Ope, I guess we lost one! Upri faces a difficult decision and the party finally makes their way to the magical underground city of the Underkeep.
CREDITS
Theme song by LUSQ
Editing by Scrubcast
Music and Sound by Syrinscape
A Special thanks to our fabulous patrons, JayCeeAitch (JCH), Maggie Z., and Chris B.
Transcripts available at: https://shadowsofprophecy.buzzsprout.com/
Ope, I guess we lost one! Upri faces a difficult decision and the party finally makes their way to the magical underground city of the Underkeep.
CREDITS
Theme song by LUSQ
Editing by Scrubcast
Music and Sound by Syrinscape
A Special thanks to our fabulous patrons, JayCeeAitch (JCH), Maggie Z., and Chris B.
Transcripts available at: https://shadowsofprophecy.buzzsprout.com/
Monument to the First Star. Welcome back, my fiendish friends. We are delighted to have you joining us once again on another thrilling episode of Shadows of Prophecy. Brace yourselves for a journey full of magic, adventure and spine-tingling horror, as our heroes delve deeper into the truth of their reality and begin to unravel the mysteries surrounding the void. So grab your favorite snack, get cozy and prepare yourselves as we embark on this exciting journey together With us. Today we have Dan.
Russell (Upri):Hi, I'm Dan, I am playing. Oh, what was my?
Timothy (DM):equip. Did you all do your quips today? I know I had it and I just forgot it.
Kai (Yonce):Tentadaddy. Oh yeah, he's like oh shh, okay hi.
Timothy (DM):I'm Ren.
Russell (Upri):Oh, Hi.
Timothy (DM):Ren, we're off to a cruise. Honey, I'm starting over Hi.
Russell (Upri):I'm Dan. I am playing Ren the Scholar and Rogue and Tentadaddy because I summon tentacles off of myself, ren.
Kai (Yonce):I don't know if it's happening anywhere.
Chris (Salvador):How do I follow that?
Timothy (DM):Chris. Yeah, how does one follow that? Hi, I'm Chris.
Chris (Salvador):I play the tiefling cleric who is hoping to prevent Mara Death from having a Mara Death. Southerner's, southerner's.
Timothy (DM):Oh, you ate that, russell, I'm.
Russell (Upri):Russell and I'm playing Ubrey. If you were looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have any. Sorry, it's supposed to be in her. If you're looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have any money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, Skills that I've required over a very long career campaign. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my sister go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you.
Chris (Salvador):That's riveting.
Kai (Yonce):Great and Kai Hi my name is Kai and I'm playing the half-elf Warlock who is essentially going to go on tour with her circus act Yonsei Bei, and not her him. Oh gosh, we're all just doing terrible today, except for and this is Shiloh's Prophecy A real Dean deep-private. Please, tim, please take it All right, Good job everyone. It's been a month.
Kai (Yonce):It's been a month. It's been a month.
Timothy (DM):All right as we immerse ourselves in the shadows of prophecy, be warned for this tale explores the darkest corners of human soul and psyche, where the line between good and evil is blurred and unspeakable horrors linger in every shadow. Our story is not for the faint of heart, for it will not only bring us to mysterious lands, but have us walk down treacherous paths with unforeseen dangers, as our heroes, who are not always virtuous, confront villains who are not always wicked. As the prophecy unfolds and fate of the world hangs in the balance, only one thing is to realize for certain Nothing is as it seems. So stay sharp, ready yourselves, and we might just make it through this together, as our heroes continue to pull back the veil. Shadows of prophecy is a dungeon and dragon's actual playcast, with violent themes and adult language. Listener discretion is advised At this moment.
Timothy (DM):I do also want to take a short pause to make the following statement I have come to strongly believe that sustained, united opposition is necessary to prevent the Israeli and US governments from perpetuating violence against the Palestinian people, ultimately leading to a perilous path of ethnic cleansing. Such actions must be unequivocally condemned, irrespective of any politicized justifications. The people of Palestine deserve genuine peace and liberation from the oppressive structures of the current apartheid state, which often dismisses dissent as anti-Semitic, I am committed to ardently defending the rights of all Jewish individuals, advocating for their freedom, safety and pride. Simultaneously, I extend this commitment to the rights of both Palestinian and Israeli people. It is our collective conviction at this table that the ongoing violence against the Palestinian population is an inexcusable transgression warranting an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. The global community deserves a future marked by compassion and justice. What we are witnessing today is a gross corruption of both.
Timothy (DM):Alright, so join us today as we enter the shadows of prophecy Act 2, behind the Veil. Last time we watched our heroes, they found themselves in a big top In search of momentos of their family members, the strays. When the ringleader spotlight landed on Yonsei and called them to participate, yonsei promised to entertain the audience by any means necessary, while also attempting to retrieve a letter from his sister, meredith, that was suspended as one part acrobatics. That was suspended high above the crowd. With a boost from Ren, yonsei soared into the air and performed a routine that an onlooker described as one part acrobatics, one part striptease, three parts singing and five parts badass.
Kai (Yonce):Sweet polypon kids are her like ass.
Timothy (DM):Yonsei gracefully landed back into his discarded pants that were being held by an invisible uppery, and the group dashed out to find a momento of varnes. After a brief detour to a freak show of void creatures in a dark, abandoned alley, the party arrived at the carnival's petting zoo and successfully unpinned the tale on the donkey. Upon gathering the last of the momentos, an unsettling rain of confetti and balloons showered onto the group. As a kazoo buzzed a triumphant tune, the five life-sized bodies of Yonsei and Uppery's family members appeared out of thin air and swung from the strings in a nearby archway. The puppets, as if dragged by an unseen hand, lured the heroes through the twisting fairground and into a chilling hall of mirrors.
Timothy (DM):Once inside, naturally the party decided to split up to hunt down the funhouse specters of the strays. Eerily enough, though, at the end of their chase they found that these figures were not merely marionettes of their family but their actual flesh and bone bodies, controlled by metal cords that had been drilled into their skulls and limbs. With great effort, sal and Yonsei freed the goblin astral monk Senen in a tag team fight. Wren liberated the fog-shrouded halfling phantom rogue. Alton and Uppery saved the cobalt fey wanderer Ranger Vard, amid a prickly pointy arena of thorns, plugging along the now unconscious and significantly less murder-some strays. The separated heroes converged on a final auditorium with a grinning nymn standing down center stage beneath the limp, dangling body of Meredith, the one stray that the group did not follow. Is this the final curtain call for the water? Genasi sister.
Kai (Yonce):No, find out.
Russell (Upri):But before we get into it.
Timothy (DM):I have a message from our narrator.
Kai (Yonce):This bitch.
Timothy (DM):Welcome back In the endless expense of eternity. All will find themselves truly and irreversibly alone, a solitary soul adrift in desolation that stretches beyond the boundaries of comprehension. The eerie silence that will envelop you will be a haunting reminder that in this solitary existence you are alone. With no respite from the suffocating isolation that clings to your very being, you will be forced to embrace that chilling reality, for, in the end, all are alone, forever lost in the abyss of their own loss of self. Everybody roll initiative.
Kai (Yonce):That Russian bitch always gets. Me.
Timothy (DM):I rolled a five Wow.
Kai (Yonce):I rolled a 16.
Timothy (DM):A 16. All right.
Russell (Upri):You just put me at the end 17. You got nine, all right? Oh no, all right.
Chris (Salvador):Gotta adjust our things Also can we give up to Tim's?
Timothy (DM):nails the fifth player. The fifth player Yay.
Russell (Upri):The member of this party.
Kai (Yonce):Compliments will get Meredith back.
Timothy (DM):Is that how that works, okay?
Russell (Upri):I'm going to see what I can do. I am not hopeful, though.
Chris (Salvador):And if not, then the Lord will provide.
Kai (Yonce):Come on, osaka, we're really pushing the God.
Chris (Salvador):Hey, sometimes, if you pray hard enough, stuff happens in this world.
Timothy (DM):In this world, yeah.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, how does?
Timothy (DM):that work.
Chris (Salvador):I got spells yeah.
Kai (Yonce):They got spells, we'll find out All right.
Timothy (DM):As you have entered the space, you see Nim standing in the center, Well, being held up in the center of the stage, the dangling body of Meredith above him, her blood dripping onto his face as he lifts his head and says oh, I guess we lost one. You take that back the room begins to fill with smoke. Yonsei, what do you do?
Kai (Yonce):Since I realized that all my spell slots are been used because even though it's been a month, even though no times has passed, we have not taken rest. I am going to. Are there chains attached to Nim?
Timothy (DM):So there are the cords that hold him up, just like the other Marionettes. So there's the ones in the hand, the head and then the two knees.
Kai (Yonce):All right, without even thinking, I am going to cast two Elgis Blast at the cords on the arms. Okay, oh, one is 24 and the other is 21. The 24 will hit, the 21 won't.
Timothy (DM):No, as you see your cord blast past Nim and the cord that holds up his hand, you see it begin to blur, your vision starts to force you into crossing your eyes and you notice that it shifts back and forth in its positioning.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, okay, so do I roll for damage? I already did, and it was 13.
Timothy (DM):13. All right, cool, all right. That is going to bring us to Uppry.
Russell (Upri):Do I roll for damage? Good, because I already did, and it was 13.
Kai (Yonce):Fuck you.
Timothy (DM):Thank you for saying what the rest of us are thinking Love that.
Kai (Yonce):You know, what?
Kai (Yonce):I'm just a good player. I was prepared.
Russell (Upri):No, that's true. Fuck, how far are we from the stage?
Timothy (DM):So this is like a medium sized auditorium, so I don't know. That's like 100 feet from the back of the auditorium towards the stage.
Russell (Upri):All right, I will dash and move 80 feet, so I'm 20 feet away.
Timothy (DM):Cool, cool, cool cool.
Russell (Upri):And then I'm going to pull out and throw my trusty handaxe of wonder that doesn't have any charges left. It's just a handaxe now, thank goodness, at one of Nim's cords Beautiful, it's 19. A 19. Okay, so I have to really quickly do something.
Timothy (DM):So I am going to roll something. So I roll a d20. You are going to hit.
Russell (Upri):What is happening? I'm confused.
Kai (Yonce):I am also confusion. I think, oh, magic spells maybe have a higher.
Russell (Upri):Oh, I don't know. There's something going on.
Chris (Salvador):I think there might be some like illusory.
Timothy (DM):I guess you'll find out. Yeah, if we keep playing oh fair.
Russell (Upri):We could just hypothesize Eight damage, eight damage, okay, thank you yeah you could just continue hypothesizing and.
Timothy (DM):I'll just nod and smile.
Kai (Yonce):Wouldn't the viewers want that instead of battle? Hypothesis.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, totally Okay, anything else that you can do with your turn?
Russell (Upri):Nope, that is it.
Timothy (DM):All right, so you saw the axe. It trims the cord as it flies past it, and that is going to bring us to Salvador.
Chris (Salvador):Okay, I'm going to run up. So I'm 60 feet away from the stage and I'm going to shout to Nim hey, you want to go on a trip. I need you to do a Christmas saving car.
Kai (Yonce):Come on, little Einstein.
Timothy (DM):A Christmas saving. So that is going to be a four plus one five.
Chris (Salvador):So Nip pops out of existence. Nip slips out of existence, so he's banished right now.
Timothy (DM):So Nim disappears and the room falls into silence, besides a kind of low hissing sound as it continues to fill with smoke.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, it's smoking.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, there's like a rolling fog coming from the wings of the stage and it's pouring out over the stage and down into the audience.
Chris (Salvador):I'm expecting some witches to like hobble on stage and pull out a cauldron, so we have a minute that I can hold them here. Do you want to go check, meredith? Oh heck, yes.
Kai (Yonce):Wait for banishment? What if it's sending them to the wait?
Chris (Salvador):So they're not native to this plane, so if I keep it up for a minute, they go to the plane that they're naturally from, which would be cursed.
Russell (Upri):Nim is back at the truss, holy fuck yeah.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, yeah, yeah.
Russell (Upri):What happens to the cords? Yeah, that's a great question.
Timothy (DM):I don't know why, I didn't think that this was a possibility, but now that you mentioned it, yes, nim is originally from the material plane, which you are not in right now. So that is exactly how banishment will work in this scenario. Previously, when banishment was used, it was on somebody from the material plane, in the material plane, and therefore they eventually return after a minute.
Kai (Yonce):But since it's the opposite, if I remember. I may be wrong, but wouldn't they stay in their original plane?
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, if I keep up the spell and would return.
Russell (Upri):No, but it's permanent. Right, it's permanent because I banished somebody back to their original plane. It's permanent, yeah.
Chris (Salvador):I banished somebody back for the minute which we can, if we want or if we want to have them pop back and we have to fix anything in this plane. I don't know. I figured at least to give you some time to check Meredith and we can maybe cut her down and put her in the VIP box.
Timothy (DM):So I will say that the cords are just dangling in the center of the stage, that, like he disappeared, we also severed all the cords and one five brain moved.
Kai (Yonce):Well, let's get.
Russell (Upri):Meredith down.
Timothy (DM):So yeah, what are we doing with Meredith?
Kai (Yonce):So the target actually won't return if you keep it up for a minute. So, okay, we got to make sure that stays up. At least we know one person safe. So yeah, what are you saying? Get Meredith down.
Russell (Upri):We need to get Meredith down. I'm going to summon. Oh, I can do.
Kai (Yonce):I'm going to Sorry, the big boss battle just ended very quickly. I'm sorry, Jim.
Chris (Salvador):There could be other enemies, we don't know. This is a dark. There's people hiding.
Timothy (DM):No, I love that.
Kai (Yonce):You just cheesed the fuck out of me I was going to do that if I had a spell shot, so that actually worked out. I was thinking about that this morning, like we're getting into high levels.
