May 11, 2025 • 28 mins
Don’t Split the Party: 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.
Want to listen without the ads while helping the show? Join the Supporters' Club: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tale-of-the-manticore-a-dark-fantasy-dungeons-dragons-audiodrama--6276878/support
Want to listen without the ads while helping the show? Join the Supporters' Club: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tale-of-the-manticore-a-dark-fantasy-dungeons-dragons-audiodrama--6276878/support
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, John, So, although it's logical for Tentier to be
cautious after the undead encounter, I think it would be
more in keeping with a central character to do a
little tentative exploring. Elves are probably more cautious than humans
in general since they're so long lived, but are equally
susceptible to death, so we might not take any really
wild risks. His curiosity, brashness, and desire to impress his brother, though,
(00:26):
might nudge him down a side corridor if he thinks
it could yield a useful discovery. Also, I just think
it makes for a more engaging story. Hopefully it doesn't
end in tragedy, but if it does, it'll certainly add
some drama.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
The following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener
discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor
(01:09):
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
(01:30):
decide their fate is at hand. According to lore, the
Tale of a Manticor is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
(01:52):
time on Tale of the Manticor, Chapter twenty one begins
with the cursed Wraith of Queen Anaya offering the companions
a kind of dee. If they sacrifice Fairwind to her,
she will let the rest of them go free. Was
Fairwind about to lay down his life to save the others,
we cannot know, because before he can respond, Achillia sends
a jarring psychic blast at the wraith Queen by way
(02:14):
of her last message spell. After that, the fight is
on and the Queen's animated skeletal warriors rush to the attack.
Achillia and the Queen can't participate effectively in the battle,
so it's really Cord Tenire, Dehntni and Fairwind against the
two undead opponents. Although they are outnumbered, the skeletal warriors
have a special defense. They only take half damage from
(02:35):
slashing weapons, making Doretti and Teniers attacks much less effective.
After a surprising string of critical failures and hits, the
pieces vanquished the enemy, and the Queen retreats, apparently back
to the nether world. Post battle, Fairwind, who has taken
a wound, faints when it comes to his torchlight has
expired and it is dark. By now, Tentire has already
(02:57):
been sent off on his own to retrieve a replacement light.
Tenttuo considers investigating part of the unexplored sections of this
crypt alone, but that would be unwise and reckless, foolish
even most of all, it would be dangerous. You might
(03:19):
remember that in the last episode, before combat began, there
was a moment where it seemed that battle might be avoided.
The Queen offered to let Achillia cord Duranian Tentire go
free if they sacrificed Fairwood to her. Of course, Achilia
didn't let that happen. I bring it up because the
situation came from my mythic event meaning tense agreement. The
(03:39):
idea was to present an offer of an agreement that
would cause tension tense agreement. I think it made the
encounter a bit more flavorful than it might have otherwise been,
and it will probably have the effect of strengthening the
growing bond between the cleric and the other companions too.
At any rate, I need to roll a new event,
meaning here we go on a D one hundred thirty
(04:01):
three and forty four. That's let's see stop prison.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Okay, no ideas at the moment, but that's par for
the course. I'll let it percolate and move on. The
main thing I need to work out before I begin
this episode's narrative is how to handle ten tiers foray
into the unexplored parts of this crypt Now that Kevin
is replied to my email to say that he will
indeed do that. After receiving that reply, I wrote back
to suggest we do a little play by email. I
(04:28):
attend him situations. He would respond with ten toars actions,
and we would proceed like that until there was enough
material to write a scene. With this in mind, I
could go into full DM mode, but I still want
a bit of chaos for my part of the game,
so to that end, I will continue to generate the
dungeon randomly. Here's what I have in mind for each
new place Tender explore us. I'll roll a D ten
(04:49):
on a one to four. There will not be any
kind of danger or benefit there that doesn't indicate an
empty room. Necessarily, it just means that the room won't
introduce any risk or reward. On a five or six,
it'll only contain danger, a trap or monster. Probably On
a seven to eight it'll have something good or useful.
On a nine to ten, there will be both a
benefit and a hazard. Now, I told Kevin that going
(05:12):
off alone would be very dangerous, so both risk and
reward will be high over the course of this little
game within a game experiment a couple more decisions. For
each new place, I'll roll a second D ten, and
on a one to two there will be another exit.
Any other role will indicate a dead end. I'll do
all these rolls off Mike by the way, and keep
the results hidden. Finally, if Tener continues to explore room
(05:35):
after room and finds nothing interesting along the way, I
will force a danger, benefit or both to occur in
the last available place. I hope that all makes sense.
It's exciting for me to give up player control like this,
but I'm also worried for ten tier. Well, it's up
to Kevin and the dice Goods to decide how it'll
play out. Now, I'm going to roll some D tens
(05:55):
send an email to Kevin and get this thing started.
Chapter twenty two, Part one, day sixteen, early evening mythic
event meaning stop prison party status ten tier ten out
(06:17):
of ten hit points ten. Tyres stalked off down the corridor,
back towards the intersection with a head full of steam.
Dernny probably hadn't meant to embarrass him, but he'd done
so all the same. Suggesting he should take Achille with
him on such a simple task was insulting. What made
it worse, although Tender would never admit it to himself
(06:38):
or anyone else, was that Derny had been right right
as usual, he was afraid, and as soon as his
temper cool he felt the fear resurface. What was he
doing walking through a series of haunted hallways alone? Just
up ahead was where they had encountered the headless ghost
of the Prince. Might it still be there? It had
pointed them towards the inner crypt, where they'd be intact.
(07:00):
Had it all been a trap? If so, wasn't it
possible that the spirit still lingered, waiting for the opportunity
to do further mischief. Where the supernatural was concerned, logic
held no governance and so Tender's mind reeled with wild conjecture,
each notion making less sense than the last. If he
hadn't made such a show of his bravery by walking
out on Durranty in a huff, he might have turned back.
