E29: Tomb of Diminished Fifths

After a tense interrogation in the Blackstaff tower, the Runts explore the town and find a bar to let off steam.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
All right, I checked. It is episode 9.
You were right. Yeah.
All right. What the You didn't even crack
your soda again so. Do you even have a can?
Do you have a can right now? Oh.
Sorry, sorry, is this your job? Do you have a note card that
says the order you say things? No, everybody shut the fuck up.
Do. You have a note.
Oh, right, you. It's episode 29.
It's episode 29. I already said it right.

(00:21):
You are we done All right, you guys.
Welcome back to Run Pack Goes Plane Walking episode 29.
Let's get into it. Last week we had a sort of

(01:20):
murder mystery episode, but that's not how it started.
So let's get to the beginning. It all started with us speaking
with Abel in the morning a little bit, learning a little
more about what has been happening in Valhalla since Oro
left. We learned that Abel immediately

(01:41):
knew something was wrong becauseOroface was acting too
intelligent. Very unusual.
True, true. Ritisi apparently was a big
proponent of sending Abel to thematerial plane to keep Orafais
company, but Abel says he believes her real wish was to
bring Orafais back. Also, he mentioned that Ritisi
has been acting irrational and spending all her time with

(02:04):
Iceland in the form of Orafais. Diamisha has also been going off
the deep end. Unsurprising given you know,
every interaction we've had withher so far.
Meanwhile, Abel was doing his own private investigating,
specifically with Rex Yamir, whohad apparently captured Orofeas
for a very long time. Abel got himself captured by
Bezel Rex Amir's right hand woman, and learned that she had

(02:29):
been the one to magically gathertruth from, you know in air
quotes Orifaeus actually Icelandand learn things that she came
from the material plane, that she was born in Lettermore,
etcetera. Based on this, Abel determined
he would come to the material plane and try to get to
Lettermore to learn more about his new enemy.
After this long conversation, wedeparted to get from the

(02:52):
Stockades, which was in the dockward.
We got Malagus out of jail and learned that there had been a
professor killed nearby. Given that we were good friends
with the professor who was goingto the dock ward to meet a
sketchy individual the night before, this freaked us out and
we found out that unfortunately it was in fact Doctor him who

(03:12):
was murdered in the dock ward inan alleyway.
The law masters took some convincing, but they let us
investigate the scene. We they also told us their
current findings, which is that that they had a boot print and
marks of damage on the cobbled stones, you know, autonomed
scraps, and then they thought itmight be a student or tenured
staff member. However, I found a couple tiny

(03:33):
scraps of paper and a bit of powdered diamond, which implied
there must have been a glyph of wording cast here.
We asked around the dock ward a bit.
We asked around the dock ward a bit using Abel's connections,
but no one had any solid information.
We then went to investigate Doctor Hymn's office at the
university. We found academic journals,

(03:55):
textbooks, all sorts of things on everything from automatons to
free will. However, Dulum located a lecture
that was out of place, logged out of alphabetical order.
It was supposedly on mechanical,rhythmic, artificial hearts, but
it was actually a group of personal writings, almost diary

(04:16):
entries written by Doctor him. And in between the pages was a
sealed envelope entitled In the event of Complete Core
Degradation. At the time Doolum didn't want
to read this envelope as it was not sure if Doctor Hymn score
had completely degraded as we had not gone to see the body.

(04:36):
But one thing we did learn from this book was that Doctor him
suspected the Inevitables were coming for him.
The Inevitables are a sort of inherent fear that all Autonomes
have. Almost like a autonomes scary
story. A group of conscious intelligent
constructs that carry out Primus's will across the

(04:56):
multiverse according to Damos. Also apparently Mystra sort of
like rents them out and uses them to punish bad Wizards.
After this we went to go see thebody.
We learned it was 2 diviners whohad identified the body, and
given the fact that Doctor him was meeting with a divination
wizard that night, that made at least me suspicious that he

(05:17):
might have faked his own death. Having some divination wizard
confirmed that he had been killed, as he thought he was
going to be killed anyways by the Inevitables.
We spoke with the guard who was on watch in that alleyway who
claimed he had seen nothing, andwe found that there was a modify
memory spell cast on him. Damo searched his mind and found
the memory of the sound of an instrument affecting him, a

(05:40):
bassoon or tuba perhaps, which is very interesting as that same
night of the murder there was a terrorist attack carried out by
a group of musicians called the Symphony, one of whom we have
already apprehended. And we talked to Captain Tofer
best buddy and he escorted us tothe black staff where all the
Wizards go. Meanwhile Damos informed us all

(06:06):
that he had received descending and Volcker was sending him 40
good boy bucks at Blackstaff Tower.
After some initial troubles we made it inside or we met a
hobgoblin woman who had been disguised as a fish inside of a
tank who jumped out and introduced herself as Glag the

(06:27):
Wet as she guided us of. This.
Tower we saw things like a teleport pad and a combat
trading room and a combat training room.
Also a sort of lounge that had windows looking out onto
different planes, including Mechanicus.
But unfortunately Doolum actually looking at it confirmed

(06:48):
that these were not current images of the plane, but rather
old recordings basically. Boo, Boo, Boo.
Our main goal in coming here wasto talk to the prisoner we had
turned over to the Black Staff Mages 1 Piccolo of the Symphony
of Neth. But in order to speak to him,
GLAAG didn't really have, you know, the security clearance for

(07:09):
that. So she brought us to Master
Skelavar Drude, who's fucking crazy and, you know, sort of
rude. But he did eventually agree to
allow us to see the prisoner, though he warned us that the
prisoner had had a touch of memory magic in his head.
I'm on our way to see the prisoner, Doolum.

(07:30):
I skipped us seeing the body, didn't I?
We also went to see the body andconfirmed it was probably beyond
saving or repairs unfortunately.This is a bit.
Scattered. Hello.
Hello. Hello what?
Happened to all your sticky notes.
I don't write my session notes on sticky notes.
I typed them in a Word document like a lawyer would.

(07:52):
That's very lawyerly. What can I say?
I hope now all our fans assume I'm really.
Smart. Whatever next?
OK, then we went to see the prisoner, whose mind had
degraded pretty drastically fromwhen Doolin and I last saw him.
He was mostly speaking in nonsensical phrases and sort of

(08:16):
non sequiturs, very unclear. We found evidence of arcane dust
on his head, implying there had been some sort of spell.
Damos did clairvoyance inside ofhis skull and found a little
yellow particle glowing in there.
Great move by the way, really cool.
Really excellent move, Damos. Thank you.

(08:38):
Thank. You he was humming a song
throughout it all, which Doolum had the idea to start
interpolating notes from the song to try to guess where it
would continue. And it did seem the further we
got into the song, the more coherent he became.
Because of this, we teleported in the resident musician Abel,

(08:58):
who doesn't remember the song but thought he might be able to
figure out where it went. As Dulum and Abel began to have
success, Piccolo began to cry. And we basically left off there
in the interrogation room somewhat at a loss for what to
do next. All right, yeah.
I hope you guys have been given a lot of good time to what the

(09:20):
fuck you're going to do with this prisoner who you guys have
made cry. So, you know, with that, we're
going to pick right back up inside of the prison cell,
inside the black staff tower, uphigh above where the tower would
theoretically rise by itself. You guys passed a great many
floors to reach this one that housed a small circular prison.

(09:42):
You're all cramped inside now, with Master Skelevar sort of
posed in the corner. He has his hands outstretched
and some crackles of arcane energy dance between his
fingertips as he preps a spell. A little nervous about what you
guys are all doing and ready to blast out if something unusual
happens. The rest of you are huddled
around this individual, who you know by only the name Piccolo.

(10:05):
Piccolo is huddled in a heap of himself, crying softly and his
mind practically exposed to all of you.
Literally exposed to Demos. Who is up in there?
Demos. Your detect thoughts is still up
and you can feel these pieces coming back together as it seems

(10:28):
to be sobbing and loss of something, some sort of a
profound sadness that doesn't stem from anyone location.
You all are sort of huddled around this individual and you
have the beginnings of a song. But as Abel just informed you
all, and he'll have him say it again here where Abel informs
you. Yeah, I'm not really sure if I'm
going to be able to give you a song anytime soon for this.

(10:51):
We could perhaps work out the notes themselves.
I mean, Dulum here as a pretty authentic memory when it comes
to these things, but I'm really not sure we could get you that
tune immediately. He's got a nervous look on his
face. And just as you guys come around
here, Master Skelevar chants outin sort of a humming voice.
And just, you know, the evening draws near.

(11:13):
The prisoners due for execution soon.
I would. Ask that you'll hurry it up.
How much? How many hours until he's
scheduled to be executed? And the figure pulls out from
his billowing mismatched robes alooks like a small stopwatch.
He holds it up. You hear a slight ticking as he

(11:34):
clicks it a few times, and a bitof an arcane glow emanates from
the front. He stares down and goes.
Looks like you have about 90 minutes.
Shit. OK.
Any ideas? People.
There's no way we can get a tunethat fast.
Perhaps if we get further. And further, we can get more out
of his memories. I I do think we have several
strategies we could do here. If there's somehow a way I could

(11:59):
ask to spell magic in his mind, maybe I we could get rid of the
little magic orb that's in therethat's maybe doing this to him.
If anyone think how that could be possible?
Scale of our calls from the corner.
I already tried that and just spelled magic on the entire
body. Nothing stuck.
Perhaps we could cut it out worst comes to worst.

(12:20):
Are any of us qualified to do that?
OK, now it's popular option. Yeah, like.
Jaya's got experience with like,you know, field medicine, right?
Like amputation? Jaya, have you ever done brain
surgery in the field? I can't say that I had done

(12:41):
anything with the brain. That was by neurosurgery.
I can stitch someone up, but it will.
Not stay in this room as you massacre that body.
Yeah, I I don't feel comfortablegoing into that brain.
I know. I.
Hello. We've done a lot.
Fucking worse to people higher. Going to die.

(13:01):
I would wait, but I well. I don't like it.
Let let's. Think of other options that that
book you kept. Yes.
Is that worth reading? See, see the the problem is, I
feel like we're in a mixed company right now, Yeah.
Starting to hear a voice on the corner.
What book? Oh, nothing, nothing.

(13:25):
I'd we just keep a dictionary onhand for timely passing, yes.
Well, some. Of us aren't the brightest and
some of us need some definitionsfrom time to time.
If you were willing to leave, toleave the room, you know, we
would just be doing stuff to tryto help this, the people of the

(13:46):
city like the victims. So if you just like didn't need
to be in the room for like 90 minutes or so, that would be
great. You want to roll a persuasion
check higher. We would all really appreciate
it. Can I give him help?
That that is fucked up. Yes, yes you can give help.
Yeah. This is fucked up.

(14:09):
Oh, plus two. Let's go.
You don't watch to. See what we're going to be doing
in here? Oh, 16.
OK, you see the figure considerate for a moment, and
then he goes. I think I would actually quite
like to see what you're going todo to my prisoner in here.
You see, that is still my prisoner, and I owe it to the

(14:33):
Open Lord to keep an eye on him.You see, if somehow you all are
here to bust him out, I need to be here to witness it.
You must understand. So is he like your personal
prisoner? I'm prisoner of the tower.
If you'd like, I could bring in the Grand Master of the Tower
and have him watch you instead, but he's quite busy and would be

(14:55):
very annoyed by this. We would like that, yes.
You. We would like that.
Yes, we would. You might be quite upset.
One of the what would you call him?
One of the enforcers. Enforcers.
I believe you met him. Arch mage Althorne.
Yes, I would like him. He's quite busy though.

(15:18):
I don't think you would be very happy brought in him.
Higher looks at him and goes please, we'll do anything, he
said he. Give us a favor.
So here it is. The figure sort of looks back
and forth and goes this sort. Of already is your favor.
I don't know in what circumstances you met him, but
he's not a very friendly person.Oh, I understand you don't want
to piss off your boss. Can one just go talk to him?

(15:41):
I believe I am much more saying no, he's in his study right now.
I'll be the one to fetch him. OK.
Thank you. Are you sure?
Are you quite sure? But guys, is this worth casting,
Sending let's. Just let's have him go get this
guy. We're sure.
Thank you. He.

(16:01):
Considers on a 16. He finally nods at head and
goes, all right, we'll be back in about 30 seconds at wager,
maybe 45. Don't do anything while I'm
gone, yes. We'll miss you of.
Course, guys. He stands up, sort of Pats down

(16:22):
his clothes. He see the arcane glow of his
fingers dissipate for a moment, and he points to all of you
guys. And so, listen, I'm doing you
all a favor letting you in here.If I find any magic has been
cast in this room when I get back, you'll all be punished
severely by the arts mage himself.
OK. Yeah, like, of course.
Good. He sort of Pats out his hands

(16:43):
and makes for the door. As he does so, he sort of
unlatches it, unlocks a huge lock, and then he turns back and
goes. I'll have to lock you inside for
the time being, I'm sure you allunderstand.
Makes perfect sense. Good.
Yes, he steps. Out in a cell with a prisoner.
Yes, you're sure you understand?You asked me to go do this.

(17:04):
No, yeah. No, you should.
Thank you. Sorry.
Right as he steps outside, he closes the door behind him.
You hear a heavy thunking latch,and you guys are left in this
sort of circular, windowless room with Piccolo still sobbing
on the ground. You have about 30 seconds, you
wager. Well.
What was the? Moment of that, what was the
point? It gives us a moment.
Alone. I told Elijah said I'm not going

(17:26):
to miss him that much. Goodness or a face.
What a no good person you are. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. OK, But stay focused.
If we're going to do the book thing, we need to now.
I remembered when Hyatt was reading through it, there was a
spell. Create memory right?
That does sound familiar. Can I roll a history check on
that one or do you guys know forsure?

(17:47):
I do not know for sure. I, I think it was, I was racking
my brain all week to try to remember and I, I thought that
was there, but I didn't write itdown so I can't be sure.
Can I roll a history check, Mason?
Please do so, yeah. I really should have written all
these down. I'm so sad it was almost not
2010. OK, with A10 you do remember

(18:09):
there was the reversed arcana ofModify Memory.
It was in the book. You remember seeing it, but you
don't remember its name, and honestly, you don't really
remember what page number it wason.
Guys, give me back in there. I can do this.
I can do this. Are you?
Sure do we? OK, We don't have time.

(18:29):
Let him asses. Could I step?
In for a moment. This is not a good idea.
I don't recommend this. Last time you nearly hurt,
killed yourself higher. You were hurt for days.
You remember how exhausted you are.
You just finally slept good lastnight.
Yeah, well, last time I went toofar and I think I knew that, but
this time I won't have to go as far and we can.

(18:50):
Switch off. Every.
Page, Yeah. Yeah, and if it gets that bad,
we'll just switch off. But this is dangerous.
This book is dangerous. It hurts you.
I mean it. I hate to say it, but Doolum,
you have a perfect memory. Do you remember seeing at all
when Higher was talking about modify memory in here?
Do I remember? You remember higher talking

(19:10):
about it, but of course you didn't read the book itself
because it would have probably hurt you, so you wouldn't have
known what page number it was on.
Could I like remember in betweenwhat's supposed it was?
Yes, you could. I don't have a list for you
right now, but if one comes up I'll share it.
OK, I. Have a rough idea of where it
is? And you remember that the name

(19:33):
of the spell as well. It was called Manifest Memory.
It sounds like it could maybe work.
Yeah, that's so. I don't really like this book,
no. Well, my other idea is to kidnap
this guy and not let him die. I don't.
I don't want to see this guy die, I feel.
I mean higher. He did commit fucking terrorism.
He was a pretty horrible person.You were there, remember?

(19:55):
You saved all those people. Yeah, but he, I don't know.
He had so much time to pull the trigger and he never did.
I don't. I don't really know if you
wanted to hurt people. I don't think you put 20, wait,
no, sorry, 150 bombs in a room of people without wanting to
hurt them. Yes, and he wasn't.

(20:15):
He didn't feel bad about it afterwards.
I I spoke with him at length, asdid Dylan.
Yeah, well, he didn't even do anything afterwards, or like, he
didn't even kill anyone. So what was he to be sorry for?
I I mean setting it up, yeah, I guess, but seems like that was.
Pretty bad all on its own. I I really don't know if the

(20:35):
punishment is death for me. Either way, I sort of don't
think we should kidnap him. It's not really our place here.
I think we should just try to get as much information as we
can. Maybe if we can prove.
OK, if we can fix his mind and prove he's worthwhile, that
could be a good way to avoid having him killed.
True. I just, you know, people get
executed all the fucking time inthis city, you guys.

(20:56):
I I I think if we go around trying to save every person.
Yeah. All right.
He has information to offer. There's a chance they would keep
him alive for a limited time. He might not take that offer,
but if we can somehow get him back and convince him, then
actually that's something. It's a chance and we don't have
that much time, so let's get cracking on this book.

(21:17):
Funny enough, about 30 seconds have already gone by.
You notice no one's come back yet.
We just can't know. Let's get started.
I think he was lying about the time.
How? Devilish.
I think so too, but you know, it's not going to be a lot of
time. All right, who wants to crack
open the book? Give it to me.
Hi you want to go page Page 1? No, I'm going to the table of

(21:41):
contents. I'll, I'll like go to the book
with hire and like estimate around where I think it is.
Like should I make a check for that like before opening the
book? Yeah.
I, I see what you're saying. Give me a let me think cuz it's
interesting thought I guess cuz it's, you have perfect memory.
So I guess just give me a a perception check for what you

(22:03):
would have gotten in that moment.
OK, yeah, wild. It's a 17.
OK, pretty good higher you see that Doolum points out like a
rough section of 15 pages out ofthe sum 300 in this book and
Doolum, you're pretty sure it was one of these 15 pages it's.
One of those I think. God, Doolum, I don't know how
you do what you do that that's crazy.

(22:25):
OK. Brilliant.
I'll start reading. OK.
You pop it open, it's about a third the way through the book
in total. See, This is why we need to have
bookmarks for the horrible book.Yeah.
God, we should. Have used the.
Bookmark. I mean, but yeah, now.
True I imagine. Do any of you guys have books?
Like do you own books? Cuz I imagine you'd own some

(22:47):
bookmarks. Probably Damos.
Damos, you're a book owner. Yes, Yes, I am, Sir.
I is a book owner such an. Educated gentleman both.
It's like carrying around bricksin your backpack.
She's. Called weight train and RFS.
You should try it sometime. I like the sound of that.

(23:08):
I have a poetry book with me very.
Sensitive. All right, you throw it open.
Hired right to the, I guess, thefirst of these 15 pages that
Doolum pointed out. And immediately upon reading the
first words on this page, I'm going to need you to make a
saving throw for me. Let me find my stat block for

(23:28):
this item. I think it was an intelligent
saving throw. Guys, is it worth casting bless?
I know that would be magic, but.He said he would know if we cast
magic. I don't know.
Are we powerful enough to hide that?
I feel like probably not. OK, I'll read it straight up

(23:50):
then. He's a trooper.
I was thinking about casting bless but that's OK.
Is it intelligence? Well done, I'm still scrolling,
sorry on my got a dig for this one.
He's Dick and wise. What, you didn't expect we were
going to crack open the cursed toe and the interrogation?
Mason, it can be wisdom like if you want oh or maybe like cha

(24:15):
plus 7 + 5 respectively. Yeah.
Plus 7 + 5. Oh, it's a saving throw.
OK, OK, yeah. I was like holy shit.
Confessing to the podcast that I'm in, Maxine.
I hear that's OK. Well, now it's like, you know,

(24:37):
it's for the fans. OK I found it.
It is a wisdom saving throw. Or take 3D12 damage.
So huge for me. So yeah, give me a Wisdom saving
throw, please. 15. OK, that first roll is
unfortunately a failure. Good start.

(24:58):
You read the first page. Immediately you are stricken
with 21 points of psychic damagethat runs through your mind and
immediately a throbbing headachecomes on as you read this first
page. 21 damage bleeding. This is a reversed Arcana spell

(25:20):
of power word heal. That's nice.
And it is effectively an explanation of a power word
harm. It's can hit multiple people at
once and such like power word heel can.
It's not nice. It's not very nice.
It's reverse baby. You scroll to the next page.
Give me another role please. You can tap out at any time,

(25:43):
buddy. Can I get?
I could not. Approve of this.
Oh my God, was Malgus the only one to get a potion or was there
another person? I bought 2, I already used one.
Do you need a fucking potion forthis hire?
Here, wait a whole bunch. One I'm supposed to pass and.
The hire coughs up blood. I'll pay it back.
Hire. Just pass it to one of us.

(26:03):
We can all take turns reading. Spread the load.
Yeah, I could read it if you want.
Hire. I'm very wise, they tell me.
I was thinking maybe like me, Damos and Dillum, other
spellcasters. No, you're right, we should all
do it. I'll pass it to Orpheus.
Probably spoke up over first. Wisdom, Sammy throw.

(26:26):
Yeah. I'll start.
Counting. I'll walk over to Oro and give
an award. Award.
Award. Okay I got what does a ward do?
I rolled A6 on my first roll. I give you basically like 1310
PHP. OK, my first role was a six
though, so that is a fail maybe.That is a failure.

(26:48):
Yes it is 3D12 damage. I just rolled it, the amount was
14 which is less than higher. So actually that is almost fully
the ward, just plus one extra psychic damage.
Sick. Up next, who wants to take the
book or orifice you want to go at it?
Again. So I'm assuming the spell I saw
was not the yes yeah, sorry. I yeah, I'm skipping things.

(27:09):
So this was in a reversed arcanaof create food and water.
This was infect food and water. I'm not evil, so I won't learn
that, but if I was still Finn, Iwould be learning that shit.
I would be taking notes. I'll go for the next page.
I only lost one HP on that all. Right.

(27:30):
You scroll to the next one. Give me another Wisdom saving
throw, please. Another few seconds goes by.
All sort of say, for each of each of you guys, it takes about
6 seconds to skim the page enough to see if it's what you
want and then take the damage. So about 18 seconds have gone by
now. My wisdom save is 9.
That is also a failure or a faceas next you take another low

(27:52):
roll, 10 damage. OK.
Can I ask a question? Yeah, yeah.
It could be. So like we're reading the book,
like when we take the damage, isit just for the one page, like
one page on the left side, or are we reading the left and the
right? So funny enough, the way this
book is written is that stuff isonly printed on the right side
of the page. The left is blank in each of
these. Could could to speed things up?

(28:14):
Theoretically, could I? Could the page be lifted and
have one person read it from 1 angle and the other piece and
read it from the other angle? I like this.
I I would. Allow that, yeah, you guys would
sort out to. Switch next.
To each other. All right.
Orifice the page just sort of picked up underneath you.
Jai, give me a Wisdom saving throw please.

(28:37):
The page that is probably gonna be a failure, my friends.
Got a six? Nice.
Yeah, second six of the day. That's going to be.
Full damage then of 3D12, that's28 psychic damage rending
through your mind giant. You feel an immediate migraine
hit you hard. You said 28. 28 yes, and

(29:01):
Orifaeus Orifaeus on the page you just read, it was the
reversed arcana of I Bite It read Mouth Seed.
Would it take more time for me to try to know what the fuck
this spell does? To memorize it, yes.
OK, I just want to try to memorize what page this is all.
There are no page numbers in here.
Great, can I at least know what the spell does or am I just

(29:23):
getting the title? Sure, sure.
You read through a little bit more while Jaya.
I imagine it takes a second for Jaya to sneak in under you.
You can basically by casting I by to the six level spell, you
can reverse it to cast mouth C, which is effectively why person
rolls a wisdom saving throw. Or you effectively treat them as

(29:45):
a host to a sort of pseudo divination spell where you can
see out of their mouth. That's it.
That's pretty sick. Whoa.
I can't learn that, it's way toohigh level.
But Maisie wanted to know and I'm glad I got to.
I can go one more time. I'll sneak in under Jaya again.
Back and forth, back and forth all.
Right Jaya on your run which it was a nasty 28 damage.

(30:09):
Ouch. Ouch.
You, of course, find the reversearcana of Find the Path, which
is an advanced form of confusionthat you can cast on people.
You read it. It blurs through your head,
though Jaya's pain ruptures out,and Orpheus immediately sneaks
under you to read another page. At this point, you guys hear

(30:31):
sort of a call from the corner where Abel goes.
Excuse me, Colonel, your nose isbleeding there.
Is what you're. Doing really safe.
You look quite unwell. Let's run it back.
Is this thing cursed? Can someone tell me what's going
on? I thought we were playing.
Music. This man is still mumbling to
himself. And we had. 30 seconds with him.

(30:51):
Alone. And yet you're reading a damned
book. It's better you don't know.
He sort of looks at you. At least like, not right now
maybe. Damn it, there's no
communication among this troop. He sort of storms off in the
corner of the room. You flip to the next page.
Aurifius, give me a Wisdom saving throw.
What you get? Yeah, baby, whoever looks to do.

