March 3, 2023 • 32 mins
Aether, Sirius, and Logo go to battle and get more than they bargained for when the Kingdom’s archenemy Nero makes his return.
Intra Quest – Created by Michael Freiberg
A production of iHeartRadio and Astrum Media
Executive Produced by Michael Freiberg and iHeartRadio
Co-produced by Adam Raymonda and Chelsea English
Sound Design and Mix by Dennis Dembeck
Music by Trey Toy
Episode written by Michael Freiberg and Tom Delgado
Performances by:
Matthew Broussard | Aether
Mike Lebovitz | Sirius
Myq Kaplan | Logo
Lucie Pohl | Umbra
Featuring:
Dan St. Germain | Oren
Director and Head Writer: Michael Freiberg
Writers: Tom Delgado and Will Julian
Story Editor: Chelsea English
Dialogue Editor: Adam Raymonda
Additional Music: Matthew Blocha
Foley: Post Red
Key Art: Rich Davies
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
InterQuest created by Michael Freiberg, a production of iHeartRadio and
Astro Media. Listen with headphones for three D audio or
in you have to tell me what does the shadowland?
King's secret weakness Either the truth is the truth is.
(00:30):
Nero is no real king. He wields no actual power
except in the minds of his enemies. He has no virtue,
no followers who support him. He doesn't wish to lead
or rule. He only wants to conquer so others may
fear him. His kingdom is nothing but artifice. It simply
does not exist. Nero is an impostor, a poward, an
(00:53):
abstract manifestation come to life. If he could, he would
betray himself at once. Nero is the antithesis of a king.
He is a puppet of his own device. So how
do we use this to defeat him? All of this
he already knows to be true, but he's buried deep down.
(01:14):
Capturing and confronting him with the truth is the key
to his defeat. For as core as Nero's belief is
that he is a great king, a conceit essential to
his very being, his ego cannot fathom defeat. His body
(01:37):
would break down his mind rejected the mirror. Either the
mirror is the answer to deciphering the puzzle. By holding
a mirror up to his true nature, you'll expose him
for who he truly is. In the mirror, all will
be reviewed the mirror. Either sand and barrel and the
(02:00):
tea kettle, victory sword, no blade, black pages in the
books armor not army armor armor crash and look the
opals black dunbells. H. I should be going now to
(02:34):
the central bell tower. I must keep look out for dero. H.
I'll leave it once YouTube calm down. But either everything
fade nothing here is real. Whatever you're trying to say, stop,
it doesn't matter. King Oran already told me everything I
(02:55):
need to know to open the black stone door to
the Oasis ground. We'll get the water we came for
and leave before a Nero even shows up. Thanks to me,
we won't be fighting Waterland's war. Come on to the
oasis door. No, what did Oran tell you is the
(03:17):
key to the door's hieroglyphics cipher. I didn't ask, huh.
But back in the throne room, Orn gave me his
Royal Waterland badge to wear in battle. You know his
prized emblem bearing his name with the symbol of the
water buffalo and the word flow. So you think the
symbol of the water buffalo is the cipher's key. Not quite?
See the mirror on the door, What about it? Oran
(03:38):
told me that the mirror is the key to deciphering
the puzzle, and the mirror all will be revealed. Look
the writing on the badge reversed in the mirror, flow
become wolf exactly. The key to opening the Oysters store
(04:00):
isn't the water buffalo. It's the symbol of the wolf. Brilliant.
Either don't thank me, thank the guardian, or blow the
waterland oasis, the one, the oasis waiting for us. Um
(04:28):
just a little farther, I can see it. He don't
stop now. We're almost there, by the mountain border at
the end. A few more steps until he reach water.
The water it's sand the oasis mirage. Oh what's that
(04:59):
ringing noise? Her time? We have to leave now, Hu,
don't just stand there, keep up, Oh, Neil put the
(05:30):
arrival of the King of the shadow man sage of
the ball. I turn up the night, but one true
king kay Sirrah outa flight, start aways the store still
(05:52):
up and get behind that dick car boring through fireball firecrackers.
He also will get to be carrying a round point
shovel over his shoulder. Welcome, Wow, comes on the Schapo
land all of your grain, King hero by royal subjects.
