October 1, 2025 • 27 mins
Crossing the Threshold: Tale of the Manticore is a hybrid solo-actualplay D&D game and full production audiodrama. I use Dungeons & Dragons B/X (OSR). This is a dark fantasy tale made for a mature audience.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, this is Raphael Bacher SiO zero one from solon
Tellado and you are listening to the Tale of the Manticore.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
The following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener
discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor
(00:32):
Season three. Like the creature from which it takes its name,
Tale of the Manticor is a mashup, a cross breeding
between two different species of storytelling. Here you will find
the unpredictability of old school paper and dice games with
the story craft of a dark fantasy novel. No character
is sacred, and none will be spared if the dice
(00:53):
decide their fate is at hand. According to lore, the
Tale of a Manticore is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
(01:14):
time on Tail of the Mantigor, in chapter thirty five,
Flicker officially becomes a member of Achillea's party. Fairwynd has
his first real chance to study the first Scroll of
Galandel and understands a few basic things. First that there
was something called the Golden Path, second that the Dorothi
were seeking it, and third that another ancient scroll exists
(01:36):
that would have made doing so far easier. The companions
continue their trek until de Renni calls a sudden halt.
He has just spotted the Iron Tower once again. This time,
there is no mad dash, and predictably, the tower disappears
long before the pieces can approach it. Instead of causing Achillee,
grief and anger, this sighting only strengthens her resolve. It
(01:57):
also leads her companions to speculate about why the tower
seems to be following roughly the same path that they are. Finally,
after some X crawl rolls that indicate a random encounter
will occur, the party has a run in with a Dryad,
a forced spirit that, despite being peaceful by nature, possesses
a terrible weapon in the form of a permanent charm
(02:17):
person spell. Luckily for the party, the dryad is neither
offended nor threatened by their presence, and they are able
to walk away from the encounters shaken but unhindered. The
nature of the encounter with the Dryad rarely rested on
a single reaction roll on two D six. Had I
(02:39):
rolled a two or three dur Any would have been
forced to save or well not die, but he would
have been pulled into the Dryad's tree forever. Thank Ahea
that I rolled better than that. The result I got
was a seven plus one for various modifiers equalling eight.
The b X rules put that on the high end
of no reaction. Monster confused, and so I decided to
(03:02):
let the pieces get away unharmed. The mushrooms they got
were not part of that role. They had already been earned,
so to speak, when the pieces made a successful foraging
check earlier on. And as for the tiny pink flower
that the forest spirit gave to Renni, well, I have
an idea for that. Chapter thirty six, Part one, day
(03:27):
thirty one, four days from their destination, late afternoon. Mythic
event meaning transform expectations, party status achillea thirteen of thirteen
hit points, Court sixteen of eighteen, de Renni sixteen of sixteen,
(03:51):
ten Tier nineteen of nineteen, fair Wind twenty four of
twenty six, Flicker twelve of sixteen supplies. The companions have
nine portions of food remaining spells available. Achille can cast
(04:12):
enlarge message, glitter dust and detect evil. Court can cast
entangle and slow poison. Fair Wind can cast cureled wounds
and protection from evil. That was odd, said Tantyr. He
(04:35):
and the rest of the company were happy to have
put some distance between themselves and the dry head.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
More than that, it was dangerous, very dangerous. With Durnni's reply,
I once heard a story about a trader who fell
in love with one of those things. He walked into
the woods and never came out again.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
In fact, here the elder brother held up the tiny
pink flower given him by the forest spirit.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
I don't think I want.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
To keep this. He made as if to throw it away,
but Achilia stopped him.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Wait, she said, let me see that.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Doranni's face showed misgivings, but he handed her the flower anyway.
Achilleus studied it, sniffed it, and passed it to chrd.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
This would look well on you, Cord, don't you think.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
The construct bent down to take the flower, and Achillea
suddenly wondered if he had grown taller since the start
of their journey. He took the delicate little bloom in
his dowel fingers and placed it right in the center
of his chest, that about the level a pendant might
have hung. This was one of the spots where Cord
had developed barky skin, so the flower stayed in place.
It sits you, said, Achillia tried to appraise his height,
(05:43):
and smiling, Cord bowed a little by way of expressing
his thanks. Pheruind watched all this and asked Achillea what
the brothers had been talking about before giving her the flower.
When Achillea told him, he nodded solemnly and asked.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
What does anyone really know what the deep forests and
wilderness hide.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I feel we.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Have crossed a threshold of sorts la Chilia and the
land we now traverse as one of old, old magic.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I think fair Wind is on to something. The pieces
have indeed crossed a kind of boundary and have entered
a new place where magic is older, stronger, and wilder.
That would explain the presence of the Giant Troll and
the dry Head, both of which are creatures that could
be considered highly rare and exotic. Also their proximity to
the Golden Path, and I have only a vague idea
(06:35):
at this point of what that might be likely has
something to do with it. Since all that is going
to happen on Day thirty one has already happened. I
think it's time to make hex crawl rolls for day
thirty two. Ready, first up is for weather A twelve.
The weather continues to be typical for the season and
carries over from the previous day. Stumble upon, Oh dear,
(06:58):
oh dear, that is a one. Something bad is going
to happen, and I'll be honest, I have nothing for
this in the idea bank. Let's keep rolling and maybe
something will emerge. For foraging with chords assistance A one, Well,
this time A one is welcome. It means foraging was successful.