(31:13):
I'm going to give a worse. I.
Probably. Jai is probably worse I I've
gotten. 18 HP. Yeah, Jai's a worse guess I'll
staple last year. If you.
Put that on. OK.
Wisdom. Save and I get to do it in D&D
Beyond right now, so you guys know I'm not faking all these
sixes and nines and it's anothernine, and that one's real.

(31:35):
You can see it. Classic Maisie to fake a low
roll. The DND move right there.
OK, so that is a failure or a Faeus.
You'll be taking 21 psychic damage.
OK, I'm not dead, but I should not continue doing this.
Me next. Me next.

(31:56):
You're still going. I fucking won.
I fucking won. No guys, this is a competition.
Stop earning 30. 20/30/20 I'm up, I'm so up.
Orifaeus, you read a brief argument in reversed arcana of
a. Sorry, what?
Killed what? Well, no, sorry.
I didn't kill. It.
Didn't kill. What spell took me out, Coach?

(32:18):
It is a reversed of summon lesser demon.
It is now the reverse which is banish lesser demons.
That's even like kind of a nice thing to do, but I can't learn
it so. And up next, Jaya, you finally
flip to a page that at the top it reads Manifest memory.
Found it on a on a net 20. Though you will still take

(32:41):
damage, you'll be taking 1/2 of 3D12.
So just as you begin reading thetitle and understanding it, you
take 15 / 2 rounded down, we'll say 7 psychic damage.
I give you 14 some HP, Jaya. Oh.
Sweet. Also, I don't think it changes
anything but it was a dirty 20. Yeah, yeah.
That that's a success. You got it.
OK, I'm so itty bitty on the map.

(33:02):
Oh. My God.
So you're still bleeding though,and you sort of hear a cry from
the corner. Goddamn.
This can't be. Rational What are you doing in
there the. Colonel's practically falling
over. I found what we needed.
You find that you. Have any other options?
You open it up, Jaya. You start reading it and your
eyes are starting to cross, and it's starting to dawn on you

(33:24):
that you don't actually know howto cast spells, so the actual
like descriptions of this stuff is sort of meaningless to you.
OK, but I found the page. But you found the page.
Woo Hoo. Now I can't do the magics.
Who wants to do the magics? Hey, you did good, Sergeant.

(33:44):
Thank you. I looked at Damos.
Yeah, OK. I guess I'll have a look.
I'm really sorry, I don't want Malagus to do it.
I'm a great spellcaster, get me a lot.
Why wasn't I a part of this? I just really like.
Someone out there is thinking I'm not a good spellcaster so.

(34:05):
Impossible Malagus, you're great.
We've seen it first hand. He can't.
All right, Demos, do you want toread out of the evil book The
Evil Spell? Yes, please.
Excellent demos. What's your alignment?
If you want to DM it to me. If you're afraid to tell the
people, you can I. Don't DM, you surprise us.

(34:27):
You're not going to tell the podcast.
You know, by not saying it, you're kind of saying it.
That is what. It's just you guys won't believe
me when I if when I say a lawfulgood, so no.
All right, Demos, you cracked this bad boy open, and can you

(34:49):
give me a wisdom saving throw, please?
Yes, holy plus one. Using the rest of my search
sequence, I'll give you 12 time PHP.
Holy. Thank you.
Does 15 succeed? A 15 does not succeed.
Unfortunately that's just under,but it's a low role for damage.
So you take a total of 10 psychic damage reading this.

(35:11):
Nice. So you open the book, or rather
you're handed the book by Jaya who?
You look at Jaya. Jaya is not looking great.
Like eye bags growing under the eyes.
The arthritis on the knuckles looks way worse.
There's sort of a Nosebleed happening.
How? Can you see the arthritis on
Jaya's knuckles? You know when people have those
big knuckles, that's. Visibly getting worse.

(35:31):
Oh yeah, you. Even think you can see maybe a
thin vein on the forehead pounding.
You read it and you see a spell,a description of a spell as if
this was a you sort of look downat it and memorize it.
It's like a spell scroll. This spell defines a spell
entitled manifest memory. You see, it costs the same as a

(35:54):
modify memory, meaning it is thesame level spell and you sort of
need to know modify memory the spell to be able to cast it.
Shit. Similarly, it also details the
what looks and you get a chance to spend a little bit more time
with it, with the verbal components, the somatic
components required to cast it. And your brain kind of fogs as

(36:16):
you read it and the text seems to crawl around and gives you
this icky feeling. Now demos, do you have the spell
modify memory? No, no, I, no.
No, I do believe that's above your spell level, right?
Yes, yes. So you see it, You see how to do
it. It's just you're unable to cast
it right now. Does Demos relay this to the

(36:40):
team? Yes.
Could you copy it down on a piece of paper?
We could hand it over to the Wizards, like hey guys, here's
this spell, if any you can cast it.
I I guess I don't see why not. Could I pull out a page for my
journal Mason and try to copy the the details?
Yes, you pull out the page and slowly begin writing it down.

(37:03):
It does dawn on you here, demos,that this is, you know, a page
of paper in a book. This is technically a part.
If you say, for example, ripped out this page, you could use
this as a spell scroll if you'd like.
It would be one time use only, but it would be the kind of
thing that all like all spell scrolls, you don't actually need

(37:23):
to know modified memory to be able to cast it, but you could
do that as well. I don't know guys, what do you
think we we could use it once and and never again.
I feel like we shouldn't be using it most of the time, so it
feels good to use it right now and be done with it.
Well, I will say right now, if we're coming across this

(37:47):
Symphony of net so often, and this is already the second
person we found whose memories they've stolen, it seems like we
might be using it a lot of the time soon.
Well, but certainly they don't use different methods every
time. If you can figure out what
happened to this gentleman, thenyou'd probably be able to crack
all of them. How?
Oh, like ask him how and maybe he knows the solution.

(38:09):
Or I I. Don't know if you know if they
took his memories from him, thenmaybe you'll learn the method
and we can know how to fix it next time.
I mean, we know it's the spore. I I don't maybe.
Yeah, Spore. The thing in his brain, the
little glowing yellow thing. Just to remind you, Orifice,
what you saw in his brain was more like little flecks of

(38:29):
arcane energy, like magic. OK.
It wasn't anything physical, it was definitely a spell that you
felt, or rather the spell that Demos saw.
That was the description of it higher.
Give me a perception check. Your Honor.
OK, OK, 17 Your Honor. OK.

(38:54):
No, what you guys are mostly hearing right now is the sort of
passive crying sound of this mansitting down, huddled in a ball
on the ground, but over it. Rather under it, I should say.
Hi, are you here? Gentle footsteps coming down the
hallway behind the door. I want I kind of not like I

(39:15):
guess yelled my group, but try to say it like a appropriate
volume so most of us can hear, but you know, not other people
too far guys, they're coming. Should I try to distract him?
And then I want to run over to the crazy guy and I want to slip
my ring of calm emotions on him and.
See if that so they're actually oh, oh, interesting.

(39:38):
All right. You slide over to the guy on the
ground and you put the ring on his hand.
He sort of looks up and goes what is, and you put it on and
you flick it and you see his eyes go kind of wide and his
mouth sag a little bit, a bit ofdrool coming out.
Maybe you need this more than I do, buddy.
Guys, should we should we distract him?

(40:01):
I don't know. How we can distract him?
I think we just need to make a call.
Damos, you want to cast the spell now?
I, I I trust your judgement. OK, if we're going to pass this,
if we're going to cast a spell, either way it's against their
rules. Shouldn't we wait to convince
them at least? Either way, we can still cast
the spell. I'm going to tear the page out

(40:21):
of the book and put the book away.
OK, you slice. It out.
As as you do so, you guys all hear a horrible sound, nails on
chalkboard. This sound as the page is ripped
out demos. It scalds your ears and for a
moment you feel your fingers bleeding a bit as the page
almost paper cuts you. As you tear it out, the page

(40:42):
goes flying out and you look back in and you see, just for a
split second, in the seam of thebook, right where that page was,
hundreds of tiny little squirming, writhing worms, worm
like insects with tiny mouths reaching up and squirming right
about where the page was. You blink your eyes and they
disappear and the page is gone. My God.

(41:04):
You placed the book away just asyou guys all hear a loud bong
bong bong on the outside of the door higher.
That that looked fucked up. It's OK.
Well surely we can heal you after with remove curse, surely.
You can probably let them in higher, it's OK.
Yeah, OK. I agree.

(41:25):
Just as you begin walking over higher, the door actually opens
from the other side. You hear a loud metal opening
mechanisms and the door is thrown open as making his way
back in a little nervous now is Master Skelavar.
He's got his hands clasped closeto his chest and his arms curled
in, and he's got this nervous smile as he sees you all.

(41:47):
And he goes all thorn here to see you all.
Turns out he was in the middle of a very important spell.
So he's a bit. And you hear a voice sort of
shout over him from behind him. Yeah.
Shut up. What's this guy?
This is Arch Mage Allthorne. The figure walks in.

(42:09):
You guys get a better look at this.
This man who walks in here, someof you guys have seen them the
night before. Just a real crotchety old
looking human man, wise and white beard and wispy white hair
along the top of his head. He's got sort of a strange
square hat atop his head, sort of Elvis Dumbledore style, and

(42:30):
wears long billowy Gray robes inall manner.
He doesn't look that experience per SE, just because it's the
manner of his clothing is a bit shoveled into shoddy, and you
see his hands are sort of shaking a little bit, and they
look extremely wise, and his knuckles all extremely punched
out against his skin, almost cracking the flesh.

(42:51):
He's also got some crazy eyes, almost bloodshot, and as he sort
of waddles in, you can tell he'sgot a bit of a limp.
His Gray robes pick up some dirtand muck along the ground as he
walks, and he almost looks like you're sort of average St.
Magician. He sort of yells out into the
room. Who does disturb my studies?
This better we good. Yes, Sir.

(43:11):
Remember it's. You.
You from the other night. Yes, I know you.
Yes, I gave you one favor. Your favorite was to break your
brother out of jail, wasn't it? Please this this is unrelated.
This could help save other people.
I don't give a damn, you being even allowed inside this tower
was a heinous fucking mistake. I'll have a word with my intern
downstairs. That apprentice.

(43:32):
Oh, the wet one, I'll get off. No, there's, there's a reason
we're here. You need to let us help here.
Just listen to us first. You have 6 seconds of my time,
and afterward I'm smarting this man down where he stands, the
open Lord. Comes back to.
See a spell you've never seen before?
That's how you're introducing it.
He goes quiet for a moment. You notice this catches his

(43:53):
attention. You see, like stage fright
kicking there is all of your mentried to fix this prisoner the
the prisoner Dylan and I delivered to you last night and
they couldn't and his memory is cut and Damos is the most

(44:15):
excellent wizard that who is into black stuff and he's going
to show you a new spell. Demos.
Which one of you is Damos? I I raised my hand I guess.
All right young buck, you bettershow me something really
interesting in the next 6 seconds or this man goes down
and the rest of you are kicked out of this tower for life.

(44:38):
OK, I guess. I guess Damos casts manifest
memory using the page. OK, you pull out the page, the
wizard sort of looks over and got it goes.
Oh, what you got there? Oh.
And you begin, holding out your hand and uttering words.
He watches and you see his eyes go kind of wide and he goes.
Oh, this is interesting. Wait, hold on.

(44:59):
Goodness, let me get my spectacles.
I don't look too hard. He's very powerful.
He pulls out some huge bifocals,thick lenses, almost like
bottles. He puts them on and watches you
closely. Demos.
And you see he's actually payingquite close attention now, his
anger sort of replaced by curiosity for a moment as you
begin casting the spell ManifestMemory.

(45:21):
Demos. You didn't quite get a chance to
fully read the spell's description.
Do you want to spend a moment reading here or you just want to
cast it? How long do you think it would
take for me to read it? It would probably take 30
seconds, a minute maybe. It would probably take two or
three minutes, maybe more like 5or 10 to actually understand

(45:41):
what was happening. Oof, oof.
He looks expectantly at you. Could I perhaps we should share
the the the spell? All right, I'm Demo sort of.
I think he gets, he gets closer to this, this arch mage and I
guess he says 0. Perhaps together we could read

(46:04):
this over before I cast it. Would you be interested?
Pardon me, friend, I make it a very personal note of mine to
not read any man's spellbook. It's sort of like saying they're
undergarments, you understand? Oh oh worry not, this is more of
a of a scroll if you will. Think of it like that.
He looks at you and his eyes sort of go hard, and he goes,
Listen, I have in my ears. I don't know if people place

(46:26):
explosive ruins in my hands. I am quite all right.
If you're going to show me something new, make it happen
now. Now, damn it.
OK, Demos rolls his eyes and he starts casting the spell.
OK, you hold out your hand. Who is the target of your spell
manifest Memory Demos. The Mr. Piccolo.
All right, lying on the ground, less sad now.

(46:48):
He's no longer crying, instead sort of sitting in neutral
silence because it's a ring thathigher placed on his finger.
You reach out toward him, holding your hand out.
You speak the spell, the words of power, the arcane words that
the spell defines. And you all see the page in
Demos's hand burn up, an arcane fire disappearing as the spell

(47:10):
is cast once and for all. The wizard watches very
interestedly. You even noticed his other
master Wizard of the Black StaffTower, the guy who was honestly
looks a lot crazier, but Mr. Skelevar.
Master Skelevar watches as well,very interested in what you're
doing here, Demos. This is something they've never

(47:30):
seen before. Just as you finished the spell
Demos, your eyes roll to the back of your head.
You fall unconscious. All of you watch Demos's body
step. Backwards for a.
Moment and then lean forward, almost in a trance.
What? Demos.

(47:52):
A few seconds go by, 671020 seconds.
Demos doesn't respond. Demos's mouth sort of opens,
slack jawed, and you see his eyes are completely stark white.
He looks possessed. Well, let's get a move on what's
going on. Oh, no, no, no.
There's no way we've made him like my brother.
There's no way we made him I. Don't think that's.

(48:13):
What? Happens.
I don't think that's. What happens if it's cold?
You can. Take the ring back if you need
it. No, he needs it more.
Yeah, this is part of it, part of the spell.
This does not look like part of it.
This seems very unusual. Why does it happen right here?
Let me, let me, let me check on him.

(48:36):
We we can do some check on him if you'll let us do magic.
And even if you won't, we could still check to see what's wrong.
Yes, just do do your magic. That's fine.
I think we just need to let you do it's course higher.
Well, I just want to cast or no is it?
I sorry, what's the spell where you learn all spells that are
it's? Identify.

(48:56):
Yeah. Or yes, so I might identify
this. Let's just give it a minute.
Think. OK, I just think this guy is
impatient. He he does seem very impatient.
You both of you guys noticed this?
Honestly, like we should be. Doing something rather than not
and I I I don't see how identifycould hurt the process.
I don't either, but I don't understand a lot of this magic.

(49:18):
Is there any change in demos apparent throughout this
conversation? Demos is just standing there,
slack jawed, eyes white. You are pretty sure that
whatever's happening either is perhaps still happening or
something worse happened, but regardless, you're getting no
reaction and Demos does not seemto be conscious.

(49:40):
OK, OK, higher. Do you have identifier or should
I cast it? No, yeah, I don't have it.
Can you? Discussed it.
Yeah, I figured that's how this was going to go.
I was just going to think it outloud, yeah.
Yeah, I'll step up and put a hand on Demos's upper arm and
cast identify upon him. OK, you place a hand on there

(50:02):
and you see the wizard raise his.
Eyebrow and go identify. It's just a fucking joke.
You're kidding. You're gonna guys identify on
him? It's just one because you're not
sure what's going on. You're barely checking it at
all. Damn it, this was all a mistake.
He stomps. Forward now you cast identify
and over the course of the minute that it takes right over
face. I look at higher.
It's your job to distract this dude while I'm doing this.

(50:25):
I look at you and then kind of look at the rest of the group in
a. Why me?
Sort of way. You know why you.
OK, I look at the guy and I say,look, we're casting the opposite
of a spell. It's I don't know if it's ever

(50:48):
been done before, certainly not in this city.
And something is happening that I think is still worth checking
out with your time. Right?
Every what? I'm sorry, we're all bleeding.
I I normally don't walk around like this.

(51:10):
But you can see we, we really care about this and we're trying
to help people. We're putting our bodies on the
line. Feel like we're really just
opening up the way for more questions.
An inverse spell What? She seems confused and a bit
agitated. Down her hole.
What do you want to say? Nothing.
Carter just kept digging the hole further in front.

(51:32):
No one else was saying anything so I just kept on digging.
I just. Cut between it.
I couldn't just cut with, you just kept going.
I asked for help multiple times.That was after you said stuff.

(51:52):
All right. So higher, higher.
You want to say anything else? Don't make me say you.
Sort of stopped in the middle ofa sentence.
Is that what you want to end? I did.
OK. Look, please, please, you just
have to let us consider this. Just watch for 10 more minutes.

(52:14):
We'll pay you. We'll do anything.
I promise. This is worth it.
Higher, I would like a very very, very difficult persuasion
check. That would be great if someone
gave like help. Don't know like a ritual spell,

(52:35):
baby I. Can't you use a spell slot to
make it go 6 seconds? Oh.
Oh. OK.
Being my friends choke, I'll usethe spell slot.
You're so. Smart I guess the 12 I get a 12.

(52:58):
So oraphase, you want to cast itin six seconds or you want to?
Yeah, I'll go ahead. I mean, I assume I'm still aware
of my surroundings even when I'mdoing the ritual.
So yeah. So you sort of listen and you
hear that maybe it's not going so well, higher makes an above
average case, but you think withthis arch mage of this tower who
was already brought here at an inconvenience.

(53:19):
Group. So he's not in a very good mood.
So you speed it up. You blow the spell slot.
Please remove that spell slot. As you immediately cast identify
your reveal. Is that the following spells are
be affecting demos right now. The spell modify memory is
currently being tracked on demos.
You notice the signature of modify memory is a bit fuzzy

(53:39):
though, like something about it is off.
That's all you can tell, yeah. OK.
Just sort of look back. Yep, he's casting it.
It's going good, I think. The Arch.
Spell component. The arch mage looks down at
higher. His eyes narrow.
He looks over at our face and goes, damn it, I could have got
to identify on that force. This is a waste of my time.

(54:00):
If you need to check that is gassing this spell.
Clearly he's never done it before.
My God, what a waste of my time witnessing.
History. No one's ever done this before,
as far as we know. I'm sorry we weren't practiced,
but we didn't have time. I don't give a.
Guy. You should have practiced before
you came here, before you wastedmy time.
Listen, I'm tasked with executing this man and and let's

(54:20):
just say let's get it over with now.
This is a. Waste of my time, and I find
your antics here quite unamusing.
He steps forward now, trying to push past you higher to make his
way toward the prisoner. Piccolo.
We can give you spells like thisand you will be so impressive,
impressive in this tower. And you know what else?
I think you should be a little more worried about what your men

(54:43):
are doing than what you're doing.
Because when I turned this prisoner over to you, it wasn't
like this. Somebody's tampered in his head.
Wasn't one of us. And so either someone got in
here and tampered with his head,or you let someone in here who
tampered with his head. I'll see to my men in due order.
Thank you very much. That is not a concern of yours.
You're welcome. And you speak of other spells

(55:05):
like this. What does that mean?
Well, do you have something? The opposite of a spell right
now we can offer potentially looks around at the group more
of those spells. You do catch his attention on
this one, and he slowly turns back.
You see his eyes are a bit suspicious, and he's got a

(55:28):
handout toward Piccolo as if he was just about to do something.
While this is all happening. Demos, I'll jump to you real
quick. The most You fall asleep in
almost an instant as you cast the spell, but it is not a full
sleep. Rather it's more of a lucid
dream. You find yourself awake sort of

(55:49):
in your own head. You have control over the space,
the world around you, and you feel like you are fully and
completely in control of your dream.
It's a quite freeing sensation. You probably don't lucid dream
often, and this is one of those times where it's actually quite
exciting. And funny enough, in this space
you feel you can sort of drift in any direction you like, and
eventually you find yourself drifting out out of your own

(56:13):
skull into the room, almost likea ghost.
You watch this wizard, an arch maid, yelling something in a
language you can't understand, higher response in another
language you just can't understand, and your form floats
and shifts across a tether to the skull of Piccolo lying on
the ground. You nest solidly inside of his

(56:35):
head, and soon enough you find yourself in another dream.
Here. You look around.
It's fractured, it's very brokenup.
It's all manifested around you physically, sort of like an
illusion, but a dream. You see mostly white, large
splotches of white all around you, boxy white outlines of
things. You think you're in a house

(56:57):
somewhere, but the roof is entirely white.
There's no texture to it. There's a table with a white
fruit on top and it has almost no texture to it.
It's like a room that's been completely untextured.
It feels empty and sort of vague.
You feel a sensation in the background of this head.
It's sadness, loneliness, fear. But it's all being dampened

(57:17):
right now, which allows you a bit of peace wandering around.
Eventually you spot him. Piccolo, the man whose head
you're in. You see him as a much more put
together man that he is now. He's still wearing orchestra
robes, black rose with a sort ofgold white trim.
He holds in his hand his instrument, the piccolo, and he
seated at a chair. You're now somewhere else.

(57:39):
The house disappears and you're in some sort of dank, dark,
grimy place, like a sewer perhaps, but it smells almost
sweet. You find bottles against the
walls of this space, all whited out and empty wine bottles.
You're in a wine cellar. You see around.
He's practicing. You can't tell with who or with

(58:01):
what exactly. The piccolo is up to his mouth,
and you hear other players around him, but you don't see
them. You merely see him sitting in a
white chair, and this all stark white room playing is pretty and
nice, and the memory continues for a while and you feel like
you're just watching it. This is significantly more
detailed than you simply detecting thoughts as you have

(58:22):
before. Even in this man's mind, a
completely broken, shattered mind.
With detect thoughts, you weren't able to get much more
than a few sentences. But here, here is a picture, an
image, something he didn't have any words for.
Nothing that you could pick out with detect thoughts, but now
you're physically there watchingit happen like a third party
spectator. You watch it sort of flow from
one practice to another, different locations.

(58:45):
The wine cellar slowly morphs and changes into the looks like
backroom of some sort of large, very brilliant kitchen.
You seem to be in a freezer and you're surrounded by produce and
meats in the back of a kitchen. You're playing here too.
Rather, you're watching Piccolo play here, sat in a white chair
and playing his instrument beautifully.

(59:05):
It's marvelous, this playing. And there are other instruments
in the background but they're muted, can't quite hear them as
well as this beautiful shrill instrument in front of you.
He's a master at it, practicallyperfected it.
You watch the location shift yetagain and again to other sort of
strange locations, and eventually it settles on him,
what looks like in a prison cell, just like the one you're

(59:28):
in now. He's a bit more disheveled now,
still wearing his orchestra blacks, and he doesn't have his
piccolo anymore. You notice it's missing, but he
sat here, and he's got a determined look on his face.
He doesn't look like he did justa moment ago, when you were out
watching him. He's conscious, he's alive, he's
thoughtful. Here you notice, with no

(59:48):
instrument in hand, he instead reaches up, places his hands and
perfect position where an instrument might be held across
his face, and begins humming, blowing out of his lips as if a
piccolo was right in front of him and a small yellow, what
looks like sparkle peers in the air in front of him.
He continues to hum. You recognize the tune that he's

(01:00:11):
humming. It's the one that he's been
humming all night, the one that doula meant Abel.
For a moment we're sort of trying to decipher.
It's this simple tune, a sort offuneral dirge, a quiet melodic
piece that has swells and and has these low points that are
quite beautiful. He hums it gorgeously.

(01:00:31):
And after a few moments of listening to this demos and for
some reason, you start to hear an actual instrument, a real
piccolo in front of you. You watch him still.
He's in this prison cell alone, and he doesn't have an
instrument with him, you see. In fact, his piccolo was snapped
in half off to the side in the rooms, left to some sort of
reminder. And yet you hear the instrument,
plain as day, shrill and loud and high pitched, playing alone

(01:00:54):
in this room. The song continues past where
Doolum and Abel had been able todecipher further notes, further
and further. And it continues into this
beautiful melodic piece, still sad and tone still a dirge, but
you hear it and you watch as youwatch outside.
You guys see Damos's body is still.

