July 1, 2025 • 25 mins
Broken Arrow: Tale of the Manticore is a hybrid solo-actualplay D&D game and full production audiodrama. I use Dungeons & Dragons B/X (OSR). This is a dark fantasy tale made for a mature audience.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
This is PJ from a Wasteland story and you're listening
to Tale of the Mantica.
Speaker 3 (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 Tail of the Manticor, the last chapter begins
in the aftermath of the battle with the Dire Wolves,
when the two surviving blink Dogs abruptly vanish. When they're gone,
Dorani levels are harsh reprimanded a Chilia for having rushed
into battle and almost causting ten Tire his life. The
half Elf shows her wisdom and self control when she
admits her fault and apologizes. Her word seems to smooth
(01:36):
over the tense situation, and the companion's journey north continues
all that evening and into the next day without further incident.
But then another difficult conversation comes up, once again, initiated
by Dorenni. He asks Faerwyin to use his divine magic
to heal ten Tire. The cleric agrees to do it,
but warns the party that they will lose some of
their food supply. He cannot heal ten Tire and purify
(01:58):
the wolf mate they took their fallen enemies. It is
one or the other. The decision is made, and on
the next day, fair Wind heels some of ten tiers
wounds through prayer. Food is now a growing concern once again.
The episode ends with the flashback describing the elf maiden
Eulalon's very unfortunate encounter with a group of sprites when
she accidentally trespasses in their land, they threaten her with curses.
(02:22):
Things get worse when Eulalon accidentally kills their leader and
then succumbs to the other fairies drug tipped spears. Between
the lines, there was something I wanted to put in
the last episode, but I just couldn't find the right
place for it. Since past seasons of the show have
(02:44):
run to seventy six episodes, I figured that this season
is about one third of the way through. I think
it might be a good time to step back, have
a look at the chessboard and see where all the
pieces are currently placed. Actually, a chessboard is the wrong metaphor.
This season's story is more like a chain. It's far
more episodic in nature than the previous two seasons. This
(03:06):
is by design, as I wanted to try my hand
as something in the picaresque tradition, like Huckleberry Finn, or
The Odyssey or even the Hobbit. This go around, I
find myself connecting scenes with and then far more then,
and so the style comes with some challenges though. Weaving
the threads of a story is tougher to do when
they are tied together and to end. Perhaps it would
(03:28):
help if I laid out all the strands so that
they could be closely examined. Thread number one is the
puzzle of Aldve being robbed, poisoned, and turned to stone.
Why did he scratch the name Odok into his dirt floor?
We now know that Odoak Zygog is a famous historian
and ereculus, but mostly he is still a mystery. The
pieces are scheduled to arrive in his neck of the
(03:48):
woods on day thirty. Thread number two is the weird
Iron Tower and its two occupants, Fim grim Atresch and
Balario the Gnome. What do they want and what are
they looking for? We know Fimbrim has never heard it
all day before, and we know the tower reappears later
on during Achille's journey. That's about it. Thread number three
(04:09):
is the ork shaman Otote. The dream shaper Otote is
an interesting NBC and one I'd like to see more of,
but that's unlikely unless the PCs re enter Black Cloud territory.
It occurs to me that the defeat of Mambi would
have upset the balance of power in that region. With
the Ogre out of the picture, the stalemate between the
Black Cloud and Blood Foot orcs may well be destabilized.
(04:32):
Thread four is the pair of rescued Blink dogs. Thread
five is Yulalon, the Elvin warrior from the end of
the previous episode. And I think that's all the active
storylines accounted for. I didn't include anything about the Curse
of moroc because in my mind that thread is more
or less complete at this time. It is perhaps worth
a quick snapshot of the companions, what's on their mind
(04:54):
and what's in their inventory. Akilia is going through an
identity crisis. How come she is so unlike these other alves.
Of course we know that she is a half elf
and that Aldvey is her father, but we don't know
why he never told her. It's worth a reminder that
Achilia still carries the Infinity milk cap mushroom and the
potion of Gassie's form, in addition to a new wand
(05:16):
Cord is growing both literally and figuratively. His relationship with
Achilia is unshakable, and his connection with Robin is evolving.
Derenni is a serious minded elf who follows Achillia, but
not out of a sense of obligation. He's very concerned
about his younger brother's well being and does feel a
duty to protect him. Tentyr is joyful, reckless, and very
(05:37):
unelf like, and that he wants to stand out from
the crowd. He seeks adventure and feels a need to
prove himself. He's been through a few things lately that
might temper his personality. However, Tender wields the sword of Learhane. Finally,
Brother Ferwynd is a cleric who hopes to achieve redemption
for past failures through acts of selflessness. He also aspires
(05:58):
to one day lift the curse of Moroc. I hope
that little review was useful. I know I find it
helpful to step back and look at the big picture
now and then. But that's enough meta talk. It's high
time to get into the narrative. Chapter twenty seven, Part one,
(06:21):
Day twenty two Morning mythic event meaning imitate masses. Party
status Achillea nine out of nine hit points, Court fourteen
out of fourteen, de Renni twelve out of twelve, ten
(06:43):
Tier eleven out of fifteen after receiving one point of
natural healing and four points from Fairwind's Cure Light Wounds Prayer.