Timothy (DM):You're getting some crazy abilities yeah. That's how battles are going to turn out.
Chris (Salvador):You said Nim is a wizard and like I he's an old gnome wizard. I don't know what Nim could do.
Kai (Yonce):Nim was like let's fight. So I was like I think not.
Timothy (DM):Trust me, what I had planned was heinous, borderline heinous, I don't know. We would just fight back at the treehouse.
Chris (Salvador):Maybe this is body double.
Russell (Upri):I'm going to use meldyn memory to embody a forest daddy, aka the forest spirit that you absorbed, or that fern absorbed, so I get the barky texture and then I go with this root, or I can send a root out from my arm or something like that. So I'm going to try and wrap her and bring her down. Yeah, she needs to cut the cords, though. I just don't want her to fall, which is why I'm holding onto her, so somebody's going to have to slice those cords.
Kai (Yonce):I could use Eldritch Blast on a few of them, on all of them, if that needs to be.
Timothy (DM):They're not under any time constraints. You can aim your shots and you can destroy the cords, and Meredith's limp body is brought down to the stage I would like to doctor. You would like to doctor make a medicine roll.
Russell (Upri):Oh, I rolled a five, that's an 18. Oh, what the I'm five? She's not breathing, okay.
Timothy (DM):There is no heartbeat. The blood has been dripping out of her hands, knees and the top of her head, so you just see blood like wet still but starting to dry, and her temperature is starting to drop.
Russell (Upri):Gotcha. So can I stabilize, or is that not a possibility? She is dead. We should get out of here Right when.
Chris (Salvador):So where's Nim Nim is? He's chilling back wherever. I don't know if I can designate where on the plane he appears or he's just somewhere on the material plane for the time being. I'm looking at my wristwatch and it's been 30 seconds.
Kai (Yonce):I run up and I grab a mare and Yonsei is crying yes, that's all I got. Right now. Upper is just kind of dissociating.
Russell (Upri):Do we bring him back?
Chris (Salvador):If you want, I can.
Timothy (DM):Meredith's limp body kind of slumps into your arms as you pull her from Ren. No, no, no, no, no. Her cheek is resting on your upper arm.
Russell (Upri):There's nothing that I can do. I'm sorry.
Kai (Yonce):No, we have to do something. We can't, I can't let her die.
Chris (Salvador):I have two ideas. So we could either wait till tomorrow and if Ren still has a valuable gem, I can cast Raise Dead or I could ask Tao right now. You want me to. I could do something right now if you'd like Save her.
Russell (Upri):Is Raise Dead different than Resurrection?
Chris (Salvador):It is. It is a fifth level spell which I can cast.
Russell (Upri):Is she going to be all goopy?
Chris (Salvador):No, she'll be regular I'm so confused as long as she has all of her body parts. But yeah, I'm Sal's gonna. He's gonna kneel beside Meredith and he's gonna put a shield on the ground and his axe on the ground and he's gonna get into the particular stance that the disciples of Tao, or the clerics of Tao, normally pray in. What is that? It's sort of like crisscross applesauce, but you sort of have your, your finger, your hands in a particular. It's in the American sign language for for a rock out. For a rock out, exactly. So he's going to recite there's a particular teaching that Tao has and he's going to recite that under his breath and he's going to cast Divine Intervention. So I get this as a tenth level cleric. I have a 10% chance of having Tao help me out.
Kai (Yonce):As you're doing that. I'm just whispering Safer, Safer, please, Safer, please, Safer please.
Chris (Salvador):I don't know how much. Oh, I don't know. The casting time oh, it's just an action to do this, so that's a 40. So nothing happens.
Kai (Yonce):I say this, I say this prayer into the empty auditorium. You stupid boy.
Chris (Salvador):No talking in theaters.
Timothy (DM):Have you not been paying attention? Tao, you call out a Tao in this moment of dire need.
Chris (Salvador):Hey this is not particularly pressing. I got 10 days.
Timothy (DM):Why would you ever think Tao would answer you?
Chris (Salvador):You know I can be helpful. A guy can dream.
Timothy (DM):When has Tao ever answered you Seriously, salvador? You know what, uprey? I came here to talk to you. The trick your friend played was dirty and while I appreciated the energy, I found it dreadfully boring and I'm hoping you can remedy it.
Kai (Yonce):Who the fuck is talking. I'm assuming it's the director.
Timothy (DM):It's me, the director, the director of all of this.
Kai (Yonce):New voice with this Uprey yeah.
Timothy (DM):Salvador's worthless god, non-existent god, is not going to save your sister.
Russell (Upri):I mean, he's not non-existent, he's a one in 10 chance god.
Chris (Salvador):It only gets better with time. There you go.
Timothy (DM):Funny how you're still falling for the trick. Regardless, I can. I mean I took her away from you. I could give her back.
Russell (Upri):What do you want?
Timothy (DM):You see, you and I are stuck with each other. That has its pros and has its cons, but the immediate reality of that relationship is that you still have a wall up against me. You've been resisting.
Russell (Upri):And.
Timothy (DM):I'm going to need you to take that down, my dear, and not only that one, but the literal wall that also exists in this world.
Chris (Salvador):Two.
Timothy (DM):Two walls I ask for you to remove. That is all. You're strong I have one condition and was that?
Russell (Upri):Come down here and face me face to face. Let's talk before we. It'll help me to let down that wall, you know.
Timothy (DM):I desperately wish that was possible, you see, but with that wall up the second one, the real one, I can't, and I have just revealed a true weakness and vulnerability to you. So I think that sweetens the deal, do you not agree?
Russell (Upri):Is someone smart? Listening it sounds like you're not.
Chris (Salvador):You're backed into a literal corner because you have to break. You only have two walls remaining.
Russell (Upri):Sorry, yeah, can we all hear this?
Timothy (DM):Yeah everybody can hear this, but we just the literal wall yeah is that the one over there.
Kai (Yonce):Do I just go hit?
Russell (Upri):it which point to which wall is the one you're talking about.
Timothy (DM):Well, as I revealed, I cannot presently manifest in your world. Can you metaphorically point I've been speaking to you, and that is the extent of what I'm capable of doing.
Russell (Upri):All right, so I'm going to face the stage. Let's say that's north. Which wall am I hitting?
Timothy (DM):Well, it's not in here either it is on your plane.
Russell (Upri):Okay.
Timothy (DM):And you're going to need that annoying woman, alice is her name. And I do trust she'll play her part. I just think she might need some coaxing when the time comes of it. You see, she is the ram that will bash it down. I just need you to direct her.
Kai (Yonce):Oh gosh, I know what's happening, Okay.
Russell (Upri):This is how we release the titans into the world. This is the destruction scenario At least that's my thought. If there's some physical wall probably magical and physical wall that's preventing the titans from entering our plane, and we smash that wall down too, let them in.
Chris (Salvador):And then wait Director.
Timothy (DM):Here's Mark 1 Ren.
Russell (Upri):It's one of my only redeeming points.
Timothy (DM):That is correct. Alice is the harbinger, the one who will destroy the wall, and I can't have her backing away from her duty. That's all I ask of you, and then I will grant you the powers to revive your sister.
Kai (Yonce):But won't you destroy the world once you release? So how do we know that you'll save her?
Timothy (DM):I can promise you that, when all is said and done, your family will be united Living.
Chris (Salvador):In case you were about to ask that, Got to be clear, but what is the rest of the?
Timothy (DM):world matter. It's fanciful anyways.
Chris (Salvador):You got to live in it.
Russell (Upri):What about the rest of our family and friends?
Timothy (DM):You'll probably be fine. I mean, it's a little bit up to whatever deals you make.
Russell (Upri):Oh right, director, can you see us right now?
Timothy (DM):I can see, hear, smell and feel you Uppery.
Russell (Upri):Oh, I don't like that last one, alright.
Timothy (DM):I've really enjoyed filling out this little channel. You've carved for us.
Russell (Upri):Channel right, and now is this verbal abandoned? How do I know you're not going to break the deal?
Timothy (DM):From the ceiling of the stage you see a scroll unfurl and at the very bottom you see the director's signature and a line, a feather floats down in front. You see the gold script shimmer.
Chris (Salvador):Hold on hold on.
Russell (Upri):Let me read this contract first. Awesome, poor, unfortunate soul, I'm going to pick out fine print if you want me to just double check to make sure there's no nuances in there.
Kai (Yonce):I will also say, during this time, yonsei is still on the ground with mare crying, despondent.
Russell (Upri):Perfect. That makes this a lot easier to decide for me Uppery's going to pick up the pen, dab it on her tongue and throw it, and then take the contract, rip it, spit on it and say I have way more faith in my friend's ability to bring her back than yours, son of a bitch.
Kai (Yonce):Tell her sweet until the son of a bitch.
Timothy (DM):We're going to have it the fun way then.
Kai (Yonce):Listen, you, director, you leave my fucking family alone. You won't get mare and you damn sure won't get us. As Uppery will say now get it, go on, get it. Who we?
Timothy (DM):The world around you begins to fade to black.
Russell (Upri):Quick sale banish us. I can only do it one at a time.
Chris (Salvador):Fuck, I actually could do that for two people, three people.
Kai (Yonce):If we take a quick rest, I can do it.
Chris (Salvador):Just a one hour nap.
Russell (Upri):Could you give us one hour before you do this weird thing You're going to do trip.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Russell (Upri):Oh, my hand slipped. I didn't mean to rip the contract, I didn't mean to do it for an hour.
Timothy (DM):So as the world around you darkens and the cloud of smoke is unfurling at your feet, you start to hear the sound of birds and as you blink your eyes, color returns to the world. As a ray of sunlight hits your cornea, you realize you're standing in the treehouse. Alright, thank you, sun. In NIM ALTEN Are laying on the couch. You're in the sofa of the living quarters. You see their chest rise and fall as they breathe in and out. You notice the sores on their hands have closed up, leaving only a minor scar, just a faint reminder of what has happened. Meredith is nowhere to be seen, fuck.
Kai (Yonce):Wait, she's not even, I'm not even.
Timothy (DM):You look down into your hands, Yance, and you feel the weight of her lifted from you and the image of her fades away into your memory.
Kai (Yonce):No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, meredith, no, no. And then I'm just bawling.
Russell (Upri):I might have made a miscalculation.
Chris (Salvador):There's ways to fix these sort of things.
Russell (Upri):You're right. You're right, yance. Did you let Yance hear or something from her?
Kai (Yonce):No response.
Timothy (DM):Across the room you notice a piece of parchment pinned to the wall. Oh, you fucking son of a bitch.
Russell (Upri):I'll go grab it. What's the say?
Timothy (DM):You rip it off the wall and all it says is have you changed your mind?
Russell (Upri):I'll grab the pin. Yes, question mark.
Timothy (DM):As you write the words yes, the ink fades into the paper. A script written there previously fades as well. And then you see inky splotches start to appear on the parchment face, forming the words of the contract. Again, you see the director's signature on the bottom left and a line marked with an X.
Russell (Upri):Does the director just sign? The director, they do.
Timothy (DM):The two E's, is it?
Russell (Upri):like one of them, fancy Hollywood signatures where the T and the D are really big.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, it is a very big director.
Timothy (DM):You did that one.
Chris (Salvador):Will.
Russell (Upri):You want me to read it? Yeah, you.
Chris (Salvador):Does it say anything about Meredith?
Russell (Upri):Yeah, I'm going to read through. There are a couple things that I want to like find details on. I'm assuming it's all there because it's a contract. I want to find out when does Meredith get resurrected?
Timothy (DM):Is it?
Russell (Upri):immediately. Is it after we've done the thing, the broken the wall? What happens if we don't end up breaking the wall? What happens to Meredith? That's it.
Timothy (DM):Those are the two things I want to know. Meredith will be returned immediately.
Russell (Upri):Nice.
Timothy (DM):Barring Failure to complete the task, she will remain united with her family. The trace will be protected by the director.
Russell (Upri):Wait, so we just have to try to break the wall. Failure, oh, toronto Palace, sorry.
Timothy (DM):Will result in the reclaiming of Meredith's soul.
Kai (Yonce):Not a Maxine's waters.
Russell (Upri):I will just have her at their whim. Should we not complete the task or should we choose to not complete the task?
Chris (Salvador):I mean, we're pretty good at task completing.
Kai (Yonce):Please, we have to save her, and that's all you hear from Beyonce in a very soft voice. Please save her.
Russell (Upri):I mean, we're really good at fucking around and figuring shit out.
Kai (Yonce):And we're just going to sign it.
Timothy (DM):You sign your name.
Russell (Upri):I know it's not. It's not cursive, though it's very like capital letters like square all caps.
Timothy (DM):And how are you feeling as you sign it?
Russell (Upri):I look over at Beyonce. Is it Meredith?
Timothy (DM):I look at I want to know how you're feeling before I answer that question. Fuck up.
Kai (Yonce):Therapies in session.
Timothy (DM):Like you're signing your name, and the deal of the contract is that you are breaking down the figurative wall that you're holding up against the director and then putting Alice on the trajectory of breaking down the literal wall that prevents the director from entering this world. Like, let's drop all flowery language, that is the deal to say you are about to make.
Russell (Upri):You have to use corruptory. That's what that means.
Timothy (DM):Actively use your direct but not all the time.
Russell (Upri):Not all the time, but you have to stop holding back. All right, upper, you're just going to go and the inner head director, are you there?
Kai (Yonce):I will also say as a player I like how everybody's using the uppers head, because it has the most space.
Timothy (DM):So as you sign your name and then you like call out to the director. You feel this intense well of energy just shoot up from your feet into your chest and you feel like this rage, this like energy, all sorts of confusing, complicated emotions swirling around inside of you. And then you feel this like malicious intention. I need you to make a corruption saving throw. You are mechanically progressing to the next level of your soul class.