(07:22):
But even the fear of the undead was not enough
to make him do that. Tander forced his leaden steps
to continue until he reached the foreway intersection. When he
arrived and nothing happened. Though his chest was tight, he
let out a short breath of relief. The passage continued
into the gloom, straight ahead and both to his left
and right. To get to Fairwind's little campfire, he should
(07:46):
turn right, he knew that much. But there were these
other two passages yet unexplored. He moistened his lips. He
was frightened, yes, but he was also his mother's son,
her little mouse, Just as dur Annie had said, if
he wanted to live an exceptional life, if he wanted
to prove himself, he would need to learn to master
(08:06):
his fear. The heroes of legend did not whimper, and
Blanche Chuchin hadn't quaked like a leaf in a storm
when his final battle had begun. He knew the courage
was inside him, if he could just find it. Tender
took a single impulsive step to the left and felt
his guts flush as though with ice water. He grit
his teeth and willed himself to continue, but his body
(08:28):
did not want to obey his mind. Do it, He
told himself.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
You are the brave little mouse. You are in control.
You can choose courage.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
He tightened his hand around the hilt of his short sword.
His palm was slick with sweat. Go little Mouse. Dramatis
Personae ten tier, thirty five years ago. Childhood was a
simpler time. He was typical of ten year old Elvin
(09:04):
boys and had all the usual joys, fears, and overwrought
sense or justice that most children have. Even then, he
endure anywhere fast friends. That was one thing that never
seemed to change. The two brothers were playing together one
particular evening when their father instructed them to go to bed,
pointing out that the sun had set hours earlier. The
boys had protested and begged to be allowed another half
(09:26):
hour before they had to retire. To spare her husband
the usual argument, the boy's mother had intervened with the
offer of a compromise.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
You may stay awake for a while longer, and I'll
even tell you a story if you agree to go
right to bed without complaint when it is done.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
The boys readily agreed, And this is the story they
were told.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
This is called the Tale of two Owls. In a quiet,
moonlit forest, a wise old mouse huddled in his cozy burrow.
Beside him was his young pupil Bury more than a
pup the wise old mouse declared, inside each of us
(10:13):
there are two owls. One is calm and wise, filled
with patience, understanding, and peace. This owl sees the world clearly,
with empathy and compassion. He paused, allowing the young mouse
to reflect on the feeling of stillness that comes with wisdom.
(10:38):
The other owl, the mouse continued, is restless and angry,
filled with wrath and hunger and violence. This owl is
the terror of the night's sky. The young mouse trembled.
He knew all too well what these predators were capable of,
(11:00):
and how they struck from above without warning. The wise
old mouse cleared his throat and continued, Yes, these two
owls exist inside each of us. They are locked in
battle with one another and fight for control over every
mouse's heart. The young mouse looked at him, wide eyed
(11:25):
and with whisker to tremble, and asked, but, master, which
owl will win in the end. The old mouse gave
a soft, knowing smile and said, little mouse, the one
who will win is the one that you feed.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Chapter twenty two, Part two, Day sixteen, early evening mythic
event meaning stop prison party status ten tier ten out
of ten hit points.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Ten.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Tyre grit his teeth and walked down the left hall,
going in the opposite way that he was meant to.
It was a deliberate choice to put safety to his
back and walk headlong into the unknown. His heart thumped
in his breast, but it began to calm down after
he had taken just the first ten steps. Another ten,
and he really started to feel more confident. Incredibly, when
(12:34):
he was thirty feet into the hallway, he realized that
he was wearing a smile, a tight, unhappy smile, but
a smile none the less. Furthermore, the ice in his
belly had been replaced by a hot sensation, as though
he'd swallowed an ember, and it was blooming inside him.
He quickened his step. Now he could see that the
tunnel ended some sixty feet ahead at the limit of
(12:54):
his dark vision, though he couldn't make out any details yet.
When he could, he saw that the all terminated in
a stone staircase going up. But even before he closed
the remaining distance, he could tell that the entire thing
had collapsed. It was filled with rubble to the ceiling.
When he arrived, his suspicion that there would be absolutely
no going through was confirmed. The collapse was total. There
(13:16):
weren't even any gaps in the fallen masonry that he
could see through. He thought briefly how strange it was
that an earthquake, or perhaps it would simply been time
and erosion. Whatever he caused, this collapse had done such
localized damage The hallway before the stairwell was completely intact.
There were neither cracks in the ceiling nor in the
flagstones of the floor. In truth, he felt disappointed. All
(13:39):
that effort to motivate himself to explore on his own,
and he had found absolutely nothing. Going back to report
this would be worse than not mentioning his little excursion
at all. De Renni would give him a tongue lashing
for his recklessness if he returned with nothing significant to share. However,
if he brought something useful and retraced his steps back
(14:01):
to the intersection. Without even thinking about it, he turned
left once again, foregoing the correct route in favor of
one I yet explored. He could see that this corridor
went another fifty feet and then turned to the left.
Suddenly stopping in his tracks, the young elf remembered the
sprung trap he and the others had found and bypassed earlier.
His free hand moved unconsciously to touch his side while
(14:24):
he imagined stepping on a pressure plate and having a
spear skewer him sideways. Cursing himself for not having taken
appropriate precautions, Tender decided that he needed to start now.
If there was another trap like the previous one, whatever
had triggered it was probably a trip wire or a
pressure plate, he would be wise to walk on one
side of the passage, hugging the wall and also probing
(14:44):
ahead of him with the tip of his sword. This
he did, slowing his pace to half of what it
had been, and navigating the corridor up to the bend
with extreme caution. He reached the turn without incident, but
remained vigilant as he rounded it. And found himself looking
down a second section of hallway. Like all the others
they had seen thus far, it terminated in an open
(15:04):
archway with a chamber beyond. Tendier could see two men
shaped figures in the room ahead, but they were standing
so rigid and tall that he assumed they were just
another pair of statues. Although curious to get a closer look,
he took his time and congratulated himself on his prudence
as he crept forward, all the while probing ahead with
the tip of his sword. Eventually he reached the archway
(15:28):
and could see the contents of the chamber. It was
a smallish one, just thirty feet by thirty feet square.
