November 1, 2025 • 26 mins
An Acorn in a Pile of Acorns: Tale of the Manticore is a hybrid solo-actualplay D&D game and full production audiodrama. I use Dungeons & Dragons B/X (OSR). This is a dark fantasy tale made for a mature audience.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, this is Dan from Legends from the Fireside. You're
listening to Tale of the Manticor. The following podcast is
intended for a mature audience. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome
(00:30):
back to Tale of the Manticor 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
(00:51):
none will be spared if the dice decide their fate
is at hand. According to Laura, the Tale of a
Manticor is barbed with cruel iron spikes. There will be
much pain in the days ahead. Last time the Tale
(01:15):
of the Mandicor, the previous chapter begins with the party
members speculating over the nature of their fallen enemy. The
Displacer Beast, is clearly a creature of magic, which supports
the theory that the land they now travel is different.
The companions continue their journey in search of the historian
odoak Zygog, but their progress is halted when a terrible
(01:35):
storm comes in. When the rain becomes too heavy for
them to keep going, the companions are forced to take
shelter in the hallowed out bowl of a giant oak.
Poor do Renni had been suffering even before the downpour
soaked them all to the skin. He'd relived a bad
memory in his dreams every night since they discovered de Roath,
and it was beginning to take a toll on his spirit.
(01:56):
In a brief segment that changes the story's point of view,
we learn that the ouk Kippins of the Iron Tower
are in possession of the missing second Scroll of Galandol,
presumably there in this region search for the Golden Path,
just like the Dorothi had once done. We also learn
that the master and servant relationship between vimgrim Atrash and
Bellario is not as it first appeared. We returned to
(02:19):
the Companions in the morning after the storm has passed,
to find Dureni gone. While Tantier goes off to find
him and to make sure he's all right, Achilia, Fairwind
and the others are left to wait, hanging their clothes
in the sun to dry. The Song of the Woods
(02:40):
verse three.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
A darkling sky, a mossy bed, What dangers of the
wild reside the fox and fawn in silence, hide and
twilight shows the path ahead. Here Toad's jewels ring a
secret glade where faylight's flicker soft and in time forgets
which way to go. Smells are spoken and dreams are made.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Chapter thirty nine, Part one, twenty two years ago. Her
curved sword leaned against the front door, untouched now for
many weeks. Her leather armor, not necessary, had been folded
and stored away in a wardrobe. Eulalon sat by Aldveay's fireplace,
(03:35):
wearing a simple linen shirt. Her platinum colored hair was
plaited in twin braids and draped one over each shoulder.
There was a pink blush to her cheeks. In fact,
her entire being radiated happiness and health. She was in
love and living in a dream of contentedness. There was
another reason for her glow as well. Presently, Aldvei came
(03:57):
up the stairs in the basement. When he looked at Ulalon,
his face lit up as if he was seeing her
for the first time ever since he had found her
asleep in the woods. It had been this way his
love renewed itself every time he saw her shape. Every
time he heard her voice or touched her skin in
his hands, Oldtvey clutched a soft feathered thing. It is
(04:20):
not very skillful, he said in Elvish, showing her his work.
Oldvey had been learning to speak Elvish for almost three
months now, studying and practicing every day. Although Elvis was
not a simple language for a human, Aldve had a
gifted intellect and could learn just about anything he put
his mind to. It helped that he was also motivated
as never before. By this time he could already express
(04:43):
most of what he wished to say. My hands are
not very he searched for the word, but could not
find it. Yulaloon's face lit up with a smile, and
her golden eyes shone fasting. She supplied steady, just so,
said Oldvay in his own eyes crinkled in mirth.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Vestren, bring in here.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Said Ulalon. Oldvey did as he was bid and placed
the object on the table beside the Elfin woman, who
picked it up. That morning, Aldve had gone out to
catch a fish, but instead had come home with a
wounded bird cradled in his hands. Must have fallen from
its nest, he had explained, The two of them had
(05:25):
tried to nurse the little bird, a red breasted robin,
back to health, but their efforts had failed, and the
sweet little thing had died. Ulalon had then shown aldvais
something secret to the elves, something that they were forbidden
to share with anyone outside their race. It was a
magical incantation that could allow the castor to extract a
tiny wisp of their own soul and imbue life into
(05:48):
something inanimate. The spell will not bring the bird back
to life, Ulalon had explained, but it will give it
a kind of new life, a partial soul. With that,
she had spoken the arcane syllables and pulled a tiny
strand of spirit manner from her own soul. Plucking it
from her very breath, she placed it into the bird,
(06:09):
which Altvey had taxi jermy to per her instructions. It
immediately twitched a leg. Now it is your turn, she said.
Alva carefully recited the spell as she had tottered to
him and exhaled, drawing a wisp of his soul from
within and transferring it to the stuffed bird to mingle
with ulaloons. One grayish brown wing spasmed, then twitched again,
(06:31):
and then suddenly both wings fluttered and the bird flew
up into the rafters, where it piped excitedly, staring down
at them with its glass bead eyes. Ulaloon held out
an elegant finger, and the bird fell off the beam
into a dive to a light on her knuckle. Life
said Oldveay. Life agreed Ulaloon, nodding. Then Alvey smiled broadly
(06:53):
once again and looked at Yulaloon's abdomen. She had her
free hand cupped over a soft bump that was now
growing there. The wizard and the elf looked at each
other and laughed. Chapter thirty nine, Part one day thirty six,
(07:16):
within one day of their destination morning mythic event meaning
abandoned anger party status Achillee thirteen of thirteen, hit points
court twenty four of twenty four, der Any sixteen of sixteen,
(07:37):
ten Deer nineteen of nineteen, fair Wind nineteen of twenty six.
