The party navigates less-than-savory political alliances, has a heart-to-heart with Daphne about her note-taking, and dives into the Delve to investigate the rumbling —all while sipping Sarsaparilla and considering an earth-shaking investment opportunity.
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/
The party navigates less-than-savory political alliances, has a heart-to-heart with Daphne about her note-taking, and dives into the Delve to investigate the rumbling —all while sipping Sarsaparilla and considering an earth-shaking investment opportunity.
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/
dort ro о th. Welcome back. Dear listeners, we are delighted to have you joining us once again for 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 (Wren):Hi, I'm Dan. I am playing the scholar and rogue and mostly elf, a little bit human and hive mind, harry Ren, because I hive mind people, you get it.
Timothy (DM):Yes, we do, chris.
Chris (Salvador):Hi, I'm Chris. I'm playing the teeth and cleric who's back in action and ready to tackle those factions who are controlling the city, Salvador Salras.
Russell (Upri):Nice.
Timothy (DM):Russell.
Russell (Upri):Hi, I'm Russell. I'm playing the half-work barbarian queen of espionage upper-limit Johansburg Sure, Jim and Kai.
Kai (Yonce):Before I start, audience members.
Timothy (DM):It has been really spicy here these past like 20 minutes. We ate pizza beforehand.
Kai (Yonce):Apparently, everyone's on their worst behavior, except for me, because my name is Kai and I am playing the half elf warlock, yonsei Bay, and my quip is brought to you by Zephyr Melofacarum. That's why I was laughing. I was like….
Timothy (DM):It does not exist. Oh, zephyr Melofacarum.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, it does the quip.
Timothy (DM):That's my quip. It was quippy, it is now.
Kai (Yonce):Let's be honest, y'all never come here to see my quip, so does not even act like you're ever going to get a good one for me.
Russell (Upri):And this is what shadows of prophecy is all about.
Kai (Yonce):Exactly.
Timothy (DM):As we immerse ourselves in the shadows of prophecy, be warned for. This tale explores the darkest corners of the human psyche and soul, 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.
Timothy (DM):As the prophecy unfolds and the fate of the world hangs in the balance, only one thing is 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 Dungeons and Dragons actual playcast with violent themes and adult language. Listener discretion is advised. Join us today as we enter the shadows of prophecy, Act 3. The Brink of Nothingness, Chapter 15. Behind Closed Doors, Previously on Shadows of Prophecy, Upper underwent intriguing transformations, delving into a rather sensual dream sequence that unveiled her symbiotic connection with the awakened spirit of her living sapling, Great Hammer Fern. Post a serendipitous breakfast, we gleaned news of what has become of the refugee camp left behind after the hero catastrophe. The parasitic creatures have infiltrated the camp and created hysteria in the surrounding region, With an incubation period marked with symptoms of dilated pupils, increased consumption of food and water, excessive sweating, drying of the skin, hair loss, a wet cough with clear mucus, headaches and an unusual inclination to be social, particularly in large groups. To tackle the crisis, the party decided to split for individual reconnaissance missions. Upper traced a shipment meant for the upcoming masquerade charity ball at the port, only to face a less than welcoming port manager. Undeterred, she pursued the chariot carrying the cargo, leading to an uncomfortable encounter with law enforcement and the unfortunate loss of sight on the chariot. Meanwhile, Ren ventured to the Construction Guild Hall to investigate ongoing floating island quakes. A telepathic connection with the cat-loving civil servant Penelope revealed a link between the quakes and the magic surges overloading the city's arcane circuitry.
Timothy (DM):Salvador's visit to the Council of Major's office disclosed little, except for the apparent discord among council members. Yonsei, on the other hand, prepared for stadium days by entering the clay pigeon competition, engaging in a peculiar form of flirting during practice. After a lunchtime rendezvous, Salvador had a steamy date with the tiefling Malloroy. While the rest of the party indulged in some shopping, the romantic afternoon picnic took them to the abandoned Delve ancient mines beneath the underkeep. As they enjoyed sandwiches by the fountain, another quake accompanied by a low buzzy hum from deeper within the rooms added an unexpected twist. The date concluded with Salvador gifting Malloroy a beautifully crafted bracelet. Now, as the party gathers at Daphne's, they brace themselves for another session of divination, or as some might call it, drunk dialing the universe. And here we are. No message from the sponsors today.
Kai (Yonce):Finally.
Timothy (DM):That.
Kai (Yonce):Russian voice was grating.
Russell (Upri):I have an idea of what we should send our money on. We should go in with our money together and buy a sun. A sun, yeah, what Adoption. And so, and we should adopt, we should get an elemental gem, a yellow diamond, and it'll let us summon an earth elemental and that can be our sun.
Dan (Wren):We'll talk on break. Remind me on break and we'll look.
Russell (Upri):Anyway.
Dan (Wren):I mean, I could buy that on my own, oh okay.
Chris (Salvador):Is that a one time thing, or is it like?
Russell (Upri):you can always summon them. We just can summon it.
Timothy (DM):Any shopping that you had wanted to finish, you can do so. If you hadn't like done anything in between sessions and you wanted to clarify anything. Otherwise, shopping is like complete from a storytelling perspective.
Chris (Salvador):Well, I feel like we need to talk to the factions and figure out what they want, so that then we can buy things.
Timothy (DM):Yes, but today is wrapping up and you have reconvened at Daphne's little cottage.
Dan (Wren):For group therapy. So, Do we all get high again and delve into that?
Timothy (DM):Yeah, you are all in Daphne's cottage. She sits in a recliner with a long pipe that she is smoking. Her eyes are very dilated and she greets you with a smile as you enter the room.
Dan (Wren):Oh, no, this is her normal state.
Chris (Salvador):Now that I am aware of those symptoms, I feel like I'm going to see them everywhere, oh.
Russell (Upri):Oh, dilated pupils Excessive dryness in mouth and increased consumption of food and water.
Kai (Yonce):Welcome to WebMD. Wait have you told us yet that she keeps the file of all of us and that she's been telling her little friend.
Chris (Salvador):I think I said that at our lunch when we reconvened for lunch.
Kai (Yonce):Okay, I want to make sure that's common knowledge before I do this.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, I said like us, Cyril is reading notes on us.
Kai (Yonce):What's her name again?
Chris (Salvador):Her name is Daphne Daphne.
Kai (Yonce):Daphne what the fuck.
Timothy (DM):Oh, pleasure to meet you again.
Kai (Yonce):I'm safe. You've been keeping notes about all of us and then telling your little friend, Cyril.
Timothy (DM):Why, of course, hold?
Kai (Yonce):on. This is Kai coming out, hold on.
Timothy (DM):What the heck Is that a problem? It's you, me.
Kai (Yonce):I just don't understand why you're keeping notes on us. I get it, but I don't get it.
Timothy (DM):Well, the fate of the universe hangs in a balance, my dear One must be utmost careful these days.
Kai (Yonce):I want to see the notes that you have on us.
Dan (Wren):Ren puts away his journal.
Timothy (DM):Very quietly.
Dan (Wren):You are welcome to do so.
Timothy (DM):I keep them in a journal over on the bookshelf right behind you.
Kai (Yonce):I'm kind of curious to you. Actually, Yonsei walks and grabs the journal that probably says Yonsei.
Dan (Wren):It's like in puff paint Exactly Glitter.
Kai (Yonce):With a little heart Actually, I don't have any eyes in my name I open it. Heart for the O.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, yeah.
Timothy (DM):You can open the journal and she does take notes on all of you in just like a single journal Just characteristics of things that she's seen in visions about you, decisions that you may or may not have made. Some of this is past, present and future. Some of them are contradictory, those decisions that you at one point toyed with in the back of your mind at critical points in the story, but went a different direction instead.
Dan (Wren):She has notes on our untaken paths.
Timothy (DM):Correct. Oh so give me an insight check to make sense of Daphne's prophetic vision notes.
Kai (Yonce):Is that all of us About me?
Timothy (DM):You're the only one reading it. I'm reading it over again Shoulder.
Russell (Upri):Can you read yeah, whoa that is well.
Kai (Yonce):Well, I got a 14. A 14.
Russell (Upri):Oh a three. That's gorgeous, that's not good.
Timothy (DM):So Yonsei with a 14,.
Timothy (DM):The sentiments that you parse from the journal, as you read the journal, as you all wait for Cerell, are along the lines of a focus on key events that have taken place and the potential timelines that could result from them.
Timothy (DM):One of the major ones is around choosing whether or not to listen to the Titans. This is something that has come up before when speaking with Vladlin. Vladlin is also mentioned at some point in this journal, having been a potential guide to you all to navigate the various timelines, to navigate the powers of the Titans, and this is like a major divergence point. This choice of whether or not to embrace the powers from the start only has several additional divergences. Each time that there has been a divergence, you notice that you all have chosen to embrace the powers to some level. You do notice that in the sidebar of the journal, at these divergence points, there is some discussion from Cerell so different script noting that these divergence points have created additional complications, that the channels have widened and during this time, that's about all that you can really parse together as important. The notes are less about you all in particular, but more the choices that you make and how those choices have influenced the trajectory of this particular timeline.
Chris (Salvador):Daphne, oh good.
Kai (Yonce):I'm going to look at the journal, I'm going to read it, I'm going to relay whatever you just said to everyone. So it's all common knowledge and I'm going to look at it.
Timothy (DM):I could have explained that if you had wanted.
Kai (Yonce):Well, maybe you could have explained it when we all met for the first time Daphne. This is some serious shit, like. I understand that these notes are important. You're allowed to take these notes and I get it. I truly do but if you want us to save the world, we need to have an open channel, and that goes both ways. So, even though these notes are benign with the exception of some of the things that I maybe should have done it's stuff that we should know that you're keeping notes on us. That's all I ask is open communication.
Russell (Upri):But isn't like. I mean, I get what you're saying, Jan, but isn't like the number one rule of divination you don't tell people what they could have, would have, should have, because then everything gets wiggly and goes.
Kai (Yonce):Listen, I grew up in a forest, I don't know these things.
Russell (Upri):Jan, my room was next to you, you were in the same room.
Dan (Wren):Your bunk was next to you. Are you getting a contact?
Kai (Yonce):You might have blown it that way.
Kai (Yonce):I came in a little too hot. I apologize.
Russell (Upri):You know what I bet you? There's a few sasperilas left in the ass box.
Timothy (DM):Your feelings are understandable, Janse. I can only imagine what it looks to see your name written down by who is practically a stranger so many times and put under such scrutiny. Unfortunately, the four of you are only going to withstand more scrutiny in the days to come. Not only will your actions be judged by everyone that you come in contact with, but they will determine the fate of the universe. I am sorry. I apologize for keeping this from you.
Kai (Yonce):That's all I wanted. Where's I want a sasperilla. Now I'm good.
Dan (Wren):Just to be clear, I've been taking notes on everybody this whole time. You, okay, but it's listen.
Kai (Yonce):You bitch Bate of Black.
Dan (Wren):These are just things that we're able to do. Janse have entrancing magic. I still don't quite understand it. Eldritch Blast it's mostly just a list of things.
Kai (Yonce):It's very easy and I just do it. I shoot it in Eldritch.
Dan (Wren):Blast.
Kai (Yonce):The thing of my bobs come out of my hands and my eyes, some other places sometimes when I get drunk and it just shoots places.
Dan (Wren):Got it Other places when drunk.
Timothy (DM):This is when the door swings open and you hear Cyril's voice. I brought sasperilla.
Kai (Yonce):This cigarette.
Timothy (DM):I see you had a very lovely day.
Kai (Yonce):I walk, I take the sasperillas, Hi Cyril.
Timothy (DM):Did you enjoy your shopping?
Dan (Wren):They didn't come back as much, but yeah.
Chris (Salvador):All good.
Timothy (DM):Well, shall we proceed? I for one am ready to decompress after a very long day.
Dan (Wren):Did we end up sharing our findings from this day To each other?
Kai (Yonce):We haven't. I'm very interested in what a pre-found or discovered or anything that we may know.
Dan (Wren):We should go, we should do a quick go around about things that we've learned.
Timothy (DM):Ooh reconnaissance, my favorite.
Kai (Yonce):I can go first, because the answer to mine is I have not reconnaissance anything. I know that there is a dragonborn who will probably be competing at stadium days. I think they're flirting with me, but I'm not sure, because I am what? Not good at recognizing when people flirt with me. I'm very socially awkward apparently, or imitate life. Anyways, I have not recognized anything, but I think I have a good chance of winning stadium days.
Dan (Wren):Okay, I mean, fame will help us. Yeah, hell yeah.
Kai (Yonce):All right, I'll bring out my slutty jumper.
Russell (Upri):I tried to make friends with some of you know, get chummy with some of the locals that we work in the party, but they this was not friendly, All right, but there's just weird logo like for the masquerade. I don't know if it's for the building or like the event itself, but it was like real rainbowy. It was very specifically red, blue, purple, violet, green, white and orange.
Dan (Wren):Cyril, does that sound familiar?
Russell (Upri):I tried to follow it but I was a little conspicuous. Run down the street after this guy on a carriage keeping pace with his horse.
Timothy (DM):He didn't really like that. I suppose it has something to do with the theme of this year's ball. There's almost always some sort of exuberant theme.
Kai (Yonce):What is the theme this year?
Timothy (DM):It is a mystery until we arrive.
Chris (Salvador):How do you dress for a mystery ball?
Timothy (DM):Yeah, Well, the theme is more of the space. Plus, we can all usually change our looks out to whim.
Chris (Salvador):That's true.
Kai (Yonce):All of us are wizards. Wait, I'm a warlock. So yeah, some of us can actually change our looks.
Timothy (DM):I will be accompanying you if there are some tailoring alterations to make. Last a minute.
Russell (Upri):Oh, no need, I'll just change the color of my dress my skirt. It's like zero patterns. It just goes from like matte or I think I'm still wearing like the beautiful red, like heavy pattern, almost like Moroccan style dress from Harrow. It just turns into a flat orange and all the patterns go away.
Timothy (DM):If I were to take a gander. The riddle is hidden in the invitation itself.
Chris (Salvador):We read that invitation immediately. Yes, we have it. Where is the invitation?
Russell (Upri):Yeah, I thought don't you have them, Siri?
Timothy (DM):Oh, apologies, I did forget to hand those off to you. Here you are, and he will pull some scrolls out of a paper, each one of them sealed with a wax seal, and hands them to each of you as you unfurl them. It's a pretty standard invitation that this is an annual charity ball. This year's charity will be the refugees of Syag. The crest that you saw in those boxes is at the bottom, where the signature would normally be. That one is in all the colors.
Russell (Upri):Do I recognize it from any of my copious readings? Come on big words.
Timothy (DM):No, it is something that is unique for this event. It's like they made a little logo for the event and it matches all of the boxes that you saw.
Russell (Upri):Not even like the combination of colors meeting something like a religious order or would you like to give me a history? No a queer faction.
Dan (Wren):Can I help with the history check?
Timothy (DM):Yeah, you can all give me a history check if you would like.
