shelter from a storm, but had also comfort from the mysterious rider that hounds their trail. After a close vote, they decided that instead of staying there and trying to commune with this writer, that they would leave. Part of that was because of the entity known as the storm was summoned by Nixon and answered the question of they could not protect you in the obelisk only from the storm. They did, however, provide food for your journey. And as you departed across the treacherous Sea of Solace during a lightning storm that was meant to slow the rider. Kagan had been studying with Nix on how to operate the sand skift and was able to do so without killing anyone. Yay, Kagan. [00:11:51] Speaker F: Yay. [00:11:53] Speaker A: They finally passed the Sea of Solace and found themselves at the foot of the Ragnar Mountain. They hid their sand skiff and went to try to find the hidden kingdom of Castandula, the dwarven kingdom under the mountain. As they were exploring, they found what was known as a waystation. It was a ranger safe haven that had a few magical amenities in it. They decided to stay for the night. They had food. Some of them took baths. Some of them saw specters of rangers from Emerald Forest, known as Tal Kafar. Someone found an ancestral blade. And everyone awoken, reflecting on the mysterious connections between the ancient words of the storm. The rider is after you because you are who you are, and there are uncertain destinies that lie ahead. All that said, this is where we continue our story. And this is where we determine. Have you been forsaken to the wheel of the dice? We're going to do something that's never been done before. Not really. It's been done maybe once or twice. We are going to start with downtime. So you all have found this way station to stay and relax, replenish your mentality and rest your bodies. You have about eight hours. We're going to start with Kagan. What are you doing, Kagan? [00:13:29] Speaker B: Oh, I was not expecting to go first. Kagan is. I'm gonna. I'm gonna dig around. I've got that. My. My satchel, which has a bunch of odds and ends that I've scavenged out on my. My journeys out to find things for people from Anvil Hold. And I'm just gonna. I'm gonna sit by the fire and take out some of those bits and mend what I can and use my tinkerer's tools to see if I can put them together into something interesting or. Or get something functional out of them. [00:14:27] Speaker A: Roll a tools check. I believe we've always done sleight of hand with that one. [00:14:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I was gonna say sleight of hand plus proficiency. If I have proficiency in the tool. [00:14:41] Speaker A: Yep. [00:14:42] Speaker C: Yeah. Cool. [00:14:45] Speaker B: So that's that. That is 11 plus 7 is 18. [00:14:59] Speaker A: At first, it's difficult. Your hands do not want to cooperate. You are staring at these bits and bobs and odds and ends, trying to make them form something in your head. Taking a deep breath, Letting the gaze into the fire. You don't even notice that. You start constructing while you're watching the flame. When you're finished, you have a medallion that is approximately 6 inches long. It is a blade, a sword blade. Coming out of a golden chalice. With a single blood drop. [00:15:44] Speaker B: Look what I made. I made a thing. [00:15:49] Speaker A: Wow. [00:15:52] Speaker H: It's beautiful. [00:15:54] Speaker B: Thank you. I do not know what it is, but I like it. It. The pieces just sort of found their way together. It was. How you say, like when. [00:16:10] Speaker C: The. [00:16:11] Speaker B: The sculptor sees, you know, the. [00:16:14] Speaker C: The. [00:16:14] Speaker B: The shape was in the rock. You just had to knock the bits off that weren't supposed to be there. [00:16:18] Speaker C: Yes. [00:16:20] Speaker H: You've got quite the talent. [00:16:23] Speaker B: I like the tinker. [00:16:31] Speaker A: Anything else you wish to do, Kegan, in your downtime? [00:16:37] Speaker C: I'll. [00:16:38] Speaker B: I'll probably do a bit of exercise size. You know, keep limber. Do some. Some athletics, as it were. [00:16:50] Speaker A: The dice have select Azariah, you're next. [00:16:55] Speaker F: That's exactly what she does with. Part of the time is like. She would be off to the side somewhere, not in anybody's way. And goes through the motions of something that looks more very similar. Like a cross between yoga and Tai chi. And she does some different. She goes through that for a little while before. At some point she would. One of her sorrow stones she already made would have become inert. Because I believe. Yeah, after 24 hours, if they're not used, they just go back to being the stone they were before. So she would create another Starro stone. And then wind up sitting there by the fire. And she's got wood carving tools. So if she found a branch. She's basically starting to make what looks like a staff. And is going to start carving their journey. So far. Pictorial representation of. [00:18:07] Speaker A: All right. A journey staff. Nice. [00:18:09] Speaker F: Yes. [00:18:09] Speaker A: Go ahead and make the sleight of hand. Add proficiency. [00:18:17] Speaker F: That would be a plus six for me. So that is a 18. [00:18:24] Speaker A: Looking pretty good. Anything else? [00:18:31] Speaker F: No, it's just. She's kind of enjoying the downtime that they've got. So she's just going to whittle away. And eventually, when downtime is over and it's time to try to get some sleep. She'll do her trance. [00:18:47] Speaker A: Okay. Next we're going to go to Opus. [00:18:54] Speaker E: Muted. [00:18:56] Speaker C: So Opus would kind of go out and forage. Bringing Minkus and Ropeus, of course, along. But within the general vicinity. I wouldn't want to get too far from the waystation. But yeah, I would be trying to. Forage for different routes or. Or plants or potentially anything reagent wise. [00:19:22] Speaker A: All right, roll. Just an investigation check. [00:19:25] Speaker C: An investigation. [00:19:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:19:30] Speaker H: Okay. [00:19:34] Speaker C: Let's hope this is better than last week. I'm also trying to make sure there wasn't. No. Okay, let's see. Oh, it's a 20. Well, 20 plus five, so 25. [00:19:51] Speaker A: 25. Roll a D8. [00:20:00] Speaker C: A. Oh, here's a one. [00:20:02] Speaker H: But. [00:20:03] Speaker A: Okay, I'm not gonna count that. I'm gonna roll seven. Seven regions of your choice. [00:20:12] Speaker C: Okay. So as assuming that the things were. Were present, I would have been actively looking for a couple different routes. So red root, as well as specifically glow moss, so I can get that down into a nectar form. I was also trying to see if I could find any feathers. [00:20:47] Speaker A: So you will find. Roll a D4. Okay. [00:20:56] Speaker C: That is a four. [00:20:57] Speaker A: You'll find four eagle feathers. [00:21:01] Speaker C: Perfect. I think that's like six. And three. [00:21:09] Speaker A: Was that three? [00:21:11] Speaker C: Okay. Okay. Then a couple of things I don't think I would find, but I would always be on the lookout for dragon's blood or red crystalline dust as well as clockwork sand. [00:21:32] Speaker A: You. You would find red crystalline dust. Not a lot, but some clockwork sand you will not find on the mountain. And I can bring you a dragon if you want to try to get some blood. I'll be. I'd be happy to do that for you. [00:21:48] Speaker C: I'm pretty sure the blood I'd find would not be the dragons and then be trying to find. Once again, grog weed was something that would be a goal. And by any chance, any giant toenails? [00:22:11] Speaker A: Roll the D100. [00:22:13] Speaker C: Oh, no. [00:22:14] Speaker H: Oh, boy. [00:22:17] Speaker C: Let's see. I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing, but let's see. That is a 67. Sorry. [00:22:27] Speaker A: You find a part of a storm giant's toenail. [00:22:31] Speaker C: Wow. Okay. [00:22:33] Speaker H: Nice, fresh. [00:22:36] Speaker C: Oh, okay. So I would head back to the. To the waystation to sort of organize my finds. I imagine that I would probably smell pretty. Pretty rank by the time I'm going back. [00:22:58] Speaker A: Yeah, probably. But there's a bath there, so you can always get clean. Nyx. [00:23:11] Speaker G: So Nyx would look around to try to find any shiny, sparkly or fascinating stones around. [00:23:18] Speaker A: All right. Investigation check. [00:23:20] Speaker G: Okay. 7. [00:23:32] Speaker A: As far as fascinating, there's not really any fascinating, but there is a black stone. It's about 3 inches in length and about 2 inches wide. It's solid black with silver specks all through it. [00:23:47] Speaker G: Okay. So I would pick it up, and I would start carving it, and then I just pick up Some random stones around and start to carve those as well. I'd probably spend probably two of the hours on the pretty one trying to make it look as good as possible. But then the others, I would probably spend like maybe a half hour each or so. [00:24:11] Speaker A: And are you trying to make anything specific? [00:24:16] Speaker G: So she would probably try to make, like, the people around her, but with the understanding that she is a child. She is not good at this stuff. So they should look like just a kid's drawing version of these characters. But as a sculptor. [00:24:38] Speaker A: Go ahead and do sleight of hand with your proficiency bonus. Okay. Proficiency. [00:24:53] Speaker G: That is a 10. [00:24:59] Speaker A: You do pretty good job. It's not great. But first, you know, sitting in a cave, picking rocks up off the floor, all of them look roughly like the people around you, except for one. [00:25:18] Speaker G: Which one? [00:25:20] Speaker A: The black, shiny one. [00:25:22] Speaker G: Okay. [00:25:23] Speaker A: It is the profile of a person wearing a tall, conical hat. [00:25:33] Speaker G: A fellow person. Tall, conical hat. Okay. So that would take up the. The time because