Russell (Upri):That's level three.
Timothy (DM):Which grants you access to a new spell, a boon and a bane.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, I see what you did, baby. Come on Batman.
Russell (Upri):All right, but I'm tier moderate.
Timothy (DM):Yes, so you have moderate corruption.
Russell (Upri):Am I mild? I might be mild.
Timothy (DM):You will, oh mild. Yes, that's how we named it.
Russell (Upri):So you have mild corruption, level three. So 14 is the DC and that is wisdom or con.
Timothy (DM):It's just a d20.
Russell (Upri):Oh, plus proficiency level in the playing field.
Timothy (DM):Oh fuck that's an eight, all right, you will gain a point of corruption, and I believe that brings you to six. Oh, we're good Six will keep you in mild corruption.
Russell (Upri):I think as like that, like Malice is building up in Uppery and she's just standing there feeling it and then she just burps. You smell foul. You had to get what is my burps. Corrupted burp.
Kai (Yonce):What is my? What is my burp?
Timothy (DM):Sour and stingy Pickled cabbage.
Russell (Upri):Oh, what the hell did you eat? I don't think it would pickle cabbage. I like pickled things.
Kai (Yonce):I also have to say something that was not appropriate. It begins with an S.
Chris (Salvador):No, I'm just. There's a lot of things that start with S.
Timothy (DM):How are the strays doing? Are they awake? Oh, yes, they are sleeping. Okay, you can wake them.
Russell (Upri):But what do we get you signed? Do we get married? It's back.
Chris (Salvador):We're waiting. We're gonna do two things first.
Russell (Upri):No, we get married back immediately.
Timothy (DM):Yes, so that's when you hear Upre Yonsei and you hear that's Meredith.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, meredith, country like me Okay.
Timothy (DM):And then, as you turn Towards the door leading into the living room, you see it swing open and Meredith's face Pops on through. She sprints across the room and throws herself at the both of you, grabs you in an embrace. Oh my God, I never thought I'd see you again, I mean say baby girl, I'm crying too.
Kai (Yonce):I'm so sorry, Meredith. I should have been there for you. I'm so sorry.
Chris (Salvador):No, don't worry baby.
Kai (Yonce):This is not on you, okay.
Chris (Salvador):Like a switch, don't you?
Kai (Yonce):worry.
Timothy (DM):Your little hearts. All that matters is that we are together again.
Kai (Yonce):I'm so sorry I have not been there for you. You've been there for me through the five years that Upre was gone. You've been there and I was not there for you when you needed it most. I will never let that happen again. I'm so sorry.
Timothy (DM):My dear, you've always been there for us, no matter what voices you have in your head, you have always been there for your family. We see the love you have for them, for us, and I love you too, brother.
Kai (Yonce):I forgot I was a male.
Timothy (DM):That's all right, I wrote it down.
Kai (Yonce):You know what I'm saying. Looks in Meredith's eyes and the skips on the biggest hug, I guess. Since Upre is there too, I also wrap my arms around her.
Kai (Yonce):I'm gonna pick the both of them up. Okay, you pick her up.
Timothy (DM):Oh, I see you've gotten a lot stronger.
Kai (Yonce):She just came back from the dead. Can you kind of lighten that up?
Timothy (DM):And as you place her down she kind of like steps takes, like one step back, still staying relatively close. Because, all right, I have so many questions, but for tonight can we just have a meal together as a family?
Russell (Upri):Yeah, I think that's all right.
Kai (Yonce):Of course, as I'm wiping the tears, of course, but then we should really get going.
Russell (Upri):I think we should keep you somewhere safer than here, and then we'll stand up holding his side where he got stabbed brutally.
Kai (Yonce):I could use a rest.
Timothy (DM):That was bleeding. Oh goodness, I'm really hurting You're welcome to join the family for dinner. I appreciate everything that I'm assuming you have done for us, and tonighting us is just thank you so much.
Russell (Upri):Of course I could just. I just really need this like lie down.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, absolutely, I will take you down to the sleeping quarters and you can have a nice little lay down. No, thank you Honestly, I'm going to go take a little rest as well, and we can get ready for dinner after that.
Kai (Yonce):I'm going to follow Mayor. I'm just letting her out my sights.
Russell (Upri):Mayor, what's the last thing you remember?
Timothy (DM):I remember, oh, is this something we could talk about later?
Russell (Upri):Yeah, we can talk about later.
Kai (Yonce):You asshole.
Timothy (DM):I'm just so happy to see you again.
Russell (Upri):Me too, mayor, but do you remember the circus world? I think I just want to get back, or do you, as a pre-circus world? I look at, I look at.
Kai (Yonce):Brian, she said she will discuss it later. She's coping. That's too elderous blast. Get ready. They're warming up. They're warming up.
Chris (Salvador):Upper. Is this the first time you've seen your family since you went to the void, or did you whenever Yonsei rescued you?
Russell (Upri):Oh, she did. I guess it's been like eight years, something like that.
Timothy (DM):Nah, you would have like gone back.
Kai (Yonce):No, we went directly from when I saved them to a hero.
Timothy (DM):You passed through the Enchant for us to get to hero.
Russell (Upri):We did. I did Blades. I remember seeing the family as blades. Yeah, I don't think.
Kai (Yonce):We haven't established that up. We never were. Oh, in the previous season of Shadows of Prophecy.
Russell (Upri):I was so mad because it was like we need to go do this shit.
Kai (Yonce):And I just wanted to go home.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, all right, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool Cool.
Chris (Salvador):Cool, cool, cool, cool Cool.
Timothy (DM):Cool.
Kai (Yonce):Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool and sorry.
Timothy (DM):We'll just narrate it as like when you arrive, like she just throws herself at you, no words. And when you start asking questions, she's just like I want to tell you everything. I want to. I want to know everything about what happened to you. I want to know where you've been. I want to know why all of this is happening. What have you gotten yourself into, upry? But for the time being, I think we could all do with a little bit of rest.
Kai (Yonce):Has the rest of the stray still been sleeping during this reunion? Yeah, okay.
Chris (Salvador):So this is going to happen at least two more times, maybe four times.
Russell (Upri):What we could just do it all at once.
Kai (Yonce):I'd leave. I took most of the lie down.
Timothy (DM):All right. So you all take a nice little nap.
Russell (Upri):Do we get a full rest, a long rest? Yeah, you're going to get a long rest.
Timothy (DM):Like you spend some time recovering. Everybody is spending time recovering. The strays are in a deep, deep slumber, like they are exhausted. When they finally wake up, it's like the next day at this point and they all greet you with the same like energy as Meredith did. They have so many questions for Uppery. They want to ask them all, and some of them do ask many, many, many questions to get your side of the story and figure out what has happened to you and how you're back and All things. A little pissed that all you sent was a letter. When you returned, you didn't pay them a visit. You ran off to Harrow and then they heard that you might have died as the city was destroyed and then Cyag fell and then they disappeared into some fucking realm.
Russell (Upri):Do they remember that?
Timothy (DM):They do, they do remember, they remember parts of the experience. They explain it as somewhat dreamlike, somewhat fleeting. No, no.
Russell (Upri):Well, I'm going to compliment her on ability to stab people, because she hit hard.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, yeah, and she just smirks. And then at the end, but at the end of the day everybody kind of like let's go of the what ifs and they come together and they prepare a meal together and you all, four of you, come together with them, you build this meal, you sit down, you have a dinner. There is so much to talk about that. We are not gonna role play all of it because that would be insane.
Russell (Upri):You don't wanna stop between six to seven voices.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Russell (Upri):That may or may not talk to each other.
Timothy (DM):No, I do not, so we are just going to say that this all happens. You spend several days before you get back on the road again and they would like to meet you in Intropolis. You've explained to them that that is where you believe that this is all gonna come to, a point that you've already sent Akilah and Zaheer and Bran there and that's where they are headed. They know that the undercurrents are going to be the same as the beginning of the year Heading. They know that the under keeps probably best left to you all to sort out, having heard about Daphne and Seril and Alice and your exes being merged into a monster with a demi god from ancient times, like there's so much explaining that Y'all are over sharing with my family.
Chris (Salvador):There's a truth in both of those skulls. Okay, so the way that I envision all of this happening is that, like you, kind of?
Timothy (DM):have to explain stuff Like you're at a point where, like you can't beat around the bush anymore, things just have to be said. I love beating around the bush so that people can start to piece things together, and they are persistent. You don't think your family is gonna keep asking you until you finally tell them why all of this is happening.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, they're gonna have to and they do.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah. So, You're telling me you jumped into a hedge and you got stuck. As you've been chased by crazed people in a bacon party.
Russell (Upri):Oh shit, we are all the way back.
Timothy (DM):Come on, actually, let's start from the very beginning.
Kai (Yonce):It's a very good place to start, is the tale of Pampay.
Kai (Yonce):Oh my gosh, the tale of Pampay.
Russell (Upri):They are forever with us.
Kai (Yonce):They are forever with us. Pour one out for the homie.
Russell (Upri):Turns out, this whole campaign is just the tale of Pampay.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, pampay hasn't been working behind the scenes.
Russell (Upri):I believe it.
Kai (Yonce):Hiding in bushes If you go back and watch the footage.
Russell (Upri):There's a bush in every scene.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, with the little Pampay head.
Timothy (DM):That is, oh my gosh, perfect. So, yeah, that's like everything's out on the table. They're going to meet you in Entropolis. One because, like that seems logical for all of the information that you've been provided and all the information they've been provided, and two because, mechanically, that just is easier for all of us If we just put everybody over into Entropolis and we will have them there when we are ready to interact with them again.
Russell (Upri):All right, yes, I write them a introduction letter to Mara.
Timothy (DM):Beautiful.
Russell (Upri):So that they can get into Lark's perch and stay there if they want. That's it.
Chris (Salvador):I'm going to ask Nim, do you know, like Leamons Tiny Hut or Morkind's Magnificent Mansion, as you're traveling on the road, to keep you guys safe.
Russell (Upri):Oh yeah, I do, I think, holding my side, I think they'll be fine, okay.
Kai (Yonce):We've healed by now. Stop, stop, stop milking that wound.
Russell (Upri):I still got stitches and a scar.
Kai (Yonce):Stop milking that wound. Some of us have died. Before we leave, I'm assuming we're about to start making our way, about to say, downtown, but that's not what I meant Fucking fast, exactly. I'm going to hug each of my family members and look at them and say we're going to get through this as a family, mainly because we have no choice but to. But this will not be the last you see of us. We will see you in Entropolis and we will have our old life back, albeit some changes, but we'll have it back.
Timothy (DM):He has a family. As a family, hey has a family.
Kai (Yonce):And then I go through all of the voices as a family, as a family.
Russell (Upri):As a family. Gopno, it's open, it's open.
Timothy (DM):As a family. It's Varn. What's the name? What's?
Russell (Upri):the name sound like Peggy Sioux.
Timothy (DM):He has a family.
Russell (Upri):That's a name.
Timothy (DM):Yeah remember he said oh, oh name goes oh.
Russell (Upri):Guess, we lost one. Oh yeah, she's. Is it open Midwestern? It's in Midwestern, he has a family.
Chris (Salvador):Let me scoot you on past. You there.
Russell (Upri):Sorry about your sister.
Timothy (DM):And Sennin is just like as a family.
Kai (Yonce):Now this feels like the fast and furious Familiar, so that all happens.
Timothy (DM):You all keep hugging. Meredith goes to the next room, meredith goes in for like three hugs before all is said and done, and Nims packed you a little lunch sack. Each of the strays incorporate something into a little kind of like memento gift to you all and Do we get?
Russell (Upri):Do we get Chinese?
Kai (Yonce):Possibly if I can find my stack of papers.
Timothy (DM):So, before you truly set off towards the world, as you're all saying your goodbyes over and, over and over again. Like it's, you all were raised by a Midwesterner. So you say goodbye for two hours Just standing at the door, just standing at the door. Nims slips away for like a moment and he returns With several things. So this is for Sal.
Russell (Upri):Did you also let him walk in, sal gets a shine.
Timothy (DM):So he has like an armful of things that look a little older, like he's been holding on to them for a while.
Chris (Salvador):I really need that, what yeah?
Timothy (DM):Like he's been holding on to them for a while, almost as if they are like family heirlooms or Something special and Apre. Yonsei, you've seen these from time to time.
Kai (Yonce):This is in the locker room.
Timothy (DM):There's no locked room, but, yes, it's something that he keeps in his personal effects and they're wrapped in this cloth and, as he like, returns back to the room. You see that he takes the cloth off of it to reveal a sword, a ring and Foreign only I mean yeah, and a small amulet.
Russell (Upri):Papa really and you can totally punch someone. I'm going to knock them out with some brass rings.
Timothy (DM):He like motions towards the group and says these were passed down for me for from my mom and pop, and they were Part of an adventuring group long before I adopted you two, and these are some of the things that reminded me of them. I've held on to them these years. It's not much. I think Whatever you're facing is Much bigger than I could even fathom, but I want to do as much as I can to help you along the way, and I think that you could put these to good use. Will you please take them and cherish them and help bring our family back together for good, drive this evil back from whence it came and bring peace to this world.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, I think we can do that name.
Kai (Yonce):And I think I speak for both Up here myself is we are so glad that you found us and adopted us all those years ago.
Russell (Upri):Oh, yeah, that too.
Kai (Yonce):And.
Timothy (DM):I wouldn't have had it any other way you had no choice. I mean oh, we absolutely choose to adopt you, and you have brought me nothing but joy. I love you both dearly and I wish I could be with you at all times on this, whatever this road has in store for you. But I will see you in Entropolis. We will Convene with this Akila woman that you have spoke about and ensure that we can fight this together. Now, what would you say in again, yonsei? Sorry, I got very emotional and it doesn't matter.