How nice have you to join me? You're just in
(06:13):
time for the coronation ceremony. Orn's gone completely mad. Maybe
we played pretend he let go good idea serious nero,
are one true king. Congratulations of the highest order on
your crowning. Poor timing, however, as you were just about
the league logo your king fyebrows. They burned him off.
(06:37):
It's a celebration. Deel the boy king long making rain
and life longer? Maybe rain? What do we do? Huh serious?
Charge him? No, it's too dangerous to defeat him. We
have to confront him with the truth. Ah Ord, that's enough,
(06:58):
stop this silly charade. We're leaving now. You must be mistaken.
I'm hero k up the shadowland or in I killed
him now, boy trying the celebration. The pigs, little pigs.
(07:29):
Fine the flat stone door wide open and let the
big bad come in. What's he doing out in the
grounds and digging? Some kind of hole. Given his pension
(07:52):
for fine grade pyrotechnics, and using the basis of inductive reasoning,
logic dictates that he's digging our graves when he kills
us then buries our bodies out in the fake away.
It's a san right to the drawbridge. Sin right now
the torch lights in the ground. Holler out, which way
do we go? Serious? Track one? Printed dark? All right? Follow?
(08:15):
I had draw bridge? All right? Wait, don't take another step.
There's a trip wire on the drawbridge. It's rig full
of explosives. Who now run the fire ship and off
(08:40):
and it all that? Look the bridge? Are we out? Nero?
What do you want from us? Never? Is it water
you're after? We can take you where or in hit
his barrels of oasis water. Just put down the fireworks
(09:03):
and you can well, devils. I know there's no oasis water,
and never was. I came from the royal chalice, buried
under date the sand of the Imperial House, and now
it's all mine. That water cup from Castle Banner. You
(09:24):
got what you came for. Let us go to leave
this kingdom. There's only one way out. You must pledge
royalty to your king and seal your fate through the
divine drinking ceremony. Divine drinking ceremony from the royal chalice,
we shall consume me the vial of sacred redwater containing
(09:46):
the blood of m Then I shall reign eternal in
the intra, with you serving as my subject for ever
in this realm and the next sacred red water. Ether
that sounds like roaming unnaturally occurring toxin found in seawater.
It's poisoned. I figured as much, Nero. There's no realm
(10:09):
in this world where we serve under you as king
of the water. I'm royal. Get it off me, Get
off extra now quick. Let's head to the throne room.
And it is it orangs escape tunnel, which leads to
the outside right rod rod behind the throne. The entrance
(10:56):
to the escape tunnel was hidden in the wall ron
heavy her the door. The door to the tunnel's locked.
Move serious smash. No, this door, like the one in
the grounds, is made of impenetrable black stone. The only
(11:17):
way to open it is by solving another hieroglyphic cipher.
Try the symbol of the wolf. That's not it. It's
somebody crying. Wolf sounds like my audience to bang it out. Bravo.
(11:38):
Lucky for you three, there's still more to go. I'd
saved the best for laugh a spock tractical to handle
the show. If you out serve me in this life, yeah,
serve me the next one. Oh, it's dynamite the bladder,
(12:03):
the room. I didn't make you a ten seconds to
build that naked into the water. Well you go, well,
well you good lie at the bottom of a talking
win cat her light narrow you win. We'll pledge loyalty
(12:27):
to you and perform the drinking ceremony. Just lower the
rope and let us out of here. Ah, so you
wish to save as my royal subjects? After all, I've
lowered the rope. Now prove it kiss the kings? So
(12:52):
what prove your loyalty? Before I let you out? I
want you to climb. I'm up here, one by one
and kids the King's dude. Oh okay, okay, we'll do it.
(13:14):
I can't bear it down here. I'll go first. M
pick one's nuts. Come here and kiss the King's doe. H.
