June 21, 2025 • 23 mins
Wolf Meat: 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 (00:00):
Hi, This is Jennifer from the Canadian Podcast Awards and
you're listening to Tale of the Manticor.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
The following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener
discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor
(00:30):
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
(00:52):
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
(01:13):
time on Tale of the Mantikor, in chapter twenty five,
Achillie leads the companions as they run to the iron tower,
recently spotted on a nearby hill. Unfortunately, by the time
they get there, it has once again vanished, leaving behind
nothing more than a circle of flattened grass. Achillie is distraught,
but her friends offer their support and are any points
(01:34):
out that her quest remains the same. With those words,
they continue on their journey north in search of the
historian o dook Zygog. The day passes uneventfully, but as sunset,
the companions hear the howl of wolves close by, and
then practically collide with a vicious battle that erupts between
two packs of creatures. The eternal fight between good and
(01:54):
evil plays out in a combat between dire wolves and
blink dogs, with the numbering the latter. The party is
forced into the fight when Achille decides utilaterally that they
will step in to balance the scales. While the companions
end up the victors and save two of the blink dogs,
Tenier almost loses his life in the effort.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
The brooks sweet song, a gentle flow, calls forth the
dreams that wander near, while ancient roots hold memories dear
in nature's arms, we come to know. And if you
chance to look above in dusky sky, the stars at
night a tapestry of day and night, and the moon
looks down as old as love.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
That battle at the end of the previous episode was
a bit of a wake up call for me. I
went into it overconfided that the pieces wouldn't be in
any real danger. After all, I rolled a twenty for
their stumble Upon and the result of my wandering encounter
roll was neutral exotic creatures. The encounter was designed not
to be lethal. I thought four injured dire Wolves wouldn't
(03:11):
be a real threat to the PCs when they were
so focused on the blink Dogs. But I didn't think
it through very well, did I. Lesson learned when you
introduce combat there is always the chance for things to
go badly. All it takes is some bad luck with
the dice, and that's exactly what happened. Once the dire
Wolves changed targets and started winning initiative roles, things got
(03:31):
ugly very quickly. To make things worse, I'd even thrown
out a casual decision not to use any moral checks
for the fight. Ten tier almost died, and if he
had I would have had myself to blame for it.
But think aheya. He survived with two hit points remaining
ten to manage to get himself out of harm's way
in time. I'm sure it's an experience he will not
(03:52):
soon forget. And speaking of experience, today is a level
up episode for the young Elf. So let's roll some
dice and see how he improves for new hit points.
I'm rolling a D six. Here we go a three.
Not what I was hoping for, but every bit helps.
His current score improves to five out of fifteen. Next,
our potential stat increases. In the last level up, there
(04:14):
were none, so I'm hoping to see something happen here.
Let's begin strengths. The three means no change intelligence. We've
got a four, and how about wisdom another four? Dexterity
a four. Again, this isn't looking good. Constitution a one, Charisma,
(04:37):
last chance. The three once again a lackluster level up,
but also, like Derenyis, there's a silver lining. Tener will
get a basic attack bonus of plus one to hit
for both missile and melee attacks to reflect the expertise
he has gained thus far, and there is another reward
for the whole party as a result of surviving the
last fight. A natural twenty stumble upon indicates some kind
(05:00):
and of significant boon for the PCs, and it will
be a big one, partly because of the added risk
I forced the companions to take on, but also because
they managed to save both blink dogs if they had
died or if only one had made it, the reward
would have been commasurately smaller. As to what the reward
is going to be, well, you'll just have to wait
and see Chapter twenty six, Part one day twenty sunset
(05:33):
mythic event meaning propose weapons, party status. Achillea nine of
nine hit points, Court fourteen of fourteen, do any, twelve
of twelve, ten Tier five of fifteen, fair Wind fourteen
(05:54):
of eighteen supplies. The companions have been without food for
one full day and have twelve portions of water remaining.
Spells available. Achillia can cast message and glitter. Dust Cord
can cast and tangle and slow poison. Fair Wind can
(06:14):
cast purify, food and water. Blood covered the grass and
the ground. Likewise, the fur of the two surviving blink
dogs was plastered to their sides, dark patches against white
where they had been clawed and bitten. Achillea crouched down
as the magical animals approached her. One was limping, holding
(06:38):
a front paw lamely in the air. It whined with
a retreating, high pitched stund, tilting its snout upwards. The other,
also injured, but less egregiously, panted heavily and came right
up to Achilia, who now squattered with the backs of
her thighs against her calves. Achilia warned, fair Wind was
(06:58):
her simple, confident reply. She held forth a hand palm
up to prove it, as though in confirmation. The panting
blink dog licked it with its pink, wet tongue.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
See, she said.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
The dog regarded her with eyes so faintly blue that
they were almost white. There was a deep intelligence in
those eyes. Then all of a sudden, both animals disappeared.