After receiving one point of natural healing Flicker sixteen of
sixteen supplies, the companions have no food. Remaining spells available.
Achille can cast in large message glitter dust and detect evil.
(08:03):
Cord can cast entangle slow poison hold animal and speak
with plants. Fair ones can cast cure like wounds and
protection from evil. Tentyre found de Rennie without too much trouble.
He knew his brother well, and when he saw the
(08:25):
secluded and shady grove of juniper tucked behind a knoll,
his intuition told him this is where he'd be, and
sure enough, there he was. De Renning didn't look up
at Tendre's approach, nor when his brother took a seat
on the springy ground beside him and placed a hand
on his back. He merely continued to study the toes
of his boots. Finally, he said, it's torture.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Ten tier, you had.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
The dream, again, asked the younger elf gently. Dournnie nodded
and bit his lip.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
It is so real, and it is forcing me to
remember some details that I had tried hard to forget.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
The number of orc voices you mean, tintereresque. He had
heard the story and knew very well how deeply the
experience had wounded his brother. No more than three, said
de Rennie. It was almost a whisper.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
We might have made a stand together.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
It wasn't your fault, de Rennie. The old crow gave
you an order, The other laughed joylessly.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Ha ha, and what do you think about following orders?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
It was a fair point, at least as far as
Derenni knew. He believed that his always rebellious brother had
defied their parents order by joining with him on this quest.
Tender pursed his lips and patted de Renni's back.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Fair enough, he finally said, But you made the best
decision you could at the time, and that's all anyone
can do. What if you'd stayed behind to fight and
four of them had shown or.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Six, I'd have my honor at.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Least, came the bitter reply de Rennie. Tender began squeezing
his brother's shoulder.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
You are the most honorable person I know.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
There followed another moment of silence.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Then de Rennie said, go back to the others, tell
them I am well and we'll rejoin you soon. Just
just give me a little more.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Time, all right, said ten Teer, getting to his feet.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
But don't still in your emotions too long, brother.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
He walked away. De Rennie did not reply. When Tender
returned to the sight of the hollow oak, he found
the trees branches festooned with damp clothing, the half naked
fair One staring off into the distance in a fully
(10:55):
naked Achillia carefully going over Kord's body. She heard him coming, called.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Out, come here, Tenttier, and look at this.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Unlike Fairwind, ten Tire had not been raised to be
embarrassed by nudity, so he joined Achillie to see what
she was so excited about. He noticed right away the
single pink flower the dryad had given to Dorni and
who had in turn given to Chord, had not only
attached itself to the Construct's body, but had multiplied. There
were three pink blossoms now, all in a cluster right
(11:23):
in the middle of his chest. Achillia pointed out several
sprouting twigs on his shoulders, forearms, and hands, and a
patch of moss on Cord's left hip.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
At this rate, you'll be a whole forest before long.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Achillie told her friend, what do you think it means?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
As ten Tire, I have no idea what it means,
but it's marvelous.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Nonetheless, she said, beaming.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Cord, you are beautiful.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
The Construct bowed in the thanks, creaking, while Robin piped
a reprimand into his painted ear for the sudden movement,
Achillie decided to change the subject.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
He found her any.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I take it she had lost any concern when she
saw ten tears return. His easy gait had not signaled
any alarm. He'll be fine. He just needs some time
alone to work through some bad memories. He has been
having dreams, you know, nightmares. Really, Achillia nodded, we need
to wait.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
For our things to dry before we go on anyway,
Speaking of which, I really don't know which way we
should go next. Farwint has discovered a lake, he thinks,
and there are several pictures of lakes in Aodok's sketchbook,
so we might stop by looking there.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
It makes sense we'd find him by a lake. True. Still,
I wonder if our quest is now going to resemble
looking for a particular acorn in a pile of acorns.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Achillia gave him a quizzical look, unfamiliar with the elvin idiom.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
I just mean trying to find one man in all this.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
He waved in all directions at the rolling lands covered
in thick forests, then at the mountains to the north.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
I don't know how we can possibly do that.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
The scene in which Tentier counsels his older brother was
born out of my mythic event meaning abandoned anger, and
it in turn gave me an idea for a little
twist in the siblings relationship dynamic. I try to drop
a hint of it in their exchange. Did you catch it?
Either way? I'll circle back to it later on. At
the moment, I need a new event meaning pair, So
(13:22):
here we go using deep percentile forty nine and sixty eight.
All right, that gives me harm rumor hmm, you know
that's pinging something in my brain. But nah, I'm not
quite sure just yet. I'll put it aside for now
because there's a second reason I stopped the action. In
addition to the new event meaning pair, I also need
(13:45):
to roll on my wandering encountertable. This is because in
the last episode I determined that there would be one
this day, but I didn't figure out what it would
be this close to Odoak's home. I think a small
adjustment to the current table is in order. The existing
one one goes like this on a D six A
one is a sketchbook event A two giant animals or
(14:06):
insects three fay four or five exotic dangerous creature six
some kind of minor boon like found equipment, supplies or information.
