Timothy (DM)

Welcome to Shadows of Prophecy, a D&D real play podcast where we will find out what it takes to become a hero, face our darkest fears, and pull ourselves out of a pit of despair. Shadows of Prophecy is Dungeons and Dragons podcast with violent themes and adult language. Listener discretion is advised.

Timothy (DM)

With us today to traverse through adventures of loss and tragedy, we have: myself, Timothy, as our ambivalent DM; Dan, as our compassionate healer, Wren; Kara, as the paladin, Valeska "Vale" Leone, (codename Goldfinch); and Russell, as the monk Elawarin "Ela" Firhael (codename Robyn).

Timothy (DM)

Join us as we enter the Shadows of Prophecy.

Timothy (DM)

Prologue: A World Unravels.

Timothy (DM)

Chapter Four - They Stalk at Night.

Timothy (DM)

You're peering into the room. It's very dark, but you can make out the shapes. So, there is a large round table in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs, and there is a glass orb in the center of the table, and then to the other wall is an altar with a giant demon's skull.

Russell (Robyn)

Well, that don't seem good. [Dan laughs] I'm gonna very gently close the door and tiptoe back to Goldfinch.

Timothy (DM)

All right--

Kara (Goldfinch)

What was in there?

Russell (Robyn)

There's a big, like, dead skull thing, and like, real bad, like, demonic maybe? There's also a table. I don't know if that's as important, umm... Oh, and a crystal ball. I don't know, it looks like some weird, um, source magic stuff.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Did it look like there's like something inside the crystal ball? Like, was there light emanating--

Russell (Robyn)

I didn't get that close. When I see a giant demon skeleton, that's when I wait for backup.

Kara (Goldfinch)

I don't blame you. [Tim laughs]

Timothy (DM)

You did notice that the whole temple, it does have torches, torch sconces, along the wall; none of them are lit right now, and give me a Perception check.

Russell (Robyn)

12.

Timothy (DM)

All right, the further you get into the temple, the colder it feels.

Russell (Robyn)

Wow, it's mighty chilly in here. Goldfinch, are you gettin' cold?

Kara (Goldfinch)

I mean, I'm part Goliath, so Idon't notice anything very much, but do I see like our breath, like there's like a chill?

Timothy (DM)

Not that cold.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Okay.

Timothy (DM)

But yeah.

Kara (Goldfinch)

[sigh] This seems very suspicious, but there's no people here, there's nothing-nothing that could harm the townsfolk.

Russell (Robyn)

Wellll...

Kara (Goldfinch)

I mean, if we don't touch anything... perhaps.

Russell (Robyn)

Wellll...

Kara (Goldfinch)

Was the... was the skull, like, larger than, like,...

Russell (Robyn)

It was big, yeah...

Dan (Wren)

Yeah, it was like five foot in diameter.

Russell (Robyn)

Just yeah. This is a giant demon skull, um--

Kara (Goldfinch)

Can't be good.

Russell (Robyn)

Maybe we should just... I know it's stone, but maybe we should try burnin' it down? [Tim laughs]

Kara (Goldfinch)

I think I need to get-- we should get Wren over here.

Dan (Wren)

I imagine I would have made around by then.

Timothy (DM)

So, Wren has finished their perimeter at this point--

Dan (Wren)

Uneventful?

Timothy (DM)

Completely uneventful.

Dan (Wren)

Beautiful.

Timothy (DM)

You see into the vestibule on the other side. It is identical. There is a small table, cobwebs, dirt, all that jazz. You make your way around, and you see Goldfinch and Robyn talking in hushed tones.

Kara (Goldfinch)

We kind of wave you over.

Dan (Wren)

Alright, I'll make my way over. What did you find?

Russell (Robyn)

So, in the inner chamber, there's a table.

Dan (Wren)

Okay.

Russell (Robyn)

There's a crystal ball

Dan (Wren)

All right.

Russell (Robyn)

And there's also this really giant demon skull on like an altar. [Dan laughs] I think the table's okay, but the demon skull? It just... givin' me real bad vibes.

Dan (Wren)

I look over at Goldfinch.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Apparently, that's within there.

Russell (Robyn)

I mean, the crystal ball might be worth something. I dunno.

Dan (Wren)

Okay, we're not going to TOUCH anything.

Kara (Goldfinch)

We're both lookin' at... we're both looking at Robyn, like, "We're not touching it." [laughs]

Russell (Robyn)

[cheerfully] You can't see her facial expression because she's wearing a mask!

Kara (Goldfinch)

Just, like, an impassive fox face starin' back.

Russell (Robyn)

You just see the glowing green eyes [blink, blink, blink, blink].

Dan (Wren)

I'm going to push open the door slightly and also peek in. I, however, do not have dark vision. Well, let me clarify. I am part elf, but not so much as half-elf, like, It's like--

Kara (Goldfinch)

Quarter-elf

Dan (Wren)

--some... somewhere in my past lineage, Wren's family member boinked an elf. So, Wren has, like, slight elven features? Like, his ears are mildly pointed, he's got, like, sharp facial features and has, like, really fair skin, but... but, like, other than that, he's... looks very human, so he just has, like, these very mild features, so I don't know how his, uh, I, uh, guess his dark vision...

Timothy (DM)

Give me a d4.

Dan (Wren)

What's-what's the word I'm looking for? The trait that's passive, not passive...?

Russell (Robyn)

I crept up with Wren, and I'm behind him, peeking over Scooby Doo-style through the door. [Tim laughs]

Dan (Wren)

That's a three.

Timothy (DM)

Okay, see, you have some pseudo-dark vision.

Dan (Wren)

Gotcha.

Timothy (DM)

So, it's still very dark in there. You can't really make out a lot of the shapes in the room. The light coming in from the vestibule is dim, but lights the way a little bit. So, you can see the table, you can see that there's chairs around it. You can see that there's something along one of that... the walls, and you're very cold.

Dan (Wren)

Can I make out if the, like, cobwebs are just as thick in here as they are in the vestibules or are they more cleared out?

Timothy (DM)

So, in the doorway, there aren't really cobwebs per se.

Dan (Wren)

[whispered] Damn it.

Russell (Robyn)

Oh no, looks like the spiders know not to go in there.