Fair Wind sixteen out of eighteen after receiving one point
of natural healing. Supplies. The companions have zero portions of
food and eight portions of water. Remaining spells available. Achillia
(07:08):
can cast shrink times two and glitter dust Cord can
cast entangle and slow poison. Fairwind released ten TIR's hands
and regarded his work. The ELF's deeper cuts looked better
and most of the lighter ones had disappeared completely. As
(07:31):
kari Koska said, Tantyr, feeling better, said all fains you
was Fairwind's reply. Tentus stretched, testing his newly healed body
that of curiosity, and using Achilia as a translator, he
asked fair Wind what the life of a priest entailed.
The cleric provided details. While they were breaking camp, listing study, labor, proselytizing,
(07:53):
and prayer, among other duties. Tenter commented that the life
of a cleric sounded hard, which caused fair Wind to
reply through Achillia.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Tell him it is hard, but everything in life is hard.
We choose our hog.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Since they'd consumed the last of the hickory nuts to
break their fast, there was nothing to eat when they
took their first break of the day's march at around noon.
They were following the eastern edge of the dense and
thorny woods and could now see where it ended and
gave way to grassy hills about a half mile ahead.
As they were preparing to continue their march, dr Annie
noticed a certain type of shrub just inside the woods.
(08:29):
He pushed aside a bit of the cockspur and touched
one of the light green, oval shaped leaves.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
These are billberry shrubs, but the fruit is all gone.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
That's a shame.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Achillie had returned. Both Dornni and tent Here had cast
her Are you serious?
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Looks at this?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
As de Rennie explained its spoor.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Black grouse are very fond of billberry's.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
In unison, the brothers unflung their bows and knocked arrows.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
You stay here, we'll go on ahead.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
I hope it's true what you told me before.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
De Renny City.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
What did I tell you before that.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Hunger shop in the eye. If you find something, don't miss,
we won't.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Said the elder brother, and then the two hunters stalked off.
Thirty minutes later they returned into view. Doranni and Tentyr
were walking side by side, which was rare to see.
Dorannie was holding a large dark shape in his left hand,
(09:30):
and the siblings were laughing and talking. Tentyer waved and
made a face pointing at their prize. When they were close,
Achilia could make out that dark plumage and bright red.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Wattles of a black grass. It was a big one too,
think a heya.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
She said, smiling broadly. Then turning to Fairywind, she added, we.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Are going to eat well today.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
In the last episode, I rolled for a wandering encounter
and determined there would be one, but I held off
describing the result because I rolled a one on my
new table indicating an encounter with large game a black grouse,
it turned out. Then I rolled for surprise and determined
that the bird would be surprised, but not the party.
At the time, I figured that a hunting scene would
not be a very compelling way to end an episode,
(10:16):
and so instead came up with the Eulalon story. Anyway
to handle the wandering encounter, I briefly considered making Dorani
in Tenti a roll to hit the bird, but given
the one surprise and Dorni is a seasoned hunter, I
just gave them the kill. I'll say that when cooked,
this bird will provide eight portions of food if Erwyn
uses his divine magic to preserve it, or four if
(10:39):
he doesn't, So that brings back the choice between healing
Tenier further or making their food supplies last longer. This
time around, the party will choose the latter, and that
brings us to hex rolls for day twenty three. Let's
begin for weather on eighteen is another perfect day for travel,
cool and dry. Next up is stumble upon. The six
(11:01):
means nothing special is discovered for foraging using cords help.
A three is a success to pieces discover a nest
with four decent sized eggs. I'll make a note of
this on their food supply tracker. Finally, there's a chance
for another wandering encounter. A four means there is none
the next day, Day twenty four brings the PCEs within
(11:23):
one week of their destination. Let's see how they get on.
For weather, A six means the cool and dry is
replaced with hot and humid, but is nothing too severe.
Stumble upon A five no result for foraging. I'm going
to try something new since water is getting low, I'm
going to see if Cord can find a water source
(11:44):
by using his magic to locate a fish. His success
or failure will determine if a lake or river is
there or not so and this is kind of cool.
I'm building the map based on cords roll, but one
to three on a D six is needed to succeed
the role. Five means there is no river or lake nearby.
That's too bad, but that's the will of the dice gods. Okay,
(12:06):
almost done, but I still need to roll for a
wandering encounter.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
I got a five. Yep, that's a bingo.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Like last time, I'm putting this encounter together off Mike.
Unlike last time, I won't make you wait for the result.
Chapter twenty seven, Part two, Day twenty four, one week
from their destination, late afternoon. Mythic event meaning imitate masses.
(12:39):
Party status Achillea nine out of nine hit points Court
fourteen of fourteen, de Renni twelve of twelve, ten Tier
thirteen of fifteen after receiving two points of natural healing,
fair Wind eighteen of eighteen. After receiving two points of
(13:02):
natural healing supplies, the companions have four portions of food
and no water. Remaining spells available. Achillie can cast shrink
times two and glitter dust Cord can cast entangle and
slow poison. Fairwind had plucked the bird and Achillia had
(13:28):
made the fire dry. Fuel was plentiful where they'd been
near the north end of the dense wood. Then they'd
scured pieces of meat to dagger sharpened sticks and cooked them.