Achillia almost fell over in surprise. The other is gone, too,
observed Ferwind. The clerk was right. The third blink dog,
(07:31):
the one that had been killed before the party had
joined the battle, was gone. Only a quintet of black corpses,
each lupine face frozen in its death. Agony remained on
the blooded grass now as Duraniu spoke, and his tone
belied an inner struggle.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Achillia, you saved me from the orcs, saved my life,
but you almost cost me my brother. Just then, why
did you rush into battle like that?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I stammered, kill Could you not tell that those creatures
were magical and good?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Derennie ignored the question and pushed on.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
You did the same thing. When the tower appeared, you
rushed ahead of everyone.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Achilia's face flushed hot with emotions she couldn't quite pin down.
There was shame and guilt, and also reflective anger. The
latter went out for a moment.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
You don't owe me anything, to Rennie.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
By the expression on de Rennie's face, she might as
well have slapped him.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I never said I did owe you anything, Achilia.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
The el said in a tight voice.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
I don't follow you out of obligation or debt. It
is something I choose to do. But how can I continue?
If you only put yourself first, Achilia tend toer could
have died.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Achillia clinched her jaw to keep herself from saying more
that she would regret. Something in her heart told her
that de Rennie was right, but it was no easy
thing to admit it. She put her face in her
hands and drew a deep breath. Chords stepped towards her,
as did fair Wind. While the cleric couldn't understand the
words being exchanged, the meaning was clear enough. He crouched
(09:07):
down beside her and put a hand on her slight shoulder.
It made Achillia guess about what the cleric had gone through,
and when she looked at his face, she saw no sermon,
only compassion and sympathy. She took another deep breath and
got up. You're right, I'm sorry, she said. At last,
she looked at Tentier, who could barely stand. So badly
(09:28):
hurt was he I.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Put myself ahead of the group. Please forgive me.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
In some ways, it was the most eleven thing she
had ever said. I think that Achillia and Dorenni's relationship
has been strained, but not broken. They will reconcile as
they make camp nearby. And speaking of making camp, I
find myself wondering something is wolf meet edible? A little
(09:55):
Internet research later I have my answer. It turns out
that while it has a reputation for taste awful, wolf
meat is edible, and so by extension, I will allow
that dire wolf meat is edible two, even though it
probably tastes even worse. With the application of a purified
food and water prayer from fair Wind, I think there's
enough meat here to provide three days or twelve portions
(10:16):
of food. Four portions will be consumed on this day,
number twenty as they have not yet eaten. Now, this
is not the boon the pieces received for getting a
natural twenty stumble upon. I'd be a miserly DM indeed
to do that. No, the real reward will come later on.
This brings me to hex rolls for day twenty one.
Let's get started for weather A nineteen is a great role.
(10:41):
I penalize the companions recently for a low roll, so
I'll say that sunshowers throughout day twenty one are enough
to refresh the pieces and even allow them to collect
some water that clings to nearby leaves and bushes. Next
is the stumble upon roll. A fifteen means no result.
Will the party's magically aided forging B six despite having
two days worth of wolf meet. There's no harm in
(11:03):
trying for more food. A one to three on a
D six will indicate success A one all right, I'll
say that the party discovers a hickory tree with plenty
of nuts. They're able to get a day's worth of
food that won't quickly go bad from it. This is
proving to be a very lucky day, at least so far.
I still have to make a wandering encounter check A
five or six on a D six means there will
(11:24):
be one the role A three means there is not
no complaints with Day twenty one. I could use a
few more like that. This feels like a good place
to take a quick break. I'll be right back after
this brief message. Chapter twenty six, Part two, Day twenty
(11:49):
one evening mythic event meaning proposed weapons. Party status Achillea
nine out of nine hit points, Cord fourteen at fourteen,
de Rennie twelve of twelve, ten Tier six out of
fifteen after receiving one point of natural healing, fair Wind
(12:14):
fifteen out of eighteen after receiving one point of natural healing. Supplies.
The companions have twelve portions of food and twelve portions
of water. Remaining spells available. Achillea can cast shrink times
two and glitter dust. Cord can cast entangle and slow poison.
(12:38):
Fairwind watched and listened as Achillie and Dournny off to
the side engaged in some kind of intense conversation. Deurnni
did most of the talking. He kept on pointing between
tent Tyr, who sat with Cord and Robin, and the
awful tasting strip of meat in his hand Earlier, when
they've made camp Fairwind had blessed the wolf meat to
reverse any decay and to make it safe to eat.
