Ep. 139 - Garden Of Victories | DND404 - DND404 | Dungeons and Dragons Podcast

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello everybody, Welcome back toD and D4 O four.
I am your DM Tony, and joined with me today on one of the
other three trading cards in my binder that I hold very dear to
my heart, starting with the don't touch it.
It's first edition. Yeah, it got a little fold in
the corner, but it's my favorite, Jared.
What's going on guys? Armos checking in.

(00:21):
I would have to say one of my favorite cards.
I was a early adopter into Magicand that first set, one of the
cards that I loved the most was Howling Minds.
It makes you, you and your opponent draw one extra card and
it just speed up the game a lot.So we always just either just

(00:42):
adapted that into our like game,even though it wasn't like, you
know, the right way to play, butit was fun and it was a good
time. But anyways, Dan, what about
you? Hello everybody my name is Dan.
I play menace Pebble Walker, your tiny little swarm keeper
Ranger and my favorite trading card is going to have to be the
card that got me into the one piece addiction.

(01:05):
These guys saw me open it on stream.
It is the Trafalgar law OP 119 parallel full art that I opened
on stream. That is my favorite card because
it is. It was the first really cool,
slightly expensive card I ever opened in a pack.
And that's it's got good memories.
What about you, Alec? My name is Alec, I play Darrell

(01:28):
of the Ashbourne, and my favorite trading card I own
would happen to be this MU 2 GX.I'm going to go ahead and just
show it to you guys though real quick.
It's APSA 10 MU 2 GX. It's like the very first second,
I guess the second graded card Iever bought.
Not only does it look cool, but it's significantly gone up in

(01:51):
price since I bought it. So it's also a good investment
piece, so. I'll confirm about scalper,
dude. Yeah, I see this kid.
I see this kid. 12 year olds andyeah, dude, I mean, when you're
up against them in Target, bro, you got to, you got to fight for
your right to, to sell stuff. Exactly.
What about you Tony? My favorite has got to be Summon

(02:13):
Skull from Yu-gi-oh. Long time Yu-gi-oh player from
base set. I collect summon skulls from
almost every, you know, every time there's a reprint or new
print of them. That's my like go to card,
that's my chase card. Just love summon skull.
Something fantastic just always has some cool art in.
There, and ironically, we all picked a different trading card.
I was thinking about that. That was kind of.

(02:33):
Cool. I mean, Dan took line but it's
fine. Your exact card.
Yeah, the exact one. I thought you were going to go
with pot of greed, Tony. I knew you were going to greed,
but I thought you were going to go with pot of greed.
I have a whole, I have a couple of pages just dedicated to
unique summit skulls that you can pull from like, you know,
the early 2000s and onward. Maybe we got some rare dual dual

(02:59):
machines. I don't know.
They have like special arcade machines with like special print
summon skulls that he even got to and a holographic base set
1st edition summon skull. That's my baby right there.
So. Shout out to my boy Julian who
collects is trying to collect every single muck ever made.
Wow. Yeah, shout out, Julian, man,

(03:19):
that's. Some good mucks.
Now you know the deal. Before we do the recap, we're
going to do the rundown. And today's rundown is brought
to you by me. That's right, it's me.
And you know what? Yeah, it is no shout out to
Apple Podcasts. I'm going to rundown Apple
Podcasts today. If you've been listening on
Apple Podcasts, thank you. And if you haven't left us a
review on Apple Podcasts, why don't you go ahead and do that?

(03:41):
And if you are looking for a platform, you know that there's
some Apple podcast listeners outthere.
What we do here, what we've beendoing for a long time, is
showing a lot of love to all theother platforms, especially
Spotify. You know, we do like comments
and stuff on there, but we wanted to show a little love to
Apple podcast today and thank you.
Thank you for listening to us onthere as well.

(04:01):
Yeah, we're trying to surpass the New Heights podcast with the
Kelsey brothers. We're really close.
Oh, I was like, what DND podcastis that, Dave?
Super close, only like a few million off or something.
Become next Super Bowl championsjust to promote AD and D
podcast. Exactly.
Look out for a Super Bowl ad. Now you know the deal.

(04:24):
We're going to go ahead and rollfor the recap where I roll a
giant foam D4. Have Heed by my buddies.
Rhyme number 12 is Alec, three'sDan, 4 is Jared.
I got a hoop behind me on my door.
How would you like me to dunk it?
Shoot it. It landed on my keyboard.
Everything's good. OK.
Everything's still running. OK, cool.
How would you guys like me to shoot it today?

(04:44):
Yeah, just don't eat it. Just no.
Ceiling. Just no.
Questions. Just throw it.
Attempt. Just toss it up.
Actually make it. Oh yeah.
Yeah, actually it's a really nice shot.
I'll take it. Those are decent attempts.
Well. Let's try to actually make.
It Oh, you didn't want that one.You didn't want that one.
Let's really pick that one up pretty quickly.

(05:04):
All right, this is the last one,man.
Third. 1. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
First two so all of a sudden. It's going to land on me and
then you guys are like, oh, thatone counts.
I hit the right but it's offered.
To the camera. That one counts.
Oh, I can't see it so. I got a full screen.
Yep. Oh my.
No, that one doesn't count. Looks like, looks like I can see

(05:25):
it, so all right to grab it. I said do it.
I said do it again, I'll do it again.
I'll do it again. Do it.
Again, I'll do it again all. Right last one I need fine make
make it in the hoop. Yeah, seriously, I said.
Do it again. As long as all right now we have
to make in the hoop. It didn't count 'cause it was
off Cam. Doesn't count.
We're going to do it 1,000,000 years later until you make it.

(05:48):
Get a little closer every time until you make it.
I don't. Think.
You can even lay it up in there.Yep, didn't think so.
That was somehow worse. By the way, Tony is arm length
away and still missed. You see it and it landed on me.
Nah. He made it though.
I got scammed. We had a clear modifier in the

(06:09):
end though, so gotta respect it.Excuse me for trying to shoot a
triangular object into a round hole.
This episode kicks off right in the middle of action.
Gore, lack of giant floating eyeball shows up and things
immediately go sideways. There's poison in the air, acid
geysers blasting up, and the party is juggling exhaustion and
non-stop damage. Drell tries to smash the ground

(06:30):
to get an edge while Armos takesit up a notch by turning into a
Baylor demon using true polymer.And then the ground literally
gives out. Drell drops through a trapdoor
and the whole mimic cavern starts falling apart with
everything collapsing around them.
Armos, in full Baylor form grabsthe crew and flies them out.
And that's where we're going to pick up this session.

(06:52):
Hard play the intro. Good morning, good afternoon and
good evening and welcome to the world of Humbrea, featuring
three first time adventurers andone very patient DM.
This is D and D4 O 4 Phyllis Boyles Welcome to session 139.
We pick up at the entrance of the Trench of Forgotten Gods as

(07:16):
demonic Armos polymorphed as a Baylor flew out of the cavern
that was filling up with stomachbile and acid flying out
carrying Menace and drill. They make it to the top of the
pit which is the entrance of theTrench of the Forgotten Gods as
Armos drops Menace and drill to the floor as they finally catch

(07:37):
their breath after fighting Glorsecath through the puddle of
bio rots acid, a green orb shot up landing just a few feet away
from the three of you as you nowsee this glass like orb made of

(07:58):
like ooze with the center of it with a shining red bloodshard
look. Another one of these orbs that
you have been collecting from each of the profits rolls slowly
towards you. Armos, you are still currently
in your demon form. True Polymorph has a duration of

(08:21):
one hour and you can cancel it whenever you like.
You are a huge creature about tobe in a tight space.
We did it. Good job, demon Armos.
Those girls, Those girls just smells horrible.
You can we get out of this room,please?
We got this, Reginald begins to retch as the smell of rotten

(08:45):
death puddle in the entrance that you just came from.
Is the door open back into the Madding dungeon?
Yes, the door was actually blownoff its hinges.
Oh, from the massive tongue thatreached out to catch Golo, the
key to enter entering this. Place I'll walk to the end of
the room and I'll look out back into the madding dungeon and see
if anything changed. You look out to the Madding

(09:07):
dungeon and it's exactly the wayyou left it, filled with death
bones, rotting flesh and decrepit burning sizzling worm
all. Right, guys, it's clear.
OK. What?
Levate throat? And I'm trying to like, squeeze
through the hallway and I'm obviously too big for it, right?
Yeah, you're, you're considered a huge creature, so you would
need to like, really scrunch up here.