What he had taken for statues were not in fact
statues at all. They were suits of armor wired to
a pair of posts so that they appeared to stand
up on their own. Of the two sets, one was
fully six feet tall, as tall as fair Wind Tender thought.
(15:49):
The other was made for someone only a little smaller
than himself, about four feet. The bigger suit was of
uninterrupted plate and chain all the way from its lobstered
feet to its great helm. It was very imposing, and
even though Tender could see through the helm's visor slit
that there was nothing inside it. He felt a pang
of fear. All the same, he wildered away and looked
(16:11):
at the smaller suit. This one was a partial suit
and had gaps where the owner might have worn leather
breeches and boots, but still showed steel greaves, skirt breastplate,
van braces, and a chain claff. It had no helmet
and thus no head. Both suits bore arms gauntleted fists,
came together in front of where a belt buckle might
have been, and rested on the pommel of a sword,
(16:32):
set blade down so that the point rested on the
stone floor. All items were badly rusted, flaking in patches
of light and dark corrosive blooms. It was a shame
thought tender, because Faerwin could certainly have used some kind
of armor. Unfortunately, this was all worthless. The two steel
suits were not the only things in the room, although
(16:53):
they did draw the eye. First, to the right, a
narrow shelf had been built into the wall. It held
a dozen surren amc pods. To either side of this
shelf was a crescent bearing stanchion of about ten TuS height.
Looking the other way, opposite the shelf, and tucked neatly
against the facing wall. He saw a chest of wood
and banded iron on the floor. The hasp corners and
(17:14):
iron bands were all just as badly rusted as the armor,
but Tenttyers noticed with interest that the chest had no lock.
Tento's attention was suddenly interrupted by a light but very
cold gust of air that seemed to pass right through him.
He shuddered as a chill shivered his whole body. He
(17:35):
spun to the right, then to the left. There was
nobody else there, but something had changed. Something about the
smaller suit of armor drew his eye, and what he
saw made his breath catch. The short sword was no
longer rusted. In fact, it gleamed like burnished silver against
the mottled rust and cobwebs of the rest of the armor.
(17:57):
It could not have stood out more. Tent Tire was
filled with wonder and immediately stepped forward to grasp his helt,
but something stopped him. He could imagine Derannie's disapproving face
if he were to do something so risky, and he
heard his brother's voice in his mind unts nothing. Clearly,
there was magic at work here. It would be wise
to use caution. He should probably leave and report, but
(18:21):
he could not deny that he was drawn to the blade.
He forced himself to ignore it for now, and instead
turned to his right, where seramic jars sat in rows
upon a shelf flanked by stanchions. The cressets atop them
were almost certainly lamps. Surely it would be better to
return with one of these rather than a feeble torch.
Each jar was but the size and shape of an apple,
(18:42):
slightly bigger at the top than at the base. Each
also had a plug of wax at the top, although
upon inspection, Tenter found that all but two had dried
and cracked with age. Quickly lifting and setting down each
jar in turn revealed that only the two with intact
seals had any weight to them. The rest were empty.
Tentyre selected one of the heavier jars, and using the
(19:03):
tip of an arrow, he scraped off some of the wax.
The young elf had the hem of his cloak pressed
over his mouth and nose, and was pointing the top
of the jar away from him, afraid that some noxious
cloud might be released when his arrow head broke the seal,
But no such thing occurred. And upon sniffing the contents,
Tintyre was confident that he had found two large flasks
(19:23):
of oil. He emptied half of the jar he was
holding into the nearest cresset and lit it with his
tinder box. It flared to glorious life, and Tinder could
not help but look at the sword as it caught
and reflected the lamp's orange glow. In the moment that
his dark vision gave way to his normal vision, he saw,
for just the space of a single breath, a face
(19:46):
reflected in the blade. It wasn't his own, It was
the face of a young boy. When Tinder blinked, he
was gone. Prince sar he he asked, in a whisper,
are you here? Silence was the only reply. Now Yet,
daring to touch it, ten Tier crouched down so that
he could really study the blade. It stood out in
(20:08):
such bright contrast against the mottled browns and oranges of
the rusted metal around it that ten Tyre thought it
almost seemed not of this world. The hilt, cross guard,
and pommel sparkled as though there were crushed diamonds mixed
in with the metal. A pair of markings had been
etched into the blade just above the cross guard, and
to either side of the fuller one was of a
circle with three wavy lines reaching out from it, spaced
(20:30):
at equal distances from each other. The second marking was
a trio of diamonds. The dwarfs tentyer knew used such
symbols as makers marks, perhaps humans did the same. Removing
his cloak, Tintyre used it to snatch up the sword,
bundling it and making sure that no part of him
touched it. The time to inspect it more fully would
come later, he decided. By now, the others would be
(20:53):
expecting his return, and he didn't wish for them to worry.
He shifted his new prize to his free hand, the
remaining intact flask of oil into his pack, grabbed the stension,
and turned to go. But then the rusted chest caught
his attention once again, and he hesitated, biting his lip.
What harm would it do to take a quick look. No,
(21:16):
he should leave it alone. They could all return together
later on and investigate it properly. On the other hand,
he was already here, and it was easy to imagine
the others not wanting to come back this way at all.
So what should he do. Does a couple of things
(21:38):
I'd like to talk about before I let the story progress. First.