The companions had wanted badly to give themselves a feast,
but prudence prevailed and most of the meat was wrapped
up to be carried with them. That had been yesterday,
and by virtue of Fairwind's blessing, the meat was still
(13:50):
good to eat today. The cockspur Woods was now some
twenty miles behind them, and the party was passing through
more hilly terrain, spotted with boulders and terraced by natural
rock ledges. Eventually they came within view of another forest.
This one was of mixed spruce, jack pine, birch and maple.
It was much too large to circumnavigate, and since the
(14:12):
elves felt more comfortable under a green canopy than a
blue one, they entered.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
The temperature immediately.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Dropped by several degrees, and the strong smell of the
conifers made the companions feel refreshed. The forest interior was
beautiful to look upon, for the rays of the sun
pierced the bower and dappled everything in moving patches of
olive and gold. They stopped for a break after they
were a half mile in.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
That's the last of it.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Said Ferrwind, giving his water skin a little shake. Nine
two sided Achillia.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
In fact, every one of them had drained.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Their skins to the last drop. Come on, said de Rennie.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
We can make another four miles before we need to stop.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
As the sun had passed its zenith several hours earlier,
it was an optimistic guess. Still, there was no reason
to tarry, and the companions took up their new marching order,
with Duranian Elite, followed by ten tier, Cord and Robin,
who nowadays were inseparable, and then Achillia and Fairwood.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
As they walked.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
What the companions didn't know was that they were being observed.
As it happened, they were being watched by two sets
of eyes, one moss green and the other ice blue,
but neither of the observers was aware of the other.
Tall maple trees stretched high, with their leaves hissing gently
(15:37):
in the soft breeze. Among them, the delicate birch trees
stood out, contrasting against the darker tones of the forest
with their stark white bark. The ground, covered in a
carpet of rich green ferns and scattered pine needles, was
springy underfoot. Grackles called to each other from the tree tops,
making Robin twitch nervously. It had only been a half
(15:59):
hour since the last break when Duranny called a halt.
The head was a clearing with the fallen log lying
across it.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Little scalloped shaped.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Fungi clung to the underside, but laying atop it, as
though meant to be found, was a broken arrow. Duranni
turned to the others, pointing it out and.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Saying, it's a far m that engine.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Achillie translated for fair wind and court.
Speaker 5 (16:21):
He says, it's a friendship marker.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Duranni told Tendyr to stay behind while I stepped out
alone into the clearing. With his bow slung across his
shoulder and his sword sheathed. He held his empty palms
out to the forest.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
Oh do stara faram.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
He said, projecting his voice, lifting up the two pieces
of the broken arrow, one in each hand. He turned
slowly this way and that. For a few moments, the
only reply was the whisper of the trees. Then a
slender figure about Dorani's height stepped out from behind a
maple on the far side of the clearing. While elves
(16:59):
tended towards Androgeny, most of the companions could discern that
the stranger was a male like de Renni. He had long, wild,
dark hair and dark eyes, but he seemed a little
older and had a broad, display featured face. He wore
a jerkin and leggings of deerskin, and carried a short
spear a leather baldric held a brace of daggers on
his left shoulder.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
What tribe do you hail from, he asked.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
His tone was neither hostile nor friendly.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
We are from the Setevi Marsh tribe, some eight score
miles to the south.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Was the reply.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
My name is de Renni.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
You are far from home, de Renni, commented the other.
I represent the Nuvar wood tribe. Do you search for us?
Speaker 4 (17:43):
No, we were not looking for you.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Then where are you going?
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Dernnie stood to one side and indicated the party assembled
behind him.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
These are my companions, Tentier, Achillia, Cord, and fair Wind.
We are looking for a human wizard, a by the
name of odok Zygog. Do you know of him?
Speaker 1 (18:04):
The other shook his head.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
The name is not familiar to me.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Somewhat Incredibly, the sight of Sherwind and Court neither seemed
to surprise or concern.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Him at all.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
These are all the members of your party, Dernie said
they were. I have with me two dozen elves hidden
nearby in the woods.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Once again, there was no threat in his voice, though
the word certainly implied a warning.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
My name is Calin. Bring the rest of your group forward,
de Renni, and we shall sit and talk.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
At the last Wandering Encounter roll, I rolled a three,
which on my new table meant humanoids. I then rolled
a six on the SAR table, indicating demi humans. I
chose elves by d M fiat and rolled to D
ten to determine their number. I got a seven. The
two dozen Cohen mentions is an idea prompted by the
current event, meaning imitate masses. Next, I rolled for surprise
(19:06):
and determined that neither side would be and finally made
a reaction check on.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Two D six.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
This would be critical and understanding the nature of the
encounter itself. Since Derenni was in the lead, I allowed
his plus one charisma bonus and another plus one because
the group was overheard speaking Elvish, but I applied a
minus one penalty for the party having such a strange
mix of people. The role result was an eleven after bonuses.
Now that's very positive and just shy of overt friendliness.