Timothy (DM):Okay, thank you All that matters is the love between us, and I know your love for me and I hope you know my love for you, my dear boy.
Kai (Yonce):No, no, no, no, not the dear boy part. No, no, no, no. We gotta rework that.
Chris (Salvador):I wanna kneel down and hug Niamh for the gift that he's given me.
Timothy (DM):Oh, of course, I hope that you can use it well and that it helps you keep them safe. That is all I ask of you.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Kai (Yonce):I put the ring on and I'm like, oh, this is gonna do damage. I mean, oh, this looks so pretty.
Russell (Upri):I don't know Our next long rest. I'll sleep with my sword and figure out what it does. I gotta tune to it.
Timothy (DM):You as well, keep my family safe.
Russell (Upri):Yes, sir.
Timothy (DM):I'm counting on ya, hori. We're gonna pretend that everything is okay.
Russell (Upri):So Midwestern.
Timothy (DM):And we are gonna do what we need to do. But every day is gonna be a battle, and I do expect you two to write me with this time More often than you did when you were in that Godforsaken hero.
Russell (Upri):Niamh, I know you did your best, but we both know how I struggle around. One of the letters that Yon seems will be from me.
Timothy (DM):If all you write is your name, that is good enough for me.
Russell (Upri):I mean I could do a hard on the eye.
Kai (Yonce):Looks like a star.
Timothy (DM):And maybe something that lets me know that you've been eating, I mean, and she just.
Kai (Yonce):Okay, okay okay.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, I can see you've been eating. Good on ya.
Kai (Yonce):I'll put some crumbs in the letter to say you know, Thank you, Yonzi.
Russell (Upri):Just get some envelope full of ants.
Chris (Salvador):You've been eating bugs up here again. Well, yeah, what'd you get up? It's a pretty fancy ring. What does it do?
Timothy (DM):What a great time for us to go on a break so that we can go on a traveling trip to the underkeep, because that is where our story will take us next Holiday. So we are gonna go on a short little break and when we return we will be in a different place. So see you soon. The magic of travel, all right. So before the break, we said our goodbyes to the strays for another time.
Russell (Upri):Not, forever Not forever Probably.
Kai (Yonce):Hopefully.
Timothy (DM):They have taken off to Entropolis, you part ways, and you make your way to the underkeep, because that's where you've been going this whole time. You're gonna finally meet that voice in Uppery's head, which one? The nice one, daphne. We're gonna meet Daphne.
Russell (Upri):The long-winded, befuddled one. How many days does that take?
Timothy (DM):So it's only like two or three more days. Okay, it's all within the enchanted forest now. So you've had multiple days of travel, so any preparations that you would like to make during that time as you're traveling through the forest, you may, you all, have multiple long rests and we are now gonna bring ourselves to one of the evenings along the pathway. As you have all made camp and you sit around the fire finishing up your dinner for the evening, you can hear the crickets in the distance, the night birds hooting, echoing through thank you, echoing through the forest rustling in the bushes and the leaves as the wind blows and the crackling of the fireplace. Luckily, our audience already has sound effects. I wanted to be a.
Kai (Yonce):Hey, hey, hey.
Russell (Upri):Must be a dev of sorts.
Timothy (DM):So, as you are all sitting around the fireplace, what are you doing?
Russell (Upri):Well, at least would be like looking over the sword that Nim gave him.
Timothy (DM):It's a rapier? Yeah, it is a rapier.
Russell (Upri):And I don't know. I haven't attuned to it yet, so I have no idea what it does.
Timothy (DM):I mean you can attune to it over the time that you are traveling.
Russell (Upri):I mean yes.
Timothy (DM):Okay. You just have been waiting till tonight.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, exactly, so yeah throughout the journey I've been adding spells to my spell storing and I think tonight I'm adding the last of five in it and, as you all are talking, I'm just like it's very my precious, I'm just like I'll do it. I'm just like kind of like storing the spell in this, like it glows a little, the letters on the ring glow and then it fades and it becomes a normal ring again and I'm like, well, that took a couple of days, but done so now you got two.
Chris (Salvador):You got the ram one and the yeah.
Kai (Yonce):I'm running out of a tomb and spell Tomb and box. But yeah, I'm very blinged out right now.
Chris (Salvador):It's very soothing, exactly.
Russell (Upri):What does attunement feel like? I've never attuned to anything before.
Kai (Yonce):It feels like the perfect. I find it helps when you breathe out. Yeah, that's what I was gonna say Okay.
Russell (Upri):Because Ren has literally never attuned to a magic. I've never had a magical item to attune to.
Kai (Yonce):It feels like the light touch of a prostate.
Russell (Upri):Oddly enough. I know what that feels like.
Timothy (DM):Because you're not a magic user. Your only experience with magic has been Titan magic. Attuning feels similar. It feels like the energy is flowing through you. When you attune with something, the energy flows through you into the instrument and then and do I automatically know what the thing does once I've attuned to it? You kind of get, you can feel the energies of it. You don't necessarily know exactly what it does, but you feel the drive and current, what does that sword do?
Russell (Upri):It's a dancing sword. If I speak the command word, it levitates and I can command it to attack.
Timothy (DM):Okay, we'll say that what you feel is this draw towards the words on the hilt.
Russell (Upri):What language are they in?
Timothy (DM):They are written in Nomish. I don't speak.
Russell (Upri):Nomish.
Timothy (DM):And you see the name River written underneath the Nomish script.
Russell (Upri):Well, it says River on it.
Timothy (DM):Which would be their grandfather, that's not the command word. No that is the name of Aprey and Yance's grandfather River. The ring has Dahlia written on it inside, just inscribed on the inner circumference of the ring.
Russell (Upri):I can speak Nomish. Yeah, I don't know if I can read it.
Timothy (DM):It has a label stitched on the inside neck that is embroidered, to read to our darling Nim oh.
Russell (Upri):The name is personal cloak.
Chris (Salvador):I had a feeling that whenever he was shifting in that battle, this was that cloak.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, and the amulet which is given to Aprey is like a little charm for Fern.
Russell (Upri):Angulate, you got a little amulet.
Timothy (DM):It's not magical in property, it's just meaningful it's something that. Dahlia made for Nim to hang, as like a little charm on his staff.
Russell (Upri):I want charms for Fern.
Timothy (DM):Like a Nokia phone.
Kai (Yonce):Oh my. God Just hangs at the edge. I also need a fat cat and a donut. That was very cool.
Timothy (DM):So that is the story behind all of these items is that they are your grandparents possessions, slash, the gifts they gave Nim throughout his life and they are momentos that he has held on to, to remember them because they have passed. They passed a long time ago from your perspective, aprey and Yancei, because gnomes live for like 400, 500 years. So the distance was, they were long passed by the time you arrived into the picture and Ren oh. You had your hand raised. Yeah, I was just waiting.
Russell (Upri):I don't speak gnomish, but Aprey speaks gnomish. Is the gnomish script the same letters as the common script?
Timothy (DM):Yeah, so you could sound it out.
Russell (Upri):Could you do you mind just like. What does that say? What does that say On?
Timothy (DM):the hill there, right next to the river.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, that says river. I don't speak gnomish.
Russell (Upri):So there's some accents that I don't know how to say.
Kai (Yonce):It says Balenciaga.
Russell (Upri):Yes, incredible. It says Balenciaga. Okay, so Balenciaga. Yeah, they did Okay so as you say the words you feel it pull away from your hand. Whoa hold on.
Timothy (DM):Wait, I just toss it out to the air and you let it lift out of your hand and it starts spinning right.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, it just floats, yeah, so it just kind of hovers. That's going to be awkward if we stand up and we accidentally just stab ourselves, Like you know, is it? In the hill.
Timothy (DM):It kind of like moves with you. Yeah, yeah, okay. And I can like, I'll like do like weird hand motions and it'll like float around me, yeah and if anybody goes to try to touch it, it kind of just like it feels like there's like a little cushion between you and it. That kind of like pushes it away. Like if you were trying to grab something on the surface of water by dragging your hand across the surface. The waves would like push it away.
Russell (Upri):So you can't think that was a really complicated description.
Timothy (DM):So like a leaf was sitting on a pond of water and you took your hand and dragged it along the water and tried to grab the leaf, it would get pushed by the wave.
Chris (Salvador):It's like a force field. I'll be sort of bleeding from here.
Timothy (DM):Oh, this is how I explain things.
Chris (Salvador):I'm really thrilled that I got Nim's Club, because he's a gnome and I'm a tiefling. So it's like a half-club which.
Timothy (DM):I really love. Oh my gosh, it's like a mantle, it's a mantle. Yeah, oh my God, I love that.
Chris (Salvador):I love displacement, yeah, so this makes me hard to hit now.
Russell (Upri):You are hard to look at.
Chris (Salvador):That's really mean.
Kai (Yonce):That's really mean. Wow, that's not what I mean, it's just you yeah, I'm like wavy.
Russell (Upri):You're shifty and wavy and it actually makes my brain hurt a little bit, so I'm gonna stop.
Chris (Salvador):Well, it doesn't work. All the time I have to activate it.
Russell (Upri):Oh well, I'm gonna pretend like you've activated practice yeah and I stop it. You know, when you look at on a TV screen or see something that's like where there's like patterns are really in depth and they make your brain hurt. That's what I'm trying to do, anyways, that's the point. I'm just gonna prune and water and clean for her and make her look all pretty for her new necklace.
Timothy (DM):As you're pruning her. You see that there's some new growth along the handle. There's just a couple little offshoots, offshoots. She had about half babies and, like a flower bud, is starting to unfurl on one of them.
Russell (Upri):Wow, that's so weird. She's a maple tree. I wonder if this is the forest, but you're, she's a maple. Has she ever fruited before?
Timothy (DM):Maple tree's fruit. Yeah, they're the seeds that Maples have seeds and they have flowers.
Russell (Upri):The Hello Choppers. Yeah, yeah. Has she ever made seeds before? I don't think so. She doesn't really yeah, I've never realized those were fruit, because typically trees go through that seasonally and she's not really affected by the seasons, so she's always just like flush and green. And she has a she tree but she's not like shooting out, I don't know I'm solid, I mean.
Chris (Salvador):Actually, I don't know, maybe her math for today.
Russell (Upri):Sorry, now I'm feeling nervous, I'm conscious that I misgendered my tree. My ebay. Well, when the flower blooms, we'll be able to tell Fern, I'm just gonna look at.
Kai (Yonce):Fern, not choice of on Fern.
Russell (Upri):are you really a thorn A thorn? A thorn, no but once that bud blooms, though, we can look at the inside of the flower and be able to see whether it's a male or a female tree, but they all flower. They all flower.
Chris (Salvador):Yes.
Russell (Upri):Just one will be a pollen creator and will be a pollen acceptor.
Kai (Yonce):No verbs.
Russell (Upri):I don't know enough about plants to know what those different Pistols and stamens that one Pistols and stamens, and many times trees have both. Yeah, like they're self pollinate. I can't remember what maple is, though IRL.
Timothy (DM):Doesn't matter, this is fantasy.
Russell (Upri):Maple Got them, but trees are like one of my special interests.
Chris (Salvador):I don't remember as Russell, as Russell.
Russell (Upri):Plants in general. Tulip trees are pretty cool.
Chris (Salvador):Ooh, a tulip tree.
Russell (Upri):They have them at Borderlands. Highly recommend no.
Kai (Yonce):The state park.
Russell (Upri):That's near like Foxford. Oh gosh, it's cute Anyways.
Chris (Salvador):I want to pull Reneside and, in a hush tone, ask him will you read that contract? What exactly do you think it's any? What do you think about it?
Russell (Upri):I mean it's pretty. It's pretty, it was pretty detailed on its um and it's like requirements and the the like what each side needs to uphold. So I'm not too worried about the director, assuming the director is actually bound to the contract. That was my concern, because I mean, I can't tell that I don't know if I can't read the magic enough to be able to be like, that's for sure going to happen. Um, it guarantees the the safety of the strays, unless we don't end up having Alice break down the wall in which case Meredith, then the strays safety is not guaranteed and Meredith is taken back.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, I just feel, given their bent on theatrics, that there is a body double or a twist or something in the wings.
Russell (Upri):Not that I could see from the contract. The contract was very straightforward, oh yeah.
Chris (Salvador):I know, I just knowing this entity, it is not a clear cut. You do this, you do some demolition for me and we're square.
Russell (Upri):I mean to be honest. I don't think that any of our Titans are clear cut about anything, at least from my experience with mine.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, maybe Markey had the best one where they're. Just nobody remembers me. You remember me, bingo, bingo, they got it done.
Russell (Upri):That's fair. But, okay, markey.
Chris (Salvador):I wonder what they're doing right now. Well, let's find out, yeah.
Timothy (DM):Well, he's sage I leave not here.
Russell (Upri):She just comes out of the.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, she's just hiding in the.
Timothy (DM):I've just been hiding in the basement this whole time.
Russell (Upri):While I'm that's happening and I'm pruning or take care of Fern, I just you just see upry like adjusting the necklace on her and then she just gets sucked into Fern and then just gets a shout out of a nearby tree.
Kai (Yonce):Holy shit, what yeah holy shit, you can teleport.
Russell (Upri):I don't know what the fuck was it. I'll just keep touching Fern again. Pick Fern up, shaker Fern Nothing happens.
Kai (Yonce):I'm lost as well.
Chris (Salvador):Yes, Restraint.
Timothy (DM):Okay, yes, yes, yes, yes, yep, that happens, thank you.
Kai (Yonce):I'm gonna take it stuff I haven't used it.
Russell (Upri):I want to be included. Charm of tree stride.
Timothy (DM):Yes, all right.