The dice imply that this happened without chord's help. So
(07:21):
I wonder if they find some kind of berries. A
high low roll will determine that it means yes, A
fourteen twenty yes, poor old ten tier. Last stop is
for wandering encounters. A five or six on a d
six means there will be one A three no encounter,
but they are going to find something unpleasant. Still no ideas.
(07:42):
I need to take a break and think things over.
Maybe this is a good time for an ad boyo
that went by quickly. I still don't know how to
implement that stumble upon one. How about this? Since I
don't have a firm idea, I'll turn to the dice
(08:03):
and randomize the event using a d six, higher will
be better or less deadly, in other words, and so
on a five to six, the party will come up
against a geographic barrier that delays them. On a three
to four, they will enter the territory of something very dangerous.
And on a one to two, I'll apply my event
meaning in the nastiest way I can imagine. Use the roll. Yeah,
(08:27):
somehow I knew it. I got a one. Oh. In
case you forgot, the current event meaning is transform expectations.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
Can we stop and eat something? I'm as hungry as
a hawk, said ten Tier. By now it was early
evening and the encounter with the dryad was hours behind them.
They had likewise left its forest of ancient oaks and furs. Currently,
they were making their way up the slope of a
grassy ridge dotted with bushes and solitary trees. Overhead, in
(09:05):
a sky of deep blue, fluffy white clouds piled high
upon themselves like clotted cream.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Let's go a bit further, ten Tier. We still have
a few hours of good light, and we should use
those the forage.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Derni's practicality was hard to argue with, so the companions
continued their journey, stopping to inspect trees and bushes for
fruits and berries. After a time, they found some. Oh,
look at this, called Achilia. She had just discovered a
patch of wild strawberries. Then, realizing the possible implication for
ten Tier, she checked her enthusiasm.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
And told him maybe the fairy's curse has expired, or
maybe it only applies to raspberries.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
The young elf replied with an expression caught somewhere between
hopeful and ill. After a few minutes, each of the
companions had gathered a handful of berries. Ten Tyre looked
at his with renewed hope. Hm, they smell normal, Try one,
said Achilie. Ten tear gingerly put a whole strawberry in
his mouth and then eyes shut. Bit down. In an instant,
(10:10):
he was doubled over with the berries he dropped on
the ground at his feet. He put his hands on
his knees and wretched. After the paroxysm of revulsion passed,
he looked up and wiped his mouth with the back
of his hand. Delicious, he said, with bitter sarcasm. Since
they were out of water, he added.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
De Rennie, give me a piece of the massam bell
to help me get the taste out of my mouth.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
The massa bell will keep longer than the mushrooms.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Durrenni replied, pulling one of the dryad's hedgehog mushrooms from
his bag and handing it to his brother.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Eat this instead.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Fairwind already knew about the cursed ten teer carried, but
as he watched all the sunfold, he turned to.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Achilia, Um, do these mushrooms not need to be cooked?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Achilia, not familiar with that particular fungus, had no idea.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
She rugged, de Any knows what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
While the companions began their dinner of wild strawberries, ten
Tier took a huge bite out of his mushroom. He
had no way of knowing that the funnel shaped fungus
in his hand was not a hedgehog mushroom. In fact,
it was deadly fool's funnel, of which a small bite
could prove fatal. Having rolled a one unstumbled upon means
(11:25):
I need to pay a price. So I've applied my
current event meaning to the hedgehog mushrooms for what might
well be a tragedy. Before we move on, let's go
back a bit. When I made the foraging roll, I
got a one. Normally a one to two is a success,
and I've been adding the three to a count Court's
magical help. I interpreted that one as a forging attempt
(11:46):
that succeeded, but not by virtue of cord spell. Next,
on a whim, I decided to randomly determine if the
found food would be berries. It seemed a shame to
have inflicted that curse on ten tier way back when,
only to never see it again. I made that random too,
but the dice Gouds decided that yes, it would be
berries that they found. This is about the time that
(12:07):
I figured out what this stumble upon would be, or
maybe I should say I heard what the story was
trying to tell me. Tender cannot eat the foraged food,
so he late a mushroom instead, And when I applied
transform expectations to that situation, I got the fool's funnel mushroom,
a deadly fungus that resembles a hedgehog mushroom in every way,
(12:27):
but one fool's funnel can kill you. Tentyre took the
proffered mushroom and bit into the funnel cap as he chewed,
A thoughtful look came over his face, as though the
mushroom's taste did not match his expectation. Then, with sudden realization,
he spit it all out, drawing everyone's attention. The companions
(12:52):
watched in horror as Tantir's face quickly turned several shades darker,
and then the elves hands were at his throat, clutching,
His eyes bulged, and he fell to his knees, wheezing heart.
I feel like I've rolled a great deal more ones
and twenties with this season's stumble upons than is statistically likely.