Kai (Yonce):History 17. I got a 23. I got a 12. All right, so with a 23.
Chris (Salvador):Does that count? Does what count?
Russell (Upri):I threw my dice into the tray and then onto the floor twice. Dan grabbed one and threw back in, and it became a nat 20.
Kai (Yonce):Can I use?
Timothy (DM):dance roll I don't have to. You cannot use the random dice.
Russell (Upri):Another 20.
Timothy (DM):I got a nat one, so a zero Yonsei is going to be able to recall a little bit of information I recall. The colors are actually pulled from a short story written by a famous, now late poet named Edgar I knew it.
Kai (Yonce):I knew it, edgar and Alan how.
Timothy (DM):Edgar and Alan Poetess oh.
Dan (Wren):Never heard of her.
Kai (Yonce):Actually say them.
Timothy (DM):I never heard of them, and the game goes that each of the rooms of the oh.
Timothy (DM):Yes, so in the tales there is a masquerade ball and it is this just beautiful, extravagant party that is thrown by this super wealthy benefactor during a plague oh, no, plague. And this person took all of his friends and built them a little paradise island. The island had this gorgeous structure built on it, where he built several rooms, each with a different color. So there is steam glass that would reflect the light from outside into the room and bathe it in this light. So we had the green room, the blue room, the violet, the purple, orange, red and white.
Kai (Yonce):Yonsei is retelling all this, but Kai does not know any of this.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, Kai does not retain anything in grade school. I remember the name and reading it in English, but that's it.
Chris (Salvador):What's the actual? Is it tuberculosis?
Russell (Upri):I think it's tuberculosis.
Dan (Wren):Yes, the red.
Chris (Salvador):Consumption, Consumption yeah.
Dan (Wren):Because it makes you cough blood red death.
Russell (Upri):Oh, and then you die.
Timothy (DM):Wow, I didn't think that part the end of the tale leaves everybody dead Works like an icon. So not ominous or foretelling at all. Worshadowing.
Kai (Yonce):As I am relaying all this information in a different voice than what I just previously said. Are they trying to kill everyone at this party?
Chris (Salvador):I don't believe that's the intent, though it is an eerie coincidence that there's a play going on and there are colored rooms and a ball and the hubris of wizards.
Dan (Wren):I think they can throw a party themed to death and not die. So what I'm hearing is Seems like an underdark kind of, or under. Where are we? Underkeep, underkeep kind of.
Russell (Upri):You all need to figure out how to conceal all your weapons on you when we go under this ball.
Kai (Yonce):Oh yeah.
Kai (Yonce):I'm just Wait pause. Can I look at Ciro? Can I look at Daphne? Okay, we crossed. Okay, are we about to walk to our deaths?
Timothy (DM):I should hope not.
Kai (Yonce):I would hope not too, but it seems like ever since we got here, actually no one's really wanted to kill us besides the ball. But that's all I had.
Russell (Upri):Surprisingly peaceful few days, yeah, I think the most murderous intent I've seen is yours towards zero.
Timothy (DM):I'll take that as a compliment my dear, you shouldn't.
Chris (Salvador):I'm very curious whether or not, if I stock like restoration spells, if I could theoretically help with At least saving us from the plague.
Russell (Upri):Oh, okay, is it lesser restoration or greater?
Dan (Wren):Great yeah, probably both probably greater yeah.
Russell (Upri):DM, which one does TV qualify under lesser greater restoration?
Chris (Salvador):Sorry, this is a bacterial infection that doesn't really cover the spell. It's not covered under this spell. It's an abomination. So really, it's none of those.
Dan (Wren):Um well, I I truly hope that they're not actually planning on releasing some sort of plague into the, into the party.
Russell (Upri):Maybe we bring our own flasks, just in case.
Dan (Wren):Maybe we should wear a mask or don't drink. That's a good idea.
Timothy (DM):Oh yes, masks will be highly encouraged and, more importantly, I suspect the colors will come into play. So, everybody pick a color that you find most ravishing on yourselves, and that is how we will proceed with the event.
Kai (Yonce):And what were the colors again, oh, I it's the rainbow, minus yellow and plus white.
Timothy (DM):And there's also violet and purple. Is it black?
Dan (Wren):Was it black? No black, no black Wow.
Russell (Upri):Uh, red, blue, purple, violet, green, white, orange.
Dan (Wren):I mean, I already went and got fitted for a green outfit, so Dibs on green, though I guess we can share colors, if you really wanted to.
Kai (Yonce):I can go for violet.
Chris (Salvador):I'm trying to think what goes with red or pink and I don't think what goes with green.
Dan (Wren):I think oh right, your skin is pink. Yeah, I'll go with red theory.
Chris (Salvador):Naturally it would be green, but I'll go with. I'll go with red. I'll be like a different tone of red.
Russell (Upri):Who makes the colors?
Dan (Wren):I'm sure you could have. I think if you have, as long as you have a predominant color, you can mix colors.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah.
Russell (Upri):I mean, personally, my favorite color is orange, but I just don't know if it matches my complexion orange and green.
Chris (Salvador):Orange and hell yeah, hunter in colors.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, what kind hunting.
Kai (Yonce):I think you're gonna be hunting, hunting.
Chris (Salvador):Oh, like not bright. You want like a more fun, a bright color.
Dan (Wren):If you do like. If you do like a Um, I mean you have the hat, right, you have the sun, oh the sun. Hey it's like a sunflower.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Dan (Wren):No, I thought you got. Oh no, you have the ring in disguise, do?
Kai (Yonce):I know what the ring in disguise.
Dan (Wren):Can you change the color of your skin with the ring in disguise?
Russell (Upri):I don't think, I don't think Color. I think I can really change my clothes and that kind of no, you can push features around.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, I don't know. You're the one who bought the item.
Russell (Upri):Well, I get confused with disguise self in this versus balder's game.
Dan (Wren):If you do some sort of like autumn fall, look Like, make like your league, can you change the color of the leaves in your hair and whatnot.
Russell (Upri):Oh, and I'm like I wiggle the ring and then it turns to like reds and oranges and yellows.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, exactly beautiful knife.
Chris (Salvador):I think we'll go with blue.
Dan (Wren):Pink and blue. Pink and blue, yeah, yeah cotton candy fantasy Exactly.
Kai (Yonce):I'll do violet with some goat accents, Even though it's not part of the color.
Russell (Upri):Oh I love violet and gold.
Dan (Wren):I'm doing silver and I'm like because just my color is silver.
Russell (Upri):Silver. I mean what? Because I'm what no?
Dan (Wren):Sorry missed that.
Russell (Upri):Huh, I said nothing.
Dan (Wren):Sorry, we've did. We've discussed our colors. Please continue.
Timothy (DM):All right. Well, that's enough chatter, don't you think? Probably get to Our work for this evening.
Kai (Yonce):I guess we have to go shopping even though I don't have. I don't know what I need to go shopping for.
Timothy (DM):That'll be for tomorrow, my dear.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Timothy (DM):Oh no.
Chris (Salvador):Fire away Cyril, slash Daphne. In terms of the spirit, guidance.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, do you have any more drugs?
Timothy (DM):That's what we need right. Daphne. Motions to the box on the coffee table.
Dan (Wren):Oh, it's been refilled great.
Russell (Upri):How big is this box of joints?
Timothy (DM):It's like a cigar box size thing.
Russell (Upri):So this is like a good solid 50, 60 in there.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, oh, my goodness, are you trying to smoke them?
Kai (Yonce):all.
Kai (Yonce):Are you trying to smoke them all?
Russell (Upri):No, no, I'm just just for imagery.
Kai (Yonce):It's like I didn't know. I didn't know that um Daphne was like the snoop dog of this world.
Dan (Wren):How do you think she sees things?
Kai (Yonce):I just thought she was. She's just at the gift.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah.
Kai (Yonce):I didn't know she was using performance enhancing drugs.
Russell (Upri):Does that mean Cyril's, her Martha?
Chris (Salvador):Oh, they do wear white and their hair's pinned up. Oh, yeah, yeah, interesting.
Dan (Wren):Oh, Exactly um, okay, I'll, I'll light one up and pass it around.
Russell (Upri):Oh, I'll, I'll have my own. Thank you.
Dan (Wren):Okay.
Kai (Yonce):Do you just pull a joint out of your leaves?
Russell (Upri):Oh, no, no, I'll save those for later.
Kai (Yonce):Take a fresh one I open, since when I don't think we're gonna fight anyone, I just I grab a Zasperla with my love it with my telekinesis that I have now. I'll be falling asleep soon. I don't need it.
Timothy (DM):All right.
Kai (Yonce):Crack it open and I just start drinking make yourselves comfortable, like last time.
Timothy (DM):If you experienced any pinching in your hips or or hamstrings, you might want to visit a different position. This time. We'll be in it for a long haul. Don't hack me like that. Take a deep breath in and together we exhale. I.
Kai (Yonce):Didn't take a puff of this joint. So what am I doing?
Kai (Yonce):Oh, that's the hit.
Russell (Upri):I mean, I'm sure the room's pretty smoky.
Timothy (DM):Each of you Pay notice To each other's breath. We will try to breathe in unison. Yesterday was a Preface. Today I Demand each of yours I'm divided attention To this session In and out. In and out, and the six of you Begin to just take deep breaths. In and out, around the room, you hear the inhales Grabbing at the air and the exhales releasing. The swirls of smoke begin to make little eddies in the room and after a couple minutes you feel as if you no longer need to concentrate on the pace of each other's breaths. They begin to sink and fall into each other, melding into one cohesive inhale and exhale. If you have not already done so, close your eyes. Close your eyes and let all feeling, sensation, sight, sound, taste fall away from this world and join me in the beyond. Again, you go back to breathing in and out In complete unison and the world begins to fade away.
Kai (Yonce):You feel the warmth of her energy.
Kai (Yonce):I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.
Timothy (DM):I've been very gassy.
Kai (Yonce):I'm so sorry, I was trying to hold it in. Yonsei's like sorry, sorry, back to your high. I'm so sorry.
Timothy (DM):Not to worry, we can start anew. And again you go through that process for a second time, sinking your breaths, closing your eyes and letting the world fade away from you, until you feel the warmth of Daphne's energy flowing through you. You feel the warmth on your cheeks as it pulls in your mind's eye, and then a white light begins to grow from the center of your vision until it is blinding and all consuming. You sit there for just a moment Before you start to see symbols Faint at first, but then they begin to bolden, darken in a black text Floating in the ether. Would one of you like to do an arcana roll Roll?
Dan (Wren):I could do it. I've got a plus five.
Kai (Yonce):Alright.
Russell (Upri):Minus one.
Dan (Wren):Not twenty, whoa, I know everything.
Russell (Upri):The curse only applies to electronic days, fairly.
Timothy (DM):You see what looks like an A at first, but as you Sear closer you notice the serif, the intention behind the thicker right side Than the left and in the context of the other symbols floating around Alpha.
Kai (Yonce):Duh Sorry.
Timothy (DM):In the distance you see the archway of Omega.
Chris (Salvador):These are the titans.
Timothy (DM):The curling loops turning in on themselves of infinity and the bottomless pit Of the void in null, a zero Swirling. In this ether, you notice two other symbols A pitchfork, or maybe A planetary symbol.
Dan (Wren):No, hey, neptune.
Timothy (DM):Barbed at the tips.
Russell (Upri):A trident.
Timothy (DM):A kin to a trident and the final symbol, a set of wings. They float around in the ether and you become aware of their presence as they begin to collect around you and you notice a tether Binding one to another, alpha to Omega, infinity to null, trident to wings. The tether pierces through the core of your soul as they align with an axis X, y, z.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, thank you I was going to say I need a visual.
Timothy (DM):They become more and more rigid as the tether pulls towards each other, tightening into straight lines, and you feel the pool of each of them on your soul.
Russell (Upri):Oh, is that what Seraph means?
Kai (Yonce):Like a halo no.
Chris (Salvador):That was on the A Seraphs are like little dangly, especially font bits. Listen, sometimes they're oh but there's also a Seraph which is like an angel.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, so the trident also has wings.
Kai (Yonce):Horns.
Russell (Upri):Horns, sorry I couldn't see my power button. That's a foot away today, so I can't really see that.
Dan (Wren):Specifically pitchfork, but not trident as you oh devils and angels.
Timothy (DM):Feel these energies tugging at you Towards infinity, into the void, to the beginning and the end, good and evil, expanding your very being.
Timothy (DM):This vision begins to grow bigger and bigger and bigger until it consumes you and you feel as if you have been swallowed up inside it. But before you is a single orb Floating just in front of you. Until the surface begins to ripple, it's living. You see two divots begin to form in the top and bottom, pressing in as the sides pull out, forming two little globules on either side of those divots, and they pull, stretching apart until the tension between them starts to ripple. The tension between them snaps and they become distinct of each other. They sit there for a moment until they're pulled back into each other and reform as a single entity. The globe shifts and warbles as it begins to pull away again, this time into three separate parts. Snap, they become distinct Three orbs floating, rotating around a single point the origin. Then each of these orbs split themselves into two, until you have six orbs floating in space in front of you on an axis, so they're like planets and not cells dividing right.
Kai (Yonce):Or is it both the might?
Dan (Wren):of Kandrius the power of the cell.
Russell (Upri):Why do we all remember that Sorry?
Timothy (DM):And they begin to float apart that tether forming between them one to another. And then the vision fades.
Chris (Salvador):When they were floating? Were they floating in the six opposite directions?
Kai (Yonce):Yes and alignment with the axis okay.
Timothy (DM):Yes, and you begin to awaken. You begin to feel the pressure of your body pushing into the chair or floor beneath you. You smell the scent of lavender and the warmth of the crackling fire on your skin as you blink your eyes open, returning to Daphne's cottage.
Chris (Salvador):That was really confusing.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, I'm really confused by that, and I must be more confused because I technically wasn't high, I kind of just took a nap.
Timothy (DM):Ah yes, as I prefaced at the beginning of the session, yesterday was not a normal session. This is typically how they go. It is now up to us to make sense of the visions that we have been given by the universe.
Chris (Salvador):Seems to be like a tutorial back at school, learning about three-dimensional space and mitosis, and Might of Kandrius.
Timothy (DM):Often, things are less literal and more figurative in these visions.
Chris (Salvador):So how many Titans are?
Russell (Upri):there, there's six, there are nine. Oh, there goes that theory.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, well, it seems like what I got from it was that we saw the six initial symbols Alpha, Omega, Infinity, Void, Good and Evil is what I'm interpreting the other two as Seems a bit binary to me, to be quite honest. But then we saw the one orb that splits into two, I don't know why, but then back together and then to three, and then to six, being the six things Alpha Omega.
Russell (Upri):Well, I think that just symbolizes that they're all the same origin.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, none of them are inherently good or bad. If they're, I think they just are, and what they decide can be thought as good or bad. So it's about balance right, yeah, and there's only four, so I guess that represents the four of us.
Russell (Upri):Four, never say six.