I'm going to change that to the following. On a
D six A one to two is a sketchbook event.
Three giant animals or insects four FAY five exotic dangerous
(14:28):
creature six some kind of clue that will get the
PCs closer to Odokes home. And here's the role. I
get A one that's a sketchbook event. And as for
which sketch to use, we won't be random this time.
I know the right one. All right, Let's take a
quick ad break. When we return, we'll see what the
PCs have discovered. Chapter thirty nine, Part two, D thirty
(14:59):
six within one day of their destination late morning mythic
event meaning harm rumor party status. The party status is unchanged.
De Rennie took more time than Tener had expected for
him to rejoin the group. When he did, he did
(15:20):
so with that explanation or apology. He merely showed up
and began to pack up his things, which by now
had been dried by the sun and taken down from
where they'd be hung from the tree branches. When Achillie
turned as though to speak with him. His expression darkened
and he minutely recoiled. It was clear he did not
want to talk about his absence, but Achillee surprised him
(15:42):
when she simply.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Asked, you found some fishoks andsm the threat back in
De Ros.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Didn't you do any With audible relief, the elf replied.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Ah, yes, yes I did. The hooks are in that
leather wallet over there. There is a wooden s somewhere too,
still in my back perhaps.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Achillea located the items quickly and continued as though nothing
had been amiss.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
That morning, thewin thought he saw a lake some miles
in that direction, and Hino says he can definitely see it.
We're going there, and I'm going to catch a fish.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
The thought of a proper meal brought a smile to
everyone's face, even to Rennie's. Soon the companions were packed
and headed northeast in the direction of Fairwind's Lake. About
an hour later they reached its stony shoreline, but long
before that they realized there was something special about it.
There's no question, achille had said, excitedly, when they were
(16:37):
still several hundred yards away.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
That lake is in the book, see that island there
with the three tall pines with the smaller rocky part
poking out of the water in front.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Dahlfel forced the others to wait while she pulled out
the sketchbook and turned to the proper page. Then she
held it up to show that she was right. The
page was an exact match of the vista before them.
Odok had captured every last detail too. There was a
mountain on the right side that seemed to lean into
the frame as though not wanting to be left out,
(17:08):
and there was a dark clump of pines filling the
hollow of a mountain slope. On the other The charcoal
penciled strokes showing the surface of the lake even rippled
slightly in the breeze, just as it did in real life.
Achilia got a little thrill knowing she was standing in
the same spot where Odok had once stood, and once
again she felt a renewed sense of purpose and hope.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
We are so close. Acorns be damned. I just know
where going to find him to day.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
You know, I had really wanted to use the metaphor
of a needle in a haystack, but I couldn't do that.
Unless I put the words in a fair Wind's mouth.
The cleric is the only member of the party who
would know what a haystack was. An acorn in a
pile of acorns is a bit harder to grock, but
it's also a bit more poetic and certainly more believable
as an alpin idiom. But I digress. The point I
(18:00):
really want to make Intenter did make is that even
though the companions have reached the area where Odok did
his sketches, it doesn't mean they can find his home.
I will grant that the recluse does live in these parts,
but where and how could the Pieces possibly find a
cottage or whatever kind of place he lives in in
the middle of a massive forest. I can't use the
(18:21):
old plume of smoke from the chimney trick. If that
was there, Achilia's group would have seen it long ago,
and from miles off. Also, I've used that device already
when the Pieces first met fair Wind. This acorn pile
problem is something I had been wondering how to address
for some time, But then back in episode thirty seven,
the dice Gods threw an answer in my lap when
(18:43):
Cord leveled up Achillia, Cord fair Wind, de Rennie, and
Tantier sat in a line on the lake shore, with
their boots in a pile behind them and their bare
feet in the cool water. The flicker was lying on
her back beside the half elf, showing her belly and
(19:03):
asking to be stroked, but Achillie's hands were busy. She
had fashioned a rod from a willow branch and tied
tor Rennie's hook and thread to the end. A worm
provided bait. Occasionally she gave the line a light jerk,
but if there were any fish in this lake, they
were not tempted by it. By now, it was late afternoon,
and Achillia's confidence in catching a tasty lunch was beginning
(19:25):
to crumble.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
If nothing bites in the next few minutes, we should
probably get moving.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
She said, But we have no idea where to look.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Tantier had replied. This problem of being so close and
yet completely unsure where to go next was one each
of them had been struggling with, and perhaps that's why
they had spent so long here trying to catch a fish.
If the alternative was just to pick a random direction
in the hopes of stumbling across Odoke's home, since no
one had actually put a voice to the concern for
(19:55):
some time. It was not until this moment that Chord
stood up and stepped up the shore hers embankment, causing
Robin to peep in protest at the sudden movement. The
wooden construct walked back to the willow from which Achillie
had taken her makeshift fishing rod, and placed his dowel
fingers against his trunk. From where the others sat twisting
(20:16):
in place to see what their companion was up to.
