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 a 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; Helen as the self-assured THUNDERCLAP fanatic, Iolite; Dan as "Mother Mushroom" crochet champion, Maury; and Chris as are ever-so-timid, kind, crunchy, calculated, and most importantly, STACKED Baleford. Join us as we enter the Shadows of Prophecy. Prologue: A World Unravels. Chapter Ten - Aether Nightmares.
Timothy (Narrator)
[in an unplaceable accent] Oh, and I should take such pleasure in this one. Finally, it's me, the center of it all, the one TRUE protagonist. Although, I should assume you'll disagree; just know you're wrong. Doesn't matter anyways. It's not like you have any CONTROLLL or IDEA where this story is going. Nevertheless, enjoy! It's my treat... ;)
Timothy (DM)
The three of you are standing in a large stone chamber. There are sigil markings all over the floor that have been brushed away of various materials just kind of like very worn-down stone and lots of different material components around the perimeter of the room when in walks a very jaunty figure with long white hair piled on top of their head in a messy bun, tied up with a black ribbon and wearing a draping periwinkle silk robe that flares out as they walk, opening to reveal layers of intricately embroidered silks and gold-set jewels.
Timothy (Cyril)
[clasping hands] Ah, our initiates! Are you ready? And you are? [Helen laughs, then the rest do, mostly at Tim's accent]
Helen (Iolite)
Um, Iolite Flintmantle, here from the dwarven villages, although, as you can tell, I'm not a dwarf myself.
Timothy (Cyril)
Very nice to meet you. I will do my best to keep you alive today.
Helen (Iolite)
Thanks. I appreciate that effort.
Timothy (Cyril)
And you?
Chris (Baleford)
[southern drawl] Hello, ma'am. My name is Baleford Leywick. Nice to make your acquaintance.
Timothy (Cyril)
Bellford?
Chris (Baleford)
Baleford. Bal-- you could call me Bailey.
Timothy (Cyril)
B-Bailey. Okay. Again, I will do my best to keep you alive today.
Chris (Baleford)
[stammering] That is much appreciated.
Timothy (Cyril)
And you, miss?
Dan (Maury)
Maury is sitting on the ground and crocheting and doesn't look up and says [typical teenage girl voice, dripping with vocal fry] "Maury Lura? I... don't want to be here. My parents were like, 'Go to the university. It'll be fun.' Whatever."
Timothy (Cyril)
Alright, probably something you don't want to tell me as I WILL be grading your score... Anyways! The task today at hand is simple: as mages, you will be required to stand your ground and hold your conviction in the face of all fear and stresses. If you are unable to do so, you lose your magical ability and are... well, worthless. So, shall we begin?
Dan (Maury)
"I guess we can begin? It's fine." She's going to take her crocheting and, like, shove it in her bag and stand up. You notice that everything she's wearing is crocheted [Tim laughs], like, from her, like, big, like... It's like her cloak is, like, black but, like, big chunky yarn. So, it looks really heavy and her hood is always up.
Chris (Baleford)
I guess there's no time like the present. So, I'm all set.
Timothy (Cyril)
Are you all sufficiently prepared for whatever today may bring?
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite nods without saying anything.
Chris (Baleford)
I guess? Could you tell us what was gonna happen or, or that would give us even more preparation?
Timothy (Cyril)
Well, the objective of a sorcerer is to always be prepared, regardless of the situation or circumstances. I hope you all went over your spell list this morning and made sure to include and incorporate a VARIETY of spells that may assist you in any sort of matter.
Helen (Iolite)
Well, it's too late now!
Timothy (Cyril)
Yes, that is VERY TRUE [Chris laughs]. It is a trial, a challenge nonetheless. So, let us begin.
Dan (Maury)
[bored] Okayyyy. [Chris laughs]
Timothy (DM)
The three of you are standing around the room as Cyril starts gliding about, grabbing material components off the walls. You have, like, 5 to 10 minutes of watching them just gather things as the three of you kind of stand in anticipation. [trying to pronounce "Iolite"] Eel-it? Yook?
Dan (Maury)
[sounding it out for Tim] Eye o'light
Timothy (DM)
Eye o'light
Helen (Iolite)
Eye o'light, Eye o'light but eye-o is also fine.
Timothy (DM)
All right. Iolite, why don't you introduce to the rest of the group what you look like and what you're doing right now.
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite is a youngish blue dragonborn. She looks serious and self-absorbed, is wearing a long black robe, and it's held closed by a belt with a, like, a dwarven sigil on the front, that's Iolite.
Timothy (DM)
All right, and Baleford.
Chris (Baleford)
So, Baleford is a average height, average-sized man with a brown ensemble, complete with a rope belt, and he's, uh, missin' one finger on one of his hands.
Timothy (DM)
All right. And we already know what Maury looks like.
Dan (Maury)
Oh, you know what Maury's wearing-- [Chris laughs]
Timothy (DM)
Okay, yeah.
Dan (Maury)
Maury is a... kind of a green-grey tiefling, so her skin color's very muted. Just like her personality. [Chris laughs] She's got small horns and tail, and is probably... looks like she's in her late teens, like, very young. Acts like it, too.