(14:05):
That's sure to leave him. Bump on the old noggin
buffoll of you. What do you doing here? Daddy? Would
keep you safe my leash. Thank goodness you're awake. You
(14:33):
had quite a stumble, Yes, yes I did. Wait a minute,
the BG one. He knocked me out after you kissed
my toe. No, no, no, no, you're mistaken. After we
pledged our allegiance to you, your highness, you became so
overwhelmed with rapture it seemed as if you were about
to ascend to Umbrah's realm of the Intra without even
(14:55):
conducting the drinking ceremony. That's when you passed out. Ah
ah hmm, yes, yes, now that I think about it,
of course that's what happened. He How could the light
of you and then opposed a threat to the great king? Nero? Now, subjects,
(15:19):
we must resume where we last left off the drinking ceremony.
The chalice demands we drink from it harmdus milk, the
blood of Umbra. We shall transcend this motor realm, and
I will rule eternal patil. Where are the three of you?
(15:44):
Where's the one with the ambulance? Ether he's out securing
in the castle perimeter. He'll be right back. That breaking noise?
What is that? Nero, my lord? We're under siege? What
we're being attacked by who? Or but that's impossible, or instead,
(16:08):
I assure you he's very much alive, my lord. He'll
soon have crossed the exterior mote and breach the castle walls.
We don't have much time, Oran. There's nothing I'd like
more than to slay you again. Battle, stay sentence, prepare
for war. My subjects serious thought to the barracks, report
(16:29):
to the war room at once my lead, and you.
Either you'll stay with me here in the throne room
and help me get inside the mind of a fallen key,
orin is no match for King Nero. What could Ran
(16:50):
be after? There's nothing left for him here. All his
people abandoned him long ago, Nero, my and true King.
I served under Orange in the Waterland Kingdoms. I know
how he thinks. What he's after. He's come back for
the oasis the ohsus. Then we must protect the imperial
(17:14):
grounds at all costs. An explosion in the barracks probably nothing,
but I'll go check out and stay here in the
throne room. Or an attack flame and time AfOR trate
(17:37):
it out. Put it out? Is the sen from the
bar room. Er Just stand in by Evan car her
(17:59):
everything white Wiking. Yes, yes, of course, any news to report.
Have we kept Oran outside the kingdom's walls. I'm afraid
not Orn and his soldiers have entered the castle. Yea,
how could this be? Shell? They head down to the
imperial grounds and secure the oasis door at once, either
(18:19):
at once. We must do everything in our power to
insure Oran never gets his hands on the Oasis water
the war room, White Lord, ye war go down to
the imperial grounds, secure the Blackstone door and make certain
(18:42):
the mirror is in place to keep Oran out. I'll
check out the war room. What happy here? Cannon fire, sir?
They have the castle surrounded with heavy artillery. We've sustained
critical damage on the western front from the blast. A
(19:02):
cannon ball not too close. It might still be active.
It smells like a big ball of beetle poof. That's
what cannon fire smells like. Good start, get that out
of my face. That's not fit. The gris a king.
That's not all. They sent a message, Nero, I am
(19:24):
the physical reflection of your greatest nightmare. I've taken the Oasis.
I'm coming for the throne, signed Orn, King of the
water Land. I must return to the throne room at
once eat where are you? There's no human defending the castle.
(19:53):
They must perform the drinking ceremony before or in and
his soldiers or silver Nights. One of them wears either ambulance.
The three myself killed them. Now come for me, stab me,
I thank you when you take the part, get the
(20:16):
royal tars that he really that's all this about them?
Ta me one, you come back to finish me, suspend
it or a fright the moor on silver in the
(20:38):
arms of your nights, and you've brought your own pouch
of firework this time just like wine. M M. Put
all ends here steps from the royal water well? Shall
we read us on to these bag of tricks? Good?
(21:01):
You agree? I want to face you man to man. Oh,
I can't goes down. We did it, Nero shattered the
(21:33):
grounds dooor mirror we were holding and fell into the
water well. He should be unconscious now right where we
want him. Serious Logo, we have to get down there
and tie him up before he waits. Nero's mind can't
fathom defeat. There's not a moment to waste. H help
(22:05):
help trapped water water or is that you either serious? Logo,
what are you free doing down here in the well?
(22:29):
We came to rescue you. I must have passed out again.
Who did this to me? It was Nero, wasn't it? Yeah? Nero? Oh?
I knew he'd return. Is he still here? He's been
defeated for now? Then the oasis water is safe. There's
(22:54):
no oasis water. Orange, I see you found out the truth?
