SoloDark: Pelor's Quest ep74

--/-- Welcome to SoloBickering! It's a solo rpg, which means I roll dice generate a story and decide outcomes, and lose arguments with myself as I portray the exploits of my adventurers. 

--/-- Join me on a journey into the game world I play face to face in, and it may sound vaguely familiar to you. Like many another DM I stitch my world together from any bits and pieces I fancy, adding them into a standard setting, Faerun's Sword Coast.  

--/-- AI and NSFW: For this possibly brief adventure the stars are young and moderately hot, and I'll be using CoPilot AI to buff my romance bar, because I'm useless at romance, and for side situations that need social interactions. Some of the situations the young protagonists find themselves in may turn out to be NSFW. I won't be deliberately aiming for that, but oracles are what they are. So if on either account you take an ethical stand against those, skip this episode and listen in to Rollohi, my other SoloBickering output. 

--/-- And having said that, let's get the game started. 

 --/--Music from Pixabay with thanks to: daynightmorning, Good_B-Music, JefWakeUp, LudoSoundX, makesoundmusic, Playsound, teodholina, and White_Records

--/--Selected tracks from "Ancient Realms" by Joel Steudler Music.

https://larrymannplayssolobickering.blogspot.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Hi, I'm John from Tale of the Mandatory. Robin from Stories from the First Watch.

SPEAKER_04 0:05

PJ from a Wasteland Story and the Solo Roleplayers Podcast.

SPEAKER_03 0:08

Simon from Legend of the Bones.

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Brian Rideau from Swords Against Madness.

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Tom from the Lone Adventurer. And I'm Trevor from Your Story Will Be Different. And with our solo roleplaying audio, narrative, actual play, drama powers combined, we are the Solo Roleplayers Podcast Network.

SPEAKER_04 0:26

Usually accustomed to delving the depths, scouring the desert, surviving the wasteland, or facing the dragon alone.

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This time, we have teamed up to bring you a created collection of the best, highest quality, most dramatic, and dice solo roleplay podcasts in the world.

SPEAKER_04 0:45

So if you're looking for your next solo role-playing adventure, roll over to solo roleplayersnetwork.com and subscribe to something that takes your fancy.

SPEAKER_03 0:54

And discover your new favorite solo roleplaying podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

See you there. Before we go further into today's podcast, an extra material content won't be this particular cast that contains horror things. For this venture, the stars are young and moderately hot, and I'll be using co-pilot AI here and there to buff my romance bar, because I'm useless at romance, and besides situations that don't really need tools. Some of the situations the young Protegs find themselves in may turn out to be NSFW. And if you're uncomfortable on either of those two scores, skip this and head over to the world of Rolley. Otherwise, having said that, let's get on with the show. He's under time pressure, and of course the pressure of diminishing rations now that the party has taken on a sixth member, winning. But the weather is atrocious. After five brutal miles in the storm, Garrick finally spots a landmark, a standing stone. From there, he guides the party to a shallow summer den, a dry hollow beneath a granite shelf, barely large enough for the sixth of them. Inside, the air is still, cold, and close, but outside the wind continues to scream like something alive. As the party dismounts and sees to the livestock, Winnie moves with unexpected purpose, unwinding the bedroll and wolf skin that has kept her from dying of cold. She leads the ponies into the lee of the rock, arranges them nose to town, checks their hooves for ice, rubs one into their ears. It's clear that she is a professional hand at stable doors. The others should have known, they think. After all, she grew up around stables, as a daughter at the inn. But seeing her now feels like discovering a secret. Good work, Garrick congratulates. Winnie flinches at the press. Inside the den they settle in.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

I'll take second.

SPEAKER_02 5:12

Sakeb, you take dawn? If the storm hasn't buried us, Sakeb says in a tired voice. No watches for Winnie. She's half frozen at asleep. Unlike the others, Winnie's storm gear has been makeshift. Winnie curls between two ponies wrapped in their warmth. On drum's watch, a faint blue lantern glow appears through the storm. A mule silhouette soon follows, and behind it an old man in a patched cloak.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Oh there, shutter is it?

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Mind if an old digger shears your lee This is still the first watch, and it has had to be by necessity a short day. Everyone other than Winnie is still awake. Garrick stiffens and watches cautiously from where he's sitting back against the rock. The old man comes further in and says, Name Charlotte Greymantle. Been working these cairns since before you pups were born. These are the Sumberhills, Garrick offers. The old man blinks. Ah slip my mind. It's time for wisdom checks to see what they notice about this new arrival. Drum, Natalie, and Garrick make DC twelve. It's success but not dramatic success. But Sakeb makes DC twenty one. So while Drum, Natalie and Garrick catch the odd accent slip, and the fact that the blue flame is kind of still and the mule doesn't really react to the wind. And Garrick notices the geography mistake, of course, since he is a man who has travelled these trails many times. Sakib sees everything. The breath that doesn't fog. The shadow of the mule that moves wrong. The pressure behind his eyes. He knows this is no mortal. Sakib racks his head for a guaranteed spell that will help. Protection from evil is the only thing that might help. But casting it would be fairly obvious and would start a fight they might not win. I'm going to check with the Oracle to see if he thinks about Winnie. Natural one. He doesn't think of her at all. Instead, he yells, draws goblin grief, and invokes sacred weapon in one movement.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Back! Back from us, creature!