(09:28):
You could probably go through this hallway right here into the
chamber room, we'll call it, in the Madding dungeon where the
green door was. But you know, navigating through
the halls you would not be able.To me trying to squeeze through
the hall or this first hallway, I'm get frustrated and then I
realize I have blink and I blinkinto the other room.
You blink it to the next room asyou are out of the room with the

(09:50):
trench of forgotten gods with all the stomach bile and acid is
smelling horribly and it's a bitmore bearable.
Who collected the orb that it's spat out I.
Think it almost has them. All.
Yeah, I think, yeah, I'd be surprised if it wasn't me.
I have the orbs. All right, that's good, Armos.
Yeah, hold on to it. I don't know if you're going to

(10:11):
fit through all these hallways like that.
Might be time to, you know, get back to normal armos as.
Soon as he says that, I I chunk one of the piles of bones, No.
Careful, we we don't know what'sgoing on in here.
It might, might break the room. Oh, you want me to break room?
OK. And then I just smash the next

(10:33):
one. As I like go into the northern
hallway almost. Chill, chill, chill, chill.
Before drill says chill, I drop kick the the the third and then
as I'm getting up I hear everyone kind of gone or
clamoring away. Where are you guys going?
I peek out the corner. Is it safe and did anything fall

(10:56):
room crumble? We good.
Yeah, it it looks, it looks OK. OK.
Do we want to check check out that door on our way out?
Do you if anything changed? Yeah, that sounds sounds good to
me. OK.
Wait, I can't get through, I told.
You already you need to shrink. Yeah, you need to just go back
to normal armos. All right, I, I start to start

(11:18):
to cast, you know, to, to drop the the spell, but before I do,
I kick the last pile and then asI'm transforming back into
Armos, I run into the hallway. Good to have you back buddy.
You were. You really saved our ass back
there, not going to lie. As I drink a health potion.
It was amazing, the power. Yeah, it feels pretty good being

(11:42):
even using it. This is normal.
Imagine if you that was only twowings.
Imagine if you had three or four.
You know how invigorating that one.
You see what I'm you what I'm talking about?
I'll keep my. Eyes getting now.
Now that I know I can transform into kind of anything, I'm going
to keep my eyes out. It's an itch.

(12:04):
It's an itch I want to scratch. Minis meditates for a second and
he'll breathe and use another deft explorer feet to give
himself some temp HP. So as you're using some
features, abilities and potions as you navigate through the
maddening halls, is there anything you would like to do as
almost turns back to its normal self so you're not in the middle

(12:25):
of anything right now so you canit is possible to take a short
rest if the three. Oh, we could, OK.
Yeah, So short rest will be about 15 minutes, 20 minutes or
so. That chamber room that you just
came out of is probably the bestspot to do it because there's
you have cleared this area for all intensive purposes.
Guys, we could totally set up camp, you know, before we go, go

(12:49):
look. I cleared this nice space for
us. Didn't you hear me as a demon?
I look around to see if it's even safe.
Look, do you see it? Look, I cleared all the skulls
to the sides of the room. I got all the creepy stuff.
I decorated a little bit, you know what I'm saying?
Yeah, I think we could probably catch our breath here.
I lit all the torches. Look at this.

(13:10):
See everyone coming at us from, you know, down these halls
anyways. I mean, if you if you really
need to rest, we can. I'd prefer not to do it here,
but. Yeah, same.
We did, kind of. Clear it pretty well.
OK. All right.
I'm just sitting in the middle of my my disaster artwork, I

(13:31):
guess. Whatever you want to say.
Destruction. Yeah.
And this and the SIDS will make a little bone teepee Hut in the
corner, yes. So you'll be able to take a
short rest here. You're not gonna be able to take
a long rest. And as you make a seat, as you
make a seat rest on the floor tocatch your breath, you gain the
benefits of a short rest. And as you look at the orbs

(13:54):
armos, you are looking at the four you collected and you, and
you notice that one of them begins to start to react.
It's the one you got from Chog, the one that's made of like
worms and feels gross to the touch.
As you are looking at it, you feel it starts to like react to

(14:15):
the area as if it's trying to process some type of power.
Only this orb begins to make anytype of action.
And it spends an hour just kind of huddling up with the SIDS and
this little Fort he made as one of the Sid sentries keeps watch

(14:39):
outside. Feel like Darrell just kind of,
you know, doesn't really take off all of his armor and stuff
because it takes a while to takeit off and put it back on.
But he tries to get, I feel likeas comfortable as he possibly
can in this room and just sits down and just kind of takes a
long deep breath, possibly maybeeven gets a little bit of shut
eye. You get like a wink.
You get your 40 winks in, but you don't get anything too crazy

(15:03):
of a rest because after a few moments you almost that or
begins to like move and bubble and Reginald goes he goes.
If there's any part of a quisterin there, you may want to get
this thing moving. So while doing a long rest or
short rest, I'm sorry, I will give a speech about how we need

(15:25):
to get moving and keep these on.We're almost towards the end of
our journey and it's going to beamazing once we're able to put
down this BBG. What's a BBG?
Yeah, what's that? What is that?
Actually? It's a phrase that I've heard.
I don't know. It's in this book you you'd have

(15:45):
to see the context. I don't know.
Is that kind of like a BBL? Jesus, Reginald, you're a
pervert. There's no one that is talking
about your. Book your most power.
Could you? And Menace is pretending to know
what that means, but Menace would not.
Know what that? Means so everyone gets 24
temporary hit points. Oh, nice, very cool, very cool

(16:06):
overriding depth explorer. Yeah, we say I didn't do that
because I know we were taking it.
That's. Fine, That's fine.
That's fine. Yeah.
I, I I pitched a short rest hereso everybody gets 24 temporary
hit points after Armos's riveting inspirational speech.
As you feel inspired, A Reginaldbegins to nudge you out of the
area to start heading out of this dungeon.

(16:28):
As he notices the orb begins to move and react to the
environment suggests that something may happen if left
alone. I suppose I'm ready and this is
this is not fun, is it guys? No this this sucks.
Yeah, I miss. I miss the outside world.

(16:49):
Yeah, I miss the sun. I mean, that's kind of weird,
right? Because I mean, where I'm from
it's kind of cloudy all the time, but just weird being in
here. It's so eerie.
I miss my family man. Yeah, same.
I hope this all works out. What about you, Armos?
You know, I got one goal and it's to finish whatever's in

(17:10):
front of us. I don't.
I can't see anything outside of that.
And by the way, yeah, we need tokeep up.
And Armas is just like doesn't know what to talk about because
he doesn't have anything else like to look forward to.
So he's just like, he doesn't really know what he like at this
point, like anything outside of revenge.

(17:30):
Still, he's so close to it. You see as Armos cuts to the
front of the pack as you 2 shareyour express some of your
feelings, you see that Reginald is on Armos's shoulder facing
you 2 and he makes like a circlemotion with his paws and go and
mounts the words tunnel vision. Yeah.
Man, this is gonna grab Armos's coat just before he leaves this

(17:51):
room. Hey Armos, can I ask you
something? Yeah, yeah.
Oh, you want to know about? OK, so BBL OK, let me tell you
about. No, no, no, this is serious
Armos. It's just like a big thing of
lettuce. It's really.
Armos, this is serious. Look at me.
Yeah, take this. And I mean, this hands him like

(18:12):
a novel of papers. But listen, I I.
Don't know if I got time to readthis.
Right. No, no, you don't have to read
that. Just, hey, if I don't make it
out of here, I'm not saying, youknow, I won't.
I'm going to try my hardest to help you guys and to make it out
alive. But let's just say, God forbid

(18:35):
something terrible happens to me.
Can you, can you give that to Mironor?
Mironor. Yeah.
I mean, there's, I mean, there'sa lot of other people we can
give it to, I mean. No, no, it it needs to go to
him. Oh he meant another Miranor, not
his arch nemesis. Yeah, there's no way that.
Right, right, right, right, right, right.

(18:55):
There's been a lot of. Can I get a last name or?
Like. Is he like an acquaintance?
No, I, I mean that Miranor. Listen, as much as I hate that
guy, if something happens to me,he, he's going to be the only
one that can help my my clan. I mean, he's the only one that

(19:16):
really understands what we're doing here.
I take off my my bag. I reach into it and stumble,
stumble around it and find the gem of Layla and give it to
menace to say. And if I don't make it out of
here and he kind of cuts himselfshort.

(19:36):
And then as you can tell that he's getting emotional, he kind
of just walks away and it just starts kind of angrily turns
from sadness to anger and just kind of storms away as he
leaves. Menace with Layla's Bloodshard.
Menace is really taken aback by that and he definitely grips it
really tight and kind of just senses the gravity of that.

(19:58):
He kicks his cart and he puts itsafely in the cart and then he
looks at Drell. Your cart appears out of thin
air. Yeah.
How did it even make it in? Here, how did it survive the
acid? That look at Darrell, I didn't
expect him to walk away and I didn't expect that to be that
crazy of a moment, but I did make you a copy as well.

(20:19):
I was going to say, yeah, I knowthat works.
Of course, of course. I made 3 copies, one for each of
us, you know. Yep, and.
I love the I love that. Yeah, here, take this or take

(20:40):
this menace as well, and what you got?
Don't open it. But just Darrell doesn't have
anything, but he rips out a blank piece of paper out of his
notepad and just folds it up really tight and gains at the
menace. Just don't open it.
I promise you I will never read this thing.
Should I give this to? Should I?
I need. To.

(21:03):
When the time is right, you'll know and just draw as it turns
around and walks away. I understand the menace will
keep walking after them. As almost leaves the leaves the
three of you, you make it down the halls.
You begin to head north and you hear the creak of a steel board

(21:24):
through the darkened halls. You head north and go around the
bend to begin to head South as you notice that the steel door
that was previously locked with no types of handle or locking
mechanism is now creaking open slowly.
Above the door is this strange cryptic language that almost can

(21:48):
read reading Observatory of Birth.
It's this way guys. And went up the stairs.
Oh good, I was hoping this wouldbe open.
I'm sure it's leading to more danger, but you know.
As you begin to head into this room with a spiraling staircase
as you leave the madding dungeon, you hear the sounds of

(22:09):
torture again. Scraping nails, sharpening
swords, and the sounds of innocence being stretched and
pulled apart as these voices echo in your mind.
You haven't seen anybody being tortured in this maze of halls,
and yet you still hear it as if they're happening to the room
next. And you'd be hear these sounds

(22:31):
as three of you silently ascend the stairs until they stop
echoing in your mind. You find yourself in this vacuum
of space as the stairs go up andthey begin to turn a blackish
marble all around you is nothingbut the void of space.