The truth or the truth is that you're Nero. Impossible,
It's beyond possible, it's certain. How how can that be?
(23:20):
Nero was nothing more than a manifestation of umbre. I
don't believe it, believe this royal jealous But but I
buried that long ago, deep in the oasis sands, somewhere
no one could ever find it. No, then it must
(23:41):
be true, a Nero. We'll help you out of the well.
But then we want the truth. What really happened here? Okay?
(24:02):
Or I think I see it on the throne. Now
tell me the story of the Waterland Kingdom this time,
tell me the truth. Either the story I told you
earlier was true but incomplete. I was the prodigal prince
(24:29):
the Great Kingdom, and when I came of age, I
did leave home on an expedition accompanied by a team
of our best soldiers, blessed with the Royal Chalice. I
was determined to prove myself that as not only a
worthy heir to the throne, but as a formidable adversary
(24:53):
with the kingdom of his own. After weeks of empty searching,
I finally happened upon this oasis, This oasis which was
nothing more than a mirage, This oasis which would be
my downfall. I should have turned back at once, but
(25:20):
I was too weak. I couldn't let down those who
had given up everything to follow me. I couldn't admit
my failures that I was no king. I couldn't bear
to face the truth. So I became the mirage. I
(25:45):
lied to my people, forbid them from entering the oasis,
and spent my vast inheritance maintaining the illusion. The emerging
trade routes served only one purpose, secretly, bring water into
(26:07):
the castle by the Barrelful out of these lies, the
water land Kingdom rose to power, and so began my
reign as king. The Royal Chalice, as you can imagine,
(26:29):
once I begin of hope and promise, was now nothing
more than a painful reminder of the truth, so I
buried it away deep in the oasis sands. I'll being
to forget my past, and in doing so, I buried
(26:49):
a piece of myself down with it. From that day on,
my delusion grew. I began to believe lies were true.
Eventually the resources were exhausted and the water ran dry.
Could no longer keep up the facade. But I was
(27:11):
so lost in my mind that I began to accuse
my own subject of conspiring against me. Hunted by the
memory of the chalice, I waged war on my own
kingdom till one evening on a full moon sky, the
(27:35):
shadow land King first arrived, a phantom from the black
void of night. Nero took everything from me. Vi sanity
from my mind, the spirit from my soul, the life
from my body. One by one, my people left to
(28:02):
wander in the desert or hideout in the caves, hopelessly
awaiting the day I defeated the shadow King within that
he could finally return home. And now I know the truth.
I was Nero and Umbras to blame. Thank you for
(28:29):
showing me this and breaking the illusion. There is only
one thing left to do. Please follow me one last
time to the oasis sands. Okay, we'll go with you, Oran, Oran,
(28:59):
What else you have to find out here? Something I
left buried in the sands long ago. But I've never
forgotten the knowledge that this chalice holds no real power
over me. I am the only king, the one true
king of my soul. Either my badge, place it in
(29:21):
the hold beside my chalice. Okay, serious, logo, Hand me
the fireworks. This should be sufficient time to get rid
of these, for the king is dead. Long live the king.
(30:00):
Go to the cipher on the escape tunnel door leading
to the outside is the symbol of the Chapas. Of course,
it never did me any good. I was always too
afraid to leave this place. Before you leave, it would
mean so much to an old king if you three
would accept my last remaining bottle of waterland water for
(30:21):
your journey. Are you sure you won't come with us?
How will you survive? And if Neuror comes back, what
will happen to you? Where will you go? The king's
kingdom is with his people. Don't worry, My people will
return from me. I'm finally going home. Onwards through the
(30:52):
desert to the Molary to recover the satellite dish or ends.
Water will keep us hydrated during our journey. What's this
in my back? A canteen? It turns out we had
water after all. Well, you never can have too much
of an offential resource A either you'll think nero gone forever.
(31:16):
I don't know, serious, I don't know. All we can
do is hope. Intquest created by Michael Freiberg, a production
(31:46):
of I Hear Radio and Astro Media Executive produced by
Michael Freiberg and I Hear Radio, co produced by Adam
Raimunda and Chelsea English. Sound design and mixed by Dennis Denbeck.