she would be doing that the whole time. [00:25:45] Speaker C: All right. [00:25:48] Speaker A: Thank you, Vera. [00:25:53] Speaker F: You did. [00:25:54] Speaker D: Sorry, I couldn't find my mute. Yeah, I was trying to find the unmute. Okay. So Veyro would have a bunch of, like, anxious energy that she didn't want to necessarily convey as that. So she's going to walk outside of the. The cave and kind of look for anything that she can brew into a drink. So I'm thinking like an herbal tea kind of thing. But if anybody noticed her, her skin is kind of glowing at this point. [00:26:30] Speaker A: All right. Make an investigation. Ch. [00:26:39] Speaker D: Oh, why did I use digital dice? That's what I get. It's a five. [00:26:47] Speaker A: You find new root. It is a substance that when boiled into a tea, has a honey like taste. [00:26:54] Speaker F: Okay. All right. [00:26:58] Speaker D: So after walking around for a bit, finding that, she'll go back and. And attempt to brew it into some tea. And while she's sipping it, the results of whatever she gets, she's going to pull out her book and her calligraphy set and start documenting what has happened to them so far. The visions, the journey, all of that kind of stuff. [00:27:30] Speaker A: You have a lovely cuppa and do your calligraphy. Make a sleight of hand to see just how good your calligraphy turns out. It's kind of hard to mess up tea. It's water and herbs and water. Yeah. [00:27:43] Speaker D: Do I get to add my proficiency since I. I'm proficient in Culver first supplies. [00:27:47] Speaker C: Okay. [00:27:52] Speaker D: It's not my night. So that is a 10. [00:27:58] Speaker A: It's fair. [00:27:59] Speaker F: It. [00:27:59] Speaker A: It is legible and everything. It's not your best work, but you're sitting in a cave sipping root tea, so. [00:28:06] Speaker D: While agitated. [00:28:07] Speaker A: Yeah, well, agitated. [00:28:09] Speaker F: Does it. When she makes the tea? Do we. Does it smell like honey when it brews? Like, does it have. [00:28:16] Speaker A: It does. [00:28:17] Speaker F: Is it like an earthy. Like, earthy with honey kind of thing? [00:28:20] Speaker A: Yes. [00:28:23] Speaker F: Once that starts to, like, permeate the area, Azariah is just going to look up for a moment. Feyre. What. What are you making? [00:28:34] Speaker D: It's a. It's a. It's like a tea. Do you want some? [00:28:42] Speaker F: I think so. It has a delightful honey smell to it. [00:28:49] Speaker D: And she'll pour a cup for Azariah. Also. [00:29:02] Speaker C: I would. I would like to think that this is towards the end of the, you know, time, so Opus would be back by now, so I think Opus would also smell that. Can I have some? [00:29:22] Speaker D: Is. Is there enough to share with everybody? [00:29:24] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You found a lot of new root. [00:29:27] Speaker D: Okay. So, yeah, she'll. She'll. She'll share it and she'll explain to Opus, like, how to identify it because she knows he. She's not sure why he's like. She's seen him make stuff, but she's seen him stick. So she would just mention what it looked like to him. [00:29:47] Speaker C: Yes. Thank you. Thank you. I'll be on the lookout. He will take this cup and then hop into the bath he kind of made and just sip it while just sitting there. [00:30:04] Speaker A: Alrighty. And that brings us last but not least to Luminae. [00:30:11] Speaker H: All right, so, first off, I believe she would exit the cave because she would want to kind of get a better lay of the immediate surroundings and like. Like, for tactical purposes, make sure nothing's going to sneak up on them from any direction, that kind of thing. [00:30:32] Speaker A: Give me an investigation check. [00:30:34] Speaker H: Okay. It's a plus one. So 12. [00:30:42] Speaker A: You do not see any immediate danger. [00:30:46] Speaker H: Okay, then for a good amount of time, she would like to find a bit of a higher perch than where the cave itself is and just stand guard over everything and everyone, probably for a few hours. [00:31:05] Speaker A: All righty. I'm sorry. My cat just coughed up a furball on my bed. Oh, no. [00:31:16] Speaker B: Oh, fine. [00:31:17] Speaker A: Yeah, those. Those look good to my PM person. I'm. I've got my monitor split in the floors right now, and I can't respond to pms, so. All right. The night comes and it's time for another long rest. Do you set guards again? [00:31:48] Speaker H: Yes. [00:31:49] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh. Oh. [00:31:55] Speaker F: Oh, no. [00:31:56] Speaker D: Oh. [00:31:57] Speaker F: Oh, gosh. [00:31:58] Speaker G: Sorry, guys. My computer again is. [00:32:01] Speaker A: No, it's no worries. Do we need to take a break. [00:32:05] Speaker G: It's okay. It's just telling me memory, so that might just be the issue. [00:32:10] Speaker C: We'll take a look at it at the next break. Yeah. [00:32:15] Speaker G: Okay. [00:32:15] Speaker A: All right. [00:32:15] Speaker G: Should be good. [00:32:17] Speaker A: Okay. If we need to take a break or whatever, just let me know. [00:32:22] Speaker E: Will do. [00:32:23] Speaker A: All right. What order? Who's setting guards with who tonight? [00:32:31] Speaker C: I think Opus would probably take first guard. I'll go first. Favors, join me. [00:32:42] Speaker D: Sure. [00:32:48] Speaker G: Okay, so Nyx is gonna go around and put, like, a stone that she carved in everyone's area, and then go snuggle up and be like, I'm going to bed. [00:32:58] Speaker E: Meow. [00:33:01] Speaker B: Like, little kitty. [00:33:03] Speaker H: Good night. [00:33:06] Speaker B: I will take watch a second. I suppose I do not care. If someone wants to sit with me, that is fine. If not, I am good by myself. [00:33:16] Speaker E: Just wake me up. Meow. [00:33:21] Speaker B: All right, I will wake you, kitty. [00:33:26] Speaker A: I'll take illuminating and Azariah. Unless, Azrah, you want to shift by yourself? [00:33:37] Speaker F: Nope, that's fine. [00:33:39] Speaker A: All right, as you all have your food stoke and set the fire, curl up into the warmth of the cave and drift off to sleep, we see Opus and Vera sitting there. Do y' all wish to have any conversations before I make you roll? [00:34:02] Speaker C: I imagine Opus would. Would look over. So. So do you. Do you look for things. This. This newt root? [00:34:14] Speaker D: Yeah. I mean, I wasn't looking for the newt root specifically, but I. I. You know, I worked at, like, a tavern, so. So I like to brew. Brew things. So like teas or, like, coffees. Alcohol, of course. But we're not, like. If we were gonna be here a while. [00:34:36] Speaker C: Oh, yes. [00:34:38] Speaker D: So just kind of like fruits and herbs and stuff. [00:34:44] Speaker C: Opus. Mingus. Mingus, come over here. He's gonna dig into a little bit and pull out a couple pieces that he has used. You would see kind of like burn marks on some of the glass flasks and things like that. But ultimately, it's kind of a brewing supply kit, you see, that has been used in other ways. But, you know, it still has this. Yes, I know what you're talking about. And he holds up one of the. The flasks, and it has a. Give me one sec to look at my notes. What it looks like? Okay. It has like a. Like a. Almost like a. Like a webbing inside of it. Says to try this. [00:35:42] Speaker D: She's gonna look at it a little suspiciously. Is it gonna hurt me? [00:35:52] Speaker C: No, no, no. [00:35:55] Speaker D: Okay. So she'll take off the lid and drink it. [00:36:03] Speaker C: Ah, yes. Could you. Could you go up there? And he. He points kind of the side of the, the way station, but, like up. [00:36:16] Speaker D: Towards the ceiling, she's gonna look down at her dress because she's wearing like a toga style dress and look at the ceiling and be like, okay. So she'll like, tie it up. So now it's, you know, kind of tied together. Okay. And she's gonna try to see if she can climb up towards the ceiling. [00:36:38] Speaker C: So the. To give, you know, above table. The potion that was given to you was a potion of climbing. So I imagine it should. It gives the whoever has drank it a climbing speed equal to their walking speed. So I imagine this should make it much, much easier to get up, you know, the wall, the cavern. [00:37:07] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. You do a good job, Vera. [00:37:11] Speaker D: Oh, well, that was easier than I expected. But do you mind if I come down now? [00:37:20] Speaker C: Yes, I do. I, I. How easy was it from 1 to 10? [00:37:28] Speaker D: 4. But usually I'm at like an 8 for difficulty. It's not like I climb a lot. [00:37:36] Speaker C: Oh, perfect. Perfect. And he kind of scribbles down a little bit in a notebook as you, I assume, climb down. [00:37:44] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:37:48] Speaker C: Thank you. Thank you. And I'm gonna, you know, be involved in the books at this point. [00:37:54] Speaker A: It is time for you both to make a perception check. As you say at watch. [00:37:59] Speaker C: Oh, boy. Got a 16. [00:38:11] Speaker A: Okay. [00:38:13] Speaker D: Favor. Apparently still a little confused by the whole climbing. She got a ted. [00:38:18] Speaker A: All right, I need everyone but Opus to earmuff. All right? Okay. All right, Opus. As you're sitting there involved in your books, you won't notice it at first, but then you start noticing a thrumming beneath the stone. It is rhythmic, a dunk, dunk. And it's light. It's just a very. If you were not so engrossed in your books that it felt so out of place, you'd not even notice it. But you know how when you get reading and everything just comes down and you're hypersensitive to everything around you? So any questions or whatever before I bring them back? Okay, go ahead. [00:39:05] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is it. So how you. When you described it, it sped up a slight bit. Is that what I'm perceiving or is it completely rhythmic and kind of in. [00:39:16] Speaker A: Completely