Timothy (DM)

Cobwebs tend to cling to corners and furniture, and with your pseudo dark vision, you cannot see them on the furniture--

Russell (Robyn)

That also make sense--

Timothy (DM)

--from this distance.

Russell (Robyn)

--rather than the spiders being afraid.

Dan (Wren)

Robyn, are there cobwebs and dust and whatnot on the table or does it look used? I can't tell.

Timothy (DM)

It's covered in cobwebs and dust.

Russell (Robyn)

Yeah, it's covered in cobwebs.

Dan (Wren)

And you said there's a skull somewhere? Yeah, I can't make it out.

Russell (Robyn)

It's like to left, like, you're gotta stick your head in a little bit more. I start pushing you a little.

Dan (Wren)

Okay, okay, alright

Timothy (DM)

There is a torch sconce on the wall in the vestibule.

Dan (Wren)

[spotting the obvious trap] Yeah, I'm not gonna do that. [Tim and Dan laugh]

Russell (Robyn)

But, also...

Dan (Wren)

What about the skull, uh, is the skull just as cobwebby as well? Can you tell?

Timothy (DM)

Yes.

Russell (Robyn)

Yes, it is.

Dan (Wren)

Okay, so I don't think anyone's been here in a long time.

Russell (Robyn)

So, we should investigate, right?

Dan (Wren)

No, we should close the door and leave.

Russell (Robyn)

But, what if what if the skull animates in the middle of the night? Like, what if it's a nocturnal skull terr-- all right,

Kara (Goldfinch)

There's cobwebs; I assume if it is nocturnal and comes alive, somehow the cobwebs would be disturbed.

Dan (Wren)

Right, and it hasn't been alive in how many years if that's the case?

Russell (Robyn)

It does make sense.

Dan (Wren)

So, I'm not going to risk it for maybe, I guess four or five days worth of time.

Russell (Robyn)

In my 400 years of livin', this is the first church of this aesthetic that I've seen. So, I will trust your judgment.

Dan (Wren)

Alright, so I'm gonna slowly creak the door closed...

Timothy (DM)

Yeah--

Dan (Wren)

--and to move on with our lives. [laughs]

Timothy (DM)

As you're closing the door, Robyn, [subdued "no" from Russell], you do notice something else, now that you're taking a second look.

Dan (Wren)

[softly] Oh no!

Timothy (DM)

You notice that along the top of the chamber are a bunch of carved symbols: there is a hand raised in flame that points towards the sky; there's something that looks like almost like a half-demon, half-boar face; there's a flaming skull; and then there is a flaming sword, and these symbols are just repeated, the four of them, repeated over and over and over again along the top of the chamber.

Russell (Robyn)

Do I recognize any other religious or cult significance?

Timothy (DM)

Give me a Religion check.

Russell (Robyn)

[singsongy] Zero. That's a 5.

Timothy (DM)

Absolutely not.

Russell (Robyn)

Wait, Wren. Do you just see the things on the ceilin'?

Dan (Wren)

[exasperated] I could barely see the table.

Russell (Robyn)

Right, uh, I mean, it's more like spoopy flamin' hands and stuff and demon--

Dan (Wren)

And religious symbols?

Russell (Robyn)

I mean yeah,

Dan (Wren)

Okay, I'm not surprised by that. It seems like who-- whatever group of people took up shop here was worshipping something, something big.

Russell (Robyn)

Right, we should burn it down, right?

Dan (Wren)

[exasperated sigh] No.

Russell (Robyn)

Okay.

Dan (Wren)

We'll just leave it be--

Russell (Robyn)

Alright.

Dan (Wren)

It'll be fine.

Russell (Robyn)

Yeah. [Tim rolls dice]

Dan (Wren)

I hate that. I hate it. Random rolls: hate it. [Dan laughs]

Timothy (DM)

I love them, they're my favorite!

Kara (Goldfinch)

'Cause you're the DM. [Tim laughs]

Timothy (DM)

All right. You just close the door, backup, and?

Kara (Goldfinch)

This temple's, like, only a few hundred yards from the camp, right?

Timothy (DM)

Yes.

Dan (Wren)

And there's no other, like, stone ruins or anything around it. This is, like, isolated. An isolated cathedral?

Timothy (DM)

You haven't seen anything, no.

Dan (Wren)

Okay?

Timothy (DM)

Yeah.

Dan (Wren)

Weird, but I mean, like, if you're doing creepy cult shit, I-I would hide it too. [Dan and Russell laugh]

Russell (Robyn)

And then other than the cobwebs, it's in pretty good shape, right?

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, it's like a little crumbling on the stone, but, like, all the carvings and the gargoyles are... the features are clear, um.

Dan (Wren)

Just dulled.

Timothy (DM)

You notice the stone is, like, particularly old. It seems like it was once, like, a lighter gray, and it's just gotten darker and darker and darker over the ages, but the stone itself hasn't crumbled.

Russell (Robyn)

Oh wait, you said it hasn't crumbled?

Timothy (DM)

There's like little crumbling, but--

Russell (Robyn)

I want to rip off like a pebble-sized chunk and put it in my pocket.

Timothy (DM)

Yeah. Does anyone want give me, like, a History check?

Dan (Wren)

Sure. Yeah.

Timothy (DM)

I guess, depending on how many ruins and structures of age you have been in...

Russell (Robyn)

That's a 2.

Timothy (DM)

Okay.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Timothy (DM)

Dan (Wren)

That's a 4.

Timothy (DM)

Okay, so Goldfinch, having been a paladin, and gone through lots of training and old temples and stuff, [Russell laughs] you've been in, like, really old... and been accustomed to, like, what happens to older stone, as it ages, especially, like, the bricks. So, any of the brickwork, anything that's formed from like cement, it crumbles after like a couple hundred years and has to be repaired. It also discolors, but if you were to break something off, you would see the original color underneath, and you kind of see that in some places to see, like, the original cement color, and it's very light, and the outside of this building is very, very dark, like, it's almost black, but the crumbling isn't happening... to the extent that you would expect it to.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Wonder if it's been protected by something. Could I just sort of... like, looking at this building, can I feel any magical sense emanating from it?

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, give me an Arcana.

Kara (Goldfinch)

No, natural 1.,

Dan (Wren)

Bleh. We're doing well.