SPEAKER_02 8:03

The blade hums with cold light, but the prospector does not flinch. Winnie is blinking awake, and the old prospector's eyes drift over to her. Winnie is unprotected, awake and afraid, and she's the closest soul. She looks at the prospector with wide, terrified eyes, and he smiles at her, not kindly nor cruelly, just knowingly. Easy now, little one. Your sake with me. And Winnie believes him, just for a heartbeat, just long enough. He continues to look at Winnie slowly, softly, like a man admiring a fragile, beautiful thing. Then he lifts his eyes back to Sakeb and smiles. A smile that says, I see your soul, little priest, and I am not impressed. His voice is gentle, almost grandfatherly, as he says, Now then, no need for all that fire. He takes one step closer. The Mill's shadow stretches unnaturally long behind him. Storm like this kills young prepared And you you are very young Some of you His gaze here drifts over drum, Lucinda, Natalie, dismissing them as children, and then back to Winnie. Some of Softer than others Tell me true, Prishling Riddle be not You Travel to Balaya for what? The wind outside dies for a heartbeat. The den goes silent. The man's eyes flick to Winnie again, a tiny deliberate motion. Not a threat, not yet. A reminder, a bargaination, a promise of what he could take. If a fight does break out, there's someone who cannot defend herself. So ask me, little Harold. Why beliear? Who waits for you there? The question is soft, almost kind, but the weight behind it is crushing. A demon lord's curiosity pressing down on mortal minds. And the unspoken threat hangs in the air. Natalie rolls intelligence to recall what Garrick told them. She rolls a five. Barely anything.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

We're we're going to see someone about a scroll we found.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

The old man's smile deepens. A scroll. Now it's worth a stock. He has what he came for, and he steps back into the storm. Into that silence Natalie speaks. Her voice is small, thin, trying to sound brave but cracking. We're going to see someone about a scroll we found. She blurts at a reflex. It's what Grast wanted. He turns his head toward Natalie with slow, deliberate interest. A scroll Now that is worth a star. He steps closer to the den mouth and the mule's shadow stretches impossibly long behind him. Natalie instinctively steps in front of Winnie. Graz notices. He approves. Tell me little thief.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

What?

SPEAKER_02 12:21

Sort of scrum Natalie swallows. Her mind is blank, just blank. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Something something old, something important.

SPEAKER_02 12:35

Important to whom? Natalie's breath catches. Drum, feeling that he must do something, tries to get a grip on his longbow and draw his arrow for the mark, but he's shaking too. Inside, his self-esteem is trying to burn brighter and brighter. Get to your feet, you fool. Skip in front of her. He manages to get up to one knee into a longbowman's crouch. It catches Grest's attention, at least, and in the flicker of decision. Garrick steps forward, hand on his knife. That's enough, old man. But Grest doesn't look at him. He moves his gaze back to Natalie. You don't know Ha But you told me anyway. Natalie flinches as if slept. Winnie grips her sleeve, trembling. Finally Grest moves his gaze to Garrett. You should have told them. What waits? Here Grest's eyes flicker to Winnie again. A tiny, deliberate motion. What waits? I'll the other sigh. Winnie shivers violently, Natalie steps back, pulling her closer. Sakeb's grip tightens on goblin grief. The blade hums like a tuning fork struck by a god. Garrick! Drum rasps. What what is he talking about? Garrick doesn't answer because he doesn't know. Even closer now, Graz steps. The den feels small, the air thin. The ponies are stamping nervously. You carry something precious. Something old. Something that calls to things far greater than yours. And some of you, huh? His gaze directs back to Winnie. Are precious in other ways. Winnie's breath catches. She doesn't understand the words, but she understands the attention. Grast waits, impatient, smiling. So tell me, little Harold. Who waits for you in Blyar? The den is silent. Sakeb's blade glows like a shard of dawn. Natalie trembles when he clings to her sleeve. The drum's bowstring creaks under tension. Lysinda's breath fogs and quick shallow bursts, and Garrick's hand is white knuckled on his knife. A scroll? A journey to Balayark. You've told me what I needed. Paths cross. He steps back, lantern held high. The blue flame does not flicker. Paths power. He turns his head slightly just enough for them to see a smile that is no longer human. We will meet again when the gate opens. The mule moves back, not walking but gliding a steep. As if its hooves don't quite touch the snow. Grest has just vanished into the storm, leaving the dim colder, smaller, and too quiet. Sakeb's blade dims, and the ponies continue to stamp nervously. Natalie is still shaking. Winnie is staring at the place where the old prospect stood. Her breath shallow, her eyes wide. For a heartbeat, she feels the echo of his attention. Warm, heavy, intimate in a way that makes her stomach twist. Her mother's voice whispers in her memory. She shivers. Then she feels a fabric against her skin. That's bitter clothing, warm, thick, smelling faintly as smoke and lavender oil. She looks at Natalie, a girl her own age, who stepped in front of her. She makes a charismature. 18. A DC 18 is superior success. Self-possession. A sudden, fierce clarity.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

He was wrong, she whispers. You're good people.