This is a rare kind of episode in that it
splits the party and concentrates exclusively on the actions of
a single character. One of my rules in Tail of
the Manticor is that pieces advance towards the next level
by surviving episodes in which they are actively adventuring and
contributing to the story. They should also be in some
(22:00):
amount of danger. Achillia, Chord, Ferwind, and Derenni are essentially
not in this episode, and so they will not make
any progress toward their next levels. Ten Tier will, however,
since he is adventuring and is also insignificant danger. Actually
he is in potentially mortal danger. Ten too doesn't know it,
and neither does Kevin Barringer, who voices him and for
(22:22):
now is controlling his actions. Let me go back and
explain something before we move forward. For this little side quest,
I've given over control of ten Tier to Kevin and
shifted into the role of DM. We've played the game
through a series of emails. I would set the scene
and Kevin would write back with some actions. The narrative
you've just heard is the dramatization of that exchange. While dming,
(22:44):
I wanted to introduce a good amount of chaos into
the gameplay, so I decided to use dice to determine
what each unexplored direction would lead to. On a D ten,
a one to four meant no danger or benefit, a
five to six meant only danger, a seven to eight
indicated only some kind of boone, and finally a nine
to ten signified both a benefit and a danger. The
second D ten would determine if there are any other
(23:06):
exits in the new space. I wanted Tento's excursion to
be a high risk, high reward kind of situation, and
told Kevin upfront several times that it would be dangerous.
The first newly explored tunnel took ten tier to a
collapsed stairwell. This was the result of a roll of
three no danger, no benefit, and five no exit. Since
(23:27):
I didn't want to waste narrative on a more or
less empty room, I decided that TENTTYO would find a
collapsed tunnel where the damage was oddly localized. This was
a kind of clue, albeit a subtle one. When Kevin
decided that ten tier would continue his exploration. I rolled
another pair of D tens and got a nine and
three danger and benefit and no exit. I came up
(23:48):
with this idea of a room that holds suits of
armor for father and son. As I was writing it,
I realized that Leirhane would never have worn the armor
that was built for him. He didn't survive to an
appropriate age to do so. That was a bit sad,
but the story of Moroc's family is a tragic one,
so it feels appropriate at this point. You know more
(24:09):
than Kevin did when he was playing this section of
the crypt. Actually, Kevin may well be listening to this
right now, and if he is, I bet I've got
his attention. There's no risk of spoilers, because by the
time this episode is published, all decisions will have been
set in stone months before. The current room does indeed
hold a boon and a danger. The two flasks of
(24:29):
oil are a little bonus. They are not the boon
the sword is. It's a parting gift from lear Han,
who touched it with his spirit before finally returning to
the nether world. We'll figure out what kind of enchantment
he might have bestowed later on. For now, we need
to talk about the danger. If you guess that the
chest is trapped, you guessed right. The chest isn't even
(24:50):
a real chest. It's a fake. When opened, the lid
pulls up a chain that runs through a cavity in
the wall and up to the ceiling of the hall.
Just outside the arch, the chain pulls out a pin
that causes tons of masonry concealed in a cavity above
the hall to come crashing down, sealing the armor room
and anyone in it from the rest of the crypt.
The trap is very similar to one sprung by tomb
(25:11):
robbers long ago. Yep, that stairwell full of rubble was
the result of a similar kind of thing. Just to
twist the knife. Inside the lid of the false chest
is an inscription etched onto an iron plate. It's written
in the language of the ancient ky Moors, but if translated,
would read the following, thief, our tomb is now yours
as well. This whole idea came from my mythic event,
(25:34):
meaning stop prison. By the way, isn't mythic great? All
this stalk leads to the big question. Will Kevin have
ten tier open the chest? Is his curiosity as much
or greater than his characters. Here's the email I sent
him at this point in the story. Working in all
his choices thus far, ten Tier glances at the closed chest,
(25:57):
then suppresses his curiosity and carefully picks up sword, secures
the extra oil, and hefts the stanchion. He begins to
make his way back to the others, proud of himself
for having done the right thing. We can stop here
if you're satisfied or else. Let me know if there's
anything else you wish to do. And how about you
listening to this right now? Would you have opened the chest?
(26:19):
Do you think Kevin will change his mind and go back?
I hope you can master your curiosity because this is
where the episode must end. We'll find out what Kevin
intends you to do next time. Thanks for listening to
Tale of the Mantigor. If you're enjoying the show and
would like to help to support it, there are lots
(26:39):
of ways to do so. You can recommend the show online.
You can like and repost episode announcements on social media.
You can pick up one of my offerings on drive
through RBG or a T shirt at www. Dot bear
Arts dot store. And finally, you can rate or review
the show on your podcast your choice. I am super
grateful for all of your support. At this point, i'd
like to share listener review. This one was left by
(27:02):
D and D Dad on Apple Podcasts. D and D
Dad writes, this podcast is the catalyst of a new
genre solo play D and D in a fantasy novel.
It's actually better in some ways because John gives a
lot of careful thought to the interpretation of the dice
after they determine random outcomes. As a GM, my players
and I have to come up with this stuff on
(27:22):
the fly, but it's careful thought and creativity brings out
amazing stories. Listening to this will make you a better
DM slash GM for sure. Please don't stop making it.
Thank you so much, D and D Dad. I'm so
glad that you're enjoying the show, and I'm very grateful
for the review. Your words and those of others who
support me through reviews not only help the show find
(27:43):
a bigger audience, but they provide a great deal of
encouragement to me personally. I really appreciate it, and I
do not plan on stopping anytime soon. Also deserving of
things are the members of my awesome cast. In this episode,
we hear from Kevin Barringer playing while playing himself and
playing tent here. And this episode also introduces Dana Click
(28:04):
in the role of Tentyr and Dorani's mother. Dana has
asked me to share her email with other creators who
are looking for a new voice. It's Dana Mclick. That's C. L. E.
E K at gmail dot com. Thanks very much, Kevin
and Dana. A small but mighty cast this time around.