(19:35):
The rules suggests the following adjectives and verbs interested, curious, approach,
ask questions favorable. With all this in mind, I came
up with the broken arrow scenario you've just heard.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
There will probably need to be more.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Rules as we negotiate this meeting further, but to begin,
I'll quickly get a new event meaning since the old
one is fulfilled. Okay, here's two roles on D one
hund I've got ninety seven and sixty nine. Let's see
that transform wounds whom. Well, nothing else to mind, but
I'll figure it out. Achilie had tried not to think
(20:16):
about the two dozen archers hidden in the woods around them.
The situation felt similar to the one she had faced
in the ambush after meeting Edo. It was, in one regard,
many times worse, But then again significantly, this Colin did
not seem intent on killing them. If that changed, with
six arrows trained on each of them, the Elf could
(20:36):
have them all executed with a word. She was brought
out of this train of thought when Colin spoke again,
and something astonishing happened.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Zatope, I think it's safe for you to show yourself.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
He said.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
With that, a female elf stepped into the clearing as
though through a fold in space, throwing open her cape
with a flourish as she came. When Achillia recovered from
the initial shock, she realized that the elf had been
with them in the clearing the whole time, and she
had not been invisible, not quite. Her cloak was woven
with highly realistic patterns of fern and leaf and branch, which,
(21:14):
while she was unmoving, had camouflaged her perfectly.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
This is my sister, Zootope.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Said Glynn, repeating her name. Well, Matt, she said in
a silken voice while bowing.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
If it weren't for her, continued Colin, we wouldn't have
arranged this meeting. She was scouting when she came across
your party and overheard you speaking Elvish. Ironically, it is
the human among you she is most curious about. Humans
have always fascinated her. He is one of the rows
(21:47):
that I presume.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
I do not think he belongs to any group, as
when we found him he was solitary, replied De Rennie.
But Achilia here, who speaks the tongue of men, can
ask him if you please.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Ask if he comes from Duroth, said ZUTOPI eyeing Achilia
would naked.
Speaker 5 (22:05):
Suspicion, and if he does not, which land he calls home.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Achilia put the question to Fairwind, who looked both perplexed
and anxious. At least he didn't know about the two
dozen archers in the woods. As she asked, something in
the back of her mind told her that she had
heard the place named de Roth before, but the memory
was just out of reach.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
You can tell her that I have never heard of
Darrowth and that I originally hail from Camoutine, far to
the west.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
It was when Achillea heard Fairwind say the name that
she suddenly remembered where she.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Had heard it before.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Thank you for listening to Tale of the manticor if
you would like to support the show, there are lots
of voice to help. You can recommend it online or
to friends. You can like and repost episode announcement on
social media. You can pick up one of my offerings
on drive through RPG, for example my near warm Shot
in the Dark expansion module and maker ket You can
buy a Tale of the manticor T shirt at www
(23:04):
dot bare Arts dot store, and in fact, there is
a new design now available in response to the listener
requests to.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Have one without all the blood.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
And finally, you can rate or review the show on
your podcatter of choice. I'm extremely grateful for your support.
At this point, I'd like to share one of your
great online reviews. This one was left by Asran sixty
eight on Apple Podcasts. As Ran sixty eight writes, this
podcast overcame a bad reaction role and turned me.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Into a devout follower. Let me explain.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
I usually prefer high fantasy and truly heroic characters, so
I was a bit reticent to try the podcast. Thankfully,
it was strongly recommended to me, and I gave it
a shot. Turned out I like a darker tone much
more than I thought. Tale of the Manticores sucked me
into its world like only worlds beyond Numbers spanished before
the thirty minutes format is ideal for me, and the
balance between gaming and audio drama is perfect. And I
(23:56):
never thought I would develop an interest for OSR gaming,
but I'm now starting to set the appeal. I just
caught up on season three. Now I must go back
to the previous seasons. Thanks so much, as Ran sixty eight.
Your review is truly appreciated. It's a testament to the
power of word of mouth that you heard about the
show and gave it a shot, despite the genre being
outside your usual preferences. I'm so glad you did and
(24:19):
delighted that you got drawn into the world of Merath.
I'm also curious to know if you ever got into
OSR gaming. I hope so appreciation is also due to
my amazing cast of actors. The core cast is all
here in this episode, ky Ellen, Kevin Barringer, and David
Cooper played to Rennie Tandier and Ferround, respectively. There's also
two newcomers to introduce. Many listeners will be familiar with
(24:42):
Moses Boyajian, the creator of the popular Willona's Cave YouTube
channel and publisher of various t TRPGs and supplements. Moses
plays the elf Scout. Kalin Clin's sister, Zotope, is brought
to life by morg Stromer of Cryptic Creations. Thanks to you, both,
Moses and Moore. For those curious to learn a little
(25:02):
bit more about Tell of the Manticor, I keep a
blog where I post all kinds of show and RPG
related stuff like art, maps, tables, crafts and show notes.
You can find it at Tale of Themanticore dot blogspot
dot com. To get in touch with me, I met
manti Gore tale dot Blue Sky dot Social, Tell of
the Manticore podcast on Instagram, or Tale of the Manticore
at gmail dot com. Solo Roleplayers Network dot com is
(25:26):
now live too, and I'd love to invite you to
check it out when you get a few spare minutes.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
There are lots of great.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Solo creators there for you to discover, and in fact,
we've added even more creators since launching in May. The
adventure will continue on the next episode of Tale of
the manticor the story for Chaos roles
Today.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
This is PJ from a Wasteland story and you're listening
to Tale of the Mantica.