(22:51):
And then at the top of the stairs is another one of these
steel doors, identical to the one that you found at the base.
The door is unlocked and you begin to open it, and you find
yourself back in the Observatoryof Birth on the other end of the
madding dungeon door, the same room where you saw the Tower of

(23:12):
Memories, the throne, the the door to the Throne of Creation.
Over this red rift, miles below the floating staircase in space,
you're back in the Observatory of Birth when you had first
entered. And the only thing that's
different this time, the orb that was reacting in the manic
dungeon stops and begins to return to its normal state.

(23:37):
You notice that there is a red aura coming out of the Garden of
Victory's door, we'll say to your north.
And you still see these etherealchains moving around this red
rift that is pulsating between the arcane chains, which
symbolically looks like it's sealing the gate or portal that
it's wrapped around far below the floating staircase.

(24:00):
I think Drill kind of looks at the the guys and he's like a
ticket we're going this way and he ports points towards the the
door that's glowing the. Door that's glowing is the Elvin
door or the Elvin looking door, right?
Yes, the red bloodshot elvish door.
Yeah, I don't see a many other options, huh.
No. Any last precautions you want to

(24:21):
take? Any last precautions you want to
take Health potions? Check.
Check. Kind of check.
How many potions do you have left?
Or all. Let me see.
Yeah, should we? Like, actually, should we maybe
look, you know, look at our potions real fast.
I'm gonna be honest. Gear check.
We probably do a gear check. So I have I got 2 potions of

(24:46):
greater healing and. Then I've got 1.
And then I have one potion of supreme healing and that's.
It same same. Oh well, I have 3 superior
healings, why don't you guys take one of these each?
So I'll give them two of my superior healing potions.
OK, thanks. That'll be a help.

(25:07):
So I'll have one, then they eachget one of mine.
Yeah, I can always blast you with some healing word if you go
down, you know. Yeah, same.
What you can do it. We're going this way, right?
Drill points. Oh, we.
Are yeah, yeah you are in minutes for that's what he
asked. And we'll step down the stairs
towards the red door. You descend down the spiraling
stairs, this massive staircase, and you are now on a platform

(25:29):
that goes in two directions. 1 leads out hovering over the red
portal which is the gate to the throne of creation which you
know is locked. And then in front of you, you
see this blood Shard elven door.It's a weird, strange, archaic
language reading Garden of Victories.
And it looks like it's open, as you see the glimpse of moonlight

(25:52):
coming through the singular crack from the North End of the
door all the way down to the base.
Yep. I guess so.
Push the door open and start looking in.
Creek open through the door and a burst moonlight blinds you for
a moment as you walk through andyou find yourself on this light

(26:14):
bluish cobblestone path in the Garden of Victories.
Above you was the enclosed marble bridge that you had
walked across from the Mad, fromthe Tower of Academia all the
way to the Madding Dungeon. That bridge is about 100 feet
above you, stretching across this long cobblestone path

(26:35):
leading to elven wooden bridge stretching over some clearest
bluest water you have seen in a long time.
Seeing how you went from the redcity to here, this looks like
the most material plane like area that you've been in in a
very long time. You see this lush landscape of

(26:56):
flowers and different colored trees with beautiful fungi grown
in between them, beautiful foliage, Tri colored plants and
you see the rays of of the moonlight shine down above you
through the cracks and crevices of the hanging destroyed planets
being displayed like trophies ofthe worlds that a crystal has

(27:19):
been to and decimated. This whole garden that spans
what's for what seems like forever, yet feeling like a tiny
platform floating in the astroplane looks like one large
trophy case way across the path of the cobblestone.
You see that there's a massive tombstone in the distance on

(27:40):
this stone like platform surrounded by water.
What are the three of you doing?Yeah, I think we slowly walk
towards whatever is across that water.
Or towards the east. If we look, I mean these are
just flowers or is it like treesand jungle ish kind of looking

(28:01):
things? Tree very Everything is very
pleasant to look at. It seems chaotically organized.
You see a mix of trees, flower beds, bushes, foliage.
It feels like you're in a nursery, like a like a tree
nursery of some kind. A more of a foresty garden than

(28:22):
you than say a farm and vegetable.
Garden I walk onto the grass andgo check out some of the trees
to my immediate S go. Ahead and make the in nature
check as you go and check out the area. 12.
You're not familiar any of the foliage around you.
They all seem outer worldly. It looks like a variation of
like a tree you would see back in Umbrea.

(28:44):
But yet the leaf pattern and thethe bark, the way it the the
color of the bark is nothing like you've seen before, but you
get this great presence of life within the bark.
We also probably take a couple notes before getting back on the
path heading east with the guys did.
You collect a flower. Maybe I may have plucked A pedal

(29:07):
or two. A blue leaf gingerly falls from
the notebook from his flower journal.
Hey, like it's. Just overloaded with different
types of leaves. Then instant I grab it and put
it back in my journal. No, Yeah, yeah, you should
totally save that. Yeah, this is a great place to
take home souvenirs. All right, we should get in here

(29:29):
in minutes. We'll keep walking along the
path. You walk down the path what
seems like a good amount of time, about 20 minutes and you
start to notice it's all these trees.
Valley overview. You see these beautiful lush
hills, these grassy knolls, thisbeautiful thicket of multi
colored trees and and miniature forests.
It looks like a nursery for all types of life that you have

(29:51):
never seen as far as plant life goes.
Trees from other worlds meshed into one.
It seems like each tree is unique in its own design,
twisted its own way. They all have their unique odors
when you focus in on them, but somehow they all blend together
into something beautiful here. This place is very easy on the

(30:12):
eyes, and the water as you approach looks very clear and
soothing as they come out of a babbling brook.
Small waterfalls on either end if you come to this bridge.
The matter of fact, the only thing that looks horrifying here
are the decimated worlds miles above you, hanging over you like

(30:33):
some type of sick trophy. And through the cracks of those
worlds is the moonlight that seems to hauntedly shine on you
as you approach the base of the bridge.
This bridge arcs over the water very beautifully.
You see this big stone platform with two staircases leading on
either side of it with the heel cobblestone path wrapping

(30:58):
around. On the stone platform you see a
figure in a black Raven like robe in front of a huge massive
tombstone. Next to this figure is a single
table with two chairs and another table looks like it's
filled with various types of fruits and containers to hold

(31:20):
beverages. You also notice this red ether
of light wrapping around the bridge that faintly glows around
the platform, focusing on the large tombstone the figure on
the black robe has its back to. You do.
We know this guy. I don't think so.
I. Have no idea.
We have a few guesses, but that'd be one of the profits.

(31:43):
Maybe, I can't really tell from here.
Does the bridge have this glowing essence I guess around
it? Yes, it has this red glowing
essence that spirals around fromunderneath the bridge over the
arch leading up to the path of this giant stone platform where
the figure is standing, and it acts as a trail to the tombstone

(32:06):
itself, becoming more potent andsolid as it goes to the
tombstone. I do.
I don't know, is there some kindof check we can do to see if
it's saved across the bridge because of the this trail?
An insight Check insights. OK.
Your this is more of your gut feeling if you don't know don't

(32:28):
know exactly what you're lookingfor.
I got a nine. 13. An 8.
So you know that danger looms all around you and this area
being as nice as it is, leads you to leads the three of you to
a false sense of security. The the light itself seems
translucent. You actually can like wave your

(32:48):
hand through it and it goes through this light source almost
has left like a like a fog. It acts like a fog to you get
the feeling that it's guiding you, but it's static in place.
You don't think that it would harm you, but given the fact
that it's surrounding the tombstone itself gives the gives
you guys some the inclination that the tombstone is letting on

(33:11):
more than just being a simple memorial.
So you guys on the other side and I float with my SIDS across
the river. What?
You begin to flow. See you on the other side.
And I go invisible. Oh my God, walk across.
You as you go invisible. You begin to walk across.
As you walk through the red lights, take it to the other

(33:33):
side. Drill rolls his eyes and takes a
deep breath and just continues across the bridge by himself.
As you take that deep breath, holding in the air in your
chest, look at the red lights asyou make it to the other side.
I get close to the memorial and the stone steps that I just kind
of look awkwardly at. Armos and Drill can't.

(33:56):
See me? I look at Drill awkwardly.
I see Armos's footprints going and like.
I roll my eyes. Yeah, as you approach the
staircase, it looks like that one of the sides is pristine,
while the other set of stairs looks destroyed and rubbly.
You can still climb those stairs, however it just looks

(34:17):
like something had it had broke from some external occurrence.
I tell that it's smashed in and as you approach menace as you
take the broken staircase side, you notice the side profile of a
tall slender hile. He has long slick slick back
blonde hair. His entire body is concealed

(34:42):
behind this robe. The robe looks like it's made-up
of layered Raven feathers, as the only part of his body you
really see is the neck up. Tall, slender neck.
He has a very slender build, very spelt, very very well kept.
He is standing in front of this elven table, staring at this

(35:03):
tombstone that seems to have almost no writing.
You do see some scratchings at the base that is eye level to
him, but nothing else that suggests what it could be.
Normally a tombstone you would like.
If you saw a tombstone of this size, it's usually dedication to
like some type of war or large event that had claimed many

(35:25):
lives or is in memory of a greatact of a service or a people
collectively and it would have all their names on it.
But this one looks like it only contains a single name.
It's too small to read from yourcurrent position.
You hear an eloquent voice speakout to you.
You know there was only one other group of gives you a side

(35:49):
eye. Adventurers that have ever made
it to my garden and they seek the same thing that you were
trying to achieve today. Oh yeah?
What do you think that is? My soul vessel, among the others
that you are currently carrying.And now we know what it is.

