October 11, 2025 • 28 mins
Natural Enemies: 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):
Hey all, this is Sarah from Creative Typos Proud of
the Oathbreaker, and you're listening to Tale of the Manticore.
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
(00:51):
decide their fate is at hand. According to lore, the
Tale of a Manticre is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
(01:13):
time on Tail of the Mantigor, in the last chapter,
Faerwin starts to believe that he and his companions have
crossed a kind of boundary and entered a land where
magic is stronger and more chaotic. But it isn't creature
of magic that threatens the party as they make their
way ostensibly towards the home of odok Zygog Tantyr's life
is placed in jeopardy when he eats one of the
(01:34):
mushrooms given them by the Dryad. He had thought they
carried a handful of harmless and nourishing hedgehog mushrooms, but
unfortunately for him, they turned out to be Fool's funnel,
a fungus that resembles the benign kind superficially but is
actually deadly if ingested. Fortune favors the Elf, however, for
he is able to split the mushroom out before its
(01:55):
poison can enter his system. In the end, he suffers
nothing worse than a stomach ache. During the following day's travel,
the companions emerge from a hilly forest and get a
clear view of the mountains to the north. Moreover, Achillier
realizes that she recognizes the vista from Odoke's sketchbook, so
now they are certain the reclusive historian and presumably the
(02:17):
end of their quest, are not far off. Chapter thirty seven,
Part one, Day thirty three, two and a half days
from their destination. Evening mythic of ed meaning develop intrigues,
(02:41):
party status Achillee thirteen of thirteen hit points, Court eighteen
of eighteen. De Renni sixteen of sixteen, ten Tier nineteen
of nineteen, Fairwind twenty six of twenty six, Flicker fourteen
(03:03):
of sixteen supplies. The companions have eight portions of food
remaining spells available. Achille can cast enlarge message, glitter dust
and detect evil. Cord can cast entangle and slow poison.
(03:24):
Fair Wind can cast cure led wounds and protection from evil.
The miles fell away under the companion's steady feet as
they cut east, keeping the mountains to their left. As
the hours passed, the sun disappeared behind them, and twilight
came on, turning the lofty peaks a dusty purple color.
(03:49):
The moon above was a mere sliver, not even a
quarter fall, so when they discovered a large fur with
room beneath its branches for all, the party stopped for
the night. After arranging the bedrolls in his fragrant bower,
the companions drifted off to sleep one by one, with
Cord and Robin sitting outside holding silent counsel. Together, vivid
(04:10):
dreams visited each member of the party, and had anyone
been awake there to witness it, that would have seen
them tossing and turning in their sleep, even Flicker dreamed
with her paws running in place as she laid on
her side. Once or twice, Duranni moaned aloud. He was
having a more intense version of the same dream it
had the night before, and this was no mere fabrication
(04:32):
of his imagination, but a real memory, a haunting one
playing out in real time. Dramatis personae. De Rennie ten
years ago. One minute he had been lifting chests, listening
(04:52):
to Erlyn counting iron ingots, and the next he was
running for his life. Or Creators had smashed open the
doors of the dwarfing trading posts, bellowing in bloodlust and
swinging axes, maces and swords. Poor Ardor, the gentle dwarf
who had once confided in De Rennie that he would
rather have become a builder than a trader, was the
(05:12):
first to die, his skull split in two by an
Orcish blade. Three other dwarfs and one Elf had been
cut down before even a basic defense could be organized.
Kivish and Ashleet had been cut down in fountains of
bright Crimson poor Rolyn had taken the spear in the eye.
Now they were outnumbered two to one, and the only option.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Was run make for the trees.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
The Old Crow's voice rang out in Elvish, and by instinct,
Derrenni and the three others who were still alive obeyed.
The dwarves did not join them, but stood their ground.
Derenni knew that, with their proud race, to die in combat,
especially when greatly outnumbered, was considered desirable. Not so were
the elves, who valued their skins above their legacies, including
(06:01):
the Old Crow and Doretti. Five elves broke free of
the trader's hut and sprinted for the tree line. The
Orcs were not long and taking up pursuit. It took
mere moments for them to butcher the meager Dargan resistance,
and then they gave chase. Dorani's heartbeat banged in his
ear drums as he raced to the tree line and
then beyond. Whereas they had been laboring all day long,
(06:25):
the Orcs were fresh, and soon the whooping calls of
their enemy could be heard, getting louder by the second.
That's why, when they reached a small clearing, the old
Crow called a halt. Though winded, he managed to get
out a breathless command, You.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
And the others go ahead, I'll stay and delay them.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Deranni hesitated, shaking his head no. Using the Old Crow's
real name, he gasped.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I'm not going to leave you to fight them alone, Rayma.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
The old Crow rounded on him with intensity, and I'm
not asking now go. Don't you make this beef nothing.
Derenni was compelled. He sped off after his fellows, who
had not waited. Hours later, exhausted, de Rennie arrived home.
The arrival of his fellows had already stirred up a
commotion in the settlement, but the Orcs did not follow.
(07:18):
He and the others were safe. The Old Crow, however,
would never be seen again. That new detail in Dernni's
backstory is my attempt to use the event meaning develop intrigues.