(01:01:15):
His body is slack jawed and the whites of his eyes are still
exposed and he's still not moving.
The wizard still has his arms outstretched.
And we shift now to everyone outside higher.
You're saying a few words to this wizard and he turns to look
at you, Archer mage also, and isnow complete.
You see anger in his face, confusion mingled with what
looks like a bit of perhaps interest, and he listens very

(01:01:38):
carefully and says quietly, If you have what you're saying you
have, you'll show it to me rightnow, damn it.
Okay, right. I think we should right
everyone. Shake my head no at you.
Okay. You'd be wise to show the Grand

(01:01:59):
Master. Of the tower.
The other master speaks. You hear?
Skelevar has a tone of fear in his voice as he sort of sits
back and watches. Right.
Damn, now show it to me. What is this?
Some sort of tome? You have a list of scrolls?
Some sort of arcade knowledge? Let's see it conjuring.
We can give you the, we can giveyou them as spell scrolls.

(01:02:20):
But I what is? It I want.
To reveal our source. What is it?
You've picked My intro, I'll give you that much.
I with with as much respect as possible to give you these
items, we must do this with privacy.
That is our condition and perhaps we can offer you slight

(01:02:45):
extra extra because of of your kindness towards our discretion
give. Me another persuasion check
higher. I'm gonna barf.
You're doing a lot of good persuading, I'll give you that.
I'm just want to make it worth something.
Higher has just higher gets A5. Higher's just been speaking for

(01:03:07):
the last like 3 minutes and it'snonsense coming out.
You continue speaking to him, and you can tell your words are
sort of landing, but his eyes furrow, or rather his eyebrows
first. Eyes grow dark as he says.
You'd be wise not to bargain with the arch mage of this
tower, boy. I control this place and I
control everything in it. You think you can walk out of

(01:03:28):
here with whatever scrolls you're hiding?
You'd be damn well mistaken. I'll see them now, or I'll have
you all arrested and that's you see Promise.
Do you see why I'm bleeding? Do you see why I'm multiple
people in this room are injured?That's because of exposure to
the source. We are trying to protect you.
Let me protect myself. I can figure it out.

(01:03:51):
I've come this far by myself. Quit beating around the Bush.
You all, I kind of don't know ifwe have a choice.
I think we need to make a decision here.
Moment of silence, he looks around and he used his fury is
rising and rising as he looks and sees makes eye contact with
each. One of you if I.
May, if I may, Archbage Hawthorne.

(01:04:12):
I'm quite busy, you know. This has all been a waste of my
time and I should just kill thisprisoner and be gone.
You're attempting me with fake magic.
This has. Been a waste of your time.
We show you a spell you've neverseen before.
We talk to a prisoner you couldn't speak to, and we inform
from you that we've learned it may well be one of your own men
who did it. I think it makes sense.
I'm not here to argue with you. Look at scalar.

(01:04:33):
Do I sound like I'm arguing? No, I'm explaining.
So listen, I think it makes sense that we'd want your eyes
alone on what we're going to show you.
Fine scalar be gone. The Master is bows his head
deeply and quickly scuttles out the door, opening it quickly
with a few metallic clanks and shutting it behind him.
Second or two goes by all. Thorn turns, and you see somehow

(01:04:56):
he's even gotten more furious. His red red face is turning even
more red and his eyes are downturned and he watches you
and he goes. You better have something for
me. If you have nothing then I'll
have you all jailed, banished, perhaps Show.
Him, you guys, I feel like we should show him.
We we understand. Good.
I God, how can I discreetly castending to Dulum?

(01:05:24):
You could certainly try so without any, yet cast it without
any somatic or verbal components.
Yeah, You know what I I would say with Subtle Spell, you could
sort of just cast it because you're right, it's verbal and
somatic would be gone. So you cast it with Subtle
Spell. I I cast ascending to doolum.

(01:05:48):
What is your argument? Why can we not show him?
He watches you curiously, by theway, higher for like the six
seconds it takes you to cast, and he's like, what's wrong with
your face? Say something.
It is too. It is too chaotic and evil.
This wizard is too. We should contain it.
I guess. Or can I ask, can Carter ask

(01:06:11):
Isaac who you meant by the evil wizard?
Do you mean the the like guy in charge in the room with us?
Or, assuming that the Arch mage is furiously looking at higher,
I just point at his back. OK, Yeah.
He is furiously looking at you higher.

(01:06:33):
He's just. He looks like he's got a really
short fuse, and you guys are sort of tugging him along with
what any wizard considers like the peak of magic, something
they don't know yet. And you haven't shown him
anything. He watches you angrily.
Oh my God, I really don't know if I, I have another 6 seconds
to cast ascending. I, I guess I just want to say

(01:06:58):
that this is a very, very painful item.
And you know, I think I, I guessyou're right.
If you think it's your choice toview the item, then you, you
know, you're, you're understanding the risks and we
can always control whatever happens after that, right?

(01:07:20):
I feel like we don't have a lot of control right now.
I'm I'm saying this mostly to dothem.
Talking over his shoulder. But I'm still like making eye
contact with the guy. He slowly presents his two
hands, his trembling wizard hands, and a snarl comes over
his face, almost like a really angry smile.

(01:07:43):
And he goes, yes please. Now do present it condret in me.
I'm looking at facial expressions for if doolum hated
that or if doolum was maybe convinced.
It's my facial expressions the exact same, neutral.
Neutral expression, baby. If it helps, Oroface's full body

(01:08:04):
bright red and you can tell he'sso fucking stressed out he could
die. OK, so that doesn't quite help.
Doesn't it? I'm gonna talk.
Sort of a normal expression. OK so my genuine belief is that
like yes, him discovering the book is very bad but we can

(01:08:27):
control him maybe if. We can, but I also don't think
we have a choice at this point. Like I, I think we have to, just
like, I don't see us finding a way not to show it to him.
Yeah, I agree. I we're not going to make an
escape out of here no matter what.
So he's going, I feel like he's going to get the item most
likely either way. So I feel like we might as well

(01:08:49):
go down like with him, thinking we're on his.
Yeah, see on the other hand, my preference would definitely be
us not showing to him. Anyone has ideas on how we the
fuck we could possibly? We have something that he wants
and I feel like we can potentially use that for
manipulation if we have to. I feel like we're trying and
it's not like. Yes.

(01:09:13):
But I think we can pitch our group as having a high enough
reputation maybe to intimidate him at some point, even though
we are not doing that now. I just don't know if, if we
can't. I like, I, I agree that would be
our best case scenario is if we could like talk our way out of

(01:09:33):
it, but I don't know. I mean, the easiest way is to
just lie. I'm unsure of what lie would get
us out of the situation. There are a few.
You could just give him a book and then he'll be mad.
He'll be like what? I thought you meant a magic book
and be like oh we tore at the last spell scroll.
He's gonna kill us. You guys given a lot of good
thought to this. Good.

(01:09:54):
We've given a lot of thought to it.
Maybe we just show it to him. Guys, what are the chances I can
slip the ring of calm emotions? That's.
My new favorite plan. Like maybe there's actually no
way. There's no way, there's no way.
But I'd love I'd I would try, but I think that will not go

(01:10:15):
well. I agree, but it's still.
His perception is very high and I don't have a good plight of
hands or stealth. But what if what if you trick
him into like sticking his fingers out in front of you,
like saying you want to look at him, at his hand or like I.
Mean I just. Like I know someone who.
Does have a pair of gloves of tinkering.
Some. Gloves for tinkering.

(01:10:38):
Kyer looks at you and then makeseye contact with a ring.
I like to see you. You.
See. Like a line of sweat going down
my jaw. I look at you pleadedly.
Yeah, I look at Damos and I think for a minute and then I

(01:10:59):
like very slowly take some waterup to my mouth and I start
choking on it so good. So I want to, I want to double
over and sort of fall. So I'm like balancing myself on
the arm of the chair of the prisoner guy next to where his

(01:11:22):
ring is. So.
What you you're trying to choke on water?
Yeah, I'm choking into water andthen I'm doubling over coughing.
OK, they must have spell. It's having to defect.
Give me a performance check. Can I help by like being like

(01:11:45):
ohh no what happened to you do this?
Something. Again, not again.
So what's your? Performance, Jack.
Then it's 14. Did I have help from Jaya to
Jaya help? Did Jaya help?
How are you helping please? Please, just adding to the
performance playing into it, youknow, being the father to an

(01:12:09):
abandoned son. Can I use my last subtle spell
to cast a bomb Turkey to Oh my God Oh my God.
Can I cast altered eyes on or Thalmatergy on Orpheus and then

(01:12:37):
use the altered eyes effect to change the appearance of his
eyes for one minute? So.
You're said I want this, right? Yeah, and then I want to make
the eyes look like Damos's. OK.
This is not helpful that I won'tdo.
I would rather not do it. Your mind.

(01:12:59):
So yeah, hire you, you suddenly cast the spell, the wizard looks
at you and you another 6 secondsgoes by where you just sort of
don't move. And he speaks very, very sternly
as he goes. If you don't procure for me
this, whatever it is, spell book, listen, scrolls to
whatever in the next few moments, you'll damn well regret

(01:13:22):
it. I won't ask again and you cast
the spell. My employer will kill me.
Or you can cast. You can roll with advantage
orifice. That's so great.
Oh my God, 18 that's like basically the best I could have
possibly. Gotten that wasn't.
OK, you sort of double over, choking and coughing.

(01:13:42):
Jiah goes to sort of help. You notice the wizard does not
care. He does not turn around, He is
not watching you at all. He seems to be completely
engrossed in what Higher is saying and watching him with
this evil glare. Or not evil, rather, it's just
very upset. You lean down.
Orpheus. You slip the ring off, right?
Yeah, into my. Hands.
You pull it into your hand and you look up.

(01:14:03):
You see the wizard has not turned around.
He doesn't seem to have noticed.Okay.
I push up my goggles, rub up my eyes, put them back down, and
it's a much. Better role at 18.
Thank you. And then I say, hey Sir, what if
he spells is in this and I'll hand the guy the ring.
It doesn't really turn for a moment, mostly still just

(01:14:24):
watching higher and goes. I'll make sure you're safe,
young one. All right, if you have forbidden
knowledge and you bring a tear and you dance at the front of my
head like forbidden fruit, you must show it to me so you can do
after all this damn fucking worrying.
I won't ask again if if you, if you know the source of the book,
I'll die. And if the book gets harmed over

(01:14:46):
all the the master of this book will come for it.
And he's a very powerful man, from what we can tell.
One of the cobalt's spells are in this and I hand in the ring.
No orifice. He sort of turns around.
He holds his hand out, sort of shaky wizardy hand.
You place the blue ring in his hands.

(01:15:06):
He holds it up. You see him look down at it
through his spectacles and wavessome magic over it.
You recognize the spell as identify in a media cast.
It feels amazing. He looks at it and goes Weak
magic. Barely useful, but I appreciate
the gesture. And you see?
He places the ring inside of hiscoat pocket.
Now where's this real book? Enough of this poultry shit A.

(01:15:29):
Gift. You were just.
Supposed to try it on. You watch, you watch the light.
Levi's eyes and his mouth had tolike like pops open a little
bit. It looked kind of looking like a
damos and like a haze and understand what just happened.
The wizard turns. You bought another few seconds

(01:15:51):
with that one orifice, but he seems uninterested and now looks
back at higher and holds his hands up.
I smile and clap his shoulder and you guys can all tell this
is the smile of agony. I turned you and say what he's
saying is really starting to make sense to me personally.
Personally, it's making sense. What are you?
Saying riddles. No, it just it like he has a

(01:16:15):
good point. Who?
My friend here? I bumped his shoulder.
Who shoulder? The wizard.
You're gonna touch him. I said.
I put my hand. On his arm already.
He didn't do anything about it. OK, are you gonna, like, throw
your hand over his shoulder now?No, it's just like, you know,
like I'm holding his arm. I'm like patting it like this
guy, Yeah. I need you to very carefully

(01:16:36):
explain to me how you're touching him.
OK, at first I put my hand on his arm.
Was that bad? No, that nothing happened yet,
OK. Now where my hand was, I lifted
slightly and pat him. Friendly gesture.
Got it. All right.
You patted up and down. Nothing seems to happen.
Not up and down, not up and down, just in place.
Just that bad in place. Sure, sure.

(01:16:56):
And he turns over at you and he gives you the scoff and sort of
pulls this robe away. The billowing is sort of pulls
in. The Gray robe disappears out
from under your hand. And he looks around and you and
said, goodness, what a waste of my fucking time.
All right, well, I told you all I would.
I wouldn't ask again. Yeah, you don't have to.
I look at my purse. He reaches under his cloak, very

(01:17:17):
slowly now. You notice he doesn't move.
With a lot of haste he reaches down and grabs something.
A small sack. It looks like a little bag of
holding. He opens it up and you see
something float out of it. The biggest crystal ball you
have ever seen in your lives outof the bag of holding.
It's nearly a meter in diameter all the way around with

(01:17:40):
beautiful swirling smoke inside.He's really compensating for
something here. This giant orb slowly floats in
the air and rests just about a foot away from the figure, about
6 or 7 feet off the ground. It gives off a fair bit of light
in the room, and it's almost like a drip globe floating
around it. It illuminates you all pretty

(01:18:01):
well, and you go sort of get a look around to see the room.
You see Abel is still sort of pressed up against the corner
and really scared. Everyone else seems scared too,
and he holds out his hand towardthe the great orb, the giant
crystal ball in the sky, and he begins saying an arcane word, a
verbal component of a spell. The 1st.
To do this. He speaks the first half of a
spell you can alltel for, especially spell casters.

(01:18:23):
You can tell how long spells usually takes to cast.
He speaks the first half and at that moment I'm going to jump to
demo demos again. Demos.
You're still inside of this man's head.
Your friends have actually been doing a pretty good job of
basically distracting this guy. You think in another world you

(01:18:44):
you likely would have been pulled out much sooner, but for
you, time has felt different. It's felt like you've been in
here hours. Like with any dream, it is sort
of this lazy sort of feeling about where time seems to sort
of stretch on infinitely and it already feels like you've been
watching him for a few hours. As you get to this point now
where he's in the prison cell playing this invisible non

(01:19:05):
existent instrument. You continue watching him and he
plays the Sonata for you, this almost funeral dirge.
It's quite beautiful and unlike the other times you've seen him
play, this one lasts a lot longer.
Again, the whole room is white, most of his clothes are white.
Every once in awhile a flash of color will appear somewhere, the
Gray stone of the walls. You almost catch a smell for a
minute, the smell of dirty dingycell room or the almost tape to

(01:19:30):
the taste of moldy bread that hemust have had as a prison meal
here. The one sensation that never
leaves you, a sound. The sound of the beautiful,
beautiful sonnet that you're hearing.
You hear every note perfectly played out.
You think that because you're listening to his memories, you
were able to clearly tell that he cared about the music.
That's the thing he chose to remember, or rather, that was

(01:19:51):
the thing that wasn't cut out. His face is almost featureless
now, as you see it. The white is claiming it and
turning it into a blank mask, and the music continues playing.
It plays for a long time, 20, maybe 25 minutes of the same
song, continuous and beautiful. It's gets repetitive at some
point and then gets novel at another.

(01:20:12):
It's long and you've never heardanything like it before.
It's beautiful and somber and itmakes you feel just a touch of
pity for him. Toward the end of his song, in
the last five minutes, somethingchanges.
The ring is removed from his finger and emotion bloods back
into these memories. They weren't here a moment.
Ago you were luckily kept from it, but now an overwhelming

(01:20:33):
feeling of sadness and fear and distrust and hate all flooding
to your mind. Demos, all negative emotions.
Nothing feels good. You feel maybe the tiniest bit
of joy from playing this music, but you could tell something's
wrong with it. The emotions he's feeling are
not really joy, not for the music itself, because something
bigger is at play here, something scarier to him.
He thinks he's killing himself. It's horrifying.

(01:20:55):
You feel the emotions well up inside of you and you all of a
sudden fucking a sniffle and sort of look down and you see
tears rolling down your face. On the outside you guys see
Demos starts to cry with not a sobbing gesture, just completely
still tears rolling down his face with no emotion in his
white eyes. But however for you Demos in

(01:21:15):
this man's head the emotions areoverwhelming.
Fear and sadness mingle one along another, and you barely
stand that you feel yourself slipping from the memory, but
you hold on, listening through the song, listening as hard as
you can. The time, time sort of drags on
and you're stuck in this moment,and you see the sparks of
yellowish energy appear out in front of him a bit more rapidly

(01:21:37):
toward the end. Here.
He finally places down his handsand his mouth closes, the song
done, and you see a flash of yellow light in front of him as
something happens. And just as it does, I'll jump
to the outside once more becausea decent amount of time has
passed for you. Demos on the outside again.
The wizard is continuing to justlike yell profanities and look

(01:21:59):
at you higher and he cast the first half of the spell.
You guys all see Demos. Tears start to roll down his his
cheeks and for the rest of you guys you watch as the wizard
disappears for only a split second.
You look around and you see he'sstanding about 7 feet away.
Right besides Demos. He has a book in his hands.

(01:22:19):
The book The Cursed. Stone.
Yes. Can I counterspell?
Oh my God. Wow, big boy.
All right, give me a counterspell.
This is a ninth level spell. Fucking.
My I don't even need to use. Lucky I got in 24.
Wow. So just to double check with you
demos to make sure this what youwant to do.

(01:22:40):
You want to counterspell the arch mage of the.
Dolan excuse me, sorry. It's I wanna kind of arch.
It's still pretty good. The book do.
You wanna counter spell? OK Doolum, you hold out your
hands, you snap your little robot fingers and instead of him
disappearing and reappearing with the book, he doesn't go
anywhere. The spell fades and he looks

(01:23:00):
around seething. At this point now you can tell
he is no longer just irate, he is fuming mad.
Who the fuck did that? God damn it, speak up now.
Who would do that to the arch mage of the tower?
You dare counterspell me? You dare at my home?
We can't give you that. I don't he.
Whirls on you, marching up to you quickly, his giant globe

(01:23:22):
following you, and he points a crooked finger at you and says.
You dare, You dare. It's not fair of you to steal an
item from us. Steal.
I'm merely looking for it. God damn it, you've said you'll
show it to me and this man keepsblabbering on about nothing.
You. Have no right you seem.
Rational, right? You come from Mechanis.
Tell me honestly, do you plan ongiving me this book or not?
I currently don't intend on doing that.

(01:23:44):
If you'd like to try detecting the book, I don't believe you'll
be able to detect it. Then speak the truth.
Do you speak for the group? It's just the final.
Say. He looks around and waves his
arm around. You see?
Malika sort of shrinks back at the corner, and Wade nods his
head. I I I can do them, Take my hand
off the wizard's arm and nod. I nod.

(01:24:05):
Yes. He turns back towards you,
Doolum, and you see, almost suddenly, all of the ire fade
from him. The anger that had been built up
and holding sort of fades, and his face still sort of glows
red, but it quiets for a moment and he rolls out of shoulders
and simply goes. Right then, I suppose we're done

(01:24:26):
here. Auto No.
No more counterspelling, yes? As long as you don't try to
steal, yes. Good, he turns away from you.
Now you can. Still, there's almost a hint of
admiration as he turns away fromyou.
Doolum, it wasn't there a momentago, it was only rage.
But as he turns toward the center of the room, you see just

(01:24:47):
a hint of appreciation for what you just did.
He was impressed. He turns toward the center,
toward Piccolo. He lifts his hand, his right
arm. His fingers are sort of limp.
He holds out his pointer finger limply toward Piccolo and simply
speaks the word die. And a ray shoots out of his
finger. You see Piccolo half sitting up

(01:25:09):
now, suddenly dropped to the ground, immediately dead.
You all feel sort of a shiver run up your spine as the power
word is spoken and demos inside of his head.
You get the final moments. The entire sonnet was finished.
2025 minutes you think in total.A beautiful song.
And just as it finished, you seein front of him something a bit

(01:25:33):
unusual, What seems to be at first what you think could just
be sparks of arcane energy. Again, you didn't see him cast,
not with a his spell focus, his instrument.
It was not in his hands the whole time.
He was merely just playing a tune.
That's all he was doing. And yet in front of him, you see
that five beautiful golden linesare carved horizontally across

(01:25:57):
space. In front of him, the last note
of his song wavers in the air a bit longer than it should.
It sticks and holds out. The light in the room all bends
around these five horizontal lines.
Your ears pop demos and you watch the faint Moat suddenly
brighten into almost a sunbeam with the soundless peeling the

(01:26:20):
air, and in front of him unzips the shimmering slits of light
open into a small what looks like little interplanar space, a
little Demi plane. He opens.
It's little, almost the size of a trunk or a chest, and it's
empty. It's just filled with golden
shimmering light and sort of walls and a floor as far as you

(01:26:42):
can tell, but it's all opaque and hard to see.
The space in front of him is open now, and you see he reaches
up and he slowly he places his head inside of it.
It dawns on you, Demos that whatyou just watched, he created
this portal to another plane, just with music.
And just as it dawns on you and just as you see his head go in,
you sort of lean and close to what's happening inside and all

(01:27:04):
of a sudden you feel death. It's immediate and jarring.
Demos. It's horrifying.
The body you're in dies while you're in it and you sense it.
This is full on X-Men Professor X feeling someone die.
It's horrifying. Feel a surge of necrotic energy
shoot through you, not through your head but through the head

(01:27:26):
you're in. And all of a sudden you're
thrust out, panting, your heart beating fast, death right at
your feet. You've died before, but this one
felt different. This one felt permanent.
And you're pulled out of the body.
You guys all see Demos take a gasp of breath and start panting
and sweat runs down his face sort of changes.
Colors have been a bit more ashyGray, almost a pallor.

(01:27:48):
And you breathe. Demos says what you saw sticks
in your head as a memory. Now you see in front of you the
figure fault of the ground dead.Demos, are you okay?
What happened? You look, you see the arch mage

(01:28:09):
in the room, he's holding out a finger, his face is like 3
shades redder than you remember and Doolum is standing sort of
right behind him. He's got a finger still pointed
at the body of Piccolo. He sort of claps his hands
together and his hands tremble and he goes well that was that.
Sorry to bother you all. Listen hard feelings earlier.
There's this wizard, we always want to find more knowledge.

(01:28:31):
Listen again, no hard feeling, but I am unfortunately going to
have to cordially banish you allfrom this tower.
Please make your way out and never step foot in here again
until I say oh, thank you for coming and I'll be making my way
out now. Time of death, whatever.
And he slowly makes his way toward the door, shambling with
that limp. He makes his way toward the
door, slowly unlatches the lock,opens it, and starts freaking

(01:28:53):
his way out. Higher is like seething with
rage and is drawn a little bit of blood from like clenching
like fists. Team.
You feel a hand sort of rests onyour shoulder higher, and you
look over. It's not you you expected, Abel.
The gentleman looks down at you and goes.

(01:29:14):
I'm really sorry about that. I know that was precious to you,
my froggy friend. Hopefully we don't.
We we lost, we lost too much from this.
I thought, I thought, I thought it was worth going further.
But now I don't know if Damos isaffected by some curse.
Seems and. Demos, What happened?
What did you see? I, I saw the I, no, I, I heard

(01:29:40):
the most beautiful song I think I've ever heard before.
And it's, it was strange. It's, it was like, it's the, the
music itself was, was a form of magic.
And, and he had created something this, these golden
rays that were, they felt different, like they were from

(01:30:01):
somewhere, somewhere far from here.
And, and just the moment he was about to step in, it was
strange. It was like like a cold plunge,
like everything had in his mind had been shut down and I was
thrown out. Really quickly, Mason, what is

(01:30:24):
the state? Just be just for like time's
sake because I think I have likea minute or an hour.
How bad is the shape of the body?
Is this revivifiable? Mason, we can't hear you for
some reason. Oops.
Sorry about that, I was snackingon thin mints.
Give me a quick arcana check higher and anyone else can feel
free to help too because this isjust testing.

(01:30:45):
Seeing the spell that just was cast, I'll.
Give it. Help I rolled 2 seventeens 22.
Yeah, No, I, I would say Revivify would work here.
Now, common sense thinking here higher, you do know that this
man was set to be executed and you're still sort of in the home

(01:31:05):
of the person who did it. So if you did revive him, it
would sort of be directly against the orders that he was
given by the the open Lord of this place.
You don't think he would survivemuch longer?
And you were pretty sure you'd get in a hell of a lot of
trouble. So rationally, that's sort of
what comes to mind. But you do think Revivify?
Could I? Could revive him.
We could put him in the bag. We've lost so much already.