For those curious to learn a bit more about Tale
of the Mantagor, I keep a blog where I post
(28:25):
all kinds of show and RPG related stuff like art, maps, tables, crafts,
and show notes. You can find it at tale of
Themanticor dot blogspot dot com. To get in touch with me,
I'm at mantacre Tale on x Tale of the Nantacor
dot Bluesky dot Social, Tale of the Manticor podcast on Instagram,
or tale of Themanticor at gmail dot com. I'd love
(28:45):
to hear from you. The adventure will continue on the
next episode of Tale of the Mantagor. It's the story
were chaos roles
Hey, John, So, although it's logical for Tentier to be
cautious after the undead encounter, I think it would be
more in keeping with a central character to do a
little tentative exploring. Elves are probably more cautious than humans
in general since they're so long lived, but are equally
susceptible to death, so we might not take any really
wild risks. His curiosity, brashness, and desire to impress his brother, though,
(00:26):
might nudge him down a side corridor if he thinks
it could yield a useful discovery. Also, I just think
it makes for a more engaging story. Hopefully it doesn't
end in tragedy, but if it does, it'll certainly add
some drama.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
The following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener
discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor
(01:09):
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
(01:30):
decide their fate is at hand. According to lore, the
Tale of a Manticor is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
(01:52):
time on Tale of the Manticor, Chapter twenty one begins
with the cursed Wraith of Queen Anaya offering the companions
a kind of dee. If they sacrifice Fairwind to her,
she will let the rest of them go free. Was
Fairwind about to lay down his life to save the others,
we cannot know, because before he can respond, Achillia sends
a jarring psychic blast at the wraith Queen by way
(02:14):
of her last message spell. After that, the fight is
on and the Queen's animated skeletal warriors rush to the attack.
Achillia and the Queen can't participate effectively in the battle,
so it's really Cord Tenire, Dehntni and Fairwind against the
two undead opponents. Although they are outnumbered, the skeletal warriors
have a special defense. They only take half damage from
(02:35):
slashing weapons, making Doretti and Teniers attacks much less effective.
After a surprising string of critical failures and hits, the
pieces vanquished the enemy, and the Queen retreats, apparently back
to the nether world. Post battle, Fairwind, who has taken
a wound, faints when it comes to his torchlight has
expired and it is dark. By now, Tentire has already
(02:57):
been sent off on his own to retrieve a replacement light.
Tenttuo considers investigating part of the unexplored sections of this
crypt alone, but that would be unwise and reckless, foolish
even most of all, it would be dangerous. You might
(03:19):
remember that in the last episode, before combat began, there
was a moment where it seemed that battle might be avoided.
The Queen offered to let Achillia cord Duranian Tentire go
free if they sacrificed Fairwood to her. Of course, Achilia
didn't let that happen. I bring it up because the
situation came from my mythic event meaning tense agreement. The
(03:39):
idea was to present an offer of an agreement that
would cause tension tense agreement. I think it made the
encounter a bit more flavorful than it might have otherwise been,
and it will probably have the effect of strengthening the
growing bond between the cleric and the other companions too.
At any rate, I need to roll a new event,
meaning here we go on a D one hundred thirty
(04:01):
three and forty four. That's let's see stop prison.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Hmm.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Okay, no ideas at the moment, but that's par for
the course. I'll let it percolate and move on. The
main thing I need to work out before I begin
this episode's narrative is how to handle ten tiers foray
into the unexplored parts of this crypt Now that Kevin
is replied to my email to say that he will
indeed do that. After receiving that reply, I wrote back
to suggest we do a little play by email. I
(04:28):
attend him situations. He would respond with ten toars actions,
and we would proceed like that until there was enough
material to write a scene. With this in mind, I
could go into full DM mode, but I still want
a bit of chaos for my part of the game,
so to that end, I will continue to generate the
dungeon randomly. Here's what I have in mind for each
new place Tender explore us. I'll roll a D ten
(04:49):
on a one to four. There will not be any
kind of danger or benefit there that doesn't indicate an
empty room. Necessarily, it just means that the room won't
introduce any risk or reward. On a five or six,
it'll only contain danger, a trap or monster. Probably On
a seven to eight it'll have something good or useful.
On a nine to ten, there will be both a
benefit and a hazard. Now, I told Kevin that going
(05:12):
off alone would be very dangerous, so both risk and
reward will be high over the course of this little
game within a game experiment a couple more decisions. For
each new place, I'll roll a second D ten, and
on a one to two there will be another exit.
Any other role will indicate a dead end. I'll do
all these rolls off Mike by the way, and keep
the results hidden. Finally, if Tener continues to explore room
(05:35):
after room and finds nothing interesting along the way, I
will force a danger, benefit or both to occur in
the last available place. I hope that all makes sense.
It's exciting for me to give up player control like this,
but I'm also worried for ten tier. Well, it's up
to Kevin and the dice Goods to decide how it'll
play out. Now, I'm going to roll some D tens
(05:55):
send an email to Kevin and get this thing started.
Chapter twenty two, Part one, day sixteen, early evening mythic
event meaning stop prison party status ten tier ten out
(06:17):
of ten hit points ten. Tyres stalked off down the corridor,
back towards the intersection with a head full of steam.
Dernny probably hadn't meant to embarrass him, but he'd done
so all the same. Suggesting he should take Achille with
him on such a simple task was insulting. What made
it worse, although Tender would never admit it to himself
(06:38):
or anyone else, was that Derny had been right right
as usual, he was afraid, and as soon as his
temper cool he felt the fear resurface. What was he
doing walking through a series of haunted hallways alone? Just
up ahead was where they had encountered the headless ghost
of the Prince. Might it still be there? It had
pointed them towards the inner crypt, where they'd be intact.
(07:00):
Had it all been a trap? If so, wasn't it
possible that the spirit still lingered, waiting for the opportunity
to do further mischief. Where the supernatural was concerned, logic
held no governance and so Tender's mind reeled with wild conjecture,
each notion making less sense than the last. If he
hadn't made such a show of his bravery by walking
out on Durranty in a huff, he might have turned back.