Speaker 3 (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 Tail of the Manticor, the last chapter begins
in the aftermath of the battle with the Dire Wolves,
when the two surviving blink Dogs abruptly vanish. When they're gone,
Dorani levels are harsh reprimanded a Chilia for having rushed
into battle and almost causting ten Tire his life. The
half Elf shows her wisdom and self control when she
admits her fault and apologizes. Her word seems to smooth
(01:36):
over the tense situation, and the companion's journey north continues
all that evening and into the next day without further incident.
But then another difficult conversation comes up, once again, initiated
by Dorenni. He asks Faerwyin to use his divine magic
to heal ten Tire. The cleric agrees to do it,
but warns the party that they will lose some of
their food supply. He cannot heal ten Tire and purify
(01:58):
the wolf mate they took their fallen enemies. It is
one or the other. The decision is made, and on
the next day, fair Wind heels some of ten tiers
wounds through prayer. Food is now a growing concern once again.
The episode ends with the flashback describing the elf maiden
Eulalon's very unfortunate encounter with a group of sprites when
she accidentally trespasses in their land, they threaten her with curses.
(02:22):
Things get worse when Eulalon accidentally kills their leader and
then succumbs to the other fairies drug tipped spears. Between
the lines, there was something I wanted to put in
the last episode, but I just couldn't find the right
place for it. Since past seasons of the show have
(02:44):
run to seventy six episodes, I figured that this season
is about one third of the way through. I think
it might be a good time to step back, have
a look at the chessboard and see where all the
pieces are currently placed. Actually, a chessboard is the wrong metaphor.
This season's story is more like a chain. It's far
more episodic in nature than the previous two seasons. This
(03:06):
is by design, as I wanted to try my hand
as something in the picaresque tradition, like Huckleberry Finn, or
The Odyssey or even the Hobbit. This go around, I
find myself connecting scenes with and then far more then,
and so the style comes with some challenges though. Weaving
the threads of a story is tougher to do when
they are tied together and to end. Perhaps it would
(03:28):
help if I laid out all the strands so that
they could be closely examined. Thread number one is the
puzzle of Aldve being robbed, poisoned, and turned to stone.
Why did he scratch the name Odok into his dirt floor?
We now know that Odoak Zygog is a famous historian
and ereculus, but mostly he is still a mystery. The
pieces are scheduled to arrive in his neck of the
(03:48):
woods on day thirty. Thread number two is the weird
Iron Tower and its two occupants, Fim grim Atresch and
Balario the Gnome. What do they want and what are
they looking for? We know Fimbrim has never heard it
all day before, and we know the tower reappears later
on during Achille's journey. That's about it. Thread number three
(04:09):
is the ork shaman Otote. The dream shaper Otote is
an interesting NBC and one I'd like to see more of,
but that's unlikely unless the PCs re enter Black Cloud territory.
It occurs to me that the defeat of Mambi would
have upset the balance of power in that region. With
the Ogre out of the picture, the stalemate between the
Black Cloud and Blood Foot orcs may well be destabilized.
(04:32):
Thread four is the pair of rescued Blink dogs. Thread
five is Yulalon, the Elvin warrior from the end of
the previous episode. And I think that's all the active
storylines accounted for. I didn't include anything about the Curse
of moroc because in my mind that thread is more
or less complete at this time. It is perhaps worth
a quick snapshot of the companions, what's on their mind
(04:54):
and what's in their inventory. Akilia is going through an
identity crisis. How come she is so unlike these other alves.
Of course we know that she is a half elf
and that Aldvey is her father, but we don't know
why he never told her. It's worth a reminder that
Achilia still carries the Infinity milk cap mushroom and the
potion of Gassie's form, in addition to a new wand
(05:16):
Cord is growing both literally and figuratively. His relationship with
Achilia is unshakable, and his connection with Robin is evolving.
Derenni is a serious minded elf who follows Achillia, but
not out of a sense of obligation. He's very concerned
about his younger brother's well being and does feel a
duty to protect him. Tentyr is joyful, reckless, and very
(05:37):
unelf like, and that he wants to stand out from
the crowd. He seeks adventure and feels a need to
prove himself. He's been through a few things lately that
might temper his personality. However, Tender wields the sword of Learhane. Finally,
Brother Ferwynd is a cleric who hopes to achieve redemption
for past failures through acts of selflessness. He also aspires
(05:58):
to one day lift the curse of Moroc. I hope
that little review was useful. I know I find it
helpful to step back and look at the big picture
now and then. But that's enough meta talk. It's high
time to get into the narrative. Chapter twenty seven, Part one,
(06:21):
Day twenty two Morning mythic event meaning imitate masses. Party
status Achillea nine out of nine hit points, Court fourteen
out of fourteen, de Renni twelve out of twelve, ten
(06:43):
Tier eleven out of fifteen after receiving one point of
natural healing and four points from Fairwind's Cure Light Wounds Prayer.