Deranni's memory of the escape from the Orcs at the
trader's Hut is a source of guilt, because ever since
(07:40):
that day he has wondered if he should have disobeyed
the Old Crow and stayed to fight beside him. Perhaps
if he had, they both might be alive now. While
not precisely an intrigue, I think the idea of Durnni
questioning his decision gets the job done, if obliquely so,
I guess I need a new pair of words from
the Mythic Tables using deep percentile fifty two and forty one.
(08:06):
Those roles give me adjourn advice adjourn. I'm going to
be honest. I had to look up this word to
be really sure it meant where I thought it didn't.
I thought it would indicate to end or terminate, as
in meeting adjourned, But the dictionary says it actually means
to put off until later or postpone postpone advice. HM,
(08:29):
no idea is coming to mind, but I'm sure it'll
make sense when the time is right. While I have
the story on pause, I'm also going to do hex
crawl rolls for day thirty four. A quick note to
say that even though I will begin the next section
of the story in the morning, I'll update the spells
available list in advance, both for those that will be
newly memorized and for those I anticipate will be used
later in the day, namely chords, spells of looking plants
(08:52):
and animals, and create water. With that said, we're ready
to begin for weather and eighteen. The day is slightly
overcast and cool, even better for traveling than it has
been of late stumble upon. The four means no result
forging with courts help two. These lands seem to be
(09:13):
quite bountiful, judging by recent forging roles. I'll figure out
exactly what this looks like in the narrative. But before
I do that, there's a wandering encounter role to make.
Hoping for a low roll here, Nope, I got a five.
So there will be an encounter. Maybe with some luck,
it'll be another sketchbook encounter, will it? I see Judge
(09:41):
thirty seven, Part two, Day thirty four, one and a
half days from their destination early morning mythic event meaning
adjourned advice party status Achillia thirteen of thirteen, hit points
eighteen of eighteen, de Rennie sixteen of sixteen, ten Tier
(10:07):
nineteen of nineteen, fair Wind twenty six of twenty six,
Flicker fifteen of sixteen. After receiving one point of natural
healing supplies, the companions have eight portions of food remaining
Spells available. Achille can cast in large message, glitter dust
(10:29):
and detect evil. Cord can cast entangle and slow poison.
Fair Wind can cast cure late wounds and protection from evil.
What what? What is the matter?
Speaker 1 (10:49):
You were moaning in your sleep and crying out, de Rennie,
your face was all screwed up too.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Like this, Achillie contorted her face into an exaggerated copy
of the distress she'd seen on the else. Dernie sat
up and ran his fingers through his hair, which he
found to be damp with cold sweat. He rubbed his eyes.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
I heard a very intense dream.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
That that is all.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
We all had strange dreams, just like last night. I
think Fairwind is right. There's something different about these.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Lands, something that hadn't ever occurred to her intruded on
Achille's thoughts. At that moment, She turned to Courd.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I suppose you've never had a dream before, have you?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
She asked? The construct twisted back and forth to indicate
that he had not.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
No, of course you wouldn't have. You don't sleep, but
it must seem a very strange thing. Then, to hear
us talking about ours, the side.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
To side motion served as a shrug.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
I wonder what you dream about, if you could.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
She trailed off, suddenly noticing.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Something cord come closer, the.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Pink flower that Derni had received from the dry head
and had in turn given to the contr seemed now
to be attached to his barkie chest. Achillea pointed it out, adding.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
And I'm positive that you're taller than when we started out.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Even Fairwood, who had known Cord for the shortest amount
of time out of all of the companions, was aware
that Cord had been going through changes, changes that showed
no sign of stopping. I know I have a wandering
encounter to figure out, but before I do that, I
need to take Chord through the level up process. Because
(12:30):
today he reaches the level five, he'll get a D
six of new hip points rolling for that six. Wow,
eighteen goes to twenty four. This is a good level
up already. Next, a quick check with the books to
see if anything special happens for a druid at fifth level. Okay,
so there's good news and bad news. The bad news
(12:53):
is that no special ability is unlocked at this stage,
though Court's connection with Robin will continue to develop, and
you know, I think going forward this improvement will get
passed on to the bird. The very good news is
that level five blows open a Druid's ability to cast
spells now in addition to Cord's two first and two
second level spells. He will be able to cast one
(13:15):
a third and one a fourth. Since these are inate
abilities and not spells or prayers, I'll rule that he
gets access to these right away. Like before, I'm rolling
at random to see what they'll be. For his third
level spell like power, Cord will get a three. Is
hold Animal fantastic? It takes no imagination to see how
(13:36):
that might be useful. Now for the fourth level spell liability,
it's going to be a four. Gives me speak with Plants.
I mean, it's perfect. The dice gods continue to thrill
and delight. A quick look at these spell descriptions tell
me that hold Animal can work on multiple animals and
can affect giant animals too. Speak with Plants could be
(13:58):
used to gather information, can clear a path, and it
can be used on plant based monsters. HM, isn't that interesting?
Chapter thirty seven, Part three, Day thirty four, one day
(14:20):
from their destination afternoon mythic event meaning adjourn advice party status.
The party status is unchanged, with the exception of Cord,
who may now also cast old Animal and speak with Plants.
Acid points have increased to twenty four out of twenty four.