Music by Trey Toy, Performances by Matthew Brissard, Ether, Mike Leibovitz,
Serious Mike Kaplan, Logo Lucy Pole Umbra featuring Dancy and
(32:11):
Germaine Orren. Director and head writer Michael Freiberk, writers Tom
Delgado and Will Julian, Story editor Chelsea English, dialogue editor
Adam Raimonda, additional music Matthew blacka fully post reret fullcast
and crew in the description. Find more podcasts for my
(32:31):
Heart Radio on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to podcasts.
InterQuest created by Michael Freiberg, a production of iHeartRadio and
Astro Media. Listen with headphones for three D audio or
in you have to tell me what does the shadowland?
King's secret weakness Either the truth is the truth is.
(00:30):
Nero is no real king. He wields no actual power
except in the minds of his enemies. He has no virtue,
no followers who support him. He doesn't wish to lead
or rule. He only wants to conquer so others may
fear him. His kingdom is nothing but artifice. It simply
does not exist. Nero is an impostor, a poward, an
(00:53):
abstract manifestation come to life. If he could, he would
betray himself at once. Nero is the antithesis of a king.
He is a puppet of his own device. So how
do we use this to defeat him? All of this
he already knows to be true, but he's buried deep down.
(01:14):
Capturing and confronting him with the truth is the key
to his defeat. For as core as Nero's belief is
that he is a great king, a conceit essential to
his very being, his ego cannot fathom defeat. His body
(01:37):
would break down his mind rejected the mirror. Either the
mirror is the answer to deciphering the puzzle. By holding
a mirror up to his true nature, you'll expose him
for who he truly is. In the mirror, all will
be reviewed the mirror. Either sand and barrel and the
(02:00):
tea kettle, victory sword, no blade, black pages in the
books armor not army armor armor crash and look the
opals black dunbells. H. I should be going now to
(02:34):
the central bell tower. I must keep look out for dero. H.
I'll leave it once YouTube calm down. But either everything
fade nothing here is real. Whatever you're trying to say, stop,
it doesn't matter. King Oran already told me everything I
(02:55):
need to know to open the black stone door to
the Oasis ground. We'll get the water we came for
and leave before a Nero even shows up. Thanks to me,
we won't be fighting Waterland's war. Come on to the
oasis door. No, what did Oran tell you is the
(03:17):
key to the door's hieroglyphics cipher. I didn't ask, huh.
But back in the throne room, Orn gave me his
Royal Waterland badge to wear in battle. You know his
prized emblem bearing his name with the symbol of the
water buffalo and the word flow. So you think the
symbol of the water buffalo is the cipher's key. Not quite?
See the mirror on the door, What about it? Oran
(03:38):
told me that the mirror is the key to deciphering
the puzzle, and the mirror all will be revealed. Look
the writing on the badge reversed in the mirror, flow
become wolf exactly. The key to opening the Oysters store
(04:00):
isn't the water buffalo. It's the symbol of the wolf. Brilliant.
Either don't thank me, thank the guardian, or blow the
waterland oasis, the one, the oasis waiting for us. Um
(04:28):
just a little farther, I can see it. He don't
stop now. We're almost there, by the mountain border at
the end. A few more steps until he reach water.
The water it's sand the oasis mirage. Oh what's that
(04:59):
ringing noise? Her time? We have to leave now, Hu,
don't just stand there, keep up, Oh, Neil put the
(05:30):
arrival of the King of the shadow man sage of
the ball. I turn up the night, but one true
king kay Sirrah outa flight, start aways the store still
(05:52):
up and get behind that dick car boring through fireball firecrackers.
He also will get to be carrying a round point
shovel over his shoulder. Welcome, Wow, comes on the Schapo
land all of your grain, King hero by royal subjects.
How nice have you to join me? You're just in
(06:13):
time for the coronation ceremony. Orn's gone completely mad. Maybe
we played pretend he let go good idea serious nero,
are one true king. Congratulations of the highest order on
your crowning. Poor timing, however, as you were just about
the league logo your king fyebrows. They burned him off.
(06:37):
It's a celebration. Deel the boy king long making rain
and life longer? Maybe rain? What do we do? Huh serious?