(13:15):
I'd have to go back and count, but it really
does feel like a lot. Regardless, this is what the
Dice gods have decreed, and I think that wondering over
probabilities is just my way of delaying something I don't
want to do. Better, I just ripped a band aid off,
so to speak, and make the damn roll. Looking at
the BX rules, I see that there are different sets
of saving throws for elves and fighters. Of course there
(13:38):
are those are two distinct classes back when these books
were written. I also see that the save versus poison
is a ten for both classes at fourth level, so
I can't cherry pick the better set. I should select one, though,
and stick with the going forward. I think I'll go
with the elf stats. Now for the actual role on
a D twenty, A ten or better saves ten t life.
(14:00):
What's that? A fifty five percent chance? Right? Odds are
that he'll live? So why do I feel so bad
about this? Well, there's nothing for it. Here goes that
is a natural twenty. By now, Tintu's eyes were bugging
(14:24):
out and his face was plumb colored. His fingers scratched
at his throat, and his hair was lank with perspiration.
Suddenly his airways opened. He sucked in a huge breath
and fell over onto the ground. The others rushed forward.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Ten tier oh no.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Fair wind rolled the young elf onto his side. Everyone
could see right away the tentiir was breathing regularly again,
and his natural color was returning. As one, they let
out a collective sigh of relief. With sudden understanding Duran,
he reached into his bag, pulled out the poisonous mushrooms,
and hurled them away. Then he sank into a crouch
beside his brother.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Forgive me, tens here, I had no idea.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
The other ELF's voice was ragged, but he managed to
croak out.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
It's it's all right.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
You couldn't have known.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
What would I do if I lost you, little mouse.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Tensier smiled up at Durnni, coughed and closed his eyes.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
I don't think I can walk anymore today, he.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Said, No, of course not.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
We will make camp here. No more walking today. Oh
thanks for Cendia. You are all right.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Those dice gods they really like to mess with you,
don't they. I mean a natural twenty. Even before I rolled,
I was preparing myself to get cought involved with this
slow poison spell. I guess it goes to show that
trying to plan ahead in a proces usual game is
pointless at any rate. I'm relieve the ten tier is
going to be all right and nothing is lost other
than some supplies and a few hours of travel. I
(16:09):
suppose the thing to do now is move forward with
hex Crawl rolls for the next day, day thirty three.
The pieces are now two and a half days away
from their destination. Let's begin for weather. The thirteen means
the fair weather continues and a cool breeze makes travel
easier than usual. Stumble upon a five, no result, I'm
(16:30):
grateful for that. Forging with chords help. A two means
they're successful. The pieces discover a big nest during any
believes it belongs to a wild turkey. In it are
ten good sized eggs. The next roll is for wandering encounters.
As mentioned before, albe using a new chart. If the
dice indicate there is one rolling, Yeah, I get a five.
(16:52):
Looks like I'll need to step away from the game
for a moment into a little DM prep be right back. Okay,
you know that didn't take very long at all. I
just adjusted my collapsible table from before. Here's what it
looks like now, and for any result other than the first,
I'll be rolling on a subtable on a D six.
(17:13):
A one indicates a sketchbook event. More about this if
and when it happens. A two indicates giant animals or insects.
A three indicates fae. A four to five indicates one
or more exotic dangerous creature. A six means some kind
of minor boon, such as found equipment, supplies, or information.
I'll post this table on the block, of course. And
(17:35):
with all that said, here's the role. I got A one.
I guess my if and when have become yes and
now so we need to talk about sketchbook events between
the lines. Back in June of this year, I launched
a little project in the name of always trying to
(17:56):
innovate the podcasting medium over social media. I asked listeners
to submit sketches of natural landscapes with mountains in the background.
These sketches had to be free of any signs of
human settlement, and ideally it would contain some exceptional feature
that would be conducive to verbal description without being two
over the top. Over the course of a week, I
got about a dozen submissions from listeners. A huge thank
(18:18):
you to those who participated, by the way, and that
was more than enough for what I had in mind.
The idea was to make a digital folder name it
Odokes Sketch Book, and then put these image files in it.
Numbered They would become the pages of the book of
drawings that Achillie has carried since the early part of
her adventure. Now, since the companions are within two and
a half days of their destination, it makes sense to
(18:39):
introduce the idea all of the landscapes in o'dok's book
would be I think within a two or three days
walk radius of the famous historian's home. All that's left
is to roll a D twelve and see which scene
the pieces come across the role. I got a seven
(19:01):
chapter thirty six part two day thirty three, two and
a half days from their destination mourning mythic event meaning
develop intrigues, party status. Achillea thirteen of thirteen hit points,
(19:22):
Court eighteen of eighteen, de Renni sixteen of sixteen, ten
Tier nineteen of nineteen, fair Wind twenty six of twenty six,
Flicker fourteen of sixteen supplies. The companions have eight portions
(19:43):
of food remaining spells available. Achille can cast in large message,
glitter dust and detect evil. Court can cast entangle and
slow poison. Fair Wind can cast cure light, wounds and
protection from evil. The companions had woken shortly after dawn
(20:09):
feeling somewhat unrested. Each one of them, including Cord, Robin
and Flicker, had experienced unusually vivid dreams during the night.
As they packed their belongings, Achillie shared hers, it was
very strange.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
I termed that we were back at the bridge in
the northern border of the cam Or Lands, remember the
face on the bridge. Well, in my dream it wasn't
a woman's face but a man's, and it spoke to me.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Oh what did it say? Fairwind wanted to know, I
can't really remember, was Achille's distracted reply. She did in
fact remember, but had no wish to share that part
of the dream. She also chose not to mention that
the man's face had been her Voppy's face, the familiar
but stonework countenance had looked at her and said, beck me,
(20:56):
do not forget me. Fair Wind and Tintire also said
that experienced strange dreams and shared what they could remember.