(36:09):
Yeah, that's Jim. We need those.
Those are important, Yes, we know that.
Of course. Because we are better
adventurers and those that came before us clearly.
I would agree. Are you making it this far?
You are certainly among some of the best.
Although the last group that came here, the only other group

(36:33):
did not make it past me and it just.
Shaped them too. Because I wanted them to.
He takes a deep breath and continues to stare at the
tombstone. He doesn't seem uninterested in
you. He seems you get the sense that
he's just sad and that he's forced to be.

(36:54):
We're all in the top of the thing at this point, right?
You're on the staircase leading up.
Yeah. You are free to approach as you
like. If I'm within 30 feet of
someone, so that's kind of my goal.
I I get to see, I have which side so I can see if they're
like a shape changer concealed by illusion transmution magic,

(37:19):
anything like that. I don't notice anything if I get
that close. No, you try to get just within
30 feet of him and you're able to do that.
And he doesn't seem to react as the three of you approach Joel
as you take the other staircase,the staircase that isn't
destroyed, almost coming up on aflanking position.
Yeah. He just continues to stare and

(37:40):
he doesn't make any movements. You can't see his body is is
other than him standing up straight and tall.
You don't see any type of movement beneath the rope, so
you don't know if he's making any hand gestures or anything.
But he continues to stare at thetomb, at the tombstone.
You do not see anything with your witch's sight.
I'll come out of invisible and be like.

(38:00):
So if you can't, if you want to help us, why don't you?
If I am going to simply let someone pass and you're not
strong enough or smart enough toachieve their goal, then what's
the point? What you're going to test our
might one of those. In a sense, I mean, we could

(38:24):
fight if that's what you wish, any size.
What did the what did the other group decide to do as I look at
the broken stair staircase, assuming the worst?
You see, it turns around, you notice on the table as if it's
been there. You see a dragon chess board.
Well, the last group decided to play a game of their choice, and

(38:47):
if they bested me, I would simply allow them through
because they prove that they areat least smarter than I am.
If they've gotten through the other areas and collected their
soul vessels, and like you they clearly have, then they clearly
have some strength behind them. But none of those are tests of
intellect. You beat me, say, in this game

(39:09):
of dragon chess, then you have proven that you are smarter than
me, which I have somebody I've never met someone who's able to
do that. If you choose to fight me, well
then so be it. If you defeat me, then you may
have my soul vessel that way too.
How you obtain it is no means nothing to me.
The last group got frustrated isthey kept losing and losing and

(39:30):
losing and I kept giving them a chance.
I wanted to see something worthwhile.
And then they got mad and they tried to attack me and ambush me
and well, here I stand. And so it's Ruby Cathedral.
Are you? Are you?
Bound to this place. Bound is a choice word.

(39:51):
Are you imprisoned? I would call it that.
What's your name? I've been named the Plague
Heart, but my birth name is the Mirrors.
Damaris. You know this name as the first
prophet of Umbrea. Then, if you're a prisoner here,
helping us would help you escape.
But he needs to make sure that we're willing and able.

(40:12):
I have to make the attempt to stop you.
I hit such a respectful cause and menace is getting a little
too swept up in this minutes. I see what you mean.
Della because if. We can't beat you.
How would we beat him? Does anybody read Elvin?
I do not. I mean, I technically can if I
want to waste a spell. I do not you.
Notice that there's a there's Elvin lettering on the tombstone

(40:36):
that he was staring at at eye level, but given the environment
on the giant tombstone, you can assume that this is a name.
So it's just one name that's up there.
Seems like it. I'll do a comprehend language
languages for the duration you understand that literal meaning
of any spoken language you can hear.
You can also understand any written language that you can

(40:58):
see, but you must be touching the surface on which the words
are written. So I'll go up and touch the
tombstone and read whatever is on it.
Numerous looks at you and immediately knows what spell you
cast it, but does not say anything.

(41:19):
You get the validation from his face that he knows what you're
doing, and as you touch the stone, you read the name Deanna.
After you read that name, Emirs goes.
This is unfortunately the resting place of my late wife.
This is the reason why I stay. Almost prize a little bit.

(41:44):
And why? Why is she here?
Why? Why here of all places?
In an attempt to bring her back to reunite us, I was tricked.
I looked too close and I turned to the dark arts to try to bring

(42:05):
her back to me. She was taking in the most
dubious of ways. Well.
The only time I've ever been bested.
Trell looks at Menace and then glances side eyes over to Armos.
Or most is trying to choose his words very carefully.

(42:27):
He he wants to figure out who before he shares his own story.
Like who bested him that made all this happen.
I guess is what he's trying to figure out.
As you ask that question, he looks at you.
He stares at you almost trying to like look into your soul and
you notice the gold shimmer within his eye.

(42:51):
He slowly blinks and then turns around to the table and begins
setting up the dragon chess board.
I will tell you if interested I will answer any questions to
given I have the knowledge for it.
And you see that he slowly sets all the pieces onto the dragon
chess board. My wife Nienna was taken from me

(43:12):
by my silly Academy rival Quinn Varda.
We and that competition went waytoo far, for far too long where
it became deadly and bloody. He sets the final pieces onto
the dragon chest table. Somehow, someway, when he had

(43:33):
found a way to cast the wish spell, he wished a most violent
death upon the one thing I caredabout.
He wished that my wife Nienna was born without a heart.
She immediately keeled over and began to suffocate within her
own body as there was nothing inside of her to suddenly

(43:55):
process all the blood that was rushing through her body.
I've went to various clerics, I've tried a numerous amount of
resurrection spells, but nothingcould bring her back.
Because as you may know. And he looks at you, Menace,
immediately nodding to your religious background that you
now have, that you are now a cleric.
You have the holy gift or have been touched by Melora.

(44:19):
A resurrection spell does not bring back organs or parts they
have never been born with. Every time she was brought back
to life, she suffered the same and consequential death over and
over. And I've tried many schools of
magic. I've been to the best clerics.
I've even talked with Davies himself to bring them back.

(44:41):
But if something, you can't bring something back that never
belonged to her. I tried to find a wish spell of
my own. You adjust the table, but I
couldn't find it. But I've noticed some magic
within the astral planes as I saw to the stars.
And I found a Christo. And he takes a deep breath and I

(45:01):
thought he could help me. I truly, truly did.
Menace looks at Armos. Sadly, in return for his power.
He granted me multiple ways to bring back my wife, but she came
back in a terrible amalgamation of herself and I had to put her
down. And what did I have to give for

(45:22):
this? The knowledge of the material
plane. I educated him on the various
gods that people worship around Umbrella, all the beautiful
religions and how people wish are hopeful for better lives.
And as they pray to these magnificent beings to give them
life, he saw a vessel of power and wanted to collect them for

(45:45):
himself. And how did he reward me after
destroying the amalgamation of my late wife?
He trapped her here in this garden.
And he gestures to all the world's that are hovering in the
astral plane above you, that aredestroyed and hollowed out in a
shallow, pathetic way to resemble my home of the

(46:07):
Heartland. In this Garden of Nightmares
case, he ever needs any more information about Umbreya.
And he sits at the table Minnis has perched himself up.
On another table that's at the western end of this platform.
On that table is various. Fruits and foods.
You see that there's a jug of wine.

(46:27):
There's also water. You see apples, cabbages, pears,
grapes, all these different fruits and vegetables as if it's
a snack table. Yeah, I think with.
Menace's hooves kind of just dangling off of this table.
He's been just taking notes and listening thoughtfully to this
man's story. Drill's going to walk up to the

(46:49):
table. And be like, can I have some of
this and and point to the food you may I haven't.
Been able to enjoy single bites A drill tries to like pick.
Up some of the food that's on the table and like, eat it.
You pick up an apple and. Eat it.
Sweet to the touch. It is the sweetest thing you
have tasted in a long time, given the weeks of death that

(47:12):
you've been fighting through. Through the red city, the
shadowed world, and through thisRuby castle, a crystal's castle.
It tastes amazingly sweet. Crisp to the bite.
Yeah. Trust me, you're not really
missing out on anything. But you.
Know menace if you want to tastethis or armos yeah I I guess you

(47:35):
could probably eat some if you're hungry yeah I guess I'll
try one of these grapes like. Uncomfortably fast.
Eye contact. Any one of the grapes and.
Menace doesn't hide it. Oh my God, that's collectible.
Oh almost. Try this.

(47:57):
Oh, no, Apple. And you know, oh, sorry, just I
didn't. I didn't mean to.
I want me to make you feel bad. It's just why we it's just
because we haven't eaten in a while.
I understand. I was.
Still kind of laser. Focused on this guy making sure
he doesn't make any kind of weird movements or anything like
that, so. While the other. 2 are feasting

(48:22):
kind of keeps prying at questions if a Christo trapped
your wife here made you do all of this did you even get your
revenge or what is your purpose of even being here other than to
look after this and I point to the I have gotten my.
Revenge 100 times over against Quinn Varda.