Chris (Salvador):Well, in the book that we found in that library talked about the Alpha Omega. I had assumed that those were Titans, but mostly maybe that's just. That's the floor of the world where you have Alpha, beginning and end, Infinity and Void, and then all the Titans are above or below that plane, in whatever direction, Because you have Dreamer Trim to stress here Forgotten.
Russell (Upri):Director Assimilator. So it's like a spectrum.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, and four of those nine names in that book were just for the axes.
Dan (Wren):What is the historical and or religious context of Alpha and Omega in this world?
Russell (Upri):Well, I guess it's relative to what the origin is. Does that also mean there are good Titans?
Chris (Salvador):Possibly I mean more. I guess it's relative to what the origin is.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, I'll be making a Arcana.
Kai (Yonce):Probably I'll do Arcana oh wow.
Dan (Wren):I'll do history. Then I got a 17.
Timothy (DM):I failed my religious check 17 for Arcana 17 for history 17 for history, anybody else? No, okay, so we'll start with a history and then move into the Arcane. So, historically, you have seen these symbols in academic texts before, contextually incongruent. So there is a historical understanding of the symbols Alpha being the beginning, omega being the end. Sometimes these are in relation to creation theories in religious texts, but other times they are used in mathematics Same with null and infinity as far as the trident and the wings.
Timothy (DM):These are often used in religious texts as well, specifically within the order of Preah. You may follow that up with a religion role. If you would like to understand the context of them in those texts, can I help them?
Dan (Wren):Yes, so you can add a five Great 23.
Kai (Yonce):Okay.
Timothy (DM):So, from an Arcane perspective, you have seen those symbols referenced in spells, however usually in isolation.
Kai (Yonce):So is. Maybe I'm reaching for this. I may be reaching, but Are you trying to tell us that all spells are originated from one of these titans, like we're calling on their power when calling on these spells? If that's a stretch, just let me know, but that's what I'm getting from it.
Timothy (DM):Have you seen any sketches of the spell sigils from Castle Valerian? Has Salvador or Ren shown you any of their notes from Castle Valerian?
Chris (Salvador):Do you mean like the spell circles or Any?
Timothy (DM):notes on any of the arcane that happened during that. Yeah, I showed them.
Chris (Salvador):There were some of these summoning circles with like ingredients. There are spells that you can't over them, although they didn't ring a bell of like the Alpha Omega. Yada, yada, yada.
Timothy (DM):Okay, so deeper in the details of the spells, so not in the handouts that I provided.
Kai (Yonce):But these are all very pretty.
Timothy (DM):Yes. So in the like spell books that detail out the mechanics of each of those spells, you would have seen all these symbols in a very different representation than you have experienced in your spell casting. So, as I said, you've seen those symbols in isolation and various spells In the magic that was conducted at the Castle of Valerian. You see all six represented in each spell, every spell, and because you got a 23, you can understand a little bit about the language the spells were written in. It's written in a very, very old text that modern languages are descended of, but you know enough or can decipher enough from your understanding of arcane languages that these are always referenced in relationship with each other and as coordinates. The last thing that you'll understand from these spells Is that there is a joining of two coordinates within this three dimensional axes To cast each spell. That one meets the other at the very end of the spell and then it is cast as if it was a fold of paper. Religion check.
Kai (Yonce):That was a 23.
Timothy (DM):That was also a 23, that was my arcana.
Dan (Wren):Oh gotcha no arcana was 17 Kai rolled a 17 right.
Timothy (DM):I did Well. I gave you some extra information then.
Dan (Wren):If it makes you feel better. I still am confused. The pairings are alpha omega time beginning and end. Infinity void space, Infinity being things the filling of space and the void being the emptying of space, and then good and evil are the two opposites of the divine. The extra planar space that we don't see because, or we don't experience because they're outside of our plane of being.
Kai (Yonce):So am I right in saying that magic is drawn from these? The magic that we are calling is drawn from these people for their powers.
Russell (Upri):Are they people or are they cosmic forces?
Timothy (DM):Yeah, magic is often referencing one of these.
Dan (Wren):Because, like Prey and Padicham, their paladins and their clerics will pull their magic from divine sources, whether it being good or evil their entities and energies within those planes of existence.
Kai (Yonce):So what you're saying is that I was right.
Dan (Wren):Yes, essentially yes, I just want to hear that.
Russell (Upri):I don't know if you're all aware, but I kind of just get mad and things happen.
Kai (Yonce):Well, it sounds like you're still calling that magic, but just very recklessly yeah.
Dan (Wren):I imagine you pull from infinity oh you think? You pull from space because all of your magic is all like nature and you manifest them? Yeah.
Kai (Yonce):Oh yeah, Then I wonder what my magic is. It's not void, it's not negative, it's not begin. I mean, you've seen multiple things in your spells yeah, maybe it's all of the above Could be a combination of different ones or all of them. Yeah, I am the orb.
Dan (Wren):Did I just 23 myself? Is that essentially what you were going to tell me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, basically that 23 yourself.
Kai (Yonce):Well in conjunction with the.
Timothy (DM):Arkana the overshare, that's basically what the religion role would have added to the Arkana Gotcha Alright.
Kai (Yonce):So both Rhett and I take out a long whiteboard and we start jotting this down. We're like, and this is where you see this and here, right there.
Dan (Wren):That's where the good shit is, and Caryl, joins in on this Right I imagine we're also like finishing each other's sentences.
Kai (Yonce):Exactly. You're like yeah, but here, oh yeah, and it goes here, and my spells are a combination of ease and like I'm like get away from us, you cigarette, and then these are all these things.
Russell (Upri):It should be a see-through whiteboard with like the yeah, we're just pans to each of you.
Chris (Salvador):Interesting looking back on these notes to see an uppers.
Russell (Upri):Just chill on the couch for the joint.
Chris (Salvador):They're a calm nobody ever do we're going to a party that's with a prison that separates light. Hello, maybe Sal's oh. Sal's seeing symbolism where there might not be symbolism, but they're more than six Spiral.
Timothy (DM):Well, yeah, I have all these notes. I.
Timothy (DM):These are like audience these are notes from like the very beginning of the podcast, where it's like you are so Yonsei and Ren are going on this like really conceptual journey, and then Cyril is joining in with his tidbits of wizard knowledge because he is like an expert in arcane spell Writing right. So, like warlock, you see these things, you don't have to understand them, you're just like, okay, great, thank you for this power. And you cast it so it's kind of like you're just like. You recognize it, but you don't fully understand what everything is.
Timothy (DM):I feel, the wizard in this group is able to be like oh shit. This is cool because I can take this information. I can use it to improve upon spells that I've been working on. Nerve he just goes full-on nerd, completely, ends up like Removing himself from the conversation and like going down a rabbit hole in the corner with his notebook. Or you see that he's taking notes on all these like divination spells that he's been working on.
Russell (Upri):The lines that connect them are the weave basically.
Dan (Wren):I will say we're a pretty stacked party to figure this out, because we've got the natural spellcaster, we've got the religious spellcaster who pulls from the divine kind of yeah most of the time Tao, who knows anyways? And then I read a lot of books.
Timothy (DM):The tank doesn't need to do everything, all right, so with this revelation, and you all going on this like rabbit hole into the night before you crash. For the evening I'm gonna have us all go on a short break and we'll return the next morning In in five to ten minutes. Our time to continue on this adventure. So we will see you all in the audience shortly. All right, we are back from break, so we are going to Continue on with our adventure in the underkeep. We just finished up a rather cryptic Divination session full of lots of symbols and Not a ton of extra information, but the party does seem to know a little bit of what make, what to make of it Until, eventually, y'all pass out from Exhaustion of a long day and wake up the next morning All right, we still tree like yeah, okay, yeah, I think that's
Timothy (DM):permanent.
Russell (Upri):Oh, but she's like kind of started casting, Recast and disguise self over and over again to conceal that her skin is now leafy.
Dan (Wren):Oh, okay well, it's fully practicing.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, and you're greeted in the morning by Daphne with a breakfast suited to your liking.
Chris (Salvador):Daphne have a question what can you tell me about Lorian Star whisper?
Timothy (DM):Lorian Star.
Chris (Salvador):He's the arch, he's the head of the council of drags.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, like someone threw some.
Dan (Wren):Star whisperer.
Timothy (DM):Lorian. Well, rumor has it that they are in fact a silver dragon. It's probably one place to start. They have been around for quite some time Older than myself, for sure. If I were to Peg them with a, I would probably say they are.
Chris (Salvador):They have an insatiable appetite for knowledge okay, that sounds like a dragon to me and tend to be a little Stuffy.
Timothy (DM):I have not met them myself. This is really just.
Chris (Salvador):Awesome hair saying gossip Gotcha Well, thank you. I appreciate that Good to know upper is just fanning herself.
Kai (Yonce):Yonsei is walking down the stairs looking at the list of items that they wrote down from each spell, each shop that they saw. Guys, I really don't know what I need for this ball. That's happening in a discerning amount of time at that. I don't realize when it is.
Chris (Salvador):Well, we got the cost of weeks right.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, we got two weeks, yeah, so timeline.
Timothy (DM):Yesterday was Wednesday, today's Thursday. Yeah, on Saturday the arena fights will happen. The following Tuesday is the stadium day qualifiers, and then you have an additional 14 days after that before the masquerade.
Russell (Upri):Lord.
Chris (Salvador):So, let's go chat with those factions.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah.
Dan (Wren):We show spare. What's going on with the shaking city? Indeed did you ever disclose to us about the mines?
Chris (Salvador):Oh yeah, I told you there's. There's a. There's a part of the town called the Delves. It used to be mined. Now they're just ruins that are sort of Graffitied, and there's an earthquake. There's a humming that came out of the mine. The mine seems like a. Spooky place that could be investigated or for cruising. It has multiple purposes.
Russell (Upri):Wink first it was spooky, then it was sexy or whatever.
Kai (Yonce):That's how it is, that it was spooky again.
Timothy (DM):So what are you off to?
Chris (Salvador):today we need to go. I Would probably go to the Ascension Hall, or I would suggest that we go there.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, okay.
Russell (Upri):I'm just gonna follow.
Kai (Yonce):I still need to do some more practicing for stadium days, but maybe we can do that on the way back.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, because of what you entered in the pigeon shooting contest.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, I chose the one that was the easiest.
Dan (Wren):How I practice with you. I could throw some clay pigeons in there or shoot some arrows in the air. See if you hit those. Okay we did arrows. You can hit clay pigeons I.
Kai (Yonce):Did hit them last time. I was really great at it.
Russell (Upri):Are you like under fire while you shoot in the clay pigeons, or something?
Kai (Yonce):No, but I feel like I should. They have style points or something. I really don't know the rules of this.
Russell (Upri):I mean, I could try to like grapple you and throw you around Interesting.
Kai (Yonce):I don't know if multiple people can do one event at the same time.
Russell (Upri):No, not like durian, just like as practice for your aim. So, like you could like, keep in pressure under fire, fire under pressure.
Kai (Yonce):We should.
Russell (Upri):I should not have Smoked as much as I did yesterday.
Kai (Yonce):I can tell the ather effects are not good, not good. But yeah, let's go to this, let's go to the hall.
Timothy (DM):So you are interested in going to the ascension hall?
Chris (Salvador):the the differences between the ascension and the source enclave. Are they noticeable?
Timothy (DM):the Obscura and the ascension. Oh, is that so the source conclave is the Basically the alliance between the oh okay, gotcha. It's not really an alliance, it's more of a truce between the two. Okay, I see. And then there is the council of me is the local government.
Chris (Salvador):So the fact that there is the ascension hall and the source conclave is the ascension halls nicer because they have their own separate building compared to the obscure.
Timothy (DM):Obscure has their own headquarters.
Chris (Salvador):Okay, but it's not. They don't like to disclose it. It's obscure.
Timothy (DM):It's obscure. But yeah, the end set ascension hall is like very stately, very prominent, and then the source conclave is kind of where they they have their meeting Gathering. That it's basically like the, the parliament house.
Chris (Salvador):Got it. I Don't have a preference one way the other. Do you guys have one? I?
Dan (Wren):Feel like we should go to.
Kai (Yonce):I was pointing at that.
Dan (Wren):Okay.
Russell (Upri):Oh, can't look at me.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, here, let me show it to the audience.
Kai (Yonce):It's given big bank theory.
Dan (Wren):One to two to three to six.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, yeah, one to two to one to three to six, sorry of the orbs splitting into six and going off into Six different directions along the lines of their axes.
Russell (Upri):They specifically overlap in pairs.
Dan (Wren):Final image yeah, those are their opposites. But I say we go to the guild specific building the source Assention. No, the essential is that the paired build that no, it's the truth building.
Kai (Yonce):What is the source?
Timothy (DM):conclave is the joint, oh, oh truth between ascension and obscure.
Dan (Wren):Okay, then we go to the ascension.
Chris (Salvador):Okay, so see, the ascension is more like the house of representatives.
Timothy (DM):It's, it's the yeah.
Chris (Salvador):What it's the party house, yeah, the political party.
Timothy (DM):Okay, so it's the intention hall is the Headquarters of the ascension party. Okay, gotcha, gotcha and the obscura hall is the headquarters of the obscura party.
Kai (Yonce):It makes so much sense when you say that together.
Timothy (DM):At the source conclave.
Dan (Wren):We're going to city hall.
Timothy (DM):Majes is city hall. The council of majors, the city hall.
Kai (Yonce):Oh my god. Thank you for watching this week's episode of shadows of controversy.
Kai (Yonce):Please come back next time.
Timothy (DM):Governments, confusing everybody, especially when it's fantasy. You paid it up, I did, and that's why I'm explaining it multiple times.
Dan (Wren):Right to the ascension hall, yeah, which is essentially one of the two-party system, one of a two-party.
Timothy (DM):Yes, how we go right.
Russell (Upri):Four factions.
Chris (Salvador):There are three, two there are two party factions local government local government.
Russell (Upri):Oh Okay, the local government is the majors.
Chris (Salvador):We'll be able to rate them on how they, how they sit on the scale and who are pre-impedition.
Dan (Wren):They're two gods, they're two gods that make up one religion.
Russell (Upri):But that's also a faction in the town with a tower and a place far away. Yeah, you think the road over right now.
Chris (Salvador):We'll do that.
Dan (Wren):I do have a quick question. The council of majors yes, city government the city government are those members members of the ascension or the Obscura? Yes, okay, what Okay?
Russell (Upri):are they both?
Timothy (DM):so the same way, the same way that like at city hall, not necessarily like they don't have to be a part Right, so they're not really the two right. So we have Democrats.
Dan (Wren):Republicans and independents.
Timothy (DM):Yeah.
Dan (Wren):I get it.
Chris (Salvador):Well, if the majors are local.
Russell (Upri):They could be about any party right. They're just physically local, not.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, I'll say just starts walking out the door.
Dan (Wren):Making is that the, the members of the council of majors, do not nest Aren't independent from the two main factions.
Russell (Upri):They probably have allegiances. They can have allegiances or being a part of yeah or they could be independent of that we third party.