It looked like Cord was about to embrace the willow,
but he just stood there for several moments with his
fingers touching the bark. Achilie was nonplussed. She was about
to say something when several of the willow's branches side
down all around Cord, gently curving around him. A moment passed,
(20:37):
and then the branches released him. As Cord walked back
to rejoin the others, he turned his painted face towards Robin,
still perched on his shoulder, and some silent communication seemed
to pass between the two of them. Then the stuffed
bird took off into the air. Cord has just cast
(20:58):
speak with plants to ask the willow if it knew
of any human animals in the area. While the spell's
description doesn't give a lot of detail about how much
it can accomplish, it is, after all, a fourth level spell,
so I will allow that the willow can provide substantial
and useful information. It answers that, yes, there is one
human who comes sometimes and just sits on the ground,
(21:20):
apparently doing nothing. Cord follows by asking when the human
animal was there last, and the willow replies very recently. Unfortunately,
this is meaningless. What is a day or a week,
or a month or even a year to a willow,
Almost any length of time would be recently. Lastly, Chord
asks which direction the human animal comes and goes from,
(21:42):
adding that they're seeking this person. The willow has roots
that run deep, and it could communicate with some of
the other trees in the area, so I will rule
that it can provide a general direction. Court then thanks
the willow and ends the spell. Next, he tells Robin
telepathically to go and look for any signs of a
man made dwelling in the direction the willow provided. He
(22:03):
adds that the place would probably look similar to their
own home in Willowvale, and with that Robin flies off
on his mission. As a DM, I am satisfied that
the use of these abilities will be enough to allow
the companions to find the place they seek. The only
question is how long it will take. Let's say that
Robin will return in one D six times ten minutes.
(22:23):
Here's the role. Okay, that's forty minutes in terms of
distance for the party to cover two hours feels about right.
Chapter thirty nine, Part three, d thirty six within one
day of their destination late afternoon mythic event meaning harm
(22:47):
rumor party status. The party status is unchanged, with the
exception of Court, who is used to spell of speak
with plants. Return and less than an hour after flying
off and returned to his perch on Cord's shoulder, he
twittered his findings into the constructs painted on ear and
(23:08):
Cord creaked his torso forward as though to tell the others, yes,
Robin has found something. Leaving the serene, cool beauty of
the lake would not have been such an easy thing
but for the palpable excitement of knowing that the end
of their long quest was close at hand. Soon Achillia
would have her meeting with the famous historian, and she
would have her answers too.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Just a little longer, vappi Achilia thought.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
The group trekked east, keeping the mountains to the left,
weaving their way between rolling hills. Some of these were forested,
but others were covered in tall grass, and a few
were of bald gray rock. All the while the sun
shone over them, warming their skin. After an hour or so,
they passed a flat topped hill covered in tall grass.
(23:54):
There was no reason to climb this hill, it was
not in their path. But if they had been given
reason to walk to the top, the companions would have
found a flattened circle of grass thirty feet across the
top it. Somehow Robin had missed it, or else did
not have the capacity to understand what it indicated, and
so had paid the mark of the iron tower no Heed.
(24:14):
Ignorant of all this, the party pressed on. Robin would
fly ahead and return, frequently tweeting some minor coarse correction
into Chord's ear each time. Finally, the stuffed bird came
back and settled on top of Kord's head instead of
his shoulder. The others knew at once what this must mean.
That they were very close, and indeed they were. For
when they broke through the next line of trees, they
(24:36):
saw it. A little cottage barely more than a hut,
really sheltered under a cherry blossom tree, with a small
pond to one side and a garden to the other.
But something was not right. Oh no, breathed tent tyr
a Chilia. I am truly sorry, intoned de Rennie. The
(24:58):
garden was overgrown, the cottage was in ill repair. The
place looked for all the world, as though it had
sat abandoned for years. Thank you for listening to Tale
of the Mandicor if you'd like to join the many
wonderful folks who support the show, there are a bunch
(25:20):
of ways to help. You could recommend the show online,
went to friends. You can like and repost episode announcements
on social media, pick up a Tale of the Mandicore
t shirt at bare Arts dot store or one of
my products on drive through RPG. And of course, you
can rate and review the show on your favorite Podcascher.
Everything helps, and I am very grateful. Today i'd like
to read a review from Apple Podcasts left by cockleshell Boy.
(25:43):
Cockle shell Boy writes quite simply an utterly fantastic piece
of work. I can't recommend it highly enough. It actually
got me back into solo gaming. Love seeing how the
dice determine the story. Thank you so much for that review,
cockleshell Boy. I'm always excited to hear when someone is
drawn back to the hobby after hearing the show. It's
about the highest praise I can imagine, and so cheers
(26:03):
for that. Next, let's shine a light on my great
cast of voice actors. Today's episode features Andrew Flag and
Lizier Dick as Oldve and Ulalon. They're joined by regulars
Kayellen and Kevin Barringer, who played Duranty and tent Here
as usual. Maya thanks to all four actors who contributed
to this episode. For those curious to learn more about
Tale of the Mantagre, I keep a blog where I
(26:25):
post all kinds of show and RPG related stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts,
and show notes. You can find it at tale of
Themanticore dot com. To get in touch with me, I'm
at Solo Roleplayers Network dot com, Tale of themanticor dot
Bluesky dot Social Tale of the Manticore podcast on Instagram.