(14:46):
This day was a little unusual in that Robin, who
typically spend every single hour perched on Cord's head or shoulder,
flew on ahead. Every so often he would return, pipe
something into the wooden man's painted ear, and then fly
off again. The companions were walking in single file, with
Tentier a little ways ahead scouting. He was followed by
(15:08):
do Renni, then court with fair Wind, Flicker and Achillie
in the rear. The half elf and the cleric of
Sadal were discussing their dreams and exchanging theories about the
nature of the region they currently traversed. This drew ireful
glances from Dorrenni, who preferred to walk in silence and
had been irritable all day because of his own dreams.
You prey too much, Achillie had said, at one point,
(15:30):
catching a look, Dornni had scowled, and she had laughed,
which made Flicker bark excitedly in a nearby woods. The
distant sound of a dog barking caused a sleek black
feline shape to tents ears lifted a low growl started
(15:50):
in the back of its velvet black throat. After rolling
for a wandering encounter and determining that there would be one.
I then rolled on a subtable to see what kind
it would be. It was not as I'd hoped, another
(16:11):
sketchbook encounter. Instead, I got a five, which indicated exotic, dangerous.
For that, I needed to make a sub sub table
with about six options. It took me forever to find
six good candidates, which came as a surprise. I thought
it'd be easy, but as I looked through the Basic,
then the Expert rules, and then the Monster Manual one,
(16:33):
Fiend Folio, and Monster Manual two, I came across very
few candidates that would work. In the end, I came
up with the following potential monster encounters. On a one,
there would be two owl bears, on a two to
one displacer beast on a three, one or more evil
tree monster or whatever that might end up being on
(16:53):
a four, a hydra, on a five two etter caps,
and on a six two or three needle men. I
probably don't need to tell you what I rolled. In
the afternoon, right after Robin returned from one of his trips,
Cord called a halt. He pointed first to a woods
(17:14):
a mile or so distant and slightly off course, then
to the spot on his abdomen, where his stomach would
be if he'd possessed one. The others took his meaning
and adjusted their march in the direction of the woods.
As they came closer, they could see that it was
dense with growth ferns, bushes, maples, and further in sumac
(17:35):
with its easily recognizable fuzzy red berries. These berries were
edible and had a tangy, lemony flavor. Ten Tier predictably
did not partake of the sumac berries and instead miserably
crunched on dry massa bell. The elven food made of
moss and algae had a fairly bland flavor, and ten
Tier did not dislike it. All the same, He felt
(17:57):
depressed once again, knowing he might never taste to berries again.
Sprite's curses could not be removed, and many of them,
especially the minor ones like his, lasted forever. He stared
at his boots as he chewed. It was not a noise,
but a sudden feeling of being washed that made the
young elf lift his head and look up into the
(18:17):
branches of a nearby maple. When he did, he saw
a pair of bright green eyes with vertical pupils staring
back down at him, with massam bell crumbs still stuck
to his lips. He muttered, Oh no, there is a
displacer beast in the tree within pouncing distance of the party,
(18:38):
but it is not tend to the creature is really
intent on. This kind of monster, which is essentially a
large black panther with six legs and a pair of
barbed tentacles growing from its shoulders, hates blink dogs. The
expert rules specifically says they will quote always attack them
and anyone traveling with them unquote, so uh, no need
(18:59):
for a reaction role. In other words, other than being
tough and deadly, displacer beasts also have a special ability.
They always appear three feet from their actual position, which
makes them hard to hit. Mechanically, this is represented by
subtracting two from any two hit roles made against them.
The displacement ability also gives the creature a plus two
(19:19):
on all saving throws. Statwise, displacer beasts have an armor
class of sixteen, Their tentacles each two two to eight
points of damage on a hit, and they have six
hit dice. This particular one has thirty hit points, which
is above the min out of twenty four so it's
a pretty big one. Additionally, even though the rules don't
(19:40):
give it any special ability to stock and ambush prey,
I think it should have this ability, so I will
rule that in this encounter, the party can be surprised,
but the monster cannot. Here's the role for surprise. Yikes,
I got a one, So the party is caught off
guard and the monster will get one free attack as
combat begins and during combat. Round one surprise round with
(20:13):
a hiss, the Displacer Beast launches itself a flicker. It
gets two attacks with its tentacles and needs an eleven
to hit the Blink Dog's armor class of fifteen. Here
come the rolls. An eighteen and a nine means one
of those tentacles does connect, doing five points of damage
from its barbed pad that rips a bloody path along
(20:34):
Flicker's haunch. The blink Dog yelps in surprise, then surges forward,
barking with savage ferocity as its enemy prepares to pounce again.
Round two initiative the party a three, the Displacer Beasts
a two. While caught flat footed, the party member's instincts
(20:54):
take over and their weapons are out in a flash.
Flicker is the first to attack, blinking away and then
right behind the Displacer Beast jet The sixteen is required
to hit, but an eleven is not enough. He was
not reflecturate expected it to be, and in fact, its
position seems to shift and swim in front of everyone's
eyes as a thing which was about it. Next up
(21:16):
is ten Tire, who's the first to see the monster.
He strikes with the sword of leir Haane, needing a
fifteen to hit a fifteen, connects and does four points
of damage. The Displacer Beast's blood is almost invisible against
its glossy black fur. During He is next, needing a
sixteen to hit a four. The ELF's sword carves through
(21:38):
the air fully two feet to the left of the
creature's actual position. Its course turn boom natural twenty Court
is figured out the monster's special defense. He aims for
the spot next to where he thinks it should be
and cleaves the monster four twelve points of damage. This
(21:58):
brings the Displacer Beasts down to just fourteen hit points,
less than half its maximum. It'll have to pass a
morale check to stay in this fight. But before we
get to that, fair Wind is up Unlike Court, the
cleric is baffled by the monster's dissolving after images. He'll
need an eighteen to hit with his cudgel A ten.