Timothy (DM):Yeah third party independent because they can be members. So, like the, ascension and obscure are more like membership.
Dan (Wren):It's like an organization that you can be a part of. Sure it's Democratic and Republican exactly.
Kai (Yonce):It's like club Disney.
Russell (Upri):Strategically, does it make sense to diversify and try to get both, or do we pick one and go all in?
Dan (Wren):I think we should figure out what they're.
Russell (Upri):Well, what they stand for?
Dan (Wren):yeah, when we align with like we don't know anything about how they align themselves.
Chris (Salvador):So Should we go with split up the casters?
Dan (Wren):And from, I guess, a meta perspective, each one will have their own benefits. Yeah, one might be more martial based, one might be more Kind of sneaky. What's the espionage?
Russell (Upri):Oh, so I should go that one.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, let's go. Let's all go to the ascension. Okay, I'm already.
Kai (Yonce):I've already left out the door, so I don't hear any of this.
Timothy (DM):Who's just like out, I don't know, government bullshit, whatever. Take softwares, the ascension hall. You all chase after him. Catch up Just to tie to make it to the ascension hall and it is a very stately building. It is Marble, which is, which is crazy, because this has been a city of glass and crystal and like lots of see-through Delicate things, and this is like a Building made of marble Giant columns inlaid with mother pearl and gold and gems. It's like super loud, super gaudy, super stately, heavy ass building gosh, so it looks like a post office.
Timothy (DM):Mm-hmm, yeah, it's funny.
Kai (Yonce):How it's the only building that is in see-through, or has city Exposed what?
Russell (Upri):are they had?
Dan (Wren):yeah, secrets. One might say that they're not transparent as an organization. Anyways, knock, knock, wait, wait. I just go.
Timothy (DM):And you have. There's this like red carpet that leads up to this like walnut desk hey, the receptionist is sitting at. There are statues of like these, really like pompous looking Wizards along both sides, just giant statues.
Russell (Upri):Getting flashbacks. First with columns, post office square, a lot of the buildings really, yeah.
Timothy (DM):I work, I don't work down there nice, shiny placards at the base of every statue, torches Blazing as you walk on past Towards this very heavy, gorgeous walnut desk, carved with this Again, a red overlay, cloth, silk overlay and a Very, very, very like even for no mesh T-size terms a very small gnome woman sits on a stool behind the desk Writing in a book. As you see she is. She has like a little for lack of a better term a Phone board of sending stones that she's like taking calls and like taking nose. Oh yeah, they'll call you back later. Is there a number that I can reach you best at? Uh-huh, she's like writing all this down and she's like just jumping from call to call to call.
Russell (Upri):Does she seem confident or be fiddled?
Timothy (DM):She seems very stressed, a little overwhelmed, her voice kind of wavers a little bit and she is just like filling out like note pads, taking post-it notes, sticking them on her desk all over, and yeah, that's what you see. There are other people in this space kind of milling about. You see some more official looking people go in and out of a back door in the back of the room on one side and there's another door on the other side that you haven't seen anybody coming out of. Yeah, what do you all do?
Dan (Wren):as we're walking up. Does anyone particular want to take lead on this conversation?
Kai (Yonce):I think the smartest person should take lead.
Russell (Upri):Hi, I'm Uppie what's your name.
Timothy (DM):They finish up their phone call, they put it down and you can see that like there's still some stones that are like Lighting up and they're trying like just like flashing. Yes, can I help you?
Russell (Upri):Yeah, we're here to see your leader.
Timothy (DM):And you are up re do you have an appointment?
Russell (Upri):Yes.
Timothy (DM):All right, for for what time? And they start pulling. They pull out this like big ledger book and they start flipping. There's like lifting these pages and flopping them down, slamming through, flipping through. They get to a sheet and they put their finger on the piece of paper and they start scrolling down.
Russell (Upri):Are there any empty spaces?
Chris (Salvador):No, can I cast prejudice prestigitization.
Kai (Yonce):I really was a prejudice and I was like what I Think prestigitization allows you to write on surfaces.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, you can. You can add a mark to a surface for an hour and I don't have to be touching it. So can I up read? Just say I whisper in uppers time.
Dan (Wren):Say say time and I put on the paper. I say I could link us if we wanted to oh yeah, You'll have a psychic connection.
Chris (Salvador):Yes, I say up, read, say what, what time is it now?
Timothy (DM):This is early morning. Yeah, it's probably like 9, 10 am.
Chris (Salvador):Upper say you have an appointment for 9 30 and I'm gonna put on the paper I have an appointment for 9 30 and I cast situation oh yeah, I totally remember making this appointment um.
Timothy (DM):I have days like that too I will let them know that you are here. Thank you and they should be with you shortly.
Russell (Upri):Do you want to snacks?
Timothy (DM):There is a water cooler behind that pillar over there.
Russell (Upri):No, like lollipops or something.
Timothy (DM):This is a bank right I. Might have something in my door, and she pulls over the door shifting around if you also have some crackers, that'd be great.
Kai (Yonce):I.
Timothy (DM):Have this and she hands you Like a piece of chocolate that's like broken apart and has just been like sitting in.
Russell (Upri):Thank you. You take there Me, put in my mouth and then just go sit water off to the nearest chair.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, I'm gonna walk around this lobby and write down the names of the folks on with the fancy statues and and hopefully try to glean a little bit of the history of this organization.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, of course. So you sit down, you wait for a little while, wait for a little while longer. At this point it's like 9 30 no one showed up yet. Mm-hmm. Five minutes go by before you see a? A, an older High elf looking person come through the Right door. They are wearing Black robes that go from shoulder down to the floor With this intricate silver embroidery along all of the trim work, and then they have these Bangles that go around their arm and just kind of float around their arm. A little crystal Spins around on one of these and just kind of like orbits the, the bracelet. You see them go up to the front desk where they have a short conversation with the Now even more crumbled in on themselves receptionist, before they turn your direction and just lift their nose up, hold their book into their chest and stare at you.
Russell (Upri):I think that means we go oh oh, okay, I'll probably get out of her chair.
Timothy (DM):Come on, I don't have all day. I mean, I have this time slow. Yes, yes, yes, and I'm very busy, so back into my office. Sure, let's go and these are my.
Russell (Upri):Associates Associates associates very good uppery.
Kai (Yonce):My name is juniper langleberry. Nice to meet you.
Timothy (DM):Anyways, that is my office and it's like, at the end of the hall there is a, there is an office. I'll be right with you, oh let's snoop.
Russell (Upri):Everybody will just like Kind of briskly walk into the office as we're going, I'm, I'm paying, I'm mentally pinging everybody.
Dan (Wren):So wait, what's our story, what's our in?
Russell (Upri):I don't really remember. Wow, we're here.
Chris (Salvador):We're here to gain influence with the one of the one of the three ruling parties and Get some forces to battle the evil nature.
Russell (Upri):So we should tell them we're here for a job.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, yeah, that's good. How could we? Should for a job, for potential membership.
Kai (Yonce):How can?
Russell (Upri):we help you yeah should we lie and say we know how to fix the rumblings or something?
Chris (Salvador):and then go fix them, we can investigate it at least.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, we can, we can investigate it, we could, and then we could. Then they could claim, uh, that they did it, that they, that they were at least part of doing it. Um, and it's just a general vibe check.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, all right.
Timothy (DM):How long before they join us in the office do I have time to look at bookcases and stuff you make your way to the end of the hallway and you go to pass through the threshold of the office and find yourselves smacking your forehead on a protective barrier. When you look behind you to see where they went off to, you see that they have stepped into a side office. You can hear them talking, not talking directing Somebody else in that office.
Timothy (DM):What you hear? A yes, ma'am, of course, right away. Ma'am, do I have to spell magic Before you see them exit that office and begin making their way down to the hallway? They wave their hand and you see that shimmer of protective barrier disappear. Okay we proceed in now my inspiration you proceed in now, followed by them, they glide on over to their desk and sit down and they go All right, why has my idiot receptionist made an appointment with you all, did we?
Kai (Yonce):first of all, how dare you call them an idiot? They worked really hard.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, um, I disagree anyways.
Chris (Salvador):Damn, what was the name on? Was their name on the ledger or on their door that we can address them by, or on their desk? Yeah, who is this?
Timothy (DM):I'm their desk. You see archmage callista emberfrost.
Chris (Salvador):Oh man, I love these lockdown names Out with it.
Timothy (DM):Why do I have an appointment with you? We have a proposition. You have 15 minutes.
Kai (Yonce):Our appointments for 30.
Timothy (DM):Unfortunately, I had to double book, so here we are.
Russell (Upri):Well, cal, can I call you Cal?
Timothy (DM):You may not. Well, listen Cal we are heroes of archmage emberfrost.
Russell (Upri):Yes, archmage Cal, we are heroes of quite some renown. I'm sure you've heard of us, remember we're making friends. Yeah, and part of that is terms of endearment. Upper just stops mid sentences things and then. Yeah, we hear you. Uh, you know might need some favors to uh further advance yourself politically, and we are the kind of people that are great at doing favors.
Timothy (DM):I don't like the way that you're winking at me, but what can you for offer me?
Kai (Yonce):Can I just skip all this and cast mass suggestion?
Russell (Upri):You may, okay, never mind, fine, never mind, they will know when it wears off that and we'll probably arrest it. Yeah, oh, never mind I should not try to influence her.
Dan (Wren):I, I, I say that in the hive wine and then I hear my no.
Kai (Yonce):D.
Dan (Wren):Those are the rules and I'm like, oh my god, oh my god, I'm so sorry, oh my god, we're great at investigation, we've solved problems, we've found a lost town, we've broken Time spells and I I hear that you're having an earthquake problem and I'm sure you've heard of, uh, the town of valeria, which recently came back into a political view of our, of our nation, after being lost for I don't know how many years was it. It was at least 14, because I'd seen something like that yeah, um, oh, we, we uh oh so you're outsiders, good to know.
Chris (Salvador):As opposed to people that are born here.
Kai (Yonce):Wow, I don't think your constituents would.
Russell (Upri):We may be outsiders, but we are great friends with daff.
Timothy (DM):Me me right, give me a persuasion roll, oh no not me right. With advantage. Everyone, uh, no, just one of you.
Dan (Wren):I've got plus five, 10.
Kai (Yonce):I got persuasion. I have plus four zero.
Russell (Upri):Oh.
Dan (Wren):Oh, uh, 21, nice good, because the other one was a nat one, daphne.
Timothy (DM):Um, and how do you know Daphne?
Kai (Yonce):She wrote books on us.
Dan (Wren):Yes, yeah we're. We're pretty renowned adventurers, um and she. We've been in contact with her for a while now, um, as she has been helping us using by using her divination magic to uh further our Adventures so I was gonna say the chosen ones, but that sounds way better.
Timothy (DM):Technically, we're considered the heroes of prophecy, so yeah, I am assuming that she then briefed you on what Our little faction stands for.
Russell (Upri):Yes, absolutely, and we all remember what she said.
Kai (Yonce):But if you want to use it in your own words, we want, we, would, we allow that space.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, what does faction? Mean to you. All right, give me a deception, hi Jan say.
Kai (Yonce):With advantage.
Timothy (DM):Nope, wow, wow after you insult them multiple times in this conversation.
Kai (Yonce):I didn't insult them. I just told them who they were. It's not my fault. They can't look at a mirror. Um, it was 14 14.
Timothy (DM):Oh wow, y'all are really wasting my time. This is the ascension. I am their arch mage. I hope that information was at least available to you, yeah.
Dan (Wren):I mean, you've met dafty, sometimes not all there about present things, but please continue.
Timothy (DM):There are Few things that I see at this time that you could do for us, uh, but ultimately, we seek to Exert our superiority on the rest of the world as Mages of learned, powerful families.
Kai (Yonce):This is trump, lord jesus christ.
Russell (Upri):Well, thank you so much for your time.
Kai (Yonce):It looks like we double booked ourselves. Yes.
Timothy (DM):Yes, I dare say you check your notes next time you can see yourselves out. I and she goes to writing in a notebook.
Russell (Upri):Wait real quick, uh Cal.
Kai (Yonce):Archmesa billy bob, she completely ignores you at this point.
Timothy (DM):Yeah.
Chris (Salvador):You know what would really impress the people that seem to be fighting in this town, that are on the edge of there? They can barely sleep at night in the fears that they're going to fall into the pool of water beneath this floating island. Yeah, wouldn't you want to be the one of the two factions that actually solves a problem, instead of, uh, worrying about if you're going to die or not? Let's be clear.
Russell (Upri):We're going to solve that fucking problem. So if you want credit, you let us know, otherwise let's go into the other kids.
Timothy (DM):So there's like a moment of silence as well, not silence. You hear her aggressively Scrawling across her pad of paper before she slams the bookshot and she goes. The other people are the reason that we're stuck in this hellhole underground. I seek a world where we live peacefully above. Can you make that happen, okay?
Russell (Upri):Ursula, does the peace come after? You dominate everyone.
Kai (Yonce):Mm-hmm.
Timothy (DM):The powers of be above have decided they don't want to live with us as is. Oh yeah, I forgot, we're in a magic hate in world.
Russell (Upri):Okay, all right, that's right.
Dan (Wren):It's coming back to me, but you use you and this is out of character they seek to Flip that balance of power, not necessarily balance the scales, fully flip it yes.
Russell (Upri):Well, perhaps, perhaps they're unaware Syag is destroyed.
Chris (Salvador):So who's actually Mandating whether or not source users can or unregistered mages can operate, because it seems to me that there's nothing really restricting you nowadays. And the order of prayer.
Dan (Wren):I'm pretty sure. Yes, have you solved that little?
Timothy (DM):tidbit of a problem the order the socio-economic problems. No, I mean yes that silly little institution masquerading as a religion and you may have a gained my trust otherwise, I have no use for you, god.
Dan (Wren):It's a takedown an entire religious sect, the most prominent religious sect.
Timothy (DM):Or at least demonstrate your capacity and willingness to do so Maybe we should have a local church we could go.
Russell (Upri):They're strictly forbidden here.
Timothy (DM):This is a purely secular city. I've been. You're throwing a lot of big words around. Yeah, I've been.
Russell (Upri):You're throwing a lot of big words around.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, I really think we should have went to the liberals first.
Russell (Upri):At least they would have given us pronouns before they did this.
Kai (Yonce):Got him. I'll see. I'll see that clipped.
Dan (Wren):Um, could we, I mean like, do you have any interest in fixing the issue with the rumbling and potentially falling of the city?
Timothy (DM):It could potentially be of use to our Mission, but is more of a distraction than anything, would at least afford us the space and time to further our endeavors.
Russell (Upri):I hear. What I hear is we'll accept a temporary fix.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, Should we share that? We're also intending to eventually overthrow the order, but we need people to do it God.
Dan (Wren):No, fuck this lady, we'll do it just a spider.
Russell (Upri):Even though we don't like her, we could still use her.
Dan (Wren):Yes, I mean yes, but I think we should keep that to ourselves now, right? Not that any expectation, saiyans?