rhythmic in time? Okay, it's just my lack of rhythm. [00:39:20] Speaker C: No, you're, you're fine. I've been there for sure, so. And it has that kind of double beat. Does it remind me of a heart beat? [00:39:33] Speaker A: No. [00:39:34] Speaker C: Okay. Is it a metallic thump or is it like a dull thump? [00:39:44] Speaker A: Metallic. [00:39:45] Speaker C: Metallic. Okay. Okay. I think I got, I think I got my My questions at least done. So you can bring them back. [00:39:53] Speaker A: All right, everyone come back. All right. Welcome back. [00:40:07] Speaker C: Minkus. Minkus. No, Rhopus. No. Hold on. And. And Minkus. Go. Go look over there. I'm gonna try to go towards kind of the back of the. The. The way station to see. Kind of towards the wall and see if I'm able to hear anything better. [00:40:33] Speaker A: No, it actually grows softer as you leave your spot. [00:40:37] Speaker C: I will instead go out towards maybe the door again. [00:40:42] Speaker A: It grows softer. It's like there's something about that spot. [00:40:47] Speaker C: I will then go right back to that spot, kind of in kind of a. Kind of motion. Varus, do you. Are you doing anything like a. Like a thump? Like a. Like a. Like a bang? [00:41:06] Speaker D: No. [00:41:08] Speaker C: Listen, listen. I'll point down towards the ground, and I will try to also hear. If I hear it on the ground. [00:41:16] Speaker D: Can I. Can I listen extra hard now? [00:41:19] Speaker A: Yeah, you put your ear down to the ground, and you can hear it. It's a. There's a soft vibration on the floor, and you hear a tunk, tunk, tunk, tunk, tunk, tunk. A metallic ringing with it. [00:41:42] Speaker D: Does it sound like anything I would have heard of or read about? [00:41:49] Speaker A: Make a history. Check. [00:41:55] Speaker D: That's better. 22. [00:42:00] Speaker A: No. [00:42:02] Speaker D: Well, that's. [00:42:03] Speaker E: That's strange. [00:42:04] Speaker D: She's gonna, like, stomp on the ground, but try to do it like that. Tong, tong. You know, like, good idea. [00:42:14] Speaker C: And. And Opus is going to kind of get up and. And stomp his little tiny foot as well. [00:42:20] Speaker A: All right. Anything else before your end watch comes to an end? [00:42:28] Speaker D: No. There's no, like, change in the rhythm or anything that we hear when we do that? [00:42:32] Speaker A: No, there's not. [00:42:35] Speaker D: Strange. Nope. [00:42:41] Speaker C: Come here. And I'm gonna try to dig through or, like, get the heart out that we had before. [00:42:49] Speaker A: Okay. [00:42:49] Speaker C: Is it doing anything different? [00:42:52] Speaker A: No. [00:42:55] Speaker C: I. I don't know what's happening. And I'm gonna dig out. There's earmuffs in there. I'm gonna dig out earmuffs and put them on. [00:43:03] Speaker A: Okay. [00:43:06] Speaker D: So helpful on watch. Do what I said, so helpful on watch. Earbuds. [00:43:15] Speaker A: Well, it's time for your watch to end. [00:43:17] Speaker D: Okay, good. So V will go wake up Kagan and let him know what they heard. Like a metallic clanking and, like, thump, thump, thump, thump. [00:43:32] Speaker C: I. I don't know. [00:43:36] Speaker B: All right, I will listen diligently. Perhaps we find something. [00:43:44] Speaker A: But before you do that, we're going to take our first break. We're going to take 10 minutes, get our beverages, choice our snickety snacks and handle our business. And then we'll be. And we're back. Thanks so much for hanging out while we took our break. Got a beverage choice. Our sick of these next and handled our business. Excuse me. We have just finished downtime. The party members each doing something particular or special tour for them. We are going into night where we are taking watches. It is now Kagan and Nix's turn to set watch. Is there anything y' all want to talk about or do before I have you roll your perception checks? [00:44:54] Speaker B: Thank you, little kitty. For statuary. It is. It is very good. I like this. [00:45:01] Speaker E: You're welcome, meow. I. I think I did okay, meow. Maybe not on some of them, Yao. [00:45:10] Speaker B: Well, mine is very good. I like. I'll put it in my pouch. Yeah, no, I think that I don't have anything else. You got anything else? [00:45:20] Speaker A: Next. [00:45:22] Speaker G: So as far as I understand, Vera told you about the sound. Did you tell me as well, or. [00:45:28] Speaker B: I. I will inform you of the sound. And we need to be listening for. For the thumping noise. He's apparently coming from floor. [00:45:39] Speaker G: So she'll like, put her face down on the ground and like, ear down. [00:45:44] Speaker E: And be like, I don't hear anything as of yet, meow. Do you, meow? [00:45:51] Speaker B: I will listen very closely and see if I hear anything. [00:45:54] Speaker A: You don't. [00:45:57] Speaker B: I do not. But we will keep an eye out and we will tell next watchers to keep air out as well. [00:46:05] Speaker E: Yeah, I think ears might be more helpful than eyes, Neil. At least for the sound, meow. [00:46:16] Speaker G: Oh yeah, I think we're good on the perception roll thing. [00:46:19] Speaker A: Yep. Go ahead and make your perception checks. Nix 13, Kagan 19. As with the night before, the specter image of the Tal Kaphar will enter the cave, followed by the specter panther. They will move to the far wall. The panther will curl up, the image will recline onto the panther, pull out a dagger, reading the handle over and over, and then vanish. [00:47:14] Speaker G: We both saw this, I assume? [00:47:17] Speaker A: Yes. [00:47:20] Speaker E: Did you see that mule? [00:47:22] Speaker B: I did. It is. Is very strange. That was. I think he's definitely Tal Kifari, but. And his companion is like bigger version of you, but less talky. Yes. [00:47:50] Speaker E: I look like a thing, meow. [00:47:54] Speaker B: It is a kitty. Yes, it is. Big kitty. [00:47:58] Speaker E: So scary, meow. [00:48:04] Speaker B: I wonder if there is something we could do to put to rest to give peace to this individual. [00:48:12] Speaker E: I don't think I have spectral cookies, meow, but I can check. [00:48:15] Speaker G: She'll like, dig through her bag and pull out like, physical cookie after physical cookie. [00:48:24] Speaker B: I'M going to go over to the spot where they bedded down against the wall and I'm going to like, I'm going to look to see if there's anything of note right there. Trying to draw our attention to something. Oh, that's an 18 plus nothing. It's an 18. [00:48:52] Speaker A: As you're feeling around moving rocks and stuff, your finger will brush a sharp 90 degree corner of something small. [00:49:05] Speaker B: Wait, there is. There is something here. I'm gonna try and like dig it out. [00:49:13] Speaker A: It's. It's easy to dig out. It's a small wooden box with the symbol of infinity on the lid. For you, those of you that don't know what that looks like, it's a sideways eight. [00:49:25] Speaker B: Look, look. They filmed the box. This was buried here where they slept. [00:49:32] Speaker G: She'll stop looking through her bag and. [00:49:34] Speaker E: She'Ll be like, oh, is there anything in there, mule? [00:49:38] Speaker B: Only one way to find out. I'm gonna open the box. [00:49:43] Speaker A: You will find woven into the symbol of infinity, silver hair and red hair. [00:49:54] Speaker B: Oh, there is. There is. It is hairy box. [00:50:05] Speaker A: Oh, damn it. [00:50:08] Speaker B: You give me the entendre and I'm gonna take it, buddy. [00:50:12] Speaker A: Hey, this is serious, man. [00:50:14] Speaker B: I know, I'm sorry. My, my common's not the best. [00:50:20] Speaker A: The. [00:50:20] Speaker B: It seems some sort of devotionary Is this word. It is symbol of bond. If I had to guess, it is infinity symbol with. And the hairs of two people wound together. [00:50:43] Speaker G: They'll kind of peer over and be. [00:50:45] Speaker E: Like, oh, that's kind of creepy, meow. [00:50:49] Speaker B: It did. I mean, I suppose if it is not yours, but. But I guess this probably was very special to the individual. I feel bad it was left behind, but maybe is meant to be here. Perhaps I should put back. [00:51:08] Speaker G: Can you remind me, did the dagger have that infinity symbol on? [00:51:13] Speaker A: Did not. Okay. [00:51:17] Speaker C: And then. [00:51:17] Speaker G: I'm sorry, what was the last thing you said, Kagan? [00:51:20] Speaker B: I said perhaps we should put back. This seems very personal. [00:51:26] Speaker E: Yeah, you're probably right, meow. Maybe just a little deeper though, meow. So no one else grabs it, meow. [00:51:32] Speaker G: And then I'll start to like, try to dig a little spot with just my paws and claws. [00:51:40] Speaker A: It is stone. So you are unable to make any further depth to the hole that it was in. [00:51:51] Speaker G: So as I'm trying to dig, I'll. [00:51:52] Speaker E: Be like, I can't get any farther, meow. Also, my nails are dull now. [00:51:58] Speaker B: Meow is okay. We just. We put back. I wonder the dagger that he had. Had had the Tal Kofari oath on it. Yes. He seemed very focused on. On the dagger and the oath. [00:52:23] Speaker E: Perhaps maybe we should go get that meow. Do you want to wake her, meow, or do you want me to meow? [00:52:34] Speaker B: We will. So it was Alice had the dagger, right? [00:52:46] Speaker G: No, it should have been Luminae. [00:52:49] Speaker B: Yeah, let's tell you. We I. I set it back in hope, but I don't rebury it. We will leave there until we wake Luminae for for watch shift. And then we will investigate this a bit before we go to sleep. [00:53:02] Speaker E: Yes. [00:53:04] Speaker D: Yes. [00:53:04] Speaker E: Mail. [00:53:10] Speaker B: And we'll ride out the remainder of the watch. I clean my weapon while we watch and listen. Listening for the thumping to return. [00:53:20] Speaker A: There's no thumping. And the rest of your watch goes peacefully. [00:53:30] Speaker B: All right, it's time to wake the other two. Do you want to wake Luminari