(07:22):
But even the fear of the undead was not enough
to make him do that. Tander forced his leaden steps
to continue until he reached the foreway intersection. When he
arrived and nothing happened. Though his chest was tight, he
let out a short breath of relief. The passage continued
into the gloom, straight ahead and both to his left
and right. To get to Fairwind's little campfire, he should
(07:46):
turn right, he knew that much. But there were these
other two passages yet unexplored. He moistened his lips. He
was frightened, yes, but he was also his mother's son,
her little mouse, Just as dur Annie had said, if
he wanted to live an exceptional life, if he wanted
to prove himself, he would need to learn to master
(08:06):
his fear. The heroes of legend did not whimper, and
Blanche Chuchin hadn't quaked like a leaf in a storm
when his final battle had begun. He knew the courage
was inside him, if he could just find it. Tender
took a single impulsive step to the left and felt
his guts flush as though with ice water. He grit
his teeth and willed himself to continue, but his body
(08:28):
did not want to obey his mind. Do it, He
told himself.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
You are the brave little mouse. You are in control.
You can choose courage.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
He tightened his hand around the hilt of his short sword.
His palm was slick with sweat. Go little Mouse. Dramatis
Personae ten tier, thirty five years ago. Childhood was a
simpler time. He was typical of ten year old Elvin
(09:04):
boys and had all the usual joys, fears, and overwrought
sense or justice that most children have. Even then, he
endure anywhere fast friends. That was one thing that never
seemed to change. The two brothers were playing together one
particular evening when their father instructed them to go to bed,
pointing out that the sun had set hours earlier. The
boys had protested and begged to be allowed another half
(09:26):
hour before they had to retire. To spare her husband
the usual argument, the boy's mother had intervened with the
offer of a compromise.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
You may stay awake for a while longer, and I'll
even tell you a story if you agree to go
right to bed without complaint when it is done.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
The boys readily agreed, And this is the story they
were told.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
This is called the Tale of two Owls. In a quiet,
moonlit forest, a wise old mouse huddled in his cozy burrow.
Beside him was his young pupil Bury more than a
pup the wise old mouse declared, inside each of us
(10:13):
there are two owls. One is calm and wise, filled
with patience, understanding, and peace. This owl sees the world clearly,
with empathy and compassion. He paused, allowing the young mouse
to reflect on the feeling of stillness that comes with wisdom.
(10:38):
The other owl, the mouse continued, is restless and angry,
filled with wrath and hunger and violence. This owl is
the terror of the night's sky. The young mouse trembled.
He knew all too well what these predators were capable of,
(11:00):
and how they struck from above without warning. The wise
old mouse cleared his throat and continued, Yes, these two
owls exist inside each of us. They are locked in
battle with one another and fight for control over every
mouse's heart. The young mouse looked at him, wide eyed
(11:25):
and with whisker to tremble, and asked, but, master, which
owl will win in the end. The old mouse gave
a soft, knowing smile and said, little mouse, the one
who will win is the one that you feed.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Chapter twenty two, Part two, Day sixteen, early evening mythic
event meaning stop prison party status ten tier ten out
of ten hit points.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Ten.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Tyre grit his teeth and walked down the left hall,
going in the opposite way that he was meant to.
It was a deliberate choice to put safety to his
back and walk headlong into the unknown. His heart thumped
in his breast, but it began to calm down after
he had taken just the first ten steps. Another ten,
and he really started to feel more confident. Incredibly, when
(12:34):
he was thirty feet into the hallway, he realized that
he was wearing a smile, a tight, unhappy smile, but
a smile none the less. Furthermore, the ice in his
belly had been replaced by a hot sensation, as though
he'd swallowed an ember, and it was blooming inside him.
He quickened his step. Now he could see that the
tunnel ended some sixty feet ahead at the limit of
(12:54):
his dark vision, though he couldn't make out any details yet.
When he could, he saw that the all terminated in
a stone staircase going up. But even before he closed
the remaining distance, he could tell that the entire thing
had collapsed. It was filled with rubble to the ceiling.
When he arrived, his suspicion that there would be absolutely
no going through was confirmed. The collapse was total. There
(13:16):
weren't even any gaps in the fallen masonry that he
could see through. He thought briefly how strange it was
that an earthquake, or perhaps it would simply been time
and erosion. Whatever he caused, this collapse had done such
localized damage The hallway before the stairwell was completely intact.
There were neither cracks in the ceiling nor in the
flagstones of the floor. In truth, he felt disappointed. All
(13:39):
that effort to motivate himself to explore on his own,
and he had found absolutely nothing. Going back to report
this would be worse than not mentioning his little excursion
at all. De Renni would give him a tongue lashing
for his recklessness if he returned with nothing significant to share. However,
if he brought something useful and retraced his steps back
(14:01):
to the intersection. Without even thinking about it, he turned
left once again, foregoing the correct route in favor of
one I yet explored. He could see that this corridor
went another fifty feet and then turned to the left.
Suddenly stopping in his tracks, the young elf remembered the
sprung trap he and the others had found and bypassed earlier.
His free hand moved unconsciously to touch his side while
(14:24):
he imagined stepping on a pressure plate and having a
spear skewer him sideways. Cursing himself for not having taken
appropriate precautions, Tender decided that he needed to start now.
If there was another trap like the previous one, whatever
had triggered it was probably a trip wire or a
pressure plate, he would be wise to walk on one
side of the passage, hugging the wall and also probing
(14:44):
ahead of him with the tip of his sword. This
he did, slowing his pace to half of what it
had been, and navigating the corridor up to the bend
with extreme caution. He reached the turn without incident, but
remained vigilant as he rounded it. And found himself looking
down a second section of hallway. Like all the others
they had seen thus far, it terminated in an open
(15:04):
archway with a chamber beyond. Tendier could see two men
shaped figures in the room ahead, but they were standing
so rigid and tall that he assumed they were just
another pair of statues. Although curious to get a closer look,
he took his time and congratulated himself on his prudence
as he crept forward, all the while probing ahead with
the tip of his sword. Eventually he reached the archway
(15:28):
and could see the contents of the chamber. It was
a smallish one, just thirty feet by thirty feet square.