As for Derenni, he was tight lipped and merely.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Said I cannot remember.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
One asked Tender was looking and feeling much better since
the previous day's terrible experience with the mushroom. He said
he was up to putting in a full day's march,
So the companions resumed their journey to the northeast. The
day's trekking took them out of the grassy sward where
they'd made camp the night before, and up into some
heavily forested foothills. The pleasant weather played the uphill walk
(21:29):
easier than it might have been, and with a few
skins of water filled from a spring cord called forth,
the companions were as comfortable as might be hoped for.
In the evening, as the party crested yet another hill,
they were treated to a spectacular view of the mountains.
These were by now close enough to dominate the vista
from where they stood. One in particular stood out among
(21:51):
the others. It looked something like a pyramid of smaller peaks,
set just behind the crease of a pine s drewn valley.
All of a sudden, Achille gasp and reached into her bag.
Everyone stopped to see what was the matter? Oh, said Ferwind,
with understanding dawning upon him.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
That's one of the sketches in your book, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
M H I think so, Achillie replied. The tip of
her tongue protruded from the side of her mouth that
she bent in concentration over the book now in her hands.
Then she flipped the pages until here it is. She
looked up once to confirm, yes, this is it. Flicker
barked excitedly, as though able to sense that something momentous
(22:33):
was taking place. Her tail began to thrash back and forth.
Achillie showed the picture to the others and pointed out
how it matched the vista exactly.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
See four crags along the bottom, six peaks on top
that tall tree over there.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
She tapped the right side of the drawing, it's here,
and that means.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
It means we are close, really close.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Interrupted the half healf.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Imagine odok Zagag might have stood on this very spot
to draw this picture.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Fairwind saw a physical change come over Achillia's deportment. Her
shoulders squared and her brow cleared. She held herself taller too.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
You know, Achilia, I was reading from the Dorothi scroll
again this morning, and well more than ever, I think
these lands are something out of the ordinary. The scroll
seems to indicate that magic is stronger in these parts
because they are closer to the.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Goddess, closer to her hair.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Achilia asked, that's right. Fairwind looked slowly up at the
mountains in the distance.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
I can't be certain that my interpretations of the scripture
are correct, but if I'm right, the suggestion is that
the deity resides on this plane in material form, and
that these lands belonged to her.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Is that trouble you?
Speaker 4 (23:57):
No, No, The point I'm trying to make is that
if the Drothi were here, and if Odoak is here,
and possibly if the people in your Iron Tower are
here too, well, might not they all be looking for
the same thing.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
The Golden Path precisely.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Thanks for listening to Tale of the manticor if you
would like to support the show, there are many ways
to help. You can recommend it online or to friends.
You can like and repost episode announcements on social media.
You can pick up a Tale of the Manticore t
shirt at bare Arts dot store or one of my
offerings on drive through RPG. A quick reminder that the
one Shot in the Dark Ultra Light solo game is
(24:43):
now available in Portuguese thanks to the hard work of
John with Daily hero Forge. Of course, you can always
rate to review the show on your podcast or choice.
By gratitude to everyone for the continued support. At this time,
I would love to read a listen to review. This
one is from Apple Podcasts left by Amanda g. Tale
ninety three. Amanda g. Teal ninety three writes fully did
(25:05):
not expect to binge over forty episodes in a week,
but here we are needless to say, I absolutely love
this podcast. The balance of immersive storytelling and gameplay especially
makes for good pacing and says a lot without excessive exposition.
The dark, grounded tone sets it apart as well. No
over the top comedy, just a gritty fantasy tale peppered
with quiet moments of humanity and the looming sense that
(25:27):
no character is safe. Love it and on that note,
back to binging the rest of the series. Thank you
so much, Amanda know over the top comedy here, no, sir,
There's plenty of that out there in the world. So
glad you are along with me for the grim dark ride.
I hope you find the season finale satisfying. Now where
would I be without my amazing cast of voice talent.
(25:50):
Today it's another poor cast episode, Kyellen, Kevin Barringer, and
David Cooper give us Derenny, Tender and fair Wind, respectively.
And as a special treat we hear from Andrew Flag,
who does the voice of Old Veay. My voice actors
are not the only stars in this episode. A visual
artist also made a big contribution. Solo Adventure submitted a
(26:10):
sketch which inspired the beautiful and natural vista in part
two of this episode. I'd like to thank everyone who
submitted sketches, David R. Kucka, H Lostranger, John D. Christine O,
Moses Simon W. And Steve B. I'll be referring to
some of your excellent work soon enough for those curious
to learn more about Tale of the Manticore. I keep
(26:30):
a blog where I post all kinds of show and
RPG related stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts, and show notes.
You can find it at tale of Themanticore dot com.