Fair Wind sixteen out of eighteen after receiving one point
of natural healing. Supplies. The companions have zero portions of
food and eight portions of water. Remaining spells available. Achillia
(07:08):
can cast shrink times two and glitter dust Cord can
cast entangle and slow poison. Fairwind released ten TIR's hands
and regarded his work. The ELF's deeper cuts looked better
and most of the lighter ones had disappeared completely. As
(07:31):
kari Koska said, Tantyr, feeling better, said all fains you
was Fairwind's reply. Tentus stretched, testing his newly healed body
that of curiosity, and using Achilia as a translator, he
asked fair Wind what the life of a priest entailed.
The cleric provided details. While they were breaking camp, listing study, labor, proselytizing,
(07:53):
and prayer, among other duties. Tenter commented that the life
of a cleric sounded hard, which caused fair Wind to
reply through Achillia.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Tell him it is hard, but everything in life is hard.
We choose our hog.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Since they'd consumed the last of the hickory nuts to
break their fast, there was nothing to eat when they
took their first break of the day's march at around noon.
They were following the eastern edge of the dense and
thorny woods and could now see where it ended and
gave way to grassy hills about a half mile ahead.
As they were preparing to continue their march, dr Annie
noticed a certain type of shrub just inside the woods.
(08:29):
He pushed aside a bit of the cockspur and touched
one of the light green, oval shaped leaves.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
These are billberry shrubs, but the fruit is all gone.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
That's a shame.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Achillie had returned. Both Dornni and tent Here had cast
her Are you serious?
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Looks at this?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
As de Rennie explained its spoor.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
Black grouse are very fond of billberry's.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
In unison, the brothers unflung their bows and knocked arrows.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
You stay here, we'll go on ahead.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
I hope it's true what you told me before.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
De Renny City.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
What did I tell you before that.
Speaker 5 (09:02):
Hunger shop in the eye. If you find something, don't miss,
we won't.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Said the elder brother, and then the two hunters stalked off.
Thirty minutes later they returned into view. Doranni and Tentyr
were walking side by side, which was rare to see.
Dorannie was holding a large dark shape in his left hand,
(09:30):
and the siblings were laughing and talking. Tentyer waved and
made a face pointing at their prize. When they were close,
Achilia could make out that dark plumage and bright red.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Wattles of a black grass. It was a big one too,
think a heya.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
She said, smiling broadly. Then turning to Fairywind, she added, we.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
Are going to eat well today.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
In the last episode, I rolled for a wandering encounter
and determined there would be one, but I held off
describing the result because I rolled a one on my
new table indicating an encounter with large game a black grouse,
it turned out. Then I rolled for surprise and determined
that the bird would be surprised, but not the party.
At the time, I figured that a hunting scene would
not be a very compelling way to end an episode,
(10:16):
and so instead came up with the Eulalon story. Anyway
to handle the wandering encounter, I briefly considered making Dorani
in Tenti a roll to hit the bird, but given
the one surprise and Dorni is a seasoned hunter, I
just gave them the kill. I'll say that when cooked,
this bird will provide eight portions of food if Erwyn
uses his divine magic to preserve it, or four if
(10:39):
he doesn't, So that brings back the choice between healing
Tenier further or making their food supplies last longer. This
time around, the party will choose the latter, and that
brings us to hex rolls for day twenty three. Let's
begin for weather on eighteen is another perfect day for travel,
cool and dry. Next up is stumble upon. The six
(11:01):
means nothing special is discovered for foraging using cords help.
A three is a success to pieces discover a nest
with four decent sized eggs. I'll make a note of
this on their food supply tracker. Finally, there's a chance
for another wandering encounter. A four means there is none
the next day, Day twenty four brings the PCEs within
(11:23):
one week of their destination. Let's see how they get on.
For weather, A six means the cool and dry is
replaced with hot and humid, but is nothing too severe.
Stumble upon A five no result for foraging. I'm going
to try something new since water is getting low, I'm
going to see if Cord can find a water source
(11:44):
by using his magic to locate a fish. His success
or failure will determine if a lake or river is
there or not so and this is kind of cool.
I'm building the map based on cords roll, but one
to three on a D six is needed to succeed
the role. Five means there is no river or lake nearby.
That's too bad, but that's the will of the dice gods. Okay,
(12:06):
almost done, but I still need to roll for a
wandering encounter.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
I got a five. Yep, that's a bingo.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Like last time, I'm putting this encounter together off Mike.
Unlike last time, I won't make you wait for the result.
Chapter twenty seven, Part two, Day twenty four, one week
from their destination, late afternoon. Mythic event meaning imitate masses.
(12:39):
Party status Achillea nine out of nine hit points Court
fourteen of fourteen, de Renni twelve of twelve, ten Tier
thirteen of fifteen after receiving two points of natural healing,
fair Wind eighteen of eighteen. After receiving two points of
(13:02):
natural healing supplies, the companions have four portions of food
and no water. Remaining spells available. Achillie can cast shrink
times two and glitter dust Cord can cast entangle and
slow poison. Fairwind had plucked the bird and Achillia had
(13:28):
made the fire dry. Fuel was plentiful where they'd been
near the north end of the dense wood. Then they'd
scured pieces of meat to dagger sharpened sticks and cooked them.