Kai (Yonce):What were we all talking about over there?
Chris (Salvador):Just comparing cloaks.
Russell (Upri):Uh huh, how did that go?
Chris (Salvador):Well, his is longer and it's got wings on the inside.
Russell (Upri):Technically, it's on the outside.
Chris (Salvador):Is it on the outside? Yeah, but I wear an antenna. Oh, you wear an antenna.
Russell (Upri):I don't want to.
Chris (Salvador):You might have these two tentacles on the end.
Russell (Upri):That's really weird. To be quite honest, it is.
Kai (Yonce):It's a displacer beast and these are cats that have it must be very popular at circuit parties.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, it's a whole other level. Oh my God.
Kai (Yonce):What's a circuit party? We fade to black.
Russell (Upri):We all go to bed. I sleep with my sword in order to attune to it. We cuddle to it.
Kai (Yonce):I'm not going to sleep yet, but I am writing a letter. I'm actually keeping my word to them and I'm writing a letter anytime we stop this, it'll just be constant letters?
Russell (Upri):How are you sending it? How are you sending it the birds? You just called out a bird. Hey you, Tony.
Kai (Yonce):No, star Kinde, as Raven has joined us for the party Raven the Raven.
Timothy (DM):Raven, the Raven, the Enchanted Forest. Okay, so remember how we've established. The Enchanted Forest is a weird ask place where everything moves around and you just get a vibe of where you're going. The birds operate on the same wavelength. Ah, ah.
Chris (Salvador):Well, what I was?
Kai (Yonce):going to say is I did retcon a squirrel delivery service.
Kai (Yonce):Back in the day.
Kai (Yonce):Very much, which I just realized. What I was thinking is kind of giving God of War Ragnarok that, that squirrel that's in the world tree, that just can travel.
Timothy (DM):I didn't realize that until I was.
Kai (Yonce):maybe it was an eternal thought, that, or something deep down in my subconscious. Every time I write a letter, I just do, and then one of those Enchanted Forest squirrels come and I just speak in their language of common. Can you hand this letter to to Nim, please? Here's your payment of two nuts, and make sure do not eat the crumbs. The crumbs are for Nim, okay, great.
Russell (Upri):Thank you. Do these squirrels only understand common if it's in a Cockney accent?
Timothy (DM):Yes, okay, I was like are we establishing that God say doesn't speak common? I'm just going to say that I'm not, I'm the only.
Kai (Yonce):I know other languages too, so, and I will see you tomorrow Right Late, as late as, and tell your mom I said hi.
Russell (Upri):Does the squirrel just go, like your babes? On my way to Essex.
Timothy (DM):Sure, I'm not going to destroy your dreams in that endeavor.
Kai (Yonce):It's fantasy. You just said it.
Timothy (DM):So yeah, so yeah, the squirrel takes your letter.
Kai (Yonce):I refuse for you to retcon me like you retcon French.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, then came Louis. Louis was special.
Kai (Yonce):I'll never forget that episode. I mean, what episode. That was real life.
Timothy (DM):What.
Kai (Yonce):What.
Chris (Salvador):This is factual.
Timothy (DM):Yes, okay.
Kai (Yonce):Either way, I'm done and I go to bed.
Timothy (DM):All right, we're all going to bed now.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, all right.
Timothy (DM):So you are going to wake up fully rested and you are going to continue on your journey. You spend another day traveling towards the underkeep. You've been intermittently drawn towards it by Daphne's voice, since, remember, she's scrying on you the whole time so she can guide you there.
Russell (Upri):She's like five degrees west.
Chris (Salvador):Rerouting. Rerouting.
Timothy (DM):Yes, she's your Google Maps in your head Upright. You turn now All right. So as you travel through the forest, you feel this like looming, like focus of energy in the direction that you're heading, like the magical energy that like dissipates throughout the entire enchanted forest is starting to feel heavier and heavier as you travel towards the underkeep and eventually, between the trees, you see a glimpse of a stone wall, a mossy stone wall that raises up into the canopy, and as you continue on closer, you see it extend high above the trees, these overbearing walls, just 300 feet up.
Russell (Upri):I look at them.
Timothy (DM):It looks like they go off around in a circle like far off to the right and far off to the left.
Russell (Upri):Do you think is this the wall that was in the contract? I doubt it. Oh, I mean maybe, but I doubt it. And either way, alice would need to be here if we wanted to do that anyway. Right that wall, Because the other one was our down and you have it was one of them was your figurative wall. Yeah, For your Titan. Hello, are you with us right now? You trying to talk to Alice?
Chris (Salvador):No.
Russell (Upri):The director or the director? Why are we pointing? Is this like a Spider-Man moment? I mean, I don't hear him. So I think we're good Okay.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, I thought the director was female. Oh, I learned something new, damn.
Russell (Upri):The director is a baby. The director is an entity the director is a Beyond the actor, the material plane.
Kai (Yonce):The, the, you're all so stupid.
Russell (Upri):The assimilator is definitely a he-him. I mean hands down. Oh yeah, assimilator he-him For sure.
Timothy (DM):That's the energy they deliver, okay.
Russell (Upri):Well, is there something?
Timothy (DM):is there like a?
Russell (Upri):door in this wall that we could use?
Timothy (DM):Yeah, there is a large gate. I'm not barring you from entry.
Russell (Upri):I just wanted to mark the entrance.
Timothy (DM):Nope, nope, nope, nope. I just wanted to mark the entrance, oh, okay.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, so we were here, I know.
Timothy (DM):Every time you come across a door in D&D. It's a whole fiasco.
Russell (Upri):I want to check out the traps.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, you're welcome to do so.
Russell (Upri):I would like to pick the door. I would like to.
Kai (Yonce):It's open. I would like to seduce the door.
Timothy (DM):It is a very grand, ornate, like shaped wood door. Like you can tell, this was made by magic. This is, plants were formed into the door and they twisted themselves into this ornate like curling flowery pattern. It's a double door, of course, because drama, and as you approach it it's like 20 feet tall. It has this like almost gold gilded shimmer to it, even though it is made of plant. It has this like it feels like somewhere in the middle between like organic and metallic. It almost defies your understanding of either world.
Russell (Upri):Do we knock, knock, knock?
Timothy (DM):You knock on the door and it begins to creak open.
Russell (Upri):That was easy, okay, great.
Timothy (DM):You feel this warm, moist air rush out of a long chasm that goes down into the earth beneath the forest.
Russell (Upri):So a long moist cavern.
Timothy (DM):A long moist cavern.
Kai (Yonce):Okay, Stephanie Meyer.
Timothy (DM):Large large blue crystals jut out of the walls along the tunnel down, illuminating your path forward, and you hear a faint shimmer that begins to grow.
Russell (Upri):We just pushed through right Where's continued on this long damp tunnel. Have you been here before?
Chris (Salvador):No, oh, have you? I have not, but can I do a history check on these blue crystals?
Timothy (DM):Yeah, give me a history check. Are we do active?
Kai (Yonce):They're blue.
Chris (Salvador):I have a feeling I've seen this in a tower somewhere. Nope, I got to, but history that's a three.
Timothy (DM):A three Wow.
Kai (Yonce):Thank you, Miss.
Chris (Salvador):Rosa too, gets an 18. That's okay, it's a rock.
Timothy (DM):Pretty close. You remember, crystals exist.
Chris (Salvador):I do you know Of rocks. These are some of them.
Kai (Yonce):I don't know, that tickled me pink.
Russell (Upri):How much are these ones worth? Are they glued down?
Timothy (DM):by anything. They are growing out of the walls.
Russell (Upri):Perfect, I don't seal them.
Kai (Yonce):I chip a couple off and try to make a necklace eventually.
Timothy (DM):As you try. What weapon do you use? What?
Kai (Yonce):weapon do I have?
Russell (Upri):You've been dagger right.
Kai (Yonce):I have so many weapons that I actually don't use you just pick up.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, you got your yikula, this is mine.
Kai (Yonce):Now I'll just use Eldrash Blast Like a little.
Timothy (DM):So as you shoot your Eldrash Blast at the crystal, you see this golden shimmer dome in front of it bounces off your Eldrash Blast so it shoots back out of the tunnel into the forest behind you.
Kai (Yonce):Well, apparently we can't take these with us, so let's keep going. This is a better policy than Walmart's, alright.
Timothy (DM):Just put a magical barrier on everything.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, call the customer service to unlock it.
Kai (Yonce):Alright, let's keep walking.
Timothy (DM):Alright. So you continue down this tunnel and you are slowly descending lower and lower into the earth. It's a very faint decline, but noticeable that you do realize that you are descending under the ground. And this goes on for about half an hour as you trudge further and further and further in, before you see a light at the end of the tunnel and that shimmering grows. You continue on towards the light as it gets bigger and bigger. You slowly approach an opening into the cavern and as you get closer you see it opens into an enormous cavern. You see a Large crystalline bridge that extends far out towards a floating city made of glass, tall crystalline spires extending towards the roof of the cavern and everything is coated in this shimmer. Blues and greens, gold and silver, twinkling lights reflecting and refracting off what must be water beneath the floating city. As you see the light cast on the cavern walls that extend up towards what must only be a virtual sky.
Chris (Salvador):Impressive city.
Russell (Upri):Yeah.
Kai (Yonce):It's giving horror to the streets.
Russell (Upri):But, crystal instead of glass. Now, when you say floating, do you mean like floating in like bloop bloop, or floating like whoosh whoosh?
Kai (Yonce):In air.
Timothy (DM):Well, you can see the island itself ends before it reaches the cavern and then you see that it kind of drops off from. So you're kind of still above it going down towards the tunnel. So you get kind of an isometric view of the. So there's the bridge that goes from the mouth of the tunnel that you're about to exit across to the floating island.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, but is the island bloop bloop or is?
Chris (Salvador):it floating in the air. It's in the air.
Timothy (DM):Okay, yes, there's no water immediately touching what you can see of the island.
Russell (Upri):Sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so stupid.
Timothy (DM):Yes, Bloop, bloop, and now, canonically, the words for water and air.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, the two guns are floating, bloop, bloop and yeah.
Kai (Yonce):The fact that I didn't even realize what you were talking about and I just accepted it as Just accepted. That means you've known me for too, long.
Timothy (DM):That's just that's just like.
Russell (Upri):I guess we continue down the path into the city.
Chris (Salvador):So we're looking for a library, or the underkeep is an actual building, or is this? We assume the underkeep is just this city?
Timothy (DM):The underkeep is the city. Oh, okay, so that is when Daphne starts. I was going to say hello.
Russell (Upri):Daphne.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, yeah, I mean, you can't call her, but she calls you. Oh wonderful, you've arrived. Oh.
Russell (Upri):Daphne.
Timothy (DM):Hello.
Kai (Yonce):Can we all hear her Hi?
Timothy (DM):Yeah, you can hear her. She's talking to all of you today. Wonderful Thanks. I will have Cyril come down to meet you in the center of the city. Feel free to wander about a bit, he'll be able to spot you I don't know.
Chris (Salvador):We got some new clothes, so I mean he'll, he'll spot me.
Russell (Upri):I say looking down at you.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, you do stick out. Oh, shade, that's a good stick out.
Timothy (DM):If you make your way towards the gardens, that'd be a wonderful place for you to check out. They're quite beautiful this time of year.
Russell (Upri):Oh, I love a garden.
Kai (Yonce):So I know I can. I can see why this can be considered. Yeah, a garden.
Russell (Upri):You know, like Titi garden plant garden. Ina garden, ina garden. Oh, I love Ina garden. Sorry, ina garden and her gay friends in the garden. Yeah, she I like saw I'm sorry, nope, I'll after she's a nuclear physicist.
Timothy (DM):She's a nuclear physicist, all right.
Russell (Upri):Yonsei starts walking towards the garden. Anyway, see you.
Kai (Yonce):And as I'm walking I'm like who the fuck is Ina garden?
Russell (Upri):Is this the garden's named after someone named Ina?
Chris (Salvador):Ina garden, ina's garden.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, all right, interesting.
Timothy (DM):So as you make your way into the city, you are met with an opulence that has never been seen before. There's very obviously a lot of magic at work here, suspending the buildings in all sorts of strange geometries that would not be possible if the laws of gravity weren't tweaked ever so slightly. There is a bright sun that shines down, and every time you walk past a new structure there's that glint, that kind of twinkles in your eyes, and you start to pass people on the streets wearing strange fashions.
Timothy (DM):very extravagant hats and streamlined, very large geometric blocking of color.
Russell (Upri):So they're deco art people.
Kai (Yonce):How do you know what deco is? Tall pointy hats, crooked hats, wide brim hats.
Timothy (DM):That seemed to be something that is very fashionable.
Russell (Upri):There you have passed some to back.
Timothy (DM):See, you've passed some dragonborn gnomes and dwarves. It is the most diverse array of people racially that you've ever seen, but homogenous in their style and stature.
Russell (Upri):Looks at our family.
Timothy (DM):What do you mean? So we need to get hats and then we'll fit in? Yeah, all matching uniforms.
Russell (Upri):Is there a hat stand? Yeah, is there a hat store? Oh my God.
Timothy (DM):So one of the first things you do pass as you traverse over the bridge. The first thing you come across is to your right. You can see the docks where there are floating boats. You can also see a part. Are they bloop, bloop or whoosh?
Russell (Upri):boats.
Kai (Yonce):They're flying boats. Oh, they're flying boats.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, same question and off to the left you see market stalls, these like tall pointy tents kind of in a circle around a central fountain, but it's made of light, yeah, so particles of light are arcing out the top of the fountain, swirling around in this like artistic display just dances around the stone statue in the middle.
Russell (Upri):I put my head in the fountain.
Timothy (DM):It does not feel wet.
Russell (Upri):I open my mouth.