(01:31:26):
I we need to, I think we need tomake something out of this.
They'll know his body's gone higher.
This seems like did nothing. Sometimes things.
It's interesting we would be giving him life back.
He's dead. There's always after lives,
right? I don't know, higher, You're a
good man, you care for people, but this guy really was a bad

(01:31:48):
guy. I think we maybe need to let
this one lie. But besides, it sounds like
Demos got some good info. Maybe we can discuss this,
figure something out about it. There could still be a, you
know, something good we got fromthis, I think.
I think we should cut our lossesand leave this place.
I agree you. Already did good.
You distracted him? Well, I doubt if we had

(01:32:10):
distracted him this much, Demos would have learned this.
Is the grimoire really that muchworth protecting?
I thought I think so. I don't know, I trusted your
judgement. Well, we we certainly can't get
it back now and it is certainly something worth protecting.
It sounds like what Demos found could be very useful, and Abel
speaks up. Yes, I actually believe this

(01:32:31):
could be. Fascinating.
A song that can summon some sortof portal.
This should be worth investigating, especially if you
heard it. Perhaps you and Doolum could put
together some magic yourselves and concoct this song up again.
We'll see what it does. That does sound like a good
idea. Demos sort of wipes the
remaining tears from his face. I feel like we should go.

(01:32:55):
This doesn't feel like a good place to be anymore.
I do too. Yeah, just get the fuck out of
here. Hey, listen, now that that guy's
gone, oh, I'd totally chase him down and get that ring back for
your hire, man. Fuck that guy.
Fuck that. What happened to your ring,
Kyle? Genuinely, genuinely, I forgot
you guys can stop me if you want, but Hire is actually gonna

(01:33:16):
start running for that guy. Starts running out of the room.
Wait higher. Wait.
Hold. On I meant that as a joke.
Shit, someone should stop him maybe.
I'll run and get. I'll run and grab him by the by
the horn. No, you guys are all faster than
me. Yeah, unfortunately anyone can

(01:33:40):
catch up with you higher, so if you want to make contesting
strength checks in a grapple youcan, but otherwise you feel.
Higher. Yeah, you feel giant.
I'm. Making my strength checks then
all right. Disrespectful of shit.
Posing. Strength checks bans us from the
tower, walks out running the hallway after him start fighting

(01:34:01):
each. Other he fucking sucks.
Give me my ring back. I do want to run after Jaya and
Hire, but rather than participate meaningfully in
their grapple, I'm sort of like frantically. 16.
Around them I got a 15. Yes, off the the scuffle goes on

(01:34:21):
actually fills up a pretty largespace of the two of them
scrapping and pulling and pushing and eventually Jaya
you're able to grab higher by the goal and hold them back.
Yes. I'm screaming at you.
You don't know what I lost. Is the guy still within seeing
distance of us? You do, you make your way out of
the room. Oh yeah, yeah.
Exiting the room you spot two things immediately.

(01:34:42):
One the other master of the tower, the individual who sort
of got kicked out haphazardly. Master Skelevar sits up against
the wall, his antlers sort of pressed up against the stone.
He sort of got his arms crossed and he feels about half the the
archway. He looks and turns his head
towards you as you walk out. Or a Faeus you see behind him,

(01:35:03):
about 1020 feet away, is still Arch Mage Ale Thorne walking
down slowly without much hurry at all.
The hallway. Skelevar looks at you and goes.
You must have done something quite, quite interesting in
there. I've never seen the Master like
this. I don't have time for you,
Skelethor, and I want to walk past him all Thorne.
He sort of holds out his hands to sort of block you.

(01:35:26):
Skelevar doesn't goes. The master really does want to
return now. He's quite finished with you.
I'll pick. Take it up with me.
I duck under his arms. OK, you duck under.
Give me a Acrobat. Attics check.
Yeah, it is. It's a natural 20.
Oh my God. Wow, not 20.
You're feeling sexy tonight, eh?That's pretty good, all right.

(01:35:48):
You duck under quite easily, actually.
You make it another 5-10 feet now, closing the distance.
All Thorn doesn't even turn around and you hear a voice
behind you that streams up. Hold.
And you feel your body tighten up.
Give me a wisdom saving. OK all Thorn 15.
Unfortunately, that is below thesafety as your body is held

(01:36:10):
place, paralyzed. Your voice chokes up as you get
out all thorn and you see he doesn't even turn around, simply
marches slowly and surely down the hallway and then toward a
staircase towards some unseen higher chamber.
You hear a behind you as Scaliper goes naughty, naughty.
The master told me you're all getting kicked out.

(01:36:31):
He has banished from the tower. Must have done something quite
rude in there. He told me to give an eye out
for you and now and he sort of starts circling you, coming
around to the front of your face.
If you will. I'd him here to escort you out
of the tower while he's blockingyour way yet again in front of
you. Well.
I'm hold personed, right? I can't even you.
Are hold personed? Yeah.

(01:36:52):
Yeah. Higher.
You and Jaya are still tussling.You're sort of being held down
higher. What do you want?
To I like to imagine it's like like Jaya is using both arms,
like hold my head back and like I'm trying to like swing at but
my arms aren't long enough. Kind of kind of like kind of
like a kid that can't like beat up an adult and higher says to

(01:37:17):
you, you know what, fuck you, Jaya.
I get to make my decisions for me.
You can't make decisions for me.I just think we need to take a
second calm down a little bit. Hires mad and continues to fight
back. OK, can you guys both give me
another contesting roles inside the room?

(01:37:39):
You guys hear, you know, are some boys around here?
Oh, please settle down higher. We can do this amicably.
I don't think you need to be violent.
We can, we could make you another one if you want.
He said it was weaker magic. Maybe we could make it.
I know it was from home. The thing that created that no
longer exists. I got a 17.
I got 10. All right, higher.

(01:38:00):
You sort of squatch around a little bit, and finally you can
bite down on one of Jai's fingers to escape.
How? God, so what's really gonna
happen is that I'm gonna like, book it, make it 20 feet, and
then get hot again. To be higher.
Higher will do that, let you catch him the second time and

(01:38:27):
then he'll stop fighting. But he's really mad about it.
All right, you guys do the wholesong and dance again.
Higher you make it to the dorm and see Orifice trapped outside,
held in place and the arch mage is nowhere to be seen.
Jaya jumps on you again. You guys tussle for a bit and
Jaya, you feel Higher's fight finally leave him.

(01:38:47):
There you go, buddy. Are we still in the main room?
You're sort of at the cusp of the the entranceway.
Higher turns to I would say everyone and says I'm very mad
for all of you for letting that happen, so one of you should
check on Orpheus and apparently it can't be me.

(01:39:09):
We knew that's not why you were going out there higher.
No, I'm saying or if Orpheus is being held.
Out. There, someone go check on that
and I'm mad at you. Those are like two different
things. Yes, at once.
Yeah, that's fair. Malika sort of steps over you.
Does anyone else in the room want to do anything?

(01:39:29):
You guys are sort of here alone now with.
Yeah, I'll look for orifice after Harrison that.
Yeah, I'll go retrieve the body.You guys, I'll step out.
Just as you step into the hallway orifice, the whole
person is removed and you sort of at the ground again.
Take a breath. Take a deep breath.
Look up at the Skeletor. Skeletor.

(01:39:51):
Don't try that again, I'll use something more inappropriate.
I'm not going to, and I'm not going to hurt you and I'm not
going to kill Allthorne, but I'mgoing to make sure he loses his
job, OK? From the bottom of my heart, I'm
going to have make sure that someone important sees you for
what you are, which is thieves. Thieves in the complicit.

(01:40:13):
I'm going to make sure that person understands how thieves
should be dealt with. You seem confused there, friend.
This is the law. There is nothing confused.
About me, No matter how slowly you speak, it doesn't make you
sound intelligent because the words you say have no value.
I'm going to leave now and you're not going to see me
again, but you're going to know that what you did today is what

(01:40:35):
ended this stage of your rotten organization.
Master Othorne controls the tower.
Tharne controls the tower. A lot of people control a lot of
towers and none of them last forever.
I want to start walking back to my friends.
You turn around in a huff and helooks at you, sort of confused.
What did I do? You return, you see everyone

(01:40:56):
sort of huddled in the hallway, Doula Manjaya sort of pushing
through to come find you. Or a face.
Are you a rat? I wanted to visit a friend of
mine. Right now.
Rex Yamir is many things, but they're not a thief, and I don't
believe they would allow a city they rule to be run by thieves.
We don't have to do it now, but we have to do it.

(01:41:16):
I'm sorry. Higher that I handed him the
ring. I didn't think he would just
take it. I want very.
Much to I, I I, I, I knew I was giving it up.
I guess once I started to hate him I couldn't stand him having
it then so like it made sense atthe time but now it feels wrong.

(01:41:38):
But I was planning on becoming in a rogue anyway so.
Hi Ari, what do you mean a rogue?
You're still love ether, right? You're a man of the cloth.
You want to throw that all away?The skill set has only gotten me
so far. I believe multiple classes of
study might be helpful to me. I mean sure buddy, but I mean I

(01:42:00):
know rogues, those guys are all fucking assholes and thieves and
you're better than that, but maybe I you're just become
something I've never seen beforeon a good rogue.
I know you all have your opinions on rogues apparently,
but I'll remind you my brothers,allegedly one of them, and I

(01:42:20):
know him to be a good man, so I would implore you all to
reassess. I think this is a great idea.
Higher studying new things is always a good idea.
You should branch out. You explore new skill sets,
learn more, It's a great idea. Just.
Don't use it for evil, but you know that.
Don't fully understand what we're discussing right now.
I don't know, I might do something evil and fucked up to

(01:42:42):
him. I might take his toothbrush or
something. But yeah, true with that.
But. It's not the worst thing.
Yeah, let's see ourselves out, Tamos.
We can find a different way to meet with that black stuff.
Yeah, I have a feeling that thismight not be forever.
So yeah, let's just get it's. Actually, you have connections.
I have connections. We can't kill them, but we can

(01:43:05):
ruin the current state of their lives.
Yes, quite right. All right, so you guys all exit
the room, leaving behind Piccoloand his instrument alone,
shuffling out. Can I nab his instrument before
we leave? You you wanna Yeah, you can pick
it up. It it is truly just a piccolo.
Like it's not actually magic itself.

(01:43:26):
It's just like a an instrument. But yeah, you grab it.
Noise also go ahead. Well, everyone was talking in
the hallway. I don't know if the robots being
able to write 3 times as fast asnormal applies to me, but I want
to be writing a note. What do you want to write?
I want to be writing an officialletter to Arch Mage Hawthorne

(01:43:48):
and in it I want it to officially request that he
returns the hires ring to us or just this will be served.
Yeah. Sure.
Do you want to give me a slight of hand check for just like
making it look pretty like do you have a calligrapher set or
is this like an official like just doolum letter written on
blame page? It's official doolum the.
Desk of Doolum, yeah. It's a 16, OK.

(01:44:12):
You guys all exit then Dulum is working hard at it. 16 pretty
good actually. That's above average.
You're working on this on your way out.
I'd say you are writing faster Dulum.
You can probably finish this by the time you guys reach the exit
if you guys take the leisurely path.
Okay, cool, I just want to hand it to Mr. Drude that's escorting
us. Sure.
Yeah, I'll. I'll let you know when you

(01:44:33):
finish. Yeah, just on the probably
bottom page, bottom floor. As you get there, you guys
slowly make your way down. Drude has this also anxious look
on him as surround any sort of turns toward orifice and goes
listen, no hard feelings about the whole person, right.
You kept saying that you had friends in high places and it
got me a little. I have.

(01:44:53):
Friends in the highest places and I have friends right above
you so. Well, I mean, I, I, as I'm sure
you know, I've done nothing wrong this evening.
Just the master, right? Obviously I recall exactly what
happened this evening, and as long as you believe you've
behaved lawfully, I don't see what you're worried about.
OK, so this is quite all right. So how did it go in there?

(01:45:15):
Anything interesting? I ice them out.
No shit for. Me.
It's just I feel like I could maybe help you if you wanted
just because I don't want to be in a bad light if you're
friends. Well, something was stolen from
us, a religious item of great significance to my friend.
Hire Cobalt of the Goddess I Thera.

(01:45:37):
Stolen. No.
No, the Master does not steal things from people.
He must. Oh no.
He just takes. Them and then walks away after
you call after him and hold persons you.
Oh no, sorry. He he has one of his goons hold
person you. I remember what happened, don't
worry. He sort of looks and his eyes
sort of go wide and give me an insight check orifice.

(01:45:59):
Oh bad, roll 10. You see something twitch in his
face and you don't quite recognize what it is, and his
expression changes and he goes, oh, I'm so sorry.
The Master should be returning that shortly, Must have just
been an accident. I guarantee he'll have it to you
by your exit of the tower. And he gives a polite smile.
We'll see how that goes. Right, you guys descend the

(01:46:22):
tower, then the great floors open up beneath you as the
beautiful spiral staircase flowsdown.
That's a beautiful building yet again.
All the windows are gorgeous andthe magic everywhere is
spectacular. Of course, a bit of a sour note
has been left in all of you after what just happened, so you
have a little bit less of the appreciation of the beauty of
the space. Nevertheless, you walk through.
You pass the living and sleepingquarters of many of the masters

(01:46:45):
and apprentices here. You pass by the great beautiful
viewing room of all the planes, including mechanists.
You see yet again and Faye Wilde, and you pass by and
glancing at it at the staircase and descend further.
You pass by the training rooms, the combat rooms.
You pass by the classroom where the looks like ghostly ghoulish

(01:47:07):
person has disappeared now, and instead in their place seems a
very large and complicated scroll of arcane lettering that
you guys all recognize as the spell True Sight or True Seeing
explains its components and how to cast it.
You pass by it and eventually make your way back to the first
floor. It's a slow walk this time and
you notice that the awkward master Skelevar seems to sort of

(01:47:30):
look over his shoulder and he looks nervous.
You'll recall he was very nervous when the arch mage was
in the room as well, and he seems to not quite be quite sure
what's going on but neverthelessis a bit hesitant.
Is there anything you guys wouldlike to do on your descent?
I'm. Just mad dogging him.
I'll, I'll thank him for gettingthe the guy.

(01:47:52):
At least he helped. He helped a little bit.
So thank me for what for. Getting your boss.
Yes I did do that for you, and Ishould mention I did also warn
you that he'd be in a piss poor mood.
And yes I did. He usually likes appointments
months out. This sort of stuff makes him
quite irate. I did try to warn you all, not

(01:48:14):
trying to say that condescending, I just mean I'm
sorry if it didn't go the way you wanted to do.
I also quite don't understand his emotions sometimes.
Yes, no, thank you for the warning.
We maybe should have taken it, but it's.
All right. Thank you for.
Giving. US time, of course.
Unfortunately, it seems your last time was here too.
Pity about the whole office between the seconds and I would

(01:48:38):
have loved for you to take a better look at it.
Perhaps he'll pardon you, or something else might and you
could return here. I'd love to see you all again.
Thank you. Who do you think is going to
pardon us all, Thorn? Well, he has the power to do so,
yes. Unless, of course, you're able
to talk to one of the Lords of Waterdeep, which would be quite
ridiculous. Yes, that's.

(01:48:58):
Does that feel unlikely to you? No, I just mean they wouldn't
dare burden themselves with justsmall trifling things such as
this. They deal in wars and great sums
of money. I just sorry.
Also, the Lords view you all as small trifling things then.
I feel like I'm really good at making a big deal out of small

(01:49:19):
things, so I I feel comfortable in our ability.
Of course, I just hope you. Remember my kindness and
recommendations when you write your reviews to whoever.
I mean, fuck Awthorn with every bit of my body, but yes, thank
you. So great, many people dislike

(01:49:41):
the arch mage of black staff, but he does get to the job done
as a tour. His job being.
Yeah, what exactly do you think he accomplished today?
Well, today he's. Mostly been studying, you see,
there's also been word of, well,we believe there's been some
sort of issue with and you see his lips shut immediately and he

(01:50:03):
stops talking and he goes right then the first floor.
It seems you're here. OK, thanks.
I want to get out a piece of paper and write down things
Allthorne has accomplished today.
Item one studying in parenthesesquestion mark and then item 2.
Stall ring from front. Stall ring from prominent

(01:50:24):
religious figure of religious minority in Waterdeem.
There's got to be a law. Against that.
It's perfect. Just feels like there is.
And right at the top of the steps he sort of stops and lets
you all pass and goes, Yes, I believe GLAAG can see you all
out. Do I hope you did enjoy your
time at the Blackstaff Tower. Do please avoid the place from

(01:50:48):
now on until you're giving up words.
Goodbye. And he turns and floats up the
stairs. Oh, here he.
Stops I'm. Going to give him my letter.
He gets it, looks it over and goes, oh, thank you friend, but
there's really no need. I can guarantee you'll it'll get
it upon your exit and he folds it up and places it in his crook
of his elbow. Thanks.

(01:51:09):
OK goodbye. Now it's up the stairs back in
the first floor. You guys all enter black staff
tower. It's later at night now mid to
late evening time and Glag the wet is currently looks like
lying in the center of the room on the ground soaked in water, a

(01:51:29):
puddle. She seemed to have her arms out
in this, looks like trying to cast some sort of full body
spell on the ground, but nothing's happening.
She sees you guys all approach and doesn't really make much of
A move, continue sort of stretching and sprawling on the
ground and some sort of strange rhythmic dance, almost an
artistic display, soaked wet theentire time.

(01:51:50):
It's a bit odd and you guys all feel like you're in the wrong
place. And eventually she stops, stands
up gracefully, cuts herself off,and then casts a spell over her
body to make the water all disappear off of her and she
dries quickly. Well, so how did that go?
Not so bad. I hope the old master didn't
give you too much trouble. That old bag of wind.

(01:52:10):
He sure gave me a quite a talking out to through the well
through a bit of a telecom communication just now.
It went pretty bad. We're no longer allowed here.
Oh well. That's too bad.
You know, if it's not a too muchof A worry with you, a lot of
people do get banished from Black Steph Tower.

(01:52:30):
It's actually more common than you think.
Unfortunately. The masters of this tower, some
of the older tabs consider this place sort of like a their
little fraternity house. So they kick out people that
they don't like and so only theycan hang out here.
You get how it is makes apprentice and quite hard.
I'd probably say 50% of all apprentices here get banished
before they ever graduate. God only knows what sort of

(01:52:54):
lawless myth this fraternity youspeak of is, but I can guarantee
there should be no such thing happening here.
Yeah. Oh, and before I forget, I do
have something for you. Something got floated down to me
with a message from the Arch mage, and she picks up from off
the grand entry table here, a small packaged blue parcel

(01:53:14):
wrapped in beautiful gold twine.She sort of gestures out, not
sure who to give it to. I'll see you know I'm taking it
and I'll reach out. Few moments goes by.
You guys are a slow moving bunch, you know that?
Real quiet to hire. You reach out and grab it.
You want to open it? Yeah, OK.
You pop it open. Inside is sort of a ball of

(01:53:36):
wrapping paper and it's a thick almost like parchment.
She sort of recites something from memory as you open it and
goes, yeah, so the Arch mage said.
Whoops. Looks like I forgot this
upstairs. Please enjoy your banishment
from the Tower. Do not return here again, Arch
Mage Alethorne. And you finish opening it and
find inside a very familiar bluering, your Ring of Ethera

(01:54:00):
wrapped in the center. It's perfect and flawless, just
as you remember it. Higher sniffles a little bit and
turns to Oro and Dulum and says I I didn't think I would get it
back even as I ran after him. Thank you for this, really.

(01:54:21):
It means more than you know, of course.
I I don't actually know if I helped all that much in the end,
but maybe something I did worked.
Me as well. I saw you try and that meant a
lot within itself, of course. I like to think it was a
combined effort sort of thing, yeah.
There's a there's sort of a sense of this place that the

(01:54:43):
master's an evil guy. He really isn't evil, he's just
a bit angry as all. I'd like to apologize on his
behalf for taking this from you.I'm sure he didn't mean nothing
by it. Perhaps he was just a bit
jealous is all. You guys have a good day, all
right. What could you possibly?
Sorry, I really don't have any sympathy for this guy, but I do

(01:55:03):
wonder what could he possibly bejealous of us for?
Like what? From what little I got in the
message, he was talking about some sort of new magic that you
all were talking about. And well, as with any good
wizard, I think he sort of prides himself on a lot of
magical knowledge, so when it's hailed from him, he sort of gets
stinky about it. Strange, because I know a very

(01:55:25):
good wizard who's rarely an asshole.
I give a thumbs up to Demos, yes.
She gives a polite smile, and you can tell us she sort of had
to give this spiel to a lot of people, sort of apologizing for
her masters. Yeah.
Well, again, I'm just real sorrythat that happened to you.
And listen, I really wouldn't take this whole banishment thing

(01:55:47):
as a personal offense. I'm just glad you guys got in
the tower. A lot of people get stuck
outside the door. You know, we have some people
sick and weary out there for days, and the masters never see
him. It just makes me heartbroken.
That's why I'm trying. To change it from the.
Inside and it gives us. A thumbs up.
I write down turns away, sick and weary, calm and negligent.

(01:56:08):
Well, unfortunately I can't let you stay much longer.
I will have to scoot you all out.
But none of you left anything else, right?
Is there anything else I can do for maybe I'll see you around
town. She gives a weak smile.
Yes, maybe. Good luck here.
Thanks there, Mr. And sorry again about your ring.
I think that's yours again. I really don't think the master

(01:56:30):
meant much bad. He's sort of forgetful old, you
know, one of these days I think he might just up and turn up
dead now then. I think, Higher looks back at
her, just with a smile on his face.
He's just like, yeah. All right, yeah, bye now.

(01:56:54):
Off we go. And she goes over to the door on
the wall and opens it up, and you guys are let out into the
dark. What but well lit water deep
evening On exit, the door shuts soundly behind you and you turn
around and see as it was before.The Apprentice door that you all
walked through has no door or any sort of opening mechanism

(01:57:15):
that you can see. And you guys are outside now,
Black staff tower. You look up at it and it's only
about four stories tall. It looks the same as it did
before and it's evening time now.
Tonight is yours and you got your ring back.
Higher it. Really does look like.
Yours. You think it's It's the same one
for sure. What do you guys want to do?
What time is it? You look around, it looks like
it's roughly 7:00 or 8:00 PM. Not like positively late at

(01:57:38):
night, but a little past dinner because dinner's at 6:00 PM, you
know? Well, fuck that guy, am I right,
guys? God damn if there's a hate group
for him in this town I'm joiningat day fucking one.
I would donate to that group. Solid coin.
Yeah, you know what hate Groot is probably not a right idea.
Hey, you got your ring back so higher how he slaps you on the

(01:57:58):
back. How's that for a lucky sense?
You know, Doolin was writing letters, I think oral Faeus was
about to call in some fucking favours.
Got you. Got shooters.
Yes, I'm very I'm very thankful and I am maybe also grateful to
not have chased him down look looking back at it, especially

(01:58:18):
considering we got it back anyway.
So I was perhaps too harsh. I think hires being really
awkward and he's saying this like loudly enough so everyone
can hear, but he but like he he's like trying to like almost
like apologize to. I would say Jaya probably in

(01:58:39):
particular as he speaks to Malagus.
Well, the Sergeant held you downgood, didn't he?
You're a tough son of a bitch, Sergeant.
Yeah, sorry. It's it's old man's bedtime.
We should take him to bed. I could tell he's really strong
too. He's fucked up.
Yeah, I could do it with one hand.

(01:59:01):
OK. I bet.
Look, come back here. I'm pretty sure my hands the
size of your head. All right, now back.
On the chopping box. Whoa.
It's that big on my. You're handsome.
Big child. Now I'm.
Just fucking real fucking sad. We're going to miss that.
That real nice lady Glag the Wet, you know she was a looker.

(01:59:24):
But she wet. Yeah.
I don't understand how you couldlook at her and not think about
her as like a fish. I feel like we saw more of her
as a fish than we did. Oh yeah, I'm seeing all right.
OK. You ever heard of a mermaid
hire? Do people like fish girls?
Is is that what's happening? Not like a like 1/2 fish

(01:59:47):
situation. Which half is the fish?
Oh, a hybrid. Hybrids are.
Appealing. I want the top.
I'm sexy, but then. You want the bottom half to be
the fish. You want to feel the fish part.
Oh shit, you're right. No, I want to fuck the the human
part, but I want to also look atthe human part, so I guess.

(02:00:08):
Oh, really? Fish.
Like fish part on the bottom when I'm looking, but fish part
at the top when I'm doing other things, you know?
Fish in the middle next. Oh.
Middle. Sort of like a scaly sort of
proton mid drift. I'd prefer goat in the middle I.

(02:00:29):
Thought you were just talking about how you've never fucked a
man. What are you doing?
I'm I'm trying to be funny. Isn't this what jokes are?
Higher. I would report you to HR for
that one. OK, I'm gonna.
I feel like I've spoken a lot today.
No. Way higher.
What do you guys do today? Well, it's some late at night,

(02:00:50):
so we could go back and see Tickand Monty, you know, in just a
few days, I think we have that priest coming in for Monty so we
could start getting ready for that.
And I don't know. In other words, I'm sorry that
we couldn't find that cool wizard that you are talking
about, Orifaeus, the one that might have known some things.
In fact, Demos, you were also looking for that same wizard,
right? Yes, unfortunately.