To get in touch with me, you can check out
Solo Roleplayers Network dot com, Tale of the Manticore dot blues,
guidiw Social, Tale of the Manticor podcast on Instagram, or
Tale of the Manticor at gmail dot com. The adventure
(26:51):
will continue on the next episode of Tale of the
Manticor It's the Story or Chaos Rolls
Hi, this is Raphael Bacher SiO zero one from solon
Tellado and you are listening to the Tale of the Manticore.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
The following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener
discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor
(00:32):
Season three. Like the creature from which it takes its name,
Tale of the Manticor is a mashup, a cross breeding
between two different species of storytelling. Here you will find
the unpredictability of old school paper and dice games with
the story craft of a dark fantasy novel. No character
is sacred, and none will be spared if the dice
(00:53):
decide their fate is at hand. According to lore, the
Tale of a Manticore is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
(01:14):
time on Tail of the Mantigor, in chapter thirty five,
Flicker officially becomes a member of Achillea's party. Fairwynd has
his first real chance to study the first Scroll of
Galandel and understands a few basic things. First that there
was something called the Golden Path, second that the Dorothi
were seeking it, and third that another ancient scroll exists
(01:36):
that would have made doing so far easier. The companions
continue their trek until de Renni calls a sudden halt.
He has just spotted the Iron Tower once again. This time,
there is no mad dash, and predictably, the tower disappears
long before the pieces can approach it. Instead of causing Achillee,
grief and anger, this sighting only strengthens her resolve. It
(01:57):
also leads her companions to speculate about why the tower
seems to be following roughly the same path that they are. Finally,
after some X crawl rolls that indicate a random encounter
will occur, the party has a run in with a Dryad,
a forced spirit that, despite being peaceful by nature, possesses
a terrible weapon in the form of a permanent charm
(02:17):
person spell. Luckily for the party, the dryad is neither
offended nor threatened by their presence, and they are able
to walk away from the encounters shaken but unhindered. The
nature of the encounter with the Dryad rarely rested on
a single reaction roll on two D six. Had I
(02:39):
rolled a two or three dur Any would have been
forced to save or well not die, but he would
have been pulled into the Dryad's tree forever. Thank Ahea
that I rolled better than that. The result I got
was a seven plus one for various modifiers equalling eight.
The b X rules put that on the high end
of no reaction. Monster confused, and so I decided to
(03:02):
let the pieces get away unharmed. The mushrooms they got
were not part of that role. They had already been earned,
so to speak, when the pieces made a successful foraging
check earlier on. And as for the tiny pink flower
that the forest spirit gave to Renni, well, I have
an idea for that. Chapter thirty six, Part one, day
(03:27):
thirty one, four days from their destination, late afternoon. Mythic
event meaning transform expectations, party status achillea thirteen of thirteen
hit points, Court sixteen of eighteen, de Renni sixteen of sixteen,
(03:51):
ten Tier nineteen of nineteen, fair Wind twenty four of
twenty six, Flicker twelve of sixteen supplies. The companions have
nine portions of food remaining spells available. Achille can cast
(04:12):
enlarge message, glitter dust and detect evil. Court can cast
entangle and slow poison. Fair Wind can cast cureled wounds
and protection from evil. That was odd, said Tantyr. He
(04:35):
and the rest of the company were happy to have
put some distance between themselves and the dry head.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
More than that, it was dangerous, very dangerous. With Durnni's reply,
I once heard a story about a trader who fell
in love with one of those things. He walked into
the woods and never came out again.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
In fact, here the elder brother held up the tiny
pink flower given him by the forest spirit.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
I don't think I want.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
To keep this. He made as if to throw it away,
but Achilia stopped him.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Wait, she said, let me see that.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Doranni's face showed misgivings, but he handed her the flower anyway.
Achilleus studied it, sniffed it, and passed it to chrd.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
This would look well on you, Cord, don't you think.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
The construct bent down to take the flower, and Achillea
suddenly wondered if he had grown taller since the start
of their journey. He took the delicate little bloom in
his dowel fingers and placed it right in the center
of his chest, that about the level a pendant might
have hung. This was one of the spots where Cord
had developed barky skin, so the flower stayed in place.
It sits you, said, Achillia tried to appraise his height,
(05:43):
and smiling, Cord bowed a little by way of expressing
his thanks. Pheruind watched all this and asked Achillea what
the brothers had been talking about before giving her the flower.
When Achillea told him, he nodded solemnly and asked.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
What does anyone really know what the deep forests and
wilderness hide.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
I feel we.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
Have crossed a threshold of sorts la Chilia and the
land we now traverse as one of old, old magic.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I think fair Wind is on to something. The pieces
have indeed crossed a kind of boundary and have entered
a new place where magic is older, stronger, and wilder.
That would explain the presence of the Giant Troll and
the dry Head, both of which are creatures that could
be considered highly rare and exotic. Also their proximity to
the Golden Path, and I have only a vague idea
(06:35):
at this point of what that might be likely has
something to do with it. Since all that is going
to happen on Day thirty one has already happened. I
think it's time to make hex crawl rolls for day
thirty two. Ready, first up is for weather A twelve.
The weather continues to be typical for the season and
carries over from the previous day. Stumble upon, Oh dear,
(06:58):
oh dear, that is a one. Something bad is going
to happen, and I'll be honest, I have nothing for
this in the idea bank. Let's keep rolling and maybe
something will emerge. For foraging with chords assistance A one, Well,
this time A one is welcome. It means foraging was successful.