(13:00):
It still tasted fowl, and he knew from the previous
meal that the flavor would linger in his mouth for hours,
but at least it kept him fed, and this time
they could chase the meal with a few hickory nuts.
The most of those needed to be saved. Ferwin poked
the little camphire they had made with a stick. Its
flame was weak, and he was considering adding more kindling
to it. When Achillia cleared her throat. He said, his.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Name, brother, Fairwind. She began, Doretti wants me to ask
you if you could try to heal tenttire the way
you did for court.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Fair Wind put down his stick and faced the pear.
Dorenni was looking at him intently.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Alas Sidal will grant me but one miracle each day.
I will need to prove my wisdom and good judgment
before he will grant more. In short, Killia, I may
either ensure that the food we eat does not spoil,
or I can heal some of Tanya's wounds, but not both.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Aquilia looked nonplussed for a second, then turned to do
Renni and translated the clerk's reply. Dorani did not hesitate
to answer.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
He wishes you to heal his brother.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Achillie spoke the obvious very well. Ferwind replied, but.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I cannot do so until tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Another quick exchange between Achillia and Dorani.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Followed, why can't you do it today?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
By way of answer, Fairwind held up the half eaten
strip of wolf mate in his hand. Were thus settled,
The companions ateward They could of the bad tasting food
and discarded the rest. Then they kicked dirt over the
ashes of their little fire and broke camp, hoping to
make a few more miles before it got dark. They
walked in single file as usual, but now Doranni took
the lead would tentder behind him, followed by Achillia, then Cord,
(14:39):
with Robin perched on his shoulder and twittered constantly in
his painted ear. Erwind brought up the rear. The rolling
landscape became more dynamic with each mile they passed. The
hills grew taller and the valleys deeper. Eventually, the companions
came to a large woods so densely packed with thorny
cockspur that they could not go through it, and were
forced to alter cour horse and go around. It was
(15:02):
an hour after sunset when they found a place to
make camp on the side of a rock strew knoll.
Achillie sat apart from the others and read from her
book of spells by moonlight. Earlier that day she had
memorized her shrink spell twice, since during the fight with
the dire Walls she had been unable to contribute much.
Fairwind and de Ranny both took to their bed rolls early,
while Robin and Court kept each other company, preparing to
(15:24):
keep watch over the others through the coming night. Tenty
was tired, but his injuries had made it hard for
him to sleep the night before, and he knew they
would again, so he stayed up, sitting with the sword
of lear Hane across his lap, running his finger over
the little etchings and wondering what they might mean. At
one point he looked up and thought he saw one
of the blink dogs watching him from another hill, But
(15:44):
just then a cloud passed in front of the moon,
and all became dark. When the cloud passed by, and
the moon's silvery light returned the creature was gone. A
typical magic sword in D and D has a plus
bonus and may or may not have other powers besides.
(16:07):
Over my gaming life, I've noticed that static attributes like
these can pose a problem over long campaigns. Here's what
I mean. A plus one sword is a great find
for a fighter at low and mid levels, but later
in the game it might seem kind of inadequate. To
remedy this, dms will commonly introduce new and better weapons
as the characters proceed to achieve higher levels. Have you
(16:30):
ever been in a game where a character finds a
new magical weapon that renders their old one practically useless.
You might have seen fighters carrying around old plus one
swords or even outright abandon them because they found something better.
I've seen that plenty of times, and it's pretty immersion
breaking stuff. In an effort to solve the problem, I
had an idea last season that I'm going to start
(16:51):
using more and more magical weapons and potentially other magical
items as well. Will level up as those who willed
them do her on a one to one ratio, But
for every few levels ten two reaches, I'll likely decide
that the sort of lear Hane will improve too. It
might become plus two, or latent powers might be quote
unquote unlocked. I think this solves the problem of having
(17:14):
useless magic items, and it frees me as the DM
from feeling like I should drop more magical weapons as treasure. Anyway,
for now, ten two shord is simply a plus one
short sort. With that detail covered, I think it's time
to make hex crawl rolls for day twenty two for weather,
then eighteen The beautiful weather continues with cooler temperatures brought
(17:35):
on by the previous day's showers. Stumble upon A two. Yikes,
that was close. I'm not ready for any more nasty surprises.
A role for foraging is next. The six means nothing
edible is found. Finally, there's a chance for wandering encounters
A five. Okay, somehow I knew there would be one.
(17:56):
I'm going to make the rest of the rolls off.
Mic hang on for just a second. Okay, I'm back,
and I have got the random mcounter figured out, but
I'm going to save it for the next episode because
I have a sudden urge to make a hard left turn.