Missus Achille pulls out her dagger, waiting for the right
(22:20):
moment to throw it, but the melee is too thick
with allies for her to find a clear shot. She
holds her action. Now it's the displacer Beast's turn. Unfortunately
for it and fortunately for the PCs, it lost the initiative,
meaning Flicker is able to blink away before it can counterattack,
worse or better depending on your perspective. It must also
(22:42):
make a morale check. The rules assign this monster a
morale of eight, so on two six, a nine or
better means it will flee. I got a seven, so
it will stay and fight now. Even though I think
it's the hatred of blink dogs that keeps it here,
I still think there's a chance this monster will change targets.
A one to two on D six means it will
the roll A one. It does, the new target will
(23:05):
be fair wind an odd choice, but we'll chalk it up.
Do the hat a battle. It is round three initiative.
The party one the Displacer Beast A six fair wind
is standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Both of the creature's tentacles whip out, and they only
eight A six to hit his terrible ac of ten.
(23:28):
Here come the rolls, A seventeen and a nine, predictably
both hit, ripping across the clerics more or less exposed
flesh four a total of nine points four. It's the
pieces turned to fight back with luck to get in
the fight. This round, Flicker blinks in and strikes low,
(23:49):
going for one of the enemy's six powerful legs, but
a five misses ten tier is next an eleven No good.
Can Durni connect this time? He needs sixteen? A twelve
means he cannot. The displacer Beast moves in such a
way as to take full advantage of its special ability.
It faints left and right, leaving a fading residual onion
(24:11):
skin image behind. Cord picked out the pattern last round.
Can you do it again? At nineteen, Cord, you are
truly my hero. His axe will do just three points
of damage, but the forest floor is now wet with
displacer beast blood. It has just eleven hit points remaining
(24:35):
fair one strikes. A twelve is not enough a Killia,
unable to find an opportunity to throw her knife, dashes
in to try to stab the beast. She'll need an
eighteen to hit it. A nine is a miss. Well,
so much for ending the fight this round. We move
on to round four. Initiative the party, the six, the
(24:56):
displacer beast A six. Everyone clashes all at once. Will
the monster change targets this round? A two, Yes it will.
Who will it be? Ah? That makes sense. Recognizing the
greatest threat to its survival, the muscular catlike monster coils
and springs at Cord an eight and a thirteen. That's
(25:16):
one hit. Cord takes six points of damage as a
barbed tentacle slashes across his barki front. The wooden construct
retaliates a six. He was not expecting the sudden assault,
and the best he can do with his axe is
to deflect one of the incoming tentacles. Flicker blinks in
and goes for the monster's throat. A sixteen just hits
(25:40):
damages four points. A brutal strike, but content your land
another blow He'll certainly try. A nine misses. Durnni is
up Boom natural twenty. Wow, that is two in one fight,
and I see there's no need to roll damage. With
just seven hit points left, even a roll of one
(26:01):
will kill it because of the crid. This time, Danni
takes a second to study the creature's movements. He notices
that its blood is not dripping from where the monster
appears to be, so he aims his blade for the
space to its right and above the blood half. There's
a satisfying crunch as the tip of the sword pierces
the monster's throat, emitted a throaty gargle. The monster convulses
(26:25):
and drops to the ground dead. Thanks for listening to
Tale of the manticor if you'd like to support the show,
there are many ways to help. You can recommend it
online or to friends. You can like Edery posts episode
announcements on social media. You can pick up a Tale
of the manticor T shirt at Bare Arts dot store
(26:47):
or one of my offerings on drive through RPG. Rating
and reviewing the show on your favorite podcatcher is always
helpful too. Thanks to my awesome listeners for their continued support.
Speaking of awesome listeners, at this time, i'd like to
read a listener review This one is from Matt on Audible.
Matt writes, I discovered this podcast through an interview with
(27:07):
the creator. I must say I'm even more impressed with
and addicted to this story than I could have expected.
This is such an original concept. I highly recommend this,
especially for old school gamers and fantasy geeks. Thanks very much, Matt.
Reviews like this really do mean the world to me.
I'm so glad that you discovered the show and that
you're enjoying it. I really appreciated that you took the
(27:28):
time to write a review too. Cheers to all old
school gamers and fantasy geeks everywhere. Cheers are also due
to my cast of voice actors. Today it's Kylin and
Kevin Barringer giving us Derenni and Tentier, and these two
fine actors are joined by Chris Oldcrowe Atkinson in the
role of Well in the role of the Old Crow.
Thanks very much, Kylin, Kevin and Chris. For those curious
(27:52):
to learn more about Tale of the Madicor, I keep
a blog where I post all kinds of show and
RPG related stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts, and shown up.
You can find it at Tale ofthemanticor dot com to
get in touch with me. I'm at Solo Roleplayers Network
dot com, Tale of themanticor dot Blues Guide Social, Tale
of the medicor podcast on Instagram, or Tale of themanticre
(28:12):
at gmail dot com. Please get in touch. I would
love to hear from you. The adventure will continue on
the next episode or Tale of the manticor It's the
story where chaos roles
Hey all, this is Sarah from Creative Typos Proud of
the Oathbreaker, and you're listening to Tale of the Manticore.