(48:46):
Perfect. Tell me about it.
Tell me about it. Was it great?
How great was it? It didn't amount to.
Anything. Oh, it wasn't worth it because
it didn't bring her back. But like, it wasn't even like a
kind of. Good, he felt my.
Frustration. He felt my anger.
He felt my wrath. Yeah, but.

(49:08):
All those feelings still. Burn within me and I am happy to
pass on those traits in my soul vessel to someone who can
outsmart me. Or if you simply want to fight
me, the choice is yours. I mean.
How about we just keep talking this, I mean, like, you know,
you probably haven't had a good therapy session in a while.

(49:32):
I mean, is it really the right thing to do is to take your
anger and your sustain for this person who kept you here and did
this all to you to really act asa vessel for him?
Seems better if you could just help us and then we could put an

(49:52):
end to all of this into your suffering.
His suffering possibly get you out of this situation.
There is no. Leaving and he gives some air
quotes as you see his Elvin hands for the first time.
He is all around. He could, Once you have my soul

(50:13):
vessel, I am well considered, passed on.
Just bring me back. You bring all of them back, And
he gestures to the orbs in your bag.
He's playing with you. No one's ever actually made it
to you. Only one group had made it to
me. And if they couldn't beat me,

(50:34):
how do you expect to defeat him?At least here I can give my
stamp of approval and a solid shot at a final rest.
Because if he perishes, I perish.
As long as he walks within this road, I walk within this road

(50:55):
are most frustrated. And slams his first on the
table. He will perish and he will end.
I don't know what group you had before this, but it wasn't us.
We've killed gods. We've killed these sad sacks of
shit. We're killing everything in my
path. And my vengeance is going to be
rewarding. And I am not going to sit here

(51:15):
and throw a pity party for myself when I don't get my
revenge. You see that he.
Looks at your speech, almost unfazed as he looks at you
through the of the top of his eyelids as you lean over him as
you make this powerful statementto him.
How you claim my soul vessel is up to you.
Would you like to use your wits?Would you like to use your

(51:37):
fists? Minutes like.
Like licks his fingers, then hops up onto the table.
All right, tell you what, I got an idea.
Oh, you know, I'd rather not start with the violence, you
know what I mean? Agreed.
Agreed. Well, how about this, you know?
We each have our own skill sets,things that we're good at,

(52:00):
things that would help us, you know, win over against the
Christo. How about before we get to
anything violent, you try and beat us in a two out of three
competition. Each of us can challenge you to
one thing that we think we are exceptionally good at that we
think we could beat you in. If we meet you in two of those
competitions, you give us that orb and we don't trade blows.

(52:20):
And if we don't and. Then I I get real angry, like
you will feel our wrath and we don't want to do this.
You're making us make this choice.
I have one stipulation. To your terms, I agree to the
best out of three competition with the stipulation that you
when you fail, you may try againas many times as you like.

(52:45):
You must win the two out of three set and I jump down and I.
Hop over to the table and hop upon a chair up onto the table in
the middle. And now I'm at level with him,
eye to eye. All right, And I got a
stipulation for my first challenge.
He stares at you. Who's on his elegant?
Elvin table. I look down and he looks back
up. At you.
Menace, come on. Be a little, be a little more

(53:07):
considerate. I look down.
I look up. Sorry, give me a SEC.
He rips out a piece of paper, puts them down, rips out another
piece of paper, puts one down, steps on the papers, kind of
like shifts his feet on the paper to kind of wipe the table
around. All right, Is that better?
Is that good? I will admit, you're much more
considerate than the last group.I appreciate that.

(53:29):
Anyway. Anyway, stipulations.
I accept your term because I don't know why we wouldn't, but
also, you know, I have respect for each other.
I'd like to play hide and seek. Drill looks at Armos.
You give. Me 5 minutes to hide.
Like what? And then?
He looks down at the dragon chest.
Board OK, for my competition, we'll play hide.

(53:53):
And seek. You give me 5 minutes to hide.
I'll give you 5 minutes to seek.My only stipulation is neither
of us could do magic. Because I promise you, if you
let me do magic, it'd be way tooeasy for me, and I assume way
too easy for you to find me. He looks at Drow and he looks at
Amos. What are the games you would
like to play? Oh shit, we got to play games.
Challenges is a better. Word for your ego?

(54:15):
How about an arm wrestle and drow?
Pulls out the guns, no magic, pure bulk.
I accept. I look at Armos.
I want to beat you at. Your own game I.
Will play this if this is your best thing.
I want to know what you're best at.
No stipulations, I'll beat you whatever you God I love armos.
I think that would be proof enough.

(54:36):
That we're better than anything that's come before us.
You want me to choose the game? Armos extends his hands.
Very confidently, with Menace and Drell on his left and right,
We can play dragon chess. Oh man.
Armos peace be a dragon chess all the time, and I was a
champion of dragon chess back inmy clan.
So you got, oh, you got your work cut out for you, Sir.

(54:57):
Looks at, almost looks at. Drell and Menace who would like
to go first? Well, I think Drowse is easiest.
Easy. I mean.
Yes, of course, Of course. And yeah, Drow, Drow will go
first. Yeah, I'll go first.
Drow, you sit down at the table.And he flares out his robe.

(55:18):
Please don't be buff, please. Don't be buff.
Please don't be buff underneath his slender robe.
Is a well fit trim arm and he's not he does not have a power
builder physique triathlon triathlon.
Build it's. You clearly see a bicep.
He's cut. Very damn.

(55:39):
And he rolls up his sleeve. And you see his he is unmarked
from the wrist down as he waves his hand and there are two now
elbow pillows. Lay your arm on on on either
side. There are two spots on the table
as the dragon chess board gets whisked away where the back of

(56:00):
your fist or his fist will land.Deciding the winner, of course,
and he puts his. Hand out.
In arm wrestling fashion, and hewaits to clasp hands with yours.
Drill does like 5. Push ups real quick to just get
a pump going and then he said come on drill, come on drill.
Just talking to himself. And then he, like, gets in like

(56:23):
a deep squat and like, puts his elbow on the table.
We're gonna do a series. Of three contested strength
checks starting from the base position, 45° angle, and then
one more to beat the person. If you need to win three in a
row from the normal position, but it's gonna go Every time you
succeed a role, it gets closer to the other side and back and

(56:47):
forth. Essentially, if you're about to
lose, you have to win five in a row, bring him over to the other
side. That's how we're going to do it.
So I'll draw a little diagram onthe map to kind of keep track of
where we are. But you need to win
consecutively to push him over onto the other side.
Are we? Using athletics or strength or
just pure strength, This is going to be pure strength.

(57:09):
OK. So since we've been talking to
him for a while, I'd like to usemy Know Your Enemy feature and I
would like to know his strength score.
He looks fit. I think he's athletic, although
he's a cast of type. You gauging that he's definitely
weaker than you are? All right.

(57:31):
All right, should be OK so how do you want to do this?
We roll at the same time or I roll, you roll or what do you
want to do? We're going to roll at the same
time and then we're. Going to go from there.
As you clasp hands with him, youfeel the terrible cold of his
skin. Terrifyingly cold.
Oh my God. Matter of fact, it freezes your
hand a little bit. You're going to have -2 no, it

(57:53):
doesn't. So all strength.
Throws here, but I have it's gotpoor circulation.
This is not a mountain. This is not.
More of a temperature thing. This is more of a deathly thing.
You, you. Oh.
Good. So gross.
I thought he said no magic. Is not magic.
We're going to go ahead. And roll some contested strength
checks. Straight strength rolls.
You have a -. 2 to all strength throws here.

(58:16):
OK, we'll start when you're all ready.
Look. All right, so.
Just whenever I'm ready all right so so this place is kind
of cool and drell just goes dirty 2018 nice you feel that
he's. Resisting.
He has a good amount of force behind his hand, but you are

(58:37):
just overpowering him as you begin to strain your fate.
Like as your face strains and a blood vessel begins to pop, you
have to use all of your boards here to get him down.
Just that little bit and you seethat he remains emotionless
Despite that you are technicallywinning.
Sorry that made me rolled the 21, he rolled A4 team.

(59:04):
As he brings you back to the top, as he lifts you up, you see
that he tries to keep eye contact with you.
Joe, come on. Yes, I'm.
Trying. He's deceptively strong.
That's. What happens?
You must have swam like an high school or something.
I rolled the 12, rolled a 21. No, no.
As he. Brings you closer to.

(59:24):
Your side of the table. As your palm nearly touches the
table or begins to lift up, Drill starts sweating bullets.
OK, now I got you exactly where I wanted.
You fell for my trap card. That's a 8.
I'm. Not rolling very well.
Right now I rolled good and thenI rolled bad with an 8.

(59:44):
You feel the immense. Pressure weighing you down, but
you still hold on as he also rolled.
Oh my God. And you feel that some.
Strain within his voice as he tried to go for that final push.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly you.
Feel the heat rating off of. Armos behind you, cat.

(01:00:06):
Damn, what would you get dirty? 20 Oh shit.
OK, come on, Drill. I got a 16 boom your.
Hand. Reaches the base of the table.
Damn it. It's bullshit, no.
Yeah. What?
I say he's strong, miss. It's weird.