or Azariah? [00:53:39] Speaker E: I'll wake the blue one, meow. [00:53:41] Speaker G: And then she'll like scurry over to Luminae and be like. [00:53:49] Speaker E: It'S time to wake up, Mio. Time to wake up, meow. [00:53:54] Speaker B: Was the rest all right? Time to wait. [00:53:58] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:54:01] Speaker G: Also like. As I'm poking you be like, we. [00:54:04] Speaker E: Also need the dagger, meow. We found something, meow. [00:54:09] Speaker H: The dagger. Wait, what did you find? [00:54:16] Speaker B: We found the books. Buried where specular slip. [00:54:22] Speaker E: Yeah, he said it was a hairy box, meow. [00:54:27] Speaker H: Okay. [00:54:30] Speaker F: The same that we saw the night last night. [00:54:35] Speaker B: Yes, the specter returned. Also Opus reported hearing thumping noise coming from the floor, but we have not heard. So this is something to be mindful of, eh? [00:54:49] Speaker H: Thumping. [00:54:50] Speaker E: It could have just been one of his potions reacting meow. [00:54:56] Speaker B: Yes, but we we found the box. The box has symbol of the infinite ponnet. And inside these two people's hairs woven together in same way. Seems some sort of symbol of devotionary between two peoples. I think very personal. Why would be left? I'm not sure. But we think dagger might have something to do with maybe the oath. Hey, I do not know. [00:55:30] Speaker F: This sounds like a lover's knot. I think is what most call them. [00:55:39] Speaker H: Luminae will reach over to her pack because she just. She packed the knife in there and she'll pull it out and hold it out for everyone to look at again. And also since she knows she speaks elven like she'll recite everything that's on the. The dagger engraved on it. [00:55:59] Speaker B: I'm gonna. Well, as soon as Luminae starts reading that, I'm gonna move over and watch the box and see if anything happens. [00:56:12] Speaker A: Nothing. [00:56:16] Speaker E: So a lover's not meal. I. I don't know if that has to do with what we saw. Meal. [00:56:24] Speaker F: It may not be direct, but it could be that it was just something that was important. Maybe it was the decision they had to make. [00:56:36] Speaker B: The specters did seem very focused on the the writing on the dagger and recited multiple times. Perhaps it was mind split between love and duty. [00:56:56] Speaker F: Perhaps that's what I was thinking. That would have been a choice they had to make. Because it seems to me that this oath on this dagger is very definite. [00:57:12] Speaker E: What do you think the big me has to do with it? Meow? [00:57:18] Speaker B: Well, I think yes. Traveling partner, beneficial friend who goes with. [00:57:35] Speaker H: Tia. Does. Does the dagger come off as being magic at all? Like, is there something we can sense off of it? [00:57:46] Speaker A: There is a sadness that radiates from the dagger. It is a deep, deep, soul chilling sadness. In fact, Luminae holding it, you feel like you're missing a part of yourself just from holding this dagger. And how many times do you recite the oath? [00:58:08] Speaker H: Just once, so everyone is aware of what it says. You said he was saying it over and over like a mantra. Almost, right? [00:58:25] Speaker B: Yes. The end with the box. Now it makes me think that he was trying to convince himself of the importance. Does this make sense? [00:58:40] Speaker H: Yes. Where did you see the specter? [00:58:45] Speaker B: I point to where the box is. He mean the cat slipped there. [00:58:52] Speaker H: Luminae is going to go over to that spot and kneel in front of the box and start reciting the oath over and over. [00:59:02] Speaker G: Nyx is gonna walk with you to pseudo mimic that panther esque thing that she saw. [00:59:11] Speaker A: Okay. As you begin repeating the oath, you begin to hear a voice. It is a feminine voice singing a song. I'm not going to put my horrible singing on you, but I will read the lyrics because it's only repeating the first part. Tell me, mama, who is that man with the armor dark and gray? So handsome that man in the striking sun, Clad in cloak of gray. Look away, dear daughter. Look away, my child. Let that man be. Don't set your fancy to him or his kin, the rangers of the deep. [00:59:53] Speaker H: Whoa. [00:59:54] Speaker A: Every time you recite the oath, it grows louder and louder till it is as if someone is standing there singing to you. The dagger grows heavier and heavier. [01:00:10] Speaker H: Is that just something I hear? [01:00:13] Speaker A: No. Everyone that's awake hears it. [01:00:15] Speaker C: Oh, wow. [01:00:20] Speaker H: Lum is going to keep repeating, repeating the oath, but she's going to look around at everyone, like, with questioning eyes, like. You all hear that, right? [01:00:30] Speaker A: And on the 10th time. Go ahead, Nick. Before I say, I was just curious. [01:00:35] Speaker F: The. [01:00:35] Speaker G: The voice that we're hearing would you say that it actually sounds nice, or is it like a kind of like spoken song? [01:00:44] Speaker C: That's. [01:00:46] Speaker A: It is a beautiful song. It's a sad song, but it was beautiful. As you repeat it on the 10th time, the dagger cracks and shatters. And as the parts hit the ground, you see materializing there, the specter and the panther. Who has called me from my slumber? [01:01:21] Speaker H: I didn't know. [01:01:24] Speaker B: Greetings, great warrior. We are group of chosen. We are hunted for who we here we are, though we do not know what that means. We have come to the mountain seeking refuge in the dwarven stronghold. We tried to find the entrance, but we found this place and took shelter here. We saw you at unrest and thought perhaps we could set you to ease. But it seems it has gone the other way, that we have called you here rather than send you to peace. [01:02:16] Speaker A: No. You have broken the spell. I have been summoned. And now I can go to rest. They will reach down and pick up a small shard of the dagger. They will blow on it, and a hole appears. They will put a piece of string through it, tie a knot, and drape it over Nix's head. This will lead you to cast Andula. [01:02:42] Speaker G: Is it straight? Her ears are going to go down because it like lands, so ears will go down. And she's still going to be very fascinated with the panther. So she's not looking up at the elf. What did we say? [01:02:57] Speaker A: Yeah, he's an elf. [01:02:58] Speaker G: Elf. [01:03:01] Speaker A: The panther will put its head into you nuzzle in as to say thank you. [01:03:15] Speaker G: I'm trying to think how Nyx would react, because I feel like she would just be very excited, but she also just heard something that was super sad. So I think she'll have like, tears in her eyes still, but be like, oh, you're welcome. [01:03:28] Speaker E: Yelps. [01:03:32] Speaker B: Hagen reaches up and instinctively touches the medallion he made. Find your peace. May you feast in whatever hall lies beyond this place, my friend. [01:03:48] Speaker A: The eyes remain sorrowful, but there's a soft smile. Seeing your necklace. A hand will come over and clasp your shoulder. May you have an honorable death. And it will turn. [01:04:04] Speaker B: I don't know why this is comforting, but it is. [01:04:07] Speaker A: And begin to walk out of the cave. And with each step, you see like wind blowing across the sands of the Sea of Solace. Ash flies into the wind as the Tal Kaphar that was bound to the blade, that was bound to an oath is released to go to peace. [01:04:32] Speaker H: We set him free. [01:04:39] Speaker B: Ah, we have done a good thing tonight. Night we may rest well. [01:04:46] Speaker E: I feel bad that Opus and Vera missed it, though. [01:04:56] Speaker B: They need the rest. They have. They need to be able to do their magicky things. Yes. And it is important, too. We will tell them the tale of this one in the morning. [01:05:12] Speaker H: Yes. For now, you two can rest. [01:05:17] Speaker F: Yes. Go get some sleep. [01:05:20] Speaker E: Okay. Meow. Be safe. Meow. [01:05:23] Speaker B: Keep an ear out for thumpings. [01:05:27] Speaker H: Yes. [01:05:32] Speaker B: I'll go over to my bedroll and pull myself into my shell. My hat sitting on top of where my head was. [01:05:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:05:41] Speaker G: I'm gonna go curl around. Mingus. [01:05:48] Speaker F: About the little statues. The little, like, stone figures that Nyx made. About how big are they? [01:05:59] Speaker A: You made them, Nyx. [01:06:01] Speaker G: I know that the Blackstone was three by two, so I know they're not going to be bigger than that. Let's say they're like two by two. [01:06:09] Speaker F: While Luminae and Azariah are sitting watch. Oz is gonna find a way. She. She found hers when, you know, she woke up, but she's gonna find a way to work it onto one of her malas. Probably the one on the right, because the left is the one that has sorrow stones. And because, you know, it looks like, you know, Nyx did at least, like, make her make Oz's high ponytail. That's probably how she's going to try to affix it, is basically by looping some of the mala's ribbon around that ponytail and weaving it back into itself so that it would hang like, almost like a charm from the right. [01:06:58] Speaker H: Luminae adores her little figurine. She's just going to be kind of like, while keeping an eye on stuff, she's going to be looking at it, you know, just kind of pouring over it. Eventually, she'll just tuck it into her clothing as a. As a good luck charm. [01:07:13] Speaker F: Yeah. Oz, just kind of look over at yours as well and be like. She's quite talented, isn't she? [01:07:18] Speaker H: She is. She's a good kid. I like her. There goes my light again. She's so kind. It tears my heart out to know she has to go through this with us. [01:07:42] Speaker F: Yes. Sadly, suffering is suffering and sorrow is just something that at this point in the world as we know it, we can't necessarily get away from. We