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
(00:51):
decide their fate is at hand. According to lore, the
Tale of a Manticre is barbed with cruel iron spikes.
There will be much pain in the days ahead. Last
(01:13):
time on Tail of the Mantigor, in the last chapter,
Faerwin starts to believe that he and his companions have
crossed a kind of boundary and entered a land where
magic is stronger and more chaotic. But it isn't creature
of magic that threatens the party as they make their
way ostensibly towards the home of odok Zygog Tantyr's life
is placed in jeopardy when he eats one of the
(01:34):
mushrooms given them by the Dryad. He had thought they
carried a handful of harmless and nourishing hedgehog mushrooms, but
unfortunately for him, they turned out to be Fool's funnel,
a fungus that resembles the benign kind superficially but is
actually deadly if ingested. Fortune favors the Elf, however, for
he is able to split the mushroom out before its
(01:55):
poison can enter his system. In the end, he suffers
nothing worse than a stomach ache. During the following day's travel,
the companions emerge from a hilly forest and get a
clear view of the mountains to the north. Moreover, Achillier
realizes that she recognizes the vista from Odoke's sketchbook, so
now they are certain the reclusive historian and presumably the
(02:17):
end of their quest, are not far off. Chapter thirty seven,
Part one, Day thirty three, two and a half days
from their destination. Evening mythic of ed meaning develop intrigues,
(02:41):
party status Achillee thirteen of thirteen hit points, Court eighteen
of eighteen. De Renni sixteen of sixteen, ten Tier nineteen
of nineteen, Fairwind twenty six of twenty six, Flicker fourteen
(03:03):
of sixteen supplies. The companions have eight portions of food
remaining spells available. Achille can cast enlarge message, glitter dust
and detect evil. Cord can cast entangle and slow poison.
(03:24):
Fair Wind can cast cure led wounds and protection from evil.
The miles fell away under the companion's steady feet as
they cut east, keeping the mountains to their left. As
the hours passed, the sun disappeared behind them, and twilight
came on, turning the lofty peaks a dusty purple color.
(03:49):
The moon above was a mere sliver, not even a
quarter fall, so when they discovered a large fur with
room beneath its branches for all, the party stopped for
the night. After arranging the bedrolls in his fragrant bower,
the companions drifted off to sleep one by one, with
Cord and Robin sitting outside holding silent counsel. Together, vivid
(04:10):
dreams visited each member of the party, and had anyone
been awake there to witness it, that would have seen
them tossing and turning in their sleep, even Flicker dreamed
with her paws running in place as she laid on
her side. Once or twice, Duranni moaned aloud. He was
having a more intense version of the same dream it
had the night before, and this was no mere fabrication
(04:32):
of his imagination, but a real memory, a haunting one
playing out in real time. Dramatis personae. De Rennie ten
years ago. One minute he had been lifting chests, listening
(04:52):
to Erlyn counting iron ingots, and the next he was
running for his life. Or Creators had smashed open the
doors of the dwarfing trading posts, bellowing in bloodlust and
swinging axes, maces and swords. Poor Ardor, the gentle dwarf
who had once confided in De Rennie that he would
rather have become a builder than a trader, was the
(05:12):
first to die, his skull split in two by an
Orcish blade. Three other dwarfs and one Elf had been
cut down before even a basic defense could be organized.
Kivish and Ashleet had been cut down in fountains of
bright Crimson poor Rolyn had taken the spear in the eye.
Now they were outnumbered two to one, and the only option.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Was run make for the trees.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
The Old Crow's voice rang out in Elvish, and by instinct,
Derrenni and the three others who were still alive obeyed.
The dwarves did not join them, but stood their ground.
Derenni knew that, with their proud race, to die in combat,
especially when greatly outnumbered, was considered desirable. Not so were
the elves, who valued their skins above their legacies, including
(06:01):
the Old Crow and Doretti. Five elves broke free of
the trader's hut and sprinted for the tree line. The
Orcs were not long and taking up pursuit. It took
mere moments for them to butcher the meager Dargan resistance,
and then they gave chase. Dorani's heartbeat banged in his
ear drums as he raced to the tree line and
then beyond. Whereas they had been laboring all day long,
(06:25):
the Orcs were fresh, and soon the whooping calls of
their enemy could be heard, getting louder by the second.
That's why, when they reached a small clearing, the old
Crow called a halt. Though winded, he managed to get
out a breathless command, You.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
And the others go ahead, I'll stay and delay them.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Deranni hesitated, shaking his head no. Using the Old Crow's
real name, he gasped.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I'm not going to leave you to fight them alone, Rayma.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
The old Crow rounded on him with intensity, and I'm
not asking now go. Don't you make this beef nothing.
Derenni was compelled. He sped off after his fellows, who
had not waited. Hours later, exhausted, de Rennie arrived home.
The arrival of his fellows had already stirred up a
commotion in the settlement, but the Orcs did not follow.
(07:18):
He and the others were safe. The Old Crow, however,
would never be seen again. That new detail in Dernni's
backstory is my attempt to use the event meaning develop intrigues.