Or Tale of themanticre at gmail dot com. The adventure
will continue on the next episode, a Tale of the
(26:47):
manticor it's the story. We're chaos goals
Hi, this is Dan from Legends from the Fireside. You're
listening to Tale of the Manticor. The following podcast is
intended for a mature audience. Listener discretion is advised. Welcome
(00:30):
back to Tale of the Manticor 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
(00:51):
none will be spared if the dice decide their fate
is at hand. According to Laura, the Tale of a
Manticor is barbed with cruel iron spikes. There will be
much pain in the days ahead. Last time the Tale
(01:15):
of the Mandicor, the previous chapter begins with the party
members speculating over the nature of their fallen enemy. The
Displacer Beast, is clearly a creature of magic, which supports
the theory that the land they now travel is different.
The companions continue their journey in search of the historian
odoak Zygog, but their progress is halted when a terrible
(01:35):
storm comes in. When the rain becomes too heavy for
them to keep going, the companions are forced to take
shelter in the hallowed out bowl of a giant oak.
Poor do Renni had been suffering even before the downpour
soaked them all to the skin. He'd relived a bad
memory in his dreams every night since they discovered de Roath,
and it was beginning to take a toll on his spirit.
(01:56):
In a brief segment that changes the story's point of view,
we learn that the ouk Kippins of the Iron Tower
are in possession of the missing second Scroll of Galandol,
presumably there in this region search for the Golden Path,
just like the Dorothi had once done. We also learn
that the master and servant relationship between vimgrim Atrash and
Bellario is not as it first appeared. We returned to
(02:19):
the Companions in the morning after the storm has passed,
to find Dureni gone. While Tantier goes off to find
him and to make sure he's all right, Achilia, Fairwind
and the others are left to wait, hanging their clothes
in the sun to dry. The Song of the Woods
(02:40):
verse three.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
A darkling sky, a mossy bed, What dangers of the
wild reside the fox and fawn in silence, hide and
twilight shows the path ahead. Here Toad's jewels ring a
secret glade where faylight's flicker soft and in time forgets
which way to go. Smells are spoken and dreams are made.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Chapter thirty nine, Part one, twenty two years ago. Her
curved sword leaned against the front door, untouched now for
many weeks. Her leather armor, not necessary, had been folded
and stored away in a wardrobe. Eulalon sat by Aldveay's fireplace,
(03:35):
wearing a simple linen shirt. Her platinum colored hair was
plaited in twin braids and draped one over each shoulder.
There was a pink blush to her cheeks. In fact,
her entire being radiated happiness and health. She was in
love and living in a dream of contentedness. There was
another reason for her glow as well. Presently, Aldvei came
(03:57):
up the stairs in the basement. When he looked at Ulalon,
his face lit up as if he was seeing her
for the first time ever since he had found her
asleep in the woods. It had been this way his
love renewed itself every time he saw her shape. Every
time he heard her voice or touched her skin in
his hands, Oldtvey clutched a soft feathered thing. It is
(04:20):
not very skillful, he said in Elvish, showing her his work.
Oldvey had been learning to speak Elvish for almost three
months now, studying and practicing every day. Although Elvis was
not a simple language for a human, Aldve had a
gifted intellect and could learn just about anything he put
his mind to. It helped that he was also motivated
as never before. By this time he could already express
(04:43):
most of what he wished to say. My hands are
not very he searched for the word, but could not
find it. Yulaloon's face lit up with a smile, and
her golden eyes shone fasting. She supplied steady, just so,
said Oldvay in his own eyes crinkled in mirth.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Vestren, bring in here.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Said Ulalon. Oldvey did as he was bid and placed
the object on the table beside the Elfin woman, who
picked it up. That morning, Aldve had gone out to
catch a fish, but instead had come home with a
wounded bird cradled in his hands. Must have fallen from
its nest, he had explained, The two of them had
(05:25):
tried to nurse the little bird, a red breasted robin,
back to health, but their efforts had failed, and the
sweet little thing had died. Ulalon had then shown aldvais
something secret to the elves, something that they were forbidden
to share with anyone outside their race. It was a
magical incantation that could allow the castor to extract a
tiny wisp of their own soul and imbue life into
(05:48):
something inanimate. The spell will not bring the bird back
to life, Ulalon had explained, but it will give it
a kind of new life, a partial soul. With that,
she had spoken the arcane syllables and pulled a tiny
strand of spirit manner from her own soul. Plucking it
from her very breath, she placed it into the bird,
(06:09):
which Altvey had taxi jermy to per her instructions. It
immediately twitched a leg. Now it is your turn, she said.
Alva carefully recited the spell as she had tottered to
him and exhaled, drawing a wisp of his soul from
within and transferring it to the stuffed bird to mingle
with ulaloons. One grayish brown wing spasmed, then twitched again,
(06:31):
and then suddenly both wings fluttered and the bird flew
up into the rafters, where it piped excitedly, staring down
at them with its glass bead eyes. Ulaloon held out
an elegant finger, and the bird fell off the beam
into a dive to a light on her knuckle. Life
said Oldveay. Life agreed Ulaloon, nodding. Then Alvey smiled broadly
(06:53):
once again and looked at Yulaloon's abdomen. She had her
free hand cupped over a soft bump that was now
growing there. The wizard and the elf looked at each
other and laughed. Chapter thirty nine, Part one day thirty six,
(07:16):
within one day of their destination morning mythic event meaning
abandoned anger party status Achillee thirteen of thirteen, hit points
court twenty four of twenty four, der Any sixteen of sixteen,
(07:37):
ten Deer nineteen of nineteen, fair Wind nineteen of twenty six.