SPEAKER_02 18:07

Winnie? Natalie blinks, startled. Winnie clutches her sleeve.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

He was a kind mom warned me about. Kinda looks at girls like we're things. I don't want anything from him.

SPEAKER_02 18:21

And just like that, the invisible thread Grass had begun to weave around her soul snaps. Not permanently, but enough. Nat turns.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

We've got you.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

He's gone, she says, hugging Winnie. Drum lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Good riddance, but his voice is still shaking. Lucinda, who's kept absolutely quiet all this time, finally exhales, rubbing her arms. That wasn't a man. No, Sakeb agrees. And he will return. He looks at Winnie and only now realizes he never shielded her. Guilt hits him. Garrick, more practically, steps to the denmouth, scanning the darkness. We move at first lie.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

No delays, no detours. His voice is low and grim. I'll explain everything I know before we reach Belire. He looks back over it.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

We deserve to know sooner. Natalie's voice is small when she speaks.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

I I told him about the scroll. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

She looks down, shoulders tight, as if bracing for blame. Before Garrett can respond, Drum steps forward. He doesn't raise his voice, nor does he puff up. He just stands beside her, close enough that their shoulders touch. You didn't do anything wrong.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

I I talked. I I shouldn't have.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

You were scared. We all were. He glances at the dead mouth when the prospect of vanished. That thing, whatever it was, could have made any of us talk. You got between him and Winnie more than I did. Anyway, I didn't shoot. What? I had an aeronaut. I had a clean line. I couldn't take the shot. He looks away. Natalie looks at him, startled, but before she can speak, the Cinder snorts. Wait. You fruits? Yeah. At your age, I thought you'd be good to go again after ten minutes. There's a beat of stunned silence, and Natalie chokes on a laugh. Sakeeb makes a strangled noise halfway between scandalized and relieved. Even Garrick's mouth twitches. Drum turns bright red. Nat says protestingly, but still laughing. What? I'm just saying, you two were all over each other two nights ago. I figured your bow arm would be the least of your problems. Nat hides her face in Drum's shoulder, laughing now despite herself, and Drum groans into his hands. Going, please, please never talk about this again. The tension in the den breaks like thin ice, just for a moment. Enough for everyone to breathe again. The laughter fades, the cold creeps back in, and that's when Drum notices something. Uh Sakeb, your sword's still glowing. Sakeb looks down. Goblin grief hums faintly in his hand. A thin, sharp radiance running along the fuller, like moonlight trapped in steel. He frowns. It shouldn't be. Sacred weapon only lasts a minute. Maybe you overdid it. Priest fanic. No, I mean I called on Taimor, yes. But this isn't me. Natalie leans closer, squinting at the blank. It looks different, like it's brighter near the edge. And it's not so green glowy, she ventures. And it wasn't doing that before the prospector showed up. So Keep hesitates. We'll give him a quick wisdom check to understand what he's feeling. He succeeds. I think I think Taimura's blessing didn't just coat the blade. I think it took like the steel liked it. Steel can't like things. Goblet Grief isn't normal steel. Garrick steps forward, eyes narrowing at the blade's glow. Redmi see it. Sakeeb hands it over to Had. The glow dims slightly in Garrick's grip. Not gone. Just less. Garrick turns the blade, watching the light run along the edge like a living thing.

SPEAKER_00 22:41

This isn't a spell effect. Not anymore. Sir, what is it? A change. A binding? A joke, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 22:50

A joke?

SPEAKER_00 22:51

Taimura's a lady of rock. She's been known to meddle, especially when someone calls on her in a moment that matters, I guess. He hands the sword back to Sakhi. You want my advice? Come on and take it back to the standstone we passed. Lay it against the rock. Let the land feel it. Let it settle. You think it's dangerous? I think it's new. New things in these hills have a harbor going sideways if you don't round them.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Sake looks at the blade at the faint, playful shimmer along its edge. Taimora, Paylor? Someone's having a laugh. He slides goblin grief home and the glow fades. Thank you so much for listening. Ratings and reviews are much appreciated. For those keen to find out like-minded creators, check out soloplayersnetwork.com. It's a treasure trove of solo roleplay stuff. For those keen to get in touch with me, you can contact me through soloplayersnetwork.com or at Larryman Plays on Mastodon. Or you can email me direct at LarrymanPlays at gmail.com. That's Larry with two R's and man with two N's. Larryman Plays all one word at gmail.com. Thanks again and catch you later.