What he had taken for statues were not in fact
statues at all. They were suits of armor wired to
a pair of posts so that they appeared to stand
up on their own. Of the two sets, one was
fully six feet tall, as tall as fair Wind Tender thought.
(15:49):
The other was made for someone only a little smaller
than himself, about four feet. The bigger suit was of
uninterrupted plate and chain all the way from its lobstered
feet to its great helm. It was very imposing, and
even though Tender could see through the helm's visor slit
that there was nothing inside it. He felt a pang
of fear. All the same, he wildered away and looked
(16:11):
at the smaller suit. This one was a partial suit
and had gaps where the owner might have worn leather
breeches and boots, but still showed steel greaves, skirt breastplate,
van braces, and a chain claff. It had no helmet
and thus no head. Both suits bore arms gauntleted fists,
came together in front of where a belt buckle might
have been, and rested on the pommel of a sword,
(16:32):
set blade down so that the point rested on the
stone floor. All items were badly rusted, flaking in patches
of light and dark corrosive blooms. It was a shame
thought tender, because Faerwin could certainly have used some kind
of armor. Unfortunately, this was all worthless. The two steel
suits were not the only things in the room, although
(16:53):
they did draw the eye. First, to the right, a
narrow shelf had been built into the wall. It held
a dozen surren amc pods. To either side of this
shelf was a crescent bearing stanchion of about ten TuS height.
Looking the other way, opposite the shelf, and tucked neatly
against the facing wall. He saw a chest of wood
and banded iron on the floor. The hasp corners and
(17:14):
iron bands were all just as badly rusted as the armor,
but Tenttyers noticed with interest that the chest had no lock.
Tento's attention was suddenly interrupted by a light but very
cold gust of air that seemed to pass right through him.
He shuddered as a chill shivered his whole body. He
(17:35):
spun to the right, then to the left. There was
nobody else there, but something had changed. Something about the
smaller suit of armor drew his eye, and what he
saw made his breath catch. The short sword was no
longer rusted. In fact, it gleamed like burnished silver against
the mottled rust and cobwebs of the rest of the armor.
(17:57):
It could not have stood out more. Tent Tire was
filled with wonder and immediately stepped forward to grasp his helt,
but something stopped him. He could imagine Derannie's disapproving face
if he were to do something so risky, and he
heard his brother's voice in his mind unts nothing. Clearly,
there was magic at work here. It would be wise
to use caution. He should probably leave and report, but
(18:21):
he could not deny that he was drawn to the blade.
He forced himself to ignore it for now, and instead
turned to his right, where seramic jars sat in rows
upon a shelf flanked by stanchions. The cressets atop them
were almost certainly lamps. Surely it would be better to
return with one of these rather than a feeble torch.
Each jar was but the size and shape of an apple,
(18:42):
slightly bigger at the top than at the base. Each
also had a plug of wax at the top, although
upon inspection, Tenter found that all but two had dried
and cracked with age. Quickly lifting and setting down each
jar in turn revealed that only the two with intact
seals had any weight to them. The rest were empty.
Tentyre selected one of the heavier jars, and using the
(19:03):
tip of an arrow, he scraped off some of the wax.
The young elf had the hem of his cloak pressed
over his mouth and nose, and was pointing the top
of the jar away from him, afraid that some noxious
cloud might be released when his arrow head broke the seal,
But no such thing occurred. And upon sniffing the contents,
Tintyre was confident that he had found two large flasks
(19:23):
of oil. He emptied half of the jar he was
holding into the nearest cresset and lit it with his
tinder box. It flared to glorious life, and Tinder could
not help but look at the sword as it caught
and reflected the lamp's orange glow. In the moment that
his dark vision gave way to his normal vision, he saw,
for just the space of a single breath, a face
(19:46):
reflected in the blade. It wasn't his own, It was
the face of a young boy. When Tinder blinked, he
was gone. Prince sar he he asked, in a whisper,
are you here? Silence was the only reply. Now Yet,
daring to touch it, ten Tier crouched down so that
he could really study the blade. It stood out in
(20:08):
such bright contrast against the mottled browns and oranges of
the rusted metal around it that ten Tyre thought it
almost seemed not of this world. The hilt, cross guard,
and pommel sparkled as though there were crushed diamonds mixed
in with the metal. A pair of markings had been
etched into the blade just above the cross guard, and
to either side of the fuller one was of a
circle with three wavy lines reaching out from it, spaced
(20:30):
at equal distances from each other. The second marking was
a trio of diamonds. The dwarfs tentyer knew used such
symbols as makers marks, perhaps humans did the same. Removing
his cloak, Tintyre used it to snatch up the sword,
bundling it and making sure that no part of him
touched it. The time to inspect it more fully would
come later, he decided. By now, the others would be
(20:53):
expecting his return, and he didn't wish for them to worry.
He shifted his new prize to his free hand, the
remaining intact flask of oil into his pack, grabbed the stension,
and turned to go. But then the rusted chest caught
his attention once again, and he hesitated, biting his lip.
What harm would it do to take a quick look. No,
(21:16):
he should leave it alone. They could all return together
later on and investigate it properly. On the other hand,
he was already here, and it was easy to imagine
the others not wanting to come back this way at all.
So what should he do. Does a couple of things
(21:38):
I'd like to talk about before I let the story progress. First.