Russell (Upri):hang out with your friends as much as you can, but then also people you hate. Do you really expect a?
Timothy (DM):wizard of my stature not to know. You're having a telepathic conversation in front of me. Get out of my office, shoo, shoo. Have this conversation elsewhere.
Dan (Wren):All right. Well, um, I would say it was a pleasure meeting you, but it surely hasn't been, and I leave.
Kai (Yonce):The same to you, my dear wait is there, I'm, are there a bowl of like snacks? Like I go and I grab the bowl and your candy sucks too and I just walk out.
Timothy (DM):It's like rice wafers.
Kai (Yonce):I think she kind of like why three wait first someone take them and be like your can't your snacks suck and I just take a handful. I'm like, except for these, these are delicious and I Oops, I dropped them on the floor and I keep. I walk out.
Chris (Salvador):As as we leave. I want to say something mean to her, but I won't.
Kai (Yonce):Do it. You have split it. Likes it I?
Dan (Wren):I probably sees it as authority.
Chris (Salvador):Uh, I'm gonna say well, you know, arch mage, archable shiver tongue, would never act to visitors this way and I leave. And that was one of the names of the people.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, they have a statue in the lobby as you are exiting, or as you attempt to exit, her office, you whack your face on the protective barrier. She waits just a moment for you to realize your Failures, and then she waves the barrier away.
Chris (Salvador):Words still stand and I give her the eyes.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, please, oh, you want still the office, so why?
Dan (Wren):is your face? Well, that's my skin color. No, but it's redder than normal. Just like right, right, like right here. You know I have been doing a a nighttime exfoliation routine that maybe I need to alter the might be allergic to something. Do you want me to take a look at that? I could. It has clams in it.
Chris (Salvador):Is that maybe I'm allergic to shuffle? Anyways, you're from glam do something right. Yeah, japanese fridge has a lot of ingredients.
Kai (Yonce):Are you still in the office?
Russell (Upri):No, I'm sure I followed. I was going to say something, but I don't think I can say that word on tWitch, probably not. Well, she's given me it Serving.
Dan (Wren):Is it?
Kai (Yonce):open every day on Tuesdays, I know you mean.
Dan (Wren):Yes, it is open every day on Tuesdays.
Kai (Yonce):Creativity, uniqueness, nerve and talent.
Dan (Wren):Yes, correct.
Kai (Yonce):Christmas hour.
Dan (Wren):Not only she's a gay icon, but we hate her.
Chris (Salvador):Yes, well, I love that.
Kai (Yonce):I hate her, all right.
Timothy (DM):Trauma. So you make your way out of the office, down the hallway and back into the lobby.
Russell (Upri):What was the name of the front desk? What was their name? You never asked. I did. I said, hi, I'm up here, what's your name?
Timothy (DM):And she never responded oh, yes, correct, thank you.
Russell (Upri):Sorry, no, listen, I'm a free, I'm just on the way out. I'm going to say this we're going to go visit the Obscura. What's your McCall it? If they need someone at their front desk, do you want me to put in your application? These people kind of seem like douche can use.
Timothy (DM):Give me a persuasion check. Oh my God, I'm going to stop doing this.
Russell (Upri):I was like oh, 21, but that's not on the D20. 12.
Timothy (DM):You're very kind, but no, thank you, and my name is Skellia.
Russell (Upri):Oh, thanks, Skelly.
Timothy (DM):Skelly or Skelly Skellia.
Russell (Upri):Skelly, all right, bye.
Timothy (DM):Off to the Obscura. So do you know where Obscura is Real?
Russell (Upri):quick Skelly. Do you know where the Obscura place is?
Timothy (DM):Oh yeah, I can Do. You have a map, I can mark it on.
Chris (Salvador):Sale. Yeah, I give them the map.
Timothy (DM):Okay, and they will mark the location on the map. They just circle and it's just like in the. The like noble district is just like one of the buildings. And then they say you have to go around in the back and the password is ever in the darkness.
Russell (Upri):Oh, all right, these are some. These are some scene kids. We're about to go say yeah.
Chris (Salvador):Should we go talk to Zero?
Timothy (DM):But if anybody asks, I did not tell you any of this, especially the rich mage.
Kai (Yonce):Okay, Don't worry.
Kai (Yonce):Well, she's a punt, so she's not a punt.
Russell (Upri):She was serving puns, let's be clear.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, you're serving.
Chris (Salvador):Punt lady.
Kai (Yonce):And I give you some of the wafers that I talk about.
Russell (Upri):No, that's like the Jesus wafers, basically.
Kai (Yonce):This anti-church lady had Jesus wafers on her desk.
Russell (Upri):These are the cheap ones.
Chris (Salvador):They basically yeah, they're Eucharist.
Timothy (DM):Yep, all right, so you exit the Ascension Hall we need to go talk to a local.
Dan (Wren):A yokel.
Chris (Salvador):I mean, like who, any? Like we could go to the bar and just ask one of the bartenders to give us more of a lowdown, because I didn't expect Miss Frost Queen, like of all the people, to get a meeting with. I didn't expect to be, like, the head of the D&C.
Russell (Upri):Oh, should I not have asked for the leader?
Chris (Salvador):I maybe a low-level assistant Oopsie.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, you did fake your way into a meeting with their leader, which was indeed the archmage of an organization that wants world dominance.
Dan (Wren):Well, now we know.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, we did do a speed run, which I appreciate your efforts in going straight to the top.
Dan (Wren):If we walk close enough to Daphne's home, I can just ping her. Okay and do our conversation.
Russell (Upri):Do people like her? I can't tell.
Dan (Wren):It seems like she's got prominent pull.
Timothy (DM):in the city she has demonstrated pull.
Russell (Upri):She's a little bit like people around that crazy old cat lady a little too.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah.
Timothy (DM):In the conversation you just had. The most positive part of getting information out of them was mentioning Daphne.
Russell (Upri):Oh, was name dropping. Was name dropping? Okay, all right.
Timothy (DM):I mean, the bar was real low because you came in real hot with poor social tact and insults.
Russell (Upri):I am hot, thank you.
Timothy (DM):Tagged. So the name dropping was the best thing you did, and that was when you saw a shift in composure. There was a slight change in tone slight and she did come around to give you a little bit of information as a result.
Russell (Upri):And then to the other kids are we allowed to tell them that the world is going to end? I never remember.
Dan (Wren):Again, let's walk close to Daphne's house and I'll just double check, okay.
Kai (Yonce):Well doesn't, can't Daphne just ping us at any time?
Chris (Salvador):She can, but we can't initiate it.
Timothy (DM):Yeah.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, so can we just stroll past, take a path that takes us past Daphne's house. Daphne, are you there? Hello, hello, wake up, wake up, come on, sleepy head. Hi Did I mention that I can do this. I think you were there last time I did this.
Timothy (DM):You didn't need to. My dear, it's okay.
Dan (Wren):So we were wondering a couple of things. We never got a clarification. Can we talk about the end of the world with other people, or is that a hush-hush topic?
Timothy (DM):I mean, you're welcome to do so if they believe you. Yeah, some people are probably in the know that there's something on the horizon. Okay, all right.
Dan (Wren):Second question what can you tell us about the Obscura? Anybody you know, any connections you have there that we might be able to speak with? Do they like you there? Should we name drop you, etc.
Russell (Upri):Oh, and after that, what do you know about Archduch Kael and Artfrost?
Chris (Salvador):Kael is to Amberfrost. Archmage Amberfrost, yeah oh yes.
Timothy (DM):I see you've already paid her a visit. Probably should I prep you a little bit more for that conversation. It's a little bit of a front, but with Obscura you'll probably want to meet with Talos Shadowcloak. That's the Grand Enchanter A little bit more agreeable to converse with. Just be patient with them.
Russell (Upri):Wow, they're like super old and like really slow.
Kai (Yonce):They tend to be a bit cloistered.
Russell (Upri):Which is guarded.
Chris (Salvador):What's the structure of the Obscura Like? How's their hierarchy set up?
Timothy (DM):They've got a Grand Enchanter, and then there's everybody else.
Russell (Upri):Okay, gotcha. And who is Talos Shadowfoot Cloak? Is that the Grand Enchanter?
Timothy (DM):Yes, Grand Enchanter, yes.
Kai (Yonce):Fourth question Can you put some of those asperelas in the icebox?
Timothy (DM):Of course I'll have Cyril run by the corner shop again before tonight's session.
Kai (Yonce):Alright, thank you If they can be early. Sooner rather than later, we may come back a little early, thank you.
Chris (Salvador):Fair enough.
Timothy (DM):He'll do his best.
Chris (Salvador):What happened? To know exactly what the Obscura's mission statement is? Because we learned that the ascension wants to overthrow the current government above ground, which is a shock to me.
Timothy (DM):Obscura is very similar, except they have a very different way of doing it. They'd rather rule from the shadows. Oh, pull the puppet strings, oh.
Kai (Yonce):So no one wants to live in harmony.
Russell (Upri):They all want to dominate the people that have dominated them from millennia.
Kai (Yonce):Hey, listen, I love a Dom Top, but this is a ridiculous.
Dan (Wren):This is a non-consensual Dom Top. This is crazy.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, I don't know much about government or whatever, but I feel like no one party should be in power. Maybe we'd lie to all of them and at the end we go surprise, you're all ruling council. Each of you has one-tenth of the pie. Good luck.
Kai (Yonce):Very Game of Thrones. I thought that you killed everyone of them. What?
Timothy (DM):Very impressive if you can pull that off.
Russell (Upri):Oh, challenge accepted Dave.
Chris (Salvador):And the council of mages has no other aspirations other than to rule the city right.
Timothy (DM):The council of mages. Yeah, I mean, they're just our local government.
Chris (Salvador):Oh, okay, that's what I'm saying. They're elected officials. No hidden agendas to create a wormhole that destroys the world.
Timothy (DM):Not to my knowledge, that's just Alice, that's just Alice yeah, are you projecting what's happening?
Kai (Yonce):Oh gosh, I felt like Alice was talking through my forehead. Luckily we are projecting so we can talk to them.
Dan (Wren):Oh, I think we're out of range. I think, oh, there she goes. Yeah, would you want me to?
Chris (Salvador):Oh no, I was faking that we were going through a tunnel.
Dan (Wren):No, but I actually think we're out of range.
Russell (Upri):We just walked past. Oh, all right, so to Obscura, pontifica, whatever.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, we'll find that building and go to the back door.
Chris (Salvador):Maybe we should do some makeup Give her, like eyeshadow.
Russell (Upri):Makeup. Oh, look like scene kids. Yeah, all right. I'll just do this guy's self, and my leafy hair will just kind of cover half my face. I'll just Give myself a nice dark wing. Yeah, just one, just one. Why would do both? It's covered.
Timothy (DM):You make your way to where Scalia marked on your map. It is a nice looking estate building. There is a wall around the perimeter and you make your way around to the back where there is a gate.
Kai (Yonce):Ever in the darkness.
Chris (Salvador):What was that? I'm whispering.
Timothy (DM):I'm whispering to.
Chris (Salvador):I look around to bushes where there might be somebody hiding. I'm whispering ever in the darkness.
Timothy (DM):Yes, elvator starts very timidly and gingerly saying it at first, before they say it loud enough for our audience to hear them through their mic Ever in the darkness. Shade, and as you recite those words you hear a little almost like chime Dinging In the bushes and the gate shimmers just slightly.
Dan (Wren):Can I stick my hand through it?
Timothy (DM):You stick your hand through the gate bars and there's nothing.
Dan (Wren):No, into the gate, not like through the slots of the gate Into the bars.
Timothy (DM):Okay, you press your hand into the cold metal bars of the gate.
Dan (Wren):Okay, so it's physical. Yes, Gotcha, I thought illusion.
Timothy (DM):It does shimmer.
Dan (Wren):Shimmer yes, yeah, but I thought illusion is.
Russell (Upri):With biogic Like arcane log.
Dan (Wren):Can I open it?
Timothy (DM):You open the gate and as you do so, you see this archway up here. It's like purpley, black, shimmery barrier.
Kai (Yonce):This is God. Yes, fuck.
Dan (Wren):Kind of like it. Anyways, alright, through the, through the archway.
Timothy (DM):It extends into a narrow tunnel. As the gate closes behind you, you see the shimmer of the magic archway fade away and you are now in a, an arcane tunnel of that purpley magic. At the other end you hear a murmur of voices.
Kai (Yonce):I'll take point on this one. Gentlemen, Okay. Okay, okay, and I walk with purpose. Oh, alright.
Timothy (DM):You then walk down the hallway as a light at the end of the tunnel grows and you start to see a large chamber. In the middle you see a circle of mages collected in robes black robes and hoods.
Kai (Yonce):Hi, hello mages. My name is Till the Waters Clear and I am here because I would love to speak to your Grand Inquisitor. We have an appointment at 1130. I think we're a little bit early, but we will love sorry he him pronouns we will love to talk to someone.
Timothy (DM):Give me a persuasion roll.
Dan (Wren):Also, it's Grand Enchanter.
Russell (Upri):What did he say?
Dan (Wren):He said Grand Inquisitor Two very different things.
Russell (Upri):Oh, Inquisitors are like the Inquisition.
Kai (Yonce):I'm in Grand. Whatever Enchanter, that would be a 21.
Kai (Yonce):Whoa.
Timothy (DM):In the circle, one of the road figures steps forward and removes their cowl, revealing in a tiefling with deep wrinkles like an old tiefling. Their skin is kind of dry and sagging. There are dark circles under their eyes. There is a sadness to their face from years of that emotion engraved on their skin. They step forward and they go. I am the Grand Enchanter Talos Stormcloak that you seek. And who may you be? We do not make appointments here.
Kai (Yonce):My name is Tilda, Tilda Waters-Clear. I am here with my associates. Mari-, you have a deception check Mari. I got an 11.
Timothy (DM):Yes, I can repeat myself one more time. Who might you be?
Dan (Wren):I don't think there's any reason to lie.
Kai (Yonce):Okay, so our name? My name is Yonsei Bay. My name is not actually Tilda Waters-Clear, but I have a really funny story about that. That is a parent, Ooh, spicy. And these are my associates, my sister and my two, I guess friends. And we are the saviors of the world and we are here to help you save your mistakes.
Timothy (DM):They kind of do that like slow blink. You say saviors of the world.
Kai (Yonce):And we're here to help you. And in the hive mind I'm like maybe I shouldn't have taken point on this, but it's too late now.
Russell (Upri):You just hear the hive, mind up and go. Wow, we are related.
Kai (Yonce):And I want to see how we want to help you out with.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, we both dislike the order of Preah and Puditchum and how they've taken over control and that Grand Inquisitor yuck. You mean the Archmage?
Kai (Yonce):Yes, that one Yuck. We hate her.
Chris (Salvador):We previously had a conversation with Archmage Amber Frost and she's very frigid.
Timothy (DM):That is one way to describe her.
Russell (Upri):So, Grand Enchantress.
Kai (Yonce):How can we help?
Kai (Yonce):Did you say Grand Enchantress?