Timothy (Cyril)
Alright, so you hear Cyril kind of knocking about on the shelves around the room. "Oh, and this and this and... Oh! Can't forget that." And he gathers a bunch of things up and brings them to the center of the room and starts handing each one of you several candles. "Just place these around the perimeter."
Dan (Maury)
Just, like, anywhere?
Timothy (Cyril)
Try to keep them evenly spaced. This is ceremonial magic. The, uh, calculations are quite "specific".
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite sniffs the candle to see if it's scented.
Timothy (DM)
It is not scented. It is a silver beeswax candle
Helen (Iolite)
[asking the hard hitting questions] Is that beeswax from silver bees or silver beeswax from regular bees?
Timothy (DM)
It is [laughing] regular beeswax that is dyed silver.
Helen (Iolite)
[whispers] Oh, okay, great!
Dan (Maury)
Just want a clearer picture of what these candles look like.
Timothy (DM)
You see for circular sigils carved around the ground of the room in a larger sigil that kind of ties them all together. So, there are eight candles in total. So, you can place those evenly around the room as Cyril lights some nag champa incense. The aroma starts to fill the room. [Editor's Note: nag champa comes from Sanskrit for "cobra", in this context "breath, spirit" and "plumeria flowers"]
Dan (Maury)
Maury is going to walk over to Baley and be like "Hey, could you, like, do me a favor? Can you hold these for a second?" and she passes you her candles.
Chris (Baleford)
[shocked, taking the candles] Oh, well, yeah! What do you want? You want me to just hold them?
Dan (Maury)
"Yeah, just, like, put them down somewhere." and she's gonna walk over to the middle of the circle and sit down. [Tim laughs]
Chris (Baleford)
"Well, okay, I-I will do that." And-and Bailey goes around... he pulls out rope from his bag and he... he says [to Maury] "You hold this!" and I try to measure out... I'm trying to be like... you know how you can make a circle with, like, a string and a radius. Just, like, he's doing it very equidistant.
Dan (Maury)
[laughing] Maury just sets the rope on the ground after you pass it to her. She's like, "Okay, yaaa..." and puts it down and then pulls out her crocheting.
Chris (Baleford)
[like a pleased preschooler] All done! [looking at Maury] Oh my goodness. Look at your... that's uh... what are you makin' there?
Dan (Maury)
[nonchalant] "Oh, this? It's nothing; it's just a sock for a giant that I knowwww." It's, like, humongous. It's like a giant bag. [Chris laughs]
Chris (Baleford)
Well, hopefully you have enough yarn to make the second.
Dan (Maury)
Oh, I've got SO much yarn in this bag. You have NO idea.
Chris (Baleford)
[earnestly] I don't.
Helen (Iolite)
Do you have a Bag of Holding just for yarn? [Tim and Chris laugh]
Dan (Maury)
[giddy] Can I have a Bag of Holding just for yarn? [Helen laughs]
Timothy (DM)
Yes, absolutely.
Dan (Maury)
--like a minor Bag of Holding, so you can't like hold too much.
Chris (Baleford)
[measuring the size with his arms] I imagine it's just, like, the size of a... like a...
Dan (Maury)
"But I've got, like, this silver yarn..." and she just starts pulling out, like, skeins of yarn, like, "Um, like, this one's my favoRITE. It's, like, red and it's from an alpACA." [to Tim] Which are now in this world. [Chris and Helen laugh] I'm so sorry; there are alpaca in this world. [Tim: "All right"]. "It's, like, super soft and really good for, like, hats. And then I've got this little guy. Oh, wait, I think we're starting." and she shoves it all back in her back.
Chris (Baleford)
[to Dan] I like to think that that is the Bag of Holding that you have. [Editor's Note: Chris is pointing to Dan's adorable purple and gold beholder dice bag that he crocheted.]
Dan (Maury)
Oh yeah, the Bag of Holding is...
Helen (Iolite)
Also crocheted?
Timothy (DM)
Also crocheted?
Dan (Maury)
--also crocheted. [all laugh]
Timothy (DM)
Of course it is. So, as you all are setting up the candles, reviewing all the different options for yarn, and then cleaning up, Cyril now comes to the center of the room, they hold a jacinth gemstone and an ornately carved bar of silver, and they kind of have them held out very, like, stoically, just, like, presenting them to the room as they kind of make a motion that they are beginning to speak.
Timothy (Cyril)
All right, we will be traveling to the Astral Plane. [excited] Are you excited? I know I am.
Dan (Maury)
[looking at fingernails] I'm thrilled. Clearly.