Charge him? No, it's too dangerous to defeat him. We
have to confront him with the truth. Ah Ord, that's enough,
(06:58):
stop this silly charade. We're leaving now. You must be mistaken.
I'm hero k up the shadowland or in I killed
him now, boy trying the celebration. The pigs, little pigs.
(07:29):
Fine the flat stone door wide open and let the
big bad come in. What's he doing out in the
grounds and digging? Some kind of hole. Given his pension
(07:52):
for fine grade pyrotechnics, and using the basis of inductive reasoning,
logic dictates that he's digging our graves when he kills
us then buries our bodies out in the fake away.
It's a san right to the drawbridge. Sin right now
the torch lights in the ground. Holler out, which way
do we go? Serious? Track one? Printed dark? All right? Follow?
(08:15):
I had draw bridge? All right? Wait, don't take another step.
There's a trip wire on the drawbridge. It's rig full
of explosives. Who now run the fire ship and off
(08:40):
and it all that? Look the bridge? Are we out? Nero?
What do you want from us? Never? Is it water
you're after? We can take you where or in hit
his barrels of oasis water. Just put down the fireworks
(09:03):
and you can well, devils. I know there's no oasis water,
and never was. I came from the royal chalice, buried
under date the sand of the Imperial House, and now
it's all mine. That water cup from Castle Banner. You
(09:24):
got what you came for. Let us go to leave
this kingdom. There's only one way out. You must pledge
royalty to your king and seal your fate through the
divine drinking ceremony. Divine drinking ceremony from the royal chalice,
we shall consume me the vial of sacred redwater containing
(09:46):
the blood of m Then I shall reign eternal in
the intra, with you serving as my subject for ever
in this realm and the next sacred red water. Ether
that sounds like roaming unnaturally occurring toxin found in seawater.
It's poisoned. I figured as much, Nero. There's no realm
(10:09):
in this world where we serve under you as king
of the water. I'm royal. Get it off me, Get
off extra now quick. Let's head to the throne room.
And it is it orangs escape tunnel, which leads to
the outside right rod rod behind the throne. The entrance
(10:56):
to the escape tunnel was hidden in the wall ron
heavy her the door. The door to the tunnel's locked.
Move serious smash. No, this door, like the one in
the grounds, is made of impenetrable black stone. The only
(11:17):
way to open it is by solving another hieroglyphic cipher.
Try the symbol of the wolf. That's not it. It's
somebody crying. Wolf sounds like my audience to bang it out. Bravo.
(11:38):
Lucky for you three, there's still more to go. I'd
saved the best for laugh a spock tractical to handle
the show. If you out serve me in this life, yeah,
serve me the next one. Oh, it's dynamite the bladder,
(12:03):
the room. I didn't make you a ten seconds to
build that naked into the water. Well you go, well,
well you good lie at the bottom of a talking
win cat her light narrow you win. We'll pledge loyalty
(12:27):
to you and perform the drinking ceremony. Just lower the
rope and let us out of here. Ah, so you
wish to save as my royal subjects? After all, I've
lowered the rope. Now prove it kiss the kings? So
(12:52):
what prove your loyalty? Before I let you out? I
want you to climb. I'm up here, one by one
and kids the King's dude. Oh okay, okay, we'll do it.
(13:14):
I can't bear it down here. I'll go first. M
pick one's nuts. Come here and kiss the King's doe. H.
(14:05):
That's sure to leave him. Bump on the old noggin
buffoll of you. What do you doing here? Daddy? Would
keep you safe my leash. Thank goodness you're awake. You
(14:33):
had quite a stumble, Yes, yes I did. Wait a minute,
the BG one. He knocked me out after you kissed
my toe. No, no, no, no, you're mistaken. After we
pledged our allegiance to you, your highness, you became so
overwhelmed with rapture it seemed as if you were about
to ascend to Umbrah's realm of the Intra without even
(14:55):
conducting the drinking ceremony. That's when you passed out. Ah
ah hmm, yes, yes, now that I think about it,
of course that's what happened. He How could the light
of you and then opposed a threat to the great king? Nero? Now, subjects,
(15:19):
we must resume where we last left off the drinking ceremony.