Deranni's memory of the escape from the Orcs at the
trader's Hut is a source of guilt, because ever since
(07:40):
that day he has wondered if he should have disobeyed
the Old Crow and stayed to fight beside him. Perhaps
if he had, they both might be alive now. While
not precisely an intrigue, I think the idea of Durnni
questioning his decision gets the job done, if obliquely so,
I guess I need a new pair of words from
the Mythic Tables using deep percentile fifty two and forty one.
(08:06):
Those roles give me adjourn advice adjourn. I'm going to
be honest. I had to look up this word to
be really sure it meant where I thought it didn't.
I thought it would indicate to end or terminate, as
in meeting adjourned, But the dictionary says it actually means
to put off until later or postpone postpone advice. HM,
(08:29):
no idea is coming to mind, but I'm sure it'll
make sense when the time is right. While I have
the story on pause, I'm also going to do hex
crawl rolls for day thirty four. A quick note to
say that even though I will begin the next section
of the story in the morning, I'll update the spells
available list in advance, both for those that will be
newly memorized and for those I anticipate will be used
later in the day, namely chords, spells of looking plants
(08:52):
and animals, and create water. With that said, we're ready
to begin for weather and eighteen. The day is slightly
overcast and cool, even better for traveling than it has
been of late stumble upon. The four means no result
forging with courts help two. These lands seem to be
(09:13):
quite bountiful, judging by recent forging roles. I'll figure out
exactly what this looks like in the narrative. But before
I do that, there's a wandering encounter role to make.
Hoping for a low roll here, Nope, I got a five.
So there will be an encounter. Maybe with some luck,
it'll be another sketchbook encounter, will it? I see Judge
(09:41):
thirty seven, Part two, Day thirty four, one and a
half days from their destination early morning mythic event meaning
adjourned advice party status Achillia thirteen of thirteen, hit points
eighteen of eighteen, de Rennie sixteen of sixteen, ten Tier
(10:07):
nineteen of nineteen, fair Wind twenty six of twenty six,
Flicker fifteen of sixteen. After receiving one point of natural
healing supplies, the companions have eight portions of food remaining
Spells available. Achille can cast in large message, glitter dust
(10:29):
and detect evil. Cord can cast entangle and slow poison.
Fair Wind can cast cure late wounds and protection from evil.
What what? What is the matter?
Speaker 1 (10:49):
You were moaning in your sleep and crying out, de Rennie,
your face was all screwed up too.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Like this, Achillie contorted her face into an exaggerated copy
of the distress she'd seen on the else. Dernie sat
up and ran his fingers through his hair, which he
found to be damp with cold sweat. He rubbed his eyes.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
I heard a very intense dream.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
That that is all.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
We all had strange dreams, just like last night. I
think Fairwind is right. There's something different about these.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Lands, something that hadn't ever occurred to her intruded on
Achille's thoughts. At that moment, She turned to Courd.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I suppose you've never had a dream before, have you?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
She asked? The construct twisted back and forth to indicate
that he had not.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
No, of course you wouldn't have. You don't sleep, but
it must seem a very strange thing. Then, to hear
us talking about ours, the side.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
To side motion served as a shrug.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
I wonder what you dream about, if you could.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
She trailed off, suddenly noticing.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Something cord come closer, the.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Pink flower that Derni had received from the dry head
and had in turn given to the contr seemed now
to be attached to his barkie chest. Achillea pointed it out, adding.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
And I'm positive that you're taller than when we started out.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Even Fairwood, who had known Cord for the shortest amount
of time out of all of the companions, was aware
that Cord had been going through changes, changes that showed
no sign of stopping. I know I have a wandering
encounter to figure out, but before I do that, I
need to take Chord through the level up process. Because
(12:30):
today he reaches the level five, he'll get a D
six of new hip points rolling for that six. Wow,
eighteen goes to twenty four. This is a good level
up already. Next, a quick check with the books to
see if anything special happens for a druid at fifth level. Okay,
so there's good news and bad news. The bad news
(12:53):
is that no special ability is unlocked at this stage,
though Court's connection with Robin will continue to develop, and
you know, I think going forward this improvement will get
passed on to the bird. The very good news is
that level five blows open a Druid's ability to cast
spells now in addition to Cord's two first and two
second level spells. He will be able to cast one
(13:15):
a third and one a fourth. Since these are inate
abilities and not spells or prayers, I'll rule that he
gets access to these right away. Like before, I'm rolling
at random to see what they'll be. For his third
level spell like power, Cord will get a three. Is
hold Animal fantastic? It takes no imagination to see how
(13:36):
that might be useful. Now for the fourth level spell liability,
it's going to be a four. Gives me speak with Plants.
I mean, it's perfect. The dice gods continue to thrill
and delight. A quick look at these spell descriptions tell
me that hold Animal can work on multiple animals and
can affect giant animals too. Speak with Plants could be
(13:58):
used to gather information, can clear a path, and it
can be used on plant based monsters. HM, isn't that interesting?
Chapter thirty seven, Part three, Day thirty four, one day
(14:20):
from their destination afternoon mythic event meaning adjourn advice party status.
The party status is unchanged, with the exception of Cord,
who may now also cast old Animal and speak with Plants.
Acid points have increased to twenty four out of twenty four.