Timothy (Cyril)
A couple notes: (1) Your material body will be left behind, so don't worry about it. It will be unconscious and in a state of suspended animation. (2) You may notice a small silver cord behind you as we enter the Astral Plane: DO NOT let that cord be cut. If that were to happen, your soul and your body would become separated, killing your body instantly, and trapping your soul in the Astral Plane. It will be such a pain to retrieve you... I might not. However, if you "DIE", so to speak, in the Astral Plane, you will awake here in the Material Plane unharmed. This is the main benefit of projection versus other methods of astral travel, which you simply are just not ready for. I will warn you: (3) when we first arrive, our coordinates are not precise. The Astral Plane has a tendency to shift, and we will most likely find ourselves in a transition period. This is probably the most dangerous portion of the travel. A couple notes: (4) Do not wake up. Absolutely do not wake up, no matter what. Even if it is me telling you to do so, DO NOT wake up. (5) Also, don't look them in the eyes. They will do everything in their power to do so, but DON'T. There may be many tricks. I HOPE that you all have the intelligence and wisdom not to fall for them, but if you continue moving, keep your eyes unfocused and remain asleep here, you should be relatively safe until we make it to the trials. Alright, spread out around the room. There are four sigils for each of us. Sit in a comfortable position: you will be holding it for a while, and you can't imagine the cramps you'll get if you're just not in the right position. You'll repeat after me. The words are "Zahna Callowbya Asaiyouin Nowwbis Ahsayis".
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite repeats the words. [Tim and Chris laugh]
Timothy (DM)
Very good. All right. [to the rest] Are we ready?
Chris (Baleford)
Yeah, Baleford goes over, and he lies on his side with his arm out like he's falling asleep. [Chris demonstrates in real life] [Tim laughs]
Dan (Maury)
Maury will go to her spot and just sit down and, like, slump over leaning her, like, elbows on her knees. Like, you know when you sit cross-legged and lean forward? That's how she's sitting. "Ready."
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite curls into the fetal position. [all laugh]
Timothy (Cyril)
All right, so repeat with me: [all the group at once] "Zahna Callowbia Asaiyouin Nowwbis Ahsayis" [Editor's Note: the group mostly recites gibberish]
Dan (Maury)
Acaiiiii.
Chris (Baleford)
Acai bowl. [Dan laughs]
Timothy (Cyril)
All right, it could be better. One more time! "Zahna Callowbia Asaiyouin Nowwbis Ahsayis" [Editor's Note: the group [the group repeats the chant, no more cleaner than last time]
Timothy (DM)
And you begin to repeat this incantation over and over and over again until it becomes methodical. Your words start to blend into each other as you feel yourselves kind of leaning into the collective presence, and your vision starts to fade. The world around you starts to slowly waver and spin and then dissipate
Chris (Baleford)
[whoosh]
Dan (Maury)
[whoosh]
Helen (Iolite)
[whoosh]
Timothy (DM)
When your vision returns, you all stand in a woodland forest. You see a silver cord extending behind each one of you just trailing off until it just fades into the distance. You see a wooded path alongside a river.
Dan (Maury)
Do we have our gear? Like, and we can, like, feel it and touch it and...
Timothy (DM)
Yeah, everything feels--
Helen (Iolite)
[whispers excitedly] Can she crochet?
Timothy (DM)
--somewhat [Tim and Dan laugh] somewhat tangible--
Chris (Baleford)
He starts to crochet with the silver thread. [all laugh]
Dan (Maury)
I just start knitting is a silver thread sweater. [Helen laughs]
Timothy (DM)
Oh no.
Dan (Maury)
[correcting himself] Crochetting, not knitting.
Timothy (DM)
Everything feels quite tangible, but, like, slightly different as if it's like a dream state, where, like, you're feeling or holding something in your dreams and, like, yeah.
Helen (Iolite)
Would you characterize it as astral?
Timothy (DM)
It's very astral. So astral. Like, we all have a great concept of what astral feels like and sure.
Helen (Iolite)
Absolutely. [Tim laughs]
Chris (Baleford)
[to Cyril] So, are these-these trials are individual, or is it like a team thing?
Timothy (Cyril)
It will hopefully be a group effort... granted that you all stick with us.
Chris (Baleford)
[a bit dumbly] Yeah, we're here.
Timothy (Cyril)
Yes. Well... [everyone looks at Maury]
Dan (Maury)
Why did everybody look at me for thatttt? [Chris laughs]
Timothy (Cyril)
Anyways, well, we are here. We are a... little further off than I hoped for, but that is, uh, part of the art of astral projection. [pointing in the distance] That river is not real. Don't touch it. Do keep your eyes wandering. Don't look at anything too closely; you might not like how it looks back. All right?
Dan (Maury)
[looking at their cuticles] Cool. Rad.
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite's eyes are darting around chaotically. [Tim and Dan laugh]
Timothy (Cyril)
And-and do remember what I said: DON'T. WAKE. UP. Got it?
Chris (Baleford)
[pulling out his checklist] Yep, (1) Don't cut cord. (2) Don't die. (3) Don't wake up. (4) Don't look them in the eyes. (5) Don't fall for tricks, and (6) Have fun! [smiles]
Timothy (Cyril)
The last part is optional. This is really not meant to be fun. Anyways! You can die.
Chris (Baleford)
But we shouldn't.
Timothy (Cyril)
You shouldn't because I will grade you very poorly. [laughs]
Chris (Baleford)
Okay.