can do what we can to ease it, but you can never really get away from. [01:08:03] Speaker H: Should at least spare the small ones. [01:08:10] Speaker F: True. [01:08:15] Speaker H: Sorry. Holding that dagger kind of put a hole in my heart. I'll be okay. Are you okay? [01:08:27] Speaker F: Yeah, I'm fine. Things are different for me than what they were back in anvil hold. But it'll be Fine. We're all trying to find our way, and we'll find it. [01:08:45] Speaker H: I'm glad of nothing else. We can rely on each other. [01:08:51] Speaker F: Yes. In this world right now, that's everything. [01:09:06] Speaker H: Yeah, I think just keep conversing through. Through their watch for the most part. [01:09:12] Speaker F: Yep. [01:09:13] Speaker A: All right, go ahead and make your perception checks. [01:09:16] Speaker F: Okay. [01:09:16] Speaker H: Okay. Hey, that has numbers attached to it that It'll be number one. 19 total. [01:09:29] Speaker F: Mine's a 23. [01:09:35] Speaker A: As you all sit there conversing, the song that was sung begins to fade away. The what you know to be the last verse of the song is sung. Tell me mama, where has he gone? That man in dark and gray so lonesome are the nights so cold since he's gone away. Look away, dear daughter. Look away, my child. That man has gone to the deep. No more, no more to come back home. Weep, my daughter, weep. Weep, my daughter, weep, my child. You did not take heed. You gave your heart to the Tal Kaphar. Now a widow you shall be. And it ends. And with it ending the sadness. Lumine begins to release. [01:10:33] Speaker H: She's still probably gonna tear up a bit. [01:10:38] Speaker F: The sad thing of it is, is that obviously he has been gone for some time. So at least we were able to. In the last act, we were able to hopefully also release the other's suffering, wherever they may be. [01:10:55] Speaker H: I hope so. At first I thought we had done something wrong, like prolonged his suffering somehow. [01:11:13] Speaker F: I was starting to think the same until he appeared. [01:11:21] Speaker H: Yes. By the way, Tyr, would I have noticed any kind of other caves, like situated lower than was while out. Out on my scouting? [01:11:39] Speaker A: No. This is the first level of caves. [01:11:42] Speaker H: Okay. All right. I can't imagine what that sound might be. [01:11:53] Speaker F: Not sure they did. They say she's going to point to an area of where Opus would have been originally. Cause I'm guessing that's also where it was kind of passed along to everybody else. And Kagan would have pointed out to them where they were told they heard the sound and everything. They say it was right about there. [01:12:21] Speaker H: She'll go over and try and listen for something putty out to the ground. [01:12:28] Speaker F: Yeah, I was gonna do the same Sameth. [01:12:32] Speaker A: You both. Lower your ears to the ground. Give me an a perception check. [01:12:40] Speaker C: Already. [01:12:41] Speaker H: Forgot what that was. Okay. 12, 3020O. [01:12:51] Speaker A: You hear a very, very faint tune. Tunk. Tunk. And it stops. [01:13:02] Speaker F: And you said it was metallic sounding. It had like a metallicness to it, yes. Would. Would it. Would it be similar to the sound of like, blacksmithing? Like somebody hitting, working something on an anvil. [01:13:23] Speaker A: Make an insight check. Okay. [01:13:35] Speaker F: 18 plus 7. 25. [01:13:39] Speaker A: Yes. [01:13:41] Speaker F: Oh, she's gonna listen a little longer. Does it. Does it start again or. [01:13:46] Speaker A: No, it does not. [01:13:49] Speaker F: I. I would need to hear it again to be certain, but it sounds like an anvil. You know, when somebody is working in a. In a forge, in a blacksmith. The sounds of the hammers hitting the anvils. [01:14:09] Speaker H: If you're hearing that, then could the kingdom still be active? [01:14:15] Speaker F: Well, at least one person is. I mean, from what I heard. Would it be fair to say she just heard what was. Sounded like one, not multiple? It was. I mean, from what I heard, it was just one hammer. So at least there's one person or. [01:14:30] Speaker H: Okay. I mean, that's good news, right? [01:14:36] Speaker F: Yes, if we can figure out just how to get to where they are. Because just because that's below us doesn't mean that we're still anywhere near an entrance. [01:14:48] Speaker H: True. We should go searching again tomorrow. [01:14:54] Speaker F: I agree. Because I don't think trying to dig down through stone, and I don't think any of us have the capability to do it, is the smart way to do this. There has to be. We have to be close. [01:15:10] Speaker H: Right. And we have that clue on your staff. [01:15:15] Speaker F: Yes, Master Coli's staff did have the. We haven't quite found anything that quite matches that just yet. [01:15:27] Speaker H: Well, hopefully we'll have more luck with Nyx's trinket. [01:15:31] Speaker F: Exactly. They did. He did give her the trinket and said it would lead us to Cast and Doula. [01:15:38] Speaker H: Yeah. [01:15:40] Speaker F: Let's just hope whoever or whom, you know, whoever is there will be friendly. [01:15:56] Speaker A: And it'll be time for you all to rise. You may avail yourself of a long rest. [01:16:02] Speaker H: Woo. [01:16:03] Speaker F: And while they had been talking, like, after listening and everything, and while they still conversed back and forth about what they heard, Oz would have started like getting coffee or tea made and whatnot for those waking up. [01:16:27] Speaker B: Oh, this morning. Yes. [01:16:31] Speaker F: Seems like it. I mean, the light. Go ahead. [01:16:35] Speaker A: Sorry. Go ahead. [01:16:37] Speaker F: It would seem so. Though the light never really changes. So I guess it's just, you know, time to wake up. [01:16:49] Speaker A: When you wake very, you're going to find a piece of folded parchment in your hand. [01:16:56] Speaker G: Okay. [01:16:57] Speaker D: She would open. [01:16:59] Speaker A: Just says thank you. [01:17:06] Speaker D: Did. Did one of you put this here? [01:17:11] Speaker B: Put what? Where? [01:17:13] Speaker A: Who? [01:17:15] Speaker D: She's gonna hold up the little piece of parchment. [01:17:20] Speaker F: No. [01:17:22] Speaker E: Next little stretch and be like, not me, me. Meow. [01:17:27] Speaker C: Make us Ropus maybe. I don't know. [01:17:36] Speaker D: She'll just be like, you're welcome. [01:17:41] Speaker H: We have some things to fill you guys in on? [01:17:45] Speaker F: Oh, yes. The. The sound I had to put my ear to the ground to hear. [01:17:52] Speaker C: I don't. I don't hear it. [01:17:54] Speaker F: I'm pretty sure though, that it was the sound of somebody hitting an anvil. That metallic ring is in the rhythm. [01:18:02] Speaker G: Metallic part. [01:18:02] Speaker F: Okay, yes. And. And the rhythm, like when somebody is making a blade or whatever. [01:18:10] Speaker E: Luminae. You heard this too, Miel? [01:18:13] Speaker H: No, I didn't hear it, but I trust her. [01:18:17] Speaker E: And none of you guys took one of Opus mixes? Miel. [01:18:21] Speaker D: Well, I did, but that was way earlier. [01:18:24] Speaker C: Oh, yes. How did you sleep? [01:18:29] Speaker D: I don't sleep. I. Trance. Oh, that was peaceful. [01:18:34] Speaker C: Is this from the potion? [01:18:37] Speaker D: No, I'm. She's gonna point to her ears. [01:18:41] Speaker C: Oh, yes, of course. Any. Any hairs? Legs web. [01:18:55] Speaker E: Oh, we found two hairs. Meow. [01:19:00] Speaker D: Virus gonna like, she never untied her dress. So she's gonna look at like her leg that's sticking out. You asking if there's hair on my leg? I mean, doesn't. I mean, I guess you don't have hair. And you're like, do you have hair on your leg? And she's gonna reach over, like, not actually touch Opus. Leg, but reach over. Like. Wait, does he have hair? I'm not sure. I kind of think. [01:19:25] Speaker C: No, no, no, no, no scales. And. And. And at this point, Opus is kind of backing away, you know, pulling like taught his pants. Like, make sure he's covered. No, thank you for the. [01:19:41] Speaker F: For. [01:19:41] Speaker C: For testing. Don't, don't, don't. [01:19:45] Speaker F: Yeah, Azariah is gonna. She's gonna chuckle a little bit. And I. If I might, I. I believe he was trying to ask if the potion caused you to grow any extra. Am I right? Any extra hair, legs? [01:20:04] Speaker C: Yes, yes. [01:20:06] Speaker F: I think that's what our little friend was asking. [01:20:11] Speaker D: She's gonna grab her silver mane and look at it. No, I think it's the same length. [01:20:15] Speaker F: So it looks fine to me. I think it was fine. [01:20:21] Speaker D: Then she's gonna notice the little statue. Oh, is this from you, Nyx? [01:20:27] Speaker E: Oh, yes, meow. [01:20:28] Speaker D: Thank you. [01:20:32] Speaker G: Nyx is gonna pull out a very. [01:20:33] Speaker E: Weird looking cookie and be like, opus, Meow. Try this, meow. [01:20:41] Speaker G: And she's gonna be quite forceful and just be like, try this, meow. [01:20:44] Speaker E: Please, meow. [01:20:47] Speaker C: What is it? [01:20:50] Speaker E: It's a cookie. Meow. [01:20:57] Speaker C: Hold on, hold on, Minkus. Here you go. And I'm gonna give it to Minkus, put it in his mouth. [01:21:16] Speaker G: When you go to try to do that, I'm gonna be like, no, no. [01:21:21] Speaker E: That one's for you. Meow I already have one for Minkus, Meow. [01:21:28] Speaker C: He can have both. [01:21:32] Speaker E: That's no fair, Meow. [01:21:35] Speaker D: I drank your potion in good faith. You won't eat a deity for her. [01:21:42] Speaker C: Then. [01:21:44] Speaker F: You know she is right. [01:21:45] Speaker C: Fine. Fine, Fine, fine. And. And. And a trade. And he's going to hold out a. A couple of the eagle feathers. Put this into a cookie. I will eat your cookie. Then. [01:22:11] Speaker G: She'S gonna grab one and kind of stick it in the top of the cookie and hand it back to you. [01:22:17] Speaker E: Here you go, Meow. [01:22:23] Speaker C: He's just