The dice imply that this happened without chord's help. So
(07:21):
I wonder if they find some kind of berries. A
high low roll will determine that it means yes, A
fourteen twenty yes, poor old ten tier. Last stop is
for wandering encounters. A five or six on a d
six means there will be one A three no encounter,
but they are going to find something unpleasant. Still no ideas.
(07:42):
I need to take a break and think things over.
Maybe this is a good time for an ad boyo
that went by quickly. I still don't know how to
implement that stumble upon one. How about this? Since I
don't have a firm idea, I'll turn to the dice
(08:03):
and randomize the event using a d six, higher will
be better or less deadly, in other words, and so
on a five to six, the party will come up
against a geographic barrier that delays them. On a three
to four, they will enter the territory of something very dangerous.
And on a one to two, I'll apply my event
meaning in the nastiest way I can imagine. Use the roll. Yeah,
(08:27):
somehow I knew it. I got a one. Oh. In
case you forgot, the current event meaning is transform expectations.
Speaker 5 (08:42):
Can we stop and eat something? I'm as hungry as
a hawk, said ten Tier. By now it was early
evening and the encounter with the dryad was hours behind them.
They had likewise left its forest of ancient oaks and furs. Currently,
they were making their way up the slope of a
grassy ridge dotted with bushes and solitary trees. Overhead, in
(09:05):
a sky of deep blue, fluffy white clouds piled high
upon themselves like clotted cream.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Let's go a bit further, ten Tier. We still have
a few hours of good light, and we should use
those the forage.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Derni's practicality was hard to argue with, so the companions
continued their journey, stopping to inspect trees and bushes for
fruits and berries. After a time, they found some. Oh,
look at this, called Achilia. She had just discovered a
patch of wild strawberries. Then, realizing the possible implication for
ten Tier, she checked her enthusiasm.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
And told him maybe the fairy's curse has expired, or
maybe it only applies to raspberries.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
The young elf replied with an expression caught somewhere between
hopeful and ill. After a few minutes, each of the
companions had gathered a handful of berries. Ten Tyre looked
at his with renewed hope. Hm, they smell normal, Try one,
said Achilie. Ten tear gingerly put a whole strawberry in
his mouth and then eyes shut. Bit down. In an instant,
(10:10):
he was doubled over with the berries he dropped on
the ground at his feet. He put his hands on
his knees and wretched. After the paroxysm of revulsion passed,
he looked up and wiped his mouth with the back
of his hand. Delicious, he said, with bitter sarcasm. Since
they were out of water, he added.
Speaker 5 (10:28):
De Rennie, give me a piece of the massam bell
to help me get the taste out of my mouth.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
The massa bell will keep longer than the mushrooms.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Durrenni replied, pulling one of the dryad's hedgehog mushrooms from
his bag and handing it to his brother.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Eat this instead.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Fairwind already knew about the cursed ten teer carried, but
as he watched all the sunfold, he turned to.
Speaker 4 (10:50):
Achilia, Um, do these mushrooms not need to be cooked?
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Achilia, not familiar with that particular fungus, had no idea.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
She rugged, de Any knows what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
While the companions began their dinner of wild strawberries, ten
Tier took a huge bite out of his mushroom. He
had no way of knowing that the funnel shaped fungus
in his hand was not a hedgehog mushroom. In fact,
it was deadly fool's funnel, of which a small bite
could prove fatal. Having rolled a one unstumbled upon means
(11:25):
I need to pay a price. So I've applied my
current event meaning to the hedgehog mushrooms for what might
well be a tragedy. Before we move on, let's go
back a bit. When I made the foraging roll, I
got a one. Normally a one to two is a success,
and I've been adding the three to a count Court's
magical help. I interpreted that one as a forging attempt
(11:46):
that succeeded, but not by virtue of cord spell. Next,
on a whim, I decided to randomly determine if the
found food would be berries. It seemed a shame to
have inflicted that curse on ten tier way back when,
only to never see it again. I made that random too,
but the dice Gouds decided that yes, it would be
berries that they found. This is about the time that
(12:07):
I figured out what this stumble upon would be, or
maybe I should say I heard what the story was
trying to tell me. Tender cannot eat the foraged food,
so he late a mushroom instead, And when I applied
transform expectations to that situation, I got the fool's funnel mushroom,
a deadly fungus that resembles a hedgehog mushroom in every way,
(12:27):
but one fool's funnel can kill you. Tentyre took the
proffered mushroom and bit into the funnel cap as he chewed,
A thoughtful look came over his face, as though the
mushroom's taste did not match his expectation. Then, with sudden realization,
he spit it all out, drawing everyone's attention. The companions
(12:52):
watched in horror as Tantir's face quickly turned several shades darker,
and then the elves hands were at his throat, clutching,
His eyes bulged, and he fell to his knees, wheezing heart.
I feel like I've rolled a great deal more ones
and twenties with this season's stumble upons than is statistically likely.
(13:15):
I'd have to go back and count, but it really
does feel like a lot. Regardless, this is what the
Dice gods have decreed, and I think that wondering over
probabilities is just my way of delaying something I don't
want to do. Better, I just ripped a band aid off,
so to speak, and make the damn roll. Looking at
the BX rules, I see that there are different sets
of saving throws for elves and fighters. Of course there
(13:38):
are those are two distinct classes back when these books
were written. I also see that the save versus poison
is a ten for both classes at fourth level, so
I can't cherry pick the better set. I should select one, though,
and stick with the going forward. I think I'll go
with the elf stats. Now for the actual role on
a D twenty, A ten or better saves ten t life.