Timothy (DM):Feels like it passes through you.
Kai (Yonce):Does it taste like anything?
Timothy (DM):No, no taste, no feel, no scent.
Russell (Upri):Can I cup it in my hands? No, can I catch any light?
Timothy (DM):So much as if it's entirely illusory. That makes sense. Presidigitation on steroids.
Russell (Upri):This is a fountain of storing, of presidigitation.
Chris (Salvador):What sort of hats can we buy?
Russell (Upri):What else is in these stands?
Timothy (DM):So there's all sorts of things. There are little trinkets. There's a stand of little, of stones Like precious gems. There are some clothing vendors, mostly less full outfits, more accessories there's like bags, hats, gloves, belts, shoes, jewels, monocles Are there any cute little key chains? No key chains.
Russell (Upri):Maybe there's a store. It's like a full-on brick and mortar store. How much loot do I have left from the castle? I have 500 gold. Oh what.
Kai (Yonce):I don't remember how I got it, but it's there.
Russell (Upri):I have an undetermined amount of wealth so far in this campaign.
Timothy (DM):I know that you had to give away the queens.
Russell (Upri):I gave away the kings. I only had the queens.
Timothy (DM):Which you did give away some of that as well.
Russell (Upri):I've been buying things too.
Timothy (DM):It's fairly liberal with my energy. You have about a thousand gold worth of trinkets remaining.
Russell (Upri):For raised dead. What is the price for raised dead? I know it's a gem of a certain value.
Chris (Salvador):Raised dead is 500. There are otherRvivivify only needs a lower level amount of gemmy. Rivivify is a 300 gold diamond.
Russell (Upri):I'm going to give you.
Chris (Salvador):So Rivivify only works up to a minute after death, whereas raised dead is. I can cast it up to 10 days after death.
Russell (Upri):That's just any gem of a 500?.
Chris (Salvador):It's technically a diamond. I was trying to research this online and some people were saying it could be multiple.
Kai (Yonce):What is?
Chris (Salvador):online Online. Well, there's Is there anything in the land to research things.
Russell (Upri):Actually yeah the library is very small. There's a board called Reddit. It's like a board that you go to. Put messages on, you can leave messages and ask questions that people will post Because you read it. You read the board.
Timothy (DM):You get it yeah. And online. You go to the library, you stand in the line and then you get to the front desk and you ask your question and they write it down on a piece of paper and in like three to five business days they give you a call on a sending stone with the piece of information you requested.
Russell (Upri):Do they also. If you ask a stupid question, call you a bunch of slurs.
Chris (Salvador):Sometimes it depends on which city you go to, right.
Russell (Upri):Well, I'm going to give you, I'm going to give Sal a $500. $500. $500 gold piece diamond, in case we need it.
Chris (Salvador):Okay.
Russell (Upri):When I have it on hand. I don't want to give it away, so I'll have $500 gold, essentially.
Kai (Yonce):Cool, I'm as rich as you now I'm getting gold. I really don't remember how I got this gold, but I didn't just put it there. I think I stole it. Oh yeah, I probably did. I am a thief.
Chris (Salvador):Was it from the Horus's?
Russell (Upri):apartment. Oh, yes, you stole it. Well, he's dead. So oh, that was a while ago.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, although it's only been like, oh, we were traveling.
Timothy (DM):We just haven't been anywhere we could spend money. It's been like a month or two at this point since you left Harrow. Yeah.
Russell (Upri):Well, I would like to in our shopping to fit in more. I would like to find a musketeer-esque hat, you know, like a big ramble and one side is tucked up with a big ass feather oh that's fun and I like it to be either green or a leathery coat.
Timothy (DM):Ooh, yeah. So I will say that you can find this forest green leather, and there's also almost seafoamy green felt hat.
Russell (Upri):And what's the feather?
Timothy (DM):The feather is a Gold sounds great. Yeah, we're going to go with a gold peacock feather. Yes, this is exactly what I wanted, and a beige band.
Russell (Upri):Okay, I'm down for that Heck, yes.
Timothy (DM):How much is it In? Is it magical? Let's just say it's like 10 gold 10 gold.
Russell (Upri):That's an expensive hat I was thinking of. It is an expensive hat.
Timothy (DM):This is a bougie air city, because like that's normally like a whole nice outfit.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, great, I have a fancy. Hat now Anybody else?
Chris (Salvador):I think I'm good with this.
Kai (Yonce):I want a fancy hat too.
Timothy (DM):Add the hat that you find, because there's a whole array and this place seemed very small when you showed up.
Timothy (DM):It had this like very boutique vibe where each stand only had like a couple really nice looking things on them. But, like, as you're like moving about, you're realizing there's so much more stuff that you're finding than appears to exist at first glance and you realize that has something to do with the way that each of the stands, as you approach them, seems to just expand, revealing more space along whatever silk or satin or mat they have across the table. Mood yeah, extra dimensional space, absolutely Extra dimensional spaces. And anytime you're talking with one of the vendors and they ask them about like something you're looking for, they just like pull some sort of bag or briefcase or like chest open and they just like pull what you're looking for out Very close or something similar to it and they display it. You get to see all sorts of different things, Get to try it on and they always can pull out, just like they just pull out a mirror from thin air Show. You put it away.
Kai (Yonce):So the hat that I am eyeing is part of actually a set. So it is a beret that is encrusted with the crystals, like Swarovski.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, that's Swarovski. What color is the beret? Are we doing a black beret with Swarovski?
Kai (Yonce):Why got to be black? I'm kidding.
Kai (Yonce):Honestly, yes, I like the black.
Timothy (DM):That's what I thought you were going, with Black but with the crystals.
Kai (Yonce):The crystals are like an iridescent teal Very fun.
Chris (Salvador):That's gorgeous.
Kai (Yonce):And it comes with these two gloves. That doesn't. It doesn't cover up the hand and it's, like you know, one of those like gloves that go like no, they have fingers, it's just fingers.
Russell (Upri):Oh, it's just fingers, oh just fingers.
Timothy (DM):Oh, is there any sort of like chain or anything across the hand? No, that's to connect them, but it is also encrusted in that same.
Kai (Yonce):They're black and they are encrusted in that same iridescent teal crystal oh sexy. And then the final piece is a necklace, that is, it's a dark black crystal but one spot of iridescent teal.
Chris (Salvador):And.
Kai (Yonce):I just look at that and I'm like I want that. Money is an object. I have 10 gold.
Timothy (DM):I think you have 500.
Kai (Yonce):They don't know that.
Timothy (DM):Okay, they're not going to give it to you for time how much they will accept 15. Wow Deal, I just need to make it more expensive.
Russell (Upri):Yeah.
Kai (Yonce):I'll take it.
Chris (Salvador):Oh, there's a cubic yeah.
Timothy (DM):But it is a three piece number.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Timothy (DM):Can I get?
Russell (Upri):an obnoxiously. Can I get two obnoxiously large sunhands?
Chris (Salvador):One for Fern. Wow, a plant with a hat.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, you can. They begrudgingly pull it out of like a chest in the back and they're like like this oh, perfect, I'm just going to pick it up and tie it around.
Russell (Upri):Fern, you look so pretty.
Kai (Yonce):And I look at them like you got an issue with what my sister wants.
Timothy (DM):No, absolutely not, Yonsei.
Kai (Yonce):How much is it?
Timothy (DM):I will part ways with that for one gold. Wow, Pick it please.
Kai (Yonce):And I, as I'm walking away, I just flick it towards them.
Russell (Upri):Thanks, young. I'm going to immediately just go into a public space and twirl with Fern and hit a whole bunch of people.
Chris (Salvador):Like Maria Von Trapp and the sound of music.
Russell (Upri):I just started dancing.
Chris (Salvador):Now I feel like I need to get a hat too. I go to a what's the word. I don't want to say unobnoxious, but a very plain hat dealer and unassuming hat dealer and I want to get a Keppie, which is sort of an old style hat that people in the Civil War used to wear.
Timothy (DM):Can you describe that for?
Chris (Salvador):people who don't know what that means. It's basically cylindrical with a little bill on it.
Timothy (DM):It's sort of like a baseball cap, but more structured. Okay, all right, interesting what color or material.
Chris (Salvador):We'll say it's basically just like this picture. It's black on the outside with a red top.
Timothy (DM):Oh, you're basically getting back into your outfit.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Timothy (DM):Yeah.
Chris (Salvador):Preparing for battle.
Russell (Upri):Is it just one color?
Chris (Salvador):No, it's two colored.
Timothy (DM):It's black alongside with a red top Flat on top. It's flat on top, yeah.
Russell (Upri):It's like a conductor hat.
Chris (Salvador):Do conductor? Oh, like a train conductor. Yeah, it is very similar to that for trains. A train is a mean of conveyance that Upper is aware of. I've seen a train before.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, there's one in a hero. Yeah, that would be a first one, but but you read about them in books beforehand. Yeah, I read.
Timothy (DM):I saw pictures of them in books beforehand.
Chris (Salvador):Ah, you got me.
Timothy (DM):There was an encyclopedia that, an encyclopedia set that Nim had in the library of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, further building that the forest is British for some reason.
Chris (Salvador):The squirrels. That tracks entirely.
Russell (Upri):Cool, we have hats.
Timothy (DM):You all have hats, yeah, I think that's a zero.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, can we cue a slow motion, us all arm in arm walking down the street to like a hot girl music song. I don't know about arm in arm, but we can like just walk in a cluster.
Chris (Salvador):I'll hook arms with up, thank you.
Kai (Yonce):Fine. I will not I walk slightly ahead. What's the song?
Russell (Upri):She's a lady. Oh oh, oh, oh oh. Clote flowing behind Back to my roots of posing.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Russell (Upri):Slow motion.
Timothy (DM):So the way that the city is structured is that you can see that like you kind of veered off to the left, went through the market If you would have kept going straight it seemed a little bit more residential. And over to the right you can see that there's more like it's more like shopping storefronts, but down that, like shopping like mag mile style, there is like gardens that you can see, with these like giant pergolas, more of those light fountains, beautiful, lush, colorful fauna, flora, not fauna, that'd be weird.
Russell (Upri):I mean you said they were tobacco. I really thought that was a cat.
Timothy (DM):Tobaxi are cat. Well no, no, no.
Kai (Yonce):Oh no, I thought when you said tobacco, as someone who still doesn't really know much about D&D, I just thought there was just a world full of cats here.
Timothy (DM):It's like why do we care that there's cats running around? Oh yes, cat people.
Russell (Upri):You know, because you have layers, feline You'd like to see that that can speak common and are very intelligent, yeah. Got it. Is there a full black one that's named Twilight?
Timothy (DM):No, you haven't asked anybody their name, unless you want to start going around the underkeep and asking every tobacco that you meet their name.
Russell (Upri):I mean don't tempt me, Don't challenge me.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, I really need to stop giving you things.
Russell (Upri):You know who I?
Chris (Salvador):am. I love what you're cat-acting. I like that.
Timothy (DM):I like that, all right, so are you heading towards the gardens?
Russell (Upri):Oh, yeah, yeah.
Timothy (DM):Like Daphne instructed you to do so. Okay, does Daphne?
Russell (Upri):just start.
Chris (Salvador):You're the whole time shopping.
Russell (Upri):It's like all right do you sing him, yet you look good, get that hat. Oh, she can see what we're doing.
Timothy (DM):See what you're doing. She does. She does give you like when, when everybody's like trying other little hats, because she sees things from like your perspective.
Russell (Upri):Oh so she just sees me spinning, she's getting sick.
Timothy (DM):So she gives like little like. Oh my gosh, that is so cute. I love how the turquoise erodescence like glints with the rest of the crystals in the underkeep. So yes, she's, she's not in a rush for you to find. Oh, so she's also a half queen, yeah she's a half queen in like the sweetest way. She's like oh dears, that's so sweet, that's so pretty.
Russell (Upri):Go on.
Kai (Yonce):I think that's it.
Timothy (DM):I wish I could pull off something like that.
Kai (Yonce):Sorry that you're in disembodied voice.
Timothy (DM):Oh, we'll meet shortly.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, oh yeah, we're going to meet in person. I knew that. Let's keep walking to the eye under garden.
Timothy (DM):So as you make your way towards the garden, you see, in the center of the garden aisle there is this man that is leaning up against one of the like marble columns of the pergola. He has this like white hair that's like piled in, this like almost swirling messy bun on top of his head, tied up with a black ribbon, and he has this like draping silk cover up that like flayers out to reveal layers of intricately embroidered silks and gold set jewels that just like hang across his like plunging.
Kai (Yonce):Plunging what.
Timothy (DM):Neck.
Russell (Upri):His neck plunges.
Timothy (DM):Plunging shirt on his neck.
Russell (Upri):Wait now, I'm just picturing Gail on that hot ass, gail. The water mother one they're just like all the way.
Timothy (DM):As he notices you, you see that he straightens himself up, pushes himself off of the column and starts to walk towards you, and he goes. Well, you must be a pre the big one, right, salvador, the pink one.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, wow, very blunt.
Timothy (DM):Beyonce, the black one, he went there and then the white one, I guess you'd be the green one too.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, she just called my fan.
Timothy (DM):I was only given short descriptions of your images that was probably the best way to define a group. Bethany, can we just Based on your distinctions?
Russell (Upri):Did you really tell him that Yana's the black one?
Chris (Salvador):Need some sensitivity training.
Timothy (DM):I mean, she did want to say something about him having a very flashy style and oh, I do say I love that hat and his fingertips.
Kai (Yonce):I also have a tattoo on my chest. There are so many other ways to identify me A jumpsuit. A whole jacronde, whatever it's jacrondas tree, jaconda, jaconda.