Timothy (DM)

And give me a Religion.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Timothy (DM)

13, so you feel some sort of energy. You can't quite make it out, but based on your paladin training, it doesn't feel of a divine source; it feels more of an arcane source, but you really... you don't have much training in arcane.

Kara (Goldfinch)

No... I'm feeling some kind of... pattern here with the demonic skull and the moons and this arcane sense. This feels very, I mean, obviously very cultish. Not sure I want to bother with this.

Timothy (DM)

So, at this point, the sun has reached the horizon, and the sky has begun to turn orange and pink as it starts to tuck behind the hills.

Russell (Robyn)

We should, uh, probably head back and check on the villagers.

Kara (Goldfinch)

I think so too. We'll keep an eye on anything coming out of the woods from this direction, but I feel like might be okay since we didn't hopefully start anything off.

Dan (Wren)

We didn't do much, so we should be fine.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Yeah.

Timothy (DM)

Everybody gives me a Perception check. [a small "no" from Dan and Kara]

Kara (Goldfinch)

16.

Dan (Wren)

That's a dirty 20.

Russell (Robyn)

14.

Timothy (DM)

All right, so as you all turn around to start walking back to camp, you make your way down the stairs, and you start exiting the forest. When, Wren, you notice footprints, bare footprints, leading from a bush in the forest out towards the edge and stopping.

Russell (Robyn)

Can we clarify which kind of bear: like, like bare feet or like--

Timothy (DM)

Bare feet.

Russell (Robyn)

--or like "aaarrr" bear feet?

Dan (Wren)

[laughing] Bear feet or bare feet?

Timothy (DM)

All right, bare feet. Yeah, bare feet and almost wet. They're wet footprints in the dirt that start in a bush, lead out a little ways, and then stop right at the edge of the camp.

Dan (Wren)

Our camp, the camp was set up with the people?

Kara (Goldfinch)

And it just stops, like it's disappeared?

Timothy (DM)

Just stops

Russell (Robyn)

Wait do I see this too with my 14?

Timothy (DM)

There's only one set of footprints, and then you all get alerted to this, and you can all see it.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Does it look like dwarven feet?

Dan (Wren)

It... was the hermit barefoot?

Timothy (DM)

Give me a History check.

Russell (Robyn)

[strained] Oh no!.

Kara (Goldfinch)

[singsongy] Do you remember?

Russell (Robyn)

12?

Timothy (DM)

You don't think that they were barefoot... there was a lot going on, so you can't be sure, but you think you saw, like, leather shoes?

Russell (Robyn)

I can't quite recall. I was a little worried about running from him when he was throwing brambles at me. So, uh, yeah, I don't know, but this is suspicious.

Dan (Wren)

Well, at least for tonight, we should set up a watch.

Kara (Goldfinch)

I don't like how close it is to a camp, we should probably get to a camp.

Russell (Robyn)

Without saying a word, Robyn's gonna get down on her hands and knees and sniff the footprints.

Timothy (DM)

All right. Do you have a particular skill that this is associated with?

Russell (Robyn)

Do I get the same smell that was on the hermit? Because it was distinct, right?

Timothy (DM)

Give me a Perception check.

Dan (Wren)

That's a good point.

Timothy (DM)

It was very distinct.

Russell (Robyn)

That's a nat 1.

Timothy (DM)

You smell the dirt, and it gets up into your nose and causes you to sneeze.

Russell (Robyn)

[achoo] Oh, darn it! Now I gotta clean this thing. [Tim laughs] And I just get up.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Heading back?

Dan (Wren)

Yeah, let's head back to camp.

Timothy (DM)

All right, so you make your way back into camp.

Dan (Wren)

People are alive, yeah?

Timothy (DM)

People are alive--

Dan (Wren)

'K, good.

Timothy (DM)

--everybody's there. It's calm. People are making food. Everybody is making food. They're finally, like, all set up... for the most part. I mean, there's still some people milling about, putting up tents, and they're all kind of just chatting, collecting all around. [Tim rolls more dice; his first 7]

Dan (Wren)

Rude. It's rude every time.

Timothy (DM)

There will be a lot of those. [laughter]

Kara (Goldfinch)

Can we go up to the mayor and just, like, "we're back from the... making sure that the forest is clear. Is everyone here accounted for?"

Timothy (Mayor Charles)

Yeah, everybody's, uh, accounted for... and, uh, we're all just settling for the night. I want to thank you all so much. This has been a great help having you here. I can't imagine where we would be without you. Oh, completely blindsided. So, thank you.

Dan (Wren)

Of course, um, I recommend that we split your able-bodied people up into groups, those who can defend themselves, just to watch over night, divide them maybe up into three groups and have three sets of watches. One of us will join on each watch, just to make sure nothing happens.

Timothy (Mayor Charles)

All right, I very much appreciate that. [sigh] I'm sure one of these families has plenty to spare if you all want to settle in yourselves. Have a nice warm meal. Can't imagine you've had many of those in the past couple months.

Dan (Wren)

That's very generous of you, um, we do bring our own rations, so we should be okay. We wouldn't want to take away from your resources.

Russell (Robyn)

[inquisitively] Can I see what they're cooking? [Dan laughs]

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, you can see what they're cooking. I mean, there's a lot of different things going on. They grabbed what they had on hand and brought it with them, so... different people have different things. There's a lot of stews situations going on, where they had water, they had lots of random vegetables, random meats, people got together, threw them in a pot, saw what happened. So, that's a lot of what's going on.

Russell (Robyn)

Robyn's gonna turn to the two of you and say, "Well, I don't need as much sleep as you youngins'. So, I'll, uh, take the first watch, and then she immediately turns around towards where they're making soup and shouts "A cat can have kittens in an oven, but that don't make them biscuits!" and start running towards the chefs because she needs to save whatever they're doing.

Timothy (DM)

[sigh]

Dan (Wren)

Wren'll

Timothy (DM)

They look very confused. They've no idea what's going on, but you run on over and you're kinda nudge them out of the way and dive into that pot.

Russell (Robyn)

I just start dumping flour,

Timothy (DM)

Dumping flour into it? Okay. [laughs]

Dan (Wren)

Wren'll turn to Goldfinch and go, "That one was particularly strange, right?"