(14:00):
What's that? A fifty five percent chance? Right? Odds are
that he'll live? So why do I feel so bad
about this? Well, there's nothing for it. Here goes that
is a natural twenty. By now, Tintu's eyes were bugging
(14:24):
out and his face was plumb colored. His fingers scratched
at his throat, and his hair was lank with perspiration.
Suddenly his airways opened. He sucked in a huge breath
and fell over onto the ground. The others rushed forward.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Ten tier oh no.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Fair wind rolled the young elf onto his side. Everyone
could see right away the tentiir was breathing regularly again,
and his natural color was returning. As one, they let
out a collective sigh of relief. With sudden understanding Duran,
he reached into his bag, pulled out the poisonous mushrooms,
and hurled them away. Then he sank into a crouch
beside his brother.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Forgive me, tens here, I had no idea.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
The other ELF's voice was ragged, but he managed to
croak out.
Speaker 4 (15:12):
It's it's all right.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
You couldn't have known.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
What would I do if I lost you, little mouse.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Tensier smiled up at Durnni, coughed and closed his eyes.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
I don't think I can walk anymore today, he.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Said, No, of course not.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
We will make camp here. No more walking today. Oh
thanks for Cendia. You are all right.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Those dice gods they really like to mess with you,
don't they. I mean a natural twenty. Even before I rolled,
I was preparing myself to get cought involved with this
slow poison spell. I guess it goes to show that
trying to plan ahead in a proces usual game is
pointless at any rate. I'm relieve the ten tier is
going to be all right and nothing is lost other
than some supplies and a few hours of travel. I
(16:09):
suppose the thing to do now is move forward with
hex Crawl rolls for the next day, day thirty three.
The pieces are now two and a half days away
from their destination. Let's begin for weather. The thirteen means
the fair weather continues and a cool breeze makes travel
easier than usual. Stumble upon a five, no result, I'm
(16:30):
grateful for that. Forging with chords help. A two means
they're successful. The pieces discover a big nest during any
believes it belongs to a wild turkey. In it are
ten good sized eggs. The next roll is for wandering encounters.
As mentioned before, albe using a new chart. If the
dice indicate there is one rolling, Yeah, I get a five.
(16:52):
Looks like I'll need to step away from the game
for a moment into a little DM prep be right back. Okay,
you know that didn't take very long at all. I
just adjusted my collapsible table from before. Here's what it
looks like now, and for any result other than the first,
I'll be rolling on a subtable on a D six.
(17:13):
A one indicates a sketchbook event. More about this if
and when it happens. A two indicates giant animals or insects.
A three indicates fae. A four to five indicates one
or more exotic dangerous creature. A six means some kind
of minor boon, such as found equipment, supplies, or information.
I'll post this table on the block, of course. And
(17:35):
with all that said, here's the role. I got A one.
I guess my if and when have become yes and
now so we need to talk about sketchbook events between
the lines. Back in June of this year, I launched
a little project in the name of always trying to
(17:56):
innovate the podcasting medium over social media. I asked listeners
to submit sketches of natural landscapes with mountains in the background.
These sketches had to be free of any signs of
human settlement, and ideally it would contain some exceptional feature
that would be conducive to verbal description without being two
over the top. Over the course of a week, I
got about a dozen submissions from listeners. A huge thank
(18:18):
you to those who participated, by the way, and that
was more than enough for what I had in mind.
The idea was to make a digital folder name it
Odokes Sketch Book, and then put these image files in it.
Numbered They would become the pages of the book of
drawings that Achillie has carried since the early part of
her adventure. Now, since the companions are within two and
a half days of their destination, it makes sense to
(18:39):
introduce the idea all of the landscapes in o'dok's book
would be I think within a two or three days
walk radius of the famous historian's home. All that's left
is to roll a D twelve and see which scene
the pieces come across the role. I got a seven
(19:01):
chapter thirty six part two day thirty three, two and
a half days from their destination mourning mythic event meaning
develop intrigues, party status. Achillea thirteen of thirteen hit points,
(19:22):
Court eighteen of eighteen, de Renni sixteen of sixteen, ten
Tier nineteen of nineteen, fair Wind twenty six of twenty six,
Flicker fourteen of sixteen supplies. The companions have eight portions
(19:43):
of food remaining spells available. Achille can cast in large message,
glitter dust and detect evil. Court can cast entangle and
slow poison. Fair Wind can cast cure light, wounds and
protection from evil. The companions had woken shortly after dawn
(20:09):
feeling somewhat unrested. Each one of them, including Cord, Robin
and Flicker, had experienced unusually vivid dreams during the night.
As they packed their belongings, Achillie shared hers, it was
very strange.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
I termed that we were back at the bridge in
the northern border of the cam Or Lands, remember the
face on the bridge. Well, in my dream it wasn't
a woman's face but a man's, and it spoke to me.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Oh what did it say? Fairwind wanted to know, I
can't really remember, was Achille's distracted reply. She did in
fact remember, but had no wish to share that part
of the dream. She also chose not to mention that
the man's face had been her Voppy's face, the familiar
but stonework countenance had looked at her and said, beck me,
(20:56):
do not forget me. Fair Wind and Tintire also said
that experienced strange dreams and shared what they could remember.