(02:01:15):
I think perhaps in the next few days I'll have a meeting with
Rex Kamir and see what they can do about getting us a meeting
with that wizard. Perhaps outside the tower, You
know, neutral third location. Yeah.
And I'm sure, I'm sure Volker might have a some advice at
least on no, yeah. Your connections are also good,

(02:01:37):
you know, we all have powerful friends.
Yeah, I mean, I mean, they did insult them a lot though, which
was well. Well.
They did seem a bit more powerful here.
Demos, No offense, but your other dad couldn't even cast
fucking spells. Yes, allegedly he can't cast
spells. Maybe we can clean house here

(02:01:59):
and Volcker can be the new blackstuff.
Oh. Well, you.
Guys, both know very powerful people.
I like this idea though. We know where a Volcker is or a
face. Your friend Rex Yamir, are they?
Do they have an address? Huh, I guess I don't know where
they live in this dimension. Does anyone know where they live

(02:02:19):
or where we can find them? Did they tell me how I could get
in contact with? Gonna roll the history check.
I'm checking my notes. If I get desperate, yeah, I'll
go and roll. I'm pretty.

(02:02:41):
Smart. I mean, I'm not the best at
history. Like, I used to know this guy
who was really, really good at history, but it's a dirty 20.
OK, you definitely remember thatthey did not tell you where to
find them. In fact, recall what they said
specifically was that from now on you will never see them again
by face. You'll only deal with
intermediates. Did they give me any any hookup

(02:03:01):
on how to get in contact with some intermediates?
The last you heard, they said that they will be in touch now
without a history check. I can tell you that Dulum, you
did get more information than that.
In fact, you got a job offer from Rex.
To who gave? You a location so you at least
know where to find them. Well, I guess if.

(02:03:21):
Nobody knows where to find them then.
We'll we're sort of stuck, huh? I know we're to find Beasel and
Mammon. You do well, at least people
that would know where they are. That's good.
We, Abel and I, wanted to find Beasel regardless.
Oh great, let's go to the Quicksilver Liberty Bar.
That's where they said I could get hired for a job.
Sort of job guard work. Oh.

(02:03:43):
You'd be good at that. Yard.
Work fucking what? I don't know if that was the
zinger you want. To be.
Fuck you are a face, fuck you are a fuck that.
I'm always saying that. Abel comes up and sort of grabs
demos by the back demos. You feel two hands sort of
slapped on your shoulders and hegoes.
You did such an incredible job digging in that man's skull.

(02:04:06):
My congratulations to you. I believe you've given me quite
a task that I can do over the next few days.
In fact, I'd love some help withthis decoding this interesting
Riddle of a song. Yeah, you you think you're up to
the task. He flashes A charming smile and
goes, well, I do hope so. I'm sorry I wasn't a bit more
well spoken up there. Once that gentleman, that ape of
a gentleman, was discussing being banished, and well, that

(02:04:30):
sort of got me thinking about mystint in jail, and I was sort of
clammed up a bit, fearful of theprison systems, but my gods, it
was well to watch you all work. In fact, Orifaeus, if I may.
He strides up to your face and plants a hand in yours, giving
you a firm handshake. Well done, old boy.
Well done, old sport. What an incredible job you've

(02:04:51):
put your foot down up there. I could see the old Orifaeus
coming out in those brave and brash actions.
Wonderful. Orifaeus.
The bold one? Yes, my friend.
Or a face. Anymore.
You're bold. I saw it just.
Now OK, wait, do you guys think of me as bold anyways?
I feel as if everything we've done as a group is bold and you

(02:05:14):
compromise a large part of thosedecisions.
Yeah, sure. Compromise us.
You've done great things. OK.
Thanks, guys. Thank you, Abel.
I'll try to bring back old or a face more often.
What? Don't turn this into a negative.
I dare say the bravest. I've ever seen.
This is a compliment, old boy. He slaps an arm on your hand,
rattling your body a little bit with an unexpected force.

(02:05:39):
He sort of sees that and pulls back and goes, Oh goodness, you
could take that hit before. Come on, old chap.
We're facing make a good soldier.
I'd have you on my platoon. I wish make a good soldier.
I was the first knight of great nature and.
You would also be a great knightof Queen Rincey.
You know, do. All of you think so.

(02:06:01):
Not to me, everybody. We're literally saying we think
highly of you in your actions it.
Was supposed to be a compliment.OK, it just, I guess it felt
like I'm a CEO of a company and you were like, I can trust you

(02:06:22):
in the mailroom, work in my mailroom.
You'd be good at that. Sorry.
I'm not trying to be bitter. It's just hard when the person
who I used to be like sort of incharge with is now like 2 feet
taller than me. And when he slaps my shoulder, I
feel my teeth shake. Sorry, sorry.

(02:06:45):
I'm trying not to be bitter. I think it's Iceland, not me.
Come now, have some sense or a face.
You're the bravest of all the Knights.
If the Sergeant would have you on his platoon, then you'd make
it anywhere. You did good today.
I was proud to see your work. In fact, I'd love to have your
help in and deciphering this tune.
You know how I love a good jam? Oh God not don't.

(02:07:05):
Make me do love loves music. Lamode chap, is that right?
You're a music enjoyer. I can help well.
You and I have a project. Then you're not helping.
You're leading, my friend. We're doing this together.
You know more about the music ofthis era?
I need to do myself some studying.
Where's the nearest library? It just.
Blows from everything right now.Well wins better time.

(02:07:27):
I'm not much to waste time, unless of course we have
something better to do. I mean, we could go find.
Bezel. That's fair.
I would like to do that. Is that something we can do now
or be a bit less short on time? I don't see why we couldn't do
it now, but I don't know what. What exactly did she say, Dylan?
She said to ask for a Phoenix shot this.
Is. Kind of cool, actually.

(02:07:50):
All right, so. What would you guys like to do?
Evening is still sort of wearingon.
It's still sort of the early evening, so you still can do
something with your night as well.
We can also just all go to fucking bed.
I could really use a nap and a good bath and maybe some food
food. I admire the tenacity to learn

(02:08:12):
more. I think we should at least do
that if we choose to do nothing else.
Let's go talk to Beazel before bed.
I'm sure she can't get us to Rexymere tonight, so maybe it
would be good to get on their calendar earlier than later, you
know, and. Then on we go.
That sounds wonderful. Yeah.
What if I go? I can go look after Tech and

(02:08:32):
Monty. I'll just go, you know, get some
food, go to bed. You've been through Crepe today.
You I, which makes sense. You can rescue if you want.
Hey, listen man, you spin that ring on your finger right now,
all right? You enjoy.
He slaps you and starts wandering off.
Come now, let's have an adventure, Abel stressed off at.
Least they're not walking in thesame.

(02:08:53):
Direction. Which way are we going?
By the way, I. Think I'm following Abel.
Yes, but he doesn't know where the body is, does he?
Oh, I see your points now. As Abel as Abel steps further
away, he goes. No offense.
Is Abel stupid? Oral.
Face considers this, having never really thought about it

(02:09:14):
before. He's very good at some things.
He's Abel stupid. I don't know.
You know how some people, they don't think enough to be stupid
or smart because you can't tell how good they are thinking
because they don't do it? I think so.
He's not stupid. He's.
Emotional. Maybe.
Impulsive. You know what, I might take 10

(02:09:34):
or 20 years to think about something.
He'll have already done it and had it go bad and then done it
again and had it go right. Maybe done it twice and had it
go right. So you don't know that's that's
stupid. I wouldn't say.
Oh, Raphaeus, I'm just walking where my heart takes me.
I know there's a bar district around here somewhere and I
think some drunkers can keep point us in the right direction,
won't they? Hey, hey, do them memorize the

(02:09:56):
map right? Correct.
Or I can I can consult my drawing or, or we.
Or do you want Abel to lead us, Sir?
I'll direct them. I'm good with.
The map. But you know, his plan seemed
stupid, but then just then when he explained it, yeah, we didn't
have the map. It's not the worst idea.
No, no it wasn't. Abel gets back.
Here we have a map numskull all.Right, point me in the

(02:10:19):
direction. He does not turn around and
continues. Start leading him.
It appears for far on him eitherway.
Doolum trots up to get in front.Attaboy Doolum, my musical
companion. You get out there, show me the
way, and you guys walk out into the city.
Yeah. I want to quickly turn to
Orifaeus and say, I think the word you were looking for is

(02:10:41):
naive. He's naive, but it's it's sort
of endearing, the same way he wants to go read right now.
I wouldn't say naive because he knows what might go wrong, he
just doesn't care. Does that.
Make any. Free is a great word for it, but
you know, there's such thing as too free.

(02:11:02):
Yes, that I can understand. Good thing you're here to keep
him on. AII want to retract this
statement? The statement I was going to say
was I hope you keep him on a leashing collar.
I like. I like.
That OK, OK, the entire says that.
OK, buddy, that's why I'm in charge and he's just fourth

(02:11:26):
night. That's so much lower than me.
The hierarchy makes sense. Actually.
All right, so you guys want to head out into the city?
Sure. You guys begin marching out.
You have to get over the the hill.
As you recall, the castle ward is sort of at the top of this
grassy hill, the grassy Knoll ifand descending it takes some

(02:11:46):
time down the grass. It's dark out here.
It's actually the darkest part of the city.
The rest of the city has St. lamps everywhere, but out here,
especially by the black staff tower, which is completely
unlit, it's pretty dark. It's mostly just illuminated by
the backsplash of the city itself.
So you guys make your way until you finally find the main road,
passing by some of the noble houses and the trading houses of

(02:12:07):
the castle district. About 20 minutes of walk later
and you eventually make your wayout into the traders district.
This is where the map points youas you follow it Doolum, you're
able to keep to it pretty well. In fact, you sort of find
pleasure in sort of pathfinding.The perfect way to get there and
the most efficient route. You guys duck through a few
dingy alleys to save a few seconds, and after another 10 or

(02:12:30):
so minutes of walking, you guys find yourselves in the midst of
the trade war. During this walk, is there
anything you guys would like to do?
Demos is sort of looking for like a a small but like still
sizable like chest with a lock on it to purchase.
OK, to purchase, yeah. Yeah, that's actually pretty

(02:12:51):
easy to find. You can duck into a any number
of shops and metalworking shops to buy a chest with a lock.
The chest itself will run you about two silver pieces and the
lock, depending on the complexity you want, could get
more expensive. How nice of a lock do you want?
How complex can I get? The nicest locks you see sold

(02:13:15):
here are a DC-20 slight of hand check, and that's sort of
already masterwork. You think you'd have to custom
order anything nicer and those go for 20 gold pieces. 20 gold
pieces sounds perfect to me. Oh OK, so you spent 20 gold
pieces, so please subtract 20 gold pieces and two silver to
buy a beautiful iron lock and a fine sturdy oak chest with

(02:13:36):
banded iron. Nice.
Perfect. What was?
That Oreos 0. Go ahead.
No, no. No, there you go.
Let's just say I'm thinking of afew ways of securing our special
book. Oh, locking it in the chest.
That is not a bad idea. It could keep.

(02:13:57):
Crying eyes away. Oh, you know, you make a good
point, Timos. If that wizard, with all the
anger we saw, truly forgot aboutthe book, we would be unwise to
think so. He might follow us for a day or
two. Yes.
And I don't know how to feel about keeping it on us all the
time. So we'll, we'll see what
happens. I feel we must keep this, keep

(02:14:19):
it on us. A simple locate object and he
could find it. And he's a very powerful wizard.
Well. We could touch.
It we could touch it in Doom's bag, Sorry.
No worries. Yeah, we could.
We could put it in Doom's bag. But also I.
Guess something really fucked. Up it's.

(02:14:40):
I don't think he even knows whathe's looking for though, you
know? Good point.
Yeah, sorry. True.
He didn't see it. Yes.
But he doesn't know it's a book.Can I see the chest quickly?
Damn. Clairvoyance.
Perhaps he could also use. Yeah, I'll show the chest to
delum. Put my hand over and cast an
alarm spell around the book. Nice.

(02:15:02):
All right. You do.
So. So I will say I think the alarm
spell has a duration. It's about 8 hours.
Is that right? Yeah.
OK. So just wanted to keep you
updated on that. But yeah, you cast it around the
book so that anyone who touches it who's not you guys will alarm
you. Yeah.
Perfect. All right.
The alarm spell goes out, You feel it's active and looks good.
Nice. Inspired by Demos's safe and

(02:15:24):
proactive inventory management, can I keep an eye out for some
sort of fireproof bag? Those are easy enough to find.
They actually sell a few around here.
It's just really well treated leather that is fireproof.
You can get like a what? What size do you want?
Like a backpack or like a littlesack?
You know, OK, ideally if they had any sort of fire proofing

(02:15:46):
treatment they could apply to the bag I already have, I would
do that. If not, I would go for a satchel
similar to the size of my own. OK, that charges a bit more.
They'll charge you 5 gold piecesto treat your own backpack with.
This a fire proofing lather. I'm OK with that.
Now the the seller here does make a point that this is

(02:16:06):
fireproof so it stops flames, but it is not explosion proof.
Some sort of large blast, like afireball could still damage the
leather beneath. How much for a blast proof?
The shopkeep you're talking to ashort, younger elven man who
speaks up and goes. It was.
That would be a bit more expensive for you Sir.

(02:16:28):
Blast proof. You might try to define.
You see, you need metal for that.
And metal casing. It'll be quite bulky and heavy.
It's practically like armor for your backpack.
Is that really something you want?
Would it slow me? This specific.
What's that? Mechanically speaking, would it
slow me? Mechanically speaking, it would
not slow you down, however it would be just bulky so in

(02:16:51):
character you would be upset by it.
That's. OK, Orifice doesn't back down
from a challenge. I'm.
Stronger than I am. Look.
Bring it on, buddy. All right, but it's going to be
really clunky too. It might be kind of loud.
And this is where I'll mention apotential game change to it.
Wearing this giant heavy metal blast shield will give you

(02:17:14):
disadvantage on stealth checks. OK, I guess I'll just stick with
fire proofing then. It's fire proofing, but it
doesn't work for fireball. It works for.
Flames, you know, if you walk through a fire, a fireball is
explosions, man. OK, I might instead keep an eye
out for some sort of magic store.
Or actually, you are right. What am I saying?

(02:17:35):
Yeah, sorry. It just doesn't seem that
practical. Hey, Samud.
Yes. Have you ever put a fire
resistant ward on anything before?
Tons of things. It was the first thing we were
taught when we lived in the plane of Elemental Fire.
OK, you're going to help me out later.
Got it buddy. He gives you a neutral smile.
I can't wait. I missed tinkering.
Me too, it feels like it's been a long time.

(02:17:57):
It might cost us some. Do you?
Is this for you? Foot in my bag with anyone else
who wants some fireproofing doneI would be happy.
How much do you think it'll cost?
He sort of looks at your bag andfrowns for a moment, sort of
measuring the material with his eyes, and the smile returns and
he goes. Honestly, for the whole thing, I
don't think it would be too much.

(02:18:18):
Let me think, in this place I would guess 65 gold pieces.
Smear. He's neutrally smiles.
It is magic Autoface. Yeah, I don't have the money for
that. Maybe someday.
He gives you sort of a close look and goes autoface.
If I buy the gold now for this, will you pay me back?
Yeah, sure. You.
Promise I don't forget. That you know.

(02:18:39):
You don't. And I promise I don't tell lies,
so there's that, buddy. OK, He smiles.
I'll be right back. He sort of disappears.
I have 22 gold pieces. Put these to it.
What's the interest rate we're talking about?
No interest, I'm not a mob boss.OK?
Just write down 43 gold to Samir, that's all. 4322, yeah,

(02:19:01):
done. He smiles and wanders off.
Be back soon and he gets some supplies.
What a great guy. Here, who is?
All right, so does anyone else want to buy anything here?
I don't because I don't have themoney.
Yeah, I'm also. I'm also poor right now.
We. Really need to get some sort of
money gaming scheme here soon don't you my?

(02:19:22):
Costume was a little pricey. Yeah, we all blew our entire
budgets on costumes for the balllabel.
Yeah, I don't want to talk abouthow much I spent on my.
You should have just tooken. Them from people in the street,
you have no idea how many peoplewould just had the way they're
things if you approach them in an alley.
All of those people think you'rerobbing them.
It's actually important you knowthat, because now that you know,

(02:19:45):
if you keep doing it, it's you're robbing them on purpose.
Now you're kidding. It was nothing of the sort.
I said nothing about robbing. I mean, nearly said something.
Excuse me, fine gentlemen, Couldyou help a poor fellow out?
Fail. They're taking it as Robin
because you look a little intimidating.
I mean, you're a pirate. Well, that's true, I suppose.
I still need to find this yes Ron inside check.
Sorry, you guys can keep talking.

(02:20:07):
Right then, on our way to this bar.
Dhulam, I think you were leadingus.
Well, we can't leave without Samir.
Well, he'll. He knows where to keep up with
us. Come now, we can't wait for
everyone. Let's get a move on.
What? I play at my feet.
Obviously, we're waiting. Or affairs.
You'll become too attached to individuals.
He'll catch up. He's a smart man.
What? I don't what not going to leave

(02:20:29):
my friend in a busy city square while he's doing me a favor
after lending me 40 gold. I mean, I wouldn't leave him
even if he had to lend me 40 gold, but it's just insult to
injury. It's rude, Abel.
It's not polite. Fine, I guess I'll plant.
And he walks up and kneels against a street post and taps
his foot annoyingly. While we're on the subject of

(02:20:50):
money, we do still need 320 goldby the next couple of days for
the ritual I. Probably shouldn't have spent
that gold just now. 320 gold. We could do another job in the
dungeons or. That could work.
If it's our only option. Or maybe I do actually get this
card job. Oh yeah?
Well, I don't know what sort of job it would have to be to make

(02:21:12):
350 gold in a day. I'm not sure either.
That killing kind. I think you'd be really good at
your garden job. 350 gold worth.I could make a beautiful piece
of art that's worth infinite gold to the right buyer.
Could you do it in 2 days? Art takes time.
It's a good point. Samir returns after about 15

(02:21:34):
minutes of his outing. You see he's got a big handful
of items. You spot some glass vials and
beakers. He's got some looks like dead
red salamanders, some black paste and some pumice stones.
And it gives you a smile or a face.
I got everything we need. Can I put this in a bag?
I forgot to bring one that couldfit it all.
Or a face. Grimaces at the dead

(02:21:55):
salamanders, but offers his bag.It.
Is all right or a face. They were dead when I bought
them. They're ingredients.
Just so dead. These are like pigeons where I
come from. What does that?
Mean did they deliver your messages?
No, they're like, they're like vermin, these fire salamanders.
They crowd the streets. Attack people's pets.

(02:22:18):
They attack. The pens don't attack.
You haven't. Been to New York yet?
Have you? Anyway, I'm excited to do this
with you, Orifice. I think this could be fun.
Sorry to hold this all up. I'm ready to go now.
Oh. It's all good.
Yeah, you're fine to me. Thank you for lending me the

(02:22:40):
money. I'm a bit embarrassed to have
needed the help, but I'm worriedI'm going to blow up and blow us
all up, so thank you for doing that.
Let's get you moving now. I think it was a good
investment. I rub your head.
Right, you guys make your way eventually Doolum, you get
everyone to the right spot. You guys all and this is in the
trading district for reference. Normally that is the kind of

(02:23:04):
sort of settlement where you'd find trading buildings.
But yeah, let me like a cute There we go.
I had to change the music for you.
You find a bar in the trading ward.
It's on one of the more crooked streets off to the side.
It's tucked between a theater and what looks like a silver

(02:23:25):
mint. The building is actually kind of
unassuming, a short, squat Navy painted building with a
tarnished metal sign depicting what looks like a Liberty Bell
with two wings on the side. Lanterns on the front of the
entrance shed a dull silvery glow and the mirror.
The windows are from the outside, so you can't see in

(02:23:45):
there's instead of one simple iron door that's closed all.
Right, I'll lock up to it all. Right do you approach?
It opens with an oily groan. Inside you find the Quicksilver
Liberty Bar. It's dim and somewhat quiet.
The room is filled with rows of stools and simple tables

(02:24:08):
sparsely attended by about 5 or 6 what look like drunkards.
It's strangely sterile here. Everything is clean, all the
tables are spotless and the stools are spotless.
Even the drunkards here have an area drops spilled on their
table and they all seem to be clutching their assorted cups
and wooden goblets with both hands.

(02:24:28):
The bartender here is what lookslike a shorter woman with two
horns sprouting out of her head.She's got a monocle over one eye
and she sort of just sits there and idly watches the entrance
and sees you guys as you all walk in and.
I'll start walking up to the baryou.
Walk up a closer inspection you see that the woman has 2 long
goat like legs. You recognize her as what looks

(02:24:51):
like an older Seder. She speaks with sort of a
wavering voice of the elderly. What?
Can I do you for? Welcome to the Quicksilver
Liberty Bar. Hello, 2 guards told me to order
a Phoenix shot here. Ask you if you could help me
find them again and maybe some details about employment.
I see. Well, one moment.
Here and the woman slowly turns around and procures a handful of

(02:25:16):
shot glasses, all glass, and places them on the counter
before. Is that going to be for everyone
here? I look back.
Yeah. Yes, we could.
Use the cash. Yeah.
She places out a little shot glass in front of each of and
you see she turns behind her andpicks up what looks like a
walking staff. Picking it up she unscrews the

(02:25:39):
very tip of it, revealing a small hidden compartment in the
staff. She pulls the staff up to the
bar and pours exactly 1 drop of some sort of shimmering Crimson
liquid into each of the shot glasses.
The one drop falls to the bottomof the whale of the glass and
you could barely see it. She quickly caps the container,

(02:26:02):
places The Walking staff behind her, and says a bit quietly, Go
ahead and drink this and don't blink, OK?
It sort of stings. Sure thing.
Well, down there. All right, duel him Down said.
How about the rest of you guys? Orifice is apparently not
fucking bold anymore, so he downs it.
Older than in the eye I've ever seen.
Abel downs it. Does anyone not want to drink

(02:26:24):
this thing? After the night we've had.
I don't know if I want to get drunk.
If this is alcohol. I'm not sure.
What it is? I like alcohol, OK?
Yeah, Samir sort of waits for a moment to see what you guys all
taste. You taste it or face it stings
on the way down, and it does taste strongly of some sort of

(02:26:46):
moonshine liquid. All of you feel the stinging
rundown your mouth, even Dulum, who you didn't even know you had
taste buds. You feel a burning click inside
of your memory. It's alcohol, Samir, it's
probably too strong for you. Just as you all finish the shot,
all of your visions begin to swim.
Duel, and what happens to you first then?

(02:27:07):
Or Fey as quickly everyone else.Heat rushes down your throat and
up your spine to your head, and for a moment the whole world
begins spinning higher. The spin sort of cancels out.
Your wizard wobbles so everything goes still.
Instead, all of you look around and the world around you slowly

(02:27:28):
tints red, and then all of a sudden the walls around you all
begin melting away down into liquid metal in the floor and
then rolling up like a rising red.
You all shift planes what? Into a different room.

(02:27:51):
Including Samir. Samir did not drink the liquid.
You see him melt away with the rest of the background.
It is also worth noting as all of you guys drink this, you all
become extremely drunk. It clicks immediately.
The one drop puts you all right over the edge.
In fact, it puts you all at the exact same level of drunkenness,

(02:28:12):
which on my little chart of drunkenness I just simply have
here. As drunk.
You are inebriated. Now you have disadvantage on all
checks except Charisma checks and you are like deep in it.
It happened quickly and almost immediately.
It's almost nauseate, but it's official and you're drunk now,
and it sort of overwhelms you for a moment as you look around
and take in the scene as this curtain, or this red curtain

(02:28:33):
rolls up to replace the surroundings around you with
what looks like a beautiful little lounge.
The air here is scented with exotic incense.
The walls slowly rise up and aremade of what look like almost
slowly shifting silver scales, like the shed skin of a dragon.