Helen (Iolite)
Wait, can I... copy your notes? On the...? [to Cyril] Can we stop for a second? [Tim laughs]
Dan (Maury)
I didn't write those down. [all laugh] [whispers to Baley] Hey, can you pass that over here? Just pass the notes.
Chris (Baleford)
Congratulations, you're in an astral forest with, like, two teenagers. [Chris: "Oh nooooo!"]
Dan (Maury)
Can you just, like, scoot that over to the edge of your desk so I can see itttTTT? [all laugh]
Chris (Baleford)
Well, I, uh, I don't know if I'm allowed to. It's, uh,... [stammering]
Dan (Maury)
I heard him say it was a group efforrrrrt.
Timothy (DM)
[enabling the teens] Yes, it is fully cooperative. [Chris laughs]
Dan (Maury)
[channeling Bill Lumbergh] If you could share your notes, that'd be great.
Chris (Baleford)
"Oh yeah, I... It's..." He pulls out, like, a small... it's a piece of paper. It's just got, like "Don't die. Don't..." Yeah, it's got six things on it.
Dan (Maury)
"Great. I wrote down, like, the first two, and then I got distracted." You notice that her giant sock that she's taken out and started again has the rules knitted into them. [Chris: "Whoa"]. "It's the only way that I know how to write."
Chris (Baleford)
[looking at his checklist] So, I just use the paper sometimes. [Dan and Tim laugh]
Timothy (DM)
[moving right along] All right, we're gonna run with that. [Dan laughs]
Dan (Maury)
Just, like, the rules haphazardly knitted into the side of a sock.
Chris (Baleford)
It's like Memento sock. It's just like "Your name is..." [Dan laughs, Tim sighs] "Your name is Moray, you don't want to be here--"
Dan (Maury)
"DON'T DIE."
Chris (Baleford)
"Your parents told you to be here."
Timothy (Cyril)
"We must progress further through this plane to make it to our trials. So, stay with me. Oh... hold on one moment." And they pause, and you see they hold their right ear up to the sky, or what looked like sky at first, but as you catch yourselves staring for a touch too long, you notice that it's not sky at all; it's this, like, flowy blue... [searching for adjectives] speckly shit, that just is, like, amalgamating into the feeling of blue, but not the actual color.
Helen (Iolite)
Oh my gosh, this guy is sooooo astral.
Dan (Maury)
Oh my god! It's like so astral! This is like this one time at camp--
Timothy (Cyril)
Quiet now!
Dan (Maury)
Oh, sorry.
Timothy (Cyril)
[whispering] They're listening. Oh, you should probably close your eyes. They're looking.
Chris (Baleford)
I put my hands over my eyes. [Tim laughs]
Timothy (Cyril)
[softly] Alright, I will talk very quietly. Listen to the sound of my voice, and keep moving.
Helen (Iolite)
With our eyes closed?
Timothy (Cyril)
[quietly] Preferably... preferably
Helen (Iolite)
[in an earnest whisper] I can't hear anything that you're saying. [Dan laughs]
Timothy (DM)
[realizing that Helen is legitimately deaf] Oh no.
Helen (Iolite)
[whispers] Sorry, I'm deaf, so all of my characters are also deaf. [Dan laughs]
Timothy (Cyril)
"That's okay! Take my hand." [Helen laughs] and you feel a hand whack into your chest.
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite takes the hand, grips it tightly.
Timothy (River Cyril)
Over here! Watch the path!
Chris (Baleford)
[eyes covered] With what?
Timothy (DM)
You hear a voice call out, not next you, eyelet... eye-o-late? Io--
Timothy (DM)
Eye-o-lite. [Helen chuckles]. Iolite, you hear the voice call out not next to you, where you would expect the voice to come from that's holding your hand, but rather behind you to your left, maybe 10 yards off.
Chris (Baleford)
Eye-o-lite?
Dan (Maury)
Eye-o-lite.
Timothy (River Cyril)
"Wake upppp!"
Timothy (Yarn Cyril)
"Follow my voice. Over here!"
Timothy (DM)
You start hearing different iterations of Cyril's voice echoing throughout the woods, coming from your left, your right, in front of you, behind you. They start calling out different instructions.
Timothy (River Cyril)
Just a little to the left.
Timothy (Yarn Cyril)
No, right.
Timothy (River Cyril)
Don't follow them.
Dan (Maury)
Are we all holding hands at this point?
Chris (Baleford)
Baley reaches out his hand to find whoever's near him.
Timothy (DM)
Roll me a d20.
Dan (Maury)
Maury will do the same with her tail.
Chris (Baleford)
I got 19.
Helen (Iolite)
She has a tail?
Dan (Maury)
Yeah!
Helen (Iolite)
I don't even have a tail.
Dan (Maury)
Tieflings have tails, ya. I mean, you could have a tail if you decided to have a tail.
Chris (Baleford)
This is the Astral Plane. You can--
Dan (Maury)
17.
Timothy (DM)
All right. So Baleford, you reach out your hand, and you grab onto an arm. It's scaly.
Chris (Baleford)
Is this your arm, Io?
Helen (Iolite)
Is it my arm?
Timothy (DM)
Iolite, you feel another arm grab you.