Timothy (DM):What do you request in return for your services? Alliance.
Kai (Yonce):We would like an alliance with you. We understand that you do not agree with whatever her name is Amber Frost but we do agree with you about magic and ruling. They want to rule with an iron fist and I think we can all agree that magic, done right, can be done in the shadows, can be out in public but also controlled through the shadows, and we would dislike an alliance. You scratch, we scratch your back. You scratch our backs with different Lufas.
Timothy (DM):Alliances are fickle and must be earned. What is it that you can provide us?
Kai (Yonce):We can fix your issue with the city and its stability on the weave that holds it before falling into the cavern. We can fix that issue for you. We know that you have had issues figuring it out and if you give us a chance to fix it, we can earn that alliance you so desperately need.
Timothy (DM):Give me a preservation check.
Kai (Yonce):I said what I said.
Chris (Salvador):That was a nine. You've got inspiration. If you want to use it for any of these roles, oh yeah.
Kai (Yonce):I want to save that for the party. I think we're going to need it Fair.
Timothy (DM):I think you should have prepared better for this meeting. You seem to be talking to the wrong people. Make your way to the Council of Majors. Our needs lie elsewhere.
Chris (Salvador):We know that your aspirations reach beyond these walls and that you, along with your counterparts at the Ascension, don't really want to stay here long-term, underground, with limited influence, and all of us each of us Limited, I dare say.
Timothy (DM):Our influence is limited.
Chris (Salvador):However, each of us has our own connections with creatures that are beyond comprehension. We have connections that expand not only to the edges of the continent but the edges of reality. None to say that we have popular friends here already, but we would like to add a few more.
Timothy (DM):Give me a persuasion, check Salvador.
Chris (Salvador):Oh God, I hope this goes okay.
Kai (Yonce):I thought I was really. I was really working hard. I'm sorry.
Chris (Salvador):That's a 15.
Timothy (DM):Your speech is rather cryptic, but I'll repulse that a sewing needle.
Russell (Upri):I can give a demonstration.
Timothy (DM):I must say I am intrigued. Are you gonna poke me?
Kai (Yonce):Do you accept?
Russell (Upri):Oh, that probably would be. No, I was gonna. Can I poke you?
Timothy (DM):I would rather not consent to mysterious magic.
Russell (Upri):Can be less believable. We would just swap bodies.
Kai (Yonce):Hmm.
Timothy (DM):Give me a persuasion check let's try this time.
Kai (Yonce):Three.
Timothy (DM):Unfortunately, I don't know you well enough to trust.
Russell (Upri):Can I?
Chris (Salvador):Could you pick somebody else?
Russell (Upri):Make a melee spell, attack you may.
Timothy (DM):Are you ready for repercussions of these actions Just do it on me.
Russell (Upri):But that's less believable. What about one of your underlings, one you don't care about if they're still accidentally goes whoo? Never, comes back.
Timothy (DM):He blinks a couple of times, slowly and goes. If you cannot do a demonstration without putting myself or the rest of the members of Obscura at risk, I can do one. I don't know how much this conversation is going to continue. I really want to stab you.
Chris (Salvador):What do you want to do?
Kai (Yonce):Yonstein, I haven't used these spells really since. Are you sure you?
Chris (Salvador):want to try it out here.
Kai (Yonce):I think we have to. I'm saying this all in the hive mind that they probably know that we're talking. I am going to cast Greener on the other side and that allows for an extra dimensional space and range at last during the duration.
Dan (Wren):You create a pocket dimension.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, essentially, and beyond the portal, it represents the ideal life of a target creature, one they envy for themselves. So I am willing to take the repercussions of doing it on them because it doesn't actually hurt them. So yeah, there's that, I'll do that. The target must make a DC-16 wisdom save, or?
Russell (Upri):consent or consent. Yeah, maybe they could if they want to consent to it. Could they consent to it?
Kai (Yonce):I'll vocalize. The spell I am about to do will not hurt you or anyone in this room. That is my promise, and if it does, I will take whatever punishment you may deem satisfactory. All right, give me a persuasion. Check, jesus, damn it, it's for you. I'm going to cast Greener on the other side, jesus.
Dan (Wren):Damn it. Inspiration, inspiration, inspiration.
Russell (Upri):Use a different die. Yeah.
Kai (Yonce):I'll do inspiration. Hopefully I can gain inspiration again.
Timothy (DM):I will take your inspiration token.
Dan (Wren):We have little tokens now Yum yum, yum, yum.
Timothy (DM):Yes, we have inspiration tokens now, so that I don't forget to hand them out. All right, what was that persuasion check?
Kai (Yonce):That is a 20.
Dan (Wren):Whoa Worth it Dirty.
Timothy (DM):All right, it's not like I don't have proper protocol and protections in place. Should you Do harm to myself, I consent.
Kai (Yonce):All right. And then I cast Greener on the other side and I cast it. I cast it kind of like a mirror, so I cast it in front of them but further back so they can see it and I think we can see it as well.
Timothy (DM):So that's what I cast, All right so an archway appears and I believe it's like the entrance of, like a building is what it's supposed to be right, it doesn't say so.
Kai (Yonce):It just says it creates a portal. Okay so, but I'll add some flavor, I do some twirls and I make it look as beautiful. So, flowers as the portal creates itself, since it's greener. On the other side, you see petals that are shifting from like dark green and bright green, pinks and yellows and like the columns that the column of the arch is very elegant. It's very elegant and shimmery.
Timothy (DM):Gorgeous as this portal appears, you see, they begin to inspect it. You see that they cast a Detect Magic spell, an Identify spell. They just kind of flip through all of their like arsenal of divination spells to examine the magic and they look at it very quizitively.
Kai (Yonce):And I look at them and I say, I promise, hold on, let me do it more dramatically. I promise it won't hurt you.
Timothy (DM):Hmm, intriguing. This is interesting. Magics I have, although I don't like to admit I've never seen the likes of this before. Where did you say you came across this spell?
Kai (Yonce):Um, I was born with. No, I wasn't born with a. It's special magic that we each have.
Timothy (DM):That it is indeed, and you say there will be no harm to myself should I step through the precipice of the portal.
Kai (Yonce):There will be no physical harm. That comes your way.
Timothy (DM):He looks at the other mages still standing silently and motionlessly in the circle around the room and then back the portal before he steps through. You see the surface of the portal ripple as his form passes the threshold.
Kai (Yonce):I forgot to read the caster, or anyone who enters this? Space must make a DC 12 wisdom save.
Kai (Yonce):On a fail save.
Kai (Yonce):The creature is enamored by the fantasy and cannot leave until the spell ends.
Timothy (DM):Alright, so they step into the portal. For what you can see? The world that you have created for them. It is akin to a shadow fell.
Dan (Wren):I don't know what to say. I was wearing bleak as hell in.
Timothy (DM):There it is dark and shadowy, mists and wisps flipped around, but there is a purple hued pathway that leads further into the space, as if they themselves find a guide throughout it. You watch as they wander deeper into this terrain. They look around again, examining it with their arsenal of identification spells and divination spells, before you see them turn around and return back to the room. This is very impressive. And you say that you can provide this type of magic to the Obscura. What else can it do?
Kai (Yonce):Well, it depends on the person. We each have individual titans, so each of our powers are different. Each of the powers that we provide are different, but all equally helpful.
Timothy (DM):And these titans you speak of. Is this your Warlock pack?
Kai (Yonce):Actually it's a titan pack.
Russell (Upri):Yes, yes, it's your warlock pack.
Timothy (DM):Can these entities be trusted and can they be controlled?
Kai (Yonce):We've controlled them so far with amazing success.
Russell (Upri):I mean everyone would be.
Timothy (DM):Can you give me a deception roll?
Kai (Yonce):Everyone means a pretty good. I hate this. It was a seven. It was a seven.
Timothy (DM):Well, perhaps the resources available to us at the Obscura could help in that.
Kai (Yonce):Can we count on your alliance?
Timothy (DM):Can we count on your powers?
Kai (Yonce):A question with a question. I love that the answer is yes, you can count on us.
Timothy (DM):Should we put it into paper?
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, all better yet.
Kai (Yonce):We could do paper. We don't have to do anything else.
Timothy (DM):Blood, you was, I in my head.
Kai (Yonce):You wizards in this blood, y'all y'all kinks are weird. I look at the group. I hide mine, the group Blood.
Chris (Salvador):Are blood packs binding?
Timothy (DM):Yes, Very much so. Should you not be able to uphold your end of the pact, you'll find your energies siphoned until you are met with death.
Chris (Salvador):And if you don't hold up your end of the bargain.
Timothy (DM):The same will be true. What is the?
Dan (Wren):bargain. Well, the details can be worked out.
Timothy (DM):No, no, no, no no.
Kai (Yonce):Here is my proposal.
Timothy (DM):We may call upon your powers in the months to come, as we foresee an upholding, upheaval of power, a vacuum. Each time we call upon said powers. Each time we call upon said powers, you may bank a favor.
Kai (Yonce):And when will this contract come to an end?
Timothy (DM):When our influence is fully in place and the ascension has been removed from the tableau.
Dan (Wren):A couple clarifying questions. One what is the vision that you have for the world above? Is it a vision of magical superiority? Is it a vision of equality, while pulling the strings from the shadows? What is the plan? What is the ideal?
Kai (Yonce):And, as you say that we're like, all we want is equity and equality. Yes, people have treated us magic users with shame. That does not mean we do the same for them.
Timothy (DM):We seek to maintain our separation from those who often historically misunderstand and fear us. In return, we enact political gain and resources. Zero conflict is ever pursued. That is how we operate. We safe in what we need from the system and remain a secret to those above Good to know.
Dan (Wren):Second follow up question. We have shown you a small taste of what we are able to provide to the Obscura. What might the Obscura provide to us.
Kai (Yonce):And as that's happening, Yancei takes a step back and I just push Ren forward.
Timothy (DM):You seek the ability to control these powers, one resource we are able to provide. You have not highlighted the remainder of your objectives and enlightened me to that, but I assure you that we are able to provide many resources, should you only ask Do?
Dan (Wren):you have like a shortlist?
Timothy (DM):What is it that you aim to achieve?
Russell (Upri):We need an army to fight for us. We are now fighting for the void.
Chris (Salvador):The void army is different than the art-pray and the prodigy. We don't like either one, so now there are four players and us the silence, the order, the ascension and the. Obscura.
Russell (Upri):And the void on top of those four.
Chris (Salvador):The void is the silence. The silence is channeling the void.
Dan (Wren):We, along with our associate and friend Daphne, who I'm sure you know name-dropping foresee a potential war in the near future with forces outside of the order of Praia and Pudichim that might threaten the existence of our nation and the world beyond, In which we would need a substantial force to combat said enemy in this war, as well as influence to rally and provide resources to our allies. Does that make sense? Is that track Of which we have none.
Timothy (DM):The form in which you seek these forces may differ from your original intent, but we can most sincerely oblige.
Dan (Wren):You say that and it makes me actually very giddy and interested into what these forces might be. Could we have a demonstration? We provided a demonstration. I would love to see what demonstration you're provided if. If not for a standard army, one might say.
Timothy (DM):We do well to point ponds in the right direction. That is our expertise as an organization.
Russell (Upri):Oh, so maybe they can get Praia and Pudichim and the silence. Kill each other and then we just swoop in and kill whoever's ever left.
Dan (Wren):Huh, okay, we will consider your proposal. If that's all right. Have a day to discuss amongst ourselves and with Daphne and our associates here in the city. If we were to return at a later date within a few days, I imagine Will this offer still stand?
Timothy (DM):It will absolutely still stand. Please take all the time you need to moll it over.
Kai (Yonce):Also, I passed my save. Oh, that's why I was shuffling through the papers.
Timothy (DM):I wanted to know. I got an 18.
Kai (Yonce):No, I just thought I had to, since I cast.
Timothy (DM):I had a rolling so you got a one point. So you pass your corruption save and you get a will point.
Kai (Yonce):I had a 19.
Dan (Wren):I like to think that Yachtseye stepped to the back to like vomit in their mouth a little bit. Okay, corruption. Let's follow that back down to find Well. Thank you so much for your time. Grand Enchanter Shadow Cloak, we will leave you to whatever the heck you were doing for this.
Timothy (DM):It has been a pleasure.
Kai (Yonce):Truly. Also, as we leave, I do a swing on my arm in the gateway closes because it's I don't know how it's only a minute long, but I'm figuring out, I'm assuming this was happening, so I just yeah, as you make your way out of the obscure Fort Fortress.
Chris (Salvador):Tunnel House.
Dan (Wren):Extra dimensional play.
Timothy (DM):Return to the conversation that they were having before and you leave back out to the underkeep and with that conversation done, we ourselves are going to go on a little break and return in five to 10 minutes. All right, we have returned from our break. Before break we left off at the obscure headquarters mulling over a potential pact. What would you all like to do?
Kai (Yonce):Agree.
Dan (Wren):To the pact.
Russell (Upri):Yeah, on what oh?
Chris (Salvador):Because, honestly, I feel like the ascension is sort of like the order and I don't really want to deal with them.
Russell (Upri):So you'd rather deal with a potentially nefarious shadow organization that wants to control the world?
Chris (Salvador):At least they're more. They seem more welcoming. I don't know if we would make any headway with Callister Flockhart anyway, Callister.
Kai (Yonce):Flockhart.
Russell (Upri):I mean, I don't like neither. But yeah.
Kai (Yonce):I mean, it's the less. What's the lesser two? Well, do we even have to have a lesser two? Why can't we just have good?
Russell (Upri):Because we get a burden all down first and start over just like real life.
Dan (Wren):Fortunately, the powers that be none of our good, in the classical terms.
Russell (Upri):Yes, classical.
Dan (Wren):If, but if the obscure is excuse me intentions are true, it seems as though that they would only take what they need and not influence the world in general. That's kind of the vibe I got from the way they described it. Now, whether or not that is Honest and honest description of their desires, hard to say.
Chris (Salvador):Well, we have to make a deal with one of them. Well, I did the greener thing.
Kai (Yonce):So I'm I've done my job.
Chris (Salvador):Maybe I could put Kalista to sleep or dazzler some way. That way I could. I wonder if we could learn anything like is Kalista married? I could swap memories of her and her husband. I don't know. Most of mine are like changing memories and making illusions.
Dan (Wren):Maybe we should. I mean, do we want to consult Daphne and Cyril to see, like their vibes on what they're? Going to know they're going to know way better about like these organizations than we are.
Kai (Yonce):We just got here, you know what?
Dan (Wren):they're going to say we can't let you know.
Chris (Salvador):We don't want to influence what you're going to do.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, seriously. Oh, you need a pun.
Chris (Salvador):Here you go, thank you, so what?
Kai (Yonce):are you doing now?
Timothy (DM):We're sitting on the stoop, yeah.
Chris (Salvador):Crying, chatting.
Russell (Upri):Waiting for a pizza, let's go.
Chris (Salvador):Well, if we want to get some renown in this town, we can definitely go to the Council of Mages. At least say it. If we want to follow up on that and then come back here tomorrow after we sleep on it, all right, yeah, maybe we should go to the Council of Mages.