(02:28:54):
The light in this room is very low, very dim.
Lanterns here cast no shadows and all the light barely
illuminates a medium sized room,only about the size of the bar
you were just in, with no exits you can see.
Instead there's a bar right where the bar was a moment
before, and around you are but look like nobles, information

(02:29:16):
brokers, gamblers, whisperers, people. 3050 it looks like maybe
even 60 people filling the bar, filling every Immaculate table
that you saw just a moment before.
Lounge booths in the corner, stick ups and with looks like
Gothic architecture, black with red velvet and beautiful bright

(02:29:37):
red cushions. On the bottom you see what looks
like the same bartender, the woman with the curled horns, an
older figure and the seder legs now moving quickly, serving a
bunch of people at once. There's a whole swarm of what
looks like finely dressed individuals at the bar, all
ordering different things. Again, there's no exit you can

(02:29:59):
see to this. The noise fills the room
quickly. In fact, you also hear a quiet,
haunting jazz music over the clinking of crystal and the
shouts and raucous laughter of gamblers.
You've made it to the Speakeasy portion of the bar.
Sick. You guys are all drunk as you

(02:30:21):
arrive here and you look around.Abel is here too.
He's sort of looking around. He looks down at his hands and
goes. What is this familiar yet
completely new feeling? Oh, you're drunk, Abel.
How marvelous. What has happened to my skull?
What? What has happened to your skull?
Well, it's practically swimming.Look at the room around us.
We're somewhere different and itseems we've lost our friend

(02:30:43):
Samir Ovalis. It's.
The alcohol, it makes you feel bad and sort of.
Confused. Look at higher he's practically
swimming in the air. Are you all right, Froggy?
So sorry, give me one second. I believe he's too drunk to even
respond all. Right.
You guys are all in the bar. What would you guys like to do?

(02:31:04):
OK, so higher Strunk. Great.
Hire smiles when Abel calls him Froggy and says, oh fucking.
I really don't like myself when I drink.
I'm gonna go hang out with otherpeople.

(02:31:26):
I just really can't be around you right now.
And. Now hire come back.
We have conversations to attend to.
Stop it. Don't.
See the word? I need to talk to you later, but
right now you need to tone it down.
What about the tone? Charming.
Personality No to zero to 0. Now I'm a charming person.
It's part of my. Not right now, not anymore.

(02:31:48):
Not no. Just keep it in yourself.
You know, really? She told.
Me. It was one of her favorite
components of me. She often said that late at
night or aphaeus. I punch him in the stomach.
Don't speak of our. Queen that way.
You feel like rigid ABS bite back into this.

(02:32:10):
I shake off. My hand and try to not look
hurt, but I'm hurt. Don't keep our Queen's name out
of your wretched, filthy mouth. Why don't you stop talking?
What are you? Going to do about it or a face,
huh? Ridicy.
Ridicy. Oh my queen, ridicy.
If only she were here to see my splendor.
I hit him again. This time I want to try to punch

(02:32:31):
him like right in the solar plexus and OK, no, actually this
this one's not even a boy fit. This one's a girl fit I want to
scratch. Him.
Metal. Nails.
Yeah, metal nails. You want to roll to hit?

(02:32:51):
Yeah, All right. While they are entering
initiative did, what did the rest of you guys want to?
Do. I'll look around for Mammon and
Bezel. Yes, you look around, give me a
perception check. Higher, I think drunk and higher
is going to try to like somewhatprotect Abel, probably not like
fully like stand in front of or face, but like we're talking

(02:33:15):
like maybe like a polite like bull on the arm, like or or
face. No, that that hurt.
That hurts him. You feel a tug or a face?
No, my froggy friend is protecting me.
Oh, my savior. Oh my God, maybe I did it.
Can I hit? Would you roll?

(02:33:35):
I'll have it's 21. Yeah, that hits.
OK great, I do 1D4 damage. Yeah, you scratch deeply down
the front of his body. You see, this one he does react
to much stronger than the sort of playful punches you draw
blood in deep scratches across his chest.
OK it does 2 damage. Keep out of Queens, name out of
your slutty mouth. On.

(02:33:56):
A face, you damned. And he reaches out his hand and
he goes for a backhand against your face.
No, please don't bite. Does an 18 hit.
Yeah, 18 super hits. All right.
You feel a sting of pain as yourface is slapped hard as he
smacks you. It hits harder than he even

(02:34:16):
planned on it, and he sort of. Your head reaches back as he
deals, also too damaged. OK, Jesse.
Or a face. He's sort of not looking good.
He sort of holds his hand and goes, I'm sorry.
Or a face that was too, too rude.
I sort of I want. To scratch him.
Again. You rig for it.

(02:34:37):
It's 18 to hit. That also hits.
OK. This is becoming some party
abuse. You scratch again, this one gets
a little higher up by his neck and you catch 3 deep gashes
drawing more blood. This He sort of yells out a bit
loud now when he goes cut down. My chivalry then eh?
And damn this body you're in, I'll beat you man to man like I

(02:34:59):
always have. Hey, you've.
Not beat me once. You've always been an easy
target for me. Or a face First night of Queen
Regency, A first to go down ninebooks.
Come now, raise your fists. He holds up both of his fists.
Man, I raised with my fists. You notice that the the bar is
now getting into it, unlike, youknow, most bars where you guys

(02:35:20):
might get kicked out. You notice there's no bouncer
here and instead people seem to sort of be hooting and hollering
and you hear some money being thrown out.
Money on the big guy. Money on the big guy.
Guys, it's been a really hard day.
What if we just enjoyed it? People see the blood drawn and
other people just go, oh, I got 3 gold on the on the small kid
there. The girl, yeah.
And people start to put down my eyes.

(02:35:41):
They. Start looking crazy.
He holds out two of his fists and you see he's got this
brilliant bold look in his face of excitement.
He gives you a half smile. Come now, our face.
Raise your fists. Engage me.
I raise my fists, I engage me, and all five of me HP are ready
to go down. Great.
Give me an initiative role please.

(02:36:01):
Anyone while you're doing 3 on able?
You. Hear you hear a a guy from
behind you hire some what looks like gambler wearing fine noble
men's clothes go I take that bet3 gold.
I got you sold put down 3 gold. And while this is happening,

(02:36:23):
Doolum, what's your perception check?
My tattoos sort of light up as the alcohol gets negated, and I
got in that Tony. Oh, do you?
Negate the alcohol on purpose. With my I have an ability that
lets me roll disadvantage St. You have a Oh I.
See. I see.
Got it. Got it, Got it.
Wow. So through the drunkenness,
Doolum powers through and gazes around with those beautiful

(02:36:46):
glowing eyes. Doolum.
You do spot them, both of them. You recall the last time you saw
these two individuals. They were wearing masks, but you
remember their silhouettes perfectly.
And you spot the two of them, both Mammon and Bezel, huddled
up in one of the far corners. They look to be drinking with a
large group of six or seven people, and the group of them
are all well, appreciating this little bout of entertainment in
the middle. The two of them have smiles on

(02:37:08):
their face and they haven't noticed you yet.
OK, seeing that the fight is becoming an actual fight, I'll
turn around after seeing where they are.
Got it. You've clocked it and you turn
around demos or Jai, do you guyswant to do anything?
I don't. I don't.
Think I do. I'm probably trying to stop
higher from interfering. Fair.

(02:37:29):
Fight fair. Fight.
No, but I I have subtle spell. I could.
I could win big. He's.
Been burning? It all day.
Is is a single soul betting against Abel?
Yes, there there actually seem. To be a few constituents and for
example, the person who just betwith higher is betting against

(02:37:50):
Abel. They saw your metal nails in the
blood you've you've drawn. In fact, you've drawn first
blood. So some people think you might
have some sneaky tactics. You do hear Abel's name.
The the odds seem to be pretty high.
You think it's about 12:50? Happens to the best of us.
In fact, a little prize pool gets bid and you see someone
going around collecting money from the rest of them.

(02:38:11):
Seems like one of the higher up,perhaps one of the the more
official nobles here that works the tellers collecting money and
putting up bids. You got the highest initiative
orifice, so you go first. Abel's got his fists up and he
looks excited. OK, I want to go ahead and aim
for the you and your stupid fucking pretty face, huh?

(02:38:34):
And I want to try to scratch hisnose.
Oh, all right, roll the hit. It's a four I miss.
Aura face you absolute. Dagger in my heart I can say
ridicy as much as I want. Her name is dearest to me as
any, and it is my right. You didn't have sex with her.
You can't tell lies about her. That's nobody's right.
Smelly stories Have you never heard of music before?

(02:38:55):
It's all storytelling. Aura face.
You just need to get yourself a bit of creativity.
Stories. That's our truck of lies.
It's. Just a bit of novel fun, all
right? And who's to say I didn't spend
late evenings with the Queen? Hey, you certainly went there.
You're too busy fighting for. She needed all sorts of
pleasantries from her nights, you know that.
He has to take his turn so I canhit him again.

(02:39:18):
Did you miss? Yeah.
Oh yeah, I missed bad. Sorry, I got a four to hit.
OK, he rolls. You see.
He throws out a fist right at your neck.
It comes at you fast, and for a moment you feel like a pang of
fear that doesn't actually come from you.
You think it comes from the bodyyou're in, realizing that this
fist will do way more than you're normally used to in your
orifice form. And now, frailer human form, it

(02:39:41):
comes wailing at you. Does a 16 hit.
Yep. Super hits.
All right, this one slams you right in the neck.
You choke out a bit as you see he's throwing all of his force
into this one, dealing a total of 8 damage.
I go unconscious. Or a face.
The strike lands true, you chokeout and then begin to fall.

(02:40:04):
Just before you hit the ground and you lose consciousness.
You feel able catch you and thenyou fall unconscious.
The rest of you guys see Abel throw a punch and then
immediately wrap his arms or a face.
I'm expecting him to fall. You hear cheers from the crowd
and booze as the fight did not last as long as they wanted.
And then some money gets paid out a few directions higher.

(02:40:25):
You do get three more gold, I'm betting for Abel.
So you now have 6 gold I'm. Happy for you.
Huge. Go ahead and add that plus 3
gold. You earned it, my friend.
You're buying drinks tonight andAbel quickly tries to perform a
medicine check. Let's see if he's any good at
it. He's got a + 0 already.

(02:40:48):
He got a 10. That's perfectly average.
So he stabilizes Orphaus to 0. So Orphaus, you're not rolling
death saves. Great.
And then he's able sort of looksaround and goes, is there a
doctor in this house? I got it buddy, this happens a
lot. Don't worry, I got my.
Ego is going through the ringer,you guys.

(02:41:09):
God, you're some, you're like some kind of like One Punch Man.
Like you can cut that and I understand and then I'll heal
you. All right, go ahead and roll the
healing, but for now we'll just run through it Orifice.
You sort of choke back to consciousness, realizing what
happened. Your throat burns and you feel

(02:41:32):
sort of prickliness at the edge of your throat, like it tickles.
You look up and you see Abel is cradling your upper torso with
high leaning over casting healing.
Abel looks down and give you a charming smile and goes that
that wasn't so bad, was it? Seems.
I still punch as well as I'd used to.
Oh. Good for you that you still
punch as well as you used to. I'm really happy everything's
working out so well from you here and I guess maybe you're

(02:41:56):
always meant to be here because you just seem to really like it
and take to it naturally, and that's great.
I'm sure orofair, how do I? Get on out.
Of here, Sir Orofest, chill out,All right?
You must relax. That was just good fun.
You have a mighty scratch on you.
You nearly. And he sort of opens his shirt a
little bit and shows off the huge scratches there and he
goes. You nearly opened up my heart

(02:42:16):
with that first one. Keep your shirt on, You
Beautiful bastard. You've got some.
Strength in you. Come on.
It was just like the good old days.
What's with this temper now? We used to always laugh this
off. I don't know.
I don't want to be here right now.
I want to be drunk. That's what it is.
I want to you are. I want to be drunker.
Oh, I forgot to give us disadvantage for both of you

(02:42:38):
guys and all those attacks. That's right, disadvantage for
everyone. Yeah, that probably would have
been what happened. The crowd sort of dies down and
the cheering dies down as peoplewalk over and pat Abel on the
back. You notice someone gives Abel a
gold coin and whispers somethingin his ear, and he flashes A
charming smile at them. You walk over to the bar.
You notice that behind the bar, who seems to be just about

(02:42:59):
stepping out, is a large minotaur, a man of large size,
whose gruff voice sort of booms out.
The crowd goes. No fighting in my bar, the boy.
Sorry. Echoes and Abel gives a wave and
goes. Sorry old.
It's just. Good sportsmanlike on that old
chap. I'm sure you'll forgive us.
I hope you throw us out just because he would be upset by

(02:43:21):
that. The Minotaur huffs out a almost
visible breath out of his nose. And then returns back behind the
bar, settling in behind in aboutthe same spot the other
bartender was. And you watch orifice.
As you approach that, the bartender seems to shift in
form, changing quickly from a minotaur quickly down in shape

(02:43:46):
and size, down to the shape of an older Seder woman.
Oh my God, the. Changeling gives you a charming
smile. So.
Watch it. Let's be there, dearie.
I don't know what what? What do you think I need?
Why? Don't you wanted to check the
menu? Did I have coffee of it?
Where is it? I look, I squish she.

(02:44:07):
She passes you what looks like aa very thin wooden piece of what
looks like a menu. It's it's very small though, and
thin, almost like a business card.
It has merely one menu item on. Oh yeah, this.
One I point out. It reads ember wine.
Yeah, Ember wine. Yeah, yeah, give me an ember
wine. Make it to double.

(02:44:28):
Right there and you see an emberwine is 5 silver pieces.
She asked for the five. Oh, do I have 5 silver coins?
Higher comes up to you and givesyou one of the gold coins and
says hey you earned this. Thanks buddy, I passed the gold
coin over to her and take the 5 silver back because those are my

(02:44:48):
last five silver. Oh.
My God, you're poor. Rig the fight, rig the fight.
She passed it over to you and gives you a deep smile.
You know it's the perfect drink.It's just what you need, Dairy.
Enjoy it and come back for more.As you approach higher the woman
looks at you and goes oh would you like our special today?
And she passes you the same business card and you notice

(02:45:10):
something else is written on it.What?
What? Else is written on it.
Oh well. Dearie, the there's only one
item for each person visiting. It's what you want most.
Oh I am really scared to look atthat menu.
And orifice as you down your drink.
It is delightful. It's a grape wine.

(02:45:31):
And you taste the the flavor of Raisin it in the grapes.
The ember is a fine heat, not a spicy heat, but rather this
warmth that fills you and and perfectly soothes that sort of
burned, scratchy throat that youjust got from Abel's punch It.
It fills you with warmth and it's delightful.
And it also is quite strong. You feel yourself getting

(02:45:52):
drunker by the second. Great.
It's one of the best drinks you've had since being alive.
Yeah, dude. It seems awesome.
Higher, you sort of look, glanceat the menu, then glance up.
The woman gives you a smile and goes.
Come on dearie, you know you want to try it.
There's a really scared, but what does the menu say you?
Want to look down at it? Yeah.
All right for you. Higher it reads Lavender Crash 3

(02:46:14):
silver pieces. I look at Orpheus if I if I try
this, can you make sure I don't do anything stupid again?
I can't. Stop anybody from doing
anything, especially when it's stupid.
OK, that wasn't quite the answerI was looking for.

(02:46:38):
Best trip setter. I'm it's fine.
It's fine. I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be good.
We deserve this. But let's let's do it.
I'll pay for silver. Everybody exactly what they
deserve. I'd take another treat.
It's delicious. Every sip almost calms the
nerves. Holy.

(02:46:58):
Holy. And higher you order the
lavender crash 3 silver pieces less you are presented with this
a short squat cup with a purple drink inside.
It's a bit viscous. And as you down it, it's filled
with all the flavors of home of Ethera cooking that you used to
have with your family there broths and soups and stews.

(02:47:22):
It's it's Hardy, this beverage, and this drink calms you
immensely. It's not as quite as magical as
your ring, but you feel all yourworries and troubles fleet out
of you as you drink this delicious savory broth filled
with warm alcohol. It rounds out a lot of your
sorrows and you sort of look around the room content excited.

(02:47:44):
I'm so sorry, does it say anything?
As you drink it, this drink speaks to you in a familiar
voice. No, it sounds like Monty.
That's fine. That's so fucked up.
He speaks to you and sort of a casual tone and it's, it's the

(02:48:04):
kind of thing that only you can hear, of course.
And you sort of press your ear up to it and it's, it's a
whisper, but he speaks to you. It's going to be all right,
buddy. You and me, we're going to run
through this world together. I'm going to be all right and
you are too. Enjoy.
I really don't like that. How do you how does it?

(02:48:24):
How do you know so much about me?
The. Bartender looks at you and sort
of nods and goes what do you mean, Niri?
I just got the drink you wanted,that's all.
I've never wanted a drink so bad.
You. Put it back here.
It's amazing. Yeah.
Clink, Clink. Abel steps forward and sort of
knocks into you guys, steadying the two of you, and goes, oh,

(02:48:47):
pardon me, friends. My goodness, what a fine
establishment here, right? What did the two of you get
there? I I go find Doolum.
Oh, what a. Pouty puss, that one.
What if you go take a look afterhim, Froggy and Abel gives you a
wink. Sure, sure buddy, and good job
out there champ. And then I want to hand him one

(02:49:11):
of the other 3 gold coins and say figured I'd rather give you
this coin than a dumb dance coinanyway.
And then I go find the rest of the group.
As you sort of walk off, he grabs you by the back of the
plate mail collar and sort of pulls you back.
Excuse me, I'm so sorry. Hi, that reminds me, I owe

(02:49:32):
apology. He drops to one knee solidly
coming in perfect eye contact with you and goes.
Listen, we haven't gotten a chance to talk about it yet my
froggy friend, but are you you adeep apology for what happened
that night? You see a well, I was enticed by
our conversation. I hope it never felt like I was
just using you. You see, I did really need a a
room to stay in that night. And I thought that perhaps you

(02:49:53):
you were a member of the hotel clerks, the the clerks there,
the people who live there. You know, I thought you had a
room. And I thought I could perhaps
use that to escape the, well, the police that night.
But you must understand, I wasn't just doing this to
escape. I enjoyed your company.
And I really didn't tend to spend the night with you.
I hope this doesn't breed any contention between us.
I'm sorry we got cut off. And well, I just want you to

(02:50:16):
know that I enjoyed that evening, every part of it.
Higher giggles and is like did the drink do that too?
That's fucked up but God what doI say?
I really feel like I'm not in the best place.

(02:50:39):
I guess I'm drunk, but thank you, that means a lot.
I'm. A bit intoxicated myself, so
let's just call it liquid courage, friend.
And he clinks a glass with you. By the way back.
This woman presented me with this drink called a pina colada.
Do you know what that is? That's your favorite drink?

(02:50:59):
I'm not sure. I've never had one of these
before. He sort of holds it up to his
lips and his eyes go wide. Oh God, it's so you.
It just makes sense. You you must try it.
What a delightful. Sensation, some sort of tropical
fruit in there. I simply must know more.
What would the rest of you guys like to do?
Hire you sort of make your way back to the group and Orpheus,
you pouted off. So the rest of you guys, Jaya

(02:51:23):
Doolam and Demos, you guys are all drunk now, sort of hanging
out in the center. To look for aura.
OK, you find him. Hello, I'm sorry I wasn't
nearby. Other in party fights haven't
been that violent before. It's.
Fine. No, you just you're, that's,
you're focusing on the job and that's what we should all focus
on. I This is why I wanted like hold

(02:51:46):
your head and sort of Crouch down to look at you.
This is why I know you have sucha great future ahead, because
you're focused and I admire thatimmensely.
Thank you, but. I think.
Next time I wander as far. Well, you should be able to
trust that we'll all manage ourselves behind you when you're
leading the way. You know it's not your fault, is

(02:52:06):
what I'm saying. Thank you.
I I. I need to be better honestly.
Well, I think you did well in the fight.
Oh, thanks, yeah. It didn't start off very fair.
You seemed pretty beat up earlier from the book.
Was freaking beat up, definitelyhad a lot of blood in my eyes
and nose. And you know how important?
Well, I guess you might not know.
Very important to breathe through your nose when you're

(02:52:28):
fighting. Good to know.
Yeah, well, I found Mammon and Beasel in the corner if you'd
like to talk to them. I would love to do that.
Thanks buddy. Turn.
Start walking over. All right, you the 2 of you guys
make your way over. You sort of have to push through

(02:52:49):
a couple smaller groups and passsome tables to get there.
Is there anything Jaya demos youguys want to do or anything
else? I think Jaya is riding that wave
all. Right, you ride the drunk eye.
He's. Not fighting it.
I think Demos is gonna talk to the bartender.

(02:53:10):
All right. You approached the bartender,
Demos. She still is about two feet
shorter than you, you'd say, andshe's looking up at you as you
approach and goes, Hello there, Diri.
Could I get you a drink or something?
Nice. Yes, I was.
I was thinking so, but I was wondering where, where do you
procure all your, your, your drinks?

(02:53:32):
I you seem to have quite the variety.
She holds a finger up to her lips and goes.
Bit of a secret there darling. Actually, better luck.
I came across it. Some old magic that I don't
quite understand but love using for this purpose.
Sort of a single mini item. You see, it just gives me some
ingredients and I can put together whatever the the

(02:53:53):
drinker wants most. Pretty nifty, yeah, I'd say so
myself. And you happen to have one of
these menus around. Yeah, sure, she procures if.
You're one of these little wooden cards and pulls it up to
you. You know how?
Assault ladies have to keep our secrets.
Quite. And she shows it to you, demos

(02:54:14):
yours reads the following. It says elemental nectar.
You see, this does sound quite tempting, but I don't think it's
what I really want. She looks at you, puzzled, and
goes, Well, what do you mean there, friend?

(02:54:34):
Not what you want. Do you see anything else on the
menu? Oh well, that's the problem I
believe. I would like your favorite
drink. Slut.
Wow. Oh.
My God, Oh my God. Her eyes both sort of go up at

(02:54:55):
this one, the eyebrows raising and this catches her attention.
The The woman Speaks up to you Demos.
Well, dear, that's sort of a. Dangerous question to ask
someone like me. You're my favorite.
She sets down the glass she was currently filling with a quiet
clink and sort of leans forward over the bar, closing the

(02:55:15):
distance between you and her, and in the very dim candlelight,
her body begins to shimmer. They.
She shifts gracefully and smoothly, changing into first, a
taller life, elven man, all sharp cheekbones and night black

(02:55:36):
hair pulled into a sort of messybun with a beautiful sweet
smile. And then the figure blurs again.
Second, a dusky skinned teethling woman with curling
horns and glowing amber's eyes leaning towards you with a low
smile and what looks like almostlike a, I can't quite tell, but

(02:55:57):
shimmering eyes same as yours. And then another ripple
disappeared again, a third, now a rugged broad shouldered half
work, a man with mossy green skin in a square jaw revealing
strong looks like lines of corded muscle around his neck,
with gentle kind eyes. The changes continue faster and

(02:56:19):
a bit more sloppy. And then all of a sudden,
settling into the change links natural shape, silver skin
faintly reflecting the light, featureless with a simple face.
They grin and say you. See, I have different
favourites. For different bodies.

(02:56:40):
Oh, I see, but what about this body?
With a flick of their wrist, thebartender produces a crystal
bottle beneath the bar 1 you hadn't seen and pours a drink
that swirls with Gray, shifting sparkles, almost like melted
down Quicksilver. Let's find out if this one suits

(02:57:01):
you best, shall we? And the bartender slides it over
to you. Demos downs it.
Wow OK, he was trying to get something.
Something huh? Demos only dates the high of
society, land owners and nobles.And Mars.

(02:57:22):
You down it. It's a simple drink, demos very
heavily alcoholic. It almost comes back up as you
down it. It's thick and strong but
flavorless, almost like a raw vodka with a bit of very very
bland earthy plant like taste, like a tea that had been watered

(02:57:42):
down a little much. It's not really to your liking,
but you notice the bartender pours another glass and downs it
themselves, gives you sort of a shrug and goes free of charge my
dear, Now go enjoy the and the figure shifts back into the
seder form of the older woman and gives you sort of a grandma
smile. Demos will give her a wink and

(02:58:03):
then and then take the rest of the drink with him off to find
his friends. All right, you had Outback in
the meantime, Doolum and Orifice, you guys are headed
over to the corner, right? Yo, you're sort of a loud voice
behind you of Abel going. My goodness, demos.

(02:58:24):
You are quite the go getter, aren't you?
I've only known you for two nights and both of those nights
you've been out chasing Poontang.
Hate it. Couldn't hate it anymore for a
try. Oh.
You're really good at getting laid, is what he's saying.
Where I come from, we have. Another word for that, but yes.

(02:58:45):
Oh, Oh well, Abel, I guess I don't to say.
I guess I I can't help but take an interest in interesting
people. East side eyes are you seeing if
he's getting anything and then gives you a smile and goes.
Well, have at it then. My friends, tell me if you find
any uncharacteristically noble people around here for us to

(02:59:08):
sink our teeth into. Oh.
Will do. Abel will do.
He slapped you on the back, which actually feels nice to
have someone who is a bit tallerbe able to do that.
Not a lot of tall folk, anybody?Short.
It actually feels right. Most people when they hit you,
it sort of catches like right onthe midsection, like the
appendix. But anyway, Dulum and Orapheus,

(02:59:31):
you guys make your way to the corner.
Mammon and Bezel, whatever theirnames are here, they've already
noticed you. They seem to have noticed you
right at the end of the fight and have been expecting your
visit for some time. In fact, the group of about six
or seven that the two of them have been sitting with a
somewhat parted ways now, leaving the two of them alone at
very close, tight knit little looks like drinking circle.