Helen (Iolite)
I can feel you, Baley.
Chris (Baleford)
Well, that's reassuring.
Dan (Maury)
What do I find with my tail? [laughs]
Timothy (DM)
Maury, you sway your tail behind you.
Dan (Maury)
[defensively] And in front! I do a sweep.
Timothy (DM)
Sure, yeah. So, you sweep out with your tail around you, um and--
Helen (Iolite)
It's a prehensile tail?
Dan (Maury)
Sure!
Timothy (DM)
--you hit a leg. You can feel the silks flowing. Is it Cyril?
Dan (Maury)
Cyril, is that you?
Timothy (Cyril)
Maury, yes, it's me. I'm here. Follow my voice.
Dan (Maury)
"I'm just gonna hold onto you." and I'll wrap my tail around, like, a silk, just, like, a fat part of their-their cloak.
Timothy (DM)
Iolite and Baleford, you hear this other voice respond to Maury, and it's not coming from where you're holding, Iolite.
Helen (Iolite)
Maury, are you there? I don't... I don't feel you nearby.
Dan (Maury)
Oh yeah, I've got... I've got a hold of Cyril's cloak. It's finnnne. I'm here.
Timothy (DM)
You hear Maury's voice trailing off into the distance.
Helen (Iolite)
Maury? Maury, don't. Maury, stay close.
Dan (Maury)
No, I've got it! I'm here with y'all. I'm here with you guys.
Timothy (River Cyril)
Follow my voice.
Chris (Baleford)
So, we're on a path, right? Like, it's a dirt path?
Timothy (DM)
Yeah, it was like a little woodland path astral thing.
Dan (Maury)
It's astral dirt, so who KNOWS what that feels like? It feels like the idea of dirt. [Tim and Dan laugh]
Chris (Baleford)
I want to pull out my quarterstaff, and I want to be sweeping it, like, not-not into the direction of Io, but sort of like sweeping around like "Maury, if you feel a stick hit you, that means that I am within, like, five feet of you."
Timothy (DM)
So, you start waving your quarterstaff around, and you're smacking into bushes, you're smacking into trees...
Helen (Panret)
You hear Panret go "Ouch." [all laugh]
Dan (Maury)
Shout out! Panret! Bush Lady!
Timothy (DM)
And at that moment, Maury, you get hit with two quarterstaves on either side of you.
Dan (Maury)
Wait, hold on. There are two of those. So, why do you hit me twice?
Chris (Baleford)
Well, uh, I only have one.
Dan (Maury)
Oh, wow. Hold on.
Timothy (DM)
You don't hear Maury. [Chris: "Uh-oh", Helen gasps] Maury, you're talking, and you don't get a response from Baleford or Iolite.
Dan (Maury)
[crosses her arms] Well, that's really rude.
Helen (Iolite)
Baley, can you find her?
Chris (Baleford)
I'm sweepin' and I don't hear anything, but maybe... we're just standing still. Maybe we should start walking behind us 'cause I think that's where her boys coming from.
Helen (Iolite)
[sighs] Oh no.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Wake up.
Chris (Baleford)
[waving the list] No, you told us not to do that.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Oh, but we're there.
Chris (Baleford)
[firmly] We didn't move.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
We've been moving this whole time. Have you not noticed?
Chris (Baleford)
Are we on one of those moving pathways?
Dan (Maury)
The walkway: [sings "Powerhouse"] Doo-doo-doo-doo do-doo-do-doo. [Helen laughs] Music playing in the background.
Timothy (Cyril)
Don't wake up! They're listening. They're watching. Follow my voice.
Dan (Maury)
I still have a hold of silk, right?
Timothy (DM)
Yes.
Helen (Iolite)
Mauryyyy. Mauryyyy.
Dan (Maury)
Maury's gonna give a good tug on the silk with her tail.
Timothy (DM)
You pull on the silk, and it falls to the ground.
Dan (Maury)
[annoyed voice] "Greattt. Hey, guys? Can you hear meee? Helllllloooo?" And that's about as loud as she gets. [all laugh]
Chris (Baleford)
[imitating Maury] I'm literally yelling.
Dan (Maury)
I'm screaming at you right now. [Helen and Dan laugh]
Timothy (DM)
Iolite and Baleford, you hear Maury's voice behind you, quite faint.
Helen (Iolite)
Maury! Maury, I can hear you.
Dan (Maury)
Do I hear them?
Timothy (DM)
Give me a Perception roll.
Dan (Maury)
[gasp] Oh, I'm rolling for the second time today. Perception. Oh, that is a... what is that number? That is a 12.
Timothy (DM)
You hear lots of voices through the forest all around you. Cyril's voice, Baleford's voice, Iolite's voice, all talking, giving different instructions.
Dan (Maury)
[cross arms] Great. Super helpful, guys. All right. Well, I...
Helen (Iolite)
Use your yarn, Maury!
Chris (Baleford)
Do you have any magic that you could?
Dan (Maury)
I don't...Oh, that's a great question. Do I have any magic that could help me with that? I have Gust as we discussed earlier, which is a helpful spell--
Timothy (Yarn Cyril)
You can open your eyes now.