(01:00:28):
Oh, my goodness. OK, OK, OK, see.
He rolls his sleeve up all. Right, all right, here we go
all. Right, let's do this, Darrelle
Rolls. He doesn't have 'cause he's
wearing like a tank top type close.
So he acts like. He's rolling his sleeves up, but

(01:00:49):
he doesn't have sleeves, and he gets back his elbow back on the
table. Oh, our game is done.
Wait, what? Let's buy a game now.
Drill. Oh, because it's two out of
three. OK, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I thought for some reason it hadto like start all over, damn it.
OK, drill flips the table then and then the lightly sets it
back up, you see. Namiras gets up and he walks

(01:01:14):
over to the tombstone. It's real close.
And closes. His eyes.
Your time starts now. What?
OK, since. Come on as your game of hide and
seek. Now begins, You have 5 minutes
to find the hiding spot. You look around, all around the
garden. You're trying to find something.
You can hide under the bridge. You can hide in the foliage.

(01:01:36):
You can hide underneath some rocks or even along the garden
wall. You can hide under the bridge.
You can hide in some of the gazebos.
You are amazingly fast. What would you like to do?
Menace, as you were trying to find somewhere where he will not
find you. It's in a place where he has
spent centuries. Yeah.

(01:01:56):
So as I'm running. Around I want to throw articles
of my clothing into bushes as I run so like an article in the
purple bushes in the South, I toss up my leather armor up in
the blue tree to the north untilI'm fully naked.
I'm going to try and find I'm going to try and find a divot in

(01:02:19):
like the because I see there areslopes of dirt.
I'm like cover myself in dirt and splat, splat myself behind a
Bush. Like against the dirt.
Roamy is stealth. Check with advantage.
Nat Pumpkin. Natural.
Pumpkin. As Armos.
And Drell? Sit there and watch Menace

(01:02:41):
frolic away into a garden and just start ripping his clothes
off. Armos was at a rage and now is
like slowly coming down to an embarrassing level of just 7
disappointment. Age. 99. 3 hundredths and he
turns around. He looks at Drell and Armos and

(01:03:03):
he goes. Well, if you please give me 5
minutes of your time. He heads N walks off the
pristine side of the staircase and then begins to run and he
moves pretty quick within his robe and he's going to just make
a series of perception checks here against your Nat 20.
What is that total stat, out of curiosity?

(01:03:27):
Not as high as I would like because.
Their own nature's bail. So it's only a 36 is that?
What? You're done.
For those that are listening. Tony just made the biggest I
roll 5. Minutes pass.
I. Made five perception checks, one
for each minute of looking. You have successfully hid 300

(01:03:48):
seconds eluding Yamira's gaze ashe was nowhere near close to
finding you naked in the woods. But he had started collecting
your clothing in the process as he successfully threw off his
trail and the last thing he grabs is.
He thinks he grabs my red Mohawkthat I propped up like some red

(01:04:10):
leaves behind a Bush and I step out.
Your time is up with my legs spread wide in the hero pose
with my arms on my side. The first time in my.
Immortal life, I wish Quinn had wished my eyes away.
Oh sorry and I cover my private.Parts and I waddle over to him,
all sheepish. Thank you for collecting those.

(01:04:33):
You didn't have to do that. I could have done that on my
own. He walks away with the clothes
as he. Goes back to the table and sets
them down. I I guess I'll just oh, thank
you SIDS, thank you. The SIDS make like rock Little
Rock leaves in your. Yeah, around the several parts
of your body, but I make it back.
Hey, guys. This is what a successful

(01:04:54):
minotaur looks like. Drill's like not making eye.
Contact with minis, he's like looking up.
Yeah, great job, don't make it weird.
And I grab my clothes. And go behind the tombstone.
There you go. OK.
I mean, I think. It also it's kind of weird he's
super naked next to it, like a tombstone.
But I guess yeah, I don't I. Don't know if I'd get that close

(01:05:14):
to that tombstone, but naked? It's kind of disrespectful to be
honest. On so many levels.
We don't even know this guy's religion.
Like it could be a whole bad thing.
All right, I'm back. Almost.
You going yet? This is for all the orbs.
Yeah, I'm trying to. Build up my rage again after 5
minutes of whatever that was andI go.

(01:05:37):
I sit. Sit at the table.
You sit at the table. He summons the dragon chest as
he waves his hand over the tableon his side.
The ivory stone side. On your side is the Obsidian
dragon chest pieces. Oh, you need the advantage?
OK. I see you.
I enjoy going. First, are we really going to
play chess? We really.

(01:05:58):
Are going to play chess as we have a.
Conversation good. Then you shall have an easy.
Time. OK well let us begin I will make
the first move you see that he reaches across in front of the
dragon queen. He takes his dragon prawn 2
spaces up drawl. That's called the the.
Rocky avalanche starter. I don't usually like to open

(01:06:19):
with that. It's not great.
I see you carry a great burden with.
You almost how are you duped? Why do you make a deal with the
accursed blood magic as I? Was duped.
I was trying to get something that.
Was. Stolen from me back AI don't

(01:06:42):
know if you've seen him. Certain frog like creature.
I do not see any. Creatures come by here.
Unfortunately it's quite lonely here, although the foliage keeps
me company from time to time andthat's nice.
I don't know if you've ever tried to talk to a plant before.
It's not the most riveting of conversations.

(01:07:03):
That one fight we had many yearsago carried us for some time.
Interesting. I like how you moved your dragon
knight in front of my draconic pawn that will do the same as he
sees like he almost mimics your move with the dragon.
It's a shame how Christo what what was that?
Sorry are. You frustrated by the move that

(01:07:26):
just happened? It's an interesting move.
I like how you moved. Your dragon Bishop to almost
threaten my dragon Knights. No matter.
Pieces are sacrificed quite often in this game.
Doesn't matter. Well, a single piece does not
win. You the fool.
But it's a much more defensive opening that I've seen.
He gives you like as much time as possible on your turn.

(01:07:47):
He doesn't pressure you to make moves.
We are from the same land, yes. Has anything ever become of the?
Heartland. We never ventured there.
Do not know, I fortunately left it.
Ruin and is one of my many regrets.
I think the foulest memory I have of my homeland is that

(01:08:08):
Crystal came with me and approached me with kindness.
Took it all away so quickly. Are you actually playing?
Yes. As your Bishop takes my dragon,
dragon pawn, my draconic soldier, my dragon pawn takes
your Bishop, I will say you havemuch more of an interesting
opener, a strong defence on my advance.

(01:08:29):
I admire that about you. Almost.
Tell me, do you weave magics thesame way?
Absolutely. I I would.
Never cast spells. You see, he moves his dragon.
Queen to the line, parallel to your dragon knight that you had
just moved. I would never cast spells.
You know, wildly in a rage. No no, no, no, it's not my

(01:08:53):
style. More calm collected is is my
vibe. Yeah, but I'll do it with stabs
I. Whispered to drill.
Yes, seriously, he uses his. Dragon soldier to.
Take your pawn after you lead your move, putting your Draconic
Queen in danger. My queen takes his pawn and.
He advances his draconic net. This next turn, as you

(01:09:15):
contemplate, takes a long time. You are calculating all of your
moves, you are precise, and you are trying to go over all the
endless possibilities. Before you make your next move.
I'm going to have you make me anintelligence check here, OK?
I mean, it's a 20. Three with just plus three
intelligence but by the moves that you've seen he.

(01:09:36):
Is a master of this game. This is his favorite game.
He had mentioned it before. As you rummage over your
thoughts of all the possibilities of next moves you
can make, you remember when thatthe people that had adventured
here before him got so frustrated.
They played this game over and over and over that led to the
destroyed staircase because theygot so frustrated that they had

(01:09:56):
thought they had a better chanceof fighting it.
Fighting him, leading ultimatelyto their demise.
You feel the pressure. It's 1 to 1.
Drell had lost in the thing he'smost skilled at, shockingly
enough. Well, actually.
This is inside his mind. This is inside.
His mind technically drell. Remember when you lost?

(01:10:17):
To an elf in an old wrestling. Competition, it's not that
question. Look, I I shouldn't have done
the push ups, right? If you lose, that's right, hurt
my elbow. All right, this turn alone.
Takes you 20 minutes to calculate.
As you advance your queen next to the Dragon Knight, you'll see

(01:10:38):
that the Dragon Knight goes on the defensive.
Takes one of your draconic soldiers, leaving itself
vulnerable. The two dragon Queens, mine and
yours, are facing down one another.
This Dragon Queen seems deceptively open.
As you move back, you take Nemiris's Draconic Knight

(01:11:00):
through his response. He takes your queen, so I
noticed him playing. Super.
Well, yeah. It's his game.
Uh huh. Uh huh.
Starting to realize you play dragon chess.
Very. Very, very well and much more
formidable than the opponent before.
And let's have some fun. He moves a dragon soldier and

(01:11:23):
advances from the back line fromthe starting position.
Queen Foy Queen. Level the plane.
It's the first move. That Armos has seen him actually
make a mistake on, so now he's like he is.
He sees like a like a a crack inthe armour.