(02:59:52):
Just the two of them and a couple bottles of looks like
whatever there are two favorite drinks are respectively, and
they have a bit of room on either side.
They nod as you guys approach and you get in closer.
I'll give them sort of a motionless wave.
Hello. Nice to see you guys again.
One of them speaks up, and now that you get to see their faces,
you get a better view of them. The two of them looks like it's

(03:00:15):
a man and a woman. The woman is short and stout,
you think a dwarven woman with without a beard, which is
sometimes uncharacteristic, but nevertheless.
She's a bit taller and looks to have a large bottle of rum or
Brandy in front of her. She's got several scars along
her face and a large lip smile with some crooked teeth inside

(03:00:38):
and sort of ratty hair. The gentleman beside her is a
very thin, almost rail thin man,also on the shorter side, with
gashes and what looks like open wounds along his body, but wears
very fine silks and nobleman's clothes to make up for the sort
of not so attractive pale pallidskin he has.

(03:01:00):
He gives you also a smile, and his face is at least a little
better looking than the rest of his body, but he also does not
quite look like the the model citizen of Water Deep.
The two of them look like Grumps, true and through
orifice. Neither of them really look
familiar to you. Yeah, So Beasel and Mammon, I

(03:01:20):
sort of look between them, not sure who is who.
You presume correctly. Now what?
You calm shit down. Sorry, which one of you is
Beasel? Which one of you is Mammon?
And you notice the the one that you were that seems to be
speaking to you, the dwarf and woman without the beard.
Sands Beard. He has a beard.
Sands No, puts a hand up and goes you'll be calling me Mammon

(03:01:48):
and the taller sort of rail thinfella goes yeah, it makes me
beasel. OK, so I have a question.
Do you guys have the same genderidentity here as you did it
Valhalla or no or? The two sort of look at each
other and start giggling. It's your old face.
You're a real fucking huge, you know that?

(03:02:09):
I come take a seat, grab a drink.
I've OK, I sit. You sit Doolum.
You want to join? Yeah, I got You can make it
here. Rush, we were looking for you.
Nice. To see you too.
Mammon seems to take the lead, the shorter dwarfing woman, and
she speaks up. Now you can just call me.
Well, we just go by Mammon for now on account of these.

(03:02:31):
And she sort of reaches up and grabs that are sort of ratty ass
hair. It seems to be pulled aside in
two pigtails and just sort of pulls them.
And you see they seem to be attached very loosely to her
head, almost like a wig. And you see underneath is also
sort of pockmarked skin similar to her friend beside her,
Beasel. The two of them look almost a

(03:02:52):
little sickly and you're not quite sure why.
I always thought the name of some sort of, you know, old
fashioned monster would be perfect for me.
Why don't you think? Not.
That's not what comes to mind, no.
That pity. It's nice to be someone else
there, you know? Boss let's us sort of do our own
bidding. It's like a vacation for us too,
you know? Bezel nods.

(03:03:13):
I've been told how you view my plane, yes.
Yeah, you should know Boss is a bit more I would say sportsman
like there, you know, we just sort of show up and play around
with the locals. Say who he gives us.
You know, we've had our fingers and you a few times, haven't we?
I haven't we Bezel Mam and elbows her friend and Bezel sort
of gives a slight chuckle. Yeah, yeah, we shitly have I.

(03:03:34):
Remember this? Yeah, well, this should we like.
To try new things when we're there, all right.
So we sort of change forms a little bit, try something new.
Should you get it fun when people call you different
things, right? Yeah, you get.
It for me, but I understand I guess.
Now then, what brings the well, what we're supposed to call you
now, eh? Still the first night?

(03:03:54):
Or are you sort of like the defunct First Night now?
Sir Autoface, first night of Queen Riddesi, Saviour of the
Lost. You got subtitles now he's got
subtitles. That's Riddesi's subtitle.
I'm just Sir Autoface, First night of Queen Riddesi.
I have the one the one subtitle,but it's the important one.
Bezel grabs a thin bottle of wine and begins drinking it

(03:04:15):
bottled, and Mammon sort of wipesome spit from her face and
goes, ah, her face. You guys fucking kidding around
with this all the damn time? Listen, what what brings you
here? All right, we get why your
friends here offering you a job,little body.
If you ever want to do somethingfun, I listen.
If you work here long enough, you might even get to play
around. Hey.
What does the pain look like? Well, we're going to start you
off slow. It's going to be about two goals

(03:04:37):
a day, maybe three. If you're doing big jobs,
bodyguard work, you get it. But once you reach up, the ranks
should be pretty quick. I imagine these days, bodyguards
dropping like flies. Then you start to become
something that we consider more of a close associate.
You see, me and Bezel here, we're not just bodyguards.
We're friends of old Yamir. Allies, if you will counsel
sometimes. You know Bezel here never cast a

(03:04:59):
spell in his damn life up here, you know that.
Yeah, it's true. And never cast a spell.
But somebody knows what the fuckhe's doing in Valhalla, All
these thing in it, yeah. Don't know how that works.
It it is strange, but I I suppose I know things here I
didn't back there so. Maybe it's close please.

(03:05:20):
So what you doing here? You trying to get a job on your
face? Oh my God.
Mammon turns around and smacks bees like you won't.
No fucking way. The Cerro Ofeus disgrace.
Not a queen, Rigisee, he's looking.
For a job for us. Do the others call me disgraced
too? No, just us.
OK, that's fine. Give you a smile.

(03:05:40):
I I mostly just wanted to talk to you.
Hard to believe now that I'm here.
My friend Abel said he'd spoken to you in Valhalla, Bezel.
It doesn't feel quite right, eh Bezel?
Maybe we need to tie all our face to a chair or something,
but pull out some fingers beforewe start talking, eh?
It's usually how these things godown, eh?

(03:06:01):
Oh, I'd rather if you didn't this time.
And bezel sort of goes. Oh, really?
Sorry about all that. You know, we didn't really know
you were like a real person and all that.
It seems to be a mistake a lot of people make.
Let's just focus, OK? You've you've spoken to Abel.
Yeah, yeah, that's right. I've spoken to Abel loads of

(03:06:21):
times. It's.
Like you have, and you spoke to Iceland as well.
You know, over there in or in Valhalla, I like to think of
myself quite prettier than I am here.
So sometimes I like to imagine old Abel sees me.
Can we just not right now you guys, can we just keep it
business like when you? Start science.

(03:06:43):
Come on, you gotta have a drink with us.
You, you know where you are, right?
Look at this place. Bar.
That's right, it's a fucking bar.
Look, you got no drink in your hand, and yet.
You're still probably a little. Drunk you got to be to be here
so. Take a load off all right.
Wine thing they gave me, which it's not bad.
I take a big sip of it. Oh.
Had a boy. Hey, there is their full jugs

(03:07:05):
and tankers sort of clink you and go.
At least you know, odd feelings.They're off.
You're a real, you're a real upside guy.
You know you were always the bravest of the night.
It's hardest to crack every time.
Abel turned over like a floppingfish.
I imagine he would. And he took a squeeze to get
anything out of that guy. OK.
It's just like getting grosser the longer you talk.
You should know or a face. What do you want to know?

(03:07:26):
I mean, you know, I talked with Abel sometimes, but it it was
sort of like work stuff, you know like stuff about Valhalla.
We didn't talk about anything. He.
Told me you talked about the material playing about Schlesher
more. Oh.
Yeah, we've that Asian fella. Yeah.
You know someone's inhabiting your.
Real freaky stuff. Yeah, I mean, I guess I'm in her
body, so. Yeah, well, last time boss let
us run free down there, I got a few chances to stick my teeth

(03:07:48):
into rolled or a face's body andlo and behold.
It wasn't you. Cracked much faster than you
did, I should say. I smile on my wine.
Go bet she would. I was just, I guess.
I don't know. I wanted to know if there's
anything Abel might have missed.Did you ever get a sense of what
she had planned for Odyssey or for Valhalla?

(03:08:10):
Hello. And Bezel sort of looks at ma'am
and and back at you. Or shouldn't for me, Sir or
face. We're on the material world now.
This is my real life. You gotta give me something
worthwhile. I don't I what sort of thing I I
what, what sort of thing do you want me to give you?
Money. I only have a bit, I could buy
you a drink. You got to get creative.

(03:08:31):
All of those. It sounds like important
information, and you're an important guy.
I bet you could pull some strings.
Get me something nice, eh? Absolute spark of genius.
You're wearing a wig too, aren'tyou?
Oh yeah, you know. Sort of picks up the hair and
reveals some blotchy scales. Plop down the hair growth bomb
on the table. Both of them squint down and

(03:08:52):
look at it, reading the label. It's just true or fails.
It's just a real thing. It is grew back my hair, grew
back my relations eyebrows and fixed his bald spot and just
look at that moustache over there.
I pointed Jaya as it's ever been.
Thanks to this. There's 7 uses left.
But let's have a look at. That, and Mammon reaches out and

(03:09:12):
tugs on your hair upward, pulling a little bit.
Ow. OK.
Oh yeah, it's real good, all right.
Let me think. If you give us this whole thing,
I'll be, let's got, say, bezel. Oh.
Yeah, sure. That sounds real good.
Thanks Orifice. How about you both spill your
guts for the whole thing? Just seems like Bezel's getting
the short end of the stick, huh Bezel?

(03:09:33):
I mean, it's all right. I I'll share what you got.
You know, I'm not too picky. You're like, much nicer here
than I thought you'd be. I mean, orifice, this is the
real world. I mean, no offense again,
Valhalla, it's like a vacation home, you know?
I mean, we're still working a little there, but it's like
letting off steam here. You got to make friends with
people and well, you seem like agood friend.

(03:09:53):
OK, I. Listen, I know it's, it's sort
of hard to understand, but it's like, yeah.
I don't know. People die there all the time,
right? Infinitely, forever and ever.
Yes. It's like breathing.
It's, it means nothing down there, you know, it's just
fighting up here. Breathing is breathing.
You know what I mean? Well.
Dying's not all there is there. There's more to it.

(03:10:15):
I mean it's the warriors afterlife orifice.
You go there because you kill too many.
I guess I did. I don't know.
Listen, it's all. Right.
I I, I don't mean to be nothing rude about it.
It's just, listen, you're in a bar, you're with friends, all
right? Clearly you brought some friends
with you. I I hope you weren't looking for
a fight or nothing. We can be amicable about this.
Look, can we get to the questions part, please?

(03:10:37):
I don't mean to be unfriendly, Ijust you have to understand why
it's awkward for me to talk to you.
Well. Yeah, but I mean.
It's sort of part of the whole song and dance around.
Yeah. You know, this is a sort of a
what I like to think of a sort of CD underbelly of what Odeep.
You know that. So you got a drink a little, you
know, chat about idle things before you get into it.
Unless you rush. Okay, are you 2 married to each

(03:10:59):
other or to other people? The two look at each other and
you see smiles curl up and they both burst out laughing.
Or a face. You fucking idiot, you really
think we're mad? Oh my God, now we're just best
buds. The two throw arms around each
other and goofy smiles. OK.
Or to other people. Now, I couldn't find love

(03:11:20):
myself, you know, divorced twice, actually.
Basically, I never found love. Yeah, never found love.
Still looking for the 1. You know that you'll never find
the one. OK.
Do you have any children, eitherof you?
These are some. Weird fucking questions or
affairs? A little personal chit.
Chat, I'm giving you idol chit chat.

(03:11:41):
I'm trying to get to know you want.
To hear about some idol chit chat or a face, there's some
real fucking weird stuff you want to, you probably should
know. Like, you know, me and Bezel sat
down just the other day and we learned, Oh, Yamir has
technically spent more time in Valhalla than here, you know
that. I imagine because of the time
violation. Yeah, it's right, It's right.
That means Yamir is more Valhalla than, well, real

(03:12:04):
person. Isn't that just bizarre?
OK. It's just like, you know it.
Seems natural to me, but I guessit isn't to you.
Now we it's. Just you know, Bond, they were
born here and it's like anyway sorry I don't mean to make a big
thing if I just thought it was interesting.
Me and Abeasley are still working up the numbers as you
remember. We don't spend exactly as much

(03:12:24):
time doing shit there as old Rexy.
Is 1 of you 2 the plainer wizardwho gets them there and gets
yourselves there? Oh yeah, that's me, Basil.
So you're you are a magician here, no?
Not a chance, not a chancellor of, I guess I don't know, magic
for shit. OK, connects these dots for me.
Well, you see, Oh, oh, Rexy's intouch with a lot of foreign

(03:12:49):
folk, and some of them are Wizards, and some of them are
Wizards who owe them a lot of money.
And you know, when they're asking for money, Yeah.
No, keep going. Keep going.
When they're asking for squeezing money out of Wizards,
sometimes we'd give nicer thingstoo.
So, you know, never catch the spell in my life or a face, but
man, I've got a lick of magic items on me.
Oh. Good for you Beasel.
Few real nice ones. I'm trying to learn, you know,

(03:13:10):
It's just not sticking. I wasn't born with none of it.
And those books are too hard to learn, you see.
Real nasty piece of work. Anyway, These magic items I'm
really quite attuned to, you know what I mean?
Good dude, sounds good. Yeah, Took.
A long time to get it all set up, but I've got one that can
get us to Valhalla and then onceI'm there and cast spells like I
can, like I want to, it's weird.It's like I was born with the

(03:13:31):
ability there. Looks a bitch anyway.
Interesting that you used the word born.
Well, I mean you. Know I miss going there.
I wish oh boss would take us there more often.
I'm prettier there. I can cast magics there.
It's like the perfect life. Except for all the dying, yeah.
It's not so bad. Did Iceland ever approach you
all about getting to Valhalla before she was there?

(03:13:52):
Oh no, no, I think she had a wayby herself.
By taking my body. I suppose so.
She's got some abilities she's got.
Yeah. You know, if we're getting into
the real shit now, she she learned something from someone.
From. Who?
Well. I wasn't quite.
Sure of a name. You see, I tried to do all these
mental grabbing names out of things in the spell, you know

(03:14:13):
what I mean? Yeah.
Detect thoughts and stuff towards bills.
Those. Yeah.
They seem difficult. It's just she spent a lot of
time in the abyss, you know, a lot of time there.
And so the memories are all flowing there.
But she did a lot of work there,slaughtered a lot of friends and
they made it off move to have discussions with demon Lords.
Eventually she found someone whoknew what it was she was looking

(03:14:35):
for and. Well, it's like she.
I don't know. It was, it was fuzzy when I got
deeper in there. It's like whatever she was
dealing with made it hard for meto see it.
But it has something to do with bees.
Has something to do with bees. Yeah.
It's right, like the Hive, it's body swapping magic.
Trick keen maybe? Oh, that's a race of people, my

(03:14:56):
friend. That's bug people.
Sorry, someone else told me she was investigating the trick.
Keen. Dogs.
Yeah, maybe it's like bees. That make sense to me, don't it?
Sure, as much sense as anything,I suppose.
I worry I might be wasting your time with these questions.
I guess it's hard for me to knowwhat to ask when I don't know
what I'm looking for Quite. Well, I mean, I wish I could

(03:15:16):
tell you more. Unfortunately, most of what I
got I. Suppose I didn't.
Know what to look for when I wasin there, you know, I sort of
was mostly intrigued that someone from the outside world
actually made it in. It sort of felt dangerous.
I mean, oh, Rexy was real or concerned about stuff like that.
Rexy thought. It's sort of their personal
playground there, and learning that someone else was sort of
breaking in was like breaking into their hunting ground.

(03:15:39):
They wouldn't want anyone to know what they did in there, I
suppose. I guess so, or more like it
doesn't want anyone to get in the way of all the fun that they
were having. Fun, right?
Yeah. Well.
Push ups comes to shove. She's not very good with the
planer magic is all I know. She's just got this body
swapping thing. I think she had to make friends
to do planer stuff. Oh God, I can only imagine what

(03:16:00):
sort of friends she made. Jesus.
Yeah, and there's one more thing.
The way that she got Out of the Abyss.
Yeah. It's this.
It's just nasty. Piece of work, just a little
stone. And that's got her.
Wait, that doesn't make any sense.
Kept seeing. The word architect every now
again. That's right, yeah.
That got her out of the abyss. That's right, it's a real

(03:16:21):
powerful artifact, she says. One most powerful ever.
Real dangerous, too. She kept saying that the worst
mistake she ever did was put it inside of a bag.
Huh. Well.
Anyway, supposedly she got rid of it first chance she got, lost
it or threw it away or something, and hopefully it's
rotten somewhere. I OK, Thank you, Beasel.

(03:16:42):
That's what's actually quite helpful.
I I need to ask one more favor for you to keep this hair cream.
So. I need to meet with Rexy Amir as
soon as possible. Well, old Rexy's not really in
the business of meeting in person right now.
A bit dangerous after that old assassination attempt on the
masquerade ball, I'm sure you get it.
And Mammon sort of pushes in andgoes.
Yeah, you. They're not really.

(03:17:02):
Trying to meet with you, right? They can trust me, they know
that. Nah, what you want.
All right, I'll pass a message and Rex, you'll send you like a
note or a postcard or something,mate.
I don't care if it's what I needis a new way to visit their
wizard at black Staff, but I I'drather see them in person.
You got some persuasion, huh? No, I just they're the only

(03:17:24):
person who still acts the way they did in Valhalla and I would
like to talk to them. I.
Like the way we. Understand if I can't do that,
No, you're actually weirdly verycomforting right now.
I should. At least we can do now.
No, no promises once we get backto you Over Ally.
I'll still stick a knife in the same as LA.
It's. OK, I don't have a lot to stick
knives in so. Yeah, I actually.

(03:17:46):
Learned a new spell, I really want to try it on you or what?
Is it? Oh, you'll have to see when we
get there. And the two.
Lock eyes and sort of nudge eachother.
Real nasty piece of work. I think it'll crack your water
open. It'll bezel for the bottom of my
heart. I can't wait and you're
torturing me and I die and I go back to Queen Road to Sea and we

(03:18:07):
do it all over again. Yeah, that's what that's what I
was in the boss. Want, you know, he keeps saying,
well, you know, there's this problem that we're running into
with this Iceland fella. You know, she might be ruining
the whole stability of the planeand especially ruining the fun.
What happened? So Rexy, they said, Iceland's
got to go. Iceland's got to go.

(03:18:27):
Well, we can maybe stage a meeting, but it's got to be
important. What I mean, what are you
looking for? A wizard.
Yeah, Also just, I don't know, mostly a wizard, yeah.
All right, listen. Where are you living right now?
It's. A reassurance to be honest with
you guys. I take another sip of wine.
I just really want Rexy Beard totell me I'm doing a good job.
Looking fucking crashed out of Ridda Sea.

(03:18:50):
Disgraced night. Face down.
Just let me know. I can go see the wizard, or I
can talk to Rex Amir now, or I can earn the right to talk to
them by going to see the wizard and doing that right and doing
the next thing right and doing things right and right and right
until I'm doing a good job. Listen or affair so.

(03:19:12):
Where? You staying right now?
It's my friends at a hotel. Why do you want to know?
I just need the address, you know?
Oh yeah, yeah, Flavin Bore room 13 O 9.
It's right there. Oh, it's almost like 14 O 8.
My favorite? That's totally the reference I
was trying to make. For me, I love.

(03:19:35):
Listen, just keep an eye out for.
Black. Parchment.
I will send you a letter with instructions.
OK, I want to hug. You sort of lean in and they're
both a little awkward and go youreally are a fight.
It's just weird. It's so weird.
And you feel hugs back as the two of them hug you.
And you see Bezel slide the haircream off the table into a

(03:19:58):
private pocket. Make the most of that you guys
hope you get better from whatever's happening or I don't
know, not whatever is your preference.
I'm let's have another round. Yeah, shove another round.
I'd robot you in on this. Sure.
Yeah, you want that job, by the way.
Well, unfortunately, we were looking for something more

(03:20:20):
lucrative immediately. All right, whatever, whatever.
Let's go lads. OK, that is the end of my
productive conversation with them.
I'm just drinking to get drunk all.
Right, you guys get up and beginmaking your way toward the bar.
Just as you guys step out of thebooth Doolum, you get a sending
in your head. Oh my God.

(03:20:40):
You sense somebody calling you Ding.
Ding. Several sendings are used in
this conversation, so feel free to talk freely.
I don't want to limit your your word choice.
You hear the voice of the lady of pain in your head.
Oh. My God.
If you fold tonight, our face isgoing to commit suicide.
No, she's going to be like, I need you arrested immediately.

(03:21:05):
Doolum, my darling robot, how are you holding up?
Doing well, I hope. Doing well?
Good. Do tell me what you're up to and
if you're free, Signed the Lady of Pain.
Be so careful. Is that what she said?
That is all that she said. Oh.
My God, I would fold. I know.

(03:21:29):
You would. She asked me how I'm doing.
Oh my God, stop. I'll respond the group is doing
just fine. I am as well.
I'm glad you seem to be doing all right.
Currently we're not very free, but we could try to visit at our
latest convenience if you'd like.
And duel on my. Dearest, where are you right

(03:21:49):
now? Are you still in water?
Deep floundering around us there.
Riff raff, a lot of them. They don't hold a candle to me
and you know it. Tell me, have you been to the
Under Mountain yet? I've done some dealings with the
Waterdeep noble. Rented out the inernstone to
them for a bit, Let them use it in their shitty little dungeon.

(03:22:11):
That's it. That's cool.
Funny that flows. Yes, we are still in Waterdeep
and we have visited the mountain.
The dungeons are very interesting.
Good. You've seen my handiwork.
Well, I'll cut to the chase. I have a job.
Yippee, this is of the utmost importance and it might excite
you and your compatriots, thoughit will not be easy.

(03:22:33):
I'll need your discretion on thematter before I even list the
job. Do I have your approval that
you're in a safe location? I look around for a warning.
I am currently slightly inebriated, but I am in a safe
location. Clean.
Yourself up doolum. Let me know when you're done.
True thing. Can I grab the nearest empty

(03:22:53):
glass? You 3.
That's horrible. Do you want to you want to
become undrunk? OK Doolum.
You find a quiet spot. Get undrunk.
Orifaeus. You sort of walk off with the
boys ready to get a drink. You turn back and see Doolum
pulling up in a corner and you watch as after a moment or so

(03:23:14):
Doolum fades into the backgroundand disappears.
Doolum as you become undrunk. You exit the lounge, sober now.
You're back in the actual top part of the bar, exiting the
small Demi plane, and you're back in the actual city of
Waterdeep. The bar is quiet and you have

(03:23:35):
much, much less people here. You see the very familiar Seder
woman give you a charming smile from the bar and go back to
cleaning it off. I'll give her a motionless wave
and then I'll try to respond to Lydia pain again.
OK, all right, good. Now that you've cleaned up, the
job is simple. I need you and your associates
to enter this city and kill Zavrix the Boundless.

(03:24:00):
Yes. His time is not.
He's been bothering me long enough, bothering my city, and I
believe you are all of the task.Wally is a powerful wizard.
He is alone. I have cut off all of his supply
lines and I have just very recently gotten control of his
shop. He is alone with very little but
his body. I believe that makes him weak.

(03:24:20):
You see, that mirror and all hisKnick knacks were the things
that gave him the most strength.He's dangerous though.
But I believe that you all couldbe the exact source of, let's
just say, joy that my city needsremoving this shit and somehow
installing a more amicable way of entering and exiting my
plane. What do you say?

(03:24:42):
I'm glad you heeded my original advice.
I'll talk to my group, but currently I think we would be
glad to do this job. Yes, good.
I did heed your advice. Do alum, in fact.
I heeded it quite. Well, we have several.
Watch out working out for that. Well, the threshold thief still
at large. You can find them later too.
True. And as well, we just celebrated

(03:25:02):
our Flow Tide Festival, a marvelous thing.
I wish you could have been there.
I came out and made an appearance, you know.
My apologies. We all wish we were there.
It's all right, I know you're busy with your new Waterdeep
compatriots now. Do be careful when you return.
I'll have more details upon yourarrival, but nothing I wish to
share over the plains. I Despite Zavrix's insanity and

(03:25:27):
intolerability, I do think he's still a potent divination wizard
when it comes to it. I don't want him listening in on
anymore. Find me when you can and we'll
have more details as well. Payment.
Expect gratuitous payment. Goodbye for now, Doolum.
Great. Thank you.
Have a good night or evening. My shell.