Dan (Maury)
--I have Jump. [to the fake Cyril] I don't trust that.
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite does not open her eyes. [Tim laughs]
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
It's okay, we're almost there.
Helen (Iolite)
If you're the real Cyril, tell me something only Cyril would know.
Chris (Baleford)
[slyly] Yeah, what's my nickname?
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Baleford? I don't know you. [laughs]
Chris (Baleford)
[offended] I told you before we left! Did it mean nothing to you?
Dan (Maury)
I knowwww.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention.
Dan (Maury)
Io or Baley, I know how to find you. Which is my favorite yarnnn?
Helen (Iolite)
It's the red one!
Chris (Baleford)
I thought it was a silver one.
Helen (Iolite)
It's the red one!
Dan (Maury)
"Okay, none of you are real. [all laugh] You're all fake." Can I feel this silver thread behind me? Like, is it tangible?
Timothy (DM)
Yeah. You can feel it.
Dan (Maury)
I'd like to feel the direction that it's going, and then walk the other way. Like, away from the silver thread.
Timothy (DM)
I mean, it's kind of always behind you.
Dan (Maury)
Dammit. So, even if I turn it's behind me? It dosn't like pull off to one side?
Timothy (DM)
No.
Dan (Maury)
Dammit. Then I would like to listen for the river and follow that.
Helen (Iolite)
There's a river?
Timothy (DM)
Yeah. Well...
Dan (Maury)
Well, it's sounds like the idea of a river. [Tim, Dan, and Helen laugh]
Helen (Iolite)
Wow, that river's like SO astral.
Dan (Maury)
It's SO astral. Reminds me of this one time at camp... [Helen laughs]
Timothy (Cyril)
So, you listen for the sound of the river, like, recalling what Cyril said when you first arrived. "It's not real."
Dan (Maury)
Yeah, but, like, there was the path that it was, like... and I could follow that path, which seemed to be where we're going?
Timothy (DM)
You hear the babbling, and it's off to your right.
Dan (Maury)
I will walk ALONG the babble. Not INTO the babble. ALONG the babble.
Timothy (DM)
So, you approach the babbling noise, and you start following it off to one direction.
Dan (Maury)
Yeah, and I will use my tail to, like, sweep in front of me consistently. So, because if I bump into something, I'll know it's there--
Timothy (Yarn Cyril)
We're almost there.
Dan (Maury)
--crocheting the entire time by the way.
Timothy (Yarn Cyril)
Maury, we're almost there. You'll need to look for this part.
Dan (Maury)
Okay. Yeah, I don't trust that.
Timothy (Yarn Cyril)
Open your eyes. We're right there. Don't you see it?
Dan (Maury)
Does anybody else, like, hear me walking around, sweeping my tail around? Or like babbling to myself? [laughs]
Chris (Baleford)
MAURYYYYY!
Timothy (DM)
You hear random calls out to you punctuating the forest.
Dan (Maury)
Do they sound identical to, like, my compatriots' voices?
Timothy (DM)
Yes, but hey come from multiple directions.
Dan (Maury)
Dammit, unhelpful.
Timothy (DM)
So, as you hear one off to your left, you hear another to your right, Baleford and Iolite's voices kind of ricochet about the forest... at least you think you're still in a forest.
Dan (Maury)
Oh, yeah, how would I know?
Chris (Baleford)
Well, hey, professor. Are we there yet? Can we open our eyes?
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Yes, yes. Open your eyes.
Chris (Baleford)
We're not going to be moving anymore?
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
We're almost there.
Chris (Baleford)
We're either there or we're not.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Well, they're gone. Now.
Chris (Baleford)
What'd they look like? You mean "they" like Maury, or "they" like who?
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
"They". They are gone now.
Chris (Baleford)
That didn't help.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
They don't have a name. They're like astral sprites.
Helen (Iolite)
Oh my god, these sprites are like SO astral.
Dan (Maury)
So astral. [Tim laughs]
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite still does not open her eyes
Dan (Maury)
Didn't realize I needed to get high before this session to really experience it.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Just don't wake, and um... well... just be on lookout.
Helen (Iolite)
Okay, I'm gonna sniff around a little. That's all, I'm just sniffing.
Timothy (DM)
All right. [laughs] Perception check.
Dan (Maury)
[imitating Tim] You smell the idea of a... [all laugh]
Helen (Iolite)
9.
Timothy (DM)
All right. The smell of nag champa--
Helen (Iolite)
Of what?
Timothy (DM)
Of nag champa incense fills your nostrils.
Helen (Iolite)
The incense from the university? Yes. Okay. Interesting. So, I still have senses from my corporeal body?
Timothy (DM)
Perhaps...
Helen (Iolite)
Okay [long pause]
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
All right. Are you ready?
Helen (Iolite)
I don't smell her yarn anywhere. We can't find her! [Tim and Dan laugh]
Dan (Maury)
And I feel like Maury has a very "distinctive" smell. [Dan and Tim laugh]
Helen (Iolite)
Like it smells like a Bag of Holding that's full of yarn?