(01:11:44):
Nobody is perfect. Dragon Chess.
I've played years and I've made my fair share of mistakes.
Vernus Vernus has witnessed. I have made even my fair share
of mistakes against the last in our countless, countless
matches. But you, you do.
I dare say that I'm even having a bit of fun.
And he moves his Dragon Knight to certainly think that Armos is

(01:12:06):
going easy on me. When we later on.
Yeah. I mean it's.
Very weird. Tell me almost.
Have you ever felt love in your adventures of studying request
for knowledge and power as you danced with the dark arts, made
deals with the demons? Have you ever taken a moment to

(01:12:28):
feel the warm and brace of another someone who truly care
about you? The only thing I loved was.
Taken from me and that's the whole reason of going through
all this. So revenge guides your.
Hands as well as he moves his Bishop from the back line.
Reginald is eating an apple as he leans over to minister.
So there's no way you're going to have to do so low again.

(01:12:51):
It's going to be a clean sweep. Oh, where's that Grangemouth?
He's like he's eating a green apple, I think as he's eating.
I literally. Take an apple and stuff it in
his face shut. Up as you.
Advance your Dragon Knight. He advances his draconic Bishop.
He advances his draconic knight.As you advance yours almost into

(01:13:12):
retaliation, you feel that he's testing your pride.
With some of these you've noticed that from the beginning
there are less optimal and more testing your character.
You could. Really learn a lot.
About somebody when you play dragon chess with them.
It's the truest form of wits andmost balanced of all combats.

(01:13:33):
He moves his Rook as you move your draconic Bishop.
As you see, the Dragon tower slides slowly over 1 space.
Tell me on your path to revenge,which brought you to the deepest
parts of the astral plane. Appearing in a physically
created dimension that is made out of your visceral hate is

(01:13:58):
nothing more than the pure driveof knowledge from a creature who
seeks to have an endless hunger of intelligence.
In your devotion to revenge. Have you ever met anyone to sway
you from this path? Maybe to try to start again as
you move your draconic night? You mean start again?

(01:14:18):
Maybe give life another. Chance.
I could tell you from personal experience that revenge is not
the way I can tell you and. He's starting to get frustrated
that there's nothing that's going to stop me from getting
revenge. Nothing.
I have killed even gods set in my way, you see.

(01:14:42):
He looks at you as his. Eyes shimmer, golden.
He goes, yes, I've seen the godsthat you've killed, and it's
quite cold, although it's not really a feat when you kill a
God that's already dead. Through all the death, through
all the carnage, through all of your revengeful actions, have

(01:15:03):
you ever found love, compassion,do a good deed knowing it
couldn't advance your journey? For instance, me placing my
draconic castle, taking your soldier, leaving myself wide
open for the Bishop to take its place.
Was that an act of kindness on my part?
Was that playing into your wrathful ways?

(01:15:25):
It's trying to get me to play into.
My rage and I won't let it happen.
Your defenses are still on. The back line, your king is wide
open, ready to be advanced on atanytime.
During my boarding. You've been playing quite
defensively and your thoughts are rather witty.
I appreciate the time you take to make every meticulous move as

(01:15:48):
we've been playing for such a long time.
Menace make me a perception check.
Another natural one in. You notice that some.
Of the greys in Armos's hair or returning to color, but you also
notice that some of the hairs your furs becoming a little bit
shorter this said. I didn't know better.

(01:16:10):
I'd say we're getting younger. Am I seeing this?
You see that Sid is. Slightly smaller.
Meh. Tid needs to be this high.
His voice is. Higher pitched.
Pedro, yeah. You notice something weird about
Armos. You notice that Jerell's 5.
O'clock shadow that he's been growing, you notice that like

(01:16:31):
his beard is like raggedy because you guys haven't had a
chance to upkeep yourselves to the condition that you would
normally would like. When you rest that Taverns that
his beard looks much more kempt,as if the 5:00 shadow was gone.
I feel like, I feel like something's happening.
To us, look at Armos's hair. Is it usually Gray?
Yeah. Wait, what at?
Least he's got a few Gray hairs,right?
What is wrong with this guy? Look, my hair's shorter.

(01:16:53):
I don't know if you would know that.
I mean, I kind of noticed it, but I wasn't.
Going to say anything as they keep playing.
Menace is going to. Pay a little more attention to
Armos to see if he notices any like live changes.
You look, you walk over and you notice.
That the the dragon chess board is made of glass and you see
that he just moved his draconic castle over to put his king in
check. He moves his Bishop right up to

(01:17:16):
your king. He smiles at you.
Can you tell me a moment of happiness?
Almost. I got one right now after.
Taking your peace. Simply my peace.
Tell me another moment. Tell me something that you truly
cherish, the thing that I cherish.
Is before all of this the life Ihad.
He moves his Bishop as you. Move your draconic hassle to the

(01:17:38):
frontline menace. You notice that the red lights
surround the tombstone begin to swirl.
You've always noticed that they were whirling around the stone,
but you seem to catch your eye when you get a breath of fresh
air. Guys, I'll, I'll be back.
As you do this in Venezuela, I start walking around the
backside of the tombstone, just kind of checking out the area.

(01:18:00):
You are quite the player. I urge you to make your moves
quicker on Yeah, Armas is concentrating.
So hard. And it's finally now, after what
seems like an eternity on the Hesimply moves his king as you.
Move your draconic castle to a check, as he seems to be, as he

(01:18:21):
seems to be pinned between your two draconic towers.
As your draconic tower swoops. Takes my draconic tower.
He smiles. I'm glad you're playing much
quicker. It would really be a shame if
you took your time, Menace. You notice that as you get to
take a walk, your scar and your tummy begins to slowly close.

(01:18:44):
It very subtle, just becomes smaller, said.
What is happening here? You know, I think we need to
hurry this game up, huh, Sid? I don't like what's going on,
Marian, as you advance your Draconic.
Knight. He takes your Draconic Knight
with his Draconic tower. Marian.
There's only a few. Pieces left on the.
Board all. That's all I need you.

(01:19:04):
Advance beyond the. Tombstone And you see this other
door, this boom style door, and the door has some of this weird
strange language on it and it's magically sealed.
You see the glow of a black, black magical light seal its
crevices. Well, it seems that you've put
me in check, and I've been in this position before.

(01:19:26):
I remember what I lost to someone's in a similar fashion.
He backs off his king into the back row as your two rooks claim
checkmates and he smiles. We've done it.
Won't check me. As he like spits out some of the
apple that he's been munching on.

(01:19:46):
Drill. He did he drill?
Look, look, look. And you see that the pieces on
the chess board on the dragon chess board begin to like break
and shatter as all all of his losing pieces begin to crumble
around him as yours seem to magically dance on the board in
a little celebration. And your king opens up and a

(01:20:07):
draconic flame spews from its mouth.
Almost simulating confetti. Hey guys, something weird's
going on. Here, Yeah.
Oh, oh, Oris, you win. Yes, I, I, I know you.
Won and this is great. And all but look, look at this.
And I pull up my shirt and show my scar.
Wait, something weird's going onhere.
You said that we would win. You would let you would help us.
What are you doing? You.

(01:20:28):
You thought we said no magic, no, no tricks.
I did. And.
I will keep my word, the effectsof the garden are not the wishes
of my own. See, as an elf, I am cursed with
immortality. A garden does not affect me
here. Those who have numbered years on
their life may not be so immune to its effect.

(01:20:50):
The guarding has a bit of a reversing effect.
Some may consider it a blessing and seek this fountain of youth
if you would. But the longer you stay here,
the more of its adverse effects.So let us get you on your way.
I'm glad there's some intelligence in this party.
Surely your mind could outsmart Christo and his dubious deed.

(01:21:15):
He gets up, he slides the chair out, and he walks over to the
tombstone, and he places his hand over Nihanna's name and he
whispers an elvish. As you comprehend languages,
almost. Nihanna, please let them in.
A few moments of silence pass asthe red light begins to dance

(01:21:36):
and go into the tombstone. The tombstone begins to rumble
as cracks within the cobblestonefloor begin to spread.
As the tombstone begins to rise you see that the large tombstone
takes on the head of what now seems to be a stone elemental as

(01:21:57):
it rises high above you toweringover you.
As you see the earth and branches take on this large
humanoid like form becoming a tombstone elemental and in its
chest is this bright red glowingbloodshot.
This tombstone elemental is 80 feet tall and it has a feminine

(01:22:20):
body to it as a bunch of the stone flowing around it helped
create its shape. You see that it has heavy fists
and it opens its furled stone fingers and it reaches to its
chest as it begins to RIP. The branches and ground that
makes up of large part of its body begin to fall apart as it

(01:22:40):
rips, as the ground sounds like flesh tearing from its stone
body. And as it rips it reveals this
orb, it's soul vessel, and it begins to collapse in place as
it takes a knee as the back of its stone palm rests on to the
cobblestone platform opening itsmassive hand revealing a tiny

(01:23:01):
red orb similar to the other side.
And you see that this one has a bright red center.
However it's that in the shape of a platonic heart.
And almost as you go to lift theorb gifted to you by this
tombstone elemental. As you pick it up, a simple poof
vanishes as the mirrors cloak isjust dropped to the floor.

(01:23:25):
And and as the life begins to fade from the tombstone's body,
it lays out with it's now empty palm open to you.
As the ground begins to as the elemental begins to turn to Bush
and mud, it begins to decay quickly, kind of.
I know that the entire. Time he wanted to know like, but
he was too caught up in the gameand didn't really get a chance

(01:23:47):
to to say anything. And he goes I used to play games
with someone I cared about winning, winning.
This never felt so hollow. And as he like kind of kicks the
the cloak in starts walking towards the door.
And as you walk towards the. Door.