Kara (Goldfinch)

It was okay. You're not alone in that.

Timothy (DM)

So, yeah, you go on over. You start pouring flour in, do spices and stuff? Like, what do you got goin'? What's your kitchen like?

Russell (Robyn)

I'd like to think I have a spice pouch.

Timothy (DM)

Okay.

Russell (Robyn)

So, I would just start dumping a whole bunch of spices in, flour to thicken it up. Anything else I have, and the goal is to make a soup n' dumplins, so like the flour coagulates and make it a little bit more hearty for these people.

Timothy (DM)

Nice. So, what are you two doing?

Kara (Goldfinch)

Little unnerved by those footprints, so I'm keeping an eye toward the forest and make sure that wherever I set up is like on the edge and, like, pointing towards that area that we came out of. I'm getting settled in, unpacking everything, but still very much in my armor with my sword. Yeah, I'm just like helping where I need to be, like, in the area that I'm set up. Like, I make sure that the families are getting comfortable, have they're packs unpacked, or if they have tents, I can help with that and just be helpful where I can be.

Dan (Wren)

Yeah, Wren's going to set up his tent on the edge of camp near the forest where those footprints were just so he's, like, between them and the footprints and the people. And he'll just kind of, like, sit out by himself, eating his rations, humming to himself, keeping an eye on the forest. [Tim rolls even more dice, his second 7] A blurry dark eye because he can see maybe like 15 feet in the dark. [laughs]

Timothy (DM)

All right. So, you all settle in, go about your business as now the sun finally dips below the hills, and night sets on the camp. [Russell moans] You hear the sounds of owls hooting in the forests, the chitter-chatter of families bonding over meals in these uncertain times, but mostly silence. [rolls more dice, his 3rd 7] I have rolled so many 7s. [laughs]

Russell (Robyn)

But in what context?

Kara (Goldfinch)

I don't know what that means, but I don't like it.

Russell (Robyn)

If it's a d8, that's good, but if that's d20s, that's not so good.

Dan (Wren)

If it's d6s, then we know we're fucked.

Timothy (DM)

They are... it's a d10 and a d8.

Russell (Robyn)

Okay, we're fucked--

Timothy (DM)

It's a random table.

Dan (Wren)

Well, typically higher numbers mean better.

Timothy (DM)

It's a random table I wrote, so there's no rhyme or reason to it--

Russell (Robyn)

So, they're all terrible!

Dan (Wren)

Deeply fucked.

Timothy (DM)

But, 7means nothing. 7 is "no event".

Dan (Wren)

[silently triumphant] Yes, no event.

Russell (Robyn)

Lucky number 7,

Kara (Goldfinch)

We're getting lucky then.

Timothy (DM)

So, you've gotten three sevens in a row. [Kara laughs]

Kara (Goldfinch)

Okay, we'll keep that up. Who's gonna take first watch?

Dan (Wren)

I think we decided that, uh...

Russell (Robyn)

I'm going to do it from a cooking m'station.

Dan (Wren)

Of course you will.

Russell (Robyn)

Oh, wait, I'm sure people will go to bed, though.

Dan (Wren)

Yeah, yeah, mostly concerned people would've been--

Timothy (DM)

And a lot of people are, they're finishing up their dinner. A little late dinner because you had to get here and set up tents and... so, everybody's a little behind schedule, but once the sun is down there is not much to do by torch light, so people start settling in.

Russell (Robyn)

Can I find like a higher vantage point? Even if it's a stack of boxes or something?

Dan (Wren)

Yeah, there's plenty of piles of boxes and crates. There's the caravans or the wagons, which would have a little seat on the front that you could sit in.

Russell (Robyn)

That's okay. I'm going to climb onto a stack of crates and sits cross-legged. Crisscross applesauce? Is that how you say that as an adult?

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, sure.

Russell (Robyn)

And just kind of like, zone out, like, if you were to look at Robyn, she just looks like she's not there, but she's watching...[laughs] I'm watching the treeline. [Tim laughs]

Timothy (DM)

And the two of you retire to your tents?

Dan (Wren)

Yes.

Timothy (DM)

All right. So, the camp dips into quiet, and torches begin to go out as people start heading off to bed. There's still a fire managed in the center of the camp. A couple of the villagers have also decided to do rounds of watches, so you will not be the only person up. There's plenty of people.

Russell (Robyn)

I watch slightly less diligently, knowing that I'm not alone.

Timothy (DM)

But you are watching the treeline, and that's not a concern for the rest of the camp.

Russell (Robyn)

Oh.

Timothy (DM)

So, you've set that up as your... your intention is, like... there's... you want to watch this treeline, and so... I mean they didn't go to the temple, and they haven't talked to the mission.

Russell (Robyn)

I guess we didn't share that information, did we?

Dan (Wren)

[singsongy] Which is for the best, let's not panic everyone! [laughter]

Timothy (DM)

And the sounds of night creep in. You hear the random clamor of people in their tents and the crackling of the torches in the fire. Crickets start there symphony throughout the night as the temperature continues to drop. [Tim continues to terrorize the group with secret dice rolls]

Russell (Robyn)

Aaahh! I wasn't looking and it scared me.

Timothy (DM)

And as you look out into the forest, you notice a light behind... just a random tree, just glowing yellow light, and it catches your attention and as you're looking out staring at it, a... an orb of light peeks out from behind the tree, hovers for a moment, and then sinks into the underbrush and fades away.

Russell (Robyn)

Wow, that might not be harmful? Would I... would I know what that is? It's like a giant firefly, right?

Timothy (DM)

Give me a Nature check.

Dan (Wren)

Monstrous firefly; roll initiative. [whispers] Oh no, are they wisps?

Russell (Robyn)

Probably.12

Timothy (DM)

All right, it does strike you as odd. It does not seem like something that naturally occurs in the forest.

Russell (Robyn)

Can I walk up to the nearest guard?

Timothy (DM)

Like one of the other people tending the fire in the middle of town?

Russell (Robyn)

Yeah.

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, you walk up to them.

Russell (Robyn)

How's it going?

Timothy (DM)

Uh, I mean, it's going ... uhh--

Timothy (DM)

That's nice, I don't really car.