Dan (Maury)
Yeah.
Chris (Baleford)
[resignedly] Baleford's gonna open his eyes. He's looking at the ground.
Timothy (DM)
Baleford, you open your eyes. You look down at your feet, and you see dirt that starts to fade out in front of you to like the color black as if it's kind of dissipating away.
Chris (Baleford)
Seems we're in space.
Timothy (DM)
Do you look up?
Chris (Baleford)
I look to my right where I'm clutching Io's arm.
Timothy (DM)
You see Io.
Chris (Baleford)
And can I see beyond Io to see if she's clutching anything?
Timothy (DM)
You lift your gaze slightly, and you see the hem of a silk robe arm. Attached to the hem of the silk robe arm, you see a twisted, bark-skinned figure--
Chris (Baleford)
[quickly] And I close my eyes! [Helen and Dan laugh]
Timothy (DM)
[fighting to get his description out] And the silk is just... [continuous laughing from players] ...the silk almost looks-- [succumbs to the laughing himself]
Chris (Baleford)
NOPE! Before you can say anything bad, i close my eyes! [Helen and Tim laugh]
Timothy (DM)
When you saw it, it was as if the silk was, like, growing out of their arm, that it just had manufactured this, like, appendage to resemble Cyril's arm.
Chris (Baleford)
[writing on his checklist] "Tree-arm". [Tim laughs]
Helen (Iolite)
[to Baley] Do you say anything?
Timothy (DM)
So, you shut your eyes close?
Chris (Baleford)
I lean over to whisper into Io's ear. "I think there's a tree that's grabbing your arm." [Tim laughs]
Helen (Iolite)
[perplexed] What? No, I'm holding on to Cyril's hand.
Chris (Baleford)
It's not... I think that they took Cyril's arm
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Yes, Iolite! Come over here. Just... no, don't talk to him. Don't talk to him. He's not real. It's not Baleford.
Chris (Baleford)
This is a... this is a group test!
Helen (Iolite)
Yeah, but it's like a... you said it's a group project?
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Yes, Baleford has lost.
Helen (Iolite)
Yeah, but like...
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Baleford has been lost.
Helen (Iolite)
Are you even real?
Timothy (DM)
Give me an Insight check.
Dan (Maury)
Marcoooo. [all laugh]
Helen (Iolite)
[hyperventilates on dice]
Timothy (DM)
Yes, you're doing precisely what any of us would be doing in this situation--
Dan (Maury)
Hyperventilating. [Helen and Dan laugh]
Helen (Iolite)
9.
Timothy (DM)
So, with a 9, you're not sure what to think. You have two contradictory voices: one of them is very, like, tangible. You're holding on to them. Actually. You're holding on to both, right? No, yeah?
Helen (Iolite)
I have Cyril and Baley.
Timothy (DM)
Yeah. So, you're holding on to two very tangible arms, listening to very tangible voices that are both giving you contradictory information, and you feel split. Which one is the real one? Are they both fake?
Helen (Iolite)
Iolite starts to feel queasy. [Tim and Dan laugh]
Dan (Maury)
Just the idea of queasy. [all laugh]
Timothy (DM)
Just the idea of queasy.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Open your eyes! We're there. Didn't you see it, Bale?
Chris (Baleford)
My name is BALEFORD to you, but I saw blackness and a tree with a lady's arm... [Helen gasps; Chris realizes he doesn't know Cyril's gender] or a man, I don't--".
Helen (Iolite)
A person.
Chris (Baleford)
A person's arm.
Timothy (Cyril)
Don't let your eyes deceive you; this is the Astral Plane. Remember what I said, there will be many tricks,
Chris (Baleford)
[sagely] Including you.
Helen (Iolite)
Is this just going to be three hours of us trying to get into the trials? [all laugh]
Chris (Baleford)
We're still... we're still in the lobby of the... of the trials.
Timothy (DM)
As Baleford is kind of arguing back and forth with "Cyril", you feel Cyril's grip start to clench your hand, Io. [Helen winces]
Helen (Iolite)
Cyril, that-that hurts, and I'm right here. You don't need to grab me that hard.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
"I AM REAL, Io. Do NOT listen to that IMPOSTER." They continue to, like, grip in. You feel their nails now digging into your skin.
Helen (Iolite)
Into my scales?!?
Chris (Baleford)
Whoa, that's rough.
Helen (Iolite)
Wow.
Timothy (DM)
Yeah. They're not puncturing your skin, but they're, like, digging into them.
Dan (Maury)
Do I hear any of this? Does Maury hear any of this?
Timothy (DM)
No.
Dan (Maury)
Dammit.
Timothy (DM)
Maury, you're lost. [laughs]
Dan (Maury)
I did not have a choice. I didn't know what to do!
Timothy (DM)
The only thing Maury is sure of at this point is... that she's lost! [laughs] She has no idea where she is. What's going on? Who's around her?
Dan (Maury)
Well, we're all lost. We lost Cyril. We're all lost. [pointing at Chris and Helen] They're just lost together.