(01:24:07):
You see that? This door fades with black
energy as you read cryptic language and it says Tomb of the
First Prophet. And that is where we're going to
end this week's session. Woo, bit of a long 1.
I don't think it'll. We played for two almost 2 1/2
hours in this one. I really wanted to finish that
Dragon chess game. What a game.

(01:24:29):
Almost. Jared, you play chess very well.
I'm very, very impressed. I was trying to get you with the
Open. I was trying to.
Get you with the the scheming open.
I was like I'm good at opening. I'm not.
About good big game, that's where I fall short.
I think everyone falls short there.
But it was fun. It was so fun playing.
We played a full game. For those that are listening, we

(01:24:51):
played a game of actual chess. Check it out on our page and a
little spice. Yeah, we're gonna upload just.
A full chess match. I don't think there'll be any
audio when we upload it. I don't know how this works, but
we're gonna upload like a speed run of the chess match and I
think that'll be fun if you wantto know what that chess game was
like. So should be fun, should be fun.
So any thoughts? Any thoughts I before we go to

(01:25:14):
the after show, Loved this. It's cool, right?
Yeah, it is. Kind of played it to everyone's.
Strengths there, I mean. Gerald didn't even get his
rematch, though. See.
No, please don't go away. It but it it made the.
Stakes like so high though, likewhich is pretty cool.

(01:25:36):
But yeah, I think so mechanically.
Did I heal? Since I got younger, no Damn.
Oh no. For the shot though.
Oh. And additionally, we'll recap
this next session. You notice that each of you have
aged 2 years younger. Oh, interesting.
So, Drell, you are now 17. Oh my God, almost.

(01:25:58):
You were two. Years younger and then.
Minutes. You are now 21.
Geez, you still drink? Though, Yeah, wait a minute.
Drell can't drink hang. On.
Technically, he was never able to technically OK you.
Know back in the day. This was not.
America it's humbrea so completely different laws.
Let me ask Google what is. The drinking age in Humbrea in.

(01:26:23):
D&D isn't officially defined. Exactly.
See, there's no. Rules but dwarfs down.
Pints at at. 15 See Elms don't drink until the Ashbourne.
It's Canon. It's kidding.
It was all Drake so. Well.
They don't reach adulthood until50, so like, they'll be 25 and

(01:26:43):
still have the body of a child. It depends on what universe
you're in, but yeah, yeah, that was a lot of fun.
Pretty cool. Threw a little wrench in there.
I don't know. I thought it was pretty cool.
There was also, we'll talk aboutit in the after show, but there
was other outcomes that could have happened there.
And yeah. Does anybody have any

(01:27:05):
suggestions, recommendations as well?
Yeah, I got a on theme. Recommendation.
What do you got? Yeah, if you haven't.
Seen the Botez? Sisters at all.
They play a ton of chess and they're they're hilarious,
really, really fun to watch. So Botez live or just any of the
Botez sisters content. They're really funny.
If you want some like very accessible chess stuff that

(01:27:27):
isn't like super super heavy, you know what I mean?
Like if you're new to chess thatthat'll be a really good good
watch for sure. They're.
They're funny. Shout out Magnus Carlsen.
Yeah, Magnus as well, of course.There's there's a lot of people
in that community that the YouTube chess community that are
support for sure. All right.

(01:27:48):
All right, we're going to go ahead and move it off to the
patrol supporters. Thank you for the load of
support, everything in between. Thank you for listening.
We are entering the final episodes, the final, final,
final, final episodes, final final.
Final on the other side. Take it away, Patreon.
Shout out, see you later. It's summertime.

(01:28:16):
Patrons And that means it's timefor the annual Ivory Boulder
Rockslide Festival. My parents started this
tradition when we first settled outside of Gilo, and you can
expect all kinds of fun activities such as boar
wrestling, boulder throwing, andthe dramatic avalanche
competition. This is where you try to make
the biggest rockslide possible using only your horns.

(01:28:39):
There are a lot of rules, but I'll go over that another day.
For now, let's shout out all thelovely patrons who decided to
help run the festival this year,starting with the Shadow
Smugglers. The Dread.
It is good to have you back. It is also amazing that you were
able to help burn the coals for our fire walking competition.
All the Minotaur's in my clan. We're so excited to see green

(01:29:00):
flames for the first time. Although maybe we should turn
down the temperature next year. I had to healing word a lot of
scorched hooves. Julius Kendrick, I don't know
how you keep finding my location, but your presence at
this festival, it was surprisingly fun.
Our clan doesn't shy away from the grotesque, and most of the

(01:29:21):
guests loved your animated skeleton show.
It was amazing that you worked with Reese to create such a
spectacle. The warrior miniatures will not
stop talking about it. Any master of weapons.
Your blacksmith doll was a huge hit.
Most of the warriors in the Ivory Boulders clan had no idea
what a Pike was before you came into town.

(01:29:42):
I don't think they really liked the armor, but I heard you took
127 orders. Well, well, I know it was 127
orders because I was sent the bill.
These minotaurs don't really getout much.
Next are the bloodshot bandits. We're gonna fill You and your
fox put on the most wonderful performance for the young

(01:30:02):
minotaurs. I saw one of the youngins trying
to train a flying squirrel how to backflip after watching your
show. We will absolutely have you back
next year. If you're able.
Just next time, please don't give the kids any more potions.
That got a little bit addicted. Artemis, I really appreciate you
running security for this event.I heard you took down a group of

(01:30:24):
Knowles that ran towards the Drowl statue I carved out during
the art competition. It's it's crazy that Knowles
were found in these parts. So weird.
Craig Donbringer, your closet riding arena was a big hit with
the children. How were you able to train that
thing to behave so well? It's like you 2 have this

(01:30:45):
special bond, an Immaculate connection, a practical pact.
Oh wait, I understand now. Knock mock.
Novo was overbooked so it's amazing you were able to make it
on such short notice to run yourenchanting food cart.
There were so many exotic forms of jerky and soups and kebabs.
Although maybe cool it on the defamatory remarks about Novo

(01:31:09):
next time. Let's keep your competition
friendly, shall we Avanox? I was a bit hesitant to hire you
since you are pretty new to the Bloodshot Bandits, but Artemis
spoke highly of your work. You did an amazing job keeping
Armos out of the private area reserved for the elders just
despite his tricks. And don't think I didn't notice
you on your break taking first place on the fire walking

(01:31:31):
competition. Well done shade grey fire.
Thank you for your well thought out speech during our flag
raising ceremony. It was so inspiring when you
talked about overcoming demons and hags.
I probably probably should have told you it was a flag raising
and then burning ceremony though.
Everyone was moved, but a bit confused at what it had to do

(01:31:54):
with our hatred for the neighboring bugbear tribe.
That's on me, Randy Woodburner, your wine pairing stall was such
a wonderful idea. I never thought to drink
honeywine with a spicy Stew. Oh, but please make note to cut
Drell off after 10 mugs next time he got into sad Drell mode.

(01:32:14):
And one stop, stop talking to the miniatures about Boxy.
Sly, were you even at the festival?
I couldn't find you anywhere. I did hear there was a hooded
figure scene leaving flowers andfixing decorations around the
festival. Did you have anything to do with
that? Well hey, next are the Sidgit
College alumni. Thank you for spending your
summer break with us. David Lacance, I noticed you

(01:32:36):
were going pretty hard at the Sid Spectacular after party.
I hope you had a great time KC. Thank you so much for
contributing to the festival even though you weren't able to
make it this year. I sent you a drawing of Miranor
falling off an animated stone bowl.
I hope you like it, punk. It was amazing having you and
your band play at the closing ceremony.

(01:32:59):
Your type of music went so well with our tradition of breaking
our old chairs with boulders. Bongo, thanks for helping
everyone set up their stalls before the festival.
It's a shame you napped through most of the games afterward.
However, I'll designate a Sid towake you up next time in case it
happens again. Again, same chaos.
We all love your brews, but if you try to sabotage Brandy stall

(01:33:21):
again, you will be banned from the festival.
We will still order from you, ofcourse, but rules are rules.
Eris. It was wonderful having a Janazi
visit our humble village. You and Artemis did a great job
fighting those knolls. I also love the part where you
mistook Miranor for a beast and tackled him that.
Was so great. And last but not least, we have

(01:33:44):
whom Bre is Here Heroes. Bjorn, Battleborn and Drown got
joint first in the Rage competition.
They're still very mad though that they tied.
Truckle Darts drew the most wonderful illustrations at her
booth of John Carroll and JohnnyTarr going crazy during the pie
eating competition. Sludge, Lone Star Man with Glass

(01:34:04):
and Taslin, did suspiciously good at the bottle Bow and arrow
game and walked away with a ton of stuffed Reginald's.
Hart and Barry Brandbottle came in first place at the Amateur
Brewers competition and got way too drunk off their own supply.
Jesus and Escort Storm got into a shouting match over who was

(01:34:26):
the better Dragonborn warlock asNico, a human warlock, drank
their Brandy Brandy Brandy awkwardly behind them.
And that should be everyone thathelped out with this year's
Rockslide Festival. If you would like to help out
with the next one, go on over topatreon.com/DND Four O 4 and
subscribe to any of the Tears from Hombres Heroes all the way

(01:34:49):
up to the Shadow Smugglers. Then I can personally thank you
here at the end of every episode.
I mean celebration. Until next time, everybody.

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Ep. 139 - Garden Of Victories | DND404

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Ep. 139 - Garden Of Victories | DND404