Timothy (DM)

--good evening, uh...

Russell (Robyn)

Did you see that wispy light in the... in the trees? It was like a floating ball of light?

Timothy (DM)

No, I didn't see anything.

Russell (Robyn)

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Timothy (DM)

A floating ball?

Russell (Robyn)

Yeah!

Timothy (DM)

[confused] No.

Russell (Robyn)

"Alright, you're useless." I walk away, and I go find Wren. "Wren" [knocks on wood[

Dan (Wren)

You knock on my tent? Which is made of paper. [Russell and Tim laugh] Yeah?

Kara (Goldfinch)

It's canvas.

Dan (Wren)

Yeah, Wren will, like, cast kinda, like, whatever... what how do you--

Russell (Robyn)

You're taking to long; I stick my head, "Wren!"

Dan (Wren)

[sigh] Robyn.

Russell (Robyn)

Wren, I saw a thing!

Dan (Wren)

Oh, okay. Okay, okay, um... He'll get up and get out of leave his tent. Okay, what... rubbing his eyes, "What did you see?"

Russell (Robyn)

I grab your wrist and lead you to the treeline where I saw it. "There was a floating ball of light over there. Behind that tree!"

Dan (Wren)

A floating ball of light?

Russell (Robyn)

Yeah!

Timothy (DM)

Give me a Nature check.

Dan (Wren)

17.

Timothy (DM)

I mean, you've heard of spirits and stuff before, but yeah, it doesn't naturally occur in the forest. Whatever it was does not belong here.

Dan (Wren)

Did it seem malicious in any way?

Russell (Robyn)

I dunno, I mean, it was yellow--it was white? I'm gonna go get Goldfinch; they're religious, they might know what it is.

Dan (Wren)

Okay, yeah, I'll stay here and keep an eye out.

Russell (Robyn)

Goldfinch!

Kara (Goldfinch)

What?

Russell (Robyn)

There-there's a lighty orby doodad in the forest, and we don't know what it is...or I mean there was, it's not there now.

Kara (Goldfinch)

The forest you say?

Russell (Robyn)

Yeah. Was it in the direction of the temple at all or...?

Timothy (DM)

I mean, the temple is IN the forest, so everything towards the forest is in that direction of the temple. [Dan laughs]

Russell (Robyn)

I mean, maybe it was like a demon orb. I don't know if that's a thing,

Kara (Goldfinch)

I move the-the tent flaps and stick my head out. My head... my hair is like very frazzled. "Nothing good comes out of the forest... Alright, I'll give me a second; I'll put my shit on." I, like, close the flap on Robyn's face and gets ready, smooth down my hair, and armor on just in case and come out.

Russell (Robyn)

"This way!" and I try to lead you by your wrist, but I can't like I [strain sound] and I just stand still

Kara (Goldfinch)

I'm [laughs] just like stone. "Lead the way, I'll follow you."

Russell (Robyn)

I grab you by the finger, then and...

Kara (Goldfinch)

Now, that figures! [laughter]

Russell (Robyn)

It's over here!

Timothy (DM)

Alright, so as Goldfinch is donning their armor, getting themselves out of their tent, Wren, you are still standing at the edge of the forest, looking out to where Robyn had pointed. When...

Dan (Wren)

Oh no...

Russell (Robyn)

Did you take any of your shit with you?

Dan (Wren)

No. [nervous laughter]

Timothy (DM)

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a black blur of motion charging towards you. As your head whips in that direction, you see a cloudy black figure just charging straight at you as a tear opens up in the space in front of you--

Dan (Wren)

Great... [laughs nervously]

Timothy (DM)

--with a crackle of lightning, and it runs straight into it and blips out.

Dan (Wren)

Oh, Wren would... probably would have dived to the ground to get out of the way, so... "Ugh-ugh..." Do I see my compatriots heading over?

Timothy (DM)

So, you stand there for a little bit in silence in the darkness.

Dan (Wren)

Just a little bit, befuddled.

Timothy (DM)

Just a little bit befuddled, a little bit frazzled. And then you hear Robyn and the clamoring of metal plate armor stomping your direction.

Dan (Wren)

Did-did you all see that?

Kara (Goldfinch)

Did we see as we approached? "Not at all."

Dan (Wren)

"Some shadowy figure just, like, charged out of the forest and then disappeared into this, like, portal? I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before. Uh, wait here." and I'm going to run back to my tent and grab, like, my bow and--

Russell (Robyn)

Good call. [laughter]

Dan (Wren)

--and so I, like, putting on my leather armor as I'm like heading back, so I'm, like, hopping over... like, pulling on my pants and, like, putting my shirt on.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Yeah, I'm peering into the forest; I have a torch because I can't... I don't have dark vision, and I have, like, a small torch and am peering into, like, what I assume that direction that you were facing and do I see any, like, remains of what was there or something in the air that just feels different? [more ominous dice rolls from Tim; Russel oomps]

Russell (Robyn)

[whispers] He's counting on his fingers.

Dan (Wren)

[as Tim] "17 dark shadows charge out of the fucking..."

Timothy (DM)

No, no. Oh my gosh. So, you have your torch, and you're peering in this general direction, and you start to notice that passing through the light of your torch is this, like, black wispy smoke, and it's slowly dissipating.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Oh, that's not good.

Timothy (DM)

And then the voices start. [Russell makes a noise]

Dan (Wren)

Absolutely not.

Timothy (DM)

[whispering in rapid succession] It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming...

Russell (Robyn)

[serious whisper] Oh no, we opened the box... and it's coming. [normal] I'm sorry. [Dan and Tim laugh] I couldn't resist!

Dan (Wren)

Someone get it a towel, Jesus. [Russell screams, Tim laughs] Um, do we all hear this? Is it, like, actually audible?

Timothy (DM)

This starts kind of echoing through all of your heads--

Russell (Robyn)

Oh, like inside our heads?

Timothy (DM)

It's, like, all around you, like, just, like, from the--

Dan (Wren)

Surround sound? [laughs]

Timothy (DM)

It's, uh, what's-what's that effect called where it's, like, kind of, like, like, all around you and--

Russell (Robyn)

Reverbing? No...

Timothy (DM)

--randomly reverbing around you--

Timothy (DM)

Yeah

Dan (Wren)

Just coming from different points in space around us?