The chalice demands we drink from it harmdus milk, the
blood of Umbra. We shall transcend this motor realm, and
I will rule eternal patil. Where are the three of you?
(15:44):
Where's the one with the ambulance? Ether he's out securing
in the castle perimeter. He'll be right back. That breaking noise?
What is that? Nero, my lord? We're under siege? What
we're being attacked by who? Or but that's impossible, or instead,
(16:08):
I assure you he's very much alive, my lord. He'll
soon have crossed the exterior mote and breach the castle walls.
We don't have much time, Oran. There's nothing I'd like
more than to slay you again. Battle, stay sentence, prepare
for war. My subjects serious thought to the barracks, report
(16:29):
to the war room at once my lead, and you.
Either you'll stay with me here in the throne room
and help me get inside the mind of a fallen key,
orin is no match for King Nero. What could Ran
(16:50):
be after? There's nothing left for him here. All his
people abandoned him long ago, Nero, my and true King.
I served under Orange in the Waterland Kingdoms. I know
how he thinks. What he's after. He's come back for
the oasis the ohsus. Then we must protect the imperial
(17:14):
grounds at all costs. An explosion in the barracks probably nothing,
but I'll go check out and stay here in the
throne room. Or an attack flame and time AfOR trate
(17:37):
it out. Put it out? Is the sen from the
bar room. Er Just stand in by Evan car her
(17:59):
everything white Wiking. Yes, yes, of course, any news to report.
Have we kept Oran outside the kingdom's walls. I'm afraid
not Orn and his soldiers have entered the castle. Yea,
how could this be? Shell? They head down to the
imperial grounds and secure the oasis door at once, either
(18:19):
at once. We must do everything in our power to
insure Oran never gets his hands on the Oasis water
the war room, White Lord, ye war go down to
the imperial grounds, secure the Blackstone door and make certain
(18:42):
the mirror is in place to keep Oran out. I'll
check out the war room. What happy here? Cannon fire, sir?
They have the castle surrounded with heavy artillery. We've sustained
critical damage on the western front from the blast. A
(19:02):
cannon ball not too close. It might still be active.
It smells like a big ball of beetle poof. That's
what cannon fire smells like. Good start, get that out
of my face. That's not fit. The gris a king.
That's not all. They sent a message, Nero, I am
(19:24):
the physical reflection of your greatest nightmare. I've taken the Oasis.
I'm coming for the throne, signed Orn, King of the
water Land. I must return to the throne room at
once eat where are you? There's no human defending the castle.
(19:53):
They must perform the drinking ceremony before or in and
his soldiers or silver Nights. One of them wears either ambulance.
The three myself killed them. Now come for me, stab me,
I thank you when you take the part, get the
(20:16):
royal tars that he really that's all this about them?
Ta me one, you come back to finish me, suspend
it or a fright the moor on silver in the
(20:38):
arms of your nights, and you've brought your own pouch
of firework this time just like wine. M M. Put
all ends here steps from the royal water well? Shall
we read us on to these bag of tricks? Good?
(21:01):
You agree? I want to face you man to man. Oh,
I can't goes down. We did it, Nero shattered the
(21:33):
grounds dooor mirror we were holding and fell into the
water well. He should be unconscious now right where we
want him. Serious Logo, we have to get down there
and tie him up before he waits. Nero's mind can't
fathom defeat. There's not a moment to waste. H help
(22:05):
help trapped water water or is that you either serious? Logo,
what are you free doing down here in the well?
(22:29):
We came to rescue you. I must have passed out again.
Who did this to me? It was Nero, wasn't it? Yeah? Nero? Oh?
I knew he'd return. Is he still here? He's been
defeated for now? Then the oasis water is safe. There's
(22:54):
no oasis water. Orange, I see you found out the truth?
The truth or the truth is that you're Nero. Impossible,
It's beyond possible, it's certain. How how can that be?
(23:20):
Nero was nothing more than a manifestation of umbre. I
don't believe it, believe this royal jealous But but I
buried that long ago, deep in the oasis sands, somewhere
no one could ever find it. No, then it must
(23:41):
be true, a Nero. We'll help you out of the well.
But then we want the truth. What really happened here? Okay?