Timothy (DM):Yes, sorry, I do love your tattoo as well, but sorry, daphne did not give me that in for me Daphne a word. Anyways, sorry for the uncomfortable introductions. My name is Cyril and it is a pleasure to meet the four of you.
Kai (Yonce):I'm African, enchanted forest, sorry that was funny. Continue.
Timothy (DM):I trust that your travel was well.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah could have been worse.
Russell (Upri):I mean we literally didn't have any fat on the way here. We were sidetracked into a circus themed.
Timothy (DM):Oh yes, daphne did fill me in on the details of that sticky situation. These titans are interesting. I would love to hear all about them. Fancy some tea.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Timothy (DM):We can go back to Daphne's abode. It's very homely, comfortable and probably better suited for you than my house. There's just a lot of research bits and baubles about. It's just not a very comfortable place to just you get a lot of research at your baubles now. Shall we be off then.
Kai (Yonce):Sure.
Kai (Yonce):Sure.
Timothy (DM):Fantastic.
Kai (Yonce):Let's follow the, whatever your signifier is.
Russell (Upri):Oh yeah, I'm Uppery, she her.
Timothy (DM):Oh yes, I'm aware, uppery, is she, her, she her, oh, oh, so sorry, who's?
Chris (Salvador):your sister, who are?
Timothy (DM):you. Thank you, my dear, for reminding me I do need to be better about that Many things. Are you hungry? By any chance, there is this gorgeous bakery just around the corner on the way to Daphne's.
Kai (Yonce):Do they sell croissants?
Timothy (DM):Yes, they sell croissants. They have many, many wonderful things. The croissant is probably lower on the menu, not something that I would go to.
Russell (Upri):They got any fruit tarts.
Timothy (DM):Fruit tarts yes, oh my goodness, do they, and only the best produce.
Chris (Salvador):Oh, imported. Oh well, you can probably grow things magically here, Never mind.
Timothy (DM):Oh, yes, we have. We have the best grow houses in the world.
Russell (Upri):I bet you do.
Timothy (DM):Also that kind as well.
Russell (Upri):Oh, can we stop there?
Timothy (DM):Oh, daphne will have plenty, don't you worry. Oh, it helps with her seeing.
Kai (Yonce):I bet it does.
Russell (Upri):Oh yeah, let's go to the bakery. I don't mind bite to eat.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, and we can show off our hats. Oh yeah, wonderful. Is Sarah wearing? Is he wearing a hat?
Timothy (DM):He does not have a hat Tacky, he doesn't want to distract from the plunging. Yes, he just really needs to show off his chest.
Chris (Salvador):I'm not complaining I bet you are.
Timothy (DM):So you are going to. He's going to lead you down the street and around the corner there's this bakery. And as so you, you notice as you're walking down the street, because it's like there's shopping storefronts, and as you look at each store you see the whole like window of the storefront. It like opens up to reveal the contents of the store, but as you pass it you see it kind of just accordion back and the next storefront will open up, because the entire road is only 200 feet long but you pass stores for a bit. There's like hundreds of stores along this, this road, but each of them is really just a door. When you look down the streets, you turn the corner and you make your way to the bakery, it opens up and as it opens up, the scent of the baked goods also envelops you. Mmm, ah, lavender. Have you ever had lavender lattes? My treat. What's a latte? You don't know what a latte is. Oh, my goodness, you are going to love the underkeep.
Kai (Yonce):I do not like zero at all. Oh, this reminds me of so many queer people that I just cannot fuck with oh my gosh and with that we'll be going on. I'm kidding.
Timothy (DM):Lavender latte Actually can.
Russell (Upri):I get a dirty chai.
Timothy (DM):A dirty chai? Of course you can. They have it all here.
Chris (Salvador):Do you want bubble tea? Bubble tea Do they put?
Russell (Upri):actual bubbles. What is? Yeah, what's a bubble tea?
Timothy (DM):Well, it is something that was developed over in Gladia. They take these I believe it's tapioca powder, tapioca flour and they make it into a dough, they cook it and then they put it in a usually a milk tea based drink, and sometimes it's not milk, sometimes it's not tea, but anyways, that's the bubbles.
Russell (Upri):While he's talking, Upprey's already at the counter.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, he's buying. I'll have a dirty chai, I'll have those three fruit tarts over there.
Russell (Upri):Do you want a croissant Croissant?
Kai (Yonce):I will take a dirty chai with boba. I will take a fruit tart, I will take a ham and cheese croissant, I will take a chocolate croissant and I will also take an empanada I don't know.
Timothy (DM):Wow, these are empanadas. Yeah, they have empanadas too, and one spanacopita.
Russell (Upri):They have like sweet bread.
Timothy (DM):There's like this little like window where you can see, or actually there's a series of windows or like they kind of look like mirrors behind the like the front table, where you just see like different rooms through the mirror that look like they are from like completely different parts of the world, and so when you order off the menu you see them starting to deliver from various places. So like they like you see a person like come through the portal carrying like the spanacopita from one mirror. Yes, exactly, it's like mind breaking for some of you.
Russell (Upri):But I want that, but also with conveyor belts in real life. It's like a conveyor belt sushi, but it's just from a different portal. An interdimensional conveyor belt sushi place. Oh my God, I don't know what I want Chocolate mocha, you like mochas? Oh no, I'm just for eat.
Chris (Salvador):Oh gotcha, there's a pan of chocolate.
Kai (Yonce):Wait, is that French? What's French?
Russell (Upri):You know, like a croc miss your. It's from Kapaluna.
Timothy (DM):Oh fuck you to say Kapaluna.
Kai (Yonce):Kapaluna Kapoeira. I'm kidding, I'm done.
Timothy (DM):You know the nation northeast of here.
Kai (Yonce):Listen, I'm from the Achanah forest. I know the Achanah forest and then East Achanah forest and then Harlem.
Russell (Upri):Which is South Achanah forest, exactly.
Timothy (DM):If you look over the map on the wall over there they have each of the portals marked and where the various menu items come from. But Kapaluna is over here to the northeast. Oh fun, more more east than north. But if you haven't been, you must go. Oh should I Lovely food and art and dance Really?
Russell (Upri):I'll take three of those and I'll just point at things.
Chris (Salvador):This seems dangerous If there are these portals in the nations that are being attacked by the never mind sounds like it's going to keep itself. It doesn't want to bring down this party.
Russell (Upri):We can talk about it at Daphne's. Oh, I'll get mochi.
Timothy (DM):Mochi. Oh, it's been a while since I had any. I made some too, strawberry. Strawberry sounds wonderful right now.
Chris (Salvador):I'll get a flat white. A flat white. I'm right here. Oh sorry, Ryan, I'll get espresso with milk.
Timothy (DM):All right. Well, with that, I am ready to head off to Daphne's With us, yes, With you. Of course, we're all going Go, if you just put it in my bag.
Russell (Upri):Oh, I already ate the tarts while everyone was ordering, so sorry. They weren't your chair, were they? I'll just take my box and motion.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, so he opens up this silk bag and you see that it just opens up into this black abyss inside it. Yeah, yeah, it's a bag of holding which we still haven't gotten yet.
Russell (Upri):Well, I mean, I don't know about you, but I ain't got nothing in my pockets.
Timothy (DM):And like whatever you're not like actively eating, he helps you like, put into the bag, carry off. You go off to Daphne's. Daphne is deep into the common quarters that he kind of starts giving you the rundown of the city while you're here. So he's like, and over, there's the arena, that's the stadium, the distinction being arenas for fighting, stadiums for showing off Noble quarters. You'll find if you keep going further on. You already saw the shopping area, the gardens, and eventually I'll take you over to the university and I am handing the party maps so they know what the fuck I'm talking about and eventually you arrive at a plain looking wooden door that he knocks on. Come on in. You hear Daphne's voice call from the other side and he pushes open the door and again everything is bigger on the inside. So as you step in, it is not a massive space, but it's not as small as the narrow row houses looked from the outside. So you step into a homely looking apartment. There is a fireplace crackling in the main room off to the right, where you see a woman sitting. She is small and stature, with long braided hair. Her eyes are sad and tired, but she wears flowing colorful robes that seem to catch the wind, even as she sits in still air and as she stands up to greet you.
Timothy (DM):We are going to go on a short break. Step into the captivating realm of Zephyr Melithaqorum, where fantasy and fragrance meld to craft a uniquely personal odyssey into the whimsical characters of our dreams. Each elixir is a portal to a world of sensory exploration, ushering you into a world of indulgence where you are the protagonist of your very own extraordinary tale. Delve into the enigmatic depths of our fragrances, where whimsy waltzes hand in hand with all factory artistry and every file becomes a magical gateway to a universe filled with dreams and wonder. This is your invitation to unravel the mysteries of scent and bask in the enchantment of imagination. With each application, you embark on a transformative journey and every day unfolds as an opportunity to immerse yourself in an epic odyssey of wonder.
Timothy (DM):So, as we are coming back from our break, we are returning to the scene in Daphne's apartment, where we see this older woman who is seated in a chair within her living room. As she stands up from the chair to greet you, you get a look around her apartment. You see sofas covered in crocheted doilies on side tables. The whole room has this golden glow as the heavy cloth lampshades spread the light. It's such a relief to actually be seeing you in person for once. I am Daphne and I of course know who all of you are, but feel free to make your introductions if it seems more comfortable.
Kai (Yonce):My name is Kai. I'm the black one. Shit, I'm Kai. I mean Whoa.
Chris (Salvador):Yonsei, did I do?
Kai (Yonce):that, yonsei? My name is Yonsei, I'm the black one.
Timothy (DM):Oh, you never introduced yourself like that before.
Kai (Yonce):Seems that's how I've been introduced by whoever that person's name, I forget Zero, zero.
Timothy (DM):I'm.
Kai (Yonce):Sal.
Russell (Upri):Ren, I mean, you know that.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Timothy (DM):Hello, Uppery, it is so nice to see you face to face.
Russell (Upri):So nice Daphne.
Timothy (DM):Well, I'm sure we have a lot to talk about, but Zero informs me that you have a. You've been to the cafe down the street and you have a bite to eat and I have just finished making some tea. If you'd like to partake and we can have a little chit chat.
Russell (Upri):Actually, do you have any whiskey?
Kai (Yonce):Oh, we're starting early, it's afternoon.
Russell (Upri):It might be the weekend Understandable.
Timothy (DM):Completely understandable. No judgment here. I will go fetch it if you all want to make yourselves comfortable.
Russell (Upri):I'll just plop down on a sofa Same.
Timothy (DM):Zero will also sit down with you in. There is like a little lounger chair, okay cool.
Russell (Upri):If he goes near Uppery, I'm going to put Fern so he won't sit next to me. No, he doesn't.
Timothy (DM):But he does like go for the coffee table where there's a box that he opens up and he takes out a joint, oh wow. And lights it with his fingertip and sits down in the lounger and just starts to smoke.
Russell (Upri):Is it a lazy boy?
Timothy (DM):Whatever the equivalent of that would be.
Russell (Upri):A Shae's lounge. Is that a thing?
Chris (Salvador):Sure.
Russell (Upri):I know brains.
Chris (Salvador):So Zero. What do you do for work?
Timothy (DM):Oh my god. I'm a professor at the university. Oh, that's fun.
Chris (Salvador):You must have a lot of interesting colleagues.
Timothy (DM):I rather enjoy my research. I get to spend a lot of time with Daphne, who's always lovely.
Chris (Salvador):So does Uppery.
Timothy (DM):Yes, so sorry about that. I'm sure it's pretty jarring to have a voice in your head of which one Fair point, fair point. But you see, daphne, these things are so normalized in her life that she just doesn't understand that they're not the same for other people. So it's kind of like a second nature to her, just, to speak with others, being a professor. Daphne yeah, in your head.
Russell (Upri):What about her? It's second nature for her to talk to you.
Timothy (DM):To be in my head.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah.
Russell (Upri):Oh.
Timothy (DM):I mean. The fact that she's even using her voice today is a rarity, I think she realized that you were all.
Russell (Upri):Oh my gosh, Daphne, tell a pair, I think.
Timothy (DM):Yes.
Russell (Upri):I thought that was anyway.
Timothy (DM):Well, here you all are. Here's a whiskey and a. Did you want it on rocks, my dear.
Russell (Upri):Just to be clear sending is not telepathy. Yes, okay, yes, on the rocks please, okay, perfect.
Timothy (DM):Anything for you three.
Kai (Yonce):I will take a Zasparella.
Timothy (DM):A Zasparella.
Russell (Upri):Yes, oh, is that a roubaier?
Kai (Yonce):Yes.
Russell (Upri):Oh, can I have?
Timothy (DM):one of those too, I am afraid that I don't have that in-house, but we could pop down to the corner store and they will have some there.
Kai (Yonce):Okay, let's go to the bodega, I'll get some.
Russell (Upri):Well, we'll wait here for Daphne, if you don't mind.
Kai (Yonce):Thanks.
Timothy (DM):Sarah, yeah, sarah pipes up and he'll go grab it, because Daphne is the one that you need to be speaking with. Thank, you. Sarah, you're always such a dear.
Russell (Upri):Are you flirting with.
Chris (Salvador):Sarah, what I was just asking this is a pleasant conversation You're making funny eyes at him.
Russell (Upri):Do you want that that weekend?
Chris (Salvador):What I don't know what you're talking about.
Russell (Upri):Okay, all right. We figured we were going to help with that, but that's okay if you don't want it.
Chris (Salvador):Help with who With you and Cyril. Oh what. I'm just asking where he works and what he does, Okay fine.
Timothy (DM):Can I get you anything?
Chris (Salvador):That's a little question. I'll just, I'll get. You're going to the bodega.
Timothy (DM):Yes, he is very attractive. You kind of get used to that around here.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, he's already Okay. Yeah, they're hot people all over. You're kind of going to be used to that around here.