Russell (Robyn)

Omnidirectional?

Dan (Wren)

Yeah.

Kara (Goldfinch)

We didn't set anything off at the temple, did we?

Russell (Robyn)

I swear I didn't touch nothin'.

Dan (Wren)

I don't think... I don't think we would have; we just peeked in that door.

Kara (Goldfinch)

We just peeked in!

Dan (Wren)

Yeah...

Russell (Robyn)

I pull out my amulet. Is it doing nothin'? Sumpn'?

Timothy (DM)

You pull out your amulet, and the voices silence.

Russell (Robyn)

I put it back. I put it away...

Timothy (DM)

And the voices are gone.

Russell (Robyn)

I think I fixed it?

Kara (Goldfinch)

Is that like a protection amulet, maybe? If that was what the hermit was warning-warning us of? This voice?

Russell (Robyn)

Perhaps?

Kara (Goldfinch)

Hold on to that, maybe.

Russell (Robyn)

All right. I mean, whoever's on watch should probably take it. Am I still on watch? Well, should we all be on watch?

Dan (Wren)

I'm not sleeping any more tonight. That's for sure.

Kara (Goldfinch)

I mean, I can try but...[laughs]

Dan (Wren)

I'll stay up.

Russell (Robyn)

All right, I take it off and I...

Dan (Wren)

No, you're gonna stay with me; you don't sleep! I know this!

Russell (Robyn)

All right. [laughs] I'll meditate next to you.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Should we tell the villagers?... the mayor, at least? [stammers]

Russell (Robyn)

I mean, does he seem like he'd panic?

Dan (Wren)

[sigh] No, but yes. Oh, everyone's looking at me. [sigh] Okay, yeah, we should tell him.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Just the mayor at least, um, just--

Russell (Robyn)

Maybe the guards, too?

Kara (Goldfinch)

Maybe. Just, like, let them know, like, "We're all gonna handle it, but just be careful watching the villagers."

Russell (Robyn)

Oh yes, one might try to go weein' in the woods.

Dan (Wren)

Yeah, DM question.

Timothy (DM)

Yessss,

Dan (Wren)

I'd like to consult my map--

Timothy (DM)

Okay.

Dan (Wren)

--and see if there is potentially another spot that's farther away from the woods

Timothy (DM)

To move the camp?

Dan (Wren)

To move the camp

Timothy (DM)

[heightening] At night?

Dan (Wren)

Maybe...

Timothy (DM)

[laughs] Okay...yeah.

Dan (Wren)

Ok.

Timothy (DM)

So ,you pull out your map, and you start kind of scouting. It's not a super detailed map.

Timothy (DM)

Of course, yeah yeah.

Timothy (DM)

It's been constructed by the scouts from the Wings of Mercy, and so really, it's mostly composed of easy-to-spot landmarks, sites where there are specific resources: water; flat ground, stuff like that. You can see that there were, like, a couple areas in this general vicinity that were kind of scouted for their potential of being camp and... but there are, like, little notes next to each one of them about, like, why, like, they went and they... they, like, made notes about what they found there, and so, like, this camp particularly was closer to a stream, so there was a source of water, and it had coverage from the forest, and that's why it was selected. The other areas were a little bit more out in the open but flat; great places to set up a camp for, like, shorter periods of time if you didn't need to have to access water or something like that.

Dan (Wren)

Gotcha. I will wake the mayor. Find his tent.

Timothy (DM)

Alright.

Dan (Wren)

Sorry, mayor's wife. [Tim laughs] Knock-knock-knock

Russell (Robyn)

I'll stay near the treeline.

Dan (Wren)

Yeah. So, I'm going to not wait necessarily for him to get up, so I'm going to kneel down and open the flap to his tent and shake him awake if I need to.

Timothy (Mayor Charles)

[rubbing sleep from his eyes, sleepily] What can I help you with?

Dan (Wren)

There is a small situation near the edge of the woods. Nothing to be too concerned about right now, but I'm going to ask that you remain awake for the rest of the night, and if for whatever reason things go bad, I need you to be able to wake everybody up and move them east. I show him my map. I'm going to point out a camp to the east that isn't as good but as outside range of the forest.

Timothy (Mayor Charles)

But hold on, hold on, hold on. What is going on?

Dan (Wren)

We're not quite sure... at the moment. Noises, sound, things seeing in the woods could be harmless creatures, could be harmless spirits, and so I don't want to alarm you, but I want you to be ready in case anything does happen to get your people to safety. And they're going to need to move quickly, leave things behind--

Timothy (Mayor Charles)

[sigh]

Dan (Wren)

We come back in the day [laughs] if we need to.

Timothy (Mayor Charles)

Shit, um. Yeah, of course. Um, yeah, I-I will, uh, hang out near the-the fire and I'll keep the bell on me if I need to wake everybody. Yeah, that sounds... that sounds like a good plan.

Dan (Wren)

Okay.

Timothy (Mayor Charles)

Rather safe than sorry.

Dan (Wren)

We'll holler if anything... happens.

Timothy (Mayor Charles)

All right, uh. Hopefully, nothing does.[nervous laughter] We have enough going on in our lives right now, but yeah, thank you. Thank you for, uhh, letting me know.

Dan (Wren)

And I'm gonna head back to the forest.

Timothy (DM)

Alright.[ominous dice rolling] This time, the two of you who're standing at the edge of forest [laughs] are now looking all around; you're on edge, and again, you see a motion out of the corner of your eye, charging towards you. You both whip around look at it. It's this, like, partly corporeal figure. The face is vague and blurred, the body is misty and smoky, and it's all, like, a dark black blur. It's charging towards you again.

Russell (Robyn)

I grab the amulet around my neck. Can I hold it out towards the creature that's running towards us with with wide eyes?

Kara (Goldfinch)

I'm behind... I'm behind Robyn! [laughter]

Russell (Robyn)

[Russell's scared voice] Oh, what is happening?

Timothy (DM)

So, you hold out your amulet at this figure that starts to recoil at the sight of it.

Dan (Wren)

[seriously] Oh shit.