(03:25:48):
And the voice goes quiet. You look around and you see
Samir is in this room. He's sort of sitting in one of
the booths holding a bottle of what looks like something in his
hands clasp between two hands, and he's looking really worried.
Welcome to OH. Listen, he almost knocks the cup
over as he stands up. Where did you go?

(03:26:08):
Where did everybody go? I kept talking to the bartender,
but the bartender was giving me nothing and I was worried that
he got kidnapped or killed. He sort of grabs your shoulders
and leans down and goes eye contact with you and goes, are
you OK? Is everybody OK?
Yes, we're all safe, don't worry.
If you'd like, I'm returning. You can also drink if you'd
like. Wait, going back.
Do you have to? You have to get.
Drunk to go there. Unfortunately I think so, but I

(03:26:30):
really didn't. Fuck you.
Don't have to if you don't want to.
I think everyone will be back soon.
You. See a pouty face come over him
and he goes. I'll wait outside.
That's fine, just let me know when you're done.
Sure thing. He creeps back over to the booth
and sits down with a very practice like fake frown.
I'll recycle it. OK, you reenter boom boom boom

(03:26:52):
boom and you guys all see Doolimsort of fade into existence in
the middle of the bar again. I hate that you recycled it.
I just I hate like. What you're doing now?
I can't ask her another one better.
The second. Time always better.
And Doolum's back. Whoa.
Whoa. Guess who?
I just like long blink and that was fucked up.

(03:27:13):
Sorry, I didn't know I would be gone.
The Lady of Pain sent me a message.
Which source of message? She has a job for us.
Oh yeah, big job, little job. Good job, bad job.
I think a good job with gratuitous pay.
That's the best job. What do we got to do?
I'll test message. Princess or Vanquish a dragon or

(03:27:36):
I don't know we're. Supposed to Vanquish fabrics.
I spit out my drink. Great job.
Right now, she did say it was the utmost importance, but I
think she would give us some leeway, OK.
I got to get sober at least first.
Yes, we should for sure sleep tonight first.
Good work, Dylan, you know how to cheer a guy up like nobody

(03:27:59):
else. Thank you.
I'm glad you're feeling better. Sorry.
I'm so emotional sometimes. It's very human.
Whoa. I think it's a good thing.
I don't think still I don't knowif human and good thing can even
be used in the same sentence, but.
Did you have no emotions as a ghost?
I. Had some emotions I felt nicely.
Valor. I felt dedication.

(03:28:19):
I felt lonely sometimes. That's about it.
Well, I think these new ones aren't so bad either.
Let's gather the others. If they're not, can I survey to
see what our friends are doing? Yeah, what is everyone up to?
I tried to pull everyone in the friend or in the party I could
out onto the dance floor. Oh yeah, nice.

(03:28:41):
It's. Have you ever done a kick?
A keg stand? Oh my.
God, if you recall the music, you're sort of like haunting. 30
years. Oh shit.
Wait wow, Jaya was a frat boy? That makes.
Sense then wow, you're so cool. Was.
No, you still are. I bet you still got it in you.

(03:29:02):
I. Bet you know what?
Bring me a cake. Yeah, Jaya.
Is there a cake? One drink, But I can only
imagine that the one drink Jaya needs right now is a.
Cake. It's so good.

(03:29:25):
Yeah, you gather everyone. Abel is also here.
How? Are you done?
Pouting or affair? So can we talk now?
We can talk. What's on your mind?
Not a boy? Well, I hear we have a job.
Waiting for us, but I don't know, there's other things I
would have discussed with you, but rather who is this Zavrich
fellow? Is this a fighter?
He's more of a wizardly type. You know, I'm quite.

(03:29:46):
Handy and hand to hand combat. I'm well aware of that.
Perhaps I get this wizard a chokehold and you all beat up on
him at Flash the smile. Doesn't feel so bad.
I'd love to. Actually contribute something to
the group I. Feel like I've been a bit of a.
Wasteful lately? That's.
Not. True you.
You were helpful with the music thing.
Well. I'm still excited to work on
that project. Perhaps later tonight you and I

(03:30:06):
can work on that. Sure.
Excellent. Well, shall we call it tonight
then? I could use the sleep.
All right, and approaching the bartender for an exit Doolum,
you can just leave. The bartender, still an older
Seder woman, procures a. What looks like.

(03:30:27):
Similar walking stick to the onethat you guys saw before and
pours out this time what looks like a runny golden liquid and
puts a drop in a bunch of different shot glasses for each
of you and gives you guys all wink and goes.
It'll go down real rough and youmight have a headache depending
on how drunk you are. Enjoy the rest of your night.
Oh yeah. She winks at each of you.

(03:30:51):
You notice she spins especially long watching demos and winks
and says sort of generally I will be all back anytime.
Please come visit, I get lonely.Thank you ma'am, your drinks are
amazing. Oh, anything I can do for you,
sweetie? And on Downing the drink, you
feel almost like a extremely acidic drink.

(03:31:14):
Citrusy, lemony go down and yourmouth all squinch up.
And all of you feel an immediatehangover as all of your
drunkenness ends and the entire scene around you fades and melts
away. And what returns is the simple
wooden and clean sterile bar of the Quicksilver Liberty Bar.

(03:31:35):
You guys all return and you see a remarkably similar, perhaps
the same bartender sitting and watching you guys and smiling.
Some of you, for who have you guys drank a little more than
others? Your head hurts especially hard
now as you are met with idiot hanging, but you're all sober.
Why do people do that? Jag is no hangover.

(03:31:56):
Oh. The King Jag.
You stride out, Jaya orifice, you and Mammon and Bezel even
got a couple of drinks together just sort of sharing old war
stories from different sides. Yeah.
And you know Jaya Jaya can join in with war stories as well.

(03:32:21):
I like to think most of them endwith like orifice dying horribly
but I'm like. Yeah, that's what happened.
Exactly what it was. And on the outside, Samir jumps
up from his booth and runs over and goes.
I'm so glad. To see you all alive and well
and not kidnapped, that is very scary.
You sort of like melted away. Where did you?

(03:32:43):
Go. Was that another plane?
That is quite powerful magic fora simple bar.
Yeah, no, it was pretty sick. I ain't never seen nothing like
that. We were in a whole another plane
and it was, it was kind of crazy.
Wow, this should be studied the plane.
You can only enter when you're drunk.
How interesting. And I wonder if it's only
specific to that plane or if it's like 1 big plane and

(03:33:06):
everybody who gets really drunk goes there goes.
There, that's. The first time I've been there
there. We should study this.
You know, I don't think I ever wanted to be a plane that are
magician, but it could be interesting.
It seems like there's lots of different ways to get the
planes. Yeah.
I guess so. Yeah.
I think it's different that way was.
You seem cheaper, higher, you feeling better?

(03:33:27):
I don't know, it was nice. It was nice being drunk for a
little while. So I maybe maybe have a have a
hangover. That's all right.
You still. Have your ring.
That's what matters, right? Yeah.
All right, is it off to bed now?Immediately all.
Right, you guys exit the bar then and head on back.
The group of you travel the darkstreets now.
It's just the amount of time passed while you were in there.

(03:33:48):
You're not sure if it was time dilation or just everyone being
drunk, but it's late now, past midnight you think, and the
night of Waterdeep continue on. You guys have actually pretty
much seen every hour of the day here, but the night life is
pretty much like all others, well occupied by what looks like
all manner of folk doing whatever night desires.

(03:34:08):
On your walk back, which is a brisk walk about 10 minutes in
the cool spring air, you make itback to the flaming bore.
On the walk, Abel sort of pulls up beside you or a face and sort
of nudges you. Are we really?
Going to pout all night. I want to discuss things with
you. You know, you and I have another
proper chat since I've arrived here.
I. Know that, Sorry.
I've thinks I want to talk to you about hora face.

(03:34:29):
I mean for one. Well, do you?
Remember how when we were in Valhalla, I oftentimes boasted
about my grandeur lifestyle thatI had when I was alive?
We. Recall something like that, yes.
Well, as you know, most of thosemight have been a bit of
overplayed storytelling, not quite true.
And well, ever since arriving back, it's got me thinking, What
was my life like here? Who was I?
Is there really an Abel, a humanAbel, out there somewhere who

(03:34:52):
was like me? It's really interesting.
Remember. Well.
Not well, Orafaeus, you know that I remember bits and pieces,
but not not names, not places. It's more like feelings and
ideas and, well, songs. Songs I creative, but you
remember what you looked like, right?
Not exactly Orafaeus. I mostly have this sort of brand
version of what I thought I looked like.

(03:35:13):
I knew I at least was male, I believe, and I knew I sort of
was this I believe human like creature, but beyond that I'm
not sure. All humans, I think.
That's what I found out for surethough I'm I guess I'm not
positive but people call it the human afterlife so.
Well, that proves that. But beyond that aura face, I
didn't know that much and it's got me thinking.

(03:35:35):
I wonder what I was. Like I mean imagine it was
thousands of years ago considering the time was Palla
but. Damn it, I want to.
Know I want to maybe find an oldgrave spot or perhaps an old
sailor who knows my tale. Wouldn't that just be lovely?
And well, it got me thinking about you. 2 are obvious.
What was your life like outside of Valhalla?
Before it, I mean, clearly you were a warrior.
Same as what did you do? What would you like?

(03:35:57):
I thought everyone knew. Did you do you?
No, no, I mean that I don't. You all remembered I I don't
know anything. Well, I mean, to be fair
obvious, I do remember lots. But you don't remember anything,
do you? Nothing at all, no.
See, I have starting points. I have colors and feelings and
textures, smells and tastes, andwell, I believe I can use those

(03:36:21):
to determine about where, well, where about I live.
So the people that I knew and some of these ale houses, I
smelled just a faint whiff of something I remembered from
being alive. I'm still trying to find that
ingredient. I believe I might have found it
tonight in that marvelous beverage I had.
The bartender called it coconut.It was familiar to me.
Coconut. Maybe you were a sailor.
Perhaps I was. What irony to be born into a

(03:36:43):
sailor's life this time. Or perhaps I was born on some
tropical Isle to be a warrior among their people.
I'm not sure. Aphaeus.
But well, it's got me thinking about my life and thinking about
yours. Haven't you been curious about
who you? What you would like?
It feels very far away, I suppose.
But. If we are to.
Believe this Iceland that ridicywas alive not.
A few. Dozen or so years ago in this

(03:37:04):
world, then, perhaps, people. Are alive that.
Knew who you They could teach you more about your character.
You could even perhaps meet yourvery own family.
There are people. Who might miss you here or
aphaeus Friends and you might even have a lover.
No, I don't think that one. Or you?
I haven't thought of that. Just a thought.
Listen, it's nothing we have to do immediately, but I thought

(03:37:26):
perhaps as we continue around, it's worth asking around, you
know? Of course, I know you don't know
your name when you live. What can I ask for?
A human warrior, probably, who died.
Listen, let's just move slowly, all right?
I know that's hard to work. With but I just.
You know, if I just want to makesure you're interested at all,
Just keep an eye peeled. It's a.

(03:37:47):
Nice thought. I do wonder.
I remember things sometimes here, sort of familiar
sensations, but I'm never sure if it's my sense, my memories,
or Iceland's physical memories, you know, I.
Suppose those are hard to differentiate, yes.
How do you know you liked the coke?
That's what if that's just this sailors body you're in.

(03:38:09):
But you said it felt like more than that.
Yes, it did. It was some.
Memory of a true memory. It was like an instinct.
Do you ever have those? Some sort of instinct that
wasn't yours. Yes, all the time, actually,
yes. I believe that's proof.
I I know what you're saying, that you're inhabiting another
body, and I suppose I am too. It could be my body that enjoys
the coconut, but I knew it before then you didn't.

(03:38:30):
But I believe these feelings that you get, those feelings of
some sort of otherworldly instinct, you should follow
them, lean into them and learn from, create a picture from them
and then ask people about it. That's all.
I'll do that, I think. Yeah, I think I will.
Thank you. I had a lad.
And he slaps you on the back just as hard as the last few
times. Now then, time to get my beauty

(03:38:53):
sleep. Yeah, yeah, you need its body.
It's all you got to go in for you.
And does anyone else want to do anything on the walk back?
New. Nor.
I actually had a quick question.Hi Samir here higher.
That's the ring you have the blue one.
I couldn't help but notice how upset you are over losing it.
I know it is precious to you, a religious piece, but if you

(03:39:15):
don't mind me asking, is that from your goddess?
Yeah, I think so. I think it was from my goddess.
I don't know. One day I showed up and my mom
had it and said it was for me. And I don't know, it really
helped. And I don't know, it feels like
her, I guess. My goddess it, it feels like

(03:39:38):
kind of the only piece of home I'm holding on to, I guess.
And I don't know, I feel like lately my emotions have been
everywhere all the time. The idea of that continuing to
happen without me having a way out kind of scared me I guess.
I mean, that makes perfect sense.
Higher and with a neutral smile he goes.

(03:39:59):
That makes me happy that you have that piece of home to hold
onto. You know it, it got me thinking.
When we talk to your people in the the plinths in the religious
world, the temples, people therewere confused where they came
from and why they couldn't talk to our God.
And you remember that older gentleman we talked to said that
they had not heard from your goddess since?

(03:40:20):
They had arrived and you still can, I mean, you still cast
these spells. I I wonder if perhaps this ring
you're more connected to her because of it.
It's like a a. Focus or some sorts of way that
she can contact you better than others that.
That's interesting, I never thought about it.
It's just a theory. But I almost, you know, I, I see

(03:40:41):
now why you cared about it so much and, well, I, I don't think
we should lose it. And I will help you keep an eye
on it. You know, I'm sorry that it was
almost taken from you today, especially by some asshole
leader guy who could have just walked away with it.
I'm sorry. Thank you.
I appreciate it. Yes, I would have let it go for

(03:41:02):
the right reasons I guess, but. But this wasn't the right one,
and this is. It is important to you.
It might be the connection you have to your goddess.
I will. And he sort of smiles and he
goes. I will help you look after it,
OK? Just, you know, I want to make
sure that it stays safe. If it ever gets lent out, I'll
make sure to stay on it too, because I can tell it it matters
to you and you care. Thank you, Samir.

(03:41:26):
I know it's been kind of hard for the group lately, but.
Well, of course, but you've had a tough time too.
Everybody has. That doesn't mean that we all
have to be sad together. Yeah.
I kind of, I kind of like being happy with everyone in the bar,
at least for a little bit. Yeah.
Which was? Nice.
You got to dance. You danced well.
Oh God, I thought you didn't go in.

(03:41:48):
Maybe somebody told me. Oh God.
Listen, we still can have these nice moments.
Sometimes bad things happen, butI think we take them in stride.
Besides, now it sounds like we might have a mission to what did
Doolum say? Kill Zabrix?
That's sort of crazy, but he wasone of my worst enemies when we
lived in Turkad. Honestly one of the few enemies

(03:42:09):
I have in my entire life. I feel like we get rid of him.
A lot of our troubles might go away.
I. Hate to say it, but I think I
just made my day. Wow, what a great day it is.
Yeah, OK. We'll look forward to that.
All right, all. Right.
And you guys arrive at the flaming bore looks the same as

(03:42:30):
it did before. You notice all the same
frivolities and heavy drinkers are going at it in the grand
mess hall in the center of the looks like large open space of
the middle of the building. You guys curve your way up the
spiral stairs to your private rooms and find that Samir, who
is no longer booked in the extremely fancy room several

(03:42:53):
floors up now recently got the room back right next to you guys
so you can be the twinned rooms he goes.
On the other side than his old room was.
I just actually the same room that his old room was.
Wow, a lot of faith in that house I.
Know I'm being very brave. He walks in, you notice he sort
of pokes his head in first and like, have you guys look in to

(03:43:16):
make sure Malagus isn't there and he's not.
And making your way back into your own room, you find Malagus
sprawled out asleep on the bed next to Tick with Monty and the
other. All right.
Good night, you guys. I'll see you tomorrow and we'll
have lots of fun things to do. I think things are getting
better now. All right, you guys all settle
in for the evening. Is there anything anyone would

(03:43:37):
like to do before the bed? Orpheus.
I'm worried about Damos that he might have gotten cursed from
that. That book could do you mind
casting identify on him. Sure, just give.
Me a minute, rub my hands together to warm them up and
slap them down on Davis''s arms.Hey not to be stupid but how did

(03:43:58):
I figure out everyone's diseasesearlier?
Does anyone remember? Wasn't it like detect?
Poison or disease? Yeah, I thought you had like a
detect poison spell. OK, maybe I just missed it when
I was looking through my spell list.
No, maybe I deleted it. Never mind, I'll also cast that
on Damos. There's two in the.
Full fucking panel. On Damos.

(03:44:21):
The full fucking panel. All right, so you cast all these
things on Demos. No diseases or poisons on Demos,
but higher. Unbelievably, your intuition was
right. You notice a new small curse on
Demos other than the one that Demos already has.
He sees everyone who's performedthe Redwood ritual.

(03:44:42):
You notice a small. What looks like.
Necrotic curse attached to Demos.
It's small and festering, but itlooks like it's somehow attached
to the book. You can tell that if Demos read
any more of the book with this curse attached, something might
happen. Yeah, I don't like that.
I would like to try to remove curse.

(03:45:04):
It's a it's a light curse and you clean it up nicely and demos
you don't even feel any different.
Afterward it was very dormant and nothing in was happening
directly. But the curse is lifted and
higher you check again and it's gone now, and demos you're still
don't feel any different. Gosh, I guess that nibble was
worse than I thought it was. Yeah, I know that book is fucked
up. Shrinks are bad for us.

(03:45:28):
I. Feel Samos, you've done so much
recently for the group or I mean, I feel like, you know,
between the the, you know, sacrificing your body at the
temple and now this. I don't want to see you keep on
getting hurt, but thank you for it all.
Yeah, of course, of course, higher.
I mean, you know, if there's anything I can do to help, I

(03:45:50):
just, I feel the need. Speaking of gosh, when, when is
the ritual for your brother? I believe it's in three days,
but that's right, three days, so.
After today it's in 2 days. Did and I don't believe we paid
upfront for the ritual, did we? Did we?

(03:46:11):
No, no, we do not have the. Funds and still do not.
We. Did make we have a fund bank
though that Doolum has yeah thatwe all contributed some to.
OK, OK. So but it's not enough.
But like we're not going off of what we all have written in our
point versus because I know that's fuck all.

(03:46:31):
Yeah, I'm afraid we'll be working for a few days.
That is all right. Working is all right.
Also. I'm going to bed.
Goodnight. Sorry, Samir is bad.
Samir is in bed. Excuse.
Goodnight, Arvelas. That was my father's name.
Oh my bad it. Is all right.
Goodnight Tire. All right, is there anything

(03:46:52):
else you'd like to do for your long rest?
Likely no one has to be on watchtonight, so you guys can just go
to bed 8. Hour alarm spell on the book.
Right on the book. Perfect.
OK so you guys all bed down for the evening.
The night goes on pretty much without a hitch.
There isn't much really to be set of dreams that you guys were

(03:47:13):
having. Honestly for the most part you
guys are all pretty dog tired from getting like kind of drunk
in the middle of the night and woken up.
But now in the middle of the night to our one awake member of
the party, Doolum Doolum. You noticed Abel went to sleep
almost immediately, completely forgetting about that plan that
he had to join you in making music.

(03:47:36):
He seemed to almost immediately pass out as well.
You notice Samir stopped by at some point very quietly, opening
the door, checking in, seeing who was asleep, and then leaving
without saying a word. I did it on purpose for the
record. And at about two or three AM
doolim, you hear a voice. It's quiet and distant.
It's first sounds like it's downthe hallway, and you sort of

(03:47:58):
clock it like it is so. But then it sounds closer.
And then it dawns on you. The voice is not speaking any
language you've ever not common.In fact, it's not even a
language at all. You think it's more like grunts
and sounds of like a newborn trying to speak.
And then the very small, small bag of denim and leather on your
side slowly moves and twitches. What?

(03:48:21):
The fuck? You see emerging from it are a
few dark colored fingers, humanoid, slowly leaving the
bag. This is actually going to be
where we end for. Oh my God, this.
Is our stopping point. You get, you get back in.
There or so help me. Sound bore.

(03:48:48):
And. That's a good stopping point,
you guys. Thank you for coming with me on
this excellent adventure. That's a good.
Stopping point. Great work.
You know, this was one of those episodes that nothing bad
happened. Really.
Like it was mostly, mostly, yeah.
Nothing bad happened to us, but bad things still.

(03:49:10):
Happen. I got power killed in front of
us. I was so ready for you to
counterspell it again. Doolum.
I thought that would be so funny.
Would have been a hoot. Just keep pranking this guy.
I know you guys have been waiting in eager anticipation
all week. And probably many.
Weeks before because this poll I'm here to bring you is

(03:49:33):
actually from episode. I figured out which poll it was,
but over opposite. Come on, Sham, get in there.
Yeah, no, I think it's a good one.
I want to worry. Yeah, it is actually a good one.
All right, Today we are bringingyou the results of the poll from
episode 24, Mother of All Magic.This poll was, of course, what

(03:49:54):
disease did hire miss? This is during our first disease
identification. I'm actually so glad we had a
little call back. Yeah, I think the episode.
So I'm going to go. Least to highest votes with
absolutely zero votes. Oro trench foot.
You guys know I keep the dogs clean.

(03:50:14):
I keep them clean and dry. Hello.
You don't even look at them. I.
Do now I look in between every toe.
Could you hear the like instant I stopped liking what I was
saying? Yeah, it was really good.
After that, with the one boat wehad Jaya sundowning.

(03:50:36):
Oh, that one. See that one?
Is. Real boat, I remember that one
being confirmed by the DM. Yeah, that feels true.
Hello then Tide was Dilum's Rustbugs and smears.
Memento disease. Rust bugs.
Then an echelon above that we had Malagus's every STD and

(03:50:57):
Davos's snout rot and in first place with five votes hires evil
compulsions. Yeah.
Wow, 1/3 of all votes were hires.
Evil compulsions. Well.
They're they're evil. They were not picked up by the
spell. So there we go.

(03:51:19):
That's that was the fact. Guys, I got it from the book.
It's not me. In this episode, we are asking
you what's in the bag. What's in the bag?
Is that funny in anyone I. Assume it's funny to everyone
listening. Your options are #1 friends.

(03:51:42):
Well #2 tiny monkeys in parentheses.
Bagatha and her ilk ilk #3 Slender man #4 Maisie.
Can can we have Jaya as an Jaya copies as another, Yeah.
Her children, no. Yeah #5 the.

(03:52:03):
Children. The Jaya Ites, yeah, Jaya lings,
Yeah, it cross out Maisie #4 theJaya lings, Jaya Army rise.
Jaya Army. That is your poll long now while
you're voting in our poll, whichyou should do, whether you're

(03:52:25):
listening to this episode the day it comes out or fucking
three years down the line. Because I go back and check old
polls and when I see the little votes click up, makes me smile,
makes me feel warm. But once you're done voting in
the poll, you should go ahead and shoot us a follow on
Spotify. This will make sure you don't
miss our episode next Monday, which would make you sad.

(03:52:46):
It would make me sad. It would make Mason really sad.
I'll cry. And if you liked this episode
and our podcast in general, you should rate US.
Rate US five stars. Rate US four stars.
Maybe anything lower than that. Don't fucking bother.
Don't, don't do it. You can also comment on Spotify.
Bet you didn't know that. No one does.
But you can do it. I'll read them and in our

(03:53:07):
Spotify bio you can find our little link tree.
This has helpful links like our podcast on freaky other
platforms. I recently met some people who
listened to our podcast on ApplePodcasts and that really freaked
my bean. Boo.
Boo Boo. No, just kidding.
Actually, if you rate US on Apple Podcast, that would be
good too, because I learned you can do that and no one does

(03:53:27):
because who fucking uses Apple Podcasts?
But right? Is there also Amazon Podcasts?
You'll find our links to all that in our Spotify bio.
Also, you'll find a link to our e-mail address
[e-mail]. Send me an e-mail any emails you
send. I read with my own 2 beautiful
eyes. I'm good at reading.

(03:53:49):
You might be surprised because my character doesn't like
reading. I read when I read.
I read every letter. I don't miss even 1 and I'll
type letters back to you that will arrange an order you find
enjoyable. Also, you should check out our
subreddit. Also in that handy link tree.
That's our slash the run pack. Is it our slash run pack?
Fuck that's our slash run pack. It's a great place for your fan

(03:54:10):
art, fan theories, fan content, fan fiction.
I I think we also have an AO3 for your sexy fan fiction.
Keep it classy on the Reddit guys.
Probably kids on there. On.
The AO3 yeah, slide it up on theAO3I mean fuck it if we're not
giving you content to work with Jesus Christ, Yeah, that's the

(03:54:33):
most important thing. Also check us out on TikTok at
the Runt Pack. And most importantly, don't
forget to listen next Monday.