The companions had wanted badly to give themselves a feast,
but prudence prevailed and most of the meat was wrapped
up to be carried with them. That had been yesterday,
and by virtue of Fairwind's blessing, the meat was still
(13:50):
good to eat today. The cockspur Woods was now some
twenty miles behind them, and the party was passing through
more hilly terrain, spotted with boulders and terraced by natural
rock ledges. Eventually they came within view of another forest.
This one was of mixed spruce, jack pine, birch and maple.
It was much too large to circumnavigate, and since the
(14:12):
elves felt more comfortable under a green canopy than a
blue one, they entered.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
The temperature immediately.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Dropped by several degrees, and the strong smell of the
conifers made the companions feel refreshed. The forest interior was
beautiful to look upon, for the rays of the sun
pierced the bower and dappled everything in moving patches of
olive and gold. They stopped for a break after they
were a half mile in.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
That's the last of it.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Said Ferrwind, giving his water skin a little shake. Nine
two sided Achillia.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
In fact, every one of them had drained.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
Their skins to the last drop. Come on, said de Rennie.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
We can make another four miles before we need to stop.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
As the sun had passed its zenith several hours earlier,
it was an optimistic guess. Still, there was no reason
to tarry, and the companions took up their new marching order,
with Duranian Elite, followed by ten tier, Cord and Robin,
who nowadays were inseparable, and then Achillia and Fairwood.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
As they walked.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
What the companions didn't know was that they were being observed.
As it happened, they were being watched by two sets
of eyes, one moss green and the other ice blue,
but neither of the observers was aware of the other.
Tall maple trees stretched high, with their leaves hissing gently
(15:37):
in the soft breeze. Among them, the delicate birch trees
stood out, contrasting against the darker tones of the forest
with their stark white bark. The ground, covered in a
carpet of rich green ferns and scattered pine needles, was
springy underfoot. Grackles called to each other from the tree tops,
making Robin twitch nervously. It had only been a half
(15:59):
hour since the last break when Duranny called a halt.
The head was a clearing with the fallen log lying
across it.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Little scalloped shaped.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Fungi clung to the underside, but laying atop it, as
though meant to be found, was a broken arrow. Duranni
turned to the others, pointing it out and.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Saying, it's a far m that engine.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
Achillie translated for fair wind and court.
Speaker 5 (16:21):
He says, it's a friendship marker.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Duranni told Tendyr to stay behind while I stepped out
alone into the clearing. With his bow slung across his
shoulder and his sword sheathed. He held his empty palms
out to the forest.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
Oh do stara faram.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
He said, projecting his voice, lifting up the two pieces
of the broken arrow, one in each hand. He turned
slowly this way and that. For a few moments, the
only reply was the whisper of the trees. Then a
slender figure about Dorani's height stepped out from behind a
maple on the far side of the clearing. While elves
(16:59):
tended towards Androgeny, most of the companions could discern that
the stranger was a male like de Renni. He had long, wild,
dark hair and dark eyes, but he seemed a little
older and had a broad, display featured face. He wore
a jerkin and leggings of deerskin, and carried a short
spear a leather baldric held a brace of daggers on
his left shoulder.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
What tribe do you hail from, he asked.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
His tone was neither hostile nor friendly.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
We are from the Setevi Marsh tribe, some eight score
miles to the south.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
Was the reply.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
My name is de Renni.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
You are far from home, de Renni, commented the other.
I represent the Nuvar wood tribe. Do you search for us?
Speaker 4 (17:43):
No, we were not looking for you.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Then where are you going?
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Dernnie stood to one side and indicated the party assembled
behind him.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
These are my companions, Tentier, Achillia, Cord, and fair Wind.
We are looking for a human wizard, a by the
name of odok Zygog. Do you know of him?
Speaker 1 (18:04):
The other shook his head.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
The name is not familiar to me.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
Somewhat Incredibly, the sight of Sherwind and Court neither seemed
to surprise or concern.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
Him at all.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
These are all the members of your party, Dernie said
they were. I have with me two dozen elves hidden
nearby in the woods.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Once again, there was no threat in his voice, though
the word certainly implied a warning.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
My name is Calin. Bring the rest of your group forward,
de Renni, and we shall sit and talk.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
At the last Wandering Encounter roll, I rolled a three,
which on my new table meant humanoids. I then rolled
a six on the SAR table, indicating demi humans. I
chose elves by d M fiat and rolled to D
ten to determine their number. I got a seven. The
two dozen Cohen mentions is an idea prompted by the
current event, meaning imitate masses. Next, I rolled for surprise
(19:06):
and determined that neither side would be and finally made
a reaction check on.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Two D six.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
This would be critical and understanding the nature of the
encounter itself. Since Derenni was in the lead, I allowed
his plus one charisma bonus and another plus one because
the group was overheard speaking Elvish, but I applied a
minus one penalty for the party having such a strange
mix of people. The role result was an eleven after bonuses.
Now that's very positive and just shy of overt friendliness.
(19:35):
The rules suggests the following adjectives and verbs interested, curious, approach,
ask questions favorable. With all this in mind, I came
up with the broken arrow scenario you've just heard.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
There will probably need to be more.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
Rules as we negotiate this meeting further, but to begin,
I'll quickly get a new event meaning since the old
one is fulfilled. Okay, here's two roles on D one
hund I've got ninety seven and sixty nine. Let's see
that transform wounds whom. Well, nothing else to mind, but
I'll figure it out. Achilie had tried not to think
(20:16):
about the two dozen archers hidden in the woods around them.