(18:17):
Chapter twenty six, Part three, twenty two years ago, somewhere
in the woods near Summer Hill. I propose we all
lower our weapons, said Ulalun. The elf maiden held a
curved short sword in her hand, and its gleaming ad
remained up Despite her suggestion. Ulalun eyed the sprites as
(18:40):
they buzzed around her, but trying to count and keep
track of them all would be impossible. There were at
least ten, maybe more. She was in a very bad situation.
The sprite she addressed was not flitting about as the
others were. It hovered in front of her, holding a
beetleskin buckler in one hand and a tiny spear in
the other. It's tip, she noticed with some concern, was
(19:01):
smeared with something green and oily. Twin coils of orange
hair fell over the spright's shoulders. Its eyes were like
flecks of emerald. It did not smile as it waited
for her reply. You need to go, it declared in
her tongue.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
You kiss every I did not intend to.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Trespass, was Ulalun's reply. To be honest, she had no
wish to submit to this fairy. She was a fierce warrior,
both headstrong and proud. She was also wise enough to
see that there was a little chance of fighting out
of the situation. The spray seemed to be growing angrier by.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
The word not of bees woods.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
U La Loon replied, in what she hoped was a
calming voice. You at me, Perhaps a bargain can be struck.
U La lou knew enough about the small folk to
be aware of their fondness for barter. You like word
the sprite in a voice of tiny. In response, the
other sprites began to orbit her more rapidly. Then she
(20:05):
felt something sharp poked the back of her knee and
could not help but let out a little cry.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Ah you.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Yu Laluon felt another jab, this time in her left side.
Out please stop. She moved her sword by instinct. Another
little spearhead went into the back of her neck. Now
she felt the ground roll beneath her feet as though
she were drunk, and knew the fake poison would come
over her soon. The tiny voice continued to threaten, what
(20:38):
you desperately. Not thinking clearly, she had slashed the air
in front of her and cut the spright leader clean
in half. The top and the bottom fell to her
feet and began to ooze blue blood. The commotion of
buzzing exploded around her, as though she had just disturbed
a dozen hornets nests at once. Then, as her blurring
(21:00):
vision made out the shapes of four of the sprites
forming up at a line in front of her, she
swooned and collapsed to the ground. Thank you for listening
to Tale of the manticor if you'd like to help
the show, there are lots of ways to do so.
You can recommend it online or to friends. You can
(21:21):
like a repost episode announcement on social media. You can
pick up one of my offerings on drive through rpg
for example my new one Shot in the Dark expansion
module and maker kit. You can also buy a Tale
of the mantacre t shirt at www Dot baar Arts
dot store. Finally, you can rate or review the show
on your podcatcher of choice. I'm extremely grateful for your support.
At this point, i'd like to share a listener review.
(21:43):
This one was left by op Mugiwara on Apple Podcasts.
Op Mugiwara writes, I've always been a fan of D
and D and lacking the time to play RPGs, this
podcast was a huge blessing. The storytelling is captivating and
not redetermined, none of the characters are safe, and anything
can happen, making it really suspectis I'm enjoying the dice
rolls during the story, giving it an added thrill, and
(22:03):
we can feel like we're sitting at the same table
as the DM makes me want to do my own
die roll and see how I would have done. Keep
up the great work. I started listening a week ago
and I simply can't stop. Glad there are a few
more seasons to go. My commutes are now enjoyable, Op Mugibara.
This is the kind of review that podcasters dream about,
and it really means the world to me. I love
(22:24):
that you feel like you're at the table with me
as I play. How fantastic is that. I'm also thrilled
to a major commute a bit better. I remember feeling
the exact same way about The Iron Realm when I
first discovered that show, and so I am more than
happy to be paying it forward. Thanks very much for
your review. Next, I like to thank my fabulous cast
of actors. Two members of the core cast are here,
(22:45):
Kyellen as Derenni and David Cooper as fair Wind. Ula
Lune is beautifully played by Liz from the Arcane Discoveries
podcast and the sprite leader she accidentally slices in half
is voiced by the excellent and prolific Mike Taylor, head
of Chaotic Chronicle and co host of the side Quest podcast.