gonna kind of like throw his hands up and just. But still, you know, take a bite of the original cookie you gave him. [01:22:33] Speaker G: So the cookie is gonna have some very odd textures. Yeah. We'll leave it at that for now. [01:22:43] Speaker E: So do you have any hair growth? Meow. [01:22:49] Speaker C: No. [01:22:50] Speaker G: Are you sure? [01:22:51] Speaker E: Mielle. [01:22:54] Speaker G: And then she's just gonna walk away with a smile on her face. [01:23:00] Speaker C: I think. And Opus is going to kind of like sequester himself to the side, but then, you know, check himself over. [01:23:06] Speaker G: So over the table it has like gummy worms and like crushed up cookies. It's probably like a dirt cookie esque thing, but you don't know that as the character just feels like some weird textures in it. [01:23:23] Speaker C: Weird. Okay. [01:23:28] Speaker G: I. I think it's safe to say. Go ahead. [01:23:31] Speaker A: Go ahead, Nick. Go ahead. [01:23:33] Speaker G: It was safe to say Nyx doesn't like you testing on her friends. [01:23:43] Speaker A: All this talk about cookies. We're going to take a break so I can get some cookies. We're going to take 10 minutes to get our beverages of choice, which would be milk. Our snickety snacks will be Oreos. And we'll be back in 10 minutes. We're back. Had some tech issues we had to address, so sorry it took a little bit, but we are back. Yay. The party succeeded in releasing the spirit of a Tala Far Ranger. That one was personal to me. You'll just have to wonder why. And now it is morning and they are making breakfast and such before they strike out to find Cast and Doula. [01:25:03] Speaker F: Yeah. So Oz would have had coffee and tea both. Good going already. And. And muddled about making whatever we could out of what supplies we. Whatever food we had from we Obelisk. [01:25:16] Speaker B: Yeah, I was gonna say we have leftovers from the Obelisk. That should still be good at this point. Probably. [01:25:31] Speaker H: We should definitely get moving today. [01:25:38] Speaker F: Yes. I mean, now at least we have something that can hopefully lead us to Cast and Doula quicker and we don't have to spend as much Time. Just roaming the mountainside. [01:25:54] Speaker B: This is. [01:25:57] Speaker E: Yeah. If you guys actually heard stuff. Miel. Then that's even more hopeful. Miel. [01:26:03] Speaker H: I think so too. [01:26:05] Speaker F: It is. But it's like I pointed out to Luminae. Just because we heard it below us doesn't necessarily mean we're close to the door. But it's still promising. Because it means it's here and obvious there's something left of of it. And we don't have to worry about. You know. That something caved in. Or. [01:26:29] Speaker B: Let us just hope whoever is banging on steel is friendly. [01:26:33] Speaker F: Exactly. That was my concern. [01:26:37] Speaker E: I mean if they're not. Meow. Maybe cookies will help me out. They helped with other things. Meow. [01:26:42] Speaker F: They might. [01:26:44] Speaker C: Opus is gonna glare at you. [01:26:48] Speaker E: You enjoyed the cookie too. Meow. [01:26:53] Speaker C: Let's go. This place. This place doesn't have any grog weed or glowmoss nectar. I wanna leave. And Mincus. Come on. And I'm gonna be near the door. Kind of stepping out of the door into the. [01:27:13] Speaker F: We need to clean this up before we go. That's. [01:27:17] Speaker D: That's what I was going to say. Leave it. Better than you found it. [01:27:23] Speaker C: Good point. Good point. Minkus Go in there. And Minkus is gonna hop along trying to help where he can. [01:27:33] Speaker H: Don't forget to fill your flasks. [01:27:37] Speaker B: Take a little bit and regather wood for the wood pile. [01:27:46] Speaker D: While we're out gathering wood. Can Vayra look around to see if she sees like maybe any mushrooms or like some eggs. [01:27:56] Speaker A: Make a investigation. Check. I'm assuming you want edible mushrooms. [01:28:03] Speaker D: Yes. I mean every mushroom is edible once. But. But preferably ones that won't kill us or make us. [01:28:10] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:28:11] Speaker C: Or attack us. You know. [01:28:13] Speaker F: It just means she's not like Ira who just wanted all of them. Regardless. [01:28:17] Speaker D: 21. [01:28:19] Speaker A: You do find some good shihaki style mushrooms. And some bird eggs that are fairly large. As. Large. I'm saying they're large. [01:28:32] Speaker D: Okay. If there's enough that she can like take one or two but leave some behind. Like she doesn't want to eradicate a nest. [01:28:41] Speaker A: Right. [01:28:42] Speaker D: Then she'll. She'll do that and. And wrap them up to take along for another meal. [01:28:47] Speaker A: There's. There's 12 in the nest. So. [01:28:50] Speaker D: Okay. She'll. She'll take like three. [01:28:54] Speaker A: Okay. Are you all ready to sit out? [01:29:05] Speaker B: I think so. [01:29:06] Speaker D: Yeah. I have a question. [01:29:12] Speaker C: Yes. Yes. What? [01:29:14] Speaker D: I. I'm not sure the how the properties work for Mankus. [01:29:21] Speaker A: But. [01:29:21] Speaker D: Does the stuff rattle around in there or is it pretty cushioned? [01:29:28] Speaker C: It's cushioned. Minkus, come here. And Minkus is going to come along. And I'm going to open it. And inside, you'll see that there are a lot of compartments, Both big and small. So it is not like a big, old open container. That holds everything that sloshes around. [01:29:49] Speaker D: So she's going to hold out the eggs, you and say, do you think that you could carry these? I'm afraid they might break. I don't want them to break in, Minkus. But I thought it might be safer Than just on me while we were traveling. [01:30:06] Speaker C: Let me see. Do I. Am I able to tell what kind of bird eggs these are. For them to be that big? [01:30:15] Speaker A: You can try. [01:30:20] Speaker C: Okay. I was like. Because I think it would. It would stand out to Opus, Considering, with the size of his hands, they would probably be equivalent of, like, ostrich eggs to us. So it'd be, like, huge. Okay. So you said nature. [01:30:36] Speaker A: Yep. [01:30:36] Speaker C: Okay. Back to the. Back to the bad rolls. That is. Yeah. That is just a 12. [01:30:52] Speaker A: Tasty. Opus thinks they're tasty eggs. [01:30:59] Speaker G: Do I hear this conversation? [01:31:03] Speaker A: Sure. [01:31:04] Speaker E: I don't think I would trust them in there, meow. Opus might use them for things, meow. [01:31:10] Speaker D: Well, no, they're for a meal. Like, you understand. They're for eating. Right? [01:31:17] Speaker C: Yes. They look scrumptious. And I would place them into mincus. And I would kind of, you know, put them aside, a couple things. I have some pouches and stuff like that. With herbs and such. So there isn't just hard surfaces against it. [01:31:36] Speaker D: Yeah. She's not giving up the mushrooms. Because she's afraid he'll use those in a potion. But the eggs. She wants a potion. [01:31:45] Speaker C: Also. Do you have any more of the new group? [01:31:54] Speaker D: Would there have been any left, or did I boil it all? [01:31:56] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:31:57] Speaker D: No, no, no, no, no. If we find some more, I'll let you know. [01:32:02] Speaker C: I would like to try more of teas that you brew. Very, very good. [01:32:13] Speaker A: Okay. [01:32:14] Speaker D: So after we clean up and restock, move on. [01:32:18] Speaker B: All right, little kitty. How do you know how to make necklace work? [01:32:25] Speaker E: Necklace work? Gnome. [01:32:30] Speaker B: Spirit said they will guide you to. To cast and doula. [01:32:35] Speaker E: So I will try my best. [01:32:38] Speaker G: And then she'll, like, clap her hands together and just start praying. [01:32:44] Speaker A: Okay. You'll find that as you all are exiting the cave, there's really not much you have to do next. As you feel the tug of the string against you as it rises in the air, Pointing. [01:33:00] Speaker G: Her ears will go, like, straight up and be like, oh, it worked. [01:33:03] Speaker E: Meow. Follow it, meow. [01:33:08] Speaker H: Lead the way. Little one. [01:33:10] Speaker F: Yep. [01:33:12] Speaker G: So I will be following the necklace. And I guess I'm gonna go first because I'm leading. [01:33:20] Speaker A: With the necklace to guide you, what would have taken 12 hours takes four. You find the entrance to Cast and Doula. The gates are open, but just one door hangs crooked on rusty hinge, the other jammed in place by a tangle of fallen stone. Inside, the air is cool but stale, carrying the faintest scent of ash and damp metal. As you travel further inside, your footsteps echo in a way that makes you feel small, swallowed by the sheer scale of the carved hall. [01:34:14] Speaker E: I. I think we're here, meow. [01:34:18] Speaker C: I don't like this. [01:34:23] Speaker E: Why meow? [01:34:26] Speaker C: Too, too, too big. I does it. How can I see the top of, you know, the, the cavern that I walk through? [01:34:36] Speaker A: No, you cannot. [01:34:39] Speaker E: Well, yeah, everything's big to us now. [01:34:43] Speaker H: How dark is it? Is it in here? [01:34:46] Speaker A: It's dark. There's no torches or anything burning yet. So if you don't have dark vision, you can't see. [01:34:58] Speaker H: As they break out into what is pretty, pretty pitch black, Luminae is going to reach back and grab her sword from her back and pull it free from the bindings that she had to secure it. And as she does, the blade is going to glow. [01:35:20] Speaker A: And. [01:35:23] Speaker H: Alright, at 15 foot radius there's bright light and another 15ft there's dim light. Nice as. As the. The massive sword glows with gentle moonlight. This might help. [01:35:44] Speaker F: Yes. Tier in relative to what the, the, the cave that we were in and where we're in Cassandula now would o like are we able to know the general direction we came from and like where I'm standing? Kind