Chris (Baleford)
Maybe this is something else, but in the Astral Plane. Can't you travel just by thinking of something, like, thinking of where you want to go?
Timothy (DM)
You can.
Chris (Baleford)
Okay, but I guess we don't know where we're going.
Dan (Maury)
Yeah, do we know that?
Timothy (DM)
Give me an Arcana.
Timothy (DM)
[sing-songy] I'm not proficient.
Helen (Iolite)
[triumphant] 24!
Chris (Baleford)
Yeah, that's a natural 20!
Dan (Maury)
15.
Chris (Baleford)
I got 11.
Timothy (DM)
Okay, so with a 24, you are familiar through your education of the Astral Plane, and one of the things that you've read about is how the mind is an incredibly powerful tool. Physical form kind of takes the backseat, where things are more so the essence of what they appear to be, and therefore, you can trick your mind into manifesting what you'd like out of a situation.
Helen (Iolite)
You hear Io mutter to herself. "Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts..."
Dan (Maury)
Do I know this with a 15?
Timothy (DM)
With a 15, you know that the Astral Plane is a unique place with unique physical attributes, and, you know, to an extent, that there is a trick to traveling through it. You know that it has something to do with the way you tap into your source magic.
Helen (Iolite)
So, Io would like to try to imagine a line of yarn connecting them to Maury.
Timothy (DM)
All right, give me another Arcana check.
Dan (Maury)
Manifest Yarn.
Helen (Iolite)
17.
Timothy (DM)
All right. So, as you start imagining this cord of yarn, you feel a band tighten around your wrist, and then it starts to tug on you.
Helen (Iolite)
Baley, I think I've got a hold on her.
Chris (Baleford)
Well, that's a good start.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
What are you doing?
Helen (Iolite)
I've thought back on everything I've-I've studied.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
[forceful] What are you doing?
Helen (Iolite)
I'm gonna go find Maury.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
Maury's here.
Helen (Iolite)
She very obviously is not.
Timothy (DM)
And you hear her voice behind you.
Dan (Maury)
Heyyyyyy guyyyyys. [all laugh]
Helen (Iolite)
[shouting] Maury, follow the yarn!
Dan (Maury)
Does Maury feel the yarn?
Timothy (DM)
Maury, you feel a band tighten around your left wrist, and it starts pulling you off to your left.
Dan (Maury)
Does it feel like yarn?
Timothy (DM)
It has a texture of yarn.
Dan (Maury)
Is it the idea of the texture of yarn?
Timothy (DM)
It's the idea of the texture of yarn.
Dan (Maury)
What, like, thickness of yarn are we talking about? Like, is this, like, like, a chunky yarn?
Dan (Maury)
[nodding head] Okay, yeah. [Tim and Dan laugh]
Helen (Iolite)
About wursted weight.
Timothy (DM)
[sassy] Very important. Critical factors.
Dan (Maury)
"Like Jenna always says, 'Follow the yarn'" and I'm gonna start pulling and walking towards. [Helen laughs]
Timothy (DM)
Alright, so the two of you start following the tension of the yarn as it kinda pulls you off in separate directions.
Dan (Maury)
[scared] Separate directions!?!
Timothy (DM)
Maury, it's pulling into the left.
Dan (Maury)
[laughs] Oh, got it.
Timothy (DM)
Io, it's pulling to your right.
Helen (Iolite)
Towards each other? Question mark.
Chris (Baleford)
Oh, so you're pulling each other?
Dan (Maury)
Yeah, we're pulling into each other.
Timothy (DM)
Hopefully.
Helen (Iolite)
Okay.
Chris (Baleford)
And I'm along for the ride.
Helen (Iolite)
Does that mean I have to let go of Cyril or will he come with us? Or them? They will come with us?
Timothy (DM)
As you start following the tension of the yarn, you feel the tension of Cyril pulling you in the opposite direction.
Helen (Iolite)
Do I start to feel stretched down the middle? [Tim laughs]
Timothy (DM)
It's like you're kind of being pulled by two people. So like--
Helen (Iolite)
Okay, so it's a resistance
Timothy (DM)
A resistance.
Helen (Iolite)
Okay, but it's not like "held-held". Okay. Well, Iolite's gonna lean into the yarn.
Dan (Maury)
To clarify, Maury is knitting the yarn as she follows it--
Helen (Iolite)
Yeah, what do you think it's gonna be?
Dan (Maury)
--crocheting the yarn. I like to think I could get, like, a baby sock done by the time we meet each other.
Timothy (DM)
Of course she is.
Dan (Maury)
I don't know, whatever. Whatever inspires Maury at the moment, in the moment.
Helen (Iolite)
Scarf. It's kind of chilly on the Astral Plane. Yeah.
Dan (Maury)
Scarves are easy to do quickly 'cause it's just back-and-forth.
Helen (Iolite)
Okay, perfect.
Timothy (Silk Cyril)
You follow this yarn, and you feel this tension pulling on you, pulling on you, pulling on you, and then "Fine. If you're not going to make it easy for me, [mean whisper] we'll do it the hard way!" and they drop your hand.
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 becomes of 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_prophecy. 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