For those curious to learn a bit more about Tale
of the Manticor, I keep a blog where I post
(23:07):
all kinds of show and RPG related stuff like art, maps, tablescrafts,
and show notes. You can find it at Taleothemanticor dot
blogspot dot com. To get in touch with me, I'm
tale of Themanticor dot Bluesky dot Social, Tale of the
Manticore podcast on Instagram, or Tale of the Manticore at
gmail dot com. Oh yeah, a quick reminder that Solo
Roleplayers Network dot com is now live and on behalf
(23:29):
of all the members, I'd like to invite you to
come on by, browse some new shows, and even leave
us a voicemail via the link at the bottom if
you're so inclined. The adventure will continue on the next
episode of Tale of the Manticor. It's the story for
Chaos Rolls
Hi, This is Jennifer from the Canadian Podcast Awards and
you're listening to Tale of the Manticor.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
The following podcast is intended for a mature audience. Listener
discretion is advised. Welcome back to Tale of the Manticor
(00:30):
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
(00:52):
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
(01:13):
time on Tale of the Mantikor, in chapter twenty five,
Achillie leads the companions as they run to the iron tower,
recently spotted on a nearby hill. Unfortunately, by the time
they get there, it has once again vanished, leaving behind
nothing more than a circle of flattened grass. Achillie is distraught,
but her friends offer their support and are any points
(01:34):
out that her quest remains the same. With those words,
they continue on their journey north in search of the
historian o dook Zygog. The day passes uneventfully, but as sunset,
the companions hear the howl of wolves close by, and
then practically collide with a vicious battle that erupts between
two packs of creatures. The eternal fight between good and
(01:54):
evil plays out in a combat between dire wolves and
blink dogs, with the numbering the latter. The party is
forced into the fight when Achille decides utilaterally that they
will step in to balance the scales. While the companions
end up the victors and save two of the blink dogs,
Tenier almost loses his life in the effort.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
The brooks sweet song, a gentle flow, calls forth the
dreams that wander near, while ancient roots hold memories dear
in nature's arms, we come to know. And if you
chance to look above in dusky sky, the stars at
night a tapestry of day and night, and the moon
looks down as old as love.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
That battle at the end of the previous episode was
a bit of a wake up call for me. I
went into it overconfided that the pieces wouldn't be in
any real danger. After all, I rolled a twenty for
their stumble Upon and the result of my wandering encounter
roll was neutral exotic creatures. The encounter was designed not
to be lethal. I thought four injured dire Wolves wouldn't
(03:11):
be a real threat to the PCs when they were
so focused on the blink Dogs. But I didn't think
it through very well, did I. Lesson learned when you
introduce combat there is always the chance for things to
go badly. All it takes is some bad luck with
the dice, and that's exactly what happened. Once the dire
Wolves changed targets and started winning initiative roles, things got
(03:31):
ugly very quickly. To make things worse, I'd even thrown
out a casual decision not to use any moral checks
for the fight. Ten tier almost died, and if he
had I would have had myself to blame for it.
But think aheya. He survived with two hit points remaining
ten to manage to get himself out of harm's way
in time. I'm sure it's an experience he will not
(03:52):
soon forget. And speaking of experience, today is a level
up episode for the young Elf. So let's roll some
dice and see how he improves for new hit points.
I'm rolling a D six. Here we go a three.
Not what I was hoping for, but every bit helps.
His current score improves to five out of fifteen. Next,
our potential stat increases. In the last level up, there
(04:14):
were none, so I'm hoping to see something happen here.
Let's begin strengths. The three means no change intelligence. We've
got a four, and how about wisdom another four? Dexterity
a four. Again, this isn't looking good. Constitution a one, Charisma,
(04:37):
last chance. The three once again a lackluster level up,
but also, like Derenyis, there's a silver lining. Tener will
get a basic attack bonus of plus one to hit
for both missile and melee attacks to reflect the expertise
he has gained thus far, and there is another reward
for the whole party as a result of surviving the
last fight. A natural twenty stumble upon indicates some kind
(05:00):
and of significant boon for the PCs, and it will
be a big one, partly because of the added risk
I forced the companions to take on, but also because
they managed to save both blink dogs if they had
died or if only one had made it, the reward
would have been commasurately smaller. As to what the reward
is going to be, well, you'll just have to wait
and see Chapter twenty six, Part one day twenty sunset
(05:33):
mythic event meaning propose weapons, party status. Achillea nine of
nine hit points, Court fourteen of fourteen, do any, twelve
of twelve, ten Tier five of fifteen, fair Wind fourteen
(05:54):
of eighteen supplies. The companions have been without food for
one full day and have twelve portions of water remaining.
Spells available. Achillia can cast message and glitter. Dust Cord
can cast and tangle and slow poison. Fair Wind can
(06:14):
cast purify, food and water. Blood covered the grass and
the ground. Likewise, the fur of the two surviving blink
dogs was plastered to their sides, dark patches against white
where they had been clawed and bitten. Achillea crouched down
as the magical animals approached her. One was limping, holding
(06:38):
a front paw lamely in the air. It whined with
a retreating, high pitched stund, tilting its snout upwards. The other,
also injured, but less egregiously, panted heavily and came right
up to Achilia, who now squattered with the backs of
her thighs against her calves. Achilia warned, fair Wind was
(06:58):
her simple, confident reply. She held forth a hand palm
up to prove it, as though in confirmation. The panting
blink dog licked it with its pink, wet tongue.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
See, she said.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
The dog regarded her with eyes so faintly blue that
they were almost white. There was a deep intelligence in
those eyes. Then all of a sudden, both animals disappeared.