The situation felt similar to the one she had faced
in the ambush after meeting Edo. It was, in one regard,
many times worse, But then again significantly, this Colin did
not seem intent on killing them. If that changed, with
six arrows trained on each of them, the Elf could
(20:36):
have them all executed with a word. She was brought
out of this train of thought when Colin spoke again,
and something astonishing happened.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Zatope, I think it's safe for you to show yourself.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
He said.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
With that, a female elf stepped into the clearing as
though through a fold in space, throwing open her cape
with a flourish as she came. When Achillia recovered from
the initial shock, she realized that the elf had been
with them in the clearing the whole time, and she
had not been invisible, not quite. Her cloak was woven
with highly realistic patterns of fern and leaf and branch, which,
(21:14):
while she was unmoving, had camouflaged her perfectly.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
This is my sister, Zootope.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Said Glynn, repeating her name. Well, Matt, she said in
a silken voice while bowing.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
If it weren't for her, continued Colin, we wouldn't have
arranged this meeting. She was scouting when she came across
your party and overheard you speaking Elvish. Ironically, it is
the human among you she is most curious about. Humans
have always fascinated her. He is one of the rows
(21:47):
that I presume.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
I do not think he belongs to any group, as
when we found him he was solitary, replied De Rennie.
But Achilia here, who speaks the tongue of men, can
ask him if you please.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Ask if he comes from Duroth, said ZUTOPI eyeing Achilia
would naked.
Speaker 5 (22:05):
Suspicion, and if he does not, which land he calls home.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Achilia put the question to Fairwind, who looked both perplexed
and anxious. At least he didn't know about the two
dozen archers in the woods. As she asked, something in
the back of her mind told her that she had
heard the place named de Roth before, but the memory
was just out of reach.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
You can tell her that I have never heard of
Darrowth and that I originally hail from Camoutine, far to
the west.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
It was when Achillea heard Fairwind say the name that
she suddenly remembered where she.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
Had heard it before.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
Thank you for listening to Tale of the manticor if
you would like to support the show, there are lots
of voice to help. You can recommend it online or
to friends. You can like and repost episode announcement on
social media. You can pick up one of my offerings
on drive through RPG, for example my near warm Shot
in the Dark expansion module and maker ket You can
buy a Tale of the manticor T shirt at www
(23:04):
dot bare Arts dot store, and in fact, there is
a new design now available in response to the listener
requests to.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Have one without all the blood.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
And finally, you can rate or review the show on
your podcatter of choice. I'm extremely grateful for your support.
At this point, I'd like to share one of your
great online reviews. This one was left by Asran sixty
eight on Apple Podcasts. As Ran sixty eight writes, this
podcast overcame a bad reaction role and turned me.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Into a devout follower. Let me explain.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
I usually prefer high fantasy and truly heroic characters, so
I was a bit reticent to try the podcast. Thankfully,
it was strongly recommended to me, and I gave it
a shot. Turned out I like a darker tone much
more than I thought. Tale of the Manticores sucked me
into its world like only worlds beyond Numbers spanished before
the thirty minutes format is ideal for me, and the
balance between gaming and audio drama is perfect. And I
(23:56):
never thought I would develop an interest for OSR gaming,
but I'm now starting to set the appeal. I just
caught up on season three. Now I must go back
to the previous seasons. Thanks so much, as Ran sixty eight.
Your review is truly appreciated. It's a testament to the
power of word of mouth that you heard about the
show and gave it a shot, despite the genre being
outside your usual preferences. I'm so glad you did and
(24:19):
delighted that you got drawn into the world of Merath.
I'm also curious to know if you ever got into
OSR gaming. I hope so appreciation is also due to
my amazing cast of actors. The core cast is all
here in this episode, ky Ellen, Kevin Barringer, and David
Cooper played to Rennie Tandier and Ferround, respectively. There's also
two newcomers to introduce. Many listeners will be familiar with
(24:42):
Moses Boyajian, the creator of the popular Willona's Cave YouTube
channel and publisher of various t TRPGs and supplements. Moses
plays the elf Scout. Kalin Clin's sister, Zotope, is brought
to life by morg Stromer of Cryptic Creations. Thanks to you, both,
Moses and Moore. For those curious to learn a little
(25:02):
bit more about Tell of the Manticor, I keep a
blog where I post all kinds of show and RPG
related stuff like art, maps, tables, crafts and show notes.
You can find it at Tale of Themanticore dot blogspot
dot com. To get in touch with me, I met
manti Gore tale dot Blue Sky dot Social, Tell of
the Manticore podcast on Instagram, or Tale of the Manticore
at gmail dot com. Solo Roleplayers Network dot com is
(25:26):
now live too, and I'd love to invite you to
check it out when you get a few spare minutes.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
There are lots of great.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Solo creators there for you to discover, and in fact,
we've added even more creators since launching in May. The
adventure will continue on the next episode of Tale of
the manticor the story for Chaos roles
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