(14:46):
This day was a little unusual in that Robin, who
typically spend every single hour perched on Cord's head or shoulder,
flew on ahead. Every so often he would return, pipe
something into the wooden man's painted ear, and then fly
off again. The companions were walking in single file, with
Tentier a little ways ahead scouting. He was followed by
(15:08):
do Renni, then court with fair Wind, Flicker and Achillie
in the rear. The half elf and the cleric of
Sadal were discussing their dreams and exchanging theories about the
nature of the region they currently traversed. This drew ireful
glances from Dorrenni, who preferred to walk in silence and
had been irritable all day because of his own dreams.
You prey too much, Achillie had said, at one point,
(15:30):
catching a look, Dornni had scowled, and she had laughed,
which made Flicker bark excitedly in a nearby woods. The
distant sound of a dog barking caused a sleek black
feline shape to tents ears lifted a low growl started
(15:50):
in the back of its velvet black throat. After rolling
for a wandering encounter and determining that there would be one.
I then rolled on a subtable to see what kind
it would be. It was not as I'd hoped, another
(16:11):
sketchbook encounter. Instead, I got a five, which indicated exotic, dangerous.
For that, I needed to make a sub sub table
with about six options. It took me forever to find
six good candidates, which came as a surprise. I thought
it'd be easy, but as I looked through the Basic,
then the Expert rules, and then the Monster Manual one,
(16:33):
Fiend Folio, and Monster Manual two, I came across very
few candidates that would work. In the end, I came
up with the following potential monster encounters. On a one,
there would be two owl bears, on a two to
one displacer beast on a three, one or more evil
tree monster or whatever that might end up being on
(16:53):
a four, a hydra, on a five two etter caps,
and on a six two or three needle men. I
probably don't need to tell you what I rolled. In
the afternoon, right after Robin returned from one of his trips,
Cord called a halt. He pointed first to a woods
(17:14):
a mile or so distant and slightly off course, then
to the spot on his abdomen, where his stomach would
be if he'd possessed one. The others took his meaning
and adjusted their march in the direction of the woods.
As they came closer, they could see that it was
dense with growth ferns, bushes, maples, and further in sumac
(17:35):
with its easily recognizable fuzzy red berries. These berries were
edible and had a tangy, lemony flavor. Ten Tier predictably
did not partake of the sumac berries and instead miserably
crunched on dry massa bell. The elven food made of
moss and algae had a fairly bland flavor, and ten
Tier did not dislike it. All the same, He felt
(17:57):
depressed once again, knowing he might never taste to berries again.
Sprite's curses could not be removed, and many of them,
especially the minor ones like his, lasted forever. He stared
at his boots as he chewed. It was not a noise,
but a sudden feeling of being washed that made the
young elf lift his head and look up into the
(18:17):
branches of a nearby maple. When he did, he saw
a pair of bright green eyes with vertical pupils staring
back down at him, with massam bell crumbs still stuck
to his lips. He muttered, Oh no, there is a
displacer beast in the tree within pouncing distance of the party,
(18:38):
but it is not tend to the creature is really
intent on. This kind of monster, which is essentially a
large black panther with six legs and a pair of
barbed tentacles growing from its shoulders, hates blink dogs. The
expert rules specifically says they will quote always attack them
and anyone traveling with them unquote, so uh, no need
(18:59):
for a reaction role. In other words, other than being
tough and deadly, displacer beasts also have a special ability.
They always appear three feet from their actual position, which
makes them hard to hit. Mechanically, this is represented by
subtracting two from any two hit roles made against them.
The displacement ability also gives the creature a plus two
(19:19):
on all saving throws. Statwise, displacer beasts have an armor
class of sixteen, Their tentacles each two two to eight
points of damage on a hit, and they have six
hit dice. This particular one has thirty hit points, which
is above the min out of twenty four so it's
a pretty big one. Additionally, even though the rules don't
(19:40):
give it any special ability to stock and ambush prey,
I think it should have this ability, so I will
rule that in this encounter, the party can be surprised,
but the monster cannot. Here's the role for surprise. Yikes,
I got a one, So the party is caught off
guard and the monster will get one free attack as
combat begins and during combat. Round one surprise round with
(20:13):
a hiss, the Displacer Beast launches itself a flicker. It
gets two attacks with its tentacles and needs an eleven
to hit the Blink Dog's armor class of fifteen. Here
come the rolls. An eighteen and a nine means one
of those tentacles does connect, doing five points of damage
from its barbed pad that rips a bloody path along
(20:34):
Flicker's haunch. The blink Dog yelps in surprise, then surges forward,
barking with savage ferocity as its enemy prepares to pounce again.
Round two initiative the party a three, the Displacer Beasts
a two. While caught flat footed, the party member's instincts
(20:54):
take over and their weapons are out in a flash.
Flicker is the first to attack, blinking away and then
right behind the Displacer Beast jet The sixteen is required
to hit, but an eleven is not enough. He was
not reflecturate expected it to be, and in fact, its
position seems to shift and swim in front of everyone's
eyes as a thing which was about it. Next up
(21:16):
is ten Tire, who's the first to see the monster.
He strikes with the sword of leir Haane, needing a
fifteen to hit a fifteen, connects and does four points
of damage. The Displacer Beast's blood is almost invisible against
its glossy black fur. During He is next, needing a
sixteen to hit a four. The ELF's sword carves through
(21:38):
the air fully two feet to the left of the
creature's actual position. Its course turn boom natural twenty Court
is figured out the monster's special defense. He aims for
the spot next to where he thinks it should be
and cleaves the monster four twelve points of damage. This
(21:58):
brings the Displacer Beasts down to just fourteen hit points,
less than half its maximum. It'll have to pass a
morale check to stay in this fight. But before we
get to that, fair Wind is up Unlike Court, the
cleric is baffled by the monster's dissolving after images. He'll
need an eighteen to hit with his cudgel A ten.