Achillia almost fell over in surprise. The other is gone, too,
observed Ferwind. The clerk was right. The third blink dog,
(07:31):
the one that had been killed before the party had
joined the battle, was gone. Only a quintet of black corpses,
each lupine face frozen in its death. Agony remained on
the blooded grass now as Duraniu spoke, and his tone
belied an inner struggle.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Achillia, you saved me from the orcs, saved my life,
but you almost cost me my brother. Just then, why
did you rush into battle like that?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I stammered, kill Could you not tell that those creatures
were magical and good?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Derennie ignored the question and pushed on.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
You did the same thing. When the tower appeared, you
rushed ahead of everyone.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Achilia's face flushed hot with emotions she couldn't quite pin down.
There was shame and guilt, and also reflective anger. The
latter went out for a moment.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
You don't owe me anything, to Rennie.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
By the expression on de Rennie's face, she might as
well have slapped him.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I never said I did owe you anything, Achilia.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
The el said in a tight voice.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
I don't follow you out of obligation or debt. It
is something I choose to do. But how can I continue?
If you only put yourself first, Achilia tend toer could
have died.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Achillia clinched her jaw to keep herself from saying more
that she would regret. Something in her heart told her
that de Rennie was right, but it was no easy
thing to admit it. She put her face in her
hands and drew a deep breath. Chords stepped towards her,
as did fair Wind. While the cleric couldn't understand the
words being exchanged, the meaning was clear enough. He crouched
(09:07):
down beside her and put a hand on her slight shoulder.
It made Achillia guess about what the cleric had gone through,
and when she looked at his face, she saw no sermon,
only compassion and sympathy. She took another deep breath and
got up. You're right, I'm sorry, she said. At last,
she looked at Tentier, who could barely stand. So badly
(09:28):
hurt was he I.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Put myself ahead of the group. Please forgive me.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
In some ways, it was the most eleven thing she
had ever said. I think that Achillia and Dorenni's relationship
has been strained, but not broken. They will reconcile as
they make camp nearby. And speaking of making camp, I
find myself wondering something is wolf meet edible? A little
(09:55):
Internet research later I have my answer. It turns out
that while it has a reputation for taste awful, wolf
meat is edible, and so by extension, I will allow
that dire wolf meat is edible two, even though it
probably tastes even worse. With the application of a purified
food and water prayer from fair Wind, I think there's
enough meat here to provide three days or twelve portions
(10:16):
of food. Four portions will be consumed on this day,
number twenty as they have not yet eaten. Now, this
is not the boon the pieces received for getting a
natural twenty stumble upon. I'd be a miserly DM indeed
to do that. No, the real reward will come later on.
This brings me to hex rolls for day twenty one.
Let's get started for weather A nineteen is a great role.
(10:41):
I penalize the companions recently for a low roll, so
I'll say that sunshowers throughout day twenty one are enough
to refresh the pieces and even allow them to collect
some water that clings to nearby leaves and bushes. Next
is the stumble upon roll. A fifteen means no result.
Will the party's magically aided forging B six despite having
two days worth of wolf meet. There's no harm in
(11:03):
trying for more food. A one to three on a
D six will indicate success A one all right, I'll
say that the party discovers a hickory tree with plenty
of nuts. They're able to get a day's worth of
food that won't quickly go bad from it. This is
proving to be a very lucky day, at least so far.
I still have to make a wandering encounter check A
five or six on a D six means there will
(11:24):
be one the role A three means there is not
no complaints with Day twenty one. I could use a
few more like that. This feels like a good place
to take a quick break. I'll be right back after
this brief message. Chapter twenty six, Part two, Day twenty
(11:49):
one evening mythic event meaning proposed weapons. Party status Achillea
nine out of nine hit points, Cord fourteen at fourteen,
de Rennie twelve of twelve, ten Tier six out of
fifteen after receiving one point of natural healing, fair Wind
(12:14):
fifteen out of eighteen after receiving one point of natural healing. Supplies.
The companions have twelve portions of food and twelve portions
of water. Remaining spells available. Achillea can cast shrink times
two and glitter dust. Cord can cast entangle and slow poison.
(12:38):
Fairwind watched and listened as Achillie and Dournny off to
the side engaged in some kind of intense conversation. Deurnni
did most of the talking. He kept on pointing between
tent Tyr, who sat with Cord and Robin, and the
awful tasting strip of meat in his hand Earlier, when
they've made camp Fairwind had blessed the wolf meat to
reverse any decay and to make it safe to eat.
(13:00):
It still tasted fowl, and he knew from the previous
meal that the flavor would linger in his mouth for hours,
but at least it kept him fed, and this time
they could chase the meal with a few hickory nuts.