As for Derenni, he was tight lipped and merely.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Said I cannot remember.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
One asked Tender was looking and feeling much better since
the previous day's terrible experience with the mushroom. He said
he was up to putting in a full day's march,
So the companions resumed their journey to the northeast. The
day's trekking took them out of the grassy sward where
they'd made camp the night before, and up into some
heavily forested foothills. The pleasant weather played the uphill walk
(21:29):
easier than it might have been, and with a few
skins of water filled from a spring cord called forth,
the companions were as comfortable as might be hoped for.
In the evening, as the party crested yet another hill,
they were treated to a spectacular view of the mountains.
These were by now close enough to dominate the vista
from where they stood. One in particular stood out among
(21:51):
the others. It looked something like a pyramid of smaller peaks,
set just behind the crease of a pine s drewn valley.
All of a sudden, Achille gasp and reached into her bag.
Everyone stopped to see what was the matter? Oh, said Ferwind,
with understanding dawning upon him.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
That's one of the sketches in your book, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
M H I think so, Achillie replied. The tip of
her tongue protruded from the side of her mouth that
she bent in concentration over the book now in her hands.
Then she flipped the pages until here it is. She
looked up once to confirm, yes, this is it. Flicker
barked excitedly, as though able to sense that something momentous
(22:33):
was taking place. Her tail began to thrash back and forth.
Achillie showed the picture to the others and pointed out
how it matched the vista exactly.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
See four crags along the bottom, six peaks on top
that tall tree over there.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
She tapped the right side of the drawing, it's here,
and that means.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
It means we are close, really close.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Interrupted the half healf.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
Imagine odok Zagag might have stood on this very spot
to draw this picture.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Fairwind saw a physical change come over Achillia's deportment. Her
shoulders squared and her brow cleared. She held herself taller too.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
You know, Achilia, I was reading from the Dorothi scroll
again this morning, and well more than ever, I think
these lands are something out of the ordinary. The scroll
seems to indicate that magic is stronger in these parts
because they are closer to the.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Goddess, closer to her hair.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Achilia asked, that's right. Fairwind looked slowly up at the
mountains in the distance.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
I can't be certain that my interpretations of the scripture
are correct, but if I'm right, the suggestion is that
the deity resides on this plane in material form, and
that these lands belonged to her.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
Is that trouble you?
Speaker 4 (23:57):
No, No, The point I'm trying to make is that
if the Drothi were here, and if Odoak is here,
and possibly if the people in your Iron Tower are
here too, well, might not they all be looking for
the same thing.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
The Golden Path precisely.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Thanks for listening to Tale of the manticor if you
would like to support the show, there are many ways
to help. You can recommend it online or to friends.
You can like and repost episode announcements on social media.
You can pick up a Tale of the Manticore t
shirt at bare Arts dot store or one of my
offerings on drive through RPG. A quick reminder that the
one Shot in the Dark Ultra Light solo game is
(24:43):
now available in Portuguese thanks to the hard work of
John with Daily hero Forge. Of course, you can always
rate to review the show on your podcast or choice.
By gratitude to everyone for the continued support. At this time,
I would love to read a listen to review. This
one is from Apple Podcasts left by Amanda g. Tale
ninety three. Amanda g. Teal ninety three writes fully did
(25:05):
not expect to binge over forty episodes in a week,
but here we are needless to say, I absolutely love
this podcast. The balance of immersive storytelling and gameplay especially
makes for good pacing and says a lot without excessive exposition.
The dark, grounded tone sets it apart as well. No
over the top comedy, just a gritty fantasy tale peppered
with quiet moments of humanity and the looming sense that
(25:27):
no character is safe. Love it and on that note,
back to binging the rest of the series. Thank you
so much, Amanda know over the top comedy here, no, sir,
There's plenty of that out there in the world. So
glad you are along with me for the grim dark ride.
I hope you find the season finale satisfying. Now where
would I be without my amazing cast of voice talent.
(25:50):
Today it's another poor cast episode, Kyellen, Kevin Barringer, and
David Cooper give us Derenny, Tender and fair Wind, respectively.
And as a special treat we hear from Andrew Flag,
who does the voice of Old Veay. My voice actors
are not the only stars in this episode. A visual
artist also made a big contribution. Solo Adventure submitted a
(26:10):
sketch which inspired the beautiful and natural vista in part
two of this episode. I'd like to thank everyone who
submitted sketches, David R. Kucka, H Lostranger, John D. Christine O,
Moses Simon W. And Steve B. I'll be referring to
some of your excellent work soon enough for those curious
to learn more about Tale of the Manticore. I keep
(26:30):
a blog where I post all kinds of show and
RPG related stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts, and show notes.
You can find it at tale of Themanticore dot com.
To get in touch with me, you can check out
Solo Roleplayers Network dot com, Tale of the Manticore dot blues,
guidiw Social, Tale of the Manticor podcast on Instagram, or
Tale of the Manticor at gmail dot com. The adventure
(26:51):
will continue on the next episode of Tale of the
Manticor It's the Story or Chaos Rolls
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