(24:02):
Or I think I see it on the throne. Now
tell me the story of the Waterland Kingdom this time,
tell me the truth. Either the story I told you
earlier was true but incomplete. I was the prodigal prince
(24:29):
the Great Kingdom, and when I came of age, I
did leave home on an expedition accompanied by a team
of our best soldiers, blessed with the Royal Chalice. I
was determined to prove myself that as not only a
worthy heir to the throne, but as a formidable adversary
(24:53):
with the kingdom of his own. After weeks of empty searching,
I finally happened upon this oasis, This oasis which was
nothing more than a mirage, This oasis which would be
my downfall. I should have turned back at once, but
(25:20):
I was too weak. I couldn't let down those who
had given up everything to follow me. I couldn't admit
my failures that I was no king. I couldn't bear
to face the truth. So I became the mirage. I
(25:45):
lied to my people, forbid them from entering the oasis,
and spent my vast inheritance maintaining the illusion. The emerging
trade routes served only one purpose, secretly, bring water into
(26:07):
the castle by the Barrelful out of these lies, the
water land Kingdom rose to power, and so began my
reign as king. The Royal Chalice, as you can imagine,
(26:29):
once I begin of hope and promise, was now nothing
more than a painful reminder of the truth, so I
buried it away deep in the oasis sands. I'll being
to forget my past, and in doing so, I buried
(26:49):
a piece of myself down with it. From that day on,
my delusion grew. I began to believe lies were true.
Eventually the resources were exhausted and the water ran dry.
Could no longer keep up the facade. But I was
(27:11):
so lost in my mind that I began to accuse
my own subject of conspiring against me. Hunted by the
memory of the chalice, I waged war on my own
kingdom till one evening on a full moon sky, the
(27:35):
shadow land King first arrived, a phantom from the black
void of night. Nero took everything from me. Vi sanity
from my mind, the spirit from my soul, the life
from my body. One by one, my people left to
(28:02):
wander in the desert or hideout in the caves, hopelessly
awaiting the day I defeated the shadow King within that
he could finally return home. And now I know the truth.
I was Nero and Umbras to blame. Thank you for
(28:29):
showing me this and breaking the illusion. There is only
one thing left to do. Please follow me one last
time to the oasis sands. Okay, we'll go with you, Oran, Oran,
(28:59):
What else you have to find out here? Something I
left buried in the sands long ago. But I've never
forgotten the knowledge that this chalice holds no real power
over me. I am the only king, the one true
king of my soul. Either my badge, place it in
(29:21):
the hold beside my chalice. Okay, serious, logo, Hand me
the fireworks. This should be sufficient time to get rid
of these, for the king is dead. Long live the king.
(30:00):
Go to the cipher on the escape tunnel door leading
to the outside is the symbol of the Chapas. Of course,
it never did me any good. I was always too
afraid to leave this place. Before you leave, it would
mean so much to an old king if you three
would accept my last remaining bottle of waterland water for
(30:21):
your journey. Are you sure you won't come with us?
How will you survive? And if Neuror comes back, what
will happen to you? Where will you go? The king's
kingdom is with his people. Don't worry, My people will
return from me. I'm finally going home. Onwards through the
(30:52):
desert to the Molary to recover the satellite dish or ends.
Water will keep us hydrated during our journey. What's this
in my back? A canteen? It turns out we had
water after all. Well, you never can have too much
of an offential resource A either you'll think nero gone forever.
(31:16):
I don't know, serious, I don't know. All we can
do is hope. Intquest created by Michael Freiberg, a production
(31:46):
of I Hear Radio and Astro Media Executive produced by
Michael Freiberg and I Hear Radio, co produced by Adam
Raimunda and Chelsea English. Sound design and mixed by Dennis Denbeck.
Music by Trey Toy, Performances by Matthew Brissard, Ether, Mike Leibovitz,
Serious Mike Kaplan, Logo Lucy Pole Umbra featuring Dancy and
(32:11):
Germaine Orren. Director and head writer Michael Freiberk, writers Tom
Delgado and Will Julian, Story editor Chelsea English, dialogue editor
Adam Raimonda, additional music Matthew blacka fully post reret fullcast
and crew in the description. Find more podcasts for my
(32:31):
Heart Radio on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
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