The most of those needed to be saved. Ferwin poked
the little camphire they had made with a stick. Its
flame was weak, and he was considering adding more kindling
to it. When Achillia cleared her throat. He said, his.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Name, brother, Fairwind. She began, Doretti wants me to ask
you if you could try to heal tenttire the way
you did for court.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Fair Wind put down his stick and faced the pear.
Dorenni was looking at him intently.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Alas Sidal will grant me but one miracle each day.
I will need to prove my wisdom and good judgment
before he will grant more. In short, Killia, I may
either ensure that the food we eat does not spoil,
or I can heal some of Tanya's wounds, but not both.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Aquilia looked nonplussed for a second, then turned to do
Renni and translated the clerk's reply. Dorani did not hesitate
to answer.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
He wishes you to heal his brother.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
Achillie spoke the obvious very well. Ferwind replied, but.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I cannot do so until tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Another quick exchange between Achillia and Dorani.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Followed, why can't you do it today?
Speaker 2 (14:16):
By way of answer, Fairwind held up the half eaten
strip of wolf mate in his hand. Were thus settled,
The companions ateward They could of the bad tasting food
and discarded the rest. Then they kicked dirt over the
ashes of their little fire and broke camp, hoping to
make a few more miles before it got dark. They
walked in single file as usual, but now Doranni took
the lead would tentder behind him, followed by Achillia, then Cord,
(14:39):
with Robin perched on his shoulder and twittered constantly in
his painted ear. Erwind brought up the rear. The rolling
landscape became more dynamic with each mile they passed. The
hills grew taller and the valleys deeper. Eventually, the companions
came to a large woods so densely packed with thorny
cockspur that they could not go through it, and were
forced to alter cour horse and go around. It was
(15:02):
an hour after sunset when they found a place to
make camp on the side of a rock strew knoll.
Achillie sat apart from the others and read from her
book of spells by moonlight. Earlier that day she had
memorized her shrink spell twice, since during the fight with
the dire Walls she had been unable to contribute much.
Fairwind and de Ranny both took to their bed rolls early,
while Robin and Court kept each other company, preparing to
(15:24):
keep watch over the others through the coming night. Tenty
was tired, but his injuries had made it hard for
him to sleep the night before, and he knew they
would again, so he stayed up, sitting with the sword
of lear Hane across his lap, running his finger over
the little etchings and wondering what they might mean. At
one point he looked up and thought he saw one
of the blink dogs watching him from another hill, But
(15:44):
just then a cloud passed in front of the moon,
and all became dark. When the cloud passed by, and
the moon's silvery light returned the creature was gone. A
typical magic sword in D and D has a plus
bonus and may or may not have other powers besides.
(16:07):
Over my gaming life, I've noticed that static attributes like
these can pose a problem over long campaigns. Here's what
I mean. A plus one sword is a great find
for a fighter at low and mid levels, but later
in the game it might seem kind of inadequate. To
remedy this, dms will commonly introduce new and better weapons
as the characters proceed to achieve higher levels. Have you
(16:30):
ever been in a game where a character finds a
new magical weapon that renders their old one practically useless.
You might have seen fighters carrying around old plus one
swords or even outright abandon them because they found something better.
I've seen that plenty of times, and it's pretty immersion
breaking stuff. In an effort to solve the problem, I
had an idea last season that I'm going to start
(16:51):
using more and more magical weapons and potentially other magical
items as well. Will level up as those who willed
them do her on a one to one ratio, But
for every few levels ten two reaches, I'll likely decide
that the sort of lear Hane will improve too. It
might become plus two, or latent powers might be quote
unquote unlocked. I think this solves the problem of having
(17:14):
useless magic items, and it frees me as the DM
from feeling like I should drop more magical weapons as treasure. Anyway,
for now, ten two shord is simply a plus one
short sort. With that detail covered, I think it's time
to make hex crawl rolls for day twenty two for weather,
then eighteen The beautiful weather continues with cooler temperatures brought
(17:35):
on by the previous day's showers. Stumble upon A two. Yikes,
that was close. I'm not ready for any more nasty surprises.
A role for foraging is next. The six means nothing
edible is found. Finally, there's a chance for wandering encounters
A five. Okay, somehow I knew there would be one.
(17:56):
I'm going to make the rest of the rolls off.
Mic hang on for just a second. Okay, I'm back,
and I have got the random mcounter figured out, but
I'm going to save it for the next episode because
I have a sudden urge to make a hard left turn.