Timothy (DM)

Okay, so, you hold out that... the amulet, the figure recoils at the sight of it as you feel a tug at your heart, [Russell oomps] channeling up your arm into the amulet, pushing it back. So, you take 5 points of necrotic damage as you channel your life force into this amulet, and it repels the creature. [more dice rolling] The creature shrieks--

Russell (Robyn)

Oh, that burns! [Tim laughs]

Timothy (DM)

And, again, a tear opens up in the space in front of you, and it literally recoils back into and it blips out of existence.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Did it look like it was being pulled into it? Or was it, like, jumping into it?

Timothy (DM)

It almost seems like it jumps into it, like, it-it sees this as an opportunity as an "out" and collapses into it. Just [blip]. Gone.

Dan (Wren)

[imitating Tim] Bloop.

Russell (Robyn)

Dang flabbit. I think this is powered by my soul or sumpn'. It-it hurt me when I used it

Kara (Goldfinch)

It hurt you?

Russell (Robyn)

Yeah. Can I say that, like, there's a mark on my hand?

Timothy (DM)

Yeah.

Russell (Robyn)

I'll hold up my hand, and there's just, like, a circular sear where it was holding it. Shit. Alright, so this will be a backup?

Kara (Goldfinch)

Yeah, if it's hurting you, hopefully. Yeah, I would keep that safe, but don't actually use it if you really really need to. It does seem to protect us.

Russell (Robyn)

Or at least intimidate to. I wish we knew what it mean.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Yeah. Me too

Dan (Wren)

Wren, probably having heard the shriek... Right? Yeah... will run over and be like, "What- what in the world was that? What?"

Russell (Robyn)

Don't worry boss, we took care of it!

Dan (Wren)

[confused] I'm sorry?

Russell (Robyn)

I'm just kiddin'. You know, I like to play around this time in night. So, there was a... actually, I think Goldfinch could probably explain it better.

Kara (Goldfinch)

I mean, honestly, probably not because I'm not sure exactly what I saw. But...

Russell (Robyn)

What-what they said.

Dan (Wren)

[still confused] What?

Russell (Robyn)

There was like a whosy-whater that came out of a thingy-m'jiggy, and it was like black and wiggly and then it--

Dan (Wren)

[following the thread] Black and wriggly, yeah, saw that one.

Russell (Robyn)

--and then it attacked. It, like, ran at us and then I held up the whatcham'callit and then it in burned m'hand and then... and then it got spooked and it went back into the whosy-whater and disappeared!

Kara (Goldfinch)

There seems to be a catch to this amulet: it seemed to protect, or at least intimidate these creatures, but--

Russell (Robyn)

At a cost, ouchy. [holding up their damaged hand]

Kara (Goldfinch)

But, it hurts them.

Dan (Wren)

Oh, okay. Okay, how many villagers woke up?

Timothy (DM)

Woke up?

Dan (Wren)

At the shrieking?

Timothy (DM)

Oh, um, so you can hear from the camp that there's a couple of rustling of the tent people, kind of talking in hushed tones. You might see one or two people step out of their tent and kind of just look around, but no one else seems alarmed, so they kind of get back... I mean, they see you on the edge of the forest, but nothing imminent is happening.

Dan (Wren)

Okay.

Timothy (DM)

So, they kind of look around, shrug their shoulders, and start going back into their tents.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Looks like we're going into the forest.

Russell (Robyn)

Now we're gonna go to it?

Kara (Goldfinch)

Uh, they were coming out of nowhere out of thin air or were they coming from a certain direction?

Timothy (DM)

You didn't quite catch where they came from. It started in the corner of your eye, you saw motion blur behind a tree, and it's very dark. They're a black smoke that's partly corp-ree-al... core-peel?

Dan (Wren)

[correcting] Corporeal.

Timothy (DM)

Corporeal, corporeal! They're partly corporeal, so very hard to trace exactly where they originate from, but the end point is very clear. It's a big tear in the space in front of you--

Russell (Robyn)

Oh, and that remains?

Timothy (DM)

--a crackle of lightning. No. It slaps back shot right afterwards.

Kara (Goldfinch)

And disappears?

Timothy (DM)

--and disappears as if it was never there. The only sign that something had been present is the wisp of the black smoke that kind of just dissipates to the air afterwards.

Russell (Robyn)

Where did we see those footprints again?

Dan (Wren)

Is it around where you've been seeing them or is it a different point?

Timothy (DM)

I mean, this is all taking place along the edge of the forest.

Dan (Wren)

Gotcha. Right.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Can we see the footprints from where we are?

Timothy (DM)

They've disappeared by now. If you look over in that direction, they're gone. They've dried up and wisped away...

Dan (Wren)

I mean, they were, like, they weren't necessarily like imprinted footprints. They were like wet footprint on top of ground.

Timothy (DM)

Wet footprints in the dirt.

Dan (Wren)

It's not like someone stepped in mud, just on dirt...

Russell (Robyn)

Can I try to look where the things were appearing and see if there's more wet footprints?

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, so you start to search around. Do y'all want to make Investigation checks to start?

Dan (Wren)

Sure, I'm definitely good at that.

Russell (Robyn)

Investigation? Why can't I just be perceptive?

Dan (Wren)

[in Robyn's accent] I rolled a 12. Sorry, that was your accent. "I rolled a 12"

Russell (Robyn)

Kara (Goldfinch)

Russell (Robyn)

Oh, no.

Dan (Wren)

[angry whisper] He's gonna roll something, I know it.

Kara (Goldfinch)

[dismayed] I'm gonna have to find shit.

Timothy (DM)

So, you all star fanning out along the edge of forests, looking for more footprints looking out into the woods, just trying to find something, and you hear, Wren, a shriek behind you, that crackle of lightning, and you whip around, and you see the smoke dissipating in the area behind you.

Dan (Wren)

Dammit.

Russell (Robyn)

So, it's not attacking us every time it appears?

Dan (Wren)

No, it seems to be disappearing before makes it to us.

Russell (Robyn)

But it tried to attack me and Goldfinch?

Dan (Wren)

Yeah, but it disappeared before it made it to you, right?

Russell (Robyn)

Only because I showed it the amulet.

Dan (Wren)

I wonder if it didn't matter if he showed the amulet or not. Does that makes sense? You're just like--

Russell (Robyn)

[accusatorily] So, you're saying I got this burn for nothing?