Missus Achille pulls out her dagger, waiting for the right
(22:20):
moment to throw it, but the melee is too thick
with allies for her to find a clear shot. She
holds her action. Now it's the displacer Beast's turn. Unfortunately
for it and fortunately for the PCs, it lost the initiative,
meaning Flicker is able to blink away before it can counterattack,
worse or better depending on your perspective. It must also
(22:42):
make a morale check. The rules assign this monster a
morale of eight, so on two six, a nine or
better means it will flee. I got a seven, so
it will stay and fight now. Even though I think
it's the hatred of blink dogs that keeps it here,
I still think there's a chance this monster will change targets.
A one to two on D six means it will
the roll A one. It does, the new target will
(23:05):
be fair wind an odd choice, but we'll chalk it up.
Do the hat a battle. It is round three initiative.
The party one the Displacer Beast A six fair wind
is standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Both of the creature's tentacles whip out, and they only
eight A six to hit his terrible ac of ten.
(23:28):
Here come the rolls, A seventeen and a nine, predictably
both hit, ripping across the clerics more or less exposed
flesh four a total of nine points four. It's the
pieces turned to fight back with luck to get in
the fight. This round, Flicker blinks in and strikes low,
(23:49):
going for one of the enemy's six powerful legs, but
a five misses ten tier is next an eleven No good.
Can Durni connect this time? He needs sixteen? A twelve
means he cannot. The displacer Beast moves in such a
way as to take full advantage of its special ability.
It faints left and right, leaving a fading residual onion
(24:11):
skin image behind. Cord picked out the pattern last round.
Can you do it again? At nineteen, Cord, you are
truly my hero. His axe will do just three points
of damage, but the forest floor is now wet with
displacer beast blood. It has just eleven hit points remaining
(24:35):
fair one strikes. A twelve is not enough a Killia,
unable to find an opportunity to throw her knife, dashes
in to try to stab the beast. She'll need an
eighteen to hit it. A nine is a miss. Well,
so much for ending the fight this round. We move
on to round four. Initiative the party, the six, the
(24:56):
displacer beast A six. Everyone clashes all at once. Will
the monster change targets this round? A two, Yes it will.
Who will it be? Ah? That makes sense. Recognizing the
greatest threat to its survival, the muscular catlike monster coils
and springs at Cord an eight and a thirteen. That's
(25:16):
one hit. Cord takes six points of damage as a
barbed tentacle slashes across his barki front. The wooden construct
retaliates a six. He was not expecting the sudden assault,
and the best he can do with his axe is
to deflect one of the incoming tentacles. Flicker blinks in
and goes for the monster's throat. A sixteen just hits
(25:40):
damages four points. A brutal strike, but content your land
another blow He'll certainly try. A nine misses. Durnni is
up Boom natural twenty. Wow, that is two in one fight,
and I see there's no need to roll damage. With
just seven hit points left, even a roll of one
(26:01):
will kill it because of the crid. This time, Danni
takes a second to study the creature's movements. He notices
that its blood is not dripping from where the monster
appears to be, so he aims his blade for the
space to its right and above the blood half. There's
a satisfying crunch as the tip of the sword pierces
the monster's throat, emitted a throaty gargle. The monster convulses
(26:25):
and drops to the ground dead. Thanks for listening to
Tale of the manticor if you'd like to support the show,
there are many ways to help. You can recommend it
online or to friends. You can like Edery posts episode
announcements on social media. You can pick up a Tale
of the manticor T shirt at Bare Arts dot store
(26:47):
or one of my offerings on drive through RPG. Rating
and reviewing the show on your favorite podcatcher is always
helpful too. Thanks to my awesome listeners for their continued support.
Speaking of awesome listeners, at this time, i'd like to
read a listener review This one is from Matt on Audible.
Matt writes, I discovered this podcast through an interview with
(27:07):
the creator. I must say I'm even more impressed with
and addicted to this story than I could have expected.
This is such an original concept. I highly recommend this,
especially for old school gamers and fantasy geeks. Thanks very much, Matt.
Reviews like this really do mean the world to me.
I'm so glad that you discovered the show and that
you're enjoying it. I really appreciated that you took the
(27:28):
time to write a review too. Cheers to all old
school gamers and fantasy geeks everywhere. Cheers are also due
to my cast of voice actors. Today it's Kylin and
Kevin Barringer giving us Derenni and Tentier, and these two
fine actors are joined by Chris Oldcrowe Atkinson in the
role of Well in the role of the Old Crow.
Thanks very much, Kylin, Kevin and Chris. For those curious
(27:52):
to learn more about Tale of the Madicor, I keep
a blog where I post all kinds of show and
RPG related stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts, and shown up.
You can find it at Tale ofthemanticor dot com to
get in touch with me. I'm at Solo Roleplayers Network
dot com, Tale of themanticor dot Blues Guide Social, Tale
of the medicor podcast on Instagram, or Tale of themanticre
(28:12):
at gmail dot com. Please get in touch. I would
love to hear from you. The adventure will continue on
the next episode or Tale of the manticor It's the
story where chaos roles
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