After receiving one point of natural healing Flicker sixteen of
sixteen supplies, the companions have no food. Remaining spells available.
Achille can cast in large message glitter dust and detect evil.
(08:03):
Cord can cast entangle slow poison hold animal and speak
with plants. Fair ones can cast cure like wounds and
protection from evil. Tentyre found de Rennie without too much trouble.
He knew his brother well, and when he saw the
(08:25):
secluded and shady grove of juniper tucked behind a knoll,
his intuition told him this is where he'd be, and
sure enough, there he was. De Renning didn't look up
at Tendre's approach, nor when his brother took a seat
on the springy ground beside him and placed a hand
on his back. He merely continued to study the toes
of his boots. Finally, he said, it's torture.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Ten tier, you had.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
The dream, again, asked the younger elf gently. Dournnie nodded
and bit his lip.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
It is so real, and it is forcing me to
remember some details that I had tried hard to forget.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
The number of orc voices you mean, tintereresque. He had
heard the story and knew very well how deeply the
experience had wounded his brother. No more than three, said
de Rennie. It was almost a whisper.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
We might have made a stand together.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
It wasn't your fault, de Rennie. The old crow gave
you an order, The other laughed joylessly.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Ha ha, and what do you think about following orders?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
It was a fair point, at least as far as
Derenni knew. He believed that his always rebellious brother had
defied their parents order by joining with him on this quest.
Tender pursed his lips and patted de Renni's back.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
Fair enough, he finally said, But you made the best
decision you could at the time, and that's all anyone
can do. What if you'd stayed behind to fight and
four of them had shown or.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Six, I'd have my honor at.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Least, came the bitter reply de Rennie. Tender began squeezing
his brother's shoulder.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
You are the most honorable person I know.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
There followed another moment of silence.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Then de Rennie said, go back to the others, tell
them I am well and we'll rejoin you soon. Just
just give me a little more.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Time, all right, said ten Teer, getting to his feet.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
But don't still in your emotions too long, brother.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
He walked away. De Rennie did not reply. When Tender
returned to the sight of the hollow oak, he found
the trees branches festooned with damp clothing, the half naked
fair One staring off into the distance in a fully
(10:55):
naked Achillia carefully going over Kord's body. She heard him coming, called.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Out, come here, Tenttier, and look at this.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Unlike Fairwind, ten Tire had not been raised to be
embarrassed by nudity, so he joined Achillie to see what
she was so excited about. He noticed right away the
single pink flower the dryad had given to Dorni and
who had in turn given to Chord, had not only
attached itself to the Construct's body, but had multiplied. There
were three pink blossoms now, all in a cluster right
(11:23):
in the middle of his chest. Achillia pointed out several
sprouting twigs on his shoulders, forearms, and hands, and a
patch of moss on Cord's left hip.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
At this rate, you'll be a whole forest before long.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Achillie told her friend, what do you think it means?
Speaker 2 (11:38):
As ten Tire, I have no idea what it means,
but it's marvelous.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Nonetheless, she said, beaming.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Cord, you are beautiful.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
The Construct bowed in the thanks, creaking, while Robin piped
a reprimand into his painted ear for the sudden movement,
Achillie decided to change the subject.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
He found her any.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
I take it she had lost any concern when she
saw ten tears return. His easy gait had not signaled
any alarm. He'll be fine. He just needs some time
alone to work through some bad memories. He has been
having dreams, you know, nightmares. Really, Achillia nodded, we need
to wait.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
For our things to dry before we go on anyway,
Speaking of which, I really don't know which way we
should go next. Farwint has discovered a lake, he thinks,
and there are several pictures of lakes in Aodok's sketchbook,
so we might stop by looking there.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
It makes sense we'd find him by a lake. True. Still,
I wonder if our quest is now going to resemble
looking for a particular acorn in a pile of acorns.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Achillia gave him a quizzical look, unfamiliar with the elvin idiom.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
I just mean trying to find one man in all this.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
He waved in all directions at the rolling lands covered
in thick forests, then at the mountains to the north.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
I don't know how we can possibly do that.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
The scene in which Tentier counsels his older brother was
born out of my mythic event meaning abandoned anger, and
it in turn gave me an idea for a little
twist in the siblings relationship dynamic. I try to drop
a hint of it in their exchange. Did you catch it?
Either way? I'll circle back to it later on. At
the moment, I need a new event meaning pair, So
(13:22):
here we go using deep percentile forty nine and sixty eight.
All right, that gives me harm rumor hmm, you know
that's pinging something in my brain. But nah, I'm not
quite sure just yet. I'll put it aside for now
because there's a second reason I stopped the action. In
addition to the new event meaning pair, I also need
(13:45):
to roll on my wandering encountertable. This is because in
the last episode I determined that there would be one
this day, but I didn't figure out what it would
be this close to Odoak's home. I think a small
adjustment to the current table is in order. The existing
one one goes like this on a D six A
one is a sketchbook event A two giant animals or
(14:06):
insects three fay four or five exotic dangerous creature six
some kind of minor boon like found equipment, supplies or information.