(18:17):
Chapter twenty six, Part three, twenty two years ago, somewhere
in the woods near Summer Hill. I propose we all
lower our weapons, said Ulalun. The elf maiden held a
curved short sword in her hand, and its gleaming ad
remained up Despite her suggestion. Ulalun eyed the sprites as
(18:40):
they buzzed around her, but trying to count and keep
track of them all would be impossible. There were at
least ten, maybe more. She was in a very bad situation.
The sprite she addressed was not flitting about as the
others were. It hovered in front of her, holding a
beetleskin buckler in one hand and a tiny spear in
the other. It's tip, she noticed with some concern, was
(19:01):
smeared with something green and oily. Twin coils of orange
hair fell over the spright's shoulders. Its eyes were like
flecks of emerald. It did not smile as it waited
for her reply. You need to go, it declared in
her tongue.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
You kiss every I did not intend to.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Trespass, was Ulalun's reply. To be honest, she had no
wish to submit to this fairy. She was a fierce warrior,
both headstrong and proud. She was also wise enough to
see that there was a little chance of fighting out
of the situation. The spray seemed to be growing angrier by.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
The word not of bees woods.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
U La Loon replied, in what she hoped was a
calming voice. You at me, Perhaps a bargain can be struck.
U La lou knew enough about the small folk to
be aware of their fondness for barter. You like word
the sprite in a voice of tiny. In response, the
other sprites began to orbit her more rapidly. Then she
(20:05):
felt something sharp poked the back of her knee and
could not help but let out a little cry.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Ah you.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Yu Laluon felt another jab, this time in her left side.
Out please stop. She moved her sword by instinct. Another
little spearhead went into the back of her neck. Now
she felt the ground roll beneath her feet as though
she were drunk, and knew the fake poison would come
over her soon. The tiny voice continued to threaten, what
(20:38):
you desperately. Not thinking clearly, she had slashed the air
in front of her and cut the spright leader clean
in half. The top and the bottom fell to her
feet and began to ooze blue blood. The commotion of
buzzing exploded around her, as though she had just disturbed
a dozen hornets nests at once. Then, as her blurring
(21:00):
vision made out the shapes of four of the sprites
forming up at a line in front of her, she
swooned and collapsed to the ground. Thank you for listening
to Tale of the manticor if you'd like to help
the show, there are lots of ways to do so.
You can recommend it online or to friends. You can
(21:21):
like a repost episode announcement on social media. You can
pick up one of my offerings on drive through rpg
for example my new one Shot in the Dark expansion
module and maker kit. You can also buy a Tale
of the mantacre t shirt at www Dot baar Arts
dot store. Finally, you can rate or review the show
on your podcatcher of choice. I'm extremely grateful for your support.
At this point, i'd like to share a listener review.
(21:43):
This one was left by op Mugiwara on Apple Podcasts.
Op Mugiwara writes, I've always been a fan of D
and D and lacking the time to play RPGs, this
podcast was a huge blessing. The storytelling is captivating and
not redetermined, none of the characters are safe, and anything
can happen, making it really suspectis I'm enjoying the dice
rolls during the story, giving it an added thrill, and
(22:03):
we can feel like we're sitting at the same table
as the DM makes me want to do my own
die roll and see how I would have done. Keep
up the great work. I started listening a week ago
and I simply can't stop. Glad there are a few
more seasons to go. My commutes are now enjoyable, Op Mugibara.
This is the kind of review that podcasters dream about,
and it really means the world to me. I love
(22:24):
that you feel like you're at the table with me
as I play. How fantastic is that. I'm also thrilled
to a major commute a bit better. I remember feeling
the exact same way about The Iron Realm when I
first discovered that show, and so I am more than
happy to be paying it forward. Thanks very much for
your review. Next, I like to thank my fabulous cast
of actors. Two members of the core cast are here,
(22:45):
Kyellen as Derenni and David Cooper as fair Wind. Ula
Lune is beautifully played by Liz from the Arcane Discoveries
podcast and the sprite leader she accidentally slices in half
is voiced by the excellent and prolific Mike Taylor, head
of Chaotic Chronicle and co host of the side Quest podcast.
For those curious to learn a bit more about Tale
of the Manticor, I keep a blog where I post
(23:07):
all kinds of show and RPG related stuff like art, maps, tablescrafts,
and show notes. You can find it at Taleothemanticor dot
blogspot dot com. To get in touch with me, I'm
tale of Themanticor dot Bluesky dot Social, Tale of the
Manticore podcast on Instagram, or Tale of the Manticore at
gmail dot com. Oh yeah, a quick reminder that Solo
Roleplayers Network dot com is now live and on behalf
(23:29):
of all the members, I'd like to invite you to
come on by, browse some new shows, and even leave
us a voicemail via the link at the bottom if
you're so inclined. The adventure will continue on the next
episode of Tale of the Manticor. It's the story for
Chaos Rolls
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.