This is a rare kind of episode in that it
splits the party and concentrates exclusively on the actions of
a single character. One of my rules in Tail of
the Manticor is that pieces advance towards the next level
by surviving episodes in which they are actively adventuring and
contributing to the story. They should also be in some
(22:00):
amount of danger. Achillia, Chord, Ferwind, and Derenni are essentially
not in this episode, and so they will not make
any progress toward their next levels. Ten Tier will, however,
since he is adventuring and is also insignificant danger. Actually
he is in potentially mortal danger. Ten too doesn't know it,
and neither does Kevin Barringer, who voices him and for
(22:22):
now is controlling his actions. Let me go back and
explain something before we move forward. For this little side quest,
I've given over control of ten Tier to Kevin and
shifted into the role of DM. We've played the game
through a series of emails. I would set the scene
and Kevin would write back with some actions. The narrative
you've just heard is the dramatization of that exchange. While dming,
(22:44):
I wanted to introduce a good amount of chaos into
the gameplay, so I decided to use dice to determine
what each unexplored direction would lead to. On a D ten,
a one to four meant no danger or benefit, a
five to six meant only danger, a seven to eight
indicated only some kind of boone, and finally a nine
to ten signified both a benefit and a danger. The
second D ten would determine if there are any other
(23:06):
exits in the new space. I wanted Tento's excursion to
be a high risk, high reward kind of situation, and
told Kevin upfront several times that it would be dangerous.
The first newly explored tunnel took ten tier to a
collapsed stairwell. This was the result of a roll of
three no danger, no benefit, and five no exit. Since
(23:27):
I didn't want to waste narrative on a more or
less empty room, I decided that TENTTYO would find a
collapsed tunnel where the damage was oddly localized. This was
a kind of clue, albeit a subtle one. When Kevin
decided that ten tier would continue his exploration. I rolled
another pair of D tens and got a nine and
three danger and benefit and no exit. I came up
(23:48):
with this idea of a room that holds suits of
armor for father and son. As I was writing it,
I realized that Leirhane would never have worn the armor
that was built for him. He didn't survive to an
appropriate age to do so. That was a bit sad,
but the story of Moroc's family is a tragic one,
so it feels appropriate at this point. You know more
(24:09):
than Kevin did when he was playing this section of
the crypt. Actually, Kevin may well be listening to this
right now, and if he is, I bet I've got
his attention. There's no risk of spoilers, because by the
time this episode is published, all decisions will have been
set in stone months before. The current room does indeed
hold a boon and a danger. The two flasks of
(24:29):
oil are a little bonus. They are not the boon
the sword is. It's a parting gift from lear Han,
who touched it with his spirit before finally returning to
the nether world. We'll figure out what kind of enchantment
he might have bestowed later on. For now, we need
to talk about the danger. If you guess that the
chest is trapped, you guessed right. The chest isn't even
(24:50):
a real chest. It's a fake. When opened, the lid
pulls up a chain that runs through a cavity in
the wall and up to the ceiling of the hall.
Just outside the arch, the chain pulls out a pin
that causes tons of masonry concealed in a cavity above
the hall to come crashing down, sealing the armor room
and anyone in it from the rest of the crypt.
The trap is very similar to one sprung by tomb
(25:11):
robbers long ago. Yep, that stairwell full of rubble was
the result of a similar kind of thing. Just to
twist the knife. Inside the lid of the false chest
is an inscription etched onto an iron plate. It's written
in the language of the ancient ky Moors, but if translated,
would read the following, thief, our tomb is now yours
as well. This whole idea came from my mythic event,
(25:34):
meaning stop prison. By the way, isn't mythic great? All
this stalk leads to the big question. Will Kevin have
ten tier open the chest? Is his curiosity as much
or greater than his characters. Here's the email I sent
him at this point in the story. Working in all
his choices thus far, ten Tier glances at the closed chest,
(25:57):
then suppresses his curiosity and carefully picks up sword, secures
the extra oil, and hefts the stanchion. He begins to
make his way back to the others, proud of himself
for having done the right thing. We can stop here
if you're satisfied or else. Let me know if there's
anything else you wish to do. And how about you
listening to this right now? Would you have opened the chest?
(26:19):
Do you think Kevin will change his mind and go back?
I hope you can master your curiosity because this is
where the episode must end. We'll find out what Kevin
intends you to do next time. Thanks for listening to
Tale of the Mantigor. If you're enjoying the show and
would like to help to support it, there are lots
(26:39):
of ways to do so. You can recommend the show online.
You can like and repost episode announcements on social media.
You can pick up one of my offerings on drive
through RBG or a T shirt at www. Dot bear
Arts dot store. And finally, you can rate or review
the show on your podcast your choice. I am super
grateful for all of your support. At this point, i'd
like to share listener review. This one was left by
(27:02):
D and D Dad on Apple Podcasts. D and D
Dad writes, this podcast is the catalyst of a new
genre solo play D and D in a fantasy novel.
It's actually better in some ways because John gives a
lot of careful thought to the interpretation of the dice
after they determine random outcomes. As a GM, my players
and I have to come up with this stuff on
(27:22):
the fly, but it's careful thought and creativity brings out
amazing stories. Listening to this will make you a better
DM slash GM for sure. Please don't stop making it.
Thank you so much, D and D Dad. I'm so
glad that you're enjoying the show, and I'm very grateful
for the review. Your words and those of others who
support me through reviews not only help the show find
(27:43):
a bigger audience, but they provide a great deal of
encouragement to me personally. I really appreciate it, and I
do not plan on stopping anytime soon. Also deserving of
things are the members of my awesome cast. In this episode,
we hear from Kevin Barringer playing while playing himself and
playing tent here. And this episode also introduces Dana Click
(28:04):
in the role of Tentyr and Dorani's mother. Dana has
asked me to share her email with other creators who
are looking for a new voice. It's Dana Mclick. That's C. L. E.
E K at gmail dot com. Thanks very much, Kevin
and Dana. A small but mighty cast this time around.
For those curious to learn a bit more about Tale
of the Mantagor, I keep a blog where I post
(28:25):
all kinds of show and RPG related stuff like art, maps, tables, crafts,
and show notes. You can find it at tale of
Themanticor dot blogspot dot com. To get in touch with me,
I'm at mantacre Tale on x Tale of the Nantacor
dot Bluesky dot Social, Tale of the Manticor podcast on Instagram,
or tale of Themanticor at gmail dot com. I'd love
(28:45):
to hear from you. The adventure will continue on the
next episode of Tale of the Mantagor. It's the story
were chaos roles
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.