Kai (Yonce):All right.
Dan (Wren):Maybe see if we can get somebody to give us something if we help out with the shaking city.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, I'm going to be honest, I do not like the politics of this at all.
Kai (Yonce):No, not in the slightest.
Kai (Yonce):This is why I want to fight. This is why I need stadium days yeah.
Chris (Salvador):All right To Town Hall, then Off we go All right.
Timothy (DM):We're going to see the window your way to Town Hall or the Council of Mages. Salvador has already been here.
Chris (Salvador):Yo, beatrice, how you doing.
Kai (Yonce):Say it was more than you.
Kai (Yonce):Yo Beatrice how are you kids?
Kai (Yonce):I'm just walking here.
Timothy (DM):So you walk in. Beatrice is still the receptionist. There's still the like portrait of the Council members sitting uncomfortably far apart from each other, all wearing black robes. Everybody just loves black robes in this, for some reason.
Kai (Yonce):He goes well with the blue.
Chris (Salvador):All the blue in town yeah.
Timothy (DM):It's very New York Classy.
Kai (Yonce):That accent.
Chris (Salvador):Sleek, slimming. That's gotta be the accent of Arch Mage Lorian.
Kai (Yonce):Yo, let me get a chopped cheese here while you save the world.
Dan (Wren):I'm still the dragon.
Kai (Yonce):How you?
Kai (Yonce):doing.
Kai (Yonce):Oh, I could not keep that up.
Timothy (DM):Is it the slightest. So unfortunately, we're not going to do that. We're going to get another flavor of British or Southern, because those are the only two things I could do other than the one Russian voice that I have, and I'm going to add what Chris has described as the nondescript Eastern European slash. Elabamin, when did I say that? That's what you referred to, your father's accent?
Chris (Salvador):Oh, yeah, oh, I remember that from the very beginning of season two.
Dan (Wren):Magical world. Accents are weird, so you know Beatrice.
Chris (Salvador):I've met Beatrice. Do I know her? No, is she my friend Also? No, her last name is Pebble and yeah, she's another receptionist she also a gnome Is she? I can't remember exactly. I don't believe so.
Timothy (DM):Pebble's self-attack is overshadowed.
Kai (Yonce):A halfling Halfling. Maybe you should take point on this one.
Chris (Salvador):I'm going to bring in all of my charm that I had brought the day before and I'm going to walk up to the front desk and say hey, Beatrice, it's me, Salvador from yesterday.
Timothy (DM):And for some reason I didn't write down any notes about Beatrice, so do not remember what she looks like or what she sounds like.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, she is. Her last name is Pebble and that's about all that I remember of her as well. But I'm going to say we were curious. We happen to be fixers and you've got a problem this town with earthquakes and we're pretty confident that we can fix it.
Timothy (DM):Ah, the pink tiefling again. Hey, she's just going to be like this now. Hey, you know that wasn't it, but yeah, I love it. It was not it, but we're going to try something new.
Chris (Salvador):With you. Know, you're such, a, such a. I'm just trying to get to my bearing in the city and I thought, hey, your friendly face.
Timothy (DM):Or should I say the awkward tiefling. It was some interesting questions last time you're here.
Chris (Salvador):Oh, about the uh, all the people that worked here, and I think I asked you what your favorite food was.
Timothy (DM):No, you asked what their favorite food was. And I did not have an answer for you.
Chris (Salvador):Okay.
Timothy (DM):Um, but I did direct you to the placard underneath the painting and I got all the Anything else I can help you with today.
Chris (Salvador):We were curious if we could have an audience. I don't know if they keep office hours here. Any of the members of the council?
Timothy (DM):Uh, they do have office hours. Is there one in particular that you are interested in speaking with?
Kai (Yonce):Uh.
Chris (Salvador):I can make an appointment for you who's? Oh well, it wouldn't be for today, it'd be for another day.
Timothy (DM):More likely than not, unless there is some sort of emergency.
Chris (Salvador):Who is currently dealing with the? Uh, what's that department? The department of works?
Dan (Wren):The builders the construction guild.
Timothy (DM):Does anybody that oversees or deals with a construction guild Well, there is the uh work group, but Not work group. What is it called? What do they call that thing when there's like a government entity and they just like split off? Commission commission maybe.
Chris (Salvador):Advisory board.
Timothy (DM):Advisory board. That's it. There is the advisory board pulled together from the council of mages. Uh, archmage Lorian Star Whisper is very keen on attending those meetings.
Chris (Salvador):Well then, that'd be perfect If we could somehow get the details on that next meeting or maybe set it on a. On a parallel path, we can set up a meeting with with the Archmage, lorian Star Whisper, and talk with him personally how we can best use our expertise.
Timothy (DM):I believe they were going in front of the town hall in next Tuesday, if I recall correctly, um anything sooner than then, because that's also, I believe that's on stadium day. Yes, that is stadium day, okay. Fortunately, these things usually happen on Tuesdays around 11am, in the middle of the day.
Kai (Yonce):I see.
Dan (Wren):It doesn't have any open appointments earlier than that.
Timothy (DM):Not unless you can give me a reason that I would have to reschedule one of her, uh, his standing meetings, their standing meetings?
Chris (Salvador):I there was something odd happening last evening during uh in the vicinity of the Delves. I don't know if you've been over there recently, have you? Can't say that? I?
Timothy (DM):have. Have you ever been over there? Oh, I went once with a beau.
Chris (Salvador):A beau, oh, like a boyfriend or girlfriend.
Timothy (DM):Yes, precisely Didn't last, but it was a quaint, little date.
Chris (Salvador):I kind of madly we had lunch at the fountain. Oh, I had one too. It was. We'll have to share details later. Maybe we can go get a.
Timothy (DM):That's a really weird thing to do. I don't know you at all and I don't want to talk to you about my love life. I'm sorry. I was trying to connect with you.
Chris (Salvador):Forgive me for being so brash. Apologies accepted, but whenever I was over there yesterday, there was a. There was an earthquake, as you might have felt, but there was also an odd eminence coming out of the mines and I have a feeling that there's a connection between those mines, these earthquakes, the source crystals and the floating island and the weave, so it's a whole. It's like a pentagram of things that are connected.
Timothy (DM):All right, information about the quakes that could potentially convince somebody, and do you have any qualifications that I should be aware of? That made to make it a little bit more plausible that you would be the ones taking care of this for us.
Russell (Upri):Upper is going to summon her amber great sword behind. Just hold it on her shoulder and smile.
Kai (Yonce):And I'm going to end with Elder's Blast, but safely.
Timothy (DM):That is some weird qualifications. Give me a persuasion. Checks Do I have?
Chris (Salvador):to these folks are masters of magic. Yeah, you're, yeah.
Russell (Upri):I dropped my sword.
Kai (Yonce):You said persuasion yes, the elders blast blasts everywhere.
Timothy (DM):I don't know if I can consider that qualifications. You are in the underkeep right.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, we happen to be close friends with Daphne as well, as we have connections with the University as well.
Timothy (DM):Daphne and is there any way you can collaborate to your Connections with Daphne?
Dan (Wren):you want us to bring her in Daphne either. Are you listening? Link into Daphne.
Kai (Yonce):Absolutely. It is now the afternoon, so you're able to connect with her.
Timothy (DM):She is awake from her nap.
Dan (Wren):So you hear the little like America, Hi hi, daphne, thank you for picking up hold, please do you mind if I connect, you mind if I connect you to Daphne? I ask Beatrice.
Timothy (DM):You have Daphne on the line. Yeah, oh, of course I'd love to talk to Daphne. I've always been wanting oh, hi, daphne, are you there? Who do I have the pleasure of speaking me?
Dan (Wren):Oh, apologies. Um, this is Beatrice from Town Hall. Um, we're hoping to get a.
Timothy (DM):Yes, it's Beatrice from Town Hall.
Dan (Wren):Go ahead, take it away Um definitely.
Timothy (DM):It's all nice to meet you. Um, I have heard so many things about you and I always wanted to talk to you. Can you send like an autograph or something? Um, does that work telepathically?
Russell (Upri):Are we? Are we in this too?
Dan (Wren):Wait here, hold on Daphne. Can you like send an image of like yourself or like your signature? Like to my mind.
Timothy (DM):Oh, yes, I can connect with Beatrice directly. Um, this should do it, and you, you have. You see an image of Daphne, just like hold out her hand, just like she's sitting in her still.
Timothy (DM):Her hand, just like, and you see this glow of light. And then all of a sudden, on Beatrice's face, you see it like light up, with like a giant smile. She's like, oh yes, this is absolutely Daphne. Oh, my gosh, daphne, just like I. I just love you so much. I hear all about you all the time from the council and and and um, uh yes, my dear, it's, it's, don't worry, I will send you an autograph in the mail.
Kai (Yonce):We'll receive it this afternoon. Actually, I think we recall sending it yesterday.
Timothy (DM):It should be in the mailbox. That's correct, if you go check.
Kai (Yonce):It should be there.
Kai (Yonce):Come on variety hour.
Russell (Upri):She already knew this was gonna happen.
Dan (Wren):I guess she already said to sign. Oh my god. There's a curious concept oh my goodness, of her autobiography.
Timothy (DM):All right um, and you see Beatrice like jump out and you like runs across to the mailbox and like, opens it up with her key, pulls it out and she has like a photograph.
Kai (Yonce):I'm assuming Beatrice's photo is like this Of Daphne yes.
Timothy (DM):Yes, 100%, just like with love. So for the rest of us.
Russell (Upri):They can't hear any of the telepathy. We just see face journeys. Run over get the design photograph of Daphne. I was like what the fuck?
Timothy (DM):Oh, my goodness, okay. So if you all have been sent by Daphne, that is definitely something that warrants. A rescheduling of some of these meetings.
Kai (Yonce):Let me look right here.
Timothy (DM):Oh yes, this was just like a little touch point. We could probably reschedule that tomorrow.
Kai (Yonce):Excellent fans.
Timothy (DM):It is for two o'clock this afternoon, which is oh, oh, my goodness, that is 10 minutes from now.
Dan (Wren):Wow, excellent. Well, we could just. Oh sorry, I uh Daphne. Thank you so much Um.
Timothy (DM):Of course come see Beatrice sometimes. I Sure.
Dan (Wren):I double tap it.
Timothy (DM):All right, um, that's it. I've penciled you into the schedule with uh, uh, archmage, uh, lorian star whisper. Um, they'll, they'll be with you in about 10 to 15 minutes whenever they finish up. Uh, their current meeting.
Kai (Yonce):Hmm.
Russell (Upri):Well, uh, what, what just happened?
Dan (Wren):Oh Sorry, I thought we were all connected. I'm my bad. I connected, I think I have mine.
Chris (Salvador):We all are, whether we want to or not. No, I have to. Oh, you have to pick them up, yeah.
Dan (Wren):Um, uh, I connected her with Daphne. Uh, there was a little bit of a fangirl moment, um, but it got us an appointment for two o'clock.
Kai (Yonce):Oh okay, do you have sorry? No, you good, I'm gonna look at the receptionist, daph, what's her name? Again, Beatrice. Beatrice, do you have any hard candy?
Timothy (DM):I do have some battle scotch.
Kai (Yonce):All right, I'll take one.
Timothy (DM):All right, um, right there in the bowl.
Kai (Yonce):I take one and it's like oh, it's red, oh my goodness.
Timothy (DM):Oh wow, don't know how that got in there. I think that was called a jolly runcher.
Kai (Yonce):I can't do the accent, I'm bad, so thank you.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, top of the morning if you'd like to have a seat over there in the waiting area. They're very comfortable, especially those loungers there.
Dan (Wren):Well, yeah, we'll take a seat. Wait for mr Star, sear sear.
Timothy (DM):Lorian star whisper.
Kai (Yonce):The names in this town are very complex.
Russell (Upri):Yeah that's mages for you, so.
Timothy (DM):After five, ten minutes of waiting, you do see this um, draconic Dragonborn basically, but not quite. They're like, similar to dragonborn, like they have draconic features, um, but their skin is smooth in sections and only scaly around the cheekbones and they have a flare that comes out along the sides, the fringe.
Russell (Upri):Sting corrected with sorcerers too.
Timothy (DM):Um, when they come through the back door, um, beatrice waves you on over. Uh, that's the Lorian star whisper. Um, he'll be with you now, um, and he greets you with a smile and, uh, waves you back to the back offices.
Russell (Upri):All right yeah, we head on down.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, all right, All right hello, this appointment was put on my Schedule the last minute.
Kai (Yonce):I see.
Timothy (DM):Which means, unfortunately, I do not have an agenda. Would you like to provide one at this time?
Chris (Salvador):Yes, we have the desire to inquire about how we might be able to help with your earthquake problem.
Timothy (DM):Oh, if you can solve that, you will save me so much headache on Tuesday.
Chris (Salvador):I imagine. So you have to have these meetings with the construction guild.
Timothy (DM):They're not the ones that usually give me the headaches, but Come on.
Kai (Yonce):Sean Connery.
Timothy (DM):I Am open to listening to what you have to say. There is some.
Chris (Salvador):Evidence that it's connected to Something happening in the Delves. I was there yesterday. There's an odd pulsation of energy coming out of the, the minds that I think ought to be investigated.
Timothy (DM):Hmm, all right to this way. Here's my office. You may find yourselves comfortable. Um, and he motions around to some sofas that are in his office and he sits down at his desk the Delve, all right. What makes you think that there's a connection with the runes? I this is a Chris thing that I might be in this remembering, but did they used to mine in the Delves.
Chris (Salvador):It's a. It used to be like a mined area that they got crystals or some sort of resource out of. Yes as I remember from other.
Kai (Yonce):Subterranean.
Chris (Salvador):Subterranean mining operations there's usually. If something bad is going on, there's. You can always point back to rumblings in the deep and Given what I saw yesterday with a humming, which is odd to come from a seemingly abandoned Mine, yes, the mines have been Darsiled for millennia. At this point, Just struck me as odd and given our proclivity for problem-solving fixers, we are definitely the fixers. We have you heard of the town of Valerian. And yes, I have you can thank us for that.
Timothy (DM):For what part?
Dan (Wren):for the recent Um re-surfacing of the city. My understanding has been lost to history for the past 14 to 15 years oh.
Timothy (DM):Okay, apologies, I should have noted that you were outsiders lost to history for the surface world.
Chris (Salvador):Yes, I imagine you've. You've been underground for quite some time.
Timothy (DM):Well, we go above ground. We just have a different recounting of history, maybe we should just let the city fall and move on.
Kai (Yonce):But we need people to help with the arm of your eye.
Timothy (DM):Well, I would be forever indebted to you if you could solve our little problem.
Chris (Salvador):What? What have you tried so far in terms of fixing this issue?
Timothy (DM):I think we have attempted to have the construction guild A reconfigure our circuitry, but unfortunately their designs have Been unable to account for the fluctuations in magic.
Russell (Upri):That's something that that came off my notes whenever I was reviewing magic Okay.