Timothy (DM):They are wizards, of course.
Chris (Salvador):Wizards are naturally hot or they can make them so hotter.
Timothy (DM):Yes, there's something interesting about the fact that everybody is so powerful that they just. It really inflates your sense of worth, and it's very all confusing, Totsic yes, yeah, oh, so they're like cocky hot. Some of them, yes.
Kai (Yonce):Circuit gaze.
Russell (Upri):They're circuit gaze.
Kai (Yonce):Wizards are the equivalent
Russell (Upri):of circuit gaze.
Timothy (DM):Yes, now that you mentioned it, yeah kind of.
Russell (Upri):You're welcome audience members.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, kind of.
Russell (Upri):I'll take a whiskey. Neat would be great.
Timothy (DM):All right, she goes, she gets that Unless Salvador requires something, oh no, a white wine, a white wine. She doesn't have a white wine, but you hear her call Cyril, she's like hey, you also pick up.
Russell (Upri):She does that every time she talks to somebody she's like hello.
Timothy (DM):No, it's the like. Like it's a little concerning and how. Like she'll be like mid-sentence and then she'll just go and then continue on Because, like, for her, this is like really natural and fluid. It's something that she's always been able to do and so she sits down in the other lounger in the room there's ample seating in this living room. Like, she probably has guests over pretty regularly and is like Tending and hosting people for tea. You can see that she has like a very nice tea set that she like brings out on a tray and she sets it down on the table. She pours each of you a cup and hands them to you if you would like. She like offers you each a cup so you can take one if you would like, and then she sits herself down. She goes. Oh well, where do we start?
Russell (Upri):I mean, I believe the sentiment is puff puff payas. Oh wait, did zero take the joint with him? He did.
Timothy (DM):But there are, like, the boxes, still there, if you wanted. But she just kind of like does the like? No hand signal. No, I can't take one. You can take one, but when you offer it she's kind of I can't see your hands behind the day. Oh sorry, and I can't do it up here, because then the audience doesn't know what I'm doing.
Kai (Yonce):Which is like a waving.
Chris (Salvador):How about you start with your backstory? Where are you from? How do you know us?
Russell (Upri):What do you do for work?
Timothy (DM):Well, for work. I'm technically employed by the university, as Cyril is, as well as the government of the underkeep, which we'll get to that, but well, it's a little bit more complicated to answer your second question, though, because I don't know exactly where I come from. I do know that I grew up in the underkeep and was raised by the headmaster at the time of the university and quickly learned about my abilities.
Chris (Salvador):But, like you already know about that, you can see the future or you're some sort of prophet.
Timothy (DM):Yes, whatever terminology that you've heard, usually few of them do the ability justice in terms of how it actually works mechanically. But yes, in Oracle.
Russell (Upri):It's my deni.
Timothy (DM):It is, it is.
Kai (Yonce):How do we save the world? Yeah, what do we do?
Russell (Upri):Oh, yeah, that hit. What are we here for?
Timothy (DM):Well, the reason I wanted you to come to the underkeep and meet myself in Cyril is this process is a little tricky and usually requires quite an extensive amount of piecing together the visions that I receive. Cyril has always been my companion in this endeavor. As a professor at the university, he has access to a lot of resources that I myself would not otherwise have. That he is more than willing to dispose to you For, of course, the greater good. Now, much of what I've just explained to you is still true. Certain things have shifted and come up, come to light. Well, you've been traveling towards me, but I've tried to keep you up to speed in terms of the Our working theories of what is to come. So what I can be confident about is the Pending destruction. Now, alice is currently visiting others within the city. I've asked that we don't include her in the earlier stages, just just because I know that this little Distrust. But I have found the lady very, very sincere.
Chris (Salvador):The Titans want a user to do stuff.
Timothy (DM):Yes, that is true.
Chris (Salvador):So you probably want to keep her on a shorter leash, maybe.
Timothy (DM):I have found that when navigating the projections of my visions, a healthy hand often becomes the Cause rather than the solution Rather than the solution. I know this is all very difficult to comprehend and accept, but know that my experience is Quite extensive in this manner.
Russell (Upri):Well, what are we here for? Well?
Timothy (DM):Right now. I'm sure you've heard of the mounting war by the Order. We've also been following the Cult of the Silence. These are two forces that began long before you. Four were born before you were even fated into this pathway. They are powerful forces larger than the four of you or even the sum of all of your allies.
Timothy (DM):At this given time, part of asking you to come here is to help bolster the connection with your fate lines, something that is easier done with a physical contact. The other is because the underkeep is a wonderful meeting ground for powerful people and powerful source users from around the world. It is in the underkeep where, I believe, you will make your best allies for the days to come. This is something that nothing short of an army will be needed in order to triumph at the end of it all. I know none of you have ever seen yourselves as commanders of an army. I myself, even with the visions I've had from early ages, never foresaw this future. But unfortunately we have allowed the Cult to grow too embedded into the fabric of this world, and only force will operate them.
Russell (Upri):Yes, friend, Out of character. This is a Dan question. I just want to make sure that I understand what's going on. The Cult is bringing one. They probably have a pseudo army of their own, but they're also bringing abominations from the. Void onto our plane to attack people. And then there's the Order, which is the religious Order, of Prey and Podicim, who also has an army that is essentially fighting the Cult.
Timothy (DM):From the news article that you read when you entered the Director's domain, it's been blamed on apostates. So officially, from a political stance, it's apostate mages that the Order is combating.
Russell (Upri):That's not quite inaccurate, though it's pretty accurate. It's just less about the organization of the Cult, more about just individuals, and so the ask from Daphne is for us to put together an army to fight both forces, like what is.
Kai (Yonce):I guess, historically?
Russell (Upri):what do we know about Prey, the Order of Prey and Podicim that would cause us to want to fight against them versus fight with them, if our enemy is the same.
Timothy (DM):I think that is entirely up to you, based on what you know about the Order, what we've presented in this world. So we've presented the Order in a very particular way in this world. So it is up to you whether or not you would look past some of that. A lot of innocent deaths. Because they morally have been put as opposition to the code of ethics that you've presented in this campaign.
Russell (Upri):Right Gotcha Okay.
Timothy (DM):That's a fair and valid point and way to navigate this conversation that they could potentially be allies.
Russell (Upri):But they probably would turn on us for power.
Timothy (DM):And if you want to express that to Daphne, she will respond to it.
Russell (Upri):Because I don't think that would think that way, but I just wanted to make sure I understood the world state. That's my question, thank you.
Timothy (DM):So we're networking. Where was I?
Russell (Upri):We're at networking event.
Kai (Yonce):Oh Lord, Sorry.
Timothy (DM):And at that moment you see a raven land in the window sill.
Russell (Upri):Is it raven, the raven, you see tied to its leg is a scroll.
Timothy (DM):She goes oh, that's probably for you all. If you want to go fetch it.
Kai (Yonce):I guess I'll go fetch it. Do you want me to read?
Timothy (DM):this. It's up to you if you would like to read it or if you want me to do the voice. I'll read it.
Kai (Yonce):Okay.
Russell (Upri):It's the voice.
Kai (Yonce):The voice. Okay To Renn Salvador, yonsei and Uppry. Yes, trust this emissive finds you resilient and missed the chaos. I've reached intropolis seeking refuge at Lark's perch. Your reputation in this region precedes you and from what we witness you achieve in your, what witness you achieve in Harrow as the great city fell, I trust your collective metal in navigating the storm. I'm sure you've heard the news of Sig's fall. Yes, from speaking Syag, syag's fall. I've never seen it spelled out Syag's fault. From speaking to the refugees arriving in the city, the newspaper hasn't done near the justice of the destruction I spent. I sent two of my birds to navigate but neither return.
Kai (Yonce):The entirety of the region has been swallowed by corruption. Intropolis paints a parallel bleakness. The order readies for war, attributing the upheaval to apostate mages. They tied in their grips on magic, tethered by licenses and direct petitions. Bureaucratic coercion at its finest, I fear you are now all out of compliance with their new regulation. Salvador included. The city, once a military stronghold, has transformed into a central outpost for the divine army, but so far the port has remained generally untouched outside the arrival of soldiers and weapons. Locke's perch, I'm sure, was a haven of joy and gentler times but now stands as an improvised refuge. Mara, a formidable woman, has halted business to aid the displaced, creating an atmosphere thick with uncertainty.
Kai (Yonce):So here since, his best wishes to you, salvador in a way, to your arrival, although rather impatiently he only had never mind.
Russell (Upri):You want that D. You want that D.
Kai (Yonce):Stay vigilant. I am grateful that there are still those who find reason in the madness that now befall this country, and you are what seems to be our final hope in understanding what is happening. I will do my best to equip you with as much information as my birds can find, as you will be needing many allies, along with resources, in the days to come. My intention is not to sow fear, but to keep you appraised. In unity lies our strength. Gratitude for the sanctuary. May the raven wing swiftly deliver this missive, akela.
Chris (Salvador):I'm curious how they would be able to detect that I have Titan magic.
Russell (Upri):You might just be too far outside of the realm of control, even as a divine-.
Timothy (DM):Oh, I can clear that up. Sorry, I must have jumped ahead in terms of the news article that you've come across. The order has long been the controllers of the licensing procedures, but they have allowed a decentralized approach. Each church has been, up until recently, allowed to license their own clerics and paladins, universities their own wizards, but that privilege has been revoked. All registrations must go through the order. It's been all a flatter in the underkeep as we've been attempting to respond to this new protocol.
Chris (Salvador):Well, that's sad to hear A plastic, yeah, I guess. I'm part of the club now.
Russell (Upri):Welcome Up. Here's just over there sippin' her whiskey.
Kai (Yonce):I'm not up for you kidding Off that reefer.
Chris (Salvador):Well.
Russell (Upri):Oh gosh, okay. So at least taking a look at what she says about Entropolis, the city of Entropolis has been taken over by the order, but it looks like the port where Larx Purchase is still pretty clear of them, which I'm worried it won't last as long as we need it to.
Kai (Yonce):So it sounds like we need to kind of hurry yeah, launch an army.
Chris (Salvador):Would we attack Entropolis? Would we attack a different city? I don't know.
Russell (Upri):I mean, I know people in Entropolis, so we could.
Chris (Salvador):Oh yeah, you have the general.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, and whether or not the general would side with us or not, but it's a All right we could think about taking. So if we want to keep Entropolis, which is a strategic city during the war, so it could be another strategic city it's access to the river and the ocean we might need to secure the city at some point, which might require an army.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, do you think we're ready to?
Russell (Upri):No, we need an army.
Kai (Yonce):I mean, let me finish. Do you think we're ready to lead an army?
Russell (Upri):I don't think we have a choice.
Chris (Salvador):It's our fate, so we got to do it, whether we want to or not.
Russell (Upri):I'm saying some heavy shit.
Kai (Yonce):Upraise is your first time smoking the reefer.
Russell (Upri):No, it's just been a couple of years. We didn't have this in the void.
Chris (Salvador):I dropped my VitePen to an effort getting sucked in.
Russell (Upri):That analysis sounds pretty similar to what you've seen in your visions, Daphne.
Timothy (DM):There are many routes that this may take. I've seen instances in which you form allies with groups that seemed originally out of the picture, and other instances where you attempt to go at your own. It's hard to say which ones turn out successful.
Chris (Salvador):Who's in charge of this town?
Russell (Upri):Can I speak to a manager?
Timothy (DM):The underkeep. Oh, they were one of the ones. I was going to recommend you go to the Council of Mages Pretty boring title if you ask me but they are the officials of the city of underkeep. They manage everything about the upkeep of this neutral ground for source users across the globe. There is also two other factions that the Council often petitions, who's influence expands beyond the cavern walls. That is, the Source Conclave, made up of the Obscura and the Ascension.
Russell (Upri):There I see a Source Conclave and the Obscura headquarters, or those two buildings for the same organization.
Timothy (DM):Then so the Obscura and the Ascension currently exist in a balance, a treatise between the two groups. That is the Conclave.
Russell (Upri):It's their common ground.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, it seems like that's where we need to start.
Timothy (DM):I do recommend you start at each headquarters to get a better sense of their personal objectives.
Kai (Yonce):Side note where is my Zasparella?
Russell (Upri):It's a long walk.
Kai (Yonce):That's where we'll end our episode for today.
Russell (Upri):Where's the Zasparella?
Timothy (DM):You know what? Because we are at time.
Kai (Yonce):That is where we're going to end.
Timothy (DM):Because this conversation could go on another half an hour.
Kai (Yonce):Will you also get the Zasparella at next week's episode in two weeks?
Timothy (DM):We are going to bid you, my dear Intrepid listeners, farewell as we close the curtains on this latest chapter of Shadows of Prophecy. Remember, the darkness never sleeps, but our doors are always open for those brave enough to explore. We couldn't do it without your support. A special thank you to our generous patrons, jch Crispy and Maggie Z, whose unwavering support keeps the candles burning bright here at Goblin Forge. Before we bid you farewell today, remember to like, follow and subscribe to stay updated on our future journeys into the unknown.
Timothy (DM):This playcast is a Goblin Forge production. If you enjoyed what you experienced today, follow us on Instagram at goblin-forge-ttrpg at goblin-forge-tiktok, or you can join our Discord community. And if you haven't already, be sure to share the mysteries of Shadows of Prophecy with your friends and fellow seekers of the supernatural. Until we meet again, may the mysteries of this world continue to intrigue your mind and awaken your sense of wonder. Stay curious, stay daring and always embrace the darkness. Thank you for watching Step into the captivating realm of Zephyr Melithaqorum, where fantasy and fragrance meld to craft a uniquely personal odyssey into the whimsical characters of our dreams.
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Kai (Yonce):Thank you for watching.