I'm going to change that to the following. On a
D six A one to two is a sketchbook event.
Three giant animals or insects four FAY five exotic dangerous
(14:28):
creature six some kind of clue that will get the
PCs closer to Odokes home. And here's the role. I
get A one that's a sketchbook event. And as for
which sketch to use, we won't be random this time.
I know the right one. All right, Let's take a
quick ad break. When we return, we'll see what the
PCs have discovered. Chapter thirty nine, Part two, D thirty
(14:59):
six within one day of their destination late morning mythic
event meaning harm rumor party status. The party status is unchanged.
De Rennie took more time than Tener had expected for
him to rejoin the group. When he did, he did
(15:20):
so with that explanation or apology. He merely showed up
and began to pack up his things, which by now
had been dried by the sun and taken down from
where they'd be hung from the tree branches. When Achillie
turned as though to speak with him. His expression darkened
and he minutely recoiled. It was clear he did not
want to talk about his absence, but Achillee surprised him
(15:42):
when she simply.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Asked, you found some fishoks andsm the threat back in
De Ros.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Didn't you do any With audible relief, the elf replied.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Ah, yes, yes I did. The hooks are in that
leather wallet over there. There is a wooden s somewhere too,
still in my back perhaps.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Achillea located the items quickly and continued as though nothing
had been amiss.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
That morning, thewin thought he saw a lake some miles
in that direction, and Hino says he can definitely see it.
We're going there, and I'm going to catch a fish.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
The thought of a proper meal brought a smile to
everyone's face, even to Rennie's. Soon the companions were packed
and headed northeast in the direction of Fairwind's Lake. About
an hour later they reached its stony shoreline, but long
before that they realized there was something special about it.
There's no question, achille had said, excitedly, when they were
(16:37):
still several hundred yards away.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
That lake is in the book, see that island there
with the three tall pines with the smaller rocky part
poking out of the water in front.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Dahlfel forced the others to wait while she pulled out
the sketchbook and turned to the proper page. Then she
held it up to show that she was right. The
page was an exact match of the vista before them.
Odok had captured every last detail too. There was a
mountain on the right side that seemed to lean into
the frame as though not wanting to be left out,
(17:08):
and there was a dark clump of pines filling the
hollow of a mountain slope. On the other The charcoal
penciled strokes showing the surface of the lake even rippled
slightly in the breeze, just as it did in real life.
Achilia got a little thrill knowing she was standing in
the same spot where Odok had once stood, and once
again she felt a renewed sense of purpose and hope.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
We are so close. Acorns be damned. I just know
where going to find him to day.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
You know, I had really wanted to use the metaphor
of a needle in a haystack, but I couldn't do that.
Unless I put the words in a fair Wind's mouth.
The cleric is the only member of the party who
would know what a haystack was. An acorn in a
pile of acorns is a bit harder to grock, but
it's also a bit more poetic and certainly more believable
as an alpin idiom. But I digress. The point I
(18:00):
really want to make Intenter did make is that even
though the companions have reached the area where Odok did
his sketches, it doesn't mean they can find his home.
I will grant that the recluse does live in these parts,
but where and how could the Pieces possibly find a
cottage or whatever kind of place he lives in in
the middle of a massive forest. I can't use the
(18:21):
old plume of smoke from the chimney trick. If that
was there, Achilia's group would have seen it long ago,
and from miles off. Also, I've used that device already
when the Pieces first met fair Wind. This acorn pile
problem is something I had been wondering how to address
for some time, But then back in episode thirty seven,
the dice Gods threw an answer in my lap when
(18:43):
Cord leveled up Achillia, Cord fair Wind, de Rennie, and
Tantier sat in a line on the lake shore, with
their boots in a pile behind them and their bare
feet in the cool water. The flicker was lying on
her back beside the half elf, showing her belly and
(19:03):
asking to be stroked, but Achillie's hands were busy. She
had fashioned a rod from a willow branch and tied
tor Rennie's hook and thread to the end. A worm
provided bait. Occasionally she gave the line a light jerk,
but if there were any fish in this lake, they
were not tempted by it. By now, it was late afternoon,
and Achillia's confidence in catching a tasty lunch was beginning
(19:25):
to crumble.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
If nothing bites in the next few minutes, we should
probably get moving.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
She said, But we have no idea where to look.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Tantier had replied. This problem of being so close and
yet completely unsure where to go next was one each
of them had been struggling with, and perhaps that's why
they had spent so long here trying to catch a fish.
If the alternative was just to pick a random direction
in the hopes of stumbling across Odoke's home, since no
one had actually put a voice to the concern for
(19:55):
some time. It was not until this moment that Chord
stood up and stepped up the shore hers embankment, causing
Robin to peep in protest at the sudden movement. The
wooden construct walked back to the willow from which Achillie
had taken her makeshift fishing rod, and placed his dowel
fingers against his trunk. From where the others sat twisting
(20:16):
in place to see what their companion was up to.