Dan (Wren)

I don't control what's going on here.

Russell (Robyn)

Alright, I'm gonna take a step back over there; you two can look. [Dan and Tim laugh] and I walk away? Like maybe 20 feet away and fold my arms... and just watch patiently.

Dan (Wren)

Do we find anything from our Investigation? Or do just keep getting screamed at? [laughs]

Timothy (DM)

So, yeah, you are scouring the ground, looking out in the forest, and you're coming up completely blank. There's no more footprints to be found. No signs. The only thing is to smoke dissipating behind you.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Can I sort of think in all my, like, religious training, like, you know, there's, like, stories of, like, spirits and ghosts, but I've never... I almost wonder if I heard, like, dark wisps or are there some kind of specter in this family of spirits?

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, give me a Religion check.

Dan (Wren)

Can I do something similar? Because I am near... I imagine that my...the village that I grew up in is not too far from the forest because it was on the border. See if I've heard, like, or if I remember any, like, folktales, or anything like that?

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, give me a History check for that then.

Kara (Goldfinch)

13 for the Religion.

Timothy (DM)

13 for religion and?

Dan (Wren)

Timothy (DM)

11. I mean, both of you have heard different types of stories of specters, hauntings, ghosts... There's always this kind of air of, like, "Is there truth? Or is there another explanation? Maybe a mix of the two somewhere in the middle?" I mean, you know, spirits are real. This is, like... that's established in this world; there are spirits that don't pass on right away and get stuck in places, but as to the particular form these ones are taking, you haven't heard about that in your stories.

Dan (Wren)

Great.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Could I tell if it's source magic?

Timothy (DM)

Give me another Arcane roll.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Timothy (DM)

Okay. It's hard not to feel it... that there is some residual energy that just causes the hair on your arms and the back of your neck to stand, where you know that there's some sort of source energy that's dissipating along with that black smoke.

Dan (Wren)

Wren is going to find like a hand-sized rock. What I'd like to do is if that thing appears again, and I have that time and reaction to do it, I'd like to throw a rock at it to see what happens.

Timothy (DM)

Okay, so you pick up a rock, and as you're standing back up, you hear a crack of lightning as the sky lights up, and it begins to rain. You don't remember there being clouds, but you also weren't paying attention to that, so maybe it was a little bit closer to rain than you anticipated. Just the light drizzle. Nothing big.

Kara (Goldfinch)

[not buying it] Nothing big...[group laughter at the omens]

Timothy (DM)

You can't have a good horror story without rain and lightning!

Dan (Wren)

I guess we'll go back to Robyn then and just, like, hang out as a group, watching the forest? Nothing more we can do. I don't want to panic and move people if we don't have to.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Yeah.

Dan (Wren)

So far, they've been harmless other than... it's been harmless. That amulet has not been.

Russell (Robyn)

Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah.

Dan (Wren)

So, we hunker down. We wait. I ready The Rock.

Timothy (DM)

All right, so rock in hand, you all kind of huddle around, hunker down on... I mean, where? You're just stationing along the forest edge? Are you...

Dan (Wren)

I mean, probably right at the edge of the camp, next to the forest.

Russell (Robyn)

Well...

Dan (Wren)

Right? What? What are you thinking?

Russell (Robyn)

I'm gonna do something stupid.

Dan (Wren)

Great. Go for it.

Russell (Robyn)

So, I'm going to creep into, like, the forest a little bit aways from them and kind of, like, hide in the bush, and I want to prepare as soon as I see it to run at it and try to jump through the tear.

Timothy (DM)

Okay, so you are going to crouch in a bush, waiting for something to happen. Goldfinch and Wren, you're standing at the edge of the forest. You have a rock in hand. You're on alert. Are you like pacing? Sitting? Like, what's going on?

Dan (Wren)

Probably sitting, standing, maybe pacing, a little bit of everything, depending on how long this takes.

Timothy (DM)

Alright, so you're... I mean, you're waiting for quite some time. There's a lot of silence. There's a lot of crickets and--

Dan (Wren)

Pitter-patter of rain,

Timothy (DM)

The pitter-patter of rain, the scattered crash of lightning and thunder as the pace of the rain begins to pick up and collect in puddles around you.

Dan (Wren)

Once it picks up, I'm gonna go grab my cloak, right? Yeah, put on my cloak so I can stay somewhat dry.

Timothy (DM)

Yeah, so you cover yourselves in your cloaks--

Dan (Wren)

They're nice merino wool, so they just... and the water rolls off of it.

Timothy (DM)

--the water just rolls right on off, and it keeps you much more dry and warm 'cause it's- it's starting to get quite chilly. It's a cold, like an ice cold rain in autumn evening, and as you sit there pacing, huddled underneath your cloak, give me Perception checks, Goldfinch and Wren.

Timothy (DM)

[to Robyn] You're in a bush.

Kara (Goldfinch)

Dan (Wren)

19. Heh-heh! Suck it. We saw it this time.

Timothy (DM)

So, Wren, you are pacing back and forth, keeping your hands warm, looking around and you notice that a puddle has collected nearby and itcatches your eye because in the reflection, you see someone standing behind you.

Timothy (DM)

And that is where we will put a pause on today's story. Thank you all for joining us for a plunge into the abyss. I hope you all enjoyed this episode of Shadows of Prophecy. Join us next time to find out what becomes our unfortunate players in this most dreadful act.

Timothy (DM)

Shout out to my brother known as the chill electronic vapor soul artist LUSQ for writing our chillingly epic theme song, Editing by Scrubcast, and a big shout out to Syrinscape for some amazing atmosphere and music. Make sure you check them out at syrinscape.com. I always use them at my game table and it adds that little something special to bring your players into the story. Also, please follow us on Twitter @ShadowsProphecy and Instagram @shadows_of_prophesy. And hey, show us some support by becoming one of our fabulous patrons at patreon.com/shadowsofprophecy, where you can get access to bonus content like handouts, encounter maps, and even adventure guides to run your own horrific campaigns or one-shots. And at the very least, give us a five star review on your podcast platform of choice. This is how we get the word out about our podcast, and we love sharing it with you all. Thank you, and tune in next time for more tales of dread and despair at Shadows of Prophecy.