of like in a general sense where something would have. Where the, the room or wherever that noise was being made would have come from. Like where we're standing, which direction to go to. [01:36:16] Speaker A: Kind of give me a survival ch. Okay. [01:36:30] Speaker F: That'S a 21. [01:36:35] Speaker A: You would need to travel from where you are south. [01:36:43] Speaker F: Looking around, is everything covered in dust? Does it look like really like nobody has been here? [01:36:52] Speaker A: Yeah, pretty much. [01:36:53] Speaker F: There's no like foot recent footsteps or. [01:36:57] Speaker A: Nope. [01:36:58] Speaker F: Okay, well, where we are now, this. This seems undisturbed for some time, but if I think if we go south, it'll take us back to where or at least generally where we were hearing the noise in the cave. Maybe they've gone deeper. [01:37:26] Speaker E: So do you not want to go in, meow? [01:37:32] Speaker B: No, I think we go in and. [01:37:33] Speaker D: We go down in and then south. [01:37:36] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. But perhaps before we traverse any further. [01:37:41] Speaker A: The. [01:37:43] Speaker B: The gate is in need of repair. And perhaps we see about fortifying the entrance before anyone comes along behind us. Yeah. [01:37:58] Speaker H: It'S not a bad idea. [01:38:01] Speaker D: How big are these doors? [01:38:04] Speaker A: They are. They are huge. They are 30 foot wide and 60 foot tall. [01:38:12] Speaker F: I think that might be a bigger project than what we're going to be able to do. [01:38:18] Speaker D: Yeah. [01:38:20] Speaker H: Could I try to at least pull the one like the crooked door closed? [01:38:27] Speaker A: You can try. [01:38:29] Speaker H: All right, I'll give it a shot. [01:38:31] Speaker A: Make an athletics check with advantage. [01:38:36] Speaker H: All right. [01:38:41] Speaker C: One. [01:38:43] Speaker H: All right. Thirteen plus seven for 20. [01:38:48] Speaker A: All right. You grab the door luminae your muscles straining as you begin to move the door. Roll a D100. Ooh. [01:39:00] Speaker H: I don't have one physical for that. [01:39:03] Speaker C: You can roll two D10s and then that way you do the two different, like the tens and the ones of a D100. [01:39:12] Speaker H: Oh, yeah, I get you. I'll just do the. The one on the website game log. There we go. Okay. Did that work? [01:39:29] Speaker B: If you click the little D20 down in the bottom left corner, it'll bring up all the dice. [01:39:40] Speaker H: There we go. Question mark. [01:39:44] Speaker D: There you go. [01:39:45] Speaker H: Yeah. Okay. 59. [01:39:51] Speaker A: You strain, pulling the door closed. As you pull on the bottom of the door, the top hinges weakened over time give way, and the door falls outward with a loud crash. [01:40:08] Speaker H: Oh. [01:40:10] Speaker D: Oh, well. Well, never mind. [01:40:15] Speaker E: I don't think that was supposed to happen, yo. [01:40:18] Speaker B: No, that is opposite of what we wanted. [01:40:21] Speaker C: Let's, let's, let's just get inside. Let's just go. [01:40:27] Speaker A: Well, actually. [01:40:28] Speaker C: Meow. [01:40:29] Speaker E: Could Ropus help me? He could lift the door. Meal. [01:40:35] Speaker H: Opus. [01:40:38] Speaker C: Opus is going to kind of look at Ropus and you'll just kind of see him kind of go, like, shake his little edge, like. I, I, I, I agree. Ropes. Let's go. [01:40:54] Speaker F: It was a good idea. It was a good idea, little one. But I think Ropus doesn't have the strength needed for such a large door. We would almost. We'd almost need a pulley system and probably a couple of horses, if not many more people than we currently have to lift that door back up. [01:41:15] Speaker G: How much can he actually lift? [01:41:18] Speaker C: It's, it's a little bit different. It's more of a, like an advantage kind of thing. Additionally, it can be a lot of poundage that it's pulled, but, like, angle is very important and so on. So plus above the table. I'm telling you that, you know, Ropus is just not gonna do it. [01:41:41] Speaker G: No, I'm just kidding me before, but I already forgot. [01:41:44] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:41:46] Speaker H: Yay, physics. [01:41:53] Speaker E: Well, so we're not blocking the way, meow. [01:41:56] Speaker B: It will appear not at the moment. [01:42:00] Speaker H: Guess I'll go back to being a torch. [01:42:06] Speaker E: I can help with that, meow. [01:42:08] Speaker G: She'll pull out her little candle and, like, light it, and she'll hold it above her head and just be like. [01:42:12] Speaker E: Okay. Meow. [01:42:15] Speaker A: What in the nine hells are you doing? [01:42:21] Speaker F: We were trying to touch your door. [01:42:25] Speaker C: Hello? [01:42:28] Speaker A: You'll see, standing there, illuminated by the. The lights, clad in mismatched armor, carrying a large hammer, a dwarf with graying red hair with deep streaks of gray. The mustache is braided. Or the beard and mustache are braided down into a fine point. The hair is long and free flowing. What in nine hells have you done? [01:43:00] Speaker B: Your hinge was broken. [01:43:05] Speaker H: It collapsed when I pulled it. [01:43:08] Speaker D: Do. Do you have a pulley? Could we leverage it somehow? [01:43:14] Speaker A: Do you think if I had a pulley, we would have left it laying like that? Come on. [01:43:18] Speaker D: Well, maybe you needed more people. I was trying to be pulled. [01:43:23] Speaker B: Light. [01:43:23] Speaker D: I'm sorry. [01:43:25] Speaker A: I'm. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I. I. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kar Deep Delve. I am what's left of the Stern Guard. My family has guarded these gates for millennia. [01:43:47] Speaker D: That's a really long time. [01:43:51] Speaker A: And to see it, this kingdom, fall into such disrepair breaks my heart. And I'm a little grumpy. [01:43:59] Speaker B: This is very understandable. It is our pleasure to meet you. I am. I am Kagan. These are my companions. We are. We are chosen ones. We have come seeking the great fortress and prowess of the dwarven peoples, hoping it still remained here somehow. [01:44:34] Speaker A: Follow me. I'll take you to the left. What's left? Thank you. He'll turn and just start walking. [01:44:43] Speaker D: Okay. [01:44:45] Speaker C: Opus will follow along. [01:44:48] Speaker D: Follow them. [01:44:49] Speaker H: Yeah. [01:44:51] Speaker A: As you travel. I'm sorry. Go ahead, Nyx. [01:44:54] Speaker G: No, you're fine. So, is there needing to be an order or anything like that, or is it just kind of like a swath? [01:45:00] Speaker A: It's kind of like a swath. Okay. [01:45:03] Speaker G: Nyx will try to stay a little bit away from Luminae so we can lighten the whole area for everybody. So, like, opposite sides? [01:45:11] Speaker H: Yeah. [01:45:11] Speaker A: All right. As you march with this dwarf, you see that the vast avenues lie in ruin. Markets stand silent, their stalls covered in dust so thick it becomes part of the stone. Forges are cold anvils untouched. Statues of long dead kings stared down from alcoves, their faces worn by time and or half grief. It's more than an hour passes before you see only a few small lights that flicker in the shadow. This is where the last of Castandula's people remain. The doors. Too stubborn, Too bound by oath, or too scared to leave. They are four others that you see. And they watch as you enter. Not with hostility, but. But with the quiet wariness of those who have seen too many strangers bring bad news. [01:46:18] Speaker B: Greetings. Go ahead. [01:46:22] Speaker C: I was gonna say is. Is there anything, let's say, remarkable about any specific person? Do they seem. Do they seem like militaristic? Like guard or adventuring type? Or does it seem more like mercantile or guild type? [01:46:44] Speaker A: The only one that seems militaristic is the one that led you down here. Kovar. Everyone else looks just plain dwarf. [01:46:59] Speaker H: Are these your family? [01:47:02] Speaker A: I know. I mean, we're close enough to be family, but we're not blood. He will lead you to one of the doors. Whose hair is completely gray. His face is beginning to wrinkle. His hands curl a little bit. He smells of soot. This is Theron Stonebrow. He was. He was our elder blacksmith. Keeper of the Silent Forge. I I lighter once a week. So the city remembers. It can still burn, but the flames of Castandula have long been quiet. The next one is. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. No, go ahead. [01:47:50] Speaker F: Were you recently working the anvil? [01:47:54] Speaker A: No. [01:47:56] Speaker B: But we heard it. [01:48:01] Speaker A: They will look at each other. You heard someone working in the anvil? [01:48:05] Speaker H: Yeah. That's what helped guide us here. [01:48:09] Speaker A: Oh, gods be damned. They're in the lower levels. [01:48:13] Speaker E: Who's they? Meow. [01:48:16] Speaker A: We don't know. [01:48:21] Speaker C: What do you mean you don't know? [01:48:24] Speaker A: We don't know. We stay here where it's defensible. There's only five of us. [01:48:30] Speaker C: Who. Who's they? [01:48:34] Speaker D: How do. [01:48:35] Speaker A: I do not know who they are. [01:48:36] Speaker D: Levels. [01:48:40] Speaker A: Kovar will look to you and go. Well, there is a way. It's quite a ways. You have to travel through to the Silent Forge, the Hall of Echoes, the Anvil hall and then the Vault of Ashes. That's where I would bet they are. About four hours south. [01:49:09] Speaker F: Yes, because that's about where we were when we heard it. [01:49:16] Speaker B: We were in the the Rangers Waypoint. You know it? [01:49:27] Speaker A: I, I, I do not. [01:49:30] Speaker B: Cave where that he's for travelers through the mountains. A place to rest. It is as fire pit and bathtub. [01:49:42] Speaker A: Not something I've seen. [01:49:46] Speaker B: I imagine you do not get out much. [01:49:52] Speaker D: Tear. [01:49:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:49:54] Speaker D: So his hands are curled and I'm guessing it's old age, but Vera would like put out her hand to try to touch his. And if he'll hold her hand, she wants to try to cure wounds. Just to try to ease some of the ache from him. [01:50:10] Speaker A: He's. He's very reluctant when you reach for him and. And looks at you and then looks at his hands and then goes ahead and gives them to you. Your cure wounds take some of the ache. And he flexes. I have not felt these hands in some time. [01:50:30] Speaker D: I. I wish I could do more for you. [01:50:37] Speaker E: We could maybe protect you. Meow. If you come with us. Meal. [01:50:41] Speaker D: No, I think they're safer here. [01:50:45] Speaker E: Why? Meow? What if someone comes while we're gone? Meal. [01:50:54] Speaker B: This is gone. This is point. We do not wish to bring ill upon any of you. We have been guided here, though. But there is something that follows us. It hunts us for who we are. Though we do not know what this means. If the rider should come here, it best you hide and let him pass. Huh? [01:51:26] Speaker A: That is part of our defense, is hiding. This place is so vast that if people would have to be actually looking for us to find us. [01:51:37] Speaker D: And if. [01:51:38] Speaker A: And as far as what they're after, he will look to one of them that's wearing a apron. It's. It's stained from years of use. Dunrick. Hi. I'm Dunrick Alhart. I was the chief brewer of Castandula. I'm also the keeper of the tales. He will walk over and move a stone and pull a small keg out and some tarnished goblets and begin filling them. If you're going to hear the tale, you gotta have a drink. [01:52:22] Speaker E: Do you have anything? Not that. Meal. [01:52:28] Speaker A: No. This is the. This is the king's ale. It is made for storytelling and toasting. [01:52:38] Speaker D: It's. It's part of the ritual. Next, you don't have to drink a lot. [01:52:43] Speaker G: It's just gonna grab one of them and sniff it a little. [01:52:46] Speaker E: Be like, okay, meow. [01:52:48] Speaker G: And then just like, reluctantly, take a tiny sip and go. [01:52:53] Speaker E: Thank you, meow. [01:52:57] Speaker H: Yes. [01:52:58] Speaker A: Deeper. For the day that Kastandula wakes again. He will sit down on the. The. The. The small keg. Drain his goblet quickly. Whoever it is, we believe that they're after the staff of the first fire. You see, long before the cataclysm, when the world was still unshaped and shadow ward against light, we the doors of Castandula, descended deep into the molten heart of the earth. There, within the vault of ashes, they discovered a primordial flame said to have been the first spark kindled by the gods themselves. By golly. The fire from which stars and souls alike were born. It called to the dwarves it let us know these mountains were sacred. And we should dig deeper. But we figure we feared that such a flame could one day be lost or stolen. So a vessel was forged worthy to contain it. They tempered steel and magma rivers, carved ruins in the tongue of creation and bound eternal flame into a crystal orb. Thus brought the scepter of the first flame. A relic not merely of power, but but of continuance. It was later made into a staff that holy people carried. But holy people can't be trusted. And so the king began to wield. Was held by our kings as sacred symbol of their duty to guard the flame that kindled life itself. When the kingdom fell to ruin and its halls emptied, we sealed it away within the vault of ashes. Hidden from the world, awaiting a new hand to bear it. That's where they're headed. It's only one of two things. It's drow or Dwergar. [01:55:21] Speaker C: So you know who they are? Kind of. [01:55:24] Speaker A: No, I don't know who they are. I know that it's one of two. [01:55:28] Speaker B: I am not afraid of the under dwellers. [01:55:33] Speaker A: No. [01:55:33] Speaker D: And they'll be safer with us gone. We might as well protect them. We're intruding on their home. Not the underdellers, the dwarves. [01:55:43] Speaker G: As you would have said that story. Nyx would have like nudged Kagan and tried to hand him the drink. [01:55:49] Speaker B: Oh yeah. Kagan downs his and takes yours. [01:55:52] Speaker C: Okay. [01:55:56] Speaker B: Dunrick, Kovar, Theron. I am Kegan. Thort. These are my friends. Well, we heard the calling. A voice or sometimes other message was delivered unto us, telling us to look behind the walls. We looked and we found a hidden place. And we touched a crystal heart. And it awoken something in us. But it also called to the thing that chases. We have been tested twice now by entities of old. And we have passed. And now we are called here. I. I do not know what it is that that guides our path, but I know this. We are all chosen. And we must figure out who we are. Because that is what the why the writer chases. We all woke up after cataclysm with no memory. But something about who we were is important. And if your important artifact is here and. And these under dwellers, they. They seek to steal. And our path was guided here. Then this is what we are meant to do. We will go and fetch this staff and keep it from their hands. And I down the rest of Nix's drink. And I throw the cup down on the floor very exuberantly. [01:57:51] Speaker C: Opus would actually kind of try to drink as much as he can of it. In a similar fashion, hand it to. To Ropez and say yes. I, I, I. I want to see this. This spark. I want to. I want to hold it. We will help. [01:58:18] Speaker A: Okay. Make a persuasion check. Kegan. [01:58:23] Speaker C: Can I help? [01:58:25] Speaker A: With advantage. Yeah, with advantage. [01:58:31] Speaker B: That is a 14 plus. Ooh, I got a 4 in persuasion, so that's an 18. [01:58:39] Speaker A: All right. That's your persuasion against their doubt of strangers. The female dwarf in the back, who has a bow strung over and a quiver on her hip, will step forward, pushing Dunre out of the way. Not had much company since the cataclysm, but everyone that showed up was looking to take. You are the first looking to preserve, and I believe that you truly are looking to preserve. We will let you go to the vault of Ashes and face those that would steal from us. We will let you look upon our most holy relic and touch it. But I swear by Clangedon's beard, should you try to abscond with it, there is nowhere in the world you can hide from me. Understood. And she's looking right at you. Opus. [01:59:52] Speaker C: I would like as she's saying this Opus would very much be kind of trying to. So, like, as you're standing, you know, you can kind of lean slightly and shift a foot back. He's. He's slightly not. Not running, but leaning back from her gaze, and he says, what is preserve? [02:00:22] Speaker A: The opposite of destroy. [02:00:25] Speaker C: Then, yes. [02:00:28] Speaker H: Of course we're trying to help them and keep bad hands from obtaining their artifact. [02:00:37] Speaker F: More importantly, more importantly, Madam Dwarf, we will make sure our friend, nobody absconds with it. [02:00:48] Speaker B: No. This beat no glory in taking a thing that is not ours to take. We seek answers as to who we are and why the writer chases. It is possible this first of flames will impart upon us some sort of answer, as has the. The storm given us some answer and some boon. As did the scales that we encountered first. This seems to be another step on our path. [02:01:31] Speaker A: But. [02:01:34] Speaker B: There is no glory and honor or in taking your rally. There is in keeping it from the hands of. And I say a curse. Borderline slur for drow and duergar for under dwellers. In deep speech. [02:01:54] Speaker A: The huntress that is standing before you will arch an eyebrow and extend a hand. I am Bara Iron Vane. I will guide you to the Vault of ashes. [02:02:10] Speaker B: I clasp her hand with. With all of the exuberance and force of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers meeting in predator. [02:02:21] Speaker A: You son of a. And there you stand among the remnants of cast and Doula, having given your word to protect a sacred relic of theirs. You have garnered their trust for the moment and this is where we'll pause for the evening. This is a good point to pause. I did not reach my quota. I am sad. But anyway, thank you all for playing at my table. I hope you had fun. Thank you to the audience for listening. We hope you enjoyed. Now we're going to take the time to tell everyone where who we are, where they can find us and take our exit. [02:03:11] Speaker D: I'm Christina. I was the voice of Veyra and you can find me on blueskyeadly. Kisses. [02:03:17] Speaker F: Hi, yes, this is Ames. I was the voice of Azariah and you can find me on Blue Sky, Twitter and Moonbeam as Lali G Fifo. [02:03:25] Speaker C: Hi, I'm Chris. I was voicing Opus and playing Minkus and Ropus. You can find [email protected] as well as Catbat Media on Twitter or sorry, Blue Sky, Instagram and Facebook. And that is Katbad with a Kasey. [02:03:43] Speaker E: I played Nyx and you can find me on any of the catbad social medias or Facebook. [02:03:50] Speaker H: Hi, I'm Blue. I was playing Luminae and you can find me on the darlingblue on Instagram. [02:03:57] Speaker B: Hi gamers. I'm still Lock Clark and you should remember that unless you're a goldfish. And tonight I was Kagan Thord and you can find me all over the social mediaskunruly. That's Locke with an H and I've. [02:04:10] Speaker A: Been your dungeon master tier of the DM, the world's okay SDM and 9 out of 10 proctologists agree. I am a pain in the ass. I just want to leave you with this parting words. Be kind to each other, please. In this world, as everything has gone topsy turvy, kindness and love is what is needed for love and inclusion. These are the torches that light a path to a better tomorrow. Come join us and be torchbearers. And until next time, live a life to make yourself proud. We love you, Sam.