It looked like Cord was about to embrace the willow,
but he just stood there for several moments with his
fingers touching the bark. Achilie was nonplussed. She was about
to say something when several of the willow's branches side
down all around Cord, gently curving around him. A moment passed,
(20:37):
and then the branches released him. As Cord walked back
to rejoin the others, he turned his painted face towards Robin,
still perched on his shoulder, and some silent communication seemed
to pass between the two of them. Then the stuffed
bird took off into the air. Cord has just cast
(20:58):
speak with plants to ask the willow if it knew
of any human animals in the area. While the spell's
description doesn't give a lot of detail about how much
it can accomplish, it is, after all, a fourth level spell,
so I will allow that the willow can provide substantial
and useful information. It answers that, yes, there is one
human who comes sometimes and just sits on the ground,
(21:20):
apparently doing nothing. Cord follows by asking when the human
animal was there last, and the willow replies very recently. Unfortunately,
this is meaningless. What is a day or a week,
or a month or even a year to a willow,
Almost any length of time would be recently. Lastly, Chord
asks which direction the human animal comes and goes from,
(21:42):
adding that they're seeking this person. The willow has roots
that run deep, and it could communicate with some of
the other trees in the area, so I will rule
that it can provide a general direction. Court then thanks
the willow and ends the spell. Next, he tells Robin
telepathically to go and look for any signs of a
man made dwelling in the direction the willow provided. He
(22:03):
adds that the place would probably look similar to their
own home in Willowvale, and with that Robin flies off
on his mission. As a DM, I am satisfied that
the use of these abilities will be enough to allow
the companions to find the place they seek. The only
question is how long it will take. Let's say that
Robin will return in one D six times ten minutes.
(22:23):
Here's the role. Okay, that's forty minutes in terms of
distance for the party to cover two hours feels about right.
Chapter thirty nine, Part three, d thirty six within one
day of their destination late afternoon mythic event meaning harm
(22:47):
rumor party status. The party status is unchanged, with the
exception of Court, who is used to spell of speak
with plants. Return and less than an hour after flying
off and returned to his perch on Cord's shoulder, he
twittered his findings into the constructs painted on ear and
(23:08):
Cord creaked his torso forward as though to tell the others, yes,
Robin has found something. Leaving the serene, cool beauty of
the lake would not have been such an easy thing
but for the palpable excitement of knowing that the end
of their long quest was close at hand. Soon Achillia
would have her meeting with the famous historian, and she
would have her answers too.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Just a little longer, vappi Achilia thought.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
The group trekked east, keeping the mountains to the left,
weaving their way between rolling hills. Some of these were forested,
but others were covered in tall grass, and a few
were of bald gray rock. All the while the sun
shone over them, warming their skin. After an hour or so,
they passed a flat topped hill covered in tall grass.
(23:54):
There was no reason to climb this hill, it was
not in their path. But if they had been given
reason to walk to the top, the companions would have
found a flattened circle of grass thirty feet across the
top it. Somehow Robin had missed it, or else did
not have the capacity to understand what it indicated, and
so had paid the mark of the iron tower no Heed.
(24:14):
Ignorant of all this, the party pressed on. Robin would
fly ahead and return, frequently tweeting some minor coarse correction
into Chord's ear each time. Finally, the stuffed bird came
back and settled on top of Kord's head instead of
his shoulder. The others knew at once what this must mean.
That they were very close, and indeed they were. For
when they broke through the next line of trees, they
(24:36):
saw it. A little cottage barely more than a hut,
really sheltered under a cherry blossom tree, with a small
pond to one side and a garden to the other.
But something was not right. Oh no, breathed tent tyr
a Chilia. I am truly sorry, intoned de Rennie. The
(24:58):
garden was overgrown, the cottage was in ill repair. The
place looked for all the world, as though it had
sat abandoned for years. Thank you for listening to Tale
of the Mandicor if you'd like to join the many
wonderful folks who support the show, there are a bunch
(25:20):
of ways to help. You could recommend the show online,
went to friends. You can like and repost episode announcements
on social media, pick up a Tale of the Mandicore
t shirt at bare Arts dot store or one of
my products on drive through RPG. And of course, you
can rate and review the show on your favorite Podcascher.
Everything helps, and I am very grateful. Today i'd like
to read a review from Apple Podcasts left by cockleshell Boy.
(25:43):
Cockle shell Boy writes quite simply an utterly fantastic piece
of work. I can't recommend it highly enough. It actually
got me back into solo gaming. Love seeing how the
dice determine the story. Thank you so much for that review,
cockleshell Boy. I'm always excited to hear when someone is
drawn back to the hobby after hearing the show. It's
about the highest praise I can imagine, and so cheers
(26:03):
for that. Next, let's shine a light on my great
cast of voice actors. Today's episode features Andrew Flag and
Lizier Dick as Oldve and Ulalon. They're joined by regulars
Kayellen and Kevin Barringer, who played Duranty and tent Here
as usual. Maya thanks to all four actors who contributed
to this episode. For those curious to learn more about
Tale of the Mantagre, I keep a blog where I
(26:25):
post all kinds of show and RPG related stuff like sketches, maps, tables, crafts,
and show notes. You can find it at tale of
Themanticore dot com. To get in touch with me, I'm
at Solo Roleplayers Network dot com, Tale of themanticor dot
Bluesky dot Social Tale of the Manticore podcast on Instagram.
Or Tale of themanticre at gmail dot com. The adventure
will continue on the next episode, a Tale of the
(26:47):
manticor it's the story. We're chaos goals
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