Kai (Yonce):Magic. Yes.
Dan (Wren):I understand that the we've the we've has been sending additional magic, that the capacitors cannot handle. My understanding of the issues that correct.
Timothy (DM):Yes, that is what the construction guild Manager has told me. There is some information that we've gathered from above ground.
Chris (Salvador):There are certain rifts in towns that are opening up Portals to other worlds, other universes, and these are messing up lay lines.
Timothy (DM):Yes, this is a yes, I am aware of this.
Chris (Salvador):I do you see the connection between the two that?
Timothy (DM):Absolutely, they are connected. Yeah, unfortunately, we have not been able to stop the rift. If you could do that, then I would be eternally in your debt, and so with the rest of the world, for that matter.
Chris (Salvador):It's another problem that we're dealing with. Sorry, I feel like I'm talking a lot here.
Timothy (DM):I I motion over to, but if you take care of this little problem for the underkeep we would be, you would be compensated, for sure, oh.
Kai (Yonce):I have a question.
Timothy (DM):Can I?
Kai (Yonce):take a step forward, yeah.
Kai (Yonce):Um, what are your thoughts on the rnc and the dnc in your city?
Timothy (DM):Oh, sorry, are those little acronyms for what? What does that stand for?
Kai (Yonce):The rnc and the dnc.
Kai (Yonce):I.
Dan (Wren):Don't know the ascension and the obscure.
Kai (Yonce):The ascension and the obscure.
Kai (Yonce):That's what I said. My accents is really thick.
Timothy (DM):Filling positions for hundreds of years within our government.
Kai (Yonce):Do you align with either?
Timothy (DM):I myself ran on an independent ticket. Good for you.
Kai (Yonce):It is.
Timothy (DM):Considerably difficult, a barrier that we have broken down only recently.
Kai (Yonce):I Don't think either parties have your city. It's the best interest in mind, as we've come to find out today, thursday why I ran independent.
Timothy (DM):I would agree with that sentiment.
Kai (Yonce):If we were able to fix your issue with the city, would you, what could you promise us?
Timothy (DM):Typically, these types of negotiations Involve a request, not an open-ended. Is there something that you are looking for?
Kai (Yonce):For the world not to end, but you know well, and an army that would be An army, sorry an army oh it's power flowers that is a big request, just as yeah. I'll say just as big a saving the city.
Timothy (DM):Yeah, I may not have an army at my arsenal, but I Can provide many favors. The Guilds themselves are civil servants of the cities and have many Resources available to them. Arcane artifacts.
Kai (Yonce):Well, technologies research, knowledge.
Kai (Yonce):Do they have a private security company?
Timothy (DM):we do have our defense cause. They are Not usually a standing army, but to defend the underkeep should it ever fall into Siege. I believe their current Objectives are lined with Building capacity to defend against the order.
Kai (Yonce):I.
Timothy (DM):Would be very Hesitant to divert those resources.
Kai (Yonce):I think those are the ends of my questions. I look at everyone else in my party. I shouldn't make deals. I bat at him yeah, we're linked now.
Dan (Wren):Says the warlock.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah, I am really good at making deals, just not with humans.
Timothy (DM):Well, if you would like to just go take care of a problem, then that would be great, right, I don't have a problem with that. The delve you say yes, that's a lead, one lead. Well, report back after you've paid it to visit. Okay, sounds great, thank you so much for seeing us.
Dan (Wren):Of course, it was a pleasure. Well, bye, bye.
Timothy (DM):Well, we're in their office. Well, goodbye.
Russell (Upri):Bye, bye I will show you out.
Kai (Yonce):And you will follow him out into the lobby, and then you're out of his office and you were in the lobby, all right.
Timothy (DM):Well, I think that one. Well, how'd it go?
Kai (Yonce):Oh, that's about that voice, it went really well.
Timothy (DM):Oh, that's great to hear.
Kai (Yonce):He's the nicest official that we've met here today, oh I do enjoy working for him.
Chris (Salvador):All right. Well, you have a great day, beatrice. We'll be on our way.
Timothy (DM):Thank you, and it was nice to see you again, mr.
Dan (Wren):Awkwartae Fleming. I tip my imaginary hat to Beatrice Gosh.
Timothy (DM):Oh, I'm so glad you're here, mr Awkwartae Fleming.
Chris (Salvador):I tip my imaginary hat to Beatrice.
Timothy (DM):Gosh.
Chris (Salvador):Actually, no, I am wearing a hat. I'm wearing the the Keppie. We all have our fancy hats now.
Timothy (DM):All right, hopefully I see you around again. This has been my entertainment for the week Fun.
Kai (Yonce):As we walk out I'm gonna say sorry, sorry for Sal. They're just they. They're boy crazy. They just don't like anyone else. It's just, it's the Keppie.
Timothy (DM):Oh, don't you worry, I understand. Yeah it can do things to the mind.
Kai (Yonce):Exactly, that's quite the player actually, but. I'll say that another time and I walk out.
Timothy (DM):All right, you've exited the um Council of Mages.
Chris (Salvador):Hmm this day has been interesting and that we don't have any deals. What we have tasks to do, hmm.
Dan (Wren):I mean we don't need to make deals right at this moment.
Kai (Yonce):No.
Kai (Yonce):We have not made any powerful friends, allies, though.
Russell (Upri):I think we've actually made a couple of enemies at this point. Yes, if this is what, being a politician's like, I understand why they're also fucked up.
Dan (Wren):Yeah this is exactly what being a politician's like.
Russell (Upri):No wonder the good ones don't want to do it yeah.
Dan (Wren):Well, at least we've got one good one, at least I think so good ish.
Chris (Salvador):Although he's he was saying that they have an army but they're basically not going to do anything for us.
Dan (Wren):I don't think he said well, their priorities are to the city yeah, he's not. To the world, he has cops.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, okay, yeah, you can't just take cops out in New York and send them over to Kansas but I will say, I will say that having the guilds on our side could be very beneficial as far as, if a war does, it does strike out, being able to, to utilize arcane technologies With maybe a different standing army and, to you know, tangentially with another standing army. The people, the people, exactly. We want people on our side, like the political groups great, they're also very powerful. But the core of a people is its people, are the comrades.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah.
Kai (Yonce):Settle down.
Dan (Wren):Settle down. I mean I said we go look into the delft then okay, I'll go check out the mines. Do we have time today? What time is it? It was just two o'clock, yeah, so we decided.
Timothy (DM):Yeah all right, so you are going to hire a ferry over to the delfs. Um, it gondolas over around the island, over to a small platform where you can see some runes of a what once was probably the headquarters of the mining endeavor. Um, so salvador has already had a a little bit of a tour of this place. Um, so there is like a little cute little fountain area, like a vestibule there. I mean it's when you all think of the word mine, you're thinking of like a hole in the ground where people dig with pickaxes, pull shit out in in minecarts. This is extravagant. Um, when they said mines, they meant ancient dwarves.
Chris (Salvador):Like an old dwarf city.
Russell (Upri):This is the entrance of an old dwarf city.
Kai (Yonce):Yeah.
Chris (Salvador):Even more scary that there's something rumbling in. There Could be a balrog, could be gas.
Dan (Wren):Yes, yeah, like I think that's just a gas problem that's making the city rumble the burp, the Pobbobino. Oh god, it's a dragon, isn't it? It's definitely a dragon a giant crystal dragon.
Timothy (DM):No, the dragons are the rulers of the city, as you found out. Yeah it's.
Dan (Wren):It's a rumor that that allorian is actually a silver dragon.
Kai (Yonce):Yes, it is a rumor. It looks very dragon-y.
Timothy (DM):It is definitely.
Russell (Upri):Draconic in some sense doesn't look a full dragon yeah but dragons can also Turn themselves into people like yeah, they can. They can look like humans or any humanoid, so why look like that?
Chris (Salvador):to throw people off. That's like, oh, we can't be it, he's just draconic, he's not actually dragon.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, if you lean into it, more likely to like do you seem that smart?
Chris (Salvador):I we've only talked to him for like five minutes.
Russell (Upri):I guess the daughter in Sean Connery old man could be an axe.
Dan (Wren):Probably is. I mean, if he actually is a silver dragon, he is ancient for sure, yeah, fair.
Chris (Salvador):Anyways yeah, I cast light on my hat.
Timothy (DM):On your hat.
Chris (Salvador):Okay, do teeth things don't have dart vision? Oh well, you don't have to, I don't have dart vision.
Dan (Wren):I thought you were half a coral, like eighth elf I'm one eighth of, so I guess we establish.
Timothy (DM):It's like 10 foot dark vision.
Kai (Yonce):A very weak, so they can be in melee.
Timothy (DM):Gonna be okay.
Dan (Wren):Um, let's dive into this.
Timothy (DM):All right. So you stand at the mouth of the delve. A grand stone archway marks its entrance to a set of stairs, 40 feet wide, that just head down Every two flights. It Evens off to a little bit of a landing and then continues on as you look down. I guess you can only see 60 feet because of the light. Yeah, so the stairs. They disappear into the darkness of the delve and you begin your descent.
Chris (Salvador):Before we left, we let Daphne know. No, we were going there? Yeah, definitely there.
Kai (Yonce):I mean she probably knows.
Chris (Salvador):Oh yeah, she definitely knows.
Dan (Wren):Oh yeah, she's like oh she already knows if we're coming back or not.
Russell (Upri):If we weren't, she would have already stopped probably.
Kai (Yonce):No, she's very hands off.
Timothy (DM):And you make your way deeper and deeper into this dark, damp, stale air that surrounds you. The stone is Gorgeously carved, intricate details, into large blocks of stone, 10 by 10 feet Each block that you can see. The People who brought these stones here must have had Insane technology or powerful magics in order to lift these stones, or Many people and perseverance. And after about 10 minutes of descending down these stairs, you reach the bottom, which leads into a grand Entrance hall of sorts 40 foot columns on either side Extending out in each direction, beyond your 60 foot vision, an open space. For a moment you feel like you've stepped outside into the darkness with the openness Of this chamber, and that's when the ground begins to rumble.
Kai (Yonce):Desolation of smoke.
Timothy (DM):Accompanied by the low Buzzy hum Echoing off the walls of the chamber.
Dan (Wren):Something deeper in Does it Remind me of anything can like? Is there a check that can be made to identify what is creating the hum?
Timothy (DM):Give me Um. The answer can be no give me a type of chuck pick pick what you are strong at.
Russell (Upri):I analyze it.
Dan (Wren):I mean I could investigate but that doesn't feel like a correct check for that. Can nature check it On nature, I'm gonna nature it 19 so 19.
Timothy (DM):The hum Does not sound natural. It sounds Potentially mechanical or arcane, but it is difficult to differentiate between the two.
Dan (Wren):Could be both Arcane technology and whatnot. No creatures making that noise.
Kai (Yonce):Shall, we continue to explore.
Dan (Wren):Yes, why are you using that? What are you doing?
Kai (Yonce):I don't know that every accent we've heard today has really affected me.
Dan (Wren):Yeah, I noticed that. That's okay, just mirroring.
Kai (Yonce):It's my new power, oh tongues. Tongues.
Kai (Yonce):Let's go.
Chris (Salvador):Yeah, which. So we heard it echoing from a certain direction, or just below us Just around.
Kai (Yonce):Okay, gotcha, keep on it.
Dan (Wren):Let's keep trekking, yeah.
Timothy (DM):So you walk across deeper into this chamber, the sound of your boots hitting the stone slabs on the floor or causing the clink to echo through the chamber Every step forward, you lose sight of the stairs just slightly more, finding yourselves a float In the abyss of the darkness. Every chamber column Looking so similar to the last, the precision Of the carving so Accurate and defined that only time has differentiated them from each other A Crack, a nick, a little chafe, a cobweb hanging from a corner, the only signs that you are passing A new column and not in fact walking in circles. Over time, you come across Small wooden structures that have mostly decayed into piles of rune, partly preserved tatters of fabrics, ceramics and metalworkings. As you continue through the space, you start to realize that this may once have been a market. The stalls decayed over time.
Timothy (DM):The vividard oscillates all night All the kana the �lerar Some darlings as you fall along.
Kai (Yonce):Just make a groove. One cigarettes imm.
Kai (Yonce):Подicham.
Timothy (DM):If you pause a moment to rummage through the piles, you can nick a couple artisanal goods, jewelry and the like.
Kai (Yonce):That's real, some fermented yogurt.
Timothy (DM):All mundane but expertly crafted, could potentially catch a decent price on the market above.
Chris (Salvador):Is this a protected area? Is it like a national park that we've just wandered into?
Timothy (DM):Is it like the?
Chris (Salvador):foreclosed mine that you're not supposed to go into.
Timothy (DM):No, so this section is still open to the public. You didn't go this deep. This is more of visiting an ancient site where there's going to be a section of it that is open to the public because it's been deemed as still safe, but deeper on, it's going to probably be barred off, which is actually where we are about to come to a flight of stairs where you see a placard that says do not enter and a bar of wood that goes across it.
Kai (Yonce):I take off the bar of wood.
Timothy (DM):You could just like step around, fine.
Kai (Yonce):To be boring, I'll step around it.
Russell (Upri):After you're on the steps around it, I'll kick it in half, right Roadhouse.
Timothy (DM):Wood splinters and clatters down the stairs.
Dan (Wren):It's like Lord of the Rings on the stone walls and everything. Yeah, that echo is everywhere you hear an echo on the hard surfaces of the stone.
Russell (Upri):Oh, that's fun, I just call that dad.
Timothy (DM):It echoes over and over again down the stairwell.
Kai (Yonce):I don't like this.
Dan (Wren):Nothing in response. Nothing in response Not clattering, not like a thousand goblins that are about to descend on us.
Timothy (DM):No.
Dan (Wren):Okay, cool, keep going then. All right, none stopping us now All right. Do you still have chalk?
Chris (Salvador):Did you ever have chalk?
Dan (Wren):No, but I've got like lead pencils and writing utensils. Do you want me to mark?
Chris (Salvador):Mark, like every hundred steps, I'll start marking the walls.
Timothy (DM):All right. And so you descend deeper into the delve, this time in the forbidden section, passing do not enter and continuing on your merry way. And that is where we're going to end today's session, marry me.
Kai (Yonce):We roll along, roll along. Tend to the dock, tend to the dock, all right 1968.
Timothy (DM):I will read our outro and we will continue on our ways. Players, dear intrepid listeners, as we close the curtain on this latest chapter of Shadows of Prophecy, we bid you farewell from the mysterious tapestry of our cosmic tale. Remember, the darkness never sleeps, but our doors are always open to those brave enough to explore. We could not 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, remember to like, follow and subscribe to stay updated on our future journeys into the unknown. This playcast is a Goblin Forge production. If you enjoyed what you experienced today, follow us on Instagram at goblin-forge-t-r-p-g, or 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.
Kai (Yonce):Sean Connery signing out. Yes, of course. Oh, double-sign. Oh yeah, this is the newest role we've ever played in this game, actually in this story, you, you.